Kostya Kimlat - The Joker Game Lecture Notes 2000.pdf

8/17/2019 Kostya Kimlat - The Joker Game Lecture Notes 2000.pdf

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heImages jump out

of

the

creative

space

into

the created

space,

The figures are shaken outofthc magician s sleeve and

appear

out of .

thin

air

bursting withlife. The fantasies are beautiful

in

appearance,

but

all

except one have losttheir minds, Onlya lonesomeJoker sees

through the delusion. - Jostein Gaarder

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• Let shopewewillnotalways process Jokers,

butlearnto enjoytheirwildness. -Robert Neale

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2/32

This is copy number of a limited printing.

First Edition October 2000

© Copyright 2000 by Kostya Kimlat. All rights reserved. No part of this document may be

reproduced or transmitted

any form, by any means electronic, photocopying, recording, or

otherwise , nor may any effect included in these notes be marketed, without the permission of

the author.


3/32

The

Joker s

Introduction:

Afew months ago I was sessioning with several of my friends and after

performing

for

them

for about an

hour

I realized

that eve T

single one of

th e

effects I had

performed

was

on e

of my

own. I

remember

feeling a sense

of

accomplishment

and

realizing

that

I

ha d

moved into another stage

in this ar t and I remember muttering

something

to my

parents

about

ho w

I

haven t

wasted

all

my

time

with

card

tricks.

Writing these notes

has

been a pleasure.

feels

great

to take all

the

knowledge that you

have accumulated

in life

and put it

into a card trick,

it

really does. And it s much

more

productive

than let s say

getting

a

realjob

or doing anything

important

in life.

An d

so I

present

t o y ou

my life s work an d

meaning

an d all

my

hopes

and

aspirations,

all in th e

following pages, an d I hope that yo u

find something interesting in

all of it. Maybe you ll

discover

something that

will

entertainyour

audiences, maybe something

that

will

intrigue

an d

inspire

t hem. An d

if

yo u

find

something

that

will

make

them

throw

hundred

dollar

bills at your feet, send me an e-mail at [email protected] an d le t

me know,

because

a

teenager needs

all th e cash he can get.

Whatever

it is

yo u

find inthes e

lecture

notes, I sincerelyhope it brings

yo u

much joy

thinking

about

it

an d even

performing

it. I

have performed

every

single one

ofthese

routines

myself

an d I can

swear

by their

astonishment

and entertainment factors. They

. ar e definitely worth trying outfor a

real

audience.

Before I let yo u turn the page, I want to tell

you

about a few wonderful individuals

who

have been

an

astounding

help

to

me

in

th e

last

fewyears.

First

is

m y

across-the

continent

mentor,

Walt Anthony,

who h as

taught

me ,

over phone

and

computer, that

it

takes a

lo t

more to

be

a

good

magician

than learning

sleights.

He

has explained to

me

th e principles ofpsychology, theater, technique, presentation, marketing, everything,·

an d

ho w

they are

all

a

part

of magic.

He ha s

always helped

me

and

answered

my

countless questions, and I am

much in hi s

debt

. .

I also

want

to thank Rex

Todd

Alexander, Joseph Constantine, Neils Sayers, and Paul

Tejera

- all Floridamagicians

whom

I have h a d t he pleasure of knowing and

performing

with for over

four

years now. No t

only

have they

helped

me learn

and

grow as a

magician,

but

they

have also

been great

friends

t o h an g out

with.

Thank

You, guys.

And

no w

all that is left to sa y is

that

I

hope

yo u will like

what

you

read an d

will

find

inside an effect or two

that

you will wish to

ad d

to

your

repertoire. Enjoy

Sincerely,

/ imLd-

KostyaKirnlat


4/32

Q Joker Aces

October, 1999

History:

This quick and direct version of

Joker Aces (Linking Ring, September,

1998), like the original, can be done with

either two jokers or two selections. The

handling was created after a getting a

suggestion from Kevin Kelly to create a

version that doesnot use the BraueReversaL

What follows is my creation.

Effect:

The Four Aces are taken out o the

deck and shown one at a time to the

spectator. The Two Black Aces are shown

and placed under the spectator s hands, ·but

suddenly they jump back into the magician s

hands. When the spectator turns over his

cards, he finds instead of two Red Aces, two

Jokers The deck is spread, and in the

middle, face-up are the two red aces

Method

Have. the deck shuffled up by a

spectator, get it back, and start spreading it

from left hand to right. As you come to the

aces, up jog them. At the same time, cull

the two Jokers to the top

o

the deck. you

can t do a Hofzinser Spread Cull or a Marlo

Prayer Cull, then start out with the jokers on

top, give the deck ·a riffle shuffle, keeping

the jokers in place, and then spread, up

jogging the four aces.

Get the four aces in red, red, black, black

order from the face and as you are squaring

the deck, still keeping the aces out jogged,

obtain a pinkie break above the two jokers.

Perform Vernon s Strip-outAddition adding

the two jokers behind the four aces. Briefly:

the two jokers go into a high gambler s cop

position. With the jokers gripped, your left

hand moves forward to strip out the four

aces, adding the jokers to the bottom. Tum

the six-card packet in your left hand face

down, and drop the rest o the deckover that

packet, sidejogged to the right.

Tum the deck end for end so you are now

lookingat a face-up packet o 6 cards on top

o

the deck, but side jogged slightly to the

left. Asyou square up all the cards, obtaina

pinkie break below the 6 cards (a, a,

a a J,

J). Transferthe pinkie break to a

Thumb

break and as you do so, the thumb also picks

.up the top face-down card of the deck,

holding a break between it and the six-card

stack. You will

now

perform Marlo s

ATFUS.

Briefly: The right hand moves to the right

with the seven-card packet, still holding a

break between the six face-up and the one

face-down card. The left thuinb slips the

first ace onto the top o the deck, followed

by the second, which is slightly side-jogged

to the left. Then, the thumb pulls the third

ace to the left, but-only for an inch, so it

exposes the fourth ace, but is still covering

it. The situation should now look like this:

Face-up red ace on top

o

the deck, second

red ace over the first, third black ace with

two face-up jokers and face-down

indifferent card below it all the way on the

right side, and fourth black ace an inch to

the left of the third. Your right thumb is still

holding a break over the face-down

indifferentcard.


5/32

Now, if you square up the ace display and

let go

of

your thumb break, in your hand yo u

will have left two aces followed by two

. jokers, all face-up. The deck will have one

face-down card followed

y

two face-up red

aces an d then the balance of the deck.

Your right hand no w flips its four-card

packet face-down and spreads it slightly.

Your right hand also extends to gesture to

the spectators, as you ask them to place their

hands out on the table, face-up. At the same

time your left hand performs a Charlier cut,

putting the two face-up aces into the middle

of

the deck.

You now end as in the regular Joker Aces by

performing the first tw o moves

of

Brother

John Hamman s Gemini

Count. First you perform a double lift with

the middle two cards, showing an ace,

turning it face-down an d giving the top card .

(joker) to the .spectator. Then you do a

double lift from the bottom, ·showing the

second ace, turning face-down and

handing the second joker to the spectator.

All that s left is to flip the cards in your

hand revealing the

Aces

let them turn over

. the cards in their hands to reveal the jokers,

and then, fmally,

spread

the deck to reveal

the red aces in the middle


6/32

Renegade

oker

, December 1, 1998

This effect came about after reading Paul

Cummin's Commercial Universal from

FASDIU and Universal Joker by Christian

Ehret. This routine is great to do for lay

people and I have worked out the handling

so it can be done with 'a shuffled deck in

use' Enjoy

Effect: The Joker, acting as a bounty

hunter, tracks down two selections in a very

magical way. No use running away, and

leaving the Joker empty handed, because at

the end he has them by their necks

Preparation: To do the kicker ending, you

will need to make the special Joker Card

Take out a Joker from another deck, and

also any two old cards which you do not

need anymore. (We will use the Four of

Diamonds and the Jack of Spades.) Cut out

one of the two indexes from the cards, and

be neat about it, cutting right above the

value, and right below the little suit design.

The cut out that you willmake should be the

shape of a rectangle measuring

approximately % in. by in.

Then, using a glue stick or double

sided tape, stick the two cut outs onto the

joker. Place them right above the' hands of

the Joker which are holding onto the wheel,

making it look as if

his hands are holding

the two indexes. This does not take long,

and one card will last you for a very long

time.

The Performance: You start out with the

special Joker on the bottom of the deck. f

you are doing this walk around, place the

Joker Card into your left pocket with the

face out and the back touching your leg.

The regular joker should be somewhere in

the middle of the deck. Remember not to

use the guarantee joker; your regular Joker

shouldmatch the gimmicked one in

design

1. When ready to do the routine, your left

hand reaches into the pocket, bottom-palms

the Joker, comes out, and adds it to the

bottom of the face down deck. Right away,

turn the deck over so the faces can only be

seen by you. Your right hand then

comes

over and thumbs off the joker, which goes

under the deck and rides along on your

fingers as you

start spreading the deck

looking for the two force cards. (In this

case, the Four of Diamonds and the Jack of

Spades.) Once you see one of the twocards,

your hands go down so the faces of all the

cards can be seen by the spectators. At the

same time, you do the Marlo Prayer Cull,

stealing that card under the deck, and under

the Joker. This is then repeated with the

second card.


7/32

2. Once you have the three pards riding

under the spread, you close-up th e deck

placing them on the bottom. Re-spread right

away, telling the spectators that you are

. (still) looking for one special card, the card

that stands out, the Renegade card Once

you reach the regular Joker, take it out, and

drop it onto the table or give to a spectator to

hold.

With tongue firmly planted

in

cheek, you

patter: There it is That is the Renegade

Joker, th e Bounty Hunter, and the most

dangerous card

in

the deck You can see

that by the big Harley he is riding and his .

mean biker look He

will

find any fugitive

on the run, no matter where they hidel

Here, let me show you if .you don't believe

me .

3. While talking, swing cut the top half the

deck into the left hand, and replace the

remaining

half

on top, but keep a

R.

Thumb

break betweenthe two sections Then, .ask

the spectator to say stop while you dribble

the cards. Here you must force the two

cards.

(I

prefer the dribble force, but the

Riffle or any other onewill do.) 'Once they

call stop, the right hand drops all the cards

below its break. The left hand then thumbs

of f the top two cards

of

it s

packet (JS, 4D),

and then places it's section on top

o f

the

right hand section.

4. Once the spectators have remembered

their selections, have the two cards replaced

into two different parts

of

the deck

(important), and control them to the top

of

+ ho ACto lr r\ u.t:lior

+ hp C f \ Q l 1 ~ f J i l

TnlrQl,,.. A t ~ r l o

\ J . ~ , , U ,, ,VJ.. Io. v V 1

t..u......

pv u u ..J V J . . ~ . L . £ l .::)J.U\ I

steal

will

be perfect here but any control

will

do. Give the deck one or two riffle shuffles,

keeping the 3-bard stackon top. Then, as

you reach for the Joker that the spectator is

holding, your left hand gets a pinky break

below the top two cards. .

The two cards that

you

are holding are the

two fugitives on the

run,

and you know that

you need to hide quick. So you my friend,

can hide out somewhere down south in

Florida, and you n hide up North in

Maine, making it

a

lot harder for the Joker to

find you

5.

Place the joker face-up on top of the deck

keeping the pinky break below the top three

cards. Perform

Marc Desouza's

Shape

Shifter Color change, visibly changing the

Joker into the first selection. A Snap change

where the card is held between thumb and

middle fingers on the s ide can also be used

here. After this first

color

change, you have

the first selection, an d below it the second

selection, both face-up followed by the face

down joker, the special joker, and the rest

of

the deck.

Once the Joker catches the

tu l

scent of

the first fugitive, he

is

ready to catch it.

Watch And

just

like that he found

you' hiding out on

the

beach in Key West

drinking your

Martini

6 With the two cards face-up, you can now

change the first selection into the second one

vi a

the Erdnase Color Change. I f you

prefer, you can instead side-steal the second

card from the top into your right hand palm.

Then, as the

TIght

hand passes over the deck,

it drops the card onto the face, making the

illusion

of

the first selection changing into

the second, magically.

«And, once

he s

caught the first fugitive, he

can squeeze the information out of him

about his friend's hideout, and all he has to

do is travel up to Maine, and arrest you

there -

7. At this moment, because yo u have two

cards face-up on top

o f

the deck, you can do

a double turnover and place the top card

of


8/32

the deck into the middle. You can then snap

your fingers, and turn over the top card to

show the selection has returned.

Once

he s

caught both of you, you can't

escape. You can try, but you see he is too

good

8. Turn that selection face down, actually

place it into the middle

of

the deck, snap

your fingers, and then turn over the top card

(joker). As your right hand takes the joker

from off

th e

top

of

the deck, you do a one

handed preparation for the TILT with your

left hand.

9. Perform the TILT move, and then do a

double lift, showing the joker returned to the

top.

is very important now to point out his

hands, to show that they are empty, and that

he is just hanging ontohis Harley.

However, if you do leave him empty

handed, don t count your lucky stars just

yet. You see the Joker will never give up on

his search Even

if

he fails at first, he will

keep on searching...

10. Perform a double turnover, and then

thumb off the top card, which is the special

joker. Place the deck back down onto the

table, and concentrate on the one card in

your hands Give the Joker a spin on your

fingers, and then tu it over and reveal the

indexes of the two selections to have

mysteriouslyappeared in its hands

... until he finds both you, and you, and has

you by your necks

Afterthoughts:

you wish to be ultra

clean, then palm off the top card (joker) and

ditch it in your pocket. Also, change the

presentation to fit you.'

f

you like, you can

do this as a love effect; the two cards that

were selected by the couple have come

together with a little heart drawn around

them, the Joker playing the part of Cupid.

More importantly, do take the time

to make the special Joker, as this effect is

very well received by lay people Lots

of

jokes can be

t rown

in about the Joker's

Harley, and the biker outfit that he is

wearing, and so on, so play around with the

presentation and Enjoy the Effect


9/32

The Single Double Thought

February, 1999

The

Following was created while reading

Marlo s The Cardician. This is a one-deck

version of Double Thought (reprinted

from 52 Amazing Card Tricks by Rufus

Steele -- also found on pg.3l ofCardician).

Effect: Two Spectators each think of a

card. They remove their cards from the

deck and place them face up on the table.

However, before each card is removed, the

performer takes out 2 cards and lays them

facedown on the table. When the face down

cards are turned over, they are the mates

of

the thought ofcards.

Method

All you need to know for this is

the

top card

of

the deck, as it will be your

key. We ll use the 10 ofDiamonds. Set

the

deck on the table, and instruct the spectator

to pull out a portion

of

the deck from the

center

(like

Hi du

shuffle} Have. him

remember the bottom card of the pulled out

packet, and place that. packet on top of the

deck. The selection is now on top of your

key card, the 10

of

diamonds.

Say: Keep thinking of your card, but don t

let.me know what it is yet. I want someone

else to think

of

a card, also. Take the deck

from the spectator and deliberately spread it

face up and invite a second spectator to

assist you. Say: I want you to

think of

any

card you wish. However, before

you

think

of

one

of

the cards, I shall remove one card.

While you are talking, look for the ten

of

diamonds in the spread and note the card to

the left of it. This is the card the first

spectator selected. etus assume that

it

is

the five

of

spades

Pick up the deck so the faces are towards

you, and spread Until you see the five

of

clubs (mate

of

selection). Take the card out,

and place it face down in front

of

you.

Spread the deck back out, still face-up,

in

.

front

of

the second spectator, and let

him

remove the card he was thinking of. This

card is laid face up on the table. We ll

assume it s the 2 of Diamonds. The cards lie

on the table

in

this position:

Face-up

D

Face-do-wn 5 C

Turn to the first spectator and ask him to

remove his card,

but

.immediately

add

Before you take

out

the card you are

thinking of: I shall

also

remove a card from

the deck. You now remove the 2 ofHearts

(mate of second selection), and being careful

not to show its face, place it on top of your

first face-down card so that it is right-jogged.

half way. The first spectator then removes

his card, and lays

it

face-up on, the other

spectator s card, also overlapping it to the

.right. The two

pairs

of

cards now lie

overlapped on the table in this fashion:

Face-up

5S

Face-down 5C 2H

Recapitulate what has happened, asserting

that you placed a card face down on the


10/32

table for each spectator before he thought

of

a card.

ow

that everyone can see what

cards they thought of, you will show what

cards

you

laid down. Grasp your cards and

turn them over without separating them,

revolving them to the right. Now.the two

pairs on the table appear thus:

Face-up .2D 58

Face-up .2H 5C

Your cards appear to match the spectators ,

even to the point

of

overlapping the same

way.

lace

the tip

of

your right forefinger

on the top 58 and the tip of your right thumb

on the bottom 5C and draw these two cards

to the right a few inches:

2D 5S

2H 5C

This manner of showing off the matched

cards permits the effect

of

what you seemed

to have done sink in before you replace the

cards back into the deck

fterthoughts

Parts of what you just read

were quoted from the Cardician. I put

quotation marks wherever appropriate, and

changed the patter, and directions around to

fit the single deckmethod.

This is.a very good card effect, and if you re

interested in the original, check out The

Cardician.


11/32

Your Signed Kung Pao Chicken

April, 1999

The Menu:

T he

following,

IS

my

presentation for the classic The Signed

Card by Bro. John Hamman. The

presentation, as you will see, was created

especially for the restaurant worker but it

can be used anywhere else as well. I will

not give away the effect here, but you can

find the original in Richard Kaufman's

Collected Almanac (pg. 125). For 'those

who know the effect, in the presentationyou

will see numbers in parentheses that will tell

you

which steps should occur at which part

during ,the presentation. I have been

performing this

restaurants hundreds of

times over,the last. few months and I know

that.this is very powerful. I hope you'enjoy

it, and try it out yourself.

The ppetizer

After the mystery fortune

cookie card is laid aside, the four chefs, of

the ,restaurant (4 aces) are introduced and

begin their magic. The selected, signed card

(the Kung Pao Chicken) is chopped, grilled,

and garnished by the first 3 chefs, while the

last chef, much to the spectator's dismay,

makes their food vanish completely. But

no t

to worry, because once the mystery fortune

cookie card is broken, the spectator can see

that his Signed Kung Pao Chicken is ready

to be eaten

Main Course: Have you ever been to a

Chinese Restaurant? You have? Well then

you know about the fortune cookies that

they give you, right? Well, we also have our

own fortune cookies here, and they are

actually card fortune cookies: (1) This will

be yours, but you won t touch or see it, until

after the meal, OK? Great Well, at our

restaurant, the McBicycle (2) we have 4

of

the best chefs in the world. (3) I will

introduce them to you a second, but first,

take a look at the menu. , 4) You have

plenty of things to choose from, so point to

anything appetizing that you see. (5) ,

Ahh... the Kung Pao Chicken Excellent

choice sir, excellent choice (6) Now

if

you

wouldn't mind, please sign your chicken

with this marker so we know that this - is

yours and

I ll

put the rest

of

the menu away

as we

won t

need t (7) No w as promised,

'these are the four, finest chefs in the land,

and the best part about the chefs, is that they

, will actually cook their food right in front

of

you You see they work as a team. 8) The

first chef chops up your chicken. The

second one grills it.

Th e

third one garnishes

it to make it look delicious. And th fourth .

one... makes the Chicken Vanish (9) But

don't get

ma d

at the chefs, its their job to

make your food vanish. l0 ) The rest

however, is

up

to you, because if you pick

,up some chopsticks, and brake open your

fortune cookie, you will see that your food is

ready to be eaten (11) ,

The Check

(1) Take out the Ace of Hearts

and place it face down to the side.

(2) Show the cardbox, pointing to the word

Bicycle.

(3) The remaining 3 aces are placed' face

down on the other side ofthe table.

(4) The deck is spread face-up.

(5) Card is selected.

(6) Card is signed, and rest of deck is cased

and pocketed.

(7) Elmsley Count the Aces and perform the

necessary displacements of the cards.


12/32

(8) Do the necessary count, showing the four

different aces one at a time, as you explain

what each one does. Snap the last one, and

turn it face-up, showing card has vanished

(9) Show, apparently, all four aces.

(10) Perform the switch with the mystery

card, using the other two cards (ace,

selection) as two chopsticks. Show that the

mystery card is actually the signed piece o

chicken (card)

(11) Thank your spectators for the

thunderous applause, and in a restaurant,

tell the spectators that their food will

actually be served

a minute, and that you

hope they enjoy it and come back to the

restaurant again

ip

As you may already know, instead o

using the original switch at the end of this

effect, you can use Ken Krenzel s Monte

Plus Plus switch (Collected Almanac, pg.

xviii), which looks a

lot

more convincing.


13/32

The urger

King

Card Trick

August 1,2000

This effect was created during the 2000

Florida' State Magic Convention where I

spent the whole weekend performing,

teaching, and learning magician-fooling card

effects that used psychology, subtlety, or

stooges. The original version of this effect

used all three. Then, while eating with some

friends at Burger King (hence the title), the

most direct method for the effect came to

me. I ended up showing it throughout the

convention, receiving great reactions. Since

then, I have gotten great response from

laymen as well. I hope you

t y

this

Effect: A spectator thinks of a card and the

magician finds it.

Method: While the cards are in your hands,

peek at the top card. Give the deck to the

spectator.

If

it is a magicianwhom you have

seen riffle shuffle before, you can ask him to

give the deck a quick shuffle. You can spot

whether he retains your key card on top or

not.

he does, then continue with the effect;

i

not, then perform something else. With a

layperson, there is no need to ask them to

shuffle, just simplyhand them the deck.

So the top card of the deck is your key card.

You now ask the spectator to cut the deck

into five piles.. As they do so, watch for

which pile has the key card. Next, ask them

to take the top card

of

each pile and place

them into their hand facedown, again

watching to see when they pick up the key.

Have them fan the five-card packet front

of them and think of any card.

O n

fact, to help you concentrate on your

card, I need you to' stick it out a little bit.

s the spectator up-jogs his thought of

selection, your body slowly starts turning to

. the side. Your head, meanwhile, stays

straight for another second, giving you

enough time to see which card they out

jogged. As soon as

yo u

spot the card, your

head follows your body, turning to your

side.

So right now, you should know exactly

where their card is in respect to your key

card. Let's say that when picking up the

cards form the packets, the key card was

taken second. Then, when fanning out' the

cards, the.middle card was up-jogged. Now

you know that their card is right above your

key card and you are set to reveal it any way

. you like. It s very important that you mow

exactly which card in the fan is your key

card, so you have no problem calculating

which one their selection is.

.While your head is still to the side, you

continue: Concentrate on that card. I want

you to stick it out

so

you almost don't see

the other cards there, just think about the

one you like. Have

yo u

got it?

Next have the spectator square up the five.

cards and drop them on top of any of the

packets and put the deck back together any

way they like and finish with a cut. As they

finish this, you tu back around. All you

have to do is recap everything that has

happened, go through the deck to find your

key card, calculate which one is their

seiection, and then reveal it.

For magicians, the most amazing thing to do

is to spread through the deck, take out their.

card and drop it on the table face down,

Hesitate for a few seconds; glance at the

deck, then back to the magician, then back

to the card on the table. Take a deep breath,


14/32

mutter I think I got it, and then ask them

for the card they thought of. At this point,

most magicians will say: If you get this, I

will kill you. Have them turn over the card

on the table and then either get ready to be

worshipped or run for your life.

Afterthought:

This has honestly become

one of my favorite effects to perform while

sessioning with magicians and even

laypeople have had great reactions to this

effect. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

r

•

Hmm

.. .

Here is a thought: Be the best at what you do.

Don't just be the best card worker at your magic club or the best children's performer in your

area, but

be

the best magician that you can possibly be.

A kid, an adult, whoever, walks up to me after a show and asks if they can show me a

trick? Sure I say cheerfully,

with

a glee on

my

face that almost resembles enthusiasm.

I d

love to see a trick And so another rendition ofthe 21-card trick or the cops and robbers

ensues and I am left to ponder whether this horrid performance comes from lack

of

skill, lack

of

practice,

or

simply lack of care? Man, I m a mean spectator. .

Wow I ve never seen that one before

I feel bad for lying and for faking vivacity during that tainted performance but what else

was I supposed to do? I wonder why that person chose to waste both

of

our times? Does he not

realize how awful he is? ... And then the same question slowly changes to fit another situation,

wherein I ask myself: Why did that magician choose to waste that audience s time? Does he not

realize w awful he is?

Why

is it that we, magicians, choose to waste our audiences time so much? I firmly

believe in learning new things and any new skill only comes through practice; but this is where

magicians come

n

not lay people. The half-practiced routines and the poorly performed sleights

need to stay behind

the

closed doors ofmagic jams, get-togethers, and practice sessions. Only

the well-rehearsed and fully practiced routines need to be shown in paid performances.

Yes there are places where you can try out new effects: restaurants, bars, family reunions

- where a person attending anyone ofthese is too drunk to tell you that your pass resembles a

bad version

of

an overhand shuffle or not sober enough to realize that your French drop is

actually a defective Classic palm. But eventhere, take discretion at what'you perform

Magicians I call on all of you Repent for your sins Stop washing those dishes or

mowing

that

lawn Turn

off

that TV or computer; put down

that

book or that phone; stop doing

important things; cease trying to make an honest living; do what is right and pick up a deck

of

cards Before you forget the beauty of the Diagonal Palm Shift, the distinct perfection of the

Longitudinal Palm, the pure genius

of

the Green Angle Separation, or the simple simplicity of

the S.W.E. Shift, pick up that deck

of

cards Bee, Bicycle, Tally-Ho, it doesn't matter; just

shuffle Shuffle till your fingers hurt, then cull and side-steal for a

bit

until your fingers can t go

on, then riffle-stack for a breather, and then, and only then, practice your back palming

Or maybe not.

But

at least practice. Time is too valuable to waste; yours or your audience's.


15/32

Four of a Kind

November 1998

The following effect is based on a Juan

Tamariz effect by the same name. His

method however requires a memorized

deck which in my opinion is not needed for

this type of an effect. The only thing the

following method requires is a four-card

stack and the chutzpah to lie to your

spectators.

Effect: The magician has a person pick a

card

bu t

hide it without looking at it so no

one knows its value. The magician then

claims that he

win

find the other three cards

that match the selection in value; He turns

over three random cards and leaves them

in

the deck face-up. All three however are

completely different

in

value.

When

the

selection is revealed it also is completely

different. Not to worry because afte r the

magician taps the deck withthe selection he

re-spreads the d ec k a nd the three mates

of

the selection ar e seen to be face-up in the

places

of

the other cards.

Methode To start

off

with you need to get

any four

of

a ki nd on top

of

the deck.

We ll

use the four sevens.

All

you have to do is

force one of the sevens in any way you like

but

make

sure to tell the spectator

not to

look t the c rd

just simply place it in his

pocket. or

j

list sit on it. the othe r th re e

sevens are on top of the deck once you have

forced the card either double undercut them

or overhand shuffle them to the bottom.

they are already on the bottom then you are

set to continue.

Holding the cards face-down you

no w

begin

to spread them left to right between your

hands. As soon as you start spreading your

right fingers steal the bottom card

of

the

deck and carry it b elo w the spread as if you

were culling it. Basically as your right hand

comes over the deck

to

spread the cards

your thumb touches

th e

top of the deck

while your right

hind s

middle fingertip

contacts the face

of the

bottom seven. As

your hands separate

to

spread the deck

squeeze the deck by pushing upwards with

the middle finger

an d th e

bottom card will

come loose.

No w sim pl y let it ride on your

right hand s fingers hidden by the spread.

Once you have spr ea d a bo ut 15 cards your

right fingers and

thumb

clamp a portion of

the spread and lift it

up

These are the same

moves you would do if you were to spread

the deck and separate it to have a card

replaced you just have a card hidden below

the spread and supported by your right

fing rs

Using the right hand s spread turn the top

card

of

the left-hand

pile

face-up. As you

u

it over comment

on

its value.

itis a

three say that that

must

mean that the

selection is also a t hr ee . Be very proud and

confident

of this

fact as you re about

togo

downhill from here. Leave the card face-up

and what you are

now

going to do is close

the spread in the right hand and drop the

whole thing over

th e

face-up card placing

one of those sevens directly above the three.

Remember that the .s even is riding face

down b elo w the spre ad . Make sure that it

remains the bottom card as you square the

spread and drop it

over the

left hand s pile.

You

no w

repeat the

same

exact moves two

more times spreading 15 cards further down

into the deck. Each time you reveal a

random card replace the right hand s

portion adding a seven above the indifferent

card. You should feel very confident that

you re going to find another three but when


16/32

you turn over the second random card and

find it to

be

a king or a two or what not, be

very disappointed. Ask them for one more

chance and be even further upset by finding

the third random card. If two cards happen

to match than comment that the third one is

.simply bad luck. If you somehow happen to

turn over three identical cards, then just stop .

right there, put down the deck, carve a

pentagram or a 666 on the spectator's nice

wooden table, and walk out

of

the room.

If

all three cards are different, however,

continue with the effect. After showing all

three cards face-up, be very upset with

yourself

and

ask the spectators

if

they mind

if you start over. Once you receive their

permission you will begin to u over the

three indifferent cards face-down, when in

reality you will be performing a reverse

move created by Larry Jennings.

Remember that each random face-up card

has a face-down seven directly on top

of it.

So,

as

you spread the deck

and

get to the

first face-up card

in

our case, a three), you

are actually going to square up the face-up

card with

the

face-down seven that is above

it. Then, pinching it to the deck with your

right hand fingers frombelow, you will twist

your hand towards yourself, reversing the

entire right hand packet 180 degrees, and

finally place the double, still pinched as one,

on top of

the

left hand pile. What you have

just basically done is switched the three with

the seven

by

turning over two cards that

were face-to-face with each other.

After releasing the double on top of the deck

your right hand releases it and twists

forward 18 degrees back to its natural

position.

hat

you must do at this point is

spread the deck further to get to the second

face-up card, but making sure not to flash

the seven that is now face-up. To do this,

simply do a block push-off

of

10 cards, and

then spread one at a time until you reach the

second card. Perform the Jennings reverse

one more time again switching- the

indifferent card for the seven, and repeat the

spread and reverse a final time with the last

card. Finally square up the deck and set it

down on the table.

As you are spreading and turning the cards

supposedly face-down, mumble to the

spectators that their card must be a mate of

one of the three cards, but you're not sure

.which, so you

w

start over. Ask them to

u their selection face-up and upon seeing

that it is a seven, act like someone has just

punched you in the stomach. Don't overact,

but be very disappointed. Wait a little bit,

and then remember that because seven is a

lucky number, you might be able to do

something. Snap your fingers, sprinkle

some fairy dust (lint) and then re-spread the

deck, showing the other three sevens face

up. Ta-da

fterthoughts

The most important thing is

not to overact. Upon turning the second

indifferent card face-up and. seeing that it

does not match the first one, just act

surprised and disappointed. There is no need

to show your audience how well you played

Hamlet in your community play, simply say:

Oh... and if the need arises, followed by

an expletive or two.

Also, the three mates

of

the forced

cards may also be second, third, arid fourth

from the top

of

the deck instead of on the

bottom. This will allow you to cull them

from their respective positions, rather than

from the bottom of the deck where there

may be a chance of flashing. Enjoy


17/32

Gigabyte Switch

- a trick for neo-luddites -

June, 2000

It

is incredible

how

in

the middle

of

the

night you can wake up, startled by your

brain, which,

in

your absence, has been

creating and developing a routine that is

beyond your wildest dreams. is one of the

greatest things in life, when, while mowing

,your lawn, you are jolted by an idea which

makes you

run

into the house, leaving dirt

and grass marks all over the house, just so

you can write down the idea before it flies

back out into unconscious-land. Which is,

how the following effectwas formed.

is a

trick with a message, something that is

perfect for today's day and age, and an

effect that can be performed at almost

any

venue, especially a computer convention.

Effect: A performerholds a piece of paper

that says in big bold letters: Gigabyte, As he

explains

what

each term means, he folds the

paper, showing the words: Megabyte,

Kilobyte, and byte, one at a time. Reflecting

on

how

with all this

power

and information

(bytes)'nothJ.nguseful has been done, the '

,magician unfolds the paper to showthat, ,,

both sides now read: You ve GotMail

Method: This effect is basically a bill

switch done with two pieces

of

paper. The

papers you ll have to make yourself but I

have provided the exact design in these

notes. Photocopy the page with the design

(and only that page, please

©

then cut out

the papers and glue them in the following

way:

Imagine that the audience is looking at the

pieces ofpaper. The two You ve Got

Mail pieces have to be glued together so

that when the audience is reading the

Message the right way,

the

other side that

you are seeing is upside down. With the

other paper, when the audience is reading

Gigabyte the right way, you have to be able

to read the word Megabyte the right way

also.

Once you have glued

th e

pieces

of

paper and

let them dry, you ll

need

to make the folds

for the,appropriate bill switch. The one that

I perform is the Jarle Leirpoll no-thumb tip

bil l switch. It is

just as

'effective

as

any

other switch without

the

awkwardness

feeling or looking of a switchthatuses a

thumb tip. ,You can

use

any switch you like,

though.

is a personal thing. Just fold the

, papers the right way and perform. The

following is the patter that I use:

Most

of

us

se

computers

in

our every day

lives, right? Well then m sure most

ofyou

knowwhat a Gigabyte is. Just as weight is

measured in kilograms orpounds

and

time

in seconds, the amount of information a

computer can hoid is measured in bytes. A

gigabyte ci:mtains a thousand megabytes,

which contains a thousand kilobytes, which,

in turn, contains a thousand bytes. Nowyou

would think, with all

that

information

available at the touch o fa button, humanity

woulddo something useful with

it

(Switch

occurs) However, the only thing that we

have

been

able to do with all

of

this

information ... is You've Got Mail

Afterthoughts: You ll

get a great laugh and

a lot

of

nodding heads at the end

of

this

trick. This is one of

my

favorite creations

and my audiences have really enjoyed it. I

hope yours do too


18/32

·J 8

MEG YTE

BYTE···

YOU V

GOT

· ·M IL · I

., ;

i

Y \

~

A nO·


19/32

, The ExistentialistMouse

April, 2000

A wonderful example of how creative magic

can be is Robert Neale's book Life, Death,

and Other Card Tricks. is incredible how

much meaning can be brought to a deck of

cards and I highlyrecommend the book, not

simply for material, but more importantly ,

for inspiring creativity.

While reading Franz Kafka one day,

I recalled a short fable

of

his about a mouse,

and upon finding it figured out a way to

incorporate the fable into a magic effect.

Effect: While telling the fable

of

a little

mouse, the performer brings out a little

plush mouse. As the mouse in the story is

eaten up by a cat, so the magician's mouse

disappears as welL

Requirements: The first thing you need is

the gimmick marketed, under the name

Raven or Bat. You also need alittle toy

mouse. You need it to be metal so it can

work well with the gimmick, however, be

sure to find the cutest one you can.

Method: The method should be obvious to

those who already own the gimmick. All

you need to do, at the conclusion of the

story, is make the little mouse vanish.

you wantto do the non-gimmick version of

this trick, perform your favorite coin vanish

with the little mouse. However, performing

sleight of hand will focus the spectator's

attention on your hands. . With the raven,

there is no possible explanation of the

vanish and so the spectator's are left not

only with a great fable to think about but

also with absolutely no explanation for the

magic.

A

Little Fable by

Franz

Kafka:

Alas, said the mouse, the world is

growing smaller every day. At the

beginning it was so big that

was

afraid I

kept running and running,

and I

was glad

when at last saw walls fa t away to the right

and left, but these long walls have narrowed

so quickly that am in the last chamber

already, and there in the corner stands the

trap that

must run into.

n

You only need to

changeyour direction,

7>

said the cat, and ate

it up.

Translated by Willa

and

EdwinMuir

As the last line is

being

said, cover your

hands over the mouse as if your hands were

the eat's jaws. Perform the vanish; then

slowly open up your hands to reveal

the

mouse has vanished.

Afterthought: ' I

don t

like gimmicks,

however, the Raven will, .allow you' to

perform some miracles. If yo u do decide to'

perform this trick, there is a great side

effect: Not only ca n you perform it for

intelligent adults wh o have a taste for

philosophy, literature, or both, but, you can

also do it for little devils, omitting the story,

and simply making a cute little mouse

disappear.

Oh, look, the magician has a cute rabbit

No, honey,

that s

just a big rat.


20/32

rade Point ces

February, 1999

The following has become one ofmy most

performed effects at school. It is perfect to

perform

for

anyone who is attending school

and has a GPA - a grade point average that

ranges from 0.0 (pretty sad) to 4.0 (pretty

dorky). However, you can also perform it

for anyone who has ever attended school

and has ever had a GPA.

n

worst case

scenario,

you

can present this trick as a way

you used

to

cheat in high school or the way

that your children are cheating in school

nowaday. Whichever way you choose to

perform it, this trick has two stunning

climaxes

that

will blow away any audience.

Effect: The performer asks for an audience

member to tell him his GPA. Slightly

embarrassed at first, the spectator finally

confesses to his 2.7 GPA (almost a ' B

average).

The

magician takes out a 2 and a

7, representing the 2.7 GPA and places them

aside.

The

spectator then cuts the deck into

four separate piles and upon turning over the

top card

of

each pile he finds the 4 Aces,

designating an

A

on the homework, test,

exam, and final grade for the class,

respectively. When his GPA cards are

turned over they are now a 3 and a 9 making

the spectator very happy

Method:

To

start

off

with, place a 3 and a 9

of any suit on top of the deck. .You are

going to

ask

a spectator for their GPA, take

out the respective cards and then switch

those two for-the three and the nine.

I like to perform the Chris Kenner

Four for Four switch which can be found

in his book

Out

of

Control. Another great

switch was shown to me by Paul Cummins

that I believe was Ken Krenzel's Switchout

move. You can also perform a multiple top

change, or, if you don t like these types of

switches, then try the following: With the

three and the nine on the bottom of the face

up deck, out

jog

the spectator's GPA cards.

When stripping them out, add the 3 and 9

via the Vernon Strip out Addition. Hold the

four cards face-up, showing only the top

two. Then turn them face-down, drop them

on top ofthe face-down deck, and thumb off

the top-two cards onto the table. Although

this is not nearly as clean as a Kenner or

Krenzel switch, it works just

as well.

The final part

of

the effect is to perform a

spectator cuts to the four aces routine. There

are dozens ofversions published all

throughout magic literature so you should

not have a problem finding one that fits you.

When revealed, each Ace will stand for a

grade of A, thereby raising the spectator's

GPA.

There are two methods that I preferto use.

The first isDavidHarkey's Euro-Aces,

which is one

of

the

most

direct versions out

there. The spectator cuts, cuts, cuts, and

that's all there is to it. Other versions

require counting

of cards and re-dealing and

so forth, but for the cleanest version,

Harkey's is the

way to

go. Another great

version is from Chad

Long s

magnificent

effect, Shuffling Lesson. I was quite

disappointed to see the effect published in

Magic for Dummies, but

don t

let that throw

you off. The effect is remarkably simple,

but it is unbelievably strong.

. Afterthoughts: You can use either of those

cutting to the aces routines or any others.

Just have the deck set-up the way you need

before you do the switch.


21/32

Honest Cheating

May 2000

One of the neat

things

about tbiseffect is

that it does not use the Out-to-Lunch

principle, yet the effect that it acbieves is

quite similar, that of the back of a signed

card changing. This can be performed for

anyone, regardless of age, and is pretty

stunning.

The

ending is a kicker that can or

cannot be included, depending on how you

are feeling that

day.

Another great thing

about this effect is that the subject chosen is

not forced and can be anything from

Biology to Basket Weaving 101 - the fact

that the subject is a free choice completely

frieslaymen andmagicians alike.

Effect: A spectator signs his name on the

face of a card. He is then asked for his least

favorite subject from his school

days. he

saysBiology, the words Biology Test are

written on the back of the card, along with

the test grade of F-. Telling the spectator

not to worry the magicianbegins to fix' the

grade.

First he

makes

the test grade vanish

completely off of the 'selection and then he

reprints it to say Biology Test A .

However, a teacher 'always remembers

givingout one bad grade, so someone has to

get it So, when the magician spreads the

deck he 'finds one card reversed. On the

back it has the biology test grade F- and

onthe face of it inbig black letters is, much

to hisdismay, the magician's ownname

Method: There is a small setup for this

effect. Take outtwo cards. Low spot cards

workbest becauseyou are going to have the

spectatorsignhisnameon it. You must also

use a red deck as trying to get a black

marker to showup on a blue backed deck is

not that much

un

For explanation

purposes, the two cards will be a 5 of

Diamondsand a 2 of Spades.

With the 5D held the long

way

write the

word Test followed by a large and bold

A+ in the lower halfof the card The top

bar of the letter' T should be a

few

millimeters above

n

parallel to the angel

on the back of the bicycle deck. The big

A should be a little bit bigger than the

letter T in test. Above this card place an

, indifferent card, also face-down. Abovethat

place an indifferent card, but this one must

be face-up. The last card that will go over

these three will be the 2 of

Spades.

On the

face of the 28 print your name in big bold

black letters. Be sure to use a good, fine

point Sharpie for all of the writing. Finally,

the four card stack is placed on top of the

deck. For easier handling later

on

ll the

routine it also helpsto crimp the

fifth

card

from the top ybending the' back,

of

it

downwards. This will allow you to' get an

automatical break below the.four card stack

as soon as you need it. 'With the stack on

top you are ready to begin:

Ask the spectator is he remembers taking

, tests in high school or college. Once he

answers, tell him not to worry: you're not

going to make him take

8

test, just simply

pick a card. Give the ,deck a cut but before

you complete it, get a pinkie-break above

the fourcard stack. Perform a riffle force by

riffling down the outer left comer until the

spectator says stop.

t

doesn't matter where

he says so, just 'simply pick the deck up at

your 'break and place the upper section

below the lower one. Because you need to

buy time at this point, so you can cleanly

pick up the break and do a quadruple

turnover, reach into your pocket at tbis time

and take out your Sharpie, handing it to the

spectator. Ask him to open it and as all of

his attention is placed on the marker, feel for


22/32

the downward crimp. Pick up at that point

and perform your version of a double lift I

prefer a hit double lift, which, with a pinkie

break already below the four cards, is very

easyhere.

Once you ve turned over the four cards as

one (try to hide the front edge by tilting the

deck downwards), allow the spectator to

sign their name on it, as they would on a

test. Ask them to close up the marker, once

again taking their attention away from the

deck, and perform another quadruple

turnover as they do so. Take back the

markerand then take a step back awayfrom

them as you ask them about any particular

subject in school that they hated.

At this point, make sure that no-one is

behind you, and perform the following

move:

With the deckheld long-ways in your

left palm, with its back facing you (almost

as if you were

performing

an

S W E

Shift)

your thumb, just like getting ready for a

triple lift, picks up three cards at the back.

Your middle finger will hold these three

cards at the front end, and you will actually

lift off the three cards a few millimeters off

of the deck, and then move them down

towards the floor for an inch.

you are

holding the deck by its short ends, between

thumb

and fingers; th n when you move

those three cards downwards, they will be

completely covered by your palm and the

spectators will not be suspiciousin anyway.

Whatdoing thismoveactually does is reveal

the upper section of the Five of Diamonds,

the one that is blank, right

above the word

Test At this point, the spectator has told

you what his least favorite class was. Keep

him talking at this point as you need to buy

time. Ask him why he hated that class. As

he is telling you all this, you are writing

down the name of his subject.

f

he says

Chemistry, then the first thing you do is

write the word Chemistry in the blank

space above the word Test. You have now

finished with that five of diamonds. It has

the spectator s name on the front, and

Chemistry Test A+ on the back.

Younow gesture with the right handand the

marker and say something like: Really?

That s unbelievably fascinating. At the

same time as you are gesturing with your

right hand, your left hand s index finger

bends outwards over the upper edge of the

deck and pulls the whole thing down,

squaring it with the three down-jogged

cards

Remember to keep th back of the deck

facing you so no-one gets a flash yet, and

write the words Chemistry Test on the

back of the top card, the one that actually

hasyour name on its face. At this point you

can bring your hands down and allow the

spectators to see what you have written.

Remember to keep your pen gestures to a

minimum.

f

the spectators see the back end

of the pen move a lot while you re writing,

they will be surprised to see that all you

have written are two words. Ask the

spectator what grade they would have

received if theywere to get a Chemistry Test

right

now

Theywill usually answerD or F,

sowrite that down big bold letters.

To psychologicallyprove that this is still the

spectator s card, pick up the quadruple as

one with your right hand. Use your right

hand s fingers to hide the thick edge in the

front, and your thumb at the back Lift the

four cardsup to your mouth andblow on the

ink, as

if

helping it to dry. Then tu your

hand 180 degrees towards the audience and

blow on the other side. This shows both

sides

of

the card to the audience without

being over-showy. Replace the four cards

back onto the deck, rub the

ink

with your


23/32

fingers, proving that it has completely dried

and then perform a quadruple turnover.

Check: The top face-up card has the

spectator's name on the front and

Chemistry Test A+ ali the back. Below it

is an indifferent face-up card followed by a

face-down indifferent card, followed by a

face-up card with your name on front and

Chemistry Test F-) on back, followed,

finally, by the balance of the deck.

Pick up the top two face-up cards as one.

Rub them against the top of the deck and

then perform a double turnover, showing

that the back

of

the five

of

diamonds is now

completely blank You have completely

erased the grade from the grade-book. After

· showing the double 'onboth sides, hold it so.

it's left edge (when

it s

face-up) is touching

the right edge of the face-down deck. Then,

· as you reach forward to pick up the marker

from the table with your left hand, you

perform a K.M. Move

(Tony.

KardyrofEdward Marlo) which' steals that

indifferent card from behind the five of

diamonds, and places it on top

of

the deck,

· face-down.

You are now clean for the most part. Give

the card a little spin on your fingers or a

little snap and

tu

it over to reveal the A+

printed on the card instead of the F-. As you

turn over the card with your right hand, use

your left hand to give the deck a Charlier

cut, placing that face-up cardwithyour

name on it into the middle of the deck. All

that is left is to remind the spectators that a

good teacher never forgets giving out an F-.

With that, spread the deck face-up on the

table, revealing a face-down card that has

that F- printed on its back. Here, I like to

finish with this line: Well,

if

you got the A,

then it can 't be you. So tell me, why does it

always have to be me? This line is said in

a somewhat ironic tone and gets a good

laugh every time..

Afterthoughts: The kicker at the end gives

the effect a formal ending. However, you

may finish by just giving the spectator the

card to keep with the A on it. Also, and here .

is an idea to play with: Instead of using the

lower section of the card to write the word

'test' on, use the lower.

And instead

using the word

t st

write in the local area

code number instead Then, instead of

downjogging the three cards,· upjog them.

Then ask the spectator for their phone

number and instead

of

writing a word like

Chemistry, write down those digits. So

now, you have a card with the telephone

number

of

a person

you ve

just met. What.

you pre-write or pre-draw on that card is up

to you. have performed it by pre-drawing

a small deck of cards with the matching

selection rising out

of

it. Try that one or

come up with anything else you think

ill

fit

the situation.

._ _ .0- __ . _ ._ _ ..__ _ _ _ ._. _ • _..•._

_ ...•.._._'.


24/32

Pandora s Card Box

February, 2000

I love performing close-up magic while

standing in front o an audience of

to 20

people: This type o situation is what I

enjoy the most, along with sitting on a

carpet with a group of 5 people or

fewer.

I

reallyget to knowmy spectators and they, in

turn, get to know me and my magic. This is

why I love close-up magic so much. Often,

however, it is very hard to end such an

intimate show. When working with just a

deck

o

cards; you can go on for hours, but

you must learn ow to stop, and I mean

stop

This is one o my favorite closer

effects, which definitely gets a great

reaction.

Effect: Three cards are selected, signed, and

lost in the deck. The first is found

underneath the card-box. The second one,

the magician claims, will actually jump

inside the card-box. Upon opening it,

however, a miniature card-box is

found

and

inside, a miniature replica o the second

selection.

In

a flash, however, that

miniature card changes into the real thing,

spectator s signature and all. For a grand

finale, the magician snaps his fingers and

tells the spectator to open up the miniature

card-box - the same

orie

that they just saw

empty a second ago. Upon opening it, the

third signed selection is found folded inside

The audience gives the magician a round of

applause and proceeds to slowly and calmly

whip out their wallets and hand over all of,

, their cash and credit cards.

Method: For this effect you will need a0

, regularbicycle deck and a miniature version

that can be found at magic or novelty

shops.

Thesetiny bicycle decks are exactlyone half

the size of a standard deck and to a lay

woman are the cutest things to hit the earth.

All you have to do is place anyone o the 52

miniature cards inside the mini card-box,

(face-down when the half-moon side is up)

and then place the mini-box inside

0

the

normal card-box. The normal sized

duplicate of the miniature card should also

be on top of the deck. When performing,

my card-box is set-up from the beginning

and is in my pocket. I take it out as if to

feint putting away my cards, but then, after

the begging has ceased, decide to show just

onemore. 1

0

place the card-boxclose to my

body and off to the right and I am ready to

begin.

Begin by having three cards selected.

The

second spectator has to be forced the

duplicate

the miniature card

Once the

three cards have been selected, you need to

get them back and control them to the

needed positions.

Start with the third selection first. This is

the one that will later be found folded inside

the miniature box, so you need to control

this one to the bottom. When having it

replaced, keep a pinkie.break below it and

then double undercut or pass it to the

bottom. The second and first cards have to

be controlled to the top, but they should not

disturb the selection at the bottom. So,

swing cut half the deck into the left hand,

o

and have the second spectator replace their

card into the half that was originally the top

half o the deck. This time keep a pinkie

break above the selection (actually between

the second and third selections) and perform

a pass or doubleundercut. Repeat the swing

cut again and have the first selection

replaced over the second one, and control

both to the top, while at the same time


25/32

bringing that third selection back ,to the

bottom of the deck.

Check: The top card of the deck is the first

selection and below it is the second. Then

comes the balance of the deck with the third

selection on the bottom. All the cards are

.face-down but you will now change that.

While telling

the

spectators how you are

going to

find

their cards, perform a half-pass

with the third selection, reversing it on the

bottom

of

the deck.

Tell the first spectator that finding their card

is not too hard, especially

i

you cheat and

look through the deck. As you say this line,

you perform the card-under-the-glass move,

loading the first selection underneath the

card-box. (For great card-under-glass work

read or watch J.C. Wagner, Doc Eason, or

Chris Power.) Remember:

As

your left hand

spreads the pack on the table, be sure not to

flash the bottom face-up card.

You are now one card ahead of the

spectators so you can do what you like; I

preferto close up the deck on the table, pick

it up, and pretendto take

out

card invisibly

and throw it up in the air. My finger then

follows the imaginary path until the card

lands underneath the card-box.

t this point two things are going to occur at

the same time. As you tell the spectator to

reach out and

tu

over the card

underneath

the .card-box, you will perform a mercury

card fold, from Hugard and Braue s Expert

Card Technique. Because you half-passed

the bottom card earlier, when it is folded, it

will be backs out so as to build up the

climax at the end. The folded card will now

be below the deck, hidden by the left hand s

fingertips, so a glimpse at the bottom

of

the

deck will not give anything away.

Hold the deck in the left hand, and again,

pretend to take out

n

imaginary card and

throw it out, but this time, tell the spectators

that it has landed inside the card-box. Let

them open up the

box nd

be very surprised

when they take out

the

miniature box. At

this point, take the miniature box from them

before they get a chance to open it. Look at

. it on all sides, and then, using

just

your

index finger kick

open

the front. Tilt the

box forward so everyone can see one face

down card inside.

The following motions are very important:

Ask the spectator to

put

up his hand and

shake the card

out

onto his palm.

Remember that it is still face-down, so build

up the effect

s

much as possible. Your

spectators should almost be screaming out

. loud: «Could it be the card? Could

it

be the

card? Then,

just as

you feel that your .

spectators can t hold

b ck

any longer, take a

step back and allow

the

spectator to

tu

over his card. At this point, everyone in the

.audience will let out a breath and then start

, looking at each other, muttering: «Can you

believe he just did that?

(psychological Note: Whenever you have a.

group

of

spectators, they will always tu to

each other,

as if

someone else might have

the answer to

the

mystery they just

witnessed. This is

the

absolutely best time

to load, steal, palm, do whatever you Iikel)

At the exact moment

the

mini-card is being

turned over, the folded card on the bottom of

the deck should be loaded inside the mini

card-box. To do this in

th e

quickest and

most efficient manor, after you kick open

the flap with your index finger, bend it all

the way back so

th t

the card-box is

completely open. (Note: You must also rip

off

the little side hinges of the card-box to

allow completely smooth loading.) you

performed the mercury card fold correctly,


26/32

then the inner right comer of the folded card

will be in a shape of a

N

The right hand,

holding the mini-boxmoves below the deck,

and lets that inner right corner of the folded

card glide directly into the opening of the

, card-box. This has to be one smoothmotion

done in no more than two or three seconds

as the spectators tum over their selection

and gasp in amazement. Right after the

load, your hands separate, and your right

hand closes-up the card-box by pushing the

flapback up and inside using your index and

middle fingers. Set the mini card-box in the

middle of the table and forget about it.

the spectator s minds, they have just seen a

card-box with one mini card inside and

nothing else. In the next visual frame of

their mind, the mini card-box is sitting on

the table, and you are standing several feet

away from it.

Meanwhile, the spectators have all passed

around the mini-card and discussed how

cute it is. Take it back into the right hand,

and remember that the actual selection that

matches the mini-card is on top of the face

down deck, resting in your left hand. Look

at the spectators and act as

if you have just

thought

of

something. Motion to the first

spectator and ask him

if

he is still holding

onto his card (or if it is on the table), and

mention the fact that his had his signature on

it while the little one doesn t have the

second spectator s signature on its

face As

you look towards the spectator to say this

line, you perform a top change, switching

the mini-card for the real one. Two seconds

later, when the spectators look back at your

hand, you will now be holding the actual

signed, second selection. They will do a

double take and once again be completely

lost. All you need to do is smile and drop

the second selectiononto the table.

The effect is now over in your

mind

The

final selection is already inside the mini

card-box and all you need to do is build up

the finish. Do your best here. Askthem

if

it

would be amazing if you can make another

mini card appear inside the mini-box just

where the second one was

found Saying

this will emphasize the fact that the

spectators saw the mini-box, empty after the

mini card was taken out. They will all nod

in agreement and wait in anticipation to find

a mini-card inside. You, however, have

somethingbetter in stock for yourwonderful

audience.

Showyour hands completely

empty

slowly

pick up the card-box and open it up so it

faces the audience. Slowly pull out the

folded card half way and if you like, let a ,

spectator pull it out completely, and unfold

it themselves and find it to be their selection

with their signature

fterthoughts This is a killer, killer,

closing effect. Not only does it have four

distinct climaxes (card under box, mini-card

appearance, mini-card change into real card,

folded selection inside box) but it also

embodies several sleights, techniques,

misdirection and body language methods

that all

to, rather than take away from,

the fmal effect. Mastering this effect and

performing it smoothly shows that not only

can you perform sleight of hand well, but

that you also have a firm understanding of

misdirection, audience control,and many

psychological aspects

of

magic. I sincerely

hope that you

try

out this routine and see

how well it is received by audiences.


27/32

/

.I think, therefore I twist

August, 2000

Once

in

a while you will happen to stumble

onto an intelligent audience. Not too often,

granted, but it does depend on where you

perform.

If

you see the people nodding their

heads when you mention philosophy or the

name Descartes, then I would perform this

effect. If not; you re still OK because the

good thing about this effect is that it can be

done without the patter completely and still

be pretty amazing. However,

if

you find an .

intelligent adult or two, perform the

following effect for them, featuring

the

great

1in century philosopher, Rene Descartes.

Effect:

This daring card trick asks the

question:

you don t thinkyou exist do

y

. then disappear? Three kings are taken out.

of the deck representing three philosophers.

While discussing Rene Descartes

: philosophy: Cognito ergo sum - I think,

therefore I am the magician. makes the

. king

of

spades (representing Rene): trim

face-up, face-down, and then completely .

disappear.

Method: For this effect you need a blank

faced card with a

back

that matches your

deck

Begin with the blank card on top of the

face-down deck. Spread the cards face-up

between your hands and outjog three kings:

two reds and one black. Make sure that the

black king is below the two red ones.

If

the

cards are not automatically in that order, you

can simply re-outjog the black king, or you

can use two black kings and one red instead,

if

they are

in

the right order. Which cards

you use doesn t matter. One just needs to

contrast the other two since it will represent

Rene Descartes.

2. With the three kings out-jogged you need

to perform Vernon s Strip-Out addition.

.Briefly: the blank card (on the bottom

of

the

face-up deck) goes

into

a high gambler s

cop position. With the card gripped, your

left hand

moves forward to strip out the

three kings, adding the blank card to the

bottom. The four-card pile stays the left

hand while your right hand sets the deck

down on the table face-down.

Your right hand now holds four cards face

up, in order, from the face: Red King, Red

King, Black King,

lank

Card. I will first

describe the technique

of

the routine and

then the patter.

3. Left hand pushes

the

first red king to the

right. The right hand takes it, turns it face

down and places it on the bottom

of

the

packet. This is then repeated with the

second red king.

4. Take the four-card packet into biddle grip.

· Your left-hand index finger will go

underneath the packet and pull the bottom .

face-down card to

the

left. The middle

finger will then contact

the second face

down card from the

bottom

and pull it to the

left as well. It should look like you have a

· three-card spread with the top card being a

· face-up black king.

The

top card, however,

is actually a double, with the blank card

face-up behind the king. Using your right

hand turn the double face-down and square

up the cards.

Push the top face-down card to the right and

take it with the right hand. Use your right

hand s fingertips to flip over the three cards

in the left hand face-up, While gesturing

with the face-down (supposed) king, push


28/32

the top card of the left hand forwards for

about an inch, exposinganotherred king.

Place the face-down card below the left

hand pile, but in-jogged an inch. Square up

the three (four) cards from the sides, but

leave each one still stepped an inch

forward from the one below it. The

spectators should be able to see an inch of a

face-down card, an inch of the middle red

king, and see the second red king in its

entirety on top.

5. Square up the spread, patter for a second,

and re-spread, pushing the top two cards to

the right. Hold the last two cards as one

remember the blank card is hidden face

down below the face-up black king. Again

form the step-display by lining up the three

cards at their long

edges

but leaving each

one outjogged an inch above the one below

it.

6. Square up the spread again, patter, and

then perform the first 1

moves

of

an

E1msley

count: Holding the cards in the

right hand, use your left hand to take.the top

single card (face up red king). As your left

hand is taking the singlered king, your right

hand does a multiple push-off of the. two

kings (face-up red and black) This goes

over the first kingandoutjogged an inchjust

like in the previous displays. This leaves a

single face-down card in your right hand,

which you then tu over to reveal .a

completely blankcard

If the spectators wishto grabthe blank card,

let them. You want to take as much heat off

of your hands as you want. However, I

prefer not to interrupt the flow of the trick

and continue straightintothe last phase:

7. Take th blank card and insert it between.

the two r kings. Don t forget that the top

red king has a black king hidden behind it.

Re-adjust the spread if you need to so at

least an inch of each of the lower two cards

IS

seen.

8. You will now perform a version of a

paintbrush

.change.

It s very simple here:

Your left thumb and fingers are squeezing

the three card spread, slightly on the sides.

Your right hand s index and middle finger

cometo the outer end

of

the spreadand push

back the top card(s) until they line up with

the blank card. Without a hesitation, use

your index finger to push forward just the

top card, making the illusion that you just

painted the black king onto the blank card.

This is

f

wonderful color change and will

get a great reaction from your audience. To

end you can simply show the cards and

throw thembackon top

of

the deck,palming .

out the blank card at a later time. Or, if you

wish to be clean, you can use the gambler s

cop to steal the blank card when you l t

the

audiencecheckout the three

Kings.

resentation (1) nthe 17

century there

was a philosopher by the name

of

Rene

Descartes who came up with the theory:

Cognito ergo sum - «1 think therefore 1

am. He became very famous for this but

what a lot of people don t know is how he

cameupwiththis idea.

(2) You see, one day,Rene was hanging out

with two of his philosopher buddies and

they decided come up with a theory

relating thinking and being. They all sat

down, and after about an hour, the fi

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