Playing Cards

Playing Cards

Playing cards are a versatile form of entertainment that has been around for centuries. With a single deck of cards, you have the ability to play games from all over the world either by yourself or with one or more other people. Standard playing card decks look extremely similar on the front, but you can choose from a lot of different regular or novelty playing card backgrounds.

For some types of card games, you will need only a single deck. For others, however, you may need to use more. Here are examples of some widely played games.

• Poker: Gamblers will need chips and at least one deck of cards. That's what casinos typically use to play Texas Hold'em.
• Canasta: Two decks are needed to play canasta.
• Rummy: Rummy can be played with either one or two decks.
• Hearts: You just need one deck of playing cards for hearts.
• Blackjack: Similar to poker, this gambling game requires only one deck of cards.

Standard cards with kings, queens, jacks, and four suits are used for the majority of games. However, there are other styles that are used for specific games. Other games that use playing cards include the following and more:

• Uno.
• Magic the Gathering.
• Cards Against Humanity.
• Tarot.
• Yu-Gi-Oh.

A joker is useful as a trump card in euchre or as a wild card in other games. Most decks of playing cards will come with a joker, but be aware that some may omit them. Commercial playing card decks from brands like Bicycle typically have two jokers. Other brands include anywhere between one and four of these cards.

You have a lot of size options available when it comes to playing cards.

• Standard: Poker playing cards are often the standard deck size. They are typically 3-1/2 inches long by 2-1/2 inches high.
• Bridge: Bridge cards are a little bit narrower than standard sizes, measuring 3-1/2 inches long by 2-1/4 inches wide.
• Jumbo: Jumbo cards make it easy for people with bad eyesight to use playing cards. They can be as big as 14 inches tall.
• Mini: Mini playing cards often come in travel game sets. They may be as tiny as 2 inches tall.
• Novelty: Novelty playing cards from around the world come in a variety of sizes and have an assortment of shapes. Some novelty decks of cards may be the typical square, but they also come shaped like a circle or other unusual shapes.