Queen (playing card)

Queen cards of all four suits in the Rouennais pattern

The Queen is a playing card with a picture of a queen on it. In French playing cards, the usual rank of a queen is as if it were 12, that is, between the King and the Jack. In tarot decks, it outranks the Knight which in turn outranks the Jack.

In the game of Hearts, the Queen of Spades is the major card to avoid, and is called a variety of unsavoury names.

French deck manufacturers assigned each court card a particular historical or mythological personage. The Queens in a French deck have assigned names as follows:^[1]^[2]

**Queens in the French national pattern (*portrait officiel*)**
Hearts	Diamonds	Spades	Clubs

Judith, Biblical figure	Rachel, Biblical figure	Pallas, another name for the goddess Athena	Argine, an anagram of Regina (Latin for "queen")

Since both King and Queen in the French language begin with the letter R, French queen cards are called Dame (Lady).

References

^ "The Four King Truth" at the Urban Legends Reference Pages
^ "Courts on playing cards", by David Madore, with illustrations of the Anglo-American and French court cards

Playing cards (common French style)

Standard
52-card deck

Suit \ Rank	Ace	King	Queen	Jack	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2
Spades ♠	Ace	King	Queen	Jack	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2
Hearts ♥	Ace	King	Queen	Jack	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2
Diamonds ♦	Ace	King	Queen	Jack	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2
Clubs ♣	Ace	King	Queen	Jack	10	9	8	7	6	5	4	3	2

Others

Categories

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Queen (playing card)