Ahouse of cards (also known as acard tower orcard castle) is a structure created by stackingplaying cards on top of each other, often in the shape of apyramid. "House of cards" is also anexpression that dates back to 1645^[1] meaning a structure or argument built on a shaky foundation or one that will collapse if a necessary (but possibly overlooked or unappreciated) element is removed. Structures built by layering in this way, such asStonehenge, are referred to as "house of cards architecture", which dates back to theCyclopean andMegalithic ages.^[2] The origin of the phrase is debated to be from the 18th century England but some believe that it has an American base.^[3]

The structures created using this method rely on nothing more than balance and friction in order to stay upright. Ideally, adhesives or other external connecting methods are not used, and no damage or alterations are made to the cards themselves. The larger the structure, the higher the number of balanced cards that could fail and compromise the integrity of the card building. Professional card stacker and trained architectBryan Berg claims, however, that the more cards placed on a tower the stronger it becomes because the weight of the cards pushing down on the base (increasing friction) allows occasional cards to stumble without the entire structure collapsing. He also claims that proper stacking technique allows cards to function asshear walls, giving considerable stability to the structure.^[4]

The earliest known record for card stacking was achieved by Victoria Maitland, of the United Kingdom. A photograph of her work was published inThe Strand Magazine in September 1901. It was a fifteen-story structure.^[5] Following the publication of this record, a second was submitted in April 1902 by Rosie Farner of England with a picture of a twenty-storied tower.^[6] A third record was submitted byF. M. Hollams of England, with a tower of twenty-five stories, in February 1903.^[7]

Other record holders (without bending or altering the cards) include:

• Joe Whitlam, of England, with twenty-seven stories, on February 28, 1972^[8]
• James Warnock, of Canada, with sixty-one stories, on September 8, 1978^[9]
• John Slain, of the United States, with sixty-eight stories, on August 3, 1983^[10]
• Bryan Berg, of the United States, with seventy-five stories, on April 21, 1992^[11]

Berg has since kept the record and created many sub-records.^[12] He currently holds the world record for tallest house of cards, a 25-foot-9+7⁄16-inch (7.860 m) "skyscraper" completed at theState Fair of Texas on October 14, 2007.^[4] He also holds the record for thelargest house of cards, a categoryGuinness invented for the event, for a replica ofCinderella's Castle atWalt Disney World.^[13]On March 10, 2010, Berg broke his own record by building a replica ofThe Venetian Macao resort hotel. He completed it in 44 days, using 218,792 cards (more than 4,000 decks). The structure measured 10.5 by 3 metres (34.4 by 9.8 ft), and weighed more than 272 kilograms (600 lb).

• Architecture
• Arts and crafts
• Hobby
• Sport stacking
• Structure

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• Playing cards

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