How many cards in a deck? 52 cards in 4 suits — plus Jokers, face cards, and everything you’ve ever wondered about a standard deck.

Whether you’re settling a debate or figuring out which cards to use for a game, here’s the complete breakdown of a standard deck.

Standard Deck: 52 Cards

Suit Color Cards Count
♥ Hearts Red A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K 13
♦ Diamonds Red A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K 13
♣ Clubs Black A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K 13
♠ Spades Black A 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 J Q K 13
Total 52

Plus 2 Jokers = 54 cards in the box.

Breaking Down the Numbers

Category Count Cards
Total cards 52 (without Jokers)
Suits 4 Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, Spades
Cards per suit 13 Ace through King
Red cards 26 Hearts + Diamonds
Black cards 26 Clubs + Spades
Face cards 12 J, Q, K × 4 suits
Number cards 36 2-10 × 4 suits
Aces 4 One per suit
Jokers 2 Typically 1 colored, 1 black

Face Cards Explained

Face Card Per Suit Total in Deck Value (Most Games)
Jack (J) 1 4 10 or 11
Queen (Q) 1 4 10 or 12
King (K) 1 4 10 or 13
Total Face Cards 3 12 Varies by game

In most games (Blackjack, Rummy), face cards are worth 10. In some games, they have unique values or special roles.

Specialty Decks Used in Card Games

Not every card game uses a standard 52-card deck:

Deck Type Card Count Games That Use It
Standard 52 Poker, Hearts, Spades, Blackjack, Gin Rummy
Standard + Jokers 54 Some Rummy variants
Pinochle deck 48 Pinochle (double 9, 10, J, Q, K, A — no 2-8)
Euchre deck 24-32 Euchre (9/10 through Ace only)
Double deck 104 Canasta, Hand and Foot
Double deck + Jokers 108 Canasta (some variants)
Tarot deck 78 Tarot card games

Quick Math Facts About a Deck

Question Answer
Total possible shuffled orders? 52! (about 8 × 10⁶⁷) — more than atoms in the observable universe
Probability of drawing any specific card? 1/52 ≈ 1.9%
Probability of drawing a heart? 13/52 = 25%
Probability of drawing a face card? 12/52 ≈ 23%
If all card values add up (A=1, J=11, Q=12, K=13)? 364 total

Card Ranks by Position

Standard rank order (low to high in most games):

Position Rank
1 (low or high) Ace
2 Two
3 Three
4 Four
5 Five
6 Six
7 Seven
8 Eight
9 Nine
10 Ten
11 Jack
12 Queen
13 (high) King

Note: In many games, the Ace can be high (above King) or low (below 2). In Poker, it’s both.

Which Deck Do I Need?

Game Deck Needed
Poker Standard 52
Blackjack Standard 52 (casinos use 6-8 decks)
Hearts Standard 52
Spades Standard 52
Gin Rummy Standard 52
Cribbage Standard 52
Tonk Standard 52
Canasta 2 Standard decks + 4 Jokers (108)
Pinochle Pinochle deck (48)
Euchre 24 or 32 cards
Bridge Standard 52

Explore all of these at Rare Pike →.