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For most card tricks, you have to arrange the deck in a certian way, or know what a certian key card is (i.e. bottom card) etc.

My question is, how do you go from one trick to the next, without the spectator seeing you arrange the deck? My obvious solution for this was to carry (but identical) different decks around.

The only problem now, is wouldn't it look suspicious if I always put the deck in my coat pocket, then take it out again, before trying the next trick?

Any thoughts?

First, I have to disagree with your first comment. There are THOUSANDS of card tricks you can do that are completely impromptu. Take a gander at a number of different books and/or dvd's

Michael Ammar's Easy to Master Card Miracles
Born to Perform

Card College (Vol. 1-5) - books
Royal Road to Card Magic

Just a few of the items a person starting out in card magic should have in their library. From these sources you can learn TONS of card tricks that are off the cuff and don't require set-ups.

Now, to answer your question: I often have a few effects that require the deck be set a certain way. To make this convincing and workable - I plan out what effects I am going to do. The best way to do this, is to find a few tricks that can be linked together (ie - 4 ace production, twisting the aces, daley's last trick) these three tricks involve the aces, so they work seamlessly from one to the next.

With that in mind, I figure out which effects are best performed in succession, and if any stacking or prep work is needed, I figure out how to place ALL of the cards in the necessary position(s) and I'm ready to go. I perform my arranged effects first, breaking up my preparations as I go, then once I'm done, I go into impromptu card effects.

I hope this helps.

Also learn how do to a decent "Spread Cull" so you can set up cards in between effects

CONTROL

Thats all it takes.

Also remember that when you have the deck stacked as you want (see Demitri's post up there) you can then maintain the order of the deck with false shuffles and cuts.

A few false riffle shuffles and people will be convinced the deck is completely mixed up.

Nightmare,

1) I've found that you can do a fair amount of arranging during an improptu display, make it look like you're just absent-mindedly fiddling with the cards and cover it with some patter.

2) Have your "lovely assistant" arrange them for you. My wife knows how the pack should be ordered for a couple of tricks, sometimes she innocently plays with the deck and then suggests that I do "that Aces trick" or something.

3) A little bit costly... do a trick and then give the pack to the spec as a "memento" you then have a good reason to get a new deck out of your pocket.

I really dont think there is much of a reason for stacked desks .... infact i dont think i have a single trick in my routine that requires a stacked deck.

Rob

As far as linking tricks together - I found a link that I like. It uses a trick called "twins" (it's an impromptu single-phase version of the rainbow deck effect using a standard deck if anyone is familiar with that), which results with two pairs being found from the deck in an interesting way, then rather than hunting for the aces, I use those four cards - the two pairs - to perform the Last Trick Of Dr. Daley. The thing I like about it is if anyone has seen me do the two tricks together before then they can note that it uses different cards everytime so a gimmick is out of the question.

SirRawlins wrote:I really dont think there is much of a reason for stacked desks .... infact i dont think i have a single trick in my routine that requires a stacked deck.

Good for you, but if you had the deck stacked, you could use that property, or go into an unstacked deck routine.

So, it's exactly like an unstacked deck, but with some extra properties.

There are lots of reasons to use one. In my opinion, if they were/are good for Chan Canasta, Larry Becker, Richard Osterlind, Simon Aronson and Juan Tamariz, they're good enough for me.

I used to think much like rob in the previous post. I hated stacked decks, but I found they can be useful for a few really good tricks. The only thing is, unlike someone said before, I don't want to start out with stacked deck routienes. Why? Because the whole point of a stacked deck is to do a trick that is amazingly impossible. So I figured if I am going to use stacked decks, I am only going to do the best stacked deck tricks I can think of. But why would I start strong, and then go weak? I now have a very seemless way of switching decks that I have done for a few magician buddies of mine and they have yet to even notice it happen. (It is an adaptation of a move derren brown does on devils picturebook). I wont give that one away. But Ill tell you what I did before.

I usually ended the set with a couple of good stacked deck tricks all from the same stack, or 1 really amazing one that destroyed the stack. So what I would do is I would climax with my best impromptu deck trick and then gather the deck up and put it away and then, either as they asked me to do another, "encore" ect, I would bring it out, or if I wanted to continue and I had their attention but no one outwardly asked for it I would put it up and start to pretend to end the "show", then say "oh hey, I do have another good trick I just remembered... I could show you that if you like" then remove the deck.

I do have other switching techniques but I dont think you are supposed to disclose moves and sleights here. Not sure. So PM me and I will give you some ideas to work with.

SirRawlins wrote:I really dont think there is much of a reason for stacked desks .... infact i dont think i have a single trick in my routine that requires a stacked deck.

Rob

Stacks are amazing. If you've ever seen Lennart Green, you'd change your mind about stacks. His FISM act is amazing, and he uses a stack.

I think the bottom line is........you should work on having a good blend of "stacked" deck tricks, and "impromptu" deck tricks. In my opinion this is a great place to start. From there, you will find that you are able to begin some basic culling, stacking, shuffling, cotrolloing, etc......in between tricks to move into another "stacked" trick" I would say that learning a few "impromptu" tricks, will take the heat off of your need to stack the deck........when you are convincing enough in your "impromptu" you will be amazed at what you can do infront of a specs eyes without them suspecting deck tampering!

If you need to get cards, do a trick where you go looking for there card, and arrange the cards the way you want and say things like "No, that can't be it" and so on or whatever you feel. Then reveal it in your favourite and/or funniest method (Trick Switch by Ellusionist for me) then Bob's your Auntie!