Card Games Archive

Hola! No, I’m not reverting to the Spanish language. “Hola” is the name of a popular Ukranian-Canadian card game played throughout western Canada. Its name comes from either Slavic or Ukrainian descent, meaning “nakedness” (Slavic), or “naked” (Ukrainian). Designed for 2 players (or 4, with partners), Hola rules call for a standard deck of...

There are two basic ways to play the game of 200. You can play for fun, or you can play to win. Using the right tactics will definitely elevate your chance of winning. This article assumes you already have common knowledge of the games rules. If not, be sure to give these pages a...

Two Hundred (200), or by its French name, Deux Cents, isn’t your typical card game. It doesn’t have an extensive history, dating back through the centuries. It didn’t originate on some distant continent like Asia or Europe. The history of 200 actually starts right here, in Canada. It is played in a rather wide...

In Part 1, we detailed a multitude of Rule Variations for Two Hundred (200). In Part 2, we’ll deal solely with how to play 200 with varying amounts of players, or as a cutthroat card game, with no partnerships. Rule Variations vs. Traditional Two Hundred Rules Serious players—especially tournament players—rarely invoke anything outside of...

Two Hundred (200) is widely played in Canada, in one form or another. The game has quite a few variations to the rules, most of which are also widely popular in different regions. Note that this article assumes you are already familiar with traditional 200 Rules. In Part 1, we’ll deal with general rule...

Two Hundred (200), or Deux Cents, is a card game believed to have originated right here in Canada. It is especially popular in New Brunswick. Similar variations are played in Quebec and further east, where the game goes by numerous other names; Dix, Bidder 10, Le Rough, Le Ruff, La Bloutte or La Fouine....

Auction Forty-Fives isn’t the easiest card game to learn, and is even harder to master. The order of rank does not follow traditional card value rankings, and can take some time to get used to. If you’re not yet familiar with the game, our first suggestion is to take a close look at the...

Forty-Fives is such an old, wide-spread game that it goes by a vast number of names. They include Forty-Fives, Forty-Five, Auction Forty-Five(s), Strong Fives, One Hundred Twenty, Auction One Hundred Twenty, Growl, and—the first known names—Spoil Fives and Maw. This trick-catching card game originated in either Ireland or Scotland, and is extremely popular among...

Auction Forty-Fives (aka One Hundred Twenty) is a popular card game throughout Canada. A direct descendant of the Irish game, Spoil Five, it’s particularly favored by Irish-Canadians in Nova Scotia. Like so many games that spread from one region of the world to another, not everyone plays by the same rules. Over time, several...

Card fans in Nova Scotia have a favorite trick-catching game they call Auction Forty-Fives. A bidding version of the original Forty-Fives card game, it’s played all over Canada, but is incredibly popular among Nova Scotia’s Irish communities. Oddly enough, the name Forty-Fives (45s) has no meaning in the more popular Auction Forty-Fives variant. That name...