The rank of a card is its numeric (or letter) value. This is different than the suit of a card, which is the symbol found on its face indicating which group of four sets it belongs to.
In a standard 52-card deck of playing cards, there are 13 ranks of cards in each of four suits.
The ranks, from highest to lowest, are:
- A Ace
- K King
- Q Queen
- J Jack
- 10 Ten
- 9 Nine
- 8 Eight
- 7 Seven
- 6 Six
- 5 Five
- 4 Four
- 3 Three, also called a trey
- 2 Two, also called a deuce
Note that in nearly all variants of poker, an Ace may be played as a low card if the player chooses to do so, in which case the Ace ranks below the 2. In some variants, the player may be required to count the Ace as high (for example, in deuce-to-seven Razz).
Some decks, and some poker games, also use additional cards, such as the Joker, which have no particular rank of their own unless the variant being played specifies some rank for it.
Nicknames of the Ranks[]
The ranks of the cards have over time picked up various nicknames. The nicknames are most often used when two or more cards of the same rank are being described ("a pair of ducks", "a set of ladies"), but can occasionally be used when describing a single card of that rank.
- A Ace
- Rocket
- Bullet
- K King
- Cowboy
- Q Queen
- Lady
- J Jack
- Fishhook
- 10 Ten
- 9 Nine
- 8 Eight
- Snowman
- 7 Seven
- Walking Stick
- 6 Six
- 5 Five
- 4 Four
- 3 Three
- Trey (this one is so common, it is often used in place of saying three at all)
- 2 Two
- Deuce (this one is so common, it is often used in place of saying two at all)
- Duck