I discovered this back around 1928 but, to date, it has never appeared in print to my knowledge. The discovery was quite accidental but at that time I was spending a lot of time and study on one-way back effects and chanced upon it. I can't guarantee this with any other back than the League Backs of Bicycle make. I consider that design the best one-way backed card for many reasons. Faces of cards are susceptible to the one-way principle in twenty-two instances if only the spot cards are considered. Picture cards generally have some differences that can be noted…
An extremely cute method of handling a one-way deck makes this secret of importance to those who favor such effects, and it will throw off the few who may know of the principle and possibly suspect it. There is an older subtlety invoked in many cases - that of reversing half the deck. A card is now selected and replaced after noting but it isn't necessary to reverse either the card or the deck. Simply have the card drawn from one half and replaced in the other. The deck is now cut at the center of the two sections and…
Usually a performer is serious about finding a card in front of an audience, but in this case I have departed from that rule. After working it out and trying it under actual conditions, I found that people still took it seriously! And, best of all, it always gets appreciation for some intangible reason, possibly because it appears like a lunatic's method, YET WORKS! It can be worked by two methods. I prefer the first because it is cleaner. Use your own deck and have 13 or 14 duplicate cards to match. In your left coat pocket put the same…
I thought for quite a while before deciding to release this secret because I've used it a lot for press work and the effect is absolutely original. I had it listed as a dollar trick should I ever let it go, but Spring has made me weak so here it is. Pick out a friend from the telephone book. Count down and remember its position from the top of its column. Make 26 one inch square cards containing letters of the alphabet. Make 25 more all containing the first letter of the friend's last name. Put the 26 duplicate letters…
A most unusual test that can be introduced into a program at any time is one which needs no preparation in one version and but a little in another. It is one of those tricks that can be done before practically any sized audience and it is just as effective if presented for a single person. Professional performers know only too well how rare and hard to find such an effect is. The first version is impromptu with any cards that may be borrowed. The performer states that what he is about to do must not be confused with card…
Here is a nice card effect for club programs and one that will be found different from the usual run of card tricks. The performer has at hand a deck of cards, a ticket punch, and a two yard length of half inch ribbon threaded to a large darning needle. A spectator freely selects a card and the performer hands him the ticket punch with the request that he punch a hole near one of the four corners. The card is now returned to the center of the deck and shuffled. Picking a card from the top of the deck,…
One of the cleverest location methods is this idea, and while it might be classed as one for the advanced card man, there are few who cannot make a half circle fan of cards with the two hands. The fan is made in the left hand with cards face down, after one has been selected by the spectator. The left thumb is on top of the fan, and the fingers are underneath. If a card is now pushed into this fan, one of your left fingers will feel it coming in, due to the fact that the fanned cards are…
I have been using the foregoing location kink and have found it an excellent method, the one hand detail making it appear very fair. I've always liked effects that reversed the usual form of procedure and here is one which is made very easy by using The Fan Location. Explain that all magicians have a card selected from a face down deck and then find it after spreading the cards face up. You will, however, have a card chosen from the deck while face up. Fan the deck face up, and have one removed. Tell the spectator to note it…
Impromptu thought of card tricks have always been welcome and many letters have come to me in the course of years asking about similar effects that have fooled the writers. I'll explain this exactly as I have been using it. The deck is spread out face down and the spectator asked to remove three cards at will and hold them. He is to carefully study them and finally make a mental choice of one and keep it firmly in mind. Squaring up the deck, the performer has them replaced and then proceeds to mix a little. Each performer will use…
Some things come to light through accidental discovery and others by hard work after the conception of an idea. This is one of the latter. I play solitaire a lot and thought how effective it would be if one could play such a game and win at will. Obviously, the deck would have to be stacked. I wondered if I could take a commonly arranged deck according to one of the popular magical systems and win at one of the best known solitaire games. The game described below is known as ‘canfield’ and it can be beaten with a deck…