Using Playing Cards in Mentalism.pdf

On the Use of Playing Cards in Mentalism

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On the Use of Playing Cards

in Mentalism

This is an opinion piece on a perennially controversial

topic. I’m not one of those who feels compelled to

convert others to my way of thinking, thus am merely

offering my opinions for your consideration. In fact, I

encourage you to disagree with my thesis, as it

reduces my competition!

I am writing here from the perspective of a mentalist,

not a magician doing what is commonly called

“mental magic”. Without wishing to become embroiled

in that other common controversy, I’ll define a mentalist here as an entertainer

who neither describes him/herself as a magician, nor explicitly disclaims his/her

performances as “trickery”.

Also, bear in mind that this essay refers specifically to traditional playing cards ,

not Zener (“ESP”) cards, Tarot cards, etc.

While playing cards were once ubiquitous in family homes, fewer and fewer

people under the age of 40 or so have much experience with them, except in a

gambling context. It’s not that uncommon to find audience members who don’t

know how to name them (the three of puppy feet?). So while the magician may

believe that they can be safely promoted as “52 common, easily-recognized

symbols”, a “regular” person wonders why — if you must use cards — you don’t

use a set with symbols (like a house, a tree, etc.) that truly are easily-

recognizable. Dealers catering to mentalists sell packs like these, so they’re

readily available. Picture postcards are another option, even more appropriate due

to their familiar nature. And most people find it more credible that someone could

“sense” a clearly-defined image than something as abstract as the nine of clubs.

In Playing Cards & Card Games in America , Laura Munley (Dept. of American

Studies, University of Maryland) reports:

Cards today are not nearly as popular as they once were. Although

people who lived in the “Era of Great Card-Playing” still play cards

today, card playing has truly lost its thrill. When one walks past a

school during recess and recreation time, one doesn’t see children

playing cards with one another. From time to time, children can be

found playing with a deck of Old Maid or Uno cards, but nowadays,

cards don’t appeal to children. Adults have somewhat lost the love of

cards. As a college student, I don’t know anybody who regularly

plays cards. I asked my family members and friends the same

question. “Do you know anyone who plays cards regularly?” I received

some “grandparents”, but for the most part, every answer was “no”.

A 1998 Harris poll showed that only 1% of the population listed playing cards as

http://www.deceptionary.com/aboutcards.html

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On the Use of Playing Cards in Mentalism

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one of their “three favorite leisure time activities”. This was down from 3% in

1995 (a more than 60% decline in this three-year period alone). And it includes

the total population, not just those under 40.

A 1999 study by Harvard sociologist Robert Putnam showed that the use of

playing cards in America was declining by 10% annually. Professor Putnam only

half-jokingly remarked that “the last card will be played in America in 2010”. So

there’s real, objective evidence that playing card usage is decreasing

dramatically. Hand in hand with this decline goes, I argue, their suitability for

contemporary mentalism.

It’s certainly wise these days, when asking for volunteers to assist in a card

effect, to ask specifically for people who play cards, or are at least familiar with

the names of the cards; doing otherwise can easily result in unexpected problems.

Audiences, when viewing magicians (even if mental effects are being performed),

do so in an associated context... it is their expectation that they will be fooled

(and, one hopes, entertained) by clever tricks/illusions. Certainly, some will

believe “mind reading”... but then some will assume dematerialization when they

see “cards across”, and some will assume Satanism when they see any magical

effect. Most, however, will assume trickery.

Contemporary magical fashion places a huge emphasis on the use of playing

cards (there are likely more published items on this topic than all other conjuring

subjects combined). Consequently, for better or worse, there exists a strong

association between magicians and card tricks. One of my performance goals (as

a mentalist) is to disassociate myself from magicians and their trappings, which is

why I choose to make minimal use of playing cards.

Entertainers who work for corporate audiences in particular know that if you

introduce a pack of playing cards in such a venue, especially in a context that

does not readily suggest their use, the association with magicians occurs to a

significant number of the viewers. This is detrimental to my ends.

Those audience members who are comfortably familiar with playing cards

generally associate them with one or more of the following:

1. gambling (e.g., Poker, Blackjack)

2. game playing (e.g., Bridge, Rummy)

3. magicians (“Take a card, any card!”)

4. fortune telling (in some cultures, though in North America

it’s mostly Tarot cards that are viewed in this fashion)

So, as an entertainer, I must decide which of these contexts is appropriate to the

effect I wish to perform, and determine how I will ensure that the audience views

the performance solely in that context. This is not simple, and is compounded by

the fact that, in any context, playing cards are generally viewed as rather

frivolous objects. It was not for nothing that Derren Brown observed (in his book,

Absolute Magic ) that “The sight of cards is not conducive to magic that claims to

transcend the ordinary.”

http://www.deceptionary.com/aboutcards.html

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On the Use of Playing Cards in Mentalism

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As for impromptu and walk-around work, why would a mind reader be carrying

around a pack of playing cards (as opposed to, say, a pocket chess set)?

In the early years of the Psychic Entertainers Association , we ran a couple of

workshops where we interviewed audience members following a series of

performances by several of our more accomplished members. Almost without

exception, they described demonstrations that involved playing cards as “card

tricks”. Audiences are not nearly so naive as some choose to believe.

None of the above should be construed as an admonition never to use playing

cards. On the (I would hope) rare occasions when one does, however, the

accompanying presentations should be informed by the considerations discussed

here. (Those who have my Mindsights book can look up the only playing card

effect therein, and see how its presentation warrants their use.) It is not at all

unreasonable for a mentalist to display skill at gambling, or “card memory”, for

example, and playing cards are not incongruous in such a demonstration.

That said, it is wise to remember this: when you stand in front of an audience

doing amazing things with playing cards, they’re very apt to remember previous

entertainers whom they’ve seen do amazing things with playing cards... and odds

are that your predecessors were magicians!

... Doug Dyment

http://www.deceptionary.com/aboutcards.html

5/28/05

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