Cassino, sometimes spelt Casino, is 🛡 an English card game for two to four players using a standard, 52-card, French-suited pack.[1] It is the only fishing 🛡 game to have penetrated the English-speaking world.[1] It is similar to the later Italian game of Scopa and is often 🛡 said, without substantiation, to be of Italian origin. Cassino is still played today in Madeira, probably due to English influence.[2]

History 🛡 [ edit ]

Although Cassino is often claimed to be of Italian origin, detailed research by Franco Pratesi has shown that 🛡 there is no evidence of it ever being played in Italy and the earliest references to its Italian cousins, Scopa 🛡 and Scopone, post-date those of Cassino.[3] The spelling "Cassino" is used in the earliest rules of 1792 and is the 🛡 most persistent spelling since,[4] although German sources invariably use the spelling "Casino" along with some English sources.

Likewise an origin in 🛡 gambling dens appears unlikely since a casino in the late 18th century was a summer house or country villa; the 🛡 name was not transferred to gambling establishments until later.[5]