News: New GEMINI Casino Playing Cards Out Now in Black!

Out of nowhere, designer Toomas Pintson releases the Black Gemini Casino Playing Cards- the fourth edition of the popular Gemini Casino series. Gemini is a fictional casino deck inspired by treasured classics like Jerry’s Nugget and Dunes Casino playing cards.

The new edition now comes with gold metallic ink accents on the tuck box, card back and traditional courts. This is definitely the most elegant update to the Gemini Casino line up.

With it’s nostalgic ‘70s design and high-quality modern day printing technique by the United States Playing Card Company, the Black Gemini Playing Cards definitely stands out and will appeal to those who love and collects vintage casino decks.

The deck is printed on high quality thin crushed stock and are available now at $14 from www.geminidecks.com. Get $2 off for the next 48 hours.

First Look: Kings Wild Project To Launch Maduro Playings Cards Today on Kickstarter!

If you have been following Kings Wild Project on Instagram (@kingswildproject), you already know about Maduro Playing Cards. Designer Jackson Robinson has been updating his followers with the progress of this beautiful deck.

Maduro Playing Cards are a collection of hand illustrated playing cards that are designed in the colorful style of cigar band and cigar box art.

Fully custom, each court card is hand illustrated using uniquely original designs. There will be two decks available during the Kickstarter campaign- the Gold Edition and Standard Edition.

The gold edition Madura Playing Cards are exclusive to the Kickstarter campaign and features custom made gold foiled and embossed traditional cigar band label around playing card tuck case housed by an exterior cigar box with numbered tax stamp seal.

The tuck of the standard edition deck will be silver foiled and features an embossed traditional cigar band label around the tuck.

Both decks will be printed by the Expert Playing Card Company on magic finish stock. The project is scheduled to launch today (26th February) at 7pm Central. Don’t miss out!

Deck View: Whispering Imps (Executive Workers Edition) Playing Card

Limited. Imps. Intricate.

One of our all time favourite design! The Whispering Imps Playing Card is brought to you by Chris Chelko and illustrated by Mark Stutzman. The deck is inspired by magician Harry Kellar's 'Whispering Imps' poster from 1894.

The Executive Workers Edition was designed with elegance, class, and sophistication in mind. This exclusive deck is only limited to 500 and is alraedy marked 'Sold Out' on whisperingimps.com. The deck features an intricate card back, an original Gamesters Ace of Spades (a modified Gamesters Ace of Spades is also included) and 2 Joker, while the spot cards and courts are standard.

The deck is housed in a custom letter-pressed tuck case printed by Clove St. Press, made up of a heavy eggshell matte paper stock, hand selected to accompany the deeply embossed artwork made up of beautiful rose gold foils and Pantone inks.

For more cool playing cards check out JP Games.

Cardistry: Impasto Playing Cards by Obec Studio

Impasto deck is the first deck released by the team at Obec Studio (Instagram: @obec.studio). For the deck, they wanted something very unique and not just another deck but an entire atmosphere around it.

According to founder Nicolas Oliveros (Instagram: @nicolasupertramp) ,

The deck is one of 3 elements in our first drop besides t-shirts and posters so the 3 of them are related to one another since the deck is feature in the other two. Our design is not symmetrical which makes the different paint brushes in the back design  to align differently while performing cardistry depending on the packet orientation.

Fully custom, the courts are characters with different personalities and are adorned with symbolic elements making reference to the ancient cards used for fortune telling.


Nicolas wanted to innovate with new concepts in the cardistry community with the goal of  spreading cardistry through multiple artistic elements that complement it.

Cardistry is, in many ways, one of the most particular disciplines in the world. We wanted pay homage through different art forms who embrace the same distinction and elegance we consider the vast art of card shuffling stands out for.

The deck will be printed by the United States Playing Card Company and available now for $12 from Obec Studio.

First Look: Watermelon Playing Cards by Flaminko Playing Cards

[Update] Watermelon Playing Cards are now LIVE on Kickstarter!

After a successful Kickstarter campaign with Burger Playing Cards in 2017, the team at Flaminko Playing Cards (FPC) will be launching the second addition to the deliciousness series- the Watermelon Deck!

The watermelons feature the mouth-watering, bright and eye-catching colors of the Watermelon fruit. The deck has a complete custom design, all pips have been re-designed for the watermelon theme and no two faces are the same.

[Update] Watermelon Playing Cards are now LIVE on Kickstarter!

Manufactured in Belgium by Cartamundi, the Watermelons will have the same quality card stock of the Burger Playing Cards. The Watermelons are coming to Kickstarter on 22nd Febraury and will be ready in time to show in the heat of summer!

Card Gear: Kings Wild

Card Gear is our monthly feature dedicated to discovering new inventory, setup, and accessories used every day 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.

When we first started the Card Gear feature 2 years ago, we always wanted to get Jackson Robinson's EDC on Kardify. But for some reason, that did not happen... until now. Jackson is the founder of Kings Wild Project and is well-known for his work with custom playing cards. In 2013, Jackson's Federal 52 deck took the community by storm and opened the Kickstarter floodgates for every aspiring card designer since. His other incredible work includes Sherlock Holmes, KW Tally-Hos, Silver Arrows, Civil War and Independence.

When not designing playing cards, Jackson tells Kardify, "I'm trying to learn something new. Preferably learning how to make something new with my hands or trying to learn a new hand skill. I spend much of my spare time with my family and also close friends. I like playing board games, brewing IPAs and smoking tobacco pipes". Jackson's gear (Italics are Jackson's comments):

+ 1880 New Testament bible
+ Big Bend tobacco Pipe
+ Kings Wild Zippo (the phrase "That which never was, was now the first" a quote from a fantasy novel I am currently writing)
+ Kershaw knife
+ A field drawing journal
+ #2 ticonderoga pencil
+ Vladislav Erko playing card deck

If you would like your card gears to be featured on Kardify, feel free to contact us.

Card Flash: Culminus Playing Cards

Currently in fulfillment, Culminus Playing Cards by Nicolai Aaroe are inspired by the eschatological literature of the postexilic period. Culminus is represented by two meticulously crafted deck, Infernum (evil) and Infiniti (good).

Both decks feature matte tuck cases, embossed artwork, and exterior and interior gold foil. Infernum comes in a Black-brown stock and Ivory matte stock for Infiniti. The gold on white on the Infiniti is especially stunning.

Inside, the cards are fully custom with distinctive pips, ornamentation on the indices and hand-drawn courts. As expected, the artwork is top notch as always and what you come to expect from Nicolai Aaroe and award-winning illustrator Patrick Leis.

Both decks are printed by NPCC and handle reasonably well. Overall, the decks are very well done! If you've backed the project, you won't be disappointed.

Kickstarter: De Novo Playing Cards, the 2018 United Cardists Annual Deck by Rick Davidson

The 2018 United Cardists annual deck, De Novo is a collaboration between the popular playing card forum and New Zealand-based designer Rick Davidson.

De Novo - meaning 'starting anew’ - conceptualizes playing cards from a distant future with an elegant yet futuristic accent. Fully custom and inspired by traditional playing card design, the royals of each suits imagines characters from different groups- Earthers (Spades), High Order (Hearts), Humanists (Clubs) and Synths (Diamonds).

The standard suits have been updated to give it a modern look but remain familiar for easier recognition.

The backs feature ornate full metallic backs in green and gold. The artwork depicts a powerful global artificial intelligence, providing an instantaneous link to it's vast knowledge through a neural chip.

Two editions will be available during campaign- Viridi (green) and Aurum (gold) Edition. The tucks are hot stamped in green (Viridi) and gold (Aurum) foils with a unique mirror design on a high quality stock.

Available NOW on Kickstarter and pledge starts at NZD$20 (USD$19).

Deck View: High Victorian Playing Cards

Grand. Intricate. Ornaments.

Produced by Theory11 and designed in London by Joe White, High Victorian Playing Cards is a stunning deck inspired by the intricate, breathtaking style of the Victorian era. This is one of the most detailed decks we've ever seen. Every element was designed from scratch with painstaking, relentless attention to detail - the Aces, Jokers, and court cards exude the grand excess of ornamentation quintessential to the Victorian era.
The unique back design is intricate with lots of detail. The tuck especially oozes grandeur with incredibly detailed ornamentation in stunning gold and green foil as well as an elegant pattern that embellishes the interior of the stunning tuck.

Available now from JP Games.

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Cardistry: Cavities, a Groundbreaking New Concept by Shivraj Morzaria

From the creative mind of Shivraj Morzaria, Cavities is a groundbreaking new concept taking cardistry beyond packet cuts and into the realms of unexpected and unique motion. According to Shivraj on cardestroy.com,

Cavities gives you a new ground to explore upon, creative freedom and wide options of grips to play with... and  a lot more!

We reckon Cavities represents the next evolutionary step in cardistry as it brings more possibilities and combinations. Cavities will become a prominent sub-genre of cardistry.

After months of development, Shivraj has now made Cavities available to the community. In collaboration with Chase Duncan’s Pocket Park, Cavities will be using the popular Squids as the base. They are flexible, feels good, durable and waterproof!

Cavities are available for pre-order from $45 at pocketprk.com. Check out the mesmerizing launch video below:

Contest: Win a Brick of COBRA Playing Cards by JP Games for You AND Your Friend!

Almost a year ago, we launched our first 'Tag to Win' contest on the popular social media platform, Instagram and it was a huge success! Once again, our friends at JP Games is giving you and a friend the chance to win a BRICK (12 decks) of Cobra Playing Cards meticulously designed by Rick Davidson.

Head over to our Instagram account (@kardify) and start tagging for a chance to win!

Card Radar: The Autocycle No. 1 Playing Cards

The Autocycle No. 1 Playing Cards are available exclusively at Target. This unique deck is a reproduction of the Autocycle No.1 deck produced from 1901 to 1906 and depicts a rider on a motorized tricycle.

The gorgeous reproduction comes in two colors, green and purple. The deck features the familiar Bicycle Ace of Spades and jokers, vintage Bicycle courts and pips.

The tucks are inspired by the hand-drawn elements of the Bicycle Junior No. 21 design and beautifully accented with green and purple foil, respectively.

Available in-store at Target for $4.97.

Card Flash: Golden Age Playing Cards by Agitcom

Just received these gorgeous decks. The Golden Age Playing Cards by Agitcom is a beautifully hand-illustrated deck designed by Sviatoslav Pashchuk.  The fantasy-styled deck is inspired by Neil Gaiman's Stardust novel and film and features strong Kings, gorgeous Queens and romantic Jacks.

Both the Black and Winter (white) editions are beautiful! Both decks feature custom card backs, distinct aces, and gorgeous courts! Sviatoslav did an incredible job bringing each of the royals to life! The indices are bigger than the ones we usually find on a standard deck of playing cards. Took me awhile to get used to it.

With the exception of the card backs and tuck boxes, both versions have identical card faces. The Black edition stands out more than the Winter edition due to the color contrasts of the ornaments on the tuck and the card backs.

NPCC has certainly upped their game. The foil and the embossing on the tuck are very well done! For me, I am pleasantly surprised by how well the card feels and handle. Out of the box, they fan pretty well and I love the stiffer feel of the cards! Definitely a good deck for the poker table for a change.

Kickstarter: Resurrected from the Icy Depths of Winter, Draconian WIGHT Playing Cards by Midnight Card Co.

Midnight Card Company released the Draconian WIGHT Playing Cards late last week on Kickstarter. The latest edition is inspired the latest season of Game of Thrones. According to Randy Butterfield,

After watching the latest season of Game of Thrones, and seeing the amazing storyline play out, I was immediately inspired to do a white / ice version of my Draconian design. Upon receiving the prototype Cards and Physical Proof Tuck Box, I was thrilled by that choice!!

Like its predecessors, the Draconian WIGHT features hypnotic borderless back design and the face cards feature random fire/crackle fissures of Blue over a subtle light grey background. The fissures are also incorporated into the designs of the pips, courts, Aces and Jokers. The Classic Courts are flanked with the Dragon scales spiral-shaped.

The deck is housed in an eye-catching premium Matte tuck box with blue foil and clear UV Spot Ink on the white dragon scales! The Draconian WIGHT Deck will be printed by Legends Playing Card Co. on their Classic Finish. Pledge starts at $13 on Kickstarter.

Deck View: Armor (Series 5) Playing Cards

Security. Armor. Hackers.

The VERY limited edition Armor Playing Cards is a security themed deck, handed out at Black Hat USA in 2016. This is the fifth deck in the series and features fully custom back design, Ace of Spades, courts and Joker cards which bear the black and red “Hacker”. The Armor tuck spots an elegant orange and sky blue foil giving it a very luxurious feel. The deck was printed by the United States Playing Card Co.

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

Cardistry: 3 Questions with Nejc Sušec of the Shodou Deck

Crafted specifically for cardistry, the Shodou deck is the brainchild of Nejc Sušec currently seeking funds on Kickstarter. Nejc is from Slovenia, a small country in Europe where he studied Japanese, where he incorporated the calligraphy to the Shodou deck.

Nejc was introduced to cardistry about 12 years ago, around the time of Decknique. Nejc told Kardify,

At the time I was 12 years old and I didn't understand the value of cardistry yet. I though of it as cool tricks to show at card games, so I didn't stick with it. Then about year and a half ago I went through my youtube subscriptions and found so many amazing cardistry videos, which made me pick up my cards again and I haven't put them down ever since. It has come to the point, that I feel uncomfortable if I don't have a deck of cards with me. :)

Cardistry became a passion for Nejc and changed his life. Nejc explained,

On a more serious note, I am not a very sociable person (not the best characteristic for social media, I know) and cardistry has changed that drastically. Talking about it and sharing ideas enabled me to make new friends and I'm truly grateful I found my passion in such a cool thing as cardistry!

Earlier this week, we had a chat with Nejc about the inspiration behind Shodou playing cards, the community, and his favorite flourish and deck.

1. What is your inspiration behind the Shodou Playing Cards? How did you come up with the idea?
At first, the cards were something I made for myself. I was planning to buy new cards and in the end decided to make a custom deck just for myself. With my love for Japanese language and culture in general, I didn't have to think long about what I wanted. Later on, I saw the Isometrics V2 by Kenneth Aidan Foo and I thought the face borders are the best idea I have seen in a while, so I immediately knew I wanted to incorporate that in some way into my cards as well. After that it was just a matter of working out the details, which is what takes up most of the time.



2. How did you end up collaborating with Hanson Chien and what do you think of the support that you’ve been getting so far on the social media?
It is truly humbling when someone expresses interest in an idea you made out of passion, so when people showed interest in my cards, I felt I needed to repay that support. So I decided to put in the work and time to make the deck available to all of those people. I reached out to the card printing companies and in the end decided to work together with Hanson Chien Production Co. There are many USPCC decks out there, so I wanted to try something different. Also since the characters used on the deck are also from Chinese culture, I had the opportunity to get great advice from them. I am definitely happy with the decision I made.

3. Finally, what are your favorite flourish and playing card decks?
I really like fans, but with the amount of talented and creative cardists out there, I probably have a new favorite flourish every week or so. Most recently that has been Ebb by Noel Heath, and Moyses by Edgar Isaac has been a favorite of mine for a while now. Basically, if there is a fan or spread involved, you can sign me up!

Since I'm not an avid collector, I don't own that many decks, but I really like a deck, that has a story behind it, like the Playing Arts. Art of Play also has many such decks. Among cardistry decks I like the Virts (especially FW17), Isometrics by Kenneth and the School of Cardistry decks. I am also very excited for the upcoming Ventus by Lotus in Hand.

Cool! Thanks Nejc and all the best! Pledge starts at and Shodou Playing Cards will be printed by Hanson Chien Production Company.