Centuries Old Magician's SECRET Card Trick!

Can you tell how many cards are in a stack just based on its thickness? Maybe, but there's a better way! Watch this episode and learn about a clever deck-stacking method used by magicians for centuries.
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ABOUT SCAM SCHOOL
If Harvard offered a PhD in deceit, this would be it. Award-winning magician Brian Brushwood takes viewers on an inside tour of bar tricks, street cons, and scams. If you watch carefully, you'll never have to pay for a drink again!

[@scamschool]

**psst** Are you enjoying Scam School? You've gotta check out our *brand-new series* "The Modern Rogue" at kzbin.info. If you've seen it, reply and tell me what you think. If not, then get on over there. I'll bet you a dollar you love it. -Brian

[@sren1446]

Scam Nation I follow your videos. But cant see your card. Can you give me your Line up of card number. Had tryed but stand with 8 card back. Thanks

[@EthanLettuce]

This is the type of trick where learning how its done, is cooler than the trick itself.

[@christopherfontes-seitz3476]

so true\

[@oliverzohn2181]

Exactly!!

[@Timetraveler1991]

So right you are mate.

[@gregorynelson1568]

Technically, from a mathematical standpoint, going negative works just as well in instances where the cut card happened to be larger than the bottom card. In your video, you showed a 10 on the bottom and a queen (12) at the cut, when you do 10 + 13 first and then 23 - 12, getting you an 11 would be the same as 10 - 12 first resulting in a -2 and then +13 - 2 = 11 or even considering 11 * 4 = 44 (which allows for 5, 18, 31, or 44), but -2 * 4 = -8 which also allows for (starting with +13 - 8 = 5, 18, 31, or 44).

[@EngeltheFallen]

What I like best about this series is that you give a lot of info about the origins of the tricks and people who used them.

[@Martiano]

This is amazing. Can't wait to perform it to my friends. Thank you Brian for making my summer days more enjoyable!

[@bryanchu5379]

I haven't seen the explanation yet, but I'm going to guess that he ordered the deck in a way that only he knows, and based on the card he cuts to, he knows how deep the cut was.

[@Nyiahh101]

"im not trying to look cause you might think im cheating" *looks down*

[@ronsimon8675]

Still one of my favorite things to show off with...if you present it as a show of skill rather than a card trick people tend to be more impressed...and then you can use that same stack for other tricks if you so desire...well, as long as you don't disturb the order of the cards with that last feat there.

[@sjsawyer]

You don't have to worry about the bottom card being higher or lower. Just take the difference and multiply it by 4. Then find out what that number is congruent to mod 13. Once you have that you only have 4 possibilities: that number, that number + 13, that number + 26 or that number + 39

[@OmertaDesign]

Very cool, clever, and deceptive. Thanks! A quick question: what pack of cards did you use during this episode?

[@SirClaymore94]

I did already know about Si Stebbins but that was an unknown feature to me! In this case I don't have to memorize a deck in order to be able to perform a trick like that...great!

[@hudders11]

Worked out a way to do this trick with Mnemonica/Tamariz stack, or any non-cyclical stack a magician might know. The maths actually becomes far simpler and the deck can be examined. As long as the deck is only given straight cuts it can be repeated infinite times. The first packet cut is easy, clock the bottom card and the stack number of that card is how many cards you're holding. Subsequently, there are 2 possible processes. Note identities of the top and bottom cards of the packet cut, which is easy enough to do whilst you twist and turn and apparently weigh/estimate the thickness of the packet. A. If the stack number of the bottom card is higher than the stack no of the top card, subtract the lower number from the higher number and add 1 and that's how many cards you're holding. B. If the top card has a higher stack no, the original bottom card of your stack has been cut past and you instead need to subtract the lower value from the higher one, then subtract that number from 53.

[@johnnyasus86]

does anyone notice the wierd hand prints on the window

[@jacksainthill8974]

+johnnyasus86 Weird wierd.

[@gauravindia5065]

Thts a ghost hand.

[@ninjamanmrc7310]

Someone was getting freaky there

[@GattToDaChoppa]

the ghost be like "im gonna be on scam nation!!"

[@namansingla2975]

Creepy

[@Shaded_Pixels666]

This was one of the amazing things I learnt to do with a CHaSeD stacked deck..!

[@thephanman]

Thanks Brian for sharing this gem! I totally thought you were using a breather at first.

[@nicc4505]

Ok so it took me about 5 minutes to sort the deck in order but mastered the trick in 3 minutes.

[@scamschool]

Lolie C nice!

[@crashmaster6814]

Can you give me the order. I think I have done something wrong.

[@nettogames4268]

+Crash Master Ethan I always start with Ace of Clubs, then go +3 and progress in CHaSeD order. AC +3 = 4 4H +3 = 7 7S +3 = 10 10D +3 = 13 (The King) KC +3 = 3 (You loop around) 3H +3 = 6 (Just keep going like that) etc. Clubs Hearts a Spades e Diamonds Following that order, stacking them face up, the top card face down would be the Ace of Clubs and the bottom should be the Jack of Diamonds. If you go through the deck, you should notice that each card value is three higher (or looped around) from the last card, and clubs should always be after a diamond, a diamond after a spade, spade after a heart and heart after a club.

[@crashmaster6814]

Thank you

[@victormeimaris3774]

Cool😂😂😂😂

[@Stonesand_bones]

Before he explained how it worked, I picked up my deck of cards and cut it, guessed 13 and I counted out 13 cards. BOOM! MAGIC.

[@PLDesign]

When i read this, i tried the same thing and it worked!

[@scamschool]

@MsFozan Thanks!

[@shanghaivietnam]

Love doing this trick as part of my Si Stebbins routine. However, the other day I got stomped when the card we cut to happened to be the exact same bottom card -- so my bottom card was a King of Diamonds and then the card we cut to with the spectator happened to be the King of Hearts. I was just really lucky that time as the cards I holding was not a lot so I just said 7 cards (not sure why...just a lucky guess really) and I was right! 7 cards. But really, how do you deal with that situation as it wasn't mentioned in the video?

[@MrEsMysteriesMagicks]

That's really odd. The values come up every 13th card. If you have a King on the bottom, the other Kings should be at 13, 26, and 39. In fact, the King of the same color would always be card #26. Can't understand how you ended up with seven.

[@KirbyAid]

Mind BLOWN. Saw a similar trick on the Paul O'Grady Show years ago.

[@ebhock101]

i do this trick but my story really sells it! I tell them that I am a drummer who has studied music theory. I riffle the cards really fast at my ear and I pretend I can HEAR the number of beats of the cards because of my trained ear. This gets really great feedback rather than the "weight" of the cards storyline.

[@user-ms9sh2ed5v]

Has anybody else faced it? The player interface is the old one, while all other videos hold the new one

[@TheHollowKid]

yes and it's still like this xd

[@lillianwalling9539]

I'm so confused. I discovered it becuase the new interface makes it so the video wont play until you look at the tab for the first time. So i looked through my "recommended videos" and clicked "Open in new tab" on two or three. Before I can start the first one, I hear the add from this one start playing. Then I noticed the old player. Refreshed the page, but still the old one. Some kind of glitch affecting only this video? Odd.

[@user-ms9sh2ed5v]

Gavin Walling maybe the author has designed it this way, as the video is about an old thing :) there might have been an option to hold the old design for the video, idk honestly

[@drtroyturner7464]

I must've been sleepy or distracted the first time I saw this because I was multiply the bottom by 4. Missed that it was the difference of the bottom pulled minus the bottom if deck. Got it now. 2. X 4 3. If doesn't feel like amount? Add or subtract 13, number in a suit.

[@drtroyturner7464]

I found that when the bottom cars is lower like 4 and you add 10 and the bottom card in shallow amount is 6 so 14-6=8 ×4=32 minus 26 =6 I was consistently having to subtract 1 to get correct amount of cards as 5. It is either this or stipulating that the answer is good so long as within 2 then leaving it as is. Buy the minus 1 after operations is easy to remember because it can be thought of as borrowing a 1 early to turn small number large. I also tried going one less earlier but it only works when taken out last. This actually opens the trick up to stop ANYWHERE volunteer yells STOP over having to stop at a high value card.

[@kartikeyabajpai7859]

Come on, this is gold 🏆

[@DustinAndNatasha]

I am a drop out. Thanks for making me feel smart again! LMFAO LOVE THIS TRICK. LOVE IT!

[@wellesradio]

What went wrong? Three examples: 1) I had a king on the bottom, cut to a 2. 13-2=11; 11x4=44 I'm actually holding 21. 2) Still with the king on the bottom, I cut to a Queen. 13-12=1; 1x4=4 There are 22 cards in my hand. 3) I cut to a 4 (there are three cards in my hand) 13-4=9; obviously I'm not going to multiply 9x4 to get 36

[@wellesradio]

I stacked the deck correctly, too. C-H-S-D, adding three each time, A-4-7-10-K-3--6-9-Q-2-5-8-J-A

[@nashgross8658]

to set up the deck in the fastest way possible separate ask the suits and put them from King down to ace then with the club's pile take the three bottom cards and put them on top then with the hearts pulled take the bottom 6 cards and put them on then with spaces 9 and diamonds 12 then just deal the cards starting from clubs meaning first the 3of clubs then the 6 of spades etc

[@Jailbreaker0110]

this is my favorite show by far!

[@kojax98]

I udnerstand if you guys skip ads, but I don't understand if you skip intro it's so amazing

[@crazypotato4816]

i just cant control myself but laugh when brian is laughing like a bad guy in intro

[@sgrant911]

Love your vids Brian keep it up

[@danielthomass2807]

i lurned the chse card stake set a fue ep,s back and love the talking card trick seeing the trick now is even batter . love this channel so good !

[@sckmagic7]

Great trick! If you remember the suit of the card on the bottom of the deck as well, if someone cuts to a duplicate card all you have to do remember the CHaSeD order to figure out how many cards you have!

[@JudithOpdebeeck]

if the cut card is higher than the base number, you can also just switch it around and use the cut card as the base number, and the base number as cut card, to calculate the number of cards in the base pile, and subtract that from 52 to get the amount you need. not saying thats easier than just adding 13 to the base number, but its an option

[@evanli4272]

Omg that was sick!!!!!

[@thepuzzledmagician]

It's true that you cannot deal down the cards without messing up the stack. However....if you deal the cards face-up (or allow the participant to do it) it will preserve the CHaSeD order. This also looks more convincing than counting the cards in your hands.

[@annonimus2247]

The force is strong with that one.

[@xBeastSkillZx]

scam school is the best magic and card tricks iv ever seen XD

[@Personnotavailable]

no ads,no scam school :)

[@JunkHollerBoise]

I loved your hair scam school!!! Awesome my hair is just like that

[@HenkJanBakker]

I think his point is that there are about 4 exceptions to the basic math and keeping that in your head while pretending to 'guess' could seem overwhelming. I sure know it took me a few tries before it became 'easy'.

[@martinshoosterman]

something els you can do for this trick is have a piece of paper that says something like 7 in your left pocket and 22 in your right pocket, then if it happens to be one of those numbers, instead of guessing just pull out the paper and tell them you knew all along.

[@no.ca5270]

I’m learning all of the stebbins tricks and for some reason all the math they are saying is backwards and for this it’s the cue card minus the base number and not the other way around that is working with my dekc

[@oliverzohn2181]

Is there a deck order for this trick without any leftover cards?

[@sunondo8671]

Best intro!😂😂

[@datoferadze6037]

I have got jack(11) at the bottom of the deck, then i cut the cards and got 7 . 11-7=4 and 4multyply on 4 is 16 so i added 13 and got 29 but i was holding 24 cards . Please help me i dont understand

[@TheRicardotraceur]

this works with other stacked decks, since I mantain a 13 cards cycle, right?

[@fennexofficial3708]

Before he explained how it was done, I wanted to see if I could do it by actual weight and density and I got it right.

[@freesnake11]

you can use this trick to "read someone's mind" i always do this at school, you make them pick a card, stack up, look the bottom card and add 3 and change the suit with the chase move, and you will know that person's card

[@nondeee]

Awesome Brushwood.. purely awesome. Thanks a lot!!!

[@williamnguyen9262]

MIND-BLOWED!!!

[@sebarm6884]

This stack is called the Si stebbins stack I believe you can find it on youtube

[@smtktc]

is there a reason for using the CHASED order here? just making it in a numerical order seems like it'd work

[@81johnnyk]

7:56 Tom glances over at Chinese guy to check his math

[@OminousSilence1]

did the deck you used, has Ace-4-7-10-King-3-6-9-Queen-2-6-5-8 (each time +3) before you performed this trick?

[@live4twilight4ever]

I wasn't paying attention the first couple of times, but when he cut 33 cards I guessed 32 and when he cut 25 I guessed 25 which made me think maybe he is just really good at estimating. I think maybe if you give the person a chance to guess and they are close, that will make it seem much more plausible that you are just that good.

[@luqmankolapo8034]

What if you get the same card as you bottom card. Let say you have queen and when you cut you got queen. The are 12 so what do you do

[@robinefsar7074]

awesome trick where did u learn all of these bro

[@NoonMountain]

I never was a fan of using a lot of si stebbens tricks (because they require you take a cool deck every time you perform). They are AMAZING openers though

[@Domple91]

this stacked deck is great. So many trick possibilities Thanks

[@HulkVahkiin]

Never really bothered with stacks. But still good to learn.

[@scottipmagician]

haha - I played along and guessed all except one of them right just by having lived with cards for about 8 years - most experienced magicians could do this 90% of the time without a stack

[@michaelmorris2308]

4:08 - The dude was ADVERTISING Netflix and I fully thought he was about to call them scam artists.

[@thekid1921]

WAY COOL!!!! Thank you so much for the fantastic website!

[@LeonthePhoenix]

@rafinhapereira As far as I can see, you can, since the order is circular. I think the decision's got to be made case by case. If your base card is 6 and you cut at Jack you got (6-11)*4=-20 - 20 + 13 +13 +13 = 19 and there you go If you go: (6+13-11)*4 = 32 32 - 13 = 19 same thing, with one less addition/subtraction. I guess it's only a decision wether you're more comfortable with addition and subtraction or with multiplying ;)

[@jacobchmielecki6478]

if the bottom number is smaller you can subtract it from the card under the stack and multipy that by four.

[@GeekTalkVideos]

This works GREAT as a kind of eye popping opener to a lot of tricks. Tricks where you palm a card or find a card etc. Say something along the lines of "well we don't need the whole deck for this so I'll pull out about 15" get it in one cut and count them out and it gets at least an eyebrow raise every time.

[@bonsanchez8568]

guys how about if the bottom card is a king which is 13 and the card that was cut to was jack which is 11, so it will be 13-11=2 right? and then 2 x 4 will be 8. so add 13 then it will be 21 correct? cards dont look 21 so i add 13 again which equals to 34. but the total number of cards are 36 why is that? i have no extra cards or jokers they r 52 cards pls help

[@gillandro2]

I don't know if this was addressed in a previous comment... but in terms of aces... they count as 1 I gather in this case? and also what happens if you cut the cards to where the card on the bottom of the top stack is the same as your base number card... can you still perform the trick or should you just recut?

[@BAZWASLICK]

simon placek from the order of the cards i think it could only be 13, 26 or 39 cards that you're holding, as it would be x-x=0, so you do the x+13-x which makes it 13, then add 13 again if you're clearly not holding 13 cards, and again if you've got more than half the deck

[@mariosencario]

they have something called a youtube partnership, which you can apply for (if youtube offers it to you) when you hit a certain number of views, i think (i've been offered it before since i've got around 22k total views for random videos i've done in the past). when you apply, they assess your channel and if it's a good channel, they'll accept. this means that you can customise your channel much more like the name above the video etc. and the channel also earns money from youtube due to adverts

[@geeta172]

doesn't seem like the deck needs to be in CHaSeD order to do this. If we just have a cyclic 1,4,7,10,K,3 order....., it would still work, wont it?

[@Aejaky]

you can do it widouth the CHaSeD order too i tried

[@isaacbragg-gardiner5190]

Marius Stefan the chased order is mostly just a way to get all the cards in the deck nicely. The only other purpose it serves is the color of the card. If you cut to a card with the same value as your base card you just think: my base card was clubs, and this card is spades, so I'm holding exactly half the deck(because the cards are evenly distributed, each card will appear every quarter)

[@zahidshabir4038]

the numbers just need to go up 3 at a time but he mentions the Si Stebbins stack is that is a common deck stack and some other magic tricks where the suit also matters would most likely require the deck to be in CHaSeD order

[@hansen704]

Isaac Bragg-Gardiner i try to make this number there Will be card back not to use. Right

[@19culprit25]

What's the arrangement of the cards? Pls help

[@BaldiePlays]

Chaed order, what do i do when lets say 3 of diamonds doesnt exist anymore or if nine of hearts is already on the table in the beginning, what do i lay then??

[@d4m4s74]

@P90Jungle since it's circular it's a bit harder to calculate.

[@LukeDayInTheUK]

You look a bit like Corey Taylor. Great videos !

[@freddychopps]

OMG! I already had them in Si Stebbins Stack and the bottom card was the jack of spades and the top card was the ace of diamonds! How weird!

[@Krillech]

Can you do a easyer version of this trick?

[@mousespouse1003]

I've tried this over and over and the math has turned out to be correct 1 time out of about 15 tries.

[@MathWhizerino]

Another trick you can do is to find the match card if the bottom card.Which will always be in the 27th position from the bottom. Si Stebbins Stack FTW!!!

[@kzerkielgalvez7361]

They say to do that is to memorize the deck but I believe in you

[@jamesbevan9939]

This is a trick I really want to master.

[@xXDoubleBounceXx]

you could actually see wether it is hearts diamond clubs or spades to determine the amt of cards.

[@kaoticwolf9256]

Just curious how can you quickly put a deck in si stebbins order

[@piadelizacardente8502]

the sequence is starting from 3 and in chased order so cloves, hearts, spades and diamonds

[@deltalima5745]

Cloves lmao, CLUBS OLD BEAN CLUBS

[@davidsimmm1]

I'm new at card tricks. If queen has value of 12 and jack has value of 11. What's the value of king and ace?

[@josh18230]

Now that I have finally stacked the deck properly, I will never unstack it!

[@Iarceny]

if the trick's not working, make sure your deck isn't in reverse, if it is, subtract the number you get from 52

[@reginood]

the best trick i´ve ever seen

[@borstenpinsel]

Same thing as with the one. Just add 13. You either have 13, 26 or 49 cards. So, a quarter of the deck, half, or three quarters.

[@timothykoprowski7549]

hey whats the best marked deck to get?

[@mattduplissey]

why would you have to set it up with the suits and colors(red and Black)instead of just setting up the numbers?

[@TheKissBanana]

That's so cool. It works.

[@GaiaBreakRules]

MIND = BLOWN

[@gamutman]

Aw, I was expecting to see a centuries-old magician.

[@stevealtamirano2800]

u think of the coolest card tricks ever!!

[@phatslapper]

I LOVE your tricks!!!

[@LassekLorenz]

It was quite obvious to me at the first glance, that he takes a look at the bottom card, which will tell him how many cards are above.

[@Natethemagicman]

the evil laugh at the beginning really matches his hair

[@krissases]

The best intro ever