Curious about something.

For those of you women who use cards, do you just go with the basic bicycle brand or do you like the myriad of deck variations out there?

I have a collection of decks, buy them all the time and use and abuse them often. For instance, I found that most women I perform for don't at all like the 1800 decks and seem to be attracted to the split spades decks by my friend db.

What are your feelings on this? Which ones do you like? Do you care?

Personally I hate card tricks.
I think they are boring.
But that's just me.

Randi

I agree with Randi. I have observed that ladies do not favor card effects regardless of which deck is used. That's my observation from the Asia Pacific countries.

Randi, I have to agree, I also find card tricks boring. I love cards though! And when I perform with them, it's real magic, it's meaningful mentalism, it's connecting.

You should be properly introduced because I believe you might be missing out. If you don't like cards themselves, the material thing, then you don't like them and that's fine, your call, but if you're not performing magic with cards, true magic, because you find card tricks boring, you're missing out. Specially as a woman. Powerful. You could almost literally kill with a deck of cards.

If you find card tricks boring, then don't do card tricks. But use cards, by all means.

I love card tricks. I agreed with David, it's different once you start performing
with cards. I never liked card tricks until I started working with cards. I learned to appreciate cards tricks and the magicians more, because I know how much work goes into card routines. The performer had to have put a lot of time into that one effect, and it makes me have more respect for the magician and it makes it easier to watch the routine without getting bored.
For close up I use bicycle, for stage generally Bee cards or some form of manipulation cards.

Yeah right... I am 37 and been doing magic since the age of 8. I think I have been properly introduced to cards.
I use cards in two things I do in my shows. I love the viper basket, so I use cards for that. I also do my version of cards across from the Hang 'em high DVD. I also have an invisble deck, and a Phil+ deck. Other than that, I stay away from them as much as possible. Because I do agree with you that you can literally kill with a deck of cards...
Every time someone fans a deck at me and says pick a card, I want to die!!!
Or when I see another magician plucking cards from the air and thinking they are entertaining the audience, when they are just entertaining themselves, I want to run out into traffic.

Thanks,
Randi

37? You look much younger than that.

I also want to run from entertainers who are only entertaining themselves, and we also agree with disliking the boring approach of fanning a deck and asking someone to pick a card, but this is not what I'm talking about. There's a lot more to performing with cards than what you've described.

You're not talking about card juggling are you?
(Yes I know that's not what it's called, I just say that to mess with people)

Randi

I use basic bicycle.
A bit big in my hands but practice gets me through that. They are an easy to carry prop that I can do 20 minutes with at any time for close up and that is what I get hired for most often. Also, I think people expect to see them from a magician. Yes, they can be boring but isn’t that due to the performer?
Hugs and Hissessss,
Maria

You know you're one of my favorites, but I only agree partly.
It does matter with the performer, but even a entertaining entertainer can get boring with cards... at least after awhile.

Randi

This may be a bit pretentious-sounding when talking about magicians, but I am one of those people that believes magic is as much of a form of expression as theatre, art, dance, etc. I indeed believe it is an art.

To blame cards for bad magic is like blaming a canvas for bad art. Ricky Jay is an astonishing performer and did a rather successful run with a show where the basis was Cards (Ricky Jay and his 52 Assistants). Now part of the reason is that he's frickin' good with cards, but more importantly, it was because the cards WEREN'T the focus. His thoughtful, involved, multi-dimensional performance was the focus.

It's of course a matter of opinion and you have a full right to yours, Randi. But I have seen bad performers of every other type of magic, escape, and sideshow performer out there. Can we really blame the medium used?

I think I am blaming the over use of the medium, more than I am blaming the medium itself.
The same way I blame illusions like oragami, and not illusions themselves.

I visit a magic meeting every monday where 95% of the people there sit around and do the same old card tricks over and over.
One of them was the late great Roger Smith.
You know what, 95% of the time it's boring.
I only go for the people, not for the boring card tricks.

Randi

Then I'd surround myself with new people, if I were you. Or surround yourself with these people less often.

But again, you're blaming the illusionists who perform Origami, not the illusion Origami.

Just because someone is great, doesn't mean what they do cant be boring, especially if you keep seeing it.

Cure the disease, not the symptoms. Create great card magic. Don't dismiss all of it because you're constantly surrounded by bad magic.

But then again, creating great card magic is a hell of a lot more work than dismissing it altogether so I understand. I don't mean to sound snarky, I've just heard this similar problem a lot from fellow magi.

Ironically, one of those most common times I hear about it is with fellow fire-eaters. Most fire-eating acts annoy me because they rest on the fact that they're eating fire, and it loses its novelty fast because the performer bores me to death. So, I tried creating an act that highlighted my personality. I think it worked and the actual fire aspect of the act is much less than other performers, but I get booked more. (Again, I'm not saying that you're act is boring because I've never seen it. I just know that you're a fellow fire eater).

Randi, I wasn't talking about card juggling.

Visiting a magic meeting regularly will do that to you.

I'm in that 5% range.

Kind of on this same thought line I’ll also add that after all these years in the business some nights I get to a point where I don’t care how good of a mechanic you are I don't want to see another card trick.

Well... first...
I do blame oragami... I think it's a pretty dumb trick, but that's beside the point.

And you do sound "snarky". You sound just like all the other card dorks that defend cards because it's what they like and all they are doing is entertaining themselves and not anyone else.
And like your posts... I'm not saying that's what you do, that's just what you are sounding like.
Especially when you can admit, even a little, that cards can get old. Even in the hands of someone you like.
Maria says she can get enough cards... I can admit that stuff I like can be boring...
Why can't card lovers?

You say cards are boring and card lovers will fight to the death before they admit that they are.

Randi

I have been watching way to much House, lately. The post I deleted proves that to me completely.

You haven't heard me do snarky. And, thanks to my better sense of judgement, you probably wont.

I'm not a card lover. I just love good magic. I know the true cause of bad magic. It makes it easier for me to avoid personally. I wish you the best of luck.

And for the record. I am a Renaissance Faire performer. I am a fat guy. I play Dungeons & Dragons, Nintendo Wii, and XBox 360. I love Star Wars and Star Trek and can properly arrange my list from best captain to worst captain, along with being offended by Episode I. I can recite most Mel Brooks films and Monty Python skits from memory and I am way too excited for the new Watchmen film.

My point is that I'm a full blown Geek. Dorks are lazy. Never confuse the two. It's just plain ol' mean for no reason, Randi.

Randi, sure, anything can be boring from time to time, I don't sleep with my cards.

I'd love to talk to you in person about this, I'll let you know next time I'm in Texas.

Since you do use some cards, what do you think of the various styles out now, and do you aesthetically like any?

SnakeBabe, thanks for answering and I know you use basic Bicycle cards, but what do you think of the other decks out there?

You have to be smart about card tricks. There are four rules:

(1) Cards are just props. You apply some mechanic or set of mechanics and you have a 'trick'.

(2) But the 'trick' is not the 'effect'. The effect is in the presentation. You can go for comedy, or mentalism, or bizzarist, or even just a simple puzzle. But if you don't get the reaction you want, you're doing it wrong. Even 'pick a card' has a thousand known variations; if yours is boring, it's your fault.

(3) You also have to tailor your work to your audience. What works for a group of magicians doesn't work for a roomful of six-year-olds.

(4) Most importantly, magic doesn't have to mean cards. If you don't like them, then it's for sure your audience won't. Do what's fun for you, or you'll never be successful. There's nothing in the Magician's Union Rules that says you have to do card tricks.

Yep.. keep fighting... of course.

I'm wrong your right, cards are the best.

You see all these women on here just posting away!

Randi