Card Games Family Tree

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Playing cards are amazingly versatile; they can be used for thousands of different games. But even with all that diversity, games with cards display similarities that let us group them together into a “family tree” of card games.

The main classification scheme used here is the mechanism of play, which follows the pioneering work of both David Parlett [Note 1] and John McLeod [Note 2]. As Parlett says,

This has the merit of making primary groups of games that go together because they ‘feel’ the same in play… (62)

McLeod adds:

…in this classification games that are historically related, being derived from each other or having a common ancestor, tend to end up together in the same group.

Although I’ve shamelessly plundered both sources (drawing on Parlett for the broad divisions and McLeod for the detailed groups and game lists), I’ve made a few tweaks. When possible, I try to follow a modern cladistic approach to phylogeny, with groups bifurcating at each level based on a single differing feature. As a result, any quibbles you have with classification are probably my error and should not be held against either Parlett or McLeod.

Naturally, some games include more than one type of mechanism. (McLeod calls these “compendium” games.) I have tried to sort these by the mechamism that seems most fundamental to the nature of the game.

Click Expand button to expand nested groups; click Collapse button to collapse nested groups.

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  • Basic Showdown Games

  • Partition Group

    Players divide their hand into parts that are compared separately.

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  • Scapegoat Group

    The object is to avoid getting particular cards.

  • Collecting Group

    The object is to collect groups of cards.

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  • Basic Draw-and-Discard Games

    The object is to improve your original hand by replacing cards from the stock and/or discard.

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  • Conquian group

    A drawn card must be melded immediately.

  • Basic Rummy Games

    The object is to make sets quickly and go out.

  • Contract Rummy Games

    Each player’s first meld must meet a particular contract, which gets harder with progressive deals.

    • Contract Rummy / May I? / Shanghai Rummy / Progressive Rummy
    • Jamaican Kalooki, South African Kalookie
    • Push
    • Carioca / Loba
    • Telefunken
    • Toonerville Rook
  • Manipulation Rummy Games

    Players can rearrange existing melds to meld cards from their hands.

    • Carousel / Vatikan / Shanghai / Manipulation
  • Knock Rummy Games

    A player can go out with unmatched cards but is penalized if another player has a better hand.

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  • Basic Meld-Scoring Games
  • Canasta Group

    7-card melds (canastas) earn large bonuses.

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  • Forced-Play Games

    Players have no choice in the cardplay; hands are kept face-down, and the top card played each turn. [Note 3]

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  • High-Card Group

    Suit is irrelevant; the trick is won by the highest card played.

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  • Basic No Trump Games

    Players may be able to announce holdings for extra points.

  • Last Trick Group

    The object is to win or lose the last trick; other tricks are irrelevant.

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  • Trump Cards Group

    Specific cards from one or more suits are “trumps.”

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  • Basic Small-Hand Games

    Many of these games display peculiarities of other mechanisms, such as not needing to follow suit, having a trump rank, or holding an auction.

  • Rams Group

    Players who don’t drop out are penalized for taking too few tricks.

  • Spoil Five Group

    Top trumps can renege; black suit numerals are in reverse order.

  • Euchre Group

    The trump jack and the other jack of the same colour are high.

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  • Deal-and-Play Group

    Players or partnerships try to win tricks; a rule determines the trump suit.

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  • Alliance Group

    Offensive and defensive alliances change with each hand.

  • Fixed-Partnership Group

    Players maintain their alliances for the entire game.

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  • Type I

    Various trumps are worth extra points; the Excuse can renege but loses the trick.

  • Type II

    The top and bottom trumps are worth extra points; the Excuse can renege but loses the trick.

  • Intermediate

    The top and bottom trumps are worth extra points; the Excuse can renege and lose or be the highest trump.

  • Type III

    The top and bottom trumps are worth extra points; the Excuse is the highest trump.

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  • Basic Ace-Ten Games

    In Latin decks (with no 10), the 3 or 7 takes its place.

  • Schafkopf Group

    The Jacks and/or Queens are permanent highest trumps.

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  • Basic Marriage Games

    These games often feature a bonus for winning the last trick.

  • Jass Group

    The Jack and 9 are the highest trumps.

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  • Poch Group

    These games actually comprise three mechanisms: a round where particular holdings win stakes; a showdown, sometimes with vying; and a stops round. The showdown round is a likely ancestor to Poker.

    • Pochspiel
    • Púkk
    • Three in One / Tripoley
  • Basic Stops Games
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  • Competitive Games

    Play may be simultaneous or by turns.

  • Single-Player (Solitaire) Games

    A player “wins” if the entire deck can be properly sorted.

    • Klondike
    • Canfield
    • Freecell
    • Spider
    • Accordion
    • Aces Up
    • Baker’s Dozen
    • Clock Solitaire
    • Forty Thieves
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  • Basic Single-Attack Games
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  • Basic Round Games
  • Climbing Group

    Players can pass without penalty. A player whose card is unbeaten by all other players has won a “trick.”

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  • Basic Multiple-Attack Games

    The defender picks up any unbeaten cards.

  • Continued-Attack Group

    Each attack begins with a single card but may be continued by any non-defender adding cards of equal rank to currently played cards. If any attack is unbeaten, defender takes all played cards.

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  • Asian Fishing Games

    After each card played from hand, a card from the face-down stock is turned over and played.

  • Western Fishing Games

    Cards are played only from hand and can capture multiple pool cards.

  • Balkan/Turkish Fishing Games

    The pool is a single pile; matching the top card captures the pile.

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  • Miscellaneous Games

    Games that do not fit into any other category.

    References

    1. Parlett, David. A History of Card Games. Oxford University Press, 1991. Back
    2. McLeod, John. Games Classified by Mechanism. From the Card Games Web Site. Accessed 2009 Nov 6 at https://www.pagat.com/class/#mechanism. Back
    3. The simple children’s game War is usually classified along with these games, but the simultaneity of play in War means it is essentially a Comparison game. Beggar My Neighbor and the others I have called “forced-play games” have a more sequential mechanism, in which the value of the card is important but not how it compares with other players’ cards. Back

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