The influence of card games can be seen beyond poker game tables, far across the diverse landscape of civilization. From the playing card army in the famous novel ‘Alice in Wonderland’, to Jessica Chastain stars as an ace poker pro in the movie ‘Molly’s Game’, to the 1980 Motorhead song ‘Ace of Spades’, playing cards are everywhere. Thanks to the strong presence of poker in developed countries, the game is a part of global pop culture. Courtesy of online gaming platforms, card and poker games are now an integral part of entertainment too.
In India, gamers are a 568 million-strong community, with 15.4 billion game downloads. Thanks to the cultural and traditional importance of playing cards in India, card games dominate the Indian gaming industry.
Influence Drawn from Traditions
The present-day influence of card games comes from India’s rich history of traditional card games. Many of the card games popular today have evolved over centuries. Teen Patti and Satte Pe Satta are examples of card games with a fan following cutting across generations of Indians. Then there are card games that are of overseas origin but managed to make inroads into India. The popular game of flush, for instance, originated in Italy, while poker has strong ties with the United States of America.
A mixture of domestic and overseas influence on the Indian card enthusiast can be seen in the popularity mix of the online card games segment. Rummy, poker, and teen patti form the big 3 of popular skill-based card games in the country. Notably, two of these three are of foreign origin.
Card games have varied cultural importance across different regions of India. Playing cards are an essential part of Diwali when families and friends meet to celebrate and play a few rounds of card games as a part of the celebration. Similar festivities with card-playing traditions are celebrated regionally in different parts of the country as well.
Poker Playing its Part
Take the popularity of poker and its influence on card-playing traditions, for instance. It is believed that Persian immigrants brought a game called ‘As-Nas’ to American shores. The British, too, brought a similar game named ‘Brag’ to the US. These card games laid the foundation for poker to become what it is today in America. British colonialists also introduced these games to the Indians. This is the reason why even overseas games like poker, rummy and flush have gained centuries of relevance in India.
But the influence of card games has a domestic story as well. Even the game of poker, for that matter, has Indian cousins in Andar Bahar and Jhandi Munda. Both of these local card games have many similarities with poker.
The popularity of poker, as we know it today, has surged in India with the rise of online poker platforms. Many people, including professionals and enthusiasts, test their poker skills in online poker tournaments and cash games.
Influence on the Skill-based Card Games Industry
A much-needed clarity in the government regulations meant that card games got their coveted ‘skill-based’ prefix. This has encouraged startups to enter the real-money gaming industry and establish card games in online gaming platforms as the piece-de-resistance. Card game enthusiasts also got the assurance that online card games don’t lead to fraud and non-compliance. This is reflected in the meteoric rise of the online games industry in India.
Enter Online Gaming Platforms
Online gaming platforms had an immense influence in spreading card games like poker and rummy among the masses. These platforms offer various card games, including poker and rummy, allowing players from across the country to compete against each other. Expertise in poker hands, in particular, has always been restricted to posh clubs and casinos till the advent of these platforms. However, in the last 10 years, poker has carved a niche among online real-money gamers. It currently ranks second after rummy as the most popular online card game in the Indian real-money games industry.
Poker games can now be played by anyone with a smartphone and internet connectivity. Online gaming platforms like Pocket 52 have made it very easy to learn, register, and play. Besides, thanks to these hi-tech platforms, games played here are compliant with fair play rules and are fully randomised. Pocket 52 deploys the latest technology to maintain fairness and player safety in poker hands.
Playing Style Impact on Gaming
While playing cards has influenced us, our diversity also influences the way we play. Online gaming platforms host players from diverse cultures, which impacts their playing style as well. For instance, American poker hands reflect the independent and assertive playing style of the players. Chinese or Indians, on the other hand, are likely to collaborate and concede collaborative sacrifices for the sake of the greater good of the game in play.
To sum up, playing cards and their influence are a two-way street. While their socio-cultural influence on gaming remains strong, the influence of culture and tradition on card games is also worth mentioning.
