Best Think of a Card Plot

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flynn
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Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby flynn » March 23rd, 2008, 10:05 pm

I want to know which Mentalist you think has the best "think of a card" routine. It would be great, and helpful, if i could get some input on this. Thanks.

David Alexander
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby David Alexander » March 24th, 2008, 12:19 am

Tom Baxter wrote the definitive work on "Think of a Card." It was available as an ebook for a short time and has now been withdrawn.

Having seen him actually perform the effect under a variety of conditions, including walk-around, I'd say the answer to your question is Tom. No one else that I've seen comes close to his level.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby flynn » March 25th, 2008, 12:17 am

I'll have to look into that.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Danny Archer » March 28th, 2008, 4:52 pm

[size:14pt]Garrett Thomas does a routine that starts with a full deck... then if they think of a red card, all the black cards vanish... then they think of say a club, and all the spades vanish... they think of say the 7C and all the rest of the cards vanish and he is holding the 7C...[/size]
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Leonard Hevia » March 28th, 2008, 6:18 pm

That's interesting Danny. Is Garrett Thomas' routine on the market as an effect or published somewhere?

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby flynn » March 31st, 2008, 9:02 pm

I use to use Osterlinds stack think of a card where the spectator handles the deck until a spectator didn't handle the cards like they're suppose to. I'm looking for a rising think of a card that I heard someone once performed. Not sure who the performer was though.

erlandish
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby erlandish » April 1st, 2008, 12:17 am

I was out the other night and a guy was armed with his deck in Mnemonica order. He substituted what would have been pick-a-card tricks with name-a-card tricks, including Triumph. It was pretty impressive how he was able to get to the effect a lot quicker.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Leonard Hevia » April 2nd, 2008, 7:05 pm

Flynn, it's not that hard to rise a thought of card. Simply follow Tom Baxter's method, or Derek Dingle's for that matter, and rise the card you believe is the target. If it is not the card, proceed with your "Out" for this effect. The Fred Robinson/Krenzel pinky card rise method does the trick nicely.

That is a clever approach, Erlandish, but this gentleman performed name-a-card effects--not-think-of-a-card.

Finally, Danny Archer never responded to my inquiry--no matter--the Garrett Thomas routine is most likely the one on his third L&L DVD. According to Dustin Stinnet in his Genii review, Mr. Thomas weakens this effect with his embellishments. Onward... (With apologies to Racherbaumer)

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Richard Kaufman » April 2nd, 2008, 9:28 pm

The Dingle handling is nearly perfect--it's not a force, but you have to practice it a lot on laymen before you'll start hitting it. Until then, you'll have to make do using outs. But it's a miracle, either way.
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Joe Pecore
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Joe Pecore » April 2nd, 2008, 9:35 pm

Paul Harris has an impromptu "think of a card" in Art of Astonishment Volume 1.
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby peculiarone » April 3rd, 2008, 12:42 pm

There is always Roger Crosthwaite's book Roger's Thesaraus.
He has an entire chapter on think a card. I sat with Roger once in the Derby hotel having coffee and saw him fry the waiter with his think a card. The card the waiter 'thought of' wound up in the previously empty card box. There was no pumping for info. Roger told me he has been doing this so long that he just 'knows' what card the spec looked at!

I was sitting 3 feet from him and saw nothing.

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Doug Conn
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Doug Conn » April 4th, 2008, 10:17 am

If you're gonna do 'name a card'

The (gaffed) Ultra Mental / Invisible deck
is the best/practical/commercial method (duh)
Nothing comes close

For 'true' think a card methods (non Gaffed)
I suggest:
Bob Hummer's "Mind Readers Dream"
and/or Marlo's (related) "Mental Topper" (MINT)
or
... if you're lucky enough to own it...
check Racherbaumer's Cardfixes for "Topping Mental Topper"

Bob Farmer's Tsunami is also top notch

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Leonard Hevia » April 4th, 2008, 5:59 pm

I also agree with Richard that Dingle's method from The Complete Works is top notch. Jon Racherbaumer wrote a fine treatise on this effect in Antinomy.

The Marlo and Hummer versions sound very interesting. Is the Marlo version in the 1st or 2nd M.I.N.T. ?

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby flynn » February 22nd, 2009, 8:48 pm

What do you guys think of "out of sight out of mind" by Vernon?

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Richard Kaufman » February 23rd, 2009, 12:26 am

Everyone thinks Vernon's "Out of Sight, Out of Mind" is a well-deserved classic. A killer in anyone's repertoire.

Having just spent some time with David Berglas, I feel compelled to say that the item of Dingle's I published owes a great debt to Berglas's "Think a Card" work. Too bad I didn't know it at the time.
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby flynn » February 23rd, 2009, 4:03 am

I'm undecided wether to get Rogers Thesaurus or Complete works of Derek Dingle. I'm considering purchasing one of these books only because I'm looking for a think a card trick and thes books are mention more than others here and at the cafe. Pros and cons so far is that for Rogers he has a whole chapter dedicated for think a card and for Dingles it has coin material in it also and it gets mention as being one of the best magic books around. And for the cons I hear that DD's book is a magic for magician book and the cons for Rogers is that it never gets a mention for being a good card book. Did the big name contributors to Rogers book not give good material?

I want to know from the people familiar with both books which one has the better think a card for laymen you think? If they're equal in your opinion I'm getting Dingles book. I'm not made of money, got bills to pay like everybody, just trying to decide on which book to get.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Darryl Harris » February 23rd, 2009, 5:28 am

Dingle
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Act with integrity
No regrets

Doc Dixon
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Doc Dixon » February 23rd, 2009, 9:18 am

Flynn,

At the risk of seeming painfully self-promotional, if you're interested in think of a card effects, you may wish to look into the effect "Double Duty" described here http://www.dixonmagic.com/page3/page3.html

It's very clean. There's no fishing. The performer is always right. Best of all, the method has a certain guilty pleasure aspect to it.

Best,

DD

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby PMS » December 26th, 2009, 7:47 pm

I saw an interesting review by Peter Duffie on the magic cafe regarding a think of a card effect called the dream deck.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Jonathan Townsend » December 26th, 2009, 10:28 pm

Do we have a link or reference for the Garrett Thomas item?
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flynn
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby flynn » December 27th, 2009, 12:26 am

Thanks for the info PMS

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Paul Gordon » December 27th, 2009, 4:08 am

Roger Crosthwaite's BEST Think-A-Card stuff is in ARCARDIA (Anthony Brahams' Cairn Press.) I've seen Roger do this stuff hundreds of times. He fans the deck (a regular shuffled deck) in front of the spec. They think of a card. He turns the fan toward himself...and names it! It's that direct!!!! Paul Gordon
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Michel Andenmatten
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Michel Andenmatten » December 27th, 2009, 9:53 am

Armando Lucero's "Empanada" routine is another excellent think-of-a-card effect

PMS
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby PMS » December 31st, 2009, 7:42 pm

Flynn,
I found it here: http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view ... &forum=109
Hope this helps.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Leonard Hevia » January 1st, 2010, 1:31 pm

Hi Jonathan, the Garrett Thomas item is on volume 3 of L&L's Inside the Mind of Garrett Thomas DVDs. It's called "Look a Card."

I haven't followed up this because Dustin Stinett wasn't impressed by it when he reviewed these discs in Genii. If you follow up on it, I'd like to know your thoughts.

The Tom Baxter PDF on this effect is outstanding.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Jonathan Townsend » January 1st, 2010, 4:18 pm

Thanks Leonard.

Someone showed me a cute use of the Hull type packs and a gaff to make the color changing pack and svengali pack effects play as if the pack all changes to match a though of card with the side effect that the pack changes color. Very cute. Add that to the other oldie using a Himber wallet ( now a card case ) to effect a card change - and a few winners IMHO.

Hofzinser's everywhere and nowhere - and his wildcard and his ard "recalled or forgotten" are high on my list too (add the blank card kickers ;) )

:) Happy New Year

-Jon
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Leonard Hevia
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Leonard Hevia » January 1st, 2010, 5:51 pm

The Dream Deck looks very interesting.

Happy New Year to you too. :)

Justin Wheatley
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Justin Wheatley » January 2nd, 2010, 2:20 am

Flynn,
While the Dingle book is a fantastic must-have for any magician (and his think-a-card method very good), if you're basing your decision on think-a-card alone, your better bet will be Roger's Thesaurus. Besides being an amazing book with excellent material, the chapter on Think-a-Card is hands down one the most in-depth treaties on the subject ever committed to print.

Also, I second looking into the Antimony issue. Racherbaumer has done some extensive research, and supplies excellent techniques to boot.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby flynn » January 2nd, 2010, 1:13 pm

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I been practicing Dingle's method and its not as hard as I thought when I first read it. So far I missed it maybe only like 2 times. I also been using John Kennedys deck and Potassy's set up. Im still waiting for an email response to see where the Dream Deck comes from before I get it.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Prasanth India » January 5th, 2010, 6:30 am

I have developed one method and it goes like this

1 Magician spreads an ordinary deck to 4 people one by one and each mentally select a card
2 Magician take the deck to his back and arrange some cards
3 then gives the deck to first person
4 Only after hand over the deck magician ask him to tell the thought of card
5 And asks him to mentally spell the thought of card and to shift one card from top to bottom for each letter and he gets his thought of card
(Fourth step is not really necessary if you are sure that they can spell and shift the card correctly)

Magician take the deck back from first spectator and repeat step 2,4 & 5 with other 3 spectators one bye one

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Jonathan Townsend » January 5th, 2010, 10:35 am

what does a vague sense of the effect have to do with the method used in performance?
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Jack Shalom » January 5th, 2010, 4:17 pm

More direct to use the Aronson stack, fan the cards, spectator mentally chooses, perhaps a false shuffle, then spells down to the card. About as easy as it gets, but of course the spelling thing takes away form the purity of the original idea.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Leonard Hevia » January 6th, 2010, 8:29 pm

Armando Lucero's "Empanada" is unbelievable--and unbelievably difficult to do well. You need at least three years of advanced card handling experience to sign up for his lecture.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Nathan Muir » January 7th, 2010, 5:39 am

Leonard Hevia wrote:Armando Lucero's "Empanada" is unbelievable--and unbelievably difficult to do well. You need at least three years of advanced card handling experience to sign up for his lecture.


I disagree. It's not nearly as difficult as you imagine and frankly, does not live up to the hype attributed to it by clueless amateur magicians. To an experienced, skilled, card magician the method is opaque and not especially original.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Justin Wheatley » January 7th, 2010, 12:42 pm

I think the key phrase in Mr Helvia's post is "difficult to do well."
I've only seen video of Mr. Lucero performance, but he performs it very well, and makes the effect clearer than it would be in lesser hands.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Michel Andenmatten » January 7th, 2010, 1:13 pm

Tim Conover and Michael Vincent are among those whose favourable views of Empanada have been posted on Armando's website, http://armandolucero.com/commentary.html .

Michael Vincent, an experienced and skilled card magician, has repeatedly expressed his admiration for Armando's effect, for example here, http://www.themagiccafe.com/forums/view ... &forum=270 .
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Nathan Muir » January 7th, 2010, 4:46 pm

Of course, in my post above, I meant to write "transparent". I must have been tired - so thanks to the person who PM'd me.

I think it's an excellent trick, but I stand by what I wrote. It's not hugely difficult and the entire method is clear if you have any kind of knowledge - but there's a lot of hype surrounding it. That's to be expected considering it costs $1000 to learn it from Lucero.

I understand from friends that Michael Vincent does the effect beautifully - and perhaps better than Lucero.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 7th, 2010, 4:47 pm

$1000 to learn a card trick? You've got to be joking.
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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Nathan Muir » January 7th, 2010, 4:59 pm

Unfortunately - no.

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Re: Best Think of a Card Plot

Postby Steve Bryant » January 7th, 2010, 5:06 pm

A friend of mine took the class and enjoyed it. As I recall, there was an even larger fee ($2500) that covered Armando's Coin Menagerie (his version of Sympathetic Coins). My friend attended only the card portion. Check the course descriptions on Armando's web site.


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