What are poker cards, what are their features and differences?
When it comes to poker, many people think of the green cloth and colourful chips of different colours, but there are also playing cards. It’s thanks to cards that you can build combinations, otherwise there wouldn’t be a game. And during the game, it is the cards and their importance, as well as the combinations, that are important things to know, especially for a beginner.
It’s worth noting that there are quite a few card games of chance, but it’s poker that is very popular today, as it was many years ago. Still, it’s worth talking about the cards separately.
Previously, once the game was born, there really wasn’t much choice, the chips weren’t of high quality, and new decks were printed for competitions or major tournaments. Of course, cardboard and paper would wear out very quickly, so new playing cards were needed.
For home games a mark did not matter much but for tournaments it was very important and new cards were needed.
How many cards are in a deck?
Right away it’s worth talking about the number of cards in a poker deck. Often there are 52 cards of different suits in a deck:
- diamonds.
- Spade.
- Hearts.
- clubs.
Each card has 13 suits from 2 to Ace. In some cases there are 2 more jokers, so the deck contains 54 cards. But they are not used for classic poker.
Considering that all strategies and rules of play, as well as statistics are based on the exact number of cards, nothing can be removed or added.
Dimensions
The main feature of cards is the fact that they are bigger in size compared to standard cards. Often, if you take the classics, the height is 88 millimetres, whereas the width is 63 millimetres. But some people prefer to play with bridge cards, which are only 57 millimeters wide. But that’s an order of magnitude more comfortable.
And for poker tournaments, cards may also have a different index size, i.e. face value. This is primarily for the convenience of the player. And the manufacturer usually indicates this index on the package.
Quality
At the moment, the manufacturer offers cards of different quality, both cardboard and laminated cardboard, plastic. And it is the latter variety that is the most in demand.
Plastic cards will serve you for a long time, they have almost maximum durability. The surface is smooth, which provides additional comfort. So plastic cards are the optimal solution.
An additional feature is their resistance to moisture, and they do not break, unless, of course, excessive force is applied. Even when compressed, the original shape remains.
Of course, if we are talking about large tournaments which are broadcasted on the network or TV, we use special cards of high quality. And an important feature is that the shirt must be completely identical, and that there is not even a minor damage or flaw on the surface.
