The names of playing cards in a standard 52-card deck are based on their value and suits. The deck has 52 cards divided into 4 suits: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, and Clubs, each containing 13 cards. The cards include numbers from Ace (sometimes 1) through 10, followed by three face cards: Jack, Queen, and King. The face cards are sometimes called court cards. Specific names of the royal cards (faces) in each suit often have traditional names, such as the Jack of Hearts called "Lahire," the Queen of Hearts called "Judith," and the King of Hearts called "Charles." Similar names exist for the Jack, Queen, and King of the other suits too. The suits themselves can be referred to as spades (black), hearts (red), diamonds (red), and clubs (black). Here is a simple breakdown of card names in a classic deck:
- Values: Ace (A or 1), 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10 (or T), Jack (J), Queen (Q), King (K)
- Suits: Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs
- Face cards/court cards: Jack, Queen, King
- Jokers: Often 2 jokers are included but not part of the 52 cards.
Card naming can also be two-letter codes combining value and suit, for example, Ace of Spades = AS, Two of Clubs = 2C, etc. Certain cards have nicknames such as "One-eyed Jacks" for the jack of spades and hearts, and "Suicide King" for the king of hearts. The Ace of Spades is famously ornate and sometimes called "Old Frizzle" or "Spadille." This naming system is widely used in games like poker and bridge with some regional variations in other languages and card decks.
