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Weapons

Of Mass
Deception
By Steven Youell
Sleight Descriptions by Andru Luvisi
Photographs by Terri Sinclair
Acknowledgements
Thanks to Andru Luvisi who for some reason has decided to catalogue all the
ideas Ive ever come up with-- good or bad. when I need something out of the
vault, hes the one I call. Hes also the best friend Ive ever had.

A special thanks to Ron Bauer, who has not only made me a better magician, but
also a better writer.
Thanks to my wife, Terri Sinclair for patiently taking the photographs in this
manuscript.
Thanks to Mike McAfee for reading & Proong various forms of this manuscript.
And thanks to Derrick Chung, who posed for one of the illustrations in The
Camouage Spread.

Entire Contents Copyright 2009 By Steven Youell


All rights reserved. No part of this document may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form, by any means (Electronic, Photocopying, recording, or otherwise)
without the prior written permission of the author.
Table Of Contents
Elegant Solutions 1
JawBreaker 8
Russian roulette 11
+1 12
trapJacks 17
My Name Is Nobody 22
memory Paper 25
Reading the Tells 29
NumerAlphatology 34
Calling the Shot 38
The Angle Cut Key Card 41
The Camouage Spread 45
Sleight Descriptions 48
Odds & Ends 57
Elegant Solutions
Over the years Ive found that I think differently than most people. This could be bad or
good depending on which side of my brain youre on. While most performers will start
with an established effect or premise and then develop a method and/or presentation for
it, Im almost a complete opposite. I have long lists of effects with no methods, tag lines
with no presentations and even titles with no effects attached.

See, I think about what I want the audience to see; the tag line of the presentation or even
a premise before Im even close to a method. So while most performers will start with
some sort of foundation, I tend to think of the end goal first and then I have to work
backwards from there. This has just as many disadvantages. Allow me to give you an
example.

In the movie Maverick, a recurring theme was that he (Maverick) was convinced he could
teach himself to will an ace to the top of the deck. Thats bothered me for years. I
envision explaining the story to an audience, creating a little movie in their mind or if
theyve seen the movie, reminding them of this little sub-plot. Then I would tell them that
it might actually be possible. What if someone actually could will an ace to the top of
the deck? Then I would have an audience member shuffle the deck, set it on the table and
will an ace to the top. MAN would that be good, huh? Id call it Willing The Cards. I
can imagine coaching an audience member to stare at the deck with a contorted look of
concentration and BAM-- thered be an Ace on top of the deck. As of yet, I have no
solution-- but Ive learned to live with that.

The most depressing thing about this is that the solution is always a compromise between
what I want the audience to see and what is actually possible. In other words, if I ever
find a solution for Willing The Cards it will probably be a compromise between what I
envision and how tainted that vision will get from the method I use to solve it.

Over the years, though, Ive developed a way of thinking through these things that has,
for the most part, given me some pretty good results. I share these thoughts with you not
in a dogmatic way, but in the hopes that you might find them helpful in your own creative
process.

It all started when I read a book called Space by James Michener. In that book, he used
several paragraphs to give a beautiful description of what NASA called Elegant
Solutions. Rather than copy Micheners description, Ill summarize:

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Mathematicians, engineers and other scientists use the term Elegant to describe
solutions in which the maximum desired effect is achieved with the smallest, or simplest
effort by leveraging available resources. A simple example of this is the way NASA uses
the gravitational pull of planets to propel a rocket deep into space so they can minimize
the amount of fuel the rocket has to carry.

Obviously Im no rocket scientist, but Ive adapted this to Card Tricks:

In terms of Card Magic, Elegant Solutions are created by combining and leveraging
fundamental sleights, strategies and presentations.

Consider this effect: The performer tells an audience that he can riffle stack four perfect
poker hands. He shuffles the deck a few times and deals out four perfect poker hands.
Since methods should be transparent to an audience-- what difference does it make if you
can actually riffle stack? What really counts is if you can completely convince an
audience that you can riffle stack. That is the end goal. To reach it in the most effective
way possible, I try to find an Elegant Solution-- a solution which which involves
leveraging the resources I already have available into a solution which meets or exceeds
my end goal.

Dont get the wrong idea, though. Im not saying that the method doesnt matter. The
method does matter. If I want to convince an audience that I can riffle stack four perfect
poker hands, the method I use should (from the viewpoint of the audience) look exactly
like someone who actually does riffle stack four perfect poker hands in a gambling
demonstration. Using an in the hands faro shuffle here might stack the cards, but it
wouldnt look the same as a guy who can riffle stack-- thats a solution from someone
who thinks the method doesnt matter. And although most audiences dont know what
a riffle stack looks like, I can promise you that they know what it does not look like.
Movies, television shows and casinos have all educated them enough to know how a real
shuffle should look-- and it aint in-the-hands faros.

BUT-- effectively ringing in a stacked deck and then false shuffling in a manner that is
indistinguishable from a man who can actually riffle stack would be an elegant solution,
because it gives me the same exact results (convincing an audience I can riffle stack) with
much less effort and uses a resource that will have much greater use in my work as a
whole.

Card Magic, however, is not rocket science-- which works for me since Im not a rocket
scientist-- Im a CardGuy. Im not working with resources from nature that are either
there or not. I have the advantage of choosing which resources I will spend my time

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developing. And if I choose wisely, the resources I choose-- sleights, stratagems and
presentations will all be resources that I can leverage into Elegant Solutions. First, let me
take you through my thought process on how I evaluate the leverage of a particular
resource-- sleights.

Shopping For Sleights


Lets go back to the riffle stacking scenario above. A competent CardGuy could easily
ring in a stacked deck and with one or two false riffle shuffles easily convince an
audience that he can riffle stack. Heck, Ive done it. That is an Elegant Solution. You
might ask Why dont you just learn to riffle stack? The answer is leverage. I can
already do a good false riffle shuffle, so why not leverage a resource I already have to
achieve the end goal I want?

And why did I choose to spend my time learning a push-through shuffle and still havent
learned to riffle stack? Because to the best of my knowledge, theres only one application
of spending hours on end learning riffle stacks: you can stack cards. But I can do much
more with a push-through-- including convincing an audience that I can riffle stack. I
chose to spend my time developing a resource that gives me the greatest amount of
leverage.

Since I can control what resources I have and which ones I spend my time in developing,
I need to make sure I shop carefully, right? Heres how I shop for sleights. Hopefully it
will save you some time and effort too.

First, I focused on learning the basics. Actually I was forced into that foresight by my
mentors. Trying to learn a center deal before I had a pass and/or basic palming down
resulted in scolding and sometimes derision. Rather than write another essay explaining
what I think the basics are and invite withering criticism, Ill suggest you make your own
list and run it by a few trusted individuals who have a lot more experience that you. But
just in case you dont know any trusted individuals with a lot more experience than you,
Ive included my list at the end of these lecture notes. My list is based on which sleights I
think will give someone the most leverage in proportion to the amount of time spent
learning them. This is not as easy as it seems.

The first factor I considered in making this list is how much use someone would get out
of a sleight. Almost all of the sleights in the list are utilitarian in nature. And Im also not
saying that you should master all the sleights on the list before you learn other stuff. What
I am saying though it that the list might help you prioritize how you spend your time.

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When youre deciding whether to learn a sleight or not, remember a sleights leverage is
not just limited to how many uses you can get out of it. Another important factor is the
impact you can get out of it. For example, I have a friend who practiced for a very long
time just to be able to do The Boomerang Card. Now while being able to throw a card
into the air, have it come straight back to you and catch it into the deck has only one
application (that I know of), the impact this effect has on an audience justifies this
fellows time spent in learning it-- to him. This leads me to a term I coined over 25 years
ago-- The Pain To Glory Ratio.

If the amount of Glory you get out of a sleight is much greater than the Pain involved in
learning it, the greater the value of that sleight is to you.

In other words, the larger the difference between the amount of use and/or impact you get
from a resource (sleight or effect) in comparison to how much effort to acquire the
resource, the more valuable that resource is to you. Ive used this as my criteria for longer
than I care to remember.

Glimpses, for example, have a very low Pain To Glory Ratio for almost everyone,
because theyre not only versatile and give you a multitude of uses, most are rather easy
to learn. For other sleights though, like bottom dealing, youll have to decide for yourself
what factors into Glory and what factors into Pain.

How you determine the Glory of a sleight will be unique to you. Going back to my
friend who learned The Boomerang Card, for example, he decided that the amount of
entertainment value and the Wow! factor he gets out of it gave it a very high Glory
factor and was therefore well worth putting the time in to learn. Some routines and/or
effects are strong enough (give enough Glory) to merit learning the sleight(s) necessary to
do them.

My personal preference in determining the Pain To Glory Ratio of sleights involves


evaluating how many uses Ill get from a sleight and how adaptable it is to angles and
various circumstances in comparison to how much work it takes to learn. I tend to think
strictly in terms of versatility and audience impact. If a sleight is something I can use in
dozens of different effects, in almost any situation, then it has a high amount of
versatility. If it allows me to devastate almost any audience with it, then it has high
audience impact. If has both then Ill almost always put in the work required to learn it.

A word of warning-- many of the variations of sleights have different amounts of


leverage. For example, the Touch Force has much more leverage than the Hindu Shuffle
Force. Both are sure-fire forces, however the Touch Force has the advantages of looking

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more natural, since it more closely resembles the most common way of having a card
selected. Additionally, the Touch Force is a technique that can help you learn and
leverage your culling and under the spread techniques. Thinking ahead and then
shopping wisely is the key.

Stratagems
A good example of an Elegant Solution is something I call The Hacker Stack that was
published in Weapons of Mass Destruction. This is a memorized stack that is in Si
Stebbins order. This idea was developed because I wanted all the power of a memorized
deck without having to go through the trouble of setting it up card by card. Additionally,
if I was going to memorize a stack, I wanted to memorize one that gave me advantages
over any other stack. So that was my end goal. The solution I came up with was the
result of leveraging a few things I already knew-- overhand shuffle technique, an in-the-
hands faro and the Si Stebbins stack into a solution that met my end goal. I might add that
this solution depends on Darwin Ortiz Si Stebbins Secret, a methodology that allows you
to get into the Si Stebbins stack from new deck order in less than thirty seconds.
Therefore I am guilty of compound leveraging: I took one of Darwins Elegant
Solutions and leveraged it into something even more powerful.

So what I ended up with was a memorized stack that gave me several advantages over
other memorized stacks:

1) It has all the advantages of a memorized stack, all the advantages of a cyclical stack
and all the advantages of Si Stebbins.
2) From a new deck, it takes 30 seconds to set up**, using a simple overhand shuffle
sequence and in-the-hands faros.
3) I can set up a memorized deck right in front of the audience simply by opening up a
new deck.

This is a pretty good example of leveraging a combination of sleights I already knew and
some stratagems into an Elegant Solution. There are more benefits to The Hacker Stack
and a full description can be found in my last set of lecture notes, Weapons Of Mass
Destruction.

Presentation and Presentational Ploys


Most of us are used to appreciating really good presentations but we only look at them in
terms of entertainment. They can, in fact, be much more than that. Presentations and

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presentational ploys can often be leveraged to assist or even bear the burden of deception
in an effect or routine.

A good example of using a presentation to deceive is in my effect The Image Fades. This
is a simple card change, however the presentation changes it greatly from the perspective
of the spectator. In The Image Fades, the performer is convincing the spectator that the
change only occurs in their minds. This takes a card change to a new level, because from
the perspective of the spectator, youre manipulating their mind, not the cards. Since
there is only one conclusion people are led to with card changes (He must have switched
the cards...), it is the presentation that is responsible for the majority of the deception.

A presentational ploy is simply a smaller part of a presentation that is leveraged to the


performers advantage. One of the best examples Ive ever seen of leveraging a
presentational ploy comes from Harry Lorayne. Oftentimes when Harry is going to do a
four ace trick, hell tell the audience Look-- in a minute youre going to claim that there
are more than four aces in this deck, so Ill show you now that theres only four. He then
proceeds to go through all the cards and drop the aces on the table one at a time so the
spectator can verify there are only four aces in the deck. Compare this to the number of
times youve seen someone take out the four aces and then re-insert them and lose them
into the deck. In this case, Harry has made taking the aces out of the deck and losing
them again something he does to prove the impossibility of what hes about to do-- quite
different from taking them out and losing them again because the multiple shift requires
it. In short, he has leveraged one sentence into completely covering a necessary
inconsistency.

It could be argued though, that presentational ploys are developed for one specific
purpose-- that they are unique to an individual presentation. This is not always the case.

In the sixties, Ron Bauer developed a presentational ploy that can be used in many
different effects. The objective was to separate the causes and effects that could
(invariably did) lead an audience to part of the secret of card handling. Specifically, once
a selection is replaced, spectators can make a connection between the control and the out
come of the trick, i.e. a card placed in the center, then revealed on top was linked to
whatever handling preceded the revelation.

His solution was, whenever possible, to begin the story or presentation after the
selection and replacement. this isnt always applicable to a card trick, but whenever it
was, after the selection was retuned, hed place the deck onto the table. Most people who
think about the solutions to card tricks presume that once the deck is out of the hands of
the magician, no dirty work is possible!

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Some other action follows (in his more reprehensible days, he pause and light a
cigarette), then hed pick up the deck to begin the presentation. The spectators ability to
backtrack is often frustrated by this procedure.

This procedure allows Ron to do two things-- it allows him to separate the cause and
effect as well as mislead the audience as to when the trick actually begins.

This is a superb example of how a presentational ploy can be leveraged for the purpose of
deception. Youll find the same ploy used in +1, an effect in these notes thus
demonstrating that presentational ploys are a resource that can be leveraged.

Finally, dont get the idea that Im an Anti-Gambling-Demonstration kind of guy. These
ideas dont preclude gambling demonstrations, i.e. demonstrations of pure skill. If that is
the type of performing you like to do, you can still greatly increase your scope and
resources in terms of deception by applying the ideas in this essay. My friend, Darwin
Ortiz is a perfect example of someone who can do The Real Work, yet any one of his
books on Card Magic will give numerous examples of leveraging and Elegant Solutions.

Also, some people like to learn and invent sleights just to learn and invent sleights. I love
those people. Those people represent the pure science of card magic. Im more of an
applied science guy-- pure scientists invent plastic and engineers invent Tupperware. So
although those types of guys probably wont use the ideas in this essay, they form a vital
part of card magic. In short, we need each other.

In these notes, almost every effect is an example of an Elegant Solution-- leveraging


sleights that have a low Pain To Glory Ratio, stratagems, and presentations into effects
that are not only fairly easy to do, but also extremely powerful. Ive also included some
items that will provide you resources that can be leveraged-- a prime example of which is
The Angle Cut Key Card.

Its my hope that youll take some of the ideas from my creative process and add them to
your own.

And by the way-- I have dibbs on Willing The Cards. But if you find an Elegant
Solution, Im willing to share!

*See The Si Stebbins Secret in Darwin Ortiz At The Card Table.

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Jaw Breaker
Effect:
The performer shuffles a deck and is allows the spectator to see the shuffles are genuine.
He then sends the spectator to a table and gives the spectator the following instructions:

Please listen to my instructions closely. Id like you to slowly and thoughtfully deal
cards face down onto the table until you feel like stopping. Ready? Begin now.

The spectator deals cards face down and stops whenever he wants to stop. He is told to
look at the card on which he stopped and place it on the table well away from other cards.

Now if you would please show all of us the card that was dealt before that card and
the card that was next in line to be dealt. The spectator does exactly that.

So you can easily see that had you stopped anywhere else, the results would have been
different. Now Im at least ten feet away, right? Please remove all the other cards so
that your selection is the only card on the table-- heres the box.

Watch carefully-- Im going to take another deck out of my pocket, pull out a card
and place it face down next to yours. As I approach the table, make sure I do not touch
your card.

The performer places his card face down next to the spectators and then cases the deck.
There are now only two cards on the table-- the performers card and the spectators card.
When they are turned over, they match.

Methodology:
There are several different ways to do this-- here are my three favorites:

Standard Method
The standard method uses a selection procedure from my lecture notes, Weapons of Mass
Destruction. It only requires one straddle faro. All you have to do is get a packet of 20
cards perfectly interwoven into the center of the deck which is easier than cutting the
deck at exactly 26 cards and doing a perfect faro.

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The performers deck needs to have a thirteen card stack on top of the deck. From the top
down, AH, 2S, 3H, 4S, 5H, 6S, 7H, 8S, 9H, 10S, JH, QS, KH. As you take the deck out,
tell the spectator that youre going to take particular pains to let him know the deck is
shuffled. Take the top twenty or so cards (just make sure its more than thirteen) and
straddle faro them into the center of the deck. Make sure you point out that not only are
the cards mixed in the center but its obvious that its a random shuffle. If the straddle
faro is off center, so much the better.

Spread the cards face-up in front of the spectator under the pretense of showing that they
are mixed. As you do so, cut the deck so the AH and one indifferent card end up on top.
In other words, once you cut the deck, there will be an indifferent card on top, followed
by the AH. This results in a 26 card stack in which you know the card at every even
position.

As the spectator is dealing the cards, silently count how many cards he deals. He can deal
up to twenty-six cards and as long as you tell him to deal slowly and thoughtfully, he
will stop long before that-- the length of silence will become unbearable. The silence is
even more effective if youre doing Platform Magic. In the twenty years that Ive used
this procedure Ive never had someone deal more than twenty-six cards.

If the spectator deals an odd number of cards to the table, then tell him to look at the top
card of the deck. If he dealt an even number of cards, tell him to look at the last card
dealt. To determine the value of the card, simply divide its position by two. If you get an
odd value you know its a Heart; if you get an even value, you know its a spade.
Example: he looks at the sixteenth card. That card is the Eight of Spades.

In this method it is not required to have the spectator show ANY of the cards-- however
doing so locks the idea in the audiences mind that had the person stopped at a different
place, the results would have been different.

Using Full Deck Stacks


You can also start with a deck that is two faros out from the Si Stebbins stack. As youre
doing the two faro shuffles, show the spectator that cards are actually being interwoven to
emphasize that the cards are mixed. You could also start with a deck already in Si
Stebbins order and use false shuffles, but youll lose the strength of the spectator seeing
the cards interwoven.

Using a fully stacked deck allows you to let the spectator deal more than twenty-six
cards, so if youre a bit nervous about being limited to twenty-six then this would be the

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method for you. Not only that, you can have the spectator give the deck a complete cut
before he deals the cards. This method does require you to tell the spectator to show us
the card above and below, in order to know what the chosen card is. The rest is self-
explanatory.

Bonus-- Brand New Sealed Deck Method


Start out with a dozen or so sealed decks on a table and ask a spectator to hand you one of
them. Break the seal open and shuffle it into Si Stebbins order using Darwin Ortizs Si
Stebbins Secret, which is found in Darwin Ortiz At The Card Table. Again, since this
uses faro shuffles, the performer can show the spectator that the shuffles are fair. (Look,
the cards are really mixed!).

Have the spectator cut the deck anywhere she wants and start dealing cards face down in
a single pile as in the previous procedure. This time, however, you are not limited to
twenty-six cards. The spectator can stop anywhere he or she wants. As in the previous
method, you will have to tell the spectator to show us the card above and below, in
order to know the identity of the selection.

This is the method I use at performances when I can get the host to buy new decks ahead
of time. I can then point out that the decks were purchased by someone else, are still have
the factory seal on them.

Comments
Once the spectators card is on the table, you can actually make this a prediction effect by
pulling out an Invisible Deck, showing that before the show you had reversed ONE
CARD in the deck. Place that card face down next to the selection and go from there.

In this case, the spectator does not need to look at the card at all. This will fool even the
people that have purchased an Invisible Deck at Disneyland because the only way they
know how to use it is to find out what the card is BEFORE they show the reversed card.

If youve learned the Hacker Stack from Weapons of Mass Destruction, then you dont
need to see any of the cards since youve memorized the order already.

Darwin Ortiz published a similar effect in trick in Darwin Ortiz At The Card Table and a
similar effect was also published by Verne Chesbro and J.G. Thompson Jr. called Copy
Cat! in Jinx 117.

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Russian Roulette
Effect:
A deck is shuffled, cut and given to a spectator who is asked to deal single cards, face
down until he feels like stopping. He looks at the card on which he stopped and is then
told to replace the card in the deck, reassemble the cards and shuffle the deck well. Only
then is the deck handed to the performer. The performer fans the cards towards himself
and upjogs six cards so the entire audience can see the backs of the six cards. Five
different spectators are each asked to eliminate one of the cards. There is one upjogged
card left. It is the selection.

Method:
There are thirteen duplicates on top of the deck. Any type of false shuffle can be used that
maintains the block of thirteen but the final shuffle is a straddle faro. Cut the top
duplicate and an x card to the top-- this will be easier if you mark the back of the top
duplicate, otherwise youll have to do it with the cards face-up. Hand the deck to the
spectator and instruct him to slowly deal single face down cards on the table until he feels
like stopping. As long as you say Slowly hell stop before he reaches the 26th Card--
no one can stand silence for that long. Count the cards as he deals and when he stops,
make sure he looks at a card in an even position-- if the last card he dealt was an even
number, have him look at that one. If it was an odd number, have him look at the card on
top of the cards in his hand.

Ask him to show the audience the card and make it a point to demonstrate that there is no
way you could see the card. Tell him to replace the card, assemble the deck and shuffle it
well. When hes done, take the deck from him and ask him to take a seat. A nice touch is
to honestly overhand shuffle the deck while he is being seated. Spread the deck with the
faces towards you and upjog six of the thirteen duplicates. They will be in random
positions because of the shuffles so the idea that theyre all different is an easy sell.
Pick someone out of the audience and tell them that you will touch one card at a time and
they will pick which card is eliminated. Pick someone else and run through the same
procedure. When you have one card left, pull it out very carefully, put the rest of the deck
down so you have only one card in your hand. Ask the spectator to name the card and
then show that you have survived the game of Russian Roulette.

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+1
Effect:
The spectator cuts the deck freely into four piles. The top cards are taken from each pile
and shown to be random. The performer explains that only in the movies and dime novels
do card cheats deal themselves a pat hand. He then states that real cheats make sure that
they only beat the sucker by a small amount and thus avoid suspicion. The performer then
demonstrates what he means by cutting to the card one value higher than each of the four
random cards.

Method:
This effect requires an eight card stack and youll need four cards that have no duplicate
values, like the 4H, 3S, 9H & JC. These four cards need to be out of sequence in terms of
value. The order of the four cards below them must be in ascending order from the top
down and each is one higher in value than the other four cards. So from the top down the
stack would be: 4H, 3S, 9H & JC in any order followed by the 5H, 4S, 10H & QC in that
exact order.

Give the deck a convincing false overhand shuffle, maintaining the top stock. Set the
deck on the table next to the spectator, closer to her than you and tell her you need four
different cards, so youd like her to cut the deck into four piles and as you ask her to do
that, pick up the deck and drop cards from the bottom so that there are four
approximately equal piles.

By demonstrating this, youre implying that the piles should be approximately equal.
Youd like the spectator to mimic your procedure, but you dont want anyone to think
getting equal piles is important-- so work with whatever she cuts the first time. The pile
closest to you should be the pile that was the top of the deck-- with the stack. If for any
reason she leapfrogs the piles, do not panic-- just make sure you know which one the
stack is on. The reason its preferable to have the stacked pile closer to you than her is
that youre going to pick up a pile and it looks more natural to pick up the one closest to
you. Pick up the pile and push the top card diagonally to your right and slightly forward
for about one third of its length.

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Take the top card from each pile and place it on top of the outjogged card. Do this in such
a way that the four cards are slightly spread apart (Figure 1). The main idea here is to
make it look casual. Count the four cards by taking them one at a time into your right
hand, so that the order of the cards is reversed.
Place the cards back onto the packet in the
upjogged position. The upjogged cards now
consist of one card from your stack and three
indifferent cards. Then turn the top upjogged card
face-up and square the upjogged cards onto the
deck, holding a break below the four cards you
just squared onto the deck. Take all four cards as
one and place them on the pile closest to you,
jostling the pile slightly so as to help disguise the
Figure 1
fact that four cards were placed there instead of one.

Then deal a card from the packet youre holding


face-up onto the other two piles (jostling them in
the same way) and finish by turning the last card
on your packet face-up. Place your packet with
the face-up card on it back where it belongs.
Youll end up with a situation that looks like
Figure 2. This is why the first four cards of the
stack cannot be in order of value-- you want to
imply randomness. With your right index finger,
slide each face-up card forward off its respective Figure 2
pile, then reassemble the deck maintaining the stack.

From the moment you pick up the first pile to the moment you have all four cards face-up
on top of their respective piles should be less than fifteen seconds and you should be
talking as you do it. Ill usually say something like this:

Lets see what we have here-- one, two, three, four cards, each from a different part of
the deck...

This entire procedure should look very casual-- like you just want the spectator to cut to
four random cards. Hint: DO NOT use the word Random. From beginning to end it
should only take slightly less than a minute. Essentially, this procedure should look like
you have to get it out of the way before the effect begins. Once the four seemingly
random cards are face-up on the table and the deck is in your hands, give it a false riffle
shuffle, take a deep breath and/or pause, then begin:

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This evening, Im going to dispel a common myth that youll often see propagated in
the media. Most often youll see reports or movies about cheats who beat the sucker by
dealing themselves a blowout hand like four aces or a royal flush. Thats not the way it
happens. If you think about it, those hands would make almost anyone suspicious and
probably end up with someone getting their thumbs broken. As a matter of fact, cheats
want to get a hand that is just slightly better than the marks hand. The ability to do
this on the fly is the mark of a professional cheat. Now Mary has given us four random
cards (NOW is the time to use the word Random! And DONT use the word picked
or Selected) and Im going to shuffle the deck. As I do so, Im going to sight each
card one higher than each one of these, track the card and then cut to it. Because this
is going to happen quickly, I want to be sure you understand which cards Im looking
for, so as I shuffle and cut, Ill call them out. Lets start with the lowest one, shall we?

You should now realize why the order of the second four cards in the stack is important--
knowing the order of those cards allows you to call them out as you cut to them.

Do a riffle shuffle and as you do it say OK, theres the Five of Hearts. As you do the
riffle shuffle it is important that you look at your hands-- remember that youre supposed
to be sighting the card. Square the deck.

Once the cheats sighted the card, the rest can be done by feel. Its about twenty cards
down...

As you say this, do a tabled false cut that simulates taking packets off of the top or
bottom-- such as Up The Ladder or the one of the tabled false cuts from Expert At The
Card Table. Do not look at your hands. Once the false cut is done, deal the top card face-
up without looking at your hands. The audience must believe youre cutting to the cards
by feel. It will be tempting to use all sorts of flourish cuts or pop-out moves here, but
dont. In order to be consistent with the presentation it is vital to use cuts that the
audience will not be able to differentiate from what theyve seen at casinos or televised
poker tournaments. Repeat this procedure for the next two cards, each time looking at the
cards when you shuffle and not looking at your hands when you do the cut(s) and deal the
card on the table. Youll then have the last card on the top of the deck.

Now this time Ill call out the position of the card and let Mary cut to it. First though
a small test. Mary, look away for a second.

Turn the deck face-up and quickly and silently run a number of cards into your right
hand. Dont do this in the context of an overhand shuffle, do it in the context of spreading
the cards from the left hand to the right hand. In this way, no one will know exactly how

14
many cards are in the packet. For the purposes of the explanation well say its 7 cards.
Remember the number! Set the deck face down on the table, square the packet and place
it on the table.

OK, Mary-- turn around. Now without touching them tell me how many cards are in
that little pile.

When Mary answers, look concerned. Look at Mary. Look at the audience with a
deadpan look.

OK, for the last card, Mary will DEAL to the card...

Put the packet of cards back on the deck. Pause and take a deep breath here-- as if you
require a large amount of concentration. On the final shuffle, add another four cards and
then take your hands away from the deck. The last target card is twelve cards down.

Well, I can tell you that the Queen of Clubs is twelve cards down-- Mary, take the deck
and deal twelve cards face-up from the top of the deck.

Have Mary hand you the twelfth card and turn it up slowly. Conclude by wiping the
beads of perspiration from your forehead.

Comments
By varying the number of cards you run into your right hand, the last target card will be
at a different position each time you do this effect-- an important fact if someone ever
sees you do the effect more than once.

If the deck is in Si Stebbins order, you can dispense with the four card force. All you have
to do is false shuffle the deck and have a spectator cut and complete the cut. As you pick
the deck up, glimpse the bottom card. If its a Jack, Eight, Five or Two, have another
spectator cut the deck. The idea here is that you dont want the cards mentioned above on
to be the face card of the deck. Once youre in that position, take the four top cards and
deal them face-up in a row from right to left. Then overhand shuffle running the bottom
four cards to the top so their order is reversed and youre in position. In this case,
however, you will not be able to say Lets start with the lowest one, shall we?. Instead,
the first target card you find will be one higher than the card on the left end of the row, so
you can say Lets start with the first one, shall we?

15
I realize that some performers will prefer one of these methods over the other. Regardless
of which version you prefer, however, I would encourage you not to overlook the idea of
forcing four cards using a Spectator Cuts To The Aces method.

The particular sequence in this effect was from Surprise Aces published in Card
Cavalcade. Ive also been told that Ed Marlo has published a similar sequence in New
Tops, but I could not find the reference.

16
TrapJacks
I hesitated to publish this because at first reading it will seem like just another Sandwich
Trick-- but its not. Ive used this particular item in different forms for over 15 years and
it has a spectacular finish. If youve been practicing the Riffle Pass for years with no
particular purpose in mind, this is the routine for you because it does not require your
pass to go totally unnoticed. Youll see what I mean as we progress.

Start out by saying How many people have seen that game they play on the streets of
New York? They call it three three...

Act as if youre thinking and speak the last few words painfully slow and almost 95% of
the time someone will finish your sentence for you and say Three Card Monte! and as
soon as they say it, look at them and without hesitation say Oh, how much did you lose
sir?

Regardless of what they say, continue by saying:

Well, that game is actually a hybrid of an old con called Trapjacks and it does use
three cards, but its a little different and since the court has ordered me to donate some
of my time to public service, Im going to clue you all in on how it worksbut no
matter what I cant actually play the game so dont ask me to.

As youre saying this, openly remove the Jack of Spades and the Jack of Clubs and
place them face-up on the table.

These are my two cardsthe black jacks. I like using Blackjacks because it means I
either have a winning hand or a weaponand either way I get the money! But we also
need a target card, so if you could just take one of these out, Id appreciate it.

Have the spectator select a card and as she does tell her:

Make sure I dont see it. I dont want anyone to accuse me of cheating. But show it to
other people, would you? I dont want to accuse YOU of cheating!

Have the card replaced and hold a break above the card.

17
Now, allow me to explain the rules of the game. When I do this, I have to get your
card between the Blackjacks, get it? At the same moment you say When I do this
execute a Riffle Pass.

Look down at the jacks on the table and then look back up at the audience. Change the
expression on your face as if you had a realization and then say

Oh no, not when theyre lying on the table like thatthatd be crazy. This is a con
game, not a miracle!

Place the jacks face-up on the deck. Look at the spectators and say Rememberwhen I
do this... Execute a Riffle Pass and time it so that the pass is completed the same split
second you say this and at the same moment, look down at the deck yourself. Appear
startled that the jacks have disappeared and say:

Whoa! Sorry, that was an accident. Force of habit that was close, too. I could have
been fined $500! Let me make sure I stopped myself in time.

As youre saying this, quickly run through the cards and when you come to the face-up
jacks, spread them out just enough to grab a break below the face down card underneath
them, break the spread at that point and then pull all three cards back on to the half of the
deck in the left hand, maintaining a three card break. Do this as you say:

All right. Fine. Stopped myself just in time. Nothings between em.

Transfer the cards in the right hand to a


modified Biddle grip by temporarily holding
the packet between the right forefinger and
thumb. Once you have the packet in the in this
grip, pick up all three cards (jack, jack,
selection) between the middle finger and
thumb of the right hand, side jogged to the left
of the packet (Figure 3). Peel off the first face-
up jack with your left thumb onto the left hand
packet and place the double card left onto the
left hand packet making sure they remain
square. As you place the cards in your right Figure 3
hand on those in your left, maintain a break
between the halves.

18
Give a sigh of relief:

Whew! That was close. Now, you said twenty bucks, right? As you say that last
sentence, look at the spectator and execute a Riffle Pass.

At that moment, give an I-Cant-Believe-I-Did-That-Again looks and say:

Oh no! Apparently Ive trained my fingers to react even when theres a mention of
money! And this time, I couldnt control emlook!
Look down at your hands and spread the cards slightly to show a face down card between
the two face-up Jacks. Take the uppermost Jack in your right hand and push the face
down card off the talon in the left hand, letting it fall gently face down to the table.
Replace the Jack in the right hand and ask What was that card? Turn the card over and
look incredulous.

I cant believe I did that. Fortunately we didnt bet anything so its not a parole
violation or anything! Ill start over, but well have to take precautions to make sure
I dont do anything to violate the law. So well make it unbelievably impossible. Ill put
one jack face-up on bottom and one face-up on top.

(Do I really have to tell you at this point to place one Jack face-up on bottom and one
face-up on top..?) You put your card in the middle, see? Now thats about as difficult
as I can make it. Just so you know I havent cheated yet, look.

When the spectator replaces her card, take it and all the cards above it in the right hand
and tilt them all up to show her its still her card. As you tilt the cards back down, execute
the Convincing Control to position her card on the bottom of the deck. Square up all the
cards and table the deck.

Now in order for me to win this thing, Id have to have one jack move up; one Jack
move down; all the other cards stay still and both jacks would have to stop precisely on
your card, right? And all at the same time! Think of the topological impossibility that
creates!

Look a little proud of yourself and as an aside, stage whisper to a spectator Topo-lo-gi-
cal. Not bad, huh? Seven years of Community College-- not a day wasted! During the
laugh, pick up the deck and obtain a break somewhere near the middle of the deck.

Now under those conditions, how much do you think the average sucker would bet? I
mean it looks impossible, right? Whatd ya think-- $10? $20? $50?

19
Continue to name amounts until the spectator blurts out an amount and at that precise
point, execute a Riffle Pass.

Manthese hands, they just have mind of their own. Im gonna have to see a
reflexologistor something..

Ribbon spread the deck widely on the table so the audience can see the face down card
between the face-up jacks. Remove all the cards above and below these three cards and
reassemble the cards so the deck is in dealing position in the left hand. Slide the face
down selection towards you so it separates from the face-up Jacks and pick it up between
your right thumb and forefinger at the back right corner in preparation for a Top Change.
Oh man! I almost hate to look Tilt the card face-up and show that its the selection,
but keep your hands close together for the Top Change. Once the audience sees the card,
(and you should look at it too), tell them:

Thats it-- Im done. Ive come too close to violating my cheating sobriety.

The idea here is to give an applause cue or otherwise make the audience think the effect
is over. At that moment, execute a Top Change; freeze your hands for a brief moment and
then table the face down card in your right hand without looking at it. (Attitude: Tricks
over, this isnt important anymore!) As you pick up the face-up jacks with your right hand
get a break under the top card (the selection) and placing both jacks face-up on the deck,
maintaining the break. During this whole sequence, look as if you have an overwhelming
compulsion and then say Wait. I have an idea as your right hand picks up all three
cards above the break in a Biddle grip. Peel off the first jack onto the deck with your left
thumb and then take it back in Biddle grip as you say if I put the two jacks on the
table -- drop all three cards onto the table. If you flex the cards just slightly before
you do this and drop them straight down with no lateral movement, they will stay
perfectly aligned. The second you let them drop, pick up the tabled face down card and
say and I put the tilt the face of the card towards yourself and look at the face.
Miscall the card as soon as you see the face as the selection (well assume the selected
card is the Two of Spades).Two of Spades in the deck Square the card into the deck.
Then theres no waywait a minute, lets test it.

Lower the deck to the table with both hands so youre ready to riffle the deck. Hold the
deck in this position about two inches above the table surface at a slight downward angle
and about 10 inches from the tabled packet. Take a deep breath as if youre preparing for
the worse and ask the spectator to name any denomination of bill they think of. When
they do, sharply riffle the deck.

20
The air movement from the riffle will cause the
three tabled cards to gently float apart, revealing
the face down card between the jacks. Figure 4
gives a realistic expectation of how the cards
will most often separate, however by
experimenting with the distance and strength of
the riffle, you can almost always get a larger
separation.

Slowly turn the card face-up and with a look of


resignation say: Figure 4

I guess old habits die hard; but apparently this one isnt even sick!

Comments
I realize that this specific presentation may not fit everyones character. In short, if youre
an accountant, police officer or federal judge and you look or behave like one, you may
want to consider a slightly different presentational angle. How about this one?

Well, as you may know, I am a law abiding citizen, however a few of my ancestors did
skirt the law occasionally. I found out last year that my great-great grandfather was a
card cheat! I knew this stuff was in my genes, but I didnt know HOW much until a
few months ago. He was legendary in a game called TrapJacks and once I started
experimenting with this game, a very strange thing happened. My hands apparently are
genetically programmed to cheat at this particular game! I know science wont back
this, but it doesnt back being possessed either and those are the only two possibilities I
can think of. Let me show you what I mean

This routine can be used to give a performer confidence in his Riffle Pass because the
pass happens at a moment in which your fingers are supposedly moving on their own, so
the presentation allows for the audience to know something is happening. But please
dont use it to excuse sloppy pass work in other routines.

The second sequence is a Frank Simon effect and it first appeared in Earl Nelson's book
Variations published in 1978. This book is also an excellent source if you need to learn
the Convincing Control. The Convincing Control and the Immediate Bottom Placement
are different names for what is essentially the same sleight, so even if you do not have
Variations, you may already have a reference in your library. An excellent description is
also in Jennings 67.

21
My Name Is Nobody
This is a powerful effect that will convince your audience that you can easily cheat at
cards while at the same time minimizing sleights-- a Multiple Shift and an in the hands
false cut. Neither of these sleights will seriously bust your knuckles.

Effect
The performer tells the story of a legendary card cheat who could cut the aces from a
shuffled deck, but never told anyone how he did it. Instead the cheat would describe a
virtually impossible method so no one could duplicate his feat. In telling the story, the
performer actually does it. He verifies that there are only four aces in the deck, makes
sure the aces are in different places and shuffles the deck. He then proceeds to cut to all
four aces exactly as the cheat described.

Method
Start out by referencing the story and at the same time explaining your next few actions.
This will frame the procedure of taking the aces out and putting them back again as
something that needs to be out of the way before the story begins*:

In a minute, Im going to tell you a story but if Im lucky, in two minutes youll swear
that there are more than four aces in this deck-- so lets eliminate that possibility right
now. Im going to go through all the cards, pull out the aces and you verify there are
only four in this deck.**

Run through the face-up cards and and as each ace becomes visible, drop it to the table.
When youre done, make sure the spectator agrees that there are only four aces in the
deck. Then shuffle the cards once, fan out the cards and place each of the aces somewhat
evenly spaced in the fan, leaving them outjogged for about half their length. They need to
be in CHaSeD order from the top down. Close up the fan and execute the most deceptive
Multiple Shift you know. I have used the Cardini Multiple Shift for over thirty-five years
and thats the one I recommend. Regardless of which shift you use, the audience has to be
convinced that the deck is shuffled after the aces have been replaced and the aces have to
remain in order. The Cardini Multiple Shift achieves that perfectly.

Now that the dirty work is done, you can set the deck down, take a deep breath and
introduce the story:

22
About 50 years ago, there was a legendary card cheat who was able to consistently cut
to the aces from a shuffled deck. The method he said he used is absolutely impossible--
legend has it that he gave a phony method to throw other cheats off the trail. Heres
what he told them: he said that from a shuffled deck he could riffle down the corner of
the deck, sight the aces, count the cards that came off of his thumb after he sighted the
aces and then cut that precise number of cards off the deck. For over five decades
cheats have tried to make this work and their conclusion? Nobody could do it. Nobody.
Let me show you how impossible it is...

Hold the deck as in Figure 5 and riffle the inner


corner of the deck with your right thumb as in
Figure 5. The riffle should be fast and tight. Move
your hands so that the spectator can see the the
cards fly by as you riffle them. The impression you
want to create is that although they can see the
indices of the cards fly by, there is absolutely no
way it would be humanly possible to sight the aces
or count any of the cards. This sets up the
impossibility of what youre about to do, so its very Figure 5
important that you do this for a few people so everyone
gets the idea.

Now that youve got the idea of how impossible this is, Im actually going to try it. Of
course, Ive been trying to do this for years and years.

Riffle the deck the same way you did for the spectator a moment ago, but this time, watch
the indices and look like youre calculating. Then make the claim:

OK, I think I saw the Ace of Clubs at twenty-three cards down from the top of the
deck, so if I make some precise cuts...

As you say precise cuts, youre going to execute a false cut that maintains the top few
cards of the deck. I use a full deck false cut I learned from Gerry Griffin, but if you want
to use a different cut, make sure it simulates taking more than one packet off the top of
the deck and that it can be done fairly rapidly. Since youre claiming that youre cutting a
precise number of cards, breaking that number up into two or more packets makes it
difficult for a spectator to ask if he can count the cards you cut off. And since youre
going to do the same action another three times you want to avoid that and make
backtracking the cuts impossible. Youll get the idea pretty quickly if you take a look at
the false cut I use-- a basic description of it is in the description of sleights at the back of

23
these notes. The ideal cut would be for the audience to see a few packets flying around so
they not only cant backtrack the cut but it also looks like youre cutting precise amounts
of cards.

Look a little doubtful and then snap the Ace of Clubs face-up and drop it onto the table.
Give a look of relief and then say:

Thats one. Ill go for two...

Using the same procedure (calculating the riffle, calling the specific ace and how many
cards it is from the top of the deck), cut another two aces looking increasingly concerned
with each cut-- as if the risk of failure is increasing each time.

Right before you get to the last ace, look at the audience and say something like:

This is it. Ive never gotten this far before.

Hesitate, take a breath and go into the cut. Peek at the card, but dont let the audience see
it. Look a little disappointed as you say:

Folks, they were right. Nobody can do this. But tonight...my name...is Nobody!

Snap the last ace face-up at the same time you say Nobody.

Comments
Which false cut you choose to do in this effect is very important. You do not want to
choose a cut that looks so hard to do that it distracts the audience from the effect. Ive
tried several and although some worked, I have yet to find one that gives me the same
balance as the Gerry Griffins cut.

This is one of my all-time favorite Tag Lines-- it comes from an old Spaghetti Western
movie directed by Sergio Leone called My Name Is Nobody and starred Terence Hill and
Henry Fonda. Once you see the movie, youll immediately see the significance of the tag
line.

24
Memory Paper
I debated for weeks on whether or not to include this effect, but in the end decided to
include it. Its a lot of fun to perform and since memory paper may be real technology
someday, I thought I should share the fun before its actually invented and takes away the
impossibility. Its simple to do, but the willingness of people to believe that technology
can do anything makes it a Card Scam well worth doing. Additionally, it is the perfect
trick to do with the new Hybrid Decks, such as the Black Tiger deck of cards-- because
those cards look so different than what spectators are used to seeing.

Effect
The performer demonstrates a new technology called Memory Paper, that will
remember which card a spectator has selected.

Method
The methodology here is simply a sequence of standard card changes but with a
choreography that strengthens the effects premise. Start out with a deck of cards in your
pocket that has an unusual back-- something that looks high-tech like the aforementioned
Black Tiger is perfect.

You know as old as sleight of hand actually is, technology is changing it as fast as
anything else-- let me show you something that I was sent by a playing card company.
They asked me to test it out so you have the privilege of being involved in one of the
first Card Trick Lab Experiments in the world!

Shuffle the deck and ask the spectator to select one. Have it replaced and then control it
to the top while youre explaining:

Now this is how most card tricks begin. You pick a card its lost in the deck and the
performer ends up finding it. This deck, however, totally eliminates sleight of hand-- as
least its supposed to...this isnt your card, is it?

At this point do the best double-lift you can do and time your question so the face of the
card is shown just at the end of the question. I prefer Ron Bauers Two Card Turnover
Technique because it looks very casual. As the spectator confirms its not her card, turn
the double face-down again and take the face-down card into your right hand at the inner

25
right corner. Ask the spectator to hold out their right hand palm up. Rub the face-down
card very lightly on the spectators hand and as you say:

If I rub any card on your hand, its supposed to change into your card!

At the moment you say Into your card turn the card face-up to show that its changed.
Youre going to do a Top Change here, but you have two different moments in which to
accomplish it, so take advantage of the first opportunity if you can. If your technique is
solid enough, the spectator should be taken off guard and look up. That is the first
opportunity for the Top Change. If by chance she doesnt, ask her if she wants to know
how its done and attempt to make eye contact with her as you ask her. That should give
you more than enough cover to do a standard Top Change.

Ive never had anyone not want to know how its done, so well assume they said yes.

Well, its something they call Memory Paper. The entire deck is made out of this
stuff and its designed so once a card is touched by anyone other than me, the deck
remembers which card was touched. In fact, Im rather surprised it worked. Lets try it
again!

As you say Lets try it again, slide the face-down card in your hand into the middle of
the deck and do another double-turnover. Well take this card... Turn the double face-
down, starting the same sequence as before. This time, however, when the card has been
rubbed on the spectators hand, leave it face down in her hand for her to turn over.

Hmmm. Well that seems to work-- I wonder how the cards communicate with each
other? I mean logically, if this works every time, every card in the deck would have to
know what card you originally touched....here, put it back and make sure you dont
touch any of the other cards...

As youre finishing these lines up, take a small packet of 10 to 13 cards off the top of the
deck with your right hand and have the spectator replace the card on the cards in your left
hand. Replace the packet of cards onto the selection, maintaining a break.

Look like youre thinking for a second-- consternation would be the word to describe the
desired look on your face.

Wait a minute... Lets try something else...

26
Spread a few cards haphazardly face down into your right hand and then tilt them
towards yourself so you can see the faces. Do this again with enough cards so the last
card you spread is the selection. The idea is to make this look like youre looking for the
selection. When you tilt the cards this time, you are in position for Ed Marlos Flexible
Switchout. Execute the switch and casually toss (place) the switched in card on the table
face-down. Reassemble the deck, maintaining a break below the selection and then start
spreading cards into your right hand in preparation for a selection. When you come to the
selection, cull it under the spread so you can force it using the Touch Force.

Well if this works like its supposed to work, you could touch any card in here...

Have the spectator touch a card somewhere in the middle of the deck and execute the
Touch Force. As you tilt the packet of cards in your right hand up so the spectator can see
the selection, tilt it a little more so you can take an obvious look at it. Look impressed.

Wow-- thats actually pretty impressive. But that means this one must have...

As you say this, place the cards in your right hand onto the cards in your left hand,
maintaining a break, but leaving the deck unsquared. As you say the next sentence, say it
slowly like youre thinking and look at the card on the table. If you do this properly, all
attention will focus on the tabled card. At that moment, Side Steal the selection as you
square the deck. Turn the tabled card face-up and look even more impressed, then put the
card back into the deck. Ask the spectator to touch the top card of the face-down deck:

Do me a favor and touch the top card with just one finger...very lightly now...

Once shes done that, push the card off and take it face down by the right inner corner, in
position for a Top Change. Tilt the card up so she can see it and continue the tilt so you
can see it. Tilt the card face down so youre in position for a Top Change.

Now THATS modern technology for you! It doesnt get any cooler than that...

If you say this properly and then pause, the audience will get the impression that youre
finished-- somewhat like an applause cue. It is at this time that you execute another Top
Change.

Casually place the card face down on the table and as you do so, relax your left hand a
little, holding the deck loosely caged in the left hand. Suddenly tense all the muscles in
your left arm, but not your left hand. The cards in your hand will jump around a little.

27
The object here is to make it look similar to the deck silently vibrating. Pause. Look at
your hand.

Did you see that?!

Vibrate the deck again.

Someone must be operating a faulty electrical appliance in the nearby area. Which
means...

Turn the card on the table face-up and show its no longer the selection.

Look dismayed.

Pick up the selection and place it in the middle of the deck and give the deck an overhand
shuffle to cover your tracks.

Well, on to more traditional methods. Ill file a full lab report in the morning...

Case the deck, put it away and continue the show.

Comments
The line that references a faulty electrical appliance is from Clayton Rawson and is on
page 109 of My Best by J.G. Thompson, Jr.

28
Reading The Tells
Heres an effect that demonstrates the idea of leverage-- it only requires one sleight, looks
impossible and can be adapted to your performing style and audience because you can
play it seriously or comedically. Not only that, it can be done as a Platform Trick OR for
a small group of people. Thus, with one sleight you get a versatile, powerful effect with
more than one style of presentation.

Effect:
The performer explains the idea of tells in the game of Poker-- the concept that an astute
player can tell what type of hand the opposing players have by their mannerisms. He
further explains that since hes not allowed to play poker, he needs better odds so hell
read the tells from various audience members.

A spectator shuffles a regulation deck of cards and selects one while the deck is in her
hands. The card is shown to the audience and replaced while the deck is in the spectators
hands-- at all times the deck is held by the spectator. By asking the audience direct
questions and deciding if the answers are true or false based on tells, the performer
discerns the identity of the card.

Method:
Start out by having a deck shuffled by a spectator who is directly to your right and while
shes shuffling address the audience:

In Poker and other games of chance, there is something called Tells, which means
that a very good player can figure out how good of a hand the opposition has by
detecting very small changes in his mannerisms. It could be almost any type of facial
tick or even differences in the length of time it takes someone to blink. This is a crucial
skill when it comes to bluffing or as we say in the business: LYING! For those of you
who think Im not serious about this, when you get home, look up the standard text on
the subject: Caros Book of Tells. Or you can look up former FBI Agent Joe
Navarros book called Read 'Em and Reap.

Speaking of the FBI, Im not allowed to play poker anymore so Im really out of
practice. But if youll give me a little room, Id be glad to demonstrate how this works.
Judy, take the deck and spread it out a little with the faces towards you. Go through the

29
cards until you see a card you really like and push it up a little-- about half its length,
like this. Make sure you hold the deck tight, like a poker player would.

Demonstrate what you want Judy to do by


spreading the cards faces towards yourself and up
jog any card near the center of the deck. When you
do this, hold the cards at chest level and very close
to you-- much like a poker player trying to keep the
other players from seeing their hand (Figure 6).
Once she understands the procedure, hand her the
deck and have her shuffle it again, saying

Shuffle the deck well before you pick your lucky Figure 6
card so theres no way I could possibly have anything
memorized...

When shes sure the deck is shuffled, let her run through the procedure you described a
few seconds ago. Shell end up holding the deck slightly spread with a single card
upjogged.

Now since Im out of practice, Im going to need more than one person involved so
that I have a wider variety of tells to read...

As you say this lightly grasp the upjogged selection by the upper right corner and gently
lift it up and remove it from the spread. Turn your entire body counter-clockwise,
including your right arm. As soon as the card is facing the audience, freeze the right arm,
but continue to rotate your head and body counter-clockwise. Execute the Flicker
Glimpse as you do this, saying

THIS is Judys lucky card...

The flick should be done at the same time you say THIS. The flick then becomes a
gesture of emphasis.

Essentially what youre doing is rotating your body and your head at the same time, but
your head rotates slightly faster. When your right arm is holding the card in front of the
audience your head continues to rotate. The time to take the glimpse (and flick the card)
is at the moment your right arm stops. In this way, youll catch sight of the card at the
very last second out of the corner of your right eye.

30
Youre now in the following position: Your head and body are turned to the extreme left,
your right hand is holding a card in front of the audience. I know it sounds painful, but
you already know the card, so you should be very comfortable anyway.

Now rotate your body clockwise, but keep your right arm in its relative position so when
youre facing the audience, the card will be right in front of the cards spread between
Judys hands.

This entire procedure should take about six seconds and if properly done, no one will
have the slightest idea that you could have seen the card. The timing, however, is crucial
and will require practice. Once you have the timing down, though, you will have a
selection procedure that can be leveraged into a large number of effects.

You are now facing the audience and holding the card right in front of Judys face and/or
the cards spread between her hands. It should be clear to everyone that youre head is
turned away from Judy and the cards.

Judy, turn the deck around and put this card face-up somewhere in the middle of the
face down deck. I wont look until you tell me the card is hidden. OK? Fine. Now Im
left with nothing but my rusty ability to read tells...

Now its not just how GOOD the card is-- were looking to discover the exact identity
of the card. So to do that, Im going to ask different people specific questions about the
card and they can lie or tell the truth. Hopefully by reading their various tells, Ill
know whether theyre bluffing or not. Everybody get it? You can lie or tell the truth
when I ask you a question. Just put on your best poker face for me.

Look at a specific audience member and ask:

Sir, was it a red card?

Regardless of the answer, make up a tell and explain to the audience that it allows you
to know whether the spectator is lying or telling the truth. Assuming the spectator lied, it
would be something like this:

Well, one of your tells is looking up and to the right when you lie, so Im sure it was a
red card...

Ask individual audience members different questions, make up a tell and claim that it
allows you to know whether the respondent is bluffing or not. Make sure you personalize

31
the tells-- and if the spectator actually DOES change their expression make sure you use
that and point it out to the rest of the audience. Lets assume the selection is the Eight of
Hearts. Here is a sample script based on that:

Is the card red or black? Ah! You blinked your eyes for longer than most people do, so
Im sure youre lying. So now I know its a red card!

You Miss-- is it a heart or a diamond? Well youre pretty good, but your facial muscles
were too relaxed for you to by lying-- so now I know its a heart!

Sir-- the gentleman in the red tie-- was it a number or a picture card? Wow-- youre
even better that she was, but the left corner of your mouth turned up a little-- almost as
if you were trying to hide a smile. So now I know youre lying and it was a number
card. Hmmm... so far all the men have been liars, but its my guess that all the women
in the audience already knew that...!

The lady in the blue dress-- was it an odd or even number? Okay, I dont want to
panic you or anything, but theres a small crease above your left eye when you lie-- so
now I know its an even card...

You sir-- is it higher than a six? Ah, consistency. The men have maintained a
consistent record of lies... by the way, your forehead creases a bit when you lie. Make
sure your wife never finds out about that!

Lets see... even heart, even and higher than a six. That only leaves ONE choice-- the
Eight of Hearts!

The odds are that it will be a number card since they greatly out number the face cards,
however it the selection is a face card, youll have to ask fewer questions. One way I
draw it out is to ask a woman Was it a Superior Female or one of the lesser males?
This will not only get a laugh if its played right (like some of the other comments in the
script), but it will also give you one more question unless it was a Queen.

Comments
Ive used this effect in various forms for over twenty years and most recently published
the idea in Weapons of Mass Destruction. This presentation, however, allows you to
involve more of the spectators and can even be done as a platform trick. (If its a fairly
large audience, bringing out a pair of binoculars to see the faces youre reading is very

32
funny...) Additionally, the glimpse specifically fits the presentation so I would caution
you not to use any other.

Do not miss the fact that the card is replaced face-up into the face-down deck. This is a
safeguard that will prevent anyone from telling you that you have failed. But once you
named the card, do not run through the deck to prove it unless you have to-- it would be
anti-climatic.

33
NumerAlphatology
Driving home the leverage that glimpses give you, here is an effect that utilizes the same
selection procedure and glimpse as the previous one but gives you an entirely different
performance piece. Not only that, but it can be played seriously or all-out total comedy.

Effect:
The performer demonstrates a serious pseudo-science he has developed that allows him
to tell which card someone has selected.

A spectator shuffles a regulation deck of cards and selects one while the deck is in her
hands. The card is shown to the audience and replaced and the spectator then shuffles the
deck well. Only then does the performer take the deck. Telling the spectator that he is
able to narrow the choices down based on the physical characteristics hes already
observed, the performer up jogs five cards.

He then asks the spectator various questions and based on the responses, eliminates one
card at a time. After four questions there is only one card left and it is the selection.

Method:
Start out by having a deck shuffled and while the spectator (who should be directly to
your right) is shuffling, start out by saying:

Have you ever heard of Numerology? Numerology the belief that there is a
relationship between numbers and physical objects or living things. Its an ancient
mystical belief but over the years Ive developed it into a serious pseudo-science. Ive
discovered that people have a certain affinity for specific playing cards and have
developed a system to discover which cards match which people.

Mary, take the deck and spread it out a little with the faces towards you. Go through
the cards until you see a card that you feel a connection to and push it up a little--
about half its length, like this.

Demonstrate what you want Mary to do by spreading the cards faces towards yourself
and up jog any card near the center of the deck. When you do this, hold the cards slightly
below chin level and very close to you-- much like a poker player trying to keep the other

34
players from seeing their hand. This is the same selection procedure used in the previous
effect. Once she understands the procedure, hand her the deck and have her shuffle it
again, saying

Shuffle the deck well so its a fair scientific test.

Once Mary has decided on a card, ask her:

Do you feel a strong attraction to that card? If not let me know and you can go
through again. I want you to find a card that has a compelling attraction.

When shes sure she has a card that has called to her shell end up holding the deck
slightly spread with a single card upjogged.

Mary, do you know what a double-blind scientific control is? It means that if you
forget the card, I can still look good! So as a double-blind scientific control well show
the card to the rest of the audience.

Lightly grasp the upjogged selection by the upper right corner and gently remove it from
the spread. Turn your entire body counter-clockwise, including your right arm. As soon as
the card is facing the audience, freeze the right arm, but continue to rotate your head and
body counter-clockwise. Execute the Flicker Glimpse as you say

Please remember that THIS is the card Mary is attracted to...

Make sure you flick the card at the same time you say THIS so its a gesture of
emphasis.

Youre now in the following position: Your head and body are turned to the extreme left
and your right hand is holding a card in front of the audience.

Now rotate your body clockwise, but keep your right arm in its relative position so when
youre facing the audience, the card will be right in front of the cards spread between
Judys hands.

This entire procedure should take about six seconds and if properly done, no one will
have the slightest idea that you could have seen the card.

Mary, put the card back in the deck and shuffle it really well so NO ONE knows
where the card is. Once youre done, let me know its safe-- I wont look until then!

35
When Mary tells you to turn around, take the deck and give it a shuffle as you say:

Now from our interaction here and the way you carry yourself, I can already narrow
the choices down...

Spread the cards between your hands with the faces towards you and up jog five cards,
making sure that one of them is the selection. Let no one see the faces of any of the cards.

As I said, were going to use the pseudo-science Numeralphatology. Did I mention I


invented it? Ill have to ask you some questions regarding your preferences on other
things and each answer should help me eliminate one of these cards...

Look at Mary and ask a question that has to do with a numerical or personal preference,
like:

Do you prefer the number 16 or the number 246, 968? or:

Mary, do you prefer the color blue or cajun food?

The idea here is to ask one question for each card and eliminate one of the cards after
Mary answers. Each question should be about Marys preferences and some of the
questions should be about numbers, although it should never be a question that could give
you a hint of what the card is, like asking if she likes even or odd numbers. This allows
for a great range of presentation styles because you can play it seriously (non-funny
questions) or comedically (funny questions). I try to keep a list of fairly funny
questions-- and Im not going to tell you what they are. However Ill give you one hint:
You can often make the question funny by a comparison between normal and ridiculous
(as in the number question above) or by giving her a choice between two totally unrelated
things, like the choice between the color blue and cajun food.

Once theres only one card left, you can conclude the effect by saying something like
this:

Mary, from interpreting your preferences to various things, Ive been able to use the
pseudo-science of Numeralphatology to come to only ONE conclusion-- that THIS is
the one card that you would be compelled to choose-- the Nine of Diamonds!

36
Comments
Once in a while, a spectator will try and give you an answer that avoids answering the
question. For example, if you were to ask something like this:

Question: Mary do you prefer blue or red?

Answer: Neither...

Look at Mary, roll your eyes and upjog another card. If she gets a laugh, she may do it
again. In which case, you roll your eyes, upjog another card and say something like:

Uh... Mary? Its only a 20 minute show...

Finally, Ill state the obvious and say that if youre going to play this seriously, then you
should tailor the script appropriately and tone down the humor. If you dont know which
parts are humorous, I only charge $100 an hour to teach comedy by phone.

37
Calling The Shot
This is an effect based on something Terry LeGerould showed me a very long time ago,
but Ive changed the idea into something much different. Additionally, it can also give
you an excellent ace cutting effect which is briefly described in the Comments section.

Effect
Three cards are selected and shuffled into the deck. The performer demonstrates he has
developed the knack to cut to any card simply by calling out the name of the card as he
cuts to it. To demonstrate, he cuts the deck three times while saying: Nine...of...Clubs.
The Nine of Clubs is cut to the top! To further demonstrate, he then cuts to the first two
selections and lets the last spectator call out their selection as he cuts! Each time the
performer is able to show the top and bottom cards of the deck.

Method
Haver three cards selected and control them to the top, but make sure they are on top in
the order in which they were selected. Youve probably already guessed that I use the
Cardini Multiple Shift, however almost any deceptive method will work here as long as
its quick and retains the order of the selections. Glimpse the bottom card without letting
the spectators see it-- I get the glimpse during an all-around square-up-- this is described
in the Sleights section. This will put you in the following position: you know the identity
of the bottom card and you have the selections on top in the order in which they were
selected.

Double cut the bottom card to the top and start the pitch:

You know, over the years Ive developed a certain knack that is unique. OK, its just a
little weird, but it works for me. Let me show you what I mean...

As you say this, execute the Straddle Faro Glimpse as follows as described in the Sleight
Descriptions at the end of these notes.

Youre now in the following position: You have a small number of cards on top of the
deck, the key card you glimpsed during the Straddle Faro, followed by a known card and
the selections in the order which they were selected.

38
See, I can call my shots. I can cut to any card I need with three cuts of the deck. Now
Ive shuffled the deck, so to tell the truth, I dont know where your cards are-- lets
make sure theyre not on top.

Push off a few face-down cards into your right hand and tilt them toward you so both you
and the audience can see the faces. Ask Not here, are they? Keep up this procedure
until the last card you push off is the card you sighted during the Straddle Faro Glimpse.
Since its only a few cards, you can most probably do this in one push off sequence, but if
you dont, quickly push off single face down cards, tilting them in the same manner until
the last card you pushed off is the card you sighted during the Straddle Faro Glimpse.
Once youre there, flip the deck face-up in the left hand, but as you do so, retain the card
you sighted during the Straddle Faro Glimpse on top of the deck with your left thumb.
Then push a few cards off the bottom. Not here either? Then flip the cards in your
right hand over and add them to the face of the face-up deck. Flip the deck face down.
This entire procedure should take about ten seconds. As you say the following, get a
break below the top card of the deck.

Then let me show you what I mean. All I have to do to find a card is call it out. Lets
say Im looking for the... (act like youre thinking...) Nine of Clubs. All I have to do is
call the shot, like this...

Grasp the deck in the right hand as in Figure 7--


the right thumb takes the over the break. Bring
your left hand under the deck and riffle up from
the bottom approximately 1/3 of the cards with
the tip of the right thumb and cut those cards to
the top. Repeat the action with another 1/3 of
the deck all the while maintaining the break
with the right thumb. Repeat it a third time, but
this time riffle off all the cards below the break
and cut them to the top. You have, essentially
Figure 7
triple cut the top card to the bottom. Show that
the Nine of Clubs is on top and that youve successfully
Called The Shot.

Each time you cut the bottom packet to the top, call out a part of the card, i.e.
Nine...of...Clubs. Each word is said as you place the cut off packet on top of the deck. Do
not overlook the riffle. It should sound exactly the same on each cut.

Look at the first spectator and ask:

39
Get the idea? What was the name of your card?

Using the same procedure, cut the spectators card to the top. After the card is shown,
drop it to the table and push off the top card and show it to the audience as you say:

See? If I was one card off, I wouldnt have made it!

Repeat the procedure for the second spectator but this time when you show the indifferent
card, dont use the same exact phrase. Instead say something like:

See? Its just a knack! or That was close...

Hesitate as if you have an idea and then address the third spectator:

Wait a minute-- it occurs to me that you might think Im cheating because I know the
card before I cut. So this time, YOU call the shot as I cut...but dont go faster than I did
because my fingers need to keep up!

Have the spectator call out her card just as you did the previous cards, repeat the
procedure, show the card and drop it onto the table as you say

OK, maybe its NOT unique to me... but dont try this at home...

Comments
Do not overlook the fact that this methodology can also be used for an in-the-hands ace
cutting procedure that mimics Ed Marlos Estimation Aces but leaves the guesswork and
the need for a table behind. If you do this, you will not need to demonstrate the procedure
using a random card. (In our example the random card was the Nine of Clubs). Youll
simply need to get the four aces, in known order, to the top of the deck with an indifferent
card on top of them. Then do the Straddle Faro Glimpse, show the aces arent on top or
bottom and proceed from there, calling out each ace as you go. I prefer to make the last
ace the Ace of Spades because... OK, I dont know why, I just like it.

40
The Angle Cut Key Card
While there are all types of key cards, Ive never found one that could be used to my
satisfaction. Corner Shorts usually require riffling at the corner or tapping the deck on the
table at the corner which Ive always thought was rather strange behavior. A short card is
better, however is also has some rather strange maneuvers required to use it effectively
and can often be detected due to the brief. Scallop shorts and Belly Strippers are better,
but rather limited in the way you can find them. So I had to invent my own.

Manufacturing An Angle Cut Key Card


First, lets take a look at how its constructed and then well get into how versatile it
actually is. Here are the tools you need to make this card:

1) A small metal ruler-- found at almost any office


supple store.
2) A pair of nail clippers-- found at any drugstore
or grocery store.
3) A four-way nail buffer-- found at almost any
drugstore.
4) A very sharp, but safe razor knife-- found at
almost any hardware store.
5) A surface you can cut on that will not let the
knife sink into it-- like heavy glass or metal.
Figure 8

In the Figure 8, you can see scratches on the cutting surface. Thats because its made of
plexiglass-- not hard, thick glass. When you are using a cutting surface to make key
cards, the harder the surface, the better the card. The reason is that if pressure on the knife
causes the knife to sink into the surface, it will press the edge of the card into the surface,
thus giving the card a slight lip. Although I normally use heavy glass for doing this, in
this explanation Ill be using the plexiglass so I can explain how to get rid of the lip. In
this way youll be able to compensate if you cannot find or purchase the heavy glass
necessary. And since youll be putting a good deal of pressure on it, the glass will have to
be very thick.

41
Take out the card youre going to alter and
place it face up on the cutting surface.
Youre going to make a very small, angular
cut on the right long side of the card. In
figure x you can see me getting ready for the
cut and exactly how much Im going to cut
off. While youll be able to reduce the
amount cut from the card after working with
the ACKC, its best to start with the amount
shown so you can experiment with it first.
Figure 9

After youve cut the card, there may be a


noticeable sharp corner on the outer right
side of it, depending on how much you cut
off. Using the nail clippers, clip the sharp
corners away making very small cuts and
gradually round the corner. The smaller the
cuts you make, the better the results will be.

Using the roughest surface of the nail buffer,


smooth out the corner until its almost
perfectly round. Use very short, very light
strokes. Figure 10

This is a picture of the card after its been cut


and has had the corner rounded. Once you get
used to using the ACKC, youll be able to
work a card which has a much smaller piece
cut off and there will be very little corner
rounding necessary. At first, I suggest using a
larger cut and a rounded corner for reasons Ill
discuss later.

Figure 11

42
The last and final step is sometimes
necessary to remove the Lip that comes
with cutting the card. Set the card flat on
the glass and run the smoother sides of
the nail buffer over the edge and corner
of the card thats been cut. Then turn the
card over and do it again. I do this every
time, even if Im using a glass cutting
surface.
Figure 12

Advantages Of The Angle Cut Key Card


Once you make this card and put it in the deck you will be amazed at how many different
ways youll be able to gain control of it. One of the unusual properties is that it is self-
adjusting. In other words, you can easily adjust the brief to be almost anywhere you want
it to be-- at the front end, the back end or even on either long side of the deck. Not only
that, but once you learn to handle it, you can hide the brief from a particular side. These
properties make the ACKC one of the most versatile key cards in existence.

Rather than spend dozens of pages describing all the different methods you can use to
shift and/or position this card, Im going to briefly describe some of the ways you can
gain control of the card and let you have a fun evening playing with the card so you can
discover ways to position it that fit your performing style. I will say, however,
that you should start by squaring the deck on the
table in different ways-- try all four edges of the deck and youll see how the card adjusts.
Youll even find that you can use it if youre left handed!

Here is a close-up of the deck when it is squared


and on the table. You can see the brief on the
right side of the deck. From both ends and the
front, however, the deck will look perfectly
normal. It is also possible to get the brief on the
left side!
Figure 13

43
As you can see, the ACKC can be easily cut to
the top in an ordinary riffle shuffle. Here the
picture shows the right thumb simply lifting up
at the brief. I riffle up with my right thumb
because thats how I normally shuffle.

Figure 14

Here is a close up that shows me gaining


control of the ACKC by simple pulling down
with my left little finger. If you look closely,
youll see the last card coming starting to
come off -- the ACKC is right below it. This
action takes only one second and can be done
as your right hand comes over the deck to cut
it. In this case youll have a break below the
key card.
Figure 15

And of course, you can also use your left


thumb to riffle down to gain control of the
ACKC which makes forcing the card below it
in the context of a riffle force possible to do
without holding a break. In this photograph,
the ACKC has just been released by the left
thumb. With a little experimentation you can
also get ACKC to outjog in different places!
Figure 16

I cannot emphasize the versatility of the ACKC enough-- it is the most versatile key card
Ive even used or heard of. It can be adapted to almost anyones performing style, it can
be used by right or left handed people and you can gain control of it using actions that
are normal and natural.

44
The Camouage Spread
This is a concept which most Cardmen know about, but few have exploited to its fullest
extent. First, lets talk about camouflage. One of the key factors in camouflage is the idea
of random patterns. Unfortunately when most of us handle cards, we handle them neatly.

Lets look at two pictures. Figure 17 is a fairly neat ribbon spread. Figure 18 is the result
of dribbling the cards onto the table. Which picture implies randomness? In which
display would the spectator reach in and grab one with no hesitation?

Figure 17 Figure 18

There are two points here that I want you to understand. First, human beings like order
and do not like to disturb or corrupt something that is orderly, neat and tidy. If you spread
cards on the table in a neat ribbon spread and ask a spectator to take one, almost without
exception theyll reach forward with their index finger and thumb, being very careful to
not disturb your neat, orderly display. On the other hand, if you dribble the cards on the
table as in Figure 18 and ask someone to reach in there and snag one, theyll have no
hesitation to do just that. The first point is this: disorder implies randomness.

Compare the two pictures again. In which of the pictures would it be more difficult to
detect a change? Obviously it would be Figure 18. The second point is this: random
patterns are a prime factor in camouflage.

Now admittedly these principles have limited applications when the cards are on the
table, although there are a few. However both principles can be leveraged to a great
advantage when the cards are in your hands.

45
Figure 19 is a picture of Derrick Chung offering the cards for a selection using the LePaul
Spread. Do you see how neat and tidy it is? There are two things about this I want you to
notice. Again, if you ask a spectator to
select one of these cards, theyll reach
forward and attempt to take one without
messing up your pretty spread. It is a
natural human tendency to prefer order
over chaos. We like neat things and we
will take pains not to mess them up. In
terms of the Classic Force, this is a
disadvantage because the one thing you
dont want when using a Classic Force is
for the spectator to hesitate. The other
problem with this display is that it is an Figure 19
orderly pattern and therefore it is much
easier to detect changes in it. If you spread the cards between your hands this neatly, it
makes it much more difficult to accomplish under the spread work-- because orderly
patterns do not facilitate camouflage.

Now take a look at how sloppy my


spread is when I offer the cards for a
selection (Figure 20). There isnt a
spectator in the world that wouldnt
just reach in there and grab one with
no hesitation. That not only makes the
Classic Force easier, if you spread
cards like this consistently, it also
makes culling and under the spread
techniques much easier. It becomes
quite easy to do things like the Touch
Force and culling because youve got
much more room longitudinally to
move the card without being exposed at Figure 20
the front of the spread.

46
The idea of The Camouflage Spread is not new. However its applications have only just
been touched on in Card Magic. Consistently using The Camouflage Spread makes
almost all sleights that use a spread much more deceptive. Additionally it makes culling
and similar sleights much more deceptive. Ive even developed a Side Steal that uses this
that is unique because like almost all Side Steals it uses a squaring action to place the
card on top of the deck, but in this case-- the deck needs to be squared. Additionally this
particular Side Steal is made much easier and is covered better due to the extra
longitudinal room provided. Consider how it could be used in things like Marlos Flexible
Switchout, The Touch Force and even The Convincing Control.

Finally, I want to mention that the phrase just reach in there and snag one is the idea of
Kent Gunn. To date its the best line Ive ever heard used in the context of the Classic
Force and once I heard him use it, I immediately started using it with his permission.

47
Sleight Descriptions
By Andru Luvisi
I've attempted to make these description as accurate as possible, but they are Bare
Bones descriptions. We wanted to include them for the sake of being complete, but we
did not want to waste space describing sleights that are fundamental to most CardGuys
and did not want to duplicate detailed teaching found in other sources. The following list
of descriptions was, therefore, a compromise. If Steven does a move differently than
most, weve included the differences for your convenience. They are listed roughly in the
order they are mentioned in the notes.

Straddle Faro
Steven does a Faro (including the Straddle Faro) a little different than its commonly
done-- unlike Ed Marlo, Steven interweaves the corners closest to him as in Figure 21.

A Straddle Faro does not require you to split the deck into two equal packets. Instead, all
youre really concerned with is getting a perfect weave.

Figure 22 shows the results of a Straddle Faro. While most people reading this probably
know what a Straddle Faro is, Steven is often asked about it while hes lecturing so weve
included the picture for those who arent familiar with it.

Figure 21 Figure 22

48
Tabled Running Cuts
Steven uses two different cuts for this: one is a hybrid of Up The Ladder and the other is
the Hustlers Triple Cut which is described in The Annotated Erdnase by Darwin Ortiz.
Other cuts you might want to consider are the Blind Cut III To Retain the Top Stock from
page 41 of The Expert at the Card Table; the Gamblers' False Cut from page 78 of Expert
Card Technique and Dai Vernons Cold Deck Cut from Dai Vernon's Ultimate Secrets of
Card Magic.

The Riffle Pass


This move has been published in many places, including Elliots Last Legacy, Royal
Road To Card Magic and More Card Manipulations.

Convincing Control
Spread the cards from your left hand into your right hand, and ask the spectator to touch
the a card. While spreading the cards, move the right and left hands in a seesaw motion,
with the left hand moving towards you a little while the right hand moves away, and then
with the right hand moving towards you while the left hand moves away. Making this
seesaw motion a few times at the beginning of the spread helps to create an uneven
spread, which gives more cover for the moves to follow.

Separate the spread below the indicated card, so that the selection is the bottom card of
the right hand spread. Raise the right hand, showing the card to the spectator. Square the
cards in your left hand. As you lower the spread, you will now apparently bring the
hands together, outjog the selection, and close the spread. In reality, you will outjog the
card above the selection and bring the selection to the bottom of the deck.

Bring the left hand up to the right hand cards, with the left hand about half the length of a
card lower than the right hand. Place the outer edge of the left third finger tip against the
lower edge of the right hand spread, and place the left thumb on the back of the card
above the selection. As the hands lower the spread, right when the edge of the spread is
pointed at the eyes of the spectators, the right fingers pull the selection to the right under
the spread. The left thumb holding the card above the selection helps to make sure that
only one card is pulled under the spread, and the left third finger at the inner end of the
spread helps to keep the card in alignment with the other cards. The uneven spread helps
to hide any misalignment of the card.

49
The left thumb now holds the card that was above the selection in place while the right
hand pulls all of its other cards towards you, even with the other cards in the left hand.
The card that was above the selection is left outjogged. The spectators believe this to be
the selection. As the spread is closed, the selection rides below the cards to the bottom of
the deck. You can now slowly and fairly push the outjogged card into the deck, calling
attention to its position.

Pulling a card under the spread is described as a cull in Modern Magic by Professor
Hoffmann on page 109, and again on page 110. Pulling a card under the spread is also
described as a control in Hofzinser's Card Conjuring on page 26.

Outjogging a card other than the selection, that appears to be the selection, is described in
the Convincing Control write up in Heirophant number 3, which starts on page 133.

Outjogging the whole right hand spread while showing the selection and then bringing
the right hand spread back in line with the left hand cards, leaving the dummy card
outjogged, is described on page 33 of Variations by Earl Nelson in Pass The Sandwich,
where it is credited to Frank Simon, in Versatile Card Magic by Frank Simon as the
Versatile Outjog Control and on page 17 of The Classic Magic of Larry Jennings in
A Problem With Hofzinser.

Ron Bauer was kind enough to include his technique for this sleight and youll find it at
the back of the notes.

Top Change
Steven does not use any large movements to
accomplish the Top Change. Instead he positions
the cards in such a manner that the change can be
done in an instant. Figure 23 shows his starting
position. Figure 23 also shows his ending position.
By careful blocking you can arrange for the cards
to be in the position shown. Since the cards start
out and finish in the same position, it only takes
one second to accomplish the change. By keeping
the ending position the same as the starting Figure 23
position, the audience will see no difference
between the moment before the change and the moment after the change. A complete
tutorial of the Top Change as well as the advantages of this approach can be found on
Stevens website.

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Ron Bauers Two Card Turnover Technique
The most accurate written description of Rons technique is in his 2008 Lecture notes.
Steven has a complete video tutorial of it on his site (available to members) and an
excellent demonstration of it on his public site.

Cardini Multiple Shift


For illustrative purposes we will assume that you wish to apparently insert the four Aces
into random places in the deck and fairly shuffle the deck, while actually controlling the
Aces to the top.

Begin with the Aces face up on the table and the rest of the deck in your hands. Fan the
deck face up in the left hand. Insert the Aces into different parts of the fan, leaving them
sticking out of the fan for half of their length. Close the fan from right to left. You now
are holding the deck face up in your left hand, with the four Aces out jogged for half of
their length. Tilt the deck up to the right, into an overhand shuffle position with the faces
to the right. The left hand holds the deck with the thumb above, and the four fingertips
underneath.

The right hand takes a position with the thumb at the inner end of the deck, near the top,
and all four fingers at the outer end. With all four right fingertips, apparently push the
Aces into the deck. In reality, when they are only protruding between a half inch and a
quarter inch, the right fingertips move upward in an arc, angling the Aces. The forefinger
pushes the upper outer corner of the Aces towards you, past the outer end of the deck. As
this is happening, the left second, third, and fourth fingers lower to allow the Aces to
move diagonally through the deck.

Once the right forefinger has pushed the upper outer corner of the Aces about a half inch
closer to you than the upper outer corner of the deck, the right forefinger stops pushing
and the left little finger pushes up and towards you on the lower inner corner of the Aces,
pivoting them on the left thumb and bringing them into a position parallel to the rest of
the cards, but injogged about half an inch.

The right thumb now lifts the inner upper corner of the Aces while pushing away from
you (in an arc) until it can grip both the top of the inner edge of the Aces and the inner
upper corner of the deck against the right second finger at the outer end of the deck.
Overhand shuffle, but as you do, slowly rotate the right thumb away from you, keeping
its grip on the Aces but releasing the other cards some at a time. At the end, you are

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holding only the Aces with the right hand and you drop them on top. You can then finish
with a false overhand shuffle of your choosing.

Although Stevens handling is a bit different, The Cardini Multiple Shift was published in
Greater Magic on page 545 and in The Amateur Magicians Handbook on page 91

The False Triple Spinning Center Cut


The right hand holds the deck between the right thumb at the inner end near the inner
right corner and the right second finger at the outer end near the outer right corner. The
right first finger lifts a third of the deck and moves to the left, causing the packet to pivot
on the right thumb at the inner end. The left hand grabs the packet in the fork of the left
thumb and moves away to the left until the packet clears the cards in the right hand.

The left hand moves back to the right, under the right hand, as the right first finger starts
to cut another third of the deck to the left. The left thumb goes between the two right
hand packets. The next two actions occur at the same time. The right third finger and
thumb grab the packet the left hand is holding (the original top of the deck), and the left
thumb fork grabs the lower packet the right hand is holding (the original bottom of the
deck). The left hand then moves to the left until the left packet clears the right packets.
You are now holding the original bottom of the deck in the left hand, the original top of
the deck between the right thumb and third finger, and the original middle of the deck
between the right thumb and first finger.

The left hand now moves back so that the left thumb can contact the inner end of the
upper packet in the right hand (the original middle of the deck). The left hand moves
forward, rotating the packet 180 degrees clockwise between the left thumb and the right
first finger. As soon as the rotation is complete, the rotating packet almost automatically
falls on top of the cards in the left hand. The right hand then drops its only remaining
packet on top of the cards in the left hand.

This cut leaves the deck in its original order, and when performed quickly, looks much
more difficult than it actually is. The packets can almost seem to fly past each other. No
one will have a clue that it is a false cut. One more thing-- the cut has a rhythm to it that
only comes with practice. Once the rhythm is attained (and as I said, it's not nearly as
hard as it looks), you will have a valuable tool at your disposal. This wonderful false cut
is the invention of Gerry Griffin.

The method of cutting packets from the top of the deck is commonly called a Swing Cut.
It is similar to the one handed fancy true cut described in The Expert At The Card Table.

52
It is also similar to Marlo's Running Cut from Deck Deception.

The idea of spinning part of the deck around during an in the hands flourish cut is
described in The Leipzig Book by Dai Vernon.

Marlos Flexible Switchout


Hold the deck in a left hand dealing position. Spread the cards into the right hand.
Separate the spread below the card to be switched out. The card being switched out is the
bottom card of the right hand spread. The left hand squares the cards that it holds while
the right hand raises to show the spectator the faces of the right hand cards, drawing
attention to the lower most one.

You will now apparently take the bottom card of the right hand spread on top of the left
packet and deal it onto the table. As the right hand lowers, right when the edge of the
spread is pointed at the eyes of the audience, the hands come together. The bottom card
of the right hand spread is placed square on top of the left hand packet, as the left thumb
grabs the the second card from the bottom of the right hand spread. The left hand takes
the bottom two cards from the right hand spread, but when the hands separate, only one
card is jogged to the right on top of the left hand packet. Apparently it is the card that
was just shown at the bottom of the right hand cards. The left hand then deals the
switched in card onto the table. If the switched out card needs to be on top of the deck,
the right hand can now slide its cards under the left hand packet.

Marlo's Flexible Switchout is described in Marlo Without Tears-- Steven also has a
complete video tutorial of it on his website.

The Touch Force


Have the force card about a third of the way down in the deck, above a left little finger
break. Spread the cards from your left hand into your right hand. While spreading the
cards, move the right and left hands in a seesaw motion, with the left hand moving
towards you a little while the right hand moves away, and then with the right hand
moving towards you while the left hand moves away. Making this seesaw motion a few
times at the beginning of the spread helps to create an uneven spread, which gives more
cover for the moves to follow.

When you get to the break, cull the force card under the spread. To do this, the left
thumb holds the card above the force card while the right fingers pull the force card

53
to the right under the spread.

After you have culled the force card, ask a spectator to touch the back of a card. When
this is done, separate the spread below the touched card, so the touched card is
(apparently) the lowermost card of the right hand spread. Place the left thumb against the
left edge of the touched card. Raise the hands to show the selection to the spectator,
keeping the left thumb against the left edge of the right hand packet. As you do so, the
left thumb pushes the selection to the right, square with the other cards in the right hand,
above the force card. The spectator now sees the force card, but thinks it is the selected
card.

Do not neglect the Camouflage Spread, or the placement and use of the left thumb. The
Camouflage Spread gives you extra cover for the cull, and the use of the left thumb,
squaring the card as the right hand cards are lifted, and remaining against the edge of the
cards, creates a retention of vision effect, an illusion that they are seeing the face of the
same card that they just saw the back of.

The Touch Force is described on page 136 of Hofzinser's Card Conjuring, with the force
card starting on the bottom of the deck. Ed Marlo's Imperfection Force from Marlo in
Spades includes the idea of starting with the force card near the top and culling it. The
use of the left thumb to square the right hand packet to create a retention of vision device
is original with Steven.

The Flicker Glimpse


Spread the cards face down between your hands and ask a spectator to touch one. Out jog
the selected card and close the spread leaving the selection out jogged. Tell the spectator
that you will allow them to change their mind if they like before you show them the
selection. Once they confirm theyre happy, grip the selection at the outer right corner
between the right thumb and first finger. Withdraw the card from the deck and hold it at a
45 slant with the upper end closer to you. Tell the spectator to remember the card and as
you say this do two things simultaneously: Turn your head away to the left but at the last
possible moment, flick the card outward with the right second finger, sighting the lower
left corner of the card out of the right corner of your right eye. It should look like you just
flicked the card with the right second finger to emphasize your comment to the spectator.
This is a modified version of the glimpse that was published by Earnest Earick in his
book By Forces Unseen; earlier by Jerry Mentzer in Card Cavalcade IV and all were
based on a glimpse in Bruce Elliots Phoenix #300.

54
In these notes the handling differs slightly due to blocking-- there is a body turn involved.
Theres also a complete tutorial of Stevens handling of this glimpse on his website.

All Around Square Up Glimpse


This is a great way to sight a card that is on the bottom of the deck under cover of an all
around square up. The all around square up is a common action used to turn the deck end
for end. The deck is held in a left hand dealing grip and the right hand takes the deck by
the ends from above. The deck is then rotated away from you, bringing the right thumb
up. It is at this point that you look at the deck and sight the card. The left hand turns
towards you, the thumb grasping the long edge closest to you and the fingers grasping the
long edge farther from you. The left hand takes the cards from the right hand and turns
palm up, finishing the rotation of the deck and bringing the cards back into a dealing
position. Steven curls his left forefinger on the bottom of the deck and uses it as a pivot
point.

This glimpse is described as Marlos Turnaround Glimpse in Revolutionary Card


Technique on page 404. Steven curls his left forefinger on the bottom of the deck and
uses it as a pivot point.

Straddle Faro Glimpse


This move allows you to bury the top of the deck during a faro shuffle, but know the
value of the card that goes above the original top card.

Begin with the deck held by both hands by the long edges. The back of the top card is
towards the right. The bottom card faces to the left. The short edges of the deck are
vertical, and the long edges are parallel to the floor.

The left thumb, second, and third fingers grip the deck by the long edges near the outer
end, thumb above and fingers below. The right thumb, second, and third fingers grip the
deck by the long edges near the inner end, thumb above and fingers below.

The right thumb pulls to the right, splitting the deck and taking about a third of the cards
off of the top of the deck, away from the left hand.
The right hand now moves inward, carrying its cards with it, until the outer end of the
right hand packet can be butted against the inner end of the left hand packet.

The ends of the two packets are now forced into each other, faro style, but the top card of

55
the right hand packet (the original top card of the deck) is buried under a small group of
cards from the left hand packet.

After the packets are interlaced about an inch, the left thumb and little finger grip both
packets by the interlaced portion while the right hand lets go of its packet and changes
grip. The right hand moves so that the right thumb is at the inner end of the inner packet
and the right fingers are at the outer end of the outer packet. The right hand squeezes the
ends of both packets together while the left hand pushes the middle to the right. The
packets bow into the mirror image of a "C" (with the opening to the left instead of the
right).

The left hand releases its grip on the interlaced portion of the packets. As the cards
straighten out, starting at the bottom of the deck, they will "spring" into each other in a
manner similar to the common waterfall finish to an end riffle shuffle. The left hand
catches the cards as they spring into each other.

Right as the waterfall is finishing, glance at the upper inner corner of the small group of
cards from the top of the outer packet. This packet will have a natural tendency to stick
to the right palm for just a moment after all of the other cards have sprung into each
other, long enough for you to peek the index
of its lowermost card, the card going above
the original top card of the deck (Figure 24).
Square the cards and you are done.

Try to make your peek in the smallest amount


of time possible, and try to minimize the
amount of time that the top packet is apart
from the other cards. Experiment with how
far the packets are telescoped, where the outer
end of the outer packet touches the right
fingers, and how large the packet is that buries Figure 24
the original top card.

Marlo's "Throw-Off Faro - Top" from page 24 of The Faro Shuffle accomplishes a similar
end, but uses a break instead of the peeked key card.

56
Odds & Ends
Fundamental Sleights & Where To Find Me
As promised, here is my personal list of fundamental sleights. Although you may want to
add a second and bottom deal to it, I think you could probably do about 95% of the Card
Magic in print with these. In my opinion, it would take decades to truly master these.

They are in no particular order:

The Top Change


The Classic Force
False Riffle Shuffle
At Least Six Glimpses
A Pass And/Or Side Steal
Elmsley and Jordan Count
Holding and manipulating a break
False Overhand Shuffle Technique
Two Or Three Sure-Fire Forces
Double And Triple Turnover Technique
Palming Cards From The Top And Bottom
Some Flourishes And A Few Color Changes
A Few Full Deck False Cuts (Table AND in the hands)
A Few Good Controls Other Than The Pass Or Side-Steal

Several times in these notes weve referenced my website-- its a membership site that
has video tutorials. All members are allowed to download the videos to their hard drive.
There are also articles on subjects related to Card Magic and a forum where you can ask
questions on the material.

You can find find out how to become a member by going to www.stevenyouell.net.

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Ron Bauers Technique For The Convincing Control
In discussing The Convincing Control with Ron Bauer, he mentioned that he had a
particular way of doing it that took out the tells. I asked him if I could include it because I
thought it was a brilliant example of an Elegant Solution. Ron re-wrote the description
specifically for these notes. Every magician owes it to himself to own Rons Performance
Scripts and you can find out more by going to www.thinklikeaconjurer.com.

Following is a description that Ron adapted from his monograph Fair and Sloppy:

The principle of secretly slipping a card from among the cards near the center, and
secretly moving it beneath the spread to another location was first published by J.N.
Hofzinser. Though this idea is very clever, as translated into English, the procedure has
no inherent misdirection. The slipping and substituting of the selection for an indifferent
card happens immediately following the replacement. Everyones attention is riveted on
it. This is the type of cause and effect relationship to be avoided.

Ed Marlo came up with a solution to this tell by apparently outjogging the selection
(actually a different card) as misdirection from the under-the-spread mischief. So
convincing were his results that he called them The Convincing Control. There are certain
elements of it, though, that arent always completely convincing.

For one thing, the objective of the Convincing Control is to give the impression that a
card is touched by a spectator, outjogged, shown to the audience, and then, turning the
deck faces downward, cleanly squared with the other cards.

Thats not what happens, however. In reality, a card is touched by a spectator, shown to
the audience, the deck is turned faces downward, the selection outjogged, and then
cleanly squared with the other cards.

Did you discern the difference? Its the order of the actions. In the Convincing Control,
the card is outjogged after the deck is turned faces downward. Its the order that leads to
the tells. But, the order is necessary because thats where the manipulation happens.
So, since we cant change the order, we must strive to change the perception of the order.
To accomplish that, and take care of a few other tells in the Convincing Control, several
handling techniques and finesses have been integrated into the presentation for Fair and
Sloppy. Study them judiciously, and Im confident that youll experience some genuine
satisfaction from your results.

58
Here we go...

The Convincing Control begins with offering a spectator a free selection of a card...
I dont push cards at you. No. I let you JUST TOUCH ANY CARD with the TIP OF
YOUR FINGER... THIS WAY you can SEE that Im being COMPLETELY FAIR. Go
ahead. Touch one...

When you spread the cards between your hands for the selection, you not only convey
fairness by the way you lightly spread them, but also by your body language, i.e., your
palm up hands. Actually, you dont want any card selected. You want one selected from
those ten or fifteen cards near the center of the deck. This more or less obliges the
spectator to select from that group.

In the traditional handling, this is where the first tell occurs thats most likely to destroy
the illusion, i.e., the alignment of the selection with the card above it, occurs. Once the
audience fixes on this action, the resulting suspicion is never resolved. (They may not
know how it affects the trick, but theyll be satisfied that they saw something, which
effectively spoils the illusion.)

So, dont align it. Instead, as soon as the spectator touches a card, tap it with your left
thumb tip to verify. Then, press the selection against your left fingers, which are below
the spread, with your left thumb. Split the spread at the selection by moving the spread
cards above it to your right, then raise your left hand to show the clipped card to the
audience.

As if to show more of the selection, raise the spread cards in your RIGHT hand, and
bring your hands together so you can deposit the selection against the card nearest the
audience. Clip it in place with your right fingers.

NOTE: This cancels the first tell by replacing the standard alignment at the time of
selection with one that is motivated by the need to openly display the selection to the
audience. Therefore, the alignment will make sense, and create no suspicion.

To help reinforce the innocence of the alignment, move your left hand with its cards out
of the way as though to avoid obscuring the view of the selection. An additional throw off
is to make an obvious squaring action of the cards in your left hand.

There it is. Your card. Dont forget it...

59
As you say this, move the left hand packet back to the front of the selection so you can
clip the lower left corner of the double card against it with the tip of your left thumb. The
selection covers the upper right quarter of the packet in your left hand. You can rest the
selection and the card aligned with it on the side of your left third finger to help stabilize
the cards during the action to come.

This position, while necessary for the course of the action that follows, should appear to
the audience as though youre merely putting the cards together while trying to fairly
keep the selection in their view; not yours.

Its at this point where the worst tell of all typically occurs in the standard handling of the
Convincing Control. Its the great downward sweeping gesture made to show the backs of
the cards.

Eliminate this awkwardness by only do just that. Simply lower the assembly enough to
bring the backs into view by bending at both WRISTS. (If necessary, you can slightly
unbend at the elbows, too. But, only move enough to get the job done.) And, DONT
RUSH. Ive seen this move done with such sudden speed that the perpetrator came close
to flipping his entire body over. True, that could be a spectacular moment in a magic act,
but I dont believe the big move would fairly cover the little one. So, I really dont
think you should bother.

Remember, dont hinge at the elbows. Its all in the wrists!

As soon as you reach a position in which the faces cant be seen by the audience, STOP,
and slightly relax the pressure of your left thumb against the back of the card above the
selection. THEN, with your right second and third fingertips, slip the selection to the
right ABOUT AN INCH. The audience will assume the card beneath your left thumb to
be the selection.

KEEP IN MIND that its very important that you dont move the selection to the right
until youve stopped the downward movement of the cards. This is to ensure that you
dont flash any under-the-spread activity.

Youre safe doing this for several reasons. First, the audience cant see beneath the spread
if the backs are toward them. Second, they cant immediately focus on which face-down
card is the selection, even with your left thumb supposedly touching it. While they adjust,
you make the secret move. And, third, they see that all the cards have remained in their
original positions. You reinforce this situation by saying:

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Keep your eyes glued on it...

Now youre going to apparently outjog the selection and show that its in the center of the
deck. Actually, you move all the cards in your right hand (including the selection which is
resting on the tips of your right fingers) into alignment with the packet in your left hand
leaving the card beneath your left thumb tip outjogged.

To do this, first move the cards in your right hand to the right until you can feel the
selection clear the top of the left hand packet. (The audience cant see it because the card
clipped against the lower half of the deck with your left thumb covers it.) As soon as the
left side of the selection clears, move your right hand spread inward until it aligns with
the left hand packet.

Spreading all the cards beneath the jogged card will give the illusion that the selection is
still in the center, but outjogged.

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