I wouldn't necessarily consider Artifice a standard deck, nor any other deck made by a magic company or a specialty retailer. In my mind, a standard deck is widely available from a major manufacturer, found in shops and markets all over the place. In bartenders' parlance, it's the equivalent of the "call drink" - the speed rack/"well drinks" are the cheap, practically nameless brands, the call brands are the ones people ask for by name, and the "top shelf" are the premium drinks for those with fatter wallets and discerning palates.
Under this definition, there are few standard decks in the US. Tally Ho wouldn't qualify - it's a regional brand rarely seen outside of New York. Studs wouldn't really fit the bill, either - they're made specifically for a single pharmacy chain, Walgreen's, and although far-reaching, I don't think their chain has so blanketed the country as to be as common as McDonald's or Target. Mavericks are also regional, though the region is larger than that of Tally Ho; I couldn't find a Maverick deck in any average retail location outside of a cards/magic shop anywhere in the Northeast without looking very, VERY hard - and I'd still probably fail. Even a national brand like Aviator wouldn't qualify since it's mostly found only in airports. Aladdins are great for humid climates like in the South - but again, outside of specialty stores, you won't find them in the US (in Singapore I'm told they're more common than Bikes).
Some decks that would fit my definition:
Bicycle Rider Back, of course - poker and bridge sizes, standard, jumbo and Lo-Vision indices
Bee Diamond Back poker size, standard index
Hoyle Shell Back poker size, standard and jumbo index
Streamline poker size, standard and jumbo index
Congress bridge size, standard index
Kem poker and bridge sizes, standard and jumbo indices
Bees come in jumbo index but they aren't common, and while they did make a bridge size, it's not in the current USPC catalog, meaning it's not in print at this time. Hoyle bridge size, same thing - not common. But the others can be found nearly anywhere - walk into any pharmacy, department store, stationery shop, etc., and they'll carry at least a couple or three different items on my list above. With the exception of the plastic Kem decks, all of the above are available for $3-$4 at retail, sometimes less, and some can be had in bulk for barely over a buck a deck. Streamline is carried by WalMart for only a dollar a pack, making it both the most ubiquitous and cheapest of the lot.
Before anyone could recommend something to a person, they'd need to know exactly what they need. For what purpose does your friend want standard decks? Cardistry, poker, sleight-of-hand magic, a few rounds of Go Fish with the kiddies before bedtime, bridge night with the gals?
FLOURISHING: Of the decks listed, Bikes and Hoyles are probably the best for flourishing; Bees have a good stock but a terrible back design for showing off back fans and spreads.
MAGIC: Practically any of them, except perhaps the Congress, are reasonably suited for magic (some might not like the Kem for magic, but some magicians swear by plastic decks that handle well and Kem's the brand every other company compares their plastic cards to). Women or children (or anyone with small hands) getting into sleight of hand may find a bridge deck fits their hands more comfortably than a poker deck - some Asian magicians prefer bridge-sized and some magician's decks like Japanese magician Mr. Maric are made bridge-sized.
KIDS: A cheaper deck like the Congress or Streamline would be fine for playing with the kids, and Congress is, like Kem, usually sold in matched two-deck sets. Many younger kids will find a bridge size deck easier to handle; just stay away from the ones with gilded edges
POKER NIGHT: Any bridge-sized or poker-sized model above is suitable for poker except maybe the Congress because they're usually made with one-way back designs, and poker players are leaving paper decks for plastic ones in larger numbers, so Kem would be the top choice unless you're playing with a bunch of guys who love to abuse cards - for them, just get the cheapest, Streamline. Poker size cards are good for many poker games involving holding a hand, by for games where you have hole cards and face-up cards like 7-Card Stud or Texas Hold 'Em, bridge-sized are better. For players preferring paper and poker-sized, Bee is the best, followed by Bikes and Hoyles.
BRIDGE NIGHT: Bridge sized decks, naturally. On a budget, get Congress. Want an upgrade, get Bicycle or Hoyle (which are out there but not as easily found as Bikes). Want to go premium (and save cash in the long run because of durability), get Kem.
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