What is a deck with a mark? Shh, tell no one. But magicians and mentalists indeed use labeled decks often. A marked deck is a deck on the back of the card with hidden markings, allowing you to recognize the value and the suit on the opposite hand, only by looking back at the card.
How would a marked deck function? There are two major types of marked decks that you can usually find commercially produced: reader systems and coded systems. Marked decks with reader systems are as you would expect: hidden in the back design somewhere, it can tell what the card is if you know where to look. To show the cards’ importance and fit, marked decks with coded systems depend on using other codes or clues. A clock face disguised on the back of the card, for instance, could have a dot in the position corresponding to the card number.
When do you use a deck with a mark? Do not presume that all card magic now that you know about marked decks relies on a “marked deck” or some other “trick deck.” Far from it! The majority of card magic depends on sheer hand sleight, card handling ability, and a healthy dose of misdirection and showmanship. But just like a mechanic is going to have a toolbox of various instruments, so there are times when a marked deck is exactly the tool a magician wants. It can certainly be used to perform miracles’ that with an ordinary deck you can not achieve.
Don’t even think about using a marked deck for card games, mainly when playing for money! Here’s a word of advice to the wise: if you’re cheating, a social game gets ruined, and you’ll spoil the fun for yourself and others. In a gambling game, it’s even harder to do so because it’s really a way of cheating – and inevitably, it’s going to catch up with you, and you’re going to get caught. But it’s an excellent tool for card magic because conjuring is all about making an illusion, and the audience knows you’re using hidden secrets to achieve this. Also, a marked deck can not perform wonders on its own – you also need to come up with tricks that are fun to watch. It is not fun to look at the back of a card and tell someone what the card is.
With a marked deck, what can you do? If you search up the internet and do your homework, then you will figure out that there are lots of fundamental routines you can do with a marked deck. There are a variety of fundamental routines you can practice with and enjoy!
What labeled deck is you going to get? You can probably make a designated deck of your own. But the good news is that on the market, there are several excellent branded decks. The boom of the demand for custom playing cards over the last decade also means that some ideal marked decks have been created over the previous few years. You have to determine whether you want a deck with a reader marking system or an encoded system of marking. Now decide whether you wish to buy marked deck for poker games, or you’ll stick with the traditional strategies.
