The Story of Bicycle Cards - Sébastien Thill

Whether you're a magician, mentalist, or card player, whether you're closely or remotely interested in the world of games and playing cards, you're undoubtedly familiar with Bicycle cards. For over 140 years, they have been a true icon in the world of gaming and magic.

Bicycle cards are also ubiquitous in popular culture, used in numerous films, TV series, and video games – they're hard to miss!

And yet, do you know the history of this emblematic brand?

1. Searching for the origins. 

The adventure began in 1885 in Cincinnati, USA, on the banks of the Ohio River, when the United States Playing Card Company (USPCC) created its new mass-market playing card brand: "Bicycle," symbolizing modernity and freedom. Its success was immediate.

By 1894, USPCC exported the brand, giving it global renown.

From their beginnings, their quality, design, and affordable price ensured their success.

 Bicycle is also characterized by the diversity of its designs: classic versions, original designs, limited editions, and collaborations with renowned artists make the brand essential, covering all desires, needs, and tastes.

For example, classic models include:

• Bicycle Rider Back cards, with red or blue backs.
• Bicycle Bee cards, appreciated for their minimalist, borderless design.
• Bicycle Tally-Ho cards, known for their circular design, ideal for flourishes.

Starting in 2019, a partnership with Theory11 also achieved resounding global success, thanks to themed decks (Harry Potter, Marvel, Disney, The Beatles…) that became true collector's items to offer (to oneself).

2. Bicycle Cards and Magicians

Since their creation, Bicycle cards immediately caught the attention of magicians: paper quality, finish, elegant and clean design. Everything contributes to making them an ideal tool for illusionists.

Furthermore, their wide distribution in the United States offers magicians the opportunity to easily familiarize themselves with this tool and develop new techniques and "gimmicks."

Indeed, working with an object the public is familiar with is reassuring and avoids potential suspicions.

Another major asset: their excellent value for money. Made with durable and resistant materials, they withstand frequent handling without deteriorating, and their affordable price makes them accessible to everyone.

It's even possible to acquire "second" decks at discounted prices due to a defect (miscentered faces or backs, defective colors, ink stains...).

These "second" decks allow for practice but also sometimes inspire us to invent a new effect, inspired by a particular flaw, much like a gaff deck.

Another advantage is the brand's ability to standardize the marketing of trick cards.

Indeed, the vast majority of trick card manufacturers use Bicycle as a reference base for their products, as they are the most widespread worldwide.

It thus becomes very easy to obtain trick cards without worrying about compatibility with other card brands, and to allow for completely imperceptible deck switches: marked decks, stripper decks, short cards, long cards, blank faces and/or blank backs, double index, double-faced, double-backed, bicolor double-backed, flap cards, houlette deck, electric deck, radio deck, invisible deck, Winston Freer deck...

In addition to cards, it's also possible to trick/customize card cases (think of Dominique Duvivier's Chameleon Card or The Self-Shuffling Deck, David Stone's Tool gimmick, etc.), or to use the plastic film or sticker that seals the deck.

 So much so that it's possible to purchase empty cases or the famous "self-adhesive seals."

In summary, the brand's success with magicians is explained by several factors:

• Exceptional quality: durable paper and finish, elegant and clean design.
• Wide distribution: ease of access and public recognition.
• Unbeatable value for money: accessible to everyone.
• An ideal tool for marketing trick cards: compatibility with most magic gimmick manufacturers.

3- Bicycle and cheaters. 

But Bicycle cards have been used by many famous cheaters throughout history. Among the most well-known examples are:

John Scarne: considered one of the greatest cheaters of all time, Scarne used Bicycles to manipulate poker and blackjack games.

Edward O. Thorp: mathematician and blackjack professor, who developed card counting techniques that allowed him to win millions of dollars at casinos.

Hoyle: author of one of the most famous card game books, Hoyle is also known for his cheating techniques, some of which involve Bicycle cards.

4- Choosing your "ideal deck"

Whether you're a player or a magician, it's important to choose YOUR Bicycle deck.

We can distinguish between different types of classic decks available:

• Standard cards: suitable for all types of games and tricks.
• Plastic-coated cards: more resistant for intensive use. An ideal choice if you are a fan of flourishes and manipulations.
• Bridge-size cards: more interesting if you have small hands, similar to the European format (5.72 cm * 8.89 cm)
• Poker-size cards, slightly wider than those generally found on the European market (6.35 cm * 8.89 cm)

Choosing a deck of cards is also important because this choice requires us to define our magic style, our level, our tastes, our scenario, and our universe in terms of design and color. 

Thus, taking out a certain deck of cards already helps to establish an atmosphere, a theme, an era, as a conditioning for what is to follow. 

5- Preserving your cards

Even if we are very careful with our decks, cards are still made of cardboard, and with frequent handling, their quality will inevitably deteriorate. Therefore, they will need to be replaced regularly.

Cards are a consumable, and there is nothing worse than appearing careless by presenting dirty, bent, or dented cards or a damaged case to the public (unless this is justified by our scenario, of course).

Nevertheless, it is possible to adopt simple habits to keep your cards in good condition for as long as possible.

The most important is certainly to avoid exposing them to excessive humidity and heat. 

It is therefore advisable to store them in a dry place after use, and to use a rigid case for transport, as the basic cardboard case is often not sufficient to adequately protect the cards.

Another very important tip: use a card mat, which helps maintain the cards' slippery feel by protecting them from scratches that irreversibly damage their "finish."

Thus, it would be wise to decline any invitation to spread a ribbon on an oilcloth, a bare table, or any textured surface; in such cases, it is better to keep them in your hands or use the spectator's hands as support.

In the same vein, avoid as much as possible giving your deck to be handled by people who, due to lack of habit, may inadvertently damage, bend, crease, or drop them on the floor.

6- Where to Buy Bicycle Cards?

In Europe, Bicycle cards are less common than in America; however, it is increasingly easy to find them in supermarkets, large cultural product stores, or toy and game stores that often have a fairly wide range of cards.

Of course, there is always the e-commerce option, on the Bicycle website, Amazon, or elsewhere, but if you have the possibility, the best option remains to buy from your favorite magic dealer, who will often offer the most attractive prices and a much wider range of cards than generalist retailers. 

Finally, for the most demanding among you, there are specialized stores for collectible playing cards (rare and antique editions of Bicycle cards, as well as quality accessories for their maintenance). 

7- Bicycle and Storytelling.

With the representation of these angels and bicycles on the backs, the different back colors, why not take the opportunity to imagine new effects, and why not new families of effects? 

What do the angels evoke for you, at first glance? Protective spirits? Levitation? Imaginary friends? Their feathers? 

What does the bicycle evoke for you? Travel? Movement? The Tour de France? The wheels created? Bicycle pumps? The chain? The gears? The handlebars? The dynamo? The luggage rack? 

How can these elements be integrated into a scenario? Into the creation of an effect? 

Another interesting second-degree question: if your decks are not all "matching" in the sense that they wouldn't all be the same color or brand, this would lead us to a new line of thought: how, through the text, can you justify a deck change? 

To conclude, it is probably difficult to find an object as common, mythical, easy to find, and versatile as a Bicycle deck.

And the story continues, as in 2019, the acquisition of the United States Playing Card Company by the Cartamundi group marked a turning point in the brand's history. 

This acquisition aims to allow the iconic brand to further expand into the European market, thereby increasing its influence and availability worldwide, while maintaining the qualities that have made its reputation. 

Essential!