talkmagic.co.uk

Tomo's shpeal is delightfully outrageous!
I just recently kicked myself into buying an ID. Been thinking too.

queen of clubs wrote:I like the ID as a "plan B", if you know what I mean.

If you've got one in your bag it is literally impossible to mess up a location trick. You can only temporarily appear to have messed up ;)

Amen.
That is an excellent use...
I actually think that a mechanical out is all this should be used for. If you are claiming to be predicting what choice one has made, then why not actually try?

I have done some experimenting with "mental" forces and the ID is the perfect way to practice, mess up and NOT look like a cosmic idiot!
I do mine somewhere along these lines:
The desired card is stuffed in...say... my breast pocket, wallet, yadda yadda. When I do get around to performing, I take out the ID, "oh.. I promised you a card trick..." [insert your favorite cheezy pick-up-line there], and continue with "actually, well, let's try something. It is not a card trick per-se but..." and then I jump into whatever fun and exciting monologue I have prepared for the force. All the while I am casually holding the ID as if I originally intended to perform a card trick and have since forgotten to put away my deck.

I think the plan-b concept is important in several ways.
1-A solid "hit" on the force card will be utterly astounding. One who has a mental force which they are fairly successful at may even go as far as to pop the target card in the spectator's pocket! (If failed, surreptitious ninja moves may be executed to extract OR for humor just leave it there!)
2-This method eliminates worry and provides a comfortable environment in which one may relax. This makes it easier to banter about.
3-This allows for the imagination to run amuck with creating and experimenting with different presentations.

*Even if persuasion techinques aren't used you still might as well guess! 1 in 52 isn't the worst of odds.

This is handling I have used in the past when in pubs with a pool table.

I remove two decks of cards from my pocket, ask them to pick one (Magicians force). The cards are spread face down over the pool table while the other pack remains in view the entire time.

The spectator gives the cue ball a whack with the cue, if it stops right on a card, fantastic, if not allow them to either shoot again or select which one they think it is closest to.

I think the ending is kind of obvious to magicians =P

I like the effect described near the end of Alchemical Tools by Paul Brook where there is a chance you tell the spec what card they are thinking of without even getting the I.D out! I also agree with using it as a 'Plan B'

My problem with the ID was always this - If I knew what card you were going to pick, why didn't I write it down, or put just that card in the box?

I know that's not the kind of thing audiences tend to worry about, but it never sat right with me.

Now I tend to open my set by offering a spectator a choice of two decks of cards. One is then shuffled by a spec, whilst I spread the other out face down and invite one of the spectators to touch the back of a card. Once I've done this I turn the rest of the deck over, leaving that card face down in the otherwise face up deck. I give this a mid air riffle so it's unclear where in the deck the face down card is. This then goes back in the box, and back into my tailcoat pocket, and I carry on with the rest of my set using the other (now nicely shuffled) deck.

Then, as a closer, I pick the same spectator as touched the card, and ask them to name any card they like. Now I just bust out the ID and the rest is obvious.

I use this handling because I like the idea of the audience seeing a card get turned over, and seeing that it's just a normal deck of cards.