In a deck of
playing cards, the term
face card is generally used to describe a card that depicts a person. Cards depicting persons were developed in
Europe, possibly in the late 1300s; it is believed that earlier sets of cards included "court cards" that showed abstract designs, and not persons.
Europeans changed the court cards to represent European royalty and attendants, thereby forming the original
face cards:
king,
chevalier, and
knave (or
servant).
A deck of modern (Anglo-American) playing cards has the following face cards:
A deck of Italian playing cards has the following face cards (which are worth 10, 9 and 8 respectively, as there are only 10 cards per suit):
- King/Re - a man standing, wearing a crown
- Knight/Horseman/Cavaliere - a man sitting on a horse
- Jack/Fante - a younger man standing, without a crown
or (depending on the regional variant):
- King/Re - a man standing, wearing a crown
- Dame/Donna - a younger woman standing, without a crown
- Knight/Horseman/Cavaliere - a man sitting on a horse
Significance of cards being face cards (versus a "regular", "rank" or "numbered" card) varies depending on the particular game being played. Typically they are considered as part of a sequence to be higher than the 10, but often lower than the ace. Many games that ascribe value, or 'points' to a face card would make all face cards equal to the 10.
While modern decks of playing cards may contain a
Joker (or two) depicting a person (such as a
jester or
clown), jokers are not normally considered as
face cards, although some specific card games may treat them as such.
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