Card Games
Jack of spades
The jack of spades is the playing card that sits between the ten and the queen in the spade suit of a standard 52-card deck.
Key points
- The jack of spades is one of four jacks in a standard deck, each suit having one.2
- In euchre, if spades are the trump suit, the jack of spades becomes the right bower, the highest card in the game.3
- The card has regional nicknames including Ogier in some European traditions.4
- It is distinct from the game of spades and from the spade suit as a whole.56
Role in selected games
| Game | Rank |
|---|---|
| Poker | Between 10 and queen, no special status |
| Euchre (spades trump) | Right bower — highest card3 |
| Hearts | Between 10 and queen, no special status |
| Spades (game) | Between 10 and queen, no special status |
Common questions
What is the jack of spades holding?
In most standard designs, the jack of spades is depicted holding a single spade or a weapon, often a sword or a staff, depending on the deck's artwork. The specific item varies by manufacturer.
What does the jack of spades mean in tarot?
The jack of spades is not a standard tarot card; tarot decks use a different structure with major arcana and four suits of court cards that may include pages or knights instead of jacks. Its meaning in tarot is not defined.
What does the jack of spades represent?
In playing card symbolism, the jack of spades represents a youthful, often cunning or ambitious figure associated with the element of air or intellect. In poker nicknames, it is sometimes called the 'one-eyed jack' when shown in profile.
Where this term is used
Not the same as
- Spades — the trick-taking card game, not a single card
- Ace of spades — the highest-ranking spade in most games, not the jack
Related terms
Sources
- Jack (playing card) en.wikipedia.org Defines the jack of spades as a court card and provides its rank and alternative names.
- Standard 52-card deck - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Describes the standard 52-card deck composition.
- Euchre - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Explains the right bower role of the jack of spades in euchre.
- List of playing-card nicknames - Wikipedia en.wikipedia.org Lists regional nicknames for the jack of spades.
- Spades (suit) en.wikipedia.org Distinguishes the spade suit from the card itself.
- Spades (card game) en.wikipedia.org Distinguishes the card from the game of spades.
Sources are drawn from regulators, universities and published research, and each one is labelled with what it actually is — a preprint is not called a paper. Bookmaker and affiliate pages are never cited here, because a page that sells betting is not a neutral authority on it.