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I was wondering, if I should get one of those Card Guards (sold at magicwarehouse etc) to keep a trick deck in a mint condition at all times. How do you guys keep your trick decks? Any experience on seeing a deck warping/bending when it'd been left to itself?

I don't think I'd afford $6 (about three quid?) for every single trick deck I buy, but if extreme bending is the case I might have to consider getting them.

Would placing something heavy (like a dictionary) on top of the deck(s) not help?

dont treat them any differently to your normal decks, if your other decks are warped, then you swith for a pristene deck, something doesnt quite look right!

I just keep all my decks in a photographers case in rows, and they will all look the same when swithing be keeping your decks normally

I also keep my decks in a photographers case in rows when they are not in use.

When I'm working with decks I always keep them in jacket pockets and avoid keeping them in trouser pockets. My reasoning is that the jacket is a much looser garment than a pair of trousers and if you sit down then decks are far more likely to start bending backwards and forewards, and therefore begin to warp if in your trouser pocket.

You don't want to be moving too many decks around from pocket to pocket so a jacket suits me better. Of course, this is my own preference and I'm sure many won't care or think that this approach is obsessive.

But you did ask!

Also, if they are in your trouser pocket they are directly against your body (well, legs) which means if you get very warm the heat from your legs goes into the cards and makes them very, sort of soft and not very rigid.

Keeping them in your jacket pockets will avoid that.

Ah - so I'm not the only one

I don't o_0. I only ever use one trick deck - the Invisible - and I just treat it like a normal deck of cards. It goes in the card case, in the nearest available pocket . I haven't had any problems with it warping yet!

Again, I'm a Yank over here in the good ol' US of A, so I'm not sure we're talking about the same thing.

What I have is basicallya rigid piece of metal that you can slide a card case into tightly.

I grew up in Tucson, Arizona. In the summertime, it can reach 120 degrees Farenheit--inthe car, where my cards were sometimes left, temps can rach upwards of 250 degrees.

Inthis environment, this metal "case" was a necessity, and pretty commonplace out here in the Western USA.

In addition to preventing warping, I feel that it adds to the professional appearance of your performance--I evenmake a joke of it:

"A lot of magicians are geeks. What I have here is a card protector--it keeps my cards from getting warped. This is something that only matters to geeks."

B!

Best line I ever heard was, 'A metal case keeps the cards from getting warped. Shame they don't make one for magicians'.

Mandrake wrote:Best line I ever heard was, 'A metal case keeps the cards from getting warped. Shame they don't make one for magicians'.

Nice one Mandrake!

In certain crowds, I use the line "This metal case keeps my deck hard and straight. without it, it tends to bend to the left."

Slightly new angle - how do you make your gimmicked decks discernable from the normals?
Obviously you can't go examining each deck prior to use!
My method relates to the sticker-seal on the back of all Bicycle decks.
Normal decks I break the seal and leave the two portions one on the back, one on the "lip" of the flap.
Gimmicks I peel the 1/2 sticker left on the back and put it on the "lip" so it is inside the box when the flap is down.
Which specific gimmicked deck it is relates to the position of the stickers relative to one another left to right - this is very easy to see if you are just covering 3/4 possible alternatives (i.e. different for Svengali, stripper & brainwave etc.)
May sound daft, but they are all subtly but instantly observably different.
Can be very handy.
(e.g. someone accuses you of using a dodgy deck, you counter by picking another deck out and without any thinking or fumbling you can commence a new effect knowing which deck you have selected).
Just a thought....

When I need to distinguish between two decks, I just keep them in different pockets. I never have more than 2 decks with me (Invisible and normal), and I just always have the Invisible in my right pocket.

Kati

I simply put a paper sleeve round my decks in my case, which tells me the name of the effect. When i perform, i have designated pockets for each type of deck i will use. For example i will keep my ID in my top pocket, my Matchbox deck in my inside pocket and keep normal decks in my outside pockets.

As i said before, dont treat gimmicked decks any differently to your other decks.

lol I drop all my decks in a Ziploc baggie. It's my ghetto "bag 'o tricks."

and katri I do the same thing. Except in the pocket I keep my normal deck (normal with doubles of course,) I also keep a svengali. The normal deck I keep in there with the top facing up, the svengali is upside down.

lol , my trick decks are just in old card boxes ,
by the way imho dont try this , the decks are realy messed up
i dont use trick decks anymore :s only brainwave