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The best waterproof playing cards
"Waterproof" on a deck of cards almost always means one thing: the deck is 100% plastic rather than paper with a coating. Coated paper survives a splash. Plastic survives being dropped in a pool, wiped down and dealt again.
There is no separate category of waterproof deck worth buying. The same plastic decks that last through a weekly poker game are the ones that go in a beach bag, so this list overlaps with our poker picks on purpose.
The picks
Copag 1546 (100% plastic)
Best all-round waterproof deck
- PVC through the whole card, not a coating that can wear off
- Rinses under the faucet and dries flat in minutes
- Stiff enough that damp hands do not warp it
Gives up: stiffer than paper, and it takes a few sessions to fan well.
KEM Arrow (100% plastic)
Best if it will get years of use
- Cellulose acetate, which handles better than PVC when wet
- Survives a full soak with no swelling at the edges
- The longest-lived deck on this page
Gives up: the price, and acetate dislikes being left in a hot car more than PVC does.
Da Vinci Ruote (100% plastic)
Best cheap deck to leave in a bag
- Real plastic at a price where losing one does not matter
- Usually a two-deck set with a hard case
- Good choice for a boat, a tent or a pool bag
Gives up: print quality is a step below Copag and varies between batches.
Bicycle Prestige (100% plastic)
Best if you want the familiar Bicycle back
- The Rider Back design most people know, in plastic
- Handles closer to paper than most plastic decks
- Easy to find and reasonably priced
Gives up: less durable than Copag or KEM despite being plastic.
What to ignore
"Water resistant" and "plastic coated"
These are paper decks with a finish on them. The finish repels a spilled drink for a moment, which is genuinely useful at a table, but the card is still paper. Submerge it and it is finished.
Novelty clear decks
Transparent plastic decks photograph well and are usually unpleasant to play with — they stick together, they are hard to read at an angle, and the novelty wears off in one game.
Looking after a plastic deck
Warm water, a drop of dish soap, a soft cloth, dry flat. Never a dishwasher, never a radiator, and never left in a car in summer — heat is the one thing that ends a plastic deck early. Stored sensibly, expect years rather than months.