The Svengali Deck is one of the most versatile tools a magician can own. This special deck of cards allows you to perform a variety of seemingly difficult card tricks without any complicated sleight of hand. It’s a must-have trick deck of cards for any beginner magician and is used by professional magicians around the world.

How Does a Svengali Deck Work?

With a Svengali Deck, the cards alternate between normal playing cards and cards that have been trimmed down slightly. These shortened cards (often referred to as a “force card”) are all the same value and suit, and are cut in a way that allows you to shuffle the deck (unlike a stripper deck).

When you spread the deck between your hands face down, it looks like a regular deck. You can even dribble or riffle shuffle the cards to show that it’s a seemingly ordinary deck of cards. However, the tiny little secret the Svengali Deck holds unlocks a world of amazing and super easy card magic tricks.

What Card Tricks Can You Do with a Svengali Deck?

Svengali Decks are the easiest way to force a card. The spectator can cut the deck anywhere they want and will always end up on the force card. This is great for prediction effects, mentalism tricks or other feats of mind reading.

The spectator can also put their selected card in the deck anywhere they’d like and, without you even needing to touch the cards, you can make it jump to the top of the deck. This makes beginner card tricks like the Ambitious Card Trick easier than ever and allows you to perform a stunning finale where all the cards in the deck transform into their chosen card right in front of their eyes.

Svengali Decks are one of the most popular trick decks in beginners magic trick sets. In fact, Marshall Brodien, aka Wizzo the Wizard, sold millions of Svengali Decks under the name “TV Magic Cards” throughout the 1960s and 1970s. However, the quality of the trick decks included in some magic sets can sometimes be inconsistent.

With the Bicycle Svengali Deck, you get a premium quality trick deck manufactured by the United States Playing Card Company on the same high-quality stock found in the Bicycle Playing Cards you know and love. As they look just like an ordinary deck of cards, your audience will never suspect you’re using a trick deck.

Each Bicycle Svengali Deck comes with special illustrated instructions from World Champion Magician Daryl that will teach you everything you need to know to start amazing friends and family right away.

Available in either Red or Blue and the classic Bicycle Rider Back or Mandolin Back styles.

As a special new offering, you may also choose a Red Bicycle Rider Back Svengali Deck with a Queen of Hearts as the force card—which has been scientifically proven to be one of the most commonly chosen cards in the world alongside the Ace of Spades.