Playing Card Reviews – Month of July 2020

This is a new blog post format where I will share small bite-sized playing card reviews that have been compiled over the past month. To kick it off I have a stockpile of reviews I’ve written during the past couple of months. I am writing these in the hope to help you decide on the next deck to add to your collection. If you have any suggestions or questions feel free to comment. Please note, these reviews are based solely on my opinions and your opinions may differ, that being said I’d love to hear what you think about any given deck.

Standard Bicycle Playing Cards

Coming in at around $3-4 the standard Bicycle deck is a no brainer. The back design is packed full of different images all strung together into what we would call a standard back design. The card’s faces are standard which is great for certain situations. For example, if you’re a magician a standard deck is perfect as no one will question whether it’s gaffed or special, but if you’re a cardist you may want a deck with a bit more flair. The cards feel great, they handle quite well, however they do need some breaking in before use. Whether you just need some cheap cards for practicing or a solid deck of cards to perform every magician and cardist should have a couple of these decks at their disposal.

Handling: 4/5
Tuck: 3/5
Design: 4/5
Quality: 5/5
Price: 5/5
Total = 21/25

Bicycle Autumn Playing Cards (Green)

This deck is a beautiful representation of autumn; in fact, it’s called the bicycle autumn deck. There is both a red and green version of this deck. The deck is relatively cheap, coming in at around 7$, and it is widely available throughout the US at most Walgreens. The cards don’t handle flawlessly and are not a crushed stock; I would describe them as a bit clunky. The design of this deck is excellent, the colours, pattern, and metallic ink work in perfect harmony to create an exceptional deck. I wouldn’t say this is the best deck, but It is a quality deck that you should consider adding to your collection!

Handling: 3/5
Tuck: 5/5
Design: 4/5
Quality: 5/5
Price: 4/5
Total = 21/25

Summer NOC Orange Edition

Based on the classic NOC design, the Orange Summer NOC deck, screams summer with its super vibrant colour. The deck has standard faces which have been slightly adjusted to have a nice pop. The jokers are very minimalist with a  pineapple in the center and text on each side. The tuck case is orange on the outside and has the summer NOC logo in the front and a small pineapple on the back. The design of this deck is simplistic but sweet. These cards handle great and are comparable to standard bicycle cards. The decks come in at around $10, which is a decent price for a custom deck, especially one that has suit markings. Some people don’t like its simplified design, but I love it. I’d recommend you add NOC’s to your collection today.

Handling: 4/5
Tuck: 5/5
Design: 4/5
Quality: 5/5
Price: 4/5
Total = 22/25

Bicycle Canada Four Seasons Playing Cards

Canada day was just last week. To celebrate, I decided to make this review about the Canada Four Seasons Playing Cards. The deck of cards shows off Canada’s Provinces and territories in their four seasons. The pictures on the faces are outstanding, and it’s awesome to see all the beautiful views Canada has to offer in a deck of cards. As I said, the faces look great, however, the back design leaves more to desire. Compared to the rest of the deck it lacks thought and is solely four different pictures with a maple leaf in the center; it’s a one-way design that makes the deck look odd when shuffled. No borders are found on the cards which can make it borderline impossible to perform certain magic tricks. The deck feels very good as do most Bicycle decks, however, the stock feels a bit softer and smoother, which I prefer. The deck costs around $5 and is a solid deck to add to your collection. I wouldn’t recommend this deck for cardistry or magic, due to its odd back design, but if you’re looking for a cool deck to add to a display or your collection, this one will shine.

Handling: 4/5
Tuck: 3/5
Design: 3/5
Quality: 4/5
Price: 5/5
Total = 19/25

Bicycle Eco-Edition Playing Cards

These days, the environment plays a large importance in our everyday life. The bicycle eco-edition deck represents the importance of sustainability in our ecosystems. It explains Bicycle’s manufacturing process on the back and states all bicycle decks are recyclable. The deck is the standard bicycle design however instead of the classic blue or red the deck is an eco-green. The red suits have been replaced by the eco-green and the face cards are modified to support the green colour. Its feel is an identical feel to the standard bicycle deck but has a nice matte kraft tuck. You can pick up this deck for under $8 which is a great deal. Overall, the deck has an awesome modified classic design with a meaningful message and I would highly recommend you add it to your collection!

Handling: 4/5
Tuck: 4/5
Design: 4/5
Quality: 5/5
Price: 5/5
Total = 22/25

I hope these mini-reviews help you make a decision or show you some other decks you could add to your collection. These first playing card deck reviews featured all sorts of decks at a low price point. Check back next month for some new awesome playing card reviews!