About Learncards

Hello! Thanks for stopping by.

Learncards started in 2007 for a simple reason: I love card tricks, and I kept finding that the explanations online were either buried in long videos or written for people who already knew the jargon. I wanted a plain page per trick, with the steps written out in order, that you could prop up next to a deck and follow along with.

That's still all this site is. Every trick has its own page. Most start with the effect, which is what your audience sees, and then walk through the method, which is what you actually do. If a write-up uses a word you don't know, the glossary should sort you out.

Who it's for

Anyone with a deck of cards. Kids learning their first trick, grown-ups who want something to show at the next family dinner, and hobbyists like me who just enjoy the puzzle of how a trick works. You don't need to buy anything. A regular, slightly battered deck is perfect.

How the tricks are chosen

I look for tricks that work with an ordinary deck and fool real people. Some are old classics, some were sent in by readers over the years, and a few are variations on each other, because seeing two versions of the same idea is a great way to understand it. Each one is sorted by difficulty and by type, so you can start with the easy tricks or the self-working tricks and work your way up.

What you won't find here

No ads, no pop-ups, no tracking and no JavaScript. The pages load fast and work on any old computer or phone, which feels right for a site about something as low-tech as a deck of cards.

One last thing

Practice! Read a trick, try it slowly, then try it again. Do it for yourself a few times before you do it for anyone else. The first time somebody gasps at something you did with your own hands is a wonderful feeling, and I hope this site helps you get there.