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Tally-Ho Poker Cards

Manufacturer: The U.S. Playing Card Co.
Size: Poker
Available back colours: Blue and Red
Available back designs: Circle back and Fan back (see images below)
Availability: Not as easy to find as Bicycle cards. Most good north-american magic dealers stock these, but they are quite heard to find in europe. Penguin UK, MagicTricks.co.uk and Magicshop.co.uk sell these. Update - I.D pointed out that you can find Tally-ho decks being sold for as little as £1.50 at Magicbox.co.uk!
Price range: £1.50 to £2.50 (€2.39 to €3.70)

Circle back Fan back

REVIEW

Everyone knows that the Bicycle brand of cards is the world standard for magicians: they offer the best value for your money and handle pretty well. However, the Tally-Ho brand proves to be a better choice if you're looking for quality and durability. Here's why:

Quality: Tally-Ho cards feature a Linoid finish, which is basically a life-extender. What this does is insert a slightly thick layer of linen between 2 air-cushioned layers. This causes the cards to be thicker and stiffer than regular Bikes and allows them to fan like a dream. Yes, this cards practically fan themselves in your hands. I've been using them for a few months now and I'm quite sure that they handle better than Bicycle cards, with a few exceptions: due to their stiff nature they tend to deform rather permanently if you bend them during manipulation, so double-lifts and other sleights may become compromised. However, if you perform smoothly and avoid exerting too much pressure on the cards, you'll find them a pleasure to handle.

As for eye appeal, the Fan back is simply beautiful and it just looks magical. As for the faces, they are the same as Bicycle cards (or any other regular U.S. Playing Card Co. deck) except for the Ace of Spades (which looks much better than the Bicycle one) and the Jokers.

Durability: You'll burn 2 decks of Bikes before you can get the Tallys to break a sweat. Due to the Linoid finish, these cards will last much longer that your regular deck, while still fanning and handling perfectly well.

Compatibility: Unfortunately you won't find any gaffed Tally-Ho cards since they are not standardized as the Bicycle brand. However, you can save your money by simply learning to make your own gaffed cards, which is quite easy and very well described in The Art of Card Splitting DVD (by Marty 'Martini' Grams).

CONCLUSION

If you're starting out in card magic, I strongly recommend the Bicycle brand. Now if you really like card magic and are willing to go the extra mile, upgrade to the Tally-Ho brand and you won't be disappointed. They are not so expensive and offer impeccable quality and durability.

Score: 9 out of 10

Interesting!
Thank you very much for this nice review.
I will most certeinly include Tally-Ho in my next fit of CUPS

Just a nice bit of info you will love if you love Tally's like me..

Tally's are generally more expensive than Bikes.. however

At magicbox.uk.com Bikes are £1.75 a pack, and Tally's are only £1.50


You can buy a brick of 12 Tallys for £17.50!!

I.D wrote:Just a nice bit of info you will love if you love Tally's like me..

Tally's are generally more expensive than Bikes.. however

At magicbox.uk.com Bikes are £1.75 a pack, and Tally's are only £1.50


You can buy a brick of 12 Tallys for £17.50!!

Thanks for the info! I'll include it in my review.

That's an excellent deal, I'll be sure to order a brick as soon as my credit card balance clears a little

And gunnarkr, you won't want to handle anything else after you give those Tallys a try...

True...

I still use my bikes at the moment only because I still have about 25 decks left!!

But my Tally's are my babies and I treat em as such.. card guard and all!! They will be my sole use once my bikes run out and ill fix up some gaff decks myself.. it'll be worth it

The Tally Ho Circle Back Cards also have one-way back (don't know about the fan back). Comes in handy sometimes.

http://www.internationalmagic.com/cgi-bin/ss000001.pl
Hi try this link for fake Tally Ho decks, not sure what is included but could be a good selection.They are a bit pricey though, as are the standard decks!
Regards,
Paul.

Don't the Bikes also have a Linoid Finish?? I thought they did.

My handling is definitely better with the Tally-Ho's, Bikes feel really thin by comparison.

I've always used Bikes but recently bought a couple of decks of Tally's as I was interested to find out if there was any difference.

So far I've found that there is a subtle difference but not anything to much to make any real difference to card magic. However, I suppose that if you're into the XCM stuff then these may be a preferred choice.

Overall I'm rather satisfied with the Tally's but won't be changing from Bikes for the magic though.

magictaffy, thanks for the info, I've checked it out. You're right, they are pricey, that's why I make my own gaffed cards

supermagictom, the Bicycle brand features an Air-cushion finish, which is basically a pocket of air used to absorb shock that allows the cards to spring and glide better. This finish is also used to manufacture Tally-Ho cards, but these have a tick layer of linen (hence the "Linoid" finish) added to them which causes them to be thicker and stiffer than Bikes and makes them more durable.

dat8962, some people have been arguing that nowadays Tallys and Bikes are pretty much the same, but I've been using both brands for a while now and I can cearly notice the difference in quality. Their ticker and stiffer nature can be of value in card magic and their increased durability allows you to save some money and avoid carrying around a case full of decks for your performances.

Of course, this is all just my opinion Thank you guys for your inputs.

I tried Tally-Ho's this weekend and what a difference! They really are sooo much better than bikes I think. I love the finish too!

I dont get why people keep saying that Tally's are more expensive.They are not in the UK, if you shop around. Magicbox.uk.com sells them cheaper than Bikes.

They do feel like they will last longer. Dont make a great difference to sleights but they are ore durable, look ''prettier'' and flourishes look better using these. Fans, cuts, spreads just look a little more magical..

If you get the Circle Back design ones, spin one on your fingers - it looks awesome.

I still think Bikes are overall...the best. Simply because every magician has used them and they are recognized as a magi's tool.

They're just cards, if you're a good magician you can perform miracles with an old deck from WHSmiths. That's what i say to Ellusionist fans that have about a thousand decks.

all these positive reviews on these cards, I guess I'll buy them Tuesday

I prefer these purely because they look a lot smarter in my opinion. Wish they did gaff cards in them though. I think the quality is the same. I think when people are testing the 2 ,they may be using a brand new tally deck and a used bike deck so they will appear smoother. Just a thought!