I came up with this to fool one of my buddies who know just about every card sleight in the world.
Take a low card of any suit from a Bicycle deck. I use the Two of Clubs. Get a razor blade or an Exacto knife and , lightly, shave the nipples off of the angel in the upper left and lower right corner. Just take the red or blue ink off, don't go too deep. When you perform with this locator card, you can achieve many effects, but my favorite is this.
Put one red Bicycle and one blue Bicycle location card in a pocket, whichever pocket is easiest to palm from. Ask a magician friend if they have a deck of cards. If they pull out a Bicycle deck, you are set. Don't touch the deck at all. Have them shuffle and cut the cards as many times as they like. Have them table the deck. Ask them if they are done shuffling, if they say yes, tell them to peek at the top card. As they peek at the top card, palm the location card (whichever color matches, I put the red card in the front of my right pocket and the blue card at the back). When they put the card on the deck, ask them if they are satisfied that they had a totally free selection. They will look at you to answer, as the misdirection works, casually place the location card on the top of the deck as you square the cards. If you want you can pick the deck up, I don't do that but it really doesn't matter, IF YOU ARE CASUAL!! After you have the location card on top of the deck, have the spectator cut the deck and square it. I turn my back as they do that and tell them I won't look so I don't have any idea of even the general location of the card. After they cut the deck, turn around and ribbon spread the deck. Find the location card, DON'T STARE, JUST CASUALLY SIFT THROUGH THE SPREAD DECK UNTIL YOU SEE IT. It is easy to see if you know what you are looking for. After you've found the card, push the face down card immediately to the left of the location card out of the deck. Square the deck and pick it up, as you do this, cut the location card to the top. Ask them to name their card. When they name it, have them turn the card over. When they turn the card over, palm the location card off of the top of the deck and hand them back their deck. The reaction from a magician is great. The borrowed deck eliminates the idea of marked cards. You barely handle the deck at all, if you don't pick it up. The only thing they see you do is square the cards and ribbon spread them. They see no card control, no breaks, no shuffles or undercuts. They have an absolutely free selection and you have used their own deck. They will be begging you to tell them how you did this one. This tool is effective for laymen, but its much more fun to fool someone who is "in the know" about magic.
Effect: A card is freely selected, signed,returned and lost in the deck. The Magi tells a story. "The backs of playing cards are covered in a highly flammable substance called celluloid." The spectator holds the deck and the Magi pulls one card from the deck, lights it on fire and it explodes in a brilliant flash of light. The spectator runs through the deck to find the only card missing is their signed card. The signed card can then reappear from anywhere the Magi wants it to. With some practice, even in the spectator's own pocket.
To perform this trick you need: a lighter, a small piece of flash paper, a deck of cards
and a pocket.
1.Have a small piece of flashpaper in your pocket.
2.Have a lighter in your right pocket
3.Have a card selected and signed.(no force)
4.Have the card replaced in the deck and control it to the top. To do this you:
a.Take half of the face down deck in your right hand and the other half
in your left.
b.Have the spectator put the card on the half in your left hand.
c.As you bring the deck together, get a little finger break above the
signed card.
d.Cut the deck two or three times, above the break.
e.Place the rest of the deck, with the selected card now on top, back
on the remainder of the pack. The signed card is now on top.
5.Shuffle the cards a couple of times, keeping the selected card on top.
6.Top palm the signed card off of the deck.
7.As you hand the deck to the spectator for shuffling, put both hands in your pockets, as
if searching for your lighter. Talk about the flammability of celluloid. Get the
flashpaper with the first finger and the thumb of the left hand. Ditch the card and pick
up the lighter with the right hand.
8.Have the spectator hold the deck out between their thumb and first finger.
9.Act like you are pulling a card from the deck with your left hand and light the
flashpaper with the lighter in your right hand. Throw the
burning flashpaper in the air.
10.Have the spectator run through the deck, their card is gone.
11.The card can now reappear from your pocket if you wish.
The patter: "I don't know if anyone knows this, but the coating on playing cards is a
substance called celluloid. Celluloid is very explosive...I'll show you...You can actually
scrape the celluloid off of the backs of the cards and make a bomb, you know, like the
movie Speed II. Now that was a real bomb!!" You can probably come up with your own
joke, better than the cheesy one I use.
To get the card in the spectators pocket, you need a volunteer with a sport jacket or
other loose fitting clothes and an easily accessible pocket. After you palm the top card,
go into the patter explaining that this effect is dangerous. For their own safety they
must be in the proper position. Take them by the arm and spin them around, as you do this,
drop the card in one of their pockets. I like to have them hold the deck above their head
and spin them around. Everyone will look up at the deck, so, this provides great
misdirection for you. Make a joke about how good of a dancer they are and ask them if you
can lead next time. Go on with the trick and reveal the card in their pocket at the end.
Another idea is to have the signed card appear in your wallet. If you don't have a wallet
for this effect, I suggest the B.K.M. wallet, available at any local or on-line magic
shop.
To perform this effect you need:
A lighter
A deck of cards
An ashtray
A double face card
The double face card we will use for instruction purposes is the 9 of Clubs/2 of Diamonds.
1.To begin, remove the regular 2 of Diamonds from the deck. If you must do this in front
of an audience, explain that you are removing the jokers from the deck and remove the 2 of
Diamonds from the deck with the back facing the audience and put in your pocket.
2.The DF card must be placed second from the bottom with the 2 of Diamonds showing if you
fan the cards face up.
3.The regular 9 of Clubs is on the bottom of the deck. The order from the bottom of the
deck if you hold the deck face up is: The regular 9 of Clubs then the DF card with the 2
of Diamonds showing.
4.Now you must force the regular 9 of Clubs on the spectator. The easiest way to force the
bottom card is the Hindu Shuffle Force, to do this you:
a.Hold the deck face down in the Hindu Shuffle Position in the left hand-i.e.-Hold the
deck face down in the left hand with the third joint of the fingers with the thumb on one
long edge and the four fingers on the other long edge, palm up.
b.Start the Hindu Shuffle by taking about 2/3 of the deck from the bottom with the thumb
and third finger of the right hand.
c.Repeatedly, bring the pile in the right hand onto the pile in the left leaving some
cards from the top onto the pile in the left hand, each time. While doing this, tell the
spectator to yell out stop at any time.
d.When the spectator yells out stop, show him the bottom card of the pile in the right
hand., which will be the regular 9 of Clubs.
5.Slowly spread the cards from hand to hand face up. Ask the spectator to make sure their
card is still in the deck, somewhere. Tell them to show no signs when they see their card.
6.Table the deck. Now, the regular 9 of Clubs is underneath the DF card somewhere near the
middle of the deck.
7.Snap your fingers and immediately ribbon spread the face down deck. The 9 of Clubs side
of the DF card will be face up in the face down deck.
8.Cut the DF 9 of Clubs to the top of the deck. Square the deck.
9.Carefully, set the DF card in the ashtray, making sure the 2 of Diamonds side doesn't
show.
10.Double lift the top two cards of the deck, showing an indifferent card on top of the
deck. At this point you have an indifferent card showing on top of the deck and the
regular 9 of Clubs face up underneath the indifferent card.
11.Tilt the deck up towards yourself and pick up the indifferent card. Show the
indifferent card and ask the spectator if that is their card. MAKE SURE NOT TO FLASH THE 9
OF CLUBS TO THE AUDIENCE. Place the indifferent card back on the deck face down. Now the
regular 9 of Clubs is face up in the face down deck, second from the top.
12.Cut the deck and place it on the table. The regular 9 of Clubs is reversed in the
middle of the deck.
13.Pick up the DF card from the ashtray,again, don't flash the 2 of Diamonds side to the
audience. Light it on fire. BE CAREFUL, THE CARD BURNS QUICKLY!!
14.After the card is completely burned up, snap your fingers and immediately ribbon spread
the tabled deck. THE 9 OF CLUBS HAS RISEN FROM THE ASHES AND REVERSED ITSELF IN THE DECK!!
15.Everything may be examined now, if you wish.
Effect: A card is selected and lost in the deck. After some failed attempts to find the
card, the Magician reveals the card reversed in the center of the deck.
The first thing we must have to perform this effect is, of course, a deck of cards. There
are only two moves needed to perform this trick: The Double Lift and
to control a selected card to the top of the deck. These sleights are available from many
books and other places, so I will not go into how to achieve them.
Have a card selected and replaced in the deck.
Control the card to the top of the deck.
Double lift the top two cards. Tilt the deck towards yourself to hide the selected card,
which is now face up on top of the deck, from the audience.
Pick up the indifferent card and ask the spectator, "Is this your card?"
Make sure you don't flash the selected face up card to the audience.
Make sure you don't flash the selected card at any time.
Replace the top card back on the deck face down. Now the selected card is reversed in the
deck, second from the top.
Ask the spectator, "Is the bottom card your card?".
When they say no, tell them you will cut to their card.
Cut the deck and complete the cut. The selected card is now reversed somewhere near the
middle of the deck.
Pick up the top card of the deck and, with great confidence, say, "Here is
your card!!"
When they tell you it is not their card, look confused and say, "Now I have
to use real magic to find your card."
Immediately ribbon spread the deck to reveal their card reversed in the deck.
Take a bow.
(He knows a few coin tricks too!!)
handling by Hazamagic
Effect: A borrowed half dollar instantly and visibly changes into two quarters.
Method: Before asking for a half dollar, classic palm two quarters in your right hand.
Take the half dollar in your right hand, between the thumb and the first finger. Act as if
you are tossing the half dollar into your left hand and actually toss the two quarters.
Close your left hand and reach into your pocket with your right hand to get some
"wiffle dust". Drop the half dollar off and sprinkle the "wiffle dust"
on your left hand and open the hand to give the spectator the exact change.