How to do a table spread

A table spread lays the whole deck out in a long, even line so every card shows a little. Hold the deck face down in a loose grip, give it a slight bevel, press down lightly and sweep your hand along the table, letting the forefinger meter the cards out. A close-up mat or a soft cloth makes it far easier than a bare, hard table. Once it’s smooth, you can add the turnover, where the whole spread flips like a row of dominoes.

What is a table spread?

A table spread, often called a ribbon spread, is a flourish where the deck is drawn across the table into a neat row of overlapping cards. Posters on the talkmagic.co.uk forum call it a fundamental move, and it does a real job: it shows the cards clearly and gives a spectator a whole deck to choose from at once. wikiHow’s guide calls the spread “a better way to let the spectator choose a card.”

What do you need?

• A soft surface. wikiHow advises: “A soft surface like a carpet or card table is the best. Avoid performing the spread on hard surfaces.” Wikipedia’s cardistry article describes spreading onto a high-friction card mat, which gives the cards something to grip.
• A deck in good condition. wikiHow suggests a deck that’s “fairly new” and warns against plastic or cheap cards. Clean cards slide off each other evenly. Some magicians find a slightly broken-in deck spreads more easily, so test what suits you.

How do you hold the deck?

Hold the deck face down from above, in the same kind of grip you use for squaring cards:

• your thumb at the short end nearest you,
• your middle, ring and little fingers at the far short end,
• your forefinger resting along the long side of the deck, roughly at the middle.

That forefinger is the important part. As the guides on wikiHow and the talkmagic.co.uk forum both put it, it spreads the cards evenly and stops them clumping, controlling how fast the cards escape from the deck. If you’re left-handed, reverse everything.

How do you do a table spread?

1. Set the deck down. Place it near one end of where you want the spread to go, still holding it in the grip above.
2. Bevel it slightly. Tilt the top of the deck a little in the direction you’ll spread, so the cards are already staggered.
3. Press down lightly. A little downward pressure helps the bottom cards catch the surface.
4. Sweep. Move your hand along the table in one steady motion. The lowest cards stay behind on the mat while the forefinger lets the rest go out one after another.
5. Finish clean. Keep the same speed right to the last card, so the spread ends neatly instead of in a lump.

Start slowly, then build speed. One talkmagic.co.uk poster whose spreads came out short and chunky traced the problem to a hand held “over-cramped” in a fixed position, and found a relaxed grip and a better surface fixed it.

How do you do the turnover?

The turnover is the classic follow-up. Jean Hugard describes it in his Modern Magic Manual: lift the first card of the spread and turn it over, and on a cloth “the whole line of cards follows suit.” Turning the card at the far end turns the whole spread back again. Hugard suggests using it to show both sides of the deck: with the spread face down, you say there is no preparation on this side, then turn the cards over and gather them in one sweep. He also notes that “considerable practice is necessary.”

The turnover only works if your spread is even. Gaps or clumps break the chain, which is one more reason to get the basic spread smooth first.

What are the common mistakes?

• The wrong surface. A slick, hard table lets the cards slide and bunch. Use a close-up mat, a tablecloth or even a carpet when you practise.
• A tight hand. A cramped grip gives you chunks. Hold the deck gently.
• Changing speed. Slowing down or stopping partway leaves a gap. Commit to one smooth sweep.
• A tired deck. Sticky, bent or dirty cards won’t spread evenly, however good your technique is.

How do you use it in a trick?

Spread the deck face down and ask someone to touch any card. Because every card is in view, the choice looks completely fair. You can also spread the deck face up to show the faces before you begin. Pair it with our guide on how to fan a deck of cards, and practise both with the tips in how to practise magic.

What helps you take it further?

• The Art of Magic by T. Nelson Downs (1909). A free, complete 364-page PDF that opens with flourishes and fancy sleights with cards, including the card fan, springing the cards and throwing cards, before moving on to card and coin tricks.
• Howard Thurston’s Card Tricks by Howard Thurston. A free, complete 44-page PDF covering the back palm, flourishes and tricks, from a magician once billed as a card manipulator.

Find a deck that spreads well in our playing cards collection, and more ideas in card tricks.

Frequently asked questions