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Playing cards, with four suits and a court, began to appear in the 14th century. Some popular card games have endured centuries of play, others have been around for decades, and new games are currently being created which will become the popular games of the future.

Why do popular card games endure? Even with the availability of home computers and hand-held electronic games, card games are as popular as ever, in both their physical and virtual forms.

There are many reasons people may be drawn to card games. Some are obvious, such as entertainment and socializing, but there are also underlying reasons which may explain why people have enjoyed card games for so long.

Human beings are drawn to patterns. From the earliest age, people sort and categorize to understand the world around them. Toddlers quickly learn that paper airplanes and baseballs belong in the "things I can throw" category, while porcelain figurines do not.

It is human nature to organize objects and information. Sorting correctly usually leads to the rewards of gained knowledge and positive reinforcement from peers. Even behaviors are learned through observing patterns, such as watching others to see how certain words and actions make them successful at dating or in earning a promotion at work.

As a result, people often associate positive feelings with finding patterns around them. Even spotting accidental patterns, such as bunny rabbit shaped clouds or potato chips that look like Elvis, will bring a smile to most anyone's face.

Now, think about popular card games. How many of them are based on patterning? Nearly all card games, involve some form of cycling through cards to make patterns. The pattern may be anything, like a full house in a game of poker, a run of cards in a rummy game, or sorting cards by rank and suit in solitaire.

Another aspect of card games, is that of competition. Whether competing against the computer or against other people, card games can bring out a person's competitive streak. Which is apparent by the popularity of casino card games, such as Blackjack and Poker. Even those who don't like to gamble and claim to dislike competition, may spend hours trying to win at solitaire or free cell, in effect trying to beat the cards or beat their own best score.

The competitive nature of card games, either against opponents or in solitaire games, is exciting. It isn't necessarily a matter of winning and losing (although most people do enjoy winning).

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