The earliest reference to playing cards comes from Chinese literature (10th century).<\/li>\n

They first appeared in Europe in the 1370s as imports from modern-day Egypt.<\/li>\n

In those days, they used to be hand-painted and so, they were expensive \u2014 till the 15th century, playing cards were a pastime only among the upper class.<\/li>\n

Advancements in printing technology \u2014 the modern-day deck was invented by the French \u2014 expanded their reach to the masses.<\/li>\n

Also, since cards were easy to carry, they soon replaced other indoor games during gatherings.<\/li>\n

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.<\/li>\n

One such game was Euchre, which is said to have been brought to America by the European migrants.<\/li>\n

This game became very popular in America in the mid-1800s.<\/li>\n

In Euchre, under the British rules, there is a card known as the Imperial Bower (or Best Bower) that beats all others.<\/li>\n

In the early days of Euchre, this card was a Jack (J – usually ranks between 10 and queen).<\/li>\n

The second-highest ranked card was also a Jack of the same colour as the Imperial Bower.<\/li>\n

Gradually, manufacturers of cards began to include two separate cards and these cards replaced the two Jacks to become the Bowers (highest-ranking cards).<\/li>\n

Soon, Bowers became known as Jolly-Jokers because one could surprise and trick the opponent with these cards.<\/li>\n

Some (especially those who claim Euchre originated in Germany) believe that “Joker” comes from Jucker<\/i> or Juckerspiel<\/i>, the original German spelling of Euchre.<\/li>\n

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).<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
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