I will add to this as I have time and as questions get asked about terminology. Read something on my blog and want to know what it is, or you had to look it up? Contact me know and I will add it here.

Glossary

  • Poker Size
    Standard poker sized cards are 2.5″ x 3.5″.
  • Bridge Size
    Standard bridge sized cards are 2.25″ x 3.5″. Bridge cards are more narrow due to having to hold more cards playing that game.
  • Pips
    The image of the suits; ♣ ⋄ ♥ ♠
  • Tuck Case
    The outer box that contain the cards. Not all decks come with a tuck case. Some are shrink wrapped, or come in a box or tin.

 

Fun Facts

Face Cards

There are 12 face cards are in a standard deck. The King, Queen, and Jack of each suit are counted. Aces don’t count as face cards. The Jack of Spades and Jack of Hearts are both facing sideways, and are nicknamed one-eyed jacks since only one eye is visible. German and Swiss playing cards have three male face cards per suit, Unter/Under (a lower-class man or soldier), Ober (a higher ranking man), and König (King). Italian and Spanish playing cards have the Fante or Sota (Knave, a younger man standing), Cavallo or Caballo (Knight or Cavalier, a man sitting on a horse) and Re or Rey (King, wearing a crown). Italian suited kings are seated while Spanish suited kings stand. A few Spanish suited patterns replace male knaves with female counterparts. French playing cards have the Valet (Jack), Dame (Queen), and Roi (King). French suited Kings stand. The American and English decks use these face cards.

Suits

The standard suits are derived from the French deck, which were derived from the German deck. The French suited deck has spawned many regional variations known as standard patterns based on their artwork and deck size. French cards are the most widespread due to the influence of France and the United Kingdom in the past two centuries. Another reason for their expansion was the simplicity of the suit insignia. The French suits are  trèfles (clubs♣), carreaux (diamonds⋄), cœurs (hearts♥), and piques (spades♠),

The Ace Card

Historically, the ace had the lowest value. Many European decks, including the French and Latin suited decks, do not use the ace, instead keeping the numeral “1”. The “ace high” happened over time due to different card games from around the world. Modern games, such as Poker and Blackjack, allow the player to choose if the ace is high or low.