Archive for the ‘Poker History’ Category

« Older Entries

Face Cards in a Deck of Cards: How Did They Evolve?

Saturday, December 19th, 2009

There was a card craftsman who, as a French military commander,  battled alongside Joan of Arc.  His name was Etienne de Vignolles, known as La Hire.  The courage and heroism of the legendary maid of Orleans so impressed him he removed the knight from a deck of cards and replaced it with a dame.  Decorating cards with religious motifs or those depicting humans did not raise the wrath of the Catholic church.  The king of spades was designed after King David including his sword and quiver.  Charles the Great became the king of clubs, Julius Caesar the king of diamonds, and Alexander the Great was symbolized by the king of hearts.  These four members of the monarchy came together to represent the four springboards of western civilization.

Today’s Queens and Jacks did not follow such a consistent path.  The queen of spades represented the goddess Athena, which could also have been a representation of that kindred warrior, Joan of Arc.  Rachel depicted the queen of diamonds whose husband, Jacob, waited around for 14 years to marry her.  Somewhat disturbingly, the queen of hearts represented Judith, who quite unromantically cut off the head of Holofernes.  The queen of clubs did not follow this same pattern.  She represented a collection of images that formed Argine, an abstract favorite of kings, whose name appears to be an anagram of “regina” (queen).  This also could be a possible reference again to Joan of Arc, as Charles the Great, the French Catholic major domo, was the king of clubs.

The jack of spades was from a knight in Charlemagne’s court; diamonds were for Hector; for hearts we have La Hire himself and Judas Maccabeus represented clubs.  A variation on the theme had the four jacks being represented by four well-known knights: Lancelot, Ogier, Roland, and Valery.  These four were youthful, clean-shaven and longhaired warriors, all with battle axes.  All had a bloodhound-like dog at their feet except for Valery, possibly because Valery was the chief craftsman who created the deck.

Going lower on the scale, we have cards ten down to two, marked with their corresponding number and value.  The Ace which was an English word meaning “unit” had translations in French, Spanish, German and other equivalents as well, such as: as, ass, aus, etc.  The Ace was ranked lower than even the two.  This greatly upset the Catholic Church of the middle ages as God was “one” and any numeric system defining His number as lowly was blasphemous and smacked as consorting with the devil.  Should you disagree with this theory, you would undoubtedly come to see it their way on your way to the dungeon.

The Ace stands today for something almost metaphysical – the quintessence of oneness, if you will, which becomes more valuable than any one personification.  In reality, should a lone, simple card be given such mystical attributes?

This amorphous debate has been argued for centuries.  There are many countries in this world of ours that consider spirit and matter as one and as an important facet of our self-awareness.  In these modern times more than ever before, the rational, mystical, quasi-physical and sometimes, sexual elements of a deck of cards are greatly admired.  The Ace remains the essential entity of all or nothing, or something of an indeterminate element in the game of cards and life.

Back to earth – cards serve the same purpose today as they did back in the middle ages.  The rank of cards in the deck possibly reflecting back on the rank of humanity in society, from monarch to serf, with value depending upon rarity and the specific results of thousands of  combinations.

Visit Rakeback Solution for the best Rakeback rates and Rakeback Promotions.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in playing cards, Poker Art, Poker History | No Comments »

How Did the Face Cards in a Deck of Cards Evolve?

Friday, December 18th, 2009

A military commander in the French army, who was in combat along with Joan of Arc was also an artisan who designed and crafted cards.  His name was Etienne de Vignolles, AKA La Hire.  Saint Joan so impressed him with her courage and heroic deeds that he removed the knight in the deck in favor of a dame.  Decorating cards with religious motifs, or those depicting human forms were not a problem to the Catholic Church.  King David was symbolized in the deck with the king of spades with sword in hand and quiver at his feet.  Charles the Great was represented by the king of clubs, Julius Caesar became the king of diamonds, and Alexander the Great, the king of hearts.  The four sources of western civilization were thus represented by the four kings.

Today’s Queens and Jacks did not evolve as consistently.  Athena represented the queen of spades, undoubtedly also drawn to be reminiscent of the soldier, Joan of Arc.  Rachel, for whom Jacob hung around for 14 years to marry was the queen of diamonds.  Oddly, the queen of hearts was depicted by Judith, the lovely maiden who lopped off the head of Holofernes.  Now it gets complicated:  the queen of clubs was an amalgamation of an abstract favorite of kings, termed Argine, which may have been named for an anagram of regina (queen).  But again, it could have been used to suggest Joan of Arc as the king of clubs was depicted by Charles the Great, a very distinguished French Catholic honcho.

The jack of spades was the symbol for one of Charlemagne’s knights of the court. Hector stood in for diamonds; La Hire himself for hearts, while clubs were represented by Judas Maccabeus.  For the sake of variety, the four jacks depicted four famous knights: Lancelot, Ogier, Roland and Valery.  Each knight’s name appeared below their picture on the cards.  They were long-haired, clean-shaven youths, warriors wielding battle axes.  All of them buy Valery had at their feet a dog similar to a bloodhound.  This may have occurred because Valery was also the lead craftsman of the deck.

For the lower numbers, cards two to ten, their value was on the same scale, i.e. two to ten.  The Ace, an English word first defined as “unit”,  did not fit into the two through ten range and had French, German, Spanish and other equivalents: as, ass, ace, etc.  The Ace was actually valued below the two.  The medieval Catholic Church took great exception to this as God was “one,” so to represent the almighty’s number as the lowest on the scale was clearly the work of the devil.  Anyone deigning to disagree with this was shown the door to the torture chamber.

The Ace of today symbolizes a quintessential quality freely associated with any number of entities.  It is of greater value than any one personage.  But can any card in the deck be a stand-in for the crassness of science or  metaphysical meanderings of the mind?

This was debated in the middle ages as it is sometimes done so now.  Many countries in our world do not distinguish been spiritual and material matters with both being important to one’s definition of self.  In modern times, perhaps more than in ancient times, the rational, mystical, and even blatant sexuality are revered in the designs of a  deck of cards.

More down-to-earth, the cards have always served their utilitarian function – that of an object  with which to play games.  The hierarchy from King to two to Ace, and the innumerable possible combinations of cards of varying values according to their rarity give much fodder for anyone to project onto the deck whatever social or spiritual aspirations they may have.

Visit Rakeback Solution for the best Rakeback rates and Rakeback Promotions.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Gambling, Poker Art, Poker History | No Comments »

The Evolution of a Deck of Cards: Face Cards

Thursday, December 17th, 2009

Étienne de Vignolles, called La Hire, a French military commander who faught alongside Joan of Arc, happened to be a card craftsman. He was so impressed with the legendary maid’s heroism that he replaced the knight in a deck of cards with a dame. Catholics had no objection to depicting human form on cards, decorating cards with Judeo-Christian motifs. The King of spades was King David, with the trophy sword in hand and his sling on the bottom of the card. King of clubs was Charles the Great, King of diamonds was Julius Caesar, and King of hearts was Alexander the Great. The four kings represented the four sources of western civilization.

The depiction of what we would call today Queens and Jacks was not as consistent. The queen of spades was drawn in the form of Athena, meant likewise to remind of the warlike Joan of Arc. The queen of diamonds was the beautiful Rachel that Jacob waited for 14 years before be able to take her as wife. The queen of hearts stood for Judith, the heroine who had beheaded Holofernes. While the queen of clubs was a collective image and represented a certain abstract favorite of kings, named Argine, which was apparently an anagram of “regina” (queen), or which possibly meant to suggest Joan of Arc again, since the king of clubs was Charles the Great, the distinguished French Catholic leader.

A knight from Charlemagne’s court served as prototype for the jack of spades; Hector – for diamonds; la Hire for hearts; and Judas Maccabeus for clubs. As a variation of this, the four jacks represented four famous knights, with their names printed below them on the cards: Lancelot, Ogier, Roland, and Valery. Youthful, beardless, warriors with long haircuts wielded a battle axe. All except Valery (who happened to be the chief craftsman of that deck) had a scent hound at their feet.

Still lower on the scale came the cards from 10 to 2, marked by the appropriate number of suit symbols, greatest value accorded to the greater number. The English word “Ace” first meant “unit,” and had French, Spanish, German and other equivalents: as, aas, ass, etc. The Ace stood lower on the scale than 2. However, the medieval Catholic Church viciously opposed such a classification. God was “one,” and hence any game or numeric system which defined His number as the lowest was blaspheme and Satan’s work. Anyone who would not agree had to be convinced by an array of means which were difficult to argue with down at the basement.

Today, the Ace symbolized a kind of quintessence – associated freely with anything from the exposed essence of woman to what the physicists call the “naked singularity” – which is greater in value than any single influential personage. But can a single and the simplest of the cards in the deck stand for anything at once and should one privilege its scientific baseness or metaphysical elevation?

The question remains as arguable today as it was during the middle ages. In many countries there is no clear cut distinction between spiritual and earthly values, both being essential to present-day self definition. Today perhaps more than ever, any good citizen reveres the national, the mystical, the quantum-physical, and the downright pornographic of Esquire decks. The Ace is all or nothing, depending on how you see the contemporary concoction of concepts, and symbolizes best, perhaps, a kind of postmodern rhetorical indeterminacy which can take you anywhere or nowhere.

Otherwise, the cards serve us pretty much as they served any specific class or a mixture of class during the middle ages or the Renaissance. The basic hierarchy of the deck from King to lowest number, and the 2.598.960 possible combinations of varying value, the value of combinations decided by their rarity, allow ample possibility to project anybody’s social and spiritual aspirations.

Visit Rakeback Solution for the best Rakeback rates and Rakeback Promotions.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in playing cards, Poker History | No Comments »

A History of a Deck of Cards and Its Suits

Monday, November 30th, 2009

Cards were not introduced into Medieval Europe until the second half of the 14th century.  At this time they were referred to as “Saracen Cards,” and were brought to Europe by merchants.  Cities were burgeoning with rural folk who had survived the Plague and moved to the urban centers.  Here, they became a new group of middle class merchants and craftspeople.  With the easing of the poverty and ignorance that marked the middle ages, new trade groups, guilds, and universities began to emerge once again, and science was no longer relegated to sorcerers.  There was more time for the pursuit of pleasure, leisure, and play.

Books, cards, and prints were produced by hand during the early Renaissance period.  Artists and scientists came together and became the moving force behind the spread of card games throughout Italy.  Many illustrated card-manual manuscripts began to show up in a number of major cities including Viterbo near Rome in Italy, Paris and Barcelona by the late 14th century. Traveling scholars and artists were responsible for card games gaining in popularity and becoming more widespread.  Where once a single craftsman in early 15th century could satisfy the demand for cards in a city, by the mid 15th century, many shops worked full time to fulfill the need.

Because this was a somewhat foreign form of amusement, not everybody embraced it.  Some felt it threatened the fabric of society’s mores and morals.  They saw it as a game where gamblers and bettors were in cahoots with the devil.  During the protestant Reformation cards were rather dramatically referred to as “devil pictures.”

No matter or because of this devilish image, card playing stood its ground.  The English queen, Mary, Queen of Scots not only bet big, but bet on Sunday!  The Compleat Gamester was published in London in the late 17th century, with descriptions of over a dozen types of card games and the winning strategies involved in their play.   In Venice, specific types of facilities called casini allowed admittance of aristocrats and courtesans to indulge in games of cards.  It was here that a game called primero was invented and spread throughout the continent to later morph into poker.

In time, women as well as men, farmers and merchants as well as courtesans and nobles were able to enter the games and found symbols of themselves represented in the cards.  A Swedish deck that became very much the rage, was comprised of these suits in order of ranking: sun, king, queen, knight, dame, valet and maid.  Those ribald Florentines played with cards that pictured nude dames and dancers, with the dancers being the low suit.

There was no standard number of cards or designs in a deck at that time.  The number of cards could vary from 36 to 40 to 52.  The suits of the time were symbolic of wealth, tasty victuals, military defense, and sports popular with the court.  These were coins, cups, sabers, and clubs.  Signs familiar to us were in use in France in the 15th century: in red, Couers (Hearts) stood for the church, carreaux (a rectangular floor tile) represented the merchant class; in black, there were piques (spear and arrow heads) depicting state authority, and trefles (trefoil clover leaf) as a sign of the farmers.  Some brave soul at one point along the way ditched the vice-royals for queens.

After a period of time, the deck of cards that we know today took form.  52 cards with 13 ranks comprising 4 distinct suits.  The suits include Spades, Diamonds, Hearts, and Clubs with  the Ace, King, Queen, and Jack counting for ten and the rest of the cards, 2 through 10, being counted at their face value.

Visit Rakeback Solution for the best Rakeback rates and Rakeback Promotions.

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in Brick and Mortar, playing cards, Poker History | No Comments »

How Playing Cards and Suits Came to Be

Saturday, November 28th, 2009

Cards, known as Saracen cards, were introduced to Europe in the second half of the 14th century.  The people in more rural areas, having survived the “Black Death” were moving to the cities.  Here they began a class of merchants and artisans who became middle class urbanities.  Coming out of the dark ages with its superstition, ignorance and poverty, guilds and universities made a reappearance, scientific experimentation was once again allowed and thrived, and the populace now had time for leisure and play.

In the early days of the Renaissance, books, cards and prints were created by hand.  Card games were spread across Italy by a society of art appreciators formed at this time.  At the end of the 14th century many key cities in Europe including Viterbo near Rome, Paris and Barcelona, were able to obtain illuminated manuscripts of card manuals.   Traveling artists and scholars spread these manuscripts across the continent and their popularity flourished.  Early in the 15th century, a lone artisan was enough to satisfy the demand of a city.  By mid-century, however, there became a need for several shops devoted to their creation.

Card manuscripts were not loved by everyone.  Indeed many were threatened by this foreign entertainment and saw it as a force to promote gambling and as an immoral and counter cultural product of the devil.  At the time of the protestant Reformation, the cards were referred to as “Devil Pictures.”

In spite of or because of this, the popularity of cards persisted.  Even Mary, Queen of Scots was a major bettor and enjoyed the game, shockingly, even on Sunday.  The compleat Gamester was published in the late 17th century in London, relating details of more than a dozen games and their basic strategies.  Particular facilities – casini – were established in Venice for aristocrats and courtesans especially for card games.  From these Venice casini, a game called primero found its way all over Europe and was transformed into poker some time later.

After a while, the game was played and enjoyed by women as well as men, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants as well as courtesans and aristocrats.  The suits at the time from a popular Swedish deck were in order of rank: sun, king, queen, knight, dame, valet and maid.  In Florence, cards were depicted as nude dames and dancers, with dancers being the lowest rank.

Interestingly, the number of cards in a deck at the time was not standard, consisting of 30-40 or 52 cards.  The designs also varied considerably.  The suits most preferred were symbolic of wealth, food, military security as well as popular sports of the court:, coins, cups, sabers and clubs.  Some of the symbols familiar to us today were typical of those in France:  in red, Coeurs (hearts) stood for the church, and correaux (a rectangular floor tile) was a sign of the merchant class; in black, piques (spear and arrow heads) represented state authority, and trefles (trefoil clover leaf) denoted farmers.  Somewhere along the line, a brave artisan exchanged the vice-royals symbol with queens.

Time passed and the deck of cards we recognize today was formed, whereby a deck of 52 cards with 13 various rankings compiled 4 different suits.  The familiar Clubs, Spades, Diamonds and Hearts are the suits with Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks usually weighing in at a value of 10.  The non-face cards, 2 through 10 are each counted at face value.

Visit Rakeback Solution for the best Rakeback rates and Rakeback Promotions.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Gambling, playing cards, Poker History | No Comments »

The Evolution of a Deck of Cards: Suits

Thursday, November 26th, 2009

In the second half of the 14th century merchants introduced what was then commonly called “Saracen cards” into medieval Europe. Those who had survived the bubonic plague moved to cities, where they formed a new class of merchants and craftsmen – the urban bourgeois. Once the poverty and prejudice of the dark era eased, trade, guilds, and universities began to revive, and new scientific perspectives were discovered along with the time for leisure, play, and pleasure.

During the early Renaissance, books, cards, and paintings were manufactured by hand. A community of art and science appreciators formed and became the primary factor in the spread of card games across Italy. By late 14th century many illustrated card-manual manuscripts had appeared in a number of key cities in several countries, including Viterbo near Rome in Italy, in Paris, and in Barcelona. Thanks to traveling artists and scholars, the popularity of the game steadily grew: in the early 15th century a single craftsman sufficed to satisfy the card requirements of a city; but by mid century there was need in multiple fulltime shops.

Not everybody welcomed the innovation: the foreign form of entertainment contained a threat to more and morality; gamblers and betters consorted with the devil and during the protestant Reformation the cards were called “devil pictures.”

Nonetheless, the fashion persisted. Mary, Queen of Scots liked to bet big even on Sundays and by late 17th century London published The Compleat Gamester, describing over a dozen game types and the basic strategies for all of them. In Venice, special facilities – casini – admitted privileged aristocrats for card games and courtesans. From there, a game called primero spread to Europe and later transformed into poker.

In fact, soon not only the male court enjoyed cards, but also women, farmers, craftsmen, and merchants gained access to the game and found their realities symbolically reflected there. A popular Swedish deck had these suits in order of significance: sun, king, queen, knight, dame, valet, and maid. Florentine cards depicted nude dames and dancers (the latter being lowest).

The design and number of cards in a deck was not uniform at the time, varying from 36 to 40 or 52 cards. Popular suits were symbols of wealth, victuals, military security, and popular court sports: coins, cups, sabers, and clubs. Already in the 15ht century signs familiar to us were used in France: in red, Coeurs (hearts) symbolized the church, and carreaux (a rectangle floor tile) symbolized the merchant class; in black, piques (spear and arrow heads) standing for state authority, and trefles (trefoil clover leaf) symbolizing farmers. At some point, a daring artisan substituted the precedent vice-royals with queens.

Eventually a deck of cards made it to the form that we all recognize and understand today.  52 cards of 13 different ranks make up 4 different suits.  Clubs, Spades, Diamonds and Hearts make up the suits, while Ace, King, Queen, and Jack make up the card ranks rounded out by ten through two.

Visit Rakeback Solution for the best Rakeback rates and Rakeback Promotions.

Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in playing cards, Poker History | No Comments »

Did a Few Poker Playing Dogs Help To Bring Poker Into The Light?

Tuesday, October 27th, 2009

Born in 1844 to a family of abolitionist Quaker farmers, Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, nicknamed “Cash” by his friends and family, became an instantly recognized commercial artist with the series of Dogs Playing Poker he gave to the world.  He is named after one of the most eloquent of orators against slavery, nicknamed  “The Lion Of White Hall” as an anthropomorphic tribute to the township in which he lived.  Mr. Coolidge (Cash) had no professional training in the arts whatsoever.  Nonetheless, he was a very active artist, publishing drawings in papers before his twentieth birthday.

The paintings along one of his favorite themes, mastiffs and Saint Bernards engaged in the activities normally attributed to humans, began with a commission in 1903.  Well-bred and well-behaved dogs drink alcoholic libations, smoke cigars and pipes, and play five-card draw poker in nine out of sixteen of the paintings.  Generally they are pictured as furry masculine types in fur coats or warm suits sitting around a table in a cozy room with the only source of light being a lamp above the table.

These proper members of the well-to-do bourgeoisie seem to be well mannered gentlemen, if not altogether tame, definitely a  cultured lot.  Think of Sergio Leone’s movie Once Upon a Time in America, the pictures are roughly of the same era.  But the focus of the paintings that Coolidge gives us is not the one of greed and violence as in the underground clubs depicted in the movie.  Instead, his poker games emerge from the murky criminal underworld into a decent society where the club members play poker, if not entirely for fun, for only a few cents, smoke a little tobacco and tipple just a bit behind their wives backs.  Poker was no more a way to make money quickly and dangerously.  It was becoming wholesome entertainment for the majority of American men.

Respected members of society as early as 1875 gathered at large nocturnal poker sessions.  Poker Chips was one of the publications dedicated to the game and most periodicals of the time included articles on poker in their content.  Standard rules for playing draw-poker were unified and distributed among all the poker clubs beginning at  the turn of the century.  This was a first.  It was even reported that baseball had lost its status as the national game.

Interestingly, the ability to play poker and use a gun, in no relation whatsoever to any criminal reference, became gradually the accoutrements of a “real man.”  If a fellow played a good game of poker they must also be good soldiers, good law men, and good, honest politicians.  During World War I in Europe, in 1914, poker became THE mode of entertainment among the two million troops and of Harry Truman himself.  As an artillery officer, Truman fine-tuned both draw and stud poker.  And at the end of the war with the signing of the peace treaty, he and his combat comrades played infinite games of poker waiting to be shipped home.  They continued to play the game after their arrival on home soil.

At that time, the prevailing view was to equate the ability to take risks at the table, to bet big, play smart, and bluff, (profitably, of course!) to the ability to survive in battle, in dangerous occupations like law enforcement, or do any job requiring a good brain and strong muscles.

Our boy, Cash Coolidge, was surrounded with plenty of opportunity to observe the types, the apparel and the game room ambience of the basement clubs where games were regularly played.  By adding his vivid, imaginative anthropomorphic humor to it all, he replicated very creatively the demeanor of the middle class engaged happily in a game that was at that time at least 200 years old.

Visit Rakeback Solution for the best Rakeback rates and Rakeback Promotions.

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Poker, Poker Art, Poker History | No Comments »

Canines Bring Poker Out of the Smokey Basements and Backrooms and Into the Light

Saturday, October 24th, 2009

Most of you will instantly recognize the series of paintings titled Dogs Playing Poker created by Cassius Marcellus Coolidge.  Mr. Coolidge was born into a family of Quaker farmers who were very much into abolition and was named after one of the most eloquent orators of the time who was given the resounding nickname of “The Lion of White Hall.  Coolidge, nicknamed “Cash” by friends and relatives, did not receive any formal training in the arts, but was nonetheless a prolific artist, publishing his drawings in papers before reaching the ripe old age of 20.

Cash’s favorite theme was, oddly, those big dogs Mastiffs and Saint Bernards, engaging in very human activities.  In 1903, he was commissioned to do a series of paintings on this very theme.  In nine of the sixteen paintings commissioned, very respectable, genteel dogs were gathered together to drink beer and whiskey and indulge in a cigar or pipe as they played five-card draw poker.  These furry gamers dressed in fur coats or wool suits would fill up a cozy den-like space whose only source of light was a shaded lamp over the table.

These reasonably well-behaved gentlemen are members of an established, respectable class of town folk, who though certainly not stodgy, are quite proper enough.  If you can conjure up Sergio Leone’s movie “Once Upon a Time in America,” you are in the right time period.  But the artist is not focusing on the greed and dark violence of the illegal underground clubs depicted in Leone’s movie.  He allows poker to come out of the darkness of all this into a more wholesome, mainstream faction of society where decent folk who may be wagering on a game, are certainly not into it for more than a few token pennies, and are indulging in a rare sip of whiskey and small pipe or cigar while their wives are away.  By this time, poker was becoming a respectable and common pastime for most American males.  It was no longer viewed as just as way to make a quick, risky and dangerous buck.

Well-respected gentlemen around 1875 were attending large evening poker games.  A monthly rag called “Poker Chips” was one of the publications devoting itself to the game and most others published poker-related articles.  As the century ended, rules became codified for draw-poker for the first time and were in force in all of the poker clubs.  Some reporters went so far as to claim that baseball was no longer the national past time.

Little by little, the skills at poker and skills at using a weapon were becoming the premier attributes of many a manly man.  If a man had the ability to play a good game of poker, he was considered also to be a fine soldier, sheriff, law man of any persuasion and a solid, honest political leader as well.  As a matter of fact, in World War I in Europe in 1918, poker was the most enjoyed form of entertainment among the troops and of one Harry Truman.  Truman actually greatly enhanced his own skill at draw and stud poker as an artillery officer.  Upon the signing of the peace treaty, while the troops were awaiting their transport home orders, Harry T. and his troops whiled away the time playing endless hands of poker.  A habit they continued well after arriving at their homeland.

It is the ability to bet large and shrewdly, take big risks, and bluff successfully for profit of course, that is also perceived to be the mark of the man that survives in battle, is willing and able to take on dangerous jobs like law enforcement or to be successful at any type of occupation that requires brains and muscle.

Cash Coolidge was around at a time that gave him every opportunity to observe the sort of person, the clothes, the card games and the milieu in which all of these elements came together in basement clubs that gave rise to the essence of his art.  Through his art, which consisted of a vivid imagination and anthropomorphic humor, he created a representation of the life of the bourgeoisie at the time enjoying a game that had been around for more than 200 years.

Visit Rakeback Solution for the best Rakeback rates and Rakeback Promotions.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Gambling, Holdem, Poker Art, Poker History | No Comments »

Poker Playing Dogs Help Usher in the New Age

Thursday, October 22nd, 2009

Cassius Marcellus Coolidge, an instantly recognizable commercial painter who has given the world the series of Dogs Playing Poker, was born in 1844, into a family of abolitionist Quaker farmers and was named after one of the most eloquent orators against slavery, nicknamed (with provisional anthropomorphism) “The Lion of White Hall.” Nicknamed “Cash” by friends and kin, he had no official training whatsoever, but was very active, publishing drawings in papers before he was 20.

In 1903 he was commissioned a series of paintings on his favorite theme: mastiffs and Saint Bernards engaged in human activity. On nine of the sixteen paintings well bred and mannered dogs drink beer and whiskey, smoke cigars and pipes, and play five-card draw poker. Furry and in fur coats or flannel suits, they usually fill a cozy room with the only source of light being a shaded lamp above the table.

The players are established bourgeois, and seem to be reasonably well-behaved gentlemen, perhaps not altogether tame, but proper enough. The paintings reflect approximately the same period as that depicted in Sergio Leone’s Once Upon a Time in America. But Coolidge does not focus on the greed and violence of illegal underground clubs; rather, he shows poker finally emerge from the criminal murk into a more homely reality where decent members of society probably never bet more than a few symbolic cents and allowed themselves a few drops of bourbon when their wives weren’t looking. Poker was becoming common entertainment for most American men, not a means to make quick and dangerous money.

As early as 1875, respectable persons attended major night-time poker sessions. At least one monthly, Poker Chips, was dedicated to the game and most periodicals published related articles.  At the turn of the century, unified rules for draw-poker were for the first time spread among all poker clubs. Reporters suggested that baseball had ceased to be the national game.

Gradually, unrelated to any criminal associations, the ability to play poker and the ability to wield a gun became the staple talents of any real man. Men who played good poker were usually likewise good soldiers, good sheriffs, and good politicians.  In the spring of 1918, in Europe, the game was the most popular mode of entertainment among Harry Truman and his two million troops. Truman perfected his draw and stud poker as an artillery officer. When the peace treaty was signed, waiting to be shipped home, he and his combat friends spent the time at endless games of poker which they continued even after arrival home.

The ability to bet big and smart, bluff, and risk profitably was seen as identical in essence to the ability to survive in battle, survive on dangerous jobs in law enforcement, or do any job which required brains and brawn.

Coolidge had ample opportunity to observe the types, the clothes, the cards, and the basement clubs where games were regularly held. Adding a vivid touch of anthropomorphic humor, he created memorable representations of the middle class enjoying a game by then at least 200 years old.

Visit Rakeback Solution for the best Rakeback rates and Rakeback Promotions.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Poker, Poker Art, Poker History | No Comments »

Looking for Poker in the Arts

Tuesday, October 13th, 2009

Collecting Poker Art may be something that poker fans enjoy, and the industry is large enough churning out anything from Super Mario chip art to stylish monochrome photographs with titles such as No Chance and Gunslinger. However, most of it is primarily commercial products, with barely a chance to entice a connoisseur’s eye.

A general interest for the serious poker player, with an eye for the game’s complex aesthetics, may be poker in when he is not busy challenging a worthy rival art. Does good art which is significantly related to poker exist?

Worthwhile references to the game in art are rare, despite its immense popularity, and some admirers cherish them with the elite pride of the devotees of some wonderful esoteric practice. Mainly in modern compositions poker in music is featured, but for its expression in sound there does not seem to be much possibility. Video usually accompanies the more successful efforts, and these are restricted to MTV clips. Poker is referenced in many songs, but mostly a half-hearted solace is offered. Usually well meaning fans or poker pros that are not necessarily great with words or music are the composers of such songs.

The Card Party: Ballet in Three Deals, is the most significant poker-inspired artwork in music in which I am familiar. Music and visuals are ideally fused by its nature and was first danced by Balanchine’s American Ballet Ensemble. It is one of the rarer curiosities poker admirers might want to see, with music by Stravinsky, who enjoyed poker as a pastime. It is more fanciful than accurate in representing the process of playing cards.

Dogs Playing Poker by Cassius Coolidge is one of the most obvious examples in painting form. There was an order for nineteen commercially oriented paintings using anthropomorphized dogs and these were only part of the order. Nowadays, the general concept of cigar-smoking canines around a table in a dim-lit club that is more iconic than the original paintings.

Poker and card games tend to be stylized by many works of art, blending them with fantastic themes. Alice in Wonderland would be the most obvious example. The Queen of Spades in Alexander Pushkin’s most popular story, concerns a player desperate to learn a card trick he or she had heard about from a friend. The story culminates into a sort of card-game horror though it began as realism: the man so desperate to learn the secret from the old woman guarding it that he threatens her with an unloaded pistol unintentionally causing her to die of fear. Her corpse opens her eyes to him at the funeral then her ghost visits him at his house discloses the secret. The man doubles his possessions in the first game afterwards. In another game he knows he is holding an ace but somehow plays a queen and loses everything. After being committed to an asylum he raves in room 17: Three, seven, ace! Three, seven, queen! There is a BAFTA-nominated 1949 British adaptation fantasy-horror of the story by Thorold Dickinson.

Poker tends to be criminally realistic in film (though not necessarily more accurate), from Cincinnati Kid to Rounders with Matt Damon and Edward Norton. Rounders has become a cult film precisely because of its decent depiction of the playing process and did moderate in the box office.

Visit Rakeback Solution for the best Rakeback rates and Rakeback Promotions.

Tags: , ,
Posted in Poker, Poker Art, Poker History | No Comments »

« Older Entries