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This might be a bit daft, but I was wondering if there is any benefit in practicing with old cards? The reason being that I find it is more difficult to make things look natural, trickier to even shuffle smoothly etc. So I use the same cards intentionally so when I whip out a new deck it seems easier, you can be less precise. So it seems like a similar situation to the other thread regarding practicing with poker-sized cards if you would perform with bridge ones.
Does anyone else do this, is it actually a bad idea?

I wouldn't break out a new deck every time I have a practice, but I'm not going to use one which is too over used as then when it comes to perform for real there will be a difference in feel. Luckily though when I go out to work I will use a new deck for appearances so I'm not short of a few barely used decks.

I understand where you're coming from thinking the way you do. I mean in history armies used to practice with heavy wooden swords so that when they were in battle their normal swords would be lighter to them and easier to hack away with. This however doesn't work too well with cards. If you get too used to the cards being a little sticky, then you could have trouble with a new "slippery" deck.

I think that the best reason to practice with old cards is because you never know when a spectator is going to hand you an old beat up deck.
If all of your magic relies on doing perfect faro shuffles you should ask yourself whether or not you can do it with someone else's deck.
If all if your magic relies on simple sleight of hand tha isn't affected by the quality of the cards on the ther hand (such as a simple overhand shuffle control, or a DL etc) then you should be able to do it with any deck you are handed.

I like to make sure I've got something I can do with the most beat up incomplete decks just n case that's what Im Handed.
Of course if you only ever perform professionally then You decide which cards you use, but if you perform socially then you never know what situation you'll be performing in.

However I've heard of legendary card handlers who could do all of the difficult sleight of hand with battered old decks. So they must have practiced with cards in any condition. I've heard that Martin Nash could do a perfect faro with any deck you handed him. That's something I'd like to have seen. I'd have given him a deck of waddingtons...

The main reason I use old cards, is for something that's gonna ruin the cards, such as practising the Mercury Fold, Torn an Restored routines and Card Warp (Roy Walton) ..... i.e. basically anything that involves bending or tearing the cards

FTHO wrote:I think that the best reason to practice with old cards is because you never know when a spectator is going to hand you an old beat up deck.
If all of your magic relies on doing perfect faro shuffles you should ask yourself whether or not you can do it with someone else's deck.
If all if your magic relies on simple sleight of hand tha isn't affected by the quality of the cards on the ther hand (such as a simple overhand shuffle control, or a DL etc) then you should be able to do it with any deck you are handed.

I like to make sure I've got something I can do with the most beat up incomplete decks just n case that's what Im Handed.
Of course if you only ever perform professionally then You decide which cards you use, but if you perform socially then you never know what situation you'll be performing in.

However I've heard of legendary card handlers who could do all of the difficult sleight of hand with battered old decks. So they must have practiced with cards in any condition. I've heard that Martin Nash could do a perfect faro with any deck you handed him. That's something I'd like to have seen. I'd have given him a deck of waddingtons...

Thanks for all the replies. You raise a good point when using other people's cards, I think it would be worth a bit of practice just for this. However as I was a muggle just a short while ago, I find it useful just to practice injogging (without looking) etc with the overhand shuffle using sticky cards. It means I have to be far more precise with my left thumb (being right-handed) and it makes using new cards a dream. So I thought I could practice mostly with the sticky cards and use the new cards for performances so everything is just a tad neater?
Although I did give myself my first blister over the weekend, I didn't expect that...

I think there is definitely some benefit to be had by practising with old cards, worn decks, etc. I do it all the time, and when you then get hold of a fresh deck, everything seems so much lighter, smoother, cleaner, etc. I think the advantage is as much a psychological one, as it is anything else, but an advantage nontheless.

I do a similar thing when I'm training on my bike, sometimes I'll put older, heavier tyers on my bike and run them at a lower psi, then when I put my faster ones on and put it at max psi, you feel almost as if someone has given you a push from behind, lol.

just a little tip i play with old cards and i find they clump together so if u leave them in the frige over night and then leave them for a few hours out a few modlues or shuffles later there smooth again and u can get more life out of them

tommy tanka wrote:just a little tip i play with old cards and i find they clump together so if u leave them in the frige over night and then leave them for a few hours out a few modlues or shuffles later there smooth again and u can get more life out of them

Not a good idea, what you really want to do is get yourself some sillica gel packets and stick one in the case with the deck for a few hours with a old deck, the old deck should end up being back to it's original feeling again.

Never tryed that the fridge does it for me why not the fridge does it have a bad effect on the deck but will try what you said .

I don't have a choice unfortunately as I work on a boat and frequently have dirty hands so to save me going through a pack a week when I'm sat around I practice with a well worn pack and they become very sticky. I just get a few cheapo packs from whsmith at the airport and go through one every couple of weeks or so. The main problem I have is when I get inside with my new pack of bicycles I sometimes stuggle to keep hold of them as they are that slippy. I'm trying to practice with old and new ones as much as I can though.

Unfortunatly new card will be slippy the best advise I can give u is to tilt your grip with the cards and berry the deck deep into ur dealers grip aka macinic grip to stop the top half from sliding I find a good few shuffles ease the new deck to a moderate non slippy standed

Old cards are nice to keep. Some may be used to make your own gaffs. Some are great to use for manipulation practice.
as with any cards kep them away from humidity and clean them by rubbing them with freash bread.