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Brad Ballew Regular user Nashville, TN 105 Posts |
I am going to be releasing The B.I.T. Deck soon and I have a couple of review copies available to the first Café members who send me a PM letting me know that they are interested.
Here is a trailer: https://bradmballew.wixsite.com/bitdeck The B.I.T. Deck is a regular deck of cards that is “programmed” to send you important information about the deck with very little to go on. The principles at work here are not new but are extremely underused and relatively unknown to many performers. They are a hidden gem that can enable you to do amazing feats of mind reading. The B.I.T. Deck isn't difficult to memorize allowing you to use it as a Mem-Deck for a whole other variety of effects in addition to the effects unique to the B.I.T. Deck. This is a utility that can be incorporated into a variety of effects. A few bullet points: - Uses a regular 52 card deck - No Gaffed, Duplicate, or Marked Cards - No peaking - No fishing - No multiple outs - No sleights - Completely hands off - No forcing Available April 20th |
Steve Knight Elite user Oxford U.K. 479 Posts |
It might be too late to change the trailer but that should be "peeking" rather than "peaking".
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saysold1 Eternal Order Recovering Cafe addict with only 10795 Posts |
Maybe it can be combined with Viagra for peaking
Creator of The SvenPad Supreme(R) line of aerospace level quality, made in the USA utility props. https://svenpads.com/
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Brad Ballew Regular user Nashville, TN 105 Posts |
Quote:
On Apr 19, 2019, Steve Knight wrote: Thanks! Not sure how I goofed that. Fixing it in the trailer and pretending that it's not in the first post. ;-) |
Brad Ballew Regular user Nashville, TN 105 Posts |
Review copies sent out and it's now available for purchase at the B.I.T. website!
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Brad Ballew Regular user Nashville, TN 105 Posts |
Quote:
On Apr 19, 2019, saysold1 wrote: True and great for prolonged misdirection. |
Last Laugh Inner circle Grass Valley, California 3498 Posts |
Brad was kind enough to share a review copy with me. I just watched the explanation video and had a look at the accompanying documents.
My thoughts: This is definitely a unique setup, and it indeed uses a relatively under used principle. I don't know if there is another full deck setup using this method in this way, but I haven't seen one. First off, the video is very clear. It's professionally shot with 2 cameras (one is overhead) and it's easy to see everything you need to see. The teaching is also very clear. He goes over all of the elements methodically and explains everything fully. It's clear that this setup is something that Brad has put a lot of time and work into and he understands it (and the underlying principles) very well. So.....Okay. It's not really a memdeck, though there is memory work required. It's not as hard as learning, say, Mnemonica, but it's definitely a bit more involved than a simple cyclical or algorithmic stack. There are some rules to learn, a few exceptions, and some things that probably need some brute force practice time. Definitely well within the grasp of most readers here though. It works differently. With a standard memdeck you need to know the identity or stack number of a card to know where you are. The B.I.T. Deck uses a different method and allows some effects that aren't really possible with a memdeck. I'm hesitant to describe too much of the process as I'm not sure how much he wants to reveal publicly and there are at least a few people around here that would recognize the principle. Ultimately, you arrive at the values of the cards though. If I were to compare it to a memdeck, I'd say there are some interesting advantages, but also some disadvantages. They are different ideas that use a different route to get to the same endpoint (of course, you can go ahead and memorize this setup completely, which is definitely easier than a randomized setup). Examinable? Mostly, yes. It's way more examinable than the standard red/black Si Stebbins or 8 kings, and it can definitely be looked through by a spectator in the process of an effect. However, with a closer look and a few minutes, there are patterns that would start to emerge. So it's not as bulletproof in that sense when compared to Mnemonica, Aronson, BCS, etc. But for most situations, practically speaking, it's totally fine. There are two basic effects taught. One is for a single spectator and uses a poker theme, and the other involves 5 or more people at a time. I liked the multiple spectator version better, personally. I guess with the single person version, I think I'd rather just used a m****d memdeck to achieve something similar. However, the multiple spectator one is very deceptive and not something that could be accomplished with a m****d memdeck. The second effect is this: A deck is given to a spectator who cuts it to a random location (sight unseen). 5 or more people take cards off of the top. The performer never sees any cards and doesn't take the pack back, yet is able to divine all of the cards. There is a little process involved which could arguably be called fishing, however it's really well hidden and there are no wrong guesses. It's not fishing in the sense of "You're not thinking of a red card, are you". While both effects use the same method, I think the process for the multiple spectator version is just a little better hidden/justified. However, you are not at all limited to Brad's presentations. I can imagine that there are quite a few great presentations that would create the needed conditions to divine the card(s). All in all, I found it educational and interesting and I'm glad to learn more about this relatively esoteric principle.
My Mentalism Podcast:
The Mystery Arts Podcast Check out my products! Direct from me (PW: cassidy) On Penguin Magic |
Brad Ballew Regular user Nashville, TN 105 Posts |
Thank you for taking the time to write a review. It's much appreciated!
I'd like to elaborate a bit on the "fishing" since I do say "no fishing" in the description. There is no fishing in terms of what we commonly think of fishing. For example, as Last Laugh pointed out, there is no use of phrases that have double meanings like "You're not thinking of a red card, are you". Nor is there ever a time that you are guessing letters or throwing out values looking for a reaction. There comes a point in the routine where you have quite a bit of information about the card/s that the spectator/s have but not all the information. You then accurately state a piece of information you know to the audience and the way the spectator/s respond is what gives you the rest of the information you need. You saw a variation of this "fishing" in the Poker Telepathy and it lasted only a couple of seconds and definitely didn't look like "fishing". Also, if memory work is not your thing, there are materials provided that allow you to perform these effects without having to memorize anything. Also, the purpose of the B.I.T. Deck is to be able to stay completely hands off but still get information about the cards with some innocent looking procedure. The effect that Last Laugh described above that has several members of an audience choosing cards is probably my favorite use of this deck. The reason is that once you give the deck out, you never handle it again. The first spectator to handle the cards cuts anywhere he or she wants. There is no way you could possibly know what cards they are looking at, but almost immediately you start naming off cards. Hope this helps! |
Steve Knight Elite user Oxford U.K. 479 Posts |
Without wishing to do any fishing myself, does this use any of the principles used in Leo Boudreau's work?
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goochelen New user Hexagonia 76 Posts |
Or perhaps based on Mr The Brown...
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hcs Special user Germany, Magdeburg 506 Posts |
My review:
I received the material from Brad free of charge and write in return a review. Thank you very much Brad – it’s my pleasure! Who is B.I.T. Deck suitable for? IMHO, for people who are fascinated by mathematical principles in stacks and for people using playing cards for mental effects. Brad has written a lot in the MC, he is the author of the Cipher Deck. At first I completely agree with the review by Last Laugh. It's hard for me to write a review for a stack without naming the underlying mathematical principle. The principle is familiar to most readers of this sub-forum. Brad has cleverly improved this principle by using only 5 cards as his Poker Telepathy shows! This is the real merit of the B.I.T. deck for me! Brad offers two versions for his stack. I can't judge if learning the second version is worth it. The card value is not calculable, but must be learned. This is feasible due to the excellent explanation. Nevertheless it requires a larger learning process and exercise expenditure. I missed the reference to other sources. Finally, there are some magical works on this subject and some attempts to apply the used mathematical principle to memdecks. Brad's Smart Mem deck is not a real Mem deck, as already mentioned by Last Laugh. Brad teaches the B.I.T. Deck indeed very well and explains several helpers developed by him (e.g. a finger count). The B.I.T. Deck is only at the beginning of its possibilities, e.g. you can include a Faro-Shuffle. The B.I.T. Deck needs a broader brain storming! Some hints: - No date or author is mentioned on the documents. - The file names are inconsistent. - The upper and lower case in the written is not always correct. - What does B.I.T. stand for? An explanation would be nice. Brad's work is an important contribution in this field! |
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