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<H1>Playing Cards: from woodcuts to online casinos</H1>
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<P>Playing cards have become common since the introduction of woodcuts, in the 14th century. This new technology allowed mass production of playing cards which in turn made them more affordable. Once playing cards found their way into common households many new card games have been developed and playing cards were also starting to be used for numerous gambling games.</P>
<P>With the recent booming popularity of the internet playing cards eventually transitioned into the virtual world of online gambling. Online casino gave birth to new variations of gambling games as well as new game rules. Online casinos may not have the intimate action of a home poker game setting, but offer the convenience of 24/7 internet access for high rollers and bonus players alike. More comprehensive information about online gambling games can be found on CasinoGuide ranging from <A
href="http://www.casinoguide.com/online-blackjack.html" target="_blank">online blackjack</A> to <A href="http://www.casinoguide.com/roulette.html" target="_blank">roulette wheels</A> as well as many other games.</P>
<P>Historically-speaking online card games are still at their early stages of development and it will be interesting to see what the future holds for playing-card enthusiasts. In addition to live casino games the internet also offers ease of access for </P>
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<P>A relatively new type of playing cards that has become increasingly popular in recent years are plastic cards. The company that pioneered plastic playing cards is KEM. Due to the fact that KEM was the first company to become known for their plastic cards they initially set the standard for plastic cards. Their cards were first popular in the 1980s in the card rooms of Southern California, primarily in the poker rooms of Gardena. Although many other playing card manufacturers followed suit, and nowadays plastic cards are available in many brands, many poker players still prefer the old KEM brands. It should be noted, however, that KEM cards made today are not made form the same materials as the original KEM cards. This is partially due to the fact that KEM had been purchased by the US Playing Card Co. and also because of all the developments in technology.</P>
<P>Another popular brand of plastic cards is Copag. Since the factory is based in Brazil the prices of their cards are competitive. Copag makes high quality playing cards and are preferred by many poker rooms and seasoned players. </P>
<P>Other popular makers that make high quality plastic cards are Da Vinci, Gemaco, Modiano, Piatnik and Fournier. In Asia, the most popular brand is Royal. </P>
<P>Although plastic cards have become the preferred playing cards for poker games, it should be noted that most casinos still use paper cards for their banking games, such as blackjack, baccarat, Caribbean stud, and so on. The reason is because casinos have in interest in protecting their banking games, so to maintain the highest level of security they must use new decks very frequently. For example, in mot baccarat games the cards are used only one time. Paper cards are still cheaper and if the cards are used very few times and always handled only by trained house dealers, there is no need to use plastic cards, since they were primarily designed for durability and longevity.</P>
<P>For a list of playing card brands, by manufacturers, please visit our <A href="http://playing-cards.us/collection.html" target="_top">online collection of playing cards</A>.</P>
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<P align="center">Visit <A href="http://playing-cards.us">Playing Cards: Card Games</A> for access to an online collection of playing cards and card games from around the world.</P>
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