How to memorize a deck of cards: the memory athletes' method
Memorizing a shuffled deck of 52 cards sounds like a magic trick, but it's one of the most popular disciplines at memory competitions, and one of the best exercises to really learn the method of loci. The best competitors do it in less than half a minute; with the method in this article, a beginner can get through a full deck after a few weeks of practice.
The idea is always the same: turn each card into a vivid image and place the images along a route you know, a memory palace. The difference from a shopping list is that the card images are prepared once and for all, so they come to mind instantly.
Why cards are hard (and how to make them easy)
On its own, a card is abstract: the seven of clubs has no shape, no smell, no story. And a deck is made of 52 elements that all look alike, so trying to remember them by repetition is hopeless: after ten cards the order is gone.
Memory athletes solve the problem in two moves:
- Every card becomes a fixed image: a person, an animal or an object, always the same. The seven of clubs stops being abstract and becomes, for example, a cowboy.
- The images go into a memory palace: one or more images per location along a route, in order. To recall the deck you walk the route again and turn the images back into cards.
The first step takes some work up front, but you only do it once. After that, every deck you memorize is just practice.
Step 1: give each card an image
There are several ways to assign images. For beginners the simplest is to use people, because it's easy to imagine a person doing something. A common scheme gives each suit a theme:
| Suit | Theme | Example |
|---|---|---|
| ♥ Hearts | Family, friends, people you love | K♥ = your father, Q♥ = your mother |
| ♠ Spades | Athletes | A♠ = your favourite champion |
| ♦ Diamonds | The rich and famous: celebrities, tycoons | Q♦ = a famous singer |
| ♣ Clubs | Fictional characters: films, cartoons, books | J♣ = a cartoon hero |
Within each suit, let the rank suggest the person: kings and queens are the obvious heads of the group, the ace is the most important of all, and the numbers can follow any association that makes sense to you (the 10 of spades could be a footballer who wears number 10). If you already know the major system, you can also use it to turn each card's number into a word.
The rules for good images are the same as in the guide: concrete, distinct from each other, personal. Two images that look alike (two footballers in the same kit) will sooner or later get mixed up: change one of them straight away.
Five cards, five people
K♥ (your father), 7♣ (a cowboy), A♠ (a tennis champion), 3♦ (a pop star), J♥ (your best friend). Five people are much easier to remember than five symbols.
Step 2: learn the images until they're automatic
Before memorizing a deck you need to know your 52 images without hesitation: when you see the card, the image must appear by itself, in less than a second.
- Write the full list, on paper or in a note.
- Go through the deck one card at a time and say the image out loud. Put aside the cards you hesitate on and review them separately.
- Repeat for a few days, a few minutes at a time. When you get through the whole deck without hesitating, you're ready.
Don't rush this phase: an image that comes up slowly will slow down every deck you ever memorize.
Step 3: prepare a route with enough locations
Next you need a route. How many locations depends on how many cards you put in each one:
| Cards per location | Locations for a deck | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 52 | First attempts: simple, but you need a long route |
| 2 | 26 | A good compromise: two people interacting |
| 3 (PAO) | 18 | The champions' system, see below |
Starting with one card per location is fine, but 52 locations is a lot to build. Most people soon move to two cards per location: the first person does something to the second (your father dances with the cowboy). The scene is a single image but holds two cards, and the order is given by who acts and who is acted upon.
Choose locations that are clearly separate and always walk them in the same order. You can use a route of your own or build one on the site: on the Practice page you can create your own palaces, room by room.
Step 4: memorize the deck
- Shuffle the deck and take the cards two at a time (or one at a time, at the beginning).
- In the first location, imagine the scene with the corresponding people: vivid, exaggerated, even absurd. Give it at least one sensory detail.
- Move to the next location with the next cards, without going back.
- At the end, walk the route from the start and write down, or say, the cards you find in each location.
Two locations, four cards
Front door: your father (K♥) lassoes the cowboy (7♣), who gets tangled in the doormat. Hallway: the tennis champion (A♠) serves a ball that hits the pop star (3♦) right on the microphone. Four cards, two scenes, and the order is preserved.
At first, forget the clock: a first deck in 15–20 minutes, with a few errors, is a perfectly good result. Speed comes with practice, not with haste.
The next step: PAO and three cards per location
Competitors go further with the PAO system (Person–Action–Object): each card has not only a person but also an action and an object. Three cards make a single scene (the person of the first performs the action of the second on the object of the third), and a deck fits in 18 locations: 17 scenes of three cards, plus one location for the last card.
It takes 156 images instead of 52, but it's the method behind the fastest times. You can build it gradually: start with the people, then add actions and objects.
How to train (and measure your progress)
- A few minutes a day beat a long session once a week. One deck a day is enough to see steady progress.
- Keep the two phases separate: time the memorization, then recall calmly. Speed only matters if the recall is correct.
- Start with half a deck. 26 cards without errors are worth more than 52 with ten errors.
- Study your mistakes: an error almost always points to a weak image or two locations that look alike. Fix them straight away.
On Loci you can train with cards directly: on the Practice page choose the cards mode, fill in your PAO system and memorize shuffled cards along your palaces, with a timer and automatic checking.
Ready to try? Build your palace and memorize your first shuffled cards, with a timer and automatic checking.
Train with cards →Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to learn to memorize a deck of cards?
Learning the 52 images takes from a few days to a couple of weeks, depending on how much time you put in. After that, most people manage a first full deck, slowly, within a few sessions. Getting fast takes months of regular practice.
Do I need a special memory?
No. Memory athletes insist that their natural memory is ordinary: the difference is technique and training. The method of loci works because it relies on spatial and visual memory, which everyone has.
How fast are memory champions?
At the top level, a shuffled deck is memorized in less than half a minute. That's the result of years of training; for a beginner, a deck in 5 to 10 minutes is already a great goal.
Do I need a different memory palace for each deck?
It helps. If you reuse the same route too soon, the images from the previous deck can get in the way. Many people rotate two or three routes, or wait a day before reusing one.