Phoenix is the line of working decks from Card-Shark, Christian Schenk’s card magic company. Traditionally it existed only in red and blue; the colour series (Vibrant) adds purple, green, orange and black. This is the purple-backed version with a large index.

• PublisherPhoenix (Card-Shark)
• PrinterUnited States Playing Card Company
• FinishAir Cushion
• Formatpoker, large index

Design

The back is modern and understated, kept uncluttered so as not to draw attention, and it is one-way: it has a defined orientation, just like the faces, something card magic exploits in various ways. The faces are standard Bicycle ones, except for the four aces, which have an enlarged central pip so they can be seen clearly from a distance, and the corner indices are larger than normal.

Manufacturing

It is printed by the United States Playing Card Company on the same stock as Bicycle, with an Air Cushion finish (a fine embossing that helps the cards glide). The cards leave the factory face-up cut, which according to the manufacturer makes shuffles, fans and the faro (interweaving the two halves of the deck card by card) easier. The tuck box follows the traditional layout of the Bicycle box. Poker size (63.5 × 88.9 mm).