Jerry’s Nugget is a North Las Vegas casino that opened in 1964. In 1970 it ordered decks for its tables from the United States Playing Card Company that were never used; they ended up being sold in the casino’s gift shop and, over time, magicians turned them into one of the most sought-after decks for their handling. Since 2019 Conjuring Arts has reissued the design under licence from the casino, and the Marked Monotone series, funded on Kickstarter and made in collaboration with Riffle Shuffle, is its marked variant.

• PublisherConjuring Arts, in collaboration with Riffle Shuffle
• PrinterUnited States Playing Card Company
• Finishthin crushed Bee stock, traditional cut
• Markingfactory-marked, indicates the suit
• Print run4,200 decks, numbered seal

Design

It keeps the classic Jerry’s Nugget artwork, with the casino’s illuminated marquee as the centrepiece of the back, but in a single intense red called Atomic Red. It is a factory-marked deck: the marquee design itself hides small variations that let you know a card’s suit just by looking at its back. In this version the marks indicate only the suit, not the value. It is the kind of deck casinos do not allow at their tables.

Manufacturing

It is printed by the United States Playing Card Company on its premium Bee stock, in the thin crushed version (thin crushed: the paper is compressed to make it thinner and more flexible) to come close to the thickness of the original decks. It keeps the traditional cut, the old method in which the blade enters from the face of the card, giving an edge slightly different from the modern cut. It is a limited edition of 4,200 copies, with no reprints planned, and each tuck box carries a numbered seal.