According to Hoyle Day is a holiday that encourages everyone to respect and abide by the rules of whatever game they’re playing or whatever situation they’re in. The phrase “According to Hoyle” means playing by the prescribed rules of a particular game and is named after Edmond Hoyle, a British writer who codified rules for a number of different games. If you like playing by the rules exactly as they’re written, then you’ll most likely enjoy this holiday and will want to celebrate it on August 29th.

A Brief Biography of Edmond Hoyle

Edmond Hoyle was born in 1672 and was an English writer whose life is largely unknown until after 1741. It is known that he wrote A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist in 1742, which he ended up revising 13 times during the course of his life. In 1743, he codified the strategy and rules of backgammon, and in 1761, he wrote treatises on a variety of different games, including chess. He would end up dying in 1769 at the age of 97 years old. However, his legacy has been immortalized by several different books, including most famously “According to Hoyle,” edited by Richard L. Frey and published in 1965, and “The New Complete Hoyle,” edited by Frey, Albert H. Morehead, and Geoffrey Mott-Smith and published in 1956.

Observing According to Hoyle Day

According to Hoyle Day can be observed easily enough by playing one of the 300 games that Hoyle wrote rules for on this day. Since Hoyle wrote rules for over 300 games, it shouldn’t be that difficult to find a game that you enjoy and has rules that were codified by Hoyle. While you’re celebrating this holiday, be sure to use the hashtag #AccordingToHoyleDay to share this day so everyone can play some games.