Playing cards are an essential component of any magician or illusionist’s repertoire. The best marked playing cards will help you master the art of sleight of hand card manipulation. The cards must look normal to make them safe to use on stage, so they won’t be mistaken for trick cards.
There are many different styles and sizes available in marked cards for sale. For example, the most recent luminous technologies make the markings difficult to see with special contact lenses.
Magicians and cheaters can quickly identify which value or suit is on the other side of a deck of marked playing cards. This allows them the ability to steer the cards towards a favorable position.
The most common method of marking a deck, is to add lines or patterns to its back. The mark can be done in various ways, such as crimping the backs of the cards or adding marks with needles or nails.
There are a few other ways to mark your cards, such as block-out or cut-out. In block-out, small white areas of the back design are added. Some of your back colors can be scraped with a razor.
Shade and Tint techniques are another method. In this method, the ink color of the card is changed to a lighter or darker shade. You can also use the ink to make special markings.
Another popular way to mark a deck or cards is with video-luminous marking decks. They are marked with a combination of inks and a special solution, which makes them hard to detect by a poker player without the aid of poker glasses or special contact lenses.
Ultimate marked decks are also a popular choice amongst magicians and poker players. These decks don’t need to be marked using invisible ink. However, you can still read the tiny markings on their back patterns if you practice a bit.
Bicycle ultimate decks offer another option for magicians who are looking to impress with their deception and sleights of hand. Diamond Jim Tyler designed these decks so that you can perform a variety different card magic routines.
A set of Copag 1546 double decks is the best choice if you want to perform card magic. The Copag decks feature the highest quality stock and an air-cushioned finishing. The Copag cards are great for poker or sleight o’hand magic.