Hello, I have been working with the Nikola's system for a while, and was wondering if there was a new improved system used around or a good book on that subject?
Thanks for your help.

If you like Nikola, I think you'll love Simon Aronson's work. Yes, it is fair to say that the Nikola stack has been obsolete for some time now.

http://www.simonaronson.net/book.htm

re;
"it is fair to say that the Nikola stack has been obsolete for some time now."

How to upset someone that has just learnt it, lol.

I wouldn't say "obsolete", as like the Stebbins stack (which pre-dates Stebbins)you can still totally amaze people using these old stacks.

There are several newer stacks around, Aronson, Bart Harding, etc. and a fair bit of work on memorized stacks. But if you learned an older stack and do great effects with it, why change? Unless you see a killer effect that you simply "must" do.

I may be wrong, but I think Pat Page still baffles people with the Nicola stack from time to time.

Paul.

Actually, I think there is more to be gained from the Si Stebbins and Stay Stack than the "Nikola Card System."

While "Whist" is not really the rage these days, neither is the Nikola system.

The "under their noses" set-up touted by Nikola has been addressed far more efficiently by Darwin Ortiz in his "Si Stebbins Secret." You can also get from Stebbins to Stay Stack without too much trouble.

Any "rote memory" stack can amaze, but the Ireland stack (and several others) can be argued to have advantages over the Nikola.

I'm presuming the poster wants more . . . investigating Simon Aronson's material will give him that. If someone still prefers Nikola after reading Aronson, that's fine. The more choices, the better.

PS

Pat Page still baffles everybody with everything, as far as I know!

Another Aronson devotee here. (I've been rereading "Try the Impossible" the last few days whilst recovering (I hope!) from a cold.)

In another thread I said that I won't learn a sleight unless I need it for an effect I really want to perform. The same goes for the effort to learn a stack. I finally had an idea for an effect which needed a memorized deck, and the timing was perfect: Try the Impossible was about to be released, and Simon gave me a great deal on that volume, Bound to Please, and a pamphlet entitled Memories are Made of This.

As a lot of work goes into memorizing a stack, be sure that you'll be getting your money's worth, as it were. Hundreds of effects have been published for the Aronson stack, and I'm sure the same can be said of Ireland, Nikola, Si Stebbins, and so on. The value of the "newer" stacks is that there is more current development and publishing than with the "older" stacks, which might be a consideration.

Note, finally, that much of Aronson's work is effective no matter what stack you know. Take Randy's advice and look into it; I'd strongly suggest Bound to Please as a good introduction.

Thank you guys very much for this strong advices. Best Regards.