Best black deck for performing magic

Best. Flexible deck for closeup magic

  • Bicycle black tiger

    Votes: 1 100.0%
  • Bicycle shadow master

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bicycle phantom

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Bicycle ghosts

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • Total voters
    1
Sep 23, 2015
86
6
Which is the most flexible bicycle deck for performing magic prefferebly black. I have the normal red bicycle standard deck which is not at all flexible. Which decks do you people use to perform close up magic and street magic
 

RealityOne

Elite Member
Nov 1, 2009
3,744
4,076
New Jersey
Simply put, it is the magician that makes the deck magical, not the other way around. It is just a prop. You, through your skills, presentation and practice, give it life.

I can perform with any deck of cards. The decks you list all handle pretty much the same. The design is different, but essentially it is just a deck of cards.

The cards don't matter. The magician does.
 

Josh Burch

Elite Member
Aug 11, 2011
2,966
1,101
Utah
I have the normal red bicycle standard deck which is not at all flexible.

What do you mean? Are you thinking the Bicycle decks are too stiff for your liking? Then you should not go with black decks. Most of the decks you listed are printed on casino grade cards stock. Which means they are extra stiff and extra thick.

If you are talking about flexibility in the sense that you want to be able to do more with the decks then classical bicycle is the way to go.
 
Sep 23, 2015
86
6
What do you mean? Are you thinking the Bicycle decks are too stiff for your liking? Then you should not go with black decks. Most of the decks you listed are printed on casino grade cards stock. Which means they are extra stiff and extra thick.

If you are talking about flexibility in the sense that you want to be able to do more with the decks then classical bicycle is the way to go.
When they arrived they were amazing but after 2 months they have become thick. Can that be because i never stored them in their box. I always kept them in an Almirah. Please suggest which will be the best card deck for a beginner like me. I already have the standard deck but spoiled....
 

Josh Burch

Elite Member
Aug 11, 2011
2,966
1,101
Utah
When they arrived they were amazing but after 2 months they have become thick. Can that be because i never stored them in their box. I always kept them in an Almirah. Please suggest which will be the best card deck for a beginner like me. I already have the standard deck but spoiled....
Cards will clump, and get rough over time. If you didn't keep the cards in a box then it made the cards worse quicker. Cards can't get thicker with time, on the contrary they usually become more supple, and flexible over time. Given you take care of the cards and keep them clean.

It sound like you are hard on your cards, in this case I would probably go with Stud cards. You can buy them at Wallgreens. They have a similar finish to bicycle cards but are on a thinner stock. These cards handle as well as bicycle cards but they are a bit cheaper.
 

Fox13

Elite Member
Aug 19, 2014
200
171
From the spectator's point of view, simple will make the magical experience easier to follow: everybody has seen those, the pips and court cards are easily recognized. If you use a too fancy deck, even if the spectator does not suspect a gimmick, the deck becomes a distraction from the main effect. Plus these are really cheap, so you can rip them, write on them, and even let people's greasy hands hand them.

Spectator's don't care about long-lasting super-handling mega-cool decks. They won't feel the difference, and it won't add anything to the magical experience for them. It only makes a difference in the performer's mind.

That being said, if you want to go custom or designer deck (I have to admit I really like those, and playing with them is a treat -- who said we cannot have some fun too ;) ), make sure:
- the pips and court cards are easily identifiable and distinguisable
- the deck is not so cool to the point where the audience would rather admire the deck than enjoying your show.

With that in mind, of the black decks you listed, I would recommend, in order of priority:
1. Bicycle Phantom - they are are actually a white face deck and standard pips and courts, this would be most common deck for the audience and easy to recognize, plus the back design is not too crowded.
2. Black Tiger with red pips - prefer the red pips here as they help distinguish red and "black" suits.
3. Black Ghost - I prefer the Black ghost deck, but it is 3rd because of the ace of spades which is custom, vs the ace of the black tiger deck is the standard 808 ace.
4. Black Tiger (with white pips)
5. Shadow Masters - pips and courts are too shadowed, the audience will have to look twice before remembering the cards, plus the audience that is far away will have more trouble recognizing a card when revealed

There is another deck you might consider as you progress: Fournier 605. They are not your standard bicycle or custom deck. They are very stiff and do not fan well out of the box; they require about a month of breaking in before you can do anything useful with them, but with doubles and packet moves, the cards stay together like crazy which helps with some sleights. The stiffness is excellent to build hand-strength.

Personally, I use:
Fourner 605 for training and practicing.
Custom decks for cardistry, practicing, and fun.
Standard bikes for performing.
 
Apr 6, 2015
59
24
26
Pakistan
well the above people are all right but if you are just asking "is there a good deck with black design of something like that" in disguise then i will suggest Madison rounders they are amazing I love Daniel Madison's work I am a big fan of him.
anyway you should check out that deck its nice
 

Tower of Lunatic Meat

Elite Member
Sep 27, 2014
2,436
2,030
Texa$, with a dollar sign
You COULD go with a NOC: Black deck. I think they are all blank, but if you know several card tricks that work with just a signed card, there you go! At that point, it doesn't matter what the faces are anyway.

Just make sure you get 2-3 decks for 'reloads'.
 
May 31, 2015
31
3
You COULD go with a NOC: Black deck. I think they are all blank, but if you know several card tricks that work with just a signed card, there you go! At that point, it doesn't matter what the faces are anyway.

Just make sure you get 2-3 decks for 'reloads'.

The NOC decks are also marked, but the design is so simple, that spectators wont even look twice.
 
Apr 21, 2015
14
2
Tarzana, CA
An important thing to know is that you don't want a design that's too complex. Yes, elaborately designed cards are great, but some spectators haven't seen that many cards in their life, and the ones that they have seen are the original Bicycle playing cards. Black may distract from the magic. Also, black cards CHIP! Especially the Shadow Masters, the black decks get all ashy and unattractive. I would stick with the original white decks.
 
May 31, 2015
31
3
That is good to know! I also most got some NOC decks thinking that the faces were blank. Cant get them then.

Thank you!
Yeah, its the corners I believe, not sure if its with the V3s though. Also, if you wanted to learn the OH cut that I came up with, its in the cardistry forum.
 
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