Joker Card Game
... the ‘wild-card’, the card of opportunity
The joker card can be used only once in a game. For example, if you have two possible sequences that can be completed by using the joker card, you will need to choose only one of these sequences. It is a good practice to use the joker card to form sequences with high-value cards so that the leftover cards are of lower value and do not impact. See full list on pagat.com.
The extra “Joker” card is believed to have been invented by American Euchre players who, when modifying the rules sometime during the 1860s, decided that an extra trump card was required. Originally he was called “The Best Bower” and then later “The Little Joker” or “The Jolly Joker”. It was around this time that other innovations and improvements started to appear, such as rounded corners replacing square and various types of corner indices.
These Jokers, or extra cards, were first introduced into American packs around 1863, but took a little longer to reach English packs, in around 1880. One British manufacturer (Chas Goodall) was manufacturing packs with Jokers for the American market in the 1870s.
Above: early 'Bower' cards and Jokers by American manufacturers produced during the 1870s-1880s. Many of the images resemble clowns or jesters, not always ‘Jolly’; sometimes they appear slightly sinsiter!
Above: early Jokers by the firm Charles Goodall & Son, London, (1821-1921) produced during the 1870s-1890s. Victor Mauger soon issued their own Joker →
The Joker card is capable of almost anything or almost nothing, depending on the rules of the game. It has been suggested (Dianne Longley, 1999) that “the Joker is the ‘wild-card’, or the card of opportunity, not unlike the ethos of opportunity and individuality that has been the driving force behind America's pursuit of greatness.” Some historians have seen the Joker as a descendant of the Fool of Italian tarot cards, and in some 19th century tarot sets the Fool was depicted as a harlequin or buffoon.
Some early Jokers were specially designed, along with special Aces of Spades, as part of the company’s brand identity.Hence they can also be an aid in identification.Many collectors are primarily interested in certain cards such as Aces of Spades, Jokers, court cards, unique backs, etc., and hence the Joker card has also become a collector's item in it’s own right...
Above: 3 cards from Peter Wood’s “Jest Jokers” deck comprising 54 different Joker designs, made into a full pack of cards see more →
To see a further selection of Jokers, please click here →.
Card Games Played With Jokers
FURTHER REFERENCES
Matt Probert: Chinese Jokers►
Phil Neill: The-History-of-the-Joker-Card►
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Most card decks come with 52 playing cards and two jokers. Many people set the jokers aside or even throw them out as many people do not know how to use the jokers when playing cards.
Jokers can be used a lot of ways in poker, and it can be fun to keep these two cards in the deck. One way the joker cards can be used is as wild cards. A wild card is a card that can be used as any card needed in a hand. If, for example, a person is playing five card stud poker and has a hand consisting of a five, a six, a ten, two Jacks and a joker card, and the joker is wild, that person would have three Jacks in his hand and in a five card stud game, may very likely win the pot. If the person has two jokers, he would have four Jacks and would very likely win the pot in a five card stud poker game. However, if the person has two jokers and one Jack and another person has the other three Jacks, the person with the “natural” hand wins the pot.
Another way to use jokers is similar to the game Black Mariah. This would entail four cards being turned up, either with five or seven cards being dealt. If, during the dealing, a joker appears turned up, all of the cards are given back to the dealer and the game begins again. This is just another variation of Black Mariah, only more difficult as there are two jokers in the deck.
Still another way to play with jokers is to make anyone who gets a joker in their hand split the pot with the winner. A split pot is not desired by most poker players and is hardly ever used in professional poker. No one wants to have four Kings and have to split the pot with someone who is holding a poor hand consisting of one joker. This can be even worse if two people have jokers and the pot has to be split three ways.
Jokers can also be used to throw someone out of the game. Someone holding a joker would then have to fold for that particular game as the joker card contaminates their hand. This would also be very frustrating to a poker player who may be holding four Aces and get dealt a joker on the last card. But it would make the game more exciting.
Most professional poker players never use the joker cards, either as wild cards or as elimination cards as the cards tend to undermine the skill a professional poker player acquires in learning the card game. For this reason, most people tend to put the joker cards aside.
Joker Card Game Rules
However, when playing cards with family and friends, it can be fun to vary the game by using the joker cards, either as wild cards or elimination cards. It is just another way to add variety to the many different ways to play poker.
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