The world moves quickly today, some say at light speed. People are always on the go and when it’s time to recreate they reach for the latest
gadget with the newest app or social networking game.
But card games have their place, their history and legions of loyal fans who understand that the mind, not the machine, still reigns supreme.
And though the number of card games to choose from is innumerable, the following 4-player games offer the perfect combination of competition
and cooperation to occupy a rainy afternoon, sunny beach day or dinner party with friends.
Euchre
A popular game originating in Michigan, Euchre players are paired into teams with the goal of securing as many “tricks” as possible with the
first team to 10 the winner.
Players can also decide that they are “going solo” or “going alone” and play a hand without their partner’s assistance in attempting to win
the number of tricks bid prior to play.
Hearts
Not technically a team game, the object in Hearts--unlike the other games mentioned--is not to collect tricks or points but “lose” tricks by
discarding cards that carry a point value.
Each player begins with 13 cards and attempts to discard any hearts or the queen of spades (if that player holds that card.) Hearts are worth
1 point and the queen of spades 13. At the end of each round, players’ points are totaled and the game ends when one player reaches or exceeds
100 points.
Spades
Played with a full, fifty-two card deck like Hearts, the object of the game is to collect as many tricks as possible by playing the highest
ranking spade in a given hand. Like Euchre, players can score points only when satisfying the bid prior to the first card played in that trick.
For every trick won, assuming its bid is met, a team is awarded 10 points. If a team wins 5 tricks during a round and its bid is 5, it would
be awarded 50 points. Play ends when the first team reaches 500 points.
Pinochle
More complicated than its brethren, Pinochle is different than the other games listed above in a few important ways:
- Hand rankings are not sequential
- Players show their hands prior to play
- The bidding structure is more complex
Once basic rules are understood and its nuances mastered, game playing techniques and strategies are limited solely by the player’s own imagination.
The Final Word
Though the goal of each game is similar--the collection or dispensation of tricks--each game is sufficiently unique and offers its own quality
of play and pace.
And when players factor in the multitude of game variations that can be selected for each game, the possibilities--while ignoring other technologically
mindless pursuits--are endless.