Standard 52-card deck

Background

The standard 52-card deck is a double-sided pack of French-suited playing cards. The backs of all cards are identical to conceal each card's identity, while the faces are unique, displaying a suit and rank. The deck comprises 13 ranks in each of four suits: clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades.

Each suit includes three court cards (King, Queen, and Jack) with reversible, double-headed images, as well as ten pip cards numbered from one to ten, with the one-pip card known as the Ace. Pip cards show the number of suit symbols corresponding to their rank, along with the numeral (or "A" for the Ace) in at least two corners. The most common design worldwide is the English pattern, also called the Anglo-American or International pattern.

Another widespread design is the Belgian-Genoese pattern, which spread to Spain, Italy, the Ottoman Empire, the Balkans, and much of North Africa and the Middle East. Other regional patterns include the Berlin, Nordic, and Dondorf Rhineland patterns. Modern cards carry index labels on opposite corners or all four corners, using letters such as A, K, Q, and J in English-speaking countries, though letters vary elsewhere (e.g., Germany uses A, K, D, B; France uses 1, R, D, V). While early cards were single-headed, 19th-century manufacturers introduced double-headed designs so cards could be identified either way up.

Today, French-suited cards are invariably double-headed. Some decks also include one to six Jokers, most commonly two or three since the mid-20th century, which are not part of the standard 52 cards. Standard deck sizes vary by region, with 36-, 40-, 48-, and 52-card packs commonly used depending on local traditions.

Did You Know?

• The ace of spades historically carried a tax insignia under James I of England.