Breaking in a New Deck

[admin_noreply]

(reposted from decknique)

A lot of people have been asking for help on how to break in a new deck and here's a fairly simple yet thorough guide:

Step 1: Wash your hands in warm soapy water and dry thoroughly...
Step 2: Open the new pack somehow...
Step 3: Remove the advertisement/sudoku/whatever cards but leave the jokers in if you want to...
Step 4: Do a nice riffle shuffle and bridge; turn the deck 180° and do another riffle shuffle and bridge. Do this again and then turn the deck face up and repeat the riffle shuffles...
Step 5: Do two LePaul spreads and turn the deck 180° and do another two LePaul Spreads. Do this face up twice and face down twice...
Step 6: Do two springs then turn the deck face up and do another two springs.
Step 7: Do a few pressure fans face up and down and throw in an "Under-pressure" or two...
Step 8: Do a few of your favourite flourishes...
Step 9: Replace the deck back into the pack and put it into a porper or under a few heavy books and leave it there for about two hours before using it again so you have a nice cool, broken-in deck...

So to recap what we have done to break in our new deck:
Riffle shuffle face down and bridge x2, turn 180° and riffle shuffle face down and bridge x2, riffle shuffle face up and bridge x2, turn 180° and riffle shuffle face up and bridge x2, LePaul spread face down x2, turn 180° and LePaul spread face down x2, LePaul spread face up x2, turn 180° and LePaul spread face up x2, spring face down x2, spring face up x2, pressure fans face down, under-pressure face down, pressure fans face up, under-pressure face up, a few of your favourite flourishes, back in the deck to cool down...

All this should take less than 5 minutes to do.
Note: Everyone has a different understanding and feel of "broken-in" so what feels best for you is broken-in.
Hope this helps...

Cheers,
Shanku

(reposted from decknique)

If you have a special routine for breaking in a new deck tell us below!

[DelMagic]

Check out Lee Asher's deck prep advice. You have to download the pdf. I can't ever see myself doing this.

http://www.leeasher.com/playground/arti ... cards.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[scedcard2]

Nice ,,, It should get the muscles in your hands ready at the same time

[arjun1616]

nice really helped

[EndersGame]

How have I not seen this thread before?

I even wrote a lengthy article on the subject, which covers quite a few more ideas beyond the ones already mentioned above:

Breaking in a New Deck: Why and How?
https://playingcarddecks.com/blogs/all- ... hy-and-how" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Magict101]

The article of EndersGame is very detailed and gives a lot of tips. I would add those following advices :
Gentle Heat Exposure: Briefly expose cards to moderate heat (like near a radiator) to soften them.
Controlled Bending: Lightly bend cards in the opposite direction of their natural curve. This can help break their stiffness without damaging them.
Proper Storage Conditions: Store cards in breathable fabric bags to keep out dust while allowing air circulation. Avoid overly dry or humid environments.
Light Weight Pressing: Store cards with a light weight (e.g., a small book) on top to keep them compact and prevent separation, but don’t press too hard.