Hi all,

Really getting into stacked deck work now and want to know everyone’s favourite sleightless effects. I can start wit ha few but any suggestions welcome!

* Simple Divination (1 or many)
* Mnemonicosis (Although I’m still getting this perfected)
* Card Sense (Ortiz)
* Core (Pit Hartling)

Some that require simple sleights that I really like:
* Aronson Invisible card
* Test your luck (Ortiz) - although I sometimes blow cull and go into something else

Routined Arith-Mate-ic, Denis Behr in his Handcraft Card Magic vol. 3 book.

Mark

Zen Master by Darwin Ortiz, a wonderful effect. You can find Zen Master in the great book: Scams and Fantasies with cards.

I suppose you are looking for effects that aren't stack dependent.

TWAIN, by Patrick Redford, is one I very much like. From his book 'Temporarily Out Of Order'.

I like using the deck for a Q+A. If you can secretly force or obtain a piece of information, you can ask questions that are answered yes or no as you/spectator deal cards from the stack. Red for No, Black for Yes or vice versa. Since you're familiar with the order as they're dealt, you can ask the questions with the answer in mind and work yourself or the group towards a revelation.
You can also have the deck cut every few questions and ask something silly like "am I as good looking as I think I am," or whatever suits your style. Any answer will get a chuckle and you'll immediately know your place in the deck again to keep going.

I use this with either a center tear or a book test reveal. Its loads of fun and you can keep most of the order of your stack if you'd like after.

Okay, this was *** impressive and has never occurred to me to do. A lot to unpack in such a simple premise, too. Thanks!

Hi effkay,

You might like:

There is definitely plenty of sleight-light material to get you started in Mnemonica (2004)
Ramon Rioboo material is worthy of your time, and is full of sleight-light routines.
The section on Mind-reading with a Memorized Deck found in The Devil's Staircase (2014) and the routine Pure and Simple in the same chapter.
Also, A.C.A.A.N. from Details of Deception (2017) is essentially sleight-less, and is very simple from a mental gymnastics point of view also. From the same book That Old Trick is essentially sleight free, The Stranger principle has sleight free variations and Sneaky Three also fits the bill.

I hope that helps.
Greg

Thanks @chappy. I’ll take a look into it. I’ve never seen any of his work before.

When I first read the original question, effects along the lines of Mr. Chapman's "Pure and Simple" (posted above) came immediately to mind. While there are some others out there (Stone's Etude, Riobóo's Five Senses, etc.) I've found the two best resources are indeed "Pure and Simple" in The Devil's Staircase (along with all the surrounding write-up material he's got on it in his "Mind Reading with a Memorized Deck" section), and Jan Forster's "Under Test Conditions" which he performs and explains in his "Jan Forster Live" Penguin Magic video (pay special attention to the explanation version, as it's different and far better than performance version.)

This type of routine has never failed to impress, and is ripe for riffing and/or taking each individual's reveal into different territory as a stand-alone effect.

Matt Baker's Card College

This one is a masterpiece!

True, but sometimes it (or everything!) is also a question of context. The performance version is quicker, that why I have chosen it there ... Jan

Vincent Hedan is just releasing Automatic Routines with Mnemonica in his Amnesia Project (Book + videos):

https://magic.vincenthedan.com/products/amnesia#

Part of this material was released in the past in pdf and I must say it is very good.

Good point! Obviously, one being "better" is definitely subjective (and they're both great, as it is). Regardless of the version preferred, folks should watch this effect and have it in their repertoire.

Lie Detector- Trost.
Spell of the Spectator- Krenzel.
Do as I Did- Ortiz

There are so many things you can accomplish with a stacked deck that require no sleights. Weighing the cards, ‘memory’ demonstrations. One idea I came up with is you start off with your deck stacked in whatever stack you use. I tell the spectator I’m thinking of a card (I don’t name the card yet). I ask a spectator to cut the cards anywhere and complete the cut, take the top card, place it in front of them face down and cover it with their hand. The rest of the deck goes in the card box (glimpsing the bottom card as the deck goes in the box). Now you know what card they took, you simply name the one that comes after the card you glimpsed. Now it’s a simple matter of naming the card you were ‘thinking of’ and see if they cut to it, as if the spectator did the magic. Believe me, I’ve gotten very strong reactions for this simple effect.
The possibilities are endless.

Mnemonica with a makred deck lets you do tons of hands off effects

Is there a video or description (not explanation) of this effect somewhere accessible.

It is in his fabulous book "The Buena Vista Shuffle Club". Jan

The premise is that you went to card college and explain the different things you need to do to get your bachelor's, master's, and phd. For a bachelor's degree, estimation is really important, so you have a spectator cut off about half the cards and you tell them exactly how many cards they cut.

For a master's degree, they require you to have a spectator shuffle, so you have them riffle shuffle the cards. Then you demonstrate what's called blind estimation. They again cut off about half, but this time with your back turned, and hide their cards in their pocket so you can't see them. If you were to turn around, you might be able to estimate how many cards are left and subtract that from 52 to figure out what they have, so you have them cut about half of what's left, hand it to you, and put the rest in the card box.

Impossibly, you are able to tell them exactly how many cards they have in their pocket.

For your phd, you have to do what's called rapid memorization. At this point, you have seen the faces of all the cards, except for the ones in the card box. You turn around, they take out the cards, and you name every single one.