How many cards are in a poker deck
Updated October 2026.
A poker deck has 52 cards: four suits (spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs) of thirteen cards each, from the 2 to the ace. Boxes usually include two jokers as well, but they are not used in poker. That 52-card deck is the same one used for blackjack, baccarat or bridge: it is the standard French-suited deck, and "poker deck" is simply what it is called in many countries.
All of the game's mathematics flows from that number: how many starting hands exist, what your chances are of being dealt pocket aces or of making a flush. Let's take it step by step.
What a poker deck contains
| Element | Quantity | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Cards in play | 52 | 4 suits × 13 ranks |
| Suits | 4 | Spades ♠ and clubs ♣ (black); hearts ♥ and diamonds ♦ (red) |
| Ranks per suit | 13 | 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, J (jack), Q (queen), K (king), A (ace) |
| Face cards | 12 | J, Q and K of each suit |
| Aces | 4 | The highest card; also counts as 1 for the 5-4-3-2-A straight |
| Jokers | 2 (sometimes 3) | Come in the box; not used in poker or blackjack |
In poker no suit outranks another: an ace of spades and an ace of hearts are equal. Suits only matter for making a flush or a straight flush. The rank order, high to low, is A, K, Q, J, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, with the ace also serving as the low card in the smallest straight.
Variants that use a different number of cards
- Texas Hold'em, Omaha, Stud, Five Card Draw: 52 cards, no jokers.
- Short Deck (6+ Hold'em): 36 cards; the twos, threes, fours and fives are removed. The rankings change: a flush beats a full house and, in most rooms, three of a kind beats a straight.
- Poker with jokers: only in home games and some video poker machines ("Joker Poker"), where the joker substitutes for any card and the hand "five of a kind" appears.
- Spanish deck: 40 or 48 cards with suits of coins, cups, swords and clubs. Not used in poker, although home adaptations exist.
- Online blackjack: the same 52-card deck, but the shoe usually holds 4 to 8 decks together.
The numbers that follow from 52 cards
With 52 cards every probability in poker can be calculated. These are the most useful ones for a beginner:
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| Distinct starting hands in Texas Hold'em (counting suits) | 1,326 |
| Distinct starting hands ignoring suits | 169 (13 pairs, 78 suited, 78 offsuit) |
| Chance of being dealt any pair | 5.9% (1 in 17 hands) |
| Chance of being dealt pocket aces | 0.45% (1 in 221 hands) |
| Chance of being dealt two suited cards | 23.5% |
| Chance of being dealt at least one ace | 14.9% |
| Possible five-card combinations | 2,598,960 |
| Chance that 5 random cards form a royal flush | 0.00015% (1 in 649,740) |
The odds of each complete hand (pair, two pair, three of a kind, straight, flush…) are in our poker hand rankings.
Why it is called a poker deck
Playing cards reached Europe in the 14th century, probably from the Arab world, and each region developed its own: the Spanish deck with coins, cups, swords and clubs; the German deck with hearts, bells, acorns and leaves; and the French deck with the suits we know today (spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs), cheaper to print because of their simple shapes. The French deck was the one the English adopted, adding corner indices and the joker, and the one that travelled to the United States, where poker developed during the 19th century. In Spanish-speaking countries, where the everyday deck was the Spanish one, the 52-card deck became identified with the game that made it famous and kept the name "poker deck".
How to choose a deck for playing poker
- "Poker" size versus "bridge" size. Poker-size cards measure 63 × 88 mm; bridge cards are 6 mm narrower. For Hold'em, where you hold only two cards, size is irrelevant; for variants with many cards, bridge size is more comfortable.
- Plastic versus plastic-coated paper. 100% plastic cards last for years, can be washed and do not mark; paper cards are cheaper and wear out within weeks of heavy use.
- Jumbo indices. Make the community cards easier to read from across the table.
- Two decks with different backs. Standard in dealt games: one is in play while the other is being shuffled.
Frequently asked questions
How many cards does a poker deck have without jokers?
52. The two jokers that come in the box are not part of the playing deck.
How many cards are dealt in poker?
It depends on the variant: two per player in Texas Hold'em, four in Omaha, five in Five Card Draw and seven in Seven Card Stud. In Hold'em and Omaha, five community cards are added. See types of poker and their rules.
How many cards are there of each suit?
Thirteen: 2 through 10, jack, queen, king and ace.
What is the highest card in poker?
The ace. It can also serve as the lowest card in the A-2-3-4-5 straight, known as the "wheel".
Can you play poker with a Spanish deck?
Only in home adaptations. Poker's rules and probabilities are designed for the 52-card deck with four suits of thirteen. To start playing properly, review the basic rules of poker.
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