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The Magic Cafe Forum Index » » Shuffled not Stirred » » Greatest effect with a memorized deck (118 Likes) Printer Friendly Version

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todsky
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Please submit what you think is the greatest effect with a memorized deck, and why. I don't use a memorized deck, but if someone can convince me that a memorized deck can do something amazing that can't be done with a regularly-ordered deck, I will add this subterfuge to my repertoire.
Todsky's Magic Shop: over 15,000 tricks, books, DVD s and Card decks. www.magicstore.ca
Kjellstrom
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Make any named card jump directly to the top of the deck...
Looks like real magic, believe me Smile
This is a reputation maker effect.
jcards01
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Go spend 1 hour with Simon Aronson!
Jimmy 'Cards' Molinari
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BarryFernelius
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Todsky,

I sent you a PM on this topic. Please read it.

-Barry
"To achieve great things, two things are needed: a plan and not quite enough time."

-Leonard Bernstein
LobowolfXXX
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I'm kinda partial to Simon Aronson's "Everybody's Lazy." Michael Close's impromptu, examinable, ungaffed invisible deck is rather impresssive, too.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley.

"...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us."
Magic Sam
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There are so many killer effects that can be done with a memorized stack (five-ten cards), so to me a memorized deck just seems like an unnecessary liability. What happens when the cards fall, or your false shuffle moves one card to the wrong position, or any number of things? Granted, there are plenty of good pros who use the memorized deck, but I can't think of anything that can't be done with a normal deck and a bit of off-beat culling.
Magic is like a party in your eyes, where everyone's drunk and breaking the furniture
Alewishus
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Twice as hard. Aronson.
A.
Sack subs, ok Ross?
We miss you asper.
kerpa
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I'm a humble hobbyist, but I just love the Aronson stack.
For example, I like using the Aronson stack to stay one ahead for any pick a card effect. So, while everyone is looking at the chosen card, I glimpse the card just under (after controlling it). Then, if for any reason my control to the top or revelation of the chosen card fails, then I can "mind read" going through all the cards to find the card.
That's just for starters. Michael Close has some brilliant stuff, including his recent CD product, Closely Guarded Secrets (I think it's the "Luckiest Cards in Las Vegas") and also on one of his Workers videos/DVDs how to do an Invisible Deck and pass out the deck for inspection afterwards.
I could go on and on and on. Aronson's books are a great source. There are 3 poker/dealer stunts in a row built into the entire 52 cards, each one great. You can spell a card with positions 10 through 15 (I think).
I attended a fabulous Michael Close lecture in the Chicago area recently, and at my request, he demonstrated "jazzing" (which he refers to but does not describe in the CGS CD) with the Aronson stack - which consisted of rapid fire revelations of randomly thought of cards by 5 or 6 audience members. You can't do that without a memorized stack.
Learn it! It's really great.
kerpa
a/k/a Michael Miller
Chicago area
Michael Miller
(Michael Merlin: original family --and stage-- name)
Scott Cram
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If you really want to see what the possibilities are with memory and cards, check out my regularly updated list of memory-related effects.

Whether it convinces you to add the memorized deck to your arsenal is up to you, but it will give you plenty of food for thought.
jcigam
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I am a big advocate of Luckiest Cards in Las Vegas (Michael Close) and Method to/in Our Madness (MM) (Simon Aronson). I believe MM is probably one of the best effects to perform for your Magic Club; don't get me wrong, this is extremely strong for an intelligent group of spectators as well.

Sincerely,

Jered
"The mind has exactly the same power as the hand, not merely to grasp the world, but to change it."
Jay Elf
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Hello,

THE MENTAL TRIUMPH.

The first advantage:This leaps from a pick-a-card trick to a think-of-any-card effect.
The second advantage:This preserves a whole stack.
The third advantage:You don't have to do any false shuffle before or after this effect. The built-in sequential shuffles do all for you.

Thanks go to Dai Vernon, a father of the original Triumph.
Tim Sutton
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Quote:
On 2005-05-12 12:53, Magic Sam wrote:
There are so many killer effects that can be done with a memorized stack (five-ten cards), so to me a memorized deck just seems like an unnecessary liability. What happens when the cards fall, or your false shuffle moves one card to the wrong position, or any number of things? Granted, there are plenty of good pros who use the memorized deck, but I can't think of anything that can't be done with a normal deck and a bit of off-beat culling.


There are thousands of things that can't be done with a normal deck etc!
I started by using the Osterlind stack (a good intermediate step) but was subsequently convinced by a description in Steven Youell's manuscript to learn an entire stack. I'd say it's the single most exciting thing to happen to my magical life in the past year. Using the mem stack, I've developed an effect which I think is the best thing I've ever come up with. As to what happens when the cards fall, or your false shuffle fails, I would have to say, don't let your cards fall, or your shuffle fail. Or don't do magic with any element of risk. Or excitement. Hmm..
To put the above in a more positive light, use your quest to memorise a deck (it took me a couple of days of semi-intense work) as a reason to practise your shuffling, and your false shuffling. After all, if you were going to perform Sam the Bellhop, the same would apply. A memorised deck gives you a whole routine!

Good luck

Tim
landmark
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My favorite mem deck routines from Simon Aronson:

Past, Present, Future

Everybody's Lazy

The Invisible Card

Histed Heisted


Jack Shalom
LobowolfXXX
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Let's see...a spectator cuts off a packet of cards, looks at the card he cut to, shuffles up the packet and covers it with the rest of the deck. A second spectator does the same thing. A third spectator cuts to a card and hands it to you. You give him the card back, he puts it on top of this third stack of cards that has been cut off, and he covers that with the deck, too. You name a number, the first spectator names a card, and deals down to your number...whereupon he finds his card. You name another number, the second spectator names HIS card, and deals down to your number...finding HIS card. The third spectator names a number and you name YOUR card...he deals down to HIS number and finds your card. The deck has been cut three times by the spectators and the first two times a card was cut to, the packet was shuffled. You've never touched the deck. The only single card you've cut to is the one the spectator handed you. If you can do that with a normal deck and a bit of off-beat culling, more power to you.
Oh, and as for myself, the "unnecessary liability" never leaves me in any sort of worse position than anyone who doesn't use a stack - I just go into a non-memdeck effect.


Quote:
On 2005-05-12 12:53, Magic Sam wrote:
There are so many killer effects that can be done with a memorized stack (five-ten cards), so to me a memorized deck just seems like an unnecessary liability. What happens when the cards fall, or your false shuffle moves one card to the wrong position, or any number of things? Granted, there are plenty of good pros who use the memorized deck, but I can't think of anything that can't be done with a normal deck and a bit of off-beat culling.
"Torture doesn't work" lol
Guess they forgot to tell Bill Buckley.

"...as we reason and love, we are able to hope. And hope enables us to resist those things that would enslave us."
todsky
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Several convincing reasons to memorize a deck, it seems. I think I 'm going to have to join the club. My next step will be to look into the material of Aronson and Close. (I'm surprised no one mentioned Tamariz.)
Thanks all!
Todsky's Magic Shop: over 15,000 tricks, books, DVD s and Card decks. www.magicstore.ca
Gianni
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Quote:
On 2005-05-12 12:29, LobowolfXXX wrote:
...Michael Close's impromptu, examinable, ungaffed invisible deck is rather impresssive, too.


I just saw this performed tonight, and it was impressive. The performer referenced one of the workers books, but it wasn't clear. So the question is, where can this be found?

Gianni
10cardsdown
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Out There Somewhere
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In my opinion, the "GREATEST" effect is the Any Card, Any Number. With the proper framework and presentation, it's a stunner. I get about 8 minutes out of this and use it as a closer in my stand up routine. I can't top it and it leaves the spectators stymied. Smile
T. Joseph O'Malley
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Quote:
On 2005-05-12 23:38, Gianni wrote:
Quote:
On 2005-05-12 12:29, LobowolfXXX wrote:
...Michael Close's impromptu, examinable, ungaffed invisible deck is rather impresssive, too.


I just saw this performed tonight, and it was impressive. The performer referenced one of the workers books, but it wasn't clear. So the question is, where can this be found?

Gianni


It's in Workers 5. You can by all the Workers books as e-books from his site, on disc. Don't know if he still sells "hard" copies.

I'm going to his workshop tonight in Toronto. Should be great.
tjo'
Sean
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In Aronson's "Try the Impossible" there's another Invisible Deck variation that's not as knuckle busting as Close's version. It's also a great starter effect for mem-deck work since you get to go through the deck looking for the "invisible" card.
Mesquita
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My vote goes to The Luckiest Cards in Las Vegas and Mnemocosis.

All the best,

:bluebikes: Mesquita Smile
"Siempre somos tres me acompaña la luna y me sigue mi sombra" René Lavand
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