Help picking out my first set of plastic cards... (1 Viewer)

I guess I need to try a bridge set and see what I'm missing.

If you're used to poker sized cards there's no reason to switch right away. Plenty of time for that later . . . but I do recommend it at some point.
Go here:

https://www.amazon.com/Bicycle-Prestige-Playing-Cards-Pack/dp/B00BXX95UO?th=1&psc=1

$10.05 shipped for a two-deck setup of bridge size jumbo index (they call 'em narrow jumbo). Best ten bucks you'll spend this year. Tons better than Copag or paper cards.

813HKAxmgcL._SL1500_.jpg


For that price, they probably won't come with a case. I bought ten decks in March, spent about $2 each for Kem cases:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/400854737998

Here's a plastic case two-pack for bridge-size cards, less than five bucks shipped:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/2-Two-Vintage-KEM-Black-Plastic-Card-Cases-Empty-Bridge-Width-/151573659218

s-l500.jpg

This will get you started on the right trend, and they meet your specs.
 
Here is my limited opinion. I have a set of Madiano poker size and I have 3 setups of Copags 1 set of poker size and 2 sets of Bridge Size. I like the Madiano's better. The Copags almost want to stick together after 4 tournament uses. I am wanting to try some other brands at this point but I like the Madiano's better than the Copags at this point and I like the Bridge Size better than the Poker size.
 
I would very highly recommend as the best deal, these DaVinci Bridge Jumbos , you will get 2 decks green/brown, 2 cut cards , & a hard shell case all for just 11.95 delivered :

https://smile.amazon.com/Da-Vinci-I...rd_wg=6prqB&psc=1&refRID=25EAEQXWZKWJ9RNVWBKT

You can also get a set of red/blue Da Vinci, with a slightly different back design, with case, for about 1 dollar more:

https://smile.amazon.com/Italian-Pl...qid=1497445153&sr=8-1&keywords=modiano+bridge

Both are Amazon Prime warehoused, so fast delivery & no hassle returns if needed. I'm not a fan of Copags either, & the above should be better.

We have use the DaVinci cards in a few of the home games I have played at and everyone likes them. A Lot. Maybe We will try the Bicycle Prestige next.
 
I own at least one setup of practically every major card manufacturer and have played with plastic cards for the last 17 years at my home games and casinos. Here is my take...

The best feeling cards are by far Kem's. Other acetate cards are also nice like Cartamundi. The problem is that they all eventually warp. I just logged 9 hrs at the Borgata last week and all their Kem cards are slightly warped. I have one old set that didn't warp...but all the others did. Pre or post USPC makes no difference. This drives me nuts.

In my opinion Kems that don't warp would be the Holy Grail of playing cards.

I also played a few hours at Harrahs in AC. They are using Gemaco Superflex which I also own. These stay relatively flat but some of my decks have a very small warp that can be more felt than seen. They are a much thicker card than Kem or Copag. The artwork and colors are the ugliest of any card and they are expensive and hard to find. They do have a quality feel to them though.

Back when Copags became available to me in the early 2000s my crew started switching to them from Kem. Nice feel but eventually the ink bleeds.

I picked up a deck of Bicycle Prestige about 10 years ago and really liked them. Cheap, easy to find, nice feel, and DEAD FLAT. That said my crew and I largely hate poker sized cards. Bridge sized regular index is what 95% of casinos use and that was what we got used to. I eventually found the Prestige Bridge sized and these became my regular deck for several years. Problem is they only have one design. If you want other designs get the Fournier branded cards....same cards.

So in the end I most often recommend the Prestige to people. It is true the cards sold on Amazon no longer come with boxes. Here is a link to the box they used to come in below.

PS: Another great card is Desjgn. Hands down the most beautiful card made anywhere. Similar feel to the Prestige....maybe somewhere between that and Copags. That said, as of now, their bridge sized offerings are limited. If that new kickstarter back design is ever made with regular index, they will become the official card of the Old State Club

That's my 2 cents. Hope it helps.

http://www.kemcards.net/kem-card-stroage
 
Last edited:
I've had the Bicycle Prestige cards on ice waiting to use them on my next home game..which is tomorrow. I have tested the slide and playability of these cards on my new Suited Speedcloth and I'll have to say they don't mix well. The Prestige cards seem to have a heavy texture to them which I initially liked because it takes the slickness away, but they really grind on the speed cloth like sandpaper. I find them noisy even when picking two hole cards to look at. Also, the edges are so thick and sharp that I have difficulty collecting the cards from the flop and find it difficult to pile up the cards to shuffle...the edges are just so thick and flat that they don't seem to collect well, the cards snag edge to edge. Maybe this is normal and the corners grind away with time....I'm not sure. If I can't collect and shuffle the cards easily, then I know that the other players will struggle too. I favor my (gasp) Copag Casino paper cards over the Prestige since there are none of these issues.

I went ahead and order some Copag plastic playing cards for tomorrow's game. We use these in another game I attend. I know they are slick as ice at first but hopefully they won't edge grab like the Prestige cards do. My ultimate goal was to try the Modiano's but they won't ship in time.
 
I've had the Bicycle Prestige cards on ice waiting to use them on my next home game..which is tomorrow. I have tested the slide and playability of these cards on my new Suited Speedcloth and I'll have to say they don't mix well. The Prestige cards seem to have a heavy texture to them which I initially liked because it takes the slickness away, but they really grind on the speed cloth like sandpaper. I find them noisy even when picking two hole cards to look at. Also, the edges are so thick and sharp that I have difficulty collecting the cards from the flop and find it difficult to pile up the cards to shuffle...the edges are just so thick and flat that they don't seem to collect well, the cards snag edge to edge. Maybe this is normal and the corners grind away with time....I'm not sure. If I can't collect and shuffle the cards easily, then I know that the other players will struggle too. I favor my (gasp) Copag Casino paper cards over the Prestige since there are none of these issues.

I went ahead and order some Copag plastic playing cards for tomorrow's game. We use these in another game I attend. I know they are slick as ice at first but hopefully they won't edge grab like the Prestige cards do. My ultimate goal was to try the Modiano's but they won't ship in time.

You got to try the Fourniers! I really like them.
 
My ultimate goal was to try the Modiano's but they won't ship in time.

This won't help you for tomorrow, but I have some Modiano Cristallo 4-pip Poker Jumbo cards. There are a bunch of other colors available for these, though I only have two of them. I know the 4-pip isn't for everyone.

They're used and the boxes are a little beat, but the cards are in decent shape and it'll give you a feel for them. Yours for the price of shipping if you want them, if you end up not liking them I only ask that you pass them onto another chipper.

IMG_5167.JPG
 
Go get yourself a setup of red/blue Cartimundi bridge for $7 ($3.50 per deck) and 2 setups (red/blue and black/brown) of Modianos for $10 ($5 per deck), shipping included. It will give you a broader perspective on what's available out there and it won't hurt your wallet.

https://www.pokerchipforum.com/threads/cartamundi-modiano-plastic-cards-on-sale-upto-35.22042/
Those are great prices for those cards, and I'd never discourage anybody from trying different cards. I'd just add that those cartamundi's felt very similar to Copags, to me. And that both are very similar to Modianos, in my opinion.
 
I've had the Bicycle Prestige cards on ice waiting to use them on my next home game..which is tomorrow. I have tested the slide and playability of these cards on my new Suited Speedcloth and I'll have to say they don't mix well. The Prestige cards seem to have a heavy texture to them which I initially liked because it takes the slickness away, but they really grind on the speed cloth like sandpaper. I find them noisy even when picking two hole cards to look at. Also, the edges are so thick and sharp that I have difficulty collecting the cards from the flop and find it difficult to pile up the cards to shuffle...the edges are just so thick and flat that they don't seem to collect well, the cards snag edge to edge. Maybe this is normal and the corners grind away with time....I'm not sure. If I can't collect and shuffle the cards easily, then I know that the other players will struggle too. I favor my (gasp) Copag Casino paper cards over the Prestige since there are none of these issues.

I went ahead and order some Copag plastic playing cards for tomorrow's game. We use these in another game I attend. I know they are slick as ice at first but hopefully they won't edge grab like the Prestige cards do. My ultimate goal was to try the Modiano's but they won't ship in time.
Bridge size or poker size? I'm not a big fan of the poker-size Prestige cards, but the bridge size cards work great on all of our SSC covered tables.

I would recommend against you purchasing Modiano cards, however. They are much thicker and stiffer than anything else you are using
 
I used Copag Poker Jumbos for my NL game this past weekend. Wow...they were nice. No complaints except that they were a little slick on their first table play. The Bicycle Prestige kept catching edge to edge when trying to gather them...the Copag cards must have more rounded edges or thinner because they don't catch and grab like the Prestige. I'm definitely sold on the Copags, enough that I bought a Black/Gold set to go with my Red/Blue set.

I also took advantage of the Modiano jumbo poker set sale in the link above so I now have those to try sometime. I can't see them being better than the Copags but when I get a chance to try them out, I'll report back.

I can't believe I've been playing with paper cards all fo my life and never really knew what I was missing.
 
When moving from paper to plastic, no matter the brand, all cards will seem slick.But you'll get used to it pretty quick. Love Modianos (when you can find them) and Furniers. They just feel right.
 

Create an account or login to comment

You must be a member in order to leave a comment

Create account

Create an account and join our community. It's easy!

Log in

Already have an account? Log in here.

Back
Top Bottom