Benjamin Earl - Less Is More

 

B

E

N

J

 A

M

I

N

E

A

R

L

 

Less is More Benjamin Earl

 

Dedicated to:

Mum, Dad, Kathryn, Sebastian, Darcey, Neil, Anna & Freya.

 

“One day I will find the right  words, and they will he”  —Jack Kerouac

 

Special thanks to: Ludwig Mies van der Rohe, John Scarne, Steve Forte,

Ricky Jay, Michael Moschen, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Carl Andre, Simon Henderson, Mike, Chris Power, Justin Higham, Danny Buckler & Andi Gladwin.

VANISHINGINC. Designed by Andi Gladwin with Benjamin Earl Proofread by Andi Gladwin, Justin Higham, Erik Jansson, Joshua Jay, George Luck & Mike Vance. Photographed by Benjamin Earl First Edition 2017. Copyright © 2017 by Benjamin Earl and Vanishing Inc. Magic All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Con ventions. Published in the United States of America A merica by Vanishing Inc. Magic. Printed in the United States of America.

 

Contents

Foreword by Andi Gladwin ............................................. xiii Introduction.......................................................................xvii Introduction....................................................................... xvii

Evolving with Simplicity Thanks to Henry............................................................... 7 Henry in Isolation............................................................. 15 Instant Isolation ..................................................... ............................................................... .......... 19 Henry Topped...................................................................22 Chapter One Summary..................................................... 25

Technical Simplicity The Sting Cut....................................................................29 The Any Card Game Control...........................................  36   The Real Optical Shuffle .................................................41 Finessed Frank Thompson Cut......................................... 47 The Bounce Cut................................................................51 Spectator Shuffle Holdout................................................ 56 Half & Half Control..........................................................59 Shuffled Ose Control........................................................60 Deep Slug Control............................................................ 63 Chapter Two Summary.....................................................66

Versatile Simplicity Blinded by the Hand.........................................................69 Wide Awake Scream........................................................ 71 The Back Room Demo..................................................... 75 Clean Cutter .....................................................................80 Clean Cutter 2 ..................................................................87 Flow Productions .............................................................93 Chapter Three Summary...................................................99

 

Classic Simplicity Stem Cell...........................................................................103

The Resourceful Professional........................................... 110  No-Motion Four Aces.......................................................114 Aces....................................................... 114 Chapter Four Summary.....................................................126

Real Ace Cutting Real Ace Cutting...............................................................129 Chapter Five Summary..................................................... 140 In Closing..........................................................................142

 

Foreword & Introduction

 

Foreword by Andi Gladwin I positioned myself so that I could give the deck my best false shuffle. I then proceeded to produce the four Aces one by one using a series of complicated shuffles and stock controls. “It's good, "Ben said, “but it doesn't feel authentic. I think I can help you change that." By 'authentic' he meant it was clear that I was controlling the Aces instead of actually trying to locate them. Ben asked me to shuffle the cards. I handed the deck back to  Imme med dia iate tely ly  cut to an Ace. A legitimate riffle shuffle, him and he  Im

and to my utter shock, another Ace gently propelled from the  How w was he doi oin ng th this is? ?  As I would later discover, there were deck.  Ho

no crimps or shavings. The only plausible explanation was that he

had

somehow

developed

such

dexterity

that

he

really

was

locating the Aces. I was not only fooled, but I was brought into Ben's world; a place of superhuman feats with playing cards. Later that night, Ben taught me that he wasn't actually locating the Aces from a shuffled deck — even though it seemed exactly like he was. Actually, the technique he used was called “Real Ace

 xi ii 

 

Cutting,” I

had

which shown

was

far

him—but

easier somehow

than his

the

complex

looked

real.

monstrosity Ben

hadn't

 just fooled me with sleights, he had used something even more  potent:

simplicity. By

stripping away

everything I

would expect

to see, he had managed to rebuild the effect into something that  real. actually looked and fe  fellt  real.

The routine that Ben showed me is our final destination in  Les  Lesss  is

More.  Our

starting

point

is

Henry

Christ's

"Fabulous

Ace

Routine”; a construction that I think most card magicians fall in love with because the Aces are under our control, yet they deem  lost, even to the performer. We then follow the path through several

other

through at

versions

some

"Real

of

that

fascinating

Ace

Cutting,”

effect,

sleights where

before

and

even

taking

simple

your

a

detour

routines,

most

astute

ending magician

colleagues will believe in your apparent newfound skill.

This kind of simplicity does not come as the default. Ben has  been obsessing with this plot for at least the eight years that I

have

across

known the

him

entire

and

his

experimentations

have

guided

of

this

effect.

fact,

there

play:

Ben

can  actually

spectrum

interesting dichotomy at

In

find

him is

four

an

Aces

from a truly shuffled deck! I have seen him do it many times, including shoot.

in

It's

the

perhaps

stressful the

environment

most

difficult

of

an

edit-as-live

sequence

(for

your

TV hands

and mind) that I have ever seen a magician do. I think going as far as learning how to do it for real was the only way he could  provide authentic-feeling, pseudo demonstrations of this effect. Only then could he understand what it felt like to have that extraordinary

skill.

It's

a

framework

that

could

be

applied

to

many other skill-based tricks; learn to do it for real and then strip it back so that it becomes achievable and fascinating, even in the harshest of performance environments.

 xiv  

Even though most of the effects and moves in this book aren't at all difficult, it is important to understand that simplicity doesn't mean

easy.  Simplicity

is a design model; an understanding that

 by considering how a trick is structured and stripping away the fat,

we

designer

can

create

a

Jony

Ive

said

more in

an

interesting interview,

performance. "There

is

As a

Apple

profound

and enduring beauty in simplicity; in clarity, in efficiency. True

simplicity is derived from so much more than just the absence of clutter and ornamentation. It's about bringing order to complexity." That goal shines through in Ben's writing. The ideas applied in "Real Ace Cutting" aren't limited to Ace  production effects. We see Ben thrive with moves like the Real Optical

Shuffle

 psychology,

and

timing

the and

Sting

Cut

where

improvisation

he while

applies

the

controlling

same the

deck as he does to find the four Aces. By analysing what he is doing, I think we can apply this thinking to all of the magic that we perform. As Rune Klan once observed to me about Ben: his magic looks so good because he knows the perfect move to use at the perfect time. The

legendary

high-wire

artist

Philippe

Petit

wrote,

"What

the

audience will see is a man or woman who is a prisoner of his or her passion, and this is the most inspiring performance in the world." To see Ben Earl perform "Real Ace Cutting" is to see that  prisoner, trapped in his own mind as he calculates the positions of the Aces and tries to find the most efficient shuffle sequence to

effortlessly

produce

them

from

the

deck—it's

astonishing

to behold. Ben might not be carefully balancing on a rope tied  between the Twin Towers, but at that very moment, it seems that accurately locating the Aces is just as important to him. It is that tension and concentration that create an authentic performance. Andi Gladwin Gloucester, December 2016

 XV 

 

“What’s really important is to simplify. The work of most photographers would be improved  immensely if they could do one thing: get rid of   the extraneous. If you strive for simplicity, you  are more likely to reach the viewer. ”  —

William Albert Allard 

Introduction Magic the

performances technical

act

have

three

major

itself,

the

verbal

channels

of

expression:

presentation,

and

the

 physicality of the performer. I believe that all three channels are given maximum opportunity to flourish if an effect is reduced to its most simple technical components. There is real beauty in stripping away clutter to leave clarity and efficiency.  Le  Less is More ore   begins

by deconstructing — and then rebuilding — a

classic Ace routine, openly showing how simplicity can improve the effect. I will share three versions of the same effect; each will

get

progressively

simpler

and

progressively

better.

I'll

then

explore simplicity within sleights, techniques and several other 

 xvi i   

Ace routines; all of which demonstrate the true practicality and versatility together which

of

simple

within will

design.

The

one

powerful

hopefully

recalibrate

final

chapter

routine your

brings

everything

Ace

Cutting’),

('Real

appreciation

of

deceptive and sophisticated a simple magic method can become.

how

truly 

Why have I chosen to focus on Ace effects? They can efficiently speak to a performer’s skill, symbolise the gritty world of the cardsharp or become mystifying magic effects with relative ease. Their ability to connect to a wide range of ideas, their aesthetic appeal, and the fact that they are instantly recognisable symbols is why they have become a classic area of interest for magicians throughout

history.

Therefore,

I'll

be

using

Ace

effects

as

a

convenient framework to present my thoughts on simplicity. Simplicity

doesn’t mean

easy; it means

you

have fewer places

to hide, you are more exposed. It forces you to become better. Therefore, your technique and methodology must become more stages

efficient. of

Finding

ruthlessly

the

most

objective

efficient

development;

path a

requires

relentless

many attempt

aree  doing and what an audience to understand exactly what you ar thinks you are doing.  Less is Mor oree  was originally released over several The material in  Le

years

within

four

self-published

manuscripts.

However,

I

always wanted to collect the material together into one volume so that the reader had a less fragmented and more cohesive reading

experience.

opportunity,

but

it

This has

book

has

not

allowed

me

to

and include lots of extra the irony is not lost on me. Benjamin Earl Surrey, December 2016

 xviii  xvi ii  

techniques,

only update

touches

given al alll  the

and

me

that

material

routines

...

1.

Evolving with simplicity; a process of improvement

 

Evolving with simplicity; a process of  improvement Our starting point is Henry Christ's ‘Fabulous Ace Routine'. In effect, the four Aces are openly lost in separate areas of the deck. The performer now manages to find each one in a dramatically different fashion. It is a classic. I want to demonstrate that  by

introducing

increasingly

simple

means

of

tackling

the

methodology we can drastically improve a magic effect. Henry

Christ's

‘Fabulous

Ace

Routine'

doesn't

physically

exist;

it's just an idea, a concept, a piece of philosophy concerning the methodological has

structure

influenced

many

of

a

card

performers

trick.

This

—including

fifty-year-old myself—and

idea 

it

is

my starting point in this exploration. Like any idea it can be challenged, corrupted, refined a point beyond recognition.

and developed until it reaches It doesn't really matter which

Ace routine I used as my starting point. You will see as we  progress that any Ace routine would have led me to the same inevitable

conclusion.

However,

it

seemed

sensible

to

start

with

a recognisable classic.

3   

Henry

Christ

routine

after

was

originally

witnessing

Dai

inspired

to

create

Vernon

perform

his

classic

Ace

'Cutting

the

Aces'

from Stand of Magic.  Christ's routine was also originally intended for publication in the Stars of Magic  but it failed to make an appearance. It was eventually published in 1961 in Cliff Greens Professional Card Magic  under

Ace

Routine';

handling.

however,

Christ's

this

original

Fulves'  Epi  Epillogu ogue  and

The

the was

handling Vernon

title

'Henry

reportedly is

Christ's

not

Fabulous

Christ's

apparently

in

Chronicles,  Volume

original

both

Karl

2;  however,

 both of these descriptions differ from each other. Christ's

routine

is

usually

purported

to

be

a

masterpiece,

a

work

of

stunning

economy

and

magical

beauty.

I

disagree.

Although this classic routine is interesting and original, it is in my opinion far from a masterpiece. In fact, I think it's a rather dull

trick

lacking

in

punch

or

methodological

beauty.

I

am

challenging myself to improve the original without the need to add

additional

kickers

or

extra

moments

want to focus on stripping away all making it simpler to show that less is more. The

interesting

which

the

aspect

Aces

are

of

the

lost

magic.

Instead

unnecessary

original

apparently

of

routine in

clutter

is

separate

I

and

the

way

in

parts

of

the

deck and the fact that each Ace is found in a different way. The exact nature of the control and the style of the revelations aren 't what make the Christ routine interesting (even if it does make it identifiable), and therefore I have made changes to both the control

and

the

revelations.

My

first

step

was

to

analyse

the

structure of the Christ effect and to make it more efficient, logical and direct. I have attempted to clear out the cobwebs and to inject a sense of minimalist clarity. The it

laydown/control feels

changed

more

casual

the

original

procedure and

has

natural.

have

been Most

removed

improved performers

the

double

so

that

who

have

undercut

4  

(probably

because

it

is

rightly

felt

to

be

incongruous

and

 perhaps even naively felt to be too simple), but left the insertion of an Ace into a fanned packet, which is also incongruous. All the

packets

should  fed   the

same;

the

laydown

sequence

should

have a congruent feeling of intention, style and attitude. I feel like the sequence offered here impressionistically achieves that. The revelations have also been improved as each Ace is found with a sense of immediacy; therefore, dealing quantities of cards while spelling or counting has been eliminated. Each Ace is also found

with

a

completely

distinct

theatrical

and

conceptual

tone

(which is even more distinct than in the original routine). The

revelations

in

mathematical,

Christ s and

original

felt

ultimately

small,

cute,

disappointing.

mildly

Therefore

amusing, it

was

important to me that these were improved. In

summary,

below

is

full

a

list

of

structural

and

theatrical

developments: •

No set-up is required.

•

The Aces are lost in a more congruent and natural way.

•

The revelations build; each one is progressively stronger and more distinctive.

•

No tabled spreads are used.

•

No estimation, glimpses or key cards are used.

•

There are no anti-climactic moments.

•

No kicker or surprise endings are used.

•

It is very simple to perform and execute.

5  

Thanks to Henry Begin table,

by

removing

arranging

them

the

Aces

face

up

and

on

tossing

the

table

them in

onto

Spades,

the

Hearts,

Diamonds, Clubs order from your left to right. The Aces don't actually need to be in any particular order but I like this order as they are discovered alternating in colour and the Ace of Spades is discovered last. You

are

separate

now it

going

into

to

spread

individual

through

sections

the

and

to

face-up

pack

demonstrate

to that

there are no additional Aces present. You will use this moment to secretly count cards in two of the packets, which is a very natural and efficient way to get the work done. With the face up Aces on the table, spread through the deck, saying, “I want    you to se  you seee tha hatt the herre are are no ext extra Ac Aces es in the de deck ck.. ”  Casually spread over the first nine face-up cards, flip this packet face down and

allow it to hit the base of the left thumb so that it doesn't go flush

with

the

deck.

Your

right

hand

immediately

squares

the

 packet before picking it up and setting it down onto the Ace of Clubs

(leaving

three-quarters

of

the

face-up

Ace

protruding

as

in the original Christ handling).

7  

When counting the nine cards, make sure it is done casually and in groups of three or four rather than pushing over nine cards individually. If done casually it is impossible for a spectator to sense that you have removed a specific number of cards. Spread there

just are

no

over extra

a

quarter Aces,

and

of

the

flip

remaining this

packet

cards, over,

showing setting

it

down onto the Ace of Diamonds. Now spread over nine cards and, in the same action, flip them over and set them onto the Ace of Hearts in exactly the same way you did for the previous  packets. The remaining cards are flipped over in the hands and set down behind the Ace of Spades (Photo 1). You are now going to lose the Aces in a very convincing and

natural manner. Pick up the Ace of Clubs with your right hand and lay it face down on your left hand. Immediately pick up the  packet that was on top of the Ace, and drop it face down on top of the Ace. Pick up the Ace of Diamonds and drop it face down

1

8   

onto the cards in your hand, and then pick up its packet and drop it onto the cards in your hand, but secretly hold a break  between the Ace and this packet. As

if

to

subtly

speed

up

the

procedure,

reach

forward

with

your right hand and remove the Ace of Hearts and allow it to turn face down onto its packet, and do exactly the same thing with the Ace of Spades. Now pick up the Ace of Hearts packet and drop it onto the Ace of Spades packet, and in a continuing action pick up this combined packet and drop it onto the cards in your hand. Casually cut the deck at the break and then begin a casual false shuffle while you say, “If this were a real game you would have no  idea where any of the Aces would be and you would only have a small  

window of opportunity to find out.  You can also use the Any Card

Game Control (page 36) to further imply that the Aces are lost. Riffle

the

ends

of

the

cards

toward

yourself

as

if

you

are

memorising the cards. Continue, “I will find the Aces by using a  combination of memory and dexterous skill. ”  Execute a series of flowing

false

cuts

(see

Notes)

before

producing

the

Ace

that

is currently on top. While you can use any revelation here, it is important that this Ace is produced with a technical flourish as it communicates skill and provides a nice visual contrast to  both the process so far and the revelations to come. “The second Ace will be found by yourself   [indicate a spectator] using   p  psy sych chol olo ogi gica call con onttrol. rol.  ” You will now find the Ace of Clubs, at the

tenth

position,

drop

seven

using

cards

the

one

psychological

by

one

stop

before

force.

looking

Silently

up

and

dealsaying,

“Just say stop whenever you like. ”  Continue to drop cards until

the

participant

stops

up

to

the

reveal

you

on

second

the

Ace.

tenth Much

card, has

and

turn

been

it

written

face about

the psychological stop force and I won't go into it now, but as

9   

long as you thoroughly understand the technique and all its  permutations, you will always find the Ace.1  It is important not to deal the cards  pe  perr se, se,  but to casually drop  them onto the table, as it looks more casual and more interesting than a deal. Drop

the

talon

onto

the

dealt

cards

and

pick

up

the

deck.

Continue, “The third card can be found tiding misdirection. ”  As you say this, palm the top card of the deck in your right hand (the Ace of Hearts) and allow the right hand to relax as all of your attention and focus moves to the left hand. Silently and openly  pinky

count

or

 break,

and

then

thumb openly

count

nine

execute

a

cards

and

Charlier

establish

Cut

at

the

a

wide break.

This is done in full view of the audience and only takes a few seconds. Hearts

Reach as

you

into

a

pocket

and

produce

the

palmed

Ace

of

say,

“Without misdirection everyone would have seen 

me steal it!”  As this Ace is being placed onto the table, establish

a break under the top two cards with a pinky count or a double  push-off.

“Now, for the final Ace I thought I'd dhow you the type of thing that    you'd  you' d see see in a Hol Hollyw ywoo ood d movi ovie y  where something impossible hap pend.   Nor  N orm mal ally ly it' it's done done with ith a cam camer era a cut  cut   ... but those moments in movies  are base based d on real real tech techniq niques ues . . . s o I’l I’lll dhow dhow you what what one one of thos thosee real real  techniques might look like. ”  As you say this, execute a double lift,

showing

a

face-up

indifferent

card,

turn

the

double

face

down

and place the top card onto the table next to the other three face-up Aces. Now say, “Ad I said, in the movies this is always done  with a camera cut, but in reality it looks like this. ”  Place your hand

onto

the

face-down

card

before

lifting

the

hand

and

carefully

and slowly turning the card face up to reveal the final Ace.

1. Th This is techn technique ique da dates tes back to at le least ast the 19th centur century y, w with ith early descriptions found in Ottokar Fischer's  J.  J. N. Hofzi ofzins nseer: Kar arttenku nkuns nstte,  Olms: Zurich, 1910, p. 23. I would recommend reading ‘The Psychic Stop!' from  E  Exxpert Car ard d Techni niqu quee  and Roberto Giobbi's description in Card College,  Volume 4.

10   

Notes As you can see, ‘Thanks to Henry' is a very efficient handling of the Henry Christ trick. However, the notes below are useful in

understanding

the

choices

I

have

made

in

constructing

the

effect.

Removing the Aces Why remove the Aces only to lose them again? Firstly, it stages the effect and very efficiently sets up the premise. Secondly, the  banality of their removal only serves to strengthen the clarity of their rediscovery. However, as we probe deeper into the effect within the rest of the chapter, this exact point will undoubtedly  begin to haunt me. Magicians

often

attempt

to

logically

justify

the

‘losing'

of

the

Aces by first producing them with a fancy production. This is the worst thing you can do with a routine of this kind as it

completely misses the point. You are trying to demonstrate the impossibility

of

what

you

are

doing.

Do

not

undermine

efforts by beginning the performance by showing only how easy this is, but that it can be done with a flourish!

your

them

not

And, an aside; To reproduce them again at the end or to end by  producing a royal flush is to further undermine the effect. All of your efforts should be in making the production of four lost cards impressive, technically, theatrically and psychologically. The best way to begin is to remove the cards openly. This subtly demonstrates

to

an

audience

what

you

would

‘have'

to

do

to

find four Aces. This moment suggests that you actually need to spread through the cards and to place them physically onto the table—what other way is there?

 

Losing the Aces As you can see from the procedure I have described, the losing sequence  picked

feels

up

and

impressionistically dropped

onto

very

your

similar:

hand

in

Cards a very

are

being

casual

and

open manner. It is very simple and easy to perform. Here

is

a

variation

very

interesting,

for

though

handling after

the

much

'losing'

procedure

consideration

I

that

is

decided

to

use the one already described. However, I think it's valuable in our understanding of how the procedure eventually evolved: Start with the Aces on the table in Spades, Hearts, Diamonds, Clubs order. Place a packet of nine cards behind the first Ace of Clubs and then start spreading over the cards for the second  packet and catch a break under an anyy  card as you flip over the cards in your right hand onto the rest of the deck. As the packet is turned face down, the card above your little-finger break is added to the bottom of this packet. To cover this moment, both of

your hands perform a simultaneous action: Your left hand turns at the wrist and moves forward along with your right hand to adjust/straighten the two center Aces. The left hand then moves  back to its previous position as the right hand sets its cards onto the second Ace.

As before,

set

nine face-down cards onto the

third Ace and the remainder face down onto the final Ace. Pick up the Aces as follows: Pick up the Ace of Clubs and set it face down onto your left hand, followed by dropping its packet on top. Do the same thing for the second packet. Turn the third Ace

face

down

onto

its

packet

before

dropping

the

cards

in

hand on top, and repeat this for the final Ace. There is now a reversed card somewhere near the top of the deck. Say, “I’ll show you several ways that the Aces can be found. They  each seem impossible, but card cheats, gamblers and hustlers have played   with all of these ideas. Before we do anything it's important that you

12  

remember that the Aces are Lost in different areas of the deck. ”   As you

deliver the last part of this script, casually spread the cards face down the

between

face-up

your

card.

hands,

Act

apparently

surprised

and

accidentally

cheekily

say,

revealing

“Whoops  ...

now if that was an Ace I’d have taken credit for that!”  Turn over the

face-up card and catch a break beneath it as you replace all the cards above it and continue to hold the break. By cutting at the  break the cards are in the exact order you need to proceed.2

Finding the Aces The revelations have been specifically largest amount of contrast possible. First the

Ace: rest

cut-to

of

the

with deck

skill, is

while

randomly

constructed

subtly mixed

to

create

communicating through

shuffles

the

that and

cuts. Spectators will be impressed that you have found an Ace,  but deck

they

will

is

mixed.

also

subconsciously

This

is

an

believe

aesthetically

that

the

pleasing

rest

of

sequence

the that

efficiently establishes the idea that the deck is in chaos while

establishing an impressive level of skill. Second Ace: psychological control of the spectator. This is very impressive

because

they

believe

the

deck

to

be

mixed

and

it

comes as a complete surprise. They are in control, not you, and therefore the appearance is thoroughly baffling. Third

Ace:

unexpected

is and

impossibly completely

removed impossible

from as

the

the

pocket;

palm

totally

will

not

be

seen. This is in contrast to the other two Aces as it appears in a different spatial area of the performing zone and with a lighter theatrical tone.

2. Frank Garci G arciaa mentions th thee ‘‘W Whoops’ ho ops’ concept to t o cont control rol cards cards in Super   Subtle Card Miracles  (1973), although the concept is a lot older. It was first  publiished by U. F. Grant iin  publ n 19 1943 43 as a method for el eliminati minating ng the Pass. Pass.

13  

Fourth Ace: magically transforms. This is a very strong moment of magic to end on, that contrasts with all the other revelations and appears exceptionally clean. All

of

this

complicated through deck.

the This

is

achieved

set-ups.

The

performer's happens

without effect skill

with

the

any also

and

spelling, seems

power

smallest

coincidences to

rather amount

be than of

or

generated a

trick

adjustment

 possible to the deck, in order to give each of the revelations a sense of immediacy. In short, all superfluous handling has been removed, generating a very efficient sequence.

14  

Henry in Isolation  By tak akiing ‘T ‘Th han ankks to He Hen nry ’a ’and nd de deve velo lop pin ing g th thee me meth thod odol olo ogi gica call str tru uct ctu ure  of the routine even further, you will see that several distinct advantages  have presented themselves: the method is more deceptive, natural and   dimple. It still conforms to the four-packet structure of Christ's original,  but this new handling had also led to an additional visual handling.  

 Mos  M ostt imp mpor orta tant ntly ly th this is proc roced edur uree allo allows ws th thee pe perrfo form rmer er to co con ncen centr trat atee on   p  per erfforma ormanc ncee rat rathe herr th than an th thee tec techn hniical cal co con nsid sider era ati tion on of th thee eff ffeect ct..  It  It is imp mpor orta tan nt to rem emem embe berr th that at th this is ro rou uti tine ne is st stiill bas based on Hen Henry  Christ's ‘Fabulous Ace Routine’. But now it seems very different. It   achieves the exact same effect of locating the Aces in distinctively different   ways after they have been lost in different areas of the deck, but with this   handling, less structure and less technique have certainly produced more.

To perform, start with a bottom-cutting breather crimp in the Ace of Spades (this is typically done by applying the crimp with the card face up). Have the deck shuffled and then cleanly remove the Aces. Lay the Aces into a face-up row on the table and

arrange

them

in

Clubs,

Hearts,

Spades,

Diamonds

order

from left to right. Slowly turn each Ace face down.

15   

 Now dribble a quarter of the deck onto each Ace from a few inches above the table. This looks incredibly random and very casual. Say something along the lines of, “Each Ace to now  separated and in a different area of the deck, but to make it truly random   I shou shoulld mix up these hese packe acketts so that nobo nobod dy kno knows the locat ocatiions ons of the   A  Ace ces. s. ”  Suiting actions to words, pick up the packet on the far

left and give it an overhand shuffle, retaining the Ace on the  bottom using the slip shuffle. Drop this packet in front of you (Photo 1). Pick up the next packet (with the Ace of Hearts on the bottom) and give it an overhand shuffle, but run the Ace to the top. Drop this packet onto the packet already in front of you. You now have half the deck on the table with the Ace of Hearts on the top and Ace of Clubs on the face. Pick

up

the

third

packet

(Ace

of

Spades)

and

give

it

an

overhand shuffle, again retaining the Ace on the bottom

1

16   

with

the

slip

shuffle

technique,

and

drop

this

packet

onto

the

combined packet in front of you. Pick up the final packet, give it an overhand shuffle, running the final Ace to the top of the  packet, and drop it onto the deck. The sequence is very easy to remember: from left to right the sequence is bottom, top, bottom, top. This has placed an Ace on the top of the deck, an Ace on the bottom and two Aces next to each other in the middle of the deck (the Ace of Spades has a

breather

casual,

crimp

and

in

because

it). each

This

entire

packet

is

sequence

looks

dropped

onto

incredibly the

next,

even card men find it difficult to see how the Aces could be controlled.3  I refer to this sequence as the Isolation Procedure. Unfortunately

you

are

reading

the

secret

before

seeing

it,

but

trust me, this procedure is extremely difficult to track, even for magicians.

Ill

describe

another

production

sequence

using

the

 procedure after this trick. Give the entire deck a casual false shuffle or some false cuts as you mention that the Aces are each lost in separate areas of the deck. As in 'Thanks to Henry', riffle the ends of the cards toward

yourself

as

if

memorising

the

cards,

and

then

continue

to find the Aces. "I'll find the first Ace by using a combination of memory and dexterous   skill.  ” Execute a series of flowing false cuts (see the Sting Cut,

 page 29) before producing the Ace of Diamonds from the top of the deck. It is important that this Ace is produced with a technical

flourish

so

that

it

communicates

skill

and

provides

a

nice visual contrast to the revelations to come.

3. Concept Conceptual ually ly th this is se sequence quence is the same as that used in Th Thee In Inseparabl separablee Four' from Harry Lorayne's Close-Up Card Magic  (1962). The actual handling used here is, however, different.

17   

“I won’t find the next Ace, you will!  [Indicate a spectator] Please  say stop at any moment as I deal through the cards. ”  Establish a

 break above the Ace of Spades (made possible by cutting to the  breather crimp and getting a break above it) and deal the cards in

small

timing

clumps

force

—

onto

the

table

sometimes

using

known

as

the

classic

the

psychological

Psychological

Stop

technique. When the spectator says stop, the two Aces are either on the table or on top of the deck. Turn over the Ace of Spades to reveal the second Ace and either bury the dealt cards in the middle of the deck or drop them on top of the deck (depending on where the Aces are when the spectator says stop); the Ace of Hearts is now on top of the deck. As

your

hands

are

squaring

the

deck,

side

steal

the

bottom

card into your right hand and say, “I can find the third Ace using  misdirection.”  Say

this

as

your

right

hand

relaxes

and

the

left

hand moves up and to the left so that it is in full view. Loudly riffle down the side of the deck with your left little finger and then reach into a pocket with your right hand and produce the  palmed Ace. As this Ace is being set down, establish a break under the top two cards with the left l eft hand.

“Now, for the final Ace I thought I’d show you the type of thing that you’d   see in a Hollywood movie where an impossible thing happens. Normally  it's done with a camera cut   ... but those moments in movies are based   on real techni techniques ques .... . s o I’ll show you you wha whatt one of those those re real al te techniqu chniques es  might look like. ” As  you say this, execute a double lift, showing a

face-up card, turn the double face down and place the top card onto the table next to the other three face-up Aces. Now say, “As I said, in the movies this is always done with a camera cut, but in  reality it looks like this. ”  Place your hand onto the face-down card

 before lifting the hand and then the card face up to reveal the final Ace.

carefully

and

slowly

turning

18   

Instant Isolation  Ad pre revi viou oussly men enti tio one ned, d, the me metthod hod

us used ed wi with thin in 'H 'Hen enrry

in Isola solati tion on'

had opened up an additional, visual option. You are about to execute  a series of coordinated flowing actions to produce all four Aces within   jus  justt a cou coupl plee of seco second ndss. Thi hiss produ roduct ctio ion n is a ver very smoot mooth h sequ sequen ence ce of   deliberate actions without hesitation or study. The spectator is left with  the impression that you have reached into multiple areas of the deck and   very skillfully plucked out each Ace.

Begin

by

using

the

Isolation

Procedure

(with

the

Aces

in

the

same order) to lose/control the Aces. The deck should be sitting on the table in front of you with one Ace on the top, one Ace on the bottom and two roughly in the middle of the deck (the uppermost Ace has a bottom-cutting breather crimp in it). Now reveal the cards in rapid succession as follows: Place the deck onto the table as if you were about to execute a riffle shuffle. Cut off all of the cards above the breather with your right hand and remove the top card of the lower packet with your left hand (Photo 1). Turn over this card to show that

19   

1

3

 

 

2

4

5

 

6

 

it is the Ace of Hearts and place it face up in front of the deck (Photo 2). As your right hand deals the Ace of Hearts, start to turn your left hand palm up to display the Ace of Spades on the face of that packet (Photo 3). Lay the Ace of Spades face up onto the table as your left hand returns to pick up the tabled  packet (the original bottom portion of the deck). Turn your left hand palm up to display the Ace of Clubs and deal it onto the table. At exactly the same time, place the righthand packet back face down onto the table (Photo 4). Start to remove the top card of the tabled half with your right hand at the exact moment that the left hand returns to place its half back on top (Photo 5). With the correct timing, the Ace

of

Diamonds

appears

to

be

removed

from

between

both

 packets. Place it face down with the other Aces as the left hand coalesces

its

half

onto

other

tabled

half

(Photo

6).

should work effortlessly, and in synergy, to produce the Aces.

The

hands

 21  

Henry Topped  Now  N ow we com come to the the fi fina nall ex expl plor orat atiion of Henry enry Chri rist st''s ‘Fabu Fabullous ous Ace   Rout  Ro utiine’. ne’. The ef efffec ectt is essen ssenttiall iallyy ide identic ntical al,, but the int ntrroduc oducti tio on of af ar   simpler method makes it much better. This entire effect had been achieved   without any complicated setup, packet counts,

cards, crimps,

thumb counting, shuffle controls or memory. The

had 

also been eliminated and the entire effect had been generated from a  shuffled deck. When compared to the previous routined, ‘Henry Topped’ is a huge  methodological

improvement.

By

deriving

for

simple

methodological 

design, the original Henry Christ routine is now a distant cousin of what    I beli believ evee to be a far far sup superio eriorr app ppro roa ach to this his eff ffec ect. t.

Have

the

spread deck;

shuffled

by

through,

showing

that

use

course, the

deck this

you

spectator

moment

could has

also

to

a

spectator. there

cull

add

shuffled.

the

are

Retrieve

the

deck

and

only  four

Aces

in

the

Aces

the

top.

Of

four

to

palmed

Aces

onto

the

Either

way,

casually

deck

after

shuffle

the

deck, retaining the stock on top, as you draw attention to the

22  

idea that you are going to try and find the Aces. Just as in the  previous two effects, riffle the ends of the cards toward yourself as if memorising the cards. “I’ll find the first Ace by using a combination of memory and dexterous  

skill. ”  Execute a false cut (the Finessed Frank Thompson Cut,  page 47, or Bounce Cut, page 51, work well here) until the final  packet remains in the left hand, or simply cut and hold a break, and then cut all the cards above the break to the table in two or three small cuts, leaving the cards below the break in the left hand. Turn over the top card of the left-hand packet to reveal an Ace. Place this Ace onto the table to your right as you pick up the cards on the table and place them back onto your hand, making sure to hold a break between the halves. “I won’t find the next Ace, you will!  [Indicate a spectator] Please  say stop at any moment ad I deal through the cards.   ” You will now

use

the

 previous

psychological routines:

drop

timing

force

small

that

packets

of

has

been

cards

used

onto

the

in

the

table,

timing your cut to the break at the exact moment your spectator says stop. Reveal the second Ace and place it next to the first Ace as you assemble the deck, making sure the portion with the two Aces ends up on top of the deck. “The third Ace can be found using middirection. ”  As you say this,

 palm the top card of the deck in your right hand and allow it to relax as your left hand rises and riffles down the corner of the deck with the little finger or thumb. You can now produce

this Ace by revealing it was hidden in the hand or producing it from a pocket. As you place the Ace next to the other two on the table, establish a break under the top two cards of the deck. “Now, for the final Ace I thought I d dhow you the type of thing that    you’d normally dee in a Hollywood movie where an impossible thing  happens. Usually it’d done with a special s pecial effect ... but those moments

23  

are based on real techniques. ”  As you say this, execute a double lift,

showing

a

face-up

indifferent

card,

turn

the

double

face

down

and place the top card next to the other Aces. Place your hand onto the face-down card before carefully lifting slowly turning the card face up to reveal the final Ace.

the

hand

and

 24  

Chapter One Summary By forcing yourself to look objectively at the effect — unburdened  by thoughts

about method —you can understand

an effect’s

essence. It is only then that you can try to express or reveal that

essence

‘Thanks

To

in

the

Henry’,

most

direct

way

possible.

‘Henry

In

Isolation’

and

By

comparing

‘Henry

Topped’,

you will notice that I have slowly simplified and streamlined the handlings until the true essence the effect has been exposed.

But ‘Henry Topped’ is not the end. Actually, it is  beginning. The same methodological position allows

just the you to

 perform virtually every other effect in this book! It has opened up

a

huge

range

of

performing

possibilities,

including

the

last

effect this book, ‘Real Ace Cutting’ (page 129), which rebuilds the effect in new and truly realistic ways. As we delve deeper into

 Le  L ess

is More 

we will further investigate

the relationship between effect and method, between objectivity and

simplicity,

all

have

between

important

thinking

and

implications

execution of magic.

 

2. Technical Simplicity

action. on

the

These

relationships

construction

and

 

The Sting Cut I believe the Sting Cut4  to be the best tabled full-deck false cut in existence. This may seem like a bold claim to make, but after reading

the

it—you'll

entire

hopefully

impossible

to

description

—and

reach

same

follow,

it

the can

be

seeing

how

conclusion: varied

I've

It's

without

evolved

simple,

it's

concentration

to suit style or context, it's practical with any cards in any condition and it is almost impossible to lose complete control. It is also perfectly suited to the control of a small stock on either top

or

technical

bottom.

However,

developments

that

it's

the  ph  phiiloso losop phy  underpinning

makes

the

Sting

Cut

so

these

interesting

to me.  Expe  Ex pert rt Card Techn hniq iqu ue  states that the Up the Ladder Cut is the

 best tabled false cut, other texts promote the Vernon Cold 

4. I first saw this cut — in its most basic form — being executed by John Scarne in the Universal film, The Sting  (Henry Gondorf demonstrates the cut by controlling the Ace of Spades through several cutting actions). The earliest written description I can find is in Poker by Hardison (1914) under the title of False Cuts (Third Method).

29   

Deck

Cut,

cuts

from

Erdnase

or

some

other

fixed

system

cut

(by this I mean that the move is executed the same every time). However, any fixed system cut has no room for flexibility; I use the Sting Cut as an open  system cut, giving me total flexibility, allowing it to adapt itself to the moment. You cannot possibly know what is right for the moment until you're in  the moment, and so the Sting Cut allows you to perform the best and most convincing sequence at exactly the right time. This cut will require a lot of practice so that you can let your hands go' and essentially improvise the cut in the moment. This is

more

difficult

than

one

would

imagine

but

it's

intrinsically

very simple. The very fact that you may not know what your hands are doing in the moment—yet you still have complete control—is the most attractive element of this cut to me. The cut is essentially a triple undercut on the table, in which a  break is used to maintain control. Broken down: 1.

Undercut a portion from the bottom and hold a break  between this portion and the top of the deck.

2.

Now undercut half of the cards below the break to to the top.

3.

Finally, cut the remaining cards below the break to the top.

This is the essence of the cut. However, there are many ways that you can improve this cut without changing the simple nature of its construction. Once you are completely familiar with the ideas detailed below, it is a simple matter to combine these elements and

to

change

them

depending

on

your

environment.

There

should

 be no physical or psychological tension displayed by you during what appears to be a very unconsidered series of genuine cuts. The ability to vary all the elements will subconsciously add to the authentic feel

of the cut.

You can simply let

your hands

execute the cut as they wish in the moment without paying the least bit attention to what they are doing.  30  30  

Varying tempo, rhythm & style The Sting Cut is normally performed with three simple cuts, all of which are performed with the same rhythm and tempo. However, varying these elements can create an interesting and very deceptive aesthetic. Here are some examples: •

The first packet can be cut to the top with a medium tempo, the

•

second

packet

with

a

fast

tempo

and

the

final

packet

with a slow tempo. The first packet is slowly cut to the top and the deck is squared

while

the

break

is

maintained.

Now

the

next

two

 packets are quickly cut to the top with a fast tempo and •

rhythm. This is similar to the previous cut but there is a subtle difference: The first packet is cut to the top slowly and the next

two

packets

are

cut

very

quickly;

however

the

final

 packet is lifted higher and slapped on top with much more •

vigor. When removing the last packet it is possible to let go of the rest of the deck held in the left hand and to drop the final packet on top from a distance of three or four inches. It is also nice to pick up both packets (as the final is being removed) and to drop the left-hand packet followed by dropping the right-hand packet on top.

onto

the

table,

Adding false strips You can always throw in one or two bottom strips of the final  packet before it is placed/dropped/slapped on top. This adds more packets to the gestalt of the cut, gives a more casual

appearance,

and

will

naturally

alter

the

tempo

and

rhythm

of

the final packet.

Ending with a straight cut By stripping two or three marginally thinner packets and leaving a portion under the break you are able to square up the

 31  31  

deck and to cut the portion above the break forward onto the table

(like

 perfectly

a

standard

simulate

Dai

table

cut).

Vernons

With

Cold

this

Deck

technique Cut.

I

you

can

believe

that

this procedure really adds to Vernon's cut.

Performing the cut twice It is an easy matter to perform the cut twice in a way where it is not really obvious that two separate sequences have been executed. Instead the two sequences will flow together and look like one random sequence of cuts. If both sequences are different  it  it will be even more difficult to follow.

Stutter-Step Subtlety This is a devious subtlety to use with the Sting Cut. It creates the illusion of more packets being cut without actually cutting more packets. It is a very simple idea but may sound more complex in description.

1

32  

Hold an area in the middle of the pack with the tips of the third finger and thumb of the left hand, and keep pressure on this

portion

as

the

right

hand

moves

diagonally

forward

with

a portion from the top and the bottom. The right hand moves diagonally forward until the top packet almost   clears the middle  portion (Photo 1). With the right hand keeping hold of its bottom portion, it moves sharply inward to the left for a fraction of an inch and, in that motion,

allows

inertia

to

carry

the

top

portion

back

onto

the

middle portion of the deck (Photo 2). The right hand now moves back outward with its single packet and places it on top, keeping a thumb break with the left hand (Photo 3). This technique is over in a flash, creating an almost subliminal appearance

of

another

packet.

Of

course,

it

is

entirely

to remove the right hand completely and then to come back 

2

possible

33  

3

to cut off the top packet before depositing the original bottom  portion

on

top;

however,

the

Stutter-Step

technique

removes

all possibility of a card accidentally sliding out of place or the  performer accidentally dropping a break. Additional subtle touches

•

After getting a break under the first packet, the next packets can be casually dropped/thrown onto the first packet as the  break is already established. This adds a touch of casualness, which is very deceptive.

•

Allow each packet to step slightly so that you can square the entire deck at the end.

•

Removing

each

packet

without

hesitation

and

having

a

smooth

flow

will

increase

the

deceptiveness

and

casualness

of the cut.

 34  34  

•

By pausing before the final packet is removed, it is possible to make the single sequence Breaking

•

or

interrupting

the

 Loo  Look  k  

like two separate sequences.

rhythm

can

be

used

in

many

ways and can create a genuine sense of casual, true mixing. If you are only controlling a small stock, it is possible, at any point, to execute real strip-cuts or multiple cuts to the table, of all the cards except the stack.

•

Once the sequence is finished, instantly throw in a Scrape Cut.5

•

Improvise

the

entire

looking at your hands.

sequence

while

talking

and

without

5. An old card table move, published in Stephen Minch's The Chronicles Volume 1, 1987, under the title 'The Vernon Simple False Cut'.

Vernon 

35  

The Any Card Came Control This

procedure

routine

and

adds

makes

contextual

it

more

realism

interesting,

to

any

less

static

gambling and

very

deceptive. It can be used with any stack or prearrangement and communicates

a

feeling

of

unconsidered

randomness

without

moving a single card out of place. Unlike a false shuffle or cut, this control implies  that the deck is mixed by how you appear to  be casually throwing cards all over the place, while talking the spectator through a ‘generic' card game procedure. It is a useful way to introduce the concept of lay stacking, pickup

stacking,

 positions handled your

of

card the

appear

presentation

counting, cards

to

be

while

and

location the

casual

completely allowing

play

or

way

authentic you

to

culling,

etc.;

the

which

they

are

in and

control

congruent a

slug

with

without

the slightest hint of suspicion.

 3  36  6   

The Any Card Game Control is not only an incredibly deceptive technique, it has great utility. It is a perfectly casual, subtle and  practical way to control a stock of anything up to fifteen cards or to add a specific number of cards above a stock.

Full Deck Control With a deck in your left hand, spread off a bunch of at least twelve cards and place them face down onto the table to your right.

But,

as

you

put

them

down,

use

your

fingers

to

twist

them around into a spiraled mess. Spread off around fifteen to twenty cards and ribbon spread them face up across the table. A third of the deck should remain in your left hand, which you casually

false

shuffle

as

you

mention

that

this

is

the

general

situation in many card games: “These cards represent the deadwood,  or cards that have been played [A], these are the cards that are currently   in play [B] and these are yet to be played [C]. This is the standard   opportunity space to get useful information. ” (Photo 1)

1

37   

Fan and look at the cards in your hand, and then scoop up the face-up spread and place it onto the cards already in your hand.  Now place the spiraled mess on top, and square everything up.  Not a single card moves out of place, but it has subtly injected a sense of authenticity and routine you are about to perform. The

Any

Card

extremely

Game

simple

randomness

Control

way

to

is

into

an

subtly

whatever

incredibly

gambling

useful

communicate

and

randomness

without having to do very much; the layout does it all for you. There

are

separate

bunches

of

cards

in

different

positions

on

the table, some are in your hand, some are in a mess, some are spread and some are squared, some are face up and others are face

down.

This

talk about

situation

the typical

randomness).

At

this

is

observed

by

the

spectator

as

you

situation in a card game (which implies moment

you

may

false

shuffle

the

cards

in your hand (C) or you may set them down as you talk about something

else.

The

casualness

and

openness

of

this

technique

are the secret to its deceptiveness. It is also possible to break the face-up spread into three sections (Photo

2)

by

either

openly

splitting

the

spread

into

three

sections or by simply laying down three small spreads from the top of the cards in the left hand. This can look more authentic and doesn't change the relative order of the cards. To make the  procedure

feel

more

random,

you

can

talk

through

hitting

or

dealing a card face up onto the face-up spread on the right (so that it lands on the Three of Clubs in the photo). This doesn't change

the

relative

positions

of

any

cards

in

the

deck

(once

the cards are picked up in the correct order) and simulates the dealer giving a card to one of the players.

38   

2

Small Stock Control When

only

needing

to

control

a

small

stock,

the

following

handling is impossible for anyone to follow — I use this handling when I just want to control the four Aces. Start with four Aces on top of the deck. Casually contrive a way to place the Aces into the middle of the deck and hold a  break above them (using a cut or jog shuffle). Now push off three or four clumps of cards and lay them face up at various spots on the table, stopping when you have a small portion of cards

remaining

above

the

break.

“When playing any card game 

 you  yo u wi will ll nor orma mall llyy have have sev eveera rall hand handss bein being g pla laye yed, d, of whic which h you you may may see  some of them or all of them at the end ..""

39  

 Now drop all of the cards above the break onto the table to your right, followed by another clump (which is big enough to contain the stock) on top of it as you say, “And there will be a pile  of cards that has been discarded or folded. ”

You now say, “There will be some cards remaining in the dealer's hand   or perhaps a dealing shoe. These remaining cards may or may not be   play  pl ayed ed ... it depe depen nds on what what the play player erss deci decide de in the gam game. ”  As you

say this, casually shuffle the cards and flip a couple of cards face up onto the tabled hands and add a couple of cards onto the discard pile from the face-up hands. The situation now is that your stock is in the discard pile, below two

indifferent

cards.

How

many

indifferent

cards

you

decide

to casually add to the discard pile is up to you. I improvise which hands I add cards to and how many I add onto the stock. Because of the way you have casually handled this layout, it's virtually

impossible

that

anything

face

up,

has

some

for

anyone

been

face

to

have

specifically

down,

the

faintest

controlled.

some

have

been

suspicion

Some shuffled

cards

are

and

the

relative positions are all different. It just looks like a mess that you

are

merely

using

to

demonstrate

a

common

situation

in

a

card game.  Now

you

Control,

have

you

to

have

assemble

the

deck.

Unlike

the

large

amount

of

freedom

with

a

Full how

Deck you

gather the cards. I don't rehearse this sequence, I improvise it in the moment; this makes the pick-up look completely casual and adds

a

The

key

tremendous is

to

make

amount the

to

the

sequence

technique's

look

deceptiveness.

unconsidered—the

way to do this is not to consider the way you pick up the cards.

best

40  

The Real Optical Shuffle This is my handling of the classic Optical Shuffle.6  While the mechanics are the same as the original shuffle, I have changed the way that the timing and rhythm of the shuffle is executed. The mechanics are extremely simple but the psychology, timing and attitude within this shuffle is what makes it look and feel so good. Ill start by describing the basic mechanics and will then look at the timing changes.

Hold the deck in the right hand, ready to execute an overhand shuffle, and chop off a block of about eight to ten cards with your left thumb (Photo 1). As the right hand pulls the remaining cards upward (just as in a standard overhand shuffle), use your left

fingers

to

push

on

the

face

of

the

'shuffled-off'

packet,

tipping it leftward, onto the left thumb so that you can see the face of the block (Photo 2). Drop another eight to ten cards from the deck in front of the other packet in the left hand so the  packets form a V shape (Photo 3).

6. The basic idea can be traced back at least to C. Lang Neil's The Modern   (1902), credited to Henri De Manche. Conjurer  (1902),

41  

1

2

 

3

4

 

The left thumb now tips its packet onto the other packet (closing the V shape) as the right hand is brought down on top of all the cards in the left hand (Photo 4). The right hand lifts up again as the left thumb swipes across the face of the right-hand  packet; the swiping action of the left thumb simulates taking a  packet when in fact no packet is taken or dropped. The illusion is extremely convincing (I'11 refer to this move as the 'optical chop' through the rest of this description). Photos 5-7 show this swiping action. After the optical chop is performed, the left fingers once again tip the cards in the left hand over to the left and the right hand drops another small bunch of cards in front of the other packet (forming another V shape), and the entire process is continued until the cards in the right hand are exhausted. Throughout this shuffle, not a single card is moved out of place as the cards in the right hand are simply being dropped behind each packet in the left hand and never dropped on top. Thus far,

this

is

the

standard

Optical

Shuffle

and,

when

executed

 properly, looks excellent. However, there are ways to make this shuffle look even better with very little effort; you simply need to

interrupt

its

rhythmic

nature.

I

do

this

with

the

following

techniques: both

Change the tempo of the movements of   hands throughout the shuffle: Sometimes drop cards quickly, sometimes drop cards slowly; sometimes perform the optical chop quickly, other times perform it slowly; sometimes close the 'V shape' quickly, other times slowly. Improvise  perform

dropping two

or

packets three

at

optical

the

front

chops

in

and

back.

Sometimes

a

row,

sometimes

 perform one. Don't think about what your hands are doing, just improvise the sequence; as long as you never drop cards on top of the left-hands cards, you'll never move a card out of place. 44  

5

6

7

 

Hesitate and look at the audience, breaking the rhythm entirely;

gesture

with

 breaks

or

the

right

hand

the

rhythm

interrupts

while of

talking,

the

which

shuffle

and

naturally

allows

the

hands to randomly move apart from each other. Improvise looking down at your hands and looking up at the audience. Don't think about when and how to do this, just let it happen naturally. Perform weight

all

the

and

above

trying

actions

while

subtly

shifting

your

body

to

forget that you are shuffling for any specific reason. Don't demonstrate  that the cards are being mixed

or even think about the fact you are performing a false shuffle; simply imagine the shuffle is real and then forget that you are even shuffling. By fluid

using

all

way,

the

the

above

Real

techniques

Optical

Shuffle

together is

in

an

impossible

improvised, to

follow.

Even  yo  you u  will not know exactly what your hands are doing; the shuffle will be different each time you perform it. This breaking of

rhythm

and

tempo,

while

forgetting

what

your

hands

are

doing, is what makes this shuffle look and feel legitimate while allowing

you

to

completely

concentrate

on

your

performance.

It's amazing to me how something so technically simple can be so deceptive.

 46   

Finessed Frank Thompson Cut Frank Thompson's F.T. Cut 7   is an excellent false cut that has become  somewhat of a classic. However, I’ve always felt that there was a slight    p  prroble oblem m with with th thee move: ove: It lo loo oks li likke two two se sepa para rate te se sequ queences nces;; th thee fi firs rst  t   sequence cuts the cards into the hands and the second sequence cuts them  to the table (or back into the hands). Therefore it can easily Look as if    y  yo ou are cutt cuttin ing g and and th theen 'un 'un-cut -cutti tin ng’ th thee dec eckk (pl pla acin ing g back in ord rdeer) r),,  which is exactly what you are doing! So, my approach was to blend   these separate sequences into one flowing sequence without changing the  technique or construction of the cut in any way. By making a couple   of subtle adjustments to the timing and start position, this cut can be  improved greatly.

Starting with the deck in your left hand, your right hand comes over

and

holds

the

deck

from

above

as

the

forefinger

pivots/

swings the top half to the left so that the left thumb crotch can grasp

the

top

portion

(Photo

1).

The

right

hand

now

moves

away with the bottom half and the fingertips of the right hand lightly make contact with the table in the exact spot that you will be returning to in a moment (Photo 2). 7. Frank Garcias Super Subtle Card Miracles, 1973.

47   

1

2

 

3

4

 

Without en right

hesitation

route

begins

forefinger

the

right

to

swing/separate

(Photo

3).

hand This

returns

to

another

separated

the

left

portion

portion

is

hand

and

with

the

taken

on

top of the cards in the left hand and a break is held between

them. As this happens, the right hand returns to the exact spot on

the

table

where

the

fingertips

previously

made

tempo

the

contact

and

previous

two

deposits its cards (Photo 4). In

exactly

the

same

movements,

the

right

 break

in

the

left

rhythm hand

hand

and

now

and

takes

puts

of

all

them

the

on

cards

top

of

above the

the

already

tabled cards before finally taking the remaining cards from

the

left hand and placing them onto the tabled cards. By

starting

 placement

with of

the

the

deck

initial

in

the

packet

and

rhythm, tempo and flow with each like a single cutting sequence. The the

initial

vanishing

packet,

left

hand, using

faking exactly

the

table

the

same

movement, the cut looks only potential problem is

however,

this

discrepancy

goes

unnoticed as it blends into the flow of the sequence. Well look at how to fix this discrepancy in the Bounce Cut.

 50  50  

The Bounce Cut This is an incredibly deceptive false cut that I have been doing for many   years.  year s. It was or orig igin inal ally ly an att ttem empt pt to imp impro rove ve my Fi Fine ness ssed ed Fra rank  nk   Thompson Cut by addressing the discrepancy of the vanishing packet. It   appears as if you simply cut the deck four times to the table. Its value is   in its simplicity and directness as there are no breaks, or complex packet   movements. This cut is about timing, rhythm and simplicity.

Start

with

the

deck

in

the

left

hand.

Execute

a

Swing

Cut,

carrying the lower half to the table as you relax the left hand by lowering it a couple of inches. With the right hand still positioned on its half, it now grips a  portion of those cards from the top and begins to carry them  back

to the left.

As soon as

the packet touches the table, a

 portion is already heading back to the left. It is an instantaneous move. To me it feels like a kind of bouncing action, as if some of the downward force exerted in putting down the packet has rebounded and caused a portion to bounce off the top.

57  

As this happens, the left hand rises to meet the carried packet and

the

left

thumb

goes

on

top

(Photo

1).

Now

both

hands

reverse their actions, but the left thumb retains the top card of the

right-hand

packet

due

to

friction

(Photo

2).

The

left

hand

relaxes back to its position as the right hand goes back to the  portion on the table and deposits its cards (Photo 3).

The empty exactly the

right hand comes and meets the left same movements as before), takes the

hand (with single card

and slaps it onto the tabled cards (Photos 4 and 5). Finally,

the

right hand

comes

and

takes

the

final packet from

the left hand and deposits it onto the tabled cards (Photo 6). An

important point to

of bounces

off the

remember is

tabled

packet.

that the This

stolen

packet sort

thought should

help

in

attaining the correct rhythm and tempo. The success of this cut lies in the relaxation and mirrored movements of both hands. Both hands mirror each other perfectly as they move, the hands kind of breathing backward and forward.

Notes It is possible to do a bold three-packet version of this cut by removing the single card-slip phase. It is also possible to do both of these versions with the deck on the table in a longitudinal  position for card table demonstrations. demonstrations. Furthermore, Finessed

it

Frank

is

possible

Thompson

to

effect

a

slip

Cut

and

the

cut

with

both

the

Bounce

Cut:

As

you

take the final packet with the right hand —at the end of either sequence —you can drag a single card off the top packet with the

left

thumb;

the

right

hand

then

returns,

grabs

the

single

card and slap it down onto the rest of the deck. The single card  blends into the rhythm of the other packets and looks perfectly natural.

52  

1

2

 

3

4

 

5

6

 

Spectator Shuffle Holdout The

Spectator

Shuffle

Holdout,

Shuffled

Ose

Control,

Half

&

Half  

Control and the Deep Slug Control are all simple techniques that allow  a spectator to shuffle a deck of cards while unknowingly controlling a  small stock on top of the deck. They are very disarming and give the  impression of a thoroughly shuffled deck. The Spectator Shuffle Holdout   was the first of these I ever published.8 

Begin with the four Aces on top of the deck and give the cards a

simple

shuffle,

adding

one

card

on

top

of

the

Aces.

Hand

the deck to the spectator while saying, 'Please cut off about one-  quarter of the deck and put it face up onto the table. Now shuffle the  rest.  ” At this point, the spectator has simply cut a portion of cards off the deck, turned it face up onto the table and shuffled

the remaining cards. This has kept your stock completely intact on the bottom of the tabled portion.

8. First printed in Gambit Issue Two, p. 15, in an effect called Even The Burn Card’.

56   

As they are shuffling, say, “And cut off another packet ... put it on  top of the others... and shuffle again. ”  Repeat this procedure two

or three more times, each time having the spectator cut off a  portion the deck and then drop it face up onto the previously tabled

cards.

This

entire

spectator

will

never

shuffled;

they

will

sequence

remember just

is

that

remember

deeply the

deceptive

first

shuffling

and

packet

as

the

wasn't

cutting

the

entire deck multiple times. I normally use this technique while asking them to see if they can cut to a pair. This gives a reason for them to be cutting the

cards face up and directs their attention away from the fact that the

first

packet

wasn't

shuffled.

Each

time

they

cut

a

portion

face up, I comment on the cards they've cut to, look for any  patterns

or

coincidences

I

can

expand

upon

and

comment

on

their shuffling style. At the end of this process the entire deck will be face up on the table. Ask the spectator to pick up the deck and to hold it face down as if they were about to deal. You will now use a very

disarming

laymen

but

does

psychological the

same

throw-off 9  that to

magicians.

not

Say,

only

disarms

“Before we start ,

 I sa saw w th thee botto ottom m ca card rd so just ust take take it out and bu burry it som somew ewhe herre in the  middle of the deck   ... and do the same with the top card ...  ju  just st in case. se.  "

This simply removes the card that you added above the Aces,

9. Even though I created this technique independently, I've recently traced its of Witchcraft,  1584, Booke XIII, Chapter XXVII, roots to The 'How back to deliver outDiscoverie foure aces, and to convert them into foure knaves', pp. 188-189. However, this technique was a methodological necessity disguised as a casual action, but it's definitely similar. I believe Bruce Elliott may have been one of the first people to use this concept of losing the top and  bottom  bott om ca cards rds (purel (purely y as a ‘psychol psycholog ogic ical al throw-off) throw-off);; Trio',  E  En ncyc yclo lop ped ediia of   1936/ 37, p. 20. H oweve owever, r, th this is technique techn ique aappears ppears several other ot her Card Tricks,  1936/ times in the book under different names, meaning it was a known technique in 1936.

57  

 but adds a sense of additional fairness and thoroughness to the  procedure. To

use

these

controls

as

a

'self-force',

once

the

spectator

has

 buried the top and bottom cards, say to them, “Take a peek at   the top card and shuffle the deck.”   That's it! They have shuffled

the deck, peeked at a card and shuffled again, and you already know what the card is!

 58  

Half & Half Control

Like

the

Spectator

Shuffle

Holdout,

begin

with

the

four

Aces

already on top of the deck and give the deck a simple shuffle, adding one card on top of the Aces. Now hand the deck to the spectator while saying, “Ok, please cut off about one-quarter of the  deck and put it face up onto the table. Now shuffle the rest. ”

Once they have shuffled the cards, ask them to cut off another  portion and to place it face down next to the other face-up cards and to shuffle the remaining cards. At this point there is a face up portion on the table with a face-down portion next to it and the rest of the cards in their hands.  Now ask the spectator to shuffle the cards and to continue to cut portions off the top, adding them to either the face-up or face-down pile (shuffling each time between the repeated until all the cards in their hands are exhausted.

cuts).

This

is

 Now ask them to pick up either half, to turn it over and to add it to the other cards. Once this is done they hold the deck face down and bury the bottom and top cards into the middle of the deck. All four Aces are now on top.

 59  59  

Shuffled Ose Control  I have have al alwa ways ys love oved the Ose Cut 10  and I have need it in many ways over   the years, but this is without doubt one of my most devious.11  It is a  way of allowing a spectator to apparently shuffle and cut the deck while  maintaining a small stock on top.

Start with a stock of one to eight cards on top of the deck. Hand the deck to the spectator, and ask them to cut a third of the cards to the table (Photo 1) and then to shuffle the rest of the cards in

her

hands

(Photo

2).

Then

ask

that

she

cut

another

third

to the table (to the right of the tabled packet) and shuffle the remaining cards (Photo 3) before placing the final packet down onto the table (Photo 4). Now ask the participant to collect the  packets from left to right (Photos 5 and 6); I often just point at the packets in the correct order as I say, “And collect them up, one  on top of the other. "This procedure leaves the top stock intact and 

10. O se's Cut, Close-Up Card Magic Harry Lorayne, p. 93. The idea of a spectator executing the cut comes from Chad Longs ‘Shuffling Lesson' from Paul Harris Harris'' The Art of Astonishment, Vol. 3, 1996.

60  

1

 

2

3

 

4

 

5

6

 

 positions it back on top of the deck. This is a subtle variation of the Ose Cut and works because the spectator won't remember that she didn't shuffle the first packet. A

touch

indifferent

that card

I

always on

top

use of

with

the

this

stock

so

control

is

to

that

when

have they

an

have

assembled the deck I say to them, “Ok, just take the top card and   bury it into the middle of the deck and do the same with the bottom card,    just in case someone accidentally daw one of them. them. ”

The concept of shuffling the packets and using a burn card as a

psychological

throw-off

specifically

to

control

a

small

stock

or as a self-force (see below), is something that not only fools laymen but has completely baffled every magician I have shown it to. Also, as with the Spectator Shuffle Holdout, I have also used

this

control

cuts

and

as

selects

a

self-force

a

card

in

which

themselves

the

(without

spectator your

shuffles,

touching

the

deck), and yet you already know the card! The technique is as follows: Position the force card second from the top of the deck. Have the spectator execute the Shuffled Ose Control exactly as described above, and once they have buried the top and bottom cards, say to them, “Take a peek at the top card and shuffle the deck. ”  That's it, but boy is it a fooler!

62  

Deep Slug Control While it is part of the same family as the other shuffle controls

,

this one

 

is slightly different from the other techniques. Instead of controlling a

 

stock/slug on top, it controls it near the top so that you can get a break 

 

above it. You'll see it put to use in 'Clean Cutter ’ (page 80).

1

63  

Begin with the Aces on top of the deck and casually shuffle the

cards

(keeping

the

stock

on

top)

before

handing

the

deck

to a spectator. Ask the spectator to cut off a portion of cards from the top, to place them face down onto the table and to shuffle the rest of the cards that they hold. Have them repeat this

procedure

 placing

it

several

onto

the

times,

each

previously

time

tabled

cutting cards

off

and

a

portion,

shuffling

the

cards in hand until all the cards are exhausted. The entire deck is now sitting face down on the table. Ask the spectator to give the deck a complete cut. Explain to the spectator that this is a thorough shuffle—they have shuffled multiple times and

given

the

deck

an

honest

cut.

The

Aces

are

now

sitting

together, somewhere near the top third of the deck. Pick up the deck and riffle the backs of the cards toward yourself (Photo

1)

in

already

detailed

an in

apparent the

first

attempt chapter.

to

memorise In

this

the

process,

cards, obtain

as a

 break above above the last Ac Acee as you co continue ntinue to ri riffle ffle the rest of the 2

64  

cards (Photo 2). You can now locate the Aces in any way that you wish. If you don't want to obtain a break above the Aces, it is a simple matter to use a breather crimp either above or below the Aces, or to have a breather crimp in one of the Aces, and then you can simply cut at the breather crimp.

65   

Chapter Two Summary When creating a simple routine, I am not just attempting to simplify its overall construction, but also the techniques that I use. When

simplicity

forms

the

foundation

of

technique,

timing,

execution and psychology become even more fundamental to its deceptiveness; the technique must  feel  right. It is perhaps surprising that the techniques in this chapter are not difficult to  pee r fo  p forr m , b u t t h ey are  festooned with subtle touches regarding movement, timing, rhythm and psychology; these touches form the core of their deceptive ability.

The techniques were designed to be extremely efficient and contain an economy of motion that should result in a lack of  ph  p h y si ca call an and d p sy sych cho o l og ogii ca call te ten n s io ion n in your performance. Simple techniques often look and feel better in a live environment than they read in a book, whereas complex technique is often the exact opposite. As we reach our final destination ( Real Ace Cutting’, page 129), it will become clear why I use techniques such as the Sting Cut, Real Optical Shuffle and the Any Card Game Control. At the core of these techniques there is a level of improvisation that creates an important sense of realness. By stripping away complexity, tension and studied actions, we can instead create technique that looks and feels far more natural. Well explore that exact idea in Real Ace Cutting’ as a way of producing the four Aces from a shuffled deck.

 

3. Versatile Simplicity

 

Blinded by the Hand The performer locates all four Aces in a few seeonds with just one  hand .

This is probably the most methodologically dimple effect in this 

 pub  pu blica licati tion on,, bu butt it's a st stu unn nner er:: ‘Blin inde ded d by the Han and’ d’ wa wass my at atttem empt  pt   to create a virtuosic effect that felt modern and flashy but yet was  underpinned by the simplest mechanical I could possibly imagine. The  12

style of this effect is similar to Jack Carpenter's ‘Blind Lemon Aces'.

With all four Aces on top, give the deck a few shuffles and say that you will try to find an Ace. Square up the deck and palm off all four Aces in the right hand. The right hand relaxes as your left hand extends outward and you say, “ But  But I'l 'lll do it wi witth  one hand!”  Look at your left hand as you execute a few one-

handed cuts, and then stop and say, ‘ This hand!”  as your right hand raises, palm outward, to show an Ace. Your right fingers now straddle the block and your thumb moves behind so that your thumb and fingers can grip the  block at the fingertips and hold it in a more natural way (as if it

12. Jack Carpenter, Pasteboard Palette, 2006.

69   

was one card). If the right hand rotates palm up as it does this, the movement will help to disguise the thickness of the block. At almost exactly the moment you have repositioned the block, look back at your left hand and say, “I'll try to find the other three. ”  Once again direct your attention to the left hand as it executes another hand

couple

turns

of

slightly

one-handed inward

cuts.

(to

As

obscure

you its

do

this

cards)

and

the

right

fans

the

Aces. Now direct attention back to the right hand as it displays all four Aces in a wide fan.

Notes This though

effect it's

has quick

a

psychological and

has

an

misdirection incredibly

'feel;

simple

to

it.

Even

construction,

in

the right context it can be great. This effect is all about beat, tempo and misdirection, so a few trials will soon allow you to understand how to choreograph the movements.

70  

Wide Awake Scream Four Aces are lost in the deck and then discovered in an amazing way:  Two Aces instantly travel to the performer's pockets, one Ace appears in   the spectator hands and finally the deck vanishes to leave nothing but   the last Ace!

Show

the

Aces

and

apparently

lose

them

in

the

deck

while

controlling them to the top (using a multiple shift or any other convincing procedure). Casually shuffle the deck as you state

you

will

find

them

without

looking

through

the

cards.

Riffle

down the edge of the deck with your left thumb until you reach the middle, dip your thumb into the gap and lever out a random card so that it flips face up onto the top of the deck. Say, “I   know this isn't an Ace, but you are going to help me find it. Please hold   out your hand and grip this card at your fingertips.  ” In this moment

execute a top change for an Ace and hand it to the spectator. Execute a slip cut13  and then palm the top card in the right hand as you ask them to hold the card completely still. Your right

13. See Notes for a method to avoid the use of a slip cut.

71  

hand is still holding the deck from above (with a card palmed) and the left hand is holding the deck from below. With the right hand gripping the top card only, you say, “W “Wee  are now going to find all four Aces very quickly.  " As you say this the

left hand secretly carries all the cards below the top card into the

left

pocket

(Photo

1),

leaving

the

right

hand

holding

on

to the top card and a palmed card, and it comes out with the top card of the deck as you say, “One Ace in my left pocket.  ” This Ace is dropped onto the table or handed to another spectator. There really isn't much to this secret ditch; it's the same as used in

David

Williamson's

'51

Cards

to

Pocket',

and

other

similar

routines. Simply cop the deck and put it into your pocket as you slightly turn your body. The right hand now gently deposits its visible card in the left hand (the single card masquerading as the entire deck as shown in

Photo

2)

as

it

retreats

to

your

right

trouser/jacket

pocket

with the palmed Ace and removes it from the pocket. 1

72  

2

With the left hand casually holding on to a single card, snap your

right

fingers

over

the

card

the

spectator

is

holding

and

say, “That should be the third Ace"; they turn over their card to discover the third Ace. You now bring your empty right hand over the single card in your

left

hand

(apparently

covering

'the

deck'

completely)

as

you say,

The final Ace is more difficult so I ll make the whole deck  

vanish  ... leaving just one. ” Slowly squeeze your hands together

 before

opening

them

to

reveal

that

'Deck

to

Pocket'

the

deck

has

vanished,

except the last Ace.

Notes Larry

Jennings'

from

his

Thoughts

Cards 

on

DVD was the first effect I saw in which the deck was boldly  pocketed under the guise of removing a selection, while leaving

73  

a

single

card

Treatment',

in

the

from

his

hand.

Jackie

Mc

Clements'

1994

lecture

notes

of

effect

the

‘Shock

same

name

(and later The Crimp No. 48),  was the first effect of this style I encountered that used the four Aces. I always preferred the use

of

four

Aces,

however,

I

always

wanted

a

handling

that

had nothing ‘held out' at the start, had a change happening in the

spectator's

hands,

produced

four

separate

revelations

and

could be performed by starting with all four Aces on top. I

particularly

vanishing

like

doesn't

the

fact

happen

that

the

immediately

revelation

after

it

of

has

the

been

deck

ditched;

instead, two revelations occur after the ditch has taken place. It

is

possible

to

remove

the

need

for

a

slip

cut

by

simply

 palming off two cards with the right hand, carrying both cards to

the

right

indifferent top

card

change

handing

pocket

it

before

behind.

You

entirely

by

to

spectator

the

removing can

also

apparently

the

remove

cutting

(face

Ace

down)

to

and the

the

before

leaving slip

first

the

cut

and

Ace

and

proceeding

as

 previously described. If

I

have

the

opportunity,

I

do

something

slightly

different

with this routine that is even stronger. After the multiple shift, I secretly load the top Ace under a glass (or any object) on my right. Now I allow for a few moments of time misdirection

 before

proceeding

almost

exactly

as

described

above;

however,

I don't palm an Ace in my right hand and remove it from my right pocket. Instead I hold on to the top card, reveal the first Ace in the left pocket (as the rest of the deck is ditched), cleanly show an Ace under the glass, reveal an Ace has appeared in the spectator's hands and hands, showing the final Ace. I

prefer

seem

this

handling

completely,

finally

as

the

stylistically

make

the

deck

four

separate

different

and

vanish

in

my

revelations

now

expands

the

it

74  

spatial

dynamics

immediately of  be

of

because

the it's

effect. not

I

always

didn't

describe

possible

to

this take

handling advantage

your environment in this way. The original handling performed in every environment, however if I have

opportunity to load an Ace under something on my right, I will.

can the

75  

The Back Room Demo  Do  D on't n't un unde derres esttimat atee the pow power of thi hiss rout utiine beca becaus usee of its ext extre rem mely  simple methodology. With the correct attitude and commitment, ‘The Back    R  Ro oom Demo' app ppeears to be a genu genuiine dem demons onstr tra ati tio on of incre ncredi dib ble skil illl.

Have the deck legitimately shuffled, retrieve it and then cull the Aces to the top, under the pretense of memorising the order of the cards. You could, of course, use a stock control here or palm the Aces and add them on after the shuffle; all tha'ts important is that the spectator shuffles the deck and the Aces are invisibly controlled to the top. “This isn't really a trick, it's an old training exercise that cardsharps 

would practise before a card game. Don't ask me how I know about it...    I'  I'll show you as it's a fasci ascin nat atiing thi hin ng to demo emonst nstrat atee.

There are normally a maximum of ten players in a card game and my  aim is to deal an Ace to one of those players. So, if you name the third    play  pl ayeer I'll sh shuf ufffle an Ace to th thee thi hirrd posi positt ion; on; if you name ame the ni nin nth   play  pl ayeer I’l ’lll shuf huffle an Ace to the ni nin nth player ayer.. I know now I'm just show howing

76   

this to you as a demonstration  ... but imagine how useful this would be  to an unethical Poker player or croupier! aThis

is more complicated than doing a Rubik d Cube, especially because 

its being done through memory and a sense of touch rather than sight!”

All you have to do now is add the requisite number of cards to the top of the deck. That's it! So, if they name the fourth  player just add three cards to the top. If they name the sixth  player,

add

five

cards

to

the

top.

Do

this

through

a

variety

of cuts and shuffles and end with a deliberate cut. Make the  procedure allows

look

you

improvising cards

to

as

to your

the

top

genuine

improvise methods and

as

possible.

your for

adding

This

handling adding

whichever

and

the

routine be

requisite

false

cuts

you want, you will have a routine that is virtually impossible to

1

inherently

flexible; number and

by of

shuffles

77  

follow

(see

'Real

Ace

Cutting',

page

129,

for

further

thoughts

on this subject).

Once you have added the correct number of cards to the top,  pick up the deck and slowly deal the cards into a face-down row on the table as you verbally count each one out loud, and then

when

you

reach

the

named

position,

pause

before

slowly

turning the first Ace face up (Photo 1). Now say, “But you may  think that placing one Ace at that position might be a bit too easy  ...

so instead instead of jjust ust ffindi inding ng and posit positioni ioning ng on onee Ace . . . I trie tried d to find and    posi  po sittion al alll fo four ur!!”  Pause for a beat and then deal the other three

Aces face up onto the table (Photo ( Photo 2).

Notes I

can't

think

 breathtaking is

the

of

skill,

ultimate

many

routines

through pseudo

such

that

suggest

profoundly

demonstration.

such simple

However,

this

levels

of

means—it simplicity

demands a believable performance; you are supposedly locating

2

78  

and  

organizing

four

of

a

kind

from

a

shuffled

deck,

so

how

you introduce and present the effect, convey skill and time the revelations will all dramatically affect the resonance of this routine. The

Any

Card

Game

Control

(Small

Stock

Handling),

page

129, is perfectly suited for use with this routine as it provides a casual and unconsidered counterpoint to the simplicity and directness of the effect.

79   

Clean Cutter This is an extremely clean in-the-hunds Ace-cutting routine. The interesting   fea  fe ature ure of this his ro rou utin inee is the fact tha hatt the Ace cess are all toget gether er,, yet the  impression of them being cleanly cut from different areas is very strong.

With the Aces on top of the deck, start by giving the deck to a spectator and take them through the process of the Deep Slug Control (page 63). At the end of this control establish the littlefinger break above the Aces and remember the name of the indifferent card that is directly above them. From this position you

are

creates

going the

to

perform

impression

of

a

series

your

of

finding

baffling the

locations

Aces

in

which

completely

different areas. Say, “The first Ace is next to the  ... [name the glimpsed card]. ”  Now cut all of the cards above the break to the table and then cut

another

portion

onto

the

cards

already

tabled,

making

sure

this packet contains at least five cards. The moment this packet is placed down, pick up the top card (the first Ace) and place it face up on the packet in your left

80  

hand. The left hand now drops the Ace onto the table as the right

hand

picks

up

the

tabled

packet

(Photo

1).

As

soon

as

the Ace hits the table, revolve your right hand palm up to flash the

previously

left-hand

named

card.

Openly

drop

the

and

lightly

dribble

the

cards

cards

packet from

onto

the

hand

to

hand to dispel the idea of a control. This sequence creates the impression  portion; when

that

therefore you

flash

 portion on top

the it

Ace s

has

very

the

named

cleanly

come

disarming card

without holding a

and

from

the

(especially

to

cleanly

drop

left-hand magicians) the

right

break. The other three Aces

are now on top of the deck. Continue,

“The seco second nd

A Ace ce

is nex nextt

to

tthe he

.... . ”  

Swing cut the top

 portion of the deck into the left hand and rotate the left hand  palm down to flash the face card of its portion. Name the card you see at the exact moment it rotates into view; timing your words

correctly

creates

the

impression

that you

knew ahead

of

time which card you were attempting to cut to. Once this card has been named, rotate the left hand palm up and at the same 1

81  

time use your left forefinger to pull the top card over the front of the packet until it revolves around the front end and appears face up under the packet, next to the named card. This is a standard revelation (Photo 2).14  Now place the cards in the right hand under those in the left hand

but

stepped

to

the

right

(Photo

3),

and

then

hold

the

entire deck at the lower right corner as your left hand removes the

second

 previously

Ace tabled

and Ace.

places

it

Once

onto

again,

the

table

square

up

with

the

other

the

deck

and

action

as

casually dribble the deck from one hand to the other. Perform

an

All

Around

Square

Up,

using

that

motivation to glimpse the bottom card of the deck. This allows you

to

use

the

same

pattern

of

speech

that

you

did

before

saying, “The third Ace is next to the ... [name the glimpsed card]. ” Execute a swing cut, cutting the top portion into the left hand,  but this time rotate the right hand palm up, displaying the card you just named (Photo 4). At this same moment, use the left thumb to push the top card of its portion over the right side and use the third and fourth fingers of the right hand to clip the top right edge of the protruding card in the left-hand packet (Photo 5).

Now

by

moving

the

right

fourth

finger

lightly

outward

while keeping the right third finger stationary, this clipped Ace will begin to revolve face up (Photo 6). When it is face up, the left thumb temporarily holds it in place on top of the left-hand  portion

and

the

right

portion is

then

placed

onto the

left-hand

cards, slightly stepped to the right. The right hand once again grasps the deck at its lower right corner as the left hand removes the third Ace and places it onto the table with the others.

14. Bruce Elliotts Brrrrtttt! from issue 231 of The Phoenix  (1951) and The  Dai Vernon rnon s Inne Innerr Secr ecrets ets of Card ard Magi gicc (1959). Chinese Deal from Dai

82   

2

3

 

4

5

 

6

7

 

The right hand now places the deck into the left hand. As you square

up

the

cards,

establish

a

break

between

the

stepped

 portions. Now say, “Previously I was trying to cut next to specific  cards ... this time I want to cut to an exact number. I think the last Ace  is twenty-eight cards down. ”

You now execute a riffle force on yourself! Simply riffle down the outside of the deck with your left thumb to approximately the point of your break, and then immediately lift off all the cards above your break (Photo 7). Now thumb the top card of the lower portion onto the tabled Aces (making sure it remains face down). Assemble the deck and hold it in your right hand as your left hand reaches forward to turn over the final Ace.

86   

Clean Cutter 2 This version of'Clean Cutter' is performed in the hands. Simply  begin with the Aces on top of the deck and use any stock control to create the impression of a shuffled deck. Begin by dribbling a quarter of the deck into your left hand, and before revolving the right hand palm up, you say, “The first    Acee is ne  Ac next xt to the  ... [naming the visible card at the exact moment

it comes into view]. "Now rotate the right hand palm down and use the left thumb to peel the top card of the deck to the left (Photo 1) until the right-hand portion can flip the Ace face up onto the cards in the left hand. The Ace is left outjogged and slightly angled to the left as the cards in the right hand are dropped on top and everything is held

in

right-hand

end

grip.

This

is

an

extremely

simple

but

deceptive sequence if performed smoothly. Continue, “The second Ace is next to the ...”  Swing cut a large  portion of the deck (above the outjogged, face-up Ace) Ace) into

87   

1

2

 

the left hand and rotate the left hand palm down to flash the

face card of its portion (Photo 2). Name the card you see at the exact

moment

it

rotates

into

view;

timing

your

words

correctly

creates the impression that you knew ahead of time which card you were attempting to cut to. Once this card has been named, rotate the left hand palm up and at the same time use your left forefinger to pull the top card over the front of the packet until it revolves around the front

end

and

appears

face

up

under

the

packet,

next

to

the

named card. Place this portion onto the cards in the right hand, allowing

both

sequence

is

outjogged

extremely

cards

similar

to

to

roughly

'Clean

align.

This

Cutter', but the

entire process

is being performed with outjogged Aces visible in the deck.

While holding the deck and the Aces in right-hand end grip, display the position of the two Aces by rotating the right hand clockwise and holding the deck slightly side-on to the spectator, so they can see the Aces are in separate areas of the deck. In this moment glimpse the bottom card of the deck. Alternatively, you

can

forego

this

'in-action'

glimpse

and

simply

glimpse

the

 bottom card of the deck before you begin cutting the Aces (it is the same card). Rotate the right hand back palm down and say,

“The third Ace is next to the ...

[name the

cut, of a portion of cards above the Aces, into the left hand and rotate

the

right

hand

palm

up,

bringing

the

named

card

into

view. As described in 'Clean Cutter', push the top card of the lefthand packet to the left and revolve it face up with the right little and third fingers (Photo 3). The only difference is that you are  performing

this

move

with

two

outjogged

Aces

in

the

right-

hand portion. Once the third Ace has been turned face up, drop

89  

3

4

 

the cards in the right hand on top, displaying three outjogged Aces in separate parts of the deck (Photo 4). I will normally spread the deck in my hands at this point to really display the

fact that each Ace is in a separate section of the deck. Close up the deck and strip out the outjogged Aces, but as you do slightly lift up on the lowest Ace and obtain a break above it. Now you can hand the three Aces to a spectator to hold, or place them onto the table, as you execute a riffle force on yourself (Photo 5) to find the final Ace. You can also execute a one-handed cut at the break if you prefer something flashier.

Notes Both

sequences

cutting

Aces

were

from

designed

separate

to

areas

look of

like the

you

deck,

are when

genuinely in

fact

this is an illusion. It certainly doesn't feel as if the Aces are

5

 

all

together;

the

Aces

are

subtly

shifting

positions

as

you

are

apparently naming cards that are directly next to the Aces. This

approach

is

extremely

reach of everyone.

 92  92  

deceptive

and

yet

technically

within

Flow Productions The following two sequences create smooth, flowing, visual productions,  where the Aces appear to come from different areas of the deck. This is   done with all four Aces together on top (this is the simplest place to have  the Aces after a cull or a palm addition) and uses minimal technique.   A  Allth thou ough gh the heyy are ver very dif iffe fere ren nt, th thee idea idea of im imp pre ress ssio ioni nist stic ica ally lly cu cutt ttin ing g   four  fo ur Ac Aces es fro rom m fo four ur pa pack ckeets has has been een use sed d by Fra rank nk Thom omps pso on,15  Bob  Veeser,16 Al Smit ith, h,1 /  Ian Baxter 18  and more.

Both

productions

can

be

done

with

the

deck

tabled

or

with

the deck in the hands. Ill describe the handlings with the deck in hand. For those of you who want to do it with the deck tabled, you yourselves.

'll

have

enough

information

here

to

experiment

for

15. Accord According ing to Ma Max x Maven Maven and Harvey Rosenthal, an unpu unpublished blished effect, shown around to other magicians in the early 1970s. 16.. In his book Faro Controlled /Miracles (1964), Ed Marlo credits Bob Veeser 16 for the idea within the ‘A Subtlety For The Spectator Cuts The Aces’. 17. See ‘Cross-Over Aces' from The Talon # 2 (circa (circa 198 1980) 0).. 18. The Commercial Magic of J.C. Wagner  (1987)  (1987) by Mike Maxwell within the 'J.C. 's Super Closer' routine.

93   

Four-Packet Flow Start with the four Aces on top of the deck. Execute a series of false shuffles and cuts which retain the Aces on top. Now,

execute a Finessed Frank Thompson Cut (page 47) or a Bounce Cut (page 51), but at the point where you are about to place the final

packet

(original

 push

off

single

a

top

card

portion) and

down

drop

that

onto onto

the the

tabled tabled

cards, portion

(Photo 1). This happens in the flow and rhythm of the cut. As

soon

cards,

as

the

the

left

hand

(Photo

hands

move

single thumb

2)

and

forward

card

has

pushes then the

off

both left

been

placed

another hands

thumb

onto

card

move

pushes

the

into

tabled

the

forward.

right

As

the

top

card

left hand

and

the

the over

the side of the deck (Photo 3). The

top

card

of the

portion

in

the

single

card in the right hand are now levered over face up (Photo 4), making sure that the Ace turned over by the left hand is in line with the tabled packet (Photo 5).  Now drops

the

right

hand

takes

the

it

behind

the

other

face-up

grasps

the

the

left

6).

Both

hand

hands

now

packet

packet from Ace behind

simultaneously

cut

at

the the

the

left same

other

their

hand and time

Ace

packets

that

(Photo outward

(Photo 7). Now each hand turns the top card of both packets face up in line with the other Aces (Photo 8). You

can

now

collect

the

packets,

one

on

top

of

the

other,

returning the deck to its original order. If you are not preserving the entire order of the deck in this sequence, simply contrive a way to hold a break above the Aces in the middle of the deck and cut packets to the table, instead of executing the false cut at the start.

 94  

1

 

2

 

4

5

 

6

7

 

8

3

 

Pure Flow This is a very impressive and baffling demonstration of mastery that is so simple it hurts to give it away! The initial inspiration for the sequence came from watching a croupier friend of mine toy with a stock control. The impression is that from a genuinely shuffled deck the four Aces are instantly located in a smooth,

visual, flowing style. Start with the four Aces on the top of the deck. Give the deck a series of cuts that keeps the top stock intact and then execute a couple of shuffles that again keep the four Aces on top (mixing overhand

shuffles,

riffle

shuffles

and

cuts

is

a

very

powerful

and convincing technique, especially if your attitude is casual). Finally

execute

the

Bounce

Cut

or

Finessed

Frank

Thompson

Cut (or simply a swing cut), so that the bottom half is on the table and the top half is in the left hand. In one smooth, flowing, deliberate action execute the following moves: Push the top card off the deck into the right hand by its right edge (Photo 9). Allow this Ace to fall face up onto the table. By the time the Ace lands face up, execute a stud deal of the second Ace to the right of the face-up Ace already on the table (Photos

10, 11 & 12).  Now push the top card off the deck into the right hand and carry it to the right of the tabled Aces. At the same time the left thumb pushes the top card of the deck over the side of its half  (Photo 13). Both

hands

simultaneously

lever

over

their

cards

so

they

fall

face up onto the table (Photo 14). The half remaining in the hands is now placed onto the rest of the tabled cards.

 96   

9

10

11

12

13

14

As soon as the last Aces turn face up, continue shuffling and cutting

with

the

same

rhythm

and

style

that

you

did

at

the

 beginning. By doing this it appears as if the Aces just pop' out of

the

shuffling

process.

There

is

no

break

or

pause

between

the initial shuffling, the production and the final sequence of 

97   

shuffling. like

The

written

anon-deceptive,

description over-simplified

of

this

technique

production;

may

however,

seem when

done with the right tempo, fluidity and grace this production is stunning and impossible to follow. It's one of my favourites.

98   

Chapter Three Summary Good , simple design is versatile. With just four Aces on top of the deck, you can perform a wide variety of routines, productions and revelations that are efficient at exploiting the same simple  poss it  po itii on on.. versatile 

Th e

aim ai m

of

thii s th

ch ap aptt er

wass wa

to

d em emo o ns nstt ra rate te

how ho w

simple design can be; some pieces are extremely visual

and others more conceptual, some are virtuosic demonstrations of skill and others are more interactive and subtle. My favourite effect in this chapter is The Backroom Demo’ (page 75), as it expresses incredible skill through a method so simple, that even a beginner in magic could execute it. However, like all magic of this nature, the simplicity of its method is proportionally counterbalanced by your abilities as a  perf  pe rf or orme mer. r. ‘C ‘Cll ea ean n Cu Cutt te terr 2 is al alss o a fa vo vou u ri ritt e of mi mine ne be becc au auss e of

its

sneakiness

 psy  ps y ch chol ol og ogy y a nd

in

combining

simple

techniques,

deceptive

a n i nt ntee re ress ti tin n g vi viss ua uall di sp spll ay ay;; a di sp spll ay

thaa t th

serves to reinforce the authenticity of the effect. Each of the effects in this chapter have different rhythms and styles that suit different performing contexts, but remember, they were all executed from the same position and they all rely on relatively simple technical mechanics.

 

4.

Classic Simplicity

 

Stem Cell

Thu routine started as an experiment: I wanted to be able to do several   gambling-style effects that were all magical, interactive and had exactly  the

same

methodology.

 Mag  M agiician cian

vd vd..

without

having

You

Gam ambl bler er to

can

rout routiine

remember

perform

or

a

a

baffling

mag agiica call

different

setups;

Monte

sequ sequen ence ce 

sle sleigh ightt-of of-h -han and d all

you

do

routine,  change 

is

 your  yo ur pred preden enta tati tion on an and d yo you u ha have ve three hree dif differen erentt ef efffec ectts! Th Ther eref efor oree three hree  groups of people at different timed could dee exactly the same sequence of   moved and yet they will have different experienced. This is all about the   psyc  ps ycho hollog ogyy of frami raming ng..19

Firstly, 'Stem

lets Cell',

deal and

with then

the

I

will

fundamental explain

technical

exactly

how

roots to

of

generate

the different effects. Begin with four Aces on top of the deck and execute an In Faro shuffle to position the Aces second, fourth, sixth and eighth from the top. Overhand shuffle the

19. 'Framing' is a psychological effect dealing with cognitive bias that I am quite interested in. An advanced, single-card exploration of the framing effect can be found in my book This is Not a Box, 2016, 'A Choice Illusion',  p.11.  p.1 1.

103  

deck, secretly performing a Lift Shuffle20  as follows: Chop off a  block of cards into your left hand—large enough to contain all the Aces—and, as your right hand comes back to shuffle more cards on top, your right fingers steal the first block behind the rest of the deck. Shuffle all the remaining cards from above the stolen block into your left hand so that you are just left holding the stolen block.  Now run a single card from the stolen block onto the cards in your

left

hand

before

finally

dropping

the

block

back

on

top.

This is a deceptive single-sequence shuffle that will be used to remove the cards between the Aces. At the exact moment that the final block is dropped back on top,

the

double

left

hand

turnover

to

squares show

the an

cards

and

indifferent

performs card.

The

a

push-off

double

is

turned down and the left hand thumbs the face-down top card (an Ace) onto the table. As soon as the card has been placed onto the table, the left middle finger goes under the deck and the left thumb moves to the middle of the top card. Now by  pressing upward with the left middle finger the deck pops up into

the

exact

you repeat

position

needed

for

another

shuffle

this sequence four times you will

sequence.

If

have shown four

random cards, when in fact there will be four Aces on the table. This

is

a

interruption. technical

smooth, It

flowing

looks

sequence

sequence

absolutely

you

will

casual

repeatedly

with and use

no

this for

hesitation

or

exactly

the

Cell’;

the

is 'Stem

only thing that changes is the way you frame each effect.

20. See Card College, Volume 2, Roberto Giobbi (1996).

104 104  

Stem Cell Monte “Have you ever played Three Card Monte? Well you shouldn’t, you  cant win. Three cards are shown and you normally have to follow the  odd card. ”  I normally remove three cards from the bottom of

the

deck

spectator

and will

just

openly

instantly

demonstrate

understand

or

what

I

mean

and

the

remember

what

you

are

talking about. Continue, “The major problem with that game is that I know which  card you are trying to follow, co I know which card to switch at which   poi  point nt.. Inste nstead ad I' I'm m goi oing ng to sh show ow you you so some meth thin ing g dif iffferent rent;; I'l 'lll show how you  three cards and you just think of one of them ... but don’t tell me which  one. Then it is far more difficult for me to deceive you ac I don’t know  which card you are following.”  This

technical

sequences

that

follow.

establishes

Simply

the

execute

logic

the

for

'Stem

the Cell’

sequence three times, each time placing a face-down card onto

the table until you have three face-down cards in a row. At this  point, pause for a brief moment and then begin a final shuffle sequence as you say, “In fact instead of three, why don 't I give you    fou  fourr co that that you hav avee ev eveen more more choi oice ces? s?” ”

Once this final card is placed down, place the deck away in the box or in a pocket, leaving you with four face-down cards in a row on the table. You will now use a piece of psychological misdirection to create the impression that you know what they are thinking while

simultaneously

reinforcing

the

notion

that

four

random

cards are on the table. Say, “Even though this seems really fair, there are  several things I know: You won't have thought of the final card; you will have   already made up your mind at that point. You won’t have thought of the first   card because it will have seemed too obvious. Therefore, I can be pretty certain   you  yo u are are think hinkin ing g of one of the two two midd middle le car ards ds.. How However ever,, now that hat I' I've ve tol old  d    you  yo u this this,, the here re is noth nothin ing g to st stop op you fro rom m chan changi ging ng your mind mind ... b u t . . .    you  you ’v ’vee prob robab ably ly fo forg rgo ott tteen ex exac actl tlyy what what th thee oth ther er card cardss ar are! e! An Anyw yway ay,, don’t  on’t   cay anything, just try and follow the card you are thinking of. ”

105   

 Now start to switch the cards around on the table, sometimes moving fast and then slow. Try to make it appear as if you are

possibly

switching

the

cards

or

maybe

you

are

trying

to

misdirect them. Do not underestimate the power of this moment so take your time. At some point stop and ask the spectator to  point

at

their

card;

once

they

have

indicated

the

position

ask

them to name their card. Now slowly reach forward and turn it over to reveal an Ace; pause for a beat before turning over the remaining cards to reveal four Aces! The best part is that this effect has been created with words, through framing. You are now about to learn a completely different

routine

even

though

the

exact

same

technical

 procedure is observed.

Stem Cell Magician vs. Gambler While

I'm

sure

you

have

already

guessed

what

is

about

to

happen,

please

read

this

closely

as

there

is

some

interesting

 psychology at work. Say, “I want to show you something interesting. I want to dhow you the  difference between skill and magic. Trying to find specific cards while  shuffling

is

extremely

skillful

and

extremely

difficult.

Hopefully

I'll

be 

able to find a pair or three of a kind, but it's not easy. ”   This is a very

simple way to set up the idea that you will be actively looking for cards

while

shuffling.

Perform

the

'Stem

Cell'

shuffle

sequence

and then the double lift. Name the face card of the double (well use a Jack in the example presentation), and say,

“A Jack. So, 

 I  I''ll tr tryy and find another Jack. ”  Turn down the double and drop the

top card onto the table. Now perform another shuffle sequence and again name the face card of the double (in this example, a Four), saying, “Ok, a Four. Well, I can still find three of a kind. I just   need the rest to be Fours or Jacks. ”

106   

Turn down the double and drop the top card onto the table.  Now perform a third shuffle sequence and name the face card of the double (in this case a Six), saying, “Hmm, a Six. Well if I   can find a Jack, a Four or a Six, then I will have a pair Which should    I

find find?” ?”  Whichever

value

the

spectator

names,

turn

down

the

double and deal the top card next to the other cards. Perform a final shuffle sequence and name the face card of the double (in this example, a Nine). “See, I toLd you its difficult! Damn, a Nine.   How  H owev ever er,, wh what at If I could uld in invi visi sibl blyy ch chan ange ge thi this into nto a Jac ack, k, Fo Four ur or a  Six? That would be good, right? Which one?”

Deal this final card next to the other three face-down cards and hover

your

hand

slightly

above

it

(as

if

attempting

to

change

it into the named card). Finally, say, “Skill doesn’t always work. I   will need something else!”  Slowly turn over the card to reveal an

Ace, pause for a beat and then turn over the other three cards to reveal all four Aces.

This routine is fun to perform because you have no idea what cards

will

actually

be

named,

and

often

there

is

a

pair

that

naturally appears, or some other pattern. This is great to exploit and

means

This

you

increases

have the

to

think

sense

of

on

your

realism

feet

while

necessary

to

performing. contrast

the

magical ending. It also pulls the spectator into the effect as they are seeing that you are trying to find cards and failing; they can also interact and try to define certain outcomes ... which also fail! I also love the fact that we go from confusing, messy cards to Aces. This feels bigger and more impossible than the standard approach to this effect. The standard approach is to interlace Aces and say, Tens; you now show three Tens and the final Ace is a mistake, and then all the cards change into Aces. I think this

is

inferior

for

two

reasons.

Firstly

it

only

feels

like

one

change (Tens become Aces); although it is the same procedure,

107   

 psychologically  psycholog ically

it

feels

like

a

binary

change.

However However,,

several

random cards becoming Aces feels bigger than a binary change; it feels like each card individually changes into an Ace. Secondly, aesthetically I also like that chaos becomes order, which makes the ending feel more magical and visually pleasing.

Stem Cell Sleight of Hand This sequence is the most direct version of 'Stem Cell' and is very

magical.

I

would

normally

use

it

if

someone

specifically

asked me about sleight of hand. Begin by saying, “I want to dhow you something very weird. I want    you  yo u to reme remem mbe berr on onee of fo four ur ca card rds, s, bu butt do dont nt te telll me whi hich ch on onee. ” Now

simply

execute

the

'Stem

Cell’

shuffle

sequence

four

times,

each time placing a face-down card onto the table until you end up with a row of four face-down cards. Say, “Don’t tell me which  one you are thinking of. You might have changed your mind, it doesn't   matter   ...  jus  justt pl plac acee yo your ur ha hand nd do down wn on onto to th thee on onee yo you u are are thi hink nkiing of   do that it’d completely covered. ”  Once they have done this, subtly

shift

your

weight,

adjust

your

sleeves

hands. All these actions are subtly  preparing to do something special overdo it. Using flat

as

onto

two

seconds hands

barebones of

before onto

patter the

and

removing

remaining

maybe

stretch

your

communicating that you are or difficult, however, don't

possible,

cards,

slowly

the

as

or

keep

them

face-down

slowly

lay

your

them

there

for

and

placing

card,

as

one

your

hands a

few

of

your

other

hand

hovers above their hand. When your hand is above their hand you say, “The hardest card is yours. ”  Slowly turn over the three visible cards to reveal three Aces and invite them to turn over the final card to discover the final Ace. This last sequence is a very

direct,

seeing

magical

the

actual

change

moment

of

that

the the

Aces;

they

change

are

happens,

apparently which

will

create a very vivid memory of a magic moment.

108  

Notes With

'Stem

Cell’,

I

always

begin

by

palming

the

Aces

and

having the deck shuffled. I then retrieve the deck, add the Aces on

top

and

execute

a

Faro

Shuffle.

Its

that I decide what to do, depending on spectator,

that  

particular

moment

and

only that  

simply

at

this

moment

particular audience/ what

I

feel

like

doing. You

can

having

now to

perform

remember

three

baffling

different

routines

without

methodological

sequences.

Understand the psychology of the presentation and three completely different effects to perform from same

set-up

creating

and

different

This is efficiency!

the

exact

effects

same

through

technical words

you the

handling; rather

ever

than

have exact

you

are

moves.

109  

The Resourceful Professional This

demonstration

gambling

routine

was

my

which

attempt

to

demonstrated

construct

a

complete

advanced

culling,

stacking,  position

false

dealing,

possible.

which

required

with,

or

I

very

mucking

wanted little

potentially

and

to

create

work

and

surpass,

more an yet

traditional

from

the

simplest

impressionistic impressionistic was

able

to

demonstrations

routine compete of

this

nature. I feel confident that this routine delivers on those levels. Remember

that

the

greatest

impression

technical

means

description

of

aim of

of skill

possible.

each

this and I

element,

demonstration control

have

to

through

given

however

is

while

a

create

the

brief

simplest technical

demonstrating

you should be casually talking about each concept the way one would expect for this type of gambling expose.

the

in

them exactly

110 11 0  

Method With the four Aces on top, bring up the subject of gambling, card cheating, etc., and offer to demonstrate some fascinating techniques. that

Each

particular

of

the

element

following

occurred

to

elements you

to

is

performed

demonstrate

as in

if the

moment:

1. Shuffle Location/Culling Give the deck some shuffles and cuts, keeping the Aces on top. Deal out three face-down cards, showing that the fourth card (which is dealt to yourself) is an Ace. Leave the other face down cards on the table as you continue.

2. False Dealing Place the Ace back onto the deck and demonstrate/expose a number of face-up and face-down second deals. Stop when you've dealt a known number of cards into a face-down pile (let's imagine you dealt fifteen cards). I  will deal the first five with the Ace face down, then five with the Ace face up and a final five with the Ace face down.

3. Stacking

Place

the

face-up

Ace

onto

the

fifteen

dealt

cards

and

place

this packet onto the deck and hold a break beneath it. Casually mention that a useful skill is to be able to send the Ace to a specific location, and turn the Ace face down and execute a slip cut to the break, followed by some simple false shuffles and cuts. Mention that you have placed the Ace at the sixteenth position from the top; now cleanly deal the cards onto the table, showing that the Ace is now at the sixteenth position. You can also ask the spectator to name a number between ten and twenty. Once they

do,

casually

adjust

your

break

accordingly

before

executing

the slip cut. Now you can proceed as previously mentioned, but  positioning the the card at the position the spectator has named.

111  

 4

.  Card Mucking/Switching

Assemble the cards and cleanly show the Ace on top of the deck. Now use the technique for the Rub-a-Dub-Dub Vanish21  to simulate putting a card under your hand. Now lift your hand and

apparently

your

hand

deck

to

to

show

shoot

the

show an

it

Ace

up

empty.

indifferent

your

Execute card

sleeve a

and

before

double

deal

revolving

lift

this

with

card

the

(actually

the Ace) face down onto the table. Now apparently shake the 'sleeved

Ace'

back

tabled

card

face

switch

without

into

up.

your

This

having

to

hand

and

sequence do

then

perfectly

anything

rapidly

turn

the

simulates

a

card

complicated

or

anything

that can flash. This to

sequence

is

demonstrate

complicated sequence

incredibly

card

mucking

techniques.

without

a

deceptive

If

sleeve,

you

and

without find

simply

is

a

having yourself

dart

your

fantastic to

way

learn

any

performing

this

hand

below

the

table or under your arm (as if depositing the Ace there), come  back out with an empty hand, execute a double lift, go below the table or back under your arm again (to retrieve the 'Ace') and

now

apparently

switch

swift movement of the hand.

it

for

the

indifferent

card

with

a

5. Shuffle Tracking Explain that a useful skill is to be able to visually track the locations of cards while the deck is being shuffled. Use a jog shuffle to place the Ace about three-quarters of the way down in the deck. Square the cards and get a break below the jogged card. Now simply execute a riffle force on yourself and cut to the break. This should look as if you cleanly cut to the exact location where the Ace resides after a shuffle.

21. First published in Hugard and Braue's  E  Exxpert Ca Card rd Te Tecchniq nique, 1940. The move is said to be a Charlie Miller creation, although Miller is not credited within the book. b ook.

112  

6.

Four-of-a-Kind Location

Mention

that

one

of

the

most

difficult

techniques

is

to

locate

and control four of a kind. Now make sure the Ace is face up on the deck, slowly place the deck down onto the table and then turn over the other three Aces—which have been on the table from

the

beginning.

This

ending

is

extremely

elegant

and

will

come as a complete surprise to any audience.

Notes If you look at the clarity of the ideas expressed in this routine and the simplicity of the methodology used to achieve it, I think you will see something rather pleasing. The only technically difficult thing to perform is the second deal, however, you do not need a great second deal as you are literally

exposing  the

technique for demonstration purposes. I

cannot

routine.

express To

me

how it

happy

is

a

I

am

perfect

with

the

example

structure

of

how

of

this

incredibly

simple means can generate powerful results. If I ever have to demonstrate

a

card-cheating

I

It

is

perform.

quick,

sequence,

easy

and

this

is

expresses

concepts while being entertaining and surprising.

often a

the

wide

routine

range

of

113  

No-Motion Four Aces I

have

Ace

long

Assembly

desire

to

Therefore, shake counts,  passes,

a

suspected are

appear

in

clever,

that

most

ungimmicked

fact

subtle

testimonies

creative

or

skillful

such routines often use more stick

at;

a

displacements, secret

transfers,

constant steals, and

stream changes, the

of

versions of

a

his

technique  than

palms,

occasional

'original'

peers.

one

buckles,

false

the

magician's

amongst

double

of

can false

deals, move.

half In

my opinion, this kaleidoscope of dexterity is born from ego and

naivety;

it s

feathers

and

genuinely observer.

a

chance to

focus

for

gratify on

the

the

performer

to

his

technical

fetishism,

experience

of

preen

the

his

technical

rather

than

uninformed/objective

This routine is my attempt to create the ultimate handling with virtually

'no

moves';

one

focused

on

pure

effect,

psychology

and practicality. Its fundamental roots can be found in 'SlowMotion Four Aces' by Dai Vernon and the 'Exclusive Coterie'  by S. W. Erdnase, but it has evolved virtually unrecognizable from its predecessors.

drastically and

is

now

114  

Effect Four Aces are cut from a shuffled deck, three cards are placed onto each Ace (to casually represent four hands of Poker) and the Aces now invisibly travel to one packet.

Method Begin by cutting four Aces from the deck and laying them out in a face-up row across the table. This is an important phase as it serves a very useful psychological function: It creates the visual impression of the four Aces lying in a row on the table, which

considering

the

effect

about

to

follow

is

an

important

initial impression for the audience to have. At

an

opportune

moment

after

producing

the

four

Aces,

get

a break under the top three cards of the deck. Once the four Aces

have

impression

been of

on

them

the

table

being

long

there,

enough allow

to

both

create

a

hands

to

together in collecting them up; the left hand acts as a stopper as

1

lasting work

115 11 5  

the

right

hand

collects

them

up

into

an

untidy

face-up

group.

The Aces are now turned face down onto the cards above the  break and the entire packet is lifted from the deck. As you do this,  packet

move

the

visually

packet from

the

forward

a

few

deck,

while

inches,

the

left

separating

forefinger

the

pushes

the deck deeper into the hand. This allows the Ace packet to appear distinct and isolated (Photo 1). This sequence should be executed smoothly and without the slightest hesitation. You are now about to execute a sequence which I use in place of the Braue Addition (as I have always felt that the Braue Addition looks like a rather suspicious sequence of moves). I

much

casual a

prefer

and

the

following

incidental.

sequence

 psychologically

which

It is

disarming

has not and

sequence taken only

me

because many

visually

natural.

This

it

years

deceptive, was

my

feels to

more

develop but

attempt

also to

create a sequence that looks like nothing;  a casual, simple non moment. I call this technique the Unconsidered Switch: Use the left thumb to draw off three cards by the inner left corners (Photo 2), and replace them squarely on the bottom of the packet before drawing off a final card and replacing this on

the bottom as you say, ...”

It doesn t matter what order the Aces are in 

Drawing Drawing the cards off at their lower left corner keeps the

 packet

and

the

deck

very

obviously

separated.

Now

turn

the

 packet face up (end for end) as you say, .. but I want them to  be mixed. "As  you say this, draw off three face-up Aces with the

left thumb and replace them back onto the face of the packet.  Now draw off the top Ace with the left thumb and place it on

the

bottom

of

the

packet

(leaving

it

casually

misaligned).

Hold the packet against deck with the left thumb (Photo 3) as the right fingers re-grip the packet by its sides and the hands separate (Photo 4).

116   

2

3

 

4

Casually

turn

the

Ace

packet

face

down

onto

the

deck

and

immediately thumb off the top four cards (with one hand) into a row on the table as you say “This way in a moment you'll make  a genuinely random choice. ”  As an apparent afterthought, switch the Aces around on the table, ensuring that the only tabled Ace

ends up in the third position from the left. Position check: The spectator believes that the Aces are on the table;

however,

there

are

now

three

indifferent

cards

on

the

table and an Ace in the third position from the left. The other three Aces are on top of the deck in the left hand. It is very difficult to convey in print the timing and flow of this sequence. All I can say is that there is really no pausing  between your words and actions, and your actions merely seem to

be

unconscious

and

unconsidered

rather

than

deliberate

or

rehearsed sequences. The nature of this sequence allows for 

118  

cards to move in a rough, natural but controlled way. There is no tumbling, falling or revolving of the Aces during the switch. They just seem to be openly displayed or casually moved on a flat plane. There are, of course, more technically demanding ways

to

switch

approaches and

often

practical

attitude

and

out

three

just

Aces,

introduce

limitation. performance

I

cannot of

this

but

in

more stress

my

experience

psychological enough

moment

are

that

these

suspicion if

correct,

the this

moment not only looks natural, a spectator will forget you even lifted the cards off the table or touched them at all.

To continue, count off twelve cards (without reversing their order) into the right hand and set the rest of the deck aside. Turn the twelve cards you have just counted face up and push off three cards into the right hand as you say, "It doesen't matter  what these cards are as we are not playing a real game of Poker."   Now

 place these three cards at the back of the packet as both hands move to straighten up the apparent Aces on the table.

5

119 11 9  

Casually

spread

indifferent

off

cards)

another

before

five

closing

face-up the

cards

spread

entire packet face down. This sequence  packet of indifferent cards cards while hiding the Ac Aces. es.

(showing

and

casually

more

turning

the

displays

a

Push off the top three cards and square them at the fingertips and right.

place

them

Now

fingertips

push

and

behind off

place

and

another them

overlapping three

behind

the

cards, the

next

card

square card

on

the

far

them

at

the

(which

is

a

genuine Ace). Repeat this for the remaining two packets (Photo 5). This position is very important as it serves as another visual reminder that the Aces are on the bottom of each packet while establishing that all packets are equal.  Now with your forefinger, very slowly push the top portion of each packet flush with each of the protruding cards (Photo 6) as you say, “I don't want you to think I’m moving or touching any of   the Aces. ”  Once this procedure is complete there will now be

four packets in a row on the table. The third packet from the left consists of all four Aces.

 Now say, “Choose any packet for yourself It doesn’t matter which   one ad they are all the same. ”  This is an important moment as it does a few things. Firstly it reinforces the idea that the packets

are the same. Secondly it introduces a genuine free choice that  psychologically

makes

this

moment

feel

free

from

deception.

Finally it sets up the climax of the effect, which because of their genuine and

free

create

choice

the

will

opportunity

retrospectively for

a

miracle.

deepen

the

Hopefully

mystery they

will

choose the third packet from the left for themselves, but if not, it doesn't matter. After they have made their choice simply slide the

Ace

packet

toward

yourself.

Whatever

happens,

either

the

spectator will have the Ace packet or you will. The other two  packets will (Photo 7).

be

positioned

on

the

left-

and

right-hand

sides

120  

6

 

(To 'help' the spectator select the third packet, I often touch the second packet from the left again as an unconscious adjustment after I have mixed the cards. This seems to push the spectator to pick the target packet more often.)  Now you say “I am going to show you do me thing amazing! I’ll cause  aLL of the Aces to vanish from their packets and to appear in my/your    pack  pa cket et.. ”  (Substitute

Ace

packet.)

You

my/your will

depending

now

execute

on

a

the

location

simple

display

of

the

sequence

designed to create a very magical effect. You will always start with

the

packet

on

your

right,

then

the

packet

on

your

left,

 before ending with either the packet in front of yourself or the spectator. Pick

up

the

packet

on

your

right,

spread

it

and

separate

the

cards so that each hand holds two cards. Lever the bottom card of the right-hand packet face up onto the table, and then lever the top card of the left-hand packet face up onto the table. Next, flip the remaining card in the right hand face up onto the table, and

at

this

exact

moment,

perform

a

Through-the-Fist

Flourish

with the remaining card, dropping it  f  fac acee do dow wn  onto the rest of the

face-up

cards.

As

this

happens

your

left

hand

remains

a closed position (as if holding something) and hovers the target packet as your right hand hovers above the face-down card. sleight-of-hand

Both hands make a subtle movement technique

has

been

performed

at

that

in

above tabled

(as if a moment)

and now both hands lift up and are seen to be empty. At this

moment you say, “The firdt Ace has vanished. ” What is interesting about this moment is that the spectator does not think that the Ace has vanished; it seems to have simply  been

turned

face

down!

This

sequence

causes

the

spectator

to doubt your claim and to assume that the Ace is still in that

122  

 Now

pick

sequence

up

of

the

packet

moves,

 performed

the

face-down

card

with

on one

the minor

Through-the-Fist onto

the

left

face-up

and

perform

exception:

Flourish packet,

same

you

have

dropped

the

After

and mime

the

a

palm-to-palm

transfer (as if there is now something hidden in the right hand).  Now place the

right hand over the target packet and the left

hand above the tabled face-down card as you once again appear to execute a secret move to account for the moment of magic. Finally, sequence  but

this

pick of time

up

the

moves instead

remaining

packet

(including

the

of

immediately

and

perform

Through-the-Fist dropping

card onto the tabled face-up cards, give it a flourish as your left hand hovers above the target packet.

the

same

Flourish),

the

face-down

quick

spin/twirl

There are now three piles of face-up cards (with a face-down card on top of each) and the target packet remains untouched (Photo 8). Pause for a beat before turning over the face-down

8

123  

cards

one

by

together

into

moment

for

one one

the

and

then

messy

pushing

pile

spectator

to

(this

all

of

the

creates

suspect

that

a

the

face-up

subtle Aces

cards

potential

are

hiding

in the mess of face-up cards). Now turn your attention to the remaining face-down packet and slowly turn each card face up one at a time, revealing that the Aces have all jumped to the target packet.

Notes This routine is a barrage of subtle psychological ploys designed to

create

a

quasi-one-at-a-time,

me

the

many

normally  pure

illusion

years

to

associated

magic

or

of

Aces

slow-motion strip

with

expert

assembling

away

this

sleight

of

structure). all

plot.

into

the

This

hand,

one It

packet has

superfluous routine

depending

can

(in

taken

technique look

on

like

what

the

observer wants to see and what the performer wants to portray.  No bold misdirection is needed, there are no bad angles, nothing can flash and the effect is incredibly clear. If you can hold a  break this

and

perform

routine.

In

fact,

some

simple

movements,

the

hardest

aspect

of

you this

can routine

perform is

to

genuinely appreciate how such simple ideas have the power to communicate so much powerful magic. With that in mind, here is a reminder of the deceptive elements within this effect. I hope you see cumulative power for creating a compelling illusion: •

The Ace-cutting sequence at the beginning is there solely to create

a

visual/psychological

impression

of

the

Aces

on

the

table. This idea is incredibly important to the effect so do

not skip over this. •

The initial switch-out of the Aces is natural and casual; it is  performed

•

with

a

nonchalant

attitude

and

the

movement

of

the Aces is uncomplicated. The apparent Aces are moved around on the table, subtly  proving

that

any

packet

could

have

been

chosen

and

the

same result would have occurred. 124  

•

The extra cards are placed on each apparent Ace in a way which draws more attention to the existence of the Aces.

•

The packets all remain in a row, making all the packets  psychologically equivalent the traditional T-formation).

•

The

final

phase

from

appears

to

the

beginning

contain

'moves'

(removing

which

suggest

that something is happening. •

During the final phase, there are face-down cards remaining in each packet. A spectator is curious to see the face-down card

and

apparent

will vanish

intuitively (thereby

question

creating

your

the

assertion

existence

of

of

the

the

Ace

in their own minds). •

The

final

 provides

a

messy subtle

amalgamation

suggestion

that

of the

the

face-up

Aces

may

packets

be

hiding

there. It is important that the initial Ace productions and vanishes at the end of the routine are executed with grace and finesse. In contrast,

the

middle

section

is

deliberately

simple

and

clear.

In

fact, it is so procedural that it is void of any observable beauty. This

is

a

very

subtle

but

important

psychological

technique

as

it reinforces the notion that things happen only in the moments when this sense of grace or finesse is apparent. This very subtle idea is very deceptive and can be useful in many routines. A

final

important

point

to

consider

is

that

a

spectator

doesn't

register the full effect up until the final moment. Normally with a

one-at-a-time

of

the

effect

assembly, and

leaps

the

audience

ahead

(therefore

registers there

is

the no

pattern surprise).

This effect maintains the potential for surprise up until the final

moment

(by

keeping

the

audience

sceptical)

while

creating

the

impression of a one-at-a-time, slow-motion assembly.

125  

Chapter Four Summary The

effects

effects

with

Magician, have

in

this

simplicity

Ace

tackled

chapter

Assembly these

are

about

tackling

classic

—Three

Card

Monte,

Gambler

vs.

However,

we

and

effects

a

gambling

from

the

expose.

simplest

position

magic

possible

while still using the Aces as a structural framework. This

chapter

with

just

create

an

has

demonstrated without  

words, effect

using

that

needing

multiple

we to

layers

can

change

change of

method.

psychology

an

effect

We

can

instead

of

multiple physical techniques, and we can stack layers of simple  physical

techniques

to

achieve

an

incredible

overall

effect

that

seems much larger than the sum of its parts. All of the technical demands within these routines are relatively simple, but the philosophy and psychology behind the design of each

is

sophisticated

and

fundamental

to

their

deceptiveness.

I

hope that these routines have inspired a few of you to consider how

the

combination

of

simple

design

and

psychology

might

help impact your work. We now move to the final goal: evolving a trick into something real

through

nothing

but

objectivity,

psychology

and

simplicity.

We will make the production of four Aces from a shuffled deck look like a true, genuine skill.

 

5. Real Ace Cutting

 

"Beauty of style and harmony and grace and  good rhythm depend on simplicity."   — Plato

Real Ace Cutting: exploring realism,  rhythm and nuance 'Real

Cutting'22 

Ace

is

an

internally

motivated

method

of

organic card manipulation designed to make your technique and  performances word

'real'

more is

believable,

rather

nuanced

conveniently

an

and

entertaining.

anagram

of

my

The

surname

 but also fundamentally serves as the perfect way to think about the attitude of reliably

and

this

material.

authentically

'Real Ace Cutting' allows

cut/locate/produce

any

four

you to

of

a

kind

from any deck of cards, in any environment. If

you

were

really

able

to

produce

Aces

from

a

borrowed,

shuffled deck, what would it really look like? What would the  presentation

be?

How

difficult

would

it

be?

How

practical

would it be? I have genuine  methods for producing four of a kind from a borrowed, shuffled deck, so I know how it feels and

how

working

technically on

this

demanding

while

dealing

it

is.

I

Blackjack,

spent playing

many Poker

years and 

22. I first presented these ideas at The Session 2009 convention in Gloucester, England. 129   

 performing magic. I invested a lot of time in many sophisticated methods,

both

magic

desirable

cards

from

and a

genuine

shuffled

cheating

deck.

methods,

However,

in

for

culling

my

opinion

'Real Ace Cutting' is a far superior approach to anything else I have experimented with; it is within the reach of any intelligent  performer, and unlike other   approaches, it truly allows you to

concentrate

(without

on

sacrificing

and

connect

any

realism

with or

the

performance

reliability).

For

itself

this

reason

I consider it to be a superior approach. Finding and a

four

Aces

entertaining.

flexible

for

observer.

Not

approach

deceptiveness I

don't

isn't

good

limited

with

or

want

by

very

realism to

enough;

it

style

few

must  

or

rules;

be

believable

procedure,

it

cannot

and

will

fool

the

define

this

method

be

most

as

a

this

is

rivaled educated

divergence

from other methods but rather define it on its own terms. This method is simultaneously

all 

methods and

no 

methods. It is not

separate from other routines or just another routine. It is much more

about

the

performer,

his

mindset

and

his

awareness

than

 just a technical procedure. Having the deck genuinely shuffled by a spectator is

the 

most

important and potent factor in convincing your audience that all is fair and aboveboard. This act alone is enough to immediately send an audience to sleep and to give you the necessary  psychological cover to use one or all of the following following ruses: 1.

Cull the Aces to the top before the effect begins and false shuffle.

2.

Cull the Aces while apparently looking through the cards to memorise them or to remove a Joker.

3.

Cull the Aces to the top during a previous trick.

4.

Add previously palmed Aces onto the deck after the spectator has shuffled.

130  

In all the years I've been performing magic I have always found an opportunity to use one of the above ruses. I have learned and

created

many

methods

for

culling

cards,

but

ultimately

none  of them are remotely as good as the four ruses above. For

this reason it is important to understand that by relaxed and nonchalant as you use one of the you

render

 performing

the

control

situations.

of

There

the

Aces

are,

of

completely course,

simply being above ruses,

invisible

subtle

in

touches

all 

with

all of the above ruses to make them more deceptive, but I don't have time to go into the endless possible variations considering the many contexts in which they may be used. Once you have the deck back in your possession with the Aces under control, you must   give the deck two or three shuffles that do not lose track of the Aces. This shuffling must be very casual, unconsidered and executed without much apparent conscious awareness of the action (see The Real Optical Shuffle, page 41 and The Any Card Game Control, page 36). It is the attitude and

body

language

of

the

performer

that

deeply

convince

an

audience that the deck has been genuinely shuffled. It can take many only

hours with

of

study

visual

and

practice

deceptiveness

but

to with

false

shuffle

cards,

not

the

correct

attitude

to

allay any hint of suspicion. Attitude is do  crucial, yet most card experts

don't

truly

commit

to

maximising

Give 'attitude' some serious thought as it's  psychologically pivotal pivotal part of your perform performance. ance.

the

potential

probably

of

it. most  

the

The finished card expert considers nothing too trivial that in any way contributes to his success, whether avoiding or

allaying

suspicion,

or

in

the

particular

manner

of

carrying out each detail; or in leading up to, or executing, each

artifice.

time

and

care

Therefore in

the

illustrating

writer many

has

expended

manoeuvres

much that

at

first may seem unimportant, but all of which are essential to the curriculum of artistic card handling.  — S. W. Erdnase, The Expert at the Card Table

131  

Only is

with

an

legitimately

audience shuffled

completely

can

you

convinced

begin.

Pick

that

up

the

the

deck

deck

and

riffle it in front of your eyes, and set the deck down again. With the

deck

now

isolated,

subtly  express

the

following

or

similar

sentiments through verbiage and body language: •

What you are about to see is very difficult.

• •

This may not work. This is something that you shouldn’t see as it is a secret skill.

•

This idea is very valuable.

•

This is not a trick.

•

This is amazing.

•

I am nervous/excited. nervous/excited.

Subtly  expressing the above ideas (without launching into a contrived monologue) is a question of skilled showmanship; it is

often what is unsaid, withheld or suggested that an audience will  pick up on and where the fundamental power of a performance performance resonates.

Some

performers

will

immediately

understand

this;

for others, this notion will seem illusive. With this in mind, a  basic description of what follows would be to produce the Aces in

any

way

Although

you

essentially

wish

while

true,

it

concentrating

is

much

more

on

showmanship.

sophisticated

and

nuanced than that. Every

single

expression,

action,

thought

reaction, and

technique,

feeling

must

revelation, be

improvised

facial or

discovered in the moment. However, I try to keep my words to a minimum, or to not speak at all. This process is repeated for

each

Ace,

resulting

in

four

independently

created

moments.

One must take on the role of someone who is doing this for real (from a genuinely shuffled deck) so that in your mind it is real. Forget that they are all together on the top. False shuffle the deck and use the Sting Cut (page 29) to maintain control as you think about how to find one Ace from the apparent randomness. There are no rules as long as each revelation is committed to

132  

in

the

moment.

The

methodologically,

revelations

technically

or

do

not

even

stylistically

have

to

distinct;

be

the

that

crucial

matter is the commitment to each individual revelation and the  blind

dedication

to

the

location

of

that

card.

Each

time

the

 process may start again. This is not a mechanical sequence but a collection of independent, although related, organic moments. Remember,

I

revelations

to

am be

not

suggesting

stylistically

that

its

distinct—they

 preferable  for

could

all

be

the

exactly

the same or in keeping with a particular gestalt — but they must   be individually or

conceived

familiar

 pacing,

sequence.

revelations

dispels

the

realism.

of and

and

notion

Through

The

fact

style

of this

committed that

are

the and

you'll

pre-rehearsed

techniques,

conceived

pre-rehearsal process

to, not a of

in

a

moment  

the

therefore

discover

timing,

emphasizes freedom

to

 pause, connect and communicate with an audience in ways that were

previously

invisible

to

you.

You

are

specifically

focusing

on a different way to perform, concentrating on the rhythm of the

performance

create

and

and

release

becoming

tension.

sensitive

You

have

to an

how

you

alternative

need

to

paradigm,

not just finding Aces—that's the easy bit. Having than

a

rehearsed

others

is

routine

the

that

complete

you

think

antithesis

of

is

theatrically

'Real

Ace

better

Cutting'.

Every single production is the product of a decision that you make in that   moment; you may also decide to false shuffle, false cut,

stock

shuffle

or

use

a

flourish

at

any

moment

(this

not

only has the potential to add deceptiveness but it also changes the dynamic range of the performance and may also give you time to think about your next move). The deck may be on the table,

in

the

hands

or

both.

The

style

and

technique

of

each

revelation can change; you may cut directly to one, change one, deal to one or leave one face down — ready to turn it over when the

moment

is

right—the

possibilities

are,

of

course,

endless.

The important point to remember is that these decisions are  being genuinely made in the moment, without fear of failure, 133 

 

and

in

complete

response

to

the

particular

audience

watching.

How you choose to let this inform your work is up to you, but make sure you truly commit to this process while avoiding selfindulgence or safety. It is important to believe in the process. Imagine that you are calculating positions, remembering cards, estimating, glimpsing and

using

secret

techniques

understand.

Once

in

to

produce

sleights

or

though

this

the

this

that

place,

top/bottom

techniques is

even  you  perhaps instead

cards,

may

of

think

thinking about

execute

the

fully

about

how

which

autonomously  find

impossible,

don't

an

technique

moves,

Ace.

Even

(which

just

happens to find one). Forget that the card is coming from the top/bottom random  body

and

just

locations. language

imagine

This

that

way

congruent

you

of

with

are

thinking the

locating will

skillset

them

from

keep

your

help

you

are

apparently

using. At first this is much harder than you would imagine, but with practice it can become as easy as breathing. What you are trying to achieve is a living performance, so let it live as much as possible. As soon as your performance lives  in this way it will start to develop a seductive and charismatic quality

that

method.

is

The

almost

more

impossible

you

know

to

about

create card

with

any

controls

other

and

card

revelations, the more willing you are to become sensitive to an audience, the more you can trust yourself, the better you will  become at performing with this level of extreme simplicity. One can apply any presentation one wants, convey any concept and

transmit

method

of

therefore

this

method it

simply

realism,

 

style

choice

can is

134

any

with

because

perfectly

rhythm

it

has

adapt

isn't  just   about an

authenticity itself having

encouragement and

nuance;

no to

and

predetermined the

freedom

to

'jazz'.

having

the

power.

This

It

is

my

form

and

moment. of

However,

choice,

method

opportunity  to

neither

is

about

discover 

a different  performer.

relationship

with

the

audience

and

yourself

as

a

Technical Notes Once you have the four Aces on top or bottom, hand the deck to to

the

spectator

widely

 pressure

to

separate

fan

shuffle

them).

with

the

(normally

Take

faces

back toward

not

the

thorough

deck

yourself;

and

enough

give

calculate

it

a

where

all the Aces are and improvise a way to produce them. This concept within

of a

injecting

system

is

a

little

one

that

chaos I

find

or

creating

fascinating,

imperfection

interesting

and

ultimately stimulating in the context of performance. Sometimes

I

will

actually

lose

the

Aces

on

purpose

during

a

shuffle so that I will have to improvise a way to find them. For example, if the four Aces are on top and you have produced two

of

them,

perhaps

execute

a

smooth

riffle

shuffle,

placing

a few cards in between and on top of the Aces. Because you know roughly where they are, you can improvise glimpses and shuffle off any excess cards with relative ease. Intentionally glimpsing an indifferent card and naming it before locating

it23  can

be

a

very

powerful

or

amusing

technique

to

inject. There are also many subtle techniques I can employ to increase the belief that skillful used. Here are a couple of them:

memory

techniques

are

being

1. Shuffle four cards onto the top Ace. Cut the deck, making sure you hold a break. Cut the deck at the break and flash the card above the break. Now say, “Ok   ... the  [name card] ...I think there's an Ace five cards away. ”  Slowly flip over five

cards and reveal the Ace.

23. This ploy has been used previously by Daniel Rhod in an Ace-cutting effect.

135  

2.

With the

the

Aces

on

top,

deck

about

halfway

glimpse

the

(maintain

bottom

break).

Say,

card

and

cut

“I

think

an 

 Ace is at the 26th position. I’ll try and cut straight to it. ”  Allow

the glimpsed card to riffle off the thumb as you cut deck and flash the bottom

card of the top portion.

the

Name

this card and say, “I’m two off. ... This is the 21th card ... the   25th card is the  [name glimpsed card] and the 26th is the Ace. ”   Suiting

actions

to

words,

turn

over

the

glimpsed

card

and

then the Ace. By memorising the order of the four Aces (when culling or while apparently

memorising

the

entire

deck)

you

can

have

someone

name an Ace before you cut to it. You will have to work out in the moment how to reveal that Ace, without losing control of the

others.

This

is

incredibly

deceptive

and

will

force

you

to

think on your feet. In my opinion, this approach to cutting any named  Ace  Ace is virtually perfect. Skillful

stock

or

slug

controls

can

be

developed

to

such

an

extent that they can become an art in their own right. I have  baffled many magicians over the years with nothing more than the

exploitation

subtle

of

technical

a

and

stock

control.

psychological

Pay

close

factors

that

attention can

to

the

make

this

form of control truly convincing and you'll have a very powerful weapon in your arsenal.

Performance Notes Firstly, imagine that you are able to do this for real, and if this was

the

skill? you

case

Are

how

there

develop

this

did

any

you

other

skill?

come

across

applications

Why

are

you

of

this this

secret

ability

or

skill?

Why

did

demonstrating

it?

Have

you met any other people who can do it? What is the history  behind

this

idea?

I

would

suggest

that

you

allow

answers

to

the above questions to create the foundation of a silent script, which

136   

can

subtly

inform

your

demonstration

rather

than

creating

an

rigidity

uninformed,

(ultimately

rehearsed

destroying

the

monologue potential

that

for

cultivates

realism

and

a

genuine dialogue with your audience). Your

body

language

and

attitude

are

incredibly

important

in

communicating a message. Therefore tension or suspense can be created in many ways: using silence and concentration instead of a verbal presentation, slowly turning a card to check if it is correct way,

before or

 putting

putting

maybe

it

and

contrive

a

to

work

surprisingly

back

purposefully

back

ways

it

and finding

continuing. sense

well.

of

producing an

These

tension

Being

in

a

incorrect

are and

hesitant,

it

different

card

simple

before

examples

uncertainty,

indecisive,

but

conflicted

of

they or

cautious at any particular moment will also increase the realism of

your

performance,

so

contrive

without sacrificing an audience's the theatrical impact of your actions.

a

method

confidence

to

in

feel

your

this abilities

way or

Often before beginning the effect I will remove my watch and ring; not in an overly dramatic, cheesy fashion, but with just the right amount of subtlety for the audience to notice. This helps suggest that what you are about to perform is difficult and you need to get ready for it. Other things such as taking a deep  breath,

stretching

your

fingers

or

rubbing

your

hands

together

can all help dramatically as long as they are used with care and control. You must actually  feet   the need to use these strategies in the moment rather than pre-rehearse or act. I

have

many

techniques

and

variations

of

those

techniques

at

my disposal when making a decision in the moment. However, I

regularly

different

use

shuffle/cut

techniques

I

important

or

experiences

about

have

to

controls. attached

interesting. do

twenty

with

a

different To

each

of

these

history

or

that

anchors my

and

these

memory/experience

Sometimes magic

productions

are

own

twenty

particular I

feel

is

stories

or

development

137