Ive popped my head in here a few times and it looks kinda slow so ill try and get something going. I'm mostly in the gambling forums but I do have a passion for mnemonics and the memorized deck.

if youre familiar with the mnemonica stack, you know that you can not get into it from american NDO. what ive done is to bypass the steps in rearranging american NDO and do the remaining steps necessary to get to mnemonica order.(open a new pack of bicycles and start by doing your faro shuffles instead of running cards singly)

the drawback is that you now don't have a stay stack to work with(which I don't need with mnemonica because I have another stack that I can get into stay stack with).

was wondering if anyone out there has toyed around with this idea. I toyed with it and memorized it for fun. a topic just to start conversation.

which now makes me think of a question...do any of you know a way I can get from NDO to a random appearing stack(si stebbins doesn't count, and I know that in all your years of performing with si stebbins, no one has noticed and order)....hahaa, sorry for that tangent...anyway back to my question, do any of you know a way that I can from NDO to a random appearing stack with less moves and time as possible?....thanks guys....

Yes, it is easy... trial and error, create your own mem stack; it is in fact that easy. Jan

Of course I can take a new deck and wash the cards give um a few shuffles and memorize, that's easy. maybe I didn't word my question right. I have come up with my own stack from NDO with built in effects and so forth, but it takes about 45 seconds to get into(too long IMO)...ill just figure something out. thanks anyway

Why don't you just switch decks? I'll assume you're only concerned with "legitimate" ways haha' but why restrict yourself?

Dave

Michael Skinner's stack can be set up from NDO fairly quickly. As for the random portion...it doesn't look as random as Mnemonica or Aronson's stack, and it does have a RRBBRRBB...pattern.

If you work on and master at least two or three good deck switches you card work will benefit for a long time to come. The magic literature is rife with different switches and you want more than one because performing circumstances vary. Many great switches require that you are wearing a coat or jacket, but if you want to be able to do your card magic when you are casually dressed, you need some other options. If I have a magic friend in my audience, I often toss the deck to them for shuffling, and let them switch the deck just before they toss it back to me. You may consider that a cheap shot... but it works well.

Simon Aronson has a great deck switch which I think is explained in conjunction with his effect Bait and Switch.

Dennis Loomis

Yes, "Bait and Switch" (in the "Aronson Approach") is a great trick in itself. Plus you do a switch! Really recommended. Jan