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Player cards
You and your opponent each have a deck of Player cards that is particular to the faction you are playing.
In the base game, Player cards exist only in the main Colty Gang and Colonel McReady decks. The expansions add more Player cards to the main decks, plus more Player cards through the Frontier deck and the Ambush cards.
All Player cards have the same basic anatomy:
Also, every Player card is of one or more types.
Player card types in the base game
Firepower (faction-specific)
These cards have a white or black poker chip icon (
or 
) in the
top-left corner of the card, for Colonel McReady and Colty Gang respectively.
The number inside the poker chip indicates the firepower value of the card.
You play Firepower cards into your own side of the playing area.
Row-Blocking
These cards have an orange border. As the Colonel McReady player you can — in your turn — place up to two of these cards in your opponent's playing area, at any battlefield. They reduce the number of cards that the Colty Gang player may play at that battlefield.
As the Colty Gang player you can only force these cards to be discarded through particular card effects (such as with "Improvise! Darn It!" or "Let’s Shoot Our Way Outta Here!", or by activating the Derail the Train card).
One-Shot Effect
Follow the instructions on the card to resolve the effect, and then place it on the discard pile.
Additional Player card types from the expansions
Firepower (Frontier deck, either faction)
Some expansions include Firepower cards with a red poker chip icon 
in the top-left corner of the card. These function just the Firepower cards in the base game, except that they may come under the control of either faction.
Ambush
Introduced in Expansion 1.1: Ambush on Gunshot Trail . You do not hold these cards in your hand — rather, the Colonel McReady player places them during the game setup, face down at each Battlefield.
Open Range
Introduced in Expansion 1.4: The Tarnished Star . You do not play these cards into any particular Battlefield — rather, you place them somewhere near you on the table so you can check them while they remain in play.
Location
Introduced in Expansion 1.4: The Tarnished Star . This type of card is typically unmoveable by other cards. The Colty Gang player may never use the Saddlebags card to pick up a Location card.
Special Weapon (Garrotte)
Introduced in Expansion 1.4: The Tarnished Star . This card acts just like a regular Firepower card, except that you may only place this card in your hand if and when, as the Colty Gang player, you free Santiago from San Manzanillo Prison. See the rules governing his release in Expansion 1.2: Hunt the Man Down .
Remove this card from the Colty Gang player's deck between matches — players must never draft this card straight into the deck during deck building.
Special Character (Armed Train Guard)
Introduced in Expansion 1.4: The Tarnished Star . This card acts just like a regular Firepower card, except that you place it during the game setup. See Module 1.4 C: Duel outside the Black Dog saloon.
Remove this card from the Colonel McReady player's deck between matches — players must never draft this card straight into the deck during deck building.