The earliest reference to playing cards comes from Chinese literature (10th century).
They first appeared in Europe in the 1370s as imports from modern-day Egypt.
In those days, they used to be hand-painted and so, they were expensive — till the 15th century, playing cards were a pastime only among the upper class.
Advancements in printing technology — the modern-day deck was invented by the French — expanded their reach to the masses.
Also, since cards were easy to carry, they soon replaced other indoor games during gatherings.
This led to a great deal of experimentation and card games suitable for a different number of players (from 1 to 10 or more) were developed over the next few centuries.
One such game was Euchre, which is said to have been brought to America by the European migrants.
This game became very popular in America in the mid-1800s.
In Euchre, under the British rules, there is a card known as the Imperial Bower (or Best Bower) that beats all others.
In the early days of Euchre, this card was a Jack (J – usually ranks between 10 and queen).
The second-highest ranked card was also a Jack of the same colour as the Imperial Bower.
Gradually, manufacturers of cards began to include two separate cards and these cards replaced the two Jacks to become the Bowers (highest-ranking cards).
Soon, Bowers became known as Jolly-Jokers because one could surprise and trick the opponent with these cards.
Some (especially those who claim Euchre originated in Germany) believe that “Joker” comes from Jucker or Juckerspiel, the original German spelling of Euchre.
Today, standard decks contain two or more designated jokers but only a few card games employ them (but they come in handy to replace any lost or torn cards).
