Give me a few minutes. My opinion on them is fresh on my mind; I can type something up shortly. The Lithuanian will ship free to the US for sure. Takes 2-3 weeks to get to the destination but I've put in 4 or 5 separate orders from him and I have gotten all of my cards.
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Cards review (4 Viewers)
- Thread starter Thomacetti
- Start date
Phyffe
Pair
Thanks JMC.
I've bought from him before (as I recall the Bicycle Prestige Jumbo Indexes made in Spain (presumably Fournier). Wasn't impressed. Yes, shipping did take a while.
Right, up next are the Fournier 2818 Poker Size, Jumbo Index cards
Manufacturer: Fournier
Price: $25 shipped for a two deck set up (delivery took 3 weeks from Lithuania to US). They appear to only be available on eBay from a Lithuanian seller.
Feel: The card back texture is smooth and not textured like the desjgn cards are, but the stock has an awesome feel with a great snap. The card stock itself is a bit thinner than a Dal Negro card, but they shuffle really smoothly and are not too flimsy like a Kem deck is. The cards pitch well and have a nice bend to them that returns to shape quickly.
Looks: The back design is really elegant and simple. I like the back design. The pips are really close to the border of the cards, like only a millimeter or two away from the edge. I don't like the look of it personally, as I prefer the pips a little closer to the center of the card, but it made peeking at the cards after dealing a bit easier. The reds aren't bright and use the red "Security" style ink used in many casinos, which makes sense considering the cards were only very recently made available to the home market by Fournier from what I understand. The blacks and card faces and suit designs are bold and were able to be read without issue by every player around my 8 foot table that we played on Saturday night.
Case: They came shrink wrapped only, but the Fournier "Titanium Series" cards, which have a simpler back design, come in a high quality laminated tuck box.
Durability: Can't comment on the overall durability yet, but they withstood the abuse of a 4.5 hour tournament thus far without any bowing, marking, or warping. The cards return to shape nicely after being shuffled.
Overall: A really nice high quality card that I'd be happy to use. One thing I did find curious is that I noticed some small paper cuts on my thumbs Sunday morning that I got shuffling the cards. The edges of the cards were pretty rounded, I thought, so I was surprised to see this. I'm guessing the cards may need a bit of a "break in" period and will get better with age, who knows. But I was very happy with them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a set up of these, long shipping considered.
Scores (out of 10):
Price: 7.5
Feel: 8.5
Looks: 8.5
Case: 6
Durability: 8
Overall score: 77/100
Scale for reference:
85-100: My dream, ideal card that I would use every game if I wanted to
74-84: An excellent card that I would buy a couple of extra set ups of when the first set starts to get worn down
64-73: A good card that I would be happy to use with my home game
50-63: A passable card that I would use for a home game if I had no other better options available to me
30-49: A not so great card that I would carry with me in my travel bag that I wouldn't care if it got damaged or lost
0-29: Wouldn't use in any game. Fodder for my 1 year old son to play with and destroy.
Manufacturer: Fournier
Price: $25 shipped for a two deck set up (delivery took 3 weeks from Lithuania to US). They appear to only be available on eBay from a Lithuanian seller.
Feel: The card back texture is smooth and not textured like the desjgn cards are, but the stock has an awesome feel with a great snap. The card stock itself is a bit thinner than a Dal Negro card, but they shuffle really smoothly and are not too flimsy like a Kem deck is. The cards pitch well and have a nice bend to them that returns to shape quickly.
Looks: The back design is really elegant and simple. I like the back design. The pips are really close to the border of the cards, like only a millimeter or two away from the edge. I don't like the look of it personally, as I prefer the pips a little closer to the center of the card, but it made peeking at the cards after dealing a bit easier. The reds aren't bright and use the red "Security" style ink used in many casinos, which makes sense considering the cards were only very recently made available to the home market by Fournier from what I understand. The blacks and card faces and suit designs are bold and were able to be read without issue by every player around my 8 foot table that we played on Saturday night.
Case: They came shrink wrapped only, but the Fournier "Titanium Series" cards, which have a simpler back design, come in a high quality laminated tuck box.
Durability: Can't comment on the overall durability yet, but they withstood the abuse of a 4.5 hour tournament thus far without any bowing, marking, or warping. The cards return to shape nicely after being shuffled.
Overall: A really nice high quality card that I'd be happy to use. One thing I did find curious is that I noticed some small paper cuts on my thumbs Sunday morning that I got shuffling the cards. The edges of the cards were pretty rounded, I thought, so I was surprised to see this. I'm guessing the cards may need a bit of a "break in" period and will get better with age, who knows. But I was very happy with them. I wouldn't hesitate to buy a set up of these, long shipping considered.
Scores (out of 10):
Price: 7.5
Feel: 8.5
Looks: 8.5
Case: 6
Durability: 8
Overall score: 77/100
Scale for reference:
85-100: My dream, ideal card that I would use every game if I wanted to
74-84: An excellent card that I would buy a couple of extra set ups of when the first set starts to get worn down
64-73: A good card that I would be happy to use with my home game
50-63: A passable card that I would use for a home game if I had no other better options available to me
30-49: A not so great card that I would carry with me in my travel bag that I wouldn't care if it got damaged or lost
0-29: Wouldn't use in any game. Fodder for my 1 year old son to play with and destroy.
Old State
Full House
- Joined
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The trick is to store them like that from the start.
Faded Spade are simply too stiff. I own an example of every card made that can be acquired. Faded Spade are the only I will not play with. They made it barely one rotation around the table and everyone hated them.
Phyffe
Pair
Muchos Gracias! Appreciate the quick review!!!
As for the paper cuts, I'm thinking rubbing the edges on the felt a few times might smooth it out?
We have a professional dealer when I hold our games and I help out by shuffling the deck not currently being used so I'm very sensitive to thin cards that cut my sensitive little digits. =)
My subjective review of the Bullets Playing Cards (Poker size, jumbo 2pip and jumbo 4pip, red/blue) (thanks @Geppi !)
Manufacturer
Bullets Playing Cards
Price
$20 USD / two deck setup on Amazon.com.
Each deck in the set is comprised of 56 cards (52-card deck, two jokers, a hand rank card, and a guarantee card).
Feel
Very similar to Fournier in handling. They are smooth on the face, but have a definite texture to the back, even more so than the Desjgn Classic Victorian v3 cards that I have. Thickness is the same as the Desjgn cards. They have less flex than Fournier, but that may be due to the fact that I haven't used them in a game yet, so they need to break in a bit. They return to flat very quickly.
Looks
Currently available in red/blue. Graphics are quite nice. The non-face cards have a white background inside "the box" for the pips in the middle of the card. Pip size is jumbo but thin. If you look earlier in this thread, you will find a review of the Cartamundi ACE cards. The font reminded me immediately of them. The card stock is greyish-white compared to other cards. Each suit is easily distinguishable...there should be no confusing clubs and spades with these cards.
The 4-pip cards have a bit of a smudge on them when I look at them from certain angles, at least for the low spade cards. I'm not sure what to make of that. I did try to wash it off of the Ace and it helped a bit, but didn't completely remove them. I'm wondering if it is ink from the next card in the desk. If so, that's a concern, as it may also be on the backs of the cards.
Between the 2-pip and 4-pip cards, I prefer the looks of the 2-pip cards. The jumbo 4-pip cards are quite busy, but that may be because I'm not used to them.
Durability
Unknown.
Case
They ship in standard single-deck packs inside a 2-deck cardboard box. Nice, but not to the same level as Desjgn's boxes or the plastic 2-card boxes that ship with Copag, Modiano, and Kem.
Overall
I really like the feel of the cards, and I love the rich blue and red colours used on the backs. Jury is out, though, as we haven't used them in a game. Another host will be holding a game in a week or so, and once I review the cards to see if there are any marks on the backs similar to the smudging I saw on the faces of the 4pip cards, I'll see if they would be willing to use the cards in their game.
Photos
2-pip cards
2-pip index comparison. Design, Bullets, Dal Negro, and Fournier.
4 pip
4-pip index comparison.
The "smudges". You can see them above and to the right of the center spade.
Manufacturer
Bullets Playing Cards
Price
$20 USD / two deck setup on Amazon.com.
Each deck in the set is comprised of 56 cards (52-card deck, two jokers, a hand rank card, and a guarantee card).
Feel
Very similar to Fournier in handling. They are smooth on the face, but have a definite texture to the back, even more so than the Desjgn Classic Victorian v3 cards that I have. Thickness is the same as the Desjgn cards. They have less flex than Fournier, but that may be due to the fact that I haven't used them in a game yet, so they need to break in a bit. They return to flat very quickly.
Looks
Currently available in red/blue. Graphics are quite nice. The non-face cards have a white background inside "the box" for the pips in the middle of the card. Pip size is jumbo but thin. If you look earlier in this thread, you will find a review of the Cartamundi ACE cards. The font reminded me immediately of them. The card stock is greyish-white compared to other cards. Each suit is easily distinguishable...there should be no confusing clubs and spades with these cards.
The 4-pip cards have a bit of a smudge on them when I look at them from certain angles, at least for the low spade cards. I'm not sure what to make of that. I did try to wash it off of the Ace and it helped a bit, but didn't completely remove them. I'm wondering if it is ink from the next card in the desk. If so, that's a concern, as it may also be on the backs of the cards.
Between the 2-pip and 4-pip cards, I prefer the looks of the 2-pip cards. The jumbo 4-pip cards are quite busy, but that may be because I'm not used to them.
Durability
Unknown.
Case
They ship in standard single-deck packs inside a 2-deck cardboard box. Nice, but not to the same level as Desjgn's boxes or the plastic 2-card boxes that ship with Copag, Modiano, and Kem.
Overall
I really like the feel of the cards, and I love the rich blue and red colours used on the backs. Jury is out, though, as we haven't used them in a game. Another host will be holding a game in a week or so, and once I review the cards to see if there are any marks on the backs similar to the smudging I saw on the faces of the 4pip cards, I'll see if they would be willing to use the cards in their game.
Photos
2-pip cards
2-pip index comparison. Design, Bullets, Dal Negro, and Fournier.
4 pip
4-pip index comparison.
The "smudges". You can see them above and to the right of the center spade.
Phyffe
Pair
We used the jumbo set for about 4 or 5 sessions. The ink started fading before the card stock wore out, just as with most other plastics.
Didn't you find them so darn stiff, though? They broke in, slightly, but not that much.
Didn't you find them so darn stiff, though? They broke in, slightly, but not that much.
The Bullets are definitely more stiff ("have less flex") than the Fournier 2818 and Desjgn cards I compared them against. I spent some time shuffling Modiano PA, Fournier 2818, and Bullets, and the Bullets are very close to the Modiano PA. The last game I played used Faded Spade 2.0 cards, so that may be clouding my judgement a bit, as those are stiff.
Loaned the 2-pip Bullets to the host at our league tourney tonight to try out, and the cards were well received by the players. The game is self-dealt, so everyone had a good opportunity to shuffle and deal the cards. No one had anything negative to say, and a number of people asked where to buy them. They were disappointed to find out that they are not available in Canada. Hopefully the company will find a Canadian distributor.
Thanks for posting this review. The Cartamunidi Ace is just what I've been searching for! Decent quality plastic cards that are dirt cheap! Amazon even has a 6 pack available for under $23.
@CdnBeerLover Cards arrived today. Thanks again! They are quite nice for $4 a pack!
Glad the review helped. Enjoy!
Sun-Fly Lucky Dragon (Poker size, Standard Index, Black)
Manufacturer
Sun-Fly
Price
To be determined. These were a sample provided by @T_Chan (thanks!). I received one single deck, comprised of 54 cards (52-card deck, two jokers). It also included one red cut card, which was a nice touch.
Feel
They feel thick and stiff. Not as stiff as Modiano, but moreso than Fournier 2818 or Bicycle Prestige.
Texture on the back of the card is rather smooth, while the face has a slight texture. The closest card in my collection to these in that respect are Kem. They returns to flat very quickly.
In comparison to other decks, they are the same thickness as Kem, and 3 cards thicker than my Fournier / Prestige decks.
Looks
These are a very square card. The card stock is white with a bluish tint to it. Again, very similar to Kem in that respect.
The backs have a nice graphic, with a thinner border than seen on other cards.
The faces and pips are stylized with white lines going through them. To be honest, I personally do not care for it, as it does make them more difficult to read at first glance. The red used is a lighter shade, and not the "security red" used in other brands.
Pip size is on par with other standard index cards.
Durability
Unknown at this time.
Case
Standard single-deck cardboard tuck box.
Overall
I think the best way to describe them would be a "stiff PVC KEM". If they came with standard pips and multiple colours, I would definitely consider them.
Manufacturer
Sun-Fly
Price
To be determined. These were a sample provided by @T_Chan (thanks!). I received one single deck, comprised of 54 cards (52-card deck, two jokers). It also included one red cut card, which was a nice touch.
Feel
They feel thick and stiff. Not as stiff as Modiano, but moreso than Fournier 2818 or Bicycle Prestige.
Texture on the back of the card is rather smooth, while the face has a slight texture. The closest card in my collection to these in that respect are Kem. They returns to flat very quickly.
In comparison to other decks, they are the same thickness as Kem, and 3 cards thicker than my Fournier / Prestige decks.
Looks
These are a very square card. The card stock is white with a bluish tint to it. Again, very similar to Kem in that respect.
The backs have a nice graphic, with a thinner border than seen on other cards.
The faces and pips are stylized with white lines going through them. To be honest, I personally do not care for it, as it does make them more difficult to read at first glance. The red used is a lighter shade, and not the "security red" used in other brands.
Pip size is on par with other standard index cards.
Durability
Unknown at this time.
Case
Standard single-deck cardboard tuck box.
Overall
I think the best way to describe them would be a "stiff PVC KEM". If they came with standard pips and multiple colours, I would definitely consider them.
My apologies to @T_Chan , as this review is well overdue. Tony was nice enough to send me a sample deck of the Sunfly Dragon Back cards for me to shuffle around and review for the rest of everyone here. Tony is also gauging interest in a group buy for these, so get in touch with him if interested! My thoughts on the cards are below. I'll edit in some photos a bit later on.
Manufacturer: @SUN-FLY Poker Chips
Price: Per Tony, if purchased in bulk, the price is between $15-$20 per two deck set up.
Feel: I really like these cards. The faces of the cards are a bit slippery, but break in nicely after a few riffles. The back of the cards have a light grainy texture to them that I like too. They're not as rough as the new Dal Negro cards that came out last year, but there's enough of texture on these to notice a difference. They pitch well and aren't at all slippery. Not a single misdeal when doing a pretend deal a few times around the table. The cards are not very stiff and hit that sweet spot between the Kem's, which I think are too malleable, to the aforementioned Dal Negro's that are pretty rigid. They return to shape well after a riffle.
I'll be honest in saying that my taste in cards has evolved over time. I like textured card stock, but a lot of textured stocks are pretty difficult to shuffle over a long period. This card stock as mentioned above hits a nice sweet spot between having some stiffness but not being too difficult to shuffle. I like them a lot.
Looks: I'll be honest here as well. I didn't like the stock design of the card pips. While I prefer jumbo index pips and card faces, I can deal with regular index as long as the red and black inks are distinguishable and the font used is legible. Even on my small 5 x 3.5 foot board game table, depending on the angle, some of the cards may be difficult to read when on the board. The inks are very bold as the black and red inks are well distinguished. I would much prefer standard pips and indexes on these cards, which I think Tony's buy is going to have. The back design, however, is very elegant and I like it a lot. The white border is a bit thinner than on other Italian, American, and Spanish cards.
Durability: Too soon to tell, though it seems like these will hold up well over time.
Case: Cardboard single deck box, came with a free generic cut card which was nice.
Overall: These would be an option to go into my rotation of cards if they were jumbo index and of "standard" card font. I wouldn't get tilted by the fonts, but some of my players I bet would complain about not being able to distinguish between a spade and a club or between a 6 and 9, for example. Tony's group buy to my understanding will have standard jumbo index, so that issue would be moot. I'd pull the trigger on a couple of sets to have if the buy goes through based on the feel of the cards, though they don't really knock it out of the park like desjgn's Grand Victorians and Fournier 2800 do.
Price: 7.5
Feel: 8.5
Looks: 6 (8 if standard faces)
Durability: 7
Case: 5
Overall: 68/100
Review scale for reference:
85-100: My dream, ideal card that I would use every game if I wanted to
74-84: An excellent card that I would buy a couple of extra set ups of when the first set starts to get worn down
64-73: A good card that I would be happy to use with my home game
50-63: A passable card that I would use for a home game if I had no other better options available to me
30-49: A not so great card that I would carry with me in my travel bag that I wouldn't care if it got damaged or lost
0-29: Wouldn't use in any game. Fodder for my 2 year old son to play with and destroy.
Manufacturer: @SUN-FLY Poker Chips
Price: Per Tony, if purchased in bulk, the price is between $15-$20 per two deck set up.
Feel: I really like these cards. The faces of the cards are a bit slippery, but break in nicely after a few riffles. The back of the cards have a light grainy texture to them that I like too. They're not as rough as the new Dal Negro cards that came out last year, but there's enough of texture on these to notice a difference. They pitch well and aren't at all slippery. Not a single misdeal when doing a pretend deal a few times around the table. The cards are not very stiff and hit that sweet spot between the Kem's, which I think are too malleable, to the aforementioned Dal Negro's that are pretty rigid. They return to shape well after a riffle.
I'll be honest in saying that my taste in cards has evolved over time. I like textured card stock, but a lot of textured stocks are pretty difficult to shuffle over a long period. This card stock as mentioned above hits a nice sweet spot between having some stiffness but not being too difficult to shuffle. I like them a lot.
Looks: I'll be honest here as well. I didn't like the stock design of the card pips. While I prefer jumbo index pips and card faces, I can deal with regular index as long as the red and black inks are distinguishable and the font used is legible. Even on my small 5 x 3.5 foot board game table, depending on the angle, some of the cards may be difficult to read when on the board. The inks are very bold as the black and red inks are well distinguished. I would much prefer standard pips and indexes on these cards, which I think Tony's buy is going to have. The back design, however, is very elegant and I like it a lot. The white border is a bit thinner than on other Italian, American, and Spanish cards.
Durability: Too soon to tell, though it seems like these will hold up well over time.
Case: Cardboard single deck box, came with a free generic cut card which was nice.
Overall: These would be an option to go into my rotation of cards if they were jumbo index and of "standard" card font. I wouldn't get tilted by the fonts, but some of my players I bet would complain about not being able to distinguish between a spade and a club or between a 6 and 9, for example. Tony's group buy to my understanding will have standard jumbo index, so that issue would be moot. I'd pull the trigger on a couple of sets to have if the buy goes through based on the feel of the cards, though they don't really knock it out of the park like desjgn's Grand Victorians and Fournier 2800 do.
Price: 7.5
Feel: 8.5
Looks: 6 (8 if standard faces)
Durability: 7
Case: 5
Overall: 68/100
Review scale for reference:
85-100: My dream, ideal card that I would use every game if I wanted to
74-84: An excellent card that I would buy a couple of extra set ups of when the first set starts to get worn down
64-73: A good card that I would be happy to use with my home game
50-63: A passable card that I would use for a home game if I had no other better options available to me
30-49: A not so great card that I would carry with me in my travel bag that I wouldn't care if it got damaged or lost
0-29: Wouldn't use in any game. Fodder for my 2 year old son to play with and destroy.
Last edited:
Jake14mw
Flush
Thanks for the review. I would buy these Sunfly cards these backs or the Valentino backs and the Sunfly jumbo index of their Valentino cards.
Gut_Shot_On_Da_River
High Hand
This is a great review. Thanks for putting all this info with the pictures together!
Gut_Shot_On_Da_River
High Hand
Great review. Liked your qualitative assessment method of the cards. Know where to get any of these in the USA so I don't have to pay big bucks on shipping?
@JMC9389 Great review. Thanks for the in depth breakdown. Liked your qualitative assessment method of the cards as well.
@JMC9389
If you had to recommend one set of the Dal Negros out of all the ones you've owned or handled, which would it be? Thanks again. This threat has been awesome to read!
Regarding the Grand Victorians, send a PM to Jason @desjgn here. Shipping for just one set up of cards is a bit steep, but he's sent me four set ups at a time well packed in a flat rate envelope.
I gifted a set up of these cards to each of my regulars this past holiday season and they've gotten awesome reviews. In games that someone else has hosted, we've used desjgn cards at their insistence. Mission accomplished there
I'd recommend desjgn's cards out of all of the Dal Negro cards I have, bar none. The Grand Victorians are made on Dal Negro card stock, I believe.
The Poker Monkey and Liberty back cards I have are the same stock and have the same pips, only difference is card back design. The stock on those cards is smooth if you don't like the grainy textured backs. Give me the textured backs any day of the week though!
I've got a special treat for everyone here. I'm going to review some King Australia Prestige plastic cards (poker size) and Classic (bridge size). These don't make it stateside too often but was able to secure a small lot of them from @xdan from down under here. It will be possible to do a group buy of these cards either as they are or with a custom back. There are a slew of card group buy interest threads at the moment, so as to not crap on the other potential buys, I'm going to shelf it for down the road, but PM me or @xdan if you would be interested.
Price: $30 Australian dollars, which is about $22 USD per two deck set up, plus shipping, which averaged out to about $7.30 USD per set up, so we'll round up and say $30 USD for a two deck set up. A group buy with a large bulk purchase would cost substantially less, even with shipping from Australia and North American reshipping.
Feel: I love the feel of these cards. The stock is definitely on the thicker side when compared to other plastic cards on the market. I think it may even be as thick as the Dal Negro and Faded Spade stocks, which are some of the thickest cards out there. The texture of the stock is matte, which makes it much more on the smoother side than the Dal Negro Virgolone or desjgn's Grand Victorian cards. The texture of the card back and faces is the same, and feels smoother than a baby's bottom. It's a really, really nice card to shuffle.
The cards are thick but are not a chore to shuffle like some Dal Negro Monkey Back and Freedom back cards are initially. The thickened card stock offers a really nice snap when the cards are riffled. These really are super nice feeling. I like them so much that I ordered more from pokershop.au, whom as far as I can tell is the only commercial supplier of these cards that will ship around the world.
Looks: The card back design is simple yet elegant. The white border around the cards looks to be a bit wider when compared to other cards with borders. Not sure if it's my eyes and I did not take out the calipers and measure, but it did seem noticeable to me initially. It's not good or bad in my opinion, just interesting to note.
I really like the card faces a lot. Again, not sure if it's just my eyes or not, but the cards they manufacture are all jumbo index, but their jumbo index does seem a fraction smaller than others. The numbers, pips, and ink is very distinguishable and easy to read from a distance, but the pips are not obnoxiously large. They're also different (in a good way, I think) from the other jumbo index cards out there. The font is just a hair different from Kem, Dal Negro, Cartamundi, et al. The numbers are sharp, compact, and clean. Font is purely a preference characteristic, but I like this font lots.
The number cards on the Prestige poker size decks have a yellow rectangular background, the bridge size Classics do not.
Durability: I'll see if I can find it later when I go back downstairs, but I did not that one of the black tens in the deck was marked on the surface. It was definitely wrapped and shipped like this and I did not cause the mark. I'll deduct from the score in the review a bit, but not profoundly because it was not on the back of the card where it would make it possible to cheat when using this deck. I won't put the deck I opened into play, I'll just use it as my go to King Deck to shuffle around when I'm bored.
Case: Laminated cardboard tuck box. A complimentary cut card also comes with the deck. +1 point for that.
Overall: I really like the feel and appearance of these cards. I really hope that the marked card on the poker sized deck is an anomaly and not common when the cards are more heavily put to use. In terms of feel, these cards come really close to matching my favorites in the desjgn Grand Victorian and Fournier 2800 cards. I like but don't love the card back design, but I really do like the card faces and fonts.
Score:
Price: 7
Feel: 9.5
Looks: 8.5
Durability: 5
Case: 7
Overall: 74/100
Review Scale for Reference:
85-100: My dream, ideal card that I would use every game if I wanted to
74-84: An excellent card that I would buy a couple of extra set ups of when the first set starts to get worn down
64-73: A good card that I would be happy to use with my home game
50-63: A passable card that I would use for a home game if I had no other better options available to me
30-49: A not so great card that I would carry with me in my travel bag that I wouldn't care if it got damaged or lost
0-29: Wouldn't use in any game. Fodder for my 2 year old son to play with and destroy.
Price: $30 Australian dollars, which is about $22 USD per two deck set up, plus shipping, which averaged out to about $7.30 USD per set up, so we'll round up and say $30 USD for a two deck set up. A group buy with a large bulk purchase would cost substantially less, even with shipping from Australia and North American reshipping.
Feel: I love the feel of these cards. The stock is definitely on the thicker side when compared to other plastic cards on the market. I think it may even be as thick as the Dal Negro and Faded Spade stocks, which are some of the thickest cards out there. The texture of the stock is matte, which makes it much more on the smoother side than the Dal Negro Virgolone or desjgn's Grand Victorian cards. The texture of the card back and faces is the same, and feels smoother than a baby's bottom. It's a really, really nice card to shuffle.
The cards are thick but are not a chore to shuffle like some Dal Negro Monkey Back and Freedom back cards are initially. The thickened card stock offers a really nice snap when the cards are riffled. These really are super nice feeling. I like them so much that I ordered more from pokershop.au, whom as far as I can tell is the only commercial supplier of these cards that will ship around the world.
Looks: The card back design is simple yet elegant. The white border around the cards looks to be a bit wider when compared to other cards with borders. Not sure if it's my eyes and I did not take out the calipers and measure, but it did seem noticeable to me initially. It's not good or bad in my opinion, just interesting to note.
I really like the card faces a lot. Again, not sure if it's just my eyes or not, but the cards they manufacture are all jumbo index, but their jumbo index does seem a fraction smaller than others. The numbers, pips, and ink is very distinguishable and easy to read from a distance, but the pips are not obnoxiously large. They're also different (in a good way, I think) from the other jumbo index cards out there. The font is just a hair different from Kem, Dal Negro, Cartamundi, et al. The numbers are sharp, compact, and clean. Font is purely a preference characteristic, but I like this font lots.
The number cards on the Prestige poker size decks have a yellow rectangular background, the bridge size Classics do not.
Durability: I'll see if I can find it later when I go back downstairs, but I did not that one of the black tens in the deck was marked on the surface. It was definitely wrapped and shipped like this and I did not cause the mark. I'll deduct from the score in the review a bit, but not profoundly because it was not on the back of the card where it would make it possible to cheat when using this deck. I won't put the deck I opened into play, I'll just use it as my go to King Deck to shuffle around when I'm bored.
Case: Laminated cardboard tuck box. A complimentary cut card also comes with the deck. +1 point for that.
Overall: I really like the feel and appearance of these cards. I really hope that the marked card on the poker sized deck is an anomaly and not common when the cards are more heavily put to use. In terms of feel, these cards come really close to matching my favorites in the desjgn Grand Victorian and Fournier 2800 cards. I like but don't love the card back design, but I really do like the card faces and fonts.
Score:
Price: 7
Feel: 9.5
Looks: 8.5
Durability: 5
Case: 7
Overall: 74/100
Review Scale for Reference:
85-100: My dream, ideal card that I would use every game if I wanted to
74-84: An excellent card that I would buy a couple of extra set ups of when the first set starts to get worn down
64-73: A good card that I would be happy to use with my home game
50-63: A passable card that I would use for a home game if I had no other better options available to me
30-49: A not so great card that I would carry with me in my travel bag that I wouldn't care if it got damaged or lost
0-29: Wouldn't use in any game. Fodder for my 2 year old son to play with and destroy.
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Was cut card included?
Yes. One cut card per deck, so you get two if you get two decks of cards.
Gut_Shot_On_Da_River
High Hand
Regarding the Grand Victorians, send a PM to Jason @desjgn here. Shipping for just one set up of cards is a bit steep, but he's sent me four set ups at a time well packed in a flat rate envelope.
I gifted a set up of these cards to each of my regulars this past holiday season and they've gotten awesome reviews. In games that someone else has hosted, we've used desjgn cards at their insistence. Mission accomplished there
I'd recommend desjgn's cards out of all of the Dal Negro cards I have, bar none. The Grand Victorians are made on Dal Negro card stock, I believe.
The Poker Monkey and Liberty back cards I have are the same stock and have the same pips, only difference is card back design. The stock on those cards is smooth if you don't like the grainy textured backs. Give me the textured backs any day of the week though!
Thanks for the follow up on the Dal Negros. Good to know you would take Desjgns over Dal Negros. I actually shuffled a few of my Desjgn decks earlier today after some time of not handling them and fully re-realized what an absolute fantastic deck of cards they really are. Jason's work into these really shows. Not sure where you have them on you quantitative assessment metric but I can see myself almost always defaulting to using them.
Great review @JMC9389
For reference, my mate runs a pub poker league.
He tried many cards but found kings were the most durable of the lot.
(He has used Copag/dal negro poker stars/modiano)
Imagine the harsh conditions with spillages and rough use.
I will post a photo of my designs for some custom cards using the kings stock in the group but thread later. See if there is any interest.
For reference, my mate runs a pub poker league.
He tried many cards but found kings were the most durable of the lot.
(He has used Copag/dal negro poker stars/modiano)
Imagine the harsh conditions with spillages and rough use.
I will post a photo of my designs for some custom cards using the kings stock in the group but thread later. See if there is any interest.
Gut_Shot_On_Da_River
High Hand
@JMC9389 @Perthmike
This Kings set is sweet. Thanks for the review and pictures. No way to get these in the U.S. ?
As a compliment to my decks, I have been on the search for more durable and solid cut card set up for a little while now. I picked up a set of these a few weeks ago to test them out and have been pleasantly surprised so far. They seem to be holding up well and have a great rigidity and thickness to them that I just haven't seen in any cut cards that come stock (or that I have purchased separately) with the decks I own. They were $6 bucks for a set of two which is a little on the expensive side in my opinion. However, they are worth it if you're looking to get a little additional enjoyment/functionality out of your already elite deck(s).
The set I bought is used primarily on my bridge Desjgn decks (4 Color and Classic Baroque). They fit seamlessly, don't slip and don't warp (so far - we'll see how they hold up over time). I also use them on my Copag Legacy (bridge) set and they're great. I am planning to get another set or two for my regular sized index cards as the cut cards come in a solid variety of colors and designs.
This Kings set is sweet. Thanks for the review and pictures. No way to get these in the U.S. ?
As a compliment to my decks, I have been on the search for more durable and solid cut card set up for a little while now. I picked up a set of these a few weeks ago to test them out and have been pleasantly surprised so far. They seem to be holding up well and have a great rigidity and thickness to them that I just haven't seen in any cut cards that come stock (or that I have purchased separately) with the decks I own. They were $6 bucks for a set of two which is a little on the expensive side in my opinion. However, they are worth it if you're looking to get a little additional enjoyment/functionality out of your already elite deck(s).
The set I bought is used primarily on my bridge Desjgn decks (4 Color and Classic Baroque). They fit seamlessly, don't slip and don't warp (so far - we'll see how they hold up over time). I also use them on my Copag Legacy (bridge) set and they're great. I am planning to get another set or two for my regular sized index cards as the cut cards come in a solid variety of colors and designs.
Check the classifieds, we have an unofficially official group buy going on for the King Australia cards! I'm pleasantly surprised by the enthusiasm and the interest so far, it looks like it may happen! Please post interest if you're thinking of getting some. I may buy some extra to sell off at a later date to those that didn't get in on the buy or didn't see it initially, but not that many!
As far as cut cards go, get in touch with @Potsie1 here. He has desjgn cut cards among others. @MatB also may have some left from previous group buys. Happy hunting!
Gut_Shot_On_Da_River
High Hand
Hi all,
Does anyone know of any 4 Color Bridge only decks outside of Faded Spade (2.0) and the J Desjgn's. I know Copag makes a regular sized 4 color deck set and that once upon a time Modiano made a 4 color, too.
Thanks!
Does anyone know of any 4 Color Bridge only decks outside of Faded Spade (2.0) and the J Desjgn's. I know Copag makes a regular sized 4 color deck set and that once upon a time Modiano made a 4 color, too.
Thanks!
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