{"id":33461,"date":"2022-09-30T06:11:17","date_gmt":"2022-09-30T11:11:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/?p=33461"},"modified":"2022-09-30T08:20:26","modified_gmt":"2022-09-30T13:20:26","slug":"death-card-explained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.casino.org\/blog\/death-card-explained\/","title":{"rendered":"How The Ace Of Spades Became Known As The “Death Card”"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
Even if you\u2019re not all that familiar with this long-held association of\nthe Ace of Spades and the \u201cDeath Card,\u201d you can probably hear Mot\u00f6rhead singing\ntheir famous song, \u2018the ace of spa-aades\u2019 blaring out of the speakers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Not only was this the song that made<\/em> the band, it\u2019s also the highest and\nmost-valued card in the deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perhaps, like me, the title\u2019s the only part of the song to which you can\ncomfortably sing along, or ever really paid much attention to (sorry to all you\ndiehard Mot\u00f6rhead fans!). <\/p>\n\n\n\n Take another listen though and the fast-living rhetoric of the gambling\nthrill is all over the song, with special mention to this \u201cdead man\u2019s hand\nagain\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are many thoughts and theories on how the highest-valued card\nbecame synonymous with death, but regardless of its origins, it seems to be\nwell and truly established in the superstitious hearts and minds the world\nover.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But let\u2019s go further back and explore some of the history that gives\nthis fated card its doom status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Way back in medieval times, when blacksmiths made armor and weaponry, to\nprovide some mark of quality they often stamped their work with the Ace of Spades.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n Given the usage of their ware, this ominous link with the symbol led to\nits association with death.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 1700s, stamp duty was extended by Queen Anne, in England, to\ninclude playing cards. <\/p>\n\n\n\n To indicate that this tax had been paid the Ace of Spades, with its\nornate insignia, was to be signed by the manufacturer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The signing process was time-consuming and costly – hiking up the price\nof the deck by up to 12 times as much! – so people began faking their own. <\/p>\n\n\n\n This, of course, carried a big risk. Producing counterfeit cards was a\ncapital offence resulting in death by hanging. <\/p>\n\n\n\n You fake an Ace of Spades stamp, you get caught, you die. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As such, the Ace of Spades spelled out death to many people and this\nconnotation was hard to shake off.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the 18th Century it was a favorite amongst pirates to let a traitor\nor informer know he was nearing his end; that he was \u2018on the spot\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n It came a close second after the skull and cross bones as a symbol of\nintimidation. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then there\u2019s the design of the card itself – for some people the spade\nrepresents the tool used to dig your grave. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And since the Ace card carries the highest value, it will get your\ncoffin dug deepest in the ground.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the deck comprising of 52 cards, it\u2019s believed that each card\nrepresents a week in the year, and each suit a season. The spades represent\nwinter and the Ace heralds the Week of Yule, the death of the year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n As mere pawns in the game of nature, try as we might, we cannot escape\nthe death cycle and the card\u2019s place in the calendar is a reminder of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The beginning of winter was a time feared and dreaded by members of\npoorer classes as it meant the start of the struggle through to spring. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Will there be enough food? Will we stay warm enough? Many families\nsuffered death through famine and freezing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the lawless days of the Wild West, Wild Bill Hickock immortalized the \u2018dead man\u2019s hand\u2019<\/a> when he was shot through the head at point blank range by Jack McCall seeking vengeance for a loss at cards a few days earlier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n He died instantly, slumping over the table where he was playing poker,\nwith his cards still in his hand, now spattered with blood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n And what was he holding? A mixture of black aces and eights. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Yet again the Ace of Spades strikes, with death following its presence.<\/p>\n\n\n\nSo Where Did This All Begin?<\/strong> <\/h2>\n\n\n\n
The Vietnamese War<\/strong><\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n