The Joker found its way into the game of Poker around 1875, functioning as a wild card. Samuel Hart printed the first illustrated “Best Bower” card in 1863 with his “Imperial Bower.” Cards labeled “Joker,” often depicting clowns or jesters, started appearing sometime in the late 1860s. This led to a variant game called “Euchre with the Joker,” where the blank card ranked above all the rest. It first appeared in a set of rules in 1868 as a blank specimen card, not intended for actual play. In the earliest rules from 1844, a 32-card pack was used, and the trump Jack, known as the Right Bower, was the commanding card, with the Left Bower, the Jack of the same color, as the second-highest card.Īccording to card game historian David Parlett, someone added the Joker to the Euchre deck in the 1850s. Contrary to popular belief, the original Euchre didn’t use Jokers. It was created as a trump card for a game called Euchre. The Joker card originated in the Civil War-era United States. It permeated popular culture, most notably in the Batman franchise, representing a character as unpredictable and multifaceted as the card itself. But the Joker’s influence extends beyond the gaming table.
Its history is as fascinating as its role in various card games. In playing cards, the Joker stands as an enigma, a wildcard that can shift the tide of any game.
