The premise is simple: each card in a regular deck of cards is worth its face value except aces, which are worth 15, face cards which are worth 10, and jokers which are ... well, their value seems to depend on the mood of the person setting the workout (anywhere from 15 to 50). Each suit is a different type of exercise, often including push ups, sit ups, squats, and box jumps, but also sometimes swapping in pull ups, kettlebell swings, wall balls, and others. Jokers are always burpees.
You partner up. One partner runs (usually 200 meters, but sometimes 100 or 400 depending on various moods and circumstances) while the other partner starts flipping cards and performing the type and number of the exercise indicated. Once the first partner returns, they swap roles and continue to do so until the deck runs out or they hit a predetermined time limit (originally 30 minutes, but I had to cut that down if I had to pick up the boys from the bus stop).
For my first time, I was partnered with a high school student who was in better shape than all of us. The rationale was two-fold. As I didn't know what I was doing, the other partners present could explain it to me without me needing a student to explain it to a teacher (ego-saving). The second was that she was the fastest runner, and thus could make up for my gross ineptitude.
I was in pain for weeks afterwards and that is even taking into account that I modified nearly all the exercises and ended up walking for much of my running time.
As our group dwindled, the Deck of Death/Life started to become a more regular part of our regimen, until it was our Friday workout for most of this school year. As it was usually just Sue and me (and I often had to rush to the bus stop), the burpees slowly disappeared (sorry, Matt), which easily kept our time under 25 minutes. Our fastest time was a little over 22 minutes.
Today may have been the final Friday workout for Sue and I because of my layoff. With that in mind, we decided to make it under our 22 minute time. Sit ups were swapped with kettlebell swings, and the jokers were still absent. We made it in 19 minutes 40 seconds.
I've come a long way these past two school years.