Marked decks are a great way to perform card tricks. You can use them to find out which card a spectator has selected, or to locate a card within a shuffled set.
Normally, you’d buy a marked deck and gimmick it yourself, but many magic trick manufacturers use regular Bicycle decks that are printed by US Playing Card Company.
Markings at the back of the cards
If you’re looking to perform some amazing card magic tricks or poker tricks, it’s essential that you mark the deck of cards. There are a number of different ways that you can do this.
The first method is by using a marking pen to add symbols onto the back of the card. These can be anything from a clock face to a cross.
You can also use a tinting or cut-out technique. This method is more difficult to detect but still very effective.
The dating code can be used to verify the authenticity of a deck. This code is printed on both the back and ace of clubs of the deck.
Markings on the front of the cards
Bicycle decks have long been popular with card magic enthusiasts. USPCC produces them, and they are an icon of American Card Culture. Moreover, they are easy to mark and can be easily found on the shelves at most card shops.
You can use a variety of methods to make card patterns visible when marking a bike deck of cards. Some of them include luminous marks and juice-marking.
Luminous markings are difficult to see from a distance, but they can be detected by sunglasses or other specialized gadgets. Juice-marking, on the other hand, is a paste-like material that can be applied to the cards while in use.
If you are looking for a marked deck of cards that is marked, then look for a Rider Back design. This is the most common and effective design for poker cheating.
Invisible ink
During the Revolutionary War British secret agents used invisible pens to send messages. The messages could only decoded using a “reagent”, like fire or acid. The American soldiers also wanted to develop invisible inks.
The surface fibres can be altered by steaming the paper after it has been wetted with water. This would change the look of the text making it more difficult to develop using heat, chemicals or UV light.
This method does not work perfectly. If the paper is exposed to bleach or direct sunlight, the marks will easily come off.
Another method is to use iodine vapor to develop invisible inks. It works by disrupting the surface fibers of the paper to allow iodine powders to stick more easily.
Markings on the back of the deck
When you are marking a bicycle deck of cards, you need to consider the location of the markings. You can mark the cards in a variety of ways, each with its own advantages and drawbacks.
You can use luminous inks on the backs. These inks are easy to detect by a spectator, but they also have the advantage of being non-perceptible to infrared contact lenses or sunglasses.
Another way to mark the deck is by using a coded marking system. This means that the value and suit for each card is printed somewhere on the back.
This is a good option for magicians that want to mark a bike deck of cards without getting caught. The markings are well concealed and a little more difficult to see than other marked cards.