A MAGAZINE OF INNOVATION

WILLIAM P. MIESEL

PUBLISHED BY
unikorn
magik

!
 P R E C U R S O R

This first issue of The PRECURSOR is published in June of 1983 and is edited by
myself and Ed Eckl. Editorial offices are at 2215 Myrtle Street, Erie, Penn-
sylvania 16502. The PRECURSOR will be issued three times a year, and it will
be sold for $4.00 per issue, or three issues for $10.00.

The aim of The PRECURSOR is to provide to the magic f r a t e r n i t y a magazine

devoted mainly to revolutionary and experimental close-up material.

At the present time, there are a number of magazines devoted to commercial

close-up routines for the performing magician. Hopefully, we will be able to
provide a journal to record ideas that may not be commercial at the present
time, but, with some adaptation, could very well be the miracles of tomorrow.
Of course, if an idea is not only revolutionary, but commercial also, it will
not be turned away.

Naturally, we are looking for contributions s and we will give away three-issue
subscriptions to contributors whose material appears in future PRECURSORS.

The f i r s t idea is the "Tahoe Key". When I f i r s t made t h i s discovery during a

session with Nick Trost, I wanted to send i t immediately to an appropriate
magazine, but I did not know which one would be appropriate, and, as a result,
The PRECURSOR w a s b o r n .

The second effect in t h i s issue is Nick Trost's "ESP Prediction", which uses
only six ESP cards. I t is hard to believe that t h i s t r i c k could be done with
any less than ten cards.

The "Millenium Backs" is j u s t a l i t t l e quicky that may find favor as a

throwaway between more elaborate routines. Actually, i t is important here
because of the association between it and "Wild Tic - Wilder Tac - Wildest Toe"
which appears later in this first issue.

Neal Elias provides a very fine study on "Peak Controls" that is going to
provide a great deal of inspiration to card men for years to come.

"Wild Tic - Wilder Tac - Wildest Toe" is an interesting progression along the
road for the search of the illusive impromptu "Wild Card".

Interspersed in this issue, and in issues to come, will be sundry lines, ideas,
and thoughts by Ed Eckl. They may even prove to be interesting!

We hope that you enjoy t h i s f i r s t issue of The PRECURSOR and w i l l be looking

forward to the second issue which is planned for early October 1983.

William P. Miesel
April 24, 1983
 THE TAHOE KEY

At t h e end of J a n u a r y each y e a r , I a t t e n d t h e Columbus M a g i - F e s t and a l w a y s

spend t h e e n t i r e week in Columbus. This provides an e x c e l l e n t o p p o r t u n i t y t o
have an extended session w i t h Nick T r o s t .

At t h i s year's s e s s i o n , we spent c o n s i d e r a b l e time time d i s c u s s i n g t h e d i f f e r -

ences between v a r i o u s brands of playing c a r d s .

I a l w a y s c a r r y a c o u p l e of d e c k s of b o t h " S q u e e z e r s " and " T a l l y - H o s " , which

happen t o be my f a v o r i t e s . Nick brought out a couple of t h e now-popular Arrco
decks, t h e "Tahoe" and t h e " S t r e a m l i n e " .

During t h e c o u r s e of t h e e v e n i n g , we had o u t f o u r d e c k s of c a r d s , one each of

t h e above brands, j u s t lying around on t h e t a b l e . We were more or l e s s t r y i n g
to compare t h e d i f f e r e n c e s in t h e " f e e l " of t h e d i f f e r e n t decks.

During t h e s e s s i o n , t h e t o p i c of a " C o l o r Changing Deck" r o u t i n e came u p . I

happened t o t a k e a s i n g l e c a r d o u t of t h e b l u e - b a c k e d Tahoe d e c k , and I added
i t to my red-backed Squeezer deck. I couldn't believe my senses! The card
from the Tahoe deck was a trace longer than the cards in the Squeezer deck!

There was not much difference between the sizes of the two cards, but the Tahoe
card was about a sixty-fourth of an inch longer than the Squeezer card. There
was absolutely no difference in the width of the two cards.

This set me to thinking about some of the older books on magic. In a l l of

them, the consensus of opinion was that a "Long Card" makes the best "Key
Card".

Of course, no one has a long card to use as a key card, because about the only
way to get one is to take an entire deck of cards and to cut i t short. Now,
one of the cut cards is discarded, and i t s duplicate is taken from a regular
deck to replace the card in the short deck.

The first thought that came to mind was to glue a card from the Squeezer deck
to the back of the Tahoe card, but this would be ridiculous, because any two
cards glued together make a "double card" which is a key card. And if the two
cards are glued so that they are not in perfect alignment, they form a long
card.

What would happen if the Tahoe card were added to a Squeezer deck in i t s
natural state? Let's try cutting t h i s deck a couple of times. It w i l l be
found that the long card naturally gravitates to the bottom of the deck.

It w i l l also be found that i t is v i r t u a l l y impossible to naturally cut this

card to the back of the deck if the deck is held face down. In fact, in order
to cut this card to the back of the deck, i t is necessary to do a "Pull-Down
Move" on the long card.

In shuffling the deck, the answer is to use a standard type of riffle shuffle.
If the cards are riffled by the ends, when the long card drops, the next card
will drop naturally right on top of it, keeping the back hidden.

The Tabled Riffle Shuffle can be used, but be careful to keep track of the long
card so that it is not cut to inadvertantly to begin the riffle. During the
riffle it will stay hidden, because the riffle is done at the inside corners
where the performer will see the backs, but they are more or less hidden from
the spectator's view.

Any overhand shuffles that are performed must be done very carefully, as the
long card will have a tendency to be stripped out, and its back will then be
exposed.

In fact, the deck can be handled by the spectator himself, provided that he can
be influenced to handle the deck at its ends. He can give the deck regular
shuffles and straight cuts, just so he handles the cards at the ends.

Here is an excellent approach to a card control using a Squeezer deck with one
card from a Tahoe deck in it to act as the long key card. Of course, the color
of the key card and the deck should be the same; that way a quick flash will
probably pass unnoticed.

1. Let's use a blue-backed Squeezer deck for the performance. Before

beginning, take any card out of the blue-backed Streamline deck, and insert it
into the Squeezer deck.

2. If you are not working for magicians, then the card that you use will
probably be the Joker. That way, if it is desired to remove the key card from
the deck during the performance, all that is required is to ribbon-spread the
deck face up and to take out the Joker. And, by the same token, if it should
be required later, it can be returned to the deck. Of course, this will not
pass muster with experienced card men, because they would realize that the
Joker does not match up with the deck in use, but, of course, this would never
be noticed by the layman.

3. The Key Card is placed so that it is about four or five cards from the
face of the deck. The deck is placed in its case and is carried in readiness
for a performance.

4. Begin the performance by removing the deck of cards from its case, and
casually fan it face down without actually exposing the backs of the several
bottom cards, hiding the odd back. Square up the cards, turn them face up, and
again fan them to allow the spectators to note that they are all different.

5. Square up the deck, turn it face down, and hold it in the left hand.
Give the deck a Triple Undercut as follows: With the right hand, cut off about
a third of the deck, and place it on the bottom. Cut off another third, and
return that to the bottom. Now, again with the right hand, cut to the long
card, completing the cut so the long card is at the face of the deck.

6. Fan the deck face down, and have a card selected. While the spectator
shows the card to the others in the audience, square up the deck in the left
hand.
 7. With the right hand, begin to do a Hindu Shuffle with the deck, asking
the spectator to replace his card among the others.

8. The spectator can replace his selected card at any time on top of the
portion in the left hand. When he has done this, the right hand tosses all of
the remaining cards on top of the selected card. The result is that the Long
Card is now directly above the selection.

9. Square up the deck, and spot the location of the Long Card. From this
point, there are a number of alternatives to finally control the selected card.

10. The most obvious procedure is to give the deck a couple of straight
cuts , with the final cut being to the Long Card, bringing it to the face of
the deck, at the same time bringing the selected card to the top.

11. Another logical procedure is to cut to the Long Card. The Long Card
will now be on the face of one packet, and the selection will be on the back of
the other packet. Commence a riffle shuffle, riffling off all of the cards
evenly while holding back the selection to drop last on top of the deck.

12. My favorite handling is to cut the deck into two packets, but not at
the Key Card. This card must be kept track of, and its position in its packet
must be known.

13. Commence a riffle shuffle, but upon reaching the Long Card, slow down
the riffle so as not to separate the Long Card and the selection under it.

14. Give the deck a second riffle shuffle, again being careful not to
separate the Long Card from the selected card. Finally, give the deck a triple
undercut, with the final cut bringing the Long Card to the bottom of the deck
and the selected card to the top.

15. In all three cases, the selected card has been brought to the top of
the deck, and it can be dealt with as desired. Using this principle, here is a
card control and a prediction-in-the-wallet routine.

Multiple Card Control

1. Have the Long Card on the face of the deck. With the deck face down,
fan the cards, and have three spectators each select a card.

2. Square up the deck, and commence a Hindu Shuffle, as in the single

card method. Have the first selection returned on top of the packet in the
left hand, and toss the rest of the cards on top of the selection.

3. Again square up the deck, and cut the Long Card to the face of the
deck. At the same time, get a right-thumb-break under the top card, the first
selection. Triple undercut the first selection from the back to the face of
the deck.

4. With the deck face down in the left hand, strip out the bottom half
with the right hand. Extend the left hand for the return of the second selec-
tion. After the selected card has been placed on the top of this packet, toss
the cards remaining in the right hand on top, and square up the deck.

5. Cut the Long Card back to the face of the deck, and get a right-thumb-
break under the top two cards. Triple undercut the first two selections from
the top to the face of the deck.

6. Holding the deck in the left hand, again s t r i p out the bottom half
with the right hand, and extend the left hand for the return of the third
selection. Toss the cards remaining in the right hand on top of the returned
selected card, and square the deck.

7. This time, cut the deck at the Long Card, and r i f f l e shuffle the two
packets together, bringing the Long Card back to the face of the deck and the
three selections to the top, in first-second-third order.

Wild Prediction In Wallet

This is a routine in which a mate to a freely-selected card appears in a wal-

let. This routine offers a number of intriguing thoughts that should certainly
start others thinking.

1. First of a l l , a special Mene-Tekel Deck is created. Remove any twen-

t y - s i x cards from either a blue-backed "Tahoe" or "Streamline" deck. From a
red-backed "Bicycle" or "Tally-Ho" deck, remove the exact same twenty-six
cards.

2. Place any card from among the twenty-six red-backed cards face down on
the table. Place the matching blue-backed face down on top of this. On top of
this pair of cards, place another red-backed card followed by its mate with the
blue back.

3. Repeat t h i s procedure twenty-four more times, making up a deck of

fifty-two cards composed of twenty-six pairs of cards of identical values.
Now, transfer the blue-backed card from the back to the face of the deck. As a
result, there is now a red-backed U. S. Playing Card Company card on the top of
the deck and an Arrco Playing Card Company card on the face.

4. Also required for this effect are two identical wallets. They should
be the type known as a "Pocket Secretary", and they should be absolutely the
thinnest available.

5. One of these wallets is carried in the inside jacket pocket, and the
other is carried anywhere from which it can be easily and conveniently secret-
ly gotten into the lap just prior to performance.

6. When ready to perform this effect, get the secret wallet into the lap,
and leave it there in an open condition.

7. Remove the other wallet from the inside jacket pocket, and place i t
down on the right side of the table.

8. Remove the deck from i t s case, and hold i t face-up in the left hand.
Take it from above with the right hand, grasping the deck at its ends. Dribble
the cards face-up onto the table by letting the cards spring off the fingertips
flat onto the table. Because of the long cards, the pairs w i l l not separate,
and the deck can be shown to consist of all different cards.

9. Square up the cards, pick up the deck, and turn i t face down in the
left hand. Be sure that the deck is perfectly squared before turning i t face
down, because after the face-up dribble, the backs of the cards w i l l show as
blue-backed.

10. Again lift the deck out of the left hand, grasping it on its ends with
the right hand. Explain to the spectator that you will dribble the cards slow-
ly onto the table and that he is to c a l l "Stop" at whatever point in the
dribble that he desires.

11. Commence the dribble slowly, and stop the instant the spectator indi-
cates. Of course, only red-backed cards will show during the dribble, because
the cards will drop from the deck in p a i r s . At the point the dribble is
stopped, there will be a red-backed card on top of the packet on the table, and
the blue-backed duplicate w i l l be on the face of the upper half of the deck
which is s t i l l being held in the right hand.

12. When the dribble has been stopped, relax, and move both hands to the
back edge of the table, with the left hand going under the packet s t i l l held by
the right hand from above.

13. Using both hands, get a break above the bottom card of the packet
while asking the spectator if he is satisfied with his selection. If he is not
satisfied, continue to dribble cards onto the table until he i s .

14. When he states his s a t i s f a c t i o n , allow the face card of the upper
packet to drop over the edge of the table and into your lap. If the wallet was
left in the lap in an open condition, the card will probably drop right into
it.

15. The right hand, s t i l l holding the remainder of the top half of the
deck, moves back over and above the lower half as the left hand pulls out the
red-backed card that was stopped a t . The right hand holding the half-deck
provides the necessary cover to hide the blue-backed card that will show when
the selection is removed.

16. Square up the deck, pick it up and replace it in its case, and drop it
into one of the outside jacket pockets.

17. While dropping the deck of cards into the pocket, recapitulate what
has happened. After the deck has been disposed of, apparently relax by
dropping both hands into the lap.

18. Actually, make sure that the card is in the wallet, preferably face
down. Close the wallet, and hold it flat in the right palm.

19. At the end of the recapitulation, the left hand comes up from the lap
and s t a r t s to pull the tabled wallet back across the table to the rear edge.
At the same time, the right hand moves up and catches the tabled wallet square
on top of the one that it is holding.

20. The two wallets are held as one. And this is the reason they should
be a thin as possible.

21. Open the "wallet". Actually, i t is the lower of the two that is
opened. Extend both hands across the table, and ask the spectator to take out
the blue-backed card that it contains.

22. Call a t t e n t i o n to the fact that t h i s card has an e n t i r e l y different

back from the one on the selected card. During this banter, close the "wallet"
and return "it" to the inside jacket pocket.

23. The spectator is now asked to look at the prediction, the blue-backed
playing card. Call attention to what it i s . Comment that so far no one knows
which card was selected. Have the spectator turn over the red-backed card on
the table. It is identical to the blue-backed prediction!

One Final Note: The top and the bottom few cards can a l l be red-backed,
because the selection will come from the pairs in the center. That way, if the
f i r s t or the last couple of cards separate, it will not matter.

William P. Miesel
February 10, 1983

In earlier days, periodicals like this were usually printed on the mimeograph
or, as Rick Johnsson would be wont to say, by purpleograph. Today, Xerox is
the big thing, and you will be receiving your own original Xeroxes of PRECUR-
SOR. The big reason for this is cost. We want to keep down costs in order to
make i t economically available to those searching for such mind-stimulating
ideas as B i l l ' s "The Tahoe Key" and Neal Elias's "Peak Controls". The cost of
offsetting this journal is prohibitive, considering the short print run. So,
please don't think down on the Xerox format. Remember, you are getting an
original Xerox, not a copy!

For those interested, PRECURSOR is formatted on an Apple II computer using the

WordStar word processing program. Masters are produced on an NEC Spinwriter
7710 printer. Reproduction is done on a Xerox 9500 copier. Covers are offset,
with the cover design by Ed Eckl. PRECURSOR is published by unikorn magik.

Both e d i t o r i a l and business offices are located in Erie, Pennsylvania.

Correspondence should be addressed to:

William P. Miesel
2215 Myrtle Street
Erie, Pennsylvania 16502

Ed Eckl
 AH ESP PREDICTION

This is a very intriguing prediction of an ESP card. The t r i c k is not really

designed to stand alone, but as a part of an ESP routine, i t could be a real
stunner.

1. To make up the set of cards for this t r i c k , ten ESP cards are r e -
quired, two of each design. Four special gimmicked cards must now be made up.

2. Take one of the c i r c l e s , and place it face up on the table. Take the
second c i r c l e and one of the crosses, and glue them back-to-back with rubber
cement to form a double-faced card. Place the double-facer on top of the
circle already on the table with the cross-side up.

3. Next, take the second cross and one of the wavy lines, and cement them
together back-to-back, forming the second double-facer. Place this "card",
wavy lines up, on top of the two cards on the table.

4. Make a third double-facer by cementing the second wavy lines and one
of the squares back-to-back. Place i t , square side up, on top of the small
packet of cards already on the table.

5. One final double-facer is made from the second square and one of the
s t a r s . This one is then placed, star side up, on top of the packet on the
table. Turn the packet over so that the back of the f i r s t c i r c l e is now on
top. The final s t a r is now turned face down and placed on top of the packet,
face down. The order of the cards is shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1.
Note: The top drawings show the backs of the cards, from the top down, and the
bottom drawings show the faces of the cards, from the top down.

6. This packet of cards can be carried in an envelope, or, better, near

the face of an ESP deck, in order.
 7. When ready to perform this effect, remove the six cards from either
the envelope or the deck. When the cards are held face-up, they can be more or
less shown freely, with the exception of the star card at the back of the
packet, because this will be the prediction card, and i t s face cannot be
exposed.

8. Turn the packet face down. Be careful at this point, because only the
top two cards of the packet have backs. With the packet face down in the left
hand, the right hand takes the top card and places it in the right outside
jacket pocket.

9. Turn the packet face up in the right hand, and count the cards, one at
a time, from the left hand into the right, reversing t h e i r order. Ask the
spectator to think of any one of the five designs and to concentrate on i t .

10. After counting the cards, fan them face up, and ask the spectator if
he is thinking of one. Tell him not to change his mind from this point on.

11. Square up the fan, and place this packet also into the right outside
jacket pocket, face out, square on top of the prediction card that is already
there, but back out.

12. With the right fingers, pull out the face card of the packet, and
place the circle face up on the table. Ask the spectator if that is the design
that he is thinking of. Let's suppose he says, "No."

13. The right hand goes back into the pocket and pulls out the next card,
the cross. Ask the spectator if he is thinking of the cross. This time, let's
suppose that he says, "Yes." Place it a l i t t l e bit to the side of the table.

14. The right hand reaches back into the pocket and turns over the
remainder of the packet so that the star is brought to the face. Remember that
this is done inside the pocket.

15. The right fingers now pull out the face card of the packet, the s t a r .
Place the card with the circle, and remark, "You didn't think of the star."

16. Reach back into the pocket, pull out the next card from the face of
the packet, and say, "You didn't think of the square." Place this square on
the table with the circle and the star.

17. The right fingers return to the pocket and pull out the fifth card
while saying, "And you didn't think of the wavy lines."

18. Pause for a moment, and point out that there are five ESP cards on the
t a b l e , one of each design. The spectator merely thought of one of these
designs. There is just one card remaining in the pocket, apparently the
prediction card placed there at the beginning of the effect.

19. The right hand returns to the pocket, and the fingers slowly pull out
the sixth card. I t is a second cross, and i t matches the cross thought of by
the spectator.

Nick Trost
 THE MILLENIUM BACKS

An old premise that has come back into vogue in recent years is the "All Backs"
theme. I have always thought that a "Half Pass" would be a very effective tool
in an "All Backs" routine, but this has been mostly overlooked.

Since Karl Fulves released the MILLENIUM ACES, there has been a renewed
interest in the "Half Pass". As a result, here is a very simple and short "All
Backs" routine that uses nothing but two "Half Passes" and a false turnover.

1. Take a regular deck that has been shuffled, fan i t , and have any card
freely selected.

2. While the spectator is looking at his card, explain, "If anything

about the card that you took seems funny, please don't say anything yet, OK?
Of course, there is nothing funny about the card; it is perfectly normal.

3. Also, while he is looking at his card, square up the fan, and hold the
deck face down in dealing position in the left hand.

4. The right hand comes over the top of the deck and cuts i t at the ap-
proximate center. Reach forward with the left hand, and have the spectator
return his card to the top of the bottom half of the deck.

5. Bring the two hands back together, and place the right-hand portion
back on top of the left-hand portion, but keep a l e f t - l i t t l e - f i n g e r break
between the two halves of the deck.

6. Immediately upon restoring the top half of the deck, t i l t it forward

slightly and perform a Half Pass on the bottom half of the deck, reversing that
half and bringing the selection face up on the bottom of the deck.

7. Spread out about one-third of the cards on the top of the deck, and
explain that the spectator could have taken any one of them. Without r e a l l y
saying anything, the audience can see the backs of these cards.

8. Square up the spread cards, very slowly turn the deck over, and an-
other back comes into view. Again, spread about a third of the cards, showing
a l l backs. Remark to the audience, "It r e a l l y didn't matter which card you
took, it would have been the same, a back on each side."

9. Square up the deck, and get a break at the point where the two
reversed halves come together. This is very easy to do, because there will be
a natural break where the two center cards come face-to-face.

10. In the action of placing the deck on the table, perform a second Half
Pass on the cards under the break. At t h i s point, a l l of the cards w i l l be
facing the same way, and the deck is face down on the table with the selection
on top.

11. Pick up the top card of the deck, and place i t face down on the palm

10
of the right hand. Say to the audience, "I could t e l l you that t h i s is the
card that you took, and you would never know the difference, seeing as they a l l
have backs on both sides."

12. Perform "Carlyle's Card", which appeared in THE PHOENIX, #48 and also
in Bruce Elliot's CLASSIC SECRETS OF MAGIC. Briefly, this move is performed by
holding the card face down on the palm of the right hand. The right thumb goes
under the card and begins to pivot the right side of the card upwards.

13. When the card is perpendicular to the hand, grasp it between the right
fingers and thumb. Now turn the hand over, back up, and continue to turn the
card over so that i t ends up between the fingers above and the thumb below.
Apparently, the other side of the card is shown to also have a back. Really,
i t is the same side of the card that is shown a second time.

14. By this time, the spectator will say that the card that he took had a
face. Look at him rather strangely, and t e l l him, "That's impossible, because
a l l of the cards have a back on both sides like t h i s one." Repeat the fake
turnover move a second time to show two backs.

15. Now a couple of others in the audience w i l l remark that the card
really did have a face, because they saw i t . Explain that they just imagined
that they saw a face. Ask what card they think that they saw.

16. When they name i t , rub the face of the card held in the right hand on
your l e f t sleeve, and then snap i t over, revealing the face of the imagined
selection.

William P. Miesel
March 9, 1983

Speaking of Want Ads, which we weren't, I am victim of a terminal case of what

has come to be known as procrastidigitation, or in plainer English, not getting
the magic stuff out on time! Being many, many miles away from Bill Miesel, I
can't expect him to s i t on me u n t i l I get the typing typed, the proofreading
proofread, and the copies copied. So I'm looking about for other stimulation.

In Boston, we have a wonderful weekly newspaper called PHOENIX. I guess it has

about the best personal ads I have ever seen. Talk about the old Monkey Ward
catalog being a wishing book? Well, l e t me t e l l you . . . you should sense the
wishful thinking that goes on in the mind of t h i s n e a r - h a l f - c e n t u r i a n .
So, I was thinking, how about an ad that read something like this:

"WANTED: Pretty lady with boots and quirt to keep me working at my typewriter.
Possible extra miscellaneous duties. Must have sense of humour."

Well, I don't know. Do you have any ideas?

Ed Eckl

11
 PEEK CONTROLS

Most of the controls which follow are based on a move referred to as the "Swing
Cut". For the exact handling, see Ed Mario's "Running Cut" in DECK DECEPTION.
The term "Swing Cut" is here taken to mean the action of the right forefinger
"cutting off . . . or swinging" one packet, which is taken in the left hand.
Double Swing Cut

This accomplishes the same results as the "Reverse Double Undercut" (see Has-
kell notes about 1946 or Ed Mario's CONTROL MANUSCRIPT). The difference being
that the Swing Cut is carried through the entire sequence of cuts.

1. The l i t t l e finger of the left hand holds a break above the face card
of the deck. The right hand takes the deck from above with theright thumb,
retaining the break at the inner end of the deck. The right fingers hold the
deck at the outer end.

2. Swing cut the top half of the deck into the left hand.

3. The left hand slides this packet under the right hand packet, and, in
squaring the deck, the left l i t t l e finger takes over the break, thus adding the
bottom card of the deck to this packet.

4. The left hand twists the packet below the break so that the outer end
of the packet moves to the r i g h t , thus stepping the packets at the outer end.
This permits the right forefinger to pick up the upper packet, which is Swing
Cut to the left hand.

5. The left hand slides this packet under the right-hand packet. The
card that was on the bottom of the deck has now been transferred to the top.
The order of the remainder of the deck has not been changed.
Note: I t is obvious that the same handling applies when the break is at the
center of the deck.

To Control Peeked-At Cards

To The Bottom Of Deck One At A Time
1. Have a card peeked a t , and take the customary break under i t . Step
the packet above this break to the l e f t . (See Mario's CONTROL MANUSCRIPT for
this stepping procedure.)

2. Swing Cut this entire stepped packet into the left hand. Follow up by
running the remainder of the deck into the left hand in small packets.

3. Have a second card peeked a t , and take a break above i t . Step the
packet above the break, and Swing Cut i t into the left hand.

4. Swing Cut about half of the right hand packet into the left hand. The

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left l i t t l e finger takes a break under the card that is now on top of the left
hand packet and retains this break while the right hand drops its cards on top
of those in the left hand.

5. Step and Swing Cut the packet above the break into the left hand, and
follow up by running the remainder of the deck, in small packets, into the left
hand. The two peeked-at cards are now resting on the bottom of the deck.

6. Follow the procedure outlined in steps #3 to #5 for each additional

card to be controlled.

To Control Peeked-At Cards

To The Top Of The Deck One At A Time

1. Take a left l i t t l e finger break above the peeked-at card. Step

the packet above the break, and Swing Cut i t into the left hand in small
packets (a running cut). Drop the packet remaining in the right hand on top.
The f i r s t peeked-at card is now on top of the deck.

2. Have a second card peeked a t , using the Riffle Peek, and step the
packet above the break.

3. Swing Cut the stepped packet into the left hand. Under cover of this
cut, the left fingers pull the bottom card of the deck to the left and steal it
under the cut packet. This is a peculiar action and is hard to describe.
Actually, the left fingers rest on the bottom, or face, card of the deck. The
Swing Cut is made with a sort of dual action with the right forefinger moving
to the left with the stepped packet, and at the same time, the right l i t t l e
finger, which rests on the outer corner of the bottom packet (this packet is
stepped to the right), swings it slightly to the right and away from the upper
packet and the bottom card. Finish by running the remainder of the deck into
the left hand in small packets.

Note: If more than two cards are to be controlled, take a left l i t t l e finger
break above the two bottom cards of the deck and proceed as follows:

4. Have a third card peeked at, and catch a break below it with the left
third finger. Remember, the l i t t l e finger is busy holding the break above the
bottom two cards of the deck. Step the packet above the break held by the
third finger , and Swing Cut the stepped packet into the left hand. The left
hand also s t e a l s the bottom two cards of the deck under the cut packet.
Actually, this is no more difficult than stealing one card. Retain this two-
card-break, and run the rest of the deck into the left hand in small packets.

Notes: If no more cards are to be controlled and if the peeked-at cards are to
be left on the face of the deck, drop the break, and the peeked-at cards are in
1-2-3 order from the bottom up.

If another card is to be controlled, r i f f l e one more card off the right

thumb, catching a left l i t t l e finger break above the bottom three cards of the
deck, and repeat step #4.

If the peeked-at cards are wanted on top of the deck, step a l l of the cards
above the bottom three, and Swing Cut to the left hand in small packets,

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dropping the last three cards on top. The peeked-at cards will now be in 3-2-1
order from the top down.

Doable Peek Control

One Card To Top, One To Bottom

1. Have two cards peeked a t , using the Riffle Peek. Take a l e f t l i t t l e

finger break above the first peeked-at card and a left third finger break below
the second peeked-at card.

2. Step the deck at the breaks, forming three steps or blocks of cards.

3. Swing Cut the top block of cards into the left hand. Follow this with
the second block on top of the f i r s t one. Place the balance of the deck on top
of a l l . The f i r s t peeked-at card is now on the top of the deck, and the second
is on the bottom.

Two Peeked-At Cards To Top Of Deck I n One Cat

First Method

1. Have two cards noted using the Riffle Peek, and catch a break above
each one.

2. Step the blocks at the breaks. The peeked-at cards w i l l be the top
cards of the middle and bottom blocks.

3. In stepping the blocks, the left fingers fold over the right edge of
the deck. The pad of the left middle finger should now be resting on the top
card of the second block.

4. Swing Cut the top two blocks into the left hand. The left second
finger holds back the top card of the second block, which f a l l s on top of the
third block when the top two blocks are swung away.

5. Place the right hand packet on top of the left hand packet. Both
peeked-at cards are now on top of the deck, in reverse order.

Second Method

1. Have two cards noted by using the Riffle Peek. The left l i t t l e finger
takes a break above the first card peeked at, and the left middle finger takes
a break under the second peeked-at card.

2. The left fingertips Side Slip the card above the middle finger break
to the right about a half-inch.

3. The right hand s t i l l covers the deck, holding it from above. The left
fingers take the packet below the l i t t l e finger break and slide i t , or just
twist the outer end (whichever is easier), to the right u n t i l i t is even with
the side-slipped card.

4. Perform a Swing Cut, the right l i t t l e finger holding back the side-

14
slipped card and the bottom packet. At the completion of the cut, when the
right hand packet is dropped on top of the left hand packet, both peeked-at
cards will be on the top of the deck, in reverse order..

Triple Peek Step Control To Top Of Deck

1. Have three cards peeked at using the Riffle Peek, and catch the
following breaks. Catch a break under the first card with the the left little
finger, above the second card with the third finger, and above the third card
with the second finger.

2. Step the packets to the left.

3. Swing Cut the top packet into the left hand. Then Swing Cut the sec-
ond packet onto the top of the first packet.

4. Start to swing the third packet into the left hand, and place it in
the crotch of the left thumb. When the left thumb rests on top of the packet,
move the right forefinger back to the deck, taking the packet back with it, but
leaving the top card on the left packet.

5. Swing Cut the third packet to the left hand again, this time actually
taking it into the left hand, holding a break between it and the balance of the
deck.

6. Drop the packet in the right hand on top of it all.

7. With the left little finger, side slip the card above the break to the
right about a quarter of an inch. The left third finger pulls down on the edge
of this card, squaring it with the deck and taking a break above it.

8. Cut to the break. The three peeked-at cards are now on top of the
deck, in 1-2-3 order.

Neal Elias
Nov-Dec 1953

We're often faced with the problem, whilst performing a card trick, of where to
set down some cards, either to get them out of the way or to display them. One
solution is to ask a spectator to hold out his hands, like a little table. Not
a bad idea, but every once in a while, the spectator gets a little curious and
does things to the cards you may not want him to do, like turning them over or
peeking at them. Why not, then, when asking him to be the temporary table, ask
him to interlace his fingers? That should take care of that problem! Now all
that remains is coping with the onion dip or potato chip grease he probably has
on them.

Ed Eckl

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 WILD TIC - WILDER TAC - WILDEST TOE

In 1979, Ed Hollins released his "More Tic Than Toe" as part of his HEURISTIC
SERIES, I thought that it was a terrific idea, but there seemed to be an over-
abundance of handling. As a result of that routine, this one was born, and it
eliminates a great deal of the handling.

Probably the most over-abused move in card magic is the "Hamman Count". Every
card man does it, but only the top notch ones do it deceptively. So the first
step was to eliminate all of the "Hamman Counts", and by the time I finished
up, the only sleight left was one "Half Pass".

la To make up the cards for this routine, nine double-blank cards are
required, along with two permanent ink marking pens, one black and one red.
("Sharpie" pens are very good.)

2c Spread out the nine blank cards on the table, and with the black
marking pen, draw a large "X" in the center of each card. (Figure 1.)

3. Turn three of these cards over, and in the center of this reverse
side, draw a circle with the red marking pen. (Figure 2.)

Figure 1. Figure 2.

4. To set up the packet to perform, take one of the "X" cards, and hold
it blank side up in the left hand. Next, take the three cards with circles,
and place them, circle side up, under the card in the left hand. Finally, take
the remaining five cards, and place them, all "X" side up, under the cards in
the left hand.

5. When ready to perform, take the packet from the pocket, and hold it in
the same order as described in Step #4.

6. Explain that the cards are all blank, and give the packet a rather
tight fan, showing all blanks. The top three cards can be fanned a little bit
more than the bottom six cards, because the circles are under the top blank
card, and there is a little more white space on them than on the "X" cards.

7. Close up the fan, turn the packet over, and give it a tight fan on
this side, also. This time, the top five cards are completely blank, so pick
off the top card, and then take the second one under it. Pause for just a
second, and then take the next two cards, one at a time, under the first two.

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The last five cards remain in a tight fan and are flashed on both sides.

8. Replace the four blank cards from the right hand on top of the cards
remaining in the left hand, and square up the packet.

9. While the right hand is still over the top of the packet, assisting in
the squaring action, the right thumb lifts up all of the cards above the bottom
one. The right hand now moves the top eight cards of the packet forward
slightly; thus in-jogging the bottom card about a quarter of an inch.

10. The right fingers pull back the top card of the packet until it is
flush with the in-jogged bottom card.

11. The right hand now grasps the top and bottom cards between the fingers
from above and the thumb from below. The right hand now strips the top and
bottom cards away from the rest of the packet and holds the two cards as one.

12. The right hand pivots the "double card" over onto the top of the
packet, but it does not release its hold on it yet.

13. The right hand holding the "double card" brushes it back and forth
over the top of the packet. Finally, on the last stroke, drop the second card
onto the top of the deck, and then slide the top one away. An "X" will appear
on the top card of the packet.

14. The blank card still held in the right hand is slid under the top
card.

15. With the right hand, lift the "X" card off the top of the packet,
explaining that the card will be inserted into the center of the packet. Take
the "X" card face up, and, using the "Bottom Tilt", pretend to push it into the
center of the packet, but actually push it onto the bottom.

16. One at a time, deal blank cards off the top of the packet and into a
pile on the table. There will be five blank cards dealt before the first "X"
card appears.

17. This is apparently the card that was just pushed into the packet.
Pause for a second, and then say, "Look what has happened to the cards under
the 'X'."

18. One at a time, deal the "X" cards onto the table in a diagonal row
from right to left. Deal the first two cards normally, but when ready to deal
the third, lift the right corner with the right forefinger as if a "Hit Double
Lift" were going to be performed. At the same time, the left forefinger curls
under the bottom card. As the third card is lifted, the bottom card is flipped
over, and it remains clipped between the left forefinger and the middle finger,
with the blank side up.

19. Three cards with "X"'s have been dealt in a diagonal row onto the
table. They are the three cards with the circles on the backs. This is shown
in Figure 3.

20. The final card in the left hand is transferred back into the left
palm, and it is shown to be apparently blank on both sides, using the "Carlyle

17
Card" move. This s explained in Paragraph 12 of "The Millenium Backs".

Figure 3.

21. Using the card in the left hand, scoop under the packet of apparently
blank cards on the table, and pick it up. The left hand is now holding a
packet of what is apparently all blank cards. Actually, there is an "X" on the
bottom side of each of these cards.

22. The right hand comes over the top of the packet, and the right thumb
thumb-counts three of the cards and retains a thumb-break at the center of the
packet.

23. The only actual sleight in the entire routine must now be performed.
Give the packet a "Half Pass", reversing the bottom three cards of the packet.

24. With the left thumb, push off the top two cards, one at a time, and
take them into the right hand. Casually turn the left hand back up, and give a
quick flash of a blank on both the top and the bottom. Immediately turn the
left hand back over, and return the two cards in the right hand back onto the
top of the packet.

25. Turn the packet over very openly in the left hand, and again show the
cards blank on that side using the exact same procedure used in Step 24.

18
 26. These six cards are now dealt onto the table, blank side up, using the
count from Shigeo Takagi's "Japanese Blanks".
27. With the packet in the left hand, deal the top card to the left of the
first "X" card on the table. Turn the packet over, and deal the new top card
to the left of the one just dealt. Continue this procedure, turning the packet
over before each new card is dealt, the cards coming alternately from different
sides of the packet.

28. The next two cards are dealt on either side of the 'X" card in the
middle. Remember how the cards are being dealt (Step 27.)

29. Turn the packet over; there are only two cards remaining. With the
right thumb, pick up the top card at the inner left corner. Curl the left
forefinger under the bottom card. As the right hand l i f t s off the top card,
the left forefinger and the middle finger flip over the bottom card to hide the
"X". The the two cards are dropped into the third row, completing the square,
as shown in Figure 4.

X X X o
X X o X

X o X X
Figure 4. Figure 5.

30. Both hands drop down on top of the two blanks in the top row, and they
pick up the cards from above, the middle fingers at one long side and the
thumbs at the opposite long side. The forefingers press down on the cards, and
they are snapped off the middle fingers. The cards turn over, and they are

19
captured between the their respective thumbs and forefingers. As both hands do
this simultaneously, the two blank cards change into "X"-cards.

31. Replace the two cards in their positions in the top row, and
immediately pick up the two blanks in the second row. Snap them over, showing
two more "X'"s, and then replace them back into their positions inthe square.
Do the same with the final two cards in the third row.

32. All nine of the cards now have "X'"s, and, of course, the patter has
been along the lines of "Tic Tac Toe". ... "Naturally, you could not lose at
'Tic Tac Toe1 if there were an 'X! in each position. But this is not the case
in a legal game, and the same here! In fact, in this game the '0"s actually
won."

33. Turn over the three cards that were first laid down, and reveal a red
"0" on each. (See Figure 5.)

34. This is the conclusion of the routine, and the cards can be left on
the table for the audience to look at, as there is nothing to hide.

35. To reset the trick, pick up any five of the "X" cards, and hold them
in a packet, "X" side up, in the left hand. The three "0" cards are now picked
up and placed on top of the others, "0" side up. The final "X" card is picked
up and placed, blank side up, on top of all.

William P. Miesel
February 26, 1983

So, there you have i t , the first issue of The PRECURSOR. Again, I wonder how I
got into publishing very theoretical card material for aficionados of that ilk.
uaikorn magik i n i t i a l l y set out to publish crazy, off-the-wall stuff. For
those i n t e r e s t e d , these plans are s t i l l in effect, and work is progressing,
albeit slowly, on a close-up book and several crazy books. Watch these pages,
because you might hear about them first right herel

My thanks to Bill for allowing me to publish this journal. We're planning on

an October deadline for the second issue. If you have ideas which you'd like
to share, please write to Bill. He'll be happy to hear from you.

Ed Eckl

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