Pinball Playing Cards

If you're like me, then one of the things you'll enjoy about getting a new desktop computer is checking out all the extra programs that come along with its operating system.  It's the 3D Pinball game from Windows XP that inspired the Pinball deck, which was created by Bocopo Playing Cards. While it is pleasing as a novelty deck for collectors, these playing cards will especially appeal to cardists.

The tuck box already introduces us to the main colours that this deck employs, with hues of blue and beige/orange along with white.  Geometric shapes dominate the look, and that's exactly the kind of thing that we're looking for in a cardistry deck.



The card faces are unapologetically designed with the cardist in mind, which is immediately evident from the touch of colour on the edge of all the faces, which quickly evolves into a moving stripe as the cards are spread face up.

While the design of the court cards shows remnants of the classical court cards that have inspired it, these have a very modern and geometric feel that is in keeping with the overall feel and design of the deck.  They do a particularly good job of complementing the card backs, to ensure a unified look.  I especially like the circles in the middle of the court cards.  Not only are these well suited for executing twirls or spinning packets, but they also bring to mind some of the flipper-like mechanisms you might find in a pinball machine.



The borderless card backs pick up design elements from the tuck case, and use the same mix of colours.  I personally have a soft spot for the combination of blue and orange, so this was a colour palette that immediately appealed to me.  While borderless backs are often less than ideal for card magic or for general usage, they are perfect for cardistry, because they accentuate the visual effect of fans and spreads.  That's certainly the case with this deck, and depending on which way the cards are fanned, it will create a completely different look.

The symmetrical two-way design of the backs ensures that even if they are rotated in packet cuts the visual aesthetic isn't affected.  Strong use of geometric shapes enhances the look of visual card flourishes, and the circular shapes towards the center of the card backs are well chosen to add emphasis to spins and twirls.



The pips are two-toned, and continue a strong geometric look and style that fits with the rest of the deck.  You wouldn't want to use this for an actual card game, since the suits aren't that distinct from one another, and even all the indices use exactly the same colour. But that's because this is a deck designed to be played with in other ways.

With the deck in motion in the hands of a skilled cardist, and with a dose of imagination, these flashes of colour may even bring back some of the nostalgia of the 3D Pinball from Windows XP.  The geometry of the shapes and colours used for the pips gives them a flipper feel, and brings to mind the whirling knobs and action of a pinball machine.  In other words, wherever you look, there are flashes of blue and orange/beige that conjure up images of the arcade - although you'll have to supply your own sound effects. 

I especially like the giant Ace of Spades, which employs twin shapes that bring to mind two pinball flippers.  The two Jokers match one another, one is in blue and the other in beige/orange, and each depict a miniature pinball machines.  Two additional cards are included, one an ad card for Bocopo, the other an ad card for this deck.



The Pinball deck has been printed by the United States Playing Card Company, with their popular air cushion finish, so it handles as well as it looks, and performance should please cardistry fans.  It's not quite the same as being hunched over an actual pinball table, with flashing lights and all the bells and whistles associated with gaming arcades. But it does have a retro look and feel, and there's something pleasantly satisfying about having a custom deck of playing cards that is best enjoyed when used as an exercise of dexterity and skill.

I know exactly what to expect from a Bocopo deck by now.  Typically you get a no-fuss tuck box, without the glamour of foil or embossing, but which does reflect something of the colour of the design inside.  And that's what most Bocopo decks are about: the cards themselves.  Their signature style is to have creative, flashy, and vibrant patterns that are well suited to cardistry, printed on USPCC-produced cards so that they handle consistently and smoothly.  The end result is a fun custom deck that performs well, and is usually at an attractive price point, making it very good value buy.  The Pinball deck certainly hits all of these notes very nicely.
 


Where to get it?  This product is available from your favourite Murphy's Magic retailer.

Butterfly Black Playing Cards (Unmarked version)

The Butterfly Black decks are something truly exceptional.  These are direct descendants of the highly regarded Butterfly Deck that was created by Czech magician Ondrej Psenicka.  This remarkable deck was first conceived in 2016 as a marked deck for magicians, and employed a truly innovative system of markings that allowed you to do things that are impossible to do with any other marked deck. Proof of its success was that Ondjej successfully used it to fool Penn and Teller on their Fool Us show.

But aside from the marking system, the original Butterfly deck also garnered praise for its beautiful back design, which was available in your choice of blue or red.  So it's not surprising that ongoing demand led to it being subsequently reprinted in a second version the following year.   The most recent version of the Butterfly deck released in 2020 features an entirely different colour scheme altogether: jet black.  This latest incarnation of this popular deck was made available in two main editions:  Black and Gold, Black and Silver.  A slightly less glamorous and less expensive Black and White was also produced.

More importantly, for the first time this gorgeous deck was not printed exclusively as a marked deck, but in an unmarked version.  That means that the beautiful design you see here can also be enjoyed for card games and poker.



The Black and Gold deck (which is what I have) is basically the same as the Black and Silver deck, except that all the trimmings come in gold instead of silver.  The deck comes with a custom paper sleeve to avoid the need for the usual plastic wrapper.  This sleeve has a busy black and white design, featuring two stylish black butterflies on the front.  Sealed with a round butterfly sticker, it unfolds so that you can keep the wrapper intact even after opening.

The tuck box inside this wrapper looks absolutely stunning.  It relies on an understated matt black, which makes the gold foil butterfly and the gold foil stripe on the front look all the more amazing.  It also has a custom "Black Series" seal which you'll have to crack open to get at the beautiful cards inside, and this custom seal gives an added sense of sophistication.



While the outside of the tuck box looks almost minimalist in its elegance, the interior of the box is anything but that.  Once we open the tuck flap, we are greeted with a shiny patterned gold foil design that decorates the full interior, aside from the words "The sky's the limit" at the bottom of the box.

The cards themselves are equally stunning, with borderless backs that showcase a lush patterned design that goes all the way to the edge of the cards.  The card backs feature nothing less than shiny gold foil for top good looks.  The twin butterflies that are the centrepiece of the back design are created by negative space, which produces a terrific effect on its own.  I particularly love beautiful how the borderless design looks in fans and spreads, and this effect is certainly amplified by the use of shiny gold foil.



And if that isn't enough bling for you, you'll be pleased to learn that the deck is also fully gilded in spectacular gold, so that no matter how you're looking at this deck, it shines.   The golden gleam also includes the faces of the court cards, which are presented using the traditional designs with a simplified colour scheme of red and black, but with one important addition: metallic gold foil.  Yes, you really get gold foil on the fronts, and on the backs, and and on the sides, and words can't convey how luxurious this all-round gleam looks.

The number cards are basically standard, but there are two short lines set at right angles on two opposite corners, which adds to the overall sense of something special and unique.  The Ace of Spades is highly decorated and is also touched with added gold foil. Even the other Aces get an extra measure of loving treatment, with giant pips that reprise some of the patterns from the card backs.



Two Jokers round out the deck, each with a simple butterfly silhouette, one in gold, and the other in black.  A bonus blank faced card is also included.

Once I had separated the cards from some initial stickiness produced by the gilding, the deck handled beautifully. The Butterfly decks are all produced by Cartamundi, so the cards feel very supple and are pleasant and consistent to work with.  As with all Cartamundi decks, the print is spot on.



Besides the Black and Gold and the Black and Silver versions of this deck, a slightly more affordable Black and White deck with black gilding was also released, courtesy of a crowdfunding stretch goal.  But as good as that looks, for me it's really the glamour of the Gold and Silver decks that has the most appeal.  And of course, all three decks are also available in marked versions as well, which gives you access to detailed video tutorials explaining the markings and their potential.

The original Butterfly deck was a huge success in light of its ground-breaking marking system.  But it was just as much a visual triumph as it was a technical one.  The design was a thing of beauty, and now we finally can use a version of this deck at the card table without needing to feel guilty about using a marked deck, and where we can enjoy a thoroughly luxurious look that really takes everything to the next level.  If you want to impress at your next game of cards or poker, this is about as good as it can get.



Where to get it?  This product is available from your favourite Murphy's Magic retailer (Black and Gold, Black and Silver, Black and White)

The Green Man Playing Cards (Autumn and Spring)

The team at Jocu Playing Cards includes Italian artist Alessandra Gagliano and Anthony Holt, and together they have produced a number of successful playing card projects. Besides their Hops & Barley decks for lovers of ales and beers, they seem to have a special fondness for themes that involve or are inspired by mythical elements, as is evident from their narrative-rich Fillide deck and the vibrant ONDA deck. 

Their Green Man decks are available in two versions, Autumn and Spring, and are both celebrations of the magic and mythology of the plant world.  The two decks are quite similar, but employ slightly different colour schemes: The Autumn deck uses copper foil and a brown palette, while the Spring deck uses bronze foil and a green palette.



The luxurious looking tuck box immediately impresses, with an ornate and intricate design.  The Autumn deck is beautifully finished with embossing and rich layers of copper foil which shine against the backdrop of a matt beige, while the Spring deck relies on green foils.  Intricate foil work is also found inside the box, with full interior printing.  The figure in the center of the front of the box is the Green Man himself, an iconic legendary being that is an important and old symbol of rebirth, closely connected with the cycle of nature.  Many interpretations of this legend exist, but what is clear is that he's closely connected to a plant world that is full of folklore and mythology.

The Green Man himself is typically depicted as a representation of a face, composed of and/or surrounded by leaves, and this is how the motif also appears in various forms throughout this deck's artwork, including the back design.  The richly decorated card backs at first give the impression of a densely detailed design, full of leaves and branches.  But upon closer viewing we see none other than the Green Man peering from among the foliage as part of a symmetrical back design.



Each of the Aces represents a season, and the unique season linked to each of the four Aces is an element that recurs throughout the entire suit corresponding to that Ace.

The court cards are all fully customized as you'd expect.  The characters all draw on themes closely connected with the mythology of the Green Man.  This mythology was new territory for me, so I enjoyed learning something about the significance of each court card as described by the project.



Here's how the ad copy describes each of the four court cards:

● Kings = Lords of the forest: rulers of the woods from various cultures and archetypes of The Green Man himself.
● Queens = Ladies of the forest: ethereal spirits or characters from mythology connected to specific trees or plants.
● Jacks = Those consumed by the forest: those who fell foul of the rules set upon them by the wood spirits, or heroes who never returned from their quests.
● Aces = The Green Man: four interpretations of a kindly 'Father Nature' inspired by his depictions in architecture.



The number cards continue the seasonal theme of the Aces.  Each of these has one or more stylized pips containing a unique plant or flower that corresponds to that suit's season.  A Green Man Companion Booklet was created in combination with the project, and this booklet explains the magical properties associated each of these plants, and tells the story behind each and every card.

The pips have an old-school look which adds to the sense of legend and history.  The delicate font used for the indices helps emphasize this even further.



Two charming Jokers and an ad card help fill out the deck past 52 cards.   These decks were printed by Cartamundi on their slimline cardstock with the popular B9 finish.  This means that the cards handle smoothly and consistently, and the print registration and colours are spot on, with no chance of misaligned borders as sometimes happens with USPCC-printed cards.

A limited edition Green Man deck (Winter) was later added to the series by Jocu, and has some further variations, such as a blue colour scheme.



Where to get it?  This product is available from your favourite Murphy's Magic retailer (Autumn deck or Spring deck).

Why You are Probably a Fan of Andrew Dougherty Without Even Knowing It

Many readers will never have heard the name Andrew Dougherty.  Those of you who have can consider yourself somewhat more informed than the average playing card collector.

Considering that Mr Dougherty was born in 1827, you might wonder whether he could possibly have made any contribution to your current collection of playing cards.  After all, the man is long dead and buried, and he certainly hasn't crowdfunded any decks on Kickstarter recently.   He doesn't have any social media channels where you can follow his work.  And you can't have bought any decks from him personally either.

Puzzled yet?  Let me ask you this: have you ever owned or used a Tally Ho deck of playing cards?  If the answer is yes, then you are indebted to Andrew Dougherty.  The United States Playing Card Company (USPCC), maker of the famous Bicycle brand of playing cards, began its life in 1867 as the printing company Russell, Morgan, and Co, and eventually became a separate company dedicated to manufacturing playing cards under the USPCC name in 1894.  As they grew, they began acquiring numerous smaller playing card companies, including that of Andrew Dougherty in 1907.  That's what brought Tally Ho into the fold as a USPCC brand, and it would result in Dougherty's ongoing impact on USPCC even after the man himself was long gone.

But that wasn't Dougherty's only contribution to playing card history.  He was a key player in the development of the American playing card industry in its early stages, and contributed several important innovations in playing cards,  which are part of his ongoing legacy in the playing cards we use and enjoy today.



The early American playing card industry

First, let's go back to the start of this story, and tell you something about the makings of Andrew Dougherty, and his beginnings.  Dougherty was born in Northern Ireland in the year 1827.  Like many others, his parents made their way to the United States to make their fortune as immigrants, taking along young Andrew as a seven year old.   He started a business in manufacturing playing cards as an enterprising 21 year old in 1848.  Because this pre-dates the printer that would eventually become USPCC, it means that Dougherty's contribution to the playing card industry has a longer history than USPCC itself.

For a few short years in the early stages of his company, Dougherty partnered with the Coughtry brothers, during which time his business went under the name Dougherty & Coughtry.  By the mid-1850s he was in a position to continue solo, and the Dougherty company prospered under his leadership.  Andrew Dougherty himself died in 1905, but by this point his thriving business was safely in the hands of his sons, who continued to run it in New York.

In 1907 the Dougherty company was bought out by the United States Playing Card Company, as part of their growing empire.  But USPCC realized the importance of Dougherty's name and brand, and continued to run it as a separate business for many years, until eventually it became a division of USPCC in 1930, under the name Consolidated-Dougherty.



Playing card innovations

When Dougherty began his business, playing cards looked very different from what they do today.  At that time it was common to have one-way court cards, and the use of indices on the corners of the cards was not yet a normal feature of playing cards.  Faro decks were in common use, and these typically had no numbers or indices on the corners to identify the rank of the cards.  These typically also had card backs with a plain or simple pattern, and with square rather than rounded corners.  In addition, court cards were not yet standardized, and a variety of different designs were in use, heavily influenced by the designs coming out of Europe.

It is in the early 1870s that we start seeing Dougherty begin producing decks with double-ended court cards, cards with rounded corners, and cards with indices - all of which were new developments in the playing card industry at the time.  While double-ended court cards had appeared briefly in Europe already in the 17th century, it was only in the late 19th century that they became common in Europe, and American playing card manufacturers were quick to follow the lead of their European counterparts in this respect.

Bear in mind that by the early 1870s Dougherty had already been manufacturing playing cards for nearly 25 years already.  At this point he was producing more than three and a half million decks annually, with the help of more than 100 employees.  Meanwhile the United States Playing Company was only just getting off the ground.  It was still in its initial years as a printing company, and didn't even yet specialize in playing cards, and was still more than 20 years away from becoming a separate company and from getting its USPCC name.  So at this particular time, Dougherty was a much bigger mover and shaker in the playing card industry than the company that would later overtake his company and buy him out.

One of his lasting influences is in the artwork and style of court cards.  The court cards Dougherty would use over the next decade were largely modelled on the European designs from De La Rue.  While these underwent some refinement, these are very recognizable as the ancestors of the court cards that we consider to be standard today.



The Jolly Joker

When playing cards first came to America, decks did not contain Jokers.  This was an American innovation, and appears to be a result of the popularity of the trick-taking game Euchre.  Even today Euchre is played with a smaller deck, and uses cards that function as additional trumps besides those of the nominated suit.   In the early days of Euchre, one of these additional trump cards was called the Bower, and the other was called the Best Bower. 

This led to a Bower or Best Bower card also being included in printed editions of decks with 52 cards.  Most historians agree that this is the likely origin of the Joker card, with the word "Joker" possibly even being a bastardization of the word euchre.  Tally Ho decks today have a signature Tally Ho Joker, but Tally Ho decks originally included a Jolly Joker.  The Joker that we associate with Tally Ho decks today only was used for the first time in the 1900s.



Tally Ho deck

The Tally Ho deck is considered a household name today, and enjoys a classic status alongside iconic decks like the Bicycle Rider Back.  But it only appeared for the first time in 1889, and it was Andrew Dougherty that first produced it.

The Tally Ho No. 9 deck first made its entrance on the playing stage in 1885, albeit with a different look than the one we know today.  The circle-back and fan-back designs that most of us today associate with Tally Ho were a later development.  The original deck came with a "patented" Ace of Spaces that identified Dougherty's company as the manufacturer, and with the Jolly Joker.  This would later become the Tally Ho Joker that is still used today, with artwork drawn from the significance of the phrase "tally ho".  This expression hails back to traditions surrounding fox-hunting in Britain, and was what those on the hunt would shout when seeing a fox.  It also explains why later versions of the deck pictured a fox hunter decked out in riding gear on the Jokers.

Tally Ho decks are still popular today, and are in most respects very much like the original decks that Dougherty first produced.  They are still described as having a Linoid Finish, which was originally patented by Dougherty as a way of making the cards slide more smoothly with the help of a special coating.  Due to the strength of the Tally Ho brand and its associated qualities, USPCC continues to use the "Linoid Finish" as part of their branding and marketing for these classic decks, even though the technology originally used to create a genuinely linoid finish has long been obsolete.   The circle-back and fan-back designs of modern Tally Ho decks are especially appreciated by card flourishers, and have also had a lasting impact on the design of many modern custom playing cards.



Triplicates

An unusual battle was fought in the late 19th century, as American playing card manufacturers competed to determine what the future of playing card faces would look like.  Dougherty's rivals came up with the idea of "Squeezers", which was the popular nickname used to refer to playing cards with indices in the corners.  At the time this was welcomed as a real  innovation, because for the first time game players could easily see the suit and value of all the cards in their hand, without needing to see the entire face of each and every card.

Dougherty was not to be thwarted by this new initiative, and rather than simply copy it, he came up with his own innovation: "Triplicates".    These had the same function as the indices on the early decks of Squeezers, but were miniature versions of the cards in the opposite corners.  While attractive and interesting, these could never be expected to compete seriously with the more practical and simpler use of indices.  As a result the Triplicates were only printed for a relatively brief period of time, and were eventually superseded by the indices that would become the industry standard and are in common use today.

The first Triplicate deck appeared in 1876, and to this day they are treasured items that are valued highly by playing card collectors.  For this reason they have also made wonderful subjects for reproduction versions, including several lovely decks produced in the last decade by Home Run Games.  These decks all come with a decorative Ace of Spades like the original, which depicted a hand of fanned cards with their signature triplicates on the corners.



Final thoughts

A number of iconic decks we enjoy today owe their origins to Andrew Dougherty.  Besides the Tally Ho deck and Triplicate deck already mentioned, another iconic deck from Dougherty is the Murphy's Varnish deck produced in 1883.  It was intended as an advertising deck for the makers of Murphy Varnish, and is one of the best examples of a transformation deck from this era.  The highly creative and amusing artwork surrounding the pips on the number cards continues to be praised, and not surprisingly this classic deck has also been the subject of a gorgeous reproduction version from Home Run Games.

But more importantly, Andrew Dougherty was a big player in manufacturing playing cards in the United States at a time when the American industry was still very much in its infancy, and well before the rise of the United States Playing Card Company.  He was one of the movers and shakers in the industry in an era when playing cards were still evolving and taking the shape that we now know them to be.  Many of the features that we now take for granted on our playing cards, first achieved their success in the American market with the help of Dougherty. 

Dougherty was also known to appreciate detail on his playing cards, as is evident on the Ace of Spades that identified him as the manufacturer.   If Mr Dougherty was alive today, he would undoubtedly appreciate the quality and detail of the many custom decks which the industry would produce in the distant future beyond his time.  As modern collectors, the least we can do is look back in time, and tip our hat to Mr Dougherty in appreciation for what he gave us.



Author's note: I first published this article at PlayingCardDecks here.

Kickstarter Rockstars, Part 1: The Top 20 Most Funded Decks of Playing Cards of All Time

Popularity doesn't necessarily equate to quality. But certainly when something is extremely popular, it is a reliable indication that something about it has a real appeal.  Over two articles, we'll take a look at the 40 most funded decks of playing cards of all time on Kickstarter.  This is effectively a "greatest hits" compilation, and is a showcase of the custom decks that have been the most successful on this crowdfunding platform over the last decade.

When Kickstarter first emerged as a viable platform for crowdfunding around 2009, few could have anticipated its remarkable success. According to Kickstarter's official stats from early June 2021, it has been used to successfully fund over 200,000 projects, to the tune of almost $6 billion raised.  Just to be clear, that is a 6 followed by nine zeros.  In other words, Kickstarter has helped raise a million bucks nearly 6000 times over.  And it has accomplished that with the help of nearly 20 million backers and over 70 million total pledges.  Those are extraordinary numbers!   Over 500 of these projects have single-handedly brought in over a million dollars' worth of funding each, which is an indication of Kickstarter's remarkable popularity.  One project, Pebble Time, even brought in a cool $20 million all by itself, making it #1 in the official list of Kickstarter's most funded projects of all time.  Admittedly there are  crowdfunding platforms that have generated even bigger numbers (see this list of examples), but most of them are blockchain related, so Kickstarter remains the platform of choice for the average creator and consumer.

There is no doubt that Kickstarter has had a huge impact on the custom playing card industry as well.  Collectors of custom playing cards in the 1990s and early 2000s typically found themselves relying on big publishers like Ellusionist and Theory11 to provide them with new and interesting custom decks.  But Kickstarter has changed all that.  We now live in an era where the enterprising designer can create an original and attractive deck of playing cards on his personal computer, partner with a reputable printer like USPCC or Cartamundi to produce a quality product, and fund the whole endeavour through Kickstarter.  As a result, the custom playing card industry has exploded.  In any given week there is a brand new crop of custom decks seeking funding on Kickstarter, often with original features and creativity the likes of which have never been seen before.  Some big name playing card designers owe their success almost entirely to this platform, after attracting a loyal following of appreciative supporters who are willing to support their creativity in return for getting beautiful custom playing cards.

So let's have a look back over the last decade, and take you on a tour of the forty playing card projects that have reached the greatest heights of support on Kickstarter.  In this article we'll start with the top 20 most funded playing cards of all time on Kickstarter, listed in order by the total amount of funding, based on the numbers from early June 2021.  In a follow-up article, we'll list the next 20 highest projects and come to some conclusions.  So without further ado, here are Kickstarter's top 20 heaviest hitters.

== The Top 10 ==

1. The Name of the Wind Art Deck -  $630,300



Deck: The Name of the Wind Art Deck by Elodin Enterprises
Funding: $630,300 raised by 10,090 backers
Year: 2017

The remarkable success of this Kickstarter project was due in no small part to the fact that it was based on the popular novel of the same name by Patrick Rothfuss.  The project had his blessing, and was a collaboration with fantasy artist Echo Chernik.  The deck featured characters from The Name of the Wind, which is the first book of Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles series.  The cards were beautifully illustrated with a colourful and classic style.  It is not hard to see how this became a runaway success for the legions of fans who were devoted to the series, and for playing card enthusiasts generally.

2. The Name of the Wind - $589,660



Deck: The Name of the Wind by Albino Dragon
Funding: $589,660 raised by 11,334 backers
Year: 2013

Somewhat surprisingly, the deck in the #2 spot is based on the same book, and goes all the way back to 2013.  But this project was produced by Albino Dragon, a publisher that specializes in creating licensed playing cards, and has been responsible for creating a significant number of lovely custom decks.  The wonderful illustrations were by a different artist than the later Art Deck.  What makes this project notable is that no single deck in this top 40 list has had as many backers, with a massive 11,334.  The reason for its success is much the same as with the previous project, namely that it was wedded to a successful novel, and had the support and involvement of the author.

3. MINT 2 - $564,558



Deck: MINT 2 by 52Kards (product page)
Funding: $564,558 raised by 5,671 backers
Year: 2018

52Kards is the brand of Asad Chaudhry, a popular youtuber who has been producing helpful magic tutorials for over a decade.  He now has over 1 million subscribers, so he could tap into a strong existing support base when producing his own decks.  This project was a follow up to his first MINT deck, which proved very popular.  The back design had a very appealing look, and incorporated a clever coded marking system, making it an attractive choice for magicians wanting a good marked deck.  MINT 2 saw the original design tweaked and improved, plus new colours: Blueberry Mint, Cucumber Mint, and a limited edition Frost Mint.

4. Jerry's Nugget - $477,229



Deck: Jerry's Nugget by Expert Playing Card Company (product page)
Funding: $477,229 raised by 4,094 backers
Year: 2019

The story of the legendary Jerry's Nugget decks is a fascinating tale, which even has aspects of mystery about it.  These iconic decks were originally produced in the early 1970s.  Over the last couple of decades they have gained a holy grail status due to their popularity, and an original deck now typically sells for $500.  Cardists have praised the legendary handling of the unique stock used for these cards. Expert Playing Card Company partnered with the Jerry's Nugget Casino to bring these back to modern collectors, in the original blue and red colours and in a range of further colours, albeit with modern stock.

5. The Eye of the Ocean - $393,000



Deck: The Eye of the Ocean by Stockholm17
Funding:  $393,000 (?323,377) raised by 2,217 backers
Year: 2021

Lorenzo Gaggiotti, more commonly known in the world of playing cards as Stockholm17, is one of the most sought after playing card designers today.  His previous decks have won numerous awards in playing card circles. This most recent project only just finished funding in May 2021, and is perhaps his best yet.  It has stunning custom artwork on the cards, a unique tuck box the likes of which we've not seen before, and add-ons that include a novel, a metal astrolabe, and an inbuilt puzzle.

6. The Photography Deck - $364,000



Deck: The Photography Deck by Travel9to5
Funding: $364,000 (?309,119) raised by 10,736 backers       
Year: 2020

This is one of only three decks on the top 40 list which have had over 10,000 backers.  The man behind the project, Eric Bohring, is a creator and adventurer behind the brand Travel9to5, and specializes in travel, film, and photos.  These cards feature camera and photography tips and tricks, hence the deck's subtitle: "Camera Cheat Sheet Playing Cards".  The fact that it effectively doubles as a camera reference sheet with rules and techniques about photography was a big factor in its high level of support.  Unsurprisingly it was featured in a lot of photography websites and had a lot of positive press generally.

7. Anubis & Osiris Shadow - $321,052



Deck: Anubis & Osiris Shadow by Steve Minty
Funding: $321,052 raised by 3,617 backers
Year: 2021

Steve Minty is one of the rock stars in the world of playing cards.  The stunning Egyptian themed Anubis and Osiris decks that he first created in 2016 were a huge hit, and are still highly sought after by collectors.  The beautiful design and gold foil on the back of all the cards and on the tuck box makes them a work of art and luxury, and they can reach prices of well over $150.  With the Anubis and Osiris Shadow decks, Steve Minty reprised the originals in updated colours of purple and green, along with some small changes to the design, and the luxury of foil on both sides of all the cards.

8. The NOC Luxury Collection - $287,813



Deck: The NOC Luxury Collection by Riffle Shuffle x House of Playing Cards (product page)
Funding: $287,813 raised by 2,038 backers
Year: 2020

NOC was originally conceived as an acronym for Nothing Only Colour.  It represented an approach of sheer minimalism towards the backs of playing cards, which consisted simply of a single block of colour within white borders.  The concept proved surprisingly popular with cardists, and spawned a large series of NOC decks in different colours and styles.  In this collaboration between Riffle Shuffle (Kevin Yu) and House of Playing Cards (Alex Pandrea), the NOC decks get the most luxurious treatment imaginable, with holographic foil on all the cards, in three different decks: Gold, Silver, and Bronze.

9. Arrow & Shield Playing Cards -  $265,200



Deck: Arrow & Shield Playing Cards by Card Mafia
Funding:  $265,200 (HK$2,056,227) raised by 2,484 backers       
Year: 2020

If you need evidence that supporters are willing to pay for an extravagant and creative tuck box, this project is all the proof you need.  Creator Kevin Yu from Card Mafia had already produced a stunning tuck box with his Trident & Sword project, which appears later on this list.  The Arrow & Shield project capitalized on that earlier success with a new pair of decks, this time inspired by Apollo, the Greek God of the Sun.  While the cards themselves are beautiful, the chief attraction here is the deluxe tuck box, which features a magnetic opening and closing and self-locking system.

10. Kingdom & Kinghood - $250,887



Deck: Kingdom & Kinghood by Artisan Playing Cards
Funding: $250,887 (HK$1,947,197) raised by 727 backers
Year: 2021

This is the third project from creator Artisan Playing Cards (better known as Ark Playing Cards), following their debut Card College  and Tempo projects, both of which also appear in this top 40 list.  They already showed what they could do in the area of innovative tuck boxes and packaging with those previous efforts.  But they've really outdone themselves with the Kingdom and Kinghood project, which features box sets presented as luxurious gift boxes, glamorous foiled tuck boxes, and playing cards the likes of which have never been seen before.

==  The Top 20 ==

11. Trident & Sword Playing Cards - $238,600



Deck: Trident & Sword Playing Cards by Card Mafia (product page)
Funding: $238,600 (HK$1,852,031) raised by 2,946 backers   
Year: 2020

This is the project from Kevin Yu's Card Mafia that preceded his Arrow & Shield decks that are in the #9 spot, and was inspired by the god Poseidon from Greek mythology.  With Trident & Sword he debuted his magnificent tuck boxes, with their unique magnetic open and closing system and a self-locking system.  Besides these Deluxe editions, the two decks also had a Classic edition.  But we all know that the more complex tuck box for the Deluxe edition is easily the star attraction here.  Each tuck box required eight times more paper than a standard tuck box, and when fully opened it spreads out into a 145 degree angle.

12. Butterfly Black - $219,800



Deck: Butterfly Black by Ondrej Psenicka (product page)
Funding: $219,800 (SEK2,117,815) raised by 1,466 backers
Year: 2019

Ondrej Psenicka has enjoyed success as a magician, fooling Penn and Teller twice on their show Fool Us.  His innovative Butterfly Playing Cards were originally crowdfunded in 2016, and came with an ingenious marking system that was truly ground-breaking.  Not only could these escape detection from many magicians, but they could also accomplish things not possible with other marked decks.  Building on this success, this more recent project presented the most luxurious versions imaginable of the Butterfly decks.  They include gold and silver foil, gilded edges, and the option of unmarked versions.

13. The Tale of the Tempest - $194,187



Deck: The Tale of the Tempest by The Gentleman Wake.
Funding: $194,187 raised by 1,235 backers
Year: 2020

Many playing card collectors will be familiar with The Gentleman Wake, courtesy of his superb skill as a videographer and reviewer on youtube.   In 2019 he teamed up with popular playing card designer Stockholm17 to create The Parlour Playing Cards.  The Tale of the Tempest was his follow-up project the next year, this time in tandem with Lotrek, who is arguably today's #1 designer of luxury playing cards.  Even though this more recent project didn't have as many supporters as the previous ones (1235 compared with 1697), the playing cards were more customized and luxurious, and so the overall level of support was considerably higher.

14. Arcana - $190,592



Deck: Arcana by Chris Ovdiyenko
Funding: $190,592 raised by 3,199 backers
Year: 2015

There is a huge demand for Tarot cards, and the Arcana deck bridges the gap between standard playing cards and the traditional Tarot.  It serves as a regular deck of cards, while still drawing on the imagery and symbols from the world of Tarot, particularly the popular 1910 Rider-Waite-Smith Tarot deck.  The cards incorporate regular pips along with the wands, swords, cups, and pentacles familiar from Tarot, and four Major Arcana cards (Fool, Lovers, Death, Tower) were included instead of Jokers and ad cards.  It is first and foremost a deck of playing cards, however, rather than a full 78 card Tarot deck, and the engraved style helped make it a winner.

15. Federal 52 Part 2 - $188,005



Deck: Federal 52 Part 2 by Jackson Robinson
Funding: $188,005 raised by 2,705 backers
Year: 2013

Jackson Robinson from King's Wild Project has the unique achievement of being one of the world's only full-time professional playing card designers.    His original Federal 52 project in 2013 was a deck of cards inspired by currency, and featured a style that reflected the traditional engraving designs of bank notes.  It was an instant hit with nearly 3,000 backers, and Jackson's work was soon in high demand from collectors.    This follow-up from the same year featured a Reserve Note deck and Silver Certificate deck.  It continued the same successful formula, including embossed tuck cases stamped with foil.

16. The Apothecary 2 - $184,339



Deck: The Apothecary 2 by Alexander Chin  (product page)
Funding: $184,339 raised by 2,348 backers
Year: 2018

Alexander Chin is one of today's hottest playing card designers, and has won numerous industry awards in packaging for his designs with Seasons Playing Cards, and Deck of the Year Awards for his NPCCD decks.  This pair of Apothecary decks were entitled Seronda Sentiments (Fall) and Verana Virtues (Summer), and were a sequel to his earlier release, Primavera Ponderings (Spring) and Inverno Insights (Winter).  The series of Apothecary decks explores "intangible curiosities from the other side", and wants us to focus on physical things that can be touched, felt, and held.   The White Label edition is the highlight, with gilded edges, and a colour changing tuck box that responds to heat and touch.

17. Tempo - $175,100



Deck: Tempo by Ark Playing Card Co
Funding: $175,100 (HK$1,358,230) raised by 1,033 backers
Year: 2021

This isn't the first entry from Ark Playing Cards on this list, with their Kingdom & Kinghood project appearing already.   It's not surprising given their focus on pushing innovation to the extreme.  Tempo was their sophomore effort, and followed their successful debut Card College release.  Several decks were part of the Tempo project, including a telescopic and a mechanical flip box design at the entry level.  In addition they produced a UV electro-optic box set that came with a UV torch and that made use of UV light fluorescence technology on all the actual cards.  Also available was an edition with a sunlight colour-changing tuck box.

18. Air Deck 3.0 - $164,100



Deck: Air Deck 3.0 by TipTop Things (product page)
Funding: $164,100 (HK$1,275,853) raised by 6,690 backers
Year: 2020

People like novelty, as the Air Deck 3.0 project demonstrates, with the healthy support of nearly 7,000 backers.  The creator Tip Top Things was able to capitalize on earlier successes that included three versions of their clever Nanobag shopping bag, and two previous versions of their Air Deck.  Marketed as "cool playing cards for travellers", the Air Deck 3.0 offered more of the same, but with seven new designs.  Their successful travel-optimized deck was billed as waterproof, compact, lightweight, and durable.  Its small size and waterproof PVC card stock certainly made it eye-catching and popular.

19. Muertos Day of the Dead - $159,706



Deck: Muertos Day of the Dead by Steve Minty
Funding: $159,706 raised by 2,793 backers
Year: 2014

The Muertos collection was inspired by the Mexican holiday that celebrates life and death: Dia De Los Muertos, also known as the Day of the Dead.   Produced in 2014, it was one of Steve Minty's first deck designs, and had a modest funding goal of $13,000.  This was absolutely blown away when a staggering $159,706 was raised.  Steve tried to capture and convey the combination of sorrow and laughter that the Day of the Dead is about, with a blend of the sombre and the playful.  Classical aesthetics were combined with a style that respectfully honours the traditional message of Dia De Los Muertos, and several different colours gave consumers plenty of choice.

20. Royales - $158,200



Deck: Royales by Lee McKenzie
Funding: $158,200 (?118,466) raised by 1,713 backers
Year: 2020

Playing card designer Lee McKenzie from Kings and Crooks doesn't nearly get the credit he deserves.  He designed decks for Ellusionist at the time they were one of the biggest players in the custom playing card industry, and had a big hand in their popular decks like Arcane, Artifice, and Infinity.  He embarked on his own with the launch of his popular Empire decks in 2013.  But the tremendous success of Royales has proved that he's finally emerging into his own right as an elite designer.  This luxurious Monte Carlo styled deck is available in several versions, and the gorgeous card faces are a real highlight.

==  The Top 40 ==

In the next article, we'll showcase the remaining decks from Kickstarter's top 40 most funded playing card projects, by taking a look at the projects ranked #31 through #40.

So are there any conclusions we can draw from all of this?  For sure, but we'll save that for the end of the next article, after we've completed our tour.  Meanwhile, enjoy the creativity and beauty of these wonderful projects, which represent the 20 heaviest hitters produced with the help of Kickstarter.  But there's plenty of more good stuff to come!



Notes about the statistics:
1. This list was compiled on 14 June 2021, and doesn't reflect Kickstarters that were launched or funded after this time.
2. Determining the most funded Kickstarters for playing cards is not as simple as looking at the Most Funded Projects in the Playing Card category.  A number of earlier projects weren't categorized as Playing Cards, or were categorized differently, and thus will be missing from that list.  Besides some important omissions, a list generated in this way also includes card games and some other projects that aren't directly playing card related.
3. I've not included projects like Iron Clays & Spades by Roxley Games, since the bulk if its funding was for gaming counters (over 3500 backers) rather than for playing cards (only 175 backers). 
4. Some of the projects used foreign currencies.  I have converted these into the equivalent amount in US currency for the date when they were funded.  This is also what Kickstarter platform appears to do when ranking the most funded projects in order.

Author's note: I first published this article at PlayingCardDecks here.

World Record Card Houses: Literally taking your playing cards to the next level

Card stacking

Most people know what is meant by the phrase "stacking the deck".  It refers to a technique where you cheat in a card game, by arranging the cards in a particular order.  The expression has even entered the English language, and can be used figuratively.  Misleading your hearers by cherry-picking evidence and arguments to present only one side of a story is also known as "card stacking", and is frequently used in advertising and politics.

But today we're concerned with stacking cards in a more literal sense.  Because card stacking can also refer to the literal stacking of cards into a building-like structure.  In other words, it's when you place cards on top of each other to build what is commonly called a house of cards.



The phrase "house of cards" has also migrated into the English language, and is used metaphorically to refer to a situation that is highly unstable or volatile, or to anything likely to fail or collapse.  It's not hard to see why it has this meaning.  As you'll know if you've ever tried to build one, a house of cards is a very precarious structure that requires a delicate touch and much care.  You only have to bump it slightly, or place one card wrong, and the whole structure collapses in an instant.

The appropriateness of the image and its wide use in the English language proves that building an actual house of cards with real playing cards is incredibly difficult to do.  But there are people who can pull this off successfully, and build card houses of incredible size.  In this elite group, one man stands tall - though dwarfed by his card houses.  That man is world record holder Bryan Berg.



Bryan Berg

Bryan Berg describes himself as a "cardstacker", hence his official website cardstacker.com.  His remarkable credentials are confirmed by the four separate World Records related to cardstacking that he currently holds.

● Tallest House of Freestanding Playing Cards (set in 1992)
● Largest House of Freestanding Playing Cards (set in 2004)
● Tallest House of Freestanding Playing Cards Built in 12 Hours (set in 2016)
● Tallest House of Freestanding Playing Cards Built in One Hour (set in 2018)

If those categories don't sound challenging enough, consider the fact that the third of these (tallest house built in 12 hours) was constructed on a running, fully loaded washing machine!  He set the first of these records at the age of 17, with a 4.4 meter tower.  He's bettered several of these records more than once since setting them, and has broken his record for the tallest house around ten times.  In numerous instances his record-breaking attempts have been commissioned by sponsors.   His 2004 record for largest structure was a new category that Guinness created especially for him, and was a replica of Cinderella's Castle for Walt Disney World, which took 24 days to build.



It's worth mentioning here that the world record for the tallest house of cards has increased significantly since the early 1900s.  That's when record-breaking card towers began receiving attention in the media, and reports indicated that the best structures from that time ranged in size from 15 stories or layers high to as many as 25 stories.    In 1972 Guinness listed the highest authenticated claim as being 27 stories high.

The 1972 record was absolutely decimated by James Warnock in 1978 with a creation that consisted of an incredible 61 stories, which John Slain managed to increase to 68 stories in 1983.  This lasted until Bryan's record breaking attempt in 1992, which increased the bar to 75 stories.  At the State Fair of Texas in 2007 he built a tower that was almost 8 meters high for the current world record.  The size was limited only by the ceiling of the room in which it was built, and even then some ceiling tiles were removed to give extra building room into the attic!

To give an idea of the amount of cards required, here are some figures for a 7.6m high card tower that Bryan built in 1998.  It used over 1500 decks, weighed more than 110 kg, and took more than two weeks to build.   Or consider the replica of the Venetian Macao resort hotel which he spent 44 days building in 2010.  It was 3 metres tall and 10.5 metres long, used over 4,000 decks (representing over 218,000 cards), and weighed more than 272 kg.



Bryan's academic background is in architecture, but he insists that it was his love for cardstacking that led him in that direction, not the other way around.  He credits his grandfather for introducing him to cardstacking at the age of 8, as an amusing activity between the many card games that his family played.  But what his grandfather sparked was a love for building, rather than a specific method.  Bryan continued experimenting with different methods, teaching himself different card stacking techniques, and perfecting the art.  What he knows about building card houses is simply the result of continued experimentation - although he's learned a lot about the structural behaviour of real buildings as a result of his expertise with playing cards.   Remarkably, his incredible structures are all freestanding, and he uses no tape, glue, or tricks like bending or manipulating the cards in any way.

He turned professional in 1994, which gives him the unique position of being the only person in the world that actually earns a full-time living by stacking playing cards.  So where does he make his money?  He travels around the US and even the world, putting his card stacking skills on show.  The instant appeal and visual impact of his remarkable card houses makes Bryan's creations a real attraction, and this makes his work ideal to feature at the center of a special event, advertising campaign, or museum.  For example, in 2005 he built a replica of the New York skyline using 178,000 cards, to represent those whose lives were lost in the 2014 Boxing Day tsunami, a project that gave supporters the opportunity to donate to survivors through several charities.  He's had clients around the world who have sought him out for his work.  What he does is arguably a performance art.



The method

When most people try building a house of cards, they use the pyramid or triangle shape as the main building block, with the aim of building another layer on top of this.  A structure of this sort is notoriously difficult to build, and if you manage to get anything beyond three levels high, you can quite rightly be quite proud of your achievement.

Bryan has developed an entirely different technique, however.  And given his success, it's hard to argue with him.  Instead of using the classic triangular shape as his base building block, he builds towers using square shapes.  It's a self-taught method, but it's incredibly effective, and can support an incredible amount of weight.  According to Berg, the higher the tower goes, the more solid the lower layers become, due to the physics behind this design.  The combined weight of the cards actually makes the structure more stable.  Moreover, because he arranges the cards in a grid-like structure, they prevent each other from falling over or bending, further increasing their strength and stability.   Here's a video clip from WIRED that features Bryan explaining his card stacking technique:

https://youtube.com/watch?v=5F6j4e1C4Zk

This repeated geometric pattern is surprisingly simple to learn, and is also the secret behind the large structures Bryan builds.  You then  cover the basic honeycomb shapes with cards, and go on to build the next layer on top.  Once you master this basic concept, you can apply the same pattern for building walls, columns, and beams, which enables you to create variety in shapes.  The result is surprisingly strong.  In fact, to destroy his creations, Bryan typically uses a leaf-blower.  Yes, really - you can even see him do this on video!



Give it a try!

Now it's your turn.  Would you like to try your hand at cardstacking using Bryan's method?  It's not something he's kept secret, and he's published a book entitled Stacking the Deck: Secrets of the World?s Master Card Architect which reveals all.  But he's also explained the basics of his method on videos readily available online.  In addition to the video clip above from WIRED, you can see another helpful explanation from Bryan about his method in the following video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NnPaEU3-H0k

Key to his success is a simple four card cell structure, which is repeated over and over, in a manner that can best be compared to a beehive or honeycomb shape, or even a waffle.  Armed with his basic approach, will quickly be able to take your card stacking skills to the next level.  Perhaps you won't quite be building as elaborate structures as Bryan, who has created a wide range of architectural styles that range from stadiums and churches to pyramids and temples, and even replicas of specific structures like the Empire State Building.  But when you try Bryan's method it is remarkable how much you can achieve.  You may be surprised to learn that Bryan even considers himself to be rather clumsy - but his solid design structure and his methodical approach have rescued him more than once.



Here are some helpful tips you should keep in mind, when trying to beat your "personal best":
● Use new cards.  Old cards tend to have bends in them, so it is recommended that you use new or near-new playing cards for the best results.
● Use embossed cards.  Most playing cards have an embossed or "air cushion" finish.  That is preferable to using cards with a high gloss and smooth finish, because they typically will prove too slippery.
● Build on the floor.  It's tempting to build your structure on a table, but tables invariably wobble.  You only need to give your table an accidental bump and your house of cards will come crashing down.
● Avoid slippery surfaces.  Don't build on something slippery, like shiny wood.  Particle board can work, or else a non-plush carpet that is tightly woven together.
● Use Bryan's method.  Instead of building with triangles, place the cards on their sides at right angles to each other, forming squares in a repeated pattern.  To make the structure self-supporting, lean the cards against each other using the T shapes that this involves.
● Stay relaxed.  Tension is your enemy, because your hands will shake if you are tense, increasing the risk of accidentally destroying your own building efforts.  That makes it all the more important to stay relaxed.
● Watch your grip.  Especially when  you're building on upper layers, Bryan recommends letting the card rest between your fingers rather than holding the card, due to the increased risk of transferring your "shakes" to the structure.
● Don't give up too easily.  Patience is a virtue, and you'll need lots of it to be successful in building a house of cards.  This is a skill you can learn, but don't expect to become an expert right away.

Bryan's method will help you improve almost instantly, but don't be surprised to have your structure fall down.  Persist, and keep on trying, because like any skill in life, it's by persevering and by learning from your mistakes that you'll improve.



Final thoughts

If you think that you go through a lot of decks a year, spare a thought for Bryan, who estimates that he goes through well over 5,000 decks a year.

But Bryan's achievements also teach us something truly important.  While most people are wary of anything that is considered to be "a house of cards" due to its potential to collapse, Bryan shows that it's possible to make a living from building a house of cards.  He's found a way to turn to the kind of structure that most of us consider a disaster into his bread and butter.

So perhaps the lesson in this is that there are times where we shouldn't shy away from what seems initially difficult, and by persevering, we may sometimes even accomplish something very important.  Spending time building a house of cards may even have rewards you never expected.  So what are you waiting for - get out those playing cards, and give it a try for yourself!

Want to learn more about Bryan Berg?
● Official site
● Guinness World Records - Largest Playing Card Structure

Want to see videos with Bryan and learn his techniques?
● How this guy stacks playing cards impossibly high (WIRED)
● How to stack playing cards (WIRED)
● Record holder profile (Part 1) (Guinness World Records)
● Record holder profile (Part 2) (Guinness World Records)
● World's best card stacker builds insane outdoor card tower (Coolest Thing)

Images courtesy of Bryan Berg, and used with permission.



Author's note: I first published this article at PlayingCardDecks here: World Record Card Houses.

The Impact of Cardistry on the Playing Card Industry

Modern cardistry: what is it?

Most readers will already know what cardistry is. But for the benefit of those somewhat unfamiliar with the concept, cardistry is often described as juggling with playing cards.  It's the fastest growing art-form involving playing cards, and has experienced huge growth in the past decade.  The term is derived by combining the words "card" and "artistry", which is what cardistry is all about.  It involves flourishing playing cards in an aesthetically pleasing display, which can happen by spins, aerials, cuts, and a whole range of other skilful moves.

The idea itself is not entirely new.  Already in the 1800s when card magic was popularized, it was common for magicians to demonstrate their skill with cards by adding card flourishes to their routines.   Even today many magicians are good at cardistry, and it can be a way to enhance a performance.  But cardistry is something altogether different from sleight of hand card magic, even though it can be used to augment it.  It's a separate art-form that is a performance art of its own, which focuses on creativity, and often involves a high degree of skill.  And it need not even be performed for others, because for most cardists there's reward simply in mastering a complicated move, and in enjoying the process of manipulating cards in a pleasing way.



The current cardistry boom

As an independent art form, cardistry has really come into its own over the last ten years, and enjoyed tremendous popularity.  As evidence that it has evolved into an independent and legitimate modern art form is the annual Cardistry Con, which is an international convention for cardists.  This has been held annually since 2014, and attracts hundreds of cardists from all over the world.

Further proof lies in the many channels and forums devoted to card flourishing.  These are constantly buzzing with discussions, and videos are regularly shared and admired by card flourishing enthusiasts on social media platforms like Instagram and Youtube.  The number of subscribers that are part of the cardistry subforum on Reddit are a good illustration of this significant upward trend in subscribers.  This subreddit came into operation around 2012, and by early 2019 had gained around 45,000 subscribers.  Over the last two years alone this number has practically doubled, and is now over 90,000.



In addition, some cardists have become quite famous, even managing to build a career founded almost entirely on their achievements with cardistry.  Magician twins Dan and Dave Buck are a prime example of this kind of success.  While strictly speaking the roots of cardistry do go back further than the modern era, the Buck twins are considered by many to be the fathers of cardistry, due to the tremendous influence of their cardistry tutorials and their involvement with card flourishing.  The success of Dan and Dave's "Art of Play" brand is directly linked to their success with cardistry, and even now they continue to produce luxury cardistry decks on a regular basis.

Other cardists like Zach Mueller, the man behind the tremendously successful Fontaine brand of playing cards, have also been able to generate a very comfortable income in a similar way.  The income generated by his brand is a six digit figure, and is almost entirely the result of combining viral cardistry videos with some clever business management and a line of brand-name decks.  Besides Fontaines, there are many other brands of playing cards that are targeted entirely to cardists, and the fact that the market can support this is proof positive of a significant demand in this sector.

The single biggest factor that has enabled all this to happen is the internet.  The cardistry movement has especially thrived with the help of social media, which allows people around the world to connect easily and to share new moves and ideas.  Improved video technology has been a significant factor as well.  Most people today have smartphones that give them access to sophisticated video cameras they can use to film their cardistry, edit and supplement it with music, and then easily share it courtesy of high speed internet connections.  As a result, cardistry has seen a rapid development that would simply have been impossible and unimaginable in a pre-internet age.



An increased demand for quality decks

And that brings us to the impact of cardistry on the playing card industry.  At its most basic level, cardistry has the very simplest of requirements: all you need is a deck of playing cards.  The growth of cardistry has witnessed a corresponding increase in the demand for playing cards, but playing cards don't last forever.  Paper is the key component used to manufacture decent playing cards that are suited to card flourishing, and that means that a typical deck of playing cards used by cardists is a consumable.  All decks of playing cards will wear out eventually, but the intense demands of the flourishing actions of cardistry means that playing cards will wear out quicker than ever. It's not unheard of for a dedicated cardists to go through a brand new deck in little more than a couple of days.   Not only are more people buying playing cards as a result of the popularity of cardistry, but each of them is also buying more new playing cards on a regular basis.

Along with the increased demand for playing cards, comes a demand for increased quality.  Due to the kinds of moves that card flourishers engage in, cardistry requires its own benchmark, which will typically be much higher than what is needed for a deck of cards used in a casual card game.  Since cardistry is all about the manipulation of playing cards, the most essential requirement has to do with handling and performance.  Even if you're using a dull looking deck of playing cards, you want your cards to fan and spread consistently, and you want to be able to rely on your playing cards to perform well.

As a result, cardists are rightly very fussy about the playing cards they use.  This isn't just about being picky, but it's all about performance.  Many cardists like their playing cards to be very soft and supple, and this has led to the popularity of "thin crush stock" from printing companies like USPCC, and the softer decks that have been produced in recent years by Cartamundi.  You absolutely must have a decent deck to enjoy cardistry, and while this won't break the bank, because even a standard Bicycle rider-back deck will do the job just fine, it's really not worth wasting your time with a low quality deck from the dollar store.



A new demand for cardistry specific decks

But the evolution of cardistry has also had a big impact on the design of playing cards.  With a new art form comes the demand for new equipment.   Since card flourishing is all about visual aesthetics, it was only to be expected to see this visual emphasis reflected in the looks of new custom playing cards appearing on the market.  As a result we've witnessed an ever-growing amount of decks designed purely to look good for card flourishing.  Some of these decks are so far removed from the traditional deck of playing cards, that you wouldn't actually want to ever play an actual game of cards with them. But they often have borders that lend themselves well to fans and spreads, and incorporate designs that are emphasized with cuts, spins, pivots, and twirls, and eye-catching colours and patterns.

As a result, today the playing card market is experiencing an explosion of new decks created specifically for card flourishing.  One of the best known examples of a cardistry deck is the popular series created by the Singapore-based cardistry group The Virts. Their Virtuoso decks are often regarded as the world's first deck of playing cards specifically designed for cardistry, and have spawned a range of copycats and spin-offs.  Everything about the graphic design was optimized for use in cardistry, and to maximize the visual impact of different flourishes.  The Virts were initially uncertain how their ground-breaking cardistry deck would be received.  But its subsequent tremendous success and the ongoing demand for more decks like it have proved beyond a doubt that the cardistry community was large enough to support the creation and production of custom decks made exclusively to be used for cardistry.

As a standard part of their promotion and marketing, Kickstarter projects for new cardistry decks typically include promotional videos of cardists using their decks.  And it works. Today a growing number of young cardists are happy to throw money at projects and creators that will keep feeding them with creative custom decks, and good cardistry decks can be genuine money-makers.  Many popular cardistry brands specialize in creating luxury decks for cardists, and the demand for them only continues to grow, especially as creators come up with new ideas.  Clearly we are at a new juncture in the playing card industry, where the cardistry deck has become a viable sub-genre of its own.  It was a natural development for cardistry to employ playing cards with aesthetics that visually accent every card flourish, and that are even designed purely with this in mind. And there are enough cardists to make it viable.



An evolution towards non-standard cards

But as the cardistry deck continued to evolve, it would be inevitable that playing cards would move even further away from their original purpose in playing card games.    At the extreme end of this trend are the School of Cardistry decks from the New Deck Order.  The New Deck Order was formed in 2013 by well-known cardist Jaspas Deck (real name Justin Ye) and Loretta Sze.  Their web-site aimed to be a portal for bringing together cardistry fans from around the world, and was combined with a popular youtube channel, School of Cardistry, which provided free instructional videos on cardistry. 

In 2014, the New Deck Order team took the cardistry deck to the next level, by producing something that went much further than the cardistry decks that had preceded them.  They took their starting point in the fact that a traditional deck of playing cards has one big limitation that until now had not been overcome, namely the need for 52 different faces.  You need these for playing card games, but these different faces are arguably an obstacle for aesthetics, no matter how they are designed.  So why not abandon the idea of having 52 different cards altogether?  How about completely doing away with the idea of a traditional deck, and make the cards ideal for cardistry - back and front?!

So they created a deck intended from the ground up to be used simply for card flourishing.  And in the process they birthed what they described as a new standard for cardistry: non-standard playing cards.  With these non-standard decks, playing cards have arrived at a point where they have not been before.  Until that point, cardistry decks still included traditional suits and values on all the cards, even though optimizing their designs for cardistry in a creative and colourful fashion often made them quite unsuitable for playing a card game or performing card magic.  But now the cardistry deck had arrived at a new place altogether, by consisting of 52 completely identical cards, front and back.

This was truly something designed purely for cardistry, and was further removed from the original purpose of a deck of traditional playing cards than ever before!   The evolution of the playing card deck was now truly at an unparalleled point in its history, moving yet another step further away from its originally designed purpose as a gaming tool, and now turning it into a tool of choice for an entirely new game: cardistry.



Ongoing evolution and new ideas

Cardistry is rapidly maturing as an art form, but it continues to evolve.  As new enthusiasts join the fast-moving bandwagon of cardistry, they bring their own ideas to the table, and come up with new moves and showcase new concepts.  Those on the cutting edge of cardistry are regularly producing stunning videos of things that we've never seen before.  And the beauty is that it's a creative art that even a complete unknown can jump into, coming up with some original moves and concepts that leave old-timers in awe of the craft and ingenuity required.

It's no surprise that alongside this constantly evolving discipline we're seeing an evolution in custom playing cards, to help meet the existing demand from cardists, and to open up new possibilities.  Besides the non-standard decks shown above, all of which remove values and pips entirely, there's also a list of hybrid cardistry decks, which still retain indices in some form, as a nod to tradition, but have the same repeating shape or image on every face.  Examples of popular decks of this sort include the award-winning Echo deck from cardistry brand Lotusinhand, which features a circular target on all the card faces and backs, and the ground-breaking ArrowDynamix deck, which features arrows pointing in different directions on both sides of the cards.

In recent years we've seen a growing variety of custom card flourishing decks appear on the market. We've seen innovative decks that have different artwork on the front and on the back of each and every card.  We've seen decks designed to be used in tandem with an ultraviolet light.   With cardistry, suddenly nothing is standard anymore.  Anything is fair game, and deck designs and ideas are limited only by your imagination.  These are good times to be alive!



Final thoughts

Clearly we haven't yet seen everything that cardistry has to offer.  The future promises new and exciting flourishes from new and exciting talent - some of whom are yet to discover the joy of cardistry, and whom we'll only meet in the next decade.  But with the help of social media and online videos, they will eventually discover and explore cardistry, emerge onto the public stage, and make their own contributions to this growing art form.

But besides new talent, the future also promises new tools for this burgeoning art, as creators think of new things to do with playing cards, and new designs for the cards themselves.  It may take us further away from playing cards as tools for playing card games.  But if it brings us to new forms of artistry, I'm all for it!



Author's note: I first published this article at PlayingCardDecks here.

Created by Max Maven (aka Phil Goldstein), B'Wave is a classic among packet tricks.  If you look at lists of the all time most favourite and popular packet effects, you're almost certain to find B'Wave mentioned right near the top.   

The basic effect is that the spectator's selected queen is shown to be the only one face up.  Then as a kicker the remaining three cards are shown to be blank. The routine is somewhat similar to The Parade of the Kings, which is an obvious influence, but the final reveal makes it an even stronger effect.

B'Wave involves just four cards, has minimal set-up and handling, and is very easy to learn and perform, and is largely all about the presentation.  With the right patter, it can generate a very strong reaction.
 It can be performed either as a magical effect or as a feat of mentalism, the latter being the recommended and most common way to do it.

This is an excellent packet trick that is ideal for strolling magic, or for keeping in your pocket or wallet whenever you are called upon at short notice to do a card trick. Highly recommended!

Frost (Mikey V and Abstract Effects)

A gimmicked deck where all the cards turn blank on both sides ... except your spectator's selection!

Overview

First a confession. I love gaffed decks.  Trick decks like the Invisible Deck, Brainwave Deck, Mental Photography Deck, and Card Toon deck make me salivate.  So when I heard about the  new blank deck effect entitled Frost which involves a gimmicked deck, I was ready to take the bait quite quickly.  Here's the ad copy that describes the basic idea of this gaffed deck:

"Frost is a completely gaffed deck that does all the work for you making it one of the easiest and most fooling, self-working card effects you will do! Printed with high quality stock at the United States Playing Card Company, Frost comes ready to go right out of the box!

Start by showing a full deck of 52 cards front and back, and with the snap of a finger reveal that every single card has become blank on the front and back except for the spectator's chosen card. You not only get the visual of showing all of the faces blank, but also get an extra kicker when you reveal that all of the backs have also turned blank except for their signed card! Your spectators can see the deck visually change around their card!"

Anyone who's been around in magic for a while that reads a description like this will immediately have questions at this point.  What kind of sleight of hand is needed?  Does it rely on a rough-and-smooth principle?  Do you need to do any arts-and-crafts?  What's the card quality like?  The creators have anticipated these questions from us, and that's why the ad copy goes on to describe Frost with these characteristics:

"Visual, Easy to do, Self working, Ready to go out of the box, Printed by USPCC, Instant reset, No rough & smooth, No flaps, Full routine taught plus bonus visuals that are perfect for social media!"

Seriously?  That does sound promising! But does it live up to what it promises?  Let's find out.



The effect

The basic effect of Frost is that you can show a deck, front and back, apparently normal on both sides.  In an instant, you make the entire deck turn blank, again showing both sides of the cards.  In both cases you show all the cards.  Front and back printed.  Then front and back blank.

But that's merely how the Frost deck works at its most rudimentary level.  As a tool, you can easily incorporate this with many other elements, such as having a spectator's signed selection become the only printed card in a deck that has gone entirely blank, for example.  With that plot, you'd have a card selected and returned to the deck, and then the entire deck turns blank except the chosen card.

To whet your appetite, see the official trailer here, which shows this deck doing exactly what the ad copy has said it will do.



What you get

Inside a zip-locked bag, which is presented with an appropriately chilly looking "Frost" packaging, we get our new toy: a complete deck of gaffed playing cards.  Our deck comes inside a standard tuck box of Bicycle rider back cards, so from the outside everything looks normal.

Also included is a small card, which has the link to a special page over on the Murphy's Magic website.  Using the password provided, you get access to a 35 minute tutorial video which you can watch with streaming video or download (762 MB).



The cards

The cards are the usual Bicycle quality in red, and are poker-sized with have an embossed air cushion finish.  They're printed by USPCC so the quality is excellent.  But as you'd expect, they are gaffed.  The gaffed cards use the Maiden Back design, since USPCC no longer allows tinkering with the Rider Back design for gaff cards.  In light of the fact that it's a Maiden Back design, I was a bit surprised that the two "regular" cards included along with the gaffed deck were Rider Backs, but in reality these are so similar to Maiden Backs that I didn't even notice the difference until I looked really closely.

As mentioned, the cards are very gaffed.  But only in the sense that there's no way you could make a deck like this yourself, with the help of roughing spray or doing some arts-and-crafts.  Just as the ad copy promises, there's no rough-and-smooth, flaps, or anything like that.  Instead all the trickery lies in the printing, and everything else about the deck is normal.  There's a couple of "normal" cards in there too, as well as some cards which are just partially gaffed.  But the bulk of what you get is a deck of completely gimmicked cards that will work the magic.   What helps strengthen this trick is that both sides are gaffed, and if you're familiar with marketed effects like the Monte Cristo deck (Mastermind deck) and the Knockout Deck (Sneek-A-Peek), you'll have some idea of what's going on here.



The video

The video is quite good, and the 35 minute run time means that you don't just get the bare bones.  Everything is covered, from how the deck works, how to set it up, how to do the required moves, and some of the possibilities for routines and presentation.  There's no real close-ups, but you don't really need them either.  The sound is clear, everything is easy to follow, and you get plenty of ideas for polishing elements of the basic routine, and ideas for taking the routine in different directions.

The majority of the teaching is done by the Other Brothers from Abstract Effects, and is filmed from a single camera angle.  Part of the video also features Las Vegas magician and creator Mikey V, who tells something about how the deck originated, and offers an alternate way to present aspects of the routine, including a colour change ala Erdnase.



Difficulty

In terms of difficulty, Frost genuinely can be considered relatively easy to perform, and is almost self-working.  The deck does all the work for you, and as long as you can fan and spread cards relatively evenly, there's little to worry about.  If you're no good at fanning, then you do risk flashing the secret to your spectators, so some proficiency here is a prerequisite. In terms of the moves required to accomplish the "magic", all you need to do is displace a card or two, and rotate the deck, both of which can be done openly because a motivation for doing this is provided.

If you have the chops, you can easily add in sleights like an Erdnase Colour Change, to enhance aspects of the routine, and that is covered in the video tutorial.  But that's optional, and when all is said and done, Frost is very much on the easier side of things, and no real sleight of hand is required, which means you can focus on the presentation.



Other blank deck tricks

The concept of a blank deck begs comparison with other blank deck effects, the most well known of these of course being the Mental Photography deck.  A big difference is that the presentation of the Mental Photography deck has you to begin with a deck that is entirely blank, and then "print" cards.  I do really like that presentation, but the Mental Photography deck has some drawbacks as well.  One of the strengths of Frost is that you begin by apparently showing and handling a "normal" deck, so the instant that the entire deck turns blank becomes an incredibly surprising and completely unexpected magical moment.  Frost is also gaffed very differently, so you don't have to worry about operating with rough-and-smooth cards or anything like that.  In fact, Frost is much easier to use than the Mental Photography Deck in that respect.  The fact that you can incorporate Frost as a way to reveal a selected card is another positive, because it gives you more possibilities.  Personally I don't think Frost overlaps too much with the Mental Photography Deck, not just due to it using a completely different and easier method, but because it is really about a different effect, and because it can be used in combination with revealing a spectator's selection.

I've seen people compare Frost with other effects like Shin Lim's 52 Shades of Red.  I have no first-hand experience with this Shin Lim trick, other than knowing that 52 Shades of Red is heavily gimmicked in more unorthodox ways, whereas Frost is more of an ordinary deck that you can handle easily and that requires no sleight of hand.  Frost has also been compared with Dean Dill's Blizzard, which is a very popular trick that has been around for almost 20 years now. The effect of Blizzard involves your spectator freely naming any card, and after you take out that card and its three mates, you reveal that the named card is the only printed card in the deck while all the rest are blank.  It's a powerful trick, but it relies on a special gimmick, along with one very, very bold move.  This can create some practical challenges, and many magicians will simply be too nervous to do this.  Besides these there's plenty of other blank deck effects e.g. John Lovick's I Dream of Mindreading, Joshua Jay's Out of Sight, Caleb Wiles' Holy Blank, and others.  If you already have some blank deck tricks in your arsenal, you might pass on Frost.  But the method that Frost uses definitely makes it quite appealing, given how easy it is to use, and the different emphasis of its effect.



Other impressions

One nice thing about how Frost's deck is gaffed is how easy it is to display.  Once you're showing the backs as normal by fanning out the deck, you can immediately show the faces as normal, without needing to do any moves. What's more, when showing the faces to be blank you can also spread the cards quite wide, which really adds to the illusion that all the printing is completely gone.  And unlike some similar blank deck effects, the fact that you can show both sides to be printed, and then both sides to be blank, is a real strength of Frost.  It's worth highlighting that you genuinely can show virtually all the cards, because it's not as if the deck simply consists only of a bank of regular cards and a bank of bank cards, limiting you to just showing half of the deck.  So there are several elements that Frost offers in presentation that just aren't possible with some other blank deck tricks.

It won't come as a surprise that you can't hand the deck or the cards out for examination.  But that's true of the majority of blank deck tricks, due to the nature of the gaffed cards required.  You also can't show the full face and back of all the cards, although this can be done with some of the cards.  Because you display these as "convincers", there's no reason for your spectators to want to see the front and back of all the cards anyway.   What's more, when spreading the deck you can run through the entire deck, so your spectator also has no reason to think that he's only seeing part of the deck.  This can be an issue with the Mental Photography Deck, where you're really only showing half the cards with a double thickness, whereas in Frost you are genuinely showing all the cards from the entire deck on both sides, first printed and then blank.  By ruling out possible methods in your spectator's mind in this way, the end result feels more impossible.



Recommendation

To some extent Frost is a one-trick pony, in the sense that you're just going to use it for a single trick on its own.  But much like other popular gaff decks such as the Invisible Deck, the strength of the magic you can produce with this can make this worthwhile.  What's more, you aren't limited to just a single presentation, and can use this as a tool to do other things, such as by combining it with a spectator selecting a card and using it for the revelation.  Because Frost begins by having you show the cards as normal at the outset, you can also use it as a follow-up to a number of tricks performed with a regular deck, which will take the heat off the cards.  If you can find a way to ring in Frost with a deck switch after first performing some other card magic, you'd be set to produce a real miracle.

Admittedly the suggested retail price for Frost isn't cheap, clocking in at around $40.  But nowadays we're seeing a lot of marketed releases getting up around that price bracket, including specialty gaff decks used to perform a single routine (e.g. Brent Braun's Position Impossible).  Some tricks like Joshua Jay's Out Of Sight retail for almost double that at around $75.  But if you get a powerful routine that fries your audience, this price tag can be worth it.   The asking price will hold some people back, but given that the quality of the gaff deck itself is good, and that it's so easy to learn and perform, and that it comes with over half an hour of video instruction with tips and ideas, for many people Frost will be worth it.

A `blank deck' routine isn't exactly novel at this point, and the existing competition in this niche may cause the reception of Frost to be somewhat more `cool' than it deserves.  But Frost is something genuinely and entirely different from The Mental Photography deck, and deserves to be compared with other blank deck tricks rather than that classic.  It relies on a very different and yet clever method, is easy to use, and does offer some good possibilities for presentation and performance.  So if you like the idea of what you see in the trailer, then I definitely recommend giving Frost a look.

Frost is is available from your favorite Murphy's Magic retailer.

Lightwave ESP Kit (Adam Cooper)

A less macabre and welcome update of a clever deck of marked ESP cards

The predecessor

In 2020, Adam Cooper released his Darkwave ESP Kit with Big Blind Media.  This immediately got my attention and interest, because it was an ESP deck with many clever features and applications.  The 30 cards that came with the deck used the Zener symbols associated with ESP, but then strengthened the potential by adding a word and image on each card. It also included an ingenious marking system on the card backs that revealed all of the above information, and a lengthy video tutorial.

This features were fantastic, but there was one drawback that held me back and kept me from being more enthusiastic: the thematically dark tone of the artwork. Many of the cards had apocalyptic and religious overtones that made me uncomfortable, such as Exorcist, Satanic, Devil, Ouija, and Crucifix. It didn't help that this was combined with sinister artwork featuring vampires and undead, and had images that some would consider disturbing or inappropriate.  While this might work for some people, it definitely wasn't for me given the creepy artwork and focus.

In light of this, it came as good news to hear that Big Blind Media was producing a brand new version of this deck, appropriately entitled Lightwave ESP Kit.  It is effectively the same product that has all the same clever features, but this simply has been given a fresh coat of paint to remove all the elements that made the original kit a no-go for some of us.  So I'm very pleased about this new release, which should make this ingenious deck of ESP cards available in a form that is more broadly accessible.



Overview

Here's the ad copy that describes the basic idea of this deck:

"Like the Darkwave, the Lightwave ESP Deck uses Adam Cooper's ingenious system with each ESP Card featuring THREE bits of information - an ESP symbol, a word and an image! And hidden away (in plain sight) on the back of each card is a brilliantly camouflaged marking system. This will allow you, in a fraction of a second, to divine both the symbol printed on the card and its colour. But that's only the beginning ... armed with this knowledge you can then employ Adam's devious secondary system to go on to reveal both the word AND the picture. Each phase is more impossible than the last, and it's all made possible with one quick glance.

These extra features allow for a huge amount of effect to be wrung from just a single selection. This is an entire act squeezed into one special deck.

What's more, this is EASY TO DO! Adam's innovative design means that you DON'T EVEN NEED to memorize anything - everything is printed on the card box. And it can be left in plain view - hidden in plain sight! The deck really does the majority of the work for you!"

To whet your appetite, see the official trailer here.



What you get

Here's what you get with the product, which comes inside a zip-lock bag with appropriate packaging.

Firstly there's the cards themselves.  These are packaged inside a matt black tuck box, which has the name and an official looking logo of the faux "British Institute Paranormal Research" on the front.  An all-seeing eye enclosed in a pyramid adds to the mystical feel and authenticity of the logo.  The back of the box has some information that indicates that this is a set of ESP cards, and appears to be an innocuous description of the possibilities for "advanced testing", which we'll later discover doubles a crib sheet.

Also included is a small reference card, which has the link to a purchaser's page over on Big Blind Media's website.  From here you can download a PDF guide to the secrets of the deck, and learn how to access a password protected video serves as a complete tutorial.  Darkwave also came with a small 18 page instructional booklet that explained the markings, but with Lightwave the same information is provided in the PDF.



The cards

The Lightwave cards are poker sized, and have a quality air cushion style linen finish, for good handling and durability.  While the Darkwave deck had red cards and black cards, the Lightwave deck has green cards and purple cards.  They depict the five classic Zener symbols: a hollow circle, a plus sign, three vertical wavy lines, a hollow square, and a hollow five-pointed star.   

While a typical Zener deck consists of 25 cards (five identical cards for each symbol), this deck has 30 cards: 15 in green, and 15 in purple.  Besides the Zener symbol, each card has an image and a corresponding word (e.g. world, love, virtue, guide, archer, righteous, explore).  The 15 cards in purple are identical to the green cards, but are simply a different colour.   Besides the 30 cards that comprise the main deck, there's also a few extra gaff cards.

So here's the complete list:
● 30 cards (15 green and 15 purple)
● 4 double-facer cards
● 1 double-backer card
● 1 blank-faced card



The marking system

The marking system is quite clever in how it enables you to get all the information you need about the card faces just by looking at the card backs.  The colour (purple or green) is indicated by a well-placed dot. The Zener symbol is indicated by an instantly recognizable feature of the artwork (which you spectators will never notice), with the location corresponding to one of the five symbols.

While there are 30 cards in total, in reality each symbol can only be one of three different words/images.  Adam has come up with an ingenious way to figure out what the word/image on the selected card is.  To do this, you'll ask whether a specific letter is in the word, and use the clever system he's come up with for this, with the help of the crib that is in plain sight on the back of the tuck box.



The video

The 8 page PDF will give you a quick-start guide to the deck, and explains how the marking system works.  Once you've read that, you'll be all set to use the deck as you wish.  But in addition to this document, there is an excellent video tutorial that runs for over 90 minutes, and covers everything in detail, as well as several possible routines.  Since they had already produced a highly polished video tutorial for Darkwave, the Big Blind Media team have opted not to film a completely new tutorial, but simply to provide the existing video for Darkwave.  Even though it features the other deck, the marking system is basically the same idea, and the way that you use the deck doesn't change, so what's taught there applies in the same way to the Lightwave deck. As you'd expect from Big Blind Media, the production quality of the video is very high, with excellent visuals and sounds.

In terms of the content, the initial part of the video covers what you get, and then explains the marking system.  The largest part of this section is reserved for teaching how to divine the word and picture with the help of the crib and by asking your spectator the right questions.  The rest of the video explains some handling techniques (including the Jay Ose false cut), and teaches four great routines, including a powerful Out of This World presentation.



Impressions
 
The concept:  I really love the idea of dressing up an ESP deck as an official tool of the "British Institute Paranormal Research".  This makes it feel very authentic, and really helps with the presentation. It also gives a very natural way of justifying the design on the back of the cards, which does a good job of hiding the markings.  This concept is combined with high quality cards that do the job well.  I also like the fact that besides the Zener symbols, there's the potential to go deeper by adding words and images.  This really opens up a lot of presentational possibilities, and gives everything a professional feel.

The routines: Although the routines in the video were performed and taught for the Darkwave deck, they easily apply to the Lightwave deck too.  "Basic Read" has you identify the card selected by one or two spectators.  "Synchronicity" has a Spectator Cuts to the Aces feel.  It has more of a magical than a mentalist vibe, especially in light of the unexpected but strong twist this includes at the end. "Prediction" is exactly what it sounds, where you make a prediction in advance of an apparently free choice made by your spectator.  Finally you're provided with three different versions of Paul Curry's classic "Out of This World" routine.  There's some good variety here, and everything is taught clearly and well.

The system: I love the way that you can instantly figure out the colour of the card and which of the Zener symbols it has by easily reading the markings.  That information is well hidden on the back of the cards, and yet easy for the enlightened to recognize.  But from then you have a bit of work to do to figure out the word, because the information about the image and word isn't on the back of the cards.  The system Adam Cooper has come up to accomplish this is very clever, especially in conjunction with crib provided.  Effectively you'll have to ask your spectator at least a couple of questions to narrow down the options from three to one.  Some basic "fishing" by asking if a word has a particular letter will easily fit with the presentational style many mind-readers and mentalists use.  You'll have to be alert and it won't suit everyone's style, but this isn't difficult to do, and the crib helps you know which letter to ask about.  There's no real problem in having the crib openly displayed, because it simply seems to be part of the research kit, and even if they examine it there's no way your spectator will have any idea there's a system associated with it.



Recommendation

The Lightwave Deck is going to be a very powerful took in the right hands.  Big Blind Media made a good decision to provide this as an alternative product alongside the Darkwave Deck, for the many people who will find the original too macabre.

It does fall into the "easier" side of the difficulty spectrum, because it genuinely doesn't require any sleight of hand or memorization, just as the ad copy promises.  Figuring out the card's colour and Zener symbol is a cinch, and you'll know this in an instant just by looking at the card back.  Determining the word and accompanying image will require you to ask your spectator a couple of questions about letters contained in their word, and will require some on the fly `cold reading', but typically that's the kind of approach you'll want to have in presenting this anyway.  And even that part doesn't require memorization, because the crib on the back of the box provides you with all the information you need at a glance. 

You can of course use a deck like this as a tool to do all kinds of mentalism or magic, but the four routines that are taught give you some really good options for performance.  This is definitely a strong tool that a lot of people are going to love.

Want to learn more?
Product links: Lightwave ESP Kit, Darkwave ESP Kit
Big Blind Media: Official website, Facebook, Twitter, Youtube
This product is also available from your favorite Murphy's Magic retailer.

Do you own too many decks of playing cards? "Surely that is impossible," I hear you say. "I can never have too many playing cards!"

But that could just prove my case. Isn't denial one of the first signs that you have a problem? Saying "No, I don't have an alcohol problem" can be a hint that an addiction is already happening. Maybe you're just finding ways to justify yourself. "No, I don't have too many decks! NO, I AM NOT RAISING MY VOICE!"

What should you be looking for to know if your collection is too large? Read this list, and ask yourself honestly if you see any of these signs in your own life. Could this perhaps be the moment of enlightenment, the day that you realize that you have a problem, the day that you need to start purging your collection of playing cards? Let's find out!



Indications You Own Too Many Decks

This is of course written tongue-in-cheek, and is intended to put a smile on your face rather than be taken too seriously!  Now that my disclaimer is out of the way, let's see how you do:

You know that you have too many decks of playing cards if:

1. There's no more room under your bed.

This is where it often starts.  You've put decks in every place you can think of in your house, including under your bed.  This is simply being sensible with your space.  Of course you don't have a problem.  But there is a problem with the amount of space under the bed.  It's all filled up with boxes of unopened playing cards, and so is the closet.  And there's more decks arriving in the mail next week.  What to do?

2. Your postman measures your mail deliveries in playing card bricks.

You like your postman.  After all, he's the guy who brings you your playing cards.  And he likes you, because if it wasn't for people like you, he'd be out of a job. But he's starting to recognize the shape and size of the parcels that are being delivered regularly to your door.  So when he shows up for a delivery, he can tell you exactly how many bricks of playing cards you're getting this time.

3. You are starving your pets to pay for new decks.

You are cutting back on pet food, because you want to use that money to buy more decks.   Your cat is mangy and in desperation has resorted to eating grasshoppers, while your dog has started a new habit of going through your garbage looking for food scraps because it just isn't getting fed.  Even your pet fish are suffering.  You don't have the money to feed these animals.  There are decks to buy.

4. You put items of your clothing on Facebook Marketplace to raise more money for decks.

Decks cost money, and your regular day job isn't bringing in enough money to pay for all your purchases.  So you come up with a genius scheme.  Iff you sell some of your clothing, you'll have more money for playing cards.  We don't really need that much clothing, do we?  Come to think of it, you really only need one pair of shoes, one shirt, one set of trousers.  And you can find a way to make do with two pairs of underwear.  As an added bonus, you'll get extra storage space in the wardrobe for more decks.

5. You don't support Kickstarter, but Kickstarter supports you.

You've supported so many Kickstarters, they are giving you regular kickbacks and freebies, because they don't want you to stop.  They are already giving you grocery vouchers, and promising to feed your pets.  Apparently they're even thinking of buying you a new couch, so that you'll have something to sleep on after you get evicted for failing to pay your rent.  You're one of their best customers, and they're pulling out all stops to look after you.



6. You play Jenga with new decks at family functions.

When the family gets together for Christmas or birthdays, they know that they can count on you to bring along several boxes filled with new decks of playing cards.  You're the favourite uncle who uses decks of playing cards to set up a giant game of Jenga on the back veranda for the younger cousins to play.  And what happens when the tower falls over, and all those pristine tuck boxes get dinged up?  No problem, you have plenty more where they came from.

7. You're considering building your new house with bricks of playing cards. 

Building bricks made from clay or stone?  That's old school.  In our modern era, surely it is time to build houses made out of bricks of playing cards.  The classic story of The Three Little Pigs story is overdue for a modern makeover.  Shouldn't there be a fourth little pig who builds his house out of bricks of playing cards?  They're exactly the right shape and size, and there's  no reason you can't use mortar together playing card bricks to form walls.  Imagine the potential value this could have for your grandchildren in years to come!

8. You accidentally buy decks that you already have.

Remember that amazing deck you saw online last week?  It looked terrific, so you bought it.  Actually you bought a brick of them.  Just in case.  But when it shows up in the mail and you are putting it into storage, you come across another 3 bricks of the same deck that you bought 7 months ago.  "Oh that's right, I remember now."  But you have so many decks that you simply can't remember everything you have, and so you often find yourself buying playing cards that you already own.

9. It takes you three days to hunt through your collection to find a specific deck.

You want to show off a particular deck to a friend.  You know that you have it, because you saw it just three months ago.  Well, perhaps it was a year ago when it came in the mail.  Another 27 decks arrived that same day, so you never got a chance to look at it closely, but you know this one must be cool.  After all, you did see a picture of the cards on Instagram when at the time you bought it.  Fortunately you have some time off work to dig it out.  But you didn't quite expect to spend three solid days going through all your boxes until you found it again.

10. You've rented a storage unit just to store your collection.

The space under your bed is already full, and so is your closet.  There are boxes piled to the roof on your desk and bookshelves, and all over your bedroom floor.  So you take the obvious step: you rent a storage unit.  It just makes so much sense.  After all, really, how can a serious collector expect to keep all his playing cards in just one house?   Whatever made you ever think that your collection could fit here to begin with?  You've clearly outgrown it, and renting a storage unit (or maybe two or three) seems the obvious thing to do.



11. Your neighbours and family have nicknamed you "The Crazy Card Guy".

Word has got out that you're a card collector.  You could hide it at first, at least when your collection was tucked away under your bed.  But as it started growing, spreading into your hallway, into your living room, and filling your garage, you've developed somewhat of a reputation.  It's not all bad, because some of your neighbours start giving you decks of unwanted playing cards they've picked up at garage sales.  And your brother-in-law bought you some decks for Christmas.  But along with this new stage of life comes a nickname.  It just comes with the territory.

12. You plan to break some world record with playing cards.

You've researched the current world records that involve playing cards.  Building the highest house of cards.  The largest structure made out of playing cards.  Surely there is some world record you can beat.  Between what is under your bed, in your closets, in your garage, and in your three specially rented storage units, you have enough playing cards to do it.  You've always wanted to break a world record, so why not become the first person who builds an entire life-sized house out of playing cards?  With a collection your size, there must be a way to build something that gets the attention of the folks at Guinness World Records.

13. Your spouse is considering leaving you.

Your spouse was patient at first.  Initially they indulged you.  They even bought you playing cards for your last birthday.  And they chuckled politely at your request for more decks at Christmas.  They humored you when you wanted more space in the closet.  They snickered when you started building a wall of boxes in the shed.  But now they're getting tired of it.  They've already threatened you more than once: Choose me or your decks.

14. The elderly lady at the playing card club is trying to hook up with you.

You've started attending playing card conventions.  You've woken up at 3am to drive seven hours to a release event in another state.  And you've met like-minded collectors who do exactly the same.  So this is all perfectly normal behaviour.  But after you show some of your favourite decks and photos of your collection at your playing card collectors club, you notice that the elderly lady with the thick librarian glasses, 1960s hairstyle, and lisp starts taking a real interest in you.  She starts making passes at you, and invites you over for a cup of  tea.  But all the signs are pointing to the fact that it's not you that she has a crush on, but your playing card collection.

15. Your family is thinking of staging an intervention.

Your family hasn't seen you in nearly a year, because now you aren't showing up for family events.  Even last Christmas you couldn't make it to the family dinner, because you had your latest shipments of decks to sort through. They've called an emergency family meeting to decide what to do about you.



Final Thoughts

Do you have too many playing cards?   To be honest, the notion can seem absurd to most of us.  But if you genuinely do have too many cards, there are plenty of things you can do about it.   I've given away a lot of decks to friends and family.  I've also given away a couple of hundred decks to high school kids who were keen to learn cardistry and magic. I'd teach them some moves or some card tricks, and give them a custom deck of their choice to help them get started.  I'd even give them a second or third deck if they came back to me to show me what they'd learned on their own.

If your decks are still in shrink, you can always resell them.  Some decks hold their value surprisingly well, especially if they are geared to collectors and are popular decks made in a limited edition.  Or you might hit some local charities to see if they're interested in selling them in their thrift shops.  Or you might donate them to a school or youth organization, so they can be used for playing card games and events.  You can even give them away as prizes, or put together a brick or two as a lot for a charity auction.

Not that owning too many playing cards would ever happen, right?  Or would it?!



Author's note: I first published this article at PlayingCardDecks here.

Anubis & Osiris Shadow Luxury Playing Cards (Kickstarter)

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steveminty/anubis-and-osiris-shadow-luxury-playing-cards-by-steve-minty

Egyptian themed limited edition custom luxury playing card decks designed by Steve Minty

Cost: ~US$17 per deck
Current funding level: over 1250% funded!
Kickstarter ends: Friday April 30, 2021



Gold foil

The tuck boxes are decked with gold foil for a truly luxurious look.  The gold foil on the card backs looks equally exquisite!

These new editions will be printed by Cartamundi, an industry leader in the world of playing card printers.  Cartamundi has been at the forefront of playing cards that use metallic foil on both sides of the cards (see this article to learn more about foiled playing cards), and that's exactly what we get with this new deck. 

I've seen some cold foil decks produced by Cartamundi, and they're truly stunning, so there's every reason to expect the new Anubis and Osiris Shadow decks to look amazing. 



The original decks

So what's the story behind these lovely decks?  Well it all begins with the creativity of Steve Minty, who is one of the top modern playing card designers.  And of all the decks he's produced, one of my favourites is his Egyptian themed Anubis and Osiris decks, which he created in 2016.  I previously posted a detailed review of these and some of his other decks, which I entitled The most beautiful decks of playing cards I own. 

Everything about these playing cards was stunning, from the overall graphic design, to the Egyptian theme, and especially the gold foil on the back of all the cards and on the tuck box.  It's truly a work of art and luxury.  Little wonder that they proved to be a huge hit, and these decks now fetch well over $100 each on the secondary market - if you're lucky enough to find one.

Given how popular these decks were, it was great news to hear that five years later Steve Minty was creating a new edition of these wonderful decks.  And that's where the Anubis and Osiris Shadow Playing Cards Kickstarter comes in. 

The Anubis Shadow deck

Everything about these new decks looks outstanding, especially the tuck box, the court cards (which feature Egyptian gods), and the card backs.





The Osiris Shadow deck

I'm especially partial to the colour of the Osiris deck, which really works well with the gold foil.





What has changed?

These are not identical to the original decks, but feature updated colours (purple and green).  And as mentioned, they'll be printed by Cartamundi instead of USPCC.

The overall design will look immediately familiar to anyone who has seen the original decks, although there's a new Jack of Clubs (Sobek).  But having foil on both sides of the cards will only up the luxury look from the original.  The tuck boxes will also have foil on the inside for even more glamour and bling.



Besides the actual decks, there's also a number of special add ons, like lapel pins, foil decals, metal coins, metal playing cards, card clips, and even a hooded blanket.

Recommendation

If you enjoy luxury playing cards, this is a project that you absolutely won't want to miss!

Kickstarter link

https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/steveminty/anubis-and-osiris-shadow-luxury-playing-cards-by-steve-minty/

Glider Back deck

Ever since my childhood I've loved making and flying paper planes, so I didn't need much convincing to check out the Glider Back Playing Cards.  This deck only just hit the market from Penguin Magic at the start of April 2021, so it's a fresh new release.



This custom deck is being advertised as featuring origami-inspired artwork.  To be honest, despite all those paper planes I've made over the years, I've never thought of them as origami, but since origami is the art of paper folding, I suppose that's what they're about.    The front of the tuck box introduces us to our familiar looking paper glider, which may bring back memories of school for many of us.

But the real point of interest is the card back design, which is also found on the back of the tuck box.  The triangles that make up our paper plane are present in a spiral pattern in the center of the cards.  The bold blue circle in the middle is the main point of interest and grabs the eye, but upon closer examination you'll see that this is set on a backdrop that consists of tiled paper planes.  Using a simple blue and white colour scheme helps emphasize the geometric patterns and the shapes.



The custom artwork on the faces of the cards continues the paper plane theme.  The court cards are decked in plain red or black, depending on the suit, and are heavily stylized with line drawings, with the triangular folding pattern from our gliders being in evidence everywhere.  The characters used for the Jokers have a similar design style.  The origami feel is also evident on the number cards, with all the pips featuring a split design, and divided into triangular shapes, which gives the impression that they've been folded out of paper.  All four Aces are over-sized and feature giant pips with lines that also suggest folding into quarters.

But perhaps the best secret is discovered when you take a closer look at the card backs: they're marked.  Actually, it's hard to discover this secret, even if you know that you have to look for it.  It's a coded system that the usual riffle test won't uncover.  With the deck you get access to a video that explains the marking system, which is a coded system that is surprisingly easy to learn.  You'll need a sharp eye, but once you know what to look for, you'll quickly be taking to the skies of magic along with your glider backs.



This deck is available from Penguin Magic.