Anyone play Rook?

**the beav** · 07-20-2008, 04:08 PM

Up until the early 80s, I remember a lot of older people in the South playing a card game called Rook. I recently found my old deck from the 70s and thought about picking the game back up again. It got me to wondering if anyone still played Rook,and if was played nationwide or just common in the South.

**Not A Nice Person** · 07-20-2008, 04:19 PM

Oh, man. Talk about a blast from the past!

I grew up, aaaah, Southern "holyroller." My parents' denomination could be charitably described as only a couple generations away from snake-handling . . .

They played Rook because playing cards were used for gambling, and the Roman soldiers cast lots for Jesus' clothes, so gambling was of the devil. Just having the cards in your house could sent you straight to hell!

But Rook was still played with cards, so it was a borderline controversy whether it was okay for "holiness" folk to play it, either. Which meant that when having new members of the congregation over for dinner, there'd usually be lots of long awkward silences after the meal until someone worked up the nerve to ask 'em "so . . . y'all play Rook?

NANP™

**bigmo** · 07-20-2008, 05:43 PM

My wife's family plays it non stop, and all night, when we go to Kentucky to visit. I had to learn it because they didn't want to play euchre.

**geordie** · 07-20-2008, 08:19 PM

hell yeah. love that game. target sells it for a few bucks. we got it a few years ago to try, and really liked it.

**Mottern Man** · 07-20-2008, 08:30 PM

Yep, after a game of Rook how bout some Phase 10.

**PKHammer** · 07-21-2008, 03:43 AM

Originally Posted by Mottern Man

Yep, after a game of Rook how bout some Phase 10.

Can't remember ever playing Rook, but Phase 10 is a blast. My wife and I love playing it! I'll have to run by Target and try Rook out.

**Dr. Mike** · 07-21-2008, 06:56 AM

Rook is the official game of my mother's side of the family. However, since I am in Ohio, and they are mostly out west, I don't get to play it as much as of late. I see my in-laws more frequently, and with them we typically play Spades, Hearts, and a few others.

I can remember my grandfather getting together with his brothers to play a nice "friendly" game of Rook, and spending hours just squabbling over the rules before a single card was dealt.

**BD1970** · 07-21-2008, 09:35 AM

I haven't played in a few years but I used to enjoy it.

**alabamalawyer** · 07-21-2008, 09:38 AM

Learned after I was married as my wife's family really enjoyed it. Great game!

**texcattlerancher** · 07-21-2008, 09:39 AM

I'm in the South. It's been at least 25 years since I played Rook. Fun game though.

**the beav** · 07-21-2008, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by Dr. Mike

I can remember my grandfather getting together with his brothers to play a nice "friendly" game of Rook, and spending hours just squabbling over the rules before a single card was dealt.

Boy, that's the truth. I learned to play a long time ago from my great aunts who were in their 70s at the time. They were really a lot of fun, kinda like the "Fun Girls" on the Andy Griffith Show, and they'd be dealing the deck saying "Here birdy, birdy!!" and stuff like that.

Anyway, I hadn't played it for 30 years until we had a family reunion a few weeks ago. Someone who married into the family only 25 years ago was in the game and he wanted to play by the rulebook, which I think is to the let the "Red 1" count more than the Rook. We don't play it that way and haven't for at least 100 years. Nobody would give in to doing it the new way and so the discussion about that went on for two days and kept going even as we drove off.

Can't wait until next year and see how it's resolved!