Hi all,
i first got into magic when I was 6 years old, that christmas I got a brick of bicycle cards (i live in the uk so they were kinda hard to come by) and that brick lasted me the whole year. Recently, I have noticed that I am going through a deck in around two days, which is ridiculous. Its not that I am being super picky either, the deck is literally unusable after two days. The cards get too soft and clump massively, they feel almost damp and the edges look dirty. I wash my hands every time before using them and only practice on a close up pad. This has not always been the case and has only started recently. I have gone through a brick in the last 3 weeks which is not only costing me but means I have to keep making long journeys to costco (the only place in the uk that will sell them).
Any suggestions?
Cheers,

Ryan

Surely, now you are using the cards more than when you were six. Anyway, to get the cards soft and clumpy in just two days is excessive.

It might have to do with an excessive humid environment.

Actually, when I first got into magic I spent every waking moment with a deck in my hand, I also got into it at the beginning of a school holidays so I spent six weeks non stop.
Nowadays with work and other things I only spend a few hours a day practicing,
Maybe the environment, you may be right, I will spend a week with a deck only using it in colder places and see how it goes.
Cheers,
Ryan

I suspect the problem is you are a Bear.

Humidity has been a problem for me...Maybe you keep the cards so close to your body (Pockets) without a card guard...

Richard Turner Gold Seal cards - much more durable than the Bicycles (which I am convinced changed in quality once Standard was printed on front instead of Rider). Others may disagree. The Turner Gold Seal cards are Bee stock with Bicycle Rider back design. They don't clump like the Bikes or get warped the same. Though the speed of deterioration you report seems odd. More delicate handling perhaps? I'm sure there are many Café threads on which cards are people's favorites. But that would be my two cents. I'm sure there are online magic stores in UK where you could get Turner Gold Seals. I buy mine through Penguin http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/7967

Yeah I would try a card guard, and also try not to keep the cards in your pants pocket. And if its very humid outside try to keep the cards inside with the AC on and see if it makes a difference.

With regards to humidity, any suggestions for when I cant get away from it? for example I work in an office which is always hot, I like to mess about with cards at lunch etc, is there any way I could avoid warping and clumping?

If the office is warm and hot, the only way to avoid warping is not to use the cards at the office

It sucks, I agree

But short of asking the management to cool the place off, it will damage your cards

Card clips help keep cards flat longer

Wash your hands before you play

Also:
Bicycle for practice
Custom decks for performance (or bicycles, but a fresh deck)

I can wreck a deck in a day (I have an office job where a lot of reading is required)
I not only learn sleights, but I also fidget with cards sometimes

So what you are practicing also plays into the longevity of your cards

Yes, it's been my observation that the finish on the newer Bicycles gets sticky faster than the old ones.

From the company's perspective, this would get people to buy a fresh deck more frequently.

They probably view it as a feature, not a bug.

There is one remedy, but it also brings its own problems. If humidity/environment are the true causes and not much can be done about it, a useful measure is to switch to Bicycle's Prestige (plastic) playing cards. They take some getting used to but it may be worth it to start working with them. Plastic decks are useful for outdoor work when humidity can be extreme. Of course other companies make plastic decks that you might try, but I chose Bicycle since you work with that brand regularly.

Brilliant idea, never thought of that... only drawback I could think of is fanning ability but I tend not to do those anyway, I just ordered a deck of prestiges off amazon to give it ago... thankyou!

Darwin Ortiz goes through six a day!

People change with time and you don't have the same body chemistry as when you were 6.

Some people have excessively damp hands. If you think this is the problem google "excessively damp hands" and check out the first steps to a fix.

For a card worker, there are advantages if it is not too bad but you'll go through a lot of cards.

-Mary Mowder