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The

New York

mff1[£fi@ ~Jf'[Q]JJ])®§fil]JLiQ1

Collection Three

Written & Edited By Adam Fleischer & Stephen Minch

Contents The 1984 New York Magic Symposium Programme The Sym posium Story

9

The 1984 Symposium Stars

12

Schedule Of Events

16

The State-Of-The-Art In Magic Adam Fleischer

20

Max M a ve n H a r ry Lor a yn e

22 23 24

Mic ha e I Am mar Jay San key

26

In My Own Words: Jeff McBride, Mime Magician

28

The Collection Three Int rod uct ion

9

Part I THE 1984 SYMPOSIUM Bro. John Hamman The Lie Detector Case Th e Ph 0e nix Fo ur ..··

PERFORMERS

12 16

David Roth Ringing The Change Revised Chop Cup Routine

19 21

Jeff McBride Cigarette Tear Cigarette Extra vaganza

25 31

Derek Dingle TheRa in bo w Deck Hands Off

36 40

Tom Mullica Egg Bag Finale On e- 0-0 n e

42

43

"""'Il

er Michael Bust Weber

. ... .46

Martin Nash Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas Richard Kaufman The Face-Up Incredible Pin c hed Ag a in Bob Read Handkerchief

.47

Card Tunnel

52

58

Through Glass

61

John Ferrentino Topsy Turvy Finely Finished

64

Harry Lorayne Po ke r C haile ng e

67

Jay Sankey Remarker Able

70

Part II SPECIAL GUEST CONTRIBUTORS

1984 Tom Ogden

.

Doug Bennett Trip Ie Wham my Tom Gagnon The Scoop-Displacement The Scoop-Displacement

74

81

Coin Vanish Coin Change

83 88

Steve Dusheck Coin-Nection

90

Terry Lagerould Pia n a Can c e rt a

93

Phil Goldstein San s Fro n d s

96

Ben Harris Alloy Division

1 00

Ray Kosby Cooking With Oil & Water

103

Ken Krenzel Post Hoc Miracle

106

Fabian Ha n Ping C up Move

1 09

Joe Safuto The Trick That Never Was

111

Sol Stone The Laced Coin

115

J.K. Hartman A Suit With A Futur e

11 8

Michael Gerhardt Hoover Cards

121

Fantasio Any Reel-

Locking Reel

F u /I Va I u e Roger Klause

Paul Cummins Co un tin g On It

123

. 125

132

I

ANOTHER BOZO'S FIRST

I

Part

I

~®®~ ~®[f~@[fmm®[f@

12

Bro. John Hamman

The Lie Detector Case Effect: A thought-of

card materializes

1. The card is genuinely

thought

inside the card case. Notice these strong points:

of, not touched

or peeked; no questions

are asked, etc.

2. The magician names the card without looking through the deck. He sees only two cards, neither of which give any trustworthy clues as to the card's identity. 3. The thought-of cates.

card is really inside the card box; yet there is no palming,

Bro. John's patter theme revolves around the story of a lie-detector the truth and fi nally materializes thoughts within itself.

nor dupli-

box which discloses

Method: Explain that you wish the audience to all think of a card together, combined thought-power can effect the impossible. Have someone shuffle the cards and put the deck on the table. He nu mber from one to ten. Then, when your back is turned, he is to slowly off that number of cards one at a time from the deck into a small pile on is then covered with his hand. The audience is to watch his count so know the thought-of number without it being spoken.

so that their

is to think of any and silently count the table. This pile that everyone will

When this has been done, turn around, pick up the deck and shuffle it casually. Tell them that you will show them ten random cards from the shuffled pack. They are to think of the card that lies at the number they all have in mind. Hold up the top card of the pack, face toward them and away from you. Callout, "One," and drop it face-down to the table. Count, "Two," as you show them the second card and drop it onto the first. Continue in this manner until ten cards have been shown and their order reversed on the table. Explain that the spectators need no longer remember the number, only the card. This method of choosi ng a card must be presented as an obvious necessity (not an oddity), providing a logical method for having everyone think of the same card without having it touched, shown or otherwise revealed in a manner that might offer any clues of its identity to the magician. Pick up the pile of counted cards without looking at them and place them onto the pack. Give the deck a convincing false shuffle that retains the top ten cards intact. As this is done you are pattering about the power of "collective thought," etc.

13

Ask for the cards under the spectator's hand - again, don't them to the deck. Execute another false shuffle, retaining the top gathering and shuffling procedure all your attention should be on what you are doing with the cards. The impression you wish to mean nothing. Due to the procedure followed, the thought-of eleve nth card fro m the top of the deck.

card will

look at them - and add stock. During this entire what you are saying, not convey is that the cards

now automatically

be the

Hold the deck in your left hand as you pick up the closed card case, flap toward the audience and the half-moon cut-out on top, in your right hand. Explain that the case is a liedetector box. Place it on top of the deck in the left hand. (By doing this you are setting up a psychological precedent for a move that must be made shortly.) Leave the case there, held under the left thu mb and overlappi ng the deck for about half its width. See Figu re 1. It is kept there as you talk about the properties of the box. Then set it back down on the table.

Deal two hands of five cards each face-down onto the table, one to the left, the second to the right. Tell a spectator on your left to pick up the lefthand packet, keep one card and put the remaining four back on the table. You tell him that the card he chooses to keep is to be an indicator of the suit of the thought-of card. However, he is under no obligation to be truthful in his choice of a "suit" card. It mayor may not match the suit of the mentally selected card, just as he wishes. In other words, he may lie or tell the truth. As he makes his choice and all eyes are on him, get a fourth-finger break under the top card of the deck in the left hand. This card is the thought-of card. Pick up the card case once more and place it half overlapping the deck just as you did previously. Ask a spectator on your right to pick up the righthand packet and choose a card from it as a "value indicator" of the thought-of card. He also is given the option of lying or telling the truth in his choice. He then places the other four cards back onto the table. It is as the second spectator is making his selection that you use this misdirection to steal the top card of the deck under the card case. The right hand grasps the case from above, fingers at the outer end, thumb at the inner. The deck is brought momentarily flush under the case and the top card is picked up. See Figure 2. Then the left hand casually sets the deck aside to your left. That hand returns to the case and takes it from the right hand into deali ng position, the thought-of card hidden below it. See Figure 3.

14

Ask the spectator on the left for his "suit" card. Put it on top of the card case, half outjogged and right-jogged, so that you can receive the righthand spectator's card with your right hand. (Notice that all actions are motivated and logical.) Place the righthand card on top of the jogged card in the left hand (see Figure 4) and slide both together under the card case. They go face-down beneath the hidden card and all three are squared with the left hand as the right hand moves the case forward to open the flap. See Figure 5. The case is shown casually empty. All your actions here have been reasonable. Don't invite suspicion by rushi ng guiltily through them.

3

5

Say that you will now put the two cards in the lie-detector box to check them for lies. Lay the card case, flap open, on the table. They must be sure it is empty. Casually show the three cards you are holding as two as follows: grasp the cards from above with the right hand, fingers on the outer ends, thumb on the inner. The left fingers then drag off the bottom card into the left palm, leaving the top two cards squared as one in the right hand. Briefly display the faces of the si ngle and double cards. See Figure 6. All is as it should be, with the thought-of card hidden behind the righthand card.

15

Place the lefthand card back on the face of the righthand double and put them all into the case, faces toward the half-moon cut-out. Close the case and lift it to your left ear. Rattle it. Then rattle it at the right ear. You explain that you are checking for lies.

6

Open the box, half-moon cut-out and cards' faces toward you. Take out the foremost card and toss it face-up to your left on the table. This should be the "suit indicator." Remove the next card and toss it face-up to your right. This is the "value indicator." At this point the thought-of card's index will be staring at you from the case. Note it and close the flap. Set the case between the two face-up cards on the table. This makes a nice visual display. Now, in your most entertaining manner reveal the lies and truths that have been told. End by naming the thought-of card as you have the audience all picture the card in their minds. Finally, make a magical gesture and produce the card from the case!

16

Bro. John Hamman

The Phoenix Four Effect: While the pack is out of the magician's hands, four cards are freely selected and randomly buried in the deck. Yet, with no apparent manipulation of the cards, it is convincingly shown that all four selections have vanished from the deck. The deck is cut into four groups - as each group is cut, one of the selections is named by the magician, though there seems no way he can have discovered their identities. As each card is named it is spelled with the group of cards that has been cut off ...and the selection appears face-up at the end of each spelling! Bro. John performs this routine to a story of the Phoenix. can be obliterated, yet reborn from their own ashes.

Like that mythical

bird, cards

Method: First, this routine must be done with a full deck of fifty-two cards. Four spectators are enlisted as helpers. The deck may be shuffled by one of them before you start, if you think it is necessary. Each of the four spectators is given a group of cards. The first three spectators are each given eleven cards, while the fourth is handed sixteen. This leaves you holding three. It is important that your counting of these packets not be obvious. The cards are pushed off the pack casually in clumps. For the three packets of eleven cards, spread three off with the thumb, then two more groups of three and finally two cards. When you reach the fourth spectator, simply Back Spread the bottom three cards from the talon and hand him the balance. This method of counting can appear quite unpremeditated if done off-handedly while pattering. The entire process is done quickly, before anyone can worry about it. The four spectators are now asked to mix their cards. You demonstrate what is required by Overhand Shuffling with the three cards you still hold. (This is a very canny way of providing a motivation for your having kept back three cards: you need them to show your helpers what they are to do.)

•••••• 1

Once the packets have been mixed they are placed face-down on the table in a row, with the three-card packet on the extreme left and the sixteen-card packet on the extreme right, as shown in Figure 1.

17

You are now going to apply Gene Finnell's Free-Cut Principle in a very clever manner. Have the first spectator cut any number of cards he wishes from his tabled packet (that second from your left), note and display that face card of the cut-off group to everyone but you and place this group face-down onto your three- card packet. Have the second spectator cut off a group of cards from his packet (third from your left), note and display the face card, and place the group onto the second spectator's packet. The third spectator follows suit, cutting a group from his packet, noting the card cut to and placing the cards onto the center pile. And the fourth spectator cuts into his packet (the righthand one), notes the card and places the cut cards onto the third spectator's packet. Notice that all four cards are shown to the entire group so that, later, everyone can appreciate their vanish ment and reproduction. It is also important that you not be allowed to see any of the cards as they are shown; yet you must direct the helpers' actions clearly with both directions and gestures. If only one group of cards goes to the wrong place, everything is lost. Make your directions clear and point to the various packets; but don't touch any of the cards. Casually gather up the packets, working from right to left: Spectator Four's packet goes onto Spectator Three's, Three's onto Two's, Two's onto One's and One's onto your pile. While there seems no outward way the cards could be controlled, due to Finnell's principle, the four selections now rest at positions sixteen, twenty-seven, thirty-eight and forty-nine from the top of the deck! At this point, you do not know what the selections are, but you do know where they are. Give the deck several convincing false shuffles that retain full-deck order. Then Ribbon Spread the pack face-down on the table. Make some gesture to indicate that something magical is being done and claim that you have caused all four selections to vanish from the pack. This is a contention for which most audiences will desire proof. Gather the spread and place it into lefthand dealing position. Fan over the top five cards and flip them face-up onto the pack. Spread them between the hands and ask that the audience look for any of the selected cards in the group. When they have seen that there are none, close the fan and drop it face-up onto the table. Thu mb off another group of five cards, turn it face-up and display the cards. Then drop this second group face-up onto the first. Repeat this procedure with a third group of five; but this time, as you spread the five off the deck, obtain a break under the sixth card with the left fourth finger. Turn the five cards up and fan them. However, as they are squared and removed from the pack, the right fingers steal the face-down sixth card beneath the face-up group and all six are dropped onto the tabled pile. This stolen card is the fourth spectator's selection. Continue to turn up groups of five cards and display them. But the same stealing of a single face-down card is repeated as the fifth, seventh and ninth groups are dropped onto the tabled pile. These stolen cards are, of course, the third, second and first selections. Using this very open and casual method of displaying the pack has at once vanished the four selections and reversed them at strategic positions in the pack! It should go without saying that the display procedure must be made to look very casual and the honest displays must be made to appear the same as those when a card is stolen. Smoothness, uniformity of action and lack of hesitation are the qualities to be striven for. Now you offer to divine the identities of all four vanished cards. Square the face-up pack on the table and turn it face- down, long edges toward you. Reach over with the right hand and cut off the top eleven cards. This is made si mple as the fourth selection lies reversed

----.-....,.... .....

18 eleven down from the top of the deck. It will provide a natural bridge at which the cards will break when the right fingers cut the top group off. Use a light touch. Place this eleven-card packet into lefthand dealing grip. The fourth spectator's selection is face-up on the bottom of this group. As you turn to the fourth spectator and ask him to picture his card in his mind, the left thumb does a Block Push- Off of all the cards above the reversed bottom one. These cards are only glimpsed when the left thumb is raised. The packet should be necktied slightly as the glimpse is taken. As soon as the card is seen, the packet is squared over it agai n. Divine the card as dramatically as you can. Then offer to "restore it to life." This is done by spelling to it. Each card is ducked under the packet as you spell with it. Most any card can be spelled to using eleven letters. You may have to add or drop an "of" or the final "s" of the suit, but it can be done with very little thought. The only exceptions to this rule are the Seven, Eight and Queen of Diamonds. (The Three of Diamonds can be managed by counting three instead of spelling it.) For these three problems Bro. John merely uses a Down-Under Deal as he recites the phrase, "Your card is (value) of Diamonds." The top card is dealt to the table. The second card is ducked under the packet. As it is ducked you say, "Your ..." Deal the third and duck the fourth as you say, " ...card ...", etc. The selection will appear face-up on the last word. When you have spelled the fourth spectator's card and produced it face-up, deal it to the table before hi m and table the balance of the packet. Cut another group of eleven cards from the tabled deck, using the third selection's bridge as your guide. Glimpse the face-up bottom card, name it and then spell to it. The remaining two selections are produced in the same manner. Once again, smoothness and absence of any hesitation are important to the effect. Do not fumble as you cut off packets from the deck. It should be an easy casual procedure. A good portion of this routine's power is provided by the apparent effortlessness with which everything is accomplished. Performed in this fashion the routine is extremely impressive. Also, no thinking should show as you spell each of the selections. It takes only a little practice to know how to spell to each card with eleven. Lack of hesitation, pacing and an air of knowing just what you are doing will cover any differences necessary in the spelling procedures required to arrive at the four selections. This is not a difficult routine. Give it the practice it deserves and you will have an important bit of magic at your disposal.

19 //////////$//////"//#//////////////////-//'//$/////////////////////$/////////////////////////////7//#///$//////$/////$#$/$///////$///$////////////////////////#///$#////////////#////////#///$////////0'////////////$"//~//////"

David Roth

Ringing The Change David calls this his "Bell Coin Trick." It is not a feature routine, nor an opening effect. It is an interlude piece for a coin routine. Despite its brevity, this effect is typical of the charm and novelty with which David invests his coin magic. You will need a small round bell such as are commonly found on or in pet toys or Christmas ornaments. Find one that measures only one-half inch to three-quarters of an inch in diameter. These bells have a little metal loop at their top to attach them to the toy or ornament. Through this loop you must feed about a one-inch length of good cloth or fabric tape. Fold the tape double onto itself, sticky side to sticky side, once it is through the bell's loop. This creates a sturdy half-inch tab by which the bell may be held. See Figure 1. Place this bell in your right jacket pocket.

1 Also required is a Franklin Bellon its back.

half dollar. This half prominently

bears a figure of the Liberty

When ready to perform this piece, casually reach into your jacket pocket and palm the bell by clipping the cloth tab between the tips of the right first and second fingers. The bell should hang just behind the insides of the fingers. By keeping the right thumb pressed lightly on the bell it will not jingle prematurely. When the bell is securely clipped in place, remove the hand from the pocket. This procuring of the bell is, of course, done under cover of the reaction of relaxation that follows the preceding effect. The left hand picks up the Franklin half (which has been in play in an earlier trick) and displays it at the fingertips as the right hand is coming from the pocket with the bell palmed. Transfer the coin to the right fingertips, held mainly between the forefinger and thumb as in Figure 2. Be sure the coin is held with the Liberty Bell toward the spectators. Make some mention of this unique symbol on the Franklin half dollars and hold the coin up to your right ear. Shake it gently. It rings! Look at the coin in astonishment and shake it again. Everyone can hear it.

20

At this point you can hold the coin to a spectator's ear and let him hear the bell ring if you like. Just take care not to flash the bell gimmick as you do this. It is really rather well covered by the posture of the hand.

I t

2

Ask the spectator to hold out his hand and let the half fall from your fingers into it. Place your right thumb on the bell gimmick to dampen its ringing. Then drop the right hand to your side if standing, your lap or the table if seated. Or you may prefer to transfer the coin from your right hand to your left before giving it to the spectator. The bell is pocketed at the first off-beat moment.

21

David Roth

Revised Chop Cup Routine In 1977 David published his Chop Cup routine in his lecture notes. As with anything in the hands of an artist, with constant use, little improvements are made over the years that add polish and clarity to the piece. That is what David has done with his Chop Cup routine. David's routine has a number of features to its credit, not the least of which are its difference from most of the routines currently in use and its avoidance of the potentially awkward situation of asking a spectator to guess where the ball is. Notice also the smoothness of action and the lack of illogical procedures throughout. The routine is done seated at a table. Two large load balls - each of which nearly fills the cup - are resting secretly in your lap. When placing these balls in the trough between the thighs, set them about six inches apart. Later in the routine you will be lapping smaller balls. This space between the load balls insures that the small balls will land safely in the lap and not roll off it. The non-magnetic Chop Cup ball is sitting in the cup at the start. The matching magnetic ball is Finger Palmed in the right hand. A third ball of contrasting color is in the right jacket pocket. This ball is also magnetic. David uses a black pair of Chop Cup balls and a white ball as the third, so it will be described that way for simplicity's sake.

The routine begins when the right hand picks up the Chop Cup. It does so with the thumb, first and second fingers. The third and fourth fingers are Finger Palming the magnetic black ball and are curled naturally under the bottom of the cup. See Figure 1. This

22

position shields the palmed ball from all angles. Tip the cup forward, in it onto the table. As this is done the cup may be seen to be empty.

rolling

the black ball

Pick up the black ball in the left hand and display it. Place it down again and take the cup in the left hand. Let the right hand with its Finger-Palmed magnetic ball drop in a loose fist to the table. Tilt the cup mouth toward you, displaying its solid bottom to the audience. At the same time the left palm can be seen empty. These opening actions take but a few moments and are accompanied by the line, "A little trick with a small ball and a cup that is open at one end and closed at the other." Pick up the black ball from the table in the right hand between the forefinger and thumb. The left hand turns the cup mouth-up and the right hand drops both the visible ball and the Finger-Palmed one into the cup. The backs of the right fingers completely cover the introduction of the second ball to the cup. The right hand immediately grasps the cup at its bottom and turns it mouth-down, pouring the non-magnetic ball onto the table. Of course, the cup should be turned in such a manner that the magnetic ball is not exposed as it clings to the cup.

,

You explain, "The idea is to get the ball into the cup." Gently place the cup mouth-down on the table as the left hand picks up the black ball. "The hard part is to do it magically. I will do this by passing the ball through the bottom of the cup." As this is said, transfer the ball from the left to the right hand. Lift the cup with the left hand to show nothing beneath it. Then replace it on the table, this time dislodging the magnetic ball from the cup. Now perform any sort of convincing vanish wherein the visible ball is false-transferred to the left hand, but is actually retained in a right Finger Palm. Open the left hand to show the ball is gone - and lift the cup with the left hand to reveal the magnetic ball beneath it. You've done what was promised! Replace the cup over the magnetic ball. Pause a moment, then tilt the cup back toward you a bit with the left hand. This once more reveals the magnetic ball sitting beneath it. The right hand travels in front of the cup to apparently remove the ball. In reality the FingerPalmed ball is substituted for the magnetic ball behind the cover of the right fingers. The cup is lowered over the stationary magnetic ball and the right hand moves away from it, displayi ng the ordi nary ball. Once more perform a pass with the ball, secretly retaining it in right Finger Palm. Show the ball has gone from the left hand and lift the cup with that hand to show the ball has returned. The left hand gives the cup a light toss and catches it mouth-up. The right hand picks up the magnetic ball and drops both it and the Finger-Palmed ball into the cup, just as was previously done. The right hand grasps the cup by its bottom and turns it over to let the non-magnetic ball roll out. The cup is placed gently mouth-down on the table. A variation of Charlie Miller's Cup and Ball Penetration will now be performed. The right hand picks up the visible ball and maneuvers it to a position atop the right fist. The ball lies

23

cradled on the curl of the closed forefinger and thumb. The left hand steadies the cup while the right fist is rested lightly on top. The left hand now raises the cup several inches from the table to show nothing is under it. The right fist with ball rides along as shown in Figure 2.

2 Now comes the penetration. The cup is brought sharply to the table, knocking the magnetic ball loose. Simultaneously, the right fist follows the cup as if attached to it - but the fingers open slightly to allow the black ball to fall inside the fist and into Finger-Palm position. Instantly raise the cup and fist again to show that the ball has passed through. Timing is crucial to this move. Properly done, the penetration is visual. Bad timing can make the move transparent. Under cover of the surprise of this penetration, transfer the cup from the left hand to the right and load the Finger-Palmed ball beneath it as it is set on the table. Then pick up the magnetic ball in the right hand and display it as you say, "I don't always make the little ball disappear. Sometimes I just put it away." Suiting action to words, place the black magnetic ball in your right jacket pocket and Finger Palm the white magnetic ball while you are there. The left hand lifts the cup to reveal the black ball beneath it just as the right hand is coming back from the pocket. Toss the cup gently with the left hand and catch it mouth- up; then transfer the cup to the right hand while the right third and fourth fingers retain the palmed white ball (Figure 1 again). The left hand picks up the black ball and displays it. It is replaced on the table and the cup is retaken in the left hand. The right hand picks up the black ball between the forefinger and the thumb and drops both black and white balls into the cup. It then takes the cup by its bottom and pours the black ball into the waiting left hand. Set the cup gently mouth-down. "I will do it just once more." Lift the cup with the right hand to show nothing beneath it. Return it to the table with enough force to dislodge the white ball.

1I

24

The right fingers claim the black ball from the left, display it and then do a false transfer. Lap the black ball from the right hand, allowing it to fall between the two large balls. Show the left hand empty, then the right. Lean back a moment into Rest Position, letting both hands drop to the lap. Pause a few beats to build the tension of the lifting of the cup. The left hand now moves to lift the cup ...and the white ball appears! As this is done the right hand quietly grasps the first large ball - the one farthest from your knees. The left hand brings the cup back to the edge of the table as all eyes are on the white ball. The right hand meets the left at table's edge and loads the large ball into the cup. The left hand then carries the loaded cup forward to table it as the right hand moves to pick up the white ball and displays it. The left little finger can aid in keeping the load ball in the cup as it is put down by bending in under the cup's mouth. Vanish the white ball and lap it, letting it fall behind the second large ball to insure it doesn't roll from the lap. Show the hands empty and drop the right hand to the lap as the left hand lifts the cup to expose the first large ball. Under the misdirection of this production, the right hand can load the second large ball and sets it on the table as the left hand picks drops it to emphasize its solidity. Finally, draw produce the second large ball.

bring the cup back to the table's edge so into it. The right hand claims the loaded up the first large ball, lifts it a few inches attention to the cup once more and raise

Cup and ball routines always read dryly. If you will take the time to work through routine several times you will be rewarded with the discovery of its magical quality great beauty.

that cup and it to

this and

25

Jeff McBride

Cigarette Tear This is a stand-up torn and restored cigarette. The "teari ng" of the cigarette flourish, while the restoration is a visual masterpiece.

is a pretty

Preparation: Have a cigarette, filter side up, in a thumb tip in your right pocket. Since the cigarette is whole, some of it will be extending out of the tip. When ready to perform, get the thumb tip on the right thumb, with the cigarette on the underside of the thu mb - see Figure 1. The filter end of the cigarette extends out of the tip and along the underside of your thumb. You will find that this is not an awkward situation; if you keep your palm downward and your thumb behind your fingers, there are no bad angles.

Roll up match the ing actions of the right

your sleeves. Borrow a cigarette or get one of your own - this cigarette should cigarette in your thumb tip (see Notes at end of routine). During all of the followyour right shoulder should be toward the audience, helping to take the heat off hand.

Hold the cigarette in left hand "smoking position" - that is, between the forefinger (on top) and the thumb (below), holding the cigarette right at the point where the filter meets the cigarette - see Figure 2. Now, position the pinky and third finger below the cigarette, and the first and second finger on top of the cigarette. Put the cigarette to your lips, and grip the end of the filter between your teeth, not just your lips - Figure 3. You will now rip the cigarette into three pieces. This will be done as a flourish, actually make some impromptu "brass knuckles" out of the three cigarette pieces.

and you

26

First, with the cigarette held in the left hand as described above, and the teeth gripping the filter end of the cigarette, move the left hand to the right, keeping the filter between the teeth, while the left hand takes the other two-thirds of the cigarette away to the right. Holding the left thumb and forefinger right at the point in the cigarette where the filter meets the tobacco facilitates this being a clean break.

2 Move the left hand down. The left forefinger changes position on the cigarette, from above, to the "u nderside" where the thu mb is - to the left of the thu mb. The first fi nger, the thumb, the third finger and the fourth finger are underneath the two-thirds of the cigarette, while the second finger alone is on top - see Figure 4. Use the thumbnail to crease the long piece of cigarette dead center. Now roll and crease the cigarette between the fingers until you get a clean break. The second finger on top of the cigarette acts as a fulcru m for this break. When the cigarette breaks, the two pieces will automatically be held as shown in Figure 5 - with one piece between the left first and second fingers, the other piece between the second and third fingers.

,.--

)

(

4

5

The left hand moves back up to the mouth and grabs the filter part of the cigarette from the mouth (where it has remained); this filter piece is held between the left thumb and first finger. Show the three separate pieces between the fingers, with your left little finger up

27 (showing that nothing is concealed in the hand), your cigarette brass knuckles - Figure 6.

perhaps

mentioning

something

about

6 The left hand moves up and returns the filter part of the cigarette filter end goi ng into the mouth.

to your mouth, with the

Now, two things occur at once. One is a flourish with the cigarette which draws all attention away from the second, which is the loading cigarette from the right hand into the left:

piece in your mouth, of the thumb tip and

Either openly "tongue" the cigarette as a flourish, or wiggle it rapidly between your lips. This latter flourish is accomplished by holding the cigarette third loosely between your lips, and inside your mouth your tongue rapidly flicks it - the butt at your mouth will appear to have a life of its own, as it rapidly flicks back and forth.

7

As all attention is on the cigarette third at your mouth and the flourish, the left hand lowers and the right hand loads the tip and cigarette into the left palm. The tip is loaded into the left palm diagonally across the palm, and the left thumb moves up to cover the filter top of the cigarette extending out of the tip. The loaded position is shown, without the left thumb covering the top of the extended cigarette, in Figure 7, an exposed performer's view.

28

The left fingers still hold quickly or cleverly done; fingers and palm remove flourish being performed

onto the two basically, the the tip off the at your mouth,

parts of the cigarette. The actual load need not be right hand moves into the left hand, while the left right thumb. Remember, all attention will be on the so no heat is on your hands.

Now take the butt of the cigarette from your mouth with your right thumb and index finger. The following move should appear as if you are replacing the filter third of the cigarette from your mouth to between your left thumb and first finger. In fact, you drop the filter third of the cigarette into the thumb tip, while you kick up the filter end of the whole cigarette (which is partly inside the thumb tip) to between the thumb and first finger. As the right hand moves over to the left hand, partially covering the left hand, drop the butt into the tip, and the right middle finger kicks up the filter end of the whole cigarette into viewsee Figure 8, a rear view just after the butt is dropped into the tip and the middle finger has kicked the filter end of the whole cigarette into view. Also see Figure 9, an audience view, which looks like you are holding the three parts of one cigarette between your fingers.

Take the middle cigarette piece between your first and second fi ngers, and put it to your lips where you leave it. Take the third piece of cigarette and drop it "into the fist" of the left hand, actually dropping it into the thumb tip. Take the piece from your mouth and put it into the tip, supposedly just into the fist.

29

The right hand comes over and grabs the filter end of the whole cigarette between the thumb and first finger. The back of the right hand and fingers are toward the audience and cover this action: pull the whole cigarette out of the thumb tip (thus it goes up and above the fist, which is hidden from the audience by the back of the right hand and fingers. Once the whole cigarette has cleared the tip, immediately lower it back into the fist, right next to, but outside of, the thumb tip. Leave part of the filter end of the cigarette still sticking out of the fist. This move should be very quick, and the audience's view of this should be that you are preparing to push the last third of the cigarette into your fist. Show the right hand empty, palm to audience. The right fingers now "pat" the back of the left fist, which hides the right thumb going into the left fist and into the thumb tip. Figure 10 is the audience's view and Figure 11 is a rear view.

12

Remove the right hand from the left (the tip is now on the right thu mb). Poi nt the right index finger at the audience, while your second fingertip touches the end of the thumb tip. This is an excellent position for showing the hand empty with the tip on it - see Figure 12.

30

Keep the right index finger pointed. After pointing at the audience, move the right hand to the left hand, and push the remaining bit of cigarette that is extending from the left fist into, through, and out of the fist. The left hand should be tilted so the protruding filter end of the cigarette was toward the right. The effect to the audience is that the last third of the cigarette is pushed into the fist, and it visibly joins together with the other two pieces in the fist into a complete, restored cigarette. Leave the cigarette extending out the left side of the fist and pause - Figu re 13.

13

Briefly show the right hand empty, again using the position shown in Figure 12, but with a "looser" and more casual pointing gesture this time - but remember to have the second fingertip touching the end of the thumb tip. The right hand takes the cigarette between the first and second fingers. Show the left hand empty. Put the cigarette to your lips. Display the back of the hands. Display the front of both hands, with both hands assuming the position, casually, as shown in Figure 12 again. Ask for a match. Notes: One added touch to this routine is using a special brand of cigarette. If you are at a party or a club, and someone you are with is smoking an elite or bizarre type of cigarette, borrow one early in the evening. Supposedly smoke it, while in fact switch it for a different cigarette. Load this cigarette into your tip, and later when you perform the effect, borrow the cigarette to be used fro m the perso n with the special cigarettes. Jeff's inspiration for this effect was Slydini's torn and restored cigarette, unquestionably a classic, but Jeff wanted to perform it stand-up and without lapping. He has succeeded tremendously. This effect is visually startling and the routining is all smooth and everything makes sense.

31

Jeff McBride

Cigarette Extravaganza Effect: The basic effect here is the production of two cigarettes and then their vanish. But, this is a power- packed routine which looks like such to the audience: The performer takes a regular cigarette rolli ng paper and holds it in one hand. His other hand, seen to be empty, reaches into the air and pours out loose tobacco into the paper. The performer rolls the paper and tobacco into a cigarette with an impressive one- handed flourish. The cigarette is put to the performer's lips. Now, the performer actually lights his thumb, and lights the cigarette using the flame on his thumb. Another rolling paper is taken out by a spectator. The performer holds onto this rolling paper - it explodes into a burst of flame, leaving a second cigarette at the performer's fingertips. Finally, both cigarettes are placed into the performer's fist and they vanish.

You need the following items: Three filterless cigarettes (Camels or Pall Malls); a pack of Big Bambu oversized rolling papers; a thumb tip; a pack of paper matches; flash paper; one round balloon; and a striking surface for matches on your belt or some similar place. Preparation: Pierce a small hole in the end of the thumb tip; the hole should be big enough for a paper match to be stuck into. Stick a match into the hole, with about oneeigth of an inch of the match sticki ng out of the tip. You also need a small rubber cover for the thu mb tip. This can easily be made from the balloon: Without blowing the balloon up, tie the end. Now cut the balloon apart at a point just after the knot, before the main body of the balloon. This will act as a rubber cover for the thu mb tip. Remove the tobacco from a filterless cigarette; put this tobacco into the thumb tip. Cover the tip with the rubber cover. This setup tip is shown in Figure 1. This fully loaded tip goes into your right pocket.

1 2

Take one of the oversized Big Bambu rolling papers and trim its width so it is the same width as the cigarettes you are using. Now lick the gummed strip on the paper and stick it to one of the cigarettes - see Figure 2.

32

Cut a piece of flash paper into the pack of Now place the "loaded" ers, as shown in Figure

paper to the same size as one of the rolling papers. Insert this flash rolling papers so it is the next paper to be pulled out of the pack. rolling paper (with the cigarette attached to it) into the pack of pap3. Place this into your left pocket.

3

One of the regular cigarettes goes into your right pocket, along with the loaded thumb tip. Wrap a rolling paper arouncjthis cigarette so it appears to have been hand rolled. Performance: Go to the left pocket with the left hand and remove the rolling papers hold as in Figure 4, which is the audience's view. The paper with the attached cigarette hanging down at its end is hidden behind the left fingers - Figure 5 is the performer's view.

4 Open up the flap of the papers with the right hand, pause, and slyly smile at the audience. Quickly and casually pull the pack of papers away to the right with the right hand, leaving the one prepared paper in the left hand. The loaded cigarette is still hidden behind the left fingers. The right hand closes the pack of rolling papers one-handedly, raises the pack to the nose, gives it a pleasant whiff and, once again, you slyly smile. Place the pack of rolling papers into the right pocket. While your right hand is in the pocket, grab the thumb tip, knock off the rubber cover, and get the tip onto your right thumb. Bring the right hand out of the pocket, keeping the thumb behind the fingers. Hold the rolling paper with both hands, fingers in front and thumbs in back - Figure 6 is the audience's view. Briefly stroke and crease the paper, as if you were preparing ally roll the attached cigarette into the paper a bit.

to roll a cigarette,

and actu-

33

Move the right hand away, and briefly display the right hand to the audience. Jeff always uses the following position when showing his hand, with a thumb tip on it, to the audience. It was described in the last routine, and throughout this routine I will refer to it as the "display gesture." Figure 7 is the audience's view of this display. The important points to note are the casual and loose hold of the entire hand, and the fact that the middle fingertip touches the end of the thumb tip. This is a completely natural position. In this routine, the second finger must be in this position to cover the match that is sticking out the end of the thumb tip.

6

7

After briefly displaying the right hand, wave it around, as if you were trying to pull something magical out of the air. Look for some invisible something off to your right. Pretend to grab something, and throw this invisible stuff toward the rolling paper held in your left hand. Finally, pretend to grab something out of the air again, while your right hand forms a fist and you load the thumb tip off our thumb into your fist. Now, with the same actions you used above to throw invisible stuff to the rolling paper in your left hand, pour the loose tabocco out of your fist (out of the tip) onto the rolling paper. The loose tobacco will cover the real cigarette attached to the rolling paper.

34

Spread out the tobacco, evenly, with the right forefinger. Don't worry about being sloppy and spilling some of the tobacco to the floor. Lick the top of the rolling paper. Readjust the left hand's grip on the paper to the position shown in Figure 8, a rear, performer's, view.

8

Holding the cigarette in in the left hand in this position, the thumb rolls upward, and in a single motion you roll the cigarette up. Im mediately place this cigarette to your lips. Twist the cigarette, sealing the end that is in your mouth. Turn the cigarette end for end, putting the other end of the cigarette to your mouth. Again, twist to seal the end of the cigarette. Give the entire cigarette a lick to seal it, if needed. Leave this magically created cigarette in your mouth. This flourishy one-handed, one-motion roll is not difficult, and it is not expected to produce a great-Iooki ng cigarette. But when all the actions are followed, they flow smoothly, and you have a magical, flourishy creation of a hand-rolled cigarette. While the left hand was rolling the cigarette, your right hand got the thumb tip back onto its thumb. You now strike the match that sticks out of the tip against the match striking surface that is on your belt. Use your right index finger held firmly against the thumb tip to give stability to the tip when striking it against the striking surface. Briefly show that you have lit your thumb on fire, with the right hand in a fist, with the thumb pointing up. After the audience gets a brief glimpse that you have lit your thumb on fire, move the flame to the end of the cigarette in your mouth, and cup your left hand over the flame and the end of the cigarette - as people do when lighting a cigarette in a breezy place. When the cigarette is lit, blowout the flame. Do all of the above actions smoothly yet quickly. You still have your right thu mb up near the end of the cigarette at your mouth, and the left hand is still cupped over the cigarette and the right hand. Using your thumbs, remove the tip from the right thu mb and place it onto the left thu mb - this occurs behi nd the cover of your cupped left hand. You've just lit the cigarette, so give it a few puffs, which will help to create a mysterious smoky cover for this and the following actions. Move your right hand away. The left hand takes the cigarette out of the mouth, and the mouth blows on the just-lit right hand. Show the right hand casually empty, using the dis-

35

play gesture described earlier, although use the same position and gesture.

this time you don't have a tip on the hand; but still

The right hand goes into the right pocket and brings out the pack of rolling papers. Flip open the pack and offer them to a spectator, getti ng them to take out a paper. This will be the piece of flash paper. If you don't want to use a spectator here, you can remove this piece of paper yourself. Take the paper with the left hand, which will cover the tip on your left thumb. Put the papers back into the right pocket and cop the regular cigarette that is in your right pocket. Make between displays paper to paper.

a fuss about the special rolling paper in your left hand. Display the thumb and second finger, keeping your hand in the display the paper, hides the tip, and shows the hand to be otherwise the right hand, making sure the copped cigarette is hidden by

the paper, holding it gesture briefly. This empty. Transfer the the hand and-or the

Take the cigarette out of the mouth with the left hand. Knock ashes and blow smoke over the paper in the right hand. Touch the end of the cigarette to the paper. The paper will flash. As it flashes, the right fingers swivel the copped cigarette into view - this is a visible magical production of a second cigarette. Place the right hand's cigarette in the left hand.

to your lips. Light this cigarette

with the lit cigarette

held

Put both lit cigarettes to your lips. Show both hands with the display gesture. The tip is still on the left thumb. Puff lots of smoke, getting attention focused on the cigarettes at your lips. Casually brush your hands together, ditching the match that has been stuck in the thumb tip. Merely pull it out and drop it to the floor while you brush your hands together. Do a classic load of the thumb tip into the right fist. Put both cigarettes into the thumb tip and vanish them. You have completed the production and vanish of two cigarettes.

36

Derek Dingle

The Rainbow Deck This is Derek's version of Senator Crandall's

"Rainbow

Deck."

A deck of cards is openly displayed fronts and backs. It is, to all appearances, an ordinary blue-backed deck. However, it is admitted that there is one" marked" card in the pack. This card is found and is seen to have an obviously contrasting back-design to that of the deck. The odd-backed card is lost in the deck without revealing its identity to the spectators. One spectator is now asked to try to guess which card in the pack is the odd-backed one. The deck is turned face-up and the spectator selects a card at random. The performer proclaims that his helper has been remarkably successful at determining the stranger card in the deck. He proves this fact by running through the deck and finding an identical mate to the chosen card. Thus, the selection must be an extra card. But the audience finds this indirect proof a bit too subtle for their tastes. So the selection is turned over. Alas, it has a blue back. But the magician makes good his clai m by causing the rest of the pack to change to a variety of cards with different back designs ...with not a blue-back in the pack! Therefore, the spectator did choose the 0 nly odd-backed card in the deck - sort of - the only remaining blue-backed card! A special Rainbow Deck is required for this trick. A Rainbow Deck is a full deck of cards with regular faces, with the backs of the cards solid colors with white borders. The deck should have at least a dozen different bright colors for the backs, thus truly making it a "rainbow" deck of cards. You can make a deck like this with various graphic arts supplies and lots and lots of work (Derek originally did this), or you can now buy the deck which is manufactured by Mystic Madness Supply, P.O. Box 1181, Arlington Heights, Illinois 60004. Setup: From the top down, have four regular blue-backed cards, then one rainbow one more regular blue- backed card, and the rest of the Rainbow Deck following.

card,

Hold the deck in face-up dealing position and casually spread through the deck, showing the faces of the cards. Square the deck. With the deck face-up in left-hand dealing position, do a Pull Down with your left little finger of the "bottom" card of the deck. The right hand comes over the deck and grips it from above in a Biddle-type grip with the fingers at the front of the deck and the thumb at the rear. The right forefinger swivels the top sixth or so of the deck to the left into the left thu mb crotch - see Figure 1. The right hand moves to the right, leaving both the swivelled-out top packet, and the "bottom" card which was pulled down, in the left hand. (In other words, excute a Kick Cut

37

while retaining the bottom card in place.) With the proper pressure of the left hand's fingers against the deck, the Pull Down with the left little finger may not be necessary. The right hand turns over, showing the back of the card on "top" of the right-hand's pack - it is a regular blue card. As you do this display, and the followi ng ones, patter about one of the cards in the deck being special and different. Point with your left forefinger at the back of blue card displayed in the right hand, which will flash the regular blue back on "top" of the left hand's packet - see Figure 2. Do not call attention to the left hand's packet, just make sure that the back of the card is flashed.

I, I

1

2

Repeat the Kick Out of a packet from the right hand packet to the left hand's packet, although no Pull Down is performed as described above. Do this quickly and casually, while displayi ng the back of the righthand packet, so meti mes flashi ng the back of the lefthand packet, and still pattering that one card in the deck is a special one. When about one sixth of the deck is remaining in the right hand, execute a Pull Down with the left little finger on the bottom card of the left hand's pack - Jennings' Pull Down Move is excellent for here.

,

Grip the remaining packet mainly be its outer left corner in the crotch of the left thumb. The left forefinger helps steady it there while also creating a slight sidewise bevel to the packet. This bevel travels from bottom to top, with the top of the packet slightly leftward of the bottom. The beveling insures that the bottom card of the packet can be cleanly separated from the rest. The left fingers now straighten out flat, away from the packet. However, the left fourth finger bends up at its innermost joint slightly so that the fleshy pad of the third phalanx (the innermost one) can lightly engage the right rear edge of the bottom card and pull it down. This creates a gap between this card and the packet, while the open position of the fingers would seem to deny such a condition. See Figure 3 and you will understand why this method of performing the Pull Down is preferred. The hand's open posture is a more natural one, in the context of this routine, than if the tip of the fourth finger were used to pull down the bottom card. Insert the right hand's packet under the left hand's pack, secretly above the one pulleddown card, from the side, as in Figure 4. Spread the deck face-up between your hands, telling the spectator that you believe she can pick out the one special odd-backed card in the deck. This idea here is at the crux of

38 the theme of the trick, so sell the idea that there is one special odd-backed card in the deck, and that you thi nk the spectator can pick it out, without looki ng at the backs of the cards.

3

4

Tell the spectator that you'll help her - you'll show exactly what "the little mark" on the special card is. Turn the deck face-down into left-hand dealing position. Slowly spread the top cards, showing four regular blue-backed cards, and then getting to the fifth card, a rainbow card. Spread the rainbow card a bit to the right, showing the back of the fifth bluebaced card, but don't expose the backs of any of the rainbow cards below this final bluebacked card. Out jog the rainbow card, while keeping the four blue-backed cards sidejogged to the right - see Figure 5. While keeping the four blue cards sidejogged, pullout the one out jogged rainbow card, and insert it face-down (without showing its face) into the center of the deck.

5

As you push the positioned above the which pushes upward in the right hand. See

6

out jogged rainbow card flush into the deck, your right hand is four side-jogged blue cards. With the help of the left third finger from below the four blue cards - the four blue cards are top pal med Figure 6, an exposed bottom view.

39

As the "one odd-backed card" in the deck is pushed into the deck - and as the right hand palms the blue cards - you say, "I'd like to make a bet." Reach into your jacket with your right hand, as if to pull your wallet out of your inside jacket pocket (to get the money to make the bet, supposedly). Unload the palmed cards. Bring out your hand and say, " ...it doesn't matter, there's no money in it anyway ..." Turn the deck face-up and spread, showing the face-up cards, and again say that you think, and bet, the spectator will pick the one odd-backed card. Now you will force the "bottom" card of the deck (if the deck were held face-down, it would be the top card). Derek uses the following simple force, which he stresses has never failed him or raised suspicion: The deck is held face-up in the left hand. The right hand takes the deck and lets the cards drop in small clumps (they "dribble") back into the left hand. Ask the spectator to say "stop" anytime. When "stop" is called, drop the right hand's upper half of the pack onto the table off to the upper left. The right hand then grabs the left hand packet from above, while the left fi ngers slide off the bottom card of the packet. The right hand stays still while the left hand places this "selected card" forward on the table or close-up pad. The right hand then places its pack on top of the pack on the table, and spreads the deck out. You have yet to show the back of the "selected card," but you now "prove" it is actually the special card of the deck by looking through the spread and finding and showing the face of the card's duplicate. Thus, you were right, the spectator has somehow chosen the one card in the deck which is special ... Square up the face-up spread. Show the back of the chosen card, and - surprise - it is blue. "Whoops, I'm sorry ...we've made a mistake.,. no, no, you see, you really did pick the odd card ..," With this, spread the entire deck face-down, showi ng the Rainbow Deck. This entire routine runs smoothly and the theme of having a spectator choose the one "special" card in the deck is commercial and lends itself to a number of strong presentations. The handling throughout the routine is easy and unsuspicious, and the killer ending is as powerful as they co me.

40

Derek Dingle

Hands Off You need a small rubber hand for this routine. These can be bought in novelty and joke stores. Place a small piece of double-sided masking tape on the palm of the hand. Credits: Bob Farmer was the first we know of to use this small hand in a similar way, and Darryl Harris created a routine with the hand using a coin. This routine is Derek's handling of the hand, with a surprise finish. Start with the rubber hand stuck onto the little finger large coin - a half or silver dollar - in your left hand.

of your right hand. Finger Palm a

Pick up or borrow a small coin, like a dime, with the left hand's fingertips.

See Figure 1.

Turn the right hand over. The left hand places the coin at the top of the thu mb pad - see Figure 2. Form a sort of cup over the right hand with the left hand, hiding the rubber hand, forming a cave-like opening for the hand to come out of.

1

2

Tell the spectators to watch; move the left hand back to the open position shown in Figure 3. The tip of the right hand's second finger pushes the right hand's previously-palmed coin against the left hand, thus enabling the open position shown in Figure 3. After a brief repose in this position, move back to the cave-like position, re-Finger Palming the large coin in the left hand. Now move your right pi nky up and maneuver the rubber hand out of the openi ng - Figure 4. Have the little hand hover over the dime, and then place the rubber hand on top of the coin, making sure the double-sided tape in the rubber hand's palm goes on top of the di me. Push down with the upper part of your left forefi nger and with your left hand, applying pressure to the top of the rubber hand, insuring the coin will stick to the rubber hand. Slowly move the hand with the coin back into the "cave."

-

""" I

41

Knock off the rubber hand from your pinky, letting it fall onto your right palm. This is facilitated by moving the little finger back, pressing the rubber hand up and against the top of the left palm. Get the rubber hand into left hand Finger Palm position. Hold your hands as in Figure 5.

3

5

6

You will now sleeve the rubber hand and dime while producing the large coin. This is done in a single motion using Derek's Bounce Change handling of Hope and Olson's Flick Change (ref. Hugard's Magic Monthly, Volu me XVI, No.1, p. 1 and The Complete Works Of Derek Dingle, pp. 166-167). The action is as follows: The hands are turned over once again, still palm toward palm in respect to each other. In this rotation of the hands the right hand smartly snaps inward, flexing at the wrist. It also drops down ever so slightly from beneath the Finger-Palmed rubber hand and dime. This small quick wrist-snap will toss the rubber hand and dime neatly into the left coat sleeve. Simultaneously - or perhaps just a split instant after the Sleeving snap - the left hand releases its Finger-Palmed large coin and the right hand returns to catch it. This action is pictured in Figure 6. This Sleeving switch will take some time to get the timing right. The right hand's snapping action is fully covered by the larger motion of the hands' rotation. Also, don't overlook the right hand's dropping slightly away from the rubber hand and dime as they are snapped into the sleeve. This little motion minimizes friction between the rubber hand and the right fingers and insures a clean straight flight of the hand and coin into the sleeve. In the action of this switch the large coin appears from nowhere coin disappear without a trace.

and the little hand and

42 ,/////////////////#//#////?//////////,///~'////§/#//////////$////////$//$/$///#////////////////////////7#$/$/$/////////////7$/#$///$,,://0///~/)//)/--0.///Y/7/--0.//////$/W///////////////////////7///#//$////$/$/////#//-

Tom Mullica

Egg Bag Finale Tom fi nishes his Egg Bag routine with the production of a glass followed by a bottle of beer. On his servante he has the glass and the opened bottle of beer. The bottle of beer is sitting covered by a mouth-down duplicate Egg Bag. The glass is to the right and the bottle in the bag is to the left. Make the egg vanish and appear three times. When removing the egg from the bag for the last ti me, hold the bag with the left hand and remove the egg with the right. While the right hand is removing the egg, the lefthand fingers pinch the two bottom corners of the bag together so the opening of the bag is forced to stay in an open position. The bag is being held up-side-down by the left hand - mouth downward. See Figure 1.

While the right hand is in the bag (entering from the open end hanging down) to get the egg for the last production, the left hand re-grips the bag from the outside, pinching the two corners together. The right hand removes the egg and swings outward and upward to the right as the left hand with the bag lowers to the servante. As soon as the bag has been placed over the glass, the left hand grabs the glass through the material and moves upward to chest level. While the left hand (with bag and glass) is movi ng upward, the egg in the right hand is placed in the right jacket pocket. Immediately, without showing the right hand empty, the right hand goes into the bag and with a downward pull produces the glass. As soon as the right hand with glass clears the bag, it moves again upward and to the right for display. As the right hand moves upward to show the glass, the left hand with bag lowers again to the servante to get the beer bottle in the second Egg Bag. Tom tried picking up the bottle the same way he picked up the glass for a long ti me ...but every now and then Tom would have trouble re-shaping the bag for the second steal. Tom finally figured out how to solve the problem - the use of two egg bags. When the left hand comes down after the production of the glass, the first bag is dropped on the servante and the second bag is gripped along with the bottle. As the glass is placed on the table, the left hand rises with the bag and bottle and the right hand produces the bottle from the bag. 7///////'//////////////#///#/7///.-'/5"///#////#//0'//////////////$$///#$////$///#//$///$#//////7//$////$/////////7///////#//////':///////////5'/"///7///////40://'///$///0///@//W//////"$//////0/$///////////;0/$#/$///&

43

Tom Mullica

One-O-One The requirements for this effect are five coins: two silver dollars (one with a finger-sized hole drilled in the center), a penny, and two oversize pennies - one silver dollar size (large) and the other about six inches in diameter (huge). The huge penny and the silver dollar with the hole are placed in the right pants pocket. The large penny is Classic Palmed in the right hand and the regular penny and silver dollar are placed on the table. You explain how the two tabled coins are completely different - one copper and one silver, one large and one small, etc. Pick up the silver dollar with the right hand and have your helper hold out her hand palm-down. Place the silver dollar on the backs of her fingers. Pick up the tabled penny and place it on the center of the back of her hand. Pick up the silver dollar with your right hand and ask her to raise her hand a little more. During these instructions balance the silver dollar on the tips of your right second and third fingers. The fingers of the right hand should be in a semi-closed position. The silver dollar is now pressed against the right palm at the pads near the base of the fingers as in Figure 1.

1 The left hand approaches the right from below. The large penny is released from the right hand and allowed to fall into the left, which closes immediately. The left hand approaches the spectator's pal m-down hand and places the large pen ny into it. Ask her to close her fingers around the coin. While this action is being executed the right fingers Classic Palm the silver dollar and pick up the penny still resting on the back of her hand. Explain you are about to make the two coins change places. Apparently toss the penny (really pinching it between the first finger and thumb, doing the old Pinch Vanish) into the left hand releasing the silver dollar. After a magical gesture announce that you now hold the silver dollar and she has the penny. She disagrees! Another gesture is made, followed by repeated assurance that she holds the penny. Because of its size she will swear she has the

44

silver dollar. Again attempt the transformation - then show the silver dollar by dropping it on the table from your left hand. While she opens her hand discovering the large penny, your right hand goes into the pants pocket, ditching the penny and Finger Palming the silver dollar with the hole. Your helper is examining the large penny at this time. Pick up the silver dollar from the table with your left hand and, holding it at the extreme tips of the fingers of each hand, show the flexibility of the coin utilizing the old optical illusion of the "Bending Coin." Openly place the silver dollar on the back of your outstretched palm-down left hand. Explain that by rubbing the coin with the tips of the right fingers it will penetrate the back of the hand. During this explanation the right fingertips are placed over the silver dollar. The Classic Palmed hole coin is released and allowed to drop unnoticed into the opening of the left fist, between the thu mb and first finger as shown exposed in Figure 2.

2 Pick up the silver dollar from the back of the left hand with the right hand and, with a throwing motion toward the left fist, Classic Palm the silver dollar. Open the left fist and display the coin between the left thumb and first finger as in Figure 3.

3 With the thumb on one side of the coin and the index finger on the other, the hole is not visible during the display. With the right hand reach over and push the coin into the left index finger ...down toward the first joint. Wiggle the finger showing the penetration. In the next action, pull the coin off the left forefinger with the right hand and release the palmed silver dollar from the right palm at the same time. The right hand grips the extended left index finger in a semi-closed fist, the left index finger with coin entering the hole formed by the right thumb and index finger. The penetrated coin is held by its edge at the curvature formed by the right thumb and index finger (like the Downs Palm). See Figure 4.

45

Now in a pulling-popping held in the Downs position correctly, the pulling action ing. Pause and let the effect

action, the hole coin is removed from the left index finger and while the silver dollar is released from the right palm. Timed and the dropping of the genuine silver dollar are very convincregister.

4 When the attention is off you and on the tabled coins, go into the right pants pocket leaving the coin with the hole and secretly remove the huge penny. Pick up the large penny with the righthand thumb and index finger and, in an upward gesture (toss), drop the huge penny on the table. There is no need for palming the pinched large penny due to the strong misdirection of the huge coin hitting the table. This last switch is bold but very strong due to the audience believing the effect is already over.

46

Michael Weber

Buster A pencil is visibly and audibly snapped in two while out of the performer's hands. All of the props are ordinary, and everything may be inspected at the conclusion of the effect. Effect:

Method: Required are an ordinary pencil and a plastic cup. The plastic cup must be of the variety that has a bottom that can be pushed out from the inside of the cup and will snap back into place with a loud pop when squeezed. The seven ounce plastic drinking cup manufactured by the Alchem Plastic Company is one brand that works. (These cups have on the package: "Stock No. 71 00-12R - Alchem Plastic, La Mirada, Calif. 90638.") Upon inspection, many cups will be found to have this property. Prior to performance, carefully snap the pencil in the middle. You should be able to press the broken ends back together with no difficulty. Press the bottom of the cup outward. Introduce the cup and pencil and explain that something strange happened the last time you were preparing your tax return. You became angry, and a pencil in your pencil holder snapped in two. Offer an impromptu demonstration with the pencil and the plastic cup. Stand the pencil in the cup and hold the cup in your hand with your arm extended. With some obvious concentration, secretly press the bottom of the cup. The plastic will snap back into place, and the sound replicates the sound of a pencil snapping in two. The movement of the bottom of the cup will knock off the top of the broken pencil which will fall to the floor. The illusion, visually and audibly, is perfect. All properties may now be inspected.

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Martin Nash

Fear & Loathing In Las Vegas When doing card tricks for the public, one often hears the question, "Are you barred from Las Vegas?" Martin Nash is far from an exception in this. He has heard it so often over the years he has developed this routine to playoff the question. It leaves an intense impression that he can do anything he wishes with a pack of cards. While it will take some work to master, the effect gives the appearance of near super-human skill - much more than is actually required. If your goal is to impress with a pack of cards, this routine will do it for you. Martin introduces it - usually in response to the question mentioned above - by saying, "Am I barred from Las Vegas? Well, I'll be honest with you. They really don't like me much and I'll show you why. Will you please think of any card you see as I riffle through the deck?" At this point three spectators are each asked to peek at and remember a card. Martin does his Triple Clip-Steal to quickly control the three peeked cards to second, third and fourth positions from the face of the pack. This sleight will be briefly described, but it is recommended that the student refer to the original description on pages 339- 346 of Sleight Unseen for fuller details. In fact, this recommendation for consultation of the original sources holds for all the sleights used in this routine. The deck is held in the left hand, slightly beveled to the right. The left fingers lie lightly along the right edge of the deck. Starting on your left, hold the deck face toward a spectator and riffle the upper right corners of the cards slowly off the right fingertip. Ask the spectator to stop you at any time. The riffling is done slowly so that he will stop you in the bottom third of the pack. Open the pack enough for hi m to see his card when he calls for a stop. As the pack is closed the left fourth fingertip catches a break below the peeked card.

The same procedure is repeated with a second spectator in front of you and a third spectator to your right. The second spectator's card should be located near the center of the pack and a break is held below it with the left third fingertip. The third card should be peeked at a position about two-thirds up from the face of the deck, and the left second fingertip holds the break below it. The situation is seen from an exposed view in Figure 1.

48

By working from left to right you will end in a position with the right edge of the pack shielded from the audience's view. This is done to insure that no accidental glimpse of the three breaks can be had. The deck is now lowered to dealing position and the right hand comes over it to square the cards. The right fingers rest on the outer end of the pack while the right thumb holds steady all three breaks at the back. This frees the left fingers so that they may dig into the breaks and push the three peeked cards to the right in Side-Steal fashion. Each finger controls its own card: first the second finger, then the third and fourth. The three cards are side-jogged smoothly and quickly with a rippling action of the three active left fingers. As each card is pushed out its outer right corner is cl ipped in the crotch of the right third and fourth fingers. This action is seen in progress from underneath in Figure 2. As soon as the three cards are securely pinched between the right fingers the left fingers contact the face card of the pack and push it into the right finger-clip too.

Now, in a righthand squaring action the four clipped cards are pulled from the pack and allowed to fall between the left fingers and the bottom of the deck. They are then neatly brought flush onto the bottom as the squaring action is completed. When they come square with the pack the left fourth finger catches a break above them. This whole process takes only a few seconds and nothing can be seen. Immediately after the right-left squaring action of the right hand, the deck is given one back and forward squaring action. During this the right thumb takes over the break and the four bottom cards are moved into Gambler's Cop grip. You are now in position for Martin's Disarming Hide-Out (ref. Apocalypse, Vo!.7, No.1, p.873). As the deck is brought forward again during the last action of squaring, the front of the left hand until the rear end of the pack can be gripped thu mb crotch (Figure 3).

it is carried over deep in the left

The right hand immediately follows through by fanning the deck from left to right with either the right forefinger or thumb. The fanned pack will completely cover the copped cards. This position is made clear in Figure 4 (fan almost completed). Run your right forefinger from left to right along the fan as you say, "Each of you is thinking of a card somewhere in the deck." When the right forefinger reaches the right front

r i

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49

corner of the fan it pushes the fan closed from right to left. Due to the position of the copped cards they will remain in place (Figure 5). The right forefinger misses them as it closes the fan.

3

4

The deck is now grasped from above by the right hand and given to a spectator for shuffling. The four copped cards stay in the left hand and that hand travels to a rest position at the edge of the table until the shuffling is completed. The right hand then reclaims the deck, replaces it in fanning position in the left hand (Figure 3) and fans it just as before, over the copped cards. Gesture at the fan ned deck and say, "Now no one can know the cards you are thinking of, or even their approximate posi-

----~ 50

tions in the pack." Square the fan, but this time the right forefinger pushes from a position closer to midwayan the right edge of the fan, engaging the copped cards and adding them to the botto m of the deck as the fan closes. This combination of Triple Clip-Steal and Disarming Hide-Out is totally convincing. You have outwardly done nothing to the cards but handed them out for shuffling. Control of the three "thought-of" cards seems impossible. Turn the deck face-up and place it into lefthand Mechanic's Grip. Turn to the first spectator who peeked at a card and ask him to name it for the first time. Riffle fairly quickly down the outer left corner of the pack with the left thu mb. As you do this, let the first four or five cards off the thu mb as a block so the selections aren't flashed. Ask the spectator, "Did you see your card?" Of course, he hasn't. "Don't worry. I did. It's about twenty-fourth down from the top." Just as you say this you perform a One-Handed Second Deal into the right hand. The deal Martin uses is this: the left thumb pushes over the top card of the face-up deck to the right, and follows through by contacting the face of the second card from the top. This second card is also pushed to the right, beneath the top card. The left second and third fingertips contact the back of this second card and hold it in position as the top card is drawn back onto the deck with the thumb. The left thumb continues to pull the top card to the left until it rides slightly over the left edge of the deck. Once here, it can be levered up slightly off the pack by pushing down on its left edge with the thumb. This posture is shown in Figure 6.

6 This leaves the second card from the top jogged to the right and lying loose between the top card and the deck proper. The left hand now moves sharply to the right and back, snapping the second card from the deck and causing it to fly into the waiting right hand. Place the first selection that has just appeared before its owner and turn to the second spectator. Ask him to name his card and go through the same byplay of riffling the corners of the deck and fictitiously noting the card's position. This time Martin uses the Gambler's Slap Second (ref. Sleight Unseen, p. 317). The mechanics are the same as in the previous Second Deal, but rather than throwing the card into the right hand, it is dealt smartly to the table with a sharp downward snap of the left hand. The third spectator names his card and you once more pretend to spot its location in the deck with a quick riffle. You then produce it on the face of the pack with the Erd nase Plus

51

Vernon Color Change (ref. Inner Secrets of Card Magic, p. 49). The right hand comes flat over the face of the pack and covers it. As it does so the tip of the right fourth finger contacts the outer right corner of the top card and secretly out-jogs it about half an inch. The pads at the base of the right fi ngers can now press agai nst the exposed rear edge of the second card from the top. The right hand draws back to apparently give one last view of the face of the deck. In this action the second card is pulled back under the hand until it just clears the rear edge of the face card. Then the right hand moves forward once more, carrying the second card over and onto the face of the pack. The left forefinger pushes the two out-jogged cards square with the pack under cover of the right hand ...and the right hand lifts to reveal the transformation. That's the routine. It leaves the spectators with the impression that you can spot and count cards at an incredible speed and then deal them from wherever they lie in the pack. It is a formidable demonstration of skill that can't help but make your performance memorable. "-7/////#////////////////////##///#///$//////////////////$//////////////#////////#///#///////#/////////////////////////////?////////#///;/////////////////////////////////,-j/////////P////////»//////;////////#////////////////////////////////A

52

Richard Kaufman

The Face-Up Incredible Card Tunnel The inspiration for this effect was Ken Krenzel's "Incredible Card Tunnel" (see The New Stars Of Magic), where two blank cards apparently changed into two selections as they were "tunneled" through the deck. There were two things about the routine I didn't like. One was the fact that you didn't really have two blank cards, and so they couldn't be examined; and the other was that when the blanks changed into the selections one was face-up while the other was face-down - you had to keep turning the deck over to show that both cards were changing. This handling eliminates both those restrictions. You must make a rather bizarre gimmicked card for this. One look at Figure 1 tells the story. The upper ends of two blank cards have been used; one is pasted flatly onto the back of a regular card (let's say it's the Five of Hearts) - the other is affixed at only its left end by a piece of Scotch-brand tape on the inside so that it swings freely back and forth (a flap, in other words). Finally, corner short the indicated corner; when the card is in the position shown it's the outer right.

1 You also need the gimmick and blanks on top of without turning it

two blank cards whose backs match that of the deck used. To set up, take lay it face-up on the table with the flap beneath its right side. Place the two it, face-up; and place the whole business into your pocket, faces outward end for end.

53

Once you're set you can do this effect any time. Whenever you're ready simply cut the Five of Hearts to the face of the deck that you've been using. Hold that in your left hand in face-up dealing position. Your right hand reaches into the pocket containing the prepared cards and brings them out, dropping them directly onto the face of the deck. Your left thu mb immediately spreads them to the right as you say, "Two blank cards with photographic abilities." Take the two blanks with your right hand and table them or, if necessary, place them onto a spectator's hand. (They can be examined if you like.) The card on the deck's face has remained the same throughout - the Five of Hearts - so everything looks as it should. Actually, of course, you've secretly added the gimmick to the deck. Turn the deck face-down and shuffle without disturbing the bottom card. Have two cards selected and control them to the top without disturbing the gimmick on the bottom. I usually do the Kelly Bottom Placement twice, getting both cards to the bottom, and then Double Cut them to the top. No matter what method you use, add the followi ng cut to the end of your sequence; your right hand grasps the face-down deck from above, thumb at inner end and fingers at outer end. Your first finger lifts about a quarter of the deck at the outer end. Your left hand undercuts about a quarter of the deck to the left and inserts it into the break created by your right first finger. Square the deck. All you've done is relocated the gimmick at the center without disturbing the selections on top. Obtain a left fourth-finger break beneath the selections; you're going to switch them for the blank cards using J.K. Hartman's Secret Subtraction move, as follows: Your right hand lifts the two blank cards from the table and drops them face-up onto the deck. Your right hand lifts all four cards above the break, thumb at inner right end and fingers at outer end. Your left thumb pulls the top blank to the left, revolving it face-down as it passes around the side of the packet. Slide it beneath the packet maintaining a right thumbtip break between it and the three cards above. Repeat with a second blank, revolving it face-down beneath the packet. As soon as it's beneath the cards your right hand moves directly over the deck and releases the two cards beneath the break. The blanks will fall secretly flush onto the deck.

2

)'

Without pausing your right hand moves diagonally forward and to the right a tiny bit. Your left thumb pulls the upper card of the pair to the left about a half inch - Figure 2. Your left thu mb clamps down on it, holding the spread pair firmly on the deck for a moment so that your right hand can regrip.

54

Your palm-down right hand grasps the inner end of the face-down pair; first and second fingers above and thumb beneath (Figure 3). Lift the pair and raise your hand, tilting the faces of the selections toward you - be careful not to allow the spectators to see them beause they still think these are the blank cards.

Your left thumb riffles down the outer left corner of the deck the corner-shorted gimmick. (Prior to this, so the corner short point, your left thumb should riffle down to check. If you have once, from side to side, the corner short should automatically be

and automatically stops at is at the outer left at this only turned the deck over in the proper place.)

4 You actually stop riffling in the middle of the deck, and also Le., between the flap and the base card to which it's attached. face card of the pair between the flap and base card. Your left past it, and the rear card of the pair goes behind it (Figure 4 -

in the middle of the gimmick; Insert the right corner of the thumb lets the base card riffle an exposed illustration).

55

Push the pair In counterclockwise a bit, sidewise in tunnel position; then grasp the whole deck with your right hand for a moment so your left hand can regrip; thumb at the left end, first finger curled beneath, other fingers at the right end. Your right hand arranges the selections so that they fill the length of the deck and are nearly aligned (Figure 5). You must keep the faces of the pair toward you when you insert and arrange it.

5 Squeeze your left thumb and fingers toward each other to provide a strong crossgrip pressure so the gimmick does not move as your right fingers push the pair downward (see Figure 6).

6 Once the upper end of the pair is aligned with the deck your left fingers change grip pressure. Relax your left thumb and fingers and press firmly upward against the bottom of the deck with your first fi nger. Your right thu mb now moves onto the lower end of the pair and pushes it upward - the gimmick emerging at the deck's upper side (Figure 7). Lower your left hand so that the spectators can see the top of the deck, and two apparently blank cards protruding.

56

Move your left first finger onto the outer end of the pair and push it inward a tiny bit _ just enough so that some of it protrudes at the inner end (Figure 8). Note that your right hand hovers over the deck to cover the inner right "bad" corner where a pip might show.

7

8 Let's backtrack a second. You've got to ti me the lowering of your left hand properly; it can't be too soon because you'll expose the inner ends of the selections before they're in the deck; and it can't be too late because you'll expose the back of the gi m mick as it is "plunged" out of the outer end. It's not nearly as tricky as it sounds, and if you make a fairly large motion out of lowering your hands you don't even have to push the cards through very quickly. After you've paused to patter for a moment (and with your left first finger now pushing firmly upward beneath the deck), your right thumb pushes the inner end of the pair flush with the deck. Your left first finger immediately moves to the outer ends of the protruding cards and pushes them back toward you - the faces of the selections appeari ng at the inner end (Figure 9). Quickly squeeze the deck between your left thumb and fingers so the gimmick stays in place and push the pair back out the outer side of the deck with your right thumb (Figure 10). The faces of the selections instantly appear!

57

Maintaining the strong left thumb and fingers crossgrip pressure, your right hand reaches arou nd and pulls the two selections out of the deck and drops them onto the table to end.

9

10

I "

I'm going to leave the cleanup to you. The gimmick is still in the center of the deck, but can be easily located, cut to the bottom and copped. The blanks are on top of the deck. It's vital that you do the last series of two push- through movements very quickly - the less time that elapses between the display of the blanks and the appearance of the selections, the more magical it will look.

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Richard Kaufman & Piet Forton

Pinched Again This is a two-deck variant of Daryl's In The Pi nch bIer, pp. 81-87). The use of two decks with contrasting of visual conviction to an already strong illusion.

(Secrets of a Puerto Rican Gamback colors adds an extra element

You need a regular red deck and a blue deck for this routine. Place a red card on the bottom of the blue deck. This can be done before the trick begins, or you can do it when you bring out the two decks to perform the routine, as follows: Hold the red deck in the left hand, with a left little finger break below the top card. The blue deck is held in the right hand, from above in a Biddle Grip. Before you actually start the routine, you hold the two decks in your hands as described. Bring the blue deck in the right hand over the red deck in the left hand; the right hand's fi ngers take the top card off the red deck. To perform, place the red deck on the table in front of you. Have a card chosen from the blue deck, making sure not to reveal the back of the red card on the bottom of the blue deck. Cut the blue deck, holding a little finger break beneath the red card which is now in the center of the deck. Grab the deck with the right hand from above, with the right thumb getting and holding a break above the red card. The left hand now moves half of the deck - the cards below the red card - to the left. The chosen blue card is replaced on top of this half pack. Get a left little finger break below the chosen card. Bring the hands together. The right hand's red card goes on top of the left hand's chosen card - both the left little finger and the right thumb retain their breaks, while the red card and the chosen card come together. Thus, you hold a break above and below the two cards - see Figure 1.

2 The left little finger kicks the inner right corner of the two cards to the right, until the inner left corner of the two cards is held by the right thumb - Figure 2.

59

The double card is gripped diagonally between the right little finger (at the outer right corner) and thumb (at the inner left corner). The kicked-out cards are hidden from the audience's view by the back of the right hand. You now perform Vernon's Transfer Move, transfering the two cards from the center of the deck at your hands to atop the red deck that is on the table. Say that you'll give the spectator the blue deck, and you want them to shuffle the deck s9 their selected card is lost forever. Position the right hand with the blue deck four inches directly above the red deck on the table. The left hand moves back and grabs the inner left corner of the blue deck with the thumb on top and fingers below. The two cards stay in the right hand, as the left hand moves the rest of the deck forward and to the left, and then the right hand descends down on top of the red tabled deck, loading the two cards on top of this tabled red deck. Thus, as the blue deck is handed to the spectator for shuffling - which is what he will focus his attention on - the right hand loads the selected card and the extra red card to the top of the red deck. As soon as the cards are loaded on top of the deck, the right hand picks up the red deck for shuffling. Thus, it makes sense that as your left hand gives the blue deck to the spectator for shuffli ng, you grab the red deck with your other hand for shuffling. Figure 3 shows the left hand's blue deck moving grabbing the tabled deck as it loads the two cards.

3

,

to the spectator

and the right hand

4

The selected card is now second from the top of the red deck. Pass or Double Cut the top two cards to the bottom, leaving the blue selection on the bottom of the red deck. Get ready to execute Piet Forton's Pop-Out Move. While the Pop-Out Move has been published in a number of sources in recent years, it will be described here briefly for the sake of completeness. Hold the pack by its ends between the two hands, rather like you would if about to cut the deck for a tabled Riffle Shuffle. However, the deck is being held up off the table. Cut the top half of the pack to the left with the left hand and carry it under the righthand half. The halves aren't squared, however. They are held in an inverted V formation, the point of the V toward the audience. The left forefinger contacts the inner left corner of the righthand half and steadies it while the right thu mb procures a break above the bottom card of its half. See Figure 4 for this position. The right fingers may slightly bevel their packet so that the bottom card may be cleanly and quickly separated from the packet at its right inner corner. Note that the break is held by the thu mb at the very corner of the packet.

~

60

As soon as the right thumb's break is secure, the packets may be separated - the righthand half is raised a few inches above the left, but the packets are kept in their V formation. To get the card to pop out, all that is necessary is to drop it from the bottom of the right half. An instant after the right fingers release the card the packets are brought smartly together, catching the card at an angle between them as in Figure 5. There is a certain knack to this release and catch that is discovered after a short time. A bit more practice will provide the accuracy required for dependability. With this understood, we return to the action of the trick.

5 Have the spectator dribble the blue deck from about eight inches above the table down to the table top. Do the Pop- Out Move so it appears that you reach into the dribbling blue cards with your red deck, catching one blue card. Tilt the hands back to display that this card is the selected card.

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61

Bob Read

I I;

Handkerchief Through Glass A handkerchief is threaded through the handle of a half pint mug. The two ends are gathered and the handkerchief is pulled and seems to penetrate the solid glass handle. Effect:

To make the illustrations

clearer, they show a tie rather than a handkerchief.

Method: Hold the glass in your left hand, first finger and thumb on the outer surface, the remaining three fingers inside the glass. The handle projects upward between your first finger and thumb. The handkerchief is passed from the front, beneath the first finger, through toward the body, and drapes over the thumb and glass, as in Figure 1.

the handle,

2 The right hand curls around the glass, palm parallel to the bottom of the glass, fingers pointing toward the rim of the glass on the audience's side. The right fingers move over the outer surface under the handkerchief, until the right first finger strikes the left first finger through the handkerchief. The right third finger then takes over, passing below the right first finger, below the left first finger and up between the left first finger and handle, as in Figure 2.

62 The right third finger is still below the handkerchief and naturally, when it is raised about one inch it drags the handkerchief back under the handle. The left first finger presses the handkerchief against the glass.

t

•

;

I t

3

4

The right hand is raised, and bri ngs up the forward end of the handkerchief. The middle is pinned to the glass by the left first finger. The action of the right third finger beneath the handkerchief brings the nearest corner of the handkerchief back out from beneath the handle. The right thumb takes over from the third finger and the hand continues upward as shown in Figure 3. From the front it looks as if the handkerchief Figure 4.

___________

is still threaded

through

the handle -

see j, t)

------tl

63 In reality the left first finger merely pins the middle of the handkerchief to the glass. This finger then pushes the middle of the handkerchief through the handle, where it is gripped at the rear by the left thumb - see Figures 5 and 6. (Watch the handkerchief!)

5

6

The right hand tugs the handkerchief a couple of ti mes and it apparently handle. The whole sequence is over in less than ten seconds. This item is reprinted

penetrates

the

from Bob's book, Thanks To Pepys.

For clarity, the illustrations be used for performance.

show a tie being used instead of a handkerchief.

Either can

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John Ferrentino

Topsy Turvy Finely Finished A long-time standard of magic is U.F. Grant's "Topsy-Turvy Bottles." Actually, Grant called his method for the Topsy-Turvy Bottles "Tricky Bottles." Despite this, most magicians still cling to the older title. John's routine can be done with either version; however, since the original Topsy-Turvy Bottles are now collectors' items, it is assumed that most will be using the Grant set. Topsy-Turvy Bottles is the trick wherein a spectator follows the actions of the magician with a bottle and tube; yet the spectator's bottle always ends upside-down from the performer's. A great deal of situation comedy can be derived from this effect as it is repeated four or five times. However, there was always one problem with the Topsy-Turvy Bottles to which few performers found a solution: the trick never had a strong finish - an applause cue. It could only become repetitious, with no seeming way to build to a climax. There was always that feeling of a lame conclusion signaled by a usually awkward dismissal of the assisting audience member. John recognized both the entertainment value of Topsy-Turvy Bottles and its lack of a climax. This is his excellent solution to the problem. He has used this routine in over fivehundred shows to date. It is full of comedy, surprise and good psychology. You will need a standard Topsy-Turvy Bottles set, available through most dealers. This consists of two bottles, two tubes that can cover them and a metal sleeve that looks like the bottom of the bottles on either end. The sleeve nests closely inside either of the tubes. Also required are: Four 24" silks, two of which should be black; Four or five very tattered silks - the worse the condition, the better for comedy purposes; An old 18" silk or rag; Two metal hooks John uses fish hooks from which he has cut the barbed tips; A miniature bottle about three inches high - this must be small enough to be easily hidden in the hand; And a pencil or chop stick. HOOK

~

The setup is si mple. Take the old 18" silk or rag and tie its corner to that of one of the 24" black silks. Tie the diagonally opposite corner of this black silk to the second black silk; and the other two 24" silks are tied in a line to this second black silk, creating a chain of five. To the extreme corner of the last silk - that silk opposite the rag-silk - sew one of the metal hooks. Then tie the rag-silk into a large round knot. Figure 1 shows the completed assembly.

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Force the knotted-up rag-silk down into the neck of the bottle you will be using during the performance. This is done with the pencil or chop stick. It is most important that this knotted cloth cannot slip from the neck of the bottle. The bottle must be able to hang securely from the silk chain without the knot slipping free. Follow through by pushing the rest of the silk chain loosely into the bottle with the stick. The last portion of the chain to go into the bottle should be the corner of the silk with the hook. Engage this hook over the edge of the mouth of the bottle as shown in Figure 2, so the corner of the silk chain can be neatly grasped when required.

2 Make a chain from the four or five tattered silks (having different sized silks for this group can enhance the hu mor of their appearance) and sew the other metal hook to the extreme corner of one of the end silks. This chain is loaded into the bottle the spectator will use. Again, make sure the hooked corner goes in last and engage the hook over the mouth of the bottle. Notice that no knotted cloth is used on this chain, as you wish the silks to pull free of the bottle. The last thing necessary is to place the miniature

bottle in your right coat pocket.

The routine begins with the standard Topsy-Turvy Bottle sequence. You give the spectator a bottle and tube, while you work with the set with the sleeve feke. Go through the usual you-do-as-I-do business with the spectator. When you reach the end of this sequence arrange it so that both you and the spectator are holding the bottles rightside-up. Both of you show your tubes empty and place them over the bottles. You announce, "Now for the magic!" Make a magical gesture over your tube and get the spectator to mimic you. Then reach inside, grip the silks by the hooked corner and dramatically pull them from the tube, stopping when you feel the knotted cloth bind in the neck of the bottle. Cue the spectator to do the same. John says here, "Go ahead. I set it up for you." This line will usually bring a laugh. The spectator's production of the ragged line of silks will create an incredible response of both laughter and applause. There is some wonderful psychology behind this production. All through the Topsy-Turvy sequence the spectator is made the goat. He is always wrong. It is a funny situation, but it can tend to make the performer seem like a "heavy" as he unfairly makes his poor volunteer look foolish. However, when the volunteer successfully pulls the silks from his tube he is made a winner; albeit not a perfect success, it is a triumph of sorts after the complete failure of the bottles. The audience knows that you have set up this situation and recognizes that you are letting your poor

II

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66

helper off the hook. Thereby you reap the benefits of both the sight-gag and the spectator's success. Depending on your character you may wish to reinforce this image with a comment like, "Come on, it's his first time." At this point we must backtrack slightly. As you pulled the silks draped over the free hand. As the spectator now produces his line misdirection to lift your bottle secretly from the tube by the silks. fectly camouflage the dark bottle and the four 24" silks completely

from your tube they were of silks, you have perfect The two black silks percover it.

Take the spectator's silks from him when he has pulled them completely adding them to your silks. Then put silks and bottle away.

from his tube,

Explain that you will try teaching him one more trick. Raise your tube to expose the bottom half of the sleeve feke. Have the spectator follow your actions to show his bottle. Lower the tubes onto the hand again. Tell him that he is to reach into his pocket and get a pinch of that ancient staple of conjurers, woffle dust. You go to your pocket and Thumb Palm the miniature bottle there. (See Figure 3.) Bring out the hand and pretend to sprinkle the woffle dust into your tube. The spectator should be duplicating your actions.

"It's amazing how much woffle dust looks like pocket lint, isn't it? But it's incredible how it works!" As this line is delivered you finish your sprinkling actions and secretly drop the little bottle into your tube. It shouldn't make much noise as it drops; but your patter and the supposed presence of a bottle in the tube will cover any noise it makes. Tell the spectator, "Show them your bottle!" Nothing, of course, has happened and there will be a laugh. "Nothing, huh? Me too." Pick up your tube and expose the bottom of the sleeve feke once more. Then lower the tube, wave your hand over it and pick up both tube and sleeve, leaving the miniature bottle on your hand. Display the little bottle in one hand while casually showing the tube empty with the other. That is a certain applause cue. This routine will play beautifully for either children or adult audiences conditions. And it is solid fun and entertainment from first to last.

and under any

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Harry Lorayne

Poker Challenge This routine of Harry's is described

in his own words.

I saw a poker effect performed where the magician had to force one particular card and hand (third card in third hand). I know this because I saw it performed a few ti meso I believe the effect is in print. I wanted to do it without a force of one particular card. In trying to work that out I may have inadvertently come up with a new idea. It will be easier to explain the effect and method at the same time. Get the five high spade cards (royal flush) to the top, in any order, preferably during a previous routine. After a few shuffles, keeping the flush on top, start talking about poker, and cheating at poker. "To avoid cheating, professional gamblers shuffle like this." Do two In Faros (top card is lost each time). Then Double Cut one card from bottom to top. You're all set. If you don't want to Faro and Double Cut you'll have to set the cards into proper positions in advance. They are fifth, ninth, thirteenth, seventeenth and twenty-first from the top. In either case, follow up with a Jog Shuffle and-or a False Cut. Deal out five hands of poker - in a horizontal row - one card on top of the other, in the usual man nero Spread each hand downward so that the cards overlap. See Figure 1.

1 Say that in order to demonstrate how cards can be manipulated and controlled in poker, you want him to remember one card. The easiest card to remember would be the first card in the first hand - indicate the top card of the first hand; the second card in the second

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hand - indicate the second card from the top in the second hand; the third card in the third hand - indicate the center card of this hand; the fourth card in the fourth hand indicate the second card from bottom; and the fifth card in the fifth hand - indicate the lowermost (bottom) card in that hand.

It doesn't matter which he selects because the five high spades are at those positions! Check it. So, let him have a free choice of one of the five positions. Let's assume that also assume that it's Spades is the fourth hand. Keep the King hand.

he selects the fourth card in the fourth hand. Turn up that card (let's the King of Spades). Name it; stress that he remember that the King of card in the fourth hand. Manage to flash the other four cards in that of Spades in its proper place; do not disarrange the cards. Replace the

Pick up the five hands from left to right; first hand onto the second hand, these two onto the third hand, etc. Place them all on top of the deck proper. Patter: "Most capable professionals can control a card during a shuffle. Every once in a while, however, something happens that upsets the apple cart. For example, if a cheater has 'set' the deck for a five-handed deal, and just as he's about to deal, someone sits down, and says, 'Deal me in' - he's got a problem. He has to deal six hands now. Only a few experienced pros can handle that." While talking, do an Overhand Shuffle or two. All you have to do is to shuffle three cards onto the top twenty-five card stock. (You always shuffle one card less than the selected hand onto the stock.) "Let's see what I can do." Deal a six-hand poker layout. Deal the sixth hand beneath the horizontal row of five - as if dealing that hand to yourself. As you deal, count the hands aloud, stressing that you're dealing six. When you deal the fourth card to the fourth hand, stress that, and place it above (out of) the other cards of that hand. There's a little subtlety here. When the card (and hand) is originally selected, the card you indicate as, say, the first card in the first hand is really the fifth card that was dealt to that hand. In other words, except for the third card in the third hand, it was all reversed. Now, during the second dealing, it really is the fourth card in the fourth hand that you must show. For the one in a hundred spectators who may just spot that discrepancy - placi ng the card out of the hand takes care of it. No magician has ever caught it. It isn't necessary to do it if the card the spectator selects to remember is the third card in the third hand. All right; finish the dealing. Indicate the fourth hand, and say, "Here's the hand - and the card position - you selected. Let's see what we're playing against." Turn up each of the other hands. Take advantage of any good hand that may appear. Act as if you knew it was there! Finally, turn up the card you placed out of the fourth hand. It's the King of Spades first climax. "But, if you're a pro, you've got to do more than that. Look!" Turn up the other four cards of that hand, to display a royal flush! Afterthoughts: I'm quite pleased with this routine. Presented properly, it always gets a great response, particularly from poker-playing laymen. I think magicians will hav~ a hard time "backtracking" it. Don't forget to Double Cut one card from bottom to top, if you use the Faro Shuffles.

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The new idea - so far as I know, that is - is the dealing of six hands after dealing five hands. That was the only way I could get it to work out, so I took advantage of it. It fits perfectly into the patter line, the presentation, because it seems logical. I call this "Poker Challenge" "There was one guy in the room So, he sat in at the last minute, "throw" me, of course. That's the

because, originally, I presented it that way. I would say, who knew I was stacking the deck for a five-handed deal. and said, 'Okay wiseguy, deal me in.'" He was tryi ng to "challenge."

You might try that presentation. This item has appeared in print before, in Harry's publication

Apocalypse.

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Jay Sankey

RemarkerAble Jay is one of the few young and truly innovative thinkers in magic today. His thoughts and writings on the philosophy of magic - as an art - impress some, incense others, while we hope all will at least respect the fact that he is thinking. Jay was one of the special Close-Up Hosts at the 1984 Symposium in New York. This routine is given in Jay's own words. The following truly visual and startlingly impromptu production of three magic markers was created to avoid the tedious and definitely anti-magical task of having three people share one magic marker while they sig n previously selected cards. And though it was designed for a three-selection routine, this three marker production can also be utilized in a single- selection routine. It is so easy and so fun do do, I've actually made a point of performing it even though it meant that the three spectators would sometimes all sign the same card. That's how much I like it. You will need a jacket with two inside breast-pockets, and three identical magic markers. I use "Marks-A-Lot" (Carter's) indelible felt-tipped markers which have big plastic end-caps, metallic exteriors, and measure about five inches in length. Put two of the three markers in your left inner breast- pocket, and the remaining marker in your right inner breast- pocket. All the markers should be pointing with their caps uppermost. Now, due to the fact that the markers are going to be effortlessly (and secretly) sliding down your jacket sleeves, you may fi nd it helpful to roll up your shirt sleeves. I just pull, not roll, my shirt sleeves up my arms until the cuffs touch my shoulders. This not only makes the production smooth, but also keeps you cool. Slip into your jacket and you are set to go. To perform, mention that you would like each of the three spectators to sign their names across the faces of their respective playing cards. While you are mentioning this, several natural actions occur, during which you load a marker into both sleeves: First, your left hand goes into your inner right pocket, slipping the marker from that pocket down into the right sleeve while there; then bring the hand out empty, apparently not being able to find your marker. Then, your right hand goes into the left inner breast-pocket, pulls both markers upward until they clear the pocket, slips one of the two markers down into the top of the left sleeve, then moves out of the jacket to introduce the remaining marker which is already in its possession. Therefore, in checking the right pocket, then the left, both markers are loaded into the sleeves and the third marker is obtained. This handling is natural and straightforward. I cannot over-emphasize the brevity and casualness of the above actions. You should now have a marker resting in the upper half of each sleeve and a marker held in your right hand. Toss the marker into your left hand where it is held at the finger tips.

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Gesture with the marker while saying: "I know what you are all thinking.uno, I'm not a mind reader. ..though I know you are all thinking, 'What an unprofessional performer! He's going to have three people sign three cards and yet he only has one markerf' ...not to worry ... " Lean slightly toward the spectator on your left, simultaneously letting your right arm fall to your side. This causes the right-sleeved marker to silently slide down into your loosely cupped right hand - Figure 1.

1 Your right hand pauses a beat or two as you gesture with your left hand's marker and say to the person on your left, "You can have this marker..." The right and left hands simultaneously swing together at about chest height, clicking the two markers together, and then immediately pull them apart with a theatrical effort - Figure 2.

The production of this second marker is very surprising. It is an audio-visual tion of an apparent impossibility: the ripping of one magic marker into two.

demonstra-

Hand the righthand marker to the spectator directly in front of you and say, " ...you can have thismarker..." Then toss the lefthand marker into your right hand, naturally allowing your left arm to fall to your side and momentarily rest there as you lean toward the spectator on your right. This causes the marker in your left sleeve to slide down into your loosely cupped left hand. Finish your sentence, and the production, by saying to the spectator on your right, " ...and you can have this marker! ... " Swing your two hands together and repeat the "splitting" action, breaking the marker, yet again, into two.

i I I

Part II

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Tom Ogden

1984 Dear Adam: Here's the trick for the 1984 Symposium book. The plot of 1984 struck me as being particular relevant with the theme of Doublethink. As I mention in the patter line, as magicians we deal in Doublethink everyday. And this is the first year of the Doublethink Symposuim - one in New York and one in San Francisco. And speaking of Doublethink trivia, does anyone know that George Orwell was not his real name? It was Eric Blair. Even he was a product-victim of his own nom de plume - Tom. Effect: The Ace, Nine, Eight and Four of Clubs are displayed; and a patter story evolves around George Orwell's book, 1984. The Ace of Clubs, representing Winston, the hero, develops a "big heart" when the card changes into the Ace of Hearts. The Nine of Clubs, representing his girlfriend, Julia, follows suit and changes visibly into the Nine of Hearts. To right the wrong, the remaining cards, O'Brien and Big Brother, also change into Heart cards. As a final twist, all cards instantly change back into Clubs. Method: Stack the deck, from the top to bottom, Ace of Hearts, Nine of Hearts, Eight of Hearts, Four of Hearts, followed by the remainder of the deck. The Ace, Nine, Eight and Four of Clubs are scattered randomly throughout the pack. When ready to perform, remove the cards from the case and casually spread them faceup. Openly cull out the Ace, Nine, Eight and Four of Clubs and arrange them face-up to read "1984" from the spectator's left to his right. Square the pack, turn it face-down, and hold it in dealing position. "1984. The apocryphal year of Orwellian Newspeak and Doublethink. Finally the year is upon us - and who is not to say that the horrors described in 1984 are not already upon us, too? Wasn't Jimmy Carter's description of the bungled rescue attempt from Iran as a 'limited success' a perfect example of Newspeak? And don't we, as magicians, deal in Doublethink every day?" Arrange the "1984 of Clubs" in a face-up fan, with the Ace at the face. Display the fan on top of the deck, secretly picking up the top face-down card from the deck beneath the fan.

Square up the five cards and remove them from the deck - Figure 1. You will now perform this version of J.K. Hartman's Secret Subtraction: The left thumb drags the Ace faceup onto the top of the deck, jogged slightly to the right - Figure 2. The small packet in the right hand flips the Ace face- down onto the top of the deck, still jogged to the right - Figure 3.

75 The right hand picks up the face-down Ace beneath the packet, maintaining a thumb break between the single Ace and the remainder of the packet. Turn the right hand palm-up to show the Ace - Figure 4.

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The right hand passes over the deck and drops the Ace below the break onto the top of the pack. In the same motion, the left thumb drags the face-up Nine from the top of the packet onto the deck, jogged slightly to the right - Figure 5. The packet flips the Nine face-down, and the Nine is picked up beneath the packet, holding no breaks. The right hand turns palm-up to display the Nine on the bottom of the packet - Figure 6.

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The Eight is now drawn onto the deck, flipped and picked up under the packet and displayed. Finally, the Four of Clubs is displayed in the same man nero The packet of four cards is dropped face-down onto the table. Double Cut the top card of the deck to the bottom and set the face-down deck to one side. "In this story, the Ace of Clubs will represent our hero, Winston, a man trapped in modern society where everyone is told what to do, what to think, what to dream. These other three cards will represent other characters we will get to in just a second." Pick up the packet and spread it face-down to show all the backs are the same. Close the packet, obtaining a break beneath the top two cards. Flip the two cards as one, face-up, onto the packet. Turn the packet over, so that the Four is now at the face. With the left fingers, draw out the face-down bottom card of the packet (the Nine), turn it face-up and return it to the bottom of the packet. Openly shift the top card (the Four) to the bottom of the packet. Turn the entire packet over and perform an EI msley Count. "All of the citizens of the Society seemed the same. You might even that they all belonged to the 'same club.' Well, I wouldn't, but you might."

go so far as to say

Perform the Vernon Through-the-Fist Flourish in the following manner: the left palm perpendicular to the direction of the fingers - Figure 7.

7

Set the packet in

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Curl the thumb and fingers around the packet. Turn the left hand palm-down. The left thumb pushes the packet through the "tunnel" formed by the left hand, and the right hand withdraws the packet from the left little finger end of the "tunnel." Reverse fan the packet to show that one card, apparently the Ace of Clubs, has turned face-down - Figure 8. Snap that card face-u p to reveal that it has changed into the Ace of Hearts. "But Winston was different, even in a civilization where such a difference was not tolerated. He resented the control, the sameness, the Ministry of Love that told him how to feel. He was an anachronism - a man with a Heart." Drop the packet, reading 1984, onto the table. Remove the Nine of Clubs. Display it on top of the deck, secrety adding the top face-down card of the deck beneath it. Remove the

77

two cards as one from the top of the deck. Perform the Snap Turnover change in the following manner: Hold the two cards as one with the right thumb along the inside. of the long left edge of the card. The right middle finger holds the cards toward the inside of the right length of the card, and the forefinger rests, curled, on the back of the card - Figure 9.

9

Brush the cards twice along the left sleeve. On the third brush, release the middle finger. The cards will snap over, so that they are now held between the thu mb, on top, and the forefinger, beneath - Figure 10.

10

The double card is now immediately dropped onto the deck, and the top face-up card is dealt to the table. "But what of Winston's girlfriend, Julia? At first they are afraid to speak of their love and their similar feelings against the system - after all, Big Brother was everywhere. But soon Winston captured Julia's heart and they met in a secret tryst far from Big Brother's eye."

Casually Double Cut the top card to the bottom of the pack. Obtain a break beneath the top two face-down cards. Place the black Eight and Four face-down beneath the face-up red Nine and Ace, and display the fan on top of the deck - Figure 11. Square up the packet, secretly adding the two cards above the left fourth finger break to the bottom of the packet. You will now switch-out the black Eight and Four for the red Eight and Four using this variation of Kosky's Switch: The left thumb draws the red Ace to the top of the deck, out jogged for about half its length - Figure 12.

78 The next two face-down cards are drawn on top of the Ace, squared with each other and with the deck beneath them. The remaining cards are dropped as one (the Nine) injogged for half of the cards' length - Figure 13. With the right forefinger, Figure 14.

lift the center two cards enough

to give a peek of their faces -

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Then drop them back squared once again with the deck. Hold the deck and the jogged cards tightly with the left hand, while the right thumb and forefinger slightly lift the injogged down at cards Four)cards squared the deck without until thedisturbing outer edge the cards the (the back black insideEight edge.andThese are with slid forward, the offaceNine is even with the outer edge of the out jogged Ace - Figure 15. Pinch the Nine, the two cards hidden beneath it and the red Ace at the outer righthand corner and pull the four cards away from the deck. Fan the packet of cards with the right hand as the left hand sets the deck aside. "But the remaining cards, representing the eternal Eight Ball, Big Brother, and his fourflusher yes-man O'Brien, are not to be outdone. They trap Winston and Julia in their own

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sentimentality and reinstate order ...not by changing Winston and Julia back to fit in the club, but in this version of the tale ... they change to match the other two. The status quo is restored."

15

Turn the two face-down cards in the fan face-up and rearrange the packet on the table to read "1984" in Hearts. Casually Double Cut the bottom two cards of the deck to the top. Pick up the red "1984" in an overlapping fan with the Ace at the face and display it on top of the deck - Figure 16.

16

Square up the packet and remove it from the deck, secretly adding the top four facedown cards from the deck beneath it. You are now set to perform Father Cyprian's version of the Snap Change: Hold the block of eight cards in the right hand, the fi ngers beneath the right edge of the packet, the thumb pinching on the top face of the packet. The deck is held in the left hand face-down dealing position - Figure 17. In one motion, the left hand drops the deck face-up onto the packet; then, instantly following, the right fingers turn the entire deck back onto the left hand, adding the packet of eight cards squared to the top of the deck - Figure 18. The left thumb spreads the top face-up cards, the black "1984" into the right hand. These cards are rearranged to read "1984" of Clubs on the table and the deck is removed.

80

"Once again, a happy ending. But for whom? For Oceania? For Winston? For Big beliefs Brother? Or is it all a lesson in Doublethink, the power of holding two contradictory in one's mind simultaneously and believing in both of them. After all, haven't we just seen that Black Is Red? Or should we say, Red Is Black? Welcome to 19841"

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Additional Notes: To dress up the story - since any effect where you let one thing "represent" something else is like a storybook in drag - you might pull the cards out of a pack of "Winston" cigarettes instead of a card case. Or you might collect a half dozen pocket mirrors or compacts to represent the giant Big Brother screens and position them about the table top. Of course, you might also just avoid this foolishness and go right on to the next trick in the book. Especially if it's late and your clock is already "striking thirteen."

If you are going this route with extraneous gag props, why not have a rubber rat in a toy bird cage? The packet of Hearts is brought near the caged rat and the cards are frightened into changing to Clubs again. The patter would have to be adjusted slightly to include this gag. Readers and spectators will have to be familiar with the novel to understand this gag.

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Doug Bennett

Triple Whammy Effect: A selected card is lost withi n the deck. A Joker, which is seen to have a corner missing, is removed from the card case. The corner in question is dumped from the case and shown to match the Joker perfectly. The piece is now tabled face-down in plain sight. You now explain that the Joker has been marked for easy identification via the missing index. The Joker will now be used to fi nd the selected card. It is shuffled into the deck and the f

latter is given a face-down Ribbon Spread. Much to your delight the joker has positioned itself right next to the chosen card! (Whammy #1.) To prove that this was no coincidence both cards are shown and snapped together face-down. Upon being turned face-up the Joker is seen to be completely intact! The chosen card, however, has a missing corner! (Whammy #2.) When the tabled corner piece is turned face-up it is seen to have transformed itself into the corner belonging to the selected card! (Whammy#3.) Preparation: To make up the effect obtain a Ten.of Clubs and a Joker. Place the Ten faceup on top of the Joker and square them up. Now tear a fairly large piece from the upper right corner of both cards simultaneously, making sure that you tear off at least half of the upper right club pip on the Ten. Toss the corner from the Joker away and note that the torn corner from the Ten also matches the torn area on the Joker perfectly. This is due to the simultaneous tearing. By matching the piece in puzzle fashion and making sure you cover the part of the club pip on the torn corner with your left thu mb you can show the Joker together with its apparently matching piece. Obtain whole duplicates of the Ten and Joker and set your deck as follows: About twenty cards up from the bottom place the whole Joker face-down. On top of the Joker place the torn Ten face-down so that the torn area occupies the upper left corner. Place the intact Ten face-down atop the deck and the deck is ready. Place the torn Joker inside the card case and drop the torn piece in face-down beneath the Joker. Now fold the lid flap inside the case and firmly against the Joker, which of course goes beneath it. This partitions the Joker and torn piece off from the rest of the deck which is now slid into the case. You may also want to tear the little side tabs off of the case to insure an easy withdrawal of the deck from the case. Presentation: Slip the deck from the case and thumb through it, being careful not to expose the setup near the bottom. Slip force the Ten of Clubs, instructing your spectator to show the card to everyone in the room excluding you, of course. Turn away while the card is bei ng shown and riffle down the outer left corner of the deck with your left thu mb. Due to the missing corner the cards will break right below the Ten as the card acts as a locator or short card. Allow the thumb to count down one more card (this will be the whole Joker) and open the deck at the point just below the Joker. Ask your spectator to replace his card atop the twenty-card packet, burying the chosen card. You may now cut and Hindu Shuffle the deck all you want as long as you don't disturb the critical three cards, all of which lie together.

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Table the deck, pull the flap from the card case, and du mp out the contents. The Joker should come out face-down, covering the face-down torn piece. Pick up the Joker and show it openly, face-up in the left hand in a Dealing Grip. The right hand picks up the torn corner while the left hand tilts upward so that the back of the Joker faces the audience. The right hand now holds the torn corner in puzzle-piece fashion to the torn section on the Joker. The left forefinger and thumb grip the torn piece so that the thumbtip covers up the partial 10 pip on the corner piece -

see Figure 1.

1 The left hand is now lowered to show, from the face, how good a match the torn corner is. The right hand now grips the torn piece and tables it face-down. The Joker goes facedown atop the face-down deck so that the torn corner is at the upper left. You will now give the deck a few cuts while watchi ng the left corner to make sure that the three special cards remain together. Upon completion of the cutting sequence the three-card group can end up anywhere in the deck as long as it is closer to the top than the torn Joker. You will now thumb through the deck face-down until you come to the torn corner of the Ten of Clubs. Your audience will assume that this is the torn Joker. Set all of the cards above the Ten aside and lay the Ten face-down on the table. (Note: Do not miscall the card as the Joker. In fact don't call it anything or make a big deal of tabling it.) The next two cards are the whole Joker and the whole Ten of Clubs. With a little bit of build-up execute a Double Lift and reveal what appears to be the chosen card. In reality it is the chosen card with the whole Joker hidden beneath it. Replace the double card face-down and thumb off the top card which, again, is the Joker. As far as your audience is concerned you have merely shown and tabled the chosen card. You now have two face-down cards on the table, one of which is missing a corner. To prove that the chosen card was found by magic and not coincidence, use the intact card to scoop up the missing corner with your right hand. When the hand has both cards in its possession turn the hand so that the cards are now face-up and execute a two-card Monte spread of the cards; i.e., the right thu mb pushes the torn card away as the right fingers pull the whole card inward. Allow the pair to drop to the table revealing a most impossible transposition. This is an extremely strong effect and may catch a few of your fellow magi off-guard. You now have a restored Joker and a torn Ten. Patter to the effect that the tearing of the Joker never really happened but in fact was just an illusion. In reality, you claim, the chosen card was torn all along which made it easy to find. To prove your outlandish claim allow a spectator to pick up the torn corner and match it to the Ten of Clubs. There is no need to clean up after the effect. In fact you are left with a torn corner card in the deck which could be used as a locator.

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Tom Gagnon

The Scoop-Displacement

Coin Vanish

Effect: This for-magicians-only coin vanish uniquely combines elements of Ed Marlo's "Scoop Move" and Tom Gagnon's "Pickup and Displacement" maneuver. In effect, the conjurer, while using a playing card, scoops up a coin from the table and promptly deposits the coin into his left hand. Immediately his hand closes around the coin. The conjurer then tosses the card onto the table, thereby displaying his right hand to be unmistakably empty. Yet, the coi n vanishes from the left hand.

Method: While standing, place a quarter onto your close-up pad and, with your right hand, grip a face-up card by its lower right corner between your thumb and the first and second fingertips - Figure 1. The card's short edge contacts the edge of the third finger. This insures that the card and, ultimately, the card with coin, remain stable throughout the forthcoming actions.

2 ,:.

2 With the audience's attention focused on the coi n, casually flip the quarter over on the pad with the left edge of the card. While this is being done, position your left hand, palmdown, adjacent to the coin. Refer to Figure 2, the spectators' view. Stating that you will deposit the quarter in your left hand, commence to scoop up the coin with the card while simultaneously revolving your left hand palm-up - Figure 3, the spectators' view. With an uninterrupted motion, pin the quarter against the card's face with your thumb (Figure 4, an exposed view) and, as you continue to swing the card and coin inward, promptly brush the card's lower edge across your left fingertips. Refer to Figure 5, an exposed view.

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84 To the onlookers, the above actions appear as if you have merely scooped and dumped the quarter into your left hand. By brushing the card's face across your left fingertips as depicted in Figure 5, the card effectively screens your empty left palm from the audience's view. Now, using an unbroken rhythm, close your left hand into a fist, as if receiving the quarter, and swing the card and coin inward as shown in Figure 6, a performer's view. Continue without pause to swing your right hand inward as though preparing to toss the card face-up onto the table.

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6 As the hand withdraws, the arm should pivot at the elbow. See Figure 7, side view, which shows the proper angle the card should assume as the hand swings inward. In the midst of swinging the card and coin inward, bend your third finger toward the base of your palm while straightening your fourth finger. Refer to Figure 8 (performer's view) and Figure 9 (an audience's perspective). This finger action creates a space between your third and fourth fingers. As your hand continues to swing inward and the arm pivots at the elbow, shift the coin between your third and fourth fingers with your thumb by moving it to the right. See Figure 10, the performer's view. (Note: the thumb continues to shift the coin to the right, and to-

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85 ward the opening between the third and fourth fingers until the right edge of the coin contacts the tip of the little finger. This leaves a small portion of the coin's right edge protruding slightly over the right end of the card. Refer once again to Figure 10.)

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