Modern cards as we know them today were adapted by the French in the 1300s. These cards were adapted from ideas that were picked up in Central Asia and the Arab countries. The French nobility were known to play cards with pictures of Napoleon and other emperors on them. Originally cards had totally different pictures on them from what they have today, and were carved from wood. The French are responsible for giving the card suits — spades, hearts, diamonds, and clubs. From the cards developed games such as Poker and Blackjack. Blackjack is considered to be a later version of a game known as Trente et Un, which, in order to win, the player needed to get as close to the number 31 (Trente et Un) as possible. From the Trente et Un came Vingt et Un which is French for 21. Other variations of this game developed over the years, but the game that remained the most popular in its many versions is blackjack or, as the English named it, pontoon. Poker as named by the French was developed from the Persian game of “As Nas”. Poker developed and spread across the continents through the years to become one of the most popular casino games today.
