Large Print Playing Cards: What to Look For, Side by Side
Quick answer
The feature that helps most is a jumbo index: a corner number about three times the usual height, readable even when the cards are fanned in your hand. Next come a four-color deck (diamonds blue, clubs green) so red and black suits can't be confused, and poker-size cards, which are wider than bridge size. Good light and a card holder help as much as the cards themselves.
If you have started holding your cards at arm’s length, or asking “was that a heart or a diamond?”, the fix is usually not bigger cards. It is bigger numbers, clearer suits and better light. Here is what each feature does, so you can tell a useful deck from one that just says “large print” on the box.
- Regular index
- Jumbo index
Two-color deck
Four-color deck
What to look for in a large print deck
| Feature | What it means | How much it helps |
|---|---|---|
| Jumbo index | Corner number about three times the usual height | The biggest single difference: readable in a fanned hand |
| Four-color suits | Diamonds blue, clubs green (hearts red, spades black) | Ends heart/diamond and spade/club mix-ups |
| Poker size | 2.5 × 3.5 inches (bridge is 2.25 wide) | More room for big numbers |
| Matte or linen finish | Less shine | Less glare under a ceiling lamp |
| Plastic cards | Washable, last for years | Some people find them slippery to fan |
| Plain, simple faces | No fancy fonts or busy court-card art | Faster to read |
Jumbo index: why the corner matters
When you hold a hand of cards, you fan them so only the left edge of each card shows. That edge carries the index: the small number and suit in the corner. On a regular deck the index is small, so the big, beautiful middle of the card is hidden under the next card anyway. A jumbo index puts a much larger number exactly where your eye lands. It’s why the cards in our games here use one: the rank is about 40% of the card’s width.
Four-color decks: two clues instead of one
In a regular deck, hearts and diamonds are both red, spades and clubs both black. In dim light, and for many people as their eyes change, the small suit symbols blur together. A four-color deck gives each suit its own color, so you have two clues, color and shape. Bridge and cribbage players who try one often keep it. If you play online here, you can switch to four colors in Settings in any of our card games.
Poker size or bridge size?
Both are 3.5 inches tall. Poker size is 2.5 inches wide, bridge size 2.25. The extra quarter inch gives room for a bigger index. But if your game deals a lot of cards, like Canasta (11 to 15 cards) or Hand and Foot (11 at a time, plus the foot later), narrower bridge cards are easier to fan. Many families use poker size for cribbage and euchre, where you hold five or six cards.
Beyond the deck: setting up the table
- Light from the side, not above. A lamp beside you lights the cards without bouncing glare off them.
- A card holder. A wooden tray or slotted stand holds 15 or more cards upright, so you don’t have to grip or fan them. A shoebox lid with a slit cut in it works in a pinch.
- Contrast on the table. A plain dark tablecloth or felt mat makes white cards stand out.
- A shuffler for anyone whose hands ache after shuffling two decks for Canasta.
- Big score sheets. Large print sheets are as important as large print cards; ours are free on the printables page.
Playing on a screen instead
On a tablet or computer you can make cards as big as you like. Every card game on this site has a Card size setting (Small to Extra large), a 4-color suits option and a High contrast theme, and the cards use the jumbo index shown above. Try cribbage or gin rummy with large cards to see which settings suit you before you buy a deck.
Games in this article
Cribbage
2–4 players · 20 min · Learn in a game or two
Race your pegs to 121. Count fifteens, pairs and runs.
Canasta
2–6 players · 60 min · Learn in a game or two
Meld sevens of a kind with your partner. Red threes are a bonus.
Hand and Foot
2–6 players · 90 min · Learn in a game or two
Canasta’s big-family cousin: play your hand, then pick up your foot.
Euchre
2–4 players · 20 min · Learn in a game or two
Partners, trump and the two bowers. Take three tricks of five.
Questions people ask
What are large print playing cards called?
Look for “jumbo index” or “large print” on the box. Jumbo index means the corner numbers are much bigger; the card itself is usually normal size. “Jumbo” on its own can mean an oversized card, which is harder to hold in a hand.
Are large print cards bigger than regular cards?
Usually not. Most large print decks are regular poker size (2.5 by 3.5 inches) with bigger numbers printed on them. Oversized cards exist, but a full hand of them is hard to hold and fan.
What is a four-color deck?
A deck where each suit has its own color: usually spades black, hearts red, diamonds blue and clubs green. It is easier to tell a diamond from a heart, especially in dim light or for people with weaker color vision, because the shapes are still there too.
What size are poker and bridge cards?
Both are 3.5 inches tall. Poker size is 2.5 inches wide and bridge size is 2.25 inches wide. Poker size leaves more room for a big index; bridge size is easier to hold when you have 13 or more cards.
What helps if holding cards is hard?
A card holder (a tray or a slotted stand) keeps the whole hand upright on the table, so you don't need to grip or fan the cards at all. An automatic shuffler helps with the shuffling.