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The Svengali Deck is a combination of 26 force cards and 26 indifferent cards.  The FORCE cards are cut or trimmed slightly shorter that the indifferent cards.  They can also be called “the short cards” or “the identical cards.”  The INDIFFERENT cards are the standard length.  They have not been modified in any way.  They are taken from a standard deck of Bicycle back cards.  They include the Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Jack, Queen, King, and Joker.  They can also be called “the long cards” or “the indifferent cards.”  The cards are specially chosen to give the illusion that the deck is normal in every way.  We will use the term “force cards” and “indifferent cards” in these instructions.

The force cards are set up so that every other card in the deck is a force card.  The force cards are cut or trimmed slightly shorter that the indifferent cards.

Assembly of the Svengali Deck:

1. Shuffle the indifferent (long different) cards.
2. Place a force (short identical) card, face up in a new pile.
3. Place an indifferent card on top of the force card.
4. Place another force card, face up on the pile.
5. Continue to alternate cards until all 52 are in the pile, alternating long and short
6. You’re ready!

Handling:  Place the deck face down on a table or performance pad.  With your fingers on the short sides, lift a portion of the deck.  The card on top of the remaining pile should be a force card.  In this way, you can create multiple piles of cards, and each pile will have a force card on the top.  If you hold the cards with bottom facing the spectator, bend the pack a little toward the spectator and riffle the cards.  If you riffle toward the spectator, you will see different cards.  If you riffle away from the spectator, you should see the force card every time.

Easy Tricks
Tell your spectator that you are going to start dropping the cards from one hand to another.  They should say “Stop” at any time.  When the spectator says stop, show them the last card that was dropped.  This is the card on top of the drop pile.  It should be the force card for your deck.  Place the card back in the deck and square the deck on the table.  Snap your fingers and tell the spectator that their card has risen to the top of the deck.  Show the top card.  It is a force card.  Tell the spectator, “I suppose you are thinking that all the cards in this deck are the same?”  Pick up the deck and riffle it toward the spectator, showing all the cards are different.  Replace the deck on the table.  Ask the spectator, “Do you want to know how I did it?”  Pick up the cards and riffle them away from the spectator, showing them all the same.  At the same time say, “I turned them all into your card.”

Forcing a Card:  Forcing a card can be done in many ways.  Always start by tapping the bottom of the cards on the table. This will set them to work well.

Take the cards face down in one hand and push the lower center down keeping the cards in place holding your thumb and flip through the cards. This shows the spectator half of the end of the faces of the cards.

To get the spectator to pick one of the force cards as you riffle the edge of the deck, have the spectator place his finger into the deck as you flip.  Cut the cards at that point where his finger is, and complete the cut.  The top card will always be the force card.

Another method is to drop the cards from one hand to another while holding the top and bottom of the cards. If done right they will fall in pairs.  This sometimes is called drippling the cards.

If the bottom of the cards come loose first, and you drop them in a haphazard like way, make sure there is still one pile. You can take the whole deck and turn them face up, this will show every card as what appears to be a regular card, and by doing this face up, every card will look like the force card.

If done face down, and you dribble them into your palm, then have the spectator say “Stop” at any time.  The force card will always be at the top of the dropped pile.

Another way:   To use this deck the is by riffling the cards. Riffle the cards is a simple way to handle the deck, hold the cards straight up and down in your hand with your thumb on one end and fingers on the other. Use the other hand to stabilize the rest of the deck.  Flip the tops of the cards with thumb and pairs of cards will fall and the top one of each pair will be a force card. The reverse of this is also true by riffling the deck in the other direction. You can show the deck as normal.

Problem?  Question?  Please text or call (605) 989-6949.

Email:  Don@SterlingMagicCoins.com  We can help!

Performance of the Svengali Deck

Using a Svengali Deck of Cards, it is very important to begin and end each trick by showing the deck as normal. To do this, just riffle the cards showing each card to be different even though you are only showing 26 cards hiding the force card behind. In the following directions, to avoid repetition, we will not explain this each time.

When you perform each trick separately or put them together in a full routine, just remember the basic concepts making sure the audience never has no doubts that this is a regular deck of cards.

Basic riffle:  Hold the cards straight up and down, with the faced cards out toward the audience. In one hand with your thumb on the top of the cards and flip through the cards, letting the cards fall into your outstretched hand. This will show all the faces as the force card.

 Back riffle:  This is the same as the basic riffle, but instead hold the cards with the deck of cards with the backs toward the audience. You will turn the deck or even switch hands and riffle it the other way, showing all the cards normal.

Messy riffle:  This will show the cards in a way that shows the cards in a pile that once done right you can grab the pile and turn it over and show either all the force card or all normal cards.

Hold the cards face down in your left hand by the ends, thumb on one side and fingers on the other short ends. To perform while holding the cards at the ends, riffle and drop the cards in your hand in a messy pile.

Regrip the cards holding the pile tight with the other hand simply turn the pile over and display all to be normal cards or the force card.

Warning:  Unlike other trick decks of cards, the Svengali Cards cannot be handed out to be handled by a spectator or be truly examine.

Some ways to help with this is to buy a regular deck of cards that match the design on the back.  With this extra deck in your pocket, if asked by a spectator to look at the deck after a performance, it would be simple to put your Svengali deck in your pocket and then switch it for the real matching deck of cards.

There are many ways to perform this switch with sleight of hand or by switching under cover of a silk cloth, paper, or bag.  The following two methods are easy to do.

Put a duplicate deck of cards in your back pocket, or under your belt in the back of the waist band of your pants. You also could wear a suit jacket and there are many pockets that could be used.

 You can give a reason to place the cards behind your back for a second and switch it at that time.  If you have the extra cards in your pocket, you may need to add slightly turn your body so the audience cannot see the switch happen.    

A Svengali Deck of Cards can only have one force card.  So, you should purchase more than one Deck of Cards with different force cards if it’s a trick that you will be performing for the same group again. This will truly throw them off that it’s a trick deck.

Please remember that it’s not recommended that you repeat too many tricks with this deck in the same performance because the audience will see the same force card over and over.

Here is one of my favorite routines:  Money For Nothing And Tricks For Free

Coin Toss:  Force the card on the spectator. Spread all the cards by riffling them all over the table and flip a coin on the table.  Whichever card the coin lands on, turn it over to reveal that it is his card.

The Dollar Count:  Force a card and have it returned. Ask the spectator if he has a dollar bill in his pocket and have him remove a dollar and lay it out. Tell him to look at the serial number on the bill and to add two or three digits of the bill’s number together and give you the total. Tell them letters and zero’s do not count.   Count that number of cards off the top of the cards face down in a pile on the table.  The last card removed from the cards will be his chosen card unless the number is an even number, then turn over and show the very next card.

Card in Wallet:  Force one of the force cards, but to start, load one in your wallet.  Have a card selected and returned to the deck.  Riffle the cards and show your card has vanished.  Remove your wallet and open it to reveal the selected card has been there the whole time.