How to Throw Playing Cards

Co-authored by Zach Waldman

Last Updated: May 6, 2024 Fact Checked

Whether you want to channel your inner Gambit, live out a film noir scene, or end a poker game in style, throwing cards is a great little skill to learn. It takes a lot of practice, but learning a few different techniques to see what works best for you will have you throwing accurately in no time. See Step 1 for more information.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Throwing Frisbee Style

Download Article

1
Grip the card correctly. Hold the card parallel to the ground and grip the bottom of the short side of the card on the corner farthest away from you between your index and middle finger, or your middle and ring finger. This is sometimes called "The Ferguson Grip," named after a famous card player.^{[1]
X
Research source} Alternate finger grips for the basic throw include:
- For the Thurston grip, place the short side of a card between your middle and index finger so that the side runs parallel with the two fingers all the way through. This is perhaps the most common, if not the most accurate grip on the card.^{[2]
  X
  Research source}
- For the Hermann grip, hold the card between your thumb and your middle finger, letting the index finger reach all the way to the opposite corner.
- For the Ricky Jay grip, place your index finger on a corner and place your thumb on top of the card with your three remaining fingers along the bottom of the long side of the card. Your thumb on top should be right around on top of your middle finger.
The opposite corner of the card (top corner, closest to you) from where you're gripping it should come back and touch the inside of your wrist to cock it for the throw. Most of the power comes from the flick of your wrist, not from arm strength, so it's important to curl it back like this.^{[3]
X
Research source}

Advertisement
Unwind, keeping your arm as straight and level as possible relative to the ground to keep the card from wobbling side to side, and snap your wrist forward to throw the card.^{[4]
X
Research source}
When your fingertips are pointing at the target you want to hit, let go.
5
Keep it in the wrist. There should be almost no arm movement whatsoever when you first start out, to get the mechanics of the spin right. To practice, grab a hold of your arm and practice launching the cards with wrist movement alone.^{[5]
X
Research source}
- After practicing and being able to throw cards without missing, you could try moving your arms for extra speed.
Set up a potato or a banana and throw cards at it. Experienced card throwers can stick a playing card into a potato from several paces away. Practice tossing until you can get the corner to stick in firmly.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Throwing Overhand

Download Article

How you hold the card for an overhand toss is up to you: you can grip by card by the corner, Ferguson style as with the Frisbee toss, or you can hold the entire long side of a card between your middle and ring finger. Experiment some with different grips to see what works best for you.^{[6]
X
Research source}
To get started, don't put your arm into it, but perform the same basic motion as the Frisbee toss, just having rotated your wrist up and down, rather than side-to-side. When you've gotten used to it, bring the card up beside your head to put more power into your tosses. It's all in the wrist.
In one fast, smooth motion, swing your arm over shoulder and step into throw like throwing a baseball. At the end of that motion, curve your wrist out and spread your middle and ring finger slightly, releasing the card.
Practice the motion, try to get it as smooth as possible, getting a clean release of the card. Keeping the motion as smooth as possible is the key to getting the card to spin and not cut through the air, rather than floating on it and moving everywhere.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using Your Thumb

Download Article

If you want to throw cards straight off the deck, hustler-style, grip the deck firmly with the long side of the cards in the palm of your hand, the short sides perpendicular with your body.
It can be helpful to lick your thumb to get a bit of grip on the top card and slide it off more easily.
It'll take some practice to get the motion firm enough to send the card, but light enough not to launch off the top several cards. Your thumb should come up off the deck slightly, launching them out and away, rather than down. A bit of wetness on the pad of your thumb should help.
Once the card is launched, draw thumb back quickly, being careful not to touch the top of the deck, so you can keep shooting off cards like mad. It's fun!

Expert Q&A

Search

Add New Question

Question

How do you throw playing cards accurately?

Zach Waldman
Professional Comedy Magician
Zach Waldman is a Professional Comedy Magician based in Los Angeles, CA. He has over 20 years of experience as an entertainer and performer. He is a comedian, magician, and mentalist, and he customizes his show to be distinct for every audience he performs for. His clients include some of the biggest corporations in the world, including Microsoft, Google, BusinessWeek, Absolut, the L.A. Kings, Anheuser-Busch, and more. He has been a member of the Academy of Magical Arts (AMA) since 2001, and performs regularly at the Academy’s clubhouse, The Magic Castle. For the past 20+ years, Zach has been a mainstay at many other reputable Los Angeles theaters and comedy clubs including the El Portal, the Comedy Store, the Improv, Flappers, and the Laugh Factory. Before moving to L.A., he attended the Player's Workshop of the Second City. He received his degree from the University of Central Florida.

Zach Waldman

Professional Comedy Magician

Expert Answer

The definitive guide is a book by Ricky Jay. It is called Cards As Weapons. Ricky Jay was an amazing magician and a great actor. There are all kinds of stunts in the book and plenty of tips on how to throw playing cards.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 1 Helpful 8
Question

Will the card go through a foam plate?

Alexis Albright

Community Answer

If you throw the card fast enough and hard enough it can. Most likely it will take a lot of time and practice, though.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 23 Helpful 73
Question

Is there a game that involves throwing cards?

Community Answer

Yes, you can use this skill for playing a game called Horsemen. First, you build a card castle or house. Then, with the help of a single card, you try to takle the castle from a distance. The best part is betting about which floor or which line in the castle of cards will fall and which will remain and throwing the card accordingly. To learn more, watch the film 'Now You See Me'.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
Yes No

Not Helpful 24 Helpful 102

See more answers

Ask a Question

200 characters left

Include your email address to get a message when this question is answered.

Submit

Video

Tips

You can use a block of Styrofoam for target practice. The cards should stick in that quite nicely.

Thanks
Helpful 193 Not Helpful 53
All spin comes from your wrist, don't use your arm for anything but directing the throw.

Thanks
Helpful 163 Not Helpful 51
Use a brand-new deck with straight cards.

Thanks
Helpful 110 Not Helpful 37

Show More Tips

Tips from our Readers

The advice in this section is based on the lived experiences of wikiHow readers like you. If you have a helpful tip you’d like to share on wikiHow, please submit it in the field below.

If you use an old personal info card, make sure to scratch off the numbers, name, and barcode before throwing it, because the card can easily get lost if you throw it outside!

Submit a Tip

All tip submissions are carefully reviewed before being published

Name

Please provide your name and last initial

Submit

Thanks for submitting a tip for review!

Warnings

The card can get damaged if it hits a hard object such as the edge of a door.

Thanks
Helpful 12 Not Helpful 1
Wear eye protection when having card throwing wars with others.

Thanks
Helpful 83 Not Helpful 35
If you can throw hard enough to knock down light items, make sure and watch out for picture frames or pottery.^{[7]
X
Research source}

Thanks
Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0