Editing Ace (section)

==Ace promotion==
{{multiple image|caption_align=center
 | total_width       = 250
 | image1            = Bastos Ace spanishdeck.jpg
 | caption1          = Ace of [[Suit of wands|batons ("bastos")]] from a [[Spanish playing cards|Spanish deck]]
 | image2            = Dauskarte mit Schwein.jpg
 | caption2          = ''Sau'' (Vienna, 1573)
}}

Historically, the ace had a low value and this still holds in many popular European games (in fact many European decks, including the French- and Latin-suited decks, do not use the "A" index, instead keeping the numeral "1"). The modern convention of "ace high", in which the ace is the highest card of the house, seemed to have happened in stages. Card games, before they arrived in Europe, had suits that were in reverse ranking. In the Chinese game of [[Mǎ diào]], which lacked court cards, the [[Coins (suit)|suit of coins]] was inverted so the 1 of Coins was the highest in its suit.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lo|first1=Andrew|title=The Late Ming Game of Ma Diao|journal=[[The Playing-Card]]|date=2000|volume=29|issue=3|pages=115–136}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last1=Lo|first1=Andrew|title=The Game of Leaves|journal=Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London|date=2000|volume=63|issue=3|pages=389, 390, 405|doi=10.1017/s0041977x00008466}}</ref> In the [[Ganjifa]] games of Persia, India, and Arabia, only the pip cards of half the suits were reversed so the 1 ranked just below the lowest court card. This convention carried over to early European games like [[Ombre]], [[Twenty-five (card game)|Maw]], and [[trionfi (cards)|Trionfi]] ([[Tarot card games|Tarot]]). During the 15th and 16th centuries, the ranking of all suits were becoming progressive. A few games from this period like [[Triomphe]], has the ace between the ten and the jack. The earliest known game in which the ace is the highest card of its suit is [[Trappola]].<ref name="Dummett">{{cite book|last1=Dummett|first1=Michael|title=The Game of Tarot|date=1980|publisher=Duckworth|location=London|pages=25–55}}</ref> In [[ace–ten games]] like [[brusquembille]], [[pinochle]] and [[Sixty-six (card game)|sixty-six]], the ace dragged the 10 along with it to the top so the ranking became A-10-K. Some games promoted the deuces and treys too like [[Put (card game)|Put]], [[Truc]], and [[Tressette]]. "King high" games were still being made in the 17th century, for example [[cribbage]]. Many games, such as [[poker]] and [[blackjack]], allow the player to choose whether the ace is used as a high or low card. This duality allows players in some other games to use it as both at once; some variants of [[Rummy]] allow players to form [[Meld (cards)|melds]], of rank K-A-2 or similar. This is known as "going around the corner".

It was not only the French deck which experienced this promotion, but some games involving the [[Swiss playing cards|Swiss]] and [[German playing cards|German deck]] also evolved into using the [[Deuce (playing card)|''Daus'']] (deuce) as the highest card.<ref>{{cite web|author=John McLeod|url=http://www.pagat.com/class/german.html|title=Games played with German suited cards|publisher=pagat.com/|access-date=2010-11-25| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101228084052/http://www.pagat.com/class/german.html| archive-date= 28 December 2010 | url-status= live}}</ref> The ace had disappeared during the 15th century, so the deuce took its place.<ref name="Dummett" /> The ''Ass'' (ace) and ''Daus'' (deuce) were conflated into a single card and the names are used interchangeably along with ''Sau'' (sow) as early cards of that rank depicted a pig. Some decks in southern Germany use "A" for the index because "D" is reserved for ''Dame'' ([[Queen (playing card)|Queen]]) in French-suited decks. Confusion is also avoided as German-suited decks lack numbered cards below "7" or "6". Despite using French-suited cards, Russians call the Ace a Deuce (''tuz''), a vestige of a period when German cards were predominant in central and eastern Europe.