What Best Gaff Deck

[chocospy3557]

I know these are all ellusionist, but if you know another one please put below!

[Don Boyer]

Bicycle sells some simpler gaff decks, consisting mostly of double backers, double blanks, etc.


Magic Makers made the Carnival Trick Cards deck, available with and without DVD, on the red Rider Back design.


David Blaine released some Split Spades Lions gaff cards, but not a full deck.


The Hofzinser cards from T11 are also of this ilk - great gaffs but not a full deck of them.


I'm also positive that someone out there made another red/blue Bicycle gaff deck - seen it online, but only infrequently.  It's probably out of print but still available if you poke around.

BTW: did you realize that the Bicycle red/blue, Ghost and Black Tiger gaffs are nearly identical?  The cards were all the same until recently, when the USPC started forbidding altered Rider Back designs.  Any new issues will match the other new issues, such as the Black Tigers and the re-stocking of the Ghosts.  They all use the same instructional DVD, "Army of 52".

[Altair]

To me Bicycle gaff deck still the best. Simple n mistifying.

[Siegismyname]

Any gaff deck will never fail to cause awe. Just choose one that fits into your regular performing deck. With the proper patter and sleights, any gaff will do

[loldudex2]

I have the Ultragaff, but I never use it. To me just the fact that the spectators know that there needs to be special cards used. This doesn't apply for some tricks such as double backers and such, but for tricks where you move the queens to one card and etc, everyone knows that special cards are needed due to the fact that a spectator knows you can't move ink. Now I know the whole purpose of magic is doing something impossible, but gaff cards usually just seem impractical to me, but that's just my opinion.

Gaff cards to me are like linking rings. Everyone knows that matter can't pass through matter (solid matter anyway), so the only possible way it can be done is slits in the rings. Now I've seen people that can do this trick that stumps me, but the fact that there has to be a slit in the ring ruins it for me. It is still a great trick, but it seems like the first thing that pops into spectators miss is that the rings have a slit in them.

This is just all my opinion, and I am just letting you know what I think of them. If you can pull it off, and they work for you, by all means do it, but I just don't think they're right for me.

[Don Boyer]

What makes a gaff card trick work is that people don't expect to see a gaff card.  Get skilled at inserting and removing them from your deck or swapping decks and you'll totally fry the spectators when you let them examine the deck.


I like gaffs, but I have to work on the requisite skills - most good gaff tricks really aren't for beginners.

[phantom1412]

Ultragaff is best because people aren't usually suspecting bicycle rider back.
But arcane gaff's ideas are best.

[MrLukeCarroll]

Seeing as most people just use Bike standards to perform it really for me has to be the Ultragaff deck, I mean if a spectator sees a deck they've never seen before they are more likely to think its gaffed in some way straight up even before you crack out the gaffed cards.

[Don Boyer]

But the Bicycle gaff cards are also in the good ol' red Rider Back...  and blue, as well!

It's not entirely true that spectators immediately assume you're using a trick deck if it's anything other than the bog standard Rider Back.  More than half the time, they don't even RECOGNIZE you're holding a Rider Back.  They discovered this in testing for the Mandolin Back.  Your average spectator has no idea what a Rider Back is, and couldn't tell any difference in the Mandolin Back.

If you want a spectator to buy that your deck is "normal", let them examine it.  Then swap in the gaff cards and let the fur fly.  Swap them back out for a re-examination after they've been fried.  They'll think you're some kind of card god or something...

[vmagic]

Anglos also have a gaff deck but I don't know anyone who has those.

[phantom1412]

For me, comparing ultragaff and blue/red gaff deck.
I think ultragaff is better.
It's providing a lot more tricks than the red/blue gaff deck.

[Don Boyer]

What I like most about the Ghost gaff deck is that it has gaffs that I use - the best selection of double-backers I've seen, matched to a number of different decks.  I do Stranger Card Predictions with signature all the time using some spare red and blue Rider Back cards with those gaffs in a standard Ghost deck.

[Jin Jian]

i am planning to buy a gaff deck.. arcane or ultragaff i wont be picking up the dvd since my friend is lending it to me .. so pls give me idea thanks.

[Siegismyname]

i would recommend the normal rider back or the ultragaff as they use a back that is more recognisable. i use them quite often and they never let me down.

[vmagic]

Speaking of gaff cards, David Blaine also has some Split Spade gaff cards available with certain items, which includes some double backers and a couple of other basic gaffs, one I like the best is an ace of hearts with a thumb print reveal on the pip. Don't seem to see that gaff with any other gaff deck that I can recall.

[Jin Jian]

if i did not remember wrongly i think arcane gaff deck has one similar one ?? btw thank for the advice ..

[Don Boyer]

i am planning to buy a gaff deck.. arcane or ultragaff i wont be picking up the dvd since my friend is lending it to me .. so pls give me idea thanks.

Before getting heavily into gaffs, you have to know how to force a card and how to cleanly insert and remove your gaffs (or do a deck swap) without your spectators' knowledge.  Certain routines like the stranger card prediction or some of the packet tricks are easily performed, but the better tricks require more skill, and they nearly all require you know how to force a card.

Speaking of gaff cards, David Blaine also has some Split Spade gaff cards available with certain items, which includes some double backers and a couple of other basic gaffs, one I like the best is an ace of hearts with a thumb print reveal on the pip. Don't seem to see that gaff with any other gaff deck that I can recall.

That card exists in the Arcane Gaff Deck, with a two of diamonds having a smeared thumbprint on a pip revealing a 5.

[Jin Jian]

ok thanks.. i might be getting the arcane gaff and the ultragaff

[Don Boyer]

ok thanks.. i might be getting the arcane gaff and the ultragaff

Look for two DVDs, not sold at E:
40 Ways to Force a Card
Basic Card Technique

They'll help you build a good skill set for getting good at working with gaffs.

Also the Arcane Gaff Techniques DVD and the 3-disc set on Ultragaff are invaluable for learning those decks and the tricks they offer.  You only need to start Ultragaff with the first disc - the difficulty level gets progressively harder with each disc.

Keep your Arcane Gaff box in good condition - the box itself is also a gaff, designed to work with one of the cards in the deck!

[Jin Jian]

ya i know that the arcane has a gaff box .. i also know some way to force a card but what does basic card technique teaches

[Don Boyer]

ya i know that the arcane has a gaff box .. i also know some way to force a card but what does basic card technique teaches

The title pretty much describes it.  Did you *try* finding the title in Google?

http://lmgtfy.com/?q=DVD+Basic+Card+Technique

There are NO tricks on the DVD, just techniques for handling and manipulating cards.  They're the building blocks for performing tricks - without these skills, your card magic is far more limited.

Try Google yourself next time - you might just surprise yourself with what you can find on your own...