Buying poker cards? We are happy to give you advice!

If you have ever been to the casino or participated in a professional poker tournament you probably already noticed: Poker cards are not the same as regular playing cards. Someone who plays a lot of live poker only plays with 100% plastic playing cards.

Buying Poker Cards? These are the differences!

If you want to buy playing cards for poker, you have a lot of choice. Poker cards come in many different types, which can sometimes make it confusing which one to buy. Each poker deck consists of 52 cards, not including jokers. Jokers are found in almost every pack, but are never used in poker. To play poker professionally, poker cards must meet many requirements.

The main difference between poker cards and regular playing cards is the material. If you attend a professional poker event, the cards will almost always be 100% plastic. This is very important with poker cards because the cards are often viewed by "peeling. This means that the corners of the cards are carefully lifted off the table. Players do this to ensure that their opponents cannot see the cards. If you were to do this with regular playing cards, the cards would quickly bend over. Once cards are no longer straight you cannot deal them properly. This increases the chances that cards will end up visible on the table, which of course is not the intention in poker. Because poker cards are 100% plastic cards they can hardly bend.

This material has even more advantages. Besides the fact that they won't get warped, they also wear out a lot less quickly. It is also convenient for dealing the cards that they are made of plastic. This is because it makes them much easier to shuffle and they glide easily across the poker table or poker mat. When playing cards are 100% plastic, it is also more difficult for cheaters to mark them. This means that, for example, a scratch on the back of a card can lead to identifying it. If a damaged card is detected in a casino, this deck is immediately removed from play. In a casino, they change playing cards several times a day. Due to the extremely heavy use and electronic shuffling of the cards, there is a greater chance of wear and tear. Therefore, to avoid possible recognition of cards lying face down, they are changed so often.

The plastic material of the playing cards also makes them somewhat heavier than average. This reduces the chance of the cards being accidentally exposed. For example, if you fold your hand and throw it to the middle of the table, it will not easily turn over and end up the wrong way around.

Another choice you can make with the poker cards we sell is the index. You have the choice between cards with 2 index and 4 index. But what does that really mean? With 2 index cards, the values of the cards are only displayed at the top left and bottom right. This is because this way opponents cannot see your cards as easily. For this reason, casinos and large cash games use 2 index cards in most cases. With 4 index cards, the values of the cards are shown in all corners. This is especially an advantage for left-handed players. This way you can easily view your cards no matter which hand you raise them with.

The representations of the values on the poker cards are available in large and small. Cards with extra large value displays are called Jumbo index cards. These are convenient for playing poker. With large display you don't have to lift your cards far from the table to see what your hand is.

Traditional poker cards are shown with two suits as standard. red for hearts and diamonds and black for spades and clubs. What is also growing in popularity these days is the four-color deck. These cards show the diamonds in blau and the clubs in green. These decks are increasingly being ordered because people are used to playing with four suits in online poker. If the cards all have their own suit, they are easier to remember, which means you don't have to look at your cards as often. This reduces the chance of opponents picking up information because you look at your cards more often.

In MEC Shop cards of different brands are sold. When it comes to poker cards, Copag is the most well-known brand. Almost all Copag poker cards are 100% plastic playing cards. They supply cards for many major professional tournaments worldwide. Modiano, Fournier and Bicycle are also big names in the world of playing cards. Modiano playing cards are good quality and relatively inexpensive, which makes these cards perfect if you are looking for high volume playing cards. These cards are available in many different colours. Bicycle has hundreds of different types of cards, but these are not always suitable for poker. However, all the different varieties do make this brand interesting for collectors of playing cards.

Poker cards also differ in size from regular playing cards. Poker cards are a lot larger, and therefore look more like bridge cards. This is so that the values on the cards are easier to read. Bridge cards usually measure 5.6 centimetres by 8.8 centimetres, and poker cards are even bigger at 6.2 centimetres by 8.8 centimetres. This is much larger than regular playing cards, which are usually 5.5 centimetres by 8.5 centimetres.

Which poker playing cards are best for you?

From the text above, you've probably already got an idea of the type of poker cards that are right for you. For example, if you are left-handed or play with left-handed people, having 4 index cards is useful. Do you think it's important that other players can't easily look at other people's cards? Then we recommend 4 index cards.

When buying your ideal poker cards, also think about the colour of your poker table. This may sound crazy but can be very important. Do you have a red poker table, for example? Then it is not very convenient to choose poker cards with a red back. This makes the cards less visible. This is especially true in a poorly lit room. Choose a set with a contrasting colour back to your poker table or poker mat.

A four-color deck is modern and very useful while playing. This way you are less likely to forget whether you have hearts or diamonds in your hand. Also for playing other poker games such as omaha a four color deck is very handy. In this case you have more cards in your hand and so it is even more difficult to memorize your cards. A four-color deck helps with that.

If you are going to buy several packs of poker cards, it is a good idea to go for different colours. This way the decks can't get mixed up. Usually, when playing at one poker table, two decks of two different colours are used, for example red and blau. One deck can then be shuffled when the other is dealt. This way you can also play faster hands. When buying many sets of poker cards we recommend Modiano. They are available in many different colours.

Always make sure you have one or more spare decks available when you go out to play cards. If your cards are damaged or worn out, you can easily replace them with a spare deck. It would be a shame if people didn't want to continue playing because cards might be marked.