Spectators Suspision of Bicycle Deck

Discuss your favorite close-up tricks and methods.
Waterman
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Spectators Suspision of Bicycle Deck

Postby Waterman » May 31st, 2014, 12:08 pm

I was watching a magician perform for the general public at a fundraising event. His close-up card set ended to a well deserved round of applause. While making my way to the bar I overheard two college aged spectators remarking on the magicians card routine. The question came up as to whether the deck was a "trick" deck, or a "regular" deck. One of their conclusions surprised me in that they felt that it could very well have been a trick deck. Both agreed that every magician they have seen uses the same brand of playing cards ( the deck that the performer was using happened to be the deck of choice by most magicians based on it's familiar appearance to the average spectator...Bicycle)and that perhaps the reason behind this was due to these decks being rigged specifically for the magicians to use in their acts... it was felt by both spectators that trick decks should be printed using different brands of playing cards thus alleviating suspicion from audiences who constantly see card tricks being done with the same style of decks.
I'm not implying for anyone who chooses Bikes as their deck of choice when performing for laypeople to reconsider their bikes for one of the hundreds of back design styles now available...I just though that it was an interesting perception on the spectators part.

brianarudolph
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Re: Specators Suspision of Bicycle Deck

Postby brianarudolph » May 31st, 2014, 1:47 pm

Spectators say the durnedest things, don't they?

Sounds like they were fooled badly and had to resort to the "trick deck" theory to give their troubled minds some semblance of a little peace - as if they wouldn't subject any brand of cards used by a magician to the same suspicion.

Spectators seeking to determine a card magician's methods are always going to suspect use of a trick deck - and sometimes they will actually be right. They may not know exactly how it's "tricked up" but many spectators are actually happy to leave it at that. As one rather obnoxious spectator (heaven forbid all attention was not on her for 5 minutes) said to me after watching my Out of this World with a regular deck: "I know how you did that - it's a trick!" and walked away completely satisfied that she had exposed me to the rest of the group watching.

Leonard Hevia
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Re: Specators Suspision of Bicycle Deck

Postby Leonard Hevia » May 31st, 2014, 3:02 pm

Interesting that our usual train of thought is to use Bicycles to allay suspicion instead of some strangely colored Tiger deck. This makes sense because most of the decks I see on supermarket and drugstore shelves are Bees and Bicycles. Spectators will sooner or later theorize about out magic. The human mind is compelled to solve a mystery. It's a feature, not a bug. Stand closely by a group of spectators after a magic performance and soon you will hear theories submitted for approval.

Years ago I performed Jim Swain's "Capitulating Queens" to a spectator who afterwards suspected extra cards in the packet. The D Turnovers and Elmsley Counts were clean but not enough to stop any theorizing. Packet tricks can be tricky if you can't prove you're holding four cards when you really have five or more. The Ascanio Spread suddenly becomes a move on the bucket list.

Recently I did the "Color Changing Knives" to a spectator who just kept nodding as the knives changed from red to white and vise versa. I knew he correctly suspected that one or more of the knives had a different color on each side. An understated, casual paddle move to prove the knife was red on both sides and the fellow did a double take. Subtle convincers are tools we can't afford to ignore.

This is Daniel
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Re: Spectators Suspision of Bicycle Deck

Postby This is Daniel » June 15th, 2014, 11:04 am

And you did nothing ? Shut them up ? LOL
For some reason spectators think that trick decks can do every kind of miracle.
I remember a friend of a friend of a friend (litterally lol), the only thing I did was fanning the deck and asked him to pick a card, he inmediatly said "It is a trick deck, they are magnet cards", luckily I was not using any kind of gimmick so I handed the deck for inspection.

Do "magnet cards" even exist ? LOL

This is Daniel
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Re: Specators Suspision of Bicycle Deck

Postby This is Daniel » June 15th, 2014, 11:27 am

brianarudolph wrote:As one rather obnoxious spectator (heaven forbid all attention was not on her for 5 minutes) said to me after watching my Out of this World with a regular deck: "I know how you did that - it's a trick!" and walked away completely satisfied that she had exposed me to the rest of the group watching.


Funny, the faces of your cards are probably screens you can change.

They just don't understand, trick deck or not, they don't know the amount of time we spend practising, the amount of money we spend on the best books with the best quality from the best magicians, they don't know... They think anyone can buy a "trick deck" and do any kind of miracle. Some people are just dumb, well, what can we do ?

"Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I' m not sure about the universe"
-Albert Einstein.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Spectators Suspision of Bicycle Deck

Postby Richard Kaufman » June 15th, 2014, 12:39 pm

"Some people are just dumb, well, what can we do ?"

With that attitude you might as well give up magic and start stamp collecting.
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Mag Ferran
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Re: Spectators Suspision of Bicycle Deck

Postby Mag Ferran » June 16th, 2014, 12:18 am

From my experiencience so that spectators do not think that your deck is gaffed is to give it to exam after and before the trick is done. Also I recommend to let spectators touch the cards used in the effect. That way they will remember that the cards has been in his hands and therefore not gaffed in any way.
Hic et Ubique

This is Daniel
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Re: Spectators Suspision of Bicycle Deck

Postby This is Daniel » June 18th, 2014, 4:08 pm

My actitude is always positive Richard, and well, maybe my post wasn't the best example.


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