About Unique Decks

The unique cardsets used in Pysol III games are decks that are used for gaming or other purposes regionally around the world.

Chinese Zodiac Cards

The Chinese zodiac, or shengxiao, `born resembling', is a repeating cycle of 12 years, with each year being represented by an animal and its reputed attributes.

The twelve animals are: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig. There are also five elemental signs of Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth associated with each animal in order making a sixty year cycle. This is also the logic for using five suits of twelve cards each for the Pysol III Zodiac deck games.

Chinese Money Suit Cards

The earliest playing cards are believed to have been used in China shortly after the invention of wood block printing. Wood blocks were used to print paper money and it's thought that the first cards were made by making marks on the actual bills. There is wide variation in money suit decks used in different areas but most of them have suits of coins, strings of coins, strings of strings, myriads of strings and myriads of myriads. Money suit decks usually have ten or fewer cards per suit, but the "Money Suit" deck in Pysol III is unusual in having three suits with twenty-five cards each.

Chinese Colors Cards

This is a money suit deck with four suits of seven ranks each and five trumps.

Chinese Tigers Cards

This is a money suit deck with four suits of nine ranks each and three trumps.

Vietnamese Tam Cuc Cards

The Tam Cuc (Three Chrysanthemums) deck has two suits of red and black with sixteen cards each. In decending order of value the cards are one general, two advisors, two elephants, two carts, two cannons, two horses and five solders. A red suit card has a higher value than a black suit card of the same rank. To make the deck function in Pysol games, each card of the same Tam Cuc rank is assigned a different value as indicated in the upper left corner.

Vietnamese To Tom Cards

The Vietnamese To Tom (Shrimps Nest) deck is a typical money suited deck with the three suits of cash, strings and myriads and ten ranks per suit. Four sets of the thirty cards make a complete deck of 120 cards. To Tom is played for entertainment and also in ceremonies and festivals.

Chinese Blue Zodiac cards

Chinese Zodiac cards