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Magic Cards

Performing tricks with magic cards has been around since the advent of the playing card. The first sleight of hand card tricks were probably performed by gamblers attempting to cheat. Their method was often a valuable card up the sleeve of their shirt that was cleverly switched with a lesser card in their hand. Exposing the trick often had disastrous effects, from losing fingers to losing their life.

Most magic cards are now used purely for entertainment, but some of the same techniques those gamblers pioneered, such as a card (or many cards) up the sleeve, are still used by magicians today. Card tricks are some of the first tricks that new magicians learn and many are based off of mathematical formulas to find the correct card. Cards are also cheap and widely available, as well as common to the audience, which makes them great props.

To extend the life of magic cards, and keep the friction between cards uniform, a special powder can be applied called fanning powder. This allows for consistent manipulation of the cards and prevents them from sticking together. Air-cushioned cards are almost always used because they slide across surfaces much smoother than regular cards. They have tiny dimples like a golf ball that hold pockets of air allowing them to slide on top of other cards easily.

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