Moving Cards

Moving Cards By Sean Taylor The Black and White Books – Vol. 1 Published by Taylor’s Magic www.taylorsmagic.com.au Feb 2013

© 2013 by Taylor’s Magic All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without prior written permission of Taylor’s Magic. Punishments can include but are not limited to legal action, public shaming or removal of genitals.

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Contents Introduction …………………………………………………………5 Chapter 1

Move a Card – An Overview…………………..9

Chapter 2

The 8 Key Variations 2.1 The Telephone Number…………..11 2.2 The Easy Code……………………15 2.3 The Photographic Memory………..17

Chapter 3

The Pumping…………………………………21

Chapter 4

Afterthoughts…………………………………27

Chapter 5

The Stack Ideas……………………………….31

Chapter 6

Move 2 Cards…………………………………37

Chapter 7

Colossal Card Memory………………………..47

Chapter 8

Move a Card – The Moves…………………....51 3

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Introduction In the early 1930’s, a magician simply called ‘Moe’ marketed a little manuscript called Moe’s Move a Card. It sold for the princely sum of $1. Thereby began a new plot in card magic. Over 80 years later, there is still a fascination not only with the plot, but also with Moe himself. Moe Seidenstein was from Pittsburgh and was, by all accounts, an enigma; he turned up periodically at conventions from 1929 until 1934 and quite literally stunned magicians over and over with a form of card magic, which appeared to have no method. He would hang around in the hotel lobby, literally showing his effects to anyone who would stop and watch. The effects were based on subterfuge and educated guess work or what we now call ‘estimation’ but the magicians of the day were largely clueless. In the same way that we watch Lennart Green and Juan Tamariz, with that marvelous childlike feeling of being totally nailed, so magicians of the 1930s felt like beginners again. Having had no exposure to the work of Moe, I too found myself in that same situation, some 50 years later.

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Moe won awards for his tricks, published a small booklet and a couple of other single effect manuscripts, before largely vanishing from organised magic in 1934. He went on to live in New York throughout the war and, as far as anyone knew, on into at least the mid 50s. He spookily returned to the magic scene more than 60 years later. The Moe legend had gone unchanged and untouched by magicians until, in 1997, Bill Kalusch made a breakthrough. He discovered that not only was Moe alive and well, he was still doing tricks for his friends and family (and remarkably still working for a living), despite being 88 years of age. An article was published in the Linking Ring in 2001 where Moe, then 92, eloquently recounts his life story, rights the wrongs, tells the true stories of the various manuscripts and booklets written about him and proves that truth is often stranger than fiction. You can read all about Moe and his life at www.moesmagic.com

In 1986 William P. Miesel, with the help of Jeff Busby published a 55-page manuscript titled Moe and His Miracles with Cards. Miesel described Moe’s material, republished earlier methods and variations and, with the help of some notable Chicago personalities including Sid Lorraine and Jay Marshall, recreated the effects as he believed they would have been seen back in the 30s. The book is interesting in that the methods were the subject of conjecture and the authors knew they might not have been exactly the ones used by Moe. You can read Moe’s comments on

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the website. He was sorry that some of the work was copied from illicit manuscripts but, at the same time, pleased with the comments lauded on him by the book. This Busby manuscript was limited to 500 copies and is pretty hard to find these days. If you see one, I’d suggest you snap it up since, despite its dubious parentage, it is a terrific way to spend a rainy afternoon as I’m doing right now as I write this. In the late 80’s I attended a lecture at the Ipswich Magical Society by my good friend Mike Austin. The committee had each witnessed Mike’s prowess with the miracles of Moe and asked him to present a segment of this material. Without any form of introduction, Mike began by performing a selection of Moe’s effects to what amounted to stunned silence. So impossible were these effects, we all began to suspect he was getting help from the ‘volunteers.’ At the conclusion of the opening salvo, Mike removed from his briefcase the Miesel manuscript, which we were to learn contained explanations for these remarkable feats. Mike went on to demonstrate more of the effects and followed with a rudimentary explanation of the key methods involved. I learnt the ‘Move a Card’ effect from my hazy memory of what had happened that evening and I continued to fool magicians with it for several years. It wasn’t until some years later when I was able to secure the manuscript that I realised I’d learnt something different from the method published. Thanks to the re-appearance of Moe, I now know that he used not one but many methods himself and published only the version that was 100% bullet proof. The original ad claimed the trick could be done by a 12 year old. Since many people under 30 seem to have a problem adding numbers quickly in their head, this might not be the case these days! The methods utilised to accomplish the Move a Card effect are incredibly difficult to explain in print. Vernon’s “Trick that can’t be explained” was, in a sense, a similar effect to this and got its name for a reason. I’ve tried to break the explanations of the actual Move a Card variants into a kind of chronological development from my own perspective and this will hopefully give you some idea about my thought process too. What follows in these pages are some of the many ideas I’ve used to accomplish this plot over the past 25+ years. I truly don’t know how many of these are 100% original since people have played with the plot for over 80 years and I dare say, for the reasons stated above, much of their work would have remained unpublished. I’ve read a lot of work on it, swapped a lot of work on it and sessioned a lot of work on it in this time. I know that many others have used it to fool magicians and it’s very likely some of the work here has been independently created. Hand on heart, I have developed everything here myself unless otherwise credited. If you see what you believe is your work here, take a deep breath and call me. 7

I’d like to thank my band of proof readers and sub editors who include Nick Morton, Richard Paddon, my son Patrick Taylor and my wife Diana. Part of the inspiration for producing this book came from a session I had with my good friend Vincent Hedan. His comments (and the look on his face when I showed him the effect) convinced me that others might enjoy playing with it too. Sean Taylor

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Chapter 1 Move a Card – An Overview A shuffled pack is spread widely on the table. The magician glances across the spread, claiming to memorise the entire order. A spectator is asked to move a card from one position to another, remembering where the card came from and straightening the cards so it cannot be seen which ones have moved. The magician takes a second look at the spread and then turns around. The spectator is asked to replace the card in its original position. The magician turns back around and looks across the spread removing the exact selection. Without describing the exact modus operandi, I can tell you that the Moe and Miesel published method involved memorising a number of key cards across the spread. This memory work narrows the search. A little calculation of card values within a group allows you to pinpoint the exact card. You can find the Miesel booklet to fill in the gaps. Subsequent versions of the effect have largely utilized the basic multiple key card method and some of my versions are no exception. Harry Lorayne published his take in Reputation Makers in 1971. Lorayne commented that his memory ability had allowed him to do the effect largely on the fly but his published method involved memorising 9

the 4 top cards, performing multiple Faro shuffles and then memorising further cards to supplement those you already knew and then pumping from a group of cards. Mathematics replaced by Faros doesn’t sound easier to me but I’m sure some card guys found it useful! The first decision you need to make with this effect is whether it suits your style as it stands. If you consider the basic premise, it is essentially a demonstration of remarkable ‘photographic’ memory skills rather than a magical trick. The public gets to see so many remarkable things on TV and You-Tube that a guy memorising a pack of cards may be completely plausible to them. This has never bothered me and since I have a number of mental and memory-based effects, this one fits in well with my style. I’ve also built in speed, a bit of presentation and a gag or two in order to make it play. My thinking on the original effect is in the form of 3 variations. Whilst each adds some variation to the procedure, it is fair to say that they also include some compromise on the original demonstration. I firmly believe that in jazz effects of this kind you often need to vary methods to suit your own abilities. Some people memorise well on the fly, others need to rely on a pre-memorised system. Some people feel the need to perform quickly so pre-preparation suits their style; others are more engaging as performers and can more easily carry a longer and more cumbersome set-up before the pay-off. Some people can speak and think or count at the same time; others need to break these activities up. Amid all of this, you should find something that works for you. In the tips and afterthoughts, I will cover some of the extra skills and abilities you can add to the basic methods to supplement the mechanical learning of the effect. There is no doubt that living and breathing this effect will give you extra latitude and help you to make your own luck.

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Chapter 2 The 8 Key Variations 2.1 The Telephone Number What the audience sees A shuffled pack is ribbon spread across the table, the magician claims to be able to memorise the order of the pack, so much so that he can work out if a card is out of place. He looks across the spread for a few seconds claiming to have remembered most of the cards. He asks the spectator to remove a card from the spread and to move it somewhere else, adjusting the cards so it’s not obvious where they have been moved. Turning back around the magician looks across the pack and removes the selected card. Looking carefully at the original Moe effect, the only area of inconsistency is the second movement. If you could really memorise a full pack in order, the card would only need to be moved once to be out of place and one assumes that you would be able to simply find the card out of place and remove it. When I tried to piece the effect back together from Mike’s original demonstration, I was unaware of the calculation and so this was my first attempt at performing the effect. I began by memorising the cards that lay at the 10th and 11

20th position from each end of the spread. I would then get a general idea of what cards lay around them in the spread and would look for patterns of 3 or 4 like coloured cards. If more than 9 cards lay between my 2 key cards I would know that one of these was the card. I would then look at the pattern to see if I recognised anything different and, at worst, I’d pump from those 10 cards. Over time, I got pretty good at this but it was by no means very reliable. As a late night demonstration for other magicians it would fly, but only in that context. What I needed to do was to work out a way of remembering more key cards quickly. I decided that trying to remember the card at every fifth position was going to make the whole process easier. It would mean remembering 8 cards but the result allows me, as you’ll see, to pump from just 5 cards. Telephone numbers in Australia, as in much of the world, have 8 digits. We generally write and indeed say them in 2 groups of 4. If we begin with an easy number like this 9845 2824, you’ll see how easy this is to recall. Say the number a couple of times to yourself then look away and say it over and again. A little practice will make this an easy process. As you introduce this effect, I find its better not to describe precisely what will happen. Talk about photographic memory, card counting, instant recall or something around the subject but don’t describe exactly what you’ll do to demonstrate these phenomena. This will not afford the spectator the opportunity to try and trip you up by moving the card one space. Have the pack shuffled and ribbon spread it widely on the table. Begin on the left side of the pack. Count five cards in and that will be your first card then remember the 10th and 15th and 20th cards. These will be your first 4. You need only remember the values and not suits. Now begin at the right end of the spread and, counting from the last card backwards, do the same, remember the 5th, 10th, 15th and 20th cards. You have 8 digits to remember as in the phone number above. It goes without saying that you should not telegraph the fact that you are counting. Between each of your key cards, there are 4 cards and, in the centre, is a group of 12. As you ask the spectator to assist, you should gesture with your hands. “I’d like you to remove a card from the spread, take a look at it for a few seconds to be absolutely sure you will remember it and then replace it somewhere else.” Mime choosing a card from one end of the pack and replacing it towards the other end. This subconscious instruction will re-enforce that you want them to move it some way from the selection point and not just 2 or 3 cards along from where it was. Explain, with your back still turned that you’d like them to straighten the card so that it’s not obvious where the card came from.

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You can now allude to the fact that you will try to work out which card they have moved using your memory alone. Begin counting from the left and making sure that your key cards are still in position. Once you get used to these blocks of 5, you can do it almost visually. You are looking for a block which has either 5 or 3 indifferent cards between the 2 key cards. If you find a block with 3 cards, you can explain that you are pretty confident that a card is missing from that area of the pack. If you find a block with 5, you can state that a card was moved from the other end of the pack “into this area.” I tend to gesture and use generalisations at this point. Once you find a block with 5 cards between the 2 keys, you simply pump to discover which of the cards is the selection. We cover the pumping on in chapter 3.

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The 8 Key Variations 2.2 The Easy Code Over the many years I’ve shared my work on this effect, I’ve used some simple tricks and cheats to help explain to friends how to do it. In doing this, I’ve realised that it may be easier for some to have a pre-set series of key cards to avoid the memory work. If you are keen to give the effect a try but believe you may have trouble remembering 8 keys then this may be an option for you.

Method Remove the 5s and the 10s from the pack. 8 cards in total. Ribbon spread the remaining cards and, working from the left, place any 5 in the 5th position from the left, a 10 in the 10th position, a 5 in the 15th position and any 10 in the 20th position. Now do the same from the right side of the pack. Place a 5 in the 5th position from the end and so on. You now have 8 key cards that require no memory work. You can easily remember the positions since they are in numerical order. The fact you have no memory work on these sections of 20 cards give you the added flexibility of adding 1 or 2 easily memorised cards in the central section. You now have exactly the same situation as in version 1. The upside of this version is that, it’s a quickly set effect and requires very little in the way of memory work. The downside is that the pack cannot be shuffled. You could use a false cut or full deck false shuffle casually at the outset to give the impression that the pack is mixed. Since many of your cards are in preset positions, you can add some other cards in their appropriate numerical positions. For instance the 3s could be placed in the 13th and 23rd positions from each end. This will go unnoticed. This increases the number of key cards and, in turn, increases the chance that the spectator will select one of the key cards. 15

Performance The performance of this version is identical to version 1. You will find that counting the blocks of 4 cards between the keys is faster since you can easily glance at the 5s and 10s and they become almost ‘invisible’ in that you effectively ignore them. You see a block of 4 indifferent cards between the 5 and 10 cards and, much like the spots on a die, you see a block of 4 cards without the need to count them. When you spot a group of 3 indifferent cards, you can easily point to that area and to patter that the card was moved from that position. You are pointing roughly to a group of 3 cards. You will know that the chosen card will be near the opposite end of the spread. Locating the group of 5 quickly is very easy. You now need to merely pump from that group to ascertain the selection, just as in version 1. If one of the key cards is chosen, you will soon see that it is out of position. You will find that you can count between the keys at an astonishing speed, you count almost in 5s. Once you discover one of the keys is missing, you will know if it is a 5 or a 10. All you need to do now is to find a 5 or a 10 which is out of position. This will happen at least 8 times in 40 (slightly more since people almost never choose from the last few cards). In other words in more than a fifth of the performances, no pumping will be necessary.

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The 8 Key Variations 2.3 The Photographic Memory I never stop thinking about these variations and about ways I can make them easier or more useful. For several years, I knew there would be a way to instantly stack the key cards during the effect. In other words, you’d have a pre-memorised group of key cards and you’d stack them into the appropriate positions in the pack. Harry Lorayne’s version of this effect does exactly this. He begins with 4 like cards (they could be culled or added via a palm) on the top of the pack and then positions them equally via the use of Faro shuffles. Whilst I am confident I could do 2 Faros under fire, it’s not terribly practical for everyone and it only solves a part of the problem. It requires the spectator to move a card from elsewhere in the pack into this 16 card block. In other words, it’s a fair bit of work, yet still requires some restrictions on the spectator in performance. Despite Lorayne publishing this version, he does make the point that in performance, his memory enables him to do a lot more besides this basic stacking of 4 keys. These extraordinary memory skills were also shared by Moe who admitted that he used a lot of extra memory work in addition to his basic published methods. In seeking to solve this dilemma, I began with sleight of hand; culls, shuffles and side steals. I played with variants of other tricks I knew where cards could be culled into specific positions. Unfortunately, none of these allowed for more than a handful of cards to be re-positioned. None allowed for 6 or 8 cards to be easily placed equidistantly and exactly. The path to the solution lay ironically in an effect I’ve also been performing regularly for over 25 years. The effect comes from a booklet called ‘Aces’ by Walt Maddison. I published a version called “Handful of Aces” in my first set of Australian notes. The pack is cut several times and dropped in piles onto the table and, in this action, the 4 aces are stacked into 4 key positions. The exact handling only allows for 4 cards but it set me thinking about this approach. Initially I had hoped that cutting piles from the top would be sufficient; it isn’t. 17

You begin by handing the spectator the pack and have them shuffle it. As you take the pack back, explain that you will attempt to memorise the pack. Since it would be very hard to do this quickly, you will look for patterns and small groups of cards that you can easily remember. You will appear to grab random handfuls of cards from the pack, apparently memorising the cards as you do so. After every couple of handfuls, you will turn the cards towards the spectators to show them what you are remembering. What you are actually doing is stacking the key cards in every 5th position in the pack. Take back the shuffled pack and fan them towards yourself. You are going to locate the 5s and 10s as in the Easy Code version and you will stack them at every 5th position from the face of the pack, in other words they will be equally spread across the bottom 40 cards. You will not concern yourself about the order of the 5s and 10s; merely that they are at every 5th position. (We will deal with the top 12 in a minute). Begin at the face of the pack. Spot a 5 or 10 and remove it, along with the 4 indifferent cards to the right of it (assuming you are right handed – lefties reverse this instruction). If the first 5 or 10 spot is within the first 5 cards at the face, leave it for now and move on and find the next 5 or 10 spot, you will fix that first block in a moment. You have to ensure that there are no more 5s or 10s in the blocks you remove. You will drop 8 of these blocks of 5 cards face down on the table forming a pile of 40 cards. Each block of 5 has a key card (5 or 10) on top and 4 indifferent cards beneath. As you do this, if there are any obvious patterns in the block you remove, you can turn them around and point them out to the spectators. (You are, in a sense describing how you are purporting to perform the effect). You don’t have to show all of the cards; you simply point out obvious links and patterns. This entire sequence takes around 60 – 90 seconds and you should talk constantly, as if to help yourself to remember. The appearance you give is almost that of a savant. Your dialogue will sound something like this. “I’ll try to remember as much about the cards as I can. I’m looking for patterns in the cards, little blocks that I can easily remember, there’s a pair of red 7s with blacks on either side, there’s a block of 3 pictures together and here’s 2 queens and 2 aces together, that should be easy. Here’s 4 blacks in a run and there’s a bunch of diamonds together.” I don’t have to remember every card; I’m just looking for patterns. Yes! There’s a good poker hand if ever I saw one.” As you say this, you can show some cards, however much of this is pure bluff. You are pretending to name what you see as you feverishly go through the pack but in fact you are simply locating the keys. As you turn the groups of cards to show them, close the groups up a little to hide exactly how many cards you take each time and miscall the numbers so it’s not obvious that you remove 5 cards each time. You can also half turn the packs so that the spectators believe you are trying to show them but simply went to fast. This enhances the illusion that the patterns 18

you describe are real. Remember, this is a fast paced segment and you are quickly working through the cards and simply dropping them in a messy heap on the table. Once you get down to 15 – 20 cards, you might need to clean up the last few 5s and 10s if they are near the face. You can cull a couple of extra cards behind the spread and add them to the right of the key card to make groups of 5. Alternatively, simply blatantly move cards with the words “and I might put that one with these cards and then it will be easy to remember.” Since you make the rules in the effect, and you are apparently demonstrating a giant memory, nothing is off-limits. Once you have 40 cards on the table, you’ll be left with 12 cards in your hand. Spread them in a fan and count from the right. Remember the 5th card from the right; this is your 9th key card and your only piece of memory work! Count the cards to the left i.e. On top of it, to make sure that there are 7 cards and then drop this pile of 12 onto the cards on the table. If there are more or less than 7 cards in this top stock, you will need to work out where you messed up. Spread the cards widely on the table and quickly run over them from the right of the spread and find the point where the key cards have more or less than 4 cards in between. I’ve usually cleaned this up by adding a card from the top of the pack if there are only 3, or removing one if there is are 5. This is done under the pretense of showing the spectator what to do in a moment. That works fine. The alternative is simply to remember where the odd group of cards is. That works too. The more you work at this, the less likely you are to make a mistake. Once you are confident the cards are where they need to be, spread the cards widely on the table. You can now pretend to check on where the groups are in the spread and, as you look across the spread, just recheck the positions of the keys. You are now set to perform the effect as in versions 1 and 2. Turn your back and have a spectator move a card from one spot another. Turn around and simply work from the right. Count the indifferent cards between the key cards until you find a group of 5. You are now ready to pump from this group to find the selection.

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Chapter 3 The Pumping To pump from five cards is relatively easy. In fact, 5 is probably the optimum number and that was one of my reasons for selecting it. Essentially you are going to eliminate 4 cards down to a single card. The amount you have to pump will vary each time you perform this effect and, you should remember that most of the time, it will be quick, simple and, to the observer, invisible. First; some reassurance. The important thing to remember is that whilst you will be only pumping from 5 cards, the spectator is completely unaware of that fact. They selected one card out of 52. They will see you looking at the full pack of 52 cards. To simply guess a card from a full pack would take a lot more steps and would be glaringly obvious. The process in this case is quick and passes almost unnoticed. In fact, this minor narrowing down is pretty consistent with the ability you are purporting to demonstrate. Imagining you had no idea about pumping; the only option open was to ask one card at a time, if a particular card was the selection. The worst case would be that the spectator said “no” 4 times and then you named the card. You would have to be terribly unlucky for this to be the case! What’s more it would still look pretty amazing.

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The good news is that the pumping process will always look better than that. Since you are making statements instead of asking questions, you’ll seem right, even when you aren’t. You will work on diminishing possibilities. In other words, you’ll mentally divide the cards into groups and eliminate them in chunks as efficiently as possible. If you consider all of the possibilities from 5 cards, and break them in subsets which divide into 2, you can eliminate them very easily. The group of 5 cards can be divided into red and black, odd and even, high and low, pictures and spot cards. The smaller groups can be divided into hearts and diamonds or clubs and spades. They can also be high or low and odd or even. Let’s imagine we began with red or black. There are only 3 possibilities. The cards can be all one colour, 4 of one colour and 1 of the other, or 3 of one colour and 2 of the other. In the most common scenario (2 out of 3 times) there is going to be more of one colour than the other so you will generally begin with that.

Step 1 – The Colour Let’s assume there are 3 or 4 reds and therefore 2 or 1 black. “You didn’t choose a red card did you?” If they say yes, you’ll know it’s red and you’ll say. “I thought so.” If they say no, you’ll say, “I thought not, most people choose red first but I picked you for the kind of person who would go for a black.” If you ask this question for the colour with the highest number of cards, it will allow you to eliminate a colour without the need to appear to get anything wrong. The outcome of this question will tell you exactly what colour was chosen and you will have between 1 and 4 cards to choose from. If there is only 1 card of the chosen colour, you can remove it straight away and show it as the selection. *(Naturally, if there were 5 of the one colour between the keys, this step is eliminated).

Step 2 – The Suit Continuing from the above scenario, you will now have between 2 and 4 cards of one colour to pump from. They will generally be from 2 suits. From the above statement, I will not pause; I simply name the suit with the most cards. “….and I think it was a heart.” This is spoken as a statement and not a question. If the spectator confirms, 22

I move straight to the value, if not, I immediately say. “Sorry, I meant a diamond.” I don’t even pause or look up; in my mind, it’s a legitimate mistake and I carry right on. *If they are all from the same suit, you will skip this stage and go for the value. *If there is only one card from the chosen suit, you simply name it as the selection.

Step 3 – The Value You could still have 2 or 3 cards of one suit to pump from. You will again go with the majority. There could be more spot cards or more pictures. There could be more odd cards than even. Mentally you work out how to divide the remaining cards in 2 groups. You deliver this as a statement just as above. “I’m pretty sure I’ve got it. The value of the card, is it an odd number?” You may have narrowed down to 2 now, you could go high or low, depending on the values. In this situation, if they are close, such as a 5 and 7 of hearts, I’ll generally guess. And as I do it, since the cards are close together in the spread, I’ll simply take them both out and claim that I knew it was one or the other.

Other pathways What I’ve described above is probably the most common path magicians take to eliminate but often it’s better to go with something other than colour as the first step. Look at the 5 cards carefully and consider whether there is a more efficient way to eliminate. You may jump right into naming the suit if there are 4 hearts for example. It gives you a ‘hit.’ I will almost always look to mentally divide the cards into a group of 3 and a group of 2. There may be 3 picture cards and just 2 spots, 3 odd cards and 2 evens. Let’s work through a few examples. Imagine you see these five cards. 4 of hearts, 2 of diamonds, Jack of spades, 10 of hearts, 5 of clubs. Assuming the spectator had chosen the Jack of spades.

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M: You didn’t choose a red card did you? S: No M: I didn’t think so, I had a feeling you’d go for black and I think it’s a spade right? S: Yes M: You moved it from over here to here; it’s the Jack of spades.

Assuming the spectator had chosen the 2 of diamonds. M: You didn’t choose a red card did you? S: Yes M: I thought so, and it’s a heart. S: No M: No, sorry, you moved it from this side, to here and it’s the 2 of diamonds. Assuming they chose the 10 of hearts. M: You didn’t choose a red card did you? S: Yes M: I thought so, and it’s a heart. S: Yes M: It wasn’t the four of hearts? S: No 24

M: No, it was the 10 of hearts. In this example, there are 2 cards to choose from. You simply take a guess and will be either right or wrong. In a magic sense, this feels wrong but think of what you are trying to show, how little is said considering we are talking about an entire shuffled pack. It’s actually 3 steps but it feels like only 1 or 2.

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Chapter 4 Afterthoughts Easy wins I will usually state the easy wins. Let’s say there are 4 hearts and a diamond. There is an 80% chance the selection is going to be one of the hearts. I will say, “I know it’s a red card and it’s a heart” If they happen to say “no” you simply pick up the diamond and show it. You can also say that you knew it was either that card or the one right next to it. Again, this used to bother me but you begin to realise that close enough is still right. Remember, there are 52 cards and they believe you have memorised them. If you carry straight on and don’t pause they accept it as a win. What if the spectator removes one of your key cards? Since you have 8 key cards and your instructions tend to lead people away from the centre block, there is a good chance that a key card will be chosen. In fact, out of a block of 20 cards, there are 4 keys and so the chances are 1 in 5 at a minimum. If the spectator does remove a key card, you already know the value so once you know which block of 5 the key card is in, you only need to eliminate other cards with the same value. 27

What if another card of the same value is next to your key card; won’t that get confusing? Actually; no. The basic method of this effect is only the beginning. You should work hard to notice other quirks and patterns that exist in the spread. We’ll look at this shortly. What if someone chooses one of the cards in the centre block? If a card is removed from the centre block and is placed into another section, you still have a block of 5 cards from which to pump as in the regular method. Counting 11 cards in the centre will tell you that this is where the card came from. What if they place a selected card into the centre block? This is fractionally more difficult, but not much. If you get the demonstration right at the beginning, it is very unlikely to occur but it might. In all the years, I have performed this, it has rarely occurred. After a while, you begin to be able to add extra information to your 8 digit key. I tended to remember a single or double key card from somewhere in the centre block. If an ace or king existed there, it’s a good one to use. Remembering the 26th and 27th cards – i.e. The 2 cards right in the centre side by side is another way to do this – if you remember them as a combined value – say 15, it’s a peculiar number after your phone number and therefore it helps it to stick. If, despite all your efforts, you do have a card replaced into this block and you haven’t remembered a key, you will need to eliminate 12 cards to identify it. You can state right away that they have put the card close to the centre and that will make my job a little harder... This is a hit, and the process has not started yet. Depending on the combination of cards in the centre section, the elimination may or may not be as easy as from 5 cards. I’d jump into the pumping sequence and work from there. It almost always works out easier than you think. If all else fails, get them to tell you the card, remove it and place it back where you believe it came from – since there are only 3 cards in that section, you can only be a maximum of 2 cards out (an effect in itself) and ask a 2nd person to move a card. Getting a hit the second time negates any slip from the first time. Rather like the trapeze artist who has 2 attempts at the impossible stunt, it can actually add to the drama.

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What if all this still sounds a little scary? I’d implore you to try it with your immediate family. Go for the Easy Code version first and get used to the pumping. Remember 2 key cards in the centre so you don’t have to worry about that block. To get used to the pumping, grab out bunches of 5 cards from a face down pack and work out how you would begin the pumping sequence and then give it a try. I’m confident you will find it easier than you expect. Whilst you are learning the pumping in performance, begin to practice the 8 digit code by yourself until you are confident with that. Once you get used to that part, begin to put the 2 elements together and allow the pack to be shuffled. You remember more than you think. The more you practice and perform this effect, the more confident you will get with your memory. Moe learnt to perform the trick working in a warehouse that had hundreds of stock cards. He began memorising the details on the cards including, not only stock figures, but also who bought what, how many, and when. Try to notice patterns and quirks in the arrangement. The trick is not to try and memorise them but merely to notice them and move on. Your memory will retain much more than you think. Here are some examples. Groups of similar cards such as 4 or 5 heart spot cards Runs of like colours 4 picture cards together A pair or trio of aces A run of consecutive numbers 3, 4, 5. These will stick in your mind without the need to physically commit them to memory. If a card with the same value as the key card sits alongside your key, simply remember that too as an exception. It’s quite easy to add one or two of these exceptions to your 8 digit “phone number.”

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Chapter 5 The Stack Ideas If you are content to perform Move a Card without the pack being fully shuffled by the spectator at the outset, then your options are many. Essentially any memorised stack will allow you to perform the effect since you need only look for a card which is out of stack sequence. There are two major downsides of performing with a stack. Firstly, you need to not only know the stack but you should also be very familiar with it. The familiarity will be key, since the second issue is that you have to look at potentially a large part of the pack, one card at a time to see which card is out of position. It is not as easy to quickly spot the card. (Another upside is you will know the exact card whether you find the card itself out of sequence, or if you find the spot it’s missing from). The following effect variation can be performed with any known stack. It can add extra dimensions to the effect and, following it, I give you a couple of methods which not only simplify the handling but also speed up the revelation considerably.

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Variation 1 - Si Stebbins Stack Move a Card, Remove a Card What the audience sees The magician removes a pack of cards which he shuffles and cuts several times. He spreads them widely on the table and claims he will memorise the cards in order. The cards are spread and the magician scans his eyes across the spread, apparently memorising the cards. The cards are turned over and re-spread face down. The magician requests a spectator to choose a card from anywhere in the pack and to remember it and move it to another position. He asks the spectator to straighten the cards so he can’t see where the cards were moved. As an afterthought, the magician turns to talk to a second spectator. “I might get you to make things a little more interesting, and at the same time a little more tricky for me. Will you please remove a card from anywhere and place it in your pocket. Again, straighten the cards so I can’t see where you removed the card from.” He turns around and states that he couldn’t possibly know, other than by memory, where the cards were moved from or indeed where a single card was moved to. The cards are re-spread, again face up, and the magician reaches into the spread and removes one card. Sure enough, this is the card which was moved. He places it immediately back to its correct position. Turning to the 2nd spectator, he names the missing card which the spectator removes from his pocket.

Set Up The Si Stebbins stack is an underused resource. Many magicians claim that the increasing and repetitive number sequence and the red/black sequence are easily spotted. I’ve used Stebbins for 30+ years and, to my knowledge, nobody ever spotted it. I have friends who use it and they report the same. The red/black sequence, as you’ll see is a really useful characteristic for this particular effect. If it bothers any of you that much that you won’t use it then there are alternatives. Docc Hilford, Richard Osterlind and several others have published “improvements” to Stebbins which makes the sequence a little less obvious. The fact I know about these (and own them) should be enough to convince you that they are unnecessary but, if you feel the need, go for it! 32

Briefly, to place your pack in the Si Stebbins stack, the cards will be in CHaSeD order – Clubs, Hearts, Spades, Diamonds and each card will increase by a value of 3 from the previous card. The stack is cyclic so the last card in the pack cycles back to the first which means that the cards can be cut and the cut completed many times over. They can also be mixed by means of the Charlier shuffle (or indeed any false cut or shuffle) without the order being destroyed. This is explained in the moves section at the end of this book. The first few cards are AC, 4H, 7S, 10D, KC, 3H, 6S, 9D and so on. The last card will be the Jack of Diamonds. Adding 3 to the Jack (11) gets you back to 1 and following Diamonds is Clubs. The stack has come full circle. If this is your first experience of Stebbins, a Google search will bring up plenty of resources (unfortunately!).

Performance Remove the cards from the box and explain that you will attempt to memorise the order of the pack. As you are saying this, false cut or shuffle cards and perform a couple of genuine single cuts. Put the cards on the table and have the spectator cut the pack and complete the cut. Explain that you will memorise the order of the cards. (In the Move 2 Cards chapter you will find a good presentational premise for this, together with patter. This presentation will work equally well here). Spread the cards widely on the table. Pretend to be concentrating intensely on the cards. I’ll often mumble some nonsense to myself as if partially revealing my memory system. “Two, ten, black cat, red ball, thirty three, 2001, spade, shovel boat afloat, black, black, red head.” When you reach the end of the spread, turn the pack face down and spread the pack wide on the table but face down. Turn to a spectator and explain what you want them to do. “Once I’ve turned away, remove a card from anywhere in the pack, remember the card and move it to another spot. Make sure you concentrate on straightening the cards so I can’t tell where you moved the card from.” Turn your back as they are doing this and have someone tell you once it is complete. Turning to a 2nd spectator, you request that they remove a card. “I might make this a little more interesting. Would you remove a card from anywhere in the spread and place it in your pocket.”

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Have a spectator square the pack and turn back around. Re-spread the cards face-up. As you look across the spread, you will observe 3 pairs of like coloured cards. In other words, the red-black sequence will be broken in 3 places. Take a look at those 3 pairs. In one of the 3, you will find a card out of place. In other words, an extra card, which does not belong in the sequence. Remove this card and place it back into the correct spot in the spread (it will go between the 2 cards in one of the other pairs). This will leave you with one odd pair of cards of a single colour. The card missing from between these 2 cards is the one in the 2nd spectator’s pocket. This is a lot easier to do than it sounds here. Try it a couple of times and you’ll agree. If you are at all concerned at the pack laying in full view, you can fan the cards between your hands. Alternatively you can lessen the time that the cards are in view. Simply forgo the replacement of the moved card, remove it from the spread, show it, and scoop the pack up. At this point you will already know the missing card so you can go on to name that card.

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Variation 2 - The Invisible Stack This is an idea I’ve used in 2 or 3 of my effects over the years and it has served me very well. (If my Utility Pack ever sees the light of day, the basis of this idea is used to very good effect there). The Invisible Pack, or Ultra Mental Pack as it was known before Don Alan popularised the presentation, is a very common magician’s effect. Most of us have used it at one time or another and I’m a self-confessed Invisible Pack junkie. In the Invisible Pack, the cards are paired as opposite suits Hearts with Spades and Diamonds with Clubs and the pairs of cards add up to 13. It uses up the full Pack and creates a system to link the cards which you need to perform the effect. I took that basic pairing system (one I already knew very well) and added it to other tricks. The Utility Pack uses it in double faced cards, my take on the Menetekel Pack (or indeed the Multi-Effect Pack) uses it too and it allows for an advantage for me over the traditional versions of those effects. (That’s a discussion for another book……….. or 2). The ‘13’ becomes instinctive very quickly and you stop doing the mathematics as you know immediately which card you need to make the pair. I see a 9 of spades and think of a 4 of hearts immediately. This approach also offers an advantage over Si Stebbins (although forgoing another in which to do so) and, as you’ll see, it can offer advantages over a traditional memorised stack too. To set up, pair the cards according to the invisible pack pairings so that the red and blacks are in a common pattern red, black, red, black, red, black as described above and then place them back into a full pack in any order you like. Aside from the red-black pattern, which is only obvious for anyone really staring at the pack, there is otherwise no pattern. The busy nature of the card designs, plus the intermittent picture cards, make the red-black pattern almost invisible. The kings are paired heart with spade and diamond with club. When a card is moved from one place to another in this arrangement (as with the Si Stebbins), 2 anomalies occur. You will create a pair of red cards in one place and a pair of blacks somewhere else. This allows you to instantly spot the places the card was moved to and from. The only hiccup in this version is that 50% of the time you will not know which of the 2 cards in the pair has been moved. This is why. When a card is moved, it will either go between 2 pairs or between the 2 cards of a single pair so there are 2 outcomes. Either you will know instantly which of the 2 cards has been moved or you will need to pump for red or black. Look first at the red pair and black pair. If the stranger card is between 2 cards from a pair, then you can name it straight away. If both cards are between 2 pairs you will need to pump for red or black and then you can name the card. If you decide to have a card removed as well as a card moved then you will have an extra pair of one colour. Looking at the 3 pairs, you will still need to watch for the 2 outcomes from above. If the moved card falls between 2 35

cards of a pair, continue as would have done in the Si Stebbins version. If however the strangers fall between 2 pairs, you may find it easier to work out which card is missing from the spread first. What then is the advantage over Si Stebbins? The cards are in a sequence and not an order. If you hold the pack face up, you can cut piles of cards onto the table and either drop them onto a single pile or make several piles and reconstitute the pack in any order. The only proviso being that you have the same colour card on the face of each pile you cut. If you don’t square the Pack and then you cut the piles sloppily, cards beneath the face card can be seen and the fact that each pile may have a red card on the face is no longer an issue. To begin experimenting with this, spread the cards out broadly on the table face down and simply take a card from one place and move it somewhere else without looking at it. Now re-spread the cards face up and take a look at the new order. Once you get used to the moved card variations, try sliding a card face down from the spread as well and work your way through the 3 pairs.

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Chapter 6 Move Two Cards This effect was originally published over 50 years ago by Martin Gardner. I only recently discovered that fact but I have been performing it for around 30 years in various guises. (The stage version which follows is a particular favourite). For 10 years I taught a basic magic course and this effect was week 1, trick 1. The reason I used it in that position was that it is so strong and so amazing, yet incredibly easy to perform. Anyone with a fear of handling cards had nothing to worry about. The timing and premise I’ve put in place ensures that it’s not only entertaining but bullet proof. I have performed this effect more than anything else in this book, so I’ve given you all the little observations and additions that make it a really complete piece. Although I’ve performed and taught it for so long, this is the first time it has seen print.

What the audience sees. A pack of cards is shown and openly shuffled. The magician claims he will memorise the pack in a record time. He spreads the cards widely on the table and, whilst being timed by a spectator, he works his way across the pack 37

apparently memorising them. He calls ‘stop’ and remarkably matches his record. The cards are closed up and respread face down. He asks 2 spectators to each remove a card from the spread whilst his back is turned. The spectators are asked to remember their cards, they then swap cards and replace the new card in the position where they took their original card from. The pack is now squared up. This all takes place whilst the magician’s back is turned. He turns back around and picks up the pack. Without pausing he looks through the pack and removes 2 cards. The spectators are asked to name their cards. The magician turns the 2 cards around and they are of course correct. You might take a moment to read that again and consider just how strong the effect is for laymen. A shuffled pack, looked at for 11 seconds, you touch nothing, in fact your back is turned. Cards are not removed, simply moved within the pack and yet you know which they are 100% of the time with no moves, no pumping and no gimmicks. In a dealer ad, it would sound too good to be true. The fact is this routine has been hidden in the literature for so long, it’s almost unknown. If this is your first exposure to this idea, I confidently predict that it will quickly become a favourite. I’ve fooled some very knowledgeable magicians with this over many years.

Set up The basic method for this effect is this. The cards are divided into 2 distinct halves. A card from part A winds up in part B and vice versa and you are able to spot the stranger cards. When I was originally shown this routine as a teenager, the cards were divided into odds and evens (indeed on stage, I still use that version as it’s a little quicker to spot, hence the variation which follows.). Gardener’s version of the groupings however is more invisible in close-up and will stand more examination. You begin by dividing the pack into 2 groups. ‘Hook’ cards and non-hook cards. Take a look at the indexes of the following cards and you will see that that they each have a ‘hook’ shape at the top or bottom. 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 9, J. The remaining cards have ‘closed’ or ‘flat’ indexes A, 4, 8, 10, Q, K. Remove all the hook cards (there will be 28) and shuffle them and place them in a pile face down on the table. Check the remaining cards (there will be 24), shuffle them and then place this pile on top. Spread the cards face up on the table and you’ll see that they look completely mixed. There is no obvious pattern or stack. Each half has a mixture of red and black, pictures and spots, odds and evens.

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Hook Cards

Non-Hook Cards

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Method and Presentation In order to ensure that you give yourself the maximum opportunity to nail this first time, it pays to set the ideal conditions. I will only perform this on a decent sized table (like the end of a dining table) with a spectator sitting to my right and one to my left. I have also performed in on a card table often and that is an ideal surface. It’s not ideally suited to the floor or a small coffee table. If the spectators are standing, they are too mobile and it allows for mistakes. This will be apparent as you work through the mechanics. I have included the patter and timing and you’ll see how this allows me to manipulate the spectators. “Magicians use all kinds of psychological techniques and mind tricks to help them create magic and if you want to get really good, one thing you need to practice is memorising cards, you know the world memory champion can memorise 30 shuffled packs of cards in order. That’s almost 1600 cards. Tonight, I’m going to attempt to equal my own record….…52” Remove the pack from the box and begin to casually overhand shuffle the first half of the pack with the faces pointing towards the audience (explained in more detail in the move chapter at the end of this book). Having the ‘hook’ cards on the face, gives you slightly more than half the pack to work with. Try not to look at your hands whilst you do this. This is a very convincing false shuffle since you are genuinely shuffling cards and the spectators can see the face card changing constantly. “I know it doesn’t sound so impressive but the difference I’ve added is speed, my personal best is 52 cards in 11 seconds. I need someone to help by timing me. Does anyone have a watch with a second hand? Or even a second hand watch? You do sir. OK, I’ll spread the cards but I won’t look until you tell me.” Ribbon spread the cards in a wide arc on the table. Use as much space as you can. This aids the illusion of memorising lots of cards and sets the spectators up for the spread you will do in a moment. “Ok, tell me when to go.” Once the spectator says “go,” begin at the left hand end of the arc and stare at the cards, moving your gaze across the spread. As you do this, count in your mind one, one thousand, two one thousand, three one thousand, up to 11. Time it so you get to the end of the spread as you count 11. As soon as you reach 11, say “stop”,scoop the spread up quickly in one movement and set the pack on the table face down. If you practice this a few times you’ll get to the point where you’ll get the timing pretty close to spot on every time. You’ll surprise yourself at how easy it is. On a watch with a second hand, anything between 10 and 12 seconds will count as 11 and the spectator generally plays 40

along. It’s not a miracle but it adds a neat moment. I make a lot of fuss about the fact that I’ve equaled my record. This proves funny to the spectators since, at this point they will not believe that you have memorised the pack. This fact adds tremendously to the deception later on. Spread the cards in the same wide arc that you used before, but this time face down. “In a moment I’m going to turn my back and, once my back is turned, I’d like you Fred, to slide a card out from the spread. Make sure you remember the exact spot you removed the card from.” As you say these words, turn to the spectator on your left and look him directly in the eye, ensure you have eye contact as you deliver the instructions. Hold your hands palm down over his half of the spread and gesture by pushing your hands towards him. (below left and right). The eye contact will ensure he is not distracted and is listening to a direct instruction. Your hand gesture is telling him that he should simply slide a card out from his half. Don’t be tempted to say “from this half.” Any narrowing of the choice sets alarm bells ringing. Your gesture and words will be enough. Now turn to the spectator on your right and repeat this exact series of steps with the eye contact and hand gestures.

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“And I’d like you Charlie to also slide a card out from the spread and remember exactly where you got that card from and then I’ll tell you both what to do next.” In the many years I’ve performed magic, I’ve had a number of effects in which the spectators are required to perform an often simple action, whilst your back is turned. I’ve had them go wrong many times, especially when I was very young. There are a myriad of things which can go wrong in this situation. Many performers simply blame the spectators for being stupid; however the reverse is often true. Communication is the job of the performer. If the spectator does not understand fully what is expected, it isn’t their fault. In this effect, and indeed any effect where this kind of action is required, look at directly into their face, speak slowly and clearly and look for signs of recognition. They will nod and acknowledge in such a way as to communicate to you that they do understand. The other issue which can occur is that you will get an audience member who is drunk or mischievous enough as to try and mess you around deliberately. In this situation, you have a few things which you can do to minimise this interference. The first, we’ve already discussed; a direct instruction delivered slowly and clearly with full eye contact. The next thing you can do in extreme circumstances is to change spectator at this point if you have any doubt as to whether they will play along. I’ve only had to do this once. Strangely it was a young girl at a corporate function. She was hell bent on messing me about from the first minute and I gained more kudos for moving her than I might have done, had I continued. As you turn your back, you ask each spectator to slide a card out from the spread. When you do this, turn your body slightly in each direction and your head a little further and you will find that your peripheral vision will allow you to see if the spectator is moving unnaturally forwards, or leaning excessively over the table. It is very unlikely that this will occur, however if it does, you know that things are not going to go according to plan. At this point you will need to change tack and we’ll look at this exception shortly. “Now, I’d like you each to look at your card and remember it.” “In fact show it to a couple of people sitting close to you.” “Once, you’ve done that, swap cards and tell me when you’ve done that.” “Now put your new card in the exact place where you took your original card from.” These instructions are delivered one at a time, slowly and directly so as to ensure a clear understanding. I pause a little at this point. I’ve watched videos of myself performing this and an interesting thing happens at this point. When the spectator returns the card to the spread, he will straighten the cards and make them neat. He is expecting 42

you to turn around at this point and his only explanation of how you will discover the cards is the untidy movement in the spread. I assume that the other spectators are thinking in the same way. I use this to my advantage. “Can someone tell me if the cards are back in the pack?” “Great, now Fred, can you scoop all of the cards up into a neat pile please.” In much the same as Juan Tamariz likes to send you up a pathway and then shut down your thoughts of how things might be done, so this will stop the spectators in their tracks. Two cards were selected at random, simply moved and somehow you will find them. The spectators are fascinated to see how this effect will proceed. Turn around and pick up the cards and begin looking through. You will simply need to find the ‘hook’ card in the ‘non-hook’ section and vice versa. This is an easy process but I implore you to practice it many times until you get used to it. It is easy to skip over a card if you are not concentrating. I like to mime as if this is a difficult process; I also talk to myself and mumble words as if I’m using a memory system to locate the cards. I’ll upjog a card and then push it down again to increase the illusion that I’m struggling. As you reach the selections, upjog them and continue to work to the end of the pack. Remove the 2 cards and hold them with their backs towards the spectators. “Fred, what was your card?” Look at the cards and don’t react. “And Charlie, what was your card?” Look at the cards and don’t react. “It doesn’t work every time……But it did today.” Turn the cards around and show them to be correct. At this point, I throw the cards on the pack, pick the cards up and begin shuffling them as I’m thanking the spectators for their help. This revelation allows me to employ one of my favourite techniques. The graph of interest/emotion would drop at the point you ask for the cards as the spectators will really believe that the effect had failed. Turning the cards around and dramatically proving that you were correct, and raising your voice and tempo in jubilation shoots the graph up almost vertically. This wave of emotion, like a huge laugh, causes the spectators to spontaneously react, applaud, and amazingly forget everything which went before. This is the very reason most people forget jokes when they go to a comedian’s show. I enjoy effects which allow spectators a peep behind the curtain. If they genuinely believe that they are getting some inside information, their interest level will be higher. In this case, the memorisation seems very unlikely at the outset, almost to the point of a joke. By the end of the effect, it is the only possible explanation. The irony of performing a 43

trick where you apparently explain at the outset exactly what you are doing, appear to do exactly what you said you would do, yet achieve it by another method makes me chuckle. This, combined with the revelation makes this a real favourite of mine. I hope you get the same pleasure from it.

Afterthoughts What to do if one spectator lean’s over and removes a card from the opposite side. It’s all very well knowing that this has occurred, but what do you do about it? As I said already, it’s an unlikely occurrence but if it does happen you need to head in an alternate direction. At the point you know that it has occurred, turn around and scoop the cards up. The 2 selections will be either on the table or in the hands of the spectators. Either way; ask the spectators to pick the cards up and remember them. Turn your back as they do that. Now pick up the pack and have them place the cards back into the pack. If they were selected from the bottom half, they will need to go back in the top and vice versa. One way to do this, is to dribble the cards and have them throw the cards in. You can control the dribble so that you either go slowly with the first half and drop the rest as a block or drop a block and then dribble slowly depending on which half you need to return the cards to. You now proceed as before and look through the pack and discover the 2 cards out of place. You can’t be half right. If you look through the ‘hook’ section and find a ‘non-hook’ card and then look through the ‘non-hook’ section and can’t find a ‘hook’ card then you have made a mistake. In this effect, it is not possible to be half right. If a ‘hook’ card has been moved to the ‘non-hook’ section, then the opposite must also be true. There is only one exception to this and in thousands of performances, this has happened to me only twice. If a spectator removes the very last card in the ‘hook’ section; i.e. at the point the changeover occurs and the second spectator removes a ‘non-hook’ card as normal, the ‘non-hook’ card is placed between the 2 sections in the middle of the spread and, in effect becomes the last ‘non-hook’ card. In this situation, if you have looked a couple of times through the second section and still can’t find a card out of place, it will be the first card in the other section.

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What if I look through and can’t find cards out of place? The simple fact here is that the spectators have both selected cards from the same section and simply swapped their positions. The solution to this is to begin the effect from scratch. This is a pretty remarkable feat and not nailing it first time can add to strength of the effect. Remember the trapeze analogy. Explain that you are not sure and that you will start over, do the same false shuffle you did at the outset and proceed exactly as you did first time. Explain again, exactly what you want the spectators to do. Use the hand gestures in precisely the same way. A wide and even spread will help to eliminate this possibility. And you should practice your ribbon spread. A good way to do this is to arrange the cards for this effect and spread them face up over and over again. Aim to get the spread as wide and even as you can and each time you spread, take a look at where the 2 sections meet. This should be as close to the centre of the spread as you can get it. (and, therefore the centre of the table and well away from a seated spectator). Having a cloth on the table, especially one with a little give, will help to create the friction necessary for a good spread. I find that using downward pressure from the first finger (or forefinger) helps to regulate the spread. A close-up mat will never be big enough to give you the ideal size of spread necessary. A card table is ideal if you can use one. Mine is a bridge table made in Sweden and although it was not expensive, it’s great for this effect.

Alternatives to the ‘hook’ system. As I mentioned at the outset, I worked with this effect for many years using an odd, even separation. Odds are A, 3, 5, 7, 9, J and K with evens being 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, Q. This version works perfectly well. The cards are only seen for 11 seconds face up and it will easily pass scrutiny for that length of time. In fact, nobody ever spotted it. I still use this version for the stage effect which follows. “Closed and Open” figures is an alternative to the ‘hook’ and is effectively the same. You may find it easier and so I include it here for completeness. Closed figures are ones in which the index has a closed loop or section within the number. The closed figures are A, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, Q. Open figures are 2, 3, 5, 7, J, K. Both of these splits will give you a separation of 28 and 24 cards and each is equally effective and invisible. You can choose to use whichever suits you best.

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Setting up on the fly I have often set up a pack in impromptu situations whilst performing other effects. This becomes an easier task over time, as you become more familiar with the groups of cards. I have also set up packs in people’s houses on many occasions. If I spot a pack of cards on a shelf or sideboard, I will ‘borrow’ them and excuse myself to the bathroom or even re-set them whilst the host is out of the room. I’ll leave the cards where they were and wait until asked to do something. If that doesn’t occur, I have been known to bring the subject around to memory or card tricks. I generally ask if they have a pack and wait to be handed them. It is the perfect introduction to the effect. I’ve done this for Out Of This World also. Where can we take this idea? As I am finishing this book off, I have been reviewing some new products for the magic shop and one of those is a DVD from Tango Magic called Invisible Stack. Without tipping the contents of the DVD, let me say that if you’ve enjoyed the ‘Move 2 Cards’ effect, then you should buy the DVD. It’s around $25 and will be money well spent. You should pick and choose from this DVD but I definitely recommend it.

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Chapter 7 Colossal Card Memory The Colossal Card Memory previously appeared in my book MindStorms. It grew out the need to plug a 5 minute gap during one of my convention shows. The incumbent audience had seen me so many times before; I needed something new in a hurry. To my delight, this effect not only went down very well, it has become a feature of my lectures and, remarkably, fools magicians badly. If that weren’t enough reason to learn it, it’s also self-working! The construction is a good example of a technique that Fitzkee and others have called ‘magnification.’ Taking smaller effects and increasing the size of them for stage use. My original performance used a jumbo Bicycle pack and clearly that would work fine. It took on a new lease of life when I discovered the Colossal Playing Cards made by US Game Systems. This pack is larger than A4 size and very well made. There are a number of companies making a similar pack. This is what Bob Cassidy would describe as a ‘macro’ effect. It has a huge chunk of audience involvement; it 47

creates a great sense of fun in the crowd and is somehow reminiscent of some of the great effects used by David Berglas.

What the audience sees A huge pack of cards is handed to the audience for shuffling. The cards are shown briefly to the performer who claims to memorise them. Two cards are selected and shown whilst the performer’s back is turned. The two cards are shuffled back into the giant pack. The cards are collected and handed to the performer who manages to find the two selections.

Requirements A pack of Jumbo or Colossal Cards. A regular pack of cards. An audience of around 100+

Set Up Divide the large cards into Odd and Even numbers; i.e. the top half of the pack contains the odd numbered cards and the bottom half the even. You should also have an easily spotted card at the beginning of the odd stack; I like to use the ace of clubs.

Performance Bring out the regular pack and ask a spectator in the front row to shuffle the pack and then retrieve them. Looking towards the back of the audience you comment. “I wanted to show you something with these cards but I can see it’s going to be hard for you to see exactly what’s going on.” Remove the giant cards and hand them to the same guy – This is a good sight gag. “Shuffle those will you.” Before he is able to begin you take the cards back explaining. “It’s going to be hard to shuffle the whole pack at once, we’ll divide them up to make it a little easier.” 48

Walk to the far left of the audience and give a quarter of the cards to a spectator of the end of the row. Move about a quarter of the way in from the side and hand out another quarter of the pack being sure to cut at the half way point – The ace of clubs. A simple edge marked card would also enable you to do this without fumbling. Walk to the far right side of the front row and hand out half of your remaining cards and then move back a quarter of the way in and hand the remaining pile. Ask each of the 4 spectators to keep their cards face down and to shuffle them thoroughly. You will now ask the shufflers to take one card and pass the rest behind them. The cards are now distributed one by one so that one side of the audience has the even half and the other side has the odd half. You need to keep reasonable control now to ensure that there is a section in the centre of the audience who have no cards. Make sure that the cards are kept facing down. You now explain that you will try to memorise all the cards and their relative positions. This you claim you can do in two shots of 8 seconds. Ask for a person with a second hand on their watch to time you. “No I didn’t say a second hand watch sir, I said, does it have a second hand?” Have all the people with cards stand up. Indicate to everyone on one side of the audience that they must hold their cards up above their heads, faces towards you, until you tell them to stop. “Hold them up when I say go…. GO……Right, got them, put them down and sit back down” Count to yourself from when you say go one thousand two thousand etc until you get to 7 thousand. Stop, how long was that, 7 seconds? I’ve beaten my record.” You now do the same with the other side of the audience, again in 7 seconds. This pre-occupation with timing and the general hubbub and movement provides the misdirection which ensures that nobody is aware of the pattern which exists in the audience. It is also hard to get a panoramic view from anywhere except where you are standing. It’s simply a mixture of red and black cards, pictures and spots. Once everyone is seated, have the original shuffler in the centre stand-up. Turn your back and ask him to select a card holder from each side of the audience and ask them to join him at the front. The cards are shown to the audience and you now ask the two chosen volunteers to swap cards and return to their places. You now have the four shufflers collect up their cards until there are four piles. At this point you turn around and retrieve the 4 piles reforming the pack. You job is now simple, look through the pack and retrieve the odd card from the even section

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and vice versa. Once I have located the cards I like to put the pack down and hold the two cards, one in each hand with their backs to the audience. “Who was it that selected the two cards? Would you stand up please, what was your card? What was your card? (Pause for the count of 3), It doesn’t always work, (pause) but it did tonight!” Turn the two cards around dramatically revealing them either side of your face and you are in the applause position. This effect can work equally well in a magic or mental performance. I’ve used it very effectively as an MC piece and you can use it for a family audience too.

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Chapter 8 Move a Card – The Moves The False Shuffle This is the false overhand shuffle used in the Move 2 Cards effect. With a normal overhand shuffle, the cards are held at a 90 degree angle to the spectators. The backs of the cards are usually facing away from the palm. The spectators are unable to see the faces of the cards and they can see that the full deck is being shuffled. In this version of the shuffle, hold the pack with faces away from the palm and turn your body so that the faces of the cards are angled towards the spectators. (top left) Using your thumb and middle finger, grab small blocks of cards from behind the face card (top right) and shuffled them over onto the face of the pack. (bottom left and right). 51

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The Charlier Shuffle This really is one of the most effective false shuffles. I was reminded about its effectiveness when I was working with Richard Paddon on the Symbology project. As we worked through the handlings for it there, we were in agreement that it was even more effective if it was done face up and in a sloppy manner. I recommend you do it that way here too. Hold the pack face up and loosely spread in your left hand and not perfectly square. Remove a little more than half the pack from the top using your right hand with thumb on top and fingers below. (left and right below).

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Move the packet of cards in your right hand below the packet in your left. (below left) Using your right thumb, feed a few cards from the top of the right hand packet underneath those in the left hand gripping them under the packet with the left fingers. (below right)

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Now move the right hand’s packet above the left hand’s packet and, using the right fingers, feed a few cards from the underside of the right packet onto the top of the left packet where they are gripped with the left thumb. You can now repeat each of the above actions 2 or 3 times until you have exhausted the cards in the right hand. This shuffle is so effective, the first couple of times, you should have the cards in numeric order in order to prove to yourself that it is indeed false. It really will fool you. I remember showing this at a lecture once and an incredibly famous US close-up guy came up to me later to go over it with me. Even at a snail’s pace, he was still not convinced it was a false shuffle. He had somehow managed 20 years of conventions including awards at FISM for cards and still was not aware of it!

When the shuffle is complete, you will have a different card on the top and bottom but the cards will still be in the original order. If you do want to go back to exactly the original position, you’ll need to cut to the original face card. In some routines I do where this is necessary, I use a corner short.

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The Ribbon Spread To achieve an even and wide ribbon spread, you do need to cards to be in reasonable condition. If they are old, dirty or sticky in any way, you will struggle to get anything half decent. I have to confess, I never read much on ribbon spreading, I just did it hundreds of times until I felt I’d got something which looked and felt good. My best tip on this is to use the first finger or fore finger to apply pressure to the long edge of the deck and to regulate the speed that the cards are allowed to come free from the deck. In a sense, you are pushing the cards downwards towards the surface of the table. You should also be able to move quite briskly (below).

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