A fragment of what may be a seated king card was recovered in Egypt which may explain why the poses of court cards in Europe resemble those in Persia and India. It is not entirely sure if the Topkapı pack was representative of all Mamluk decks as it was a custom-made luxury item used for display. The best preserved and most complete deck of Mamluk cards, the Topkapı pack, did not display human figures but just listed their rank most likely due to religious prohibition.

Playing cards were transmitted to Italy and Spain via the Mamluks and Moors.

It most likely originated in Persian Ganjifeh where kings are depicted as seated on thrones and outranking the viceroy cards which are mounted on horses. The king card is the oldest and most universal court card. History French Rouen pattern on the left, Spanish Toledo pattern on the right In the Ace-Ten family of games such as pinochle and schnapsen, both the ace and the 10 rank higher than the king. Aces began outranking kings around 1500 with Trappola being the earliest known game in which the aces were highest in all four suits.

In some games, the king is the highest-ranked card in others, the Ace is higher. In German and Swiss playing cards, the king immediately outranks the Ober. In Italian and Spanish playing cards, the king immediately outranks the knight. In the French version of playing cards and tarot decks, the king immediately outranks the queen. The king is usually the highest-ranking face card. The king is a playing card with a picture of a king displayed on it. King cards of all four suits in the English pattern For other uses, see King of clubs (disambiguation), King of diamonds (disambiguation), King of hearts (disambiguation), and King of spades (disambiguation).

'King of clubs', 'King of diamonds', 'King of hearts', and 'King of spades' redirect here.

Rules for gin rummy scoring