Marked Cards
This is the most detailed introduction about marked cards. In this article, you will know which marked playing cards are suitable for magic shows and which are suitable for poker games.
(Including the most popular Ultimate Marked Deck and the most advanced Invisible Ink Marked Cards.)
Marked Cards Meaning
The marked cards are cheating cards or magic props of playing cards.
In the past process of marking playing cards, people tried to physically change the back of the cards in an attempt to gain an advantage in games or magic shows, such as by bending or adding visible marks to a card.
Nowadays, marked cards manufacturers have designed a series of highly hidden marking systems in the back pattern design, and even use special ink to mark invisible marks on the back or sides of the cards.
The process of making the marked deck in the years to many people this may be a secret but attractive thing.
There are some ideas and articles online about marking cards or marked cards, however there's never a standard specification for them. Have worked with the card marking team for several years, I want to share something about the poker card marking here.
In recent poker tricks magician industry, marked playing cards are no longer a luxury any more since it is become more and more affordable and powerful with the rapid development of cards marking technology. Generally speaking, the marked cards can be divided into two main parts, including:
Secret Code Marked Decks
The Best Magic Trick Marked Deck
Initially, the secret code marked decks are developed for the magicians or illusionists to perform various funny and magical poker magic tricks to entertain the audience, like street magic.
I bet most of you had watched the magic show on the amusement parks, circus troupes or TV shows when you were a little child. The performer can predict the poker result, what is more, no matter which card the audience selected, he can pick it up from a shuffled deck of playing cards easily.
It seemed as if he could see through the cards. As a matter of fact, this not because he has magic power, but either he was practiced enough to make a false shuffle skillfully, or the playing cards he used were magic decks with secret code.
Usually the so called magic decks with special secret code marks that people can see with naked eyes after training, however, those without training would know nothing about those marks. Next, I will introduce 4 different types of magic decks.
(1) Block-out marked decks with cards marking ink
Block-out is one of the most practical ways to mark cards in the past time. Literally, block-out work is simply using the same color ink as the back of the card and coloring in small white areas of the card. That is also called “writing” in the poker tricks field. Different to the nowadays invisible ink marked playing cards, the poker that marked by block-out are not flawless to our human naked eyes. This is indeed a very useful skill in magic performances, but in a poker game, the traces of coloring can be detected by cheaters at a close distance.
To mark cards in this way, manufacturers need to find some dyes and try many time to adjust with the purpose of making the color which is very close to the color of poker back.
After tests and attempts, it takes time to wait the marks become dry. Otherwise, the marks would disappear or fade very quickly. Marking a deck of cards with block-out may cost about one or two weeks.
Of course, you can also choose not to mark all the playing cards, because the more coloring, the more risk.
This trick is very important for poker cheaters.
Spade Ace, King are the cards that usually poker cheaters like to mark. Don’t underestimate this little small defect on Ace and King, some experienced poker players can change their underdog situation as long as they make a good use of these two marked poker cards.
Nevertheless, as the great prevalence of marked cards by block-out, the secret of these marked cards are revealed. More and more people are aware of these marks, so the block-out cards marking can only serve the magician.
(2) Marked cards with cut-out marks
Compared with block-out, cut-out technique is another representative cards marking technique. It defines cut-out that people sometimes use a razor to scrape off some of the printed area of the card, such as adding (cutting) a white bird in the back design.
Not only a razor, any pointy things like knife, needle or pin can be used as a tool to mark cards.
Cut-out marking aims to change the back pattern of poker in the most natural way.
To mark cards with cut-out technique, some elements are indispensible: professional tool, expert and patience.
This seems to be a very dull way now, but it was also very practical a long time ago.
(3) Professional magic decks with printed marks
As the secrets of the marked playing cards were revealed, the magic props manufacturer invented various marked decks specially designed for magicians.
Those who have used magic marked cards will know that there are special code marks on the back of these printed marked decks, which can help the magicians to identify or pick up the certain card easily.
Usually these special code marks were made and printed at the same time that the patens of the back are printed. They just add something or change something slightly. There are three common types of these magic marked decks.
Number Markings
Marked cards with mini numbers or hieroglyphics. The markings of mini numbers is one of the most easily recognizable marks among all the marked cards. Usually the marking is very small and near the sign of special patens so that people won't find it easily.
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Shape Markings
Marked deck have special shapes for the markings. This kind of marked deck is one of the most difficult recognizable ones. The markings are very special signs such as a flower with different petals or leaves. Usually these marks of every cards are at the same place.
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Color Markings
Marked poker cards have special markings of color difference on the back. This is reflected as every cards has one point color slightly different to others while all other parts are exactly the same. These markings can be a thick line to stand for different numbers.
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(4)The best marked cards for magic: Bicycle Ultimate Marked Deck
The Ultimate Marked Deck (UMD Magic Deck) is the most readable marked deck for professional magicians in the world. Manufactured by United States Playing Cards Company (USPCC). The original deck is Bicycle 808 Rider Back Cards recognized by the magician as a global standard.
It is the most widely known Bicycle marked cards and it is selling well on Markedcardsmall.com/products/bicycle-ultimate-marked-deck
The following features are well received:
- Very easy to read
- No need to search the back design to identify a card
- No codes and symbols to interpret
- No marking system to learn
- No marked cards contact lenses or glasses
- No marking your own cards
Finally, I would like to remind everyone that although the Ultimate Marked Deck is excellent, it is only suitable for magic shows. If you want to use it in poker gambling games, it is almost impossible.
Want to know the best part? Keep reading.
Invisible Ink Marked Cards
The Best Marked Cards for Poker Players & Cheaters
In recent days, invisible ink marked playing cards play a very important role, which takes gradually takes the places of those original marked decks.
Usually the contact lenses marked cards, the side barcode marked decks and infrared ink marked cards are included in the so called invisible ink marked cards, as they are all processed with the invisible luminous ink (different ink has different natures).
Maybe some friends are confused about the difference between these 3 kinds of invisible ink marked cards, which results in the consequence that they don't have enough information to decide the best choice.
Let’s make a supplement. The content will refer to the basic difference between these 3 types of invisible ink marked cards: marks, working-accessories and original using purposes, for example.
(1) Marked Cards for Contact Lenses & Glasses
As indicated about the marked playing cards above, marked cards for contact lenses will not change the exterior design and smell of the original poker cards. In effect, it just the basic element of all invisible ink marked cards.
For marked cards' marks, their designs and marking juice potion are determined by the manufactured decorative styles and limited by the invisible ink readers.
The contact lenses marked cards with invisible ink need to be detected by the infrared contact lenses or invisible ink sunglasses. Therefore, the invisible ink marked cards for infrared cards lenses are printed on the reverses of these playing cards, and the fonts are big.
Wearing with the infrared contact lenses and glasses that can see invisible ink marks, users can know the message they need (such as the value and suits of each piece of card) by directly read the invisible marks on the card back.
Contact Lenses Marked Cards Video
Can I Mark Poker Cards Myself?
Some people may wonder, can I mark the card myself with the luminous juice ink pen? Can I buy invisible ink or powerful ink pens? Go to the link below to reveal the answer:
https://www.cardslenses.com/how-to-mark-the-playing-cards-for-contact-lenses-well.shtml
(2) Invisible Ink Marked Deck with Barcode
Invisible ink marked deck with barcode, is equivalent to barcode marked deck. The marks of this marked deck are the invisible barcode, they are marked on the 4 edges of the cards.
Just same as the regular barcodes, they are the irregular patterns which contain the info of the corresponding card (usually the number and color). The invisible barcode only can be scanned by the named playing cards scanning camera lens. The models of the poker scanning cameras are diversified and can cater to all users' needs. The poker tricks with barcode marked cards can help performers to get hold of all the information they want.
Power Bank Poker Scanner Camera Video
Take the merits of this barcode marked deck of cards, a lot of poker players will work the poker scanner and poker analyzer device to get the information of the card and obtain the outcomes of the poker games in advance. 1 deck of invisible ink marked cards with barcode can be suitable to almost all types of playing card games, such as Texas Hold'em series, Omaha series, Blackjack, Baccarat, Pineapple, Flush, Ronda three cards game.
(3) Marked Card Deck with Infrared Invisible Ink
The markings of the infrared invisible ink marked decks are similar to the marked cards for contact lenses. The difference is, even the card also is daubed invisible markings on their reverse sides, you can't reach any data on them with the marked cards contact lenses or invisible ink glasses that to see cards. The infrared invisible ink to mark this IR marked deck is developed for specified wave band of spectrum. Without the given infrared poker camera, no one can find their secret marks from the backsides.
Infrared Marked Cards Camera Video
With the popularity of poker games, numbers of poker players want to get rich through cards games gambling, and some playing cards cheating tricks have come up, for instance, to get a favored card.
Some players will try to exchange the useless cards they hold as the beneficial one which they prepare beforehand, and this can succeed in most of the time. The marked card deck with infrared invisible ink for sale in Cards Lenses can help you guard against a great number of parts of the poker card cheatings.
The scanning range of the infrared poker scanner camera is large and if it is installed above the poker table, it can monitor all the invisible ink poker on the poker table and transmit their image data to a background TV. Once someone is intending to change the card on the sly or use the ink to mark card in casino or poker club during the game, all these will be revealed and recorded by the poker camera lens.
The contact lenses marked cards, invisible ink marked deck with barcode, and infrared marked cards are 3 main sorts of invisible ink marked cards. Currently, they are used in both magic show and poker cheating. Please note that the playing cards cheating device on sale in Cards Lenses are only for amusement or anti-cheating purposes.
Conclusion
From the very beginning of playing cards' history, there are marked cards existed. From the original marked decks for naked eyes to the invisible ink marked cards for special devices, the cards marking skills and technology has been developing all the time. For every stages, every kind of marked decks has its own advantages and disadvantages. For those who want to enjoy the poker games or magic shows with marked cards, there' re always some can suit you very much.
So that's it for my introduction to marked playing cards. If you want to buy our products or have any questions about your next game, please don't hesitate to contact us.
