Poll - Poker or bridge size cards? (2 Viewers)

[Lil Tuna]

Put in an 8 (or 10) hour shift dealing poker sized cards. Repeat for 40 hour weeks.
Do that again with bridge sized cards.

After your first shift, you’ll know why poker rooms use bridge sized cards.

As a side note, I wonder if the people stating the poker size preference hold the stub correctly? Fingers curled at the end of the deck, and index finger covering the top of the deck, so as not to flash anything? Also using a correct pitch, without turning the wrist?

And the amount of people saying “I use poker size cards because I play poker not bridge” amazes me. To the extent that I wonder if they are also using official casino weight chips.

I’m not a professional dealer by any means but I have dealt thousands of hands of poker.
Stud, draw and hold em variances.
There’s no doubt in my mind that the smaller bridge cards being used in casinos by professional dealers probably does make it easier on them after 40 hours.
Not being used to dealing bridge size cards makes handling them awkward to me.
At the end of a session, the size of the card in play has much less importance to me verses the size of my chip stack.
Just prefer poker size because it’s what I’m used to.

 

[Racer96]

I’m not a professional dealer by any means but I have dealt thousands of hands of poker.
Stud, draw and hold em variances.

Serious question, do you know if you hold the stub correctly? Do you pitch cards? Also, do you never release the stub? Once the deck is shuffled and cut, it is never supposed to leave your hand until the final board card is dealt. Not even to rake in people’s bets.

 

[Lil Tuna]

Serious question, do you know if you hold the stub correctly? Do you pitch cards? Also, do you never release the stub? Once the deck is shuffled and cut, it is never supposed to leave your hand until the final board card is dealt. Not even to rake in people’s bets.

Respectfully speaking, I’m not really sure. I’ve always thought that because my hands are probably small to small average size, the bigger sized cards just seemed naturally easier to hold and deal.
If I was shown a more proper and correct technique to dealing, I’m sure the bridge size would eventually feel more comfortable to me.

 

[Lil Tuna]

Yes I do pitch the cards, as far as holding the stub correctly, I couldn’t tell you.
My guess would be no.

 

[upNdown]

Yes I do pitch the cards, as far as holding the stub correctly, I couldn’t tell you.
My guess would be no.

You must suck at poker

 

[tabletalker7]

You must suck at poker

Last I knew, we merry few at PCF were all about playing poker, not necessarily about playing poker well

 

[TX_Golf_N_Poker]

Are newbies not allowed to vote in polls? I don't see any way to vote.

 

[BGinGA]

Are newbies not allowed to vote in polls? I don't see any way to vote.

History of 10 posts required, I think.

 

[StatTracker]

Why anyone would want tiny bridge cards is beyond me

 

[Poker Zombie]

Not being used to dealing bridge size cards makes handling them awkward to me.

This is exactly why I will occasionally use Poker size cards for a tournament. I own many decks of both. In the end, I find the majority of players prefer Bridge size.

In the end:

• People that only play with Poker size prefer Poker size.
• People that only play Bridge size prefer Bridge size.
• Those that play with both, prefer Bridge size.

 

[longflop]

This is exactly why I will occasionally use Poker size cards for a tournament. I own many decks of both. In the end, I find the majority of players prefer Bridge size.

In the end:

• People that only play with Poker size prefer Poker size.
• People that only play Bridge size prefer Bridge size.
• Those that play with both, prefer Bridge size.

At this point, I would prefer either, as opposed to none.

 

[Poker Zombie]

At this point, I would prefer either, as opposed to none.

Even then, I agree.

 

[longflop]

View attachment 449348

Even then, I agree.

I can read her tells from here, I'm definitely playing.

 

[legonick]

Pretty sure Bridge size cards are cheaper (should be, smaller card), which could be a big factor for casinos.

 

[Poker Zombie]

Pretty sure Bridge size cards are cheaper (should be, smaller card), which could be a big factor for casinos.

If that were the case, all cards in the casino would be bridge size, not just the poker room.

 

[legonick]

If that were the case, all cards in the casino would be bridge size, not just the poker room.

Good point. As a contrary, the same logic could be applied regarding ease of handling - if they are easier to handle, why aren't they used in all casino games which require the dealer to touch the cards?

 

[surfik]

Good point. As a contrary, the same logic could be applied regarding ease of handling - if they are easier to handle, why aren't they used in all casino games which require the dealer to touch the cards?

Depends how big are your hands.

 

[BGinGA]

Good point. As a contrary, the same logic could be applied regarding ease of handling - if they are easier to handle, why aren't they used in all casino games which require the dealer to touch the cards?

Big difference in dealing (sliding cards) from a shoe and using an automatic shuffler (Blackjack) vs being required to hold the deck 100% of the time and manually shuffling between hands. Not all games are dealt the same way, hence the 'handling' of the cards differ -- and require different cards.

 

[Racer96]

As stated above,
No, bridge cards are not cheaper than poker cards. It’s like a small shirt vs a medium shirt, not a small shake vs a medium shake.
Dealing from a shoe is very different than dealing from your hand. Which is why I talked about BJ pitch, and how many poker dealers just hate dealing that game.
Also, surveillance pays a lot more attention to the main floor, and watches table games closer. Seeing the cards just that little bit better makes their job easier. The casino just doesn’t care as much about poker, as they don’t really have a stake in that game.

 

[Old State]

Pretty sure Bridge size cards are cheaper (should be, smaller card), which could be a big factor for casinos.

An assumption based on a hunch?

There is an almost identical thread to this from a couple years or less ago. One guy sayin the exact same stuff. I find it fascinating how some people have such a hard time accepting that bridge sized cards are and have been a poker standard in casinos all over the US for decades. They are because of the reasons describe previous. Millions of dealers who shuffle and pitch cards for a living prefer them. But still people are skeptical.

Bridge sized cards are so associated with poker that the card industry really should call them “poker sized”.

 

[Poker Zombie]

I can't help but wonder if security is a consideration as well. You can't sneak a poker card into a blackjack game if they are different sizes.

 

[Old State]

I can't help but wonder if security is a consideration as well. You can't sneak a poker card into a blackjack game if they are different sizes.

I highly highly doubt that. First it would be extremely hard to steal a poker card. Second poker cards would always be plastic being that the players handle them and one deck is shuffle over and over. Third it would be even harder to “sneak” a card into a blackjack game.

 

[allforcharity]

Just about impossible to sneak a card into blackjack. Even if you are excellent at cardistry, the dealer will give you a stern warning if your hands come anywhere near to touching or covering your cards. Even at my charity fundraising events, I warn people not to touch their cards, not because I think they are going to cheat, but because I want them to realize that casinos take that kind of thing very seriously, and I don't want them to replicate "loose" play etiquette from my house to a real casino.

 

[Poker Zombie]

I don't play table card games, but I wasn't sure if there were some games where you did touch the cards. 3-card poker, Caribbean stud, etc?

 

[tabletalker7]

I don't play table card games, but I wasn't sure if there were some games where you did touch the cards. 3-card poker, Caribbean stud, etc?

3 card poker, 4 card poker, Caribbean stud, Pai-gow, yes there are games where you touch the cards. Cards must stay above the table and over top the table surface. The shuffling machines will also instantly know if there is too many or too few cards in the deck as well. Whenever a big payout occurs, first they check the video to verify everything is on the up and up, then they have the shuffling machine verify the deck. Cheating like that will get caught.

 

[Poker Zombie]

3 card poker, 4 card poker, Caribbean stud, Pai-gow, yes there are games where you touch the cards. Cards must stay above the table and over top the table surface. The shuffling machines will also instantly know if there is too many or too few cards in the deck as well. Whenever a big payout occurs, first they check the video to verify everything is on the up and up, then they have the shuffling machine verify the deck. Cheating like that will get caught.

I've seen some very impressive sleight of hand in my day, and I'm familiar with a lot of the tricks.

I'm not saying that is why they use different sizes, but it certainly helps.

And as far as being difficult to sneak a card out of a game... We played in a WSOP event where the dealer noticed at dealer change that the deck was missing an ace. A fucking ace. They only brought a new ace to the table. That ace went somewhere, and as far as I saw, nobody from my table was hauled off.

Take $100,000 from a casino, and I'm sure they check footage. Take a couple grand, they probably don't bat an eye.

 

[junkandjunk]

100% Bridge/Jumbo for poker.

Other (casino) games Poker size is fine.

Whenever a big payout occurs, first they check the video to verify everything is on the up and up, then they have the shuffling machine verify the deck. Cheating like that will get caught.

We were instructed to verify the deck manually. As in when someone gets a straight/royal flush on a table game we'd sort the deck to make sure that every card only occurs once.

 

[Roundhouse87]

Definitely Bridge Jumbo. Poker Jumbo is a close second though. Not a big fan of standard index.

 

[upNdown]

I don't play table card games, but I wasn't sure if there were some games where you did touch the cards. 3-card poker, Caribbean stud, etc?

There absolutely are. In fact, when a Vegas outfit took over one of the NH cardrooms, one of the many security changes they made was enforcing rules about when players can touch their cards for one of those stupid table games. And maybe they have shufflers for those games in Vegas, but the NH cardrooms all do it by hand.
And I'm pretty sure they don't make shufflers that can handle 6 decks (do they?) so nobody's ever gonna know if you sneak a card into blackjack - it's one way people try to cheat. And I'm sure it's harder to palm a poker sized card than bridge, so you might be on to something.

 

[tabletalker7]

And I'm pretty sure they don't make shufflers that can handle 6 decks (do they?)

This pic is from an eBay listing. Continous Shuffling Machine have been around for a LONG time buddy. This model is pretty much the standard everywhere I have been.