THE BICYCLE® PURPLE POKER PACK
The Bicycle® Purple Poker Pack is a custom deck of playing cards that allows you to play your favorite card games in a new and challenging way. The deck is poker size and will be printed by the United States Playing Card Company, manufacturers of the Bicycle® brand and many other brands of playing cards. The Bicycle® Purple Poker Pack will be available on Kickstarter in March of 2025.
This unique and original deck of Bicycle® Playing Cards is different from any other deck of playing cards. This special deck, or pack, provides card players a way to play many of your favorite classic card games in a challenging new way. With more ways to win, this original deck adds an extra level of strategy to your favorite card games. The Bicycle® Purple Poker Pack provides a greater challenge for skilled card players and fun new ways to play for casual players.
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These custom Bicycle® Playing Cards feature a digitally refined version of the classic Bicycle® artwork in a unique custom design. The Colors of the Bicycle® artwork have been changed to serve various functions as part of the design. The Colors have been modified to identify the Ranks and Suits with custom colors which serve as unique Game Elements.
THE DESIGN
The colors of the Rank Indicator and the Suit Indicator in the Index have been modified. The Rank Indicators have been colored Purple and the Suit Indicators are 1 of 7 different Colors.
There is also the addition of a Points Index below the Index on the sides of each card. The Points Index has 2 Numbers which have a function that is used in Scoring and Tie Breaks.
Another feature which distinguishes this deck from a Standard Deck of playing cards is the configuration of the Ranks and Suits. A Standard Deck of playing cards has 4 Suits with 13 Ranks each from 2 through Ace for a total of 52 cards (not counting the Jokers). The Bicycle® Purple Poker Pack has 7 special Suits with 7 Ranks each for a total of 49 cards. It has the highest 7 Ranks of Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Nine, and Eight.
The 7 special Suits are formed by the 7 Colors in this deck combined with the 4 Suits to create a special type of Suit called a Color Suit. The 7 Color Suits are used in game play with the same function as the Suits in a Standard Deck. There are 2 Color Suits within each Suit except for the Spades which has only 1. Because each of the 7 Color Suits has its own Color, the Color Suits can also just be described as Colors.
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The 7 Colors are Black Spades, Red Hearts, Gold Hearts, Blue Diamonds, Silver Diamonds, Green Clubs, and Bronze Clubs. The 7 Colors with 7 Ranks each, and consequent 7 Ranks with 7 Colors each, create an equal number of cards in each. This creates a unique dynamic of strategy when playing many classic card games. Because there are an equal amount of Colors and Ranks, the Colors are able to function as Suits or as Ranks, and the Ranks can function as Ranks or as Suits, using the special Game Rules created for this unique deck of playing cards.
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The custom Rules created for various card games with the Bicycle® Purple Poker Pack are called the Purple Rules.
When playing Poker Games with the Purple Rules, the matching 7 Ranks and 7 Colors give players more ways to form a Poker Hand. When playing Rummy Games, players have more ways to form a Run Meld or a Set Meld. When playing Trick-Taking Games a player can Follow a Color as well as Follow a Suit, and Colors are declared as Trump.
For example, when playing Poker, a 4 Of A Kind is 4 cards of the same Rank. With the Purple Rules Poker Hand Rankings, a 4 Of A Kind can also be formed by 4 cards of the same Color.
In Rummy Games and other Games that use Melds, a Run Meld is formed by 3 or more cards of the same Suit in Rank Sequence. With the Purple Rules, a Run Meld is formed by 3 or more cards of the same Suit or the same Color in Rank Sequence, with the same Color Meld scoring Double Points.
The other Meld in Rummy Games is a Set Meld, which is 3 or more cards of the same Rank. With the Purple Rules, a Set Meld is formed by 3 or more cards of the same Rank, or the same Color.
The 7 Ranks and 7 Colors add an additional layer of strategy to many classic card games played with the Bicycle® Purple Poker Pack.
THE POINTS INDEX
Each of the 7 Ranks has a Rank Point Number of 1 through 7 and each of the Colors has a Color Point Number of 1 through 7. The Rank Points and Color Points are used in Scoring and in Tie Breaks in most card games using the Purple Rules.
The Point Numbers are located in the Points Index on the sides of each card. The Rank Point Number is the upper Number and the Color Point Number is indicated on the lower Number. Each of the 7 Ranks has a Rank Point Number of 1 through 7 and each of the 7 Colors has a Color Point Number of 1 through 7.
The Rank Point Numbers are colored Purple to match the Purple of the Rank Indicator in the Index to show that it is related to the Rank. The Rank Points start at the lowest Number of 1 for the Eights, then 2 for the Nines, 3 for the Tens, 4 for the Jacks, 5 for the Queens, 6 for the Kings, and then the highest Number of 7 for the Aces.
The Color Point Numbers are colored to match the Color of the Suit Indicator in the Index to show that it is related to the Suit Color. The Color Points start at the lowest Number of 1 for Bronze Clubs, then 2 for Green Clubs, 3 for Silver Diamonds, 4 for Blue Diamonds, 5 for Gold Hearts, 6 for Red Hearts, and then the highest Color Point Number of 7 for Black Spades.
The Rank Points and Color Points are similar in function to the Ranks in a Standard Deck when determining a High Card. The Rank Points and Color Points are equally distributed throughout the deck.
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Scoring: The Rank Point Numbers and the Color Point Numbers are used for Scoring in some card games using the Purple Rules. For example, in Trick-Taking Games the Point Numbers for the cards won in Tricks are totaled and added to a Player or Team’s score. In Blackjack the Rank Points are used to determine the Total of the cards. With any card game that uses Point Values for the cards in scoring, the Rank Point Numbers and Color Point Numbers are used.
Tie Breaks: In the event of a Tie between Hands, the High Card is usually used to decide the Tie. With the Purple Rules, the High Card is determined by the Rank Point Number or the Color Point Number. If a card uses its Rank to form a Hand, the Rank Point Number is used. If a card uses its Color to form a Hand, the Color Point Number is used. If the cards are still tied, the total from adding the Rank Point Number and the Color Point Number is used. The Aces and Black Spades with Point Values of 7 are superior in the event of a Tie.
THE JOKERS
There are 2 Jokers included in this custom Deck. These Jokers feature the classic Bicycle® Jokers art. One of the Jokers is colored Purple and the other is Gold.
Like the Jokers in a Standard Deck of cards, the Bicycle® Purple Poker Pack Jokers are Wild Cards. They can be declared as any Rank, any Suit, or any Color.
Playing games with the Jokers adds an increased factor of luck to card games, which can add an extra level of excitement. To minimize luck and maximize strategy, all Purple Rules games have the option to be played without the Jokers.
THE CARD BACKS
The backs of the Bicycle® Purple Poker Pack have an Art Deco style design. This custom design is inspired by the classic and vintage Bicycle® card backs which feature the graphic elements of interlocking bicycle wheels, bicycle sprockets, and diamond plaids.
