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What about a trick that ends with a sealed deck? You know, you bring it out sealed, open it, do some routines that totally mix up the deck, then you restore the deck to new deck order, put it back in the box, plus the wrapper back over it and then it seals and you hand out a brand new sealed deck?

The wrap can be purchased from places http://www.cards4magic.co.uk or you can call in at your nearest Florist's shop and ask nicely for sheet or two of the cellophane they use to wrap around bouquets

Don't all card tricks start with a sealed deck?

Jing wrote:Don't all card tricks start with a sealed deck?

In this topic, sealed refers to the cards being in their box, with the sticker seal and the plastic wrap still on it, as opposed to the cards just being in the box.

In other words a trick with brand new cards that you haven't opened yet, instead of cards that you have opened before and used on other tricks previously.

I'm sure Aza is referring to a sealed box with the wrapper still on. There are numerous impromptu effects that can be done straight out the box. Three cards across in RRTCM. A signed CTW effect. A card to pretty much anywhere limited only by your imagination. I would do a card to mouth!! The possibilities are endless. It is possible to open a sealed pack, have a card selected/signed, have that card placed back in the deck, placed in the pack and put back in your pocket - then take out ANOTHER sealed deck, and have the signed card inside it. Not only is the signed card reversed, but it's in the correct order within the suit.

There is a method of achieving this - and I know for certain that Aza knows how to do it!

K

kevmundo wrote:I'm sure Aza is referring to a sealed box with the wrapper still on.

My bad, I see now that the point was that pretty much any card trick (aside from those that require some kind of stack etc) can be done straight after having the box opened in front of the spectator.

3 ♣ wrote:

kevmundo wrote:I'm sure Aza is referring to a sealed box with the wrapper still on.

My bad, I see now that the point was that pretty much any card trick (aside from those that require some kind of stack etc) can be done straight after having the box opened in front of the spectator.

Not at all! I think the thrust of Aza's thread is that age old question - 'What do you do if someone finds out you're a magician, hands you a pack of cards and says - do something." You have to think on your feet and do something pretty amazing. To do something unfathomable is more than possible but takes skill and knowledge. Both of which I know Aza has in abundance, even if he pretends he hasn't!

If you study the classics like Royal Road to Card Magic and Expert at the card table, you'll be able to achieve a lot on the fly! I always think that you should be able to display at least four or five amazing feats of wonder at a moments notice. That may only involve cards - please check out Lee Smiths 'ICandy' and his 'Step System' for what you can achieve with a deck of cards!!!!!! (He's an amazing cardician and a member of this forum. If I was half as good with a deck of bikes as he is I'd be very pleased with myself!!) Or, it could involve lots of other magical approaches. Whichever!

I think impromptu magic is often the best kind because it isn't forced or manufactured. A good off the cuff reportoire is certainly a must. There's lots and lots to choose from but I think Aza is really after your 'go to' routine should you be completely naked save a pack of bikes. I would say that if you can't stun someone with a pack of borrowed cards then you're not a true magician. AND - if you can't stun someone with a borrowed piece of paper and a pen, then you're not a proper mentalist!!

Of course - I may be wrong - it frequently happens!!!!

K

kevmundo wrote:

3 ♣ wrote:

kevmundo wrote:I'm sure Aza is referring to a sealed box with the wrapper still on.

My bad, I see now that the point was that pretty much any card trick (aside from those that require some kind of stack etc) can be done straight after having the box opened in front of the spectator.

Not at all! I think the thrust of Aza's thread is that age old question - 'What do you do if someone finds out you're a magician, hands you a pack of cards and says - do something." You have to think on your feet and do something pretty amazing. To do something unfathomable is more than possible but takes skill and knowledge. Both of which I know Aza has in abundance, even if he pretends he hasn't!

If you study the classics like Royal Road to Card Magic and Expert at the card table, you'll be able to achieve a lot on the fly! I always think that you should be able to display at least four or five amazing feats of wonder at a moments notice. That may only involve cards - please check out Lee Smiths 'ICandy' and his 'Step System' for what you can achieve with a deck of cards!!!!!! (He's an amazing cardician and a member of this forum. If I was half as good with a deck of bikes as he is I'd be very pleased with myself!!) Or, it could involve lots of other magical approaches. Whichever!

I think impromptu magic is often the best kind because it isn't forced or manufactured. A good off the cuff reportoire is certainly a must. There's lots and lots to choose from but I think Aza is really after your 'go to' routine should you be completely naked save a pack of bikes. I would say that if you can't stun someone with a pack of borrowed cards then you're not a true magician. AND - if you can't stun someone with a borrowed piece of paper and a pen, then you're not a proper mentalist!!

Of course - I may be wrong - it frequently happens!!!!

K

Indeed, I've often wondered whether I should get a deck of poor quality cards, just to make sure there are some tricks I can do when handed some of those awful cards you get (often in cheap Texas Hold 'Em Poker sets).

I made the mistake of announcing that I could do a couple of card tricks at a pub just after I'd got started, and the cards that were produced were of such poor quality that the only tricks I knew at the time fell apart due to my slight inebriation and the terrible cards. It makes me wonder whether I should practise half drunk with poor cards just to make sure I have those kinds of situations covered

Haha!!

If I had a pound for every time I'd tried to perform after a few beers - or just plain drunk, then I'd be a very rich man!!

Personally, and others on the forum may correct me, but I don't think it matters what cards you get given( if you're sober!! ). If you can palm, do a DL, a classic/invisible pass, top change (Maybe) a false shuffle/cut and a force of your choice then you can achieve pretty much any effect. With sufficent misdirection you can fumble about with them as much as you like.

I can say that I have frequently fallen asleep on the sofa with a deck of cards and a bottle of wine. I was happy - my wife - not so much!!!

K

Didn't realise this thread would be so followed!!

Well tonight I decided to start with a sealed deck of cards and asked the spec to open them mix them shuffle etc. and winged it, funnily enough kev I did cards across but the Las Vegas leaper version from Paul Harris art of astonishment....great fun!

Paid for 2 hours ended up doing four! But hey, I had nothing else to do and the beer was flowing....and funnily enough I was given a manky pack of cards so I just hit a simple ACR, finished with omni deck, some reason it went down a bigger storm than usual think its because the deck was borrowed!

Much love

Aza

While I can work with a brand new just opened deck if I'm pushed, I much prefer a deck that has been somewhat "broken in". Those "pub decks" - manky and bent stupid - are simply horrible to perform with, although there is still plenty we can do with them.

Your sleights need to be adapted with these dog eared decks, and depending on the state of the cards certain sleights may have to be avoided. For example, if you use the OTP it may be better to use a standard two handed version in these circumstances due to the stickyness of some of these decks. Those sleights that rely on feel such as the Strike Double can be useless aswell as the grubbyness of the cards tends to add a thickness to the cards - which tend to be thicker than bikes anyway. Your carefully practiced feel of two or three cards goes out the window with old grubby sticky cards.

As for impromptu effects, there must be thousands. Do you use things like Twisting the Aces or Dr Daleys Last Trick ? These can be done with almost any deck and get good reactions. Incidently, Daleys "last trick" wasn't his last trick at all, it was simply the last trick he showed to Vernon and the name seems to have stuck.

Many of the old stand bys and classic pieces can be done impromptu, and I highly recommend you study as many old books as possible - there are some real gems to be found.

There is an effect that I have been using for about 25 years that consistantly gets great reactuons. It can be done with cards in ANY condition, and is great for those times when you're handed the "pub deck". It is probably the simplest effect that I do and consists of nothing more than a k*y card, a gl*de and a (VERY occasional) magicians ch**ce. I cannot remember the name of it but it can be found in one of the Jean Hugard books - Royal Road perhaps. A card is selected, returned, and the deck is mixed. You then have 4 chances to find their card, none of which are correct. The spectator places their finger on any of the 4 cards, and the card transforms into their selection.

I'm sure someone here will know the name of it. I find it odd that I rarely hear of anyone else using it - perhaps its just been overlooked, or maybe its very basic components put people off, I don't know. It a great little piece.

If you're planning to use borrowed decks a lot you may want to look into the "Stranger Card" principle. You could then do things like Torn and Restored with a borrowed deck ! Many other clever and impossible ideas are possible using the principle. There is a chapter on it in Expert Card Technique that should spark a few ideas.


Jim

The trick is called designed for laughter I believe.

Aza wrote:Didn't realise this thread would be so followed!!

Well tonight I decided to start with a sealed deck of cards and asked the spec to open them mix them shuffle etc. and winged it, funnily enough kev I did cards across but the Las Vegas leaper version from Paul Harris art of astonishment....great fun!

Paid for 2 hours ended up doing four! But hey, I had nothing else to do and the beer was flowing....and funnily enough I was given a manky pack of cards so I just hit a simple ACR, finished with omni deck, some reason it went down a bigger storm than usual think its because the deck was borrowed!

Much love

Aza

I perform the original cards across from RRTCM and it always blows laymen away because of it's apparent impossibility. I don't know the Las Vegas leaper version? I can't wait to see it and then I may have to purchase the art of astonishment. It's difficult to do cards across without a table!!! I also want to see your ACR with the omni deck. I have an ACR but I never perform it. I do maybe two/three card openers and then I move on to other confuddlement!!

You'll be missed on the 22nd Jan!!!!

Pip-Pip

Kev

mdawg wrote:The trick is called designed for laughter I believe.

Its not Designed For Laughter.

Jim

For me it would be Time and Again from Ortiz's Cardshark

The performer opens a sealed, brand new deck of cards to show that they are in new deck order. He then has a spectator record the time on the back of the joker and sign it. Next, the performer shuffles the deck. Lastly, he shows everyone the top card and buries it in the middle of the deck.

One by one, the result of each of these actions is undone as the deck is sent back in time. First, the card buried in the middle is shown back on top. Next, the spectator's writing disappears from the back of the joker. Then the shuffled deck is shown to be back in NDO. Finally, when a spectator attempts to put the cards back in the cardcase, it is found that the cardcase is now sealed in it's plastic wrapper in brand-new condition (except that it's now empty).