Belly Stripper Decks of Cards

Belly Stripper Card Decks

Belly Strippers are hand-cut decks, one card at a time, on a $4,000 paper cutter. Some of the cards are cut like this -- () -- and the second deck is cut like this -- )( --

Watch the video (click on the link): http://vimeo.com/alansands/belly2

USE THE "ESP" EXTRA SANDSATIONAL PERCEPTION DECK TO:

• Memorize a shuffled deck of cards
• Recite the entire deck, or any part of it, by "ESP."
• Magically name everyone's Bridge hand

USE THE OUT-OF-THIS-WORLD DECK TO:
Perform the classic effect "Out of This World" created by Paul Curry, using a deck of cards shuffled by the volunteer.

USE THESE DECKS UNSORTED FOR THE TRICKS ABOVE, or...
Use them to perform various tricks with a shuffled deck that normally takes a set-up to perform, including Ambitious Card, Four Ace tricks, and much more!

SKILL LEVEL
If you can handle a "stripper" deck (see example), you can perform every effect listed here! Most 12-year-olds can perform these effects with minimal practice (about one hour, including interruptions)!

HISTORY
In the mid-1970s, George Sands was developing an ESP act. After reading the book Magical Ways & Means, by renowned magician Al Baker, he mastered Baker's mnemonic approach to memorizing a deck of cards. But this method was a chore, requiring him to remember 52 keywords corresponding to each card in a deck. So he knew that he needed a simpler approach.

A SIMPLE, NEW METHOD WAS BORN
Instead of memorizing the entire deck of cards, George devised a way to use a "stripper" deck (see example) to achieve the same effect. He created an original code to pre-set the deck that was easy to learn and remember. He could then strip the deck and tell each person by "ESP" what cards they were holding. The audiences were dumbfounded!

As George performed this new method and perfected the code, he found that the set-up was vulnerable; if one card was reversed in the deck (usually as the volunteer shuffled) or the cards were dropped or fumbled, the entire set-up was destroyed. A better solution was needed.

THE "BELLY STRIPPER" SOLUTION
After months of experimentation, George developed a unique approach using symmetrical "belly stripper" cards that was simple and foolproof; no matter how a volunteer shuffled or even dropped the cards, the set-up remained intact. Then at a machine shop, George had custom dies made to produce his "belly stripper" cards and personally supervised each custom deck cut to perfection.

Today, the second generation of these cards are hand-cut, one card at a time, with a $4,000 paper cutter.

This routine is so powerful that you will use it to end your show and leave everyone convinced that you DO read minds!

WHAT YOU GET:
We have two different pre-sorted decks of "belly stripper" cards available. One deck is used to perform Extra Sandsational Perception, the mentalism routine described above. The second deck is pre-sorted to perform Paul Curry's Out of this World. Each pre-sorted deck is sold separately. You can buy two unsorted decks together as a set and create your effects. These brand new, authentic Bicycle decks are available with a choice of the red or blue back. You also get printed instructions on how to use the decks and perform the effects, a DVD, and the instructions are also available on Vimeo if the DVD ever stops playing.

WHAT ARE "BELLY STRIPPERS"?
In a standard "stripper" deck, the entire deck has been custom-cut so that one end is slightly wider than the other (see example). If you rotate one of the cards and replace it into the deck, one end of this card you reversed will stick out wider than the others. You can quickly locate and slide this wider card out of the deck by running your fingers along the edges of the cards. "Belly strippers" are similar, but not all the cards are cut the same way.

With a "belly stripper" deck (see diagram), one-half of the deck is cut with a thin waist; the middle is shaved slightly thinner (concave). The other half of the deck is shaved oppositely at all four corners (convex). Cut this way, no matter how the deck is handled - shuffled, reversed, with cards turned face up or down, or the deck dropped and scattered - when you lift the deck, you can easily strip the cards into two packets, and they will always separate into the same two packets.

These cards are precision cut from authentic quality Bicycle decks of cards. Two pre-sorted tricks are available, or you can purchase the decks unsorted and create your own effects (note: to create your custom effects, you will need two decks, one for each deck).

THE SANDSATIONAL DIFFERENCE
Why have so many of George Sands' methods become classics? The answer is "simplicity." Most of his inventions and routines (with a few exceptions among earlier work) are impressive with little skill or practice, have a low failure rate, and require no complex set-ups. This is what makes magic created by George Sands so spectacular and popular.