I’ve been playing poker since before Chris Moneymaker made the game a global phenomenon. I also love the John Wick franchise so much I’d happily accept an unpaid internship at The Continental. Both of which make me the exact target audience for Pirate Gold Poker’s deluxe John Wick Poker Set. And after getting sent one to check to find out what it offers fans of both Texas Hold ‘Em and Baba Yaga, I can confirm I am the person for this set. But I’m not the only one. This high-end set is a stylish way to make game night feel like it’s taking place at the High Table.
Lionsgate and Pirate Gold Poker’s official John Wick Collector’s Set has everything you need for poker night. It comes in a heavy duty black case lined with styrofoam with “cut-to-fit lining.” Instead of an assassin’s items, it comes with 50 Continental gold coins, 250 clay composite chips, a “signature dealer stack,” two collectible decks of cards, and a sharp-looking Certificate of Authenticity card. It wouldn’t feel out of place if you slid it across the bar at The Continental.
Every aspect is adorned with symbols and nods to the series, its main character, and the expanded lore of the High Table. And they all feet tightly in the pack, the kind of precision and elegance you’d expect from this franchise.
The chips come in four different colors and denominations (1, 5, 10, 20). The ” signature dealer stack” is also made of four pieces made of forged aluminum with “precision CNC machined, hard anodized, laser-etched details.” There’s both a big blind button and small blind button, which are also different heights to make them easier to identify. The set also comes with two different options for your dealer button. One is tall and one is short. When you combine the four pieces, which each have a nice weight to them, they look like a silencer.
The gold coins, my favorite part of the set, also have some real heft. They’re amazing just as collectible pieces. They look and feel like actual High Table currency. The gold coins also fill out the actual poker chips set. You can easily have 250 chips on the table quickly during a poker game. But you can give the gold coins a higher value to make sure you have enough.
As for the composite clay chips they are lighter than I personally like, but will be exactly the weight and texture that some prefer. These are definitely not the cheap plastic chips you can buy at any store. They wouldn’t feel out of place in an actual casino. The same is true of the cards,* which are a much higher quality than a standard deck. (You’ll need to break them in.)
The guns that replace the kings, queens, and jacks on the picture cards mean you really shouldn’t let kids play with them. But in fairness, kids shouldn’t be watching John Wick movies, either. Or holding model silencers while check-raising. This is a poker set and series for grownups.
Those who still aren’t over the death of Baba Yaga’s puppy might also prefer to use a less evocative deck of cards. Still too soon, Pirate Gold Poker. Too soon.
As you can imagine, a High Table-inspired set comes with a higher cost than most. Not that it’s $389.00 (currently on sale for $350) price tag stopped this limited-edition poker set from selling out in just two weeks during its first run. I think I know why.
This is obviously something anyone who loves both poker and John Wick, and who also has some disposable income, would love to own. But this is an even better gift. It’s the kind of thing someone might not think to get for themself, but would be over the moon to receive. It’s also the type of very cool, very fun, very unexpected purchase that will make someone the MVP of a bachelor or bachelorette party weekend. You show up with this and everyone is going to be excited. Especially if it invites everyone to dress up, which is really what I want to do when using it.
This killer set is stylish and elegant, not exactly the words I’d use to describe a typical poker room. I know because I’ve spent a lot of my life in them. It would be nice to play some poker at the High Table.
*No worries. The decks do not come with five deuces. But still….don’t play poker with any crime bosses.