Club 808 Update

[Don Boyer]

I got an email from them maybe two days ago.

• Their "Adventures of Joker" contest ends on the 29th - prize is a Rider Back uncut signed by NPH.
• 23 Feb is "Play More Cards Day", a holiday they openly admit to concocting!  Members are considered "Bicycle Brand ambassadors" and as such will receive in the mail a Play More Cards kit with playing cards, a bottle opener, score cards and other unspecified goodies.
• The February site update is coming - "Mixing with Molly" will have the club's official drink, there's an interview with a casino cheating expert and there will be another contest.
• Club 808 posters and the Bicycle Griffin deck are coming soon.

Now membership's looking like I'm getting my money's worth!  Not too late to join...

[Knobz1]

The membership is definitely starting to look better.   I just became a member myself 

[Fanofyankees13]

I'm still not convinced to become a member

[Don Boyer]

I'm still not convinced to become a member

So, for $19, I've received one free deck, another is on the way along with a (branded) bottle opener and score pads and such, I get access to exclusive deck offers...and I'm only a month into this.

It's looking like we members may actually get more than our money's worth in the end.

[Knobz1]

I'm still not convinced to become a member

It's looking like we members may actually get more than our money's worth in the end.

That's exactly how I see it.   Which is why I am proud to be a member now.

[KPopFever605]

If you sign up after Feb. 23, will you still be getting that playing card set?

[Don Boyer]

If you sign up after Feb. 23, will you still be getting that playing card set?

Seeing as how the set is being distributed specifically for an event scheduled for 23 Feb, what do you think the answer would be to your question?  Because if you say yes, perhaps you'd be interested in buying some Super Bowl tickets from me.  They're for last year's game but the view is great! 

Kidding aside, I can't say with certainty but it seems unlikely.  They're probably shipping them with the intent of having them arrive perhaps a week or more in advance to insure members have them in time.

Just go ahead and join already!  It's not like it costs a lot...

[KPopFever605]

With that being said, I'm proud to say that I've just become a member.

[hecrob]

Its a great deal for US based collectors...

For internationals its no that amazing... Having to pay for each shipping its kind of a bad thing, i would prefer to be charged just one time with all the "shippings" and stuff also I'm guessing that maybe if they charge you just once the could give some "discounts" for internationals...

[Don Boyer]

Its a great deal for US based collectors...

For internationals its no that amazing... Having to pay for each shipping its kind of a bad thing, i would prefer to be charged just one time with all the "shippings" and stuff also I'm guessing that maybe if they charge you just once the could give some "discounts" for internationals...

There's not much a company can do when it comes to international shipping.  Best you could do is use a consolidation and reshipment service - they collect whatever it is you're buying at their US address, and when enough has accumulated, you can ship it all at once for lower than what most companies would charge you separately.

It's not very practical for them to charge you just once for shipping, because I'm pretty sure they don't have the entire program's first year planned out in advance - it gives them no wiggle room for a changing market and changes within the company.  Furthermore, they also sell stuff - which you'd have to get shipped separately...

[see_squared]

it's true...to be a 'part of a club' for $20 w/ some nice freebies and perks is a pretty good deal these days.

[Creature13]

I'm still not convinced to become a member

So, for $19, I've received one free deck, another is on the way along with a (branded) bottle opener and score pads and such, I get access to exclusive deck offers...and I'm only a month into this.

It's looking like we members may actually get more than our money's worth in the end.

I'm stoked on this. I joined a couple of weeks ago. I got the Club 808 deck. What other exclusives do you see available on the site?

--
MJ

[Joshua Robinson]

I'm thinking of starting to join up soon. . . Any other benefits?

[Don Boyer]

I'm stoked on this. I joined a couple of weeks ago. I got the Club 808 deck. What other exclusives do you see available on the site?

--
MJ

I'm thinking of starting to join up soon. . . Any other benefits?

You guys really, REALLY don't like researching, do you?

Your answers are almost certainly to be found earlier in this topic - go look!  Then, if you still can't find it, come and ask.

As for you, Creature... Have you logged into the Club 808 website yet?  It has all the info we do and then some.

http://www.bicyclecards.com/808/

[sinsandman]

So here is the Griffin Deck in hand. The foil on the tuck and embossing are spectacular. The Griffin itself is reflected on the tuck and the AoS. The shadowing around the griffin gives it an almost 3D feel. I also really enjoy the back of this deck. Perfect shade of green. All else is standard.

[CBJ]

So here is the Griffin Deck in hand. The foil on the tuck and embossing are spectacular. The Griffin itself is reflected on the tuck and the AoS. The shadowing around the griffin gives it an almost 3D feel. I also really enjoy the back of this deck. Perfect shade of green. All else is standard.

Did you attach a pic.. I don't see it

[RandyButterfield]

So here is the Griffin Deck in hand. The foil on the tuck and embossing are spectacular. The Griffin itself is reflected on the tuck and the AoS. The shadowing around the griffin gives it an almost 3D feel. I also really enjoy the back of this deck. Perfect shade of green. All else is standard.

It would be great if USPCC handles the 808 Club similar to the way Pixar does with their animated shorts - testing innovative ideas and advancing their in-house technology. It would be a great way to get an R&D department running and could lead to advancements that could carry over to the larger magic companies as well as the small independent designers.

I looking forward to when the Griffin Deck arrives and to see what they come up with for the rest of the year.

Thanks, Randy

[CBJ]

Here's a pic courtesy of Mike at BMPokerWorld

( click on pic for larger view )

[Don Boyer]

All right, for those of you still on the fence about joining, I'll give you the breakdown so far.

• WHEN YOU JOIN:
• Free Bicycle Club 808 deck.
• Monthly online "newsletter"
• JANUARY
• Newsletter articles:
• Interviews with Jonathan Bayme of T11 and Neil Patrick Harris, actor and president of the Board at the Academy of Magical Arts (the Magic Castle)
• Monthly contest: "The Adventures of Joker" - five winners get Rider Back uncuts signed by NPH.
• "Mixing with Molly" - mixology recipes from Molly Wellman.  This month, the Classic Old Fashioned.
• Top Five article: best fictional card players.
• VIP Shop:
• Club 808 leather-wrapped steel flask, $24.95, limit 2.
• Coming soon: Bicycle Griffin deck and several prints
• Email notice re "Play More Cards Day" (see first post for more info)
• FEBRUARY
• Newsletter articles
• Top Five article: people to leave at home on poker night
• "Mixing With Molly" - the Club 808 Cocktail
• (Brief) Interview with Sal Piacente, casino protection expert.
  
• Monthly contest: "Beat the Cheats" - winner gets autographed copy of Sal's "Poker Cheats Exposed" DVD
• VIP Shop:
• Bicycle Griffin deck, $5.99, limit 6.
• Five vintage-look posters on sale, $10.00, limit 6 each:
• Bicycle Joker
• Bicycle "Best Bower" - first Joker design
• Bicycle Ace of Spades - first AoS design
• "Cupid Rider" Spade
• Rider Back

I thought this month's newsletter was disappointing - the Piacente interview was super-short and the contest prize isn't really what I'd call a hot-ticket item.  But it's nice getting the Griffin decks at the original retail price!  I guess with almost any of these "membership" promotions, some months will be better than others.

BMPW's price of $14.99 on the Griffins is not bad if you're getting only one or two decks and using the discount code.  But for a little more than the cost of four discounted decks from that shop, you could buy a membership and six decks from Club 808 - and get the Club 808 deck and the giveaway deck coming in roughly two weeks, plus get future Club 808 decks at MSRP.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking BMPW at all - I recently placed a decent-sized order there, I'm a happy customer of the shop and I tend to get from him much of the time when I'm not ordering straight from the designer.  I just did the math to see how it would work out, and that's how it worked out.  Not everyone is interested in getting the Club 808 membership, so for them, it's really not bad if they're just buying one or two.

[BiggerDee]

Just received an e-mail from Bicycle stating that uncut Griffin sheets will be available in member the store in March.

Correction...available "soon", not necessarily March.

[Duke Boy]

I got my Cards Day Box in this week and was greatly suprized that I got a full brick of Riders, along with 10 cups, to bottle openers and other items.

[Don Boyer]

Just received an e-mail from Bicycle stating that uncut Griffin sheets will be available in member the store in March.

Correction...available "soon", not necessarily March.

Here's the full text of the email.

Greetings, Club 808 members,

It's time for our mid-month update! First things first: You have until February 28 to submit an entry to our contest "Beat the Cheats." We'll choose five winners, who will each receive a copy of Sal Piacente's DVD Poker Cheats Exposed—the best way to improve your poker game and spot cheats.

What else is going on this month?

• Play More Cards Day, the official Bicycle® Brand holiday, is this Saturday, February 23! Bicycle® fans all around the world are gathering in their homes or at their favorite bars to host afternoons or evenings of card-playing. If you're in the Cincinnati, Ohio region, make sure you join us at Japp's Since 1879 to join in the official celebration.
• March's Club 808 content is almost here! Our main feature: an interview with a handful of famous musicians-turned-tattoo artists (trust us, you've heard of at least one of them) you won't want to miss.
• New Club 808-exclusive merchandise will be available soon in the shop. Particularly keep an eye out for the uncut sheets of the Griffin Deck.

Keep checking back with Club 808 to keep up with all the latest in the Bicycle® Brand's one and only members' club.

Cheers,
The Club 808 Team

[Strag]

I got my Cards Day Box in this week and was greatly suprized that I got a full brick of Riders, along with 10 cups, to bottle openers and other items.

Wow, I hope International also gets something this good!

[John B.]

So as far as the deck goes, did anyone else notice the subtle one way back? I can not use it though since I slip on ice while springing the deck, the snow did not do the cards good.

[sinsandman]

what are you talking about John?