There's news up here in the backwoods mountains of the frozen northeastern wilderness....
First off is while the rest of you are dealing with the hysteria of the Woohoohan flu, I decided I should have a health issue of my own to participate in. So as I sit here waiting to give birth to a Katahdin-size kidney stone, let's see if this post can make any sense whatsoever while I'm chock full of enough pain meds to put Nikki Sixx into low earth orbit.
The first bit of news is that I now have a new deck to add to the list. And also, I'll have another deck coming as soon as my Polish brother @surfik & I can figure out how to smuggle 'em out of East Poland over here to West Poland. Our 1st attempt may have been thwarted. Either the bribes weren't enough or didn't get to the proper scoundrels, but, we'll figure something out. The Stasi's got nuthin' on this bunch we're doing battle with.
Next up is that in checking on my list, I noticed that I can't edit it anymore. Seems there's a time limit on that of a month or something. So, this will necessitate the birth of Redneck Poker Card Database 2.0.
In order to prevent this issue in the future, our wise & glorious supreme leader, @Tommy, has graciously granted permission to put it in the Resources section. So, for those of you that have been saying that's where it should be {cough, @BGinGA, cough}, you'll now get your wish. As soon as I can get back in command of my faculties I'll put it in there.
For the moment however, the magnificent @T_Chan has shipped a deck of the new SunFly Lucky Dragons up to the bunker to be put through the 'ol super secret card lab fortorture & interrogationtesting & review. & since I promised I'd do that ASAP, let's see what's what, shall we?....
The very 1st thought I had was the same one I had when I was a teenager & trying get my Catholic School girlfriend's bra open, "Why do they make these things so hard to get into?"
Once I finally got 'em open, first thing out of the box was a free cut card, always a nice touch & little bonus. Points for that.
Feel & finish is excellent. Exactly the same glorious linen finish you'd expect to find on any premium playing card.
Back design is certainly unique. Incorporating the dragon image from the poker chips of the same name. I like it, they really look fantastic.
The faces are another matter....
I'm all for unique/different fonts & pip designs. Variety is good. Desjgn, NTP, & Faded Spade are all designs that I love for their uniqueness. Conformity, like political correctness, is boring.
That said however, what they've done with the suit pips, while definitely very unique & interesting, can make for distinguishing between a spade & a club or a heart & a diamond on a face card at a distance a bit of a challenge for those of us in the north side of 50 set.
In a jumbo index version this would likely be less of an issue, & I'd definitely see myself ordering a set or few.
Now, the moment you've all been waiting for... Screw my opioid-induced opinions, what do the implements of destruction say about 'em?
Well, for tonnage they come in at an average of 2.55 grams.
The Fat Meter says they're 0.0125" thick.
& the Flex-O-Meter of Doom gives 'em a score of 15.
Now, either it's the drugs talkin', or these numbers are starting to ring some very familiar bells. Pardon me a second while I take a sniff....
..... yep, smells like toilet plumbing to me. So these land squarely on top of Bike Prestige/Fournier 2818 on the list.
So, if you're a Prestige or Fournier fan, these will be right up your alley as well.
Blindfolded, you can't tell the difference.
If/when they come out with a jumbo index.... I'm in.
As stated above, as soon as I give birth & come back down to Earth, I'll get list 2.0 up in the Resources section & add these to it. & stay tuned for a possible Polish addition to it as well, as soon as Surfik & I get our smuggling skills up to par.
Now, while I'm up here, maybe I should swing by the space station & see if I can strike up a poker game.
Yea, we all get better with practice.Adresing bra issue it takes time and practice. After my second year on Warsaw School of Economics I become proficient so I could do it blindfolded, one hand during dance. To make it clear... I was blindfolded.
Regarding catholic school girls... Just unzip her jumpers....
I consulted Dr. Johnnie Walker until my wife insisted I go to someone with an actual medical degree.Regarding you kidney stones... My father (may He RIP) used to lock him self up in the hot bath with few Czech pilzners, as painful as it was seams to work
Yea, I can't even begin to see myself sitting at the end seat of the table & trying to read the cards of the guy at the other end seat while playing Stud with these. Jumbo Index would be a must.Judging from the photos I definitely get your point about the suits.
Thanks, workin' on it. I actually passed a small fragment of it, but the bulk is still in there. I have been able to cut back to only half throttle on the rocket fuel. So rather than achieving orbital velocity, I've re-entered the atmosphere & currently cruising around the lower stratosphere.Hang in there bud. We've been in lockdown here for going on 7 weeks already. Thank God for the Internet.
I found myself literally wincing reading this whole thing. I feel for you. I hope you pass it soon.Yea, we all get better with practice.
I consulted Dr. Johnnie Walker until my wife insisted I go to someone with an actual medical degree.
This has had the unfortunate side effect of making the liquor cabinet and the beer fridge off limits for the time being. Until the control tower clears me for a landing.
Yea, I can't even begin to see myself sitting at the end seat of the table & trying read the cards of the guy at the other end seat while playing Stud with these. Jumbo Index would be a must.
Thanks, workin' on it. I actually passed a small fragment of it, but the bulk is still in there. I have been able to cut back to only half throttle on the rocket fuel. So rather than achieving orbital velocity, I've re-entered the atmosphere & currently cruising around the lower stratosphere.
Tomorrow I'm guessing I'll find out if we're going to continue to cruise & play the waiting game or call Roto-Rooter to clean out the plumbing.
Sure it does. Maybe not after 40 hours. KEMS after FEW YEARS become rubbery, stickier, harder to shuffle. Cartamundi keep original feel but wear off loosing paint so it hard to keep using them longer. Most consistent in feel I find Fournier.I wonder how usage of cards might change the feel. Say brand x and brand y have similar characteristics to start, would they feel the same after 40 hours of use? 100 hours? Do some change a lot while others not at all? And do some change then hit a threshold and remain constant?
Great resource. Even if it’s with the wrong size cards
Why is it on the wrong size? You must be one of them there instigating non-conformist rabble-rouser types that uses bridge cards to play poker.... you heretic!!!Great resource. Even if it’s with the wrong size cards
ROMA LOCUTA, COSA FINITA
Sure it does. Maybe not after 40 hours. KEMS after FEW YEARS become rubbery, stickier, harder to shuffle. Cartamundi keep original feel but wear off loosing paint so it hard to keep using them longer. Most consistent in feel I find Fournier.
It's hard to compare length of use. My experience refers to 16 hour a week so like 60 to 70 hours a MONTH.
DESPITE ALLTHE TECHNOLOGY IT IS STILL PIECE OF PLASTIC, FACT THAT YOU CAN TALK ABOUT YEAR OR YEARS OF USE IS NOTHING SHORT OF MIRACLE.
In all likelihood, you could probably substitute the words "cellulose acetate" & "PVC" for the brand names Kem & Cartamundi/Fournier in that statement and see a similar trend throughout.
We're basically talking about just 2 different compounds of stuff both thrown into that catch-all we like to call "plastic". But, PVC is PVC, acetate is acetate. The physical characteristics of the material doesn't change because you put a different brand name on the box. (Someone explain this concept to Bicycle/USPC )
So, any difference in performance is going to come down the decisions made with regard to specifications (like thickness), and the manufacturing process itself (and order of those processes)
For example... Finish wear is going to come down to the quality of the printing or finish coat. Whether the printing is done before or after the finish coat is applied. Type of finish coat used. If there's a finish coat at all. Etc.
If you simply print your cards on an uncoated sheet of PVC & ship 'em, that print is not likely to last very long. But you sure could sell 'em cheap.
Print on top of a finish coat that doesn't resemble the freshly Zamboni'd surface of Boston Garden & it may last a bit longer.
If you put a clear or clear textured coating on after printing that print isn't likely to ever wear off. However, if you're expecting people to read through it, the quality of that coating better be d*mn high & you better be pretty d*mn good at applying it. The downside here is that you're not going to compete with either of the above price-point-wise. Your manufacturing costs have likely just achieved orbital velocity.
Yea, in case you have yet to figure it out, I have a little bit of experience in this area. (printing on plastics)
Acetate is softer than PVC. Which means, durability-wise, acetate will have more of a tendency to deform, and PVC, while harder & stiffer, will be more brittle. So, as a general rule cellulose decks will tend to be more flexible than PVC.
However, on this note, you can make a PVC card with the flex of an acetate card, if you use a thin enough sheet of PVC for your base stock. One advantage here is that PVC is cheaper than C-A. Of course, your trade-off becomes durability. Do a search using the term "cracked Copag".
Overall thickness can be deceiving. I can make a thicker card more flexible than a thinner one of the same base stock. Simply by using a thinner base sheet & applying a thicker finish coat, and/or adding an intermediate coat(s). Coatings, and even the ink for printing, adds thickness.
Why is it on the wrong size?
The comparisons are still valid for bridge size. The relationship between any two decks isn't going to change just because you made 'em skinnier.
Only difference is going to be that the weight will go down a little (less material), & the flex number will go up a little (less material supporting the weight).
But it goes the same direction & by the same proportion... so what's the difference?
The list is in poker size 'cause that's my preference. I might have a few sets of bridge size around here somewhere, but I don't play Omaha that often.
Pretty sure he’s having a stroke. His previous post started the all caps, and now he’s incoherent as well.ROMA LOCUTA, COSA FINITA
I am not having a stroke.. At least I hope so. I am just bored. I caps bother you I apologize....I worked in a casino. Cards get changed out a lot more often than you probably think. I have seen kems that changed drastically in a week. Not years.
I still think that as you stated, all things are not equal (thickness, coatings) that different cards may wear/flex differently over time. This is purely assumption though. I know you did your tests with the unused jokers, if you get a chance, could you possibly compare to one of your most used setups to see if there is any noticeable difference?
And my comment about the wrong size was just referring to another thread where there is a divide on poker vs bridge size. (Personally, before I played often, and before I started working in the casino, I prefered poker size. After playing in more cardrooms, and then becoming a dealer, I now pretty much actively dislike poker size.
Pretty sure he’s having a stroke. His previous post started the all caps, and now he’s incoherent as well.
No worries, I was just making an unsuccessful joke.I am not having a stroke.. At least I hope so. I am just bored. I caps bother you I apologize....
No worries, I was just making an unsuccessful joke.
Oh no, you have achived your goal...No worries, I was just making an unsuccessful joke.
Noted... & I figured as much... scroll up, I was editing while you were typing.And my comment about the wrong size was just referring to another thread where there is a divide on poker vs bridge size.
He can't be... I still need him... we're trying to smuggle some cards out of East Poland & he's my only clandestine deep-cover operative.Pretty sure he’s having a stroke. .
I disagree with your assumption that the poker size results and comparisons between products are also valid for bridge size cards, for two reasons.The comparisons are still valid for bridge size. The relationship between any two decks isn't going to change just because you made 'em skinnier.
Only difference is going to be that the weight will go down a little (less material), & the flex number will go up a little (less material supporting the weight).
But it goes the same direction & by the same proportion... so what's the difference?
So thats the limits of my usefulness to the society......could have been worstNoted... & I figured as much... scroll up, I was editing while you were typing.
I just availed myself of the opportunity to put that explanation in public print... it's a question I've gotten more than a couple times (if the comparisons apply to bridge size)
He can't be... I still need him... we're trying to smuggle some cards out of East Poland & he's my only clandestine deep-cover operative.
I disagree with your assumption that the poker size results and comparisons between products are also valid for bridge size cards, for two reasons.
First, not all of those poker size cards are identical to their brdge size counterparts from the same manufacturer -- some may differ by card stock, thickness, specific material composition, and/or finish (in addition to physical dimensions).
The Bicycle Prestige cards are a great example of this, with the two card sizes varying greatly in both feel and performance -- they clearly are not identical, and I'm quite sure their results would be quite different (not only from each other, but also in relation to other cards of their respective sizes).
Second, based on my past experience in testing (both physical and non-destructive) of high performance metals and plastics, I can assure you that relative results are not linear from product to product when physical dimensions are altered, even when all other factors remain the same.
Size does matter when measuring things such as tensile strength, material flex, and shape retention, and those measurements will not directly or evenly correlate to the changes in dimension, even for cards of the same thickness.
For example, if card A is coated but card B is not, but both measure the same thickness, then the relative changes in flex due to card shape (bridge vs poker) will not be predictable due to varying percentage amounts of base plastic/finish material in the two different sized cards.
In other words, some bridge cards will perform significantly different than their poker size version, while the performance of others will remain somewhat closer.... but still not in a linear fashion such as you suggest.
Plus it refreshing thought to smuggle from East to West. Used to be opposite...So thats the limits of my usefulness to the society......could have been worst
Plus it refreshing thought to smuggle from East to West. Used to be opposite...
It is plus makes me think about today economics. All my casino KEMS had to flew from USA and now most of them is coming back. My Cartamundi came from Latvia despite being made for Trinidad and Tobago Casino. How they ended up in Latvia is beyond me. And finały Bicycle Prestige are bei g produced in Spain.Funny how that is these days ain't it?
I ordered similar Da Vincis from the Amazon Warehouse, and they were terrible. Both had a card with a completely chipped off corner and one of the decks only had 47 cards! Back they went. I will try again with something else though.No more threadjacking, but...
It's usually just the package that is damaged or opened (free return if something is wrong with the cards). I've yet to have any issue with cards. Below is an example of a Da Vinci setup (two decks, poker size, jumbo index) that I received this week (total cost = $8.75 delivered). Box damaged/taped closed, plastic card storage case lid dinged, both decks unopened/perfect, undamaged cut cards included. (FYI, I believe Modanio makes these Da Vinci's.)
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