Last year Penguin launched Glider back playing cards, which sold out pretty quickly and ultimately wound up winning deck of the year at the Penguin Magic Awards.

We just launched the new V2 edition of Glider Backs. Same great back design & marking system as the originals, but with several other design changes and improvements, particularly to the box and court cards.

https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/17187

In addition to the standard decks, there's also a super limited gilded edition with blue foil edges.

The marking system is coded rather than openly-readable, but it's pretty easy to learn and master with an afternoon of practice.

These are also available at Magic Live for those of you in Vegas - stop by the booth if you're there!

I went ahead and ordered one pack of these today. I'm hoping the coded system isn't too complicated. I will be using these as my only marked deck. I really like the look of these and will post my review when I've had a chance to work with them.


Good magic to all,

Eric

Does the box say 'penguin magic' on it like it shows in the video?

I have not received my pack yet or any information about it but I do believe the Penguin Magic information is at the bottom of the tuck box.

Good magic to all,

Eric

Yes, all of our custom decks have Penguin Magic copyright info on the bottom panel. This has never an issue for me in performance.

Our Elite Bicycle and Marked Maiden decks have been out since 2017 and I have used them in front of countless laypeople - not once has anyone ever wanted to pause and look at the bottom of the box.

For Gliders, the marking system isn’t too complicated. It can be learned in a few minutes and shouldn’t take too much practice to feel comfortable with it.

Thank you Kevin. You know it is kind of funny because even as magicians we are so used to using bicycle decks and to this day I've never had anyone question me about the deck of cards I've used in an effect. What I mean by that is just because they weren't bicycle didn't mean that they should be suspicious or not valid as a deck of playing cards. And of course the tuck box it has never been questioned At All by non-magicians. But I am very glad that the marking system will not take that long to understand and use.


Good magic to all,

Eric

Thanks for answering my question. The card design and marking system look great.

Yes, I firmly believe that anyone these days who suggests that laypeople immediately suspect a trick deck if they see something other than a Bicycle deck are going totally based on fear and supposition rather than real-world experience. My real-world experience has been the opposite. The only times I've ever been asked about trick cards (in the single digits over the past 20 years) where when I was using regular Bikes. Anytime I've used a special deck, nobody has asked about trick cards. But with the huge variety of cards available at Target, Walmart, drugstores, grocery stores, etc it's not something performers have to be worried about. The most common thing I hear will be "Those cards look cool".

As for the marking system, here are some quotes from buyer-submitted reviews about the marking system from the V1 deck. The back design & marking system are the same in the V2 deck.

Make no mistake, the Glider system is indeed coded so it is harder to see, read, and learn than our Marked Maidens, which are one of the easiest decks on the planet. But it's still a very workable system with a reasonable learning curve. I just don't want anyone to set their expectations inaccurately.

"The most elegant marked deck I've ever seen!"

"The marking system is phenomenal; Very easy to read, as close to impossible to find for your spectators as I’ve come across honestly and with a little practice you can read very quickly as well. It’s about as much as anyone could ever ask for, tremendous."

"I was concerned that given my vision problems, these would be unreadable. In fact, the style of marking is easily seen."

"NO SPECIAL GLASSES NEEDED, NO UNFOCUSED Vision. The cards are marked, alright, but it's diabolical how it's done. There's no movie when you flip through, it actually helps a bit if you are a few feet away from the card you are trying to decipher. I don't mean across the room, but far enough to remove suspicion."

"These cards are the best marked deck in the world. It is very easy to work with these cards to identify them. The idea is so clever and it takes a minimal amount of time to work with the deck to discover how easy it is to spot what each card is. I love this deck and would recommend these cards to anyone looking to own a marked deck of cards."

I just reviewed the tutorial on these cards and I have to admit I am very impressed! I believe the markings will be easy to read and although it will take a little practice it is nothing to shy away from. I'm very much looking forward to receiving these cards and practicing with them. This is a job well done.


Good magic to all,

Eric

My pack is out for delivery now and when I receive them today I will post a review on how easy they are to read when I actually have them in my hands. But I have to admit the tutorial itself makes it look like it should be pretty easily accomplished.


Good magic to all,

Eric

These cards are really nice. I'm able to see them at a fair distance. My eyes are not the greatest and I'm able to work with the markings on this deck. And getting the system down takes about 5 minutes or less then you just have to take your time and make sure you're doing what you need to do to know what card you are looking at. I definitely recommend these cards.


Good magic to all,

Eric

Glad you like them! Thanks for sharing!

At first I thought I had a defective pack.

I just had to train my eyes for the subtle difference
It seems a bit of a distance works for me too.

The more you practice it the more it will stand out like a sore thumb! I love to just sit in my chair cut the deck of cards pull out one look at it say what it is and turn it over to see if I'm right. And my eyesight is really not the best but I'm able to make it out easier and easier as time goes on.


Good magic to all,

Eric

The Glider Back V2 is now also available in Black (basically a recolor), while the tuck has black foil on white stock.

https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/18060

As part of Penguin's current sale (which runs to the end of 30 Nov), this deck is included free when you have an order above a specific amount.









The Glider Back V2 originally came out in blue, and those are still readily available as well:

https://www.penguinmagic.com/p/17187