2. The Deck
Composition
- Played with a pack of 52 cards, consisting of thirteen cards in each of four suits (Law 1A)
- The suits rank downward in the order spades (♠), hearts (♥), diamonds (♦), clubs (♣) (Law 1A)
- The cards of each suit rank downward: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2 (Law 1A)
The Cards Themselves
- The Regulating Authority may require the face of each card to be symmetrical (Law 1B)
- The backs of all 52 cards in a deck should be identical, so no card is identifiable from the back (Law 1C)
Duplicate Boards
- Each deal is held in a board with four pockets, one per hand (Law 2)
- The board designates the dealer and which side is vulnerable, so every table plays the deal under identical conditions
- Boards are numbered, letting the same deal be compared across the whole field