Mechanic IndustriesI have a special fondness for decks that have special features, especially flip-book animation. Mechanic Industries has been producing some of the very best decks in this category, especially with their Casino Edition Range. I first came across Mechanic Industries courtesy of their clever
Mechanics deck, which doubles as a marked deck, and also produces an animation of moving cogs when you flip through the card backs. The
metallic deck set with gold and silver foil is especially stunning.
Following closely on the heels of this were their eye-catching
Optricks decks, which came out in black and in red, along with some very unique gaff cards, including one that enabled you to produce an anamorphic illusion with the Queen of Hearts, and the Optibox gaff which can make a card box look empty even when the deck is inside. The
Visualies Gaff System from Mechanic Industries took this to a whole other level, with an entire deck of creative gaffs.
The Casino Edition Range continues Mechanic Industries' creative use of flip-book animation on the card backs, with a series of innovative decks that build on casino-related themes. The first was
Roulette, which has an animated roulette wheel on the card backs, along with customized artwork that draws on the roulette motives. Its successor,
Fanimation, was a reimagining of this concept, which used ideas optimized for card flourishing, as well as a clever use of a roulette-inspired fan display that had good application to card magic.
The latest in the series is
Snakes & Ladders, which takes the classic game to the card backs with an animated snaking ladder, customized details on the artwork, and appropriate inclusions like snake reveal jokers, a snakebite gaff. As with all the decks in the Casino Edition Range, with the decks you also get access to a full range of high quality video tutorials created by Mechanic Industries, where you get taught how to maximize the secrets of each deck, as well as some magic routines employing the gaffs and other features.
Craps Playing CardsBut the deck I'm covering here is
Craps Playing Cards. Like its siblings, this deck is perfectly suited for gambling routines and more. For those unfamiliar with it, Craps is a popular and historic dice game where players bet on the outcome of a roll of a pair of dice.
The tuck box immediately introduces us to this theme, with casino-like betting charts, and of course some pairs of dice. The tuck box flap includes a card reveal for the 7 of Spades, which magicians can take advantage of for card magic.
When the cards are in new deck order, flipping the card backs with your thumb will produce an animation of dice rolling on a table. This really needs to be seen to be believed, and you can see it in action by checking out the
official promo video.
Obviously this also makes this a marked deck, which can be used by magicians to quickly figure out the value and suite of each card by looking at the back.
The Craps theme has also been applied to all aspects of the artwork on the cards, and this is one of the most customized decks yet in the Casino Edition Range. The backs have a thin black border, inside of which our dice will roll, against the moving background of a betting chart, to add to the illusion and feel of an actual Craps table.
You'll immediately notice that even the edges of the cards are coloured with a jet black, which adds to the sense that the complete deck is a mini-table, and helps this deck make an instant impression.
The card faces also look quite different from previous decks in the Casino Edition Range, and all help give this deck a unique vibe. The edges of all the faces have black borders, along with a sweeping arc on the left and right. The Ace of Spades is particularly appealing, with a fully custom look.
The colours are reduced to just red and black for a more classy casino-style look, and the font and pips have also had stylistic adjustments to give them a fully custom feel.
The court cards are classically inspired, but our familiar characters are all equipped with casino-related additions, in the form of a wad of cash (Jacks), a rake (Queens), and dice (Kings).
The black borders on the faces and backs of the cards are registered perfectly courtesy of printing by Cartamundi rather than USPCC, which is notorious for making a mess of borders as a result of inaccurate printing. Cartamundi's Slimline stock has become very popular in recent years, and it handles consistently and smoothly.
The flip-book animation and custom artwork doesn't end our fun with this deck. It also comes with three Jokers, one with a pair of dice showing a 5 and 6, another with a pair of dice showing a 2 and a 5, and a third blank Joker. These are ideal for magic tricks, and you can create the illusion of a pair of dice falling off the card, leaving it blank.
The final card is an ad card that includes some gaffs you can cut out for making flat dice, which you'll use for a "Squished Dice" routine (taught in the free support materials).
The ad card also includes a link and password which gives you access to a 50 minute tutorial video over at Mechanic Industries, which is full of information about how you can use the card backs as a marking system. But best of all, this includes tutorials for performing a number of great tricks (e.g. Die Flat Purse, Squished Die, BPM Roll'em, Stick, Flat Top, and Splat), which utilize the novel card backs and features built into this deck.
It should be obvious that Craps Playing Cards is much more than just a deck of custom cards: it's a full toolbox of creative magic effects. It will appeal to collectors who like the idea and novelty of the flipbook animation. But it will especially find a welcome home amongst magicians, who are best placed to take full advantage of all its unique features.
Regardless of whether your love is just collecting novel playing cards, or serious card magic,
Craps Playing Cards is excellent value given everything you get for the price.
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