A Five Suited Deck of Cards?
We use the standard 52 card deck for so many different online poker and card games, that it is easy to assume that it has always been around. Or, even if you are willing to allow some changes to the classic deck of cards, these changes inevitably took place in the murky past. It is absolutely inconceivable to the modern poker player that the 52 card deck was actually being changed as late as 1937.
In 1937, many casinos came up with the idea of adding a fifth suit to the standard deck of online pokerplaying cards. A fifth suit would increase the overall number of cards in play, thus allowing more people to play a game at once. It would also further sway the odds in favor of the house. Some bold casinos even tried out this new deck on their gaming tables. It was not received well. Players were quick to note that it reduced their chances of winning while unfairly fattening the casino’s pockets. It was also judged impractical to implement on a wider scale because so many people would have to purchase new decks for home use. The five suited deck fell by the wayside, only to be remembered by the few poker players who care about the more absurd moments of recent poker history.
