Memorized Breakthrough Card System (MBCS) Richard Osterlind

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Memorized Breakthrough Card System (MBCS) Richard Osterlind

Postby Piers » Aug 3rd, '05, 09:53



Memorized Breakthrough Card System (MBCS) by Richard Osterlind - Review

Bought mine from : http://www.osterlindmysteries.com/

Price : $10 as a downloadable e-book.

Difficulty : This is a subjective view. The potential is immense. But there is a pay off, such that quite a bit of learning of words is required. After all, it is a memory system. So I’ll give it a 4/5 for preparation, and a 2/5 for use.

They Say :
The best of both worlds!
For over 20 years, magicians and mentalists have been using the Breakthrough Card System with outstanding success.
Now, with this new e-book and the help of Harry Lorayne and his wonderful memory systems, Richard Osterlind now divulges the exact method he uses to memorize his Breakthrough Card System. This e-book will enable you to memorize the system in just one evening! Now, you'll be able to perform all the wonderful effects possible with a memorized deck such as those by Tamariz, Aronson, Joyal, Nikola, etc., and still use your favorite card system!
The advantages of having a deck that is both mathematical and memorized are obvious. A slight lapse in memory can be corrected by using the system you already know. No crib sheets are ever necessary. On the other hand, the mnemonic principles reinforce the basic secret of the Breakthrough Card System! You will find that, like Richard, your mind will combine both principles to give you lighting-like mastery of the deck!
There is no mathematical stack as perfect as the Breakthrough Card System. It is, by far, the most random looking stack in existence and there's no better teacher of memory training than Harry Lorayne. His work in the field of mnemonics is legendary! It's an unbeatable combination - the best of both worlds!
(Please note that this manuscript does not teach the Breakthrough Card System. It is an add-on tool for those already fascile with the system.

I say :

If you know the Breakthrough Card System (BCS), you know you are onto a good thing. The BCS is a method for divining a card in a stack. The very random looking, stack can be cut and false shuffled, but with a minor peek and quick calculation, you know a participants card value. Highly recommended.

The MBCS adds the ability to know the card in the stack at a given position. So, if your participant chooses the number 33, you can count to that card, and reveal its value, before you show the card !

For your money you get, almost instantly, a 15 page downloaded PDF booklet, well produced, that describes the method.

The divination of a card is cunning and VERY effective, but there’s no such thing as a free lunch, and you will need to invest time and effort to learn the ‘memory words’ used to support Richard’s system. The payoff however, is a strong one. The method is well presented and the text follows a logical flow. Hints, tips and helpers are provided, so this is probably as good as it gets. The rest is down to you, to learn and practise.
So once you have learnt the system, all you need are your cards using the BCS method, and your brain. That’s it !
The final section of the e-book gives a couple of routines. In the examples they both use the deck set at a particular point. It would have been nice to include some thinking on how to work the system at any point, but with a little thought, this can be achieved.
More routines would have made for interesting reading, but perhaps it’s best to let your imagination create routines to your personal liking ?!

( Note : For those unhappy with too much mental calculation, it would be easy to incorporate a writing pad into a routine, such that you could scribble your ‘thoughts’ as you determined the appropriate card ).

Overall :

The e-book is as clear and well set out as it can be. Combine the MBCS with Osterlind’s BCS, and prepare to amazed. You’ll amaze yourself and will dazzle others. Again, effort IS required, but the payoff is immense !

Rating : 9/10, because nothing is perfect.
But if you are prepared to put in the time effort to ‘learn’ the method, this investment is probably as good as it gets, and all for $10 !

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Postby Penrice » Aug 3rd, '05, 13:56

Great review... thank you.

I'm a HUGE fan of BCS... simply brilliant! How highly would you recommend this to someone who has been using the BCS for quite a while??

Does it offer genuinely new and worthwhile options in terms of the effects you can create or would you consider it more of an aid for those who struggle with the maths of regular BCS??

Thanks again

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MBCS

Postby Piers » Aug 3rd, '05, 14:03

Thank You.
BCS is maths based.
MBCS is word based, and compliments BCS.
I certainly think there could be additional effects, as it is different. And for $10 ....
If you find the BCS maths a bother, you could use a note pad in your effect, and do the maths there ?
P.

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Postby Penrice » Aug 3rd, '05, 14:11

No, I'm V happy using BCS as it is, hence why i ask if MBCS offers anything over and above... As you rightly say, for $10 I may as well just cough up and have a look myself but, as always, there's at least a dozen other things i've got my eye on as and when can afford :)

Thanks again Piers!

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Postby bananafish » Aug 3rd, '05, 14:47

Nice review Piers. You are building up a very quite a collection of some great mentalism.

Penrice, there are numerous effects that can be done with a memorised deck that are just not possible with a stack. If you thought stacked deck effects are strong, then you will love memorised deck effects.

As Michael Close said -
"A pick a card trick can easily be turned into a think of a card triick"


Remember that with a memorised deck you instantly know what position a card is in the deck. You also know what card is at any position.

The only question is what's the best memorised deck to learn. Some effects are geared up for specific decks, so it isn't a case of it not being relevant.

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Postby Penrice » Aug 3rd, '05, 17:05

Remember that with a memorised deck you instantly know what position a card is in the deck. You also know what card is at any position.

Wow... how unimaginative and dumb am i feeling now :oops:

How did i not think of that??

Thanks bannna.. guess what i'll be purchasing first thing tomorrow morn! :D

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Postby Nikodemus » Jan 24th, '06, 23:37

A small word of warning -
A stacked deck formula such as BCS is quite a different thing from a memorized deck stack.

A formula is quick & easy to learn (if it's any good!). It allows you to calculate the next or previous card from any known card. Obviously this is very powerful.

A memorized stack means you know (by rote) the position of every card in the deck. You do not have to calculate it. EG let's say you cut to the 7S. And let's say that in your system that is the 18th card. You just know it is number 18. Now let's say you want to know what card is 10 cards further down. That is obviously number 28. And you know that is (say) the QD. Using a stacking formula you would have to do 10 mental calculations to work out the 10th card down was the QD - which would not be practical.

Therefore a memorized stack is more powerful than a stack formula.
BUT it takes a lot more effort to learn.

Now here is my point: what makes a good formula, does not necessarily make a good memorized stack.
If you want to memorize a stack, the BCS may well be excellent (I honestly don't know) - but you can't just assume that cos the formula is good, the individual card positions will be easy to memorize; or the stack will have some good tricks built in.

Any comments from BCS & MBCS users?

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Well stacked !

Postby Piers » Jan 25th, '06, 07:37

Fair comment ...

The BCS can be learned in minutes, while the memorised deck takes longer.

Both are excellent tools however.

Piers.

:shock:

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Postby taneous » Jan 25th, '06, 07:46

Nice review :)
The memorized BSC uses a mnemonic system to memorize the cards - which works really well. It's possible using the system to memorize the deck in around 3 hours. I'm still debating the merit of memorizing a stacked deck like the BCS - because it sort of makes the BCS stack irrelevant - ie. all the effects you can do with the BCS you can do with a memorized deck - except the memorized deck gives you more options.
Now I love BCS - I think it's a brilliant concept - and I used it for a long time - but there are a couple of memorized decks that are stacked so that you can use them for other things as well. Mnemonica is an example of this (although, strangely enough, it doesn't use a mnemonic system). The only advantage I can think of is that if you forget the order you can always fall back on BCS.

I think that the price is good - you're getting some good material and a well thought out system. I didn't have access to paypal at the time and so I memorized the Nicola stack (found at the end of Encyclopedia of Card Tricks - complete with memory system). Now I use the BCS as well as the Nicola stack.

b.t.w - there are also a number of things you can do with a memorized deck even if it isn't in order...

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Postby rumburak » Feb 1st, '06, 16:19

Nikodemus wrote:A small word of warning -
Therefore a memorized stack is more powerful than a stack formula.
BUT it takes a lot more effort to learn.


See my comments in the other thread on whether or not I believe this difference to be of practical importance ...

I do agree that a stack formula is somewhat easier to learn. But a memorization system like the peg system gives you the ability to learn any stack in little time. On the other hand, learning a formula takes much more time than just memorizing the prescription. You need to be fluent enough with the formula to predict the next card without thinking. It does not take as long as rote memorization, but still several weeks of practice to get to a level where you can perform the calculation reliably without thinking about it.

Nikodemus wrote:Now here is my point: what makes a good formula, does not necessarily make a good memorized stack.
If you want to memorize a stack, the BCS may well be excellent (I honestly don't know) - but you can't just assume that cos the formula is good, the individual card positions will be easy to memorize; or the stack will have some good tricks built in.
Any comments from BCS & MBCS users?


I agree - a formula stack is as easy or complicated to memorize as any random stack. However, if all you need is a subsequent card, then the formula gives you a safety net in case the rote memory fails. But then, you should be fluent enough with the stack to exclude this from happening ...

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Postby lalacup » Sep 17th, '06, 06:32

i wanted to post a review on this, when i searched a second time i found this post so i thought i wont be posting another review. basically this is a great great great almost perfect mentalism trick. it is possible to do it with around 2 to 3 spectators. you need alot of practise and quick mindwork for that. sometimes i do up to 4 spectators to really kill them and make them believe i am psychic. but i think you would need a pen and paper for performing it on more than 2.. :lol:

anyway this is a great great great effect, and i would easily give it a 10/10 if not for the fact that it uses a stacked deck and would be ruined if your spectator somehow messes your things up and also due to the fect that you would need quite a long time of practise to totally master it. a trick definitely worth more than its price. this would be one of your best buys if you are a mentalist :P

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Re: Memorized Breakthrough Card System (MBCS) Richard Osterl

Postby Jerome the French » Sep 17th, '06, 09:59

Piers wrote:The MBCS adds the ability to know the card in the stack at a given position. So, if your participant chooses the number 33, you can count to that card, and reveal its value, before you show the card !


Not a trick for me. I don't like stack decks, and also what you mentionned above can be achieved with a marked deck... Easier, less hassle, and undetectable... In the end it is the same as you wouldn't give the deck away to be shuffled (for BCS), although you can with a marked deck...

Besides, I don't like marked decks either... But hey, to each his own!

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Postby IanB » Sep 18th, '06, 18:23

Just thought I'd offer my opinion as an advanced user of the Aronson Stack.

I thoroughly agree with Nikodemus's points and I would add that anyone really interested in learning any type of stack should read Michael Close's excellent dissertation in Workers Vol5 pages 122 - 159.
This is an intelligent and very reasoned article that gives compelling reasons to spend the time learning a "true" stack.

I've used the Aronson stack for more years than I care to remember and it is simply the strongest and most magical weapon I have in my arsenal.

It takes less time to learn a "true" stack than it does to become proficient with any sleight e.g DL, Top Change, Pass etc.

Go on ..... give it a try ..... actually no don't because I'd quite like to keep it all to myself .... :D

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Re: Memorized Breakthrough Card System (MBCS) Richard Osterl

Postby Boris » Aug 5th, '19, 12:12

Osterlind has the BCS on his website, send him an e-mail to see if MBCS is still available in PDF.

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