There are some things in this world, which can be used for a lot of activities. They can be called as, versatile and all-rounder things. One best example is the deck of 52 cards; with only one deck, we can play a lot of card games, although, in some games, only some cards are used. For e.g. in some playing card games, you will find ace in cards, while in others, it isn’t there. These 52 cards have entertained mankind for quite a few centuries now. Different cards have different values and their purpose differs from card game to card game. One of the unique cards among them is the Ace card. Let’s talk more about this ace card in this article.
The History with Ace card
Did you know? The word ‘Ace’ is derived from a small Roman coin called as ‘as’. It is an old French word whose meaning is ‘a unit’. This means, according to this terminology, ace in playing cards means one. But before that, the card was named with the side of a dice that had one pip. Thus, this particular card had the lowest value in playing card games then. It was considered bad luck to roll the ace in cards! Over time, the card journeyed from rags to riches; and today, the playing card ace is considered a high-value card. It equals to being the best, a pro, and being at the top.
Why is the Ace of Spades different?
Have you noticed that the design of one ace card is generally different from the other 3? The symbol at the centre of ace of spades is a bit bigger and usually decorated. Why is that? During the reign of King James the 6th, he wished to see the insignia of printing houses on the ace of spades, for an easier identification. Doing so will also make it an authorized deck of cards and that the printing house has paid the new stamp tax. Even though the practice of King James was abolished, the card makers continued with the tradition. In other countries though, it differs. In Russia, the design is on the ace of diamonds, in France, it is on the ace of clubs, and in Genoa, it is on the hearts.
The No. & Value of Ace card
If anybody asks you how many ace in cards are there? Then what will be your answer? In a usual deck of 52 cards, you will find 4 suits of 13 cards each. This makes the no of ace in cards as 4. This number increases in playing card games like rummy, where more than 1 deck is used.
Out of all the 13 different cards, the ace in playing cards is the one that is different from the others. Its value changes in different games. In some games, the value of ace in cards is one, in other games, it has a value of 10. In card games like Blackjack, the value of an ace is 11 or 1! The earliest card game that had a value of 10 for the ace card, is Trappola. There are also card games that are called as ‘ace-ten games’. They are Sixty-six, Pinoche, Brusquembille, etc. In these games, the playing card ace drags the ten card to the top with it, and a new ranking is formed: A-10-K.
The Ace Card in Rummy
You’ve already read about the no of ace in cards in the above paragraph. So, now answer this question: how many ace in cards are there in Indian rummy? Your answer will be 8, because 2 decks are used while playing rummy games online. If the ace card itself becomes the wild card, then you will get 7 ace in rummy to use. This is because one ace in rummy is selected randomly and kept face up under the closed pile, you must have noticed this while playing online rummy.
The ace in rummy serves a dual purpose when it comes to making sequences. It can be used in the A-2-3 sequence, or even in the Q-K-A sequence. Hence, the ace card becomes a numbered card as well as a face card in a rummy cash game. When you play rummy online in your own rummy time, you see in some versions including Indian rummy, and in some Indian rummy platforms, you can even form the sequence of K-A-2, in which the ace in rummy is present in the middle! This is called as the ‘round-the-corner’ rule. This rule is not present in Khel Play Rummy though. The point value of ace in playing cards in rummy is always a 10. This is equivalent to the value of Face cards of Jack, Queen, and King in a rummy game.
Chase the Ace Card Game
The ace in playing cards gets the maximum importance in this card game called as ‘Chase the Ace’. It is also known as, Ranter go round or Cuckoo. The ultimate object of every player playing this ace card game, as the name suggests, is to chase the ace card on the table, with the intent to not get stuck with the lowest card in this ace game. The rules of this ace card game are such that they make the game exciting. This ace card game can be played when 5 or more players take part, although we can also play it with 3 or 4 players. Hence, this game becomes a good choice when When you know all the ace game rules, it will become easy for you to play this game.
The Gameplay: In chase the ace, besides the deck of 52 cards, having 4 no of ace in cards, players must have some form of tokens like chips, coins, candy, etc. Each player will be given 3 tokens in the beginning. So the total number of tokens will depend on the number of participants. Now, each player playing the chase the ace card game will draw one card from the deck. The player with the highest value of card will become the dealer. You can keep the same dealer for the whole game or change after every round using the above technique.
The dealer hands 1 card and 3 tokens to each player. Whenever a player will lose a round, he/she will hand over their token. When all the 3 tokens are handed, that player is out of the game. After all the cards are dealt, the player to the left of the dealer begins the game. That player can either keep the card they got or swap it with the player to their left, whether it is ace in cards or other. If that player wants to swap it with their neighbour, then they should place it face down on the table and slide it towards the neighbour. The 2nd player will pick it up without revealing it to anyone, even if it is the ace in playing cards.
Likewise, each player will do this until the game reaches the dealer. Now the dealer can either keep their card or swap it with the top card of the remaining deck of cards. After all, the players have played their turn, they will reveal their card. The one with the lowest value card, will lose their token. All of this process is repeated in another round, and players will keep on playing more rounds until only one player will be left with their tokens. That player is declared as the winner of the whole game. Now let us go through the ace card game rules.
Rules: some of the ace game rules of this chase the ace card game are as follows:
- Players must compulsorily swap their cards when they are asked to.
- An exception: if a player is having a king card (and not ace in cards). This player need not swap their card, but they will need to reveal their card, that indeed it is the king.
- The dealer in chase the ace is not permitted to swap their card with a king card.
- The ranking of cards is not A-2-3, but K-Q-J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-A. Thus, the playing card ace has a value of 1 here.
- In the situation where 2 players have the same lowest value card, then both will lose their token. Same with 3 or more players.
- If, in the end, 2 players are remaining and they are tied in a round with the above situation, then another round is played (or more rounds are played) until one of them becomes the winner.
The ace in cards is truly an interesting card if you compare it with other cards. The fact that it can be used with 2 and a King card in rummy, means you have more chances, strategies, and tricks to use. Even though you might feel like having the playing card ace with you, beware of the points it carries -10, in case you don’t add it into a valid rummy sequence. Know how to use the high-value cards wisely. So, have you aced the usage of ace in playing cards?
