KEM and Copag are highly durable cards and can last you for a long time. They are quite bendable and jump back into shape without leaving a crease. Both KEM and Copag are also quite washable, so if you spill your cola on them it doesn’t mean the end of the card deck. The design on them also fades less easily. Overall, making it difficult for people to identify cards, which is the key for a long lasting deck.

In terms of looks, the print on Copag playing cards are less sharp than KEM playing cards which are very well defined. They come in similar designs and there is hardly any difference.

Playing with 100% plastic playing cards means they are very smooth and for someone used to playing cards made from paper it can mean some spilling while shuffling the cards before they get used to it. Although many prefer the smooth finish and feel and the ease of dealing, a little amount of roughness is desirable. In this regard Copag playing cards are a bit rougher and feel more like paper cards than KEM playing cards.

You can buy Copag playing cards for around $6.5/deck which comes out to be cheaper than KEM plastic playing cards which you can buy for around $7.5/deck.

As of now, KEM playing cards made by the United States Playing Card Company are more popular and well known than Copag playing cards. However, you will find many card enthusiasts (including poker professionals) vouching for the superiority of the Copag brand over KEM.

Overall there is little to choose between them for a casual player. And indeed if you play very occasionally (less than once per week) or really don’t care about marked cards that much then save yourself some money and buy a cheaper brand of playing cards. If not, the only way to decide is to actually use both cards and decide based on preferences.

KEM plastic playing cards are long lasting. Durability is their main benefit. High in quality, they are currently (since 2007) the official cards of the World Series of Poker. They are also quite washable which is very important if the deck is to last, especially around a poker table where everyone probably has something to drink or eat beside them. For those who play even half seriously one marked card is enough to make the deck useless. The cards are quite bendable too.

Price

But it doesn’t come cheap. The cheapest standard card decks come for around $1.25 in a single pack while purchasing in bulk may get you a per deck rate as low as $0.50. KEM plastic playing cards are more expensive. They’ll cost you around $7.5/card deck at the time this article was written.

Is it worth it?
So, if you want a long lasting deck of playing cards then KEM is a good option. If you are an occasional player then KEM is not for you. (Occasional being defined as once a month or less) If you cannot play with marked cards then KEM is really good. Very washable. In essence if you’re a casual and occasional player KEM plastic playing cards are not worth the money. But if you aren’t then KEM are certainly cheaper in the long run.

Apart from being cheap, its also very convenient. Any flat surface to place cards on is enough, and if you carry a pack of cards around in your pocket you can play card games virtually anywhere and anytime you wish. Card games in total are also very limited by age or any other characteristics which may prevent a person from playing them. Many card games are extremely simple and yet a a lot of fun. Even a family with representation from five different generations can be found playing the same game, with everyone having a merry time.

Although capable of being simple, certain card games have a complex structure of rules, or require a lot of strategy and other skills to play well. Therefore, you have a variety of games to choose from depending on your mood or inclination.

Many of the popular games have tournaments dedicated to them all over the world. Some of these like the world poker series enjoy huge viewership, prizes and sponsorship. Many people have made a living out of playing cards.
Due to the flexibility that cards provide, they have are easily adapted for gambling purposes. Unlike, many games where one can bet only on the outcome (win, draw, lose) or the nature and margin of victory, card games can be easily evolved to have a betting structure and even complex betting rules built into the game. Thus the amount to be bet can change as the game proceeds, sometimes by many multiples of the initial betting amount. This leads us to the perhaps dark side of cards. An excesses or addiction to anything is dangerous. But the gambling nature of cards makes them even more devastating.

In essence, cards are universal because they are cheap, simple, and extremely flexible, thus making possible a variety of card games, suited to the different needs of people. Due to their universal nature, cards have a very strong social aspect to them, and in some countries are played by the majority of the people.