plastic card (COPAG) longevity

[tastic]

How long (or number of tourneys) do COPAG cards last?

I can a really great deal on a large number of plastic coated cards, but am considering opting for the 100% plastic COPAGS and was wondering, in practice, how long they actually last...

Thanks much and happy flops!

[Buddha]

from what I have heard people say about kems, it seems to be 20x the length or more of paper cards.

[Always_Bored]

Ive never used copags but if they are anything near the quality of Kems you will be impressed

[Nickmast]

Ive had my copags for a few months now and they still look and feel brand spankin' new. Very highly recommend Copag cards!!

[tomb1]

I've been playing Kems for years, and they are still in good shape. With Bicycle cards, they would get pretty ratty after a few hundred hands - still playable, but going downhill fast.

Here's a real world test: I know a loacl rock band that tours a lot so they have lots of time on their bus, in hotels, waiting at concert halls, etc. The five of them probably average 6 hours of poker a day on the road.

They told me they would go through 2-3 decks of drugstore cards a week. Sometimes they play 'em longer if they were short on money, but switch them out when everybody couldn't stand them any more.

So I gave them a set of 2 Kem decks (new Foxwoods overruns) about 3-4 months ago. They've used them constantly since them, and are still in great shape. They'll never use regular cards again, and they think these Kems will last for a long time.

So I'd guess that good plastic cards would last 10-20-30 times as long.

[Always_Bored]

The only problem with Kems and i woudl assume copags is that if they get creased.

[redd38]

I've had Copags for a couple of months and the ink is starting to rub off... the cards are still physically great, but the print is looking distressed. My original KEMs I've had for over a year and are still like new (well, one of the decks is, the other got a crease)

[joe_13]

I've been playing with my Coapgs for several months now, and they still look and feel new. They're not even slightly bowed. They get plenty of hard core shuffles, since my friends like to over-shuffle, and they haven't learned the casino style shuffle.

Usually (2) paper decks only last one or two sit 'n go's before they need to be thrown away.

And at half the price of Kems,... VERY VERY worth it.

I personally like the Copags better than the Kems.

[Always_Bored]

We were going through a deck a night playing 3 nights a week which cost us a dollar a pack. For 6 months we have been using the same 2 decks of kems that cost about 25 canadian. $3 X 26 weeks = $78. We used old casino cards at $1 a deck. The kems are still good and will probably last another 6 months at least

[tastic]

thanks guys...

i've decided to just go ahead and purchase a set of COPAGs...

btw, someone mentioned "casino-style shuffling"...is that when you just shuffle in a corner of the card on an angle instead of parallel and bowing the entire card down the middle?

[joe_13]

btw, someone mentioned "casino-style shuffling"...is that when you just shuffle in a corner of the card on an angle instead of parallel and bowing the entire card down the middle?

that's what I call it.

[R Deckard]

thanks guys...

i've decided to just go ahead and purchase a set of COPAGs...

btw, someone mentioned "casino-style shuffling"...is that when you just shuffle in a corner of the card on an angle instead of parallel and bowing the entire card down the middle?

I'm sure that's what he meant. It's much faster, and doesn't expose the cards, either. And if you practice, you can still bridge the cards while keeping them in contact the table, just like some of the fancier dealers I've seen in CA/Vegas. A very slick looking trick, IMO.