Why Use Plastic Playing Cards

Plastic playing cards have gained tremendous popularity in recent years and for good reason. They are made from 100% PVC, are very flexible, durable, long lasting, and easy to clean. Compared to the average paper playing cards, plastic playing cards simply out perform.

With several quality brands on the market, you will have no problem finding a deck of plastic cards to suit your taste and feel. A few of the major brands are Kem, Copag, and Gemaco. These cards are generally sold in two deck sets that include a storage box. Prices range from $15 to $25 for these 2 deck sets. Plastic cards have been around for a long time, but did not seem to become popular in the United States until the poker boom. Poker players and other card gamers in the US soon realized that spending the extra money on plastic cards easily paid off in the long run.

At first you may think that a playing card made from plastic will be stiff, slippery, or just feel weird. While some 100% plastic playing cards are stiffer than others, as a general rule they are more flexible than paper cards. They are a little slippery, especially compared to a new deck of paper cards. However card players quickly make the adjustment, since the higher quality allows the cards to remain easy to shuffle when a paper deck would begin to feel sticky due to many hours of play.

The durability of PVC playing cards is amazing. While they are not indestructible, they will resist creases or bows from bending or shuffling and it is difficult to accidentally mark the cards from normal handling. Also, when a typical deck of paper playing cards is beginning to feel grimy from simple use in a card game, plastic playing cards are just getting warmed up. What happens if someone spills a drink on your traditional deck of paper cards? You throw them away, right? When this happens to plastic playing cards or they finally begin to feel grimy or sticky from weeks of play, you can clean these cards with water or soap and water.

Cleaning plastic playing cards takes a little bit of time and must be performed with care, but it is well worth the time and effort. After cleaning, a good set of plastic playing cards will be nearly as good as new. The deck will continue to shuffle and deal well for many more sessions. Many people use their plastic card decks for months and quite often well into the time when the constant rubbing of table felt has began to wear the printing off of some of the cards. However at this point the cards will still be shuffling and dealing well. Investing in a set of plastic playing cards is well worth the money.