I just bought the SA from Penguin and noticed a few problems with the deck itself:

1) The deck was badly warped and bowed in
2) The gl@@ between the c@@@@ was not doing it's job and they would not come back back together tightly. This may be because of the warping.

I'm hesitant to try the cards in the refrigerator idea to de-warp them because of the gl@@. I guess I am leaning towards just returning the whole set to Penguin for a new set.

This seems like it will be an awesome trick once I get a working set. Maybe these were in the storage area too long, etc.

Hey saysold, I would return the deck... does not sound right. I have had my deck for well over a year and have had no issues with it. The warping will definitely affect the performance of the deck and once warped I don't think you can ever get them truly back to normal.

John- as usual, you are on the money. I called Penguin today and Maxwell set up the return/exchange.
Is it just me or do you notice more USPCC decks that are warped these days? Even Tally Ho's have arrived where the cards pop in and out. I wonder why?

Thanks again John and also thanks for the PM's from Café members on this. SA looks like it will be cool.

It's a phenomenon that ALL playing cards suffer during the winter months. There is no clear explanation why this happens but it is not permanent. Not even card clips seem to help this malady as I have had them "Click" even after being stored in a Porper Card Clip. I believe that lower humidity and higher air pressures have something to do with this.

Cardamagically,
Dom

That's true and the reason for it is indeed lower humidity. It can help to put cards in the fridge, then in a clip again. Jan

Absolutely true on the humidity. The same effect occurs when I visit Vegas from the coast, or if I'm flying in an airplane. It takes about an hour for the cards to start "cracking". On an airplane, you can also experience this phenomenon with a book, which will take on a "warp". They will go back to normal soon after getting to a higher humidity.

John

In the fridge and clip it again? This is something I gotta try. But I realize that if we leave the deck in a cold room (we use air con all the time here), the deck somehow is a bit warped. So when I press the deck in the middle, I can feel it warped a bit. Usually I will put it on the top of something that is a bit warm like my PC tower.

As far as about Penguinmagic, they also sent me a replacement deck when I got my first Mandolin deck. Basically it had an uneven cut in one of the card, so when it's in the deck, it left a visible gap in the middle. Maxwell sent the replacement soon after I e-mailed him.

This isn’t going to help with the “warping of Smart Ass” but in general, I farrow my cards face up and face down when I put them away. I have always done this and it seems to make a difference.

Jered

Thanks Jered - that is helpful.

Penguin sent out a whole new set so life should be peachy - and I'm not being a smart ass!

I only get the warped thing happening with my decks in the heat of summer. Never have had it happen in the winter. Weird. (I live in NY).

My secret to keeping cards in good shape is self sealing bags-they keep moisture out:)