Playing cards
Paul Cézanne - The Card Players, 1895
A playing card is a typically hand-sized rectangular piece of heavy paper or thin plastic used for playing card games. Playing cards are often used as props in magic tricks, as well as occult practices such as cartomancy, and a number of card games involve (or can be used to support) gambling. As a result, their use sometimes meets with disapproval from some orthodox religious groups. They are also a popular collectible (as distinct from the cards made specifically for trading card games). Specialty and novelty decks are commonly produced for collectors, often with political, cultural, or educational themes.
Set of 52 French style playing cards with two jokers
Set of 52 Anglo-American style playing cards
One side of each card (the "front" or "face") carries markings that distinguish it from the others and determine its use under the rules of the particular game being played, while the other side (the "back") is identical for all cards, usually a plain color or abstract design. In most games, the cards are assembled into a "deck" (or "pack"), and their order is randomized by a procedure called "shuffling" to provide an element of chance in the game.
Some typical Anglo-American playing cards from the Bicycle brand
This guide is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia.
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