10 Most Amazing Facts About Playing Cards

Are you a serious card player, or even a casual one? Then a pack of cards is obviously the most important tool of your trade. But how often do you stop to think about the cards themselves rather than the game? We take a closer look at what they are, where they came from, and how to win at Casino Bonus Master.

Keep reading to learn some of the most surprising facts about playing cards.

1. There's Actually A Reason Why There Are 52 Cards In A Deck

Wondered why a deck of cards has 52 cards? Well, it wasn't always that way. Decks have had all sorts of card combinations of 24, 36, 40, 48 and just about any number in between throughout the centuries. But 52 won out over the rest of the, er, pack to be the most popular and commonly used deck size in much of the world.

No one can conclusively tell what the reason behind this is. There are several competing theories, although it's most likely that British and French colonialism was an enormous influence, as it would have allowed the standard French deck size of 52 cards to spread around the world.

2. Cards Represent The Calendar

One common theory for the reason a deck contains 52 cards is that the number of cards corresponds to the number of weeks in a year. Some others state that the two colors — red and black — are a symbol of day and night, and that the four suits are a symbol of the four seasons. It gets stranger still when you understand that there are 13 cards in a suit to match the number of lunar cycles, and 12 court cards to represent the 12 months of the year.

And, when you total up all the symbols in a pack of cards, there are 365… Incredible.

3. The Original Card Decks Were Created In An Unexpected Location

Think you know where decks of cards came from? Maybe think again. We'll admit that our first guesses were wrong. Decks of cards actually began in China in the 9th century. Or at least that's what most scholars agree. The consensus is that the first printed playing cards began in China as well, in the form of a 32-card domino deck printed on paper, bone and wood.

It's believed cards then slowly propagate across India, Persia and Egypt before arriving in Europe, with every type of variation imaginable.

4. Vegas Casinos Change Decks More Than You Change Your Pants

Ever wondered how long decks of cards are used in casinos before they’re thrown away?In Las Vegas, decks can last for up to 12 hours before being discarded or sold. How long a deck is in play depends on factors such as how busy the specific table is and whether shuffling is done by hand or machine.

For example, a deck will only last an hour or two during a busy time before being replaced with a fresh pack. But why do they discard cards in the first place?

That's so that any distinguishing marks, such as bends and scuffs, don't give the game away to players looking to gain an advantage.

5. The World's Oldest Deck Of Cards Is In NYC

• The world's rarest and purportedly oldest intact deck of cards is now on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York.
• The hand-painted tarot deck, which dates to mid-15th century Netherlands, is in pristine condition, suggesting the cards were hardly played.
• The deck was bought by a collector in the 1970s for $2,800, who investigated its history for about five years before selling them to the Met for $143,000.

You’ll find other centuries-old decks of cards being held at institutions like Yale University, who even have their own card database.

Competing cards for the title of oldest and rarest include the Mamluk pack of cards at Topkapu Museum in Istanbul.

6. Casino Cards Require A Lot Of Security

As mentioned earlier, any fault in a deck of cards can tell keen-eyed players a lot. Therefore, casino cards include plenty of security. This includes larger symbols and letters so that any undesirable events can be caught by security cameras.

You may also notice that casino cards feel a bit different. That is because they are made of 100% plastic. Plastic allows for more card-handling for games like poker, before they become fatigued, soiled and dog-eared. And, since we spoke about security above, it also makes it harder for players to cheat and mark cards than paper.

New decks also need to be signed off by pit bosses and dealers, before they're reshuffled. And when a pack of cards is finally retired, all the cards have to be there and accounted for before they're either shredded or sold with intentional flaws so that they can't find their way back to the casino.

7. You Might Recognize Some Card Characters

If you play with a 'standard' deck of 52 'French' cards, evolved from the 16th century onwards, some of the faces may ring a bell.

That's because some are inspired by or modelled after famous historical characters.

Look a bit closer and you might just see Julius Caesar as the King of Diamonds, Alexander the Great as the King of Clubs, Greek goddess Pallas Athena as the Queen of Spades, or Lancelot du Lac as the Jack of Clubs.

8. Cards Aren't Always What They Seem

Governments can get pretty creative with playing cards during wartime.

Our best example of this is the US government, who teamed up with a popular card company during World War II to create special secret decks for American prisoners of war (POWs).

The cards would allegedly separate in half when wet to reveal fragments of maps to help with escapes.

9. The Most Popular Cards Are From The US

Again, it's all opinion, but most widely thought to be the most iconic packs of cards are the US brand Bicycle. 

These are destined to be the most famous pack of cards of all time due to their history of being used to help American prisoners escape during World War II, as we mentioned earlier.

The cards also feature in popular culture when it comes to the Vietnam War too, as a myth did the rounds that American soldiers used the Ace of Spades cards to scare away superstitious Viet Cong members.

Nowadays you’re more likely to find them at casinos and magic shows.

10. One Card Manufacturer Dominates The Market

The United States Playing Card Company (USPCC) are said to be the world's largest manufacturer of playing cards, and a favorite among many casinos.

Do any of the following brands sound familiar: Aviator, Bee, Tally-Ho? They're all made by the USPCC, as well as those popular (or infamous) Bicycle cards we mentioned earlier.

Belgium-based company Cartamundi also makes a competing claim as the world's largest manufacturer of cards. They do, though, make many different types of card games in markets other than those of the USPCC.