What effects do you perform with BCS? What is your favorite? What gets the best reaction? Have you made any up?

Personally, I love performing calling the cards but it will be interesting to see what you guys use or have come up with.

There's a pretty nice effect using an ID in conjuction with the BCS. Here's the effect:

You hand a deck of cards to a spectator and have them cut the deck a few times to ensure that the cards are indeed mixed up. You then produce another deck of cards and instruct the speactator to put their deck behind their back, cut the cards and have them place the cut-to card upside down in the middle of their deck and bring the deck out in front of them. While they are doing this, you let them know that you are going to do the same with your cards behind your back. After this is done, you bring out your cards in front of you and spread through the deck find one card upside down and take it out and discarding the rest of the deck. The spectator goes through their deck and finds their one upside down card and removes it from their deck. When both cards are turned over, it is found that they are a match.

That is a great idea. I personally don't use an invisible deck but the idea is still great. You could do the same thing if you had a BCS set up deck and then a regular deck. They turn over a card. Then you turn over a card and they match. That might even be more organic and better because instead of a prediction you both turn it over right then and there and everything can be examined.

What a great idea for a thread - I have been working on a few things and will post them here soon as I get them ironed out, anyone else care to share?

Thanks David. Definitely post them here or PM me when you finish working on them. For me, I like the effects that are very strong and seem impossible. For this reason, I absolutely love calling the cards. I do it with a regular deck, not a jumbo though.

The BCS is fantastic!

I have an old PDF file of a routine of mine called SHAMAN'S VISION, which shows the Shaman's incredible healing ability. They heal successfully because they have a way of perceiving a sickness on individuals before it becomes apparent to the individuals themselves or visible to the named eye. They sense when someone is not going to be be well ... and so the routine begins. It's a simple one but cool.

I offer this here in honor of Anabelle's Native American themed POW WOW eBook available on my website. It's great work!

SHAMAN'S VISION uses my variation of Si Stebbins, but works just as well, if not better, with the BCS.

Like I said, it's an old eBook, but on occasion I still perform the routine.

Send me a private message with your email and I'll send you the ebook.

Instead of forcing a card I use the BCS and go through the whole mindreading idea. I have the person write their card on a piece of paper, then burn it to create a more visual so the card is stronger in their mind. Next, I have them stick out both hands and making a fist with one and use the other hand to "pulse read." Then I take the ashes from their burnt up card and perform "ash pentration" and they go crazy.

Very interesting. I love BCS and use it everynight. Tonight I used it after the cards were mixed up because of card calling. Tried it anyways and missed but had ol reliable ID in other pocket.

Tian_ci, I like very much your idea there.

Hi! there`s a great idea if you do quicksearch! type in: BCS idea!
best kiki

As many have said before, the BCS is excellent!

Personally I use it a lot. As I'm quite new to magic, I've been burned a couple of times using sleights and the BCS has restored my confidence no end.

As I generally perform close up or even one-on-one, some of the effects I like most (Card Calling, BlackJack Demo) aren't appropriate. I look forward to performing these in the future though.

The BCS effects I currently use are:

Challenge Mind Reading
The Corinda Effect
Test Conditions II

Of these I have got the best reactions from the Corinda Effect. This is probably because I've performed this effect more than the others so my presentation is slightly better than the other effects. Also the fact that my helper doesn't know the identity of the card seems to hit them harder than with the other effects.

Occasionally I'll use my Invisible Deck at the end of this effect, but generally I prefer to get the Invisible Deck out at the end of Challenge Mind Reading which allows me to present the effect as something like a psychological manipulation of the spectator.

Just my 2p worth...

Marcus

The "Blackjack demonstration" is incredible (as well as everything listed above).

Sean

Where is the blackjack demonstration found? I have the 20th Anniversary edition of the BCS and I don't think it is in there. For me, card calling always gets a great reaction. By the way, does anyone know which episode of Criss Angel's Mindfreak had him performing Card Calling with the BCS?

The BlackJack demonstration is on Mind Mysteris vol 2.

Marcus

Just can second all the above. Great idea R1z08.

I personally also love the Black Jack demonstration a lot and also perform it very often in context with Casino Royal.

The test condition routine from Mind Mysteries I also perform very often but IMO the Black Jack demonstration is one of the best applications since it deals with a very common and appealing topic.

Greetings
Thomas

I use the BCS for an OOTW effect. I guess you could call it "OOOTW"
(Osterlind Out Of This World)

Some may feel this is more of an Oil & Water effect. In that case, just call it "OOW" (Osterlind Oil & Water) as that is the spectator's response to this effect:

Upon "shuffling" the BCS deck, I have one spectator cut the deck. The other removes the top card to determine their color. The spectators take turns removing the cards from the deck. I try to sense if the spectators have a connection with the color of each card. If they do, that card will go into their pile. If not, it will go into the other spectator's pile.

I occasionally just place my hand over each card and sense whether the card is black or red.

I also incorporate the Ammar kicker from ETMCM Vol-9.

Kevvy - do you do this using the whole deck? doesn't it take a very long time? and don't they just assume it's a marked deck trick?

I don't use the entire deck. Half of the deck is sufficient. You could explain that using the deck would take too much time. Then have the spec cut the deck and choose which half will be used.

They don't suspect a marked deck since I don't even look at the cards. I usually keep my head turned away as I place my hand over the cards. A blindfold would be another option.

...You could have the participant cut off some cards from anywhere in the packet and hold them under the table. You can have them press the cards to the bottom of the table-top and you can "sense" the color through the table (See Pit Harlings, fantastic "Color Sense")... This obviously rules out "markings".

If you want... just guess the first card's color and then you're off. I have thought about "color sensing" and the BCS alot.

Sean

I don't completely understand how you would do an OOTW with the BCS. If you explain the effect to me I will understand. I understand how the performer could divine the colors but not the spectator.

I prefer to involve the spectator as much as possible. The performer is divining the colors, so this technically isn't OOTW. But as I mentioned, I do so by sensing if the "spectator" has a connection with the card. The emphasis is on the participants energy. They must focus on their color so that "we" will successfully divine the colors.