Posted Wed Dec 29, 2004 1:06 am GMT by The Pizzle
wats so good about them? i see alote of post about them. i know they must be good but why tho?
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Posted Wed Dec 29, 2004 2:56 am GMT by Iron Butt
Plastic cards last longer, they play better, and some players like their feel better. The difference is usually most appreciated by frequent, serious players who won't play with decks with bent cards etc. and get tired of buying new cards.
Kem is usually considered the best brand and the ones you will usually see on TV. Copag is generally well regarded also. Royal are generally considered to be junk.
Posted Wed Dec 29, 2004 9:36 am GMT by tomb1
1. They last much, much longer.
That's obviously important to casinos and cardrooms, who deal so many hands a day. Whether you deal enough hands for this to matter, only you'll know. How long will it be before you buy and replace your decks 7 or 8 times? Days, weeks, months, years?
2. They are harder to mark, and don't tear, crease, bend, cut, etc.
So it's not just lasting longer, but staying in good shape all that time. You can play with paper cards for a long time if you don't mind how shabby they're getting.
3. Most people like the feel better.
They shuffle easily, you can look at your pocket cards easily, they slide across the table, etc. For some people, they are too slick, though. If you're not careful you can send them flying when you shuffle.
4. Status.
Some folks want good quality, period. Some people want to know they are using the best. Some want to use the same as the pros. Some want to impress their friends. Whatever floats your boat.
- tomb
Posted Wed Dec 29, 2004 10:08 am GMT by grandgnu
The best reason to get plastic playing cards (KEM or Copag preferably) is because when people bend the crap out of your cards, these will snap back into place.
I would have the "used in a casino" decks and they'd get all marked up (oops, that card's the 10 of spades!) because people would bend the crap out of them when looking at their hole cards.
When I switched to KEMS and Copags (I like both but actually prefer Copags) this was no longer a problem.
They also don't bleed their colors from the face of the cards and get all sticky and hard to shuffle like paper cards do.
Yeah, you might spend 10-12 bucks per deck, but it's worth it compared with replacing paper decks. These plastics last a long time, and you can wash them if they get dirty.
Posted Wed Dec 29, 2004 10:26 pm GMT by astrodabu
I had an old set of KEM Florence cards that I can't seem to find now. They definately last a long time, and I only used 1 set. I did notice the colors of Florence pattern significantly fading though. I bouight a set of Gemaco "Compass" and Del Negro (made in italy) "Freedom" cards.
The Gemaco's (which i guess are the exact same ones made for KEM), are super slick. The have a shine to them and the Face card designs are different than the KEMs I had.
The Del Negro's are not as slick because the surface has more texture to it. The surface doesn't shine like the Gemaco's, and the Face card designs remind me more bicycle paper cards.
Haven't used these cards yet, but if they're of comparable quality, I'll probably continue buying Del Negro's because of the cheaper cost and face designs. Plastic cards rock, if you don't wanna spend $20-$30, then buy cheap Ace plastic cards on ebay for $3 each.
Posted Thu Jan 13, 2005 8:46 pm GMT by The Pizzle
where can i buy them besides online?
Posted Thu Jan 13, 2005 9:41 pm GMT by PaulsonChips
I was looking online somewhere and I read that the Gemaco Plastic was better than KEM? Whats your experience on the Gemacos?
Posted Fri Jan 14, 2005 2:31 am GMT by pokerchipreviews
I've tried Gemacos, Copags and KEM's, and personally I like the KEMS the most. By far.
When guests are over and we're playing cards for fun, everyone, and I mean EVERYONE, just loves the KEM's.
Cheers,
John
Posted Fri Jan 14, 2005 2:48 pm GMT by Bleakill
might be a little offtopic but... when i told my friend im gonna buy some good cards (meaning copag), what do u think he thought to be a good card?
he said: Bicycle? :D
lool ppl are so limited...when i played in the other company with copags, that was totally different look&feel...recommend
Posted Fri Jan 14, 2005 3:40 pm GMT by Lumpy
| PaulsonChips wrote: | | I was looking online somewhere and I read that the Gemaco Plastic was better than KEM? Whats your experience on the Gemacos? |
I own KEM's, Copag's, and Gemaco's. I like the Gemaco's the least. I don't think they feel anywhere near as good as the others, and they have a glossy finish that I don't like.
Posted Sat Jan 15, 2005 8:18 am GMT by dgold41
I've been playing KEMS and Copag, but I'm partial to the KEMS, they have more texture and just have more appealing designs....I guess that I know that is a personal choice and does not affect the quality 
So what everyone else has posted has been accurate. I myself prefer bridge size because a) Borgata and Ballys AC use that (Ballys actually uses Gemaco but bridge size) b) the smaller size is better for hiding the cards and c) the size is easier to shuffle for all my friends. Think of the size as it relates to a basketball.....NBA players have huge hands and can palm the ball, which plays into their skills. The smaller cards, give everyone an opportunity to be a better dealer and also provide the player benefits, I described before.
With that said, either or would be a good choice. Ebay is a great place to buy these. There is a seller who sells Copags with .01 cent shipping and the cards for 14.95. i've also bought Kems from the same seller. Good luck and post your decision. 
Posted Wed Jan 19, 2005 11:13 pm GMT by lwestatbus
I bought a new, sealed two-deck set of KEMs and the same of COPAGs. I unwrapped one of the decks of each, fooled around with them a bit and put them away. A week later the unwrapped deck of KEMs was curled in the middle with the top few cards being the worst. Really makes the deck unusable in my opinion. I saw a mention of this tendancy in Home Poker Tourney's playing card review but didn't think it would be that bad.
Anybody else had this experience?
I can get Bee Club Specials at Wal Mart for $2.50 a deck. I'd rather stick with them.
Posted Thu Jan 20, 2005 1:11 am GMT by Iron Butt
Interesting. I've heard that before. I think it has to do with humidity.
Kems are made from their own proprietary cellulose acetate whatever plastic, which is fine and gives them a unique feel but is vulnerable to heat, humidity, and staining, I understand. Mine are fine but I live in a moderate climate and no one's spilled anything on them yet.
Copags are I think made from PVC and are impervious to anything that's likely to happen in normal use.
Posted Thu Jan 20, 2005 9:05 am GMT by The Nutz
I played in a big tourney last weekend and the cards in play were all Gemaco's. This was my first experience with these... and they were horrible!! :x I thought I was holding paper cards... really! Everytime I looked at my hole cards, I had to try and bend them back to shape. Now I know I never need to trade in my Kems or Copag's. Very happy with both of those! :D
Posted Thu Jan 20, 2005 4:24 pm GMT by Novikan
well it all is a matter of preferance... and here's what i know so far:
I would not buy Royal, Aviator, or any of those i would narrow my choices down the KEM and Copag... and i decided tho go with KEM.
 Kem- Very flexible and all together a good card, I like the color of the faces and the difficulty it is to mark the cards.
 Copag-Feel more like the normal cards but don't have the flexibility.
I hope this helps your decision.  
Posted Thu Jan 20, 2005 6:39 pm GMT by Bleakill
the only downside of kem/copag is that they are incredibly slippery, therefore are to be played with on a felt table (which some people lack) 
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