In a strolling situation..

Do you think its more practical to use your business cards for a CT or bring out a small blank paper?

From the spectators point of view I feel a business card is more ordinary.

Anyway, for those that do not use a business card, what type of stock works best for you?

I never understand why someone would tear up their own business card? Totally devalues it!

Business card... at very worst, do a peek! Otherwise, I would use blank card OR ask to do with with theirs.

Even if you use their business card, I would still do a peek over tearing it up.

Col.

Right!!!

I only use credit card for CT

From the spectators point of view I feel a credit card is more ordinary.

Use whatever as long at it looks that writing stuff down is not too relevant.

I ONLY use my BC for revelations or predictions

blank stock ( BC size) for peeks

Just paper for my IDS

Tearing BC is a bad image

I think some times you may want to use a business card for continuity. Sometimes you need to write something on a business card for the particular effect and it may seem suspicious if you keep changing types of paper for every effect. I think this is an individual choice depending on your venue and repetoir but I see nothing wrong with doing the CT with a business card, especially if you use business cards for other effects.

Steve

I totaly agree with Steve.
It depends on what you are doing. If you like to work impromptu like I do OF COURSE you use your business card, because I never carry any blank cards with me.
When I perform stage I use blank cards because they are bigger and there is much more space to write on.
In my opinion there is nothing wrong with BCs. They are sooooo normal and nearly everybody has one. I would never use THEIR BC and rip them......that's absolutely rude and disrespecting.
Peeking is also a very nice way but who cares? Is there really a difference if I rip or crease my card? In both ways I can't hand them out anymore!

So go with your favorite method kill your BCs.
Unless a spec goes:"Oh man, why didn't you use blank cards? You have to take care of your BCs!" :-D

I agree that tearing a business card is strange. However, if you take out a small pad and write some things down before going into CT, you will take some heat off the pieces of paper.

Personally, I've been performing Judah's Lighting Strikes Thrice for YEARS with not one, but THREE business cards that get torn in half. And I've never had anybody make a comment about tearing the cards - EXCEPT when I use "blank" biz cards.

People don't usually see blank business cards and they are curious to some people. I'd rather use blank ones, but I can see how they might be perceived as suspect.

I hand one to the participant, and say, "Have you seen my card?" Once they see the blank side they immediately turn it over ... and just for a second there's a look on their face which tells you the blank-on-blank card hasn't registered yet, then - and it happens every time - they'll turn the card "back" over to see the other side once again!

Just my two cents, but I don't think anybody gives it a second thought whether you tear your card or not. But I agree it would be bad form to destroy theirs.

Of course, if you had a card like Joel Bauer, that would be a different story!

Oscar

Center Tear?

What's that?

Please PM if you don't want to reveal too much in this area of the forum...

That made me laugh. Shukran

My BC had us too think and has finish on both sides, it is impossible to tear quickly enough to use for a CT. I normally don't leave the house without a small stack of precut and folded index cards but worse case I will use my business cards for something like desire or sneak thief.

As most have said if I only have business cards I use a peek because then you give them a souvenir or as I do always carry around a small pad or put some paper in your wallet to always have.

I use whatever available for writing on the table. I don't do CT on BC because it looks suspicious to spectator.

The idea is to p**k and get the info. I use any method possible to do it. As long as what I do looks natural to spectator and I have good enough reason to do it.

I think it's not only about what we use, but how and when we use it.

I use BC for revelation and the spectator can keep it.

After consideration I'm probably going to use some blank slips of paper.

I'll probably order Osterlinds precut stock that he has on his site.

Anyone use these?

Why use modern mentalists old methods? When here is nothing better then it is ok, but here are better methods, read Busch, Al Mann, Cassidy, Hilford, Longman, Bellon... and you don`t need the ct.

Excellent paper. Perfect size, opaque and tears easily. If you can get Osterlind's Perfect Center Tear there is great work on this old and outdated(LOL) tool.

Steve

@ Steve Suss
Fine for me when you use the ct, that leaves the better and logical methods for me.
And tell me, when the ct is so good, why performers have developed other methods?

As do I.

These days, given a choice, I'll do a p**k. I happen to have a lot of success with the "Number Divination" approach used by Banachek in his Psi Series (although I don't use my palm).

I love using business cards for effects and it's incongruous to use BC, use BC, use BC, then suddenly switch to paper (unless the paper has your name all over it too).

Gideon,
New is not superior to old in all cases. Many of the modern techniques represent great strides in the art but they will not fit every situation or every performer. This cannot be overstressed. You can force a method into an effect but it's better if you carefully fit the method to the effect you wish.

Lem