How To Master The Svengali Deck – Complete Guide

The Svengali deck is the best trick deck in card magic. You can perform absolute miracles, if you know how to use the deck.

Here you will learn, step by step, all the moves you need to know to master the Svengali deck, plus some incredible routines you can perform. I’ve included tricks and handlings for beginners and experts, all guaranteed to blow your mind.

What Is a Svengali Deck of Cards

A svengali deck is a trick deck which consists of half the deck being the same card, cut slightly shorter, interlaced between the other half of the deck which consists of normal cards.

This allows you to show all the cards different, or all the cards the same.

Svengali Deck Explained – Technique

I’m right handed and explain everything as a righty. If you’re left handed, use the opposite hand.

MOVES YOU WILL LEARN

• Shuffling
• Cutting
• Dribbling
• Displays
• Having a card picked
• Checking for the force card

Shuffling

You can do a standard riffle shuffle in your hands. Since the cards fall in pairs, your force card will remain in alternating order throughout the deck.

To be honest, I don’t like riffle shuffling and I don’t feel it is necessary. It ruins your cards and sometimes cards get out of order, which is not good.

To learn the riffle shuffle plus my favorite shuffle, the one I use when performing card tricks, check out – How To Shuffle Cards – A Complete Guide.

Straight Cut

This will cut the deck above your force card.

Hold the deck in your left hand. Lift up at the inner edge with your right thumb breaking the deck open. Place this top packet underneath completing the cut.

Since the force cards are shorter, your thumb will always break the deck above a force card.

Reverse Cut

This will cut the deck below your force card.

Hold the deck face up in your left hand. Press down on the top left corner of the deck with your left thumb, creating tension.

Pull down at the right outer corner, with the tip of your left 1st finger, breaking open the deck. With your right hand lift, off the top packet and place it underneath completing the cut.

Pro Tips

• Practice the cuts until you can do them smoothly.
• Both cuts should look the same.

Dribbling

Hold the deck from above with your right thumb at the inner edge, your 1st finger curled on top, and your 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers at the outer edge. Press down with your 1st finger on top, bending the deck downward slightly, to create tension.

Drop the cards off your thumb and fingers one at a time (actually will be 2 at a time). It should look like the cards are flowing. Catch the cards on your palm up left hand.

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Pro Tips:

Your 1st finger is very important, it creates tension. Keep your finger straight, and press the very tip of your nail against the deck to bow it downward.

This will take some practice. I taught it to my girlfriend, it took her 2-3 days to get it pretty smooth. Put in the time, it’s worth it.

Displays

• Deck face DOWN shows the cards all different.
• Deck face UP shows the cards all the same.

Cards All Different

1. IN THE HANDS – Beginner Handling

With the faces toward your audience, grip the bottom half of the deck with your left hand. Riffle through the cards with your right thumb on the top edge showing they are all different. Tilt the cards forward so they can be seen.

For completeness, I am including this very easy and basic way to show the cards. I don’t use this handling and prefer dribbling the cards as taught below.

2. IN THE HANDS – Dribbling Forward

Hold the face down deck from above with your right hand, in dribble position. Rotate your right hand palm up so the faces of the cards are toward your audience. Place your left hand in a cradle position in front ready to catch the cards.

Dribble cards off your right thumb onto your palm up left hand. It should look like one of those picture flip books.

3. IN THE HANDS – Dribbling Backward

Hold the face down deck from above with your right hand and dribble the cards off your thumb onto your left hand. Tilt your right hand palm up as you dribble so your spectators can see the faces of the cards.

I like this handling very much. Make sure to angle the cards so your spectators can see them while you dribble.

4. ON THE TABLE – Spread

Hold the face down deck close to the table and dribble the cards making a spread. Keep the cards close together in the spread.

Press down on the left side of the spread with your left thumb and dig your left fingers under the bottom card. Flip the spread over with your left 1st finger, catch the top card on your palm up right hand, and scoop up the deck.

Cards All the Same

1. IN THE HANDS – Dribbling Forward

With your force card at the face, hold the face up deck from above with your right hand, in dribble position. Rotate your right hand palm up so the back of the deck is toward your audience.

Place your left hand in a cradle position in front ready to catch the cards. Dribble cards off your right thumb onto your palm up left hand, showing them all the same.

2. IN THE HANDS – Standard Dribble

Hold the face up deck from above with your right hand and dribble the cards straight down onto your left hand showing all the cards are their selected card.

3. ON THE TABLE – Spread

With your force card at the face, hold the face up deck close to the table and dribble the cards making a spread. Keep the cards close together in the spread.

Press down on the left side of the spread with your left thumb and dig your left fingers under the bottom card. Scoop up the deck and square it up in your left hand.

Picking a Card

Dribbling

Dribble the cards onto your left hand and have your spectator say stop. Show the top card of the left hand packet. Drop the rest of the cards on top.

Always cut the deck before a card is selected to insure your force card is not the bottom card.

Checking the Card

If you aren’t sure if your force card is on the top or bottom, there are two ways to check.

1. Hold the deck with your right hand from above and feel the bottom card with your left 1st and 2nd finger. If it is movable it’s a force card.
2. Look at the border of the top card of the deck, force cards are slightly shorter.

Svengali Deck Tricks

Ambitious Card

EFFECT:

Card is picked, and placed into the center. It magically comes back to the top.

HOW TO DO IT:

Dribble and have a card picked. Place the rest of the cards on top. Wave over the deck and turn over the top card showing their card.

Cut the deck putting their card back into the center. Wave over the deck, and again show it is back on top.

PRO TIP:

Don’t do this more than 2 times. Use this sequence as part of a routine with the Svengali deck, not as a stand alone trick. It is too clean and spectators will want to examine the cards.

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Card Stab

EFFECT:

Spectator picks a card. You toss a random card into the deck to find their selection.

HOW TO DO IT:

Card is picked. Peel off the bottom card and place it face up on the table. Place the deck face down on the table horizontally.

Pick up the face up card. Riffle up the inner long side of the deck with your left thumb, and toss the face up card gently into the deck. Leave it protruding and rotate the deck 90° counter clockwise.

Their card will either be above or below the face up card. You will turn over both. Lift up the packet above the protruding card and casually turn your right hand palm up flashing the card at the face.

If it is the force card, peel it off and place it face up on the table. Slide the face up card off the tabled packet, and turn over the top card showing another random card.

If it is NOT the force card, slide the face up card off the deck onto the table, and turn over the top card showing their card. Place it face up and the table and turn over the next card, showing another random card.

REASSEMBLING THE DECK:

Place a random card face down on the tabled deck, followed by a force card face down on top, followed by the packet in your right hand. Place the last random card back onto the bottom of the deck. You are reset.

PRO TIP:

Casually turn over the packet above the face up card you threw into the deck. It may or may not be the force card. Either way proceed as if it is exactly what you planned.

Open Prediction

EFFECT:

You place a prediction on the table. Your spectator chooses a number between 1 and 52. You count down to that number and flip over the card. It matches your prediction.

HOW TO DO IT:

Write down your force card on a piece of paper and place it on the table. Straight cut the deck so your force card is on top and a random card is on the bottom. Show all the cards are different.

Ask for a number between 1 and 52. Count the cards face down into a pile. There are 2 possible outcomes. If they choose an odd number a force card will land on their number. If they choose an even number, you will count down and deal the next card.

Place the card face down on the table before turning it over. Show a random card had they had gone one more or one less.

Turn over the card showing the force card. Turn over your prediction.

REASSEMBLING THE DECK:

Put the packet you dealt onto the table back on top of the rest of the deck. Place the force card on top. Cut the deck. You are reset.

Spectator Finds Their Card

EFFECT:

A card is picked. You cut the deck into 5 piles, your spectator picks one. You show the cards are different in the other piles. They turn over the top card of the pile they picked, it is their card.

HOW TO DO IT:

Have a card selected. Cut the deck into 5 piles. Have your spectator choose a pile. Pick up each of the other piles, turn your right hand palm up flashing the bottom card, stack it on top of the next pile, flash the new face card, and repeat.

Turn over the top card of the pile they chose showing their card.

REASSEMBLING THE DECK:

Turn their card face down and place it back on top of its pile. Place the rest of the deck on top. You are reset.

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Svengali Transpo

EFFECT:

Two halves of the deck are face up on the table. One half has all different cards, the other half has all the same card. You move one card, the piles switch places.

HOW TO DO IT:

Hold the deck face up with the force card at the face. REVERSE CUT the deck at about the center and place the top half with the force card at the face, onto the table.

Dribble display the packet in your hands showing the cards are all different. Place this packet face up on the table.

Dribble the force card pile on the table, without lifting it, showing all the cards are the same.

Pick up the force card pile, face up, and peel off the bottom card, a force card. Place this force card on top of the tabled packet, at the face of the random cards.

Turn the force packet you are holding face down and cut it onto the table. Wave over the packets. Dribble the face up force packet on the table showing all the cards are the same.

Pick up the other pile and do a dribble display showing they are all different.

REASSEMBLING THE DECK:

Turn the pile on the table face down. Move the top card of the packet you are holding to the bottom, and place the face down packet on top of the tabled packet.

How Does a Svengali Deck Work – Pro Tips

You can handle the Svengali deck in a very normal way. You can spring the cards, do fancy cuts, and even shuffle. Act at as if it is a normal deck.

YOU MUST PRACTICE! This is the single most important thing. I recommend practicing with the Svengali deck in hand until you can do everything perfectly. Then go out and perform it.

Good choreography is very important. Always consider how you will lift up the packet when about to do the dribble display so you are in the correct position and there is no fumbling.

Instead of moving one card to the bottom in order to change the bottom card, use the Reverse cut above. It accomplishes the same thing and looks much more natural.

Conclusion

The svengali deck of course cannot be examined. This means you should have a set routine with a good flow so there is no dead time for your spectator to ask to see the deck.

Put the necessary practice time in and the svengali deck magic trick will serve you very well. Your spectators will go crazy.