Collections: Antler by Dan and Dave

Released by Dan and Dave, Antler is a beautifully earthy deck and the blurb on the Dan and Dave web site is a spot on introduction to the inspiration behind this deck.

Born from the wild forests, rolling hills, and snow-capped mountains of Northern California, the Antler Playing Cards embody the majestic beauty of the great outdoors. 

The decks are available in four versions, the simple variation is the two color choices, Hunter Green and Deep Maroon. From there, the two color variation are offered in a Standard and Limited Edition version. The tuck for both versions is for the most part identical, both have a nice subtle embossing on a nice earth tone color palette. The only real difference from the outside is a very nice "Stamp" like perforated seal with the Dan and Dave logo.

The images in this piece are of the Limited Edition Deep Maroon deck, the cards themselves in each version are again pretty much the same with the exception of the back designs color palette. The Limited Edition version of each color is presented with a full color back design, while the Standard version is a monochromatic version of each signature color. The back design features mirrored "Bucks" in a familiar "Rider Back" design, with an intricate floral scroll work that breaks the border just a bit here and there. The Ace of Spades is perfectly designed for this deck, with a Buck head featuring some beautifully ornate design work around his antlers. The Jokers come in two colors, the colors of each deck, and have some really nice typography, script and floral accent.

The face cards, as in many playing cards offered from D&D, are color variation of standard-ish and familiar court designs. Again, the re-color blends in with the deck design and offers familiarity as well as usability. You can't go wrong with either version here, these would be the perfect outdoor traveling companion as well as game night my a fireplace. They definitely set the mood in the right surrounding. The cards handle really well, you can always be sure of that with any deck coming from D&D and if your on the fence on which version you prefer, the Limited Editions do come hand-wrapped in parchment before being placed in the tuck. I'll admit, while it has no real function, it's a beautiful touch to the decks presentation.

Both versions of the Antler decks are available on the D&D website, the Standard Editions are priced at $7.95 while the Limited Editions go for $11.95, neither of which is beyond most budgets. Beautiful work, awesome concept and presentation with an affordable price........what more can you ask for.

The Collection segment is produced by Anthony Ingrassia of Kardify. No part of this article, images or video can be reproduced without written permission from the author and Kardify.com. 

First Look: Jetsetter Premier Edition Playing Cards

[Update] Jetsetter Playing Cards: Premier Edition now LIVE on Kickstarter.

Jetsetter Playing Cards are back with a brand new deck – the Jetsetter Playing Cards: Premier Edition – inspired by the classic casino and vintage airline decks of the past. The deck has been worked to be an extension of the Luxury Edition, showcasing the growth of Jetsetter Playing Cards and will continue to appeal even further to card players, cardists, magicians, and even collectors.



Jetsetter Playing Cards founder Paul Ruccio said,

“Launching this follow-up project is going to be an exciting moment but reaching the funding goal will be a tremendous milestone for our future. Once I started communicating with Bill at The Expert Playing Card Company, I knew they would be the ideal company to collaborate with for our next deck. He really understood what I was trying to create and liked the direction of the Jetsetter Playing Cards concept.” 

The Premier Edition will showcase a gorgeous Altitude Blue colorway and the courts have been recolored to match the overall theme and feel of the deck. The Spades and Clubs will showcase blue, black and sliver courts, while the Diamonds and Hearts will showcase deeper casino red, black and gold court cards.

The Ace of Spades will be custom and prominently exhibits the new Jetsetter Playing Cards logo. The back will feature the same new logo in a traditional two-way casino style design and will have the same airplane pattern as the original Luxury Edition deck.

The deck will include two Jokers that resemble fictitious airline boarding passes. For the travelling magician, both Jokers will have a location dedicated for a written prediction or signature. Also, hidden within one of the Jokers will be a card reveal. The tuck will have a vintage and classy feel with modern appeal and features a clear UV spot coating creatively applied to the airplane icons on the front of the tuck. Stunning!

Jetsetter Playing Cards:Premier Edition is scheduled to launch on March 29th 2016 at 7:30 am EDT on Kickstarter. Pledges start at $9 and ranges all the way up to $168. Upon successful funding, the deck will be printed by the Expert Playing Card Co.

Don’t miss out!

[Update] Jetsetter Playing Cards: Premier Edition now LIVE on Kickstarter.

For more information about Jetsetter Playing Cards, please visit jetsetterplayingcards.com or follow Jetsetter Playing Cards on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.

First Look: Elliptica Playing Cards by JP Playing Cards

Elliptica is the next in JP Playing Cards series of premium poker decks. Beautifully designed by Randy Butterfield, the Elliptical design runs through the deck and makes for an elegant back and tuck box.

Here's Paul Middleton, founder of JP Playing Cards to tell us more,

Elliptica is the third design in our LUXX range, I won’t bore everyone with too many details about the brand itself - but suffice to say our goal is for decks that are both beautiful and practical. Born out of our love of for the classic borderless decks, Elliptica is our take on that style with an added touch of luxury. Randy has done another superb job in creating exactly what we were trying to achieve, and we think this deck sits perfectly within our LUXX range.

The first edition pre-order window opens on April 1st at 4PM, UK time with some great deals! In particular the 99 matching numbered sets that JP Playing Cards will be releasing.

Each of these sets consists of 4 numbered decks and a corresponding dealer coin. The sets available will be 002/1000 through to 100/1000. The first customer to order a set will receive the 002 set, and so on.

Don't miss out!

Deck View: Omnia Suprema Playing Cards

Red. Ascendency. Divine.

From Thirdway Industries the Omnia Suprema Playing Cards are meticulously designed by Italian graphic artist, Giovanni Meroni. This stunning deck was recently listed on our Top12 Playing Cards of 2015.

Omnia Suprema represents the dimensional plane where Gods live in the Omnia Universe. The gorgeous courts in Suprema depict the ascendency to the divine and show their power with elaborate armors, jewel and wings. Also, the tuck features an elegant red foil plus embossing giving it a very luxurious look and feel.

Printed by Expert Playing Card Co. with Master Finish. Check out the other decks from the Omnia series on thirdway.it. For more cool playing cards, check out JP Games.

School of Cardistry: Swing Opener Tutorial

In the third episode of School of Cardistry's tutorial on Kardify, we will learn an easy but effective flourish to showcase a tuck case with class! Here's Jaspas to tell us more:

Deck box designs are an integral element in card designs. Therefore, Cardists should consider the box when designing card flourishes. Swing opener is an easy flourish designed to showcase elements of a box's design with class.

To learn more about Cardistry, check out and subscribe to NDO's School of Cardistry channel on YouTube for more high-quality tutorials.

News: 7 Questions with Hanson Bomb on the Bomber Deck

In 2007 Hanson Bomb created Bomb Magic Studio, since then he's brought together some very talented friends and has been working diligently on bringing something new, fresh and unique to the masses. They've recently started developing their own playing card productions and are hoping the hard work and quality of their products continue to garner attention in the community. We recently had a chance to talk to Hanson about their latest release, the Bomb Deck and a bit about his company.

What inspired the Bomber deck?
The design is inspired by the green code effect in the movie "The Matrix“, but the original idea was to print a simple design deck which is suitable for daily magic performance and to promote our own brand. We made our symmetrical trademark on the middle design as our final choice; because there are lots of casino-styled playing cards using 2 top and bottom logo's to lay out on the back design in recently years. We wanted something different, and we came up with nearly 15 drafts before we settled on the Matrix coding version.

Is there a process you go through when developing a concept?
We made our back design public in October 2015, and then we received some feedback toling us the design was similar to D&D's Smoke & Mirror. We thought the concept, line, plane and geometric figure..etc, were basically design elements. We also felt they didn't realize the deck included a unique marking system, it's not only a back design/pattern. The real "design" is the marking system, it took us many tests to refine the system.

Are there any special features to the Bomber Deck?
The Bomber series deck includes a completely marked system, that can recognized the suit and number from back. It may be the only deck that can be recognized from a middle-distance in the playing card market. You may ask: Is this system also easily seen by spectators? Let me tell you, the back design can do the Matrix code animation effect by riffle down the deck. I usually show this to spectators when I take out the Bomber deck, then I will say: Your brain is hacked now. If you do a couple of routines then use the marking system, the spectators will find it difficult to think it's marked deck. The marking system "Code" on the Bomber deck isn't easy to break. It's also includes a one way design on the back and face, it's a powerful tool to use in a performance.

When designing this deck, did you have a specific “group” in mind, or was it designed to cater to a wide variety of card aficionados?
The Bomber deck is designed for magicians and magic performances. It doesn't mean they can't be used in playing card games. Bomber is our brand works, there is a trademark on tuck cases and back design, the most important thing for us is that we show the quality of our product to all of our customers, collectors and card lovers in the whole world. We released completely different styles and handling decks, Kete Moon Deck and Bomber Series Deck, to show we didn't have a specific market group. We can produce diversified works. We think there are always supporters in every single art. There is no good or bad in Art, its just different, we won't limit our imagination and the product styles.

What aspects of this project excite you the most and why?
The most exciting part of this project to me is the marking system. I've collected and researched playing cards for many years, I found lots of marked decks are designed either too easy or very difficult to recognize. It's not easy to design a marked system good for performance and quick to understand, but spectators can't read it directly. The marked system I designed combines the cryptography. It's like I use not only a key inside this deck. It should be very rare in the market. The Bomber Series Decks are finished and were printed before this Chinese New Year, I took some the decks to a few magic shop and showed it to some magician friends, everyone was crazy to research the secrets of the system. They couldn't even tell you the all their secrets during a 3 hour session, but you will hear them talk to you again and again: "I don't want to know , my eyes are almost blind." BTW, I'm now whispering to you, the Kete Moon deck is also marked, it should only be found by very few people.

What can you tell us about your company Bomber Magic?
I have to clarify before I explain, it's Bomb Magic Studio. We're not looking at it as a company, its just a studio that's been around since 2007. We have not changed it to company so far, because we're always researching, desirous and curious in our mind to study the latest news. We don't focus on profits as our main goal, it's the spirit that people should have in this big data era, much like the design of the Bomber Deck. Bomb also includes the spirit of Born(born for magic) and Beyond(beyond the magic). Bomber Playing Card Company was separated from Bomb Magic in 2016 and took full charge of the production process, such as printing, designing, receiving the orders, and so on. Bomb Magic takes care of the rest including the distribution and retail. That's why I wanted to clarify first. Bomb Magic Studio is responsible to the abstract spirit (Bomb-Spirit). Bomber Playing Card Company is about the identity, about the high-quality of our works (Bomber-Identity).

Are there any new projects in development that we can look forward to from Bomber Magic?
Yes! If you're asking about playing card projects, we're now processing, drawing up and designing through Bomber Playing Card Company. Bomb Magic is only about magic research, products distribute, retail sales and developing something different with playing cards. That helps us accurately find our target. We also work with a few artists from Taiwan and even internationally once we finished the design for the Kete Moon Deck and Bomber Series Decks. We will keep releasing special works in the near future to attract different magicians, customers and collectors into the market.

We want to thank Hanson and Bomb Magic Studios for their time and giving us the opportunity to take a look at the Bomb Deck and an insight into their works and future. You can follow the latest news from the studio on Facebook as well as their website.

Kickstarter: 7 Questions with the team at Joc Fora of LA CATRINA Playing Cards

LA CATRINA Playing Cards by Joc Fora is headed by Salvador Bayarri and illustrator Ivan Toledo. The guys have taken the cultural and symbolic icon to thier creation. Art, style and function come together in this gorgeous deck of playing cards.

With this being Joc Fora's first venture into the custom playing card arena on Kickstarter, we were happy to have a chance to talk to them about their maiden voyage and concept behind LA CATRINA Playing Cards.

Can you tell us about yourself and what is your design background?
We are two guys from Valencia, Spain, 28 and 31 years old. Ivan is an illustrator, he is the one that makes all the artistic part of our projects, and Salva do the logistics. We previously participated in another project of crowdfunding but this is our first independent project. We baptized ourselves as "Joc Fora", a name in our mother tongue which would mean the same expression as "All In" in the traditional card game of our land, "the Truc of Valencia". We believe it’s a very good name because it represents the commitment we are making building this brand.

What is your inspiration behind LA CATRINA Playing Cards? How did you guys come up with the idea?
The first thing we did was looking at a lot of projects until we realized that we wanted to start making a playing cards project. We began thinking about attractive designs and LA CATRINA fitted perfectly with that elegant image that we wanted to get. We must confess that we had already experienced before the attraction by the beauty of the Mexican culture... Even Ivan has a Catrina tattooed on his arm!

How much time did you spend working on the deck?
Since the first intention of creating LA CATRINA Playing Cards until the day we published the project has been 4 months during which there have been many phases, more and less intense, even some unforeseen event that has forced us to delay some dates. By now we keep working everyday on this campaign, trying to spread the word and taking care of every backer. 

Talk to us a bit about going from the first draft to the final version. How did you get to this finished product?
We started looking for the idea of what we wanted, which in this case turned out to be LA CATRINA. We structured all the work: the design of the figures, the numbers, the suits, the back and the box design, and we started to draw sketches of the different parts of the deck. Once we get the result that we liked, we finally digitalized and edited all the artwork and sent the designs to our manufacturers for the first prototypes. We correct what we thought necessary until we arrived to the final product we already have!

From the project page, what are a few of your favorite reward levels and why?
What we want is that all the people who likes our project can participate in the way they see, either giving us encouragement in the comments, telling about our project to their friends or making a contribution in exchange for one of our rewards. Anyway, if we had to choose, we believe that rewards 5º and 7º (EARLY BIRD # [EVERYTHING] & [LIMITED & NUMBERED EDITION]) are probably the two best options to get the most out of LA CATRINA Playing Cards.

What's next for Joc Fora? Are there any plans after LA CATRINA Playing Cards?
Very soon, during the last day of this campaign, we will announce our next project! It will be an alternate version of this same deck, we will show an image as a teaser for all our backers, don’t miss it!

Finally, what are your favourite playing cards?
Our favorite playing cards, which were also a Kickstarter project, are the Arcana Playing Cards. The fact that them are made from 16 traditional engraved illustrations makes their artistic level stop no wonder, really seem the best we've seen.

Thank you for your time guys! At the time of writing, the project is 84% funded with less than 7 days to go. If you want to support LA CATRINA Playing Cards, you can find it on Kickstarter here! 

Pledge starts from €15 (USD$16) and the deck will be printed by the USPCC on Radiant Linen Finish. Dealer chip, close-up mat and uncut sheet are available as an add-on.

Analytics: Project by Numbers - VIRIDIAN Playing Cards

It has been awhile since we did an analytics feature on Kardify. In our Project by Numbers analytic series, we look at what happens after the project, from number of backers, pledge amounts, add-ons to traffic sources and shipping costs. For this quarter, we will look at numbers from our very own Viridian Playing Cards Project - the backers, the pledges and where do these beautiful decks get shipped to.

A deck that is as beautiful as it is functional, Viridian is the first in Trikard’s new line of Signature playing cards - versatile for magic, card flourishing or even just a game of poker. Designed by Ade Suryana, Viridian playing cards feature a custom vintage design, reimagined courts, a beautifully crafted tuck case and a stamp bearing an intricate custom design. Currently available at our store for $11.

The Project

Viridian was launched on June 17th, 2015 with a funding goal of AUD$16k. The project reached its funding goal on day 12.

Overall, the project the project was 118% funded. Here's a quick overview of the project:

Backers

First we look at the backer numbers. The 364 backers are made out of:

International backers pledged on average just 2% higher than domestic backers. Here's how it looks like:

Unfavourable foreign exchange rates and a more expensive international shipping rate could be a factor.

Where do majority of the domestic backers come from? Here are the top 10 states by number of domestic backers:

While the top 10 countries by backer numbers:

It is interesting to note that the top 10 from both domestic and international make up 60% of the total project backers!

Pledges

Looking at the amount pledged of AUD$14.2k, a large percentage of backers are based in the domestic United States (77%).

Note that 5% of pledges did not get banked due non-processed credit card errors.

From the total pledged amount, 65% of the backers pledged $14-25 tiers. The most popular pledge seem to be the $14 level, which is the single deck reward tier. Histogram as follows:

Breaking it down further to examine the pledge levels of both domestic and international backers.

The one deck tier option seemed to be the most popular amongst international backers. This could be due to the more expensive shipping cost per deck for international backers. To illustrate the scale of shipping cost, the cost of shipping equates to 50% to 30% of our international backers.

Where do they go? 

Here's a world-map view (based on backer numbers) of where each Viridians were shipped to:

Note that the decks was delivered to 23 different countries around the world. In terms of spending, here are the top 10 countries based on pledge size:

Meanwhile for domestic states:

Domestic US map view:

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all our backers for supporting us and Viridian Playing Cards.

Deck View: CHOICE (Green Edition) Playing Cards

Elegant. History. Simplicity.

Designed by Ben Kolozsi with simplicity in mind, CHOICE Playing Cards are a contemporary deck inspired by history and by hand-drawn playing cards of the past. The Green Edition of CHOICE features an elegant rich, dark green back with gold foil on top. A very classic look!

The Ace of Spades and courts are custom and meticulously hand-illustrated while the minimalistic back design enhances displays and card flourishes. Only 1,000 deck where printed by the Expert Playing Card Company on their best stock and finish.

For more cool playing cards, check out JP Playing Cards.

School of Cardistry: Isolation - Rotation Isolation Tutorial

Welcome to the second episode of the School of Cardistry tutorial on Kardify. This week, we will continue the Isolation tutorial series where we learn about rotations: According to Jaspas,

Rotation isolation is the second core movement behind all card isolations. This will give you the ability to rotate the card in your hand without moving majority of your hand or simply move your hand without moving the card. Paired with the palm shift isolation, any performer can wow his audience with ease!

To learn more about Cardistry, check out and subscribe to NDO's School of Cardistry channel on YouTube for more high-quality tutorials.

First Look: Joker and the Thief: White Gold Edition Playing Cards

We are happy to have this guest post by James Milaras from Joker and the Thief. The Joker and the Thief Playing Cards are one of the most impressive decks last year and was featured in our top12 of 2015. In this first look, James shares with us about the new Joker and the Thief: White Gold and the enhancements made to the new Edition. Enjoy! 

[Update] The Joker and the Thief: White Gold Edition is now LIVE on Kickstarter!

We’re very proud to announce the launch of Joker and the Thief: White Gold Edition. This is our first launch of 2016!

What better way to kick off this year with a deck that is considered by many as not only effortlessly elegant, but one that adds to the mythology of the original deck.

We’ve specifically designed this deck with handling in mind. The inverted white gold back design makes for a significant reduction in ink saturation. Pairing this with Expert’s durable Classic Finish should result in far snappier, crisper and more responsive cards than our original deck. In saying this, the new version will greatly outperform the original.

We’d like to give a huge thank you to our original backers for getting the Joker and the Thief Playing Card Co. on its feet. You guys will forever be a part of team Joker and the Thief!

Join us on Kickstarter, Friday, March 18th at 6:00PM PST, for Joker and the Thief’s first limited release of 2016!


Images courtesy of Joker and the Thief. Tuck images taken by Fabien Defaucheux. For more information about Joker and the Thief, check out their site at jokerandthethief.net

News: Behind-the-Scenes of Joker and the Thief's Epic White Gold Trailer

In anticipation for Joker and the Thief's launch of their second project, James Milaras and Reuben Nutt from Joker and the Thief take to the streets of the city to shoot their latest Kickstarter Cardistry Trailer. 

... and it.is.EPIC!

The pair is popularly known for their incredible deck video reviews in conjunction with Art of Play, focussing purely on the handling of decks of cards. In this exclusive guest post, James share with us their creative process of a shoot and takes us behind the scene of their new trailer for the Joker and the Thief: White Gold Edition Playing Cards.

This video was a special project for both Reuben and myself seeing as it is the first time we had ever filmed outside of our home town.

We believe this video really captured the spirit of Joker and the Thief. We always film in a spontaneous, run and gun manner.

That said, we're going to take you through the process of how we create our video content.

So, before producing any video we will often scout out our locations a day before we shoot. However, as much as we try, we often end up changing the location at the last second. Weirdly, it always seems to happen... Why? It's just a thing with us. When planning a deck review or a Cardistry video we often like to select the correct deck and correct music that will suit both the cards and location. This is our foundation for both production and post-production.

From there we simply go out and shoot. Our gear has changed over the years but now our standard equipment consists of Reuben's Glidecam, Sony A7s, and a couple of 24mm and 35mm T1.5 Cinelenses from Samyang. This is probably the best 'all rounder' gear for our work, allowing us to shoot in almost any condition.

Once out, we shoot as much content as possible, often until exhaustion or until we both agree - "Alright, let's get the hell out of here" or "I'm hungry let's wrap this up... Burgers?" That's always fun. Pro tip - never film on an empty stomach.

We've also found that for shooting Cardistry, it is super important to be warmed up, which means flourishing for at least an hour before shooting to ensure that your moves are silky smooth for the camera.

So after our well earned lunch, we will either split, or go and edit together. This often includes hours of sitting in Reuben's room shortlisting shots and then stitching them together in Adobe After Effects, fuelled by many many snacks. Once we both agree that the video is as good as we can make it, we render, export, and upload for your viewing pleasure!

We're proud to release our latest video, alongside our first project of 2016 - Joker and the Thief: White Gold Edition! Video will go LIVE on Kickstarter on Friday, March 18th at 6:00PM PST.




For more information about Joker and the Thief, check out James Milaras and Reuben Nutt on Instagram or visit their youtube channel for awesome playing cards review.

Card Gear: Shutterbug

Card Gear is our monthly feature dedicated to discovering new inventory, setup and accessories used everyday by card designers, cardists, magicians and collectors. The concept originated from the popular social media site, Instagram: #passthepockets. Whenever one of these hashtags come up on the social news feed, there's always something new to discover, no matter who that person is.

This month we have the EDC of Akmal Luthfi, one of the founding member of TriKard. Since 2008, Akmal has been interested in the Art of Astonishment and then founded TriKard in 2014, producing the stunning Aquila Playing Cards. Akmal is has a passion for photography and works as a freelance photographer for corporate events, product photography, photo stock, etc... Check out his Instagram account, @cardcollections09 to see more.

Akmal’s gear:
+ RayBan Eyeglasses
+ TriKard Viridian Playing Card
+ Black Sharpie
+ Silver Snowman Marker
+ Xiaomi Redmi Note
+ SE Aquila Playing Card
+ Carbon Decal Card Clip by Ade Suryana
+ Casio Edifice Watch
+ Stealth Assassins Wallet


What’s yours? If you would like your card gears to be featured on Kardify, contact us.

Deck View: Bicycle Luchadores Playing Cards

Colourful. Moves. Masks.

The Bicycle Luchadores is a delightful deck that pays tribute to the great tradition of lucha libre, a popular type of wrestling with roots in Mexico. Luchadores is the term for the wrestlers themselves.

This fully-customized deck features 16 different Luchadores, including colorful masks and unique finishing moves, common characteristics of Mexican wrestling.

The deck also features hand-drawn number cards, courts, and Jokers. Printed byt the USPCC in the USA and the Luchadores feature the patented Air-cushion Bicycle finish, softly beveled edges and sandwich construction for enhanced game play.

Brilliant deck to add to your collection! Available now from JP Games.

School of Cardistry: Isolation - Palm Shift Tutorial

Welcome to the first episode of the School of Cardistry tutorial on Kardify. Each week, we will feature a different School of Cardistry tutorial hand-picked by Jaspas. Each week, we will feature a different School of Cardistry tutorial hand-picked by Jaspas! Here's Jaspas to tell us more about the Isolation - Palm Shift Tutorial this week:

Isolations have been a centerpiece for Cardistry viral videos for a while now. The way it seemingly floats in mid air and glides around the hands leads to both visual and visceral expressions of the art of Cardistry. Here is my first installment in the series of Cardistry tutorials designed to teach isolations, I hope you enjoy.

To learn more about Cardistry, check out and subscribe to NDO's School of Cardistry channel on YouTube for more high-quality tutorials.