Letters to Friends by John Carey

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Letters to Friends By

John Carey

A modern approach to classical card magic 2010

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Contents Introduction An approach to the one deck Do-as-I-do Gun Slinger Ace Pro One Deck again...... Two to Tango Knowing As I Do Stacked Do-as-I-Do Biddle in the middle with Max A Sandwich Transposition Gotcha My Way Red 'n' Black revisited In Full View Controlling the Aces The Truth will Tell One for Sid & Henry Simplex Mental Location A Divine Matching The Pack of Mystery Final Thoughts

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Introduction Thank you for purchasing my latest e-book. The material continues on from my previous work, Further spotlight-Carey on cards with a mixture of effects that are both strong and practical. The title of this latest work comes by way of how I share my material via the net with close friends. I am fortunate to be a member of the second deal and magic pebble forums where we discuss all forms of card magic on a daily basis. The guys on there inspire me and make me think hard about my work. Time for me to go now, so grab a deck and have fun with this latest collection.

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An approach to the one deck Do-As-I-Do plot Method/effect: After you and your spectator shuffle, have them select one and on its return, control it to the bottom of the deck, for me the most efficient way is to cull it straight to the bottom. Give the deck an all-round square up glimpsing the selection as you do so, lets say the selection is the ten of spades. Give the deck to your helper and have him offer / spread the cards for you to make a selection. Ignore what you take, just return it to the deck and have them square up. Guide them through the mechanics of the Ose false cut (This is to the table then gathered up.) Take back the deck and overhand shuffle until you have around ten cards left in your right hand. Toss this packet on top slightly in-jogged. Square up, getting a break below their selection. Transfer the break to your thumb as you take the deck from above, widening the break in readiness for a brilliant idea I first saw in close up card magic by the Harry Lorayne. (Johnny Paul has some thoughts on this idea in one of Gansons books) Do a ribbon spread from left to right and you will notice one card angled automatically in the spread. The card above this is their selection. Ask your helper to run their finger across the spread from right to left and to touch a card and slide it out of the spread towards you. Take this card at the short inner end and place it away in your pocket; angling the card slightly so you can obtain a peek, say this card is the three of clubs. You now run your finger across the spread and touch the card above your angled key card. Slide it out towards them and have them put it away in a pocket. Build up what has taken place and call out your card as the three of clubs, the one you peeked. Remove it from your pocket and show them they nailed it. Ask them to reveal the name of their card the ten of spades. Have them remove the card in their pocket to show that you have successfully found their card too. A nice ruse for the peek of the indifferent card they side out of the spread for you, is to place into a breast pocket, fumble as you do this, it is a natural action to look down at this point as you use both hands to open and guide the card into the pocket, this is also the best misdirection to peek the card......

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Gun slinger Ace pro 22/3/10

Inspired by the late Rovi’s Cowboy effect, I thought you guys might like to fool around with this fun little production of the aces. Rovi’s effect, from his book The story of the man and his magic relied on multiple slip cuts and the old dodge of a spectator diving into their pocket quickly and hopefully grabbing the top card. I saw him do this handling years ago for laymen and it went over so strong. My handling is in my opinion less hazardous and quite economical. Set-up / Modus Operandi / Effect Have a red ace in your right pocket and a black ace in your left pocket both need to be with the back outwards. The other two aces are on top of the deck. Shuffle the deck retaining the top stock. Table the deck and have the helper cut the deck into two piles. Pick up the half with the aces on top and instruct the helper to pick up the other half. Ask them to shuffle, as you shuffle your half (again) retaining the two aces on top. Get them to cut and complete. You do the same but keep a pinky break above the aces. Ask them to cut off half their packet to the table. You cut to your break and place on top of their packet. Get them to drop the balance of their cards onto the tabled cards. Drop your remaining packet on top and square up. This is a quite deceptive procedure and gets them involved in the action. Spread through the deck and have them touch two cards in different positions. Outjog these cards and as you square up, obtain a pinky break beneath the two aces on top. Swivel out the touched cards at the same time executing Jennings optical add on from the book Classic Magic-Maxwell. Hand the two switched in cards face down to your helper and have them to place one in each of their side pockets. Hand them the deck and get them to spread them for you to touch a couple of cards. You do, and place these crosswise in front of the ace(s) already in each of your two side pockets. Table the deck, and prepare for the knock-out ending!....

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Weave a story about cowboys and gun slingers and the ol' wild west etc. Talk about the quick draw shoot-outs they used to have and say that each of you will dive in to your pockets on the count of three and pull out the selections. When you dive into your pockets remove the rear card from each packet. Direct the spectator to turn over her cards as you do the same. Booooom- four aces.

Hope you have as much fun with this as I have gentlemen. Have a great day. John Some ideas from Stephen Hobbs follows...

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Notes from Stephen Hobbs on Gun Slinger Ace Pro Your ideas are interesting and always get me thinking. Please take my thoughts below for what they are, some very preliminary reflections and comments. 1. Plot is great. 2. Deck mixing procedure is nice, but this sort of thing always makes me wonder: why didn't the spectator get to shuffle the entire deck? 3. But how about this? Aces are secretly in your LH pocket. Spec shuffles deck, you take it back. Ask spec if he has two empty pockets. Demonstrating, you pull liners of your L and R pocket out, showing them empty. In doing so, left hand with deck goes into pocket and secretly adds aces to deck (top or bottom, depending on the switch you want to use). 4. Is effect improved by showing spec. indifferent cards before they are put in pockets (so effect becomes a transformation)? The tag line at the end of the routine might be: "So now you know why aces are called bullets." 5. My preference would be to have all cards selected at once, and then spec gets to choose two of them to place in his pockets. You place other two in your pockets. 6. Rationale for showing cards might be that you will play the "fast draw game." Cards will be pulled out from pockets at the same time, high cards win. This will also provide excuse for mixing cards in hands before you hand them out and for cautioning spec not to look at cards as they are put in pockets (which worried me a bit when I read your description). 7. So I might do this as follows: Have deck shuffled and load aces onto deck as described. Palm one ace back into left pocket as liners are stuffed back in. Now have four cards touched and displayed as indifferent cards. Switch out three of these cards for aces (using whatever technique you like). Table deck. Mix packet, keeping track of where indifferent card is positioned. Have spec select two cards, making sure he leaves you with the x-card. You both mix your two cards and place sight unseen in pockets. You make sure x-card goes into LH pocket. (where it will be switched for ace). Conclude. 8. Of course, this is all theoretical -- need to actually try it out! Hobbs

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One Deck......again Here is something else for you. Yet another approach to the one deck do as I do which is bold but a lot of fun. Try it out

In recent weeks I have been working on numerous approaches to the classic one deck do as I do premise. There are so many avenues one can take with this plot. Here is my latest approach which is very bold but gets the job done quite nicely I believe. Method/handling: Place the ace of diamonds back outwards in your right side pocket. Introduce the premise of do as I do as you shuffle the deck. Hand the deck to your helper for further mixing. Upon its return spread for a selection, say they chose the seven of clubs, have it returned, culling it to the bottom of the deck (Hofzinzer style). Hand the deck to your helper and have them to spread the cards for you to select one. You do but ignore the card. Return it to the centre of the spread they are holding and have them square up. Take back the deck and shuffle off (over-hand shuffle) until you have about six to eight cards left in your right hand. Throw these on top slightly in-jogged and as you square up obtain a break beneath the jog (and their selection). Tell the spectator that in a moment you will spread the cards and they are to touch one purely on impulse. By way of demonstration spread till you hit your break and out-jogging the last card their selection. Keep a slight separation at this point in the deck. Further demonstrate that you want them to take the card they touch and to put it in their pocket sight unseen. Take the out-jogged card and place it in your pocket. While their switch it for the ace of diamonds and immediately come back out with this card. Place the ace back in the spread at the separation point, square up, retaining a break at this point. Begin spreading the deck again and cull the ace of diamonds (beneath your break) under the spread and have them touch any card. Execute an under the spread force and switch in the culled card out-jogging it. Have them remove it and place it away in a pocket.

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Hand them the deck and get them to spread the cards for you to touch one. Touch any card in the spread, preferably around the middle and remove it and place it away in your right pocket crosswise in front of the card already there. To conclude, ask them to name their card. Remove the rear card of the pair in your pocket and turn face up to display it. Tell them that you chose the ace of diamonds. Have them remove the card in their pocket to reveal a successful outcome

Enjoy.

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Inspired by a placement concept from Semi automatic card tricks V I came up with the following little 2 person card at any number. Let me know what you think, any suggestions etc please:

Two to Tango Have two helpers both shuffle the deck. Ask the helper on your left to get a secret number by cutting off a packet of cards between 10 and 20. Get them to secretly/silently count the cards as you take the rest of the deck and have your helper on the right peek at or take a card. I prefer the peek approach these days. Let’s say they peek at the seven of diamonds. Control this card to the top efficiently (via a side steal ?). Swing cut around half this packet into your left hand and have your first helper place their cut off packet on top. Place the balance from your right hand on top, keeping a pinky break beneath that portion. Pause a beat and then cut off half the cards above the break to the table, followed by cutting off at the break and placing the remaining portion on top and square up. Pick up the deck as you state that one of them is thinking of a number and the other a card. As you mention the final part of this statement casually spread the cards and cull any card among the top five or six under the spread and directly to the bottom of the deck. This automatically places the peeked/selected card at the chosen number. I like to hand the deck to the spectator who has a number to call out their number and then count down to this digit using the other helpers hand as a counting surface. Makes it a bit more personal and gets them involved. All the best. John Notes: When you have the cut off portion returned, get a break under the top card of this packet and then place the cards from your right hand on top. Now go into the drop cut control to the table and the selection is nicely set for the revelation and no cull is required.

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I was reading Steve Beams semi automatic v today and was looking at a piece called one in the side pocket by Ramon Riobbo from Spain. Ramon had the great idea to place a known card secretly in your pocket in the context of Johnny Murray's 4 way coincidence from Card cavalcade. The effect is also like Jenning's prefiguration. The only thing about these kind of effects from a shuffled deck is that sometimes you can get really unlucky with the run of the cards as you set up the effect under the guise of removing a prediction. Inspired by Ramon's idea of a known card already in your pocket I offer the following which is really a one deck Do as I Do with multiple kickers.

Knowing As I Do Method/effect/set up: From the top down 7c,7s,x,x and the 7h. In your right side pocket have the 7d in a vertical position with the back outward. Introduce the premise of do as I do as you riffle down the deck to the halfway point and hand the lower portion to your helper. Ask them to shuffle their packet as you shuffle yours, retaining your set up on top. Take back their packet and do a weave / faro shuffle, again retaining set up. Spread through the deck and cull the 5th card the 7h under the spread. Have them touch any card. Execute an under the spread force switching in the culled card which you outjog from the spread. Hand this to them and have them place it sight unseen into their pocket. Hand them the deck and have them mirror your actions,spreading through the cards and have you touch one. Touch any card down in the spread and get them to hand it to you. Place this card lengthwise into your outer right pocket in front of the 7d's. Take back the deck and hold it in overhand shuffle grip with the faces outwards. Execute a slip shuffle (slipping the top card as you begin the shuffle) as you ask them to stop you at some point. When stopped turn both packets face down and table them next to each other. This procedure nicely places a 7 spot on top of each packet. You are way ahead of the game here. Offer them a free choice of either packet and to pick it up. Pick up the remaining packet. Now take them through the mechanics of the Balducci cut deeper force: cutting off a small packet and flipping it over face up onto the deck. Then cutting deeper and placing this packet face up on top of everything.

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Direct your spectator to spread down through their packet till they get to the first face down card,which you ask them to table. You carry out the same actions. The revelations: Build up the conditions of the effect, the shuffles and cuts etc and have them turn over their card. They will find a black 7 spot. Turn over your card to reveal another black 7-a mate. To conclude ask them to remove the card in their pocket as you remove the 7d that has been there all along and reveal that they have the 7h and you have the 7d. Have fun with this.

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The classic one deck do as I do effect has recently grabbed my attention and focus. The plot is a strong one and there are many fine methods in print. The following approach makes use of a memorized stack and has some points in its favour I believe.

Stacked Do as I Do False shuffle the deck and then riffle down to about halfway and hand the top portion to your helper. Spread your half for a free selection and upon its return cull it to the bottom. Have them spread their half for you to choose one. You do, but ignore it and replace it back where it came from. Now walk/talk your helper through the Jay Ose triple false table cut from Close up Card magic by Lorayne. You make the cuts at the same time as your spectator. Both of you now pick up your packets and you ask your helper to begin dealing face up into a pile from the top. You deal your cards face up at the same time. After a few cards have been dealt ask them to stop dealing at any point/on impulse etc. When they stop dealing you also stop dealing. Make a note of the last card they dealt which tells you the next one in your mnemonic. Get them to deal down the next card face down in front of their face up pile. As they do this, execute a bottom deal, dealing their selection from the subway also in front of your face up packet. Build up the conditions etc and ask them to name their selection. Turn over your tabled face down card to reveal their selection. To finish call out the card you know that’s on the table by virtue of your stack. They turn it over to reveal that they also have somehow found your selection. This would also work with a cyclical stack like Stebbins. An ace through king run in say clubs would also do the job but they would have to deal face down of course.

Have fun with this and I look forward to your feedback. Kind regards.......

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In Antinomy 5, Max Maven had a nicely constructed piece where the spectator is cast into the role of the magi and does a trick for you. A hybrid of the classic Biddle effect, I enjoyed the effect but didn't feel at ease with the modus operandi. Coming from the school of not working hard unless I have to, here is a variant which is ridiculously easy to do but gets results with the people that matter.

Biddle in the Middle with Max Method/effect: Ask your helper to name one of the four suits. Suppose they say diamonds. Remove all thirteen diamonds from the deck as you say that all suits are made up of thirteen cards, ace through king, Place the diamonds (not in any order) face up on top of the face down deck. Count them off out loud, as you display them in-jog the 12th card slightly. Ask your helper to hold out a hand as you square up the diamond packet. Lift up on the in-jog and hand this packet to the helper, at the same time turning the wrist to hide the held back diamond which you must remember, say ten of diamonds. Ask them to shuffle as you do a casual face up overhand shuffle to demonstrate,secretly setting the 10 spot to the middle of the deck in the process. Casually put the cards away in the box and ask the spectator to pocket them. Weave a spiel about the spectator doing some magic for you and have them spread their packet for you to take one and remember. You take one but ignore its value. Put it back into their packet and have them shuffle. Hold out your left hand and have them place the packet onto your palm. Cover the packet with your right hand. Tell them that they will attempt to make a card vanish. Indulge in some byplay and then open your hands. Do a quick,convincing false count to show thirteen cards...nothing has happened. Repeat the above byplay-holding the cards and hand them the packet to count out loud. They will find only twelve cards. One card has indeed vanished. Have them to ask you the value of your card. You tell them it was the ten of diamonds. Tell them to spread the cards face up in the hands or on the table where they will find that the card that has vanished is your ten of diamonds.

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State that vanishing a card is great, but they have to make it reappear. Ask them to take the card box out from their pocket,which has been there the whole time-kinda and to remove the face up deck. They spread through and find one little card face down in the crowd.....your selection Have fun with this and give it some play. Have a nice day mate

A Sandwich Transposition Spread through the deck and flip the top half face up, as you square up, steal the top face down card under the face up cards. Table the face up packet to your left. Table the remaining face down packet to your right. Pick up the face up portion and spread for a face up selection. Take it out and turn it face down. Duck it under the packet and flip the packet over in one smooth action. Get the card signed and then ask the spectator to lift off half the tabled face down packet. Double turnover and place the dummy card side-jogged onto the tabled portion. Have them place the cards they are holding on top. Spread through your face down packet and up-jog two x cards. Swivel them out and place face up on top. At the same time get a pinky break beneath the selection. Lift off at the break and peel off the first face up card to show two face up x cards. (this is the standard sandwich load) Close this packet up, side-jogging the face down selection at the same time. Cut this packet in half and complete. Go to the left side of the table and ribbon spread, showing two face up cards clearly in the middle. My old buddy Nyquist hides the selection (Nyquist Hide out from Hugards Magazine) Pause to let the picture on the table sink in. Slowly square up both packets and then a moment later spread the left side packet to show one card trapped in a sandwich-the selection. All the best

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Here is something I have been using for a while which hits the spot with laymen.

Gotcha Method/effect: Have two cards selected and signed and upon their return control one to the top and the other to the bottom. Usually, I will cull both to the bottom and then do a milk shuffle running one to the top and keep the other at the bottom. Double turnover showing an x card and ask your first helper to hold out a hand palm up. Turn the double over and place switched in card face down on their palm. Pick up your sharpie and wave it over the card on their hand. Get them to turn it over to reveal a change into their signed card. Secure a pinky break above the bottom card of the deck-the other selection. Now perform the old 1-2-3 gag as you say that you will make the second spectators card appear. In reality you ditch the pen behind your right ear. Separate your hands to let the vanish of the pen register. While turning to your left to reveal the pen behind your ear drop all the cards above your break into your left side pocket. Hand the sharpie to your spectator and get him/her to wave it toward the supposed deck. Two endings: 1. Cover the card you are holding between your palms and squish it into just one card which you then turn over to reveal the second signed selection. 2. Take supposed deck from above in your right hand and pull out an x card from your pocket. Then pull out a couple more singles followed by clumps of cards before revealing just one card in your hand-the second signed card. Notes: Steve Mayhew gets credit for the use of the pen behind the ear deck ditch combination. He published it as a deck switch in Channel one magazine under the title Mayhew in my pocket. Socrate and Williamson popularised the deck to pocket plot. Roberto Giobbi had a one selection deck vanish in Card College Lightest. Have fun

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The following was inspired by a routine called Variance variant by Allan Ackerman in his booklet Here's my card. Al's handling was inspired by a Ken Krenzel routine which I believe was first published in Epilogue.

My Way....... Method/effect: Stack the four aces on top, shuffle and retain them in position. Spread through and out-jog the 4th card down-an ace, by way of demonstration and have a helper touch three other cards throughout the deck, which are also out-jogged. Strip out the outjogged cards, at the same time getting a pinky break beneath the top three aces. Flip the packet face up on top and pick up at the break. Display the four cards at the same time as executing a Braue addition. (I use Scotty's beautiful out-jogged Braue for this). The ace is left face up on top. Take off the top four cards and place the deck away. Apparently put the face up ace on the bottom of the packet, really taking two as one and placing the double underneath. Another way to go would be to take just the face up ace and do a pull down of the bottom card. After a moment spread the packet to show the ace has risen up one position. Right hand comes over from above to square up the packet and the left thumb pulls the top card to the left so that it overlaps the card underneath about half an inch. Separate the hands with a pair in each to display the ace one more time. Bring the hands back together and secretly slip the left hand pair under the top card of the right hand pair as you square up. A few moments later spread the packet again to show the face up ace 2nd from top. Two options for the final rise, a side steal and colour change of the ace to the top or a gag by saying you will make the ace rise visibly; take off the top card and place it underneath the packet -a David Gemmell suggestion. Take the ace and wave it over the other cards, then reveal that all the cards are now aces. Another way to do this reveal would be to do a half pass/christ twist of the lower three cards just after the final rise. This gives a nice visual face up appearance of all 4 aces. Have fun.

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Reds 'n' Blacks revisited Have 26 blacks followed by the reds from the top down. The lower black card is a bottom cutting breather. False shuffle and cut and then cut off about a third from the top to your left, followed by cutting at the breather and tabling this packet to the right of the first. Cut off two more packets of roughly equal size and table them to the right of the first two packets. Hand out the packets for different spectators to shuffle and take them back so that when the deck is reassembled the blacks will be back on top. Double cut the top black card to the bottom and turn the deck face up. Split the deck into two packets and execute Daryl's six packet display from his triumph routine in the Puerto Rican gambler book. This gives a lovely face up display of reds and blacks seemingly mixed. Gather up the packets a la Daryl and pause. Two options here to finish the effect, sure there are many more: Execute an Endfield slip cut to lose the face black card into the lower black portion of the deck. Ribbon spread the deck to show the colour separation. Another ploy with a tad of visuals is to slip the face black card into the lower half of the deck and dribble the cards like a dribble shift. This has the effect of a colour transformation at the face of the deck prior to the pay off. The left fingers just wrap around the deck and slip this card into the deck and you continue immediately by dribbling the cards. Off to the garden for a beer.

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For many years now, I have loved and performed one version or another of the mystery or emergency card type plot where an unknown stranger card turns out to be the spectators actual signed card. There are lots of fixes and approaches to this kind of plot in our literature. Some involve work around the deck or the use of sandwich cards. I wanted to leave the impression on an audience that an unknown odd backed card in full view on the table turns out to be the spectators signed card, with no hokey moves or lapping or sticky stuff. Here is my latest approach which I believe has some merit ,and I would love to get you guys on board to tackle this problem and see what we can do with it.

IN FULL VIEW? Have a red backed stranger card, say the seven of diamonds 5th from the top of a blue backed deck. Remove the blue backed twin of this card as it is not required Have another red backed card back outwards in your outer breast pocket. Shuffle retaining the top stock and then take the deck into a glide like position in your left hand. Talk about having a card of mystery on you as you simulate Dave Rumsfields beautiful no palm card from pocket move. Really pull out the red backed stranger a bit from your pocket and then push it back inside. Begin a hand to hand spread with the cards neck-tied toward you as you sight and then cull your odd backed card under the spread. The cull is executed as you lower the hands to reveal the backs of the cards. With the correct timing nothing can be seen. Have the spectator touch the back of a card freely. When a card has been indicated, separate the hands with the touched card on the bottom of the right hand packet. Square this packet and then raise the face card of this packet for a spectator to view his selection. This is Fred Robinsons brilliant force. Have them pick up a marker from the table and get them to sign the face of the 7 of diamonds. Once signed bring the hands together and shuttle the signed force card to the bottom using the Ovette master move or bottom replacement. Indulge in some shuffles which retain this card on the bottom of the deck.

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Position the deck in glide grip and execute for real the Rumsfield technique to simulate removing the stranger from your pocket-really though bringing the back of this secretly signed force card into view. Place this card in full view face down on the table as you state you won't touch that card again blah blah. From now on you will chuck a load of smoke around the effect to lead them down the garden path. Have them shuffle the deck and cut. Get them to spread the cards on the table and slide out one face down. Pick up the rest of the cards and show the faces of each and every one. They will not see their selection. This serves two purposes: it gives them the assumption that the card they slid out must be their selection,plus it adds a nice element of time misdirection/displacement to the odd backed stranger card that has been in full view..... Have them turn over the card they slid from the spread. It is not their selection. Focus attention on the odd backed mystery card that has been apparently in full view the whole time and ask them to name their signed card. When told 7 of diamonds ask them to turn over the odd backed card to conclude this little pasteboard mystery.

I look forward to your input and ideas gentlemen. Have a great weekend

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Controlling the Aces Begin by having the four aces face up on top of the face down deck. Obtain a break above the bottom 4 cards of the deck either by riffling off four cards or spread and catch a break that way. Swing cut about twelve cards over into your other hand and pushing off the face up aces with the edge of the packet turn /flip them over, [face down] executing Jack Merlins tip over switch. After you’ve done this, the hand holding the talon from above moves forward to the table and cuts a row of four packets. Now deal off the (apparent) aces from the packet left in your dealing hand, one on top of each tabled pile. When you have done this, come back and pick up what’s left in your dealing hand and drop onto the left hand tabled pile, lift the combined pile and continue to the right gathering the piles as you go. The four aces are now at your disposal on top of the deck. As an alternative, you could ribbon spread the talon and insert the aces [?] into different parts, drop the small packet on top and gather the spread.

NB. This type of control could also be applied to a multiple selection type of effect.

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The truth will tell The classic lie detector card premise is a favourite of many. It has audience involvement and is quite commercial. There are lots of handling's out there, some complex and some quite simple. The following is very easy to get into on the spur of the moment and there are a few ways you can go with the final revelation of the selection. Set up/modus operandi/effect: QH on top, from the face: red spot, black queen, any red heart spot card. Shuffle retaining bottom and top stock and table the deck in front of your helper. Cut the deck into two fairly equal portions as you talk about lie detectors and so on. Have them point to one of the two packets. Let's say they point to the packet with the force card,the Qh's on top. Use the cut deeper force procedure on them and show the selection,executing Simon Aronson's head over heels move from Try the impossible to position this card face up and fifth from top. Table this packet. Pick up the other half as you state that you will need 3 packets which will be used for 3 questions etc. Ask them to stop you twice as you execute two simple slip shuffles retaining your answer cards on the bottom of the packets. Third packet is tabled next to the other two forming a row of three answer packets with target cards on the bottom of each packet. Note: If at the beginning they point to the other tabled portion,simply execute the slip shuffle procedure first to form the row of three packets and then pick up the other half for the selection. Ask your helper to place their hand over the packet at the left end of the row and ask them what colour was their card? They can lie or tell the truth. Go with this answer and have them place their hand over the centre packet as you ask them what value was their card,again giving them the option of true or false. Direct them to place their hand over the packet at the right and ask them what suit was their card? Recap their answers and then turn over the left side packet to reveal that the lie detector tells us they chose a red card.

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Go to the centre packet and turn over to reveal a black queen. Then turn final answer packet face up to reveal the suit-a heart. A red card, a queen, a heart-the queen of hearts you chime They will acknowledge this is so. To conclude, state that the truth will always tell. Have them pick up the selection packet and spell off the word truth,dealing one card for each letter. The queen of hearts will stare them in the face on the final letter to finish this little interlude. Notes: Instead of the head over heels move you could force the queen any way that floats your boat and control it to the top. Then have them cut this packet and mark the cut, setting up Max Holden's cross cut card force. The time misdirection is built into this piece for this to work quite deceptively. I saw British card man Mike O'brien use the cross cut in his own lie detector many years ago. Have fun with this and I look forward to you valued input as ever gentlemen. Have a good day.

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One for Sid and Henry Here is a piece I have been using quite a bit recently to excellent reactions. No wild moves I am afraid, but a performance piece which really hits the spot with our lay friends. Let's call it one for Sid and Henry: Ask a couple to help you out as you hand the girl the deck to be shuffled. Once shuffled, ask her to count 12 cards down to the table in a face down pile. The balance of the deck is set aside. Pick up the packet and spread the cards for the guy to take one. Ask him to remember it, say jack of hearts and have it returned and control it to the bottom-a cull does the job nicely. Slip shuffle, retaining the selection on the bottom. Ask the girl to concentrate as you make a reverse fan and then raise this fan up to her eyes and ask her to think of one card that stands out in her mind. You are of course instant stooging her on the fly using this technique because she can only see one card-the jack of hearts. This is a brilliant idea of Henry Christ from the Jinx magazine. Close up the fan and shuffle the packet retaining the selection on the bottom with a slip shuffle. Now tell them you will really mix things up. Execute Sid Lorraine's slop shuffle and right the cards in the standard fashion as you show face up and face down cards Now talk about intuition with couples or any other b.s that floats your paddle boat and ask your couple to hold the packet at each short end. Ask the guy to mentally send the colour of his card over to his girl. Ask her what colour she is thinking of? She will state red and he will confirm that his card was red. Continue by getting him to concentrate on the suit. She will state she is thinking of hearts-his suit. Finish by getting the value she is thinking of announced, which really does get them. To finish, state that they may have been telepathy but this is magic, watch. Cast a shadow over the packet they are both still holding and take it from them. Execute a nice one handed fan to reveal all the cards face down except the jack of hearts. .

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Notes: I used to do this with the whole deck but there seems a nice focus using just 12 cards. I sometimes have the selection returned and get a peek and have the packet shuffled, then get the selection to the bottom as I look at the cards talking about the different cards, the different choices etc. In a nutshell, this is so much fun to perform for the captive crowds. Give it a whirl and have fun.

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Simplex Mental Location Method/effect: Have your helper shuffle the deck and upon return glimpse the bottom card, say 10 clubs. Hand to hand spread for them to touch a card. Hand them the touched card and ask them to hold it face down. Then get them to stab the card into the deck around centre,leaving the card protruding. Spread through the cards till you get to the marker card and then execute Bill Simon's prophesy move. Talk about how they have randomly marked off a position in the deck etc. Hand them the deck and have them spread through with the faces toward them. Ask them to think of either the card above or the card below the marker card. Then request them to take out the marker card and to place it into another area of the deck. Take back the deck and shuffle, retaining the centre stock. Turn the deck face up and spread through with the faces towards you, as you ask them to form a mental image of their card . When you get to your glimpsed card, the ten of clubs, spread six cards past this and then square up, getting a pinky break at this point. Double cut to the break and turn face down. A turnover pass will do the job if you are bored. Hand your helper the deck and have them start dealing the cards one at a time face down into your hand. When they have dealt the seventh card suddenly call out stop. Ask them to reveal the name of their thought of card. If they say 10 clubs turn over the last card dealt. If they say any other card get them to turn over the top card of the balance they are holding to conclude this little interlude. I might try adding Jack Macmillen's psychological stop to this and have them stop on the 7th card-could be fun.... Note: The idea of using the marker card in the context of a mental effect was given to me by my friend Andrew Brown. This effect has the feel of out of sight out of mind, but is a whole lot easier.

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A Divine Matching Here is a very simple and quite direct combination of a multiple card divination paired with the classic matching the cards effect. No tough moves and the sequence has a tidy flow to it.

Method/effect: Have the following cards stacked on top in this order: 3d, AC,4h,7s and the other three 3's. Shuffle the deck retaining the top stock and hand the deck to a willing helper. Walk/talk them through the Ose false table cut from Close up card magic, as you tell them that you will have 4 cards selected from their 'random' cut. Have them take off the top card of the deck and place it sight unseen into a pocket. This will be the 3d. Have 3 other spectators each take off a card from the top-aAC4h and and 7s and to hold them between their palms. Pick up the deck as you say that you will turn away as they look at and remember their cards. When you turn away push off and turn face up the top 3 cards of the deck-the three 3 spots and hold a pinky break beneath them. Turn around to face your audience, keeping the top of the deck slightly wrist killed so as not to expose the true state of affairs. Now go into Mr mind reader mode and slowly do a divination of the three cards. After the first one has been revealed, take it face up and place it on top of the deck. Name the two other selections,taking each of those back and place them face up also, showing a spread of 3 face up selections. Execute a block turn over switch,turning everything beneath the break face down onto the deck. Deal off 3 face down cards and place the deck to one side. Acting like the effect is over suddenly look at your first helper and 'remember' that they have a card in their pocket that nobody has seen,including them. Slowly build up the moment and name their card-the three of diamonds. Have them take the card out of their pocket and reveal a success. Take this card and place it face up onto the 3 face down cards on the table. Pick up this packet and then reveal that the 3 selections have now transformed into the mates of the first selection,revealing 4 of a kind to end this little mystery.

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The pack of mystery 16/3/10 Set up/Modus Operandi/effect: QH-,red spot-black Q and a heart spot card from the top down. Shuffle retaining top stock and cut and keep a break above your slug. Execute a dribble force as you ask a helper to stop you. Raise left hand to show the QH and then lower the hand and get a break beneath it as you bring both hands together to square up the deck. Double cut the selection to the bottom and table the deck lengthwise in front of you. Ask them to cut off about half the deck to your left. Pick up the right hand portion and execute a standard Sid Lorraine slop shuffle sequence as you state that firstly you will create chaos. Right the deck ready for the end of the effect and push toward your helper. Approach the other tabled packet from above with your right hand and riffle off about 8 cards from the bottom and leave them on the table as you transfer the cards above to your left hand dealers grip. Now we go into the Al Leech pick up move from Close up card magic. The right hand approaches the tabled packet from above and slides/sweeps it toward you and off the table surface. As you do this secure a pinky break under the top card of the packet in your left hand. Turn your right hand palm up to show the face card of this packet. Call out its value without any importance. Flip this packet face down onto the left hand packet and immediately pick up at the break,adding the red spot card beneath and then table this packet to your left. Transfer the packet in hand to lengthwise overhand grip in the right hand and go down to the table. Riffle off about half this packet from the bottom and come away with the cards above and transfer them to left hand dealers grip. Right hand then comes down to the tabled packet and sweeps this packet off the table as before, using this as cover to get a pinky break beneath the top card of the left hand packet. Turn the right hand palm up and display and call out the value of the face card. Turn this packet face down onto the left hand and repeat the Leech move,again secretly adding the black queen.

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Repeat the above once more to get the heart spot card secretly to the bottom of a small packet, which you table to the right of the other two packets forming a row of three packets. Discard the remaining few cards on top of the centre packet. Introduce the premise of the pack of mystery as you ask the helper to place one hand above the left side packet. Get them to project the colour of their selection to this packet. After a beat slowly turn this packet face up onto the table to reveal a red spot on the face. Direct them to briefly cover the centre portion as you ask them to focus on their cards value. Turn this pile over to reveal a queen on the face. Repeat this direction one last time as they cover the right side packet and project the suit of their card to this packet. Turn this packet over slowly to reveal a heart. So, you state, the pack of mystery tells us you chose a red card,a queen,the queen of hearts as you point to each packet in turn to capture this piece by piece reveal of their card. To finish, pick up the tabled half in front of them and spread to reveal all the cards facing the same way except the queen of hearts.

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Final Thoughts Well that brings me to the end of this book, I hope you dear reader have enjoyed the magic as much as I still do. I would like to take the opportunity to thank all of my friends on the TSD and Magic Pebble as well as friend here in the UK that I session with, talk to and share my deepest thoughts on magic. Lastly to you dear reader, I look forward to our next meeting..........

Dedicated to My teacher in magic

Kevin Reay Thank you dear friend, above all else you taught me to respect this Art of ours.

John Carey 2010.