www.CostaRicaTicas.com

Here's kind of an oddball question for you all.

Do the casinos in C.R. use the French-style playing cards with which we're all familiar (suits of clubs, spades, diamonds, hearts) or do the casinos use the Spanish naipes (suits of espadas, bastos, oros/monedas, copas)?

Just curious, as I can't see the cards. Thanks.

_________________
Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

French style, just like the US

BKTUNA
I am never going home

I didn' even know there were two types of playing cards. My mum is a professional gambler and when I asked her to teach me how to playpoker when I was 16 she cleaned me out during the introductory session and I have not played since except for 2-3 times at Blackjack. Maybe her lesson was deliberate

_________________
Providing humanitarian assistance to self employed chicas, one cash grant at a time.

Yes. The traditional Spanish "baraja" (deck) of naipes (playing cards) uses four suits, copas (cups, equivalent to our Hearts), bastos (sticks, literally "clubs"), oros (gold coins, equivalent to our Diamonds) and espadas (swords/spades).

Also, the traditional deck omits the tens, thus making the traditional deck 40 cards rather than 52. Jokers are included also.

The largest printers of these Spanish decks are Fournier in Spain and Modiano in Italy, however U.S. Playing Card Co. has produced the Spanish decks on an irregular basis.

If not in the casinos, BK...I'm wondering if folks play the Spanish-style decks at home.

BTW, I'll bring a deck of Spanish "naipes" with me when I come to C.R.

_________________
Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.

Shouldn't omitting 10's and including jokers result in a 50 card deck? How can omitting one number result in the loss of more than 4 cards? What did I miss here?

_________________
Pura Vida
Only Irish coffee provides in a single glass all four
essential food groups:
alcohol, caffeine, sugar and fat.
Alex Levine

Thanks for catching the typo. Meant to type 48, not 40... because I was excluding the jokers. Yes, if one counts the jokers, the traditional deck is 50 cards.

Also, I've learned that shortened decks are sold for some games. These decks are 40 (no typo) card decks. I believe the 8's, 9's and 10's are excluded (and I'm not considering the jokers as part of this deck either, because they are not used in any game for which this shortened deck is used, even though the jokers are included to use as emergency replacements for lost/marked cards).

Now, Irish...with all your local knowledge, perhaps you would answer the unanswered question as to whether or not the Spanish deck is used outside of casinos which serve gringos. But again, thanks for catching my typo.

_________________
Pura Vulva! Wandering through the dark, I am El Ciego.