Remember the old days of learning probability in the mathematics class? That branch of maths finds its roots in the deck of 52 cards. We all have grown up watching so many different card games, magic tricks, and a lot more. Yet, people find it confusing with all the numbers, signs, and cards. They also keep confusing the ranks of the Jack, the Queen, and the King. The game of cards has evolved and transformed over many centuries and so has the rules of playing cards.
More often than not, new players take time to introduce and accustom themselves with so many different signs, numbers, values, as well as the mind-boggling, brain-teasing games. So, our piece of advice for you is to take things slowly. Ideally, getting confused is only normal and quite easy, but once you understand the basic rules and understand the deck of cards, there are very few such enthralling and addictive games. Today, we are here to discuss everything there is in a deck of playing cards, and what are the important aspects to remember. So, without any delay, let’s get straight to the nitty-gritty.
What are the basics of a deck of cards?
Well, to begin with, as you may be already aware, a deck of cards comprises 52 playing cards. The 52 cards are equally divided among 4 symbols. Out of the 4 symbols, usually, two are black, and two are red. The black symbols are called spades and clubs. The red symbols are hearts and diamonds. Cards of each symbol form a suit of 13 cards, from the ace right up to the king. The sequence or the hierarchical order of playing cards goes like this:
A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J, Q, K
A is the Ace here and K is the king. While it is easy to confuse the order of hierarchy among the J, Q, K, and A from the playing cards as different games follow different orders and assign higher values to either the ace or the king. For instance, in the game Call Break, the ace is the highest card to have, and then comes the King. However, for a game of Fish, the king rules the roost and is placed higher in the hierarchy. Although the rank of the king doesn’t affect a game of fish at all, we mentioned it just for purposes of reference. Even Jack is the highest value in a game called 29. It is a game that is played among 4 players forming 2 teams. It is played with 32 cards and here ace occupies a much higher position in comparison to the king and the queen.
Technically speaking, the jacks, queens, and the kings out of the playing cards are called face cards. The reason is quite understandable, as these are the cards that come with paintings of faces. So, for each suit, there are 3 face cards, and the number of face cards in a complete deck is 12.
Finally, a deck of cards does not include the 2 jokers that come with the entire pack. They are not parts of the actual deck of playing cards but are supposed to act as emergency addendums, in case any card is lost from the deck.
Some important trivia to remember
As you can see, the rules are pretty simple and with time one shall get used to them. It is so easy to get confused when one is new to playing cards, more so with the confusing signs of similar colours. But once you get used to it, the real fun begins. So, here are a few interesting trivia which will definitely lighten up the gaming mood.
The King of Clubs and the King of Diamonds are called kissing kings. That’s because they meet in the middle of a recently packed deck of cards before shuffling.
If you add all the numbers written on the cards, including 1 for the Ace, 11, 12, and 13 for the jack, queen, and the king respectively, you will find the sum to be 52. This is the total number of cards in any given deck.
The colour of the cards, red and black are traditionally used to symbolize day and night.
Conclusion
We believe the total gamut of information we provided here will definitely help your introductory knowledge about playing cards. You are getting into a world of addictive games which would tease your brain to their end. Good luck, play safe and play hard!