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Memorize a Deck of Cards (PAO)

A deck of playing cards spread in an arc on red cloth

Photo (cropped): Revisorius, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Freeby @hwansung595✓7 stages

Seven stages take you from the four suits to a full 52-card recall with the Person-Action-Object system, where every card maps to a person performing an action on an object (three hooks per card) so a sequence becomes a film reel.

Before you start

Every drill from stage 3 quizzes the dictionary's 52-card PAO deck: one Person, one Action and one Object per card. Add it to my dict so you can study the cards between stages.

Add the PAO for 52 cards to my dictConfirm on the next page and you come straight back here.

Stages
  1. Stage 1: The four suits
    From ace to ten, rank picks the Person's initial and suit picks which of the four. Learn to read both at a glance.
    Lesson
  2. Stage 2: Person-Action-Object
    Every card has three hooks: who does what to what. Combining cards in threes builds a film reel.
    Lesson
    locked
  3. Stage 3: Suit recognition
    A timed drill: the card flashes, and you call its suit aloud, then check.
    Drill
    locked
  4. Stage 4: Person-Action-Object recall
    The full PAO drill: for each card shown, recall its Person, Action, and Object.
    Drill
    locked
  5. Stage 5: Mini-deck (9 cards)
    Three PAO triples make nine cards and three film-reels: memorize them, then recall in order.
    Drill
    locked
  6. Stage 6: Pressure PAO (timed)
    The stage 4 drill on a clock: 12 cards in 90 seconds.
    Drill
    locked
  7. Stage 7: Full deck attempt
    All 52 cards in random order: memorize for 5 minutes, then recall.
    Drill
    locked