Best poker cards to use in home games (3 Viewers)

[PapaWheelie]

Am I the only one here who gets free decks from his local casino? I have a couple dozen at home and usually play them for an hour before binning them. That way, I'm not the slightest bit stressed when one of my goober friends bends one or gets hot sauce on one or any other of 1000 things they do.

 

[RadicusScout]

Am I the only one here who gets free decks from his local casino?

 

[PapaWheelie]

Just before I get a lifetime ban, let me clarify.

I'll happy pay stupid $$$ for decent chips, literally, cuz mine are better than what the locals casino has.
But I don't understand the appeal of cards. Good enough for the house, good enough for me

 

[Colquhoun]

Just before I get a lifetime ban, let me clarify.

I'll happy pay stupid $$$ for decent chips, literally, cuz mine are better than what the locals casino has.
But I don't understand the appeal of cards. Good enough for the house, good enough for me

Are these free used cards from the casino paper or plastic?

 

[PapaWheelie]

Free used paper cards. Not plastic

 

[RadicusScout]

Free used cards. Not plastic

 

[PapaWheelie]

Please forgive me and my weak ass bank account

 

[Old State]

Please forgive me and my weak ass bank account

Even the cheapest plastic cards are better than paper ones. I would wonder that if you are too broke to buy a setup of plastic cards, how do you justify playing poker? .

Paper cards get marked VERY easily and shouldn’t be used for poker. The cards you are getting are used blackjack cards not handled by the players and shuffled by a machine..and they were deemed worn out when you get them! Spend $10 and get some Broken Arrows at least

For the record, I’ve used plastic cards for 25 years …many of those years in heavy use. While I’ve had a few cards get the fingernail marks or fade from use, I haven’t experienced the disastrous results some have posted with player damage. I guess my players are more gentle or maybe these other guys play with gorillas.

I have so many setups I rotate, but years ago I would probably get 80 to 100 hours out of deck before they looked worn. Copags wear out the easiest as the ink fades…and if storage and not used for a while, the ink will transfer.

 

[TonZaga]

I'm a sucker for a full bleed backing so Trefl is my answer. But we cycle through all kinds of cards

 

[aFatCat]

I usally used Faded Spade. I also have copag, but I found them to bend naturally over time if I don't take great care of them.

 

[bigblind]

I get copag bulk, great price from the Poker Store
Poker size, standard index

 

[SeanGecko]

Please forgive me and my weak ass bank account

Give me your address you need some plastic.

 

[PapaWheelie]

I'll tell you what. Let me know where I can find the minimally acceptable deck of plastics and I'll get a set.

 

[Phyffe]

I'll tell you what. Let me know where I can find the minimally acceptable deck of plastics and I'll get a set.

Ahhhh, now that's a whole new can of worms for another thread......

 

[PapaWheelie]

It's pretty obvious I'm a complete n00b, isn't it?

 

[Phyffe]

It's pretty obvious I'm a complete n00b, isn't it?

Not at all. It's a great question.

Which is why I'm assuming it will elicit a lot of people's opinions on what is the "minimum" acceptable for a plastic deck.

I mean, will you accept cheap China cards? I imagine so since a lot of cards are made in China these days. Does branding help? Cards like the updated Broken Arrows reportedly offer a little more quality than generic China cards. Lots of "branded" China cards these days like Slowplay, Bullets etc. Heck, I'm certain Faded Spades are sourced from China...

 

[extreme517]

You really can't go wrong with any of the Broken Arrow offerings. The price is great and they play well...just pick the design/pips you like and you're good to go. And they're cheap enough that you don't have to feel too bad about tossing and opening a new setup every so often.

If you like high quality and textured cards, then it is absolutely worth checking out Desjgn's latest offerings. Super nice in every way and should hold up for quite a long time.

 

[bananamankevin]

I absolutely struck gold recently and found a brand new setup of KEM Arrows for $1. I'm completely in love with the feel, but I can't bring myself to pay full retail for a second set just yet.

Copags are a great middle ground for the price. The Elites have a slightly softer flex that I really like, though I'm a bit of an outlier since I prefer poker size over bridge. On the other hand, the Gemacos I tried are just too stiff—they actually hurt my thumbs to shuffle and feel like they were engineered solely to withstand a commercial shuffling machine.

For my regular, curated home game, the players are respectful so I have no issues putting the good plastic on the felt. But for MTTs where people tend to rough up the cards, I break out my "burner" decks. I’ve accumulated about 15 random setups from yard sales/temu/clearance for $1 or less per deck, which are perfect for those high-wear events.

 

[bananamankevin]

These cards play very well if you‘re not a bridge only guy… : )

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/poker-size-cards-pvc.141895/

I'm with you... Why do people love the bridge size anyway? I feel like poker size cards are easier to grip, slightly bend, and riffle.

 

[SwissChip]

I'm with you... Why do people love the bridge size anyway? I feel like poker size cards are easier to grip, slightly bend, and riffle.

Most casinos use bridge size cards and i actually like both sizes.
When we started 20 years ago, poker size was omnipresent here.
It was like poker size for poker, bridge size for bridge/rommé.
If you get more than 2 hole cards, bridge size are the better choice imo.