Interesting facts about Playing Cards

(Last Updated On: January 13, 2023)

Playing cards have been a great mode of entertainment for ages and continue to hold a very popular spot even today.

Interesting Facts About Playing Cards

5 Most Amazing Facts About Playing Cards

Available in a ton of versions today, playing cards are loved by people across the globe. Sometimes played for easy fun games as casino/poker while also being a part of serious games as a bridge and also used to charm people with card tricks – cards are as versatile as it gets.

And, here we give you a fill of some interesting and amazing facts related to playing cards which most of us may not be aware of.

1. Origin

It is believed that the playing cards were first invented in China in the 9th century AD, and comprised only 30 cards. They were originally printed on materials such as wood, paper, or even bones.

Eventually, it gained popularity and spread to India (as 13 card rummy), Persia, and European countries. Source

2. Hidden Map

Apparently, a peculiar kind of card was created during World War II. These cards could be peeled into two halves upon submerging in water, and each half was a part of a map.

Putting all these pieces together would form a larger map. Usually, these were given to the prisoners of the wars in order for them to find their way home if they managed to escape.

3. Suicide King

Did you know one of the king cards in a deck of playing cards is known as the “suicide king”? If you take a look at each king card of all the four suits, you will find that the King of Hearts alone does not have a mustache among all the kings and a sword piercing through his head.

4. Countless Unique Combinations

You would be amazed to know that a deck of 52 cards can form about 8,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, 000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000 unique combinations!! Yes, that’s right. Perhaps, you would also end with a unique permutation each time after shuffling the pack thoroughly. Source!