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Like so many of you, I have bought several gaffed decks throughout the years. I have also several regular decks with a certein set-up, ready for a specific trick. My problem is actually that when I put the decks away for a while, I don't know which is which and I have problems picking a deck, knowing exactly which deck it is, without opening it and checking, but you don't do that in front of a layman.

How do you "mark" your decks and keep them in order, which is which?

I hinted a while back in a thread about opening new decks that the label is very useful in this - even the stickiness the label leaves behind Plus you can code the decks by storing them in different parts of your jacket. I started looking at this after pulling out a carefully Stebbinsed deck out to do a trick that would have destroyed the stack once.

In my storage box, I simply hold a piece of paper in place with an elastic band naming the deck.

I also code all my decks using the label. A bit torn off here, a bit torn off there, it's dead easy to do.

I awlays keep my gaffed decks in a section of my close up box in a specific order so know exactly what is what.
However on my way to a party last week it opened whilst being carried up the road and spilled it's contents onto the street.
Not what you want when you are on your way to your second pro gig ever.

Get a bit of masking tape and write down the name of the trick on it. Tap the tape on your trousers or skirt or whatever (your preference ) to lose some of the stickiness so that it doesn't rip off any ink. Stick it onto the box!

Steve

I use post-its! I even leave them on in my pocket in case im out and i forget what tricks the deck is setup for. They are easy to pull off in the pocket just by running your finger under the sticky bit. It looks like you just take the deck out of your pocket!

i simply write a word, (that I can associal to the trick, IE sleepyfor my ID, sleepy=hollow, hollow=invisible (hollowman)) on the pack, next to the barcode, and store all my decks in an old Cadbury's Fingers tin, barcode up, and only take out the decks i need. I obviously leave standard/un-gimmicked decks unmarked. any word that if the spec asks to look at the box, they wouldnt be able to figure the word out with the trick just shown, my boxes are starting to get a bit dog-eared anyway, and the words have smudged, but i still know which deck is which! and i have twelve of them! you'll find a meathod that suits (get it??) you. good luck

I think the labels are the most efficient way to do it. The shaping of the labels can clearly identify which deck is which. I have a different label for practice decks, performance deck, invisible decks, rising decks, brainwave decks, stacked decks, gaff decks, will soon have one for dream of aces set up.

bear in mind that you dont necessarily have to use the same cour label. I dont think a speccy is going to notice you using a white label on a blue backed deck.. or even care if you do!!

On a night out I will generally have two or three decks on me, all in red bicycle boxes all in my inside jacket pocket.

One will be in a new box, one will be in an slightly worn box and one will be in an even more worn box. This way I can remove them from my pocket by feel alone, and as far as anyone can see I only have one deck on me.

I use both the labels and slightly worn or dog eared edges and have also used post its. One very simple thing I have found works well for picking the right deck from a pocket in performance is, for example I have a regular deck and an ID in the same jacket pocket. I have the ID nearest my body. This puts it behind the regular deck making it more hidden or invisible....kinda. Well, you get my thinking. Whichever setup or gaff I am using will always be nearest me.

This is very interesting.
What I was referring to was, storing them in my cupboard (where I keep them stored). Actually, I decided not to say anything in the initial post, so I wouldn't affect the outcome, but I actually use post-its, that are a few millimeters narrower than the Poker box. I write the name of the gaff and sometimes hint words on how to operate, in case I don't use something for a long time. On the other hand I have a few decks set up for specific tricks, like I have one blue deck and one red deck set up for Dan Paulus's Blind Luck. They are strapped together with an elastic and actually when I take decks out to use them, sometimes I use different elastic bands around them to "mark" what is what and of course then I remove the Post-it and keep it in the cupboard with the other stored decks.

Hmmm...
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On my label I write a single tiny letter.
I=ID
B=Brainwave
A=Aces ontop etc...

I never carry that many gimmicked decks that I need a system to remember what they are.

When I store them, I've printed some labels fromn the PC which I wrap around the box and selotape one end of the label to the other end. A bit like putting a label on a tin of baked beans

When I go out to work, in one pocket I have a normal deck and and ID with the ID always being the one closest to my body inside of the pocket. The only other 2 decks I use are Kids Kards and the Stolen Deck, both great commercial effects but easy to tell apart as both boxes are different anyway.

If I need to set up a deck for a first effect then I set up the normal deck. I don't see the point in carrying a spare normal deck just because it has the aces on top.

D_Sharp wrote:On my label I write a single tiny letter.
I=ID
B=Brainwave
A=Aces ontop etc...

How do you know to pull the correct one out of your pocket during a performance, though?