The Smallest Poker Set in the World! I have designed it. Ask me anything!

[poker.buddy]

Hi there everyone.

I am a young inventor and designer and I am about to release my first product onto the market. I wanted to get some opinions on the product first though.

I have developed a compact, travel poker set which I believe is the smallest poker set in the world. It is the same size as a pack of cards but the cards are still normal sized.

"How is that possible?" you might be wondering. Well every card has two circular holes cut through them. This means when the cards are stacked up as a deck there are two tubes through the deck. Inside this space fits two cylindrical chip holders and inside the chip holders are the chips (obviously). As the chips are cut from the same 0.33mm plastic as the cards I am able to fit 108 (i.e. 54 x 2) chips into each pack. In the top of the pack is a flat, rectangular dealer button. On the back of the deck is even the hand values of poker for any newcomers to poker that you might play with. The whole concept of the product is also patent pending.

Now I understand that this is no professional poker set for tournaments but as a casual travel poker set it works brilliantly. With that many poker chips you can have 4, or even 5 at a stretch, people playing with one deck. The problem I have tried to solve with this product is the un-casual nature of poker as a game. When you play poker with friends you normally have to pre-plan it all as, a full poker set is required. Unless you happen to be at the house of a person with a poker set, it is relatively difficult to get a game going.

The POKER BUDDY poker set changes this by making a poker set very compact and easy to carry in your pocket while also being very affordable. It means you don't have to carry around a whole suitcase with you to a friends house or on holiday.

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ask me lots about the product and let me know what you think of it (the good and the bad). I have been developing this product for around 9 months now and I feel it is at a point where I can show my work and hopefully release it on the market.

Anyway I have babbled on enough about the poker set. I will just leave some images of the set in the post.

Thanks for your time.

Paul Church.

[Don Boyer]

First, Paul, welcome to the Discourse.  Consider making a topic in the "Introduce Yourself" board.

Second, while I can sort of visualize the idea, perhaps a few computer-generated images showing a digital prototype would be a good idea.

Third, while I do get the concept of your traveling poker game, consider that for many games, poker ISN'T played with a bunch of chips and such.  Some people just play with their pocket change.  Planning is as simple as "Hey, wanna play some poker on the lunch break? - Sure!"  The average guy tends to have enough loose change lying around that a quick game using metal currency isn't a great stretch of the imagination.

Having said that, however, there's also the novelty factor to consider.  I doubt very many games of Monopoly get played on those teeny little keychain-sized sets, but that doesn't stop them from selling pretty well.  Same thing for items like the Round Deck, the Square deck and the Crooked Deck - souvenir stands sell them by the thousands.

Be careful about using the term "Smallest Poker Set in the World."  There are artists that work on a microscopic level, creating amazing works of art by carving a grain of rice and painting it with a single human eyelash mounted on a stick.  If your poker set is the size of a standard pack of playing cards, I can practically guarantee you that someone else has made one much, MUCH smaller.  Use less specific, less legally-actionable terms like "Super-Tiny Poker Kit" or something to that effect.

If you want the novelty factor to sell this, make it cute.  The kind of people who like tiny tend to like their tiny to be cute.

[poker.buddy]

Hi Don,

Thanks a lot for such a fast reply!

I will add some images of the latest prototype this afternoon. This will make it much easier to see what I am getting at.

I understand what you're saying about being careful with saying "smallest in the world" but I have done as much research as possible into finding a smaller poker set. Currently I have found none anywhere near as small. Of course, this doesn't mean that there isn't one smaller but it is not the internet. Maybe I could look into getting it recognised as the world's smallest to be able to make that claim. No idea how I would do that though.

In all honesty I am trying to stay away from the novelty factor with this product. I guess there is always going to be a novelty factor in 'weird' shaped playing cards but I've worked extremely hardon making this a fully functional and practical poker set. Maybe this will be easier to see once I upload some photos.

If you have any questions or any other advice please don't hesitate to say it.

Thanks for your input.

[poker.buddy]

I have included some photos of an old prototype now. The design has changed entirely since this one but at least you will have a better idea of how the set works.

[Don Boyer]

I have included some photos of an old prototype now. The design has changed entirely since this one but at least you will have a better idea of how the set works.

That's actually a rather clever design.  Some tips I would offer:

Make the cards out of plastic.  For a deck like this, durability has to trump handling.  And make certain that the back has a true, one-way design.  A real card player wouldn't play a money game with a deck having a one-way back like this one does.  When held vertically, all the card backs should be completely the same in appearance when turned 180 degrees.  You must have tested this prototype - can it be riffle-shuffled?  If not, it needs some kind of improvement.

Make the chips out of plastic - but not "chip plastic."  Use the same plastic that's used for the plastic cards and you'll have a stack of chips equal in size to the deck thickness (and almost no wasted plastic).  Paper anything in this deck is too flimsy.  Consider even getting some sort of heavy-duty plastic box.  You could promote the entire set as being waterproof, making it ideal for travel under most circumstances.  You can also promote it as a "must-have" for anyone's disaster-preparedness kit or "go" bag - a waterproof poker set that takes up the space of a single deck.  Heck, you might even find "prepper" (formerly known as "survivalist") supply retailers interested in carrying your decks, either individually or as part of one of the aforementioned disaster kits.

Consider making the chip tubes screw-down or pop-top - it will hold up better and is less flimsy.  Mark the ends of the tubes - one can be your "dealer" marker, the other you can mark "blind", and if you wish to take it further, mark the cap of the "blind" tube "little blind," so it can be a separate marker for games with two blinds.  Make all the markers different colors to easily distinguish them from each other.  Using halves as chip holders is less practical - when holding chips the base surface is curved and unstable, and if one player wins more than half of the chips, he'll need another chip holder.  Just let them leave their chips on their playing surface.  The most commonly-played poker game for the past several years is Texas Hold 'Em and it requires playing on some sort of table.  You could use a deck box that separates to two large, flat halves - one "tray" holds the pot, the other holds the bank.

The chips - leave off any value markers.  The most common practice for a set of this size would be to make 50% of the chips one color (usually white) with the remaining 50% split evenly between two other colors (usually red and blue).  You can, and should, make a decorative edge pattern, but leave the values up to whatever the players themselves want.  If it's possible, after the chips have been punched out of the card plastic, get the cut edges colored to match the chip colors, perhaps with white, yellow or black stripes to break up the color pattern in a similar fashion to casino-grade chips.  It makes the chips easier to identify and count in a stack.

That's all I can come up with in a nutshell.

[KPopFever605]

I think the product itself is very interesting. I've never seen anything like it. With that being said, I'd like to ask what the chips are made out of? It looks to me like it's cardboard. Is that correct? Also, I'd like to ask how these cards stack up with shuffling, because I believe the cards holes may obstruct some of the "fluency". And, in between poker games, if the cards can't be easily shuffled together, mixing the cards will be much harder. After all, a few cuts and a Hindu shuffle won't do much. : )

[Rob Wright]

I have to agree with Don on a lot of points. I know you are not thinking of this as a Novelty, but I think it would never be more than that.
When playing poker, not having chips is no big deal. I was at a shoot camp a few years back. We used 22 and shotgun shells for chip. Anything can be used as chips, like screws, nuts, Frito's, cheese puffs, beans, rocks, cigarettes, tampons, etc.
Also keep in mind. How many of these chips will make it back into the package, and not be eaten by the cushion monster.
Don't get me wrong. I think its a great idea. the design is ingenious, but keep in mind who your market would be for this.

[xela]

I disagree with this being nothing more than a novelty. I love Poker, but pretty much every time we want to play, it's a lack of chips that is the issue.

This would sell well in a place like Target. Makes for a great present, a great novelty, something to do on a plane, something to take camping (you won't be bringing a fucking clay set camping, and bringing plastic chips is disgusting as you are bound to lose at least one and they're not bio-degradable).

Was a price point mentioned on this thread? For $10-15 it's a must have, for $5-10 it's a steal. Like, if you mass produce these, the cost can easily be under $5 a deck to sell, and that would make these very handy.

I think you guys are conflating demographics here. This is a great novelty stocking stuffer for a professional poker player or hardcore enthusiast, nothing more.

For casual folks, this is something you bust out at a party because you always keep one in your car. Why? Because 99% of people don't have chip sets, but 99% of people always decide to play Poker at a dull party.

The cards don't need to be plastic at a <$5 price point. If you go above $10, they would have to be. I would also recommend seeing what other material you can make the chips out of, like a thin, flexible, opaque plastic.

[Don Boyer]

I disagree with this being nothing more than a novelty. I love Poker, but pretty much every time we want to play, it's a lack of chips that is the issue.

This would sell well in a place like Target. Makes for a great present, a great novelty, something to do on a plane, something to take camping (you won't be bringing a fucking clay set camping, and bringing plastic chips is disgusting as you are bound to lose at least one and they're not bio-degradable).

Was a price point mentioned on this thread? For $10-15 it's a must have, for $5-10 it's a steal. Like, if you mass produce these, the cost can easily be under $5 a deck to sell, and that would make these very handy.

I think you guys are conflating demographics here. This is a great novelty stocking stuffer for a professional poker player or hardcore enthusiast, nothing more.

For casual folks, this is something you bust out at a party because you always keep one in your car. Why? Because 99% of people don't have chip sets, but 99% of people always decide to play Poker at a dull party.

The cards don't need to be plastic at a <$5 price point. If you go above $10, they would have to be. I would also recommend seeing what other material you can make the chips out of, like a thin, flexible, opaque plastic.

Plastic cards can actually be made pretty cheaply these days if you go to the right manufacturer - how else do cheapo plastic decks make it into Walmart?

His chips are paper because his cards are paper - they're just punched out of the cards.  If his cards were plastic, his chips would be plastic.  This is also where he gets his quantity of chips from - two chips per card, each chip the precise thickness of a card.  Using the card plastic to make the chips just makes sense, really.

There are others who would use this besides the hardcore player.

I have to agree with Don on a lot of points. I know you are not thinking of this as a Novelty, but I think it would never be more than that.
When playing poker, not having chips is no big deal. I was at a shoot camp a few years back. We used 22 and shotgun shells for chip. Anything can be used as chips, like screws, nuts, Frito's, cheese puffs, beans, rocks, cigarettes, tampons, etc.
Also keep in mind. How many of these chips will make it back into the package, and not be eaten by the cushion monster.
Don't get me wrong. I think its a great idea. the design is ingenious, but keep in mind who your market would be for this.

You make novelty sound like a BAD thing!  Dude, the right novelty can make a small fortune.  Wouldn't you love to own the rights to something like the Rubik's Cube or the Pet Rock or the Hula Hoop?  Crooked Cards have been around since I was a child - and they're STILL around,. so SOMEONE'S buying them!  This is along the lines of that kind of novelty.

Hell, you could save manufacturing costs by making the kit with some assembly required.  Print the chips on the cards, score them for later punching out manually, let the owner do that at the end.  No need for chip holders, really - stack the deck of cards and the chips fit right in.  If you use a traditional tuck box style, you can have two uncut cards (rules cards) at the top and bottom of the deck for holding the chips in place while stored.  Right there, you've saved a lot of headache in manufacturing costs.

[Rob Wright]

I have to agree with Don on a lot of points. I know you are not thinking of this as a Novelty, but I think it would never be more than that.
When playing poker, not having chips is no big deal. I was at a shoot camp a few years back. We used 22 and shotgun shells for chip. Anything can be used as chips, like screws, nuts, Frito's, cheese puffs, beans, rocks, cigarettes, tampons, etc.
Also keep in mind. How many of these chips will make it back into the package, and not be eaten by the cushion monster.
Don't get me wrong. I think its a great idea. the design is ingenious, but keep in mind who your market would be for this.

You make novelty sound like a BAD thing!  Dude, the right novelty can make a small fortune.  Wouldn't you love to own the rights to something like the Rubik's Cube or the Pet Rock or the Hula Hoop?  Crooked Cards have been around since I was a child - and they're STILL around,. so SOMEONE'S buying them!  This is along the lines of that kind of novelty.

I never said novelty is a bad thing, but you just proved part of my point. Who uses/buys Rubik's Cube, Pet Rocks, Hula Hoops? Kids, and parents don't buy poker sets for kids.
Again I think it is a great idea, but it is still a novelty. A card collector is not going to by a brick of these, but people may by a few to give as gifts to friends. At a price of $5, sure. At $10 or more, no. I'm not going to buy it at that. I think it could be big, but not to poker players. As a novelty.

[Don Boyer]

I never said novelty is a bad thing, but you just proved part of my point. Who uses/buys Rubik's Cube, Pet Rocks, Hula Hoops? Kids, and parents don't buy poker sets for kids.
Again I think it is a great idea, but it is still a novelty. A card collector is not going to by a brick of these, but people may by a few to give as gifts to friends. At a price of $5, sure. At $10 or more, no. I'm not going to buy it at that. I think it could be big, but not to poker players. As a novelty.

You'd be surprised at just how many adults bought those very novelties...

One way or another, this is a product that has a chance at success.

[poker.buddy]

Make the cards out of plastic.  For a deck like this, durability has to trump handling. 

The cards will definitely be cut from plastic. This will most likely be 0.33mm plastic which is quick thick. The cards would never last other wise.

And make certain that the back has a true, one-way design.  A real card player wouldn't play a money game with a deck having a one-way back like this one does.  When held vertically, all the card backs should be completely the same in appearance when turned 180 degrees.  You must have tested this prototype - can it be riffle-shuffled?  If not, it needs some kind of improvement.

It seems like a lot of people are saying this. My current card back design does not quite have this but could easily be changed. It's definitely something I will look into this week.

Make the chips out of plastic - but not "chip plastic."  Use the same plastic that's used for the plastic cards and you'll have a stack of chips equal in size to the deck thickness (and almost no wasted plastic).  Paper anything in this deck is too flimsy.  Consider even getting some sort of heavy-duty plastic box.  You could promote the entire set as being waterproof, making it ideal for travel under most circumstances.  You can also promote it as a "must-have" for anyone's disaster-preparedness kit or "go" bag - a waterproof poker set that takes up the space of a single deck.  Heck, you might even find "prepper" (formerly known as "survivalist") supply retailers interested in carrying your decks, either individually or as part of one of the aforementioned disaster kits.

The chips will be cut from the exact same material as the cards. This allows there to be twice as many chips as there are cards i.e. 108 chips since there are 54 cards (including 2 jokers).

Consider making the chip tubes screw-down or pop-top - it will hold up better and is less flimsy.

Unfortunately this is very difficult. I have had to use every mm in dimensions and graphics. Any extra size of the chip holder will require an increase in the size of the hole in the cards or a decrease in the size of the chips. Both of these things are quite are problem.

Mark the ends of the tubes - one can be your "dealer" marker, the other you can mark "blind", and if you wish to take it further, mark the cap of the "blind" tube "little blind," so it can be a separate marker for games with two blinds.

This is a pretty good idea actually. It would save having to have a separate dealer button made and packed into each set.

The chips - leave off any value markers.  The most common practice for a set of this size would be to make 50% of the chips one color (usually white) with the remaining 50% split evenly between two other colors (usually red and blue).  You can, and should, make a decorative edge pattern, but leave the values up to whatever the players themselves want.  If it's possible, after the chips have been punched out of the card plastic, get the cut edges colored to match the chip colors, perhaps with white, yellow or black stripes to break up the color pattern in a similar fashion to casino-grade chips.  It makes the chips easier to identify and count in a stack.

I have been speaking to some chip specialists and they seem to think the best break down of chips would be 5, 25, 100, 500. I also think this seems to make sense. I think I need to add some more detail to the design though. Regarding the sides, this is something very difficult to do in the first runs. I would need to come up with some new technique to do this for such tiny pieces and this would probably only make sense once volume is higher enough.

That's all I can come up with in a nutshell.

That was a lot. Thank you!

p.s. I have included some photos of the new designs in a post below. Let me know what you think.

[poker.buddy]

I think the product itself is very interesting. I've never seen anything like it. With that being said, I'd like to ask what the chips are made out of? It looks to me like it's cardboard. Is that correct? Also, I'd like to ask how these cards stack up with shuffling, because I believe the cards holes may obstruct some of the "fluency". And, in between poker games, if the cards can't be easily shuffled together, mixing the cards will be much harder. After all, a few cuts and a Hindu shuffle won't do much. : )

The chips will be made from 0.33mm plastic. Shuffling is something also worried about when I first came up with the product but once I had the prototype and played a few games I found it was not a problem. Some cards get stuck when you first shuffle but after a few shuffles you learn to adjust your technique. I guess this is something you can only experience first hand. Maybe I will try and make some videos of shuffling so you can see.

[Don Boyer]

p.s. I have included some photos of the new designs in a post below. Let me know what you think.

The most recent photos posted below are the ones I was commenting on.

You can eliminate the need for chip holders entirely.  Make the cards themselves the chip holders.  Read more of the comments I left for you and the rest.

[poker.buddy]

How many of these chips will make it back into the package, and not be eaten by the cushion monster.
Don't get me wrong. I think its a great idea. the design is ingenious, but keep in mind who your market would be for this.

I have actually considered offering the service of replacing missing parts at cost or just above cost e.g. $1.50 to replace up to 10 cards or chips. I don"t know any card companies offering this and it would make the product last much much longer. What do you think of this idea?

So here is some photos of the new designs. Please let me know what you think.

Was a price point mentioned on this thread? For $10-15 it's a must have, for $5-10 it's a steal. Like, if you mass produce these, the cost can easily be under $5 a deck to sell, and that would make these very handy.

I believe it will be $13 with shipping within the US and europe. Although on the kickstarter project I will have some early bird prices.

Hell, you could save manufacturing costs by making the kit with some assembly required.  Print the chips on the cards, score them for later punching out manually, let the owner do that at the end.  No need for chip holders, really - stack the deck of cards and the chips fit right in.  If you use a traditional tuck box style, you can have two uncut cards (rules cards) at the top and bottom of the deck for holding the chips in place while stored.  Right there, you've saved a lot of headache in manufacturing costs.

This was actually the first thing I tried. The first problem is; if the chips are the exact same size as the hole then it is practically impossible to get them back in, even if the cards are stacked perfectly. Once you have chips smaller than the holes in the cards, the second problem is; the chips slide around everywhere inside the pack. When you open the pack again to play you have to empty all the chips out of the pack with are now stuck between all the cards. All the the chip holder is an extra cost, it is one that really makes a difference to how function the set is. I think it's the difference between something that is complete novelty and something that people will actually use because it works well.

[Candace B]

This is a really great idea! I'm not a serious card player or anything, but I love to play for fun. I would love to have a deck like this. When Alex mentioned bringing them camping I thought that sounded like a perfect use. I would buy a brick of them just for that purpose it the price was right. And if I would, I can't imagine why a real card player wouldn't. :]

[poker.buddy]

This is a really great idea! I'm not a serious card player or anything, but I love to play for fun. I would love to have a deck like this. When Alex mentioned bringing them camping I thought that sounded like a perfect use. I would buy a brick of them just for that purpose it the price was right. And if I would, I can't imagine why a real card player wouldn't. :]

Thanks a lot. That's really great to hear. I guess I will be selling them in sets of 1, 2, 4 and 10 decks. If I can get everything sorted in time I should have the project up on kickstarter in less than two weeks. I really want to make sure they can be manufactured and sent out before Christmas.

[Don Boyer]

Poker.buddy - if you have more things to add within moments of making a post and no one else has posted, please edit your last post and add the new information.  It cuts down on clutter around here.

I'd suggest removing the white border around the circles.  When you die-cut the chips out, if the registration isn't perfect, it becomes much more obvious with the border.  And a poker deck has to have a two-way design - your deck name printed across the back is one-way.

[xela]

As a designer, here are my suggestions:

- Make it very obvious that this comes with cards included on the FRONT of the box, if you ever plan to sell these on a store shelf. Even a sticker you can peel off at home that says "cards included!" would do wonders.

- The back HAS TO BE TWO-WAY. Even the most casual poker players I've played with like to scrutinize a deck. No one wants to play with cards that a nine year old can cheat with.

- The #2 most important thing about a poker deck is index readability. Serif fonts are a big no-no. But cursive fonts have to be the only thing worse than that.

- Those cards look bridge-sized to me. Nobody likes bridge-sized cards, and they have no place in the plane of existence. If they are bridge-sized, expect a seriously lower amount of interest.

- Take the index of the cards, and move it into that blank space in the corners to improve readability. You should be able to see what your cards are from a quick 1 second peak at the corners.

Everything else about the design is very nice. I love the artwork. It screams classic card design, but then has quite a few modern elements to it. Good job.

[davegk]

A couple small corrections...

1. Standard Bicycle decks and most others that I've seen use a serif typeface for the indices.
2. Bridge-sized cards are actually the standard in every poker room I've ever been in, including every deck used in play at the World Series of Poker, amongst other venues. Most poker players (and every dealer I've discussed this with) prefer bridge size to poker size.

-David

As a designer, here are my suggestions:

- Make it very obvious that this comes with cards included on the FRONT of the box, if you ever plan to sell these on a store shelf. Even a sticker you can peel off at home that says "cards included!" would do wonders.

- The back HAS TO BE TWO-WAY. Even the most casual poker players I've played with like to scrutinize a deck. No one wants to play with cards that a nine year old can cheat with.

- The #2 most important thing about a poker deck is index readability. Serif fonts are a big no-no. But cursive fonts have to be the only thing worse than that.

- Those cards look bridge-sized to me. Nobody likes bridge-sized cards, and they have no place in the plane of existence. If they are bridge-sized, expect a seriously lower amount of interest.

- Take the index of the cards, and move it into that blank space in the corners to improve readability. You should be able to see what your cards are from a quick 1 second peak at the corners.

Everything else about the design is very nice. I love the artwork. It screams classic card design, but then has quite a few modern elements to it. Good job.

[xela]

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-KF_dr3Q2rT8/T9C2rdyu9MI/AAAAAAAAAtE/vUsrywIt45k/s320/bicycle+phantom+spread+2.jpg

This is not a full-serif font face (the name for that escapes me).

In the USA, I've never in my life seen bridge decks. I live in Vegas, and I frequent casinos, no one uses bridge decks. Apparently the WSOP did use a bridge deck, but the WSOP is hardly the demographic here.

[poker.buddy]

Poker.buddy - if you have more things to add within moments of making a post and no one else has posted, please edit your last post and add the new information.  It cuts down on clutter around here.

I'd suggest removing the white border around the circles.  When you die-cut the chips out, if the registration isn't perfect, it becomes much more obvious with the border.  And a poker deck has to have a two-way design - your deck name printed across the back is one-way.

Sorry. I am quite new to using forums. I won't do it again.

The problem I find with not having white boarders around the holes is that it cheapens the design significantly. It make it look like you designed something then just stamped a hole through it. I have tried to leave as much room around the holes as possible to stop this being a problem. I will also be going to the factory they are produced in to make sure there is strict quality control.

- Make it very obvious that this comes with cards included on the FRONT of the box, if you ever plan to sell these on a store shelf. Even a sticker you can peel off at home that says "cards included!" would do wonders.

Hi Alex. This is actually an excellent idea. It has been a real challenge, design wise, to get across to a potential buyer that there is in fact a full poker set inside. Even though it just looks like a deck of cards. This something I have had to constantly think about.  But putting a simple sticker on the front (on top of the foil would make sense) saying "Cards included!" a very effective simple solution.

- The back HAS TO BE TWO-WAY. Even the most casual poker players I've played with like to scrutinize a deck. No one wants to play with cards that a nine year old can cheat with.

Many people have told me this so it seems like something I will have to change. Maybe I am just being stupid but could you explain how you could cheat with cards that have one-way backs.

- The #2 most important thing about a poker deck is index readability. Serif fonts are a big no-no. But cursive fonts have to be the only thing worse than that.

This is something that I have already changed after printing out the last prototype cards. Here's a screen print of the new font.

- Those cards look bridge-sized to me. Nobody likes bridge-sized cards, and they have no place in the plane of existence. If they are bridge-sized, expect a seriously lower amount of interest.

They are actually have a custom size of 58mm x 95mm. There are a couple of reasons for this; the first is that, the two holes in each card compromise the structural integrity of the card. To minimize this it took quite a bit of testing to get the dimensions right so that some parts of the card were flimsier than others. If you have a poker sized card (which is actually the size I started with) you get lots of solid space at the sides but not down the vertical center. This is a problem because it means the cards can bend easier. Bridge sized cards I found far to small to do anything with in-terms of design. I found the best way was to use a custom size that still felt comfortable in the hand, kept the cards structural integrity and also gave me a decent amount of space for the graphics.

- Take the index of the cards, and move it into that blank space in the corners to improve readability. You should be able to see what your cards are from a quick 1 second peak at the corners.

I think I will have a look into this since I think this could work quite well without effecting the design too much. Let me do it now and I'll upload another picture.

Everything else about the design is very nice. I love the artwork. It screams classic card design, but then has quite a few modern elements to it. Good job.

Thank you very much. This is great to hear coming from a designer.

EDIT:
Here is the design with the indexes closer to the corner.

[Don Boyer]

The problem I find with not having white boarders around the holes is that it cheapens the design significantly. It make it look like you designed something then just stamped a hole through it. I have tried to leave as much room around the holes as possible to stop this being a problem. I will also be going to the factory they are produced in to make sure there is strict quality control.

There's a trend in cards today for THIN borders, if you're going to have any at all.  Create a computer-generated mock-up, put a decorative pattern without a heavy white border around the edge where the holes will be and let's see what it looks like.

The back HAS TO BE TWO-WAY. Even the most casual poker players I've played with like to scrutinize a deck. No one wants to play with cards that a nine year old can cheat with.

Many people have told me this so it seems like something I will have to change. Maybe I am just being stupid but could you explain how you could cheat with cards that have one-way backs.

By orienting, for example, the kings and aces one way and the rest of the cards the other, you'd know when you were dealing out kings and aces based on the back orientation.  If any reasonably bright child magician oriented the entire deck one way, had you pick a card and then placed your card back in the deck oriented the other way, he or she could find the card easily.  Those are two simple ways to take advantage of a one-way back.

Here is the design with the indexes closer to the corner.

Trim back the edge detailing and place the suit pip directly underneath the value in the index.  Diagonal indices look terrible.

An index should be readable easily and rapidly - anything interfering with that reduces the functionality of the deck.  It needs to be near the edge for ease of reading when cards are squeezed together and to allow for the minimum "lift" of the corner when peeking at your hole cards in a game like Texas Hold 'Em.

[poker.buddy]

Ok, I understand why one-way backs are bad.

Here's an updated example of what you suggested.

[xela]

Fantastic! Any ideas for the court cards?

Loving the new font, by the way. As for the card size, if it's for structural purposes, then so be it. I'm still in love with this idea.