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The ID is a parachute for mentalists, which is not to denigrate it. I think because of the nature of mentalism, it is nigh on impossible to develop new ideas, new psychological forces, new miracles, without something like the ID to fall back on.

I'm toying with getting or making one, but at the same time I kind of like the idea of pulling out a single card rather than the more suspicious complete pack of cards, so I may opt for a CI instead.

A CI? I know these acronyms are for those in the know, but if this was does not reveal anything about the effect, can someone tell me what it means?

Marvell wrote:A CI? I know these acronyms are for those in the know, but if this was does not reveal anything about the effect, can someone tell me what it means?

It's a xedni drac upon reflection

I see no reason to disguise this one, so here goes...

A Card Index (CI) is a system of holding individual playing cards in a know order, and separating them by a means to facilitate easy retrieval of any desired card without needing to see them.

I.e. a card index is a tactile indexing system, which can be accessed quickly and easily to bring out an accurately indexed playing card on demand.

Possible uses and example: Ask a spectator to name a single card. They do. You reach into your jacket, and instantly pull out the card they've named.

Yup - I bought one by mistake (the vendor's not mine) when trying to get hold of a copy of a booklet which had an article on Arthur Lloyd in it. The index itself was more expensive than the booklet, and I couldn't face the hassle of returning it, so cut my gains. I keep meaning to set it up in order to amuse my butchers, whose Saturday badinage is the highlight of my week.

"Guess what card I have got in my pocket?"
"The three of diamonds."
"Bing!"

i agree with your comments earlier in the thread seige, my suggestion that the ID is self working ignores the importance of presentation and also the relatively small elemment of skill required to find the only card turn upside down. no "sleights" are required which was my main point although i sometimes have fun suggesting sleights are in fact involved and my hand speed is just "too fast"...

in reference to Tomo's comments:

Tomo wrote:There's also the problem of revealing the face down card as you push the cards from one hand to the other.

I find letting the cards "fall" until you get near where you need to be works best, then "push a little" when necessary.

some people have also told me they find explaining why one card is upside down at one end of the deck can be a little awkard around "half" the time.

i prepare my ID deck as follows to overcome this. the "one card" turned upside down at the top (or bottom) of the deck is the joker. whether my presentation is done as a sleight, a mentalism trick of the mind or whatever, at some point the spec has to name a thought of card. i begin by saying "any card, not including the joker".

now, if you own an ID you will understand what i mean when i say that approx half the time i will simply need to do nothing further, while the other half of the time i simplysay, "OK, now let me get rid of the Joker..."

to ensure i dont get "surprised" i always load my ID in it's box with the joker's "back" corresponding to the bike side of the box. this ensures i always know where i am at.

I find the normal order (all cards even on one side) a bit problematic. In general no one notice, however a slightly more complicated system should still work, though the magician must of course make sure he/she fast can reliably decide what is up and what is down (if you see what I mean).

Personally I prefer the "impromptu" brainwave effect by Michael close (that uses a memeorsed deck) since this allows you to continue doing magic with the deck (utilising its intial state, and getting a deck switch for free).

In Derren browns book Pure effect he does what he calls a dressed up version of the ID That involves a person ringing a friend on the phone and then another person in the crowd guessing that card. Derren describes a routine around this with him using the deck at the end, Can't give to much detail here.

If you use the ID in that way then I would say yes to your question.

I can think of several of the mentalist effects that I do that could incorperate the ID.

A//

I think Mr_Grue summed it up that the ID is more a parachute than a first resort for mentalists. I've written somewhere before on the forum about how an ID is a perfect 'out' if things go pearshaped, and it's a quick and easy way to pull a potential faliure back to a potential miracle.

many things in magic can be given a mentalist "pitch" to them. even a TT, ie. changing grains of sugar into a sugar cube and back again... changing the structure of something in much the same way as one bends a spoon... with your "mind".

it really comes down to how it is presented. there are many clever "linguistic" ways to define these things but the bottom line is the presentation in most cases... not all but many and definately this applies to the I.D.