The Devil and the Playing Card Deck
Great Bridge Links // Alex J. Coyne // March 2025
Playing cards have had a long association with the occult, superstitions, and the devil. Anywhere the odds are involved, some people believe that the devil may show up to skew the probability in Beelzebub’s favor.
The Hellfire Club in Ireland is believed to be a site where the devil played cards. North-East Wales maintains a similar tale, its legend stating that the devil came to play cards in an old man’s guise.
Similar legends are found in many cultures, including that of trickster Gods such as Anansi, Papa Legba, or Loki.
Here’s a closer look devils, tricksters, and playing card decks.
Cards and Faith: It’s Complicated
Church leaders banned playing cards shortly after their early appearance, citing its association with gamblers, the occult, and the devil as their reason. However, today there are different opinions about whether people of faith are allowed to own or use playing cards.
According to Bethany Bible Church, answering a question sent through to one of their pastors:
“First of all, we’d have to say that there’s nothing intrinsically wrong with a deck of cards. They’re simply pieces of paper with images on them; and are not evil in and of themselves. The morality of playing cards has to do with the way they are used rather than with the cards themselves.”
Some other religious resources take a different stance, banning playing cards or their use entirely. For many people, both religious or not, playing cards are a matter of personal choice.
Playing cards can be used for a game of bridge, but might also be used as a weapon thrown into a watermelon. The bottom line? It’s up to each individual whether they feel comfortable with a playing card deck (or not).
The Devil in Dublin: The Hellfire Club
According to the official resource Supernatural Dublin, The Hellfire Club is shrouded in mystery—and legends say that the devil stopped by this famous location to play cards with its members.
The site has become one of the most famous and frequently visited places in Ireland.
A BBC Radio 4 story reports that the original Club was founded by Richard Parsons (the 1st Earl of Rosse) in 1735.
Like most secret societies and clubs, stories soon began to spread about what might happen behind closed doors.
The Devil: Visiting North-East Wales
Legends have made the devil a frequent visitor to card games, usually showing up to tempt players or offer them deals they couldn’t refuse. Sometimes, the devil shows up to games to collect on a prior deal or debt that had been made.
Occasionally, the devil simply makes an appearance as a trickster that’s there to fool everyone and leave.
North-East Wales is one such story. According to Curious Clwyd, the devil showed up as a mysterious visitor to a local card game.
With cards and its close association to sin and gambling, the devil’s appearance would often tempt people into betting more than they could afford—or in some stories, playing on days otherwise deemed holy.
Once participants have bet their last, the devil usually disappears.
From Curious Clwyd, this story ends with an eerie lesson about betting:
“With a snarl, the old man immediately turned into a wheel of flame, that span at speed before disappearing up the chimney. The money went with him.”
Satan From Northern Europe
According to JSTOR and research about Northern Europe’s legends takes the story to Oldenburg, Germany.
The story might be a good lesson in card manners, and says that anyone who cursed during card play would be followed by the devil sitting behind them.
“The belief in the devil’s attentive interest in card games is reported from the north German province of Oldenburg by Strackerjan: When cards are played, the devil sits under the table, and if one swears at card play, then the devil, with tail and horse-foot, stands behind the player.”
—JSTOR, The Legend of the Devil
Unfortunately, the story doesn’t say whether the devil is standing there with a swear jar in hand.
The Victorian Era: Killer Card Decks
Playing cards can be dangerous—though to your health instead of your spirituality!
This ScienceDirect study explored the poisoning danger behind Victorian era playing card decks. Victorian era cards, which contained green and pigments derived from arsenic, were particularly dangerous at the time.
However, for rare card collectors, these decks may still pose credible danger when incorrectly handled or stored. If you’re a collector, make sure you can identify these decks (and know what to do with them).
Museums Victoria pointed out that many books from the same period may also contain trace amounts of arsenic and other heavy metals. If you’re a book collector or frequent bookstore visitor, take note!
Papa Legba: Card Decks and the Crossroads
Trickster gods are sometimes interchangeably associated with devils in stories—where the story’s intention is usually to provide moral consequences or life lessons.
Tricksters and devils work through offering temptations or deals to the beholder, and almost never delivering on the deal as it appears.
Robert Johnson’s Cross Road Blues goes back to stories of trickster gods, and the legend of Papa Legba—according to HoodooWitch, associated with Thursday, dogs, roosters, and playing cards.
Traditional hoodoo ceremonies consider Papa Legba to be the master of the crossroads, and the one who rules over probability, games, and spirit contact. When invoking other spirits during ceremony, Legba is generally called for first as the gatekeeper.
However, dealing with Papa Legba must always be done with care and forethought – selfish requests and thoughtless questions are generally met with a trick or lesson instead.
