Pathetic Cards

Mar 16, 2010
106
1
Lithuania
In my country there is no store that sells decks by the USPCC. The best cards that i can find are Cartamundi cards that are bridge size and have linen finish. Other decks that i could find were only paper cards or paper, coverd with plastic. In school everybody uses crap cards because they only play games so they dont care about things like the finish or things like that. They use these terrible cards for months. They know that i do magic tricks. Usualy i dont cary a deck of bikes with me at shool. But when they give me there (crap) deck and asks me to do some magic, i cant because its imposible to even do a double lift not to mention other harder slights. What to do at that point? I dont want to disapoint them. :(
 
Jun 10, 2010
1,360
1
In my country there is no store that sells decks by the USPCC. The best cards that i can find are Cartamundi cards that are bridge size and have linen finish. Other decks that i could find were only paper cards or paper, coverd with plastic. In school everybody uses crap cards because they only play games so they dont care about things like the finish or things like that. They use these terrible cards for months. They know that i do magic tricks. Usualy i dont cary a deck of bikes with me at shool. But when they give me there (crap) deck and asks me to do some magic, i cant because its imposible to even do a double lift not to mention other harder slights. What to do at that point? I dont want to disapoint them. :(


I'd try buying some Bikes and Tally-ho's from theory11, to be honest. If you're stuck between choosing, i'd take tally-ho's. They've onl got a little thicker stock, a nicer design (in my opinion), and a better finish, all for just $2.05 + tax.

Either that, or you could try practicing entirely with those "crap cards", although that'd be bad since it'd be way different when you were given an actual pack of cards.

Best solution: Buy Tally-Ho decks off of Theory11 and try and carry a pack of those around. Keep those crap cards for playing games, and try not to use those tallys when not performing magic or practicing (to make them last longer)
 
May 10, 2010
138
0
Best solution: Buy Tally-Ho decks off of Theory11 and try and carry a pack of those around. Keep those crap cards for playing games, and try not to use those tallys when not performing magic or practicing (to make them last longer)

Or you could just buy alot of them at one shot. Not only does that mean discounted prices, it also means that you won't need to worry about restocking so quickly. Meanwhile you could also get a card clip to protect the opened pack of cards to make them more durable!
 
Jun 10, 2010
1,360
1
Or you could just buy alot of them at one shot. Not only does that mean discounted prices, it also means that you won't need to worry about restocking so quickly. Meanwhile you could also get a card clip to protect the opened pack of cards to make them more durable!

Good point. Get one of those joe porper card clips, they're about 30 USD, available at Ellusionist.com
 

WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,877
2,945
I don't know the exact time frames (but I bet Jason England does), but I think it's only fairly recently that cards have had nice finishes. It's my understanding that back when, say, Erdnase was doing his thing, cards were basically just thick paper. They managed.

My suggestion would be either to practice with a crap deck, or always supply your own.
 
Nov 20, 2007
4,410
6
Sydney, Australia
I'd try practicing with bad decks. This is a rather well documented phenomenon - the magician with his beautiful new Bikes, and the overzealous guest with the oldest, dirtiest deck of cards you've ever seen in your life.

It also helps to be able to perform non card magic. If you only perform card magic, then develop some self-working effects.
 
Just learn tricks with 'crap' decks. How dodgy does it look if you are handed a borrowed deck and asked to do a trick, but then say 'I can't do anything with these cards' and then you pull out your nice, shiney and suspiciously new looking deck? People are just going to think it's trick cards.

Magicians i think can be too snobby about cards these days. Back when I first started learning there were no online magic shops as the internet was only just taking off (god I sound so old considering I'm only 25!). Therefore, I just learnt with what ever cards i got at the shop and whatever was cheapest. The concept of 'proper magicians cards' never really entered my head. Sure it's nice to have nice cards, but you really should be able to do stuff with borrowed decks. Provided you avoid anything that requires the cards to be really slick (Slip cuts, Faro shuffles, certain double lifts) then you should be fine. It won't really limit you that much. Like someone said above, I'm sure the masters like Vernon, Erdnase, Hugard, Malini etc weren't up to their necks in 'Super delux finish' finish playing cards!!!

Here's a few 'sleight light' (but super good) tricks you can do with just about any deck in any condition:

Anything involving a key card (pulse trick, circus card trick etc)
Sloppy Shuffle Triumph
Out Of This World
Harry Lorayne's Poker deal (probably a great routine to use as the people you borrow the cards off will most likely know the rules of poker)
Invisible Reverse

There we go. Five tricks (practically a small show) that can be done with a dirty incomplete deck as thick as a loaf of bread. Plus, all the above can be done impromptu and they'll all be twice as impressive because you used THEIR cards! Woah!



Rev
 
Mar 16, 2010
106
1
Lithuania
Just learn tricks with 'crap' decks. How dodgy does it look if you are handed a borrowed deck and asked to do a trick, but then say 'I can't do anything with these cards' and then you pull out your nice, shiney and suspiciously new looking deck? People are just going to think it's trick cards.

Magicians i think can be too snobby about cards these days. Back when I first started learning there were no online magic shops as the internet was only just taking off (god I sound so old considering I'm only 25!). Therefore, I just learnt with what ever cards i got at the shop and whatever was cheapest. The concept of 'proper magicians cards' never really entered my head. Sure it's nice to have nice cards, but you really should be able to do stuff with borrowed decks. Provided you avoid anything that requires the cards to be really slick (Slip cuts, Faro shuffles, certain double lifts) then you should be fine. It won't really limit you that much. Like someone said above, I'm sure the masters like Vernon, Erdnase, Hugard, Malini etc weren't up to their necks in 'Super delux finish' finish playing cards!!!

Here's a few 'sleight light' (but super good) tricks you can do with just about any deck in any condition:

Anything involving a key card (pulse trick, circus card trick etc)
Sloppy Shuffle Triumph
Out Of This World
Harry Lorayne's Poker deal (probably a great routine to use as the people you borrow the cards off will most likely know the rules of poker)
Invisible Reverse

There we go. Five tricks (practically a small show) that can be done with a dirty incomplete deck as thick as a loaf of bread. Plus, all the above can be done impromptu and they'll all be twice as impressive because you used THEIR cards! Woah!



Rev

Thanks for the information. But the biggest problem is that the cards are not just paper but very warped out dirty paper. But i will try practice with them :)
 

WitchDocIsIn

Elite Member
Sep 13, 2008
5,877
2,945
I keep at least one deck of really worn out cards around to practice with for just this occasion. I've had the same deck of Masters Bikes for over a year, and I only keep it around so that I can make sure that I can do pretty much any of my sleights with a crap deck. I really don't think magic should be limited to the times when you can have a 'good' deck around.

Also, Prae has a good point (I seem to be saying this a lot lately). Try to work in magic that doesn't only involve playing cards. My own character is a bit odd. I openly say that my playing card tricks are just sleight of hand, then I have a bunch of effects that are so out there that most people can't explain them away as sleight of hand. Stuff like PK Time, coin bends, mind reading, etc.
 
Aug 20, 2008
60
1
Sveikas, Donatai :)

Aš irgi iš Lietuvos .
Same here - klasiokai žaidžia su šūdinom kortom ir pardavinėja čia pagrinde iš geresnių tik Carta Mundi . (Aš iš Kauno) .

Vieną kartą man padavė vieną tų rusiškų deck'ų ir paprašė ką nors parodyti . Sunkiai, bet padariau Pass ir Clipshift .

Išvada:
sugalvok triuką, kuris nereikalautų daug sleight of hand jei duoda senas kortas (pvz. Chris Kenner'io Sloppy Shuffle Triumph) arba išmok daryti viską su senomis .

Aš realiai visada turiu kaladę su savimi ir mokykloje ir gatvėje . Kad nesusidėvėtų patarčiau nusipirkti card clip'ą . Aš turiu Zenneth Kok'o . Tikrai geras . Gali nešiotis kortas kiek nori ir jos nesusivarys . Verta investuoti .
O kaladė nėra tokia didelė, kad negalėtum nešiotis .

Just a thought .
-Motas
 
Jun 10, 2010
1,360
1
I'd try practicing with bad decks. This is a rather well documented phenomenon - the magician with his beautiful new Bikes, and the overzealous guest with the oldest, dirtiest deck of cards you've ever seen in your life.

It also helps to be able to perform non card magic. If you only perform card magic, then develop some self-working effects.

Now that I think back on it, when I first started in to magic, I didn't have any cards better than bikes or bees (I bought cards @ 7-11 and CVS). I ended up using a red pack of bikes past worn under the table at school whenever possible (practicing the thumb fan) for a few weeks until I had it down (Saved bees for performances, that's how limited I was with decks to use). But anyway, not every trick requires a slick deck. I just like somewhat broken in tally-ho's because they have a simple, yet elegant back design (along with a pretty amazing finish). I've never come across a deck of cards so badly out of shape that they couldn't do anything besides a thumb fan or a one handed fan (I believe pressure fan doesn't rely on the slickness of the deck or it's ability to spread in your hand to space the cards out)
 
Jun 10, 2010
1,360
1
Don't worry, most of what I said and suggested above will work with just about any deck of any condition. Just practice that's all.

Good luck dude!

Rev

Unless those decks happen to be the fake Jerry's Nuggets decks that saturated the online market a few years ago, particularly on eBay. I saw a vid in which somebody compared the real deal to the fake ones.. They're literally pieces of paper cut into the shape of a playing card with the design on the faces and backs..
 
Apr 5, 2009
874
1
29
Illinois
key card principle. use a cut instead of a spread or fan to have the card selected. simple. simple. simple. hard hitting magic. pulse trick actually wont work if the cards are bad enough. but the fingerprint trick on ellusionist will!
 
Mar 16, 2010
106
1
Lithuania
Sveikas, Donatai :)

Aš irgi iš Lietuvos .
Same here - klasiokai žaidžia su šūdinom kortom ir pardavinėja čia pagrinde iš geresnių tik Carta Mundi . (Aš iš Kauno) .

Vieną kartą man padavė vieną tų rusiškų deck'ų ir paprašė ką nors parodyti . Sunkiai, bet padariau Pass ir Clipshift .

Išvada:
sugalvok triuką, kuris nereikalautų daug sleight of hand jei duoda senas kortas (pvz. Chris Kenner'io Sloppy Shuffle Triumph) arba išmok daryti viską su senomis .

Aš realiai visada turiu kaladę su savimi ir mokykloje ir gatvėje . Kad nesusidėvėtų patarčiau nusipirkti card clip'ą . Aš turiu Zenneth Kok'o . Tikrai geras . Gali nešiotis kortas kiek nori ir jos nesusivarys . Verta investuoti .
O kaladė nėra tokia didelė, kad negalėtum nešiotis .

Just a thought .
-Motas

Aciu uz patarima Motai :) Reiks nusipirkt man pagaliau ta card clip.
 
key card principle. use a cut instead of a spread or fan to have the card selected. simple. simple. simple. hard hitting magic. pulse trick actually wont work if the cards are bad enough. but the fingerprint trick on ellusionist will!

If you're referring to the fact that you need to spread the cards out for the pulse trick then there is an easy way round it. Just hold the persons wrist and then hold the cards up one by one, faces towards the spectator, backs to you and the place them down face up on the table, allowing you to get a glimpse of them. Then you can work out the rest from here!


Rev
 
Sep 1, 2007
662
2
In addition to practising sleights with the old, crusty decks you should also research sleightless tricks - these can be some of the most potent magical effects with a deck of playing cards, as there really is nothing to hide.

Ed Marlo's "unexpected prediction", numerous tricks by Paul Gordon, Roberto Giobbi's "Card College Light" series - there's a tremendous amount of good self working magic out there to play with.

Cheers,
David.
 
Jun 10, 2010
1,360
1
In addition to practising sleights with the old, crusty decks you should also research sleightless tricks - these can be some of the most potent magical effects with a deck of playing cards, as there really is nothing to hide.

Ed Marlo's "unexpected prediction", numerous tricks by Paul Gordon, Roberto Giobbi's "Card College Light" series - there's a tremendous amount of good self working magic out there to play with.

Cheers,
David.

I would recommend Dangerous by daniel madison (atleast the mystique version, for tricks) as to me, the tricks require little to no sleight of hand (most of them), or can be done pretty easily with these "crap cards".
 
Searching...
{[{ searchResultsCount }]} Results