Do you have suggestions using a mem deck for effects using the stack but not requiring the memory work?
Perhaps automatic tricks? Perhaps a cheat sheet? Other?

If you are able to make a story telling deck of your stack. (maybe with even changing a few cards)

I think Patrick Redford's "Temporarily Out of Order" has some effects where you don't need to remember the stack. The stack is setup for those effects. Also, Woody Aragon's memorandum, his stack book. His stack is setup in a way that you an go into several of the effects in "A book in English" without having to remember the stack.

Other than that, I would say check the SiStebbins, nothing wrong with it, you don't need to memorize it, but you can do a lot of stack effects.

Marc

Of course, memorizing the stack will open up vastly greater possibilities, and that should be the goal.

If you are having trouble with the memorization aspect, make sure that you haven't fallen into the common trap of thinking that there is only one road to this destination. Different people have different learning styles, and what is good for one can be a real roadblock for another. There are four different methods of learning a memorized deck: it's worthwhile spending a little time investigating the pros and cons of each method to see which one best matches your needs.

In my experience, most of the tricks that are stack-dependent do not require memory work. Look at Aronson's Try the Impossible and Tamariz' Mnemonica for their stack dependent tricks. There are poker deals and other demonstrations that use the features of the stack itself without requiring any memorization.

Doug is right of course, that if you choose to work on memorizing a stack, it opens up a huge range of possibilities unachievable any other way.

Just to mention: In my second Penguin Live lecture I do a whole routine and explain the simplest stack of all (the faro-1 or 14/15 as is called), lots of tricks and propierties, and none of them requires memorisation. But you can do the most of the usual memorized deck tricks with it: divination, guess any card, locate any card named, wheighing the cards, forces and predictions, poker tricks, an incredible multiple "acaan" in different decks, spellings, etc...

Happy Christmas to everybody!


Woody

I recently purchased Mr. Aragon's 2nd Penguin Lecture for the reason he posted above.. I also recently bought Eric Robertson's trilogy of books, "It all Depends", "Oasis" and "Tour" .. These are based on another stack and has effects that don't require you to memorize the stack. I have some reading to catch up over the holidays...

mG

Oh my dear. You bought rip-offs !!! Support the REAL authors, like Eric Richardson for example.