Category: Entertainment

TAROT SPREADS FOR HALLOWEEN

Posted on October 16, 2020 by - Art, Astrology, Card Collectors, Card Designers, Client Feature, Custom Design, Entertainment, How To, Oracle Cards, Tarot Cards, Tarot Spreads

TAROT SPREADS FOR HALLOWEEN A tarot spread is designed for nearly anything: guiding one’s love life, career path and uncertainties… there are even ones that align nicely with Halloween. So, while the world has been undeniably spooky since March 2020, let’s not press the snooze button on such a thrilling time of year! With Halloween in mind, we designed three spreads for you to incorporate into this Fall’s tarot card reading routine!

1. The 6s

This spread revolves around the number six. 6 cards, questions and rows (1 column). A number, title and open-ended question is assigned to each card.

The Tarot Spread:

(1) Monster Mash: How do you interact with others during social settings? (2) The Seer: What magic (passions) do you tap into daily? (3) Pumpkin Patch: How do you feel about the choices you have made? (4) Costume: When do you resort to putting on a façade? (5) To the Bone: Are you in-touch with your mind, body and soul? (6) Kindled Spirit: What is your relationship with love like (whether romantic or platonic)?

2. Hallow v. Hollow

In this spread, determine whether the presented statement is hallow or hollow to you. The Major Arcana, which consists of 22 cards, is suggested.

Hallow: to respect greatly

Hollow: without significance

It’s up to you whether to use these exact statements or pose your own. Remember, there is no right or wrong answer, as the Hallow v. Hollow spread is designed to discover who you are.

The Tarot Spread:

(0) The Fool: Explore new paths. (1) The Magician: If the opportunity is presented, strive toward the aspiration(s). (2) The High Priestess: Listen to your instincts. (3) The Empress: Build a family of your own (if you do not have children). Fulfill your nurturing side (if you do have children). (4) The Emperor: Cut yourself slack when in pain mentally or physically. (5) The Hierophant: Commitment to your partner. (6) The Lovers: Use integrity to follow-through with decisions, regardless of difficulty. (7) The Chariot: Positive relationships with work colleagues and employer(s). (8) Strength: Prevail during dark moments and return stronger. (9) The Hermit: Ensure time alone without completely withdrawing. (10) Wheel of Fortune: Respect and kindness toward those around you (strangers, employees, employer, peers, family, friends, etc.). (11) Justice: Learn from your trials and tribulations. (12) The Hanged Man: Seek change when unhappy. (13) Death: Allow yourself to mourn the loss of a loved one, a dream, a friendship/relationship (14) Temperance: Pursue tranquility through breathing exercises, yoga, sleep, etc. (15) The Devil: Weigh all options even when overwhelmed with making decisions. (16) The Tower: Help others around you when an unprecedented event occurs. (17) The Star: Allow past negativity to follow once you’ve turned over a new leaf. (18) The Moon: Once you wake up, write down the dreams you just had. (19) The Sun: Read or learn about enlightenment so it can be fully sought. (20) Judgement: How others perceive you, whether accurate or not. (21) The World: Share your experiences and hardships with others to raise awareness. Arrange the cards to your liking.

3. Full Moon Scorpio

If you research the Full Moon Scorpio, you’ll find that many interpret the spread differently. But this isn’t to say that one spread is more accurate than the other. Ultimately, with any spread, it is up to you to decide how many cards to use and what questions will be prompted. We’ve chosen this spread for a couple of reasons. First, on Oct. 31, 2020, it is predicted that a full moon will illuminate the night sky…and second, the astrological sign, Scorpio (Oct. 23 to Nov. 21) coincides with Halloween. You can use this spread directly, as a guide or disregard it completely. According to astrologers, the Earth’s gravitational pull, which influences many components in our world, is responsible for your personality, or zodiac sign. So, it is unsurprising that many people believe that a Full Moon can alter your behavior, mood and disposition. To provide some Scorpio-sign insight, the attributes include being curious without limits, trustworthy, devoted, persistent and strategic.

The Tarot Spread:

  • 8 Cards to recognize Scorpio as the eighth astrological sign
  • 5 Questions / Reflections to represent the number of attributes listed
    1. How are you balancing various parts of your life?
    2. What are your career goals?
    3. Do you feel a difference in your mood as the full moon approaches this year?
    4. Where do you stand with family members?
    5. Reflect on your openness toward others.
  • Layout: 2 rows, 4 columns

Design the Cards and Spread

Whether the spread you use is original or taken from our suggestions, consider sharing your insight and knowledge with a custom-designed tarot deck. The options are unlimited: Choose and create your own personal designs, card size, number of cards, instructions, booklets or any custom-printed accessories and packaging. Print artwork that caters to the spooky holiday or any style. To spark some creativity, here are some tarot and oracle cards created by our awesome clients.

Oracle Cards by Everyday Magic

Featured deck: Clipart Tarot. Custom-designed packaging and cards.

The Fever Tarot Deck

This deck illustrates a collection of individuals including The Nurturer, The Scientist & The Maker

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    • Shuffled Ink specializes in printing customized playing cards and games as well as tarot & flash cards for business, personal, promotional, advertising, and/or marketing purposes. ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Tarot Cards at: ShuffledInk

    POLITICAL PLAYING CARDS OVER THE YEARS

    Posted on October 7, 2020 by - Art, Card Collectors, Card Designers, Card Games, Custom Design, Entertainment, History, Playing Cards, Poker Cards, Political

    POLITICAL PLAYING CARDS OVER THE YEARS Political playing cards were created during the 17th century by artists who wanted to convey specific messages through art. They put well-known figures in the hot seat, bringing attention to presidential candidates, members of congress, war generals, parliament and more. These cards are fairly similar to political cartoons. Both use satire to illustrate politicians, public figures and worldly happenings. The portraits, which are still produced today, address newsworthy topics in an artistic and entertaining way. So, since 2020 is a presidential election year, now is the perfect time for a playing card history lesson. Let’s explore how these illustrations and messages have changed over the years.

    Knavery of the Rump (1679)

    In 1679, artist Francis Barlow designed playing cards to characterize Oliver Cromwell’s Government. As the head of state in the Commonwealth of England, Cromwell fought to remove the monarch from power. The 10 of clubs reveals Cromwell’s imbalance between his faith and morals. The card reads, Oliver seeking God while the K. (Don Hafelrigg K) is murdered by his order.

    The Head

    This infamous fact shows some perspective on the people’s perception of Cromwell — a couple of years after his death, those who supported the monarch dug up his grave, detached his head from his body and displayed it outside of Westminster Hall on top of a pole. It remained there for 28 years.

    French Republic Playing Cards (1793-1794)

    For obvious reasons, Liberal Republicans from France completely revamped their playing card deck in 1793. The rule of law, which suggests that no one is above the law, and the French Revolution, inspired the Revolutionnaire playing cards above. Since the French Revolution ultimately ended the monarchy, traditional court cards didn’t seem appropriate anymore. The Kings, Queens and Jacks were replaced by Liberty, Equality and Fraternity. This holy trinity continues to act as an important part of their national heritage. The “Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité” motto was even written into the constitution in 1958.

    Army & Navy Deck (1865)

    Including text is not a necessity on political playing cards. Most of the time, when done properly, an illustration can successfully deliver the message on its own. In 1865, artist Andrew Dougherty commemorated the switch from wooden to ironclad warships through playing cards. The King, Queen and Jack court cards display caricature-like drawings of civil war naval members. These cards show the new iron ships in action as well as soldiers yielding rifle-muskets during the Battle of the Monitor and the Merrimack in 1862.

    Anti-Religions Propaganda Deck (1931)

    In 1931, Russian authorities created these playing cards to push their anti-religion agenda. The Joker card directly above quickly sums up the USSR’s motives. The winged man symbolizes capitalism and the kneeling figures are the four religions. The suits depict each religion as well: Clubs for Eastern Orthodox; Hearts for Roman Catholicism; Spades for Buddhism; Diamonds for Judaism. These drawings suggest that the Russians wanted their citizens to see religion as skewed and untrustworthy. This radiates propaganda, instilling the message that all respected religious figures are not as moral as they appear. The King of Diamonds features a rabbi reading the Torah while also engrossed by money. The Queen of Clubs shows an Eastern Orthodox nun with a man in the background. This insinuates that the woman finds him desirable despite her loyalty to God. The Jack of Hearts illustrates a Roman Catholic priest wrongfully thinking lustful thoughts amid a prayer.

    Atouts de la Vie Card Game (1940)

    During WWII, Madame Lucien Willemetz designed various card games. She is well-known for creating the educational board game Le Jeu de l’histoire de la France as well as the wartime card game Atouts de la Vie. This card game emphasizes work ethic, honor, discipline, etc. Ironically, the French government did not adhere to the principles they so desperately sought to instill in their citizens. Nevertheless, the object of the game is to collect all ten virtues.

    NEWS & ART

    Connecting news and art through playing cards is such an innovative way to tell a story. 2020 has certainly been jam-packed with activity. So, if you’re looking to create custom cards similar to the ones above, then find a person who or an idea that is important to you and illustrate it onto any playing card product. Some of our clients, including our own company, created COVID-19 decks at the start of quarantine. These decks are informative and capture the pandemic in all its uncertainties. You think it, we print it. To receive complimentary samples of our card products, include your delivery address and phone number on the custom request a quote form. ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInk
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      • CARDOLOGY: THE SCIENCE IN PLAYING CARDS

      Posted on September 21, 2020 by - Astrology, Board Games, Card Games, Entertainment, History, Playing Cards

      CARDOLOGY: THE SCIENCE IN PLAYING CARDS

      Magic, games and cardistry. These are just three ways we use playing cards. But there’s actually more to a deck than meets the eye, and it’s a mystical eye at that.

      Cardology is a science that connects playing cards and astrology to guide us through life. This ancient magical method is called many names including the Cards of Life. Regardless of whether you use a custom-designed deck from Shuffled Ink or an ordinary one off the shelf, the science is present and will uncover your purpose (if you wish to divulge).

      In one of our previous articles, Which Game Are You Based on Your Astrological Sign, we don’t venture into the realm of Cardology but rather relate your zodiac sign to a well-known card or board game. If you’re unfamiliar with astrology, then give it a quick read for an entertaining insight into the study.

      Now, let’s explore Cardology as well as its origins, the birthday card chart and more.

      The Mystic Test Book

      Olney H. Richmond captured the true meaning of playing cards – Cardology – in his book The Mystic Test Book or the Magic of the Cards. Unfortunately, it’s not exactly easy to comprehend from start-to-finish, and there’s a clear reason why. When it was published in 1893, it was written for Order of the Magi members, a secret occult society revitalized by Richmond in the late 19th century.

      Card Calendar Illustrated in the Test Book

      A pack of playing cards is anything but standard. Each card represents our world in its entirety. Want to see for yourself? Take out any deck you can find and follow along!

      1 deck = a year

      52 cards in a deck = weeks in a year

      4 suits = seasons in a year

      12 court cards = months in a year

      13 cards per suit = lunar cycles

      red & black colors = day/night

      A Deeper Look:

      These excerpts from The Mystic Test Book further describe the relationship between the four suit cards and the Earth’s seasons:

      Hearts as Spring: “In the Spring of the year, the birds mate. In the springtime of life or the first quarter, love is the master passion. The heart was therefore chosen as the emblem of the first quarter and the first season.”

      Clubs as Summer: “Knowledge is best gained and retained in the summer of life…therefore the shamrock, or ‘club,’ became the emblem.”

      Diamonds as Fall: “The third season, autumn, has for its emblem the diamond, representative of wealth. The third period of man’s life is the one in which he is best able to gain wealth…the crops are sold and the wealth of the harvest realized.”

      Spades as Winter: Winter or the fourth quarter of the Zodiac is represented by the spade or acorn. By a strange and yet natural transformation, the acorn, which represented the symbolism of the death and burial of the physical form was changed … to the spade.”

      Card Chart

      With the Cardology Birthday Chart below, you can discover a lot about your past, present and future. Based on the Cards of Life, there’s a deep connection between your birthday/astrology sign and a deck of playing cards.

      Based on your birth card, each component should resemble you personally. The suit cards have personality traits of their own while also making up the Earth’s seasons. The numbers further identify your attributes and the court cards carry their own set of inner rulings about your life. For example, if your birthday is June 24, then your birth card is the 6 of clubs. To see how the cards interact with your disposition, check out this article on Cafe Astrology.

      Coincidence or not?

      Now, it’s up to your discretion to accept the destiny shown in Cardology. In this article, we only scratched the surface on how playing cards reveal our character. There’s much more to the concept that even involves a bit of math, but we won’t dive too deep.

      Let’s wrap this introduction to Cardology with a quote by Richmond:

      “When we find a certain invention claimed by a large number of Nations, scattered over our globe, in widely separated locations, we must conclude that none of them were the inventors, but on the contrary, obtained the inventions of some nation proceeding them by many years.”

      To receive complimentary samples of our card products, include your delivery address and phone number on your custom request a quote form.

      HOW TO MAKE AN IMPOSSIBLE BOTTLE: A TOP SECRET REVEALED

      Posted on September 11, 2020 by - Entertainment, How To, Playing Cards

      HOW TO MAKE AN IMPOSSIBLE BOTTLE There are some super cool ways for displaying playing cards. Some very fine accessories are available for this, such as the popular carat case. But my personal favourite is something so special, that I can’t even touch the cards. It’s called an impossible bottle, and it looks just like this:
      Mine was given to me as a gift by a person who makes these. It’s a prized item in my collection, even though I can’t even get at the cards inside. After all, they’re completely encased in glass, and the neck of the bottle is literally too narrow to get them out, without making a total wreck of the tuck box and of the playing cards. I suppose I could put a sign on it that says “break glass in case of emergency” in case I’m ever get shuffling withdrawal symptoms and need to get a deck into my hands in a hurry. But quite honestly, I’d rather have this deck on display permanently, even though I know I’ll never touch those cards again. So is this really possible? Well you can see for yourself what it says on the tag: “Anything is Possible“. The fact is that the deck is inside. You’ll have to take my word for it, but I can assure you that the deck genuinely has all 52 cards inside. My deck is even still sealed close with its custom seal. Some of these impossible bottles also come with the deck in shrink-wrap. This fantastic eye-catching souvenir is the ideal gift for the playing card enthusiast, and it’s enough to make your head explode! How on earth is this outcome possible? Or in the case of the Earth deck, how literally did Earth get in? I’m here to tell you the secret. Now I realize that the ability to make an impossible bottle is a rare skill. Only a handful of craftsman around the globe know how to make these things, and the method they use is a closely guarded secret. But I’ve been thinking about this very carefully, and I have come up with several ways in which this paradox can be accomplished. Feel free to try any or all of these methods – but at your own risk!
      Method 1: Insert the deck. That’s right, just totally ignore the fact that the neck is too small for the tuck box and for the cards. Just put the deck straight into the bottle anyway. This is by far the simplest and easiest method, although it won’t work for everyone. The effectiveness of this technique will depend on the unique combination of gravity and the rotational pull of the earth where you live. Method 2: High speed. Are you sceptical about the first method? Well then here’s the answer for you: just add speed. In other words, just shove that deck through the neck, straight into the bottle. Do it fast. Really, really, really fast. And then wham, suddenly the deck will be inside the bottle, good as new! Method 3: Use water. When you make paper wet, it gets soggy and can change shape. So first you need to soak the deck in water for a long time until it’s soft and malleable. Distilled water seems to work best, because there’s no point in adding other chemicals to mess with things. When the deck is soft and malleable, squeeze and contort it into whatever shape is necessary to get it through the neck. Apply force if necessary, and don’t worry about what it will look like on the other side. Once you’ve done this, now you just need to let it dry and get it back to its original shape. That’s the easy part, so I’ll leave that to you, and don’t need to go into details for that. Method 4: Molten glass. Who said that the deck has to go inside the bottle? Why not just build the bottle around the deck instead – that’s much easier. The process here is very simple. Just start with two halves of a glass bottle, and apply heat to fuse them together. I’ve found that an oxy-acetylene torch works well for this purpose. You just have to be a bit careful that you don’t incinerate the whole deck in the process. And it will take some practice to master this technique, and you can expect to “burn” through a few decks (literally) before you’re able to restore the glass so it looks like it was never in two parts to begin with. Method 5: Shrinking glass. With this method, you start with a much larger glass bottle, one that has a neck that the deck easily fits through. After the deck is inside the bottle, simply shrink the bottle around the deck. I’ve found that a microwave can work quite well to accomplish this, but it only seems to work if you reverse the power supply first, and live in a country with a minimum of a 240V power supply with semi-alternating current. One glitch that can happen with this method is that the deck itself sometimes shrinks as well. In this case you end up with a mini-deck in a bottle, which doesn’t look nearly as impressive. Method 6: Power of the mind. Many people will tell you that human limitations are just a matter of the mind, and they’re right. Real limitations don’t actually exist, so there’s no need to stick to them. Simply convince yourself that the ability to pass one object through another is merely an artificial and arbitrary mental limit, imposed on you from childhood, through learned behaviour. It’s time to ignore that limitation, and believe that it’s really possible to pass one object through another. Once you’re a complete believer, then you can totally do it. Method 7: Illusion. Another method is actually not to use any deck at all. Using mirrors, and tiny lasers powered by near-invisible batteries drilled onto the inside of the cork lid, you create the holographic illusion that there is a deck inside the bottle. This makes use of total internal reflection and refraction techniques that were recently pioneered by scientists in Russia, so you’ll need some knowledge of physics (knowledge of the Russian language also helps, to help following the instructions). With the right supplies, the illusion is extremely convincing, even when viewed from different angles. The real challenge is to also give the illusion of weight inside the bottle, but I don’t want to give away everything, and I’m sure you’ll easily figure out that part for yourself. Method 8: Internal manufacturing. Instead of making and printing the deck outside the bottle, simply do the entire manufacturing process inside the bottle. It’s quite easy really, and you just need the right equipment, but you shouldn’t have too much trouble finding what you need on eBay. You just start with raw paper pulp, and press it into thin rectangular strips of card, print the cards, and wrap a tuck box around it. The real challenge with this method is to get both sides of the cards printed evenly, because often the borders get misaligned. It can also be quite challenging to add embossing or foil to the tuck box using this technique. Method 9: Pure magic. I saw this done in a Harry Potter movie, so I’m pretty confident it should work as a reliable method with playing cards too. Start with a bottle containing another impossible object, like a ship. You should be able to buy a ship in a bottle quite cheaply on eBay. Then it’s a simple matter to cast a spell on the ship, and turn it into a deck of cards. Voila, like magic, you now have an impossible bottle with a deck of cards inside! Of course if you don’t say the right words, there is a chance the ship might turn into your pet dog Rex instead – which can be annoying, because not all dog biscuits fit through the neck of the bottle. So do be careful if you try this method, lest the ship turn into something dangerous or undesired, or lest you turn a family member into a deck of cards by mistake. Method 10: Cut-and-Restore. Even if you don’t believe in real magic, there are lots of ways to cut and restore objects. Magicians do this all the time with rope, for example, and we all know that it’s just a trick. It looks like magic, but in fact what actually happens is that they just cut something and then restore it again with secret knots or special glues. You can apply the same technique to a deck of playing cards. You simply cut the deck into tiny cube shaped pieces, ideally equal in size. You then carefully super-glue them back together inside the bottle. Just be sure to put them together in the right configuration, because it can be embarrassing to put a front piece of a deck onto the back by mistake, naturally making the whole method rather obvious to everyone. Method 11: Electromagnetism. This method does require some equipment that not everyone will have available. You also need to use paper stock with magnetic qualities, and that requires a deck printed in a factory that uses electro-aligned magnetic rollers. This manufacturing process is used by select printers, but not by the United States Playing Card Company, due to strict US laws governing imports. But with this method, you use powerful electromagnets on both sides of the deck, in a bilateral configuration in order to compress the deck, making it much smaller than it really is. With the deck now in a mini-size, it is an easy matter to put it into the bottle. Then you turn off the electromagnets, and the deck returns to its regular size. Presto – deck inside bottle! Method 12: Cheap deck. Another way to make an impossible bottle is to start with a very cheap deck nicely inside a bottle, tuck box and all. You then glue thin layers of paper onto the tuck box, to make it look like it’s actually a much higher end tuck box. The only thing that I don’t really like about this method is that it makes you feel dirty inside. In your heart of hearts you know that the deck inside the bottle is really just a wolf in sheep’s clothing, and so true craftsmen frown on this technique. Basically if you use this method, you can’t expect to sleep with a clear conscience at night. , Method 13: Cheat. I actually haven’t figured out this last method entirely yet, but apparently it involves cheating somehow. And I’m not good at cheating, as everyone who plays card games with me knows. Maybe I should just stick to playing card games instead of making impossible bottles? At any rate, I’ll have to leave you to figure out the other parts of this method yourself. Well, I think I’ve given you enough ideas for you to get started with making your own impossible bottle. Of course if you’re lazy, just buy one for yourself. Or better yet, be like me, and find a friend or relative willing to make or buy you one!
      Where to get them? An impossible bottle like mine doesn’t come cheap, but they are available from BuyWorthy here (note: we have no affiliation with them). About the writer: EndersGame is a well-known reviewer of board games and playing cards. He loves card games, card magic, and collecting playing cards. This article first appeared on PlayingCardDecks.com here.   ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInk

      WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT SOLITAIRE CARD GAMES

      Posted on August 24, 2020 by - Card Games, Entertainment, History, Online Games, Playing Card History, Playing Cards, Solitaire

      solitaire game playing with custom cards I love games. And I love playing cards. So it won’t come as a surprise that I also love playing traditional card games. These can be a great way to spend time with family and friends, in a relaxed and casual setting. Especially if you own a custom deck of playing cards, it can be a wonderful way to enjoy the artwork and graphic design of a lovely deck at the same time – especially one that you’ve printed yourself with Shuffled Ink! But what if nobody else is around, or when you’re looking to kill some time when you’re on your own? That’s where solitaire card games come to the rescue. Especially in times of quarantine, solitaire card games are a great activity to enjoy, whether on the screen or with an actual deck. We all have moments where we’re alone and need something to keep us amused, and solitaire card games can provide hours of enjoyment. And they’ll provide something for all kinds of moments, with some coming down to pure luck, while many excellent ones require genuine skill, and can be a very rewarding challenge to play. There are plenty of other reasons to enjoy solitaire games with a traditional deck of cards today, especially in view of the ease in which you can play them, such as a good online site where you can play them for free on your web browser. This makes them easier to learn and play than ever before. Especially given the incredible variety of solitaire card games in existence, it also allows you to explore a wide range of different games with leisure. Solitaire cards games are a great way to fill time, and you can play as long or short as you like. And they can be as relaxing as you like, or as challenging as you like. They’re certainly incredibly satisfying, and even rather addictive. So let’s learn a thing or two more about them, and whet your appetite to give them a go yourself!

      When Did Solitaire Games Start?

      As it turns out, playing solitaire games with a traditional deck of playing cards places us in a fine tradition with a long history – long before they ever came to your personal computer – because people have been enjoying them for over two hundred years already. Germany is a likely place of their origin, and there’s a recorded mention of them already in the late 18th century. But their popularity especially bloomed in France in the early 19th century, and that’s when some of the best solitaire games were devised. It is also in these French roots that the alternative name “patience” appears to originate, along with other common solitaire terms like “tableau”. From France they eventually spread to English speaking countries, much like playing cards themselves did centuries before, and eventually solitaire card games became a popular international phenomenon enjoyed around the world. Even Napoleon is said to have whiled away many hours playing solitaire while in exile on St Helena. When you’re playing a solitaire card game today, you’re sharing in activity that has been enjoyed by many generations before you, and many of the great solitaire card games available are time tested and proven classics. But while solitaire card games have been around for a long time, the development of the personal computer was a real catalyst in popularizing them with modern audiences. Microsoft Windows has long had the practice of distributing a game of Solitaire with their operating systems, much to the relief of bored sales assistants and office workers around the globe. That single handedly turned solitaire one of the world’s most popular activities to do on a computer. Ever since the release of Windows 3.0 in 1990, Klondike Solitaire has been a staple on most personal computers, and it has now given hours of amusement to billions of people around the world for three decades. Countless people still turn to it for their quick five minute fix, which will of course be repeated many times over! Today Microsoft’s solitaire package has grown to include Spider, FreeCell, Pyramid, and TriPeaks, making these the most familiar forms of the game for the average person. Besides computer software, today there are also many websites where you can play a variety of different solitaire games online. Digital implementations like this allow us to play solitaire more quickly and easily, without all the hassles of set-up, shuffling, dealing, and moving columns of actual cards, making it even easier to fill a few spare moments. Besides simplifying the book-keeping elements of the game, they’ve also enabled versions of the game to be played that would be more difficult to do in person, like one suit Spider, where multiple sets of the same suit are used. The result of the digital revolution means that solitaire card games are booming like never before, and even people who don’t even own a physical deck of cards can spend countless hours enjoying different forms of these classic games. With a long history steeped in tradition, the computer age has injected solitaire card games with new energy and new possibilities, and there’s never been a better time to explore what these games have to offer.

      How do Solitaire Games Work?

      There are an incredible amount of different solitaire games in existence, and they comprise an enormous family of games in their own right. But many of them do follow a somewhat similar pattern. This usually involves laying out cards on a tableau or layout, with the goal of moving them to foundations, where you build up each suit in sequence from Ace through King. This is accomplished with the help of turning up undealt cards from the stock, and by building and transferring columns of cards within the tableau that match in value, suit, or colour. That’s a game of solitaire in a nutshell. But these games do have their own unique terminology, and this can best be understood by explaining how a typical game works, so let’s dive into a little more detail. First you create an initial array of cards by dealing them in an initial tableau as prescribed by the rules of that particular game. In some games the cards dealt to the tableau are all face-up, creating an open game. In a closed game some cards are dealt face-down, so you have incomplete information at the start of the game. These cards only become revealed when cards blocking them have been moved, making them available to be turned face up or moved. Face-up cards in the tableau are usually placed in an overlapping configuration or cascade, so that you can see their indices, and so you can plan accordingly. Depending on the game, the arrangement can be in overlapping rows, or overlapping columns. Your primary aim is to get cards onto the foundations, which in most solitaire games must begin with an Ace. Once you’ve placed an Ace, you can build up that foundation by placing further cards from that suit in sequential order. Your ultimate objective is to successfully build all the cards onto these foundations, in which case you have won the game. In solitaire card games, the standard sequence goes from Ace as the lowest ranked card to King as the highest ranked card. Usually you can only build from Ace through King, but some variations allow wrapping of a sequence so that an Ace can continue from a King, which is also called building around the corner. To achieve the goal of playing all the cards to the foundations, you must manipulate the cards within the tableau, in order to get access to the cards you need, and to uncover face-down cards. This happens by transferring face-up cards, either individually or in columns, from different areas of the tableau, assuming these cards are free to be moved and are not blocked by others on top of them. Building cards in this way usually happens in ascending or descending order of rank, and is a key element of good game-play. Usually if the aim is to build up cards in ascending sequence to the foundations, then cards in the tableau may be built down in descending sequence, often in alternating colour. If you create a vacancy in the tableau by removing all the cards of a pile there, you can strategically use this space to manipulate the tableau to your advantage by starting a new column of cards there. Often the entire deck isn’t dealt out at the start of game, and the rest of the cards are considered the stock, which you bring into play by dealing them face-up into a separate pile called the waste (sometimes called talon, although confusingly in modern usage this term is often used instead to refer to the stock). These are often dealt one at a time, but in some games, like the extremely popular Klondike, there are variations where you deal them three at a time. In some variations you can only go through the stock once, while other solitaire games may allow a certain number of redeals, or even an unlimited number. Not all games of solitaire can be successfully completed, but this is not necessarily the fault of the player. Sometimes a random deal will be theoretically unsolvable, and part of the challenge and fun of solitaire is to see whether or not you can achieve a win with a hand that you’ve been dealt. But you can’t just blame the deal, because poor choices can lose a game in which you might have achieved a much better result with optimal play. You definitely learn to improve your play, and strategic choices will usually be rewarded!

      Resources for Playing Solitaire

      How to learn Most solitaire card games are easy to learn, and you’ll find plenty of places online that provide lengthy lists of the different solitaire card games that exist, along with rules for each. As always, a good place to start your journey is Wikipedia, which has a page offering a list of common favourites. There are many websites set up by dedicated solitaire enthusiasts, some of whom have created software to help play the game on your mobile device or personal computer. These software programs typically go far beyond the two or three versions that Microsoft Windows has available, and offer you one hundred or more different ways to play. Many of these also serve as a resource, like BVS Solitaire Collection, and besides the software they have created for Windows, Mac, and iOS, they also host comprehensive rules. The Solitaire Game Rules page will help teach you Klondike, the most well known solitaire game, and introduce some variations. In former times, the only way to learn how to play solitaire was by having the good fortune to be taught it in person by someone you know, or by wading your way through a pile of written words in a book. I remember trying that latter method as a teenager, and often giving up in frustration, as I tried to make sense of the words and turn them into an arrangement of cards on the table, as part of an unsuccessful attempt to figure out the rules. Nowadays it is so much easier to learn how to play solitaire, by simply playing it with a digital implementation that automatically enforces the rules and teaches you how to play. This makes it much more realistic to try new forms of solitaire, and I highly recommend this as the best way to learn, and to enjoy playing. Where to play There are several websites that offer solitaire card games, and enable you to play for free straight from your web browser. My personal site of choice recently has been Solitaired, which I can recommend. It has over 250 different solitaire variations, is ad-free, and I’ve found the gameplay smooth and straight-forward. Other sites to try include World Of Solitaire, Classic Solitaire, and Solitaire Network, which also offer an extensive number of different solitaire games, supply rules for each, and provide free online play. If you’re looking to explore the wonderful wide world of solitaire games beyond the limited menu provided by Microsoft, another alternative is to get some dedicated software for your personal computer or mobile device. Recommended commercial options for Windows include BVS Solitaire Collection, as well as SolSuite 2020 and Pretty Good Solitaire. The Python Solitaire Game Collection doesn’t have as slick graphics, but it’s completely free, has an extensive collection of games, and there is also a companion Android app that is also free. There are many free apps available for iPad and iPhone, but these tend to be supported by ads, which can become a little annoying. Of the free apps available, I’ve had good success with Solebon Solitaire (Solebon), Solitaire City (Digital Smoke), Full Deck Solitaire (GRL Games), Solitaire Suite (Rikki Games), and 250+ Solitaires (Alxanosoft), all of which get you started with a very strong selection of the most popular solitaire games. The commercially produced apps tend to offer more games or polished features, and I suggest the following as the better ones: BVS Solitaire Collection (BVS Development), Solebon Pro (Solebon), Pretty Good Solitaire (Thomas Warfield), Solitaire Forever II (Solitaire Forever), and Hardwood Solitaire IV (Silver Creek Entertainment). If you’re looking for a smaller collection of favourites to start with, try Solitaire Till Dawn (Semicolon), Astraware Solitaire (Astraware) or Solitaire Deluxe 2 (Mobile Deluxe), all of which are free and offer around a dozen or two popular favourites for free. Naturally once you’re familiar with the rules of a particular solitaire game that you really enjoy, then you can grab your favourite custom deck of playing cards, and use that! There are miniature decks available for this purpose, but I think you’ll get most satisfaction if you play with an attractive poker-sized deck. You will often need a decent amount of space to work with, and I highly recommend playing with a quality deck of playing cards to make your shuffling and dealing more pleasing on both a practical and an aesthetic level. If you need suggestions for a modern high quality deck, I suggest checking out the selection of Theory11 decks at PCD here. What to play It’s important to realize that not all solitaire games are like the classics familiar from Microsoft Windows, such as Klondike and Spider. You should make an effort to explore the diverse range of solitaire games available, and even if you think you don’t like Solitaire card games, it could just because you didn’t like the one or two forms of the game you have tried until now. To get you started in your search, here’s a list of some of the more popular solitaire games, arranged in different categories according to type: ● Adding & Pairing: Golf, Monte Carlo, Pyramid, TriPeaks ● Builders: Baker’s Dozen, Beleaguered Castle, Canfield, Forty Thieves, FreeCell, Klondike, La Belle Lucie (Lovely Lucy), Scorpion, Spider, Yukon ● Non-builders: Accordion, Aces Up, Calculation, Clock Patience, Cribbage Solitaire, Gaps (Montana), Grandfather’s Clock ● Others: Miss Milligan, Osmosis, Sir Tommy, Sultan (Emperor), Windmill I also highly recommend Bowling Solitaire by genius game designer Sid Sackson. It is entirely unlike all the other solitaire games mentioned, but is an incredibly thematic and clever game.
      Recommendation So what are you waiting for? There’s never been a better time in history to explore the fun and variety of solitaire card games, especially with the help of a digital assistant who can help teach you some different games and manage the book-keeping and administration elements of the game for you. And especially if you’re stuck at home as a result of quarantine or other restrictions, this might just be the thing you need to help keep you busy and amused. So fire up that solitaire software or website, or whip out a deck of cards, and fill a few minutes with a satisfying challenge! About the writer: EndersGame is a well-known reviewer of board games and playing cards. He loves card games, card magic, and collecting playing cards. This article first appeared on PlayingCardDecks.com here.   ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInk

      ALTERNATIVE USES FOR PLAYING CARDS

      Posted on August 6, 2020 by - Art, Artist, Card Games, Card Magic, Cardist, Cardistry, Entertainment, Magician, Online Games, Playing Cards, Solitaire

      ALTERNATIVE USES FOR PLAYING CARDS There are all kinds of reasons why people collect playing cards, and it can even be a hobby in itself. And why not? People collect all kinds of things, so why not playing cards! Especially given the wonderful and creative designs of the high quality custom decks that are being produced in recent years, they do make the perfect collector’s item. But maybe you’ve got a growing collection of custom playing cards, and you’re wondering what else you can do with all those playing cards. Or perhaps you’ve worn out a deck, and it no longer handles well enough for performing with, so it’s ready for retirement – what do you do with it now? It turns out that there’s a whole lot more you can do with a deck of cards than you might think. Here are a baker’s dozen great ways to get some real mileage out of your playing cards. Some are silly, some are creative, and still others are just mundane – but perhaps you’ll find something here that inspires you!

      1. Magic

      If you have an interest or background in magic, then you already know this, and it may even be the main reason you own a deck of playing cards in the first place! Every kid growing up should learn at least a few good card tricks, and all you need for that is a decent quality deck of cards, and the help of your public library, or of course the internet and youtube. Any set of playing cards will work, but ideally you want cards that handle well.

      2. Cardistry

      Cardistry has been defined as “the performance art of card flourishing”, although “juggling with playing cards” is an equally apt description. Many readers have probably heard of cardistry before, but for the doubters, I can assure you that it is a real thing, and it even has a Wikipedia page on the subject here! Cardistry is about doing things like fanning and cutting cards in a creative way and with a high level of skill, thereby turning it into a performance art. Instead of doing ordinary cuts and shuffles, expert cardists are able to do one-handed cuts, complicated shuffles, turnovers, tosses, and catches, in a way that is a beauty to watch. You can even buy decks of playing cards that particularly lend themselves well to cardistry. A good example is the Virtoso deck, which was specifically designed for cardistry, and has a real visual appeal when fanned and flourished. Search for “cardistry” on youtube and you’ll find lots of tutorials to get you going with any deck.

      3. Card games

      There are many wonderful card games that can be played with a deck of cards, including popular traditional favourites like Bridge, Hearts, Spades, Euchre, Rummy, and Cribbage. And if you like the excitement of gambling style games, there’s Poker, Blackjack, and many more. Besides the traditional favourites you might already know, there are many excellent card games, and in most cases you can learn the rules for free online. The best website on games with playing cards is easily Pagat.com here. Some easy games that I highly recommend trying include Knock Out Whist, Blitz, Scopa, and President, while games like Oh Hell give room for more skill. If you need more suggestions for great card games, check out this list of my personal favourites here. There are some great books on the subject too, with David Parlett’s Penguin Book of Card Games being the most comprehensive – it’s a great resource, and will help put those arguments about rules to rest once and for all!

      4. Solitaire games

      There’s some terrific solitaire games that you can play on your own with a deck of cards, and it can be a good way to pass the time, or even to enjoy your favourite custom deck of cards. Personal computers have popularized solitaire games like Canfield, Klondike, Freecell, and Spider, but there are many other excellent solitaire games out there. A good place to get started is the Wikipedia page on the subject here. If you’re new to this kind of thing and want to begin with something fairly easy, I’d suggest Golf, Pyramid, or Monte Carlo. For something more challenging, try a fan game like La Belle Lucie, or one of its easier variants (e.g. The Fan, Bristol).

      5. Artwork

      Many crowdfunding projects for playing cards offer an add-on option to purchase an “uncut sheet”. This is a complete printed sheet showing all the cards in a deck prior to them being cut into playing cards. I never really saw the value of this, but a family member recently bought one of these uncut sheets and put it into a glass frame, and it looks absolutely amazing! Or try making your own with your favourite custom deck. Especially with a creative and artistic deck, putting playing cards on display in this way can turn them into beautiful works of art. These works of art make great decorations to hang on the wall, while also giving a tribute to your passion for playing cards and magic.

      6. Bookmarks

      A deck of playing cards can make a great supply of bookmarks! Especially if it’s a special custom deck with nice artwork, but is a little too worn for continued official use, why not re-purpose the cards and use them as bookmarks? I’ve often done this, and my playing cards have often found themselves doing wonderful service to keep track of which effect I’m working on in my magic books, or even as a handy marker in a fiction novel I’m reading at the beach or beside the pool. Any custom deck will work, but cards with metallic ink or foil backs make especially classy looking bookmarks!

      7. House of Cards

      Building a house of cards, or a “card tower”, is not as easy as it looks! Also called “card-stacking”, there’s a Wikipedia page here devoted to this subject too. Bryan Berg (USA) created a world record 72 stories in 1992, and since then has kept and broken this and numerous other related records, including the tallest house of cards, and largest house of cards. In 2010 he built a replica of a hotel, which took 44 days and 218,792 cards (more than 4,000 decks) – it weighed over 250kg, and was 3 metres tall and 10.5 metres long. See a video profile about Bryan here. Some googling will help you find some techniques to improve your card stacking abilities.

      8. Polyhedrals

      George Hart has some great ideas for using playing cards to create complex polyhedral shapes. You can find out more at his website here, which includes full instructions. A great idea for math class perhaps?

      9. Impossible Bottles

      Put a deck of cards into a bottle! Wait a moment, you say, that’s impossible! Well, isn’t that why they call it an impossible bottle?! But there are ways to do this, although you may have to dig a little to find the secret. Some Kickstarters offer these as add-on options for purchase with a new deck of cards. Jamie Grant is a well known creator of these, and his impossible bottles typically cost $100-200. So unless you’re really keen, perhaps this is something to the experts. I’m certain there’s only one way to get something into a glass bottle, and that’s through the neck, and it’s a very time-consuming, difficult, and near-impossible job. I know someone who makes these as a hobby, and they are impressive and mystifying to see firsthand, but they do require a lot of effort to create.

      10. Card Throwing

      Have you ever tried throwing a card? It’s much harder than it sounds, but there are techniques you can learn to throw playing cards long distances and at high speeds. It’s not that difficult to learn the proper grip and method for throwing a card. To get some idea of the basics, head to Wikipedia again here. If you get real good, maybe you can start competing with Rick Smith Jr, who is the world record holder for throwing a playing card 216 feet and 4 inches at a top speed of 92 miles per hour. Seriously! When you’re as good as him, you actually can slice fruit with a playing card! There are several instructional DVDs available that will teach you how to do this kind of thing, but for now you can check out Rick Smith Jr’s tutorial on youtube here. But even if you aren’t ready to start destroying fruit, it’s a lot of fun to try, so I definitely recommend giving card throwing a shot! You can even buy special cards designed for the purpose, like the Banshees deck, which add a “sonic scream” when the cards whip through the air.

      11. Fortune telling

      One of the oldest forms of fortune-telling is called cartomancy, and uses playing cards. Personally I don’t give it any more credibility than reading palms, tea-leaves, stomach rumbles, or cloud shapes, but it certainly uses playing cards. Many specialty Tarot and Oracle decks exist. But cartomancy can also be done with a standard deck of 52 cards and Jokers as well. While any deck will work, some decks like the KADAR Fortune Playing Cards are especially geared to this purpose, and they work great for magic too.

      12. Bicycle Noisemaker

      How do you make a bicycle sound like a motorbike? By affixing a playing card to your bike frame with a peg, and having the card flap loudly on the spokes as the wheel turns. Using playing cards to soup up bikes and make them sound like an engine is something that kids have been doing for years – certainly I did it many times in my childhood! Nowadays you can even buy an official product (Turbospoke Classic) to do this. But using a playing card works just as great for kids today as it always has! If you need help figuring out how to do this, head to Instructables here for directions.

      13. Emergency Kit

      When you’re really stuck, you never know how a playing card might come in handy. Do you have a wobbly table that needs levelling out due to an uneven table leg? Playing cards are perfect to use when you need just a few layers underneath that one table leg to get things straight. Has that steak dinner left something between your teeth at a fancy restaurant? In a pinch, you could even use a playing card as a toothpick, and while it wouldn’t be my first choice for re-purposing a deck of cards, in an emergency it might work! Playing cards to the rescue!
      Finally, let’s conclude on another magical note. Some tricks and moves can be brutal on playing cards, and even destroy them. And yet as always, you need to be able to practice these tricks before you’re ready to perform them in public. An old deck of cards is perfect to use for this purpose. Many magicians will put their old decks to good use by “destroying” them as part of their magic practice. The “Mercury Card Fold” and routines involving a “Torn and Restored Card” are just waiting for your old playing cards! Isn’t it great to know that playing cards have such a variety of uses?! So next time someone challenges you about the amount of decks of cards you own, point them to this list. Meanwhile, happy playing with your playing cards! About the writer: EndersGame is a well-known reviewer of board games and playing cards. He loves card games, card magic, and collecting playing cards. This article first appeared on PlayingCardDecks.com here.   ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInk

      TAROT READINGS IN FILMS

      Posted on August 3, 2020 by - Entertainment, Film, Oracle Cards, Tarot Cards, Tarot Readings, Tarot Spreads

      Vulture Tarot Tarot and oracle cards, regardless of how they are presented, add to a film’s narrative in many forms.  While we now use these cards for fortune-telling and other mystical services, they were once played as a card game. The Trionfi game rules came from the four tarot suits (Swords, Batons, Coins and Cups) as well as card motifs and themes.  But this card game was short-lived once it grew into its magical essence.  Tarot decks have reigned in popularity for about six centuries, so it’s not surprising that Hollywood producers would want to weave the Major and Minor Arcana into the storyline. Here are some tarot card readings in movies.

      Touch of Evil (1958)

      When a card is drawn, the tarot reader connects the card’s meaning to the recipient.  This practice, whether you’re a believer or a skeptic, creates a riveting cinematic moment. “Your future’s all used up,” the fortune-teller (Marlene Dietrich) says to the anti-hero in Touch of Evil.  There are a few important moments in this scene that must be analyzed.  The reading is brief but nonetheless daunting, and the ambiance is shadowed.  Every detail, from the psychic’s eerie dialogue to the way the man sloppily disassembles the deck, leaves a pit in the audience’s stomach.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=30&v=UWtAZwxK5H0&feature=emb_logo

      Dr. Terror’s House of Horrors (1965)

      Every tarot reader has his/her personal signature.  Perhaps it’s the manner that they lay out the cards or how they explain a card’s meaning.  In this case, Dr. Terror asks the recipients to tap the cards three times prior to the reading. He uses his tarot cards, which he calls the House of Horrors, to predict the death of five men aboard the train. Upon explaining that the first four tarot cards chosen will predict their destiny, the men are clearly skeptical.  While they crack jokes about past experiences with gypsies, Dr. Terror interjects.  “The tarot deck is a serious matter.  The cards predict the truth, the supernatural truth.  Always.” (Reading begins at 5:27. Full movie available below).
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OqW4t4IbNWg

      Dead Alive (1992)

      It’s unsurprising that horror films and thrillers often feature tarot.  The unsettling feeling before a reading does add a nice touch on the big screen. Discussions about one’s future, particularly when it relates to death and misfortune, is anything but delightful. In the film Dead Alive, a young woman is seeking clarity on her love life.  An interesting bit to mention is that once the cards are drawn, they take the form of both the woman herself as the Queen of Swords and her future love as the Knight of Swords.  But this is nowhere near a fairytale story.
      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QuJMbjUSKKI

      “The One with the Hypnosis Tape” (1994 to 2004)

      To ease the terrifying tarot tension portrayed in the previous films, here’s an episode of Friends that shows Phoebe shuffling and placing tarot cards on the table.  Now, she doesn’t actually give a reading during this episode but simply having the cards in the background while Rachel is discussing hypnosis methods for Chandler to stop smoking is enough to draw accurate conclusions.  This adds to Phoebe’s spiritual personality and pushes along the narrative that with the presence of tarot cards and the use of a hypnosis tape, Chandler’s bad habit will end. https://youtu.be/MldH09kaSoQ

      The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones (2013)

      This action and fantasy film, which is based on the first book in the series The Mortal Instruments, uses tarot cards in both a comedic and dramatic way to drive the plot. This reading unlocks the protagonist’s past, which was stolen from her memories.  Clearly a non-believer, she reminds the tarot reader that she doesn’t believe in psychic readings.  But this wariness soon dissipates.  The scene uses tarot as a tool for self-discovery and even implements magic as well, showing the tarot card lift into the woman’s palm without any manipulation. (Reading begins at 18:49. Full movie available below). https://youtu.be/gMyCfg8MZw8

      In the Palm of Your Hand

      The art of tarot is specific to its creator. No deck is entirely the same, which is why we offer complete customization options. From custom card sizes to your personal artwork, we produce quality tarot cards and related accessories that reflect all of your individual styles and desired preferences. Here’s a look into our process.
      • Select your own artwork or photography, or use pre-existing images.
      • Choose from top-quality paper, PVC or plastic card stocks with smooth, linen or matte finishes.
      • Use your unique card size or shape.
      • Apply your design to both sides of every card.
      • Pick the custom-printed packaging (tuck or setup boxes, cases, tins, etc.) that’s right for you.
      To receive complimentary samples of our card products, include your delivery address and phone number on the custom request a quote form.
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        • Shuffled Ink is a multigenerational family business specializing in printing custom playing cards, tarot & flash cards, packaging, and more for businesses and individuals worldwide. To receive complimentary samples of our card products, include your delivery address and phone number on your custom quote request form. ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Tarot Cards at: ShuffledInk

        PROMOTE YOUR ART USING CUSTOM CARDS

        Posted on July 20, 2020 by - Art, Artist, Card Collectors, Card Designers, Card Games, Client Feature, Custom Design, Design, Entertainment, Manufacturer, Oracle Cards, Packaging, Playing Cards, Poker Cards, Tarot Cards

        PROMOTE YOUR ART USING CUSTOM CARDS Not sure how to start promoting your art? Consider printing 54 of your original designs on a deck of playing cards! With our text, image and card size options, every component of your product is completely customizable. Here are some tips on how to optimize marketing your artwork with our custom cards.

        Playing Card Art

        1. Personal Branding Your Art

        Every creator must establish his/her brand. A personal brand is how an individual’s business is perceived based on actions taken to market product(s) within an industry or a community. This means that your artwork should exemplify what you stand for as an artist. Luckily, the possibilities to create are endless. Your 54-card poker-sized deck comes with two jokers, all of which are customizable. Your card project can feature 54 different art designs, 4 consistent artwork sets for each suit, one illustration set to the card backs and faces, etc. With any idea that comes to mind, we will ensure that your vision comes to fruition. Now, there are more card options to choose from when promoting your artwork. If your art fits well in the spiritual realm, market using tarot or oracle cards. These decks include 78 cards, which allows for an endless supply of art concepts to dabble in.

        Tarot Card Art

        2. Custom Packaging

        Presentation is equally as important as the art you choose to showcase. After all, the card packaging will catch the consumer’s eye first. Just like the card backs and faces, the packaging is completely customizable. Here are our specialty box options:

        Custom Two-Part Box

        Custom Tuck Box

        Post-Consumer Custom Tuck Box

        Hard Clear Plastic Case Classic

        White Window Tuck Box

        white-window-tuck-box

        Plastic Banding

        plastic-banding

        3. Social Media Exposure

        Nowadays, social media is among the main tools used in business and personal marketing. If you don’t have a Facebook, Instagram or Twitter account, we highly suggest that you create at least one. These platforms are perfect for publicizing your exclusive illustrations and products. We recommend that you include your social media handle(s) or website(s) on the deck of cards. This directs future and current consumers to your supplementary art pieces and collections. Gaining followers on these media sites will only increase website traffic and engagement.

        4. E-Commerce Site

        Once your art is printed on any of our custom cards, consider establishing an online store to support your product(s). Setting up an e-commerce site makes it easier for clients to purchase your designs, whether they are featured on a deck of cards or canvas. If you aren’t interested in creating your own online platform, Shuffled Ink will lessen the load by selling your card products in our Client Product Shop on Shopify. Even if we didn’t manufacture your product, you’re still able to sell in our shop! Alternative online marketplaces charge significant referral and percent of the sale fees, but this is not our approach. We achieve our greatest success by directly partnering and investing in your success. After all, our motto since 1999 has always been “Your success is our success”.

        How It Works?

        Our Client Product Shop works in two easy ways:
        • Purchase bulk inventory for Shuffled Ink to store and sell
        • On-demand production arrangements that allow you to sell your product without having to purchase bulk inventory
        When you opt into our Client Shop program, there are NO:
        • % of sale or referral fees
        • setup or service charges
        • monthly minimums or inventory storage costs

        Market Your Art

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        POKER REPRESENTED IN FILMS

        Posted on July 29, 2020 by - Card Games, Entertainment, Film, Playing Cards, Poker, Poker Cards

        royal flush Poker is often called the national card game of the United States. You’ll find that this household game is played nearly anywhere — in casinos, at home and on the internet. Even Hollywood producers have tried to manifest this popular game of deceit and tension into entertaining blockbuster films. Here are some scenes from movies and tv shows that use poker to drive essential elements like the plot, characters, dialogue and more.

        Cool Hand Luke (1967)

        Paul Newman has acted in numerous films that feature America’s favorite card game. This scene in the movie Cool Hand Luke is known as one of the most accurate portrayals of poker. Newman’s aloof character, Luke, starts off by betting a mere dollar. This gives off a lack of confidence, insinuating that he does not have a good hand. But that is only the beginning of his bluffing skills.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEvbUTWKLMc

        The Sting (1973)

        Set in Chicago during the 1930s, two con men played by Paul Newman and Robert Redford scam mob boss, Doyle Lonnegan (Robert Shaw) and acquire a generous amount of money. The showdown between Newman’s and Lonnegan’s character is filled with suspense, tension, and above all, deceit. While poker players lead their opponent astray with his/her stature and expression, Redford actually cheats to win. The deceptive switch occurs between 0:59 and 1:15.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=773E6GPll3A

        Casino Royale (2006)

        If produced effectively, audiences often praise films that incorporate poker into the narrative. Even if you’re unfamiliar with the game, the scene’s atmosphere is often still captivating. Many viewers end up holding their breath in anticipation of how the scene will unfold. Casino Royale stars Daniel Craig as James Bond. The setting takes place at a high-stakes Texas Hold’em tournament. In this scene, 007’s convincing poker face leads his opponent off course. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJtzqqkC6sw

        Honeymoon in Vegas (1992)

        This comedy film sheds light on the times when poker games end poorly for the players. Nicholas Cage’s character, Jack Singer, ends up losing $65,000 to a professional gambler and con man (James Caan). Singer’s does, in fact, have a good hand but his fatal downfall is that he bets more money than he actually has. Nonetheless, this is the catalyst for the plot of the movie. To pay off his debt, he allows the con man to take his fiancée on a vacation to Hawaii.
        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZlm1ledK-I

        Friends: Season 1 Episode 18 (1994 – 2004)

        “The One With all the Poker” Poker and its many variants are played quite seriously, which is why Hollywood likes to portray it as such. But there are shows and movies that add comedic relief to the game. In this episode of Friends, the gang sits down to play poker. The game starts with Phoebe hilariously revealing the cards she needs and Rachel offering up her own. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWsq2sJL7SM

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        NOVELS ABOUT PLAYING CARDS: THE SOLITAIRE MYSTERY

        Posted on July 15, 2020 by - Card Collectors, Entertainment, Literature, Novels, Playing Card History, Playing Cards, Solitaire, The Solitaire Mystery

        the solitaire mystery novel

        The Solitaire Mystery by Jostein Gaarder

        Playing cards have occupied an important role in our culture for hundreds of years. Their significance is in the first place connected to their primary use as as tool for playing card games, which is the primary factor that popularized them rapidly and led to their spread throughout Europe in the 15th century. Even today card games are one of the main ways that playing cards are enjoyed, especially in a social and casual context in the home. But playing cards shouldn’t just be associated with games for children, because they have come to mean much more than that, and have wormed their way into many aspects of human life and existence. There are many people who make their livelihood with a deck of playing cards in their hand, like casino workers and card magicians. In our modern era, Poker gets regular air time on TV sport channels. Gambling games have been popular for centuries, fueling lives of luxury as well as spawning lives of crime, and many a fortune has been lost or won over the turn of a playing card. Playing cards are also closely associated with fortune telling and sometimes even the supernatural. As a result of all this, playing cards have become firmly embedded in our culture and way of life. So it comes as no surprise that playing cards have influenced our English language. Common expressions like “lost in the shuffle”, “have an ace up your sleeve”, “follow suit” and many others all owe their origin to playing cards (read more about this in my article The Impact of Playing Cards on the English language). But playing cards also have established a presence in many art forms. Many paintings and works of art depict people holding cards or playing card games. Many a song has been written about poker, gambling, and even about specific playing cards, or used them as metaphors for romance and for love gained or lost.
        Given how entrenched card games and playing cards have become in our lives, we can also expect them to appear in another form of art: the novel. And sure enough, there are some fine books where playing cards aren’t just a prop or part of the supporting cast, but are one of chief elements. Perhaps the most well known example of this is Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll. But in this article, we’ll introduce you to a much lesser known and yet superb example of a clever novel that features playing cards as central characters. In my previous article I considered playing cards about novels, so now it’s time to look at a novel about playing cards, with reference to Jostein Gaarder’s clever book, The Solitaire Mystery.

        The Book

        Jostein Gaarder first caught my attention with his award-winning novel Sophie’s World, which was an international best-seller, with millions of copies sold around the world, in multiple languages. That story is geared to young adults, and promises to provide an overview of the history of philosophy in the form of a novel. It received high praise for what it achieves, although it has its share of critics as well. In fact, I’ll let you in a personal secret with this honest confession: I really wanted to like this book, but personally I found it rather tough going and struggled to finish it. It didn’t quite live up to what I’d hoped for, because I found it too dry, and it read more like a philosophy text-book than a story. But it did confirm the respected credentials of the author as a credible voice on the subject of philosophy. And I’m always prepared to give someone a second chance. So when I discovered the book The Solitaire Mystery by the same author, his name was already familiar to me. Perhaps more importantly, the artwork on the front cover of the copy I came across immediately caught my attention. “Solitaire, as in the card game? Playing cards on the cover?” As a playing card enthusiast, I was instantly intrigued by the title, the artwork, the concept, and the blurb on the back. Fortunately, unlike its more well-known sibling Sophie’s World, this book is much less didactic and dry. Instead, it is a convincing and entertaining story that is actually readable, rather than being pure philosophy. Best of all, it’s brilliant because of how the entire story is structured around a deck of playing cards, and how they are a central feature of this book. If you are a playing card enthusiast, you will almost certainly will love this novel, and you should definitely check it out. Let me share some more about it to whet your appetite.

        The Story

        The main story describes a twelve year boy, Hans Thomas, and his father, who are on a trip to Greece (the homeland of philosophy) on a quest to find the boy’s mother. In the process Hans Thomas finds a book, which is described in the story as “the sticky bun book”, because he literally finds it inside a `sticky bun’ given to him by an old baker. We now get large excerpts from the sticky-bun book, which tells the story of another baker long ago, who was shipwrecked on an island, and where an entire deck of playing cards comes to life as real characters. Together with the old story-teller from the sticky-bun book, we meet a host of playing card characters, and find ourselves immersed in their magical world. There are several intertwined stories with characters from different times, and slowly their connections become apparent – hence the accurate description of the book as a “mystery”, as we slowly get to unpuzzle how the characters are connected. Fortunately Gaarder has structured the novel in a way that we don’t easily get confused about who is who. The idea of playing cards coming to life may remind you somewhat like Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, but this is actually much more clever. Gaarder uses the concept of playing cards that have come to life to raise many philosophical questions about reality and the purpose of our lives here on planet earth. Because the playing cards start off purely in the mind of the old baker, who amuses himself after being shipwrecked on an island. He first plays solitaire with real cards, but when these disintegrate, he makes it a mental exercise, and imagines the playing cards as real people. But when his imagination brings them into the world around him, are they actually real or not? Hans concludes about the sticky bun book: “I had read about the world’s greatest card trick ever. To conjure up a whole pack of cards would be pretty impressive in itself, but to turn all fifty-two playing cards into real people bursting with life was magic on a totally different level.” (p.158) The philosophy never gets too heavy, because it remains a good story first of all. Yet Gaarder uses his story to raise philosophical questions, without having these weigh so heavily that the story itself bogs down. You’ll learn about things like the Socrates and the Delphic Oracle, and you’ll also learn that the most important part of wisdom is to ask questions. This novel encourages us to be “Jokers” who think seriously about our place on the planet, and consider the important questions of life such as: Who are you? and Where do we come from? But there’s much more to the playing card component of this novel: the book is divided into 53 chapters, each one named after a different playing card, including one for the Joker, who is a key character in the story. So chapter 1 is entitled “Ace of Spades”, chapter 2 is entitled “Two of Spades”, and so on. The patterns and relationships of the playing cards within a deck becomes an important structural and thematic device. There are also sections of the story that deal with the remarkable way how how a deck corresponds to a calendar, with 52 cards corresponding to the weeks of a year, and various many other patterns that can be found within a deck. Hans Thomas’ father is even a collector of playing cards! As you can see, there is an enormous amount of content that the playing card enthusiast will pick up on and appreciate!

        Collecting Playing Cards

        To whet your appetite to seek out this book, I’ve collected some of my favourite excerpts for your reading pleasure, which relate specifically to playing cards. (NB: If necessary, you can click on the images to see these excerpts in larger size). Let’s start with a delightful passage where Hans Thomas describes his father’s own hobby: he collects playing cards, specifically Jokers. “Lots of people collect different things like stones, coins, stamps, and butterflies. Dad also had a passion for collecting. He collected Jokers.” (p.62) I’ll let Gaarder tell the rest of this story:
        Much of this will strike a chord with collectors! There certainly are people who do this in the real world. In fact the current world record holder is Tony De Santis of Italy who has 8,520 different ones (see another of my articles for more such world records). But its not just his Dad who collects cards, but so does Hans Thomas: “There was an unwritten law; when Dad bought a pack of cards, he kept the Joker – never more than one – and gave the rest of the cards to me … In this way, I’d collected nearly a hundred packs of cards.” The passage continues by hinting at the significance of the Joker, and also shares how Hans Thomas’ father acts in compassion by often giving away the rest of the decks for other children to enjoy.

        The Deck as a Calendar of 52 Weeks

        There is also a fantastic section about how playing cards represent an entire calendar of 52 weeks, and four seasons. I’ve covered this previously in my article Interesting Facts About Playing Cards, and it was a delight to see a novel explain this at length! “The cards also came to play an important part in the calendar we follow here on the island … The year has fifty-two weeks, so each week is represented by one of the cards in the pack.” (p.194)
        Hans Thomas, it turns out, was born on February 29th in a leap year, which means he was born on a Joker Day. But the connections between the calendar and a deck of cards run even deeper than that. “Every week has its own card, every month has its own number from ace to king, and every season has one of the four suits. You should take out a patent for that, Hans Thomas. As far as I know, to this day a proper bridge-calendar hasn’t been invented.”

        The Deck as a Calendar of 365 Days

        And what about the little known fact that the values of an entire deck add up exactly to 364 – plus one for the Joker making 365 – exactly equal to the days of the year? There’s a great section that covers that, and it all has importance for the plot and the structure of the book. Hans Thomas’ father explains: “If you add all the symbols in a suit together, he continued, you get ninety-one. Ace is one, king is thirteen, queen is twelve – and so on. Yes, you definitely get ninety-one.” (p.201) And for four suits this means a total of 364: “Exactly! There are 364 symbols in a pack of cards – plus the Joker. But then there are some years which have two Joker Days. Maybe that’s why there are two Jokers in a pack, Hans Thomas. This can’t be coincidence.”

        Solitare

        In keeping with the title of the book, and the theme, the closing pages of the book even provide instructions about how to play the classic Solitaire game.

        A Philosophy of Life

        After reading this story, you’ll never look at a deck of playing cards in the same way, and you’ll imagine each playing card as a character. And hopefully you’ll never look at life in the same way either either. “It was a mystery to me how people on earth could simply roam around the world without asking questions, over and over again, about who they were and where they came from. How could life on this planet be something you either turned your back on or took for granted?” (p.136) The mystery of the playing cards challenges us to think about our lives, just as it challenged Hans Thomas. “It was strange that we human beings are so clever in so many ways – we explore space and the composition of atoms – but we don’t have a better understanding of what we are.” (p.141) The final sentence in the book leaves us with this excellent thought: “I am positive there is still a Joker roaming around the world … He will look deep into our eyes and ask, Who are you? Where do we come from?” (p.319)

        Other Novels

        Are there more examples of novels that strongly feature playing cards? There are certainly plenty of stories that revolve around poker or gambling (Oscar and Lucinda by Peter Carey), bridge (Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie), card games (Hearts in Atlantis by Stephen King) or around performers of card magic (Bluff by Michael Kardos), but that’s not quite what we have in mind. Nor are books about Tarot cards (Last Call by Tim Powers), although these lend themselves well to stories about the supernatural. Perhaps the most obvious example of another novel about playing cards is Lewis Carroll’s Alice in Wonderland, which I will cover in my next article. It’s a whimsical story in a surreal setting where playing cards are also depicted as characters. This classic book has also inspired other novels which build on Lewis Carroll’s playing card characters, such as Heartless by Marissa Meyer, which is effectively a prequel to Alice in Wonderland, and tells the story about the Queen of Hearts as a single girl who is pursued by the unmarried King of Hearts, and who finds herself secretly in love with the mysterious court Joker named Jest. Jostein Gaarder’s The Solitaire Mystery is a fine work, that shows how important playing cards have become to us. They aren’t just part of our lives, but we can even use them to make us reflect about what life is really about.
        About the writer: EndersGame is a well-known reviewer of board games and playing cards. He loves card games, card magic, and collecting playing cards. This article first appeared on PlayingCardDecks.com here.   ● Official Shuffled Ink website: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Playing Cards at: ShuffledInk ● Make Your Own Custom Card Games at: ShuffledInk