Fascinating Facts About Playing Cards
If you want to learn how to play table games in Vegas casinos, you have to spend time studying different playing cards and their ranks. But there are so many more interesting features to discover in a playing card deck beyond values and numbers. Here are a few facts you probably didn’t know.
1. The strange link between playing cards and the calendar
Decks of cards didn’t always have 52 cards. In fact, old decks had 24, 36, 40 or 48 cards. While it’s not clear why a 52-card deck became the standard, the reason could be the link between playing cards and our calendar.
52 cards correspond to the number of weeks in a year. The colors red and black are believed to signify day and night, while the four suits represent the four seasons. Even though these facts might sound more coincidental, it becomes even more fascinating as you dig deeper.
The 13 cards in a suit match the number of lunar cycles, while the 12 court cards represent the months in a year. However, the craziest fact of all is that if you were to add up all the symbols in a complete deck of cards, there would be 365, the number of days in a year.
2. Court card characters were real historical figures
Most of the images used in modern playing decks come from French playing card manufacturers from the 15th century. The French modeled the court card figures after important historical leaders like Julius Caesar for the king of diamonds and Charlemagne for the king of hearts. The Bible’s King David is believed to be the inspiration for the king of spades, and Alexander the Great was the face of the king of clubs.
While the queen of hearts oddly resembles Queen Elizabeth the first, the design predates her birth. The queen cards were inspired by ancient figures like the biblical Judith.
3. Casinos use 100% plastic playing cards
Most land-based casinos use 100% plastic playing cards to prevent cheating. These plastic cards are difficult to mark or crease, which makes it hard for players to track their movement in a game.
4. Vegas casinos can change decks every hour
Decks in a casino can only be used for up to 12 hours before they are switched. The length of time a deck will be used depends on how busy a table is and if the cards are shuffled by hand or machine. During peak hours, casinos can even switch decks after an hour. These constant switches are a way to prevent players from using marks, bends and cuffs to gain an advantage in a game.
If you’ve seen the phrase retiring or canceling a deck in a glossary of table game terms, this is when casinos will discard decks by clipping corners, marking or punching holes through cards so they can’t be reused in a game. Luckily if you prefer online casino games, you don’t have to worry about hundreds of decks being discarded daily.