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So I just bought my first two sets of bike cards and I have found them huge compared to any of the other playing cards I own Is there another kind of bike deck that is better suited for magic. e.g palming and other sleights as I find it quite hard to perform a Tenkai and classic palm with the cards as well as passes. I would be really grateful for any advice you could afford me.

I'd guess that the bikes you've bought are poker size where as you're perhaps more used to bridge sized cards. Bridge cards are the norm in the UK where as poker size cards tend to be American.

You can get hold of bridge sized bikes if you have a look around, I think Cards 4 Magic probably do them.

there are some on Amazon http://www.amazon.co.uk/Bicycle-Bridge-Sized-Playing-Cards/dp/B005H7HXY2/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1328373368&sr=8-10

awww feel bad for pending money :/ thankyou for the help will order them when I put my cash In the bank. Does anyone use poker cards for tricks?

i love bridge sized cards, but also use poker sized cards,
the advice is often given that you should use poker sized cards, because if you learn how to do something with them, then when someone hands you a bridge sized deck you will still be able to do it.
but if you can only do your technique with bridge cards then if someone hands you a bigger sized deck you will struggle to do it.

its the same with martial artists, they often use heavier weapons for training, and then use a lighter version for tournaments etc, because they can move a lot faster with the lighter weapon after training with the larger one.

incidentally, apparently the size of a persons punch/ technique etc becomes a lot smaller if they are scared, so if someone is actually attacked then the size of their movements reduce. which is why a lot of martial artists practice such large movement, because if they get reduced by fear, then they are at the correct size, as apposed to starting at the correct size and reducing to a size too small.

personally i think that can all apply to magic too, i know that i do my technique less effectively when I'm actually performing because i suffer from stage fright. so when i practice i try and get them better than i want them to be so that they reduce to where i want them.
with deck size, practicing with a larger (and slightly heavier) deck will improve your technique with a smaller deck.
I have friends who use the pass when they perform (i rarely use the pass and if i do i only use it at moments when i know no one could possibly see it, i've never tried to make it invisible) and they said that they used a deck with extra cards (60 - 70 in total i guess) to make the 2 half's bigger and harder to pass. then when they go back to a 52 card deck it was easier.

so basically what I'm trying to say is play around with the larger cards some more, unless you are very young (and therefore have small hands) or just happen to have very small hands, you can still palm and pass these larger cards.
if after a few months you find you really aren't enjoying using them, then go back to the cards you do enjoy using.

see the links below for where to buy bridge bikes. you can get packs of 6 and 12 from cards4magic which works out a little cheaper.

http://www.alakazam.co.uk/product-Cards-Bicycle-Bridge.html
http://www.magicshop.co.uk/p3725/Cards_Bicycle_Bridge_(Red)/product_info.html
http://www.cards4magic.co.uk/acatalog/copy_of_xPlain_Bicycle_Cards.html

Please stick with it. If you want some inspiration, Max Malini, one of magic's 'greats' wore 00 size gloves and he could palm half a pack!

I know this is heresy on a magic forum, but have you considered not using bikes?

kartoffelngeist wrote:I know this is heresy on a magic forum, but have you considered not using bikes?

Burn him!!!

I don't really know any other good manufacturers apart from bicycle. What are the shadow master bike decks like? Are they smaller seeing as they were created for magic? could anybody give me a breakdown of what is good about shadow masters cause they look bloody awesome.

oscarius4 wrote:I don't really know any other good manufacturers apart from bicycle. What are the shadow master bike decks like? Are they smaller seeing as they were created for magic? could anybody give me a breakdown of what is good about shadow masters cause they look bloody awesome.

There are no cards 'created for magic' (gaffed cards aside), cards are cards and they come (with very few exceptions, i.e. jumbo or those tiny dominishing ones) in two basic sizes, bridge or poker. Bridge are just narrower so you can hold more in your hand. The fancier cards, like the Shadow masters, are usually just if you want cards that look different when you do card manipulation and scream (IMHO), 'look these cards are different, therefore they are gaffed' to the punters.

Ultimately, as several people have already said, perseverence and practice will pay off and you'll find you can perform with poker sized cards and that's a disappointing answer I know as you wanted a quick resolution. I have very narrow hands and have real trouble performing any one handed shuffles/cuts, so I have to put in time until the muscle memory overcomes the physical shortcomings. If you find you really really can't, there are bridge sized bikes, but that does limit you and you can't just pick up a pack of cards from anywhere and just perform.

As to other manufacturers, USC (who make bikes) also make Tally-hos and Bees which I believe are just different handling cards (?) though I haven't used them so can't comment, there are also makers like Waddingtons though I suspect the plastic coated ones might be a bit too sticky to be of use.

Lady of Mystery wrote:I'd guess that the bikes you've bought are poker size where as you're perhaps more used to bridge sized cards. Bridge cards are the norm in the UK where as poker size cards tend to be American.

Which is why I always use bridge cards - W H Smith own brand, usually. Here in the UK only magicians use Bikes.

(To be fair, I should point out that I've played more bridge than I've done card tricks.)

Barry

I have gotten used to the poker sized cards now but do shadowmasters come in bridge AND poker size's cause I have worn out my new bikes a bit?(how long can you use a deck before you need to start a new pack?)

oscarius4 wrote:(how long can you use a deck before you need to start a new pack?)

Depends on how tight you are, once they feel sticky (ooer) or are bent I normally start a new pack, but some folks (who do this magic lark for a living) open a pack every time they perform for punters. A Porper clip will keep them fresher for longer if you tend to carry them in a pocket or bag. I then use the old ones for torn and restored or folds or book marks.

oscarius4 wrote:So I just bought my first two sets of bike cards and I have found them huge compared to any of the other playing cards I own Is there another kind of bike deck that is better suited for magic. e.g palming and other sleights as I find it quite hard to perform a Tenkai and classic palm with the cards as well as passes. I would be really grateful for any advice you could afford me.

Hi, I think we are in the same boat because I thought my hands were too small. I use bicycle shadow masters (just bought infinity and arcane decks too, I love them) and yes I agree with the reply that it does make them look gimmicked! But the sexyness makes up for it to me. It just didn't look or feel right trying to palm them, but after practicing a more natural hand movement (and carrying a card around trying to do normal activities, which is a bit sad I know). But in front of a mirror I was surprised how good it actually looked, so maybe it is just a confidence thing? I am new, but felt all the sleights I was practicing wouldn't fool anyone until I tried it. Good luck!

There's a story I remember hearing somewhere about Larry Jennings watching someone perform in the Magic Castle, complimenting the work, then taking the bridge sized cards out of the guys hand and throwing them across the room and giving him a poker size deck and telling him never to let Larry catch him using those things again.

Possibly a touch over the top in action, but not in sentiment. Bridge cards just plain don't look as good, for a 20% size reduction you get more like a 50% drop in presentation. Even in England, though they are most often what is seen, they are not most often what is used, a home or pub poker game for example would use poker size cards, the bridge size cards are acknowledged, but are what you buy for £1 in the off licence on a drunken saturday night to stick on your head for some drinking game or other or some attempt at a card game that devolves into Snap for giggling drunks. They are then thrown in the bin.

The person I learned my first bits of sleight of hand off years ago used to work in a shop in Birmingham before the owner had a ridiculous fit of religion and banned all magic. He had the most ridiculous hands in the world, seriously, girl hands doesn't cut it, they were bird hands, dolls hands, if you read this forum Anthony, you're a lovely bloke in all respects but what is with those hands? they belong to those little builder creatures from the Fraggles . Point being that even nearly 10 years on i haven't quite caught up to the smoothness and ability of that guy with a pack of poker size cards (Nearly Anthony, Nearly!).

Stick with the poker cards was my point I think