United States Playing Card Company
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| Type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Founded | 1867 |
| Headquarters | Cincinnati, Ohio, USA |
| Industry | Playing card manufacturer |
| Products | Bicycle, Bee, Aviator and many more |
| Revenue | ▲ US$130 million (2003 est.) |
| Net income | ▲ US$ |
| Employees | 750 |
| Parent | Jarden |
| Website | http://www.usplayingcard.com/ |
The United States Playing Card Company, started in 1867, produces and distributes playing cards, including Kem, Bee, Bicycle, Aviator, Maverick, Tuxedo, Hoyle, Tally Ho, plus other playing card accessories, like poker chips. The company is based in Cincinnati, Ohio, but will move to the Cincinnati suburb of Hebron, Kentucky in 2009[1].
These cards are also used by famous magician, and companies like Bicycle make cheats deck only for illusionist.
For over a hundred years, the inexpensive Bicycle brand cards have been the top selling playing card brand in the world. Bee is a high-quality brand manufactured not only for consumer use, but used widely in casinos. The company also famously made the Iraq's Most Wanted playing cards.
In addition to playing cards, the company offers card game accessories and novelty playing cards, including Winnie the Pooh, Spider-Man, NASCAR, Harley-Davidson, Coca-Cola, Budweiser and so on. The company also produces many varieties of Tarot cards[citation needed].
Contents |
[edit] History
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During World War II cards were produced that, when submerged in water, could be peeled apart and both halves had a map on the inside. When all the cards were put together it made a large map. These were supplied to POWs so if they escaped they would have a map.
The company provided crates of Ace of Spades cards for U.S. soldiers in the Vietnam War. It was erroneously believed that the Viet Cong believed the card to be a symbol of death and would flee at the sight of the Ace. In actuality the Ace meant nothing to the Viet Cong, however the belief did improve the U.S. soldiers' morale. Thousands of decks of these Aces were shipped to Vietnam where the Aces were purposely scattered throughout the jungle and villages during raids. Similar cards were produced during Operation Desert Storm in 1991, immediately prior to the invasion of Iraq by US forces. Due to the shortness of the conflict these cards never saw battle.
USPC has owned Spanish playing card manufacturer Heraclio Fournier since 1986. In 2004 they acquired Kem Playing Cards, makers of durable high-quality plastic playing cards. Also in 2004, it was acquired over the course of four months by the Jarden Corporation and made into a subsidiary.
[edit] Product line
The company offers several card brands, including:
[edit] Bee
Bee Playing Cards are a casino card brand. They were first manufactured by Consolidated-Dougherty in 1892, hence the number "92" on the Ace of Spades (the standard poker deck is now known as deck type 92). Bee playing cards have a diamond back, typically blue or red, though casinos frequently use customized Bee cards featuring a logo added to the backs. Unlike Bicycle cards, Bee cards have borderless backs, making the facing of any card that is even partially revealed clearly visible. However, the diamond back of the card is very regular and low-profile compared to other back designs, which simplifies "bottom-dealing" and other forms of sleight-of-hand.
Bee Playing Cards are comparable to Bicycle Playing Cards, which are not as frequently used in casinos. However, Bee Playing Cards are often found in Hong Kong movies.
[edit] KEM
KEM Plastic Playing Cards are made from cellulose acetate, and are considered the "gold standard" of Poker playing cards. Just about all USA casino poker rooms do not use the paper BEE cards found at the blackjack tables, but rather KEM cards for their durability. KEM brand cellulose acetate Bridge size cards are used at the World series of Poker each year, in 2007, 2008 & 2009 the KEM cellulose acetate cards were given Bicycle-branded back designs for the event. KEM cellulose acetate cards are also available to the consumer with various back colors and designs in both poker (wide) and bridge (narrow) sizes. The "Poker" and "Bridge" designations only refer to the width of the card, not the games, Almost all USA casino poker rooms deal poker using "Bridge" sized cards, while other casino floor table games, such as Black Jack, actually use the so-called "poker" sized cards.
[edit] Bicycle
Bicycle Playing Cards are a popular brand of standard playing cards, and are the USPCC's original brand and product. Since 1885, the Bicycle brand has been manufactured by the United States Printing Company, which, in 1894, became the United States Playing Card Company of Cincinnati. "Bicycle" is a trademark of that company. They are popular with magicians and other card enthusiasts.
The typical Bicycle deck (Poker-standard Type 808) is a standard issue deck of cards consisting of 52 traditional Anglo-American playing cards, two jokers, an information card, and a card describing poker ranks. As with most decks, the first standard card of the deck is the uniquely-stylized Ace of Spades. The Bicycle trademark is usually also printed on the Ace of Spades. The type number of a Bicycle deck can be found both on the bottom of the deck box and on the stone of the Joker artwork.
Bicycle playing cards are sold in a variety of decks featuring different cards (such as for use in pinochle), back designs (including the traditional rider back and older Vintage backs), face designs (including Jumbo Index and Lo Vision cards for the visually impaired, and a "PokerPeek" design on their Pro series decks that simplifies looking at hole cards), and sizes (such as narrower bridge decks and Big Bicycle cards that are four times the normal card size). Any of the aforementioned are traditionally available with red and blue backs, but other back colors (including black, silver, and even pastel colors) are also available. Consumer paper versions of the plastic KEM type WSOP decks are sold under the Bicycle brand.
Bicycle playing cards are commonly used in card magic and flourishes, and are generally considered by magicians as the best playing cards for most tricks, particularly those tricks where the facing of the card needs to be concealed (this is allowed by the white border on the back of the card).
[edit] PokerPeek
USPC debuted a new line of plastic cards called "PokerPeek" at the 2007 World Series of Poker. The face of each card has the rank and suit at all four corners, at a 45° angle to the card's edges, and the size of the traditional face designs are reduced and flanked by jumbo-index ranks. The design was an attempt to make it easier for players to read their hole cards, while at the same time making it more difficult for anyone but that player to discern their hand. However, the new cards were largely pulled from play and replaced with decks having a more traditional face layout due to complaints from players due to the tiny sized indexes and confusion with the "6" and the "9".[2] The "PokerPeek" face design was integrated into the paper Bicycle Pro series of casino-quality cards aimed at the home market, and currently available at retail as of 2008.
[edit] Notes
- ^ http://www.wxix.com/Global/story.asp?S=8642421
- ^ Pokerlistings.com: New card design a big deal at WSOP
