A memorized deck is one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. But magicians often lament that they "don't have the brain to learn a stack." But that's as illogical as saying you "don't have the hands for a double lift." Not without practice, you don't. Just like any sleight, you can learn mnemonica through deliberate practice. Here's how to do it in under a week:
The short answer: You will create a mnemonic for each card, and by doing that, you will naturally memorize the card.
Specifically, each mnemonic is a picture that, when thought of, causes you to recall the card immediately. It's important to note that many magicians will argue for the "brute force method." This essentially repeats "1 is the four of clubs, one is the four of clubs" over and over until it sticks. And while this will work eventually, it's incredibly cumbersome, unreliable, and a waste of time.
Alternatively, using mnemonics might feel like a lot of initial work upfront, but you more than make up for it on the back end. I used this strategy to memorize every super bowl winner, loser and score in under a week. While you'll ultimately have to create mnemonics with your imagination, here are two to get you started:
Card 1, the Four of Clubs: First, picture something you can always associate with number one. How about a life-sized pencil? Or a foam finger from a basketball game that says, "We're number 1!"
