Suit (cards) - Uses of Playing Card Suit Symbols

Uses of Playing Card Suit Symbols

Card suit symbols occur in places outside card playing:

  • The four suits were famously employed by the 101st Airborne Division during World War II to distinguish its four constituent regiments:
    • Clubs (♣) identified the 327th Glider Infantry Regiment; currently worn by the 1st Brigade Combat Team.
    • Diamonds (♦) identified the 501st PIR. 1st Battalion, 501st Infantry Regiment is now part of the 4th Brigade (ABN), 25th Infantry Division in Alaska; the Diamond is currently used by the 101st Combat Aviation Brigade.
    • Hearts (♥) identified the 502nd PIR; currently worn by the 2d Brigade Combat Team.
    • Spades (♠) identified the 506th PIR; currently worn by the 4th Brigade Combat Team.
  • British Navy Fleet Air Arm search and rescue units (helicopters, etc.) sport an "ace of clubs" symbol.
  • The United States Navy's Strike Fighter Squadron 41 (VFA-41) is nicknamed "The Black Aces" and their insignia is a playing card with the spade present and numbered "41".
  • The Japanese television series Kamen Rider Blade uses the playing cards and their symbols as an overall motif for the series. Each of the four Kamen Riders derives his name from the Minor Arcana that parallels the four suits: Blade represents Spades, Garren (based on the word "Galleon") represents Diamonds, Chalice represents Hearts, and Leangle (a type of Aborigine war-club) represents Clubs.
  • The Bartle Test uses the four suits in order to distinguish different player personalities that arise typically in a video game:
    • Clubs (Killers) (♣) enjoy competition and take pleasure in causing physical destruction in the virtual environment.
    • Diamonds (Achievers) (♦) enjoy gaining "points", levels, or any physical measure of their in-game achievement.
    • Hearts (Socializers) (♥) enjoy playing games for the social aspect or by interacting with other players.
    • Spades (Explorers) (♠) enjoy digging around, discovering new areas, or learning about easter eggs or glitches in the game.

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    “In the game of “Whist for two,” usually called “Correspondence,” the lady plays what card she likes: the gentleman simply follows suit. If she leads with “Queen of Diamonds,” however, he may, if he likes, offer the “Ace of Hearts”: and, if she plays “Queen of Hearts,” and he happens to have no Heart left, he usually plays “Knave of Clubs.””
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