Ben Harris - Superflip

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Imagine the scene: You've just performed several stages in your “Ambitious Card” routine. For one final time you place the “magic card” in the middle of the deck. The deck is placed facedown in the middle of the table. You show your hands empty. With a snap of your fingers you gesture toward the deck. Now, by simply riffling upward gently on the tabled deck's edges—and dribbling the cards back to the table—the signed selection instantly and visibly appears face-up, atop the deck! You accept your well earned applause. And that is Super-Flip. It is a method to make a face up card INSTANTLY appear atop the TABLED face down deck. I first published this in NEW DIRECTIONS Vol 1, No 1 (May, 1985). The basic applications and a FOUR ACE APPEARANCE (using the move) were highlights in my lectures in 1986/7. Also, at the time (’85-87), I was quietly developing the SFUC application—but holding it very close to my chest. The work was finally published in 1988’s OFF THE WALL. So, what is SFUC? It's an elaboration on the Super-Flip move. With it, you will be able to execute SuperFlip not just with a single card, but with TWO CARDS simultaneously! These two

cards can be back-to-back, facing the same way, double-faced or double-backed, etc. SFUC broadens the possibilities with Super-Flip—allowing it to be used as a vanish, a production, a secret exchange, a visible change, and on and on. I think that if you care to be creative, you’ll come up with a whole swag of visual magic with these tools. I hope so! Ben Harris 2010

SUPER-FLIP (Core handling): What really happens with Super-Flip is that the TOP CARD of the tabled deck is caused to rapidly rotate—landing face-up on top of the balance of cards. Here’s how: 1: Place a deck in front of you. Grab about half the cards from above with your right hand. The hand is arched over the deck. The thumb is at the inner short end and the second and third fingers at the outer end. DIAGRAM 1. This is a Biddle Grip EXCEPT that the fingers and thumb are VERY CLOSE to the right hand corners. In other words, you are holding the cards off center. You are right-side biased. 2: Lift approximately half the deck, about an inch and a half. 3: Now, by applying gentle pressure with your right forefinger, bow the cards downward at their midpoint. Then, allow them to riffle off the thumb and fingertips, dribbling to join the cards remaining on the table. DIAGRAMS 2 and 3. 4: You must stop the release when you come to the last card. DIAGRAM 4. With a little practice, this will become automatic. 5: WITHOUT PAUSE, give the last card a final push with the forefinger. As you do so, snap the other fingers and thumb away from the card. DIAGRAMS 5 and 6. This will propel the card, causing it to revolve in a clockwise direction (on its LENGTH-WISE axis). The card will land face-up atop the balance of the deck.

It is important to note that there are NO DELAYS at any point. In effect, A FACE UP CARD apparently appears out of nowhere as the cards are gently dribbled to the table! Pay special attention to eliminating any pause between STOPPING at the final card and executing the FLIP. The more you practice, the easier this will become. The revolving card should land fairly squarely atop the deck. Also, keep your dribbling hand LOW. During it’s mid-air revolution, the revolving card should JUST clear the tabled cards,—JUST! For Super-Flip to look smooth in your hands, you must practice until it becomes “second nature.”

AMBITIOUS CARD APPLICATION The most obvious application is that of the “Ambitious Card.” My favorite way of using this is to have the signed selection returned to the middle of the FACE UP deck. This is done as I spread the cards from hand-to-hand. I then close the spread, flip the deck face down and dribble to the table, executing Super-Flip. When the selection appears on top, their jaws drop! Remember, they have just placed the card in the MIDDLE of the deck THEMSELVES. And, you’ve seemingly done NOTHING! No cutting, no shuffling. The secret is to use a “spread control.” As the card is returned to the middle of the face up deck you secretly pull it UNDER the spread, controlling it to the top. You need now just flip the deck face down and dribble!

APPEARING ACES APPLICATION This is a stunning and to the point Ace Production. It is best executed with a smooth and cool attitude!

Prepare by taking the four Aces, alternating the colors, and then turning the top Ace face-down upon it’s three face up buddies. Drop all on top of the deck and you are ready. (Your deck should consist of this arrangement: top card is a face down Ace. This is followed by three face up aces, and the balance of the deck is face down). False shuffle/cut and then table the deck prominently. Execute Super-Flip. The top Ace will flip over and land face up upon the other three now exposed ACES. A cool and instantaneous production of all four Aces! It appears as if all four just “burst” from the top of the deck.

SUPER-FLIP VANISH The move can be used as a vanish, but this is NOT the recommended application. Why? Because, if the face up card suddenly vanishes from the top of the deck, then the TOP OF THE DECK is the first place anyone will suspect. So, unless you are very good with a “push off” Double Turnover (don’t even think of getting a break for a regular DL) I would give this a miss. Of course, skilled card handlers, go for it! At the right place and time this can be a GREAT vanish! And now, let’s broaden the horizons...

SFUC It is virtually impossible to use Super-Flip—as it stands—to flip more than one card at the same time. To do so requires a “break” and this really clutters the visuals. SFUC, however, allows you to flip EITHER one OR two cards without ANY visual variance in handling. How can SFUC allow you to flip two cards without a break? The answer is simple. Take a playing card and a sharp pair of scissors. At opposite long ends of the card, trim out a slight scoop. These should be no deeper than a sixty-fourth of an inch, and should not extend more than half way across the card’s width. With familiarization, the scoops can be even finer than 1/64th. DIAGRAM 7 shows exactly what is required.

You now have a card that will act in a “Svengali” nature. If you Super-Flip from the non-scooped sides, only one card will flip. If, on the other hand, you Super-Flip

from the scooped sides, two cards will automatically be held back—and will subsequently flip over as if one card! The card can be used in either mode, whether face-up or face-down. It's just a matter of turning the deck end-for-end to set appropriately. Here are some ideas to start you on your explorations with SFUC:

A FLASH DOUBLE-LIFT In the context of an “Ambitious Card” routine, it is possible to use SFUC to magically cause the “Ambitious Card” to appear atop the deck as the face card of a “double.” This way, you are automatically “set'” to continue. Just turn the double back facedown, thumb off the “top” card, proceeding with the balance of your routine.

A COLOR CHANGE As a Color Change: Place the SFUC card face-up atop the deck. Execute SFUC and the top pair will revolve bringing the face of the second card into view. The SFUC card will now be face-down. A perfect tabled color change.

A STUNNING AMBITIOUS CARD CLIMAX As a stunning Ambitious Card Climax: Use a Double Faced Joker that is SFUC conditioned. Keep it in your card case. When you come to the end of your routine, secretly control the selected card to the top of the deck. Remove the Joker from the case and explain that you will place it face-up atop the deck to “block-off” the cards. Under these conditions, with the Joker FACE UP on top, the selection could not possibly rise to become the top card? Of course it can. Execute SFUC. The top pair

will revolve and the selection will arrive on top. The killer is that it is now sitting on top of the still face-up Joker!

A VANISH Here’s a nice vanish. Have the SFUC card (in this instance it’s not a Joker, but a previously forced card) on the table. Maybe a spectator is holding it. Under the misdirection of taking the card secretly turn the top card of the deck face-up. Shade this state with a wrist-turn. Take the face-up SFUC card and place it on top of the deck. Do this by reversing the wrist-turn to bring the deck face-down under the SFUC card. Both cards are face-up on top of the deck, squared as one. Table the deck. Execute SFUC (causing the top two cards to revolve). The SFUC card will appear to dissolve into nothingness! To prove that it has gone, lift the top card of the deck to display an indifferent face.

A BIT AT A TIME By using a pair of duplicates, with one set as a SFUC card, you can create an amazing “Ambitious Card” sequence. Imagine a signed selection rising to appear face up on top of the deck, but WITHOUT the signature. One more dribble and the ink catches up with the card, the signature magically appearing across the card’s face!