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It came to me in the shower, as most of my good ideas do, you know, when there is no pen and paper, that there is instant suspicion aroused by the use of playing cards and that many of the effects done can be with other sorts of cards. So, I was wondering, see, what other types of cards are there in the world that members of the public will recognise.

Business Cards
Greetings Cards (many types)
Psychology Symbols (you know what I mean)
Tarot Cards
Top Trumps
Magic the Gathering (and all of its friends)
Cigarette or other collectible cards

anything else?

I know this has been discussed before, and people have varying opinions on the matter, but it is my opinion that your average spec will get immediately suspicious of any deck of cards that look out of the ordinary or different. I long ago gave up on trying to use tarot cards for "tricks" for this reason. Same goes for ghost decks, black decks etc.

My experience tells me that folk are more likely to believe an average looking pack of cards are not "funny" purely because they look so common-place. I know others do not share my thoughts.

Much as I love tarot cards, black decks, and goodness knows what other fine looking cards, when it comes to close up work it's a plain pack of bikes for me.

And also...top trumps cards etc. = bad idea. 90% specs will have no idea what they're looking at and will immediately think "packet trick" or similar. Just my opinion of course.

No no, I appreciate the opinion. I kind of figured that people assume a little sleight of hand occurs with playing cards, but not so much with tarot cards. Of course, the patter would be tarot oriented.

I think there will be a number of people who suspect trick cards no matter the deck you bring out. I think it's beyond just the cards looking out of the ordinary. There is a type of person who, when an effect is performed, will think the cards are "trick cards" no matter what you do.

Business Cards are a great choice. Greeting cards are also an interesting idea. Not so much "ordinary" or beyond suspicion (who carries around a bunch of greeting cards?), but a cool choice.

Among your list, I think - unless in a specific situation, tarot and esp cards could bring more suspicion than a regular deck of cards. Neither of them are common, nor are people seen to be carrying them around. They have a place where they are fair and logical, but in an every day situation, I don't think they're a good choice.

Here's a few others for possible inclusion:

Postcards - Great variety, innocent looking, common objects that everybody is familiar with.

Store gift cards - Apart from being normal, easily recognizable objects, they last forever. So many things you can do with them, too.

The trouble also with tarot cards is that people aren't familiar with them. So a card revelation "and here's your card, the King of Swords. Amazing isn't it?" may not have much of an effect on your typical spec, because for all they know the deck could be full of king of swords.

I find that some cards look more suspicious than others, which is why I stray away from all them vipers, ghost and what have you. I also agree with what has been said about specs being suspicious of any cards. I sometimes find it funny when people come to their logical conclusions (although I'd never laugh or poke fun).

I did a colour changing deck once for my mate with a couple of DB cards in the deck. He was impressed but then said "sure thats easy all you did was buy a deck that changes colour". When I asked him what him meant he actually believed that I had bought a deck that could change the colour of their backs by "pushing them in the right place".

Sometimes you just can't win against these people

Rhine (Zenner) cards always tend to be above suspicion in my experience. I've also just got a set of alphabet cards on Bike stock that seem innocuous too. Don't forget small pay envelopes, though. They can act as proxy cards if you put things in them.

Tomo wrote:Rhine (Zenner) cards always tend to be above suspicion in my experience. I've also just got a set of alphabet cards on Bike stock that seem innocuous too. Don't forget small pay envelopes, though. They can act as proxy cards if you put things in them.

I must say I have noticed this too. Why do specs think they cant be marked or funny is beyond me. I got 3 or 4 sets and they are all gaffed in a way. Maybe the specs think when tak about Rhine it was all above board.

The only way you can get round this really is borrowring cards. Tarot card are like Rhine cards in a way no one suspects i dont know why maybe because they are seen to be spiritual or something.

Magic the gathering cards. Now I use to play my brothers mates at this they would tell me how much of a grand master they was. So I cheated the thing with these cards are they dont spread or fan that well.

i've thought about this too and done some regular card tricks with my kids top trump cards, which offer good opportunities for patter, and pokemon cards.
considered writing a sam the bellboy type routine with pokemon cards for the kids but i have never got round to it.

I suppose it really depends on what you do with the cards. If you show a pack of Tarot cards then proceed to do a riffle shuffle, waterfall, fancy cuts and deal them into poker hands, you're doing a card trick. If you lay them out into an Ancient Celtic spread and predict the final card, or do a cold reading, that's something else entirely.

By the way, the Tarot cards I use are too large and thick for "card tricks" anyway.

I agree with what Tomo said about Rhine cards - but again you need a serious ESP presentation to go with them.

Barry

magicofthemind wrote:I suppose it really depends on what you do with the cards. If you show a pack of Tarot cards then proceed to do a riffle shuffle, waterfall, fancy cuts and deal them into poker hands, you're doing a card trick. If you lay them out into an Ancient Celtic spread and predict the final card, or do a cold reading, that's something else entirely.

By the way, the Tarot cards I use are too large and thick for "card tricks" anyway.

I agree with what Tomo said about Rhine cards - but again you need a serious ESP presentation to go with them.

Barry

The interesting thing about a serious ESP presentation is that people will watch and listen intently seriously too. It's like they believe the cards have one unimpeachable function. Very odd, but very useful.

I've recently been using tarot cards in such a way that I ask the spec why a psychic would need to see the chosen cards. She should, after all, be able to intuit which the spectator holds and what they mean for her without having to see them, which I then do. It packs a very powerful punch.

themagicwand wrote:And also...top trumps cards etc. = bad idea. 90% specs will have no idea what they're looking at and will immediately think "packet trick" or similar. Just my opinion of course.

To offer a counter-opinion, I would have thought anyone 40 or under would know what Top Trumps are, especially if you're using a set with a subject people have a good chance of recognising, like Harry Potter, or Doctor Who. I'd have thought they might lend themselves to some nice stories (Doctor Who cards travelling through time and space, for example).

In fact, a friend of mine gave me a set of Doctor Who playing cards that came with a magazine. That reminds me...I never did come up with a satisfactory effect with them.

I'm not sure that many spectators know, or care, what a packet trick is.

magicofthemind wrote:By the way, the Tarot cards I use are too large and thick for "card tricks" anyway.

I once did a 5 phase ambitious card routine with a tarot deck, just for fun. It was great.

I largely disagree with spectators finding things like tarot cards suspicious. If you're using unusual cards then it's not the cards that people will suspect, it is you!

If people suspect you have bought a deck that changes colour on it's own it is because they think you're the kind of crafty bu**er who would do such a thing.

If you pull out a regular deck of cards and do some mediocre tricks (not that I'm calling any of you mediocre) and finish your set by pulling out a tarot deck and doing something spectacular, i reckon that might raise a few suspicions about the deck.

Personally, I like to people have different reactions to my props. I often use oddly coloured/designed cards but most of the time they are genuinely regular decks. I find that if you don't do any suspicious changing of decks then no-one is going to care. Just let them shuffle before you begin and it will indirectly tell them that you aren't worried about them finding anything dodgy. Then just proceed as normal.

Having said that I mostly use regular decks I often use a Ghost Stripper deck, which no-one ever seems to care about.

It's interesting psychology. Either it's different and therefore fine or it's different and therefore dodgey.

Marvell wrote:It's interesting psychology. Either it's different and therefore fine or it's different and therefore dodgey.

Confusing, isn't it?

I think it comes down to the perfomer, the effect, what other effects are done before or after (including effects on different dates, if you usually perform to the same people) and the nature of the audience.

If you do a paid mentalism/bizarre show to a group of strangers who believe in the power of divination, they will probably take a Tarot effect seriously. However, if you then misinterpreted the cards, or broke into a riffle shuffle with them, you'd lose credibility.

Similarly, if you normally perform for your mates at work and have colour-changing decks, cards spinning around the room, etc., there's a fair chance that they will see the Tarot cards as just another trick.

My view is that, if you do an effect, whatever it is, you get stronger reactions if the props you use are appropriate. If you do an oriental themed stage show, that big box painted with black, red and gold in a dragon motif is fine. It's less fitting if you're popping down the pub.