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One of the major advantages that plastic cards have over paper cards is durability. Whilst a single deck of good quality plastic cards can cost a similar amount to the price of a brick of Bicycles, they will outlast all of the cards in the brick many times over.

Plastic cards are not suitable as a generic playing card choice for all magicians. Their suitability for you really depends on the tricks that you regularly perform.

I personally have been using a single deck of Copag branded cards as my only deck of playing cards for well over a year and they are still in great condition despite being used daily.

Don’t expect to be able to fan or spread them evenly, tear them or perform tricks involving crimps or bends, but for a wide variety of tricks, the cards are still more than adequate.

Whilst using plastic cards as your main weapon of choice may not be for you, if you were to save your paper cards for performance situations only, you can save a lot of money by practicing with plastic cards because you won’t have to spend your hard-earned cash on new packs of playing cards anywhere near as frequently.

I have tried a few brands out and “Copag” seems to be one of the best of all the brands of plastic cards that I have used so far. They handle reasonably well, they retain their shape even after continued use and don’t have a strange smell or suffer from the ink coming off like some of the other cards that I have tried.

I used to perform in a bar and one of the great advantages of plastic cards is that if they get covered in beer they can simply be wiped dry and you are good to go!

Another cool thing I noticed is that if you draw on the cards with a dry erase marker, you can simply erase the drawing after your performance by wiping it off with a damp cloth. Lastly, if they cards start to look grubby – just wash them and they are as good as new!

In summary the plastic cards:

• Are waterproof
• Are washable.
• Can last for years of continued use.
• Are not stained easily. (Most stains can simply be be wiped off.)
• Retain their shape even if bent.
• Can save you money if used as your main deck or as a practice deck.

I’d be interested to know of anyone else’s views on plastic playing cards and their experiences with other brands. Just drop a comment below!

- John Harrower

“Soaping” is a technique for making a deck of cards spread more easily.

Here is a little tutorial on how to effectively apply the soap across the back of the cards in order to make them fan and spread more evenly.

Fanning powder gives the deck a very different feel then soaping a deck. I’m not saying soaping a deck is better or worse then any other technique. I personally always use a new deck so I would never use either technique in my professional work.

The best part about this guide is that it works on cheap “gas station” finish playing cards. See for yourself.

Why does this work?

Sodium stearate (a main component of most soaps) and Zinc stearate (the main if not only ingredient of “fanning powder”) are both soaps chemically speaking and have a similar structure, it’s logical that they might both decrease friction between cards.

Recommended soap

If you want to try this it’s recommended that you get yourself a “Cashmere Bouquet” soap. This brand of soap is a bit hard to find in retail stores but you can get them from eBay for about 3 dollars, shipped.

Credits

This technique appears in Gary Ouellet’s book “Close Up Illusion’s” .

Got cards? I do.
I have somewhere near 200 decks now in my personal collection. With that many cards, I have had to learn a little something about how to take care of them. Here are a few pointers from me to you to help keep things slick.

These few tips and pointers are just the beginning. Use them to keep your collection in tip-top shape.

1- Get Organized

As you start to collect a lot of cards, you need somewhere to put them all besides EVERYWHERE.

I personally use this, a plastic drawer set from Walmart. This isn’t the only option, but figure out something. Here is mine.

2- Find a place for loose cards

Old, worn cards, and spare cards from your… um… creative projects have many uses. You may use them to replace a lost or signed card in a deck, to make gimmicks, or to just simply practice card throwing. Whatever your style, these loose cards make an AWFUL mess. Find an empty shoebox, or a drawer on your plastic storage unit from Walmart, and keep them all there.

3- When your cards start to get sticky…

Give them a break. If your favorite deck just doesn’t want to work anywhere, let them rest. Let them sit untouched in your favorite storage place for a couple weeks. Often all it takes for your cards to be revived is to get a rest from the moisture of your hands. When they have enough time to dry out, they will regain their amazing feeling.

4- GET A CLIP. Period.

These things are NOT gimmicks. They really work. A regular, cheap clip will keep the deck from warping like mad in your pocket. A nice PORPER clip will even take some of the bend out of your cards.

5- Wash Your Hands

Grease and dirt will kill your cards, and there is no return for a greasy, dirty deck. If you know you are going to be using your cards, go out of your way to wash and dry your hands. This simple, common sense idea will keep your pasteboards alive.

There will be more to come, but in the meantime get your collection organized and send us your photos so we can see how creative you all are!

-Lyle Borders

1- Book your tickets as soon as possible.

This is common sense, most conventions offer a special discount if you register within the first days of the announcement. Check your Google Calendar and organize your scheduled months upfront.

The Session offered a book and DVD for early registrants, Magic-Con a $100 discount and a contest to become VIP, but it’s usually like this with all the good ones like Blackpool, Magic Weekend or even FISM.

2- Never travel alone

Talk to the people on the forums and your local magic circle when organizing the trip. If you are traveling by car, you will need four fat snoring and smelly colleagues to ease the ride. You will save money by splitting the gas and hotel expenses.

3- Only go to lectures you are really interested in

If you do card magic for a living and never plan to do balloon animals or color changing clothes routines then skip those lectures (workshops). You will most likely watch the artists during the gala show on the last day so focus on what you do and keep some mystery in your life by not allowing yourself to discover the secrets to those other illusions.

4- Eat when everyone eats

You might be able to be sneaky enough to steal a couple of French fries or your skinny friend’s leftovers while practicing your misdirection skills.

5- If you are hungry perform a “sandwich” routine

Restaurants are expensive; therefore stay away from them if you are not going to sit next to the star. A light meal with a piece of fruit will keep you alive.
If you are performing that night, that’s another story, but then again, you will not be spending money but rather earning it, so pay a round to your fans.

6- Hand out your business card to everyone

Business cards won’t save you money directly, but if you are lucky you might get hired later on. Perform a couple of tricks at the nearby restaurants and if the staff notices you, tell them that there is an international magic convention around the corner and that you are the star of the evening. Ok, that’s lying, but that’s what magic is all about, isn’t it?

Also check out our post on how to design good business cards for magicians.

7- Buy cards in bulk

The dealers’ booth is where magicians spend most of their cash. Call your fatty snoring friends and make a huge joint order of 10 bricks of bicycle decks and tell the dealer to give you a good discount. They always do and you might also get a couple of custom decks for free if you ask for them kindly. If you need 30 minutes to convince him, just do it.

8- Lie to the dealers, just a bit…

Always start with, “They sell them for $XX online, how much do you want to charge me?” It will instantly put a big “I’m stupid” sign on your forehead, but surprisingly it works most of the time.

Another thing you can do is fake a foreigner accent and pretend you don’t understand what they are saying to try to pay less or get stuff for free…

Je vais prendre ces “glucumputuptus” gratuitement ok?

This does not work that well, but you’ll get a laugh, especially if you are a Derren Brown fanboy trying to “yes ladder” the dealer in French.

9- Get your books signed by the authors.

If you have the chance, buy the stuff the artists carry rather than at the magic shop booths. They don’t usually get paid much for the lectures and need to sell some DVDs or lecture notes to be able to hook up a cutie that night. If you do, tell them to sign the stuff. You can always put it on eBay a couple of months later…

Magicians usually offer bundle packs with their complete DVD collection and lecture notes. Take advantage of that and it will save you a lot of cash you can use to buy more playing cards.

10- Wait for the last day

This is the golden rule. If you are strong enough to hold your horses until the last day of the convention you will get the best bargains out of the dealers. I know it’s hard but it pays off.
They are tired of negotiating with people with signs on their forehead and they don’t want to pack everything back in their suitcases, so they will give you a special discount just to see you walk away.