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Reis O'Brien Inner circle Seattle, WA 2467 Posts |
Anyone have a pic of these Waddington's? The backs or the jokers or the ace of spades? Just curious.
Nevermind... I found their site! |
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King of Diamonds Regular user Elite user 139 Posts |
I have one Waddingtons pack fo cards...they're nothing to get excited about (also I can't say I kne wthese were that common) but if you like I'll e-mail you the back design, Jokers and Ace of spades which I shall scan in...
K of D
King of Diamonds
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Mike Walton Special user Chicago 984 Posts |
<bait>
Only REAL magicians use Tally-Ho decks... <bait> |
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RiffClown Inner circle Yorktown, Virginia (Previously Germany) 1579 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-05-24 15:22, TheHungryMagician wrote: Excellent Advice. In Italy, If I pulled out a deck of bikes to a non-American audience, I would get blank stares. Pull out a deck of souvenir cards from Rome, Pisa, Florence or the like and they would take it right in stride. Contrary to the common magi statement, Bicycle Rider Backs just aren't the everyday card outside of North America. I wouldn't say they are unknown but they don't bring the familiarity to the table the magician thinks they do. If you, as a magi, rely too much on that familiarity and use your gaffs in much of Europe, you will get busted by the spectator that just doesn't trust your cards. Know your audience. The Carta Mundi brands are pretty prevalent over here as well.
Rob "Riff, the Magical Clown" Eubank aka RiffClown
<BR>http://www.riffclown.com <BR>Magic is not the method, but the presentation. |
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Moonlit Knight Regular user U.S. 113 Posts |
I hate to say it, but - cards are cards. People see they have pips and picks, unless they are card players or magicians. It really makes little difference what deck you use. If you’re really concerned about people thinking that there is something “tricky” afoot, break open a new deck or give the appearance of breaking open a new deck for each audience. Some will still think that the deck is marked or whatever, but people will always find strange explanations for the miracles they see accomplished - even if you use their deck. I’ve had it happen.
You must use what you’re most comfortable with, whether it’s “Bicycles”, “Bulldogs“ or whatever. The same goes for poker, bridge, giant or mini cards , and cards with “small” or “large” indexes. Just keep it consistent. (i.e. don’t do half the show with “Bicycles”, put it away, then pull our a pack of “Aviators”) they will notice if you do. An exception of what brand or type to use would be - if you are performing at a casino, then you would want to use a deck similar to the ones seen there simply because another style might raise questions.
"Join the dance... Follow on! With a twist of the world we go."
- Genesis "Dancing With The Moonlit Knight" |
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Wayne Hackler Regular user 139 Posts |
I was at Sam's club today and noticed that they are selling 6 sets of bicycle poker cards for $6.25. To me that is an unheard of price. I just got them home, and the quality of them is equal to what you would get if you bought the packs singly. If you have access to a Sam's, load up. I'm glad I did.
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Gordie New user 3 Posts |
Another reason for using bicycle cards are that most card gimmicks are made with the bicycle rider back design. Even though bicycle cards are not common in my locality, I can freely hand them out for examination. People around me, who see me do magic often, knows that the deck is perfectly normal. First-time bicycle viewers are allowed to handle my deck and examine them, and halfway into my routine, they are amazed but convinced that my cards are perfectly normal. I would then make use of this opportunity to sneak in cards such as double back, double face, or do a deck switch.
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aamwood Loyal user 264 Posts |
Yes, most gimmicks are made width bicycle back. I live in asia, bicycle deck is only available at magic shop and the price is around 5 USD, which is very expensive. Most of the time I have to made my own gimmicks. Poor, some gimmicks are very hard to make.
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Tspall Regular user Lumberton, NC 147 Posts |
Aviators are a close relative to Bikes, but personally, I've found them to be less slick than Bicycles. This can be either good or bad depending on your needs.
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RiffClown Inner circle Yorktown, Virginia (Previously Germany) 1579 Posts |
Aviators (IMHO) have a very poor finish and feel when it comes to magic. They seem way to flimsy to me as they seem thinner and have no discernable finish.
Rob "Riff, the Magical Clown" Eubank aka RiffClown
<BR>http://www.riffclown.com <BR>Magic is not the method, but the presentation. |
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Tspall Regular user Lumberton, NC 147 Posts |
I think Bikes have a better feel to them, but when I was first starting with card magic, Aviators were a little bit easier to handle because they didn't slide as much until I got used to them. That could also be because Aviators were the first deck I bought, before learning about how good Bikes were. Aviators were a pretty good practice deck for me.
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Frank Tougas Inner circle Minneapolis, MN 1712 Posts |
Actually back in the day (as they say) Aviators were THE cards used by magicians. Haines House of Cards made their living selling those special cards and decks we are so fond of under the Fox Lake brand.
Now the tide has switched to Bicycle cards - also a product of the U.S. Playing Card Company as were Aviators. I still have a fondness for Aviators and still have tricks based upon their back design, but alas while cheaper they are harder to find in regular stores and outlets so I as have may before me switched to Bikes. I have, however noticed a distinct drop in quality over the years with uneven borders and rough edges. As far as Hoyle cards are concerned, They were at one time printed here in the Twin Cities, not sure if they still are or not. But at one time I had an "in" allowing me to buy Hoyle "seconds". They had minor defects in printing but cheap, cheap, cheap. I was paying 25cents a pack - yes that is cents. At one point Bob Little (Whiz the Best There Is) represented Hoyle and would do lectures where he would go through new unbroken decks like they were water. Bud Detrich also had a book published on Trade Show Magic through the same company. So now you have the makings of a great trivia contest. I'll go over here now...and take my meds.
Frank Tougas The Twin Cities Most "Kid Experienced" Children's Performer :"Creating Positive Memories...One Smile at a Time"
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MrRidge New user Derby UK 76 Posts |
As a UK resident, used to use Waddingtons. They're a bit random though, some quite slippy, some not. Started using Bicycles and love them. Never had anyone point out that they're unusual.
Originally got from a magic store, but now Costco sell a 14 pack for about £10. No contest !! |
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GypsyPirate Regular user 110 Posts |
And bicycle was genius is launching the Back Tiger deck... what kind of card junkie can pass up a deck of those? I'm waiting for mine very impatiently.
Magic Mark
"How'd you do that?" ... "Very carefully." |
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RiffClown Inner circle Yorktown, Virginia (Previously Germany) 1579 Posts |
Bicycle had nothing to do with launching the Tiger deck. US Playing Card merely manufactured them for a third party.
If the item had been released as a Bicycle Brand the price would have been in line with their other brands and they would have been available from more than one source.
Rob "Riff, the Magical Clown" Eubank aka RiffClown
<BR>http://www.riffclown.com <BR>Magic is not the method, but the presentation. |
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Black Tiger New user Hertfordshire, UK 27 Posts |
In London, the overwhelming majority of playing cards sold in shops such as Woolworths and WHSmith, are Waddingtons bridge-size cards. I don't, however, use them as I find them to be too small and the quality to be inconsistent between decks. I have used Bicycle ever since I started performing magic and will continue to do so. I like the feel of a Bicycle and they suit the card routines that I perform the most.
I had no idea that Costco sell Bicycles at such unbelievably low prices (71p a pack!!) Thanks to MrRidge, I will now be checking them out at the earliest opportunity. |
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TheCaffeinator Regular user Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada 126 Posts |
Heh...here's a rant I posted in a similar thread over on sleightgeek:
<!--begin rant--> The whole "bridge vs. poker" debate is overblown and artificial. Don't let yourself get caught up in it or believe that only "real magicians use poker cards." So Erdnase said use poker cards. So what. He said some good things; he said some bad things. As with all sources of magic, you take from him what you need and/or what you can use. Using bridge cards in no way violates any sort of imagined "uniformity of action." You have to look at that statement in the context of the period in which it was made, and that period was something like 60 years ago. Laymen DO NOT CARE what kind of cards you use. Bicycles and Bees are popular among magicians, but not necessarily among laymen. Aside from the cards in my magic stock, right now, ALL of the decks in my house are bridge sized. One has teenage mutant ninja turtles on it...one has anime characters...one has Sailor Moon characters...one has wolves...one has trains... If you went to my in-laws house, you would not find a single poker sized deck. You'd find a bridge deck with looney tunes characters on it and some other misc. decks. In the circles in which I travel and perform, if I borrow a deck of cards, 99% of the time it will be some sort of tacky souvenir deck from who the heck knows where. I would argue that most decks of cards you are likely to just happen upon in the natural habitat of the elusive wild layman will be bridge-sized decks with stuff like kittens and puppies on them. The predominance of poker sized bikes and bees among laymen is a construct; it is not reality. Now, if you went to a casino or someplace where card games were played regularly and often, you are far more likely to find the poker sized bikes and bees that we all know and love. *coff coff* So please don't tell me that laymen will be suspicious if you don't use poker sized bikes. If you happen to actually live in an area in which 99% of the people you will encounter own poker sized bikes, then you can use the "suspicion" and "uniformity of action arguments" to some degree. But you cannot say that this is a general truth. It just ain't. Now, as a magician you owe it to yourself to be able to comfortably work with cards of both sizes because you never know what you might be handed. Don't put yourself in a position where you have to say, "Sorry...I can only do magic with poker sized cards" or the other way around. It's about preparedness, not about laymen's suspicions or your skill level. There is also a strong historic factor no one is talking about here. The tendency is to say that magicians use poker sized cards. This is not always the case today and was certainly not always the case historically. Perhaps in Erdnase's time, poker sized cards were the rule rather than the exception. We will need a playing card historian to confirm or deny that. I can say this: When I got into magic in the 1970s, the card size of choice among magicians was bridge and the back pattern of choice was Aviator. Virtually all gaffed cards and gimmicked decks were printed in bridge size in the Aviator pattern by Fox Lake. I have the cards to prove it. Today, however, this is not the case. Most gaffed cards and gimmicked decks are printed in poker size with bicycle backs. I suspect the reasons are more economic that anything else, like the whole "eat fish on Friday" thing. Myth masking reality. The only time you need to worry about your cards looking suspicious is if you switch decks during your performance. If you've just done six tricks with a deck of poker-sized bicycle cards, your specs will be justifiably suspicious if you put those cards away and pull out a deck of kitty-backed bridge cards for the rest of your routine. But if you start with the kitties and end with the kitties, no one is going to care. The only reason you "have to" do your magic with poker sized bikes is, as I noted above, if you find yourself wanting or having to use gaffs and gimmicks. It's a marketplace issue, not a competency issue. Your best off practicing with both so you are comfortable handling either size. But do you have to use one or the other as some sort of unwritten magicians' rule? Hell, no! <!--end rant--> Here's the thread url for anyone interested: http://www.sleightgeek.com/phpBB2/viewto......;start=0 |
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hukka New user 12 Posts |
Quote:
On 2004-05-24 15:22, TheHungryMagician wrote: I have to agree with this. In Finland we have ferry boats going across the gulf to Sweden or to Estonia. You usually can buy a deck of cards on the boat with the ship illustrated on the back. More than often someone else from your group buys a pack of cards for guys to play poker and drink beer. That is a great occasion for a card trick or few. Audience thinks the deck is brand new. You could of course have gotten another deck beforehand on a previous cruise or early on the cruise and tampered with that. Blending or switching the decks is easy. This works for other places too. Just take a look sometime what kind of cards they have. Thus you can buy a pack of your own for duplicates, getting the feel and material for gimmicked cards.
Anyone can lose a card, but it takes more to find it.
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gerrardlo New user Manchester 34 Posts |
I live near Manchester and Bike cards are quite well known which is useful as they are great for card sleights. Poker size I feel are easier for sleights!
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hugh jands New user Scotland 1 Post |
Quote:
On 2004-05-23 18:30, Firedice27 wrote: Over here I would always recommend "waddington's No1" type. They have almost the same finish as Bikes and are fairly cheap. |
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