Hey, I was wondering if anybody had any advice on what type of manipulation cards to buy. Also I want to know if anybody has ever bought any type of gimmick to help you hold more cards at one time. If so, please tell me what you thought of them and if they are worth buying.

Murphy's manipulation cards are great!

First of all, I think that gimmicked devices other than gimmicked cards themselves are the easy way out. Second, if you practice with regular Bee cards, you'll be able to hold a lot of cards. If you know how to load and steal, then you don't need anything gimmicked to help you hold. I suggest you get McBride's tape # 2. This will help you out, and you won't have to purchase any manipulation cards, but instead make your own.

-Chris

I find that Murphy's are good to do split fan productions.. I also have Peter Marvey's, which I find are better for single productions. I suppose the biggest drawback is that these cards are quite expensive!

I own a couple decks of the Marvey cards. Haven't actually used them yet, but handled them a little. They seem really nice.

I also have the Nielson cards. I like them, but the only problem I have is that the back design is not really to my liking. It's functional, but not really "pretty".

Kallak

I've used Neilson, Murphy's and Marvey's. I think my favourite, all around, are the Murphy cards. You can hold FAR more than you could with regular cards, but as above stated, they are very expensive.

There's nothing wrong with gimmicks, like card catchers, but I find they tend to limit what you can do. Marvey seems to have found a great use for a catcher though, so I'm not saying it can't work in your act. Use whatever looks best and works well for you. Magic is not about what is most difficult, it's about effect.

Sable

Good call, Sable. Too many times we think of magic from our perspective rather than from the spectators'. What may seem simple or boring to us can absolutely astonish the audience. I'm with you on Murphy's cards also. Where can I get Bee cards? Everywhere I go has Bicycle, Aviator, etc. but no Bees. How much do they generally cost per deck?

FC

Good question. I guess it depends on where you live. Here in Texas you can find Bees at Grocery stores, but stores like Wal-mart carry mostly Bicycle and Aviator. You can order them by mail though, from the same guys make them that make Bicycle and most of the others. There should be contact information in the card boxes and of course you can always try the web. I'm sure someone here will know some good sites.

Good luck!

Sable


PS Sometimes you can find them cheap, in bulk, from Casinos. They aren't exactly Bee cards, but they're about the same, with a similiar design.

FC,

If you have an Albertsons near you, they may have some Bee decks at times. You might pay a buck more for Bees than Bikes, but that's still less than you'll spend on manipulation cards. Just be sure to buy several decks if you find them, since they can be difficult to locate!

Paul M.

If you're headed to Las Vegas, or your regional gaming centers, you can find cancelled Bee decks (retired from games), that are cheap. You can prep the cards for your manipulative purposes, and save lots of cash for other necessities.

Lot’s of good advice here. I’ve tried the Murphy's deck in the shop and they’re great, but I couldn’t bring myself to buy them. I like the Bee brand and I still have a few decks of Crusaders left--they're like butter. Bee’s are great, but you really have to break them in. My feeling is, if you’re having trouble with regular decks, buy the Murphy's deck and have fun. At least you won’t get discouraged.

Thanks for all your help! I think I will buy Murphy's deck and try it out.
- Evan

I just got a deck of Murphy's cards.
I like them a lot even though they are expensive.
I think that they are a bit thinner than the Nielson cards I used to use.
Bee's are nice also, but I find it difficult to do multiple fan productions with them because they are thicker.

Victor I have some of those cancelled Bee decks. How could I prepare them for manipulation purposes ? Thanks.

Luca

Cancelled Bee decks?

Is it better to use poker size (like Bees) or bridge size (like Norm Nielsens)?

JarZZa

Why are Murphy's and Marvey's card bridge size only? After practicing all this time with poker bicycle and now wanting some thinner cards, I searched for Murphy's and Marvey's cards and I just found bridge size. Are bridge size better for manipulation?

I find that they are because they are somewhat smaller and with the type of cards that I use I can back palm quite a few. However the cards I use are only good for single productions and not very good for fan productions....The cards do not want to fan evenly. Do you think fanning powder with help this problem?

aby9plp,
Good question. There are some advantages to Bridge size cards when it comes to manipulation, but I'm not sure why ALL manipulation cards seem to be Bridge size. I would prefer a choice myself, but frankly, after practicing for as long as I did with Poker cards, the Bridge size were just as easy (if not a bit easier), so I never complained. There may be some special reason I'm not aware of, and if I ever find out, you guys will be the first to know.


Paulie,
Yes, fanning powder does help. Just make sure to knock off as much as you can after coating them. You can do this by holding one end of the pack tight, and riffling them sharply at the other end, with your thumb. If there's too much left on the cards, they will become pasty when your sweat mixes with the powder, and you'll also make little clouds when you're making productions. Of course, little clouds might look good to lay people (I never thought of it before). If you do it in competition though, magicians will snicker in the back, "haha, got a little too much powder on his cards, eh." Of course they snicker anyway, because that's what magicians in the back do at competitions.

Sable

My grandmother has TONS of cancelled bee decks.... the ones with the hole in them....they are like 1.00 a deck at las vegas...