KEM Arrow Black and Gold, Poker Size- Standard Index Playing Cards (Pack of 2) - 1017399

Kem has been the gold standard for a long time. I recently bought a KEM poker set in standard Index and I love the quality. There was no break-in with these cards, straight out of the packaging they were so easy to shuffle (I usually table shuffle the cards casino style.) The printing on the cards was great, no marks or defects just colorful nicely detailed cards. I had a Kem bridge (narrow) set and a poker jumbo set I bought in the early '90s and although USPCC bought the KEM Co. the quality is about the same, I really can't feel the difference, I would not listen to people that say that old cards are much better, In my experience using older KEM cards and dozens of other cards paper and plastic, KEM is still producing the best. I added a picture showing the difference between KEM cards and the standard Bicycle cards, the KEM cards are much more detailed and colorful with a deeper color pallet and sharper image. The Standard Wide size is the best for playing poker the jumbos are ok but I like the classic look and full size of the JKQ's. I Also have a Copag Playing Card Set which is very nice and I like playing with them, but KEM's are much better and worth $10 more in price. So If you have been thinking of buying KEM's Just do it, You will have cards that can last Years (or decades) and know you have the best.

Love these cards. They hold up very well. Much better than even the best quality paper cards.

I've been playing poker with a group of friends on an almost weekly basis for 30+ years. In that time we've gone through countless decks of different card brands. On a normal night the deck we use will have at least one drink spilled on them, be exposed to pizza and other greasy foods, frustratingly tossed in the air or slammed into the table, and suffer the constant bending/shuffling of a 10 hour game. A standard deck of Bicycle cards rarely survived a night. So, we tried the KEM brand a few years ago and we've been pleasantly surprised with the quality of these decks. We're all in agreement that they're the best decks money can buy. Whereas we we're lucky to get a few weeks of use out of other premium brand decks, a pack of KEM cards will tolerate our abuse for 6-9 months. They're the only decks we use now. They are an exceptional product that I highly recommend.

I've been playing cards for many years and decided to switch from Bicycles and Bees to cellulose acetate plastic; ie: KEM and COPAG. I purchased one set each of KEM arrows and COPAGs; both are poker (regular) size. I received the cards a few weeks ago and have had some time to play with my poker group and gauge opinions. Interestingly, our group voted 50/50 KEM vs COPAG. What I can offer is specific differences between the cards which you may find helpful. I've also included the specs of a Bicycle deck for comparison. KEM .014" card thickness .700" deck thickness, w/o jokers 2.5"W x 3.5"L deck dimensions 8.75" surface area COPAG .012" card thickness .625" deck thickness, w/o jokers 2.483"W x 3.465"L deck dimensions 8.604" surface area BICYCLE .011" card thickness .580" deck thickness, w/o jokers 2.48"W x 3.475"L deck dimensions 8.618" surface area As you can see, the KEM deck is almost 12% thicker and 1.7% larger surface area than the COPAG deck, and 21% thicker and 1.6% larger surface area than a Bicycle deck. 21% thicker than a Bicycle deck is a big deal if you're a smaller-handed dealer! Here are my personal thoughts; The COPAG's feel slightly better when shuffling as the deck is slightly smaller, less weight and easier to handle for short fingers (like mine). The KEM's numbering is smaller and much less blocky, and appear more like a traditional deck. The COPAG's have larger (not Jumbo) lettering which is blocky. Both decks have visually pleasing and symmetrical backing designs. Both slide easily on felt and are very easy to riffle/shuffle. The COPAG's have an attractive blue border around each face card picture, unlike the KEM's black border. However, the red ink used on the KEM's hearts and diamonds appear darker and a little higher quality than the COPAG's. My cut cards more than fit the bottom of my COPAG deck. The opposite is true of the KEM deck, as the cut card is just a hair smaller than the deck. Also, the COPAG's will fit inside any paper deck box, like Bicycle or Bee. The KEM's will definitely NOT fit in a standard deck box. If you're switching from a paper plastic-coat deck like Bicycles, Bees or Motors, you'll find the most physical similarities with the COPAG deck. Alternatively, you'll find the most visual similarities with the KEM deck. The KEM deck has a well-known image on the ace of spades and is probably the most recognizable deck around (ie; Rounders). Cost wise, I spent a few dollars more on my KEMs than I did the COPAGs. If I were to choose only one based on price, feel and aesthetics, I'd probably go for the COPAG deck. Oh, I asked my wife which she liked better (as an uninformed observer) and she couldn't really tell the difference between the KEM and COPAG decks. She did like the feel compared to a paper deck though. Then she beat my flopped straight by sucking out on the river with a low flush (I love you dear). Bottom line, choose either one and you'll be super happy you upgraded from the popular paper brands. I hope this helps in your decision!

The cards feel very nice in your hand. One characteristic of many plastic cards is how slippery they are or how unruly they are when shuffling, you will not have any trouble with these. I've also read that the KEM cards smell bad. They do in fact have a plastic oder but it is not anything extraordinary, it smells like any other plastic product would smell and it certainly isn't anything extraordinary or intolerable. I actually bought several brands and types and they all have a particular odor, some more than others, but these are definitely the best overall in feel, handling and appearance.

I’ve had a set of KEM cards for over 15 years and they are still almost good as new. The paint is starting to flake off in parts, but we went through a spell of playing almost daily for a whole summer on the boat. Best gift for a sailor because they can’t be ruined by water and there are nearly endless games to play with one or two decks. Wish the case accommodated a cut card a little better though. The sizing is just a bit off.

love the feel of the cards when they first came, but one set is permanently bent and the texture is rough. I had kept them in my car so I assumed that was the issue (perhaps too hot/cold) - but the other set (that I hardly used and kept indoors) has cracked all over the surface so they are rough. not too happy with the purchase. (Edited and dropped to 1 star - all four decks (2 decks per set) that I purchased are rough textured and useless.)

Momentan bin ich sehr zufrieden mit dem Produkt. Hatte vorher die billigen "Made in China" Karten, die meinem Pokerkoffer beilagen, welche allerdings bereits nach ein paar Runden auf waren: vollkommen verschmutzt und verbogen und teilweise sogar eingerissen. Ganz im Gegensatz zu diesem Produkt: die Karten fühlen sich viel edler an, sind schwerer und vor allem elastisch: als ich dann mal zum Test diese neuen Karten verbogen habe, fiel mir sofort auf, dass meine alte Karte verbogen blieb, während diese KEM Karten hier sofort in ihren Ursprungszustand zurückkehrten und man kaum eine Biegung feststellen konnte. Weitere Langzeittests, die die Haltbarkeit darlegen können, kann ich zu meinem derzeitigen Zeitpunkt leider noch nicht aufweisen, da ich noch nicht mit denen länger gespielt habe. Ich bin aber zuversichtlich! Einziges Manko ist, dass keine Pappe-Hülle mitgeliefert wird. Die Plastik-Verpackung ist zwar recht schön, nur kann man zum einen den Deckel nicht sonderlich gut auf das "Mittelstück" mit den Karten drinnen packen, da man den mit Kraft anbringen muss und diesen dann häufig schief anbringt, was allerdings daran liegt, dass an den Ecken keine Stopper sind. Das Aufmachen gestaltet sich ähnlich schwierig. So erging es mir zumindest. Zum anderen führt die fehlende Pappe-Hülle dazu, dass man die Karten schlecht in einen Pokerkoffer rein tun kann, da die Plastik-Box da nicht reinpasst und lose ist ein bisschen ungünstig beim Transport. Aber das sind nur kleine Mängel, sonst ist alles einwandfrei! Für mich sind die KEM Karten trotz des Preises eine wirkliche Alternative zu billigen Papp-Karten, die man nach jedem Abend neu kaufen muss; Und zwar vor allem deswegen, weil diese Karten hier hochwertiger sind und ziemlich sicher sehr viel länger haltbar sein werden.

So nice to play with. The best cards I’ve owned.

On the warm up to my Christmas poker games I decided to improve my shuffling skills, so I dug up a few decks of nice cards and decided to go for it. The cards I was using were casino grade card, one pack cost around about 5GBP per pack and the other was around 8GBP. Both packs had been used for some games, but were still in pristine condition. In the space of a week I had wrecked the cheaper set with the more expensive set fairing better, but the edges were starting to separate. Both sets were permanently bent in the middle. Admittedly, I was making some mistakes and clashing edges against each other and roughly handling them as I bent them for a shuffle. I decided that I needed to invest in a more robust set of cards. I was reluctant to buy these due to the hefty 22 GBP price tag, thinking I could buy 4-5 sets for the same price, but I threw caution to the wind and I am glad I did. I have really put these cards through their pace. Bending half packs to almost 90 degrees as I shuffle them and after almost 2 weeks of 10 min per night shuffling they still look like new with almost no evidence of permanent bending. Whilst my shuffling had improved through the use of the paper based cards I was still making mistakes and clashing these together, but as they are one piece plastic/cellulose there are no edges to peel apart. They are a bit easier to bend and this reduces hand strain when constantly shuffling. The cards slide smoothly across each other which makes a big difference when bending them to go in for a shuffle - the paper based cards were starting to grind. The cards smooth surface allows the cards to space evenly and so as your thumb slides across the edge to release the card it is done fluidly and much more evenly. When playing a game the cards glide across the felt when dealt and so the game just takes on a bit more of a professional feel. Very expensive, but if you are going to be shuffling and playing a lot of games, they may well save you money in the long run. the amount of playing I did previously it would not have been cost effective, but now I have increased game play they are becoming a cost saving.

Se sienten bien al tacto, más manejables, (para trucos, se resbalan, no se pueden ocultar tan fácil.). Pero tiene buena calidad.

Son suaves y bonitas,que sean gruesas