Curse of Scotland Curse of Scotland The Curse of Scotland is a nickname used for the Nine of Diamonds playing card. The expression has been used at least since the early 18th century, and many putative explanations have been given for the origin of this nickname for the card. In a book printed in London in 1708, "The British Apollo, or, Curious amusements for the ingenious", a question is posed: Q. "Why is the" Nine of Diamonds "called" the curse of Scotland? A. Diamonds as the Ornamental Jewels of a Regnal Crown, imply no more in the above-nam'd Proverb than a mark of
Standard 52-card deck Standard 52-card deck The deck of French playing cards is the most common deck of playing cards used today. It includes thirteen ranks of each of the four French suits: clubs (), diamonds (), hearts () and spades (), with reversible "court" or face cards. Each suit includes an ace, depicting a single symbol of its suit; a king, queen and jack, each depicted with a symbol of its suit; and ranks two through ten, with each card depicting that many symbols ("pips") of its suit. Anywhere from one to six (most often two or three since the mid-20th century)