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In order to play a card game, one needs a 52 card pack known as a standard deck in the U.S. The deck, which consists of a fixed number of pieces of printed cardboard known as cards, is divided among the game participants on different numbers, depending on the game. Each card out of the deck is printed on both sides, and their back is printed in such a way so the other party will not know which cards you are holding just be looking at your hands while holding the cards. Depending on each counties specific customs, people have developed their own games which are not everywhere recognizable or playable. But regardless if you know or not to play a game, learning to play it and advance your skills needs most often some time for practical training.

Dealing is done either clockwise or counterclockwise depending on the participants' country of origin and it is usually a player. Taking all cards in his / her hand, the dealer begins shuffling them and is free to choose using any type of shuffling technique. This process is done so as to ensure that the cards are put into a random order. Moreover, while shuffling the dealer holds the cards so that he or she and the other players cannot see any of their faces. After the shuffle is finished, the dealer offers the deck to another player to cut the deck and give it back to the dealer who begins dealing the cards by holding the pack, face-down in one hand and removing cards from the top of it with the other hand to distribute to the players, placing them face-down on the table in front of the players to whom they are dealt. The exact number of cards dealt and the way the pile is placed and later distributed, depends on the rules of the specific game selected to be played.

The origin of playing cards is obscure, but it is almost certain that they began in China after the invention of paper. In the late 1,300s the practice of playing cards spread rapidly across Europe and cards were first widely accepted in Spain, Switzerland, Florence, Paris and Barcelona. Cards spread into Europe from the Mameluke Empire. Since these people were adherents of the Muslim religion this 'game of deputies' didn't depict the human form for its 'king', 'deputy king' and 'second deputy' but used ornate patterns-like the ones existing on carpets from the region-to differentiate between them. The early European card makers took the idea of royalty and rank and differentiated the cards using people. Apart from playing cards in friend's or colleagues' houses, card games, like blackjack or poker, are also part of the gambling activities today's casinos handle.