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Just got delivery of only my second pack of marked cards.

Being new to this magic stuff I started with Marvin Magic Mind Reader cards and was impressed by the impression they gave the spec.

I thought that the Marvin deck were a little unreliable and so opted for the marked Rider deck from MagicTricks.co.uk At £18 thought they'd be superb but I have to admit to being little worried by the ease at which they can be 'read'.

Anyone got any experience with this deck?

I mark my own cards and have never been spotted. Even after a 10 minute session of chase the lady last night (that's the card effect, before anyone gets any ideas) with the spec constantly examining the cards, it wasn't spotted.

Yep, spec-generated explanations are usually just exercises in straw grasping. If you don't give them any reason to believe that you're using a marked deck, it's just something random they're positing as the method. Even a simple "Well, how can they be?" and an effect that doesn't use the marking system is usually all it takes if you get into a sticky situation. So the real secret to using a marked deck is subtlety.

Very much so i agree with Tomo with its grasping at straws. They wouldnt know what mark to look for, and speaking of grasping at straws last night i was table hoping and done the card through silk. And was told i had magnetic cards and the silk had a magnet in!

So longs your not using one of them old vegas style marking systems where you have to wear one yeallow and one blue contact lense you should be ok

I can imagine people looking at my pocket cards and saying every one is marked.

Yes, the ace of spades as a 2/3mm dog ear on the bottom right corner, the queen of hearts has a nick 3.4mm down the right side, whereas the queen of diamonds if onlt 3.2mm and the two of spades has beer on it.

Tomo is right, subtlety is a key point.

But also key points when using marked decks are inventiveness, consistency and timing...

INVENTIVENESS—meaning, don't just use a marked deck for blatantly obvious effects! i.e. Pick a card—it's a 4 of clubs? Things like this get spotted a mile off. A great thing to do is use various methods at once... think outside the box! i.e. combine a stacked deck with a marked deck, and you've a powerful too!

CONSISTENCY in that your marked deck should look the same as your regular performance deck. If you adopt your own marking system (which is far easier than a lot of people think) you can purchase a regular deck of your preferred brand and build a complete deck in less than 10 minutes, for a cost of around £2.50.

TIMING in that you need to pace yourself correctly to get your peeks. There's nothing worse that watching someone 'hunting' for their marks on a selection. Timed carefully with a bit of verbal pausing and misdirection, you can get your peeks without being detected.


£18 IS expensive for a marked deck system... but deck marking isn't really all that difficult, and spectator's won't always presume a marked deck is in use if you are technically proficient in other areas.

I personally have no experience of the one you're talking of—but marking cards is something I would say I've had a few years practice in—whether crimping, 'dirty edging', pencil dotting or nail marking. And so long as you are confident and treat the deck as a regular deck, you can perform some REAL miracles.

Something else which I have learned over the years about card sleights is... IS THIS THE SAFEST METHOD FOR THIS EFFECT.
In other words, if you have an effect using a marked deck which you suspect is a little risky, step back and work out if there's an easier and safer method.

The Marked Deck is a great utility... but don't rely on it to always do all the work. Like I say, be inventive and creative around it, and use the 'Larger action covers a small' theory to cloak it's use.

It surely can't go into the category of 'self-working' like a Sven or a Stripper, although I think it's a common misconception that it should.

As with all utility props, the effect is only as strong and passable as you make it by using the PERFORMANCE as a vehicle.

I have to admit to being little worried by the ease at which they can be 'read'.

This has quite a lot to do with you
a) knowing you've bought a marked deck, and
b) having read the instructions

I think these are the best printed marked cards available (although overpriced). I've never had anyone spot these marks, but then I've never had anyone voice the suspicion I was using a marked deck. This is mostly down to the choice of effects.

Absolutely siege, I was just talking to Lady of Mystery over PM that one has to be warey of effects which quickly degenerate to "the card must be marked".

I use the BW marked deck if I absolutely need to know exactly which cards are in a group (which is not very often), but other than that, one generally only needs to know the location of one card or something that disinguishes one card from another, and not the elaboration of a full system of marking.

My full marked deck happens to be one of my least used decks.

erm... if this is not alowd, then please say, but could anyone PM me any tips on Marking a deck?

Unbelivable....... Strippers, Svengali and now marked cards By now I am of course aware of the interesting work by Tomo (strippers) and Mark Lewis (svengali). For people interesting in some strong effects with marked cards I know that Boris Wild has created a number of nice routines. I think we still need an expert on the one-way force deck! Any volenteres

From this discussion board I get the impression that its not possible to do magic with ordinary cards. I think the existence of all these trick cards and trick decks explains why I always get a huge responce when I perform with peoples own cards (when performing in non-professional setting like in parties etc for friends).

When I see people play cards on a train or bus, I always get a huge responce if I do magic with their cards. Sometimes I can however be cheeky and if I visit people (friends or friends of friends) I some times "plant" a prepared (sta**ed) deck among the childrens toys and games. Later then when after numerous request I am asks to do magic, I ask if they happens to have any playing cards. I always enjoy the moment when they return from the kids room with the deck I previously planted and I am ready for doing mirackles!! The responce is huge.... In my paid performances I am forced to use my own cards, however I never have people examining the cards and if they do I actually help them!!!! For example explaining how they by riffeling would see for example a little dot jumping around if the cards have been marked.

One hint wheter you use marked cards or not: Always look away and "appear" as if you are "bending over backwards" not to see their selection.
This gesture, when done with marked cards, might dramatically improve the level of magic.

I like to keep the use of marked or gaffed cards to a minimum. Become too reliant on them and you'll come seriously unstuck when you get the inevitable 'can you do some tricks with my cards'.

Always keep a regular deck on you at all times and have a good routine ready which involves no gaffs, marks or stacks.

i found the easiest way to slip it in (matron) is to chuck your specs a normal pack, ask them to riffle through 'em and thoroughly examine before you begin anything card related...let them spend sometime with them as you chat and explain what you'll be doing...

take 'em...use them for a couple of effects, put them away in your jacket...talk a little, switch people around, reprodue the deck again, but just switch em out for the marked deck...

or alternatively, just get an effect slightly wrong...miscall a card, which will then hopefully set in people's minds that it cant be a marked deck, cos he/she got it wrong...

Soren Riis wrote:Unbelivable....... Strippers, Svengali and now marked cards By now I am of course aware of the interesting work by Tomo (strippers) and Mark Lewis (svengali). For people interesting in some strong effects with marked cards I know that Boris Wild has created a number of nice routines. I think we still need an expert on the one-way force deck! Any volenteres

From this discussion board I get the impression that its not possible to do magic with ordinary cards. I think the existence of all these trick cards and trick decks explains why I always get a huge responce when I perform with peoples own cards (when performing in non-professional setting like in parties etc for friends).

I think we're just having a rash of threads of this type at the moment, Soren, and you're noticing them more because of that. The thing to remember is that these are just tools in a much larger arsenal.

(If you want forcing decks, chapter 8 of m'lovely book covers programmable forcing decks. )

guess not then

TheGurkha wrote:erm... if this is not alowd, then please say, but could anyone PM me any tips on Marking a deck?

Look at your cards and have a think about it. There are books out there with this information in, but with some imagination you shouldn't really need them.

A noisy backed deck is much better for this, bikes are brilliant. Just have a think and remember that there are only two variables you need to think about, suit and value.

I came up with my own marking system which works brilliantly if I may say so myself.