A face card is a card in a deck of playing cards that depicts a person, as opposed to the pip cards which depict objects such as hearts, diamonds, clubs, and spades. The face cards are the kings, queens, and jacks. There are 12 face cards in a standard deck of 52 cards, with each suit containing three face cards. The face cards often play significant roles in various card games. For instance, in poker, a hand with a high face card could mean the difference between winning and losing. The face cards were initially male-centric, featuring only kings, knights, and knaves (now known as jacks) . It took until the 1440s for queens to make their introduction, first in Germany, and holding a coveted place among the cards ever since. The face cards were transformed into what we see today in 16th century France, and the royals and famous figures creating the chance in your game are the ones most commonly attributed since then.