When we think about a deck of cards, we aren't just thinking about 52 pieces of cardboard, but our friends at the card table or our accomplices in a magic trick. Giving playing cards names shows that they are a big part of our life. You'll find an exhaustive list of playing card nicknames over on Wikipedia. For example, the Joker is also called by names like Wildcard, Trump Card, Best Bower, The Fool, and The Bird. There are many localized nicknames, and virtually every playing card has acquired a nickname or even multiple names at some point in history. Other nicknames: The above list is by no means complete. The fact that expressions like 'follow suit', 'have a card up your sleeve', and 'come up trumps' are commonly used and understood by almost everyone, says a lot about the popularity of playing cards, and their impact on culture generally. Many of these terms originate from trick taking games or poker. For a long list, see this previously published article: The Impact of Playing Cards on the English language. Watch your language! Many terms from the world of playing cards have also entered the English language. Countless others nicknames for specific card combinations exist. A pair of Aces can be dubbed as 'Pocket Rockets' or 'Snake Eyes', while the King-Ace combination is frequently known as 'Big Slick'.

For example the “Dead Man’s Hand” is said to be the hand held by gunfighter 'Wild Bill' Hickok when he was murdered, and contained two black Aces and two black Eights. As a result, the Kings are also sometimes called David (Spades), Charlemagne or Charles (Hearts), Julius Caesar (Diamonds), and Alexander (Clubs) the Queens are sometimes called Athena (Spades), Judith (Hearts), Rachel (Diamonds), and Argine (Clubs) while the Jacks are sometimes called Ogier or Eunuch (Spades), La Hire (Hearts), Hector (Diamonds), and Lancelot (Clubs).Ĭard combinations: There are also many common terms for particular card combinations, many of which originate with Poker. There was never an adopted standard, but certain personages were commonly used in this time. More Name-calling Court cards: There was a trend during the 15th century for French card manufacturers to designate the court cards as literary and historical figures. The only King facing sideways is the King of Diamonds, and together with the Jack of Spades and the Jack of Hearts, these three cards are sometimes referred to as the one-eyed royals. Unlike most of the other court cards, the Jack of Spades and the Jack of Hearts both have a side profile, hence their designation as 'one-eyed Jacks'.

Poker ace of spades