It is believed that the term “Joker” comes from a mispronunciation of Juker, the German/Alsatian name for the game Euchre (in German, the “J” sounds as “I” or “Y” so the German and English names should be pronounced similarly). The card was originally introduced in 1870 for games of that family (to be used as the highest trump).[1] The name could also derive from Poker, where the card became popular as a wild card.
The Joker is usually depicted as a court jester. There are usually two Jokers per deck, and both cards often have noticeable differences between each other. For instance, Bicycle Playing Cards prints their company’s guarantee claim on only one. More common traits are the appearance of colored and black/noncolored Jokers. At times, the Jokers will each be colored to match the colors used for suits; there will be a red Joker, and a black Joker. In games where the jokers may need to be compared, the red or full-color joker usually outranks the black-and-white one, and so on with the guaranteed one. With the red/black jokers, the red one can alternately be counted as a heart/diamond and the black is used to substitute clubs/spades.In the USA-Produced Bicycle brand of playing cards, The Joker sometimes bears an S superimposed over a U as its index symbol. This is a trademark of the U.S. Playing Card Company. In Canada, the US monogram is replaced by a star.
In Australia, the Joker in the Queen’s Slipper brand of playing cards depicts a Kookaburra, a bird native to Australia with a call which resembles human laughter. In Australian games of 500, the Joker is often referred to colloquially as ‘The Bird’.
Most other decks simply use a stylized “J” or the word “JOKER” in the corner index.
The Joker’s use is greatly varied. Many card games omit the card from use entirely; others, such as a 25-card variant of Euchre, make it one of the most important in the game. Often, the joker is a wildcard, and thereby allowed to represent other existing cards. The term “Joker’s Wild” originates from this practice, as does the game show of the same name.
The Joker can be an extremely beneficial, or an extremely harmful, card. In Euchre it is often used to represent Benny, the highest trump. In poker, it is wild. However, in the children’s game named Old Maid, a solitary joker represents the Maid, a card that is to be avoided.
