Quick start
How to draw a card with the random card generator
No deck at hand? Press Draw a card and the first random playing card turns face up. These steps cover the rest.
Choose how many
Pick 1 to 10 cards in the Cards per draw menu.
Choose a draw mode
Without replacement deals from the shuffled deck. With replacement puts every card back first.
Draw
Press Draw or the Space bar. The cards turn face up one after another, with their names written underneath.
Copy or shuffle
Copy cards copies the hand for a chat, History lists every draw with its time, and Shuffle deck puts every card back.
Need a smaller deck? Tap a suit to take it out, choose Face cards or Number cards, or add 2 jokers. Changing the deck shuffles every card back in.
The deck
What is in a standard deck of cards
A standard deck of cards has 52 cards: 4 suits of 13 ranks, with 2 red suits and 2 black suits. Hearts and diamonds are red; spades and clubs are black. Each suit runs from ace to king.
| Suit | Symbol | Color | Cards | Aces | Number cards (2–10) | Face cards (J, Q, K) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Spades | Spades symbol | Black | 13 | 1 | 9 | 3 |
| Hearts | Hearts symbol | Red | 13 | 1 | 9 | 3 |
| Diamonds | Diamonds symbol | Red | 13 | 1 | 9 | 3 |
| Clubs | Clubs symbol | Black | 13 | 1 | 9 | 3 |
| Whole deck | 4 suits | 2 red, 2 black | 52 | 4 | 36 | 12 |
- 52Cards4 suits × 13 ranks
- 12Face cardsA jack, queen and king per suit
- 54With jokersOne red, one black
- 52!Ways to shuffle itAbout 8.07 × 10⁶⁷ orders, all equally likely here
The 13 ranks are ace, 2 to 10, jack, queen and king. Each game sets its own rule for whether an ace counts low, as 1, or high, ahead of the king. Jokers sit outside the 4 suits and join any suits and ranks you have chosen.
One card
Card probability: the chance of each draw
The chance of drawing a card is the number of matching cards divided by the number of cards in the deck. An ace is 4 of 52 cards: 1 in 13, or 7.69%.
| Card | Matching cards | 52-card deck | 54 cards (2 jokers) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A heart | 13 | 13/52 = 1/4 (25%) | 13/54 (24.07%) |
| A red card (heart or diamond) | 26 | 26/52 = 1/2 (50%) | 26/54 = 13/27 (48.15%) |
| A number card (2 to 10) | 36 | 36/52 = 9/13 (69.23%) | 36/54 = 2/3 (66.67%) |
| A face card (J, Q, K) | 12 | 12/52 = 3/13 (23.08%) | 12/54 = 2/9 (22.22%) |
| An ace | 4 | 4/52 = 1/13 (7.69%) | 4/54 = 2/27 (7.41%) |
| The ace of spades | 1 | 1/52 (1.92%) | 1/54 (1.85%) |
| A joker | 0 or 2 | 0 (0%) | 2/54 = 1/27 (3.7%) |
These odds hold for the first card from a full deck. Without replacement they change after every card, and once the ace of spades is out its chance stays at 0 until you shuffle. The random card generator's Show probability line works the odds out from the cards left for 11 kinds of card, from a heart to the ace of spades.
Several cards
Odds when you draw several cards at once
More cards per draw means a better chance of hitting what you want, and keeping cards out helps a little more. Here is the chance of at least one ace in a single press of Draw on the random card generator.
| Cards per draw | Without replacement | With replacement |
|---|---|---|
| 1 card | 7.69% | 7.69% |
| 2 cards | 14.93% | 14.79% |
| 3 cards | 21.74% | 21.35% |
| 5 cards | 34.12% | 32.98% |
| 7 cards | 44.96% | 42.9% |
| 10 cards | 58.66% | 55.09% |
A 5-card draw from a full deck, without replacement
- 2,598,960Different handsChoose 5 of 52
- 74.68%At least 1 face card12 jacks, queens and kings in play
- 0.2%All one suitAny 5 hearts, spades, clubs or diamonds
- 1 in 54,145Four acesPlus any fifth card
Draw modes
With or without replacement: what changes?
Without replacement, each drawn card leaves the deck until you shuffle; with replacement, every card goes back, so each draw uses the full deck. The mode decides whether cards can repeat and whether the odds move.
| Without replacement | With replacement | |
|---|---|---|
| Can a card repeat? | No, not until you shuffle | Yes, even inside one hand |
| Cards left | Counts down from 52 to 0 | Stays at 52 |
| Odds of the next card | Change after every card | Stay the same on every draw |
| An empty deck | Draw stops and asks you to shuffle | Never happens |
| 2 aces in a row | 4/52 × 3/51 = 1/221 (0.45%) | 4/52 × 4/52 = 1/169 (0.59%) |
| Best for | Dealing hands, workouts, magic tricks | Probability experiments and independent picks |
Drawing one card per press, the ace of spades is equally likely to sit anywhere in a shuffled deck, so it shows within 26 draws exactly half the time. With replacement it takes 36 draws to reach even odds, and 52 draws still miss it 36.43% of the time. A draw that asks for more cards than are left deals the rest and says how many were missing.
Filters
Smaller decks: suits, face cards and jokers
The suit buttons, the rank choice and Add 2 jokers build a smaller deck, and every chance follows from the new size. The random card generator shows the deck size under its options.
| Deck | Cards | Chance of an ace | Chance of a joker |
|---|---|---|---|
| Full deck | 52 | 1 in 13 | None |
| Full deck + 2 jokers | 54 | 2 in 27 | 1 in 27 |
| Red suits only | 26 | 1 in 13 | None |
| One suit, such as spades | 13 | 1 in 13 | None |
| Number cards only | 36 | None | None |
| Face cards only | 12 | None | None |
| Face cards + 2 jokers | 14 | None | 1 in 7 |
At least one suit always stays in. Changing the deck or the draw mode shuffles every card back in, so a new deck always starts full.
Card trick
The 21-card pick a card trick
Deal 21 cards into 3 columns three times, and the spectator's card always ends up 11th from the top. No sleight of hand is needed, because the stacking does the work.
Each time you stack the named column in the middle, the card's possible spots shrink. It starts as any of 21, then the 8th to 14th, then the 10th to 12th, and finally the 11th alone. The page checked all 21 starting cards to be sure.
Practice the deal with the random card generator before you use a real deck. Without replacement, draw 10, 10 and then 1 card for 21 random cards, and the History lists them all in order.
How to do the trick
- Let them pick. A friend chooses one of the 21 cards and remembers it without telling you.
- Deal in rows of 3. Lay the cards face up left to right, making 3 columns of 7.
- Ask for the column. Stack the 3 columns with the named one in the middle.
- Repeat twice more. After the third stack, count down to the 11th card and reveal it.
Ideas
Pick a card: games, tricks and lessons
A random playing card is a quick prompt for play, practice and teaching. Each idea suits its own settings.
Card games without a deck
Draw one hand per player, one press at a time, then copy the history into a group chat.
Pick a card tricks
A helper draws 1 card and remembers it while you practice the reveal.
Probability lessons
A class predicts the chance of a heart, draws 20 cards and compares the count with the Show probability line.
Deck of cards workout
Give each suit an exercise and do as many reps as the number on the card. Pick a value for face cards, such as 10.
Writers can give each suit a theme, such as hearts for friendship and spades for a problem, then draw 3 cards for a plot. A card is a prompt, not a prediction: this generator does no fortune-telling. For named exercises and an interval timer, the workout wheel picks the moves. For a plain number, spin the random number wheel, and to choose who draws next, spin the bottle.
FAQ
Random card generator FAQ
Is the random card generator free?
Yes. Every feature works without an account or a download, and your draws stay in your own browser.
Is the shuffle fair?
Yes. Every shuffle is a Fisher–Yates shuffle driven by your browser's crypto.getRandomValues, so all 8.07 × 1067 orders are equally likely. Cards are dealt before the flip animation starts. The randomness checker shows how picks are tested.
Can I draw the same card twice?
Yes, with replacement. Without replacement, a card cannot come up again until you press Shuffle deck.
What happens when the deck runs out?
Draw stops and asks you to shuffle. Shuffle deck puts every card back and mixes the deck again.
How many face cards are in a deck of cards?
A standard deck has 12 face cards: a jack, a queen and a king in each of the 4 suits.
What are the odds of drawing the ace of spades?
1 in 52, or 1.92%, for one card from a full deck. With 2 jokers added, the chance is 1 in 54 (1.85%).
Does it remember my cards?
Yes. Your settings, the cards already dealt and up to 50 draws of history stay in this browser. Clear empties the history, and Shuffle deck starts a fresh deck.
Can I draw a card with the keyboard?
Yes. Press the Space bar to draw. Each card also has its full name for screen readers, such as “Queen of hearts”.
Last updated · Written and tested by Melissa T. Brown