I can remember the first day I used a deck of plastic playing cards at our weekly Thursday night poker game. I've heard that many people have loved plastic playing cards right off the bat and never looked back. Well let me tell you, I was not one of those people. I picked up that deck and all I could think was, "Why are the cards so small? Why do they feel so weird? They're so damned slippery, how am I ever supposed to get used to these?" I was relieved when the next week the game location had moved and we were back to our regular good old playing cards. But little did I know the invasion had begun, and once it had started there was no stopping it. Soon we were using plastic playing cards every week. And slowly, without my knowing it, something strange began to happen. I got used to these new cards. Maybe it was originally some sort of innate fear of change in all of us, who knows, but I began to appreciate plastic playing cards for what they were: far superior poker playing cards. The material makes it easy to shuffle and easier to deal. For those of us that bend our cards a bit much when we peek at our hole cards, plastic playing cards are our savior. And without ever having to worry about a card getting marked, or creased, or even warped when the eventual drink spillage occurs, it really makes for a much more enjoyable play. I was a believer. Then came the fateful day when my new found devotion was put to the test. We had no plastic playing cards that day and had to go back to a regular deck. The cards felt all wrong, too heavy. They were stiff as a board and impossible to shuffle. They didn't slide smoothly off the deck when I tried to deal. And we had to change decks at least two times throughout the night. Never again I tell you, it was horrible. It's like going back to 8-tracks once you've heard CDs. Or going back to VHS after watching a DVD. Why would anyone willingly put themselves through that kind of torture? So if you're still not using plastic playing cards, give them a try. You'll thank me in the end. |
