'I'HE COMPLETE WALTON

bv Rov Walton
Copyrightl,ewisDavenportLinritcd

IrirstPrintcdl98l
SccondEditi(,n1999 VOLUME ONE
by JuliaWalton
Illustrated

LewisDaveuPortLitnited
Printcdbl Thc BookC0npanyLtd. 5,6 & 7 Charing Cross(lndergrountlArcade,
The Slrand,London WC2NlHZ
 Foreword

I feel very flatteredas my extIemelytalentedfriend Roy Walton

*ou"riia'trtut I *.it" few vords asan introductionto this book'
"
well ove. 20 yearsa8o, whilst on a visit to Lorrdon,EnglandI
r"i [ov. ii. *i" tttit iime an intimatef iend of Alex Elmslev
"t
u"i Cv's,tnita, I .utt saythat I wasmorethan impressedby hi$
greatknowledgeand skill.

Sirce that time, he has written severalexcellentbooks dealinS

rn"iiiv-*irrt puvtng *rds. I havenevermet anyonewho hasread
rtrem.andsrudiedhis mcthodswho did not enthuse'

I havecarefully looked over the conteotsof this book and I

.onria"i ii reaily Sreat contribution to thc literature on the
i"iii""i. i"*l.t" i"i ii clearlv and thoroughlvexplainedin detail
andsomeof hisncwercffectsaretruly brilliant'

I assureyou, ihat you will enjoy manyhouls of satisfactionand

."i-"v^t"i-,i t" to add m;ny newitemsto the fascioating
"ute
*udy of card handling.
Dai Vernon
LosArueles
7th Octob€!l9El
 INTRODUCTION

Someconsiderable time haselapsedsincemy first collectionof

card tricks was published and in the interim period severalother
bookletshave beenoffered to the fratemity containingfurther
material.
The letters and comm€ntsI have receivedregarding these
Dublicationshasled meto believethat theyhavebcenwell received
amongcard conjurers,and I wasdelightedwhen Davenpon's
suggeited I shouldpreparea compilationvolumeof theseilems.
this book therefore,containsall of the materialpreviously
offered h booklet form, togetherwith two additional sections'
one on tricks and one on sleights.The latter chaptershould be
helpful to readerswho are nol familiar with a particulaf sleiSht
mentionedin one of the trick descriptionsThe movecan be
quicklylookedup in the final chapter,althoughlealningit may
lakea little lonSer.
This book is essentiallv a selfcontainedvolumeof tricksand
\leightswith unprepared cards,andt sincerely hopeyouwill find
InanyilemsIhat you will considerworth adding to yourrepertoire

ROY WALTON
l98t
 CONTENTS
Chapter I-The Devils Pta),thinCs

APERITIF I THECHANGELING 29
MUTUALMINDREq.DING 2 HAPPYWANDERERS
MONEYPOWER 4 LIBERTY x2
OILANDQUEENS 6 ALMOST IMPROMPTU 33
THE(ARL LE FONOTRICK 7 SUITYOURSELF 34
MISSIONACCOMPLISHED 9 YOU NAME IT-I'LL
AFURTHERMISSION t0 CHANGEIT 35
STEPPINCSTONES ll FINDERSKEEPERS
THE WACKYCARD TRICK I5 YOU CAN'T CHEAT AN
THELEAPERACAIN l7 HONESTMAN 39
THEXPLUSONEACETRICKl8 NEYERCIVE A SUCKERAN
JAYBEETRANSPOSITION m EYEN BREAK q
TAKINCTWOACAIN,AGAIN 2t COLOURMACIC 43
IMPACT TIIE INCONSTSTENTLIAR 45
THE OVERWORKEDCARD u HELENSBURCHSPELLER la
THE OLD FASHIONEDWAY 25 CARD CASE 50
CANNIBALCARDS 27

Chapter 2-Cadboad Chatudes

HELPMATES 54 JEFFERSON'SJEST
SMOKESCREEN 56 THE FINISHINGTOUCH 79
COYERPASS 60 TWICETWO 82
COINOBYEBYE 62 ANOTHERFINEMESS 85
5TILLCOLLACTING 63 PARROTTFASHION E7
REVELATION 64 UNACCUSTOMEDAS WEARE EE
r929ACES 65 TIT FORTAT 90
WRONGAGAIN BELOWZBRO 93
I'RAVELLERS
INTTME 69 NORVELLE 97
DEMIDEMON '71 WHISTLEAND I'LL COME 102
Chapter 3- Tale T$riste6
A SWITCHIN TIME 106 MATCH-A.MATIC ll0
STRANGE ASSEMBLY 107 AN ILLOCICALCONCLUSIONlll
(.oINCIDENCEIN COLOUR r09 INSTANT INTERCHANCE
lt3
Chapter 4-Ard kripl
rHE MAOICALELIMINATOR ll6 CHOOSYCHOICE t25
rHE IMACEMAKERS llE SURPRISE SURPRISE t27
PUSHOVER t2l COLOURME JORDAN t28
KINGSOOFORTH tn GREENTURTLE 130
IHE AMBITIOUSCHOST t25 RETURNOFTHECANNIBALSI3l
 CONTENTS
Chaptet s-Trigger
foEe
TRICGER I34 JAIL BREAK 142
SHOWDOWN 137 CREENHORN 143
HOP"A.LONCHOFZINSER I39 HORSESENSE 144
TRIC'CERHAPPY I4O

Aapkr 6-Some Late Extra Cad ftick

THE "THING ER ME JIG'' PAINTBRUSHCHANCE 155
TRICK 146 WARPAINT 156 "For Jean,Julia and Sarsh-
SATAN'SMIRROR I47 SAMEAGAIN PLEASE t57
WITCHCRAFT I49 COMMAND APPEARANCE rs9 who havePut rcal mqgicin
NOWANDTHEN 1J2 HAPPYFAMILIES l 6t mt l{e"
STRETCHINGA POINT I53 MONTMARTRE t62

Chapte. 7-7hal Ce ain Sonething

CROWNUP HOFZINSER 166 FACETO FACE
THECARETAKER 168 FIRESIDEFACES t77
DACWOOD'SEATS 169 REYERSE PREDICTION lEo
JUSTINTIME I7O STUDIEDIMACE lEl
ITSASETUP I7I ATRICK FORMR HALDS tE2
PENNYLANE I73 THE HELENSBURCH
ONE TWO THREEBLANK I74 TRIANCLE lE3
THESMILINCMULE 175

Chapter 8-Sleights
THEMULTIPLESHIFI rE6 THE SECONDDEAL ml
TI{E HALF PASS IEE THE BOTTOMDEAL b1
SECONDSIN t9r0 TI{E CHOST & JORDAN
THE WEAVESHUFFLE t92 COUNT m1
TI{E MONTETHROW 194 THE OVETTE/KELLY
THE CLASSICPASS 195 PLACEMENT 209
THE TURNOVERPASS tvl THE HAMMAN COUNT 210
THE PUT DOWN t99

Chapter g-Round Up
SHAKEDOWN 2II DIVIDEDWESTAND 219
SONOF TETRADISM SIMPLEMATHS ?21
MINUS48 2I3 DOUBLEDISCOVERY 222
CHAIN LIGHTNINC 2I5 TWSTER 223
CTIANGINGTIMES 216 CIRCUT-ATION 225
COLLECTINCBOX 217
 ChapterI
The Devil's PlaYthings

..APERITIF''

The following s€qucnce is dcaigncdto beus€dasa leld in to anycff'cl

usincfoul cardiof ilmilar value.Il iscxuamclylikcly that your fav-ouritc
rricfinvolving four cardsof similat valuais a four a'e tricr' so tor mc
aiicriorion *i witt us€accs.Prior !o showingthc effccl, thc four ac'6
shouldbe aranScdas follows: facc up aceof diamonds,Iac' down acc
oi-rti".t", i"". io"n acc of spadcs,fa.c down ace of clubs ln lhis
.i.aiti.i'trtiv ati puaa in th; right hand trouserpockcrof vour suit'
- -n.aceof clubsfacing thc body.
thc
pi"iit h-a"a to a spcttatorro thoroughlvshufflc' ard whilst hc
is doini thisyoureachinro yourrighthandlrouscrpoctetanopalmlne
four aces,thc aceof diamondsbaingthc one neSrestth€ palm Exl.no
i.]itrana for rnc oackto bereiumcdto you, ard hold it fac! down'
""".
iiir rrr. rlo ot rtt'. pack fa.e up with rhe riShl hand' usinglhe
'dge
tn€
of ihc rirhi trand -.a fir$ fingcr, and laavcthis csrd fac' up ou top ol it
cirl'"it-iit" to its-valuc, and lhcn passth€ right hatd ovcr
""J.
ieDosirinr lhc four palmcdcrrds upon it in th€ normel colour change
*-oi*ot tttir i, haschangd to rheaccof dismonds'Thumboff
".it"r.
'-ir-aceof dramonds,and lcaveit facc up on thc trblc' will
rhc
itt.-*"ii""i up in thc l.ft hand,atrd sayvou now uy and
o.oauii a sfona oceusingihe facccardof lh€ pacl To do lhis carryorrt
onc of thc standardcolour changcsleights, whcre lhc rcar caro ol lh€
o".r-it .*t.,riii*y"*.d to lh; fac!. tn adual fact, I prlrn this card
i..J-i"i.,ii.ir.i i tt""" tum.d thc pack fac€up, and bcfote mcntioning
wha(is Soinglo happ€nncxt. \ly'hichcver methodyou usew l reslll m
rhc aceof he3!!sappcaringat the faceof lhe pack. Tum thc pact face
down in the l.ft hand, and pick up a little ftngq brcak belowthe top
thrcccards.
ssvvou havcnow foundthclwo redaces,Icavingonly theblackoncs
ro dilcovcr.PickuDtheaccof diamonds andplaceil faceup' on top ot
irr. p""1. n pp."t 16r*n it face down' but reallylum dorvnall fourcards
,uoii rrt. tiile nns.. uteak. sav that therc is on. redaccon top of the
I
 The Devil's Plalrhings
The Deil's PlaYthings
pack,and alsoone at the face.Turn the packover, to exhibitthe aceof
heartsat the face.In turninStle pack faceup, take ahisopportunityto l.If he hassclected the ace,spreadthe cardsdoinSa singlebuckl€'
pick up a left liltl€ fingcr breakabovethe top cardofthe pack(theone wtrictrwitt rcveal two andthreefaceup, and lhe ale facedown'
tne
rcarestthe palm), Rfrove the facedowncardwith the right hand,andshowthat is the
Havingshownthat you havea red aceat lhe top and bottom of the
pack,you now givathe packonecut sayingthat thiswill obviouslybring z. ttrctwo' simplyspreadyour top two cards'holding
- iitre trassetected
the two red acestogether.In makingthe cut, you mustleavethe card G. i""fonii tq*t"a a singh ctd, which will revealthe two face
nearestfte palm, whcreit is. Therearcmanywaysof accomplishing uDin the centrcof ""
lhe othcr two caros'
this,
but an axc€llentsl€ightto uscis Ed Marlo's lilde fingcrpull do*,n. Using 3.lf hc selectedthe lhre€, doublebuclle ke€pingthe lop two cards
-
this, you simplycut off the faceportion of th€packwith theaceof hearts .qu"tJ a. onc, *ttictt will reveslthat the threcis the only cardface
et the facealtd appcarto placeit b€lowthe oth€r faaeup portior, but
rcally pull downon thc top cardof thc pack,with theleft little fingcr, so sai-thatasvouha"eonly madea singlepredrclronit couldhavebeen
yourback
thet it rernainswhareit is, ard the scclionwith the r.e of hcartsat the .hiii.lio voi *i ,.p""t ihc effect.Plecevourcardsbehind place
i.pau,tt. i*"ct procedure, ellowing lhe spcdatorlo his
fac€ go€sin bctwcerlthis cerd, and lhe remaind€rof thc pack. An the lable Repeal
alternativemovewould be to undcrcuthall of the prck, ard drop it on ""iin.
irir* uif,iJiis
-a u".t and place one face up on
top of the ac. of hcarts,but ducto thc lcft littlc fings break,you easily the eff€ct a third time."gain
'-'-r.fa.aG,
wilhdlawa s€clionof the packabovethe breel, lcavingthe top card to t"v, tim€ you brilg your cardsftorn behindyour back
bchind.Therearc othcr techniquesof cours€,and it m.tters little which ,rr." """tt
a-.i"av'ln*t" co,t"41616s i6 16vcal anyof thc threecards'by
you uscas lonS as thc prck is cut orcc, but lhe top card is relainadin "t.
rtre'orocedures_dAailed earlier' However' ralher thaniust squaingthe
position. iiia'iup r.u"lation. I normally spread theceldsto showlhe
Now sprcld the pack in a lonSfaceup spre.d, shovinglhat the two "rr.t.a"tt
it and then removethe reversedcard with the right
red ac€shavctwo facedo*n cardssandwichcdb€twe€nthcm. Removc "i.aliilr"
il;. i;ilii.";;""t,."t, rcplacing it in rhesameposilionin ihespread'
thesefour cards,and turn ov.l the fac€down onesto showthat the two but not squting lhe spread -d afler this action Thecardsarcurenplaceo
black aceshavenow b€enfound. behindvourba;k to reverse yourpredictionfor lhe nexldemonstratlon'
but aI iou do is tum the cardyou had previously lurncdovcr'.over
arain 16uiingrtrepacfetinto thccorrecl ord€r to proceei Thecffec!is
..MUTUAI-MINDN,EADINC" trt"i i6" i"-"a ,hc revered.card ovcr, so lhat all rhree facethe
'irpii placing lhem behind your back'
-samewav.before a chanccto readyourmind'in
In this trick you apparcntlyreadlhe sp€ctalort mind, andtb€nlet him s." ttt"i *ltino* iive lhespectalor
8et his ol'n back on you, by rcadin8yours. tact.'rtrrer "o,t
ctrances, lhe samea! you had with him Placcyour packct
Commcnceby running throuShthe pack and removingthe ac€, two i.irl'rJ-"""i u"ii and secletly adjusllhem,so that lhcy are.all
and threc of clubs for the spcctator,and the ace, two and thr€€ of iacedown, rhc "ga",
indificrent card being on top' and theolher thrc€runnmg
diamondsfor youlsell. Tuft the remainderof lhe packfacc down and in seouance
'''irti-ii. below it.
plac€it on tllc table, but in tlis action paln the top card into lhe right ouita."tv to ao by tumingthe second and fourthcardsfrom
ttr. ioo o"l" Uurr.i"ing them in position and lhen transferring thethird
hand.Pick up your acetwo and threeofdiamonds,andaffan8ethemin
sequcnccso that you rrill know which is vrhichwith ftem behindvour card downro the
'-n.^.". top.
back,Sayyou will secretlyrevarse oneof thcmas a Dredicrion. Place ift" iJpiialrfercnl card' keepingit facedown,end pla'e it
rh.m bchindyour back,and addingthe palmedcerdio $em, se€retly r-i ao*n on ,op'otrttapack.Askthespeclalor to spread hislhre€cards
arfirngCthemso that thcy readas follows: Fac€downaceof diamonds, i"". uo on rtt. raut..*_a lry to guess which one is dr' matc of thcone
facc up two of dia.6onds,facedown indiff€rent card. faceuD threeof rrJ". iott of"".a f""e down on the pack llthen he has made up his
diamonds.Bringthemoul from bchindyour backsquared ui, rheace
"nu
i'"i.i.t.ir'riiiti. oi"t his choiceanddropir facedownon top oflhe
beingthe top facedown card. n""[. s"r vou *iit no* "p chooscanorhcrcqrd Reechb€hindyour back
Ask thc spe.tator!o placehis threecardsbehindhis bach,to s€lectany lnJ"auitiv t.to". Itt" cardlhat maffiesup with lhr onethespeclator
r,"t iu.i ei"..a ot rrt. pack.whichis easyb€caus'heselected from face
onc,andplaceit faceupon lhetabl€.Younowsho$tharyouhavemada to decide
a succBsfulpredictionby revealingthat you havereversedthe matchidg uo o"op i, t""e aownon lop of lhe pack and ask him
"1"tJrl
rr'o* ttii ,.tn"in;ngt*o faceup ones which hr thinks matches theon€
cardin your packet,as follows: on top'
vouhavcius! dac;d olr the pack, and thcn to drop it face down
3
 The Deeil,s playthings
The Deil's PloYthings
Remove.lhe finalcardfrom behindyour.b.acl(rwosquard asone),and
Sxmpse tts facr.and followoneofihc louowtngprocedures: mixed condition. Removea coin from your pockct, and hand it to a spec-
r. rr ll.matchesrhespecrarortre.rnaininS lalor, requesting that he should drop it o'l the back of any card on lhe
. taci ca.J-ontfreaUle.
tum thr righthandoverro showrhc face,and sayup .1W.lt, tabl€, When he has done this, removc a second coin froln your pocket'
ale correcl". pick up rhesp€ctator,s t.""t it..J and droD this five cards to the rtht of the one olr which the sp€ctator has
cara,a"a iface it on",tielace oi
yours.ard rum de csldsfaccdo$,n. Dlacediis coin. Start your counting of live, on the card imm€diately to
Thumboff,i,. r.p f*. a"*"-"*ii ihe richt of the sD€ctator's coin, and ifyou run off the riShthand endof
an_d droprr oDrop-"of thepacl, tlen dropthe refu;-fit;;;';;;:;
r:p. farrly takc.offlhc rop two faccdowncards the sp-read, continueyour counting at Ihe begiMingofthe left hand end,
tnemrac€up. .,Welliflhesernarched. .f rhi;"ci,-;;'l# an crample ol this is shown in Figura l.
wh
ttre,nexr
r*onairs
inturn:il;;;;;il#tr::::'rtff*f ;:T:nTJ
:_.]:1S,.T,t9l berwe€nrhcrishtrhurnb*d-filg;., ;.i#j:::
rnp^ossrdc
tor rhcsp€ctatorsro secwhichca.rdof €sch-t;;
omer..rrus actjonwill prevcn!an observant ;;;;;;
spcctat;rnorineihai ii;e
secondand lhhd.palls flom lhe lop conlain COINPLACED
PEsFOFMERS
t" ;;*;;;:d;;:.::

wmW
Alrematrvety.
,^t. ,or if whenyoulookat theface ^cardi
of yourcara,-yorifind ii f s clnos ro ntcxroFsP€crAToRs
1::s Jnatch-+e sp€ctator'slasria". up .impii i,ip-ii.ii"j
downon top of rhepack,and lel thespccraror "rra,
pt""e tls'1""rJ"rj ii".
down,ontop ofall, andthenrevcalrhaia
o"irsmatchasdelailed

WW
rn rncrarrerpan of lhe pr*ou,

WWW
,".*r"r'll"tt

..MONEY
POWER''
following€ffaclwasevolvedwhilstendcavounn8 Figure1
,_The
JackAvis'sproblens, ro solveoneof KEYNUMBEAOSTAINED
throuShlhepackandremovcfivesersofcards, THISOUANTITY
BY DOUBIING
,,-Run
varue,A5 theseselsare located,arrangee4ch eachof rhessmr OFCAROSANDAODING ONE
onc so
andrhendropthemfaccdown-ontherable.Atthat the colour;
al.ternale
or rnrs.op€rarion,you will havea packatof r*enry caras rhe;;;;l;;;
consrsrrnsof fivcscrs on tJ ralt.
of fourcardi,each sclof r";iu"rig .'rii,l.i"liii
v€r_ue
and atternarinSin colour. Ther. is no necessiry
rwenlycarcts.ro for rhc;ok;;i The sDeoator has placed lhe coin ona catd in from the righl hand end
alrernarein colour.An example
il;i of rhe row. and vou hav€counledfivc to the right of lhis coin, running
i'{iiji3""1T#:it{:,Kff
li.T,fr
33H;ttiir(-;d;t: "i,h";;;d;';;;
lnere.$ no scfiecyabout l}e cardsbeing ramoved,
oft the erd of lb; sprcadand continurngal lhc bcginninSagainlo bring
vou to the Ddition mark€d P, where your coin is pl.ced.
. but do '
roo mucharrention.to!hem.Sayrharyouwi bril;;;;;;;;;ifi; not draw Exolain tirc freedom of choicc that hal be€ngivcn to tha spcciator' and
ano do thls by holding tle packcl
face down whilsi doinc this. norc how many cardslhere src to lbe left of the coin
faro.shuf
fles.wherhir"
rh;i;;;;;;; ;;1'til'.iil#tff lff ffiT; nearestlhelefi hand end of lhe spr€ad,irrespcctiveof whelhcrthis coin
o€tars ol the rcversrfaro m6y be found in has been Dlaced ficrc by the pcrformcr or tha speclalor. Double rhis
rtre ..oia rasrrionei'ivui;l
e ect. in lhis book. The packet or c![cts must not number. and add onc to it. In thc illustralion sho*n, thrc are thret
oerw€ejr-etsewherc
Ine rever$ faros. but you can cur as many b€ cut in cardsto rh.lcft oflhecoin n.areslthc lctt hand cnd oflha spread,which
wnenthe shulfleshavc beencompleted. trmesas you wish when doublcd atd havinS onc added, gives a kcy number of s€ven' You
cgmptetcd.dc rwo revcrsefaros, hold lhc pac&el now have to close up the face up spreadof tan cards in th€ left hrnd' bul
caros
-_jl:vjn8
lace dowr in thc Iefi hand and deal our of rwenry in this action pick up a little fingcr break below th€ numbcr of cards
a row of rcn cardsfac! cquaito the key numter from the FACE of lhis packel.ln our example,
d_o_:n9nlhe.tabte, de"tinsfromRIcHT to tefr.r";" ,-t.'.lrn'"iiig iJ
c&ds In the teft hand face up, and sprcadrhemin a rh€ break would b€ b€low s€vencards. This can be done exlremely
fan ro stro* itr.i. quickly, b€causeas you know exactly how many cards you have, you can
A
5

The Devil's Ploythings
mentallycount from eith€r end to lessenyour wolk. For seven!you
would couni three from the top end, rather than sevenfrom th€ face, and
pick up your break,Turn the packetfacedown, and calry out a lurnover
passat the break position. Now deal out lhesecardson lop of the ten
alreadyon the table, bui this time, dealfrom LEFT to right, maki4 ten
pairs of facedo\rrr cards.
Talk aboutthe powerofmoney, and casuallyturn all pairsup wilhout
coinson, to showthat noneof them malchin colourand valu€.Request
the spectatorto remov€the coin from the back ofhis cardand then tum
them over to showthat they matcbin botl colour and value.Have him
do the samewith your coin, to find that no! only do thesealsomatchin
colour and value, but they are also of th€ samevaluea! his pait.
NolE*If you are performing wifi a spectator sitting opposite you, you
canhand the packetof lwentyczudsacrosstohim for the first ten
to be dealt out. This will automaticallyplacethemin right to left
order from youl point of view, alrd as long as you deal the next
ten, the lrick will reacha satisfactoryco[clusion.
..OIL AND
QUEENS''
When I originallyworked out this effectI thoughtit only suitablefor
magicians, in view of its surprise endinS, when related to the
conv€ntional oil and water effect. However, I have found that this
endingis also Sood for lay audiences.Originally, I usedaces,but Milt
Kort suSgested that face cardswould give a greaterconirast,and sinc€
then I've alwaysus€dqueedsfor the effe€t.
Before commencing,arrange the following nine cards itr order,
reading from the top of the face down pack: 6C, 7H, 85, 9H, 7C,
followedby the four queens,in actualfac! il is morelogicalto memorise
the stackand removethe cardsfrom a shufflcdpack, and placethem on
thc lable. The first fiv€ indifferent cards are not critical aslo their valucs,
but you shouldsel€ctcardswhich are not too easilyremembered.
For easeof explanationlet us now assumethat you haveth€ stackof
cardson top of the face down pack. Rapidly count off into lhe right
hand the top nine cardsof th€ pack but do not draw attentionto the
quandtyyou dealoff. Turn them faceup, and hold them from abovein
the righr hand, the thumb at the near shon end, finSersa! the far one,
and forefinger on th€ face, in preparalion for the Brother Hamman
packetswitch.Say ihat you havea Eroupof cardsalternatingin colour
sequence. Illustateihis by dra*ing them into the left hand one by one,
sliding lhem off with the left thumb, saying "black, red, black, red,
black, red, black, red, black."
As you mention eachcolour, you draw the appropriatecard off the
fac€ofahe packetonlo thosein ihe right hand, and at cardnumberfive,
The Devil's PlaYlhings
$hjch in our e\amplewould be lhe sevenof clubs you executelhe
Brother Hamman packet switch, continuing th€n to deal through the
remainderof the cards, Draw all attentionto ihe alterationof colours'
and no attentionat all to valuesand counl them fairty rapidly keeping
the cardsin modon,
Souarelhe packeland turn il facedown in the lefi hand. Dealon the
rabli the top aour cards in a packel.sayingas you do so. "red, black'
red, black,leavingme with red, black,red, black " In line withthelatter
remark, you appear simply to count the remaining foul face down cards
in the left hand into the rieht, but you actuallydo this as follows Deal
one off fairly, deal altot}ler off farrly on top of the first on€, now buckle
the bottom ;ard so that the next two caDbe taken as on€, on top of those
aiready h the right hand, and place lhe final card in the left hand
beneaahthose already in the ri8ht. The effect is that you simply place
four cardsfacedown on the table, statingthat they ar€ red, black, red,
black,rvhichshouldleaveyou with four in fte hand,likewis€consisting
of two of eachcolour.
Now make a little maSicalgestureover the group you ate holding in
rhe right hand, and lurn Ihem face up. Perform the standardghosl
counr:to revealthal lhesecardsare all black. You are actuallycounting
five as four, concealingtwo, but tbe techniqueis cxactlythe sruneas tlre
standard four as four elost count. Turn these cards which in our
examplewill appearto be all blarck,face down, and say "off coursethese
will b€ . . ." qld then as you tum them face up' continue your senlence
with the *ords ". . . the four queens",which shouldcomeassomewhat
of a shockto lhe spectators,
..THE XARL LE FONG TRICX''
An extr.mely simpla principle is us€din this effect, but b€causeof the
dressinsil is not at all obviouslo an audiencejust how very simplelhe
meLhod-is. ln addition to a pack of cards,you wlll requirethreedice'
Hand the threedice to a spectator,and suggesttha! he rolls thcm on
ihe table a few times, to satisfy himself that thcy are quite convenlional
Nowhand him a pack ofcarda, and requestthat he givesit a shuffle,and
holds it face down in his left hand.
Turn your bact on th€ proceedinSs,or if performing seatedat a table'
.imDl' turn your head away. and rcquestthe spedarorto seleclone of
rhe;ice and rou rhison the table.unlil he is salisfiedthat the uppermost
number is arrivod at completely by chance. When he has done this, tell
bim to notethc card that occupiesthis positionlrom the top of the face
downDack.and rememberit carefully.Extendyout hand for thepack to
bc pliced therein,blt do not look towards lhe dice a! all. If you are
na;din8 whenpresentingthe trick, you simplyhavethe packreplacedin
1
 TheDeeil's PlaYhings The DertiI's Plqyt hings
yourhands,behindyourback.

'6
Sayto anotherspectatorthat you would now like a secondnumber
chosencompletelyby chance,and havehim pick up the two dice that
werenot usedby the first spectaior,and ihrow theseon the table, io EXAM EXAMPLE
2 EXAMPLE3
ar ve at a chaircetotal. lt is worth pointing out lhal the lotal of these
lwo dice,shouldnot aqualthenumb€rthrown by lhe fi.sl spectator,asit
would makethe tric* meaningless.
F;l A) Fn
Whilst you havebeenexplaininghow the secondnumberwasto be
l. . l
V --1
.j) I..J
chosen,and possiblyletting thc spectatorroll the dicea coupleof times,
until s.tisfi€d with his choice,you havequietly broughtthe packto the
l"|
r...
froDt of your body, or below the table, if performing s€aled,and r;1
l..l
F_l
I.l
rcversedthc ordcr of the top elevencards.Simplycounl elevenoff, alld l. al
replaccthem on top. TOTAL OF12 SONO
Ask oneof the sp€ctators to groupthe threedicefairly clos€toSether, ACTIONREOUIAED TOTAL 13
OF SO TOTALOF7 SO
so that whenyou turn round, you will be unableto tell which wasthe TRANSFE8r 113-12) TRANSFER5 (12-7)
original ona thrown, and which wer€the latter ones.Whenthey have CARDSFROMBOTTOM CAROSFROM TOP
irdicatedthat this hasb€endone,turn around,andquickly mentallyadd Figure2 TO TOP TO BOTTOM
the upparmostflguresof thethreedicetogetler. Accordingto theanswer
you obtain, you mustcarry out onc of thc following actions. . ,
l.If the totalis twelv€,do noding. Justplacethepackfacedownon
the tablealongsid€the dice. ..MISSION ACCOMPLISHED''
2.lf the totalis belowtwelve,you mustrenovefrom the top of the
pack, cardsequalto the differencebetweenthe total, and twelve.I The plots of lhe followidg two effects are by no mcansnew, ard mally
palm the cardsiDto the right hand, and then placeth€ pack on the methodshave been explained in the literature of card magic. All that is
table,retaininSthepalmcdcardsin my hand.You couldalsounder- offered here are two furthcr methods, offerinS economy of motion, to
cut, bu! I prcfer thc effect to be that nolbing is done to the pack bring about the desiredeffect.
from thc momentyou turn round, until it is placedon the table. Removefrom the pack the kiDgof hearts,and the king ofdiamonds.
3.lf the total is abovetwelve,transfcrthe differenc€betwe€nfie total l{old the pack face down in thc lcft hand, and thcn placc onc of tbe red
and twelvefrom the bottom of tle pack to the lop, by any sl€ight kings face up at the bottom, and one face up at the top. Explai! to thc
you favour. I actuallybottompalmthe appropriatenumberof cards audiencetlat you have tumed tha kirus facc up as you do not wish them
into theright hand,alld addthernto thetop in ii squarinSactionand i o be selected.Riffle down the l€ft hand outcr com€r of tbe pack with the
then placelhe pack facedown on tha table. lcft thumb, requestinga spectatorto call stop at any point. When hc do€s
Figure2 sho*s threepossibiliticsin line with the abovcrules,and the so. bring the right hand over thc pack, ard cut th€ upper s€€tion off,
appropriateactionis dctailedbeloweachsetof dice,to makeeverything holding it from above, thumb at thc naar sbort end, and fingers at the
quitcclear. ol her. Extend the left hand seclion of the pack towards the sp€ctatorand
At last wehavcreachedthe point in the trick, whercthep€rformerhas thumb off the top card for him to take. Whilst h€ is looking at hi6 card
no morc*ork to do. Explainthat it would beimpossiblefor youto know nnd showing it to other memb€rsof the audience, reassemblethe pack.
thc position of the sel€ctedcard, and usuallythe sp€ctatorswill aSxee Riffle the outer left hand corner of thc pack again, until you reach the
with lhis srstcrnmt.Ask the spcctatorwho rolled the first dieto nowpick lpproximatecentrepoint, and bring the right hand over in exacdythe
it up from thc table. Saylhat the two remarningdicewerethoseusedto someaction as before, to cut off th€ upp€rmost section of the pack. As
frc€ly sclcctanothernumber. $on as the outer end of the pack is conccaledby the ri8!t fingers, drop
Explainthat you will nowmalrcallycausetheselectedcardto leavethe rhebreakheld by the left thu$b andjusr lift the faceup king in the riSht
first position it occupicd,and travcl ro thc position signified by the hand.This is lhe standardmockpasstechnique,and you will find it quite
s€condthrow of dice,ht lhc spectatorcount down from the top of the dcceptiveprovided the cards are kept low and tilted downwards slightly,
pack,to the valueof thc two diccrcmainingon the table,and thentum ro that the back are prominent. Have the selectcdcard replacedon top of
ovartha card at this positionrevealingit to be the s€lectedonc. the supposedlower half, and then appear to placc the upper half on top
 The De|i|'s Pldy|hings The DeYil's PlaYthings
of the selectedcard. Only on€cardis goingon top ofcourse, but lo add rhekincartherear,andplacethesecardsbelowthosein theleft hand'so
to the deception,when you bring this card over lhe left hand section, iir"iirti litu u..ot; lhetop cardof thepackwhenil is lurnedface
hold it aboul a quarlerof an inch abovethe lower packeland only lo*er down.Praciisethe abovesl€i8htin front ol a mirror' andyou w llno
"irr
to the top ofthepack asyou tik the outer short endofthe pack upwards, itt"rli ii quit. a""epliu..Ther;is nolhinghardlo it sinc€thecardsarein
simultaneously making a squaring aclion with the right hand by moving , ro.e"aiona,nun, it's quileeasylo takeoff two ratherthanone'
!t to and fro along the short end of the pack. This procedure will iroin G-r"". or,it.-aleft ha;d seclion.Havingdrartnattmrionro the
completely cover the fact that only a single card is being added by lhe kinc. il shouldb€ removedand placedfacedownon the tablewlln a
right hand. i;trii ;ri;i il, smoorhaclion,eiacrlvsimulatinglhe mannerin which
Point oul that the kinSs still occupy their original positions, by fanning __ iirst one wasfairlY rernoved
$e
the pack slightly to show them. Say that you will causelhe kings lo lcave ian *tl r""" aor"n'pack for a card to be selcctedand remember'd'
the top and bottom of the packand travcl to the c€nue.Squarethe pack, u.fiJ'm pact, and haveit returnedto the top of lhc lef!- hand
and hold it in the left ha.d and say you will make lhe top king go first. ;;il;;J]H;;d"i..l it to lhe top, bv mcansof the pass This will
Ex€cute th€ Erdnaic colou cha[ge, method one in legerdemaln u*u lie sefectca cara to &e top of the facedownpack$'ith a red king
section, of "Expcrt at the Card Table", to make the king appear to mmediately belowir,
vanish, Really you hav€ simply transposed the position of the top two .ir"-"."'wifi senarne two red kingson a missionlo find thesel€cted
cards in the pack, and the king is now face up, second from the top. .^r?i,rii lhis,pickui lhel$o facedowokingsandflash
From thc audimce'spoint of vie\t, you havepassedyoul hand over th€ "t
rhetaceof lie "ou-tintion
fronl one, rnakingsurelhat thefaceof lherearonels not
face up king, alld upon relnoving the hand, a face down card is revealed, .iooiJ iv onrvtpt.aaingrhemvcryslighllv.Dropthekingsfacedown'
and thc hand is empty. Saythat thc bottom orc has also gone, and show dn IoDof lhe Dack,and carryoul the Erdnas'slipcut whlcnglvcstne
this ao b€ true by tuuing the pack face up, but as you do this, executea rmoreision ofiuning thekingsinto lhecentre.but reallyjustloosens tne
tunover pass around the cenlre of the pack. Turn the pack face down s"" rhe iines hai now gone down into the pack' 6nd ar'
again, and spreadwidely on the table, so fiat the two face up kings are '.J."ia.
..ir.-tri* for ihe selecred cid. After a slight pause, starc lhat
rev€aledarolnd thc centre, *ith the s€lectedcard caughl b€tweenthem. r.""J;,, *a arenow bringingit r.rpto thetop aS6rnsav 'I
,rr-" ii""? -,i""a
rhi;k thevshouldbelhereby now',andinvitea spectator to lu{n lhe-top
irriff iu#t o] irr. pa.f r"". up, to rev€althatthey havc indeed foundthe
..A FU'NTEER MISSION'' between them'
\clected card,whichis sandwiched
Before commcncing this effec!, er$ure that th€ kings of hearts and NorE:lf
" " you wish, an addilionalconvinc€rcan be insenedioto lhe
diamonds are saparatedin the pack. Rm the pack face up betwcen the iou',ini,uv to havca blackkingnextto lhe-second red
halds, until you comc to a red king, brcak $c sprcadin two al this point, itit v*"tonging
ap-parintlyremoveat the beginning of the effect'
so that the king is on th. face of the section hcld bi the left hand. call "ri, meansttlai itre black king will be switchedfor the red one'
rt'ii
attenlion to its suit and then rcturn the right hand spreadof cards above rader than an indifferent card, alld therefore,at the stagein the
it, so that it can b€ grasp€dby thc fingertips of the right hand and taken irick wherethe facesof the kingsarc flashedbeforeplacingthem
away bencath the riSht hand sprcad in its nalural position, io88€d on-.p ol rtt. p"ct, you showa fair bit ofthc rearcard'eslon8
slighdy to tha lcft. Tum the ri8!t hand sprcad fac€ do*n and releasethe asth; approp;iate parts"an
arecovered. Byspreading thefac€cardlo
kiDg so tltat it falls face dos,i on the table. Say that wc now nced the ttreteftin a diagonalposition, sothat it coverslheouter lefl comer
othcr rcd king and mcnlioD the suit you ate now looldng for. Replacethe of Lh€black ki;g andplacing your right lhumbovcr lhe inner right
sp.ead of cards in the right hand face up, on !ho6a in th€ left, and corner.a fairly naluralappearance is Siven
coniinuc to thumb cards over with the l€ft thumb untrl you come lo the
ncxt rcd king. Break lhe spreadat this point in the sameway as you did
for the first one, and exhibitthe king at the faceofthc lefl hand spr.ad. ..S EPPINGSTONES''
Bring the ri8ht hand spreadover the lef! one to appearto take lhe king as
bcfore, but really lakc two cards, the king, and the one immediatcly s,rmetime aco. Karl Fulvesdevelop€d a very interestingchequer
below it. Turn lhe right hand spreadfacedown, and apparentlythrow publhhed
*trictr'*assuU5equenrly in lhe 'Pallbearers'
Review"
r'r,'r,iim,
'lhc
the king face down on top of the one alteady on the iable. Tum the right tollowinaeffeclusesiheprincipleot thrsandappliesit to cards-
hand cards fac€ up, closing the spread slightly as you do so, lo conceal ir"_ir,r"tirt tl" packand removelhe valuesace,throughto kind'
l0

The De'r i I's PIaJ t hings
makintsurethatyou remotefour ol lhe samesuil,theothettuiLsbeing
we m]xed. Erhibit theselhirte€n cardsto lhe audience.slressrnglhat
hate remotedonecardof eachvalue,and thensbufflethem up Say
iou will lav th€secards face down on the table in the form of magic
"ou
it.pping.ron"t. Rrmov€cardsone by.onefrom the far" and placethem
facedo*'rr on the tableas shownln flgure J
The Devil's PlaYlhings
Pick up ih€ remainderof the pack and say you will selectone card
lrom i(, as a prediction.Look for any pait of cardsof the samevalue,
.nsuringthat one of them is a spade For instance,you might decideto
osethe two of diamonds,and ihe two of spades.Remov€the two of
and placeit facedown on the table, as your prediction,and cut
'pades, diamondsto any appropriateposition in the pack that you
rle two of
lnvour for forciflg a card. The card you place asideas a prediction must
llways be of lhe samesuit as the onesin rows two and four'
Saythat the thirteen steppingstoneson the table reprcsentvaluesfrom

N
r<:
t.- \
\\
\\
NIN\i
ROW 1
rce to king, and you now requireone card to representa suit. Forcethe
rwo of diamonds onto a spectatoras this card, but do not let him look at
rr. Simply ask him to leave it face down on the table. Requestthe
trssistingspectator to m€ntion any number he wishes.Whilst there is no
r$triction on his cboice,h is advisableiosaybetweenfive andtwmty, so
rs not to make the trick too tedious. Now ask him to pick up the face

N
NJ N ROW2
(lown suit card, and touch it on thc back of any oI the valuecards.As
{)on as he doesthis, you maketh€ following simplementaladdition,to
liccide whether you should tell him to start counting on the card he has
rouched,or the next one.
l If his chosennumber,plus the row number,gves an evenanswer,
start countingon the NEXT card.
N N
N
2.If his chosennumber, plus the row number,givesan odd answ€i,
start countingon the ACTUAL card he is touching.
N
N\
f.'-\
N\
ROW3
N.8.-The row numbersare shownon the illustration,one througl to
five. Instead of adding the row numbers, so:nemay find it easier
to add the number of cards IN THE ROw to the selecled
number,and tb€n apply rules I or 2 above.
S F\ ln accordance*ith th€ rules mentioned above, he can then tap his face

F] fsl
r....I
ROW4 ,k)wn suil card around the st€ppingstones,moving from one card to
!rolher in ary directionhe wishes,as long as hismovesarealwaysmade
irom one card !o anotheronetouchingit. In other words,all movesar€
(liagonal,but compl€'tefreedomis givenasto how manytimesh€ wishes
ro change direction. Upon finally rerching the numb.r hc sel€cted,he

N N
Frsu'e3
FOW 5
,!oDs the suil card facedown on this card (it will alwaysbe oneof those
,irrked with an S in th€ illustration).
'lhe unwanted twelve cards are now gathered up and replac€don the
l)rek. If you wish,you may flashthe facesof these,aslong asyou do not
.xDosethe value card coffesponding to the value of your pr€diction (in
,,ur €xampletwo).
Pick up th€ face down suit card from above the value card and point
,'rr thai of the thirteendiffer€nt valu€s,one hasbeenselect€dFlip the
I hr€ecardseo in row one l$o in lhe ne\I. andso on unlil all Lhineen vrluecardfaceup, usingthe mexicantumover, sothat the two showsup
i"ra'- rii-e lace down on lhe table The corner\ of lhe card5can Now saythat as you mentioned €arlier, the othet one would representthe
-i ,"ir'.i than jusl touch as shown in lhe illusLration'$hich is Turn this faceup, and placeit alongsidethe valuecard, pointingour
"".iL". ino* ir vo"ire working on a re\tricledarea The cardsplac€d '|lil.
rhat thesetwo cardsnow rcpresentthe two of spades.Have a sp€ctalor
in rows two and four, and signiliedby an S on the illus'ration,must be
"t.iui-tl
rl|rn over your prediction,to showthat it is correct.
the four of the samesuit, for example,let's say, spades'
t2
 The Devil's Playthings
Additiond Climrx
For a little extra effoit, you can add a fu her punchto the end of the
effe{t as follows.
Beforecommencing,secretlyplacethe 2D, 4D, 6D, and 8D into four
different pock€tsofyour suit, so that you canimmedialelywithdrawany
oneyou wish al a laterstagein the trick. I placelhe 2D in the right hand
trouserpocket,tbe 4D, in the ri8fit handjacke!pocket,the 6D, in thelefl
hand jacket pocket, and th€ 8D, in the left hand trouser pocket Thus,
they rcvolve in numedc order around the body, aod their respectiveposi
liorls are easily rernember€d.
Whan you commencc th€ effect by removing lhe values from ace to
king, you mus! ansue that your four like suitsare the 2, 4, 6 and 8 of
spades, the other eight cards being rnired suits as before, but withoul
spades,and it is of coursethe 2, 4, 6 and 8 that go into positions marked
S in the illustration.Their order is of no importance.
At the stagein the effect whele you remove your prediction card, you
must ramove a spade as usual, as your prediction, but the forced card
must bc a diamond. The values of thcs€two cards mirst be the same,but
rememberthat twos. fours, sixes,and eighls,are not availableto you.
FoUo* through the effect as oriSinally described,until you rev€al youl
prediction cafd as being correct. Now point out lhal if you rev€rsedth€
rol€s of the suit and value cards, a completely diffcreni card would be
producad. Say that you placed a card in your pocket as a secondpredic-
tion, before commencin8 the trick, and then reach in and produce the
appropriale onc of tllc four, lo show that thfu prediclion is also correci
When revcrsingthe roles of the two cards, you will always end with the 2,
4. 6 or 8 of diamonds, so producing it from your pocket is quite easy.
Alt€mrlive M.thod
The preceding routine has been dcsigned to convince lhe spectators
lhat a seeminglyfree choice of valuc is made from an array of cards ftom
ace to king, which ar€ not switchcd. After tbe value card has beetr
selccted, you are able to show tlle other cards, conc€a.lingonly one, to
add strelgth to the fact that a free selectlon has be€nmade. It is possible
to remova the mexica[ tumover from the routine, but retain much lhe
sameeffect, by adopting the following proc€dure.
Have thrc€ cards of likc value on top of the pack before presentinglhe
trick. Whiht thesecan b€ of ally valuc you choose,we wiil usefours as an
exampl€ in this description. Also remembet lhe card immediately below
the thre€ fours, which is actually the fourth one from the top of the face
down pack. For our examplewe will call it the sevenofdiamonds. Note
that this card must NOT be the fourth four, and if by a coincidenc€the
fourth card down is the samevalueof the thre€like valuesaboveit, you
mus! altcr it. Say you will write a prediction before commmcing lhe
effect, and actually write the four of diamonds on a slip of paper' The
valu€ being ahesameas your thre€ card stack, and the suit being thal of
the fourth card from thc top.
t4
The Devil's Playthings
Run through the pack face up, and removethe valuesacethrough io
trng, rhe suitsbeinSwell mixed. In removinSftese,ensurethat you place
rhc lourth four on the face of the group of thirte€n cards. Having
rcmovedthe cards,exldbit them spteadslightly in th€ riSht hand, a[d
rhensquarethem up on the faceofthe pack. In this action,pick up a l€ft
lirrlefinger breakabovethe lowermostthreecards.Havingsquarcdthem
on the face, lif! the ten cards above the fingcr break up, holding them
ircm above by the riSht hand, fingers at the far short end, and thumb at
rhe near one, and twist the lefl hand down briskly so lhat the pack can be
Irlacedfaca down on the table.
Turn lhe batch of len cards face down, and give lhern a shor! overhand
\huffle, retaininS the four spot at the face. Drop lhem face down on top
{,1 rh€ pack and deal them oul to form the steppinS stone layout, as
\hown in the illustration.
Deal rows numbercd one, lhree and five first, and finally rows two and
!i)nr. Th€selast four cardsdcalt will all be fourspots.
You are in a position to forcc t]le seven of diamonds which
{recupies the'low
top positionof the facedown pack, and the trick proce€ds
rxactly as in the lirst method. When you corne to th€ final point of
(hecking your prediction, no mexican turnover is nece8sary,for the
[)wer card of lhe two remainin8 on lhc table, will always ba a fout spot.
( are should be takrn in picking up thc twelve cards remalning, so tltal
rhc rhre€ fours from rows two and four arc kept al the back of the other
(&rds, and not expos€dif you flash tha faces of the unwanted cards.
lf you wish to add lhe additional climax to this rnethod, you will need
ro pr€load the foul pockets of your suit with writtcn predictions for the
\.ven of haarts, spades,diamonds alld clubs. You would distribute these
In known suit rotalion around tlre pockels, so that any particular one
t ould readily be produc€d. Thc value will always ba a seven,and only the
wit will vary.
..,I'HE WACXY CAND TRICX''
I)oker dice do not seemto have be€n us€d very $cady in magic, *hich
rr surprising b€causethcy crrtainly add intcrest to an effed. Sode time
nlo Jack Avis poscd a problem involving such dice, and although reveral
irlutions have been offcred, none really comply striclly with the tcrms of
thc original problern. Whilst toin8 with this problem, wilhout coming
ut) with any real satisfactory solulion, I did discover scveral off-shoots,
,'rc of which was the following.
lhc basis of this effcct, is lhe fact tlat very few p€ople know much
rltrrut poker dice, and beli€v€ therc arc many more possiblc combina-
I krrli available when aranging thcm, than there really arc, if you r€quest
rhot cach die has a differ€n! vslue showinS.
Ilcfore commencing the effect, arrangc the lop sevencards of lh€ fac€
 The Devil's Plajthings
down pack as follo*s: QS, X, 95, AS, JS, KS, l0S. The actualorder of
the five spadesrunning in positionsthreeto sevenis of no importance.
Now placea left handinner cornercdmp on the bottomcardofthe pack,
Give a sp€ctatora set of five poker dice and invite him to arrange them
on the table, so that thereis a different cardshowingon the top surface
of each.When he has done this, Iook at them to seeif he has a queen
showing,if so, proceedas in (l) below, and follow by (2), if not, go
straightto (2).
l. Say$at beforeproceediogwith the effecl you will do a little test to
seeif the almosphereis suitable.Reachover aod take the die with
the queen showing and place it in front of you. Double lift the lop
card of the pack, calling atlention to ils value;turn it face down,
and rcmove the top card. Rub the faceof this card on the queen,and
then turn it face up, to show it has turned into a queen. Comment
that conditions seemto b€ favourable, and replace the queen face
down, on top of the pack. Cive the die back to th€ spectator,and
ask him to placeit with the others,but to turn it, so that another
card is upp€rmost,which of coursemust not be of the sameas any
of the four on th€ other dice.
2. Ask the spectator, to fre€ly selectany die, and slide it towards you,
st.essinS that the selection is completely in his hards. \rvhatever
valueshowsat the top oftbis die (it will be an ace,nine, ten, jack or
king), spell it out, a card fo. each letter, placing the cards as spelt,
from the top of the pack, to the bottom, and finally placing the one
falling on the last letter face down on the table. Cut the pack twice,
ending up with the crimped card on the botlom again. Rcquesthim
to freely selectanother die, and place it in front of you. Spell the
value of this one, again placing cards singly from the top to the
bottom of the pack, for each letter, until th€ last one is reached,
which is placed face do*n on the table, together with the one
akeadythere.Cut the pack twice,returninSthe crimpedcard to lhe
bottom, Repeat this procedure for a further two dice, bu1 at the
completionof the spellidgof the value of the fourth one, look
rcwardsthe final die that t}le spectatorhasleft, and ifit spellswith
three letters (ace or ten) cut the crimped card to lhe bottom as
before, but if it spells with four le$ers, cui the crimped card to the
top. Finally, spell out rhc value of the last die. Placing the spelt card
aside wit}t the other four.
Stressthe ftc€ selectionofth€ spellingsequence, etc. and then pick up
the five face down cards and turn them, faces towards you, D€al them
out, one by one on ahetable, to show thar the spellinghas found the
actualvaluessiSnifiedbythe oneson thepokerdice,and asanadditional
bonus,they are all of the samesuit.
I havefound that you can increasethe effectdightly by finally dealing
the five cardsout in the sameorderasthe dic€on thetable.Placethedice
sideby sidein a line asth€ spectatorpushesthem towardsyou, io make
t6
TheDevil's Playthings
lhis easyto do, and you can quickly selectthe appropriateonesftom the
lan and deal them out in an overlappinS spread. The spectators will
normally assumethat they came out in the cotrect ordel as they were
spelt,so you get an additionalbonus,wilhout any additionalwork.
..THE LEAPER AGAIN''
This is a variation of the classictrick invenled by Charles Jordan. The
cffect is extrerncly direct, and very startling to all audicnce.
Have the pack shuffled by a speclator lh€n dividcd into two approxi-
mately equal halves on the tabl€. W}lilst he is doing lhis, obtrin a litde
Inoisture on th€ tip of your right ha[d s€cond finger. Raqucst the
\pectator to hand you eithcr hatf of the Dack. Hold these face down in
your left hand and spreadthem sligihtly as you are talkinS, to allow your
secondfinger to transfer a littlc moistur€ onto the face of the top card.
square the packet and squeezeit between the thumb and fingers of the
lcft hand to enswe that the top two cards ltrill temporalily remain
rogether. Ask a spectator to mcntally decide on a number b€twa€n five
rnd twenty. Wben he has done this, combencc to dcal the cards in your
packel face up in a pilc on thc table, counting aloud as you do this and
rsking the spectator to remembet the card that falls at his mentally
sclectedposition. Your first two c?fds will of coursc go down as onc duc
ro the moisture.Deal.Uht throughyour packet,and then pick them up
lrom the table and tum them face down again into the left hand, in this
trction push the top card over about h3lf an inch to free it from the one
lnmediatelybclo* it.
Hand the packet to the sp€ctatortaking great care that no false moves
trr all are made from lhe moment you pick up the group and hand il out
ll)int out that you could nol possibly know the position of the mentally
\clcctedcardin this sectionof thepack. Now pick up lhe other facedown
tucket from thc tablc for yours€lf, and hold it in your left hand, in much
Ihc sameway thc sp@tator is holding his. Explain that you would like the
\|c€raror ro deal his cards face down onto the table until he has reach€d
hir selecled position,so thal his cardwill be the top oneof the pile he has
{lcak down, i.€. if he thouf[t of t€n, he would deal cencardsonto the
rrbl€. At the sametime, deal cardsdown ftom your half of the pack in
flnison with him, and when he has completedhis dealinStake the
rcrnainingfacedown cardsfrom him, and placethem facedown on top
,'l rhe cardsremainingin your left hand. Ask the speclatorto coverhis
,k.rh cardswith his right hand so lhat no'one can touch them. As if to
rllu\tratethis, cov€ryour dealtcardswith your riShthand, but reallyuse
rhir actionto add a cardto the top of them which you havepalmedfrom
rhc top of the facedown group of cardsheld in yout left hand.
I he positionat this slageof the trick is that the spectatorand yourself
nrc cachcoveringa dealt packetof cardswilh the right hand. Ask the
t1
 The Devil's PlaYthihss
The Der)il'sPldYthings
I he first one is dealt extremelynearyour edgeof the table and the next
\oeclaLor to remotehishand,andturnlheLopcardof hl\ packetfaceup' rhreeare dealtabout eighleeninchesaboveit, in a line from left to right,
andheshouldbe5urprised lo findhiscardhasgone Sloqlyremove yo!r scconddealingon the lasl on€ deall.
iight tranatrom youi packet
and turn overthetop cardto showtha!the Now deal three catds face down on lop of the ace nealest you'
selecied card hasl€apedacross. r{!ersins lheir order in dealingthem down. Deal lhree more cardsonlo
r.rchof ihe upperthreeaces.Plac€lhe pack facedo*n asid€on lhe table.
ro your left,
,,THE X PLUSONE ACE TRJCX''
Briefly summarisingthe previousactions,you have dealt threecards
(WHEREX IS THE NUMBEROF ACE TRICKSYOU ,'nro rh;ace in positio; oneofFigure 4and lhen lhreeonto eachof those
ALREADYKNOW). rn oosirionstwo. rhreeandfour, andlhepack ha! now beenplaced€rside'
to bea sleiShtmuchne8lededin cardmagic' Pick uD the thrce caadsabovethe ace at position four, and tuln them
fhe second dealseems taceuo. showinrrhemto $e audience.saying'three cardson lop of this
Dresumably because of ih reputationof great difficulty On the other
bv manylo beaneasvsleight'is much irce . ind thenicplaccthem facedo\flr on ihe ace.Do lhe samewith the
t""J. irt.io"tii tit,, iieao at oosition three, but aho flash lhe ace below th€ three indifferent
.".tti.iiJl opinion.thal ir wouldbebetterfor cardmagic'
-nsideled
.uti.. tjo ttt. same at Dosition two, and again show all four cards,
if rii" r""ona a"A *.t" usedmorefrequentlyandthedoublelift a lot less'
"- "rin.
rcDlacinsrhem in the samepositionon the lable Pick up lhe facedotxn
i"""iniv io .r*ur. naturaldoublelifi is \erv difficuh' althoughthis nacketai positionone, andhold it in the lefi hand, thumb off lhc firsl
i""iJo.l noat""t ,o" begenerally and it is forlunatefor the
accepled.
ilree facedown cardswithout altcringihcir order' and hold thernin a
manvnaUirulaouUte-tift;sthatlhey haven'ttheabilhyto readminds
to
sleighl an audicnc€ Someexcellent tricks lmall fan in the right hand Turn the card remaining in the left hand
t tt.ti aimonstrar;ng rttis
CaidT€.hnique". bv charles Miller' includ' ,'ter- to show it ii an acc and ask a spectalorto commiLlhis ace lo
aiscriuea in "-e"pert rrn:morv-asit is a leader.Turn ir tacedownin lhel€fl handagain.andgo
ini a veri nne acetriil usinga seconddeal, this is anothbracetdck'
".r.
1.,reDl;celhe lhreecardsheldin lhe righl hand backon lop of it' bul a'
usinq thesam€sleiShl
--iii"-ii.""gt, {)on as the lowermost one is replacedabove it, lurn the upper two face
,rtip*i and remolelhe four acesTurn thepackface
In and flash their faces,saying lhat therc are rhrc€ cards above the
down.and dr-op theacesfacedownon top Allernativelylel a spectalor
t.rder acealso. ln replacinglhe two cardsyou havejusl flashed pick up
i.mouetheaceior anyfour cardsof likevaluehemayprefer'andplace r left littl€ finger break belowthem.
then
_ facedown oo top of the Pack.
Dealthe acesfacedownin the fotm of a letler T asshownin Figure4 lnvite a sDectatorto carefully pick up the four cards at position four'
trnddroD them face down on top of thoseat positionthte€, and then to
rrke thi;combined heapofeight cardsand drop it on the four at position
rwo. wlilst he is doin; this, takc the leaderpacketfrom the lefl to the
[!hr hand and Dalmtie two cardsabovethc little fingcr breal into the
,,itrr trand, using the samehand to place lhe lowest two squaredup
oirt.atv on rtreuule, back in posilionone Thereis amplemisdirection
;,u rhis palm if you draq altenlionto lhe carewith which the olher lhree
I'cnpsshouldbe assembled by lhe spectator'
sa\ rhat vou askedfor them!o be assembled carefullyso thal the aces
*ould rerainrheir o ginal positions, and offer to show rhat lhis is so
scoop the assembledpackei of twelve cards towards you with the right
t rnd, and in this action add the two palmedcardsto the top. Immedi
rrcly lurn the packet faceup and placeii in the lefl hand, ard with $e
lclr iand thu;b off no morethan sevencards.Exhibit this smallspr€d
Figure4 r(, rhe audi€nce,pointiu out that thereare still lhree cardsabov€each
l|.c. You can illustratethis by holding the spreadin the riSht hand, and
,orDting off the cardswiih the left hand forefinger.
squar€the packetup and turn it facedown, droppingit on top ofthe
l9
l8
 The Der)i I's Pla! t hings The Devil's PlsYthings
remainderofthe packplacedasidepreviously.Pick up the pack and hold All.rnrllt€ Method
it face down in tte left hand. Now lean forward over thc table, and deal
the cardsout in a spreadas follows: threefaceup, one facedown, three by,usins_aobor@
,u.crecrmayarsobeachieved
faceuD.one facedown, threefaceup' andone faceclown However,you
111|!:[T,il,l
musr seconddesl on the last thre€cardsdeah down. The effect is that
thereader
liilL;iii lL,lli'"ffirlill."Liili"""l;;;on.arrhougrr
you are agarn showinSrhal the acesare fourth down' throuShoulthe a
crouo oftwelvecards.You dealthem in a spreadon the table,righl away i"o prace
' il",J;1;#5rii,ifriloo'ffi,'a."r".',io' rhe
iokerin
i.om the masrerheap,so tha! no allention is on lhis heap.
Request a spectator to snap his fingers ov€r the backs of each face *]','mlfi
r;;'1;"1;,$"**;i iliJ{il
$r.I'i."[:fl
["li.llis::
do*n ac€. When he has done so, ask him to removethcm one by one and
turtl them face up. Under the misdirection of this action, top paln into rir,'xl''*:*""..l"l**'*t'*:::**$:riT:l:;
rh. I rdnasemdhd lo any o,h* I h"ut *lth..€leclcd
th€ right hand th; top two cards of the pack' as you take it from-the left card and rhen
lo rh;right hand, and plac€it fac€do$l| on lhe table, to lhe riSht hand I hc oerformernow asksfor the pos(lon 0 the lastcard'-i'e'
posilion, bollom dealingon
,,,,1',iri""" i. ,rti
side.Jus-tbeforeihe sp€.latorrurnslhe third supposedaceover, to find
that i! har vadshed, saoopthe l€ader pack€! towards you with the right ;;J;".iii;;** ";' v""r,'-"11-f
;;';ii: "".cd
"#3l,l}""f
'l"Jilf ly':',f,;
hand, placingthe thumb on the faceofit asit comesoverthe rearedgeof t rnr rnvitethe spectatorto checklhls carq'
tffi
the table, and then turn it face up and throw it in a slight spr€ad on th! ,|,,i""'liii thisvouI'11:l;eca;[
aoine ifl i?'ii""iT
"iirii-r'.I' a"db'ine
table, saing, "no, you will not find them lhere,becauselhey ar€ hele " i'LT,l#l',ll'-xl?;;;;;
Itl;:l ii?1,11,1"'*.T cad
i'rre
rln.clfectto a conclusion
.JAY BEE TRANSPOSITION"
,.I TWO AGAIN. AGAIN"
This is a nice opening effect, as the climax is reached fairly quickly' ^KING
ahhough it can also be done at arry potnt in your progrzunme.
,,,ii}*l'.:ff""[[T$.lff i;
,i:;T[1,"":,il1l:.T'a?'H;#
ExDlainrhal you needa full packofcalds bul nol thejokcr' and so run
rhrouih fte faceup pack,removinglhcjoker and handinglhe remajnder ""il,lllTin" lhemfaccuponthe
undrhrceofclubsandplace
of lh;Dack lo a sDechtorto be shuffled Placethe joker inlo any con_
uenienipockei with the righl hand, and immediatelypalm it out again'
"".,,,"o jn*'*;l'*l'':l
ilIr:ilfif#fi f,iH::r;,::lu,s,nt
When the spectator has completed shuffling ask him lo not€ any card in which will givc you
to the threccardsyou naveremoved'
lhr Dackand remembcrits posilion from lhe top. Erplain that he will 'trn* a(cntion pacx
againDropthemfaceupon-rop orrhe
tind this easierif he choos€sa number lhat is nol loo large' allhough
:::;:.ili;;:hl;ft;em thclirtlcfin8etbreskup'
iiii,ii,iiti ,'rti-* al-lsixcardsabove Dropone
there is of course no rcstiction. Take care that he understands that the ,'i,,i ir;t, uieen theleft
"iiir,ins fiumbtnd fingerups
position should be noled from the top of the face down pack, 'lii..iiiti
Take th€ pack back fronl the spectalorand add your palmedjoker to
thc toD. A,sklhe sDeclatorto tell you the position he decidedon' and
;*-:",tli*nn,ll,*l;;i'l**in:s:$lrlii
ii,lil,il rightftumbattnenear
lhemfromabove'
r'olding
when he does so. deal cards face up on the lable to onc lessthan rhis
numtter, using the seconddeal Deal the ne card fairly, face down on iiirr ;H'|"'lf
"""'r'.rurt,rv'
l'*';*,lliu':*[".'ix.fi \iT,it""l'.l"iii
lll',l]fl
top ofthe fac€up onesalreadydealton the table.Ask lhe spectalorif he
ac;eesthat this is ihe cardal lhe positionhe chose lvhen he doesso' ask r'"y:ml;i?'lii,:!!
;*,'H',1il"Til1,-""11''J"'J:i:rliffi rightthumbwith lheleft
him to starethe narneof thc card, and then havehim tum the card face r,'nof thetwo andtakeup !h€Dreaxlrom the
l0of lhe'FindersKeepers"
uD to revealtha( il k now lhe joker lhal was seeminglyplaccd in the Figure
i,,i""ii"""..rrtitplsi,.n isshownin
.xrket beforethe effcct commenced.Palm lhe top card of the pack inlo
ihe right hand and produce it from th€ pocket into which you placedthe
ioker earlier,to concludethe transposition.
:Ltl*:Tli#;
,,iiEm;*':x;;:Tllii,tx;iii.lSTili:H
20 2l
 The Deyil's Plalthings TheDeril's ploythirlgs
faceup on the pack,outjogged slightly,with the aceat the face.Brinc ..IMPACT"
therighthandoverto lifr lhethreefaceupcardsoffthepackanddo thi;
by placingthe thumb at the near short end of the joggedcards,and Theideafor this effeclcame toInewhilst readingtheexcellentbook by
fingersat the far one,andlifting !h€thumbendfirst andihenmovinr the
riSir handtowardsthr bodyslightly,andlhe packa\raytrom lhe bodv
VerneChesbro aodLarryWast, called,,Tricksyou CanCountOn,'. In
th€reis an effect called"Ajr Mail',. in which a card vadshesfrom one
slighdy,so tharonly lhreecardsareactuallyremoved, theothersbeinc envelopeand reapp€arsi! anoth€r.In recentconversationswith Aler(
squarcdup with the fac. do*tl pack.Placethe threecardsremoved,stili Elmsley, I foundthatin hr!€arly
faceup, on top of the card caseso that they can be pickedoD without exp€iim€nlarions with hisghostcounl,
hehadusedit for causing r csrdto;anishwithinar envdofi. I hopethc
fumblinglater. SpreadthemsliShtly,just undera whiteborderwidth, so readerwill forgivetbe ralharprecntioustitl€ I havegiven6is effect,but
that it can ba seenthat threecardsare present. in showingit, I havefoundthtt thc climax is extremelystronSfor the
Ask a spectatorto fr€€lynominateth€ oce,two or threeof clubs,and comparativelysimplcme.rns enrpbyecl
point out that the onehenames,will bethe oneyou will usefor the trick. to brinSthe effecl about,
Oblain four envelopes, into*hich a playint card will just fir nearly.
Whilst cxplainingthis, cut threecardsfrom th€ top of tle Dackto the (^ ul lhe llapsott theenvclopcs.
face,andpick up a left lirlle fingerbrcakabovethebortom;ardol rh€ sOthat theyIOol muchlhCsamcfrom
eitherside,and finally,cura holein lh€ faceofeach.sboutoneinchin
pack. Adopt one of the following proceduresdependingon whichcard diametcr.and positioned at thecentreof the face.Afiangerhe four
he selects. envelopesso ftat fie thirdonedownfrom th€ toD hasthe cut out hole
l.Ace of clubs:relesse the left little fingerbrcak,as it will not be pointingtowardsrhe floor.ard rheoth€rlht.e€iravethe holcsuoocr-
required.Cut off abouthalf the packand placcit on thc table. pick mosr.Placelhe mvelop€s in yourpocker.logethcrwilh the foui accs
up lhc threecardsfrom thecardcasestill faceup, andDlacethemon Irom a pOcl.andyou arcalllcrdylo D€rform.
rop of rhishalf andgiveit a singlecut. to scndrhemio rhecentre.
Casuallycut lhe remaininghalf in your hand,andplaceit facedown _ Removelhe cardsalld mvelolcafrom your pocket.and placelhe ac€s
tac€up onthelaDle,Asl(aspectator tOtell youwhichaCC iShisfavourite
on th€ table, alongsidethe other one. oneand asan.c\amplclq 9ayhesuggcsrs diamonds.Sprcadlhe four
2.Two of clubs: undercuthalf the pack, leaving the bottom card enverop€s out rn a tan,holdmg therhin lhc left haid, asshownin Figure
b€hind by meansof the left little finger breakand Dlaceit on the J.
table.Civethehalf on thetablca singlecut. placethehatf rernain_
ing in the lcft hand,facedownon thc table,anddropthe catdsfrom
thecardcasefac€up on this half. cive it a singlecut to sendthemto OPENINGPOSITION
t}le celtre and leaveit alongsidethe other half. ENDINGPOSITION
3. Threeof clubs: undercuthalf the pack, and placcit facedown on
the tableand in doingtlis, leavebehindthe cardbelowthe l€ft little
fingerb.e3k (theoriginal bottom cardof the pack).ptacethc three
faceup cardsfrom thecardcase,on top of the faccdownsectionon
th€ lable, andgiveit a singlccut to sendthemto lhc cmtrc. Casually
cut the remaininghalf in theleft hand,andplaceit facedo*,Don the
tablc, alongsid€the other one.
Havcthe spcctstorassisting,placethe forefingcrof eachhand.on toD
of eachhalf, so that no cardscan betampfled with. Sayyou wil causi Figure5
his nominared cardto lravelfromonchalf to theolher,leavinrlhetwo
unwanted oncsbehind,Havehim removchisforefingers. ands;readrhe
respecrive halvasfacedownlo seelha! lhishashapp€ned. Thc;eshould
be a sliShtpause,bctweenthetime the spectato.placeshis fingcraon the
backsof thecards,andlheclimaxof lheeffeq, ro male him iorqetinro
whichheaprherhreccardswereplaced.Thisis because if henoirinates You can ofcoursc flah lheholesin dre first, secondand fourlh, bul not
the ace,it docsn'treallytravelat all, but stayswhereit is, and the other the third which h rcversed. PoiDrour $ar.ech envelopewill jusr hold
two cardsmakethejourncy. oneof the aces,and illustrale this by taking each acefrom thc table, and
22
23
 The &eil's PlqYthings
insertingit paflially into each€nvelopeface down, ensuringthal you
olacethenamedacein lhe revers€d envelope.
At lhis stagein the proceedings the situationwill look somcthinglike
rhe left ha[d sideof FiSure5, which sltowsall four aceshaving been
insert€d.You cannow turn the handoverwith the envelop€s stlll in thcir
sDreadcondition. to showaUis exactlyas you claim, and one acehas
beeninsert€dinto eachenvelope.Closethe fan of envelop€sup, and
Dushlhe accscomplelely in.
Chostcounlthe four envelopes, placinglhe lastoneundcrnealh. Th€
spactators will seewhat appcarsio te the four backs of the ac€s showing
throughthe cut out holes.Sayyou will now try and caus€th€ €nvelope
cortalning the nominatedace,to reverscitself within the oiher thte€'
Slowlyspieadfte cnvelop€sout bctweenyour hands,so that it is seen
$a! thethird from thetop hastumedfacedown.Remove thisenvelope
ald drop it, stil facedown,on the table. State that whilstyou havebc€n
successful in making aa cnvelope turn over, you do not know yet if you
havcmadetheright oneturn over,but beforeremovingthc ac€io check,
vou will reDeattheeffect.
- Turn thethreeenvelopes in yourhandoverso thattheholesfacethe
floor. Pick up thc facedown onefrom the tableandinsenit s€condfrom
thetop, saing that they nowall facethe sam€wayagain.Casuallycounl
th€mllrom handto hond without alteringtheir order, but showinSthat
they are all facedown. Squaretbe packetof mvelopes,and tum urem
ov;r so that the cut outs are upDermostChostcountthcm, placingthe
last one underneath.so that once again the backsof the acasshow
throughthc cul oul holes.Startto spread!hem,asif you areSoingto
reoeaithe effectof makingone rurn faccdown' and lhenpausc,and
sl;le tharperhaps it wouldbea betlertrickifyou couldmaketheselecled
ac€turn faceup within its envelope.Slowlysprsd the four €nvelopes out
into a vridefan, and it will be seenthat the namedorlcis indeedfaceup
within its envelope.I normallynow pushall four acesup for abouthalf
their lengtha.llddrop the envelopes in this stat€on thetable.Restassuted
that somcbodywill pick thernup to take a look.
Presentediorrcctly, the appearanceof the ace face up within its
envelopeis quiteastounding,and you may find it evenmoreeffectiveto
handtheenvlbpesto a spectatorpiior to theclimaxof theeffect,andlet
him spreadthem out within his own hands.since no movesappearto
havetakenplaccsinceshowiruhim that the aces4reall facedorur within
tbeir envelopes,thc exptessionon his face whenhe spreadsthem and
firds his acefaceup is amusingto watch.
..THE OVERWORXEDCARD''
This trick is basedupononepublishedby Bill Simon,andalthoughlh€
hardling is slightlydiffermi, the main featureofferedto the readeris a
TheDevil's PlsYthings
patterth€mewhichregistersin a veryamusinS{,ay with aIIaudieDce. Thc
irick is comparativelysimpleto perfom, so rcad on wilh confideDcc.
Secretlyravers€the lowerhatf of thc pack(half pass)and pick up a left
Iurle finter break.bdweenthe two halves Bnng the riSht handovcr lhc
oackto-aoparmtiycul off aboulhalf, and as rh€right handlakcsits
oorrionoi cards,usethe right thumblo drop the two cardsimm€diarcly
aboverheleft little fingcrbreakto thetop oflhc lowerhalf.Removcthe
sectionof cardsnow abovethe finger breakand fan thcm glightlywirh
rheright handturningthcmfaceup say you ar. Soingto mix rhepackilr
a facJuo facedowncondilionandpushthe faccup fatrnedcardsinto thc
facedon'nleft handsection,al a Freakformcd by pullitrgdown with the
left thumb on the outar lcft haBdcomer of the catdsi! the left hand.
Havingpushcdthe riSht handcardsin, squarcup tha completcpack..
Dou--bie undcr+ut one card from top to bottoF, turn tha wholepack
over and do a calual faro shuffle retainingtop and bottom cards iu
oosirion.Turn lhc packcompl€tclyovcr again,andexcculeasolher faro
ituffle maintaining top and bo(om cards in positron. These faro
shufflesare not accurateonesand the only rcqurementis that thc top
and bottorn cardsremainin position whenone half is push€dinto the
other.You shouldnow beleft wfuha packof cardsin theleft handwith a
facedown cardon top. Doubleundercutthis card from top to bottom,
savrhat for thetrick vou will useoneof the faceup cardsin lhe psck.
r;rn (hepackcompletelyoveragain,and call altentionto lhe card face
up on top-l€t's sat it's the five of spadct.Ask a speclatorto cxtcndhis
handpalm upwards.
Tum thc fiva of spadesfacedownon top of thc packbut usathe hit
doublelift lechniqueso !h&ttwo cardsalc tumeddownasonc. Rernove
rhe loD face down card and plac€it on the spectator'spalm and then
Dlac€ ihc rcmaindcr of lhe packon top of lhiscard,sayingthat theidea
of the trick is to causethe fiv€ of spadesto magicallytravel from the
bottomto the top of the pack,but in additionto doingthis, on its *'ry
uD.it hasto turn all the faceup cardsin the packfacedown' so that by
rlie time it reachesthe TOP, all the pack will againb€ facingthe satrre
$av,As youreachtheword'top' in yourpaltet,turnthetop cardof the
naik faci up, and showlhat il is the liveof spades afldplacelhis crrd
iaceup on thc table. As you conclude the rernainder of thc s€ntencein
referenceto the cards all being the right way round, take the pack from
rh€spectatorand start to spr€?rd out the card'su il you havcgonerilht
rhrourh the Dackdown !o the lastcard, whichyou tum ovcr and show,
rhuss-ilenllyproving that the fwe of sp.desreallyhasgone.
..THEOLD FASHIONEDWAY"
Removefrom thepackeightpairsof cards,eachpair beurgof the same
valueand colour. However,no valuesshouldbe aepeated. In other
25
 TheDevil's PlalthinSs The Dellil's PlaYthings
them in a f&c€
words,if one pair is the nine of heansand ninc of diamonds'another eichl cardsas many lim€s as hc wishes.?rndrhendealcan dealaround
pti .*t Noi contltt of thcnineof clubsandlhe nineof spadcsFor i.i*r a-r"f. o" lhe lable. poinling out lhat he
""tai ,iOr to lcft'lusrasie wishcs seeFigurc 6
!ia.Dli. *. vou temovemiShtbeas followsrloH' loD' 5s' 5c' ii.'riiiii
"
"i
iigi'i timcs a3he
iilzt. bs, oc, efi, co' lH' ?c' ?s,9D,9H.Asvouremove
""ta. thepai$ ri"". tp""i"io. "'
g his packat of cighl cards as many
his cardsin a circleon lop of rhos€ dealt by A Hc
tr-o* itr. p""f_,pi"". rft"min an overlappingrow, faccup on lhetable,so *i;cs. ;d lhcn dcil""i to
to thc apectalors what you are dolnS' ;#i;"f;Aitril;; rhccirclc'.a.ddcal f;om rislrrto lcft or'lert
_ it is aDDarent
thar
which dircclion they will d€ll
i"rinr i,fiou"a rl. ciShtpairs,plsct thc remainderof thepackalide' .ii,i. ol"ioutrv' inc. *cy havcd'cid'd in
direction' Thiswill
souarJu-othe spread
'"
of iairi' andtum themfact down' sayingthal you *i*ai ,itl"-,ii,i.i iJ ai aghtcardsin rhcsame
litlh, lo thal lhe speclalorshave no idcr as to the pairsof cardsin a circlc'
*i]i-nti*-rrrir '-ir". io .igitt fac. ao"n ftcac pairsdroppingoneon lop of rhc oths'
,e*ti
o.titio" Mix lhcm by rapidly doing thr€€ revcrs' faro to, s
"i
Thal
ahuffl.s. -y iog is, "".a.. on€ cardup, alldon€downthroughouttnepacxer "oit
t"i'"g"itiit.-"- "olL"i
tratt at any-poini in lh' circle' 6nd 8'ther
anJrrren irrlp oiri t-n. ioSgedcardsarld placcthcm underor abovethe ih;-up trom tcft to rigbt "ouectinS-
or right to.lcft, and thcn handthemstill facc
reverscfarosare 'in' or 'out' shufflesis of havcprobablyalrcadl gucssed that
ia."i"ing rtif. wrt"li, th-csc i"*., iol.". -"vi"g s.v ,rt"t irtc speciarorslhey canmatchup' Tum the cards
no consciuencc,uur ao not cut b€twcenshuffles.nor afler all lhreeare rou ni" ,o't"" fto" msnyDairs
comDletcd. ii*-a-*iiJiy.*tott' if ch€ckir8lo-sc' how lhcy have8ot on-ano
--fil"i"o
rft. mixinS,dcil thepacketof six!'€n cardsinlo lwo .;;; ""
,hcrn io a t*itv'"dfi;t tigtrt fan, aid lool around the ctnu' of thc
f"*;;;Gil;, "o.of.l.ai""I"g alter;ately Handoneof theseheapsto eachof #fi ;;;'ffi ;;; to elch other thar reFai .their .valuc
a
i;;;ili;;;Gr4"":Ask specr;rorA ro curhis facedownpacketof ro, iniran"", you might find a five and a six' followcdby
"!ooco"". ;i;;;and niic, followcd uv a s€v'n and nin' Erfier
il.*ii;;;:
LJ,f"* r. itilablc, and tavinS loca!'d a line of four clrds
"iii*. dos. lhc spr.sd, but pick up a litll' fingcr break
ti't. top &ta! of this goup (top-bcin8ncar'st thc floor) and thcn
-rJit-i*"tg.a, pass at the brcak

sq@
"-Uor"
iiir'irti'-rn'pl-ctc p""r.o taie aowr, doing i turnover
cards to ttrc loD of the face down pactet
,tt. r"ur
run rnc ioncd
For aramDlc,if you dccldedupon me nv€' slx' five' six
"iiii'iiil,rt'ia"g. six
liirll,iii-JJ,i.ii;ild now'beon top of rhepacl in fivesix' fiv'
*iI 0".*oal gtoupsfor youto choosc fromandvoucan
"*raii.'niii aslong as it complics with thcrule
EACHSPECTATOR '',iri'"i .iiJ ,rt to" "onvirient haic doncverywcll' proc'€dto
thc apcclalors
-"i,ioiv conn.,"i"grttat
CAN STABTAT d#;;:;il -";;;to th! mblein pairsto rcvealthat€vcrypairhag
i" io this vou musl s'condderl or thc last card.of

N
A N Y P OIN TA N D
;;;;A;.

N OE A LH IS 8 C A FOS
IN A C IR C LE
WHICHEVEF
IN

HE
;i;;ai'-oair;,
;;;;i;"i
$rrtins wirh pair numbcr one' and codrinuins
h;!t6;ds. Thisrsquire to remembcr
yours€lf,top, sccond,top, top' tnrougnout '""v
ihe dcil l
in aoo".ttapping row' but-prcferto isol'te eoch
do
bvsavinsto
not dcalth!
pair asit ia

N
DIRECTION
li*ie*
wtsHEs "aral
rev€aled.whichs€cms to addto thc ellccl'

@ Figure6
.THE CANNIBAL CARDS''

Thiscffectillusiratcs
d.i'l'r;i,iii i;il-,.
i""-*ri'rt"i-aci
"
whlt I consider
irti
""tat
'"! focil point, and
diiccrncss is
!o bea sensible
uting.at,att
whilst
not
out'
the
enhanced
us€oflhc s€cond
which
cffecl
bv
can
complctclv
be broulht
climinationof the
W o,i"i .*"t, i s s€cond d'aler lo
"t"i
;; a;d. lr is noi at ar Dec€ssary to be an exp€n
thc inbuih misdir'flion will allow evena poor
rn"-f. u.. of tftia
"i.f, "" n
26
 TheDevil's Playthings The Devil's PlsYlhings
deal,to be passedunchallenged. This stalementcan only be provedby ils caie, in this condition, and you arc all set'
''"rfi'"i it
showing tI€ eff€ct to arl audicnce. .it"*i"g itt" *tict, removetbe pack from its case'holding you
Run throwh the pack and removethe two blackiacks, placingthem rr*,ro. ii.rn tfriouO ttre cards,alld remove the JS and the Jc as
faceup on lhe tabl€,sayingthat thes€two cardsrepresenttwo cannibals ii".*i. trr.."ii,r, ii,a-id $em siightlv spread,faceup on tle table-The
Removclhe four aces,and sandwichthernbctwe€nthe two jack, sa)'lng ;il;;;.I; l."i of spades,must be belowthe
jack of clubs Now
that thc ac€sreprescntmissionaries who havebeencapturcdby thecanni' removethc four aces,andsandwich thcd- betwcm the lwo lacxs'asm
balswho aretakiDgthernbackto their village.Onth€tablethareis nowa irri irp.oapru square up lhc sixfaceup cards on thetable'and
sprcsdof six faceup cards,a jack at eachend,and the four acesin the dron rire Dack,face ".,tion.
up, on lop of them Tum lhe pacl facedown' and
centrc. a.ii,ifi"p ii'"! *tal seconddcalingon thefiflh one' to showin
Squareup lhe packet,anddrop it facedownon top of the pack,saying ij"l*iir'i-t ilr"", a","ils as alrcadvcxpleincd,ftal oneof $e mission-
"ut,
that on thc way backto thc village,the first cannibalgot hungry.Deal ;:i."-;;;;';"'. The cardsarc daehin an overlapping' .frce.up
out the lop fivc cardsof thepackin a faceup spreadon the table,second ill.Jll iiJlltJia dcalI useisrhestrikeone'whichstvcs
ihes€cond
dealingon thc fifth otrc, whichu'ill revealthat onemissionaryhasbeen I"- ii"t angles'aslongasthecatdbcingsecond dcaltis
catcn.Pick up thc sprcadof fivc cards,turn it facedown,andplaceit on '1"
i"-.a f"* "irno" "tl il leavesthepack Almost in facr'before il
top of th€ pack. Saywhentheywcrc a little ncarcrthc village,the othcr ii';;tir;;;,ik
.u?;:;.ciii';ii "" iit"" *e wonied
.-taoi"tely about thevisibilitvor rhc odd colour
cannibaltrcamc hungry. Deal out face up, the top four cardsof the ihe p*k up slishtlvandcsrrvou! a necklie rvpeof
pack, s€condd€alingon the fourth one, which will reveal$at another illi's1"i"il'" *t"ta ti fiv€card;'ard squarcthenpack'up carcfullv while
missionaryhasbctn eaten.Catherup the spreadof four cards,and place t,iiii"* thcmfac€downon lop of the Thenin line
thern facedo*n on top of the pack. Mention that the cannibalsnow "i,
wirh th€;;lter "ia-a.p
theme, deal oul four, s€cond d€alin8 on the fourth
thought thcy would havea s*cat, and deal out threecardsid face up 6"ii'.i'if'!. ail ourthree,second d€Iingon!h€lhird Ga$er
spreadon th€ tabl€, seconddcalingon the third, to revealthat only on€ Ltrem uo and "p
deal""0
out two, second dcaling on thes€cond'
missionaryrcmains.Placcth€sethreecardsfacedownon the pack,and ' be iefi wirh the two blackjacksfaceup on the
YJ;iu;";;;ll"
mcntionthat the cannibalswcrestill hungry, so that whcntheyreached t"ur.. pi"i iiii"il spades andhandit to a spedatorin lin€wirh
the villagetherewcrc no missionacs left. D€aloul two cardsfrom the ;;;,;;;J;;tit "p t.nrioned, askinga ladvto sct if fte.'cannibal'
"f of
pack,faceup on thc tablc, s€conddcalhg on the s€condon€,whichwill teelianvfirrer. When theiackof spades is returnedto you'placelt
^race
sho* just the two canmbals.Pick thesetwo cardsup, altdhandthemto a uo undir the jack of clubsand then drop thesetwo cards'careruly
sp€ctator,gefcrably a lady, and say, "lell me, after that meal,do they .,ir"i.a. r"ii,i.r" ." ropof thepack Youarenowreadyto showthat
fe€l any fatter to you?" Strangelyenough,this normallygetsa laugh! in'" .irri.^i.i"t *iii reallyeaten,bv dealingoff six cardsin a face
Takebackthc two 'cannibals'ard drop themfacedownon lop of the uo \Dreadon the ".ver
lable, sccond dealinSon all six'
pack.Now say,that in actualfact, thc story wasnot stdctly true asyou -'rdi. againsaodwiched between lwo
gi"" voutrti rourmissionaries
told it, bccausethc missionad€s did safalyarriveat the village,wiih the "irr with your pattcr story arrdwhen you explain
*r"i'tJr._fi."'""..v v€8etar'
carnibals,Illustrale this, by dealingthe top six cardsof the pack, in a Ltrurihi missionatiei "n
converted lhc cannibals andlhcy-became
faceup spr€adon the tablc, scconddcalingon the second,third, fourth rans.voucan add an additional line,saying lhal the onlyellcd lnlsnao
andfifth cards,whichwill rcvealthe four missionaries agarnsandwiched .. iirir-*^i. complexions Turnlhespread of sixcsrds^face
betweenthe two cannibals. End yout patterthcmc by saFng thc mission- do*n- andthebacks "r,"i,tt.ir
of th€cannibals will beseenlo havecnangeo lrom
arieshad convertedthe cadnibals,who becamcveg€tadans. blueto red.

C:rn b.l Crrds Wilh Colour ChrdgeEndinS. ..THE CHANGELING"

For a little extrawork. an additionalkickercanbeaddcdto tbeclimax Havea cardselected andreturnedto lhepack,controllingit sotbat.il
impromptu oo
of thisroutine.In obtainingtheextraclimax,thecomplelely endsuDsecondfrom thetop of thefacedosr pack An casywayto
nature of the effect is losl, and a sliSht stackis requir€d,as follows, ,rri"i,i" ii. trti to"r pa;sdetailed in lhe "MissionAccomplished"
rcadingfrom the top of the facedownpack:red backedJS, bluc backed ctfed in this book.
"
JC, the remainderof the bluebackedpack, and somewhere aroundthe i"r" *. i.p *td of the packcallin8attmtionto ils valueemd
centrepoint of the bluebackedpacka red backedJC. Placethe packin ,r'#i"r" ""*li'r"." i":*taa fhce ii on theta6k ooublelift to showfte
28 29
 The Det'il's Ployt hings The DeYil's PlaYthings
nextcafd, tum it facedownon the packand thumboff thc top cardface lare
down on ftc table alongsidethc first one. Have a apectatorplacahh h is helpfulin lhistrick if thctwocardsshownbeforethechanges lhis by
or""i ,..".uetcd by the spectstorsand I usuallyensurc
fingeron thc backof oneof thcsetwo cards,and intcrprgt his ahoiceso "r._ioitv
il ;i tD"d.*ana ioier at rherop of rhc pack b€for€
that hc selectitheclrd that is actuallyth€ onctakcn flom thepackat the ffiilii;
commcDcing lhc.ffacl.
bcgindngof thacffect. In othcrwords,if hatouchcsthc co[ect cardthis
is his s€l€ction,and if he touchesth€ $Todg one, this is th€ card
discardcd.Pick up thc cardtrot chosan,and showthe facaof it. andthcn .'THE IIAPPY WANDERENS''
hold it facedol,n in the righr hand,thc pock still beinghcld in thc l.ft.
Ask the sp€ctatorto placchis fingersoD tba back of tle tabl€dcard in
8nd rub tlc faceon thc tablcand thcn tum thc card fac€ut, whichwiu Somclime a8o, Edward Marlo publishcda lrick in "Ibidem"' thal one
t-f"*'"iitiO *tds, replacedln the pack, sprcad oul so
reved that it lra! tuncd into thc selcct€dcard. Undcr tbc cxc€llcnt "r,r"l rh; othcr tq,o travelledto thc top andbollom
misdircctionof thi! aation,do a convcntionalbottom changcwith tha ,.-"ioJ io ifrJ"*t..
:';fi:';1i. ii';id;;, -awasthe inspirationror thc followins rouune
cardin your right hsnd, i.e. thiacerdis placcdon th€bottomof thcpack, " f"*;p in the tight hand and se'rcilv reven' the top
lnd thc top cardof th€ packi! takcn in ito plac€,or altcmativclyu6€a ti;Iff;';;i pacl'
*'i-.tr,ft i""f roo" niare$ lhe floor) Run throughlhe faceup
toDchangc.Saythat lhe spcctrto$ areprobablywondarinl what would
lla-,r''"i-.riiiiii*r' before
andkiogof anvsuit'lr isadvisable
quccn
havchappcnadif thc othcr card had b€€nchoscn,Placctha facedo*n
comrncncing thc cffect to trotethc valucso[ the top ano seconocaro or
cardin your right handon top of the fac€up oneon thc tablc, and thcn *t"t.tot. ignorethc sui! of rhescif oneor both happcnlo
pick up both clrds togeth€rbctlvcenthe sccondfingerand thumbof thc ii" .""i.
;;d;.-;d","i'a whcnioo*ing for thc iack, qu'cn and ling of vour
right hard as shownin Figurc7.
thffi".tlil'o*r
r"". up on thelablc, prcfcrabtyon top of !h' cardcas€'
..iiiiii
-ti* ii u. rit"iJup with caselitcr, and calc thc jack' que€nand
suit (ior cxamplc,diamonds)in the l'ft hand' ard
Figure7 "r-irt.
liiiuiitii"lt-i"*li. "rt".it tttg audimcc.Tum thcrn faccdown' and mix $e
do n
iii"" *ta. iit*, to ttt"t thei! ordcr is ulknovn Hold thcmfacc thc
l.',i. f"fi-rt*a " pi"k up a litlle finger break immcdial'ly above
t*fiffip "ia
,r," r""" up p"ck, in th€dght hand,andplaccil srill faceup-on
rdn of ihc lhrcc faccdown picturccsrds.say you will now cut mc Jacx'
o"l* *i iiog r. ttt" of thc pack Gvc th' pack onc cut' bul
ii-trit"aoccr "artrc
pull down movc, 30lhrt lhis card is rctainedin
TWOCARDS PICKED
UPAS AEOVESTILL
"'ifr,.-ri.
;fi;;ffi;fipcrfuf oi thc pacLgoesin abovcit Alrcrnarivelv'
FACETOFAC€ iii'.'i"i trt"-"i"i, ii !h. cardb.lo$'th' lcft littlc fingerin positiqn'
il;-ti;;:-,iil i*"-down clr'ds arc nocrtog'"therin thc ccnuc bv
'lns
;;;dil tilp;"t i;. bctwcd thc h8ndsuntil vou havcrcrchcdth€
if,i.. i.i.t*a on"r, .nd "phave spr.ad s littlc rvavpast them -closc^the
Releasetic right sccond fingcr g:rip on the two cards so that lhcy strap
ljii t,iiii"t a lcfr linlc fingcr br€akbclowthe frcc of the
ovcr togcthar and ale now grippcd bctwccn thc ritht hand lirst fing€r and
rhumb,which is lhe conventionalflip changcaction.placc the two cards centre
*t;.-fi; onc of lhc thrcc"p
":p''pi"i, rcl,clscdcdds.
t-; 6usc th€ j.ck, qu'cn kinB of diarnondsro
down on lhe lablc again and draw b.ck the uppcrdost facc down one, to thc pack facc 'nd
dowtr, carrying oul a tumover
rcvcal the fac€ of tha onc bclo*. In linc with this action, you havc ."iJo* *tcn tuto
u ii. o.iJ. "ria rn" tpectatols will immcdiarclv s€' onc of thc faccup
rcachad the stagain your patt6 whcre you hrva ask€d th. opcctaiols if out a littl' wav t'clow
"Li
ii"*i ,rt. topl sran sprcadinglh' cards
th€y arc wondcring what would havc happctrcdif thc othcr card hsd bcen "*a-. ", a .ccond on" sho*s up ncar thc centr€ and continuc
selecicd. Now you say ,Well, in that cas€, this onc would not have iii.-a-a packin
""rii l.sl ooc is at thc bolrom Exhibit the
changedto thc selcctcdcard, but tlis ona would., DurinS thc LATTER to*i-i.g lo tito* tlu, the n' €xtra
hdlf of thc prcvious s€nta!@ you tum thc face do$n, upFrmost card if,it aooa]tioorot torncnI taling cerathat you do not expos€
facetro card bclow " thc top picturecard Say you will now-make.thcn
faca up, to rcveal thot lhis now has changcd to th€ selcctcdcard.
iii"Jt'"r-"rt*ll"i". ctos€ up the pack' and pick up a little finSerbreal
30 1l
 The Devil's Playthings
abovethe centrefacc up card. Tum the pack face up, and carry out a
tumover passat the brcak. spreadthe pack out betweenthe handsto
showthat the thre€cardsare now facedomr togetherin the centre.
Whenyou gometo tltemremovethemoneby one,anddrop themface
do*,non the table, thusr€versinglh€ir ordcr, Pict up the lop oneof the
threeon the table, and turn it faceup, and plac€it belowthe face up
pack. Pick up the nextfacedowncardon the table and tum it faceup,
alld placeit on the faccof the pack.Tum thc packfsce downand take
fte last fac€downcardand pustrit into the ccntreof the pack.Turn the
packfaceup again,aDdhold it from abovein tllc right hand,thumb at
the near short end, and fingersat the far one in prg,aration for the
Ovettemastermove.Saythat you havecausedthec,Lrdscithersideof the
ccntreone to jump to the endsof the packand backagain,but nothing
reallyhashappenedto the c.ntre one.Point out thet you bavea picture
card on the face,and alsoonc on the top, whichyou showby sliding it
out with the left hand and then rcplaceit, but us€the Ovettcmove to
really replaceit secondfrom thc top.
Say you will now try to llake somethinghappcnto all thre€ cards
including thc ccntrc one. Turn the pack face down c{rying out'a
turnovq palBanywhcrearoundthe centrepositio!, end spreadit face
downon the tablc. Thapicturc cardseeminglyplaccdin the c€ntre,has
now tumed faceup, and the cardspreviouslyat the top and botlom of
the packnow resideeithersidcofit. You hav€achievedyour promiseof
makingsomethinghappento all thraecards
Thc principleusedin this effectis an interestin8one,althoughunfor-
ttmatclydueto the stackrequiredit is moreor lesslimited to an opening
cffect, but as suchh quite effectiv..
Arrangethe top sectionof the packr€adingfrorn tbe firs! facedown
card as follows: 4 6 9 I 4 x x 6 x 9 4 x I 9 9 x 6 6 1 4 x x I (x canbe any
card). Valuesonly arc of prime ihponance in thc stack,althoughlhe
first four cardsshouldbe of mixedsuits.
Felsc shuffle the pack altd thultb off thc top four cards withoul
alteringthcir ordcr, plscingthe rernaindcrof the packfacedowDon the
tablc. Crt the smallpacketof four cardsasmanytides asyou wish and
thcndcalthamout on th€ tablein a facedo*n linc from left to right. Ask
a spectatorto pushany on€of the four cardsout of the spr€ad.Gather
up tha ramainingthrcecads, by placingtlle oneimmediatelyto thc lefl
of thc sclectcdore on top of its immediateleft hand neighbour,or if
thereis no neighbour,on thc cardat the extremeridt hand endof the
threcand thenthcrc two cardson top of the oneto thcir left. To makc
thingsquitecl€ar,thc following exampl€sshowhow the remainingthree
cardsshouldb€aisqnblcdaccordingto whichoncofthe four h sclected.
The Devil'sPlatthinSs
Figure8
l placeD on C andlhm lhesctwo cardson B'
tf A is sclect€d,
2 . ii o is iucc ,l on D ard th€nth.s€two cardson c'
setcctea.
3 . lf C is s€l€cted,place B on A rlrd lhcn thesctwo card! on D'
4. lf D is sel€cted,place C on B and thcn thesatwo calds on A'
EoH the thrcecardsfacedownin the right handand taketh€top card
and olacr it face up on tbe table. If it is an acaor four spot lake the
io"eimost cara of ile remainingtwo in your hand, aDdplaceit to rhr
ii"trr olitt. oo. attoav on thetablc' andthenlhe final oneto thc right of
ii;e iwo. lf rhc rrsr iard vou dcaloul tu not an ac€or four. you simply
aJ ttrcm alongsiaecach;thcr in r conventionalmannerfrom Lft to
richt.
'pick uo tbe rcmaindcrof th€packand ded downlo the vilue of cach
or-rir"rtti.i ia". up on tiretable'placing$e cardsdealt.toface
downaside.For€xample, ""tdsifthe orderoflhe lhr€ecardsis ace'runc'slx'
*ourJ"ount ao*i, one for ace'and placclhis cffd faccdown aside
ln tle table.andttrenninccards'placinglhc ninthcardfac€downwith
"ou
irr. pt*iou" on., noally six, piacinalhe sixthcatd, facedownaside'
i.rii.t"r rrt"r -a
vou a*'ays slan'with ltrc lcft hendcard of thc line ol
rhree.Hav€the;paeatorturn ovcr thecardhe sclccled originally,and
thm yourthrc€cards,lo rcvcalfour of a kind.
..ALMOSTIMPROMPTU''
Thh trick usesthe samcprincipleas that usedin "Lib€rty"' but an
effort hasb€enmadeto rcducethc preparationto a minimum,andhence
the titlc. A stackof four cardsir requircdand I hav€often found that
will a stackof ttris sizc,it is quitc possrblcto lcaveit in the packwhilst
Dcrforminqone or two olhcr cffects,and lhen cut i! to the appropilatc
ooskionwim vou wishto procc€dwith thetrick involvingth's€ cards A
iarcenumberofcard tticks do not involveshufflingthc packto anySreal
wallworthremembering'
- _i.i and so rheideaof a latml strck is
cxtint.
four cardstogcthcrin
* no* a.tut. rttat vou have lhc following
 The Devil's PlaYthings
other method. I believe that tbe handling is as direct as one is likely to
obtain.
Run ihrou!fi the pack alld rcmove the four aces,placing them face up
in a small fan on the table. ln arranging them on lhe table mak€ sure thcy
arc in easily rcmembered suit order. The one I use is hearts, spades,
diamonds and clubs, so that the aceof clubs would be the face accof the
four on thc table. Say you will replacethe fout accsfac€ down on top of
the face down pack. Do tlis but retain a break below them with th€ l€ft
little finS€r.
State ihal you would now like to have a clrd selectedand do this by
riffliru down the lefi hand outer comer of tha cards with the left thumb
until told to stop. At this point, cut the cards above the left thumb off
from the pack, but retain the break with lhe riSlrt thumb below th€ four
aces. Thumb off the top face do*n catd of the lower half, emd
reassemblethe pack, takrng up the brcak b€low the acesagain, with the
left littlc finger. Havc thc sp€ctatornote his sclect€dcard' and remember
Riffle down with your left thumb to about the centre of the pack and
bring thc right hand over as if to cltt the upper s€ction off but in aciual
fact, lift off only the four cards atove the left little finger break. Have
the spectator replace hfu card on top of the lower section, and tb€n
replacethe cards held in the right hand on top. This is lhe standard mock
passprocadur€, bu! done below four cards instead of one' aid the usual
iafeguardsof curling the fingeF of eachhand around the endsof their
resDectiv€ oacketsto concealrheir lhicknessshould be followed. Some
thougbts on the mock pass handling can be found in thc "Mission
AccomDlished"eff€cl elsewhcrcin this bobk.
Ask ihe spectator to tell you the sui! only of his selectcdcard, and say
you wiu first of all sholrl a trick involving this suit alld the four aces.Daal
down the four acesonto the table, but seconddeal on $e suit of the aca
which coincid€swith the one he names, and continue to sacoDdd€sl until
lhe suDDosed four acesare face down in a packe! on lhe lablc. For
examoii. if he saia aiamonds,you would know lhat the lhird ace from
rhe ton in the rcmcmberedsuitorder would be a diamond,so you would
deal down two cards fairly, and tben sccond deal for the remaning two.
oive lhe packet of focc down acesto lhe assistingsp€cletor, altd ask
him to placc one undcrncath the packe!, and th€n one fac€ up on thc
tablc. Whcn hc do€s this, state "thafs not thc ace of diamonds" Ask
him to place anolhcr ona undet thc packet, and thc next one face up on
|hc tabG and again repcat your phrase "that's not the aceof diamonds".
Rcqu€sthim to placeonemorebelowthe packet,and one faceup on the
tsblc, and sayagain, "that's not th€ aceof dramonds".
I lc will be l€ft with one face down card, altd by the presantationhe will
rinumc that in someway he has beenleft with the acecorrespondingto
I hc $uitof his sclectedcard.Cestureihat hc shouldturn lhis card faccup,
rnd {N hc s€csthat it h his selected one,sayagain"and that's not the ace
TheDevil's PlaYthinSs
ofdiamonds,because the ace;f diamondsis here". tnlinewiththe laiter
Darr of your final statement,lop paim lhe ace of diamondsfrom the
pack, with rheright hand, and produceit from your insidejacketpocket
;tmDlemisdirectionis presenlfor this palm' because ofthesurprisewhen
the ipcctaror finds lhat the final csrd is his own.
..FINDERIi XJEPERS''
The effccl of most 'vou take a caId and I find it' tlp€ of tdck' depends
on how the card is found for its ent€rtainment velue, ralher than how
inseniouslvlhe D€rformerconldves to make the seleltion aJ|dcontrol
,pp"r, pof..tty t"ir. ln lhis lrick lwo cardsare sel€dedand found in a
way.
surprisiru
Runthroughthe packandremovethe ace,two andthreeof clubs'
with rhe threeat lhe face
'turn rhcm-faceup on the table in ordcr. pict
olacinr
t-heoack face down in the l€fl hand, and upa little fingerbreak
below rh; loD threecards. Pick up lhe three cards from lhe table and
Dlaceftem stil face up. on top of lhc pact. Squarelhetr| up wilh lhe
;emaindcrofthe pack,and with the riglt hand lift all six cardsabovetha
left litlle finger brcak up dighlly, until they call be supporled trc$r€enthe
tips of th€ laft fingers and thumb, the thumb b€ing at ona long-side and
fie fingers at the othcr. This allows you to dtop one card from the
bottom of the group with lhe right thumb and ro pick up a thurbb brcak
above it. Now removc the packct of cards a{'ay from the pack. At this
srageyou rcally hav. six cards in the riglt hand, with a thumb break
abdve thc low€rmost one. Th€ effect fiom the audicnce's point of view
lhould be that you have used thc left hand to assist you in squaring the
cards in the right. Throughout th€ prcccding actions, the ridt hand
holds the cards'from above, thc thumb at thc near short end, and the
lingers at thc far one, with the forefinScr rcsting or1 the face of lhe
nackel.
Requestingthat the sp€ctatorsshould notc that the three cards are in
order, bring the face up packet over the rtain face down pack, and by
[sinc the leit thumb,draw lhe lhrce ofclubs onio lhc top of the packbut
lcav; it in an outjogaedposition,for about half aJIinch. Now draw the
t wo of clubs from the face of tha right hand pack€t onto the three already
on top of the pack, and position if squaraly with the three' so that both
edrds are not butjoggcd. This laavesyou seemingly with the ace in the
right hand, but aclually four cards are b€ing held as one' with a bresk
0tove the lovermost one. Place the aceon top oi the two, pickinS up the
hreak from thc right thumb, with the left littl€ finger. withdraw the
cmDty right hand away from the pack slightly. Figue l0 illustratcs the
lcft hand frosition at this sta8a.
The right halld now app€3rs to lift off the ace, two and three away
liom the;ack, a|ld the outjoggcd position of thes€cards makesit logical
 TheDevil's Playthings
CA R OSA B OV EB R E A K
AN EOU TJOGGE D
AB OU T72"
Figurel0
LITTLEFINGERHOLDS
8N €A K B E LOW 3C A R OS
thai such an action is possible' The right hand finge.s are placd at the
far sho end of the cards, and thc thumb at the near one. The thumb
now lifts its cnd for about an inch atrd the csrds pivot upwards, stiU
touching at the far short end of lhe pack. In this action the lcft hand
mov€s the pacl forward slightty and tha right haDdmovesils cards back
slirhtly. Thesetwo actionswhen combinedare barcly perceplible'but
ha-vetie effect of squaring up $e cards bclow the little finger brcak wilh
the rcmainder of the pack and l€aving the ridt hand with just tllree
cards. Thesethtee cards, which can be spteadjust under a white bordet
width of card, are placed face up on thc table, pr€ferably on top of the
card cale so thal you can pick them up wilh easclater.
Thc main pack is now turned faca up in thc left hand and the left little
finccr obtains a break abovc thc top card of the pack (the onc near$! tl|e
flo;r). The riShthandcomesoverand underculsaboulhalfthe pack.but
b€causaof th; litdc fmger brcak. leav.s behind rhc actual top card of the
Dack. The hindu shuffle fu commenced,drawing off very small packets
;nto thc left hand s€clion, and requcsting a spcctator to call stop at any
Doint.when rcqucstedto stop exhibitthe cardat lhc faceof lhe left hand
section and rcDosition thc cards in lhe riSht hand so that lhey are ready to
carrv out lhe bvetle Dlacementmove.
Hiving shownrhc iard a! lhe faceof the left handscctionof the pack'
push it over with the l€ft thumb and deposit it bclo* fte right hand
iection, but really executethe ovette move, 30 that it actually is in the
secondoosilion.Leave it protruding by aboul half ils width on the lef!
handsiacof rhe right hand pecker' Now exhibil lbe nexl facecardon the
left hand packet, and request a seaondspectator to rem€mberthis one.
Thumb il off slightly to the right as if to emphasisethe selcction, a[d
then retum it squarc, but pick up a little finger break below it. Bring the
3E
The Defil's Plallhings
.ighthandcardsabovetheleft,placingthemontop,andsquadng up the
wholepack.Turn the packfacedowncarryingout a turnoverpassat the
little finger break, and then placingthe pack facedown on lhe table.
Pick up the smallpacketof cardsrestingon lhe card caseand place
themstill faceup in the left hand,taking the opportunityin this action,
to obtaina lefi little fingerbreak,belowtheaceof clubs.Explainthat the
ace,two and threewill become"findar3" andhelp you to locatethe two
selectedcards.Pick up th€ facedown pack on the table wilh the dglt
hand,holding it from abovealld placeit still facedown on top of the
faceup acein tlle lefl hand.Sayyou mus!cut the "finders" to thecentre
sothat thcy will besomewhere ncarthe selecledcards.Civethe packone
cut, but executethe little fingerpull downmovewith the lowelmosttwo
cardsof the pack,sothat thc upp€rsectiongoesbetweenthesecardsand
theremainderof the pack.Squarethe packcarefdly, and thenspreadit
face down on the table, to sho* that two cards have been trapp€d
betweenlhe ace,two andthree.IJt a spectatorremoveall five cards,and
confirm that the caughtonesarc the sclectedones,
..YOUCAN'T CHEATAN HONFSTMAN''
This trick is bas(don the old classicwhercthreejacks are continually
dealtout into onehand,the secretbeingthat a fourth oneis broughtinto
play.Contraryto someopinions,I hsvc found that atreffect catrsome-
rimesbc strerigthmcdby substitutingsleightoI hand for subtlety,and
rhisis wha! hasbeendonehere.
Runthroulh fte packand removethe four jacks,placingthemon the
rable.In doingthk, alsolocaletheaces,drd pGition themon the faceof
rhe pack vrit! six cardsb€low tbem. In olhar *ords, the acesoccupy
positionsscven,eilht, nine and ten from the faceof the pack
Turn th€ pack facedown in the lcft hand.Talk aboutd.monstrating
Samblingcontrols,etc., and tbumb off four csrdsfrom the top of the
pack. Turn thes€over alld ltrashthem briefly, sayingfour indifferent
cards,and then replacethernfacedo*n on top of the pack. Pick up lh€
lbur jack and drop thes€facedown, on top of the park. Now dcal out
rwo handson the lable, dealingfirst to the spcctatorand then to your-
relf. ln actual fact you deal as follows: top, bottom, top, bottom, top,
bottom,top, top. Pick up your handand turn it faceup spreadingit to
showyou haveno jacks.Replaceit on top of thepack.Ask th€ spcclator
ro€xaminehis hand,andhefindshehasthe four jacks,Replacethescon
rop of the packand aSarndea.lout as follow: top, bottom, top, bottom,
rop, bottom, top, top. Briefly flashyour handoncemore and replaceit
on top of the pack,and th€n€xaminethe spectator's, whenthe four
lacks will again be revealed.
Sayyou will repestthe demonstrationa third time. Drop the four
ircks on top of the pack, ard deal out as before,but this time deal,
39
 TheDevil's PlaythinEs
bottom,top, boltom,top, bottom,top, bottom,top. Reachforward
wilh your right hand, as if to again indicata that the iacks are in the
spectator'shandandthcn say"it's a lirtle diffcrent this time b€cause the
jacks are here," Turn ovcr YOUR hand, and showyou havcthe fout
jdcks. Rcach towards the rcmaining face down hand, and say, "of
cours€,herewehavctha four . . ." atrdasyou turn themovcr, say, ". , .
ACES". wbich will comeas a surpdse,as thay will be o(pcctingiust
indifferent cardsto showup as thcy havcon the previouslwo phas€sof
the trick.
In vicw of thc fact that only oncof tha indiffcrentcardsremainson tha
first two phascsof thc trick, you may prefcr to makeus€of this fact, by
cnsuri4 that whcnshowingth€ indiffcrcnt cardsat rhc bcginninSof thc
effcct, thereis a Fomincnt oneat the faca.For inctalcc you could haec
thc jokcr at the tacc of th€m.
If you now tum th. indiffcrcnt crrds faccdownandpull thcmonlo tlle
packwith thc left thumboncby onc,thusrev€rsingthcir ord€r, andthen
do tle samcwith the four jacks, you can continucwith th€ trick, but
havingdealt out th€ two hands,if you pick up your hand by toking the
top facedown cardoff, andscoopthc othcr thre€catdsup with it, there
will still be s joker at thc facc,and by implicarionlhcaefour indiffcrcnt
cardswill b€ th€ sameones.You n ould then replac€thcm on top of the
pack, againpulling thcm off ona by onc with th€ left thumb to rcvcrsc
thcir ordar, and then of coutsc doing lhc samcwith the four jacks.
Follo\xirg thc routineyou woulddaalout a sccondtimc, andagainscoop
up your indiffercntca.dhasp,by mcatlsof thc top card,sothal theiokcr
would showst the facaonccmore.
"NEVEN GIVE A SUCKDRAN EVEN BREAX"
I considarthe "Thraa CardTrick", to bc onc of tha mostenterlaining
that canbc shownto an audiancc.This vcrsionis complctclystandardin
construction,but hasa logictl story to tic tha movcstogethcr,aDdalso
climitretcaany sclcationby thc spoctstorsa! to whichcardis tba quccn,a
fcaturc that is worth rcmovingif you rre Dcrformingbeforemorc than
ona sp€ctator,bccsusath€y will normaly disegee ovcr thcir sclcction,
ard onc will theraforebc right. No tcchdcal descriptionot thc montc
thro* will bc aivan,sincath€ standsrdotrc is uscd. In my opinion, tbc
bastdcscriprionis to bc found in tha "Eipart al the Cttd Tabla", by
ErdMsc.
You will needthrcc cardsof matchingbacks,onc bcing a queen,6nd
thc other two havingblank fac.s. They arc arrangcdwith the quccnat
tha face,and placcdin your pocketin this positionuntil you arc rcady!o
perform.
Rcmovcchcthrcc cards,and hold them facc down in the right hrnd,
lifting the top oneup, rcadyto maketha montethroiv. Saythat yolr will
4 4l
The Dev il's Plalt hittgs
givea shorthistoryofthc *ell known "Threc CardTrick", andillustrate
the important fcatwes by meansof lhrce cards. Explain that in the
earliestvcrsionof thetrick theyus€dthreequ€ens,andon thc faceof on€
of thesequeensthey mark€da circle, and the queenwith the circleon,
wasthe on€ you had to find. In line with this s€nteDc€, tuIn the thee
cardsover by tilting the right hand, exhibitingthe fac€ ot th€ qucan.
Montethrow this cardto positionA in th€ illustration. Immediatelylift
up the new top card, readyfor tie montethrow and turtr the hand to
sbow4 s€condquccn.Montethrow this to positionB, in the illustration.
Tum ovcrthebandto showthelastquecn,at thepoint in thepatts whctr
you say"they markedthe queenwith a circleand this wasthe oneyou
had to find", and drop it facedown to position C.
B
W
FigureI I
Now saythat a few yearslatcr, thcy found that the rnarkedcirclc did
Iot showup too well againstthe backgroundof the quecn,so instcsdof
usingqueens,thcy usedblank cards,alrd thercforethc circleshowcdup
muchmorecleady. In line with this statcrnent,pick up th€ facedown
cardat positionC, and placeit abovethat at positionB. Lift thesetwo
.ards up and turn the handover to cxhibit the blank faceof the lower-
mostone. Monte throw this card down to position B and with rhe left
handpick up the card from position A and tum it fac€up lo showit as
hlank, and also tum over the ght hand to sho* lhe one there alsois
hlank. Drop thesecardsbdck r€spectiv€ly at positionsA and C.
Now say that.still later, thcy removedthe nccessityof markingthc
crrds at all, and they usedtwo queens,ard one blank card, lhe blank
rl|rd beingthe onethat you had to flnd. ln line with this slatcmcnl,pick
un thc facedowncard, at pogitionC, and placeit abovcB, pickingthe
rwocardsup togcthd. Turn thc handto fla$ tha quccnat thc face,and
 The Devil'E PlaYthings
TheDevil's Platthings
Montethrow thc queento positionB. Fairly thtow the left handcardto
montc throw this down to position B. Tum the tiSht hand to show the positionC. Pick up thc cird at posilionC, belowthc onealreadyheldin
iimaining cara is al.o a quecn,and drop this al posilion c Lift up rhe the riSht handand lurn thc two overto showthe faccof th€ lower one'
card at isition A with the left hand, ard show ils face to bc blank' as saying "blaDk card number onc." Monte throw this card do$n to
you
vou r€;h fte line in lhe patt€r aboul lhe blank card beirS lhe on€ position C, ard then tum the remainitrgcard in thr riSht handover to
iave to find. Replacc the blank cerd facc down in positronA
- ;how i!3 facr, saying,"blank cstd numbcriwo", anddroppingthis face
Say,but now l'm Boingto showyou lhc modamvercionof the "Three down on top of th; one alrcsdyat position C. Strte lhat the crrd at
c"rl'i.iii;;. iti,rtii two blank cardsare uscdand one quem' and posrtronB mustthercforebetha queen,andtum it ovcrto showthat this
th.;t;l; ;h;;"; v." ilaveto find. As vousavrhis.pickup thecards
"na
alsois blank.
at obsitions A and B and tum thcm focc up, placi[g thcm' sprcad
s[gllrly,in th€ lcft hatld,rhcnwith lhe righl hand'lum up the cardat
DositionC to showit to b€ a qu@n.
'-ph". rtrc oueenfacedown;t posilion B, and !h€ bl&tk cardsrcsp€cl' "cotl)uR MAGlc"
in.i" ui n uoo C Pici up thecardat posilionc and placcit Thit eff€ct wasevolvedin an effort to ra_crcateonc of AlaxEl6slcy's
irt'" qu..tt po.ilion B' and takeup the blankcard at position A
-riiooi cards. To perform lhe trick, you wiU na€d
"t"'"" "t throw the quccnlo positionB, thc l€ft hand card tricks, bul using ordinary
in the l€ft hand.Montc cardswith fouicontrastfug or diffcr€nt colour back dcsi8tt5.I would
iaitlv io po.irion c, lhe riSh!handc.rd fairly to positionA saythat \ugg.st thal you lry thc eff€ct out by removingtha approprialccllds
theaudiencc probably
are -a lhinkingthequeanisat posltronB' anoturnn r"frlreo, *;ring utecolourson lhe ba.L with a fch ripp.dren. This
facc
_-i.lori uD to show that it is not.
ptobablywondcringwhat the Sambletvroulddo if witi givc -a a goodideaof the.ffcct obtaincd,ard if you think it worth
you
r"v-*t"v whila you can th.n obtain cardsrvith rhc properlyd.signedbacks.
to.*ni dia plct ttti qucen.Plac€the catd from position B, faccdown
"..
Thacardsneedcdrrc as follows:ycllow backedking of sDadcs'grecn
on thaouecnat DosilionA, andtakeupthccaJdfrom positronL' ln lnc backedking of hearrs,rcd baakcdjack of spad€s.Thesethee c,rds are
lefi hani, tum tirc faceslowardslhe audienca,showingthc quc'n al the placedid tli€ outsidebrca,tpoct.t of yourjack t, wiih thcjack of-spadcs
i""" or iri" iigrtt rtanapair. Montelhrow the queento posiiion B, fajrly at the facc.You will alsonced,readingfrom thc faac,bluabackcdquccn
tfuow rheleft halld cardlo positionC. Pick up lhe c8rd Irom posr[Pn.L of bearts, red backed8cc of hearts,rcd backedjacl of clubs, Srccn
rvith rhe risht hand. bclowlhc card alreadythere,and monlethrow uc backedaccof clubs,greenback€dking of diamonds,yellowbaak€dace
uooc.rnoil-catain tttc tiSht handto positionA, and drop th' remarning you of spadcs,ycllowbackedki[g of clubs,blu€backcdaceof diamoDdsand
oii ar positionC. Now iy, lhat normally.theg&mblerwould exp€cl blu; backcdqueenof diaoonds. Run throuShthis lroup of nin€ cards
ro sale,clthis card, atrd point to thc catd at posilion B, but in actual lacl'
nnd injog atl acesfot abouta quartcrof all inch. Placean elasticband
itr. i"*. i rtiii, na i'oinr to rhecardat posirionc Now, if thiscard urouni ihe completepackct, ovcr thc narrow width, so tbat thc trinc
*.tJ..f"e"a, *i tt"tivou pushlhc cardal positionc forwardslighdy' cardsarc lockcd in poiition, $dth the accsstill injogged Placcthenr in
hewoutdflip it ovcrto showyouw.r€ wrong,likc this Pickup lhe^caro rhe outer lcft hand jacket pocketof yout suit, and you arc readyto
from positionB ard do a verypoor Mcxicgnturnovertyp€cnang€ol rnls perform.
iot rh" on po.ition c, flipping it faceup on thc lable You arc
wlrr whell wishingto showthe cffect, ramovethe packeiof cardsfrom tha
""rd
now holding a "t
card facc do*n in rhcright hend'whichthesDcctators lcft handjackct-pocket,8ndhold thcmin the left handsothal th. ioggcd
assumcto bethe quccn.Saylhat thcy probablysaw you changc lnat calo
portion oi thc acesis conccalcdby the lcft fingcrs, With thc dght hand
for this onc. andhcrayou point first lo thc fac€up cardon thclaolc' alro itrurnb,flick the uppcrcnd of the pa.k t rathe! quickly' sayingthat vou
thcn to lhc facedown onein the hand,but did theysccyou changctlul havea g:roupof picturccards,with whichyou would likc to demonstrata
ona.for tbrsone. H€rcyou point firsl to the onc facedowa rn you thc hatro'
posilion A whcn point lln unuiua]irick. fte rc$on for flicking quickly is sothrt thc spccntors
iriii,.n'rrti i""" a.*"-one on lhe tsble at havenochance ro countthepicturec5!ds.Rcmove tharubbcrband'and
!o lhe one facedown oo lhe table. irnmcdiarcly follow this sctlon DJ
Turn the one st l pushthe joggcdcardssquaraand hold the packetfacedown in the left
tuminSitfaceup, when it willbcseen tobcthcquecn
to show il is blank' hand. Kcep the fingcrs curled around thc end atld th€ hand low to
bcinqhcld
*nil:iilii;i in thc l€fl hand ov€r, Loncealthe thickness.
;;;hoh thin; is a complete swindlc'andthat evenif
With you right hand rcachinto your ouier breastpockctandremove
aftttt"c cttat *i.c.tto*n, it wouldbeimpossibl€to find thequ'€n Pick thc thrci cardJthere.Placethem faceup on thc tabL, sayinStbat yolt
i ii.-.-& in ,rt. mont.thiowpositions. blankcardin the
pair "on"*tional in ftc right, with thc qu'en at lhe lace rlso usethreefurther picturecards.Theorderof the tablcdcardsreading
lefr hand,and of cards
43
42
 The Devil's Plqythings
f.om the faceshouldbe JS. KH. KS. Ghostcount the facedown cardsin
|he left hand, to show they have blue backs, and place the last blue card
on top of the packet.Wren carrying out the ghost count which is the
standard fow as four one, injog the third card counted slightly. This will
allow you to bring the right hand over and place the tllumb on ihe
injogged card, lifting it slightly, and pushing it square,so that the thumb
can be partially inserted undd the top two cards and thesecards can be
r€moved as one by the right hand, the thumb on th€ face and fingers on
the rear of th€ near short end. lts face is fla3hed,showingthat it's a
picture card, and lhe right hadd then travels up io the outer breastpocket
of your jacke! and pushesthe card in.
Bring the right hand down to the left hand packet again, lo make a
squaring action, and lei the facecard drop off the righl thumb so that the
left little finger can obtain a break above il. With the right hand pick up
the.iackof spades,alld tum il facedown, showingthat it hasa red back.
Say that esch of the tabled picture cards has a strange power over the
onesin lh€ band. Appear to push the face down red card among the fac€
do*n blu€ ones,but really insertit immediatelyabovethe facecard, by
m€ans of the left litde finger break. Push the red backed card square,
and pick up a lcft little finger break above it. Cive the packet a singlecut
at the break, and lhen ghost count them again, injogging the third card
slightly, and placing the fourth on top, to show that the red backed
picture card has made all the backs change to red.
Repeatthedoubl€ lift of the top card and its insertionin the outer
breasi jacket pocket, and then show that the king of heafts has a green
back. Insert it among the red cards, but really sccond from the face,
using the sametechnique as previously dcscribedand then cut the packet
and ghost count aa before to show all the backs are now green. Remove
the top greenbackedcard, doublelifling as usual,and placingit in the
pocKet.
Insert the final yellow backedking of spadesinto the packel, second
from faceas usual,then cut and ghostcount to showthe backsare now
all yellow. Double lift tlle top yellow backed card, and place in ih€ out€r
breastjacket pocket.
Statethat the spe.tatorshave seenthe power of tbe individual cards
that were on the table, but they may like to seewhat would happenif lhe
piclure cards in the left hand were brought clos€ to all colours at once.
Takethe facedown8roup of cardsfrom the left hand with the right, and
tap it on the oulsideof your breastpocket.Now spreadthe cardsout, to
show that each back h of a different colour.
Mentionthat whilstperformingthistrick a speclatorsaid,'1hat would
be a very useful accomplishment when playing cards", and that you
replied,"yes it would, but surelymoreusefulifI couldchangethe faces,
ralher than the backs." You now turn the four cardsfaceuD. to reveal
that they are aces.
44
The De l's PlaYthings
NorE:-ln carryingout the ghost count throuehoutthis trick, take the
cards rather more deeply into the riSht hand than usual' to
discrns€lhe thicknessin the earlynagesof the effed. Also. keep
th;ands low, and the backsof the cardstowardsthe audience'
Rememb€rthe backs change coloul, arld this is what they will
watch, not the edges.
M€ntion the fact that you are using pictutc cards frequently
throuchourthe roulioe to improvethe final climax' and remem_
ber afu, that the facesof the doublelifi€d cardscan alwaysbe
flashed Prior to Pocketing thcm.
..THE INCONSISTENTLIAR''
The use of a pack of cards as a li€ detactor is a very old idea' but I
believe Bruce Cervon and Larry Jennings were the first to usc carclsto
indicate whether the aNwers to a seriesof questiodswere true ol false
The normal Dresentationof this trick invites the assistingspectalor to tcll
lies whenevei he wish€s, but in Inost of thc publishcd v€rions I have
read. this lie has to be consistenr'ln other words. it lh€ jacl of clubs
\aereselecred and vou askedthe sp€clalorlhecolourofhis card' hemiSht
lie and sa) red. lt you lhen a5kedhim lhe suil, it would haveto be hearts
or diamonds to biconsistent with his first lie. Sinceyou have invited the
tDectatorlo tell lieswheneverhe wishes,lhcre seemslo b€ no reasonwhy
hl shouldnot, in the examplequotedabove'say first lhal he selededa
rcd card, and ihcn in answerlo your secondqueslionlhat it nas a spade'
Therefore the fftst important point about the following version of this
cffect, is that thc sp€ctator c5n lie or tell the truth in answer to your
questions without any r€strictions whatsoever. The s€cond point of
r;terest is that provision is made in thc routi[e to preclude from the
,oeoarors'mindanv thoughtthat you havearangedthepack one final
teaiurethat haspromprediheinclusionof the ettectin lhis book is ftat it
t,asa logicalclimax,aor havingfound out wheiherlhe spcclatorhaslied
,'r lold ihe trurh by rhe cards revealedin answer!o his questions'yo!
now apply the ttoihfu! *s*"t. to sp€ll down in the pack ro find his
sclected card.
A cer[ain amouot of memory work h involved to learn this routine'
hur be assued that its effect warrants the homework required lt is
rrrerestingto noterhat you only haveto slackonemor€card to coverall
,onrinqeniiesof inconsislentlying. lhan if you wereusinglhe consislenl
lyingp;esentation,wherethe itdicating cardsarive on top of the dealt
Explain to ihe audience that you are goilg to illusfate how an
clcctronic lie delector wolks Have a card selected from the pack,
rdurned and conlrolled to the second from face position. Continuing
45
 The Detil's Playthings
The DeYil's PlaJthings
havelo havea oacket. Now ask whetherthe card he selcctedwas red or black alrd
with vour Dattertheme,saythal eleclroniccomputers iependingon his answer,spellour lhe appropriatcword. makinga
iro-'.tnrnJ of insrructions to lell lhem what to do, each slepin this .eaondfaccdownpacketlo therightoflhe firsl one,andplacingthenext
iioii"mrn. t.ot.,*ting an acrion thatthe machinewill carty out at high
cardfacedownin front of this packet.Finally, askthesuit of his s€lected
io&. s"v rhir lie det&ors work rhc samewav,and vou will teacha card,and spellthis facedownonto the table, makinga newhcapto the
iiJ"to. rto* to proSramma on€ Duringthis discourse' you lurn lhe
off the facetwo right of the other two, aDdagoin placinSthe De\t card, face down in
o'""i tac. uo ana i*tiorm lhe following actions Push front. Spella.llsuitswithout an 'S' *i!h the cxccptionof clubs'i.e. heart'
cards *ittrout atrcrine rhe order inlo the right hand' but rememb€r the
diamond,spode,clubs.
Iower onc (the sclcctA csrd), count two morc cardsonto these lf th€ Now saythat you will teslihe efficiencyof tha lie detectorby ch€ckidg
sdJed cardwasa facecard(jack, quccnor king) tha nextcardyou deal the answerslo the variousqucstioN. Tum ove! thc card in front of the
inio irc aglt l-a .nould ah; bc a facecrtd. lf th€ sclectcdcard wasa first Dacketandreveslthat this truly showswhctherhe selecteda faceor
sDolcgrd.-lhenexl cardwould ne€dto bea spotonc lf thc approprial-e a sDoicard. Likewisc,turn overthc cardin fro[t of the sacondpaclet to
cardis not avarlable to you. continuclo dcaluntil it is, bul up jog all ,evial the true colour, and filally the cardin f.ont of thc last packd' to
dcaltcardsby aboutlwo inches.\t/henyou rasahthe dcsiredfaccor spot revealthe truc suit. lrlv€ thethrecfaceup cardsin front of eachof thair
caid,io*ct tireleft land anddcalthisin thenormalposilion Runlhrce resp€ctivepackers.Whcn dcaling the packetsovcrlap thc dealt cards
cards in the norma.lposition. Th€ next card m|Isl be lhe same sliShtlyas in Figur€ 12balo*, which showsthe position reachcdat the
-ore asrheselcctcdon., ifivailable dcalit over, if not, deslcardsin an
coiour conclusionof the pre{cdingsentelce.
uoiocrcd oositionuntil it is avarlable,and thendealit ov€r on lhe lowcr
.&i6i. ol"t on. .ot" and thenanothercardo[ fte samccolouras
"ard cards,and onecard of lhe samesuil as Figtne12
rhesel€c1ed one, dcal thr€€ mor€
rtri r"rc"r"a ooa.aot onemorccard,and onecardof lhe slme sui! asftc
selcclcdon€, and finally on€mote card andthen oneof thc samesuit as
th€ selecte<l one,
Tha rule to rememb€ris that you upiog all unwantedcardsof your
stack.and all cardsthumbcdoff into thc right handa'e reve$edin order
* r"ir r.1ftt""*,la p"ck. At theconclusion of thisprocedute,-you will
t iitr-*lrtt
-b"t"h of in the riEht hend, some of which atc r,Ac€oRsPor COLOUR su|r

ww uu\
ouriocccd. Placc " the "ttdt
entire batch below lhc remaindcr of the face up ant
pac'iGearesttlc noor) and than strip oul thc out joggedoncs,explai-n'
ing that thcse alc thc programmestepsrcquired to opcrale th' lie
detecbr. Haid thes€to thc assislingspcctator'sayrr\gtnat you wouro
tiie trim to totA trcm facedown and €ndclvourto arrangcthem i! thc
correctorder to makethe machinework aflici€r ly' Lct him mix thcrn THISHEAPIS COLOURIS BEDBUTFIVE DIAMONDIS SUITBUT
env waYhe wish€s, IGNORED CAEDSO€ALTTHEREFOREFIVECARDSOEALT
ivhiltt h" i doing ,hit, lrallsfar thc pack from the lcft lo right hand R€MEMBER-2 THEREFORE
still faceup, and hoidingit from abovewith the rhumbat tic nearshorl REMEMB€R+2
u-. rlng"ts tic far on€.whcn hehascomplct€d shufflinghis
;;;".t"..
-i -J "t
rciucst him to tum it fac. up and placc it on your
outs-trachcdlcft hand.Placa lhe ridt hand s.ction of lhe pacl on top ol
portions Tum the pack.facc B€fore concluding the affect you havc another small mental task to
trisisras,r€tainine a trcal b€twc.n lhe lwo
Dcrform, which is to rnakc €ach of the face down packets corrcct in
down,cxeculin8 a tumovarpassat lhe brcak.andyou arenowreadyro ftcordance with the face up card above it. lf however, thc spectator has
Jcrnonrii"t" rto-* ttt" ti" detactorworks,s€€minSly with a Sroupof cards
rold thc truth on colod alld sui! you have no adjustmerts to make, but if
that lhc sDcclatorhas just shufflcd. ny lics have been told you rDust proc€€d as follo$,s,
ExDIai;carcfullvlhal he can lie or tcll the truth in answerto your in thc cas€of tltc lirtt packct, you have to do nothing at aI sincethe
iustashewishes. Ask first' ifhe s€l€cted a fac€or a spotcar'l'
oueslions,
in a facc down *ords face or spot contain tha samcnumber of lctters. The colour paaket
il-;;ii ;;*t his answcr' one ctrd for each lclter'
in front of thc will alwaysconlaill thrce or fivc c4rds, and becauseof their spreadcondr-
ttta lable and place thc next card facc down
"..t"i "" 47
4
 The Devil's PlaYthings The Devil't Ploythings

tion you canreadilyseewhetheryou needto addtwo or subtracltwo to readily.

mak;il arreewilh thefaceup cardin front of it Simplyremember plus This trick is idealto pcrform seatedst a table,althorUhit can bedone
two or minuslwo. Similarly,lhe suit packe! will always contain fivc or standingin front of a s€atedaudicnceby plrcing the pack behind the
sevencards,andseven,only if a dia$rond has becn speh, thcrefore' once bact at the appropdate point, Howcvcr, I will assumeyou arc
two or minustwo to make p€rformingcloseup, at a table, Rcrnovcthe packfrom its casc,and givc
againyou will simplyneedlo remember.plus
,i. t"Lt of tle faceao*n cardsaarerwith lhe faceup one.Thisfigurc, it a couplcof falseshufflesand cuts.Asl a spcctatorwhetberhc prafcrs
in coniunction*ith the one you havememoriscdfot lhc colourpack€t' rcd or black cards.If he saysblack, you mustcul the pack, so that the
quac, of heartsis et thc face,if he saysrcd, you needto do nothiDg.
will giveyou an answerof nothing,minustwo or plustwo, or minusfour
or Plusfour. Ptacetltc packbenerthtbe tablc, and hold it faceup in thc lcft hand.
ivith this frnal figurein mind, you now gatherup the thre€facedown Ask thc spaclatorto think of arlycardof his s€Lctd colour,and 8oythat
oackets. olacingthaoneat theexlrcmeriShton ils lefi handneighbour. asyou bring cardsout from bcneaththc trblc, andplaccthentfaccdown
ind thesi two dn rheexlremelefFhandone.Placethis packelon top of oDtop of rhc table,heis to mcntqllyrpcll out the namcof his thoughtof
the facedown pack,anCnow makethe adiustmenl accordingto $e card, rncludingthc word 'of'. lt is advirablcto giv€a quickilluetratlonof
figur;. DoubL undcrcutting is the simplestway of getlina d whatyou mcanat ahisstage,by actuallymcitioning a card,and explain_
mcmorised
of cards,aud-a simplc injog run shuffle, is the easiest way of adding iDghow it shouldbc spelt. The valuc is countcd,so for five he would
thern. Don't forget also, that if you have to lose cards, this can quite count fva a d not sp€ll five, and thc rcmaindcrof tha card is spclt
you gatherthe packets up and accldentally leavetwo or normally. Only lhe nameof the card is considcreda$d ncvcr thc word
easilybe don€as
four on the table; whiah you subsequendy replace below tbe pack. These 'the' in front of thc nama, Whcn you are sulc ha understand!this
procedure,comm€Ilccdraving cards out from bcncathrhe table, as
c6rdsmustonly b€lostfrom rhecolourandsuitpack€lsYou will also follows:if heselcctedred, bring out tcn cardsfrorn thc frce of th€ pack,
find on manyoccasions, lhal eventhoughlieshaveb€€ntold,no adjust'
tr€cause a plustwoon lhecolouriscancelled out by turning them fac€down ss cachis browht out, arld placcdon thc tablc,
mcntsarenccessary, bui from elevenonwardspusholf two cardsfrom thc faccinio th€ right
a minust*o on thi suit, and vice verJa.Figure12illustratesonecondi_
tion wher€this hasarisen. hand,and r€lurn onc of thcsr und€rthepack,thc onc that is rctumedto
the pack, is the one that originally wassecondftom thc face. You wiU
Concratulale$e assisringspeclatoron havingdesignedsuch an find upon trial that this action is extremclysimpl€ and rapid. From
efficidt Dro8ramme, arldsaylhat havingfoundthetrulhftrlanswers in
resocctoi tie s€lected card, you will now apply this information to elevcnonwards,you simply pushtwo card6ovcr and take thern in tha
actualy find thc cird. Spellingfrom the faccdo*n packonlo the table, right hand, and tlcn rvith the lcft fir8ertip, pull thc lowcrmostoDcof
to lhc threefaccup cardsstill therc.sp€llfaceor spol' thcn th€sebackundarthe pack, bringiogthe ore rcmainiDgin the ri8[t hand,
according out from under thc tablc aDd tuming it fact down as usual, bcfore
colou and finallvsurt(S oniy on clubs,as b€forc).Turn overthectrd placingit on top of the oncsalr€adydealtin a paclct otr the tablc. This
falling otr the last lattcr, and it will be the selectedone. action of pushinStwo off ard r€iuming onc bcncaththe Pack is con_
tinucd from positioncLvcn onwardsuntil told to stop by the spectator
..THf, ITELENSBUNGHSPELLER" becaus€ you havcrcachcdthe final letter of his mqrtal sclection.
If hc thoughtof a bla.k c.rd, you dcaleightcsrdsfairly from the facc,
manyy€arsa8oby and thcn proccld arith the tcchniquc dascrib€d,from positio! nine
This effectusestha countspelltechruquedeveloped onwards,until told to stop.
StcwartJames.Carcmus! be tak€n asin all trick of this rype' that the whcn told to stop by the spectator,you will havcon the tablc a small
sp€ctatorcompletelyunderstands what hehasto do, otherwise,you will
md with a failure. and onc which will be very difficult to corr€ct. Dackctof facc do*n cards, and under the table you will hava the
a full gackstack,endbecausc of this,alsoa compe' remainderof tllc pack, faceup in the lefl hand. Rcmov€the pack from
Thetnck requires underthc tablc, tuming it face down in this action, aod place it face
rcm falseshufile.Th€ slack,readingfrom thc fac€of lhe pack,is as
down,on thatablcalongside thc dcaltcards.
follows: Now askthc spectatorto tell you the nam€of his mentallyspeltcard.
95 JC IOSOC JSKC QSKSAH 2H 3H AD 4H 2D 5H ]D 6H 4D 7H 5D lf the spectatornamesany heart,club or king, tum overlhc card on top
8H 6D 9H tD r0H 8D JH 9D OH l0D KH JD JokerQD KD AC 2C AS
of thc dealtoff packe(lo rev€l thementallys€lectedcard. lf he namesa
3C 25,lC 355C 45 6C 55 7C 65 EC?S9C 85 loc. Thequeenof hearts cardthat doesnot fall within the prcviowly mentionedgrouping,turn
shouldb€crimpcd,sothat you canlocateit quickly,or alternativelyiusl overthc top card of the pack, to rcvealthc mentallys€lectedcard.
memodseils ;pproximate positiod, so thal you can cut to it fairly
48 49
 The DeYil's PlaYthings
..CARD CASE''
The inspiration of lhis effecl was a lrick publishedbv Alex Elmslev
severalyearsago callcd "BetweenYour Palns". The o;ly preparario;
requiredh to ensurelhal lhe queenol hearts ls on toDof the Dack.
Removethe cardsfrom the card case.and say lhar vou will olaceonr
card back in the caseas a prediction. Hold lhe c4s.;o rhat tire flaD ir
uppermosl,and bcnt back along the top side of the case,and held rhcrc
by lhe left fingenips.Takc lhe lop card ol tjlc tace down packand Dush
il into !h€ card casefacc do$n. The diagram illustratei rhe waf thir
should be done, but the actual flap would bc held flat again rh; card
caseso that it will not bc loo obvious to tha spcctators whiah way the cala
really is up.
Having plac€d lhe cad in thc case,close the flap, alld Dlacethe caseon
the table, turning it over as you do so, so that the side wiih th€ half moon
cut out in, is now uppermost.
Say that for the next pan of lhe lrick, yo! require a card to be selected
but it musl not be a qu€en. so you wlll rem9ve the queensbeforc
proceedhS wilh the trick. As you have tle€n sa''lng rhis. you have run
ftrough the fac€up pack and lhrown rhc king of hcans.widour revcal-
ing its face, face down on the table. You can now seaachfor the ranaln-
in8 que€nsin fie pack, and remove them. and drop them face down on
rop of lhc ting ofheafis, ensuringhowever,that you placethe que€nof
diamonds down last of all, so that it becomcstie loD card of the Dacket
of four on lhe tablc.
Haod the remarndar of the pack to a spectator artd ask bim to look
throughiI. and selectany card he wishes.Whcn he hal doneso. givehim
a feh tipped pen to wrile his signatureor rnrtralsot the face of thc
selectedcard, and aftcr he has done lhis, have the selecftd card returned
to the cmtre of the pack, and then control it to the toD.
Say that you always do a trick with tlle qucens before attempting to
find a selectedcard, and if the lrick with the queensworks, there;s a
50
The Dev il's PlsYt hi,tgs
r,r,d chancetha! you will also be ablc to make th. selectedcard trick
work. Whilst sayingthis, pick up the top face down queenfrom tle
tnrfketof four on thetableand Dlaceit on top of lhe pacl, but outjolged
l,'r about two inches. With the left first finge.tip, push off a very small
t![eket of around six cards from the face of the pack and take them *ith
rhc righl hand and dcposit them on top of the outjogged qu€an, but
rtuare with thc bulk of the pack. Pick up the Dextque€n, and placeit on
roDof the face down pack, squarewith the first outjogg€d queen.Again
lush a small packet dol'n from the face of the pack with the lcft first
I rrgcr, and dcposit thcsecardswith tllc right hand on top of the pack. Do
r[c samet*icc more, so that you havc epparently placcd th€ four quecns
In diffcrenl positions in th€ face down pack. Tum thc whol€ pack face
and if you wisb, flash the facesof lhe first thrce queensby sprcading
'rD.
rhcm slightly. Now push all four cards flush with the pack, but calry out
l)0i Vernon'sMultiple Shift, or orc of its variatrofi, so that the four
lrgSed cards, after completing thc shift, are on top of the fac€ do*n
l0ck, and immediatcly bclow them will be the siSned, s€lect€dcard.
Double uDdercuttwo caralsfrotn thc top of the pack, to the face, arld
Irrk up a left little fingcr break under the third card from the top of the
t'l|.k. Say ftal you will lry arrdcausctwo queens!o appearon the top.
l rk€ off the top card of th€ pack, turninS it face up and replacingit still
Ircc up on the pack, iniogged for about I inch. Plac€ the riSht hald
| lrgcrtips on lhc face of tlis quccn and the fac€ dowD card imm€diately
lrk)w ir, and push both cards forward together, until thc quc€nlin€s up
wirh the bulk of th€ pack, and a single card is now outioggd. Rernove
ihis outjogged card, and tum it face up to show it is a secondqu€€n.
I'Lrceit still face up orl lop of the face up quecn already on the pack, and
t||'r)car to lift both off the pack, by putting the right thumb at the near
rl(tri end, and the fingers at th€ far one, holding tb€ que€nsftom abov€.
Aer ally lift the thr€e cards above tbe little finger break, plus one more
( rrd, which is picked up by the right thumb from the pack, so that in
ncrual facl the.e are four cards hcld in the right hand with th€ riglt
rtrnmb holding a brcak atrove thc lowermost one.
with the teft thumb, draw the fac€ qucen back onto the pack still fac€
,rp and then briru the right haDdover as ifto lift it off, but rcaly deposit
rhc cards below the right thutnb brak on top of the face up qucen and
Itr off the two cardsleft in the right hand. You can spreadthesecards
v.ry slightly,b|rl no more ihan a white border width.
I'lace rhe pack face down on the table for a mom€nt ard pick up the
.nrd casewith the left hand. Push thc two cards in the rirht hand still
In(c up, into the cardcasc,but do not op€nit to do so Simplyslip them
rr bctweenihe closedflap snd lhe halfmoon cut out, and thentap them
rlr lhey will actually still be resting above the flap.
l'ick up the pack again, and sayyou will try and make a third queen
nltcar on the face.Tap the back of the pack and turn it over, lo reveal
nlolher que€non lhe face. Saythat if you reversea card in the pack, ia
 The Devil's Playthings
sometimcsinfluences another card. Turn the queen at the face over so
that it is face down on the face of the pack. Give th€ pack a singlc cut,
but carry out th€ little finger pull down move with the card nearestthe
left palm, so that this card is retained in position after the cut is
completed. Spread the pack in a face down spreadon the table, to reveal
tha! the queeDyou turned over has now causedthe remairing qu€€n to
tum faca up alorgsid€ it. Take thcse two face up quecns out of the
spraad, squaring tlcrlt up in thc sane way as the previous two were
dhibited, and push then into the cerd case, above thc ones already
there. There are now four cards resting above the closed flap of tb€ card
case.
Pick up the card case, and open th€ llap, which will cause the four
cardgrcsting above it to drop down on top of the one that was alrcady in
the case.With lltc right hand, reach into the casc, and rathcr briskly pull
oul the lowermost card by grasping it betwecnthe tips of the fingers and
thumb. This will be the queen of hearts, and you will find, when you do
this, that it is not possible to seeth€ position tbis queen comes from, if
you take it out fairly quickly. Having removed lhe queen of heafls, you
can now, remove the oth€r three face up queensfrom abovethe final face
down prediction card, or altematively, l€t a spectator r€move them for
you. In any case,you will end up by eventually having r€moved the four
fece up queens, but it wi b€ seenthat the face down prediction card is
still in the casc. Mention to the spectatorsthat this c6rd was placad in the
case b€fore commencing the effccl. Have the spcctator who signed the
selectedcard, remove this card and look al it. He should be surprised to
find that it is his own card, with hh signatureon.
Trrdrposldor of I si8n.lur€ vrdraioo.
You rnay care to try oul th€ followinS variation of the card caseeff€ct.
Have aJ bcfore the quee! of hcarts inside the card case, but it has been
placcd thcrc before performing the effact. Give the cnclosedcard caseto
a sp€ctator saying you have sealeda card in the cascbcforc commcncing
the effcct. Have him shakethe caseto satisfy himsclf that there is indeed
a card inside t}le case,ard then place the card caseon the table with the
half moon cut out uppermost, as before.
In the pack whicb we will say is blue backed, you must have one red
backed card in a known position. As an example let's say the red backed
card is second from the face. Co throuSh the face up pack removing the
suppos€d four que€ns in exactly the same marner as described
previously. No* turn Lhcpack facc down, and lose the bouom card, by
cutting or shuffling, so your red backcd card h left on the face of the
pack. The rcd backed card has norp to bc forcaC, without its back bcing
exposed.Here I use the lan force where the bottom card is run around
the fall undemeath and held in position at one end, so that *hen the pack
52
The Devil's Ploythings
is broken at any point by the spectaior,you can closethe upper half
squarewith the original bottom card and then turn this half faceup to
show the selection.Have the spectatorsign the card at the face of this
half, and then drop this half on top ofthe other one, so that the selected
(ard is sandwichedin lh€ centreof lhe pack.
Fan the pack, faces towards tbe audience, and pick up the top queen
from the group of face down cards on tlle table. Insert it inlo lhe fan
immediately above the red backed card, and leave it outjogged slightly,
but positionedso that if you lower the fan so the backsare seenby the
audiencethe red back will be complerelyhiddeD. With the fan lower€d to
its face down position, insert the other tbree face down queensfrom the
lable, taking thcm from the top one by one, and pushing them inlo
various positions, each one b€ing lhree or foul cards up from the
previousone, When you insert the last one, which is not really a queenat
ILII,slideit over slightlyto the left, so that when you roughly squareup
rh€ fan, and turn it face up, the face of the king will be hidden by the
orher queens. Having tumed th€ pack face up, square up the outjogged
(tueensand pcrfonn the Multiple Shift, to bring them to the top of the
pack. Now proced cxactly as described io ttre original version of the
rrick, but at the climax, when you have r€moved the four face up queens
liom the card c6se, you can show tbat there is still a red backed card
insid€. Point out that this was in the card care as a prediction before
eommencingthe eff€ct. Ask the spcctalor lh€ namc of his card and th€n
have him check youl pr€diction. Not only is the prediction correc!, but
his signature has mysteriously transferred itself to the face of the
|redictedcard. In fac!, if he chccksthrough the blue pack, he will find
rhat the blue backedtwin has no *{iting on it.
53
 Catdboard Charudes
ofthe Half Pass,the right hand stayscurvedoverthe top offie packand
immediatelydrops five cardsfrom the face of the upper sectionof lhe
pack onto the faie up lower one, the cards being r€leasedfrom th€ tip.of
ihe right thumb. The left little finger retakesits break abovethesefive
Chapter2 Lardsand the right hand lhm movesaway from the pack
Saythat you will endeavourto find the selectedcards by Deans of two
othei cards bur that you must first test the cards selected,to seeif they
CardboardCharades have any magical abilities. Cive the pack oDe cut at the bleak point'
completing thi cut and sBtrng that whatever cards come !o the top will
be suitabla for the test. Double lift the top card of the pack showing its
lace.and then lurn iI face down again. Removea singlecard from rhc
roo and Dushir inlo the /ot& sectionof lhe pack, carefullysquaringthe
.IIELPMATES'' Daik afr;r rhisaclion. Turn Lhetop card ot the pack fac€up and placeil
srill faceup on lhe table,saying$at it hassuccessfully passedils tesl. as
ir has magically travelled to the top. Double lift the next card at the top
The themeof this effect is the revelationof a pair of selected cardsby
will th€ second card rc be iested.
which are first tested!o see if they have showing iis face, and sayinS that it be
meansof lwo other cards,
magicalproperti€s,to aid them in finding tbe chosenones No prior
arrangementof the pack is requiredand the plot is an extremelysimple Figurel4
one for an audience to follow, the latter quality being an essential
ingredient for any effect shown to laymen. FACEUPEXCEPT
ALLCABOS ALL FAC€O O WN
Hold the pack face down in the left hand and riffle the outer left TOP CARDS
cornerfrom top !o face with the left lhumb, inviting a spectaiorio call
stopat somepoint. Try to time the riffle so that he stopsyou som€where
/,
IlI
\
J
aroundthe cmtre ofthe pack. Removethe uppersectionoflhe packwith
the right hand and o\hibit the face card of this half to the spectatol,
askinghim to rememberit. As the upperhalf is beingshown,push over
the two cardsal the top of the remainingsectionheld in the left hand
sliShtly,so that the left little fing€r tip can pick up a breakbelowthem,
beforedrawingthem back againto squareup with the packet.Replac€
tlle dght halld sectionof the pack on top of that in the left hand but
maintainlhe little finger break. Riffle down with the left thumb for a
card to be selectedby a secondspectatorbut this time usethe standard
Riffle Force technique, so thal t}le point where the sp€ctator really tells
you to stop is ignored,alld fte uppet half is removedat the breakpoint
Exhibit the facecard of the upp€rsectionto th€ secondspectatorand ask
him lo rememberit. Replacethe upper half of the pack onto the lower
ooe and at the very momentit coversth€ lower half secretlyturn the left
hand sectionface up by the normal Half Passtechnique,bul as the
halvescometogethertake a break betweenthem first witb the tip of the l<.-
right thumb and then with fte left little finger.
It is important that ihe Half Passis comm€ncedjust as the upper <-A
sectionis beingreplacedon the lower and nol after a time laps€prior to
makingthe pass.The latter approachwould tendio spoilthe timing and
make it difficult to compleiethe sleightwithout a senseof'something
havinghappened',beingconv€yedto the audience.After the completion
54
 Cadboard Charades
Turn the two cardsface down back onto the top of the pack and then
push off a singlecard from the top of the pack, and insert it about a
quarterof the, ay dowlr from the top of the pack. As you push it into
rhe pack usea sliShllydiagonalaclionso that as the pack is squared.lhe
leftlitrle finger can obLaina break immediatelyaboveit. Turn lhe Lop
card of the pack face up with the dght hand and place it with the
previous one already face up on the table, sayldg that the secondcard has
;lso passedits test, so you car now use[hesecardslo help you find the
Cut off th€ cards above lhe little finger break with the riSht hand and
placethem on the table in position 'A' as shownin the Figure 14. The
;ext sectionof the pack you cut off with the dght hand must be at ihe
point wherethe cardsarebacklo back,this is about onetbird ofthe way
do*n, and if you cut in a natural manner at around this point, lhe cards
will automatically break at the dght place Always lift the upper section
uDa tinv bit at the nearshort endofthe pack to ensureyou havehit the
rigtrt spbt before removinglhe cards, so that any adjustmentcan be
m;de while you still havetie opportunity.Placethis sectionat position
'B'. Finally placethe remainderof the pack at position 'C'.
Pick up o;e of the two facecards from lhe table altd place it face down
on top oa pack€t'A'. Takepack€t'B' and placethis facedown on top of
'A', tte c;mbinedheapbeingperfectlysquared.Take the remainingface
up card from the rable and place it face down on the combined 'AlB'
h;ap. Take packet'c' and placeit on top of the 'AlB' one' but jog it
slightly b de left along its lonS side as shown in fiSure 14. Pick up the
co;pleie pack with the righ! hand,holding it from above'the fingersat
the f;r sh;rt end and the thumb at the near one, and move it towards the
left hand. As it reachesthe left hand and'starts to b€ lowered into the left
palm, usethe left fingersto cany out the Half Parswith the lowersection
;f the Dackwhich is convenientlyjoggedto the right, and then hold the
Dacksouaredin the left hand,the riSht hand movingaway.The appear-
in"" of th. *hole ."qu"nce is simply of placing lhe two cards in differedt
parts of the pack, and then placingthe pack in the left hand.
Cut about on€ third of lhe pack frorn top to face, and then spreadit in
a long face down line on the table. The two cards with 'magical
DroDeirieshaveturnedfaceup and alsocausedlhe selecred cardslo Lurn
iaci uo. one selecledcard teine immedialelyadjacentto each o[ the
'maglcones .
..SMOKESCREEN"
Tbe plot of this effect is a favourite of mine and involves carrying oul
a magi;al interlude with a group of cards, before using them to find one
that has beenpreviouslychosen.In other words as in 'Helpmates" the
magicalability of the cardsis tested,beforetheyarerequiredto carryout
56
Cardboad Charudes
rheir real task.
Before proceeding with the technical details, I would like to mention
ttrat credii for tbe Ghost Count and the small packet reverseex€.uted
during the count goeslo Alex. Elmdey, and for lhe progressive reversal
of cards by using the counl. ro Bro Hamman To be as cofiecl as
Dossible.I must alsocredit CharlesT. Jordanfor his originatronof the
;rincirl€ of the Ghost Count, which is to count four cards as fow, but
acruailvconcealoneot rhemin lhe counling. As pointedoul by Francrs
Haxlo;, this appearedin Jordan's "Thirty card Mysteries" booklel,
iFhantomAces', in 1919,a rather staggeringrevelation'
underthe title
Prior to performing the effect place the KC fac€ up inside the card case
and close the flap. Afiange the remarnder of the pack so that reading
from the top of the face do*n pack the order is KS, KH and KD'
lbllowed by the balanceof the cards
To commencethe routine, fan the pack for a card to be selectedand
afrer it has been removed, close the spread and hold the pack squared
face down in the left hand. when the sp€ctatorhas commited the card to
In€mory,undercutIhe pack for its replacemcnland belore offenng the
orisinal uDDerhall for the selecledcard lo be replacedon top' pushover
oi spadesslighlly so thal lhe left little finger can take a break
'hittlng
helow ii Now let the spectatorplacehis card immediately above the king
,'l ,Dadesand thenreplacethe oder halfof the pack on top, lakingcare
lo maintarnthe l€ft litlle finger break belowthe king of spades.
Say that you have found the kings to be the most magical cards in the
lrck and that beforel-indingthc selectedcard. you would like to give a
,icmonstrationof the kings' abilities Turn the pack faceup and in this
xcrion do a Turnover Pasaat the break point. Show thal there is a king at
rhe face of the pack and then turn the pack face do*'n again and flip the
r,,o card of thi Dackface up and face down again, to shou' thereis a
..ond king at the top. Hold rhe pack facedo\*n in thc righl hsnd' the
trandbeinglcurvedoverthe top ofthe pack, lhe thumb beingat the near
\hort end and the fingers at the far one. Thc actual grip is the one
,.quired for executirua Sideclide. Bring lhe left hand lo the packand
.rlrpearto draw the lop and tacecardsfrom lhe pack simuhaneously. by
piacingthe thumb on ihe top and fingers on the face and then slidingthe
i*o cards off and dropping them face down on the tabl€. In actual fact'
,r is the secondfrom ftc€ cardwhichis removeddueto the standardSide
( ;lide move being carried out *ith the aid of lhe right finSers-
say that you ;ill now try and find the other lwo kings. Before doing
rt,'r ci'e thi Dack a false shuffle reiaining lhe lop and face cards in
I' Arr;on. I normallyusean overhandshuffleralher t hana riffle one.asit
\ems to give a better implession of the top and face sectionsof the pack
I'cingmiied. A simpleprocedureis to draw off the top aid face cards
r,,Bctherin the first overhandshuffleso that they end up at the faceof
rh('packupon its complction,andthendo a secondshufflewhich retains
rlc iace cird in positionby pressurewith the left fingetsand bringsthe
 Cardboqrd Chqtudes
s€condfrom the face!o the top againby droppingsmallpacketsonto tha
cardsin the left hand,until the original secondfrom facecardis thrown
smSlyon rop.
Hold the packfacedorvnin the right handandthrow it to the left hand
retainingthetop and bottomcardsin the right handby pressurewith tha
fingcrsand thumb on the resp€ctiveandsof thc pack. Turn lhes€lwo
cardsovcl to showthem briqlly as two kingsand then placetheh faca
down telt{€en thc two alreadyfacedown on thc tabl€.
Pick up tic four cardsfrom the tablaatrdholdthemin the right hand,
the hand holdingthem from .bove, the fingersol the far short end and
thc thumb at thc nearone, thc hand baingcurvedoverlhe backsof tha
cards.trl placingthc cardsinto position in thc ridt hand, usethe left
thumb to spread them very sli8htly diagonally,the thumb actuslly
spreadingthem at the left inner corner,This spreadshouldonly b€ vety
slight, no mole than lhe white border widtb, and is doneto emphasizc
the fact that only four cardsare prescnt.
Us€the left thumbto drawoff threecardsfrom the onesbeingheld in
theright, the $umb slidingoff eachcardsinglysolhat theyendup in thc
left halld irt reverscdordcr but not absolutelysquar€.Twistthe lcft hand
towardsyou so that the facesof the ki!8s arevisible,and pushthe card
in the right h6nd in the secondfrom facepositionk€epingit facedo*n.
Thefacaof the right handcardmustnot of courseberevealed.Theviaw
thc audiencehas,is that oneking har bem insertedfacedo*'n amongthc
other lhree fac€up ones.Squarethe packetof cardsup and tllen turn
thcmfaccdown. Saythat the kingsalwayslike to facethc samewayand
Chost Count tlle four cardsto rcvcal that they are apparantlyall faca
down,placinS thefinalcardcountad on topoftheolhars,Placethecards
againin lhe riShl hand usinSftc right hand Siip previouslydcscribcd,
with the hand beingcurvedatlovcthe facedowll cardsand also spread
the cardsslightly againat the left inncr com€rwith thc left thumb.
Saythal you will try the samcthing with two kingsrcvcrs€d.Thumb
off the top two caldsonc by onewith lhe l€ft thumbso that thcy endup
in the left hdndin rcvcrscdorderand thentwist thc handtowdrdsvou, so
that the faccsof the two kingsare s€enby the audienc€,Ins€rtth. two
cardsremainingin the right hand facedownbetwaenthes€lwo cards,so
thal from the audienct'sviewpointtwo fac€downkingsin th€ right hand
are beinSim€rtcd betwccntwo face up otresin the left. &uate up tha
packetof four calds and turn thern face down in the left hand. The
chost Count is now carricd out again to showthat all four kings arc
again facedown, but a slight variation takesplaceat the stagein thc
countwhereyou haveonly onecard lcft to countin the left hand. Bring
the righ! hand with its thr.e cardstowardsthe one in thc left, but by
tilting the right haltd inwardsslig]rtly,actuallytuln the packetof three
cardsin this handoverastheygo beneathth€ final onebeingtakcnfrom
the lcft hand. This reversalmoveis an extremelyeasyoneto makeand
althoughthe anglesaregooddue to the naturalmisdrrectioninherentin
58
CardboardChorades
rlr( .ounting, it h advisableto try and keepthe back of the riSht ha[d
rowrrds the;udience as the movc t4kes place. A little practice in frodt of
n nrirror will show how deceptivethis count lcversal is. Place the packct
rl lbur cards face down in the right hand in the usual positiol and *ith
rhc usualsli{ht sprcadal the lefl innet comcr.
sav rhat you will now try wilh three kings revets€d.Thumb off one
ur.l trom tie too off those in the riShr hand with Ihe left rhumb and
r*i\r lhc lefl hand so lhat lhe faceof lhis king is visible Plac! th€ three
(lrds in the right hand on the facc of thc one in the laft' the appcafance
hcina that you are placing three facc down kings on one face up onc.
soua--re uo ihe cardJin the l.ft hand and lurn them overso that th.y arc
lftc down. The Ghosl Counl is againmade,but lhistima it must be donc
ro concealthc bottom card, which is in fact thc *ay Jordan did it in 1919.
llricfly, the l€chnique is to hold the four cards in the left hand at the tips
,'l rh; fincersin fte slandardgip uscdtor this typc of counl, and then
rh mb ofitwo cardsinto rhe riSht hand wilh the dgh! $umb, rcversing
lhcir order in this aclion and when you come back to thc left haBdto
thumb off a third card, thc two already in the right hand go undeneath
tho$cin the left and are addcd to the face ofthc two cards already th€re.
As soon as thcsa cards alc in position, the left thumb pushes off thc
unncirhreecardsoflhe four now in lhe left hand by pushingagartrstthc
l;ti hand long sideaDdthcselhrcc cardsare take! in fie right hand The
linal ca.d is iaken from thc left hand on top of these to complelc th€
sav rhat as well as making faceup kin8sturn facedown. you canalso
rrrki face down ones tuln fac€ up Ghosl Count lhe cards in lhe sland-
nrd Llmslevmarnar to showthat thayar€ still all faccdown, placingthe
tl|'r card countedon top. As you makelhis counl. injog th€ third card
,ounted sligltly, Squar; up the jogged card with the assistanceof the
r'rhr handand lifl ii sliEhtlyin this actionso that the lelt little fingercan
r.ilr uo a breakbelowthe top two cardsoflhe four. Hold the packetface
(t('wnin rhe lcft ha[d marnlaininglhe break.
Statethat you will fts! of all lum one king face up visibly and seeif
rhis has any cffect o! t}le others. Lifi off the top two cards as one by
virrue of rh; break being held, tum them face up and insert them b€tw€en
rhe two facc down csrds r€maining in th€ left hand, the left thumb tip
oullincdown the facr crtd of thc facedown pair al (heouler left corner
i,, pro-duce a gap for casyinserlionof rhe taceup kinS{s).Rememberof
coursethat the krnls ar€ handled as ona card.
Ghost count thtcards to show that there ale now two kings face up'
olacincrhelastcardcountcdon lop ofthe group Counl themonccmore
irrrngihe samegrip as the Ghosl count' but this tim€ counLfaidy and
olac; the la$ card comted Detealrt the others. This will show three kings
Irc now face up. Finally Chost Counl the cardsagain,placingthe last
cord counted terow the others. The effect will be that all four kings are
flow face up, althougb in reality only three ar€ face up and a face down
 Cardboord Charades Cardbodrd Charades
card is positionedthird from the face of the group. an d wit h t he lef t lhum b slide olf lhe lop car d of lhis
half \ o
sD ectal ors.
Mak€ some mention of the fact thal having exhibiredsomeof the rv 'pecrator' rhecardisrhenpulledsquareandrhe
,f"iii."" o.
king's powers,you will now try and get them to assislyou in finding lhe ;;ii;;;-,;t';; "."a t;i " horizontalposition,bv simplvdropping
selectedcard. Still keepingthemfaceup, pushall four cardsinto thecard down ";'isinal
'"ri.laft hand
the
caie so that they fall upon the faceup king that is alreadyin rhe case.To ,i"rti r,""a of Lhepacl(is movedoler rhecardsin thelefl
coverangleshere,I normallypushthe four cardsinto the card casewitb n."J- in?""o-*tt beingmadefrom the riShl handside Asihe righl
'i"i""
the flap in its closedpositionand oncethey hav€completelyenteredthe handcards;taIl ro moveacro\slhelefLones'andal thepolntwheretney
case I flip the flap of the caseopen and then shui again. By inserting
il;;;i ;;;;;G;, dr about.r'..rhecardsbelowtherishtrhumb
them with the flap closed is meant that they are slid in between {he
ureaiiie released and areimmedialelv grippedbv the,lefltand llnger
tonSueof the flap and the sideof the case.
dD\ in DreDaration for lhe classictwo handedpas'r'Atler rhe orop nas
Hand the caseto a spectatorand ask him to rest it on th€ main pack rtrerigrttrandcontinues wiLhourpail:'l;l'fl
for a moment.He is then requested to open it and removethe packetof
uienmadJ. :::,[il3i',1:
card or cardsin lhe hand are squaredup w
gripon
cardsftom the case.Whenhe spreadsthe kings,he will find the selecled
r""i. iftii-o""lti"" it tttownin Figure15 Notethatthelefthand
card reversedin lhe centreof them, ii" ..J'],i"*a ," ,n. tighl is eracrlvthe a5
same if vou were carr)Tng
The
it-ir"i.Jp"". irt. litttetingerbelowandotherfingersaboverighr
"ri "
.Grri l"gg.a p.iiii;." .t rhe card\ is bv
conceated rhe back of the
,,covERPASS" Io Iheaudirnces
rru"na ani'attoUvt<..pingthepacklowdownin relaLion
viewpoint.
The four tricksthat follow, are basedupon a passdoneund€rcoverof
the top card, or cards.Sincefew descriptionsof this type of passhave
appearedin print, a technicaldescriptionof th€ sleight will be given
beforedescribingthe effects.I would like to mentionhere,that a superb TO PCARDACTSAS
e\ponentofthis passis Mr. FredRobinson,and whilst I am not a! liberty . / ---,- COVEAFORJOGGED
to give details of Fred\ excellenthandling, my method, due to its R IGH THANDSHI €LO S / SECTIONOF PACK
similarityto Fred'sin severalrespects,is givenherewith his permhsion. SECTIONOF PACK
The powerof the CoverPassis considerable ,)
and I stronglyrecommend TH A TISJO G G ED
aIIy card enthusiastwho has not yet addedit 10 his repertoire,to do so TO R IGHT
without delay.

Technique for Cover Prss SECTIONOF PACK

JO G G EDTO RI G HT
The passmay b€ carriedoui under one or morecardsand is invisible
when due atiention is givento techniqueand angles.The pack is firsl
held in the left hand with the left little linger holding a break under the
top card, or cards,that you wish to rctain in positionwhilst the passis
completed.For this descriptionwe'll assumea break is held under lwo
cards. quite
Havinc p.otthe cardsinto position. the passcan be carriedoul
With ihe left lhumb, riffle down the outer left cornerofthe pack until
#;;hf iil;; il;"; ti canbedonelnrhenormalwavor with.the
you reachup approximatelythe centreof the pack. Bring the rigbt hand
;;i;;"i; )ou areusins'
,im",;;p;ndinsonrhetvpeor presenrarion
abovethe cardsin the left and lift the halfpack abovethe lefr thumb up, Iypeor
t iavour the riffle pass,but onl) if lhe riffle canbejushlredrn Ine
taking up the break from the left little finger with the right thumb, the
right hand holdingthe cardsfrom above,iis thumb at the nearshort end 'liJlli',iilt"ililS;"nt points
ot thesleishL orthe
aIethedroppins
of the pack and fingersat the far one, We'll assumethat lhe purposeof oler Ine
riffling the cardswasto haveone chosen,so you now lift up the lower ..ud' so that Lhevlog lo the righl as you bring the rlcj|Lrano
nano aller rne
l.ll. and Lhe!quaring of rhe cardsremainingin the rlSil
sectionof the pack with the left hand so that the facecardis towardsthe of thepackbeins
.i'"i'. *"ii irrj.ii r'i'"alonssideot lhelowersecrion
ffi 6l
 CardboardCharudes CardboordCharudes
in rhecenlre Usebothhands
heldin the left hand. The rigbt hand finSerscurledaroundthe outer end Lhatthis is now lhecard previouslyreversed cenlr€
of the pack hide the tapered break that exists prior to the pass being ll r; til ;;; ;; ;iliut u"tii *'" r""' ao*ncardaroundth€fanned
in a
carriedout. rp. G,rtlt'"*a out a lirlle rhenrurnlhe packover caro
reversed
'i.ii
.""alii"'. #ti lhe righl handto reveal lle faceof the
wai turnedracedownontothe packat the
lTiI;';;' d;l;;fft
.,GOING BYE BYE" beginnmg,

This is a transposition effect which registerswell with a[ audiencefor

two main reasons. The first is that th€ transpositio[ is dircct, and the ..STILLCOLLECTING''
secondthat lhe back of onc ol the transposedcards is apparently in view of
of the audienceat all times. Handthepacklo a spectator andaskhim lo removeanyt\ro -aces
you Request him to shuffle lhe
Hold the pack face up in the left hand and draw attertion to th€ face ,rr"'lu-._ and hand themto relerseme
card. Appear to tum this card over so that it is fsce down od thc face of "oiou,
,i. p"ir whitsrhels doinsrhis' secretlv
rtassivm vousorhatir isface ue b:l:Y"tlt:la:
thc pack but really turn two cardsdown as on€. TuIn the two cards down i"*Ju.. oi rrt. piit t. ^"0
'ii"fii.t-"i
trp ol
rathcr rapidly, so that the face card of the pack is not exposcd for any ;;;iie;bov;ii i;p a s'iighl6reakbawecntheaceswirhthe
length of time. As an example, lets say th€ card you have drawn the lhe richt thumb.
spectatorsattention to is the six of hearts and it is now apparently resting
"'wi?"'i.ir. his shuffling'lakelhe packbackandhold.it
pack'
face down on th€ pack. r"*'a'"*" l"*y""i i.li rtand.Placetie lwo aceson top of lhe thal
"..pr.red
oth€r' and mention
Riffle thc outer left corner of lhe pack with the left thumb riffling ii*ii" tii.. i"t.tu[v tquaredoneabovelhc go pick
from top to bottom and requestinSa spectalor to call stop as you reach l;::::: ;iil.6;;;ii,;itorm rtretrict Asrhev ontorhepack'
so rhat a
thc approximately ccntre of the pack. Take care to commenceyour dfflc ;; ;;;;;i-fffi the ;ight dumb wirh the tefi lirtl€ fins€r
a little below the upper two cards of the pack. lvhen the spectaior ' 'ii.i* is heldunderthc top ace packandwiththethumb ri fflethenear
hreak
requestsyou to stop, bring the right hand over the pack to remove the ii. iie-hi;"ta th€ '
upper half, the thumb at the near short end and fingers at the far one but lr'on'ini upi""'at from the faceunlil vou reachaePro'dileJl:1t:
"bove
upperhalt In
before lifting the half off, lift up the top card very slightly so thal a .i"i* oi ttJ o".r. cu rh€packal thispoinr'holdingfte atth€
thumb break can b€ obtained below it almosl at lhe same time as the iili'.r'"n",:riJiii]ii ,l. rr'"i"'u"ittreneaishonenaandthefingers
i,, ir'Jtco"turiontor lhecoverPsssThelbumb takesup thebreak
upp€r half is removed. This leavesyou with the upper half held in the
right hand with a thumb break under the top face down cald in prepara- ." "i.
tr'.
''' p""rt'irt"i"" the packfrom th€lcfi littlc finger'
to.fie
tion for the Cover Pass. "*iiil,ti"J .f the llft handsectionof the packsliShlly
"r
packet'
"*atttti"'t, ata rr'." nip lr taceuponto! of the
Draw attention to the narnc of the card at ihe face of the left hand 'i'i','tiiilii,ili"'il tne
packet, pointing out that this was the card you were requestedto stop at. t'it,i,tiiiit tiirti handiongsidcwith fte lcft handlong srdeorcard
to lhe namc of lhe
Push this card slightly over to th€ right with tlle left thumb and use the ,'*t.iffii i" il. tlgrtthani Drawaltcntion ro
left hand edge of the half pack held in the dght hand lo flip the side il,;;; l; ;;; t;' rf rhe lowerhalf and requestthe spectarors
jogged card face down on top of the face up cards in the left hand. Do .ommit
'' it to mcmory.
this slowly to emphasizethe fairness of the operatron. iiiii""" ,ii-ii*r ri-a section of thepackon top of thelefl handone
* iiii-iriJi"'JG i.a is sandwichedberw€'en the two halves As thc
Thc position at this stageis that you have on€ half held in the left halld irnmedia(elvabove
and one in the right, each with apparently a noted card face down on the i'"'ijli'"ili. ili ii.i*t*ii iil.l.tir'-a trtt' nng" lhe lop card'
fac€ of each. Actually the right hand sectiol hastwo face down cards on it" iici up c"ti anatrtcnexccore thepassundercoverof
iq'a'rJ in rrrercrrhand' rhat
stare vo! will
the face. iffiig if,.;;fiil;iiv thr trct
Replacethc right hand sectionon top of thc left but in this action cafty rlhrstrate
''' how lhe acesat ur€(op ot tne psekcanhelpwilh lhemwrln -"
ioti"i irt. lop rr,*. of rhepack \lightlvand remove
out e Cover Passunder thc top card, which you had previously prepared thefacc up card
for, by obtaining a right lhumb break earlier in the effact. As you square ir'.mlna *isntranro'ho'"rhar downaces'
ritiii"g"ards
'r'"iu'riirtan'a.
ir,,.irr. of rhi packis now between rhe lwo facr
the cards after replacing the right hand half, 8et a lcft little finger break isalsoslill-hold-
under the two fac€ down cards at the fac€ of the pack, ".nti.
i]1il'i; il,nl;ili;".i;i.i ortlc t't' l""a'
tie faceup card from"tich
between th€two race
Tum th€ two face down cards abovethe little finSer break over so thal ;;;;"i;;;;i,
thcy end up face up on lhe face ofthe pack, and the spcctators will s€e ",;
,t,i*n onesand olacc "."ue
it on thetable.
62 53
 Cardboard Charudes
Saythat just in casethe spectarors
did not seehow the trick wasdone,
you will repeatit, but this time you will leavethe acesfaceup on top of
rhe pack,wheretheycanbe watchedclosely.As you makethis starement
bring the two facedown cardsin the right hand over the pack and place
them still in an unsquaredstatejoggedslightlyove. the riSht hand long
edSeofthe pack. Retakethem in the righr hand, but this time hold ih€m
from above,the thumb at the nearshort end and the fingersat the far
oneand squarethem up by lifting them slightlyabovethe pack and rhen
runningthembackwardsand forwards,their long edgesrunningbetwe€n
the tip of the left thumb at one sideand the tips ofahe lefl fingersat the
other. On one of the backwardmovements,drop the lower card of rhe
pair heldby the right hand so thal it squaresup with the main pack and
lhen continuethe forward movementbut with only a singlecard. Curl
the right band forefingeraroundthe left hand long edgeof this cardand
pull on it so that thecardswivelsover until faceup, pivotingbetweenthe
right hand secondfinger and thumb held respectively at eachshort end.
Placethe singlecard faceup on top ofthe pack, takinga left litlle finger
breakbelowit. The effectshouldbe that you havesquaredthe two face
down acesand placedthem both face up on top of the pack.
Using the sameactionas ea.lier in the effect, usethe right thumb to
riffle up*ards from ihe face of the face down pack, placing the thumb
on the near short end. Keep riflling until you cometo the face up ace
which is aroundthe centreof th€ pack .rndthen let one more card drop
from the rhumbonto this aceand cul lhe packar Lhispoinl, by removing
the upperhalf with the right hand and holdingir in rheposirionrequired
for the Cover Pass, rakinS the break wit}l the ri8ht thumb rip as
previouslydescribed.Turn the left hand so that the facecard is towards
the spectators and thenpushthe top card partiallyoff rhepacketwith rhe
left thumb so that its face is exposed.Ask the spectatorsto remember
thh card and then pull it back squarewith the remainderof the packet
and turo the hand so that the half pack is facedown again.
The righl hand sectionis now replacedon top of the one in the left
hand and a left little fingerbreakpickedup betweenthe rwo halves.The
CoverPassunder the.topcard is now executed,and the pack held for a
momentsquaredin theleft hand.The right handnow spreadsout the top
threecardsofth€ pack and re rovesthem in a slightspreadto showthat
a face down card has appearedbetweenthe face up aces.They are turned
over and dropf,ed on the table io r€veal that the card betweenthem is the
one from th€ centreof the pack.
..REVELATTON"
Have a card selectedby a spectatorand returnedto the pack, Usea
simpleshuffletlpe controlto bring the card to the top, suchas holdinga
break above it with the ieft little finger after its retum, and then
64
Cadboad charades
r,rnsferring thc pack to the riSht hand in preparatron for an overhand
lhuffle, the break beingtaken up by the riSht thumb in this action. The
.urds above the thumb break can then be shuffled off into the left hand
|nd the final sectionthrown off to bring the selectedcard to the top. Any
\imilar control where the cards appear to be mixed can be used, but not
v,,ur favourite'invisibl€pass',which would make the presentation
iUogical.
Say that there now is thc problem of firditlg thc selectedcard, but the
rask may have been made easier for you if the shuffle has accidentally
brought it to the bbttom or top of the pack. Turn the pack over to expose
rhe fac€ cerd alld ask if it happens to be the chosen one. Wben the
sp€ctator denies that it is his, turn the pack face down and say, "well
how about thc top one" , As you saythis, do a double turnover of the top
rwo cards and l€ave them face up on top of the face down pack. The
\pectator will again state that this is not his card.
State that as coincidcnce doesn't app€ar to be on you. side you will
haveio work for your living. The pack is still lying fac€ down in the left
hand, with apparently one card facc up on the top. Obtain a br€ak with
lhe left little finger under the top card of the pack and th€n with the left
rhumb slowly riffle the outer left corner of the pack from top to face,
irrt(inga spectatorto stop you aroundthe centreofthe pack. Make sure
vr,ustart your rifflr below the top two cards of rhe pack to ensurethal
you do not exposethe extra fac€ up card at the top. When the spectator
eallsstop, bring the right hand over the pack and cut off the half pack
rbove the left thumb break, holding it in the appropriate position for
(rrrying out the Cover Pass,with the riSht thumb tip taking the break
Irom rhe left little finger.
Usethe left hand long side of the half pack held in the right hand to
,lip rhe top card of the Ieft hand seclion face up, and ilate that you will
rsc ihis card to help you find the 3electedone. Replacethe cards held in
rheright hand ot top of lhosein the left and immediatelyca y out the
Itassunder cover of the top face up card, which will bring the card iust
ilipped face up al the centrc to th€ second from top position, and send
rhe select€done do*,n to the c€ntre.
Casually appear to tum the card at the top of the pack face dorvn but
I cally do a double turn down, so that the two face up cards at the lop are
turned down as one card. say the easiest vray the face up card at the
renrre could help you would be to turn itself into the chosrn card. Spread
rhe pack in a lotg well spacedfac€ down spread on the lable to show thal
rhis hashappened.
"1929 ACES"
This effect requires an arrangement of the top sevencards of the pack
which readingfrom the top of the pack is as follows: face down card,
65
 Cardboard Charades
face up ace, face down card, face up ace, face down card, face up ace,
facedown card, face up ace,temainderof face down pack.
lf presented as an opening effect the arrangement presents no
problem,but if usedas an intermediateone, it may be helpful to outline
the procedurbI useto mak€the anangemenlin front of the audience.It
is necessaryto first of all get the four acesto the top of the pack
unobtrusively,one way beingto cull th€m du ng a precedingtrick, in
which you have a lcgitimate reason for looking through the facesof the
cards.However.the method I favour is to hav€ the four acesand one
otler card in my pocket b€fore the performance, the aces having their
backs towards the body and the fifth card /aci'rg the outetmost one. A
trick is performed during your ptogramm€ in which a sel€cted catd
travcls to your pocket, and in removing this card the five cards already in
the pocket are palned in the ha.d that produced the chosen card, and
added to the top of the pack. This leavesthe foul acesface up under the
top face down card of the pack and if the pack is given a faro shuffle in
which only the iop five cards are perfectly accurale it will be in tle
correct order to proceed with lhe effcct. The faro shuffle csn be of the
'in' or 'out' varietyand the extrafacedown cardsl€ft at the lop of the set
up do not effect the working at all.
If you prefer an approach in which the acesare culled to lhe lop of the
pack during a proc€€ding effect you still have the problem of Setiing
them correctly positioned before you can proceed with this effort. One
way would be to turn lhe pack face up, Half Passthe fow aces,cut one
card from face to top alld then turn the pack face down and give it one
faro shuffle.
Having achievedthe basic set up in one way or anothcr you can now
continue your prograiime with the following sequenc€.
Spreadthe pack betweent}le hands !o show casually that the cards are
face down, but do not of coursespread the top few cards, which would
reveal the face up aces.Squarethe pack face dor\{r in the left hand and
take a left lillle finger break under the top card. Cut about thtee-quaiters
of the pack off with the right hand holding this section from above, the
thumb at the near sho( end and the fingers at the far one, and taking the
break from the left little finger with the right lhumb. L€t this section of
the pack dribble down from the right hand to the left, until only about
half the pack is left in the right hand. Make some remark sucb as
"remcnrber all face down" as you do this action. Finally, replacetlte half
pack held in tha right hand on lop of those in the lefl and immediately
carry out the Cover Passunder the top card.
Start to spreadthe pack slowlybetweenthe handssaartingright at the
top so that the cards are seento be face dowo unlil you hit a face up ace
around the centre. lvhen you cometo the acepush it over dighaly so that
the face down card below is exposedand then removethe aceand place it
on the table. Squareup the remainderofthe packand hold it facedown
in the left hand.
6
Cardboord Charades
srale ihat you will try and makea secondaceturn face up and as you
.iry this, lifi off about a quarterof the pack with the riShi hand and let
rhcrn dribble down back on top again. Spreadthe cards fac€ down
I'crweenthe handsuntil you cometo the next face up aceat the c€ntre,
l,[sh it over so that !h€ card belowit is exposedand then removeit and
r'hce it with tlle oiher on€ alreadyon the table. lvhen you removeil, do
vr by splitting the pack so that the aceis at the face of the upper half
whichis beingheld by the right hand. The righl hand movesto lhe table
r,' depositthe acetherealtd then returnswith its half pack but replaces
rl,cmbelowthosein the left hand,thus cutting the pack and bringingihe
rUnaindefof your stackback to the top.
Spreadthe pack betweenyour handsto showthem facedown but not
\lrcading the top few cards,andthenrepeatthe squaring,dribbling,and
( over Pass already explained in connection with lhe revelation of the
trsl ace.The pack cannow be spreadout to revealthe third ace,whichis
,frnoved and placedon tbe table as previouslydescribed,and tbe pack
,r\sembled without a cut, by placingthe half pack held in the riSit hand
l,rck on top of thos€in th€ left.
The final aceis producedby ribbon spreadingthe pack in a wide face
rlown spreadacrossthe table,which addsa punch to the productionof
when performingthis effect I usethe riffle Cover Pass,and actually
\rarethat by clicking the cardsI will causethe acesto turn over one by
r'r)c.Whetheryou adoptthis procedureor a CoverPasswithout riffle is
|,tr the read€r to decide.Whilsr you only have to do a pass for lhe
|roductiol of acesone and three,you shouldtry and make your pack
lxndling look the samefor acestwo and four.
..WRONGAGAIN''
The follow the leaderplot has becomea very populat one in card
Inagicand numerousvadationshave appearedin print involving not
only lhe colours of the facesof the cards,bul also the colours of the
hacks.It is certainftat otherpeoplehavethoughtof appling the follow
rheleaderthemeto the suitsof the cards,but I do not recallhavingread
rr in print an'.rhere. As thereare four suitsin a pack, lhe fact that these
ean sort themselvesout dep€ndingon the leader cards placed above
rhem,seemsevenmoresurprhingto an audiencethan a two-fold separa-
rion, and technicallyit is just a! easyto do.
Removefour cards of eachsuit from the pack ard arrange the sixteen
rards so that eachsuit group is together.For easeof explanationI will
refer to a specific suit order, ahhouShsuch an order is not striclly
necessary. Lets say that readingfrom the face you hav€, four hearts,
lollowed by four spades,followedby four diamondsand finally four
.lubs. ln selectingthe suil cardsfrom the pack, pick spot cardsthat are
 Cardboad charades Cardboard Charades

not easilyremembered. land with th€ one at position 'C', retainingthe one at 'C' in your haod'
SDreadthe sixteen cards face up betweenthe hands, pointing out that r rraneethe one in your hand wilh the card al posilion B', relaining-the
vou have four cardsof eachsuil and also drawingallenlion to the order ."ia i.or 's' in your hand. Finally place the one in your hand al
order of
6i rhe suir groupsfrom back lo face. ln our exampleclubs' diamonds. ,r.titi"r e', p.i.tit"g .ut tllat you have compl€tely altered the
inadesand hearts.Closeup the spreadbet*eenthe handsand lake a left the leadercards.
litle fing€r break abovelhe borlom two clubsof the paclet. Turn the Turn thc threc face down cards in front of leader 'A', face up, taking
complet! packet face down, carring out a Turnover PassaLlhe break .ur. to t."p ttt.ln sq*.e and deal off the face card onto the leadet card
ooin't.so that two cardsare secretlytransferredlo rhe faceof $e packel. i._.-rro* irtit trt. tuitt aatch. Turn lhe remaimng two cads face down
ar..ing lheir ord$ and replac€lhem above the leadcr card'
"uhout tttis ptoiea,rre for lhe heapsunder leadcts'B', 'c" 'D"
r.oeai
packets once 'nd and do
again
Savthal you will changethe leader around
rr"sivirraiging 'D' *ilt 'A', retaining'A' in your hand Now chang€
iii. r*'oiatii in-vou. ttand wilh lhoseal 'B', relaining'B' in vour hand'
your hand'
rt'"nqi itrot ln vo* tt-d with thosea! 'c', retaining'c' in
Jnd f;ally Dlacelhesatwo cardsat position 'D"
Take the top card frorn each of the palrs of face dow! oncs above the
leader packeti and drop them f&cc up on top of th€ leader groups
immediately trclow them, to again show that the suits match'
Say rhal ir would make no differenceif you changcdlhe face down
Figure16 .urJiaiounO. ana ao rlis bv changing'D'with 'A , renining 'A'in vo-ur
r'ani.-tlen :n'*lttr '8" retaining'B' in your hand, then 'B'wilh 'C"
your hand
r.i"irilne'c' in your hand. and fin.uy placing the catd in
Jo*n ui ootirioti 'D'. Remember il is the facc down single cards yolr
J^no" arounO at this stage and they arc replaced face dowrl above thc
laceup leaclerlfoups.
Turn each of the face dowtr cards face up and drop them oII lop of the
teadergroups above them to reveal that the suits have a8ain followed the
leaoers,

..TR VELLf,RS IN TIME"

Thumb off lhe top four cards of lhe face down packet without
.eveFingtheir orderand drop fiem al positjonA in thcdrawing.Thumb Plots concerned with makinS time movc backwafds ol forwards
oirilc nexr four and ptacethem at positionB, and lhe next four at C' ot*avs seemto UeweUreceived,evenwhen applied to a card trick,-as has
and the final group at D. r,*r'aon" ft"t". Th€ geDcral lheme of the trick is that three differcnt
iurn the top card of eachgroup face up.andplaceiI immediatelyin ffio-"i" a*i to pi"k of cards at thrce different stagesin time, and
front of its o\r'ngroup. Thescleadercardswill be in lh€ correctsuit order ir'.ri""iiv " rttingscancclthemselves
."" trt.ti oul as lime movrs back-
in ,c"oraan.e with lhe order of the cards as oriSinallyshown to th€ *uiai, untit ttr. t.vcn lo their original condrlion lf you find you
ioeqators. ln our etample, readingfrom l€ft to riSht' or A lo D, lhey ""ta.
can oiesent this idea *ell, you cad always takc up science fiction writing
; l be ctubs,diamonds,spadesand hearls. probably get pard more for it lhan doing card tricks! Applyln€
-vdu'll
Taik aboul th€ power of leaders,etc. or if you have some brilliant iir* ti.rni ,,i.-"tai las onlv occasionallvbecndone,and Ed Marlo's
narretof your own whichgelsawayfrom thiswell lroddenpath' uselhis. iil.ni
'r'i la""rtine' ln tuc. No. ? is an approach well worth studying'
;d sendme the delails.Now changelhe fac€up leadercardsaroundas
follows: Lifr up the card al positioo'A' and changeil over with the one Havinc set the sceneby stating that you are going to Sivea demonstra-
at Dosition'D', retarning'D' in your hand. Now changeth€ card in your rion of time travel with a pack of cards,pcrform the following actions:
68 69
 Ca board Charudes
Cadboard Charudes
i,,, rhepacker
acouple Ieallvcu insrw: tTrt;
ot rime5.
SrryeOtre mrt"liH ;;
rL,rr.I srmpl ) cu l onceand hold a br eak. wh'lsl
Saythat youwill firstof all separate
theredcardsfromtheblack,and ir;i ;*i';l';ll;]:,
:;{i:;tiitrili"T:u, i:,p'ii!:.*!!i
do this by runningthrouShthe facc up pack and upjoggingall the red
cardsas you cometo them, After upjoggingthem, strip them out and
placelhem on the faceof the pack. Run throughthe facecardsof the
ii:n:::'J.'
.il*ml**',':"x Tli:
# ;m;:."':'"'}i,
i','"*f;
rabl; alongsidethe one alreadythere'
pack to checkard showto the sp€ctatorsthat they are all red and then
cut themoff ftom the face,tum themfacedown, and placethembelow
th€ rernaining26 blackcards. Stsgelhree
Now run throughthe facesof the black cardsand then temovethem
andplacethemstrll faceup bclowthe facedownredcardssothat thetwo will placethe lop card of
At ihe third and final stagein lime' sayyou harrand
halvesar€ faceto face.As you plac€theblackcatdsbelowthe redsthey *i;ii'ilrJ,i;;;;; upeither
oiis iirr' oorniiuvpickins
will naturally b€ in a slightly unsquaredcondition and as you square
thcmup, pick up a brsk at approximalelythc centr€of them,aboutone *r j#:*:,11,*'#ffi :ilf :Tf i".'ii"i!
quaftcr way up from the bottom of the pack, in pr€parationfor a airi".'i"i..ir '?fi'"J.-TllLlf
*. *p r*e rlowncardandpushit inlo Ihe of the
cenlrc
wirhthe
TumoverPass,Turn thepackcomplctelyover,carryingout a passat the i]il.'iiilrri iiiiih;g''r'e halrpackontherableDorhesame
breakpoint, and finally holdingthe packfacedownin the l€ft bandin a orherhalf.
squarcd condition. The effect of the procecdingactions from the
audidcesvie*point is that theyhavesecnyou scparateth€ red ftom the
blsck cardsand plac€the coloursfaceto face. Conclusion
Riffle th€ rearshortendof thepackwith thc ri$t thumbasif looking
for thc placcat the centrewherethe cardsare faceto face.Really,just to reileratewhat has lakrn
It is advisablebefore endinglhe effert
rifflc to the approximatecentreposition and cut ihe up!rcr facedown one'.
pru..sltpivt"t. ttt"taLtimesrage vous€parafiffJ"itfrl:
sectionoff and placeit still facedorur, on the table. K€€pthe remaioing you reve
irom theblacks,al timesrag€lwo'
half faceup in lhe left ha[d. thr;eyouplacedthelop cardsof eachhalr into
""i'ii"art'"iirti,. ",*.
the
'"i:ilt:i.r, makinstime so baclwardsstasebv.sras€ Repeat and
Str8€Tro *ere
rhal. in
olaced lh€ cenlrc'
nu,niioi-t'"rli,op ."tit of eaih hatf turnthctop card
liiii i"il.a eachhandandsimuha;eouslv
Statethat at the s€condstagein time you aregoingto tum som€cards ;i;il;ii
"iir' r"* upsavins
"r,rt "weareback i\,ilXti,ll',,T'";.1"i'i?"ll!
faceup in cachhalf. Commencewith the red half in the left hand by
riffling thenearshor!endwith the riglt thumbfrom bottomto lop, until
you reachthe point whercyou havejust passedtwo face up rad cards
lTilJH:"s,Ti#ii'"1t:i'#ii;;;;;;;ui;"
;""*.'ffi :;r aT b;:Hl','n:
bv.remarkins
immediat€lyabovethe lowcr facedown ones.cul the upps cardsoff
ii*nl L.orp"'iv,r'i' ".tion ilffi
itac€ two" Finally flip the spreadslace up
and turn them fac€ down and push them into the olher half with a al I'me
nowin a mixedstare'aslhevstarted
iir??a *i or""i i*a',
w€avirutypc of action,but tak€carcthat you do not disturblhe two face stageone. "rc
up cardsat the top. Squareup thc packctand placeit on the tablewith
the two faceup cardsuppermost.
Pick up th€ olher.facedownhalf from the tablearld placeit still face ..DEMI DEMON''
down into the left hand. Riffle thc ncar sho.t end of this half from
bottom to top with theright thumb, until you reachthe poinl wheretwo
facedown cardshavejust b€€ndropp€don top of the lowcr face up
cards.Cuttheuppersection off at thispoint,tum it faceup andweave it
i'i_;ll
,'..',i':lTfl:l#':;l' lll'pi :i::$itr:ij.",';:1,$rl;
lo rr
unimportanl.esp€clally
comDatatively
into theotherhalf,again taking carenot to disturbthetop two cardsof I menrion
iirliii"';v audienies' althoush,rhrs
rhis'b€cause
iii#f,e'ri"
thc lower half, whichthis time witl be fac€ down. Squareup the cards cardsis eflicientlh€impor(anlthlng
io ro."tinetli.eeselecled
up-pro"ir,
and then tum themcompletelyover and replacethem in the left hand. '71
70
 Cardboad Charudes Cadboard Charudes
is to revealth€ cardsin an entertaininSway. Two presentationideaswill
bc given at the end of the technicaldetails.
Prior to performance,lhe pack hasro be stackedso that all cardsof
the same value and colour have exactly twenty five cards betweenthem.
The easiestway of allallging them is to first of all sort altd reass€mblethe
pack so thal each of th€ twcnty six pairs are together, bui not in any
particular order. Fo. €xample, rcading from top to face the order might
be: 4H, 4D, 25, 2C, KH, KD, AC, AS, and so on. The pack can now be TOPC A R DGLI M PSEO
dealt into lwo face down heaps, dealing alternately in the conventional
manner, and thcn assembledinto one pack again by placing one heap on
top of th€ other.
The trick can also be performed with a pack in th€ conventional nerr
pack order, and the sliSht variation rcquired for this approach, will be
mentioned at the end of the description of the standard procedure for a
pack slacked as previously describcd.
False shufflc the pack al|d follo* this by a few Senuire cuts. Hand the
pack to a sp€ctator and ask him to cut it a couple of time and then place Figure17 THI RDFRO MFACECARD
it face down on the table. Ask the assisting spectator to cut off a little G TI M PS€D
underhalfthe pack and thento dealfrom this grouptwo handsof cards,
stopping the deal when€verhe wishes.The cards are dealt face down and
whenhe slopsdealingit mus! be in the standardway, so that eachofthe
haodshas the samenuhber of cardsin it. If you are confidentthat the
spectator understands the procedure, you can turn away while he pulledback by the left thuhb. This cardis remembcred, lett sayil's the
completes the dealing. 55. At lhe sametime as this is taking placeat the top of the pack, the
After th€ dealing of the two hands, lhe speclator will be left with a right ahumbcarries out a similar action at the face. Tbe right lhurnb pulls
small packet of cards in his ha[ds. Ask him to note the top card of this back the face card of the uppcr section of the pack which allows you to
packet and then to shuffle the packet to los€ the card, and finally to drop Slimpseand remcmber the one immediately aboveit in the lower section,
the packet on top of thc lower section of the pack that was left on the saythe sevenof diamonds. The halvesare now pushedcompletely square
table at the beginning of the affect. For easeof explanation this spectator and you finally rememtrcrthc face card of the pack, say the aceof clubs,
will now b€ called spcctator 'A'. beforeplacingthe pack facadown on the table.Thus, in a very fast and
Requestspectator 'B' to pick up the first hand ofiards from the table latural way, you have glimpscd and remembcredthe top, third from the
and spcctator'C'ro pick up the secondone. Ask eachspectatorto note lace add face card of the pack before placing it on the table. FiSure 4,
and rememberthe top card of the hand lhey hold, and then !o shuffle the shouldclarify the action.
cards. Either one thcn hands his cads to th€ other and th€ comDosite The three cards remembercdin our example were the five of spades,
packetof handsis lhoroughly shuffled. sevenof diamonds and aceof clubs, and lheseare the direct matesof the
Pick up the remainder of the pack from lhe lable and hold i! face down rhre€selectedby the spectatorsid the correctA, B, C. order. Spectator
in your left hand. Take back the combinedpacketof hands from th€ 'A' will havenoredthe five of clubs,spectator'B'thc sevcnof heartsand
appropriate spectator and place it on top of the pack, taking up a left 'C' the aceof spades.After the pack hasbeenplacedon the table I ask
little finger break b€low it. Cut th€ cards above the lirtle finger break \pectator'A' to call oul any six cardsin the pack but to includeamong
from the lop lo the face of the pack. Cive the pack one perfect 'in' faro rhemthe card he noled. I saylhat he can speakslowly or quickly, but
shuffle using the almost universaltechniquewherelhe cards are held that I will try and tell which card named is the selcctedone. Since you
with theL edges low:rds the performer so that as the two halves are nlreadyknow the name of the card, finding the right one to nameis no
pushedsquarcit is easyto make a glimpseas shownin Figure 17. problem. ii is surprising how many people se€mto accept the explana-
Bcfore thc halves are pushed complctely square! t}le left ihumb pulls rion as Senuineand by the time spectators'B'and 'C'have to namesix
back the top crrd of the lower half slightly which allows you !o seethe tards, they take great care ao name each card *ith identical inflcxions.
top card of the upper half; thc one immediately arove the one being If the reader has difficulty in rememberingthe three key cards, a
't2
 CordboordCharades Cardboard Charades
..JEFTERSON'SJEST''
slichllydifferent-lr" approach mayb€lakenaflerthe faroshufflehasbeen
i.'-.ii .a. .-lt't all ar; glimpsed.buLthe packis placedbehind
irt. J"ri.i.*i u*r. "t
*a heremlovei thetop cardplacingit lacedownin If I were aJkedto pick my favourite effect out of lhis book' this
iiotir oiip"a"ro.'e, the thitd from fac€in froDrof'8" andthe lace o"iil*t"t on" *ould Le my ihoice. It is based upon Alex
:'Point of Departure" but certain alterations in the handling -Elmslev's have be€o
i"ti in fionr ot'c'. rne packis handedlo sp€clu1o1 'n' 1613mqre-his
to lo removehrs' .ade, including the addition of a transparent €nvelop€ ftom which a
s€lected card,lhento'B'lo rcmove his.and finally 'C'
are placcd face down on the lable alongside lhe .ii."i.a lo vanhh h is surprisinghow muchmore effecl a
fh"i. *.ee'""ta.
*", tlie performerhasalready placed lhere- The lhree vanishhas "".awhen thc obiec!to b€ vanishcdis enclosedwlthln someolner
"p-p""tt
,ooioo,i""
oiirr Ji."tai"t. ""iat ,rt.n rurnedfaceup to showthal theymatchin colour ouiia. irt.otv which can easilybe testedby p€rforminglhjs €ffect'
ioiioweo " by a con"enlionalvanishof the facecard oflhe pack usinglhe
- _ftvalue.
ind
hand as cover, and seeingwhich registersmore strongly with the spetrta-
ooiv t.t"ln. lo mmlion lhe procedureto adoptif thr effectis
lo-
o.iio.-.d u.ing n.* packwhichis in lhe followin8orderfromtop lors.
i*.. irriiol*" etc., havebeenrenoved Ac€ lhrough king of ihe enveloperequiredis ratherlike lhe type usedtohold seasonticlels
in Brirain. but its ;ize is imporlant and it will probablyb€ necessary 10
i'ti"rir."ii* irtrougttking of clubs,kinSthrouShaceol diamondsand
'rir--iii.""ii yourself from i piece of celluloid Figure lSa.shows lhe
"". sp'ades. ln faq, this order has to be amended make it up
i'fi"i,i"l "*-.r
ia.u *ioment is whenlhc jokcrsetc areremovedYou loi."i oi irti *"dop., its lenCthshouldbe exacllythat ofa plaving-card
placed
with theleil thumb.andthm afterlaking toiihi *iatn .muta'u auout+* wider than a card, so that cards
*i soilJrfrc-f,ih. tfrinestspades on the in itri envelope do not fit too tightlv. I make my envelopcs by simply
rfreminioUtcrlgntfranacontinue ro spreadthethirleendiamonds right srze, using
of the pack b€low the first iotJln"itr. u lalf and;fter cutling it to the
i*. oiitt.t, ,n* ,pread the remainder
."iat"ia ntlt ."iositions lhe lhirteen spades so lhal lhey end up seal the bottom aIId side of thc envelope Thc half-moon cut
se otJpe to "ittutola
i*"ri".i"
L.i*.lnirr. ai"*onat clubsThe pack is now given two pcrl€ct faro oul J'rhe cnd of the envelopemust e\tend throudr both thicknessesof
shuffles,whelhcrtheyare "tid'in or'out'is ofno consequence asthepacKls celluloid.Having equippedyourselfwirh a-lransparenlenvelopeand a
i" ir"" ir""'ii""aiir", .nd ofcours. you can aid your twentv sixcard oack of cards you arc rcady rc proceed with th. cffecl.
'' iu"i ttrc on tttjtabli and run through the pack from th€ face
" i"" for thc two cardsoi sarnecolourand valueal the
"""f."i"'i*f the shuffleswilh a /a/secul'
"ntaop.
unili uou corn" ro a t"a Transfer lhis ace and the card !o its l€fl to
ccntrJooint. Conclude
--i.l'o."-rrt.p"ir.
it into two fscedownh€apsof lwenlysixeach'the irr.io'o of O. p"ct , uv "cc. thc face sactio! of lhe pack awsy wilh lhe
"utting
i.-ediatcly to ft€ left of the acc Place lhe right
o"ii rtt. ..nt,. aidingyourcultingasusuelone of theseheaps
"u, iioru frana.
""tilhos€ in lhc lcfl and leavc lhe aceaJ|dthc card above
JiiLln d""i .*"..e o.aerto the othcr.spectator'A' notl takeseither
"oiour h;d section"titt.bchind
rrJi anJoroceeas *ittr thcdealingasalreadydescribedHowerer'$'hen ii on roo ot ttre pacf. Now return lhe cards in lhe ri8!t hand to the fac€
hc hasseiecled his cardand shuffledhis packel.it is Itir pacl(etmat rs of the Dackand iontinue runni[g througl lhe packunlil you com€to thc
ie,urn"ato rft" top of the remarnder of the packirnd-thencut.to lhe ,""ona rca Cur tt'c p."k at ihis poiol and fairly place lhe red aceon
afterbeingshuffledlogether are lop of lhe pack"".. using lhe same action as before
[ir"-. soo,"ro.i 's' 'c's packcts
"nd
ieolacedon roaof thepack Onecardmust now be cut from th€ lop to if the oaik wcrcturned facedo*rl at this stagelhe order from lhe top
;;:l;; ;l ft pack bcfore carrying out the pcrfecr 'in' faro shuffl€ would b;. red ace,any card, red ace. Howevcr,in fic adion of tuminS
irt. Lv *. ctimps.d.whcn peckingthekevcardsby pllling rtri oaci iace ao*n *ittr thc aid of the righ! hand, a breal is pickedup
"'r"r.
i.J ihe;ettiand bft thumbsvoulookal lhc oner'vealedby
#rr,""i0. ;nd'evcntually held below thes€cards by the left litdc fi[8er' whcn the
""iJr*"-oli'sl Ld rhenlhe onebv fie lcfr thumband finallv$e
irt. ilgrri oackis in a fice dovmcondltion.The techniqueI us€is lo bringthcrlSht
i"". ol rrt. iacr. rlis is ncc€ss!ryso that you rememb€tth€ keysin irandover the faceup pack, placingIhe thumb at lhe nearshort end and
.B'. .C. order,theactualpositions
.A'. """t4 of thecardsyouhavegllmpseo, linrers at !h€ tar oni. tte riehr thumb drops lhre€ cards from the
,J in tih" o.d"t vou ,nust rememberthem b€ing,third csrd from the boiiom of the pack and picks up a break abovethem Thc righl thumb
u"it... i." l"a nta y facecardof th€ pack Thetechnicaldeuik and fingers the; sfide al;ng th€ pack until they are about ]' away.from
of thesfim;s€sareexactlythesamcaspreviously
"*a descrl bedandsno\lnln the l€ft-hand lona side andthe left hand swivels ihe pack over until it is
i""i.?. iiuiing trt. t"tching llpe ofpresmlalion with a newpack' you face down, the iards pivotinS between the rig:ht thumb and second
.i.i Lro"i ,rt"-,rtitartom fice, rop andthentacecardswhcnlhepack fing€r, the right $umb being pressedagainsl lhe inner end and thus
ir pr"iJ Lrtina vout u""k to ensuri theyate placedon the tabl€io 'A" miinraining r'hebreak. once ihi pack i5 face down. the left hand little
lingercan;ck up the breakbelowthe top thrcecardsand the right hand
'B'. 'C'. order.
1A
 Codboard Chorades
U SESE !L O T A PE
T O S EA LE O GE S Figurel8
The top aceis now slid offthe packby the left thumb and takenin the
right hand, fingerson the faceand thumb on the back, and exhibiredto
the audience.The right hand comesback over the pack to apparently
take the othcl aceb€lowthe first one, but reallyrwo cardsare takenas
onewith tlle aid ofthe breakbeingheld by the l€fr little finger.The right
hand secondfinger goesinto the break and grips rhe two cards very
tightly by pressingthem againstthe thumb, and then movesa*ay from
the pack towards the right, the two acesbeing in a slightly fanned
condition.As the right hand mov€saway,the left rhumb lightly restson
the back of the pair of cardsbeingtaken as one, and movesto the right
with them, to giverhe impressionof pushingthem off. The facesof rh€
two red acesare displayedto the audienceand ahenthe face one is
returnedto the top of the pack, reallyof coutse,two beingreplacedas
one. The aceremainingin the ri8hi hand is againshownand rhenturned
facedo*i and the iop card of the pack slid off by the lefr thumb to be
placedoncemore belowthe acein the right hand. The two cardsin the
righl hand which shouldnow be in a casuallysquaredstateare placedin
the outer breasthandkerchiefpocketofyourjacket so that theyprotrude
for about 1", the facesbeingtowardsthe body. The action should be
accompanied bysomeincrediblywitty .emark,suchas, "lets put the ac€s
her€for a moment". Only the outer one of thesetwo cardsis really an
The remainderofthe pack is givenan overhandshuffleto lransferrhe
top card to ihe face,and is then fannedfacedown for the back of any
card to be iouchedby a spectator,When a card hasbeen touched,the
pack is split at rhis point by the right hand so rhat rhe selecledcard i3 ar
C.adboard Charudes
the fac€ of the upper section.The card is shown to the spectatorsby
\rmplyraisingthe packetofcards in ihe right hand sothat their facescan
bc seen,after which the cardsare loweredlo their originalposition,and
rheselected oneop€niyslid off onto the faceof the cardsin the left hand,
by pushingon the faceof it wilh the right fingersandpullingwith theleft
ones.Th€ cardsremainingin lhe right hand are replacedabov€thosein
rhe left. The pack is now turned fac€ up in the left hand, bul the same
rcchniqueis usedfor oblaininga break under the facelwo cardsof the
pack with the left little finger, as hasbeenpreviouslydescribed.
The select€dcard at the face of the pack is now apparently pushed
lorwardslighilyto an out joggedposition,so that it extendsfor about I'
heyondt}teouterendof the pack.Aoually lwo cardsarepushedforward
ls one by placingthe righl thumb ai the inner end of lhe two cardsand
\ccood finger on the fac€ and then moving the rieht hand foruard
\lighrly.I believethis type ofpush off wasoriginatedby Cliff Green.The
,ight hand removesthe two joggedcardsholding them squaredas one,
rhe thumb beingon the faceal|d the fidgerson the rear. The left hard
rwistsoverwith the remainderof the packand placesit facedown on the
rable.
The transparentenvelopeis picked up by the left hand and the two
fardsheld in the right insertedinto it. From the spectato$viewpoint,the
\clectedcard hasbeenremovedfrom the face of tb€ pack and placedin
rheenvelope.The envelopeis turned around to €xl bit both sidesof it
.rrd the card imprisonedinside. It is finslly held in the left hand in a
\crtical positionwilh lhe fa€eof the card(s)insidetowardsthe body and
rhehalf moon cut out ai the top,
The right hand now reachesfor the two cardsprojecting from the
l{rter breastjackei pocket and appearsto removethem, but in aclual
lrct, pushesthe one nearestthe body down into the pocketwith the right
rliumband cnly removesthe outet card. This cardis immediatelyplaced
I'chind the e[velope held in tbe left hand, behind meaningthe side
r.a/eir the body. The effect from the audiencespoint of view b€ing that
rhc lwo aceshave beenplacedbehindthe envelope,out of their view-
the group of cardsis now tilted inwardstowardsrhe body by the left
lirnd until ihey reacha horizontalposition,lhe aceon the outsideof the
lrrlelopenow beingnearestth€ floor. The right hand holdsthe group for
., rnom€nrto aid the left in repositioningthe group. The left hand lak€s
,,1)the grip on the end of the group as shownin figure l8b. It is impor-
L,Dr10notethat the halfmoon cut out is underthe left thumb. The fight
l,irndsiidesout theacefrom und€Ithe envelope,movingil in an upwards
,[rd diagonaldirectiontowardsthe right as it doesso, and placesit on
r(,| of the envelope.From the audimce'sviewpoint,oneofihe two aces
l,.low fie envelop€has been taken and placed on top, so that the
{rvclope is now sandwichedbetweentwo aces,
I hc right hand comesover to the group and placesthe thumb on top
7',7
 Cardboord Charades
and the fingersunderneaihthe outer short end and dealsthe uppermost
acefac€down onto the table. Care must t!€ taken in doing this that it is
dealt strai8ht forward and that the long sides of the group remain
parallel as the ace is dealt off. The righr hand now app€ars to deal the
€nvelopeoff onto the table but in actual fact thc left thumb pusheson the
back of the upper card in the env.lope and the left first finger pulls on
the face of the lower one, a very easyaclion becauseof lhe half moon cut
out. This left hand action has the effecl of feeding tlle envelopeforward
into the right hand where i! can b€ dealt onto the table lo the riSht of the
c5ld alrcady there, and l€aving the lower card from the envelopein the
left hand, *here il is assumedto be thc second ace. Having placed tlle
envelopeon the table, th€ right hand takes thc final card from the lcft
hand and placesit on the tableto rhe riSht ofthe other two. The dealing
action is car ed out witholt undue hasle, alld provided you have ensured
tlat your envelopc is slightly wider thaD the catds, should present no
problem technically. The spectators see the back of a catd ill the
envelop€, but this card is now an ace and the chosanone is thc apparent
acc at the right hand end of the tabled cards.
Pick up the card at t}le right hand end of the line of tlre€ wilh the right
hand ard plEcc it still facc down into the lcft hand. wlen picking it up,
take it by thc outd short end u/ith the right hand and t*ist it round, €nd
for end, as you place it in the left, so that the far short end now comes
nearcst the body. Now pick up the €nvelope repealing the end for end
turn, and place it on top oI the card in the left hand, but pick up a Ieft
littlc finSer break below it as you do so. Finally placc the lasl card from
the table on top of the envelope. Repet the twist around action as you
pick the last card up, so thal eventually when you havc all three cards in
thc left hand thc half-moon cut oui will be at thc outer end. BrinS the
rielt hand over thc lcft one, thumb at the ncar short cnd and fin8ers at
the far one and takc the group of cards from the l€ft hand, pickina up a
break above thc facc card with the riShl tbumb. Move th€ group towards
the pack to place thcm on top, but just a.tthey reach the point whare thcy
are r€sting on lop of thc pack but still being held by the right hand make
some remark such as "let ma show you the faces of the aces" and
immediately move th€m away from the pack a8ain witl the exception of
tha fac€ card which is aasily left behind on lop of thc pack, due to the
right thumb brcak bcing held above it. The imFcstion to aim for by your
patter and actions, is lhat you are going to placeth€ sandwichof catds on
the pack but suddenly chang€ your mind. Do not worry aboul lhis
drove-remenbar from the audiencesviewpoint the sel€ctedcard is still
within att envelope, so the only thing you could possibly hav€ dona
wou-ldhave been to have left an ace o[ the pack, but you ale now going
to show that ,ol, acesare still prescnt.
Transfer the cards from the right to left hand and use the same Ieft
hand grip as shown in Figure 18bonly this time the half moon cut out
will b€ at the outer end. With the right hand appear to withdraw the acc
78
Catdboard Chorudes
liom the face of the group, show its face and then replaceil. What you
acruallydo is to placethe right hand forefingerin the halfmoon cut out
rnd by light pressuredraw out lhe ace from within the envelope The
right hand actionis exactlythe sameas previouslydescribedfor dealing
rbe lhree cards on the table, except that the frrst card is taken from the
tace rather than the top. As soon as the ace is withdrawn, its face is
shown and it is furned face dow!, and replaced squarely telort'the
cnvelope.The uppermost ace is now taken off by th€ ri8]tt hand, its face
shown and then replaced on top again. whilst this ace is b€ing shown,
rhe back of lhe otlcr one is showing through the transparcnt env€lop€as
silent evidence that the selectedcard is slill present. Thc upp€r ace is
reDlacedface down on top and thc group taken ir o the right hald still
squared but held so that they can be quickly fanned out. Say "Watch,
cvaporation", and qlickly fan them in the riglll halld to revealthe €mpty
cnvelope.Turn the fan to show both sidesand then drop the group on
rh€ table. A spectator will normally want to look at th€m
There are 1wo final froints I lhink are worth mentioning. The first is
rhal if the p€rforming conditioN are suitable, it is quite easy to lap the
unwantcd cad, ratlcr than unload it onto the pac*. lf this approach is
used, the correct moment is immediately after you have dealt thc cards
rnd envelopeonto the table and are just going to pick them up again to
reDlacein the left hand. The one at the right hand end is placed into the
lcft hand which is rested at the near €dg€ of the table, th€ card being
positionedlow down in the hand so that it is not visible to the spectators.
As you reach forward with the riglt hand to pick up the envelope, the
.ard in the lcft hand is lappcd and then the left hand moved forward
slighrly to meet the envelope whicb is placed in it by the riglt hand,
rpparently on top of the card already there. The final card on thc table is
t)lacedo[ top of th€ envelopeand you are then re?rdyto proceedwilh th€
I inal phaseof the effect where the acesare sho\{t to be eirher side of the
cnv€lop€.lt is important that the cnvelop€ is never brought neat the edge
of the table, which is why it is suggestedthat the lapping is done at this
nage in the effecl, rather than later.
The secondpoint is that the vanished card should not be reproduced,
.rs ir detracts from the effect,
,"'HE TNrcHING TOUCH''
fhis is a variation on lhe classictdck where acesappear to iump froft
,nrepositionto anotherin lhe pack. The methodusedis alsothe classic
,tr)eof a pass,but I have lried to make the effect easierto follow for th€
\t,ectatorsby having t}le acesface up, whilst the remainde. of the pack i5
lnce down. In addition, a climax to the effec! is given, which I have
lound is completelyunexpectedby the audience.Il is surprisinghow
nppealingthe plot of this effect is to an audience,and we owe a debt of
 Cardboard Chorudes
gratitudeto the inventorof thisbeautifultheme,whosenameseemsto be
lost in antiquity.
Run through the pack and remove the aces,placing ihem face up on
the table. At the sameaimeas you are removingthe acescull the four
queensto the top of the pack. Whilst talking about the aceswhich are
lying on the table,closeup tlle faceup pack and a,5the cardsate squared
up in the left hand, reversethe four queensby meansof ihe Half Pass.
Now cut one card from the face of the pack to the back, and turn the
pack face down in the left hand.
Pick up one of the black acesfrom the table and placeit face up on top
of lhe face down pack. Pick up the other black acefrom the lable and
placeit faceup on the boltom oflhe pack. Now spreadthe packout in a
facedown faD,laking careas you do this to first of all pushover the top
black ace slighlly with the left thumb so that ii is jogged to the right,
followedby a block of about 6 cardsand thenthe remainderofthe pa€k
spreadnonnally, until the other aceshowsup, faceup at the boltom.
Emphasizethe positionsof the two aces.
Close up the spreadand turn the pack face up in the left hand but as
you do this cafiy ou! a Tumover Passat the approximatecentrepoint of
th€ pack. Poin! out that the acethat wasat the faceof the pack hasnow
goneand then turn the pack face down, 1oshow that the one placedat
the top bas also vanished.Spreadthe pack face down betweenthe hands
to show lhat the two aceshavecometogeth€rat the centreof the pack.
when you reachthe acesin the spread,pushthem both over with the left
thumb so that a back is visible below them, but then push a block of
about six cardstogether,beforecontinuing10 spreadthe remainderof
th€ pack.
Hold the spreadpackin positionbetweenthe handsto exhibitthe two
black acesface up at the centreand then closeup the spread,but in this
action get a left lltle finger break betweenthe two aces. Turn the pack
faceup in the left hand, carryingout aTurnover Passat the breakpoint
showingftal a fac€down card has returnedto the face. Turn the pack
facedown lo .evealthat the otherblack acehasjumped back to the top.
Spreadthe pack so rhat it is held in a falned positionin the left hand by
first of all pushinSthe face up aceat the top over with the left thumb,
thena block ofabout six cards,andthenih€ remainderofthepack, uniil
ihe other black aceshowsup at the faceendofthe pack. Hold the spread
in this conditionby the left hand only. Pick up the two red acesfrom the
tableand insertthemtogetherfaceup at the approximalecentrepoint of
rhe pack beingheld in the left hand.
Close up the spreadwith the assistance of the right hand and lhen
casually respreadthe face down pack beiween the hands and re-
emphasizethe positionsof the aces,taking care to push a block over
after the first blackacehasbeenpushedover.Closeup the spreadand in
this aciion take a left little fingerbreakbetweenthe centrered aces.Turn
the pack face up in the left hand carying oui a Turnover Passat the
80
Cardboad Charades
breakpoint and immediatelyafterthepassretaina hold on the pack with
rhe left hadd, the positionof th€ hand beingexacllythe sam€as if you
were about to do a glide. Place the rieht thumb on the face of the pack
and the fingers on the top and draw off the end cards of the pack simul-
tan€ously, and place them face down on the table. The action of taking
off these two cards should immediately follow the pass. From the spec-
lators' viewpointthe two blackaceshavebeenplaceddown on the table.
Turn the pack face down and slan io spread the cards between lhe
hands until you com€ to the two acesat the approximate centre point.
Pushtheseover with th€ left thumb to show a back below them and then
lhe usual small block, followed by the remainder of t}le pack spread
fairly. The face up acesat the centte will be se€nto be black and after a
pause,you can reach lowards the lwo on the table with the riglt hand
and turn them face up to show they are the red ones, and lhat a
iranspositionhastakm place.The spreadpack at this stageis held solely
by lhe left hand. Cut the cardsin thc lcft hand so that the two black aces
becomethe two top csrds of the face down pack, they of coursestill
being in a face up conditiol, and close up the spread so that the pack is
held squarein the left hand. The tno red acesar€ at this stagestill on the
table.
Pick up the red aceswith the right hand and place them undcr the pack
being beld in the left, keeping them face up as you do this. Spread the
pack between the hands pushing the small block after you have pushed
overthe two black accs,and thm continuingthrough the pack until lhe
rwo fac€ up red faces are revealedat the other end. Stressthe fact that
you have two aces at each end of the pack and tlten close up the pack
r.rkinga little finger break at the approximalecefltrepoint of the pack.
l rn the pack face up in the left haltd carrying out a Turnover Pass at
rhe break point, and then spread it face up between the two hands to
\how ihat the four 'ac€s'havecometogetherat the centreof the pack.
whcn you reach the four face down caads, push them over to rev€al s
llce belowthem and then a smallblock followedby the balanceof the
t,rck. Hold the pack in its spreadcondition in the left hand and temove
rhc lour face down cardsat the centrewith the right hand still keeping
rlrcmface down. Say "and thads about the besttrick I know with four
,lrrens", on the final word, tuming the cardsin the right hand face up
,!rd dropping them on the table.
Sinc€the four acesare still face up in the pack you may be temptd to
\lncad the pack and revealihem for an additional climax. I strongy
,(lviseyou not to do this, but to concludethe effectat the revelationof
||c queens.My normalprocedureis to cut the packso that the acescome
r()rhc top, face up under onecovercard, which is automalicif you just
Lrr lhe pack six cards below the point from which the queenswere
,.'roved. The lop cafd of the pack is then slid out from the top wiih lhe
,,Fhrhand, tumed facedown and then replaced,after which lhe pack is
r[lrcd face down again by twistingihe left hand back. The right hand
8l
 Cardboad Chorudes
cordboa Charudes joggedsectionsquare,and in thh actiontake a breakimmediatelyabove
cannow aDDarenlly turn lhe top cardot lhe packtacedownbul reail) thecard. Sothat the right hand is freeto pushthe.iogged cardsquare,the
rtrrnall fi!tcards down,a tairl) easyactionbecause ol th€naturqlprcK lefi hand holdsrhe packerofcards for a brief momentat the long edges.
u-oooini*t'at" rttaa"taaare baik to back These actionsarecarriedoul Havinggot the break,the right hand movesthe packetback and forth
*irtt rhepack manner. andample rimewillbe given
iitil icasuai'tovlng betweenth€ left hand fingers in a squaring action and ai it comes above
iy'iiri i"iprir. oathe queens,and ihe reactionof the specta- the pack, releasesthe lwo cards below the break so that they are left
mrs. "pp.iar-ce squ.re on top of the pack. The remaininS two cardsin the right hand are
placed face up on the table. The depositing of the two cards onto the
pack is done extremcly quickly and as soon as they have been added to
.,TWICETWO" the pack, the right hand makes one more back and forth movement with
ih cards beforc placing them on the table, They should be placed on the
TheDlot for this effect belongs!o Karl Fulves,my contributionbeing table almost completely squarebecausethere are only two cards presenl,
*r.i" irri't",rt"a usedto achieveKarts premiseBeginby secretiy wher€asthere should realy be thre€,
arra;qimlheDacksothatlhe fourqucens ar€faceupunderthelop caro Say that the prediction card has been sandwichedbetweenlhe que€ns
oi[ioi.r, tit" qu..nt b€ingstacked in ahernate coloursequence for safe keeping ard you would oow like to have a card selectedfrom the
-'i*.'irr" falsesh-uffle which retains th€ top five cardsin pack. Whilst explaining this, give lhe pack a singlecut at its approximate
""*-" i"vl." will try andcurthepackso thata queenwill centre point and as the two halves come together take a left little finger
""iii."
aonearface up at therop Do thisbydoubleundercultjng
""d',rti" lwocarosIrom break betwe€nthe two sections. Use the left thumb to riffle the outer left
;ff;;il;;ii;,f; face rhe;ackbeins held face down duringthis corner of the pack from top lo face, requestinga spectatorto call stop al
acrion.,q. oueinwitl appearface up on top ofthe pack as yo!promlsm' some point. When he does so, bring fte right hand over the pack to
i.i"g itt. igii rt-a.iir to thepackandapparenllv lifl oll thelaceup apparently lif! off the cards at the posilion he has chosen, but really lift
ouee'n. Uutieallvraketwo cardsar one,which will reveal anotherqueen off all the cards above the left littlc fing€r heak. This is the standdd
ii* irierirsr.itscolourbeing lhe same as the first one Userhe Riffle Force handling.
""Eio*
i.ii rtiri:i" second queen slishrlv over rhe rishL handlong Before showing the spectator the top card of the lower seclion of lhe
""irt.rtine
and then rake it into $e riSht hand so that rt goeson (ne pack,aipthe left hand upwardsso that the facesof the cardsare towards
sideof lheDaak
i*".rirt.lr"."" in lhe righthand with lheaidofthe lefrhand rhe audienceand then thumb the card off of the pack for jus! over half
;i;;;G;. il;;; "ir*av raceupirdr in theriehrhandandthenpullrhe its widlh, so t}lat its name can be noted by the assistingspectator. Tlis
iori.i.ata od,l.ltti.. tlighllvto theleftin a diaSonal
"p,h; direclionsotharrt handling conceals the fact that there h a face up queen immediately
is sidr jogged for about a while border but the index ls nol snowrng' belowthe selection.If you are workirg surroundcd,turn the left hand
irnrn',ii'"_uo;.n... ui."point you havemadetwo queen\of lhe same almosl completely over so that the backs of the cards are towards the
:;i;t;;;;;;;p rLetoPof thepackandar€nowholdinsthesein lloor before pushing the sclectedcard over with the left thumb. After the
ii" .;"rti[-a. iaceup, but with therearonejoggedsughllvto lhe
"t card has b€en notcd, dra* it back squarewith the pack to cover the face
i;fr. fl'.;;isht handgrip o;the queens
"itt shouldbewi$ rhethumbar the up queen,before tuming the left hand so that lhe half pack it holds is
ir'ii-i.a. ii^gJ,'. the f; one'and handcurvedoverrh€cards onceagainfacedown.Drop the cardsin the righi bandon top ofthosein
'.*
alonStheirlength. "r rhe Ieft and place the squared pack face down on the table.
uie the left handlongsid€of lhe quecnslo flip lhe lop cardof lhe Briefly mention the name of the prediction card that was placed
ft-ro, u f""t up on top of (hepack sav betweenthe facc up que€nsand say this will be the male of the card just
k;;;"
'not"ni to
inai rtriscaia wlt acra! a predicliononeand requestthespectalors
",;#;;;;.
in the risit
roted by the spectator.Ask him the nameofhis csrd and whenhe names
;;;;;i;;. Useth; edseof lhe queens b€ins h€ld lhe sameone as your prediclionsay "well, in tbat case,the only thing to
ir..Jio irio trtl'."ta tacedownagainard th€npushit slighllvto thc (lo is to makethe predictionvanish". Showthis hashappenedby spread-
rilhl wirhl_he leftlhumb,sothatil issid€joggedoverlhepacxlor aooul r g the two faceup queensyourselfor invitinga spectatorto spreadthem
h;f its *idth. Now pushit in betwe€n thr fac€up que€ns In lne ngnl lor you. Saythat it is normalto end a trick by findinga chosencard,and
i.lia- i,""ri. Dosi;ionbeingthirdcard lrom lhe top of the groupof rhenspreadthe main pack in a long fac€down spreadio show that the
qi*"" ".i""r p"tition ;f Ihe lowel.queen makes iLtasv to insert rwoqueensof the oppositecolow haveturned faceup and caughta face
;.giJ you push il bei\reen thc
r'le oreaicrion cird at the correct posilion bul as ,!)wn €ard betweenthem. Turn the card belweenthe queensover !o
queins,injogit slightly,so thal.whfnil ha! squared pushInr up across ,.veal it is the seiectedone.
dreaarlof rtreDackeL, lhe right thumbcan reachdosn and th'
83
82
 Cardboard Chorudes Cardboad Charudes
Altemrtive Proc.durc Say thaa although th€ prediction has vanished,most conjurersend
rhejrtricks by finding tle chosencard, so you will try and usethe queens
This routinc utilizeslhe principl€of the Henry Chrisi Forcefor the ro helpyou. Cut aboutl from the top ofthe main packand placeit to the
ourooi. oi tor"ing teveising cards,thc sequence flowswrll andcan right of the balance.Now cut about + of tlle cardsjust plac€ddown and
[. ri*J." *"*i"-tt -a* unsller;ative lolhe firsl routine s(arlby having t)lacethem to thedght ofthe previoussection.In effect,the oriSinalfac€
a tiact oueen,an naiffer€nt card and the second black que€n'faceup \ccrionof the pack is positionedat the left hand end of th€ line of three
i*Jutir irti lip or the pack, and the ace of spades in the fourth packets,Placeoneofthe queensfaceup on top of the centrepacketand
irom too position "*aneadingfrom the top you havc a face do*n card' a rhendrop the extremelcft hand packeton top of the queenso that il is
i"I. * iti*t. i"". up lndifferentcard. face up queen. face do\'n aceo[ \rndwichedbetwe€nthe two sections.Placethe other queenface up on
ip"a.i *a rh.n rtt" i..ainder of lhe face dovn pack' rop of the left hand group of cards and finally drop tb€ right hand
'
shuffleDack.retainingihetop four cardsin posttlonanosayyou*rrr \.ction on top, so that the pack is once again assembl€d into one.
pack
rrv-anaiausea quccnto ippear iacr up on top of rhepack Civethe Pick up the completepack and spreadit facedown betweenthe hands
io to.. tt'e top cardandlbe face up black queen will appe$ aI \nying "notice that the queensare well separated".As you closethe
"itio "ui
,rt.i!" *'o."rniJ. Nlw continu€ wift the procedure aircadv described \pread,take up two breaks,the left little finger immediatelyaboveth€
in the firsaversionto showthal anolherblackqueenis belowlhe llrst' .lrd facing the queennearestthe face of the pack, and the left third
i"tio*ea uv tttestro*ingof thepr€dictioncardandits insertion between ling€rimmediatelybelowthe queennearestthe topofthepack. I find the
irt. i*o ou""*, prior t; phcing them face up on th€ lable' breakseasierto obtainif the dght hand secondfilger presses againstthe
lfvou;xaminelhepackat thisstageyoushouldhavea laceoowncaro hack of the queennearesithe top of the pack whiht lhe pack is being
iit'. roo. iorro""a 6v *e faceup cardand thm rheremainder of lhe \lowly closed,so that the left lillle finger can pick up its break first and
"r at"". n" itackis heldsquaredlacedownin the lelt hand rltcn as the pack finally squaresup, the left third {inger can take over
"""-i-f".i
iii*Jirt. o""i to""ios a speoatoiand askhim Io cul a seclionoff lrom the position beingmarkedoff by the right secondfinger.
i"l" rrtii. i"ta" from him and nip themfaceup onto lhe face- down Now do a tripl€ running cut onto th€ table, by laking first the cards
t"t, hand Sran spreading Ihe pack belwem your hands' irbovethe third finger break and placingthem on the table, followedby
r"aii"" *i
Dushins lh€faceupcardsovetuntilyoucomelo thellrst lacedowncaro rhc next sectionabovethe little finger brcak and finally the face section
ilt";-d;.;. Rh""e the faceup secrionof th€ packu'ith theriShr ol lhe pack. Eachsectionis takenby the riSht hand and placedon lop of
i*a r."iino irr. f""" ao$n onesqu;redin thelefi Lifi theleft handup rhc one previouslyplaced on the table, so that the pack is finally
* itrriitt. il".t ot rtt. arelowardsth€audicnce andthenpushthe n\sembled into one again. Give the pack one more fair cut and then
;;;;J;il;;;,i". "ards the thumb, so that it extends for abouthalf \t)read it face down on th€ table to reveal that the two queenshave now
"ith
it;widtb overthe riShthandlonSside of the pack Ask a sp€staror to t,,metogethcrwith a singl€cardcaughtbetweenthem,whichthentumed
."...Uet ttt" oa.. of thh card, and then draw it back flush with the top vcr. is seento be the secondselection,
Li rhi oacr usingrtretefl lhumboncemore Drop thelefl handso Ihal
ifr" oni.rn-€ lacedo*n and thcn placr thecardsfrom the
richt""r'*hand belo, those in the left, so that the pack is once more
"t. " ANOTHER FINE MESS''
--iri"nJtrt. into one
a*embled
o""r to t"cond spectatolto cut a sectionoff and repeat l'his is a variation on "Wrong Again", to give an effect which is
trr" o.oi.aote " aesc bed in thc previousparagraph'-b'Jtat.the .rnilar to the classicRoyal Assembly one. The amount of mixing
"nii.i
irnJitage_.eassenute ".ttte packby placingthe cardsin the riSht handon nl'parentlycarrid out is far lessthan in other versionsoflhis effect, but
-'iil of thosein the left. thenameof hisnotedcardandthenspr€adthe
toD I nill considerthe audienceimpacl to be strong, and in fact, that the
iie nJ a"sistatt n )plicity of the presentationhelpsimprove the climax of the trick.
pack
o".iiioii*"i ,rt"rrti. ,.teclionis lheonlv faceup cardin lhepack'cul Removethe aces,jacks, queensand kings from the pack and a$ange
ihe Dacksotha(thefaceup card becomes the lop card o' the ano rh{mso that the four acesarefollowedby the jacks, thenthe four queens
then fliD lhiscardface down and place the pack face down on the laDle' rrd finally the four kings, lhe kings being at the face of the group of
'''iJ*ii- andsay.lhal.lhis will
t"* p*ai",ion cardrheaceof spades. wnenne
!\rcen cards.The suit order of eachgroup is of no importanceand in
bethesamecolour andvalueaslhesecond alsistant-s selecllon Itr.r it is an advantageif the suitsare in a haphazardsequence,
statesthat he notedthe aceof spades, spr€adthe two queensapartlo spread the sixteencards face up beiweenyour hands, carefully poinf
showihat thepredictionhasvanished. ,rf out lhe posjlionsof the aces,jacks, queensand kings. Closeup the
M 85
 Caldboad Charudes Catdboord Charudes
spread and turn il face down under cover of this aciion pass two cards
Afl€r some appropriatemagic action' such as doing nolhing' reveal
from ihe rear of ihe packetto the face, Usethe Turnover Passfor this
rtrcfacesofeach group of four cards,to showthat they haverearanged
rhemselves so that all lik€ tlpes ale gtoupedtogdher'

,.PARROTT FASHION''

^E n n nAt;.]Iil il v2
r,4
Run through the face up pack and remove the two red queens,placing
rhemfaceupin the table.Turrl the temainderof the pack facedown alld
caty out a Half Passwith the lower sec(ionof the pack'

mrn r
L-- -.1
'rrmediarcli lefi iiltle tinger breakbetweenlhe r\to halvesas lhey come
aa
E22 n2 rl v7v2
r'r(kinc uD;
v7-l i.'cerhir. The resuhis thal lhe pack is h€ld in the lefl hand. apparently
(/l
l/A V ./l Laz.) taJedown.but reallvwith the lowerhalf faceup, anda little fingerbreak

r nrnn 8l
betweenlhe two sections.
r./ I Pick uD one of the red queensand irlsert il fac€ down into the pack at
f,/. 'he breai poinr, retakingthe breakabov€the queena5 il is.pttshed
VI V2 v/,1 .uuare.fhi queenis inreriedfrom the rearendol Ih€ pack.which males

trn a) (,/ /l
v77 D
E
,/7
v ./\
V,4
r-' I 'r'easv
ro insertir at the riShl ptac€and alsoto pick up a breakaboveit'
tlcl ;p lhe orher queenand placeit on top of th€ pack. mildly poinlinS
()ut toihe audiencethat the two queensare sepalatedby about half the

Starr to sDreadrhe pack betweenlhe hands inviling a spectator

Deal out the lirst four cards face down in a lioe from left to right,
turning the first cald deala face up. D€al the next four in a row beneath
the first, again dealing from left lo right &nd tuming t}le first card dealt
face up. Repeatthis dealingfor two more rows until the layout of the
cardsis as in Figure 19.The effectis |hat lhe top row containsaces,th€
secondjacks, the third queensand the botlom one kirus. A card is face
up at the endof eachrow as a reminderofthe typeof cardsin that row.
Sayyou will placetwo kingswith two aces,and do this by picking up
the two facedown cardsat the right handendofrow'D', droppingthem
on top of the facedown cardimmediatelyto the right of th€ faceup ace,
and then slipping these three face down cards ben€ath the fac€ up ace.
Figure 19 shows the appeararce of th€ layout at this stage.
Now say you will plac€ two jacks with two queens, and do this by
laking the two cards from the right hand end of row 'B' and placing them
iogetherwith the secondcard froh th€ left in row'C', benealhlhe face
up queen,
Next, place two aceswith two jacks by taking the only two cards
remainingin row 'A', togelherrvith tlle last one in row'B'and slipping
them benealh the face up jack.
Statethat two queensalrd two kings remain,and as before take the
lwo cardsfrom row 'C' and tlle singlecard from row 'D' and slip them
beneath the face up king.
86
(o
\lect a card'asyou exlendrhe fanned cards towards him fhe spread is
,l courseonly made up to the break poinl, so that the fac€ up cardsare
not €xDosed.'Whena card has been taken, closeup the pack again,
,,ranraininsthe break wilh the lefi lit(le finger above lhe centre red
,tueen,but also lifting the lop card of the pack sliShtlywirh the riShl
ri,umt so ttrat it can hold a bieak belowthis card at the rear end of the
r,Jck.As soon as rhe spreadhasbe€nsquared.lhe upper sectiono[ Ihe
which
i Jck above!he lef! lirtl; finger breakis lified off bv lhe right hand
lrill keeosits thumb break und€r the top carcl.
The s;ectator is invited to place his selectcdcard face up on top of the
trJit Dact in the teft hand and you requesllhe remarndetoI rhe audience
r,' commitrhe card ro m€mory The righl handsecrionis replacedon lhe
Lrli and a top card Cover Piss caried out, th€ left hand little -finger
rcrakinea break bet*een the two halvesas they cometoScther'lf you
wish,y6u cannow twist the left hand over so that the pack is faceup and
,.J-,h.,oo
',,, ou..n on.. *ilh the lefl thumb to exposeilsfaceslightlyand
."-.-b.. oneou"enat lhe top and onein lhe centre" Afler show-
,',r rheoueen.it must bedrawnback\rith lhe left thumbso that ir is once
.q,rare with th€ pack, beforethe pack is once again turned lace
',r"'n
,lown. li you includethis flashingof the queenin the routine you must
rrte careto maintain the left little finger break.
lilate that vou will now turn half of the pack face up, and do this by
. rrrrrns off the uoDerhalf of thepackwith lhe righl hand,taling all lhe
.,rrlslbore the ieir tittlefinserbreak Now tum lhe lowerhalf Iemain'
8?

Cardboard Charades
ing in the lefi hand faceup and replaceit still faceup, belowthe cardsin
lhe right hand,but leaveit joggedfor about l'!o the left ofthelong side
ofthe upperhalf. With lhe left hand spreadout the faceup cardsslightly
beforesquaringthem up with the upperhalfto showthat the cardsreally
are face up. This is an important 'convincer'in the effect becauselhe
spectatorshad previoud,v seenthat the upper half was face down when a
card wasselectedand they now seethat the lowcr half really is faceup.
After the pack is square, remark on the face to face condition of the
halves and turn the pack over three times to illustrate your comment
Cive the pack one cut and then spreadit in a long line face down on the
iable to show |hat all the cards are now face down with th€ exception of
ihe red queens,which ar€ face up at the centte. Point out lhat they have
one facidown card betw€enthem and removethe group of threecards,
turningthem overto showthat the onebetweenthe queensis the selected
.'UNACCUSTOMED AS WE ANE"
This rrick is similarin effectto Dai Vernon's"Twisting the Aces" but
doesnot usethe GhostCount. As the cardsare not countedat anytimein
the routine,thereis a certaindirectness in th€ trick which is appealing.
Begin by removing the four acesfrom the pack and arrange them from
toD to face in a suit order you caareasilyremembel.In my case,it is
heirts, spades,diamondsand clubs,ihe club beingat the face.HavinS
got rhem into your kno\tn sequmce,lransferthe top acelo the faceof
ihe packetand they will b€ in lhe correctorder to proceed l suggesllhis
approach, rather than arranging them in the correct order sfaight away'
as most conjurers have a favourit€ sequenceof suits that they know by
heart, so why leam alother one, and run the risk of forming a menlal
suit cocktail on some future occalion when the trick is being shown.
From now on in the patter outline given I shall refer to the suit order I
use, bu! the reader msy well be using a completely different one.
HavinS shown the acesin a sliSht face up spread, turn the four cards
face dow; and in squaring them up in the left hand, obtain a left little
fing€r break above the face ace (hearts) and move the right hand away
Sat that the action of stroking the four aceson the fingersof the left
hand has a strangeeffecl. Bring the riSht hand back abovethe cards
beingheld in rhe lefi, placingIhe lhumb at the nearend. lhe lorefinger
on top and lhe remainingfin8er5over the far end Keepthe righl hand
well over the cards so that the fingss at the far will prove adequatefor
the half pass move to follow, Having explainedlhat stroking has a
strangeeifect, movethe packetof four cardsdown from the baseof the
left thumb towardsthe fingertipsofthelefthand, whichstretchopenun-
til they reach the position shown in Figure 20 B€fole opening how€ver'
and at the exactmomentwhenthe right hand takeshold ofthe cards,the
88
Cardboard Charades
Figute20
I
.reebelow the left little finger break is turned up by gripping its riSht
I'rnd sidewith the left fingersand pulling it down and over. At the same
rrrfle,the right hand is moving lhe packel downwardsuntil it meetsthe
l,rceup aceand then continuesunlil the packetpassesoff of the finger
rrr)softhe left hand.The strokingactionis design€dto coverthe lowness
i,l cardsin the left handafter this i)?e of reve$alsleighlhasbeencarri€d
i,rr, the weaknessof lhe move b€ing in fact coveredby the action
r.(luiredby the left hand,to allow for the strokingaction.For theactual
,.versalof the lowestcard I preferto havethe left forefings aroundthe
,,,rrerendofthe card with the renaining fingersat the right side,but the
,.rder can experimentto find the easiestproceduresuitablefor himself.
Afrer the strckingaction,the cardsare spreadin a smallfan and held
| | rheright hand to showthat th€ aceof heartshasturnedfaceup al the
(rrom. The top cardoflhe fan is now takenal|d placedat the bottomof
1r,. group by the lef! hand, the cards still being kept in their fanned
,,'Idirion. Say that the aceof hea s now occupiesthe positionthat the
.r c of spadesdid occupy,the aceyou name,beingthe oext one in your
,,rrsequence. Bringthe left hand up belowthe fan andusethe two hands
,,rctherto closethe fan but in this actionpick up a left li$le fingerbreak
,rl!)veth€ bottom two cardsand turn both of theseciudsovcl together,
,,rtrlcrrhe paiter alld aclionof the strokingprocedurealreadydescribed.
spreadthe four acesi[a fan asbeforeto showthat aheaceofspadesis
iace up secondfrom the bottom. Transfer the top card to ibe
','trv
l\'||om keepingthe fannedcondiion and saythat the aceof spad€snow
\Lupies the position that the ace of diamondspreviouslyoccupied.
( l,^c the fan betweenthe two handsand take a left litde finSerbreak
.,|l,!e the bortom threecards.Reversethesewith the strokingactionas
j
89
 CardboardCharudes
Cardboard Charades
rhumbon th€ faceand thentwistingthe handover' Placethe faceup
before.Srarl lo spreadthe card\ oul with rhe lefl thumb but aft€r t *iin ift" into the left hand and transferthe fac€card
."-rri." .ni.-a o:"-, ao a singlebuckl€.sothalthenexllwo cardsslay l,iii" r*ii"t to dt" ."*, makinSsom€remarkto covetthis,of Setting
"ri-t "aa"a "ard
i""iirr.:. *a thm lhe boltomcardshowsas a singl€card- If vou can' the cardsinto numericorder.
aliiw the cenlretwo cardsto spr€adlery sliShlly.ralherlhan be oeao ' -!i*"i
ili" dt.* out to showthem oncemote' but usea single
.quare.Hold lhecardsin thelefl handlo exhibilthenow laceup aceoI tulii. to irt"r irt. "*as arekeptsquared asonecard closeup de
diamonds.
-'iui.itt. ".ntr.lwosquared in lhi left hand slil' faceup onc of
top .-a *iLrtrherighl handandpushit inLothelan immedi- '#"i ""Jn"rJtrt..*ds
ii,. .*",iitt i. i""itedio name any one of thelhreecardsandyou
,telv abovethe bottomcard,andas you pushit square'usea sllghlly irr.n!lo* tfrarlt""* frasctranScd lo theselecled on€by thefollo*lngmov€s'
iL'
iiuionJu"ti- .o ,rtut,he lefi lhtle fingercanoblaina breakbelow with Notethat whits! the cards are in numeric order' lheymayrun lrom DacK
** tii"g heldin a squaredconditioo in the left hand
ii'""i"&"iit
is nowin to face.or face!o back,sofor ease ofexplanalionI willrelerto lhecaro
utiJ"i"".',rt. t"t,im card Sai that theaceof diamonds irr" .oi"tatot uv its position, ratherthan by its name'
"irt. i." *", lhe aceof clubsj6ere pieviously occupied and as il is at the
"ttoo."t
"oti
i." i,iii. ou"i.,, *i,tt it. the spectators will be ablelo
"o "u.65
to lhe aceofclubs.Theacenamed is o[ course lhe
*i"Jfv ii. ii If Rcrr Crrd Nrmed
next "ft*g"
in voursuit sequence
-ii,i'"'t. thepacketandlifl rherop threecardsolfas
.i"rti t
"ita "ver ;ardsaboverhebreak'thethumbar the Pushoverthe two facecardswith tbc Ieft thumbandhold the lasttwo
ii iitpii iini"e tlte three *r#o it"uav the cardswith the righi handasyou do this' and
n."i.'na. rit. for.fi_ng"ron top and the other fingersal lhe-far.end
"*. ^'..".
ii;fi;"th;;il;il;he left handalone,to showthat the namedcard
irr" ifti.l*i. of theihreecards Lift thecardsslighllvabove haschangedto the selectedone.
il'iii. i!?"ii'",*;itt; lett handandrhendo a rapidforwardandbacl-
"""*"u"*
wardactionwilh thehand,releasing the far mds of lhecardslrom tne
ii"iti ir*itt as vou do so, so lhai the cardsrapidlvurn righl over If CentreClrd Nrmed
i.i"irr*"'rl are grippedbv the right handfirs-tfinger.and
rhu;b al thefar end,lhethumbnowbeingon lop andthellngerDelow
""ilr'trrel
Turnthecomplete packetfacedo*n asyoutakeit with thcriShlhand
lmmediarelv replacelhe cardson lop o[ the ooe remainlngIn tne lell ,j;;;;; f*.'"iili.;acket on thelefi sle€ve, remarkinsrharrhis\r'ill
rr-a.irtiii'.t"jrtv ,"*ing placeon thebackward movement oflhe cards cardinrothesclecled one Replace
charues to the ac€of clubs' ;;;;;.;ii;;f .h;sinsthe chosen
irr" ir lrt"iitt" & diamondsvisibly ir"i..i]"* a.*" i" t-helefi hand and fan it out bv pushing thelop
"'iii"i
itt. iou. """now be fanned out and dropped on th€ tableto 'i" squared as one card Take the
,""'"*ai o*i t*ping fte facetwo
-J that the top one
show "".at ""o is the only one face up ""a bv them fairlv tiShtlvso rhat
into tft. .iihihand Sripping
'"*^J."ra.
rirevdo not moveout of posilion.andthentwislthehandoverlo snow
of irt" ro revealthal rh€cmtre onehaschanged lo the
''TIT FORTAT" 'rr"'r..".
r.i""[J..",'"ti ""ta.
dti" tum the hand back again so thcy are once agajn

Thisis reallva combinalion of lwo effecls.lhe first DaiVernons "l'

2. 3" whichwasoriginallypublished in lhe Phoent(magazne'anotne
l"ona'i,,f'anin car'aner'i "ett the Nonconformisls"'publishedin
p.esentation ideas that arc combincdand not the lf Frcc Card N.m€d
iiiii.. iiiii."rrv tt'"
,n.ttoor. * rft.ti dissimilarto Ih€originallypublished ones'
fake off facecard*ilh right handand hold it for a momentsaying
"t.
Runlhroughthepackandremov€ theace. t\'voand thr€f ol heartsano
the lwo on lop ano ',rtit ii Nowl;ke lhenexlcardfrom thelefi handgoup
erhibitthemiotheaudienceArrange them so that
sliShtly 's heap'
unsquared il, i."tiv rakelwo asoneby bucklinglhe botlomcard
"ou..rtoi..".
,'" irr."ri*
irt"" irt.t face down on $e table in a "iii, lake thelastcardirom thelefthandandplacell on rne
- of thepacl andconlrolit.Io \lichrlv.Finallv
"r""i ci.a sete.rea
iiaiii fromlheremainder gilen is tharyou haveshown
palm ir.". .'r',i".. iit ,t. ,igttr.Theimpression
rheloD,Dropthepackfacedosn ontolhe lableandtn th'sactlon packer itrenamedcaldasif to emphasize it, andthen countedtheotherlwo on
iii. i"i'*ii';"i" itt. r;ghl hand Reach for lhe one' two rhree'
;ihiil;;;;"t;, *-d pick ir up bv scoopinsit Lowards vou.until.il up and spreadout
th;ed8eof lhelableandlhenlurn il faceup by placrnglherrgnr
''tfi it""t", ir rr,"n."olacedin the lefl handstill fac€
reaches
9l
90
 Codboard Charades
q,ith the aid of the riSht hand, spreadingonly the face two cardsand
ke€pingthe last two squaredas one, to show thal the namedcard has
chanSedto lhe selectedone,
The effectnow proce€dson to its final phase,ahhoughlhe impression
you endeavour to givewhenthe namedcardchanges to the selected oneis
that t}le trick is over. After the cha[ge, you will be l€fr with t}Ie fan of
three cards in one of two positions, if the face or rear card was named,
the fan will be held face up in th€ left hand and if the centre card was
named the fan will be held face down in the right hand. A different
handlingis usedfor eachof iheseas follows:
frll frcc up in Icft Hlnd
Twist the left hand over so that the fan is fa€e down, and with ihe
assistance of the right hand squarethe cards up and leavethem face
down in the left hand. Take the top one off with the riglt hand and
replaceit on top of the marn pack. Say "you are probably wondering
what wouldhavehapp€nedif you had not namedthe (heresaythe name
of the top card) but had chosenone of the others". Turn lh€ cards
remainingthe left hand faceup and pushoff the faceone and takeit in
the righr hand. Name the card being held in the right hand and say
"supposilg you had chosenthis one'' . Replacethe card in the right hand
behindthe two beingheld as one in the left hand, bul leaveit outjogged
for about 1", the cardsstill being face up.
With the right hand pushthe facetwo cardsasoneup until theysquare
up with the outjoggedone, and then pull just the faceone back down
again to its original position to reveal the changeof the rear card to the
selectedon€. This is an extremely simple action, the right thumb being
plac€d on th€ lower shor! end and fidgers on the face of the two of
hearts,and the thumb pushingthe two cardsas one to line up with fte
rear one, and !h€ right finSerspulling the two of hearts back down again
by light p.essureon ils face.
Twist lhe left hand over so that the cardsare fac€down and remove
lhe top one and placeit facedown on the pack wilh the right hand, the
heel of ihe left hand concealingthe ov€rlappingof the remainingtwo
cards. As the right hand placesthe card on the pack, place the left
forefingeron the outer short end of the joggedcard ard as the left hand
tums over to the palm up position,lhe forefingerpushesdown, so that
when the face of the card remainingin the left hand is visibleto the
audienceit is perfectlysquaredas one card, the two of hearts.Turn the
left hand overagainso thal thetwo of heartsis facedown and placeit on
top of th€ pack, really two as one of course
As an aflerthoughtsay"ofcourse you might havenamedthetwo, well
in lhai caselhe two would have changedao the selecledcard." ln line
with this lastremark,removethe top card of the pack and rub its faceon
92
Cardboard Chqrades
your sleeve,finally turningit faceup and throwingit on the tableloshow
it is now the selectedcard,
FsceDon,ntrrn in Right H.nd
Brins fie left hand below the righ!, and closeihe fan of cardsup
betwee;the two handsand in this actionpick up a left little fingerbreak
belowthe top two cardsofthe 8ro p. Say, "you are perhapswondenng
what would have happenedif you hadn't namedthe two" Spr€adthe
cardsout in a face ;;wn spreadwith the assistance of the right hand,
which keeDslhe top two cirds squaredas one by taking hold of th€m
abovethe ieft lilile finger break and holding them lightly togelher asthe
Dreadis made. Alst in the spreading ac(ion, pu\h lhe cenLre card
tli*uiJtr,nn,ru in the fan so thar il ir outioggedfor about l Finallv
nold rhe f; fale down in rhe letr hand which is reallvgrippinSthe top
,nd bottomcardsfirmlybul hastery lillle grip on lhecentreonedueIo
its outjoggedcondition, which is easilyremovedby the righ' hand and
Dlaced
' vmre
facedown on the Pack.
un the remaininscardstn lhe left handand lhen turn themlace
up sirh IheriShlhandandreplace rhemslill faceup in lhel€ft Tale lhe
tice rwo cardi squaredas on; \ailh lhe righl hand bl bucklingthe lower
one with the left iund, and exhibii the faceup cardinthe left handtothe
audiencesaying,"su;posing you had namedthe (herename whatev€r
carais in ttrele-fitranii". Repiaceihe cardsin the right hand on1hefal€
of ihe one in the left but injog thern for about 1'. Now concludelhe
b) following rhe iinal Lhreeparagraphsof th€ descriplion
'cquence
.rlreadv siten lor (he Fan Faceup in Left Hand" condilion'
The l;ick must Ilow smoothiv to be effectiveand theremust be no
hesitationin following throttgh the variousaiternatives
,.BELOW ZERO''
Therehavebeeoseveralideasalreadyworkedout lo givethe effectofa
card slowly sinking down in the pack. Dai Vernon had one versronn
versjon
niinr in ttti 'ptto"o]"' tagazine, ind Larrv Jenningsdescribeda
,,itrito"n to .. .o-" f.-" vears ago. Both of the preceding id€as used
version I heard of using jurt a small
iuti packs ot caras, but the first
,'a.1'eioicatar Oe".lopedby Bob ostin and cailedrhe "Submarin€
"as
( a.d . The method I useis completelyditlerenl ro Mr' Ostinsbut Lhe
ncrualeffect was inspiredby his trick.
Removesix cardsfrom the pack without drawingany atlenlror to lne
quantityyou are removing,and arrangethem so tha! the top cardof the
.'oL,oi* a conspicuous one,sucha" an ace.klng or joker' For easeol
.t.rciior;on I uiil a.sumelh3tlhe cardal lhe Lopol thepacke(ol \rx Isthe
93
 Cardboad Charades
cardboard Charodes
on the
rhe thumb is on tbe left long edgeof the packetand the fingers
f"*fingJr stiil curved bn top Bv moving the risht'
' 'pir"" ttreoactetof carals facedownin yourleft hatrdbul asyou put
,t;;;;;:;tfi;;
r"" ti;es a squaring action is made along the long
i'i"i itJ a"*"
tr'.riirro ocisirion therighthand'usetherighl thumblodrop threr "r "
,i-a.. of rt'" t".. ao"n the hand linally resting at the low€r short
.".lt i'L"iiii i*. "irtr thes;up and(henrakeup a breakaboverhese the left hand inner corner' By presslngdo\rn.on
,:ndwith the thumb on "ardi,
"r titti finger.Spreadlhe cardsour in a facedown and lifting
ii.*
"*J.
irt. t.rt
with lhe Iefl thumb'takelhenext i;.- ili';i ;il iards slightlvwith rhe righr rorerin€er
i"n iul"rr.t "irrt
putrting,rtetop oneover uowardswith the right thumb,two cardsarereleased Iiom the tnumo
ii" *,iut.a ul o"e, in easvmove because of the lefl little finger rhumbabove rhem Thc rishtthumb run! along
"iiai out ttrecardswith rhe .;il;;;.*i;k;; ;t-;.
thm coninue to sp'ead wilh lt unlu lt reacnes
;;;i;;il-ri;;,-;e lhenearshorlendof lhepacketcarr''lngthebreak
i-ii"i"" ii"-iigtt ttard, unlil a spreadof apparentlvfive cardsis ;;;,i;itl;l i;;; wheretie break is rak€n up and held bv th€
held facedown"r in the left hand. ""t';r' the rhumb movins alons rht eDd of rhe
i;ii it",;i;i;;;;: fl. ;.us; for
nacketis a8;in for lhe seeminSpurpose o[ making th€ cards aDsolul€ly

/o I.;;;;i"fi; theleft
tf,*iffi
i*i:ul'u.*m:Tl"li':i::?::' it
rhumb-ttnril
;l',;,l#i:"+.{q
rorabouthalr
exrmds
ftfu
4r \liotr ";bvhand lon8 side of the packel The righr hand
the right
'i ";.:, the spreadingby placingthe thumb on lop or tne
-omesover to assist rnlo In€
Ddckel.lhe secondfinger below the paclel and going dlr€ctly
i"eak heltl bv lhe left little finger' The righl hand tiumb ano secono
i"e"lt* verv Lightlvand lhc lefi lhumb is moved from
i'"*, joker'-rhe
""* ,fi;i";.-;"*"
;;;J;;;';i "iio paitcito ihe raceor the outjoss€d
i.lu itl";;"h;ut;a Jtk;r still. whilsrthe risht handmovesrhe three lace
,lrui li rratrocreatoiertreraboutI l" ro theright Thisshowslwo rwo
.losn cardsabove ioket the bul s€cretly the lower one conslsts or
.;;;;;i;,lt squareitogerher.with tht ioker sandwiched berween
t$urc z I ro the right' Iheleft
,i*i- ,q" ,oori", it tight liandhasmoved its cards
;;";;;*"v " fr-omthe face of rhe joker and spreads the.two
';;;;
'rmaininS cardsbeiowit in a slightlan Therighl handdoes'or release
Id.k criDon lhe cardsil is holding
Removethe top card of the spreadwith the riSht hand' lurningit
face 'r.'^ii; seenrhaithe joke' hassunkdo*n rhroush
il; t;;;;;a"e
ii"" ii ii'tr'. i"ter. stiil kepingir faceup' place.i(under^$e
hairirs ,"'"'."ra'"""i"itaiv *y '.two csrdsabovelhejokerandtwo belowil"
'.i. ;iine lanandleaveir ouljogged for abour, ils groupol lnree
il#.'iii"i'.-a
uptakingcarenot lo letlh€cards .u'dasvou makethissralemmltheriShlhandmolesjust
iiiit. i. FiJ"* fir'zr closelhe fan ,,,a. tri"r',r"i. irt. iigttt andbackagain.sorhat thev cleartheright
lwo cards'
au&e tle faci up one,preadandrevealthal therearereallythe fan is l,andlo;s sideof the joker andsre then replaced above the Joxer't.ne
j;ker in its out,ogged position Once whllslInls
."a "plli.i*i the k tr handholdsthe iokerand the lwo cards below it steacly
iii.i',"fr"-t" ir,J on thelow-ershon€ndof the facedo*n ri".i. x""o ,tti ,"ovement of the right hand cards to a minimum'
."rar-itiJiit. ftg.i. 'igt'i,humb
on lhe far one,lhe forefingercurucdon top ol Ihc ','i"l
,urrerioush to ciearthejokerand8e1back aboveit Fromlhespectalors
as
i**ai i'"J ii. o*iJi".lt beinghetdin rhelefthand Ar themoves samerime
ro.rhe at*a"looks exacllythesarneasbelore'withtwo cards
il-.'sili;il1;i; up this frsirion'.rhc left forefing€r ',,'l"i.r "i.*lrt. ihe
jokcr' andbv a .,nnarenrlv above iokerandlwo below
iuieiit on enaot tle racedowncardsbelowthefaceup ''
i:i"i.'"1"-,r" o""t.i againleavinglhe joker outjogg€d Ior
p"irti"e ;ii"n wilh (herighlandleft handfingerstowardsthe .,l.ourhali its lengthand "arefullv
repeallhe squaring procedure prevrously oes-
th€
.i"fu f,-aiftt.ui,ft. f"cedowncardsthalarebothaboveandbelow
"'".Li""J
cards ,lbed. but thistimeth€rightthumbtakesa breakaboveonecaroonry
Absolure squaring of rhe face do*n
;il';;.:;;;'';'i;iicrlv
at rhisstaseof rhe ii, itt. t!t, titrt. finser' The final positionbeinsrhe
ii.ir.iii"il-JFtil zt (ii);howsthehandposhions ,,.,.r.i *ii"",ft .q*..a in thelefl hlnd with a lirtlefingerbreakabov€
",i"iiir.il,r*
ir" i""i.".A jJit'. r"ceup jok€rprotrudinqfor abouthalI irs lensrh
"ff,i"i". th" ,qu"ring the right hand changesits position so that
""tion'
94
 Ardboord Charudes
from the far short end of the pack.
Saythat thejoker will sink throughonemorecardand bring the right
hand over ro the packetto assistin the spreadingaclion. Although the
righ! thumb is restingon top of the packetit takesno part in the spread-
ing ofthe fi.st two cardswhichis doneby the left thumb.Oncethesetwo
cards have been pushed over slightly, the right hand secondfinger enters
the left litde finger break as before and locks all lhe cardsabovethis
break tightty betweenthis finger and tfte thumb. The left thumb moYes
away onto the face of the joker to hold it still, whilst th€ right hand
movesits lockedgroup slightlyto the right. Tbe final cardis spreadwith
ihe aid ofthe left hand and thejoker is now seento be four cardsdown.
The cards in lhe right hard are moved to the right and back again as
before!o show that the joker is fourfi card down.
The packe! is carefully closedonce again and held in the left hand. The
right hand comesoverand movesthe block of facedowncaldsabovethe
joker do\I.rtfor about +", by takinghold of them with the thumb at one
shon md and the secondfinger at the olher.
The right hand now moves to the lace up joker and pushesit down
towards the face down cards urtil the joker is fell io line up with the
upjogged face down card below it. Thesetwo cards can now be gripped
as olre by the right hand and pulledup slightlyso tha! the joker is well
outjoggedagain.The effecth thatyou arejustadjustingthe cardsbefore
proceedingwith th€ tnck, but you haveactuallysquaredup ihe faceup
joker with the face down card belowit.
The left thumb spreadsover the four face down cards above the joker
to show that it has sunk through anothercard. After pushing&e four
cardsover wilh the left thumb, they are takenin their fannedcondition
into the right hand leaving two cards squared as one in the left hand
The face down cards in the right hand are replacedbelow the face up
joker in the left but injoggedfor about + of lhei length.The right hand
comes over to square the injogged cards with the joker by placing its
thumb on the inner sho( end ofthe facedown group and fingerson lbe
outer short end of the ioker. As the cards are pushedtogethera Half
Passis carriedout with the four lower facedown cardsso that they end
up faceup belowthe two uptrcrcards.Ils quite easyto pick up the break
for the passby pushingdown slighdywith the right thumb as the cards
ar€ squared.
The faceup joker at the top of the paaketis thumbedoff and held in
the riSht hand, leavingapparentlyfour face down cardssquarein the
left. Say |hat if the.ioker can sink through the cardsone by one, you
wonder if it could travel through all four at once. Offer io seeif it is
possible, and place the joker still face up belovr the face down packet in
the left hand. Statethat whilst you think it might b€ possibleto makeit
go tlrough four cardsat once,you doubaif it would be willing to do it
whilst face up, so the first thing to try and do is to make il turn fa.e
down. As you saythh, take lhe packetfrom the l€ft hand with the right,
96
Cardboad Charades
l,oldincil from above,lhe thumb al lhe nearshon end. fingersal th€ far
,'".. forinng"t on top. Move the packetawaytrom the left handand
rorward "ii and baik for about 6"' and under cov€r of this movemml
rcleasclhe righl thumb grip so that the packetlurns completelyoverend
i.r ."a *a ii gtipp.a th€ far shon end bv lhe right I humb on lop and
rhe forefinrer below and "i is relurnedro the lefi hand on the bacrwaro
*.r.rn*i.-u",i* *aly b€€nlumed completelyover' Theeffecl to arm
lor is a 'maaicalshakeof $e cards'
"i'*rt,ir.?"tato".t
wi$ the lefl thumb one by onr until live face
Jown cardsstrow, the last two beingsquaredasonecard The riglt hano
in
-fr"fa it""aving t" tpread but moves away afterwards, and leaves-the
"..irir
i"" in tfr"'t"fil*4. Say "w€ll, that seemsto have made it tum face
ll"n. no* ii"- toihe top wilhour us spvingon it'" Brin8 the
rrehthand over and """.t
lurn lhe top card of the fan faceup to showlt ls lbe
'Jf;ir.. ttr. iot ., h"" t.en revealedat the top ot rhe packet I replaceit
rr.._uo onioo ol tft. f"n but injoggedfor aboul half ils lengrhand lhen
.ioi.i'rr" i"" ,lp,iating.are to liave thejotcr injogged Atterclosinglhe
fan. the face down cards ar€ naturally lelt in a slighlly unsquares
fondirion and $e ri8lt hand comesup to the far shorl end of lhem to
\quare them up. Under the cover of this action lhe right hand second
l.qir soesunder the group and pusheson lhe lowefinostcard so lhat it
.n_u."?own*ards ro an injoggedposition for aboul I " The riShl hand
r."* t" irt. near of lhe face up joket and pushesit
iurward unlil ir hits the lowerinjos8edcarCand is squarewith it At t[ls
""* "ttiriend
nase rhe ioker will overlaylhe neal short end ol the pack lor aDoutr '
.,'iirt"ii'nrt, r'una.-,"k; hold of the lwojoggedcardsbv holdingthem
rr rhe innlerend and turn them face down as one card on lop ol Ine
go
oacket.The Dacketis droppedon top of the pack and you are leaclyto
into your neit cffect, or if the receptionof this one warrantsit, to
chang€
singingor tap dancing
..NORVELLf,''
The feke throw usedin the classic"Three Card Trick" seemslohave
bcenrarelv usedfor any other purpos€.shich is ratherslrangeDecause
rnesleiehiissucha derepliveone tn thiseffect I haveappliedlhe monlr
,nin" i" actrie"ea one itread condition, for usein a lranspositionlrick
,i,'ofrin* *t"cted card l hav€previouslymentionedin "The
ti.uils iiavttrings '-rttarin my opinion lhe bestdescriplionof the adual
"rn-,"ffv
:,rrto"; irio ue-toundin "Tire Expen al the card Table" by Erdnase'
rosetherwith the bestdescriptionsof many other fine things'
th..k th"t haue a joker in the pack and tbat it i5 positioned
irri i.nit. U.rorecommencinglhe effeq. Hold the pack so thal
"ou
"'nuni
rhi iacesare towardsyou and run thlough them until you reachfiejoker
 Cadboard Chorcdes
which is pusheddown slightlyro an injoggedposition. Continueto run
six more cardspast the joker and then cut the pack at this point and
completethe cut, finally turning it facedown in a squaredconditionin
the left hand but taking csre in the squaring action that the joker remains
injogged.Bring the righ! hand over lhe pack to cohplete the squaring
and in this actiontop palm the sixcardsabovethe injoggedjokerinto the
right hand, and pushthejok€r squarewith the pack. Sinceyou havenot
as yet told the audiencewhat you are going !o do, the impressiongiven is
that you have looked through lhe pack for some specilic card and then
cut lhe pack at this card !o bring it to the top. Keep th€ cards tilted
upwardswbenlooking throughthem, and keepthem movingso that the
actual card you cut at is not apparent to the audience.
Pushrhejoker slightlyto tbe riglt with the left lhumb and thenusethe
righr ftumb to flip this card faceup on lop of the pack, lettingthe right
hand naturallycurve over the pack as it flips the joker over. Move the
dght hand awayto t}le right again and exhibit the face up joker on top of
the pack. Rep€atthe action of flippinS it over again with the aid of the
right hand, but as the joker lands face down on the pack let the six
palmedcardsdrop oo top of it. Keeplhe.ight hand over the pack and
immediately pick up the top card betweenthe tbumb and secondfinger in
the classicmontegripwilh the forefingerrestingon the backof the card.
The flipping overand pickingup of the top card by the right hand must
be an almost simultaneous operation, the overall effect being that you
havesho*tr rhejoker on top of the pack and endedup with ii held face
down in the right hand. The true stateof affairs is that an indifferent
card is held in the right hand and the joker is six down from the loD of
lhe pack.
Pushthe top card of rhe pack sligltly ro rhe right with the left rhumb
and then bring the right hand over the pack and pick up the top card
betweenfte third finger alld thumb, below the supposedjoker, in the
classicmonte grip. Turn the right hand ove. so that the face card h
exposedto the audi€nceand explainthat you aregoingto showsi\ cards
one al a time and deal them into two packetson the table, and that a
spectatorshould make a mental noie of one of thesecards and also
rememberin which packetyou placeit.
After you have made this statemeni appauentlythtow the face card of
the two in th€ right hand facedown onto the table, but reallythro* the
rear card in the saandardmontethrow danner. Thumb off the top card
of the pack with the Ieft tlumb and take it below the card held in the
right hand in the sameway as you did the firs! card. Show its faceby
twistingthe right hand over and then apparcnrlythrow it facedown on
the table about 9' to the righr of the firsi one, bui againrhrow the rear
card.
The two cardson the tablewill not be referredto asat posirion.A, and
position 'B'. Continuethe aciionofthumbing offa cardfrom th€ rop of
rhe pack and taking it below rh€ one alreadyin the right hand for rwo
98
Cordbodrd Chatudes
Inore cards! the first being thrown on top of the face down card at
r)osition'A', and the secondon top of the one at position 'B'. ln each
easethe facesof lhe cardsare exhibitedin the righl hand and then the
I[onte throw madeas they are thrown on the table,
Thumb off another card with the left thumb and take il as before in
rhe right hand. Ai the right hand twiststo showthe face of this card to
rheaudience,the left thumb pushesoverlhe top two cardsof the pack so
rhatthe left little fingercangeta breakbelowthemin preparationfor the
nexrmove. Once the little finger hasgot its break the top cards are pulled
backagainwith tlle left thumb so that the packis in a squaredcondiiion.
I he right hand no* monte throws its card on top of the two alreadyat
position 'A' and then comesback over th€ pack to again apparently take
dff one more card. However, becauseof the Ieft little finger break it
:rctually takes two cards squared as one, in exactly the samegrip as was
rsed for taking single cards off. The right hand twists lo show the face of
rhe card just removed from the pack and then monte throws it on lop of
rhetwo alreadyfacedown on the tableat position'B'. This will leavetwo
.ards squaredas one in the right hand. Theseare immedialelydropped
on top of the pack which is still beingheld by the left hand and the top
cardthumbedoff slightlyby the left thumb, and thenflipped faceup on
rop of the pack by the right hand to revealthe joker.
The effect from the sequencedescribed so far is that six cards have
l,een shown and dealt altematelyinto two face down heaps,with a
\peciatorcomminingone to memory,and alsothe heapinto which it is
ipparenlly placed.I find it makesthingseasierfor the spectatotif you
rcrually nameihe cardsas their facesare shown,and it also ensuresthat
hc remembers onethatis shown,and not on€that hethoughtwasshown.
Ao importanttechnicalpoint is to keepthecardsinthe right hand always
.losetogelherso rhat the faceof the rear oneis neverexposedwhenthe
hrnd twistsover to showthe facecard.You willhave no troublewith this
t,oint if you use th€ Erdnasetechnique.After this short diversionwe
rclurn to the poitrt wherethe joker residesfaceup on top of the pack in
rheleft hand.
Makesomeapprop ateremarksaboutthe st€ngepowersof thejoker
r'rd hand it still faceup to the speciatorwho hasremembered a card and
,r\k him to drop it on top of the face do*,Il heapthat containshis card.
lhis will resultin thejoker beingdroppedon top of thecardsat positions
'A' or 'B'. If it doesn't, take up Origami, and usethis book for your
,,rodellingmaterial.Whilsi the spectatoris engagedin placingthe joker
,n the appropriarcheap,pick up a left litile finger break belowthe top
. irrd of rhe pack.
Pick up the lhreecardsthat do not havethejoker on lop of them in the
ll,llowingway: if they are from position 'A'take them one by one and
t,hcelhem on top of thc packso that their orderis reversed,and thencut
rhcpackonceto apparentlylosethem, but retainthe breakwith the right
rhumbasyou makethe cut, and relakeit with the lefalittle finSeras you
99
 Cordboard Charudes
completethe cut. If they sre from position 'B', losethe left little finger
breakand pick up the thre€cardsaltogetherwith the right hand, placing
th€mon top of the pack without alteringtheir orderandpickingup a left
little finger break belowthem. Cut the pack once,blt maintainthe left
little finger break as describedif position 'A' werebeing dealt wiih.
Cut lhe pack at the break and retain the upper half in the right hand
placingthe lowerone facedownon the tablewith theleft. Placethe right
hand half into the teft hand and then tip thh half up slightlyal ft€ near
sho end so that the face of the bonom card is visibleto you. Your
excusefor this action is the remark, "I think that's about half" as you
look at the edgeto check.After you havenoted the facecard, drop this
card off of rhe right thumb so that lhe second card from the face is
partially visible to you and rememberthis one also. Releasethe right
hand grip on the cardsand leav€then facedown in the left hand.
Usethe right hand to spreadthe halfpack on the tablein a farrly long
face down line. Requestth€ spectator who remembereda card lo place
the faceup joker asidefor a moment,and then dide the threefacedown
cardsthat were under the joker into different parts of the face down
spr€ad,telling him as he doesthis to take care that the facesare not
exposedasyou do notwish togetaglimpseofthem. At this stagedo not
ask him to squar€the spreadup.
Bring the right hand over the halfpack beingheld in rhe left hand in a
casualsquarinSof the short ends,and usethe right thumb to drop one
card from the face. Keep the hand in position for a momenl with the
thumb pressingagainst the near short end to mainlarn the break above
the face card- Ask the sp€ctatorto tell you the nameof his noted card
and accordingto the one he names,carry out one of the following
actions.
lf face card that you glimpsedearlier-Take up break from right
thumb wi|h left little finger and remove right hand from pack.
If second from face that you glimpsed earlier-Drop one more card
from right thumb and then take up br€ak with lefi little fidger above the
two cards,aIId removeright hand.
If a card that you have not glimpsedearlier*Drop two cards ftom
right thurnb and then take up break with left little finger above the three
cardsand removeright hand,
Pick up the joker with the riSht hand and make somefurther remark
about its strangepowers.Turn it face down and push it into the cards
held in the left hand from the rear so that you can easilyinserlit at the
breakpoint. As soonas it is partiallyinto lhe pack, releasethe left little
finger break and as you pushfie joker squarewith the packetwith the
right thumb on its near short end, push downwsrdsslightly with the
thumb so that $e lefi little fingercan takeup a breakabovethejoker as
it finally squareswith the other cards.
cesturewith th€ rigbt handtowardsthe facedown spreadon the table
and ask the assistingspectalorto carefullycloseup the spreaduntil the
r00
Cardboard Charudes
cardsare perfectlysquared,alld then to turn the half pack face up and
leaveit on the table.His, and the audiencesinvolvemenlwith this action
giv€syou exc€llentmisdireclionto bring the right hand back to the face
down cards in the left hand and reversethe cards below the left little
firger break by meansof lhe Half Pass.Only two, three ol four cards
will be involvedso tbe passcan be madevery efficientlyand /to breakis
maintainedafter the completionof the pass.Immediatelyaftei the Half
Passis completed the right thumb dtops two cards from the bottom of
rhe half pack and th€ left little finger takesup a break abovethesetwo
cards.The right hand can now be removed.Saythat the joker is some-
wherein the pack€tyou areholdingand asyou makethis remarkgiveihe
packet two cuts as follorrs: cut the pack at abut the centre but as you
complete the cut, pull down on lhe left little fin8er at the break so that
rhe upper section goes in betweenthe two cards being pulled down and
lhe remainder of the lowet half of the pack. lnsert the upper half from
lhe rear €nd of the lowet one and first of all push it sidewaysuntil the
longsidesof both halvesline up, but the originalupperhalf is ioggedfor
about half its length at the near short end of the cards Square th€ two
halvestogetherby pushingthe inner end of the injoggedhalf with the
right thumb, the fingersbeingat the far end, so that i! linesup with the
otherhalf, but irt doing this pushdownwardswith the thumb slightlyso
rhat as the halvescome together the thumb can pick up a break between
rhem. Give the half pack one more cut by simply cutting at the break and
completing the cut, The two cuts described are made fairly rapidly as if
you are ensuringthat the joker is lost in the packet,beforeproc€eding
with the effect.
Take the facedown half pack and hold it in lhe riSit hand so that it's
positionedabout 6' abovethe face up half on the table Say that the
Inagnericpo\rer of the joker will be usedlo draw the spedatorscardoul
olihetabled cardsand into the on€syou areholding.Mentionthat asthe
rabled cards are face up, the selectedcard will still be face up when it
reachesthe face down cards you are holding so it will be easy to find
S(aterhat the joker will also tum itself face up to show that it is just as
.lever as any other card in the pack. Spreadout lhe face do*,Il cards until
you reachthetwo faceup onesaroundthecentre.One will bethe specla_
ror's card and the other the joker. Removethesetwo cards and drop
rhemon the table in front of the spectatorwho noted a card.
Closeup the remainderof the cardsyou are holdingand hold them in
lhe right hand still face down with the right hand holding them from
nbove, thumb at the rear short end and fingers at the far on€ Reach
lorward with the right hand and placeihe facedown half on top of the
lace up tabled one but jog it slightly to the right. Draw the assembled
packtowardsyou and squareit up as you lift it fromthetable, doingthis
wrth the aid of the left hand. Turn the pack completelyover and thm
spreadit betweenthehandsuntil you cometo the point aroundthe centre
wheretheyare faceto face.Breakthe packat thispoint and ihen turn tbe
lot
 Cadboard Charades
low€rhalf facedown and r€placeit underthe upperoneso that the cards
now all face the sameway. Pick up the joker and the selectedcard and
plsh them into the pack. The actionsdescribedin tbis paraSraphare
simply cleaning up ones, and should be carried out casualt an; rvithout
importance.
..WHISTLE AND
I'LL COME''
Therearr very many waysof magicallylocaling the lour acesin the
pack bul broadlyspeakjnglhey breal down inro two groups.The firsl of
these is the type where the aces ar€ found magically bui revealed in a
normal fashion, for example, one may appear at the top of the pack, one
at the bottom and so on. The second is the novelty t)?e of ;evelation
where lhey-arediscoveredin an unusual way, such as shbodng from the
pack into the air. The novelty type of revelation is usedin this;ffecr and
the inspiration for tle trick camefroft an Al Leechidea, published in the
'Ncw Phoenix' some years ago.
Run through the face up pacl( and remove the four aces,placjng then
^
face up on the table. Close up the remainder of lhe pack and;n this
action clIry ou! a Half Passwith tlle lower half of the pack and take a
left little finger break betwe€nthis seclion and the one aboveit. K€ep the
right hand abov€ thc pack for a mommt immediately after completinS
thc pass,and with the tip of the right thumb lift up the top card_ofth;
lower facc down section of the pack, so that it is added |o the bottom of
the upp€r section. Retakea break with the left lirile finger below the cerd
just lified wirh the right thumb. Ar rhis sragein the;ffecr you should
y>\
tt
a Turn the pack face up and start io spreadit oua slightly from the face
a sirying"l couldjusr look for them and pick them out, but that would be
) ,ll ahepack. Closeup the pack rvith tle aid of the dght hand until it is
102
Cardboard Charades
haveabout half the pack faceup, onecardfacedown, a break,and then
lhe remainderof the pack face down.
Take one ofthe acesfrom the table and appearto pushit faceup into
the centreof the faceup pack. Reallyinsertthis aceinto t}le breakpoint
and thenswingit round, so that it is extendinS diagonallyfrom the outer
lcft hand corner of tbe pa€k and h coveringthe left thumb, which is
positionedbelowit readyfor a thumb count.SeeFi8ure22 (i). Nole that
theeasiestway of putting the card into the break,is by insertingia at the
nearshort end and then swingingit round and upwardsuntil it is in the
coffect position. Onc€ the card has b€€n inserted the left little finser
releases its break.
As soon as the left thumb is covered by the outjogged ace, use it !o
lhumb count two cardsand hold a break readyfor the insertionof the
next ace. Pick up one of the three remaining aces from the table and
insertit inlo the breakpoint beingheld by the left thumb tip. The aceis
rgain insen€d face up and left outjogged bur a lirtle to the right of the
lirst one. Repeatthe thumb countingoftwocards followedby the inseF
lion of the ftird ace,and finally thumb countingtwo morecardsprior to
lh€ insenion of the final ace. Note that all acesare placed in !h€ pack
lac€ up so that they appearto be facing the sameway asthe remainder of
thepack.Also, asyou placethem in positionmoveeachonealittleto the
I ight so that when all four have been insertedthey extend fiom the outer
cnd of the pack in a slight fan, tie fan itself beingpositioneda little to
lhe left to coverthe l€ft thumb. With the exceDtionof the first acetlev
,,rernsertedat the outer left hand cornerof the pack,
Push all four acesin the pack in a slightly diagonal position and as you
squarethem up with the remainderof the pack, take a left little finger
hreak above them. D/op one card fromthebottom of the upper section
ol the pack to the top of the lower one with the aid of the right thumb,
iind retake a break abov€this card wilh lhe left little finger. Keepthe
r i8ht hand above the pack making a squadng action and lben cary out a
llalf Passwith the lower sectionof tlle pack. lmmediatelyafter complet,
Ingthe pass,hold the packin the left handand turn it facedown. TaDthe
r.,t card of rhe face down pack wirh rhe righr'hand fingers and say
"some conjurerscould make the acesappearat the top, but that's too
r{roeasy", Takecarethat you do not spreadasfar asth€ top elevencards
('rce againin a squaredfaceup condilionin the left hand, and thendroD
rr\c cardsfrom rhe borromor lowersideof lhe pack\r irh rheright lhumL
n d take a break abovethesecardswith the left little finrer. With the
li.hr hand cut off about onequarrerof lhe pack from rhe f;ce and place
rr below the remainder,but as you placei! in position, use the move
orisinatedby Ed. Marlo, bypullingdown the block offivecards with the
103
 Cardboad Charades Cardboard Charades
left litde finger so that the quarterpack goesaboYethesecards.As vou I0n8edge.
squareup the pack take a left little finger break immedialelyabovethe Removethe pack completelyfrom the right hand, turn ir round end
quarterpack. You will needa patterline to coverthe aboveactionsand I ror end wirh the left hand and rheDreplaceil in the rigbt, taking up rh€
usually say "Did you know that acesare influencedby certainsounds irme grip asprevjously.This \rill againbring the biockofcards on top of
and it is possibleto train ihem in much lhe sameway as animalscan be rhc packto rhe upperpositionreadyro repeaitbe droppingof this block
trained." ro revealrhe secondace.Beforereleasinglhe block however,usethe lef!
Turn the pack face down maintainingthe break. Cut off the quarter Irnd to square(heblock at rhe lop ofthe pack up, by runningthe fingers
pack from abovethe breakand 'out' weaveit into the lemainingsecaion irnd rhumb along tha oppositeshorl ends. This is really not slricily
of the pack, pushingthe two sectionsloSetherso that they are inter- r.((e\,ar),bul acrsa5a kindof insurance lo guaranree a cleandropof rhi
woven for about one and a half inches.As the weavehas iaken place
from the facedown endofthe pack you will find a largeblock of cardsat You arenow ready!o releasepressureon the lonSsidesofthe block so
the face end that have not beenshuffled at all. If you have used the Llrarit drops downwards10 revealthe face up ace, which as beforeis
standardtechniquefor a weavein which the cardsare held verticallyin emovedwith theleft handand placedon rhetablewirh the first one.The
the hands,thumbsand fingersof eachhand beirS on the oppositelong r,rocedure previouslydescribedis repearedto revealrhe third and fourth
sides,you will find it extremelyeasyto placethe left forefingeron the ,!es,Ior eachonereversingthe inrerwovenpackro bring the block to the
upper short end of the faceblock and push downwardsslightly,so ihaa ,Lppermosi posilionand alsorepeatingthe 'insurance'squaringbetween
the whole block is in-joggedfor about half an inch. Graspthe injogged
endof this block with the right hand and transferit from the faceofthe One brief meniion of the presentaiionangle. I whistle very briefly
pack to the top, but as you placeit on top, makesurethat you line it up t{ ior io eachof the first threeacesappearingbul for the final ol|e let a
with the original top card of the pack, which meansthal the block lines \t)eclatortry his luck by whistling.I lel him fail rwiceand then release
up exactlywith the quarter pack that is outjoggedand partially woven Ii,essurero coincidewith his third whistlesaying,, ,there,seehow easyi1
into the larger sectionof the pack. Keephold of the pack with the left ,\"- lf you can'l whistle!buy yourselfa roy whhtle and blow this a! th€
hand, thumb at on€ long sideand fingerson the other one, holding lhe .rppropriatepoinrs.
cardsat the meshedsectionso that thevare lockedin the partiallywoven
condition.
Take the packinto the riShthandand positionit asshownin Figure22
(ii) the facesof the cardsbeingtowardsthe palm. I find the easieslway of
gettingthe packinto this positionis io takeit with the riShthand, placing
the right thumb on the iop ofthe packand fingersat the faceand torn it
over, replacingil for a moment in the left hand so tha! the facesare
outermost, and then take it again in the right hand in th€ correct
position.In positioningthe cardsthey mustbe kept lockedtoSetherat all
timesand the block of unshuffledca.dsat the top of the pack must end
up in the upjoggedposifon.
After all this work you are now at the stagewhereyou can relax and
indulgein a little presentation.Carry on with your themeabout sounds
affecting the acesard mention that you can locale them by simply
whistling. Illustratewhat you meanby giving a shorl whistleand al the
same time releasepressur€betweenthe thumb and first and second
fingers of the right hand. This will allow the block of cards to drop
dowdwardsand reslon thedght litde finger,to reveala faceupaceat the
front of the outjogged8roup. Removethis ace carefully with the left
hand, takingcarenot to disturbany othercardsand pla€eia on the table
Bring the left hand over 10 the cards and grip them tightly at the
meshedcentrepoint, the left forefirSerbeingon the back of the cards,
the thumb on the near long edgeand the remainingfingerson the far
lu 105
 Tale TWbters
Do this by
Say you will nolJvchangeover two cards from each ercup
group, ooe pair in.eachhand and
lilling off the top two cu.6. ol sa-'b
,i;e;rft1i'"; e'oopsAsainGhost
;1;p oiir'i oppo.it" count
picturecardsandagatr
crouDro sho\ the; areslill thepacke!.face down
't'. "oe.ia'tor3,
;,i;"i;"]'i;i;.i #;:;;,.'i-on iiie'taceneptace
Chapter3 l;;: il;;;-'i;;;;; i;l; srshrrv spread chost
condition
them
i;;;;;;;;;il;o-" 1'"y '
tpot asvoureplac€
"o'a" that
-a it goes
down on irs
r".i io*n oi irrJ,atr. oushoif"i" theropone-so
Tale Twisters ,,wn and leavesthe lowir lhree cardsin the lelt nano
the
;;;;;;;itr"il;;;. o"iitr'i." ""'9: in '""h soup rransrer
reach forward wilh the
rtrreecardsfrom vour lefr hand ro lhe rlSnr and (thev
i.;;;"-d ;;i'"'o.*;io"ilr'.."'""'ai or spectators sroup
'n' Asvou.rake rhese^i o
.".'n i'iJ,:.,ii?"iiil"]- ir,.oi.i up* tutvt rishthand on top of rhc
A SWITCII IN TIME ;;. k; ;;;. ilil;',r'i. the
'i""i"'"*i'i"ir No* itop ttt" c"tat itomtheleft handon
""iii"rt;'
Eff€ct r',fof your single"iir'"'i"ii"'
spotcardnearyou
'pil"ii6iiJ tf i,.taiJ,:. e.oup t"v' "t aon'texp€ct vouwould b€
Four picture cards are placed in front of a spectator and four spot ,;;*ii;; *;i on'cc "na
again rtregictu'e cards' but I would'
cards in front of the performer, Cards are inlerchanSedb€tweent}re two ";";i;i
,":.1"..irt. pi.i"r. o" tr.t""]on ,rt. nn"t*ord' lurnvourpacket
packets,but when checked,lhe spectator still has four picture cards, and ,';il;;;;;iG;il;;*ai. "*a" u1t'" tum hisoverto nnd
th€ performer four spot cards. rhev are now soot iards This switch over at 'p"aoo'
the end of the €ffect comes
The procedure is repeated with the sameresult, but when attempted a ur quite a surpiiseto the spectators.
tbhd time, the packetschangeovercompletely,the spectatornow having
the performer'sspot cards and the performer, the spectator'spicture
llnrl Not.s
the chost count'
when hotding the packcts facc up prior to making
Workitrg Deldls face card with thc lefl
.,r,r"yi it-. upper'lctl hand c;rnd of-lhe
lh' lower right halld corner
rt,umbso rhat rhe index valucis hiddct ard
"o"",
rhe
Removefour picture cards of the samecolour but of mixed values, ; ililffilJi"ii ii?.ii . ir"r'nuisetru'ins across
stretched
thesemight be the KS, QC, JS, JC., ard placeft€m faceup in front of a ';i
il il:;;:ffi:fii--.-*. r""t
,rt"i-trt. ""'d showinsup will
lv'dce
spectator. Now remove four spo! cards of the same colour and mixed rd benoticcd.
'' never
values,but selectcardsthat are similarin appearance. You might choose eJ*"yii"i"l to rrt" t,"o groupsasthe picture andspotcardsand
th€ 7C, 85, 6C, 8C., and dese are placedin front of yoursclf. drawattentionto their actualvalues,
Having explainedthat the spectatorhas four picturecardsand your-
self fow spot cards, turn each packet face down on the table.
Removeth€ top card of eachpacketand placeit alongsideits pack€t. SI'RANGEASSEMBLY
Sayyou will changeover one card from eachgroup. Do this by picking
up the singlecards,one in eachhand and pushingthem into the second
from top position in the oppositegroups. l:flect
Squareup ihe spectalor'sfoul cards, turn lhem face up and Ghost
table Tfuc€
Count thcm to show four picturecards.The final card of the count is Irour kings are rernovedand distribuled face down on th€
placed on the face of the packet and the packet is replaced face do\r'n on upon one of the kings in much the
Lardsare oLced from the main Dack
ihe table.Repeatthis procedurewith your four cardsto showtheyare all ;;v?ii;';;;;;,iii"i i."i assembrvroulinewerebeing
spot cards,finally placingthem face down on the table in their original ':;.;6';i.-Th;;r-# 'qa
tttio-iiing, ar. tl'o*n to havechansedto com-
r,"' instead
posrtrcn. ;,lctelvdifferentcardsbut wheniie masterpacketis tumedover'
106 t01
 Tale Tviste6
of kings it is found to contain four aces.The missingkings are found
reversedin the centreof the pack.
Preprstion
Beforepresentingthe effect,a slight arrangementof the top cardsof
the pack is required.Readingfrom lhe top this is, ace, ace, ace, KH,
reversedX card, X card, X card, X card. The X cardscan be ally cards
exceptkings or acesand tlle final one must be remembered(the one in the
eighthposition from the top).
Working Delrils
Run throughthe pack and removelhe followinSfour cards,throwing
them face down oo the table as you cometo eachon€ and lelting them
fall on top of eachother,red K, blackK, an ace,blackK. Th€secardsare
removedfrom lhe face end of the pack and in locatingand removing
themyou mustneverlook beyondyour remembered keycard. Do not let
the spectatorsse€the faceof th€ acewh€nyou lhrow I down, the other
cardscan be flashedif you wish.
As soon as you have removedthe four cards,run through the pack
until you cometo your keycardand thensquarethecards,but keepa lefi
little finger break berweenyour key card and the remainderof the face
up pack aboveil. By grippingth€ eieht cardsbelowyour break, move
them slightly and diagonallyto the l€ft and leavethem in this jogged
position.Now turn the completepack facedown and placeit on ihetable
taking careto maintainthe jog so that whenyou pick up the pack later,
you will easilybe able to retakea break under the top eight cards.
Pick up the four facedown cards,(order from the face,red K, black
K, ace,blackK) rurn themfaceDpand Chost Countthemto showkings,
the lasi card countedSoing on the face of ihe group. Turn them face
down ard deal the top ode on to the table nearestyou, calling it th€
masterking and the orherthrer in a line a little aboveit.
Pick up the main pack and placeit in $e left hand,ih€ lefi litle fing€r
taking a break underthe joggedblock of eight cardsat the top. Thumb
off the top lhree cardsof the pack and plac€ihem on top of the master
king.
Pick up the other kingsfrom the table one by one and placethem still
facedown on top ofthe packin the ieft hand. Usethe left dumb 10push
the top two over slighdyinto a spreadconditionand thenbring the righl
hand to the packand grip all of the cardsabovethe left little fingerbreak
in a lockedpositionso that you can move them all slightlyto the right,
The appearance beingthat the threekingshavebeenspreadoLr!in a small
fan and movedsiightlyto the right.
108
I'ale /w$ters
Lift the apparentfan ofkings up from the packsothat you canlap the
lclt long sid€againstthe top of ihe pack to squarethem up and thenlet
rhcsquaredpacketdrop faceup on top ofthe pack(reallyeightcardsare
Iurnedover on to the back).Thumb off the rop threefaceup cardsand
displaythem to the speclators,the effect beingthat the threekingshave
vanished,Turn the threecardsfacedown and reDlac€ them on toDofthe
t'.rcl. Cive the pack one cul and placeiL on th; table.
Say"you haveprobablyguessed that all the kingsarenow togetherin
rhemasterheap,but that would only havehappenedif I had usedaces,'.
lurn overthe masterh€apto travelthe aces.Aftet a slighipause,spread
rhemain pack to revealthe four kings faceup in the centre.
..TDINCIDENCE
IN COLOUR''
I flect
A group of about a dozencardsare givento a spectatorand the p€r-
lormerholds a similar quantiry.€sch shuffl€ their csrdsand thenDlace
,',,vrwo facedown on rhe rable.The rabledcardsare rurnedfaceut snd
l,)und to be all black and the p€rformerranarks that this is a strange
.oincidence.His staiementbecomes more acceptablewhenthe ranaining
{ irds h€ and the spectato. hold are examined, becausethey are all red.
WorkingD€hils
Without letting the speclatorssee the cards you are removing,
i\\cmble two packetsof about a dozeneach, face down on the lable.
l'irekelA is all red cardsand packetB is all red €xceptfor the top four
which are black. Place the remainder of the pack aside face down and
r,rvcpacket A rc a sp€ctator alrd take B yourself.
Shuffle the packet retaining the top four cards in position and invite
rlrf spectatorto shuffle his. Plac€the top card of your group facedown
,rr lhe iable and requestthe specatorto placeihe top c?rd ofhis group
Itr(cdo*n on top of yout card.
liach of you shuffle your respectivegroupsagainand you keepyour
r,'tr threecardsin position. After your shuffle and whilst squaringthe
, (rds in your hands,get a left litile fingerbreakunderthe top threecards
,'r lnegroup,
Rcqueslthe spectator to place rhe iop card of his packet fac€ down on
r"t, of the lwo aheadyon the table,and you thm appearro placethe top
r ird of your group on |op of the onehe hasjust placeddown. Reallyyou
t'hcr three cards as one down, by taking th€ three cards aboveyour
lrrfcr break,the righ! thumb at the nearshort end and the fincersat tlle
109
 Tale Twiste$
far one,to conceallhe thickness.As the right handplacesits cardsdown,
it squaresthe compleledtabledgroup up neatlyio prevenrthe quantity
of cardsbeing noted.
Placethe cardsremainingin your handson ihe table for a momentand
pick up the smallpacketof four cards.As you mentionhow eachofyou
fre€ly selectedtwo cards, reversethe order of the face down cards you
areholding by countingoff the first $ree genuinely,and thenplacingthe
last three (as one card) on top of these, Turn the cards face up and push
over the face threeone by one to displaya fan of four black cards,the
rear card of the fan rea.lly being three cards as one. Close the fan and
drop the cards face down on top of ti€ main pack.
Commenton the fact ofyou eachtaking two cardsof the samecolour
from shuffled packeNand the[ say "itt a biggercoincidencethan we
imagine, becauseall the o{her cards are red". Tum your respective
groupsup to show thal this is so.
.MATCH.A.MATIC''
Ell€ct
A spectator and the p€rformer each take four cards from the pack.
After mixing their cards, e:rch removes one card from their group and
after following a magical procedurc, tlese are showrr to match in colour
and value. This is repeated successfuily a second time. Finally, tI€
p€rfonner takes the spectator's remaining two cards alrd adds them to his
own. lle ca$iesoul the rmagicalprocedure'and they are seento be four
Prtor Arrrrg€ment
Rcading from the top of thc face down pack, the four aces,two cards
of the samecolour and value,two cardsof tbe samecolour and value.
Worlhg D€tdls
Falseshuffle the pack and then hand the lop four cards to the assisting
sp€ctatoa, taking the next four for yourself. You can take yours by
thumbing them off and not altering their order, or counting them off and
rev€rsingtheir order. fie remainder of lhe pack is not usedin t}le effect.
Requ€stthe spectator to mix his four cards without looking ai them,
whilst you mix yours. Mix your four by taking the top two and alternat-
iIIg them vrith lhc remaining two by pushing them against them, so that tI
they interweave. [f eachpair is spreadwhen you do this, it's an extremely
simple operadon. Repeat this interweavlu two morc times making a
total of three baby faro shuffles. Don't worry about whether these arc {
ll0
L
I ale I w$rcfs
'in' or 'out' shuffles,it's of no importance
Now state that you are going to teach the spectatora 'magicai
Drocedure'which if followedcorrectly,will havea strangeeffect.
First he must transfercardsfrom top to bottom of his group' stopping
wheneverhe wishesand holding the card stoppedar in his right hand.
whilst he is doing ftis, you do exacdy the same with your 8roup,
sioppingon any card you wish and holding it in your right hand-
Now placeyour card on iop ofthe threecardsthe spectatotis holdinS
rnd let him placehis cardon top of the threeyou are holding Ask him to
.ount tluough his four cardsfrom hand to hand so that their order is
Ieversedand the top cardwill endup at the face,illustratethis with your
lbur cardsbut reallydo the Chost Count, placingthe last card counted
on top. Ask him !o carefullyr€rnovethe facecardofhis group whilstyou
removeyours.Eachofyou rub the faceofthecard you haveremovedon
rhe table and they are then turned face up rc reveal that they match in
.olour and value.Placeth€setwo cardsaside.
Ask the spectator to mix his remaining three cards whilst you mlx
vours.Make surethat whils! mixing yours,you end with the originaltop
.ffd saillat the top. Tell him to againtlansfer cardsftom top to bottom
of his packet,finally endingwith any one he wishesin his right hand.
You do the same,but actuallystop on the third card in your group (the
,'riginal face card) and hold il in your right hand. Exchangethe single
(ardsagain,yoursSoingon top ofhis two cardsand hh goingon top of
yours.Continuingthe'magical procedure'theme,tell him to count his
rhreecardsto r€vers€their order. You do the same,but usea lhreecard
vcrsionof tlle Chost Count i.e. one off fairlv, one back underneathand
rwo pushedoff, one off fairly. This looks as if you have counledyour
rhreecardsto reversetheir order,
Eachof you removelhe lace cardsof your packets,rub lhe fac€sof
rhemon the tableand thentum them faceup to showthat theyareof the
.,,unecolour and value.The 'magicalptocedure'has worked again-
Say you will lry something a little different. Take the rcmaining two
t rrds from the spectatorand add them to your two Now say "let's see
shat happensif we applythe 'magicalprocedure'to thesefour cards.Do
rlris,by first of all countiogthem to reversetheir order (I usethe Chosl
( oLnt aSainso that it looks ihe sameas my previouscountt and then
Lrbbing iheir facesagainstthetable,after first fanningthem out slightly.
'
I Inallyturn them face up to show four aces.
.^N ILLOGTCAL CONCLUSION''
| | lecl
t A smallgroup ofcards are placedfacedown on th€ table wilhout fieir
x l!(s being revealed. Four red faced c,uds are then removed from the
ltl
I

Tale Twisters
pack and shown. Severaiinterchanges of cardsare made betweenthe
iace down cards and the ones held by the performer bui this always
results in the performer srill holdinS four red cards The natural
assumptionon ihe audienc€'spart is thal the face down cardson tne
lablemusl be all red ones,and thereloreit is not surprisingtha! changrng
cardshasno effecton the colourof lhe onesheldby the performer'Tllev
havea litllemorelo ponderon whenrhefacedowngrouparelurnedIace
up, for they are all black cards
Working Dehils
Run throughthe packand removethl€e cards,two ofwhich areblack'
ttri itrira onJ stroulaue a red seven.The three cardsare placedn€atlv
souared,in a facedown heapon the table with the r€d sevenat the iop
Tire spectatorsmust not know exactlyhow manycardsyou haveplaced
on the table, nor what thesecardsare,
Now removefive mole cardsfrom the pack whoseorder readingfrom
the face must be, red eight spot, red spot' black card' black card' red
sDot.The sDectators must not know exactlyhow many cardsyou have
rlmoved and as yet have not s€€ntheir faces Placeihe main pack aside
and hold the cards vou hav€ just removed face down in a squared
condition.
Say "l sould lile lo \ho* you 5omelhinS inreresling Turn the
pack;rofcardsfaceup andChos(CounrthemLoshowIhema' tour red
cards, the last card goes on the face. Use ihe samecorner coverrng
iectrniqueauring ttte iount at all stagesin this trick as has alreadybeen
exDlained in "A Swirchin Time .
iurn thepacketfacedownandholdil in thelefthand Removethelop
cardand slbe it carefullybelowthe facedown tabledgroup ln its-place
takelhe toDcard of the tabledonesand replaceit on iop ofthe cardsvou
i"". ai."iv l. v"* rt"td. Turn the packetfaceup and Ghostcount it
as four cardsto'showthem all red, the final card goinSon the lace As
you do this say "isn't that interesting,eventhough I've changeda card
over, they are still all red".
iutn tit. p".r.' facedown and removelhe lop lwo card' and.slide
thembelowthe facedowncardson lhe lable Donot alLerlheoroet or
In rheirplacelakelhe lop lso card.ol the labledonesbul takeIhem
oni Uvon.'"nOptu.. rtt.mon top of Ihecardin youl handsso thalIhtir
order'i. re.ertd. fake careshefl vou are changingcardsduringthr\
trick rhat you do nol spreadthe tabledgroup too much, for you do nol
wantthe audi€nceto know how manycardsarethereuntilthe conciuslon
jnterchange
of the effect. Always resquarethe ubled cardsafter an
Turn the group in your hands face up and Jordan Count them as four
you do rhis say "isn't that
red cards, th'elast caid going on the face.As
1t2
Tale Twisters
rrreresting,
eventhough I've changedtwo cardsover, th€y ar€ srill all
ied". Turn the packet face down and ihumb off the top three cards
Lcepingthe last two squaredas one card, Takethe upper threeand push
rhembelow the face down oneson the table. Onceyou have goathem
l)elowthe tabledones,roughlysquareth€ completegroup.Now take rhe
utper threecardsofthe tabledonesoneby on€,and placethemon top of
rheapparentsinSlecardin your hand. Theorderofthe threecardsadded
Turn the cardsin your handsface up and GhostCount them as four
rcd cards.As you count the last two cards,outjog ahemslightly.Repeat
lour patter line "isn\ that interesting,eren ihough I'v€ changedthree
, ardsover they are still all red". Turn the packetface down and lift up
lhe upperfiree cardsat the jog point so that the left little finSercanget a
I'reak below them. wlilst the right hand is srill in position, apparently
\quaringthe cards,drop one card from the right thumb and retakethe
Irlt liide finger break aboveit.
Say "it doesn'tseemto matter how many times I changeover cards,
rheonesin my hand alwaysremainred". ln a casualillustrationof this
,cmark, removethe top card of the packetin your hand (reallytwo as
,{re, which is easybecauseof the finger break) and slide il b€low the
r,rbledcards.Take the top card of the tabledonesin its placeand place
rhiscardon top of th€ onesyou are holding.Turn them faceup and do a
,t.nuinecount to show they are all red.
Concludeby saying"the reasonI think it,s mostint€resting,is because
rhcseare all black". Tum the tabled group face up in time with this
I insl Not€
I)uring all of the interchangesthe left hand fingertipscan assis!the
lht hand in makingthe changes,if the cardsthe left hand is holdingar€
'
l.pt fairly deepin the hand.
. INSTANT INTERCHANGE''
I llecl
smallpacketofred cardsis handedto a speclatorand rhe performer
,1,rins
^ a group of black ones. The performer showsone of hh black
.rrds and lets the spectatorcut it into the centreof hjs red on€s.
Ihc performer asks if rhe spectatorwould considerit quite Eood
^
| .k if he could make the black card.,ump back from the specrator's
r,,'Lrplo his. Wlen he agrees,the performersays"well in rhar caseit
It3
 Tale T wisters
Ta[e Twiste4
Eringthe right hand back lo the packet,approachingit from the rear
mustb€ a ,erl good trick if I makeour completepacke(schangeplaces". .[ort end. Push the right first finger tip into the break nexl 10 the left
He tums his packeifaceup and il is seento be all red cardsexceptfor the l,rrlefingerand thenmoveth€ righl fingertowardsthe left unril it reaches
solitaryblackone in th€ centre.r*/henthe spectatorexamineshis' he has lll: approximaaecentrepoint of ihe card width, which opensup the
the black ones. r{cak slightly.The right secondfinger will naturallyaho enterthe break
rndby grippingthe face1wocardswith thesetwo fingerson th€ backand
rhc thumb on the face,you can puli out thesecardssquaredas one and
Working Detrils ,[ow the fa€€callingattentionto its nane. lt is thenreplacedfacedowD
,D 1opof your packetand immediatelythumbedoff and held facedow'l
Removetwelvered fac€dcardsand placethem facedown on thelable. i,r rherighthand.
Facedown on top of theseplaceapproximatelytwelveblack cards,the Placethe card in the right hand on top of th€ spectator'sgroup of
remainderofthe pack beingplac€daside.Pick up th€ group of cardsand r|parentred cards,and askhim to cut the packetonce,to sendthe card
turn them faceup. Spreadthemout as iftocheck that you havethe right ri, lhe ceotre.Illustratethe cutling aclion by giving your packeta single
coloun groupedtogetherand get a left little finger break underthe face
card of the black 8roup, and then clos€up the spread. Usethe patier themeoutlinediD the effect,then turn your packetface
Pushoffthe facered cardsoneby onewith the left thumb and support and fan it oul, lettingthe spectatordo the samewith bis. The packets
them with the right hand so that they form a sli8lt spread,but as you 't
rt)Pearto have€hangedplaces.
spreadthem count lhem silendyunlil you reachtwelve.Do not spread
the twelfth card, but take the two cardsas on€ abovethe breakpoint' by
inseriingth€ tip ofthe right secondfingerandgrippingthembetweenth*
finger and the right thumb. From the audiences'viewpoint you have
Dushedoff all the red cardsand areholdingthem in a sliShtspreadin the
iight hand. Turn the completefan of red cardsdowD and placethem
belowthe face up black cardsin the left hand.
Spreadout the blackcardsIo \hoq th€mLo the spectalor\ and then
clos; them up again,but get a left litlle fingerbreakunderthe faceblack
card. As the right hand is still over ih€ cards, carry out a Half Pass
(reverselhesection)wiih all the cardsbelowthe faceone,usrnga Seneral
squaringup action as cover for the pass.
Hold the packetfaceup in the right hand,the handbeingcurvedabove
the packelwitb the fingersat the far short end and th€ thumb at the near
one. with the left hund fingers,draw the cardswhich are facedown at
the bottom of the packetsliShtlyto the left one by on€,so that they go in
a casualspreadonto the fingersof the left hand. Keepthe left thumb
againstthe left long sideof the packetso that ihe fingersare ptev€nted
from drawingoffmore than on€cardat a time, a firmgrip with the right
handon the short endsalsohelpslo controlihe cards.Keeppulling cards
out with the lefi thumb until a blackcardshowsup Removeall the lower
facedown cardsand placethem in front of a spectator'He will assume
lhem to be lhe red cards.
You are apparentlylefl with the face up black cards' and the black
card at the faceand the joggedbla€koneat the rear,help 10confirm the
position.Squareup the packet,turn it facedown and cuaone card flom
iop to face. Whilst the riShi hand is still over the packeldrop the lwo
ca;ds at the face from th€ right thumb iip and take a left little finger
break above ahem. Remove the right hand from the packet fbr a
I 15
I 14

Chapter 4
Card Script
THE MAGICAL ELIMINATOR
Eff€cI
A card is freelynotedin a smallpacketofcards. The performerstates
that he will demonstratea magical eliminating procedurethar will
graduallyreducethe packet 1o a singlecard, and lhat ihis wiil be rhe
previouslynoted one,
w}len the performerdemonsiratesthe procedure,things seemto go
completelywrong. However,th€ trick is successfullyconcludedwirh a
surpriseending.
Working
Run throughthe faceup pack and upjog any six red cards.Strip these
out of the pack, turn them face down, and placethem under rhe pack.
Repeatthis proc€durewith six black cards.
Turn the pack facedown and thumb off thc 1optwelvecards!o show
them for a moment, pointing out that you havesix black cardsand six
Squareup the tlvelvecardsonto rhe pack for a moment, and in this
actionobtaina left little fingerbreakunderthe rop facedown cardof the
majn pack. Lift away all the cardsabovethe break with rhe righ! hand
and placethe r€mainderof the pack asideon the table.
Thumb off ihe six black cards,rum them fac€down and placerhem
belowthe red cards.Do the samewiahthe six red cards.Make somesorr
of commentas you do this, suchas, "remember,six of eachcolour."
Cut the smallpack€tofcards a few timesand thengiveit a pertecrfaro
shuffle, followed by one or lwo more cuts. If you do not do a faro
shuffleyou €an simply hold the cardsin lhe right hand by the opposire
short ends, and th€n puil off pairs of cards from top and face of lhe
group wjth the left hand, droppingthe pairs one by one on top of €ach
l 16
Ll
Card Scri?l
,rhcron the lable, until you are leil with a singlecard in the right hand,
\vhichis dropp€don top of all. If you usethis procedureinsleadof the
r,! o, do il fairly briskly, to preventsomesharpspectalornotrngthat you
riive thirieen cards insleadof r.rtelve,and do not cut filst. Tvrn the
I'ncketfaceup and spreadit rapidly betweenthe hands,commentingthal
,1appearslo be fairly well mixed. Look for two cardsnext to eacholher
,)l th€ samecolour, and cut ihe packelbetweenthesetwo cards,so that
,ne endsat rhe top of the packetand the otherat the face.lf you do not
,fe a pair of the samecolour, jt meansthey are alreadyin position,and
lou clo not neecllo cut.
Hold the pack€tof cardsfacedown in the left hand and sta to deal
rhcmone by one in a facedown heapon the table,dealinSratherslowly.
lrvile a spectatorto call stopat any poin! in the deal. Whenhe callsstop,
\(,u must showhim the faceof the card which occupiesan odd position
r()m lhe (op of the packet.This is very easy!o do, if you repeatthe
{ords, odd, even,odd, even,asyou deaithe cardsin a heapon the table.
whcn he sayssiop, you will aulomalicallyknow whetherahelast card
,lealt was at an odd or evenposilion. lf i! wasodd, short its faceto the
.r,ectarors,and then piaceit on top of the cardsremainingjn the left
li.rnd,taking a Ieft liltte fingerbreakbelowit asyou do so. If it waseven,
.[ow the face of th€ top card of the undealtseciion,and then replaceit
,,rrrop, taking a left lillle finger break belowit. Drop the dealtcardson
r,)p of thosein the left hand, and afier a sljght pause,cul the packetat
rhc break point and completethe cut.
Ilxplain to ihe spectatorsthat you will now demonstratea magical
, lrninating procedurethat will find the noted card for you. Point out
hrl on no accountaf€ the spectatorslo help you in any way,
Placerhe top card under the packetand the next face down on the
of under/down,until six cardsare face
tble, and continuethis sequence
,],'wn on the table. Pick up thesesix cardswith the right hand and fan
!,emouaslightly.Turn ih€ fan face up just long enoughfor the specta-
r,)r! to seethat all rhe cardsare red, but not long enoughfor them to
,,J!in rhe namesof the cards.Tap the fan squareon the lable top, and
r r.D discardthe six cardsface down on top of the main pack As you
.rrry oul lheseactionssay, "!he red cardshave beeneliminated.Note
I rrt in the exampleI hav€gilen, ihe discardedsix cardsar€red, but they
,'uld equallywell be black, and in this caseyou would say "the black
.!,dshavebeeneliminated."
Iurn the cardsremainingin the left hand face up and push over the
L'.c five cardsone bv one to form a casualfan betweenthe hands.the
\rh and seventhcardsbeingsquaredas on€.I will continueihe descrip
1rtrras if th€ eliminaledcardswerered, just amendlhe palterlineslo the
,,lour that showsup rvhenyou do the effecl. Say "I know your card is
l,l,rrk, bul I don'l know $hich one it is, let's usethe magicaleliminator
\quare the cardsand turn th€m facedown. Again do the under/down
1
 Card Scripl
procedur€,this time placingthe threeeliminaledcardsfaceup on top of
eacholher on the table.Turn lhe cardsr€mainingin ihe lefr hand faceup
and spr€adthem ou!, keepinglhecentretwosquaredas one,by meansof
the bucklecounl. Take the facecardin the righi hand for a mom€nr,and
say "only three10choosefrom, I wonder which one is yours" Replace
the right hand card back Delolrthosein the left haod, squarerhe packet
and turn it fac€ down.
Say you will use the magicaleliminator for the las( rime. pla€e ore
card under, and the nexl faceup on the rable,placingthe discardedone
on top of th€ other threeface up cards.Placethe next card below rh€
packet,and maftesurethat the packetis perfecdysqua.e-App€arto deal
the top card faceup onto the discardpile, but reallydealtwocardsason€
by bucklingthe facecard with the left lilde finger.
Ask the speclatorthe nameof th€ card he noted,and whenh€ names
it, ac! as if the rick has gone completelywrong. The audiencewill be
sureit has. Say, "I did sayir wasa mdgrcdleliminator." Siowlyturn the
last card you are holding face up to confirm your staiement.
..THE IMAGE MAKERS''
Effect
The performer explainsthat cenain cards in rhe pack are very
powerfuland are capableofinfluencing othercardsso rhat rheybecome
very similar to themselves.
To demonstratethis facehe removeslhe AC
and the AS, to act asimagemakers.Anotherpair ofcards are shownand
placedbelweenthe imagemakers for a moment, when removedand
shown again, they are se€nto be the AH and AD. This procedureis
.epeatedwith severalpairs of cards,and the imagemakersare always
successfulin changing(hemto the two .ed aces.The effect endsin an
unexpecledway when bolh image makers, and cards between!hem,
changeto queens,th€ performerremarkingthai howeverinfluentialaces
are, ladiesalwayshavethe lasl word.
Working
The effectrelieson a falsecountwhichchangesthe centretwo cardsof
a group of four, for the outer two. The techniqueis a simplecombina
tion of the Elmdey and Jordan counts, and whitsr I developedrhis
approachindependenrly,Jack Avis had precededthe idea by severai
years.Jackcalledhis coun.aheSivaCount, and il waspublishedin issue
elevenof the 'Epilogue'magazine.
It is the physicalaction of the counts that is identicai, and nol the
8 I 19
Card Scriqt
t{rfpos€.Jack'susewaslo show five cardsas fottr, concealing one, and
to showfour cardsas four, concealingnore. The lechniqueusedis
'nine,
Hold iour cardsin lhe left hand, the fingersand thumb holdingthem
,tr their left long side,in the standardElmsleyCount posrtron
Pull off.he first card fairlv into the right hand' bv drawingit o{f with
rherighl thumb.
lou appearto take the secondcard, r€placethe right hard card
,q.s
Irlow thosein the lefl. and a1 the sametime, push over the upperlwo
iards of its group with the left thumb, and taketheminto the righi hand'
As you appearto take the third card replacethe two in the right band
hclo\a'tho; in the left, and then push the upperthreecardsoverdightly
with the lefl thumb, and take thesethr€ecardsinto the right hand'
Placethe singlecard remainingin the left hand on top of thosein the
Havingmasteredthe abovecount, we are now r€adyto proceedwith
rherouti-ne.Wheneverthe feke count is used,it will be referredto by ihe
InilialsS/C (SivaCount).
tseforecommencing,secretlyget the tollowing six cards,in order' at
rhc rop of the pack: AS, AC, QH, QD, QS, QC, the AS beingthe top
Run throughthe faceup pack, and cut the iwo red acesto the top of
rhc pack, takingcarenot to dislurb your stackas you do this whln you
,embvethe red-aces,keepthe cardsailtedtowardsyourself,so that the
ircctalorswhilstseeingthat you aretransferringtwo cardsto the top, do
r()t know the namesof thes€cards.Talk about removingtwo lmportanl
, rrds as imagemak€rs.
Turn the pack facedown into the left hand' and appearto lift offthe
rop two cardswith the right hand, really lifl off four cardsby counlng
rhen in a liftinS actionaathe near short end of the pack Turn-thefour
,r,ls iace up o-ntorhe top ot the facedown pack. and lake a lelt liltle
''ngerbr€akbeloqrhem.Pushoverlhe AC \liShdysilh lhe lelt tnumD
,) displaythe two black aces.Uselhe righl hand to take lhe spreaclaces
.urf iip itrern face down on top of the pack, bul really Srip all cards
,rhovet}l€ breakand lum them over. Thumb off the top two cardsofthe
I'rck and placethem face down on the table for a moment.
Fanout the remainderof the pack and havea spectatorselec'any Iwo
, rrds, he musl not selectfrom the top six cardsof the pack Plac€the
,ernainderof ihe pack face down on the table, and take the two chosen
,rrds from the spectatorand displayihem fac€ up for a mom€nt say
r[ar you will demonstratethe power of the imagemakers
l rn rhe chosencardsfacedo\ n and slidelhem belweenlhe lwo lace
,I,)wnaceson the table. Pick up the four card group and hold it face
,]t)sn in the left hand readyfor lhe S/C. Rub ihe right hand forefinger-in
i rlockwisecircle on lhe back of the top card, -qaying,"a clocklvise
 Card Script
aclronts nfcessary to tran\lerrhe lnaSe. Now do rhe s c. ( onlinue,
(ayrng. thf acfionmu( alsobeapptiedlo
rheimagematerar rhi5end...
uo Ine ctoct\\tseacrjonon the bacl of the ne\ rop card. Fdn our
the
cardslacedown in the left hand. Wirhdrawrhec€ntretwo cardswith the
right hand and turn them faceup, to showrheyhavebecomelhe
AH and
AD
SI,are
rharthe imagecanbe removed b) a rererse
clockwtse movemenl.
^
Keprace the red ace)betweenrhe rwo lace down cardr. and repearLhe
sequence explainedin the previousparagraph,bu! moveyour right fore,
r,ngerm a counterclockwiseaciionon the backofeach imageriaker,
to
follow the patterline alreadymentioned.Whenthe four cardi are fanned
our and the centretwo removedand shown,they will be seenio be the
lwo lhal.w_ere originally\elecredfrom rhe pdck_the imageon rhemha,
vanrsneo. Ptacelheserwocardslacedownon therable,and picl up the
marnpacl and dropir on top of Lhem.so thal theyendup ar'rhefale
of
rhepacl, rhepackbeingtacedo$n on rherable.fhe im;ge malers
are
still beingheld facedown in a slight spread.
Tde rhf lop t$,ocardsof r hepackandplacerhembet$eenr he image
makers. sayrng."ter\ try wirhanorhfrrwo.ards...Repear theclockwiie
rubbingactiononrhe backsof the imagemakerscombinedwith the S/C,
and thenremove_the cenlretwo cards,and showthat they havetakeno;
the,appearance of rwo red aces.As )ou are,ho* ingthes', tu.n rheimage
makerctace up atro. and say. ..evenrhoughlhey influenceorhercard-.,
merr own appearanceremainsunchansed',
. Turn the imagemakersfacedown a;d replacethe red acesfacedown
betweenthem. Do the reverseclockwiseaction and S/C, and
ften
remover,hecenrrepair of cardsand drop them tacea"*n on rtreraUte,
rrnattyptacrngthe main packon rop ol Lhem.Do nor showrheirface)
lhrsnme.just rall,abourrheacriononceagajnremotlngrhe image.
Takethe top t\ o cardsof thepackandplaceLhember$een
the imase
makers.Do lhe S/C and rheclockl^iserubbingacrion.and then remoie
lhecentrepairofcalds^and
rurnlhemfaceup, ro \ho\rtheyareagatnrhe
rm, aces. turn them lace down and replacerhen berueenrhi image
you will removelhe imageoncr more. and do the rever.erubbinS
^^-Sayon tne bacl of eachimagemal,eronce
acl,on more. bur whenyou couni
Ihe card( lo bring the lowerimagemakerto lhe rop, do a com;lerely/ai.
countrn placeof rhe S'C. Remorerhe cenrrepair ot cardsand piace
them on the rable, finally dropping the main pack on rop of them.
Takelhe lop rr{ocardsof rhepacl and placelhemberween rheimage
ma(ers.t o lhe clock\rise rubbingacrioncombinedwhh a7a; counr.
KemoveIne cen(relqo cardsand lurn rhemlaceup. Appear\urprised
that the) are queens.dnd thenrurn lhe imagemakersfaceup ro sho\r
lnar rhe),airo are queens.remarl,ing..oh $ell. ladiesal$ay, ha\e rhe
120
Cad ScriPl
,'PUSHOVER''
l:flfcl
Four cardsare removedfrom a shuffl€dpack and magicallyturn face
,rD-in addition they changeto four aces.This effect is basedupon one
,,l PeterKane'scleverideas(he hasmany others)that was publishedin
Working
Secretlystart with the four acesin positions6, 7, 8 and 9 from ihe top
,'f the pack, with the card in position 10, face up.
Hold the pack tacedown in the left hand and riffle up the nearshort
( d with the righ! thumb until you canseethe back ofth€ reversedcard,
r,ll rhe pack up slightlyso that you can see(he near short end, and as
!)on as you seethe backof (hecard, take a left little finger br€akbelow
Thumb over the top five cardsof the pack and flip them faceup onto
r[e top of the pack. Spreadout the face up cardsby pushingthem over
rviththe left thumb, until they ar€displayedin a faceup fan, still resting
Ltrrtop of the pack. In the spreadingaction, injog the lasl face up card
\lrghrly. Point out that thereare four availablespacesbetweenthe five
irds, onespacebetweeneachpair ofcards. Closeup the spreadontothe
rop of the pack until they arecasuallysquared,and then take hold of all
frrds abovethe lefi little finger breakwith the right hand and flip them
,,vcr so that they fall facedown on top of the pack. lmmediatelypress
(lo$n with the righl thumb on the injoggedcard, and lift the five cards
.rhoveit away from the pack in a squaredcondiiion, the right hand
n)ldingthem from above,thumb on the near short end and fingerson
he far on€. Hand the remaind€rof the pack to a spectaiorand request
lim to shuffleit. Whilst he is doing this, repositionthe five cardsin the
ight hand, so that they are in your normal right hand grip for a weave
Jruffle. Take carethal only lhe back of the top card is viewedby the
.,udiencewhen you do this.
Requestthe assisiingspectatorio reiurn the main pack face up onto
|,ur lef! hand and thenwilh the aid of lhe lefl thumb, lift it up slightly,
,()that it is positionedin the hand readyfor a weaveshuffle. weavethe
.,,rallpacketin the left hand into the main pack in the right, and push
rr,crwo sectionsrogetheruntil rhesmallpacke!extendsfor about half its
l.ngrh from the largerone. You canweavein at any point you wish,and
rhc audiences'attentionis drawn !o the fact that you are filling in the
\oacesbelweenthe five cardswilh cardsfrom the shuffled main pack.
r)nce the cards are meshedfor half lheir length, pull the right hand
tjxcketupwardsand awayfrom rhe pack. which will automaticallydraw
121
 Card ScriPt Cad fttipt
out of the main pack the four meshedcards Plac€the remainderof rhe ' JD D eari n each heap. wilh a cat d caughl- ber seenlhem Not
onlv ar e
the
main Dacka.ideon lhe Lablewith lhe lelt hand ,i..il** .",J1. uur rhekrns5havealsodta$n Ihembackinto
PlaierhecardsfromtheriShlhandintolhe left.5lillin lheiroutjogged ','.iJ
,)fiSinalheapsthai they camefrom-
nare.and holdingthemin thelefi handso rhal lhe lefl thumbi\ on one
rongeJgeuna tt.'linget\ on lhe opposheone, facesof the cardstowardr
the-Dal; of the hana, and the cards themselvesbeinSpositionedwell lVorking
awayfrom the paln. In addition,they mustbe placedin tbe handso that
the iour cardsixtractedfrom the mdn pack are nearestto you Remem- Run through the face up pack and removethe kings
as you com€to
berto keeD(hebaclsof lhe card5toqardsIhe audience at all times'
,r'"- face down belo* the pack vr'hilsl nol essentialjt
Place\;ur left lorefrnger on Lhe/d. \hort end of the card\' and )oul "ir.iti.".r'
il,i"l t.oi* .ti'* rott'"rrrcr'ir thekinss arein
o"
.i"fr, r-fru:tnu tft. ,"- dne. and push q ith the thumb on the cards unlil ")ilL- .iifiiii,;q;;;c;
.,i"iilirl'i ov€r
'iiir'iii 'n.iJ iurn thepa:kfac€downandspread
grip of (heright hand so getalett
thespread'
rh-ev ororrudefor abourll . Now changelhe
on ,r."i"" t" ai.pr;vthefaceupkingsln closing Brins
itrai ii is actuattvtrotatg aheinjogged four cards tiShtly, the thumb
,"ir" ri'"".. u.*i i!r"; rhefouriacedowncardsbelo\rh€kinss
""ia.
rhumb ar
the faceof the;roup and fingerson the back' but keepthe grip at the i'.;;;i;"il;;i;; ;;.r' ii"e.." " rherarshortend and
nearshort end,io rhit lhe fingersdo not concealtoo much ofthe backs' i'. r--;ri eighLiuds abovelhe break'plus one more
R€movethe left forefinger from the fal short end' and then, fai'ly *'r,i.irl' "ii 'ie
,'i,"!"i.".. uvreaching downslightlv withLhe righrrhumb
rapid[, pusl rhefour cardibeingheldb) therighthandsqudre$ilh the "i,";".a
*1"-ntf,f ii."f u.t*..n carda;d rhe€ighl abovetL The riShlfinsers
five cardi rheyaremeshedinto fhis will cau(ea groupof faceup ace'to- 'his
.o-"lnio ui"* tft" oule. endof the five cardpacket'theseaceswjll of
iori"" U. "t
tq."tta tp, ote behindthe oth€rin a continuingaction,aftera
slicht Daus;to let ihe face up appearanceregisterwith the speclalors'
mJve ihe rieht hand to the upper short €dgeof the face up aces'ancl
"i+:*T+iix".'*'trili{i:i-r:mm'iiiii
;'';;;;i'";; ;;i;-"Aih; sinslecardundercoveror Ihethirdlins sorhat
the
r er]asuo in rhesecondtrom rop positionof lhemain pacl . Place
olaceaheth;mb on the fa€eoflhe acesand the secondfingeron the face r,.t ling in rherighrhandon topof rhepacl {reallylrvecaro5asone'
iard of the five card group Move the secondfinger upwards'drawing lL,. ouit it ft.li"o.pletely squarewith no breaks'and the actions
four
the card it is restingon with it, until it moreor lesslinesup with the ace ,]".".ii.Jii"'iln"iiia-iil thatvoudidremove
io"nrmation
group.Notr grip lhe upperfour caldslaidy lightlyand moveLh€masa
[toci to rtre.'igt'r,.o rttit Lhrypitot on the lefl 'econd fingerand slart lo and
''llit" ,rt.,inrt,handoverlhepacl' iingerrar thefar shortend
purrins
.."oiue in a cl"ocknise directionuntil they complelelyleavethe fiv€ card ';;;""i ;;';;;;;;';.J iiri if r""' cards wirhrherhumb'
srouo.No$ sDread the acesin a fan with lhe righl handanddrop them .';-"'p uv."".lilii ,rtl .Jt""', *'9' awav fromrhepackand
iill iace up on rtrerable.Spreadlhe five cardsremainingin the leli hand place
'1.,..,i.t"* onltt. table.stillapparenrly
all faceup l normally
without drawingtoo muchatlentionto them, and thendrop them on tne ,,]rnuliolr trt..tp,v.aro casi.whrchmakes il easvto pic}rIhemup
'i1,i,11'r1", ting€rIsa
,n. 0,"*t", of th€cardup withtherightseconcl "il.l ,o tr."* ,'i,tr,hetefrtille finge'undetrhetoplwocards of the
concealedaction, as the backsof lhe five card group are lowards tne " ii"e'' '"' t cenrre poinr
,: i,"^#;r'".;i;;;i;p".r'" 't'' 'ppropriatepickjns-up rhe
audience. n"ri withthe;i8hr hand the Ihumb
i i"ii"g ir'. below fie otherhalf' Retake
"ip.i
r"#.tott and placing it
',i""1-"iitri
;,;;;k;;ffi;il;tiie "nd, nnee'ias ttretratves cometogether'cul orr
..XINCS GO FORTH''
,, ;;;;. ;;;;;hJ;.;i aJ o-race rhem in fronr of the'p€craror' rirr
,' . r,"iii.."ini.g;" vourhandupwards slighrll so lhalvoucanseethe
,..,,, *iiii ,rf.iiLti rhumb,;iffle rhe cards llom faceIo rop vour
Effect ""a.
i ,,,Jf.n" i,"'iii";'i inirre near ena nearthetopo[.the
'nenvouser
card.SroprtrninsarthApoint'
.,'li. *iri.i. tr* u""i ot a reversed
Four kings are removedfrom the pack and placedon the table The '",' ;;*;;iih rishrrhudb and hfr up onecard'andtare€
-of ',"i;;*-h As vou carrvout this
remainder the pack is cut into lwo face down heaps, one for a 'ha
j;i.'. fi;er b€low
,,'""i-*,tr' i#-r.ft-rrtii" ihis card
.oectatorandonetor lhenerlormer'Perfolmerandspeclator each'ele'l i rh-inlrhar'\,about hall lheposrrionarrhis
;.it";, ;,
heip
a.;rd andrerurnir to theopposite lhelrng'drevanrchedandls'J " 'i "B rharihe ietrlirrlefingeris holdinga bleal undellhetop loul
'"e.-is
122 123
 Card Scri4t Cad Scriqt
..THtr AMBITIOUS GHOST''
cards.Cive the half pack a singlecut, but reallyjust cu1the cardsabove
the break 1I) the {ace, keepingfte right fingersover lhe outer end to
concealthe lack of thickness,,o retainanv breaksafter the cut. but
as you are squaringthe pack in th€ ',o/hands,let lwo cardsdrop from the Elfect
face,and tak€ a lefl litile fing€rbreakabovelhesetwo cards-Remolethe
righr hand from ih€ cards. This is a smallpackelambitiouscard sequence thal wasinspiredby Al
g"-k;i;" i. 2.3,4 version,published in the'PallbearetsReview'lt is
Turn the top card of the tabledhalf faceup wirh the righl hand, and conlinuing with th€
driitty, ; ide;l as an interlud€before
draw altentionto its name.Say, "lhis is your card, from your packet." "".i""rv "na
Tum the card face down and insertit into the cardsyou are holding in main ef{ecl usingthe four cards
the left hand, pushingil in at the n€ar short end,and inserlingit at the
break point. As you push the card square,g€t a left little finger br€ak
\! orking
aboveit, so thai you havea break abovethe lace threecards.Bring the
right hand over the cards,againconcealinglhe far short end with the
fingers, and cut the pack at fie break poin!, completinglhe cut and Removelhe A, 2 3 and 4 of spadesfrom the pack' and arrangein
taking a new br€akwith the left little finger,underthe top threecardsof irum€ricorder, r€adingfrom lhe face Fan them out and displaythem to
irr"_"rai**, if-*itg to their order. Closeup lhe spreadand
me group-
rurn it facedo*n. Sai, "lel's reversethe order ofthe four cards,so that
"tlention
Triple lift the lop card and leav€ii face up on top for a moment, in o.a"t from the top." Ghosl Count (Elmsley)the cards'
keepingthe little finger break below it. Call attentionlo the card, and 't,"y.rn
say, "this is my card." Turn the threecardsfacedown as one, onto the -i"l? the lasrone on top
'r,lacins
ir'. ,"p *t,l and placeit on rhe borlomot Ihe pacLer'lap-the
pack,and then lifl off two as onewirh the righl hand, ard placethem on *ti litg... of;he righ! hand, and tbenturn the iop cardface
..t.f*iirr
top ofihe spectator'shalfpack. Cive thesecardsa singlecut and requen up to sbowthe aceis backon top. Removetheaceand placeit faceup on
the spectatorao placehis forefingeron top of thesecardsfor a momenl. rhetable.
As he is doinS this, bring thc righr hand back to the cards in your Ieft iufe it. top cura oftle threeremainingand placeit on tbe bollom of
hand, and palm the top one into the right hand. Reachdown with lhe tn pa.ter, saylng lhe lwo no$ 8oe\ underneath l urn lhe lop card
righi hand and pick np the faceup kinSgroup, taking it by the opposite ..e up afleriapprngrhepalkel and \ho$ tharthe lwo i' bacl on lop'
shorl ends,the hand beingcurvedover lhe faceof$e cards.This pick up
't'i"..the two on the table
l'lace
is very easy,if you haveprevjouslyrestedthe kinSsacrossthe card case. ttr" top ofthe two remainingbelowth€ singlecard, sayin€'
Place the face up kings in the left hand, ready for the Findley Teni rhethrei goe,underneath l urn lhe lop cardfaceup lo'hou"the
"".a
Vanjsh,the cardsbeingheld a lirtle abovelhe pack by the left thumb lip 'oo
,reeha' rerurned, andlhendropiLon thetable.Sho* Lhalonl) theIoul
on the upper long side. .',,rr."tnalnsin v"u. trand.Meniion that ihe four spot hasdonenothing
Talk about the kings finding the two cards,and appear10 lifl lhem ,, far, so you will give it a hard test. Pick up the threecardsthal were
awaywith the right hand, but really replacethe palmedcard onto them ,trscariedbnto the iable, and assemblethem inio a face down pacKel'
and move lhe left thumb outwardsslighdy so that the five cards fall ''..r(ethe four lop o[ lhis packel and then
'pot, also lacedown on
down onto the main group below them. Move lhe right haDd away, Counrrhecard.,but llme Ihe count a5folloqs: thelbul'''counl
keepingit curved slighlly, as if ir w€re holding lhe kings. when it is "ror
,)lf lhree cards abo\'e it," count the remainingthre€
one card, "and
positionedover the spectalor'shalf, slowly closethe right hand in a ,,tar. itip ttt. top cu.a taceup to showthe four spol ha5dsento thetop
rubbingaction, and ihen open it to show the kingshav€vanished.Ask
the speciatorto removehis fingeratd spreadout his halfpack facedown
on fie table. Whilst he is doing this, give your half a singlecu!. '( HOOSY CHOICE"
Whenrhe spectatorhascompietedhis usk, lwo kinSswill showup in
lhe cenireof his spread,with a face down card caught belweenthem. I lfrcl
Now spreadyour half 1l)revealth€ samecondition.Say, "not only have
the kingsfound the cards,but theyhavekeptthingstidy by drawingyoul A spectatormanagesto sort out a quanlity ofcards into fie four suits'
card back to your half, and mine back lo mine" Turn thc face down l',ush he onlv .ee' rhe backs lhis i\ a vatialionon Karl Fulve''
'
cardsbetweenthe kingsovcr, one by one, as you mak€ thjs rcmark. | \(n"I4one]P;L'posirionand Bro Hamman\ "Suit Your\elf '
t24 125
 Card S(riql
I ' lil
Working
Run throughthe pack, and throw out in a faceup heapon the labl€,
five clubs,five diamonds,five spadesand five hearts,the hearlsbeing
the facefive cardsof the group. Discardthe remainderof the pack.
Pick uo lhe t$entycardgroupand holdil faceup in therrghlhandin
rheBiddI srip, thehandbeingcurvedaboverhecards Drawollthefirn
lwoheartssinSl) intorheleflhand,andasyoupullth€lhitdoneoffwilh
rhelefL rhumb, place Ihe tir.l lwo cdrdsbackundernealh theriShlhand
cards.Continuedrawing off cards fairly wirh the left thumb until you
come to the club seclion.Here the first four clubs are pulled off nor_
mally. and the final one(reallythreecardsas one)placedon the faceof
rhecardsin the lefl hand.From lhe audience'sviewpointyou havedrawn
atrention to the faci that you have five cards of each suit grouped
toselher.
iurn the cardsface down and thumb off the first five cards' placinc
them at pos. A. As you placethem down with the right hand' turn the
roDone raceup. and placeil in front of the four lacedowncard" Ihumb
oti Lhrnexrfile card\and placelhem al pos.B againlurninglhe lop
one faceup, and placingit in front of the packet.Repeatwith the nexl
five cardsand placeat pos C. You now havefiv€ facedown cardsleft.
Thumb off the iop four and placethem at pos. D, and plac€the final
card faceup in front ofthem. Rememberthat you thumb offcards at all
rimes,and do nol allertheirorder.
Picl uo rhe tour cardsbenealhLhelace up hear!and apparentlymix
them up; but keep track of the original top two cards. Say' "if I mix
dese. it is still very easyfor me lo extracttwo heartsbecause ftey areall
fie samesuil." Pick out the original top lwo cards,flash their facesto
show they are hearts and drop fiem face down, on the face up hean
inalicator. Say, "l will make it harder for /or by mixing lhe remaining
rwo heartswith two ofthe spades" Takethe top two cardsfrom the face
down four at pos. B, and mix them with the two alreadyin your hand.
Invite a sDectator to s€lectanytwo ofthese,asyou fan themout for him,
and drop his selections fac€ down on the spadeindicaior. Drop the
remaining two cards in your handawayfrom thesuitgroups,at pos.E to
form a new group
Prckuo Ihe loDlwo cardsttom pos.C andmix Ihemsirh lhe remain
ine rwocardsat pot. g Say I qill mLxlwo ol lhediamonds with tso ol
thi spades."Invite a speclalorto selec!any two cardsfrom thesefour.
nron the two he selectsface down on the fac€ up diamond indicator'
Dseird the remaining ruo on top ol heapE
Take the top two cards from pos. D, and mix them with th€ two
remaining cardsaI po\. ( , I el a \pectalor choselhet$o he Ihinksarethe
clubs. and drop hit selection.,still face dosr. on the face up chrb
indicaror.Discaldlhe remaininglwo card\ on lop of heap E
Pick up the two facedown cardsremainingat pos. D, and usethemto
126
Card Scriqt
\coopup theheapofcardsat pos E,sothalthevgotothebottomofthis
trcas.As you do this, say, "if you were not successfulin finding the
.orrecr suits. thesewill be in an awful mess" Drop the lop two tace
(lownon the indicaloral pos. D, the nexl iwo at pos C, lhe nexl al pos.
ll, and the final pair at pos. A You now haveyour face down cardson
cachface up indicator.
Let a spectatorturn the cardson eachindicatorfaceup for the climax.
"SURPRISE SURPRISf,''
lllfect
!'ive cards ate fre€lv selectedbv a spectatorand isola!€d.A iurther
.ard is selectedand initialledby a secondspeclator.Whenthe firsl five
.rrds are examined,four of them are found to be aces-lhe fifth on€ is
lound !o be |he inilialled selection The lrick was inspired by Alex
lrlmsley's "B€lweenYour Pdms."
$orking
Secretlyget the four a.es to the top of the pack. Hold the pack iace
,lown in ihe lefl hand. and cul about + oI the pack from face ro rop,
rrking a left little finger break belweenthe sectionsas they squareup
lurn the pack fac€ up, and Half Passthe lower sectionat the break
I'oint. retakingthe left little fingerbreakabovethe now facedown lower
(The break was of cou.semaintainedwhen you turned the pack face
Bringth€ righl hand over the pack lo cul off a sectionfrom the face.
rl,umbat the near short end, and fingersat the far one. Drop five cards
1'om tbe bottom of lhe upper secrionof the pack al the break point by
clcasingthem from the righl thumb, and retake the left litrle finger
l,rcakabovethesefive cards.Th€ ri8h1lhumb no\r movesupwardsunlil
Lrreachesthe approximatecentrepoint of the compi€tepack. and then
, ursoffthe facChalfandspreadsil facedown on the table Aspectatoris
,rvited to push five cardsour of this spread.Gatherup th€ remainderof
rhespread,and placethem faceup a8a;non the remainderof the faceup
in the left hand.
'rtck
'lransfer |he face up pack to the riSht hand for a moment,lhe hand
.!ting it from abovein a Biddl€typegrip, and th€ lhumb takingoverthe
I'rcak from the left litlte finger- Pick up the five face down cardsliom
hc table wirh the lefr hand. and slip them still tace down' beneaththe
irccup pack. Retakethe faceup pack inlo the lell hand' takingoverthe
l,r.rk again with the little finger. Take care that you do not flash the
r.ructof the face down cards,and make sur€that tbe audierceunder'
rrnds clearly that lhesefive cardsare face down al the tol/om of ihe
121
 I
Card ScriPI
Riffle the outer l€ft cornerof the pack with the lefi thumb, inviting a
spectarorto call slop at somepoinl. Reallycarry out lhe slandardRiffle
Forc€,and cut at the break point, Invite the spectatorlo rememberlhe
facecardoflhe lowersection,and ifconvenient,havehiminilial lhe face
of this card, as vou extendlhe half pack lowardshim
R€Dlacethe right hand sectionon top of the left hand one' and
immediatetyllalf Passthe lowerseclionofthe pack, and then spreadthe
fac€uD Daakbetweenlhe hands,until you cometo the five facedown
cardsit ihe bottom. Placethe main pack aside,and just retain the five
Hold the facedown caldsin th€ lefi hand, readyfor a minor variauon
on the JordanCount. Pull the first oneoffwith the right thumb, pull the
next one off with the righ! thumb, pull the n€xt one off, put all in the
risht hand back belowthetwo cardsremainingin the left hand, and then
oish ofl rheunperfour cardswilh lhe lefLthumbrnd tdkerhemin the
;iphrhand.ol;celhe final cardon lop ot the lour in the Irghrhand A'
vJu do thi'. ray, remember lheselivr cards$ere freel)selecled
' .ccondpack, and spectatorB.
FanourLhefl\ecdrd\tacedown.Turnlheloponeraceupandteplace
it in the sameposition.Say "how slrange,it's an ace " Turn lhe bottom
one face up and replaceit in the sameposilion, saying' "how slrange.
anotherac;". Turn the secondfrom top overand replac€it in lhe same
position, saying, "how strange,anotherace". Turn the secondfrom
bortom faceup and replaceii in the sameposilion'saying'"how slranSe'
a fourth ace", You now havea faceup fan ofaceswith a facedowncard
in the centreof them. Say, "the skangestthing of all is this centrecard
(laDlhe back of i0 because thal's the onethat wassigned."Turn the lan
ovir to show the card, voLrconcludethe senlence.
as
..COLOUR ME JORDAN''
Off€cl
Two mentally selectedcards vanish and appear in each of lwo
sDectarofspockets. This trick is not mine, but a classicof charle!
irdan, ail I havedone is.o add back coloursto the effect.
Wo.king
Neededare two packsof 52 cards,one with blue backs,and the other
red. Arrange one pack so thal readingfrom lhe face vou have 24 'ed
backed carAs.Each 24 card g/'orp mus! consisi of the same cards from
eachpack, althoughth€y do not need to be in the sameorder as each
128
Card Scriql
other. Arrangethe secondpacksolhat r€adingfrom the faceyou have24
btueb.ck€d aards,four red backedcardsand 24red backedcards Again
cach24cardseclionmustconiainlhe samecards.Placetbe packsin their
fasesand you are all set.
Removeeach pack from its caseand give each pack a shuffle thal
.xhibils the back colourswell, but doesnot disturb the positionof the
roD and face24 cards.I usea simple overhandshuffle, runnirg small
scitionsof cards from ahetop, and throwing them back on lop You
rnu$ not exposeany of the ba€ksof the face 24 cards.
Placeoneof the packsin the left hand and quickly count off ?6 cards
lrom the toD of th€ face down pack Count out loud so that the
\peciatorsu;derstandtbat you are countingoff half tI€ pack-Secretly'
,:ount27 cards,by taking two as on€ on your first count This is quite
casvif vou take a left little finger break underahetop two calds' befole
uou stait counting.Hand the countedcardsio speclatorA and request
him to Dlacethem in his pocket. Pla€etbe remainderof the pack, care'
lullv souared.face down on the table in froni of speclatorA.
nepeil the proceduredescribedin the previousparaSraphwith the
Pick up th€ cardsin front of spectatorA, and placethem face up in
vo r left hand. SDreadthem out wiih the assislance of the right hand,
selectone Do noi expose the faceof the lower_
rnd askhim io mentally
rnostcard whilst he makeshis choice.
KeeDthe cardssquarein the left hand after spectatorA bas noted a
card, ind pick up lhe half pack in front of spectatorB, placingthem in
rhe lefr htnd a iittle aboveand jogged forward, of the cards already
rhere.and holding fiem near th€ left fingertips.They are also tace up
l'an them out with |he help of fte right hand, and requesispeculor B 10
,rentallymakea not€of a card in this half. Again' do not let him seelhe
laceof the lowermostcard. After he has made his choice,clos€up the
and ger a feff little finger brcak above the lowemosl card of this
'pread,
,cction.Also, as you closelhe spread,move this half pack inwardsaod
,lownwards,so that ir more or lesslinesup with th€ other half pack.
Al this stagein the irick, requ€slthe two spectators to removethe half
Drcksfrom their oocketsand hold them facedown in their hands Under
rltcmisdirectionthat this actiongives,turn the cardsyou arehoidinSface
,lown, doing a Turnover Pass at the break point, and immediately
,Ineadingout the facedowncards,unlil you reachthe colourbreakponi
rhece;tre ofthespread.Remov€the uppersectionand placei{ in front
,'l spectatorA, and placeth€ lower one in front of spectatorB,
Make some magicalSestu.efrom the tabled half pack in fronl of
.r,cctaiorA. towaralsih€ hallthathe is holding,and ih€n placethe tabled
l;ili faceup in the left hand. Deal the cardsfrom ihis half faceup onlo
1l,r|able,counlingthem out loud as you do so Ask spectatorAto slop
lou whenhe seeshis card. You will only reach25 in your count' and he
\,ll nor seehis card. Havehim checkthrough lhe half he is holding' and
'179
 Cad ScriPt
Card Script
$ith the right hand and plac€it on the lable, and then removethe ace'
he will find it lhere.Repeatthis procedurervith the otheriabledhalf and
spectatorB. urn rt faceup and placert alsoon the lable
Iurn rhemiin pail' tocedoqn rn rheletrhandand'a) vottsill Iepeal
rhe aemon.tration. wlilsl the right hand is still ov€r the pack' riffle
..CREEN TURTLE'' uDwardsfrom the facewith the thumb, until you seethe reversedcard
(liv€ from the face,so you can couni rather than look if you wish) and
iake a left little finger break abovethis card Pick up the chosencarcl
sirh the riehl hand, and after showingit, turn il fac€down' and push it
Effect
,nro ttre pict at ttt. nearshor! end, reallyinsertingit at the breatpoint'
\nele rheDact5lrIhal theaudience (annolseeexaclly$hereil it being
and replacedliom
The A.S. is placedon ihe table, and a card selected abour+" jogg€doul al the
nrirted.q. you pu.h il inlo lhe pack.leave
the remainderof the pack. The acefirsl of all drawsthe chosencard lo
of the chosen ncarshon eni. furn the pack faceup into the left hand, and beforeyou
the face of the pack, then itself |akeson the appearance
rigtrrtranO,lifiup on thejoggedcardwith therightihumb' so
card, and finally vanishes,to reappearfaceup in the centreof the pack, '.rno'eitre
rhat the left fitlle finger can take up a break belowthis card'
with the other threeaces.
tici uD the A.S. from lhe tableand placeii faceup on lhe faceof th€
n,it tft. face of ih€ acewith the righi fingers, and then slide it
-"t.
iowards slightlyso thal the faceof lhe card belo* i! is exposedAppear
Working
ri"r ittit i' no' the cho\encard. and repeatlhe squaringof lhe
.h ',roiir.a
wilh I he pack,rubbjngandslidingdowna fewtimes bulstrllwilhout
e
Arrangethe pack as follows, readingfrom the facelx card, AH, AC,
Al a poini when the ace is in an iniogged position' push t!
AD, rcveBed9D, aD, rcmainderof pack, with the AS al aboutthe c€ntre 'uccess.
of this seclion. uDwardsio sqiare with the pack, but placethe righ! fingerson the face
oi lhe card belowit, so that it becomes outjoggedas ihe acesquaresup'
Fan rhrouahthe faceup pack, and throw ihe AS onio the table. Push out of lhe pack with the right hand, and pushit
l'ull th€ outjogged card
the facedozenor so cardsoveras a block so that you do no! exposeyour
hack into t;e;ack at approximatelythe centre As vou do this' say'
stack.Turn the pack backstowardsth€ audienc€andSiveii an overhand 'leLe set rid ol thiscard,perhaps rl\ an unlucly one
shuffle,pulling the top and botlom cardsoff logetherfirst, and throwing (;o ; rub the faceof lhe A S. a8ain.andlhensa) "oh I Inow qhat-'
the final s€ctionof th€ shuffle back on the face. This bringsyour stack
the aceshouldte facedown." Turn all the cardsabovethe little
back io the face, rr,firr the original face€ard. '"rons.
'r.rceibreal overonlo rhepackasonecald Rubthebackoftheaceand
Fan the pack facedown for one to be chosen,As soon as a spectalor i,.t1ir Uu.t ro e.po,ern.;ard b€nealh. andappear'urprrsed lhal il.ctill
hastakena card, closeup the cardsinto th€ lefahaod,and get a l€falitlle Repeat the rubbing a couple of times
riusn'l attractedlLe chosencard.
finger breakunder the top card. Take back the chosencard and placeil face down card, and hold it so that ils faceis
and then remove the
on top of ihe pack. Give the completepack a few cuts(doubleundercut 'iore, ir pulledtoo hard andgor
.,*ards\ou. Sav, 'l \ee $har\ happened.
iechnique)so ihat the chosencard endsup secondfrom the face Turn
."'r cari srucl on il' lace lhrowlhecardlouarehold'nSfaceupon
the pack faceup in the left hand, and gel a little finger br€ak underthe
rhetable.
facecard of the pack, g;vethe main pack
tJnderthe surpriseofihe chosencardsappearance
Pick up ihe A.S. with the righ! hand and talk aboul ils magn€oc fac€do\rnonlhe ldble and'a' il irn l
powers-Placethe ace/ace down on the face of the pack, and rub the ' inelecut.Spreadrhepack " Tap
, .,tti'ru.t royout catd.ir'\ 'tucl "ith rhree lriend\ righr here
back of the acewith the fingersof lhe right hand, explainingthat this forefinger as complete $e sentence
t',, iace up aces*ittr the righi vou
generates the magnetism.Now movethe right hand to the nearshort end
of the pack, and grip the two cards abovethe left little finger breal
tightly together,and draw them towards you for abou! l]". This will .RI:IURN OT THf, CANNIBALS''
exposeahefaceofthe chosencard, apparentlybelow|he facedown ace
Keepyour thumb on lhe nearshort end of lhe injoSgedcardG)and move
lhe righl hand fingersupwards,so that they restpartly on lhe backofthe
I I lerl
ace,and partly on the faceof ihe chosencard. Now movethe right hand
outwards,so that the facedown acesquaresup with the main pack, and
Iiur jacks are shown,and one by one, six cardsare insertedbetween
ihe chosencard ouljogsat the far short end. Removelhe ouljoggedcard
t3l
130
 I
card scnpl Card ScriPt
havingapparcnlly a momenr,saying"hungry little fellows," and then squarethem up/ace
rhem,dnd complelel)\anish.Ihe lacks lcannibalrl ddrn berweenth€ hands,the righl hand being curved over rhem, thumb
,r,.rn._ii"*ftit,ecL themealh3' on them i' lo bringLhemoul in
"r,"" ar lhe nearshort €nd and fingersat the far one. Gel a breakunderthe lop
tpi{e.unniual card wirh rhe righaahumbtip. A1 this slageact as if rhe rrick is over.
ptot uetongslo Lin searles'a genliemanwhosecontribu-
The following ac(ionis difficslt to describe,but done smoothlyis very
tions 10 card magichavealwaysbeenvery llne deceptive.lt is an unloadingmove for the fout cards below the break,
ihesecards at the moment being supportedby the lefr hand. The left
hand twisrsin a clockwisedirection,and moves down iowards the face
Working up pack on rhe table, taking the four cards it is holding with it, and
Jddingthem to the face of the main pack, as the hand opensand draws
Secretl\havethe four ten\ on top ol the nack'
rhe jack\ and placinslhem on rhe lhe pack inwardsand off the iable edge,and then twisis over so that the
R;;';;1;;;; ii'. p".*.
r^"".fift. Hold lhe '."-i"e
pack face up in the nghLhand in the arddle r)ackis facedown in the hand. In a continuingaction, the top threecards
"i.f. over the pacL thumbonthenearshorIend ,,f the pack are rhumbedoff one by one into a face down heap on lhe
6*, tr,. tt":Jl.rng iured rable,and the main pack is lhen placedaside, face down on the table.
.i.ii;.".i'.r,it. r; Dra$ of l rhree lacks inlo rheleft handoneb'
tv"pij.;,uir,r.iiriihumb
-e on rht face.ot card'in rherishthand
the I'racricethis move to ge1it smooth and fairly rapid, and it can be used
lell Jeceptively,evenwhen surrounded.
"iii,
i", * a.i" oIf Lhelourrhja(|. repla'elhr Ihreecard(in the
'L' p;;i;;Lhe riehi ana bv^pressute $irh Lhe retr iinser:' The right hand is lefi holding a singlecard, but the fingershide the
;;;i;;; rck of thicknessat the far short end. As you carry out the unloadjng
'; f,i*.r.o\r iacl'into Ihe lefl hdnd At lhe lame rime the
i"" tft. jn
'irl"
iiiiiii'i"jt a'";i"e;rr Iheracerack \ ouend$irh rwoiack'onl) \equence,say, "let's seeif they are still hungry."
sorharrhevale Transferthe card in the right hand 10 the lefi, keepingthe back of rhe
"
;? i;ii;;il.;;Ji'h; lacr"facedownon rhelabreMal€ surethevare fard towardsthe audience.Pick up the top card ofthe thr.e cardson the
.t..u""i""lt'. n.u. o' the table llighrlv
Cl;; "ag" pacr a tarse'hurneI hat thetop\i\
reep' rable,and placeii on top of the card in the left hand. Slidethe facecard
;;;i;:i;d,,;;; ,,u1,and placeit on top, usingthe sameaction as when sandwichingrhe
';;"ain
'"'roi*Lf?'ii'ii. ,* ,nreecard,or rheracedo*n pack.Lhu.re,p,v''g , rrds at the earlierstageofthe trick. Now count the two cardsas four by
,h";;;;; ;;;;ihilin a heap onrhetabler uInrhepackrace up rrking the first card fairly, the next unfairly, by loading $e first one
t"to* vou' r€rl hand PrdceLhe pacrrn a r,.rckinlo ihe fingersof aheleft hand as you take the second,the third
;;;i;;i; ;'ili";i;1,''
sothattheourel\hottendrspointins to the Lrnfairlya8ain, repeatingthe sametechniqueas used on the secondone,
'l;;i;;i";ilfp"'iit; .rnd(h€ final one fairly. Count out loud l, 2, 3, 4 as you take enchc.ud,
approximaletwo o'clock Poslrlon' Ind repearthe line, "anoth€r one eaten." You will find no rroubleat all
t;i ;;i;.'i; ;;;;;ks andhord,rhem.rqual:l:
wirh lCl' *j"5i.illf: { h this count if you can alreadydo the standard Chost Count, and
I ii.;".i. cannital' !ild"',il:
^i*'"uii,
.ol".;;;;r'ffi;;; pt"" i' on Lop'h"'
"pieienrine
;i,i'" or thejacl's slide:l:
rhe .,)unting 2 as 4 looks mu€h the sameas counting 4 as 4.
"n"o or,Lopandsav"$e'lljus(
place.ir 8j\c Placeanolher one from the two remaininSon the table on top of the
b.i,"''.-a"i ir'.i"J' outand
Countqilh thejacl\ (l
irr"t u .o..nt loi rherrmeal Do lhe chost
,.rnnibal group, and again cul on€ card from bottom to top. Chost
As vou do the ( ount the threecardsas four, repealilrgyour patter lines about another
;il;;;;; ;. ;i ;i;;ing the rastcard counredon top
one' t*o' three' rour"' and then sav'
;h;;;;;;;i;;;-i"o"d." I'lacethe final card on top of the cannibal group, and cut one card
'i;i.r onegone."
"lhat's
lhe two remaining on the Lableandplaleir ,om bottom to top. ChostCountthe four cardsas four to showthe final
* in? *ro
"op* Slide "trhebortomiackour and place on Lop and .,,d has been eaten. You could do a fair count here, bur I think tbe
on t.p .i ,r'. 1"'.i, 't anotheron( rt)tcaranceis more consistentwilh your pervious actionsil you do the
r4 (ard\ a5 '1' rhar's
-5a\ins on( r ,l!)st Count agaln.
';;F;ii17;;;;,-;;ain
i;i"*-,r'i t'i iriled cardon top of rhe iack\' and sain cut
-u"iii,.-i"
".'..:i i"" cho'r count asain t5 cards as 4) andsa1 l.rn out the four cardsfacealowrin ihe right hand, and say, '\he only
ii'i r..rn to isthestand Llrlfecls of all this eating,is to bring them out in spols." Turn ihe fan
:il:tl"ft il;i;;;;;;!." Norett'atthecountreferred
,'cr, and drop ii face up on th€ table.
sametechniqueis usedafter the first and third
".iif-lf"tot". "na-,fte
'-i;.; pu'hinso!el
;; r;.i:;,.",p.rnd 'p'erd Ihemoverrn a fan
'"tJ ti.pitg the lasttwo squaredasone Displavthe fan for
0,*.-."rat.
133
 Trigger
l:igure2.1(Audience'sview)
Ihe right hand hascomeover the pack, thumb reslingon lhe nearshort
cdgeand fing€rson the far one.

Chopter5
Figute24
Trigger

Frgure25 (From the performert viewpoint)

'Ihe lower half of the pack k twisteddownwardsand out to the righ! by
pa55 loweringrhe Ieft hand fingersslightly, and then pushingon the faceof
,, \ ihakevou
r youcanarreadydorlf+ff;:lxr.."rrl"",,'ff'" rhe half pack with lhe left firs! finger until the pack k in |he position
*lill'::',:il;'"''; ihown by the drawing.The right hand is still in position,concealingtbe
l"'i""'#,'ii :l"i;l;
;:l'i,l'il,iii[":J.Tl'ffi lcft hand action.

[itr,if,'rui*l'*[:if#r3ilir'"''J'.il]il,f:#i:*il
t"Tnt"ri"l;n, in linewirhtheillustrations
*ut o' o"scribed Figu€ 25

f,i"'r}i;'rnt:
rtq*hili#*i+,{txi*i**l*:**ft l.isure26 (Audience'sview)
Ihe left hand thumb movesdownwardsand towardsyour right and al
the sametime both handslwisl inwardstowardsthe body slighdyso that
,l,e pacl Irp\ up Io an appro\imare45'anSle. lhe left hand thumb
.2 a fontinuesto push downwardsso that its half squaresup wi.h the other
,'ne. Watchthe actioncarefullyin a mirror, to makesurethat you do nol
llash the face card of the upperhalf as you tilt the pack upwards.
Figurc23
)i
Figure26

134 135
 T gger Trigger
Figure27 (Audience's vicw) Figure29 (Audience'sview)
The righl hand rel€asas ils hold on the pack, whilsr the left hand conainue the riSht hand action, finally placing the pack facc donn in the
contirues its twisting action until the pack is vertiaal. Thc right hand left hand as the turning action brings thc pack to a horizontal position.
tak€shold of it againat the uppershortend.

Figute27
Figuro29

Firurc 2J (Audicne's view)

Th; kft handral.ases its holdoDlh€ pack.nd thctlShrhandcontinuas
lhe twistingaction lumin8 its wrist i[wards slightly.
by All thc aboveactionsshouldblcndinto onesmoothscqucncc,with no
.i€rkiness.It should be carried out rapidly, rerhembcringthe small
amountof timc it would take tolairrl lum the packovcr.

',sHowlx)wN"
Figure28
Uffect

A sp€ctator notes the top and face cards of thc pack ard thc pack ir
immediately spread to show that the c6!ds rDted have tumd f4ce up et
lhe cenlreof th€ pack.

Preprr.liod

s€crctly havc two cards face up at the bottom of thc face down pack.
Th€ intercsting thing about this trick is tbat the cards that revcrscfor tha
.limax of the effect, are really already reversgdbeforr the ldck stans.
How els. could tlcy turn face up so quickly?
131

Tfigger
Shuffle th€ pack, retainingand concealinglhe reversedcardsa! the
botiom and end with lhe pack face down ill the left hand'
Cut the pack once, taking a left lirtle finger break betweenthe two
halvesasth; sectionscometogether.As you are complelingthe squaring
of the Dackbetweenthe hands,drop onecardfrom the faceofthe upper
seclio; to the top of the lower and retak€a break at this poinr'
Apparentlytu;n the pack face up, but really carry out Trigger at the
break ooint. Hold the squar€dpack faceup in the left hand
Reou""ta soectatortoiememberthe facecard ofihe pack' pointinSto
it wilh rhe foiefinger of rhe right hand Take the face up pack into the
righl hand, fingersat th€ far short end and thumb at the nearone. the
hand beingcurvedover the Pack.
Draw out the lowermostcard with lhe lefl hand and requesta specta-
tor ao rememberthis catd, Replaceit in the sameposltlon.
Tum the Dackfa€edown but really carry out Trigger al the approxr'
matecentreDoint.sDleadthe facedown packout lo showthat lhe noted
cardshavejumped io the centreand havealso turned face up'
YNriltion involving threecrrds
Start with two cardsreversedat botiom of face down pack as in the
' l()rl end, pick up a breakal this poinr and carry out Triggerso that the
Fan Dackfor a card io be taken and r€tained.Closeup the cardsand
cut on;e and take a left iittle finger break betweenthe reversedcards,
exactlyas before,
Re;uestthal the card takenis remembered. and then tak€it back face
downind push it into rhe centreof the pack al the nearshort endso ihat
ir eoesin tractlv at the break poinl once lhe cardis partiallyinto the
oaik. rhe break can be released bv the leil litlle tinger'
'
As'ih€ card is souaredwith th€ pack, lift ir slightlyso that a left liltle
finger break can ba laken below it.
Trisser at the breal point and requesta speclalol lo remembertne
face;d. Takethepackinto rherighl hand.finger\al the fat lhorl end
and lhumb at the n€arone,the hand beingcurvedover the faceup pack'
ADDearto draw oul the lowestcard wilh the fingersof rhe left hand bul
reailvout out the secondcard slighalyby usingihe Sideclide Requesta
speciaiorto rememberthis card.
Push the protruding card squareand then apparenllvturn the pack
fac€down, reallycarryingoul the TrigSermoveat the appropnatecenlrc
Doint.
Soreaalthe facedownpack out to revealthalihe top and botlom cards
travi turned face uo at ihe centreand caughlthe seleciedone between
them.
r38
I ftqqer
..HOP.A.LONG HOFZINSER''
Elfecl
Four acesare shown and then a card is selected.The selectedcard
.hangesover wilh lhe aceahatmatchesits suit.
Run through the faceup pack and removethe aces,placingthem on
rhetable.Closeup the packand hold it squaredin the lefl hand, drawing
.rrtentionio the four aceson the table.Drop the lefl handto your sidefor
Pick up th€ aceswith th€ righl hand and hold them in a slight spread,
rrcesiowardsthe audience,fingerson the facesand thumb on the backs.
t heacesshouldbe in a knowr suit order from top to face,in mycasethe
,rder being,heart, spade,diamondand club.
Bring(heleft hand up with the main pack,but keepthepacklow in the
rrrnd,the pack stili beingfaceup. As lhe hand movesup, placethe aces
li om the right hand facedown on top of the faceup pack. If sufficient
rrtentionis drawn to the aces,it will not be apparentthat |hey areSoing
!'r top of the face up pack.
l-ifr up aboul one quarterof the pack with the right thumb at the near
r{rk h apparentlyturned faceup.
slowly spreadthe cardsout from the face and requesta spectatorto
,lrrlv any one from the spread,Rememberto spreadthe cardsslowlyso
rlrat you do noi reachthe reversedaces.After a card has beentaken,
.,tuareup ahepack and hold it in the lefi hand. Note the suit of th€ card
llreakthe pack at the n€arshort sidewith the right thumb at the poinl
pack. If you
"lll:re the lowestacefacesthe low€r quarterof the faceup
.limateabout ihree quartersof the pack and lift lhis up with lh€ right
l,rnnb,you will normallyhit lhe right poini straighlaway,because of the
r".rk which will naturally form at the r€versedcards. If you missthe
drop the break and riffle up with the right thumb until
',.,ruralbreak,
\,'Lrseea back drop from the thumb and then take a breakwith ihe left
l,rl( lingerbelowthefacedownace.Lift up all thecardsabovethe break
",1h rhe right hand and exiendthe left hand with ils cardstowaldsihe
.l..raror and requesthim to placehis chosencard facedown on top of
I r,1,,\ccrion. Replaceth€ righl hand seclionof the pack on lop of the l€ft
squarethe pack.
'.,, one and
l'ush over the cardsfrom the facc until you comelo a facedown card
L,rl rhcnsquarethe cardsagainbut get a left little fingerbreakabovethe
139
 TriSSer t r88er
your card is facedown .,\ you cometo them, and leavingtbem in an outjogBedposition. Hold
facedown card. As you do this say' "Remember
' r[c partiallyspreadpack in the left hand and pull ouathe four kingsone
in the faceuD Dack
carrrouri i;eeer Ihebreak arr ou
pornL )r onewith rheright hand,makingsurethar you havea king ofrhe same
i,:l:,jiJiJ[.:ff X
ea5fi
"ar acestace doqn ln a I
tace down. Deal lhe lour
r olour ar eachendof the group. Turn all four facedown and placethem
thecardcho\en
llli i,l''"i'ri.-i..ir'1i;;rie,pond,to Lhe'uir orafter and l)elowthe faceup pack. Now pull oui the aceof spad€sand placeit face
i""ii""" i" **tJ a""l on anv acesthal come this one' lf ior ,l(rwnbelowthe pa€k.
;;;;;i.-. i;;;;;."i.;,"d wasa diamondvouwoulddealnormallvon furn the pack face down in the left hand and squareit up wilh the
il;iii;ii;;;;;J...ond dealonrhelastrwo (tl lhe'uitorderoi(he .rssislance of the righl hand. The kjngsand aceare faceup at lhe top of
rlre lace down pack. Make surethat you do not €xposethe red backsas
aces*as heart,spade,diamond,club)
'I riqqertheDaakaLtheapproximate cenlrepoinla5youappearlo Iurn \()u squarethe pack and turn it over,
lable 'Ihumb over the aceand r€moveit with the right hand, placingit face
it asideon lhe
"it taci-uoanoolace in a tlighrspread andadjunrhem.so rhatrheface ,rt on rhetable.
;il;lh.;;;'
threecon;ealstherearone Flashrhefaceof Ih€spread lo lhe auolen(e Thumb overthe facedree kingsto showthefacesof the four and then
hand and thenturn them facedown them back on to the pack with the right hand, in this action
i"i *".""i Uvt"it,i"g the rigbt 'qLrare
" |eting a left litde finger break under the threekingsthat were spread.
*'J':.Tit:::"J:jl'T"lf, prace
il
rn.g,oupanarar' rnenextoneand
q
\tpear to removelhesquaredup kingswilh the right hand, fingersaithe
r;;; ;; ihi';;. iepear rhis piocedureuntil vou are left. ith.one 1.trshort end and thumb at the nearone, but actuallyonly removeth€
you hatebeen rlrrcecardsabovethe break.As th€ right handmovesawaywith its cards,
i... J[*n."ta i" ttt. t"tl hand.Poinl out thal slrangel)
rhe 5ame suita\ the cho\en card sav "rhar'\ rhcleft hand doesa wrist turn so that the pack endsfaceup and the king
ii it'.]* ir,"i i.
"J bur "f
this h a betterone " Slosly turn lhe cardrn )our '. eoncealed.As ihis wrist turn iakes
place, the right hand placesits
noi a Uaarrick, \pleadlhe
trto* iI i\ rhe acluals€lected one and then ,tuaredkings face up on the table a liule apa( from the ace.
rr"ni i"..
"p '.
pich anOreuealthal the reversed one wrthin ir i' the dce With lhe assistance of the right hand, readjustthe pack so that il is
r,fld in a naturalpositionfa€eup in the left. During thh action,get a left
Llllcfinger break aboveth€ low€rmostcard of the pack (a king).
..TRIGGER HAPPY'' Apparentlyturn the packfacedown bui useTriggerar the breakpoin!.
l,rnsferring jusl one card will feel strangeat first, but wirh a litle
/ ,.rcticeit's not Loodifficult. The pack now appearsto be facedown in
1l,cl€ii hand.
Effect
Irjck up ihe pile of kings from the lable and place rhem face up
ofspadesface l{ r$eenthe fingersand thumbof the lefi hand,the main pack beingheld
The four kingsareplacedon top of lhe packand ihe ace ,1,cperin the samehand. GhostCount (Alex Elmsley)rhe threekingsas
'rftiUngs change placeswjth the ace and the speedoi
uo-"i'rf,i Ir ,,ur wilh the assistance
""noi. la\i lhar the paik become' redhol or lo nhrase oi the right hand and rhenllip rhem facedown
,ri.iiunsoo'ir'onis 'o
Io red ,Llop of rhepack. Apparentlylurn the pack faceup bur usethe Trigger
i.tt ai""i",ii"rrv, trt. u"cks changelrom blue | 1,!c, taking your initial breakal the approximaiec€nre positionof the
r k.
\\'ith the left thumb, geta slighlbreakabovethe four facedown cards
Prept]ation LLLhecentreof the pack, the break beingheld almosl at the outer left
Removethe kingsand the aceof sp^ades from a red backedpack and ,t,ticrcorner.The pack wili normailybreaknaturallyar $e correctpoint
ace from a blu€ backedpack' Scall€r , ,, rhe break, bur if any difficulty is experienc€d , ihe pack can be riffled
.".i"". *t"t with kings and an
;t!r1ii""gi't trt. *a p:"ck,makingsure thev arenot roo nearthe top or 'r'lrtly wirh th€ left ihumb until the appropriare poinr is reached.
I'L.k up the aceof spad€sand insertit facedown into ihe pack at the
, frl poin! beingh€ld by the l€ft rhDmb.As the aceis squaredup with
,li. pack, get a iefi little fing€r breakaboveir with lhe left lillle finger.
\r,j'xrently rurn the pack face down, really carrying ou! the Trigger
Pedormanc€ ,,r,,\car the breakpoinr.
spadesand kings Jlumb off (he top four cards and uke them inlo the right hand
Run throughthe face up pack, up.joggingthe aceof
140 t 4l

t
 Trigger
T gger of the guardsa thick prison wali.
Close up the spread,and in doing this get a left little finger break
rbove the facedown card nearestthe face end of the pack.

uit:l$fl'rs+*i*$.;er:+**"';;.u{$ Apparently turn the pack face down but carry out Trigger at the break
point. Hold the fac€ down pack squarein the left hand.
Talk about the impossibilityof the prisonersescapidgand then cary
oul the ErdnaseColour Changewhich transposes the posiaionsofthe top
andsecondcard (pagel5l of "E\pert at lhe Card Table" by Erdnas€,or

$$ffiffi#sm*mffi
pag€49 of "lnner Secrelsof Card Magic" by Dai Vernon).
The effect of the Colour Change is to causeone of the acesto appear
lace up on top of the pack. Place the ace on the table saying, "One
t.isoner has escaped."Repeatthe Colour Changemove three more
Iimesand as eachaceappearsfaceup at the top removeit and placeit on
rherable.

#*t{**rg*1*ttrr.l;*i;q',:':r Appear to turn the pack face up but really carry out Trigger at lhe
,lppropriatecentrepoinl. Spreadthe cards out lo show ftat ih€ two
Auardsare left reverseda1the centrebui that the prisonershaveescaped
lrom betweenthem.

;tt*',l'i{Hi*',.i"1#}tiilli#,l*'5:,,':i,',I:'. ..CREENHORN"

l.ltfect
..JAIL BREAK''
An instanttranspositionof awocards,one beingfaceup and the other
EflEcl

I'reprrdiotr
n!::';,'*lr.'l*j;l"Lf'#Ei*':t'"".'#t,'l;il,,".'llli Startwith one card faceup al the bottom ofthe facedown pack. Try
l"lt'":.t#cautionsdrenrisonersescapeandreavethe
.itd arrangeth€ face up one to be a very easyone to remember.As an
[::J.':i.ilX':lf .\rmple, let's sayit's the Joker.

P€ ormatrce
in a slight spreddface up on lnc
Removethe four acesand placelhem shuffle the fac€ down pack without revealingth€ face up one and

+:,i#*;al;'",'*
i;ii:5i."l;';;;[i:l*il;
$lrhout alteringits position.
Spreadout the pack facedown, requestinga spectalorto selecta card,
\. soonas he hasremovedone,closeup the pack and appar€ntlyturn it

.'h3**ri.iifsJl*"'H'l'"'"#rots":'+i""1$t
:{tf r,(c up but really carry out Trigget immediatelyabovethe faceup card
.rr rhe bottom. An easyway to get lhe starting break, is to buckle the

ril:f#ii#;l:
ll'|lom cardslightlywith the tip ofthe left forefinger,sothat il opensup

;* lfmf--li*',"rn.g*
.hAhtlyat the near short end.
143
rL)
 T gger
Tritger
the spectaiors Ask a sp€ctatorto nodindtethccenheJokersor th€endJokers.Whcn
Draw atlention to the face card of th€ pack and r€quest hemakcshis choic€,pull theappropriatepair awayfrom the fan andinto
toiierilo'ii. ln o* ir wir betheJokq',
.-,--..^ ^'^-* therlghthand.
K:U',#;;:i;;;;;rt'i"*
"*ample t'r'rTa.Id-l*:*:l?:1 If hc hasnominotcdthe etrdpair, rub the backsof th€ Jokcrson thc
"ni"'r" 1ll"-:11'::*.:l'f
;ffi" ffi ;"J#l'.;:fi#i.*i..i ii'i*li "p
""1*#i'"iJ'ii'iifriii'"-J'i"i"''itn; p""lL'*
""'n ::-l'l'31'1"'i rableor sl€evcof your jacketand tum theol overto showthat the backs
ii,llii'lii TiJ'iiii,il'iili.i-iilii'd^ii'; Aor*entrv tu'"rhepack hav€changedto rad. Pausefor a momcntatld thansay, ..you areprob-
treal poinl ably wond€ring*hat I would hayedona if you had choscntlrc ccnlre
til-.il il;;i;-"d trissc' at thc
oui pair; well, in that caseI nould havechangcdthcD to qucdrs." Slowly
ii".il #;#i,t"'i"i;
Asr na sDcclarcr tne flarn oiiE*G'"a""'a l;i of.the
:fl :':*v
facern-t9"":lJl"* iurn thc jraL in the lcft hlnd faca up to sbow that this h8s actually
ir'lil'ifii; ,ipiii;;h";it
r"fffil.i:iil;" ir nowoo
iii''no* thcruo
on,m -a,
in place Jokcr'
happened.
i;;:#il ;;-#i1;;h.*'ili" now racc
theJoko is up at thc@ntret
Obviouslyit do€snot matterwhichpair hechoosas,you limply adjust
your patter accordingly.
.ITORSE SENSE"

Eff.ci
Choice"
Thc [ick is brscd upon Bro. Hamm'n's "A Four-tunate
r",l,iiui'iiri"u.ilJlr,iri.io. ?,pagc and.t.::Jr:ti:ll:-:i::;
s4z, two
il$;i";iff'-;iffi;;"i5ff;;i or arother
th' raccs
;;;'?;; l'.r-"ti" q"*"il ottrv four cardsareus€dandnoncar'
faked.

Pnp|rrdon
backedque'ns' Th€
Tvo rad backcdJokds are raquit'd andtwo bluc
suils'
ouecnishoutdbc of rhc samccolour as rcgards dow! que'nsand rh'
5il.;;;;l;G; faceup bctwccnth€ race
bacletof four cardsin your pocl(ctor walld' andyou ar€all s'l'

Pattordanca
that the top catdis a
R.novc thc pockelof cardsandhold th'm so of rhepacket asvou
r^i]'iiit^ i'ii 'fri'i roflashtheothcrside
"i'e-rit

145
 I Some Lale Extra Card Tricks
size, i.€. undercut about half the group and run six cards on lo the
r€mainder.Throw the remainderofthe cardsin the right hand on top of
thosein the left but outjog them. Undercula1the jo8, run six cardsand
throw rhe balanceon top. Hold the packetFACE UP in the lefi hand.
Ask the spectatorthe nameof the card he r€membered. If he names
ChaPter6 thecardyou glimpsed,leave thepacketFACE UP.lfhedoes NOTname
the glimpsedcard, casuallyturn it FACE DOWN, b€foreproceeding
Spellout the word REMEMBER, deaiingonecardfor eachlelter, and
SomeLate Extra Csrd Tricks you will end on fte card he remembered.
Say "do you remenber the card you forgot?" w}latever his reply,
,ip€llout the word FORCET, continuingfrom the next card of the ones
remainingin your hand, and you will concludeon the card he forgot.

..TIIE 'TIIING ER ME JIC' TRICX''

.'SATAN'S MIRROR''
plot originatedby J N Hofzinser'
This trick usesthe remember/forget
Eff€ct
P€dormlnce
This is really a form of suckertrick, althoughit usesa themethal I

:
:",f :f :.lifJi:J'':i:i
:?ti."i
xiX,,1',1"'iLl"ol;'fi :
:'"'iL:fi havefound audiencesfind interesting.A pocketmirror is shownand the

""f "u,r'.';:::+:r
#tii+ijfili'f#ui"st':n'.'".'".';
performerclaimsthai it hasthe powerto capturereflections.He success-
lully demonstrates the mirror's ability, and in conclusionthe refle.tions
rre turned to their ownersquite safely,

:ffi'ill;ffi1ffxqlii"i'*[#;8.
i'll'3lhii!
{i:li laequiaem€lts

A small pocker mirror and carrying caselo hold it. Mosl chemists
ilill,'l,lli! iiii:".*'.rft m(:
.Tlil",''xi:"* (drugstores,acrossthe water)sell these.Also,5 blank facedcards

l;x'*'ili':x1"Jl;Jli.'"l'fl ""iff :.;*',, once, par

Lhe
o,o'e r
*;ijt' ",
*;rrl:ft*',rff1r;lx',i:l'l*l'm'":l' :;
lil:'ii:"1;:.1 l'rep|]stion

Placethe mirror in its casein your left handjackel pocket,and along-

;**$i iitl,-:":,"liilliHll*#
f$;6y';'L4:5
,rclethe mirror with their facesiowardsthe body, placethe following five
, rrds, wirh the 95 at the faceofthe group, 75, loD, 6C, 8H, 93. On top
)l the remainderofth€ pack placethe 6s,8D, 7c, I0H,9c,lhe 9c being

,',:.,,.i:#ilt;,
ifii:'i,,,lt*,Trff, tac'
rr'e
uni,.m.mu'r i[e top card of the pack. Have the 5 BLAN( facedcardsat the faceof
r|lepack.
card,
r d.
Ihe reTi"S^q.n.':L"-l:T
Pf;cerhecaldsin rherighrhandon top ol
i;iih"";'";'"-p
;1lilii;: p"i'"^-*r'"'o't1]:j?1"'jl'.:ll:
'J:1':;l'';:':;'[l'ii..i"'i;;
;i:;;i;;; *li.r'in.
'Jiffil;l;T'#i; ;."p.ii"'a',r'"- !::Y':1f: ::h:,:i:';
'?:':""i'"::l:,'5i,1 shuffle the pack without dislurbingth€ stackedcards,and end with il
ri';'Jr;it::l:;.,"';i:;"'i"i *. *r'i..r'n.' i"'t''
"errqith
orrhi\
d pact'er .recdown in the left hand. Then take aboul a dozencardsfrom the top
1 46 147
 Some Lale bctlo Ca Tick
SomeLate Exttu Cad Tricks
'I Jont rhinl )on b€hevelhal the mirror reallyha\ capluredlheir

:i"ii:3iii.-li}.:H#i,i' ij.iT';:ff':
iil';,i.llff'1,::;ili;". ,ctlections." Turn eachof the five cardsover to revealthat $eir faces
lrrle vanished.This is quite surprisingto the audience,and you should

*1";",';t;::fffi *il:i' :itil,i,":lH":.:fi i;

l:1ii:Ti;nii'i .tir as if the trick is over.
Carher up the 5 blank cardsand hold them in the left hand' rleally
tt''J.'ilt"::i a(rhe
break
rhe quared, wiih your thumb stretchedover their face,the cardsreallybeirg
:iiil,:lii:,'ll'll,."0o"'",""dre(ake l,cld betweenihe left fore-fingerat the rear and thumb at the face.The
,,rirror is sti held in the right hand and you should make some
t*:"'.'nllnilll"''1.:l
*i,nrr,.
r:ili'',ii"iir"Jt,f
ffi+i},,!tJ,,:;:
to reston lop oI
the faceoflhe uppersecrion
*i.f;.,0,n'j:
, ommentsabout its stmngepowers,despileits normal appearance.
As you draw attentionto fie mirror, the left hand goesto the pocket
*"i;""-"*jv lur'1
1-.a ilX'f'r#:J::1.".i1 1)rrhecase.The blankcardsareinsertedinlo the pockelso that theyend
"pp., *
n"ri
r'""J
,,er,i
" ;
ll:';',":,:},'ifiilf ;i'ir'.
li"li:li'ilJi;Il# rcarestthe body, and at the sam€time the caseand other 5 cardsare
rripped (ogetherby th€ left forefinger on one side and th€ remamng
,ni ii i"p inecards hand
inrtretCft ring;rs on lhe other. The hand is withdrawn from the pocketwith the
'.'r'hand
rhe righ( "" tong"iside Now flip thrscard Xl?Tllt;t;til,,t;""'; ,.rseand cards,but the 5 blank facedcardsar€ left behind.The switchis

rli':* :i"inl*** ii:'iJ;;ii':'ft :[':""T';81;.

,,i'fr"I.'
down'
fa,:e
'''.hnicallyeasy, buL musl be Siten sutficien(practiceIo acquire
,rroothness.Remember,you are apparentlyjust going to the pock€tlo
i"iiirr"rnt,
- nip tttl. onefa€eup andthen ,)btainthe case,and you must act as if this is your ONLY intenlron
*nen you
rnit '.quen.euntil 5 cardshaveheensho$n bul
ioniinu. ""a Keepthe facesof the 5 cardsgrippedagainstlhe caseand awayfrom
.,"j;::lilfff.'llhl"ti':'.:{'il
i:i":ff:iii rl\'audience,Placethe miror in the caseand drop the cardsfacedown
:ly,s'Jl'.:1,',"'f ,'I the table.
:l::i
:ri"*l'*llhltig[:tl'",'*l'#:illxTi"T":'iff As if a sudder thought has struck you, say, "t wonder if we could
r.rxrn the capiuredreflectionsfrom the mitror?" Take the mirror from

i:1:fiTfi"Jts:iinFill'n: i:i:'Lili"".'iff;
:l':'u:.::11T ,rs caseand iap it on the backsof the tabled cards, as if shakingthe
, fllectionsout;fthe mirror. Turn the cardsoverto revealthat theyhave
namedftem, this is importanl. qainedtheir reflections.
i"ji,Li,":';ii:JTi'
,.x"**tm*:i.liYi.i,';iilli illJ:! 'f

'WITCHCRAFT''
:H"*iiilq!*!ijil,!::i*::ftr::y*l:".Tlmi"l,l;'il
i5T:?:'#::iifj*?lilX'iiiT#'*^*Esrv;urbodv. I his, and the effect that follows, use the rather tediousdown/under
l,,,lfle. lt is nol ih€reforesuggesledthat they ar€ used as programm€
but rather, in mol€ informal conditions,lo which they are much
";:*:lik*t*l"mm:xl,:";':'ni.'-:Ti#::l!:?11':
I;:lJ;i{",;x**ul#:.HT.ffill?'J,l'#i,x"'i'.1h"':l':x:
'r.rns.
r' |lcf .uited.The firsl itemis thelocaliono[ a card,and thetecondlhe
l :,rionotacardpluslherevelalion
.ards. Hardly breathtaking
of anapparentlyunIno$nquantily
effects,I know, bu( I hope the methods

xl"l,it*.';lsfr; if'8ii"fr "ji;:'xH: 31i:':liiu,,"li "

'l
rll be of interest.

r#vi:l;*"*it'', ;lillillllH";;.1;: lHll'tl$ii:Jff i":1,

willconsider NrrlhodOn€ (fairly easy)
l)il;li;;;;il;;; ;;;apr,rrea ren"ciion" rr'e audience
*i*u*:t,*.i;;'l'*::;:,:Y:l"l #:: i1?:ii'li':ll
*'ii.l'i,ilin*',,"..0"1.*',n^ "'''';ff
li:.,liil11? ;ll[?Jiii
L'"'J,:;':;
anri'a,
I lrve lhe following 13 valuesstackedon top of the pack' ihe 2 b€ing
r,, ror card,2,4,6,8, 10, Q, l, 3, 5, 7, 9, J, K. The surlsare nor
.i'u'*l'il#l,l;;' ;; ireaudience
ii":li":',';$,"',?"Tfl 149
148
 Some Late Extru Cord Trick
important but should be well mixed, and the suir of the K shouldbe
remembered.
Pe ormrrce
Falseshuffle th€ pack and then cut the packetof 13cardsfrom the top
and place them face down on the table. The exact point to cul at is made
easyby looking for the K you remembered, asyou estimatel3 cards.It is
betterto OvER€stimate and lhen drop cards until the K is in viewat the
face of the upper section, before lifiing this section away.and placing it
face down on the table,
Explaintha! you would like a spectatorto think ofany valu€from I to
13 and then to dealcards€qualto this value,into a fac€down heapon
the table. Illustratethe procedureyourselfby dealing3 cardsfrom the
main pack saying, "If you were to think of I you would deal 3 cards
down." Hand the remarnderof the pack to the spectalorso thaahe can
deal down his value.Turn awaywhilst he doeslhis, explainingthat you
do not want to haveany idea of his chosenvalue,
Whenhe indicatesthaahe hasfinisheddealing,turn back and askhim
to place the remainderof the pack aside.Pick up the 13 card packet
placed asideearlier and fan them facestowards the spectator. Ask him 10
look to seeiflhere is a card amonSstthem ofhis v?rlue.Say,"lfthere is,
pleaserememberit, if thereis not,let me know and I will add somecards
to this group from the pack." This is just a'throw off" line, because
there will alwaysb€ a card of his valu€ in the 8roup. Point out th€
impossibilityof knowingthe card he remembers.
Squareup the 13cardpacketand hold it facedown. Pick up the cards
that the spectatordealiand the 3 that you dealt,and placeBOTH on top
of the 13 card packet.
Position the cards ready for a faro shuffle and cut exactly 7 cards from
the face of the group with the right hand. This cut is madecettainand
easyifyou rememberthat the Queenmustbe at the faceof th€ remarning
sectionwhenyou havecut 7 cardsoff. Justbreak off what you estimatc
is 7 with the right hand thumb, and thenadjust to get a Q at the faceof
th€ remainder,beforelifting the cardsawaycompletely,by pickingup or
droppingcardsfrom the righ! thumb. Faro shufflethe cardsin the right
hand into thosein the left from the faceendof the left handgroup The
King must be at the face after the shuf{le(out shuffle from face)
As you completethe faro shuffle, push the right hand sectionin
slightlydiagonally,so tha! when the packetis returnedto a face down
posidonin the lef! hand,theleft little fingercanobtain a breakabovethc
uppermostjoggedfacedown card. A breakis thus beingheld abovethc
face 13 cards when the packet has been squarefaceddown in the left
hand.
The righl hand comesoverthe packet,thumb at ih€ nearshortendand
150
Sonte Late Exttu Card Tricks
lrngersat rhe far oneand 3 cardsare droppedfrom ihe faceofthe cards
.rhovethe break. The break is STILL MAINTAINED BELOW the 3
,l,oppedcards. After dropping 3 cards,the righl hand removesall the
,( mainingupper cardsand appearsto pla€ethem belowthe cardsin the
eft handin a cuttingfashion.However,theMarlo PullDown is executed
l,y the left little fingeras they go under th€ packet,so that lhey reallygo
l)clowthe uppei 3 cards.They arealsoinjoggedslightlyasthey squar€up
lreadthwisewith the olher section.ln a continuingaction,the right hand
rxkesthe cardsabovethe injoggedsectionand plac€sthem BELOW the
,cmaining cards. The effect of this procedurefrom the audiences'
ewpoint, is tlat the packet bas been casuallycul twice, following a
nruffle.
Saytha! you are now going to use a procedurethat will haphazardly
.liminateall the cardsexceptone, Placeone card facedown on fhe table
,urd then one under the packet, and continuethis procedureuntil only
rne cardremainsin your hand. Ask the nameof the notedcard, and then
rrrrnit slowly face up.
MethodTwo (very easy)
l'r€p8rrtion
Havetbe following 13 value cards stackedon top of the pack, the 7
l,erngthe top card: 7, 1, 8, 2, 9, 3, 10,4, J, 5, Q, 6, K. As in the pr€vious
v.rsion. the suitsshould be mixed. and the suit of the K remembered.
Cnt off the lop 13cards,as before,and placefacedo\I1ron the table.
Let the spectatorthink of a value from I to 13 and deal cardson the
r.rbleequal to this value. Illustrate the dealingprocedureby dealing3
,rJsin a pileon the tableyourself.as in previous version.
I:anthe I 3 cardsfor the spectatorto notethe cardof hisvalueand then
rrvethis packe!a ReverseFaro Shuffle, leavingthe K on the face,before
l'hcing it face down on lhe table. ReverseFaro meanssimply running
rhrcughthe face down packetwiihout alteringits order, but jogging all
Lrrds at evenpositionsup slightly.Thesecardsare thenstripp€dout asa
l'lock and placedon top of the remainder.
( iatherup the packetsby takinSyour 3 card one firsi, the 13card one
Ltr\1, and the spectator'sone on top of all,
Il you usea good falsecut, useil at this poinl in the uick, and thendo I
rl,f down/undereliminationto concludethe trick.
t51 lr
 Some Late Exlru Cqrd Tricks
..NOW AND THEN''
M€thod
Run through the faceup pack,countingfrom the faceuntil you come
to the twenti;th card (twenty-firstifyou are usinga 53"cardpack) Injog
the twentiethcard, and removeihe cardimmediaielyaboveit, and place
it facedown on the table, sayingthat this card will help you with a pdr!
of the trick.
Placethe pack face down on the table wilh the iniog slill maintained
The pack shouldbe in a casuallysquaredpositionso that the injog is not
obvious. Casuallycui off a seciionof the pack, but really cul at the
inios. ore55ins down on il shghllvuiLh lhe riShl thumb.and gi\e this
,.ition,o u.J".r",ot tor shuffling.He is reall' Sivenexactly12 cards
After he has shuffledthe cards,turn your headaway and ask him to
deal two handsof cardsfrom the sectionhe is holding The handsare
dealt in conventionalfashionand must of coursehavethe samenumber
of cardsin each.Thereare no restrictionson the dealing,and he may
stopwheneverh€ wishes.T€ll him to dealqrietly, as vou do not want to
have any idea of the numb€rof cardsbeingdealt.
Now requesthim 10 placeone of the dealt handsinto his po€ket.He
then looks at the top card of the remainiry hand, and finally drops the
und€altcardson toD of this hand so thaahis noted card is sandwiched
betweenthe two sections.He can be allowedto shuffle the two sections
BEFORE noting his card and assemblingthem' if you wish
Turn around and pick up the compositeheap, casuallygiving it a
couoleof falseculsthaLwitl leateit eraclly in thesameorder.Il lou are
roo honestro everindulaein falseculs.do nothingal all Io lh€ paclet
Do an under/downeliminationshuffle with the packet,and as you do
this, silentlycou.rt the numberof cardsas they are dealt on the table
ask the spe€talorthe
'trrhenyou are left with a sirSle face down card'
nameof his notedone, and slowlvturn the one you are holding faceup
counl.
Do not includethis last card ir vour mental
Pick up th€ card that you removeda1the beginningof the effect and
hand i1 to the assisiingspectaior'Say this card hasihe power 10 count,
andaskhim to touch ii on the cardsin his pocketfor a moment,and then
hand the cardtoyou. Placeii to vour earso that il canwhisperils findinS
to you. Whilst il is whispering,mentallydeductyour total from 3l and
lhen announceihe quantily of cardsthe spectatorhas in his pocket'
If you wish 10 do a DOWN/UNDER insteadof an UNDER/DOWN
elimination, cut one card from top 10 face before you commencethe
eliminationshuffle.
152
Some Late Extru Card Tricks
Proc€dure
^lt€tnrlive
Follow the instructionsfor the first versionuntil you hav€cut off the
12cardsand handedthem to the spectator,Now continueas follows:
Requesthim 10dealout ihree handsof cardsand to stop wheneverhe
wish€s.He mus(ofcourse havethe samenumberofcards in eachhand,
xrd as beforeyou look awaywhilst he is dealing.
A5k him to placeoneof the handsin his pocket.He tlen shufflesthe
undealtbalanceremainingin his hand, and makesa noteofrhe facecard
ol rhis group. This sectionis now sandwichedby the spectatorbetween
rheremainingtwo handson the table,onegoingaboveit, andonebelow.
You turn around and take the assembledpacket from him, false
shuffleand falsecut if you wish, and then do a DOWN,/UNDERelimi-
nation, ro end on his notedcard.
Follow the sam€instructionsas in the first versionto find out how
Inanycardshe hasin his pocket.
NOTE:-The precedingtwo ideaswill work equallywell with 16cards,
if you wish to cut down (he amountof eliminationdealing.
Just count to 16 at the beginningof ahetdck and injog the
16th card, throwing out the previous one as already
explained.Wten you cut off the upper sectionof the face
down packetat the injog, placethis sectionasid€and lei the
spectatorpick up th€ LOWER one ro deal from.
Finally,your key to subtractfrom to find out the quantity
of pocketedcardswill be 15.
.'STRETCHING A POINT''
Somelittle time ago, PeterKane marketedan excellentclose-upcard
rrick called"The ElonSatedLady." This effect was inspiredby Petert
rrick, and I suggesrit shouldbe usedas a lead-into your favourirefour
,rr routine, ratherthan as an effect in isolalion.
Pcter'strick rrsesa differentmethodto this version,and I recommend
lirt you shouldinvestin his effect,if you would like to add a strongoff-
l,fa1rtemto your repertolre-
l,llecl
card is apparentlystretchedand then revertsto irs normal size.
'\
llse cardsihat havea close.consistentback design.
lJ3
 someLate Extru Card Tricks
Me(hod
R€movethe 4 acesfrom the pack and hold them facedown in the left
hand. Haveany one selectedby a spectator,and then take it and placeit
faceup, in the fhird from top position.
Closeup (he spr€adof acesand 8et a break under the face up one-
Turn the completepackel face up, maintainingthe break, and then do
the Half Pass with the lower 3 cards. If you are familiar with Ken
Kr€nzel\ "Automatic Half Pass" publishedin EpilogueSFecialNo. 2'
usethis, as il fih in perfectly.
Hold the cards face down in the left hand, and draw the top card
slightlyinwardswith the right. Push the top card and the secondcard
forward together,by placingaheright fingerson their backs'until the
top one squaresup with the lower two aces.This will leaveth€ second
from top card out-joggedfor about l" and the audi€ncewill assumethis
to be the back oftheir chosenace.Move the facecardfolward for about
+" which will exposea back below it at the near shorl end
DurinSthe next phaseof the trick the left hand grip on th€ packetis
impo(ant. The packet must be deep in the hand, with the left thumb
restingon the facecard, and pressingdown very slighily.The left fingers
curl dightly around the right long edgeto keepthe cardssquareacross
$eir width.
Us€the right hand to pull the facedown cardsout along th€ir length
slightly,alternatingat far and near short ends,as if stretchingthe face
down card out. Pull eachend oul about +" al a time until a faint click is
heard andlor feh, which meansthe two cardsar€ now butted together
belowthe top and bottom cardsof the packet.
Because of the light pressureon the facewith the left thumb' you can
now appearto push the "slretched" card back and forth with the right
hand. The right thumb pusheson the near short end to move the
''stretched'card forwardaboul l , and lhen move<lo Ihe opposite
short end, and usesits fingertipsto push the "stretched" card inwards
for about 1'. The riSht hand continuesthis oppositeend pushinga few
limes,and an excellentillusion is createdof the stretchedcard movin8
back and forth. End this sequenc€after one of the inward pusheswith
the right {ingers.
Take hold ofthe nearshort end of the "stretched" cardwith lhe right
handand lifl ir upwardssligh(ly,th€npushit forward for aboutj" This
will Dositionit abov€the other face down card and their adjacentedg€s
will no longerbutt together.You can now slowlypush the far and near
shortendsinwardsa little at atime, to reducethecardio its originalsize.
As you finally push lhe near short end square,push it also downwards
slightlyso thal the left liide finger can 8et a breakabovejt, asthe cards
squareup. The packetof four cardsis now squareand held in tbe lefl
hand. lmmediatelythis position is reached,a Half Passis carriedoul
with th€ lowerthre€cardsof the packet.After lhe completionof the pass
154
l
Some Late Extra Card Tricks
rheleft hand remainsinposition, fingerson lhe bottomofthepacket and
rhumbon the top, and turns thepacketoverin an inwardsdirectionuniil
rl is facedown. The right hand hasofcourse beenremovedto allow ihis
Finally fan the four cards out to show ihai the chosenace is still
reversedin its original position,and briefly showit on both sidesbelbre
droppingthe spreadon the table.
..THE PAINT BRUSH CHANGE''
No claim for originalityis madefor this sleight,althoughil wasoneof
rhe first "moves" I workedout many yearsago,and usedprimarily as a
colour change.lvhen Dai vernon visited Britain for the first time, he
I
rrenlionedin conversationthat he had usedthe movehimselffor exactly
rhesamepurpose.I do not know if Dai inventedthe move, but it's likely
hc did, and possiblyothers have hit on the sameidea. In any case,I
lvould Iike to describemy handlingof the sleightin conjunctionwith a
.imple effect, and follow this by threeother tricks usingit.
\s a Colour Chrnge rnd Appe ance
Have a card chosenand returnedto the pack, and conlrol it lo the
.ccondfrom top position. (Bluff passis a good method.)
Turn the top card faceup and th€nflip il facedown again.Durina this
.r.tion, get a left little finger breakunder the chosencard (secondfrom
Take the top two cardsasone,facedown into the riShthand, the cards
lieinggrippedat the exrremeri8hr hand long side,ihumb on lhe lop and
lingersbelow. Move the righi hand and its card(s)away from the pack
lor a moment,and thenusethis cardG)to assistin flipping the next iop
,ard of the pack face up. The card is left faceup on top of th€ pack
Hold the packcompletelysquarein the left handand draw attentjonto
rhecardfaceup at the iop. Bringthe right handand its facedown card(s)
r. rhepack and let the facesof the cardslouch. Now movethe right hand
rt) rhe right, so thaathe facedown card(s)slowly travelsacrossthe face
,,p one. wlen the point is reachedwherethc overlapis about 1", tilt the
r rghthand card(s)up slightlyso that its facerestson the fingerlipsof the
lcfuhand, and iN left hand long edSeis still touchingthe faceofthe card
.,r the top of the pack.
Ihe right hand now movesto iheleft and upwardssliShtly,and the left
hand fingertipspresson the faceof the lower card of the pair, so that it
r,,ldsdown on top of lhe card a1the top of the pack. The right hand
,.achesa position of aboui 3" above the pack, and then immediately
,Iovesdownwardsagainwith its singlecard, and flickstbeleft hand long
 Some Lote Extra Card Tricks
sideof this card on th€ lefi hand finSertips.This up and down aclion is
repeat€dlwo or threetimes.11shouldlook as if you are jusl flicking thc
left fing€rtipswith the card in rh€ right hand, and during this actionthc
faceup card on top of the pack visibly changesto rhe chosenone. The
completesequence shouldbe a rapid one.
Drop th€ card from the right handfaceup on th€ table,remarkingthal
it seemsto hav€ strangepowers-As you do this, get a left litde finger
break under th€ rop two cardsoI ihe pack.
Apparenlly turn the fa€eup card on the pack face down, but really
rum overtwo cardsas one,wiahthe assistance of the littl€ finger break.
Take the lop card and pushit into the centreof the pack bui retain lhe
break underlhe singlecard now left at the top.
Pick up the card from the table and placei! facedown on top ol the
pack. Repeatthe Paini BrushChangesequence alreadydescribed,taking
the top two cardsof th€ pack as one.
Nore that you DO NOT turD the lop card of the pack faceup, afrer
r€movingthe top card(s).Justcarry out the changeasdescribed,bur this
time on the FACE DOWN top card. The chosen card appearsto
magicallyjump from rhecentreand appearsfaceup on top of the pack.
..WARPAINT''
Effecl
This is a straightforwardmatchingand colour changetrick which is
easyio do, but carriesa strongimpact at its conclusion.
Prepsmtion
Placea card with a different colouredback to your main pack in the
secondfrom top position.Thetop cardof the packshouldmatchthe odd
one's face.
P€rformance
Shuffle the pack, relainjngthe top two cardsin position,and iaking
carenot to expos€the odd colouredback.
Doublelift the top card(t ard leav€it face up on the pack, keepinga
break belowjt. Let a sp€ctatorsignthe faceof this card whilst you hold
the pack,
Take hold of De faceup card(s)wilh the righr hand and flick ir on rhe
righl handlong sideofthe packa coupleof times.doing rhe Paint tsrush
t56
Some Late Extrc Card Tricks
, hancein this action,andthendrop ih€ faceup cardin the right handon
lir rable,still face up.
'Iurn the pack iace up and spreadit betweenthe hands,requestinga
tjcctalor10 selec(any card (not the top one).After he hastakena card,
quarethe remainderof lhe pack and hold it facedown in the left hand.
Take his selecledcard and placeit face up belo\rvthe top card of the
i.r.edown pack. Spreadthe cardsslighdyto showexacdywhat you have
l, e and then squarerhemup, taking a left little fingerbreakbelowthe
l'akethe signedcard from the lable and placeit faceup on lop of lhe
,,rck, poinling oui that although il is unable to actually louch the
'r.aredcard,il i' slill ableIo exerra slrang€poweroveril.
'I akethe top threecardsas one into the righl hand, grippingthem at
Lcir dght long edge,readyfbr the Painl BrushChange.Twisl the right
lirnd briefly to showthe appareniback of the card(s)it is holding,and
rl,cnturn the hand back to its original positionwith the card(s)faceup
il!)!e the face down pack.
alarry out the changeas aheady describedbu( lhis time addingtwo
..I ds !o the pack from the rear of the threein th€ right hand. After the
hange,the situalion will appear lhe samefrom the speciator'sview'
t\)inr, you hav€ apparentlyjust flicked the left hand fingertipsa few
' |,c. sith the laceup cardin rheriShthand.
Movethe right hand wilh its card away from th€ pack for a momen(,
.,'rd lhen spreadthe top card of the pack wilh the left thumb to reveal
hatthe selecledcardbelowit haschanged!o aduplicateof the onein the
rshthand.
Mention rhal tbereis little poinr in having two identicalcardsin ihe
pack,so the bestrhing to do will be to changerhebackoftbe signed
'nre
j,rc to avoid confusion.Turn the right hand ca(d overto revealthe back
Iange,and thenhandit !o the speciatorwho signedi(, saying,"Perhaps
!t'u would like to keep this as a souvenir, who knows, you may
\cntually fiDd the other 5l cardsand havea completepack."
,'sAMtr AGAIN PLEASD''
l:rfect
lhis is a form of coincidencetrick in which cards are magically
, hangedto match others. There is an apparent lailure on the final
.,rrcmpt,but this is quickly rectifiedby the performer.
Iteparation
Secredyarrangethreepairsof similarcolourand lalu€ cardson top of
l,c pack,in lhe followingorder:45, QD,7D, ?H, QH,4C. The cards
are just givenas an example,of course.
rtlrgested
t5'7
 Some Late Exttu Cad Tricks Some Lale Extra Card Tricks
L,ll little finger breakbelowthe faceup card (belowthe top threecards)
l'lacethe 4Jfrom the lable faceup on top of the pack and carry out the
Cive ihe pack an "in" Faro shuffle,in whichonly lhelop 6cardsfrom
If you do not usethe Faro I'rinl Brush Change,bui this lime holding four cardsas one After lhe
eithersidene€dto be accuratelyintermeshed.
jusr place l,.,nge, placelhe 45 faceup on the table.
shuffle, a card between each of the stackedones,and ooe al
the top ofth€ pack, beforeshowingthe effect.Eitherapproachwill leave l'u5h;!er the top cardof th€ pack,and removeil and loseiI some-
you with the 45 (in th€ examplegiven)in the secondposition from the Nherein lhe centreof the pack Appear surprisedthat the faseup card
' . r'oredat thetoDof thepackdoe\nol marchIhe45 PlacrIhepacl inlo
top, with the remainderof the stackoccupyingthe evenpositionsbelow
rt. t'e righrhand.ai you do lhis carryout th€ Dai lernon Top Palmfrom
'sel;l Secrets."In a continuingaciion,lel the packdrop on to the table
Follow the shuffle with a falsecur, which losesthe top card, and then
lrom a height of aboul 6". lf lhis sequenceis performedsmoothly,the
deal oui two face down handsof cards from a pack in a conventional
*rong card'will almost visibly change1o lhe right one, and the effect
dealingfashion, threecardsin eachhand.
,,)ncludeswith a co(ect match
Turn ihe top card of the left hand group of threecardsfaceup, and
leaveit face up on the table. It will be the 7D. It is easyto gel rid of the palmed card, by scoopingup fie fac€ up
,,urls lying on ihe table, and in this action adding the palmedcard to
Take the top card of the other group, and placeit faceup below the
rt,em.Lefire turning thim face down and retuming them to the main
top card of the pack. As you squareup the pack after placing it in
position,get a left little finger break below the faceup card.
Placethe 7D from ihe tabl€ face up on top of the pack and then take
thetop threecardsofthe pack with the right hand,holdingthemsquared .'(]OMMAND APPEANANCE''
as one card. The grip is al the right hand long side,in the position used
for the Paint BrushChange.Flick the right hand long sideof the pack
with the faceup 7D, carryingout the changeas alreadyexplained.Place
lllfccl
the 7D back on the table face up, and then spreadover the top three
cardsof the pack and take them io a dighl spreadinto th€ righi hand to
show that the face up card betweenthem has changedto a matching l.rom a shuffled pack, the performer magicallyproducesthe four
,tueens(or aces,if you happento do four aceiricks).
Removethe 7H from the centreof the two fac€down cards,usingthe
extr€mefingertipsof the left hand first and secondfingers,and placeit
t'rcpsrltion
on the table with the 7D. Place the two cards in the right hand
UNDERNEATH ihe main Dackin the left hand.
\ccretly cull the queens1o the top of th€ pack, each pair of the same
Repeatexactlythe sequence describedin the previousfour paragraphs
by placil8 ,,'lour beingtogether.
to producethe two queens,and aSainconcludethe sequence
the two facedown cardsin the right hand back beneaththe pack. As you
are squaringihe pack betweenlhe handsafter replacingihesecards,lift
up the top two cardsof the pack slightlywith the right thumb tip, and
move th€m as one card about +' ao the right Afier moving them over, (;rvethe Dackan "in" laro shuftle,in whichonly Lhelop fotll cards
lock rhem in position by pressurewith the left thumb. tnterme\hedlolloq thi\withdSlip
, r cachhali haveto be accuratelv
Turn up the final two facedown cardson the table face up. Leavethe i ur or DoubleUndercul,(o losethe iop card. The pack has apparently
45 on the table and placelhe other card still faceup, apparentlyin th€
secondfrom top posilion of the pack. Reallyjust push it in from the l,ccnshuffledand cut, bul actuallythe top card is a queenand the oth€r
right hand sideso that it goesbelowthe two cardsjoggedoverasone.Do rl,ree6re in odd positionsbelow it. If you do nol Faro shuffle' simply
not attemptto squareir wiih the pack at this stage,just pushit in enough .,rrangethe quee;s in the akemaling s€quencea1 the lop of the pack
so that ifyou releasethe right hand grip on it, it will remainsupportedby I'clore commencing.
the cardseithersideofil, assistedby slightdownwardspressurewith the i'la.elhe toDca; ol thepacl faceup on lhe lable lake the nexlcard
placeir F^CE UP belowlhetop cardof lhe pack.Aftersho\tingIhe
l€ft thumb. "'.i get a
Squareup the pack wilh the assistance of the right hand, and obtain a lu,siiionof the faceup card, squareup the pack, but in this action
k lr litde finger break belowthe face up card.
' 158
159
 SomeLate E tra Card Tricks SomeLate Extro Cord Tricks
c?rd from the rablefaceup on rop ofrhe pack
L^Pfacerle
noro,or rhe thre€cardsaboverhe breakwirh rhe ,iet
and rhenlake rlmost the salnemovementtwist the riSht hand so that aherear card of
ror,the painr,BrushChange.Carry our rhe i h_J. i" ;rti;; rhcblock endsup faceup abovethe pack,theright thumb on its faceand
changeas ajreadydiscribej lrncerson the rear.
an!.rhen reptacelhe card remainingin rhe
raote.,rrom the audiences'viewpoinr,you
riShi hand f"".."p;;;; ihe complete scquencedescribed in the previous paragraph is per'
havesimply flicked.rheriehi lormedsmoothlyand a! speed,and the actiooshouldappearto be much
nanofongsrdeot rhepack wirh rhe faceup card,
an,i tir." i.pl..a i,i" rh€ sameas the normal Palnt Brush Changeaction, us€din the first part
,rl the trick, but the effect this time is that the face up card iII the right
the top three cards of the pack to show that rhe
}^_Spread card below the hand visibly changesto a queen.This queenh held in lhe riSht hand,
f3,:T-ht Place
T1""l" 8.a to a queen,.aichng rhecolourof rheoneon whilstthe left hand thumb pushesover the top ca.d of the pack to show
therrable. rhequaen
t o. ir,. p""l Jongiia.,r,.o* jr.ua'yon,ii
table. rhatthe faceup card in the secondfrom top positionhasalsochangedto

,-J,fi .]:,5#iiHlillli"ff
[i:J,"'fr ",il::H;rur,
ir queen. You have now produced all four queens and wtth sufficient
inlensivethoughtcan proceedwith a follow-up trick usingthem.

tabre'
;fl.tilf1"'Ji"J:'":l;.card;:nnrheseta IertriLtilrine!'o'ear "HAPPY FAMILIES''
Bring rhe righr hand to the rear
end of
.
rhumbinrorhebreak The idea for this trick came about aft€r reading Stewart Judah's
pact
ar,n.
,,rr,
n-o .no'lil,i."i#tJ:1iHl.";'il: ''t,ightning StrikesTwice." It is a card trick without any manipulative
:rndrhefingers
on rhebackof rher"p.".afrr. nr"* rir.1"iji.j
Dackwardsslighrly.and then right away f skill whatsoever, so may be slipped in after your demonstlation of one
hand centredealing,to give youl hand a rest.

ffiif,ind,if;
,'g;1$irimr*xi:t'if;il,'*
h€-raceup card(s),from ..$
rI€ riShrhandbelowrhejrigg.il."ra. J"i,
rr rn rromlre r'ghrhandsideof lhepack,feeding i""h
caroand theon€belowit. Onceit hasbee ii i"ir"*.i" ,f,ii"L;
card,.
rerease Removethe J, Q and K of hearts and place them in a fac€ up fan on
rherishtr,",a*j i".iiir,.iLpHl':,L'l'":r"';:;::;:i rhetable.Repeatthis witll the J, Q, K of spadesand the J, Q, K of clubs
posrlronry pressure wirh _rhelefr ,t oi"pr"y ir,i-"arai l'atrer about each of the groups reprcsentinga fanily-mother, father
pos,lronlor,a momenr.. "ru. of rh; rl!1, f,unJ i"'ir,i"
wirh lheassisrance
pacx,butlakea Ieftlirrtefinserbreakbetow.the ,*"r.ifi.
fac;p;il il;t"*;;i; Hand one of the setsto a spectator ?rndask him to riix them up, and
loJ,lhreecardsof thepack),Fromtheaudrlncesvrewpornt,
.i:,ilTi[7"1i you bavr rhen deal them in a face down low on the table. Hand a s€cond
''Family" set to another spectator(or the sameone, if your average

"iiirliiEi+i_i-Jffi
rn€ pack. you are now goingro flick rhericl
'liffi:
".'#T.trJi:.';:rfi?ff
""'r:;d:ril:ii;ti[ti'i.#:r111'":f
:rudienceis about the samesizeas mine) and let him mix theseup and
dcal one on top ofeach one alreadyon the table. Repeatthis procedure
;:t"'nf wilh the final group of three. If you are lucky, this will resultin three
lrce down Dileson the table.
#ilil:: *,Jlfflf;T5ffi:-,;l."'ffi
'J,,j;
imi::_'ll';l: Requesta spectatorto Satherthe pilesup in any order, one on top ol
rheother, cut them if he wishesand then hand them lo yolr.

asonecard
i,,t:_*ll'l*,J:
ff_r|p-fiLtr*Ji:i,Ti"i13fii:."/ff
unrir l"ii ;"
Mix the face down packet up by doing as many ReverseFaros and cuts
lls vou wish. and the audiencewill sland. ReverseFaro meanssimplyto
,un through the group of cardsjogging upwardsall alternatecards,and
lil:::XTf*:',$J:'*'#8hI 't''r "* '.iri"c rhenstrippingthemout as a group, and placingth€m aboveor belowthe
Trist rhe btock upwardssligirty, lrninc it
rcmainder.As you shuffle the cardsin this way, say, "As the families
i:l'."t:l * t*i;I"- d;";i',i
.;:'l,r'#,i;:fffiffi'ffiTifff;:
nnge,s,"r,icrr
iiri ,esulInrherearcardbeinr
rravelthroughlife, they tend to get separated."Cu|s canbe interspersed
betweenthe shufflesif You wish.
Itjt_Llf.!]l*o
scparaled trornthe:""na
facf rhree.Moverherighrhana
that the lacelhreecardsof thegroupfold-duwn ,o*"rai if,.l"fr'.i Deal out the nine cards in a face down row from left to dght, leavinS a
on lo thepackand in v all gap betweeneachcard and its neighbour'
160 161
 Some Late Exttu Card Tricks Some Late Extra Card Tricks
Hand your penor pencilto a spectatorand askhim to placeit on rhree (uggelled
.\.' red backedpicturecardr.5ayKS and QD the colours
cardsin a row, by positioningil horizontallyso thal it touchesall rhree. r . rf rre ol cour\earbirrar!and may be changecl to sull ln
aratFDlllfy
Gatherup the line of cardswith the exceplionof the threecoveredby \, rur particulararea,
the pencil,slartingat the left handendof th€ row, and placingeachcard lo commenceth€ eflecr, the cards should be arrangedat follows'
on top of the one to its right. As you gatherthe cards,count the onesto lrom the face of the packet Yellow backedJC, blue backedJD' blue
the LEFI of the threechosen,which will giveyou an answerfrom 0 to 6. r,.'.r.J ,r,,i. vello* backed KC. red backed KS. veltow backed KH'
lfthe answeris 0, think of it as 3. lf the answeris ABOVE 3, subtract3 ,Lllow backrd JH. red backedQD face down blue bacled Joker and
from it to give an answerof l, 2, or 3. You will thereforebe Ieft with a r,re down blue backedAD. This packetof ien cardsis placedin your
effecl'
key numberof l, 2 or 3, and this must be remembered. r,.,.f"ior ,rullet, so that whenyou removeit to demonstratethe
Placethe gatheredcards behindyour back, or under the table, and rlrr faceof fte cardswill show.
hold them face up. with the assistance of the right hand, count off the
facethreecards,so that their orderis rev€rsed,and thenplacethem back
on the faceof the remainingthree.Pull off lhe faceand rear cardswith
the righahard and bring them out in a facedown condition.
Mov€ th€ pair of cards back and forlh along the line of lhree face Alrer Derforminqoneor rwo lricks. saythat you would Iike lo showan
down cardson the table as if se€kingan empathybetweenthe pair you ,'r.resriicrhrnc*]th someof rhe piclurecards.and to sav€lim€ vou
are holding and one of the tabledones.Finally, drop the facedown pair .-i*.,"4 ,fte appropriatecardsfrom the pacl anc placed
just below the card that correspondsto your menial key numberwhen ".,t"
rhem"ii."'d"
in your pockel.
readingfrom RICHT to LEFI of the tabledthree, i.e. Key l, extreme nemouerhi packetof cards lrom your pocketor wall€t' Ialing care
right hand card; Key 2, middle card; Key 3, extremeleft hand card. i"..r.*,i" u**. and hold the packeltac€up in the lefl hand
Remov€anotherpair with theright hand,takinSonefrom the faceand ',."
i,',,," trr.'rl"rur'"na otir rhepacket lhumbat lhe nearshotlend and
one from the top ofthe remainingfour cards,and bring them facedown i',i ,i, , iii r;"."ii it'* t'alf the lhickn€ssof the packerwilh rherhumb
into view. Drop this secondpair on the card 10 the RICHT of lhe one I ct lie cardsdrop singlyoff the thumb tip, unlil you seethe KS at tbe
with the previouspair on il. If thereis no card to the righl, just move lrce of the lowe; s€ction.Lifi off the upper four cards with tbe right
back to the oppositeend of the row and drop the pair on this card. l,rnd and Dlaceth€m in a squaredface up pile on lhe table'
Placethe final pajr, facedown, on top of the remainingsinglecard. fr'"nn.',ft. r.f' handgriton the remaining cardsin th€ handso that
Patter about the familiesalwaystrying to unite for chrisimas, and rt., rh;;b is on the faci orerlapping tlre left long sideand lhe fing€rs
then turn eachof the pairs faceup, one by on€, to revealthat eachis of l,clow.(This is ihe same grip you use when doing|he Elmsleyor Jordan
the samesuit. Replacethemjusl belowtheir associated facedown cards. r,!hecounts).
Say that only one memberof eachfamily is missing,and then turn tlr ino rhe risht hand to thesroup and placetheIhumb on the face Use
each of the thre€ face down cards over in tum, to reveal that they ,,,rti o'"es.ure"wlrl rle rtrumbio draq lhe lacecardoff. andinloIheI ighl
completethe respectivefamilies. i'i'ial irt" *."i.i"g cards in the left hand mus! remain absoluielv
,ruare.Drawoff rudmorecardlinlhe\amefa.hion.and LhenLalelhe
..MONTMARTRE" l,:ralone(reall)threeas one)on top ol lhosealterJ, in lhe righl hand
i;',,"i* trri. count well, as it is used conlinuouslv throughout the
,ourine.Tilt the cardsslightly,so that the facesare towardsthe specta-
This trick has becomea favou te of mine becaus€of the mulli- ,",iii io"Jitlo., it: Ait€r showinsthe (lour) picturecards,place
climaxeswhich seemto appealto specta{ors.The plot in which a group rl,. packet, "rro"
carefully squared. face up on the lable
of cardsfollow the face uplface down condition of a masterone, was pi.r ,oir'.otrt"i gtir"p of piclurecaldstlom the lableand Elm\lev
shownto me by Mr, Gordon Bruce. t o,rnt thirn to show foui picturecards Placethe last card counledon
rl,r laceoflhesrouo.Turnrhepacker lacedo*n.andIhumbo[[lheLop
,,rdinto the rishl hand, rakrnS care lo keeplhe remaining cardscare-
Pr€plrstion f"urnrft. cardstn (helefl handfaceup. and drop themin a
"if" 'ouat.a.
r,r6i-up spne.ro on the lable. Drop ihe sjngl€ card from the righl
ln additionto four cardsfrom your normal bluebackedpack,you will card spread, still leavingit face down
''irr*on toD of the three
lurnd ,
needfour yellowbackedpictur€cards,saythe JC, KH, JH and KC, and r.om oneheapbeingableto influencecardsfrom
162 "uoitir," "".a.
163
 Some Lote Extra Card Tricks Some Lale Extn Card Tricks
the other one, and illustratethis premisein rhe following way. $hdte!ercardappears). Flip it doqn again.bur in Lhisacriondrop the
Pick up the first group you counted,and hold il face up in rhe left rhebreakon rop ot ir. (srandardDrop Addirion
hand. Takethe facedown card from the othergroup, and placeir on th€ :)o."r9:_1,919.191
\'1ove.)IMMEDIATELy DROplhe laceup cardsin rheriehihand,in a
faceofihe cardsin the left hand, but in an injoggedFosirion.Now place rrceup plleon rhetable.andpushorer thesupposed namedcard,a lirrle
the finSersof the righ( hand on thejoggedcardand the onebelowit, and ro the oght with rhelefr lhumb.
push both forward togetheruniil the injoggedface down linesup with Tale. rhc card of the pack inro lhe right hand. and placelhe
the lower cards, and the face up card becomesoutjogged.Take the I fmainderof_rop
rhepackon thetablewith rheleft handwellawayfrom rhe
outjoggedcard awaywith the right hand and drop it siill faceup on th€ rhreegroupsof cardsalreadyon the tabie.
table 1o form a new packet, Offer to demonstrat€thepowerof the cardwhichyou are holdingface
Jordancount the sixcardsin the left hand asfour, placingih€ lastcard down in the righi hand.
BELOW the previousones.The cardshave apparentlyall turned face First.rubit onlhe backsofthe facedown pair and then flip rhemface
down in sympathywilh rhe facedown card placedwith them. Afrer the up to show they havechangedto a pair of aces.Now rub it ;n the faces
count, hold the cardssquarein the left hand. ''l rhe faceup pair {QD and KS} and flip rhem facedown ro show rbar
Take the JC from the tabledgroup and placeit face up on rop of rhe ,'rerrbackshavechangedro red. Rub ir on rhe facesof rhe final group.
left hand group in an injoggedposition. Exchangeit for the facedown .rndthen flip thesefour facedown to revealrheir yellow backs.
one below it using the techniquealreadydescribed,and drop the face Pausefor a moment,and then say, ,,This card ia so powerful, h€ can
down card on the table to form a new pile, still facedown. .ven changehis own personality."Slowlyturn the cardin your hand face
Count the cardsin the lefl hand to showtheyare all faceup usingthe Lrpto revealthe Joker.
simple pull off counl describedat the beginningof the rourine, and
rememberthat the final card (threeas one) is placedon the face of rhe
precedinacards.
Hold fte faceup cardssquarein the left hand, and takerhe JD (lower
of the two on table)and placeit facedown and injogged,on ihe faceof
the left hand cards.E\changeit lbr the facecardofahe group asalready
explained,and drop aheKSon top of the QD that is alreadyon the table.
Jordan Count th€ six cards in the left hand as four to show they are all
lace down, rememberingthat the final card must go BELOW the
previousones,
Take the KC from the table and placeit siill faceup on top of the left
hand cardsio an injoggedposition.Exchangeit for the facedown card
below it, and drop the face down card on top of the facedown card
alreadyon the table.
Count the cardsin the left hand usingthe pull off count to show all
four are now faceup, but this time placethe final card counted(rhreeas
one)belowthe others.As you squarethe cardswith rhe assistance of the
right hand after the count, let the lower two drop from rhe right thumb
which is restingon ahenear short end of the group .rnd take a break
abovethem. Takethe completegroupinto the right hand, tbumb still on
the near shori end and fingerson the far one, the hand beingcurved
abovethe face up group. The break above the lower two cardsis still
maintainedby the thumb.
Picl up the main pack with the left hand and hold i! facedown. Push
overthe top cardslighrly10the r;ght with the lefr rhumb, and thenflip ir
laceup on to the top of the packwith the left loDgedgeofthe cardsbeinS
heldin the righr hand. Menlion that thereis one card in the pack thar is
mor€ powerful than any olher and that this card is th€ (here, name
164
165

Chapter7
That CertainSomething
..GROWN UP HOFZNSER''
The classicHofzinser effect, upon which lhis effect is based,is a
strongoneand canhardlybe improvedon. This, therefore'is a variation
and not an improvement,and, as such,will hopefullyescapeAl Baker's
wisewords aboul many a good trick dying of imptovement.
I considerthis effecrto be a strongcommer€ialpres€ntationfor a lay
audienceand, in sayingthat, realisethat somecardenthusiastswill read
no further.
Requircments
Neededare four jumbo cards which reading from the face of the
packetshouldbe the AH, AS, QD and AC Thesefour cardsale plac€d
in the insidebreastpocketof your jacket.
On top of your normal sizepack, placelhe AD followed by the QD
and you are all set. QD is the top card of the pack.
P€ ormrnce and Presentrtion Outlln€
Removethe normal sizepack from your pocket and give il a brief
shuffle, retainingthe top two cardsin position.Cut the pack and take a
lefl litlle finger break betw€fl the two halvesas they come logether'
Riffle down with the left thumb al the outer left corner and invite a
sDec(alor to call slopal somepoint Whenhe ha\ doneso uselhe right
h;nd to litl off all rhecardsabovethe break This i\ lhe srandardRiflle
Forceprocedure.Thumboff the top cardofihe lower sectionfacedown
onto the table and reassetnble ihe pack,by placingthe lower half on iop
of the upper one, and holdingthe pack face down in the lefi hand
Say thit you havefour cardstaken from anotherpack that will help
you out with the irick. Reachinto your pocketand bring ou! the four
166
That Certoin Something
,,,Ibo cards.Hold the jumbo cardsface up in the lefl hand, the packer
firg grippedat irs left long sidcby the tips of the left hand fingersand
r,L,mb.The normalsizepack is also beingheld in the lefi hand,but
rfped down in the hand, so as not ro interttre with the grip on the
"
ItrinSthe right handup to thejumbo cardsand ElmsleyCounithemto
li,rw ihe four aces.Ailer the count, the AH will againbe at the faceof
l|c pack€l. The count should be casualiydone, only mentioningaces
.Lrrerthe first onehasalreadybeencountedinro the righl hand.Turn the
fL:rot"aces'r facedown and deal them from left to righr in a facedown
, Liwon th€.able.
I'ick up the facedownselecledcard from the tablewith the right hand,
,,ilding jt at the right lower corner. Tih lhe card so that its face is
,'wardsthe audienceand say, "The suit of your chosencardmustbe tbe
..,Jneas one of the aces,but we do not know which aceit is." Continue,
''l am going to movethe card facedowr over the acesand try and stop
,,\ cr the acewhosesuit is idenlical to the chosencard."
l urn the selecledcard face down and slowly move it backwardsand
r,,rwardsalong the row of aces, firally bringing it to rest over the
f\lreme l€fl handoneof the row. Ask a spectatorto turo oneofth€ other
.k$ faceup and leaveit in its original position.Wh€nhe hasdonethis,
,,rn the card towardsthe audienceand say, "Does its suit match the
, Iosencard?" Whenhe cl€nieslhis say, "Well, lhat leavesme wjtb a one
irLthreechanceof beingright." Turn the chosencard face down again
,rJ hav€him turn anotherof the acesin positionstwo to four fa€eup.
I lr the chosencardup so that its faceis towardsthe audienceand again
,Lfk il the suit of the lurnedup a€ematchesit. Whenthe spectatorassist-
riLrtsays"No," conlinuesaying,"Well that givesme a onein two chance
,l beingright."
lurn the chosencard so that it is face down againand havethe final
.r.c down acein the secondto fourth positionturned face up. At the
\rry moment that this aceis being turned over, top changethe card in
\,'ur right hand for the one on top of lhe pack. The misdirectionis very
.rong and high technicalabilily in the executionof the Top Changeis
, ,'r required,iust do it qrrelt and without haste.To help evenmore,as
rlLeaceis beingturnedfaceup say, "I wonderif this suit matches?"The
.t,(elalorwill denyrhat it doesonce againand il appearsthai the lrick
l,.r\ be€nsuccessfully concluded,for logicallythe card you are holding
I r'c down abovethe first "ace" must be of ihe samesuit.
(bnlinue saying,"SometimeswhenI havedonethis trick peoplehave
.rLdi1'squite good, but it could be just luck and nothing more, but it's I
!'r luck and thereis somethingmore. Watchvery closely,for I am going
l,) causethe imageof the ace beiow your card 10 contract and lravel
Lt,qards."Turn the cardin the right hand faceup to revealit is now the
Al). Placethe faceup AD in the left hand. Proceed,saying,"and con-
\., selythe imageof your chosencard will expandand traveldowo to the
t6'l
 Thal Certain Something That Certain Something
ace." With your right hand pi€k up the first aceand turn it faceup to r rt?i e it lace up, placeir below the ieft hand sectionof rhe meshed
show thal it is indeeda giant replicaof the chosencard ,,[ds beingheld by !h€ right hand, so rhat the card ar the boftom
of rhis
..clron is completelycovered.
Iwist lhe righr hand slightlyso that the cardsmove in an anii_clock-
..THE CARETAXf,R'' \r'\c directionand lake them into the left hand, which grips rhem
at the
,,,cshedpart,.thumb.on top and fingersbelow. Releasedre righr hand
Perhapsa be(er title would havebeen"Karl's Concept" for the trick frp complerely,andlift the cardsup so that the faceofrhe bolt;m oneis
usesa placementprocedurewhich to the best of my knowledgewas '.r.Ir8the speclaror\. Requesr th€specrarorr ro makea noreof rhecard
originatedby Karl Fulves.The basiceff€ctis a cardlocationthat involves .,.rble
to rhem.Rerakerhecardsin rherighl hand.againgrrppinS near
no prior artangementof the pack, nor indeedthat the pack shouldbe a '/rc.centle \o lhal lhelr pafliall) mergedcondirionis maintained, and
complet€one. In other words,an idealtrick to do with a borroweddeck. ,.placethem on top of rhe remainderof the pack which was left on the
r.,hle.As the righr hand replaces(hem it movesthem in a siighr anri_
, ockwisedirecrionso thal tbe reversed cardat the faceendsup;n top of
Pmceduae lt.ic.ight hand.sectionof the rabledpositionof the pack. Now strip out
|,, L'omplereghr handsecLion ot rhepdckanddtopir on ropof rhelefr
Run ihrough the face up pack, secretlycounling from ih€ face until ','rd one. to ow lhtsaction b) a fewsLraighr cutsof thepack,Notelhat
you havethumbedover l8 cards.Mark off this positionby keepingthe 'r'' .rflp out aslroncanbe a sloq openone,or a secrelone.by u.ingone
right secondfinger pressedon the back of the l8th card from the face ,,1 rhe standardpush through or strip out techniques.
Continuespreadingthroughthe pack until you r€achthe 3, 7, 8 or Q ol | \plainlhar therev€rsed cardis a form of Careiaker andwill hetp)ou
diamonds,which is removedand placedface up on the table;it doesnol " ' t'(riorm lhe lnck. As you aresayinS rhis.r un rhroughlhe facedown
matterwhich oneof th€ four vou use lt is unlikelythat all four are in the ., o\ andremovethereversed one,placingit nill faceup on rhetable.As
face l8 €ardsof the pack, but if you do haveto removea card from this \."r rcmovett. cur rhepackar rhispoinrandcomDlele Lhecur,
section,you must alter your mark off positionso that it still is l8 cards \dv $ill lestrheCareraler\abiliryb) !pellingirsname,onecard
from th€ face. ' r ed(h.fe 'or er. Do rhis. /n.luding "the.' ar.d, ol., In lhe spelling.when
clos€ up the face up pack and take up th€ break with the left little \,',, reachthe final letter,hold rhe card facedown in the right h;nd
and
finger. Wlilst the righi hand is still overthe packafler squaringit, press l
' for th€ nameofrhe cardnotedearlier.Turn the card faJeup to show
the right thumb againstthe break at the right hand end of the nearshon 1[. C]aretaker has beensuccessful.
endofthe pack. Move the right hand thumb towardsihe left hand sideol
the faceup pack, the br€ak beingcarriedalong with the thumb. At the
,I)A(;WOOD'S
samelime move the lefl thumb down to the lower left corner unlil thc EATS''
thumbs meet. fhe lefl hand thumb now tales over the breal The
precedingmoves are made under a natural squaringaction, after the ime y€afs.aqo there was a newspapercartoon seriesrunning jn
, rrain,
lr,
spread
_ cardshave beenclosed, which-lrhink originatedin America.The main characterusi to
Twisl &e left hand so lhat the pack is facedown in preparationfor a ( lond-of mulli-layersandwiches calledDagwoods,and this is the story
riffle shuffle.With the right hand cut the lower s€ctionofthe pack to the ,' irlineI useto present the following..small packeririck."
right, cutting exactly at the break. Riffle shuffle the two sections Needed,are four blank facecardswith blu€ backsand threekingswilh
tolether, tDengto get a fairly evendistributionof the smallerright hand ,'11backs.The back colour of th€ four blank cardsdoesnot hav; ro
be
sectioninto the left one. Pushthe two sectionspatridll, togeiherso that l'lrc. but it should contrastwith rhe red of the kings. place the
three
rhey m€shfor about one-thirdof their length. |,,,!! on the faceof the four blanksand the set of sevencardsin yollr
Pick up the completepack from the table with th€ right hand by plac ru\ krt, walleror whereveryou keepyour smallpack€ttricks_(Dusrbinis
ing (he thumb on the nearlong sideand fingerson the far one, position ',,r accepredas an answer!).
ing the grip ai the meshedsectior. Ialk aboxtgoinginto a sandwichbar andaskingfora DagwoodSand-
Holding the completepack about one inch abovethe sulfaceof lhr " h Saythar the counterasshtantdid not underitandwhai you meant,
!
table,slowlyreieasethe still mesh€dcardsand let themdrop to the table' ,, ,i you explainedthat it wasfour slicesof breadand threesticesof meai
invitinga spectatorto call stop at any point he wish€s.As soonashe has ,, rre sandwich.By this time you have removedrhe
Dackerof sev€n
calleditop, pick up the card you removedearlierwith the left hand and ''.l\ dndareholdingthemlacedownIn rherighrhand,fingersar rherar
I68 169
 That Certain Something
That Ce ain Something
,,r(l illustratethis by spreadingover the rop few cardsof the pack. As
palmof thehandbeingtoqards
shortendandthumbal Ihenearone'lhe !,'u closeup th€ spread,get a lefi lilrle finger break under the top five
,,rrdsof the pack.
'n"rl;il;, ,n. assisrant preparedthe sandwichlike this Userhe left Ask the speclatorto dide onecard oui ofthe spreadand rememberit,
rurn
,la*i to; facedowncardinto rheleft hand Now lrLe back the remainingthreecardsand placethem on top of the pack.
'r'"'iiu
iiii',"".ii"i"e."J'i"
"iiir'" rishrhandtac€up bv rllX'i:iJ[H*,1
'r';
wrist. Draw off th€ uppermostface up km8
ll: | ,lt off all the cards abovethe break wirh the right hand, the fingers
alreadvthereTwist.the , {,ncealingthe lack of thicknessat the far short endand havethe specta-
[ii'iit"'i'l rJ'ir''li rt iandson rop or the.card use thumblo
theleft r,r replacehis noted card on top of the lower sectionof the pack. Slap
.i"ii rrinJ ,o rrt",thepacketis facedownand rhc cardsin the right hand on lop of thosein the left, and squarethe
i',"i",i'. "*"in
".i,.*a-i",",n..[ft I'T9],g:"-'lli,'il5f,f
in the right handand drawlngcaro
ff:''fi:i,li:li:? l'.rtik.The selected card shouldnow be in the ninth positionfromthetop.
lhe Dackei

iliF^'j fi:tl":T ';iiHi:'#'xl'"5i:1';111; ff':T"i::i (;ive the pack an out Faro shuffle. Only the top nine cardsof the pack
,,rcdto be accuratelyshuffled.Turn the pack faceup and appearto pull
,ii.. .i.n coincidins a
wirh card "ll
the cards from top and bottom togetherand losethem by pr.dring
"iii."a," 'ric€ ";*
?:li:iff,"Ji;t1n;i,;
:ffi'#:'i""""1?'1,1ff;'i'lX"."Yi"iTii;.rhereft hand'
thnt inlo the centreof th€ pack. As you pull them off, carry out the
( ilde at the lower side of the pack so that the secondfrom top card h
"';;;;J'";;ih. '",o
.."." taids to showtheiraltemare condilionandsav'
quanrilv oI mealbul tlr€
,(rlly pulledout, togetherwith the face card. Placethe pack facedown
,r, rherable.
"ii^ii noi" o"g**a sand\aich' it's theright
6; ;t.ther'" sav the coun-retalsista took backthe lnvite a sp€ctatorto cut off about half the pack, and hand it ro you.
.;;:ilt;
'sl';r?f".ff
l*'J"tJ.i:T',[f
iil{#lhi"fl jil
i;'.';
:H'.:Tf Stale that yor.rwill carry out an eliminatingprocedureto lind the
, h{,sencard. Do this by running through the face down pack ard
ii'"iiit-[ pr"* i, lable'-nowtaLethe next-but€xecutelne ,rt,togging alternatecards,thusthe secondfrom top is outiogged,fourth
of lheooealreaoy
iiii. ii'trt"-J tl"ona r"cedowncardis placedon lop
"n'lbe lrom top, etc., strip out the joggedpacketand placEthe remainingone
;'Jil.i;; ;'.";';"' the
" ne\t rwo-cards-normtll.:":: li,rc wirh the original top card) face down on the table. Repeatthis
::,it;Ti:
L
iil,.iui
:l1"fJ:l:',i1ili"','llii"'1ll"r',i;ihiH,;: u''r"
ir''"' .|minating procedureuntil you are left with a singlecard. As you elimi-
rrrtca seciion,placeit facedown on lhe tablealongsidethe previousone.
rhe
i"e.'h;rin thecentre.or
fi."iiii""iii'wiii bread' lhis will resultin four facedown heapson the table.

",Tf;:i#il*i::JlH'l;:l**:1il':;,fi'iis:
*ii,.."llffi Ask the name of the noted card and slowly turn i! face up to show you
||,rvr been successfulin finding it. Mention that the card chosenhas

;:iit#ii:'#'fJ f#r
tt:lr'Ti1'..}ro:i;l;:ii"Jil;ifJ''lT,ff:
facesJ'
,lwaysbecna lucky one for you when plaing poker, and that you will
frlc it a liule test.Take the top card ofeach of the four facedo$n heaps
to rheir
revear
i'"u,nii'.;;; ;;;; ;"'ds o;er irkl addthesefour cards,still facedown to thechosenone,to form a five
,ird poker hand. Say, "I wonder if it's still lucky for me?" tum lhe
, xrds face up and show that it is.
..JUSTINTIME''

,.*i'"H.i ,;i.T,'ll"uli::lE:
:;',""lJ;lifl one two
;l'ii:.i,:'.'.";iii'-'!
threefourandsixfrom
,,I I'S A SET UP''

;'R;r",iffilh- t;;;i*. in posirions Ihis trick is based on the calbrealh principle, which was firsl
,'.,::i:ilH.'ffi
i fii ,j,T"li,il::fr:i ilk)
, rplainedin the "Linking Ring" severalyearsago. Other peoplehave
i:il"'"illi
y,11i"^19;i
.lX9 claimedthe discoveryof the principlebut as I'm not a teal magician
o.iilli.',hi.l,i,li',lii'i'i'i.lilllT[ uroni';a.,r,.
I'T.li"i;";.ir,i,""'ur.
| | |nd it di fficuh to siatewho discoveredit first, so I refcr to the principle
l,y rhe namemost card magiciansassociatewith it.

l,:::,''*lxr""x''::3';r':"'::ee.::liiiltfl1.::,liitimakingsure
rhreeDackets'
lr'"'nairJo.o."a*" c"hei up theremaining ro ;preadhis packetout
lo prepare for the effect th€ pack must secretlybe arrangedin
(llcrnatecolour order: red, black, red, black,etc. Any jokers shouldb€

;'[ff;"'k:iG ' ;;; top rell rhe spectaior

tll
t70

Thal Certain [amethins
Working lnd PresenlationOulline
Hand thepack to a spectalorandaskhim 10giveit a few cutsfollowed
by a riffle shuffle. He can also concludewith a few cuts if he wishes.
Take back the pack and spreadit out faceup, commentingon how well
the spectatorhasmixedthe cards.Look for any pair of cardsofthe same
colour, cut, and completethe cut belwe€[ thesetwo cards.
Explainthat you will play a new card gane with a spectatorinvolving
six handsof six cards each.Deal oui six handsof cards,dealingin a
conventional fashion from left to right birl arrange the hands in a
horizontalrow on the table. Continuedealinguntil thereare six cardsin
eachhand. Placethe remainderof the pack aside.
Pick up the heapsof cards in positionsone and two of tbe row,
holding |hem face down, one in the left hand and one in the right.
Explainto the sp€ctatorthat you will give him severaladvantages as hc
hasneverplayedbefore.Ask him which of the two handsyou are hold_
ing he would prefer. When h€ nominatesone, placeit face down near
him and place the remainingone in line with his, but closerto you
Repeatthis procedurewith the handsin positionsthr€eand four of the
row and finally thosein five and six. As you offer eachpair for selection,
placeonein front ofthe spectatorand onein front ofyourself, until tha
sDectatorhas threehandsin a row in front of him and you also havea
row ofthree hands.eachofyourhands beingpositioneda litde belowthc
Explain that the spectatorhas threehandslo play againstyour threc
handsand you have alreadylet him have a free choiceof the handsha
will play. Now-saythat you will give him further advantages by letting
him look at his hands. Turn eachof his handsfaceup on the table and
spreadeachout slighalyso that the coloursof all cardsare visible.Pick
up oneofyour handsand continueexplainingthe garne,sayingthat it i3
rcally based completely on chance and that you hav€ to try and guess
which cardsare red and which are black with the cardsface down. As
you saythis, dealyour six facedown cardsinto two facedown heapson
the table, bua as you deal lhem, look at the spectator'sface up hand
immediatelyabovethe hand you pickedup and dealout according10tha
coloursofihe spectator'shand whenreadinSfrom rcar to tace, i.e.ifhis
cardswerered, black, black, red, black, red, you would dealleft, righl'
right, lefr, right, left, into two facedown heaps.Repeatthis procedura
with eachof your olher two facedown heaps,againtaking your cue fo!
the dealing sequencelrom lhe colour order of lhe speclalor'5hand
immediatelyabove it. You will eventuallyend up with six face dow[
heapson the table,
Turn the spectator'sthreehandsfacedown and saythat it is now hit
turn to deal eachhand into two heaps,trying to separalethe reds froh
the blacks.Point out that not only was he allowedto choosehis own
hands,but he hasalsohad an opportunityto studythem fac€up Let hitD
172
I
Thal Certain Something
h.,l cachhand inro two facedown heapsas you did.
I inally, turn eachof his six groupsfaceup and for each wron8colour
| \c him a minuspoint. Now turn yours face up to show 100ry0 success.
''.r!, "lt must be beginner'sluck, becauseI've neverplayedthis game
,I'INNY LANE''
Ihis trick and the one that follows it were inspired by effects
,lfvelopedby Karl Fulvesand Bro. Hamma[.
( hecklhat the top two cardsofthe pack are spoi ones.Turn the pack
j.( c up and secr€tlyreversethe lowertwo spot cards.This is the starting
lr\ition for the trick.
Run ihrough the face up pack and pick out emytwo kings,placing
rl('n] facedown belowthe packas you cometo them, TuJn the complete
t,n.k facedown and as you squareit up into the left hand,get a lefi little
l,ogerbreakunderlhe uppermostfour cards;this is wherethe cardsare
I'xekto back. Pushoverthe top picturecard digbtly to the right with the
ilr thumb and commentthat the pair of picture cards have magical
|{ op€rties.Bringthe right halld to the packand grip the four cardsabove
th. breakand flip ihem face down onto the pack. The effecl beingthat
rrtr rwo f,icturecardshave beenllipped facedown. Immediatelythumb
, rhe top two cardsand placethem face down on the table.
'll
spread the pack between the hands for two cards to be chosen by
'trclato.s A and B. As you spreadthe pack, count off in pairs from the
,'t' and mark off the sixth card from the top by pressingon its facewith
|e righr secondfinger. After two cardshave beentaken, closeup the
r,,rekand pick up the breakfrom the right finger*ith the left little finger,
,' rhat it now holds a break belowthe top six cardsof the pack.
l.ift off about half the pack with the right hand picking up the break
N,rh the thumb at the n€ar short end. Let the cardsdribble down onto
r[,se in the lefl until all b€lowlhe break havebe€nreleased and just six
,.,,dsremainin the right hand. HavespectatorA replacehis cardon top
,'l rhe cardsin the left hand. Placelhe cardsin the right hand on top of
11,,)se in the left but keepa break belweenthe two sectionswith the left
I rlc finger.Lift off abouthalf the packaSainwith the right hand,again
l,,|'lngup the break with the dghl thulnb. Ler the cardsdribble down
,{rro thosein tlle lefi hand until you reachthe break.Have spectatorB
,.lilacehis card al this point and ihen drop ihoseremainingin the right
l,Ind on top of all. Dudng the abovecontrol sequence which will leave
h. chosencardsin positionsseventhand eighth from the top of the
I i( k, keepth€ right hand fingersfairly deeplyover the far short end of
hc cardsit holds,to concealtheir thickness.
( iive the pack a brief ov€rhandshuffle by undercutlingabout half,
irl,)gging the first card pulled off and shuffling off the remainder.
i ,Dcludeby undercurtingat the injog, running six cardsand lhrowing
173
 That Certain Somethinp
That Ce ain Somelhing
lurn the pack face up and run throughil, removingthe A, 2 and 3 of
thc balanceon top. This br;ngslhe two chosencardsto the top Plac€the l,farls. Placethem in a face up line on the rable in numericalsequeflce
gack face down on lhe table. lr()lnleft lo right-
' pi"t uo Ltt.r*o p;cturecardrthat are lacedoqn on lhe lableandsa)
l'icl up the tbreekingsfrom rhe tableand hold rhemfacedown in the
pacl and
lharvou \ ill te\t lh;ir magicalabilily.Takethetop ca'dof lhe 1rt hand with a little finger br€ak belowthe rop one. pick up the AH
i'"iit ir"r""", tft" t*o kings Hold the threecards in lhe right hand in { rrh ihe right hand and placeir facedown on top of rhe king packerand
the Monle Throw Posinon
"-ir"iii"i l,cnimmedjat€lylake off ihe top two cardsasonein the sameright hand
*itit.v causethe iwo kingsto iake on lhe imageof r'r'p and rub this cardG)on the top of rhe lefr hand packeta few times.
""t
pliced with "nd Twist the righi hand to show the fac€down
them Now rub the card(s)on the face of rhe left hand packera few times.
the c'ard
itt" lrt. packetface down and apparentlythrow theJace lL,rallysliding it b€low the packet.The effect shoutdbe that you have
onto ttt" tuut.. R;ally ihrow the lop card down by meansof the
"^.i-aifr"" ,rbbedthe aceon rhe rop and faceoffie paclet so thar it canpick up its
""iJ
iio"t"-irrro* ro cairy out this mo"e, you must lift theuppercard ,rrrage,finally placingit below the packd.
sfiqhiiv *lrh -o"..
rhe r;g}tr .econdtinger beforecarrvingout Ihe (hro* Twisr Triple lift the top threecardsof the packetby bucklingihe facecard
itririsir handasainro 'ho$ thelacecardandagdinuselhe Monlemove lrghtlywith the fingersof the lefr hand, and let jt fall face up onlo the
io'"o'o.t.trt tirow the facecald down on top o[ lhe previous-one ,f,naining card. Triple lift again, and flip ir face down, finally placing
;ir;d;;'d.""." the table Twr.r rhe risht hand ro \how rhe final rlc top card facedown on rhe table.
ttrenousft tnis .ard into lhe centreof the main pack All three l)ouble lift to show the next card, flip it face down and placethe rop
".Ju-na
cards have been shown lo be |he same, , irJdfacedown on the table on top of the card previouslyplaceddown.
--iut"
_onitt. top .".a of the pack and push it betweenthe two facedown Iurn lhe next card face up genuinelyand then piaceit facedown on
.u.Jr tfr" i"trc. Now ripeat the sequencealreadydescribedin th€ r()t of the previoustwo. The effect of rheseactionshasbeento showall
oi...aing p"t"g."pf'.,. sho* all thr€ecardsthesameha!ingapparenll) rh'eecardsas the AH. Placethe final card r€mainingin your hand face
i"r.n otiti. i,i"ei or ,he card placedbel$eenrhem Alter showingrhe ,|,'wn on the iable in the original positionoccupiedby the AH.
la\r card.oushit inro the cenlreof the main pack l'lacethepile of threecardsfacedown in the left hand, gettinga break
irar. ririr ttuuingresrea theirmagtcalabilil)and foundthem'uccess_ Itr.lowthe top on€,and thenpick up the 2H and repearth€ proceduredes-
fui vou *ill no. gite rtrem a muchmore tesl Ask fol lhe nam(' ,lhed in the previousfour paragraphsio show that all threeca.rdshav€
'evere
.i iri. i*o..f..,.-a cards,and lhen dowl) rurn rhe pair ol lacedown ,t)parentlychanAedto the 2H. Placerhe final facedown card in the left
cardsup to show thal they haYechangedto the namedcarcls' r,.urdback on the table in the position originally occupiedby rhe 2H.
liftreat the procedurewith the 3H.
Al the conclusionthe positionis that the thre€kingsare facedown in
..ONE TWO THREE BLANK'' I r)jleon the table and the A, 2, 3 of heartsare back in their original
t!)sitions,but face down. Placethe pile of kings face down on top of
Th€ creditsmentionedin the previouseffectalsoapplvto ihis one' and r[. ]H, pausefor amoment and thenturn the top cardof the packetface
ln aaaiiion gd*a.a Marlo must be thanked for the "Penetration" ,t' to showthe 3H hascometo the top. Placethe 3H faceup on the table.
--ln usedlowardsthe endof lhe roullne l'lace 2H face down on top of the threecards,pausefor a moment
Jaliion ro tt'. p".k of cards threecardswrth blanl faceswill be
"eouence ,rd th€n slideout the facecard ofahe packet,turning ir faceup to show
*ouiiJ. ,r'.'. back. musl match rhe main pack qlf blank facedcard' l,( 2H hastravelledfrom top to face. Piacethe 2H faceup oo the tabl€.
lhreeacesmaybe used ilh uttlereduclron rn
ca;notbereadibobta'ned. I'lacethe threecardson top of lhe AH and showir hastravelledto tbe
ir'. (he
ot rrterri.t Place blankcards or ace\on top of lhe pacl
r,'l), finally placingit face up on |he table.
and"ii-*
you are all set. If aces,do not usethe AH- llold the thre€ kings face do*n in the lefa hand and say, ..A11this
r ||vity hasmadethe kingslose(heiridentiry." Tum th€m over ro reveal
||. blank faces(or aces).

Hold rhepacklaceup and \€crell'Ieverse the lo$ermosllhreecard\' .I ITI] SMILING

MULf,''
lor" fotto* rle sane richniquedesclibedin the MonleThro$ Routinc
io apoarenrlr remoreLhte€kingsand placelhem in a pilefacedownon llctbre describingthe technicaldetailsof this effect, I should exolain
rtr. iatt.. endrngwith lhe threeblank card(on the table
'erltl
114
 Thot Certa!n Some!htng
lhat ii is a card lrick in two parts,the first a humorousprocedureand thc
seconda surpriselwist on ihis procedurewhich justilies the gag. I hope
this also clarifiesthe litle.
Performrncernd PatterOutline
Run through the pack and remove the iwo red aces. Push them
iogether into the approximalecentreposition of the pack. Spreadlhe
pack face up betweenthe handsto show the pair of acesat the centre,
making sure the audienceunderstandthe posilion Closeup the pack'
serrinaa breal belween lhe ace.,andlurn lhe nackfacedoqn carrylnS
iu, uJulnorer Pa(sat the breat pornr.Pldcelhe cqLlared pac[ fa.c
down on the table.
Explain thai you will invite a spectatorto nameany cardand thal this
card will immediatelyappearbetweenthe two aces Poinl out strongly
rhe impossibilityof this actionand evenhavea speclatorplacehis finger
on topof the pack to preventany subsequen! manipulalion,if you wish
Whenth€ sDecla(orhasnameda card, reiterateyour sut€mentthal lt
will ttett een the two red aces.Pick up th€ pack using no fasl
^ppear
movementsand turn it faceup. Showthereisar€d aceat eachend' so lhe
namedcard is indeedbetw€enthem-Spreadthe cardsbetweenthe hands
until you reachthe namedone and exhibitthe spreadin this conditionto
the audienceto prove your claim. This situadonalwayscausesamuse'
ment and audiences assumethat they "have beenhad" with a gagwhjch
is now over-they even rarely noticethe facethat in someway the aces
havejumped from the centreto lhe ends
Under cover oi the "misdireclion of amusemeni" carry out the
HofziNer cull movewith the namedcard, so thai whenyou closeup the
facespread,it endsup belowthe pack.
Turn the pack face down, carrying out the Turnover Pass al the
approximatecentrepoin( and placethe pack facedown on the table
Sat.'l rhinl \ouqouldharebeenmuchmoteimprer\ed if just'our
card'had appearid between lhe ace5,in'tead of Ihe q holepacl Prckup
lhe packvery cleanly,and dowlyspreadit faceup betweenyour handslo
revealthe acesat the centrewith the namedcard caughlbetweenlhem'
',rAcE TO rACE"
I believelhe principleusedin lhis €ffecl wasoriginatedby Dai Vernon
and recordedin lhe "Daley Notebooks" This is a very simpleapplica
lion of ihe principle,bul givesa quick straighlforwardeffect for thosc
occasionswhen you ar€ handeda pack and ask€dlo "do a lrick."
Hold the Dackfacedown in the lefl hand and cut off aboul half with
the right. Hold the right hand sectionfrom above,with lhe fingersal lhe
That Certdin Something
l.l short end and thumb ai the nearone,the hand beingcurvedoverthe
lwist the right hand to showthe facecard ofits sectionand thenturn
rrr. hand back so that the cardsar€ again face down.
l'ut the left thumb belowiis halfand usethe thumb to fliD il faceuo on
l,r hand.Pushrhefacecardovera litrlero Lherighr,dra*ingaueniion
Ilring the right hand half towardsthosein the left and pivot the face
,,rrd out dighdy usinSthe Ovette/Kellytechnique.As lhe halvesmeet
l.r(r to face,ler the sid€joggedcard at lhe face of the left hand section
'.1,r)in immedjatelyabove the pivoted card of the rigir hand section.
( ontinuemoving lhe right hand towardsthe left, but Dositionia about
l, forward ot the left, so that the cards come face lo fac€ in an
,rrtjoggedposition. Adjust the cards so that each half is square,bu!
iLr.rintain th€ outjoggedpositionof the upper face down s€ction.
I'akehold ofthe completepack with th€ right hand, thumb on top and
r,nsersbelow, and grip ir fairly righdy ro keepthe roggedcondition as
lr,u let go conpletelywith the left hand. Twist the right hand back and
l,{th a few timesto sho* the cardsat the faceof eachhalf ard requesta
t)cclatorto oameone,pointingout that he hasa completelyfreechoice.
wh€n he har chosenone, placethe pack back in the left hand so thar
rhc half containinghis card is uppermostand in an outjogSedposiiion.
I'hce rhe right thumb tip on rhe near short end of the upper facedown
.f.rion and the fingersat the far short end and tilt lhe packetforward by
li,rinSthe innerendwith the lhumb. At the samelime pushwith the dght
r,'r8erson its endso that it movesinwardsarld linesup with the far shora
,,,d of rhe lower section.Now lift th€ upper sectioncompletelyaway
lr,'n the packand placeit facedown on the table,inviting a spectatorto
,,!er it with his hand.
I ou are left with a face up half in lhe left hand with a face down card
rr,rt has secretlybeenloaded below lhe face card. Turn this half face
l,trln and in this action cary out a Turnover pass at the approximate
,.,,tre poiDt.End by holding the half face down in the right hand.
\ay you will causethe card noted at the faceof the half the spectator
1.,\ his hand on do a circus trick. lt will leap inro the air and do a
.,{nersaultand, whilstit is in lhe air, you will catchit in your right hand.
ll,'ust your right hand forward, aboul 12" abovethe sDectator's.and
.'\, Cor it. 'Spreadyour facedownhalf out lo showrhefaceup card
rhecentre.Lel the speciatorlook at the faceof his half to seethat his
'r
,,r{l really has gone. He will normally do this withour any prompting
I IRESIDE FACES''
A nory is told of how picturesform when gazinginto a coal fire. the
 That Certain Something
story being acled our with playing cards.The trick has an unexpected
visualendingwhich is quite effective.
The only paeparationis to havea card secretlyreversedin the second
from top position. The name of this card and ihe top card of ahepack
should be remembered,and they should bo|h preferably be spot cards.
For example,l€l's say the top card is the 4D and the rcversedsecond
from top is the 5C.
Cive the pack a brief shuffle, retarningthe top two cardsin position,
and th€n extendit towardsa spectator,requestinghim to cut off about
half the pack. Flip the cut off sectionfaceup onto the remainderof tha
pack,
Spreadthrough the face up sectionof the pack, sayingthat you will
removea card for yourself with stralrgepowers, lt do€snot malt€r which
card you choosebut try and find a pictureone, as it makesfor a morc
effectiveending.Placeyour card faceup on the table.
Continue spreadingthe face up section until the top face down card of
the lower sectionshowsup, Lift the lower sectionto a verticalposition
and thumbover the top card, requestinga spectatorto rememberit. Dua
to Mr. HenryChris!'singenuitythe cardhe looks at will be the 5C. After
he has noted it, draw ii back squarewith the packet,and lowet it io a
horizonralposition.Placethe other sectionofthe packon top, but keep
a br€ak betweenthe tl{o halves. Cut or Double Undercut tle pack at thc
breakpoint to bring the lo*er secion to the top.
Repeatthe procedure already explained, having another spectalor cul
off about half lhe pack, and place it face up on the remaining face dowtl
se€tion. Run throug:hthe face up seclion as before, removing a card for
yourselfwhichis placedwith the onealreadyon thetable.Try 10removc
anotherpicturecard that links in someway with the first one, i.e. sama
suit, sam€colour, etc., and give lhis link as your reasonfor removing
these particular cards, Let the spectator not€ the first face down card
(4D) and thm reassemblethe pack, finally cutting at the break to briog
the 4D and 5C back to the top.
Pick up one of th€ picture cards from the table with the right hand and
dudng this action get a left little fin8er break under the top two cards of
the pack. Placethe picture card face up on top of the pack but ouljoggcd
by about one-thirdof its length.Gazeat the faceof this card, patterin8
about pictures appearing when you gaze at a fire, and how you havc
developedthh processand applied it to playing cards. After a secondor
two, stalethat the cardyou canseeis the 5C, the first sp€ctatorconfird-
ing fta! this was his card.
Pick up the secondpicturecard from th€ lable and placeit faceup on
top ofthe pack so that it is injoggedfor about I'Gaze at the faceof Gii
card for a few secondsand then name the 4D, the secondspectator't
Placeyour right thumb on the inn€r edgeof the injoggedcard and
push it forwards until you feel your thumb butt againstthe two carda
178
t hat cer,atn somerntng
,'hovethe l€ft litde finger. Continuepushingwith the riSht thumb which
,\ now pushingthreecardsasone,until about+" ofthe backshowsat the
,,r er end of the pack. The pair of face up cards will now be slightly
, tjoSged in an overlappinS display.
Bring the right hand to the far short edgeof the face up parr, placing
rhe fingersbelowlhem and thumb on the face.Crip them tightly (really
Iour cards)at thepositionnearestthe far shortendof the main packand, i
lceping them locked toSether,lift lhem away from the pack and lurn
rhemfacedown by simplytwistingth€ dght hand towardsthe body until
rhecardsassumea facedorl'r|position,Placethem back on the pack so
rhat the lop card(s)linesup exactlywith the main pack, the singlecard
I'clow it assuminga[ injoSgedposition.
With rhe right hand,lift offtheupper card(s),placingthethumbat the
rear short end and fingersat the far one, the hand b€ingcurvedabove
rlrccard(s).Usethe left hand long sideof this card to flip the injogged
itrrr belowit fac€up and take this cardin its faceup conditionbelowthe
Ltcedown oneG)in the right hand, positioningit so that it projectsfor
,rbour1' beyond the left hand /org sid€ of the upper card(s),its face
I'cingclearlyvisibleto the spectators.Supportthe cardsin this position
lor a momentby holding them againstthe pack with the left thumb and
rli€ntakethem againinto the right hand,cha[gingthe right handgrip so
rlc thumb is on top and fingersbelow,their positionbeilg suchthat the
lour cards are locked together and from the audience'sviewpoint
,rl)Dears as just two cards being held face to face in an overlappiry
(rsplay.
'fhe prec€dingmovestake only a few seaondsto carry out, and are
ll.signedto give a fairly logicalway of turning the cardsover.
Explain that somepeopl€ have difficulty in s€€ingpictures in fires, so
\i,u will try and makethe imag€syou haveseena little clearer.
Fagure
30
119
 That CertainSomething That Certain Something

K€€Dincthe cards in the righl hand in a horizontal position' bring \r'C'clatorsand twist the wrist so that th€ two cardsit holdsare faceup.
hand' sry, "What do the two values add up to?" This approachdraws
rfri. i-iiitr.io lrt..igttt of th; main pack being htld in thr lefi
No!! movc them upwalds and during this aclion placelhe llngenlps.or nrrentionto the right hand and not the pack in the left. The pack has
.rr. i*,l*a on the bact of lhc prorruding face up card By pre\sing tr.rually landed into the left hand face up, but if you catch it fairly dcep
,r*rri" ,rti-riii n"iersthccardis pu downontothelop of the Ir the hand and usea little coveringmovementin the throw, it will pass
"i*r
iiii"i i'iii i.,, asin FiEurc 'd At rhe
l0 sametimetherisht
[r"a nn"o. oustt on"iation
rtte card
lower of lhe upper pah solhal it movls Hand the pack to a spectalor and lei him count down from th€ top of
overtowirds-thclcfl to replaceftc one fiat hasb€€nstolenonto lne rhc pack to th€ value indicated by the two cards. When he does so, he
r*i, il" eiiJ oi tit procedureis to Sivea visualchanSeof the faceup \Iould b€ surp sedto find the chosencard hasturned face up. Conclud€
iiJi. iii" lo.l" taaiiion ihe fac€down uppercardhaschangedto the hy saying,"You may haveseenme ge! your cardto the number,but did
iC.
-'o."rirriiecrtniquels similarto tharof the PaintBrushchanS'e' vou seeme turn it face up?"
tt. i*"-.-atliom therighthandtaceupontorh€table'sayinS'
"15"11. levv g41vou seethem?" ..STUDIED IMAGf,''

In this effect a "tongue in cheek" patter theme is used to sell a

"REVERSf, PREDICTION'' rcversedcard trick. This ce ainly is a casewherethe pres€ntationis more
Thisis a strarahtfonardcardrevelalionAfler all' youshoulddo one x portant than the method, although I think the technique used is
ttict'*rr.*i'trii".i a*sn't change colour,growlarge,growsmall'lurn '
casonablydirect alld efficient.
a somersault.
'iii. etc.
irt.''ii""t tr,etac€two cardsof the packand mentallyadd
rrr.iior.iic" iu* "rlrt" packfacedownandsecretly rev€rsc thefacetwo working rnd Presentrtion Outllne
;;. F;;;;;i;, iJ'i sav ttretoral of lhe two cards race up ar the
bottomis elevcn,
*i;i;;;;;;io. You must stafl with a card secretlyrevers€dat the bottom of the face
to be r"kenand as vou do this countonc less {lownpack.
,fr* t"rDirnU"*arotalandmarkoff a breakat thispoint ln our
"". spread the pack casually betwe€nthc hands and then closethe spread
J*"-ii. ir *o"to t r.n cardsfrom thelop oncea cardhasbeentaken'
"oui !r ihai the pack k held squarein lhe left hand. Take carc that you do not
J.* iro ii. pt"i keepthebreakwilh thr lefl little ling€r'Requesl crpose the reversedcard. I normslly givc thcm a shufll€, retaining the
,rt" iJt"ii'i. rcmember
-a lhc csrd and lo showil to any otherspec' hotlom card in position, and when spreading them !o show the Ddc*s,
;;";;. ;;; ;;;i;, drop the lcft handdown towardsvour lefi side uy, ''Look how well m;xedthey are." This type of line can be delivcred
packsecretly wrthoutcomicability and still laise a grin.
ii"fttf". *a lhen brinS$; handup againbur with the
iuioJi*i, to,rt",,t'"1wo rcversediards are now al the lop Th€break Close up th€ cards and hold tham face down in the lefl hand. Riffle
must be maintained. rlown rhe outcr left comer with tbe left thumb, inviting a spectator lo
'''?rr"still
'i""i
irti ..t..,.a cardandpushit fac€do*n inlo thepackarthe nop you at somepoint. Break the pack at the request€dspot, taking t}le
b';;;"fi:';;;;;-;it,ger a lefrlitrlenngerbreakabowir' under uper half off with the right hand and requestthe spectatorto remcmber
squaring action,lifl upthctopcard ol tnepacx srrgnrrv Ihc card at the fac€ of this half. Rcplacethe upp€r half on thc lo*er but
cover;fftesame
;d rakea breakb.low it with the lefi lhird finger' furry out the ovette/Kelly Placement, so that the noled card endsup at
GiverheDacka Doubleundarcu!,talinSoff lhe rop hall al tnelllrlc rhc faceof th€ pack.
n,ti--urea[ ooinranafeepinglhc top cardbreakwilh lhe riSlt thumb spread the pack face do$n bctw€en the hsnds, taking care not to
ii"]i"."iiiiG o."tte tjndircutmouesotharrhetop cardendsat rhc Irveal the reversedcard ncar the facc. Look at the backsand sayyou are
brcaksareheld roing to try and makc an image appear on th€ back of one of lh€ cards
'-i"v Th; Dackis souareandnolwo
fee-
cardsin lh€packwhoierorallalu€s rhnrwill tell you the namcof the notedone. Saythat thc imagewill only
,]i"r vou *ift i.v find
*ililu "nd
irt. .i"",'p"silion of lhe chosen card Takelhepackinlo lh' lt a faint onc, but that with yearsof practice you are able to se€it. Close
"".i ir,"tu o",tte top and fingerson theface'and Lhenlhrowit
.i"ii fr"i,a. {l) the spreadas you are explaininS this and in doing this carry ou! the
li"'k;;;il i;i; rhe left irand. T1rerop and facecardswill auto- stread Half Pass at the approimate centre point of the pack, All tlis
;;;;i;6; ;;ifi i; the rishr hand Move this hand towardsthc Incansis that the lower half is secretlyturned face up under @ver of the
180 l8l
 Thot Certain Something That Certain Something
genuinecuts to finish, fioally glimpsingth€ value of rhe face card and
loD half beingclosedaboveii
'-'e*"i"
o.i"ii* n"\r faint the imagewill be, slowly slarl lo \pread cuttingcardsequalto its valuefrom top to fac€of rhe packet.It is quite
easyto transferthe correctoumberof cards if you spreadthe packet
rhe Jack Letweenthe handr unlil the faceup card showsup at the centre
"",
ii..irir'. i. ,t'"t ,he risht hand is holdins rh€ upper half wirh the beforemaking the cut. If the card you glimpseis a high one, give the
"".i irt. s.,rom oi it. Move rhe righLhand towardsrlte rable packanothercut or two until a low one appearsa( the face,so thal you
L*
""."iJ"i tlre face up card lhere lor a moment Lean over and ga?eal
aioosir only have to transfera few cards.lf the ace of heartsis the card you
^na
G. ini.",rv, *ytig. lt \ nol loo clearbut I think il's lhe imageol Slimpse,no cut ai all is necessary, and if rhe card you glimpseis not a
""ti (her.-namewhateuertard ir is) As vou do lhis'.push h€art,cut the packetto get a heart at the face.
ii" i*a;"rt-"ai1;
tfr" itp itt ttt. Ieft hand half sliShtlyand get a break belowil Spread the packet face do*'ll and remove the second from face card.
"r.r irt" ritii" iing"t. so.etimes a spectatorwill smile and sav that he €an
*iirr "-a placingit in your right hand trouserpockel.Make surethat no-onesees
.." it. itug.. ,o-o.If tttit hupp.n.' .otm€nl, "Can you reall)? It lool its face. As you closeup the remainderof the spread,gei a left little
y""rt or practiie and ir's still none too clear"' linger break above the fourth card ftom the face.
rn. vi"ri*i
"'pi*"ir'.
,leh, handseclionbackon top of the lefl mainlaininS the Explainthat you havea magicalsystemfor findiog out the nameofthe
with the left liltle finger. card in your f,ocket,and that it consistsof making the cardsrearange
break
" pushjr themselv€sinto numeric ord€r so that it is easy to seewhich one is
i,i"f r"ifrfl""irp *rd iom thetablewiLhtherighl handand
md A\ mrssng.
.tiir'i"".irJinio rrt. p""k makinSsureil.Soesverl near-theJace
a Half.Pass al,lhe Turn the packet face up, maintaining the little finger break, and start
soon as rhe card is squarewirh Ihe pack catry oul
lnal n N
break Doim$d immediorel,t$ist the pack over end lor eno so to spreadthe cardsout slowly.After you havepushedoverthe first two
i"", tt*i"g teadihe imag€ on the back o[ the card il is now a lards, take the next two asone (easyb€cause of the break)and continue
i"..
"ri. t; ilii,oush the paik and remo\€ )oLrrnoted card Do spreadingihe remainderout normally.The spectatorswill note that the
.;il'-;;i.;
cardsar€ in numericorder and you point out that it's thereforeeasyto
this in line with Your Patter.
scethal the four of heartsis missing.
Clos€up the spread,and as you do ihis, SideStealtI€ eightof hearrs
..A IRICX FOR MR. FIELDS'' rnto the riSht hand. Reachinto the trouserpocket with ihe rigli hand
rnd bring out the palmedcardbackto the audience.Tum it faceup as if
llnding
ln this ettecr, the p€rtormetappearslo explainhi\ svstemtor ro confirm that it is the missingfour ofhearts. Appearsurprisedthat ii h
However' his e\planatlon catflesa'-lrlng rot the four, and placeit face up on the table. Tum the packerfaceup
the nameofan unkno$n card
i"ii" ,rii'; *rri"r, an effectiveendingto the trick' rnd re-spreadit to show that th€ missingcard is indeedthe eight spor.
-"1.t
..THtr IIELENSBURGH
P€rformrnc€ Outlitre TRJANGLE''

hearl\'
Run $rouch lhe face up pack and remot€ rhe ace ro len of Briefly, the ploi of this effecr is that cards placed betweena pair of
pr".i'i iii..L order'endinswirhthe
iti. t"* of ihepackin numeric queensvanish.Eventuallythe wholepack is placedbetweenthe queens,
at the face. .rndil, too, vanishes,but in an unexpected way. Put anotherway, it's a
ten
"'iir*a-
,r'. r"". tencardsandthenclosethemandlift lhemawav t)lot for the colour changingpack-confused?Then readon.
r..ri ii. "".i in rhisacrionremoveoneextracardbehindthem
i;;,n the tefr haodro rherisht lhus reversins
a;;;ii;..'', "".i.-rt rheirorder'
:ili;; ;;;ilt i*o on. card. on top of rh€two of hearts call arren worldry Outline
iion tJ the numeric ^
ord€r of lhe ten cards a5you sho* them
'Iurn the Dacketfacedownand appearlo mix lhemup Dyuslngrtrc You will ne€d a red backedpack of cards, plus the iwo black faced
rt"*n iri" uo. shutfle.Thatis' pushoff a frw cardsfrom the roP ,tucensfrom a blue backedpack.The packshouldbe stackedas follows,
".ir Lhen a [e$ cards from the botlom of the packet rerding from the face of ihe pack. About ten cards, red backed QS,
r.i" ,'rt.t"r'i-iii"i, *a
;;-,;;;iiil;. Continuethis action.pushinsolf cardsaltemarrrelv ,lbour ten cards, blue backd QC, remainderof pack, reversedred
i-. il"i.p-""a u",,.m into the righthand This actionpacket lookslike 3 l,xckedQC and finally the blue backedQS facing rhe sameway as rhe
ili, tti lt.ealitv onlv cuis the cards cive the a few l,ulkof the pack.
".""f""itt 182 r83
 That Certain Something That Certain Something
To p€rform the effect, run throu8h the face up pack and removethe lrjoggedslightly,then push the cardG)squarewith ihe pack and slidea
QS and QC asyou cometo them, placingt}lem faceup on the table, the lngle card back to the injogged position to reveal that the lower queen
QC beinS on the face of the QS. l,r. rurned face up. fake rhe rop que€nand lurn ir face up, slippingir
Turn the remainder of th€ pack face down in t}le left hand and get a below lhe face up QC, and then turn both face do*n on top of the pack,
left little finger brcakbelo\r the top card ofthe pack. Pick up lhe pair of rrking carethat they do not spread.
black queensin the right hand, keeping them fac€ up, holding them in a Say you will give the quecns a real test by trying to make the whole
slightly spraad condition. Bring them towards thc pack and let the card l)ack vanish from betweel them. Turn the pack lace up and pull out the
above tle little finger brcak feed in between them. Squarc the cards on QC using the Clide, and place it on the face of the pack. Turn the pack
top of the pack with the right hand but keep the break (now below three lace down and llip the top card (QS) face up and face do$n again,
cards) with the left little fin8er. saying,"A queenat eachend of the pack."
Place your lcft thumb on the face of the QC and hold it in position on Position the pack deep in the right hand in a necktie de6l position and
top of the pack whilst the right hand draws out the two cards below it to rhen deal the top two que€ns face up on the tablc, safng, "Look, the
the right ard away from the pack in a squarcd condition, fingers at the r)ackhasvanished."Flip the queensfacedown with the right h6nd and
far short end a|ld thumb at the near one. The left little finger keepsa say, "ltt not hiddenunder one of them!"
break below the QC. Bring the right hand cards back over the pack and Look at your lefi hand and say, "Oh! itt this you are wondering
add the QC below them as the left thumb go€s onlo the facc down card about,this pack is nothing !o do with tllis trick, it's a red back€done I
and retains it in position as the right hand moves away to the right with use in my next trick," Spread the pack in a long facc down spread
its packe!. The face do*n card is rctained on top of the pack but should slowing that it is indeeda red backcdone.
be jogged slightl! to the riart so thot lhe face of the QC shows below it.
The remaining card(s) in thc rigit hand is placed on top of the pack, also
jogged to the righr. This r€sults in a very fait display of the face down
card sandwichcdbctweenthe face up queens.
Close up the spread snd get a left litde finger brcak below the facc
down card, Now d€al the quecnsonto the table one on top of the othet in
a sliahtly spr.ad condition to show that the face do*n card has vadshed
from bctwccn thern. The QC wiU bc on the facc of lhe labled quecns.
Repeat t}lc vanishing sequencedescribed in the preceding three para-
Sraphsa couple more limes, finally cnding with the que€nsface up on lhe
lable.
Adjust the left little finger break so that is is oow below the top two
cards of the pack. Pick up the qucens from the table with the right hand
by first pickiru up tbc QC and using it to scoop up the QS. The QS is
thus transfcrred to thc face of the pair, after which thcy are adjusted to a
squared face down position in the right hand, lhe grip being at the
opposite short ends.
Bring the right hand over th€ pack and place the left thumb on thc
back of thc uppermost queenas if you are going to draw it onto thc pack,
but really change the pair of cards in the riSht hand for the pair of cards
on top of th€ pack by gripping the pack pair with the third finger and
thurrb of the rigllt hand and moving them to the right and away from tbe
pack ss the left thumb presscsdo*'n on the pait originally in the righl
hand ard keepsthem on top of thc pack. It should look as if on€ facc
down quecn bas beenretained on lop of lhe pack altd one left in the riSht
hand. No left litlle finger break is any longer requrred.
Say as well as making cards vanish betweenthem, lhe queenscan also
do acrobatics.Placethe card(s)in the right hand on top of the pack,
184 185

Chapter8
Sleights
..THE MIJLTIPLE SHTFI"
I first read of this excellent slerghtin the Tarbell Courseof Ma8ic, the
move b€io8 the invention of the Master himself, Dai Vernon.
The handling I us€ is a little different to Mr. vernons, and i5 as
We iill assumethat two cardsare to b€ inse ed into the packand con-
rrolled.alrhoughil could be a largerquantity or jun a iinSle card.
Figure3'l
l) Hold the packin the rrghthand asshownin Figure3l and inserttwo
cardsinlo different parts of the rear half of the pack with the left
hand. Ke.p the left halld in position as shown in Figure 31. Note
how the for€finger is at the centre of the upper short end.
2) Push the left forefinger slightly forward towards the face sid€ of the
pack so that the protruding cards are sliShtly under tension and the
cardsbetweenthem are locked together.Grip the sidesof the pack
with the fingersand thumbsof both hands,keepingthe right hand
forefingeron the face of the pack as shown.
3) K€ep the riglt hand absolutel! still and mo\e lhe left hand down-
wards,taking with ii the protrudingcardsand all the cardsbehind
186
Sleighls
the face one of the pair, the section moving downwards as a locked
block. Figure 32 shows the position after the cardshave becn pushed
downwards. Figure 33 shows an exposed view wit}l the left hand
removed completely and the position of the rear sectiob of the pack
and upjogSed card can be clearly seen.ln practice of coursethe left
hand is nevcr removed and in faal does not changeposition at all,
oncei! has pushedits sectiondown.
Figure32
//\
,1t
Figur€33
.l)The right hand thumb and liitle finger now grip the injoggedrear
section of the pack on opposite edges,th€re being no need to alter
the positionofthe righr hatld at all to do this. The lefi handSripsthe
front section of the pack and $e upjogged card betwe€nthe thumb
and secondfinger, the rhumb beingmovedvery slightlyupwardsto
make this possible.
t87
 Sleights Sleights
Th€dght handnowbrisklypulls its sectiondownwardsandplaces
it on the faceof lhe sectionbeingheld by the left hand, the right
handgrip still belngcompleielyb€tweenthe little fingq and thumb.
Theresultof this actionis to leavethe two cardsodginallyinserted
into diff€rent partsof the pack, togelherat the top.

.THE HAIF PASS"

I do not knowwhoto creditfor this sleight,it seemsto beasold asthe

Passitself andtet slill not usedto any greatextentby colljurers.The
basichandlingI useis as follows:
l) Start*ith thc packfacedownin thelef! handwith a fleshbreakheld
at thc baseof the thumbat the point al whichthe Half Passh to be
mad€.
2)Bring lhe righl handoverthe pack, fingersat the far shortendand
tbumbat thc nearoneand takehold of the sectionabovethe break.
Kcepth€right handwcll overthe packsothat the fingersgiveplenty
of coverat the outer sho end.
3)Keepinghold of theuppers€ctionwith th€right hand,pull thelower
secliondownwith the fingersof lhe left handso tharit hidgesdow[- The left thumb moves down to rest on lhe top of lhe pack (Figure
wards,thepivotpointbeingat thebascofthe left thumb.Theleft 16)so that it is now aduauy grippedbetweenthe lefi fingersb€low
forcfingeris just aroundtle outer shortendof the pivotinghalf. As and the lhumb on top. The Half Passis complcteand ftc righl hand
lhe left hand continuesthe pivoting action, the sectionleavesits can b€ removed if the trick requircs it. However, I nomally con_
pivot point asshownin Figure34,andrevolvesuntil it is almostfac€ tinue thc actiod a3 follows:
up. Theleft handnow movesupwardstaking thecelldsup, to square
with the uppersection,as shownin Figure35.
Figure36

Figure34

188 189
 Sleights Sleights

Figurc36a Figute37

ao
a
e
4)fie.rlghr hand is rnovedslighlty upwardsaway from the pack and
me rctl DaDdrmmc<tiatelysl&ts lo revolve the pact along its lenglh
by simply twistingthe}land rowardsyour bodt unlil lhe-fingers;a
uppefihost, as shown in Figure 35A.
The tumover action describedin .4' above follows on immediarelv
after.!heHaif Pa$ acrionhas b€€ncompleted.Of.our..,lt ontv Ui
ur€o. tt ||rs rn wlth lhe routine you are doing. If you did it wirh
"* a pack
sta rmg rn_alace oown condition you would apparenrlyshowa back at Figure38

"sEcoNDstN"
This is my handlingof a rnovedevisedby VerneChesbro.lr is, in fact,
_.
(he.oppojrle result to a seconddeal, the top
card being shown ani
rcptacedDut,$cretly€ndingup secondfrom the top, lt is usefulin many
tricks bur will rake a little limc ro learn and perform wilh confidence-.
The technical details are as follows:
1)Hold the pack face down in tlle l€ft halld and remove the top card
vrith the riSht hand, boldine it as sho*n in Figure 3? at the bottom
right hand corner. Twist the right hand as sfiown in Figure 37 tJ
show the face of the top card, keeping the card close!o th; pack and
not quite in a face up condition as compared with the f;ce down
pack. A sideon vi€w of this positionis shown in Figure38.
190 t9l
 Sleights
2)As the card is beingshown by the right hand, the left thumb pus
rhe lop card ol the pack over sliChtly.Thi\ action is exDosed
Figures37 and 18, but it is imporlant to rememberthat Figure 3
showsthe audiences'view and that the card you can see
from the top of the pack slightlyin this illustrarion,would not
mally be seer,dueto the card in the riShthand concealingit. F
38 is an exposedsideon view.
3)Theright hand now startsto turn so that its cardwill againend in
fare down condirion but in doing this it feedsthe left hand long
of the card below the one protruding from lhe top of the p
Figure 39 rhowsan exposedside on view ot rhis aclion.
Sleighls
A perfect weavemeans tbat exacily half the pack is merged rdth.lhe
tnhc; half so thal everycard alternates,however,nearlyall of the tricks
\||l'l the weaveshuffle in tbh book, only requirea few cardsfrom the
r',t);f eachsectionto be accuratelymeshed,a much easierprocedure.
I he handling usedis the same,whether the complete halvesale me.geal
a few cards,so the descriptionwill assumethat you wish to carry
',r iusl
r'[r a completeweaveof a filty two card pack.

Figure40
\

Figure39

The right hand continuesthe action of twistingto bring the card

completely fac€ down and pushesit inwards using the forefinger on
the right long edgeso that it squaresup with the main pack. Tha
right forefinger also servesthe purpose of pushing on lhc edSeof tha
card it is bein8fed under, so that this alsosquaresup with the main
pack.
As the card is b€ing fed below the top card, the left hand Divoti Figurc41
rh€ pack downwards vert sliehtD. This action is importani and
helpsconsiderablyin coveringthe move.
The move can be fitted into mary tricks, one of rhe most obviou!
beingthe 'Ambitious Ca.d', its usecutting down on the excessive useof
the flouble Lift in this effect.

..TIIE WEAVE SHUTFLE''

The perfect weave (or faro) shuffle has been around for a long tima
but in my opinion, it was not until Alex Elmsleydevelopedhis many
tricks and principlesusing tlle shuffle, that its full Dotentialbecam;

192 193
 Sleights
Hold the pack in the left hand as shown in Figure 40, thumb on thl
near long side, for€fingd restinS on the back of t}lc pack and remainint
fingers at the far long side. Bring the right hand !o the face of the pacl
and use the thumb to lift off cxactly half the pack by placing it on tha
near long side, €stimating the half way point and lifting thesesway frorl
the face end of th€ pack by raising the right thumb slightly as in Figura
40. The forefingerand lillle finger of the righl hand rest on rhe faceo
the pack, the remainingfingersbeingon the far long side.Lift the fac!
half completely away from the tear one for a moment.
Move the right forefingerto th€ uppershort end of the pack and brini
the halvestogetherasshownin Figure4l. Note how the dght little fingcr
forms a restfor the facecardsoflhe two halves.Adjust the halvesso thst
only lhe edgesof the cardsimmediatelyabovethe riSht little finger ara
touching,the halvesbeingheld in a slightV shapero make thh possibla.
Now move the upper half slightlytowardsyou with the right hand and
the lower one slightly away from you with the lef!, which will result in tha
halvesmeshingtoSethera5showoin Figure41. Do not hold the cardstoo
tightly whilst the shuffletakesplace,althoughonly practicecan tell you
the correctpressures to apply.
G.ncrd Notes on W€av€ Shuffles
a)An 'out' shuffle with an evenquantiryof cardsmeansthat the top
and face cards of the group remain in these positions afier thc
shuffle.
b)An 'in' shuffle with an evenquantity of cardsmeansthat the top
and face cards lose these positions after the shuffle, ending second
from the rop and secondfrom the face.
c) An 'out' shuffle from the face of an odd quantity of cardsmeans
that you must cut the largersection(in the caseofa 53 cardpack,2T
cards)from the lace beforeyou shuffle.
d)An 'in' shuffl€ from the faceofan odd quantity ofcards meansthat
you must cut the smaller section from the face bcfore you shuffle.
e) For 'out' or 'in' shufflesfroh the top of an odd quantity of cards,
just follow the rulesin 'c'and 'd'abov€, but apply them to the top
of the pack.
0 A no.mal odd quantity weaveshufflemeansyou merelyshufflethc
smallerhalf into the larger.
..THE MONTE THROW''
My monterouiin€is describedin ChapteroDeof rhisbook and for rhat
to learn a good righr hand rhro*, so th€ left
routine it is only necessary
hand will be ignoredin rhe descriptiontbat follows.
You will needjust two cardsto practicethe move.Tak€ rhe first face
down in the right hand, the secondfinger pressingagainsrthe far short
194
SleiShts
.nd and the thumb the nearone,the hand itselfbeingcurledoverthe top
r)l lhe card. The riSht forefingerrestslightly on the back of the card
Now take the second card below the first, third finger pressingagainst
rhli far short end and thumb the near one, The thumb is now pressing
rgainstthe near short edgeof two cards.The two cardsshouldb€ lined
up one b€low thc other and kept very close togethet, the left hand long
(dgesactually touching each oth€r and the right hand onesbeing about a
(tr;rter ofan inch apatt. lt is easierto pick the cardsup from lhe table,if
rhey are curved along their length sliShtly.
The rigbt hand twhts clockwiseat the wrist to show the faceof the
lower card, It turns to bring the cards fac€ down again and moves
rowardstlle left. After moving about six inches towards the right second
fingermovesoutwardsvery slightlyand at the sametime the riSht hand
nrovesback towards the right. The result of theseactionsis that th€
lpper card of the parr drops strarS]rtdown onto the table. As the righl
hand is moving back the grip on the card remainingin it is changedby
flacingthe right secondfinget on the far short endand released the third
iurger.Wllen the right hand comesto rest,the lingersare exactlyin the
|osition they would assumeif the lower card really had beendropped.
Practice the throw by really dropping the lower card and imitating this
rction. lt is possibleto get to a standardwhereit is quite impossibleto
(lclectthe fekethrow and not too much practiceis requiredto reachthis
nandard.
,.IHE CLASSICPASS''
It seemsto me that the Pass is a much underratedsleight when
.orreclly done,it is fast, silentand extremelyefficientand well wortb the
trracticer€quiredto achievethesecharacteristics.
'Ihereare ofcoursemany substitutesfor the Pass,but b€foreconsidel_
ulg them,makesureyou comparctheeIJectrheygivewith that whichthe
l'assgives.The effect of the Passshould be that a card is chosenfrom
rhcpack by a spectatorand then replacedon top of the lower half of the
t)ack.The upper half is then plac€don top to sandwichthe card aathe
(cntre. The card in th€seaciionshas been€ontrolledto the top of ihe
tJack,thereare ro post replacements, spreads,cuts or shufflesfrom the
\pectator'sviewpoint.There are few view substitulesthat will give this
.xact effect in sucha cleartwaY.
My handlingof the ClassicPassis as follows:
I ) Fan the Dackfor a card to be taken and thencloseit and cut off the
upper half witb the right hand.
2)Havethe card replacedon lop of the lower half and then placethe
upperhalf on top of the lower one, insertingthe tip of the left little
finger betweenthe two halves.Note in FiSure4l how the left hand
forefinger is curled around the outer short end of the pack. The
195
 Sleights
right hand is not shown in Figure 4l for clarily, bul is of course
curvedover lhe pack afrer replacinglhe upp€r half.
.
r,In€ rl8nl nand ts stretchedwell over the pact, so rhal the finsers
give plentyof coverat rhe fronr, rhe hand only gripplng tl,e
lo_wii
secnonot the pack betweenthe fmgersat the far shon end and
rnumDat ti€ oear one, My grip is only reauy berweenthe senond
lrnger and rhumb of thf right hand, as can be sefn in Figure42.
Figure42
Figure43
196
Sleights
l) Ihe left hand now movesthe upperhalf slightlyto th€ ieft by simply
movingth€ fingerstowardsihe left. This actionwill causethe upper
half to pivot upwardsas shownin Figure 42. At ihe sametime the
right hand pulls upwardsslightly on the lower half, a rear view of
rhis being shown in Figure 43. The combinedactionsof the two
handswill result in the two sectionschanSingplacesand it only
remainsto closethe left fingersin again to bring its half back to
square up with the one gripped by the rieht hand.
The reason for thc left forefinger being curled around the outer
short end is to preventthis half from swingingout too far, a very
common fault in the executionof the Pass.
(;rreral Noteson the P.ss
t I is most important that the halves do not touch each other dttritrg the
( tions. This resultsin a completelysilent Pass.
Neveratlempt the Passwithout someform of misdir€.tion Cet their
ircntion away from your handsfor a momcnt,
liming (which is part of misdirection)is most importan!. I normally
I'lncethe upperhalf on top ofthe lower and immediatelydo the Pass,as
I l()okstraightat tlle spectatorsand say "you didnl take th€ Joker did
r'rr? , or someother typ€ of pointlessqu€slion.
.' I'HE TIJRNOVER PASS''
Ihe Turnover Pass I use is based on the Hermann one and its
updatingby Hugardand 8raue, in their book "The Invisible
,ohsequent
A card is selectedfrom the pack and retumed to the lop of the lower
lrilf. As the top half is replaceda flesh break is taken betweenthe two
l,rlvesat the baseof the left tlumb.
Ihe right hand com€sover th€ pack 1otake up the positionshownin
t rsurezg. Note how the hand h low on the back to give plentyof finger
, i,ver at the outer short end.
I he left hand fidgersnow pull down on the right hand long sideof the
t)rek and as this sectionstartsto reacha verticalposition,tlle left hand
1,nr8sidemovesacrossthe faceof the upper half, not touchingbul very
, losero it, until the lower half reachesthe positionshownin Figure45.
As soonasthh positionis reach€d,th€ right hand startsto pushdown on
rlc upperhalf slightly,so that it pivots againstthe right lhumb and the
I rFhthand long sidestarlsto move downwards.
l heleft hand now startsto twist over to a palm down position,the left
r||trmbpushingon the edgeof the long sideit is touchinguntil the lower
|nll squaresup with the upper half as shown in Figure46. As the pack
r.irehesits faceup positionthe right hand is removed.
19'l
 Sleights SleiShts
Notelhat in FiSure45 the right hand fingershavebeenextendedto
."p"*a tl!" ,heacti6n.ln performance. thes€fingersremain
" ""
.-''urlcdovir the tronl"r
ot the pack as in Figure'14'
I)o IIot usethe TumoverPassunlessyou havea partIn yourrouune
qhcrethe packhasto be turnedover' I know this seems an obvlous
but I haveseenmany con.iurers us€ the move wrthoui any
'rmark, the pa;k over, otherthan theirown knowledge
Figure44 ,".iiii"ition iot tutning
r||lt themoveis deceptive.

"'I'HE PUT DOWN''

sometwentyyealsagoI workedoul thismovelo usein an Ambitious
, ,'.ai""ri"", iir, if vi, learnir, manvolheruses\rill bediscovered
iiuiiuv frofalngtfti p".k tacedownin theleli handandriffle o[[ the
i*o troimthi tertthumbat lhe oulerleft cornerof th€ pack'
','n ""ra"
t lic action ofthe left thumbis conc€aled by rherighthalldwhichcomes
,,".r itri oacf oam ao*n, covednglhe outer left cornercompletely
ir.*iifr"ifftt ft-a nnger tipslnto the break that hasb€€nformed
,',J.iii. iro i"" th; thumb resringon top of thepack crip lhe
r{o cardsasonettetwe€n "*at, therighl handfingersandthumbandtwrsllhe
Figure45 i'""J op*"iaito .rto* the facJof thetop card'asshowrin Figure4?

Figwe 47

Figure46

198
 Sleights
Twist the hand downwards again and at the same dme slide the fac€
card slightly to the left with the right fing€rs.An exposedview of this
action is shown in FiSure48.
Figure48
Place the uppermost card on top of the pack so that only the corner is
act$lly on top. Agarn refer to Figure 48 for this position.
Pressdown on the pack with the outer l€ft corner of thc card resling on
it. This will causeth€ card below it in the right hand to separalesliShtly
at the ilner shorl end. Now start lo move thc right hand and tle card(s) it
holdsinwardsto line up with ih€ short endsof the pack. The lower card
will automalicallybe fed inlo the approximatecentreof lhe pack by this
stidingaction. Figure49 showsan exposedview from underneathof this
2N
Sleights
As soonas the lower cardhasenteredthe pack and the upperone has
||,rei:lup with the short ends,the right hand rel€oses
its grip completely
I'r( h still curvedover the pack. The fingersof the right hand are kept
r{'8ether,but Figure 50 showsan exposedvi€w at this point with the
r'rgersapan.
Undercoverof the right hand, the left finger tips drarvthe lower side
r()8gedcard squarewith lhe pack and the left little finger takesa break
Ihe right hand now, slowly cuts off all the cards above tlle break,
l.avingthe lop card in its sidejoggedpositionand completcsthe cut. The
t,rck is completely squaredwith the aid of the left hand and then the top
.ard flipped face up to show thc apparent rise of the cen[e card to thc
NOTE:-lf you wish to brinS the card to the bottom of the pack, jusl
pressdown a linle harder at the stagein the move wherethe lop
card h overlapping the pack (Figure ,E) and the lowermost
card will slide under the pack during the right hands action,
rather than being fed into the centre. ln this variation no
subsequent cut is made,
..THE SECONDDEAL''
'fhis sleighthasa reputationof being€xtremelydifficult, it is difficult,
but not extremelyso.
I hereare an awful lot of techniquesin print but in the main they fall
rrlo two basicapproaches, a 'pushoff' dealor a'strike'deal. I haveused
&nh typesof deal, and have concludedfor generalconjuring applica-
r(rns that the 'strike' techniqueis the better one lo use. One major
, vantagethe strikedealhasoverthe 'pushoff' h Lhatit is not essmtial
ml
 Sleights
that the cardsar€in good condition,if your techniqueis correcl,you
use even old cafds successfully.
Do not be pul off by friendstellingyou its not worth the effort to
a SecondDeal, as it has very little usein card magic, it is a sleight
considerable powerwhich has not beenusedextensively, simply
not many peopledo it. Itt not that they cannotdo it, but that they
they caonot do ii. Once this mental block has been pushed
progresswill be rapid. So, take your cards in hand and give it
try-please.
Figure51
Figure 5l shows how the pack is held in the left ha[d. Note how
pack is slightly beveled,k€ep this b€vel very sliglt. The fingers are at th
side of the pack and lhe lhumb is r€sting on top. The grip on the
shouA be very light,
I am now going to describe how to deal the second card, which
conlrary to most instructions that s|an with the melhod for dealing
top card. lt is my opinion tha! you should make the dealing of the
card as natural as possible, and having achievedlhis, lry and duplicate
the action whm dealing the top card.
Bring the right hand towards the left with the thumb extended in a
natural manner and the fing€rs curled in sliShtly but not beyond the tip
of the thumb. It is importantthat the right thumb is not extendedout
a fish hook with the fingerscurledtightly in, to makethe positionofthe
thumb look evenInoreunnatural.Look at Figure52 for the appearance
the right hand shouldhave.
202
Sleights
Figure52
As lhe risht thumb movesovel the top of lhe pack' pull tbe top card
,r.'$', slightlywith a lighl pressureof lhe lefi lhumb as shownin FiSure
\r t' v;d le€p rhissap no morethan a whiteborderwidrh, but do not
*,r !;f vou haveto;ate it widcr for a reliabledeal Al lhe time lhe lefl
' moves,the riSht one should be positionedjust past the centre
rh[l|rb
In{'|l
' of lhe far sho end of lhe pack.
M6verhericht ha[d lowardsthe right and wirh a light touch. lowerthe
|,{trr rhumb s; that it touchesth€ back of the secondcard from the top'
r ,,ur,nuemoving the complctehand to lhe righl in a dcaling-actionand
ir rhc tame rimemovethe rigltt lhumb lo lhe righl at a much lasterspeeo
rlrtrn (hehand. With preaticethe secondcardwill comeout cleanlyand as
I Drotrudesfrom lhe right long side of the pack, the rig]t first and
,..,u,d iincersmoueup t6 its faci,locking it againstihe rhumbso thal it
the pack.The left thumb moveslh€ lop
' ur be coripletelyremovedfrom
, trrJ back squarewilh fie Pack
the pafl ;f lhe riSht thumb which hits'or '$rikes' lhe card will varv
*rrh i;dividuals de-pending on the shapeof thet thumb. Look for a
.,f,lai,ttr.rmp at the teft lland side of your thumb and usethe lower part of
r[( oroiectionto strike the card out
Ai soonas the card is awavftom the pack and whilst the right hand is
,,rll moving, slide the right thumb downwardsslightly so that it is not
lr\ilroned at the extremetop edgewhen lhe card comesto resl'
'
t-or dealing the rop card, foilow the procedurealready described
wrrhourthe le-ftthumb pull down ofthe top card. lmitate the exacthand
ntovements that ale madewhen you deal the secondcard
when dealing, do not use an exc€ssiveup and down movement of the
,,rrk in rhe fefahand.rememberlhar a nalural deal will ah'ats be morc
',t,tcprive
than a technicaltyperlect oae There should be a lefl hand
Ir1)v;ment,but no note than is normallypresentwhenyou dealor take
, rrds from the top.
In my opinion the goldenrule for seconddealingis lightnessof touch
m3
 SleiShts Sleights
irl both the holdiw and dealing hands. Think of the pack as an egg viewpoint is shown
t h( left handgrip of thepackfrom theaudiences' takeno
you will not go far wrong. r" i"i"i r"c! lhe first lhre€ fingers of the lefi hand
," i'**.ii. grip wilh these thrce
ll"' i"-lJii* ,rt. t*t *d anexposed of vi€w the
' in Fisu;e 55 rrom this illustralion' it canbe
iil.;;;;;il4;'th"; dsht htrtd
."i',rr"i ii.iJi i-a ri lle fing;r is posjrioned a! the botlom
.:; nd of theDackandit b pressurc of thislingeragainst lh€bascofrhc
iiiiiJin", iup'pout,tt. paci. Tte oth'r.righr hand fingers areclos€oIn
d{rinslthe packbut lakeno part in holding rl'

Figule55

Figure53

If you wish lo deal a card faceup, take it in the grip dcscribedbut

placethe third fingcr of yoor right hdld on thc back of th€ card altd
extendthe third {inger unlil the card takcs up t}e position shownin
Figure53.

.THE BOTTOM DEAI,''

Figure56
Thc Bottom Deal I use is basedon the Fred Robinson meihod
publirhcd manyyearsago in the 'Cen' maSazine.

pushcdoverprlor
Ficure56 showsthe $'aythe top card of the packis pivots
tir* ty irt. itgttihand anadcatro-ur ' t'lolehowit against
'.'tii"r .idesovcrthelop-of thc olher fingers
thrce of lhe
ii,. r.iiiittr. nni"t hand ta*esi! ar
"na
i"ii rr-i. ii*.ir rt* *.n pushed overslighllv' therighl
Figure54 thumb on-top and fingersbclow and mov's
',ii ,igrtirt-a upper
ii. couses
-*er, andawalfrcm thepack .Thisoction
6ri airnlj'tia"novt aw^v trom
)ii iiri to i"i of titetelt tiulelinset-and move side\+ovs
"tt lrgure )/ shows the dkeclion$e card
rh€Dack,ralherthancllaSonally
,"".,'.i"tii rttltillustritionshowsthebotlomca'dbeinglaken'
204 "lirt"tgtt m5
-
Sleights
SleiShts
theposi.ionappliesro rhe rop cardalso. Having
undcrsroodthe acrionoI
r€rlng the rop card, lhe acrualBo$om Deal is eardinto the right hand without dealingit down somakesureyoucando
carrieaorrrin rtreililoi-
ing lnanner. rhisin a deceptiveway.
Firsr oI all rheieft hand thumb pushesover
the top card as shownin
-lls_yl 56:. Tlj rishrhandapproaches rr,.p"cr toi"l. ir,i.".l"*l ..THE GHOST COUNT''
po_sttror$ so rhatirs lhumb reslslighdv on rop ot ttrc prrrtrJ
,ltsett-
caro, whllsl secondfingergoesbeneaththe pacK iii
ot tlle outer'ls and restson the face The 'Chost Counl' or 'Fouf as Four' count was originatedby Alex
right corncr of thc bollom card
rt|e nght secondfingcr pushesupwardsand Elmsleyand first publishedin his booklet ritled, 'The Four Card.Trick''
._ the completehand moves
de€tineacrion. Beca;seof its many applications, it has becomevery popular with con-
l^.,:._r1+,,i"
oorromcardto i.*1":"rionat
},i, a"ti""*iii al"* ir,. i rersand like manygood thingshasperhapsbeena little over used this
therighralso,firsllvDivorinc
agaiootf,. f.f, fii f" ingir,
atu thm snappinS__offlhe furgerandmovin-g
in a convenrional in no way a crilicism of lhe move ilself. qhich h quite brillianl'
orrcctlon.f-igure57showsthisaction. side;ay; ^ My owniandling, is a little different to that originallv describedby
Alex, and is as follows:
l) i'Iold four caralsface up in the left hand in a squared condition, the
gnp beingal lhe extremeleft hand long edge'thumb-onthe faceand
iiniers bilow. SeeFiguIe58 qhich showshow lhe lefi handgripsthe
cards,

Figure58

Frgureb/

At_thesametimeas the bo[om cardis I

carorsdra*n rapidryb""t ,o rouur. uo *,;lollng to the right, lhe top
trrurnu. I jicc;ii;ia: ;f.;:1,:1,:li1:i;:-.,!i,,:i,,"r:
ro acrie.ve
*liT^:Tgg9 ro rheleft of lhe lop onemrrstU.madein rinison....'
. r constoerrr lmporranr
rhar
,o undu€ upanddo"n lnorionoiit. letr
nand sholld be.madewhen rhe deel takesplace.N"r. tt. nurur"t_".rion
or lhe lelt hand when a normai deal is m;de
and ao no Inor. ** i.t;,
wnen you cary out the feke deal.
. Kee! ti€ teft hand grip on rhe pack lighr and also pressureof thr
agJlthand, wherh€rir is dealingihe top-or bonom the 2t Brinc the right hand up to lhe packel and strelch the Ihumb w?//
carO. over-the facl and thc fingers below. Draw off the face card by
rhar you pracrice rhe Borrom Deal wirh
."j_lT:_TT."d
M-any books reco-mmend a fu Dack. downward Dressure with the right thumb until ii restsin the right
half a pack bur you gJ ; ;;; #;:;
rerurnror rfforr, in rhewayof increased "ll ;ri"" piri*i
user, hand as sho'w! in Figure 59. Note carefully how it is taken well into
'our iii^:iii the halld.
deatcards.onlo rhe rabtr.whenyou l)Pull slightly with the left hand fingersbelow the packet and push
-slighdy;id
praclicing,
.-P^"_lil
remember rhat in manymagicLricksyou wi simptyUeare
1*."f the thurnbaboveso that the uppertwo cardsar€jogged
takingrtreiil over a little way as shownin Figure59.
206
201
 Sleights
Figure
59
4) BrinSthe right handup to the packetto apparenllydraw offthe face
card on lop of rheone aheadyin lhe righr hand. Actually placethe
nghr handcardbelowthe packerwhereir isgrippedby rhe fingenips
of the left hand, and take off the upper two joggedcardsinto tire
right hand by gripping them betweenthe thumb above and finsers
below. th€ grip beinglhe sameas shown in Figure59. The acrions
describ€din parag.aph3 and 4 blend into almosta singlesequence.
5) Take off the rernaining two cards in the left hand one by one, by
drawingthernoff inlo the right hand by downwardpressurewith ah;
righathumb.
The aboveactions,whilstlookinglike a fair countof four cards,
actuallyconcealsthe third card down from the face.
..THE JORDAN COUNT"
This countwasinventedby CharlesT. Jordanandconcealsthe boriom
cardofa four cardgroup. The originalhandlin8givenby Jordanwasnol
quite the sameas that which follows.
l)Hold the four cards in the Ieft hand in exactlythe samegrip as
shown in Figure 58.
2) Ule the ri8!t thumb to draw off the uppet rwo cardsone by oneinro
the right h.nd.
3) Bring the right hand up to the left ro draw off anorher card from rhe
face,in this actiol the two cardsin the right hand going belowthe
lwo in th€ left. As soonas the right hand cardssquareup wjth those
in the left push all the cardsabovethe bottom bne slightly to the
right with the left thumb a! the sametime, pulling tha iower one
208
Sleights
slightlyto the left with the left fingers.This actionh similarto thar
shown in Figure 59. ln a continuingaction take the threejogged
cardsawayinto the right hand by grippingthem, ihumb above,and
fingers b€low.
Finally take the last card from the left hand on top of tiose in the
righl to completethe count.
..THE OVETTE/XXLLY PLACEMENT''
This is an extremely useful move in card ougic, and becauseof its
comparatively simple technique, tends to be overworked as a control.
Havingleamt it, my adviceis to useit with discretion.
Hold thc pack facc down in the left hand, the position of the left hand
itself being fairly low do*'n in front of the body.
Use the lcft thumb to riffle do*n from top to bottom at th€ left outer
corner of the pack, inviting a spcctator lo call stop at somepoint. Lift off
lhe upper section of the pack at the rcqucstcd position with the right
hand. The position of lhe right hand is important. It is curvcd over the
pack, palm down, fingers al the far short end and thumb at the near one.
The fingers should extend ell down over the front of thc pack.
Lift off the uppcr section and move the right hand upwards so that the
face card of the upper section is facing the spectator. The right hand just
movesnaturally up, until its back is towa.dsyour body to do this. Ask
the spectator to remember the face card.
Start to move th€ right hand back do*,n towards the packet in the left
hand. Kcep the right hand a little to the front of the left as it comes
to*ards it. As thc right hand movcs downwards it naturally turns its
section forward to a horizontal position.
As soon as it rcachesthis position, lhe right hand fingers curl slightly
until thcy rest on thc face card of the ri8ht hand section. The right hand
fingers now move Jrigrtt to the right and then&rward, taking the fqce
card with them during thcse moveme s. This action will causethe fac€
card to pivot away from the packet, maintaining contact with the pack at
the outer short end and moving away from i! at ihe inner one for about
l'onlr.
The right hand moves back to place its sectionon top of the left and as
il does this the lcft hand grips its section solely betwe€ntb€ littl€ finger
and baseof left thumb so that the first three fingers can be moved away
from the pack slightly. Do rol straighten the fingers, just move them
away from the pack a little to allow room for tlle face card of the upper
sectionto slip in betweenthem and the bottom of the left hand section as
the right hand replacesits scrctionon top. Refer to ihe illustralion given
in the Bottom Deal descriplion elsewherein this chapter, for the lefi
hand grip.
The aclion of the right hand is a slightly diagonal one as it approaches
26
 Sleights
rhe left hand secriona little to the front and right of t}le left hand's
packets outei comer. The face card of the righl hand packet runs
smoothlyonto the face of the left one, whilst the remaindergo on top.
The l€ft hand finger move up to tetake their posirion on the righr haltd
long side of the pack, the right hand moves away, and the move is
Chapter9
..THE HAMMAN COUNT"
Round Up
This sleight was invented by Bro. Hamman and has become very
polular with card conjurers. The quantity of cards used call vary but I
will describe&e move as usedin 'Oil and Queens'from Chapter l.
Hold the nine cards face up in the right hand, the hand being pat$ This section contains a number of tricks not previously published and
down and curv€d over the length of the cards, the fingers pressingagaiost some that origimlly app€3red in Mt. Krrl Fulve's magazines.
the far short €nds ard lhe thumb against the near ones. I am indebted to Karl fo. pelmission to repdnt them.
Using the left thumb, draw off the cards fiom the face of the Dacket
oneby oneso tMr rhcy rcsron rhe fingersoflhe left hand, which i palm
up. Draw off four cardsin this way and as lhe lefr hand approacheilhc "SHAXf,DOWN"
right to apparently draw off the fifth card, move the left hand and its
cards well to the right below those in the right hand. This meansthat the
right hand cards are jogged to th€ left of the oDesbelo* them and the left Effect
hand can grip them at the basc of the thumb and draw the complete right
hand packet into tlle left hand. At the sametime the right hand grips tlle Four aces are sandwiched between two jokers, after one of the aces
opposite short ends of the left hand packet betweenits third finger and have been rememberedby a speclator. The packet of six cards is placed
thumb at the part of the packer that is protrudinS slightly to the right of beneatha handkerchiefand grippedtightlybya spectator.Heis askedto
the uDperpacket add retains this packet, as the left hand pulls the upper sive the cardsa shake.which resultsin threeof the acesdroppingfrom
packet onto its fingers. The appearanceshould be tha! the left halld has
Leneaththe handkerchief.The one r€marningis the rememberedone,
drawn off one more card from the face of ftc right band packet, but in and it is still trapped betweenth€ jokers.
fact tbe right and lef! hand packets hav€ b€€n cornpletely exchanged.
The remaining cards in lhe right hand are drawn off one by one into
the lcft and th€ couni is complete. Thus, one section off the comDlcta Working
packetis reallycountedtwice,so lhat lheother se\ction can beconcealed.
Removethe acesfrom lhe pack and drop them in a pile on the lable
Now remove the two iok€rs alrd place these face up on the table in a
slight spread.
Pick up the acesand invite a spcctator to take any one and remember
it. Hold the remainingthre€in a facedown spreadand invite him to push
his selecledaceamongthem, As he doesthis, rememberhow far down
from the top it gocs-it can only be in position two or three,
Sayyou will mix the acesup so that eventhe spectalordoesnot know
whereiris chosenoneis. ln doing !his, make surethat it endsat the face
of the face down packet, an easyoperation, sinceyou know it is at
Dositiontwo or threebefore you start mixinS. lf it is at posiiion two,
push two cards from the top into the right hand without altering their
ordcr and then olaceone of thoseremainingin the right hand oh top of
2to 2rl
 Round Up Round UP
is
th€ handkerchief
,,rilarway.Notethat vour lefi forefingerbeneath
them and one underneath.Now relakethe lour cardsinto lhe left hand
and mi\ ftem againby taking the top card into the right hand' ihe text
one or toD of jt, the next below and the final one on top.
Il th€ chosenacestartsal positionthree,just follow the aboveinslruc Figure61
tions startingal 'now retake'. Thesesimplemixeslook casuaiand end
with the selectedaceai ihe bottom,
Sandwichthe facedown acesbetweenthe faceup jokers on the table
Pick up lhe complelepackeiand hold them in the left hand in the Jordan
Counl position. Count them as follows: take off the first four cards
fairly inlo the right hand by pulling lhem off one bv on€ wilh the right
ftumb. As you take the fiflh card, placeall the cardsin the right hand
below thosi in the left and then immediatelypush off the upp€r fiv€
cardswilh the left thumb and take them into the right hand Placeth€
final joker on top to completethe count. As you count th€ caros say'
"remember, four acessandwichedbetweentwo iokers." Transferlh€
pa€kelto the l€f1hand.
Take an opaquehandkerchieffrom vour pocket with the right hand
and throw ii over the cards. As soon as the handkerchi€fcoversthe
cards,useth€ lefathumb to thumb count the upperthreecardsby releas-
ing them from the thumb one by oneand presslhe thumb againslthe side
oathe Dacketio rerainthe break for a moment. Now uselhe left fore-
finser;cain\t lhe oulershortendlo pushdownall the cardsbelot{lhr
breil fo=rabouroneinch.KeepIhe iorefingerin positionaller pushing
,rrll in positionand preventshim grippinglhe cardstoo far down'
once he has a tig.ht grip, remove your left hand from below th€
r-rraierctriei, matlig suri that he keeps packet of cards in a
l,orizontalposition still. 'he

Figure60 Ask the nameof the chosenaceand then invitethe assistingspectalor

r,' eiiD as tighrlv as he can and thenshakethe handkerchiefandcardsat
, ,.,"r.tiir"-*-rt. l-. itr;\ will resultin threeacesdroppingour. noneo{
r'
,f'"m Uiinc rt'e.hosenone. Ask him to look carefultyat lhe oneshe
tiehtlv ben€athihe handkerchief and he wiu find the chosen
'iiiigrippiig the jokers
,ne between

"SON OF TETRADISM MINUS 4E''

'Ihis is a different method for accomplishin8one of Peiel Kane's

Turn the left hand completelyover beneaththe handkerchiefwithout
alteringyour grip on (hepackel.If the handkerchiefwereremovedat this in tfti. version the original full pack stack is reducedto four
"ir""ir.
point, Figure60showsthe appearance ofthe left hand grip on the cards' .u.alunJin" t""ona a""l is replacedbv the faro shuffle The faro shuffle
posiLion. inlite a speclaror lo gripI he ."" ir i""t U" r"rno*a any false shuffle used' but this would also
KeeDinc lhecardsin a horizonlal
packeiLiglhtlyar Lheshorlendnearesl lhe lelt forefing€r' lllustralehow ,".o". *e interesringtink betweena basicfaro principleand the effect
"nd
he should grip them by placingyour right hand in position ar shown Io Dreoare Lhelrick takeany iour tiketaluecard' and placethemal
'n ,\brion' l. 18.J5 and 52 from thetop ot a 52cardpacl In lhedescrip-
Figure61. Removeyour right handand let him takehold of the cardsin a
212 213
 RoundUp
Round UP
..CHAIN LIGHTNING''
tion t will assumethat foul sixeshavebeenarrangedin th€ appropriate
posrtlons.
I like tricks with surpriseendings,particularlvwhenthe methods€€ms
ouuiout to the spe{lators,but finally the tablesare lurned' on
'.i"
rhe;. ln this effecl tour small packetsof cardsare shuffledby a sr'ec-
P€rfolmrnc€ i'ioi *a i.ot"".a on ltte table. Th€ performer picks up th€ first heap
,,na soellshiarts b! lransferringone card for €ach lelter lrom top to
iouoiioi
'1" rt'. pu.liuna upon turningthe final card faceup' il is lound
Removethe Dackfrom its case,takingcarenot to exposethe six spotal ,. rti"n. ittl. i. t"p"a;ed bv spelling and findi[g cards of lhe olhtr
the face. Cive the pack a5 mady'oul' falo sbufflesas you wish, which ,tlr.. "."iii"i,rt in. orttet ttrreepickets. The performer remarls "the
will retain ihe top and face cards in position and exchangethe cards at
rrick sould be easyif eachpacket _he consistedof cardsof lhe samesulls'
Dositions l8 and 35, betweenthesetlvo locations. There musl be no cuts ,nJ in f""r ,tt.v ' wtten tums eachpacketfaceup. theyareindeed
Letweenshufflcs, unlessthey are false onesthat bring the pack back to its .itirti iura tui, "t.-.
uut tr'" suitsare compl€telydifferent lo thal oI lhe one
original state. speltout.
After the shuffles cut the pack at the approximale centre point and
take a break b€tweenthe two halveswith the left little finger as they come
mgemea.
Riffle down the outer left hand corner of the pack with the left thumb
and invite a spectator to call stop at some point. Appear to cut ofJ $-e
uDDersecrionwith the riShl handat his requested point bul rcally lift off
.it tle cards above $e litlle finger break Thit is $e slandard Riffle
Force procedure.
Give the spectator a choice betweenthe card at the top of ihe lower
section or face of the upper one. Removethe one he decideson and place
it facedown on the table.
Reassernblethe halves of lhe main pack, it doesnot matter which half
goeson loP of which. Figure62
The Dackcan now b€ givenas manySeruinecuts and faro shuffle! as
uou wish. All faros rnustof cours€b€ Derfeclodd pack ones,as you arr
now working with 51 cards. However many faro shuffles and culs you
give the paci, the remaining three sixeswill remaln in the samepositions
relative to each other.
Thumb off l? cards without reversingtheir ordcr and place them in a
fac€ down heap on the table. Thumb off another 1? cards to form a
second heap and place th€ remainder of the pack face down to form a
third heap. Push aDy on€ of th€seheapstowards a spectator.
lnviterhesDedatorto turn lhclop cardothis hcapfaceupand replace
on ihe tabl€ to form a new pile. In unisonwith him, usingyour left and
rirh! handslurn thelop cardsof your hespfaceup and plac€on lhe lable
ti form rwo face up heaps.Continuelhis dealingin unison wi$ thc
sp€clator until the three sixestum up at exactly the same positions as

II each other, quite a surprising outcome to watch.

Finally havc a spectator revealthat the card chosenat the beginning of
the trick is the fourth six spot
214
Performrdce

Run through the Pack and selectany five spadespot cards and
zt5
place
 Round Up
them in a face down heap on the table. Nexi remove five diamonds and
place them down immediately to the right of the previous heap. Now
remove-seven clubsand placerhemro !he righl ofthe previousgroup and
tmauy tour heartswhich go al the exlremerigh! hand end of the row,
whilst removirg tlle hearts, adjust the pack so that a heart wiU be at tha
top when it is tuned face down. It is not ess€ntial that all tie cards
rcmovedarc spot onesbut I prefcr them as jt giv€sa clcarer display at the
climax of the trick.
Requcsta spectalorto pict up eachheapin tum. give it a shufneand
replacc it face down on lhe rable in the same Dosition. Wlikr thc
shuffling.htaking plac€,top palm rhc heart from rhe packinto rherighl
hand and plac€ the balance of tle pack aside. Thc fou. packets on ihe
lable will now bc referred to as nos. I to 4 reading from left to right.
Scoop up heap I, adding tle paLnad heart to the top in this aation.
Spell our HEARTS, transfering one card from top rc bottom for each
letter. Tum the NEtlcard face up revealingthat itls a heart and placeil
fac€up on rhe rablcar posirionA in Figure62. Transferrheremai;derof
the heapto the right hand and in this aclion pairn rhe lop card into rhe
dght hand.byusinSDai Vernolt Top palm from ,selectSecrets'or any
other you kno* that's as good. (which is unlikely)
Scoop_upthe cards at posilion 2, adding the palmed card to the top
and spell SPADES, tuming the next card face up aod placing it ;t
position B. Drop the remainderof the packerface down on rop of it,
agarnpahing the rop card in ftc riAhl hand as before.
. Scoopup the cards at position 3, adding the palmed card to the top of
tbeh and thed spelling DIAMONDS. Tum th€ next catd face uo ind
placeit at positionC. Drop the remainderofrhe cardsfacedown on too
of ir, palmingthe rop card in lhe riSht hand in rhe packerrransferacrion,
as Delore.
Sloop uD th€ final packet at position 4, adding the palmed card and
spe CLUBS, tuming the next card faceup and piacingit on the tableat
positio[ D. Drop the remaind€r of the packei face do\rn on toD of it.
Preparefor rhc climax by slating how easylhe rrick would b; if each
pacl€t shulfled by the spectator had been ofthe samesuit. Fidally, turn
each packet face up and place it in a spread on top o[ the face up spelt
cnrd, as shown in the illustration saying, ..they are, but no! how;ou
ihoucht-"
..CHANGING TIMES''
This is an updatingof a well lovedcard effect,the inventorof which,
unfortunately,l am unableto credi!.The trick is theonein which asDec-
tator and lhe performer eachselecta card and afier Lhepack ha5been
m.ixed in a face uplface down condirion, these are the only rwo cards
which are eventually found to be reversed. In the original trick the
p€rformer had to miscall hh card. In tiis version rhe performert card is
actually shown and th€ general handling changed a little.
2t6
RoundUp
P€rfomrnce
Hand fhe pack to a sp€ctator for shuffling and after he has done this,
ask him to retain about half the pack and hand you the remarnder.
Ask him to placehis halfbehindhis backand to pull any card out and
hold ir facedown in his right hand.As he doesthis, you appearto do the
samewith your half. As soonasyou havegor it behindyourback, thumb
ofi the top two cardsinto the right hand,turn the remairderofthe caids
lac€ up in the left hand and finally place one card from the right hand
pair facedown on top of lhe faceup pack, Now bring your handslo the
tront with a card facedown in the riSht hand and the remainderof the
cards apparently face down in the left.
Show the ca.d in your right hand to a few membersof the audience,
inviting them to rememberit. Also take a look at it yourself.
Ask the spectatorto look at his card and then show it to a few
membersof the audi€nce.lf Dossibletell him io show it to different
teople than the oneswho are rememberingyours to avoid confusion.
rurn slightlyto your right and away from the spe.tatorssayingyou do
not want to get a peekof the spectator'scafd as he showsit round.
Al the very moment he is exhibiting his card quietly exchangethe card
in your right hand for the one on top of the cardsin youl left by lhe
standardTop Changelechnique.Do not rushthe move,the misdirection
.over is strong,they will not be looking at you, jusl do it smoothlyand
efficiently.
Pushthe card in your right hand into the centreof the spectatorshalf
and take his chosencard from him and push it into the c€ntreof your
half. As you push it in get a left little finger break aboveit.
Cur off the section of your cards above the break and place them/ac€
dopn onto the table.lnvite theaJsistingspectatorto cut off about half of
his cards,turn them/ace ,rp and placethem on top of the tabledones.
Now place all of your r€maining aardsface do$'n on top of the composite
heapand finally requestthe sp€ctatorto placethe remainderof his/dc?
l/, on top of all.
Pick up the completepackand lurn it facedown. Ask the spectatorto
name his chosencard and you name yours, both being confirmed by
olher speclators who saw them previously, S/oltl/ spread lhe pack face
down on the tableto revealtbat the only lwo cardsfaceup are lh€named
This trick is very effectivefor an audienceaslong as you carry out lhe
assemblyof the face uplface down sectionsin a fair and unhuried
..COLLECT!NG BOX''
Erecr
Three cards are removed from lhe pack, turned face-up and
2t1
 RoundUp
momentarilyplacedat the faceof the deck.The performerthen hastwo
cards chosen and returned to the deck. The thiee reversed cards (and
there are only 3) are momentarilyplaced in the card box. On being
removed,it's seenlhat there are now 5 cards,with the 2 chosencards
sandwiched betweenthe random 3 cards.
Method
Prior to presentingthe routin€ leavetwo cards sectetly in the card box.
They should both be face-up when the caseis tabled with the half-moon
cut-out side up, I suggestatrivinS at this by having ihe complete deck in
its casebefore commencing the performanc€ and simply leaving 2 cards
b€hind when removiru the deck. The cale is closed and placed asid€.
Worldng
Hold the pack face down. Pushthe top 3 cardsover slightlvwith thc
left thumb. and take them in the right hand in a slightly fanned
condition. Turn th€ pack so itt face-upin thc left hand. Squarethe 3
cards, flash the face card of this group, and place them facedown o[ the
faceof the deck.
Turn the complete deck face-down. lmmediately half pass the lower
section. Take a left little finger break between the halves as they come
together. lvhilst the right hand is still over the pack, lift up the top card
of the lower section and rctake the left little fingcr break below this card.
Move the right hand away from lhe pack for a moment.
Riffle down from the outer left corner wilh the lef! thumb. Riffl€
Force the card below thc break on Spectator "A". When you show the
card he stopp€d at, keep the Iower pocket horizontal and push the top
card over with the left thumb so part of the card under it is exposed Lift
the half pack to a vertical position so "A" can seethe face of his card
Do ,ol obscure lhe face end of this packet. You wan! the back of the
r€vers€dcard there to be visible to the spectator.
Reassembletb€ deck. As you squareup with the righ! hand, drop one
i card from the face ol the upp€r sectionto lhe top of the lower onc.
Retake lhe left little finger break above this card. Move ihe right hand
Use the Riffle Force to have "8" note a card, using the lechnique
already describedfor "A". When the deck is reassembled,immedialely
half passthe lower seclion of the pack alrd in almost the samemovement
iurn the completepack face-upas describedin chapter8..
Thumb off th€ 3 face-down cards, holding lhcm slightly fanned in t}le
I right hand. Put the remainderof the deck aside. Point out the lwo
availablespacesin the spreadof 3 cards,one betweenthe top and centre
218
RoundUp
card, the other betweenthe centreand botlom card. I normallypoint to
thesespaceswith my left,bt finger to emphasizetbe remark.
square ahepacket of 3 cards and turn it fac€-up.Slide the face-up
packetinto thecardbox. Keepthe cardbox closeduntil you haveslid th€
cardsbetwe€nthe llap aDdthe facesideof the card box. Then flip opeD
lhe flap and closeit againaolet lhe 3 cardsfall onto the 2cardsalreadyin
lhe box. This procedureinsureslbere'll be no flash of the two cards
alreadyin the box.
Shake the card box over the deck. Open the cas€ and r€move the
packet,holding it fac€ down in the left hand as if for lhe GhostCount.
Say, "Instcad of 3 cardswe now have 5". To confirm this, pull off th€
rop card inio the right hand witb lhe right thumb, thenthe 2nd card and
the 3rd. Whenapparentlypulling the 4th cardinto the riShthand, put all
the right hand cardsback below thosein the left, the[ push the upper
block of 4 cardswith the left thumb and take them with the riSht hand.
'Iake the lastcard and put it on top ofthose in the right hand. This is the
JordanCount done with 5 cardsinsteadof 4.
Fan the 5 cards face-down and hold it in the left hand. Pull out slightly
thecardsin positions2and 4. Leavethem ouljogged.Point out that the 2
sDacesmentionedearlier have now be€n filled. Have the two chosen
cardsnamed.Then turn the outjoggedcardsface-upto revealthey are
th€ seleclions.
..DIVIDED WN STAND''
The inspirationfor this routrnewas "Even MoneyProposition"in ihe
May, 1969PallbearcE Revievl,
Run through the pack and remove any 6 red cards, dropping lhem in a
face-uppacket on the table. Now remove 6 blacks and drop lhes€face'up
on top of the red cards aheady on the table. Finally, remove the Joker
and place it on the fac€ of the tabled packet. Th€ remaindcr of the deck is
Dlacedaside as it is not uscd in the routine.
Pick up the packet of 13cards and spreadthem in a facc-up fan, hold-
ing the fan in the right hand. ExNbit the cards to the spectators,and by
rndicating eachcard in ium wilh the left fingers, point out carefully that
there are 6 reds followed by 6 blacks, with the Joker at the face. A5 you
tap each card with the left fingers, work from the back to the face of the
8roup.
Close up the face-up spread with the assistanceof the left hand and
tick up a left little finger break above the 3rd red card from the back of
rhe group. Turn the cards facedown and in this action carry out a turo-
overpassat the breakpoint, thusshifting 3 cardsfrod the top lothe face
o[ the group.
Hold the cardsface-downin the left hand usingthe lype of grip you'd
normallyusewhenholding a small packet.With the dght hand slideoff
2r9
 RoundUp
the face card and place it face down on the table at point "A" in the
sketchbelow.Call this cardthe Jokerand saythat it will act asa Divider
Card.
Spread thg top 5 cards off the group without altering their order and
place them still faceiown in a squared packet as position "B". Count
the rernaining 6 cards from left to right hand, thus reversingtheir order.
Hold them still face{own in the rigltt hand in a squaredcondition. The
right hand holds them f.om above by the narrow ends in a Biddle-typ€
8np.
Flash the face card of the packet in the right hand, sa)Tng, ". . . and
here are the 6 black cards." Place the packet face down at position "C"
and immediately rernove the top card with th€ right hand. At the same
lime the left hand remov€sthe top card of packet "B" and flashes its
face,safng, "we will take onered and oneblackcard." The cardin the
ri8!t hand has of coursereheined face{own sincebeing removed from
the top ol packetC.
The two cards are now mixed together face-do\rrl and handed to a
spectator.He is askedto slid€oneundernealhth€ Jokerat position"A"
and placethe remarningone abovethe Joker.
A further two cards are taken by the performer, one from (he rcp of
each packet at "'8" and "c", mixed face{o*'n and handed to the spec_
talor. He is againrequestedto placeeilher one belowthe Joker packet.
To a.sisthim in doingthis, you lift thepacketat "A" with the righl hand
and then replace it facedown again on top of his sel€ction. lndicate that
he shoulddrop the remainingcard on top of the Joker packet.
The next c?fds are now taken from packets
mixing theseyou must rememberthe one that comesfrom "8". The trvo
cards are ar usual handed to thc spcctator to distributc above and below
the Jokerpacket,but you must makea menlalnoteofwhetherhe places
your packet "B" card on the fac€ or top of the packet. Just remember
Continuethe p.ocedureoflaking a card ftom the top ofpackets "8"
and "C", mixing them and letting the spectatorplacethem aboveand
below the Joker packet, until all the cards are used. Always lift packet
"A" to allow the spectatorto place his seleclion trelow it, becauseif you
let him slide it under there is a chance that he will no( place his card
exactlyat the bottom.
Pick up lhe group of 13 cards fiom the table and spleadthem out
slightlybetweenthe hands,the cardsstill face{own. Say,"Now remem-
ber, you have freely dhtributed cardson eithersideof the Joker." As
220
Round Up
vou closethe spread,pick up a left little finger breakabovethe 3rd card
iinrn ttt" fu"" of,t" pi"tet if you remembered"face" eaflier,and under
rl)c 3rd card from the top if you remembered"top."
Iurn lhe crouD face-up,carrying oul a lurnover passal rhe break
Doinrand spieadihecardiin a face_upline on the lable, showinglhatlhe
lpectatorhassuccessfully distributed6 cardsof the samecolor on either
\ide of the Joker.
NOTE:-Cards can be flashedat appropriatepoints in the routine' but
;on't be tempted to overdo this. I personally do not think. it
necessaryto flash any more than the two cards detailed in th€
rnsalucuons.
..SIMPLE MATHS''
ln ihis trick the magician apparently locates the speclator's card^bya
nro"* of .mpt" The trick is brought to a surprise finish
whenthe spectator\ -"t-lt"matic;:
card unexpectedly turns face_up'
StNting Positlon
Ihe pack is held facedown in lhe left hand in the usual dealing
noiiton. Ttt. bouot threecardsof the pack are reversedHold a lefl
irrrlefincer break abovelhe lhree face-upcards.
Perlormatrce
SDreadthe Dack betwe€nthe hands, requestin8 a spectator to lelec' a
.uJ. ioi.J Li.."ta,.rowlv lrom rh€top so that he'll takea cardbefore
,ou rcar ths rsvers€dcardsat lhe bottom of the pack
'-wien
"si he takesa card, closeup the d€ck and take it in the dght hand
lrom above,fingersin front, thumb at the back' in whal is sometimes
i"i"i.J io i. trrJniaat"Grip Thebreskabovethebottomthre€cardsis
mainrained bv lherighl lhumb.Usetherightforefingerto swingout th€
,i"".. truir.tirr" a*i t" il canbetakenbi thelefl hand Placelhecards
r;mainincin therighlhandon topof lhos€justplacedin lheleft Reiake
rtrebrealitrom rhi riehrlhumbwilh lhe left lillle finger'
iit.. itt. rp""t"to. ttu. nol€dhis cardtakeit from him andpushit into
oo.f.ai ifren.ar sftonmd, insertingil into lh€ break As soonasil
."- i" ifr. oaci. t.l."t. rhr break.Pushihe cardflushwiththedeckwilh
't'"
itri richrriurnu, obra;ning a breakaboveit as you do so The br€akis
rormJdw;ththerightthumbpressing downon lhecard'andthenshrll<l
lo
'- the left little finger.
i""*, tfti" gi""ift. aecka cul at thebreak.Youmavif youlikegive
221
 RoundUp
the deck a false shuffle that retains the top four cards. Tell ihe sDectator.
"Your card is losr somewhere in rhe pack. I'm going lo rr) ro iind ir by
simple maths. I'll let you fre€ly selecttwo cards from the pack and we'il
concern ourselvesonly with the numeric valuesof thesecards. All Dicture
cardscount as len. Whenyou chooselwo cards,we'll subtractth; lalue
of onc from the value of the other and use the answer to count do*n in
the pack and find your card."
Hold tlle pack in thc right hand ftom above (Biddle crip). Let rhe
cards slowly dribble ftom the face or bottom of the Dack into the left
hand, inviting a spacraror!o call srop at any rime, \then hc callsnoD.
flip rhe scctjonremainingin rhe right hand face-uponlo the face-dotn
portion in rhe left hand.
Jap the €xposedfacecardofthe pack with the right forcfinger,saying,
"This is one card you cut to." Then spread the face-up cards rapidly
until you reach t}le first facedown card. Removethe face-up section and
place it face-up on the table. FIip tbe top card of the remaining section
face-up,saing, ". . . And tlds is the other."
As soon as you seethe valucs of the two cards, mmtally subtract one
from the olher and think of the answet as a word rather than a number.
(If the two vallles are the same, think of the answer as ZERO).
This will giveyou a word that spellswith three,four or five letters.Ifit
sp€lls with 3 letters, rehove the face-up card on top of the face-down
packet in the left hand and place it face-up on th. tabte. If it spellswith 4
l€tters, do nothing. If 5 lctters, take the card lying face-up o; the labled
section and place it still fac€-up on top of the section you are holding in
the left hand.
Now say, "Recall I said we'd subtract one card's value from the
other." The sp€ctatordo€sthis and announcesthe result aloud. Hand
him the packet in your left hand. If there are any face-up cards on top of
this packet, flip them faccdown.
Thc spectator spells out thc answer, dealing a card for €ach letter. His
card ends up on the last letter and it is also face-up. Say, ..I made it turn
face-up in ca.seyou were not interest€d in mathematics."
..DOUBLE DISCOVERY"
In this cffect thc mates of lwo fr€cly chosencards are discovcredin a
novel manncr with the cards in the spcctators hands from start to Iinish.
Any d€ck is used and there is no prior prepanlion.
Whm thc cards arc handcd to you, remove ten pairs from thc pack,
each pair consisting of two cards ol the same value and colour. DioD
eachpair on top of rhe Fevious paL removedfrom rhe deck.
Pick up the packet oftwenty cardsand apparently give it a casualover-
hand shuffle. In fact you run an even numbet of cards and reDlacethern
atroveor below rhe remainderof rhe packct. Finally say, ..ier.s make
RoundUp
surelhe pairsar€reallyseparated,"and quicklydealthe twentycards
into two packets.
thecards
Pickup eitherpacketandplaceit on top of theothe..Square
andgivethe combined packeta fewSenuine cuts.
Prcsentation
Nominate two speclators"A" and "8" to help you. Deal out the
twenty cardsinlo two face{own heaps,altematiru a card to eachheap
as you deal, unlil thereare l0 cardsin eachheap.
Requesteachspectatorto pick up his heapand cut it as oftcn aJ he
wishes.Now askspectator" A" to refiole eitherthe top or facecardof
his packetand placeit facedown on the table. Request"B" to do the
samc.Againemphasize that hehasa choiceof the top or bottorncardof
his packet.Tell him to placehis cardon top of the card.emovedby
Tell sp€ctator"A" to dealhis remainingnine cardsin a line on the
rable,but befor€hedoesthis say, "You candealth€mfrom left to riSht
or right to left. You maydealwith your packe!face-upor faceiown." lf
thespectaiordecid€s!o dcal from the faceof the packel,askthat helum
the cardsface{o*n as he d€ls them onto thc lable, You cr(plainthat
you don't want to seelhe facc of any card in the row,
This freedomof dealingis a strongfeatureof lhe effect and shouldbc
emphasizcd.Whcn "A" hascompleteddea.linghis cards,turn to "8"
and give him the sameinstruction; he can deal ftom the top down or
froh the bottom up and he can deal fiom l€ft to ri!h! or from riSht to
left but he is to deal his catdson top of A's cardsso as to folm palrs.
At the cooclusionthere *ill bc nina pairs of face{own cardson the
table.You arcr€adyfor the clidax to thetrick. Runyour handabovcthe
row of cards,movingit backand forth. Evcntuallystopat thecentreonc
(lift! in fronr eirherend).
Pushthis pair of cardsout of the tow, saing that it sc€msto beSiving
off stronSvibralions.
Tum ovcrlhepairof cardsthatlhespcoalors choseearli€I.Thcsemay
be the eight of clubsand thc five of heans.Explain that the malcsof
thesecardsmarntaina sympathcticbond. Then the othcr pair' the one
pushedfrom the row, is tumed ovcr to rcvcalthe othcr black eightaod
the other red five, a perfectmatch.
B€forecommencing,arange the packso that thete6resix ttoft poi[ter
blackcardson the faceof lhe packand rcmemberthe sevsnthcardfrom
thefaceasa kayfor later use.Thenon pointercardsshouldif possiblebe
22!
 RoundUp
spot ones.I say, if possible,because ihe arrangementcan be madevery
quickly in fronr ol the audienceand you may find a groupofnon poinre;
blackcardsthat conraina picLurecard. and thereis no reasonwhy these
should not be used.Having made this arranaemenr,you are reaoy ro
comm€ncethe effect,
Say you would like to show a trick with twelve catds, six of each
colo_ur._ Run throughthe faceup packas you explainthis, pushingover a
smallblock first so that your stackis mhsed.Upjog any sii black-pornte,
cardsand then strip them out and placethem on the faceof the Dack.
Now run throughthe pack againand up jog any six red cardsanj then
strip them ou! and place then on the face of the Dack.
Squareup rhe pack and in rhis aclion usr the righr rhumb lo make a
break at the near shott end of the pack at a point which you estimate is
about twenty two catdsfrom the face. Let cardsdrop off of the thumb
tip one by one until you seeyour rememberedkey card, and lhen take a
left little finger break imm€diately aboveit. This meansyou have a break
underthe faceeighteencads ofthe pack. The packis now faceup in the
left hand and the right hand hal beenremoved.
Bring rhe riShr hand back ro rhe pack and sran ro spreadrhe cards
from the fac€with rhe left hand. counrin8from one to six ;r5you do so,
Do not altrr rhe order of the cardsin rhe counring,simply push lhem
over slighrlyand supportrhen wi!h rhe righl hand. Do ror spreadlhem
nfally, let them jog up and down a lirrle. When you have reachedihe
numberfive, pausefor a moment.beforesayingsixand pushingrhe final
red one over. Now stan to push the black cardsover. again counling
Irom one to six and pausingwhen you reachthe number five. As yoi
bring rhe group of elevencardsbeinSsupporredby the righr hand back
ovcr the pack to apparentlytake rhe final black card belo$ rhem. oush
rhe rip of rhe righr third finger inLothe breakberngheld by rhelett iittte
finger and continue moving tle righl hand toward the l€ft until the eleven
cards being held are immediatelyabove the block below. The untidy
conditionof the cardsthat have alreadybeencountedwill concealrh;
edgeof the block being added below them. Removeall of the cards above
the left litde finger break with the right hand and placethem belowthe
pack, immediatelytuming the pack face down and squaring it up.
Rememberthat when pushille off th€ face cardsto show thera are six
redsfollowed by six blacks,the order of the cardsis not alteredin anv
way..They?r€ simply pushrd over b) rhe lett thumb and supportedbi
the right hand.
Thumb off the top six cardsand drop them in a heap on the table.
Now Lhumboff thenexrsixanddroprhemar a drfferenr posirion.place
rheremajnder ofihe pacl a5ide.picl,up eachgroupof 5ixin lurn. gite
rnem a Dfler snu te ancl reptacelh€m on the lable, !!hen you do rhis
movethet$o packets aroundrhelablea bit, thepurpose of rhisbeinglo
makeir almolr impossiblefor rhe spedarorsro rememberwhich paalel
shouldbe red cardsand which should be black. Take carerhat they do
Round UP
not seeany faces when you shuffle the cards. Finally spread out each
group of six cardsdightly.
Explainlo oneofthe spectatorsthat you will lurn yow back alld he is
then to slide any card he wishesout of one of the groups, rememberwhat
it is and then push it anyrhere he wishesadong the cards of the ot er
group. When he indicates that he has done this, turn ?found and pick up
the group of five cards ftom the tabl€ and push them into the cenler of
the main pack, saying,"Thes€are no longer rcquired."
Pick up the remarning group of cards from the table and casually
shuffle them, finally holding thetn squared, face down in lhe left hand.
Say "Somewhere in this group is a card that you have chosm and
although the cards have beenwell mixcd, I am going to find it instantly."
Act as if you are performing a miracle location, and tben turn the packet
so that the facesare loward you and spread them out. Look for the odd
card in the group of seven, which will be a pointer or a non pointer and
removeit and placeit face up on the iable. Say, "ls that co.rect?" and
after the sp€ctatorhas acknowledgedthat it is, say, "l know it's easy,
but it's not as easyas it looks, becausethesearc black as wel]." As you
concludethis remark, spreadthe six cardsremarningin your hand face
up on the table,
..CIRCULATION''
This is a directlocationoftwo chosencardsusinSa propertyuniqueio
rhe weaveshuffle when using an appropriatequantity of ceuds.Th€
handlingis as follows:
Run through the face up pack and throw any nine spot face up on the
lable, sayingtha! nine is a magic numtter.As you are looking for this
card, take the opportunity of mentallycountingtwenty six cardsfrom
the faceof the pack and marking off this position by a left little finger
break as you closeup the pack.
Appearto cut an unknownquantityofcards from the faceofthe pack
but really lift off the cards above the break point so that you have exactly
twenty six cards.
Spreadthe twenty six cardsfacedown betweenthe handsinviaingtwo
sDectators to selectone card each.Whilst spreadingth€ cards,mentally
count eigh! from the top and after the two cardshavebeentakcn, close
up the spreadand keep a left litile finger break under the top eight cards
Invite one of the spectators!o replacehis card on top of the packet,
cive thepack€ta singlecut at ihe breakto apparendylosethe cardbut as
rhe two halvescome logethertake a new break belweenthem.
Havelhe otherchosencard replacedon lop and againgive the pack a
singlecut at the breakpoint to losethe card. Afier this cur, do nol keep
any breaks.
Turn the packetfaceup and spreadit out in a fan, taking carenot 10
225
 RoundUp
exposetherear card. Pick up the nine spot,turn il facedownandinsertit
in the ninth position from the face of th€ packet. Make somefurther
remark about nine being a magic number.
Turn the packet face down and give it as many cuts and perfect weave
shuffles as you wish. This gives an exc€llent impression of it beinS well
mixed. Finally spread ir face down lenglhways on the table. It is better
for the climax if th€ nine spot is fairly centrally posilioned, so if you seeit
is very near one of the ends, grvethe packet a further cut to put it nearer
the centre, before spreading the cards out.
To demonstratethe magic propertics of the face up nine spot, count
cxactly nine cards to the left and riSht of it and push the cards at these
positions out of the spread.Ask the namesof the two selectionsand then
tum the 'countcd to' ones face up.

226
 lhe Complete
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1912,he r |cnl , , nt rl' , 'i 1". \ ( nr ll' r r r
the magic depots{hcrc hrs rDtcrcsl

;lrlr,,j..;l
-iii:rliil;lii
was sparkedotf by and early gift ol r
box of tricks ai the tender age of

',r;;lI )i
::llit:;llrll
eight. Thai paticuldr box ol
"Maskelyne"iMysleries"came

--,,"'
, xr'rlr r'trr,1 rr \l'i!ht\
qith
liom Davenpon's and it wa$ 1(rthis
depot that he was drawn.
',,11.1
l"u',,.,"t API)s iLhJ\ th<

*u.itft*-.
,' . "" rh'^( wh":rrt n'rt Saturday. wrs his day. He met a
" ','r' ',' numberofmagicians who bccnmehis
close friends.and 10this day he
saysof them "their kindnesscannor
be overstated' . In Panicular he
remembersVal An&ews. Jack Avis.
Bobby Bemard, Ted Danson.
John Deris, Alex Elmsley md

t:u,rtflt,*im.
Hugh Scott who all stronglY
influcnced his magical thinkinr

At l9 he joined the R.A.F ibr h's

Nalional Service and then at 22 hc
joined I.C.T.. the British Compurel
Grcup where he bec.me an

ll*'lffir'*.' ExecutiveAnalyst al the age ol r'l

Il was thenhe made the decisn)nl,'

li['il:$i*ilr+:{'"l;lii
*,"):*";i:li:;l:'*.
toully commit himself to Mati..
managingas he doesthe Scotl(ll
businessof D:Nenports. His lJ
yearstherehas allowedhis nNtuirl
skills and inventivenesswilh crrlls r,,
develop.He has contributedc[ (l

H$ilfrffi
:l"'Xfl:,":ro'"..0.'''
effectsto almostall of the
contempofarymngicalmagarincsrrr
both English and other langursc\ In
ihe wodd.

His prolific writing has howclcl

neverbeencollntedinto a mat()f
"t:,{:il.'n" i,ii,
Ti',',iii work. It was to reciify this, thal
:f'):11*,.;;
tru.o\onii?T'ro,'o*..
,THE COMPLE]E WALTON'
project was devisedas a fitting
tribute ro sorne30 Yearsol mar(rl
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