A card hopper (10) includes a control gate (28) that reliably allows cards (12) of varying thicknesses to be fed individually through an outlet opening (24) without adjustment. The hopper is configured to hold a stack of the cards. The control gate is positioned at the outlet opening and includes a flexible blade (30) that reduces a height of the outlet opening to less than a thickness of an end card of the stack, whereby the flexible blade flexes in response to the end card when driven through the outlet opening. Also disclosed is a card feeder assembly (14) that includes the above-described hopper.
