What Does a Deck of Cards Consist Of? | Solitaire Basics

A deck of playing cards may look simple, but did you know that those cards are packed with history, usable in dozens of different games, and nearly impossible to shuffle in the exact same arrangement?

In this article, we’ll explain what’s inside a standard deck of playing cards, how each part is used, and how to play solitaire, one of the most popular card games in history.

The basic structure of a standard deck of cards

The 52-Card Breakdown

A standard deck (also known as the French deck) consists of 52 cards that are divided into four different suits (Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades). Each standard deck of cards includes:

• 13 ranks for each suit
• Numbered cards from 2-10 in each of the four suits
• 4 face cards (Jack, Queen, King, Ace) for each suit.

The Four Suits and Their Origins

You may not realize it, but nothing about the suits of cards was random. In fact, each suit has its own unique cultural history and symbolism that goes back hundreds of years. We can thank France for what’s known as our current deck, as they standardized the four suits of hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades back in the 1400s. But even back then, each country created its own interpretation of playing cards with different symbols.

The French version of suits emerged because each suit represented aspects of society. Diamonds represented wealth, as the diamond was often used to indicate the location of a church or a grave site for the wealthy. Other countries, like Germany, substituted the diamond for bells to represent falconry, which had its own reputation of privilege within Germany.

Another representation of the wealthy, the spade, was chosen by the French as a military-oriented symbol that could stand in for any blade of a trained soldier or member of the nobility. Meanwhile, the club was chosen to evoke another part of French society, the peasantry, who couldn’t afford any other weapons.

Finally, the heart was chosen to incorporate a spiritual element. It was said to resemble a chalice in that it was a vessel that was broader at the top than the bottom. The image of the heart encompassed concepts like priesthood, love, and making vows.

The Role of the Jokers

Most modern decks include two Jokers, which are individually represented by an image of one red and one black jester. These two jokers aren’t used in games like classic Solitaire, but they have a special role in card games like Rummy and Euchre. The popularity of the latter match was specifically responsible for introducing jokers into modern decks of cards.

In Rummy, the joker acts as a wildcard and can represent any other card in the deck or the player’s hand, but there are limitations. If a player isn’t careful with how they use their jokers, they can automatically lose the game. Euchre, on the other hand, positions the joker as the highest card in the game.

Fun fact: The mathematics of a deck of cards

It’s nearly impossible to imagine the mathematics involved in arranging a deck of cards. The number of ways a standard deck of cards can be arranged can be represented by 52! (or 52 factorial). That massive number would require you to multiply 52 by every other descending number going down to 0.

To get a sense of the scale of that number, that figure is greater than the number of atoms in the observable universe. And there are so many permutations that if you shuffled a deck every second since the beginning of time, you’d never repeat an arrangement order. That means every time you shuffle a deck, you’ve made history.

How are decks of cards used in Solitaire?

Now that we understand the basic structure of a deck of cards, we can contextualize those elements into classic Solitaire (also known as Klondike solitaire).

The Setup for Solitaire Games

To set up a game of Solitaire, start by shuffling the deck and then arrange seven columns in a row with one face-up card and one face-down card, increasing the number of face-down cards in each column by one from left to right.

These main playing stacks are known as the tableaus. You will also need to set up a space where four stacks can be arranged that will be known as your foundation. The rest of the cards will be used as a draw pile, which is also known as a stockpile.

Klondike solitaire only requires one deck of cards, but other variations that require multiple decks include Spider Solitaire, Alhambra, and Triple Klondike, which, true to its name, requires three decks.

Card Values and Gameplay Rules

In Solitaire, you will need to move cards around the different columns to uncover cards. Solitaire rules require that every card must switch off between red and black and they should follow descending order. For example, if you had a black eight of clubs in a column, you would only be able to put seven of hearts of diamonds under the eight of clubs.

The ultimate goal of Solitaire is to build up your foundation stacks in ascending order from ace through king for each of the four suits. You want to find each of the four aces as soon as possible and start building them up. The catch is that you need to ensure you don’t get trapped in your tableau. You need to be able to balance finding new cards and building up the foundation stacks according to their suits and ranks. The ranks are as follows in Solitaire: A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K.

Why Some Solitaire Games Use Jokers

Although classic Solitaire doesn’t use Jokers, some Solitaire variations use them for wildcard moves or to replace missing cards. In the Solitaire variation, Golf, the joker is placed on a waste pile and any card can be placed over it. And in Forty Thieves and Freecell, the joker can be placed on the foundation until the natural card can be found.

Think you know it all?

Whether you needed a refresher or learning about it for the first time, you now know that a deck of cards consists of 52 main cards (with two additional optional jokers) divided into four suits and ranked from Ace to King. And that games like Solitaire rely on strategic card arrangement to win.

The next time you’re looking for a fun, solo challenge with a robust progress tracking system, consider testing your Solitaire skills for free on 247 Solitaire and exploring the many different variations.

DISCLAIMER: The games on this website are using PLAY (fake) money. No payouts will be awarded, there are no "winnings", as all games represented by 247 Games LLC are free to play. Play strictly for fun.