Bicycle Prestige - New Back, New Colors, 2-Deck Set

[Don Boyer]

Another find the credit for which goes to the blog at Brooke Michael's Poker World.

The Bicycle Prestige 2 Pack Playing Cards have a new back design. The design is more traditional and sophisticated, just like you would see on Kem decks and traditional casino cards. This wasn't done by accident. The prestige decks will be used for all WSOP circuit events instead of Kem. Kem will be used during the main event, either for the entire event or just during the last few tables.

The Prestige decks are made from plastic, which makes them 100% waterproof and can be washed for easy cleaning. They feature patented Dura-Flex technology, which makes the cards crease resistant, just like their Kem counterparts. The cards will be available in both wide and narrow sizes, along with having either standard or jumbo indexes. Release date is tentatively sent for April 1, 2013.

[Michael]

Hmm wonder how they'll hold up in comparison to the Party Proof deck on Kickstarter But on the serious note, I'm not really a fan of plastic decks unfortunately.

[Siegismyname]

I still prefer the older back design. This design is too 'avaitors-like' e=which I dont like. Plastic cards also are much heavier than normal cards which make them a little difficult to handle.

[Don Boyer]

Plastic cards weren't meant for cardistry and are not well suited for magic.  They're meant for serious card play.  Didn't you read the text above the image?  They redesigned it to look more like a classic, traditional casino card - from quite a long time ago, actually.

I'm interested in these.

[Siegismyname]

Yeah. But wouldnt it be great if you could use and reuse this cards while doing effects? Wash them and save some money on cards. Haha.

[Don Boyer]

Yeah. But wouldnt it be great if you could use and reuse this cards while doing effects? Wash them and save some money on cards. Haha.

It's not as crazy as it sounds, really.  Remember the Karnival Death Heads - the original, not the Carnage Edition?  They were made exactly the same way as the Prestige decks were, at the same plant: Fournier, a USPC subsidiary in Vitoria, Spain.  I keep them around, carry them once in a while, but the box them came with is too flimsy.  Instead I use an old leather deck case, which I modified to accommodate the thicker cards.

While they are thicker than Bicycle stock, they're not insanely thick - you can do a convincing double lift without the thickness giving it away.

But no matter how you slice it, there are things you can do to a paper deck that won't work with a plastic one, like putting a good crimp in a card to mark its location in the deck or even simple fans.  If you have a repertoire tailored to the deck's limitations, you can make it work.

But this Prestige package, a double-deck set in a box, might be a little too bulky to be convenient unless you invest in card cases like the one I have.

I think it was DiFatta that came out with the "New Era" Bicycle deck - no, not the one from Japan by the headwear company; this predates that.  They came in simple white boxes with windows, like the type used for the White Centurions deck.  100% plastic, and 100% identical to a standard pack of Rider Backs, available in blue and red.  The thing is, though, that the plastic had this godsawful finish on it that make the cards stick to each other a bit too much.  It was intended as a magician's deck but didn't really work out that way.  It's unknown where they were made, but I'm thinking it wasn't Fournier, but perhaps they were made in the same way as the new Kem cards - just with something absolutely terrible on the plastic that destroyed the handling.

[MrMollusk]

Yeah. But wouldnt it be great if you could use and reuse this cards while doing effects? Wash them and save some money on cards. Haha.

It's not as crazy as it sounds, really.  Remember the Karnival Death Heads - the original, not the Carnage Edition?  They were made exactly the same way as the Prestige decks were, at the same plant: Fournier, a USPC subsidiary in Vitoria, Spain.  I keep them around, carry them once in a while, but the box them came with is too flimsy.  Instead I use an old leather deck case, which I modified to accommodate the thicker cards.

While they are thicker than Bicycle stock, they're not insanely thick - you can do a convincing double lift without the thickness giving it away.

But no matter how you slice it, there are things you can do to a paper deck that won't work with a plastic one, like putting a good crimp in a card to mark its location in the deck or even simple fans.  If you have a repertoire tailored to the deck's limitations, you can make it work.

But this Prestige package, a double-deck set in a box, might be a little too bulky to be convenient unless you invest in card cases like the one I have.

I think it was DiFatta that came out with the "New Era" Bicycle deck - no, not the one from Japan by the headwear company; this predates that.  They came in simple white boxes with windows, like the type used for the White Centurions deck.  100% plastic, and 100% identical to a standard pack of Rider Backs, available in blue and red.  The thing is, though, that the plastic had this godsawful finish on it that make the cards stick to each other a bit too much.  It was intended as a magician's deck but didn't really work out that way.  It's unknown where they were made, but I'm thinking it wasn't Fournier, but perhaps they were made in the same way as the new Kem cards - just with something absolutely terrible on the plastic that destroyed the handling.

While they may not be ideal for cardistry, I find that they're actually great for some types of magic. They're really easy to palm, and will fully snap back to original positions, and the snap change is also really easy to do with them.

[KPopFever605]

I like the fact that Bicycle was willing to change their design, but I'm not a really big fan of the new look simply because it looks too simple. But hey, I think that's their goal was. Any idea on price? I know the last ones were about $10 each. I'm guessing these may be $18 for the set.

[Don Boyer]

While they may not be ideal for cardistry, I find that they're actually great for some types of magic. They're really easy to palm, and will fully snap back to original positions, and the snap change is also really easy to do with them.

You have a point there.  The plastic has more of a "spring-back" pliable resistance to it so it nestles more easily in the hand than a paper card, and it does generally come out much flatter than a palmed paper card without needing any kind of uncrimping.

I like the fact that Bicycle was willing to change their design, but I'm not a really big fan of the new look simply because it looks too simple. But hey, I think that's their goal was. Any idea on price? I know the last ones were about $10 each. I'm guessing these may be $18 for the set.

No word on price.  The deck was kept simple and traditional because it was meant for play in a poker competition.  Poker players LIKE simple and traditional.  It's why you never see them using anything from Ellusionist on the tables...    Kidding aside, a simple, easy-on-the-eyes back is precisely what poker players prefer - it minimizes distraction.  I've even seen one company that specializes in plastic decks for poker play make a deck with an all-white back, devoid of any print at all.  For that deck, a double backer and a blank facer would be the same card!