how using opengl can i make the effect of osmeone bending a card and then letting it ping off into the air?

phew, you tell me! There are two parts to that, the visual graphics stuff, and the movement or transformation. Once you get the OGL scene set up properly it should handle the graphic effects (the light reflecting off the inside curve of the card, etc) so then all you really have to worry about is the movement of the card. For tutorials on realistic reflections from curved surfaces look at nehe.gamedev.net

You've probably given up on this by now, but on the off chance you are still working on it I would tell you use 3D Studio Max. In 3DSMax you can set up animations like what you are describing and, so I've been told, implement them directly into an OGL program. You'd have to research into this a lot because I only know that it is possible, I have no idea how to do it (you would probably need to use a 3rd (not 3th LOL) party library).