Wesley James Enchantments.pdf

Matt Field provided much advice and assistance in the editing of chis book in an earlier form, which greatly benefited the present volume. Max Maven, Harvey Rosenthal, Peter D u s e , Paul Gordon, Alan Shaxon, Michael Weber, Jim Cuthbert, Nick Ttosr and Gene Matsuura all aided with historical and bibliographic details. George Dailey did yeoman labor in researching information on Herbert Milton. And Noel Coughlin, Jason England and Newell Unfried lent welcome and vigilant eyes to the galley proofs. All these men gave generously of their time and knowledge, and the author and publisher are more in their debt than this simple note of thanks can express.

Copyright O 2004 by Wesley James and Stephen Minch. All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by Hermetic Press, Inc., Seattle. Printed in the United States of America. ISBN 0-945296-45-2 First Edition

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CONTENTS Preface Introduction

PART ONE: FORGERY, PACKETS & PRINCIPLES SECTIONONE:FORGERY Forgery SECTIONWo: ACEEFFECTS Trapped Ace Surprise Catch-Ace-Trap-ee April Fools' Aces Ace and Three-Card Vanishes Ace and Four-Card Vanishes Catalytic Progressive Aces PACKETEFFECTS SECTIONTHREE: Below Zero Minus One The Spread Displacement The Marlo Flexible Count Grip ~ The J E H H F O Count Semaj-Novrec Masked Packet Reverse Snap Reverse Turn Me Down Why Don't You The James Gang The Marlo-James Multiple Shift Quick Three-Way, My Way Small Packet One-Handed Top (SPOT)Palm New FAces of 12 34 Spread ATFUS Hyper-Warp SECTIONFOUR:TWO PRINCIPLES The Sigma Principle A Sleight Case of Murder Vanishing Eleven and Placement

PART TWO: TECHNIQUES SECTIONONE: PALMING Palming.. . Named Travelers Secretly Disordering the Deck WJ Bottom Palm Holdout Holdup The Coughlin Palm Replacement The One-Handed Daley Switch Chameleon Colors Revisited De-Flourished Ossip Slip Cut SECTIONTWO: LIFTS Naturalness: The Double Lift-and More WJ Two-Step Double Lift The WJ Two-Step Double Lift Hit Variation A Stuart Gordon Turnover Variation The Unload Subtlety My Ambitious Card Routine The Moveable Card Pass Coming Up in the World (a.k.a. The Load-Up Move) The WJ Side Steal The Simulated Shuffle-a Palm Cover The James Palm Transfer The Speed Load-a Wallet Loading Technique FALSE DEALS SECTIONTHREE: Deals Bottom Dealing Follow That Card I1 P.K.A. Cheating Fair Risk (Spectator's Open Prediction) Second Dealing The Moon is Made of Blue Cheese Sympathetic Blacks Marlo's Future Reverse-Broken Form The Krenzel Square Reverse Etude for Dealers The Option Second Deal The Countervailing Motion Principle Miscellaneous False Deals A Hand Too Few

Miscellaneous False Deals (Continued) Theory Thirds Fourths, Fifths, etc. The Undifferentiated Middle Adding Differentiation Miscellaneous False Deals (Concluded) Theoretical False Deals Summary SEC;TIONFOUR:SHUFFLES False Riffle Shuffles The Zarrow Shuffle WJ on the Zarrow The Tabled Winnipeg Cut I'll Put Money on It Color Triumphant The Merlin Push-Through The Strike Push-Through The Crand-bler's Prediction PASS SECTIONF m : BIE The Pass The Basic Position The Edge Pass The Squeeze Pass The Pivot Side-Jiggle Pass The Diagonal Pass The Automatic Pass The Anomalous Pass SECTIONSIX:TOOLBOX Low Lateral Palm The Position The Deal-Out Subtraction Low Lateral Control Low Lateral Conversions Add-Backs Standard Add-Back No Contact Add-Back Bottom Add-Backs Low Lateral Steals Low Lateral Switches The Christ-Annemann Alignment Displacement Sequence

Four-as-Four (Hiding Two, Faf-Two) Counts The Faf-Two C Count Splay Grip West-Townsend-James (WTJ) Count Turnantula The Egress Vanish A Refinement for the Bluff Shift The Bluff Shift as a Control The Bluff Shift as a Rime Force

PART THREE: MENTAL EFFECTS & GAFFED METHODS SECTIONONE:GOINGMENTAL Mental Magic The Vibratory Prediction The Intention Force The Kick-Off Switch Blushing Leaper Brownian Movement (The Sequel) The Veeser Concept and Alignment Insurance Ham and Ace Sandwich Divine Miraskill A Vision or a Dream? GAFFED SECTIONmo:SERIOUSLY Why Not? Wishuffle Birthday Aces Watch the Wild Ace

TIPS SECTIONTHREE:GENERAL The Hands Breaking in the Cards Routining Closing Comment

PREFACE INDIANSUMMER is a warm but bracing time in New York. Dreams are born as young men, returning to school, remember the freedom of the past summer and the discipline of a school year just beginning. It was at just such a time that I gave my first professional magic performance. The year was 1957.. .

Autumn was desperately trying not to succumb to winter but losing the fight. The streets of New York were gray and gloomy. The air was filled with an ominous foreboding that the first snow would soon be falling. A strange depression had filled my days since returning to New York's bleak and lonely streets from a series of shows at a nightclub in Winter Park, Colorado, where snow and minus thirty-four-degree weather had already become the norm. I put aside my closeup pad. The year was 1982. Many of the magic brethren never noticed my absence. My light had never shone that brightly. Besides, much of the joy of magic is in what's new, not what's gone. Am'ba Magia! Why did I walk away? Why indeed, when the roster of magic is filled with men like Dai Vernon and Tony Slydini, who lived long lives devoted to magic. In spite of the angst, were they not happy and fulfilled by their passionate love of magic? Let me not be melancholy, for I have embraced magic fully and been kissed by her tactile delight. I, too, have effused and rejoiced at a new discovery. Many the smile has forced its way onto my sullen face as a beautiful new move left a tingle in my hands and a thrill in my heart.

I never walked away from the goddess magic. I don't believe that possible-at least not for one such as I, who truly loves her. I walked away from her other jealous suitors, from the fight for her hand, which cannot be won. I walked away from the indefensible war that rages between those who love her too much and themselves not enough, but who fight petty battles for her honor. The goddess is a slut who will spread her limbs to all, but yield her heart to few. With that view expressed, you may wonder why this book? If I walked away, why re-enter the fray?The answer is simple: I am not back to fight; I am back to love. I am not back to argue, I am back to embrace. If I am resigned to one idea upon my return, it is a notion well expressed by the Nez Perct Indian Chief Joseph, considered by many the greatest military strategist who ever lived.

"I will fight no more, forever."

INTRODUCTION MAGICIS a many-splendored thing. It is a performing art and an academic discipline. Both can be enjoyable pursuits. Neither can exist without the other. Magic can also be a wonderfully engaging hobby. Hobbyists, like sports fans, are true devotees; they are important, perhaps even essential, to the vitality of our art, though they are not players themselves. Their tastes influence magic, their creativity feeds its repertoire and their dollars contribute to its viability as a livelihood. Still, however much they dream, hobbyists with rare exception do not share the considerations of the professional. O n the other hand, many professionals, concerned with the need to put food on their family table, sacrifice their technical and creative growth to more pragmatic considerations. This book is not written from the hobbyist viewpoint. I certainly hope and expect that many hobbyists will find this book an enjoyable read and a handsome, often referred to, addition to their libraries; but that could not be my principal focus. This work may open the eyes of a few, but I fear some hobbyists will find it too serious, too detailed, too analytical. I won't apologize. While I no longer perform very often in a professional capacity, my mind-set, and therefore perspective, remain that of a professional performer, and a serious one at that. Having been a full-time professional, it is difficult to divorce myself from the attention to detail so critical to professional success. This book, therefore, should find its greatest favor with the professional-who should appreciate the attention to details-with the serious hobbyist-who may enjoy my analytic approach-and with the amateur who aspires to become professional-who will, hopefully, find this book revelatory. For all such individuals and other intrepid souls, read on; know that this book reflects my love of both the art and crafi of magic.

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PERFORMANCE THE ART OF MAGIC

Magic that is not designed to be publicly performed is an educational exercise at best and mental masturbation at worst. Magic that cannot be performed is essentially a puzzle. I would seriously question a sonata written for a piano with 112 keys; such a piece could not be performed because no such instrument exists. Like music, magic must bepeformed to be art; therefore, an effect must be practically performable to be magic. For some this will seem to be preaching to the converted, but examine your experience for just a moment. How often have you read effects, even whole books, that have no point and no hope of finding one? Can an effect that requires dealing through a deck three times ever be practically performed? Can twelve cards be passed off as four in a close-up routine? Such material is born of individuals being clever for the sake of cleverness; they are clever pipe dreams. I can appreciate a clever idea as readily as the next fellow, but I wouldn't offer such fare as magic. Such material is not, nor can it be, magical and will not be offered here. Having stated my position starkly, I hasten to add that such fare can be amazing. The world is full of amazing things that are not magic. When I'm not pursuing magic these days, among other things I design computer software and electronic devices. I assure you, what my software does and what my circuits do is amazing-in many instances, clever and amazing. They are not magic. So, taking nothing from the cleverness of any of these creations, I don't confuse them with performable effects and, I strongly recommend, you don't either. That's why you won't find any here. Performability alone is no assurance that one's efforts will produce magic. An effect must be "magical" at its core. If being amazing doesn't automatically quali? an effect and being amazing and performable doesn't completely fill the bill either, what then is required? Magicality comes from a special place; to be magical an effect must speak to the human experience. It must touch an emotional, aesthetic or primordial chord in the spectator. That can only happen in today's world, burdened by magic's poor public image, if the performing magician creates a receptivity in the spectator and then delivers more than a "trick"-an experience. Most spectators want very much for this to occur but we must work to accomplish it. The desire of our audiences to embrace what we do is a double-edged sword. It has lamentably allowed many very poor performances to be inflicted on an uninformed public, who do their utmost to cooperate and respond positively. This has encouraged an enormous amount of bad magic to survive. As a result, many very poor magicians continue cheerfully along, believing that the

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ENCHANTMENTS xiii performances they give are good magical entertainment when it is simply not so. This is truly sad. The positive aspect of this willingness on the part of our spectators (often called "willing suspension of disbelief') is that for those few but hopefully increasing number of performers who are aware of their task, it is relatively easy to accomplish. It requires only that one get one's ego out of the way, muster some faith in magic (even without the benefit of comedy) and afford the spectator a reasonable vehicle. That translates to a giving attitude, good execution of the requisite techniques and a theme that allows the spectators something interesting to substitute for the explanation that purely "tricky" physical means are at work. People want very much to embrace the cozenage we present. Were that not so, magic would not have survived so long. Even when we insult, demean and condescend to our audiences, they endeavor vigilantly to find a way to enjoy our performances. If we fail to offer plausible alternatives to "trickery" for them to wrap their minds around, they will allow us to cast our performance as a puzzle, a challenge or almost anything we choose. Since so many performers have chosen the challenge approach, audiences have come to presume this is what we want. We've played a game of "You try to catch me and I'll insult you until you do" for too long. A straightforward presentational adjustment could eliminate this attitude and end the game with most spectators. Those few who misguidedly persist in the challenge mentality are likely to give up if they realize they are playing the game alone. Do not misunderstand; I am not advocating that we present what we do as "real." The effort to convince an audience of the notion that means of a truly supernatural nature are at work is charlatanism, not magic. It was this type of performer that Houdini set out to expose so many years ago. Uri Geller is such a performer. Both James Randi and, to a lesser degree, Danny Korem enhanced their careers by exposing such acts. Neither am I saying that patter that includes the statement that a spirit occupies a deck of cards is charlatanism. The distinction is one of characterization. If you profess to be a spirit medium, the assertion of a spirit occupying the deck is charlatanism. When you profess to be a magician, such a claim participates in a theatrically acceptable presentational premise, albeit one that ends with your performance. Some of today's Bizzarists seem to have confused the line between theater and life. That brings us to the question of who, as a performer, the magician is. The celebrated Robert-Houdin line, "The magician is an actor playing the part of a magician," is, in my opinion, false. It sounds good superficially but shatters under examination. The western world has no image of a character who is a "true" benevolent magician (except perhaps for the Merlin archetype). While Dante, for example, may have looked like the public's image of a magician, it

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was because he resembled the darker side, Magick, not our art. The West has many images for the dark side: Aleister Crowley, Anton LaVey, etc. The magician cannot be an actor playing the part of a magician, because the audience cannot recognize and surely cannot identify with such a character. Jon Racherbaumer has suggested that the magician is a REactor playing.. .but that doesn't hold up for me either. It seems to me that one possible view-I am sure not the only valid one-is that the magician is an actor playing the part of a professor (one who professes) who holds knowledge on arcane subjects. (I have often thought of the role as similar to a Sensei of martial arts-perhaps because I am a martial artist.) The subjects change with the effects. One minute we are demonstrating a little-known method of printing by rubbing two cards together while chanting a nonsensical accolade to the gods; in the next instance, we are offering that the properties of a rope are not as commonly understood. In the capacity of professor one is likely to find as broad a range of personality types as you have, no doubt, encountered over the course of your life, and with the same potential for audience reaction. Some professorial types are likeable and we enjoy being with them and learning; others are not so affable and one comes away thinking of them as dolts, buffoons or worse. People don't generally change from goodnatured to foul-tempered without adequate provocation and, in most cases, neither should our character. One should be true to the character one creates. The great magicians have all known who they were, whether it was Cardini's English Gentleman or A1 Flosso's Carnival Ballyhoo (both are types that could be encountered in life; both could be memorable). My hope here is not to suggest who you should be-that's an individual decision-but to revitalize the dialogue about the magician's role. It is clear, at least to me, that the idea that we are playing the part of a magician is circumlocution that leads nowhere. We can do better and we must. The creation of a character and persona is part of the art in performing magic.

ACADEMIA THE CRAFT OF MAGIC

I alluded earlier to an aspect of the academic side of magic when I wrote that one was required to have "good execution of the requisite techniques." The academic side of magic and the craft aspect are closely allied. The craft of magic is what is most ofien written about: new "tricks'-if tricks we must call them-new sleights and new flourishes. Increasingly, however, over the years excursions into the thinking behind various techniques and the refinement of their execution have become acceptable fare. If only it were more often so. This book will, to a significant degree, enter that domain. I will not attempt to define or redefine the landscape, only to contribute to the dialogue in those areas that I fear have been abandoned or left inadequately explored. There is very little more to say

about this matter. To me it is entirely cut and dried. Just as a musician would be derided for performing in public without adequate ability to play his instrument, we are obligated to have mastered the technical aspects of our craft. One need not have mastery of the most challenging pieces in the repertoire to play simpler, nevertheless enjoyable, pieces. One should, however, never perform publicly beyond one's level of competence. In my opinion, doing so has no justifiable excuse. Toward that end, I have taken great pains to describe the best techniques and methods of executing them I have been able to learn or devise. My obligation in writing this book was to give you the best tools of which I was aware and to make my best effort to present them to you so that you might learn them. Your obligation-not to me but to yourself, your audiences and our craft--is to master the techniques and the effects they produce, investing your best effort before you present them publicly. An audience has the right to expect this at minimum in return for giving you their attention and trust when you perform. There are no exceptions or excuses for doing less. At the same time, returning to the music analogy, the great Vladimir Horowitz said, "You have to make mistakes when you perform because you have to take risks. Otherwise, you might as well play a record in the concert hall." Every performer has had bad performances, shows when things went awry, nights when everything that could go wrong did. The professional covers as best he can and continues, just as a musician would. Nevertheless, practice and rehearsal are disciplines meant to be pursued away from public scrutiny. It is a requirement for all performers, whatever their craft. Once you've mastered the techniques of a piece and have rehearsed it, with its patter, sufficiently to present it before an audience, you enter into a period roughly akin to previews in theater. This is a difficult period but crucial to one's development of polished effects. Most magic books give no indication as to what level of refinement the included material has been developed. This book is an exception and, I admit, hopes to start a trend. REPERTOIRE THE MATERIAL OF MAGIC

Some of the effects in this book were taken directly from one of my close-up acts. This material is all thoroughly performance-tested and works extraordinarily well as a piece. That is to say, these routines stand as vignettes. Changing of a single line, gesture or nuance might disrupt the whole. For those effectswhich I've marked "Final"-I would advise that you learn them exactly as they appear. Think long and hard about any change you propose before making it, and be prepared to back off from the change if it doesn't work. This should not be understood to mean that I think my words, timing, techniques or the other contributing factors are perfect or even too good to be improved. The term "Final" merely indicates that the effect, as described, like a hit song, might not

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be a hit if changed. At the same time, like the late Slydini, I recognize that only by learning the effect, though not performing it, exactly as written, will one fully understand all the nuance and implications of the h l l Gestalt of the piece. In sum, my offering of the full details should not be understood as license or encouragement to clone my way of performing the piece but rather as a means to convey the fullness of my knowledge and experience with that piece. The majority of the material in this book has received what I call "Beta" testing. Beta testing is second-level testing. The major bugs have been worked out and the piece is a cohesive whole but it is not as set as the "Final" material. A few of the effects are only "Alphd' tested. They have been performed between five and twenty times and their construction is known to stand up but they have not been fine-tuned. Moves may be changed, patter lines may be altered but the premise of the effect has proven viable and the presentational shape is believed right. Finally, there are some effects in this book that I believe are fundamentally sound, entertaining and magical and that can work for lay audiences. Beyond that, I can say little with assurance. I include them motivated by a line of reasoning that parallels Peter MacDonald's in his book, Highly Mediocre Tricks, when he named an effect "Somebody Else's Watch Trick." To wit: The ideas are unfinished and whoever comes up with the finishing touches can make the effect his or her own. I hope that by presenting the idea it will spark in you an idea that has escaped me. Perhaps you will be the one to take one or more of these effects to the next level of development. You can recognize them as marked " S E W T (pronounced like "suit") in appreciation of MacDonald's observation. Interspersed through this book are explorations of the thinking behind, rationale for, and well-established principles underlying various technical subjects. Some are included to contribute to the record, some to share observations and some to encourage further thought. All are intended to be at least as important as would be another "trick." It is hoped that you will find some of these observations affecting your thoughts and, with luck, your way of thinking.

FORMAT HOW TO READ THIS BOOK

As you sit to read this book, you may notice elements of its format that strike you as odd. One is the use of numbered steps within effects and routines, though not techniques. This is a largely abandoned practice in recent magic writing. It was also the cause of considerable discourse between my wise publisher, Stephen Minch, and me during the preparation of this work. While other authors have used numbered steps for their own reasons, it is my intention that the steps provide the reader with guidance regarding "performance phrasing," a term and concept that requires some explanation. A magical effect is neither a

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ENCHANTMENTS xvii series of discrete actions nor a chain of techniques interposed with open actions and patter. Rather, all the actions, secret and open, cluster into sequences or "phrases." Between these phrases are pauses, sometimes frlled with patter, when nothing consequential seems to happen. These pauses are functional in much the way paragraphs are in writing: they improve clarity. I believe "phrasing" to be an important element in effective performance but one that is rarely, if ever, addressed in print. Like a rest in music, the "performancepause" is as integral and useful an element of a magical piece as a patter line or a gesture. While the most evident benefit is to increase the clarity of the effect, other ends are also served. To be fair, sometimes these lulls allow secret actions to be performed, or at least to be set up, and some authors have noted such uses in their text. The late Tony Slydini employed somewhat exaggerated moments of tension and relaxation to integrate misdirection into his choreography. Such use is indeed powehl. Most oken, however, these pauses are simply moments of relaxation, respites of varied duration between clusters of activity. In most sequences, precisely when a pause occurs is not critical but that one occurs is important. (Essential pauses are noted in the text.) Thus, while the particular moment may not be critical, a step-indicated pause is ofien necessary and is always helpful. Still, they are not cast in stone but should be seriously considered. Collectively, the pauses impose a sort of irregular rhythm to a performance. I could, I believe, write a small book on performance phrasing and how little variations from regularity-known in Music as "rubaton-distinguish performers and their performances. For now, it should suffice to suggest that you take note of the step-indicated pauses. Consider them as both general guidance and specific reminders that a pause is in order and where I recommend you take it. Beyond this active performance function, I see the step divisions as a kind of "super-paragraph," binding together related ideas that have multiple sub-ideas relating to the sequence being described. A step number indicates more than a paragraph break but less than a section heading. Finally, as they have been used in the past, step numbers allow for more efficient description of multiple handlings of the same effect where only portions of the two differ. With the gentle prodding of my fine publisher, I have tried to provide enough of a reminder of what the referenced steps accomplish to avoid requiring you to re-read the original text. It is, however, assumed that you have a familiarity with the referenced handling. Where you have doubts, re-read the original. You will also notice gray stripes in left margins of many pages. At times, in the explanation of an effect or a routine I will stop to examine side issues, occasionally at some length, that are closely related to ideas being discussed. To make it easier to follow the trail of the actual handling, the action text is indicated by the gray stripes.

KNOWLEDGE MY ASSUMPTION I stated earlier that this book was not written for the hobbyist; neither was it written for the novice. An issue that arises in any magic book these days is referencing standard techniques. This book is no exception. Enchantments is not intended for the rank beginner. There are many excellent texts for that purpose. It is assumed you have a working familiarity with the basic tools of our craft. I have not re-described techniques that I believe the reader should already know. Still, we all have gaps in our knowledge. Mindful of this, I've tried to provide references to texts describing these techniques. These texts are not always the earliest versions but rather point to what I consider reasonably good descriptions. Most other techniques are described within this work, though I've tried, where possible, to avoid re-description or duplication of my own published material.

CREDIT THE CREATION OF MAGIC

This is a sore point for me. I believe that credit should be given where credit is due, and I have endeavored to do so as best I can. I have even taken some credit for myself. I have no personal vendetta for or against anyone. I made my pilgrimage to see Ed Marlo and I thought the man a wondrous gift to our chosen pursuit and was glad to call him friend. 1 knew Dai Vernon from the time I was a boy. I didn't know then that the man would become a living legend but he was always a kind and informative help to me. I have submitted material to those who have asked me to do so and some who haven't, and I intend to continue to do so. If I offend anyone, it is not because I intend to offend but because the truth is the truth; I report it as I know it. Someone (I wish I knew who) once said, "There are three sides to every story: your side, my side and the truth." I report my side. If anyone wishes to discuss these matters with me, to add information to my store and by doing so attempt to alter my perception, I am willing to listen. I will not take sides and I will not argue. To all who have contributed to the art of magic, I love you all. You have shared with me the product of your creative minds, a gift from God, a reflection of the God within you. I can do no less than love you for that. But if you would fight, bicker or bring negativity to magic, I will ignore you. The price you wish to elicit for your work is too dear. The courts take years and millions of dollars to settle battles over who invented what, and even then the results are rarely satisfying. In those cases, at least the parties get to present their respective cases before an impartial arbiter. We have no such arbiter in magic and no forum for the presentation of cases. The bitterness that grows out of arguments is corrosive, invidious and hopeless of resolution.

Eat, drink, make magic, for tomowow we may die.

PART ONE FORGEBY PACKETS & PRINCIPLES

FORGERY

FORGERY IN 1980, or thereabouts, I seriously considered selling this effect, just as presented here, for fifteen dollars. The text that follows was the proposed ad copy. I was warned at the time that I was not well enough known in magic to get away with this kind of marketing approach. As a result, magic did without the effect until I released a version in my 1989 lecture notes, Stop Fooling Us! (page 39). See what happens when I listen to nay-sayers. Since 1972 (when I first revealed "Forgery" to the magic community), despite a number of effects that have appeared that clearly derive from it, I feel "Forgery" itself stands as a powerful piece of thoroughly audience-tested magic that can be a most effective addition to almost any close-up act.

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IT YOU DON'T PERFORM MAGIC,

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I've heard people say, "Idon't like card tricks." Many more people are too polite to say it but think it. Women are, or are supposed to be, most commonly of that persuasion: They'll watch, but be bored. Once in a while a new effect comes along that defies these prejudices. I'm proud to say this is such an occasion. I'm not talking about a new premise or a new method for an old one, but a new effect. Like most good effects the premise is clear and succinct: "Two cards physically merge into one." That's new! Is this new effect any good? Well, I've performed it no less then a thousand times and never, not once, has the response been less than tremendous. On at least one occasion it has yielded an instant, spontaneous, standing ovation. Not bad for a card trick, huh?

In the more than fifteen years since its creation I've shared this effect with a few others, working professionals all. Their reactions have been universally enthusiastic to say the least. Perhaps for that reason, Derek Dingle was kind enough to contribute a handling variation. Frank Garcia was generous in contributing a touch of his. Both Phil Goldstein and Danny Tong, who have performed the effect for their audiences to considerable response, have shared their thoughts as well. All are included. I don't want to sing the praises of this effect too loudly. So many is the greatads I've read, seen or heard claim that "Our est..." This ad is obviously no different, but I'm not simply saying it. I'm going to prove it.

Here's my offer: Order FORGERY, learn it, practice it and perform it ten times before ten different audiences. If you're not satisfied with the reactions you get, if you don't feel it's worth every penny you paid, send it back and I'llrefund your money. You'll have the secret free. No one to my knowledge has ever offered a deal like this for a magic effect. I feel safe in doing so. I'm quite sure that the feeling of reward you get for the enjoyment you bring your audiences will convince you that this is among the greatest of close-up effects, if not effects in general, you will ever perform. Send $15.00 cash, check or money order. Send it today. I've only printed a limited quantity and do not anticipate reprinting.

I wrote those words in 1980 with the enthusiasm of someone who had performed the effect to amazing response from innumerable audiences. I will admit to a bit of advertising hyperbole but by and large I stand by all but one statement made in the ad. "Forgery" is without doubt an exceptional piece of magic; it isn't the greatest effect in all of close-up magic. While that is not precisely what the ad says, it does strongly suggest it. What follows is what you would have gotten for your fifteen dollars. It includes material that has not appeared in print before, plus a reprint of the version that previously appeared in my lecture notes. I believe now, as I did then, that this effect is worth fifteen dollars at least. I probably should adjust for inflation, but what price greatness? EFFECT: A selected card whose face is signed by a spectator merges with an odd-backed card signed by the performer, making a single card with a signature on each side. REQUIREMENTS: A deck of blue-backed cards plus two additional redbacked cards. These cards should not only have red backs but be of a different back design. (I believe it is generally a good idea to use cards of a different back design as well as a different color. The change is greater and you never know when you'll run into a color-blind person. It is a fairly common malady among men.) You'll also need a felt-tipped pen that will write on a card. (A Sharpie or photographic markers work best in my experience.)

METHOD 1 SET-UP: Place one of the red-backed cards on the bottom of the blue-backed deck and the other red-backed card in your pocket. Do not use court cards. The card on the bottom of the deck should have your initials on its back, in the forward lefthand corner. It will look more or less like Figure 1. The felt-tipped pen should be handy. Shuffle the deck, keeping the bottom card on the bottom. Be careful not to allow your audience to see either the face or back of that card. The simplest way, though not necessarily the most deceptive, is to Hindu Shuffle, pulling the blocks off the top until about three-quarters of the deck is exhausted. Drop the remainder on top but secure a fourth-finger break. Square up, retaining the break. Cut or Double Cut to the break and repeat the entire sequence until you sense your spectator is satisfied that the deck is well mixed. With the bottom card in its original position, state, "Since you're satisfied that the deck is thoroughly mixed-we'll use the card that happens to be on the bottom."

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'Turn the deck face up into dealing position and show the spectator and the rest of the audience the bottom card. Have the spectator sign the card while it remains on the face of the deck. You can allow the spectator to take the deck from you if you feel she won't remove the card. Allow the ink to dry before turning the deck face down.

NOTE: This may seem an unusual practice to you as a magician. One ordinarily gives the spectator the card to sign rather than the deck. Remember that lay people have no preconceived notions about how a card should be signed. Some may worry about handing the deck to the spectator for signing. Remember, the spectator has no reaon to suspect anything at this point in the effect; she is highly unlikely to wanr to examine the card. You will note that I've referred to the spectator as she. This does not preclude you performing the effect for a male. Throughout this book I will use the female pronoun in those effects that I prefer to perform for females, and the male pronoun in those effects I prefer to perform for males. This may nor be politically correct but it is pragmatic.

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Take the red-backed card out of your pocket without showing its face. Place it face down on the top of the face-down deck. Openly initial the back of the card in the forward left-hand corner. Try to make your initials look as much like those on the other red-backed card (the one on the bottom of the deck) as possible.

5

Remind the spectators of the situation. Then, with the right hand, take the deck by its ends from above (a position often incorrctly called "Biddle Grip"; we shall call it Overhand Grip in this volume), rotate your hand palm up and show the card on the face of the deck (the spectator's card). Turn the deck face down.

(1

Reach under the deck with your left fingers and secretly slide the bottom card slightly to the right by making contact with the left side of its face. Apply upward pressure on the card second from the bottom and draw it from the bottom as though it were the bottom card of the deck. Do this slowly, as it is a quite convincing and natural procedure. (This is a slight variation of Vernon's Side Glide from Expert Card Zcbniqw, 1940, page 123.) Figure 2 shows the the card believed to be the spectator's being drawn from beneath the deck. The card seen jogged to the right at the bottom cannot be seen from the front because of the screening right hand. Openly place the card on top of the deck, above your signed card. Square the deck.

7

Cut the deck, positioning the spectator's card above yours with one card between them in the middle of the deck. This is explained with the line, "If I cut the deck like this, it puts them closer together. And if I give the deck a little squeeze, like this, I put them very close together indeed."

8

Spread the deck slowly between your hands until you reach the spectator's card with your initials on the back. Be carehl not to flash the back of the second red card (two cards below). Figure 3 shows the way the deck is spread so that you get as much warning as possible of when the spectator's card is about to show.

9

Place the red-backed card face down on the table. Turn atl the cards above the spectator's card face up and spread them to your right on the table. Turn all the cards below the spectator's card face up and spread them to your left on the table.

10

Turn over the face-down card with your initials on the back to reveal the spectator's name on the face. Acknowledge the audience's appreciation and give the card to the spectator as a souvenir.

NOTE: You are left with a red-backed card in the deck. Dispose of it as you see fit. (See Clean-Up Procedures following Method 3.) The preceding description is "Forgery" at its simplest. In this form it relies heavily on inference for its success. Each of the following methods replaces a n inferred state with a more convincingly demonstrated state.

METHOD 2 REQUIREMENTS: The same as for Method 1: two red-backed cards, one of which is initialed, and a felt-tipped pen. SET-UP: Place one red-backed card into your pocket. The other red-backed card should be palmed in the left hand (use Full Palm, Gambler's Flat Palm or Gambler's Cop, depending on angles). The felt-tipped pen should be handy. Hand out the deck to be shuffled and cut by the spectator. Upon receiving it back, secretly add the palmed card to the bottom. Thus, the only difference between the first method and this one is that the spectator is permitted to shuffle while you hold out the card. This will have considerable appeal for some performers.

METHOD 3 (Preferred Method)

FINAL This is the method I previously included in my lecture notes. It is the version I have most often performed. While it is slightly more demanding technically than Methods 1 and 2, with a modicum of practice it is well within the capabilities of most performers. REQUIREMENTS: A deck of blue-backed cards and a card wallet like those used for business cards. It should contain at least a few red-backed cards. These cards should not only have red backs but should be of a different back design. SET-UP: The wallet with the extra cards inside and one pre-initialed card outside-face to the wallet, its back closest to your body-is in your left inside jacket or shirt pocket or, alternately, in your left outside jacket pocket. Your initials should be in the upper left corner of the card as it rests in your pocket. The marker should be in your left shirt pocket or your left inside jacket pocket. Offer the deck to be shuffled and cut by a spectator (preferably female). While that's being done, place your right hand into your pocket and take out the wallet. The redbacked card should be kept hidden behind it. You can do this by talung the wallet into left-hand dealing position, with the palm turned down. Keeping the card hidden, drop your lelt hand to your side and get a fourth-finger break between the card and the wallet (Figure 4).

4

Before accepting the deck back from the spectator have it cut and the cut completed on the table. With your right hand only, pick up the deck in Overhand Grip. You then explain, "This is an effect done with a deck of cards.. ." as you gesture slightly with the deck in your right hand. Continue, "a little wallet.. ." Gesture slightly with the wallet. Then, as if remembering something, bring the left hand fairly quickly toward the right and place the deck onto the wallet. The left hand turns palm up under the deck to hide the card on the wallet as it is added to the bottom of the deck (Figures 5 and 6 show the deck and wallet being brought together). With your right hand, immediately reach into your jacket pocket and remove the pen. Lay it on the table. Continue your patter with, "and a pen." Take the deck back, holding it in Overhand Grip in the right hand, and use your left hand to lay the wallet on the table. Explain, "In the wallet there's a card. You will notice that the back of the card does not match the deck. It's my card, but first you must have a card."

Take the deck into left-hand Dealing Grip. Announce that you will run your (left) thumb down the corner of the deck and the spectator is to call "Stop" when she likes. Do so, slowly. Lift off all the cards above the spot at which you were stopped. Start to place them under the left-hand packet from the near right corner. As you do so, use your left fourth finger to pull down the bottom card (or a few cards) of the left-hand packet. Be careful to avoid flashing the bottom card of the deck. It is vulnerable from the right unless you tilt the right edge of the deck down until just before the packets meet. Most of all, the sequence must be practiced for smoothness. If it appears at all awkward, suspicion will be aroused. In any event, this cuts the deck but leaves the bottom card intact. It's the reverse of a Bottom Slip Cut. (This is the Pull-Down-first described in Irehnd5 Curd and Coin Munipuhtion 1935, page 9-applied to a cut, an idea that probably began with Ed Marlo.) Finally, turn the deck face up and show the bottom card. Have the spectator sign the card on the face. Allow the ink to dry or blow on it if you like, then turn the deck face down.

4

Remove a red-backed card from your wallet without showing its face. Place it face down on the top of the deck. Openly initial the back of the card in the forward left-hand corner, making your initials look as much like those on the other red-backed card (the one on the bottom of the deck) as possible.

5

Remind the spectators of the situation. With your right hand, take the deck into Overhand Grip and rotate your hand palm up, showing the card at the face of the deck (the spectator's card). Turn the deck face down.

6

Reach under the deck with your left fingers and secretly slide the bottom card slightly to the right by contacting the left side of its face. Apply upward pressure on the edge of the card second from the bottom and draw it out as though it were the bottom card of the deck. Do this slowly. (This is the same slight variation of Vernon's Side Glide from Expert Card Technique referred to in Method 1.) Place the card on top of the deck, above your signed card and square the deck.

7

Conclude the effect in the same manner followed in the previous methods.

CLEAN-UP PROCEDURES Since I usually use this effect as a closer-yes, it's that strong-I don't have the problem of cleaning up. The problem is not difficult in any case. There is only one extra card in the deck and it sits second from the top of the lefthand spread. Pick that spread up first and place it, still face up, in left-hand dealing position. Place the other half on top of it, also face up. (If you'd like, you can Double Cut the rear card to the face of the deck. This will leave the red-backed card at the rear of the face-up deck.) As you square the deck, take a break above the lower two cards (the break should be taken above one card if you've done the Double Cut). Hold the break with your right thumb at the rear. With your right hand holding the deck from above, move it down over the wallet lying on the table. Pick up the wallet, adding the card(s) onto it, and place the wallet and the card(s) into your left hand, in dealing position. This may necessitate sliding the wallet off the table. The left hand turns palm down as it moves from under the deck, taking the wallet and the card(s) below the break. Place the wallet and stolen card(s) into your left outside jacket pocket. This leaves the deck clean, though perhaps short a card. I wouldn't worry about the lost card as you can always retrieve it later. As I've said, no real problem. NOTE: It should be obvious that any combination of these three methods can be used. The method I have most often used is Method 3. Ideally, you should be able to perform all methods with equal facility. You can then choose your method (none is very difficult), adapting to the performing conditions and the audience.

FURTHER APPROACHES I made quite an impression on some of the best card men in the country when I first performed "Forgery" for them. They were impressed enough to create some alternate handlings. I present some of them here for your consideration.

GOLDSTEIN AND TONG TIP 1974

In 1974, I received a letter from Phil Goldstein (Max Maven) to whom I had earlier shown the effect. In the letter he informed me that both he and Danny Tong preferred using a Gambler's Cop as suggested in Method 2. Since they are both seasoned, working professionals, I am driven to assume there is something of particular merit to that approach. I recommend you try it when the angles are right. It's about as easy as anyone could ask to load from Gambler's Cop. Try it. It's more a matter of guts than skill.

The set-up for the effect changes in that the extra card starts out with its back to the wallet rather than face to the wallet. The wallet should be held in dealing position, but with your palm down and the wallet opening against the thumb. With the deck held from above by the right hand, use its left side to help open the wallet. This will leave you with the deck resting on the right corner of the wallet when it's opened. The extended fingers of the left hand support the wallet from underneath and assist the right second and third fingertips, which are bent around the corner, to touch the face of the card below. Move the right hand diagonally back and to the right. As you do so, the right fingers, which are around the deck, draw the card, as it comes from under the wallet, into alignment with the bottom of the deck (Figure 7). The right hand then continues its motion, this time to the left and forward, extending the right first finger to point to the red-backed cards in the wallet. The extra card now lies on the bottom of the deck. Place all the items on the table and continue as in Method 3, Step 3, just after the I I card is loaded.

The set-up is the same as that in Method 3. Instead of resting the deck on the wallet and reaching into your pocket for the pen, bring the deck and the case together with a left-hand wrist turn, transferring the extra card, but then continue immediately by bringing the case forward and flipping it open with an assist from the left side of the deck. Place the deck, now carrying the extra card, onto the table, then reach into your pocket for the pen. Continue as in Method 3.

For further variations on my Forgery theme, see Peter Samelson's "New York Transpo" from his book Theatrical Close-Up (1984, page 73); Darwin Ortiz's "Bold Fusion" (Cardshdrk, 1995, page 139); Chris Carter's "Cold Fusion" (The Linking Ring, Vol. 70, No. 9, September 1990, page 94); "Anniversary Waltz," a Doc Eason presentational variation of the Carter treatment; and Gary Kurds "Psychological Fusion" in the August 1991 issue of Genii magazine (Vol. 54, No. 10, page 664). Jay Sankey's effect titled "Forgery" (Richard? Almanac, Vol. 1, No. 516, January-February 1983, page 43) is unrelated to my premise.

PATTER COORDiNATiON The following is the exact patter I use when performing this effect. It is offered here to assist those who wish to learn the effect by coordinating the patter with the action. It is not my intention to suggest that you can or should duplicate my patter. The flirtatious aspect of the presentation is certainly not for everyone. You shouldn't attempt it unless you're confident you can deliver it in an unarnbiguously charming tongue-in-cheek manner.

DURINGSTEP2 1 explain, "This is an effect done with a deck of cards, a little wallet and [pame to take out thepen] a pen." Indicating the wallet, say, "In the wallet is a card, which will be my card; but first we need a card for you." Patter is required to have the spectator sign the card on the face without removing it from the deck. Accompanying Step 3 I say, "Take the pen and sign the card across the face." Pause until she finishes, then add, "And directly beneath that your phone number." This may get a laugh. "That's okay, forget it. I used to get a lot of phone numbers that way but people have become such septics." Catch the word as if it slipped out mistakenly and immediately correct it to "skeptics." "So, that will be your card, the [nameofcard]." ACCOMPANYING STEP4 I say, "In the wallet I have a card." Take the card out. "It will be my card. I'll sign it on the back, but I'll use my initials; it's faster." Sign it and let it dry. ACCOMPANYING STEP5, as I display the condition of the deck, I say, "Just as a reminder, this is your card, which you signed on the face. You'll recognize it, it's the only [name of card] in the world with your signature on it. And this is my card, which I've signed on the back." ACCOMPANYING STEP 6, as I perform the Side Glide variation, I say, "We'll place your card directly above mine. That puts them close together." ACCOMPANYING STEP7, as I cut the deck, I say, "If I cut the deck like this, it puts them [in a sexy voice] closer together. And if I give the deck a little squeeze, like this [squeezethe deck],I put them [inan even sexier voice] very close together indeed." I take a long pause as I stare longingly at my spectator, as though I were dreaming about her. If you see that your spectator is made uncomfortable by the intense eye contact, look down at the table. You don't want to make her uneasy. You might add, "I have an active fantasy life." ACCOMPANYING STEP8, as I spread the deck between my hands, I say, 'AS I spread through the deck, you will notice that one card is different from the rest; that's the card that I signed on the back." ACCOMPANYING STEP 9, I continue, "Logically, the card directly above it should be your card." Spreading all the cards above the signed one face up, add,

"But it's not. You might think I did something sneaky and somehow managed to manipulate the cards in such a way as to have your card arrive below mine." Spread the left-hand packet face up. "But, I wouldn't do that either."

PRIOR TO STEP 10, with building intensity, I state, "In fact, if this effect succeeded, then the card I signed on the back and the card you signed on the face [dramatically enunciate each word] should have physically merged into one." I turn the card face up. "Is that your signature?" (She acknowledges that it is.) "That's mine. "Thank you." I strike an applause cue, with my elbows bent but arms outstretched for a moment; then while the applause continues, I pick up the signed card and turn directly to the spectator. As I hear the applause start to trail off I add, "You keep this as a souvenir, and 1'11 put my phone number under my signature after the show." This comment should restart the applause.

ACE EFFECTS

TRAPPED ACE SURPRISE JANUARY 28,

1972

BETA "TRAPPEDACE SURPRISE"is a straightforward, tongue-in-cheek, Four-Ace Location. Since I avoid flourishes like the plague, most such routines are out of the question for me. This one is fun and effectively devoid of flourishes. SET-UP: The Four Aces are on top of the deck in Diarnond-Heart-ClubSpade order from the top down.

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Give the deck a convincing false shuffle and false cut, retaining the Aces on top. ~9 %+z iSpread the cards between your hands and hold them out toward a spectator, ,?%" saying, "Some magicians would spread through the deck and have you select +%& *w,r &2s a card." Pause as though thinking, until the spectator makes a motion toward **@@ the spread. Abruptly close the spread as you say, "But I won't do that." Square "$$ the deck while saying, "Because you might feel that I somehow influenced your +:1.9 35%: choice." Continue, "I'll give you one. That's fair." Hand the top card of the deck @* > ,', to the spectator. ' . +

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Square extremely briefly, using only the left fingers, and immediately push over the top two cards, taking them into your right hand, thumb above and fingers below. The prepared section of the lower card will be hidden under the upper card. Place the rest of the cards aside. I often spread them on the table.

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These are the two card with which we will demonstrate our visual phenomenon.

NOTE: This sequence, which switches one of the two selections, is my application of a Clarke Crandall control technique (see Alton Sharpe's Expert Card Conjuring, 1968, page 77) to a Switch-Force. You will find it used elsewhere in this volume as well. I like it. Hand the upper card of the two you hold to the spectator who made the selections. This is easy but requires some attention to detail. Make sure your tight thumb is over the prepared area of the lower card, ignoring the presence of the upper card, before your left hand slides the upper card from under your right thumb and presents it to the spectator.

Here, you take one-andfold Neatness counts!

it in halfdcoss its width, with thefdce on the outsiak.

8

Make sure the spectator complies with your instructions by folding his or her card in half, neatly, with the face on the outside. Miming the action helps assure that the spectator understands. Continuing the preparation, fold your card in half along its length, with the face on the outside. Be careful not to reveal the prepared area but you need not be too "cozy" while folding.

I'IIfold this one along its length, adlso with itsface on the outside.

9

Take the widthwise folded card into your left hand and hold it with the creased edge on the right. Hold the lengthwise folded card in your right - hand with the creased edge also to your right. Your right second finger should rest upon the prepared area, and your thumb should keep it closed with pressure from above. Bring the two cards together, the right hand approaching from the near right corner. It should appear that you're simply plating the long card onto the wide card (Figure 75). Actually, you engage the prepared section at the near edge so the near quarter passes below the wide card. This can largely be done by feel, so don't stare at your actions. When you're finished putting the cards together, the lengthwise folded card should extend past the far edge of the widthwise folded card (Figure 76).

Now, this may appear to be preparation for some bizarreform of modular origami but it; bizarre-er-er. 10

Reverse the fold of the widthwise folded card, flipping it over side for side and trapping the lengthwise folded card within. The creases in both cards, after this maneuver, should be on your left. This also sets the prepared section for the "warp illusion." The lengthwise folded card should be protruding from the widthwise folded card on the side farthest from you. Take hold of the packet with both hands (Figure 77). The thumbs rest above, and the second , \

and third fingertips make contact below, at approximately the line where the edges of the lengthwise card run within the widthwise card. Your first fingers should remain free, as they will be used to push the lengthwise card through the widthwise card. Your other gripping fingers, in addition to providing a guide path, contribute control pressure.

r l p u t the two cards together, with the long card on the outside, nothing worth looking at happens-hut @put them together with the long card on the inside, so the card on the inside has its outside on its outside but its outside is inside the inside of the outside card, then things get interesting. Push the lengthwise folded card slowly through the widthwise card until its forward edge is flush with the forward edge of the widthwise card (Figure 78). 'The warp illusion is revealed. I find it best to remain silent during the moments when the warp illusion becomes visible.

When Ipush on the card inside, the card turnsfrom outside in to outside out, or is it inside out to inside in?

70

Turn the entire packet over sideways, then end for end. Open the widthwise card from right to left, the lengthwise card remaining on the right (Figure 79). This may seem strange at first, because it isn't the way \ one normally opens an object with its [ hinge - on the left. It seems like open\ \ ing a book with the -pages - turned downward. You will become accustomed to this odd procedure. As you open the widthwise card, within it a flap on the lengthwise card will also open. Move this flap to the left, along with the left half of the widthwise card. Use your left fingers to cover the opened flap of the lengthwise card, extending them across the face of the left portion of the widthwise card. Rotate the left hand palm down and raise the hand to allow the audience to view the lengthwise card held pinned to the right side of the opened widthwise card (Figure 80).

-

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Rotate the left hand palm up again and lower it. Close the widthwise card from left to right, the reverse of the way you opened it.

The important thing is that it happens to the whole card, end to end, side to side, for the entire inside and outside, us long as they remain inside the outside card. Some peoplejnd this rather incredible disphy incredulous [sic]. I know I do. 13

Once again, position the packet in your hands in readiness for pushing the lengthwise card through the widthwise one. Push the lengthwise folded card through the widthwise card and the warp illusion is revealed again. Turn the entire packet end over end.

Still, if1push the inside card in, it goes pom inside in to inside out, or outside out to outside in. 14

Open the widthwise packet from right to left again. And again open the flap along with the left half of the widthwise card. Use your extended left fingers to once more conceal the flap of the lengthwise card. If you've performed the sequence as I have described it, a face will show. Rotate the left hand palm down and raise it. Then return the hand to its previous palmup position. Close the widthwise card from left to right and turn over the packet sideways.

And, like I said, it happens+om end to end, side to side, for the entire inside and outside as long as they remain inside the outside card. Remember, the important thing is that it happens to the whole card, end to end, side to side, for the entire inside and outside as long as they remain inside the outside card. 15

Once again take the packet in both hands to provide a guide path through which the lengthwise card can travel. Begin to push the lengthwise card through but stop half way. Angle the lengthwise card by moving its far end to the right within the widthwise card. Swivel the near end to the left until the forward left corner of the widthwise card covers the middle of the lengthwise card, concealing the division line. Pinch that corner between the left first finger and thumb, with the first finger below (Figure 81).

I

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Rotate your left hand palm down, showing the opposite side of the angled card. Rotate the hand palm up.

Now, I could do this all day but, as impressed as you are now, you would tire of this amazing visual illusion. That2 the kind of world we live in. So, for the jaded but insatiable, I'llgo one step&rther.

16

Rotate the lengthwise card back to its original parallel position within the widthwise card, then rotate the packet a quarter turn clockwise. Push the lengthwise card into the widthwise card from the left until about one-quarter extends on the right (Figure 82).

IfIpush the inside card so it? not quite inside or outside, like so, it? amazing but halfthe card is inside in and halfthe card is inside out. Halfthe card is outside in and halfthe card is outside out, all at the same time. Asidefiom that, iti inside in and inside out on both sides and the other side. Now l m beside myself: I used to have a wife but all thisplaying with the card and with the house allfill of used decks. ... Well, she decided she'd rather be outside than inside. Like I said, life is not easyfor a working magician. I could tellyou stories.. .. Anyway, let me show you the strangestpart of this whole spectacle.

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Tear the upper layer (the unprepared half) of the protruding section upward and back, tearing it from the edge to the center crease (Figure 83). Press the newly torn section closed again 83 and push it back within the widthwise card and through till the lengthwise card protrudes for about one-quarter of its length on the left. Turn the entire packet end over end, left for right, and tear the upper layer (again, the unprepared half) of the protruding section, from edge to center crease.

F I catch the card halfway inside in and halfway outside in and tear it, I can then push it back through until it? halfoutside out and halfway inside out and tear it again.

17

Pull the lengthwise card toward the left, aligning its mid-line with that of the widthwise card. While holding the cards vertically, let the widthwise card spring open at the top and slip your left thumb and right fingers inside their respective ends of the lengthwise card (Figure 84). If you now spread open both cards together and press their creases at both ends flat, a small flap will open toward you under your right fingers, and another will open away from you under your

left thumb (Figure 85). This is as it should be. Rotate the widthwise card ninety degrees (Figure 86)-and, voila, Hyper Card!

Once iti tom, it can't be turned inside out or outside in anymore, so the card is trapped so to peak, in a topological no mani land. No word can exphin it, no mind can retain it. .. Adjust the Hyper Card on the opened widthwise card so all four corners are aligned. Pull the stapler from your pocket and staple the two ends of the Hyper Card, directly across the center seam, perpendicular to the lengthwise crease (Figure 87).

...but you, sir [or ma'dm],for being so helpjil, can take it home with you. Show

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it to your Fiend. Show it to your loved ones. Leave it to your p n d k i d in the will. Tell 'em that a lonely magician with too many card and not enough roomfor a bed gave you these card. Ell'ern ao word can exphin ic no mind can retain it. Tell'enz life is not e q far a working magician. Oh, and dontforget to tell 'em he thanked you. Thank you!

Two Principles

THE SIGMA PRINCIPLE NEW PRINCIPLES in magic are fairly rare. This effect depends upon what I believe to be one of those rarities. It is clearly related to the Stay Stack concept (a Rusduck idea; see Cardiste, No. 1, February 1957, page 12) and the ancient principle used in the Clock Effect, which I call the "Ten-Twenty Force." To explore the other related principles here would be a thankless task (and probably fruitless as well). No matter which principles I cite, someone will argue, more or less persuasively, for another principle that I've omitted. Suffice it to say, to the best of my knowledge, this principle, which I have dubbed the Sigma Force, has never appeared in print in quite the form, nor dressed in quite the way, it is here. If anyone feels slighted by my failure to mention his precursor, I can only apologize and hope for some understanding of my dilemma. Stated simply, the Sigma Force, as I use it here, combines sleight of hand with mathematics to produce a Force that seems exceedingly fair. A spectator cuts off a packet of cards from a deck, then counts down from the point of the cut a number of cards equal to the size of the cut-off packet. This is not the most logical procedure but it is presentationally framed to seem logical. I will leave for the explanation of the effect all discussion of the presentational elements, and limit this initial description to the underlying mathematics. If we view the deck as consisting of five elements or banks, as depicted on the next page, and examine the relationship between these elements, it should make the principle clear.

-

Block U 1Block M Block L Force Card Talon ---+ 1

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Block U is a group of indifferent cards. The number of cards that constitutes this

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upper bank we shall represent as u.

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The second block is Block M, which must be made up of an even number of cards. These cards are Mirror stacked as follows:

One could call them "Stay Stacked," but in this application the deck cannot be Faro Shuffled if the stack is to be maintained. Therefore, allowing for the h n c tion the block serves, I'll continue to refer to it as Mirror Stacked. For the sake of simple exposition, I will refer to this as Block M. The third bank is Block L. It is composed of indifferent cards like Block U. We will refer to the number of cards that comprises this lower bank as I. This allows us to state the size relationship between Block U and Block L as:

The Force Card will be arrived at, regardless of its position, within the constraints of the principle, when the spectator cuts the deck. The Talon is the balance of the deck. The talon need not contain enough cards to bring the total size of the five banks to fifty-two. The size of the talon is essentially irrelevant. To illustrate the most basic arrangement of the deck when the principle is to be applied, see the diagram below:

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Block U = 2 indzfferent cards ---, Block= = ocardForce Card = King of Hearts Tdlon = n card-

:-- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- -- .,-

Stay with me now. Following the procedure for the Sigma Force, utilizing a deck stacked as just described, you would ask a spectator to cut off a packet of three or four cards. This instruction would limit the spectator to cutting off Block U and card A of Block M, or Block U and cards A and B of Block M. If you wish to increase the number of possible cards the spectator can cut off, you need only add pairs of cards to Block M. The size of Block M is limited only by the number of cards you can consign to the mirror stack in the application to which

1

you wish to apply the principle. From a practical standpoint Block M might be as large as forty cards. This would allow you to instruct the spectator to cut off a block of up to twenty cards. (You would have to guard against the spectator cutting off only the first two cards but that should be easily accomplished.) Once the spectator has cut off a packet, you can immediately determine what you must do to assure that the Force Card (the King of Hearts, in this example) will be arrived at when the spectator counts down a number of cards equal to the size of the cut-off packet. You need not know how many cards the spectator has cut off when you make your determination. Let us assume we are using the deck depicted earlier, but containing nine pairs in the mirror block. The spectator has cut off a packet and the top card of the portion of the deck that remains is Card F in the upper half of the mirror stack (we can call this card Fu). You, the performer, would then spread down in Block M until you spotted the "mirror mate" of Card F from the upper half, which is Card F in the lower half (FL).Form a break above FLand execute any of the wealth of sleights or subterfuges that will transfer all the cards above the break, from FU to the card above F1, (we will refer to these cards as the shift group, Block S) to the bottom of the deck. Which technique-Cut, Pass, etc.-is best will be determined by the application at hand. If the deck described in the previous paragraph is employed, when the spectator counts the cards in his cut-off packet, they will total seven. Counting from FL through the Force Card inclusive is also seven. This relationship, though not the numbers, will be true for all cases. From a practical view, it is necessary that the performer be able to identifi- the cards that make up Block M. This information allows determination of the point at which the break must be established in preparation for the transfer of the cards that compose Block S. There are several ways this may be accomplished. The simplest is to establish the stack in a face-up deck. This allows the cards to be identified by their indices. A second method would be to use marked cards. Normal back marks or edge marks come readily to mind. Obviously, the marking system requires only that the relationship between the top card and its mirror mate be determinable, not the value or suit of the card. The effect that follows satisfies the requirement blatantly but cleverly. You now have the essence of the Sigma Force. In the next few pages, we will explore an application of the Force and the principle it employs. Let the games begin.

A SLEIGHT CASE OF MURDER DECEMBER 14, 1989 BETA IT WAS a typical, though extremely cold, Thursday night. I'd stopped up at Tannen's, as was my wont. Rick Sanchez, one of the demonstrators at Tannen's, described for me an effect that had been performed for him by a mysterious customer. He had neither given his name nor the method he used to accomplish his effect, but Rick was dazzled. He posed the effect he had seen as a problem. (I have since learned that the mysterious worker of wonders was Dale Dewey, a gentleman from New Jersey whom I've yet to have the pleasure of meeting. I have, however, spoken with him on the phone, to confirm that my method is different from his. His version of the effect, which he calls "Who Killed Roger Rabbit?" may see print at some future time.) I liked the premise (full credit to Mr. Dewey) because of its inherent entertainment value; so I accepted Rick's challenge. I experimented with a few methods that evening but ended dissatisfied with any of my solutions. I slept on it. The next day, while continuing my experiments, I happened upon the Sigma Principle, which, when applied to the problem, produced an exceptional solution. What follows is my preferred solution. I've also included some discussion of other approaches to the effect, which I developed during my explorations. Finally, I offer variations of the premise that can be performed impromptu. The premise for some of these methods deviates somewhat from the original, in that only one card has a name written on its back. Along the way, I've interspersed some thoughts on the general approach to this effect and others with common elements.

I've long felt there was something "silly" about both analogy and anthropomorphization in effect presentations. I'm talking about effects where the cards are regarded as "like" some other object, or effects wherein the cards are regarded as "like" people. An effect that combines these features is the wellknown "Four Burglars." A deck of cards is not a building and the Jacks are not burglars. Standing before an audience and professing that they are is, in my opinion, silly. Silly, is not a bad thing. A pratfall is silly. A pie in the face is silly. They can also be quite funny. The problem is failing to recognize and, in some way, acknowledge that you know it's silly. It is embarrassing to watch an otherwise intelligent adult standing before an audience and asserting metaphor as fact. I've observed many adult, lay audiences manifest discomfort with such behavior. Presentations of this type must be approached theatrically. They are either theatrical or childish, and childish is inappropriate and embarrassing behavior for an adult. This effect is a fine example of a presentation that could become embarrassing if one lost awareness of the theatrical farce it employs. If you don't understand what I'm talking about, either I've failed to make myself clear or you should stay away from effects of this type. Safety argues for the latter. EFFECT: The performer suggests that the deck of cards is a high-rise building in which a murder has occurred. He hrther states that he knows who the victim is but has not yet located the body, or who committed the crime. He records the victim's name in a secret file (a folded piece of paper) and enlists the assistance of a spectator in his efforts. The spectator finds the body at the floor indicated by the number of cards he cuts off. Everyone is surprised to discover that the performer has not only written the name of the victim on his slip of paper but also that the name of the killer, the spectator's name, is written on the victim's back, while the names on the backs of every other card are different. REQUIREMENTS: Make up a forty-eight-card deck composed of twentyfour pairs. Each card should have a name written across its back, beginning close to the left side and starting about a third of the way down from the long 88 edge (Figure 88). You may elect to make up the deck with all male names, all female names or a mixture. My deck contains all male names. If I were performing the effect on a regular basis, I'd make up a deck of all female names as well. As stated earlier, the deck should be considered as twenty-four pairs. Each pair should use names that begin with the same letter. Thus, a card for the name Bob would mate with one for the name Bill;if Robert, then Richard, etc. The values of the cards are unimportant. The four cards

remaining from the fifty-two-card deck, those not used, should be kept handy, in case you encounter someone for whom you have no pre-made card. Under such circumstances, acquire the person's name without him learning you have done so. Make up a card for that name and remove either of the two cards that start with the same letter. Should it happen that you have no card with a name that starts with the same letter, make up a mate card, giving it a name starting with that letter and move one of the other pairs to the bottom of the deck or remove it altogether. You'll also need a pen and a small piece of paper. SET-UP: Arrange the top eleven cards so all the names are oriented in the same direction. These eleven cards are indifferent. In other words, it doesn't matter what names are on these eleven cards or their order, as long as the names are all oriented in the same direction, let's say to the right. Below the top eleven indifferent cards is the Mirror Stack, which is made up of eighteen pairs of cards. The first card of the stack, as an example, might be Al, in which case the last card of the Mirror Stack might be Andy. The list below is the arrangement of my deck:

EARL, FRED,IVAN,RAY, DAVE,LENNY,GENE PAUL,CURTIS, PETER GEORGE,LOU, DAN, RICK,IGOR,FRANK,ED, CARL, The names on the first nine cards should be turned in one direction while the second nine are turned in the other direction (Figure 89). The top block of nine should also be turned in the opposite direction from the top eleven indifferent cards. Thus, in our example, the upper nine would lie on the left while the lower nine would lie on the right.

The next nine cards (Block L) are also indifferent but all the names should be turned in the opposite direction to the lower nine cards of Block M (the Mirror Stack). In our example this would be to the left. The next card down in the stack is the Force Card. The name on the back of this card should be the same as that of the spectator for whom you will perform the effect. The name should be turned opposite to Block L (to the right, following our pattern). Remember the value and suit of the card. We'll say it's the Queen of Clubs. The Talon or balance of the deck (nine cards) should follow. The number of cards in this group is irrelevant but they should all be turned opposite the Force Card (to the lefi in our sample stack). I have made it a practice to keep the bottom two cards of the deck a matching pair; e.g., A1 and Andy. This facilitates changing the pairs in Block M should you encounter someone with a name used among those cards, say, George. This Sigma Stack facilitates false shuffling at the start of the effect, which was necessary to comply with the conditions of Dale Dewey's premise (which builds on Fred Lowe's marketed effect, "Christened Reverse" and Dave Campbell's non-rough-and-smooth method, "Fred," published in the Scottish periodical The Thistle, Vol. 21, No. 2, December 1976, page 11, to which "Oscar" and others owe a large debt). False shuffle the deck while maintaining the integrity of the stack. The upper eleven and lower nine cards can be re-ordered by the shuffle but their number must be maintained. I use the G. W. Hunter False Shuffle (see Greater Magic, 1938, page 167), but almost any qualifying false shuffle would be acceptable. The shuffle is performed as you address the target spectator: "1'11 need some assistance for this next melodrama. You, sir, you appear to be an intuitive fellow. Would you be willing to play a role?" Once you have the spectator's agreement to assist you, square the deck and place it on the table. "A murder has occurred at Pasteboard Towers. I know who the victim is. I'll write the name in the file but we'll keep it a secret." Take the piece of paper and write the name of the Force Card, the Queen of Clubs. Fold the paper and put it aside in plain sight.

"I need you to help me find the corpse, and the killer. This deck of catds will represent the fifty-two story Pasteboard Towers. Cut off a packet of cards, say between ten and twenty, and we'll try to locate the body." When the spectator cuts off the block of cards, the orientation of the topmost tabled card will tell you whether the cut was within the acceptable range. If not, have the cut re-seated and re-cut. The covering line, if you need it, is "You

can't search that much," or "You can't search that little and leave me the rest of the building!" Once an acceptable cut has been made, note the first letter of the top card of the deck. We will assume it is Fred. Explain, "Now we could have you look through every floor of the building but that could take up a lot of time, and the killer might get away. You have the advantage of being a magical detective. Take my word for it-I've done this before-you're a magical detective. Your cut will tell us where the victim can be found. Count your cards." While the spectator is counting, spread the top cards of the deck and spot Fred's mirror mate, Frank. Form a break above it. Your patter during this activity is "Fred is a suspect but any of these guys could be the killer." Yell, as though to someone far away, "Seal off the building and don't let anyone leave." Continue, "Ifwe find the corpse, perhaps we can find the killer. Counting the cards you cut off will tell us the floor where we can find the body."

As the spectator counts the cards in the cut-off packet, perform a Turnover Pass. This will shift all the cards above your break to the bottom of the deck. Immediately spread the deck fairly neatly and widely, from left to right, face up on the table. Make sure to get a particularly open spread among the top twenty cards. NOTE: The above description presumes that you will use the standard Hokinser-Herrmann type Turnover Pass. O f the various versions of this Pass, among the best suited to the purpose are the Daley treatment in Stars of Magic (Series 7, No. 3, 1950, page 112) and the Hugard and Braue treatment, known as the "Invisible Pass" (see E v e r t Card Technique, 1940, page 37; or The Invisible Pas, 1946). In my opinion, the best version of the Turnover Pass for this effect is the much less known James "Kater" Thompson Pass (The Berg Book, 1983, page 2 19) but the Daley and Hugard-Braue Passes will work almost as well. "We'll count a number of floors equal to the size of your packet." Have him count from the left end of the spread (his right) a number of cards equal to his packet. "Place your finger on the face of the card and draw it out of the spread toward you. Keep your finger on the card. You've found the body, check the file. Read the victim's name aloud." Allow another spectator-or, in a pinch, the assisting one-to open and read the name you wrote before the effect commenced. In a formal performance environment this will probably draw spontaneous applause. Continue your patter, "I knew who the victim was all along, as you can plainly see, but you found the body." Changing your tone to accusatory, say, "How did you know where the body was? Did you know the victim? I never told you the victim's name. Do you know who the killer is?Where have you been for the last two hours?" Change your tone to one of suspicion: "You do know who the killer

+

-

*,.

,*i

is." The spectator will look at you quizzically. "His fingerprints are all over the card. Turn over the card and you'll see the killer's name.. ."

@

When the card is turned over, say to the spectator, "And what is your name? P3$ [Name], you're under arrest. You're under arrest as an accomplice in a killer dem4F. onstration. Thank you!" Hit an applause cue and enjoy the response. ions(page 19). The earlier version, described above, is better suited to this effect but has less general utility. Habit being a powerful force, I still use the Back Right Take, as described, with the heavy wrist turn, but I n o longer loosen the bottom card unless the cards feel notably sticky. The Dalcy LeftTake, Left-hand Bottom Deal, cited earlier, or the Jennings T.N.'I: Bottom Deal from Dai Vernon's Kevehtions ((1984, page ii) and 7i;e C h i c Magic of Lnr~yJennings (1986, page 141) would serve almost as well.

IS As you step away, move your left thumb to the back of the reversed card on the deck. Pull that card to the left, riding it around the left edge of the pack (Figure 175) as you partially turn the deck face down in your hand. The action is like the beginning of a Hofiinser-Herrmann Pass: Your left fingers, at the right side, pull down on the side of the deck, rotating it until the side of the deck lies flat against the face of the reversed card (Figure 176). You can then pull the reversed card around the side of the deck, revolving it face up and sliding it under the face-up deck (Figure 177). Allow the deck to settle face up, back into dealing position (Figure 178). Performed as your hand falls to your side and as you make a body turn to the left it is well covered but it is not an invisible move.

Pretend the spectator has said something and respond, "You know, you're right, we both shared the risk, we should both share the reward. It's only fair." Turn the deck up where you can see its face. Look at the faces of the cards again as you approach your helper. "King of Clubs, hum." With a sense of trepidation, say, "Go ahead, look." As soon as the spectator turns up the card, give him the Queen Anne salute. In other words, drop to one knee and bow your head as though you were about to be knighted. It's a rather exaggerated bow that also shows humility.

NO?-ES: If you are performing walk-around and don't want to re-stack the deck after every performance, it takes only minor patter adjustment to convert this efkct to a standard Open Prediction treatment. It works well in thar form also. If you are confident in your ability, you can do the effect without a stack. I have on occasion. As you start talking about making predictions, spread the deck between your hands, looking at the faces as ifyou're considering which card you might predict. Whcn the spectator states his choice, pretend not to hear it. Actually, locate the card, get a break above it and perform aTTurnover Pass as you drop your hands saying, "And your prediction is.. .?" Execute a Top Palm and hand the deck to the spectator to shuffle. D o the Simulated Shuffle Palm Cover with your right hand a few times and conclude with a I'alm Transfer to left-hand Gambler's Cop. (This sequence is fully detailed on page 188.) It is a pattern I use a lot, so I am confident of its deceptiveness. It appears to show both hands empty. Pick up the action at Step 4, placing your hands behind your back and loading the card into your sleeve. There is a tendency to feel guilty when you deal the bottom card. The action is under surprisingly little scrutiny. Remember, the spectator thinks he's seen every card you're holding. As long as he's convinced your hands are empty except for the deck, a switch would explain nothing, so he's not looking for one. This is one they'll talk about. After all, you told them how good it would be. Don't be surprised when they agree.

SECOND DEALINGA DEVELOPMENTAL PERSPECTIVE IN SECONDD m , as in Bottom Deals, an observant viewer can discern some of the distinguishing elements. Such an observer would be recognizing appearance factors. As in all False Deals, these factors are as relevant to legitimate deals as false ones. For that reason, many of the observations made in the grip discussion on the Bottom Deal apply to Second Deals as well. They will not be restated here. Instead, after a few comparative comments and a brief historical overview, I will proceed to the technical considerations. Ultimately, it is the "technical" factors that are defining for magical purposes.

APPEARANCE FACTORS GRIP Full Grip, Mechanic's Grip, S.F. Grip, Erdnase Grip, Straddle Grip, Master Grip, Modified Erdnase Grip, Pseudo Grip and No Grip are all possible for Second Deals. Techniques for dealing Tabled Seconds have also seen print (thanks to Ed Marlo in The Cardician, page 69, and Second, Centers, Bottoms, page 94). These grips and others are all viable because grip is a less crucial matter in dealing Seconds than in dealing Bottoms. The reasons are, or become, apparent to anyone learning both types of deals. Stated simply, when dealing Bottoms, generally one must control the entire deck. When dealing Seconds, only the top portion of the deck must be controlled to a greater degree than would be required during a legitimate deal. Once one has reasonable mastery of their chosen method, the hand receives enough tactile feedback to allow the necessary added degree of control to be exercised with minimal adjustment, grip notwithstanding. That

said, it remains true that some grips lend themselves more readily to some techniques than others. These combinative considerations become readily apparent once one begins adapting a given technique to a particular grip. Very little more need be said about grip in the context of Second Dealing, so we can move on. TAKE Standard Take, Stud Takes (both Overhand and Underhand) and No Take or One-Handed are all as useful to the Second Dealer as to the Bottom Dealer. In addition, End Take and Snap-Over Deals are fairly common for the Second Deal (see LePaul's Improved Method in The Card Magic of LePaul, 1959, page 85, and the Joe Berg Second Deal in Volume 2 of The Tarbell Course in Magic, page 192, as examples). It is also worth mention that there are a number of more "flourishy" Takes, including the Shooting Second Deal (see "A Rapid One-Hand Second Deal," The CardMagic ofLe Paul, page 89), the Chinese Second Deal (Dai Vernon? Inner Secrets of Card Magic, 1959, page 71) and the unattributed D'Amico "Black Jack" Second Deal (Buckley's Card Control, 1946, page 1 19), to name a few. The most important point to make here is that, as much as in the Bottom Deal, the Take grows from application and drives method. T E C H N I Q U E FACTORS Just as the Bottom Deal may be said to distill to two major approaches, Buckle and Strike, so it is with the Second Deal. Nearly all Two-Handed Second Deals are either Push-Off or Strike. Within these broad families are a wide variety of techniques, all of which fall into the category of Push-Off (Two Card, One Card or No Card) or Strike. The following pages will look at some of the more important variations in a more or less systematic way. At the same time, it should be recognized that to a far greater extent than in Bottom Deals, no analysis can be fully comprehensive. This overview should, nevertheless, help to illuminate this poorly understood subject. COVERT Playing cards of the type we know today, it is conjectured, were invented in France in the late 1300's. They first became widely available from a source in Basle, Switzerland (ref. Greater Magic) in the mid-1400's. Considering those dates, it is difficult to believe that serious card cheating didn't begin for some fifty years, yet that is as far back as their known published history extends. 1509 is the approximate year the Liber Vagdtorum by Joh. Froschauer was published in Augsburg, Germany. In this booklet are mentioned, albeit most briefly, such practices as false dealing, controlled cutting and concealing cards outside the deck for later use. In Italy, references to dealing the bottom card were cropping

up about the same time, and in the anonymously authored Opera nuoua doue

fdcilmente potrdi imparare piu giuochi di mano et altri giuochi piaceuolissimi & gzntili come sipotra leg;ge[n]abuedere etfacilmente irnparare (published in Florence around 1520) there appears a clear mention of dealing Seconds, along with descriptions of the Slick Card and Shiners. By 1559, in France, there appeared Le mespris & contennement de tous iewc de sort compose Oliuier Gouyn de Poictiers, in which not only the practice of dealing from the bottom but also from the center are mentioned. In English, we have G. W.'s A Manifest Detection of

the Most Vile and Detestable Use of Diceplay, and Other Practices Like the Same (1552), which included some card-cheating methods along with the advertised dice cheating; Robert Green's A Notable Discovery of Cozenage (1591), which expanded entertainingly on the previous booklet; and Samuel Rid's The Art ofJugling or Ledgerdemaine (16 12). (I am grateful for the remarkable research of Vanni Bossi and Bill Kalush, who have recently discovered the first three works mentioned and provided the information I've given. I have personally only perused a copy of The Art ofJugling or Ledgerdemaine.) To the best of my knowledge, none of these old works offer any technical descriptions of gambling sleights. The methods they relate in any detail are non-sleight-of-hand techniques, which were easier to explain. Nevertheless, the mentions of various False Deals in these works make it clear that they existed in the sixteenth century and probably had since a week after the introduction of playing cards. More to the point, no one, to my knowledge, has ever resolved which came first, the Two-Card Push-Off or the Strike type Deal. The earliest, however vague, reference to the latter appears in Quinn's Fooh of Fortune (1891) but both Maskelyne (Sharps and Flats, 1894) and Erdnase (The Evert at the Card Table, 1902) describe Push-Off techniques. Still, by 1914, Theodore Hardison (Poker)provides a detailed description of a Strike type Deal. By 1933, Judson Cameron (Cheating at Bridge), was characterizing the Strike approach as "preferred." There are other clues that lend themselves to a line of speculation. The Punch Deal makes Strike type Deals nearly mandatory. That being the case, and since gambling catalogs going back to the 1880's advertise "nail pricks" and Rid mentions that card cheats of his time would "play upon the prick" (though without defining the practice), it is probable that Strike techniques existed and were in use. A more interesting speculation is whether George Devol-stronger on color than on detail-who describes a suspiciously "peg-like gadget in his 1887 memoirs (Forty Years a Gambler on the Mississippi] was describing a Punch. If I understand him correctly, his description suggests that the Punch Deal and thus, in all probability, the Strike type Deal existed as early as 1839, but it almost surely came into existence no later than 1860. With this matter unresolved, I'll dismiss it and begin my exploration with the Push-Off approach because, if for no other reason, it fits my didactic preference.

~'usH-OFF-LC~ me begin by saying that my developmental view of the PushOff approach is chronologically incorrect and I know it. I take this seemingly odd approach because it helps my understanding of the Second Deal. I could readily appreciate argument for a different perspective. What is important to me is functional relationship rather than chronology. I pay homage to the developmental relationship only in passing, as it is largely irrelevant for the purposes of magic. There are, historically, remarkably few magic-related uses of the Second Deal and in nearly all instances method is irrelevant to the application.

'Ityo CARD PUSH-OFF-The Two-Card Push-Off Second Deal is well exemplified by two major approaches. One is best typified by the description in Erdnase (page 5 8 ) , where the deck is beveled, giving the thumb access to the front edge of the top two cards. The other is described in Expert Card Technique (pages 13-16), where the thumb's pressure forces some of its flesh over the edge of the top card until it engages the second card. There is even a combined technique described in BucMey's Card Control (page 120).These approaches are all difficult to execute reliably because one must confront many variables. The brand and condition of the deck, the moisture and softness of the thumb's skin and the number of cards in the deck all have significant impact for even the most experienced Two-Card Push-Off Dealer. I surmise that, were it not for the excellent illusion these deals create, even given the characteristic push-off action common to such deals, they might well have fallen completely from favor. As it is, the Two-Card Push-Off Second Deal has fallen from most popular (based on the literature) to a distant third behind other techniques (based on personal observation). Such is the stuff of progress.

ONE-CARD PUSH-OFF-Many of what are often thought of as Two-Card Push-Off techniques could more accurately be called One-Card Push-Off or Multi-Card Push-Off techniques, depending on one's perspective. I prefer the designation One-Card Push-OK The literature in the earliest period of their published development (Sharpsand Flats, The &pert at the Card Table and later in Marlo's Side Push-Off Second Deal, page 41 of Second, Centers, Bottoms) called for pushing off cards from the top of the deck in a rough spread. The thumb could then be placed on the upper card while the fingers of the gripping hand immobilized, or sometimes helped to push out, the second card. The taking hand could then remove the second card while the top card was retained or adjusted back toward the top of the deck. Such deals were fairly easy of execution but produced only a limited illusion, even of the negative type. (Just as a reminder, a negative illusion is the appearance that the top card must have been taken because no other card could have been.) Perhaps the best example of this type of deal is described as "Another method on page 59 of Erdnase. Deals of

this type have completely fallen from favor, with the exception of a few individuals who still use this approach for End-Take style Deals. The One-Card Push-Off techniques that remain and grow in popularity today are the progeny of the Vernon New Theory Second Deal (Dai Vernon?Further Inner Secrets of CkrdMagic, 1961, page 52). Ron Bauer has discovered that the essence of Vernon's New Theory Second appears in Dariel Fitzkee's translation of Maurice Sardina's 1 949 book, The Magic of Rezvani, attributed to Rezvani (page 26). It is worth mention that Charlie Miller is therein reported to have been impressed with Rezvani's performance. In light of the close association between Miller and Vernon, it is difficult to believe that Vernon would not have been made aware of Miller's observations prior to 1961. Reviewing the Fitzkee description will permit each reader to reach his own conclusions about how much Vernon may have added to or refined the then ten-yearold technique. My judgment is that, while poorly described, all but the Take mechanics are the same, though the timing of the top-card movement may be argued. It is, nevertheless, likely that Vernon, not having witnessed the Rezvani performance, may have re-invented Rezvani's technique based largely, if not solely, on Miller's description. In any case, my friend Russell Barnhart has published his treatment of the OneCard Push-Off in a pamphlet called Two Second Deak (1974). Derek Dingle has a One-Handed version that combines elements of the comical "Snow-Shoe Second with the "New Theory" or One-Card Push-Off to produce a Deal that is no joke. It has one of the finest Positive Illusions of any deal I've ever seen. It appeared as "New Theory on Vernon's New Theory Second Deal" in Derek's 1982 opus, The Complete Works ofDerek Dingle (page 160). My own treatment of the New Theory Second addresses the problems many experienced with the Vernon deal: ease and reliability. Many found the Vernon deal exceptionally difficult because deck condition was such a major issue, making the deal unreliable because one too often came up "empty" (with no card at all). Much of the problem is psychological because the fundamental, defining element of the New Theory Second is easy. The New Theory, in my opinion, is that the tip of the thumb can push the top card while the inner part, near the joint, pushes the second card. I am persuaded that my Sure Theory Second Deal solves all of the problems. It is, in my biased opinion, the best of the breed to date (see Pasteboard Perpensions, page 28). NO PUSH-OFF OR DM THUMB-If one conceives of the relationship between Two-Card Push-Off and One-Card Push-Off Deals as purely numerical, the next logical thought is a No-Card Push-OE As it happens, there are No-Card Push-Off Deals. They can be thought of as bridging the gap between Push-Off Deals and Strike type Deals. The three principal No-Card Push-Off

deals are the Master Method of Walter Scott (The Phantom of The Card Table, circa 1930, page 1O), the Ghostly Second of Vynn Boyar (Ghostly Second, 1949) and the No -'lbuch Theory Second of Marlo (Second, Centers, Bottoms, page 124).These techniques incorporate a theory that has come to be known as "Dead Thumb." They are actually Strike Deals. They are called Dead Thumb because the thumb of the gripping hand moves only because the thumb of the taking hand pushes it. I confess that the fundamental notion behind these deals has never persuaded me. That notion, to wit, if no catd is pushed off, the only card that could have been taken is the top card, is at the core of all Dead Thumb Deals. In my opinion, building the entire theory of a deal on a negative illusion is a highly questionable practice. Moreover, having seen a handful of individuals perform such deals and having experimented with them myself, I remain unconvinced that they succeed even on their own terms. It may even be argued that "freezing" the thumb draws undue focus to the top of the deck. S ~ N K E - I ~you aren't convinced by the logic or illusion created by Dead 'Thumb Deals, you can go back to pushing off the top card, but this time with no effort to move the second card. Once the top card is out of the way, however slightly, one can "strike" the second catd with the side of the taking thumb, driving it over the fingers' side of the deck. When the edge of the struck card is over far enough, the second finger and thumb of the taking hand can complete the removal of the card. While this is done, the thumb of the gripping hand can pull the top card back flush with the deck. That's the essence of all Strike Deals. In the heyday of the Strike Deal, dealers would brag about how little they moved the top card, how fine their "brief" was. This attitude was born of the same misguided notion as the Dead Thumb Deals: If the top card does not move, then it must be the top card being dealt. When I first learned the Strike Second Deal (from Expert Card Technique) I learned it this way. Boy, was I wrong. T A K E - S O ~time ~ in the early 1960's I met and became friendly with Francis Carlyle. When he saw that I could already deal an "acceptable" Second, and a Bottom (after a fashion), he elected to "set me straight." It was Francis who taught me the idea of the Take Second Deal. (The designation is mine though the technique was his.) Francis insisted that it didn't matter how far you opened the brief as long as you opened it at the right time. According to him, the right time was when the thumb of the taking hand was over it. He reasoned that as long as the thumb was over it, a viewer could not determine the size of the brief. The outgrowth of this thesis is that the brief could be opened wide enough to permit the entire pad of the taking hand's thumb to contact the second card. The gripping hand's thumb could then wait until after the taking hand's second finger had a hold on the second card before pulling the top card back. This Take approach allows a much softer, smoother,

more reliable and more natural looking Deal. The interesting thing is that many former Strike Dealers, once putting ego aside, have gradually converted to more Take style Deals without acknowledging, or even necessarily recognizing, that they have done so. It has never been clear to me whether Carlyle actually invented this modified approach. I know he claimed the specifics of his way of dealing it, but perhaps not the underlying concept. He never published this technique but after his death it was included in Roger Pierre's The Magic of Francis Carlyle (1975, page 163) without resolving the scope of Francis' claim. Finally, while he describes a form of Strike Deal, Bill Simon, in his book Effective CardMagic, offers the best pedagogical approach to Second Dealing I have ever read. While the text may or may not have been written by Jean Hugard, the pedagogy was Simon's. It should be required reading for anyone who wants to learn to do a Second Deal. He also describes some of the most interesting Second Deal effects extant. SIDES1'RIKE-A more obscure form of Strike Deal, not often seen, moves the point where contact is made to the finger-side edge of the deck. There are few descriptions of this type of deal in print (but see Marlo's Movie Second and Deep Second in Second, Centers, Bottoms, pages 54 and 56 respectively). While I've never put in any serious work on this type of Deal, the few people I've seen use them have gotten a strong negative illusion from a very natural looking Deal. Slydini had a version (New York Magic Symposium, Close-Up Collection One, 1982, page 65). Krenzel's version of Slydini's Deal appears in the same volume (page 68). Finally, in Richard Turner's two-volume video, The Cheat, he performs an interesting hybrid of the Push-Off and Side Strike techniques. The Side Strike concept is worthy of further exploration.

OVERT The scope of action elements related to Second Deal techniques is wider than those for Bottom Deals. The definition of such elements, however, remains the same: everything and anything that makes a deal easier, smoother or more efficient, except techniques addressed at creating deceptiveness or illusion. Deceptiveness and illusion relate to cover. Because the scope of this topic is so wide, I can no more readily take a systematic approach here than I could for the Bottom Deal, however useful such an analysis would be. This section will, nevertheless, touch on the major points.

Most of the Action elements applicable to the Bottom Deal apply to Second Deals as well. In fact, some, such as the Necktie, are more effective. Wrist Swinging, Wrist Turning, Bobbing and Reverse Necktieing (an approach advocated by Simon Lovell in Second to None: A Specialist Book on the Art of Second

Dealing, 1993) are also useful to the Second Dealer when used judiciously. A problem tends to arise when it is assumed that if a little action is good, more is better. As a result, some False Dealers begin to look like sailors sending semaphore. 'l'hey fail to realize that their actions become "tells" that can be read from across the room. What is most troubling about the excessive action is that it is so prevalent many perpetrators have only a vague idea of why they are using it. Why, as an example, would one work on a Dead Thumb Second and then hide the illusion they've worked so hard to perfect by taking the top card out of view with a Necktie? Is there some fundamental flaw in their Second Deal that must be covered, or is it that they've chosen deals that produce no illusion and are trying to hide that fact? If lack of illusion is the problem, and one can't, for whatever reason, use a more deceptive deal, then a small Necktie action is sufficient. If a lazy top card is the problem, f~uthe problem, don't incorporate a Wrist Swing or, worse, an Elbow Swing. One might add an action to match one's Bottom Deal but that's a different issue. You get the idea. The state of Second Deal development has advanced far enough to make the need for heavy action rare. My best advice is to confine any action except Carry to +one deckthickness up and down, &onedeck-width side to side and *a half deck-length front to back. That's about a three inch by six inch by six inch space. More is excessive. Less is more.

There are at least three recurrent problems to be faced in efforts to create deceptive Second Deals. These are the timing and motion of opening the brief in a Strike or Take Second; the difference in the action of the returning thumb after dealing a Top, when compared to a Second; and the noise due to friction that occurs when the second card is dealt but not when the top card is dealt. I am persuaded that the Take Second approach holds the answer to the first problem. My most recent efforts (see the Option Second Deal, page 254) are as close to a perfect answer as I know to this problem in a Strike type Deal. The second problem, thumb action disparity, has, to my knowledge, never been properly addressed in print. The advice I've heard, from those "experts" who have spoken on the issue, is "Make the Top look like the Second." In other words, slide the thumb back after each card is dealt, since you have to slide it back after the second card is dealt. I disagree. To my way of thinking, this becomes a tell, even when you're not False Dealing. It is better to learn to use the thumb to pull the top card back only as far as necessary for the gripping fingers to contact the edge. The left fingers can then take over pulling the top card square, leaving the thumb free to lift and return to its position on top of the deck in preparation for the next deal. This is much closer to what the thumb does after a normal deal.

It requires some work to break the old habit of sliding the thumb, if that's how you learned, but it's worth it for the improved appearance. The third problem, noise, is, in my experience, an over emphasized drawback for magicians. It is rarely quiet enough, or the audience close enough, for a viewer to hear the noise discrepancy. That's not to say it does not exist. In the few instances where the problem could become pertinent, one need only talk while dealing to mask it. I hope that noise is the biggest problem I ever face in a Second Deal. When the problems cited above are coupled with the goal of creating a visual illusion, they combine to become a formidable task indeed. Nevertheless, the creation of a visual illusion that the top card is being taken when the second card is actually dealt is key and must be addressed. As in the Bottom Deal, both positive and negative illusions are possible. Creating the visual and psychological conviction that the top card must have been taken because no other card could have been, is still defined as a negative illusion. This differs markedly, as it does in the Bottom Deal, from the more pure, affirmative optical illusion that the top card is being taken, which constitutes a positive illusion. In the case of the Second Deal, a positive illusion is assuredly attainable. Properly executed-no mean feat-the New Theory Deal and other One-Card Push-Offs (Barnhart's, Dingle's and mine) can all create a positive illusion. The Top-Card Chase Second Deal (sometimes attributed to Dr. Elliott but often associated with Persi Diaconis and described by Frank Garcia as the All-Angle Second Deal in Super Subtle CardMiracles, 1973, page 9 1) is believed by some to create a positive illusion. The defining element of the Chase Deal is that the top card moves after the second card, in the direction of the egress of the second card, as the second card is being taken off the deck. The object behind this practice is to create an improved visual illusion. I have never seen this alleged illusion myself. I think the "Chase" action creates a good psychological, though negative, illusion, but that's all. In sum, the Second Deal is easier to gain basic proficiency with than the Bottom Deal. This can mislead one to conclude that the Second Deal is easy to master. The things that make Second Dealing difficult are the fine points. It can take years to analyze, learn and coordinate all the actions and covers required to turn a working Second Deal into a smooth, reliable, natural and deceptive one. Learning to have an objective eye may be the most difficult skill of all when it comes to Second Deals. In spite of the heretofore limited applications to which the Second Deal has been harnessed, I am glad I have spent the time I have working on them. Applications will come another day. A few are included here for your edification and to prove the point.

THE MOON 1s MADE OF BLUE CHEESE SEPTEMBER19, 1971 ALPHA THISEFFECT grew out of playing with a Hideo Kato effect, "Where Has It Gone?" (Genii, Vol. 34, No. 1 , September, 1969, page 16). A Marlo version later appeared in Hierophant, No. 2 (1970, page 63) under the name, "Over Here of Course!" This Marlo effort was followed by a Roy Walton treatment called, "Gone to Earth" (Hierophant,No. 4, 1970, page 187). In the same issue Marlo replied to the Walton approach with "Fly Me to the Moon" (page 189). All these treatments are methodological explorations. In any case, I liked the original Kato effect but felt it needed a blow-ofE This approach does it. It's a cute interlude that has been effective as part of a longer program of effects. It's also an opportunity to use your Second Deal in an unusual way for an effect that is surely worth doing for lay audiences. The explanation of the routine may make it sound very sleight-intensive. Clearly, the routine is not without its technical demands, but to the eyes of the spectators it appears very clean. EFFECT: From a shuffled deck, the performer deals a group of fourteen cards alternately face up and face down. A spectator names a card from the group. The card is made to vanish. When it reappears, its back has changed color and it is the only card in the deck with an odd back. REQUIREMENTS: Seven odd-backed cards are needed, preferably bluebacked cards in a red-backed deck. It doesn't matter what the seven cards are, but you should know their identities, so you can move their red-backed

duplicates to the top of the deck or remove them. This allows you to go into the routine in the middle of a series of other effects. SIT-UP: Place the seven odd-backed cards on the bottom of the deck and remember the top and bottom cards of the seven. Either openly or prior to performance, do one Off-Center Faro Shuffle (Straddle type) and Slough-Off from the bottom. This alternates the blue (odd-backed) cards at the bottom of the deck. Spread through the deck face up until you reach the top card of the seven blue-backers. Check to make certain there are no duplicates among the alternated group; there should not be. If there are, rearrange the cards to eliminate the duplications. In any case, spread one card beyond the last blue-backed card and cut the cards at that point. This places the alternated set-up second through fourteenth from the top. Setting up in this manner makes it possible to go into the routine during a series of effects. If that isn't a consideration, use whatever method you like to reach the necessary arrangement. Deal an Underhand, Necktie, Stud Second and place the dealt card face up on the table. Lower the deck and deal the new top card face down onto the face-up card. Continue dealing in this manner until you see the remembered bottom card of the seven odd-backs appear face up. Deal one more face-down card.

NO'I'E: This method of concealing odd-backs with a Necktie Stud Second was used by Alex Elmsley in a trick titled "A Strange Story" that he came up with around 1964. It was contained in a set of his private notes that circulated through the underground for years. See The Collected Works of Alex Elmslg M h m e I, page 401. W'hile I was not aware that Elmsley had developed the idea, I'm happy to recognize his claim. This is not the only way to get to this position. You could load the odd cards on the bottom of the deck, eliminate the Faro and alternate Underhand Stud Bottoms and tops to create the same situation. I prefer the Second Deal approach. Place the deck aside and pick up the packet. Spread the cards between your hands and have someone name any face-up card.

As soon as it's named, form a break under it and remember the face-up card above it. Close the spread, maintaining the break. Cut the packet, bringing the named card lowermost in the packet. This cut should be one of several that apparently rearrange the cards in a random manner. Deal the packet into two piles, one face down, one face up, until you see the card you noted (not the selection, but the one before it). Deal it normally onto the face-up pile but deal the next two cards (the final two) as one onto the face-down pile. This is technically a Double Deal but with few of the typical alignment issues. This deal results in showing that the named card has vanished

from the face-up group it was in. However, suspicion will naturally turn to the hce-down cards. Pick up the face-down packet and form a break under the top three cards. This is fairly easy because the top two create an auto-break. Turn the packet face up, maintaining the break. (The Tenkai-Marlo Pivot-Step, page 75, will do the job quite well.) Begin to deal the cards face up onto the face-up pile, in-jogging the first card dealt, and dealing two cards as one, just before you reach the bottom card (this is facilitated by the break). Pick-up the packet, forming a break below the in-jogged card, and cut the packet at the break. Turn the packet face down and slowly spread off cards from the top until the face-up selection is reached.

NOTE: If you object to the unexplained cut, you can perform a Turnover Pass. I actually prefer the Pass, but I make the choice based on the angles. While it is true that the cut is unjustified, it is also not particularly suspicious. If you handle it casually, it will go by without arousing undue thought in the audience. It does not, in my experience, weaken the effect. With your right hand, remove the selection and lay it face up on the table. You can spread the top card of the left-hand packet safely. As you place the selection on the table, necktie the packet slightly and push off two cards from the top of the left hand's packet, securing a break below them, between the regular and odd-backed cards. Lap or, if standing, use a Gambler's Cop to steal all the cards below the break as you gesture toward the selection. Add the remainder of the packet to the deck and spread it face down as you comment that if any of the other cards had been named they would have turned face up. "But they didn't vanish. When something vanishes it's because it wasn't directed elsewhere, so it goes to the moon. And, of course, anything that goes to the moon is affected by the color of the moon; and the moon is made of blue cheese." Reveal the selection to be oddbacked as you say, "blue cheese." "This may not explain much to you, but it does to me. Anyway, that's my story and I'm stickin' to it." NOTE: This closing bit of patter is obvious nonsense that should be delivered with your tongue firmly planted in your cheek. After all, nonsense can be fun and enjoyable. Isn't that why we do this stuff? The final comment, "That's my story.. ." was closely associated with Dai Vernon. When I showed him this effect in the early 1990's, he broke into a big toothy grin and launched into a story about the origin of the line. Unfortunately, as was his wont, he got sidetracked into a different story and I never did learn its origin.

SYMPATHETIC BLACKS SEPTEMBER1 0 , 1 9 7 1 BETA

IN VOL. 8, No. 12, September 1908, of Ellis Stanyon's Magic (page 90) he discusses the use of a glass with a tinfoil-backed card. This special card effectively converts a normal glass into a mirror glass. Applying this method to accomplishing a packet switch, I believe it possible that a method was developed for the effect known as "Sympathetic Clubs." I have not, however, been able to determine where this method may have seen print. The trick, accomplished with double-faced cards, has, through association, occasionally been attributed to Nate Leipzig (see Hilliard's Greater Magic, 1938, page 562; and Dai Vernon?Tribute to Nate Leipzig by Lewis Ganson, 1963, page 176). However, in response to the appearance of the trick under Leipzig's name in Greater Magic, Ted Annemann, in Thejinx (No. 53, February 1939, page 380), published a full description of the trick while firmly asserting that it was the invention of British professional Herbert Milton. While Milton never published or authorized publication of the trick, he is on record as having performed it at a Magic No. 9, Circle club meeting on October 6, 1920 (see The Magic Wand,Vol. E, November 1920, page 149); and during Leipzig's 1922 British tour the two men met and traded ideas, as attested by Peter Warlock, who was present at Milton's 1920 performance of the effect and remained friendly with him throughout his life. Warlock, in reminiscing about Milton in the Magic Circular (No. 604, April 1960, page 118), wrote, "To Leipzig, permission was given for the use of 'Sympathetic Clubs', and it proved to be one of the most popular items in this great artiste's repertoire." Thus, shortly after his meetings with Milton in 1922, we find Leipzig ordering a set of the necessary double-faced cards from Will

Goldston (see Dai Vernon?Tkibute to Nate Leipzk, page 177). Clear attributions of the effect to Milton by Dr. Jacob Daley (see Phoenix, No. 21 8 , December 15, 1950, page 870) and Ted Annemann, two of Leipzig's acquaintances in the U.S., leave little room for further argument, especially in the absence of any claim of origination by Leipzig himself This brings us to the present effort. EFFECT: The thirteen Clubs are removed from a deck that has been shuffled by both the performer and a spectator. They are openly arranged in numerical sequence, shown, dealt into a face-down pile and placed aside. The thirteen Spades are also removed, in whatever order they happen to fall in the deck. They may be mixed. The spectator is permitted to chose one of the Spades, which is openly reversed in its packet. After the appropriate magical gestures and incantations, the Clubs are revealed to match the arrangement of the Spades in all particulars, including the value and position of the reversed card. SET-UP: Separate the black cards from the reds and place the Spades in the following order: 8-King-3-Ace-6-5-7-4-2-9-Jack-1 0-Queen. The Clubs, in no particular order, should be intermixed with the Spades. Thus, from top to face, the order is Spades (in the listed order, the Eight is the top card of the deck) with Clubs intermixed, then the red balance. Give the deck a few Zarrow Shuffles. (See the discussion of ideal shuffle combinations on page 294.) Split the deck for one last shuffle, dividing it so one packet contains all the blacks, the other all the reds. Change your mind and push the halves of the deck toward a spectator and let him riffle them into each other. This simply disperses the Spades and Clubs throughout the deck without altering their order. This is the Jordan-Finley Shuffle Principle. HISTORICAL NOTE: While Karl Fulves discusses this subject in far greater detail in Charles T jorhn: Collected Tricks (1975, page 1 19), and seems to reach another conclusion, Henry Hardin who shared a friendship with both Jordan and Arthur Finley (a fact attested to in Thejim, No. 97, page 596; also see No. 119, page 70 1, which offers a Hardin trick that displays his interest in simulated shuffles) would seem to provide the path through which Jordan exchanged ideas with Finley. While it was Ruhs Steele who first raised questions about the source of some of the Jordan material, it was well known, through Vernon, Sam Schwartz and other New York magicians, that Finley freely shared his work on the C. 0.Williams idea that appeared in Stanyon's Magic (Vol. XIII, No. 12, September 1913, page 100, item 14), which was the forerunner of Jordan's work, as he hlly acknowledged in his introduction to Thirty CamdMysteries. Finley's desire to keep his name out of print provides motive for Finley allowing Jordan's uncontested claim to the principle.

Openly go through the deck and remove the entire Club suit, laying them in a face-down pile on the table. Be carehl not to disturb the order of the Spades. When you're done, square the talon and place it aside. Pick up the face-down Club pile and openly arrange it in numeric sequence without revealing that sequence. The Ace should be at the face of the packet, followed by the Two, etc. Make it seem a bit difficult to arrange the order of the cards, perhaps making a mistake and then correcting it. You might also wish to comment that the Ace can be either high or low. Explain that you will show the cards in order. Take the packet face up into your right hand in Deep Overhand Grip. You are going to go through the cards quickly and nonchalantly, showing their order. In the process, you are going to rearrange the order in a definite way without the spectators realizing it. The following list, which must be memorized, represents the sequence you will execute: RELEASE: A-3-6-7-9-1-

HOLD: 2-4-5-8-1

-

Q-K

0

You will note that the Seven and Jack are underlined twice to indicate that two cards are dropped onto them. The Six is underlined only once, indicating that only one card is dropped onto it. The sequence should be performed at a brisk pace, as follows: Peel off the Ace fairly. Peel off the Two but steal it back under the right-hand packet and hold a right thumb break; this is done as you peel off the Three legitimately. Peel off the Four but take it under the packet adding it below the Two, still maintaining the break, as you peel off the Five. Steal the Five back under the packet but hold a separate right thumb break as you peel off the Six. Release the Five onto the Six as you peel off the Seven. Drop the Two and Four onto the Seven as you peel off the Eight. Steal the Eight under the packet as you peel off the Nine legitimately onto the Two, forming a right thumb break between the Eight and the right-hand packet. Peel off the Ten but steal it back under the packet, adding it below the Eight as you peel off the Jack. Drop the Eight and Ten onto the Jack as you peel off the Queen. Peel off the King fairly onto the Queen. The order of the packet, unbeknownst to the audience is, from the face: King-Queen-8-1 0-Jack-9-2-4-7-5-6-3-Ace. Turn the packet face down in your hands as you comment, "That's it, all the Clubs, in order." Begin to deal them face down rapidly onto the table counting them out loud, one through thirteen, but to this pattern: The first card is dealt with a Bottom Deal. Because it is the first card, Marlo's "Immediate Bottom Deal" (Pallbearer?Review, Second Folio, Winter 1968, page 21 9) works well here, if you are comfortable with the move, but almost any Bottom will serve. The second card is dealt with a Second Deal. The third through eleventh cards

are dealt normally. 'I'he twelfth card you deal is a Bottom, but you have only two cards in your left hand. The last card is counted as thirteen, snapped and used as a scoop to pick up all the cards on the table. The following notation will act as a reminder:

DEAL: Bottom-Second-Top 3- 1 1-Bottom-Scoop The scoop is logically acceptable bur the card that is being used as the scoop should be miscalled as the Ace. I start to deal the last card, stop, apparently change my mind, and comment, "And the Ace can be high or low." This miscall of what should be the King (but is actually the Eight) as the Ace is sort of subtle. You don't actually say the card is the Ace. If you did, someone might question it. Stated as a proposition, your statement is true, so people will accept, unevaluated, that the card you're using is the Ace. I have never been challenged on this ruse. The order of the packet, from the face, is now: 8-King-3-Ace-6-5-74-2-9-Jack-10-Queen. This is the opposite or mirror order to the Spades. 'The tabled cards, having been scooped up, are in general disarray in your hands. Spread them hrther and obtain a break under the seventh card from either end of the spread, the Seven of Clubs, as you say, "All thirteen Clubs in perfect numerical sequence." Set up for Marlo's Future Reverse as follows: You begin by side-jogging the card, using the dynamics of the Side Steal. I've described these in detail on page 182, so I'll not redescribe them here. The card should be extracted far enough to allow you to clip the front right corner between your right third and fourth fingers at the point where the middle knuckle of the fourth finger contacts the side of the third finger. Do this as rapidly as you can, but don't yet do the reverse. When you reach that position, stop the steal and transfer your hold on the packet to your right hand alone. With your left hand pick up the deck and give it face up to a spectator, asking him to "Deal through the deck and remove the Spades as you come to them." Don't make any comment about the order of the Spades unless the spectator shows a sign of trying to put them into order or to take them out in groups as they are removed. They should be removed in the order in which they occur but if this is conveyed it will arouse suspicion. As the spectator is removing the Spades, he will also be reversing their order. You must engage in light banter with your other spectators. Do nor insult the individual who is removing the Spades or disturb him in any way unless you must. (Men are a preferable choice for this task, so I use the masculine pronoun. I have found that women tend to be slower and more meticulous about the removal, which slows the effect unnecessarily.) During this period it is fairly easy to perform the Future Reverse. (See Marlo's Futare Reverse pamphlet, 1945.) Since the timing of the move in this piece is non-standard, I'll briefly review the technique here.

MARLO'S FUTURE REVERSE BROKENFORM Your left hand re-takes the packet into Dealing Grip. The left first finger must rest across the front of the packet, where it remains in contact with the right fingertips, to help screen the action of the move. Lower the right side of the lower portion of the packet-that is, all the cards below the clipped card-treating the left edge as a hinge (Figure 179). As this occurs, the right fourth finger applies upward pressure on the corner of the clipped card. These two actions combine to cause the left side of the clipped card to move downward. Eventually, the left side of the card will drop far 177 enough to clear the right edge of the lower packet (Figure 180). At that point, the fingers of the left hand apply pressure to the undersurface of the card, causing it to turn over, side for side, onto the lower packet (Figure 181). When this turnover is complete, the lower packet can be reunited with the upper packet, trapping the reversed card between them. You can then finish squaring the packet, which completes the sleight. In my experience, this technique can either be performed quickly or quietly but not both. I opt for quietly, which demands that you perform it slowly. In part because the move must be performed slowly, both hands remain in contact with the packet for a fairly extended period. Such moments are always problematic, as there is nothing for the spectators to watch except the hands. In this case, because there is another action taking place (the removal of the Spades), the problem is ameliorated, but not completely eliminated. Separating the initial extraction from the

Reversal divides the time during which both hands are in contact with the packet into two shorter periods. The first, covered by the squaring of the packet after it is picked up, allows the extraction and moving of the card into the right-hand Clip Position. I have found it best to wait until the spectator is nearly finished removing the Spades before bringing the hands together again to do the Reverse, and I call attention to the spectator by asking, "You're done?" when you know he's not. Under that cover, the Reversal can be completed. The Future Reverse, in my opinion, is neither completely invisible nor indetectable and, therefore, requires heavy misdirection. Let's also recognize that the Spade removal process requires well-developed skills in audience management. If you don't have such skills, you are well advised to remove the Spades yourself. This isn't as strong as having an audience member do it but, done quickly with an air of insouciance, it will still play well. The problem with doing it is that it eliminates your opportunity to perform the Future Reverse. This requires that you do the Reverse before you begin the removal process. This is not an insurmountable problem but I have found it better to use Ken Krenzel's Square Reverse (Ajerthougbts, 1975, page 95) because of its rapidity. If you aren't comfortable with managing the spectator's removal of the Spades or with the misdirection necessary for the Future Reverse, I recommend the Krenzel sleight. Since this sleight is not well known, I'm including a brief description.

THE KRENZEL SQUARE REVERSE While holding a break under the card you wish to reverse, turn your left side toward your audience. Adjusting the packet to a position a bit deeper in the hand then usual, straighten your left thumb along the lefi side of the packet. The thumb should completely screen the left edge. Your right hand, from above, grips the packet, the second finger resting at the front end, and the thumb at the rear, near the left corners. The other right fingers should be straight but relaxed. In a light, quick, smooth action the left hand hinges opens the packet at the break and the wrist rotates a little past vertical, pivoting at the left side of the packet (Figure 182). This hand is holding the lower packet while the right hand holds the upper one. The left edges of both packets remain in contact. Move the lefi hand upward smoothly while the left edge of the right-hand packet remains in contact with the back of

the left-hand packet. At the top of the left hand's upward movement, the bottom card of the right-hand packet will come into contact with the pads of the left fingertips (Figure 183). When it does, apply inward pressure, dragging the card off the face of the packet and onto the lower packet (Figure 184) as the left hand returns to its original position. The bottom card of the right-hand packet is thus reversed on top of the lower, left-hand packet. Turn the left hand back under the right and square the cards very briefly. It should appear that the left hand turned the entire packet on edge and ran it lightly up and down between the right second finger and thumb in a somewhat exaggerated squaring action. Your left hand will do almost all the work as your right hand simulates squaring. The complete sequence takes almost no time and can be covered with a single line of patter as you turn your body to place the packet to your right on the table. The key to making the move deceptive is lightness. If there is any tension conveyed during the action, the audience may conclude that something untoward has occurred. This suspicion would be the undoing of the move. The technique is not difficult; but if you can't do it well you probably shouldn't do it at all.

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However you've elected to get the Spades out of the deck, the Clubs packet should now be on the table. Pick up the Spades from the table and spread them face up between your hands. They should be in order but check to make sure as you show them to the assembled multitude. If there are cards out of order, try, as casually as possible, to correct the error. Remember, at this point the spectators are not aware that the order of this packet is of significance. You may have to improvise patter to cover any card shifting and you can use moves like the Wedge, from Vernon's "Oil and Water" (Dai Vernon; More Inner Secrets of Card Mqic, 1960, page 22) and Slipduc (Ibidem,No. 9, March 1957, page 22),to assist you.

NOTE: I originally toyed with the idea of false shuffling the Spade packet to deal with occasions when, in one way or another, the spectator gets them out of order. After, as subtly as possible, rearranging them, a simple false

Overhand ShufHe would handlc it, but the impact of the effect was weakened because the question of order had been brought to the fore. This forces the shuffle to carry the burden of convincing the audience that the cards are in random order. Any time order becomes an issue, it is better if you can allow a spectator to mix the cards. Short of switching the packet after the shuffle, that isn't readily accomplished. Paul Curry provides us with a solution in the form of his Swindle Switch (Paul Cuwy Presents, 1974, page 8). The process is simple but persuasive. Afier explaining what you will do, start to deal cards from your left hand into a pile on the table. As you deal, ask the spectator to call "Swap" anytime he likes, as often as he likes. Take off each card, one by one, and ask, "Deal or Swap?"Each time he says, "Swap," comply by pushing the top card of the left-hand packet onto the card you're holding in your right hand, then set both cards onto the tabled pile. When you've gone through the entire packet, pick up the pile and repeat the process. Go through the packet twice this way and any audience should be convinced that the order is random. If you do this, you may actually find you've fooled yourself. While some will be inclined to use this technique all the time, you should be aware that although this Curry idea is quite effective, it is also a time-consuming process in what is already a long effect. If you find the idea appealing, you might be advised to reverse the order of the initial Spade stack, use a brief false Overhand Shuffle and one run-through with the Curry Swindle Count. I leave it to each performer to decide.

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Once the cards are in proper order, spread them face down between your hands and say to a spectator, "I'm going to take cards one at a time, like this. At some point call out the word Stop." As you say this, marry action to words. Take cards from the left hand's loosely spread dealing position into the right hand, which holds the cards from above in an unsquared pile. You should already have taken three cards before you reach the end of your explanation. If you time it correctly, the spectator will say "Stop" as you reach the seventh card. If he does, hand him the face-down card and let him look at it and show it to the others. If he stops you too soon, sight the seventh card in the left-hand spread and, as you square the left hand's cards, obtain a break above it. Square the right hand's cards lightly against the left thumb and take all the cards above the break under the right hand's cards. Don't let the packets come together; rather, lift the cards above the break up to the right-hand packet (Figure 185). If you use a light touch you will find the action looks innocent because of the unsquared state of the cards.

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Should the spectator fail to stop you soon enough, you'll need to form a thumb break above the seventh card, at the rear of the right-hand packet. When the spectator finally does stop you, perform the same kind of secret transfer just described, but drop the cards below the right-thumb break onto the left-hand packet. Regardless of what the spectator does, he gets the Seven of Spades. While he is showing the card around, employ the Tenkai-Marlo Pivot-Step (page 75) to retain a break at the point where the Seven was removed, as you turn the packet face up. Lift off the cards above the break, exposing the Four of Spades. Have the spectator replace his card face down onto the Four. Close the spread and turn the packet face down. Place the two packets side by side on the table before you and make mystic gestures over them as you announce the miracle of sympathetic response. You can talk about the empathy between twins, the Corsican brothers and the like. Push the Spade packet toward a spectator and have him turn the cards over one pair at a time, as dramatically as possible. The first five pairs will be in the same order. Take back all the cards from the spectator and arrange them resthetically in two rows before you. Turn both packets face up and remove cards one by one, simultaneously from both piles, continuing to reveal their sympathetic order, until you get to the two face-down cards. Comment on how not only the order but even the face-up and face-down condition has responded in sympathy. Reveal the face-down cards to be the same values. The last cards will be sitting as the final set of matching cards. Complete the display by placing them on the end of each face-up row. You may wish to pick up one packet in each hand. Make a One-handed Fan with the right-hand packet and a One-handed Reverse Fan with the left-hand packet. Fan yourself with both fans and take a bow. NOTE: This effect has gone through a number of changes over the years but always plays very strongly. It was briefly used as a closing effect-that's how strong it is. I later moved it to the middle of some of my hospitalitysuite sets, where it serves as a powerful interlude. This brings me to the subject of routining-the magician's parlance for organizing. One must be almost as careful in the order of effects as in their selection. I have seen strong effects play very badly because they were placed in the wrong part of the act. An extreme example is "Out of This World." As an opening effect it would probably die. It's not that the effect is bad; it's simply that it takes too long to establish itself. "Sympathetic Blacks" is similar. You must establish that you are worth watching and that the attention the audience gives you will be rewarded. If you do so, "Sympathetic Blacks" is a blockbuster they'll talk about long after the show is over.

ETUDE FOB DEALERS WHENBILL SIMON mentioned "The Scarne Puzzle" in his 1949 book, Controlled Miracles (page 21), it is unlikely anyone anticipated where it would lead. It is doubtful anyone even noticed. When he published "Call to the Colors" in Efective Card Magic (1952, page 79), it aroused little interest because so few card men of that period could deal Seconds-not to mention Bottoms-well enough to use them under the conditions prevailing in the routine. Subsequently, when Marlo explored the premise (Marlo Magaine, Nlume 2, 1977, "Bluff Call to Colors," page 226, and "Miracle Call to Colors," page 229) he spoke to a slightly larger audience, but still the plot generated little excitement. At about the same time, Martin Nash released his work on the plot, "Colors on the March" (Any SecondNow, 1977, page 275). While it introduced a very clever new feature to the plot-dealing spectator-chosen patterns-it too garnered scant enthusiasm. More recently, Rent Lavand introduced his version via video, presenting the routine, for perhaps the first time, as "mystic and magical." It also appears as "Why Do the Colors Alternate Themselves" in the book Mysteries ofMy Life (1998, page 53). Others, too, have visited the plot. You may wish to take a look at Roger; Thesaurus (1994), which contains a treatment by Jack Avis (page 186), and A Collection ofDrawing Room Deceptions (1999, page 202) for a Guy Hollingworth rendition. My treatment may elicit no more enthusiasm than those before me; but it does address, if not solve, what I consider major problems with all the other works. First, I have eliminated almost all the Deal-Pick-UpDeal sequences of the prior treatments. This practice clouded and diminished the effect. Second, I have endeavored to cloak the proceeding with a shroud of magic. (All other

versions, with the exception of the Lavand presentation, appear as demonstrations of skill, a presentational approach I eschew.) How well I have succeeded in revitalizing this premise only time will tell. If it serves no other purpose, the effect is a fine etude for dealers. It allows the performer to practice dealing Seconds and Bottoms in one effect and to employ both normal and stud-style Takes. The tempo of the effect is similar to that of a Poker game and a single error will show up immediately. All in all, this new construct should add yet another argument for you to put in the time it takes to learn to False Deal. If you decide to, by all means review what Bill Simon has to say about dealing Seconds, and Marlo on all types of deals. Both men reveal great wisdom. EFFECT: With assistance from a spectator, the performer openly arranges the deck in alternating red-black order from top to bottom. He explains and demonstrates that neither cutting the deck nor dealing the cards changes the alternating condition. The performer allows that it can, however, be affected magically. Demonstrating that the cards remain in red-black-red-black order, he applies "a little magic." The cards now fall in red-red-black-black-red-red order. Applying a bit more magic, the cards come off in black-black-blackred-red-red-black-black-black order. Adding still more magic he deals four reds-four blacks-four reds-then, with more magic, five blacks-five reds-five blacks. Finally, only four cards remain undealt. He passes them through his hand in a last magical gesture and reveals them be the four Aces. SET-UP: Remove two red cards and leave them in your pocket or in the card box. Set two black cards, followed by the four Aces in alternating color order, in a packet (mine are set up, from the top down: Black-Black-Ace of DiamondsAce of Spades-Ace of Hearts-Ace of Clubs) in your lap. Have a spectator arrange part of the deck into alternating red-black order as you d o the same with the balance. The last card of the sequence, the card on the face, should be a black card. While it is not mandatory that the spectator help you arrange the d e ~ k - ~ o u can do it all yourself-having a spectator help arrange the cards creates conviction on the part of the audience that the deck is truly in red-black order, as well as reducing the time necessary to set up.

As you slide the deck off the table, secretly add the packet from your lap to the bottom. You're about to lay in the stack right in front of the audience. You need to reverse the top pairing so that it is black-red rather than red-black. To make this adjustment, deal a Second as you apparently take the top card into your right hand, then take the next card under it. Lift the two cards, flashing their faces to the audience, as you say, "Remember, the cards alternate black and red.. ." Return the two cards to the top, then spread the deck face down between your hands as you add, "...all the way through the deck." Close the spread, forming a break below the top two cards.

"If I cut the deck, no matter how many complete cuts I make, the order is unaffected." Accompany this line with a Double Undercut, shifting the two cards from the top to the bottom. "And dealing cards doesn't alter their order either-as long as I deal an even number." As you speak the preceding line, deal the top four cards to the table: Top-Top-Second-Top. Pick up these four cards, without showing them, and place them back onto the deck. Add, "As you see, once you put the deck in order, it's hard to take it out of order unless you shuffle-or you can use magic. I promise I won't shuffle them, so only one thing can cause what you'll see, but don't ask me to explain it; I'm not sure I understand it myself." Execute a Triple Turnover and deal the triple card face up to the table, as one. Be careful that the cards don't spread as you lay them down. The triple card will show as a black card. Deal the next card face up onto the triple card on the table. It will be a red card. Deal a Second, which will yield a black card. Add it face up to the tabled pile. The last card you deal comes off the top. It is a red card. You've dealt six cards as four, apparently in black-red-black-red order. Turn the tabled cards face down and drop the deck on top of them. Pick up the deck and square as you repeat, "Remember, cuts and deals don't alter the redblack sequence in any way, but magic can." From the top down, the order of the deck is now: thirty-six cards in red-black order (eighteen pairs)-two blacks-four Aces-a black-two reds-two blacks-then red-black-red. Say, "Without magic, because of the way we've arranged them, the cards would always turn up red-black-red-black." Deal the first four cards, turning them face up as you do so, and lay them on the table in a column from far to near, in an overlapping row on the left side of your working area. They will show as red- black-red-black. Make a magical gesture (I pass my right hand dramatically over the deck) as you say, "If I only apply a little bit of magic, they turn up as red-red-black-blackred-red.'' The dealing pattern is Top-Second-Top-Top-Top-Second. Again, turn each card face up and form a column from far to near, in an overlapping row, to the right of the previous column. Repeat the magical gesture as you say, "A little more magic causes a more marked departure. They turn up black-black-black-red-red-red-black-black-black." To obtain this pattern you must deal Top-Top-Second-Top-Top-Second-TopTop-Second. Once again, turn each card face up and deal them into a column from far to near, in an overlapping row, to the right of the two previous columns. Execute the magical gesture once again: "The more magic I apply the more drastic the departure from the red-black order. Now, they'll turn up red-redred-red-black-black-black-black-red-red-red-red." The dealing pattern

required to yield this order is: Bottom-Top-Top-Second-Bottom-Top-Top Second-Bottom-Top-Top-Second. Create a column from far to near, face-up, in an overlapping row, to the right of the previous columns. Perform the magical gesture for the last time. "It takes extremely powerhl magic to accomplish the next departure. By applying strong magic they turn up black-

black-black-black-black-red-red-red-red-red-black-black-black-blackblack." To produce this sequence you must deal: Bottom-Top-Bottom-TopSecond-Bottom-Top-Bottom-Top-Second-Bottom-Top-Top-Top-Top. This last column is also dealt from far to near, in a face-up overlapping row, to the right of the previous columns. NOTE: This last dealing sequence is the most irregular but each sequence must be memorized in any case. As you become more familiar with the workings of the method, you'll associate the pattern of reds and blacks with the dealing pattern required to achieve it. I endeavored to work out memory aids for the pattel-11sbut found them too slow and ultinlately unnecessary. The best learning system for me wa? to write out the patterns on index cards and lay them in a row across the table. While I was learning, I'd leave the index card for a particular pattern written-side up. Once I felt I knew the pattern, I'd turn it down. I found I could still visualize the writing. Eventually, I didn't need the index cards at all. Actually, with the exception of the last five cards, the order is logical. I find that if I stop using the routine for a while, I will forget the patterns, but a few run-throughs bring the patterns back. That's the best advice I can give you on learning the patterns. It isn't nearly as difficult as it might seem. You will be left with only four cards, the four Aces, in your left hand. Your patter line is, "To apply any more of this kind of magic could be hazardous to our health, but since I have only four cards remaining I can perform a minor miracle of a different sort. A simple pass through the hand and-instant four Aces. Pretty good, huh?" The pass through the hand is Vernon's Through-theFist Flourish (page 53). Deal the Aces in a face-up row across the table, near your audience. TECHNICAL NOTE: I have not included suggestiotls for which deal techniques to use for the routine. As a practice routine, it doesn't much matter. Mix and match the techniques you want to practice. For performance, the Top, Second and Bottom Deal techniques should all look alike, but beyond that, use the techniques you know. I use my Sure Theory Second (Pdstebonrd Perpensions, page 28), dealt stud-style, and my unpublished treatment of Marlo's Havana Deal, which is also a stud-style deal. The original Vernon New Theory Second and Marlo Havana Deal can be used with similar results.

I'RESENTATION NOTE: As stated, it is a challenge to present this routine effectively. My presentation and construction, as well as the Ace climax, greatly ameliorate the problems. They do not, however, solve them completely under all conditions. Apart fro111 using it in your practice sessions, this routine is best saved for the conditions under which you tnight perform "Out of This World"-for what I call serious audiences. Under those circumstances, without undue distractions, audiences embrace it as a highly intriguing intellectual effect that is very special. The four Ace climax is truly startling. 'Try it; it's challenging at every level and in every way.

THE OPTION SECOND DEAL ABOUT TWO years after I first learned to do a Second Deal well-thanks to Francis Carlyle-I was contemplating the subject of such deals. I theorized, not too originally, that the more closely the procedures for dealing Tops and Seconds paralleled each other, the more indistinguishable they would be. This is hardly a groundbreaking line of thought. I realized, however, that no matter how closely they matched, the one point at which these deals must differ is the moment of the Take. Since that is the most vulnerable moment, I reasoned, something must be done to enhance the illusion that the top card has been dealt. The technique that follows was the outgrowth of that reasoning. It is a deal that can be performed in rapid-fire fashion, and it has an excellent illusion, owing to an altered timing of the return of the top card. Give it a few hours' work-yes it's that easy-and you'll see how good it can look. Additional time and effort will be required to bring it to its optimum but by then, as you'll see, it will be clear it's worth it. GRIP Take the deck into your left hand (assuming you're right-handed), with the left near corner pressing into the crease between the thenar (base of the thumb) and the palm proper. The first finger should be curled around the outer end of the deck. The other three fingers rest along the right side. The tip of the first finger should rest about three-eighths of an inch from the right corner and protrude above the top edge of the deck, to serve as a registration point. The left thumb

rests diagonally across the top of the deck, pointing toward the first fingertip. It should rest lightly. Remember this thumb position; it is "home." 'I'he second, third and fourth fingers at the right side of the deck act as a gauge to assure that only the top two cards are available. As with any deal, you must learn to automatically compensate to maintain this condition as the cards are depleted. It is critical that only the top two cards can slide over the right edge of the deck. To help further ensure this, a bevel, created by the thenar, aids your control (Figure 186). The tips of the three fingers at the side also help maintain the bevel so that the edges of no two cards, from top to bottom, precisely align side to side. The position just described is fundamentally Mechanic's Grip. It will, perforce, vary from person to person, owing to variations in hand size and proportion. In spite of these differences, the three features of the grip that should be preserved are: (a) Some distance between the first fingertip and the front right corner of the deck. (b) The thumb pointing toward the first fingertip rather than the corner of the deck. (c) The pad of the first fingertip extending slightly over the top edge of the deck. The reasons these factors are important will become clearer as the explanation proceeds. For the time being, it should suffice to state that Point provides space for the Take hand's thumb when it lands on the deck. Point b is motivated by the same requirement. Finally, Point c is required because the top card slides back across the top of the deck with greater than typical force. If the first finger didn't extend over the top edge, the returning top card would likely go past square. The first finger, therefore, acts as a stop.

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PUSH-OFF With light pressure on the top card, move your left thumb in a clockwise swivel from its base at the wrist. This action pushes the top card over the right edge of the deck. (Figure 187 shows the card being pushed over in mid-process. Figure 188 shows the deck at the completion of

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188

the process.) When the thumb returns it will do so along the same path. There is nothing novel about this path but the top card does move a bit farther off the deck then is typical of Second Deals. TAKE TheTake action, whether the'top or the second card is desired, begins in the same way. The right thumb lands on both the top and second cards such that the line formed by the front edge of the top card transects the right thumbnail, corner to corner, when viewed from directly above. From this position the thumb has about equal purchase on both the top and second cards, giving you the option of taking either (Figure 189).The time that elapses between the push of the top card and the arrival of the right thumb is irrelevant. You are not trying to hide the opening. By increasing the pressure on the card you want, which involves the slightest rolling of the right thumb, from the wrist, either forward or back, you can drag the target card to the right and slightly forward. The three left-hand fingers along the right side of the deck permit only one card to clear the right edge. They also maintain the bevel.

As soon as the right front corner of the target card clears the right side of the deck, the left thumb starts its swivel back to the left. This is earlier than typical of Second Deals. As a result, the returning card, if there is one, will pass under the right thumb with friction. This requires that greater than normal force be applied to the return action of the left thumb. It's a bit difficult to generate this force at first but with practice it will happen. Regardless of which card you took, your thumb moves back to its home position. When it reaches home it rises about a quarter of an inch and immediately returns to the top of the deck. At the same time, the right second finger moves up to press the right front corner of the target card more firmly to the right thumb. The right hand also continues moving to the right. This action should be crisp but not jerky. Eventually, the card will be completely clear of the deck, at which point it can be dealt as need dictates; usually a sail. PRACTICE NOTE: This entire deal action can be very smooth and rapid. Nevertheless, it's a good idea to begin practicing the technique very slowly. Gradually, work up to a greater speed than you will ever require. As you vary your dealing tempo, you will find a rate at which the illusion is strongest. It is difficult to express this speed in normal terms. O n a metronome it's about

a hundred-twenty beats per minute. That's about a hundred-twenty crxrcls per minute. This is about the speed that one might normally deal a game like Gin. Once you've found the right tempo, practice at that rate primarily, but practice dealing faster and slower as well. You will find the Option Second Deal a fine tool, worthy of your effort. It is best suited to card-table style dealing and lends itself quite well to a Punch Deal. It is too good a deal to expose in a gambling exposi., by turning the top card face up; but, because it can be dealt very rapidly, it rnakes an impressive demonstration deal. I have used it in that way for more than twenty-five years.

T H E COUNTERVAILING MOTION PRINCIPLE Because the top card is openly pushed over, we sacrifice the possibility of a negative illusion. Clearly, both cards are available. This increases the importance of creating a positive illusion. The early return action of the thumb contributes to this positive illusion. It takes advantage of an optical principle Vernon implicitly recognized in his New Theory Second Deal. This is essentially the same principle used in the standard Linking Ring display move. Specifically, that the eye cannot easily determine the source or direction of countermotions, only the existence of the movement. I call this the Countervailing Motion Principle. It is something of a side issue, but, in light of what we do and the oft-heard "The hand is quicker than the eye," it is useful to understand the mechanism by which we "see." Researchers maintain that the eye detects motion in stages, through multiple passes at evaluating the visual data. The method the brain uses largely explains the limits of our resolving ability, as we shall see in a moment. The brain sees less than twenty-four images per second. We know this because movie film runs at twenty-four frames per second and to our eyes the motion appears continuous. We can think of each image we see as a frame of information. The eye, in fact, does not see these images as discrete frames, but the brain does process them as though they were. Any single "frame" is only sufficient to inform us of the positions of the objects within that frame. To detect movement, we must compare two frames separated in time. We do this by comparing two images and determining whether there is a difference between them. Any change represents motion of some sort, though it doesn't tell us the type of motion or even which object within the frame is moving. Thus, the second stage in our evaluation endeavors to extract this additional data. We first determine the object that is moving. This is fairly straightforward, albeit prone to error. We detect which portion of the area in view has changed between the two frames. We then focus on that area to determine what object in that area is different. The play of light and wind and any number of other factors can lead us to erroneous conclusions, but we

learn to compensate mentally for these extraneous factors. The next thing we need to judge is the speed of the motion. A fast moving object may represent a threat, so we determine speed as rapidly as we can. Determining speed requires comparing three images. Most of the information in each of the three frames will not change, but that part that does is evaluated to determine the nature of the change. When the change is size related, the moving object is judged to be approaching or retreating. This information can be critical because it may inform us of impending danger. When the change is location within the frame, without a change in size, we judge that the motion is lateral and, therefore, not so immediately threatening Only after the threat potential of motion is determined can our attention turn to making finer distinctions. Such distinctions are non-critical, so our vision has not adapted for such purposes. When only one object in our field of view is moving, direction and speed are fairly easy to judge. When multiple objects within the frame are moving, it is nearly impossible to make determinations about the details of the motion and we often reach erroneous conclusions. There are so many examples of this in daily life we tend to disregard them. The bolo, the stroboscopic effect, the knee-through-knee illusion of the Charleston and the spiral on the hypno-disk are all examples of this type of misjudgment of motion. In magic, we talk about phenomena such as the larger motion hiding the smaller one. We use the previously mentioned display move to create the illusion that a Linking Ring or a circle of rope is being passed through the hand. In broad terms, this is the Countervailing Motion Principle. There are a number of variations of this principle but they are all predicated on the inability of the eye to correctly resolve the interaction between two moving objects. Since this principle exists, it is u s e l l to identi@ it when it is at work and to exploit it when we can.

MISCELLANEOUS FALSE DEALS A DEVELOPMENTAL SNAPSHOT

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IS only when one attempts to list the variety of False Deals that one real-

izes how many different types there are. That realization gave me pause about addressing them as a group. The fact that the literature contains so few descriptions of techniques and that one sees so few individuals perform most of them puts the subject back into perspective. I certainly don't want to give any Deal short shrift; at the same time, I have no desire to repeat myself unnecessarily. So, with the awareness that so little is written on the subject that almost anything I add will be helphl, I have put pen to paper. Still, a significant portion of what I could say about Center Deals and Botop Double Deals I have already said about Bottoms. A significant amount of Two-Card Push-Off Second Deal information applies as well to the Top Double Deal, Thirds, Fourths and Fifths. These pages will, therefore, primarily endeavor to standardize nomenclature, provide some historical perspective, offer some thoughts about applications and open some new horizons with a group of Theoretical Deals that explore areas that may prove worthy of future investigation. At some future date I may attempt a more detailed view of the Center, Third, Fourth and Fifth Deals. Until then the cited sources should provide a sufficient foundation. APPEARANCE FACTORS GRIP Center Deals, Double Deals (both Top and Botop), Third, Fourth and Fifth Deals, Greek (also known as "Minus One") Bottom Deals, No Deals, Swap

Deals and all the Theoretical Deals share essentially the same Appearance Factors, with each other and with the Second Deal, Bottom Deal and legitimate deals. Grips, therefore, can be, and are, all over the deck, including most of the grips common to Seconds and Bottoms. The Center Deal uses some of the largest deviations from the more or less standard set of False Deal grips. This is not surprising, since Center Deals require that a particular point within the deck be kept available for the taking of a card while allowing legitimate deals to be performed. Whatever grip one chooses, as in all False Deals, the technical details of method are defining. Nevertheless, the level of detail in this section will not rival that of the previous Deals I've explored. Again, I'll simply cite those sources I've discovered. Those sources and my other writings on Deals will have to suffice to put the grip issue into perspective.

TAKE There is nothing inherent in any of the deals under consideration that precludes the use of a Standard Take, Stud Take (either Overhand or Underhand) or No Take (One-Handed) for any particular application. That is not to say that methods for every type of False Deal have been developed to employ every type of Take. Rather, the literature is so sparse in the exploration of these techniques that many combinations of Deals and Take types remain unpublished, if not undeveloped. It is clearly the combination of technical difficulty and limited application development that has inhibited popularization, proliferation and publication of new methods. Just as with the principal False Deals (Bottoms and Seconds), Take grows from application and drives method. The future, therefore, holds many opportunities for the intrepid explorer, but successful explorers must be visionary. T E C H N I Q U E FACTORS COVERT Most of the False Deals under discussion are in the veritable infancy of their technical development. Many have no more than two or three entries in the extensive literature of card technique. Perhaps the only False Deal within the scope of this document that can be said to have progressed beyond the infant stage is the Center Deal, and the Center is no more than a toddler. A look at some of the more important, though scant, variations amply endorse this opinion. Still, no aspirations to comprehensiveness are entertained. I'm not persuaded that further comprehensiveness would serve any additional purpose at this time. This foray into the subject should merely help to frame this underexplored area and provide a sketchy historical view. If it motivates thought it will have served.

CENTER DEAL-The Center Deal has a nearly mythical history, documented in a little-known article by Bruce Elliott and James Tuck in Saga magazine (March 1952, page 51). The article was titled "The Search for the Middle Deal." It recounted Dai Vernon's tenacious effort, throughout the 1930's, to track down a man rumored to deal from the Center of the deck. The man Vernon eventually found was a card cheat named Allen Kennedy who, Vernon maintained, taught his technique to him. More recently, Karl Johnson has revisited the subject in two interesting articles, "The Magician and the Cardsharp (American Heritage, May 2001, page 56) and "Dai Vernon and His Quest for Allen Kennedy's Center Deal" (Genii, December 2001, Vol. 64, No. 12, page 28). T ' o date, no properly detailed description of the Kennedy Deal has seen print, but Ross Bertram, Nelson Downs, Charlie Miller and Luis Zingone were all reputedly taught the technique by Vernon. (The description that appears in Ross Bertram's 1978 book, Magic and Method of Ross Bertram, page 80, is, in my opinion, inadequate; and, though better, so is David Ben's description in the December 2001 issue of Genii, page 42.) The first additional methods, also probably attributable to Vernon, appear in Expert Card Technique (1940, page 23). Tony Kardyro offered a method he called the "Master Deal Supreme" (Kdrdyroi Kdrd Konjuring, 1955, page 1). This was followed by Marlo's offerings in Second, Centers, Bottoms (1960, page 96) and "Special to the Expert" (a privately issued addendum to Second, Centers, Bottoms). (Marlo states that he learned the Center Deal by watching Zingone on film. In spite of Marlo's denial, some insisted he actually learned from Charlie Miller and that it became a source of friction between Miller and Vernon.) Marlo added some additional thoughts on the subject in the March 1975 New Tops (Vol. 15, No. 3, page 28). Martin Nash further explored Marlo's conceptual approach in Sleight Unseen (1979, page 322). Another, fairly obscure, version was contributed by the enigmatic Dom Paolino (Genii, Vol. 3 1, No. 2, October 1966, page 9 1). Fred Robinson of England is also rumored to have had a treatment that has received high praise from the few who witnessed it. Unless it is hidden away in some old issue ofAbra or Pentagram, it has not seen print. Thanks to Bill Kalush, I have in recent years become fond of the Allan Ackerman Center Deal from his booklet, Herei My Card(1978, page 101). The utility of the Center Deal for the card cheat is fairly apparent: It spares him the need to "beat the cut." This, however, has not served as compelling motivation for mechanics to embrace the task. Few, if any, working cheats consider the Center Deal much more than a curiosity. Magicians have been at least as shortsighted in their appreciation of the move. The most obvious task to which the Center Deal can be applied is as a substitute for the Side Steal (to which

it is related) or the Pass, in their capacities as Controls (see my "Middle Deal Control Swindle," Apocalypse, Vol. 18, No. 7, July 1995, page 2521; and The Magical Record and Thoughts of Weslgrjames,page 73). This lack of perceptiveness is somewhat difficult to fathom, as moving a card from the center to the top or bottom of the deck typifies what Centers, the Pass and the Side Steal can do. If that isn't enough, the Center Deal can be harnessed into a role as part of a Botop-like Change (I call it "The Centop Change"). A One-Handed Center can be combined with Irv Weiner's "Fake Insertion" technique (Hugard'sMagic Monthly, titled "Control of One Card to the Top," Vol. XV, No. 6, November 1957, page 67) to produce an even more convincing version of that move. More starkly, the One-Handed Center can be employed to produce a Center Curry Change or a Center Kardyro Kard Change (see M-U-M, Vol. 50, No. 10, March 1961, page 603; or Kdrdyro? Kdrd Change Supreme, 1962). The idea should become clear; once you have the ball, you can run with it. To prove this point, let me interrupt this discussion briefly to insert one interesting application.. .

A HAND TOO FEW DECEMBER 1 27,200

BETA O N DECEMBER 22nd,in a brief but rich session, a serious, young card-worker, Rick Franceschini, showed me his handling of a well-explored plot, the card sandwich. To this plot, by virtue of method, he had added some interesting elements not otherwise possible with the same directness. I considered Rick's treatment immediately interesting, as I informed him, but somewhat flawed by his less than optimal exploitation of the features he had made possible. Thereafter, despite the season's festivities, I found my thoughts returning to these matters, which by now I saw as a challenge. The day after Christmas, I showed a number of solutions I'd developed to my good friend Eliezer Rodriguez. Guided by his feedback, I recombined the best of my ideas into one sequence. While this new construct depends heavily on presentation for its logic and power, it does so in a novel way. Thus, I will include significant portions of my presentation along with the handling, though some of the presentation flows from choreography rather than patter. Further, I should warn the reader, this is a technically demanding method, as was Rick's. The impact, however, is outstanding. There are four major techniques employed in this moderately quick effect, and they happen in rapid succession, with little margin for error. You will perform a Gambler's Cop and Add Back, a D'Amico Spread, a One-Handed Glimpse from a Spectator Peek, and a One-Handed Middle Deal. If that's not challenge enough, the hands do not come together during most of the effect. Hang in there with me on this one; the pace may seem daunting.

EFFECT: After a spectator has been handed a pair of matching cards-we use the red Queens-he

will is given the deck to shuffle as the performer takes back

the pair. Then, while the performer holds the two face-up Queens spread in one hand, the spectator peeks at a card in the deck held in the perfbrmer's other hand. The performer immediately announces, "It's done!" O n looking at the pair, a face-down card is seen to be trapped between the face-up Queens. The performer looks at the face-down card and announces the name. The spectator agrees that is the card he peeked at. The card is immediately withdrawn and handed to him to confirm it is his. Everything may be examined and left with the spectators. SET-UP: The deck you use for this effect must be in reasonably good condition. Openly remove a color-matched pair of cards. I prefer the red Queens but any color-matched pair may be used. This can be done openly, thus requiring no set-up, but the tempo of the effect is expedited if the pair has been located prior to your presentation.

As I perform it, the following opening lines are delivered with a clear sense of tongue-in-cheek. I think of these introductory remarks as somewhat like a Professor Harold Hill monologue in Meredith Wilson's The Music Man. I have resisted the inclination to employ the style even more blatantly, though some may be inclined to do so. I fear the effect would be diminished if framed within too strong a characterization. You begin, "You are about to witness an effect the likes ofwhich you may never see performed again-not that you've ever seen it before. The reason is simple, the effect requires more hands than the average performer sports-that's two. As you can plainly see, I have no more than the customary number of appendages, but with your assistance, your kind assistance, I hope to work around this obvious shortcoming. If you will lend me your eyes, your ears and two of your hands, employing both of mine we will still be one short but I think-in fact I'm more than reasonably confident-we can work around this deficit, albeit with some loss of grace. If, I say, ifwe are able to get through the requisite machinations, you should witness a feat so astounding it will boggle the mind and dazzle the eye. Your grandchildren may hear tales of this event." Hand a spectator standing in front of you one card of your pair to hold in each of his hands. Square the deck and steal the bottom card into Gambler's Cop. It doesn't matter what the card is but only one card should be copped and the deck should be moved toward the fingertips of the hand from which you deal. (For the sake of explanation, we'll adopt the common right-handed bias here.) "I'm going to ask you to shuffle the deck, for which you'll need two hands, so I'll take the two cards you hold. You take the deck I hold. This won't be pretty but we'll get it done." As you are saying this, transfer the deck from your left hand to your right and, turning slightly to your right, reach forward with both hands toward the spectator. Look briefly at the spectator's right hand, then look at your right hand as you place the deck into the spectator's left hand. At the same time,

with your left hand take the card from the spectator's right hand, sliding it over the card hidden in Gambler's Cop. With your right hand, immediately take the second Queen from the spectator's left hand in the action of leaving the deck there, and transfer this card to your left hand, placing it under the double card it already holds. NOTE: Depending upon the size ofyour audience and the distance between you and your spectators, the angles arising from the use of the Gambler's Cop may prove unworkable. Full Palm in the lefi hand obviously offers f x less in the way of angle constraints and may be substituted. 'The change to E:ull Palm need have no significant impact on the handling of the impending Add-On, but it will in all likelihood make the sequence appear a bit more ''cozy." You nnlay also find the curvature created in the card will dictate the choice you make in the next sequence. I will trust the reader to balance the considerations and make the choices appropriate to the venue. At this point, you have a few alternatives: You can square the three cards, taking them at the fingertips of your palm-down right hand, and perform a D'Amico Spread (Classical Foursome, 1956, page 8), showing what appears to be the two face-up Queens with nothing between them. Alternately, you can use Marlo's Pivot Spread (Classical Foursome, page 22) to arrive at almost precisely the same position. Keep your right hand, with its two-card spread, held away from your body. Extend your left hand, take back the now shuffled deck from your assisting spectator and maneuver the cards into position for a Spectator Peek. Explain that he is to "Push back the corner of the deck at one point and peek at a card." As soon as you've caught your break below the card, look directly at the spectator and ask, "Got it?" The spectator should look back at you to say, "Yes." At precisely that moment, spread the Queen packet, so the face-down indifferent card shows. Whatever response you get from your spectator, seemingly repeat, "I got it-look!" Your eyes should travel to the three-card spread. Turn your left hand over, maintaining the break it holds and converting it to an inner right step. Point at the spectator as you catch a glimpse of the index corner of the card at the step (Figure 190), and 190 say, "You've just peeked at a card-and one has jumped over." Look back to the spread as you maneuver your right hand so you can see the face of the face-down card between the Queens, but without exposing its face to the audience. As you see the card, casually name the card you just glimpsed and ask, "Right?" This

will stun many spectators because there is, from their perspective, no way you can know the card, never mind having caused it to jump across. What you will do next is, in my view, the toughest part of this effect. You need to convert from the position in which your left hand is holding the deck to the position you require for the One-handed Middle Deal you will use. In the process, you'll need to convert the step you've been maintaining so you can deal the spectator's card. How you do this will, perforce, depend on which OneHanded Middle Deal you use. We will discuss those considerations in the next few paragraphs, but the action should simply look as though you remove the face-down card and hand it to the spectator. While this is not the only way one could reveal the identity of the card, it should be treated as though it were the most logical course. MIDDLE DFAL CONSIDERATIONS: I use the Middle Deal described as "The Ackerman Center Deal (Modified)" in T/ie Magirick Record and Thoughts of WesleyJames (page 75).This is a treatment of Allan's "Variation of the One Hand Center Deal" from his 1978 book, Herei My Card (page 101). In this instance, because only one Middle is dealt, the two techniques are essentially interchangeable. A key consideration, regardless of the technique chosen, is that the hand that holds the deck must be able to achieve the required grip wirhout assistance from the opposite hand. It is also important, in my opinion, that the Deal be performed without a full wrist turn, though Rick Franceschini employed one in the version he performed. The reason behind my thinlung is that it would be nearly in~possibleto perform a Wrist-Turn Middle under the prevailing conditions without flashing the break, unless the action is made quite broad, in which case it would become suspicious. I do not suggest this is universally true, but in this situation we don't have a completely conventional application of the Middle Deal. For these reasons, the demands of the Middle Deal here are greater than typical for Middle Deals generally or even for One-Handed Middle Deals. I submit that the illusion to strive for is that the face-down card is slid from between the face-up Queens, and its isolation is apparently maintained by heavily right-jogging it on top of the deck. Carlying the card in this position toward the spectator will give you a brief moment to prepare for your Middle Deal, which, given the circumstances, must use a Buckle-out technique. An instruction directed to the spectator, such as, "Hold out your hands, both your hands!" will assure that you reach the target point for p u s Deal before your spectator is ready to receive the card. 'The Deal itself should be performed almost straight down into the spectator's hands, with just a bit of lefnvasd movement at the end to make sure the dealing hand is

clear of the dealt card at the completion of the Deal. This action may not come immediately, if you aren't accustonled to it. With practice, assuming you get enough kick from the left fingers and mininlal friction from the packets, it creates an excellent illusion of the withdrawn card merely dropping into the spectator's hands with a light downward toss-a rather disarming look. O f course, the right-jogged card is pulled onto the top of the deck as the left hand turns at the wrist in the act of dealing the Middle onto the spectator's hand. CYI'HEK CONSIIIERATIONS: While a wide array of handling variations would be available for managing the initial stages of this effect, I don't believe any would be significantly cleaner in appearance than that offered here. ?'he options narrow once the spectator has peeked at a card, since only one hand is available. I believe the Middle Deal to be the most expeditious method of acco~n~lishing the necessary result, though it is by no means the only method. With some alteration to the blocking and choreography, a One-Handed Pass could be used to reposition the peeked card. This would allow the use of a One-Handed Bottonl Deal. While there would be much to otherwise recommend it, the difficulties of converting from a break below the selection to a break above the selection largely preclude the use of a Second Deal, Kardyro Change, Curry Change (and any of its variants) or, best in my opinion, Marlo's Visual Retention Change (Hierophnnt, No. 5, 1971, page 239). It is interesting to me that while the younger generation of card-workers invests tremendous energy in laying claim to minor handling variations of overly familiar plots hung on questionable improvements, truly useful goals such as a simple, efficient way to establish a break above rather than below a spectator peeked card attract no attention whatever. I suspect this is a simple failure to apprehend those areas of the card-workers toolbox where the needs are most real; or perhaps such prosaic accomplishments are merely too unappealing to attract attention. In any case, we must await the day. In closing, I don't imagine most performers will wish to end the effect as I do but, at my publisher's prodding, I'm including the closing monologue 1 use for the effect. It's delivered in the style and, loosely, the cadence of "Trouble in River City'-which is to say, as though you were rapping. It's meant to be fun, so have fun with it. "I know, I say I know your thought-you're thinkin' that's great, you're thinkin' that's fine, you're thinkin' 'that fool'

[theseh t f o u r words are deliueredns nn aside, as though they had con~ejionzn spectatop.1. Remember the Maine, like they taught you in school; remember Plymouth Rock and the Golden Rule! Cause now ya got trouble-right here in [nnme of city where you are] City! With a capital T and that rhymes

with C and that stands for-Cool'" "Cool!" is delivered out of meter, in a style reminiscent of Oscar Brown, Jr. in his song, "But I was Cool," from his Sin & Soul album. For those unfamiliar with this piece, the best guidance I can give is that the word is delivered in an exaggerated and ironic style. If you decide you want to use this presentation, by all means check out the Oscar Brown, Jr. or Albert Collins versions of the song. The change of style breaks the character and ends the presentation. Your audience should be smiling; they've seen an amazing effect and a vignette that harkens to a fun theatrical piece.

MISCELLANEOUS FALSE DEALS (CONTINUED) DOUBLEDEAL-It may be argued that the Double Deal is insinuated in Erdnase, with no technical detail, by Illustration 26, page 59. It was certainly in use as a means for dealing extra cards to oneself or a partner. That, of course, is the purpose for which it would be most useful to a gambler. For the magician it has many additional uses. It should be apparent that the Double Deal has some of the functionality of a Double Lift. It can also be applied to False Counts. It is in that capacity that the Double Deal was used by Jack Merlin of ...And a Pack of Cardr fame, in his excellent "'Lost' Ace Trick" in Expert Card Technique (page 233). Charlie Miller raved about this piece. Of course, Marlo made a contribution in this area as well. His offerings are presented, as might be expected, in Second, Centers, Bottoms, which also includes an odd treatment, from S.F. Grip, by Warren Wiersbie. It is worth noting that Marlo's Two-Card Throw (Marlo in Spades, 1947, page 5) and Cliff Green's Impeccable Double Lift (Professional Card Magic, 1961, page 148) are hnctiondy One-Handed Top Double Deals. Both techniques can be thought of and used as such. It is fairly apparent that the Double Deal was first performed by dealing the top two cards as one, using a Two-Card Push-Off technique-probably one similar to that described in Erdnase. It is interesting to note that Mississippi riverboat casinos were known to use prepared decks, called "Sand-Tell" Decks-a precursor of magic's rough and smooth principle-to allow a Double Deal from a Dealing Shoe. Oddly, magicians have not given any form of Double Deal much focus. Jerry Sadowia describes a Top Double in his 1987 book with Peter

Duffie, Inspirations (page 103), and Danvin Ortiz does likewise in his 1988 book, At the Card Table (page GI), and again in 1995 in C a r h a r k (page 147). I should probably mention that the distinction between Double Deals in which both cards come from the top of the deck, and those in which one comes from the bottom, the other from the top, has been implicitly recognized by others. The designations "Top Double Deal," "Botop Double Deal" and "Centop Double Deal," while hopefully evident in meaning, are my own. (See also Theoretical Deals on page 275.) The Double Deal taught in Expert Card Technique (page 27), as used by Jack Merlin, is a Botop Double Deal. Stephen Hobbs describes a Gene Maw treatment from Erdnase Grip in Gene Maze and the Art of Bottom Dealing (1994, page 23). Both Marlo (Seconds, Centers, Bottoms, page 107) and Martin Nash (Sleight Unseen, 1979, page 334) have offered Centop Double Deals. If the Double Deal were easier, it could become a very popular technique, because of its relationship to the Double Lift. As things are, no form of Double Deal is often performed. THIRD,FOURTHAND FIFTHD ~ s - T h e earliest mention ofThirds-though not Fourths or Fifths-appears in Dariel Fitzkee's translation of Maurice Sardina's The Magic of Rezvani (1949, page 28). In 1955, Tony Kard~ro'sbook k;trdyroi Kdrd Konjuring described the first method, however impractical, for dealing Thirds (page l ) , while allowing for the possibility of application to Fourths and Fifths. Marlo teaches an approach to Fourths and Fifths (in Seconds, Centers, Bottoms) and is the first to offer a practical technique for such Deals. His Unit Control Theory (page 111) and other ideas made these Deals more than mere dreams, but actually workable under certain conditions. For individuals who have facility with both Push-Off and Strike Second Deals, Thirds, Fourths and Fifths are fairly easy additions to the arsenal. In spite of this, magical applications are nearly non-existent, except for those by Marlo and RenC Lavand (see MagicJiom the Soul, 1993, pages 84, 92, 108, 109, 110, 116, 125, 160, 163, 18 1, 182 and 187; and Mysteries of My Life, 1998, pages 53, 68 and 87). Martin Nash (Any SecondNow, 1977, page 275), David CarrC (The David C a d Collection of Advanced Card Magic, Glume 1 video) and I (Pasteboard Perpensions, "ELEVaceOR," page 50) are among the few who have published applications. A fairly obvious use of these techniques would be dealing Fifths to maintain the Four Aces on top of the deck in a Four Ace routine. This simple example demonstrates how utilitarian such a technique could be. Were it not that most Third, Fourth and Fifth Deal techniques require a moment to set and a heavy, continuous necktie if deceptiveness is to be maintained, their utility might be more often exploited. My Theory Thirds discussion, on the following pages, may change this situation.

THEORY THIRDS MARCH30, 1993 AS I'VE mentioned, in Pmteboard Perpensions I described a variation of the Rcmani-Vernon New Theory Deal, which I called "The Sure Theory Second Deal." Now, by adding a variation of a Take technique by Marlo, which he employed in his Push-Pull Bottom Deal (New Tops, Vol. 7, No. 12, December 1967, page 4 I), I've developed a new way of dealing Thirds. This new approach has at least one advantage over previously published techniques: There is no prepositioning required when this technique is applied. The top of the deck can be viewed between deals. In other words, there are no step-jogged or fanned cards being controlled by your thumb, as in prior techniques. This is, in my opinion, a significant improvement and gives the Deal its merit; but this merger of concepts produces the potential for other uses of the Theory Thirds approach. The reader will find some of these exploited in the techniques that follow and may devise his or her own as well. One other point should be made here: This technique is not easy to acquire. If you don't have a background in dealing both Push-Off and New or Sure Theory Seconds you will find the learning curve quite steep. Be assured that the Deal is workable and can fill your existing and foreseeable need for dealing Thirds. GRIP Hold the deck in Mechanic's Grip. Your first finger should be at the outer end, the other fingers along the right side. The first finger should extend above the front edge of the top card.

PUSH-OFF Bend your left thumb slightly and place the left side of its outer phalange at the extreme left outer edge, resting on the top surface of the deck (Figure 191). With sufficient pressure, a tiny crease of flesh will be forced over the edge of the second card. The cards may tend to bevel slightly, producing contact between the thumb and the upper surfaces of both cards, but it is preferable that this not occur. The two cards should be controlled by their edges alone.

/

Move your thumb to the right. The two cards should move rightward, passing over the left fingertips. The left first finger, at the front, acts as a guide, of sorts, so the cards move in a straight line across the deck. This is a feel that one develops with practice. NOTE: While the idea of pushing off two cards by using the flesh overhang of the thumb dates back at least as far as Expert C h d Echnique, the idea of applying that flesh to the left side of the deck, rather than the front edge, stems from an Earl Nelson Double Lift technique taught on his Earl Nehon Video Workshop, Volume 2 (1984).

As you continue the push, the inner part of your thumb will contact the third card down. This is the same technique used in the Rezvani-Vernon New Theory Deal. If you continue the push, the third card too will pass over the fingertips at the right side of the deck. Figure 192 shows the position, but with the misalignment of the top two cards exaggerated for clarity.

i

TAKE Hold your right hand, thumb uppermost, about six inches to the right of the deck. Move this hand about three inches to the left as the left hand moves about the same distance rightward. As the hands approach each other, slightly necktie the deck. This is not a rapid action; rather it is performed at a smooth, even tempo. Eventually, the right thumb will contact the extreme right edge of the doubled cards, driving them back toward alignment with the deck. At the same time, the instant after contact, the left fingers straighten, pushing the third card farther to the right. When the technique is clicking, the doubled cards w d act

and feel like a single card and the third card will almost jump from beneath the double card to under your right thumb.

At the completion of this push-back action, the card that is third from the top will be jogged to the right for about a third of its width, with your right thumb above it. The top two cards will be essentially square with the deck. If you find the third card rotating as it moves l e h a r d , concentrate on equalizing the pressure exerted by the left fingers as they straighten. Ultimately, once the third card is side-jogged it is a simple matter to press up with your right second finger and down with your right thumb to grasp the jogged card and carry it to the right, clear of the deck. There should be no appreciable pause between the pushing of the upper two cards to the left and the grasping and carrying of the third card to the right. Your left fingers should begin to curl back toward the deck before the jogged card clears the right side, although they cannot complete this action until the card clears. If you time the action correctly, your second and third fingers will be re-aligning the deck against the base of your left thumb before the removed card reaches the table. Applying forward pressure will align all the cards at the front by driving them against your left first finger. The Deal is complete when the deck is hlly square. Other than the Two-Card Push-Off, maintaining the squareness of the deck is the most challenging part of the deal. You can anticipate that gaining assurance with it will be the last step of mastery. NOTE: In Marlo Magazine, Volume 3, 1979, Eddie identifies and employs an additional action to enhance the illusion of his Natural Second Deal (page 65, Step 6). Vernon had applied essentially the same idea to a Bottom Deal. That action also applies well here. Add a left-hand wrist-turn at the moment of the Take. It is astounding how much this improves the look of the Deal in instances where you are dealing straight down to the table. One more idea some may find appealing is to hold the right thumb parallel to the right edge of the pushed-off cards. If this approach is taken and you maintain close alignment of the doubled cards, the necktie may be avoidable. Some will find the Parallel-Thumb Take to be "unnatural"; you can make your own determination. FOURTHS, FIFTHS, ETC. When I began practicing the preceding technique, I experienced a fair amount of difficulty ensuring that the Two-Card Push-Off that began the action yielded only two cards. This is not a unique problem with Two-Card Push-Offs but the problem seemed exacerbated by the straight, rather than the more traditional arced, Push-Off. I began experimenting with holding a two-card fourth-finger break while dealing. The break is unnecessary if the deck isn't sticky, but it can

be usehl when it is. Nevertheless, some may find dealing easier when using the break. In any case, this practice taught me that with a break below three, four or more cards I could deal fourths, fifths, etc. You may find this useful as well. (Also see "Adding Differentiation'' on page 276.) Now that you understand the Theory Thirds concept, the following techniques will be both easier to understand and to acquire.

THE UNDIFFERENTLATED MIDDLE MARCH3 0 , 1 9 9 3 After experimenting with the Theory Thirds approach, I came to realize-mostly because of my misses-that fourths, fifths, etc., were possible. I reasoned that almost any number of cards could be pushed as a block and the technique would still work. I began pushing random-sized blocks, determined by where my thumb happened to fall, then applying the Theory Thirds Take. It worked. Having determined that it worked, I was still unsure of the utility of the technique. It then occurred to me that there were often occasions when one would need to maintain stocks at both the top and bottom of the deck and still deal. Under such circumstances, one wouldn't care where the cards came from in the deck. One would, however, have to obtain them from somewhere in the middle. This technique is ideal for such a purpose and can be considered as an alternative to the use of a Bottom Deal under circumstances when only a top stock needs to be maintained. It may be considered an alternative to a Greek Bottom Deal when the goal is to maintain the bottom card and still get access to a card from elsewhere than the top stock. Moreover, since this technique requires no Get-Ready, one can readily use it in Deal-Switch situations. As an example, if you had four Aces face down on top of the deck and needed to apparently deal them to the table, dealing four Undifferentiated Middles would serve as a Deal-Switch. This could eliminate the need for a more complicated, fiddly and probably less logical display before the deal. GRIP Hold the deck as you do for Sure Theory Seconds or Theory Thirds but, depending on the size of your hand, slightly deeper. You want to be able to hide a substantial portion of the front edge of the deck. PUSH-OFF Instead of pushing a controlled number of cards from the top, as in the two deals just mentioned, move your left thumb farther left and down slightly, contacting the front left corner of the deck. If you now move the thumb to the right, you will move a block of cards of undetermined size ahead of it. From the

front it should not be possible to see the block because it is partially under the left thumb. The thumb cannot conceal the block by itself however, so your left first finger and the deeper grip you've assumed assist in obscuring it. (Figure 193 shows a front view of the rather unusual position of the deck, with the left thumb moved slightly aside to expose the configuration of the cards.) If you have a top stock, it's easy to push over at least that number of cards to preserve it. The hrther down the side of the deck the left thumb makes contact, the more cards will move over. It is nearly impossible to control the exact number reliably with this technique. TAKE As the hands approach each other, slightly necktie the deck. The right thumb will contact the extreme right edge of the block and will then push all but the lowermost card of the block back to the left. At the same time, at the moment of contact, the left fingers straighten, pushing that card farther to the right. When the technique is clicking, the block will slide back to the left as though it were a solid unit and the lowermost card will almost jump from beneath the block to under your right thumb.

During the action just-described, the right first finger should cover the front right corner of the block (Figure 194). At the completion of the action, the card at the bottom of the block will be jogged to the right for about a third of its width. The cards above it, having been pushed back by the right thumb, will be essentially square with the top of the deck (Figure 195).

Once the card is side-jogged, it is a simple matter to press up with your right second finger and down with your right thumb to grasp the jogged card and

carry it to the right, clear of the deck. It will take some work, but you can learn to perform this Take with no pause between the pushing of the block and the grasping and carrying of the middle card to the right. As soon as it is clear, curl your left fingers inward, tightening them on the deck. Also apply pressure forward, aligning the cards at the front by forcing them against your left first finger. The Deal is then complete and the deck square.

ADDING DIFFERENTIATION As I continued to work with the Undifferentiated Middle, I began to recognize that a means for differentiation was possible. I attempted to use a technique I thought would address the need. After a little experimentation, I found a way to make it work. The following additional touches will allow you to deal from whatever point in the middle of the deck you wish. GRIP AND PUSH-OFF If you begin the Undifferentiated Middle but hold a left fourth-finger break below the middle card you wish to deal, you can, with just a little extra practice, push off all the cards above the break. It is somewhat an acquired feel that comes with experience. Fundamentally, you need to learn where the left thumb needs to fall so it will overlap the edge of the block you want to move. You'll also need to learn the angle at which pressure must be applied by the left thumb. For me, it helps to think of aiming the pressure at the middle of the extreme right edge of the bottom card of the block I want to push over. That imagery may not work for you but it's a starting point. Experiment and you'll find the point you must target in your mind to make the technique reliable. TAKE

As in the Undifferentiated Middle, as the hands approach each other, slightly necktie the deck. The right thumb will contact the extreme right edge of the block and push all but the bottom card of the block back to the left. At the same time, at the moment of contact, the left fingers straighten, pushing that card farther to the right. Again, the desired card should almost jump from the center and under your right thumb. The right first finger, just as in the Undifferentiated handling, covers the front right corner of the block, and the Deal is completed as previously described. Because you need to acquire the break again after each card is dealt, your left fingers, beginning with the fourth, need to curl back toward the deck before the middle card clears the right side. If you time the action correctly, your fourth finger will catch the upper packet as it drops, after the middle card clears. The second and third fingers will re-align the deck against the base of your left thumb and forward pressure will align the front of the deck against the left first finger. Give it some practice and you will find the technique quite reliable.

MISCELLANEOUS FALSE DEALS (CONCLUDED)

GREEKBOTTOM DEAL-The earliest mentions of the Greek Bottom of which I'm aware occur in Koschitz's Manual of Usefil Information (1894) and Theodore Hardison's Poker (1914). Neither Koschitz nor Hardison explain a method for the Deal. From then until now, the Greek Bottom Deal has been a technique that allows a Dealer to substitute the card second from bottom for the top card. I have no idea how the appellation "Greek" came to be applied. The technique was first conceived to address the problem presented by the burn card in one-deck Black Jack games. The one-deck game is nearly a thing of the past but some casinos and card rooms still "cap" the bottom of the deck with a blank or plastic card to prevent players from glimpsing the bottom card. Since most of these games are dealt by the house, the technique would only be useful to a crooked house-dealer working in concert with a player. This may, in part, explain why there are so few known techniques. The first Greek Bottom Deal technique waited until 1970 to see print: Allan Ackerman's Minus One Bottom Deal in Magic Ma& Efects (page 24). Later, in Kabbak Volume 3 (1976), Marlo shared his thinking in "The Multiple Minus Bottom" (page 106). Martin Nash provides an approach, albeit limited in application, in his Any Second Now (1977, page 191). Andrew Wimhurst adds to these techniques in his Down Under Deah (1998, page 29). I know of no other published technique, but I understand that the best existing method is a currently unpublished one by Fred Robinson. Tom Gagnon has shown me

a One-Handed Greek Bottom Deal technique with very interesting applicational implications. I confess that the Greek Bottom Deal has little to recommend it to magicians. It would allow a performer to flash the bottom card both before and after the deal in a Stop-type effect but that hardly seems worth the effort, and there are other ways to reach the same end (see my "l?K.A. Cheating," page 21 9). It also allows an alternative means of faking a Center Deal. This, however, seems an odd application considering the other alternatives. O n the other hand, Bottom Dealers should not find adding the Greek Bottom to their repertoire very taxing. Nevertheless, if you're just learning False Deals, you can safely leave "the Greek" for last.

NO DEALAND SWAP DEAL-The terms "No Deal" and "Swap Deal" are monikers of my invention. They refer to two unique classes of techniques that are either theoretical (no technique currently exists) or are based on ideas by my dear, departed friend Johnny Benzais. The Benzais idea is sometimes called the Deal Cop. (When it first appeared in Lorayne's Close-Up Card Magic, 1962, page 269, it was dubbed the JB Kard Kop.) The concept behind the No Deal is that a card is either taken from the deck and stolen as it is dealt, for later disposition (a Deal Cop), or it is never taken in the first place, even though the actions of dealing are simulated (Theoretical). One can readily imagine how useful the functions that derive from these techniques could be. The most obvious uses being Counts for more or less, position displacements (see my "1-2-3-4 Rise" in Mr. Gadfly,Vol. 1, No. 3, September 200 1, page 20) and, more directly, steals. (see "A.E. S.S. E.M. IOU" in The Magical Record and Thoughts of Wesley James, page 92). Few individual techniques would be more flexible or more broadly useful. The Benzais Cop is quite easy to learn if you use the proper grip (S.F. Grip without the first finger in front). Marlo thought enough of Johnny's technique to have devoted a few pages on it to his thoughts in Advanced Fingertip Control (1970, page 140). HISTORICAL NOTE: O n page 142 of that book Eddie mentions that Persi Diaconis claimed, in a private conversion with him, to have shown this sleight to Benzais. Of course, I can't confirm what was actually said at that meeting. However, prior to his untimely passing, Johnny told me he came up with the technique and an application, and showed it to Persi, who immediately came up with other applications. I believed Johnny then and still do, as he was always honest with me. I can add nothing more to this puzzling contradiction of claims. The "simulated deal" approach is almost completely unexplored territory. The closest approximation is "Rub-a-Dub-Dub from Expert Card Techniqw (page 301), and that's not very close. It is an interesting challenge. Lennart Green of Sweden has a wonderful technique that can be applied to this purpose.

He calls it the Snap Deal. When Lennart deals a card, palming it in the action, then secretly adds it back to the deck as he apparently deals another card, his Snap Deal meets the definition of a No Deal. Lennart's Deal is not yet widely used but now that his booklet, The Snap Deal (1 995), written by Tom Stone, has been released, it may gain greater currency. In Issue 5, October 1998, of Ken Simmons' O m , I contributed my Oil and Water routine, titled "Olive Oil on the Side" (page 5), which uses the Snap Deal as a No Deal. The Swap Deal is not only my designation but my concept. If one could steal one or more cards from wherever they may reside in the deck and swap them at will for the top card, in the act of dealing, one would have a deal that could substitute for most other False Deals in many situations. In theory, any of the previously mentioned No Deal approaches could be applied to the Swap Deal. Other methodological approaches might also be feasible. Marlo and others have published or developed methods for producing a palmed card while making it appear that the card is being removed from the top of the deck. Such techniques could probably be applied to the Swap Deal concept but, for the sake a purity of concept, I have limited candidates to techniques wherein both the Steal and the Swap are accomplished in the apparent act of dealing. Under that constraint, techniques that swap previously stolen cards, however they may be acquired or concealed, for dealt cards do not qualify. The exchange aspect of the Swap Deal can be covered by any of a host of perfectly normal actions one might perform as part of dealing a card. I plan future discourses that will explore this concept and other approaches at greater length and in hrther detail. For now it should suffice to say that I see these two concepts, the No Deal and the Swap Deal, as the way of the future. A good Double Deal (the standard forms and some of the Theoretical ones) and the No Deal create powerful Card Switch combinations. The Swap Deal can replace every False Deal except the Double Deal and No Deal. These two Deals are exceptions because their function relates to number rather than identity. In case you can't tell, I'm enthusiastic about the potential of these two concepts. OVERT The scope of overt action elements related to False Deals is as wide as it is for Bottom and Second Deals, and like those Deals is as fully encompassing: everything and anything that makes a deal easier, smoother or more efficient, except techniques addressed at creating deceptiveness or illusion. This section will offer some observations on some of the major elements as they relate to False Deals.

Most of the action elements applicable to the Bottom Deal and Second Deal apply to other False Deals as well. In fact, for some False Deals-such as

'Thirds, Fourths and Fifihs-actions like the Necktie are essential, or nearly so. Wrist Swinging, Wrist Turning, Bobbing and Reverse Necktieing are also useful to this type of False Dealer. If nothing else, they allow the dealer a greater margin for error. Many Center Deals rely on integrated deck motion to screen their overt techniques, changing them to covert ones. One might normally think of these as a consideration of deceptiveness but in these instances they are more related to allowing the opening to be widened greater for extraction, which affects ease of execution. My best advice here, as in the Second Deal, is to confine actions to +one deck thickness up and down, +one deck width side to side and +half a deck length front to back. That's about a three inch by six inch by six inch space. Again, more is excessive; less is more. Easily the most important thing a dealer can do to make Deals easier is to practice. Not just any practice, though it all helps, but "overload practice. Practicing Bottom Deals, Botop Double Deals or Center Deals with more than a full deck makes Deals with fifty-two cards or fewer easier. A1 Cooper, my old friend and an expert Bottom Dealer, was fond of practicing his Deals with a glove on his gripping hand. It improves one's sensitivity. I find practicing with decks in a wide variety of conditions-borrowed decks are particularly good-a useful way of forcing your hands to learn fine compensation skills. Whatever works for a given individual is worth trying.

There are some very real problems faced in every type of False Deal. The Center Dealer must hide the opening of the deck. The Third, Fourth and Fifth Dealer must hide the state of the stepped, jogged or fanned cards on top of the deck. The Top Double Dealer must assure that the cards come off in alignment. The Botop Double Dealer faces an even more difficult version of the alignment problem, plus the need to screen the cards as they come together. Every Deal must be seriously analyzed and considered before it can be used with any hope of deceptiveness.The Center Dealer can use a deeper Take, which can help conceal the opening of the deck. The Botop Double Dealer can use the same Deep Take to help in hiding the top and bottom cards converging. The Top Double Dealer can combine careful Take-hand finger positioning with a longer than usual Take stroke to increase certainty that alignment problems will be minimized or concealed. These suggestions can't address every problem with every False Deal. No single discussion of this size could adequately do so. Rather, I offer some suggestions for particular problems. More importantly, the examples offer tools that may be employed to address other problems. Ultimately, knowledge, experimentation and experience are the most powerful tools. There are few problems that can't be overcome with careful consideration and the judicious use of the appropriate tool.

When the problems of deceptiveness unique to each Deal are satisfactorily addressed, there remains the matter of illusion. The creation of the visual illusion that the top card is being taken, when it is actually some other card or cards, or no card at all, is key to the illusion, positive or negative, and must receive careful attention. Even if one decides to sacrifice illusion for other values, it should be a conscious choice. The matter of note here is that there are means of assisting illusion that can be used for many different types of Deals. These may be thought of as principles for assisting illusion. My Deep Thumb Take (see my Back-Right Bottom Deal in Pateboard Pe'erpensions, page 19) is an example of such a principle. The countervailing motion phenomenon that is operative in the New Theory Second Deal and its progeny can also be considered a principle. A number of others no doubt exist. Some may not be universally agreed upon (see my observations on the Chase Second Deal, page 236), while others will find nearly universal acceptance. It can take years to analyze, learn, coordinate and incorporate all the actions and covers required to turn any False Deal into a smooth, reliable, natural and illusionary one. As always, developing an objective eye may well be the most difficult and useful tool of all. It's worth it. THEORETICAL FALSE DEALS In addition to the No Deal and Swap Deal, I've conceived a number of other deals that could theoretically exist. In other words, they would exist if there were techniques to accomplish their tasks. I'll not go into a lot of detail about any of these deals. I'll merely list them here: the Second-Third Double Deal, the Middle Double Deal, the Middle-Middle Double Deal (Middles from two different spots) and the Middle-Bottom Double Deal. Some of these Deals have no apparent gambling applications that are not filled by existing techniques, but each could have magical applications that might be tapped. Some thought will reveal these applications and, with effort, methods may be devised. Someday we may think of some of these Deals as common, particularly if the No Deal concept catches on. SUMMARY There is, at some level, a critical mass for False Deals. When enough cardmen have acquired facility with a given False Deal, applications begin to appear. O n the other hand, with so few applications for False Deals in print, relatively few cardmen are motivated to invest the time and effort necessary to acquire the requisite dealing skills and thus to develop additional, new applications that employ them. I can only hope that, with time, applications and proponents will come. Until then, we must love False Deals for themselves. My sincere hope is that the ideas I've included here will help speed the widespread acceptance and use of False Deals.

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SHUFFLES

FALSE RIFFLE SHUFFLES LOOKING AT False Riffle Shuffles analytically, all other considerations aside, they all must, at some point, deviate from legitimacy. While that statement might seem fatuous, the instant at which this deviation occurs determines the last moment the shuffle can be fully scrutinized by viewers. That is an often overlooked but fundamental consideration. From that perspective, the shuffle that deviates earliest is the Zarrow. A One-Shuffle Zarrow begins its deviation in the split before the shuffle. The point of deviation in a Two-Shuffle Zarrow is after the interlace but before the telescoping process. In the Strip-Out Shuffle, the point of deviation, while harder to pinpoint, is during the telescoping process and before the point of apparent coalescence, which I call the "moment of conjoin." Finally, the point of deviation for the Push-Through Shuffle is slightly before the "moment of conjoin" but later than in a Strip-Out. Three things can be reasoned based on the following observations:

(1) The Push-Through deviates later in the shuffle process than any other False Riffle Shuffle. (2) There need not be a direct correlation between the point of deviation and the ultimate deceptiveness of a shuffle.

(3)You've probably never thought about False Riffle Shuffles in this way. Addressing these points in reverse order will, I believe, be most productive to my agenda. False Riffle Shuffles break down into a series of discrete but contiguous steps, stages or phases. Each has a definable beginning and end. Each stage is associated with a dynamic, transitional procedure. In the hope that providing

a nomenclature will facilitate discussion and refinement of these procedures, I define them as follows: Every riffle shuffle begins with the Split. It then proceeds through the Interhe process to the Alignment phase. This is followed by a Telescoping action that ends in the Conjoin. In the case of a legitimate shuffle this is the point of coalescence. The shuffle proper concludes with the Square. Shuffles generally then continue with a Cut, Strip or Resplit, but such stages and their associated actions should be considered as separate from, though contiguous within, the shuffle. Each of these stages can benefit from analysis particular to the type of shuffle in which they are being performed. Point 'livo above is opinion but important to keep in mind. It would be easy to mistakenly conclude that the later in a shuffle the point of deviation occurs the more deceptive the shuffle. Following that logic, the Push-Through would be the most deceptive shuffle. In practice, the point of deviation only dictates which stages of a shuffle the performer can emphasize, and therefore sell. In a Strip-Out the Alignment phase is strongest, while the Telescoping phase needs the most careful analytical attention. In a Push-Through the Telescoping phase has a stronger look than in the Strip-Out but requires attention to other intrinsic details. For the Zarrow the moment of conjoin should support the greatest scrutiny. (In practice, most practitioners emphasize the Interlace phase of the Zarrow and bull their way through the rest.) Let me hasten to say that emphasizing the correct phase of each shuffle is not common practice, nor is it necessarily easy. It requires careful thought to properly construct a shuffle technique that capitalizes on its strongest elements and hides its weaknesses. Clearly, if the critical areas cannot be identified, they cannot be specifically addressed. All that said, I should go on record with my bias. Unlike the late Ed Marlo, Dai Vernon and currently Darwin Ortiz, among others, I am not fond of Strip-Out Shuffles. I recognize their strength for block transfers and that Strip-Outs permit presentational emphasis through an exaggerated Telescoping phase. I am not, however, persuaded of the strength of the Telescoping phase illusion, no matter how slowly it can be performed. Since I am not fond of Strip-Out Shuffles, I have invested considerable analysis, time and effort in both the Zarrow and Push-Through Shuffles. These preferences led me to the first point listed above. Since the Push-Through deviates from legitimacy later than any other False Riffle Shuffle, one can sell the Shuffle longer than any other type. This can be extremely useful in some instances. When this sell is most critical to the application, I am inclined to use what I refer to as the Merlin Push-Through. It is an asymmetric technique that differs from the Dad Stevens approach that Vernon advocated (see The Vernon Chronicles, Volume 1, 1987,page 44) in that it is more

open. This feature, which I will describe in detail, was first shown to me by the late Frank Garcia. He attributed it to Jack Merlin. I have checked the published record of Merlin's work and none of it includes the point that distinguishes this shuffle; but as Merlin was reputed to withhold, if not actually mislead, in his writings, it may well be that this technique was in fact his but never saw print. To confuse matters further, in 1973 Garcia included a Top-Stock False Shuffle in his book, Super Subtle Card Miracles (1973, page 87). The technique he describes is a less effective application of Merlin's concept. In the same book, Garcia seems to credit the idea to Joe Christ (see page 214). Of course Marlo addresses the technique in his seminal, Rz@ Shu@ Systems (1959, "New Push Thru-Second Method," page 83). More recently, Steve Draun came very close to the same technique in his excellent book, Secrets D r a u n j o m Underground (1993, page 28). With its paternity unresolved, this may be the first time the full Merlin technique, as I understand it, has been published. Sometimes any effort to emphasize the fairness of a shuffle serves to call it into question. In such instances, which are common, it is best merely to perform the shuffle as a Gestalt. Insouciance is the key to deceptiveness under these circumstances but the visual elements are no less demanding. The shuffles I use are the Zarrow and the Strike Push-Through. The Strike Push-Through is a shuffle I have developed and refined over the years. It includes a number of elements that have not seen print until now. Some of these, though developed independently, parallel unpublished work of the late Frank Thompson. I learned this during one of the few sessions I had with him. We discussed my developments at the time and he asserted that he had similar work (which I don't dispute). I was then and am now pleased to know that my thinking guided me to the same ideas as a man as clever and knowledgeable as was Frank. May he rest in peace. Truth to tell, my favorite False Shuffle is the Zarrow. I will admit to having spent as much time analyzing the Zarrow as any single move, with the exception of the Pass. During a two-year period I spent a chunk of every day analyzing, thinking about and practicing my Shuffle in front of a three-way mirror or video camera. I'm satisfied that it paid off, and I hope you will be too. My approach to the Zarrow shuffle is detailed at length, starting on the next page. Because the Zarrow is a deceptively easy move to do, however badly, the devil is in the details. Enjoy the details!

THE ZABROW SHUFFLE IN MY years of doing magic I have seen many people perform many different False Riffle Shuffles. Of all I've seen, as done by both magicians and cheats, none have been as deceptive as the Zarrow Shuffle (The New Phoenix, No. 346, July 20, 1957, page 2 10; and Dai Vernon2 More Inner Secrets of Card Magic, 1960, page 49). No Push-Through or Strip-Out, no matter how fine the brief or how smooth the action, can compare, and for riffle stacking the Zarrow Shuffle is nearly ideal. Having written this, let me hasten to add that I had not, until recently, seen a Zarrow that was completely indetectable, though many were invisible. (The recent exception is Gary Plants' work on the Zarrow, publication of which is planned for the near future.) The distinction I'm making here is, I believe, an important one. It is very possible for a sleight to show no visible sign of its execution yet be detectable because of the actions associated with it, what are called "tells," a term borrowed from card mechanics. An obvious example may help you to understand the distinction. Let us suppose that you saw someone take a card in Overhand Grip. If he then rotated his hand palm up to show the face of the card, then placed the card on top of the deck, you might suspect that he had done a bad Double Lift. You didn't see him set the break for the Lift, nor did the Double spread, so this form of Double Lift would have to be considered invisible. People, however, don't normally handle cards in the manner I've described. You would therefore suspect that something untoward was being done. What has been done need not be discernable; the simple arousal of suspicion flags the move. Thus a move can be invisible but not indetectable. Back to the matter at hand, I have been fortunate in meeting, on a number of occasions, with Herb Zarrow, a fine and intelligent gentleman. He has done

his shuffle for me and it is totally invisible and as nearly indetectable as any I have seen. Until recently, no one had come any closer to indetectability than Herb, though others have reached his level in this area. (Fuller details on Herb's method appeared in Karl Fulves' Rzfle S h u f i Technique, Part 1, 1974, page 24.) I sensed that a Zarrow Shuffle that was both invisible and indetectable was possible and I elected to attempt to create such a technique. If others, trusted brothers in the fraternity, are to be believed, I have succeeded.

THE PROBLEMS There are at least four visible clues that a Zarrow Shuffle is being executed. As it turns out, there are also significant kinetic problems that are not so much seen as subconsciously registered. If the kinetic factors were the sole problems, they would probably be insufficient to tip off the Shuffle, but they act as subliminal flags that alert the mind. As a consequence, the eye looks more critically at other aspects of the Shuffle in which they occur and at each subsequent shuffle. When this happens, something is almost certain to be seen. The visible problems to which I refer have, to some degree, been identified by others as well, and solutions have been published. My treatments of these visible problems might equally be replaced by other published treatments. My approaches are included here only for the sake of completeness. I make no special claim for their efficacy. I do, however, believe I was the first to identify and solve the two kinetic problems-as I choose to term them-discussed below. The problems are as follows: VISIBLE: (1)The lifting of the right hand's packet as the packets move toward each other has been identified by others. It is caused by efforts to aid the clearance of the right-hand packet subsequent to the unmeshing. (2) The visibility from the front edge of the right-hand block moving through the space under the top block. This problem, also recognized by others, is caused by an incorrect choice of entry angle for the block or incorrect finger positions at the front edge.

(3)Excessive spreading of the top "shade" cards, principally of the left-hand packet. This is caused by fear of Problem 2 and the mistaken belief that this shade is needed for deceptiveness. (4) Too large a right-hand action as the packet is unweaved and pushed into the left-hand packet. This is caused by general apprehension that the packets won't unmesh, or a mistaken understanding of the correct mechanics of the technique. In addition to the "suspect

actions" just defined, I have identified two kinetic problems, which are more subliminal than visual. KINETIC:

(a) The deck should bind as it is pushed together (telescoped), as it does in every legitimate shuffle. Since no bind occurs, the viewer is subliminally tipped off to the unmeshing and, as the bind would take place before the completion of the Shuffle, the viewer is likely to notice any discrepancies later in that Shuffle or in subsequent ones. It makes Problem (B), which I'm about to discuss, more acute. (Roberto Giobbi does mention the binding problem in "The Zarrow Dynamic" section of Card College, W u m e 3, 1998, page 630, and, assumedly, his 1994 Grosse Kartenscbule, Band 3; but this comes more than twenty years after I first identified and addressed this problem.) (b) In a legitimate shuffle, because the cards interweave, the edges of the deck, when the hands move away to square, show the effect of that meshing in the form of cards at close intervals being minutely out of alignment. I call this phenomenon "edge break-up." No Zarrow Shuffle I have ever seen pays the slightest attention to the lack of such break-up-until now.

WJ ON THE ZARROW APRIL1970 Prepare for the Shuffle by undercutting more than a third but less than half of the deck to the right. The smaller the portion you take, the smaller the block you will have to screen later. Thus, unless the application demands it, slightly less than half is preferable. (See NOTES, at the end, on the question of cutting the top or the bottom to the right.) Bring the packets together so that they form an inner angle of 160-165 degrees.

An angle smaller than 160 degrees may be suspect, but significantly greater angles make the unmesh more difficult. Riffle the cards together lightly. The lighter the riffle the easier the unmesh. (See NOTES for further discussion of this point.) It is generally desirable to release a block of about five cards from the right-hand packet before "freely" interlacing the two portions. O n hard surfaces, as many as ten cards are helpful. O n hard or slippery surfaces, you may elect to forego this initial five-card block on the right in favor of an eight- to ten-card block on the left. In such cases, you would lay down the bed on the left, then the five on the right, after which the balance of the deck can be shuffled. It is better to allow the interlaced cards to fall in blocks

of five to seven rather than to approach a card-for-card interweave, but it is not crucial. If the specific application for which you are using the Zarrow doesn't dictate otherwise, the last cards from the right hand should fall while three or four cards from the left-hand packet remain. You should know whether it is three or four, as you must shuffle under the same number in the second Shuffle. You can "slur" (spread over) the top few cards of the right-hand packet in a line to the lefi but in line with their packet. This slurring should not be pronounced, as it can be a tip-off to the Shuffle. The screen suggested in Vernon's description of the Zarrow is not necessary or, I believe, desirable. Grasp the packets lightly with your second and third fingers positioned along the outer edges of their respective portions, the fourth fingers at the outer corners, first fingers curled onto the backs of the packets and the thumbs resting about a third of the way back from the adjacent ends (Figure 196).

Both hands now press down and move to the right and back, slightly slurring the packets (Figure 197); then, as if correcting for this, move the hands back to the left (Figure 198).This causes a set of 197 small steps to form along the sides of 4 s i e both packets, because of the bevels you've created, thus beginning to produce some edge break-up. These , r\n adjustments should be done withA /. out emphasis and a if by accicicnt. 1-hc!. must sccni incidental if [hc!. are noticed at all. The side of the right thumb must make firm contact with the surface of the mat at a point under the near side of the right-hand packet. This position is critical. The thumb being under rather than at the side of the packet causes the righthand packet to inscribe a wider arc than it otherwise would when the packets are rotated together, as they will be in a moment. This larger arc causes the unmeshing of the packets and continues the break-up of the edges. Moreover, positioning the right thumb under the packet prevents the right hand's cards from falling toward the table when they are unmeshed.

Both hands rotate on their thumbs in an outward arc. It should require no more than about ten degrees of arc to unmesh the packets. As soon as the unmeshing is complete, stop the rotation but be sure the length of the right thumb supports its entire stock. Don't allow these cards to drop. Instead, the right thumb drives the lower cards of the packet up to join the top card, but the top card should not rise at all. The surrounding fingers begin pushing toward each other at an acute angle of five degrees, without actually gripping their packets. At the same time, both hands move a bit to the left again, in a line parallel to the left-hand packet. This causes additional steps to form in the packets. The right-hand push, which happens fairly rapidly, ends when the corner of the right packet hits behind the left second fingertip. When the right packet encounters this fingertip, a binding is simulated that would occur in a genuine shuffle. The Shuffle would be vulnerable to scrutiny at this point if the fingers where not blocking the audience's view of the front edges of the deck. Be sure the fingers are angled to effectively screen the edges (Figure 199,where the corner of the right-hand packet is exposed for clarity). It isn't necessary for the fourth fingers, which are doing most of the screening of the corners at the moment, to touch the table surface to do their job effectively They need only be lower then the top of the lowest packet.

199

Move both fourth fingers to the outer ends of the packets. The hands will assume a sharper angle to the table, nearer perpendicular, and will continue to mask the front edges of the packets to the right and left of center (Figure 200). The fourth fingertips press against the table as you straighten your fingers until they are perpendicular to the tabletop. This drives the packets slightly inward. To the audience the deck will appear to be telescoping in as it would in a genuine shuffle. Eventually the packets will be telescoped for all but a half inch on each side, which will be hidden by the third finger of each hand at the front. The fingers all around the packets now loosen their grip so that they form a frame around the deck without restricting its

motion. The next movement is the most difficult to acquire. It's one of those "feel" things that abound in sleight-of-hand. It is also a most critical modification to the Shuffle. Both fourth fingers simultaneously, kick forward and toward each other. The inside edges of the fourth fingers lightly contact the ends of the extreme front corners of the packets. Figure 201 shows the fourth-finger positions before and after the kick action. Combined kicks from the fourth fingers and the way the packets, on both the left and right, rebound off the other fingers, serve to produce what I call "packet shatter," making it appear as though an interweave had taken place. This touch finishes the telescoping of the packets, which lie at a modest diagonal angle to each other.

The hands now move away from the deck to take up positions alongside it for a normal side-squaring action. At the left rear corner you will see (and feel) a step. As you perform the squaring action, turn that step into a break. Your first Shuffle is complete. Do a second Zarrow Shuffle, undercutting at the step and shuffling under the same number of cards you did in the first shuffle. Everything about this second Shuffle is identical to the first except, perhaps, the thickness of the packets. The deck is back in order; or, if you cut top to the right for the first Shuffle and bottom to the right for the second, they will be in order after cutting at the break. The break can be ignored after the second Shuffle if you've cut the bottom to the right for both Shuffles.

NOTES: For purposes of this discussion the Zarrow Shuffle is any Shuffle in which a table-rifled deck that has been meshed in the Shuffle is later

unmeshed and inserted below one or more cover cards. I will not enter into the Zarrow-Shank debate. When you shuffle, you should shuffle with a light touch. I believe this true for all shuffles, false or genuine; it makes the shuffles easier in their execution. In the Zarrow Shuffle, a heavy or tight shuffle will impede the unmeshing and encourage tip-off actions; for example, lifting or too big a swing. Conversely, too light a shuffle looks affected and can appear studied and suspicious. One should cultivate 3 happy medium. A general guideline is to always shuffle lightly enough to make a clean Push-Through easy, but no lighter. I have for some years pondered the question of how many shuffles are required to convince a viewer beyond reasonable doubt that the deck has been mixed, and how many shuffles is too many. The numbers are, perforce, unprovable. Like the nuclear particle, they are also affected by the attempt at measurement (the Heisenberg Uncertainty Principle). The efFect on the viewer is affected by a wide variety of psychological factors. Nevertheless, my empirical sense is that three is the most convincing and, therefore, the ideal number. The maximum is, in part, contingent on how quickly you shuffle, but in no case is it greater than six, with five being the general maximum. My conviction that three shuffles are ideal has led me to create numerous three-shuffle combinations. I will confess that I most often use a PushThrough followed by a two-shuffle Zarrow, ending in a cut; or I might reverse the order of these shuffles. For purposes of this discussion, only the two Zarrows will be examined. I prefer cutting top to the right, so the top cards are seen to be buried in the first Shuffle. This choice also forces a cut after the second Shuffle, which is psychologically sound. If you prefer, or your application requires that you cut the bottom to the right, you can create the illusion of a top-to-the-right cut by using the following procedure:

THE TABLED WNNIPEG CUT M A Y 14, 1975 Extend your right first finger about five-sixths of the way across the top of the deck. The left thumb forms a break at the point where you chose to divide the deck (Figure 202). The right thumb and fingers grip the lower block, and in one short hop-like

202

/

action move it to the right (Figure 203) and clear of the left-hand packet. The first finger creates the illusion that it is the top -----that moves to the right. This move is a tabled ver- / sion of Me1 Stover's "Winnipeg Cut." (See Garcia's Million Dolhr Card Secrets, 1972, page 93. Others may argue that another designation is more historically accurate. Argument, for example, could be made for calling it the "Marnase False Cut;" see Kzbbah, Vol. 1, No. 4, December 1971, page 32.) Using the Tabled Winnipeg Cut, you can split the bottom to the right and finish without a cut, while still apparently burying what viewers believe to be the top of the deck. ~

RECAP The action of my Zarrow differs in many ways from other published handlings. There are five essential points, however, that most distinguish it from others:

(1)The unmesh is accomplished by the differing arcs produced by the different thumb positions on the two packets. This cannot be perceived by a viewer, because the arcs are too similar to be distinguishable and because the thumbs are largely hidden by the packets. (2) The right thumb is used as a shelf, which prevents the right-side cards, when they unmesh, from dropping. When the right thumb is properly positioned, the unmeshed cards move up, toward the top card of the right-side stock. This completely eliminates the need for lifting the right packet, if ever there was one. (3) The left second fingertip, at the front, being used to stop the entry of the right-side cards, simulates the binding that would occur in a legitimate shuffle. The lack of bind is, generally, after the lifting of the right-side packet, the most serious and common tip-off that a Zarrow Shuffle is being performed. If the hands properly screen the front edges of the deck, it is impossible for a viewer to determine the reason for the bind. They are inclined to conclude that the cards are binding against each other. (4) The telescoping action (I sometimes substitute a jiggling action), produced by straightening the fingers, perpetuates the binding illusion. Magicians have for year used this telescoping in PushThrough and Strip-Out type Shuffles, and it occurs naturally in genuine shuffles. 1 am, I believe, the first to apply it to the Zarrow.

In so doing I have made it possible for all False Shuffles and genuine shuffles to appear identical when properly executed.

( 5 )The fourth-finger kick, when combined with the two slight leftward movements of the deck-one before the unmesh and the second after the simulated bind-produce "packet shatter." This break-up of the packets allows the hands to leave the front of the deck to square the cards at the completion of the Shuffle, revealing that the deck appeats to have been shuffled. To the viewer, looking at the condition of the deck, it should truly look as though the packets were intenveaved. No other Zarrow technique has considered this issue.

If your efforts to apply my techniques fail to shatter the packets, it is probably the result of too firm a grip. As this failure is the third biggest tip-off of a Zarrow, it is worthy of attention and practice. Properly shattering the packets makes the deck condition visually indistinguishable from that of a genuinely shuffled deck.

I suggest you try incorporating these changes into your Zarrow Shuffle. You will find it takes a while to get comfortable with them; but once they become second nature the Shuffle is amazingly deceptive and no more difficult than inferior techniques. I have viewed hours of video tape of a mixture of my genuine and Zarrow Shuffles and I can't distinguish one from the other. That's as tough a test as you will find; try it.

I have included three effects in these pages that utilize the Zarrow to varying degrees ("Fair Risk," page 223, "Sympathetic Blacks," page 240, and "I'll Put Money O n It," which follows). They will, I hope, provide you with incentive to learn or re-learn the Zarrow Shuffle using my revisions. Good luck, happy Zarrowing and thank you, Herb, for sharing your marvelous technique with us.

I'LL PUT MONEY ON IT OCTOBER30, 1973

THERE ISN'T a great deal to say about the history of this effect. Its ancestors are fairly apparent: Vernon's "Triumph" (see Stars of Magic, Series 2, No. 1, 1946) and U. F. Grant's untitled card-locating coin effect (Item 3 in Grant's 1940 monograph, 50 Kute Koin Tricks). The most familiar version of the Grant plot is probably Larry Jennings' "Coin Cut" (The Gen, Vol. 23, No. 2, June 1967, page 33, and later, L a y Jennings on Card and Coin Handling, 1977, page 14). My effect does not apply the methods of Vernon, Grant or Jennings. However, since it is related to Grant's plot, it is also peripherally related to Bob Dreibeck's "Tosheroon," (The Gen, Vol. 23, No. 11, March 1968, page 250), which is a card change under a coin rather than a location effect. My effect is not the same as any of those I've cited. Rather, I believe I've created a new combination of effects that is unique. I am cheered that it has also proven very effective with the public. I hasten to add that I truly appreciate the contributions of all these men, through their respective effects. Differences not withstanding, this routine would not exist without the foundation of their prior efforts. EFFECT: The performer has a card selected and returned. The deck is tabled and half is turned face-up and riffle shuffled into the face-down portion. After demonstrating the face-up and face-down condition of the cards, a second shuffle is performed. The performer then states he is so confident he can straighten out the mess and find the spectator's card that he'll "put money on it." Upon cutting the deck, a half dollar is seen to be resting on the back of a card. That card proves to be the selection-and the remainder of the deck has returned to its proper orientation, all facing the same way.

METHOD 1 (BASIC) REQUIREMENTS: A deck of cards with a convex, longitudinal bridge which provides some space underneath, when it's face down, in which to hide the required half dollar. The effect must be performed on a close-up pad or other cushioned surface. Keep the half dollar hidden in the left hand or under a tabled spread as you have a card selected. It is of course possible to have the selection returned to the deck, then controlled to the top via various means. A coin in Finger Palm in the left hand interferes very little with many control techniques. At various times I've used the DoubleUndercut, the Mahatma Control and a simple Hindu Shuffle. While some attention must be paid to angles, all these are easily accomplished with the half dollar in left-hand Finger Palm. Alternately, have the card returned, face down, to the top of the deck. Arrange the deck on the table in riffle shuffle position, with the coin on the mat under the deck.

NOTE: I have successfully used so many handlings to accomplish this sequence (Steps 1-3) that I'm disinclined to endorse one over another. I have, on occasion, even gone so far as to hide the half dollar under the deck during a previous effect. I usually hide the coin under the deck as I spread the cards between my hands for a selection to be withdrawn. I use whatever control strikes my mood. It is then a simple matter to place the deck onto the table, as one does for riffle shuffling, secretly loading the coin beneath it. I could go into great detail about finger positions and such but a few attempts will teach you more than hundreds of words; it's easy. Undercut the deck to the right, without moving the upper packet to the left, turn the right-hand packet face up, and execute the following shuffle pattern. Release cards from the left-hand packet first. Continue interweaving the cards lightly until there are about twelve cards held by the right thumb and only one held by the left thumb. Release half the cards the right thumb holds, then the one from the left thumb, and finally the remaining cards from the right. With the left first finger, push the top card of the left-hand packet to the right and slightly forward (Figure 204).

Continue with the mechanics of the Zarrow Shuffle, as previously discussed, through the rotation of the packets and the resulting unmeshing of the interweave. At that /' point, rather than moving the right-hand packet leftward, into the left-hand packet, move the right-hand packet backward for about half its width (Figure 205). Now complete the shuffle as previously explained in my description of the Zarrow. It's easy to make too much of this departure in technique. The tight-hand packet merely follows a different path on its way into the left-hand packet. This variation, which I call the "Diagonal Rear-Entry Approach," is, I believe, attributable to Derek Dingle. It is useful in this instance because of the single left-side cover card (the selection) and the BlockTransfer during the Shuffle. I believe it improves the deceptiveness of the Shuffle under these conditions while making it appear a bit sloppier.

5

Cut the cards at various points as you say, "Some cards face up, some face down. Some cards are face to back, some are back to back." As you say, "back to back," lift off the cards above the uppermost reversed card (the selection). As you replace this portion, form a left thumb break at the rear edge. Next, using your right hand, cut the portion of the deck lying below the thumb break and above the central division between face-up and hce-down blocks to the right (Figure 206). In other words, pull out the center block, the top card of this being the selection, while the bottom card is the lowermost face-up card. As you place the right hand's packet onto the legs, completing the cut, use your left thumb to maintain the break at the division between the face-up and face-down cards. The top card will now be the face-down selection.

NOTE: It is worth mention here that the tinling of your cuts to show faceup and face-down cards should reflect your character as a performer. If you profess that skill is the cause of the effects you create, stating the condition of the cards you are abour to cut-e.g. face to face-before actually doing so is consistent. Someone skillful enough to rapidly locate, separate and right all the reversed interwoven cards would certainly have the skill to decide whether to cut to face-to-face or back-to-back cards. On the other hand, if

you profess that the phenomena you offer your audiences are the result of external forces, arcane means or other outside causes, you would not know the state of the cards you cut until you have done so. As a result, the timing of your patter should reflect what you are observing. This simple timing adjustment and the acting that would accompany it give consistency to your performance. Such matters add to one's credibility as a performer. My bias aside, it is not critical which choice you make; but your choice should be consistent with your professed relationship to the magic you perform. With your right hand, cut the block below the break to the right and turn this face-down packet face up. Shuffle the packets together, making sure cards fall from the left-hand packet first and last. This second shuffle is not false, but it should simulate the actions of your Zarrow Shuffle in all particulars. Give the deck one more cut, bringing the lone face-down card to just below the middle of the deck. Make the cut a bit sloppy, justifying your hands moving over the deck to square it. As they do so, form a break above the face-down card with your left thumb. Your hands should be arched over the deck as they do during squaring. Slide the deck forward, lifting the back edge slightly, and leave the coin on the pad surface. Move the right thumb so that it can press on the near edge of the coin. Continue moving the deck forward until the front edge of the coin clears the back edge of the deck. The coin will tip up at the front (Figure 207). Sliding the deck backward and the coin forward, it should enter the break in the deck (Figure 208). With the right thumb, push the coin into the break. %u will find that the angles on this loading action are not as demanding as it might at first appear. With a bit of attention to detail you can screen it from most angles, provided the audience is not significantly above your eye level as you sit at the table, and is not seated extremely close to you. -

Once the load is complete, you can, as I sometimes do, squeeze the deck by the long edges, re-establishing the bridge in the deck and thus the space, now within the deck, for the coin to rest. Your hands can come away from the deck

but should rest to the right and left of it, fingers curled loosely. This may not always be necessary, but it is a good habit since it screens the gap caused by the coin, preventing it from being seen prematurely. "If I said I could straighten out this mess of face-up and face-down cards instantly, you might or might not believe me. But if I said I could straighten out this mess and find your card, you would probably think I was crazy. Well, that may be true but I'm sure. I'm so sure, I'll put money on it!" Cut the deck at the coin and place the cut off portion to the right. Lift off the face-down card with the coin on it and place it directly in front of you. Move the remaining packet to the left. Slide the coin back, off the selected card.

Ask for the name of the selection and reveal it saying, "Then that's your card." Spread both packets back toward you at the same time, revealing all the cards face up and add, "And I believe that straightens the mess."

NOTE: The revelation of the selection and the righting of the deck are shown as two steps. This is done to stress that there are two distinct effects and that they should not be rushed, blurring them together. You do not, however, want to stop between these steps. Your energy-as expressed through voice and body language-should build as each layer of the climax is revealed. A brief pause between the steps is acceptable but not mandatory. There should not, however, be a pause in your energy, which should build steadily to the final climax.

METHOD 2 (TABLED REVERSE) The method used in this treatment offers another means of loading the coin. This method offers some angle and timing advantages under some performance conditions. It also changes the configuration of the deck at the point of the revelation. Some may prefer this double impact, in which the coin and the identity of the selection are revealed at the same time. It should be noted that the cutting sequence used to show face-up and face-down cards intermixed, described in Method 1, Steps 5-6, while not redescribed, can be used in this and the other methods as well. Have a card selected and noted. Ask that it be placed on top of the deck, or control it to the top. Table the deck, secretly loading the coin beneath it. This sequence is identical to Steps 1-3 of Method 1. Undercut the deck to the left but don't move the upper packet to the right. Instead, bring it straight down so the coin will not be seen. Turn the left-hand packet face up.

5

Perform a Zarrow Shuffle, making sure that only a few cards fall from the lefthand packet before cards fall from the right. This helps to protect the hidden coin. Continue interweaving the cards lightly until about eight cards are held by the left thumb. Release these on top and do the Zarrow insertion under this block. It will help if you lift the deck at the rear as the packets are pushed together, at least until the right edge of the left-hand packet clears the left edge of the coin.

6

As you finish pushing the packets together, allow a step to form above the lower block of face-up cards (below the face-down block) and convert the step to a break as you square the deck. Undercut the deck at the break and complete the cut. The deck will now consist of about half a deck of face-up cards followed by the balance of the deck, face down. The top card of the face-down block will be the selection. Form a break at the division between the face-up and face-down blocks. Add one card from above the break (the bottom card of the face-up block) to the top of the lower packet.

7

Cut the portion of the deck above the break to the right and turn over the packet. Shuffle the deck, making sure that cards fall from the right-hand packet first and that you hold back the last two cards on the left until all the right-hand cards have been released.

8

You are about to execute my variation of a Marlo embellishment on Russell Barnhart's Table Reverse (Ofthe Tap, 1945, page 10). As you telescope the deck together, stop when the packets are merged for about half their lengths. Slide the deck forward until it clears the coin as you lift the front edge of the deck, pivoting on the back edge. The coin will be resting on the table behind the deck (Figure 209). Your hands move up along both sides of the deck but only the right hand makes contact with the top of its cards. The top two cards of the lefthand group should be allowed to fall onto the table, over the coin (Figure 210).

You should now be looking down at the selection. Use your left thumb to slide these two cards back on top of the deck (Figure 21 1). You should continue to see the selection as these cards are pushed back onto the pack. With the same thumb, slide the coin onto the deck, on top of the two just-reversed cards (Figure 212) and finish telescoping the deck square.

Conclude the shuffle by using your right hand to grasp the deck, first and second fingers on the face of the face-up deck, thumb on the reversed bottom catd (the selection) and the coin (Figure 2 13). Place everything into your left hand, the deck going to Dealing Grip with the coin beneath it. Holding the deck face up, cut about half the cards to the table. You must now transfer the packet that remains in your left hand, with the coin hidden below it, onto the tabled packet. This can be accomplished in one of two ways. Talung the packet into Overhand Grip, you can extend your right fourth finger across the underside of the packet, pinning the coin against the bottom at the right

214 edge (Figure 214)) as you carry the packet to the table. Depending on the flexibility of your hands, this may prove difficult. The other alternative is easier but, arguably, more suspect. Curl your left first finger under the packet until it contacts the coin. This allows you to slide the coin across the bottom of the packet as you shift the packet to left-hand Pinch Grip with the assistance of the right hand. You can now carry the packet to the table and add it to the cards there. Square the deck as you tilt it onto its long edge. Revolve the deck face down, with the coin near the rear edge, in riffleshuffle position. A face-down card shows on top. Say, "If I can find your card now, it would be pretty impressive, and I'm so sure I've found your card I'll put money on it." Cut the deck at the coin. The faceup card below the coin is the selection. This is the moment of double impact referred to earlier. Place the cut-off portion to the right. Lift off the face-up card with the coin on it and place it in front of you. Move the remaining packet to the left, and slide the coin back, off the selection as you get the spectator to confirm that it is his. Spread the two packets back toward you and reveal all the cards face down as you say, "And I believe that straightens the mess."

METHOD 3

(No~

R N )

This approach adopts the Marlo notion that using just one shuffle, without the second or open half deck reversal, enhances the effect. I reserve judgment on the general correctness of this assertion, but I believe there is merit to the idea in this combined effect construct. The opening selection and return process is the same as in Method 1. You conclude with the deck tabled and the coin concealed beneath it. Follow Steps 4-7 of Method 2. This will take you through the completion of the first Zarrow Shuffle and the Undercut that follows it. At the completion of these steps, the top half of the deck will consist of face-up cards,while the cards in the bottom half are all face down. The selection will be the top card of the face-down block. Form a break below the selection.

8

You are about to perform a variation of Marlo's "No-Turn 'Triumph-First Method" (Hierophant, No. 3, 1970, page 145), which depends upon Russell Barnhart's Table Reverse from Marlo's Offthe Tap: Lift the back edge of the upper packet, hinging it on its front edge until the packet is perpendicular to the table on which it rests (Figure 21 5). From your perspective, you will be looking at the face of the selection. The face-down portion of the deck is still resting on the table. Shift your grip on the perpendicular packet, holding it with light inward pressure of the fingers of both hands on its ends. This will enable you to extend your thumbs to the near edge of the tabled packet (Figure 21 6). Press down and push with the thumbs. The tabled packet should slide along the table, its front edge rising as it travels up the near surface of the perpendicular packet (Figure 217). Along the way, it will trap the tabled coin.

I

Pz~sbcoinforward withpacket

The packet will conclude its forward excursion on edge behind the first packet. All the cards will be facing the same way, except the selection, which will be reversed, with the coin next to it, in the middle. Allow the entire deck to hinge forward, face down onto the face of the card furthest from you. This quick reversal is accomplished under the guise of squaring the cards at the completion of the shuffle and, therefore, should be handled casually, without much apparent attention.

2.7 ""

Reveal the coin and selection simultaneously, then the straightened condition of the deck, just as you did in Method 2, Steps 10-13.

NOTI': It is not relevant to these treatments, which all rely on the Zarrow Shuffle, but to save you some effort, my unpublished notes titled "Simplex-I'll I'ut Money O n It" include methods char do not employ the Zarrow Shuffle or any other traditional False Shuffle to produce this effect. I mention this because a number of magicians who have seen this version have pointed out that the Slop Shuffle and other approaches could eliminate the traditional shuffles completely. I have explored this territory but have elected not to include those explorations in this already large book. These versions, in my opinion, are inferior to those presented here.

METHOD 4 (COUPDE GRACE) This emendation was suggested by Derek Dingle on February 2, 1974. He offered no method. Mine, which follows, will be found no more difficult than the previous three but is, if you have the opportunity to set up for it, considerably more effective. As I was working on this text, I realized that the handling I've most often used in my hospitality-suite work differs significantly from my earlier notes. The method described next reflects the handling that has seen the most real-world performances. EFFECT: Same as above, but with the addition of a color-segregation kicker. SET-UP: Secretly arrange all the red cards above all the blacks. The first black card, at the twenty-seventh position, should be in-jogged slightly less than the width of a white border. Spread the deck in your hands and have a card selected. While the card is being noted, close the spread while maintaining the in-jogged card. When you're ready to proceed, cut off the cards above the in-jog and have the selection returned directly onto the in-jogged card. Catch a break below the selection and replace the cut-off portion, burying the card. A bit of time delay is helphl here, so a little patter would be wise. Before you move to table the deck, however, start a Side Steal of the selection but stop with the edge of the card protruding to the right about the width of half a border. Set the deck onto the table, in position for a riffle shuffle, with the jogged card protruding slightly from the near edge and the coin hidden beneath the deck. It is easy to form a break above this jogged card, which you now do. NOTE: While the sequence just suggested is quite workable, I have often used others. Frequently I convert the in-jog of the twenty-seventh card to

a fourth-finger flesh break below the in-jogged card. I then execute a Riffle

Peek Force of this first black card while concealing the coin in the hand that holds the deck. Often I do not even know the identity of this card; it is the position that is important. Once the card has been peeked at by the spectator; I start the Side Steal, stopping when the card slightly protrudes from the side, as described. I then table the deck, loading the coin beneath it, and form a break above the side-jogged card. Having become lazy over the years, with increasing frequency I use a pencil-dotted Joker (or, in a pinch, a corner crimp) as the divider between the colors. This spares me the effort of having to maintain control of the twenty-seventh card in-jog until after the selection has been removed from the deck, and allows me to set up long in advance. Cut the cards above the break to the right, without moving the lower packet to the left. Turn the right-hand packet face up and begin a riffle shuffle by releasing about five cards from the left-hand packet, then completing a light interweave of the remaining cards. Hold back the top card, the selection, on the left, so it falls last. Using the Zarrow dynamic, slip the right hand's packet into the left's, under the single cover card. Dingle's touch not withstanding, this requires that your Zarrow technique be very good, as you have only a single cover card. NOTE: I originally used an odd display sequence at this point, in an effort to convitlcingly convey the face-up and face-down condition. I now use the well-known and clever Daryl Martinez "Puerto Rican" Cutting Display (Sccrets of a 'Pz~ertoRican Gambler, " 1980, page 6 1). This display is not essential to the routine but it is a strong convincer. If you know it, use it. The condition of the deck at this point, from the top down, is the face-down selection-all the face-up red cards-all the face-down black cards. Break the deck above the face-down black stock and cut this block to the right. Openly reverse these black cards And begin a second Zarrow Shuffle by releasing about five cards from the left-hand packet before completing a light interweave of the cards of both packets. Hold back the top card, the selection, on the left, so it falls last. Zarrow the right hand's packet into the left's, under the single cover card, and form a break below the black cards. With an Undercut or a Double Cut, bring the red cards to the top and form a break above the face-down card, the selection, that is just below the red stock. Load the hidden coin into this break, using the technique taught in Method 1, Step 8 (page 300). NOTE: If you prefer the simultaneous revelation of the coin and face-up selection, you must form the break made in Step 6 below the selection.

Then, as the coin is loaded, push a bit harder, driving rhe coin deeper into the deck. You can now rotate the deck face down. 'This allows the doublei~npactfinish and a further alter-ation in the multi-climax sequence, which 1'11 discuss shortly. Conclude by revealing the coin, turning up the selection, then displaying the righting of the deck (Method 1, Steps 9-1 2). However, before you spread the packets say, "I thought it would look nicer if I put the selection right in the middle of the deck, so I did. You may wonder how I know that this is the exact center of the deck. It's simple-all the black cards are on this side and all the red cards are on this side." Obviously the line should be timed to the appropriate actions.

NOTES: If you turn the deck face down, as suggested in the Note following Step 7,you will be able to delay revealing the final color segregation. First, reveal the coin and the face-up selection; then ribbon spread the two packets to display the righting of the face-up and face-down cards; finally perform simultaneous Ribbon Turnovers or pick up the spreads and respread them face up to expose the color segregation. 1 generally use the sequence described in the text but I have used this alternate sequence as well. I believe performance conditions dictate which will play best. Only experience will teach you the proper circumstances in which each ending should be used. It has been suggested that the appearance ofthe coin is something of a non sequitur in this routine. I don't believe this is any more true than Inany other surprise productions. Nevertheless, one could, using two coins, introduce one coin, vanish it, then cause it to reappear in the deck. It might even be possible to perform Method 3 without a duplicate coin. I will leave such explorations to those who are troubled by the unforeshadowed appearance of the coin.

COLOR TRIUMPHANT 1973 FINAL

CIRCA

LET ME begin by making it cleat that I do not consider this treatment a revolutionary improvement on Derek Dingle's beautihl routine as it appears in Dingles Deceptions with Card? and Coins, written by Harry Lorayne (circa 1966, page 3). Nor is it a Zarrow-based effect; but while we are on the subject of Triumph effects I thought I'd include it. I consider Derek's routine to be the culmination of the Triumph-Color-Changing Deck routine, the best extant. I have been performing this version for many years to wonderhl audience response and wish to "pull your coat" to this marvelous routine. There are some differences between my handling and the original, and I take full responsibility for them. I have included the exact handling I have used through hundreds of performances. Enjoy it-and thanks, Derek. EFFECT: A card is selected and returned to the deck. After two failed attempts at finding the card by cutting to it, the performer offers to do something more interesting. The deck is cut into three packets and one is turned face up and shuffled into one of the face-down packets. The third packet is then turned face up and shuffled into the already face-up and face-down packet. After a few cuts the deck is spread across the table to reveal that all the cards are face up except one, which proves to be the selection. The deck is then respread and proves to have a completely different back color and design from the selection. REQUIREMENTS: One regular deck of white-bordered cards and three cards from a deck of a different color and back design. (I have sometimes used a Rainbow Deck-a Clark Crandall idea-in conjunction with this routine.)

SET-UP: Position one odd-backed card on top of the deck and the other two odd-backed cards about one third of the way down from the top. Place the deck into a card box that matches the odd-backed cards.

NOTE: I've never used this effect as an opener, though such use is common for color-changing deck routines. I always perform an opening effect or two with a deck of the same color and design as the odd-backed cards. I then put the deck away, perform a non-card effect or two, then reintroduce the deck. I am sure the audience assumes the deck they see me introduce for this effect is the same deck I was using earlier. This cannot help but reinforce the idea that the cards are of the odd-backed type. While Derek used a Peek Force, I prefer to use the old-style, front-end Riffle Force for reasons that will become clear. Form a break above the top card of the two odd-backed cards that sit a third of the way down in the deck. To use the Riffle Force without flashing the backs, you must start with the cards held above the spectators' line of sight. Since I begin the routine standing, this is easy. While holding the deck in left-hand Dealing Grip, move the right hand to Overhand Grip and lift the front end higher than the back. Riffle the deck at the middle of the front end, allowing the cards from the bottom to escape from the tip of your right second finger, and instruct the spectator to call "Stop" at some point. Regardless of where the spectator actually stops you, separate the deck at your break and deal off the top card in front of him. Everyone will see two odd-backed cards, the one you are dealing and the one left on the talon. Reassemble the deck, retaining a break. When the spectator is ready to return the selection, cut at the break and have the card replaced onto the same odd-backed card it previously rested above. Square the deck after the card is returned. If you accept the idea of doing flourishes, this would be a good time to make a Pressure Fan with the faces of the cards toward the spectators, and comment that their card is lost in the deck. If you do a fan, don't look at the faces yourself.

As you square the deck, pick up a fourth-finger break below the spectator's selection and a thumb break above it. Cut off all the cards above the thumb break. The audience will see the back of the spectator's selection briefly, but they will be unaware it is his card. It appears to be yet another of the cards, another oddbacked card. Turn the packet you have just cut off face up onto the balance of the deck. Say, "This isn't your card?" The remark is more a statement than a question, but it has a hint of question in the delivery. With your right thumb, grasp the card above the fourth-finger break, adding it to the upper packet, but create a right thumb break above the added card. Immediately move the lower

packet downward and to the left, so its back will be seen. In a continuing action, turn this packet face up in your left hand as you repeat, "And this isn't your card?" The spectator will agree. Put the two packets together, adding the reversed card from the upper packet to the face of the lower packet but maintain a fourth-finger break between the packets. This sequence is an old technique for reversing a card in the center of the deck. It works well here because it shows only odd backs. This center reverse is, I believe, Clyde Cairy's (see The Phoenix, No. 264, September 19, 1952, page 1055; the Cairy trick mentioned there has so far eluded me) but includes touches from Irv Wiener, although it is often mistakenly credited to Fred Braue (referred to as the Braue Reverse on the basis, it seems, of its appearance in Royal Road to Card Magic, 1949, page 191).

4

"That's two down, fifty to go. You don't seem to like this method of finding a card. I have a better way." As you speak the line, spread the upper portion of the deck from left to right. Exercise care not to reveal the reversed card as you spread. Square the deck again, inserting the tip of your left fourth finger into the break you've maintained, and execute the Tenkai-Marlo Pivot-Step. That is, move your left thumb under the deck and push upward to lever it over, pivoting it on its right side. The fourth-finger break causes a step to form. This should appear casual. The top of the deck and the step both show odd-backed cards (Figure 218). A bit of care must be taken with this procedure to prevent cards other than the card at the top of the step and the card at the top of the deck from flashing, but it can be done reliably.

5

With the right hand, retake the deck into Overhand Grip and square the cards, converting the step back into a break. Undercut all the cards below the break to the top of the deck and square it briefly while maintaining a break between the packets. Retain the deck in left-hand Dealing Grip and separate the hands as soon as the squaring is finished.

6

You are about to divide the deck into three packets. Cut off all the cards above the break and gingerly place them to your right on the table. Be careful when you release the packet that the top card remains square with the top of the packet. As the right hand returns to the deck, the right second finger contacts the extreme left front corner and the right thumb grips the extreme left near corner of the deck. Curl the first finger on top of the deck. Lift about half the packet at the back only and pull downward with the left fourth finger, as though doing a Pass. Through this action, cause the lower packet to reverse partially, arriving at a position roughly perpendicular to and along the left side

of the upper packet (Figure 219). Push upward with the left third fingertip to cause the packet to complete its reversal. Resquare the lower, reversed packet as you retake it into Dealing Grip by pulling inward, toward the left thumb, with the left fourth finger. Continue to raise the upper packet (Figure 220) and place it onto the table, in the middle, again exercising care. This packet reverse, based on Bruce Cervon's Half Reverse Cut (Epilogue, No. 6, July 1969, page 42), will take a bit of work. It should not be performed quickly but there should be no break in rhythm. This slight technical variation (I think improvement) also differs from the technique Derek uses. When properly executed, it looks as if the deck were simply cut into three packets; that's all. Smoothness is of the essence for this sequence to be deceptive. I might add that I have never been able to get this move to look right if I did it seated, but when I'm standing, it looks fine. Finally, place the last packet, which is reversed, except for the uppermost card (the selection), on the table. Harry Lorayne noted that the three packets you form should not be tabled too close together, to prevent the accidental spreading of a packet other than the one you're taking. I have never had this problem, but it is good advice to be careful.

I sit down as I deliver the following line: "What I propose to do is confuse the cards into telling me which one is yours. Here's how I do it." Now seated, I continue, "I'll shuffle some cards face up and some cards face down." Grab the packets at either end; the packet on the left is a face-up packet except for its top card. Turn the packet at the right face up and spread it a bit as you drag it back toward you. This spreading should appear accidental. Square both packets and riffle shuffle them together on the table. Drop at least one card from the right-hand packet before you begin dropping from the lefthand packet. Also make sure that the top card of the left-hand packet is the last to drop. Make sure the face-up cards in the left-hand packet don't flash during the shuffle. With your right hand, take the third packet, which is face down. Turn it face up, allowing it to spread a bit. Again, this should appear unintended. (If you inten-

tionally spread the face-up packets you should, logically, spread the "face-down" one, which you can't. It's better not to spread any packet rather than arouse suspicion by openly treating the packets differently.) Shuffle the face-up right-hand cards into the supposedly face-up and face-down left-hand packet. Make sure the single odd-backed card from the right packet falls first and is followed by the odd-backed card from the left packet. You can then shuffle freely, but release the top (odd-backed, selected) card last. Care must still be exercised to prevent the face-up condition of the lefr packet from being revealed in the shuffle. Form a break near the middle of the deck and do a Tabled Slip Cut, which takes the top card (the selection) to the middle without disturbing anything else. As you complete this cut, form a thumb break above the selection. "I now have a mess of face-up and face-down cards." During your comment, form a second thumb break below the uppermost (face-up) card, then perform a Double or Triple Cut to shift this card from the face (top) to the rear (bottom) of the deck, making the first cut at the break above the face-down selection so that face-up and face-down cards show during the cut sequence. If you wish, when you make the first cut, you can show that the lower packet has a back on both sides. This helps to reinforce the face-up and face-down condition, while at the same time showing two odd backs. This Double Cut of the top card to the bottom adds a cover card to what will become the top of the deck. This will be needed later. (This is Derek's method; see Alternate Clean-Up for the handling I use.)

"I created this mess and I'm responsible for cleaning it up. If I wiggle the fingers of both my hands over the deck [suit action to wordc]-it stretches my fingers and feels really good. It also has a magical effect, causing every card in the deck to face in one direction-except one. You believe me, don't you?" The audience will disagree; some will say "Yes," others "No." Pretend to hear only the yes responses. "Good. Then I don't have to show you." The audience will grumble. "I can't get away with anything with you folks." Address the spectator who selected the card. "What was the name of your card?" When he names it, ribbon spread the deck widely across the table, revealing all the cards face upward except for one. Remove that card and show it to the spectators, who will agree that it is the selection. Pause for a moment to accept your applause; then say, "I thank you for your appreciation but it really wasn't all that difficult. The cards are marked. I'll show you." Turn the selection face down and say, "On the back you'll notice the red [or blue] markings-here this will help." Pick up the ribbon-spread deck and square it. Turn it face down and spread it across the table without exposing the two odd-backed cards second and third from the top. "See how you can tell because of the little marks. This card is just a little different from all the others." I have never failed to have the audience break into spontaneous applause at

that point. Accept it graciously and busy yourself by picking up the deck and squaring it. Then turn the deck face up and with a Double Cut bring the lowermost card (the cover card) to the face. With a Bottom Palm or Gambler's Cop, steal away the two odd-backed cards in your left hand, place the deck onto the table, pick up the selection with your right hand, take it into your left, and put it into your left outside jacket-pocket, unloading the two palmed cards while you're at it. You're then free to continue with the same deck. ALTERNATE CLEAN-UP: In Step 10, instead of moving a cover card into position with a Tabled Slip Cut and Double or Triple Undercut, I frequently form a break above the two odd-backed cards and simply lap them off the bottom of the deck as I pick it up. A cut, in the hands, brings the selected card to the center and I end as described, but with the deck completely clean. The lapped cards can later be picked up from the lap in a palm and disposed of in the pocket under the guise of getting rid of the odd-backed selection.

NOTES: This is a very strong routine and should not be overlooked. I'm not sure exactly how Derek credits this effect other than as stated in his book, Dingles Deceptions, but I see a clear relationship between this and Brother John Hamman's "Face Up-Face Down Surprise" from 7he Card Magic of Bro. John Hamman S.M. (1958, page 32). As mentioned in Lorayne's Afterthoughts, following the description in Dinglei Deceptions, Bill Simon's "Four Packet Shuffle" (SkightlySe~zsutiortal,1954, page 21) is the major predecessor. The Tabled Slip Cut is sometimes erroneously credited to Ed Marlo, who deserves credit for the multiple-card Tabled Slip Cut (suggested by The True False Cut in Expert Card Conjz~rillg,1968, page 20), but the single-card Tabled Slip Cut is a card cheats' technique. The only technique in this routine that is at all demanding is the packet reverse used in the lay-down of the packets, and even that isn't dificult. I cannot emphasize enough how brilliantly Derek's routine is constructed. While I believe my technical changes are significant, I have not tampered with the fundamental structure. I believe this routine alone would earn Derek Dingle a place in card magic's hall of fame, if there were one-and there should be. I hereby nominate him.

THE MERLIN PUSH-THROUGH THE SPLIT SPLITTHE PACK, taking less than half from the top to the right. Place the adjacent inner corners together, just touching, with the packets at an approximate 165-degree angle to each other. (This angle has more to do with consistencywith my Zarrow Shuffle than it does with the Push-Through technique.) Regrasp both packets along the sides, near the far ends, with the second, third and fourth fingers at the front side and the thumbs of each hand at the near side. All fingertips should rest on the table. The first fingers are curled, the first joints or the fingertips resting on top of their respective packets (Figure 221). These positions are not absolutely critical. Some people hold the packets for tabled riffle shuffles differently. The hand positions, however, should be absolute mirror images of each other. I like an Open Shuffle Position, as described, but a Closed Position, with the hands nearer the adjacent ends of the packets, is not precluded. It is important that you have full conI trol of the packets and you must shuffle lightly.

THE INTERLACE Raise the thumbs, lifting each half of the deck, and slightly move both packets diagonally forward and toward each other. The cards should not visibly

bend. Release about a half-dozen cards from the left thumb. (If you're shuffling on a hard surface, you will find it helpful to create a larger bed on which to shuffle. You might want to drop as many as fifteen cards from the left thumb before the right-hand cards start to fall.) With no break in rhythm, drop about five cards from the right-hand stock. Still without pause, continue the actions with both thumbs until all the cards have been released and interlaced. Cards should fall from the left thumb last. I must stress, lightness is the most critical factor in this interlace process, regardless of the condition of the cards.

THE ALIGNMENT When the corners are interwoven, move both hands toward the outer ends of the packets. Frame the extreme front corners with the second and third fingertips. That is, position the third fingers on the outer ends, near the front corners, and the second fingers on the front side of those corners. The balls of the thumbs should contact the near edges at the corners (Figure 222). The first fingers remain curled on their packets.

Squeeze firmly and lift the cards almost, but not quite, to the point of raising them off the work surface. Rotate the packets until they are parallel with each other, with roughly half the length of each packet interlaced. The packets should not bind. You will now adjust the alignment of the cards in preparation for telescoping. To accomplish this, keep your second fingers on the front edge, but shift them to the extreme / corners of their respective packets. The thumbs take up the equivalent positions on the near edge. When this position has been achieved, press firmly. The cards will align perfectly along the horizontal plane (Figure 223). This adjustment also "adds some air" between the cards, to further prevent binding. You can now let the deck settle back onto the table; your lifting of it has served its purpose.

THE TELESCOPE This next procedure is the most difficult aspect of the Merlin Push-Through to describe, but it is the essence of the Shuffle. I refer to it as the "Pinch-Through." Move your left second fingertip to the left front corner. Make only light contact. Your left thumb should move to a point on its packet about a third of the length from the left end, along the near edge. The thumb should also make only minimal contact. The right hand will perform most of the early work. The left side of the right first finger moves to contact the right side of its packet (the original top portion) near the front corner, and your right thumb shifts about a third of the way in from the right end on its edge of the packet (Figure 224). With the side of the right first finger, push the right packet forward and to the left. At the same time, slide that finger firmly back, toward you, as the right thumb slides to the right along its edge (Figure 225), until the thumb and first fingertip meet at the corner (Figure 226). This is a pinch-like action.

You can, to some degree, control the amount of the original right packet that will extend through the left end of the left packet by how you perform the pinch action. Two major factors influence this distance: ( I ) The greater the angle at which you push the packet forward, the farther through the front edge the right front corner will move. (2) When the right first finger makes its initial contact, the closer it is to the near edge, along the right end, the greater will be

the portion of the right packet that can be moved through. Just over a white border's width is sufficient; any more is unproductive.

NOTE: Some may prefer to use the right second finger to push the right packet, leaving the right first finger free to screen the front edge of the deck. I see this as a matter of choice, dictated by application. It does hide the angling of the right-hand packet, which you may feel is desirable. I find this approach prevents selling the precise squaring action that is part of the strength of the technique. Were I to use this technique for more than one shuffle of a sequence, I would probably switch to the more screened secondfinger push. When used for just one shuffle, as I most often do, I like ro stress the squaring action.

THE CONJOIN The next action is crucial. Move the right second finger to the front right corner and grasp the deck firmly between that finger and the tip of the right thumb (Figure 227). The left thumb pushes the protruding jog at the left near edge to the left and forward. The left second fingertip, rolling clockwise, helps to enlarge the amount of the original right-hand packet that comes through on the left. It comes farther through when you pull the packet, using pressure against the side of the original left-hand packet for leverage. It's difficult to understand this odd leverage until you actually try it. If you've done everything correctly, you'll have about three-eighths of an inch of the former right-hand packet protruding, telescoped from the left side. This completes the push-through process, creating an apparently coalesced condition. In actuality, the telescoped position is reasserted with the original top of the deck extending to the left. Pause briefly to check your grip and allow the apparent condition to register.

THE SQUARE Squeeze the deck firmly between the second fingers at the front and the thumbs at the rear. As the thumbs apply pressure, move them a quarter of an inch to half an inch along the near edge, toward their respective ends. At the same time, move the third fingers inward, toward your body, pressing lightly against the ends but firmly into the work surface. This combination of actions actually helps to increase the sureness of your grip and to assure that the strip-out you are about to perform will be complete and successful.

THE STRIP-OUT Use your right hand to hold the original left-hand packet stationary, but raise the entire deck a bit over an inch. In doing this, move the original right portion diagonally back about an inch and to the left about two inches (Figure 228), until it clears the current right-hand packet. Move the latter straight down to the table and release your hold on it. Next, move the right hand back to take the left hand's packet and carry it directly above the tabled packet. After a very brief pause, place this packet firmly onto the tabled stock 228 and square the reassembled deck. It should appear that the left hand took its packet from under the right hand's packet. The space under the right hand's packet is created at the moment of the stripout to aid the illusion that this is what has happened.

NOTES O N THE BEVEL: The reliability of this or any Push-Through Shuffle can be markedly improved by beveling the deck hom left to right, top over bottorn (Figure 229), before beginning 229 the Split, and maintaining the bevel throughout the Strip-Our process. The problem is that the bevel is something of a tell. Moreover, if the bevel is less than about three-quarters of an inch it has negligible benefit. Each performer will reach his own conclusions about the desirability of this "insurance," but you should at least experiment with it in practice sessions. I find the bevel most useful with new decks, which tend to be slippery. The only fully viable technique I've found for creating the requisite bevel condition is to place the left end of the deck on the table and tilt it to the lefi. Then you can sit the deck flat on the table. I've experimented with beveling an already tabled deck with little consistent success.

AN ALTERNATE STRIP-OUT PROCEDURE This alternative procedure is an absolute gem. I almost elected to withhold it, but since its forerunner has now seen print, I'm releasing it for those, like myself, who find an extra note of finality in a Triple Cut. The technique is closely related to the Aronson Strip-Out, (Simply Simon: The Magic of Simon Aronson, 1995, page 65). The sequence can be used with other Push-Through Shuffle techniques, and I often do so. Here we will apply it to the Merlin Shuffle.

When you initially split for the shuffle, take more than a third but less than half the deck to the right. When you then shuffle, make certain that you leave about a third of the deck, at the bottom, unwoven on the left side. Also make sure that the top card of the right-hand packet is released before the last card of the left-hand packet. Perform the push-through technique as taught. At the completion of this action, use your left thumb to slightly lift all the interwoven cards at the near side (Figure 230). This will enable you to form a right thumb break below this group at the right near corner. The left fingers then grip only the interwoven cards that project on the left side.

NOTE: As Paul Cummins pointed out when I showed him this technique, the break can be dispensed with. I find it helpful in facilitating the StripOut that is about to occur, and in the formation of the packets in the cut sequence that follows. Paul did not find the break usehl. I suggest you learn the sequence while using the break. You can elect to perform the sequence without the break once you're comfortable with it. Simultaneously move the right hand diagonally forward to the right and the left hand diagonally backward to the left. The left hand moves back a bit more than the width of the deck, and left about half the width of a deck. The right hand stops a bit more than two deck-widths forward and a deck width to the right. This strips-out the interwoven cards under cover of the larger action of the right hand's movement. Release all the cards below the right thumb's break, creating a forwatd pile, somewhat to your right. Carry the upper portion back diagonally about half the width of a deck and to the left about the same distance. Release the right hand's cards to the table at that point, creating a central second pile. Meanwhile, the left hand continues to hold its packet, nearest you and a bit to your left. The three packets form a diagonal column (Figure 23 1). With your right hand, take the left hand's packet and place it onto the center packet. In a

continuing action, pick up the combined center packet and place it onto the far packet. This reassembles the deck and every card is in its original position. If this is the last shuffle of a sequence, as I think it always should be, the deck will be reassembled in front of a person to your right. This is the person to whom the deck would normally be passed for the cut. In my experience, this triple cut usually persuades that person to tap rather than cut the deck. This makes it a very powerful technique when you've just put in a stack or switched in a cold deck, as it avoids the need to beat the cut. It also argues strongly for the persuasiveness of the shuffle and cut sequence.

THE STRIKE PUSH-THROUGH FOR A NUMBER of years (1969-74),

Al Cooper and I spent uncounted hours

on the phone and in person discussing, primarily, three types of moves: False Deals, the Pass and False Shuffles. Thus any of my treatments of False Shuffles from those years bears a significant measure of Al's influence. I rarely get to speak with Al these days. He has moved away and is far less active in magic. It is, nevertheless, with warm memories and a solid vote of thanks to him that I present this shuffle.

THE SPLIT Divide the pack, carrying less than half from the top to the right. Place the adjacent inner corners together, just touching, with the packets at an approximate 165-degree angle to each other. (Vernon seemed to favor approximately the same angle.) Release all grips and regrasp both packets along the sides, near the outer ends, with the second, third and fourth fingers at the front edge and the thumbs of each hand at the near edge. The gripping fingers should rest on the table. The first fingers are curled on the tops of their respective packets. As I've mentioned in previous shuffle descriptions, these positions are not absolutely critical; different people shuffle differently. It is only important that you have full control of the packets and that the hand positions be absolute mirror images of each other.

T H E INTERLACE Raise the thumbs, lifting each half of the deck, and move the packets diagonally forward and slightly toward each other. Release roughly a half-dozen

cards from the left thumb. Without pause, continue the action with both thumbs until all the cards have been dropped off and interlaced, cards falling from the left thumb last. Again, lightness is essential, regardless of the condition of the cards.

THE ALIGNMENT When the corners have been interwoven, move both hands to the outer ends, grasping the front edges at the extreme corners with the second and third fingertips. The balls of the thumbs should contact the near long edges at the corners. The first fingers remain curled above their packets (Figure 232).

Squeeze firmly and lift the deck almost to the point of raising it off the work surface. Rotate the packets until they align lengthwise, with roughly half the length of each packet interlaced. The packets may bind. Adjust the alignment of the cards by moving your second fingers to the front edges at the points where the meshed ends of the packets lie. The thumbs take up the equivalent positions on the near edge. Press firmly, causing the cards to align perfectly along their sides (Figure 233). When the two packets have been aligned and partially telescoped, the hands should be removed from the pack. The spectators will find nothing out of the ordinary in the appearance of the deck at this point. T H E TELESCOPE Again the hold must be adjusted. This time move the hands to the outer ends, placing the second fingertips on the front edges at the extreme corners. The third fingers, which should be in full contact with the sides of the second fingers, should touch the ends at the extreme front corners. The balls of the thumbs should contact the near long edges of the packets just outside of their respective midpoints. The first fingers remain curled on top of the

packets (Figure 234). With the hands in these positions, telescope the packets, pushing them into each other, until they are interlaced for about three-quarters of their length. Because the ends of some of the cards may not have been square with the other end in their packet, this telescoping will serve to even them. Release the deck completely.

THE CONJOIN You are about to perform the critical and defining procedure of this technique. Move both hands back over the deck. The balls of the thumbs should lightly contact the near edges, just outside the midpoint. Simultaneously press diagonally inward with the second and third fingers of each hand on their respective far corners of the interlaced packets. This forces the inner corners against the thumbs, which regulate the extent to which they break through the near edge. As long as the inner corners break through beyond the midpoint of the deck, the packets will pass through each other (Figure 235). During this action the outer edge of the pack, which the onlookers can see, should present a more or less normal appearance but for a slight inward V that will form. To mask this V, which is the only tell that the shuffle is anything but legitimate, slide both hands and the deck inward toward your body. When this action is complete, there will be diagonal jogs at both inner corners (Figure 236). In practice, these jogs should measure about a quarter of an inch. They can be as much as half an inch without presenting a problem.

/'

As soon as the corners break through, press them forward and outward with the thumbs. This will complete the push-through process (perhaps more correctly, angle through) and produce a brief conjoin that appears to be a coalescence. Actually, it serves to move the pack into a telescoped position, but with the original right-hand packet protruding from the left side and vice versa. The second and third fingers at the fronts of each packet screen the protruding portions

from view. As a result, the "breach," or protruding portions, can be fairly broad, as great as half an inch. Pause only very briefly at this point; just long enough to secure your grip.

NOI'E: 'The action of this conjoin amounts to simultaneously striking the front cornerr of the deck with the second and third fingertips of each hand and moving the deck inward, toward you, as you angle the packets inward and then through each other. It is this action that defines and distinguishes this technique fro111 other approaches to the PushThrough. It will take some practice to become sure-fingered enough to perform this deftly. You should, however, be aware: If you can't perform it at a brisk but unhurried pace, it is better not to use this technique at dl. Under marly other conditions, though, a slight inward slide can be useful cover for a Push-Through.

THE SQUARE Okay, you've just completed the strike action and the packets are in position to be stripped apart. Squeeze the deck firmly between the second fingers at the front and the thumbs at the near edge, on their respective ends of the deck. The thumb pressure should move the thumbs about a quarter inch outward, toward their respective ends. This will appear to be part of the squaring action. In fact, the squeeze and thumb slide help to ensure that the coming strip-out will not leave cards behind. This squaring action, too, is very brief.

THE STFUP-OUT Because you moved the deck inward earlier, it is now sensible to move it forward. With your left hand, hold the original right-hand packet in place but lift the entire deck about three inches as you move the original left-hand portion forward and to the right about half the width of a deck. Release this, the stripped-out packet, onto the table. The right hand then returns to take the original right-hand packet from the left hand. Drop that packet onto the tabled one. Every card is in its original position. NOTE: While I've described the Conjoin, Square and Strip-Out as discrete entities, in execution they form a seamless, unbroken series of actions, accompanied by a bit of attitude. The thought behind the attitude should be "That ought to do it." Done well, this is a lovely, disarming shuffle. You should keep in mind that the distinguishing features of the technique are the strike preceding the inward tnovement that masks the moment of the Push-Through action, and the ballistic strip-out action subsequent to the brief squaring action. It takes a bit of work to learn the feel ofthis dynamic; but if you try it you'll find that the strip-out is completely invisible and the attitude significantly helps in convincing viewers that all is fair.

NOTE O N THE STRIP-OUT ACTION: While I don't recommend using the Alternate Strip-Out action from the Merlin Push-Through with this Shuffle, I often use the forward strip-our with lift, as employed in this Shuffle, with the Merlin Shuffle. 'I'he more flexibility one has with a technique, the better.

AN ALTERNATE STRIP-OUT PROCEDURE One shuffle is rarely sufficient to convey a sense of thorough mixture to an audience. Thus, two Push-Throughs may be the minimum requirement. The transition between the first and second shuffles in such instances is best handled as a Resplit Strip-Out. The first adjustment that should be made for this twoshuffle sequence is that the split for the first Shuffle should take the top stock to the left rather than to the right. The Shuffle then proceeds as has been described. The Resplit Strip-Out technique is then performed as follows: With the hands in the positions described after the Conjoin, just prior to the Square, lift the deck an inch or so and move the hands apart and forward in outward arcs. The packets should clear each other in time to allow the arcs to be stopped with the packets at a 165-degree angle to each other. Table the packets and re-shuffle. The original top stock will now be on the right. You're set to perform the Shuffle as it was first described, including the ballistic strip-out action.

THE CRAND-BEER'S PREDICTION NOVEMBER 9, 1973 BETA

THISEFFECT is a treatment of the now classic Card in Matchbox. Generally, I would see no reason to include yet another handling of this idea. (Matt Schulien, Eugene Burger and Tony Giorgio have all featured this item and influenced my interpretation.) Nevertheless, I think you will find this version has some interesting features that distinguish it from others. The method is a clear outgrowth of a Peter McDonald routine called "The Gambler's Prediction" from his inspirational book Highly Mediocre Tricks (no date, page 6). I think you'll find that, whether or not you use the piece as written, you'll use elements of it in constructing variations of your own. Here is what the spectator sees: EFFECT: The magician has a card selected and signed. The spectator then places the card into a packet comprised of approximately half the deck. Tossing a matchbox onto the table, the magician says it contains a prediction. The spectator opens the box and counts the matches within, finding, perhaps, eleven. O n counting down eleven cards in the packet the spectator finds his card is not there but in the matchbox from which he took the matches. REQUIREMENTS: A deck of cards and one duplicate card, lightly pencildotted on its corners. You will also need two identical matchboxes, one containing matches-roughly eleven will do but as many as fifteen is reasonable. The other matchbox is empty. I also use a pair of tweezers, which are carried in the left-side jacket pocket.

SET-UP: Place the pencil-dotted card directly above its duplicate, on top of the deck. I'lace the matchbox that contains the matches on the table. The empty box, with its drawer open, is in your lap. You are about to have a card selected in what appears to be an extremely fair manner. In fact, the card will be forced. The procedure is an offspring of a Senator Crandall method that originally saw print in Alton Sharpe's Expert Card Conjuring (1968, page 77); also see "Hyper-Warp" in this volume, page 92). Spread the cards across the table in a wide but slightly sloppy ribbon. Have a spectator touch the back of a card and draw it forward but not out of the spread. Take pains to assure that the spectator feels satisfied that his choice was completely fair. Allow him to change his mind, etc. Pick up the spread, leaving the selected card jogged forward as you arrange the deck in your left hand. Get the spectator to state again that the protruding card is the one he wants. Square the deck, forming a fourth-finger break under the top two cards. Swivel the jogged card out of the deck and drop it on top as you say, "That's the one you want? You've got it." Perform a Hit-style Triple Lift as you say, "We'll all look at it together. The [nameof card]." (In our example, the card will be the Queen of Hearts.) Have the card signed and allow the ink to dry. Confine the spectator's signature to the central portion of the card. This is most easily accomplished by making the request with the words, "Place just your initials in the very center of the card." NOTE: A question often arises in situations such as this, when a card is to be signed but the arrangement under it should not be revealed: Should you remove the card to have it signed or have it signed while it remains on the deck. Frankly, each has its drawbacks. If the card is removed, so it can be signed while off the deck, you need to perform a wrist turn, carrying the deck out from under the card while keeping the top of the deck out of sight until the card is returned to it. This can be awkward and constraining. O n the other hand, having the card signed while it's on the deck is both risky and a bit too "cozy" to be conlpletely comfortable. As a general rule, it is probably better to take the card off the deck, but when angles are tight or the audience is seated at the table on which I'm working, I feel uncomfortable with keeping the top of the deck out of sight or the deck tabled face up. In such situations, I'm inclined to have the card signed while it's on the deck. It takes a bit of spectator management to make this work. I find that allowing the spectator to hold the deck in his or her own hands makes it less likely the hidden cards will be revealed, though some may consider this choice counter-intuitive. The spectator will not find it odd, if the instruction is given properly. Try saying, "Take your card and sign it on the face.

You'll find it easier if you lean on the deck." This will be accepted as true if the table is covered with a tablecloth, felt or a close-up pad. If those condirions arc not present, the instruction may seem more odd, but it will rarely be challenged. For further thoughts on this topic, see the Note on page 8.

2

Turn the triple-card face down and immediately push the top card off the deck to the right for about half its width. At the same time, push the card second from the top over slightly and get a break under it. Square the top card with the card above the break and use your right first finger to push the double card forward as though it were one, out-jogging it . At least it appears that the first finger pushes the card. Actually, it is your right thumb, at the near end of the double card that does the pushing (Figure 237). This is essentially the Cliff Green Double Lift (ProofessionalCard Magic, 196 1, page 17).Remove the double card from the deck and insert it about three-quarters of the way into the center. Turn the deck face up, flashing the face of the duplicate. The fact that the signature is not seen will not arouse suspicion. While the face of the duplicate is exposed to the audience, secretly push the extra, lower card (the non-duplicate) flush, unloading it into the deck. NOTE: You could deal a Second, allowing you to insert a single card into the deck, but you would then have to get rid of the unwanted top card later in the effect. I don't like the trade-off in this instance, though others may not agree.

3

Change your mind and, turning the deck face down, remove the duplicate card, positioning your right fingers across the face. This will hide what would be the signature as you flash the face of the card and place it face down on the table.

4

Table the deck and instruct the spectator to cut off about half, handing you the upper portion. Ask your helper to pick up and shuffle the lower portion, then replace it on the table. As the spectator complies, lap the top card of the packet you hold. It will, of course, be the spectator's signed selection. NOTE: If you choose to use a Second Deal in Step 2 you will need to lap the card second from the top. This should present no problem-you just deal a One-Handed Second into your lap-but you need to be aware of the requirement.

5

Have the spectator cut some cards lej-handed from the tabled packet. Make a big deal of the fact that the cut must be made with the left hand. (It really

doesn't matter but it provides an interesting red herring. Such bits of business can afford opportunities for fun in long exposition phases.) Have the spectator replace the selected card at the point where the deck has been divided and bury it with the cut-off portion. While this card is believed to be the selection, it is actually the duplicate. The spectator may reshuffle the packet and table it. Draw attention to the matchbox that has been lying on the table, claiming that it contains a prediction. Open the box and dump its contents into the spectator's hand. Have the matches counted as you close the box and place it slightly to your left on the table. Have the spectator count down a number of cards equal to the number of matches. Watch as the deal is made, to determine if and when the duplicate is dealt. The pencil dot will give it away. As the cards are dealt, fold the selection in your lap. You can use the technique known as the Mercury Card Fold, detailed in Expert Card Zchnique (1940, page 304), if you don't already have a favorite folding method. (If you use a smaller matchbox, you may wish to use Tommy Wonder's Two-Second Card Fold from The Books of Wonder, Volume I, 1996, page 136.) Insert the folded card into the matchbox in your lap and close the box. By the way, if the duplicate happens to fall at the correct position, you have a miracle of a different order. I'll allow each reader to figure out for himself how to reap the most advantage from this. If it isn't the last card counted, as will usually be the case, proceed to the revelation.

NOTE: I don't like to sit with my hands in my lap for any length of time. For that reason, I have taken to performing the card fold with my arms crossed over my chest, placing my right hand, with which I execute the fold, behind my left bicep. This provides more than ample cover for the fold, which takes mere seconds. This allows me to drop my hands to my lap much more briefly to load, close and palm the box. As the spectator is completing the count, Front Palm the matchbox in your right

hand (Figure 238). Pick up the tabled matchbox with your left hand, taking the box into Spellbound position, at the tips of your left fingers with your thumb above. Your left hand should be tilted back far enough so that, when the matchbox is released, it falls into Finger Palm and cannot be seen by the audience. Switch the matchbox held in the left hand for the one in the right using the Spellbound technique. In other words, move the right fingers, holding the loaded matchbox, in front of the box displayed in

your left hand (Figure 239). Release the box from the left fingers, into left-hand Finger Palm. At the same time, use your right thumb to push the Front Palmed box from the right fingers to the right fingertips (Figure 240). Then place the loaded matchbox on top of the tabled deck.

NOTES: The most difficult part of this switch is handling it casually. Strong Itan~say-stylemisdirection is called for here. That is to say, look at the Jeft-hand matchbox as the right hand starts toward it, but look up at the spectator and speak as the right hand reaches the left to take the box. As a result of this timing, the spectator will not be looking at the hands at the moment the switch takes place. In other words, while the technique is like a Spellbound-style coin change, the execution is like the Kamsay Vanish. Even though they are not looking at the action, the switch will go unquestioned if you handle it casually, as though it were unimportant. At the moment of the switch, the audience has no reason to think that the matchbox is relevant. Though I don't use it now-old habits die hard-in the past I have used 'Iony Giorgio's one-handed switch (published three times in Genii: in Vol. 34, No. 5, January 1970, page 221; in Vol. 58, No. 7, May 1995, page 520; and in Vol. 66, No. 5, May 2003, page 62. The third explanation is the most detailed.). It is an excellent alternative. The Giorgio handling is essentially an old dice switch.

9

Place your left hand into your left-side jacket pocket, leave the empty matchbox behind and remove the tweezers. Use the tweezers to lift off the top card of the tabled packet, with the matchbox on top of it, and isolate the card and matchbox on the table. Pick up all the cards from the spectator's packet and spread them face down between your hands as you remind him that he could have put his card anywhere in the packet and that, because of the shufne, even he couldn't know where his selected card war;-but you knew in advance. Close the spread, forming a break below the pencil-dotted duplicate. Continue, explaining that, before the effect began, you

predicted where the card would be. To prove that these aren't idle words, stare that you'll bet that his card is "sitting right there." As you say this, gesture toward the tabled card and the matchbox. Have the spectator lift the matchbox and look at the card beneath. At the same time, use a Side Steal to secretly extract the duplicate from the packet (see the WJ Side Steal, page 181). The spectator will deny that the tabled card is his selection. Lap the stolen card as you explain that you didn't say it was the card on the table. Spread all of the cards face up on the table, to prove that the chosen one is not present. Have the spectator open the matchbox and remove the folded card, open it and acknowledge that it is his selection, with his signature. Take your applause.

PASSES

THE PASS The girl who can't dance says the band can't play. -Yiddish

'T&E

Proverb

MOVE that separates the men from the boys, the great reputation maker,

the shining star in the cardician's firmament is the Pass. Of all the moves in the arsenal, it arouses the most controversy. Magicians divide sharply along battle lines. Some say it can't be done invisibly; others argue it can. Some say it isn't needed; we have other techniques for producing the same result. Others argue for the directness of the Pass. Each individual tends to choose sides based primarily on whether he can do a Pass. The truly interested observer finds both sides are right and both sides are wrong; and I say that as one who feels very confident about the indetectability of my Pass. The problem, it seems to me, arises from misunderstanding the move. No Pass can be done invisibly without the hands being in motion. The reason is simple: The two packets cannot be made to clear each other without movement occurring at the top, at least one side and the bottom of the deck. With three areas to cover, it would be an unusual position at best that would allow the Pass to be completed without a flash of some kind, somewhere. By that definition, the Pass cannot be made invisible. Many, if not most other moves would fail the same invisibility test. The Pass must be done with the hands in motion. Fortunately, this is the normal state of affairs. The Spread Pass can be totally invisible from the front and the right. The Turnover Pass is invisible from all sides except the bottom, but the hands and the deck must be in motion and no single action is satisfactory for every situation. Marlo's Wrist-Turn Passes are invisible from most angles but they have a tell-tale action. Riffle Passes, in the hands of Derek Dingle or Ken Krenzel,

or even myself, are invisible, but they have a great deal of movement associated with them. The Jiggle Pass, Black Pass, Sprong Pass and many others can and have been done invisibly. There is, at least in my mind, no doubt that the Pass can be done invisibly. The problem is the action, timing and tailoring to the situation in which the sleight is to be used. Amazingly, most, if not all, magicians I have seen use the Pass have succeeded at making it invisible to the eye, but not deceptive to the mind. The reasons vary. The Pass must flow from the action that precedes it to the action that follows it, and it rarely does. I could probably write another ten pages on this subject, but I'll include here instead six new Pass treatments that illustrate the point. Almost every description I have ever read of the Pass is wrong in at least one major respect, the initial action of the top packet. Only once have I heard an explanation of the Pass (one that is available to the magic public) that is correct on this major point. I won't name that source because, while the individual executes the Pass very well, it's always evident, at least to me, that he's doing a Pass. Part of the reason I know he is doing the Pass is his hand positions, and part is his cover action or, more correctly, lack thereof. His attitude and body language, however, are the big tip-offs. I raise these points because they are the main reason most magicians know when their fellows are doing a Pass. This need not be true; but the foregoing factors coupled with my earlier comments contribute to the belief that the Pass cannot be made indetectable, which, of course, is what is really meant by "invisible." The six Passes I'm including, each in its way, are incorporated into actions that make them indetectable. The attitude and body language you'll have to work out for yourself, but I will give you one important tip: Stop looking at your hands. It is bad enough that when most Passes are performed, both hands must be on the deck. If your eyes are also on the deck it is clear to anyone watching that there is nothing else worth watching. Misdirecting becomes nearly impossible. With this in mind, read on. Each of the following Passes approach the problems of the Pass uniquely. I will warn you, because they approach the task of creating an invisible and indetectable Pass from a different perspective from most approaches that have seen print, they may be difficult to understand. For most Pass techniques, cover is an afterthought. In these Passes, technique and cover are integrally related. They can only be truly understood with cards in hand. Even then it will take effort to get any of them working well enough to permit one to evaluate the elements that produce the increased deceptiveness. Trust that each has been used under fire and I am fully confident of their deceptiveness and invisibility.

PASSESbut the last described in this section start from the Basic Position. All modifications will be noted within the descriptions of the individual techniques. Hold the deck in left-hand Dealing Grip with a break held by the flesh of the fourth fingertip. When it comes time to execute the Pass, the fourth finger will enter this breakhowever, all my Passes are done with as little of the fourth finger as possible in the break while still allowing me to maintain control of the packet. Do not insert the middle phalange into the deck! This is one of the hardest tendencies to fight, since there is a strong inclination to dig deeper to compensate for a lack of fourth-finger strength. This tendency must be resisted or the top packet will swing wider and lower as it clears the bottom one. The left second and third fingers are curled around the right side of the deck. The front right corner of the deck rests firmly against the inside edge (not the surface) of the left first finger. Figure 241 shows the left hand's grip, with the right hand omitted. You must be able to control the top : packet of the deck with this grip and you must be able to tip the packet rapidly to its edge with only the fourth fingertip under the upper packet.

NOTE: The most important difference between these first five Passes and most others, which points up the mistake in every published description of the Pass, is this ability to control the top packet with very little fourthfinger purchase. This control also takes the longest to develop. Until it is sufficiently developed you will be inclined to drag the top card of the

lower packet along with the upper packet. Most people don't have enough strength in their fourth fingertip to maintain the necessary control, resulting in the use of too much finger or the aforementioned drag. Speed is important to the indetectability of the Pass, though not to its invisibility. You need explosive strength to attain this speed. This involves the white (fast twitch) muscle fibers, which are harder to develop. The difference ~ and slow twitch muscle fibers has never, to my knowledge, between f " twitch been explored as it relates to sleight-of-hand. It is the difference between the musculatures of weight lifters' (fast [witch) and body builders' (slow twitch) development. It might be possible to develop techniques that increase the speed ofthe Pass by emphasizing these fibers but I have not concentrated on doing so, as I have already developed the requisite strength and speed. Finally, anytime both hands are in contact with the deck there must be an apparent reason, apart from the actual one, that this contact occurs and is sustained. Apart from the Automatic Pass, where the reason is left to the performer, each of the Passes I offer includes its own internal reason. This doesn't give one license to maintain the suspicious position, both hands on the deck, for any longer than is justified by the covering rationale. You must, therefore, be extremely comfortable with the Basic Position and any adjustments to it required by the particular technique you intend to perform. Any adjustment to the position of the deck in the hand that holds it-the left in all these Passes-that is not part of the apparent action, increases the duration of the suspect hand position. This must always be considered and reduced to a minimum. This argues for always practicing the Pass in its complete performance frame, including the actions that precede and follow it. The position of the right hand must also be understood. The first finger and thumb are the gripping fingers. The first finger holds the extreme left front corner of the bottom packet, the thumb the extreme left back corner of the same packet (Figure 242). The second fingertip, which does major work in

242

some of my Passes, must extend far enough past the bottom card to be able to exert upward pressure on the bottom of the deck.

NO'I'E: While many will argue against the use of the second finger as a source of motive force, a little experimentation will assure you that the pull of the second finger can be made totally indetectable. Any perceptible movement of the second finger is, to the extent it is noticeable, attributed to slormal squaring. Watch yourself square a deck at the fingertips and you will notice that most of the work is done by the right second finger and thumb, and the left second finger and thumb.

THE EDGE PASS CIRCA

1969

IS HAS been my general-duty Pass for more than twenty-five years. I am assured by magicians that it is invisible, and by lay people that it is indetectable. Learn it well and it can change your thinking about the Pass. The major innovation embodied in this Pass is the movement of the deck from edge-on to front-tipped-down via a diagonal rolling action. I wish I could say it's easy, but it isn't. Expect it to take about six months to master if you don't already do a decent Pass, and perhaps a month if you do. Take the deck in the left hand with a minimal left fourth-finger break at the near right corner of the deck: the Basic Position just described. Assume also the Basic Position right-hand grip. Immediately, rotate your right hand to the right without changing the hand's grip. The right hand and deck together form the shape of a letter D (Figure 243). The left hand, which should have rotated as well, inserts the end of the fourth finger into the deck while you firmly maintain your right-hand grip. Because of the way my fingers bend and the size of my hands, the fourth fingertip rests at a diagonal angle across the inner right corner of the bottom packet, but this may not be the case for all hands. With the deck held edge-on in this manner, the left hand has reasonable flexibility in its movements as long as the fourth finger maintains its position. I will frequently straighten my left fingers, excluding the

fourth, and lift the deck away from the hand to exhibit a looseness of grip. If that is done, the left fingers must re-establish the grips described under Basic Position. Simultaneously, both hands roll the deck downward in the direction of the forward lefi corner as the right second finger exerts upward, compensating pressure, but not pull, and the lefi second and third fingers pull inward (Figure 244).

If you have done everything correctly, you should find that you've executed the major portion of the Pass. The original upper packet is below the original lower packet. All that remains is to remove the left second and third fingers, reunite the packets and press down with the left thumb while your right thumb riffles upward at the near end. Next, bring the deck back to the edge-on position, the edge aimed toward the eyes of the primary spectator. Curl the left first finger and riffle the left front corner. That's it.

NOTES: This is not a Riffle Pass, inasmuch as the riffle in no way contributes to the action of the Pass. The riffle is an after-action that is included to justify the extended duration the deck is held in both hands. As I've said, the two-handed grip is an unusual position and one frequent tip-off that a Pass has been or will be done. When the deck is on edge there is a tendency for the break created by the fourth fingertip's entry into the deck to produce a line on the upper edge. If you run your left thumb along the edge and experiment with your right hand's grip you can minimize this line. Then, if your grip is firm but not tight, you will not have a problem with the line being seen and tipping off the existence of the break. The entire Pass, start to finish, should flow smoothly. There is no jerking action at any point. When you do everything correctly, the Pass will be both

invisible and indetectable, being perceived as an elaborate, perhaps even ritualized, sq~~aring process.

I have been using this Pass under the toughest of all conditions, "My Ambitious Card Routine" (page 170),with the spectators staring at it, but without it producing a visible result, for many years.

THE SQUEEZE PASS -IFIERE HAS been an on-going debate about when the Pass should be performed-immediately, as in the Spread Pass, or after a delay, as Malini advocated. I believe to a great extent the question must be decided by the cover action. The previous Pass, the Edge Pass, would be delayed, while this Pass, the Squeeze Pass, must occur almost immediately in most instances. I know of no Pass that looks as much like a true, if slightly exaggerated, squaring action than this one. I've been able to use it with other card men watching and on completion they were still waiting for me to do the Pass. Assume the Basic Position. With your hands held at about groin level, tip them down sharply. It is hard to give you the exact angle but it should be approximately thirty-seven degrees (Figure 245). A mirror or, better yet, a video camera will confirm the angle for your hands, which will vary with your height and the distance from your spectators. Simply increase the angle until no part of the Pass action can be seen. Bend all five right fingers, as though you were squeakg somethi& tow& your palm. At the same time, bend your right wrist slightly to the left. Almost instantly you will feel the upper packet clearing the lower one. At that instant, pull with your left second, third and fourth fingers. The two actions, the squeeze of the right fingers and the p d of the left fingers, should occur at almost the same instant.

Immediately continue with a light squaring action, by bouncing the sides of the deck between the fingertips of the second and third fingers and the thumbs of both hands. As the squaring goes on, the right first finger should move to a curled position on top of the deck.

NOTES: With work, the amount of "squeeze" both hands apply can be reduced to a negligible level. It will then appear that the squeeze is part of the bouncing squaring action. It is lightness in this I'ass that makes it indetectable; the invisibility is contingent upon finding the correct angle of the deck relative to the eyes of the spectators. Unless the deck is somewhat messy (unsquared) to begin with, as it would be after a spread for the replacement of a card or a dribble replacement, you should find a logical reason to leave the cards in an untidy condition. The Cardini-Okito idea of springing the cards between your hands while maintaining a break (ascribed to Cardini in Card Control by Arthur Buckley, 1946, page 5 I ; and to Okito in Paul Rosizi? Magical Gems by Rufus Steele, 1950, page 50) is a workable approach if it fits your style, and if you can't find another means lslore directly related to the effect being performed. Some readers may find the explanation of this Pass a bit cryptic. Having reread it many times I'm confident that all the information required is contained in the description. What makes this Pass difficult to understand is that three actions occur almost simultaneously. The right hand twists the front of the upper packet to the left, the left fingers pull inward strongly but briefly on the upper packet, and the right second finger and thumb pull upward strongly but briefly. This causes the packets to transpose with extreme rapidity. As soon as this transposition is complete, the hands switch to a light, fingertip squaring action. It will take some work to teach the muscles to synchronize properly but once learned this is an astonishingly fast, exceptionally light Pass that appears to be a fingertip squaring action. This Pass is best judged with a video camera set where you expect your target spectators' eyes to be when you employ it; you would have to stand too close to the mirror. The camera should guide the spatial orientation (tilt and rotation) of your hands. My general guidance is that a line extending directly along the left edge of the deck but rotated upward would pass by the leftmost eye of your spectators; and a line across your right knuckles, if rotated upward, would pass to the right of the rightmost eye of your audience.

THE PIVOT SIDE-JIGGLE PASS 1975 AUGUST

IN THE Squeeze Pass, I described a slight right-wrist pivot-action to the left as part of the movement responsible for causing the packets to clear. The essential action of the Pass, however, is accomplished by the squeeze; the pivot could be dispensed with altogether and the Pass would still be quite workable. In this next Pass, the impelling force, the force that does the work, is a more marked right-wrist pivot-action accompanied by an opposite action by the left wrist and followed by a series of similar right-wrist pivots of varying magnitudes and speeds. These pivots look like a side-jiggle action. This can be combined with the front to back jiggle employed in the more widely known Taylor-Elias Jiggle Pass (Epilogue, No. 18, 1973, page 168). Begin with the deck in Basic Position, with your hands held around waist level. The deck should not be hlly squared at you move into position for the Pass, so that a squaring action is justified. Pulling rightward and down with the left fingers, as one normally does in a Classic Pass, the right hand rotates or pivots counterclockwise at the wrist. After this initial rotation, the hand returns clockwise. This moves the bottom packet, as it becomes the top packet, sharply to the right, then back to the left. Simultaneously, the left hand twists the front of its packet (the original top packet) to the right. The total distance moved by the right hand's packet is no more than two inches at the front left corner. Figure 246 (next page) shows the deck in both positions.

The Pass is completed with the first squaring side-jiggle. Both wrists pivot in opposite directions at the same time in this initial jiggle. Don't stop moving. Instead, follow the first jiggle with at least two more smaller, quicker ones. You may also like the look of finishing the sequence by moving the deck out to the fingertips for a slow All-Around Square-Up.

NOTE: This may be the fastest pass ever devised. It is uncanny how quickly the packets transpose. This speed recommends it strongly but it does have more of the characteristic look of a Pass, owing to the pivot action. For this reason this Pass may best be applied as a card control when you want to make a point of how painstakingly fair you're being. Finishing your jiggle actions with an All-Around Square-Up lends credibility to that notion. Perception of the pivot is lost in the follow-up side-jiggle and square-up action.

THE DIAGONAL PASS CIRCA

1963

ASSUMETHE Basic Position with the left hand only and allow the hand to relax. Start to bring the hands together and, as you do, begin to speak. You need to say something that will explain taking the deck from your left hand into your right. You might, for example, say, "I'll let you shuffle the cards," or "I'll keep the deck on the table."

As soon as the right hand reaches the deck, and as the line you are speaking is completed, you should be in Basic Position with both hands. Start to move the hands apart, diagonally and downward to the front right; but the right hand, which grips only the bottom packet, must stop short as soon as the left hand's packet, which turns face up as it completes the first half of the Pass, reaches a point under the right hand (Figure 247). The instant the hands arrive at this position, the right hand starts back in the direction from which it came. The left fingers flip their packet face down again (Figure 248) and add it back to the bottom of the right-hand

247

packet. Your words, which should indicate that you've changed your mind and wish to do something else, should be said as your hands move inward together. Don't look at them! The instant the packets are rejoined, the right hand should move away to point or reach for something. Almost any excuse will do. NOTE: This Pass, which is both invisible and indetectable, is very much dependent on your acting ability. If the audience believes you simply started to take the deck, then changed your mind, they will never suspect a Pass. This is, however, because of its cover action, a Pass that should not be used more than once in a performance. Fortunately, this is the easiest Pass of those included in this section. Careful consideration to the timing for the delivery of the lines and the execution of the Pass must be given, but you'll find that once mastered this Pass is extremely reliable. The best suggestion I can offer is that you use it for a specific effect into which it can be integrated logically, and use other forms of the Pass for more general duty. I should point out that while the techniques are quite differenr, the idea of taking advantage of the face-to-face packet position in a Pass is an outgrowth of working on the technique described in "Vernon on the Pass" in Dai Nrnon? Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic (1967, page 112 of the Supreme Magic edition; page 84 of the L&L edition). It is, arguably, also related to a Dr. James Elliott technique (see Farelli's Card Magic, Part One, 1933, page 14).

THE AUTOMATIC PASS 7h1s IS an interesting and very deceptive Pass in that it seems to do itself. If your hands are in the correct position, your problem will lie in controlling it to assure that it does itself only when you want it to and not before. Begin from the Basic Position in the left hand only. You will need to speak a cover line as your hands come together. The line must have a tone of resignation or otherwise give you a reason to take a deep breath. A line that justifies a sigh would also work. You might try, "I guess I missed your card [sigh]," or you could deliver a line that's too long for one breath, such as, "You've put your card back into the deck, which has no crimps, breaks, bends, mirrors, rubber bands, trapdoors or concealed assistants [breathedeeply]." Any such line will work. Just as you are completing the line, your right hand assumes its part of the Basic Position. Simultaneously, wrap your left fingers around and onto the deck as far as they can reach, with the fourth finger thrust deep into the break and the left front corner of the deck resting on the base of the first finger (Figure 249). You cannot look at this when executing the sleight so you must learn to move to this position by feel. When the deck has reached the desired position, grip it firmly (not tightly) and lower your hands a few inches in coordination with your sigh or breath. You'll have to experiment to find the exact spot for you-each person's wrists vary in flexibility-but you will reach a spot at which the natural tendency of the wrists

to rotate will cause the two packets of the deck to move in such a way as to do a Pass that is similar to the Squeeze Pass but without the need for the right fingers to squeeze. What you must explore-in practice, not in performance-is where the spot at which the Pass wants to do itself occurs for you. You must move to that position but prevent the Pass from occurring by not allowing your wrists to rotate naturally. When you breathe or sigh, relax your wrists, allowing them to do what they want to do. The Pass will essentially do itself. As soon as it does, you must immediately lift your hands, which will rejoin the packets. Because of this lifting action you should endeavor to keep the downward motion of the hands as small as possible. This requires that you find the exact spot for your wrists, the point where the Pass will occur if you let it. Move only that far. In this way, the distance you will have to raise your hands to rejoin the packets will be reduced to a minimum.

NOTE: When this Pas is being done correctly it will look like the deck shook ever so slightly and that's all. In the context of the larger movement of the breath or sigh, such a movement is natural (in the bio-physical sense) and above suspicion. Moreover, a deeper than normal inhalation or exhalation provides excellent misdirection. Breathing is generally regarded as a natural occurrence, rather than one calculated to distract. It is, therefore, not suspected. Hopefully, I've made my point, and by doing so have encouraged you to practice the Pass with a new perspective. You will, I believe, find that the move is a fine, useful and very streamlined way of accon~plishingmany things. One must open one's thinking to create contextual frames for the Pass. By so doing, one can find many other ways to employ various forms of the Pass indetectably in a wide variety of performance situations.

THE ANOMALOUS PASS I N MARLo'sMGAZINE, No. 5 (1984, page 262) there appears a description of what Marlo calls his "Unconventional Passes." Marlo apparently felt that his description of the first of these left something to be desired. He attempted, slightly more successfully, to describe it in the November 1989 issue of New Tops, in a contribution titled "Detailed Unconventional Pass" (Vol. 29, No. I I, page 37). More recently, in his charming book, Drawing Room Deceptions or Etiquette of Deception (1999, page 122), Guy Hollingworth shares a related idea. The Pass Eddie teaches in these two efforts is accomplished by moving the bottom packet of a deck around the left side of the top packet. This is an unusual path for a packet to follow in a 250 Pass. It is made possible by locking the lower packet between the fleshy pad at the base of the inner phalanges of the right third and fourth fingers and the space below the fleshy mound at the base of the left thumb (the Thenar). This spot on the left hand is roughly the equivalent of Classic Palm position for a coin. The arrows in Figure 250 indicate these points on each hand. It may vary slightly in your hands. Repeatedly throughout Marlo's write-ups, he makes reference to the consideration of relieving or reducing the strain on the right hand. The strain to which

Marlo refers is both real and apparent to spectators. It is even evident in the photos of Marlo's hands that accompany the New Tops article. It is perhaps even more evident in my hands, which are smaller than were Marlo's.

I hoped I could develop a technique that would solve the problem of strain. After some experimentation, I am satisfied that I have, and that the technique is easier and notably less angle-prone than the Marlo technique. This modified technique, which I call "The Anomalous Pass" motivated a change in the cover action. It is this change that accounts in large measure for the improved angles for my procedure. The combination of revised grip, rotation of the top packet and the cover action constitute my claim to originality for the Anomalous Pass.

THE ACTION The deck should be held in left-hand Dealing Grip, with a break held above ten to twenty cards from the bottom (and no more). While it is not important to the mechanics of the move, it contributes to the logic of the cover action (a fingertip squaring motion) if the top portion of the deck is relatively unsquared, as it would be after the return of a selection. While the dealing position used in this Pass is not unusual, it is specific: The left thumb lies along the left side of the deck. The tip of the thumb should extend past the front left corner. The near left corner should contact the left palm at a point about an inch to the right of the point used in the Marlo Unconventional Pass, at the ridge above the hypothenar. Figure 25 1 illustrates the approximate position. The exact position will vary slightly, depending on hand size.

I

Your right hand takes hold of the deck as though to square it. Both hands should be centered directly in front of your body, about level with your diaphragm; thus it can be done seated. As the right hand grasps the deck, its grip is slightly deeper than normal. The right third and fourth fingers contact the bottom packet. The fleshy pad of the fourth fingertip makes contact at the right front corner. The third finger touches the edge of the top packet with the soft flesh of the middle phalange. A lot of words have been spent on the description of the hand positions, but these positions must be thoroughly learned so that they may be arrived at automatically. As soon as the right hand has taken hold of the deck, the right fourth finger exerts diagonally inward pressure on the bottom packet, trapping it between the right third and fourth fingers and the left palm. At the same time, the right thumb lifts the near end of the top packet until that packet is perpendicular to the top of the trapped bottom packet. This requires rotating the right hand clockwise and

palm l e h a r d . Figure 252 shows your view of the packets from above, revealing their relative positions. The top packet is rotated on end. Figure 253 shows the hands from the front. Notice that the trapped bottom packet cannot be seen by the spectators, but they can see the back of the top packet.

When the packets and hands have achieved the positions illustrated, the bottom packet is completely screened from the front, left and right. Shift your grip on the vertical top packet from the right hand on the ends to the left hand on the sides, fingers on the front side and thumb on the near side. Move both hands or, better yet, rotate your body to the right until the spectators are looking at the face of the top packet. As soon as that position is reached, slightly twist the bottom packet in a clockwise direction, pivoting on the left-hand contact point. After this very short pivot, the left forward corner of the bottom packet will clear the inner edge of the original top packet and start to move back to the left (Figure 254). NOTE: The best way to handle this type of body rotation is to set up for it in advance. In this case, you should be turned to the right. This is easily accomplished by swiveling in your seat and placing your feet on the ground in this position. (The same concept can be applied standing.) Twist to the left just before you begin the Pass. When it's time to rotate your body, all you need to do is relax and your body will rotate naturally into its more relaxed rightward position. The rotation will be smooth, natural and automatically properly timed. This is discussed at somewhat greater length in connection with the Side Steal (see page 184). Immediately pivot the right hand's packet back to the left. The lower edge of this packet will slide upward along the inner edge of the left hand's packet

(Figure 255) until the left edge of the right hand's packet is stopped by the left thumb. The packet will then be resting on the left hand's packet but in-jogged for approximately a third of its length (Figure 256).

The left fingers now grip both packets. Extend your right fingers until they contact the front edge of the under ~ a c k e t(Figure 257). Pull the lower packet back until its front edge is behind the left thumbtip, square with the upper packet. This completes the Pass within an action that appears outwardly to be an end-for-end turn of the deck in the fashion of an All-Around Square-Up. You can now move the combined packets forward into normal dealing position. To the audience, it should appear that you simply rotate the deck onto its end, square it and move it back to dealing position. You never move quickly, and there is never any strain on either hand. The pass will seem odd to you at first, but it is invisible and indetectable to an audience.

TOOLBOX

LOW LATERAL PALM IN THE course of toying with a deck of cards, card workers can and have produced many amazing techniques and concealments. What is, perhaps, more surprising is that new discoveries continue to occur regularly. In the summer of 1979, while toying with a deck, I made what seemed at the time a discovery that could revolutionize card magic. I was wrong. Someone else had made the same discovery more than twenty-five years earlier. He had published it, and card magic had not been revolutionized by it. I guess I have no future in soothsaying. Somewhere between Lateral Palm (as first described by Jim Steranko, Steranko on Card, 1960, page 18) and Clip Steal position (as defined by Ed Marlo in Revolutionary Card Technique, Chapter 4: Side Steal, 1957, page 22-although this position was first described by Arthur Buckley in Triple Climax, 1921) is a palm position described by Ellsworth Lyman (M.UM., Vol. 44, No. 1, June 1954, page 30). For reasons unknown to me, Lyman called the position Cloyes (pronounced Klow-ee) Palm. Bruce Cervon, in his book Ultra Cervon (1990, page 125), applies this position to what he loosely-and in my opinion incorrectly-defines as the "Free-Turn Principle." (Cervon's concept is not a principle but rather a broadly defined cover action.) Unfortunately, the Palm position, the "Principle" and the Free-Turn Pass (Cervon's most noted application) have become confused. This and other factors have obscured the utility and scope of the Cloyes Palm. For that reason, among others, I propose to rename the Cloyes Palm "Low Lateral Palm"-a more apt moniker-with full credit to Ellsworth Lyman, and to offer some exciting new applications for this truly under-appreciated grip. While, as I've said, I first employed this position in 1979, I began exploring it in earnest in May of 1993. Most of the material described herein was devised in

and around that time. I did not immediately commit these ideas to my notes. The techniques have been continually refined, using the mirror and video tape to he1 the analysis. In addition, I have received feedback and ideas from a few of my most trusted magic friends. Finally, I've tested the material by incorporating it into my performances. I am now, as a result, solidly persuaded of the strength of these techniques.

I do not envision Low Lateral Palm replacing Lateral Palm in all applications. Techniques like Dan Garrett's Spin Change and Lennart Green's Snap Deal do not lend themselves to the use of Low Lateral Palm. Nevertheless, for those applications to which it can be applied, it is at least marginally superior in a variety of particulars. In applications involving larger packets, add-backs to the deck (Capping) or those that have angle considerations, Low Lateral Palm has significant advantages. Large packets are better supported and more secure in Low Lateral Palm. Adding or stealing cards from a packet or the deck can be handled more naturally using Low Lateral Palm. Finally, as a general matter, because the grip holds the card(s) lower in the hand, the angle considerations are less demanding. No individual benefit of Low Lateral Palm may be sufficiently persuasive argument for its adoption. Cumulatively, the benefits are compelling.

THE POSITION To begin, one needs to understand exactly where Low Lateral Palm position is in the hand. The easiest way to convey this information is to guide you through the process of putting cards into the position. Begin with your right hand relaxed before you, palm to the left, with the fingers more or less straight. Take a group of ten cards and hold them parallel to the floor by the middle of the left edge, at your left fingertips. Now place the front right corner of the packet into the fork between the right third and fourth fingers, directly at the base. Next, curl the right fingers inward until the right second fingertip rests on the front left corner of the packet. Adjust the second fingertip until it extends far enough past the corner, around to the left, to hold the packet with no assistance from the left hand (Figure 258). Be aware that in practice the curled third and fourth fingers can support the cards from below but, for our current purpose, use only the second fingertip and the area at the base of the third and fourth fingers where they join. That's the basic Low Lateral Palm position. The hand should be in a relaxed curl. The cards are quite secure. Hold some cards in this position for a few minutes every day, while you're watching TV for example, and you'll become quite comfortable with it in no time.

In the next few pages, I'll share with you a considerable amount of information on this position. I'll begin with the technique that started my exploration of this extremely useful concealment and go on to share enough ofwhat I've learned to, hopefully, give impetus to my original prophecy. m e r e there's life there's hope. T H E DEAL-OUT SUBTRACTION SEPTEMBER12, 1979

ALPHA Most magicians who spend any significant time with cards have used some of that time thinking about variations of the celebrated Secret Addition and the more recently introduced Secret Subtraction (the J. K. Hartman technique). I'm no exception. While looking for a substitute that could be performed away from the deck, while standing, I came up with what I've dubbed the Deal-Out Subtraction. It uses a novel combination of ideas (including Low Lateral Palm) and, when the circumstances for its use prevail, it is extremely fair looking. No possibility of a switch would enter the mind of either magician or lay person (though magicians rarely believe, when watching such things as Ace assemblies, that you've laid down the Aces unless you leave them face up, in which case they will then assume you're using double-facers). I have on occasion used this as a substitute for the Secret Subtraction in conjunction with my "L.S.D Aces." (See Epilogue, No. 16, November 1972, page 147, and Stop Fooling Us,! 1989, page 35.) It has always proven most effective. 1'11 describe it as I use it in that situation, though it is clearly applicable in many others as well. Ifyou try it (getting past the idea of the "strange" palm position) you'll find it very deceptive. SET-UP: You are holding the deck in your hands, and the four Aces are on the table. There are many other ways to begin; but, for the sake of learning, this will be clearest. Either palm two cards in left-hand Gambler's Cop or get a break under two cards. If you use the Cop, put down the deck to your left and pick up the Aces as a face-up spread, adding the two face-down, copped cards to the Ace packet as you square it. If you formed a break, add the two face-down cards to the face-up Ace packet as you square them over the deck (you needn't actually place the Aces onto the deck). Lift away the Ace packet with the two extra cards and place the deck to your left, fairly close to the edge of the table. Regardless of the method you use for the Add-On, you want to end up with a packet of face-up Aces in your hands with two face-down indifferent cards below them, and the deck tabled to your left. After calling attention to the card on the face of the Ace packet, turn that card face down and put it under the packet. Do the same with each of the other Aces until you've shown all four. (This hide-out principle was described by Martin

Gardner in his 1942 booklet, Cut the Card (page 14), and was later used in the better-known Unlimited Count by Norm Osborn from the Marlo and Osborn manuscript Unlimited ( I 953). Here it merely conceals cards, as in the original Gardner application.) From the top down, the face-down packet will now consist of two indifferent cards followed by the Aces. Take the packet into a Forward Dealing Grip in the left hand. The important feature of this grip is that both front corners of the packet should extend beyond the left first finger (Figure 259). Deal the top three cards face down onto the table, left to right, in front of you. As you deal, move the left hand out alongside the spot to which you deal each card. In other words, don't take the card with your right hand and carry it to the spot. The taking of the card and the tabling of the card should occur at essentially the same location. After dealing the third card, move both hands back toward the middle and closer to you. As the hands travel, the left thumb slides the top card of its packet to the left. The card will rotate on the major crease between the thumb and first finger at the outside edge of the hand (Figure 260). As you move this card, your left hand should be cocked leftward at the wrist and your right hand kept close but in front of the left, acting as a screen for the action. A slight turn to the left may also help. When the left hand has arrived at the spot where the last card is to be dealt, to complete the T-formation, it stops. The right hand continues as though taking the card. The front right corner of the lower two cards beneath the top card hit the right hand at a point on the pad of flesh below the base of the third and fourth fingers. The right second finger curls around the front end so its tip can grip the left front corner of the packet under the pivoted top card-and you have achieved Low Lateral Palm (Figure 26 1). These grips on the packet (in this case, two cards) and the packet itself are hidden by the ~ i v o t e dcard and the right hand.

As soon as the right hand's grip on the packet is secure, it moves, in an unhurried manner, to the right, pinching the top card between the right thumb and first finger, in preparation for dealing it to the table. The left hand comes along, as though helping to carry the card to the table, pulling it to the left sufficiently to aid its clearance of the cards palmed in the right hand. The left hand also acts as a screen from the lek side (Figure 262).

&

As soon as the final card is dealt, the right hand moves unhurriedly to the left, over to the tabled deck. It descends to the deck, adding its cards to the top, then picks up the deck for use in whatever way your effect requires.

NOTE: Under most conditions, turning to the left is sufficient cover. Adding the left-hand screen merely makes the technique more usable when the angles are demanding. Further, when the technique is applied to switch out other combinations of cards, or more cards, you may need to change the open display-and-duck procedure to create the displacement needed for the cards to fall to the positions your application requires. This is fairly easily accomplished once you understand the switch sequence.

LOW LATERAL CONTROL NOVEMBER 23, 1995 I worked on this technique, off and on, for nearly two years. During that time, it went through numerous changes and a lot of tweaking. I did not, however, see fit to commit it to paper. I now feel confident enough in the absolute deceptiveness of the technique to record it. It is quickly becoming my Control of choice in a wide range of situations. It is not angle-proof but the angles are not difficult when you follow the proper choreography. I believe I've considered every salient detail in the way I'm now performing the technique. For that reason, learning it precisely as described will likely spare you considerable reinvention and abandoned effort. Please learn it as written before altering or adapting it. Before continuing further, I want to mention that the work of a number of other fine cardmen has heled my efforts. The basic Side Steal approach is modified from an unpublished technique that was popular with Mike Skinner in the early 1970's. The extraction grip is a minor adaptation of Marlo's Bold Steal position. One of the Add-Backs was suggested by my brainstorm-buddy, Carl Albright; another is built on his concept. We are all in large measure the

sum of our influences but, as far as I am aware, the remaining elements of this technique are my own.

OPENING POSITION:We'll assume a selection has been withdrawn from the deck and is about to be returned. Other circumstances can lend themselves to the use of the technique, but this is my favorite at the moment. Spread off a portion of the deck and break the spread at some point. The spread portion should be held in your right hand. The balance of the deck is in a light Dealing Grip, loosely squared in the left hand. Have the spectator return the selection to the top of the left-hand cards. Make no particular effort to square the selection with the other cards of the packet. Spread it off and raise your hand to give the assembled multitude a last look. (It is a good idea to offer this last flash anytime you're having a card returned in this way. It helps to justify not allowing the spectator to put the card back where he wants.) After this last display, the card need not be squared completely. It can be left slightly jogged (less than two white border widths) to the right. Alternately, you can square it, establishing a fourth-finger break below it. With your body oriented somewhat to the left and your feet planted, twist your body slightly to the right as your left hand carries its cards to the right-hand spread. Let the two groups of cards meet lightly. As soon as they do, push up gently with the left second and third fingertips from beneath on the right side of the selection. Push the spread closed far enough to permit the right hand to release its hold on the cards and, staying close, move to Overhand Grip. The right hand regrips the deck to achieve control of the upper group, all the cards above the selection. Push this entire group to the left as the left second and third fingers straighten while applying upward pressure to the right. This carries the selection to the right. Immediately move the pad of the right thumb to the near left corner of the selection, and the middle phalange of the right fourth finger to the far right corner. If either of these two corners is obstructed by other cards, pressure from the fourth finger or thumb-whichever has contact-will allow you to push the opposite corner clear. Once you have hold of the card in this modified Bold Steal Grip (deeper than the position Marlo describes in that the grip is with the middle rather than the outer phalange), you can move the selection to the right until it extends for half its width from the balance of the unsquared deck (Figure 263, shown from beneath).

NO'TE: Sonletimes you won't require it, but you should move the left thumb across the deck and apply light downward pressure. This will help to ensure that only the selection moves to the right. In the most extreme cases, when the cards are particularly slippery or sticky, you may have to twist the selection slightly to free it from the other cards. Finally, if the deck becomes too unsquared or the upper portion moves too far to the right, you may have to move the entire upper section to the left. You can do so by rightening the grip of the right fingers and moving the lefi thumb along the left side of the deck. This will enable you to semi-square the deck without losing control of the selection. Your right side must be turned at least slightly away from the audience when the next actions occur; otherwise the front right corner of the card will likely flash. Extend your right fourth finger, allowing the corner of the jogged selection to enter between the third and fourth fingers at the middle joint of the fourth finger. Close the fingers and squeeze firmly. You should be able to move the card forward with just this grip. It may, however, take a little work to develop the strength to do this, particularly if you have a "window" in that part of your hand. NOTE: The extent of your body turns, here to the right, later to the left, is dictated by the viewing positions of your spectators. O n either side, the right second finger should point past the eye farthest to that side. This will assure that nothing flashes.

As you move the selection forward, loosening the right hand's grip everywhere except on the corners of the selection, the left front corner will break through the front edge of the deck. As it does so, the right second fingertip applies pressure against the left side of the corner. As you press with the second fingertip, the card will slide into the fork of the third and fourth fingers (Figure 264). You'll reach a point where you'll know you have control of the selection at the two Low Lateral Palm Grip points, the base of the third and fourth fingers and the second fingertip. As soon as that occurs, start to turn your body to the left. This may sound like an arcane point, but the turn should be accomplished via a weight shift rather than twisting your body. The reason is that the right hand travels no farther than a hand's length past the body's center line, while the left hand moves out to the lefi of the body. If you simply twisted at the waist, this would look and feel awkward. The body positioning mentioned earlier was aimed at facilitating this turn. Relax as you do it.

NOTE: The preceding actions must be performed quickly but not hurriedly. This means that all overt actions must be executed at a normal, relaxed tempo, while all secret actions are performed with due deliberate haste. Perhaps more significant, no more attention should be given to what you're doing than is logically due. This is easier said than done. You must learn the extraction technique in yourjngers so your mind need not regard it. Such relative insouciance comes only with considerable repetition. The card is now out of the deck. We're almost done. The card is currently held at as many as three points: the second fingertip, the third and fourth finger clip, and, perhaps, the right thumb. You want to be able to release the thumb at this point, if you haven't already. Squeeze inward lightly with the second fingertip and move the thumb a bit to the left. This will clamp the card between the web of flesh at the base of the third and fourth fingers and the second fingertip. When this grip is secure, the thumb can release its hold. This is the riskiest moment in the procedure. If your grip is not secure, the card can fall. Experience is key. With experience you'll become confident of when you have a secure grip. The right thumb, having released the card, moves up above it. The right hand closes somewhat, into a relaxed curl. You must now remain mindful of your audience's vantage point. Aim the innermost (proximal) knuckle of the second finger at the average eye level of your audience and keep the concealed card parallel to the floor. These aids will prevent you from flashing. The next sequence is designed to take the heat off the right hand, though it shouldn't be under much scrutiny. Extend your left hand forward a foot or so and straighten all your fingers. The deck should sit, as though on a table, still in a semi-squared condition. Look at the deck. If you've done everything properly, no one should have the slightest clue that the selection is not in it. L O W LATERAL CONVERSIONS NOVEMBER 7,1995 For a wide variety of reasons, including applicability, angles, choreography and general deceptiveness, the ability to convert from one palm position to others argues for its desirability as part of one's arsenal. Motivated by this awareness, I've investigated a number of "Palm Conversions" for Low Lateral Palm. These conversions run in both directions, to and from Low Lateral Palm. I considered including !5dl details for every imaginable conversion but have decided that an overview of the subject will prove equally useful and far less cumbersome in helping to showcase the utility of the position. This is true because of the common features shared by all Low Lateral Palm conversions. CONVERSIONS-There are three positions that are closely related to Low Lateral Palm and, therefore, are most easily converted to or from: Gambler's Flat

Palm (which includes what Gene Maze has named Unit Control Grip), Tenkai Palm (for purposes of this discussion, in spite of the small technical differences, this term will include Slydini Palm, and Marlo Palm) and Bold Steal position. These positions can reasonably be considered gateways for Low Lateral Palm. All conversions will achieve one of them, or something very close, in the conversion process. It follows that any conversion that gets you to any of these positions will effectively get you to Low Lateral Palm, and any conversion from Low Lateral Palm to these positions will get you to any of the other positions. Since there are bi-directional conversions between the three gateway positions, all I need to describe is how to get to Low Lateral Palm and how to get from Low Lateral Palm to any one of the gateway positions; but I'm going to give you more. I'll describe how to get from Low Lateral Palm to each of the three positions and how to get from each of these positions to Low Lateral Palm. LOW LATERAL PALMTO GAMBLER'S FLATPALM-CU~~ the third and fourth fingers and push on the underside of the card(s). This will lift the left edge (Figure 265). Grip that edge at the inside edge of the outer phalange of the thumb (Figure 266) and rotate your hand to palm down.

LOW LATERALPALM TO %NKM/SLYDINI/MARLOPALM-CU~~the third and fourth fingers to support the card(s), then bend the first finger inward to contact the front left edge of the card(s) (Figure 267). Push with the first finger until the card(s) have slid back as far as you require (this varies with hand size). Extend your thumb to grab the left edge at the corner (Figure 268), forward portion of the edge or middle of the edge, as required for Tenkai, Slydini or

Marlo Palm respectively. It should be apparent that if you push further with your first finger and curl your third finger inward further, you can use this approach to move the card(s) to Rear Palm as well (Figure 269).

LOW LATERAL.PALMTO BOLD STEAL-This is a two-step conversion that is not likely to be needed often, but I include it for the sake of completeness and because it is on occasion useful. The first step is to get your thumb on the inner left corner. Pulling forward with your second finger will cause the inner end to rotate clockwise enough so you can place the pad of your thumb on that corner (Figure 270). The second step is to hold the card(s) with only your thumb and second finger so you can pull your third and fourth fingers away from the corner they hold. It is then a simple matter to move the fourth finger into position to hold the outer right corner as required (Figure 271). The card(s) should be held parallel to the floor throughout the process.

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271

FLAT PALM TO LOW LATERAL PALM-This is an easy conversion. GAMBLER'S Part of Gambler's Flat Palm is a third and fourth finger clip that is essentially the same as that used in Low Lateral Palm. As a result, if you release all other holds on the card(s) and simply rotate the hand thumb up, the card(s) remain in Clip Steal position (Figure 272). Curl the third and fourth fingers to support the card(s), then extend the second finger to contact the outer left corner and you're in Low Lateral Palm. That's all it takes.

DNKAI TO LOW LATERALPALM-This conversion is easier still. Again, curl the third and fourth fingers to support the card(s) (Figure 273). Next extend the second finger to contact the outer left corner. Pull in with the second finger as you clip the card(s) between the third and fourth fingers.

273

BOLD STEAL7'0LOW LATERALPAl,~-This conversion is the reverse of the process for getting into Bold Steal position from Low Lateral Palm. Hold the card(s) with only your thumb and second finger, so you can grip the card(s) between the third and fourth fingers. It is then a simple matter to curl the third and fourth fingers to support the card(s), then extend your second finger to contact the outer left corner.

TO AND FROMGAMBLER'S FLAT PALM-That completes the conversions to and from the gateway positions. It should be apparent, but Clip Steal position is part of Gambler's Flat Palm and, therefore, shares the same conversion paths. Full Palm, the most common palm position, is convertible to Gambler's Flat Palm by moving the fourth finger alongside the edge of the card(s), then curling the second and third fingers, driving the cards toward the wrist. The thumb can then take its position alongside the card(s). The reverse, moving the cards from Gambler's Flat Palm to Full Palm, requires that you move the first finger along the edge of the card(s) and rotate the left inner corner to contact the flesh at the base of the thumb. The thumb can then bend inward to hold the cards in position while the first finger straightens to wrap around the front corner of the card(s). The fourth finger can then contact the opposite front corner and you have the card in Full Palm. Many of these conversions cannot be performed with the audience looking at the hand. This is not a flaw in Low Lateral Palm but in Palm Conversion techniques generally. The hand will, therefore, need to be screened, taken out of direct sight or misdirection will have to be applied. Nevertheless, as should now be clear, Low Lateral Palm is an extremely flexible position, certainly more flexible than standard Lateral Palm. This is yet another point that favors Low Lateral Palm. ADD-BACKS Obviously, with the card out of the deck you are free to do with it as your need dictates. Often, you'll want it back on top of the deck. Occasionally, you'll want it on the bottom or elsewhere. The following approaches will give you those options. The previously explained Palm Conversion techniques will allow you to load the card anywhere one might chose. STANDARDADD-BACK Unlike most Side Steals, the Low Lateral Palm Control leaves the deck in relatively unsquared condition. This provides a legitimate reason for the hands to meet again at the deck, to square the cards. (I thank Steve Draun for making me sensitive to this issue. See Secrets DraunJFom Underground, 1993, page 11.) To add the stolen card back to the top of the deck (or most anywhere else) you'll

need to be able to open your hand almost fully with the card(s) in Low Lateral Palm. You may feel a bit shaky doing this at first but it can be done with complete control. Move the left hand to the right and inward, toward your body. Stop when the left hand is about a hand's length in front of the right hand and a hand's width to the left (Figure 274). Open and extend your right hand in a gesture as you

move it to the deck (Figure 275). Almost ignore the presence of the palmed card(s). With your right hand, grasp the deck and begin to square it. Your knowledge that you want to add the card will drive you to open the third and fourth fingers, releasing the card(s). The legitimate squaring will take care of the rest. If you're adding the cards to a tabled deck, one-handed, curling your first finger will facilitate the transfer.

My friend Carl Albright first suggested the idea of releasing all but the third and fourth finger clip on the card(s) and allowing it (them) to fall onto the deck. As he demonstrated it, he covered it with a pointing gesture. I have refined his idea slightly, to better incorporate the gesture, but this is, essentially, his technique. As mentioned earlier, you'll find that when you have a card in Low Lateral Palm you can still open your hand almost Mly. The last bit is constrained by the need to keep hold on the corner with the second fingertip. What you might also learn, by accident, is that releasing the second finger grip does not automatically cause the card(s) to fall. You will still be able to grip it (them) perpendicular to the hand, between the third and fourth fingers, in Clip Steal position (see Figure 272 on page 366). This grip is the key to this "No Contact" Add-Back. With this technique, the majority of the action occurs with the left hand. Turn your body slightly to the left, farther than you did when you stole the card. An

imaginary line extending longitudinally straight through your forearm should point past the leftmost eye viewing you. The right hand remains in a relaxed curl, roughly on a level with the bottom of your solar plexus. Make a statement somewhat akin to "A card has been taken and returned to this deck." As you say this, close your left fingers loosely around the deck and gesture, moving it up, then down. Simultaneously move your left thumb across the top of the deck. As your left arm relaxes after the gesture, allow your left hand to drift back closer to your body until it is slightly lower than the right hand. Your eyes should not look at your hands, so you must learn to judge the position through body awareness. You should be looking at the audience. Continue speaking: "You chose the card; you returned it." Simultaneous with the first You, your right hand moves to the fully opened position described in the previous paragraph, with the fingers held relaxed but fairly straight. As soon as the hand is open, move it toward the deck. The right hand's card will contact the top of the deck and ultimately your left thumb, which is extended across the top. With practice you'll be able to slip the card under your thumb and, without hesitation, move your right hand in an open-handed pointing gesture toward the spectator who selected it. At that instant you should be saying the word You for the second time. This can be done silently, without the card making noise as it is released. All this may sound difficult, but such acquitments are common to our art. They can be mastered. Once this one is, the card will be added without the slightest suspicion. Let me also point out that while I've given you the line I use, many others could be developed to cover the required choreography. BOTTOM ADD-BACKS

Carl's technique for the No Contact Add-Back led to the following pair of techniques for adding cards from Low Lateral Palm to the bottom of the deck. While turning to the left, move your left hand to the right and in toward your body. Stop when the left hand is about six inches in front and four inches left of the right hand. Open and extend your right hand, releasing all holds except the clip. Move the hands together, the left fingers straightening, to allow the clipped card to pass above them but below the deck (Figure 276). Irnmediately grasp the deck in Overhand Grip. The added card(s) will be on the bottom of the deck but jogged to the right for about half their width.

I

You will now engage in one of two actions, depending on whether you

need to learn the identity of the card (assuming you only added one). If you already know the card or don't care, move the deck to your left fingertips and finish squaring it. You'll find it easy to bring the jogged card into register with the balance of the deck. When you need to glimpse the card you've just added, release your left hand's hold and tighten your right hand's grip enough to retain the card at the bottom. Turn both hands, the left hand turning palm down, or nearly so, the right hand turning palm leftward. (This action is similar to that of Steve Draun's Midnight Shift. [See Richard; Almanac, 1984 Winter Extra, page 157, under the title "The Graveyard Shift"; and Secrets Draunfiom Underground, 1993, page 37.1) At one point along the way, two positions will coincide: You'll be able to transfer the deck from your right hand to your left, and you'll be able to see the face of the jogged card. When these conditions are both present, take the deck with your left hand, pulling the jogged card square (Figure 277), and rotate that hand palm up. Handled casually, it will appear to be an innocent, if unusual, and slightly fancy part of the squaring of the deck-via an end-forend turn. This is a perfectly acceptable conclusion for an audience to reach.

/

LOW LATERAL STEALS The techniques and applications we've been looking at thus far have used the Low Lateral Palm position in a form of Deal Switch and a form of Side Steal. It can be much more. Unlike most concealment positions, which severely restrict the use of the hand, Low Lateral Palm leaves all the fingers and, most importantly, the thumb, free to be used in other ways. As flexible as it is, one must initially move the card(s) into Low Lateral Palm before anything else can be done. The techniques for doing so, particularly off the top of the deck, are a bit odd but, as you'll see, quite workable.

TOPSTEAL-It would be easy to jog the block of cards to the right and wedge them into Low Lateral Palm position. The problem with this direct approach, in most instances, is that it would either be visible from the left, or the opening of the third and fourth fingers would flash from the right. Neither is acceptable. Fortunately, these two periods of vulnerability occur at different moments during the process of the Steal. This allows us to develop a cover using a screen and a turn. You must acquire a left fourth-finger break below the cards to be stolen; let's say the top four. The deck is in Dealing Grip with the left thumb resting on

the front left corner of the top card, and the right hand takes the deck into Overhand Grip. If you straighten your left fourth finger, the three cards below the top card should move out as a block, to the right. Once they have moved right far enoughabout a quarter of the width of a card-you turn to your right. You can, however, have made the turn before you started moving the cards to the right. In any case, with your right side beyond the audience's line of sight, open your right fourth finger, as you did when performing the Low Lateral Control, so the corner of the jogged cards can enter between the third and fourth fingers at the middle joint of the fourth finger (Figure 278). Close the fingers and squeeze firmly. Now turn back to the left to cover the weak angle for the next action, and use your left thumb to push the top card to the right. It will slide along the top of the cards that are already clipped by the right third and fourth fingers and become clipped without the need for the fingers 279 to reODen. Move the left hand inward slightly while the right hand stays in place. This will cause the front edge of the block to extend over the front of the deck. As the right hand moves forward and to the right, releasing the deck, the right second finger can curl and grasp the front left corner of the packet (Figure 279). The block of cards will be I in a secure Low Lateral Palm. NOTE: The extent of the body turns, both right and left, is dictated by the viewing positions of your audience members. O n either side, the right second finger should point past the eye farthest to that side. This will assure that nothing will flash on either side.

BOTTOM S ~ ~ ~ ~ - S t e d cards i n g into Low Lateral Palm from the bottom is far easier than from the top because the left-side view is screened by the deck itself. With your left side toward the audience and the deck held in left-hand Dealing Grip, obtain a fourth-finger break above the cards you wish to palm. Curl the left first finger under the deck, getting it out of the way. As you now turn rightward to protect that side, bring your right hand to the deck and take it into

Overhand Grip. Pivot the cards below 280 the break as though the inner left corner were pinned to the deck. The front right corner and about a quarter of the block of cards will protrude from under the deck on the right side. Grip this protruding corner between the right third and fourth fingers as you have in the Lateral Control and Top Steal (Figure 280). You will notice that the fiont left corner of the block slightly protrudes past the front edge of the deck. Turn toward the left until the right second fingertip points past the leftmost eye viewing you. Release your right hand's grip on the deck, at the same time curling the right second finger to secure the block of cards in Low Lateral Palm. You're done. MIDDLES ~ ~ ~ ~ - S t e a l icards n g into Low Lateral Palm from the middle of the deck, even cards from different places, is also fairly easy. There are many ways to get into the position where one or more cards in one or more positions in the deck are jogged at the near end or the right side. It is not my intention to discuss jog controls here. We will assume that you have reached this in-jogged or right-jogged position. Further, once you are in either of these positions, it is a simple matter to grip the inner left and outer right corners between your right thumb and the tip of your right fourth finger. This is the same grip used for Marlo's Bold Steal. Move the cards to the right for about a third of their width. Your right side must be turned at least slightly away from the audience. Open you right fourth finger, allowing the right front corners of the cards to enter between the third and fourth fingers at the middle joint of the fourth finger. If you are stealing widely separated cards (as in a Multiple Shift), you may have to open these fingers wider than you normally do. Close the fingers and squeeze firmly. You should be able to move the cards with just the pressure of this grip. Swivel the outer ends of the clipped cards to the right slightly as you turn your body to the left by shifting your weight, as we've discussed. Relax as you make the turn and allow your right hand to move forward as your right thumb pushes on the inner right corner, causing the front left corner to break through the front edge of the deck. Squeeze inward with the second fingertip and move the right thumb slightly to the left. This will clamp the cards between the web of flesh at the base of the third and fourth fingers and the second fingertip. When this grip is secure, the right thumb can move away from the cards. Move your left hand forward and to the left, away from the right hand, which retains the stolen cards in Low Lateral Palm. The pressure shifts and regrips are a bit trickier in this steal than in any of the previous ones because the cards are

being extracted from the deck. Friction creates resistance to the extraction. With practice you will learn to deal successfully with all but the stickiest of decks. It is a good idea to practice this, and most other techniques, with decks: in all possible conditions.

LOW LATERAL SWTCHES NOVEMBER 18, 1995 What follows are two approaches to switches at the top of the deck, both utilizing the Low Lateral Palm. Each also describes a manner of handling cards while secretly holding other cards concealed. The first takes a fairly standard approach, the second is rather novel and could be done without the Low Lateral Palm but is much easier with it. Each offers a unique combination of benefits for certain situations. LOWLATERAL ADDITION-As this Addition begins, we will assume that you've already stolen the number of cards you wish to switch in into Low Lateral Palm. We will also assume that the cards you wish to switch out are face down on top of the deck. We will show these cards-let's say there are four of them-to the audience and switch them under the cover of actions that appear very fair. Spread over the top four cards of the deck and take them between the edge of your curled right first finger and the pad of the thumb, maintaining their spread condition (Figure 281). The important thing to keep in mind as you do this is that the cards in Low Lateral Palm must be kept parallel with the floor.

Tilt the right side of the deck down and push the left side of the spread closed against the right edge of the top card of the deck (Figure 282). Again, the Low Lateral Palmed cards must be kept parallel with the floor. Push with the right first finger, flipping the cards face up onto

the deck (Figure 283). Repeat the 'I 283 process to turn the top four faceup cards face down again. When you've finished, the top cards of the deck will be a bit unsquared. Square them briefly, releasing the Low Lateral Palmed cards onto the deck. Immediately spread over the top four cards and take them, as you have before, with the edge of the right first finger below and the thumb above, maintaining the spread condition. The cards you were holding out are switched in and, as the saying goes, "no one's the wiser." LOW LATERALSUBSTITUTION-The unique feature of this technique is that

it switches face-up cards for face-down cards, yet the deck starts and ends with no reversed cards. It is also an unusual switch construct with far-reaching implications beyond the scope of this discussion. We will assume you want to switch three of the four Aces for the top three indifferent cards of the deck. To keep it simple, you are already holding a break below these three cards. The four Aces are in a face-up fan or spread in your right hand. Add the Aces to the top of the deck, pushing them closed but not square. Release your right hand's grasp on the closed spread and shift to Overhand Grip. Square the top seven cards and put your left thumb on the face of the top card (a face-up Ace). Immediately straighten your left fourth finger. The lower six cards, above the break, should move to the right as a block. This is somewhat like the start of a Burgess Top-Card Cover Pass (formerly attributed to Stanyon; see The Looking Ghs, Summer 1996, page 128) combined with Marlo's Future Reverse (from his 1945 booklet of the same name). Steal the six-card block into Low Lateral Palm. The action is very much like the Top Steal technique already described (page 370)) except that you don't push the top card over to join the clipped block. While you're completing the steal of the six-card block, as your hands are moving apart, you may want to secure a break below the top card of the deck. It isn't essential, just helpful. What will happen next is effectively a Half Pass of the cards you've just stolen, albeit an unusual one, under the cover of the top card. Your right hand returns to Overhand Grip, which necessitates your left second finger releasing its pressure on the packet, leaving the cards clipped between the third and fourth fingers. At the same time, the left first finger moves over the outer end of the deck, near the right front corner. The right third and fourth fingers, which lie in front of it, screen its position and the action. The tip of the first finger enters

under the front end of the top card of the deck and supports the front edge of this card as the left hand slightly lowers the right side of the deck. Your right thumb and second finger also hold the top card lightly by its ends, helping to keep it stationary, while your left thumb stops the card from slipping to the left. Here comes the unusual action: The left second, third and fourth fingers open and the left edge of the cards in Low Lateral Palm pass slightly below the right edge of the face-down deck. The right side of the deck is now lowered further, though you don't want to drop it any more than necessary. It should drop just far enough so that when the left fingers curl inward, as they will in a moment (turning the stolen block of cards over, side for side), the upper edge of the block will pass under the top card, which is kept horizontal. You are performing a Half Pass of just the small packet of cards, using the lower edge of the deck as the initial pivot point. Then, while the deck remains in place, the packet continues to rotate, pivoting on the right edge of the deck and finally on the right edge of the top of the deck, albeit under the screening top card. Figure 284 shows in three stages the packet on its reversal path. Depending on the length of your fingers, you may find it helpful, or even necessary, to angle the right side of the deck downward heavily. Within limits, this is not a problem; but it necessitates tilting the front end of the deck downward to screen the action at the front. Set up a video camera at eye level, at the distance you would typically stand from your audiences, and point the camera at your hands. The resulting image will tell you all you need to know about the angle considerations. It will take a bit of practice to learn to do all this quickly, smoothly and noiselessly, but it can be learned. Perhaps the hardest part is keeping the top card

from bending, which would give the game away. Using the lefi first finger as support aids in avoiding such undesirable bowing. You complete the switch by squaring the entire deck and raising your hands as you spread off the top four cards. There will be one Ace and three indifferent cards. This concept, using a Half Pass at the top of the deck to accomplish a partial packet switch, is, I believe, original with me, though Aaron Fisher uses a similar idea (see The I'aper Engine, 2002,page 66).1 think it worthy of further investigation; alas, another day.

THE CHRIST-mNEMmN ALIGNMENT DISPMCEMENT SEQUENCE (A WJ TECHNICAL VARIATION) JANUARY 14, 1990 IN TED ANNEMANN'SAlignment Move (see "Synthetic Sympathy" in The Jinx, No. 2, November 1934, page 7) the top card of a three-card packet is pulled partially back so the second card can be pushed forward while simultaneously realigning the top card with the bottom one. The out-jogged card is then either drawn from the packet for display or relocation; or the aligned cards are turned end over end as a single card onto the out-jogged second card to display the face of the bottom card as though it were the top one. It was, I believe, Henry Christ's idea (although I've failed to date or find the reference to support this) to invert the Annemann procedure by pushing the top card forward so the second card can be drawn inward while the top card is pulled flush again with the packet. When this handling is applied to open displacements, as in routines such as Sam Schwartis "Back Flip" (Epilogue, No. 19, November 1973, page 175) and Derek Dingle's "We'll Twist-IfYou Insist" (The Complete Works of Derek Dingle, 1982, page 55), it has always been a bit problematic, requiring more justification than it is given. More often than not it's given no justification at all. The sequence defies logic when used in the usual way, so none is typically offered. What has made the sequence useable, in spite of its total lack of justification, is that it appears innocent or, at least, doesn't seem to accomplish anything nefarious. It is, as typically used, an unjustified open

rearrangement of the cards. If this sort of procedure were to be used in most other types of effects, it would be roundly criticized. In the context of the types of packet effects in which it is generally applied, so much happens that can't possibly be explained by this odd procedure that it "gets by." That's not good enough for me. What I'm about to describe is an effort to provide an alternative procedure and an alternative rationale. It isn't a perfect solution but it gives a rather different look to the procedure and provides some, however tenuous, justification. Give it a try. I think you'll agree that this technique is a step in the right direction. The situation is as follows: Let's say we have a seven-card packet, in which the second card from the top is face up and out-jogged. This is the card we wish to align and displace, and we'll displace it, in this example to a position third from the bottom of the packet while appearing to cut it to the bottom. Pull down with your left fourth finger on the two lowermost cards in the usual way. Your right hand moves over the packet and the right second finger lightly kicks the out-jogged card to the left and into a canted position, creating space for the second finger to contact the packet at the extreme right front edge while the right thumb contacts the right near corner (Figure 285).

285

Carry the two cards below the fourth-finger break forward and into alignment with the out-jogged card. While the right hand holds the upper four cards-the top one and the three below the out-jogged card-the left hand pulls the outjogged card onto the two cards in the left hand (Figure 286), drawing the card out of the right hand's packet. You'll need a patter line at this point. To some degree this is specific to the effect one is performing. I suggest something like "Remember, the King of Hearts [hereyou name the card being strippedfiom the packet] remains in the packet," or "We cut the King of Hearts into the packet." Conclude by putting the right-hand cards on top of the left-hand cards. That completes the Alignment-Displacement. You may note that this procedure is similar to the well-known Strip-Out Addition of Dai Vernon's. This has not escaped me.

In some cases, rather than have the audience conclude that you've cut the card to the bottom or some known point in the middle of the packet, or when you need to position the card and rearrange the order of the cards above it, as you might in some effects, you'll want to convey that you are losing the card within the packet. In that case, you'll need to follow the first displacement with a second. This presents no problem; simply obtain a break under the upper two cards as you deposit them on top of the lefthand group. Without adjusting your Overhand Grip, openly draw the second card by its ends from under the top card (Figure 287), then deposit it on top. This procedure is somewhat like an Overhand Shuffle with the packet remaining parallel with the table rather than being turned on edge. It also resembles a Running Cut. You are probably well advised to cover this sequence with a line like "We can even mix them up a little." This will not serve as justification in every instance, but it will work in many. I'll leave it to you to come up with the appropriate rationale for the situation.

FOUR-AS-FOUR (HIDINGTWO,FAF-TWO) COUNTS 7,1995 NOVEMBER

FOUR-AS-FOUR COUNTS that hide two cards while showing two, in the handling style of the Elmsley Count, have been offered before. With few exceptions, such counts have found limited proponents. My good friend Noel Coughlin suggests that the lack of popularity is related to the lack of applications. It is certainly true that there is a dearth of material that takes specific advantage of such counts. I am reluctant, however, to accept that the fraternity is that shortsighted. I contend the primary problem with previous counts of this sort has been their technical difficulty. Secondarily, psychological factors, which I'll later address, come into play.

I have chosen to class all Four-as-Four counts that hide two cards as Faf-Two (Rhymes with laugh-two) Counts. Within this class are three categories of approach: Swap, Mask and Combined techniques. The Harnman Two-forFour Count, described in The Pallbearers Review, Seventh Folio (Summer 1972, page 539) is a pure swap approach. It would be referred to as a Faf-Two S Count. The technique used in Daryl Martinez' marketed routine, "Chameleon Cards," is also a pure swap approach. The technique alluded to in my Carry Count description (Pasteboard Perpensions, page 4) is a pure masking technique. This would be referred to as a Faf-Two M Count. The treatment offered herein-the best to date, in my opinion-is a combined approach. It begins with a swap and concludes with a masking technique. It is a Faf-Two C Count. All these terms may be unclear at this point. They will gain clarity as the discussion continues.

Swap-type counts all involve swapping one card for three and three cards for one. This is done twice to simulate counting four cards. When one takes one card on the first count and swaps that one for the three-card packet on the second count, you then swap three for one on the count of three and conclude by placing the three cards, as one, onto the single left-hand card on the count of four. This makes the distribution of cards on counts three and four markedly disparate from what they should be. This disparity happens at a particularly problematic point because it is harder to maintain alignment at this stage of the count. (This is part of the psychological factor I mentioned.) Conversely, taking three on the first count, swapping for one on the second, back to three on the third and, finally, one on the count of four, is better. It presents two problems however: First, the initial condition of the packet to be counted must be that the cards you wish to hide are sandwiched between the cards you actually count (unless you use the OPEC approach, which is illogical). Moreover, this is not the position one would typically be in, following a Half Pass for example. This necessitates additional packet handling. Further, this position does not recycle in the count. The second problem is that on the count of one, three cards must be taken into the taking hand. This is brazen and somewhat intimidating for some performers. (The psychological factor again.) In sum, the swap approach is quite problematic, though certainly not unworkable. Mask-style counts are easier to perform and don't require a beginning sandwiched condition. They do, however, suffer somewhat from the intimidation factor referred to in the three-one-three-one swap approach. I confess I don't find the problem as daunting in a mask-style count. It is, nevertheless, a factor. Still, for some purposes, a pure mask type count is quite viable. The count about to be described is the happiest balance of the factors we've discussed in the swap- and mask-style counts. There is, however, one new skill that must be acquired to make the count smooth: the "Splay Grip." As it is a useful ability for any number of other purposes as well, it will be well worth the effort required to learn it.

THE FAF-TWO C COUNT OPENING POSITION:For practice purposes use two red-backed and two bluebacked cards or two face-up and two face-down cards. The packet should begin in Red-Red-Blue-Blue order. The cards that are to be counted start in right-hand Flexible-Count Grip, the right side of the packet pinched between the thumb above and the first two fingers below, while the right fourth fingertip rests against the right inner corner of the packet. This provides an alignment-stop for the cards taken back into the right hand. The cards will be

counted into left-hand Dealing Grip (see page 54, which addresses this issue at greater length). O n the count of one, use the left thumb to drag the top card of the packet into left-hand Dealing Grip. O n the count of two, take the three cards from the right hand onto the one in the left, aligning them as well as you can. As the hands separate, use the right fingertips to drag the bottom card from under the left-hand cards. This action is much like performing a Jordan Count. The new skill required in the count occurs next. As soon as the hands separate, after the count of two, the left hand must perform a two-card Pull-Down on its three-card packet. This becomes fairly easy due to the finesse I'm about to describe, but the finesse is a knack that is difficult to explain. Once you get it, it's easy. Until you do, it will seem nearly impossible. Keep working on it and your hand will learn the feel. SPLAY GRIP With the packet in left-hand Mechanic's Grip (first finger on the front edge), exert inward and downward pressure with your left first finger on the right front edge (not the corner) of the packet. At the same time, squeeze rightward with the base of the left thumb. Simultaneously and most critically with the pad of the left thumb, press downward and diagonally forward to the left on the top of the front left of the packet. In effect, you're sliding the top card against the rearward pressure of the first finger at the front, and the right inward pressure of the base of the thumb at the side, and the left diagonally forward pressure of the pad of the thumb. This causes the card to buckle upward at the inner right corner. The packet will take on a light reverse S-configuration when viewed from the corner. If you've done everything correctly and exerted enough pressure, the three cards will separate from each other. (The pressure dynamic here is that used by Harvey Rosenthal in his Pop-Up Move in Karl Fulves' Packet Switches [Part Three], 1977, page 184.) The top card will bow upward slightly. The bottom card will bow downward and the middle card will remain essentially straight, bowing slightly downward. You should clearly see the edges of each of the three cards, with about a quarter of an inch between them (Figure 288). Once you can get the packet to splay in this 288 way pulling down the bottom two cards is easy. I should point out that this splay effect occurs in packets comprised of more than three cards. This gives the Splay Grip broad applications in establishing breaks with \/ '1 small, multi-card packets.

O n the count of three, place the right hand's card onto the left's cards and steal back the single card above the break from the left-hand cards. This action is also like a Jordan Count, but is done above two cards. When the hands separate there will be three cards in the left hand and one in the right. The count of four is easy. Relax all breaks and fairly take the last of the right hand's cards onto the left hand's. NOTE: The only point where the numeric distribution of cards is other than what you purport it to be is on the count of two. The distribution is correct on counts one, three and four. It is off by only one in each packet on the count of two. This is the time when a discrepant distribution is least detectable and is one of the strengths of this approach. APPLICATION NOTES: One example of a situation in which this count would be useful is a Four-Card Brainwave effect. If you're performing such an effect with a magical presentation, you might want to show all four cards face down before the spectator names a suit. (See my "Four-Card Heisenberg" in O m , V o 2, No. 1, October 1998, page 10.) Since the packet consists of two face-up and two face-down cards, the Faf-Two C Count could be ideal. The Faf-Two C Count can also serve as a form of face-up Gemini Move or Virgo Move. This is essentially the purpose to which Daryl applies the FafTwo S Count in his "Chameleon Cards."

A FafTwo C Count is also a substitute for a Hamman or Veeser Count in a four-card packet. It replaces an Elmsley or Jordan Count where no displacement is acceptable. No doubt other applications are possible. I leave them to the reader's ingenuity.

WEST-TOWNSEND-JAMES (WT'J)COUNT 7, MARCH

1990

THEW J COUNTis an incremental evolutionary step in the development of a convincing Elmsley-style Gemini Move. It may not be the final step but it is, in my opinion, the best offered to the fraternity to date, and it's easy. The basic idea for the move derives from a Larry West technique called the Mirage Count, which is essentially a handling variation of the Olram Subtlety; but the WTJ Count hides two cards while showing two cards twice during an Elmsley-style Count. In that respect, the Mirage Count and the WTJ Count are functionally, though not procedurally, like the Gemini Move, the Rhythm Count and its progeny. NOTE: You will have noticed that I refer to Bro. John Hamman's sleight as the "Gemini Move" rather than the comn~onlyaccepted "Gemini Count." I feel this change of terms is necessary, as the Hamman sequence is a display based on a means of creating a Center Double Lift in a small packet. It is an illogical sequence, and is typically performed without rationale. Because of this, it is not usually and should not be presented as a count, as doing so merely highlights the illogic. It would be equally illogical to refer to the Diminishing Lift Switch sequence-a slightly more logical but functionally similar concept-as a count. Thus, to properly reflect the nature of the technique and the best-advised application of it, I submit that the Gemini Move is the preferable nomenclature. Some time before its appearance in the pages ofApocalypse (Vol. 12, No. 1, January 1989, page 1590), Jonathan Townsend showed me a Count he had devised.

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His Count hides two card surfaces, but only one card, while apparently showing the faces and backs of the four counted cards. His procedure combines an Elmsley Count-actually, what is sometimes known as a "Broken Elmslef-with a strategically placed open turnover. The WTJ Count accomplishes the same end as the Mirage Count and Gemini Move, using a procedure similar in appearance to the Townsend Count. The combination is mine. It has the advantage of appearing more logical than the Mirage Count, while what it accomplishes is a more productive and difficult-to-achieve result than the Townsend Count: hiding two cards. You will apparently show the faces and backs of four cards. Begin with a faceup four-card packet. The two cards at the face of the packet are the only two faces that will be seen. We will assume they are two red Queens. We will further assume the other two cards are black Eights. Beginning with the four cards face up in left-hand Dealing Grip (see the Notes at the end for another option), the red Queens should be uppermost. The right hand approaches the left-hand cards, palm down. The left thumb moves the top card (a red Queen) to the left just enough to allow the right fingers to grasp the three cards below this Queen in Flexible Count Grip (Figure 289).

When the right hand has grasped the three cards, it moves back to the right, turning palm up in the process and leaving behind one face-up red Queen in the left hand (Figure 290).

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As the hands are separating and the right hand is turning palm up, the left hand flips the card it holds face down into Dealing Grip. (It is not absolutely essential that the card be taken into Dealing Grip but it does make the sequence that follows more reliable.) The cards are now in the same position they would be after taking the first card in a face-down Elmsley Count: one face-down card in the left hand and three cards, also face down, in the right hand (Figure 291). That's exactly where you need to be.

Briefly rotate the right hand palm down, giving your viewers a flash of the red Queen on the face of the packet. Immediately turn the right hand palm up again as you move the hands together and perform the switch action used in an Elmsley Count. In other words, your right thumb pushes over a two-card block from the right-hand packet and your right fingertips steal back the card from the left hand, taking it under the remaining right-hand card. You will complete this sequence with two cards in each hand. The audience should believe they have seen the two cards in the left hand but not the two in the right. This is not true but is accepted for the same reasons operative in the Olram Subtlety and Flushtration Counts. In some applications, such as a vanish in an assembly, the two left-hand cards might now be carried to the table, but you can simply continue to hold these cards in Dealing Grip. Thus, the count can be used when no table is available, unlike most variants of the Gemini Move (including my Virgo Move in Pasteboard Perpensions, page 20). The right hand still holds two face-down cards in right-hand Flexible Count Grip. Extend your right second finger past your thumb but above the cards (Figure 292). Clip the two cards between your right first and second fingers while YOU raise your thumb and move your third and fourth fingers aside to allow the two cards to rotate inward, end over end, face up

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between the first two fingers (Figure 293). The first finger ends up above the cards. Use your thumb to press the two cards against the right second finger (Figure 294) as you move the first finger below the cards and beside the second finger. This puts the cards back into right-hand Flexible Count Grip, but they are now face up. Count the two face-up cards fairly into the left hand, reversing their order if desired. If you're doing the entire count in the hands, simply lever them face down, bookwise, onto the cards already in Dealing Grip. Alternately, flip them face down and carry them to join those on the table.

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NOTES: If you time the rotation of the first Queen as you turn it face down in your left hand so that the turn is completed as the right-hand packet moves over the back of the Queen, that back can remain completely hidden. The timing here is similar to that used when doing any Wrist-Turn Concealment. If your right hand holds the front end of its packet tipped lip at a slight angle, comparable to that used when necktieing a deck, the timing is even less critical. After the exchange has been made, during this second take, you'll need to maintain the alignment of each hand's pair of cards to within a white-border width. If, after you spread and display the faces of the two Queens in your right hand, you let the Queens slide square again as you flip them face down together onto the left-hand pair, you will have concealed two backs-one belonging to a red Queen, the other to a black Eight-as well as two faces. In other words, the backs of both undercards remain unseen throughout the Count. It is rather amazing that in the process of apparently showing the faces and backs of four cards, two faces and two backs are not seen. Those who have read my previous writings on counts (see Pasteboard Perpensions, page 1) will be aware that I believe it can be quite confusing to an audience if a count that starts in the left hand also ends in the left hand. The construction of this Count somewhat mitigates this issue, but use of this count in a routine involving other Elmsley-style counts would argue for consistency in pattern. With that in mind, I suggest that you can begin this Count with the packet face down in right-hand Flexible Count Grip. To do so, rotate the right hand palm down as it approaches the left hand for the first time. The left thumb then moves the red Queen on the face to

the left, drawing it into left-hand Dealing Grip. The right hand moves back to the right, taking the remaining three cards and turning palm up in the process. You then continue as has been previously described.

I have not included specific effects that employ this Count but I can foresee application in treatments of "Flight-of-the-Blues" handlings. (I use this term, rather than Searles' "Ultimate Aces," because I find it more communicative, not for its historical accuracy.) Such applications would not be possible with the traditional Gemini Move or my own Virgo Move. It might also be applied to routines such as Jim Swain's "Capitulating Queens" (Don't Blink: The Magic ofJames Swain,1992, page 49),Walton's "Cascade" (a marketed manuscript, nd.), etc. The purpose of this description is to provide a tool to be applied as your creativity permits. After all, I don't want to "bogart" the good stuff. (If you don't understand the last comment, ask someone who was around in the Sixties.)

MY NOTES on this technique are not conclusive, but they suggest that I first became aware of this unique Bob Farmer equivalent to the Half Pass in April of 1997. Bob began circulating the sleight via private manuscript in mid-August 1995. At the time, I expected that Bob would publish the technique within a reasonable period. I'd then be able to apply it, with proper credit, in those effects to which it lends itself. Under that assumption, I began adding remarks within my notes that referenced Bob's technique. Here we are in 2003 and Bob has still not published the sleight, though he has clearly established it with a number of individuals. Bob has graciously given his permission to include the technique in these pages. This is, to the best of my knowledge, the first time Bob's Turnantula has been released to a wide audience. I am grateful to Bob for his generosity in allowing me to share this with you. You will find it easy to learn and execute, though you may have to resist an entrenched habit to make it fully deceptive. More important, you are likely to find yourself using the technique often and wishing it could be applied to more small-packet Half Pass situations. For purposes of description, we will assume you have a packet of seven cards, the lower five of which are face up. In the apparent act of turning the packet from face down to face up, we will adjust this situation so that all the cards face the same way. The technique does not work as an all-purpose Half Pass but as a clean-up technique for secretly reversed cards, or when a presentational reason can be found for openly turning the deck or packet over. In other words, Turnantula might be called a Turnover Half Pass. It is natural in appearance and very deceptive. I'm not aware of much directly related history for this approach to the Half Pass. The Half Passes by Jim Patton and Bruce Cervon, described

in Ultra Cervon (1990; see Chapter Nine, page 147) have a distant family resemblance. Also, Gordon Bean has pointed out that Paul Curry, in his effect "Face to Face" (Something Borrowed, Something New, 1941, n.p.) described a sleight related in concept, though not in action. It is the mechanics of Bob's technique and their integration with the turnover action that are innovative, not the action itself. Begin with a fourth-finger break held above the five reversed cards and position your left thumb along the left side of the packet. Bring your hands together and, with your right hand, grasp the packet from above, your thumb near the near right - corner, your second finger close to the far left corner and your first finger curled on top. Immediately slide the packet forward in your left hand until the near left corner of the packet contacts the deepest point in the fork of your thumb (Figure 295). This is the same position you would assume in preparation for an Erdnase Bottom Palm (Expert a t the Card Table, First Method, page 86). With your left third and fourth fingers, pull on the cards below the break at the near end and twist your left hand clockwise at the wrist, causing the lower cards to swivel below the upper ones (Figure 296). Important: Do not change the plane of the cards as they move. This is counter-intuitive at first, since you are thinking of a Half Pass, but the plane of these lower cards does not change until much later in the action. (Bob tells me a lay person can learn this sleight perfectly within five minutes, but magicians take longer because they feel they need to apply the familiar actions of a Half-Pass or Pass. Don't do this.) When you have rotated the lower cards as far as you can without your left thumb breaking contact with the left side of the packet, immediately press down with your right fingers on the front edge of the upper packet. This causes those cards to start to rotate end over end, around (Figure 297)

and then under the pivoted lower packet (Figure 298). From a spectator's perspective, this should appear as though you are turning over the entire packet. When the upper packet is at roughly a forty-five-degree angle to the lower packet-which still has not changed its plane-your right thumb releases its hold on the near edge and moves down toward the face of the lower packet (Figure 299). Only at this point does that packet change its plane, under cover of the upper packet, rotating onto its edge, as you pull inward with your right fingers, driving the upper cards far enough - to the left to assure that the lower cards are obscured from your spectators' view as the packet continues to rotate forward in front of the lower packet (Figure 300). You are about to perform the most delicate part of the technique, realigning the two packets. I find that the side of my left third finger and the flesh at the base of my right thumb provide sufficient alignment guides to allow the process to be completed. Depending on the size of your hands, you may find another finger better positioned to assist in pressing the packet against the fleshy base of your right thumb. When the packet is realigned, your right thumb presses on its face (Figure 301). Your right hand finishes turning the packet face up by turning palm up (Figure 302). Turnantula is not merely a Half Pass; it contains elements of both a Half Pass and a Pass. Rather than reversing

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the bottom portion of the packet, the top portion is rotated around it in the action of apparently turning the packet over. When done correctly, the illusion is perfect from every angle but your own. Bob observes that the actions create a very potent optical illusion. The technique will seem a bit busy when you first begin to practice it, but with work it becomes a synchronized series of actions that appear to be no more than turning over the packet. If the packet remains a bit messy as a result of the turnover, it is not a problem so long as the cards are aligned within the width of a white border. You may feel guilty about it, but it would occur, to some degree, if you rotated the packet legitimately.

THE EGRESS VANISH JUNE 4 , 1 9 9 0

IS TECHNIQUE was developed for my "Kannibal Kings" routine (see Stop Fooling Us!, page 11). It is based on an item titled "Cul-de-Sac," which appears in Ken Krenzel: Close-Up Impact! (1990, page 154).The broad method is Ken's, the technique and application are mine. As a historical note, my treatment is more familially related to the Depth Illusion, popularly known as Tilt, than is Ken's. Nevertheless, my treatment would not exist without Ken's idea as inspiration. It is worth mention that in neither of Ken's methods is the card that vanishes actually between the cards from which it vanishes at the time of the vanish; it only appears to be. This guides the direction in which the performer concludes the sequence. (Ken causes the card to reappear, while in my sequence the vanish is seemingly permanent.) The condition employed in Ken's technique precludes showing the bottom of the enveloping cards immediately before the vanish while mine solidly supports it. In this respect, my technique expands the performer's options. It permits the bottom of the lower card to be shown until the last moment-the card that vanishes is actually sandwiched. If you're currently performing a Cannibal Card routine-mine or another, wherein the "missionary" is inserted crosswise between the Cannibals-try adding this sequence. If you're developing your own routine consider this vanish. EFFECT: A card inserted crosswise between four others (only rwo are essential) is seen to vanish when it is pushed through the packet and fails to emerge from the other side. The packet is then shown to still contain only four cards. The inserted card has vanished completely. SET-UP: After performing the now standard Marlo Chewing Move (the comic action of bowing the cards of the packet in opposite directions and flexing

them open and shut to simulate chewing), allow the packet to close into the cross-formation shown in Figure 303. The right hand should be holding the packet as shown, effectively in Overhand Grip, with the missionary card protruding from both long sides. Obviously, if you are performing another effect (such as Elmsley's "Point of Departure" or an assembly-type routine) you may want to offer another reason for this configuration. The left hand grasps the packet between the second finger below and thumb above at the near left corner. The right second finger and thumb then grasp the far left corner in the same grip (Figure 304). Bend your right fourth finger in and under the protruding, crosswise card, contacting the underside (Figure 304 again). This position prepares you to lift the near end of the upper cards. All will appear normal from the front, and it is, but you'll actually set up a V-formation, a Tilt-like configuration. Rotate the packet clockwise ninety degrees, bringing its long edges toward the audience. As you perform this rotation, your right fourth finger pushes the crosswise card up as it enters under it, much as it would if you were forming a fourth-finger wedge break (Figure 305). The crosswise card should not separate from the upper two cards. Your left fourth finger moves into the break so that the left hand assumes the mirror image on the left side of the packet to the right hand's grip on the right. The first fingers of both hands extend to contact the sides of the protruding card and push it out until its near end is completely under the upper cards and within the packet (Figure 306).

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Bend your wrists upward to flash the bottom of the packet, simultaneously moving your fourth fingers back, allowing the crosswise card to slide off them. The fourth fingers will now contact the back of the crosswise card but are below the upper lengthwise cards (Figure 307, an exposed view). Don't hold this position for long.

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Bend the wrists downward. When the hands have moved down until the bottom cards of the packet are parallel with the floor, move both first fingers to the far edge of the protruding card and push it flush with the front edge of the packet. It will appear to vanish (be digested) because it does not appear to emerge on the opposite side of the packet. This is due purely to perspective. From your view, the card clearly protrudes from the back of the packet (Figure 308, in which the angle of the lower cards has been exaggerated for clarity); but because of the secret angling of the cards in the packet, the crosswise card is invisible to your audience (Figure 309). Pause a moment to make a comment that highlights the vanish. In the Kannibal routine I say, "They're digesting their meal."

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NOTE: The angles on this technique are somewhat misleading. They are very similar to Tilt in the vertical plane but are more critical on the horizontal plane. Both hands screen the sides to compensate. A mirror will provide

reasonably accurate feedback on the horizontal angles but not on the vertical angles. A video camera provides accurate guidance on both angles, but the errors in depth perception make the illusion appear less convincing than it is to the naked eye.

1 have debated whether it is better to make the push fast or slow. In some applications, a slow dramatic push might make sense. In a routine such as the Kannibals, it would be, I believe, dramatically out of character. In my experience, a quick push followed by a brief pause produces a startled reaction. The spectators' minds reel and question what they are seeing. Continuing as I'll describe serves to confirm that what the audience has seen was a visual vanish. It is like seeing a special effect in a movie. Still, an audience has no frame of reference for what a vanish looks like, so it remains to be demonstrated that it has occurred. Continuing-with the left first finger, apply upward pressure on the extreme front edge of the packet, to hold it closed. Release the right hand's grip on the packet and use this hand to gesture to the right. If there are spectators on your right side, keep your right arm between the cards and the audience. You may also turn the left hand clockwise slightly at the wrist. This helps to prevent the spectators from seeing the V-opening or the protruding card. The left hand still screens the left side of the packet. With your right hand, regrasp the packet, assuming the same position as the left hand. Move the left hand away, turning the right hand counterclockwise at the wrist and exerting upward pressure on the front edge with the right first finger. This action parallels what you did on the other side.

As your left hand returns to the packet, place your left thumb on the front edge but extend your left third finger under the protruding card and contact the right edge of the near corner of the crosswise card (Figure 3 10). Move your right hand forward and to the left. This causes the packet to rotate counterclockwise as the left third finger pulls the crosswise card by its edge, causing it to rotate clockwise. The packet will end up in an elongated condition with the vanished card heavily in-jogged but hidden by the left hand (Figure 31 1).

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Your right hand squares the packet, clips it between its first two fingers and turns it face up, end over end, to assume position for an Ascanio Spread. When I'm performing the Kannibals, I say, "If the chef has done his job properly, if the meat is tender and juicy, you'll always hear-" Pause and pop or snap the packet-"a burp." Finish by performing the Ascanio Spread to show that the card has vanished. (As I've discussed the technique for the Ascanio Spread at length in my Stop Fooling Us!lecture notes, page 18, I will not do so here.) NOTES: I'ractice the sequence for smoothness. The angles are not nearly as critical as they might seem, but there should be no fidgeting in the halldling. Your grip changes must be sure and efficient. This vanish demonstrates an odd phenomenon. While the event is clearly visual, a vanish ultimately occurs on an intellectual level more than on a visual one. This is true in spite of the fact that the vanish is recognized visually. I mention this because some people will not realize, react to or accept that the vanish has occurred until you perform the Ascanio Spread. You cannot count on a response until the moment the Spread is complete. It is as though the mind can't process the visual data, so it waits for intellectual confirmation. This can really mess with some people's heads. Don't be surprised if you hear a lot of comments about it from your lay audiences. It's great in the retelling as well.

A REFINEMENT FOB THE BLUFF SHIFT ON SATURDAY, May 4, 1991, I had a brief conversation with Eric Decamps. During that conversation, he described and demonstrated two versions of the Bluff Shift he had seen Roger Klause perform at a then recent Fechter's Finger Flicking Frolic. I found the "new" concepts Roger had incorporated into his handling of this venerable technique very interesting. It was during my experiments with what I understood to be Roger's ideas (see Roger Khuse: In Concert, 1991, page 131) that I developed my own thinking. My modifications are, I believe, genuine improvements on the line of thinking fostered by Roger Klause. As my publisher, Stephen Minch, points out, Roger seemed unaware that lifting off no cards in the Bluff Shift was the original handling offered by Frederick Montague in 1928 (Westminster Wizardry, page 75). In a phone conversation in September 1998, Roger confirmed this was the case. He believed, with good reason, that the Bluff Shift, lifting one or several cards as cover, came from Tommy Tucker in 1936, as indeed it did (What Next!, page 24). Roger thought, however, that lifting no cards was original with him. Frankly, while I had long been aware of the idea of performing the Bluff Shift lifting no cards-having first learned it that way-I had not known its published origin. It is now noted for posterity. Roger also believes, I think correctly, that his technique for creating a "persistence of vision" in the lift-off process is original with him. Whatever the exact details of Roger's contribution, he has clearly advanced the development of elements that significantly enhance the visual illusion created by the Bluff Shift, and he inspired my hrther analysis. Thanks Roger; had you not

accented the bevel and dribble actions, I would probably not have revisited this technique, and the fraternity would not have the improved tool I think this description records.

THE BLUFF SHIFT AS A CONTROL The Bluff Shift is usually used as a Pass substitute that controls a selection to the top or second from top of a deck. It is less frequently thought of as a variation of the RiffleForce, though it can be used in that way as well, forcing a card at any desired position. I will initially describe my technical refinements for the move as it is most often employed, as a Control. I'll then discuss its use in other applications. Since it will be described as a Control, we will assume that a card has been selected. The description begins as you prepare to have it returned. Hold the deck in your left hand in what is called Erdnase Grip: the first two fingers on the front edge, with your left second fingertip very near the front right corner of the deck. Finally, put a pronounced front and right bevel into the deck, until the front edge of the top card aligns with the tip of your left thumb when it is extended along the left side of the deck (Figure 3 12). This position will vary slightly from hand to hand. Turn your body slightly to the right, after which you twist at the waist, back to the left, just past center. This will give you a minor angle advantage in a moment. Curl your left first finger under the deck and slowly riffle your left thumb down the left, beveled side as you would when doing a Riffle Force. Ask the spectator who previously selected a card to call "Stop." Make a point of stopping exactly where commanded. Use your left thumb to push the lower packet down, opening the deck. Bring your right hand over the deck and place your second fingertip at the front left corner of the upper packet. The remainder of the fingers should screen the front edge of the entire deck. The left and right fingers adjust the cards above the point where you were stopped, beveling them to the left, before applying inward pressure to bevel them back toward you (Figure 3 13).

Several actions now occur simultaneously: (a) The right hand slightly exaggerates applying the pressure required to lift and carry off the upper packet. Don't overdo it-which is a common "tell"-you should just add a little emphasis. The right hand actually lifts either one card or none and moves back toward you, coming to rest near your chest. The hand should be parallel to the floor. Many who use the Bluff Shift angle the hand downward heavily when holding one card. I assume this is to show as much of the back of the card as possible. However, it is unnecessary; and, to magicians, though not to lay people, it alerts them to the likelihood the Bluff Shift is being employed. It is your left hand that should tilt slightly downward, not your right (Figure 3 14).

(b)At the same time your right hand rises, your left thumb relaxes, quietly closing its gap in the outer left corner of the deck. (c) This is tricky to describe but easy to do, extend your left fingers above the top of the deck. The easiest way to clarify what you must do is to explain what it accomplishes. If you hold a deck in your hand with all the fingertips roughly level with the top, which is normal, lifting off a portion would leave a part of each fingertip above the top of the lower packet. Usually, we adjust our grip, without thinking about it, to bring the fingertips level again with the top. In this case, you extend your fingertips above the top, simulating their positions if a portion had been lifted off, as though you hadn't readjusted. Try the honest actions and you'll understand what you need to do.

(d) Finally, relax, allowing your body to turn naturally to the right as you extend the left hand for the return of the selection.

NOTE: Frederick Montague described the simulation of diminished thickness through the extension of the left fingers above the top surfice of the deck in his description of the original Bluff Shift. Here we have embellished this illusion by adding a combination of bevels and a slightly rightward orientation of the body. The actions of the hands, reinforced by the visual cues, make the illusion quite convincing. It is possible and sometimes desirable to alter the size of the portion of the deck that you bevel inward. When you are stopped near the middle of the deck there is little point in doing so. The size of the back- and left-beveled portion dictates the size of the portion the viewers will believe remains. Thus, if you want to make it appear that a small packet has been lifted off,you would bevel back a large portion of the left hand's cards. Conversely, if you want it to appear a large portion has been lifted off (leaving a smaller one in the left hand), you would bevel back only a small portion of the deck. As you practice the technique, you will find that once the thumb lets its gap in the deck close at the front left corner, the right fingers can easily adjust the number of cards they include in the beveled group. Once the selection has been placed onto the left hand's cards you must convincingly simulate adding back the packet of cards the right hand supposedly holds. In fact, either one or no cards will be added back. The best illusion of this occurring is accomplished by combining visual and audible simulation with visual reinforcement. To accomplish this, the right hand moves to the deck as though it contained a packet of cards. The right first finger should be lightly curled above the card, or supposed card, the right hand holds. At the same time, the left hand moves sharply up toward the right hand. As the hands meet, the right first finger should solidly strike the top card of the deck. This produces a noise very similar to the sound of one packet being slapped on top of another. Here too, there is a tendency toward excess. Try actually doing it and you'll find it makes just a little noise. (In a noisy environment this touch is irrelevant.)

As soon as the hands meet, the right hand slightly lifts all the cards that you previously beveled back, unbevels them and slides them forward as a block. They end up in a slightly out-jogged position (Figure 3 15). Grip the deck between the right first finger at the left front corner and the right thumb at the left near corner. This causes the deck to form a diagonal

step as shown in Figure 316. Immediately raise the deck to the left fingertips and grip it at its sides, near the middle, between your left second finger and thumb. This pressure changes the step to what Marlo has termed an X-step, and locks it. The step should be fairly pronounced, visible to anyone looking at the deck (Figure 3 17).

Pause just long enough to deliver some comment; then scrupulously square the deck. The selected card is on top or second from the top, depending on which version of the Bluff Shift you've executed.

NOTE: All this jogging and squaring can be dispensed with, but they wordlessly convey that there was something in the middle of the deck that could have been used to locate where the card was returned. At the same time, you don't want to suggest that you could, would or might need to do so. You are not thumbing your nose as though to say, "See what I can do." You are changing the moment when the spectators lose track of the card, thereby changing their perception of where they last saw it. If they notice the jog and step, they almost can't help but do so. Should they fail to see or appreciate these techniques, it costs you nothing. I might mention that many performers have taken to using a touch of Tommy Tucker's: They lift off a portion of the deck and dribble it back onto the remainder, leaving the audience with a last image of roughly half the deck being dribbled onto the selection. This is a useful ploy but far less subtle than the step, and probably excessive if the Bluff Shift is to be employed repeatedly. The technique described here offers an alternative that can be used in addition to or in conjunction with the dribble feint.

THE BLUFF S H I F T AS A RIFFLE FORCE As previously mentioned, the Bluff Shift can be substituted for the Riffle Force. Let's assume you wish to force one or more cards which you have positioned first, second, third, fourth, etc. from the top. Perform the first segment of the Bluff Shift, riffling down the corner until stopped and apparently removing all

ENCHANTMENTS

+ 403

the cards above that point. If you now allow the spectator to take the top card of the left-hand group, that card will be one of the Force cards froin the top stock. Which card they get obviously depends on how many cards you lift off. Moreover, when multiple selections are being made, you can make it persuasively appear that the cards come from different points in the deck. One attractive feature of using the Bluff Shift in this way is that it is not necessary that you cut the intended Force card(s) to the middle at the start, or from the middle at the end, or maintain a break after the Force.

A very deceptive sequence for the selection and discovery of multiple cards can be constructed in this way. I will describe the sequence for three cards but it should be clear that, with minor alteration, five or ten cards could be used. We will assume that the cards to be forced are at positions three, two and one (the top card). We will further assume that a fourth-finger break has been established above the lowermost of the Force cards. Perform the opening mechanics of the Bluff Shift, holding the fourth-finger break as your left thumb riffles down the corner. When you lift off the right hand's cards, take all the cards above the fourth-finger break. This will leave the lowermost Force card on top of the lefthand cards, which appear to be a packet. By adjusting the size of the beveled group of cards, as discussed in the Note on page 40 1, you can make the cards in the left hand appear to be the proper thickness for the point where the spectator stopped you. After the first Force card is removed, simulate replacing the right hand's cards as described above, but dispense with the jogging procedure. Instead, as the packets meet, allow the left fingers to lightly contact the lowermost card of the right-hand packet and move it slightly to the right. Then, as you square the deck, pull down on the right-jogged card, forming a fourth-finger break above it. (This break-adjustment procedure is Ed Marlo's.) You can then repeat the process until you've forced all the cards you've set.

NOTE: This Force sequence can be very disarming because it is not necessary to maintain a break in the middle of the deck. This allows a wide variety of casual gestures, to be interspersed between the selections and, if you're of a mind, flourishes. Such a construction makes serial Forcing nearly impossible to conceive of for any layman and many magicians. I consider this a real power-tool. Like any tool, it is only as good as the craftsman wielding it.

PART THREE MENTAL EFFECTS & GAFFED METHODS

GOING MENTAL

MENTAL MAGIC SOMEOF the effects in this book suggest that the performer has the ability either to predict or control future events, or to read or control a spectator's thoughts. Such effects are commonly classed as "mentalism." There are some members of our fraternity who would contend that magicians should not perform such effects, that they should be left to those who work as mentalists. I am not sure how widely held this position is, and I don't want to set up a straw man; but I feel this issue should be addressed. I believe the mind and the future are fair game as subject matter for magic. I also accept that all manner of objects are fair game for mentalists. For example, moving a pencil could be presented as a magical animation effect (under the Fitzkee definition; see The Trick Brain, 1944, page 27). I don't believe this precludes mentalists from presenting such an effect as telekinesis. In sum, everything is fair game for each, in the theoretical sense. It is questionable whether mentalists are well advised to use playing cards as props. Consider, if you will, the associations that cards have for the public: card games, gambling and card tricks. Are those the associations the mental performer wants? I would not think so. This is not to say that playing cards should be precluded from use by mentalists. It is, however, proper to challenge the wisdom of their so doing. It seems to me that we could make a pact: Mentalists won't use playing cards and magicians won't use ESP (Zener) decks. With that as my stated position, I predict that you will enjoy the following feats of mental magic.

THE VIBRATORY PREDICTION AUGUST 10, 1969

ONEOF the techniques I have used in attempting to create my magic is to ask, "What would it look like if I could really do it?" This approach isn't unique to me. I am persuaded, however, that my penchant for honesty-always sought if not always realized-has made the question inordinately helpful to me. The procedure followed in this effect appears very close to what one might do if one could really predict or control a spectator's thoughts. While the effect is classic, little else about this approach is conventional. Here's what the spectators see: EFFECT: The performer allows the deck to be shuffled to the spectator's satisfaction. O n return of the deck, the performer removes a card, laying it face down on the table without showing its face. The deck is then spread face up across the table. The spectator is asked to think of any card she or he sees, then name it aloud. The card is located and removed from the spread. The spectator turns over the magician's prediction. It is the mate of his mentally selected card. People were once barbecued for doing stuff like this. When I first started developing my approach to this venerable effect, I was actively investigating the Faro Shuffle, Stay-Stack and other stacked-deck ideas. There is little doubt that this immersion influenced my first approach. For about three months I performed a routine involving a fully mirror-stacked deck. (That method was related to published material from Marlo, Rusduck, Elmsley and, later, Ron Ferris.) This first effort played very well with my audiences, which is what convinced me that I had constructed a workable

sequence. It was clever, if I do say so myself; but while I was very pleased with my audiences' reactions, I began to bemoan the need for the complex set-up. That drove me to develop my first impromptu method (also not included here), which I used for nearly five years with rewarding results. The method that follows meets all the goals of the first impromptu method and improves upon it. I've used it ever since.

PREFERRED M E T H O D DECEMBER 20,1974 BETA In late 1974, I was in Chicago doing a trade show when I had the opportunity to get together with a devoted local amateur with whom I'd met previously, while he was visiting New York. His name is Mike Kozlowski (best known for his manuscript, The $100 Bill Switch). During our session he showed me an idea he said A1 Schneider was experimenting with and asked my opinion. I suggested that the idea seemed a good one but that only experimentation would prove how good. That idea, which I dubbed "The Intention Force" in my notes, has been in my arsenal ever since. The effect in which I most often use it is included here for the first time. I almost didn't include it in deference to the idea and its creator. Though it had been well over twenty years since I learned of it, it still had not been published. Fortunately, I've was able to arrange a conversation with A1 Schneider, whom I've never met, during which he gave me his blessing in releasing the idea. I've avoided using the effect around magicians; but, at the right time, for a group of intelligent lay people, using the approach I'll describe, it is a heart stopper. Even if the Force doesn't work, this effect comes about as close to mind manipulation as mental magic ever appears to get. You must be seated for this effect. You will need a full deck without a Joker. A Joker would allow a potentially inconvenient choice, were the spectator to think of it, and is, therefore, best not included. The deck need not be in any order and, therefore, can be genuinely shuffled by you or a spectator. While the shuffling is being done, patter about different people giving off unique vibrations with their voice that are as good an identification as fingerprints. Upon return of the deck, spread through it looking for a group of seven to nine cards of one color with one card of the opposite color in the center of the group. If you fail to find such a group, which is probable, create one. There is almost always a group of at least three cards of the same color together in the deck. Almost as often, there will be a four-card run of the same color. (If not, the approach I'm about to detail will allow you to create such a group. Essentially, you just up-jog the cards that don't belong in the group.) The naturally occurring or created three- or four-card group and the contrasting card to the right of it form the core of the stack. Cut the contrasting card to

the face, leaving whatever cards you've up-jogged in place. Now spread the top cards of the deck. Within the top few cards there will be a mix of cards of both colors. Up-jog those cards of the same color as the card on the face of the deck. You will rarely have to up-jog more than three or four cards before achieving your goal. Next spread through the deck until you locate the mate of the card on the face and up-jog it also. Strip out the group of up-jogged cards and table the deck. The stack is in but not yet positioned, and you're holding a small group of cards in your hands. The idea conveyed to the spectators should be that you've narrowed the possibilities down to these few. Tabling the deck at this point shifts the focus off it and, therefore, away from the utility of a stack. The notion is that if you haven't yet decided which card to predict you haven't set up anything. This subtle logic is probably missed by most spectators, but it's an easy way to arrange this type of stack and the subtlety allows me to feel I've been conscientious in the construction. Look at a spectator who is sitting exactly center, or slightly to your right of center, or slightly left of your center, in that order of preference. (These positions relate to the optimal use of the Intention Force, which I'll describe shortly.) Ask the spectator to state his or her name, city of residence and occupation so that you may hear the person's voice vibrations. (You can ask for other information if you want to have fun with it, but do so tastefully.) From the group you hold, remove the mate to the contrasting card in your set-up and place it face down slightly to the right and about ten to twelve inches from the table edge, with one end of the card turned toward you.

NOTE: If you're working at a small table, when you remove your prediction and set it down, place it in front of you. You'll use a different technique at a small table, so the long edges of the card should run parallel with the near edge of the table. The near edge of the card should be at least two to three inches from the table edge but, depending on angle considerations (discussed later), not more than six inches. Insert the remaining cards of the small group you hold into the middle of the tabled deck, then cut the deck below center, which positions your stack above center. This should appear very casual; it is not a secret move and you're not trying to prove anything. Your patter during this process should be similar to the following: "There are some things I do as a magician that are scary. I almost feel as if I'm tampering with primeval forces. This may frighten you too. You'll know if it frightened you because you'll want to deny what you've seen. You'll try to tell yourself it's a fluke, an accident, a coincidence-but a part of your mind, the part that knows, will know."

T ~ t r nthe deck face up and pause. Indicating the card you've placed on the table, say, "By the way, that's a prediction." You can also explain that the card you removed seemed to give off vibrations compatible with those you detected from your assisting spectator and that you would like to try an experiment. Spread the face-up deck widely across the table so the contrasting card ends up slightly left of your center line. The spread shouldn't be particularly neat. The important thing is that most of the card indices show and it should be clear that they do.

THE I N T E N T I O N FORCE Look at the assisting spectator, making eye contact, and gesture with your right hand as you say, as off-handedly as possible, "Just think of any card you see and look away." Coordinated with the word think, allow your right hand to drop so that it points toward the middle of the group of cards that contains the contrasting card. Allow your eyes to glance briefly at the Force card. Immediately lift your hand and look back at the spectator, re-establishing eye contact as he immediately looks up again, per your instructions. Don't wait! As soon as the spectator looks at the spread-by which time you should have completed the line-look at the spectator and state dogmatically, "You've got one! What is it?" If the card taken is the mate of your prediction, your job is done but the effect continues to its predestined conclusion.

NOTE: The idea of incorporating a bold and direct (yet, in its way, subtle) gesture toward the card you intend the spectator to choose is the essence of the Schneider concept. The coordination of that gesture and the instruction to think of a card, together constitute the Intention Force as it was shown to me twenty-five years ago. Some of the details, including the arrangement of the single contrasting card in the middle of six to eight cards of the opposite color, and the instruction to immediately "look away," are discoveries I've made during my years of using it. Using all the little tips I've included in the description, I find the force works about eight out of ten times for lay audiences. I don't have a large enough sampling of performances for magicians to be definitive, but I'd estimate only three out of ten. It works better on women than on men, but all bets are off when the lighting is bad. I once did a hospitality suite for a company that had the misguided idea of making their room seem like a bar. The lighting was so subdued you could scarcely see beyond the light thrown off by the candles on the tables. I missed five for five that night, the worst run I can recall, before I pulled it from that evening's repertoire. In sum, try it under fair conditions before deciding if it works for you. It has made performing this effect much easier for me.

6 % If your Force card is not chosen, as the face-up card is being removed by the spectator, look for its mate in the spread. Usually, locating the mate is easy but

every so often you'll have trouble spotting it. You'll need to be able to ''vamp" while you look, as inconspicuously as possible, for the card. I'm naturally pretty good at dealing with such situations extemporaneously, but it's a good idea to script what you will say during such potential lulls. I'd suggest saying something about how the spectator could have named various other cards, even naming a few, but not the mate of their card. As soon as you spot the mate, end your monologue with something like, "...but you're happy with your choice." Write out five or six lines in your own style. That should be enough to cover you in the event of trouble. When you find the mate, use your left hand to begin scooping up the spread from left to right. The left thumb should be above the spread, and the fingers below it. The scoop action should be performed in one smooth movement but without rushing. As the spread is being gathered, place your left thumb on the face of the card just to the left of the mate to the selection. A bit of practice will teach you how to time the action so it looks completely innocent yet allows you to "mark" the position of the card with your thumb. At the completion of the scoop, there should be two blocks, the top one jogged to the right of the lower one, the left thumb on the left side of the face of the lower packet (Figure 3 18). In a continuing action, allow the left hand to turn palm down. What was the upper block should fall face down onto the table. This should appear unplanned. The left thumb and fingers still hold a block. Turn the left hand palm up and take the block into dealing position, face down. With your right hand immediately reach for the face-down portion on the table, pick it up and deposit it onto the cards in the left hand. Since the cards will be unsquared, square them up. As you do so, palm the top card. (I use Vernon's Topping the Deck from Select Secrets, 194 1, page 7.) NOTE: Occasionally your thumb will land on the mate itself rather than the card to its left. To avoid a lot of fidgeting in an attempt to correct the position, before or after the scoop, use a Side Steal to get the card into your right palm (see the V7J Side Steal, page 181). During this pick-up and squaring process you continue to patter: "Remember I told you this was scary?Every time I do it and it works, I get a chill. I believe I've controlled your mind." Here you can substitute, "I've predicted your actions," or "I've correctly read your vibrations." Add, "It doesn't feel like I did anything, does it?" Regardless of what the spectator says, continue, "I warned you that you wouldn't want to believe it. You did exactly what I thought you'd do."

Obviously, if the card is already correct, just push the prediction card to the spectator and have it turned over. If the prediction is wrong, extend your right hand, containing the palmed card, toward the tabled card, your fingers pointed toward the middle of it. Just as the hand is about to contact the card, straighten the fingers and bring your palm down over it so the far edge of the card is hlly under the palm, but just barely so (Figure 3 19). With absolutely no break in timing, slide your hand forward as you extend your arm in a pushing action, releasing the palmed card. The palmed card will glide across the table to the spectator. Immediately open your fingers a bit. As you perform these actions, say, "Turn it over and look at it." As soon as the spectator reaches for the card you've pushed forward, sit back and relax. You can then slide your hands back along the table until the card under your hand falls into your lap. At no point should you attempt to palm the card. It can be done but it's an unnecessary risk when you're seated. NOTE: 'The above described technique is heavily based upon Marlo's Push Switch (Revolutionary Cdrd Technique, Chapter 13: Card Switches, 1961, page 30),which I've used for many years. No one has ever had the slightest suspicion of a switch. Part of the reason for the success of the move is its boldness. The key is attitude. Not only must it be done casually but you must act as though the card doesn't matter because you already know it's right. There's no getting around it, this move is under extreme "heat." The audience knows the prediction card should match the named card. Few switch techniques would bear the level of scrutiny this one must. For more than twenty-five years, through many hundreds of performances, this one has passed through the fire. The first few times you do it, your heart may seem to seize in your chest. Confidence comes from experience. This Push Switch is as fine a technique as I could want when working at a large table. That is not, however, always the situation. When I'm working at a small table, I use Marlo's Kick-Off Switch (Kkbbala, Vol. 1, No. 9, May 1972, page 67), which I'm about to describe with my own minor changes.

THE KICK-OFF SWITCH The first sit-down session I ever had with Ed Marlo, in 1967, included a fair amount of discussion of tabled card switches, one of my favorite subjects. Among those he did for me was a technique he had developed in the mid1950's. It can be done for one card or a complete hand, as in a Poker-deal effect. I'll describe it here with one card, as I use it in this effect. Those familiar with the original description may note some refinements I've developed through extensive use. Nevertheless, this is Marlo's technique.

I prefer to place the card two to three inches from the table edge, but you can move it farther from the edge, depending on where your audience is seated relative to you. At two to three inches, you can be almost surrounded and still use it ifyou keep your left hand resting on the table, obscuring the left side view. If there is no one seated to your sides, you can safely move the card out about six inches or so from the table edge. I rarely have that situation, so I usually set the card at about three inches. Your right hand has a card concealed in Full Palm. You can have the hand resting with the fingertips on the edge of the table or you can start with the right hand fully on the table, to the right of the card you intend to switch. Your right hand moves toward the tabled card, keeping the heel of the hand and the right edge of the fourth finger in light contact with the tabletop. Your fingers should be straight, as when reaching, which necessitates bending your first finger at the middle joint, to retain the palmed card. When your right hand reaches the tabled card, your right thumb should fall on the middle of the card back (if you were switching multiple cards you would have to contact the near edge). Two actions, both a bit unusual, now occur simultaneously. Your thumb flicks the card off the table, into your lap-and all four fingers bend inward over the palmed card to grasp it near the right end (Figure 320). It should appear that the action of the thumb was the start of its movement to the near side of the visible card and that the thumb then lifted that edge as your fingers slid inward onto the back of the card. At the same time, the card is hinged up from the table as though you were looking at a hole card (Figure 321).

There is a tendency to move the right thumb further under the hand than is necessary in preparation for the kick. You're only kicking the card a few inches; it doesn't take a great deal of force. Kicking the card too hard will only cause it to sail farther off the table before falling. That extra few inches are more likely to cause a flash than the space between your hand and the table edge. Practice kicking no harder than you must. The illusion is best when the palmed card seems to appear at the fingertips. I find that you can sort of spring-load the palmed card by squeezing inward slightly with the first finger just before it straightens to allow the card to pop out, as the fingers move in. Don't make the mistake of lifting the hand too

quickly. You should pause briefly, as though looking at the card, before the card breaks contact with the tabletop. This assures that the journey of the original card over the table edge will be screened by the arched hand and the switchedin card. If you're performing the technique at a greater distance from the table edge, or the angles are particularly difficult, you may find it helpful to move your right hand to the left as you apparently lifi the card. You can now either sail the card onto the table face up, or you can place it back down on the table, face down, and slide it to the spectator, smiling and saying, "Take a look." You will find that the switch goes unsuspected.

NO1'E: At some point during the five years I was using the first impromptu method, 1 stdrted, intermittently, using the two different switch techniques in different circumstances. I think what prompted the change was finding myself working at larger tables at some times and smaller ones at others. At larger tables, the Kick-Off Switch, as good as it is, felt overly tight in terms of use of table real estate. This is, in my opinion, an issue worth further exploration, but I don't want to get side-tracked with it at this time. In any case, I began using the Push Switch. I hasten to make it clear that I remain as fond as ever of the Kick-Off Switch though I now reserve it for performances on smaller working surfaces. I can confidently attest that both techniques have withstood the test in the trial by fire. Regardless of which switch you've used, don't be in a hurry to recover the lapped card. When you do, it's best to add it to the bottom of the deck as you slide the deck off the table. Don't be surprised if the audience doesn't applaud at the conclusion of this effect. The spectators' minds are reeling. You may need to encourage them with a remark like, "The applause should be deafening-unless you're too scared." OBSERVATIONS: It would be very easy to allow fear to drive one to a "safer" technique, such as the Curry Turnover Change, as others have in the past. One can argue, rationalize and justify such approaches, but they can never seem as impossible. Remember, card cheats, with a great deal more at risk than a magic effect, have employed techniques like these for years. Most have made a living with them. There is nothing wrong with being frightened by these techniques. Still, if you believe, as I do, that we owe our audiences our best efforts, we should marshal our courage and go for it. Facing one's fear can only make one stronger.

BLUSHING LEAPER JUNE 30,1971

BETA MANY YEARS ago, Jack McMillen developed an effect ("The Leaper Card," n.d.) that is clearly related to, but somewhat different from, a card problem later addressed by Edward G. Brown (see "Wandering C a r d in Willanek Methodsfor Miracles, No. Three (1952) or Trevor Hall's The CardMagic ofEdward G. Brown, 1973, page 39). The McMillan approach became popular for a while but fell into relative disuse. As I see it, apart from procedural differences, the distinction between the two plots turns on a fine distinction: whether the card or the number is thought of first. In the McMillen plot a number might not be thought of, but might merely be noted. My "Blushing Leaper" revives the McMillen approach but employs the practice of having the number thought of first, as in the Brown problem. I find this easier for spectators to follow. I've also applied more modern techniques and added an intriguing, albeit non sequitur, kicker ending. EFFECT: A spectator cuts a shuffled deck and the cut-off portion is placed aside. From the balance of the deck the spectator is invited to think of a card from among the first ten, remember it and the position at which it falls. The cards are cleanly given to the spectator. The performer then alternates taking cards from the spectator and from the previously isolated half until the spectator's number is reached. The card has vanished from the spectator's packet and appears at the same position in the performer's packet. Further, to explain why the spectator chose the card, the performer reveals that the thought-of card has a different back color and design from the balance of the deck.

REQUIREMENTS: You will need one odd-backed stranger card, which you place face-up second from the top of the deck. 1

Give the deck a False Shuffle and False Cut. You need only retain the top two cards, but care must be exercised because the card second from the top is reversed.

2

Have the spectator cut the deck and give him the option of mixing the lower portion. Meanwhile, you take the cut-off upper portion and place it aside. Remember that there is a reversed card second from the top.

NOTE: It is, of course, possible to allow the spectator to shuffle the whole deck but you'll need to hold out the rop two cards. Low Lateral Palm is a very good choice of techniques for this situation (see page 357). If you prefer, you can have the odd card in your lap. Palm off a c7rd as you hand out the deck to be shutfled. While the spectator mixes it, set the oddbacked cdrd face to face with the card palmed from the deck. Palm both ~ a r d sin your right hand, with the card that matches the deck closer to the palm. When the deck has been cut into two piles by the spectator, add the two palmed cards to the top of the pile that is being placed aside.

3

You will now ask the spectator to think of a number between one and ten, and to remember the card that appears at that number. You should time your delivery of these instructions so that you have already shown the first card before the spectator knows what is expected of him. The cards are shown as follows: Hold the spectator's packet in left-hand dealing position. Push the top card to the right and take it face down in the right hand with the thumb above and the fingers below. m e n you take the first card, the card should face the floor, then be brought up very briefly to face the spectator. The second card should be placed under the first and then brought up to face the spectator. As you're showing the spectator the second card, you should deliver the line, "Remember the card that appears at the number you are thinking."

4

Continue by showing the spectator the third card, adding, "If you're thinking of three.. ."You do not lower the right hand between your display of the second and third cards or any thereafter. Continue with the fourth through tenth cards, pushing each card from the left-hand packet onto the face of the righthand packet. As you add the tenth card to the face of the right-hand packet, your left thumb contacts the back card of the right-hand packet and secretly drags it back onto the left-hand packet as the left hand moves away (Figure 322).

While the right hand holds its cards in a Fingertip Grip, the action of this stealback is very much like a Slip Cut. It is not difficult. Fairly drop the supposed ten- (actually nine-) card packet back onto the lefthand packet. Square the half deck and lay it fairly on the table in front of the spectator. Say, "These are your cards and you should be thinking of one of them. D o you remember both your card and the number at which it lies?"When you are satisfied the spectator remembers, you can continue. If you're not satisfied, hand the packet back to the spectator. Have it reshuffled and repeat the selection process as described. Pick up the other packet, which was originally the top half of the deck. Square the packet, picking up a right-thumb break under the top two cards. This is facilitated by the reversed card. Place the packet onto the table in front of you and, with your right hand, immediately pick up the top two cards as one. Place the card(s) into left-hand Dealing Grip. "This is my first card. Did you think of your first card?" The spectator will say, "No." Continue, "Give me your first card." Take the card from the spectator into your right hand, fingers at the front, the thumb at the rear (Overhand Grip). Put the card onto the card in your left hand but keep a left fourth-finger break between it and the two cards below it. With your right hand, take the top card of your tabled packet into Overhand Grip. "This is my second card. Did you think of your second card?"We will assume the spectator says, "No." Set the right hand's card onto the left hand's packet and ask the spectator to give you his second card. Take it into Overhand Grip, just as you did the first, and place it onto the packet in your left hand. Release the previous fourth-finger break and establish a new one under the card you're adding. When the spectator eventually tells you that he did think of the card at the position you've reached in your portion of the deck, you immediately do a Top Change, exchanging of the card in your right hand for the top card of the lefthand packet. In an action flowing from that of the Top Change, put your right hand out toward the spectator's tabled packet as you say somewhat commandingly, "Don't touch your card!" Recount the circumstances of the effect. Remind the spectator that his card and number were merely thought of and that you have not touched his packet. Tell him that if the effect has succeeded, the card that was at his number in his packet should be gone and that his thought-of card should be the one you hold. Turn over the catd in your hand and reveal it to be the spectator's. Place the card face up on top of the left-hand packet, in-jogged for about half its length. As you say, "Something would be amiss if the card that is at the

[spectator;number] position in your packet were also the card you thought of, but take a look anyway." The card will be an indifferent one. While the spectator is looking at his top card, your right hand moves to the packet you hold. Your right thumb reaches under the packet and draws the bottom card square with the in-jogged face-up card. The right hand then moves away from the packet. "You won't want to believe this but this whole thing was possible because I knew which card you would think of before we started. It's not that I could read your mind. I didn't even know we would meet. I simply knew that you'd be drawn to think of a card that looked a little different." Return your right hand to the packet and grab the two in-jogged cards at their near ends. Pinch them together with your right first finger above and thumb below and turn the pair end over end, dropping them onto the packet while maintaining a break under them. (This is an outgrowth of a technique that appeared in Joe Berg's Here; New Magic, 1937, page 6). Execute the Two-Step Double Lift (page 158) as you say, "Now you understand why you thought of the [numeof card]." Turn the card face up as you name it, then execute the K.M. Move, cleaning up as you toss the card face up onto the table in front of the spectator. If the spectator picks up the card it will seem to have changed back to the color of the rest of the deck. If he doesn't pick up the card by the time you have reassembled the deck, pick it up without calling attention to its back. NOTES: The most serious weakness of this effect is that, if the spectator thinks of a high number, the transfer process, "Did you think of your [number]card? Let me have your [number]card," can get a bit tedious. One solution, ofsorts, is to limit the selection to a smaller range (e.g., one to six); but that seems to weaken the effect somewhat. For larger audiences, I have used a presentational solution. Have each member of the audience think of a number between one and ten. After "Did you think of [number]?"is asked of the spectator who remembered the card, poll the audience: "How You can then give a short numerologimany of you thought of [number]?" cal interpretation of the significance of choosing that number. This keeps the audience interest level up by slowing the effect down. It also highlights the fact that other numbers could have been chosen. This was the first effect I ever performed for Ed Marlo (with an earlier, slightly different handling). He asked, as you might, whether the odd-back kicker plays with lay audiences. It is a fair question with an odd answer. One problem with the Leaper effect is an issue of dramatic structure. There are two things that need to be revealed: the "vanish" of the spectator's

thought-of card 2nd the arrival of that card in the performer's packet. If the "vanish" is revealed first, the arrival is anticipated and, therefore, weakened. If the arrival is revealed first, the vanish is anticlimactic. It is obviously a bad idea to end on an ~nticlimax.The kicker helps ameliorate this problem by poviding a climax afier the anticlimax. Thus, it is theatrially justified. 7'he second point is that audiences don't know what to think of this ending. Ir is, in fact, a non sequitur. 'This dernands that it be "logically" jusrified. 'I'he line, "I knew that you'd be drawn to think of a card that looked a little different," provides that rationale, however flimsy it may read. Like much of my magic generally, and mental magic more particularly, this effect is more appreciated by intelligent audiences. Given such an audience and an environment conducive to adequate focus, this ending plays well. It is common to hear people questioning whether they might have missed the card being odd-backed. I have had people ask me if it was, to which 1 respond, "Probably not, but that's the magic of it." If you're uncomfortable with this ending, particularly for somewhat smaller groups, you may wish to try the next effect instead.

BROWNIAN MOVEMENT THE SEQUEL SEPTEMBER9, 1969 FINAL THISIS a version of an E. G. Brown treatment of the Thought-of Card Across plot (see the aforementioned "Wandering C a r d in Wilklnei Methodifor Mir-

acles, No. Three, 1952, or Trevor Hall's The Card Magic of Edward G. Brown, 1973, page 39)) and is therefore related to "The Blushing Leaper." (I think Jordan's "Unknown Leaper" [see his Four Fztll Hands, 1921, page 271 plays a part in this history, but it would take some work to figure out exactly where.) Unlike "The Blushing Leaper," it has no kicker ending. Fortunately, because of its construction, it doesn't need one. Frankly, I never expected this effect to play as strongly as it does for lay audiences. I, therefore, originally relegated its use to once in a while, when I was sitting around with non-magician friends. After a few performances I knew I had a blockbuster. This is as strong an effect as anything you can do, and I present it that way. It doesn't read nearly as well as it plays, and magicians aren't nearly as impressed as lay people. It is not exaggeration to say that the most common reaction of lay audiences is a collective, audible gasp. The method is technically easy but it does require a fair amount of presentational ability. Learn it with the patter I've included and you'll have a powerhouse. You will need to rehearse this piece thoroughly before presenting it but, except for the Veeser Concept, the actions won't require much practice. By the way, I am aware that the name "Brownian Movement" was given to a treatment of this problem that appeared in Ibidem, though I didn't know it when I named the effect. I don't care; I like the name and I'm using it.

EFFECT: A remembered card at a thought-of position vanishes from its isolated packet to appear at the same position in the performer's packet. Hand a spectator the cards and have them shuffled until he is satisfied they are mixed. While this shuffling is done, introduce the effect: "This next experiment is one I was reluctant to put into my program. It's risky, in that it doesn't always work. I have gotten it to the point where it works most of the time, so if it doesn't work, I'll repeat it until it does. You may wonder why I'd bother to go through all this trouble. It's like this: When I do it for you, you'll be impressed, but over the next week, when you think about it-and you will think about itit will become increasingly impossible to believe. Perhaps a month from now, you'll be sitting around with some friends and you'll try to describe what you saw here today. You'll become increasingly incredulous that you could possibly be remembering it correctly. And perhaps a year from now we'll meet again, and you'll have had plenty of time to think about it. You'll try to describe to me what you remember me doing for you but with no faith in your own recall. You see, it becomes more impossible the more you think about it. That's a big build-up, so let's get on with it. Remove any twelve cards." When the spectator has complied with your instructions, say, "It's not that I don't trust you, but it's important, so I'll count them." Do so, dropping the cards slowly and fairly into a pile. Pick up the cards and spread them face up between your hands for all to see, and point out that there are some pairs, possible straights, etc.-whatever happens to be in the group. Offer the spectator the chance to change some cards for others. He is to be satisfied that the cards are a random, representative sampling. When he expresses satisfaction, proceed. Give the packet an Overhand Shuffle; in that process in-jog the fourth card from the top. Here is how I manage this: I shuffle the cards briefly in sloppy blocks, then complete the shuffle by undercutting more than four cards, in-jogging a card and running three cards onto it. The remaining unshuffled cards are then thrown back to the bottom to complete the shuffle. While the cards are still somewhat messy, flip them face-up in your left hand. As you square them, convert the in-jog to a fourth-finger break above the four lowermost cards. "Six of these cards are yours and six are mine. In a moment I'll show you your six cards; but before I do, I'd like you to think-just think-of a number between [stress the word] one and six.-You've thought of a number? Good. As I show you the cards, I'd like you to remember the card that appears at your number. Since you already have a number, you'll only have to concentrate on one thing, spotting your card, and I'll make it easy for you; I'll show them to you one at a time."

T H E VEESER C O N C E P T A N D ALIGNMENT INSURANCE The technique you are about to perform is a version of the Veeser Concept display. It accomplishes the same goal as the Hamman Count but is far superior. Any time the Hamman Count is called for, the Veeser Concept can be substituted and I always do. It is to my way of thinking always a much better choice. I make no claim to the creation of this technique, only to some of the fine points that give it additional deceptiveness. The key to making the count deceptive is the way in which you square the packet prior to beginning and the smoothness with which the count is performed. When you square the cards in preparation for the Veeser Concept, bevel the packet so that the uppermost card is forward and to the left. This is accomplished by pressing against the left side of the packet with the left thumb to produce the left bevel, and rocking the packet forward on your right thumb and second fingertip to produce the front bevel. With the packet "squared in this way, its thickness is impossible to judge because the spectators can see only the edge of the uppermost card of the packet. I believe it was Marlo, in a different context, who referred to this as the "razor edge." It is a useful mental image to help remind one of the need for attention to this detail. The bevel also makes it easier to pull off the card cleanly. 1 can assure you, once you have learned this technique, particularly adding my extra touch, you will not want to go back to the Harnman Count. Fortunately, you won't have to. With your right hand, grasp the packet of twelve cards in Overhand Grip. The right second finger should hold the packet at the extreme outer left corner. The right thumb contacts and holds the packet at a point left of center at the near end. The right first finger should stay out of the way, curled above the face of the packet. The left hand has a fairly wide fourth-finger break above four cards. While the break is wide, the fourth finger does not enter into it but only holds it open with the flesh. Remember to keep the razor edge. The left thumb pushes down on the card at the face of the packet and moves to the left, taking along the face card and the four cards below the break. The left first finger should press against the front edge of the cards producing the bevel discussed earlier. The slight overhang of the top card prevents the block below it from being seen from the front and left sides. The large break is maintained between the single, upper card and the four-card packet below it, and the entire packet is tipped downward fairly sharply at the front. Aim the forward left corner toward the leftmost eye in your audience. This cants the packet slightly but helps to protect the vulnerable right side from exposure. To the audience it should appear that the left hand holds only one card. As you take this "card you say, "If you're thinking of one, this will be your card."

The left hand returns to the right-hand packet and draws the next card off the face and onto the left hand's card (actually a packet). "If you're thinking of two, this will be your card." Continue to draw off cards and specify their positions until you've taken the fifth card from the face of the right-hand packet. As you pull the sixth card into the left hand, leave all the cards above the break beneath the right-hand packet and draw the sixth card onto the four cards that remain in your left hand. If you've done everything correctly, you should have five cards in your left hand, only one of which has been seen by the spectator. Gesturing with the left-hand packet, say, "These are your six cards." Place this packet face down o n the table. Make sure that the spectators see your hand come away empty from the tabled packet. Take the right-hand cards and turn them face down. Use a Push-Off Count to display the seven cards as six, without reversing their order, making the packet somewhat sloppy and holding the last two cards squared as one. Use the Steranko Move on the last card (see my variant on page 35), if you can do it well. Close the spread with the double sixth card, adding it to the bottom. The accompanying patter is "And these are my one, two, three, four, five, six cards." Square your packet and lay it face down on the table. With your hands obviously empty, make a magical gesture, moving from the spectator's packet toward yours. Look at the assisting spectator and say, "I think I got it, but I'm never sure." Ask the spectator, "Do you remember how many cards there were in your packet?"The spectator will respond, "Six." Count them to the table saying, "There are now one, two, three, four, five cards." Fairly pick up your packet and ask, "And in this packet?" The spectator will respond, "Six." Count the packet into a fan: "There are now one, two, three, four, five, six, seven cards." Look straight at the spectator and say, "Don't tell me the name of your card just yet, only the number you're thinking of. What number did you think of?"The spectator should answer with a number between one and six. If he says, "Six," drop your cards on top of his with a sense of resignation and say, "It didn't work." Shuffle the cards, have the spectator think of another number and repeat the display and Veeser switch. This will rarely happen because of the stress on the word between in your instructions. This miss is not a real problem since you've warned the spectators that it doesn't always work. It's been my experience that on the rare occasion when this happens, it's stronger the second time. It's like a juggler missing. We will assume that the spectator said, "Five." Count from the top down in your fan to the fifth card. Jog it forward and say, "At the same position in my packet as it was originally in yours, a merely thought-of card.-For the first time name your card." When the spectator does, dramatically turn over the card protruding

@

@g @

from the fan and drop it in front of him. The audience will be stunned. I am honestly accustomed to hearing an audible gasp. Don't say a word; let the silence hang. Drop your cards on top of the spectator's and the whole packet on top of the deck. Take a bow. NOTES: The key to selling this effect is that everything must be done slowly and with painstaking fairness. Your every word must convey precision. The combination causes the audience to believe they've seen a miracle. You may be happily surprised to have people come back a week or so later and tell you that you were right: They do keep thinking about the effect and its impossibility. It is, of course, a self-fulfilling prophecy. If doing a standing performance, I will perform Ed Marlo's handling of this effect, using his extremely clever Switchless Switch. This can be found in Ireland? Card Annwl1956 page 1 5; and in Card Tricksfov Cardicians, 1978, page 15. When I do Eddie's version I skip the False Counts of the two packets he uses just before effecting the magical translocation. I feel the Counts add little to the conviction of the piece and may arouse as much suspicion as they quell, at a high cost to the pacing. In performances before larger groups, up to about a hundred people, this is one of my favorite effects to perform. Lay people seem to respond almost viscerally to it. With proper presentational skills, in formal performance, this is a most highly recommended effect. I've also fooled rooms full of magicians with this handling. The Switchless Switch is one of Eddie's many under-appreciated and little-known techniques.

HAM AND ACE SANDWICH NOVEMBER 30, 1971 BETA IT IS difficult to classify this effect. It begins as a series of predictions that sort of miss, but it ends as a transformation, transmogrification, transportation, time anomaly, or something like that. The effect, in the matter of time displacement, bears a familial relationship to Marlo's "Future Reverse," framed in a dynamically adaptable presentation. The presentation is "hanlmy" and fun. It is the type of item that fits well into a program of heavier presentations. It's not that the effect is weak-far from it. Rather, it appears weak-or at least odd-in the early phases but resolves in a mind-twisting climax. EFFECT: (As best I can describe it.) The performer places a prediction face down between two face-up Aces on top of the deck. A spectator then chooses a card, which proves to be "somehow related" to the performer's prediction. This may be repeated dd libitum.Finally, the performer makes a last prediction. As previously, a spectator chooses a card. The performer's prediction card proves to be the very card the spectator selected. I suspect this effect description may be confusing. Remember that it's presented with tongue planted firmly in cheek and it should become clearer as you read on.

SET-UP: You remove from the deck the Ace of Clubs and one red Ace, while secretly positioning the other red Ace fourth from the top of the deck, with an indifferent card and two mates (e.g., the King of Hearts and King of Diamonds) over it. This four-card set up is easily obtained if approached in this manner:

Spread through the cards with their faces toward you, saying to the audience, "I'm looking for two cards-two Aces-the Ace of Clubs and the Ace of Diamonds." In roughly the time it takes to deliver these words, the stack is done. As you spread through the cards, look for any adjacent set of mates (in our example the King of Hearts and King of Diamonds). Cut them to the top as you deliver the first part of the line ("I'm looking for two cards"). Start through the deck again, looking for any Ace except the Spade. If the first Ace you come to is red, slide it out of the spread and into a positionfourth from the top. Let's say this is the Ace of Hearts. As you do this, deliver the second part of the line ("two Aces"). If you first find the Ace of Clubs, again say, "two Aces," then drop the Ace face down onto the table. Continue searching for the remaining Aces, delivering the third part of the line ("the Ace of Clubs and the Ace of Diamonds"), in pieces, as you find each one, altering your words in accordance with the red Ace you find first. Since the first red Ace you find goes fourth from the top of the deck, you will always name the other red Ace. In a sense, this set-up seems more complex than it is because it is so flexible. It is, as a result, quite expeditious. At its completion, the top two cards will be any set of mates. The card fourth from the top will be the Ace of Hearts or Diamonds. The Ace of Clubs and the other red Ace will be face down on the table. For purposes of explanation, the stack will be that given above. 1

Show the Ace of Clubs and Ace of Diamonds, and cleanly place them face up on the deck. "I'm going to make a prediction, a prediction of things to come, and I'm going to sandwich that prediction between these Aces."

2

Take the deck under the table and place any card you pull out of the deck (except the Ace of Spades) face down between the face-up Aces, remembering what card it is. Bring the deck from beneath the table and spread the top three cards inward lengthwise to exhibit the sandwich you've formed: face-up Ace of Clubs-face-down indifferent card-face-up Ace of Diamonds (Figure 323). Close the displayed spread.

4

Spread the deck and have a card selected, looked at, shown around and remembered. "Now everybody knows the name of the card-except me." Take back the card face down, then look at it yourself. "Now everybody knows the name of the card. That's okay, I've already made my prediction." To emphasize that your prediction is already made, you may redisplay it if you choose.

Insert the selected card into the deck from the near end, as though you were doing Tilt. lf you perform this effect standing, simulate Hull's Front Tilt. NOTE: I refer to this subterhge as R. W. Hull's Front 'Tilt for reacons given in the Notes at the end of this article. Since this early treatment of the Tilt idea is not well known, let me quickly explain it. It is conceptually the same as Vernon's 'rilt but with the top card lifted at the front of the deck and the deck angled sharply downward. Because of the sharp downward angle the move can only be used effectively when the performer is standing and with a bit of distance between him and the audience. This technique is described in Pallbearers Review Close-Up Folio #10, 1977, page 1025. When the conditions are correct I find this version more natural in appearance than the familiar Rear Tilt version. They are, at least in this instance, functionally interchangeable. Spread over the top three cards of the deck and say, "Would it prove interesting if the card I predicted was a card of exactly [the opposite color] from the card you selected?"The words of the statement in brackets change in accordance to the properties of the selection and your prediction card. The form of the statement is always the same. You are stating a relationship, whether it be opposite color, matching color or matching suit or matching values. Whatever relationship you can find between the two cards, state it as though that were your intention. The question is rhetorical (and delivered tongue in cheek), but the audience will likely look at you strangely. Reveal the prediction and immediately offer to repeat it, saying, "Maybe you think that was just luck. Okay, I'll do it again." Lose the prediction card into the deck, simulating whichever form ofTilt you've used previously, and without disturbing the stack at the top. You perform this phase, sort of missing without admitting it, at least once. If the audience gets into the spirit of the effect, I may do it a second time. I never repeat this quasi-miss phase more than twice. If you find you have a stronger coincidence, such as matching values or an actual match of mates, go straight into the next phase. When you're ready to move on to the penultimate phase, leave the Aces face up on the deck as you take it under the table and place one of the Kings (the third card from the top) face down between the Aces. Place the matching King (the fourth card from the top) two-thirds of the way down in the deck and hold a left fourth-finger break below it, in preparation for a Classic Force. Bring the deck from beneath the table and spread the top three cards inward, showing the sandwich: face-up Ace of Clubs-face-down King-face-up Ace of Diamonds. It is important that the Ace of Clubs be on top.

9

Spread the deck and force the King at the break on the spectator. (If you're not confident of your Classic Force, see Roberto Giobbi's fine address of the subject in Card CollPge, Elume 1 ( 1 996, page 21 7; in this case, however, it's not wise to itl-jog the force card.)

10

Have the card looked at and remembered. Parrot your earlier patter, as described in Step 4, as you take the card back, look at ir yourself and emphasize that your prediction is already made.

11

I'lace the selected card back into the deck from the back as though you were doing Rear Tilt. (Again, if you perform the effect standing, you should simulate Front Tilt.)

12

Spread over the top three cards of the deck. "Would it prove interesting if the card I predicted was a card of exactly the same color and value as the card you selected?" Reveal your prediction. The prediction matches in color and value. Regardless of the audience's reaction say, "You're a tough group. You want everything. Okay, one last time." Push the prediction card, the King, into the center of the deck in the same Tilt-fashion you have previously established.

1.7

With the Aces still face up on top of the deck, put it under the table and turn the fourth card from the top (the Ace of Hearts in our example) face up, leaving it in its position. Next, form a break under the top two Aces. The stack should be: faceup Ace of Clubs-face-up Ace of Diamonds-face-down indifferent card-face-up Ace of Hearts.

I4

Bring the deck from beneath the table and grasp the top two cards as one between your right thumb and first finger at the near left corner. Pull them back for half their length and place your right second fingertip on the facedown card now showing. Draw it and the doubled Aces back far enough to expose the A of the face-up Ace (of Hearts) below them (Figure 324). The audience assumes they are seeing the Ace of Clubs, the face-down prediction and the Ace of Diamonds, as they have each time before.

15

Close the spread, carefully push over at least four cards as a block and spread through the deck to have a card selected. Have it looked at and remembered as before. Repeat, "Now everybody knows the name of the card-except me." Take the card back and look at it yourself. Continue, "Now everybody knows the name of the card. That's okay, I've already made my prediction." As ~ o u ' r espeaking, form a break under the Ace of Clubs in preparation for Rear Tilt or Front Tilt.

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6

Execute said move under the Ace of Clubs.

*re, 2 i Spread over the top three cards of the deck, take them with your right hand, and 2+p& table the deck. With a tone of exasperation, say, "Would it prove interesting if y #:#$ the card I predicted was a card of exactly the same color and value as the card &,?6 - you selected?"As you turn over the card and show it, add, "How about the same .** ,z$g#i suit? That's everything!" Do a broad double-take at the card and add, ''That: 2$@p>.", >d.-2d$.3, impossible!"Shrug as though puzzled and hold the position. It will take a beat or s23.cg.; @&.A? two but the applause will start. A*

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: ,

NO'T'ES: You will still have a reversed Ace second from top of the deck. Since I usually perform this routine seated, 1'11 secretly lap the face-up Ace, using a One-Handed Second Deal, as I reach for the tabled cards. I later retrieve the card and add it back to the deck. When I perform standing, I assemble all the cards face down above the reversed Ace. After squaring the cards, I lift off the packet, including the reversed Ace, and do a K.M. Move to right it. I then drop everything back on top and continue with my next effect. It would, of course, be possible to perform only the final phase or last two phases of this routine. It just wouldn't be nearly as entertaining. I can be as guilty as the next guy of taking myself too seriously. This routine allows one to have fun with some of the haughtiness common in magic and customary to mental presentations. Alternately, you may choose to be an old stick-inthe-mud. The effect is funnier if you miss on your predictions, though doing so requires both confidence and conviction. As stated, I have sometimes missed twice before getting one correct, and then finished with what I think of as the "time w a r p ending. If you have the flair and judgment to carry it off, you could miss all three times before performing the time warp. It's a question of judging your audience's response to the humor of the situation and their patience with the effect. I leave it to each performer to determine his or her own abilities; you'll develop confidence over time, but acting without conviction is pretending, an unnecessarily embarrassing undertaking. THOUGHTS O N TILT: Though today is not the day, sooner or later the entire history of Tilt and the Depth Illusion will be established. I would prefer not to address this issue until then but because of the techniques used in this routine I feel obligated to try. I acknowledge that Karl Fulves made a fair stab at this in Pallbearers Review Clase-Up Folio #I 0, but I don't think he got quite all of it. In all likelihood neither will I. There are, as I see it, two distinct elements that define the sleight Marlo named "Tilt." These are the technique and the illusion that makes the

technique deceptive. The technique can be performed in at least three ways. One way is from the front, as I believe R. W. Hull suggests in Eye Openers (1932, page 5)-both Fulves and my good publisher disagree with my interpretation of Hull's writing. Another way is from the side (left), as Edward Victor describes in Further Magic of the Hand- (1946, page 25). T h e third way is from the rear, as reported by Faucett Ross in a two-page typed description, dated July 7, 1961, that circulated through the underground but waited until 1977 for formal publication in Pallbearers Review Cloje- Up Folio #I 0 (page 1026). T h e structure is roughly the same for all three techniques. The card is always inserted but left protruding. In all cases, the inserted card is put second from the top (or under a small number of cards). It is then pushed square. Any of these techniques could theoretically be used without benefit of the set-up that makes it appear that the card is going much deeper into the deck than it actually is. Hull's description in Eye Opmers uses the technique in that way. Both Victor and Vernon used the depth-enhancing set-up. Notice that I've carefully avoided calling the set-up "The Depth Illusion" (coined by Conrad Bush). There is not much dispute that the idea of tampering with the illusion of depth in broader terms predates this application. All three of the techniques use the same set-up to create the illusion of greater depth, to wit, elevating one end of the top card(s). There is increasing consensus that the first person to apply the illusion to this technique was Vernon. Vernon, however, appears only to have applied it to use of the technique from the rear. I'm not sure how this investigation will ultimately resolve when all sources have been exhausted. I do know that it has become increasingly difficult to know how to refer to any of the techniques so as to convey one's intended meaning and, at the same time, be true to the historical record. My solution, albeit imperfect, is to tip my hat to practice, history and communication without bowing to any. Thus, I call all the techniques "Tilt," modified by the direction from which it is performed. So we have Front Tilt, Side Tilt and Rear Tilt. Further, since we have a "Depth Illusion," courtesy ofVernon or Cazeneuve (Magic WithoutApparatus, 1945, page 85) or whomever, and we almost always employ it, there seems no reason to continually mention it. I can think of no other illusion for which we do so. The reason is simple: It's obvious that we will use the best method we have; thus, while the phrase may have appeal, it's redundant.

My chosen naming convention will, no doubt, annoy just about everyone equally. It has one redeeming feature: It communicates all one needs to know in two words: direction, technique. I find that definitive, in one sense of the word, if not both.

DIVINE MIBASICILL OCTOBER 17,1973 ALPHA

THISIS the type of effect that reads terribly but plays quite well. I suspect that "Out of This World," the wonderful Paul Curry effect, might have read as dull as this one does. If you've done "Out of This World," or any of its variations, you know how strong it is for lay audiences; so at least consider this effect. What is offered here is based on the Stewart James (no relation) effect "Miraskill," which appeared in Thejinx, No. 24, September 1936, page 147 (it can also be found on page 102 of StewartJames in Print: The First Fzfty Ears, 1989). For those who have forgotten, "Miraskill" is usually presented as a prediction effect. Typically, the prediction is something like "You will have three more reds than blacks." Such a prediction always seemed too mathematical to me, and the usual presentation, unlike "Out of This World," is rather impersonal. The following approach addresses both these problems with the original, extremely clever, effect. The treatment is based on a collection of old ideas and a few new ones that were put together at one of those long, late-night sessions we've all had at one time or other. Irv Wiener-one of the warmest, kindest, most genuinely lovable men I've met through magic, and a brilliant magical thinker-was my co-creator for this effect. Frankly, I've long ago lost track of who contributed what, but here it is.

EFFECT: The performer offers to bestow on the assisting spectator the power of divination. She is told she may accept or reject this power (though she really doesn't have a choice). Without knowing any more about the effect, it should

already be clear why this presentation is more emotionally engaging than the traditional one. From a shuffled deck, the spectator chooses about two-thirds of the cards. After making sure there is an even number in the chosen group, the spectator removes pairs of cards, segregating them into red, black and mixedcolor pair-groups, until all the cards have been paired and sorted. Precisely as the performer predicted would happen if the spectator accepted the offered power of divination, there are exactly the same number of red pairs of cards as there are black pairs. Have a spectator shuffle the deck and divide it into three packets of relatively equal size. Permit her a free choice of any two of the three packets and combine the two chosen packets into one. Pick up the remaining third of the deck, which you explain you will count to determine if the other two piles contain an equal number of cards. You explain that you could count her cards directly, but you don't want to handle them. Also state that it will become apparent why an even number is important as the effect proceeds. As rapidly as you can, silently count the packet face up between your hands, slightly down-jogging all the cards of the color opposite the color of the card on the face. There should only be about sixteen to eighteen cards, so it shouldn't take long; but instead of counting in the normal manner, count as follows: Whatever the color of the card on the face, count it as one. Let's assume this card is red. If the next card is also red, the count becomes two. If, however, the next card is black, the count becomes zero. Let's assume the second card is red, so we've counted two. And if the next three cards are black, the count becomes one, then zero, then minus one. This procedure continues until the packet is completely counted. In short, you add one for each red card (that is, each card matching the color of the card at the face of the packet) and subtract one for each black card (each card opposite in color to the card at the face). With a little practice, the whole process can be done as quickly as straight counting. Remember, slightly down-jog all the cards of the color opposite that of the face card. The count will yield one of three results: a positive number, zero or a negative number (n, 0, or -n). A positive number means more cards of the same color as the card on the face of the packet (n means red in our example), zero means the same number of reds as blacks; and a negative number means more cards of the opposite color from that on the face of the packet (-n). In our example, a negative number would indicate there are more blacks than reds. If the count is zero, proceed to Step 6. If the total is, for example, four, you must transfer four cards of the same color as the card at the face of your packet to the spectator's group. If the count was minus three you'd transfer three blacks. Perform a Strip-Out

A DREAM? JULY 1978

FINAL

THISEFFECT is a presentational variation of Hummer's "Mind Reader's Dream" premise (originally a marketed effect, circa 1952, and included in Karl Fulves' compilation Bob Hummer? Collected Secrets, 1980, page 42). It is only the construction of the routine and some novel presentational touches to which I make any claim. The reader will note that there are a number of elements that can be applied to other effects. Notable among these is the use of a regular deck as an index and the cover for a Deck Switch with a natural set of actions-even though your back may be turned. EFFECT: An artistically inclined spectator is asked to think of a card and then draw a picture of it. She is also asked to remove and hide a number of cards equal to the value of her card and to arrange other cards in the shape of the suit of her card, all while the performer's back is turned. The performer indicates that this will help her in clearly visualizing the card. The performer then reveals the name of the spectator's card. He congratulates the spectator on how good she is at visualizing but then admits that he doesn't like it when people are too good because.. . He spreads the deck to reveal that all the cards are blank except for one-the spectator's thought-of card. REQUIREMENTS: Required are one regular deck of cards, one blank-faced deck, a small note pad and a pen. SET-UP: Place the blank-faced deck in your left shirt pocket, back against your body. The pen should be clipped to the same pocket. The fourteenth

card from the top of the blank-faced deck is pencil dotted on its non-index corners or otherwise marked to make it easy to spot in a narrow spread. You must wear a jacket. In its left inside pocket place the note pad. This pocket should be otherwise empty. In addition, your pants should not be too tight, since this makes it difficult to get into and out of the pants pockets, which will become important. After some opening patter about how vivid dreams can be, ask for the assistance of a visually oriented member of the audience. Such people, you explain, usually draw well. They are painter, architect, photographer types of people rather than lawyer, engineer or writer types. O n finding such a person, spread the deck in front of her and ask for confirmation that she is familiar with playing cards and knows what all the cards look like. Have her shuffle the deck as you remove your note pad, but not the pen, from your pocket and lay it on the table. Take the deck back from the spectator and place it into left-hand dealing position as you explain that you hope she has well-developed visualization abilities because they will be helphl in the forthcoming experiment. Tell her that you will turn your back to her during much of it. Do precisely that as you continue your explanation.

NOTE: Like most performers, I've learned some lessons the hard way. One of those lessons relates to turning your back to spectators. It is extremely difficult to manage an audience when you're not looking at them. The eyes and facial expression are major tools used to maintain control. You won't always be able to arrange it, but it is best during most of this presentation, when your back is turned to the assisting spectator, to remain facing the majority of the audience. You'll need to be able to move around during the course of the effect but if you can't interpose yourself between your assisting spectator and the audience, and the audience is larger than about a down, you probably shouldn't perform this effect. It has no bearing on the method or the handling, but the risk of losing control of your audience increases with its size. "I'm going to ask you to attempt to visualize the face of a playing card and draw it, or at least a semblance of it, on the pad. You'll need a pen-I have one." As you say this, reach up with your left hand and grasp your left lapel. With your right hand, reach up toward your left shirt pocket. As your right hand goes past your left hand, take the deck into the right hand and put it into your left inside jacket pocket. Continue by taking the pen and the blank-faced deck out of your shirt pocket. Take the deck into left-hand dealing position but retain the pen in the right hand. Continue: "I'm also going to ask you to perform some actions with the cards." Turn around. "The purpose of all this is to create a very clear vision of the card you'll think of, in the hope of conveying that image to me."

NOTE: It is possible to perfor111 the deck switch I just described in hll view of the audience. The technique is similar to a cold-deck move used by card cheats, known as the Cigar Switch. It will take a bit of work to make it smooth enough to go by undetected, but it has been used for many years at the card table, so it is clearly able to bear scrutiny. When some cheats use this technique, they facilitate getting hold of the deck by tucking their tie into their jacket pocket and slipping the "cooler" into the fold of the tie. Simply pulling on the tie will then raise the deck out of the pocket, maktng it easy to grab. Tom "7: A." Waters accomplished the same end with a length of wide ribbon in the shirt pocket. He described the details in his booklet I'sychl (1983, page IG), and later in his compilation Mind,Myth nnd Mugick (1 993, page 501). Place the deck and the pen on the table. The deck should be to your right, which will be the spectator's left. "I'm going to turn my back and step away a bit. Think of a card and draw a picture of it on the pad. If you can't draw a picture, at least write the number or letter and a picture of the suit, a Heart, Club or whatever it is. When you've done that, put the pad away, where I can't see it, and tell me when you're finished." When the spectator informs you she has done as requested, pick up the deck and extend your hand toward her with the deck resting on it, but keep your head turned away from her. "Cut off about half of the deck. Now quietly, I don't want to hear it, deal off a number of cards equal to the value of your card. A Jack is eleven, a Queen twelve and a King thirteen. When you've done that, hide the cards you've dealt off I'm going to turn back around for a moment, so neither the pad nor the packet of cards you just dealt should be visible."

NOTE: If the table is wide, making it awkward to have the spectator cut the deck while you hold it, you can allow her to take the deck to cut off a portion. She can then return the portion she did not take. The reason for all these machinations is to justify taking back the unused portion of her cut-off packet after she has counted off the cards equal to her number and hidden them. If you weren't already holding most of the deck it would seem odd to want this remaining portion. She could simply leave it on the table. By holding onto the cards, ir merely appears that you're a bit of a neatness freak. Turn around and, as soon as you do, spot the packet from which the cards were dealt. Pick up those cards and ask for your pen back. As the spectator is getting your pen for you, spread over and sight-count the number of cards above the marked one. (It will be a number between zero and twelve.) Square the packet and place it back onto the table. In your mind, subtract that number from

thirteen and you now know the value of the mental selection. We will assume it is an Eight. When you have your pen back, take it into your right hand. Have your assistant place the lower porrion of the deck onto the upper portion and square the cards. HISTORICAL NO'I'E: The principle being used here comes from Audley Walsh's "The Mystic Twelve" in Annemnnni Miracles uj'Gnrd M a p , edited by John J. Crimmins, Jr., 1948, page 3.

7

Turn your back again. "I'd like you to take the cards that remain and arrange them face down on the table into a pattern that resembles, as well as you can, the suit of your card. Use as few or as many cards as you feel you need. I'm going to step quite a distance away because I don't want any audible clues."

8

Step away from the spectator and this time turn your back to the entire audience. Put the pen into your left shirt pocket and retrieve the deck from your inside jacket pocket as you do so. Because you are a distance away, you can safely go through the deck and remove the four cards of the value you know the spectator's card to be and arrange them in CHaSeD order. It is probably unnecessary to remind you, but don't betray your actions by allowing your elbows to move away from your sides as you perform this cull. It's always a bit of a ticklish balance to keep your elbows in without appearing stiff. The key is to keep tension out of your shoulders. In any case, when you have finished your cull, put the balance of the deck back into your inside jacket pocket but palm the four cards in your left hand in Gambler's Flat Palm. NOTE: If circumstances don't allow you to turn your back on the entire audience, use a Card Index. The Index can be fashioned from a deck of cards and a rubber band. Arrange each of the thirteen values in CHaSeD order and out-jog the even valued cards from the 325 odd for about half their length. Also turn the out-jogged even packets face down, while leaving the odd packets face up. Encircle the entire package around its width with the rubber band, wrapping it around the Index several times until it is snug (Figure 325). The rest should be apparent.

9

Tell the spectator to gather the cards she used to form the suit and hide them with the cards that represent the value, and to tell you when she's done, so you may turn around again. When she has done all this, turn around and casually walk back toward the table, putting your left hand, with its palmed cards, into your front left pants pocket.

Announce that you're getting a fairly clear image of the value of the card but that the suit is not quite clear. "Just say yes or no-It's a black card?" If the spectator says, "Yes," respond with "It's a Club." If the spectator then says, "No," say, "It's the Eight of Spades." If you say, "It's a black c a r d and the spectator says, "No," you respond, "It's a Heart." If you get another "no," say, "It's the Eight of Diamonds." This doesn't explain every possible pattern but you should get the idea. If you handle this fishing technique properly, the audience is left with the feeling that your questions were part of an effort to make the revelation dramatic rather than that you didn't know. It works extremely well as just a few attempts will confirm. NOTE: 'I'his fishing technique, it should be noted, is Ed Marlo's. (See The Cardician, 1953, pages 133 and 137.) Marlo was a master of such techniques but is rarely given credit for his talent in this area. This may be a compliment in its own way. Thanks, Ed. Ask for the return of the hidden cards. As they are being retrieved, palm the appropriate card out of your left pocket in either Full Palm or Gambler's Cop, depending on the angles under which you are performing. The card should be face against your palm in either case. Add the palmed card to the bottom of the cards on the table as you pick them up. Drop these onto the cards the spectator gives you and put the deck down. Ask for the note pad back and start to compliment the spectator on the clarity of her drawing. Stop and say, "Did I mention that I don't like to do this effect? I might have. You see, some people are too good at it. I have a feeling you may be one of them. Some people are so good that the deck is affected by their concentration." Turn over the cards and spread them widely across the table, revealing that they are all blank except one, that card being, in our example, the Eight of Diamonds. Conclude, "It makes you wonder whether what you're seeing now is a dream or if what you saw before was just a vision." NOTES: This effect is rather elaborate. Some may even think it overdone. It is not the kind of effect you'll do every day. In formal performance, as a closing item, it can be devastating. That's a strong word, but the audience response justifies it. Use it to close just one show, with the right presentational address, and you'll be using it often. Finally, while this effect clearly uses a mathematical technique as a major part of its method, it well shrouds it by using the drawing of the card as a red herring and a fishing technique to determine the suit.

SERIOUSLY GAFFED

WHY NOT? I AM not a purist. I have never seen a reason not to use gaffed cards if there is something worthwhile to be gained thereby. O n the other hand, I know that I will not always carry gaffed cards with me, so I am loathe to add gaffed-card effects to my repertoire, except for those that have become part of my regular close-up act. My good buddy Noel Coughlin and I have discussed the use of gaffs on many occasions and have gone to great lengths to find ever better ways to make them, and yet I remain somewhat unresolved on the issue of how widespread a use I will give them. I am inclined to agree with Noel's opinion that they are fine, but that there is much to be gained by trying to find ways to eliminate them, as that effort helps card technique advance. The first, With that as preamble, I'm including three items that depend on "Wishuffle," is an effect I marketed a number of years ago, through Hank Lee in Boston and Tannen's in New York. The effect is amazing, amusing and very entertaining. It should not be overlooked. In the second piece, "The Birthday Aces," I return to the Progressive Ace premise, in which the effect is given an admirable directness thanks to a new form of feke. The third and final item, "Watch the Wild Ace," is a blockbuster that I've kept for my own use for almost thirty-five years. Only a handful of magicians have ever seen me perform it, but it is incredibly powerful. It is, in some ways, the most amazing effect of its type lay audiences can ever see. It is without question a reputation-making routine. One final word-As we enter these realms, I suppose it necessary to repeat the obvious: All manufacturing rights reserved. Infringement is illegal and ethically reprehensible.

JANUARY 19,1973

FINAL

THISIS one of those effects that always "demonstrates" extremely well, is richly enjoyed by lay audiences, but has never caught on in the magic world-so go know. I'm explaining it here in its entirety, with the instructions that came with the effect, but with this added little historical preamble. I first wish to acknowledge that the presentation was influenced by a man who inspired much in me through his writings, Mr. Ed Marlo. His gags and bits of business pertaining to shuffles, which appeared in the Ieland 1944 Yedrbook (page lo), and later in his book, The Cardician (1953, page 25), while not all original with him, made this routine possible. I am, yet again, in his debt. Beyond that, its ancestry can be traced as follows: "Cheek-to-Cheek" is a dealer item that has been on the market since 1948. It applies the same method (in reverse) as "Wishuffle," but the effect is not at all the same. It does, however, share common ground with the second phase of "Wishuffle." U. F. Grant is usually given credit for creating "Cheek-to-Cheek," and so I thank him for another clever idea, of which he had many. It is of interest to note that Dai Vernon reported that Arthur Finley had come up with the same idea decades before Grant but never published it. Grant, therefore, was unlikely to have been influenced by Finley. The primary effect of "Wishuffle" is that a deck invisibly shuffles itself at the performer's request, under impossible conditions; there is also a secondary effect: the location of a selected card in the fashion of Triumph. When I marketed "Wishuffle" I believed I had discovered a new plot, that of causing cards

to mix face up and face down by merely willing them to do so. As it turns out, I was incorrect. Stephen Minch has brought to my attention a Herbert Johnson effect in which the deck is fanned to show the cards in normal orientation; the fan is then closed and the cards dealt to show them alternating face up and face down. That's not quite the same as a deck that unshuffles itself, but it's close. White-bordered cards and a tight fan were his method. Johnson's trick appeared in Walter B. Gibson's Twenty New Practical Card Tricks (1925, page 16) under the title "The Instantaneous Reversing Pack." Another closely related effect is the magical mixing of the colors of the deck. Leslie Guest is believed to be the first t o tackle this plot in his "The PackThat Shuffles Itself" (The Linking Ring, Vol. 8 , No. 8, October 1928, page 639). Guest used waxed pairs of cards to disguise their true mixed condition. Ed Marlo weighed in on the subject with his "Cased-in Shuffle" in Ibidem (No. 8, December 1956, page 20; and page 154 in the book edition), in which the rough-and-smooth principle and Oil-andWater technology are put to use. J. K. Hartman's "Faromatic" (in Mr. Gadfly, Vol. 1, No. 3, September-October 2001, page 3 1) features yet another method. Tony Chaudhuri altered the plot somewhat with his "Automatic Deck Shuffler" (Bedazzledf, 1977, page 42), in which a pack in new-deck order is shuffled magically into a mixed condition. Finally, in 2002 Bob Farmer, working from an idea by Gerald Kirchner, combined several of the plot elements above to produce an "un-Wishuffle" effect wherein a deck in random order is mixed face up and face down, only to right itself magically, also rearranging itself into new-deck order. This effect, with a gimmicked deck, is marketed under the title "Bammo Card Walloper." Those interested in this type of effect may wish to check another related plot, the "sympathetic" face-up, face-down mixing of cards in two packets. My contribution to this idea is "Siamese Shuffle," which I developed nearly a year before "Wishuffle." I contributed "Siamese Shuffle," over twenty years after its invention, to Apocalypse (Vol. 15, No. 9, September 1992, page 2120). This effect and three variations were later included in my book, The Magical Record and Thoughts of Weslgljames (page 62). The earliest sympathetic-shuffle effect I'm aware of is U. F. Grant's "Giant Acrobatic Cards," a marketed item that was purloined by Glenn Gravatt for his Encyclopedia of Self Working Card Tricks (1936, page 125) and then appeared in Hugard's revision, Enyclopedia of Card Tricks (1937, page 127). Another notable example of this tiny genre is Nick Trost's "Believe It or Not!" from The Linking Ring (Vol. 34, No. 12, February 1955, page 63). An improved version can be found in The CardMagic ofNick f i s t (1997, page 150).

I created the concept that is "Wishuffle" on December 10, 1972, and premiered it to the magic world on January 19, 1973, at an S.A.M. Open House conducted

by Sam Schwartz. The first "Wishuffle" decks and instructions were sold on March 28, 1973, by me at a lecture in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania, to magicians in that area, and shipped on April 1, 1973. Since then I have developed and recorded, in an unpublished manuscript, a number of handlings-two of them non-gaffed and impromptu-that eliminate the self-righting phase found in the original treatment. The routine stands as a novel combination of effects framed in a humorous presentation that has played well for many audiences for many years. I've told the history as I know it. What I give you in "Wishuffle" is a tool with which to bring some entertainment, some escape and some joy to the lives of those who see you do it properly. O n the page it may seem silly-it is-but do it for an audience with the proper delivery and you'll keep doing it. REQUIREMENTS: You will need twenty-six different double-faced cards and twenty-six regular cards. SET-UP: Faro shuffle the two packets together, or otherwise alternate the double-facers and regular cards, and cut a face-down card to the top. Put the deck into its case and you're ready to go.

As you remove the deck from the case, face up, you introduce your premise. "Cards, as they come from the factory, are always stiff,slippery and in numeric sequence. For that reason, they are usually shuffled. Recognizing that this was probably true of the cards that came from the early Egyptian factories, I began my quest for knowledge in the field of Shdology. What else would a magician study? My perusal of the subject has proven enlightening, not only magically but also sociologically. Tonight (unless it's morning; I haven't seen the sun in three days) I'd like to share with you this report, which I've had the pleasure of delivering before four Presidents-at the foot of Mt. Rushmore. They were stoned at the time." "To begin: The first methods ever devised for mixing cards were not true shuffles but merely cuts, usually done repeatedly. Although I am sure that other cutting techniques predate the following, I begin here for purposes of clear dating. In the year of the Hebrew Exodus from Egypt, a man named Charlya, Moysha Charlya, conceived this cut." Execute a Charlier Cut. "This has come to be known as the 'Jewish' or 'Passover' Cut. You'll notice one packetpas over the other." With the deck still face up, continue, "Though it may seem strange, history documents no further advance in shuffle technology for many years. [A an aide:] Centuries is a lot of years, isn't it? Not until the Russian Czar, a devoted card player, during the Russian Revolution and while in pursuit of enemy forces, happened upon a technique that has come to be known as the 'Russian Shuffle."' Spring the cards from one hand to the other. "One card rushin' after the other. By the way the rumors that the Czar was Polish are totally unfounded."

The deck remains face up as you say, "That brings us to the first shuffle of the modern era and the first to be invented in the western hemisphere. In watching, you will notice the political statement it makes about its national origin. It is called the 'Argentine Shuffle.'" Do a Running Swivel Cut, a la Leipzig. "You see, of course, the political statement: one revolution after the other." The deck will still be face up as you add, "One can feel pride in their American heritage when considering this next technique. I believe it reflects America's advanced technological thinking in the field of automation. The name given this efficient method of shuffling.. ." Begin an Overhand Shuffle from the face of the deck, running single cards. Stop the shuffle after running an even number of cards and throw the run cards back onto the face of the deck. "...is the 'Overhand Shuffle,' which is a misnomer in that the 'Overhand Shuffle' was invented by some very underhanded people. Such is the American way." "Let me pause here long enough to say that it should be understood that this does not attempt to be a hlly comprehensive look at Shufflology. Techniques like the 'Waterfd Shuffle' and the 'Table Riffle,' as well as mathematical shuffle techniques such as the 'Faro' and 'Reverse Faro,' the 'Monge' and the 'Klondike,' all fall outside the realm of this thesis." For the first time, turn the deck hce down. "In fact, there is only one more approach that falls within my scope. I am proud to say that I am the creator of this shuffle. I must, however, hasten to say that I don't understand how it works. I suspect that it has something to do with the power of the mind. It is for that reason that I call this technique the 'Wishuffle.' I simply lift off about half the deck [ahso, Izjing o f a portion above a face-downcard] and drop it back on top [do so], and by concerted effort and concentrated thought they are mixed." Turn the deck face up and spread it. Turn the deck face down again and say, "Now, just in case there are any doubters in the group, I have devised f'urther, incontrovertible, scientific proof. I will turn the top half face up and leave the bottom half face down." Cut at a point where a face-down card rests on top of the lower half and turn the top half over. Place the reversed top half back onto the bottom half, but maintain a large, open step between them. "I place them together, half 326 face up, half face down, and wish." As this line is spoken, with your right hand lift the upper half and flash the back of its lowermost card. This serves as minor misdirection; you don't need much. Your left hand rotates palm down, allowing its cards to rest on your curled fingers (Figure 326). As the hands come together, turn

your left hand palm up again, simultaneously uncurling the fingers while the packet lies on them (Figure 327). In other words, the packet is subtly reversed by rotating your hand around it. This reversal is further covered by executing it under the screen of the upper packet, in the last instant before the packets are rejoined. Casually bring the upper packet down onto the lower one and move the reassembled deck to your fingertips. Turn the deck face down and spread it on the table. Every other card is face up. "Proof that the shuffle works." "Now, being a magician, I can't have a deck in this unusual condition without putting it to use. So, would you, sir, please, as I turn my back, take any one of the face-down cards, turn it face up, look at it, remember what it is, and place it back into the deck, still face up, right where you got it. Square up the spread cards and leave the pile on the table. Let me know when you're through." When told by the spectator that he's done, pick up the deck, square it and reverse it openly. "Now the magical 'Wish-Unshuffle,' which does not, by the way, fall into any category." Spread the deck across the table. "Lo and behold, every card in the deck turns one way. Except one." Remove the single face-down card from the spread and hold it back to the audience. "What was the name of your card, sir?" When he names it, repeat the name. "Thank You." Dramatically turn over the selection and toss it onto the table. As the audience reacts and applauds, put the deck away while making idle comments.

NOTE: If you prefer to do a shorter routine or if you can't do a Charlier Cut, Running Swivel Cut, or spring cards from hand to hand, eliminate those items. Marlo includes some other gags that can be used. I list them so that you can figure out for yourself how to incorporate them: The "Army" or "Rifle Shufflex-Execute

a riffle shuffle.

The "Fancy Shuffle3'-Make a fan, being careful to show only the face of the deck. You can expand or contract the routine as suits your style. The "Wishuffle" portion of the effect actually starts with Step 7. Give the presentation some thought. It's an interesting premise and lay audiences get onto the farce of it.

BIRTHDAY ACES SEPTEMBER3, 1981 ALPHA "BIRTHDAY ACES"is so named for two reasons: First, the idea came to me on September third, which is my birthday; and second, the patter is based on the idea that on my tenth birthday my !great-grandfather taught me how to handle the first Ace; on my twentieth birthday my grandfather taught me the handling of the second Ace; on my thirtieth birthday my father taught Ine the procedure for the third Ace. And the fourth Ace is my own because he didn't live to see my fortieth birthday. "Birthday Aces" is a treatment of the Progressive Ace premise, the history of which I have discussed in Pmteboard Perpensions (page 35) and in "Catalytic Progressive Aces" in this volume (page 38). All of the versions of the Progressive ~ c & s e m b l ~I have seen use double-ended cards, double-faced cards, a combination of these gaffs, or they have relied on palming. The solution I offer here is, I believe, unique in that it uses only three feke cards, which are neither doublefaced nor double-ended and which are quite fair looking in appearance. Each of the these cards has a hinged flap attached to one side, which produces cards such as those shown in Figure 328. When the flap of the first feke lies

open, an Ace of Diamonds is exposed, apparently fanned behind a spot card in Spades. The second feke, when open appears as a spread Ace of Clubs and Ace of Diamonds behind a spot card in Clubs. The third feke, when open, shows a spread Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs and Ace of Hearts behind a spot card in Spades. When these flaps are folded closed against the faces of their attached whole cards, the backs of the cards can be displayed as normal. I've made the flaps in several ways over the years. The simplest way is to glue sections of the Aces together to create the second and third fekes. You can also go to the trouble of splitting the pieces first, to cut down on the thickness of the fekes; but I've found the difference isn't really significant enough to warrant the work. You can use transparent tape to hinge the flaps to the three whole cards. Once the nature of the fekes is understood, the handling can largely be deduced and many variations developed. The following are some of the handlings that take advantage of the fekes. You will find that they produce an extremely deceptive display. Further, though it goes without saying, versions of the MacDonald Aces, Wild Card and any number of effects normally requiring double-faced or double-ended cards can be modified to utilize the principle embodied in the Birthday gaffs. I know of no other feke quite like these. It does, however, have some relatives. If all its relatives had been combined, something similar to the Birthday feke would have resulted. It might, therefore, be fair to call the Birthday feke a composite or amalgam. To borrow wording from the laws governing patents, the embodiment would be "patent-able" because, "it is novel and does not follow logically from prior art." This is demonstrated by the period of time that has elapsed since the last "patent-able" material in the field. Relatives of the Birthday fekes are the "Fake Fan C a r d (a DeLand innovation) with which most of you will be familiar from the Fako Deck, "The Kitson MiracleIPat Page Three-Card Monte" Card (marketed by Magic, Inc.) and Bob Koch's Acrobatic Card variation described on page 80 of Ed Marlo on the Acrobatic Cards (Magic, Inc, 1968). All of these ideas, arguably related to the Birthday fekes, are long standing prior art. The fact that the Birthday feke was not thought of is strong evidence that it "does not follow logically."

I have taken somewhat greater pains in this dissertation than I normally would to establish an idea because I think it useful to establish some guidelines for use in determining the validity of any claim to a move, sleight, concept, premise, trick, effect, etc. I hope it is helpful. It at least provides my thinking on the matter. REQUIREMENTS: The fekes, F l , F2 and F3, are as pictured in Figure 328. The flaps hinge to lay on the face of the card. The backs look normal when the flap is closed. The hinge, which is made of cellophane, is imbedded between the layers of the card, which means the cards must be split and re-glued around the cellophane hinge.

Also required is a regular deck minus the three spot cards that appear on the fekes: the Four of Spades, Six of Clubs and Two of Spades in our samples. SIT-UP: From the top down, Ace of Clubs-Ace of Hearts-Ace of Spades-Ace of Diamonds-face-down indifferent card-three face-up indifferent cards-F1f;2-F3-balance of deck. The flaps should all be folded closed onto the faces of their cards, with the hinge on the right. 1

Form a break under the top eight cards of the deck-above the Fl card. This is facilitated by the thickness of the F1 card and the reversed cards. Spread or count off the top four cards without reversing their order. Turn them face up and square them at the left fingertips. Draw off each Ace, one by one, into a sideways spread showing, from the face, the Ace of Clubs, Ace of Hearts, Ace of Spades and Ace of Diamonds. Use your right hand to hold this spread above the deck. Grip the four cards above the break as though adding them under the spread but keep the left side of these cards flush with the left side of the deck and do not allow them to break contact with the deck below. Place the left thumb on the top card of this lower block (the face-down card) and hold it in place as you move the three under cards to the right about a third of a card width (Figure 329-the spread of Aces is bowed here to make the action clear; in performance the Aces lie flat on the deck). Align the left edge of the spread of Aces with the three-card block under the face-down cover card (Figure 330), and close the spread but don't square it. The seven face-up cards should be roughly aligned. Shift the right hand to pinch the sevencard block at the middle of the right side, thumb above, fingers below (Figure 33 1). Slide all seven cards to the right until they are clear of

i;

the face-down card while holding that card in place with the left thumb. Hinge the seven cards face down bookwise onto the deck (Figure 332). From the top down, the order is now, three indifferent cards-Ace of Diamonds-Ace of SpadesAce of Hearts-Ace of Clubs-indifferent card-F 1-F2-F3.

HISTORICAI, NOTE: This style of packet switch, using a face-down topcard cover, was first suggested by Hugard and Braue in their 1941 booklet, Mirat'leMethod,No. I: Tbe Stripper Deck.In two included tricks, "The Braue Aces" (page 31) and "The Princess Card Trick: Stripper Version" (page 25), they used the tapers in the trimmed deck to facilitate the switch of the packets as the cards were turned hce down on the deck. In 1974 , in his En Hand Poker Stack,Ed Marlo explained his handling with unprepared cards (page 164). Upon reading Mario's thinking, Harvey Rosenthal was inspired to devise a number of refined handlings. Meanwhile, in England, Alex Elmsley was working independently on the concept. The Elmsley and Rosenthal handlings have remained unpublished to date, but Rosenthal has circulated enough information to inspire variants that have reached print. Nocable among these is Ken Krenwl's technique in Epilogue Special,No. 2 (circa 1975-6, page 246). Larry Jennings, Arturo de Ascanio and Darwin Ortiz have also contributed versions to this family of packet switches. My handling differs only in small details from that offered by Krenzel. 2

Move the left hand forward and deal the top four cards into a face-down row, from left to right across the working surface. They will be three indifferent cards and the Ace of Diamonds.

3

Form a break under F3. As before, the thickness makes this fairly easy. Peel the first three cards (unbeknownst to the audience they are Aces) one at a time into right-hand Dealing Grip. Pause, then continue, drawing the next four cards (all the cards above the break) as one into right-hand Dealing Grip using a block push-off, facilitated by the break. The apparent count will be four. Continue immediately, drawing off two more cards in this manner. Following the same pattern (three cards and pause) draw off two additional three-card groups. The apparent count will be twelve; there will actually be fifteen cards in your right hand. This process is justified as removing "twelve" cards to be used in the effect.

4

Set the deck in line with the leftmost tabled card, but a few inches behind it. The idea is to place the deck in a position that seems to be out of the way but which will later be in the way, to justify moving it. As you're tabling the deck, pull down on the right-hand packet with your right fourth finger, forming a break

above the lower six cards of the twelve-card packet. This is greatly facilitated by the extra thickness of the fekes but may feel odd since one does not usually pull down cards using the right hand. Transfer the packet from right-hand Dealing Grip to left-hand Dealing Grip, maintaining the break during the transfer. This is most easily accomplished by converting the right fourth-finger break to a left-hand heel break. Once the packet is in the left hand, move the right hand to Overhand Grip and perform a Turnover Pass, still maintaining the break. Finish this sequence with the packet face up in the right hand, with a thumb break above the lower six cards.

You next execute the Veeser Concept by peeling the card from the face of the packet into the left hand, onto the six cards below the break, without revealing the existence of the block, as shown exposed from the rear in Figure 333. Catch a break between this single card and the lower six. It should appear that you've merely peeled the card from the face of the packet into the left hand. As the hands meet again and the left hand's packet moves beneath the right's, transfer the break above the six-card group to the right thumb. This adds the single card above the break to the underside of the upper packet. Immediately move the left hand back to the left, taking only the lowermost card of the packet, F1, to the left as you peel the next card from the face of the packet into the left hand. Drawing F 1 away from the packet is best accomplished with a light pressure of the fleshy mound at the base of the left first finger. (If you are familiar with the-H~LO Cut, the technique here is quite similar.) As soon as it is possible, the tip of the left fourth finger catches the right edge of F1 and continues to pull the feke to the left, moving it along beneath the card the left thumb is peeling off the face of the packet (Figure 334). Return the left hand to draw off one more card from the face of the packet onto the two the left hand already holds. The left hand now holds three cards, just as it should, and they are two indifferent cards with F1 beneath them. Turn this three-card packet face down, side for side, and place it onto the leftmost card of the tabled row.

7

Repeat this count-display sequence, creating three-card packets for the supposed Aces at positions two and three, secretly switching in F2 and F3 as the top card in their respective packets.

8

You will be lefi with six cards (believed by the spectators to be three) in your right hand, with a thumb break held above the lower three. (If you've lost the break, which happens to me regularly, you will have to cheat a little to reestablish it. Under the guise of checking the count, necktie the ~ a c k eslightly t and spread the lowermost two cards (Aces) to the left. Close the spread, jogging the third card from the bottom to the right as you return the packet to a horizontal position. A downward pull on the jogged card as you square will reform the lost break.) Peel the next card off the face of the packet and onto the three cards below the break without revealing the presence of those three cards (Aces). Maintain a break between the lower three cards and the upper one. Continue, drawing off the remaining two cards from the left hand into the right. Turn the six cards face down, as three, as though closing a book, while maintaining the break.

9

Immediately steal the lowermost three cards in a Gambler's Cop and place the upper three (Aces) onto the rightmost card of the tabled row.

10

Slide the deck off the table, adding the copped cards to the bottom of the deck. Place the deck aside, out of the working area. The layout should be: 2nd -

4'h -

Fl

F2

3rd -

F3

X X X

X X X

X X X

Ace Ace Ace Ace

1 st

Top

Bottom

11

Pick up the leftmost packet, holding it at the right fingertips, and spread the cards from right to left. This will show four backs with the F 1 feke at the top of the packet.

12

Close the spread and square the cards. As you square, the flap should be on the right. Pull down on, or angle open, the three lower cards on the right. The flap should swing downward into the open position (Figure 335). Release the lower three cards and the flap will become trapped outside the packet (Figure 336), and is hidden from the audience's view by the right hand.

Flatten your right hand slightly and release the left hand's hold completely. Turn your left palm to the right, then rotate the right hand clockwise and inward, and transfer the packet from the right hand to the left (Figure 337) without flashing the open flap. Rotate the right hand to a position above the left. You will be holding the packet much as you would if you were about to squeeze open a Poker hand (Figure 338). Fan the first two cards on the face to the right. The fan will appear to show three indifferent cards and the Ace of Diamonds. In actuality, the third indifferent card is a Double, its rear card hinged to the repositioned flap of F 1. Place your left thumb on the fan along the line formed by the left sides of the cards (Figure 339). The inner left corner of the fan should be concealed in the thumb crotch. Lower the fan to allow the spectators to see the faces of the cards. Rotate the left wrist clockwise, maintaining the cards on a plane parallel with the floor. Rotate the right hand palm up and grasp the fan with the thumb above, fingers below, across the flap (Figure 340). Keep the left hand close, screening the audience's view of the back of the flap seam, as you rotate the right hand palm down and the packet fice down. The left thumb, lying over the inner end of the flap seam, takes over the hold of the fan long enough for the right hand to move to Overhand Grip.

(

Again pull down on or angle open the three lower cards, and the flap should swing downward (exposed in Figure 341). Curl the left fingers inward as you lift the lower three cards. The flap will be trapped inside the packet (Figure 342). Square the packet before making a magical gesture over it for effect.

17

Turn the packet face up, end for end, which keeps the flap on the right. Fan the cards in the same fashion you have before, revealing that the Ace has vanished, leaving four indifferent cards. Pause a moment for this to register before you close the fan and drop the packet face down into its original position on the table, but turned ninety degrees to bring the flap seam nearest you.

18

Pick up the second packet and spread it from right to left. This shows four backs with the F2 feke at the top of the packet.

19

Close the packet and pull down the three lower cards, allowing the flap to swing downward into the open position. Release the lower three cards, trapping the flap outside the packet and hidden by the right hand.

20

Again flatten your right hand as you release the left hand's hold. Turn your left palm to the right and your right hand clockwise and inward. Hand the packet from the right hand to the left without flashing the open flap and move the right hand up into Poker-hand position. Spread the card at the face to the right, as though forming a fan. The fan will appear to show two indifferent cards, the Ace of Diamonds and the Ace of Clubs (Figure 343).The second indifferent card is a Triple, the rearmost of the three hinged to the flap of F2. Place your left thumb on the fan along the line formed by the left edge of the Triple but overlapping it to the left.

Again, the inner left corner of the fan should be concealed in the thumb crotch. Lower the fan to allow the spectators to see the faces of the cards. Keep the fan slightly in motion as you display it, to hide the thickness of the Triple. Again rotate the left wrist clockwise and the right hand counterclockwise, and transfer the fan to the right hand, thumb above and fingers below. Keep your left hand close, screening the flap seam, as you rotate the right hand palm down. The left thumb should hide the flap seam as the right hand moves to Overhand Grip. I'ull down the lower three cards, permitting the flap to swing downward. Curl the left fingers inward as you release the lower three cards, trapping the flap inside the packet. Square the cards and make a magical gesture over them. Turn the packet face up, end for end, and fan the packet, revealing that both Aces have vanished, leaving four indifferent cards. Allow a moment for this to register. Close the fan and drop the packet face down back into its original position on the table, but rotated crosswise so the flap seam is nearest you. Pick up the third packet. Spread it as you have the previous two, to show four backs, with the F3 feke at the top of the packet. Square the packet and pull down the three lower cards to set the flap into the open position, hidden by the right hand. Transfer the packet to the left hand, rotating it to Poker-hand position as you have before. Simulate spreading the cards into a fan that shows an indifferent card, the Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs and Ace of Hearts from the face. The face card is a Quadruple. Position your left thumb on the fan along the line formed by the left sides of the cards and conceal the corner of the fan in the left thumb crotch. Lower the fan to allow the spectators to see the faces of the cards but keep the fan in motion. Once again, rotate the left hand palm right and the right hand counterclockwise, and transfer the fan to the right hand, with thumb above fingers below. Keep the left hand close, screening the flap seam, as you rotate the right hand palm down. The left thumb once more hides the flap seam as the right hand moves to Overhand Grip. Pull down the three lower cards and the flap will swing downward. Curl the left fingers inward as you release the lower three cards. Trap the flap inside the packet, square the cards and make a magical gesture over them. Turn the packet face up end for end, the flap still on the right. Fan the packet, revealing all three Aces have vanished. Four indifferent cards are present instead.

Allow a moment for this to register. Close the fan and replace the packet in its spot on the table, but rotated so that the flap seam is toward you. Pick up each of the rotated packets and turn them face up one last time, flap on the right. Spread each packet into a fan and place the twelve-card fan on the table, face up. This reinforces the vanish of the Aces from all three packets. With the hands obviously empty, pick up the final, rightmost, packet. Spread these cards as you have each of the previous three packets. Transfer and rotate the packet into Poker-hand position as you have before. Spread the cards into a fan, then lower it, showing the four Aces. Drop each Ace onto the table and take your bow.

WATCH THE WILD ACE 4, JULY

1965

FINAL IN APRILof 1962, Gus Southall contributed a description and explanation of a Peter Kane routine called "Watch the Ace!" to Hugard's Magic Monthly (Vol. 19, No. 8, page 89). This started a series of letters from magicians all over the world, sharing touches and variations on the idea. Among the people moved by the Kane routine was Frank Garcia, who altered it in a number of ways. As Frank told me the story, Lou Tannen witnessed a Garcia performance of his variation of the routine. Lou saw its commercial potential and decided to market it, albeit without Frank's assistance or permission. Lou named Frank's routine "Wild Card." He did give Garcia credit for the routine, but he never obtained Frank's permission to market it, though Frank never attempted to stop him. In the meantime, Blanca Lopez, then editor of Hugard's Magic Monthly, began publishing some of the correspondence being received from inspired readers. From this correspondence grew the first enhancements and variations. Some were handling variations of "Watch the Ace!" some of "Wild Card." All praised the original creations that motivated them. In late 1964, when I sessioned with Frank Garcia, perhaps for the first time, I saw him perform "Wild C a r d while at Tannen's store, then located in the Wurlitzer building. I purchased the routine and began playing with it. The set I bought was made with the Ace of Clubs and King of Hearts. After toying with the cards for a number of months and rereading the description in Hugard's of the Kane effect, I decided that people were overlooking the fact that the effects were different, however closely related. "Watch the Wild Ace" was born from my efforts to take the best from both plots.

462

+ ENCHANTMENTS

I have shown this routine to very few magicians over the years, but I have performed it for many lay people, who have happily enjoyed those performances. I find it interesting that, after more than thirty-five years of innumerable versions, handlings and variations of the two original routines, no one has come close to this concept. I truly believe "Watch the Wild Ace" brings the idea begun by Kane's "Watch the Ace!" full circle. Alternate methods and alternate handlings may come along, but just as "MacDonald's Aces" defines its premise, "Watch the Wild Ace" defines a culmination of the "Watch the Ace!" and "Wild Card" premises. Don't make the mistake of going backward, removing a wallet and taking out the cards, etc.; and be wary of the inclination to switch the cards so they can be examined. Examination may assuage your sense of guilt in an effect like this, but in my opinion no one in all the years has come up with a switch that is logical enough to accomplish its end without leaving some lingering suspicion (including Marlo, Ortiz and Decamps). If you can't switch without that lingering suspicion, it's better to leave the mystery. Beyond this, &owing props to be examined, particularly at the end of a routine, sets a bad precedent for a highly questionable practice. If ever I find a solution to the switch problem, I'll do my best to bring it to the fellowship and, perhaps, celebrity to its creator. I don't think that's going to happen any time soon. EFFECT: The performer removes the four Aces and one other card of each suit. He then proceeds to change each of the indifferent cards into an Ace of its suit, creating four pairs of Aces: two Spades, two Hearts, two Clubs and two Diamonds. Continuing, the performer changes the Aces of each of the suits, for example Spades, Hearts and Diamonds, into Aces of Clubs. The routine concludes with eight Aces of Clubs spread on the table. REQUIREMENTS: Eight cards in all are required. Three are double-faced, longitudinally split-faced double enders: an Ace of Hearts-indifferent Heart, backed with an Ace of Clubs; an Ace of Spades-indifferent Spade, backed with an Ace of Clubs; and an Ace of Diamonds-indifferent Diamond, backed with an Ace of Clubs. These cards are 344 shown in Figure 344. The indifferent cards shown here are those used in my set and, for convenience of explanation, will be referred to in the text that follows. faced as follows: an Ace of Clubs backed with an indifferent Club; an Ace of Hearts backed with an Ace of Clubs; an Ace of Spades backed with

an Ace of Clubs; and an Ace of Diamonds backed with an Ace of Clubs. Figure 345 should make the construction of these cards clear. One regular Ace of Clubs and a regular deck of cards are also needed. SET-UP: Arrange the deck from face to rear with the cards matching the faces of the gaffed packet interspersed throughout the pack in the following order (indifferent cards will intervene): Ace of Clubs-Ace of Hearts-Ace of Spades-Ace of Diamonds-Ten of ClubsNine of Diamonds-Jack of Spades-King of Hearts. The King of Hearts should be second from the top. For this explanation, let's say the top card is the Four of Diamonds. The gaffed packet should be set up, again from face to rear: Ace of Clubs-Ace of HeartsIAce of Clubs (Ace of Hearts showing)-Ace of SpadesIAce of Clubs (Ace of Spades showing)-Ace of DiamondslAce of Clubs (Ace of Diamonds showing)-Ten of ClubsIAce of Clubs (Ten of Clubs showing)-Nine of Diamonds-Ace of DiamondsIAce of Clubs (Nine of Diamonds to the left)-Jack of Spades-Ace of SpadesIAce of Clubs (Jack of Spades to the left)-King of HeartsAce of HeartsIAce of Clubs (King of Hearts to the left). Place the gaffed packet face up in your left hand with the regular Ace of Clubs showing, and place the deck face up on top of it. Make sure that the Ace of Clubs on the face of the gaffed packet and the Ace of Clubs in the deck are oriented in the same direction. If you remove the Twos and Threes from the deck, you can slip the set-up deck into a card box, ready to begin. Alternately, I have kept the packet in my left-side jacket pocket and the deck in my right-side jacket pocket. Both hands go to the pockets simultaneously. The left hand then goes to the lap, where it leaves the packet, while the right hand ribbon spreads the deck face up across the table. The deck can then be given a False Shuffle and False Cut. You can even do other effects with the deck, as long as you don't disturb the order of the required cards. When you're ready to perform, you should be holding the deck face up in your right hand, in Overhand Grip. The left hand goes to the lap and retrieves the packet, taking it into Gambler's Cop, with the normal Ace of Clubs uppermost. As you stand, add the packet face up beneath the face-up deck.

1

Explain that you will remove the four Aces and one card of each suit. Spread the cards between your hands and openly out-jog the eight required cards as you come to them, in order: Ace of Clubs-Ace of Hearts-Ace of Spades-Ace of Diamonds (note the CHaSeD suit order)-Ten of Clubs-Nine of Diamonds, Jack of Spades-King of Hearts. After out-jogging the King of Hearts, move your left thumb to the forward left corner of the indifferent card (the Four of Diamonds in our example) on the face of the packet remaining in the left hand. As you finish out-jogging the eight cards, raise your hands just enough to let their backs be seen but not far enough to risk flashing any of the gaffed-card packet. How much of the faces you can hide will depend on the size of your hands and how you hold the cards. Experiment in front of a video camera or a mirror; there's nothing difficult about it, but you need to be aware. Lower your hands again as your left thumb pushes the Four of Diamonds to the right, just enough to allow you to obtain a fourth-finger break under it. Be careful not to flash any part of the index of the Ace of Clubs on the face of the gaffed packet. With your right hand, grasp the deck from above, with the thumb at the right near corner, and use the right second finger to angle the out-jogged cards to the left so that it can complete the grip on the front right corner of the deck. Secretly carry the gaffed packet below the break forward under the out-jogged cards. With your left thumb, press down on the face of the out-jogged Ace of Clubs and pull all the out-jogged cards onto the gaffed cards (Figure 346), forming a fourth-finger break between the two groups. The deck will be in an unsquared condition at this point. Bring the left hand's two groups of cards back under the deck, adding the upper packet to the bottom of the deck, and immediately lift the deck to your fingertips to square it. Since the card on the face of the left hand's packet has the same card at its face as the packet that was just pulled from the deck, the audience will believe, without question, that they are the same cards. (This is why you oriented the two Aces of Clubs in the same direction when \ \ you set up the cards.) -

NOTE: The technique just described is based on the Vernon Strip-Out Addition (Phoenix, No. 248, February 8, 1952, page 990; or Dai Vernoni Further Inner Secrets of Card Magic, 1961, page 5) but goes an important step further by not only adding cards but switching packets as well. While this technique is virtually the same as Derek Dingle's NoLap Switch (The

Complete Works ofDerek Dingle, 1982, page 85). 1 do not believe Derek was aware of my technique when he created his. The sequence has important applications to other effects where similar conditions exist, though - in this form it requires a duplicate or near duplicate be employed. Place the deck aside. You won't need it again during the routine. Make a moderately tight Drag Fan of the gaffed-card packet in your hands. With experience you'll learn the parameters of handling these cards without flashing portions of the cards that should not show. The cards will show in an order identical to the cards that were out-jogged in the deck. This further confirms that they are the same cards. Point out to the spectators that you have the four Aces and one card that matches the suit of each of the Aces. Reach over and pull the Ten of Clubs into an out-jogged position in the fan. Take the Ace of Clubs off the face of the fan and place it behind the Ten of Clubs, pinching the end of the Ten and the Ace together (Figure 347). Draw the Ten of Clubs out of the fan and turn the two cards, roughly squared, so their backs are toward the audience. (The back of the honest Ace of Clubs, which screens the Ace-of-Clubs side of the double-facer, is seen.) Move the two cards to the left end of the fan and use them to close it, rotating the cards end

348

Place the two cards on the face of the packet, turning them over in the process so that the Ace of Clubs lies face down on top of the Ace of ClubsITen of Clubs. (The Ten of Clubs is now facing the Ace of Hearts.) Use only your left hand to square the packet, as your right hand pulls the face-down Ace of Clubs inward

(Figure 349). This reveals a second Ace of Clubs and the first magical change: the Ten of Clubs has transformed into an Ace of Clubs. Turn the face-down Ace of Clubs face up and push the Ace of Clubs/ ?Ten of Clubs off the face of the packet, talung it into the right hand, in a fanned position under the Ace of Clubs. Set the two cards to your right on the table.

5

Take the packet into the right hand, in Overhand Grip, and peel the top and bottom cards off to the left, as you would in a Klondike Shuffle (Figure 350). You will end up with the 350 two cards in fanned position in the left hand, held by the thumb above and the fingers below. This is the second magical change: the King of Hearts to an Ace of Hearts. Set down these two cards to the left of, but not touching, the two Aces of Clubs.

6

Repeat the previous sequence, peeling the two Aces of Spades off the face and rear of the packet, and place the fanned pair to the left of, but not touching, the first two pairs of matched Aces. This is the third change: the Jack of Spades to an Ace of Spades.

J

Take the two remaining cards from the right hand into the left and fan them to show two Aces of Diamonds. This is the fourth change: the Nine of Diamonds to an Ace of Diamonds. Place these two Aces down on the table as well.

8

Your patter should reinforce the impossibility of what you have done. Offer to continue more slowly, more fairly and with fewer cards. Pick up the legitimate Ace of Clubs from the face of the Ace of Clubs pair, saying something about using it as a pointer. Casually let the back of this card be seen as you gesture with it. The next sequence was originally done as a Through-the-Fist Flourish, which I never liked in this situation. In July 1970, I changed the handling to its present form. Take the Ace of Clubs face down into your left hand and use it to scoop up the two Aces of Spades. Place these three cards into your left hand, draw the face-down Ace of Clubs from under the two Spades and place it onto them. Holding the packet in dealing position, open the fingers, releasing their

grip. Bring the right hand to the left and take the packet into Pinch Grip at the middle of its right side, with the thumb above and the first and second fingers below. Lift the right side of the packet slightly and slide the cards across the left hand until the left edge of the packet lies along the joint between the inner and middle phalanges of the first finger and the base of the innermost phalange of the fourth finger. The contact is most pronounced at the base of the fourth finger. Push up and slightly forward with the right hand (Figure 35 I), allowing the two lower cards to escape from the grip of the right fingers while the right thumb retains the top card. The two cards should snap over invisibly, under cover of the top card (Figure 352). If you have done everything correctly, it should look as though the top card was merely lifted 352 sharply off the packet, which it has been. It should not be realized that the two lower cards have been reversed in the process. They will show as two Aces of Clubs. This technique is my Snap Reverse (page 58). These constitute the fifth and sixth changes: the two Aces of Spades into two Aces of Clubs.

I

9

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"Once the first one changes, the other one's a goner." While still holding the face-down Ace of Clubs between the right thumb and third finger, turn the hand palm down and take the uppermost Ace of Clubs from the left hand, clipping - it between the right first and second fingers (Figure 353). Place it face up onto the Ace of ClubsITen of Clubs on the table but leave it jogged to the right so both faces show. Turn the right hand again palm up as it returns to the left hand. Take the remaining Ace of Clubs by turning the right hand palm down and clipping the Ace of ClubsIAce of Spades between the right first and second fingers. Place it on the growing spread of changed Aces of Clubs. Your right hand should still hold the regular Ace of Clubs.

10

"I'll do it again, a little slower and a little fairer." Use the regular Ace of Clubs in your right hand as a face-up scoop to pick up the two Aces of Hearts. Turn the entire packet over or "face down.'' Execute a Pull-Down on the bottom card of the packet, to free it from the two cards above. While your right hand holds the ~ a c k ein t Overhand Grip, turn your left hand palm down, rotating the bottom card from under the packet and face up to display an Ace of Hearts (Figure 354). Be careful not to flash the face of the Ace-of-Clubs side of this card. Place the Ace of Hearts face up on the packet. Pull the facedown Ace of Clubs from under the face-up Ace of Hearts and drop it on top. Use a Buckle or Pull-Down to create a break under the top two cards and immediately pull them back as one, revealing the Ace of Clubs beneath (Figure 355). One Ace of Hearts has apparently changed to the Ace of Clubs (the seventh change). Turn over the right hand's double card and place it "face u p under the left hand's card (supposedly two cards). Push the card on the face of the left hand's packet to the left, revealing the second Ace of Clubs (the eighth change). Repeat, "Once the first one changes, the other one's a goner." With your right hand, slide the legitimate Ace of Clubs from under the other two cards. Turn the right hand palm down and take the first face-up Ace of Clubs from the left hand, clipping it between the right first and second fingers. Place it onto the line of Aces of Clubs on the table. Repeat this action with the left hand's remaining Ace of Clubs.

?1

"Let me try the last one in slow motion." Use the Ace of Clubs as a face-up scoop to pick up the two Aces of Diamonds. Hold the three cards spread in your right hand, in Overhand Grip. Square them up, forming a break above the lower two cards and move the left hand to the left, openly revolving the two cards, as one, face down from under the card above (Figure 356) and placing this double card onto the face-up Ace of Diamonds (Figure 357). Be careful not to flash

the face of the two cards as you flip them face down, as a split-faced card would show. The action is rather like opening a book while keeping its cover up. The audience should believe the card you are putting on top of the Ace of Diamonds is the Ace of Clubs. Maintain a break between the top two cards and the third, the face-up Ace of Diamonds, and take the packet into left-hand dealing position. Grip the double card by its near end, with the right first finger above, thumb below. Pull back the card(s), showing half the face of the Ace of Diamonds. Push the two cards square but maintain your grip on the double card. Pull back, revealing the Ace of Diamonds again. "Still hasn't changed. It's tougher when you do it slowly." Push the double card forward again a n d with the right - thumb underneath, push the lower card of the Double outward and squarely onto the Ace of Diamonds, releasing it from the right hand's grip. If you push fairly hard you will push it slightly past the front end of the Ace of Diamonds. Pull back the single top card, causing the Ace of Diamonds to appear to have changed into an Ace of Clubs (Figure 358). Resquare the packet as you remove the top card briefly without showing its face. This is essentially the standard Paintbrush Color Change - (and the ninth transformation of the routine). I I Drop the right hand's card, still face down, onto the face-up Ace of Clubs on the left hand's packet, in-jogged for half its length. Use the Christ-Annemann Alignment Move (page 80) to align the bottom card of the packet with the top card. Pinch the two cards as one at their near ends and turn them end over end and face up onto the packet. Now spread the three cards, revealing three Aces of Clubs, as you say, "But once the first one goes, the second one's a goner." This is the tenth change. Transfer the rear card of the packet to its face. Next take the upper two Aces of Clubs into the right hand and turn the left hand palm down, which exposes the

4

*

-'5 * j

4

dr".'

back of the normal Ace of Clubs there. Take the right hand's two cards between the left first and second fingers and add them to the tabled group, at the end of the tabled spread, completing a string of Seven Aces of Clubs. Use the remaining, legitimate Ace of Clubs to scoop up the tabled line ofAces,

&"@

=~$3adding it to the rear of the packet. Square the packet and turn it face down in your left hand; then say, "That ruins another deck but it's worth it for an xvs+% audience like you." As you deliver this applause cue, retrieve the deck from 2 % where it's been resting on the table, put the packet onto it and put the deck -?> e; .- into your pocket.

-

NOTE: After performing this routine, you're through. S don't think this can be anything but a closing item. It's too strong to be followed. Further, by doing it as a closing effect, you avoid the problem of having the cards examined. Sf ever a satisfactory method of switching is devised, it may make sense to switch the deck and just leave the cards behind. I don't accept the idea of a Wallet Switch. In considering a logically acceptable switch, the closest I've come to a solution is one that leans heavily on the closing line of the routine. It requires that you set up a deck with the four Aces and the four indifferent cards removed, and eight Aces of Clubs on top. If you put that deck into your pocket and later do a Full-Deck Switch, just leaving the cards behind, there is a logic to it: You can't use the deck because it's ruined. Therefore, you're leaving it behind. But the deck switch must be a good one: something like a Cigar Switch (page 439, Step 3). If the deck has eight Aces of Clubs and no box, there is a good chance the audience won't want to keep it, but under these circumstances you can't make a big deal about getting it back. If the deck is to be taken away from the audience, a friend of yours must do it. I'm sure this seems like much ado about nothing, but psychologically the reasoning must stand up or the audience's recollection of the effect may be muted. It's somewhat like selling magic tricks in the lobby after a magic show: It cheapens the whole show. This effect is not difficult to perform; the moves are all quite easy. Please, please, practice them sufficiently to do them justice, and present the routine well. I truly hate to part with it because I fear its being abused. Please give it the effort it deserves.

SECTIONTHREE

GENERAL TIPS

THE HANDS T ~ HANDS E of a magician, unlike the hands of any other performing artist, must have the correct moisture level to function optimally. Certainly the hands of a pianist or a violinist must be supple and strong, but only magicians must be concerned with the exact moisture level of the skin. While it is true of other props besides cards, it is arguably more true that handling cards is affected by the condition of your skin. Dry hands will almost totally stop you from being able to deal Bottoms and will make Seconds "if$" at best. Wet hands will play havoc when you palm cards. I have heard a story-it may be apocryphalthat Vernon was once asked, "What do you do for wet hands?" To which he responded, "I don't know, but I'll give you a thousand dollars if you tell me how to get them." The point is that even the greats have known the problem. I have from time to time seen mentioned in various magic journals the idea of using Sort-Kwik, a commercial preparation made for people who handle paper, such as bank tellers. I have seen others mention using roughing fluid, hair spray, rose water, glycerin, Vagasil or cocoa butter on the hands. All these "solutions" have one thing in common. They approach the problem as do most doctors: Treat the symptom, not the disease. A number of years ago, I found a solution to the problem that works for me. I am sharing it here for the first time in print. The substance is called Na-PCA (Sodium Pyrrolidone Carboxylic Acid). It is the prime constituent of human skin moisture and it regulates the moisture level. We all start out with an ample supply at birth, but it becomes decreasingly available as we age and as our skin is exposed to the elements. This substance is now available in a spray. It is, I

believe, manufactured by Twin Laboratories, Inc. of Ronkonkoma, New York, and can be found or ordered through most health food stores. If you're having a problem with dry skin, use it at least once daily for two to four weeks (best right after your morning shower) and certainly before performances. Once your hands have rebalanced their n~oisturelevel, use it every few nights, according to your need, before going to sleep. If you're troubled by wet hands, use it daily but not before performances, and start using Neutrogena or glycerin soap for washing your hands. It will take a few weeks but your hands will improve markedly. While I'm on the subject, regardless of the condition of your hands, never use these products before a practice session. You want the conditions during practice to be as adverse as possible.

(I have been counseled to make the following statement fir the benejt of the litigiously minded: I am not a licensed health-care practitioner and the sugested use of Na-PCA h a not been@lly tested by the FDA. While I have qeriencedfivorable results, resultsfar other individuals and their side efects can vary widely. The author, publishec its agents, distributor and seller of this book are to be held barmlessfiom any claims resultingfiom any problems in using thisproduct. (Wbat ajdnny zuorfd we live in9

THE CARDS I AM forever amazed at how little attention most magicians pay to the way in which they prepare their cards for use. Pianists are very particular about the tuning and regulation of their instrument; violinists carefully tune the violin and resin the bow; drummers tune and tighten the drum heads, nail their bass drums to the floor, adjust pedal tension and make sure that the kit doesn't ring. Magicians, regardless of conditions, whip out a deck and expect it to perform. They complain bitterly when the deck "acts funny." Cards may only be paper but they are sensitive to how they are treated. As many will know, most playing cards are composed of three layers. The two layers on which the front and back are printed are made of what is called coated stock. (Some are glazed and some are plastic coated.) The center layer is a papier-m2ch6like bonding layer that varies from manufacturer to manufacturer. All mass-produced cards are printed in large sheets or on rolls, then die cut on a huge press or with a rotating wheel. The result is that the edges of the cards include an exposed edge of the center bonding layer, which is a virtual sponge. Increasingly over the years, U.S. Playing Card Company, the world's largest manufacturer of cards, has tried to use their dies for more decks before replacing them, as a means of cutting production costs. The result is that many decks are shipped with edges that are ragged from being cut by worn dies or blades. U.S. Playing Card decks have gotten worse and worse, but other companies also have unsealed edges on their cards. For most purposes this process is fine, and decks perform as intended. There is little point in complaining to U.S. Playing Card or others because magicians constitute far too small a part of the market for us to matter. We are left to find our own solutions.

I have experimented with any number of approaches over the years in an effort to find the best way to break in a deck. I want it to handle well for as many things as possible, and I want it to last as long as it reasonably can. Thus far, the best approach is as follows: Obtain a men's all-cotton handkerchief. (I'm not sure why, but blends of cotton and other materials don't work as well.) Wash it and allow it to dry fully, then soak it in Downy-brand fabric softener. (Some other softeners work, but it's hit and miss.) Lay out the handkerchief to dry at normal room temperature in an area that is dust-free but has good ventilation. It may take a while (as much as a day) for the cloth to dry. Don't try to hurry the process and don't put it in a dryer. Store the prepared handkerchief in a cool, dry, dust-free environment-a plastic bag works well. When you're ready to break in some cards, it should be a fairly dry day and the room should not be too warm. Open a number of decks at one time and give each a gentle perfect Faro, with the deck held by each end and side (that's four Faros in all), then carefully square the cards. Take the handkerchief and rub the side of each deck vigorously in full strokes, on all sides, running from end to end (it's like a squaring action). Eventually the sides of the deck will feel smooth. This will take varying amounts of work, depending on the degree of roughness that existed before you started. You will need to change spots on the handkerchief from time to time as you rub. When you have done all the decks, put them back into their cases and store them for three days. (In a pinch, one day will do). I usually do a dozen decks at a time. The preparation on the handkerchief will be used up by then and it will need to be washed and retreated. The process I've described works for a number of reasons. The handkerchief acts as a gentle abrasive to smooth the edges of the cards, the Downy (an aqueous dispersion of non-ionic sterates in a colloidal suspension) acts as a sealant and moisture repellant. It also tends to act like an extremely light coating of fanning powder, applied only to the edges but without the caking tendency of the powder. A deck once treated this way can last for months, provided it isn't used in a dirty or moist environment; and it will continue to function well, provided it is not used for more than about an hour at a time. If you do use a deck for more than an hour, it will take longer before you can use it again. A general rule is: one day of rest for every hour or portion thereof of use. I am not suggesting that all your decks necessarily be treated like this. It is, after all, a bit of work. I a m suggesting that the decks you use for performance be so treated. You'll be surprised at the difference it makes. A good deck will feel like putty in your hands; it will seem that every move you do is finer, neater and more reliable. It isn't a cure for a lack of practice, but it is a major help at the time when you need it most-during performance.

I should add that these treated decks should not be used for practice or general use, though you may wish to use one during rehearsal, and you should use one during full-dress rehearsal. For general use, day to day, and practice, try to use decks in every possible condition. It's the only way to develop a good sense of which techniques can be done reliably with decks in various states of wear. It is actually harder to compensate for a slippery deck than for a sticky one. Experience with decks in different conditions is an excellent teacher.

I

HAVE seen performers try to construct an act with one powerful effect after

another. Some even advocate this construction. To the extent that they succeed, they may wonder why by the end of the act they have lost their audience. The general rules are fairly simple. They are the rules of good theater. I pass along my experience on the matter with the recognition that there is a wide variety of choices of effect, and opinions about the category into which various effects fall. I'll even play safe and say, this is not the only workable order for an act. Just as a play, a book or a movie must have pacing, so must a magic act. You should open strong; grab your audience. You should not try to follow strong but rather look for something novel, off-beat, unique, engaging. Follow with another strong effect, which can be of the longer variety. Do a pretty, visual effect to follow the longer, more cerebral item. This allows the spectator's lefi brain to rest and the right brain to take over. If you are going to do a longer act, now is the time for a shift in the type of material. You must use judgment as to how long you can go. If you sense any restlessness, you have been on too long. If the audience is having a good time and is not restless or fidgety, hit them with your big finish and get off. Do not under any circumstances do anything after your closing effect that seems to be a continuation of the act. There are ways to handle encore pieces, but they should clearly be separated from the act itself. This is hardly a comprehensive treatment of the subject, but the widespread proliferation of misguided theatrical ideas and the advice that every effect must be a "closer" have doomed many performers and performances to failure. Reflect on the acts of the most successful performers in any of the performing

arts: music, comedy, dance or magic. They all have a range of material, strongerweaker, faster-slower, lighter-heavier, etc. Well chosen and delivered, you take your audiences on a roller coaster ride, culminating in a moment, preferably a moment of exhilaration. Such moments get an audience off their hands and applauding (where appropriate). In formal situations, your energy in feeding your closing item can come back in exceptional response from your audience. They feel good and their applause tells you so; then you feel good. All is right with the world. It's a truly wonderful exchange. Plan for it and work toward it-you'll be glad you did.

TRIS BOOK is heavy-laden with information. I was a bit sneaky in hiding useful tidbits all the way through, in the hope of encouraging you to read the whole thing. I believe there is some rather novel thinking reflected in my work, and while, no doubt, some will disagree with things I have written, those ideas should, at least, cause you to think about the positions you hold. Finally, let me apologize if this work reflects a wide divergence in levels of sophistication from item to item. I have endeavored to offer something of value to as wide a variety of magicians as possible. At the same time, I wanted to introduce some advanced thinking on the issues of today and tomorrow in the world of card magic. This is no easy task. The spread between the expert and the novice is wide; and the years of practice and experience that separate the two are long. It is my hope that you will use the material your abilities permit and come back to the book as your abilities improve. In the meantime, you can offer your audiences these Enchantments and your own.

WesleyJames