Hey guys. Im interested in learning a stack, and also learning a bunch of effects involving a stack. Also, tricks involving a stack and marked cards combined (Specifically the Boris Wild marking system)

I was considering either Tamariz, or Osterlinds stacks. Not really sure of what makes a stack better or worse, or what the pros and cons are? I know that there is no "BEST", so this isn't a "Which stack and which video is the best" type of thread, However, Maybe someone might have a link to a thread, or video clip, that talks about a few different stacks, compares them, and gives the pros and cons or each of them? So that I can make choice?

If not could someone give some input? Also recommend some sources that I should check out to learn effects using stacks and marked cards and combined. (im looking for really nice tight routines, not just "tricks", if that makes sense)

Thanks!

Edit* I just realized this might have been better posted in the card section. I dunno. I plan on doing both close-up work, and mentalism stuff with them. So id like info on both subjects

Here's a thread to start with: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......art=0#22

:-Dave

Thanks illusionactor. Exactly what I was looking for.

Derek,

Doug Dyment is the man
See his essay on the subject.
http://www.deceptionary.com/aboutstacks.html
Doug's 'Mindsights' booklet includes his 'QuickerStack' system which is awesome, looks well mixed, with no obvious pattern and is very easy to learn.
http://www.deceptionary.com/mindsights.html

Paul Mc.

http://www.vincenthedan.com/magic/blog-whyastack.html

http://www.vincenthedan.com/magic/blog-stackchoice.html

Some useful info by Vincent Hedan about choosing a stack...

Personally, I'm an avid fan of Tamariz' Mnemonica. I've been using it for years and often shuffle into it from NDO simply by habit. As others have pointed out in a variety of different resources, the beneft of having a memorized stack is that you can do any effect using a cyclical stack while still being able to know precisely where every card is in the deck at all times. I often equate it to hiding a card index in plain sight. At any time I want, I can instantly produce any card called for by a spectator-- I think that level of flexibility is important, especially as mentalists. Tamariz' book details countless effects with his stack that can also be applied to other stacks as well. I wholly recommend his book regardless of which stack you decide to utilize. It's a must-read.

Another good resource to learning/practicing with a memorized stack is the StackView software. Google it and download it-- it's a free resource that enables you to become extremely proficient with a variety of different stacks. Popular stacks like Mnemonica, Joyal, BCS, Si Stebbins, etc are all pre-programmed into the software to facilitate learning. You can customize it however you want as well to test any required mental gymnastics you may need for certain effects.

RS.

The Café has a whole forum dedicated to stack work:

http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewf......205&8226

I use the Aronson stack.

I must say, though, it took a very long time to learn it.

granterg

I may have mentioned this before, but you can create a working set of "flash cards" when you're learning a memorized stack.

Use a fine sharpie to write each card's number somewhere on its back. Needless to say, the pen's color must match the back design's color as closely as possible.

What you have is a set of flash cards that doubles as a deck of marked cards.

Personally, I used Ted Lesley's marking system; it was even more subtle, yet even more visible (if you know his system, you'll know what I mean).

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/audio-st......454?mt=8

Called audio stacked deck .. will teach you not only the stack but also
a mem deck.

Many different stacks you can select from.

I use it in my car when I am driving.

Regardless of which you choose, here is an excellent (and free!) resource to help you learn yours. Also, do yourself a favor and get Simon Aronson's book Bound to Please. Not only can you learn his stack from it, but it also contains one of the most powerful uses of an MD ("Histed Heisted"), which is stack independent.

You may also want to review the "Shuffled not Stirred" forum for further resources. Good luck!

I have used a mem deck for many years and published a few of my routines using this most excellent medium. Three years ago I suffered a muild stroke which not only wiped my brain clear of my memorized stack, but which also made it effectively impossible to re-memorize the stack I used or another. Believe me, I've tried with the 6 hour memorized deck among others. In August, I had a heart attack, kidney failure, and a fairly massive second stroke. My brain doesn't work like it used to, to put no fine point on the matter. Enter my disturbingly brilliant and creative fellow mentalist Dr. (computer science if you're wondering. HE's a very sharp cookie.)Doug Dyment and his Quicker Stack. I was not able to master it in the half hour envisioned for normal people, but after about three total hours spread over a few days, I had a mem-deck I could use as effectively as ever. There is no higher praise for Doug's brilliant invention than to say it restored something very valuable to me that was, it seems, permanently lost.

That's a great idea!!! Thanks for sharing.

While I would absolutely not pretend to know more than Vincent Hedan in any subject, his comparison of stacks has brought up something that I've heard a few times, and find both erroneous and misleading. as a person who uses Osterlind's BCS, my experience with other mem deck workers, is that my choice was a terrible one. Yes, the BCS is based on mathematical principles, but that's only scratching the surface. Mr, Hedan doesn't even mention that Richard released a memorized deck manuscript for the BCS, so to dismiss it as a cyclical or solely mathematically based is just bad research.

Also, while stack independent, the routines that Richard developed to use with it are among the strongest I've ever seen. It also has built in effects, just like mnemonica and aronson. The blackjack and poker demos are excellent, and that just scratches the surface. It annoys me when the memorized BCS isn't even mentioned in a comparative article like the one linked to, above. If you prefer one over the other, that's fine - but don't simply dismiss one because it doesn't suit you (or you don't fully know how much the stack actually offers).

The BCS stack also offers, in my opinion, something over the others. I can't speak for others, but I have had moments where my bain farted, and I've forgotten the sequence under fire. Unlike other stacks, I can use the math as a fallback. Wile I haven't had moments like these in years, with most sacks, if you foret the sequence, you're toast, with the BCS, the math can and will pull you out of a jam.

The Osterlind stack was my memdeck for a decade before the stroke. I'm a fan.