I love going through threads here, since I only do casual, amateur magic.

It seems a lot of people carry a deck of cards with them almost everywhere.

I've tried that a number of times, thinking it would be cool/useful, only to quickly find that it ends up being uncomfortable (I only wear jeans), or the cards get damaged, or the cards get in the way of my keys, wallet, phone etc which I have to carry on me.

Do people here still carry a whole deck of cards on them, and practically how do they do it!?

I nearly always have a deck of cards with me that have a couple of elastic bands around the box so I can throw in a couple of routines with the elastic bands too.

When I go out as I'm in the UK the weather isn't exactly scoring hot so I have a jacket and the cards etc are in my jacket pocket, I always have an old beat up deck of cards in my works van too.

Another thing I carry everywhere is a JOL hip wallet which means not only can I do the obvious with it but I can also make a borrowed ring or signed coin etc appear in there at a moments notice with not set up or get ready required.

I have decks in the various messenger bags and backpacks I tend to take with me but I don't generally take a deck with me on a daily basis. If I do, it's in a tuck case in the front left pants pocket.

You might consider carrying a mini-deck (half the size of a poker-size deck). These take up a lot less space in a pocket or purse and give you a cutesy opening line, "...would you like to see a >little< card trick?"

You can still carry rubber bands around the box and standard sleights are just as easy or easier with this size. Switching for a prearranged deck is a breeze, too!

Julie

The idea of a using a mini deck is interesting, but I wonder if even that might prove a bit bulky for a jeans pocket which already has stuff in it. Guess there's only one way to find out

I don’t have one but I do have other JOL items which are top notch.

https://www.vanishingincmagic.com/magic/......lt-loop/

I normally have a small yellow plastic box on me with a Svengali deck, a deck in the Si Stebbins stack order with a duplicate card, a folding quarter,
and gimmicked three card monte cards. Since the cards are protected by the plastic box, they stay in relatively good condition. I get a good 15-20 minutes with my 'kit'.

Hello Terrible Wizard, (that feels rude. LOL)

I usually wander around the world with a messeger bag that has all my various everyday "needs" inside, including a Joshua Jay Procarrier Deluxe (a valid improvement on an already great product.) It's small and carries pretty much all of my walk around material.

When I'm not loaded up with laptops, notebooks and such I do occasionally carry a deck of cards with me. I've found a cardclip to be a lifesaver here. Not only does it protect the deck, but because it's smooth and metal it makes getting it out of my pocket a bit easier. I travel pretty light so I can put the deck in my left front pocket where I also put my phone and have plenty of room. My other pocket has my wallet and keys and that's about it.

Card clips come in a huge variety and you can definitely find one that fits your style.

Good luck!
Brandon.

NO

I always carry a deck. And if you don't have pocket space, you can always carry mini cards... They're very cute!

I do now...

For quite a while, I just carried a couple of coins and a little black wallet with a couple of packet tricks in it. Never carried a deck as I didn't often do card tricks. Eventually, I expanded a little to a little black purse and added a couple of easy to carry closeup tricks, mostly Sankey stuff. That was all I needed. Eventually, I grew tired of the packet tricks and came to play with a deck of cards a bit. Happy I came to do that, as I really enjoyed learning something new for me. I mean, I not only learned some really nice card tricks using a deck, but even found myself picking up even learning stacks, Mnemonica and Si Stebbins...Great day in the morning! Who would've thunk it!

Anyway, what I found is that you can do a whole lot with a deck of cards, if you take the time to learn it. I didn't think I would take to it, but I did, way beyond what I ever thought and now I have a basket of effects to draw from. Now, I don't do them all but I did learn them all along the way. I have chosen just a few to present, and those few I give practice to. By playing with them so much, I've been able to change them and or create my own way of doing them. they include a classic or two, a couple of stack pieces (I really like that Si Stebbins stuff, that guy was a genius!). Also, I forgot to mention that trick decks can be fun too. The invisible deck or a Penguin Marked Cards provides you with some amazing effects. There are a lot of choices, and I typically only do a few if that.

So, of late and more regularly, I may have a couple of coins on me and a deck of cards. Easy to carry and provides the small precision of a Swiss Army Knife.

*If I could recommend, as a decent-at-best coin guy, I'd say overall that a marked deck provides the regular deck and a bit more.

I can do a lot, but find these days that "less is more," and so only do a few choice things as I go here & there. I don't get to do a lot of card stuff, but I've come to carry a deck to mostly play around with and just in case. It all packs small but plays BIC!

Always have a deck on me. If you are worried about the cards becoming damaged, I would invest in a cheap card guard. You can usually get them around $10 USD.

Nope. I rarely do cards. Maybe a packet trick or two...

Doug

I only do casual magic as well, but I do carry a deck with me most of the time. I always have a deck or two in my bag I carry for work and school, and often put one of those or another in my pocket as well. I carry my deck because it's a good way to keep my hands occupied by just shuffling and practicing sleights. The Decks can definitely get ruined, but that's just a side effect of practicing/performing card tricks. I have so many half destroyed incomplete decks around. I don't worry too much about what the deck I'm carrying around because like I said, I don't actually perform that often. If I know I'm gonna be performing, I will bring a nicer deck. Even though, an incomplete, old deck can still be used to perform miracles!

+1 for carrying cards in a backpack or other bag. I do keep one copper coin and one silver coin in my watch pocket, but even a coin purse would be too bulky with all the the other stuff (phone, wallet, keys, etc) I have in my regular pockets.

I'd love to find a way to carry a deck sized package without needing to have a jacket or a bag, but I haven't found any good options so far. Belt holsters could work, but they don't look great.

I used to always carry a deck of cards years ago when I had a set of go to effects I knew well and would always perform. Over the years, I forgot them all so no more deck carrying.

Mb thanks for the post! I never knew all that about you, it was very interesting. I'm surprised about the stacks, Si Stebbins, etc.

I carry two decks of cards (red normal/blue stacked or has a dupe or sometimes both) in my backpack when I'm traveling around town, or just out for the day. I've also got one permanently in my car so I never have to think about grabbing one.

I do! I have a nicely engraved card case and I cary a deck with me whether I perform magic or not.
I've quit smoking for years now and I don't fiddle on my phone in public, but I find I like to shuffle cards or fidget with them while waiting for the bus or having a coffee.
Sometimes people ask why I have cards with me, and then that's a nice window to either show an effect or say I'm a magician.

I can't stress enough though the importance of a card case if you're taking a deck every day in a pocket.

best,
-a

I only carry cards for performances. I normally avoid carrying my own cards in social situations these days for some of the reasons mentioned by several pros, but here's my reasoning:

In a casual setting, I like magic to appear totally organic and happen on the social off beats, almost like a surprise or the idea that magic just sort of happens around you. Playing cards are a specific tool that help you display magical skill, but only magicians and gamblers carry them socially. I feel like pulling out a deck of cards is like pulling out a big red arrow that says "Looky here! It's Magic Time!" It primes them for magic and they have a chance to prepare themselves for an effect and suddenly they're on guard and alert. I don't want that for a spontaneous magical moment. I prefer giving people the feeling that magic can happen at any moment, not once I get these cards out, but with a persistent pen that won't stay put, a bit of rubbish that becomes a bill, a peculiar coin that you can pluck out of the air.

Decks are great and if I'm handed one, I'll use it in all kinds of fun ways, but I don't feel the need to carry one anymore. Some of my best and most memorable magic has happened without a single playing card in sight.