Ace | Playing Card - Britannica

Ask the Chatbot Games & Quizzes History & Society Science & Tech Biographies Animals & Nature Geography & Travel Arts & Culture ProCon Money Videos ace References Contents ace playing card Ask Anything Homework Help

Quick Summary

The ace is a playing card with the numeral 1, marked with a single pip. In a standard 52-card deck, it is part of four suits, each with 13 ranks.12

In many Western card games, the ace is the highest-ranking card, outranking even the king. However, its numerical value can vary: it typically counts as 1, but can also be 11 in games like blackjack, or high or low in sequence-building games like rummy. The term "ace-high" describes a hand where the ace is the highest card.23

Playing cards originated in 10th-century China and appeared in Europe around the 1370s. The invention of printing significantly reduced their cost, making them more accessible.4

This summary is created from Britannica articles using AI. AI makes mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

4 Britannica Sources

1. playing cards - Ranks
2. Definition of ace-high
3. playing cards - Origin and spread
4. Definition of ace

Ask AI about this topic

Ask Anything

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

card games

• In playing cards: Ranks

  …the numeral 1 is designated ace and marked A accordingly. In games based on the superiority of one rank over another, such as most trick-taking games, the ace counts highest, outranking even the king. In games based on numerical value, the ace normally counts 1, as in cribbage, or 11,…

  Read More