(Close Window) Topic: You're Using A Trick Deck.
Message: Posted by: peculiarone (Jan 31, 2012 11:10am)
Recently I was asked to do a trick for some nurses at the hospital where I work. I used to work with the nurse who requested the trick at another hospital. I did magic there all the time. She had purchased a deck of cards from some opryland hotel and presented them to me with the request, do a trick. They were still in their cellophane. I opened them, shuffled, had her shuffle and then did a self-working three card trick. The nurses were amazed and then one commented: "that's a trick deck". I pointed out to her that the other nurse bought them and they were still in their packaging. Then she said: "They are all Queens and sixes and jokers".

It seems hard to get away from this spectator mindset. Perhaps only if you use their cards.


Peculiarone.
Message: Posted by: ejohn (Jan 31, 2012 1:09pm)
Suggest saying "Really?" and hand her the deck.
Message: Posted by: MagicofDesperado (Jan 31, 2012 2:49pm)
Shouldve stole those three cards and THEN handed her the deck and exclaimed, "youre right except for the fact these decks don't come with those 3 cards! That's why its a trick deck!"
Message: Posted by: Hideo Kato (Feb 2, 2012 8:26am)
"Yes, this is a trick deck. So I can do anything with this. Watch, now this changed into a normal deck. Please examine it".

Hideo Kato
Message: Posted by: yin_howe (Feb 2, 2012 8:39am)
Quote:

On 2012-02-02 08:26, Hideo Kato wrote:
"Yes, this is a trick deck. So I can do anything with this. Watch, now this changed into a normal deck. Please examine it".

Hideo Kato


These people do not enjoy magic at all (yes, there are people like that), it doesn't matter what you do or say. However, I like Kato-san's reply.
Message: Posted by: peculiarone (Feb 4, 2012 11:08am)
I suppose that for some people this is the only solution as they cannot conceive of any other way it would be possible to achieve a given effect. I would have left the deck as I dislike those type of advertising decks, no border--picture of the "whatever" on the back, but the nurse insisted I take them as she bought them for me. My sister-in-law is fond of buying me novelty decks which I have no use for.

By the way, Hideo, I really like your response.

PeCuLiArEoNe
Message: Posted by: ropeadope (Feb 6, 2012 12:16am)
Get enough of those novelty decks you can make a rainbow deck out of them.

Or just use a few cards with diff. backs and do the Back Flip trick. (One of my very early favorite packet tricks).

Have fun,
John
Message: Posted by: Andy_Young (Mar 14, 2012 10:05pm)
When a person tells me I am using a trick deck I normally just tell them that would be a wonderful thing to have and I then ask them where I can buy one. Usually I get a laugh out of it and then I normally thank the person who said it was a trick deck and ask everyone to give them a hand. That has worked most of the time and I rarely find people get upset with that.
Message: Posted by: Pecan_Creek (Mar 15, 2012 1:18pm)
"They are all Queens and sixes and jokers".

Response...

"... So are nurses, whats your point ??"
Message: Posted by: Alan Munro (Mar 19, 2012 3:54pm)
I get accused of using a trick deck, only when I'm not using one. LOL
Message: Posted by: MeetMagicMike (Mar 23, 2012 10:10am)
I wonder why you posted this as if it was a bad thing. You just did a trick with a normal deck and someone suggests it is a trick deck. That's a great situation to be in.

Just hand them the deck.

By the way, there is absolutely nothing wrong with the spectator suggesting the deck is a special one. How do they know you didn't set things up with the person who supposedly loaned you the deck?

Whenever someone suggests a method that I can immediately disprove I get a laugh by responding "That's the way I used to do it" as I show that they are wrong.
Message: Posted by: BarryFernelius (Mar 23, 2012 1:43pm)
These days, at the end of the show, I give away the deck. Why not?
Message: Posted by: brehaut (Mar 25, 2012 5:57pm)
Quote:

On 2012-03-23 13:43, BarryFernelius wrote:
These days, at the end of the show, I give away the deck. Why not?


In the rare case someone makes a big deal about the deck, I do just this. Give them the deck. Im out $2.00 but just insured everyone watching is now super impressed
Message: Posted by: Patrick Differ (Apr 9, 2012 8:26pm)
It would appear that the more far-fetched their reasoning is, the more we need to say less about it. When someone gives me an outrageously impossible solution, such as the one you've mentioned here, I think to myself, "That person ain't got no sense at all." I smile, nod, and move right along. No sense trying to make sense with them, any effort to do so is wasted energy, and wouldn't have anything to do with the show anyway.
Message: Posted by: nathanernest (Apr 12, 2012 10:13pm)
People can always attempt at guessing method and probably always will. If something doesn't make sense in the world people try to explain it. Its natural.

I tell them the story of Lennart Green not handing out the deck after his first FISM performance...

Them: "that's a trick deck!"
Me: "You know what, its funny you say that. Once at the WORLD championships of magic, this amazing guy named Lennart Green and he was so amazing that even the judges said he was using a trick deck and he didn't win anything..." Then hand them the deck.

This puts them in a interesting position where they don't know if you are making up a story (which you aren't) and if you are saying that you are using a trick deck or not. Then when they look at the deck they still don't know if they are looking for a fake deck or inspecting if the deck is real.

Another option is to say "Yes, its a fake deck. Have a look". Then give it to them. They will go crazy trying to work out what the fake is. Then they are so off guard you can do anything to them supposedly showing the fake deck to them.
Message: Posted by: Believing (Apr 22, 2012 4:42pm)
Perhaps you could offer the deck as a gift to the spectator who thinks it's a trick deck after the performance.
Message: Posted by: Ray Bertrand (Apr 26, 2012 3:02pm)
I love doing card work with a spectator's deck. This usually blows them away. I will sometimes allude to the fact that it is a 'marked deck'. I then do a face up fan and say; "You see... this one is marked with the queen of hearts, this one is the three of diamonds, this one is the two of clubs, etc. If they weren't marked, I couldn't tell one from the other". After the laughts I then proceed to do some card work.
Message: Posted by: MeetMagicMike (Apr 26, 2012 6:57pm)
Patrick Differ wrote:

Quote:
When someone gives me an outrageously impossible solution, such as the one you've mentioned here...


What outrageously impossible solution are you refering to? That a magician would use a trick deck, that he might use a stooge? Is it outrageously impossible to imagine he could shrink wrap a deck or just pretend to remove it from celophane?

This guy was dealing with a perfectly reasonable spectator. Being skeptical is to be encouraged.
Message: Posted by: anthony-in-japan (May 29, 2012 11:17pm)
"You could be right. A trick deck like this would cost at least 10,000yen (125US), but I can sell it to you for just 5000yen."

No one has taken up my offer yet ):
Message: Posted by: MaxfieldsMagic (May 30, 2012 9:05pm)
I'd guess your response would depend on whether or not you are, in fact, using a trick deck. If you aren't, just hand it over. If you are, you'll have to either obfuscate, do a deck switch, or both.
Message: Posted by: JJKnight (Jun 11, 2012 3:07pm)
Just the other day I showed a deck to my best friend, let him hold them, and then casually took the top two cards (again not really hiding them) and did a 'snap change' (least that's what I call it probably not proper name) and he insisted I was using a special card and it was a trick card. All of this took place while explaining that I practice my effects and can't believe people still fall for them (because of course I see how they are done). While having this innocent conversation that I never thought of as 'patter' I had completely fooled him. Needless to say I just came up with a new routine for this very simple trick! But the whole time he continued to insist I had gaffed cards (obviously our term not his) in the deck that he had handled just moments before.
Message: Posted by: Magic-Scott (Jun 29, 2012 8:56am)
Hand the deck over for inspection
Message: Posted by: Evan Jay (Jul 5, 2012 11:26pm)
Quote:

On 2012-06-11 15:07, JJKnight wrote:
...All of this took place while explaining that I practice my effects and can't believe people still fall for them (because of course I see how they are done). While having this innocent conversation that I never thought of as 'patter' I had completely fooled him. Needless to say I just came up with a new routine for this very simple trick! But the whole time he continued to insist I had gaffed cards (obviously our term not his) in the deck that he had handled just moments before.


I realize you said this was an innocent conversation and was with a friend; however, I really do not like this line of thinking. We are already fooling the people we perform for, why belittle them with a commment like that. Just because we know some magic is easy doesn't mean we should rub it in their face!
Message: Posted by: Mr. Mystoffelees (Jul 11, 2012 8:33pm)
[quote]
On 2012-05-30 21:05, MaxfieldsMagic wrote:
I'd guess your response would depend on whether or not you are, in fact, using a trick deck. If you aren't, just hand it over. If you are, you'll have to either obfuscate, do a deck switch, or both.
[/quote]

I would like to add one other option- stonewall (hold fast) and refuse to hand over anything! Why should you? Would James Bond? So, either obfuscate, do a deck switch, refuse to let go of your props, or all four!

And, yes, James Bond was a great magician...

Jim :)
Message: Posted by: XingDa (Aug 6, 2012 12:51am)
Quote:

On 2012-01-31 14:49, MagicofDesperado wrote:
Shouldve stole those three cards and THEN handed her the deck and exclaimed, "youre right except for the fact these decks don't come with those 3 cards! That's why its a trick deck!"

It's great!
Message: Posted by: Tim Hughes (Aug 9, 2012 10:33am)
I'm a doctor in the UK, and have practised on family, colleagues and the general public. The worst spectators by far are my nursing colleagues - they absolutely hate magic effects, and get really angry if they can't work out what is going on. It seems to be a profession specific response.
Message: Posted by: AutarchicFlux (Aug 15, 2012 6:16am)
I tend to push any effects requiring a trick deck to the front of my routines, so that by the end of the routine the deck has been swapped out for one which is 100% examinable and legitimate. I find this generally gets the deck out of play before too much suspicion can fall on it. By the time the spectators are feeling the urge to really scrutinize the cards, they can feel free.
Message: Posted by: FSB (Sep 14, 2012 2:39pm)
I had one lady who was thoroughly impressed, but said it's not magic. I asked her what her definition of magic was, she didn't know but knew this wasn't it. :D

Love this quote:

"For those who believe, no explanation is necessary; for those who do not believe, no explanation will suffice." -- Dunninger
Message: Posted by: DavidAusten (Oct 12, 2012 9:19pm)
Quote:

On 2012-08-09 10:33, Tim Hughes wrote:
I'm a doctor in the UK, and have practised on family, colleagues and the general public. The worst spectators by far are my nursing colleagues - they absolutely hate magic effects, and get really angry if they can't work out what is going on. It seems to be a profession specific response.
must be! my sister in law is a nurse and HATES it when she cant figure it out. The same can be said about female police officers, a freind of mine takes it as an offence that in some way I have insulted her intelligence.
Message: Posted by: Pengnome (Oct 13, 2012 2:37am)
ASk them how it is tricked, show them its not. Prepare a tricked deck to show them the next time.
Message: Posted by: jugglestruck (Oct 21, 2012 3:03pm)
Nice story peculiarone, you just can't win sometimes :)
Message: Posted by: Alan Munro (Nov 5, 2012 8:11am)
I've heard that approximately 30% of the American population is mentally ill. I just think of them as people that aren't taken seriously, by those who matter. If someone can't live with a mystery, I think of them as unbalanced.
Message: Posted by: wafflesthemagician (Nov 15, 2012 5:53pm)
I think that if you've got people thinking that you're using a trick deck of cards, let them think that, and give them the cards as a gift afterwards, telling them to "try to figure out the secret" of how the "trick deck" works.
Message: Posted by: DerekG (Dec 28, 2012 11:21pm)
Quote:

On 2012-10-12 21:19, DavidAusten wrote:
must be! my sister in law is a nurse and HATES it when she cant figure it out. The same can be said about female police officers, a freind of mine takes it as an offence that in some way I have insulted her intelligence.


It's not just the female police officers, it's most of them. I'm a police officer myself and when I show most of my colleagues a new illusion, they get more agitated than most people when they can't figure out how a trick is done. It screws with the same part of their psychology that made many of them become cops in the first place, the need to find answers.
Message: Posted by: Bicycle Rider (Jan 23, 2013 5:45am)
I think there are people out there who doesn't enjoy magic, and that nurse could be one of them. What I learn is that picking my audience carefully helps preventing unpleasant experience.
Message: Posted by: khuzhai (Jan 30, 2013 1:01am)
Give the deck as a souvenir!
Message: Posted by: lambretta1963 (Jan 30, 2013 4:02am)
In my limited experience, I have found that one in ten people tend to think the magician is trying to make a fool out of them not just to fool them. These people will do anything to spoil a trick. You can also spot these people a mile off. Leave them the deck and say `your turn'.
Message: Posted by: 204rags (Apr 10, 2013 9:50pm)
I think the one above that suggested you say "Really ?" and then hand them the deck is perhaps the best suggestion.
Message: Posted by: vampiro (Apr 25, 2013 9:02pm)
What I say is what kind of trick deck are you talking about, I don't know about them.
while they are explaining things, I switch out my trick deck for a real one. when they
are done,
I hand them the trick deck.
Message: Posted by: TheMag1cian (Apr 25, 2013 9:29pm)
Quote:

On 2012-11-05 08:11, Alan Munro wrote:
I've heard that approximately 30% of the American population is mentally ill. I just think of them as people that aren't taken seriously, by those who matter. If someone can't live with a mystery, I think of them as unbalanced.


I believe it boils down to what type of personalities youre dealing with. Type A personalities (more aggressive, outspoken, egocentric) tend to not like the "shame" of being fooled, especially in front of others. These are the same individuals who become agitated in a friendly board game if they don't know the answer or lose too much. If their ego is challenged, they react negatively. I do believe that if you took these individuals one on one that their reactions would be different. Being confused in front of their peers transforms their social dominance into submissive dominance which in turn translates in to negative reactions. Oh yeah .. and I really dislike performing in these lose-lose situations as well.