Just wanted to get your opinion on this. If I wanted to do a four card production which move is better Center or Bottom. Help me out by listing the pros and cons of each.
I wanted to use a dealing sleight in a trick where the spectator lists four one digit numbers. I would then proceed to deal out said numbers to produce the aces or whatnot. To elaborate I need the aces to be pulled from center or bottom should the spectator give me all high numbers.Bryant,
I may need some context, but wouldn't a top deal work just fine?
Thanks,
Edward
I'm sorry that I don't have all this knowledge and that my combining of moves I've seen is "inferior". I've only been doing this for less than a year. I don't have access to many (if any) magic sources (I am not lying when I say there are ZERO magic shops where I live) and therefore may not "get" things as easily.I would also like to point out that the structure you have created is one which is theatrically and technically inferior to some of those which are already in print. (David Williamson, John Carney)
Ascanio's "last action clean" says that the last action of a sequence (dealing a number of cards for example) should be legitimate. The last deal is when the spectator's attention is focused the most.
One final point: having a spectator shuffle the deck only to have them return it and shuffle yourself is a poor strategy. The imagery you are trying to give is great (namely- they shuffle the cards and you deal to the 4 aces) but the execution could be better. Try and think of another way to give this image without destroying the external reality for the inner one.
I would recommend you consider John Carney's book, "Carneycopia" as his thoughts are generally in line with my own.
Can you please refer me to a source where the Center Deal is actually used as a secret sleight and not in a demonstration of false deals? I'd love to be proven wrong but from my experience the Center Deal is a fun move to practice and to show off with, but not something that would be workable in a magic setting as a secret move. So in my opinion there really is only one obvious choice for this kind of "Stop" Trick and that is the Bottom Deal. Another possibility is of course Riffle Stacking and Second Deals.There are benefits and detriments to either sleight in the case of this effect.
One final point, having a spectator shuffle the deck only to have them return it and shuffle yourself is a poor strategy. The imagery you are trying to give is great (namely- they shuffle the cards and you deal to the 4 aces) but the execution could be better. Try and think of another way to give this image without destroying the external reality for the inner one.
Yep, nothing to argue about here.1. The center deal is a sleight. Namely, it is a false deal. I.e. - it should give the appearance of dealing the top card while actually dealing a card from the innards of the deck.
2. The position of the substituted card can be known before the deal. That's to say that one isn't dealing a random card from the middle unless he chooses to.
Here is where I have my problems. The above points are all well and good, however that is the theory. In practice, the drawbacks that you mentioned bring me to the conclusion that it is just no applicable as a "secret move". To admit, I haven't dedicated my life to the Center Deal, however I played around with three of the more popular types of grips/methods (Gene Maze Center, Kennedy Center, Variation of what Jason teaches in his DL) for about two years. And although the methods differ quite significantly from each other, they all suffer from the same problem.With these two points in mind I see no reason why the sleight couldn't be substituted for any other sleight matching these criteria (all of the false deals utilized as a switch). As I said there are drawbacks; dealing past your spot, harder sleight, etc. However it is still possible. Hope this has opened your mind to the application of the sleight in a way which is much further away from the real method. I would be happy to speak to you about this in greater detail in private.
Marco,
I would say that this structure also has a fundamental flaw: What if the spectators look through the deck for the aces while they are shuffling?
Marco,
I have a serious problem with your final statement. Spectators aren't watching you so they can walk away and say," Yep. Fooled the pants off of me" If that was what they wanted they could look at an optical illusion, try to solve a puzzle, etc.
Magic is a unique art form. It's a form of theater which allows someone to experience the impossible. While deceiving someone is a crucial step in this it is not the ultimate goal.
Edward