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I'm currently learning the shadow stack from Tom Crosbie's 'Recall', and i've remembered 1/3 of the deck (1-17). It's not second nature yet so I'm still running through them until I can remember them without much effort.

My question is to anyone who has memorised a deck previously. Would you recommend adding a few more cards each day (or couple of days) or would it be better to leave this 1/3 now and then move on to the next 1/3?. Once this has been done I can try the last 1/3 (maybe getting to halfway and then doing the other half would be better).

Tom gives his opinion on the DVD of trying half and then half, but I wondered if anyone agreed. My concern would be forgetting the first section after moving on to the next, although I appreciate that by adding more cards each time, you get to know the beginning of the deck much better than the end.

Which technique are you using to memorise? I memorise using the peg system from 'how to develop a super power memory' which has always worked for me (after a bit of practice!). Really cheap on amazon if you don't all ready have the book. It definitely helped me! http://www.amazon.co.uk/Develop-Super-p ... 529&sr=8-2

A very good method for memorizing a deck of cards can be found in the Derren Brown book, Tricks of the Mind. Easily found in most book stores these days but still probably the one I would use.

It takes a little bit of time to learn the system. An afternoon if you really don't have anything else to do but it will allow you to be able to know exactly where every card is in the deck. So no having to run through them all to find one card, you'll know where the three of diamonds is in the deck strait away, or what card is at the twenty third spot.

Forget just trying to learn a few cards a day, it'll work eventually but in the long term this system is leaps and bounds better than most.

Cheers guys, I considered the derren Brown approach but thought that would only help for learning a list of items in order rather than 52 pairs of card and position. I might have to re read that part of the book.

Defiantly do. By far one of the best systems and well worth the effort. I can't imagine you read the book well though if you missed the couple of pages listing the playing cards and numbers up to fifty two. Still, re-read it, study it and once you've learnt it, you'll love it.

I'd recommend this system over any I've come across so far, I'm surprised that in Mnemonica it isn't taught actually. For such a great book on memorized deck work it has a terribly backward method for remembering the stack, it would work but is far more limited than this system.

having re-read the book last night, you're right, i think i must have skipped that section as it didnt really mean anything to me at the time.

Ive written out the stack and positions now, and so i just have 52 images to learn and recall (some of which are quite amusing Bouncer/Whore - loveheart/nob - cash/muff).

Ingenious system though, and the images will be a lot harder to forget than the faces of cards that ive scribbled on.

thanks for the help!

Just out of curiosity Relish - how is Shadow Stack coming along for you now? a couple of weeks on?

Hi, Tom

To be honest i havent devoted as much time to it as id have liked, as ive just moved house, but im determined to get it working. Im using he derren brown method of remembering the stack, and i have most of them done, but need to practice the routines to get some patter sorted for the time while i work out the position.

I was firstly thinking that a 'name a card' routine would be more impressive than a 'pick a card' routine, but now im not so sure. I think its more impressive for magicians, but a lay person wouldnt (or shouldnt) know if a card is being forced or controlled anyway.

Still, there are some very nice features to the stack, so that when you ask the spec to name a card, and one hits, it will be worth the work. Plus im considering learning the storytelling deck as it seems to be a good routine.

So my plan is to learn the stack a bit better, improve my false shuffles and cuts, and then use the stack for my usual routines but as 'name a card' (some of which are included on the dvd showing how to do them without breaking the stack). if i get to use the extra benefits, then thats a bonus. Definately happy that ive started using a mem deck though. Someone scared me off mnemonica by saying that you had to be able to faro, and thats a but above my paygrade at the moment.



Edit:
Ps i forgot that i need to work on culling too

I know what you mean about the Faros. Only one of the tricks on Recall needs afaro and that's the story deck - I think anyway.

Thanks for your kind words on it though!
All the best,
Tom Crosbie,

crozboz wrote:I know what you mean about the Faros. Only one of the tricks on Recall needs afaro and that's the story deck - I think anyway.

I'll find more, Tom, I'll find them!

Next thing to find though: That 9 high... that wins!

If I were you--I would follow one of the ways you suggested. Learn 20 then add say 6 cards and repeat the entire stack until you can recite it without thinking.
Then add 6 more and repeat repeat etc. Keep adding 6 but the last lot would 8 .
This is the way most actors in the world learn their lines-like a jig saw--keep adding a little at a time and go back and come forward--go back-add more then forward.

It is the way a routine or an Act should be developed as well. Little by little you add, and these 2 cases, sometimes take away, then add , rehearse, add rehearse and so on.

In the case of Memorised Decks. Always go through them IN YOUR HEAD when you get into bed at night. Better than counting sheep!
Quietly in the head as the one who lies beside you????? will think you have gone crackers let alone disturbing their sleep.

Years ago, my wife often wondered what the hell I was doing with a nasal breathing exercise-my speech teacher taught me at 15--to clear sinus and the nasal passages.
It entailed the softly spoken m -- n-- ng nasal sounds.
Oh by the way I still use it even now if I have a stuffy nose and always did for 20 minutes beforehand when in a production or going off to a magic gig.

Allen Tipton

Here's a quick tip for consolidating your stack once you have it:

Get an old deck, and set it into stack order. With a sharpie, write the number of the stack position on the back of each card and shuffle the deck.

Now, hold the deck face down. The top card will have a number showing. Say (out loud) the number and value of the card - for example in my stack that might be 'Twenty seven is the seven of diamonds'. Place this card face up at the bottom of the deck and carry on with the next card. If you don't know, or get something wrong, say the correct answer out loud and move on.

When you have gone through the deck, shuffle them and go through the deck face up. In this case you might see a Kind of Clubs, which would prompt me to say 'Kind of Clubs is forty eight'. Turn over the card to check, and place it face down at the bottom of the deck. Carry on as before.

The target is to be able to run through the cards quickly and with little thought. If you carry the deck around with you and run through five or six times a day, you'll be solid in a week.

Another drill is to run through the suits and values; for example you might start with Clubs - for me this would start 'Ace of clubs is six, two of clubs is forty nine, three of clubs is thirty three' etc. When you can run through the suits in order, try the values; again for example I would go 'Ace of clubs is six, ace of hearts is forty, ace of spades is twenty six, ace of diamonds is eighteen' etc.

There are no shortcuts, which I'm sure everyone has told you many times...

What Ian said. Also writing the number on the face of card randomise the thickness, size colour of ink etc. of the number, kind of like a picture that you can relate to the card helps. Plus you end up with a nice looking deck in the end.

Also, you could do what Dai Vernon used to do. He would go through the stack just before going to bed, and then go through it again when he woke up in the morning.

And--UNLESS you are working the MD every night of the week or at least 4 times a week you will have to do a run through of the sequence , say twice a week to keep it in your head. And I would do it once ALOUD and once in my head--a Mental rehearsal.

I could suggest the sequence is also written on a small card, kept in your wallet for when you suddenly experience a mind blank.
A carry around cue card

Allen Tipton