The Si Stebbins Stack
Remember, the Si Stebbins stack assigns a numerical value to each card: Aces are one, all spot cards are the same as their face value, Jacks are 11, Queens are 12, and Kings are 13. In this scheme, suits rotate in the popular Clubs, Hearts, Spades, Diamonds order and every card is three points higher than the one that precedes it. The complete 52-card stack sequence is shown below. The Full 52-Card Order
Values cycle: A, 4, 7, 10, K, 3, 6, 9, Q, 2, 5, 8, J, then repeat. Suits cycle: Clubs, Hearts, Spades, Diamonds. A deck arranged using the Rapid Set-up method will be in the following order (from the top of deck through to bottom) upon completion.
Assembling the Cards for Rapid Set-up
Rather than finding and assembling the cards individually, the following method will enable you to assemble any deck in the correct sequence in minutes.
If you're using a new deck, begin by throwing out any advertising cards and setting the jokers aside, which are not used in the Si Stebbins stack. Next, separate the suits into their respective piles and arrange each one in descending order from King through Ace as shown in Figure 1 above. These represent values from 13 (King) down to 1 (Ace) in the system. The heaps should be in CHaSeD order from left to right. Now leave the first pile with the King of Clubs as is, cut the second pile to the Three of Hearts, the third to the Six of Spades, and the fourth to the Nine of Diamonds. See Figure 2 below.
You are now ready to assemble the cards. Pick up the cards, one at a time, and place them face up into your left hand beginning with the King of Clubs, followed by the Three of Hearts, etc., as shown in Figure 3 above. When you get to the last pile (Diamonds), start over at Clubs again. Repeat this until all of the cards are gone. Your deck is now in Si Stebbins order.