^Tutorial 20 - Applying the Card Words\

You now have the knowledge to picture any playing card instantly, and to
memorise sequences of playing cards quickly and efficiently. The exact way
in which you apply these skills to playing card games will depend on which
games you play. The systems you have learned are <flexible\ - you can adapt
or expand them to help you improve your chances at any card game you choose.

This tutorial aims to demonstrate a few ways in which the systems can be
applied to various card games . Once you understand the basic idea, you can
^creatively\ apply the systems in your own way to your own favourite card
game or games.

Although the Link system when applied to memorising the complete sequence of
a deck of cards is a truly impressive stunt, the Link idea is not actually
the most useful when applied to games such as bridge, solo, gin rummy or
canasta.

In all these games, you need to know <which cards have been played\ so far
during any hand - the order in which they were played is usually not so
important. The easiest method of accomplishing this is to use the
^mutilation\ idea.#

To memorise all the cards played, you simply picture the Card Word for each
card as it is played, and ^mutilate\ that picture in some way. If the 3H is
played, picture a |burning\ <home\. When the 5S is played, see a |ripped\
<sail\ ; the 2H, picture a |headless\ <hen\; the 7D picture a |burning\
<deck\, and so on. Simply mutilate the picture that represents the card in
your mind, in some quick way.

As you get more practice, this will become easier and easier to do. For one
thing, you will get to know the Card Words better and better. Also, once you
see a mutilation of any Card Word, you will use that same picture all the
time.

Try the idea now, with a deck of cards. Take out, say, ten cards, without
looking at them, and put them to one side. Now, turn over the remaining 42
cards one at a time, and as you look at each card, ^mutilate\ the Card Word
for that card in your mind. The way in which you mutilate the picture is
entirely up to you, but remember that whatever comes to mind first is the
best picture to use.#

When you have turned over the 42 cards, and created 42 ^mutilated\ Card Word
pictures in your mind, you will easily remember which ten cards were taken
out of the deck. You simply go over the 52 Card Words in your mind - any
picture which has >not\ been mutilated will stand out like a sore thumb !

Practice this stunt a few times on your own, then try it with a friend
calling out the cards to you as he turns them over. This is a truly
impressive stunt when done quickly. Incidentally, it does not matter how
many cards are removed from the pack - in fact, the more cards removed the
easier, because there are fewer to mutilate. For bridge players, thirteen
cards is a good demonstration. Have someone deal four hands of thirteen
cards, and call out three of the hands, a card at a time. You then tell him
exactly what is in the fourth hand !

To gain speed, you will need to work at making the Card Words second nature.
The better you know them, the quicker you will be able to perform the
missing card stunt. When you are running through the list of Card Words in
your mind to determine which ones have been mutilated, is a good idea to
always use the same order for the suits - say Clubs, Diamonds, Hearts,
Spades. This will save you the time and possible confusion of going over the
same list twice. #

The ^mutilation\ system works well for any discard game. ^Bridge\ players in
particular use the system to great effect. Some memorise only the trump
cards which have been played, so they mutilate only the trump cards. More
experienced players will often memorise >all\ the cards played, so they
mutilate each one as it is played.

In ^gin rummy\, it is important to know whether it is safe to play any
particular card. So, as you play, mutilate each card discarded by yourself
and your opponent. When you want to know if it is safe to discard a
particular card, you just need to think of three or four Card Words. If you
are thinking of discarding the 7D, think of the Card Words for the 6D and
8D. If they haven't been mutilated then your opponent may be waiting for the
7D to complete a diamond run. When your opponent takes a card, associate the
Card Word to his face. If he takes the 2H, see a |hen\ sitting on his head.
Later, you will remember all the cards your opponent has picked up !

In ^Pontoon\ or ^Blackjack\, knowing what cards have been played is a great
help in knowing when to double your bet, and when to stop, or twist.#

Although ^poker\ is not a discard game, a memory of what has been played is
certainly very useful. All good poker players have an idea of poker odds,
and the odds do change according to cards played. So in a stud poker game it
would be bad play to keep betting because you are waiting for an ace when
you know that two aces have already been dealt to other players.

The above ideas are just some of the ways in which you can apply the Card
Words to various card games. The most important thing to remember is that
applying the systems is a |creative\ activity. We have given you the basic
systems - the way in which you apply them to the card games you play is now
up to you. Good Luck !~