Card Games

There is something magical about that standard 52-card deck.  It’s one of the most versatile forms of social recreation ever invented.  Board games don’t possess this.  Despite all the thousands of different versions it has spawned, you can only play Monopoly on a Monopoly board.  Parcheesi only permits Parcheesi.  The same goes with Risk, Clue, Checkers, Chess, Backgammon, Othello, and so on and so forth.

The same is true with most other specifically designed cards.  Phase 10, Uno, Rook and the like only permit you to play those games.  They aren’t built to allow anything else.

But with the 52-card deck… I can’t count how many games have been created using these cards with their nondescript numbers and faces.  I’ve been playing with these cards since I was seven and I’ve lost count of how many rounds of Golf and Spades I’ve been through.  The most popular group game I’ve played is Japanese Trump, which I’ve also heard called Ace Trump, Scum, President, and just regular Trump.  Chances are it has three other names I haven’t come across but will in the future.

Last weekend, I learned a brand new game called James Bond.  It was for just three players with our deck that we had, it was very easy to learn, quick-paced, and so much fun.  I’d love to give the rules for it here, but I’ve never been good with written instructions and that would be pretty boring reading.

Fortunately, I can direct you to where you can find the rules to James Bond.  Go to www.pagat.com, which is the ultimate site for the rules to all card and tile games.  It’s a fun site to explore and who knows, you might find something more to play and fill time at any parties or gatherings you happen to be at.