The
Cards 
Before you start playing all the fun games that can be played with
Alpha Playing Cards, let's take a
look inside the box. There are 74 cards in the deck and there are 3
types of cards: consonant cards, vowel cards (also known as the
semi-wild vowel cards), and wild cards (a true wild card). Each card
has a point value assigned to it that is based on the frequency with
which the letter is used in the English language. The point values
range from zero points up to ten points. Even though Alpha Playing
Cards have points not all of the games use the points.
The 42
consonant cards are what you would expect in a card game for words and
letters, and only have one letter per card. The most often used
letters like T have a lower point value and higher card count. There
are three T’s in the deck. Letters like Z have a higher point value
but a lower card count. There is only one Z in the deck.
The 30
vowel cards or as I call them the semi-wild vowel cards are a little
different than the rest of the cards. There are 2 letters on each card
and the cards are designed so you can choose
between one of the two vowels simply by rotating the card 180 degrees
so the vowel you want to use is on the top. The cards are also
designed so that when they are held in your hand in a fan you can see
all the information about that card. You can see what vowel the card
currently is, the point value, and the vowel that is on the other side
of the card. Since vowels are the most frequently used letters of the
alphabet, the semi-wild vowels are a great way to get more of those
much needed letters into your hand.
The 2
wild cards (designated by a ?) can be used as any letter. In most
games once a wild card has been played it must remain as that letter.
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