Quick answer: A standard deck of cards has 52 cards: 4 suits with 13 cards in each. Most packs sold in stores also include 2 jokers, which brings the box to 54. Poker uses the same 52-card deck with the jokers taken out.
Key facts at a glance
- 52 cards in a standard deck (54 with 2 jokers)
- 4 suits: hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades
- 13 cards per suit: ace, 2 to 10, jack, queen and king
- 12 face cards, 4 aces and 36 number cards
- 4 of every rank: 4 kings, 4 sevens, 4 twos and so on
- 26 red and 26 black cards
- Poker uses all 52 cards and no jokers
Facts in this guide are checked against playing card history references, published research and basic deck math, listed in the Sources section.
In this guide
- How many cards are in a deck
- Are there 52 or 54 cards in a deck
- Pack of cards: what is in the box
- How many of each card are in a deck
- How many poker cards are in a deck
- Card counts for other games
- Card values in popular games
- How many cards each player gets
- Why a deck has 52 cards
- History of the deck of cards
- Playing card sizes and deck thickness
- New deck order
- Deck of cards probability cheat sheet
- Four-colour decks and card nicknames
- Packaging a deck of cards
- Common myths
- Frequently asked questions
- Sources
How Many Cards in a Deck?
There are 52 cards in a standard deck of playing cards. People ask the question in many ways, such as “how many cards in the deck,” “how many is in a deck of cards” or “pack of cards how many,” and the answer is the same every time: 52 playing cards, plus any jokers that come in the box.
The 52 cards follow a simple pattern: 4 suits × 13 ranks = 52. This is the French-suited deck used across the United States, the United Kingdom and most of the world, and it is the deck almost every popular card game assumes.
| Part of the Deck | How Many | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Total playing cards | 52 | Standard deck, without jokers |
| Suits | 4 | Hearts, diamonds, clubs, spades |
| Cards per suit | 13 | Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, jack, queen, king |
| Red cards | 26 | Hearts and diamonds |
| Black cards | 26 | Clubs and spades |
| Face cards | 12 | Jack, queen and king in each suit |
| Aces | 4 | One per suit |
| Number cards | 36 | 2 through 10 in each suit |
| Jokers | Usually 2 | Included in most packs but not part of the 52 |
The 52 Cards by Suit
| Suit | Symbol | Color | Cards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hearts | ♥ | Red | 13 |
| Diamonds | ♦ | Red | 13 |
| Clubs | ♣ | Black | 13 |
| Spades | ♠ | Black | 13 |
| Total | 52 |
Face Cards, Aces and Number Cards
- Face cards (12): the jack, queen and king of each suit. They are also called court cards because they show royal figures.
- Aces (4): one per suit. An ace is not a face card. Depending on the game, it can rank high, low or both.
- Number cards (36): the 2 to 10 of each suit, also called pip cards. A 2 is often called a deuce and a 3 a trey.
Check the math: 12 face cards + 4 aces + 36 number cards = 52.
How Many of Each Card Are in a Deck?
Because every suit has the same 13 ranks, a deck of cards always has 13 cards of each suit and 4 cards of each rank. That makes almost any “how many” question easy to answer:
| Cards | How Many in a Deck |
|---|---|
| Spades, hearts, diamonds or clubs | 13 of each suit |
| Kings, queens, jacks, aces or any one number (for example, sevens) | 4 of each rank |
| Red face cards (hearts and diamonds) | 6 |
| Black face cards (clubs and spades) | 6 |
| Red aces or black aces | 2 of each |
| Red kings, black jacks or any rank in one color | 2 |
| One-eyed jacks (jack of spades and jack of hearts) | 2 |
| Even number cards (2, 4, 6, 8, 10) | 20 |
| Odd number cards (3, 5, 7, 9) | 16 |
| Cards without the face cards | 40 |
| Cards without face cards or aces | 36 |
Are There 52 or 54 Cards in a Deck?
A standard deck has 52 cards. A box of cards usually holds 54, because manufacturers add 2 jokers. The jokers are extras, not part of the standard deck, so most games, including poker, blackjack, bridge and solitaire, set them aside.
The joker is an American addition. Euchre players in the 1860s wanted an extra top trump card, and American decks began including it around 1863, first called the “Best Bower.” English decks followed around 1880. Today jokers are used as wild cards in games such as canasta and many house rules, and as spares when a card is lost or damaged.
Pack of Cards: How Many Cards Are in the Box?
“Deck” and “pack” mean the same thing. In the US, people usually say deck of cards; in the UK, pack of cards is more common. A new pack from a store typically contains:
| What Is in the Box | Count |
|---|---|
| Playing cards | 52 |
| Jokers | Usually 2 (some packs have 1, 3 or none) |
| Extra cards (advert, rules, poker hand rankings or a blank card) | Often 1 or 2 |
| Total pieces in the box | Usually 54 to 56 |
So if you count a new pack and get 54, 55 or 56 cards, nothing is missing.
How to Check if a Deck of Cards Is Complete
- Take out the jokers and any advert or rules cards.
- Sort the remaining cards into four piles by suit.
- Put each pile in order: ace, 2 through 10, jack, queen, king.
- Check that every pile has 13 cards. A gap in the sequence shows exactly which card is missing.
- If a card is lost, a spare joker can stand in for it: write the missing card’s name on the joker.
How Many Poker Cards in a Deck?
How many poker cards in a deck? 52. Poker uses a standard deck of cards with the jokers removed. A “poker deck” is not a different set of cards. It is the same 52 cards, usually printed in the wider poker size and on plastic-coated or plastic card stock so it lasts through heavy shuffling.
- Texas Hold’em and Omaha: all 52 cards, no jokers.
- Short Deck (6+) Hold’em: 36 cards. The 2s, 3s, 4s and 5s are removed.
- Suits in poker: all four suits are equal. A flush in hearts is worth the same as a flush in spades.
- Decks per table: one deck is in play per hand. Casinos often rotate two decks, shuffling one while the other is dealt.
Poker Numbers That Come From the 52-Card Deck
| Poker Fact | Number | How It Is Worked Out |
|---|---|---|
| Possible two-card starting hands in Hold’em | 1,326 | 52 choose 2 |
| Different starting hands by rank and suitedness | 169 | 13 pairs + 78 suited + 78 unsuited |
| Possible five-card hands | 2,598,960 | 52 choose 5 |
| Flush outs with 4 of a suit seen | 9 | 13 cards in the suit − 4 seen |
Poker Hand Rankings: How Many Ways to Make Each Hand
Every poker hand ranking comes from the 52-card deck. This table shows how many of the 2,598,960 possible five-card hands make each hand, from strongest to weakest:
| Hand | What It Is | Number of Hands | Chance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal flush | A, K, Q, J, 10 of one suit | 4 | 0.0002% |
| Straight flush | Five in sequence, same suit | 36 | 0.0014% |
| Four of a kind | Four cards of one rank | 624 | 0.024% |
| Full house | Three of a kind plus a pair | 3,744 | 0.144% |
| Flush | Five cards of one suit | 5,108 | 0.197% |
| Straight | Five in sequence, mixed suits | 10,200 | 0.39% |
| Three of a kind | Three cards of one rank | 54,912 | 2.11% |
| Two pair | Two different pairs | 123,552 | 4.75% |
| One pair | Two cards of one rank | 1,098,240 | 42.26% |
| High card | None of the above | 1,302,540 | 50.12% |
| Total | 2,598,960 | 100% |
How Many Cards in a Deck for Other Games?
Many games use a deck of cards with cards removed, or combine several decks. Here is how many cards each one uses:
| Deck or Game | Cards | What Is Used |
|---|---|---|
| Standard deck | 52 | 4 suits × 13 cards |
| Standard deck with jokers | 54 | 52 cards + 2 jokers |
| Euchre | 24 | 9, 10, J, Q, K and A of each suit |
| Pinochle | 48 | Two copies of 9 through A in each suit |
| Piquet and Belote | 32 | 7 through A in each suit |
| Short Deck Hold’em | 36 | 6 through A in each suit |
| Spanish and Italian decks | 40 or 48 | Different suits: coins, cups, swords and clubs |
| German-suited decks | 32 or 36 | Suits of hearts, bells, leaves and acorns |
| French Tarot | 78 | 4 suits of 14, 21 trumps and the Excuse |
| Canasta | 108 | Two standard decks + 4 jokers |
| Casino blackjack shoe | 312 or 416 | Commonly 6 or 8 standard decks shuffled together |
Other Kinds of Decks
Not every “deck” is a deck of playing cards. Popular game decks use their own counts:
- Uno: 108 cards in the classic game. Some newer editions add a few extra wild cards.
- Pokémon Trading Card Game: a playing deck must contain exactly 60 cards.
- Magic: The Gathering: constructed decks need at least 60 cards, and Commander decks use exactly 100.
- Tarot for reading: 78 cards, made up of 22 major arcana and 56 minor arcana.
Card Values in Popular Games
The 52 cards are the same in every game, but what each card is worth changes:
| Card | Poker Rank | Blackjack Value | Solitaire Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ace | Highest (also lowest in A-2-3-4-5) | 1 or 11 | 1 |
| 2 to 10 | In number order | Face value | Face value |
| Jack | Above 10 | 10 | 11 |
| Queen | Above jack | 10 | 12 |
| King | Below ace | 10 | 13 |
Suit order: in poker, all suits are equal. In bridge and some other games, suits rank from highest to lowest as spades, hearts, diamonds, clubs.
How Many Cards Does Each Player Get?
The number of cards dealt depends on the game. Common examples with a standard deck of cards:
| Game | Players | Cards per Player |
|---|---|---|
| Bridge | 4 | 13 (the whole deck is dealt) |
| Hearts | 4 | 13 |
| Spades | 4 | 13 |
| Gin rummy | 2 | 10 |
| Texas Hold’em | 2 to 10 | 2 private cards + 5 shared community cards |
| Five-card draw | 2 to 6 | 5 |
| Blackjack | 1 or more vs. dealer | 2 to start |
| Go Fish | 2 to 6 | Often 7 each for 2 to 3 players, 5 each for 4 or more |
| Klondike solitaire | 1 | 28 cards in 7 piles, 24 left in the stock |
House rules vary, so check the rules you are playing by.
Why Are There 52 Cards in a Deck?
No single person decided on 52. The structure is very old. Playing cards from Mamluk Egypt, made before 1500, already had 52 cards in four suits, each with ten number cards and three court cards (International Playing-Card Society). European card makers kept that four-suit, 52-card layout and changed the suit symbols, which led to the hearts, diamonds, clubs and spades used today.
You may also hear that the deck mirrors the calendar: 52 cards for 52 weeks, 4 suits for 4 seasons, 13 cards for the 13 weeks in a quarter, and card values that add up to 364, or 365 with a joker. These are fun coincidences, but there is no historical evidence that the deck was designed that way.
A Short History of the Deck of Cards
| When | What Happened |
|---|---|
| Before 1500 | Mamluk Egypt uses 52-card packs with four suits. |
| Around 1516 | The earliest known cards of the English pattern, the design most decks still follow. |
| Early 1600s | Under James I of England, the ace of spades carries a mark showing tax was paid, the origin of its fancy design. |
| Around 1860 | Double-headed court cards appear, so cards read the right way up from either end. |
| 1860s | The joker is added in the United States for the game of euchre. |
| Around 1880 | Corner indices (the small rank and suit in the corners) become standard. |
| 1960 | The UK ends its tax duty on playing cards. |
Playing Card Sizes and Deck Thickness
The number of cards in a deck does not change the size of each card. The two standard sizes are:
| Card Size | Inches | Millimeters | Common Use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Poker size (wide) | 2.5 × 3.5 | About 63 × 88 | Poker, blackjack, most US decks |
| Bridge size (narrow) | 2.25 × 3.5 | About 57 × 88 | Bridge, rummy and games where you hold many cards |
A single playing card is usually about 0.24 to 0.34 mm thick, depending on the card stock. That makes a 54-card deck roughly 13 to 18 mm (about 0.5 to 0.7 inches) tall when stacked. Exact sizes and thickness vary slightly between manufacturers.
What Order Is a New Deck of Cards In?
Most new decks from major makers come in new deck order: the jokers first, then ace to king of spades, ace to king of diamonds, king to ace of clubs and king to ace of hearts. This makes it easy to check that a new deck of cards is complete before the first shuffle.
How many times should you shuffle? Mathematicians Dave Bayer and Persi Diaconis showed in 1992 that about seven riffle shuffles are needed to mix a 52-card deck well (Harvey Mudd College Math Fun Facts). Fewer shuffles leave traces of the old order.
Once shuffled, the order is almost certainly unique. There are 52! (52 factorial) ways to arrange a deck, about 8.07 × 1067, or 80,658,175,170,943,878,571,660,636,856,403,766,975,289,505,440,883,277,824,000,000,000,000.
Deck of Cards Probability Cheat Sheet
Knowing there are 52 cards in a deck lets you work out the chance of drawing any card from a full, shuffled deck:
| Drawing One Card | Cards That Fit | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| A specific card (for example, the ace of spades) | 1 | 1/52 ≈ 1.9% |
| Any ace (or any king, queen and so on) | 4 | 4/52 = 1/13 ≈ 7.7% |
| A face card | 12 | 12/52 = 3/13 ≈ 23.1% |
| A card from one suit (for example, a heart) | 13 | 13/52 = 1/4 = 25% |
| A red card | 26 | 26/52 = 1/2 = 50% |
| A number card (2 to 10) | 36 | 36/52 = 9/13 ≈ 69.2% |
Four-Colour Decks and Famous Card Nicknames
A standard deck of cards uses red for hearts and diamonds and black for clubs and spades. Four-colour decks give each suit its own color so cards are easier to tell apart. A common scheme is black spades, red hearts, blue diamonds and green clubs. It is popular in online poker and with players who have trouble telling suits apart.
In the common English-pattern deck, some cards have well-known nicknames:
- One-eyed jacks: the jack of spades and jack of hearts, shown in profile.
- Suicide king: the king of hearts, whose sword appears to go behind his head.
- The man with the axe: the king of diamonds, the only king holding an axe instead of a sword.
- The ace of spades: the most decorated card, a tradition that began with tax marks and continues as a place for the maker’s logo.
Packaging a Deck of Cards
A standard deck of cards is sold in a small paperboard tuck box, and the box is sized around the number of cards and the card size. For a poker-size deck of 52 cards plus 2 jokers, plan an inside size of roughly 64 to 65 mm wide, 89 to 90 mm tall and 17 to 19 mm deep. That leaves a little clearance so the deck slides in and out easily. Always measure your actual cards, because stock thickness and finish change the deck height.
Common box styles for playing cards and card games:
- Tuck boxes: the classic card box with tuck-in flaps. reverse tuck end boxes and straight tuck card boxes are the most common formats.
- Sealed boxes: sealed tuck box packaging shows the deck is new and unopened.
- Premium and collector decks: premium rigid packaging or printed outer sleeves add protection and a gift feel.
- Retail: countertop retail displays hold several decks at the checkout.
If you are designing a custom deck, start with sizing a custom box around the finished cards. Set up card bleed and margins so nothing important is trimmed, and print in CMYK; this guide to RGB versus CMYK color explains why screen colors can shift in print. Designing in Canva works too, following these steps for designing cards in Canva. For board weights, coatings and finishes, compare your options before choosing box materials.
Common Myths About a Deck of Cards
| Myth | Fact |
|---|---|
| “A deck has 54 cards.” | A standard deck has 52. The box often holds 54 because of 2 extra jokers. |
| “Aces are face cards.” | Aces are not face cards. There are 12 face cards: jacks, queens and kings. |
| “Poker decks have different cards.” | A poker deck is the standard 52 cards, usually in a wider size and tougher stock. |
| “Poker uses the jokers.” | Texas Hold’em and Omaha never use jokers. Only a few home-game variants add one. |
| “The deck was designed around the calendar.” | The calendar links are coincidences. The 52-card, four-suit layout dates back to Mamluk cards. |
| “Every deck in the world has 52 cards.” | Many regional decks have 32, 36, 40 or 48 cards, and tarot decks have 78. |
Quick Reference
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| How many cards in a deck? | 52 |
| How many cards with jokers? | 54 |
| How many poker cards in a deck? | 52 (no jokers) |
| How many suits? | 4 |
| How many cards per suit? | 13 |
| How many face cards? | 12 |
| How many red and black cards? | 26 of each |
| How many of each rank? | 4 |
| Possible five-card poker hands | 2,598,960 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How many cards are in a deck with jokers?
54. A standard deck has 52 cards, and most packs add 2 jokers.
How many poker cards are in a deck?
52. Poker uses the standard deck of cards with the jokers removed. Short Deck Hold’em is the main exception, using 36 cards.
How many cards are in each suit?
13: ace, 2 through 10, jack, queen and king.
How many face cards are in a deck?
12. Each of the four suits has a jack, a queen and a king.
How many aces are in a deck of cards?
4, one in each suit.
Is an ace a face card?
No. Face cards are jacks, queens and kings. The ace is its own rank and can play high or low depending on the game.
How many red cards are in a deck?
26. All hearts and diamonds are red.
How many black cards are in a deck?
26. All clubs and spades are black.
How many number cards are in a deck?
36. Each suit has nine number cards, 2 through 10.
How many kings are in a deck of cards?
4, one king in each suit. The same is true for every rank.
How many spades are in a deck of cards?
13. Every suit, including spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs, has 13 cards.
How many cards are in a deck without face cards?
40. Removing the 12 jacks, queens and kings leaves the 4 aces and 36 number cards.
How many one-eyed jacks are in a deck?
2: the jack of spades and the jack of hearts.
How many times should you shuffle a deck of cards?
About seven riffle shuffles, based on research by Dave Bayer and Persi Diaconis, mix a 52-card deck well.
How many cards are in an Uno deck?
The classic Uno game has 108 cards. Uno is not a standard deck of playing cards, and some newer editions add a few extra wild cards.
How many jokers are in a deck of cards?
Usually 2, though some packs include 1, 3 or none. Jokers are extras and are not part of the standard 52.
Is a pack of cards the same as a deck of cards?
Yes. Both mean the same set of 52 cards. “Deck” is more common in the US and “pack” in the UK.
How many cards are in a euchre deck?
24: the 9, 10, jack, queen, king and ace of each suit.
How many cards are in a pinochle deck?
48: two copies each of the 9, 10, jack, queen, king and ace in all four suits.
How many decks are used in blackjack?
It varies by casino and table. Single-deck and double-deck games exist, but shoes of 6 or 8 decks (312 or 416 cards) are common.
Why does a new pack of cards have extra cards?
Besides the 2 jokers, many packs include an advert, rules or a poker hand ranking card. They are printed on the same sheet as the deck and are not part of the game.
Final Takeaway
A standard deck of cards has 52 cards: 4 suits of 13, with 12 face cards, 4 aces and 36 number cards, split evenly into 26 red and 26 black. Most boxes add 2 jokers for 54 pieces, and poker uses the same 52 cards without them. Other games trim the deck or combine several decks, but every one of them starts from the same 52-card pattern.
Making your own deck or card game? BoxNovo can design and print the box that holds it. Request a packaging quote to get started.
