Master the Stack.
Command the Deck.
Welcome to SiStebbins.com, where we help you explore two legendary card stacks used by magicians worldwide — Si Stebbins and the Eight Kings. Both are cyclical stacks. However, one is based upon a sequential arrangement while the other relies on a memorable rhyme. Which one is right for you? We'll help you decide.
The Secret Order
Behind the Magic
A stacked deck is a pack of 52 cards systematically arranged as a continuous chain, allowing the magician to determine where any card lies within the sequence. As a result, from a seemingly ordinary deck, a skilled performer can instantly name any card, reveal thoughts, and much, much more. No extra gimmicks or difficult sleights are required. An easy-to-use system does all the heavy lifting for you.
Memorized Deck
Prove your ability to instantly memorize an entire deck by naming cards throughout the deck at random.
Thought Reading
Divine a freely selected card without asking a single question.
Cut Resistant
Either stack survives any number of complete cuts by a spectator or overhand shuffle cuts by the performer, letting you maintain control while appearing fair.
"The overwhelming majority of his card work was accomplished by means of the Eight Kings stack..."Jamy Ian Swiss, reviewing David Britland's book, "Chan Canasta: A Remarkable Man"
"I have had many magicians sneer at the Si Stebbins method; but a minute after they had told me how impractical it was in these days of modern magic, I have seen them fooled with a simple effect based on the Si Stebbins set-up."Julien J. Proskauer, author of "How'd Ja Do That?"
Choose Your Stack
Both stacks enable you to secretly determine the identity of a selected card as well as the position of cards in the deck. Each type of stack has a different learning curve and a different character. Find the one that fits your performance style.
The Si Stebbins Stack
Progressive or sequential card stacks have been around for more than 400 years. With the popular Si Stebbins stack, each card is exactly three values higher than the previous, and suits rotate in a fixed pattern: Clubs, Hearts, Spades, Diamonds. Simple arithmetic means you always know the card three positions ahead or behind.
This system is prized for its mathematical elegance and ease of calculation under pressure.
The Eight Kings Stack
This 200-year-old stack is remembered through a rhyming sentence, which some feel offers a more natural sequence that is closer to a deck in random order. This makes it harder for savvy spectators to detect a pattern.
Each word in this phrase, "Eight Kings Threatened To Save Ninety-Five Ladies For One Sick Knave," represents a card value, making the order memorable without arithmetic.
One of the Most Powerful Tools in Card Magic
A stacked deck is not just one trick, it is a complete performance system. With a single prepared deck you can perform a full evening of seemingly impossible feats, each one as baffling as the last.
Perform Anywhere
No table, no setup, no reset between effects. Walk up with the deck and perform immediately.
Engage Audiences
Invite spectators to cut the cards and choose freely. These systems work even as fairness is demonstrated.
Learn Once, Use Forever
Once a stack is learned, any standard pack can be transformed into a stacked deck in minutes.
Used by Magicians Worldwide
Many of today's top magicians use some form of stacked or memorized deck in their working repertoire.