joker
playing card
Quick Summary
The joker is a playing card, typically added to a standard deck. It is often used as a "wild card" that can represent any other card in games like canasta, or it may serve as the highest-ranking card in certain games. The joker card usually depicts a traditional court jester. While not part of the original Mamluk deck, the joker emerged in the late 19th century, initially as a trump card in euchre. Some card games, like canasta, also feature a "big joker" which may have a lower scoring value than other wild cards.123
Summary created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
