“According to Hoyle… most writing is read from left to right.”

If you did not know, the phrase “according to Hoyle” is attributed to Edmund Hoyle (1672–1769), the English writer of A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist. Still played worldwide, Whist is an English card game that was extremely popular in the 18th and 19th centuries. Hoyle taught the game to aristocrats and introduced rules that stayed until newer rules came along in 1864.

Hoyle did not stop there, however. He continued to write about the rules and strategies of Whist and other games, including chess and  backgammon, until his death at the age of 97. Today he is known as the world’s first technical writer for card games.

Fun Fact: the origins of According to Hoyle Day are unknown, but it is celebrated on Hoyle’s birthday: August 29.

Ways to observe According to Hoyle Day include:

• Play a board game, like chess or backgammon and read over the rules
• Find someone who knows how to play Whist and have them teach you
• Host a card-playing tournament
• Brush up on your game-playing skills
• Learn a new game, including all the rules on how to play it” (https://bit.ly/3wq4C5E)
• Use the phrase “according to Hoyle” as much as possible