Bicycle, the leading playing card brand

Bicycle, the leading playing card brand from the United States Playing Card Company (USPC), is planning to introduce its 'Bicycle Pro' cards at the 2007 World Series of Poker June 1, 2007 which will feature the innovative new 'PokerPeek' face design.


For USPC, who is an official supplier to the annual World Series of Poker, the release will be the biggest consumer product launch in the company's 120-year history. The new face style is the first significant poker card innovation since the 1960's introduction of jumbo face cards.

Bicycle Pro are premium playing cards for serious competitive and social card players. The new Bicycle Pro cards with the 'PokerPeek' face design will be available for retail sale simultaneously with its introduction at WSOP.

The exclusive PokerPeek design features a smaller, diagonally positioned corner marking (pip) to discreetly view and identify the card (see photo) as well as a jumbo-like face positioned lower at the center of the card, making the cards easier to identify when revealed.


Developed with input from the world's top professional poker players, Bicycle created the PokerPeek face style as a solution to problems experienced in competition. Less experienced players were peeling up too much of the card edge, compromising security. Bicycle Pro provides more privacy for individual players, and better visibility for all players when the cards are face-up.


"Poker continues to be America's number one card game," said Rob Clendening, Bicycle Brand Manager. "Bicycle Pro with PokerPeek is the first significant face style change for playing cards in decades. The card itself also delivers technical superiority and the highest quality paper card suitable for professionals, now available to anyone who is serious about the game."


The premium Bicycle Pro playing card is made of a durable, custom blend of cotton and paper, and features ProCut edges, a barely visible beveled edge that gently grips fingers for better control during shuffling.


The card back design is a new variation on Bicycle's famous Rider Back, inspired by the custom cards specially developed for the 2007 World Series of Poker. Cards for retail sale will carry the same edge border as the WSOP cards, but swap out the WSOP logo and Jeffrey Pollack's signature in the center for the trademark cupid on a bike (see photo of the two cards).


Tournament cards used at the World Series of Poker will be the exclusive KEM brand with the PokerPeek face and a Bicycle branded card back design. KEM is a super-premium card printed on cellulose acetate, a blend of paper and plastic, used in 80 percent of casino poker rooms. It joined Bicycle in the U.S. Playing Card brand portfolio in late 2005.