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phoogestijn New user The Netherlands 26 Posts |
Hi Guys, I'm quite new at card magic, practicing for about 3 or 4 months. At this moment my practicing cards are "old" their edges are dirty and they don't fan smoothly anymore. So since a few days I use a new deck of cards and now I wonder: " what if someone hands me an OLD deck and asks me to do a card trick ???"
Is it recommended to practice with a relative new deck of cards, or should I (also) keep practicing using an older deck? and if I master the sleights using a new deck of cards, will it work on a old deck as well?? I'm very interest in your experiences. Regards, Pieter |
john scot Special user brighton, uk 585 Posts |
I can't say it better than Mr Ortiz, so I won't!
http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/viewt......rum=87&1 |
Jimeh Inner circle Ottawa, Ontario 1399 Posts |
Simple but good advice!
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john scot Special user brighton, uk 585 Posts |
Personally, I prefer a slightly worn deck (which 'I' find pressure fans better than a new one). Brand new cards also warp very easily from the heat of the hand or the humidity of the room. They are also too stiff, slippery and 'springy' for my intents and purposes.
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Jaz Inner circle NJ, U.S. 6111 Posts |
If you're planning on doing impromptu card magic with a borrowed deck then I suggest you use an older deck. Some may be in terrible shape so you may want to include a few effects, like self-workers, that don't require many sleights.
I rarely practice with a brand new deck and prefer one that has been worked for an hour or so. |
DomKabala Inner circle I've grown old after diggin' holes for 2827 Posts |
Practice with all cards...Bridge and Poker sizes, new & old...'cause you never know what kind of cards will be handed to you to do magic!
Cardamagically, Dom. :)
We don't stop playing when we grow old...we grow old when we stop playing.
God is enough, let go, let God. Gal 2:20 "Anything of value is not easily attained and those things which are easily attained are not of lasting value." |
phoogestijn New user The Netherlands 26 Posts |
Thanks for you comments so far!!!
I think I keep practicing with my old cards, while start practicing with a new deck of cards !!! |
The Burnaby Kid Inner circle St. John's, Canada 3158 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-12-09 10:10, KRZ4kardz wrote: Agreed with this. Include plastic cards, casino cards with the corners cut off, and even cards with water damage. It's worth knowing what you can or can't do with any deck of cards -- all of them have their potential troubles.
JACK, the Jolly Almanac of Card Knavery, a free card magic resource for beginners.
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Chappo Special user Bris Vegas 754 Posts |
I usually utilise Bikes for my work, and they are in short supply where I am. 90% of the decks I practice with (and usually use) are shamefully grotty...
So sue me
The rules of a sleight of hand artist, Are three, and all others are vain,
The 1st & the 2nd are practice... And the 3rd one is practice again - 'Magic of the Hands', Edward Victor (1940) |
homegrown New user Toronto, Canada 85 Posts |
Haha. I'm too cheap to practice and bust out new cards- although I'll admit, the new cards feel a little too smooth sometimes and it seems like particularly with the gl**e I slip. Maybe I have a poor grip or just poor form overall?
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Gerardo New user Mexico 3 Posts |
I'm new to magic, and I had the same doubt when someone handed me a deck (cheap and ugly deck) and I couldn't perform some of the few slights I had mastered. As a beginner, anything that help us to gain confidence is worth it. So I'll start practicing with both, worn and new decks.
Thanks. Gerardo. |
phoogestijn New user The Netherlands 26 Posts |
OK thanks for the information, but do you know sleights that are just not possible using an old deck? or are there sleights you do not perform using a worn deck?
I can imagine that a DL or a glide could be quite difficult when your deck is worn and not as smooth as a new one !!! My experience (for what's worth) is, that the cards of a worn deck stick to each other very much. |
john scot Special user brighton, uk 585 Posts |
With experience you’ll know what you can and can’t do when somebody hands you a worn pack. How ‘worn’ are we talking? With practice, most sleights can be done with any reasonable quality pack, new or old.
Personally, I‘d rather not perform with a borrowed worn pack (particularly as quality cards such as Bikes are uncommon in the UK) since I find it difficult to take magic as a performing art seriously with some of the cards I’ve had the misfortune to encounter. This is not the style or aesthetic I’m aiming for. It’s difficult to perform sleight-of-hand magic with elegance (or dignity) when you are cast in the role of a performing monkey and given the most abominable props to work with. The only thing that can offend or anger me as much as ‘the abominable pack’ is when some ‘brute,’ man-handles my Tally-Ho’s and cannot manage to safely return a chosen card to the pack without contorting it into what I can only describe as a badly executed Mercury Fold! Horses for courses I say! Do that which you think is most practical for the conditions you frequently perform in. |
jake.o Regular user 111 Posts |
I normally practice with the same deck for about 2 weeks before I change it. This allows me to practice with new cards and slightly worn ones.
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phoogestijn New user The Netherlands 26 Posts |
Quote:
On 2008-12-11 11:17, jake.o wrote: TWO WEEKS ??... Oh mine are about 4 months old or so... |
magicman88 New user Minneapolis, Minnesota 14 Posts |
I never through away a pack of cards, so I have packs that are 3 to 4 years old. Its good to practice with both new and older and worn decks. You should be able to perform most slights (forces, false cuts, false shuffles, dl's, ect.) equally with old and new cards with only subtle differences in feel. Shuffle and cut the impromptu deck until you get a good feel for them.
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john scot Special user brighton, uk 585 Posts |
Another factor in the longevity of a pack is ones skin condition. I’ve quite dry skin so the cards don't absorb much moisture and I usually wash my hands before playing with my toys. You should too!
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The Amazing Noobini Inner circle Oslo, Norway 1658 Posts |
My current (Split Spades Lions) deck have been in play for a couple of months now. I find that my decks last a lot longer now than when I started with magic two years ago. Of course there are deck types that are more durable than others too.
What I usually do is to open a new deck every two months or so. (Always on a Saturday night, as this was the day I was allowed to eat sweats and so on when I was a kid. Laugh if you want but Saturdays are still special to me). The old deck goes into quarantene in it's box, and after a few weeks it has magically become nice and straight again and can be used for things I don't want to subject the new deck to. I like the feel of a thoroughly broken in deck. The cards kind of melt in my hands, so to speak. I don't find it difficult doing fans with a 2 month old deck, but some other things like culling cards and having just one card crimped instead of 52, gets tougher with an old deck. I like to alternate and open a different brand of cards each time, fearing that otherwise I might become dependent on one type. But I don't know if that matters much really. I like to do it anyway as I like to look at something new from time to time. Anyway, if your deck is 4 months old, it is a good idea to bring a new one into play. In the beginning I used one deck for so long that I found it very difficult to do sleight of hand at all when I finally opened a new one. After a while I tore up my new Bee deck in anger and frustration over having suddenly lost every skill I had worked for for so many months, or so I thought there and then.
"Talk about melodrama... and being born in the wrong part of the world." (Raf Robert)
"You, my friend, have a lot to learn." (S. Youell) "Nonsensical Raving of a lunatic mind..." (Larry) |
DomKabala Inner circle I've grown old after diggin' holes for 2827 Posts |
The longest that I used a deck was 2 yrs off and on...it was a deck of red circle back Tally Hos that I bought in '03 from Daytona Magic. I still have them. They were the most perfect cards that I had used in a long time. The edges were smoothly cut and they faroed like melted butter... smoooooth. The registration was spot on, not like the offcenter cards that I have been getting these days.
Alas, I have since used Tallys and they are meh...mediocre at best, not like they were years ago. Time marches on... Cardamagically, Dom. :)
We don't stop playing when we grow old...we grow old when we stop playing.
God is enough, let go, let God. Gal 2:20 "Anything of value is not easily attained and those things which are easily attained are not of lasting value." |
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