Card games have been part of human culture for so long that it’s easy to forget they even had a beginning. Today we treat cards as a universal form of entertainment—shuffled at family gatherings, played competitively online, or enjoyed quietly in a solo session of Solitaire. But behind this familiar pastime lies a long and foggy historical trail, filled with ancient courts, dynasties, merchants, travelers, and innovations that took centuries to shape what we know today.
So, what is the oldest card game?
To answer that properly, we have to explore where cards themselves came from, how early civilizations used them, and how these early games eventually became the strategic, social, and competitive experiences we now associate with What Are Card Games?.
This is a journey backward—far beyond Poker, Rummy, or Bridge—into a world where the earliest card games were symbols of royalty, fortune-telling tools, cultural markers, and sometimes even secrets carefully guarded by elites.
The Origin of Playing Cards: Where the Trail Begins
Historians generally agree that playing cards originated in China, likely during the Tang Dynasty (618–907 CE). This era saw major innovations in printing, paper production, and recreation. Early cards were nothing like the modern spade-heart-diamond-club deck. Instead, they resembled:
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paper slips with suits written on them
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tiles used in gambling
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tokens resembling currency
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illustrated sheets used for storytelling
These early “cards” were more multifunctional objects than game components, used for entertainment, education, and sometimes gambling.
As paper technology spread westward, so did card games. But the first documented card game in history takes us right back to this origin.
The First Known Card Game: The Leaf Game
When asking what is the oldest card game, the earliest recorded name we encounter is “Yezi Ge” or “The Leaf Game.”
This game appears in texts from circa 868 CE, making it the oldest card game we can confidently identify in historical records.
What Was The Leaf Game?
Although the exact rules have never been fully recovered, we know key details:
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It used thin paper cards (hence “leaves”).
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It involved a combination of matching, drawing, and sometimes staking tokens.
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Early versions may have resembled gambling games.
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It was popular among nobles, scholars, and members of the imperial household.
The Leaf Game also likely influenced the development of dominoes, Mah-jong, and broader East Asian gaming culture.
Its existence proves that card play was already sophisticated over 1,100 years ago.
Money-Suit Cards: A Breakthrough in Early Gameplay
Another ancient predecessor worth noting is the money-suit card system, which emerged in China during the late 1200s. These suits represented:
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coins
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strings of coins
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tens of coins
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myriads
These money-suit cards are important because they introduced the concept of suits, which became the foundation of modern deck structures.
Although the exact names of the early games played with these cards were not always recorded, the system shows that card gaming was already diverse, structured, and used for multiple types of play.
The Persian and Mamluk Influence: A New Turning Point
As trade routes expanded, playing cards made their way westward. By the 12th to 13th centuries, card decks arrived in Persia and the broader Middle East, where they evolved into more defined suit systems, artistic styles, and game structures.
The most famous surviving example of early non-Chinese playing cards is the Mamluk deck, dated around the 12th–13th century.
Why the Mamluk Deck Matters
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It contained suits resembling modern ones.
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It had court cards (like kings and deputies).
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It introduced scoring concepts, rank hierarchy, and card combinations.
The Mamluk cards likely influenced the birth of European playing cards shortly afterward.
But we still need to identify the oldest card game with rules that have survived into something recognizable today.
The Oldest Card Game Still Played Today: Karnöffel
While The Leaf Game is the oldest recorded card game, the oldest card game still in continuous existence is widely believed to be:
Karnöffel
Date: around 1426 CE
Origin: Germany
This makes Karnöffel not only ancient, but the oldest extant card game with rules established enough to still be played in some regions.
What Was Karnöffel About?
Karnöffel is a trick-taking game—one of the oldest strategic structures in card gaming. Its rules used:
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ranked trump cards
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uneven power distributing
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unpredictable outcomes
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strong elements of bluffing and reading opponents
Although the modern version has evolved, it still retains much of its medieval character.
Karnöffel is part of the larger Karnöffel group, which includes games that influenced later trick-taking games like:
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Schafkopf
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Jass
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Briscola
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Tarot-based trick-takers
In many ways, Karnöffel is the bridge between ancient Asian games and the European tradition that would later lead to Bridge, Spades, Hearts, and other modern classics.
Other Early Card Games That Shaped History
While only some games have survived intact, several early games contributed key elements to the development of card game mechanics.
Ganjifa (India)
Dating back to the Mughal Empire, Ganjifa was a lavish hand-painted card game played in royal courts. The game involved:
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multiple suits
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rich iconography
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trick-taking mechanics
Ganjifa heavily influenced South Asian card traditions.
Tarot Games (Europe, 15th Century)
Before Tarot became a tool for mysticism, Tarot decks were used strictly as gaming decks. Early Tarot games featured:
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trumps
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suits
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numbered cards
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trick-taking rounds
These games would later influence French tarot games, Italian Tarocco, and Swiss adaptations.
Tarot gaming remains active in countries like Switzerland, France, and Italy.
Primero (15th–16th Century)
Often called “the father of Poker,” Primero was a gambling and bluffing game played throughout Europe, particularly in Spain and Italy.
Its mechanics included:
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betting
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bluffing
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hand ranking
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hidden cards
A direct ancestor of modern Poker.
Hanafuda (Japan, 17th Century)
Hanafuda cards were developed after earlier card games were banned. They feature floral motifs and suit structures based on months.
Koi-Koi, the most famous Hanafuda game, is still widely played in Japan and abroad.
Which Card Game Truly Deserves the Title “Oldest”?
It depends on the criteria:
1. Oldest Recorded Card Game in History
The Leaf Game — 9th century China.
2. Oldest Surviving Deck Style
Mamluk cards — 12th–13th century Middle East.
3. Oldest Card Game Still Played Today
Karnöffel — 1426, Germany.
Each represents a different kind of “oldest,” depending on whether we value documentation, legacy, or continuity.
How These Ancient Games Connect to Modern Card Culture
Today’s card games—from Poker and Bridge to collectible card games and digital titles—owe their mechanics to ancient predecessors.
Matching and drawing
Rooted in early Chinese games.
Suits and ranks
Developed in the Middle East.
Trick-taking systems
Perfected in Europe, beginning with Karnöffel.
Betting and bluffing mechanics
Popularized through games like Primero.
Through centuries of cross-cultural evolution, these fragments formed the foundation for modern card games.
Card Games as Cultural Mirrors
The oldest card games weren’t just pastimes—they were reflections of society.
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Chinese games used monetary suits because commerce was central to daily life.
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Persian and Mamluk decks featured art styles influenced by their cultures.
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European Tarot decks used allegorical characters from medieval life.
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Japanese Hanafuda used seasonal motifs to reflect nature and tradition.
Understanding the oldest card games is understanding the societies that played them.
So, what is the oldest card game?
The answer depends on how we define “oldest,” but the historical record gives us clear milestones:
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The Leaf Game (China, 868 CE) — the earliest documented card game.
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Mamluk card decks (12th–13th century) — the oldest surviving card style.
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Karnöffel (Germany, 1426) — the oldest card game still actively played today.
These ancient games paved the way for everything that followed—Poker, Rummy, Hearts, Solitaire, Bridge, Spades, and even the massive collectible-card and digital-card industries of the modern era.
Card games began as royal entertainment, cultural artifacts, and social activities. Over centuries, they transformed into global hobbies and competitive disciplines. But no matter how much they evolve, they still carry echoes of those earliest games played in distant dynasties and medieval courts.
The world of card gaming today stands on the shoulders of the oldest card games—games that have survived not because of complexity, but because humans have always loved challenge, chance, connection, and storytelling through simple pieces of illustrated paper.
