Best playing cards for magic: how to choose a deck

For card magic, the best deck is usually the most ordinary-looking one that handles well. Pick a poker-size deck with a classic back design, buy several of the same deck so you always have a fresh one, and keep fancy collectible decks for showing off rather than for your everyday tricks.

This guide is about regular playing cards, the decks you do sleight of hand and self-working tricks with. If you want a deck that does the work for you, read trick decks explained first. Then come back here, because every trick deck still needs a good normal deck beside it.

What actually matters in a deck for magic?

Four things decide how a deck feels in your hands and looks to your audience:

• Finish. The coating on the card decides how it slides, spreads and fans. Makers give their finishes names, such as Bicycle’s air-cushion finish, Tally-Ho’s Linoid finish, theory11’s Premium 909 Finish, or a linen finish. Each feels a little different, so try a few.
• Stock. This is the paper itself. Some makers list the weight (for example 310gsm) or say the cards use black core paper. You don’t need to understand every spec, just notice which decks feel snappy and which feel soft.
• Back design. More on this below. It matters more than most beginners expect.
• Size. Poker size or bridge size. Also below.

Fresh cards matter too. T. Nelson Downs, describing a trick that relies on bending a packet in The Art of Magic (1909), says a fairly new pack is best because “new cards have the requisite spring.” That advice is over a century old and still holds: a deck that has lost its spring makes many moves harder.

Why does a standard back design help magicians?

A classic, symmetrical back design does two jobs for you:

1. It looks innocent. If the deck looks like the one from a kitchen drawer, nobody suspects it. A wild custom design invites the question “is that a trick deck?”
2. It matches your gaffs. Many trick decks and gaff cards are made with Bicycle backs. If your regular deck has a matching back, you can mix the two without anyone noticing.

Custom decks are still fun. Just keep them for when the look of the deck is part of the show.

Poker size or bridge size?

Poker-size cards are about 2.5 by 3.5 inches. Bridge-size cards are the same length but narrower, about 2.25 inches wide. Bicycle’s standard deck is poker size, and most magic teaching, gaffs and trick decks assume poker size.

Our advice: start with poker size. Bridge size can suit smaller hands, but your gaffs and trick decks may not match it.

Red or blue?

Either works. What matters is having both. Many card effects use a deck of one colour with a single card or a few cards of the other, and you need a matching pair of decks to set those up. A simple plan:

• Choose one main colour for your everyday deck.
• Keep at least one deck of the other colour from the same design.
• Buy your gaff cards in that same design and colour.

How many decks should you buy?

More than one. Cards wear out, and a tired deck makes everything harder. Our guide to caring for playing cards covers how to make each deck last, but even well-kept decks need replacing. A sensible starting stash:

• Two or three identical decks for performing.
• One older deck for practice.
• One deck in the opposite colour.

Buying several of the same deck also means your hands learn one feel, which is better for practice than switching every week.

Collectible decks or working decks?

A working deck is one you are happy to wear out. A collectible deck is one you want to keep looking new. Some decks can be both, but it helps to decide before you open the box. If a deck has foil boxes, gilded edges or a limited print run, you might want one to keep sealed and another to use.

Which decks do we recommend?

Deck	What the maker says	Best for	Price tier
Bicycle Standard Red Poker	Specially crafted so you can trust its performance hand after hand, great for all card games	A plain, standard-back working deck	Lower
Bicycle Metallic Ruby	Printed by USPCC, air-cushion finish, standard cut, true to a standard deck at first glance	Everyday close-up magic	Lower
Monarch	Made in the USA, Q1 quality stock, Premium 909 Finish	A premium working deck	Mid
Slate Tally-Ho	Printed by USPCC on premium cardistry stock, designed by Jackson Robinson	Magic plus flourishes	Mid
Artisan	Gold foil on black paper, produced at USPCC, sealed with a dated tax-stamp seal	Collecting or a signature look	Mid

Best plain standard deck: Bicycle Standard Red Poker

This is the classic Bicycle poker deck in red, the kind of deck nobody looks at twice. Bicycle says every deck is specially crafted so you can trust its performance hand after hand, and that it is great for all card games. If you want the most ordinary-looking deck possible, start here, and buy a few.

Best everyday deck with a twist: Bicycle Metallic Ruby

Its description says it stays true to a standard deck at first glance, with metallic ink that catches the light, and that it was designed with magicians in mind for close-up and parlour magic. It has an air-cushion finish, a standard cut, two identical Jokers and one blank-face card. It keeps a classic look with a little extra shine, which makes it a good working deck when you want something slightly special.

Best premium working deck: Monarch

theory11 says Monarchs are made in the USA on FSC-certified paper, printed on Q1 quality stock with its Premium 909 Finish, in a navy blue box with gold foil. The backs are custom art rather than a classic design, so this is a deck for when you want something nicer in the hand.

Best for magic plus cardistry: Slate Tally-Ho

Printed by the United States Playing Card Company on premium cardistry stock, according to its description, which says it is made for cardists, magicians and collectors alike. A good choice if you also enjoy flourishing.

Best collectible: Artisan

Gold foil hot stamped onto black paper, with a seal marked with the month and year of print. Beautiful, but black cards look nothing like an everyday deck. Keep it for display or for a routine where the deck’s look is the point.

Common mistakes when choosing cards

• Buying one gorgeous deck and using it until it dies.
• Choosing a custom back that doesn’t match any of your gaffs.
• Mixing poker and bridge size in the same routine.
• Performing with a sticky, worn deck because it is “still fine.”

When you are ready to stock up, browse all our playing cards.

Frequently asked questions