Most professional hobbies and interests have their own terminology, and the world of playing cards and card games is no exception. Most readers probably have some experience with board game playing card and card games, so you may already be familiar with a lot of common terms and words. But are you sure you are using the right words? It’s easy to learn new words from others, but that doesn’t guarantee that you’ll think of the right meaning.
If you’re already an established card connoisseur, this glossary will help you get a quick refresher course and make your existing knowledge polished. And if you’re still new to playing cards, it will hopefully help you become more informed. And if you enjoy card handling or card games, this term collection will prove useful as well. Regardless, knowing a thing or two about the language of playing cards will help us enjoy them even more!

Playing Card Terms

These terms are related to the playing cards themselves, with common words and phrases that have to do with how they’re made and how they look.

Ace. The first board game card of each suit.

Trump. The first card of each suit.

Black Lady. The Queen of Spades, also known as the Black Maria.

Bridge. The narrow board game playing card are 2.25 inches wide, in contrast to the more common 2.5-inch wide “poker size”.

Color. The colors of spades and clubs are considered “black,” while hearts and diamonds are considered “red.”

Deuce. A card with two PIPS.

Cellophane. Most playing card decks are wrapped in protective plastic shrink wrap.

Club. An English term for the French suit Trefle, corresponding to batons (Italian), clubs (Spanish), and acorns (Swiss/German).

Coating. A protective coating applied by the board game playing card manufacturer at the end of the printing process.

Cold foil stamping. A modern method of printing metal foil (in contrast to “hot foil”) that uses a printing plate rather than a stamping tool.

Court cards. King, Queen, and Jack. Also called “face cards” or “picture cards.”

Deck. A pack of playing cards, usually 52 cards plus two jokers.

Diamonds. English term for the French suit “Carreau”, corresponding to Coins (Italian/Spanish) and Bells (Swiss/German).

Embossing. The indented “finish” on the surface of a card; may also refer to the raised surface that is part of a raised box design.

Face Cards. Kings, Queens, and Jacks. Also called “Court Cards” or “Picture Cards”.

Face Down. A card placed so that the back is showing and the face is adjacent to the table.

Face Up. A card placed so that its number or picture is showing.

Fan Powder. A white powder (usually stearate) used to improve handling by reducing friction between playing cards.

Ends. The type of embossing used on the surface of playing cards, usually smooth or embossed.

Foil. A shiny metallic material applied to the surface of a playing card or tuck box, usually by the process of hot or cold foil stamping.

Hearts. English term for the French suit “Coeur”, corresponding to Cups (Italian/Spanish), Flowers (Swiss), and Hearts (German). Hot foil stamping. An older method of printing foil (in contrast to “cold foil”), where a heated die is used to apply the foil to playing cards at high temperatures.

Index. A small number/letter and suit symbol on a card showing its suit and value, especially useful in fanned hands.

Joker. An extra card that comes with a 52-card deck and is used as a wild card or top trump in some games.

knave. The jack of a suit.

Mark. A deck that has secret markings integrated into the artwork on the back of the card, often identifying the suit and rank of the card.

Metallic ink. Liquid ink containing metallic particles that reflect light, usually creating a less intense effect than foil

Numbers. Number cards opposite the court are also called “PIP cards” or “field cards.”

At a glance. The Jack of Spades, the King of Jacks, and the King of Diamonds.

One-way. An asymmetrical back design that allows for easy identification of cards that have been rotated 180 degrees.

Box. A deck of cards, usually 52 cards, with two jokers.

Paste. Another term for playing cards is the ones that are literally pasted to the front and back of the card.

Picture cards. King, Queen, and Jack. Also called “court cards” or “face cards.”

Pip. The large suit symbol on the card (Spades, Clubs, Hearts, or Diamonds)

Pip value. The numerical value of the card.

Poker size. The standard-sized playing card, which is 2.5 inches wide, as opposed to the narrower 2.25-inch-wide “bridge size.”

Rank. The ordinal position (numerical value) of the card in the suit, e.g. 2 Diamonds and 2 Clubs are in the same rank position, while the King outranks the Queen. This is also sometimes called “denomination.”

Seal. A sticker used to seal a box of playing cards; a practice that originated with tax vouchers.

Smooth. An unbundled surface.

Soft. The card stock bends easily.

Spades. The English term for the French suit “Pique,” corresponding to Swords (Italian/Spanish), Escutcheons (Swiss), and Leaves (German).

Field cards. Any card from 2 to 10 is also called a “PIP Card”, as opposed to a “Court Card”.

Spot UV: A secondary printing process that adds a clear gloss coating to selected portions of the card or tuck box to add shine and texture.

Stock. The type of paper used to make playing cards.

Suicide King. The King of Hearts, so named due to the traditional orientation of the sword he usually holds.

Trey. A card with three PIPS.

Tuck. A short form of “Tuck Box”, which is the box or shell that contains the deck.