How Many Cards Are in a Suit?

There are thirteen cards in a suit. Because there are four suits, each deck of standard playing cards contains fifty-two cards. Aces are unique in that they may be considered a high or low card, depending on the game.

A great way to practice memorizing suits of cards is by playing Hearts online. Hearts.co is a place where Hearts can be played anytime for free instantly against multiple computer opponents. With a few days of practice, players will have an excellent understanding of card suits!

Playing Cards and Suits

The four suits of playing cards are Spades, Hearts, Clubs, and Diamonds. Spades and Clubs are black, while Hearts and Diamonds are red. They are ranked in order from two to ten, along with Jack, Queen, King, and Ace representing eleven, twelve, thirteen, and forteen. Alternatively, the Ace is used as a one in certain card games.

Depending on the game, certain cards may be removed before play begins. There are also special card decks meant for certain games, such as Pinochle, which combines two decks then removes certain cards.

Suits in Common Card Games

Some games rank suits from least to most important. Other games have what is known as a trump suit. Players holding trump suit cards have an advantage over those who do not. Here are a few games where suits are an important aspect of the game:

Spades

Like its sister game, Hearts, Spade’s name is no accident. Spades is a trick-taking game played by placing cards in the center that match the first suit played. The highest-ranking card of the original suit wins the trick.

As you may have guessed, Spades are the trump suit in this game. If another player leads with the Queen of Diamonds and the next player cannot play a Diamond, they may play a Spade. Even the two of Spades would win the trick unless someone plays a higher Spade.

Play continues until one player reaches an agreed-upon number, like 200 or 500.

Hearts

Hearts is similar to Spades, but somewhat reversed. The goal is to not have any Hearts at the end of the round. Rather than winning tricks, players usually want to lose them or win a trick with no Hearts.

Heart cards equal one point each. Additionally, the Queen of Spades is worth thirteen points. The winner of the game is the one with the lowest points. The game ends when one player reaches a predetermined number of points, such as one hundred.

Solitaire

Solitaire is played alone with a single deck of cards. Some cards are dealt out on the table in stacks, while others make up a deck of draw cards. Each stack on the table has its first card flipped over, and the goal is to alternate the numbers of the cards by red and black.

If a Jack of Hearts is flipped over as the first card on a stack, the player must locate a black ten to place beneath it. Next is a red nine, and so on. Some players find they have difficulty after a certain point and may wonder, is every game of Solitaire winnable? No–but 75% to 90% of games are winnable for skilled players.

Become a Better Player by Practicing Online

The four games mentioned above are some of the best traditional card games for teaching how suits work. The basics are simple, but mastering these games can take hundreds of rounds of play.

Playing in person takes a lot of time dealing and shuffling. With sites like Hearts.co, the cards are dealt instantly, so the next game can take place immediately. Give it a try today and test your skills!