I'm not too fond of using cards in mentalism, but if you use them, what effects do you ever use with a memorized deck? I've only done simple stuff like "body language reading" to find out what card they chose. I'm interested in effects that just require a cycling of the cards such as si stebbins or 8 kings, but also in effects that require you to know the position of every card in the deck.

Whether or not you employ the Aronson stack, you owe it to yourself to check out some of his books on the memdeck subject. There are some excellent card mentalism ideas therein, and you are sure to find something you like.

Of course, there are basic combinations of mentalism ideas, such as using a memdeck with NW/PW and a billet switch for a version of ACAAN. In reality, a memdeck's use is more or less limited by your own imagination. Good luck to you in your new journey! Keep in touch; we look forward to hearing your progress.

If you're familiar with Aronson's Shuffle Board and Cassidy's Master Card Memory routine, you've got a terrific "photographic memory" type routine. For Shuffle Bored, you use a full stacked deck. At the end of the routine, you end up with a deck mixed with face up and face down cards. My presentation angle for this effect is to quickly riffle through the cards, supposedly making a photographic image of all of the face up cards I see. I then announce the exact number of cards I believe to be face up in the deck. The spectator deals the cards into two piles, one face up, the other face down, and in the process, count out loud the number of face up cards. The actual number matches the number I announced. Now, with Shuffle Bored complete, you transition into Cassidy's Master Card Memory routine. What you have is two piles of cards, one face down, the other face up. I announce that while the spectator counted through the pack, I quickly tried to memorize every face up card I saw. I have one spectator pick up the face up pack and spread it in front of them, and have the other spectator take the face down pack and do the same. I then proceed to go through every card in the deck, calling out which packet it's in.

Thank you bindmender. I'll have to check out those two effects you described.

If I recall correctly, Looch had a memory demonstration using Aronson's Shuffle Bored method.

I'm happy to offer what I hope to be a useful overview of this topic (on which much misguided advice has been written over the years).

In my opinion, one of the most impressive mentalism effects with a memdeck is Aronson's Histed Heisted. It is really worth learning and performing.
Nick

Mindbender this sounds like a great idea. I'll have to try it out. Thanks.
Steve

Some years back I went to a Jamy Swiss lecture at a convention. His first question, "Raise your hand if you do card magic." Everyone in the hall raised their hand. His second question, "Raise your hand if you do coin magic." About 2/3 of the room raised their hand. His final question, "Raise your hand if you do memorized deck work." About ten people in the banquet hall raised their hand. A lot of magicians will happily work on physical moves, but when one's brain is required to practice the crowd thins. Memorized deck work will put you in a small group. The beauty of practicing a stack is you can recite it while you're pretty much doing anything. If you want a routine with a stack that will make you look like you can truly read minds, check out Histed Heisted from Simon Aronson's book Bound to Please. Have a great afternoon.

How does a memorized stack help you when someone hands you a deck and asks you to "do a trick"? And boy, is my "brain required to practice" coming up with new effects/routines/handlings/ideas and remembering them all!!

Also, why do card tricks at all when you can sing a song without even needing any cards!

I do a memorized deck routine that is two phases. One I will explain (if close up or appropriate) and the other is authentic memorizing a deck. The premise is showing how once can pretend to memorize a shuffled deck followed by me memorizing a shuffled deck.

Harry with all due respect a double K card will solve the " hey bro use this deck" situation.

The more people not doing memorized deck magic, the more happier I am

I have no idea what a double K card is.

Lol MetalMaster I see where you are coming from but memorization of anything shows mental strength and skill. Granted there are 150+ deck memorization, your performance makes all the difference in the world. Everyone on this forum could preform the same effect but we SHOULD have have all different presentations, which would make the the effect different every time.

Thanks for the PM info, foxy. But I don't use that, or anything else, JUST a borrowed deck.

And, so far as memorizing cards is concerned - for about 40 years or so, part of my personal appearances was to memorize a shuffled deck of giant cards as they were called in rapid order at that time - no tricks, etc. - just memorize the darn cards. And I did a close-up thing with a shuffled deck of cards that at one point changed my life when I did it for an "important" person.

And that's the difference between stunts and mind reading feats.