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Not wanting to reveal the deck here, or anything like that, but I have modified the idea of the ID, by making the deck all face down, apart from their chosen card - its been made up by the idea of a brainwave deck - but I personally think that it works better when all card are face down except theirs

Just thought I would share my idea, as (as I figured out the other night) it packs equal, or in some case more of a punch than the standard ID

Dan
aka trev

Never had problems with my ID...always thought that if it ain't broke don't fix it.....but in my regular restaurant work you occasionally get a table that has been in before....and they will say something about "you memorized the order of the cards and knew where it was so you could turn it under cover of the deck"

That is what makes the b'wave such a great tool as it is the same premise - more or less - and eliminates the sleight of hand and memorization explanation that people come up with. Having said that, I do like your idea of simply doing the "invisible brainwave deck" if that is what we can call it.....as it seems to cover a little bit of both. It may be a little redundant but can see the merits of it.

Oddly enough you'd think that the Brainwave would pack a harder punch than an ID but I've never had much difference in terms of reaction. Darwin Ortiz says this is because of the inherent drama of a card being face down before being revealed, you get a few seconds of baited breath before revealing it (it could be wrong after all) and this tension/relief creates a more powerful effect. Personally I have a minor obsession with showing that one card is reversed before it's named which has made for some interesting thinking.

Good effort with the BrainID anyway, let us know how you get on.

It's possible to debate the pros and cons of the Brainwave v the ID (or vice versa) for a heck of a long time, some have a preference for one, some the other (personally, it's the Brainwave everytime) neither is right or wrong and, quite frankly, the lasting result on the lay spectator is the same, their card the other way round to all the others.

Anyway, I don't quite understand what is meant by this 'new reversed ID' - all the cards except the named one face down is the Brainwave, I'm missing the point over what's new. Could someone enlighten me cos I don't get it.

Ta!

Dai Vernon (ugh) once had a debate, I can't figure out who it was with. I read it somewhere. Anyway it was about which will be a better revelation. When you turn the spectators card over. Do you flip it over so it is revealed to the spectator first or flip it so it is toward the yourself first? In the end it was most assuredly just a waste of words. The spectator will react to you rather then the cards.

If the card appears face down is interesting because there is the element of perhaps it is not the card. Although I think most will assume it is. I like the idea of the card being face down in a face up deck provided the spectator can remove the card themselves that way you are introducing a tactile element into the effect.

hey wicked witch - what i mean is, it is the brainwave deck, but I made it myself, using all red cards - in other word, its the exact same effect as the ID (in the way that you tell a story of an ID and their one card is turned over in the real deck) yet it is shown in the same way the brainwave deck is (all cards face down, excpet their card - which is face p in the deck. With the brainwave, there is an added bonus, in the fact that their card is different, but I do not like this idea, due to the box colour and the deck of cards)

Cheers for all the replys and stuff

Dan,
aka trev

are yes the single colored brainwave deck, once made one from a marked deck, made finding there card a breeze.
also had a version of a single colour brainwave from a specialist which had a black x as a final kicker, lots of fun.

So it's made from one pack rather than half of two different packs (I got one of those somewhere). Gotcha! Now it all makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up.

So it's made from one pack rather than half of two different packs (I got one of those somewhere). Gotcha! Now it all makes sense. Thanks for clearing that up.

I'm not convinced that's an improvement... I mean, if it works for you, great, and thanks for sharing, but there are two major "cons" as I see it...

1) I think showing their card face down first is stronger. It allows for that "no way, no way!" moment, rather than just thumbing through the deck and saying "hopefully we'll run into one face up card - oh look, there is is". Even if you just let them react to it when it turns up, that's it, that's everything you've got to work with. I'd much rather go through a face up deck and let a thousand thoughts run through their head before the card is revealed... try to imagine seeing the I.D. for the first time and be honest with yourself about which would be better, stumbling across your face up card (hence, the climax is immediately revealed in a slightly non-descript way) or seeing one card faced down in a face up deck... "is it my card... it can't be my card, it's a gag... no... oh, it is, isn't it?! No, it can't be..." etc - far more powerful IMHO.

2) Secondly (and I think this is a big one) - the work!!!! For the minor difference that makes, you now have to perfectly count cards, or mark the deck or something!

I'm sorry, but that is not a logical change for the performer. A more involved/risky method for a briefer and less anticipatory climax...

P.S. The black X version is a Sankey idea, it's good, I use it. It combines the benefit of the face down card with the impossibility of an "altered" card in some ways, ie. the best of both worlds in terms of I.D. and brainwave.

P.P.S. I've just thought of a 3rd con to this "improvement"... with the reg'lar I.D., there are two beats to the reveal... "bumf... a card is phase up in the deck! (anticipation...) and... it's... bam! your card! wow!" (Applause, offbeat, well-defined end to trick). Compare this version - "da da! Your card is face up in a face down deck! ... er... great... end of trick... that's all folks" = weird anti-climax plus opportunity for them to ask to examine the deck.
Whereas the regular brainwave goes "bumf... your card is face up in the deck! Wow! But, there's more... bam! It's a different colour back!" I hope my bumf/bam explanation isn't too obscure; put simply, there are two moments of magic in the regular versions which spreads the effect and creates a better finis on which to pocket the deck, compared to this version which ends abruptly and I think begs the response "wow! Can I look at the deck?"

Essay over

Very valid points and, if one thumbs through the Brainwave deck, I fully agree. The way I do it is a one handed fan and I can go almost instantly to the chosen card, giving the impression that it just appears there. If you need to thumb through the deck then the ID version probably has a slightly better impact. If you can go straight to the card then the visuals are, I feel, a lot stronger with the BW as the contrast of the chosen card against all the back designs is higher over one face down and the jumble of all the different faces.

Each to their own though and I'm sure the spectators recall it the same regardless of which version they saw!