Discover the Intriguing World of Victorian Card Games

In the 19th century, the British underworld had its own unique slang for playing cards, referring to them as “broads.” Engaging in a card game was known as “Spreading Broads,” while cheating was termed “broading.” A skilled card cheat was called a “broadsman.” One particularly deceptive game is Tossing Broads, which is designed to be unbeatable. In this gaffed game, the broad tosser operates a rigged joint. The famous Three-Card Monte often features the myth that the winning card is a queen, with the challenge to “Find the Lady.”

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