You ask somebody to pick a card, the card is lost in the deck, then you tell to the
spectator that he is going to find his card again by inserting an indifferent card exactly
as the bullfighters do when they stab the bull. After inserting the selection and shuffle
the deck.....you give him/her an indifferent card and you ask the spectator to insert it
wherever he wants...inside the deck while you riffle it but never loose it. Then when the
stab was done ask to the spectator not to loose the stabbed card. Then see the card above
and below the stabbed card...everything failed.... but suddenly the stabbed card is
transformed magically into the selected card...
This is an impromptu trick. Start by shuffling the deck very well and then tell the
audience that you need a brave bullfighting performer. Have him/her pick a card,
take it from the deck and memorize it. After that, ask the spectator to lend you the card,
because you are going to lose it into the deck. Without seeing it (obviously), take the
card and pretend you are going to insert it in the middle of the deck, but suddenly
say...-"I need everybody to see this card"-.... and raise the card without
seeing it, in front of the audience showing the face of the card....Everybody will think
that you are being fair...but the reason of this move is to crimp the card by the
following method: Hold the card by the right lower corner between the index, the middle
finger and the thumb. The index goes in front of the corner, the middle goes back to that
corner and the thumb goes also back to that corner. The crimping action is very
easy....just bend the corner by pushing with your middle finger forward and with
your index finger backwards while you are showing the card (This is called the Crimp
Control) Insert the card wherever you want inside the deck and make a riffle
shuffle. (The crimped card is never lost at this point). When you feel ready to break the
deck by the crimp, do it.... and control the selection on top. Tell the
spectator that you are going to give him/her an indifferent card that is going to be the
sword..... This action is supported by a Double Lift...You show the card below the
selected card on top....Replace the Double Lift and give him/her the selection (top
card).. Ask the spectator to hold the card face down, clipping it between the index finger
and the thumb. Have him/her insert the card wherever he/she wants inside the
deck exactly as the bullfighters do..Say that with this stab he/she is going to find the
selection again. Hold the deck in the dealing position in your left hand and start
riffling the deck slowly by the front side....The spectator will do the stab....Tell
him/her not to loose the sword.... Review the card above the stabbed card, then review the
card below the stabbed card...Everything failed...Ask the spectator to revise the sword
and suddenly the stabbed card (sword) is transformed into the selected card...The
bullfighter will be amazed!!!
Jose Cerbon
Requirements:
You will require two identical new packs of cards for this effect.
Preparation:
Take a card from the first pack - the 4 Hearts -and add it to the second, it should be placed at the bottom of the deck, the twin of that card (4 Hearts) should be placed on the top of the deck. Return the whole deck to the box.
Working:
After you have been pestered to perform one of your amazing card tricks you reluctantly remove a pack of cards from your pocket (the one with the 4 Hearts top and bottom). As you remove the deck from the box carefully leave the bottom card (4 Hearts) in the box.Now you must force the top card (4 Hearts) onto your volunteer....For this we will use the Cut Deeper Force.
The card to be forced is the top card of the deck.Holding the deck on the flat of your hand (or table top) ask your volunteer to cut about one third of the way down the deck and to turn those cards over and place them on top of the deck. Ask them to cut again - this time they must cut about two thirds of the way down - again turn all the cut cards over and replace them on top of the 'tabled' cards.Pick up the whole deck and slowly pass the face up cards from one hand to the other (showing that they are all different) until you reach the first face down card (the force card).
Ask the volunteer to take the card and to "Look at it - memorise it - and show it to the nearest warm body". [You have just forced the 4 of Hearts.]Turn all the face up cards over so that all the cards are now face down.From this point follow the description as explained below.
After they have memorized the 4H, ask them to place it somewhere in the middle of the deck. Then put the deck in the pack, close it, shake it a bit and then take the deck out (with the dupe 4H on bottom), and show them that their card jumped to the bottom.
Many years ago, Al Baker invented and marketted a superb trick called "AlBaka".
Of it he said: "Albaka can be classed as one of the most perfect mind-reading
experiments possible with a deck of cards and nothing else to confuse the issue. To the
spectator it is simple, direct, and so incomprensible in effect that trickery seems very
remote and practically impossible."
The trick is really great and very direct. It can compare favorably with the Brainwave or
the Ultramental decks and
also with a masterpiece of mental card magic like Kenton Knepper's Kolossal Killer. Less
than an hour ago I did it
for a magician friend and blew him away and I know from experience it will also blow away
lay people.
I have been working with Baker's original trick and came up with a little idea that adds
lots to the trick's
effectiveness. I will describe my way of doing it and let the comparing of it with the
original to those so inclined.
Effect: The magician asks a spectator to think of any card in the deck. He then writes
something on the back of one of
the cards and cuts that card to the center. The spectator takes out his freely thought of
card. The magician fans the
deck back outwards until he reaches the only card with something written on the back.
Somebody reads the writing
and it says, for example: "7 of H". The spectator shows his freely thought of
card and it is the 7 of Hearts!
Preparation: Get a red-backed deck and order it in the well-known Si Stebbins arrangement.
The cards will end up
alternated red-black. Cut the Ace of Spades to the face of the pack and using the point of
the center spade pip as an
indicator, place it looking up. Now, on the lower right-hand quarter of all the black
cards, write with a thick black
felt tip marker, the name of the red card that is immediately above the black card. For
example, the 4-D is on
top of the 7-C. Write "4 of D" on the lower right-hand quarter of the back of
the 7-C. The reason for using a
red-backed deck is that the thick black writing will be highly visible.
One more example: on the back of the K-S you write "10 of H" because the 10 of
Hearts is the red card immediately above the King of Spades. After you have done this with
all the 26 black cards, the deck is done and you can insert it back into the case.
Now, when performance comes and you take the deck out, by only looking at the center spade
pip of the Ace of Spades, which is the face card, you'll know that you can spread the
cards from hand to hand, showing the backs, and all the writings will remain hidden. The
deck will appear completely normal.
Performance: You have to force the volunteer to think of a red card. (See a version
without this problem, below).
Take out the deck and spread it face to audience. Say that there are two colors: black and
red and ask a random
spectator to say one. Supposing he says "red" you reply: "Please think of a
red card. You have Hearts and Diamonds.
It can be the Ace, 2, 3, 4, 5, and so on of either Hearts or Diamonds. Hold that card in
your mind and don't tell
anybody." The add the following: "I will write something for you on the back of
a black card."
Now turn the deck back to the audience and spread the cards from hand to hand as if
looking for a black card. What you are doing is showing them the backs of the cards
without calling attention to the fact. Cut the deck near the middle
bringing a BLACK card to the face. Square the deck and turn it back to you. Take out a
felt tip marker and PRETEND to write someting on the UPPER right hand corner of the top
card. You don't really write anything but you blow on the
card as if drying the ink.
Say you will bury the written-on card in the deck and place it behind your back,
pretending to cut but don't do anything.
Now ask the spectator to take out his thought-of card and, for this, spread the cards from
hand to hand, face to him,
telling him to pull his card out of the spread when he sees it but not letting anybody see
what it is.
When the spectator pulls the card off the spread, separate the cards at that point and,
holding the upper cards in your
right hand and the lower cards in your left hand, push the top card of the left hand
portion towards the right. The
left thumb presses the back of the card against the left hand packet near its forward end,
thus serving as a pivot.
The right middle finger presses the bottom right hand corner of the card against the
underside of the cards in the right
hand, also serving as a pivot. Now move the right hand forward and the card will pivot 180
deegrees and you square
all the cards.
The above little move turns end for end the black card with the proper prediction (the
spectator's thought of card) and
it can be done very swiftly under cover of the movement of squaring off the cards.
At this moment everything is done. Begin spreading the cards, back to audience, and one
card only will have
something written on its upper left hand quarter. All other cards will appear as normal.
Thanks to the thick black
letters against the red background, the writing really stands out. Ask someone to take the
written-on card and read
what it says in a loud voice. It will the exact name of the spectator's thought-of card.
Note: You stack the cards in Si Stebbins order for two reasons. First: to get the
red-white alternancy. Second: in
case you mix the cards, you only have to stack them back in Si Stebbins order instead of
trying to match the writing
with the cards.
HOW TO HAVE A REALLY FREE SELECTION
Very simple: make two decks of cards, one using the red cards and the other using the
black cards. Have them in
different pockets. Ask the spectator what color of card he wants. Depending on what color
he says, that's the deck you
take out and go on from there according to routine already explained.
I hope all is clear and you enjoy this great
trick. Leal Smith
Effect: The spectator cuts a random amount of cards to get a random number. This number is used to find the four aces.
Sleights/Moves: partial faro-check, faro check (for a 26/26 split), double undercut (bottom card to top), double undercut (top card to bottom)
Preset:
Ace positioned at the face (bottom) of the deck, the next two aces 27th and 28th from the top, and last ace close to the top (fifth or sixth is a good position – doesn’t need to be exact).
Method:
Begin by having a spectator cut off a small portion of cards (maybe about a third – it just needs to be less than half), have the person count the number of cards that were cut and remember the number.
(NOTE: The following should be done as the spectator is counting the cards)
Hold the deck in position for doing an in-hands faro (i.e. hold the deck sideways so you can see the index of the cards while riffling with the right thumb). Start riffling the cards in your hand starting from slightly below the half of the deck (doesn’t not have to be precise, just an estimate), riffle upwards looking at the indices of the cards, stop when you see the two aces riffle off. Cut off the cards above the two aces and perform a partial out faro (weave from the bottom-up, make sure the original bottom card of the deck stays on bottom). When you have completed the partial faro (it needs to be perfectly interweaved) get a break above the interlaced cards. Next, strip out the cards you weaved (only the right-hand portion, not the cards you weaved them into), but make sure not to loose the break. Place the cards you unweaved on the bottom of the deck.
Position check: you have the same amount of cards that the spectator cut above your pinky break and you have just positioned the bottom ace in the center of the remaining cards (below the break). This all can be done very quickly, if the spectator finishes her count before you complete don’t worry, you can start with the instructions below and that will keep her preoccupied while you finish.
Once you’re done or while you are finishing up with the positioning described above, request the spectator to look through her cards and to remove the highest value card or cards. Explain that Aces are the highest followed by kings, queens, and etc (this just ensures that the spectator won’t think of the aces being the lowest value). The highest card will be the ace you positioned at the start, but the spectator won’t/shouldn’t know that you preset it. Inform the spectator that if there are multiple cards of the highest value to take them out (of course if she followed the directions she will only remove one card – the ace). Have the spectator place the card on top of her packet. Next have her do some sort of magical gesture like waiving her hand over the packet or tapping the top of her packet twice.
Cut your cards at the break, retaining the top packet of cards, but place the bottom packet aside. Place your packet on top of the spectator’s packet. Take the combined packet and double undercut the top card (an ace) to the bottom.
Place the cards (in hand) on top of the bottom portion you placed aside moments ago. You can give the deck a full deck false shuffle to imply fairness.
Perform a faro check to cut the cards exactly in half. Place the top portion aside for the moment. Ask the spectator what her number is and count to the number, but make sure to not reverse the order on this count (* see ‘Additional Notes’ at bottom for details). The card that falls on the number will match the value the spectator selected (an ace). Place the first ace aside and place the cards you just counted back on top of the bottom packet (packet in your left hand). Take the top packet and place it onto the packet you are holding.
Deal down (reversing the order of cards as dealt) to the spectator’s number and turn over the card that falls on the number (the second ace). Place the ace aside, pickup the packet you just dealt and hold onto those cards, hand the remaining cards to the spectator to deal. Have the spectator deal to her number and turn over the card that falls on the number (third ace). Pickup all the cards, but make sure to place the packet you are holding on top of the rest. Double undercut the bottom card to the top and have the spectator deal to her number once more (or you could have a different spectator deal to vary things). Have her turn over the card at her number to reveal the fourth ace!
Additional Notes:
* If the number is 13 or less you can reverse the order on the first reveal, but it is easier to remember to not reverse the order on the first reveal.
Technical Notes:
The partial faro method is based off of Ed Marlo’s ‘The Chicago Miracle – Second Method’ published in “The Legendary Hierophant” by Jon Racherbaumer; Marlo used it to glimpse a card and he finished the weave; in this trick, a break is held instead and the cards are unweaved to position the aces.
This is my version of the classic traveling coin premise. Grab 16 pennies and let's walk through this ridiculously easy brain-buster together. Put 15 of the coins in small pile on the table and hold out the last coin in finger palm in your left hand. Do NOT mention how many coins are involved in the trick. Pick up the coins one at a time between the right thumb and fingers and place them onto the spectator's open hand, counting them as you go, "1...2...3...etc." After placing the sixth coin onto the spectator's hand, reach down to the pile and only PRETEND to pick up a penny and deposit it onto the other coins in the spectator's hand (counting "7.") Then smoothly move your right hand back down to the pile, pick up a penny, deposit it into the spectator's hand (counting "8") and close her hand and turn over her fist. Pause a beat or two to slowly show your right hand absolutely empty. It is EXTREMELY important that all the spectator's are completely convinced your hand is empty. Then pick up each of the remaining 8 pennies between the right thumb and finger, again one-by-one, and as you count each of them out loud, pull the coins into your partially closed right first (freeing up the right first finger and thumb to pick up the next coin.) Finish by casually spilling the 8 pennies into the left hand (adding the finger palmed penny to the group.) Tap your closed fist against the spectator's closed fist. Open your left hand and count the coins one-by-one onto the table or bar. Ask the spectator to open her hand and count out her coins. Notes: Try this once and you will find it to be a very intimate, surprisingly powerful moment of pure MAGIC. You can of course borrow the pennies and I have even performed this effect several times with a mixture of pennies, dimes and nickels. But the pennies definitely give a lot more visual cover for the faux puts and takes. Here's a knock-out follow-up phase I developed a few years back...at the end when you count the number of coins in your left first, be sure to place them down on the table in a small pile and when you are counting the 7th coin, only PRETEND to deposit it onto the other coins and instead finger palm it in the right hand. Without pausing, use your right fingers and thumb to remove the final coin from your left fist and deposit it on the table. Nobody ever notices that there are only 8 coins on the table. Now continue as described above, having the spectator open her hand andcount her 8 coins onto the table. When she is finished and the effect has registered, casually gather up all her coins and ask her to once again hold them in her closed fist (you of course add the finger palmed coin in your right hand to the coins as you place them in her hand.) As before, be sure to SHOW YOUR RIGHT HAND UNDENIABLY EMPTY at this point. The audience will be looking for you to try to steal a coin (NOT add a coin) so you have a lovely instance of reverse psychology working in your favor. Finish by scooping up the small pile of coins on the table into your left fist and again tap your fist against the spectators. This time, have her count hers first, then you count yours. A very nice instance of "things ending where they started."