Price$15.00
Media TypeUtility Props
CategoryGeneral, Close Up, Stage, Mentalism, Gambling
Date AddedJun 10, 2011
Phoenix Parlour Deck - Marked
Christian Schenk
Card Shark
(Based on 2 reviews)
This is the start into a new era of card magic for Parlour and Stage.
As long as the non-marked version of the Parlour Deck is not released, this is the deck you should get for a discounted price! (Regular price 2011: 20 Euro / 20 US$)
Watch out for our special deals for a Set of 2 or 5 Parlour Decks
The markings are similar to the ones used on our Phoenix Marked Deck and Phoenix Double Deckers, but this time we even went a step further and marked all four corners, making this deck even perfect for all the Lefties of you.
Every magician who saw our marked Phoenix Decks stated that this the World?s Best Marked Deck.
All markings are situated at the same spot right in each corner, so even the slightest opened fan will allow you to read the marking. If the back design gets into view, you will be able to spot the value. Can't get easier!
Available with red or blue Phoenix backs in the new Parlour dimension.
Main features of the Parlour Deck:
- High visibilty for Close-up, Parlour and Stage performances
- Cards still look like Poker sized cards to your audience
- All the features of the Phoenix Deck are also built into the Parlour design(ie: one way design on the backs and faces)
- All sleights that could be performed with Poker sized cards can be done with the new Parlour size, so you will get used to the new size extremely fast
- The cards are produced on our Card-Shark stock that matches the US playing card stock used for Bicycle Decks, our newly invented Smooth Glide Finish will guarantee beautiful looking fans and flourishes
- Perfect as a training deck. If you train your sleights with the Parlour Deck, performing them with Poker sized cards is a breeze. It is as if you would perform Poker Deck sleights with a Bridge size deck.
- Many specialty decks and effects already exist in this new size, including Double Deckers, Ultimate Brainwave, Get Sharky, Invisible Decks etc.
Reviews
(Top ▲)
This deck has all of the features of the regular Poker size Phoenix decks with a few very good exceptions:
The corner pips are the same size as those on the old Bicycle Jumbo decks and the center portions of the court cards are just a hair bigger than the center portions of the court cards in Poker size. In short, they really are as visible as the old Bicycle Jumbo cards. On top of that, the whole deck is the same thickness as a Poker sized deck.
Since this ad copy was added to this website, the decision was made that every Parlour deck would be marked so there is no such thing as a non-marked Parlour deck. This gives you all the features of the marked deck at the best price! The markings are very easy to read and can be read from any position and any direction. Very useful feature! It also has the one-way back design that all Phoenix decks and cards have.
The faces all look like enlarged versions of your standard Bicycle faces, again with the exception of the Aces. The center pips of the Diamonds, Clubs and Hearts are all customized and enlarged but still smaller than the center pip of the Ace of Spades. The Ace of Spades center pip is also customized to match the Phoenix brand. The faces also have another hidden feature that the Poker sized cards have, which I will again leave for the reader to discover the very clever and useful thing that it is!
A normal Poker deck is 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches. This deck is 3 inches x 4 inches. If you have hands like mine you can still palm the cards completely and be able to perform most all other sleights as you would with Poker sized cards, though for some people certain sleights may require a tweak here and there.
Though the Parlour Decks do not have the USPCC air-cushion finish, they do spread very easily and fan very nicely. As Bryce mentioned in his review, Christian says that because of the way these decks are punched (read: cut) they are somewhat difficult to faro. Bryce said he did not have any trouble getting them to faro easily and I concur - I had no trouble either.
I have been using these cards in shows for a while now and one of the bonuses, at least for me, is that I can get most of the standard gaff cards for certain effects or routines for this deck. For that matter and as mentioned in the ad copy, other effects and specialty (gaff) cards already exist in this size with more to come in the future.
This deck also takes up a lot less space in your case than a Bicycle Jumbo deck, which gives you extra room for whatever you need. Any effect or routine you ever did with Bicycle Jumbo decks can be done with this one and so much more, that is, if you utilize all of the additional and hidden features.
Very highly recommended!
The corner pips are the same size as those on the old Bicycle Jumbo decks and the center portions of the court cards are just a hair bigger than the center portions of the court cards in Poker size. In short, they really are as visible as the old Bicycle Jumbo cards. On top of that, the whole deck is the same thickness as a Poker sized deck.
Since this ad copy was added to this website, the decision was made that every Parlour deck would be marked so there is no such thing as a non-marked Parlour deck. This gives you all the features of the marked deck at the best price! The markings are very easy to read and can be read from any position and any direction. Very useful feature! It also has the one-way back design that all Phoenix decks and cards have.
The faces all look like enlarged versions of your standard Bicycle faces, again with the exception of the Aces. The center pips of the Diamonds, Clubs and Hearts are all customized and enlarged but still smaller than the center pip of the Ace of Spades. The Ace of Spades center pip is also customized to match the Phoenix brand. The faces also have another hidden feature that the Poker sized cards have, which I will again leave for the reader to discover the very clever and useful thing that it is!
A normal Poker deck is 2.5 inches x 3.5 inches. This deck is 3 inches x 4 inches. If you have hands like mine you can still palm the cards completely and be able to perform most all other sleights as you would with Poker sized cards, though for some people certain sleights may require a tweak here and there.
Though the Parlour Decks do not have the USPCC air-cushion finish, they do spread very easily and fan very nicely. As Bryce mentioned in his review, Christian says that because of the way these decks are punched (read: cut) they are somewhat difficult to faro. Bryce said he did not have any trouble getting them to faro easily and I concur - I had no trouble either.
I have been using these cards in shows for a while now and one of the bonuses, at least for me, is that I can get most of the standard gaff cards for certain effects or routines for this deck. For that matter and as mentioned in the ad copy, other effects and specialty (gaff) cards already exist in this size with more to come in the future.
This deck also takes up a lot less space in your case than a Bicycle Jumbo deck, which gives you extra room for whatever you need. Any effect or routine you ever did with Bicycle Jumbo decks can be done with this one and so much more, that is, if you utilize all of the additional and hidden features.
Very highly recommended!
(Top ▲)
Christian Schenk, owner of Card Shark, has made quite a splash with his Phoenix decks. While I suspect it will still take some time for them to become ubiquitous, they certainly have lots of features to recommend them.
Christian is now producing what he calls a Parlour Deck. The deck is 1/2" larger in each direction than a standard poker-sized deck and is printed with large indices and pips. What this means is that the cards can be seen by a much larger audience but still handled almost like a regular deck.
I had very little problem doing most of my standard moves with this deck (double lift, false shuffles and cuts, counts, etc.). Christian mentioned that, because of the cutting method, they would be hard to faro. I actually didn't have much problem doing a faro.
As a bonus, the cards are marked with Christian's easy-to-read but well hidden marking system. I guess that's one of the bonuses when you design and print the cards yourself.
We've all seen performers work audiences of thousands with a standard sized deck. We've also seen magicians fall flat using a jumbo deck in a parlour situation. It's obviously more about the performer than the deck. But if you want a little visual edge for your stand-up card work, the Phoenix Parlour Deck is the way to go.
Christian is now producing what he calls a Parlour Deck. The deck is 1/2" larger in each direction than a standard poker-sized deck and is printed with large indices and pips. What this means is that the cards can be seen by a much larger audience but still handled almost like a regular deck.
I had very little problem doing most of my standard moves with this deck (double lift, false shuffles and cuts, counts, etc.). Christian mentioned that, because of the cutting method, they would be hard to faro. I actually didn't have much problem doing a faro.
As a bonus, the cards are marked with Christian's easy-to-read but well hidden marking system. I guess that's one of the bonuses when you design and print the cards yourself.
We've all seen performers work audiences of thousands with a standard sized deck. We've also seen magicians fall flat using a jumbo deck in a parlour situation. It's obviously more about the performer than the deck. But if you want a little visual edge for your stand-up card work, the Phoenix Parlour Deck is the way to go.