I am looking for some cheap, good decks to use in my monthly poker game, so I thought about casino decks. However, most casino decks have pretty ugly backs due to the name of the casino being plastered on there. Anybody know of any decent looking casino decks out there? And with decent court cards (meaning not Bicycle courts, because bleh)?
If no luck there, what cards do you guys use for poker? I currently use Serpentine, Superior and Gamesters.
I'm a big fan of the Aristocrat 727 Banknote reprints. They're out now in what, four colors, I think? Originally it was just red and blue, but since then they're out in green and now black.
I'm a bit fond of casino-grade decks from Angel Playing Cards out of Osaka, Japan. I have a few at home - some are just your standard simple pattern with a border in red and blue while the rest are casino decks. They're not easy to find in the US, though - they're more common in East Asia and Australasia.
Some might think these are a bit on the soft side, but the new plastic Ace playing cards by Cartamundi (frequently found in shops like Walgreens/Duane Reade) are pretty nice. They come in red and black instead of blue, have a larger index without a jumbo deck's shrunken face and use a deeper shade of red than typically found on off-the-store-shelf Bicycles. They come in metal tins - pretty but not the most functional packaging and prone to getting dented - but that's really the only major flaw to them. The back pattern is simple spiral/diamond design, mostly, with a starburst center and a ribbon border that has the Cartamundi logo in the corners, plus two biplanes, one gracing each half of the back. The stock is much thinner than Bicycle Prestige and has a bit of gloss to it but they're not excessively slippery and have a nice feel to them - just don't use them too hard, because they don't look like they'd take well to abuse (they seem thin enough to easily dent or crack). Pricewise, I seem to recall they were cheaper than Bicycle Prestige and on par with a custom deck with a large print run from one of the major sellers.
If you can get a hold of them, Bee Stingers and Aristocrat Stingers make for great game night decks. Bee Stingers without the casino name on them are fairly scarce these days but you might find Aristocrats that aren't casino-branded if you look around.
Check out some of the recent Theory11 decks. They tend to make more "worker's decks," in that they keep the faces mostly standard for audience familiarity and identification, which also makes them well-suited for a game night, plus many of them are available in at least two colors. In their current stock, Monarchs and Tycoons would be excellent choices If you want something with a slightly more modern twist, try Nationals. If you want something more funky and steampunk-esque, try High Victorian - they're borderline baroque but still very attractive and highly functional.
I'd avoid Ellusionist's decks. Most of their simpler designs that look more old-school are also marked. You could try Arcanes if you wanted something a little different, but stick to the whites rather than the blacks - the blacks will show edge wear a lot faster and a sharp eye can use those wear marks to distinguish cards from each other in the deck, almost as good as marking. They do, however, have their old Artifice deck - they're only available in blue and they're on sale (it would seem they're discontinuing the line). Those make for good poker night decks; it's just unfortunate that there's only the blue ones left. You could probably find green from online retailers if you look around, but avoid the other colors - purple has black borders, white has a color scheme like the Bicycle Ghost and red is way too rare for poker nights.
Last but far from least, the Copag 310s have a really sturdy stock and a simple, functional look to them - they're essentially Cartamundi's answer to the Bicycle Rider Back. I use a few packs myself when performing (I gimmick the decks myself) but they're also perfectly suited for gameplay.
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