Some playing cards have common nicknames. Some are generic while some are specific to certain card games; others are specific to patterns, such as the court cards of the Paris pattern and the Tell pattern for example, which often bear traditional names. This list does not contain names that are specific to poker or in schafkopf as it would overwhelm the list and make it difficult to identify non-poker names. Poker nicknames are listed separately here. Schafkopf nicknames are listed separately here.
Single cards
The following is a list of nicknames used for individual playing cards of the French-suited standard 52-card pack. Sometimes games require the revealing or announcement of cards, at which point appropriate nicknames may be used if allowed under the rules or local game culture.
| Card | Any suit | Clubs | Spades | Diamonds | Hearts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| King (K) | Cowboy,[1] Monarch[1] | Alexander[2] | David[2] | Julius Caesar,[2] Man with the Axe,[1] One-Eyed King[1] | Charlemagne,[2] Charles,[3] Suicide King[1] |
| Queen (Q) | Stenographer[1] | Argine[2] | Black Lady, Black Maria,[1] Calamity Jane,[1] Pallas Athena,[2] Molly Hogan[1] | Rachel[2] | Helen of Troy,[2] Judith[2] |
| Jack (J) | Boy,[1] Bower,[4] Fishhook,[1] Jackson,[1] Jake,[1] Johnny,[1] Knave, Valet,[1] Nibs or Heels[5] | Lancelot,[2] Pam | Ogier[2] | Hector,[2] Roland, Laughing Boy | La Hire[2] |
| Ten (10) | Big Cassino[1] | ||||
| Nine (9) | Neener,[1] Nina Ross,[1] Niner, Pothook[1] | Curse of Scotland, Scourge of Scotland | |||
| Eight (8) | Pusher,[1] Snowman[1] | ||||
| Seven (7): | Fishhook,[1] Salmon[6] | Beer card[7] | |||
| Six (6) | Sax[1] | Grace's Card | |||
| Five (5) | Fever,[1] Nickel,[1] Pedro[1] | ||||
| Four (4) | Sharp Top,[1] Sore Spot,[1] Sailboat | Devil's Bedpost[1] | |||
| Three (3) | Crab,[1] Trey[1][8] | ||||
| Two (2) | Deuce,[1][8] Duck[1] | Little Cassino,[6] The Curse of Mexico[6] | |||
| Ace (A) | Bull,[1] Bullet,[1] Rocket, One Spot,[1] Seed,[1] Sharp Top[1] | Basto,[9][10] Clover, Puppy Foot[1] | Death Card,[11] Spadille,[12] Tax Card[1] | Pig's Eye[6] | |
| Joker (★) | Best Bower[4] |
Nicknames also exist for cards not from the standard 52-card pack:
- King (K):
- King of Hearts (
K): Maxi[13]
- King of Hearts (
- Ober (O):
- Ober of Hearts (O): Hermann Gessler[14]
- Ober of Bells (
O): Stüssi d. Flurschütz[14] - Ober of Leaves (
O): Ulrich v. Rudenz[14] - Ober of Acorns (
O): Wilhelm Tell[14]
- Ober of Hearts (
- Unter (U):
- Unter of Hearts (U): Kuoni d. Hirt[14]
- Unter of Bells (U): Itell Reding[14]
- Unter of Leaves (U): Walter Fürst[14]
- Unter of Acorns (U): Rudolf Harras[14]
- Unter of Hearts (
- Seven (7):
- Deuce (A): Ace,[16] Sau ("sow")[16]
Collective names
- King, Queen, Jack: Coat Card, Court Card, Face Card,[8] Figure, Rembrandt, Royal Card
- Ace, King, Queen, Jack: Honour
- 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, Ace: Pip card, Spot card, Numeral, Spotter[8]
- King of Diamonds, Jack of Spades, and Jack of Hearts ( ): One-Eyed Royals
- Jack of Spades and Jack of Hearts ( ): One-Eyed Jacks
- Jack of Clubs and Jack of Diamonds ( ): Two-Eyed Jacks
- King, Queen (same suit): Marriage[8]
- Two cards same suit in sequence for Patience (game): Marriage[8]
See also
Notes
^The Six of Hearts is known as loyalty at the risk of death or Grace's Card. This is because in 1689 emissaries of William of Orange called on John Grace, Baron of Courtstown, with an invitation to join the army of the usurper. On a playing-card lying on the table beside him he scrawled a contemptuous refusal: "Tell your master I despise his offer, and that honor and conscience are dearer to a gentleman than all the wealth and titles a prince can bestow". Baron Grace was loyal to King James II of England, and risked being shot or hanged for his refusal to give up. One hundred years later, in Kilkenny, the six of hearts was still known as ‘Grace's Card’.[17][18][19]
References
- Bridge Hands (2005). "Card Name: Bridge (Colloquial Jargon)". Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- Mikkelson, David (1999-02-07). "Four Kings in Deck of Cards". Snopes. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
- Madore, David (2007-09-10). "Courts on Playing Cards". Madore.org. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- From Euchre
- "Rules of Cribbage UK". The UK Rules. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- Hemenway, Marilyn (2006). "Bridge Slang" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-02-12.
- New South Wales Bridge Association (1999). "The Beer Card". Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- Parlett, David. "The Language of Cards". www.parlettgames.uk. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- Entick, John (1786). Crakelt, William (ed.). New Spelling Dictionary. London: Charles Dilly.
- Perry, William (1793). Royal Standard English Dictionary. Edinburgh: Bell & Bradfute.
- Friedman (ret.), SGM Herb (2007). "The Death Card". Archived from the original on 2007-12-26. Retrieved 2009-02-11.
- Webster Dictionary, 1913. New York, US: Random House. 1913. p. 1377. Archived from the original on 2015-10-19.
- From Watten (card game)
- Stolzenburg, Kay (September 10, 2010). "PATTERN SHEET 90". i-p-c-s.org. The International Playing-Card Society. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- Parlett, David (2008). The Penguin book of card games. London: Penguin. ISBN 978-0-14-103787-5. OCLC 229463734.
- McLeod, John (March 26, 2010). "Games played with German suited cards". www.pagat.com. Retrieved September 14, 2024.
- Trench, Charles Chenevix (1977). Grace's Card. Mercier Press. p. 4.
- Leeming, Joseph (1980-03-01). Games and Fun with PLaying Cards. Dover Publications. p. 3. ISBN 9780486239774.
- Chambers, Robert (1832). The Book of Days: A Miscellany of Popular Antiquities in Connection with the Calendar, Including Anecdote, Biography, & History, Curiosities of Literature and Oddities of Human Life and Character, Vol II. W & R Chambers. p. 781.