Know your deck
Standard deck or Spanish deck?
Two deck families, four common versions. Here's what's in each one and which games you can play with it.
K
12
K
Q
52 cards
Standard 52-card deck
The classic French-suited deck found in nearly every home.
- Suits
- ♠ Spades · ♥ Hearts · ♦ Diamonds · ♣ Clubs
- Ranks per suit
- A, 2–10, J, Q, K (13)
33 games →
★JOKER
K
54 cards
52-card deck + Jokers
The same deck with its two Jokers left in — usually as wild cards.
- Base deck
- Standard 52 cards
- Extras
- 2 Jokers
10 games →
12
11
40 cards
Spanish deck (40 cards)
La baraja española: coins, cups, swords and clubs — no 8s or 9s.
- Suits
- Oros · Copas · Espadas · Bastos
- Ranks per suit
- 1–7, Sota (10), Caballo (11), Rey (12)
9 games →
12
48 cards
Spanish deck (48 cards)
The full baraja española with 8s and 9s — and often two comodines.
- Suits
- Oros · Copas · Espadas · Bastos
- Ranks per suit
- 1–9, Sota (10), Caballo (11), Rey (12)
2 games →
Standard vs. Spanish: side by side
| Standard (French) | Spanish (Baraja) | |
|---|---|---|
| Suits | Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs | Oros, Copas, Espadas, Bastos |
| Cards | 52 (+2 Jokers) | 40 or 48 (+2 comodines) |
| Court cards | Jack, Queen, King | Sota (10), Caballo (11), Rey (12) |
| Corner numbers | A, 2–10, J, Q, K | 1–12 (no 8–9 in the 40-card deck) |
| Suit colors | Red and black | Each suit has its own color |
| Where it's popular | Worldwide | Spain, Latin America, the Philippines |