Fully Stacked: The Si Stebbins System
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Fully Stacked: The Si Stebbins System
An introduction to one of the best, and oldest, mathematical card stacks ever invented!
Greetings and welcome to Fully Stacked! In this monthly column, I plan to explore the various forms of card magic that employ a stack of some sort. In magical parlance, a “stack” refers to any intentional prearrangement of cards. In other words, the magician has secretly organised a set of cards in a specific sequence to help him perform his card miracles. A “stacked deck” can be partial, where only certain cards are prearranged, or full, in which every card is in a known position. This column will focus on full-deck stacks.
I’ll look at some of the most popular stack systems and delve into the various techniques and intricacies of using and memorising them. I’ll also share some of my original card tricks utilising a stack. So, join me on this fascinating journey as we unlock the secrets of full-deck stacks!
Two Types of Stack
There are two main types of stacked decks: sequential and memorised. With sequential stacks, you can easily identify the card that comes after and, in most cases, before any given card. These arrangements are usually referred to as cyclic stacks but are also sometimes called “relative”, “circular”, or “rosary” stacks. Unlike other arrangements, there is no specific top card, and each card is not assigned a permanent numerical position. Consequently, these stacks can be given any number of complete cuts and still maintain their full functionality.
On the other hand, memorised stacks refer to a card arrangement where the magician knows the position and name of every card in the deck. It is also called a “memorised deck” or “mem deck”. The technique involves committing the entire sequence to memory and, unlike most cyclical stacks, does not involve any mathematical trickery. It should also be noted that a sequential stack can also be used as a mem deck if you memorise the sequence with a fixed starting point.
To kick things off, I’ve decided to start with what is likely the oldest mathematical card stack known to magicians: the Si Stebbins System. Although many have tried to improve it, this four-hundred-year-old system is still going strong. Many magicians and mentalists consider it the most versatile sequential stack ever invented. Its popularity is well-deserved due to its simplicity, ease of use, and the fact that it can be made using a standard pack of playing cards.
Who Invented It?
Back in 1886, an American Vaudeville performer by the name of Si Stebbins (real name William Henry Coffrin) created a system that he later detailed in his pamphlet V.M. Vino’s Card Tricks under the pseudonym “William Vino”. This pamphlet was reprinted multiple times under two titles: Si Stebbins Card Tricks And How He Performs Them and Card Tricks And The Way They Are Performed.
However, five years later, Howard Thurston, a well-known American stage performer, published a book called Howard Thurston’s Card Tricks. He claimed the system as his own, even thanking Stebbins “for many valuable suggestions and ideas with regard to its conception.”
Si Stebbins, on the other hand, firmly insisted that the system was his creation:
In conclusion I wish to say that I am the ORIGINATOR of this system for doing these tricks, and the first Vaudeville Artist to present them in the better class theaters of the United States.
In fact, the first time they were ever presented to an American vaudeville audience was by myself, at the ColumbiaTheater, St. Louis, Mo., during the season of 1898-9, and on the Keith and Orpheum Circuits the season of 1900.
I am printing this statement to refute the claims of a few would-be imitators.
— Si Stebbins, Card Tricks And The Way They Are Performed, page 9.
Eventually, Stebbins himself revealed that he did not originate the system. Instead, he learned it from another magician named Salem Cid (a Spanish or Syrian magician). Therefore, although Si Stebbins should be rightly credited for making the system well-known, he cannot be considered its inventor.
As it happens, the system’s origins date back much further than previously thought. The earliest known publication of a stack based on the same underlying concept can be traced back to 1593, in a book of mathematical magic from Italy called Giocchi di carte bellissimi di regola e di memorial, written by Horatio Galasso. However, it wasn’t until four decades later that the concept was introduced to the English language.
Order of the Cards
The stack is a cyclical mathematical card stack. Here’s the original order, as it appeared in the pamphlet written by SI Stebbins (the Six of Hearts is the top card of the assembled pack):
Six of Hearts
Nine of Spades
Queen of Diamonds
Two of Clubs
Five of Hearts
Eight of Spades
Jack of Diamonds
Ace of Clubs
Four of Hearts
Seven of Spades
Ten of Diamonds
King of Clubs
Three of Hearts
Six of Spades
Nine of Diamonds
Queen of Clubs
Two of Hearts
Five of Spades
Eight of Diamonds
Jack of Clubs
Ace of Hearts
Four of Spades
Seven of Diamond
Ten of Clubs
King of Hearts
Three of Spades
Six of Diamonds
Nine of Clubs
Queen of Hearts
Two of Spades
Five of Diamonds
Eight of Clubs
Jack of Hearts
Ace of Spades
Four of Diamonds
Seven of Clubs
Ten of Hearts
King of Spades
Three of Diamonds
Six of Clubs
Nine of Hearts
Queen of Spades
Two of Diamonds
Five of Clubs
Eight of Hearts
Jack of Spades
Ace of Diamonds
Four of Clubs
Seven of Hearts
Ten of Spades
King of Diamonds
Three of Clubs
To arrange your pack correctly, begin by placing the Six of Hearts face up on the table. Follow this by dealing the Nine of Spades on top of it, and then the Queen of Diamonds. Continue in this way until you reach the Three of Clubs.
The mathematical nature of the stack becomes more apparent when the arrangement is organised into four rows of thirteen cards. Las Vegas cardman and mathematician Allan Ackerman termed this type of stack as “tetradistic” because it contains four distinct groups with the same repeated numerical pattern, as highlighted below:
6♥|9♠|Q♦|2♣|5♥|8♠|J♦|A♣|4♥|7♠|10♦|K♣|3♥
6♠|9♦|Q♣|2♥|5♠|8♦|J♣|A♥|4♠|7♦|10♣|K♥|3♠
6♦|9♣|Q♥|2♠|5♦|8♣|J♥|A♠|4♦|7♣|10♥|K♠|3♦
6♣|9♥|Q♠|2♦|5♣|8♥|J♠|A♦|4♣|7♥|10♠|K♦|3♣
As the stack is cyclical, it technically doesn’t have a beginning. However, I prefer to begin by placing the Ace of Clubs face up on the table, then arrange the cards in the following order:
A♣|4♥|7♠|10♦|K♣|3♥|6♠|9♦|Q♣|2♥|5♠|8♦|J♣
A♥|4♠|7♦|10♣|K♥|3♠|6♦|9♣|Q♥|2♠|5♦|8♣|J♥
A♠|4♦|7♣|10♥|K♠|3♦|6♣|9♥|Q♠|2♦|5♣|8♥|J♠
A♦|4♣|7♥|10♠|K♦|3♣|6♥|9♠|Q♦|2♣|5♥|8♠|J♦
This makes constructing the deck easier because the cards alternate in CHaSeD order (Clubs, Hearts, Spades, Diamonds), and you only need to remember the following thirteen-card value sequence: A-4-7-10-K-3-6-9-Q-2-5-8-J. This is also a sensible order if you plan on memorising the stack:
Ace of Clubs
Four of Hearts
Seven of Spades
Ten of Diamonds
King of Clubs
Three of Hearts
Six of Spades
Nine of Diamonds
Queen of Clubs
Two of Hearts
Five of Spades
Eight of Diamonds
Jack of Clubs
Ace of Hearts
Four of Spades
Seven of Diamond
Ten of Clubs
King of Hearts
Three of Spades
Six of Diamonds
Nine of Clubs
Queen of Hearts
Two of Spades
Five of Diamonds
Eight of Clubs
Jack of Hearts
Ace of Spades
Four of Diamonds
Seven of Clubs
Ten of Hearts
King of Spades
Three of Diamonds
Six of Clubs
Nine of Hearts
Queen of Spades
Two of Diamonds
Five of Clubs
Eight of Hearts
Jack of Spades
Ace of Diamonds
Four of Clubs
Seven of Hearts
Ten of Spades
King of Diamonds
Three of Clubs
Six of Hearts
Nine of Spades
Queen of Diamonds
Two of Clubs
Five of Hearts
Eight of Spades
Jack of Diamonds
Basic Rules
Si Stebbins included four rules in his booklet. This is the only information you need to use the system successfully, which might explain why the stack remains so popular.
Rule 1: Never Shuffle the Cards
This seems obvious, but you should never shuffle the cards. Otherwise, your stack will be destroyed. Here’s what Si Stebbins said in his booklet about this rule:
In shuffling never riff or mix the cards in. A person may take as many as they like from one side and place them on the other. As long as you do not take cards from the center of the pack, but keep shifting cards from one side to the other, it will not affect the system.
This is what is called a false shuffle and with a very little practice a person is able to fool the best of them.
Of course, you can perform a full deck false shuffle. A good choice is the Charlier Shuffle because while it appears to mix the cards thoroughly, all it does is repeatedly cut the deck.
Rule 2: Numerical Value
Each card has a numerical value. Aces count as one, Jacks eleven, Queens twelve and Kings thirteen. This is how Stebbins put it:
Every card has a numerical value, viz.: Ace, 1; then 2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9 and 10 in their order; Jack, 11; Queen, 12; and King, 13.
Rule 3: Plus Three Rule
Each card has a numerical value of three greater than the one preceding it. Or, as Si Stebbins put it:
Every card is three numbers apart, as will be seen by a careful study of the system, viz.: 6-9-Queen (12), 2-5-8-Jack (11), etc.
Rule 4: CHaSeD or HiS DiCe Order
Every card of the same suit and value is thirteen cards apart. The cards rotate in Clubs, Hearts, Spades, and Diamond order, commonly known as CHaSeD order. Stebbins used a different, less common acronym to remember the suit order: HiS DiCe. Here’s the rule from Card Tricks And The Way They Are Performed:
Every card of the same denomination is thirteen cards apart and runs in the same order of suit as in the system, viz.: Hearts, Spades, Diamonds, Clubs.
Calculating a Chosen Card
The Si Stebbins setup makes it easy to calculate the identity of a chosen card. Here’s a very basic handling of the deck. Start by asking a spectator to select and remove a card in the traditional “pick-a-card” manner. Next, ask your participant to hide the card somewhere (in a pocket, under a dinner plate, or under your close-up mat). If there is no obvious hiding place, you can ask your helper to memorise the card and sit on it! While your volunteer is doing this, split the spread exactly where the selection was taken out, and place the upper portion of the pack underneath the lower one. Essentially, you must cut the deck at the spot where the chosen card was removed.
Next, discreetly observe the bottom card of the pack. Suppose a card is taken out, and you glimpse the Eight of Diamonds on the bottom of the deck. To determine the value of the selected card, add three to eight, totalling eleven (or a Jack). Since the indicator card is a Diamond, the suit of the Jack will be Clubs as per the CHaSeD or HiS DiCe order. With this information, you can amaze your audience by seemingly reading their thoughts and telling them they’re thinking of the Jack of Clubs. (To reset the deck, retrieve the chosen card from your participant and drop it on top.)
When performing the basic trick with the Si Stebbins stack, the most significant risk is drawing attention to yourself when attempting to glimpse the bottom card of the deck. Rather than try and do this in a furtive manner, it’s usually more effective to create a legitimate reason to look at the cards. For instance, you can place the remaining cards back in the card box, or in your inner jacket pocket, after someone has selected and concealed a card. As you do this, it’s natural to glance at your hands, giving you a clear view of the bottom card as you replace the deck, close the flaps on the box, or slide it into your pocket. This method allows you to examine the card without arousing suspicion and enhances the overall deceptiveness of the trick.
Unfortunately, Si Stebbins doesn’t mention how to peek at the bottom card in his pamphlets. He only says that by “glancing at the bottom card”, you can calculate the next card in the stack. To help you, I’ve included three easy but effective methods below.
The Know-It-All Joker
Insert a single Joker anywhere in the pack. First, have a card selected and hidden by a spectator. Next, turn to your audience and say, “I have a secret assistant in the deck. The Joker.” Remove the Joker and, as you do so, sneak a peek at the face card of the pack. Then, using the method outlined above, calculate the chosen card.
To reveal the card, hold the Joker to your ear and act like he’s whispering something. Then, announce, “Ah! The Joker has just revealed that the card in your mind is the...” and state the chosen card’s name to bring the performance to a satisfying conclusion.
What if your spectator removes the Joker? A good solution is to mark the back of the Joker discreetly. Then, when it is taken out, you can confidently declare, “I have a secret helper in the deck. The Joker!” and indicate the card your participant is holding. Afterwards, proceed to have another card chosen, utilising a different technique to glimpse the bottom card of the pack.
Oops Peek
The “Oops Peek” is a bold but very deceptive way to glimpse the bottom card of the deck. First, have a card selected in the usual fashion. Then, as the participant looks at their card, establish a little finger break below the bottom card of the pack using a Pinky Pulldown or a buckle. Next, regrip the deck in right-hand end grip, transferring the break to your right thumb.
Next, “accidentally” drop the bottom card to the table by loosening your grip on it. Say, “Oops!” and replace the pack into left-hand dealer’s grip. Next, use your right hand to pick up the dropped card, casually glancing at its face before placing it on top of the deck. As you do this, keep a little finger break underneath it. Finally, double-cut the top card to the bottom of the pack to retain the order of your stack.
This peek is psychologically invisible. It goes unnoticed because it is presented as an unintentional occurrence. Since audiences tend to disregard such mistakes as unremarkable, they tend to forget them.
Helpfully, this technique works with any stack. You can also use it to glimpse the identity of a key card. Speaking of key cards…
Key Card Bluff Peek
Here’s a fun way to perform a card trick, especially if the person you’re performing for is new to magic and has some basic knowledge of beginner-level card tricks. Begin by having the person select a card and hold onto it. Then, introduce the concept of a “key card” by cutting approximately half the deck to the table. Next, ask them to replace their card and openly display the bottom card of the deck, saying, “This is my key card. By placing it on top of your card, we can locate it in a moment. To reveal your card’s identity, all I have to do is pick up the deck, spread through it, and take note of the card to the right of my key card.”
Follow up by saying, “But if I really had the power to read your mind, I could just name your card without touching the deck.” Then, look directly at your participant and confidently announce the name of their card.
Please keep in mind that I would only perform this card peek on someone with a genuine passion and interest in card magic. The key card principle is a valuable tool and should not be needlessly exposed.
Marked Stebbins
Finally, you don’t have to touch the pack to glimpse the bottom card when using a marked deck with the Si Stebbins stack. Instead, turn your back on your audience and ask them to cut the cards, remove the top card and hide it in a pocket (or the card case). Then, turn back around and read the mark on the back of the top card of the pack as you say, “Even if the cards are marked, there’s no way I could know what card you’ve chosen because you’ve hidden it.”
To determine the identity of the chosen card, subtract three from the value of the top card and move backwards in the CHaSeD order. For example, if you read the marking on the top card and it is the Jack of Diamonds, the selection is the Eight of Spades (11 -3 = 8).
When you explicitly mention the use of marked cards in your presentation, it helps to eliminate any suspicion about their use in the minds of your audience. This is because most people would find it counterintuitive for a magician to openly discuss the actual method of a trick during a performance, particularly if it did involve the use of marked cards. Consequently, this causes people to disregard it as the method behind your magic.
Advantages and Disadvantages of the Stebbins Stack
Si Stebbins, like any other card stacking method, has its own set of advantages and disadvantages. With its sequential stack, you can effortlessly determine a selected card or the position of a named card without relying on your memory. Nonetheless, you can still memorise the sequence and rely solely on the mathematical setup as a fallback in case of memory lapses.
The mathematical properties of the pack also enable you to perform some “algorithmic” magic. For example, Si Stebbins details an impressive Whist and Hearts demonstration in which you deal all the trumps or Hearts to yourself. There are also many Poker Demonstrations that take advantage of the mathematical properties of the Si Stebbins stack.
One of the major downsides of using the system is the alternating colour pattern of the cards (red, black, red, black) and the clear numerical sequence in which they are arranged. Therefore, it is not advisable to let someone examine the cards for too long. Doing so could lead them to realise that the cards are not randomly arranged. However, it is unusual for a magician to let a person examine the cards in this way. For most tricks, this weakness is a non-issue. However, tricks which require the cards to be spread face up across the tabletop should be avoided when performing with the Si Stebbins stack.
Memorising a stack also provides quicker access to the necessary information and eliminates the cumbersome calculations required for certain tricks using the Si Stebbins setup. So, it isn’t always the best system to use. However, on balance, the advantages of the Si Stebbins System outweigh the disadvantages, and I think it is still an indispensable tool for the modern conjurer.
What Next?
Si Stebbins included fourteen tricks in Card Tricks And The Way They Are Performed. In my next article, I’ll look at these tricks to determine which ones are still worth performing.
Bibliography
Please take a closer look at the sources I used to write this article. Doug Dyment’s introductory essay on full-deck stacks is extremely helpful if you want a well-written overview of the various options available to you.
Stebbins, Si. Card Tricks And The Way They Are Performed. n.p., Accessed May 10, 2023. https://archive.org/details/sistedbbinscardt00stebrich.
Dyment, Doug. “An Introduction to Full-Deck Stacks.” The Deceptionary. Accessed May 10, 2023. https://www.deceptionary.com/aboutstacks.html.