Trying out new Stars FPP playing cards (Internet Xpost)

[TreyWilly]

*Posted this on the Internet forum, but thought there would be more interest here.

This week, Stars sent me a set each of the two new brands of playing cards they're trying out for the FPP store -- they picked me because I had an issue (photos included in complaint email) with the crappy Stud King cards back in March.

I'm not a connoisseur of plastic playing cards -- I thought the Stud Kings were great when I first got them -- but the new sets seem to be of much improved quality. I would probably compare them to Copags.

I was hoping some of the experts could help me decide which brand to recommend in my report back to Stars.

First brand is Dal Negro, although there is no "model" name anywhere on the box. The box says they are 100 percent plastic and casino quality. These are about as wide as normal Bicycle cards, and actually feel somewhat papery. They don't slip as much as the other brand, but make the Stud Kings feel downright sticky. They shuffle very smoothly.

The second cards are Fournier, and they appear to have a "model" number of 2826, although that number could mean several different things. They also claim to be 100 percent plastic. They are more narrow than the Dal Negros, and have the same matte, almost papery, finish to them. They are, however, very slippery. I don't know if this is noticeable only next to the Dal Negros and Stud Kings, or if they are really that slick, but I noticed a difference from the Dal Negros right away. They also shuffle smoothly, but aren't as flexible (flimsy?) as the Dal Nagros.

Both brands are jumbo-faced and two-color.

Of less importance are the backs (identical design between the two brands) which are also much different than the old Stud Kings. The Poker Stars logo is displayed much more prominantly, and the backgrounds are an almost solid red or blue with a faint spade pattern. At first they looked a bit cheesy, but they've grown on me the last hour or so.

I'm leaning toward recommending the Dal Negros, but will have to put them in play.

Thoughts?