Cardistry has really exploded in popularity over the last couple years, and if you’re interested in learning crazy cool stunts with playing cards, you’ll need to know the best cardistry decks for the job.
What is the best cardistry deck?
The best deck for cardistry depends on your skill level. Beginners will drop and bend their first cards so there’s no point buying an expensive deck; instead try a more durable pack like the classic Bicycle cards or maybe just some Tally-Ho’s. Once you improve, you can invest in a real cardistry deck; Virtuoso’s or Artisans will do you pretty well.
Let’s go into a little more detail on each of the above categories.
What are the best cardistry decks for beginners?
Cardistry is hard.
Seriously. You’re going to be picking up cards EVERY day. You’ll question why you ever got into the hobby. You’ll throw your playing cards around. You’ll lose some under the sofa. You might even rip some of them up (yes, it can be that frustrating…).
I’m not trying to dissuade you from learning cardistry, but just warning you that your first pack of cards is going to be VERY heavily used; you’ll lose cards, bend them out of shape, maybe even lose them.
For that reason, don’t buy an expensive deck of cards as a beginner. You might be seeing a lot of people recommending cool looking decks like Virtuosos or Monarchs, but there’s no point wasting money on these as a beginner.
So, what should you use instead?
Honestly, it doesn’t really matter. As a beginner, the more important aspect is your hands; getting the motions and moves right and developing the muscle memory. Any deck that facilitates this will do the job.
That being said, don’t just pick up a 99p set of cards from your local toy shop. Try Bicycles to get a feel for the standard size and weight of most cards without worrying about ruining them. As I mentioned earlier, the Tally Ho decks are also pretty good for beginners; and they are around the same price as Bicycle cards. Both these decks can be bought through Amazon.
Once you get more and more involved in cardistry, you’re going to want a cool looking deck. You can still perform incredible cardistry with cheap decks, but the design and style of the higher end decks are made specifically to add to the overall aesthetic effect of your cardistry.
What are the best cardistry decks for advanced cardists?
The answer to this question tends to vary based on who you ask, but there are definitely a few common mentions. Here they are…
– Theory 11 Decks
You really can’t go wrong with most of the decks in produced by Theory 11; they look great, and handle even better. Some of my personal favorites are:
Monarchs
These have a reputation for being one of the smoothest handling decks you can buy; and they definitely deserve it. They should also be much easier to ‘break in’ than a lot of other decks you buy. I personally really like the minimal back design; it lends the cards a timeless and classy feel. Plus, there are plenty of different colorways you can trial to get a feel for which you like best.
Find them on Amazon HERE.
This picture shows you how the Monarchs look in motion…
Artisans
These are also produced by Theory 11 so they’re pretty similar in regard to their handling and card quality. The only difference is the design; a more circular design that works nicely for fans. I personally prefer the Monarchs but there’s not a whole lot between them.
Find them on Amazon HERE.
Rebels
The symmetrical back design of the Rebels is somewhat similar to the Artisans in style, but with a more metallic, high tech feel. Again, the handling is superb.
All the above decks also come with a custom designed box; another nice touch.
– Virtusosos
I couldn’t write an article about the best cardistry decks without bringing these up. The Virtuoso decks were designed specifically for cardistry.
Whilst Bicycle cards and Theory 11 decks work great; they are also built to cater for magicians and layman. The Virts are made for cardists, and this fact shines through in their playing cards. The most recent release in this line is the FW17 deck.
FW17 (Fall/Winter 2017)
These are the most current Virtuosos and are quite possibly the best cardistry deck in the world right now. As I mentioned before, the reason Virts stand out against all the other great playing cards is that they not only deliver on card quality and handling, but the design is incredible and looks amazing for cardistry.
However, they are much more expensive than your usual cards and will definitely be harder to find (although not impossible.) That’s why I don’t think it’s important for beginners to spend much time worrying about buying them; wait until you have the skills to really make these cards look good.
Where can I buy cardistry decks?
Most of these decks are available at either the Theory 11 store, or through Amazon. 52Kards also has an online shop where you can pick them up. Penguin Magic is more geared towards magic than cardistry but there are definitely a decent number of decks you can buy there too!
Luckily, most of the decks mentioned are pretty easy to find.
For example, Bicycle cards are all over the place. You can find a pack of two decks for under five dollars at Amazon (or you could get even higher value for money by buying a 12-pack for only $15!). Similarly, Tally Ho decks aren’t difficult to get your hands on; but they are slightly higher cost at ten dollars for a pack of two.
The more high end cards for cardistry are a little bit more difficult to get hold of but they shouldn’t pose you any major problems; a combination of Amazon, Theory 11, and the Ellusionist store should be more than enough to secure them.
In fact, whilst actually procuring the cards is the easy part, the hard part is learning how to use them…
As I talked about earlier, you’re going to be dropping a lot of playing cards. No matter how good you might already be with playing cards, cardistry is a whole new game.
In fact, a lot of beginner cardists might even lose all motivation to practice after the hundredth time picking up each card.
That’s why I always recommend buying a set of cardistry trainers to start you out (before you start using ANY cards!).
What is a cardistry trainer?
A cardistry trainer is a ‘deck’ of cards that uses wooden blocks instead of actual cards. These wooden blocks are made to look and feel almost exactly like a group of playing cards; but with none of the downsides that come with playing cards.
You can practice freely without worrying about ruining cards by dropping them or wearing them down. They also cope much better with water and are just a whole lot more practical in general. They can be carried around easier; just hold a few blocks in your pocket instead of taking fifty-two cards everywhere you go.
You might want to experiment with different training sets; some trainer decks have more individual packets than others.
For example, if you want to learn one-handed cuts, you only really need a two-pack trainer deck. Whereas more complex cuts and flourishes that require six or seven packets would benefit from a trainer deck that has much more individual packets; perhaps seven or eight.
How expensive are they?
Luckily, these definitely won’t break the bank.
Whilst some options are cheaper than others, the average seems to be around $20-30 or so. More expensive than a deck of cards but a hundred times more durable.
Check the price of official Murphy’s Magic cardistry trainers HERE.
Here’s a great video explaining exactly how to use these cardistry trainers…
How to create your own cardistry trainers
If you don’t want to spend money on cardistry trainers, don’t worry. There are some really original ways of getting around it.
For example, you could simply loop a couple of elastic bands around packets of playing cards. This will prevent individual cards from falling out and should do a pretty good job of acting like a cardistry trainer block.
If you get REALLY desperate, you could even glue playing cards together to create blocks. I think this should only be a last resort though; the elastic band solution is the best as you can then move between treating your cards individually and in blocks.
So, to recap:
– For beginners, stick to cheap yet quality cards like Bicycle, Bee, or Tally Ho.
– Consider investing in a cardistry trainer to help you out during this process.
– Once you have the skills, pick up a nicer looking deck; either from the Theory 11 or Virtuoso line.
Thanks for reading! Make sure to share this article with friends if you found it useful!
Do you still have any questions? Make sure to leave them in the comment section below and I’ll get back to you within 24 hours.
This was a very interesting and informative post. My son played with cards for a long time and now I have some direction to help him invest in different cards as his skills continue to improve on his handling of the cards.
Love the pictures and the video you provided. Do you have suggestions as to where to buy cards for different skill levels as they grow and become better and more skilled?
Thanks
The great news is that the same cards will work for all skill levels. You can do easy moves and hard moves with the exact same pack of cards! Starting out with some Bicycle cards is never a bad idea though.
For an intermediate skill level, I would agree that theory 11 makes excellent cards. If you want something higher end, you might go with Orbit or Fontaine.
Very interesting, I didn’t know there was that many different types of decks used in cardistry. I’m not sure I am picking the right intermediate deck, for my nephew who has been practicing magic, do you have any links to the preferred decks in Amazon or should I just go put in the models you recommended?
I’ve gotten a number of Bicycle sets and I have seen some videos where guys have thousands of decks of cards since they go through them frequently. How long should I expect the decks to last before I replace them or is it based on preference?
Thanks for your comment! I’ve since added useful links to the post. These decks can last for years if you treat them right, but they’ll definitely get more ‘worn’ over time.
Honestly I never new there were cardistry decks and neither does my spell checker.
I have watched close up card magicians a lot doing all sorts of movements with cards and it boggles my mind. I can imaging how long it would take to just get a few in.
Wooden cards would be for me because I would destroy paper.
My 11 yr old daughter has started playing around with some maneuvers and I keep telling her it takes practice.
I think watching someone who is skilled at this is really entertaining and I love watching
That’s right! It takes a lot of practice to get the initial moves down, but once it becomes muscle memory you can achieve some absolutely incredible effects! Definitely worth giving the wooden ones a go. Thanks for the comment!
Your website looks really professional and this is a great article on Cardistry! I never realised there were so many different brands of cards that you could get! It makes sense to use a cheaper brand when first learning cardistry In case they get damaged. Then upgrading and get a more expensive pack as you progress
Looks like a really cool skill to master!
Great insights! It is definitely a better idea to go cheap in the beginning…you can always upgrade later! Thanks for the comment.
Personally, i think that if you’re just starting out, buy cheap cards from the grocery store / drug store. Anything printed by USPCC (Bicycle) will be fine. but if you’re looking to move into the more advance skill sets, it helps to invest in a better deck of cards. So all in all, great post. I agree that you shouldn’t move up in product until your skill set is at the same level. Thanks for all the content! look forward to more posts by you. ~Koda
Thanks for the comment Koda! That’s exactly right. Don’t worry about expensive cards just yet; focus on learning the basics!
This is the first time I have ever heard the term “cardistry.” Shows what a novice I am. You present a lot of interesting details about the quality of cards. From my hearts and poker playing I know a good deck of cards has a nice feel that makes for easy handling. I had no idea there were training cards for it, though, made of leather. The slight of hand magicians have always been fascinating, so this inside info will motivate me to look further into it and check out the rest of your site. Thanks a lot.
That’s completely right – you can really feel it when it’s a good quality deck! Sure, feel free to browse.
I thought this article was very interesting and I for one would never of thought that there was a need to use different types of cards until I read this post.
just buy looking at the photos of the various types of cards you can see the difference in quality from the FW17 for which I agree, the design is awesome to the basic cards that you suggest for Cardistry novices.
I think the most attractive set is the Artisan set but that maybe because of the Gold colour which visually stands out for me.
Thanks for the comment! I agree; the Artisans are a great all round set that look really professional. The difference between the Artisans and the FW17s is that the FW17s are made SPECIFICALLY for cardistry, whereas the Artisans are made for both cardists AND magicians.
Thank you for writing this post after i’m reading true this, i find value information is a lot of thing the
After reading your post I found very valuable information I have seen people do tricks with the card but always ask me how they did to learn
I do not have much experience in this but I have a friend who wants to learn to be a magician. I will refer him to read this article. if is ok for you
Thank you again great post
Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for your comment.
If someone ever asks me which type of magic or about cards in general or specific, I will certainly tell he/she about your Website.
I am sure you have been asked this question before so bear with me. What is your opinion about the gentleman who let the secret out of the big magic performances?
My son, as a young boy would have loved your site. He would have watched all the Youtube videos about the card tricks.
In sum, I think your Website is informative and well structured. It is also fun and delightful.
I put in the e-mail and was happy to learn the card trick. Your directions were easy to follow. I must try it, with the deck of Bicycle, of course.
The pictures in Theory 11 were mesmerizing!
I will spend some more time on this site.
My best, Judy
Thanks for the great comment! What’s my opinion on people who expose the secrets behind tricks? It’s only ever okay if it’s THEIR own trick that they’re exposing. If they’re exposing the secrets behind another magicians tricks, that’s basically a way of damaging his career. It’s a really unethical thing to do.
Glad you enjoyed!