English Renaissance Games

The English Renaissance during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries was a time of cultural changes that made important scientific and artistic contributions to the western world. Today, people continue to play the games the were played at that time. Card games were popular during the English Renaissance. Most card games of the time included gambling, although they can also be enjoyed without gambling, just like we do it now days. The design of cards during the Renaissance was essentially the same as playing cards today, so these games can be played with an ordinary deck of playing cards. One  Renaissance card game that was played is One and Thirty, which is similar to Blackjack. Players are dealt three cards which they keep face down, and on each turn they can either turn a card face up or discard it. Each card is assigned a number value: aces are worth 11, face card are worth 10 and number cards are worth their face value. Cards must be in the same suit for their value to be added together. The player whose final hand has a sum closest to 31 wins. Board games were also popular during the English Renaissance. Different variations of chess have been popular since ancient times, however the Renaissance version of chess was essentially the same as the game that is played today.