Tom Craven recently brought his lecture series to the Rochester Magic Clubs. He was gracious enough to donate the following effects from his "MAGIC You Can Do" lecture notes. Tom is the author of Craven's Haven a monthly column featured an the Linking Ring magazine.
At the 1991 Fechter's convention I had the pleasure of making a new friend. Several days later this new friend lectured for Ring 2. On the way to the lecture he asked me if I would care if he showed the group his handling of one of my effects. I'm glad I said yes because his improvement is now part of this lecture. My thanks to my friend, Aldo Colombini for his permission to include it. His starting point is printed in my book..... T.I.P.S.
Start with the following three cards on the top of the deck: Nine of Spades (top card) Six of Spades and Three of Spades. The nine must be on top of other two. You can also use the same values in any suit you prefer. You will now force the nine on an unsuspecting spectator. You can use any method to do this but the other two cards in your setup must remain on top. You must also get about one-third of the pack reversed on the bottom.
The Henry Christ "Cut Deeper" force works well here since it forces the card, keeps the other two cards in position, and leave you holding a small face up portion. Let's assume you will be using this force. With the set-up on top, ask the spectator to cut some cards and turn them face up on top. Then ask him to cut deeper, turning all the cards over on top. Thumb down past the face up cards and hand spectator the first face-down card. Tell him to show this card to the others. As he does this, replace the face up cards you are holding on the bottom of the deck, still face up.
Double undercut one card from top to bottom. This leaves you with the force card in the spectator hands, one of the other set-up cards on top, and the last card of the set-up on bottom with some face up cards above it. Lift up at the natural break formed between the face up cards in the upper face down portion of the deck. Hold a little finger break there. Take back the chosen card from the spectator, and place it into the break. As you are squaring up, push down on the chosen card obtaining a break above it.
Tell the spectator that you will now makes the deck so some cards are face up, and some cards are face down. Holding the deck from above in the Biddle grip, release all cards below the break onto the table. A face down card shows. (The spectators will wrongly assume all are face down.) With your free hand, take a small packet from the bottom of those left in your hands and place them face up on top of those on the table. As you have performed the above actions, you patter should be: "Some cards face down, and some cards face up." The deck is placed in dealing position as the other hand riffles up on the cards. It will look as if you are getting about half. In reality, you will take only the top card and place it on to those on the table saying, "More face down cards." Place the remaining cards face up onto all.
Pick up this "mixed deck". Tell the spectator you'll wave your hand over the deck causing all the cards to right themselves, leaving only the chosen card reversed. After the wave of the hands spread the deck face up. Three cards will appear face down. Act as though you had something go wrong. Then pick up either of the face down cards near the ends of the spread. Show it to be the Six of Spades.
Ask if this was the chosen card. When the spectator gives you his negative reply, remove the card near the other end of this spread (Three of Spades) asking if it was the chosen one. Again a negative reply. Then look at the two cards, look at the spectators, then back to the two cards. Say, "Six and three are nine, did your card happen to be the Nine of Spades?" After the spectator acknowledges that is aces, take your bow.
This is my efforts to create a Triumph effect utilizing all the Aces. The spectator chooses a card, it is replaced, and the deck is shuffled face up into face down. When the performer tries to find a card, he finds three of the Aces. When the spectator is asked to name the chosen card, it turns out to be the fourth Ace. At least the performer was on the right track in trying to find the card. The deck is spread and it has righted itself except for the chosen card. It is the only one reversed.
There is a simple set-up involved. I always get into it between routines. You need one card reversed on the bottom, the four Aces are face down on top. End of set-up! It's a simple matter to have the Aces on top following a prior effect. The reversed card on the bottom can be set with a Braue Reversal, or relax, letting your hands (holding the deck) fall into your lap. The bottom card can be reversed in a fraction of a second.
Have a spectator complete a Christ "Cut Deeper" force action. This force was explained in detail in the first effect in these notes, so we'll not take up space in repetition. Thumb down to the first face down card, thumbing it off in front of the spectator. As he looks at it, you spread the face up cards on the table face up. As you do this, you turn the remainder of the deck over placing it on the table. Say, "You could have cut to any of these cards." Point to the face up cards as this line is delivered.
You now have a face up package, packet that is face up with one face down card on top, and the selection on the table. Take this election after it is noted, and slide it face down into the center of the face down packet. Riffles shuffle these two packets together. You must let the three Aces on the bottom of the "face down" packet fall first, and the face down cards on top of the "face down" packet fall last. The spectators must think you have mixed the deck up in a face up face down mess.
Squared the deck and cut about half to the right, placing it on the table. Comment on the face up card and face down card showing. "Some cards face up, some cards face down." (You must be careful here that you don't cut at the face down chosen Ace.) If you see a face down card in the center as you start the cut, just cut a little higher.
Pick up the package on the left (It has the face showing) from above with the right hand. Show it has a face and a back (show top and bottom) and place it into the left hand with the back against the palm. The right hand now picks up the other package from above, showing it has a back and a back showing. The deck is assembled as follows: Left hand turns over placing its packets on the table. (There will be a back showing - the Aces are now on top of this packet.) The right hand places its packet on top. (The top card is now face down followed by some face up cards, then all face down cards.)
Square up. The right hand now lifts up at the natural separation between the back to back cards, then picks up one face down card (Ace) on the bottom of this packet. The right hand packet is lifted away, as the left hand turns over the top card (Ace) of the lower packet throwing it face up toward the spectator. "Is this your card?", you ask. As the spectator answers, your left hand picks up the packet on the table from above and turns palm up. Turn the right hand palm up showing another Ace. "How about this one?" Another negative answer. Thumb this card to the table face up.
Use the right hand packet to "lever" the left packet face down. The left thumb pushes the top card to the right and the right packet "levers" this card over. Another ace! "This one? No?" Left hand turns palm down facing its face up packet on the table. Right hand also turns palm down placing its packet on top of the cards already there. Turn the top face down card over stating that it is probably the chosen card. When you get the last negative reply, ask for the name of the chosen card.
Upon hearing of the last Ace named say, "Well, at least I was on the right track when I was finding the Aces." Spread the deck face down showing the chosen Ace to be the only card reversed. Obviously, any four of a kind could be used instead of Aces. Sometimes it's refreshing to use other cards, but then you have to rename the effect!
This is one of those "do anywhere with a borrowed book, no preparation, no gimmick and no sweat" routines. All you need are a book with at least 100 pages, two spectators and a pencil and paper.
Effect: A book is borrowed. You ask spectator "A" to write any number between 50-100 on the paper. You open the book to that page. You tell the spectator that you could, probably in a few seconds, memorize several words from that page. the book is closed as you state, "We are going to arrive at a completely random page through a simple procedure." Spectator "B" is told to write another number between 50-100, below "A's" number.
These two numbers are added together. The amount over one hundred is subtracted from B's original number. This resulting number gives us the random page we will use. One of the spectators is requested to open the book to that page. He concentrates on several words, and you appear to pick up his thoughts. You jot something on a pad. When the spectator reads the words from the book, they match what you have written.
I love this because it's so easy! When "A" gives you his number (let's use 61 in our example), you mentally subtract that number from one hundred. The result is that page he will look at later! In our example, 61 from 100 equals 39. You tell spectator that you could open the book to page 61 and in a few seconds, could memorize several words. As you say this, what you really do, is open the book to page 39! You memorize several words at the beginning of that page.
Have "B" write his number beneath "A's" number. Let's use 86 for our example) A plus B equals 147. Have one of the spectators take the amount over100 (47 in this example) and subtract it from the original number. So you see, 86 minus 47 equals 39, the page you looked at earlier.
Let's look at one more example. "A" writes 53, so you would look at page 47 (100-53 = 47) "B" writes 66. A + B equals 119. The excess over 100 is 19. Subtracting 19 from 66 ("B's" number) equals 47.
Those who were still reading, will see that this is one fine and easy method, for an impromptu book test. I realize that many will glance up at this write up, see all the numbers, and move on. As Rick Johnsson used to say, " If you don't use it, that's OK. I'll use it, and it will be exclusive, cuz I like it a lot ."
My thanks to Tom Craven for his contribution! I will be posting more from his lecture notes in the near future.