Bicycle Standard vs Poker Cards: What’s the Difference?

Bicycle playing cards are perhaps the most famous playing cards used throughout the world.

If you’ve played Texas Hold’em, Omaha, Canasta, Rummy, or any other game that uses a standard 52-card deck, there’s a very good chance you’ve played with Bicycle cards at some point. Magicians often use Bicycle cards for card tricks as well.

You may have noticed that Bicycle playing cards are available in a few different formats. 

The two most common types are Bicycle Standard cards and Bicycle Poker (aka Rider Back) cards. These decks seem identical at first glance, but there are a few differences between the two.

Let’s take a look:

Bicycle Standard Cards vs. Bicycle Poker Cards

The first thing that distinguishes the Bicycle’s Standard deck from the Bicycle Poker deck is the box and the branding for each:

Both boxes are very similar, but the Standard deck features the word “Standard” and the “Trusted Since 1885” banner. The Poker deck includes the “Rider Back” branding and doesn’t have the 1885 banner.

If you look at the tops of the boxes, the Standard deck displays the terms “Standard Size” and “Standard Face” while the Rider Back deck displays the term “Poker” (which is why we’re calling the Rider Back cards “Poker” cards in this article). The other parts of the boxes generally feature more marketing copywriting on the Standard decks, and little to none on the Poker decks.

When you open the box, the cards themselves are nearly identical, but with a few minor differences:

• The pips (like the number “10” on the ten of diamonds) are slightly bigger for the Rider Back (poker) cards.
• The shades of red and blue differ slightly between the two styles. The Rider Back deck use a darker blue and a brighter red than the Standard deck.
• The Rider Back cards are slightly thicker that the Standard cards.
• The Ace of Spades is slightly different in the two decks. Each displays the words “The U.S. Playing Card Co.” in different fonts.
• The Jokers are slightly different between the two decks.

You’ll mostly find the Standard decks in U.S. stores (like Target, Wal-Mart, etc.). You might have to go to a magician’s store or go online to find the Rider Back/Poker cards.