Memorizing a deck, using Derren Brown letter system, need help!

General Memory Chat
1

Why hello there Mnemotechnic folk!

I have been scouring the posts on here for advice, but since there are so many wonderful variations, I decided to just go for it and ask for help.

I’m interested in using a PAO system for memorizing a deck. I have a few snags.

First snag is that I have already become used to a letter system I read about in Derren Brown’s astoundingly well-written “Tricks of the Mind”, which is
1=L
2=N
3=M
4=R
5=F or V
6=P or B
7= T
8=Sh or Ch
9=G or J

I am creating a system where each suit is a different group of people, to the point where I have a rich vision of a person for all 52 cards. That part is the fun part.

The hard part is the ‘verb’ and the ‘object’. I’m doing suit letter followed by number letter. For example, 2 of clubs is ‘canning’ for a verb and ‘cone’ for an object.

However, any advice on what to do for face cards? Ace is ‘1’, but J Q K? Just do 11, 12, and 13? That might be tough, as I’d need (for clubs) a word that is CLL, CLN, and CLM.

Am I going about this the entire wrong way?

I am so glad this forum is here. It has given me such delight, this new hobby.

Thanks a ton!

2

Hi gm and welcome to the forum.

As regards the hard part (action/object) do you really need to use the letter system for this part too? What I did was to think of something that linked together with the person that I chosen to represent the card.

For example, 2 of Clubs (BC using the Dominic approach) for me is Bill Clinton. I imagine Bill enthusiastically waving an American flag. To my mind (perhaps it’s because I’m from the UK) I just automatically associate Bill Clinton with that flag.

As for the face cards, how about just picking people that you can somehow link with them without necessarily using the letter system? For example, Elvis Presley could be the King of Hearts, Jack Black could be the Jack of Spades, and Helena Bonham Carter could be the Queen of Hearts (from the Alice in Wonderland film) and so on.

At the end of the day I don’t know if there is a ‘wrong’ way. Use whatever works for you. :wink: