When playing a game with rules based on the rank and suit of cards, it would make sense to have a standardized set of cards. The 52-card pack that you see used in most card games is a French-suited pack.
The deck is divided up into four suits, each represented by a different icon. These are the black-colored clubs, also called clovers, and spades, plus the red-colored hearts and diamonds. Each suit contains the same 13 ranks, which are an ace, the numbers 2 through 10, and three face cards, the jack, queen, and king.
If you haven’t closely inspected a deck of cards, you may assume the face cards are identical. That is, the jack of hearts is the same as the jack of clubs. Of course, a quick inspection shows that this is not so. In fact, the slight differences between the face cards have earned them some common nicknames. There are the one-eyed jacks, featured in the spade and heart suits, which are seen in profile. There is also the suicide king, or the king of hearts, named for the sword that appears to be piercing his head.
You may even have heard more familiar names for the cards, like David (K♠) or Alexander (K♣). This goes back to an old French custom of naming face cards after royal figures, both real and fictional. As playing cards weren’t mass-produced, the names changed from deck to deck. However, some names appeared with a certain degree of frequency, like Charlemagne (K♥) and Lancelot (J♣). So why aren’t names associated with the cards today? The French Revolution; it brought an end to the monarchy and this habit.
1. What led to the expansion of poker to the West?
(A) French immigrants settled in New Orleans.
(B) People looking for gold traveled to the west coast.
(C) Trade along the Mississippi River increased.
(D) The US Civil War ended and soldiers moved north.
2. Which of the following is NOTtrue about poker?
(A) Multiple versions of the game exist.
(B) The game is illegal in certain US states.
(C) The rules have changed over the years.
(D) It is common to play poker on the internet.
3. Which playing card is referred to as the suicide king?
4. According to the Day 2 passage, why was the jack of clubs named Lancelot?
(A) Lancelot was one of the most popular names at the time.
(B) It got its name since the figure on the card is seen in profile.
(C) In France, cards were named after real royals or characters.
(D) After the French Revolution, the cards were named for military leaders.
