rider back poker cards are amazing

A fond childhood memory I have from when I didn't have a care in the world is Saturday nights at my grandfather's house. Dad would drive me over there, he and grampy (that's what we called him) would play cards at the kitchen table, and I went into the living room and played Intellivision video games.

Sometimes I would watch dad and grampy play, but not all that often. My favorite part was watching dad shuffle the cards, because he was a master at it. He had big hands, could shuffle lightning quick and bridge a deck like nobody's business. His skill at doing this was most likely acquired when he served in the Navy. A faded memory tells me that's what he said when I asked how he became so good at it. I'm pretty sure he also said he was usually if not always chosen as the dealer whenever a game got together in the days he served because of his skill at handling cards.

Funny enough is that I never played a hand with dad. Do I regret that? Somewhat, but not really because I am no good at cards whatsoever.

What I do have is the cards dad would have played with, Bicycle Rider Back playing cards; they are amazing.

The decks I have aren't the ones dad actually used in the early '80s. While I would cherish those if I possessed them, I know it's best that I don't. Dad and grampy would thoroughly use a deck until the cards became unplayable. First the cards would get frayed edges, then the edges would start tearing, then the corners began folding, then once creasing started and the cards couldn't be shuffled anymore, they were thrown out.

I remember handling a well-used deck just out of curiosity a few hands before it was trashed. The cards were discolored and had some printing worn off from being played so many times, and they would bend so easy that they almost felt like cloth. Any firmness the cards once had was totally gone, which is how they naturally would wear over time.

Not that I'll ever be able to go back in time and get one of these, but if I could, it would be great to have a deck dad and grampy used that was well played and with some wear, but not to the point of being one hand away from the trash.

The design

The Rider Back is officially design no. 63, but everybody knows these as the 808. On the Ace of Spades in every deck, BICYCLE 808 is printed right on the card and only that one.

The entire reason for the name Bicycle is because at the time - and we're talking in the 1800s here - bicycles were all the rage. Every Rider Back has two images of cupid on the back riding a bicycle. Between the two cupids is a bar, which I assume is supposed to represent bicycle pedals.

Rider Back cards come in red or blue and I have both. They also come in several other colors with special editions aplenty, but the classics that have been around forever are always red or blue. I prefer the red.

The box for a deck of Rider Back cards always shows the same two cupids art on the back, just like the cards.

Some versions of the Rider Back are made specifically for magic tricks, as in short deck (cut slightly shorter) or stripper deck (slight taper for easier handling).

I love the two cupids art. It's very distinctive, very much old world, and is the fundamental reason I prefer Rider Back decks over Standard.

There really isn't any difference between Rider Back and Standard as far as playability is concerned, except when it comes to the box. Rider Back boxes always have the two cupids art on the back while Standard does not.

Does the Standard have the two cupids art on the cards? Yes. Do they have the 808 printed on the Ace of Spades? Yes. Again, it's pretty much the box that is different.

To me, the Rider Back box matters. I love that the art alone instantly identifies what they are. If you saw a box of these cards face down on a table, you automatically know it's Bicycle Rider Back. If it was your first time seeing that art, you will remember that design the next time you see a box. That art, in such a beautiful way, says, "these are poker cards", and does so without saying a word.

Other colors... maybe?

I might pick up some other Bicycle playing card colors in the future just to have something different, but nothing crazy. I learned the hard way by getting the Cypher deck that crazy designs aren't really something I care for. Definitely different, but too different for my taste.

The Standard in black is cool. Tough to find in stores, but thankfully easy to find online. It's not the Rider Back box, but absolutely is the 808 card.

Purple and gold Rider Back. I like those, and they do have the proper box.

Nice surprise: Rider Back Prestige

A Prestige Rider Back deck was gifted to me recently. I was glad to receive this because it's something I never would have bought on my own. Technically not an 808 deck, and when you see Dura-Flex and "plastic playing cards", it might want to make you run away screaming.

Color me surprised when I handled these cards and it felt like a properly worn-in deck brand new. This is a tastefully done deck made of modernized material that feels right and can really take some punishment.

Unlike regular Rider Back cards, if you spill a drink on a card, it's not ruined and you can wipe it clean real easy. And far as I can tell, they should easily survive in places where regular cards wouldn't.

The traditional Rider Back is still my favorite by far, but Prestige Rider Back surprised me in a good way.

Go vintage?

I'll end on this because it's interesting info to know.

When you start diving down the rabbit hole of Rider Back cards, you learn about the whole Ohio vs. Kentucky thing.

Bicycle cards were made in Ohio, but then that factory closed and a switch was made to a new factory in Kentucky that opened up in 2009.

It is easy enough to hop on eBay and find pre-2009 sealed never-used Bicycle Rider Back decks. And I might go ahead and buy some that since what dad and grampy used were absolutely Ohio-made cards.

However, for that absolute vintage casino card style look and feel, that's not Bicycle. That's Bee playing cards. Bicycle had something similar with their no. 19 "Club" card that ran from 1917 to 1969, but why bother with that when you can get the Bee cards new now for cheap?

I'll put it another way. When actors in movies and television played cards where you could see the card backs with that crosshatch pattern, it was probably a Bee card.

My preference is the Bicycle Rider Back because that's what my dad and grampy used. But for anyone else that wants that old style casino card, get Bee instead.

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