View source for Playing card suit

{{Short description|Categories into which the cards of a deck are divided}}

[[File:7 playing cards.jpg|thumb|The four [[French-suited playing cards|French card suits]] used in the [[English-speaking world]]: diamonds ({{♦}}),  clubs ({{♣}}), hearts ({{♥}}) and spades ({{♠}})]]
[[File:Eltioperete.png|thumb|Traditional Spanish suits – clubs, swords, cups and coins – are found in Spain, as well as Hispanic America, Italy, parts of France, and the Philippines]]
{{Contains special characters
| special    = suit card [[Unicode]] characters
| fix        = Help:Special characters
| image      = French suits.svg
| link       = Specials (Unicode block)#Replacement character
| alt        = <nowiki><-| <3 <> {]-|</nowiki>
}}

In [[playing card]]s, a '''suit''' is one of the categories into which the cards of a deck are divided. Most often, each card bears one of several [[Pip (counting)|pips]] (symbols) showing to which suit it belongs; the suit may alternatively or additionally be indicated by the color printed on the card. The rank for each card is determined by the number of pips on it, except on [[face card]]s. Ranking indicates which cards within a suit are better, higher or more valuable than others, whereas there is no order between the suits unless defined in the rules of a specific [[card game]]. In most decks, there is exactly one card of any given rank in any given suit. A deck may include special cards that belong to no suit, often called [[Joker (playing card)|joker]]s.

While English-speaking countries traditionally use cards with the [[French suit]]s of [[Clubs (suit)|Clubs]], [[Spades (suit)|Spades]], [[Hearts (suit)|Hearts]] and [[Diamonds (suit)|Diamonds]], many other countries have their own traditional suits. Much of central Europe uses the [[Germanic suits]] of [[Acorns (suit)|Acorns]], [[Leaves (suit)|Leaves]], [[Hearts (suit)|Hearts]] and [[Bells (suit)|Bells]]; Spain and parts of Italy and South America use the [[Latin-suited playing cards|Latin suits]] of [[Swords (suit)|Swords]], [[Batons (suit)|Batons]], [[Cups (suit)|Cups]] and [[Coins (suit)|Coins]]; German Switzerland uses the [[Swiss suited cards|Swiss suits]] of Acorns, [[Shields (suit)|Shields]], yellow [[Roses (suit)|Roses]] and Bells. Asian countries such as China and Japan also have their own traditional suits. [[Tarot card]] packs have a set of distinct picture cards alongside the traditional four suits.

==History==
Modern Western playing cards are generally divided into two or three general suit-systems. The older Latin suits are subdivided into the [[Italian playing cards|Italian]] and [[Spanish playing cards|Spanish]] suit-systems. The younger Germanic suits are subdivided into the [[German playing cards|German]] and [[Swiss playing cards|Swiss]] suit-systems. The [[French playing cards|French suits]] are a derivative of the German suits but are generally considered a separate system.<ref name="Parlett">{{cite book|last1=Parlett|first1=David|title=The Oxford Guide to Card Games|url=https://archive.org/details/oxfordguidetocar00parl|url-access=registration|date=1990|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford|pages=[https://archive.org/details/oxfordguidetocar00parl/page/27 27–34]}}</ref><ref>[[John McLeod (card game researcher)|McLeod, John]]. [https://www.pagat.com/class/#equipment Games classified by type of cards or tiles used] at [[pagat.com]]. Retrieved 24 March 2017.</ref>
{{anchor|Latin-suited playing cards}}{{anchor|Latin playing cards}}
===Origin and development of the Latin suits===
{{main|Italian playing cards|Spanish-suited playing cards|Portuguese-suited playing cards}}
The earliest [[card game]]s were [[trick-taking game]]s and the invention of suits increased the level of strategy and depth in these games. A card of one suit cannot beat a card from another regardless of its rank. The concept of suits predates playing cards and can be found in Chinese dice and domino games such as [[Tien Gow]].

[[Chinese playing cards#Money-suited cards|Chinese money-suited cards]] are believed to be the oldest ancestor to the Latin suit system. The money-suit system is based on [[Denomination (currency)|denominations of currency]]: '''[[Cash (suit)|Coins]]''', '''[[String of cash coins (currency unit)|Strings]]''' of Coins, '''[[Myriad]]s''' of Strings (or of coins), and '''Tens''' of Myriads. Old Chinese coins had holes in the middle to allow them to be strung together. A string of coins could easily be misinterpreted as a stick to those unfamiliar with them.

By then the Islamic world had spread into [[Central Asia]] and had contacted China, and had adopted playing cards. The Muslims renamed the suit of myriads as cups; this may have been due to seeing a Chinese character for "myriad" ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|万}}}}) upside-down. The Chinese numeral character for Ten ({{lang|zh|{{linktext|十}}}}) on the Tens of Myriads suit may have inspired the Muslim suit of swords.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Pollett|first1=Andrea|title=Tuman, or the Ten Thousand Cups of the Mamluk Cards|journal=[[The Playing-Card]]|date=2002|volume=31|issue=1|pages=34–41}}</ref> Another clue linking these Chinese, Muslim, and European cards are the ranking of certain suits. In many early Chinese games like [[Madiao]], the suit of coins was in reverse order so that the lower ones beat the higher ones. In the Indo-Persian game of [[Ganjifa]], half the suits were also inverted, including a suit of coins. This was also true for the European games of [[Tarot card games|Tarot]] and [[Ombre]]. The inverting of suits had no purpose in terms of play but was an artifact from the earliest games.

These Turko-Arabic cards, called [[Ganjifa|Kanjifa]], used the suits coins, clubs, cups, and swords, but the clubs represented polo sticks; Europeans changed that suit, as [[polo]] was an obscure sport to them.

The Latin suits are coins, clubs, cups, and swords. They are the earliest suit-system in Europe, and were adopted from the cards imported from [[Mamluk Sultanate (Cairo)|Mamluk Egypt]] and [[Emirate of Granada|Moorish Granada]] in the 1370s.

There are four types of Latin suits: Italian, Spanish, Portuguese,{{efn|"Portuguese" is slightly misleading nomenclature. The suit system may have originated in Catalonia and spread out through the western Mediterranean before being replaced by the "Spanish" system. The association with Portugal comes from the fact that they continued to use it until completely going over to French suits at the beginning of the 20th century.}} and an extinct archaic type.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Mann|first1=Sylvia|title=A Suit-System Subdivided|journal=[[The Playing-Card]]|date=1974|volume=3|issue=1|page=51}}</ref><ref>McLeod, John. [http://www.pagat.com/class/latin.html Games played with Latin suited cards] at [[pagat.com]]. Retrieved 10 November 2015.</ref> The systems can be distinguished by the pips of their long suits: swords and clubs.
* Northern Italian swords are curved outward and the clubs appear to be batons. They intersect one another.
* Southern Italian and Spanish swords are straight, and the clubs appear to be knobbly cudgels. They do not cross each other (except in the three of clubs).
* Portuguese pips are like the Spanish, but they intersect like Northern Italian ones. They sometimes have dragons on the [[ace]]s.<ref>Wintle, Adam. [http://www.wopc.co.uk/portugal/index Portuguese Playing Cards] at the World of Playing Cards. Retrieved 26 March 2017.</ref> This system lingers on only in the [[Tarocco Siciliano]] and the [[Karuta#Unsun Karuta|Unsun Karuta]] and [[Karuta#Komatsufuda|Komatsufuda]] of Japan. Unsun Karuta additionally has a fifth [[mitsudomoe|Guru suit (circular whirls)]].
* The archaic system{{efn|Probably associated with the [[Duchy of Ferrara]] and likely abandoned after the 15th century.}} is like the Northern Italian one, but the swords are curved inward so they touch each other without intersecting.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Dummett|first1=Michael|title=A Survey of 'Archaic' Italian Cards|journal=[[The Playing-Card]]|date=1990–1991|volume=19|issue=2, 4|pages=43–51, 128–131}}</ref><ref>Gjerde, Tor. [http://cards.old.no/irwpc/ Italian renaissance woodcut playing cards] at old.no. Retrieved 26 March 2017.</ref>
* [[Minchiate]] (a game that used a 97-card deck) used a mixed system of Italian clubs and Portuguese swords.

Despite a long history of trade with China, [[Japan]] was not introduced to playing cards until the arrival of the Portuguese in the 1540s.{{efn|The only users of Chinese cards during the [[Edo period]] were the expat community in [[Nagasaki]].<ref>{{cite web |title=（六）鎖国時代の中国の紙牌 - 日本かるた文化館 |url=https://japanplayingcardmuseum.com/1-1-1-6-chinesecards-national-isolation/ |website=Japan Playing Card Museum |access-date=2 September 2023 |language=ja}}</ref>}} Early locally made cards, [[Karuta]], were very similar to Portuguese decks. Increasing restrictions by the [[Tokugawa shogunate]] on gambling, card playing, and general foreign influence, resulted in the [[Hanafuda]] deck that today is used most often for fishing-type games and the Komatsufuda and [[Kabufuda]] decks that are used for gambling. In hanafuda, the role of rank and suit in organizing cards became switched, so the deck has 12 suits, each representing a month of the year, and each suit has 4 cards, most often two normal, one Ribbon and one Special (though August, November and December each differ uniquely from this convention). In komatsufuda and kabufuda, the designs of the suits became much more abstract; kabufuda eventually lost all distinctions of suit, with the deck having four identical copies of each rank. Unsun karuta did not face the same restrictions and instead developed an additional suit and additional ranks.

===Invention of German and French suits===
{{main|French-suited playing cards|German-suited playing cards|Swiss playing cards}}
During the 15th-century, manufacturers in German speaking lands experimented with various new suit systems to replace the Latin suits. One early deck had five suits, the Latin ones with an extra suit of shields.<ref>Meyer, Huck. [http://trionfi.com/0/j/d/liechtenstein/ Liechtenstein'sches Spiel] at trionfi.com. Retrieved 24 March 2017.</ref> The Swiss-Germans developed their own suits of shields, roses, acorns, and bells around 1450.<ref name="Dummett1980">{{cite book|last1=Dummett|first1=Michael|title=The Game of Tarot|date=1980|publisher=Duckworth|location=London|pages=14–16}}</ref> Instead of roses and shields, the Germans settled with hearts and leaves around 1460. The French derived their suits of ''trèfles'' (clovers or clubs {{Clubs}}), ''carreaux'' (tiles or diamonds {{Diams}}), ''cœurs'' (hearts {{Hearts}}), and ''piques'' (pikes or spades {{Spades}}) from the German suits around 1480. French suits correspond closely with German suits with the exception of the tiles with the bells but there is one early French deck that had crescents instead of tiles. The English names for the French suits of clubs and spades may simply have been carried over from the older Latin suits.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Berry|first1=John|title=French suits and English names|journal=[[The Playing-Card]]|date=1999|volume=28|issue=2|pages=84–89}}</ref>

===Tarot cards===
Beginning around 1440 in northern Italy, some decks started to include an extra suit of (usually) 21 numbered cards known as [[Trionfi (cards)|trionfi]] or [[trump (card games)|trump]]s, to play [[tarot card games]].<ref>McLeod, John. [http://www.pagat.com/tarot/ Card Games: Tarot Games] at [[pagat.com]]. Retrieved 10 November 2015.</ref> Always included in [[tarot]] decks is one card, [[The Fool (Tarot card)|the Fool or Excuse]], which may be part of the trump suit depending on the game or region. These cards do not have pips or face cards like the other suits. Most tarot decks used for games come with French suits but Italian suits are still used in Piedmont, Bologna, and pockets of Switzerland. A few Sicilian towns use the Portuguese-suited [[Tarocco Siciliano]], the only deck of its kind left in Europe.

The esoteric use of Tarot packs emerged in France in the late 18th century, since when special packs intended for [[Tarot card reading|divination]] have been produced. These typically have the suits cups, pentacles (based on the suit of coins), wands (based on the suit of batons), and swords. The trump cards and Fool of traditional card playing packs were named the [[Major Arcana]]; the remaining cards, often embellished with occult images, were the Minor Arcana. Neither term is recognised by card players.<ref name="Renee">{{cite book |last1=Renée |first1=Janina |title=Tarot for a New Generation |date=2001 |publisher=Llewellyn Publications |location=St. Paul, Minnesota |isbn=0738701602 |page=5 |edition=First |quote=In the system that is most commonly used, these suits are designated as Wands, Swords, Cups, and Pentacles.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Smith |first1=Caroline |last2=Astrop |first2=John |title=The Elemental Tarot |date=1999 |publisher=St. Martin's Griffin |location=New York |isbn=0312241399 |page=7 |quote=The Minor Arcana comprises fifty-six cards divided into four suits, which in most decks are swords, wands, cups, and coins or pentacles.}}</ref>
{{Clear}}
== Suits ==
=== Divination symbols ===
In [[divinatory, esoteric and occult tarot]], the Minor Arcana, and the suits by extension, are believed to represent relatively mundane features of life. The court cards may represent the people whom one meets.

Each suit also has distinctive characteristics and connotations commonly held to be as follows:<ref>{{cite book |last=Dee |first=Jonathan |editor=Liz Dean |title=Tarot, An illustrated guide |year=2002 |publisher=Silverdale Books |isbn=1-85605-685-6 |chapter=Introduction to the Minor Arcana}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! Latin suit
! Element
! Class
! Faculty
|-
| [[Suit of wands|Wands, batons, clubs, staves]]
| [[Fire (classical element)|Fire]]
| Artisans
| Will and creativity
|-
| [[Suit of swords|Swords, blades]]
| [[Air (classical element)|Air]]
| Nobility and military
| Reason or logic, wisdom, and intellect
|-
| [[Suit of goblets|Cups, chalices, goblets, vessels]]
| [[Water (classical element)|Water]]
| Clergy
| Spiritual matters, or emotions and love
|-
| [[Suit of coins|Pentacles, coins, disks, rings]]
| [[Earth (classical element)|Earth]]
| Merchants
| Material matters, or possessions and career
|}

=== Comparisons between suits ===
{| class="wikitable"  style="text-align:center; float:left;"
|-
!Origin
!colspan="12"|Suits
|-
!colspan="13"|Latin card suits
|-
|scope="row"|[[Italian playing cards|Italian]]{{efn|Sample pips come from the Venetian pattern}}
|Clubs<br/>(''Bastoni'')<br/> [[Image:Seme bastoni carte trevisane.svg|35x35px|center]]
|Cups<br/>(''Coppe'')<br/> [[Image:Seme coppe carte trevisane.svg|35x35px|center]]
|Swords<br/>(''Spade'')<br/> [[Image:Seme spade carte trevisane.svg|35x35px|center]]
|Coins<br/>(''Denari'')<br/> [[Image:Seme denari carte trevisane.svg|35x35px|center]]
|-
|scope="row"|[[Spanish playing cards|Spanish]]{{efn|Sample pips come from the Castilian pattern}}
|Clubs<br/>(''Bastos'')<br/> [[Image:Seme bastoni carte spagnole.svg|35x35px|center]]
|Cups<br/>(''Copas'')<br/> [[Image:Seme coppe carte spagnole.svg|35x35px|center]]
|Swords<br/>(''Espadas'')<br/> [[Image:Seme spade carte spagnole.svg|35x35px|center]]
|Coins<br/>(''Oros'')<br/> [[Image:Seme denari carte spagnole.svg|35x35px|center]]
|-
|scope="row"|[[Portuguese-suited playing cards|Portuguese]]
|Clubs<br/>(''Paus'')<br/> [[Image:Seme bastoni carte portoghesi.svg|35x35px|center]]
|Cups<br/>(''Copas'')<br/> [[Image:Seme coppe carte portoghesi.svg|35x35px|center]]
|Swords<br/>(''Espadas'')<br/> [[File:Seme spade carte portoghesi.svg|35x35px|center]]
|Coins<br/>(''Ouros'')<br/> [[Image:Seme denari carte portoghesi.svg|35x35px|center]]
|-
! colspan="13"| Comparison of German, French and Swiss suits{{efn|The French suit system is generally considered to be separate from the German and Swiss due to its different set of [[face card]]s. However, when comparing only the pips, it is German in origin.}}
|-
|scope="row"|[[Swiss playing cards|Swiss-German]]{{efn|There does not appear to be a single universal system of correspondences between Swiss-German and French suits. Cards combining the two suit systems are manufactured in different versions with different combinations of suits.}}
|[[Acorns (card suit)|Acorns]]{{efn|Swiss-German: ''Eichel''}}<br/> [[Image:EichelndeutschschweizerBlatt.svg|35x35px|center]]
|[[Shields (card suit)|Shields]]{{efn|Swiss-German: ''Schilten''}}<br/> [[Image:Bouclier jeu de carte.svg|35x35px|center]]
|[[Roses (card suit)|Roses]]{{efn|Swiss-German: ''Rosen''}}<br/> [[Image:RosendeutschschweizerBlatt.svg|35x35px|center]]
|[[Bells (card suit)|Bells]]{{efn|Swiss-German: ''Schellen''}}<br/> [[Image:SchellendeutschschweizerBlatt.svg|35x35px|center]]
|-
|scope="row"|[[German playing cards|German]]
|[[Acorns (card suit)|Acorns]]{{efn|German: ''Eichel'' (acorn), ''Ecker'' (beechnut), Hungarian: ''Makk'' (acorn), Czech: Žaludy (acorns)}}<br/> [[Image:Bay eichel.svg|35x35px|center]]
|[[Hearts (card suit)|Hearts]]{{efn|German: ''Herz'' (heart), ''Rot'' (red), Hungarian: ''Piros'' (red), Czech: Srdce (heart), Červené (red)}}<br/> [[Image:Bay herz.svg|35x35px|center]]
|[[Leaves (card suit)|Leaves]]{{efn|German: ''Laub'' (leaves), ''Grün'' (green), ''Gras'' (grass), ''Blatt'' (leaf) Hungarian: ''Zöld'' (green), Czech: Listy (leaves), Zelené (green)}}<br/> [[Image:Bay gras.svg|35x35px|center]]
|[[Bells (card suit)|Bells]]{{efn|German: ''Schellen'' (bells), Hungarian: ''Tök'' (pumpkin), Czech: Kule (balls)}}<br/> [[Image:Bay schellen.svg|35x35px|center]]
|-
|scope="row"|[[French playing cards|French]]
|[[Clubs (suit)|Clover]]<br>[[Clubs (suit)|(Clubs)]]{{efn|The shape of the clubs symbol is believed to be an adaptation of the German suit of acorns. Clubs are also known as clovers, flowers and crosses. The French name for the suit is ''trèfles'' meaning ''clovers'', the Italian name for the suit is ''fiori'' meaning ''flowers'' and the German name for the suit is ''Kreuz'' meaning ''cross''.}}<br>[[File:SuitClubs.svg|center|35x35px]]
|[[Hearts (suit)|Hearts]]<br>[[Image:SuitHearts.svg|35x35px|center]]
|[[Spades (suit)|Pikes]]<br>[[Spades (suit)|(Spades)]]{{efn|In German-speaking countries the spade was the symbol associated with the blade of a [[spade]]. The English term ''spade'' originally did not refer to the tool but was derived from the Spanish word ''espada'' meaning ''[[sword]]'' from the Spanish suit. Those symbols were later changed to resemble the digging tool instead to avoid confusion. In German and Dutch the suit is alternatively named ''Schippen'' and ''schoppen'' respectively, meaning [[shovel]]s.}}<br>[[File:SuitSpades.svg|center|35x35px]]
|[[Diamonds (suit)|Tiles]]<br>[[Diamonds (suit)|(Diamonds)]]<br>[[File:SuitDiamonds.svg|center|35x35px]]
|-
!colspan="13"|Karuta suits
|-
|scope="row"|[[Karuta#Komatsufuda|Komatsufuda]]
|Clubs<br/>{{CSS image crop|Image=小松札.png|bSize=420|cWidth=35|cHeight=51|oTop=4|oLeft=105|Location=center|Alt=Four of Clubs}}
|Cups<br/>{{CSS image crop|Image=小松札.png|bSize=420|cWidth=35|cHeight=51|oTop=168|oLeft=105|Location=center|Alt=Four of Cups}}
|Swords<br/>{{CSS image crop|Image=小松札.png|bSize=420|cWidth=35|cHeight=51|oTop=58|oLeft=105|Location=center|Alt=Four of Swords}}
|Coins<br/>{{CSS image crop|Image=小松札.png|bSize=420|cWidth=35|cHeight=51|oTop=113|oLeft=105|Location=center|Alt=Four of Coins}}
|-
|scope="row"|[[Karuta#Unsun karuta|Unsun Karuta]]
|Clubs<br/>(''パオ'')<br/>[[Image:Seme carte ursun karuta bastoni.svg|35x35px|center]]
|Cups<br/>(''コツ'')<br/>[[Image:Seme carte ursun karuta coppe.svg|35x35px|center]]
|Swords<br/>(''イス'')<br/>[[Image:Seme carte ursun karuta spade.svg|35x35px|center]]
|Coins<br/>(''オウル'')<br/>[[Image:Seme carte ursun karuta denari.svg|35x35px|center]]
|Guru<br/>(''クル'')<br/>[[Image:Seme carte ursun karuta giri.svg|35x35px|center]]
|-
|scope="row"|[[Kabufuda]]
|Clubs<br/>[[Image:Kabufuda - 04.jpg|35x35px|center]]
|-
|scope="row" rowspan=2|[[Hanafuda]]{{efn|In Hanafuda, each of the 12 suits is associated with a month of the year. The traditional month associations differ from region to region. Most notable in modern usage, is that in Korea the suits for November and December are switched compared to the standard Japanese order.}}
|Pine{{efn|Japanese: {{nihongo3|[[pine]]|松|matsu}}, Korean: {{Korean|hangul=송학|hanja=松鶴|rr=songhak|lit=pine crane|labels=no}}. Associated with the month January.}}<br/>{{hanafuda|1|1}}
|Plum{{efn|Japanese: {{nihongo3|[[Prunus mume|plum blossom]]|梅|ume}}, Korean: {{Korean|hangul=매조|hanja=梅鳥|rr=maejo|lit=plum bird|labels=no}}. Associated with the month February.}}<br/>{{hanafuda|2|1}}
|Cherry{{efn|Japanese: {{nihongo3|[[cherry blossom]]|桜|sakura}}, Korean: {{Korean|hangul=벚꽃|rr=beotkkot|lit=cherry blossom|labels=no}} or {{Korean|hangul=사쿠라|rr=[[sakura]]|labels=no}}. Associated with the month March.}}<br/>{{hanafuda|3|1}}
|Wisteria{{efn|Japanese: {{nihongo3|[[wisteria]]|藤|fuji}}, Korean: {{Korean|hangul=흑싸리|rr=heugssali|lit=black [[bush clover]]|labels=no}}. Associated with the month April.}}<br/>{{hanafuda|4|1}}
|Iris{{efn|Japanese: {{nihongo3|[[iris (plant)|iris]]|菖蒲|ayame}} or {{nihongo3|[[Iris laevigata]]|杜若|kakitsubata}}, Korean: {{Korean|hangul=난초|hanja=蘭草|rr=nancho|lit=orchid|labels=no}}. Associated with the month May.}}<br/>{{hanafuda|5|1}}
|Peony{{efn|Japanese: {{nihongo3|[[peony]]|牡丹|botan}}, Korean: {{Korean|hangul=모란|hanja=牡丹|rr=moran|lit=peony|labels=no}}. Associated with the month June.}}<br/>{{hanafuda|6|1}}
|Bush Clover{{efn|Japanese: {{nihongo3|[[bush clover]]|萩|hagi}}, Korean: {{Korean|hangul=홍싸리|rr=hongssari|lit=red bush clover|labels=no}}. Associated with the month July.}}<br/>{{hanafuda|7|1}}
|Susuki Grass{{efn|Japanese: {{nihongo3|[[Miscanthus sinensis|Japanese silver grass]]|芒|susuki}} or {{nihongo3|[[Buddhist monk]], shorn head|坊主|bōzu}}, Korean: {{Korean|hangul=공산|hanja=空山|rr=gongsan|lit=empty mountain|labels=no}}. Associated with the month August.}}<br/>{{hanafuda|8|1}}
|Chrysan&shy;themum{{efn|Japanese: {{nihongo3|[[chrysanthemum]]|菊|kiku}}, Korean: {{Korean|hangul=국진|rr=gukjin|labels=no}}. Associated with the month September.}}<br/>{{hanafuda|9|1}}
|Maple{{efn|Japanese: {{nihongo3|[[maple]], red leaves|紅葉|momiji}}, Korean: {{Korean|hangul=단풍|hanja=丹楓|rr=danpung|lit=maple, autumn leaves|labels=no}}. Associated with the month October.}}<br/>{{hanafuda|10|1}}
|Willow{{efn|Japanese: {{nihongo3|[[willow]]|柳|yanagi}} or {{nihongo3|rain|雨|ame}}, Korean: {{Korean|hangul=비|rr=bi|lit=rain|labels=no}}. Associated with the month November in Japan and December in Korea.}}<br/>{{hanafuda|11|5}}
|Paul&shy;ownia{{efn|Japanese: {{nihongo3|[[paulownia]]|桐|kiri}}, Korean: {{Korean|hangul=오동|rr=odong|lit=paulownia|labels=no}}. Associated with the month December in Japan and November in Korea.}}<br/>{{hanafuda|12|1}}
|}
{{Clear}}

==Suits in games with traditional decks==
===Trumps===
In a large and popular category of [[trick-taking game]]s, one suit may be designated in each deal to be ''[[trump (card games)|trump]]'' and all cards of the trump suit rank above all non-trump cards, and automatically prevail over them, losing only to a higher trump if one is played to the same trick.<ref>McLeod, John. [https://www.pagat.com/mech.html Mechanics of Card Games] at [[pagat.com]]. Retrieved 24 March 2017.</ref> Non-trump suits are called plain suits.<ref>[[David Parlett|Parlett, David]]. [http://www.parlettgames.uk/oricards/glossary.html The Language of Cards] at David Parlett Gourmet Games. Retrieved 24 March 2017.</ref>

===Special suits===
Some games treat one or more suits as being special or different from the others. A simple example is [[Spades (card game)|Spades]], which uses spades as a permanent trump suit. A less simple example is [[Hearts (game)|Hearts]], which is a kind of [[trick-taking game|point trick game]] in which the object is to avoid taking tricks containing hearts. With typical rules for Hearts (rules vary slightly) the queen of spades and the two of clubs (sometimes also the jack of diamonds) have special effects, with the result that all four suits have different strategic value. [[Tarot]] decks have a dedicated trump suit.

=== Chosen suits ===
Games of the [[Karnöffel Group]] have between one and four [[chosen suit]]s, sometimes called selected suits or, misleadingly, trump suits. The chosen suits are typified by having a disrupted ranking and cards with varying privileges which may range from full to none and which may depend on the order they are played to the trick. For example, chosen Sevens may be unbeatable when led, but otherwise worthless. In Swedish [[Bräus]] some cards are even unplayable. In games where the number of chosen suits is less than four, the others are called [[unchosen suit]]s and usually rank in their natural order.

===Ranking of suits===
{{main|High card by suit}}
Whist-style rules generally preclude the necessity of determining which of two cards of different suits has higher rank, because a card played on a card of a different suit either automatically wins or automatically loses depending on whether the new card is a trump. However, some card games also need to define relative suit rank. An example of this is in auction games such as [[contract bridge|bridge]], where if one player wishes to bid to make some number of heart tricks and another to make the same number of diamond tricks, there must be a mechanism to determine which takes precedence in the bidding order.

There is no standard order for the four suits and so there are differing conventions among games that need a suit hierarchy. Examples of suit order are (from highest to lowest):
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
! colspan="4"|{{nowrap|High → low}} || Games || Mnemonic
|-
| {{spades}} || {{hearts}} || {{diamonds}} || {{clubs}}
| align="left"|[[Contract bridge|Bridge]] for bidding and scoring<br />[[high card by suit|Poker]] occasionally<br />Taiwanese version of [[Big Two]]
| align="left"|Alphabetical order {{nowrap|reversed: S, H, D, C}}
|-
| {{spades}} || {{hearts}} || {{clubs}} || {{diamonds}}
| align="left"|[[Big Two]] outside [[Taiwan]]
| align="left"|1 tip, 2 halves, {{nowrap|3 leaves, 4 corners}}
|-
| {{hearts}} || {{diamonds}} || {{clubs}} || {{spades}}
| align="left"|[[Preferans]] only used for bidding<br />[[500 (card game)|Five Hundred]] for bidding and scoring<br />[[Tiến lên|Thirteen]]
|
|-
| {{hearts}}<br />{{German Hearts}} || {{diamonds}}<br />{{German Bells}} || {{spades}}<br />{{Leaves}} || {{clubs}}<br />{{Acorns}}
| align="left"|[[Préférence]] only used for bidding
|
|-
| {{clubs}}<br />{{acorns}} || {{spades}}<br />{{leaves}} || {{hearts}}<br />{{German hearts}} || {{diamonds}}<br />{{German bells}}
| align="left"|[[Skat (card game)|Skat]] for bidding (valued 12, 11, 10, 9) and to determine which Jack beats which in play<br />Other European games such as [[Bruus]]
|
|-
| {{clubs}} || {{spades}} || {{hearts}} || {{diamonds}}
| align="left"|[[Cego]] for determining highest card in certain situations
|-
| {{clubs}} || {{hearts}} || {{spades}} || {{diamonds}}
| align="left"|[[Ninety-nine (trick-taking card game)|Ninety-nine]] for scoring
| align="left"|3, 2, 1, 0 [[lobe (anatomy)|lobes]]
|}

===Pairing or ignoring suits===
The pairing of suits is a vestigial remnant of [[Ganjifa]], a game where half the suits were in reverse order, the lower cards beating the higher. In Ganjifa, progressive suits were called "strong" while inverted suits were called "weak". In Latin decks, the traditional division is between the long suits of swords and clubs and the round suits of cups and coins. This pairing can be seen in [[Ombre]] and [[Tarot card games]]. German and Swiss suits lack pairing but French suits maintained them and this can be seen in the game of [[Spoil Five]].<ref name="Leyden">{{cite book|last1=Leyden|first1=Rudolf von|last2=Dummett|first2=Michael|title=Ganjifa, The Playing Cards of India|date=1982|publisher=[[Victoria and Albert Museum]]|location=London|pages=52–53}}</ref>

In some games, such as [[blackjack]], suits are ignored. In other games, such as [[Canasta]], only the color (red or black) is relevant. In yet others, such as bridge, each of the suit pairings are distinguished.

In [[contract bridge]], there are three ways to divide four suits into pairs: by ''color'', by ''rank'' and by ''shape'' resulting in six possible suit combinations.
* Color is used to denote the ''red'' suits (hearts and diamonds) and the ''black'' suits (spades and clubs).
* Rank is used to indicate the ''[[Major suit|major]]'' (spades and hearts) versus ''[[Minor suit|minor]]'' (diamonds and clubs) suits.
* Shape is used to denote the ''pointed'' (diamonds and spades, which visually have a sharp point uppermost) versus ''rounded'' (hearts and clubs) suits. This is used in bridge as a mnemonic.

===Four-color suits===
[[File:4coloraces1.jpg|thumb|The aces of a [[four-color deck]]]]
{{see also|Four-color deck}}

Some decks, while using the French suits, give each suit a different color to make the suits more distinct from each other. In [[Contract bridge|bridge]], such decks are known as ''no-[[revoke]]'' decks, and the most common colors are black spades, red hearts, blue diamonds and green clubs, although in the past the diamond suit usually appeared in a golden yellow-orange.  A pack occasionally used in Germany uses green spades (comparable to leaves), red hearts, yellow diamonds (comparable to bells) and black clubs (comparable to acorns). This is a compromise deck devised to allow players from East Germany (who used German suits) and West Germany (who adopted the French suits) to be comfortable with the same deck when playing tournament [[Skat (card game)|Skat]] after the [[German reunification]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Kartenbilder|url=http://www.deutscherskatverband.de/kartenbilder.html|date=17 January 2012 |language=de|publisher=deutscherskatverband.de|access-date=12 December 2012}}</ref>

[[Balatro]] also has a high contrast setting. Clubs are blue and diamonds are yellow.

==Other suited decks==

===Swiss-German Experimental Suit Systems===
This is a list of suit systems devised by early Swiss-German cardmakers mentioned by [[Michael Dummett]]:<ref name="Dummett1980" />

{| class=wikitable
|+ 15th-16th Century Swiss-German suit systems
! Name !!  Time !! Suit 1 !! Suit 2 !! Suit 3 !! Suit 4 !! Other Suits
|-
| Incomplete sheet from [[Basel]] || c. 1531 || Purses || Keys
|-
| Several incomplete packs from [[Basel]] || c. 1470 to 1529 || Feathers || Hats || Shields || Bells
|-
| Cards from Shields suit (presumed Swiss suit system) || c. 1433-1451 || Shields || Acorns (presumed) || Roses (presumed) || Bells (presumed)
|-
| [[Stuttgart pack]] || c. 1427-1431 || Stags || Hounds || Ducks || Falcons
|-
| [[Ambraser Hofjagdspiel]] || c. 1440-1445 || Falcons || Lures || Hounds || Herons
|-
| Pack by [[Virgil Solis]] || c. 1540-1545 || Lions || Apes || Parrots || Peacocks
|-
| 2 fragmentary sheets from the [[Upper Rhine]] || 16th century || Carnations || Beans || Birds
|-
| Pack by [[Thomas Murner]] for teaching logic || 1509 || Bells || Acorns || Hearts || Shields || Crowns, et al. (total 16 suits)
|-
| Pack by [[Thomas Murner]] for teaching law || 1515 || Bells || Acorns || Hearts || Shields || Crowns, et al. (total 12 suits)
|-
| Liechtenstein pack || c. 1440-1450, c. 1494-1500 (disputed) || Coins || Batons (or polosticks<ref>Meyer, Huck. [http://trionfi.com/0/j/d/liechtenstein/ Liechtenstein'sches Spiel] at trionfi.com. Retrieved 24 March 2017.</ref>) || Cups || Swords || Shields
|-
| Pack by [[Daniel Hopfer|Hopfer of Nuremberg]]{{vn|reason=may not be correct person. or dates might be wrong|date=August 2024}} || c. 1536-1539 || Coins || Batons (arranged as spokes of a wheel) || Cups || Swords (arranged as spokes of a wheel)
|-
| 2 packs by Heinrich Hauk of [[Frankfurt]] || 1585 and 1588 || Roses || Acorns || Birds || Bells
|-
| Pack perhaps by Heinrich Hauk || || Lions || Apes || Parrots || Eagles
|-
| Pack by [[Hans Sebald Beham]] || c. 1523 || Leaves || Acorns || Roses || Pomegranates
|-
| Pack attributed to [[Hans Sebald Beham]] || || Acorns || Bells || Roses || Parrots
|-
| Listed by Dominican Meister Ingold || 1450 || Roses || Crowns || Pennies || Rings
|-
| Set of mutilated cards from [[Alsace]] || c. 1480 || Shields || Crowns || Bells || Acorns
|-
| Fragmentary sheet of Maihinger pack || c. 1450 || Lions || Bears || Dogs
|}

Other suit systems:

{| class=wikitable
|+ 15th-16th Century Swiss-German suit system
! Name !!  Time !! Suit 1 !! Suit 2 !! Suit 3 !! Suit 4 !! Other Suits
|-
| Pack by [[Master of the Playing Cards]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wopc.co.uk/germany/master-of-the-playing-cards|title=Master of the Playing Cards|last=Wintle|first=Simon|date=February 7, 2017|website=www.wopc.co.uk|publisher=The World of Playing Cards|access-date=August 31, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Master of the Playing Cards - The Queen of Flowers|url=http://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/373616|website=MetMuseum.org|publisher=Metropolitan Museum of Art|access-date=September 4, 2024}}</ref> || c. 1455 || Flowers || [[woodwose|Wild men]] || Beasts of prey || Stags || Herons
|-
| [[Hofämterspiel]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wopc.co.uk/austria/hofamterspiel|title=Hofamterspiel, c.1460|last=Wintle|first=Simon|date=July 3, 1996|website=www.wopc.co.uk|publisher=The World of Playing Cards|access-date=August 31, 2024}}</ref> || c. 1460 || Shields (France) || Shields (Germany) || Shields (Bohemia) || Shields (Hungary)
|-
| [[Flemish Hunting Deck]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wopc.co.uk/france/flemish-hunting-deck|title=Flemish Hunting Deck|last=Wintle|first=Simon|date=May 6, 2015|website=www.wopc.co.uk|publisher=The World of Playing Cards|access-date=August 31, 2024}}</ref> || c. 1475-1480 || Dog collars || Dog tethers || Gaming nooses || Hunting horns
|-
| Pack by south German engraver<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wopc.co.uk/germany/south-german-engraver|title=South German Engraver|last=Wintle|first=Simon|date=July 3, 1996|website=www.wopc.co.uk|publisher=The World of Playing Cards|access-date=August 31, 2024}}</ref> || c. 1496 || Pomegranates{{efn|Possibly alludes to the [[Kingdom of Granada (Crown of Castile)|kingdom of Granada]].}} || Batons || Cups || Swords
|-
| Pack by Master P. W.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wopc.co.uk/germany/master-pw/circular|title=Master PW Circular Cards|last=Wintle|first=Simon|date=July 17, 2011|website=www.wopc.co.uk|publisher=The World of Playing Cards|access-date=August 31, 2024}}</ref> || c. 1500 || Hares || Parrots || Carnations || Columbines || Roses
|-
| Pack by [[Jost Amman]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wopc.co.uk/germany/the-book-of-trades-by-jost-amman-1588|title=The Book of Trades by Jost Amman, 1588|last=Wintle|first=Simon|date=July 3, 1996|website=www.wopc.co.uk|publisher=The World of Playing Cards|access-date=August 31, 2024}}</ref> || 1588 || Books || Ink pads || Pots || Cups
|}

===Suited-and-ranked decks===
A large number of games are based around a deck in which each card has a rank and a suit (usually represented by a color), and for each suit there is exactly one card having each rank, though in many cases the deck has various special cards as well.

{| class=wikitable
|+ Color suits used by some modern card games
! Games !! Suits!! red !! orange<br>brown<br>gold !! yellow !! green !! cyan<br>teal !! blue !! purple !! magenta<br>pink !! black<br>grey<br>white
|-
! DUO
| 4|| {{color sample|red}} || || || {{color sample|green}} || || {{color sample|blue}} || {{color sample|purple}} || ||
|-
! [[Uno (card game)|UNO]], [[Phase 10]]
| 4|| {{color sample|red}} || || {{color sample|yellow}} || {{color sample|green}} || || {{color sample|blue}} || || ||
|-
!UNO Flip
|8 ||{{Colorsample|Red}} ||{{Colorsample|Orange}} ||{{Colorsample|Yellow}} ||{{Colorsample|Green}} ||{{Colorsample|Teal}} ||{{Colorsample|Blue}} ||{{Colorsample|Purple}} ||{{Colorsample|Pink}} ||
|-
!4-Colour Suits
|4 ||{{Colorsample|Red}} || || ||{{Colorsample|Green}} || ||{{Colorsample|Blue}} || || ||{{Colorsample|Black}}
|-
!4-Colour Suits (Old)
|4 ||{{Colorsample|Red}} ||{{Colorsample|Gold}} || ||{{Colorsample|Green}} || ||{{Colorsample|Blue}} || || ||
|-
! [[Rook (card game)|Rook]], 4-Colour Suits (German)
| 4|| {{color sample|red}}|| || {{color sample|yellow}}|| {{color sample|green}} || || || || || {{color sample|black}}
|-
! Sticheln
| 5|| {{color sample|red}}|| {{color sample|brown}}|| {{color sample|yellow}}|| {{color sample|green}} || || {{color sample|blue}}|| || ||
|-
! Mü
| 5|| {{color sample|red}} || || {{color sample|yellow}} || {{color sample|green}} || || {{color sample|blue}} || {{color sample|purple}} || ||
|-
! [[Rage (trick-taking card game)|Rage]], Level 8
| 6|| {{color sample|red}} || {{color sample|orange}} || {{color sample|yellow}} || {{color sample|green}} || || {{color sample|blue}} || {{color sample|purple}} || ||
|-
! Schotten Totten
| 6 || {{color sample|red}} || {{color sample|brown}} || {{color sample|yellow}} || {{color sample|green}} || || {{color sample|blue}} || {{color sample|purple}} || ||
|}

===Other modern decks===
Decks for some games are divided into suits, but otherwise bear little relation to traditional games. An example would be the board game [[Taj Mahal (board game)|Taj Mahal]], in which each card has one of four background colors, the rule being that all the cards played by a single player in a single round must be the same color. The selection of cards in the deck of each color is approximately the same and the player's choice of which color to use is guided by the contents of their particular hand.

In the trick-taking card game ''Flaschenteufel'' ("[[Bottle Imp (card game)|The Bottle Imp]]"), all cards are part of a single sequence ranked from 1 to 37 but split into three suits depending on its rank. players must follow the suit led, but if they are void in that suit they may play a card of another suit ''and this can still win the trick if its rank is high enough''. For this reason every card in the deck has a different number to prevent ties. A further strategic element is introduced since one suit contains mostly low-ranking cards and another, mostly high-ranking cards.

Whereas cards in a traditional deck have two classifications&mdash;suit and rank&mdash;and each combination is represented by one card, giving for example ''4 suits × 13 ranks = 52 cards'', each card in a [[Set (game)|Set]] deck has four classifications each into one of three categories, giving a total of ''3 × 3 × 3 × 3 = 81'' cards. Any one of these four classifications could be considered a ''suit'', but this is not really enlightening in terms of the structure of the game.

====Role-playing games====

Several table-top [[role-playing game]]s use cards in place of, or in addition to, the more traditional dice. In most cases, they are merely informational or replacements for a table roll, and thus lack suiting; others use them as a dice replacement without suit, most notably [[Everway]], or to modify the task resolution, as in [[Masterbook]] or [[Torg]]. When used as the primary resolution method, the term "card driven" is used, borrowed from the boardgaming hobby's jargon.

Some card-driven games use traditional bridge/poker decks in French suits, including both jokers, such as ''[[Deadlands]]''<ref>Hensley, Shane Lacy et al, ''Deadlands Player's Guide'', Pinnacle Entertainment Group, 1999. Page 25.</ref> and ''[[Savage Worlds]]'',<ref>Hensley, Shane Lace Henley, et al, ''Savage Worlds Adventure Edition'', Pinnacle Entertainment Group, 2023. Page 6.</ref> and ''Castle Falkenstein''.<ref>Pondsmith, Michael Alyn, ''Castle Falkenstein'', R. Talsorian Games, 1994. Page 133, sidebar.</ref> ''Castle Falkenstein'' uses cards only, and thus uses them for all mechanical randomness uses. ''Deadlands'' uses cards for initiative and the magic system. ''Savage Worlds'' uses the cards for initiative and for extended tasks, such as chases.

Certain games have used custom decks. The most notable are ''[[DragonLance Fifth Age]]'' and ''[[Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game]]''.

TSR Hobbies' ''[[DragonLance: Fifth Age]]'' uses a 9-suited deck, numbered 1-9 in the suits of Shields, Arrows, Helms, Swords, Crescent Moons, Orbs, Hearts, and Crowns, each tied to one of the 8 attributes, and one suit, Dragons, numbered 1-10. Trump is set by the action's governing attribute, and playing trump grants adding a card drawn from the deck to the total. The cards also have several other elements on them, including initiative, a color (not tied to suit; white red, or black), and an image of a character from the novels.<ref>Connors, William W, et al, ''DragonLance Fifth Age: Book of the Fifth Age'', TSR Hobbies, 1996. Pages 4, 12, and 13.</ref> 

''[[Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game]]'', a stablemate to ''DragonLance: Fifth Age'', uses five suits; four are attribute-based, Strength, Agility, Intellect and Willpower, with duplicated values (1×, 1×2, 2×3, 4×4, 4×5, 4×6, 4×7, 2×8, 2×9 each), each showing a different Marvel character, and having the same White, Red, and Black coding not linked to suit. The fifth suit, Doom, has a different distribution (1×1, 1×2, 2×3, 2×4, 2×5, 2×6, 2×8, 1×9, 1×10). Aside from differences of suit, the resolution is the same.<ref>Selinker, Mike, ''Marvel Super Heroes Adventure Game: Game Book'', TSR Hobbies, 1998. Pages 8-9, and accompanying card deck.</ref>

Both TSR's card-driven games use card draws not just for task resolution, but also Initiative determination, use as a yes/no (using the initiative indicators) or all/partial/none oracle (using the White, Red, Black indicator) for play with or without a gamemaster, and for character generation.

==Uses of playing card suit symbols==
Card suit symbols occur in places outside card playing:
* The four suits were famously employed by the United States' [[101st Airborne Division]] during [[World War II]] to distinguish its four constituent regiments:
**Clubs ({{♣}}) identified the [[327th Glider Infantry Regiment]]; currently worn by the 1st Brigade Combat Team.
**Diamonds ({{♦}}) identified the [[501st Parachute Infantry Regiment|501st PIR]]. 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment is now part of the 4th Brigade (ABN), [[25th Infantry Division (United States)|25th Infantry Division]] in Alaska; the Diamond is currently used by the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade.
**Hearts ({{♥}}) identified the [[502d Parachute Infantry Regiment|502nd PIR]];<ref>{{cite book|last=Zaloga|first=Steven J|title=US Airborne Divisions in the ETO 1944-45|publisher=Osprey Publishing|date=2007|pages=58}}</ref> currently worn by the 2nd Brigade Combat Team.
**Spades ({{♠}}) identified the [[506th Infantry Regiment|506th PIR]]; currently worn by the 4th Brigade Combat Team.

== Character encodings ==
{{Main|Playing cards in Unicode}}
In computer and other [[digital media]], suit symbols can be represented with [[character encoding]], notably in the [[ISO/IEC 8859|ISO]] and [[Unicode]] standards, or with [[List of XML and HTML character entity references|Web standard]] ([[Standard Generalized Markup Language|SGML]]'s named entity [[SGML entity#Syntax|syntax]]). [[Unicode and HTML#Frequency of usage|Unicode]] is the most frequently used encoding standard, and suits are in Unicode's [[Miscellaneous Symbols|Miscellaneous Symbols Block]] (2600–26FF). Unicode uses the terms "black" and "white" to mean solid or outlined, with the actual colour left to the user. Thus, for example, {{unichar|2660}} and {{unichar|2665}} can be displayed as {{red|♠}} and {{red|♥}}, as {{black|♠}} and {{black|♥}} or even as {{green|♠}} and {{green|♥}}. 

{|class="wikitable"
|+Playing card characters in Unicode
|-
!Codepoint:!!U+2660 (9824<sub>dec</sub>)!!U+2665 (9829<sub>dec</sub>)!!U+2666 (9830<sub>dec</sub>)!!U+2663 (9827<sub>dec</sub>)
|- style="font-size:larger;"
|<small>'''Symbol''':</small>||♠||♥||♦||♣
|-
|'''Name''':||Black Spade Suit||Black Heart Suit||Black Diamond Suit||Black Club Suit
|-
|'''Entity''':||&amp;spades;||&amp;hearts;||&amp;diams;||&amp;clubs;
|-
!Codepoint:!!U+2664 (9828<sub>dec</sub>)!!U+2661 (9825<sub>dec</sub>)!!U+2662 (9826<sub>dec</sub>)!!U+2667 (9831<sub>dec</sub>)
|- style="font-size:larger;"
|<small>'''Symbol''':</small>||♤||♡||♢||♧
|-
|'''Name''':||White Spade Suit || White Heart Suit || White Diamond Suit || White Club Suit
|-
|colspan="5"| ''Codepoints'' are expressed by the [[Unicode#Architecture and terminology|Unicode code point "U+hexadecimal number" syntax]], and in parenthesis the equivalent decimal number.<br/>''Symbol''s are expressed here as they are in the [[web browser]]'s [[HTML]] renderization.<br/> ''Name'' is the formal name adopted in the standard specifications.
|}


It is recommended to use stylistic fonts for regional variations of the French suits.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.unicode.org/mail-arch/unicode-ml/y2010-m12/0026.html|title=Swiss/German/Latin playing card symbols|last=Stötzner|first=Andreas|date=December 7, 2010|website=unicode.org|access-date=August 27, 2024}}</ref> Though [[Fleuron (typography)#Fleurons in Unicode|fleuron]]s (e.g. ✿/❀) can be used for the [[Roses (suit)|flower suit]], and [[Star (grapheme)|star]]s (e.g. ★/☆) can be used for a fifth suit such as for [[Five Crowns (card game)|Five Crowns]].

==Metaphorical uses==
In some card games the card suits have a dominance order, for example: club (lowest) - diamond - heart - spade (highest). That led to ''in spades'' being used to mean ''more than expected, in abundance, very much''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.phrases.org.uk/meanings/in-spades.html|title='In spades' - the meaning and origin of this phrase|first=Gary|last=Martin}} Retrieved 24 March 2017.</ref>

Other expressions drawn from bridge and similar games include ''strong suit'' (any area of personal strength) and ''to follow suit'' (to imitate another's actions).

==See also==
{{Div col|colwidth=30em}}
*[[Hearts (card game)]]
*[[Spades (card game)]]
*[[Stripped deck]]
*[[Five-suit bridge]]
*[[Russian playing cards]]
{{Div col end}}

==Notes==
{{notelist|30em}}

==References==
{{reflist|30em}}

{{Playing cards}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Suit (Cards)}}
[[Category:Card suits| ]]
[[Category:Playing cards]]
[[Category:Contract bridge]]