A Guide to Playing Cards
To a card magician, the most vital prop/tool that you can ever have and maintain is a deck of playing cards. That being said, a card magician should never be caught without a deck if he/she wishes to perform. However, decks of cards can be and are, expensive. Here, you'll learn my recommendations on decks that are worth the money, see video reviews analyzing the decks, and learn how to care for the decks. As an added bonus you'll also learn my thoughts on close-up mats, trick decks, and a few other bonuses!
What Decks to Purchase
The first question that needs to be answered is, what decks of cards are worth my money? The answer is not quite that simple. For the most part what decks you purchase is entirely dependent on your personal preferences. However, you'll want to keep in mind the durability of the deck (determined by the stock's thickness), the flexibility you want in the deck, the ideal finish for you, and various other factors. In addition, you'll have to remember the purpose that the deck would serve (display, magic, cardistry, practicing, performing, etc.), as there are decks better suited for each purpose than for others. Generally speaking the Bicycle Standard deck is very versatile and usable for almost any purpose. However, decks printed by the United States Playing Card Company (Bicycle, Bee, Tally-Ho, etc.), and decks from companies such as Theory 11, Ellusionist, and Dan and Dave generally are very good. For more details about the elements of decks and how they're relevant when you purchase them, enter your email above to receive it for free! To view my thoughts on some of the various decks of cards, check out the deck reviews below, and subscribe to my YouTube channel to stay up to date on all the newest content.
Additional Tips
1) Keep your fingernails short to avoid scratching the ink on the playing cards.
2) Pick up the playing cards you dropped one by one, and wipe them off on a clean fabric, and use side dribbles, riffle shuffles with bridge ending, card springs. and other similar moves get rid of particles such as dust and dirt from in between playing cards. 3) Cut your deck of cards every so often while you're holding the deck to avoid warping the bottom card(s) as a result of your body heat transferring to the playing cards |
If you're unsure of what deck of cards to purchase I would recommend watching my top ten decks of cards video. As far as purchasing a deck of cards, I would advise buying cards from a local store (Walmart, K-Mart, Target, Costco, etc.), Amazon, the card distributors (Theory 11, Ellusionist, etc.), or eBay sellers with 99% or higher ratings. Also, never buy playing cards from eBay that come from any country outside of the U.S. and only make purchases from sellers you trust. If you're looking for something a bit more common and affordable, check out my Top 5 Decks of Bicycle Playing Cards (right).
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Proper Playing Card Care
Now that you've bought some decks, you'll need to know how to properly care for it. Playing cards are not just something that can be used regardless of the environment or personal hygiene. If you follow my tips and advice, you'll be able to maximize the potential of your decks of cards. Below are some tips and pieces of advice to improve the lifespan of your decks. For the full list of 24 tips, and details on each, check out the eBook to the right!
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Deck Reviews
Below are reviews of decks that I personally would recommend that you find, purchase, and maybe even use! To view the typed in depth reviews and their corresponding YouTube video review, click the image of the deck you want to know more about. The decks above the divider are in my top 10, and the one below are definitely ones well worth the honorable mention!