hist-games: Baraja Espanola

[Bruce Padget]

I've seen the the 40-card Spanish deck around a great
deal, tho I have never seen a 48-card deck.  Oddly
enough, I've been seeing the modern 40-card deck at
truck stops, for the most part.

The 40-card deck is perfectly suited to Scopa and
Scopone Scientifico.  I've read English sources that
claim these games are 400+ years old, but without
substantiation.  (I'm hoping they are period games, as
both are fun.  Avid Games' "Punto" is a dead ripoff of
Scopa.)

Regards,
Niccolo
bapadget at yahoo.com