The Stripper Deck
Researched and Written by Jon Thompson
$19.99 (about £11.00)
Available from http://www.cafepress.com/booksbytomo
- Make the stripper deck work harder
Full systems of shuffles, cuts, and other sleights
Control multiple cards simultaneously
Learn unique revelation techniques
Create examinable forcing decks
18 effects
Full glossary and index
This is a really great book that will revolutionise the way magicians look at the Stripper Deck.
Tomo has done a tremendous amount of research not only on the properties of the Stripper Deck, but cards more generally. For example, did you know that 22 cards in a deck are 'marker' cards (i.e. they have unique features that allow you to do some amazing effects even if using a normal deck)? Tomo tells you what they are, why they are, and what to do with them!
Tomo writes fluidly and lucidly about how a deck of cards can be thought of with the metaphor of the 'information model', which when combined with what we already know about the distribution of the numbers and suits of cards, can produce some really powerful effects.
He begins the book with two anecdotes about two different magicians using a Stripper Deck. The first magician creates a miracle, the second performs a pedestrian revelation. These anecdotes frame the discussion throughout the book, namely, how can we use the properties of the Stripper Deck and think laterally about presentation to produce powerful and completely baffling effects?
The book is best read in parallel with, or in sequence to, Royal Road to Card Magic. Tomo covers shuffles, cuts, and forces and how the properties of the Stripper Deck give us access to additional information.
The sleights are not difficult, but the combination of the discussion about the Stripper Deck and how it can be used alongside standard sleights found in Royal Road make this an invaluable addition to any serious magician's library.
Moreover, I find Tomo's analysis of any deck's properties refreshing and in many ways liberating. What he reveals in this book will raise the level of your magic and mentalism.
Overall, I think this represents tremendous value for money. It comes with additional sleights, advice on how to make a Stripper Deck, advice on what version is best to buy, and 18 effects that range from straight 'magic' to pure mentalism. The glossary and index are an added bonus.
10/10