KEM Playing Cards – The best cards in the world

Ask any bridge player in the world what their preferred brand of playing cards is and most will answer KEM, that’s because KEM is universally considered and the premier playing card in the world: the Rolls Royce of playing cards.

The KEM brand has been around for over 70 years, beginning production during the Great Depression. The proprietary manufacturing techniques developed by the company to make such a quality product meant that KEM was the world’s first mass-produced plastic playing card. Other companies have tried to match KEM’s standard of excellence over the years, but none have stood the test of time to compete effectively.

KEM developed a card made from cellulose acetate, and that meant the cards were not only flexible and washable, but would hold their shape long after traditional paper-based cards had worn, aged and become unusable. The particular polymer used in KEM plastic gives your cards a distinctive texture, fit and feel. And being plastic and washable, KEM playing cards were built to withstand even the roughest handling or accidents like a spilled beer from poker players or a glass of wine from bridge players.

But the biggest surge in popularity came during World War II. The company shipped thousands of its decks to American soldiers in barracks across Europe to play any card game they took a fancy to. KEM cards set the standard for bridge design with the release of the KEM Bridge Grand Slam series. Some of the KEM designs have become iconic (Maple Leaf, Arrow, Florence) and have become symbols for bridge players around the world. Although the company changes its designs every few years, some patterns like Maple Leaf and Arrow have been in the KEM catalog for 70 years.

In 1964, KEM was selected to be the official card of the World Bridge Federation, further enhancing its reputation, and has been the card of choice at every World Bridge Championship ever since. KEM is also the most widely used playing card on the poker scene and in 1970 the company expanded its range to include Poker Width cards for use in the World Series of Poker. Today, KEM is a major sponsor on the American and European professional poker circuit.

Established 70 years ago, the KEM brand stands at the top of the card game world and will continue to be the card of choice for many years to come.