Tag Archives: cards

Rave Cards

Age: 23

Date Collected: 04/27/2026

Context:

My roommate and friend of three years has been involved in the rave scene for about 5 years now. More specifically, he helps out one of the largest hard techno organizations in the country. He occasionally DJs, mixes, and knows a lot of people in the scene. The organization he works for and the scene he is involved in are more underground; they throw warehouse raves around the Los Angeles area. He was showing me his collection of items he’s gotten from raves and festivals, and these unique cards really stuck out to me.

Text:

My friend was telling me about the deep culture and really interesting community of LA’s hard techno scene. The organization he works with, 6 AM, recently started giving out custom Pokémon-style playing cards at shows. They don’t have any official name yet, but my friend calls them rave cards.

The cards are unique to each event; new ones are made for each night they have shows. Most cards feature a performer, headliner, or crew member specifically from the show you attended. They also feature brief descriptions such as “type: human” or “age: unknown” to build lore about the performers. The special attacks listed are either inside jokes, the DJ’s popular songs, or just funny facts about the character. They range in rarity, with headliners and special guests being rarer and more desirable. Those rare cards are typically printed with foil or holographic coloring to make them stand out visually from the rest. Performers returning to perform at a 6 AM event receive multiple evolutions on their cards. So my friend has some performers with multiple evolutions. You can see that the yNOTI cards are a first and second evolution. There are also other cards, like quest cards and curse cards. For example pictured above, one card jokingly curses ravers for an ever-growing bathroom line that stretches for miles. Another quest card challenges ravers to meet new people and high-five them. My friend says there’s no real benefit or reward to completing the challenges, or to being cursed. It’s just for fun to mix things up.

To get the cards, you need to find “KL,” the organization’s marketing guy, somewhere at random in the crowd. When you find him at a show, ask him for a card, and he’ll fan a deck of cards faces down, and you get to pick one card. The cards are all free, but “he only prints about 50 per event, so you have to find him quick.” He also doesn’t give them out before 2 A.M. because the event hasn’t really started yet, and it would be unfair to give them all away so early. There’s no special quote or saying he says because the sound systems are pretty loud and conversations are hard to hear. “You only get one per show. Once you pull your card for the night, you can’t switch with him or try again that night.”

My friend told me that KL makes the cards himself. He comes up with the designs himself and has a card maker at home; he creates all of them himself. My friend doesn’t think that the idea is completely original. But it might be pretty close to being new or original. KL makes cards for crew members’ birthdays, as well as making enough for the crew. One of our friends who got one made for them didn’t even know about it till they were given out on her birthday. KL pulls the pics from Instagram or online and edits them to fit whatever vibe he is feeling. My friend explained that all the cards are KL’s ideas; he doesn’t really ask the artists or headliners what they want on them. KL definitely takes pride in this and sees it as art. My friend explained that only people who are really into the scene will get cards, because most people don’t know to find KL or that the cards even exist.

My friend has amassed quite a collection; he has about 25 cards, and they only started this new trend last year. People collect these cards and trade them with one another at shows. But again, this is fairly unique to one organization operating mainly in LA. My friend can’t think of any other companies really doing this, definitely not “mainstream” rave companies. We tried finding stuff online about this, but it’s pretty hard to find and also unique to the hard techno scene. Other raves he has been to don’t really have those cards; they have other things.

But he does have a card from another popular DJ, Vendex. That DJ plays in the hard techno scene and is really on top of trends and personal branding. Vendex designed and makes his own Yu-Gi-Oh!- style playing cards, which he personally hands out at events to fans and friends. My friend has one of these, which is one of the coolest stories behind a card he’s got in both of our opinions. He met Vendex outside an event. Vendex was unmasked, and they talked for a while about the genre, scene, and equipment. After, Vendex gave him the card and followed him on IG. My friend has also gotten real Pokémon cards handed to him by other ravers at events. So maybe that friendly community interaction inspired KL to make custom cards.

Analysis:

I got to document a tradition that’s only just beginning to develop, which was really cool to me.

KL rightly sees himself as an artist. He is a true folk artist creating art that is unique to his community. These cards mainly hold value to ravers because they loved that night’s set. But, it could also be because they love the DJ or the card itself. Although he gets paid by the organization, KL doesn’t make any commissions off the cards themselves. They’re for the love of the game and to build lore, community, and excitement. Aside from being an artist, KL is kind of recording the history of his organization. The cards are marked with days, specific performances, inside jokes, and the performers or crew themselves. This memorializes significant events and gives people ways to remember fun events. Also, the only way you could get them is if someone tells you who KL is, you find him, then ask him. Although the cards themselves are physical, the ways you get them and learn about them are not.

These cards are also a fantastic example of bricolage folk art. They recombine elements like Pokémon cards, taking them from a commercial purpose, giving them a memorial and independent meaning. In fact, my friend told me that he’s been given Pokémon cards many times at events long before Pokémon came on the scene. Maybe, that pre-existing folk custom is what incentivized KL to make his cards. Unlike other folk art or collections, these cards create a hierarchy and bestiary of characters, jokes, and people. It shows what’s popular at a certain time, who or what the community values, and what’s worth preserving. As well as categorizing them by type and highlighting what makes each unique. Also, what’s interesting is that the cards are static. You might be pissed you pulled a “low” card or a non-trending artist. But then, 5 months later, that original, pre-fame card is so much more special and valuable once the artist blows up. Similarly, the evolution system rewards and reinforces performers to stay loyal to the company. Of course, the DJs don’t really care much about the cards, but it’s a small thing that does help.

The cards are also anonymous; the backs are unique to each show, but fanned out and in the flashing lights, you can’t possibly tell them apart. The act of choosing one is something like divination. You don’t actually pick the card, with the smoke lingering from the fog machines, neon lights, and dark, heavy atmosphere, you feel like the card has selected you. Especially when you get the one you wanted. I’ve been to shows with my friend, but never picked a card. We typically get there fairly early, around midnight, but even then, the atmosphere feels unreal. It feels magical. The cards only enhance that atmosphere.

Comparing the 6 AM cards to Vendex’s is also interesting. Because 6 AM’s is made by an individual who has minimal connection to the characters he creates and the cards he produces. He doesn’t do it so much for branding, instead its more for the love of the game and to reward people involved in the scene. They’re anonymous and fairly impersonal. The person who draws the card decides the value from context. Vendex’s cards, on the other hand, align more with personal encounters, narratives, and personal branding. He personally creates them and gives them out after meeting people. That’s an important difference from the 6 AM cards. The story of how you met him, the conversation you had, and in my friend’s case, being followed on IG was as important as the card itself.

The cards are difficult to make mainstream. The company branding and personal images aren’t something that a company can easily profit off of selling. KL giving these out for free in a limited number and only to people who showed up somewhat resists the capitalist tendencies to commodify folklore. That is especially important when a lot of the organization’s other marketing strategies (merch, purchasable mixes, and branded collabs) are all monetized. The cards are by the people, for the people.

Card Game Superstition

Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Language: English

Text

“As long as I can remember, every time I play a card game of any kind, I always wait until everyone has their cards dealt to them before I touch my cards. Otherwise, I feel as if it’s bad luck to touch the cards, and I won’t win the game. It will curse me for that round of cards. 

“Everyone in my family does this, and if someone does touch their cards beforehand, it’s a taboo thing where everyone looks at you like, ‘What have you just done?’

“We’ve passed it along to some family friends, too. It’s like an introduction to our family, and a way for the people we’re closest to to become almost like extended family. Since we believe this and we care about them, we don’t want them to get the bad luck from it.”

Context

BD is a 20 year-old college student from Sacramento, California currently living in Los Angeles. This superstition is part of a card game that has been passed down from his grandparents. When learning the rules of the game, I was also taught this superstition.

BD said he doesn’t remember learning the superstition. “It’s just always been this way and I’ve always done it.”

Analysis

BD’s family sharing this superstition with their close friends as a way of making them part of the family reflects how folk belief can function to create group identities. For example, when reflecting on his family teaching the superstition to his girlfriend, BD said “she has become part of the family by knowing our ways.” Thus, the lore creates the folk.

Superstitions about luck are very common in the context of card games, which often depend on a combination of chance and skill to win. Believing that a certain action will give one good or bad luck for a game is a way to feel a degree of control over a larger, less predictable situation.


The belief that touching an object can give one good or bad luck is an example of contagious magic, as the cards are believed to contain the luck. One can avoid bad luck by abstaining from touching the cards until the proper time.

Mao (card game)

Nationality: American
Age: 22
Occupation: Geotechnical engineer
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/30/21
Primary Language: English

Background: The informant first learned this game at a boy scout camp and has continued to play with his friends and introduce other people to the game. He likes it because you get to mess with people if you know how to play it, having insider knowledge.

KD: Mao is a card game that the new players are not supposed to know the rules going into it, it’s a learn as you go game. The deck is shuffled, all players are dealt five cards, the, the dealer–cards are dealt in front of all the players, if a player touches their cards before the game begins, they receive a onee card penalty. The dealer will take the top card of the deck and flip it over and say the  word “The game is Mao. Mao begins now.” At this point, anybody who speaks, is penalized with one card, anybody who plays out of turn is penalized with one card, if you fail to play on your turn, you are penalized with one card. As far as gameplay goes, certain cards have special powers or required specific actions or phrases to be said. To play the game, you have to play a card of the same suit or a card of the same number. If you play an ace of diamonds on a six of club, there are two different suits, two different cards, the card you play is returned to you with a onee card penalty. When, and it moves over to the next person. Original gameplay, it is to the right of the dealer. The number 8 card reverses the rotation of the, of the play. When an Ace is played correctly, the player who played it is required to scratch their nose; failure to scratch your nose, you receive a one card penalty. Uh, the point of the game is to get rid of all of your cards, so similar to Uno, when you get your last card you say “Last cards” uh, failure to do so, you receive five cards, plu, no you just receive five cards. When you play your last card you say the name of the game, “Mao.” When a king is played you say “Thank the chair.” And as you play with different people, certain rules are included but not everyone plays with the same rules each time. If you play with the same group you kinda agree, it’s a collective agreement that it’s like okay hey we’re gonna havee six has this power, seven has this power, whatever. And then, as you play with different people certain rules are in play, certain rules are omitted, and some are just completely made up. When you win a game, as the winner you are allowed to create a new rule that is now added for that group of people playing, uh when I played with my friend Jack, anytime a Jack was played he had to flip off the player of the jack. You are penalized for talking during the game, the only time you’re allowed to talk is when you’re thanking the chair, when you’re saying last card, when you’re saying Mao. Uh, the phrase point of order is pause for the game, in which all players need to drop their cards. If you are retouching your cards during a point of order, you’re penalized. If you discuss the rules of Mao, the game’s over, you’re not allowed to play anymore. Usually physical punishment follows for talking about the game and sharing rules. Uh, you get penalized for explaining the rules if somebody asks a question during the game, they get penalized for talking. If you explain a rule, you’re penalized, the person you explained it to is penalized. And, yeeah, it’s just to get rid of your cards as quickly as possible, correctly, and saying the phrases.

Me: How long does it take most people to pick up the game?

KD: Most people learn the game after a round or two. Most people get incredibly frustrated during the first round and seldom want to play a second round. It takes a lot of convincing or you just get a majority of the people to agree to it and then you have captive audience for the rest. Oh, uh I think it’s seven, when a seven is played you’re allowed to shuffle the deck. The number 10 card has a rule but I don’t remember it, uh minimum group size is 4-5 players, you can always shuffle in more decks, regionally it changes, and yeah I think that’s it.

Context of the performance: This was told to me during an in person conversation.

Thoughts: What I find interesting about this is that the entire gameplay revolves around unspoken rules. The only way to learn is by playing and knowledge is passed on, not even orally, but through the action itself. It’s almost impossible to view this from an etic perspective as the game relies and works under an emic perspective, and the etic would be confusion. It is also a rite of passage that comes gradually, with the new players existing on the threshold; once you’ve played enough, it seems that the passage is complete and only then do you fully understand how to play and the inner workings.

Fickle in Luck, Fickle in Love

Nationality: Polish
Age: 25
Occupation: Medical Student
Residence: Poznań, Poland
Performance Date: 04/18/21
Primary Language: English
Language: Polish

Main Performance:

  • “Te który maja miłość w kartę nie ma miłości”
    • Transliterated Proverb
      • Te który = Those who
      • Maja = Have
      • Miłość = Love
      • w kartę = With cards
      • nie = No
      • ma = Has
    • Full Translation: Those who have love in cards have no love.
      • Explanation: The proverb refers to how those who have fair luck in life do not have love in their lives.

Background:

The informant, JK, is one of my close friends from my Catholic high school who I maintain contact with after graduation. He hails from a devoutly Catholic Polish family. Among most of the families that I knew of while attending, most of my classmates did not speak their family lineage’s mother tongue except for most of the my Polish and Hispanic classmates. No German and definitely not any Irish being spoken there.

Context:

My informant is currently attending medical school in Poland and I reached out to him through social media to ask if he had any traditional/folk-things he could share with me given his actively apparent and practiced Polish heritage, doubly so now that he is back in Poland.

My Thoughts:

What comes to my mind is that whoever has luck or whoever flaunts their luck is hiding the fact they have no love in their lives. Humility is a rather enormous concept in the Catholic faith so it only makes sense that those who are prideful about themselves, their fortune, and their lives are rather empty beneath it all and have no genuine love. Love also goes without saying as another key concept in Christianity as a whole and a life without love, or God’s love, is probably not life at all. Since this still Catholicism we’re discussing, it is never too late to renounce those prideful ways to become more humble so there isn’t a permanently accusatory tone there but there isn’t technically a suggestion for repentance, only pointing out an observation. Also seems to be another version of “lucky at cards, unlucky in love”.

How to Play The Game Slap Jack

Nationality: American
Age: 20
Occupation: Student
Residence: Glendale, California
Performance Date: March 18, 2020
Primary Language: English

Informant: So the goal of the game is to get the full deck in your hand. The game starts with the stack of 52 standard cards being split into equal piles for the number of players sitting around the table. No one is allowed to look at their cards. The dealer who split the stack, plays the first card. Then the play goes around clockwise for the rest of the game. When a Jack card is played all players must slap the deck as fast as possible. The first one to slap the deck gets all the played cards under the Jack. Because of the nature of the game, more players can ‘slap’ in and enter the game if it’s already started. (but that makes the whole thing go WAY longer)

The initial version I was taught had one extra rule: if you got a ‘sandwich’ you could slap. A sandwich consisted of two of the same numbers and one different number in between them. So like 2, 3, 2 is a sandwich.

The second version, has the ‘sandwich’ rule but also somethings called ‘doubles’ and ‘faces’. Doubles is self explanatory two of the same card played one after the other. So 2, 2. ‘Faces’ is if a face card – Queen, King, or Ace – is played the next person must play a face or the played-card pile goes to the first person. If they succeed in putting down a face card, the next person must play a face card or the second person gets the pile, and on and on and on.

Background: My informant used to bring to school a standard deck of cards and teach us how to play in our downtime between classes or over lunch. They learned these different games from their uncle who lived nearby.

Context: I remembered a few games back from middle school and looked for this informant specifically to get the rules as they tell it. I brought up the game with the informant over Discord, telling them about the collection project and my interest in documenting the games that we used to play with friends over lunch. They responded with a written record of the rules as they remember it.

Thoughts: I learned how to play this game while I was younger from the same person. However, they called it a different name from what I remember. They now call it ‘Egyptian Slap Rat’, however, all the rules the same. I wondered how a group of kids got ‘Slap Jack’ from ‘Egyptian Slap Rat’ and extra research showed that the games has many other names as well:
‘Slapjack’
‘Slaps’
‘Beggar-My-Neighbor’
‘Egyptian Ratscrew’
‘Heartattack’
‘Snap’