Playing Cards
Playing cards used by non-magicians are usually bought from any stores with usually unknown brands. The most decent playing cards I came across and used before I began learning magic, was Aladdin 1001 produced by The US Playing Card Company. Almost any other playing cards bought off the streets get worn out easily and the friction between cards get greater as the cards get older. The edge of each card begins to peel and each card get thicker as the card get bloated. Aladdin 1001 was originally produced by The National Card Company before the company was bought over by The United States Playing Card Company. It is the most common playing cards of good quality apart from other playing cards in Singapore. Strangely, the Aladdin 1001 playing cards are not easily available in United States itself. This brand of playing cards is produced and exported particularly to Singapore and other countries as the company claims that the quality of the cards are more sturdy to withstand the heat and humidity in Singapore.
However, magicians do not use Aladdin 1001 playing cards. Magicians usually use one of these 3 brands: Bicycle, Bees and Tally-Ho. The most common brand magicians use is Bicycle Playing Cards. Bees are playing cards that are most commonly used in casino. Bicycle Playing Cards, Tally-Ho and Bees playing cards are all produced by The United States Playing Card Company just like Aladdin 1001. In fact, The United States Playing Card Company has bought over many playing cards companies but maintaining the original design of the playing cards that were originally produced.
Although produced by the same company, these brands differ by their design, paper stock they are made from, the embossing, the cut and whether there is a magic finish or not. Aladdin 1001 has smooth finish, Bicycle has air cushion finish, Bees has a cambrid finish and Tally-Ho has linoid finish. Although the word ‘finish’ is used here, it is referring to the embossing of the card and not the magic finish. Their overall difference is the thickness of the cards which you cannot really tell the difference, and the feel of the cards which can be felt by the smoothness. The difference can be felt when you execute a simple card flourish like the card fan. Many card flourishers find that the Tally-Ho cards are way better for card flourishes.
Generally, playing cards of these brands produced by The United States Playing Card Company are very smooth and they glide easily. This enables the magicians to perform their sleight of hands and card flourishes more easily. The common deck of Bicycle playing cards produced is called the Rider Back. One of the many reasons why magicians commonly use the Rider Back is because of the design of the box. On one side of the box is the design of the back of the deck of Bicycle playing cards. A number of magicians have incorporated this design of the box into their card magic routine. Another reason is because the company that produces Bicycle Playing Cards also produced many gimmick playing card decks (Gaffe Deck) with the same design on the back of the card. These gimmick card can come with a blank white face on one side of the card while the back design is like the ordinary deck. Some cards have both sides bearing the design of the back of the card. So the audience would thought that what they are looking at is an ordinary bicycle playing card but on the other side, it is something else which is not ordinary.
The company that produces Bicycle playing cards also custom make premium quality playing cards with designs given to them. Two magician companies, Ellusionist and Theory 11, have printed customised playing cards printed by Bicycle Playing Cards.
Ellusionist is a magic company with an online presence founded by Brad Christian in 2001. Together with his group of magicians, they design magic tricks to be sold online on their website. Anyone may also offer their magic tricks to Ellusionist to be sold on the Ellusionist website earning a percentage of the sales, subject to acceptance of the magic tricks by Ellusionist. In collaboration with The United States Playing Card Company, Ellusionist print their own design of Bicycle playing cards. Two very common and popular Ellusionist decks are the Black Tiger Deck and the Ghost Deck. Some other Ellusionist decks are: Arcane, Artifice, Shadow Masters, Knights, just to name a few.
Theory 11 is another magic company just like Ellusionist, founded by 11 magicians in 2007. In like manner, they also sell magic and playing cards online. Theory 11 designs and produced, in collaboration with The United States Playing Card Company, their own playing cards. Some of their playing cards are: Bicycle Titanium, Monarchs, Rebels, Artisan, Tycoon, Citizens, Medallions, Nomad, Contraband.
Ellusion and Theory 11 are not the only magic companies that design and produced playing cards in collaboration with the United States Playing Card Company. Besides being favoured by magicians and card flourishers, these premium and sometime even limited release of playing cards come in a great array of different designs and people are buying playing cards for the purpose of collection.