Cassino in the Browser
The webapp at cassino.psellos.com is a transplanted iOS app that plays the classic card game Cassino. You compete against the app running in your browser to see who can capture more of the right cards. It’s free, just something for fun.
According to Wikipedia, Cassino was obsolete by the early 20th century. But this strikes me as absurd—I learned the game as a child and played it all the time in my little Bohemian hamlet Buffalo, New York. On the other hand I have to admit it has a nostalgic feel.
Cassino has been around so long that there are many variants. The webapp plays three of them:
Traditional Cassino, the variant played today (pace Wikipedia) in many places. Scoring is based on the capture of particular cards, with the match played to 21.
Royal Cassino, a variant with more mathematical possibilities. All cards, including face cards, have a numeric value. Scoring is the same as for the traditional game.
Casual Cassino, a quick royal variant with simplified scoring. The game is won simply by capturing more cards than the app.
Keep in mind that this is a former iOS app that displays everything at the pixel dimensions of the original iPhone. It might be helpful to zoom in a bit in your browser.
| Play Cassino |
The game is easy to learn just by playing, especially if you start by using the Suggest button to get suggestions for good plays. To answer any remaining questions, I’ve collected here some useful notes.
Cassino Interface
Here we describe what appears on the screen, and how to play the game using the interface. Read the interface description.
Rules of Cassino
Here we give detailed rules for the three variants that the webapp plays. Read the rules.
Cassino Strategy Tips
The app is an effective card counter, but it can be beaten with a little strategy. Read our tips for winning more often.