Cardistry can best be described as "the performance art of card flourishing". It's the art of manipulating a deck of playing cards to create a visually pleasing display by card cuts, pivots, spins, twirls, and other moves.
There is a long history of card flourishes with card magic, but since 2010, cardistry has developed massively into its own independent art form. It is now riding a growing wave of popularity that is completely separate from magic altogether.
Cardistry For Beginners: The Best Deck of Cards
Before you dive into complicated cardistry moves, you need to be sure you have the right tools. This means having a deck of cards that handles well.
As a beginner in cardistry, you’ll probably drop and ruin a lot of playing cards. So, it’s important to start with a deck of cards that meets your needs without breaking the bank. Thankfully, we have a lot of options for you ;)
Standard Bicycle Playing Cards made in the USA by The United States Playing Card Company are inexpensive, exceptional quality deck cards that are perfect for a cardistry beginner. They are poker-sized with the legendary air-cushion finish, which ensures smooth and even basic card handling.
Cardistry Basics: Finding the Best Decks
- Don’t use inferior knock-off budget decks of cards or souvenir decks of cards. These will often be very slippery and stiff, making fanning or spreading difficult and not a fun experience.
- Use poker-sized playing cards instead of bridge-size playing cards, as bridge-size playing cards are narrower and limit the type of flourishes you can do.
- Avoid using old and used-up playing cards, as these will tend to clump together and cause inconsistent handling.
Card Flourishes for Beginners
Anybody with a deck of cards can start learning cardistry tricks, like how to spin a card in the air or how to flick a card like a boomerang. One can start working on card moves and card flourishes. You’re only limited by your imagination, creativity and commitment. However, you need to take the necessary time to learn certain cardistry basics we have listed below for you.
- Dealers Grip
- Straddle Grip
- Dribble
- Swing Cut
- Scissor Cut
- Card Spring
- Charlier Cut
- Revolution Cut
- Thumb Fan
- Pressure Fan
- Riffle Shuffle
- Werm
- Sybil
The cardistry community is vibrant and active, and in recent years cardistry conventions like Cardistry Con (USA), Cardcon (USA) & CardMaCon (India)have quickly become an annual and important event on the cardistry calendar.
Final Words
Cardistry is a skill that anyone can learn, but it does require practice. It's an exercise in manipulating your fingers and working your muscle memory. Some moves will seem awkward at first, but with practice, they'll become second nature, and you'll surprise yourself how easy something will become over time, even though it initially seemed completely impossible!
There's lots of times where you can practice - when you're watching TV or a movie, or waiting around for a friend. So get used to carrying around a deck with you and filling in those empty gaps where you're just killing time with some card moves.