‘Fancy a game? The classic card games I learned as a child’

Do you like playing cards? I can recall our beloved father, a returned soldier, shuffling his pack of cards. On Saturday afternoons, he would ask, “Fancy a game?” So his bossy daughters would sit around, learning to play poker, known as ‘Fives’, Knock, Gin Rummy, Snap, and Patience. This, of course, led to many hours of sibling rivalry, as everyone knows that your big sister always wins. No more need be said.

Those happy childhood memories led to my teenage job in the public service. Here, in the Department of Defence, long lunchtimes on our government salaries taught me more card games. There, in the vintage heritage bluestone army barracks, I learned the noble skills required for 500, Solo, Whist, and Bridge. This is how I met my late unlamented ex-husband, teaching me never to trump his ace. Love is blind. No more needs to be said about that. Fancy a game?

Playing cards is great social skill, a good way to relax with friends. In my days as a classroom teacher of tweens, I promised my grades of little sunbeams ‘free time’ on Friday afternoons, if they applied themselves to their education.

At 1:30pm on Fridays I locked my classroom door so the nun police would not barge in on us. My grades of the future of Australia enjoyed playing Uno, Old Maid, Snap, Gin Rummy, ‘Fives’, Knock, Chase the Ace and other such delights. My students have probably forgotten the whole scenario, but they can still play cards. Sh, secret. Then I would give them a chocolate each, and we all went home for the weekend as friends.

I doubt the parent police of the modern day would approve. But, on the flip side, not one of those children did a Naplan test or needed a literacy or numeracy tutor. They did okay. Once again, no more need be said. They did love a game of cards.

These days, I am a tutor. I still use a deck of cards for Maths games, depending on the level of ability of each student. With a deck of cards, there are games of adding, subtracting, multiplying or matching the face values of the cards. Maths teachers are notoriously mean, but cards can make learning fun.

I hear my friends chatter about playing cards with their grandchildren. It is a good way to teach them non-tech savvy social skills, friendly competition, have some laughs, and how to participate in victories or defeats gracefully. Well, that is the aim. Maybe they will be croupiers. Fancy a game?

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