I have to back Dennis on this. After visiting Denny's in Vegas recently, I bought some of the Blaine Decks before discovering there location in Walmarts.
They work perfectly and are not at all "obvious."
Few peoples these days are card players and are familiar with any one type of card back.
It is my belief that we can get away with most any type of card back without raising a great deal of suspicion, of course depending on the presentation and skill of the presentor.
Larry

ps HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Sadly, it's true; card playing is on the decline. The old timers with their weekly poker games are still out there, but today's youngsters play computer games, not Card games and Board games like many of us did in our youth. This has gone on long enough so that there are lots of teenagers and young adults that don't even know the names of the cards. People like this wouldn't know the difference between cards with Mickey Mouse on the back from Bikes.

And, even the old timers that have a lot of experience with the "traditional" Ryder Back Bikes know that there are lots of different kinds of cards available. I doubt that the use of Bees or Tally Ho's or even Split Spades is going to cause them to be suspicious. Of course, some people are suspicious of ANY prop that a magician uses. Nothing we can do about that.

Dennis Loomis

Btw Pete McCabes PM marked deck is amazing. I just made a deck of marked cards using his system and it is more incredible then I thought it would be. I told my wife that the cards were marked and asked her to look for the markings and she couldn't find it, even after I told her. It's very hard to see even when looking for it. But if you know the secret, it stands out big time. Bravo to this system. I highly recommend it to you all who are looking for a great system to use.

Kevin

Does anyone here know a way to get a Sharpie Ultra Fine Navy colour pen in the UK?

http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/18......-Marker/

They are only $1.69 in the states, but the only option I've found in the UK is to buy a full 24 rainbow pack for £30.00

Thanks for the help.

Loz

I'll send some to you...let me know and I'll give you my PayPal

Jeff

I too have a collection of beautiful marked cards. But that's what they are a collection. For the work I too love Pete McCabes PM system. My Question is : I'm considering marking some on the opposite side a la the speadreaders. From those of you with experience - what are your thoughts comparing the location of the marks from the traditional to the "speadreaders" in working conditions?
Mark

When I went to my local magic shop the other day I was able to compare a number of marked decks out there at the moment and here are my thoughts

Fournier 505 - For me the markings are too obvious and not in the easiest place. Wouldn't recommend
Boris Wild Deck - An improvement over the Fournier deck however my concern is that you need to look all over the card in order to determine the suit and value as it is never in the same place.
Phoenix Marked deck - The marks are much more readiy incorporated into the back design and are very close to the edge for ease of noting. The only thing I don't like is that you need to look in the left corner or the bottom right hand corner. For gambling it works but for a performing magician it's not so easy.
GT speed reader - This is my prefered deck as Gareth has eliminated all the flaws normally associated with a marked deck. The marks are subtle yet still easy noticeable from a distance and by changing the position of the markings it allows for a much more natural peek. Also the quality of the cards is superb and they are traditional cut to allow for easier shuffling.

I've only used a few marked decks but my favorite is the Ultimate Marked Deck. Unless you know the secret, it's very hard to find the markings. The value and suit are located in the same place. I also think that the Ultimate Marked Deck book is a worthwhile investment as it gives a lot of different ideas to stir the creative juices.

Dave

Let me echo the suggestion to learn to mark your own cards. I use my own system, but there are plenty of other good ones described in Kirk Charles' seminal Marked For Life book.