Card Conspiracy 1-1

CARD CONSPIRACY Vol. 1 Peter Duffie & Robin Robertson

Illustrated by

Joseph K. Schmidt Cover Art by

Eveline Taylor Edited by

Matthew Field Published by

Duffie & Robertson

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FIRST EDITION © 2003 by Peter Duffie & Robin Robertson Printed in the United States. ELECTRONIC EDITION © 2007 by Peter Duffie & Robin Robertson All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system now known, or to be invented, without written permission. ii

INTRODUCTION TO ELECTRONIC EDITION Welcome to Card Conspiracy Vol.1 – Electronic Edition. This is an electronic facsimile of the first edition of this book that was published in 2003. Now out of print, we are delighted to be able to offer this publication as a PDF. Here is a brief guide to the easy navigation system in this PDF. ___________________________________ Hyper-links: The Table of Contents is fully hyper-linked. Every entry in the Table of Contents links to the starting page of the item. Link-back function: At the bottom of any page (not just the last page of a section) you can click on the page number and you will be instantly taken back to the Table of Contents. Text Searchable: The PDF is fully word-searchable using the FIND function in Adobe. ___________________________________ We hope you enjoy the book and thank you for purchasing it.

Peter Duffie & Robin Robertson November 2007

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CARD CONSPIRACY, VOL. 1 Preface ...............................................................................................i Chapter 1 - Biddle Force .................................................................. 1 Description of move (plus examples) ......................................................1 26 Faces North.....................................................................................3 Double Knavery....................................................................................4 25 Faces North + 1 South......................................................................6 Chapter 2 - Concealed Allerton Control............................................ 7 Description of move ..............................................................................7 CAC Visitor ........................................................................................ 10 Only Joking........................................................................................ 12 Anti-Matter ........................................................................................ 13 Anti-Matter Revisited .......................................................................... 14 Final Control - description of move........................................................ 15 Chapter 3 - Cut Force.......................................................................17 Description of move ............................................................................ 17 Diminishing Matches ........................................................................... 18 Beastly Assembly ............................................................................... 20 Faith Counter ..................................................................................... 21 51 Faces North................................................................................... 23 Chapter 4 - Daley’s Delight Switch ..................................................25 Description of move ............................................................................ 25 Hotel Daley........................................................................................ 26 The Shifty King................................................................................... 28 Repelling & Attracting ......................................................................... 29 Double Rouge et Noire ........................................................................ 33 Daley’s Do-as-I-Do ............................................................................. 34 Chapter 5 - Daryl’s Diminishing Count .............................................38 Description of move ............................................................................ 38 The Bad Guys Wear Black .................................................................... 39 Just a Little off the Top, Please............................................................. 40 The Repligator.................................................................................... 43 Blackjack & Blackjacks ........................................................................ 45 Chapter 6 - Divide and Conjure (Marty Kane) ..................................49 Chapter 7 - Double Deal Turn-over ..................................................56 iv

Description of move ............................................................................56 S.O.P. (Slightly Open Prediction) ..........................................................59 Blackjack Transpo ...............................................................................60 Coincidence - With a Twist ...................................................................62 Chapter 8 - Fake & Unusual ............................................................ 64 Frazzle ..............................................................................................64 R.I.P. ................................................................................................67 Magic Cards .......................................................................................69 I'm Thinking of a Card.........................................................................70 Future Choice .....................................................................................73 Whitewash .........................................................................................75 Little Arrows.......................................................................................77 The Trick that Never Was.....................................................................79 Chapter 9 – Gemini Count ............................................................... 83 Description of move - revised handling ..................................................83 The Blabber-Mouths ............................................................................85 Kings High .........................................................................................86 Chapter 10 – Gilbreath Principle ..................................................... 89 Description of principle ........................................................................89 The Hustler ........................................................................................90 Dire Straights.....................................................................................92 The Paranormalist...............................................................................95 The Power of Love ..............................................................................97 Hours of Magic ...................................................................................98 Chapter 11 – GB Switch ................................................................ 100 Description of move .......................................................................... 100 GB Center Countdown ....................................................................... 101 The Highly Visible Kings (including Highly Visible move) ........................ 102 Sequencer ....................................................................................... 104 Signature Peace ............................................................................... 105 Chapter 12 – Hummer Principle .................................................... 108 Description of principle ...................................................................... 108 Thought Process ............................................................................... 109 CATO By Numbers (Roy Walton) ......................................................... 110 CATO Gets Married ........................................................................... 111 CATO Gets Married Again................................................................... 112 Hummer Plays Poker ......................................................................... 113 Remote Control Poker ....................................................................... 114 Appendix: Sleights referred to in text. ............................................... 117 v

PREFACE One of the joys of magic is sessioning: sitting down with a fellow magician and exchanging ideas for hours upon hours, each reacting to the other, adding a subtlety here, thinking of another use there. But far too often distance separates us from our friends and, except for occasional phone calls and face-to-face meetings, until recently, we had to be satisfied with letters. E-mail has changed all that. The speed with which we can now share an idea, get a reaction, then react in turn to the reaction, makes it possible to dialogue with someone far away. It’s a new kind of a dialogue, a new kind of sessioning. You lose something because the friend isn’t physically present, but there are compensations. Sometimes an E-mail provokes an instant response, sometimes it needs to be reflected on. Many different streams of ideas can go back-and-forth, with each person able to read and respond at their own pace. E-mail allows you to read at your leisure and respond at your leisure, so you don’t have to react instantly, yet can still exchange a great deal of information in a short period of time. This book wouldn’t have been possible without E-mail, as one of us lives in Scotland and one in Southern California. For almost two years now, we have been brain-storming magic exclusively through E-mail. Well over a thousand, perhaps several thousand, E-mails have gone back and forth during that time. Of course, without a commonality of magical interests, nothing much would emerge from such an exchange. Happily, we found that, in most cases, what interests one, interests the other. Two extremes of magic might be self-working tricks (as if there actually was any such thing), and tricks where a large amount of skill is required (hopefully to accomplish something great). We both have a preference for an area in between: where a small amount of skill or preparation leads to a great deal of effect. If a move (or a concept, principle, or subtlety) also has wide applicability, then we’re on cloud nine, as we can brainstorm for weeks on that single move. So simple moves that get a lot done. Usually we hit on a move and revolve around it until we’re dry, then move on to another move. Often, after leaving a move alone for a while, it will come back to the surface again and we’ll have another flood of ideas going back-and-forth. Sometimes the move becomes a standard for us, joining the small number of standard moves and principles that all of us in card magic share. These may be idiosyncratic choices, but we hope that sometimes other magicians may agree with us.

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Because these ideas emerged grouped around a move, we felt that the only way to present them was in the same way, so that - hopefully readers will also find themselves engaged in the dialogue, even if at one remove. Several of our friends did get involved in this brainstorming, and we’ve included their ideas here as well. We thank Roy Walton, Iain Girdwood, Marty Kane, and Jamie Badman for letting us share their ideas. We also thank Martin Breese for his advice and encouragement. Each chapter revolves around a central move (or a concept, principle, or subtlety). The chapters are arranged alphabetically, and each begins with a description of the move. Though our tricks emerged in these natural groupings, often a move from one section finds its way into a trick in another section. So, if you encounter a move you haven’t heard of yet, just flip to that chapter, where you’ll find a description at the beginning of the chapter. This is a compromise to avoid describing moves multiple times throughout the book. When we mention a move that doesn’t deserve a chapter of its own, we’ve tried to describe it the first time it appears in the book, and reference it later. We haven’t bothered to describe moves that all card magicians know, such as the Elmsley Count or the Vernon Add-on. Since this book is broken into two separate volumes, we are also including a section on sleights at the end of the volume, which contains a short description of any sleights referred to from the other volume. We hope that readers enjoy reading and using this material as much as we have enjoyed developing it.

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Chapter 1

BIDDLE FORCE (BF) A force/switch with several variations and uses. a) The force card is on the face of the deck. False Shuffle, keeping it on the face, then have a spectator cut off half and set it aside, saying, "We only need half the cards for this." b) Pick up the remainder in right hand Biddle grip, held from above by the ends, with a break above the bottom card. Tell the spectator that you're going to turn cards face-up until told to stop. Each time, pull off a card with the left thumb, then flip it face-up using the right-hand cards (Fig.1). At first, each time, ask, "Now?" before pulling off the top card, so the spectator gets used to the fact that he should stop you before you pull off a card. c) Keep flipping over cards until someone calls stop. At that point, peel the top card onto the face-up cards loading the force card underneath (Fig.2), and retaining a break between the two cards.

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d) Steal back the card above the break under the deck as you peel off the next card and turn it face-up. Continue turning the next few cards faceup, as you say, "You could have stopped here or here or here, but you didn't." Flip all the remaining cards face-up onto the left hand cards, then spread to show a single face-down card - seemingly the one they chose among the face-up cards.

MULTIPLE CARD BF Using BF to force/switch more than one card. Say you want to force the two black Jacks. Have them back to back on the bottom. The packet is face-down in Biddle grip with a break above the bottom face-down Jack (the one above it is face-up.) a) Start the flip-over count until stopped, then pull off the face-down card loading a Jack as normal and keeping a break. b) Continue the flip-over count stealing away the upper face-down card. When stopped again, pull off the face-down card genuinely, but get a break over it. Continue flipping over several more as usual, remarking that these could have been chosen, but weren't. Finally flip the remaining cards over face up on top. There are two options, depending on whether you want to reveal the cards now or later. REVEAL NOW - Turn the packet face-down, executing a Turn-over Pass, then spread revealing the two face up Jacks. The reversed card remains hidden at the bottom. REVEAL LATER - Take a break under the second face-down selection before flipping over the remaining cards, then casually cut the packet taking the cards above the break to the back before spreading to revealing two face-down cards. Again, a reversed card remains hidden at the back.

BF TWINS A simple application of the Biddle Force. Simply locate two matching cards (black Jacks, red Threes, etc.). Control one to the top and one to the bottom.

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1. Have a spectator cut the pack in half. Pick up the bottom half and do BF, then lay the packet aside face up for this spectator. Pick up the other half, shuffle the top card to the bottom, and repeat with a second spectator. At the end, the spectators have located two matching cards.

BF DOUBLE LOCATION Another simple application of the Biddle Force. Control two chosen cards, one to the top and one to the bottom, then do as above. The two chosen cards are the two found in each packet.

BF DOUBLE TWINS Using the multiple card version of BF for a double twins effect. You need two sets of twins, say black Jacks and red Threes. Arrange them on table as: Face-up Jack - face-down Jack - face-up Three - face-down Three, then place the deck on top. 1. Get a break secretly over the bottom two cards, then proceed as in Multiple Card BF until the spectator stops you, then load two cards, not one, under their card. 2. Continue as above as they pick a second card. Finish in either of the above two ways. When the deck is spread, the cards they picked are next to their matching twins.

26 FACES NORTH Inspired by Stewart James' famous puzzle: "51 Faces North." WORKING 1. Openly divide the deck into reds and blacks. Ribbon Spread the black cards face-up and have one chosen (because blacks look better in contrast to reds than reds to blacks).

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2. Pick up the red packet and fan it face-down. Insert the black chosen card face-down, outjogged in the fan. Turn the fan up to show the chosen black card among the reds. Turn the fan back down again, close the fan, then control the chosen card to the bottom. A pass or a multiple shift using just one card work equally fine here. False Shuffle, keeping it on the bottom. 3. Invite another spectator to try to locate the black card. Take the cards face-down into right hand Biddle grip with a thumb break above the bottom card. Pull cards off with the left thumb, then flip them over with the right hand packet. Each time ask the spectator "This card?" before you pull off with the left thumb. When they stop you, carry out the Biddle Force to apparently leave the card face-down. Continue to turn over a few more cards, saying, "You could have stopped anywhere," then make a one-hand fan with the remaining cards, turn them face-up to display all reds, then add them to the top of the left hand cards. Spread the cards so they can see a single face-down card among the reds (Fig.1). Flip the spread over and the chosen black card is face-up. Black among the reds.

DOUBLE KNAVERY An expansion of “26 Faces North.” WORKING 1. Before you begin, cull the four Jacks to the top with the two reds on top of the two blacks, or vice-versa. We’ll assume the blacks are on top. 2. Hold the deck face-up, saying, “I’m going to show you half a trick, so we only need half the deck.” Obtain a break above the two black Jacks at the rear then spread through and upjog all the red cards (you upjog the opposite color to that of the Jacks at the rear). As you get to the rear of the deck tilt the cards slightly so the audience cannot see the faces and 4

leave the two red Jacks downjogged then close the spread. You don’t want anyone to see that you left two red cards untouched, nor do you want the presence of the Jacks known. In similar fashion to the Vernon Add-on slide the lower two Jacks forward until they align with the outjogged reds (Fig.1). Now reposition your hands so you can strip the two sections apart and place them face-up on the table side by side. POSITION CHECK: The black half has the two red Jacks at the rear and the red half has the two black Jacks at the rear. 3. Turn to a spectator and say, “First, you can decide which half we will use - the reds or the blacks. The other half will be discarded.” It doesn’t matter which half you use so this choice is fair. Let’s say he wants the reds. Pick up the blacks, spread them between your hands, casually splitting the spread at the center, saying, “You don’t want me to use these?” then place the right hand section below the left to centralize the Jacks. Drop this half face-up to one side and ignore it till the end. 4. Pick up the reds and turn the packet face-down, saying, “OK. We use the reds. This also means we have to deal with the notorious “Red Devils,” the two red Knaves, or Jacks.” (for blacks call them the “Princes of Darkness”) The Red Devils have a magnetic personality that attracts them to each other. No matter how much I shuffle the cards, they stick together.” As you speak give the cards an Overhand Shuffle running the top two cards to the bottom. Continue, saying, “Also, their magnetic personalities make them rather easy to find because your brain detects the magnetism. Let’s try that.” 5. Invite the spectator to try and locate the Red Devils. Here we use the Biddle Force except two cards are peeled off at the stop-point rather than one. However the technique is the same as the single card version. Hold the cards face-down from above in right hand Biddle grip, with a thumb break over the bottom two cards.

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Pull cards off with the left thumb, then flip them over with the right hand packet, as you ask the spectator to call stop at any time. When he does, you count the next two cards face-down onto the face-up left hand section, but in doing so you release the two cards from the break below them as you pull off the first card. Keep a left little finger break under these next two cards in the process, a task that is practically automatic. You now continue through the rest of cards, flipping each card over as before, but as you pull off the next card into the right hand, preparatory to flipping it face-up, Biddle the two above the break cards back under the right hand cards. Continue flipping cards face-up until the end. 6. Spread the packet face-up on the table so they can see the two facedown cards together among the reds. Draw attention to the fact that the red Jacks are nowhere to be seen, thus implying that the experiment has been a success. Reach forward and slide out the two face-down cards and casually glance at them before turning them over, then freeze as you do a double-take. Say, “This is more amazing than you think. Not only did you manage to find the only two Jacks in the packet....but they’re not red...they’re black!” At that, toss both cards face-up revealing the two black Jacks. Pause, acting as if the trick is over, then say, “You may recall I told you this was only half a trick?.....Well, the other half of the trick is over here.” Conclude by spreading the discarded section to reveal the two red Jacks are in the middle of the blacks.

25 FACES NORTH + 1 SOUTH A further adaptation of "26 Faces North" and "Double Knavery". WORKING 1. Have two spectators each choose a card, one a red card, one a black. Control the cards to the top of the deck in any order. 2. Explain that you're going to divide the deck into reds and blacks in order to find each chosen card separately. In the process load the red chosen card on the back of the blacks, and the black on the back of the reds, just as the Jacks are loaded in "Double Knavery".

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3. Ask which color card you should find first. Let's say it's the red card. Set the black half aside for now, then ask the black spectator to help find the red spectator's card. As normal, use the Biddle Force to force the chosen card to be turned face-down in the middle of the pack. 4. Repeat with the black half and the red spectator. 5. At the end show that the two spectators have found the chosen cards all right, but they're in the wrong color half. SIMPLIFIED VERSION At step 3, simply spread the other half casually, then cut in the middle and set aside. Now proceed as in the other two routines to have a third spectator locate that chosen card. Reveal that he's not only found a chosen card, but the one of the opposite color. The other chosen card is then revealed face up in the half of the deck set aside earlier.

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Chapter 2

CONCEALED ALLERTON CONTROL (CAC) In Bert Allerton’s classic book The Close-up Magician (Ireland, 1958), he included an unusual way of controlling a card to second from the top of the deck while seemingly simply turning it face-down in the middle of the deck (“The Eye Popper”, pp. 24-6). Jon Racherbaumer wrote a historical analysis of the move and attempts to get around angle problems in Card Finesse II (L&L Publishing, 1992). He suggested a Ron Bauer handling and also pointed out that John Braun and Stewart Judah published a related sleight as early as 1937 (Subtle Problems You Will Do). Both Robin & Peter independently developed an identical solution to the problem, which Robin published in Card Modes (Micky Hades International, 1983, p.8), and which Peter kept to himself. First let’s learn the Allerton move, then we’ll describe the slight change that we made in the handling. a) Push the top card of the deck about half an inch to the right. Cut off the top half with the right hand, concealing the sidejogged top card (Fig.1) (more on this in a moment). Push a card off with the left thumb.

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b) Use the bottom right side of the right hand cards to flip the card face-up (Fig.2). That feels a little odd, since it’s just backwards from the way you normally do it, but bear with us for a moment. c) Push the face-up card over to seemingly flip it face-down again. Here’s where the strange move comes in. The right hand cards should be at a right angle to the left packet. The face-up card hits the sidejogged card and slides between it and the rest of the deck (Fig.3). It’s turned over in the process and ends up face-down, second from the top.

The only problem is dealing with the angles. You’ll find that you have no trouble concealing the sidejogged card with the right hand. And the faceup card scoots under it as slick as a whistle. But it’s nearly impossible to conceal the left side of the top card, where the top card is clearly seen to be pushed over to the right. The solution is simple: Secretly push the top two cards over to the right an inch, then pull the top card back square with the deck (Fig.4). Now there are no angle problems. This set-up can be done casually without looking at the deck, but we’ll mention other possibilities in the tricks below.

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CAC VISITOR The Concealed Allerton Control is combined with “Jennings’ Visitor” (Alton Sharpe’s Expert Card Mysteries, Tannen, 1975) for a dazzling series of sandwich effects. Openly remove the four Kings and lay them face-up on the table to begin. PHASE 1: The black Kings find the chosen card 1. Hold the deck face-down in dealing position, then pick up the two black Kings. “We’ll use the two black Kings to start with. They’re well-known for always finding their man.” Hold the Kings spread, then push them face-up into the outer end of the deck about a quarter way down - the left thumb opens a break to enable you to do this (Fig.1). Because the Kings were spread - upper one to the right once the hand turned - this card remains side jogged when you push them flush and you only pretend to square them (Fig.2). Your right hand remains holding deck in Biddle grip. So the Kings are about a quarter of the way down and the upper King is jogged to the right. 2. “Would you help me pick a suspect. Just say ‘stop’ wherever you like,” you ask as you dribble cards from hand to hand. Flip the card they stopped at face-up, then use CAC to control it between the two face-up Kings. Square the deck. 3. “A wave of the red Kings and the black Kings find their man.” Pick up the two red Kings, fan them over the deck, then replace them on the table. Spread the pack until you come to the face-up black Kings, with a face-down card in between. Cut them to the top, then remove the sandwich and turn over to show the chosen card.

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PHASE 2: The chosen card jumps between the red Kings (“Jennings’ Visitor”) 4. Say, “We’ll cut the Kings and your card into the middle of this half and leave it on the table.” Replace the sandwich on top of the deck, with the Kings face-up. Get a right thumb break under the top card, cut the bottom half to the top, then place all the cards above the break on the table. This will leave one black King face-up on the bottom of the tabled half, and the chosen card on top of the half in your hand, with the other black King face-up underneath. 5. Pick up a little finger break under the face-up King as you pick up the red Kings from the table. Square them face-up on the deck, then immediately turn over all four cards above the break and spread the top three to show that the chosen card has seemingly jumped between the two Kings. Use the display move from “The Visitor” here: right fingers take the three cards with the right fingers going underneath at the front, the thumb on top, and the hand is raised to show the faces (Fig.3). Using Kings is the ideal for this display, as the portion of the King underneath looks virtually identical regardless of the color of the King.

6. As you’re displaying the cards, pick up a little finger break under the top card in the left hand. Replace the right hand cards face-down on the packet, then again immediately turn over all the cards to the break and deal the face-up red Kings onto the table. The card has vanished. PHASE 3: The chosen card jumps back between the black Kings 7. Your right hand pulls the tabled half backwards to the edge of the table, while the left hand goes beneath so that the tabled half is scooped on top. Immediately ribbon-spread the deck on the table to show there is

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again a face-down card between the two black Kings. Remove the sandwich and show the chosen card.

ONLY JOKING The two black Jacks trap a selected card, then they suddenly change into two Jokers. To begin, cull the two black Jacks to the top of the deck then place the two Jokers on top, or simply start with this set-up. WORKING 1. Give the deck a shuffle to begin - simply undercut half and shuffle these onto the top half. This centralizes your mini-stack. 2. Say that you will use a pair of prominent cards. Spread through and secretly downjog the first black Jack, then cut the four card stack to the rear. Turn the deck face-down. The top four cards are; Joker - Joker Jack - Jack. 3. Lift up on the injogged Jack and turn over all four cards (apparently two), then drop one card and retain a break under the upper three cards. Lift off the top Jack with your right hand in a Biddle grip, saying, “We’ll use the black Jacks for this.” As you replace the Jack, set it about a quarter of an inch to the left (Fig.1), then move it plus the two cards below to the right as a unit (Fig.2). This sidejogs the second and third cards in readiness for CAC. Say, “I used to play Blackjack a lot and I have since found that I have a special affinity with Black Jacks! You don’t believe me? Would I lie (grin)??” 4. Have a card selected and execute CAC to load it under the top three cards.

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5. Explain that the Jacks will produce the selected card in a dramatic way. Depending on your deck there should be a natural break below the fifth card - the face-up Joker. If not, you need to get a break there. Now flip over all five cards then immediately spread the top three cards revealing the selection face-up between the apparent Jacks. Drop the three card spread on the table. Slide out the selection, then say, “You seemed skeptical about my affinity with the black Jacks? Well, in fact I was only Joking!” At that, turn over the two face-down cards revealing the two Jokers.

ANTI-MATTER Two cards selected from opposite halves of the deck come together. Not only that, but the deck separates into red and black in the process. Separate the deck into reds and blacks - place the reds on top of the blacks and you’re set. WORKING 1. Carry out a couple of convincing red/black shuffles which retain the color separation of the deck. For this description we’ll assume the reds stay on top. Now dribble the cards into your left hand and ensure that the spectator stops you in the upper - red - half. Raise your right hand and ask him to remember the card. As you replace this section sidejog the selection by using your left fingers to contact the face of the upper portion. 2. Riffle down the outer corner for a second spectator to make a choice this time you ensure he stops you in the lower - black - half. Carry out the CAC procedure to load the selection under the first chosen card in the red half All the work is over, but the trick goes on. 3. Hold the deck so you can see the indices and separate it at the midpoint where the colors meet, while saying, “I want to cut as near half the deck as I can.” Place both halves on the table in position for a Riffle Shuffle - top half to the right. 4. Riffle the two sections together and then carry out an open push through - so the audience see the packets pass through one another (Fig.1). This is not meant to be a shuffle, but a magical action, and was

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first used in this way by Ed Marlo. As you do this, say, “This is called the Anti-Shuffle, and it causes a strange thing to happen to a deck.”

5. Turn over the right half - blacks - and spread them face-up on the table, saying, “See what I mean? The Anti-shuffle shuffled all the black cards into this half. Did anyone pick a black card?” One did, so you ask for the name of the card. You look for it, but it’s not there. 6. You now ask the second spectator what his card was. It’s a red card. So you say, “Well, there’s something else the Anti-Shuffle does and I forgot to mention it to you.” Turn over the face-down half and spread it revealing the solitary black selection among all the reds. Then slide it out along with the card to its left to show that it not only jumped into the black section, but it found the other selection as well.

ANTI-MATTER REVISITED This time two cards are selected from opposite halves of the deck. After an Anti-Shuffle, the deck separates into red and black, with the red chosen card in the middle of the black half, the black in the red half. Again separate the deck into reds and blacks - place the reds on top of the blacks, and you’re set.

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WORKING 1. Lift about a quarter of the deck up as you remark that you need to have someone select a card. Casually sidejog the bottom card as you replace the packet on the deck. Riffle down the outer left corner into the bottom half of the deck for a spectator to make a choice. Carry out the CAC procedure to put the selection into the top half. You no longer need the break. 2. Again riffle down the deck, but stay in the top half this time. Lift the right hand portion up where stopped, then use the Final Control (see description following this trick) to control the card into the bottom half. It’s easier if the left little finger makes a break about three quarters of the way down while the right hand is displaying its packet. 3. From here on, everything is the same as “Anti-Matter” except the conclusion. Hold the deck so you can see the indices and separate it at the mid-point where the colors meet, while saying, “I want as near half the deck as I can get.” Place both halves on the table in position for a Riffle Shuffle - top half to the right. 4. Riffle the two sections together and then carry out the open push through (Anti-shuffle) - so the audience see the packets pass through one another. 5. Turn over the two halves and ribbon-spread them on the table to show the deck divided into reds and blacks. There will be a single black card among the reds, a single red card among the blacks. These are the chosen cards.

FINAL CONTROL This control, a variation on one by Bruce Elliott, was originally published by Robin in his book Handle with Care (Hades Publications, 1964). It's similar to the Kelly Bottom Placement but has advantages that will be apparent in using it. Other magicians, including Allan Ackerman, have independently developed similar methods. a) Riffle down the deck with the left thumb until a spectator stops you. Lifts the cards above the break with your right hand in a near-Biddle grip. The right fingers at the far end extend onto the face of the half pack, with the thumb at the rear left corner, and little finger at the outer right corner (Fig.1a)

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b) Your right middle and third fingers pivot the card to the right. As soon as its upper right and lower left corners meet the little finger and thumb respectively, the thumb and little finger squeeze together softly, forcing the card to buckle downward (Fig.1b).

c)Now slide the right-hand half onto the left half. Due to the bottom card being buckled downward, it will automatically go to the bottom of the deck (Fig.1c). To control a card to the top of the deck, have a card chosen, then turn the deck face-up. Your right hand cuts off a portion and turns palm-up to have the chosen card replaced face-down on the now face-down half. The right hand then turns palm-down and uses the Final Control method to control the card to the bottom of the face-up pack (hence the top of the pack). You can also use Final Control to control a card to any desired place in the lower portion of the deck. Let’s say that you want to bring a chosen card to thirteen from the top of the deck for a spelling trick. While the spectators look at a chosen card, hold the deck face-up in the left hand and Thumb Count twelve cards from the bottom with the right thumb, then hold a break with the left little finger. Cut off half of the deck with the right hand and turn palm-up to have the card replaced. Turn palmdown again and buckle the card. Replace on the left hand-hand portion, controlling the chosen card into the break. The left little finger can pull down below the break to make this easier.

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Chapter 3

CUT FORCE (CF) The Cut Force, as used here, is essentially an inverted Christ Force. Robin published a handling for it in Handle With Care (Hades, 1964). In fact, that was possibly the first time that this force appeared in print. While, at the time, Robin wasn't presenting the Force as anything new (it was the handling to set it up that he was offering - "Easy Reverse for Force"), we can't find any record of it prior to 1964. That, of course, doesn’t mean it's not out there somewhere. Moving to the present, and The James File, Vol.1 (Jogestja, 2000): There is a previously unpublished letter from Stewart James to Francis Haxton (July, 1957) in which he describes a revised handling for the Christ Force, which turns out to be the Cut Force.

THE FORCE a) Hold the deck face-up and reverse the bottom card (this is the card you will force). b) Place the deck face-up on the table and invite a spectator to cut off a section, turn it face-down and place it on the table beside the other half (Fig.1).

c) Pick up the face-up half, place it on top of the face-down half, then immediately spread the deck across the table, showing the face-up section on top of the face-down section (Fig.2).

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d) Slide out the first face-down card for the selection.

DELAYED ACTION In some instances it may not be appropriate to spread the deck immediately. In this case you can employ the psychology of the Cross-cut Force and delay the selection process after the cut. So, after the spectator cuts off a section and turns it over onto the table, simply pick up the face-up half and drop it on top, saying, "We'll just mark the cut." Then, after suitable delay, reach down and spread the deck.

DIMINISHING MATCHES A simple matching effect using the Cut Force. Before commencing, cull any two matching pairs to the top of the deck, but alternating. For this example make them two red Twos on top of two black Jacks, so you’d have a red Two, a black Jack, a red Two, and a black Jack on top. WORKING 1. Hold the deck face-down in dealing position and get a break under the top two cards. Now undercut half the deck, turning it face-up on top. Pick up to the break and lay the packet face-up in front of a spectator on your right. Get a break under the top two cards of the half remaining, and carry out a Braue Reversal. That is: cut about half of the cards from the bottom and turn them face-up on top. Then the remaining cards under the break are turned face-up on top. Place this packet face-up in front of a spectator on your left. We'll assume both spectators are opposite you.

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2. Invite each spectator to cut the top half of their packets, turn them face-down, and place them to their left (Fig.1). You pick up the remaining packet for each and place it on top of their packet “to mark the cut.”

3. Ribbon-spread each half deck in a line from the spectator toward you (Fig.2). Slide out the first face-down card in each ribbon-spread, then turn them over together. Both are red Twos.

PHASE 2 4. “Puzzling, eh? Well, maybe we’re using too many cards. Let’s try it again with less cards.” Gather up the right spectator’s spread into your hands. Push over all the face-up cards then catch a break under the first face-down card. Square the cards briefly then lift off all the face-up cards plus the face-down card and put these back in front of the spectator. Repeat with the left spectator. 5. Now repeat steps 2 & 3 as above to finish with the two black Jacks. 19

BEASTLY ASSEMBLY An instant assembly of Four Kings with a surprise kicker to end with. The finish with three Sixes as the mark of the beast is borrowed from a routine by Jackie McClements that appeared in The Crimp magazine. Patter-wise, this routine should be presented with tongue firmly in cheek. WORKING Before you begin, cull three Sixes to the top of the deck with the King of Spades below them. So the order from the top is; Six, Six, Six, King. 1. Begin by saying, “This deck houses four Kings, who are also black magicians. They do quite amazing things.” Spread through and upjog the three loose Kings, then spread to the back and grasp the last four cards as a unit then add them to the three Kings as you strip them out (Fig.1). Finally, turn the sevencard packet face-down and place it under the deck. 2. Turn the deck face-down to bring the Kings face-up on top. Lift off all seven cards in a right hand Biddle grip. You’ll now carry out an ATFUS but without the extra card. We’ll call this ATFUS Minus 1. Proceed as follows: Pull off the first three Kings onto the deck in a small spread (Fig.2), naming the suits of all four Kings, then apparently gather up the three Kings under the fourth (really four cards) held in your right hand. In fact, your right hand leaves the three Kings on the deck, then your left hand turns (right hand remains static) and deposits the deck face-up on the table (Fig.3). This leaves four cards in your right hand - the King of Spades with the three Sixes behind it. 20

3. Turn the packet face-down and deal the four cards into a T-formation with the King of Spades in front as leader (Fig.4). Turn the King face-up saying, “The King of Spades is the darkest of them all and so he’s looked upon as the leader.” 4. Invite a spectator to cut off a section from the deck and turn it face-down onto the table. Reach forward and pick up the remaining face-up section and place it square on top of the face-down portion, then immediately spread the deck across the table. The upper half is face-up and the lower half is face-down. 5. Explain that each magician will attempt to enter the body of another being, and that you require three random victims. Reach down and push out the first three face-down cards (the other three Kings) and place these on top of the leader King. Now reassemble the deck then place a third on top each of the apparent face-down Kings, saying, “First, each magician gets buried alive....they like that. This releases their souls.” 6. Now pick up the King packet and tap it against each pile, then snap over the three face-down cards revealing all four Kings. After a suitable pause, say, “And if you have any doubt that these Kings are really black magicians......well...they left their mark behind,” as you flip over each pile to reveal three Sixes (Fig.5).

FAITH COUNTER A card is selected and cut back into the deck. The selection could be the Ace of Spades. The spectator freely cuts the deck and turns over the card cut to - it’s not his card, but it might be a Seven spot. From the point of his cut, he counts down to the seventh card and is not only surprised to find his card there...but it’s also face-up!

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The plot is based on “The Fair Count” from Paul Rosini’s Magical Gems. The method of the revolving block employed here has its roots in Ed Marlo’s “Magic Seven.” WORKING 1. Cull any medium to high valued spot card to the top of the deck. For this explanation make it a Seven spot. 2. Spread the deck face-down from hand to hand and invite a spectator to pull out any card. As you do this, injog the seventh card from the top (always the same as the value of the top card). Close up the spread and get a break under the seventh card. Now turn the deck face-up by doing a Braue Reversal - so you finish with a face-up deck sitting on top of seven face-down cards. 3. Take the selected card and place it face-up on the deck, saying, “It’s best if we all see your card because, who knows, it might be a long time before we see it again!” Apparently cut the card into the deck - in fact, carry out a Double Undercut to take the card from top to bottom (face to back). It's best to use a triple action here to confuse anyone watching the progress of the selection. 4. Place the deck face-up on the table. Invite the spectator to cut off a section from the deck and turn it face-down onto the table. Reach forward and pick up the remaining face-up section and place it square on top of the face-down portion, saying, “I’ll just mark the cut for the moment.” Point out that the card currently showing on top is obviously not the selection, saying, “Let’s see if the other card you cut to is your card.” 5. Pick up the deck and spread off all the face-up cards and place them to one side. Flip over the top card of the face-down section remaining in your hand to reveal, not the selection, but a Seven spot. “Hmm. That’s not it either, but seven is my lucky number, maybe it’s yours too?” Drop the Seven spot onto the table. Hand the cards you are holding to the spectator and ask him to count down slowly to the seventh card. The seventh card will be face-up and it will be his card. END NOTE: You may have noticed that in Step 4 a Christ Force can also be used with the deck face-down, however, the chances of the spectator 22

exposing the reversed cards while cutting is high and we recommend the Cut Force as explained.

51 FACES NORTH The following simple method for the Stewart James classic card problem is a variation on George McBride’s solution, “A Face in the Dark,” that appeared in Abacus, December 2000, and is also a close relative to a Karl Fulves version that used the Balducci Cut Deeper Force that appeared in his booklet 51 Faces North. This present version meets all the conditions imposed by Stewart James. While one condition states that a Force is not used, in many of the methods published by Alan Slaight in The James File, the spectator is “forced” to leave the predicted card face-down! How else would he do it? I leave you to decide on that one... WORKING 1. Take any shuffled deck and glimpse the face card then shuffle it to the top (or glimpse the top card if you have a method that isn’t obvious). Let’s assume this card is the King of Spades. Remove a pen and paper from your pocket, saying, “I’m going to write a prediction, but unlike most magicians I’m going to share the content of my prediction with you from the outset.” Write the name of the card you glimpsed - KING OF SPADES - and leave the paper lying on the table for all to see. 2. Hold the deck face-down and catch a break under the top card. Now carry out a Braue Reversal as you turn the deck face-up. This leaves your predicted card face-down under the face-up deck. Place the deck on the table in front of a spectator. Note that you could instead glimpse the bottom card and leave it there. Then use the Stripout Reverse Switch technique (vol. 2, chapter 25) to reverse the bottom card as you turn the face-down deck face-up. 3. Invite the spectator to cut off a section - turn it face-down and place it beside the lower section. Reach forward and pick up the face-up section and drop it on top of the face-down section, saying, “That marks your cut,” then pick up the complete deck and give it to the spectator. The top portion is face-up and the bottom portion is face-down.

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4. Tell him to deal the cards into a pile on the table one at a time and to look for the King of Spades. If he sees it he is to deal it to one side, otherwise, he keeps dealing. Once he reaches the face-down section, say, “Now there’s the card you cut to. Deal that face-down onto the others. Now deal through the rest of the cards, turning them face-up as you do so...and keep looking for that King of Spades!” Of course he won’t find the King of Spades. Finally ask him to spread the deck. One face-down card will be evident. This is the card he dealt facedown. Ask him to remove it and turn it over revealing it to be the King of Spades.

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Chapter 4

DALEY’S DELIGHT SWITCH (DDS) “Daley’s Delight” (as Bruce Elliott termed it) is one of the most beautifully subtle switches in all card magic. It was invented by Dr. Jacob Daley and first appeared in Phoenix #220. The original description, and the accompanying single illustration, in Phoenix #220 were ambiguous and did not make it clear which arm needs to cross over. Later Bruce Elliott reprinted the move in his 100 New Card Tricks, with three illustrations that carefully showed all stages of the move. Unfortunately the illustrations showed how to do the move wrong. It isn’t clear whether this was a misunderstanding on Elliott’s part, the illustrator’s, or perhaps Daley had not yet realized that there was a “jump” if done the way shown. Perhaps because of these incorrect illustrations, most magicians either overlook Daley’s Delight as not convincing, or do it as illustrated in a less than convincing manner. a) Assume that you have two cards face-down on the table, one on the left and one on the right. Pick up the card on the left between left first finger and thumb, the right card between right first and second fingers (Fig.1a). The hands come together and deliberately switch cards; that is, the right hand takes the left hand’s card between its thumb and first finger, while the left hand takes the right hand’s card between first and second fingers (Fig.1b). b) The natural movement is then to reverse directions, since you’ve just switched cards. Instead, without pausing, your right arm continues its movement to the left, crossing over the left arm, as your left arm passes under the right arm, and moves to the right (Fig.1c). Both hands lay their cards down. You have actually switched the cards twice, once openly and once by crossing your arms. This leaves them back where they started.

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Note that this can be done exactly opposite, with the right card picked up between first finger and thumb, left between first and second finger. In this case, the left arm has to cross over the right. The rule is that the hand that takes the upper card crosses over. This makes the movement continuous; if the hand taking the upper card crosses under, there is a suspicious “jump” in the movement. Either of the two ways of doing this will look correct, as long as the hand taking the upper card crosses over. But it is important to settle on one of the two correct methods, and be consistent in using it. That way, it becomes “muscle memory” and doesn’t require any thought.

HOTEL DALEY A transposition between three Kings and two Queens based on Ed Marlo’s classic “Hotel Mystery” (Let’s See the Deck, 1942). “The Hotel Mystery” is usually (mis)credited to Henry Christ. In fact it is apparent that Henry Christ had nothing to do with the plot at all. The plot is Ed Marlo’s. He gave it the story and he also gave it the name “The Hotel Mystery.” This is a story trick. Without the story it is not “The Hotel Mystery,” but merely a standard transposition. Even Christ himself says in the very first sentence of his original trick (The Jinx, January 1940, page 496); “From the days of Jordan this effect has been more or less standard.” Here he is referring to the idea of two sets of cards transposing, because that’s all Christ had. Nothing more. WORKING 1. Run through the deck and remove the two red Queens and also three Kings (two blacks and a red). Place the rest of the deck aside as it is no longer required. 2. Place the two Queens face-up in your hand, saying, “Two red ladies.” Then place the Kings face-up on top with the odd color (red) in the middle, saying, “Three young guys.” Spread the cards and turn the red King face-down at its position (Fig.1), saying “The red King is the leader of this trio.” Continue, saying, “They all booked 26

into the same hotel - the three guys shared one room, and the two girls shared another.” As you say the above line, take the packet - still face-up - into a right hand Biddle grip. Count the first King into your left hand. Count the second King (face-down) onto the first but retain a break below it. As you count the third King steal back the face-down card below the remaining two Queens. Immediately turn your left hand palm down and deposit the Kings face-down on the table to your left, saying, “That leaves the two red ladies,” thus drawing attention away from the cards on the table. Count the top Queen into your left hand then place the remaining double on top. Turn the packet face-down and place it on the table to your right. 3. Pick up both piles in position for Daley’s Delight, as you say, “During the night the three guys decided to sneak along to the girls’ room. However, at the same time, the two girls decided to sneak along to the boys’ room. And so, they passed each other like ships in the night.” As you say the final sentence, do Daley’s Delight, apparently swapping the piles over. Then immediately spread both packets (Fig.2). Everything appears as it should - the three Kings appear to be on the right now (the face-up King makes the positions clear) and the Queens, therefore, must be on the left. 4. Say, “After they both found empty rooms, the leader of the guys realised what had happened, so he decided to sneak over to the other room and have the ladies all to himself...” Remove the face-up King and insert it between the apparent Queens. Pause for moment, then continue, saying, “...and there was much laughter from the ladies...but not from that room....in fact they were back in their own room again!” At this, flip over the two right hand cards revealing the two Queens. Finally flip over the two cards surrounding the face-up King revealing all three guys, as you say, “In fact it was all a dream!”

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THE SHIFTY KING A spectator signs the back of an Ace and a second spectator signs the back of a Two. You tap each card with a King and the signatures on the backs of the cards transpose. Only the three cards are used. This is a no-deck version of the Peter Kane “Signature Transposition” plot that appeared in Jerry Mentzer’s Card Cavalcade, Vol.1. WORKING 1. You need two spectators to assist you whom we will refer to as A and B. Remove the Ace of Hearts, Two of Hearts and the King of Spades. Discard the rest of the deck. Hold the three cards face-up in a fan with the Ace at the face, followed by the Two, and the King at the back, as you say, “Here we have a one, a two and a King.” 2. Square the cards, keeping them face-up in dealing position. Turn your hand and Glide back the face card then slide out the Two spot and place it face-down in front of spectator A, saying, “You’ll be number one...” Then slide out the bottom card (apparently the Two) face-down in front of spectator B, saying, “...and you’ll be number two.” Finally snap the King face-up, saying, “...and I get the ‘shifty’ King.” Alternatively: Hold the cards in the opposite order, with the King on the face with the right hand. Your left hand comes over, palm-down, and grips the Ace and the Deuce, with fingers on the face and thumb on the back. Your right hand grips the King with thumb on the face (Fig.1). Both hands turn over at the same time, the right palm down and the left palm up. As the left turns, the thumb pushes to the right and the fingers pull to the left (Fig.2). This reverses the position of the Ace and Two. Both hand come together again so that the three cards are now fanned face-down. Table the leftmost card face-down on the left. The next card goes in the middle. Finally snap the King face-up. 28

Note: This Monte Switch was popularized by Trevor Lewis and published as “Monte Plus” in his book ESOLC (Trevor Lewis and Phil Willmarth, 1981). 3. Give each spectator a pen and have them sign the back of the card in front of them. Place the King on the table for a moment. 4. Pick up the signed cards, one in each hand, saying, “Let’s swap them over.” Here you do Daley’s Delight, but as you make the switch you turn both hands inwards so the cards finish face-up (Fig.3). The Two is in front of spectator A, and the Ace in front of spectator B. All appears as it would, had you really exchanged the cards. 5. “Now please sign the face of the other card. Who says we can’t all get along.” Each spectator signs the face of the card in front of him. 6. Pick up the King, saying, “You may remember I called him the ‘shifty’ King. Well that’s because he’s very good at shifting things. Watch.” Drop the King face-down on the Ace, then place the Two on top of all. Pick up the packet and turn it face-down. Slowly reverse count the cards back into the left hand, then deal the top card in front of the spectator A, the Shifty King in the middle and the final card in front of spectator B. “Those are your signatures on the back, aren’t they?” They’ll agree that they are. Tap card one, then tap card two. Now tap card two followed by card one, then say, “He’s done a bit of shifting. Can you guess what he’s shifted?” Ask spectator A to turn over the card in front of him—the Two spot— revealing that it now bears his signature on its face as well. Spectator B now does likewise to complete the surprise.

REPELLING AND ATTRACTING A three phase routine in which pairs of same color Queens keep repelling Aces of the same colors. 29

As you openly remove the four Queens and two opposite colored Aces, cull the other two Aces to the top of the deck. Remember the color of the top Ace; we'll say it's black. PHASE 1a - The Kosky Switch. 1. Pick up the two red Queens and turn them face-down in the left hand, then place the red Ace face-down on top, getting a break below it. Now place the black Queens face-down on top of these cards, followed by the black Ace on top of all. As you do this, say, “Red Queens and red Ace on the bottom….black Queens and black Ace on top.” 2. Turn the black Ace face-up and deal it on the table. Flip the black Queens face-up, then pick up the red Ace underneath. Use the Kosky Switch (vol. 2, chapter 15) as you appear to sandwich the black Ace from the table face-down between the two face-up Queens (i.e., outjog the top black Queen as you peel it onto the packet – add the tabled Ace facedown square with packet – place the remaining double on top of all, injogged. Now proceed with the switch. As you remove the sandwich, fan it to show the face-down card in the middle, then lay the cards on the table to your right. The right hand takes the top face-down card and uses it to flip the bottom two red Queens face-up. Put the face-down Ace between them and lay these cards on the table to the left. “But same colors repel.” Make a magic gesture and turn each packet over to show the Aces have been repelled to the opposite packet. PHASE 1b - Pure Gall. 3. Drop either pile on the other. The Aces are face-up, the Queens facedown. Fan the cards in the right hand and pull out the two face-up Aces with your left hand. Use your fingers and thumbs to flip both packets over: Aces face-down in your left hand, Queens face-up in your right. "We have to reverse them again." Of course, this is two reversals, so there is no change in position. Put the top face-down Ace between the top two face-up Queens, the remaining face-down Ace between the other two face-up Queens. Put the top Queen packet on your right, the other one on your left. “But same colors repel.” Magic gesture and the Aces have repelled to the opposite packet. 30

PHASE 1c: Daley's Delight. 4. Push the face-up Aces in front of their packets, then turn the Queens face-up as well, so it's clear the Aces don't match the Queens. Now you're going to do a variation of the Daley's Delight Switch. Each hand simultaneously picks up a face-up Ace, thumb on top, first finger below. The second fingers come to the thumb side, then the thumbs release, allowing the Aces to pivot face-down between the first and second fingers (Fig.1a-b-c). Your left hand immediately shifts the first finger onto the face of the card so the Ace is between thumb and first finger.

Then do Daley's Delight and lay the Aces on the Queens. This results in two reversals, so the Aces are back where they started. Put the Aces between the Queens. “But same colors repel.” Make a magic gesture and show the Aces have once more repelled to the opposite packet. PHASE 2: Marty Kane’s Version. Assemble the cards face-up so they read from face to rear: red Queens, black Queens, red Ace, black Ace. The red Queens are at the face. Say, “Let’s keep a closer eye on the Aces this time.” 5. Hold the packet from above in right hand Biddle grip. Name all the cards by color and value as they are displayed. The left thumb pulls off the first red Queen into its hand. The second red Queen is pulled off and a left pinkie break is taken beneath it. As the first black Queen is pulled off, the broken red Queen is stolen beneath the right hand packet. The second black Queen is pulled off. The final three cards are placed onto the 31

packet. The left thumb pushes the face card to the right, displaying the Aces. Square the packet and turn it face-down. 6. Acquire a left pinkie break above the second card from the bottom. Flip the top card face-up onto the packet, displaying a red Queen. The right hand grips the right side of the Queen and lifts it from the packet. The right hand returns to the packet, its fingers underneath the Queen flipping over all the cards above the break, while maintaining the break (Fig.2).

This displays the other red Queen. Place the first red Queen onto the packet, sidejogged an inch to the right. Flip all the cards above the break face-down onto the packet as the break is lost. Deal the top two cards into a spread on the table to your right. 7. Turn the left hand palm down so that the packet is brought face-up. The right hand slides off the red ace at the face and slides it face-up between the tabled cards. The left hand turns palm up and spreads its cards. Openly remove the bottom card, turn it face-up and insert it between the spread pair in the hand. Use this spread to tap the tabled spread. Finally reveal that the Queens have repelled away this time. PHASE 3: Queens Gather Aces. 8. Casually put the black Ace face-down between black face-up Queens and the red Ace face-down between red face-up Queens, but make sure the Queen on top in each case matches the suit of the Ace. Pick up the deck and get break under top card (a black Ace, remember). Drop the black Queen packet on top and Double Cut to the break. Drop the red Queen packet on top and imitate a Double Cut, actually cutting first a quarter of the deck from bottom to top, then another quarter. "The Queens act a little differently when they're in the full deck." (Yeah, sure they do.) Ribbon Spread the deck and a “Collectors” situation is 32

seen. Push the sandwiched Aces and Queens plus the card underneath the last Queen onto the table. 9. Take the top two cards off and lay them on the right of the spread, then the next two to the left. Lay the next two in front and last two at the bottom, forming a diamond (Fig.3). Say, “In the full deck, each Queen finds its matching Ace." Turn the face-down cards face-up in place to show that this is just what has happened. Notes: The inspiration for this effect was Marty Kane’s “Ms. Matches”, which was in turn an elaboration of Peter Duffie’s “Bold Widow” from Abacus, October 1996. Peter’s effect was inspired by Alan Brown’s [Karl Fulves’] “Black Widow” from Pallbearer’s Review, May 1969.

DOUBLE ROUGE ET NOIR In Dr. Jacob Daley’s “Rouge et Noir” (Phoenix #287), a spectator mixes five red cards with five black cards, then successfully separates them with the cards face-down. Here, appropriately enough, his Daley’s Delight switch is used to accomplish this effect with two spectators. There is no preparation needed, other than a deck of cards and two willing spectators. WORKING 1. Turn the deck face-up and deal the first ten red cards one-at-a-time onto the hand of a spectator on your left, whom we’ll call Bob. Then deal ten black cards onto the other spectator’s hand, whom we’ll call Bill. Note that you will have automatically separated approximately ten blacks in the process of removing the reds, so this goes quickly. Set the deck aside - it won’t be used further in this trick.

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2. Hold your left hand out and ask the first spectator to turn his red cards face-down, mix them, then deal five onto your left hand. Then turn to the other spectator and have him deal five blacks onto your right hand. Then have them lay their remaining five cards down in front of them on the table. So you've got five cards resting on each palm and there are two five card packets on the table (fig.1). 3. Use Daley’s Delight Switch as you appear to exchange packets and put five opposite colored cards next to each spectator’s five cards. It’s easy to get into position for this. The packets are face-down on each palm. The left hand merely retracts the thumb and first finger slightly so the packet is held between them. The right first finger comes up above its packet beside the thumb. Then do the switch as normal, with your right arm crossing over your left. 4. Make a mixing motion with your hands as you ask each spectator to mix their ten cards together. When they’re satisfied that the cards are mixed thoroughly, ask each to pick them up. 5. Hold your left palm up as you tell the spectator on your right “Bob, would you please put Bill’s five black cards on my hand. Oh, and do it with the cards face-down, please. Just pick any five cards one-at-a-time and put them on my hand.” While Bob is busy, turn to Bill and ask him to, “Try to find Bob’s red cards and put them on my right hand.” 6. When they’re finished, ask them to square up their cards and lay them back on the table. Again do Daley’s Delight Switch as you cross your arms and lay the cards on top of their tabled packets. Look at each it turn and ask, “How do you think you did?” After they’ve responded, turn both packets face-up simultaneously and ribbon-spread them lengthwise to show Bob has his ten red cards back and Bill his ten Blacks.

DALEY’S DO-AS-I-DO Now that you’re comfortable with the Daley’s Delight Switch, here’s a routine in which it’s used over and over, with no one the wiser. Remove the Ace through Four of Hearts and Spades, then set the deck aside as it won’t be used. Lay out the Hearts face-up right to left, front to 34

back, in front of the spectator and the Spades to match, in front of the magician. See layout below:

PHASE 1 - Front/Back/Right/Left 1. “I’m going to give you a set of directions, which we’ll both try and do the same. First turn all four cards face-down. Now exchange the positions of the two front cards. Now the two back cards. The two on your right, and then the two on your left.” While the spectator follows your directions, you do the same, except that you use the Daley’s Delight Switch every time. Throughout the routine, always use Daley’s Delight on all switches. Don’t try to make your actions mirror the spectator’s; simply follow the directions yourself: exchanging (?) first the front two of your four cards, then the back two, etc. Your actions will be the mirror opposite of the spectator’s, which will lead him to believe that this is somehow involved. When you are using the switch on the right or left cards, turn your body slightly that way, but use the normal switching otherwise. 2. Turn your cards over to show the Ace through Four of Spades back to their original positions (they never changed), as you say, “We’re back 35

where we started.” When the spectator turns his cards over, they are now reversed front and back, right and left, as follows:

PHASE 2: Left/Right/Back/Front Place the spectator’s cards back in their original position to begin. 3. “That didn’t seem to work. Maybe we need to change the sides first this time.” After the cards have been turned face-down again, switch the two on the left, the right two, the back two, and finally the two in front. “Ok, mine are back in place. Let’s see how you did. Hmm...not so good.” Again the spectator’s cards are reversed. PHASE 3: Back/Front/Right/Left Again replace the spectator’s cards in their original positions. 4. “Maybe we should start in back. Let’s try it again.” This time exchange the back two, the front two, the right two, and finally the left two cards. “I’m in order again. How about you? Still not right, huh.” PHASE 4: Success! Front/Back/Right/Left/Diagonals 5. “I think I know what’s wrong. You need to use my cards.” Exchange your Spades for the spectator’s Hearts. 6. “You’re going to get it right this time. I can feel it in my bones.” Exchange the front two, the back two, the left two, the right two, as you did the first time. But now make two more switches, which brings the spectator’s cards back to their starting position without him realizing it. “Now exchange two diagonal cards. That’s right, either diagonal pair. Now exchange the other two diagonal cards.” 36

Turn over your cards to show that once more they are in their original positions. But when the spectator turns over his cards this time, he’s finally got things right. “Congratulations, I knew you just needed to use my cards.”

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Chapter 5

DARYL’S DIMINISHING COUNT (DDC) It’s hard to find the origin of this simple but effective technique for counting N+1 cards as N, while automatically doing a Double Lift to display the last card. Elsewhere (Micky Hades' newsletter The Letter #41) we termed it “Daryl’s Diminishing Count” (DDC) in honor of Daryl Martinez, who has mentioned it several times in his writing. The first mention Nick Trost was able to find was in Daryl’s For Your Entertainment Pleasure (1982), but even Daryl isn’t sure if it’s original with him, or when he first wrote it up. Let’s assume that you supposedly have a packet of four face-down cards, but actually have five. a) Grasp the packet from above with the right hand in a Biddle Grip. b) Your left thumb pulls off the top card into the left hand (Fig.1). c) Repeat with the second card. As the third cards is counted off, the right fingers pivot the final two cards faceup on top as one for the count of four (Fig.2). Flip them face-down again. You’ve just performed DDC, counting five cards as four, with a Double Lift on the last two to conceal a card.

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THE BAD GUYS WEAR BLACK A triple transposition between two good guys, two bad guys and fifteen bars of gold! This uses Daryl’s Diminishing Count and an old ruse for impromptu duplicates which can be found in Roterberg’s New Era Card Tricks, and may be even older than that. WORKING 1. Hold the deck face-up, spread through and upjog the two red Kings, then invite a spectator to take them, saying, “These are the good guys.” As you look for the Kings cull the Seven of Spades and the Eight of Hearts to the top/rear of the deck and hold a break above them. Spread through again and upjog the two black Kings, saying, “These are the bad guys of the deck. The bad guys always wear black. They can’t be trusted, so we’ll remove them.” Strip them out adding the lower two cards via the Vernon Add-on and drop the deck on top. Turn the deck face-down and count the top two cards into your right hand and slip them into the card case (or into your pocket), saying, “I’ll keep the bad guys in custody.” 2. Turn the deck face-up, obtaining a break above the lower two cards, then re-spread and upjog the Seven of Hearts and the Eight of Spades, saying, “A Seven and an Eight - these will represent fifteen bars of gold.” Strip these out adding the rear two cards via the Vernon Add-on, drop the deck on top then turn it face-down. Remove the top three cards as two by counting the top card into your right hand followed by two as one (Double Push-off) on top, then place the deck to one side. NOTE: If you’re unsure of the Double Push-off you can obtain a break when you drop the deck on top after the Add-on, then simply maintain the break while turning the deck face-down. 3. Ask a spectator to pick up a red King and place it face-down on top of the packet you are holding, then to pick up the other red King and slide it under the packet, so there is a red King on top and bottom. Say, “The good guys guard the fifteen bars of gold. With all this gold around you'll see why I put the bad guys in custody!”

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4. Hold the packet in a Biddle grip and count the top three cards into your left hand then flip the final double face-up showing a red King. Flip it face-down again and deal the top card onto the table, saying, “One of the guards sneaked off duty for a drink.” Repeat the above, counting two cards this time before turning the double, and again deal the top card onto the table, saying, “And the other one decided to join him.” “Suddenly the alarm at the vault sounded and the guards were back in a flash!” At this, snap the cards in your hand face-up and push over the face two as one revealing the two red Kings. “But where’s the gold?” you ask, nodding towards the table. Have a spectator to turn over the two cards on the table, which the audience will fully expect to be the Seven and Eight. They should be surprised to find the black Kings, to which you say, “Remember what I told you? The bad guys can’t be trusted. But once again I ask, where’s the gold??” “Don’t worry, the gold’s quite safe.....here.” Pick up the card case and tip out the Seven and Eight to finish.

JUST A LITTLE OFF THE TOP, PLEASE A variation of Ed Marlo's elevator card plot with progressively fewer cards. Finally the last card changes into a chosen card. WORKING 1. Control a chosen card (let’s say the Queen of Clubs) to the top of the deck, then explain that you’ll come back to deal with that later. First you want to show them something strange. Explain that the Ace, Two, Three and Four of Hearts are the elevator cards. As you spread through the face-up deck, openly upjog these four cards as you come to them in any order. Use the Vernon Add-on to load the chosen card to the rear of the four cards as you strip them from the deck. Place the deck aside. 2. Spread the cards, holding the last two cards as one, to show the four hearts. Close the spread and rearrange the cards, so that they’re in the following order. Obviously, during this process don’t ever let the spectators see the chosen card, or that you have more than four cards. 40

Three - Four - Selection (Queen) - Two - Ace (face card). 3. Turn the cards face-down and hold them from above in right hand Biddle grip. Do Daryl’s Diminishing Count (DDC) as you count off four cards into the left hand. The last two cards are a double, which you flip face-up on top, showing the Ace of Hearts. Turn the Ace face-down again, deal the top card onto the table, drop the packet on top, then pick up the full packet. "Four, three, two, ace. We’ll put him on the bottom floor." Note: Throughout the effect, there is no need to keep breaks under the face-up double cards. When you are ready to turn them face-down again, simply reverse spread the face-down cards (three in this case), leaving the double to turn face-down. 4. Press the middle of the top card and turn it face-up to show the Ace of Hearts has risen to the top. Lay it face-up to one side. "I told you these were the elevator cards. All you have to do is press the button and they rise to the top floor." 5. Repeat steps 3 and 4, counting three cards and showing the Two of Hearts, which also rises to the top floor. Lay it face-up on top of the Ace of Hearts. 6. Repeat steps 3 and 4, counting two cards and showing the Three of Hearts, which also rises to the top floor. When you turn and show the Three of Hearts has risen to the top again, add the face-down Four spot underneath and put both as one on top of the Two of Hearts and Ace of Hearts. 7. Pick up the last card and hold it face-down as you remark: "I can't really do this trick with one card, so I'll try another trick...." Then reveal the last card to be the Queen of Clubs. Drop it onto the tabled pile. 8. For a second climax, pick up the face-up cards in the left hand. Buckle the bottom card, then insert the Queen face-down and into the break (Fig.1), then square up. 41

Elmsley Count as you display the four cards. Now hold the last two cards together as one, as you spread to show from the face: Three - Ace - facedown - Two. Remove the face-down card and turn it face-up onto the face to reveal the card has changed back to the Four of Hearts. Drop the packet on the deck to unload the face-down Queen. "But I can’t do that trick, since you know I only have the Ace, Two, Three, and Four of hearts." Alternative finish: At the beginning arrange the five cards with the chosen card second from the top, like this: Three - Selection (Queen) - Four - Two - Ace. Perform steps 1 through 6, as above. 7. Now mime the actions of the earlier steps, using the single remaining card. Play it for laughs. "Four . . . We’ll put him on the bottom floor. And he comes to the top!" 8. Lay the Four of Hearts on top of the face-up packet on the table, then pick up all and Ascanio Spread, concealing the Queen of Clubs behind the Three of Hearts, which goes back second from the face of the spread. Close the spread and hold the cards face-up in your right hand. 9. Pick up the deck, riffle down to the middle, then insert the face-up packet into the break, leaving it outjogged. Your right fingers then pivot the packet to the left until it’s on the left side, at right angles to the deck. Hold the deck from above with the right thumb on the inner end, second, third and fourth fingers at the far end, and the first finger on the protruding packet (Fig.2). Your right first finger pushes the packet through the deck, at the same time the deck is pivoted face-up. The left hand helps in the process (Fig.3). 10. Your left fingers take away the packet, which is now face-down, as your right hand 42

lays the deck aside. Spread the packet to show the Queen of Clubs faceup in the middle, saying, "I bet you thought I’d forgotten about your card. Would you name it, please. Thank you, here it is.

THE REPLIGATOR A blank Universal Card (known as the "repligator") takes on the image of three cards as a test of its ability, then it permanently takes on the image of a previously signed selection. The "Universal Card" plot was first introduced by Karl Fulves. DDC is used once again. Assuming you are using a blue backed deck, you need one blank faced card with a matching blue back (If you don’t have a blank facer you can use the Joker from your deck) and one contrasting red backed card - say the Six of Spades. It’s recommended you remove the duplicate Six of Spades from your deck to avoid possible embarrassment later! Place the stranger Six of Spades second from the top of the deck, and the blank facer in your breast pocket with the face outwards. WORKING 1. Cut the deck, hold a break and Riffle Force to the break, cutting all the cards below the break back to the top. Double Lift and turn over the top two cards onto the deck. The Six of Spades shows. Have the spectator sign his name across the face. Turn the double face-down again and give the deck a shuffle and cut retaining the top two cards in place. 2. Say, “I have a special hi-tech device in my pocket, known as a ‘repligator.’ I’d like to give you a demonstration of this device. First I need some test subjects. We’ll use the Ace, Two and Three of Hearts.” (Alter these cards if one is the selection). As you speak, turn the deck face-up and Double Cut the back card to the face. Spread through upjogging the Ace, Two and Three of Hearts then strip them out adding the selection from the rear via the Vernon Add-on. Take care not to flash the back. Discard the rest of the deck.

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3. Quickly arrange the three cards in numerical order, if necessary, keeping the extra card concealed. Most often you will only need to shift the Two. Occasionally a Buckle will be necessary to assist. Let’s assume they run in order with the Ace at the face for this description. Say, “OK. Now for the ‘repligator’.” Reach up and pull out the blank facer from your pocket keeping the back hidden from view. Drop this card on the packet. Now take the packet into Biddle grip and pull off the top and bottom cards together (Fig.1) then drop the remaining cards on top. This should appear as if you simply transferred the blank facer from face to back. Flip the packet face-down revealing the odd back, saying, “It’s easy to spot the ‘repligator’ for obvious reasons.” Spread the cards as four to emphasize three blue backs with a red back on top (Fig.2). You can Double Lift as final proof but it’s not really necessary. 4. You now make the "repligator" take on the appearance of the Ace, Two and Three in turn as follows: a) Hold the packet in a Biddle grip. Pull off top and bottom cards together, as you did before, then continue counting the remaining three cards on top, as you say, “First I count the ‘repligator’ to the bottom.” b) “But when I count it back to the top something amazing happens.” Match your words by counting the cards again, this time the first three cards are counted fairly and the final double (with odd back) is turned face-up revealing the Ace. Flip the double face-down. and repeat a) and b) again. This time the card changes into the Two. Do it again and the card changes into the Three. Do it one last time to change it back to a blank. Flip the blank (double) face-down toss it onto the table, saying, “I told you it was an amazing device.” 5. Turn the remaining cards face-up and spread them showing the Ace, Two and Three in order as they should be, and drop them face-down onto 44

the deck, acting as if the trick is over. Then, pause, and say, “Oh, I almost forgot......you choose a card earlier didn’t you? And you signed your name on it? Well watch.” Snap your fingers over the ‘repligator’ card then slowly turn it over revealing it is now the signed selection. The blank facer is on top of the deck for disposal at any time. END NOTE Instead of using an Ace, Two and Three and having to arrange them in order, you can use four of a kind, like the four Aces. That way you can simply remove them without bothering about their order. Just add one more twin count to the sequence. However, we feel that using three cards is just right and four is one too many.

BLACK JACKS AND "BLACK JACK" The Jacks are removed from the deck, cleanly displayed, then the black Jacks are dealt on the spectator’s two palms, and the red Jacks shown in the magician’s hand. Instantly the magician has the black Jacks, and the spectator has...a “Black Jack”, made up of a red Jack and an Ace. Cull an Ace and a Ten to the top. WORKING 1. Run through and remove the Jacks, transferring each face-down to the rear in order black, black, red, red. 2. Turn the deck face-down to bring the Jacks face-up on top (reds uppermost). Spread over the Jacks plus two more cards and catch a break under all six. Lift off the six cards and show the Jacks one by one using the standard Braue Addition - the last Jack (triple) is placed on top then flipped face-down. Simply say, "Four Jacks," without mentioning colors. Push off the top four cards but lift off five. Place the deck aside. 3. Turn the packet face-up and Elmsley Count, saying, "Two of the Jacks are black." The red Jack is seen twice but focus is on the central black Jacks. Now transfer the red Jack from the front to the back - but really Buckle the lower card so it goes second from the bottom.

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4. Push over the face card to display both black Jacks, then move the face Jack to the rear, saying, "The blacks go top and bottom." 5. Ask a spectator to hold out his hands palm up. You’re going to use DDC now, but with a very slight variation when you display the first card. Flip the packet face-down and pull the top card off into the left hand, then turn the left hand palm-down to display its face (Fig.1), as you say “Black.” Then pull off each of the next two cards on top, saying, “Red,” each time, but not bothering to display them. The final two cards (held as one) are turned over on top as normal as you say “Black.” Flip the double face-down again and thumb off the top card onto a spectator’s palm. 6. Now do DDC as normal, without turning the left hand over, remarking, “Red, red, black,” as you pull off the cards, and turn another black Jack face-up on top. Again turn it face-down and thumb the top card onto the spectator’s other palm. This keeps him from looking at the cards too soon. 7. “You’ve got the two black Jacks, which means I’ve got the two red Jacks.” As you say this, nonchalantly transfer the top card to the bottom twice - which brings the red Jack to the bottom. Now do a quick Flushtration Count, just giving the audience a glance at a red Jack each time. The packet is now in black red - black order. 8. Holding the packet in Biddle grip, tap it against each of the spectator’s cards in turn, then pull the top card off into the left hand, and turn both hands to the right to display two black Jacks (Fig.2). Say, “Now I’ve got the black Jacks.” Turn your hands back down again, then use the right hand card(s) to flip the left hand card face-up to once again show a black Jack. Finally flip the right hand card(s) face-up on top to display the other black Jack.

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Because both of the spectator’s hands are covered with cards, he is forced to wait for the denouement. Ask him what he thinks he has. He’ll probably say, “The red Jacks”, but you remark, “No, you’ve got a Black Jack, too,” as you turn them face-up to show an Ace and a Jack, making Black Jack! ALTERNATIVE HANDLING WITH SIX CARDS, INSTEAD OF FIVE Again cull an Ace and a Ten to the top of the deck. 1. Upjog the four Jacks as you come to them, then openly sort them so that they are in order; red - black - black - red. As you strip them out of the deck, use the Vernon Add-on to secretly add the Ace and the Ten. Lay the deck to one side. 2. Turn the packet face-up and spread the six cards as four, holding the last three cards as one for a second, then openly shifting the two face cards to the back, saying, “The black Jacks are between the red Jacks, but we want the black Jacks on top and bottom.” 3. Do steps 5. and 6. above, using DDC to show black Jacks and supposedly deal them on the spectator’s hands, actually dealing the Ace and the Ten. Each time you turn over the last cards using DDC, you will be turning over a triple, but since it’s automatic, it’s no more trouble than a double. 4. Hold the packet in Biddle grip. Remark, “I’ve got the red Jacks...” as you pull off the top card into the left hand, then rotate both hands over to the right to show red Jacks. Immediately rotate back down and place the right hand card(s) on top of the left, retaining the Biddle grip. Then pull the top card off into the left hand, so there are cards in each hand, then place the right hand card(s) on top as you say, “...and you’ve got the black Jacks.” 5. Finish as above in step 8. Alternatively, you can use a display often used for versions of Paul Harris’ “Reset”: Pinch the right side of the packet with the right thumb on top, fingers below. Pull the cards to the right, holding tightly, until they reach the outer joint of the left middle fingers. The left first finger and little finger spread to straddle the cards (Fig.3). 47

At that point, flip the cards over on the left palm, pinching off the top card so it remains face-down in the right hand. The left hand is able to keep the three cards perfectly aligned between the middle finger joints, the base of the left thumb, and the straddling first finger and little finger. The right hand then snaps its card over face-up on top to complete the display. (Fig.4).

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Chapter 6

DIVIDE AND CONJURE! Marty Kane This was inspired by Robert E. Neale’s “The Devil and His Disciple” from Life, Death, and Other Card Tricks. This is a greatly restructured version of the one published on the TSD private magic website on October 22, 2000.

FULL DECK HANDLING Secretly remove and discard the Sevens from the deck before beginning. 1. Introduce the deck and have it shuffled. Take it back and say with tongue in cheek, “I’m going to put these cards into a special order using some very complicated shuffles.” Perform any amount of shuffles that are obviously doing nothing to arrange the cards in any way. Two sloppy Hindu Shuffles could suffice. 2. Say, “I’ll have you choose a card without rearranging this special order. Please tell me when to stop.” Hold the deck in dealing position and riffle down a corner with your thumb. When stopped, lift off the top portion of the deck, allowing the spectator to view the bottom card of the top portion. Replace the top portion using the Kelly Bottom Placement (or Final Control) as you say, “I want to preserve this special order.” The selection is now at the face of the deck. 3. “That complicated shuffle arranged the cards so they’d alternate by color, red – black – red – black – red - black throughout the packet. I’ll now separate reds from blacks.” Perform a Reverse Faro, outjogging all the cards located at even numbered positions (Fig.1). Square the spread then strip out the outjogged cards. As part of the same strip-out action, glimpse the face card of the strippedout packet. Assume it’s the Six of Hearts (see Fig.1). Hold a packet in each hand. 49

Shake the packet containing the selection, saying, “These are the reds.” Of course, you name the color of the selection. Shake the other packet, saying, “These are the blacks" (here naming the color which does not match the selection). "Is your card red or black?” Table the rejected packet. This leaves you with half the deck and the selection is at the bottom. 4. “That complicated shuffle also arranged the cards so they’d alternate by suit. The reds alternate by Diamonds and Hearts. I’ll now separate those suits.” If the selection were black, you would substitute spades and clubs. Perform a second Reverse Faro, but this time, outjog all the cards located at odd numbered positions (Fig.2). Use the same hand actions to stripout the outjogged cards. The hand opposite of the one of the previous step will now be holding the packet with the selection at the face. Shake the packet that doesn’t have the selection, saying, in this example, “These are the Diamonds.” Shake the other packet, saying, “These are the Hearts. Is your card a Diamond or a Heart?” Discard the rejected packet onto the tabled deck. 5. “That complicated shuffle also arranged the cards so the odd values alternate with the even values. Ace is one, Jack is eleven, Queen is twelve and King is thirteen. I’ll now separate odd and even values.” Perform a third Reverse Faro, identical in actions to the first one. Shake the packet containing the selection, saying, “These are the even values.” Shake the other packet, saying, “These are the odd values. Is your card an even or an odd value?” Discard the rejected packet onto the tabled deck, wording things appropriately to force the proper packet. 6. “That complicated shuffle also arranged the cards so the high values alternate with the low values. I’ll now separate them.” Perform a fourth Reverse Faro, identical in actions to the second one. Shake the packet that doesn’t have the selection, saying, “These are the 50

high value cards.” Shake the other hand, saying, in our example, “These are the low value cards. Is your card low or high?” Discard the rejected packet onto the tabled. You’ll be left with a three-card packet. Table it. The selection is still the face card. 7. Recap the responses. “You chose a red card, a heart, an even heart, a low even heart. Only three cards out of fifty-two will fit these criteria.” Give the packet a spread during the last line, implying these three cards are the ones fitting the criteria. There will always be just three possibilities in the list you’re about to recite. They are the Two, Four and Six; Eight, Ten, and Queen; Ace, Three and Five; or Nine, Jack, and King of the named suit. (Details follow regarding the omission of “Seven” in odd value lists.) These possibilities need not be memorized, for they are logical deductions. List the three possibilities, but name the selection last. (Two-thirds of the time you’ll be able to list the possibilities in an ascending or descending numeric order, thereby enhancing the notion the packet was arranged in a special order.) In this instance, you would say, “They are the Two, Four and Six of Hearts.” If the selection were the Two, list as, “Six, Four, and Two of Hearts.” If the selection were the Four, list the unchosen values and then the Four. 8. Lift off the top card of the spread. Look at it and miscall it, saying, “I don’t imagine you chose the Two of Hearts.” Discard it onto the deck. Lift off the top card of the remaining spread. Look at it and miscall it, saying, “I don’t imagine you chose the Four of hearts.” Discard it onto the deck. Ask the spectator the name of his card. Have him turn over the tabled card to conclude.

FURTHER NOTIONS ON DIVIDE AND CONJURE! (2) Suppose the selection were the Four of Hearts. If you felt it were important to list the possibilities in a numeric order and then discard cards from the spread in a logical order, an additional ploy could be used.

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Before tabling the packet, say, “Let’s make it a little harder for me.” Give the packet a shuffle, shifting the selection into the middle position. Continue as above, listing the possibilities in ascending numeric order. Look at, miscall, and discard the top card of the spread. Repeat with the bottom card of the spread. The selection remains.

EXTERNAL THOUGHTS Thanks to Robin Robertson for some logistical and timing tips. It was also his suggestion to vary the Reverse Faros, outjogging cards at even or odd numbered positions. J. K. Hartman suggests, after the list of the three possible spread one at a time, miscall, impact if the first time the spectator.

recapping the responses, don’t announce cards. Just look at the top cards of the and discard them. There may be greater selection is named, it’s named by the

Peter Duffie suggests a “Dunbury Delusion” type of finale. After your recap, keep the packet in your hand and list the three possibilities. Say, “Let’s make this harder for me.” Give the packet a shuffle, shifting the selection into the middle position. Say, “I imagine you didn’t choose the…” Perform a Double Turn-over, revealing the selection, which you name to complete the sentence. Turn the double down. Discard the top card. Remove the bottom card, look at it, miscall it as either of the unchosen possibilities, and discard it onto the pile. Table the selection. Continue, “I imagine you did choose this card. What card did you choose?” After feigning shock, turn over the card revealing the selection. If ever asked to repeat this effect, consider repeating it with the Dunbury Delusion ending, as well as with one of the shorter versions described below. Bob Neale has a variation that eliminates the glimpse.

THE TROUBLE WITH SEVEN The mechanics of the effect work with 48 – 52 cards, as long as the selection is in the 48th position. Eliminating four cards from the deck allows the above easy control and the above easy glimpse. All 52 cards can be used if you wish to use your favorite glimpse and favorite control.

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However, removing the Sevens from the deck also avoids them from being selected, thereby avoiding several problems. If a Seven were chosen, there would always be four possibilities (Ace, Three, Five, Seven or Seven, Nine, Jack, King) meeting the criteria of an odd value summary, but only three cards would be in the final packet. Another problem avoided would be categorizing a Seven as high or low without equivoque. Even without a Seven being chosen, an inquiring mind may ask how a Seven would be categorized. If ever asked, query the inquiring mind with a smile, saying, “Does this suggest you chose a Seven?” If there’s a response similar to, “No, but I just want to know.” Reply, saying, “Cards can be a low value, a high value, or a middle value - Seven. Which is yours?” A parallel problem avoided would be after the summary is given. Your odd value summary will be "Ace, Three, and Five" or "Nine, Jack, and King." Avoiding a Seven as a selection makes it less likely an inquiring mind will ask, “Why isn’t a Seven grouped with those three possibilities?” If ever asked, simply respond that Seven is in the opposite category of the spectator’s response to the high or low question. A simple ploy allows the deck to be shuffled, a glimpse of the selection at the face of the deck, and the selection of all cards except a Seven. Say, “For this effect, we’ll use all the high cards and all the low cards, but none of the middle cards. You’ll see why shortly.” Openly remove the Sevens from the deck and discard them. Have the deck shuffled and begin.

PARTIAL DECK HANDLINGS This eliminates all aspects of the Seven issue and shortens the effect. Say, “We’re going to use the lowest value cards of the deck for this effect.” Openly spread through the face-up deck and outjog the Ace through Six of every suit. Square the spread then strip out the outjogged cards. Give them to a spectator to shuffle face-down. Discard the remainder of the deck. Retrieve the packet. Continue the effect as above, but you’ll only be asking the first three questions and performing three Reverse Faros (no "high or low" question). Also, you won’t have to define the values of picture cards when explaining "even and odd."

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For an even shorter effect, just use the court cards. Proceed as in the above, but only ask the color and suit questions and only perform two Reverse Faros. You’ll be left with three cards, “the Jack, Queen and King” of the named suit.

FULL DECK PREARRANGED HANDLING If the deck were actually prearranged in all the ways described, the spectator could make a mental selection of any card in the deck. After four Reverse Faros, the selection would be amongst the three remaining cards. There is no control or glimpsing. You tell no lies – every card and packet is exactly what you identify. Robin Robertson worked out a variation in which a card isn’t selected until after the fourth question is asked. The following description is based on his variation. SET-UP Remove the four Sevens from the deck. Keep them in your pocket in a known order. Hold the deck face-up. Separate it into four piles by suit. Arrange each suit from rear to face: 5-6-K-Q-3-4-J-10-A-2-9-8 (8 is the face card of each packet.) Lay out the face-up packets from left to right in suit order: ClubsDiamonds-Spades-Hearts. Assemble a single deck by placing the top card of each pile, moving left to right, into a single face-up pile. When you’re done, the Eight of Clubs will be the rear card and the Five of Hearts will be the face card of the deck. Turn the deck face-down. WORKING Switch the deck in play for this prearranged deck. False shuffle. “I’d like you to think of a card, but instead of deciding on one now, I’d like you to think of one as a result of several steps. You’ll have complete control at every step. Imagine that the deck is arranged so that the cards alternate by color…”

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For this version, perform the four Reverse Faros identically. Always outjog cards at even numbered positions. Always strip out the outjogged cards with the same hand. Identifying which packet is which choice before discarding the rejected packet is easy - the prearrangement has simplified memory work to identify the packets. For each question, the cards have been prearranged so the two choices alternate in alphabetical order: Black/Red; Clubs/Spades or Diamonds/Hearts; Even/Odd; High/Low. The top card (and all cards at odd numbered positions) of each packet is the first of the two choices before the outjog and strip-out. So, if your right hand always stripped out the outjogged cards, then, during the first question - “black or red?” - your left hand will hold the black packet. During the second question, the left hand will hold the Clubs packet if black is the selected color, or the Diamonds packet if red is the selected color. During the third question – “even or odd?” - the left hand will hold the ”even” cards of the chosen suit. During the fourth question – “high or low?” - the left hand will hold the “high” cards of the previous choices. Note: If inquiry is made during the fourth question over categorizing a Seven, say, “Sevens are confusing because they’re neither high or low. They’re right in the middle.” If they insist on wanting a Seven, separate the cards into two packets. Discard one of them, saying, “You don’t want the low cards.” Discard the other packet, saying, “You don’t want the high cards.” That leaves you with no cards at all. Smile and say, “I always keep your lucky Seven in my pocket.” Calmly remove the proper Seven from your pocket. At the finale, there’ll be a tabled spread of three cards. Name the three possibilities, pointing to each card, from the top of the spread to the bottom. Have one of the cards named. Discard the other two cards. Assume they chose the Six of Hearts. “Would you be surprised if this actually were the Six of Hearts?” Have the card turned over, revealing the Six of Hearts.

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Chapter 7

DOUBLE DEAL TURN-OVER (DDT) The Double Deal Turn-over is another underused sleight, perhaps avoided because magicians imagine it to be too difficult. A Double Deal itself is a difficult sleight, but converting it to a turn-over move makes it much simpler. Expert Card Technique has two descriptions of the Double Deal (p. 27). The first to publish the Double Deal as a Turn-over appears to be Allan Ackerman: Here's My Card (1978), p. 92. Ackerman uses the second technique from Expert Card Technique, then simply turns the double over on top of the packet/deck. We’d like to present two alternative techniques that we think are within the skill range of any card magician. The second is especially easy to master. And, we’d like to stress that, just as with any bottom deal, DDT is much easier when you’re using half a pack or less, than it is with a full pack.

STRADDLE GRIP DDT Basically this version of DDT is a Strike Bottom Deal from a straddle grip position. The bottom deal is similar to several others in print, including that of the legendary Dr. Elliott, as explained in Vernon’s Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic. Also see Robin’s Card Modes (Hades, 1983), p. 22. Let's look at the Bottom Deal first. In case you’ve never used a straddle grip, hold about half the deck in the left hand in a mechanic’s grip, then pull your left finger back until it rests against the inner end of the pack. The deck is held loosely but securely - between the first finger at the outer end and the little finger at the inner end (Fig.1). You should be able to lift away your thumb and drop your second and third fingers, and still find the cards comfortably supported by the base of the left first finger, the left first fingertip, and the first joint of the little finger. It should all be loose in your hand - no death grips here, please. Comfort with this grip is the key to the deal.

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Push off the top card as if you were about to deal it normally. The right hand approaches and the right second finger goes between the first and second fingers of the left hand, onto the bottom card. The right first finger lands in front of the left hand, providing cover (Fig.2). Note: in most other versions of the straddle grip Bottom Deal, the right second finger goes between the left second and third fingers. If you’re more comfortable that way, do it that way. Now if you want to complete a Bottom Deal, pull the bottom card off with a snapping motion of the right second finger. At the same time, pull back the top card with the left thumb (Fig.3). Then deal the bottom card straight down or spin it off as normal. The snap-off and deal are really one motion. To use this same technique for a Double Deal Turn-over, the right second finger pulls out the bottom card under cover of the pushed-over top card, then the right thumb joins in the action to pull both to the right far enough to lever them over book-wise on top of the deck (Fig.4). Don’t bother to try for an exact alignment in this process as it’s unnecessary. There is sufficient cover during the Bottom Deal and turn-over, and as soon as the cards are turned over face-up on top they are automatically squared because of the straddle grip. So the straddle grip both makes the strike Bottom Deal easier and ensures that the cards are lined up perfectly after the turn-over.

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END-OVER-END DDT This is an especially easy, yet convincing method, which is best used with a small packet of cards. Hold the packet in the left hand, in whatever dealing grip is normal for you - a mechanic’s grip is preferred as it makes it easier to automatically align the cards at the end. Your right fingers come over the top of the deck and push the top card forward about three-quarters of an inch (Fig.5). The amount isn’t critical. Your right hand then shifts and comes over the far end of the outjogged card, in order to turn it face-up on top of the deck. Actually the right fingers reach all the way under the outjogged card until they contact the bottom card of the packet. With the fingers underneath the bottom card, and the thumb on top of the top card, pull both outwards, then lever them face-up, end-over-end on top of the deck (Fig.6). There is even less need to worry about alignment here than with the Straddle method, as the right fingers cover everything during the process. The only bad angle is dead left.

When the cards are fully face-up on top, if you’re using a mechanic’s grip, you’ll find that they are automatically aligned between the left first finger at the outer end and the right thumb at the inner end. That’s all there is to it.

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S. O. P.

(Slightly Open Prediction) The Double Deal Turn-over is used to solve Curry’s Open Prediction in a rather clean way. WORKING 1. Have the deck shuffled then take it back. Spread through saying that you'll make a prediction and you're just checking that the card is in the deck. All you do is note the rear card. Close the spread using a Spread Half-Pass (vol. 2, chapter 24) to reverse the bottom card. There are several other easy ways that you can also use to get a known card reversed under a face-up deck. For example, secretly note the bottom card, then get a break over it. Now use the same mechanics as in the Stripout Reverse Switch (vol. 2, chapter 25): move the deck back and forward, copping the bottom card as if you were doing a Gambler's Cop, then turn the deck backwards end-over-end on top, and move the deck, plus card, forward again. Or use an excellent old method of reversing the bottom card in the course of giving the deck one more shuffle. The right hand comes over to take the cards for an Overhand Shuffle. First move them to the left fingertips, where the fingers push the card to the right, at the same time as the right hand rotates the cards face-up on top (Fig.1), then continues with an Overhand Shuffle. The body needs to turn slightly right in this process to conceal the move.

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There's a version of this in Expert Card Technique, page 110, "Facing the Bottom Card," but it's not a fluent action. See Five Times Five - Scotland (Kaufman, 1998), page 14, for a complete description. 2. Write the prediction and leave it writing side down on the table. (Of course, you can make this a true Open Prediction by leaving it face-up, if you like). Hand the face-up deck to the spectator. Ask him to take the deck below the table (or behind his back), then to flip any card in the middle face-down then bring the deck back into view again. 3. Take the deck and spread the cards until you reach the face-down card. Place the upper face-up cards on the table and spread them. Now say, "I wrote a prediction that only I know. You reversed this card that nobody knows....not even you.” As you're saying this, and looking directly at the audience, execute the Double Deal Turn-over to show the card. Now spread this half on the table letting it be seen that there are no other face-down cards. Finally have your prediction verified. VARIATION 1. Instead of making this a prediction, you can vary it by having spectator A choose a card, which you control to a position face-down under a faceup deck. 2. Then spectator B proceeds as above. At the end, spectator A names his card and spectator B has found it.

BLACKJACK TRANSPO The magician uses a Blackjack hand composed of an Ace and Ten of Diamonds. With two other cards placed between to separate them, the Ten on top of the four card packet changes places with the Ace on the bottom. After the Ace and Ten are placed on a spectator’s hand, they come back to the magician, leaving the spectator with another black Jack, or rather two black Jacks! All you need is to have two black Jacks secretly on top of the deck, where they stay as you shuffle the deck.

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WORKING 1. Spread through and upjog the Ace and Ten of Diamonds. In the description below, we’ll assume that the Ace was nearest the back of the deck, but it’s not important. Use the Vernon Add-on to add one black Jack behind the two cards as you strip them out, then slap the deck on top. Turn the deck face-down and turn over the top three cards as two, then push over the Ten to display the Ace and Ten. Flip all three cards facedown then push off the top two cards, without changing their order, and drop them on the table. 2. Now execute a simple False Cut then count off the top two cards - this time you do reverse the order - then place the deck aside. Sandwich these two cards between the two tabled cards, saying, “I’ll separate the Ace and Ten with two random cards.” Note: A positional discrepancy now occurs as the Ten should be at the face, but it’s highly unlikely that anyone would remember. 3. Pick up the packet. Say, “This is easy to remember......the Ten is on top...” Flip over the top three as one showing the Ten. Leave it face-up then pick up the packet in a Biddle grip and show the face card, saying, “...and the Ace is at the face.” Place the packet back in dealing position then flip the triple face-down again, and push the top card forward. 4. Repeat the phrase - “Remember, Ten on top - Ace at face?...Wrong!” Do the End-Over-End Double Deal Turn-over to show the Ace is now on top and leave it face-up. Pause, then lift the packet and show the Ten is now on the bottom, then replace the packet as it was in dealing position. 5. Ask a spectator to hold out his hand. Flip the double face-down and apparently deal the Ace face-down onto his hand. Now remove the lower two cards as one using the Gemini Count technique (chapter 9) - briefly: Your right hand comes over from above, Biddle style, and grips the packet at the outer and inner right corners between fingers and thumb. Your left thumb presses on the top card while your right hand slides the lower two to the right as one (Fig.1). Show the face of the Ten then drop it face-down on top.

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Deal the top card onto the Ace on the spectator's hand. Say, “So, you've got the Ace and the Ten. If you were playing cards that would be....Blackjack!” Snap your cards face-up revealing the Ace and the Ten, saying, “No. Actually I've got Blackjack!...” Pause, then ask the spectator to turn over his cards as you say, “...you've got Black Jacks!”

COINCIDENCE - WITH A TWIST A card is seemingly freely chosen from a red backed deck. When a blue backed deck set in full view earlier, is checked, the same card is face-up in the middle. But when it’s turned over, it’s found to have a red back. When the red deck is examined again, the chosen card now has a blue back. Two decks are needed; one red backed, one blue backed. Remove the Queen of Hearts (for example) from each deck. Put the blue Queen of Hearts on the bottom of the red deck, the red Queen of Hearts face-up in the middle of the blue deck. Place the cards back in their cases. WORKING 1. Take out both cased decks and use a Magician’s Choice to use the red deck and set the blue deck aside. Remove the red deck and shuffle without disturbing or revealing the blue backed Queen of Hearts on the bottom. 2. Hold the deck on your palm and have a spectator cut off half or more of the deck and turn it face-up, just as if you were going to do a Christ Force. Spread and remove the face-up cards, turning them face-down and putting them on the table. Do a Double Deal Turn-over to supposedly turn over the top card and reveal the Queen of Hearts. Turn the double face-down again and replace the tabled half face-down on top. Note that seemingly the back of the Queen of Hearts has been seen before and after it was turned face-up. 3. Place the deck on the table, then remove the blue deck from its case. Spread the cards and reveal the Queen of Hearts face-up in the middle. Say, “I know that you think I predicted that you would choose the Queen of Hearts. And that’s a pretty good trick. But I did a better trick.” Turn 62

the Queen of Hearts over to show that it has a red back, saying, “I actually made your chosen card travel over to the sealed blue deck.” 4. Lay the cards on the table, then pick up the red deck and spread it to reveal a blue card in the middle of the deck. Turn it over to show it is also a Queen of Hearts, saying, “And for good measure, I made the Blue Queen of Hearts travel over here.”

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Chapter 8

FAKE AND UNUSUAL CARDS While this book is overwhelmingly devoted to tricks using an ordinary deck of cards (occasionally two decks), all of us occasionally enjoy something a little out of the ordinary. In the following you’ll find tricks using everything from gimmicked though otherwise normal decks, to alphabet and ESP decks, to packet tricks with strange cards you’ll have to make up yourself, even to envelopes containing business cards. If none of this is your cup of tea, just skip on by. Otherwise, have fun.

FRAZZLE! You show four-of-a-kind, say four Kings. You give the spectator the two black Kings. Suddenly you now hold the black Kings - the spectator now has the red Kings. This is repeated. Finally the cards change totally and everything is left for examination. The effect is that of "Daley’s Last Trick" which appeared in The Dai Vernon Book of Magic. The finish is new to this effect - the fake TentVanish pocket dodge is Roy Walton’s (“Cascade”). You need to make up a packet of five cards: four of one value (Kings for example), plus one blank faced card. Draw large crosses with a permanent magic marker on the back of the two black Kings. Then arrange the packet as follows, reading from the top down: Face-down red King - face-down Blank Card - face-down black King (odd back) - face-down black King (odd back) face-down red King. This packet can be added to a deck if you want it to appear impromptu. WORKING PHASE 1 1. Introduce the packet and hold it face-down. Elmsley Count to show four face-down cards, placing the final card to the bottom. Now remove the top card and add it to the face as you flip the packet face-up. In effect you have transferred the top card to the bottom in the guise of using it as a lever. There are no more Elmsley Counts in this routine. 64

2. Hold the face-up packet in a Biddle grip with your right hand, saying, “These four cards are the four Kings.” As you speak, count the cards one at a time into your left hand forming a spread as you do so - the final two cards are placed as one on top of all. Close up the spread and lift off the top double, saying, “This is a test, so please observe. I’ll place one black King to the back to sandwich the two red Kings.” You appear to place the card(s) you are holding to the bottom - in fact your left fingers Buckle, or Pull-down the bottom card and the double is inserted second from the rear. Square the packet and flip it face-down. 3. Say, “If you have been observing, what is on top, a red or a black?” Perform a Triple Turn-over showing a black. Ask a spectator to hold out his left hand. As he does this flip the triple face-down. Deal the top card (red) face-down onto his hand. Continue, “And, what colour is the bottom card?” Flip the packet face-up showing the other black King. Ask the spectator to hold out his other hand. Turn your left hand over, Glide back the face card and slide out the red King, placing it face-down on his hand. 4. Tap his two cards with your packet (apparently the two reds) then flip your cards face-up and spread as two to show both black Kings. The blank is held square behind the lower card. Now ask the spectator to turn over his two cards, revealing the two red Kings. PHASE 2 5. Take the spectator’s two cards and drop them face-up onto your cards. Now repeat steps 2, 3 and 4 exactly as above. At the end, take the spectator’s two cards and this time place them below your face-up cards, except you execute a Buckle or Pull-down so they go above the lower card (the blank). PHASE 3 6. Push off the upper two cards - the two blacks - and place these face-up on the spectator’s hands, one on each hand, saying, “This time I’ll leave the black Kings face-up so you can see that I don’t cheat.” Briefly display your two cards as the reds by pushing over the face card only, then square the packet and flip it face-down then grip it with your right hand in a Biddle grip. 65

With your left thumb peel the top card into your left hand, then turn your right hand to show the face card of the remaining double (Fig.1) - name this card aloud, saying, “Let me show you how this trick works. I’ll do it with one card only.” 7. Replace this double on top of the card in your left hand, then immediately raise the top card at the left side so it is held by the tip of the left thumb - like the start of a Charlier Cut (Fig.2). Bring your right hand over and take the card firmly in your palm, however, you must act suspiciously as though up to something - magicians will assume you are executing the standard Finlay Tent Vanish. Place your hand into your right pocket and leave the card there as you say, “I’ll place the card into my pocket.” They probably won’t believe you, which is what you want! 8. Pause for a moment then quickly spread the two cards in your hand as you say that the red King has jumped back. Turn the top card over to show that this is the case. At this point, you might expose the Tent Vanish (in the same way Dai Vernon exposes the French-Drop in his Cups and Balls), by crudely showing how you pretend to palm the card while it really falls onto the packet. 9. Finally pause, then say, “Do you know why the King jumped back?” This question might appear illogical since you have already owned up to apparently putting nothing into your pocket; however, this is not questioned, and they always answer, “No.” To which, say, “Well, he realized that he was the only normal card in the group.” Turn over your other card revealing the blank face. Drop both your cards onto the table. Pause. Finally reach forward and slowly turn over both the spectator’s cards revealing the large crosses. Everything can be left for inspection.

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R.I.P. A Halloween packet trick with Ghosts and Skeletons. Based on Phil Goldstein’s “Tabula Rasa” (April, 1992 Linking Ring), a seminal packet trick which has inspired several other effects. You need two red-backed/blank-faced cards and two double-blank cards. On the two double-blank cards, sketch crude Ghosts on one side and Skeletons on the other (Fig.1). On one blank-faced card, sketch a Skeleton. On the other sketch a Ghost. On the back of this card, write “R.I.P.” in big letters. All Ghosts and Skeletons should look alike.

Arrange the cards face-up, from face to back: Ghost/(Skeleton) Ghost/(Skeleton) - Ghost/(R.I.P.) - Skeleton WORKING 1. Hold the packet face-up in the left hand, then take it from above with the right hand and do a Flushtration Count to show all four cards with identical red backs, laying them out face-up from right to left as you count. Figure 2 on the next page shows the layout. As you lay out the cards, say, “This is a Halloween tale of Ghosts...and Goblins...and things that go bump in the night. Even a Skeleton...Red Skeleton.” Pause for the laughs and groans. “We’ll just call him Red.”

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2. Use the Hofzinser Wild Card Switch to change the right-hand Ghost into a Skeleton. Briefly: Take the Skeleton with your right hand and scoop up the Ghost with it (Fig.3). Then turn your hand over, at the same time pull the lower card inwards with your thumb and push the upper face-down card outwards with the fingers (Fig.4) and take it in your left hand. Rub the cards together then turn the face-down card over revealing another Skeleton. Place the right hand’s card (i.e., it has a Ghost on the back) back on the table. Now repeat with the Ghost in the middle to change it into a Skeleton. “Come Halloween, Red likes company…of his own kind…here’s another pal.” As you show each Ghost changed to a Skeleton, lay them on the table, one on top of the other. 3. “One more to go.” Scoop up the last Ghost with the Skeleton. “We need a little darkness for this one.” Place them on the left fingertips, then pull out the Skeleton and turn it face-down on top. “And a magic twist,” you say, as you do Vernon’s Through the Fist flourish with no reversal, “to change the last Ghost into…a Ghost.” This last sentence is said as you push the face-down card to the side to show the Ghost unchanged in the left hand. 4. Take the Skeleton with the right hand and use it to scoop up the other Skeletons, then place them into your pocket without comment. “But Red still has one twist left . . . a little Halloween greeting for all.” Turn over the Ghost card to show the words “R.I.P.” on the back.

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MAGIC CARDS From a deck of cards with backs on both sides, you produces the word MAGIC. Finally the whole deck prints to an Alphabet deck. You require an Alphabet Deck (A-Z) plus one double backed card to match. To make things easier, you can trim the M card so it's shorter than the others. In the following set-up, if a card is underlined, that means it can be read from the audience side; if not, from the magician’s side. From top down: I - A - Double Backer - G (face-up) - C (face-up) - M rest of deck face-up. WORKING 1. Take the deck from its case and spread top two cards (no more) to show backs. Turn the deck over and spread the top few cards to show more backs. [Whenever we say to turn the deck or the packet over, we mean end-over-end]. Now show the deck all backs via a Hindu Shuffle and place the final block to the bottom. Say, “These are magic cards. You might notice they are unusual in that they have backs on both sides.” 2. Turn deck over and lift off the top five cards. The short "M" card makes this easy. Otherwise you can use a crimp. Your left hand places the deck on the table, turning it over as it does so. This a natural wrist-turn and is an open action as there's nothing to hide. 3. Carry out a Hamman Count showing five backs. Turn the packet over and Hamman Count again showing five backs. Now do the Takagi count to lay the cards in a row, as follows: Deal the top card to your left - turn the packet over - deal the top card to the right of the first - turn the packet over - deal the top card to the right again - turn the packet over - deal the top card to the right - snap over the last card (double backer) and lay it to the furthest right. 4. Pick up the deck. You can do a quick Hindu Shuffle here if you want placing the final block to the bottom. Take the deck in a right hand Biddle grip and hold a break above the bottom (face-up) card. Pick up the double backer with your free hand, saying, “When the magic cards come together, something happens.” At this, simply place the deck on the double backer, then allow the bottom two cards to fall back into the left hand, and immediately place 69

both cards on top of the deck. A face has printed on the card: the letter “M.” Deal this card back to its place at the right end of the row. Now flip over the other four face-down cards to reveal the word M-A-G-I-C (Fig.1). 5. Finally, say, “But with these “magic” cards you can actually spell any word you want.” At that, turn the deck face-up and spread revealing a full alphabet deck (keep the back card hidden - the double backer).

I’M THINKING OF A CARD The spectator finds a card that you’re only “thinking” of. When he doubts you, you go farther and farther to prove it to him. This is the strongest of three variations on this effect, but it requires a special deck. An impromptu version follows. A third version using a normal deck plus four cards from a deck with a contrasting colored back was published as “GB Kings” in Abra #2869. You’ll need a blank-faced deck (only 48 cards) plus four Kings with matching backs. Write “THINK KING” on the back of one King (let’s say it’s a red Hearts). Place the other red King on top of the blank-faced deck, then reverse a black King and place it on the face of the deck. Then the red King with “THINK KING” on its back (not reversed), and finally the last black King (again not reversed). This will leave you with a deck with a red King on top, then 48 blank-faced cards, a reversed black King, the red King with the message on its back, and the last King on the bottom. WORKING 1. Spread the deck face-down, but don’t go far enough that the face-up King shows. Explain that you're thinking of a card and you want the spectator to find it for you. (Each time you say thinking you overemphasize it.) “But first let’s pick a card for you.” Cut about a third of the deck off, pulling the top King onto the left packet, then replace the right cards on top, keeping a break over the King. Riffle down the left side of the pack with the left thumb, asking the spectator to stop you somewhere in the top half. When he does, Riffle Force the King. 70

Take off the cards above the King and lay them face-down on the table, then hand the chosen card to the spectator. “If you don’t mind, please don’t look at it yet. We’ll use it to find the card I’m thinking of.” 2. Ask the spectator to insert his card somewhere in the middle of the cards remaining in the left hand. He should leave it protruding. Spread to the outjogged card and place it back on the table, your right hand taking the upper portion of the spread. Make it clear you’ve done nothing sneaky in the process. Now come back with the spread cards in the right hand and seemingly turn over the card on top of the packet in the left hand: In fact your left fingers Buckle the bottom card and your right fingers flip over all the cards above it (this is the Goodwin/Bruce Switch which appears in chapter 11). You've apparently turned over a King. “Terrific, you found it! Oh, you don't believe me. Didn't I tell you I was ‘Think-King’ of a card. ‘Think King.’” 3. As the spectators groan, thumb off the King onto the table. There's no heat at this point, so do a Spread Half-Pass as you place the right hand cards on top. Then lay the whole packet face-down on top of the discarded packet on the table. Now turn over the King to show that “THINK KING” is printed on the back, saying, “In case you don’t believe me, look at what the back says.” 4. Turn over the other tabled card to show another King, saying, “And how do you explain the fact that your card is the other red King.” 5. Ribbon Spread the deck on the table. The two black Kings will be face-up, each about a third of the way from the top and bottom of the deck respectively (Fig.1). “And if that’s not enough proof, how

about these Kings?”

6. Push the face-up Kings out of the ribbon-spread and place them with the other Kings. Then flip the spread over face-up to show that all the other cards are blank, saying, “It’s a good thing you found the Kings, as the rest of these cards are all blank.” Clean-up for next performance: Casually assemble the Kings face-up with the “THINK KING” King third from the face. Flip the bottom King face71

down as you close the spread. This is done casually and should be invisible to the spectators. Place the Kings on the face of the deck, turn it face-down and transfer the bottom card to the top. You’re ready to begin again. Note: The wonderful “Think King” line came from Marty Kane’s “ThinkKing Out Loud” which appeared in Steve Beam’s Semi-Automatic Card Tricks, vol. 3.

IMPROMPTU VERSION Secretly cull the four Kings to either the top or bottom of the deck, then cut them into the middle. WORKING 1. Spread the deck with the faces towards yourself as you explain that you're thinking of a card and you want the spectator to find it for you. (As before, each time you say thinking you over-emphasize it.) Spread until you come to the Kings. Break the deck with the four Kings at the rear of the right hand spread. No one but you should see them. Lay the bottom King face-down on the table, asking the spectator not to look at it, explaining that it’s just going to be used to find the card you’re thinking of. Bring the two hands together, turning the left-hand cards face-down on top of the right spread (Fig.1). Grasp the bottom King under the left-hand cards as the right hand pulls out the remaining cards (Fig.2) and flips them face-down on top of all (Fig.3). Finally casually Double Cut the top two cards to the bottom. At the end, there is one King on the table, two on the face of the deck, with the final King face-up above them. Note: The above method of reversing a card can be found in Earl Nelson’s description of “Sleeve Aces” from Variations.

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You can now go through the routine as described above. In this version, the card on the table will have been chosen by you as a prediction, rather than chosen by the spectator. And, or course, you don’t have the double endings of the written “THINK KING” on the back of the King, nor the blank-faced deck at the end. But you’ve still got the “THINK KING” pun, and the revelation of four Kings.

FUTURE CHOICE You introduce five small envelopes. Each envelope has a different number on either side and all ten numbers are different. A spectator selects any envelope and places it to one side. This is a prediction. The other four envelopes are laid out in a row. The spectator now adds together the numbers on top of the envelopes. The total might be 13. He now opens the envelope he placed aside at the beginning and removes a business card, which has written on it: THE TOTAL WILL BE 13. Pointing out to the audience that what you have just shown them was rather simple, you offer to make it impossible. The spectator now turns over any two envelopes he wishes to give a new random set of numbers; then, he again totals them. When he turns over the business card he finds that this new total has been successfully predicted. Incidentally, no two envelopes contain the same predictions. This effect, and the effect that follows, are based on a number force credited to George Sands in Bill Simon’s Mathematical Magic (Scribner, 1964; Dover, 1993). The item is called “One to Eight.” A similar idea appears in Karl Fulves’ Self-Working Number Magic (Dover, 1983), credited to Shigeo Futagawa. The only requirements are five small envelopes and five blank business cards. Take a thick black pen and number each envelope on both sides as shown in figure 1.

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The five business cards are numbered on either side as depicted in figure two.

Prediction card 14/24 goes inside envelope 1/6. 13/23 goes inside 2/7. 12/22 goes inside 3/8. 11/21 goes inside 4/9. 10/20 goes inside 5/10. Seal them, or, if you want it to reset, simply tuck the flaps in. Note, in all cases the low numbers are uppermost. Before performing this mix the envelopes, but do not turn any over. WORKING 1. Everything just works. Bring out the envelopes and show that each has a different number on either side. Lay them out in a row on the table with the low numbers uppermost. 2. Invite a spectator to choose any one and slide it to one side. 3. Four remain. Ask him to add together the four numbers. Now ask him to open the envelope that he placed aside, slide out the card and read out the prediction. Make sure the low side remains uppermost. It will be correct. 4. He now turns over any two envelopes then adds together the four numbers now on top. Finally he turns over the card to reveal the second correct prediction. 74

WHITEWASH You bring out a pack of ESP cards and lay one card aside as a prediction. The deck is set on the table in front of a spectator. Next you introduce four cards which have different numbers on each side. A spectator mixes these cards and eliminates any two. The remaining two cards give a random total - it might be nine. He even makes a further adjustment before finalizing the total. Picking up the deck, he counts to the ninth card and turns it over - it has a CIRCLE on its face. He counts a further nine cards and finds a second Circle. He does this twice more to finish with four circles! Finally he turns over the prediction card to reveal the fifth circle! Ah! But perhaps ALL the cards in the pack are the same? They are, but they are all blank! Everything can be examined. This again uses George Sands "One to Eight" principle. REQUIREMENTS a) A pack of 25 cards. 20 cards are completely blank and 5 have red circles on them. These 5 cards are placed at positions: 1 - 5 - 11 - 14 and 21. b) Four cards with the numbers 1 through 8 covering all sides as shown in figure one.

Arrange the cards so top numbers are in order 1-6-4-7. It doesn’t matter in which direction the sequence runs - top to bottom or bottom to top. Place everything in your pocket and you’re ready to begin.

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WORKING 1. Bring out the pack and talk about Extra Sensory perception (ESP) commenting that the pack of cards contains symbols. Explain that this will be a blind experiment with no-one seeing any of the cards until the end. Remove the top card (a Circle) and place it face-down on the table to one side, saying, “This will be a prediction of something that has yet to happen. I will not touch that card again.” Place the rest of the pack face-down in front of a spectator who will assist you. 2. Bring out the number cards and spread them to show the different numbers - clearly showing both sides as you have nothing to hide. Do not alter the sequence of numbers. Give these number cards to the spectator and ask him give the cards a few complete cuts. This will not damage the sequence. Now tell him to form two pairs by dealing one card to his left and one card to his right, followed by one more to his left and the final card to his right. 3. Now say, “You cut the cards and you dealt two random pairs, each showing different numbers and each giving a different total when added. I now want you to discard either pair to leave you with one pair.” Whichever pair he discards, pick them up and place them in your pocket. Now say, “Finally, I’m going to allow you to make one more change. Please turn over any one of the cards to give a new random total that nobody could have even guessed.” No matter which card he turns over, the resulting two numbers will ALWAYS add to nine. So ask him to add the two digits together and announce the total - nine. 4. Ask the spectator to pick up the pack of cards, saying, “We will use the number nine.” Tell him count off nine cards one by one into a pile on the table, then drop the remainder on top. Ask him to remove the top card of the deck and turn it face-up onto the table. It will be a Circle. Tell him to count off nine more cards and drop the balance on top. Again he turns the top card over onto the table - another Circle. He does this two more times - each time he will arrive at a Circle. 76

5. Remind the audience about the prediction card you places aside before you started. Ask a spectator to turn it over - this completes five symbols all the same. Pause for effect then say, “I was performing this for a group of skeptics the other week and one claimed that the cards must be all the same.....well, I have to confess that this is in fact true. They are all the same...but it is doesn’t solve the problem!” At this point pick up the pack - turn it face-up and spread it widely across the table revealing that every card is blank!

LITTLE ARROWS A spectator is given seven cards, each with an arrow on its back. All seven arrows point towards the performer. The spectator thinks of any number and uses that number to turn six of the arrows so they point towards him. When he turns these six cards over they all say, “LOSE!” The only arrow he didn’t turn has “$100” printed on it. This uses George Sands’ Prime Number Principle. The plot is of course Tom Sellers’ “Just Chance.” The idea of using arrows in a packet trick was inspired by Phil Goldstein’s “Yada” (Thabbatical, Hermetic Press 1994) and his earlier packet trick “Pointer.” You need seven blank cards - print a large arrow on the back of each. Then on the faces of six cards print the word “LOSE!” On the remaining card print “$100” or have a picture of a 100 dollar bill. Figure one shows a set of cards.

Although this is described using cards, it might be effective with envelopes each with an arrow on it - six containing blank pieces of paper and the seventh containing a bill, for a "Bank Night" presentation. In this 77

case the number could be reduced to five envelopes to speed up the finish which will be somewhat slower with the opening of the envelopes. WORKING 1. Begin with all the arrows pointing one way and the money card on top. Give the cards a mix keeping the money card on top then hand them to a spectator so that the arrows point toward you when he holds the packet. 2. Say, “Seven cards - seven arrows - seven mysteries. It’s the mystery that you have to solve. At this moment all the arrows point towards me, therefore I am the keeper of all the mysteries. But that is about to change.” Ask him to name any number from one to ten, saying, “This will be your lucky number. For example, if you think of the number 7, you will use that number for the rest of this experiment.” Seven is the only number you don’t want him to use! It can be done using seven but it’s slightly awkward. See End Note just in case you get a spectator who insists on seven. 3. Let’s say he says Six. Tell him to count six cards from top to bottom. Now tell him to turn the top arrow so it now points towards him (Fig.2), saying, “The mystery of that card belongs to you now.” He now repeats this five more times until six arrows point towards him and only one remains pointing in your direction. Tell him to spread the cards on the table. Push the arrows in the direction they point - six towards him and 1 towards you. Turn over his six cards one by one revealing six “LOSE” cards. Finally turn over your card revealing $100, as you say, “With luck like this the mystery is why I’m always broke!” END NOTE So, let’s assume that the spectator insists on the number seven because he believes seven is his lucky number. In this case you have to stop him after he has counted the sixth card and tell him to turn the card now on 78

top (the seventh card) end for end. He then repeats that until only one remains.

THE TRICK THAT NEVER WAS This packet trick exploits an Elmsley Count variation which conceals two backs as well as one face. This is similar to Phil Goldstein’s “Jorback Count” (Linking Ring, October 1982). Assume that you have two blue-backed Jokers, a red-backed Joker, and a red-backed Queen. The order from face to back is: red-backed Joker, blue-backed Joker, redbacked Queen, blue-backed Joker. WORKING The Elmsley Count variant is done from a pinch grip on the left side for maximum visibility of cards in both hands, but the same technique can be adapted to other Elmsley Count handlings, as long as the backs of the cards in the left hand can be seen when the hand is turned over. PHASE 1: The Lady appears 1. “Someone sold me these four cards the other day - he told it was the famous Find-the-Lady Trick...the only problem was, I couldn’t find a lady - only four Jokers.” As you speak, carry out the following count with the packet in left pinch grip: a) Count off the face Joker into right hand, and turn your right hand palm down to show a red back (Fig.1), then palm up again.

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b) Elmsley switch, stealing back the first card under the right hand packet as you count the second Joker. Turn both hands palm down to show red backs then palm up again (figures 2 and.3).

c) Count the third Joker off fairly. Turn both hands palm down to show red backs, then palm up again. d) Count off the last Joker fairly. 2. “Then it occurred to me that I could try some magic, and lo and behold a lady appeared out of nowhere.” Now immediately continue with a quick and casual Flushtration Count, except that both hands turn over to the right each time to show red backs (Fig.4). Note: this variation of the Flushtration count was developed by Larry Jennings, among others, and described as the last part of his “Rhythm Count” (The Classic Magic of Larry Jennings, p. 187). As you count off the third Joker, get a break under it. The Queen is seen just in a flash, as your hands are turning. When the right hand comes back again, it’s startling to see the Queen. “Now I could do the famous Find-the Lady Trick.” 80

3. “The only problem was, she turned blue...” Replace the Queen on the face of the packet, then Double Turn-over to show it now has a blue back. Turn it back down again, then deal the Queen face-up on the table. “...while the Jokers stayed red.” Do a quick normal Flushtration Count (only turning the right hand over), as you reaffirm that the Jokers still have red backs. “How can you do Find-the Lady with a blue colored Queen?” PHASE 2: Backs of Jokers change to blue, Queen changes back to red 4. “Then I remembered I could do magic. So I changed the Jokers to blue to match the Queen.” Tap the Jokers against the Queen, then do a Vernon "Though the Fist" flourish, so a blue back emerges. Now carry out a Stanyon Three-as-Three Count to show three blue backs then take them, face-down, into dealing position so a blue back is displayed. 5. “So now I was all set to perform the famous Find-the Lady Trick...except I hit another unforeseen snag. The Queen changed back to red again!” Tap the Queen and turn it over to show a red back. PHASE 3: Back to normal 6. “By this time I’d had quite enough so I went back to the guy who sold me the trick. I told him it’s impossible to perform the famous Find-the Lady trick when the Queen keeps changing color. He said, ‘No it isn’t. Try it.’” Pick up the Queen, Buckle the bottom card of the packet, then insert the Queen face-down second from the bottom. Elmsley Count showing three blue backs and one red back - outjogging the red card as you count. 7. “I said, look! The Queen sticks out like a sore thumb!” Remove the red backed card and drop it face-down on the table. Now remove the top card of the packet and slide it to the bottom, as you flip the complete packet face-up into your left hand. “But when I turned her over I realized this was a better trick than I had thought.” Turn the red backed card face-up revealing it to be a Joker! 81

8. “Unfortunately, that was the last time I ever saw that Queen. All that remains is a memory of four red backed Jokers and a trick that never was.” Repeat Phase 1, Step1 to show that you’re back to four red backed Jokers, then set the cards aside. To reset for the next performance, transfer the card second from the face to the rear of the packet.

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Chapter 9

GEMINI COUNT Brother Hamman’s "Gemini Count" is a 4-as-4 count in which two cards are each seen twice. He originally published in a special one-man issue of Richard’s Almanac in Oct. 1983, later reproduced in The Collected Almanac, p. 126. It was also published in Bro. Hamman’s Seven Deadly Sins (written by Stephen Minch) in 1984. The "Gemini Count" consists of (1) a Double Turn-over of the two middle cards of a four card packet; followed by (2) a Double Turn-over of the bottom two cards of the remaining three card packet; (3) a fair turn-over of the bottom card of the two card packet which remains; then finally a display of the last card. We’ll explain an alternate handling in the opposite order, starting with the fair turn-over of the bottom card of a two card packet. FAIR TURN-OVER OF BOTTOM CARD Hold the two cards in the left hand in normal dealing position. Your right hand approaches from above. The right second finger grips the cards at the outer right corner, the right thumb at the inner right corner (Fig.1). The right hand pulls the bottom card out from under the top card, which is held by the left thumb (Fig.2). The bottom card turns upwards as it moves to the right. When the left edge hits the left fingers, the right hand pivots it over on top of the left hand’s card (Fig.3). Your right hand immediately moves back to the right side and again grasps the cards with the right second finger and thumb. The left thumb pushes the top card over and to the right. Again it pivots upwards, and is turned face-down on top of the left hand’s card, then dealt onto 83

the table. DOUBLE TURN-OVER OF BOTTOM CARD This action looks identical to the previous one. Hold three cards in the left hand in normal dealing position. Again the right second finger grips them at the outer right corner, the right thumb at the inner right corner as in figure 1. The right hand pulls the bottom two cards out as one from under the top card, which is held by the left thumb. The bottom cards turn upwards as they move to the right as one. When the left edge hits the left fingers, the right hand pivots the double over on top of the left hand’s card. When you turn the double face-up on top of the left hand’s card, it’s wise to get a break beneath the cards in the process, though it’s not really necessary for the double that follows if your cards have any upward bend at all. To get the break, turn the double over injogged about half an inch, moving the right fingers to the right again, and pick up a break as you push the double forward and square with the packet. DOUBLE TURN-OVER OF TOP TWO CARDS The right hand immediately moves back to the right side and again grasps the cards with the right second finger and thumb as in figure 1. The left thumb pushes the top two face-up cards over and to the right. Since the right hand can readily grasp the two cards above the break, they necessarily move over as a pair in perfect alignment (Fig.4 shows the double face-down; actually it will be faceup). The two cards pivot upwards, and are turned face-down on top of the left hand’s card. The top card is then dealt onto the table. DOUBLE TURN-OVER OF TWO MIDDLE CARDS We’ve now arrived at the hardest part of the Gemini Count, which isn’t hard at all with the method we’re explaining. Simply do exactly as with the Double Turn-over of the Bottom Card, except that the left first finger buckles the bottom card, so that the right hand can pull the two middle cards (Fig.5), out and over as with the single turn-over and the double 84

from the bottom. Again pick up a break if your cards require it, then turn the double face-down again. FULL GEMINI COUNT All right, all the pieces are in place. Start with a face-down four card packet with, for example, two black spot cards on the bottom and two red picture cards on top. Only the black spot cards will be seen. a) Double Turn-over the two middle cards. Turn them face-down again and deal the top card on the table. b) Double Turn-over the bottom two cards. Turn them face-down again and deal the top card on the table. c) Bro. Hamman feels that the last two displays should take less time than the first two, without hurrying your movement. So do a fair turnover of the bottom card on top. The right hand turns palm down, grasps the face-up card, turns palm up and puts it on the tabled cards. d) While the right hand is putting its card on the tabled cards, the left thumb goes under the remaining card and turns it face-up between thumb and fingers. Your right hand returns palm down, grasps the card, turns palm up and places it on the tabled cards. You have displayed the two black cards twice. The two red picture cards are now on the bottom, so that if you pick up the packet and do another Gemini Count, this time it will appear to be all red pictures cards.

THE BLABBERMOUTHS The red Queens are "blabber-mouths" who can’t keep a secret. Whenever they merely touch a chosen card, they blab its identity to the magician. But somehow each of two chosen cards turns out to be a red Queen also, giving four red Queens. When the magician checks again, all four are black. WORKING 1. Start with the black Queens on top of the deck, then openly upjog the red Queens. Use the Vernon Add-on to add the black Queens as you strip out the red Queens. Turn the deck face-down and place the Queens face85

up on top with a break underneath. Push over the top red Queen to show both red Queens, then flip all four face-down and deal the two black Queens onto the table. Or use any other switch you like. 2. Now force the two red Queens in such a way that they end up facedown in front of each spectator without their looking at them yet. A most direct way is to cut to the middle and use a Riffle Force. Tell the spectators that you don’t want any clues, so they should just peek at their cards and say nothing. 3. You drop the red (?) Queens on top of the first card, then explain that the Queens are not only gossips but have ESP, so all they have to do is touch the chosen card to know its identity, and that you only have to touch them for them to pass the information on. Do so and look puzzled as you pick up the three cards. "You didn’t take a red Queen, did you?" you ask. The first spectator will say that they did. Meanwhile, you turn the double from the bottom over on top to show a red Queen. Turn the double face-down and deal the top card onto the table, muttering that this isn’t right, but let’s try the other spectator. Do the same with the other spectator, who also took a red Queen, dealing their red Queen on the table on top of the other one. "But if you each took red Queens and the gossips are red Queens…?" As you’re saying this, you finish displaying the last two cards as red Queens and drop them onto the other two cards (black Queens) on the table. 4. Pick up the packet and carry out a full Gemini Count to show four black Queens, as you say, "I know that there are four Queens in the deck, but two of them are black. Yeah, there’s one. And there’s the other. Now we’re OK, so these two cards are a third black Queen and a fourth black Queen. You know, I think we should try another trick." You put the cards back into the deck and go into another trick.

KINGS HIGH First, the red Kings rise upwards through the black Kings, then the black Kings rise upwards through the deck. Finally two previously selected cards appear in an unexpected place. This routine makes use of half a Gemini Count and half of Peter Duffie’s "Wish it was Later" (N.D.E., 1998). It is hoped, here, that two halves do indeed make a whole! 86

WORKING 1. Fan the deck with the faces towards the audience and have two cards selected, saying, "Don’t pick a King because I want to show you something bizarre with the Kings in a moment." Once the cards have been remembered control them to the top of the deck and get a break under them. Turn the deck face-up, carrying out a Braue Reversal to leave the selections face-down under the face-up deck. An alternate way to get into this position is to control the two cards to the bottom of the deck rather than the top, then use the Stripout Reverse Switch technique (vol. 2, chapter 25) to reverse them as you turn the deck face-up. 2. You now remove the Kings. Spread through and remove them, transferring each King face-down to the rear of the deck - two of one color followed by the two of the other color. Then turn the deck facedown to bring the Kings face-up on top. For this description have the black Kings on top of the red Kings. Behind the red Kings are the two selections - all six cards are face-up. 3. Spread over the upper three cards to display four Kings (Fig.1) then close the spread and flip over all six cards. Count the top four cards into your right hand reversing the order, then place the deck face-down on the table to one side. Say, "Now for something bizarre with the, one, two, three, four Kings," as you reverse count the Kings. The reason for reversing their order twice, which you have just done, is to confuse any observant spectator as to the order of the cards. You could simply flip the six-card block face-down, push off the four Kings and begin, but an immediate color discrepancy will occur. 4. Hold the packet face-down in dealing grip. You now carry out the first two steps of Bro. Hamman's Gemini Count as follows: a) Pull out the middle two as one. Show the face - a red King - then place the double on top of the packet. Deal the top card onto the table in front of you. 87

b) Remove the bottom two as one, showing the second red King - place them on top, then deal the top card onto the table to the right of the first. 5. Drop the two remaining cards on top of the left hand card on the table, saying, "If I place the black Kings on top of a red King, the red King rises to the top." Turn over the top card revealing a red King (Fig.2), which you take face-up into your left hand. Pick up the two cards and drop them on top of the other supposed red King. Turn over the top card revealing that, once again, the red King has risen to the top. Take this red King into your left hand and hold both Kings in a fan. 6. Two face-down cards remain on the table. These are apparently the black Kings. Push them apart, then pick up the deck and drop it on top of either card, saying, "Now if I place the whole deck on top of a black King ... it also rises to the top." Turn over the top card revealing a black King, which you add to the two red Kings you already hold in your left hand to form a fan of three. Invite the spectator to cut off half the deck and place it on top of the remaining King (?). Tap the packet with your finger then turn over the top card revealing the final King, which you place in your left hand to make a final fan of four Kings. The deck remains in two halves on the table. 7. Act as if the trick is over, then you suddenly remember that two cards were chosen earlier. Say, "If I now wave these Kings over these two piles...what were the names of the cards you picked?" Flip over both piles revealing a selection at the face of each.

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Chapter 10

GILBREATH PRINCIPLE The Gilbreath Principle is one of the most useful mathematical principles ever applied to magic. Norman Gilbreath first presented his now-famous principle in a trick called "Magnetic Colors", published in the July 1958 "Ring 21" Linking Ring Parade. As originally presented in "Magnetic Colors" the principle was that if a deck was arranged with alternating black-red colors throughout, then cut in half (with opposite colors on the bottom of each half), and Riffle Shuffled together, every pair of cards from the top down (or bottom up) would have one red card and one black card. Each pair might be redblack order, or black-red, but there would be one of each color. This original concept excited the magic world and produced a large number of variants. But some of the more mathematically sophisticated magicians came to realize that this was a special case of a more general situation. The reason it worked was that each half was a mirror image of the other: one black-red-black-red... from the top down, the other redblack-red-black… up. Couldn’t the sequence be not merely two cards - as in red-black - but any number at all? For example, suits: half the deck in C-H-S-D order from the top down, the other from the bottom up (throw out 1 set of 4 cards so you only have a 48 card deck). After shuffling the two halves together, each set of four cards from the top down will have one each of the four suits. As with the red-black stack, the order of the suits within each four card set will be unpredictable, but all four will be there. Or perhaps values: half the deck stacked A-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-J-Q-K from the top down, the other half the same from the bottom up. Shuffled together, each set of thirteen cards from the top down, will have all thirteen values. Norman Gilbreath was again the first to get this more generalized concept into print in his one-man Linking Ring Parade (June 1966), but it has been exploited extensively by many magicians in ways that seem far removed from the original concept. Why does the Gilbreath Principle work? It’s not easy to see, but consider the situation where the stack is all the values from Ace to King. Since the other half is in the opposite order, if the King in the bottom half goes anywhere in the top thirteen cards, that means it shoves the King from 89

the first half out of the first thirteen into the next thirteen. If the Queen in turn is shuffled into the thirteen, it shoves the Queen out of the original thirteen into the next thirteen. And so on. Usually magicians have to try this out themselves many times to convince themselves. One way that helps is to take a small sequence, say an A-23-4-5 and lay them out in a face-up spread. Then spread a sequence of 5-4-3-2-A above them. Push the Five anywhere into the first stack, where it is obvious that it supplants the original Five in the first stack. Then the Four anywhere below the 5, and so on. This process is the same as a Riffle Shuffle. You’ll find a mixture of tricks below exploiting both the original principle and the generalized principle.

THE HUSTLER The presentation is given here in full to begin. Simply apply this to the method that follows. EFFECT & PRESENTATION While telling a story about a hustler you once met and an unusual wager he offered you, you take a deck of cards and mix half of them face-up with the other half face-down. A spectator now shuffles the deck further, then you take the deck behind your back (or below the table). You invite the spectator to play your part in a re-enactment of the scenario. No money is actually wagered. You’ll be the hustler and he will be you - the sucker. The wager is simple: You will bring cards from behind your back one pair at a time. Obviously each pair will consist of two possible situations. They will either both face the same way (match) - or one will be face-up and one face-down (no-match). The spectator is given a choice - match or nomatch. He might say "match." You bring pairs round one at a time - for every matching pair, you owe the spectator a dollar. For every no-match he owes you a dollar. Remember, this is a re-enactment so no money is actually wagered. You proceed to bring pairs round one by one and drop them on the table. Every pair is a "no-match." The spectator can stop you at any time. He might stop you after 10 pairs. He’s just lost $10. The terms of the wager are now reversed. For every "no-match" you produce, you owe the 90

spectator a dollar. You continue bringing round pairs and dropping them on the table. This time every pair is a "match." Again he can stop you at any time. Again he has lost every time (just like you did when you met the hustler). This can be repeated, and every time the hustler wins. He can’t lose. Finally, you say, "At this point, I realized I was going to lose a lot of money, so I challenged the hustler to a final showdown - double or nothing. I demanded he bring round just two more pairs and unless both were matches I would win and owe him nothing." At this, you bring round two more pairs, but they both match. You lost. But the hustler could not stop hustling and he offered a final and seemingly impossible wager. He said, "If you can guess what these 4 cards are I’ll give you back double all the money you lost!" He didn’t know I was a magician and I waved my hand over these four cards and said, "That’s easy - these are the four Aces." He laughed and was about to walk away with all my money when he realized I was serious. And these are the four Aces that sent that hustler into early retirement." At that, you flip over the four cards revealing the four Aces. This uses the Gilbreath Principle and is based on a Nick Trost idea using face-up and face-down cards that appeared in his 1964 booklet Card Problems. Bob King used the concept more recently in Magician Foolers. The problem with both of these tricks (and many other such tricks) was that you had to deal the complete deck into two piles before proceeding with the routine. In this routine you are ready to get going immediately after the spectator has shuffled the deck. The only preparation is to secretly remove the four Aces and stick them under your belt at the back, or under your watchband. If you are seated at a table have them in your lap. WORKING 1. To begin, split the deck into two equal halves of twenty-four cards, then turn one half over and Faro the sections together. This alternates the cards face-up and face-down. Alternatively, you can hold one half in each hand and mix them into a pile dealing from each hand alternately. However, the Faro is superior and if you miss it’s easy to spread through and correct the errors as you spread the cards to show them.

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Place the deck on the table and ask a spectator to give it a few straight cuts. Now reach forward and cut the deck into two roughly equal halves make sure there is a face-up card on one half and a face-down card on the other (Fig.1). He now Riffle Shuffles the cards together and squares the deck. 2. Pick up the deck and take it behind your back, or if you are seated, take it below the table. Remove the four Aces from under your belt and place them on the bottom of the deck but keep them injogged for an inch or so (Fig.2). Nobody sees the deck so you don’t need to worry. You now follow the presentation as outlined above. Here’s how you make it work: For a "no-match" you simply push off the top two cards and bring them round. For a "match" you flip over the top card of the deck and push off two cards then bring them round. When you come to the final wager, bring two Aces round face-down, followed by the other two Aces face-down. "Two matches." Bring the rest of the deck round and discard it. Finally flip them over revealing them to be the Aces.

DIRE STRAIGHTS You place a King, Queen, Jack, Ten and Nine on the table. This is a target hand for anyone to try to match. A spectator shuffles the deck and ultimately finds a better hand consisting of Ace, King, Queen, Jack and Ten. The inspiration was Roy Walton’s "A Straight Shuffle" (The Complete Walton, Vol.2, Davenports, 1986). The set-up is only ten cards, as follows: Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten, rest of deck. 92

WORKING 1. Begin by giving the deck a couple of Overhand Shuffles retaining the top stock. Then give it one more as follows: a) Undercut half the deck - injog the first card as you shuffle the rest on top. b) Undercut below the injog - run five cards - throw the rest on top. This leaves one set of A-K-Q-J-10 on top, and the other set in the middle but in reverse order, 10-J-Q-K-A. 2. Run through the deck and toss out a King, Queen, Jack, Ten and Nine of mixed suits, but do not remove any cards from your little stacks. As you close the spread, catch a break beneath the five-card stack in the middle. Leave the cards you removed in a faceup spread on the table, saying, "You’ll notice this is a King, Queen, Jack, Ten, Nine straight, a very good hand to have in Poker. I’ll leave it here on the table. This will be a target that I want one of you to try and equal." 3. Turn your left hand palm down and deposit all the cards below the break on the table (Fig.1) then place the other half on the table beside it, so both sections are in position for a Riffle Shuffle. There is now a stack on top of each half. Invite a spectator to carry out the Riffle Shuffle and then square the deck. 4. Tell him to pick up the deck and start dealing five hands of cards in the usual manner. Once he’s dealt a few rounds, stop him and tell him to distribute the remainder of the deck randomly across the five piles, "to speed things up." In fact only the first five cards he deals are important, so you can choose to speed things up at any time.

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Point out the random nature of the five piles, and then turn over the top card of every pile, leaving each card on top of its pile (Fig.2). If these five cards make up a better hand than the Straight on the table, quit now and take a bow! However, this is highly unlikely, so we will proceed as planned. 5. Ask the spectator to gather the five piles together in any order, then to give the reformed deck a complete cut to lose the top face-up card, saying, "We’ll use these face-up cards as ‘helper’ cards and see if they can find a better poker hand for you." 6. Spread the deck across the table and slide out each face-up card along with the card directly above it (Fig.3). Now push the rest of the deck to one side. Next, gather up the five face-up "helper" cards and toss them to one side too.

This leaves the five face-down cards. Pick these up and hold them with the faces towards you. Pull out the King and place it face-up on the table below the target hand, saying, "OK, you got a King. That’s a promising start." Pull out the Queen, saying, "And you got a Queen too. It’s looking better." Continue with the Jack and the Ten. Only one card remains. Act as if you’re about to place this card below the Ten to complete the Straight, then pause, and say, "But, unfortunately you failed to equal the target hand...in fact you beat it. You got the winning hand!"

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Turn over the Ace and place it behind the King to form an A-K-Q-J-10 Straight.

THE PARANORMALIST A spectator gives the deck a shuffle while you turn your back. He now turns over the cards in pairs and stops when he arrives at a pair of the same color. You ask him to concentrate on the highest value and to try to send it to you telepathically. He succeeds and you correctly name the card. This is repeated as he continues through the shuffled deck. Sometimes you ask him to think of the lowest value - it doesn’t matter, you always name it. To finish the demonstration off you predict the highest card in the final pair before he even reaches it. This evolved out of Paul Curry’s "The Red and the Black" (Paul Curry Presents, 1974), in which Curry offers an intriguing angle on the Gilbreath Principle. Also see Karl Fulves’ "Incorporated Color Control" (More Self-Working Card Tricks, 1984), for a later use. As with Curry and Fulves, the following effect uses a full stack and so should be switched in. It may be suitable as a feature mind-reading item as, despite the set-up, it is a very direct trick! SET-UP Remove all the Aces, Twos, Threes, Fours, Queens and Kings. Set the deck in two sections as follows: (SECTION A - alternating red/black triplets – 24 cards in total) Black [2-KC-3] - Red [4-AD-3] - Black [Q-2C-A] Red [K-4H-A] Black [3-QS-4] - Red [K-3D-Q] - Black [K-4S-A] - Red [2-QH-2] (SECTION B) The remaining 28 cards are simply alternating red/black/red/black throughout - red on top. Give the face card of this section a crimp, then place it on top of A. Finally make a small cue card as shown below. 95

WORKING 1. While you are talking you can give the deck a few short Overhand Shuffles by running odd numbers of cards then throwing the balance below them each time. This maintains the alternating arrangement of the upper section. Now cut off the upper section at the crimp and place both halves facedown on the table. Invite a spectator to Riffle Shuffle the halves together while you turn your back. 2. He now turns over pairs of cards and stops when he hits two of the same color. He will only arrive at eight such pairs. Using the cue card you tell him the highest or lowest card in each pair, for example, when he stops at the first matching pair, say, "OK. I want you to think of the one with the highest value and try to send that to me telepathically." You glance at your cue card which says the highest is the KC. Name it. 3. Continue through all the pairs - asking him to think of the highest or lowest card as printed on the cue card. Stop after seven pairs. You need an applause cue to finish on. 4. Now take up a pad and pen, saying, "Your telepathic powers have been outstanding. Now I’d like to try to predict the future." Write the final card - Queen of Hearts - on the pad and hold it up with the blank side to the audience, saying, "Continue turning over pairs and I feel that you will only hit one more pair of the same color in the deck." This turns out to be true. When he hits the final pair ask him to shout out the name of the highest card. It will be the Queen of Hearts. Slowly turn round the pad revealing that very card.

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THE POWER OF LOVE This effect requires a full deck set-up and at least four spectators. It is a further variation on Paul Curry’s "The Red and the Black" (Paul Curry Presents, 1974). Remove the 4 Kings and Queens then set the deck as follows: RBR-B(KC)B-R(KH)R-BRB-RBR-B(KS)B-R(KD)R-BRB-(QD)followed by the rest of the deck in alternating order: B-R-B-R-B-etc. Finally position the remaining three Queens anywhere below the Queen of Diamonds in Clubs, Hearts, Spades order, working up from the face. WORKING 1. Ask for four spectators to help, then say that you’re going to put a special card in front of each of them, but they won’t get to see them until the end. Go through the deck with the spread facing you and remove the four Queens and place one face-down in front of each of the four spectators in C-H-S-D order from left to right. As you remove the Queens, downjog the card behind the Queen of Diamonds. 2. Turn the deck face-down and cut it into two piles by lifting on the injog. Have someone shuffle the cards together. Pick up the shuffled deck, turn it face-up and spread it as you explain that some pairs of cards are of opposite colors - show such a pair - some of the same color - again show such a pair. Turn the deck back face-down, without changing the order, saying that you're only interested in the ones that match in color. 3. Turn toward the leftmost spectator and show him the top two cards, asking if they match in color. If so, tell him to keep them and don't show them to anyone else. If not, discard the pair face-up on the table so everyone can see as the trick proceeds that they are really mixed redblack pairs. Continue with each spectator as you move to the right. At the end, you'll have a spread of mixed-color cards and each of the four spectators will have a pair of the same color. 4. Now say "Let's limit this further. You keep the highest card of your pair - Kings are high, Aces low - and give me the other one." You discard those cards face-up on the tabled pile. They will be random. 5. Still working left-to-right, ask each in turn to turn their card face-up. Each will have a King. Now tell them to place their card on the "special" 97

card in front of them - that is, the card you placed face-down in front of them at the start (Fig.1). Finally ask them each to turn over their facedown card. Every King will be with the matching Queen (Fig.2).

"Was it merely chance that brought these couples together? Or was it the power of love?"

HOURS OF MAGIC A card location using the Gilbreath Principle. The concept of the automatic pseudo-duplicate seems to have been first used by Nick Trost in "Repeat Six Card Test" (ESP Session, 1971, Hades). Stewart James also exploited the principle in an effect that required thirteen sets of actual duplicate cards. The following uses the idea to gain positional information rather than the duplicate value being the selection itself. Set the deck as follows from the top down. The Ace of Spades is the only card with a specified suit and this is purely to enable you to cut at the midpoint. A crimp can be substituted. J-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-A - 15 random cards - AS-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-910-J - 15 random cards. WORKING 1. Cut the deck at the midpoint (above the Ace of Spades) and set the halves side by side in position for a Riffle Shuffle. Invite a spectator to carry out the shuffle.

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2. Say, "I’ve had a number in my mind all day and I’m sure it represents an hour on a clock. So let’s try an experiment with time. Deal off twelve cards into a pile in front of you." He does this. Tell him to look at the top card of this pile and remember the value only, then to shuffle the packet thoroughly, saying, "Now you’ve got a number in your mind too and only you can know it as you’ve shuffled the card back into the packet." 3. Continue, saying, "Now deal a second pile of twelve cards beside the first." Once he does this tell him to place the rest of the deck aside. Tell him to shuffle the new twelve-card packet then to hold the cards with the faces towards him and count along and remember the card that lies at his number (from the face). Tell him to retain this packet in his hands. 4. Pick up the other pile, saying, "Let’s see if my number’s in here and I’ll remove a card of that value." All you do is quickly note which two values are duplicated (there will only be two cards of the same value). Then subtract that value from thirteen. So, if you spot two Sevens; 13-7=6. Pull out the Six spot and toss it faceup on the table, saying, "Here we are, six. It’s been in my head all day. Maybe the number I’ve had in my mind will have some connection to the card you’ve got in your mind? Let’s see." Ask the spectator to count down to the sixth card in his pile. Tell him to name his card then turn over the sixth card. This will be his selection. Note: If you spot two Aces in the packet the above procedure won’t quite work because 1 from 13 = 12, and there is no Queen! However, unless he leaves a block of ten or eleven cards on top of the deck when he shuffles it’s impossible for the top card of the first pile he deals to be an Ace. Nonetheless, a bad shuffle is always possible, so here’s what you do if you spot two Aces when you look through the packet: Remove the highest card, the Jack (11). Now tell the spectator to count eleven cards from top to bottom of his packet. Finally he turns over the card now on top. This is his selection.

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Chapter 11

GOODWIN/BRUCE (GB) SWITCH This is an easy and underused switch/force devised by Bill Goodwin ("Two Ton Transfer," Magic, April 1992), and independently invented by Gordon Bruce. Jim Swain described its use in his trick "The Airmail Card" (Miracles with Cards, 1996). We’ll call it the Goodwin/Bruce (GB) Switch. The GB Switch: As an example of its use, place the Ace of Spades second from the bottom of the deck, with a face-up card just above it. a) Spread the deck from left to right until a spectator stops you. Hold the spread cards in the right hand to display the top card of the deck where you were stopped (Fig.1). Tap it for emphasis if you like. b) Now you appear to turn the top card face-up using the right fingers. The right hand moves back to the deck with its spread. As it does so, either a buckle or a little finger pull-down is used to separate the bottom card from the rest of the deck at the inner right side. Make a wide break, as it is covered by the spread. The right second, third and fourth fingers move into the break, pull the entire lower section, except for the bottom card to the right, then flip it over on top of the bottom card (Figs 2 and 3).

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The Ace of Spades will be face-up, with a face-down card underneath, so that you can spread off the Ace. You have thus forced the Ace of Spades. To switch it back again: Have the spectators note the chosen card, then use the same technique to turn the whole section (minus the bottom card) face-down again, bringing the Ace back where it started, second from the bottom. At this point you can deal off the top card on the table, since you’ve switched an indifferent card for the Ace that you forced. But there are many possibilities, as you’ll see in the tricks that follow.

GB CENTER COUNTDOWN After a card is freely chosen and returned to the pack, a second card is chosen and used simply as a number. The chosen card is found face-up at that number. This uses a variation on the GB Switch - the GB Center Switch. WORKING Let's say you have a Five spot on top of the deck. Half-Pass at least the bottom five cards. Now gain a break above the bottom four cards. 1. Spread the deck and have a card selected. Take the card back, tilting the deck slightly to obscure the depth, and insert it into your break (Fig.1) then square up. 2. Obtain a break below the top card as you cut about two-thirds from the bottom to the top - your right thumb keeps the break then retain the break with your little finger after cut as you place the deck back into dealing position. 3. Spread the cards from hand to hand and ask the spectator to touch one. You now do the GB Switch, except that you turn over all the cards above the little finger break, rather than all the cards above the bottom card to force the Five spot. We’ll call this the "GB Center Switch." Place the upper face-down section on the table, then place the face-up Five spot on top of that section, saying, "That Five spot has secret information. It knows exactly where your card is."

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4. Using the section you are holding you now slowly count off five cards. The fifth card is face-up and it's the selection, which you deal onto the table. Be careful not to spread further, as you will have a few face-down cards, followed by a number of face-up cards. These face-up cards can be cut to the bottom then corrected with a Half-Pass.

THE HIGHLY VISIBLE KINGS A spectator freely touches a card as you spread the deck. The card is flipped face-up - it might be the King of Spades. It remains face-up in the middle. Instantly the card pops out of the deck. Finally you spread the deck revealing the other three Kings now face-up in the middle. This utilizes three moves: The GB Switch, the Spread Half-Pass, and Robin’s "Highly Visible" which originally appeared in Handle With Care (Hades, 1964). This latter move is described after the trick. WORKING 1. Cull the four Kings to the bottom of the deck (or any four of a kind). Now cut off half the deck and place it on the table, saying, "I’ll leave that half there for now as that’s the negative half and I want a positive result with this trick!" 2. With the remaining half face-down in dealing grip, secure a little finger break above the lower three cards then spread the remaining cards facedown from hand to hand. Invite a spectator to touch a card. When he does so, flip over all the cards above the break (GB Switch). You appear to have flipped over a King. Ask him to remember the card then close the spread, executing a Spread Half-Pass - see chapter 24 - taking the King to the bottom. 3. Say, "Your card is presently face-up in the middle of this face-down half," as you take the cards into a right hand Biddle grip. "So it will be highly visible if you spread the cards. However, there’s another way to make it highly visible. All we need to do is combine negative with positive." 4. Pick up the tabled half into left hand dealing grip, then place the right section on top. At the same time you execute "Highly Visible," (see below) causing the selected King to pop out face-up and appear outjogged from the middle. 102

Pause for effect then remove the face-up King and drop it on the table. Finally, say, "That’s not all that happened" - ribbon spread the deck - "It made the other Kings highly visible too!"

HIGHLY VISIBLE This move is similar in effect to J. K. Hartman’s "Popover" (Packet Magic, 1972). The two moves developed independently. However, since examining the recent reprint of Ibidem, we discovered that Neal Elias had this same sleight in issue 26, Sept. 1962. Control a chosen card to the bottom of the deck. Hold the cards in position for a Kelly Bottom Placement. Pivot the bottom card to the right and down as if you were going to perform a Kelly Bottom Placement, but instead the left first finger touches the inner left corner of the bottom half of the deck and Spin-cuts it off (Fig.1). It falls into the left hand, where it falls naturally with the left first finger in front and the other fingers along the right side (Fig.2). Your left hand moves back, while your right hand moves forward until the right hand is in front of the left. At that point, your hands move back toward each other, with the chosen card going beneath the left hand (Fig.3), where it is automatically levered face-up between the left first finger and the right fingers, and into the break between the two halves (Fig.4 - next page). Done fluently, the card appears to pop out the front.

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SEQUENCER Though the magician keeps trying unsuccessfully to find a chosen card, he does produce first the Ace, Two, Three, and finally the Four of Spades. Totaling those cards, the spectator counts down to the tenth card and finds her chosen card. Before you begin, remove the Ace-Two-Three-Four of one suit - say Spades. Arrange them at the face as follows: Ace - Three - Two - Four reversed (Ace is at the face). WORKING 1. Start to spread the deck and mark off nine cards then continue spreading until someone takes a card. Have it returned under the top nine cards Bluff Pass style. Get a break above the Ace at the bottom then Swing Cut the top half of the deck to the bottom and retain the break (above the Ace). 2. Tell the spectator that she will now try to find her card by chance. Riffle Force to the break and give her the Ace, then place the upper half back on the bottom. She will say this is not her card. 3. Tell her to stab the Ace face-up into the deck and try to put it next to her card. Spread through till you come to the face-up Ace, then supposedly flip over the next card, actually doing the GB Switch, flipping over everything above the bottom card. The Two is found. This is also not her card, but point out that a possible sequence seems to be forming.

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4. As you close up the spread do a Spread Half-Pass with all the cards below the two face-up cards. Ask the spectator to tap the deck three times. Spread showing the Three has now appeared along with the Ace and the Two. But this is still not her card. Place the upper section on the table, then deal the Ace-Two-Three onto this section one by one, thus reversing their order. Finally drop the balance on top. Snap your fingers four times then spread the deck. The Four appears making a run of Ace-Two-Three-Four (Fig.1).

Cut these four face-up cards to the top then place them onto the table. Place the deck face-down beside the four cards. 5. As a last resort, you ask someone to add together the values of the four cards. Since four plus three plus two plus one equal ten, ask the spectator to pick up the deck and count to the tenth card. She names her card then turns over the tenth card to finally find her selection.

SIGNATURE PEACE Based on J. G. Thompson's "Joint Signature" effect (Pallbearers). This uses the GB Switch and is based on an observation that the back of the force card(s) is never seen. Before you begin, sign your name on the back of any card and place it second from bottom. Above it place about a third of the deck reversed. Then the rest of the deck on top. So from top to bottom, you have about two-thirds of the deck face-down, then one-third face-up, the signed card face-down, and one final card face-down. WORKING 1. Hand the pen to a spectator, then spread the cards from hand to hand, asking him to point to any card he likes in the middle of the pack. Make sure that you don’t spread so far as to show the face-up cards. Split the 105

spread and ask him to sign his name on the back of the card atop the left hand portion (lower portion). 2. Comment on his signature as you apparently flip the card face-up, but actually do the GB Switch, which brings your pre-signed card face-up on top. He now signs the face. Thumb off this card into the middle of the right hand portion of cards, leaving it outjogged (Fig.1) as you square up this half and place it on the table. 3. Now you supposedly pick a card and sign it on both sides: Hold your packet face-down in Biddle grip with a thumb break above the bottom two cards. Start to peel off cards into your left hand and ask someone to call stop. When they do, peel off the top card and flip it face-up onto the left hand cards, but execute a Drop Switch adding the two cards from below the break (Fig.2). This will leave the card with the spectator’s signature on the back face-up on top. Place the right hand cards under the left. Sign your name on the face of this card, then turn the card face to the audience and pretend to sign the back. Hold the pack deep in your left hand as you do this (Fig.3), so that the reversed cards on the bottom won’t be revealed as your hand tilts up slightly. Turn your chosen card face-up again and place it outjogged in the packet in your hand.

Position Check: Your card is outjogged from your packet - his card is outjogged from his packet. Conclude by announcing that the cards have transposed. Of course everyone can see that nothing has happened. 106

Finally pull out the outjogged cards and slowly turn them over showing that the signatures on their backs have transposed! Your portion of the deck is a mess at the end: There is a face-up card second from the top, and a group of face-up cards on the bottom. Either conclude here, or take the following casual approach to cleaning up before the next trick: get a break between the large block of face-down and face-up cards. Pick up the cards from the table, placing them on top, then Half-Pass the face-up cards, righting them. You can then cut the face-up card now in the middle, using the natural bridge, to the bottom and make use of it in a following trick, or right it also.

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Chapter 12

HUMMER PRINCIPLE (CATO) Since Bob Hummer first published several tricks using this principle (or is it a procedure, as Charles Hudson suggested?) in Face Up, Face-up Mysteries (1940’s?, Werner), it has fascinated many magicians and inspired many fine tricks, perhaps most famously Oscar Weigle’s "Color Scheme" (described by Martin Gardner in Hugard’s Magic Monthly, Nov. 1948; later published by Weigle in an expanded version as a pamphlet; reprinted with variations in Pallbearer’s Review, April 1974). Charles Hudson then devoted three months of "The Card Corner" (Linking Ring, March-April, 1979) to the principle. Hudson came up with the useful shorthand acronym of CATO (Cut and Turn Over) to describe the process. The Hummer Principle is difficult to get your hands around as a concept, even though the procedure is relatively simple to describe. Here’s a simple trick used simply to describe the procedure, which will be used in considerably more complex situations in the tricks that follow. Start with an even number of cards - twenty for example - and turn every other card face-up. Now have a spectator point to any face-down card. Turn it face-up in place and have it remembered. Repeat with as many spectators as you like, say two more. That’s the first part of the Hummer principle and can be varied in many ways, as you’ll see later. Second, have one of the spectators carry out the CATO procedure. It’s best to take the packet and demonstrate what is required yourself first, as follows: Push over the top two cards - flip them over - then give the cards a complete cut. Actually any even number of cards can be turned over, but it’s best to use just two, as otherwise there is a danger the spectator will make a mistake. Repeat as often as desired. The packet can also be turned completely over any time desired during the process (since the whole packet is an even number, so this is simply turning over an even number). Third, after the spectator has repeated CATO as often as desired, have him perform what we will refer to as "the final fix": deal the packet into two piles, turn either pile over and place it on the other pile. When the packet is spread, the three chosen cards will be the only three reversed cards (either face-up in a face-down packet, or vice-versa).

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That’s the Hummer Principle in embryonic form. All three stages are needed, though all but CATO can take a number of variant forms in order to hide the mechanism.

THOUGHT PROCESS The deck operates like a computer. Once fed the value and color of a mentally selected card, it turns the card face-down in a face-up packet. The top six cards of the deck should be as follows: Red Nine - black Six - red Five - black Two - red Seven - black Four - rest of deck. WORKING 1. Give the deck a cut and hold a break between the halves. Riffle Force to the break and cut the lower section back to the top. Push off the top six cards without changing their order then discard the rest of the deck. 2. Fan the six cards with the faces towards a spectator and ask him to think of any card. Square the packet and give it to him. 3. Say, "This packet of cards is really a mind computer. First you need to input some basic data." Ask him to count the value of his card - transferring that number of cards from top to bottom - he turns the final card face-up on top (if he’s thinking of the Seven, he transfers six and turns the seventh). Then say, "This isn’t your card, is it? Good, I didn’t think so." He now spells the color - red or black - and turns over the card that falls on the last letter. "And this isn’t your card either? These are just input to the computer." Two cards are now face-up. 4. He now cuts the packet and carries out the CATO procedure. The spectator does this as much as he wants. When he’s satisfied, have him carry out the "final procedure." Ask him to name the card he is thinking of, then to spread the packet. His card will be the only one reversed.

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CATO BY NUMBERS Roy Walton A simplified approach to "Thought Process." WORKING 1. Run through the pack and toss out any Ace through Eight and arrange them in order with the Eight at the face. As you gather them up, mark off the Four spot so that, when you turn them face-down you can cut the Four to the face. Now quickly give the cards two Out Reverse Faro’s. That is, outjog every second card (Fig.1), strip out these cards and place them to the bottom. The original top card stays on top. Repeat for a second time. Fan the cards with faces towards the spectator and ask him to think of one. Now give the cards one more Out Reverse Faro, then give the cards to the spectator. 2. Ask him to think of the value of his card and to transfer that many cards from top to bottom. 3. Take the packet and hold it in a right hand Biddle grip. Pull off the top card into your left hand (Fig.2) - turn your right hand over and pull off the face card (Fig.3) - reverse the hand and pull off the top card, and continue doing this face-down/face-up mix until you reach the mental count of seven, where the final two are placed on top as one.

4. Say, "As I’ve mixed the cards, it’s only fair that you get to mix them too." Give him the cards and instruct him to carry out CATO, followed by the final fix. 110

Ask him to name his mental selection then spread the cards to reveal it is the only card reversed.

CATO GETS MARRIED A further evolution of "Thought Process", this time inspired by Roy Walton’s approach in "CATO By Numbers." Here Kings and Queens are used and in the end a significant matching pair is reversed. Remove the Kings and Queens and discard the rest of the deck. Arrange the packet in rotational suits with random values, for example: King of Clubs; Queen of Hearts; Queen of Spades; King of Diamonds; Queen of Clubs; King of Hearts; King of Spades; Queen of Diamonds. WORKING 1. Give the packet to a spectator who does the following: a) Gives the packet a few cuts. b) Deals four cards into a face-down row. c) Deals the remaining four cards on top of the first four turning them face-up. He deals in the same direction both times. This results in four back-to-back pairs (Fig.1).

d) Finally he gathers the pairs together in any order. 2. Say, "Now you will choose a card." He spells C-H-O-O-S-E dealing six cards into a pile then drops the remaining two cards on top. A face-up card will now be on top. This is his choice. He remembers the card then gives the packet a complete cut.

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3. Say, "Now your King/Queen will make a choice. If you chose a perfect King/Queen then he/she should make a perfect choice." You now instruct him to carry out CATO, followed by the final fix. 4. Spread the cards revealing only two cards reversed - his choice plus the matching partner.

CATO GETS MARRIED-AGAIN Another approach to the above. 1. Remove the Kings and Queens and discard the rest of the deck. Pair the Kings and Queens and lay them on the table in face-up pairs, and spread so the spectators can see the pairing. Note: An ideal time to do this trick is after a normal "Royal Marriages" effect. 2. Ask the spectator to turn either the King face-down onto the matching Queen, or vice versa, and do this with every pair. Afterwards, he can turn any of the pairs over again if he likes. This time you have four face-toface pairs (Fig.1).

Now have him gather the pairs in any order and hand them to you. 3. Start cutting the cards (complete cuts) in your hand randomly. Ask the spectator to stop you whenever he sees a face-up card on top that he likes. 4. Get a break over the bottom card, then gripping the packet from above in right hand Biddle grip, pull off the top and bottom cards as one into the left hand (Fig.2), as you tell the spectator to remember which card he chose. 112

Drop the other cards on top. 5. Say, "Now your King/Queen will make a choice. If you chose a perfect King/Queen then he/she should make a perfect choice." Now he does CATO followed by the final fix. Spread the cards revealing only two cards reversed - his choice plus the matching partner.

HUMMER PLAYS POKER A spectator selects five "magic cards" which turn into a Royal Flush. Cull a Royal Flush in Spades to the top. WORKING 1. Hold the deck face-up and ask a spectator to touch cards as you spread through. Outjog each card touched and stop once you have nine (any odd number will do but we'll use nine for this description). Strip them out and place them face-up on the table in a pile. Start to spread again, but first get a break above at least the bottom five cards. This time, say, "I want five more cards chosen." Outjog the five cards as they are touched then do the Vernon Add-on and drop the deck on top. Turn the deck face-down and deal off the top five cards, saying, "These will be our Magic Cards." Discard the remainder of the deck. 2. Spread the nine face-up cards and then spread the five face-down cards above the nine (Fig.1). Invite the spectator to push the five face-down cards anywhere in the other spread. 3. Gather up the cards, saying, "Let’s mix them further." Deal the top card to the table - flip the packet over - deal the top card onto the first - flip the packet over and deal the top card, and continue doing this until all the cards are on the table in a pile. This is the 113

Takagi Count done as a mix. Or you can do this more quickly in your hands from a Biddle grip. An alternative is to eye count as you gather the spread then flip over the top seven cards and place them to the bottom (helps hide the Flush), then do a Klondike to the table. That is, pull off pairs of cards from top and bottom and drop them in a pile on the table. 4. The spectator now does CATO, followed by the final fix. As he deals, watch which pile any face-up Flush card appears in alternatively watch which pile any non-flush card appears in. They can’t appear in the same pile. So when he finishes you know the orientation of the Flush cards. Say, "Let’s see what’s happened to our Magic cards." Spread the packet so the five cards are face-down, saying, "Well look at this. Despite all your mixing the five Magic cards remain undisturbed." As you speak, remove the five cards and hold then in your hand. Finally, say, "Yes, that’s a real puzzle...but here’s the magic." Reveal that they are now a Royal Flush.

REMOTE CONTROL POKER Based on "Hummer Plays Poker." Cull a Royal Flush in Spades to the top of the deck then shuffle five cards on top. Flush cards now reside at positions 6, 7, 8, 9 & 10. WORKING 1. Give the deck a cut, holding a break and Riffle Force to the break. Lift off the upper half and place it to the bottom, then hand the spectator the deck. Alternatively, you can use a Cross-cut Force, or Balducci Cut-deeper Force in place of the above. 2. Tell him to deal five hands of cards with four cards in each, dealing rotationally. Take the remaining cards from him and discard them. Ask him to turn over the top card of each hand (Fig.1 – next page), saying, "Let’s see if you’ve managed to produce a good poker hand." 114

Comment on the cards, adding, "Hardly the best poker hand I’ve ever seen! But these five cards will suffice for this demonstration. A demonstration of mind control...your mind, that is." Leaving the face-up cards on top of the piles, ask him to gather the piles together in any order then give the packet a cut. Then continue, saying, "You reversed five cards. You’re now going to reverse cards randomly. You will be in complete control Y or so you will think. In fact I’m going to attempt to control your mind and actions so that nothing actually happens at all."

3. You now instruct him to carry out Hummer’s CATO, together with the final fix. NOTE: As in the previous trick, watch which pile any face-up Flush cards appear in. They can only appear in one. Alternatively, watch which pile any non-flush face-up cards appear in. Flush cards and non-flush cards cannot appear face-up in the same pile. Then simply watch which pile he turns over. You now know the orientation of the Flush cards. 4. Say, "Despite all that mixing, would you be surprised if nothing has changed, and that the five cards you reversed at the beginning are still the only ones reversed?" He should find the prospect of that surprising. If the Flush cards are face-down, tell him to spread the cards on the table. If they are face-up, take the packet and turn it over before spreading them. Either way, five face-down cards will appear in the spread. Remove each face-down card and form a fan in your hand in front of you with the faces towards you, as you count aloud, "One, two three, four, and five. Did I really control your actions? Or was it a trick?" (Applause cue!) 115

Now do a double-take as you look at the faces of the five cards, and say, "Hey! What’s going on here? I didn’t see you switch the cards!" as you toss the cards face-up onto the table in order, Ace, King, Queen, Jack, Ten to finish.

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Appendix: Sleights referred to in text KOSKY SWITCH To get a feeling for the switch at its most bare-bones use, take out the two black Kings, lay them face up on the table, then place any card face down between them. Get a break under the top card and you’re ready to proceed. Place the sandwich on top of the deck, then pick up to the break with the right hand in Biddle position. Pull the top face up King onto the top of the deck, outjogged for half its length. Then pull the face down card on top, square with the deck. Finally lay the last King (with a hidden card beneath) on top, injogged for half its length (Fig.1). The right hand can pull up the front of the face down card to display it once more, if desired. The right hand then grips the injogged card(s) with fingers on top, thumb beneath, and pushes it (them) forward until they coincide with the outjogged King (Fig.2). Shift the right hand to grasp the sandwich at the front and pull it from the deck, immediately fanning so a face down card is still seen between the two face up Kings (Fig.3). Just that easily, you’ve switched the face down card in the middle for another card.

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SPREAD HALF-PASS Assume you have a break in the middle of the deck and want to turn the bottom half of the deck face up. Casually spread the deck to the break (Fig.1). At that point, as the right hand moves to the left closing the spread again, right fingers go under the bottom half and flip it over to the left (Fig.2). A body movement from right to left can be used to help cover the pass, but it isn’t really necessary. Alternatively, you could spread the deck and have a card chosen. As the card is being looked at, replace the upper section and execute the HalfPass as you close the spread. NOTE: The lower section in the above revolves in the opposite direction to the Roy Walton method.

STRIPOUT REVERSE SWITCH Upjog the Aces as you spread through the deck as if you were going to do a Vernon Add-on. Instead you honestly strip out the Aces, and slap the face up deck on top, but keep a little finger break over the Aces. Immediately do the Stripout Reverse Switch (SRS): move the deck back and forward, leaving the Aces in a Gambler's Cop position (Fig.1).

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Immediately regrip the deck at the outer end and then turn it over end-over-end so it finishes square on top of the copped cards (Fig.2). Finally move the deck forward again. Now deal the Aces (?) on the table, or whatever. The real Aces are face up underneath the deck.

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In this book you will find twin thoughts smoothly blended to produce an outstanding collection of card material. All types of card magic are covered in a subtle and elegant manner, and without the use of knuckle breaking sleights. I recommend this book highly - Roy Walton I'm very excited! This book revitalizes many of the old moves, with innovative applications and of course, completely new sleights and effects. I give it my highest recommendation! - Zenneth Kok These well constructed and clever effects are both magical and entertaining. The sleights that are taught are well within the reach of us mere mortals. The explanation of the Gilbreath Principle and the alternate handling of the Gemini Count are worth the price of the book - Marty Kaplan A book full of commercial, beautiful, and devastating card tricks with sharp teeth - Ryan Matney If you want R&D with card tricks, try Robertson and Duffie. Three years late, two top thinkers, one great book. Your audiences won't have a theory about this conspiracy - Steve Beam Peter Duffie has been blessed with the talent to create fresh ideas and apply them to new and practical effects. On the other hand, he can take an old effect and add a new twist to it, thereby making the climax of the effect stronger. Combine this talent with that of Robin Robertson, and I'm envious of the results - Gene Maze Peter Duffie is one of the world's most skillful and creative cardmen. Card Conspiracy, his latest book, co-authored with Robin Robertson, offers a wide variety of card magic that will no doubt appeal to all card workers, whatever their tastes - Harvey Rosenthal Peter and Robin are serious students of card magic. Their separate work is great, this work together is incredible. GREAT material, refreshing and usable - Aldo Colombini