Marked Deck Card Tricks

There’s a lot of hype about marked deck card tricks, but the truth is that a marked deck won’t produce miracles on its own. It’s important to combine it with other elements, such as clever trick construction, smooth handling, and presentation. It also helps to use the right deck, with a marking system that’s hidden in a way that doesn’t scream “marked”.

It’s also important to have large, easy-to read markings, as if you stare at the back of the cards for too long, you will be able to tell that you are using a marked deck. You must catch a glimpse of the markings when the spectator is looking at the deck in a natural manner.

Some magic purists might even go as far as to say that a marked deck is cheating, but the truth is that all card magic involves deception anyway, and using a mark is just another tool to help you achieve that. A marked deck can make a trick look more impressive than using a standard deck.

There are a couple of excellent factory printed reader decks available, including Penguin Magic’s Marked Deck and the new Ellusionist Blue Cohort Deck (with a nifty Mandolin Back design). Both come with two helpful online tutorial videos that teach you how to read the markings and offer some good routine ideas for using them.