Hi everyone, I'm torn between decks at the moment. I've read that KEM cards (I've been looking at the arrow sets) are the highest quality, however the WSOP use different brands. I'm not sure what to do here, does anyone have experience? What do you consider the best? Ideally I want the highest standard available.

Thank you for any advice you can give

There are a few card related threads in the home poker forum on this

The WSOP doesn't pick its card supplier based on quality. It's a business transaction, in the same way that some pro sportspeople wear Nike and others wear Adidas or another brand.

I use the plastic COPAG 4 Color Deck. Kind of expensive but comes with 2 decks that can each last a year easily.

KEM arrow or alpha (smaller than arrows and don’t come with cut card) all day. Copags are good too, but they have a slightly grainier feel and crease more easily. I also prefer the font on KEMs to Copags.

My local casino (MGM National Harbor) uses KEM alpha.

I'm not a big fan of the newer KEM's. They have a tendency to warp.

2018-07-11 15.08.24 by Tony Chan, on Flickr

Check out Desjgn playing cards, they are really flexible with nice graphics on the cards.

I go with copag because of quality and they work in my shuffler

I searched this forum for kem and copag, look what I found.

Playing Card Roundup

I like Copag as well. 2 of them will cost you $20 compared to KEM which costs $30. I like the way Copags age compared to KEMs.

I use Copag and really like them FWIW.

Got a mixture of Copags and Modianos from Amazon. Keep 18 decks in sets of two per session. So a deck only gets used about once every two months. That's likely more than some folks would do , but they simply don't wear out very fast either. We seem to like both brands equally.

Know this is my first post to this forum... at least under this handle. Used to use years ago, but was deactivated, so I had to re-register... but I digress...

I've used KEM, Copag and Modianos over the past 10 years. 5+ years ago, I'd tell you to get KEMs and pay a little extra for the increased quality.

However, in the past few years I've seen the issue listed above (warping) and I have a set that has actually began to loose its print (flake off) on some cards. They are stored in the house, so no temp extremes, but are heavily used for poker and other family card games.

For the money, I really like the Copags. They seem to remain springy longer, albeit they are slightly more stiff when new out of the package.

I have 2 set ups of Modianos. One, I won as a door prize at a local charity poker tourney, the other I was given as a white elephant Chirstmas gift. I have to say that while I favor the Copags, I have been impressed with the Modianos and would rank as follows:

Copag (1), Modianos (2) - because of price, KEM. KEM used to be my go to, but they are over-priced for the quality they are turning out now, IMHO.

Dean

Just as an aside. I have been advised that flaking off of red or black inks (paints ?) is often due to your table being a bit gritty from household dirt and grime, pets , and snack residues and possibly some unmentionable items that end up on some tables.

We play in my garage and within 10 minutes of taking a brand new set of kems out of their package they warped. I sent them back and have been using copags ever since with no issue. My vote goes for copag

Where can one buy Kem alphas? I'd be interested in them. I love Kem cards. My favorite. I also like the Bicycle WSOP ones from a few years ago.

Reading this thread, seems like a lot of former KEM's fans are disappointed.

I don't really understand why some solid and well-established brands like KEM will decide to lower up the quality of their products, it's like they don't know their customers : the main reason KEM was favored over other brands was specifically the higher quality and longevity of their cards.
If they lose that, they lose their customers and hardly will attract some new ones...

Personally, long-time user of Copags but having played 1 or 2 times with KEMs, I clearly prefer the grainy feel of Copags over the more slick feeling of KEM.
I also recently acquired some Grimaud decks and they have kinda same feeling than Copags but the red is darkier (security ink) and I like it a lot, but they're probably harder to find as well.

I have a large collection of plastic playing cards. Kem, Copag, Bicycle, Cartamundi, A plus, etc. You cannot go wrong with Kem. Worth every penny.

KEM was sold to USPCC in 2004 and since then the quality has deteriorated. Kind of like when Bacardi bought Patron and it went to ****

I have had GREAT experience with Copag. I do wish I had bought only the large print though. I have both and definitely prefer the large print. That's the only reason I contributed. I hadn't seen anyone mention that part of buying cards.

For the price of Copag cards, I can't recommend anything else. I like everything about them.

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If you can get your hands on a set up of Gemaco pro flex, they are the best. Super flex are next and they are fine for a home game. Otherwise I really like Kem.

I have used copag for years with no issue. Well worth the $15 for 2 decks.

They have a problem with fading. For similar price my buddy fancies Bicycle prestige green and red deck. If you like jumbo index.

For the last year or so we have used Modiano Texas Poker cards from eBay for our weekly game. They are about $14 and last us for about 6-7 months and they hold up well. Previously we used Copags and they were certainly pleased with them but after a while they do have trouble with the colors running and fading from front to back.

I got my hands on some gemaco super flex. Very nice cards. I also scored Kem Alphas. Also, very very nice.