PokerStars Christmas plastic playing cards: what is known
In late October 2024 a collector in Germany asked on the Poker Chip Forum for a discontinued Christmas deck from PokerStars. He wanted the plastic version rather than paper, because the paper ones sold by Orbit would not do for his holiday games.1 Reliable public information about this deck is thin, because no manufacturer or PokerStars page describing it is known. This article records what the thread says and then explains how to verify any promotional plastic deck.
In this guide
What the thread establishes
The wanted thread, titled "Wanted Pokerstars Festive Card Deck", was posted on 31 October 2024 and says the deck was discontinued. The poster said he missed it the previous year, which puts its release around 2023, and a reply noted that last year's design included a picture. When a member asked whether the cards were Fournier, the poster answered yes.1
That is the whole of what the thread says about the maker: one member's question and the poster's one-word confirmation. It is the collector's statement, not documentation from PokerStars or from the manufacturer, and the thread does not say whether the cards are 100 percent plastic or what they are made of beyond the poster calling them plastic. No independent source confirms the year, the designs or the colours.
Who makes plastic playing cards
The names that come up in poker rooms are these:
| Maker | Facts |
|---|---|
| Copag | Founded in 1908 in Sao Paulo, Brazil, starting as a printer and moving into playing cards in 1918. It specialises in plastic cards with a PVC finish, became part of the Cartamundi Group in 2005 and that year was made official card supplier for the World Series of Poker.2 |
| Fournier | Naipes Heraclio Fournier, founded in 1870 in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain. Owned by the United States Playing Card Company since 1986, which Cartamundi acquired in 2020. It sells 16 million packs a year to casinos worldwide.3 A card-review site says Fournier makes plastic cards in Spain and that some USPC products, such as WPT plastic cards, are made by Fournier.4 |
| KEM | Made of cellulose acetate, which a review site describes as unlike PVC. The brand was sold to the US Playing Card Company; cards say "Original Kem Cards" for the earlier era and "Kem Cards by USPC" for the later one.5 |
| Modiano | Founded in 1868 in Trieste, Italy by Saul David Modiano, initially making cigarette papers; it moved into lithographic printing including playing cards in 1884 and was taken over by the Grafad group in 1987.6 |
So if the poster is right that the deck is by Fournier, it is made by the Spanish company that is part of the group that also owns KEM and Bicycle.
How to check a promotional deck
- Read the box and the ace of spades. Manufacturers usually print their name or logo on the tuck box and on the ace of spades. Fournier's own site notes that its ace of spades carries the factory as a trademarked emblem.7
- Check the material. A bendable, glossy card with a light flex that returns to flat is typical of plastic; a paper card with a varnish will crease. KEM acetate is distinct from PVC.5
- Compare with the official store listing. If PokerStars sold the deck in its own shop, the shop listing would show the product; ask the seller for a photo of the tuck box seal.
- Be cautious with "plastic" in listings. Some Fournier lines described on the manufacturer's site are paper decks with varnish; only the specific plastic line is plastic.7
- Ask for photos of the back design and colour, since the thread mentions that earlier years used a different design.1
If you cannot find it
A discontinued deck may reappear in poker chip collector groups or online marketplaces. Verify the box wording, back colour, seal and ace of spades against photographs from the thread above before you pay.
A photo checklist for the festive deck
Ask for the tuck box front, back and side panels, an ace of spades, both jokers and one card back. If the cards are loose, request a complete inventory rather than assuming that a photograph of several cards shows a playable deck. Counted cards and readable packaging provide more useful evidence than a 'rare Christmas deck' headline.
| Collecting priority | What to verify |
|---|---|
| The PokerStars festive design | Back artwork and branding match the wanted example |
| The plastic version | Material wording on the exact product or box |
| A usable deck | Full card count, no duplicates and disclosed marks |
| A sealed collectible | Clear photographs of the box and its actual seal |
| A maker attribution | Packaging or card markings, not the seller's memory alone |
Search PokerStars festive card deck plastic, PokerStars Christmas playing cards Fournier and PokerStars holiday deck. Add the remembered year as a separate search rather than assuming every festive design came from the same release.
Does 'plastic coated' mean the same thing as a plastic deck?
A listing should specify the construction of the exact product, not rely on a loosely used phrase. Ask for the manufacturer's material description or packaging. For an unopened collectible, do not break the seal simply to run a flexibility test; use documented product details and matching photographs first.
Sources and further reading
- Wanted PokerStars Festive Card Deck, Poker Chip Forum: wanted thread, 31 October 2024.
- Copag, Wikipedia: company history.
- Naipes Heraclio Fournier, Wikipedia: company history and ownership.
- Cards review: Fournier, Home Poker Tourney: review of Fournier plastic cards.
- Cards review: KEM, Home Poker Tourney: material and ownership.
- Modiano (company), Wikipedia: company history.
- Poker and Bridge decks, Fournier: manufacturer page on its poker decks.