52Kards has a new tutorial on their YouTube channel, but this one doesn’t actually come from the 52Kards crew. The latest instruction is a guest video from PigCake, a fellow YouTuber with a decidedly off-kilter sense of humor. It’s a multi-part sandwich effect called Monkey On Top. This trick is all about the quick fingers, with no gimmicks or gaffs required.

If you dig PigCake’s tricks and his wry attitude, then check out his YouTube channel. And if you claim to like card magic but aren’t already keeping tabs on 52Kards, you probably should be. 

Asad of 52Kards is nothing if not a man of his word. After posting a brief video of The Perpetual Puzzle last week, enough people clamored for more that he shared a full review of the product. It’s a collection of puzzle pieces all gathered inside a seemingly simple frame. But once you take the pieces out to start re-assembling, there’s always a leftover piece after you fill the frame.

This apparent destruction of the basic laws of geometry has been given many different treatments over the years. Some 52Kards viewers noted that the concept is a reversal of the Infinite Chocolate Problem. It’s also an idea akin to the Half-H puzzle, where the pieces never seem to align properly to create the goal shape.

If you want to pit your wits against this brain-teaser, you can pick up The Perpetual Puzzle directly from 52Kards. Or grab a Hershey bar for the more edible version.

If you’ve been eyeing that deck of Memento Mori cards and haven’t quite been able to pull the trigger, now might be the time to do it. Online magic retailer 52Kards just launched a 48-hour flash sale that’ll get you 20% off a handful of some of the store’s most popular goodies.

The sale page over at 52Kards lists 14 different items, offering a nice mix of beautiful decks perfect for cardistry,  like these Banshees for card throwing ($9.58, normally $11.97), or the elegant geometric lines of Tangram ($7.96, normally $9.95). Or fill out your repertoire with some new tricks or gimmicks, like Real Man’s Wallet, a fully-functional billfold that hides a few secrets of its own ($31.97, normally $39.97), or Cold Case, a deck switcher that comes with 10 original routines with over three hours of instruction ($31.96, normally $39.95)

If any these catch your fancy, make sure you act fast: this flash sale starts now and lasts until March 1 at 9am PST. 

Asad Chaudhry of 52Kards has shared a video discussing Sucker Punch, a special set of poker chips for magic tricks designed by Mark Southworth. He offers a thorough assessment of the product, including the difficulty, the quality of instruction, and the cost.

The product includes 16 chips and online instruction for six different effects taught by Eric Jones, the acclaimed coin magician from Murphy’s Magic. Sucker Punch is a versatile option for practitioners of coin magic. Not only are the effects visually impressive, but Chaudhry was particularly impressed by the value. At $39.95, it’s one of the least expensive gimmicks for coin magic and the build quality is excellent. Check out the whole video to also have a chance to win your own Sucker Punch in a 52Kards giveaway. Or to ensure getting your own, head to the 52Kards store.

The answer to the question “How do I make sure I’m confident enough in my routine that I don’t fall flat on my face” is simple: practice. But the harder questions is: How do you know you’ve practiced enough? Vinh Giang from 52Kards takes a couple minutes to give his thoughts on the matter, literally moments before performing in front of a few thousand people. He lives by the old theater standby: “One minute of stage-time is equivalent to two hours of rehearsal time.” 

It sounds like a lot, but being well-rehearsed means that you’re not only able to perform your routine like it was second nature, but you’re also prepared for when things go wrong – which is often where a lot of the fear lies.

He also talks about making sure you practice the things you say as much as you practice what you’re doing with your hands. It’s something a lot of people forget when practicing, but it ensures that delivery and performance is as flawless as they can be.

What about you? How do you know you’ve practiced enough? Let us know in the comments below.

A common misconception held by those new to magic is that a performer needs to learn the newest, hottest, most intricate method in order to impress an audience. The above video, featuring Vinh Giang, elegantly illustrates how that’s not true. What appears to be an impressive bit of mentalism is really just window dressing for a very simple piece of misdirection (which you can learn here). A valuable reminder that good magic is more than mastering mechanics.

52kards already has a robust presence on YouTube, offering free card-based tutorials for a variety of skill levels. Back in October, however, it launched its 52kards Academy, aimed at “more dedicated students who really want to invest in their craft and take it to the next level.” As opposed to the one-off videos on the YouTube channel, the Academy offers “a collection of complete online courses teaching a variety of different styles of magic for different skill levels.” 

As one might expect for something that in depth, Academy lessons come with a price tag, but if you’d like to get a feel for what you could expect for your investment, The Complete Guide to Playing Cards class is completely free of charge. Enter your email and a password and in a few seconds, you’re ready to view your first video. 

The course covers basics like how to break in a deck, one-way designs versus two-way designs, and even humidity and moisture control. It’s an excellent introduction for anyone new to card magic, cardistry, or general card collecting, but if you’re a more advanced student, it’s also a good introduction to the Academy’s overall format. The lessons are clearly laid out in a menu on the left, and you can skip through them as you see fit, as opposed to being forced to slog through topics you already know well. 

The Tutorial library is also free, so you can get a better idea of what subjects the Academy covers. Check out 52kards Academy and maybe start your new year with some new knowledge.

There are a few different ways to four cards appear or disappear, but this tutorial of Apex Aces by 52 Kards makes it look clean, elegant, and downright magical. You’ll need some expert pinky and card control to perform this trick, but the video above shows you in painstaking detail what you need to do to make it look good. 

Palming cards is a vital move in many card tricks, but what do you do when you have to return a card to the middle of the deck? 52Kards has a tutorial that’ll show you an advanced move to control a card with your palm, no matter where it ends up. The diagonal palm shift is very tricky, and requires an understanding of the classing palm to pull off, but once you get it, you’ll be able to manipulate cards like a pro.

You’ve probably seen this trick before: a magician puts a card down on the table, picks it up in their hand, flips it back over, and reveals a completely different card. Mucking is a common technique gamblers use to cheat at cards, and 52Kards is here to teach you a modified version for magic. The effect is a little bit more showy than it would be for gambling purposes, but that’s the point—you actually want people to know you’re trying to pull one over on them.