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Gene B Regular user Sacramento, CA 193 Posts |
Finally pretty fluent with Mnemonica---now I'm looking for methods to subtly get a named card to top of deck.
I've been working with estimation and cutting then peek to see how close I am--then I'd have to count a few moe to reach the selection. I'd appreciate any ideas or sources of good methods
Gravity--It's not just a rule--It's the Law!
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baobow Special user 510 Posts |
Test your luck darwin ortiz will be perfect to practice your estimation while not putting emphasis on cutting the deck
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Pasteboard Alchemist Special user 502 Posts |
This is a fun topic, and one that continues to be covered even in newer publications (I'll list some here in a second.) To me, there seem to be three facets to this: techniques to improve pure estimation; methods to gain a better peek and do the cut on the sly; and putting work in the cards.
Some of the newer publications I've taken aspects away from: Pit Hartling's "In Order to Amaze" has a small section dedicated to estimation, peeks, and correction within the effect "Close Encounters." Greg Chapman's Book "The Devil's Staircase" (which is a book loaded with stack concepts and is, in my opinion, one of the best books released on stack work since Mnemonica--yet is the one I see most rarely in other stack workers' libraries!) has a good-sized section on estimation. It covers pure estimation, estimating with an edge, choosing your angle when estimating, using visual markers to assist in your estimation, etc... "The Devil's Staircase" also discusses putting work into the cards (as do numerous other, older publications) to allow for quick arrival at a card without the need for pure estimation. Personally, I use something very similar to Maigret's C-System for estimations when I'm not working from a tabled cut (and sometimes, even when I am.) When putting work into the cards to assist in cutting to a specific card, be aware of work that could impact your ability to do faros in whatever manner you're comfortable with (c****r s***ts, etc...) Asi Wind's "Chpater One" and John Born's "Meant to Be" and "Flip Shift" cover very similar ways to properly estimate, peek, and cut on the sly, if that's something you're after. Born's writing goes into far more detail and suggests additional work that could also be applied to an estimated cut done in the open. |
Kjellstrom Inner circle Sweden, Scandinavia, Europe 5203 Posts |
I use 4 breather crimps in my memdeck: 13, 26, 39 and 52. That setup up makes it very easy to find a card in the stack.
From the cards with a breather crimp I can reach any card within seconds with a pinky count or a cull. With this setup I can make any card "go" to the top or bottom. |
Nicolino Inner circle 2893 Posts |
I absolutely second the recommendation of Chapman's "The Devil's Staircase". It's a must-have for any mem deck worker. Period.
The Mati Envelope
A brandnew peek device for the working mentalist! Chance's Token Tarot cards in a scenic piece of mystery..... |
Gene B Regular user Sacramento, CA 193 Posts |
Thanks for all he great recommendations--these will help me build up my library and provide plenty of reading during the cold winter days.
Gravity--It's not just a rule--It's the Law!
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AznSAmagic New user Toronto, Canada 93 Posts |
Been trying to find out if the tricks in Devil's Staircase is only for Greg's stack... Can anyone tell me?
Cerca Trova
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Pasteboard Alchemist Special user 502 Posts |
Quote:
On Oct 18, 2016, AznSAmagic wrote: Only the teeniest amount of the book (20 pages?) is dependent on his stack. There's an entire section of stack-independent effects, as well as a massive amount of non-effect stack techniques and information that will up the game of a stack worker regardless of their chosen stack. |
AznSAmagic New user Toronto, Canada 93 Posts |
Thanks Pasteboard Alchemist... Ordered one and Greg said its on the way
Cerca Trova
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RickDangerous Special user I can't believe I made 974 Posts |
Michael Close suggest "cutting the scales", which means try to cut each suit in numerical order. Continue only to the next card if your previous cut for the target card was maximum two cards off. It's a nice practice drill and really helps your estimation and speed.
"Reality is what you can get away with."
Robert A. Wilson "Think for yourself and question authority." Timothy Leary |
avasatu New user 97 Posts |
I use a thumb riffle. It is nigh undetectable assuming you have pre-riffled 5 or so cards as an in transit action. I also act a bit crazy while I do it just to make spectators think "wtf?"
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Gene B Regular user Sacramento, CA 193 Posts |
I remember hearing that Joshua Jay used corner shorts to aid in estimation, but I can't find anything---anyone else hear this? I may try and check with him at Magic Live.
Gravity--It's not just a rule--It's the Law!
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sgtgrey Special user Austin, TX 839 Posts |
I believe he talks about it more in detail on his At The Table lecture (which has a couple of nice memorized deck ideas in it as well). Joshua Jay uses scallops, not corner shorts.The benefit of a scallop is that you still have the corners for faro work. He puts one in the top card and one in the 27th (so he can more easily cut the deck in half). One is on the short side, and one on the long side.
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Gene B Regular user Sacramento, CA 193 Posts |
Thanks Sgtgrey,
I also found out he discusses a number of his mem deck techniques on Vol. 2 of his dvds--"up close and close up" Have fun! GB
Gravity--It's not just a rule--It's the Law!
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landmark Inner circle within a triangle 5194 Posts |
Greg Chapman's new book Details of Deception has helped me an awful lot in improving my estimation abilities.
Frankly, I previously thought using estimation in my memdeck work was beyond my reach; now, by working with some of the ideas in Greg's book, it has become very attainable. In fact, Greg gives some great strategies on how to correct any mistakes, and even how to demo estimation abilities. I got to do some proofing on the book, and to the OP, this part of Greg's new book is exactly what you are looking for.
Click here to get Gerald Deutsch's Perverse Magic: The First Sixteen Years
All proceeds to Open Heart Magic charity. |
chappy Special user 764 Posts |
Details of Deception expands on the topic of using estimation reliably in your card work. To the OP, as well learning numerous ideas that will enable you to locate and control, in one routine you'll also learn a method for getting a card named by anyone, to a position designated by anyone. And the sneaky part is that you don't even need to locate the card named, or know the position designated.
FARO FUNDAMENTALS, DETAILS OF DECEPTION and THE DEVIL'S STAIRCASE at www.thedevilsstaircase.com
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Patrick Redford Inner circle Michigan 1751 Posts |
I also offer some insight on how to cut a card to the top of the deck as well as some "adjustment techniques" for when one cuts a bit off (The Redfish shuffle, for example, is a way to appear to overhand shuffle a deck while retaining stack order but actually secretly cutting a small group of cards from the top to the bottom or to bottom to the top). This is detailed in the new book Temporarily Out of Order.
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