PSA: STOP Ruining Playing Cards. (1 Viewer)

[MatB]

So a few years ago I was at a game and I look down at a pretty new deck of cards.

That’s weird I thought. It looked like someone had pressed a finger or thumb nail into the card. Leaving a small crescent shaped dent.
Visible (barely). But could definitely feel it

WTF.! Who is marking cards at a friendly home game ?

After noticing it at a couple of different home games with completely different players I finally figured out what it was. Not that it makes it ok as now even a slightly alert player could tell other players cards from seeing the mark on the back. Or if self dealing, know what you are dealing to someone from the feel.
Its also a shame because people are spending $8 to 40 on nice playing cards.

This is what I think is causing the issue:

People peeking at their cards with a chip on top of it.

Nice brand new Bicycle Prestige cards.

Cap the card with a chip.

take a look. Not realizing you are lifting the card into the edge of the chip

Nice. now you’ve trashed a full deck cards.

 

[upNdown]

Oh it's the chip! Brilliant. I always wondered how people got their thumbnails down like that.
Yes, good PSA. Anybody who's doing that needs to stop.

 

[JMC9389]

The only time I have my card capper on my cards is when they're not being handled. Card capper is off to the side when I peek at the cards. I had no idea that doing that with the chip can damage the cards so much.

Anyone doing this to intentionally mark the cards or if anyone is caught marking on purpose will receive a life time ban from my game.

 

[MatB]

The only time I have my card capper on my cards is when they're not being handled. Card capper is off to the side when I peek at the cards. I had no idea that doing that with the chip can damage the cards so much.

Anyone doing this to intentionally mark the cards or if anyone is caught marking on purpose will receive a life time ban from my game.

I’m pretty sure is accidental for the most part.

Especially considering the type of games I’ve noticed it at.

 

[Highli99]

Yeah my brother ruined a couple setups of mine this way back before Covid. Good post!

 

[upNdown]

I’m pretty sure is accidental for the most part.

Matt, I was playing at Seabrook not too long ago, and I noticed that mark on an ace. Very next hand, I noticed it on another ace and a J. I stopped the game and asked for a new setup. I posted about it here a while back, though I can't remember where. They brought a new setup, and it tilted the f out of the guy I would have guessed was the culprit. Or maybe he was just having a bad day, and didn't appreciate the delay. Based on the cards I saw marked, I suspected malfeasance, but the consensus here seemed to be probably not.

Edit - here it is https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/would-you-request-follow-up-on-a-marked-deck.52895/

 

[MatB]

Yeah I figured other people had noticed it before.

Not even sure how to stop it happening , other than finding out who the offenders are and giving them a ton of shit for it.

 

[davethesave]

This infuriates me beyond belief.

 

[Darthhoodie]

I would have to fight the urge to bitch slap someone for doing that to a deck of my cards. I'm not sure I have ever seen anyone check their cards like that. I will be looking for that from now on thank you!

 

[TheBigTater]

Seen it. I think it happens more often after the hand is in play and people cover their cards, then recheck their hole cards after they placed a card cap on them.

Like everything mostly it probably happens by accident by people that don't know better, but surely some of the times it happens with intention to exploit later on.

 

[davethesave]

I would have to fight the urge to bitch slap someone for doing that to a deck of my cards. I'm not sure I have ever seen anyone check their cards like that. I will be looking for that from now on thank you!

SAME!!!

 

[Rakrul]

That's why I buy 12-packs. 6 blue, 6 red and replace single cards instead.
I had one player doing this, but with his fingernail. He would peak at the cards horizontally and press the cards down with his nail "marking" the card. I only noticed since I'm the dealer and sense the dents when dealing the cards. It was hardly visible but I always replaced the card. At worst it was 2 cards per night. Extremely annoying that it continued to happen when I told him to stop and change his "peaking technique".

 

[Saoliver]

Matt, I was playing at Seabrook not too long ago, and I noticed that mark on an ace. Very next hand, I noticed it on another ace and a J. I stopped the game and asked for a new setup. I posted about it here a while back, though I can't remember where. They brought a new setup, and it tilted the f out of the guy I would have guessed was the culprit. Or maybe he was just having a bad day, and didn't appreciate the delay. Based on the cards I saw marked, I suspected malfeasance, but the consensus here seemed to be probably not.

Edit - here it is https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/would-you-request-follow-up-on-a-marked-deck.52895/

I have seen this many times in card rooms and always ask for a new setup, or at least, swap out those marked cards. I always look around the table to see who reacts.

I’ve even called out a guy before for marking cards. He said it wasn’t him, but then racked up and left a few hands later. Guess what? No more marked cards that day.

 

[CraigT78]

This happened at one of the Alamo meetups. Someone either had press on nails or was doing the card peek with chip on top. I had to swap out a lot of damaged cards and couldn't figure out who it was doing it.

 

[Josh Kifer]

Yup. We've made it a rule to never peek while using a guard after 3-4 decks got ruined in 3 weeks. I was pissed when it was new Copags.

 

[CLKin]

Great observation, thanks for this. I will be looking for this in the future.

 

[RainmanTrail]

It also happens without a chip though. Some players like to peek slowly, just pinching up as little of the card as they can. It's like a superstition thing. Then they'll press into the table with the cards if the next card isn't what they want, and it places an indent into the card as they're creasing it at a 90 degree angle. It's really fucking annoying.

It's also often not random. If you check the distribution of damaged cards, you'll notice that aces are overwhelmingly represented (I was a poker manager many moons ago, so I was responsible for replacing damaged setups and bad cards).

 

[DoubleEagle]

This has been happening at our games also. Trying to identify the culprit is difficult.

 

[ekricket]

This has been happening at our games also. Trying to identify the culprit is difficult.

Try using paper cards for a few games. It will become obvious fast who is bending cards

 

[flipupchipup]

Lol I remember getting ticked off about this one year at Mark's after it happened to 3 decks in a row....good to know

 

[MatB]

Played this weekend with Club Angel Casino Poker cards from Japan

LOVE these cards.

these were brand new. At some point Saturday I noticed the dent in some of them.

These are not cheap cards.

Maybe a pre game announcement might help?

although I’m not sure if the culprit would even know they are doing it.

 

[moose]

Everytime I host a tournament and someone new comes, I always put old warped decks that I do not care about in play because I am not taking the chance that one of my good decks gets ruined.

 

[Chester Copperpot]

I have a hard time watching Andrew Neeme because he murders cards.

 

[pokerplayingpisces]

This happened @Kyle ’s game once. 3 table tourney with over 27 players. Culprit was at all 3 tables, and ended up damaging decks on all three tables. I’m sure they were not aware, as it was random cards that were damaged. It was caught after the tourney was over, and we were cleaning up. We tried to figure out the potential culprit, but too many players, balancing tables, etc , to zero in on one person.
@Kyle did make an announcement prior to his next tourney, and AFAIK he hasn’t had any issues since.
It really sucked, cause it was all Gemaco Superflex decks that were compromised.

 

[RainmanTrail]

This happened @Kyle ’s game once. 3 table tourney with over 27 players. Culprit was at all 3 tables, and ended up damaging decks on all three tables. I’m sure they were not aware, as it was random cards that were damaged. It was caught after the tourney was over, and we were cleaning up. We tried to figure out the potential culprit, but too many players, balancing tables, etc , to zero in on one person.
@Kyle did make an announcement prior to his next tourney, and AFAIK he hasn’t had any issues since.
It really sucked, cause it was all Gemaco Superflex decks that were compromised.

It might be more than one player though. You'd be surprised how many players damage cards. Especially the marks that are about a half inch from the edge, near the corners, parallel to the long edge of the card. That mark is from the slow peek & press motion that so many players do.

 

[pokerplayingpisces]

All cards can be bent, but I’ve found that PVC are more prone to creasing. The acetate cards tend to be a little more crease resistant.

 

[TheDuke]

It might be more than one player though. You'd be surprised how many players damage cards. Especially the marks that are about a half inch from the edge, near the corners, parallel to the long edge of the card. That mark is from the slow peek & press motion that so many players do.

This 100%.

I have several ruined setups that have been marked in this manner. They are somehow unaware the abuse they put the cards thru causes permanent damage.

I go to one game, the host does this to his own cards and the last game I was at he was puzzled how his decks were getting marked.

 

[Geremie]

Played this weekend with Club Angel Casino Poker cards from Japan

LOVE these cards.

these were brand new. At some point Saturday I noticed the dent in some of them.

These are not cheap cards.

Maybe a pre game announcement might help?

although I’m not sure if the culprit would even know they are doing it.

That’s horrible! Ruining a deck of Angel’s pisses me off