If you’re playing at the best Australian poker sites, there’s a pretty good chance that you’ve never stopped to consider card design. While playing online you may well appreciate the aesthetics that are offered by the look of a card, beyond this there is very little effect. However, what if you’re thinking about playing poker at a land-based casino? What if you’re thinking of setting up a poker game at home where the choice of cards is yours?
When you’re physically holding a card in your hand, you’re likely to find that the design, and more importantly the quality, have an impact on your game. Not sure how? Well, let’s take a look now.
Cheap and cheerful
If you’re looking at holding a one-off poker night, you might not want to go mad with what you’re spending. When it comes to picking up a deck of cards, you can do this for literally pennies if you know where to luck. The problem with these cards is that they just won’t last.
It’s true in most areas of life that you get what you pay for. With cheap poker cards, you’ll find that they bend and tear easily. Damaged cards need to be replaced as eagle-eyed players will soon realize which cards are carrying the damage and this will certainly give them the advantage. You’ll also find that they wear extremely quickly and that makes them difficult to shuffle and deal.
Higher-quality pasteboard
These cards are made by using paper and pasteboard. While they’re far from being perfect, they are a significant step up from the cheap and cheerful cards previously discussed. If you’re looking at improving your game, you want to play with a decent deck of cards and with these pasteboard ones you’ll find:
- They last much longer than the cheaper alternatives
- They’re easier to shuffle and less likely to tear and bend
- They represent a quality that most players are used to
If you’re looking at holding numerous poker nights, you’d be better off buying a few packs of these cards. Yes, they will last longer than the cheaper ones, but they certainly won’t go on forever. As and when they become damaged, you don’t want to run the risk of having to interrupt play. Having a spare deck on hand avoids this.
Perfect plastic decks
If you’re really serious about your poker game, then you’ll find that plastic cards are the best that money can buy. These cards certainly won’t bend and they’re almost impossible to tear. This means that they’re the best that you can get your hands on when it comes to dealing and shuffling.
Yes, these cards are going to cost you far more than the others that we’ve looked at but they’re definitely worth that extra. They will last much longer and, over time, will pay for themselves. You’ll find that having cards of this quality adds so much to the poker experience.