STACK TRAINER

ABOUT PEG WORDS/TIPS ON MEMORIZATION

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I created this website and short guide on peg words to hopefully help others tackle the task of memorizing a card stack. It's really not that hard, but does require motivation and commitment. After learning about memorized decks and getting excited about a few memdeck tricks, it took me a couple months before I seriously considered actually trying to memorize a stack. And then it took me way longer than it should have to actually memorize one because I didn't find the information below until I'd already been pounding my head against the wall basically trying to learn Mnemonica "raw" by rote study. These memory techniques will make the task of memorizing a stack much easier. Every piece of information is paraphrasing Harry Lorayne's wonderful book: "The Memory Book: The Classic Guide to Improving Your Memory at Work, at School, and at Play"

Peg Word Basics

The default peg words used in this trainer are from Harry Lorayne's "The Memory Book".

The peg words are based on a phonetic alphabet that assigns a consonant sound to each numerical digit:

Each number is represented by its associated consonant sound (NOTE: it is important to think about the sound and not focus too much on the specific letters). Any vowel sounds inbeween are ignored. You can use the alphabet to turn numbers into words, and decode words into numbers. For example, 4074 could be "RACECAR".

For cards, the peg word always starts with the same sound as the suit (e.g., "S" for "Spade") and then has a consonant sound matching the value of the card. Aces are treated as 1 and Tens are treated as 0. For example, Ace of Spades: "SUIT" and Ten of Hearts: "HOSE".

Face cards are different, as explained in Lorayne's book:

For the jacks, simply use the suit words themselves. For the QH and KC, we use the words queen and king, respectively. The words for the remaining queens and kings each begin with the vital suit letter, but then each word rhymes as closely as possible to queen and king. They're not exact rhymes, but close enough.

If you memorize this system, then each peg word will very clearly correspond to the positions and identities of the cards.

How will this help me memorize a stack?

Memory is mostly based on association. Our memory performs best when things are in context or connected to other things. That's why we so often find ourselves saying things like "...oh that reminds me!" Something triggered an associated memory.

However, it is much harder to form the associations for strong memories when things are abstract and can't be easily pictured in our mind, like numbers or playing cards. But with the peg words, we can create substitute images that can easily be pictured in our mind.

This is crucial for Harry Lorayne's main memory concept: "The Link". By linking two things together, you associate them so that one reminds you of the other. If you create an image in your mind of the two things being linked in a ridiculous way, you can more easily conjur that image to mind later to connect one thing to the other.

The link should not be a logical image. Even if it is a very unlikely image, if it has any chance of being something logical and real, it probably won't work. You need crazy and impossible images.

Now you can link as many things as you want and remember them in sequence. You can also link the numerical peg words to the playing card peg words to remember the exact position of each card in a stack.

Maybe some examples would help

Let's look at the first five cards in Mnemonica:

  • 1 - 4C (TIE - CORE)
  • 2 - 2H (NOAH - HEN)
  • 3 - 7D (MA - DOCK)
  • 4 - 3C (RYE - COMB)
  • 5 - 4H (LAW - HARE)

An important note: My examples may not work best for you. It is recommended to come up with your own images and associations, because then they will be specific to you and your memory. The same could be argued for the peg words, but Lorayne suggested using his predefined words. If you prefer to create your own, the peg words are all editable in the trainer, so you can customize them as much as you like.

The links I created between cards were... a giant apple CORE laying an egg like a HEN, a HEN as big as a boat tied up at a DOCK, a boat DOCK that's made out of a giant COMB, and a giant COMB with rabbits (HAREs) for the teeth. Now when I think of a core I automatically think of a hen, which then makes me think of a dock, which then makes me think of a comb, which then makes me think of a hare, and then it goes on and on through all of Mnemonica.

To memorize the position of each card, associate the position peg words with the playing card peg words: a human sized apple CORE wearing a bow TIE; NOAH loading his ark with a million HENs; my mom (MA) as big a space station with space shuttles DOCKing onto her; COMBing my hair with a piece of RYE bread; being arrested by a rabbit (HARE) police officer (LAW).

Now I can think of any position or card peg word and instantly bring that ridiculous image to mind and know the associated peg word.

Some people also like to create memorable stories using the peg words. By remembering the story (something our brains are good at remembering in sequence) you can remember the order of the cards. E.g., An apple CORE was being eaten by a HEN on a boat DOCK, who handed a COMB to a HARE that DASHed by in a SUIT. He was dodging a HAIL storm of SOAP bubbles on his way to meet the SUN QUEEN, etc.

Eventually, you stop thinking in peg words and you just know the positions and the cards. The peg words are just an intermediary tool to help you lock the stack into your memory and truly learn it. Once the peg words fade away, you'll know the stack forever.

Exporting peg words

You'll notice there are two buttons in the PEG WORDS row to export the card peg words and to export the peg word pairs.

I thought it might be helpful to have easily accessible text files of the peg words and pairs in sequence to use for a number of reasons:

Feedback? Questions? Requests?

Please feel free to reach out to me for any reason regarding the Stack Trainer. I had a ton of fun making it and I want it to be a useful tool to any and all students of memdecks.

Email: studio@curtiswallen.com