10 Card Terms Every Player Should Know
SHUFFLE: The way a deck of playing cards is randomized to allow for
the card game to be a game of chance. There are many different
methods to shuffle playing card decks and there are even machines used
by casinos to randomize the decks. The shuffling of a deck is usually
followed by the cutting of the deck.
CUT THE DECK: After the dealer is done shuffling, the deck of cards is
placed in front of another player. That player selects any amount of
the cards and places them below or above the remaining cards.
The reason for this procedure is to reduce the likelihood of a player or dealer cheating with the order of the cards. Many players consider being the one to cut the deck a sign of good luck. After the deck is cut, the cards are ready to be dealt.
DEAL: This is when dealer will take the shuffled and cut deck and
begin distributing the cards facedown to the game players. The
dealing of the cards is counterclockwise in North American card games
or according to the rule of the game. Once a player has been dealt
the cards for the game, the cards are called a hand.
TRICK: Rounds of play in a certain type of card game. Trick taking
card games, the most diverse and oldest form of card games, involve
units of play that are called tricks. The central theme in all of
these games is to place one card during each different trick. Bridge
is an example of a popular trick-taking game.
TRUMP: In most trick-taking games, one suit is picked to be the
highest ranking of all the suits. This trump suit is higher than all
the other non-trump cards. If two of the same number cards are played
against each other, the winner will be the trump card, from the higher
ranking suit.
SUIT: One of the several categories a deck of playing cards is divided
into. In almost all standard decks, there are four different types of
suits. The deck is divided into 13 cards in each of the four
different suits. The ranking of the suits depends on the game being
played. In addition, some games, like blackjack, are not influenced
at all by suits. Besides being divided into different suits, playing
cards are also ranked in the suit, by number cards and by the court
cards, as well.
COURT CARDS: The jack, queen, and king cards from each of the four
suits make up the twelve different court cards in a deck. Originally,
the court cards followed the first ten cards in a deck. For example,
nine, ten, jack, queen, king was the ranking order in a suit.
During the 1500's in France, many games began putting the Ace card as a higher card than the King due to political undertones. Today, the King is not the highest card in many games, the Ace is. Court cards are also reversible today, due to the American influence on playing cards.
JOKER: Another American innovation, the Joker card, originally known
as the "best bower," was created to be the high card in the game of
Euchre. The Joker was added to the playing cards in the 1860's.
The Joker is not used in many games but is considered a "wild card" in the ones that do use it. In games which the Joker is used, the card can beat the highest card.
CASINO: In the past, a casino was a building constructed for people
to gamble inside of it. Today, with online casinos on the Internet, a
casino is classified as a forum for gambling. One of the most popular
forms of gambling today is wagering on the outcomes of card games,
like blackjack and poker.
COLLECTIBLE: A playing card that is specifically intended for trading
or collecting purposes. Some types of collectible cards are not
related to card games like sport trading cards. Some collectible
cards are designed for a specific type of card game like the currently
popular Magic game.
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