# The 55 card deck of Iraqi leaders--what suit are the extra 3 cards? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 14, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827 "2003-06-14T13:53:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/1 "2003-06-14T13:53:17Z")
how do you put 55 cards in a deck? What suit/number are the extra 3 cards? I read that the idea of the deck of cards was not to be a boring set of “mug photos” like police use for identifying criminals–, But to be an actual set of playing cards that soldiers would use in their spare time for playing (poker?, gin rummy? solitaire?), and thus familiarize themselves with the faces of the Iraqi leaders. (This sounds strange to me, 'cause if I was an Iragi ex-general running for my life, I would disquise myself before trying to pass an American military checkpoint.I doubt if any of the 20-30 who have been captured so far were just randomly discovered by a soldier on guard duty) But in any case, my question is–what are those extra 3 cards doing in the deck? ---
**Author:** ![newcrasher](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/b3f665/32.png) [@newcrasher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/newcrasher)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/2 "2003-06-14T14:58:27Z")
I was wondering the same thing the other day! Hopefully an answer is forthcoming. But just because they would probably disguise themselves doesn’t mean the people looking for them should not know what they look like. The alternative is to have them looking for people with no clue of their appearance. ---
**Author:** ![HeyHomie](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/heyhomie/32/207_2.png) [@HeyHomie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HeyHomie)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 3:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/3 "2003-06-14T15:01:10Z")
There are two Jokers in the deck, brining the total to 54. As for the 55th— who knows? But since just about every “regular” deck of cards sold in the US has an extra card with the odds of getting each sequence printed on it (pair = 1 in 2; two pairs = 1 in 3; ~~~ Royal Flush = 1 in 600,000), maybe that card is the 55th. That’s just a WAG though. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 3:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/4 "2003-06-14T15:09:08Z")
A standard deck will have two (and sometimes three) “jokers”, e.g. the _Bicycle_poker deck. I believe the primary purpose of jokers is to serve as replacements for damaged or missing cards, though many games allow the jokers to be played as wildcards. These jokers traditionally have a jester or harlequin on their face. Decks designed for playing bridge (for instance) often include a third joker which has on its face a table of scoring. ---
**Author:** ![BeatenMan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/3ab097/32.png) [@BeatenMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BeatenMan)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/5 "2003-06-14T15:10:05Z")
Well it is to make Bush look like a crazy stupid cowboy that will kill every last muslim if they don’t stop messing with the USA. It seems to be working. ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/6 "2003-06-14T15:13:10Z")
Some card decks come with a manufacturers card to look pretty and some come with a “blank” card to replace ones that you have lost. I dont know the relevance of this. ---
**Author:** ![Muad\_Dib](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/35a633/32.png) [@Muad\_Dib](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Muad_Dib)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 4:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/7 "2003-06-14T16:12:52Z")
Simple, the last card is Rules for Draw and Stud Poker. ---
**Author:** ![kunoichi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4da419/32.png) [@kunoichi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kunoichi)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 4:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/8 "2003-06-14T16:21:53Z")
[Here](http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2003/pipc10042003.html) are the official cards. I haven’t counted them but you can see all of the images that are supposed to be in the deck, and print them out if you want. ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 4:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/9 "2003-06-14T16:45:32Z")
The news media have not been able to count to 52. For two months every time one of the named Iraqi’s has been captured, they say “one of the top 55”. We started with 52, there still are 52, but shortly after the cards were publisized, the number of cards(55) was substituted for the number wanted. Three cards never had individuals names on them. Apparently the Enron accountants found new jobs at the networks. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [June 14, 2003, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/10 "2003-06-14T18:17:50Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by \*\*\*BeatenMan \*\* > Well it is to make Bush look like a crazy stupid cowboy that will kill every last muslim if they don’t stop messing with the USA. It seems to be working. Keep the political pot shots out of this forum. See: [Heh. (Politics in GQ)](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=176699) **DrMatrix** - GQ Moderator ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/11 "2003-06-15T13:49:39Z")
Having looked at **kunoichi** ’s link, I can tell you the faces on the three “extra” cards are: [ul][li]small “joker” icons in upper-left and lower-right corners, the main body being a description of _Arab Titles_[/li][li]ditto, with description of _Iraqi Military Ranks_[/li][li]“Camoflage” design, otherwise blank.[/li][/ul] ---
**Author:** ![The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_great_unwashed/32/4791_2.png) [@The\_Great\_Unwashed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Great_Unwashed)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/12 "2003-06-15T13:57:14Z")
I was wrong, that link shows only 54 cards – 52 “regular” cards plus 2 jokers, the 55th image is the design on the backs of the card. [Joker 1](http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2003/pipc_images/joker1.gif) [Joker 2](http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2003/pipc_images/joker2.gif) [Back design](http://www.defenselink.mil/news/Apr2003/pipc_images/back.jpg) So does this “55th” card exist at all? This is just the sort of stuff conspiracy theorists love… ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/13 "2003-06-15T14:05:07Z")
Surely the joker would be Comical Ali? ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/14 "2003-06-15T14:26:39Z")
Let me clear up this conspiracy thing. Card 55 did NOT have the locations of the WMD and we did NOT send hundreds over there because the card was lost.😃 Card 55 was the logo of the Defense Intelligence Agency who made the cards. ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 3:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/15 "2003-06-15T15:17:07Z")
Pardon me while I pick up my set of Iraqi Most Wanted Playing Cards. (What? I bought it to add to my collection of grotesque things. Er, well, to start a collection of grotesque things.) In my hand, I am holding:[ul][li]2 Joker cards. One has two columns, pairing up US military ranks with Iraqi military ranks. The second has a list of Arab titles and a short paragraph explaining the format of tribal names.[_]13 spades, 13 hearts, 13 diamonds, 13 clubs with faces (or black silhouettes) and names.[_]Two cards with front and back identical to **The Great Unwashed** ’s link “Back Design”[/ul]A total of fifty-six cards by personal count.[/li] So, we’ve got the media allegedly reporting 55 cards, we’ve got a dozen people in this thread offering halfassed but funny guesses, and we’ve got a physical deck in my possession that has 56. I’d be comfortable saying the answer to the OP’s question is “Two jokers as described above, and then one or more ‘filler’ cards with a camoflague design on each side.” ---
**Author:** ![aahala](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a88e4f/32.png) [@aahala](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aahala)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/16 "2003-06-15T16:44:24Z")
Which “official” set are we talking about? The 200 or so decks printed by the Defense Intelligence Agency(55 cards, two jokers and one showing DIA was the printer), the Liberty set(56) produced apparently from web images and somehow or other distributed by the US Embassey in Kurait, or USPC, who realized their copyrighted joker designed had been used by DIA and reproduced by others? Here’s a link that tells part of the story: [http://www.forbes.com/2003/04/25/cx\_ah\_0425cards\_print.html](http://www.forbes.com/2003/04/25/cx_ah_0425cards_print.html) ---
**Author:** ![dantheman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dantheman/32/9421_2.png) [@dantheman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dantheman)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/17 "2003-06-15T16:44:45Z")
Yeah, but your deck isn’t the “official” deck, **lno** … is it? Did you buy yours from one of those ubiquitious emails? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Elenfair](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cc9497/32.png) [@Elenfair](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elenfair)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 7:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/18 "2003-06-15T19:26:35Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by dantheman \* > \*\*Yeah, but your deck isn’t the “official” deck, **lno** … is it? Did you buy yours from one of those ubiquitious emails? 😉 \*\* Well, I’ve always said he was a few cards short a full deck… … Whaaaat… ---
**Author:** ![lno](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@lno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lno)\ **Post date:** [June 15, 2003, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-55-card-deck-of-iraqi-leaders-what-suit-are-the-extra-3-cards/181827/19 "2003-06-15T19:30:14Z")
Well, true. I didn’t get mine via the DoD or another government organization, but rather off of [Amazon.com](http://Amazon.com), as a product of Hoyle. The maker of Bicycle Brand Playing Cards, y’know. If I purchased it from spam, then I would invite you to shoot me. Repeatedly.