Trump (card game)
Encyclopedia
A trump is a playing card
which is elevated above its normal rank in trick-taking game
s. Typically an entire suit
is nominated as a trump suit - these cards then outrank all cards of plain (non-trump) suits. In other contexts, the term trump card can refer to any sort of action, authority, or policy which automatically prevails over all others.
" or "triumph", documented as the name of a card game in 1529 and which spawned the game Ruff and Honours
, which in turn led to Whist
. Trionfo was also the name of the original card game for which tarot
cards were designed, and in it the tarot cards had the role of what are now called trumps; later card game rules were designed to use one of the ordinary suits as a replacement for the tarots when a tarot pack was not available.
.
The trump suit may be fixed as in Spades
, rotate on a fixed schedule or depend on the outcome of the previous hand as in Ninety-nine, be determined by drawing a card at random as in Bezique
, by the last card dealt to a designated player as in Whist
, by the first card played as in Nine Card Don, be chosen by a designated player as in Barbu
, or players may bid for the right to select the trump suit as in Contract Bridge
or Skat.
In most games, trump cards cannot be played if the player has any cards of the suit led to the trick; in a few, trumps can be played at any time. Playing the first trump to an already-started trick is known as trumping or ruffing; if another player were to play a higher trump, that would be an overruff or overtrump.
The tarot
deck contains a fifth suit known in occult circles as the Major Arcana
, which serves as a permanent trump suit in games played with the tarot deck
. The suit consists of twenty-two cards, including a Fool which serves as a highest trump or a kind of wild card
in tarot games.
Due primarily to the prevalence of the trump in card games, the term used in Japan for the standard 52-card deck of playing cards is simply the English word "trump".
ic uses, e.g.:
Playing card
A playing card is a piece of specially prepared heavy paper, thin cardboard, plastic-coated paper, cotton-paper blend, or thin plastic, marked with distinguishing motifs and used as one of a set for playing card games...
which is elevated above its normal rank in trick-taking game
Trick-taking game
A trick-taking game is a card game or tile-based game in which play centers on a series of finite rounds or units of play, called tricks. The object of such games then may be closely tied to the number of tricks taken, as in plain-trick games such as Whist, Contract Bridge, Napoleon, Rowboat, and...
s. Typically an entire suit
Suit (cards)
In playing cards, a suit is one of several categories into which the cards of a deck are divided. Most often, each card bears one of several symbols showing to which suit it belongs; the suit may alternatively or in addition be indicated by the color printed on the card...
is nominated as a trump suit - these cards then outrank all cards of plain (non-trump) suits. In other contexts, the term trump card can refer to any sort of action, authority, or policy which automatically prevails over all others.
Etymology
The word "trump" derives from "trionfiTrionfi (cards)
Trionfi, Italian name for playing cards with allegorical content, were probably used for a game of trumps in the 15th century. One typus of the Trionfi decks developed to the Tarot cards.-Name:...
" or "triumph", documented as the name of a card game in 1529 and which spawned the game Ruff and Honours
Ruff and Honours
Ruff and Honours, a successor of the French game Triomphe with many different spellings, is a 17th century card game derivative of Ruff, the ancestor of Whist, which in turn was the forerunner of bridge and many other trick-taking card games like Whisk and Swabbers.-History:This game was first...
, which in turn led to Whist
Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
. Trionfo was also the name of the original card game for which tarot
Tarot
The tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...
cards were designed, and in it the tarot cards had the role of what are now called trumps; later card game rules were designed to use one of the ordinary suits as a replacement for the tarots when a tarot pack was not available.
Trumps in card games
In most games, the relative rank of cards within a suit is the same in trump and plain suits, but they may sometimes differ, as for example in Klabberjass or EuchreEuchre
Euchre or eucre, is a trick-taking card game most commonly played with four people in two partnerships with a deck of 24 standard playing cards. It is the game responsible for introducing the joker into modern packs; this was invented around 1860 to act as a top trump or best bower...
.
The trump suit may be fixed as in Spades
Spades
Spades is a partnership trick-taking card game devised in the United States in the 1930s, in which the object is for each pair or partnership to take at least the number of tricks they bid on before play began. Spades is a descendant of the Whist family of card games, which also includes Bridge,...
, rotate on a fixed schedule or depend on the outcome of the previous hand as in Ninety-nine, be determined by drawing a card at random as in Bezique
Bezique
Bezique is a 19th-century French melding and trick-taking card game for two players derived from Marriage via Briscan by the addition of more scoring features, notably the peculiar liaison of Q and J, under the names Bésigue, Binokel, Pinochle, etc., according to the country.-History:Bezique was...
, by the last card dealt to a designated player as in Whist
Whist
Whist is a classic English trick-taking card game which was played widely in the 18th and 19th centuries. It derives from the 16th century game of Trump or Ruff, via Ruff and Honours...
, by the first card played as in Nine Card Don, be chosen by a designated player as in Barbu
Barbu (game)
Barbu or Le Barbu, also known as Tafferan, is a trick-taking card game similar to hearts where four players take turns leading seven different sub-games over the course of 28 deals...
, or players may bid for the right to select the trump suit as in Contract Bridge
Contract bridge
Contract bridge, usually known simply as bridge, is a trick-taking card game using a standard deck of 52 playing cards played by four players in two competing partnerships with partners sitting opposite each other around a small table...
or Skat.
In most games, trump cards cannot be played if the player has any cards of the suit led to the trick; in a few, trumps can be played at any time. Playing the first trump to an already-started trick is known as trumping or ruffing; if another player were to play a higher trump, that would be an overruff or overtrump.
The tarot
Tarot
The tarot |trionfi]] and later as tarocchi, tarock, and others) is a pack of cards , used from the mid-15th century in various parts of Europe to play a group of card games such as Italian tarocchini and French tarot...
deck contains a fifth suit known in occult circles as the Major Arcana
Major Arcana
The Major Arcana or trumps are a suit of twenty-two cards in the tarot deck. They serve as a permanent trump suit in games played with the tarot deck, and are distinguished from the four standard suits collectively known as the Minor Arcana...
, which serves as a permanent trump suit in games played with the tarot deck
Tarot, tarock and tarocchi games
Tarot, tarock, tarocchi, etc., are a group of card games played with the tarot deck. The first basic rules appear in the manuscript of Martiano da Tortona written before 1425...
. The suit consists of twenty-two cards, including a Fool which serves as a highest trump or a kind of wild card
Wild card
Wild card may refer to:* Wild card , a playing card that substitutes for any other card in card games* Wild card , a tournament or playoff berth awarded to an individual or team that has not qualified through normal play...
in tarot games.
Due primarily to the prevalence of the trump in card games, the term used in Japan for the standard 52-card deck of playing cards is simply the English word "trump".
Metaphorical uses
From this card game use came metaphorMetaphor
A metaphor is a literary figure of speech that uses an image, story or tangible thing to represent a less tangible thing or some intangible quality or idea; e.g., "Her eyes were glistening jewels." Metaphor may also be used for any rhetorical figures of speech that achieve their effects via...
ic uses, e.g.:
- "He trumped my aceAceAn ace is a playing card. In the standard French deck, an ace has a single suit symbol located in the middle of the card, sometimes large and decorated, especially in the case of the Ace of Spades...
" for "I thought that I had a winning advantage, but he brought along something to defeat it." - "At the hotel I ordered fresh orange juice with my breakfast ... the waiter brought out a trump excuse that there was not an orange in town."