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What’s everyone’s Favorite playing cards ? (1 Viewer)

pokerplayingpisces said:
Couldn’t agree more. My first plastic setup. I really like DN cards. Unfortunately, post “poker boom”, they’re almost impossible to find here in the states. Just like any other cards, if you have to ship from Europe, it get really expensive.
Click to expand...

Also agree, Andy.

I still have some unopened DNs but they are mostly regular index, I believe. With every game I play, I am more and more convinced that, to me, a larger index is a must, regardless if playing with two hole cards or six! LOL!!!
 
ChaosRock said:
Also agree, Andy.

I still have some unopened DNs but they are mostly regular index, I believe. With every game I play, I am more and more convinced that, to me, a larger index is a must, regardless if playing with two hole cards or six! LOL!!!
Click to expand...
Yeah, I still have a couple setups with minimal use, and are still in great shape.
My group can still get away with bridge/jumbo for hold em, and bridge/standard for everything else. Although, I think we’re starting to trend more in your direction. The board can be a little hard to read for some people across the table.
 
You can still hit DalNegro Torcello on sale in European onlineshops, last time 5 eur, but they sell quickly.
If I find any let you know but with shipping prices you need to buy few bricks to make it worth the effort.
 
Kardwell has some Dal Negro. I ordered from them once upon a time but not in the last 12+ years so can't vouch for vendor, but...
 
Dal Negro NTP Princess Cruise, bridge jumbo. I have six setups and would always take more :)

ntp setup.jpeg
 
Colquhoun said:
Are these definitely the made in Spain versions? I know there’s some Prestige decks made in China that are inferior.
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I'll let you know when mine come in. I'd be surprised and outraged if they were Chinese, just because the picture looks exactly like the ones we were getting on amazon for like $3.50 a deck, a few years back. I'm almost embarrassed to say such cheap basic cards are among my all time favorites and I've been kicking myself for years for not buying stacks of them.
 
I love these Copag's that I've had for maybe 10 years, but they have not gotten a ton of use.
copag-master-design-regular-index-playing-cards.jpg


Just got a set from Faded Spade though (ordered them in June). REALLY liking these so far!
DfSHzT0X0AEeRCL.jpg
 
as4k said:
I love these Copag's that I've had for maybe 10 years, but they have not gotten a ton of use.
copag-master-design-regular-index-playing-cards.jpg


Just got a set from Faded Spade though (ordered them in June). REALLY liking these so far!
DfSHzT0X0AEeRCL.jpg
Click to expand...
The black box Faded Spades are the V1, the first iteration of the card stock that has been plagued by multiple documented issues with durability, bowing, and warping. I can personally attest to the last two happening with mine. Their V2 stock in a blue or purple box is so much better and does not seem to have the problems that the V1's have.

That said, not as many reports have come in on the V2's, as so many people were turned off by the issues that the V1 cards had that lots didn't give them a second chance. First impressions matter.
 
JMC9389 said:
The black box Faded Spades are the V1, the first iteration of the card stock that has been plagued by multiple documented issues with durability, bowing, and warping. I can personally attest to the last two happening with mine. Their V2 stock in a blue or purple box is so much better and does not seem to have the problems that the V1's have.

That said, not as many reports have come in on the V2's, as so many people were turned off by the issues that the V1 cards had that lots didn't give them a second chance. First impressions matter.
Click to expand...
Ahhh, that is good to know about the V1's. The box I just received is purple and has the purple/green cards, so thats good to hear. Looking forward to getting some hands in with these :)
 
Han Trinh said:
Dal Negro's can also be found here. It's a store in Toronto, Ontario. I've ordered Copags and KEM's from them in the past.

https://www.straightpokersupplies.com/playing-cards/dal-negro-playing-cards.html

And Modiano's.
https://www.straightpokersupplies.com/playing-cards/modiano-cards.html
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Seconded, this is a good dealer and have bought many products from them. Modiano's are my #1, Big thick plastic cards that mimic paper better than some of the others while also maintaining great durability.

I have never opened any of my KEM or Copag decks though I have played with Copag's elsewhere. The only decks I have ever opened are Modiano, a few were given to hosts/guests and I still have those same four decks that look fantastic and only one has really noticeable scuffing on the suits/face. My personal favorite are the bridge sized motorcycle cards (I won over $6k at a home game with them). I would order more Modiano sets exclusively in the future, currently I have a few.... unopened on stand by also. I'll open a new deck for big games or specific player requests depending on the stakes.
 
Colquhoun said:
Are these definitely the made in Spain versions? I know there’s some Prestige decks made in China that are inferior.
Click to expand...
I DONT KNOW!!
First problem is they’re poker sized - not sure how I missed this when ordering, but I did. So, comparing them to my Spain version bridge sized cards is inexact. They feel about the same to me, but I’m not sure.

The poker sized deck that I got today is 1-2 cards taller than the ones I had. And there are some differences - the indexes seem a hair bigger and the jokers and aces are a bit different.
Cards on left are the ones I just received

C0D18395-06D9-431C-9718-9ACB37C76A0D.jpeg
 
upNdown said:
I DONT KNOW!!
First problem is they’re poker sized - not sure how I missed this when ordering, but I did. So, comparing them to my Spain version bridge sized cards is inexact. They feel about the same to me, but I’m not sure.

The poker sized deck that I got today is 1-2 cards taller than the ones I had. And there are some differences - the indexes seem a hair bigger and the jokers and aces are a bit different.
Cards on left are the ones I just received

View attachment 761879
Click to expand...
I still think they're the real deal. Fournier is the printing house for the plastic poker jumbo Bicycle Prestige decks too. Card face fonts are also indicative of Fournier.
 
My recollection were that the red/blue std index Prestige in a white (or translucent) case were not Fournier. The red/blue std index in the black single deck cases are Fournier, and so are red/blue jumbo in a tuck box. The red/green in a 2 deck black plastic case were Fournier.

Yours are likely Fournier, but without the case. The "made in Spain" was on a silver cardboard band that slipped over the case. I wish they printed it on the cards.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/bicycle-prestige-jumbo-index.1636/
 
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Modiano have become my favorite cards for shuffability and a feel. I like pip size of Faded Spade the best.
 
upNdown said:
I DONT KNOW!!
First problem is they’re poker sized - not sure how I missed this when ordering, but I did. So, comparing them to my Spain version bridge sized cards is inexact. They feel about the same to me, but I’m not sure.

The poker sized deck that I got today is 1-2 cards taller than the ones I had. And there are some differences - the indexes seem a hair bigger and the jokers and aces are a bit different.
Cards on left are the ones I just received

View attachment 761879
Click to expand...
I’ve never seen Bicycle Prestige with that back, may be new. The ones I have purchased that were from Spain came in the black tuck box and were dated 2018 (striped back) and 2019 (rider back).
186A6E87-E790-42BD-B109-5C1245326715.jpeg

7BA09151-A0C5-4F82-B9B0-D5B44B276D4F.jpeg
 
Colquhoun said:
I’ve never seen Bicycle Prestige with that back, may be new. The ones I have purchased that were from Spain came in the black tuck box and were dated 2018 (striped back) and 2019 (rider back).
View attachment 761992
View attachment 761993
Click to expand...
The burgundy/green were only made for about 2-3 years as far as I can tell. Any for sale is likely old stock. And to my knowledge, it's the only version made in bridge size.

While the pictures in the thread I linked above no longer appear, they were the same as @upNdown 's cards. I may still have those pictures from 2013...will check when I return home.
 
My first deck of real cards were Kem arrows back in 2002. I bought another setup when I realized bridge sized are much better ;) The first setup warped when I left them out but the second never did….to this day. I bought another set up and they took a slight bow that drove me nuts so I gave them away.

I used the Kems extensively but needed more setups as we started tournaments with the poker boom. Copags were cheap and good and we bought several setups…but the ink bled or they faded.

I then ended up buying every manufacturers card I could get trying to find ones that feel like Kems but won’t warp or fade like Copag. After accumulating around 40 setups I’ve realized nothing comes close to Kems. About 10 or so years ago I read a forum post somewhere about a guy storing them upside down with a cut card on top. I tried that with a new setup and added dealer buttons on top as well. Since then I bought about 5 setups of Kems and they have all remained perfectly flat.

Kems are simply the best feeling cards by a very very large margin. Nothing compares but you have to accept the maintenance issues

There are definitely some nice cards out there though. I personally love Desjgn because they are the best looking cards ever made IMO. The various card stocks are all fine with me but I preferred the Modiano stock he had.

There are only two brands I wouldn’t recommend- Faded Spade (unplayable IMO) and Gemaco 5 Star (very cheap feeling and will warp) The Superflex stock is much better but a bit stiff.

Hands down the best value in cards out there are the Cartamundi CCPs that can be found for $10-11 a setup on Amazon. They are not the best of anything but are very very durable and high quality. Plus they are an absolute crazy bargain. If you prefer poker sized for some crazy reason :) buy the Ace cards. They are the same stock.

https://www.amazon.com/Cartamundi-1...74434&sprefix=Cartamundi+,sporting,149&sr=8-3
 
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Old State said:
My first deck of real cards were Kem arrows back in 2002. I bought another setup when I realized bridge sized are much better ;) The first setup warped when I left them out but the second never did….to this day. I bought another set up and they took a slight bow that drove me nuts so I gave them away.

I used the Kems extensively but needed more setups as we started tournaments with the poker boom. Copags were cheap and good and we bought several setups…but the ink bled or they faded.

I then ended up buying every manufacturers card I could get trying to find ones that feel like Kems but won’t warp or fade like Copag. After accumulating around 40 setups I’ve realized nothing comes close to Kems. About 10 or so years ago I read a forum post somewhere about a guy storing them upside down with a cut card on top. I tried that with a new setup and added dealer buttons on top as well. Since then I bought about 5 setups of Kems and they have all remained perfectly flat.

Kems are simply the best feeling cards by a very very large margin. Nothing compares but you have to accept the maintenance issues

There are definitely some nice cards out there though. I personally love Desjgn because they are the best looking cards ever made IMO. The various card stocks are all fine with me but I preferred the Modiano stock he had.

There are only two brands I wouldn’t recommend- Faded Spade (unplayable IMO) and Gemaco 5 Star (very cheap feeling and will warp) The Superflex stock is much better but a bit stiff.

Hands down the best value in cards out there are the Cartamundi CCPs that can be found for $10-11 a setup on Amazon. They are not the best of anything but are very very durable and high quality. Plus they are an absolute crazy bargain. If you prefer poker sized for some crazy reason :) buy the Ace cards. They are the same stock.
Click to expand...
Completely agree. Nothing feels better than freshly-opened Kems.

I love the Gemaco Superflex, but the 5-star are complete garbage.
 
Old State said:
My first deck of real cards were Kem arrows back in 2002. I bought another setup when I realized bridge sized are much better ;) The first setup warped when I left them out but the second never did….to this day. I bought another set up and they took a slight bow that drove me nuts so I gave them away.

I used the Kems extensively but needed more setups as we started tournaments with the poker boom. Copags were cheap and good and we bought several setups…but the ink bled or they faded.

I then ended up buying every manufacturers card I could get trying to find ones that feel like Kems but won’t warp or fade like Copag. After accumulating around 40 setups I’ve realized nothing comes close to Kems. About 10 or so years ago I read a forum post somewhere about a guy storing them upside down with a cut card on top. I tried that with a new setup and added dealer buttons on top as well. Since then I bought about 5 setups of Kems and they have all remained perfectly flat.

Kems are simply the best feeling cards by a very very large margin. Nothing compares but you have to accept the maintenance issues

There are definitely some nice cards out there though. I personally love Desjgn because they are the best looking cards ever made IMO. The various card stocks are all fine with me but I preferred the Modiano stock he had.

There are only two brands I wouldn’t recommend- Faded Spade (unplayable IMO) and Gemaco 5 Star (very cheap feeling and will warp) The Superflex stock is much better but a bit stiff.

Hands down the best value in cards out there are the Cartamundi CCPs that can be found for $10-11 a setup on Amazon. They are not the best of anything but are very very durable and high quality. Plus they are an absolute crazy bargain. If you prefer poker sized for some crazy reason :) buy the Ace cards. They are the same stock.
Click to expand...
It's funny because I just brought this up last night. By no means am I calling you out in particular, but have any of the Faded Spade detractors given their V2 cards a shot?

Their V1 cards were an absolute disaster. Warping, bowing, durability issues, you name it. If there were reports of them being susceptible to marking in any way, they would have been ostracized forever.

The V2's, while not my top choice, are no where near as bad as the V1's were. They're a new company on the block. Their product is going to get better with time, and the V2's are a very big step in the right direction. How long have Kem, USPCC, Fournier, Cartamundi been able to perfect their craft? Decades.

Yes, first impressions matter significantly, but I wouldn't write off Faded Spade based on their first attempt.
 

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