I’ve been cracking packs for well over 20 years now and still one of the best experiences you can get from collecting Pokemon cards.
Perhaps you’re a first-time collector and want to be sure you’re doing it right before you really get started, or maybe you just want to see if you’ve been opening packs in a way that might damage the cards inside. Let’s talk about the best ways to safely open a pack of Pokémon cards.
- By sliding your finger underneath the flap of material on the back of the pack, gently separate the back tab from the body of the card.
- Hold the tab with one hand and pinch the front of the pack with the other.
- Carefully pull the two apart, creating an opening at the top of the pack.
- Slide the cards out.
There are several things to take into account when opening Pokémon cards. You will want to sort them when you’ve opened the package, and it is extremely important not to damage the cards, seeing as any worth the cards would’ve held would be considerably decreased by even the smallest amount of damage.
When opening a Pokémon card pack, I don’t recommend wearing gloves or using scissors to open packs of cards that might contain cards of serious value.
Not using gloves to better protect the cards your opening might seem counterintuitive to hear, but if you are interested in why you shouldn’t wear gloves when opening packs of Pokemon cards, you can check out my full post on the topic here.
ALSO READ: Should You Wear Gloves When Opening Pokemon Cards: Warning
Opening the Packaging
Getting the pack open is one of the most important parts of opening a booster pack of any collector’s cards.
It is difficult because you don’t want to damage the Pokémon cards in the slightest if you are hoping to get these cards professionally evaluated in the future.
There are two methods I recommend when opening a Pokémon card pack, commonly known as a booster pack. Before you do either of the two different techniques, wash your hands and make sure the surface you are opening them on is clean and clear.
The first technique is a common one that most people do since it is fast and easy and immediately rewarding to be able to get to their cards.
There is a tab on the back of the pack that most collectors will tear, opening up the back to reveal the cards and making it easy to take them out. While this is fine, it is important to take great care when opening the pack and not get too excited—you should always avoid bending or ripping the cards.
The second way to open the packaging takes more time, but maybe worth the extra effort. Taken down to the barest essential instructions, you would open the Pokémon pack like a bag of potato chips.
- Slide your index finger into the area between the pack and the tab.
- Push up on the tab to separate the entire tab from the body of the pack.
- Pinch the front of the card pack between your thumb and forefinger, keeping a grip on the back tab with your other hand.
- Start pulling very slowly to avoid ripping, and only enough to get an opening large enough for a single finger.
- Slide a finger into the opening and gently split the packaging open at the top and then turn over, wiggling the cards out with care.
This step-by-step process may seem like it takes a while, but it near perfectly preserves the packaging and makes sure your cards are as untouched as they can be.
A big no-no in opening Pokeomd booster packs is using scissors to open the packaging.
The likelihood that you might accidentally cut the cards is too high to risk in my opinion when the process can be easily done without getting sharp tools involved. It’s better to tear the package open with the tab on the back or open the top rather than cut into the pack at all.
Another thing you will want to remember and be aware of is the question, should you wear gloves when you open Pokémon trading cards?
The answer is no. You shouldn’t wear gloves when opening trading cards for a few different reasons. Depending on the gloves you would use, you might leave a residue on the cards themselves, and that lowers the inherent value of the Pokémon card.
Another reason not to wear gloves is that you’ll have less control and friction between you and the cards, which means you would have to put more pressure behind your opening technique and potentially bend or damage the cards, which you absolutely do not want to do in the business of collecting Pokémon cards. So, wash your hands and skip the gloves.
If you are still worried that you might not be opening up your packs of Pokemon cards in the best way possible, check out this video that walks you through the process step by step.
Pokemon Card Pack Trick
There is a way to up the hype and anticipation for the rare and good card that comes with a booster pack once you’ve gotten through the packaging.
Some preliminary shuffling of the new cards will ensure that your Energy card is the first one you’ll see and that your rare card is at the back.
The code card color will indicate whether or not your card is good or bad. Blue means it will be a holo or better, and green means it is going to be a regular or better.
In order to make sure your best card is the one you’ll see last, after you’ve carefully opened the packaging and removed the cards, take away the code card. You won’t need that for the rest of the opening.
Move the three cards from the back to the front and the last card on the back should be your energy card. You can turn your deck over to reveal the face and should have the good and special card at the very back now.
You’ll then be able to go through your cards, looking at the common and uncommon. Sort them accordingly so that you have some good organization and will be able to differentiate what you would like in your playing deck and what will go in your storage and collection.
For those of you that want to see how this is done, check out this short video that will walk you through an example of doing the Pokemon card pack trick.
Sorting Your Opened Pokemon Cards
Sorting the cards will be the next most important part of opening a pack.
Putting each and every card where they belong is the first step to having good organization. This will help you to make a profit off the cards, if you so desire, as well as help you keep them safe and undamaged.
Open your packs one at a time. If you choose to do the above method of surprising yourself with the best card last, the organization system will be slightly different. You’ll want to see if there are any Holographic cards in your pack. If any, you’ll put them off to the side so you can store them with like cards. You’ll sort the cards based on Energy, Items, Trainers, and the Pokémon themselves.
There’s another level to sorting your cards, and that is sorting your Items, Trainers, and Energy by the different types. You can store them in binders, and the cards you want to add to your playing deck can also be put in a binder with protective card sleeves on them.
When you store them in the binders, place them near similar cards and things to maintain that organization we talked about in the beginning. This will help you to have an organized collection and keep your cards in mint condition.
If you want a full guide on how to store and organize the Pokemon cards that you are opening from your packs, you can check out my complete guide here.
ALSO READ: How To Organize Pokemon Cards In A Binder