Piatnik 100% Plastic Cards Review

[TenPercenter]

Piatnik 100% Plastic Cards
by jamby

Manufacturer: The Piatnik Co. of Vienna Austria
Retailer(s): Buy playing cards at Trident Cards
Average Price: $16-$17 per setup (two decks)
Material: 100% plastic

The Ferdinand Piatnik and Sons Company of Vienna Austria has been manufacturing playing cards since 1824. They are known primarily for manufacturing very pretty and ornate novelty cards.

They also manufacture 100% plastic playing cards in both poker and bridge width that are very competitive with KEM, Copag, Dal Negro and Modiano. This review is limited to two sampled bridge width styles - #1365 and #2464. Other styles, including a 4-PIP poker width, are available.

Pros

• Very appealing, slightly grainy feel.
• Flexibility.
• Conventional and non-ornate graphics.

Cons

• Neither the individual nor the double (setup) furnished plastic cases stays closed without using a band of some sort. The cases also look kind of cheap and don't appear to be made of a high quality plastic.
• Conventional and non-ornate graphics.
• Limited availability.
• Limited offerings.
• Minor quibble with the styles being numbers - kind of confusing.

Options

Available options (at Trident anyway) are limited to:

2 different bridge width 4-PIP standard index styles - #1365, which are sold as two separate decks, and #2364

bridge width jumbo index - #2464

poker width 4-PIP standard index - #2360

#1365 Ace of Spades and red card back

#2464 Ace of Spades and blue card back

Even with those limitations though, I'm impressed. As the (kind of corny) company slogan says "Piatnik is trumps".

Feel

The Pianiks have a slightly grainy texture. They are very flexible and make for a nice shuffle. Both of the Piatniks that I tried out are near the center of the thin-thick spectrum.

Looks

These cards look pretty ordinary and aren't really anything special. Even the Ace of Spades is the plainest that I've seen on both of the setups that I have sampled.

Both decks have true white, but not bright white card face backgrounds. The #2464s though have the classic yellow rectangular center.

Durability

My experience with the Piatniks was limited, but I have no reason to expect that they won't hold up as well as other quality 100% plastic cards. We played one evening with the 4-PIP 1365s. I only shuffled and handled the jumbo index 2464s.

Bend Test

The 1365 joker when folded over did almost revert back to flat. In fact, I did the bend test in both directions and it was then back to perfect as if I'd never bent the card to begin with. The 2464 joker did much better in the bend test and reverted all the way back to flat immediately.

Unfortunately my Piatniks have all now been sold and I neglected to take pictures of the before/after bend test. Our own mrticsay was the buyer of one of the 1365 setups. He and his son Stephen, who claims the Piatniks are his favorite cards, conducted a bend test on the 1365 joker. Many thanks to the Ticsays for supplying these excellent bend test photos.

Reviewer's Comments

I really love these cards in spite of their 'plain Jane' appearance and the cases that won't stay shut. The main reason is that they have the nicest shuffle of any cards that I've ever handled.

Dealing them is a joy also as they slide very nicely across the felt and don't stick together at all. I've only had the opportunity to handle the bridge size 4-PIPs and the bridge size jumbo index though so can't comment on the other options available.

The 1365s are a bit thicker while the 2464s have a more supple texture and shuffle a bit easier. The 1365s remind me most of Modiano bikes and the 2464s are most like KEM pre-USPC Casino cards.

The cases are the main drawback for me. I just don't care for a plastic case that not only looks kind of cheap, but won't stay closed without being secured. Oddly, the Piatnik review at homepokertourney.com Home Poker Tourney - Piatnik Playing Cards Review praises the cases and claims they stay shut without being banded. Since this was not my experience, I'm left to assume that the cases have been changed over time.

#2464 setup in case

#1365 deck in case

As for the conventional and non-ornate graphics on the cards, that's appealing to this reviewer. I like a classic looking card. The jumbo index 2464s are especially appealing with the light yellow centers.

I'll be interested in seeing how the Piatniks wear over time. Right now, they are my favorite card in spite of their drawbacks. Only time will tell though how they compare to other decks that have already seen the test of time. Fortunately, two of the setups are now in the hands of people that I play cards with regularly so I should be able to address how they wear after play.

[KingZilla]

Very good review, Ten. Piatniks are on closeout sale at Trident RIGHT NOW!
Your review has prompted me to get a set up.
Thanks.

[Roc-A-Fella_1]

Originally Posted by KingZilla

Very good review, Ten. Piatniks are on closeout sale at Trident RIGHT NOW!
Your review has prompted me to get a set up.
Thanks.

I believe the review was first done by Jamby.
Your post has prompted to get a set up too!
Thanks a lot!

[jamby]

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Originally Posted by KingZilla

Very good review, Ten. Piatniks are on closeout sale at Trident RIGHT NOW!
Your review has prompted me to get a set up.
Thanks.

[KingZilla]

Originally Posted by jamby

?????????????????????????????????????????

Giving credit to Jamby if she posted the review. Sorry, I saw Ten's avatar up there. The reason I posted here was because I found the clearance on PIatniks at Trident, then came here looking for a review. Well, I found this review and it helped, so THANKS!
I also wanted to let others know about the closeout sale, so Thanks to ME!

[jamby]

Glad it helped, you're welcome. For the record, I wrote it and Ten 'published' it here in the Poker Gear Reviews forum.

Originally Posted by KingZilla

Giving credit to Jamby ... I found this review and it helped, so THANKS!

[Trident Cards]

We didn't expect to close them out, but Piatnik told us they were being discontinued. $9.99 per set while they last.

[KingZilla]

I got my PIatniks (2464 bridge, jumbo index) and put them into play last night. I love these cards. They have a bit more of a grainy texture than my KEMs or Fourniers, but it's ok. What I love most about these cards is the HUGE index. These cards are easy to see even if you're at the end of an 8 foot oval table. They have the bigest, boldest index that I've ever seen. The red suits are not the dark "security" red but that's ok too. Some of the numbers and the "Q" on the queens are a bit stylized and some people noticed them but no one complained about them. As mentioned in the review, the 2464s have the yellow background on all cards except face cards - nice touch. The rather traditional design on the backs is nice. The pips in the center of the aces (even the ace of spades) are small but it's not a problem as the pips on the corners are nice and big. I like these cards so much that I just ordered 2 more setups from Trident. Great deal at 10 bucks per setup.

[yaw]

Received my set of Piatniks this morning and wanted to give some first impressions. This is the most rigid deck of plastics cards that I've handled to date, which I love. We pass the deal at our game and I won't have to watch my KEMS or Copags go shooting all over the place. Colors are sharp, and I love the rough texture. At $10, everyone should get at least one setup.

[Thor]

Originally Posted by yaw

Received my set of Piatniks this morning and wanted to give some first impressions. This is the most rigid deck of plastics cards that I've handled to date, which I love. We pass the deal at our game and I won't have to watch my KEMS or Copags go shooting all over the place. Colors are sharp, and I love the rough texture. At $10, everyone should get at least one setup.

After reading your review and having seen the Modiano's sell out so quickly I had to jump in and get a couple. I already had one in the plastic and broke it out and shuffled it along with a set of Copag's, Modiano's, Kem's, and Desijn's. Out of all of them, when I set down the deck after shuffling, the Piatnik's had the least amount of top deck movement. I got a setup of both the 4SI and the 2JI. Really classy cards, thanks for pushing me over the edge Yaw!