I really like your idea, Mouliu!

Try the Memorized Breakthrough Card System (e-book).

Just a little psychological ploy, once everyone has gotten a card, lets say eight have been handed out after they have been picked at random and mixed.

The eight people are standing. You ask them each to you as you try to pick up on what they are thinking of.

"I'm going to call out the card I think you are thinking of, and when I name your card just sit down. Some are easier to pick up on than others, so bare with me"

You now point with your left hand as you look up, not looking at anyone specifically and start pointing up and down with your left finger moving it to dfferent levels as you name each card. As less and less people are standing start pointing to specific areas of the audience as you look in the opposite. This will give the impression you are either looking at them and naming their card and still pointing as if keeping count of cards, or you are pointing to them as you look away to concentrate on what card it is. This will require practice to make it look convincing, however I've used it for similar effects, and it works very well.

When there are only two cards left point to one person and look at the other, name the second last card, and if the person you are looking at sits down, exellent turn to the last person and say "meaning you must be thinking of the..." If however they don't sit down and the other person does, this usually gets a laugh so slowly turn your head as you see them sit down, turning back to the last person and saying "meaning you must be thinking of the..."

Hope that makes sense!

Col.

"BCS" and "Losing Control"...

I was playing around with BCS and realized that Lee Asher's "Losing Control" (one of the very best one card controls you can find) keeps the BCS intact while invisibly controlling a selection to the top of the deck. By the way, the selection genuinely comes from the center of the deck (or wherever).

...Do whatever you like with that!

Sean

Kevvy, is the Memorized Breakthrough Card System about how to remember the BCS? Or about how to remember the exact position of BCS (I don't know how to describe it in its proper term)? The second one means, if the top card is 3S, I can call out the 49th card is 4C without counting it.

WOW! Very good ideas!
This is one of the best topics ever!
I use Tamariz´s Mnemonica´s, I know we are at a mentalists area but how many of you have seen Joshua Jay´s dvds? There are nice touches on memorized deck.

If spectator forgets the card is ok, if you miss one in 5 or 6 is not bad, and if you want to be perfect you can use an index.

Congratulations for all of you that shared good ideas! I´m pleased!

The Memorized BCS is great for knowing the exact position of cards in the BCS. However, knowing both methods will prove beneficial.

Check out this thread:
Memorized BCS

THIS THREAD contains more ideas for the BCS.

If you do BCS often enough - you'll have the deck memorized anyway!

Oh I like this. Anyone tried it yet?! I'm thinking of using it this upcoming week. I usually do Card Calling most of my stage shows and using the blindfold (mystery) and several spectators (involving more of the audience) adds some depth and excitement here.


Posted: May 1, 2006 7:57am
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Just thought of a possible scenario. I am thinking of doing it blindfolded and cut to the selection then box em up. Then have the spectators stand and instruct the audience to applaude when they sit down (after I get the correct card).


Posted: May 1, 2006 4:49pm
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Just wondering whether to have spectator shuffle the cards before handing them out or having them hand them out in order to a row of spectators. Being blindfolded also. I remember some have commented on the s**** when I didn't have them shuffled.

Comments?

In my performing experience with the BCS,having the spectator cut the cards has been perfectly adequate.
I would think that the only person that would be suspicious of a spectator non-shuffle is another performer,or somebody with some magical knowledge..exception not the rule.Best.
Rich

Thanks RIch. Seems I deal with a few hecklers now and then. I plan on trying Colin's idea tonight if I go up on stage.

This is such a great thread.

I've been reading through it again, and there are many little nuggets in here.

Piers.

Piers- I heard that.

Jeepers - I'm really glad this has been bumped up too - great thread

BCS is so kewl. I go back and forth between Card Calling and Challenge as which one is best, both are!

Candini

Candini-

Do you find one or another to be better for groups large vs. small? I have wanted to try Card Calling but have yet to do so. This thread is certainly motivating!

I agree this thread is worth its weight in gold and should be a model for what brainstorming can do. Here's another idea which some might find useful.

Start out with Challenge Mindreading asking the spectator to merely think of a card etc. Ask if there are any card players in the audience and select one to thoroughly shuffle the deck to maintain test conditions. You then place the deck in your pocket so you can not see any cards and proceed to locate the thought of card with your fingertips. Not only have you found the thought of card but you've switched the shuffled deck for another one with your st**k. You can now proceed with the rest of Osterlinds routine or any other one requiring a st**ck deck. The difference is the spectators are now convinced this deck was thoroughly shuffled by a spectator.

For the method start out with the Challenge routine by Osterlind and glimpse when handing the deck to be shuffled. Follow the routine by Simon Aaronson called Shuffle Training. It's free on his website. The only thing is you must know a MD to do this routine. The BCS by itself,if not memorized, will not work.

Great stuff steve - thanks for the idea

Good to see this thread back in action! It is truly a Café classic.

Just wanted to update everyone that I have been using card calling exactly as I wrote up in this thread quite a few months ago now. It has become a particularly strong feature of the show. There are very few effetcs in one's lifetime that feel almost perfect to perform and where reactions are consistently off the scale, this is one of them.

There is enough info on this thread to create your own reputation making version, thanks to all who have contributed but lets not stop here.

Al straker

I wonder, would this work? One thing that could be fun (but also add to the chaos) is to encourage people who didn't get a card to try to throw you off by thinking of other cards. If, for instance, you knew that nobody had taken an often-thought-of card (like the Queen of Spades, etc.), but you have other people thinking of other cards to throw you off, in the middle of some successfully identified cards, you could say "Who's thinking of the queen of spades?" Some people would answer in the affirmative. "Stop trying to throw me off!" And then you go back to naming some of the other cards that people actually did take.

Another thought, if you ask somebody whom you know didn't take a card what card they're thinking of, and they name it, and somebody DID take that card, you could get all excited and say, "Wait! Somebody just thought 'That was MY card!' Who thought that?"

That is some very nice thinking!I am a big proponent of 'non-rote' presentation.

Best.

Rich