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Yea, the topic says it all. So, what are the last sleights you guys practice with a deck of cards before you change to a new one?
Myself I prefer to practice palming and springing the cards as it bends the hell out of them and pretty much ruines them after some hours of intense training. Then the deck goes on the shelf waiting for me to practice some tearing/folding a card trick. And then waits the joy of opening a new deck of cards with the sharp sides and that weird kind of smell .

Springing I suspect will be a popular choice for most but when I give up a deck I just split them to practice making gimmicked cards

Interesting question! It depends what I'm working on at the moment. Currently it's Paul Harris's "The Ultimate Rip Off", and as it's a one bit card of magic I find it a good way to get rid of those cards which I'd probably just leave knocking about the place otherwise.

Sometimes though I do just like to bash them up, mess around with them just to see if I can get any new ideas flowing. Don't mind doing that with a really old deck .

Usually try to get my mercury card fold up to speed with half then save the rest for dupes, gaffs torn effects etc.

I perorm an effect in which I use the story line about casino's punching holes in their used decks for security from Gamblers.......so I use a deck of bicycles with holes in them. The effect requires not sleight of hand other than palming, so an old deck will do just fine.

I punch holes in all (well most anyway) of my old decks of bikes so I can "just happen to have" one of these old casino decks on me.....I then let the spec keep the deck as a souvenier.


As far as practicing goes.......torn and restored style tricks, or immculate connection (which requires three cards every time)

I alternate my old decks between becoming short cards (though I rarely use them in real performances I like to play with them and find new ideas ect) and daniel garcias 3rd degree (I think it is called).

Well when it used to be, thats once I have beaten the hell out of the deck I was using, I'd entertain myself with effects with destroy a card, or ruin a card, etc.

But now I'm boring and just box up my cards and chuck them in the drawyer, if they weren't completely dead then the oils and moisture from hands has chance to be soaked up by the cards, so when I come back to them in a few months, they are in a useable condition.

If you are just learning it, the Faro shuffle. You will probably ruin a coupld of decks before you get it right. Also, one handed shuffles will have the same damaging effect while learning.

I just do springs, shuffles and all the moves that you guys say "damages" cards when I'm using cards normally. If you handle the cards right, and have a light grip on them, the cards can last you for a while.

I've been doing quite a lot of flourishing and some moves that really strain the deck, with a pack of studs that I got from Ipswich almost 2 weeks ago, and they are still fighting fit.

I just throw them in my 'dead card pile', which is now up to about 75 decks.

No idea what to do with them... I wait till a deck is either:

1. Missing more than 3 or 4 cards due to signed/destroying effects
2. Until the edges are so beaten that faros/interleaves are nigh impossible
4. The edges go 'grey' from hand oils
5. The cards won't fan because they're too dirty
6. They've lost their elasticity and capability to go back to flat after too many springs/buckles/bends

So if anyone's interested in cheap used decks

I often use them as handouts as well.......sign the back and hand them out as souveniers at children's bday parties, children at restaurants, trade shows, etc.....kids love "stuff" so sign the back and hand some out....you will love the reaction you getting!

when i have an old deck, that is either too worn, or missing cards, i sit down and practice the Mercury CF, putting half the pack on top of a good pack, so that you always maintian a reasonable thickness. then when ive got a pile of mercuried cards at my feet, i gather them all up, and pu tight elastic bands around them. This pack of totally ruined cards is perfect for torn and restored pratice.

i did make someone a birthday card out of old playing cards once, they looked at me like it was time for my medication.

seige wrote:I just throw them in my 'dead card pile', which is now up to about 75 decks.

I have a chop shop box where I put my old decks. I used to to use them for splitting and making gaffs (when I used them), now mainly for linking cards, card warp, and other effects that destroy cards.