It’s easy to see the attraction between trick-taking and trading card games. We took a look at some champion bridge players who are also experts at Magic: The Gathering.
More
Crossing the Bridge to Magic: The Gathering
The Enduring Appeal of Texas Hold ‘em
The Enduring Appeal of Texas Hold ‘em
When I was a little girl, my father set up a family poker night every Sunday after our roast dinner. We played Cowboy, Spit in the Ocean, Low Ball, Acey-Deucy-One-Eyed-Jack and all sorts of other really fun games. Now, decades later, when I get together with my brothers or friends to play, they always want to play Texas Hold’em. Huh? But why, I cry.
Some card games have made such a significant impact that it seems as if they have been around forever.
The Big Three: Great Gambling Scandals
When you think of scandals, you might think of Hollywood and politics before anything else, but the world of professional gambling and casinos are no stranger to scandal. Alex has collected three of the greatest, weirdest and most notorious gambling scandals ever to shake the casino floor. Photo: Wired Magazine
More
Casino Careers: Where to Learn & Apply
How would you like to work in the casino industry? There are plenty of exciting, high-energy careers available, from a croupier to a chef. And there are casinos everywhere, or perhaps you'll live in a casino town like Las Vegas, or perhaps you'll work on a cruise ship sailing through the Caribbean. Alex has gathered some startup information for you!
More
Historical Casino Heists: The Real-Life Oceans’ Saga
casinos of the world have seen their fair share of robberies, some high-value, some not; some daring and some just really, really weird. Here’s our round-up of some historical casino heists which should show anyone with terrible ideas just why it really, really shouldn’t be thought of.
More
Beyond Pokemon: 7 Trading Card Games You May Not Have Heard Of
Trading cards have been around for about 125 years. That’s a long time; and, as you might expect, some pretty crazy games have come out in that time! Some have been institutions in and of themselves (ever heard of Pokémon?), but others are a little more, shall we say...niche.
More
Myths, Lies & Misconceptions About Slot Machines
Slot machines are some of the most popular games on the casino floor – and for online play, too. And people really want to win. This has given rise to some really weird myths about slot machines, how they work and how people can supposedly beat the system. We took a closer look at some myths, lies and misconceptions about slot machines to see if we could get the to jackpot… Er, truth.
More
Odds on the Floor
Casino Odds - Gifts for Card Players
More
Cards in Art
We all know about the famous series of paintings depicting dogs playing poker, but what about other art containing cards and games? We went digging for some more card-depictions in classic art and elsewhere. Have you spotted any cards in famous art? Let us know what you’ve found in the comments!
More
Trick Card Decks & Where to Find Them
Over the years, I’ve developed a deep-rooted fine love for card and coin tricks; those are two things I’m almost never without – when killing time waiting for a taxi to pass, while waiting for an important e-mail to come in or while in conversation on the phone for a radio interview, my hands are usually busy with a coin palm or a card flip.
Here are some of the most popular trick decks and where you can find them; of course, please use them only for card tricks and not for rigging a card game…
More
Talking Truth about Tables
No bridge or card room is complete without a proper table. It’s more than a functional piece – it’s a functional centerpiece and sets the tone of the entire room around it. You’ve got to think about beauty, practicality, comfort and space all at the same time. Alex shares some of the coolest tables money can buy.
More
10 Casino Facts You Didn’t Know
Even if you’re a seasoned veteran of the casino floor, we’re willing to bet on the fact that you might not have known about any of these cool, weird or otherwise unusual casino facts and statistics.
More
Gambling of the Ancients
While the first slot machine saw the casino floor for the first time in 1894, gambling is by no means a new phenomenon. In fact, we’d guess that gambling has been around about as far as mankind. We wend digging for some more information about the gambling of the ancients…
More
Politicians’ Favourite Card Games
Politicians really do seem like the most serious of creatures - and in many cases, they have to be that way. However, sometimes they let us catch a glimpse of their not-so-stoic sides...which is always appreciated!
More
Is Virtual Currency a Gamble?
Virtual currencies like Litecoin, Zcash, Etherium and Bitcoin have become an increasing appearance on the online gambling scene. We took a closer look at virtual currencies to find out what they are, how they work and what they’re
More
Michael’s Game: A Card Game for the Treatment of Psychosis
One of the most exciting new uses for cards is one that many of us might not have ever imagined possible: cards as treatment for psychological difficulties.
More
Dogs Playing Poker
Dogs Playing Poker
By Alex J Coyne © Gifts for Card Players
Before their viral popularity, these paintings were featured on cigar boxes.
When was the last time you saw a painting of dogs playing poker? Now, when was the last time you really thought of a dog playing poker? It turns out the painting has a richer history than you would expect…
The Paintings
“Dogs Playing Poker”
Coding with Card Games
if you’re a card player, you might already have more of an aptitude for computer programming than you think. Your affinity for bridge, hearts, poker, or whatever your game may be has likely already trained your brain to think computationally.
More
The Greatest Virtual PC Casinos
You don’t always have to visit a casino to have the full casino experience. Check out our list of some of the best free, downloadable virtual casinos and casino games from the golden good old days of DOS through to PC’s and smartphones.
More
Will Kickstarter and New Tech Change Playing Card Design?
Through crowdfunding the public now has the power to turn proposed projects and products into reality by collectively funding them. From books to businesses, the range of active campaigns is wide indeed, but one particular category of items appears to be a favorite in the crowdfunding market: playing cards.
More
Inside the Magic Shop
The College of Magic is home to Southern Africa’s only dedicated Magic Shop specialising in all manner of magical marvels. Alex takes us inside ...
More
A Cur’s Hand
The Bridge Table Murder is arguably one of the most notorious murder cases in American history - and certainly proof that you should pick your partners carefully! Alex takes a closer look at the infamous case of the Bennett-murders ...
More
ROUNDUP: Our Favourite (Non-Bridge) Card Game Apps
Young or old, we’re all glued to our phones these days. Most of us lament this situation fairly often, but take a moment to look at the bright side. Our technological sidekicks can be distracting, sure, but they can also serve as some good old-fashioned entertainment, or even as a self-improvement tool!
More
A Deck for Everything
Breaking out a themed deck for a game of bridge, poker or blackjack can be a lot of fun, and many players turn into card collectors. Here are some of our coolest and weirdest picks for themed card decks.
More