Over the course of the past couple of years we have all been forced to get creative with how we spend our free time. Some people got into running, cold exposure and doing push ups whilst inexplicably screaming “THEY DON’T KNOW ME SON!”
Others got into obsessively making banana bread and posting about it incessantly on every single one of the social media channels. Whilst others discovered an absorbing hobby that isn’t totally nauseating – card games.
In recent years good old fashioned card games have experienced somewhat of a renaissance here in New Zealand. In this article we take a look at some of the most popular games that are keeping Kiwis up playing until the wee small hours of the morning.
Blackjack
Yeah, sure, we know that the best casino experience comes from getting off your backside and traveling to a real, bricks and mortar casino but that’s just…a lot of effort. Especially in 2023 when you can just download a casino app and play the most popular card game to your hearts content.
One game that has really benefitted from people’s laziness/more modern approach to casino games is blackjack. Typically if you were new to a casino you might stay away from the intimate setting of a blackjack table where it could just be you up against the dealer.
Online there’s no awkwardness, you can jump straight into the action with a faceless dealer and play away. You can even play free practice games whilst you get to grips with the rules and if that’s not enough, you can play online blackjack wherever and whenever you want.
Bearing all that in mind, it’s no wonder that the game has experienced such a revival in New Zealand in recent years.
Poker
Whilst we’re on the topic of casino games we can’t forget to mention the world’s most popular and widely played card game! Whereas blackjack is undergoing somewhat of a revival, poker never really went way here in New Zealand – it’s been popular for years.
Obviously the last couple of years saw online playing numbers of the game steadily rising but poker didn’t need a global pandemic to take off. Online hundreds of thousands of Kiwis regularly log in to online card rooms to play informally or for real cash prizes.
It’s also a game that is enjoyed every weekend by tens of thousands of New Zealanders as they look to unwind from a busy working week.
Euchre
You heard that right, we’re talking about the old classic game that you used to play as a child with your grandparents. Much like blackjack, euchre has been experiencing a revival in recent years with the game bizarrely featuring on social media and growing in popularity from there.
How does it work? Well we’re not going to sit and go through all of the rules of the game in detail here but suffice to say, it’s a good old fashioned trick game meant to played by four players and, if played right can be great fun.
Cribbage
Okay, okay this one might be a pretty niche game and the chances are that people from the game’s core demographic aren’t going to be reading this article or, even know what an online article is in the first place.
But that doesn’t change the facts. Cribbage is a super popular game in New Zealand, mainly enjoyed by the older generation. The game, traditionally played in a head to head format involves playing and grouping cards in combinations.
Its USP if you will is the neat little scoring board known rather unimaginatively as ‘The Crib’.
Cabo
You probably haven’t heard of this game and to be quite honest with you here not many people have but, it is our sworn duty to tell as many people as possible about this absolutely sensational card game.
The rules are complex and hard to convey in a couple of cards but the best way to describe the game is that it is a high-octane, thrill a minute mix of a serious card game and a light-hearted drinking game.
Incredibly popular amongst the backpacking community this game is ready and waiting for you to fall in love with it. We’re going to leave you with this video explaining how to play the game and then you’re going to spend hours upon hours playing it with your friends.
