talkmagic.co.uk

Owen tipped me off this morning that BBM are launching a follow up to the popular Karnival Deck - the Karnival Midnight deck.

Not too many details yet - release probably 6 weeks off. But you can see (the first online I think) pics at http://www.bicycle-cards.co.uk or an external box shot at http://www.bigblindmedia.com

Are BBM turning into a UK subsiduary of the Big E or Theory 11?

Me hopes not

I do share something of your suspicion of all these novelty packs

But thought I'd let you know these are available now, and I got my hands on a deck to review. I've posted something at www.bicycle-cards.co.uk with a few more pics etc. Its not a proper review, otherwise I would post it here too. I might leave that to one of the more die-hard card boys and girls here

Man alive, wouldn't quite know what to do with those, personally. Unless your angle is that you're the magical equivalent of Beetlejuice (or, ironically, The Joker) I can't imagine a practical use for those beyond their novelty. I like the built-in reveals though, that's a nice touch.

More rubbish for children and fools to waste their money on.

Serious question regarding these kinds of decks: Have you ever seen a brilliant card magician who used a fancy coloured deck? I mean, can you imagine the absurdity of the image of Michael Vincent or Darwin Ortiz pulling out a deck of Tally Vipers or Tragic Royaltys?

I suppose it's the whole capitalist "If you build it, they will come" principle that fuels the never-ending stream of Guardians, Vipers, Tigers, Elephants, Karnivals and Varnished Turds.

Do you want people to remember your magic, or your deck?

thats why i bought wynns...

i've just got 4 decks of streamline cards...lovely backs...

they should have worked with kenton for these cards...

kenton knepper's knarnival knards...

To me, packs like those invite suspicion because there's a lot of intricate detail where a mark could be hidden. And I don't think it's just magicians, I think if you bring out anything that goes against a spectator's preconceived idea of what a playing card is supposed to look like, they're naturally going to be suspicious at first.

I'm a card collector myself and probably going to by one of these decks.
Or let's say, a couple of decks. Some to play with, and some to keep in their celofane wrapper.

Here in Belgium there are only 2 types of people that know what Bicycle rider backs look like: magicians and pokerplayers.

It's not like in America (and in the UK ?) where you can find a Bicycle deck in every household. The decks lay people use in belgium are almost always those with a company logo on the back so even rider backs are suspicious cards for them eventhough they're standard.

So using karnival midnight decks wouldn't add to the suspicion because all quality cards are suspicious in Belgium, rider backs, tally ho's, (bee's not that much), you name it.

I wouldn't say Bicycles are that common in the UK either, to be honest - I'd never seen a pack of them before I got into magic. But even if they're not exactly like what a spectator has seen before, they do match up to their expectations of what a playing card should look like - patterned back, simple faces, symmetrical court cards and so on. So if they are suspicious to begin with, they'll soon lose that. I think cards that look strange - like those - invite continued suspicion. They don't look like anything I've ever seen before and I don't know how you'd cover it - you can't really say anything about it because it should always go without saying that you're using regular cards, and yet you're clearly not.

Maybe I'm the only one who worries about stuff like that and I'm just paranoid, but you're a magician - you are inviting scrutiny from the get-go, I think it's best to use the most run-of-the-mill equipment so people can't as easily dismiss your stuff as gaffs and gimmicks (even if that's what you are doing). Which is why I try and get the most vanilla (or at least the most vanilla-looking) gear I can.

Card collecting is something I totally understand though, and I do buy decks that I find interesting even if I know I'll never use them (I especially try and buy cards if I go abroad; foreign playing cards are immensely interesting). I've got an entire deck of Ghost Jokers at home - they will never serve a practical purpose, I just like having them.

I have a karnival deck, the first edition, i wear it in my pocket all the time. Before i do a trick i go like 'Look, what do you think of my new cards, specialy designed for me. Aren't they cool?'
they go like 'yeah they are cool man'
They take the cards and look at them, they don't care IF they could be marked or something, they just think they are cool. I do a trick with them and nobody ever asked me 'Are those cards gimmicked ? or marked?' they just they the cards are a cool addonn to my magic. When I'm doing the trick were two red aces change in black aces in thier hand they know there isn't anything that's wrong with the cards because they are holding them.

greetings from belgium

Unless you are a collector of playing cards, I would give this deck (and all other bells-and-whistles decks) a wide berth. Complete waste of money.

Yeah, but they're so kewl.....