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by **Lady of Mystery** » Feb 12th, '07, 10:39

Shrubsole, I'm not sure I totally agree with you. You can get away with poker bikes very easily here. Unless someone is a real card buff, they're never going to nitice that the cards you're using are slightly bigger than what they're used to. And there are so many different makes oout there that the back design nver gets commented on.

I've always used poker sized bikes and never found anyone take them for anything other than an ordinary deck of cards.

by **mark lewis** » Feb 12th, '07, 11:03

I agree with shrubsole. I wish to God I could get Waddingtons cards over here. They are far superior to the cards that I have to put up with in this fridge of a country. It is indeed true that I have to search a bit to find Bridge size cards here but the effort is indeed worth it. As for making bridge size fake cards I have come across them in reasonable number. I seem to remember that Haine's House of Cards sells them.

I have been informed by various people that American style poker size cards have now invaded Her Brittanic Majesty's Realm of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. I believe that this is the end of civilisation as we know it.

by **Matt Charming** » Feb 12th, '07, 13:53

Shrubsole wrote:Hi Matt,

Bicycle decks are the number one seller in America and their standard size is "Poker" - That is bigger than England's standard (for card playing that is) which is Bridge size.

It just that as we in England don't make anything anymore, all magic (gaffed) decks and/or cards are 99% of the time only produced in American Bicycle POKER size. The thing is that English magicians here even hysterically worship Bicycle Poker Size decks more than the Americans (If that's possible )

What English magicians tend to forget is that keeping things as normal looking as possible is the way to go in magic, but when you take out and show these unusual bigger poker cards, the audiences attention will instantly be drawn to the cards and you might not want that. That is why using Bridge size is what we all should be doing as that is the size the audience grew up with. (That's if we can get our magicians away form worshipping everything American and if you can find a Bridge size version of the trick you want or can make it yourself.)

Bicycle do actually do a Bridge size deck of cards now, but gaffed decks and packs of cards are still done in their normal Poker size.

There are many brands but Bicycle decks are THE well known all American deck and Waddingtons is a very high quality deck that used to be made here (not any more) and so is mostly found to be Bridge size.

So Waddingtons scream: Normal (Back pattern we are used to), correct size, English use cards
and
Bicycle Screams: Abnormal (Unusual back pattern), Different bigger card, Not usually found in England.

Many thanks for the warm welcome.

EDIT: Oh yes! I'm down in the very SE of Kent, England.

As for which has been around the longest, I don't know, but it won't be the Americans (Remember we invented America! - Runs and hides ) I think playing cards came from the French or at least European of some sort. (Could be wrong on that one)

Hello there Shrubsole wrote

I can remember haveing Waddington’s quality cards as a kid they use to be sold every where could get them at the bar in the pubs a lot I no they are selling them in British bookshops Sussex stationers i have a deck of bicycle cards .

__________________________________
Happy Magic

Mattdini
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It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it

by **Mr Toucan** » Feb 12th, '07, 15:29

You can get Bridge size gaffs in Piatnik cards - I have a pack with a huge variety of gaffs in it. I know I always plug this but try Clive at the Card Collection - www.cards4magic.co.uk he has the biggest selection of cards I have ever come across - if you don't get what you want there you probably can't get it!

James

by **beeno** » Feb 12th, '07, 17:44

Sorry, but Waddingtons, Number 1 and other UK brands just don't cut it for me. Terrible cards that look like they've been made out of cereal boxes.
Nobody has ever remarked to me about the size of a poker deck.
Also it doesn't matter what size your hands are, anything can be adapted to suit your own hands. I can one handed shuffle, I just grip with 3rd instead of second figer. And bridge cards are only smaller on the width, in fact too small for me even though I have small hands.

by **king_of_keighley** » Feb 12th, '07, 18:45

I totally disagree with you about the cultural tendency on card sizes.

I think, among a certain age group, bridge-sized cards are the norm, this is obviously because these people have grown up in a world without playstations, the internet etc. For years (bridge-sized) card games were a hugely popular pastime.

However, I think for the younger sections of society, poker-sized cards ARE seen as the norm.

With reference to the ill-informed rant on Americanisation earlier, this is not due to

Shrubsole wrote:The American is always better attitude to everything.

This is quite simply due to a change in our very way of life. Quite simply, people play card games a lot less (breakdown of the nuclear family and community spirit, new technologies, faster lifestyles etc etc) and people play poker a lot more (super casino anyone? or maybe we could use one of the million plus poker sets sold this Christmas).

It is simply a shift in the way we are as a society (although it could definitely be linked to a generational difference). Therefore I believe in today’s society BOTH card types could be viewed as normal and valid.

I have also got to add, in my personal experience when I use a bridge-sized deck some people have stated that they are smaller than a ‘normal’ deck, but strangely NOT vica-versa !?

by **Mr Toucan** » Feb 13th, '07, 00:50

Bikes come in bridge size anyway - so no probs there

by **Shrubsole** » Feb 13th, '07, 05:08

Mr Toucan wrote:Bikes come in bridge size anyway - so no probs there

True and that does address the size issue but you simply can't beat Waddinton Bridge Size for being the traditional card design of England for decades. It also highlights this total obsession with "It's got to be Bicycle because the Americans have told us they are the best" - The big give away is that we have even adopted their pet name of "Bikes" for them. :roll:

Each to there own, but I would actually like to keep something of our traditions going while we still have some left instead of always selling out to pier pressure.

by **Lady of Mystery** » Feb 13th, '07, 10:23

If a british company were to produce a set of nice cards and a good range of gaffs to go with them at an affordable price and they were easy to get hold of I might use them. But until that happens, bikes are my choice of cards.

I personally rather poker cards because they're easier to handle, bridge cards can be too fiddly at times(and I've got small hands).

by **Matt Charming** » Feb 13th, '07, 10:54

Hello goodluck

I think us British are ashamed to shout out what we think we should have proud in what we make and keep some of the old traditions I might be wrong but its not how good the card is its here good you are . you might say one day to someone that you do card magic and they throw you a deck of old cards of they own and say do me a card trick and they might not be bicycle nor Waddington’s but if your good at card magic you will do the best with any card you get.i do notest the Diffrent in the tow deck of cards i have just got my self a deck of Waddingtons cards and find they are a lottle bit smaler then the bicycle deck of card i canot say becuse to be fear with you i do not know nothink about cards. Take care evry one

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It ain't what you do it's the way that you do it...Happy Magic

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