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Memorable Mentalism: Mysteries With the Mnemonic Deck
by Enrico Varella

$10

(2 reviews, 3 customer ratings) ★★★

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Memorable Mentalism: Mysteries With the Mnemonic Deck by Enrico Varella

"The only people who speak of the difficulties of the memorising a deck of cards are those who've never seriously tried to learn one." - Simon Aronson

Would it be useful to you if you knew the identity of the top card of a shuffled deck? What if you knew both the identity of the top and bottom cards of a shuffled deck in use? If you know the identity of four cards on the top of a shuffled deck, how would you apply this knowledge? Would you desire to demonstrate that you can speed memorise a packet of cards within seconds? Now, imagine this: You know the identity of every card in an entire deck. What would be the performing possibilities for you?

If you are new to the memorized deck (or mnemonic deck or 'MemDeck'), you can expect a lot of powerful magic ahead of you. You will be able to astonish both laymen and magicians. You can also enhance your card magic and mentalism with this 'secret assistant' (concept).

Topics include:

  • Introduction
  • The Memorised Deck
  • Committing to Memory
  • Pen-Apple, Pineapple-Pen: Card To Number, Number To Card
  • Ringing In the Cooler
  • Close-up Effects
  • For Television
  • Bonus Effect
  • Credits
  • Conclusion

1st edition 2017, 32 pages.
word count: 6917 which is equivalent to 27 standard pages of text



Reviewed by Marc Rehula (confirmed purchase)
★★★★★   Date Added: Sunday 10 April, 2022

I am a lowly but well-read hobbyist. Memdeck routines with a mentalist presentation is exactly what I was looking for. But I have to say, Varella's Memorable Mentalism was disappointing.

The first half of the book is devoted to background about stacks and with helping you find and memorize a stack. There is a single page about switching in a stacked deck, which I found helpful.

There are four close up tricks offered, and this was the biggest disappointment. Not only are the ideas simple (to the point of simplistic), there are no suggestions about how to present them as mentalism (unless you find this line helpful: 'My patter revolved around intuition, coincidence or pure luck.'). They're tricks, not magic.

There is essentially a single idea for stage or television, and it involves a tiresome cliche as method (with minor variations).

The saving grace of this book is the Bonus Effect, Varella's variation of Elhers's famous routine in Ackerman's Las Vegas Kardma. (Oddly, Varella spends six pages on the previous five tricks, then devotes six pages to this single 'bonus' effect!) I don't expect I'll use any of his ideas, but the ideas are good and thought-provoking.

The book offers many sources as credits. There are better places for a beginner to start with stacks and memdeck work, and they can be found in this bibliography.


Reviewed by Paul Lelekis
★★★★★   Date Added: Wednesday 08 February, 2017

MEMORABLE MENTALISM: Mysteries with a Mnemonic Deck

Enrico Varella has presented an enormously important work to the magic community. This e-book begins with the value(s) of a Mnemonic or Memorized Deck (‘Mem Deck’) and some history of the Mem Deck including many renowned magicians and mentalists. The magic/mentalism that can be obtained with a Mnemonic Deck is profound. DO NOT take this form of entertainment lightly…it is very ‘disturbing’! Enrico also provides some huge differences between the Mem Deck and “cyclical stacks” such as the ‘Eight Kings’ and the Si Stebbins orders, as well as a glossary of terms. This book begins by teaching a VERY clever system, step-by-step, to more easily learn the Memorized Deck and make it “stick” in your mind…including the PPAP principle and Enrico’s own EV System by using ‘associations’. Also included are some very resourceful methods to “Ring in a Cooler” or make seamless, deceptive deck switches. If you learn Enrico’s methods, your audience will be left with their ‘jaws hanging open’!

Enrico provides FIVE excellent, close-up routines with the Mnemonic Deck that will have your spectators completely baffled! Included are Enrico’s methods of utilizing “Jazz Magic” that will further distance the method from the ‘Retrograde Analysts’. Important advice here! Also included are a number of ‘Stage’ and/or Television multi-phased routines for larger audiences, including a BONUS EFFECT that utilizes some brilliant and ‘sneaky’ effects by some well-known professionals, including all patter and presentations. Mr. Varella's references and credits are numerous and complete and are to be commended.

I truly feel that this book is a very important work in a field of magic that has not been well explored…the enormous range of magic and mentalism possible cannot be fully appreciated until you go out there and actually ‘Wow’ your spectators with something that they’ve never seen before!

Thank you Enrico Varella!

Paul A. Lelekis

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Magic & Conjuring / Mentalism & Spiritism

Magic & Conjuring / Cards / Stacks