diff --git a/api/Cargo.toml b/api/Cargo.toml
index a50895c..c98a617 100644
--- a/api/Cargo.toml
+++ b/api/Cargo.toml
@@ -5,3 +5,4 @@ edition = "2021"
 
 [dependencies]
 serde = { version = "1.0", features = ["derive"] }
+rand = "0.9.0"
diff --git a/api/src/card.rs b/api/src/card.rs
index 547dbab..a51f813 100644
--- a/api/src/card.rs
+++ b/api/src/card.rs
@@ -35,27 +35,35 @@ impl Card {
     }
 
     // Constructor from rank and suit
-    pub fn from_rank_suit(rank: u8, suit: u8) -> Self {
-        assert!(rank >= Self::TWO && rank <= Self::ACE, "Invalid rank");
-        assert!(suit < Self::NUM_SUITS, "Invalid suit");
-        Self((suit << 4) | (rank & 0xF))
+    pub fn from_rank_suit(rank: u8, suit: u8) -> Result<Self, &'static str> {
+        if rank < Self::TWO || rank > Self::ACE {
+            return Err("Invalid rank");
+        }
+        if suit >= Self::NUM_SUITS {
+            return Err("Invalid suit");
+        }
+        Ok(Self((suit << 4) | (rank & 0xF)))
     }
 
     // Constructor from index (0..51)
-    pub fn from_index(index: u8) -> Self {
-        assert!(index < Self::NUM_CARDS, "Invalid index");
+    pub fn from_index(index: u8) -> Result<Self, &'static str> {
+        if index >= Self::NUM_CARDS {
+            return Err("Invalid index");
+        }
         let rank = (index % Self::NUM_RANKS) + Self::TWO;
         let suit = index / Self::NUM_RANKS;
         Self::from_rank_suit(rank, suit)
     }
 
     // Constructor from string (e.g., "As" for Ace of Spades)
-    pub fn from_string(s: &str) -> Self {
-        assert!(s.len() == 2, "Invalid card string");
+    pub fn from_string(s: &str) -> Result<Self, &'static str> {
+        if s.len() != 2 {
+            return Err("Invalid card string");
+        }
         let rank_char = s.chars().nth(0).unwrap();
         let suit_char = s.chars().nth(1).unwrap();
-        let rank = Self::rank_from_char(rank_char);
-        let suit = Self::suit_from_char(suit_char);
+        let rank = Self::rank_from_char(rank_char)?;
+        let suit = Self::suit_from_char(suit_char)?;
         Self::from_rank_suit(rank, suit)
     }
 
@@ -80,64 +88,64 @@ impl Card {
     }
 
     // Convert rank to character (e.g., 14 -> 'A')
-    pub fn rank_to_char(rank: u8) -> char {
+    pub fn rank_to_char(rank: u8) -> Result<char, &'static str> {
         match rank {
-            Self::TWO => '2',
-            Self::THREE => '3',
-            Self::FOUR => '4',
-            Self::FIVE => '5',
-            Self::SIX => '6',
-            Self::SEVEN => '7',
-            Self::EIGHT => '8',
-            Self::NINE => '9',
-            Self::TEN => 'T',
-            Self::JACK => 'J',
-            Self::QUEEN => 'Q',
-            Self::KING => 'K',
-            Self::ACE => 'A',
-            _ => panic!("Invalid rank"),
+            Self::TWO => Ok('2'),
+            Self::THREE => Ok('3'),
+            Self::FOUR => Ok('4'),
+            Self::FIVE => Ok('5'),
+            Self::SIX => Ok('6'),
+            Self::SEVEN => Ok('7'),
+            Self::EIGHT => Ok('8'),
+            Self::NINE => Ok('9'),
+            Self::TEN => Ok('T'),
+            Self::JACK => Ok('J'),
+            Self::QUEEN => Ok('Q'),
+            Self::KING => Ok('K'),
+            Self::ACE => Ok('A'),
+            _ => Err("Invalid rank"),
         }
     }
 
     // Convert suit to character (e.g., 0 -> 's')
-    pub fn suit_to_char(suit: u8) -> char {
+    pub fn suit_to_char(suit: u8) -> Result<char, &'static str> {
         match suit {
-            Self::SPADES => 's',
-            Self::HEARTS => 'h',
-            Self::DIAMONDS => 'd',
-            Self::CLUBS => 'c',
-            _ => panic!("Invalid suit"),
+            Self::SPADES => Ok('s'),
+            Self::HEARTS => Ok('h'),
+            Self::DIAMONDS => Ok('d'),
+            Self::CLUBS => Ok('c'),
+            _ => Err("Invalid suit"),
         }
     }
 
     // Convert rank character to rank (e.g., 'A' -> 14)
-    pub fn rank_from_char(rank_char: char) -> u8 {
+    pub fn rank_from_char(rank_char: char) -> Result<u8, &'static str> {
         match rank_char {
-            '2' => Self::TWO,
-            '3' => Self::THREE,
-            '4' => Self::FOUR,
-            '5' => Self::FIVE,
-            '6' => Self::SIX,
-            '7' => Self::SEVEN,
-            '8' => Self::EIGHT,
-            '9' => Self::NINE,
-            'T' => Self::TEN,
-            'J' => Self::JACK,
-            'Q' => Self::QUEEN,
-            'K' => Self::KING,
-            'A' => Self::ACE,
-            _ => panic!("Invalid rank character"),
+            '2' => Ok(Self::TWO),
+            '3' => Ok(Self::THREE),
+            '4' => Ok(Self::FOUR),
+            '5' => Ok(Self::FIVE),
+            '6' => Ok(Self::SIX),
+            '7' => Ok(Self::SEVEN),
+            '8' => Ok(Self::EIGHT),
+            '9' => Ok(Self::NINE),
+            'T' => Ok(Self::TEN),
+            'J' => Ok(Self::JACK),
+            'Q' => Ok(Self::QUEEN),
+            'K' => Ok(Self::KING),
+            'A' => Ok(Self::ACE),
+            _ => Err("Invalid rank character"),
         }
     }
 
     // Convert suit character to suit (e.g., 's' -> 0)
-    pub fn suit_from_char(suit_char: char) -> u8 {
+    pub fn suit_from_char(suit_char: char) -> Result<u8, &'static str> {
         match suit_char {
-            's' => Self::SPADES,
-            'h' => Self::HEARTS,
-            'd' => Self::DIAMONDS,
-            'c' => Self::CLUBS,
-            _ => panic!("Invalid suit character"),
+            's' => Ok(Self::SPADES),
+            'h' => Ok(Self::HEARTS),
+            'd' => Ok(Self::DIAMONDS),
+            'c' => Ok(Self::CLUBS),
+            _ => Err("Invalid suit character"),
         }
     }
 }
@@ -147,8 +155,8 @@ impl std::fmt::Display for Card {
         if !self.is_valid() {
             write!(f, "Invalid Card")
         } else {
-            let rank_char = Self::rank_to_char(self.rank());
-            let suit_char = Self::suit_to_char(self.suit());
+            let rank_char = Self::rank_to_char(self.rank()).unwrap();
+            let suit_char = Self::suit_to_char(self.suit()).unwrap();
             write!(f, "{}{}", rank_char, suit_char)
         }
     }
@@ -160,7 +168,7 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn test_card_creation() {
-        let card = Card::from_rank_suit(Card::ACE, Card::SPADES);
+        let card = Card::from_rank_suit(Card::ACE, Card::SPADES).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(card.rank(), Card::ACE);
         assert_eq!(card.suit(), Card::SPADES);
         assert_eq!(card.index(), 12); // Ace of Spades is index 12
@@ -169,7 +177,7 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn test_card_from_string() {
-        let card = Card::from_string("As");
+        let card = Card::from_string("As").unwrap();
         assert_eq!(card.rank(), Card::ACE);
         assert_eq!(card.suit(), Card::SPADES);
         assert_eq!(card.to_string(), "As");
@@ -177,7 +185,7 @@ mod tests {
 
     #[test]
     fn test_card_from_index() {
-        let card = Card::from_index(0);
+        let card = Card::from_index(0).unwrap();
         assert_eq!(card.rank(), Card::TWO);
         assert_eq!(card.suit(), Card::SPADES);
         assert_eq!(card.to_string(), "2s");
diff --git a/api/src/deck.rs b/api/src/deck.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..47d1c02
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/src/deck.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,175 @@
+use rand::seq::SliceRandom;
+use rand::SeedableRng;
+use std::fmt;
+use crate::card::Card;
+use crate::hand::Hand;
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub struct Deck {
+    cards: Vec<Card>,
+    dealt: Vec<Card>, // Cards that have been dealt
+}
+
+impl Deck {
+    pub const NUM_CARDS: usize = 52;
+
+    // Create a new, unshuffled deck
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
+        let mut cards = Vec::with_capacity(Self::NUM_CARDS);
+        for suit in 0..4 {
+            for rank in Card::TWO..=Card::ACE {
+                cards.push(Card::from_rank_suit(rank, suit).unwrap());
+            }
+        }
+        Self {
+            cards,
+            dealt: Vec::new(),
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Create a new deck with a specific shuffle seed
+    pub fn with_seed(seed: u64) -> Self {
+        let mut deck = Self::new();
+        deck.shuffle_with_seed(seed);
+        deck
+    }
+
+    // Shuffle the deck using a random seed
+    pub fn shuffle(&mut self) {
+        self.cards.shuffle(&mut rand::rng());
+    }
+
+    // Shuffle the deck using a specific seed
+    pub fn shuffle_with_seed(&mut self, seed: u64) {
+        let mut rng = rand::rngs::StdRng::seed_from_u64(seed);
+        self.cards.shuffle(&mut rng);
+    }
+
+    // Deal the next card from the deck
+    pub fn deal(&mut self) -> Option<Card> {
+        if self.cards.is_empty() {
+            None
+        } else {
+            let card = self.cards.pop().unwrap();
+            self.dealt.push(card);
+            Some(card)
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Deal a random card from the deck
+    pub fn deal_random(&mut self) -> Option<Card> {
+        if self.cards.is_empty() {
+            None
+        } else {
+            let index = rand::random::<u8>() as usize % self.cards.len();
+            let card = self.cards.remove(index);
+            self.dealt.push(card);
+            Some(card)
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Reset the deck (put all cards back)
+    pub fn reset(&mut self) {
+        self.cards.extend(self.dealt.drain(..));
+    }
+
+    // Check if a card is still in the deck
+    pub fn in_deck(&self, card: Card) -> bool {
+        self.cards.contains(&card)
+    }
+
+    // Remove a specific card from the deck
+    pub fn extract_card(&mut self, card: Card) -> Option<Card> {
+        if let Some(index) = self.cards.iter().position(|&c| c == card) {
+            Some(self.cards.remove(index))
+        } else {
+            None
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Remove a specific card by index from the deck
+    pub fn extract_card_by_index(&mut self, index: u8) -> Option<Card> {
+        if let Some(pos) = self.cards.iter().position(|&c| c.index() == index) {
+            Some(self.cards.remove(pos))
+        } else {
+            None
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Remove all cards in a hand from the deck
+    pub fn extract_hand(&mut self, hand: &Hand) {
+        for card in hand.get_card_array() {
+            self.extract_card_by_index(card);
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Get the number of cards left in the deck
+    pub fn cards_left(&self) -> usize {
+        self.cards.len()
+    }
+
+    // Get the top card (next card to be dealt)
+    pub fn get_top_card(&self) -> Option<Card> {
+        self.cards.last().copied()
+    }
+
+    // Get the index of the top card
+    pub fn get_top_card_index(&self) -> Option<u8> {
+        self.get_top_card().map(|card| card.index())
+    }
+
+    // Get a card at a specific index in the deck
+    pub fn get_card(&self, index: usize) -> Option<Card> {
+        self.cards.get(index).copied()
+    }
+}
+
+impl fmt::Display for Deck {
+    fn fmt(&self, f: &mut fmt::Formatter<'_>) -> fmt::Result {
+        write!(f, "Deck ({} cards left)", self.cards_left())
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_deck_creation() {
+        let deck = Deck::new();
+        assert_eq!(deck.cards_left(), Deck::NUM_CARDS);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_deck_shuffle() {
+        let mut deck = Deck::new();
+        deck.shuffle();
+        assert_eq!(deck.cards_left(), Deck::NUM_CARDS);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_deck_deal() {
+        let mut deck = Deck::new();
+        let card = deck.deal().unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(deck.cards_left(), Deck::NUM_CARDS - 1);
+        assert!(!deck.in_deck(card));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_deck_reset() {
+        let mut deck = Deck::new();
+        let card = deck.deal().unwrap();
+        deck.reset();
+        assert_eq!(deck.cards_left(), Deck::NUM_CARDS);
+        assert!(deck.in_deck(card));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_deck_extract_card() {
+        let mut deck = Deck::new();
+        let card = Card::from_string("As").unwrap();
+        deck.extract_card(card).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(deck.cards_left(), Deck::NUM_CARDS - 1);
+        assert!(!deck.in_deck(card));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/api/src/hand.rs b/api/src/hand.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..85f5207
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/src/hand.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,180 @@
+use crate::card::Card;
+
+#[derive(Debug, Clone, PartialEq, Eq)]
+pub struct Hand {
+    cards: [Option<Card>; 7], // Up to 7 cards
+    size: usize,              // Number of cards in the hand
+}
+
+impl Hand {
+    pub const MAX_CARDS: usize = 7;
+
+    // Create a new empty hand
+    pub fn new() -> Self {
+        Self {
+            cards: [None; Self::MAX_CARDS],
+            size: 0,
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Create a hand from a string representation (e.g., "As Ks Qs")
+    pub fn from_string(s: &str) -> Result<Self, &'static str> {
+        let mut hand = Self::new();
+        for card_str in s.split_whitespace() {
+            let card = Card::from_string(card_str)?;
+            hand.add_card(card)?;
+        }
+        Ok(hand)
+    }
+
+    // Add a card to the hand
+    pub fn add_card(&mut self, card: Card) -> Result<(), &'static str> {
+        if self.size >= Self::MAX_CARDS {
+            return Err("Hand is full");
+        }
+        self.cards[self.size] = Some(card);
+        self.size += 1;
+        Ok(())
+    }
+
+    // Remove the last card in the hand
+    pub fn remove_card(&mut self) {
+        if self.size > 0 {
+            self.size -= 1;
+            self.cards[self.size] = None;
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Get the card at a specific position (1-based indexing)
+    pub fn get_card(&self, pos: usize) -> Option<Card> {
+        if pos == 0 || pos > self.size {
+            return None;
+        }
+        self.cards[pos - 1]
+    }
+
+    // Get the card index at a specific position (1-based indexing)
+    pub fn get_card_index(&self, pos: usize) -> Option<u8> {
+        self.get_card(pos).map(|card| card.index())
+    }
+
+    // Get the last card in the hand
+    pub fn get_last_card(&self) -> Option<Card> {
+        if self.size == 0 {
+            None
+        } else {
+            self.cards[self.size - 1]
+        }
+    }
+
+    // Get the last card index in the hand
+    pub fn get_last_card_index(&self) -> Option<u8> {
+        self.get_last_card().map(|card| card.index())
+    }
+
+    // Clear the hand (remove all cards)
+    pub fn clear(&mut self) {
+        self.cards = [None; Self::MAX_CARDS];
+        self.size = 0;
+    }
+
+    // Sort the hand in descending order by card index
+    pub fn sort(&mut self) {
+        self.cards[..self.size].sort_by(|a, b| {
+            let a_index = a.map(|card| card.index()).unwrap_or(0);
+            let b_index = b.map(|card| card.index()).unwrap_or(0);
+            b_index.cmp(&a_index) // Sort in descending order
+        });    }
+
+    // Check if the hand contains a specific card
+    pub fn contains(&self, card: Card) -> bool {
+        self.cards[..self.size].contains(&Some(card))
+    }
+
+    // Get a string representation of the hand (e.g., "As Ks Qs")
+    pub fn to_string(&self) -> String {
+        self.cards[..self.size]
+            .iter()
+            .filter_map(|&card| card.map(|c| c.to_string()))
+            .collect::<Vec<String>>()
+            .join(" ")
+    }
+
+    // Get a string representation for flashing purposes
+    pub fn flashing_string(&self) -> String {
+        self.to_string()
+    }
+
+    // Get the size of the hand
+    pub fn size(&self) -> usize {
+        self.size
+    }
+
+    // Get the array of card indexes (for LUT-based evaluators)
+    pub fn get_card_array(&self) -> Vec<u8> {
+        self.cards[..self.size]
+            .iter()
+            .filter_map(|&card| card.map(|c| c.index()))
+            .collect()
+    }
+}
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+    use crate::card::Card;
+    use super::*;
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_hand_creation() {
+        let hand = Hand::new();
+        assert_eq!(hand.size(), 0);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_add_card() {
+        let mut hand = Hand::new();
+        let card = Card::from_string("As").unwrap();
+        hand.add_card(card).unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(hand.size(), 1);
+        assert_eq!(hand.get_card(1), Some(card));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_remove_card() {
+        let mut hand = Hand::new();
+        let card = Card::from_string("As").unwrap();
+        hand.add_card(card).unwrap();
+        hand.remove_card();
+        assert_eq!(hand.size(), 0);
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_hand_from_string() {
+        let hand = Hand::from_string("As Ks Qs").unwrap();
+        assert_eq!(hand.size(), 3);
+        assert_eq!(hand.get_card(1), Some(Card::from_string("As").unwrap()));
+        assert_eq!(hand.get_card(2), Some(Card::from_string("Ks").unwrap()));
+        assert_eq!(hand.get_card(3), Some(Card::from_string("Qs").unwrap()));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_hand_sort() {
+        let mut hand = Hand::from_string("2s As Ks").unwrap();
+        hand.sort();
+        assert_eq!(hand.get_card(1), Some(Card::from_string("As").unwrap()));
+        assert_eq!(hand.get_card(2), Some(Card::from_string("Ks").unwrap()));
+        assert_eq!(hand.get_card(3), Some(Card::from_string("2s").unwrap()));
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn test_hand_sort_with_empty_slots() {
+        let mut hand = Hand::new();
+        hand.add_card(Card::from_string("2s").unwrap()).unwrap();
+        hand.add_card(Card::from_string("As").unwrap()).unwrap();
+        hand.add_card(Card::from_string("Ks").unwrap()).unwrap();
+        hand.sort();
+        assert_eq!(hand.get_card(1), Some(Card::from_string("As").unwrap()));
+        assert_eq!(hand.get_card(2), Some(Card::from_string("Ks").unwrap()));
+        assert_eq!(hand.get_card(3), Some(Card::from_string("2s").unwrap()));
+    }
+}
diff --git a/api/src/lib.rs b/api/src/lib.rs
index 2e8b5ec..1d244ee 100644
--- a/api/src/lib.rs
+++ b/api/src/lib.rs
@@ -1 +1,8 @@
-pub mod card;
\ No newline at end of file
+pub mod card;
+pub mod hand;
+pub mod deck;
+
+#[cfg(test)]
+mod tests {
+
+}
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/api/tests/card_test.rs b/api/tests/card_test.rs
index b09311a..14e9382 100644
--- a/api/tests/card_test.rs
+++ b/api/tests/card_test.rs
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ use poker_api::card::Card;
 
 #[test]
 fn test_card_integration() {
-    let card = Card::from_string("As");
+    let card = Card::from_string("As").unwrap();
     assert_eq!(card.to_string(), "As");
 }
+
diff --git a/api/tests/deck_tests.rs b/api/tests/deck_tests.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b8cd0c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/tests/deck_tests.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+use poker_api::deck::Deck;
+
+#[test]
+fn test_deck_integration() {
+    let mut deck = Deck::new();
+    let card = deck.deal().unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(deck.cards_left(), 51);
+    assert!(!deck.in_deck(card));
+}
diff --git a/api/tests/hand_test.rs b/api/tests/hand_test.rs
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..ec86141
--- /dev/null
+++ b/api/tests/hand_test.rs
@@ -0,0 +1,11 @@
+use poker_api::card::Card;
+use poker_api::hand::Hand;
+
+#[test]
+fn test_hand_integration() {
+    let mut hand = Hand::new();
+    hand.add_card(Card::from_string("As").unwrap()).unwrap();
+    hand.add_card(Card::from_string("Ks").unwrap()).unwrap();
+    assert_eq!(hand.size(), 2);
+    assert_eq!(hand.to_string(), "As Ks");
+}