Guide to Playing Cards

GUIDE TO PLAYING CARDS
Playing cards are the absolutely critical supply needed to play poker, so it is vital to use only decks that are in good condition. It may seem trivial, but the fact is that crisp, clean cards will make your poker playing experience more enjoyable. Replace a deck as soon as it becomes dirty or feels sticky or a card becomes marked, creased or cut. The surfaces of cards often do not show how soiled they actually are. The best and easiest place to check are the edges. There are several different styles or types of playing cards to choose from and we describe them here.

Over time, with the continual handling it is inevitable that your cards will get soiled. While it might be impossible to prevent, there are common sense steps to take to keep any type of playing card as clean as possible for as long as possible:
Clean the surface of your table before the game.
Wash your hands before playing and after eating.
Keep food and drinks off the table and wipe up spills as quickly as possible.
Avoid serving finger foods.
Avoid serving oily or greasy foods.

Only 100% plastic playing cards can tolerate water or other aqueous fluids. Plastic coated paper cards will be ruined by any exposure to moisture.
Choosing a deck of cards is not a major life decision. But, you can end up wasting money if you do not choose the right cards for your situation, so it is worth knowing what style, quality and cost options are available.

CLEANING 100% PLASTIC PLAYING CARDS
One of the features that makes 100% plastic playing cards last a long time is the ability to clean them if they get soiled. This is a characteristic solely of 100% plastic cards. If your plastic cards came with care and cleaning instructions, be sure to follow the manufacturer's recommendations. If not, here are general guidelines for cleaning most 100% plastic cards:

For a quick cleaning, wipe with a damp cloth then dry thoroughly with a clean soft cloth. Do not use paper towel.
Use cold water and a soft cloth. Never use hot water.
A mild neutral soap (eg. Dove) can be used if an initial cleaning with plain water is not satisfactory.
Rub cards lightly on each side and rinse them quickly.
After initially drying with a soft clean cloth allow them to air dry for about an hour per side by laying cards on a clean table.
Avoid direct sunshine or close proximity to heat. Do not dry with a hair dryer. Do not stack cards on top of one another while still damp.
Never use detergent or alkaline soap, abrasives or solvents.
Never put in a washing machine or dish washer.
Never put cards away while they are still damp.
Never store cards exposed to sunshine or any heat source.
Read and follow any care, cleaning, handling or storage instructions that are included with cards.
The first time you perform a cleaning, test your process from start to finish with just 1 card (eg. joker) to make sure no damage occurs.

BRIDGE VS POKER SIZE
All standard playing cards are about 3½ inches high. Bridge decks and poker decks differ from one another in width. Poker decks are 2½ inches wide, while bridge are a slightly narrower 2¼ inches. Most people seem to choose poker sized cards for their home poker games, but you may actually find the narrower bridge size to be easier to handle. Casino card rooms often use bridge sized cards for that reason.

CARD STYLES
Standard index playing cards are the type most often used and with which most people are familiar. The numerals, letters and suit symbols in the corners, called pips are small, about 1/4 - 5/16 inch high.

Jumbo index cards have larger pips about half an inch tall. They are much easier to see, especially when playing poker games where you have to be able to view and identify exposed or board cards, like stud or hold'em. For that reason, even if there is no one in your group that has a vision issue, they are worth giving a try. Jumbo index playing cards most commonly are poker sized cards.

Magnum index cards have huge numerals and letters, often taking up nearly 1/2 the size of the whole card. Pips are also large, being about 50% larger than the pips on a jumbo index card. For visually impaired individuals, if jumbo index is not adequate, magnum index cards are a viable option, though they may be a little more difficult to find and may be more expensive. Magnum index cards may also be called low vision.

4-COLOR PLAYING CARDS
4-color playing cards use different colors for each suit, not just the traditional black and red. Just about all maintain black for spades and red for hearts. Blue and green are the most common other colors, but which color is used for which suit can vary from one card manufacturer to another. The 4-color scheme enables players to more easily distinguish cards, for example recognizing flush draws. 4-color cards are most often available from the premium 100% plastic card manufacturers.

PLAYING CARD QUALITY
Plastic coated cards are paper cards that have had plastic applied to them. This gives greater strength and durability than paper alone and they can be expected to last a few playing sessions before they will be in need of replacement. Even so, these cards are not resistant to moisture and even exposure to a few drops of liquid can damage them. The major playing card brands, such as Bicycle, Bee, Hoyle, Aviator (all produced by the U.S. Playing Card Co.) and others are premium plastic coated cards. Expect to pay about $3-5 for a single deck, but a bulk package of 6 or 12 decks can get that cost down to $2 or less per deck. Beware of no-name bargain cards such as might be found at a dollar store. Often the paper and plastic coating is thinner and more prone to fraying at the corners.

100% Plastic At the top end of the durability spectrum are 100% plastic cards. They will last much longer than other types of cards, with a life expectancy that could reach several years. Plastic cards stay cleaner longer, are resistant to creasing, fraying and moisture and are washable if they become soiled. On the other hand, some people find them slippery and more difficult to shuffle and handle until they get used to them. Over time, the brightness of their colors may tend to dull a bit. KEM is one of the better known brands of 100% plastic playing cards and are often considered the standard by which other brands are judged. Other major brands include Copag, Modiano, Da Vinci, Bicycle Prestige and others. 100% plastic playing cards are expensive, so expect to pay $8-15 and up per deck. Most often plastic cards are sold as 2-deck sets in a nice plastic storage box and include a couple of cut cards.
Most plastic card manufacturers will offer replacements for individual defective or damaged cards for a nominal cost. For example, Da Vinci includes an replacement card order form with their deck sets.

Used Cards If you want to get a decent deck of plastic coated paper cards for about the price of generic cards, consider used casino cards. They are typically premium paper cards made by a major manufacturer. They can often be found in one of the casino gift shops or the gift shops of gambling towns like Las Vegas and Atlantic City as well as being available on the internet. Price will vary more from the "prestige" of the casino they came from rather than the condition of the cards. To prevent cheats from using the cards, a used casino card will have a hole drilled through the middle or a corner trimmed.

CUT CARDS
Cut cards are used to prevent the bottom card of a deck from being seen. Exposing the bottom card of a deck of playing cards is a common mistake made by inexperienced home poker players. Rather than continually reminding players to hold the deck so that the bottom card cannot be seen, it is better to obtain and use a cut card. Professional poker room dealers always use cut cards. A secondary reason to use a cut card is to prevent cheating by dealing off the bottom of the deck.

To use a cut card follow this procedure: Place the cut card on the table next to the shuffled deck. Cut the cards and place on top of the cut card. Place the remainder of the deck on top of the cards that have been cut. Once the hand is over, drop the cut card onto the table so it is not accidentally shuffled into the deck. Should the cut card be found somewhere in the deck it has no affect on play. Just remove it and continue play as normal.
Cut cards are typically made of plastic. They must be the same size and shape as the playing cards, so different size cut cards are needed for bridge-size and poker-size decks. They should also be a distinctly different color than the playing cards themselves so they are easy to notice.
A cut card or two is commonly included with a set of quality (100% plastic) playing cards. Cut cards may also be purchased on their own. You can also make your own cut card. Tape 2 jokers together with their backs exposed. Make it with cards of a different colored back from the deck you are playing with so that it is easily recognized.