How to Build a Tower of Cards

With the right technique and enough patience, you can build a three, four, or even a five-story card tower with just one deck of cards. Whether it's in the comfort of your own home or an elaborate party trick, it's sure to be impressive with the right technique.

Steps

1
Get out a deck of cards. It should be a relatively new deck - old, flimsy cards that are creased and folded will not fare well, but neither will a totally brand new slippery deck; see Tips. An interesting design usually adds a nice touch as well.
2
Select 2 cards from the deck. Place them so that they are about 2 inches (5 cm) apart from each other at the base, and lean them together into an upside-down "V". The "/\", or apex, should balance independently when placed down on the surface.

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3
Construct another apex beside the first; place about 1cm of space between them.
4
Place a card horizontally on top of the two points.
5
Construct another apex on top of the card laid horizontally. Now you have a second story.
6
Add another apex next to the two existing points and repeat the process. Make the base three points wide and you will have the potential of going three stories tall, make your base four points wide for going four stories tall, and so on.
7
Finished.

Community Q&A

Question

How can I prevent my tower from falling?

Community Answer

Make sure that you don't have any fans or air conditioners on near where you are building your card tower. Also, make sure there is no wind around and that you are not breathing too heavily. Lastly, make sure that the surface you are working on is stable, and that you are placing the cards gently and slowly.
Question

Should I make the bottom bigger if I want my tower to be taller?

Community Answer

A larger base will likely help with stability for a taller tower, but even so, the tall a tower gets, the more likely it is to fall over. There is always a limit to how tall you can make a tower before it falls, even with a large base.
Question

How do I stabilize my hand when making a tower of cards?

Community Answer

Try to stay as still as possible. It may help if you hold your breath. Also, make sure to roll up your sleeves, because they might knock over the tower.