This is a most bewildering sequel to the last effect. It fits in well when there is one or more who may think they are acute enough to have figured out some discrepancy in the figuring of the first trick. The performer removes the two black Aces from the spectator's pack. He does this by fanning through the cards, bringing the Aces to the face of the deck, and then removes them, at the same time secretly bringing away another card behind the second card (three, in all) which we shall call the Ace of Spades. The rest of the…
(Editor's note : We are happily doing the following stunt at every available opportunity. It is a far cry from the school days effect of 25 cards dealt into 5 hands twice and Mr. Christ has brought into being a subtle problem with ramifications that cover all trickiness.) Any deck is shuffled, and the reader should have a deck in hand while he reads, for the effect and method are being combined. The performer states that he will demonstrate a little "psychic poker" and show how one accomplished in the reading of minds could very easily know exactly what cards…
REQUIRED A "single ender" deck of cards with 26 duplicates of one card cut short and with matching backs. For sake of clearness let us suppose that the duplicate cards are Aces of Diamonds. PREPARATION Stack the deck in your favorite order such as Si Stebbins or Eight Kings being sure that the back designs of the deck are all pointing in one direction. Cut the cards so that the Aces of Diamonds is on top, and remove it. Now cut off 25 cards and place them in the upper right vest pocket. Reverse the order of the remaining 26…
This is a terribly old principle but the disguise in the present case makes it quite serviceable. The personal "angle" of using names of people known to the spectators is what gives it "flavor" and takes away entirely any thought of mathematics. Hand the pack to a spectator telling him to count off a small number of cards -- "less than a dozen" -- and put them into his pocket. This done, ask him to again count off the same number, note the bottom card of the little packet, and replace on pack. Taking the deck, the performer asks three…
Take heed magi! The card routine given herein is one which, I honestly believe, can almost revolutionize the presentation of card effects. Followed by many such a practice undoubtedly would wreck havoc with tricks of classic origin. It's a case of condensing into a few minutes of time the various card effects of which past masters have made features separately and which lasted from 5 to 15 minutes. This routine should not run over 12 minutes. I sincerely offer it as a routine worthwhile. -- The Editor When I titled this as a card "act" I meant it in practically…
And by a miracle -- that is JUST WHAT I mean -- as far as your audience is concerned. Imagine this : You ask a spectator to think of some card in the deck and name it aloud. Warning everyone to watch you closely, as you are to attempt one of the most difficult card feats, you riffle the deck and state that the card has left the pack and passed into your pocket. With obviously empty hands, or the spectator may do it, the card named is removed from the pocket. There are no duplicates - no set-up of…
The telephone trick, in one form or another, is ever-popular although a great many people are familiar with the original method of coding. As long as the performer must do the calling himself, or supply a name to be called other than his wife or a friend known to everybody present, no system, however ingenious, will allay suspicions. My methods for this are planned to mystify everybody as well as satisfy the hecklers. And I make use of a deck which can be found valuable in many other tricks. Arrange or purchase a Svengali deck, one in which all the…
One of my currently favorite pets for a "quick turnover" which doesn't stall enough to bore the onlookers, is a tricky (to figure out) transposition of two cards. With your ordinary deck, and a strong point here is that it may be borrowed, you need but one double faced card. Let us assume it to be the Ace of Clubs on one side and the Two of Diamonds on the other. From the deck take the ordinary Ace of Clubs and put it in your right trouser pocket. On the face of the deck have your double card with the…
There are several such effects like this, accomplished by the use of an extra card, or a double faced or double backed one. Others make use of the one handed pass as the deck is given spectator behind his back. Mulholland, Farrelli, and McAthy each describe a method using this pass. (See Editrivia. Ed.) I never could do the one-handed pass well enough to make use of it. Another disadvantage of that pass is if the spectator accidentally (?) brings deck to front he sees that the top card is face up. In my method a deck is shuffled and…
The spectator fans a deck he has shuffled, thinks of a number between 5 and 10, notes and remembers the card at that position from the top of the deck. The performer takes the deck and slowly counts cards onto the spectator's hand until a few more than the number thought of have been put into the pile. An elastic band is put around the group and they are placed into the spectator's pocket by himself. The magician then counts off a second pile of cards --- the same number of cards. Fanning these he picks out one himself, shows…