UVU Alumni Up the Ante with an Instructional Poker Deck

With the rising popularity of card games during the pandemic, UVU alumni Brady Aste and Nathan Wilson envisioned a new kind of deck of cards for Texas Hold ’em poker, one that could dissolve barriers for new and casual players. 

Instead of relying on players’ (or the internet’s) knowledge of strategies, jargon and hand rankings, the casino quality cards provide useful information printed on each card face, allowing players at all levels to pick up and enjoy the game with confidence.  

In building their Magpie’s Pro Tip Playing Cards: The Poker Deck, the team consulted with a professional, Les Pendergraft, who placed 15th at the 2017 World Series of Poker Main Event in Las Vegas, in order to hone in on meaningful information to help beginners get started while lending deeper strategic insight to more experienced players. This approach, they hope, will allow players to improve their game and enjoy quality time playing the world’s most popular card game. 

The team is running a Kickstarter campaign to raise funds for the project with plans to ship in May and open an online store shortly thereafter.