little red dragon in poker cards missing

Of course! That's a great observation. You're noticing a key difference between a standard 52-card poker deck and another type of game: Mahjong.

Let's clear up the mystery of the "missing little red dragon.

1. In Standard Poker Cards: No Dragons

A standard 52-card deck used for poker, bridge, blackjack, etc., has four suits: Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs, and Spades. There are no dragon cards.

The closest thing you might be thinking of are:

* The Jokers: Some decks have very ornate and artistic Jokers that *might* feature a dragon illustration, especially in custom or themed decks.

* The Ace of Spades: Often highly decorated, it could potentially have a dragon design.

* Special Decks: Games like "Magic: The Gathering" or other fantasy-based card games are filled with dragons, but they are not poker decks.

2. The "Little Red Dragon" is from Mahjong

You are almost certainly thinking of a Mahjong tile, not a playing card. Mahjong is a classic tile-based game from China.

In a Mahjong set, there are three "Dragon" tiles, which are honor tiles:

* Red Dragon (中): This is your "little red dragon"! It's often symbolized by a red 中 character (which means "center" or "hit").

* Green Dragon (發): A green tile with a character meaning "prosperity" or "fortune.

* White Dragon (白): A white/blue tile which can be blank or have a border, representing a "plank" or purity.

*(From left to right: Red Dragon, Green Dragon, White Dragon)*

These dragon tiles are crucial for making specific scoring combinations in the game of Mahjong.

3. Could It Be Something Else?

There's one other famous possibility:

* Mahjong Playing Cards: These exist! They are a deck of cards that has the images and suits of Mahjong tiles printed on them, so you can play Mahjong without the heavy tiles. In this deck, you would indeed find a "Red Dragon" card.

In summary:

The "little red dragon" isn't missing from poker cards—it was never supposed to be there! It's a star player in the world of Mahjong.