Date: 06/26/1998
From: Jim Geary
Newsgroups: rec.gambling.poker
Subject: Modest Proposal (was Four-Colour Decks)
I think the 4-color was a good idea, and agree that nobody would ever consider switching from 4->2 colors. But realistically, four suits may be too many to generate enough unfailingly distinguishable colors. I always thought the natural extension to this experiment would be to use shape changes in addition to ( / instead of) color. I propose the following as all more readily identifiable: - Plus Sign - Hollow Circle - One Straight Line - Three or Four Parallel Wavy Lines I just know you'd be able to tell these apart from across the table, but am of course amenable to suggested improvements. Nobody would get too jazzed if you just used clinical names, so I propose the following "cool" monikers: Plus Sign: Crosses, Christmas Tree Stands, X's, Addition Operators; Hollow Circle: Rings, Hoops, Orifices, Bagels; One Straight Line: Spikes, Nails, Rods, Daggers; Wavy Lines: Waves, Frisettes, Cosines, Corrugations. I've had this in the back of my mind ever since the color experiment in 95, but never had the opportunity to suggest it before. Any playing card manufacturer that would like to run with this idea has my blessing to use my conception without consideration. I know that after switching, no one would suggest retreating to the dull convex filled-in shapes we use today. Yours in a great leap forward,
Last Modified 2/9/00