Cool! Indeed, it's very valuable, especially for beginners (like myself) to be able to perform without a nice mat - especially since most of the places I actually end up doing tricks have limited, sticky table space . Which reminds me, I really need to work on a decent set that can be done with a battered, borrowed, incomplete deck (so no SOH or setups) and no table! I wish I had your experience, Mr Oslund.

Hee Hee...I remember thw "best" book on card tricks that I ever bought about 1947 (I've only bought ONE book on card tricks, and this was it!) It was "FIFTY CRAZY CARD TRICKS" I think it was written by Gen Grant (when he was with Percy). When Gen split,Percy, apparently removed Gen's name from what he had written. Anyway, I paid 50 cents for it, and still use a couple of the bits. The third one of the 50 was IMO the best in this mimeographed stapled "pamphlet". I don't recall what it was titled, but, Karrell Fox "rediscovered" the bit about 50+ years later, and put it in a set of lecture notes. Karrell called it "Magical Assets".

"Fools Nobody" in a recent post mentioned that the Eddie Fechter, who "started" the FFFF convention in New York state,.had developed a nice presentation for the same gag.

It was the "perfect trick" to do in an informal situation, especially when "they" handed you that battered, incomplete pack!

If you'll permit me to poke you in the ribs (!) The gag didn't need a close up pad!!!!! (Sorry,about that!)--Also, no DLs, NO Ascanios,no Elmsleys, no second d**ls, no hops,shifts or passes, no f*rc*s, no top P***s no undercuts. Just showmanship and a bit of guts.

Yes, you would be wise to work on a set that can be done almost anywhere, for almost anybody! --with the simplest of props.

"Mr." was my father. I'm Dick. The "experience" comes with age! Oh! to be 18 again!!!

When I started magic all I had was a deck of cards and a few books by Bob Longe. The Bob Longe books were beginner level and used only one deck of cards but were very diverse in terms of magic effects the card tricks created. Interestingly I still perform one trick from those days today which subsequently is a version of a card trick which was also a trick that Al Korans wife liked out of all of Korans card tricks. It is one of my best impromptu card trick with a normal deck.

What you need really depends on what you wont to do, I always say to people who don't know what to do is get Mark Wilson's Course and try some stuff and see what you like then take it from there.

Magically

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