Wanna Play Cards? Don’t Invite WA State, Those People Are Nasty!

"You've got to know when to hold 'em, know when to fold 'em."

With all the online options out there for fun and passing the time, playing cards isn't as popular as it once was.

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Good Old Days Include Cards

When I grew up in the midwest, cards were a big part of country social life.  Games like whist, pinochle, rummy, hearts, shanghai, crazy eights, and cribbage were very popular.

I heard some of my first swear words listening to my aunts and uncles playing pinochle, crazy eights bonded me, my brother and sister, and cribbage passed the time on basketball road trips and in dorm rooms.

Nowadays, solitaire on the computer screen is about as close to playing cards as many people get.  Interestingly, those who do shuffle up and deal do so for different games around the country.

Which States Play What Games

In order to determine the most popular card games across the country, Spilsburry -the puzzle, toy, gift gag company- analyzed Google Trends for 26 of the top card games from November 2020 through November 2021.

As different as America is from state to state, our tastes in card games vary in much the same way.

Texas Hold ‘Em won is most popular in...Texas -surprise!  But it also landed on top in Arizona, California, Indiana, and New Mexico

It's a lonely lot who plays Solitaire in places like Florida, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Some players love card games that require not much in the way of brainpower while others are up for a steeper challenge.

What card games are the most popular around the Pacific Northwest

In Oregon, the game that brings them all to the table is the simplistic game of luck known as WAR.  Three other states agree.  In Idaho, SKIP-BO takes the trick and it's the only state that favors the sequence aligning card game.

Washington State takes the trophy for the nastiest favorite!  Since it's the state favorite, chances are you have played or at least heard of CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY.   I am embarrassed to admit to playing several hilarious rounds with my adult kids....so funny, so wrong!

Here's what the company says about themselves:

Cards Against Humanity is a game. It is made of cards. You put the cards together to make jokes. It’s pretty stupid. We made the first version to play at a New Year’s Eve party. People seemed to like it, so we put it up on Kickstarter in 2010. It made a lot of money. We couldn’t believe it.

No other state in the Union was willing to admit to loving Cards Against Humanity as its favorite.  What's that say about us???

Overall, Spades is the most favorite of the favorite games with eleven states choosing Spades. Five states play Texas Hold 'Em, and four prefer Old Maid and War.

Wanna learn how to play America's favorite card games?  Try the Hoyle book available at Walmart for less than 14 bucks!   Have fun, but make sure the kids are tucked in for the night before you break out the Card Against Humanity Deck....you nasty Washingtonians!