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P FR R E E E V I E W
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY
JAN CODDINGTON FRAME COVER ART BY
VINNY DEPONTO LAYOUT & DESIGN BY
ANDI GLADWIN WRITTEN BY
TOM FRAME
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CONTENTS Foreword (Jason England) ..................................................................7 Introduction ........................................................................................9
TRANSFORMATIONS Peek Performance (Michael Weber) ....................................................15 Hold ‘Em Seductively (Chris Westfall) ................................................20 Hold ‘Em Switch ‘Em (Bobby Hasbun) .............................................26 Betrayed (Joshua Jay)..........................................................................29 Texas Hang ‘Em (Ashford) .................................................................33 Radical Hold ‘Em (Meir Yedid) ..........................................................37 Lo and Behold ‘Em (J.K. Hartman) ...................................................42 Texas Hold ‘Em Dream (Don England) .............................................45 Last Two Hold ‘Em (Paul Tuohy) .......................................................49 Heavenly Hold ‘Em (Gene Castillon) .................................................54
PREDICTIONS Psi-Poker (Ben Harris) ........................................................................63 No Limit (Tom Frame) ......................................................................69 Texas Fool ‘Em (Lee Earle and Larry Becker)......................................79 One of the Better Losers (John Bannon) ............................................93
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MEMORIZED DECK APPLICATIONS What Are You Holding? (Norman Beck) ............................................99 Slugged (John B. Born) ......................................................................102 Hang ‘Em Hold ‘Em (Sterling Dare) ..................................................109 Well Hung Hold ‘Em (Tom Frame) ...................................................114
CARD ARTIFICE Flop Foresight (Sal Piacente) ..............................................................123 Nine Card Hold ‘Em (Bob Farmer) ....................................................126 Hold-Up (Aaron Shields) ...................................................................131 Burn ‘Em Up (Paul Wilson) ...............................................................135 Pocket Rockets (John Bannon) ...........................................................138 Tantalizing Texas Hokum (Paul Tuohy) ..............................................142 Lo and Controlled ‘Em (J.K. Hartman) .............................................145 Hold ‘Em Stack (Steve Ehlers) ............................................................149 American Airlines (Gianfranco Preverino) ..........................................154 Kansas City Hold ‘Em Shuffle (Stu Lewis) .........................................157 Kansas City Hold ‘Em (Stu Lewis) .....................................................160 Choose the Winner (Gianfranco Preverino)........................................164 Kansas City Hold ‘Em 2 (Stu Lewis) ..................................................167 Duke ‘Em Out (Paul Wilson) .............................................................171 Best…Hand…Ever! (Jay Jayaraman) ..................................................175 Best…Hand…Evermore! (Jason England)..........................................179
APPENDIX Creative Timeline ................................................................................185 Bibliography........................................................................................188 A Brief History of Poker and Hold ‘Em (Jason England) ....................189 Hole Card Nicknames .........................................................................194 Quotes of Note ...................................................................................196
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FOREWORD Jason England
When I first read of Tom Frame’s idea to write a card magic book consisting entirely of effects with a hold ‘em poker theme, my first thought was, “Good luck. You’re going to need it.” You see, while I enjoy many great traditional poker effects, I have found very few hold ‘em effects worth performing. To be sure, I have known of and enjoyed one or two great hold ‘em effects in the past several years, some published and at least one unpublished. But I would have bet that the number of really worthwhile hold ‘em effects could be counted easily on the fingers of one hand. I would have lost that bet. The effects in this book are excellent. Some, in fact, are downright brilliant! Tom has done a great job of extracting the very best hold ‘em effects from some of the finest magicians in the world. (Paul Wilson also contributed two items.) Everything from self-working effects to intensive false shuffles and false deals can be found within these pages. There is truly something for everyone here. Tom has taken a bold idea that was nothing more than a “one-out long shot” and he has turned it into the stone cold nuts. I think he has played it just right all the way. Excellent job Mr. Frame. Jason England Las Vegas - 2011 Hold ‘Em Magic HoldEmMagic-Layout.indd 7
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INTRODUCTION Tom Frame
Magic inspires life. Life inspires hold ‘em. Hold ‘em inspires magic. To some degree, those words describe my life story and the story of this book. Allow me to explain.
MAGIC INSPIRES LIFE. At the time of this writing, I am fifty-one years old. I’m a card short of a full deck, in at least one sense of the term. For the past thirty-seven years, magic— particularly card magic—has been the primary passion of my life. I love magic and I always will. Early in my magical education, I learned that the creation of a magical experience relies more upon psychological mechanisms than it does upon the use of gimmicks or sleight of hand. Magic occurs in the participant’s mind, not in the performer’s hands. That insight sparked my interest in psychology. My fascination with the mind and with interpersonal relationships ultimately led me to become a psychotherapist.
LIFE INSPIRES HOLD ‘EM. On March 30th, 2003 I tuned in to the premiere episode of the World Poker Tour, with very low expectations. By the end of that broadcast, I actually understood how Texas hold ‘em was played. Much to my surprise, I liked the game. As each month passed, my enthusiasm grew. And then it happened. In May 2003, the aptly named Chris Moneymaker, playing in his first live tournament, won the World Series of Poker main event. It was an Everyman’s Cinderella story. Holy high-heeled Hoover! I fell in love with hold ‘em!
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HOLD ‘EM INSPIRES MAGIC. In the last decade, hold ‘em has crossed into the mainstream and professional poker players have become celebrities. This wondrous game is now a huge global phenomenon. I never dreamed that any other subject would rival my love of magic. So it shocks me to admit that after only eight years of play, my passion for hold ‘em now equals my passion for magic. I initially felt guilty about feeling this way. I truly felt like I was cheating on magic! So I did therapy on myself and resolved that issue. My two passions are now able to peacefully coexist within me. In fact, I discovered that they get along quite well. They are similar in several ways. Both magic and hold ‘em involve control. You must control all aspects of your performance; effect, method, technique, character, patter, presentation, audience interaction and management—the works. Taking control is also a key element of playing winning hold ‘em. The best players set the pace of the game and gain an edge by forcing opponents to make difficult decisions. The master magician and the master hold ‘em player often exert control without appearing to be in control. Both subjects require keen observational skills, a good memory and the ability to think on your feet. These attributes allow you to constantly monitor your performance and your play and to immediately make whatever adjustments are necessary to optimize the outcome. In January 2011, I began thinking about ways to combine my passions. Could my merry pasteboard ménage a trois possibly bear offspring of interest? I decided to write what I hoped would become the definitive book on an important, emerging area of card magic. I notified kindred card conjurors of my quest to record all existing hold ‘em material.
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The project was a semi-bluff. I didn’t expect much to come of it, since I knew of only a few hold ‘em effects. Fortunately, many talented magicians raised my bluff with thirty more effects, which have become Hold ‘Em Magic. You are now in possession of the largest collection of hold ‘em card magic ever assembled between two covers. You’ll find thirty-four effects, twenty of which are appearing in print for the first time. I’m not suggesting that I’ve recorded every single hold ‘em effect ever created. I have no way to verify that claim. But I feel confident that I’ve captured most of them. At the back of the book, I have included a poker section. If you’re going to perform hold ‘em magic, you need to know what you’re talking about. Jason England describes the fascinating history of hold ‘em. I encourage you to use this information and the other material to color your presentations with authentic details. It’s a rare treat to witness the genesis and blossoming of a new sub-genre of card magic. I am surprised and delighted that the thing I feared would seduce me away from magic - hold ‘em – has become my inspiration within magic. I sincerely hope that this material inspires you. Shuffle up and deal! Tom Frame San Francisco - 2011
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HOLD ‘EM SEDUCTIVELY Chris Westfall
Chris changed Paul Harris’s “Seductive Switch” from Close-Up Seductions (1984) from a non-visual switch into a visual transformation. He then applied it to this tasty piece of hold ‘em eye candy. EFFECT: The performer recounts a heads-up hold ‘em game in which he improved his hand by sneaking a folded Ace of Spades into his hole cards. He displays the face-up Ace of Clubs and Ten of Hearts, with the folded Ace of Spades beneath them. Instantly, the Ace of Spades and Ten of Hearts visually switch, creases and all. SETUP: Place the Ace of Spades face outward in your right front pants pocket. PRESENTATION: Spread through the deck and remove the Ten of Hearts and the Ace of Clubs. Table them face down in front of you with the Ten of top. These are your hole cards. Remove the Queen of Clubs, Queen of Spades and the Ace of Hearts and table them in a face-down, overlapping row. This is the flop. “People always ask me if I cheat at cards, and the answer is, of course I do. Once I was playing a game of hold ‘em and the flop delivered a pair of Queens and an Ace.” Turn the flop and your hole cards face up. (Photo 8) “I looked down at my hand and noticed
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that I had the Ace of Clubs and the Ten of Hearts. My opponent went all-in, so I had to assume he was holding a Queen.” Turn your hole cards face down. “Of course, he didn’t know that, a few hands earlier, I snuck into my pocket...” With your right hand, remove the Ace from your pocket. “…the Ace of Spades. “Now, to get pocket Aces, I have to sneak the Ace of Spades into my hand and sneak the Ten of Hearts out, without anybody noticing.” Demonstrate some horrific techniques for palming the Ace in your right hand. Execute a classic palm with your fingers spread so that the card can be seen. Execute a longitudinal palm in which half of the card is seen sticking out of the side of your hand, etc. “I know some guys can hide cards behind their hands, but obviously I know nothing about that. And to be honest, I think switching them like this wouldn’t fool a blind man.” With your left hand, pick up your top hole card, the Ten of Hearts. Place the Ace of Spades face down on top of your other hole card, the Ace of Clubs. Use the face-down Ten to scoop the two black Aces into your right hand, leaving you holding all three cards. Hold the cards with their faces toward you and rearrange them a few times, ending with the Ten of Hearts on top and the Ace of Spades in the middle. “So this is how I did it.” Take the three cards face down into left-hand dealing grip. Execute a double turnover, displaying the Ace of Spades.
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13 The double lift was described in Richard Neve’s The Merry Companion (1716). Turn the double card face down and grab the top card with your right hand by its inner edge, fingers on the back, thumb on the face. (Photo 9) Drop your left-hand cards onto the table face down. These are apparently the Ace of Clubs and the Ten of Hearts. Re-grip the purported Ace of Spades (actually the Ten of Hearts) by its lower long edge between your thumb and first and second fingers. (Photo 10) “I went to the bathroom and folded the Ace once…” Your right thumb and fingers fold the Ten toward you until it is folded in half lengthwise. (Photo 11) While creasing the fold between your fingers, your right thumb folds the lower right corner of the Ten upward. (Photo 12)
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“…and folded it twice…” Your left fingers fold the left half of the card away from you, folding the card into quarters. Firmly crease the folds. The upwardly folded flap is still facing you. (Photo 13) Your right hand takes the card, gripping it by its right edges between your thumb and fingertips. “... so that it would be easier to conceal in my hand.” Use your right thumb to pull the card into your palm. Display the back of your claw-like right hand to the crowd as you demonstrate your poor palming technique. (Photo 14) Use your right thumb to push the card back into view at your right fingertips. The flap is still toward you. Transfer the card to your left fingertips and use your left thumb to hold the flap in place. (Photo 15) “Now, I usually do this next part face down and sneaky.’’ Your right hand picks up your hole cards, turning their faces toward you. In a continuing motion, bring the folded card toward your hole cards and apparently place it behind them.
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19 In reality, you slide the upper left corner of the Ace of Spades under the folded corner of the Ten. (Photo 16) Once the cards are properly aligned, use your left thumb to cover the line. (Photo 17) “But for demonstration purposes, I’ll do it all face up.” Tilt the face of the packet toward the crowd. They will see that you’re holding the face-up Ace of Clubs and Ten of Hearts, with the folded Ace of Spades beneath them. (Photo 18) “I have to sneak the folded Ace of Spades in and the Ten of Hearts out, without anybody noticing. But, I also have to iron the creases out of the Ace of Spades and fold the Ten of Hearts so that I can hide it back in my hand. This is how fast it happens.” Grip your hole cards with your right hand, thumb on top and fingers beneath. (Photo 19)
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Your right hand now pulls up slightly on your hole cards as your left hand simultaneously executes a wrist kill. (Photo 20) The startling effect is that the Ten of Hearts and the Ace of Spades have visually switched places, folds and all. Drop the Aces face up on the table near the flop. (Photo 21) “My pair of Aces gives me the winning hand. A full house, Aces over Queens.” Use both hands to unfold the Ten of Hearts. Once it’s unfolded, your right fingers hide the flap crease as you display the card to the crowd. “And this of course is the Ten of Hearts, which I sneak back into my pocket.” Fold the Ten into quarters, and openly place it into your right pants pocket.
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HOLD ‘EM SWITCH ‘EM Bobby Hasbun
Bobby combined the classic ruse of pseudo mates with a transposition effect and then dressed it in spiffy hold ‘em attire. EFFECT: The worst hole cards in hold ‘em visually transform into the best hole cards. SETUP: Place the Seven of Spades and the Two of Clubs face to face on top of the face-down deck, with the Two uppermost. PRESENTATION: Talk about how Seven-Deuce off-suit is the worst opening hand in hold ‘em. Spread through the deck and remove the Seven of Clubs and the Two of Spades. You don’t want to give your participant the opportunity to remember the precise identities of the cards. So, briefly display their faces, turn them face down and table them near your participant. State that the best opening hand is a pair of Aces, also known as pocket rockets and weapons of mass destruction. Spread through the deck, remove the Ace of Diamonds and the Ace of Hearts and table them face up. Describe how a card cheat friend of yours blew your mind by demonstrating how he could invisibly switch the worst hand for the best hand. Flip the deck face down and catch a break beneath the face-to-face cards. Place the Aces face up on top of the deck. Rest your left thumb on the face of the uppermost Ace, say the Ace of Hearts. Page 26
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23 With your right hand, in end grip, slip the three cards above the break (and below the Ace of Hearts), as one, off of the deck. (Photo 22) As you remove the triple card, maintain a left pinkie break beneath the Ace of Hearts. (Photo 23) This triple card consists of the face-up Ace of Diamonds, the face-down Two of Clubs and the face-up Seven of Spades. Turn the triple card face down and place it on top of the Ace of Hearts. You are apparently placing the Aces face to face. Lift off the top two cards of the deck while maintaining your pinkie break beneath the face-to-face Aces. Flash the underside of the pair of cards and then table them. Retrieve the Seven of Clubs and the Two of Spades and place them face up on top of the deck, with the Two uppermost. The following double color change was described in Jack Merlin’s “Rubbing Off a Spot and Showing Where It Goes” in ... And a Pack of Cards (1927). Rest your left thumb on the face of the Two. With your right hand, in end grip, slip the three cards above the break (and below the Two), as one, off of the deck. (Photo 24)
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28 Alternatively, you can grip the triple card between your right thumb at the inner right corner and your right second finger at the outer left corner. After you slip the triple card off of the deck, this grip allows you to use your right index finger to spin it on its diagonal axis. This flashier handling allows you to emphasize the apparent singularity of the triple card. (Photo 25) Place the triple card face down on the deck, ostensibly positioning the Seven and Two face to face. (Photo 26) Slide the top card toward you, revealing that the Two has transformed into the Ace of Diamonds. Turn over the top card to reveal that it has transformed into the Ace of Hearts. (Photos 27 and 28) Ask your participant to turn over the tabled hole cards to reveal the Seven-Deuce off-suit. Remark that you still can’t figure out how he did it.
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BETRAYED Joshua Jay
In 2008, Josh was hired to perform at a hold ‘em event. He thought that he should learn a few hold ‘em effects, but none were readily available. Yet. Out of necessity, he created this clever effect, which he still performs whenever anyone mentions hold ‘em. I rescued it from its anonymous existence by giving it a name. EFFECT: The performer demonstrates how a cheater can ensure that his secret partner receives pocket Aces. He deals two Aces to a participant and two Aces to himself. When the flop is dealt, it contains three Aces. The turn and the river deliver the Queen and King of Spades. The performer turns his hole cards face up, revealing that he has made a royal flush in spades, doublecrossing his partner. SETUP: From the top of the facedown deck: Ten of Spades, x, Jack of Spades, x, x, Queen of Spades, x, King of Spades. The royal flush cards can be in any order. The cards can be prearranged or culled on the fly. (Photo 29)
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PRESENTATION: “I’ll show you one of the latest hustles that cheaters are using in games of hold ‘em. I assume that you know the rules.” In this effect, an understanding of the game is critical. So make sure that the participants know the rules.
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As you talk, spread the cards face up and up-jog the four Aces as you come to them. While doing so, secretly in-jog the King of Spades near the rear of the spread. Close the spread. (Photo 30)
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The in-jog is described in Erdnase’s The Expert at the Card Table (1902). Turn the deck face down and strip out the Aces. Replace them face up on top of the deck, taking care not to disturb the in-jogged King. As you gesture to the Aces, reposition the Ace of Spades so that it is uppermost. “I’ve removed the Aces so that I can show you the con. The cheater would work with a secret partner.” Address your participant. “You can be my secret partner. “The cheater begins by secretly palming the Aces in his hand, like this.” Your right thumb lifts at the in-jogged King and your right hand apparently removes the four face-up Aces. Actually, you remove the Aces as well as eight face-down indifferent cards. Hold the packet in end grip, with your right fingers obscuring the thickness of the outer edge of the packet. Hand the deck to your participant. “Now you can shuffle the deck legitimately, because the Aces remain in my palm, like this.” Place the packet against your left palm and feign a terrible palm by gripping the cards in a claw-like grip. Josh quips that you’ll be fine if you simply mimic the way most magicians palm a card. The Ace of Spades should remain uppermost and in view as you demonstrate your pathetic technique. After your participant has shuffled the cards, take the palmed packet into righthand end grip and retrieve the deck with your left hand. Page 30
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Replace the Aces face up on top of the deck, secretly unloading the stack beneath them. Spread over the face-up Aces and obtain a left pinkie break beneath the fourth face-down indifferent card. Square the cards above the break and lift them off of the deck in end grip. Immediately count the Aces one by one, levering them face down onto the deck with your left thumb. On the last Ace, drop the entire five-card packet on top of the deck and then lever this last Ace face down on top. This is Fred Braue’s The Secret Addition, which was published in Hugard’s Magic Monthly in July, 1945. Position Check: Ace, Ten of Spades, x, Jack of Spades, x, Ace, Ace, Ace of Spades, x, Queen of Spades, x, King of Spades. “Once the Aces are secretly loaded onto the deck, I can deal pocket Aces - the best hand in hold ‘em - to me and my secret partner.” Deal hole cards to your participant and yourself. Your participant believes that you’re both holding Aces. “So that’s the con for delivering pocket Aces. But this is a con within a con.” Turn your participant’s hole cards face up, but keep the cards squared for a moment. “It looks like you have pocket Aces, but you don’t!” Spread her hand to show that there is an indifferent card beneath the Ace. “And if you’re upset that your partner has double-crossed you, this discovery should make you furious.” Burn a card and deal the flop in a face-down pile. Turn the flop face up and spread it to the left, leaving the Ace of Spades as the right-most card in the row. “The flop has our Aces, which makes things interesting.” Hold ‘Em Magic HoldEmMagic-Layout.indd 31
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Burn a card and deal the turn, the Queen of Spades, face up. “The turn gives us the Queen of Spades.” Burn a card and deal the river, the King of Spades, face up. “Here comes the river…a King of Spades.” Turn over your hand to reveal the Ten and Jack of Spades. Place these cards on top of the indifferent Aces to display the complete royal flush. (Photo 31) “From a deck that you shuffled, I dealt myself the exact cards needed to make the best hand. My royal flush beats your four Aces. Now…anyone for a game of hold ‘em?”
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PHOTOGRAPHS BY
JAN CODDINGTON FRAME COVER ART BY
VINNY DEPONTO LAYOUT & DESIGN BY
ANDI GLADWIN WRITTEN BY
TOM FRAME
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CONTENTS Foreword (Jason England) ..................................................................7 Introduction ........................................................................................9
TRANSFORMATIONS Peek Performance (Michael Weber) ....................................................15 Hold ‘Em Seductively (Chris Westfall) ................................................20 Hold ‘Em Switch ‘Em (Bobby Hasbun) .............................................26 Betrayed (Joshua Jay)..........................................................................29 Texas Hang ‘Em (Ashford) .................................................................33 Radical Hold ‘Em (Meir Yedid) ..........................................................37 Lo and Behold ‘Em (J.K. Hartman) ...................................................42 Texas Hold ‘Em Dream (Don England) .............................................45 Last Two Hold ‘Em (Paul Tuohy) .......................................................49 Heavenly Hold ‘Em (Gene Castillon) .................................................54
PREDICTIONS Psi-Poker (Ben Harris) ........................................................................63 No Limit (Tom Frame) ......................................................................69 Texas Fool ‘Em (Lee Earle and Larry Becker)......................................79 One of the Better Losers (John Bannon) ............................................93
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MEMORIZED DECK APPLICATIONS What Are You Holding? (Norman Beck) ............................................99 Slugged (John B. Born) ......................................................................102 Hang ‘Em Hold ‘Em (Sterling Dare) ..................................................109 Well Hung Hold ‘Em (Tom Frame) ...................................................114
CARD ARTIFICE Flop Foresight (Sal Piacente) ..............................................................123 Nine Card Hold ‘Em (Bob Farmer) ....................................................126 Hold-Up (Aaron Shields) ...................................................................131 Burn ‘Em Up (Paul Wilson) ...............................................................135 Pocket Rockets (John Bannon) ...........................................................138 Tantalizing Texas Hokum (Paul Tuohy) ..............................................142 Lo and Controlled ‘Em (J.K. Hartman) .............................................145 Hold ‘Em Stack (Steve Ehlers) ............................................................149 American Airlines (Gianfranco Preverino) ..........................................154 Kansas City Hold ‘Em Shuffle (Stu Lewis) .........................................157 Kansas City Hold ‘Em (Stu Lewis) .....................................................160 Choose the Winner (Gianfranco Preverino)........................................164 Kansas City Hold ‘Em 2 (Stu Lewis) ..................................................167 Duke ‘Em Out (Paul Wilson) .............................................................171 Best…Hand…Ever! (Jay Jayaraman) ..................................................175 Best…Hand…Evermore! (Jason England)..........................................179
APPENDIX Creative Timeline ................................................................................185 Bibliography........................................................................................188 A Brief History of Poker and Hold ‘Em (Jason England) ....................189 Hole Card Nicknames .........................................................................194 Quotes of Note ...................................................................................196
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FOREWORD Jason England
When I first read of Tom Frame’s idea to write a card magic book consisting entirely of effects with a hold ‘em poker theme, my first thought was, “Good luck. You’re going to need it.” You see, while I enjoy many great traditional poker effects, I have found very few hold ‘em effects worth performing. To be sure, I have known of and enjoyed one or two great hold ‘em effects in the past several years, some published and at least one unpublished. But I would have bet that the number of really worthwhile hold ‘em effects could be counted easily on the fingers of one hand. I would have lost that bet. The effects in this book are excellent. Some, in fact, are downright brilliant! Tom has done a great job of extracting the very best hold ‘em effects from some of the finest magicians in the world. (Paul Wilson also contributed two items.) Everything from self-working effects to intensive false shuffles and false deals can be found within these pages. There is truly something for everyone here. Tom has taken a bold idea that was nothing more than a “one-out long shot” and he has turned it into the stone cold nuts. I think he has played it just right all the way. Excellent job Mr. Frame. Jason England Las Vegas - 2011 Hold ‘Em Magic HoldEmMagic-Layout.indd 7
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INTRODUCTION Tom Frame
Magic inspires life. Life inspires hold ‘em. Hold ‘em inspires magic. To some degree, those words describe my life story and the story of this book. Allow me to explain.
MAGIC INSPIRES LIFE. At the time of this writing, I am fifty-one years old. I’m a card short of a full deck, in at least one sense of the term. For the past thirty-seven years, magic— particularly card magic—has been the primary passion of my life. I love magic and I always will. Early in my magical education, I learned that the creation of a magical experience relies more upon psychological mechanisms than it does upon the use of gimmicks or sleight of hand. Magic occurs in the participant’s mind, not in the performer’s hands. That insight sparked my interest in psychology. My fascination with the mind and with interpersonal relationships ultimately led me to become a psychotherapist.
LIFE INSPIRES HOLD ‘EM. On March 30th, 2003 I tuned in to the premiere episode of the World Poker Tour, with very low expectations. By the end of that broadcast, I actually understood how Texas hold ‘em was played. Much to my surprise, I liked the game. As each month passed, my enthusiasm grew. And then it happened. In May 2003, the aptly named Chris Moneymaker, playing in his first live tournament, won the World Series of Poker main event. It was an Everyman’s Cinderella story. Holy high-heeled Hoover! I fell in love with hold ‘em!
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HOLD ‘EM INSPIRES MAGIC. In the last decade, hold ‘em has crossed into the mainstream and professional poker players have become celebrities. This wondrous game is now a huge global phenomenon. I never dreamed that any other subject would rival my love of magic. So it shocks me to admit that after only eight years of play, my passion for hold ‘em now equals my passion for magic. I initially felt guilty about feeling this way. I truly felt like I was cheating on magic! So I did therapy on myself and resolved that issue. My two passions are now able to peacefully coexist within me. In fact, I discovered that they get along quite well. They are similar in several ways. Both magic and hold ‘em involve control. You must control all aspects of your performance; effect, method, technique, character, patter, presentation, audience interaction and management—the works. Taking control is also a key element of playing winning hold ‘em. The best players set the pace of the game and gain an edge by forcing opponents to make difficult decisions. The master magician and the master hold ‘em player often exert control without appearing to be in control. Both subjects require keen observational skills, a good memory and the ability to think on your feet. These attributes allow you to constantly monitor your performance and your play and to immediately make whatever adjustments are necessary to optimize the outcome. In January 2011, I began thinking about ways to combine my passions. Could my merry pasteboard ménage a trois possibly bear offspring of interest? I decided to write what I hoped would become the definitive book on an important, emerging area of card magic. I notified kindred card conjurors of my quest to record all existing hold ‘em material.
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The project was a semi-bluff. I didn’t expect much to come of it, since I knew of only a few hold ‘em effects. Fortunately, many talented magicians raised my bluff with thirty more effects, which have become Hold ‘Em Magic. You are now in possession of the largest collection of hold ‘em card magic ever assembled between two covers. You’ll find thirty-four effects, twenty of which are appearing in print for the first time. I’m not suggesting that I’ve recorded every single hold ‘em effect ever created. I have no way to verify that claim. But I feel confident that I’ve captured most of them. At the back of the book, I have included a poker section. If you’re going to perform hold ‘em magic, you need to know what you’re talking about. Jason England describes the fascinating history of hold ‘em. I encourage you to use this information and the other material to color your presentations with authentic details. It’s a rare treat to witness the genesis and blossoming of a new sub-genre of card magic. I am surprised and delighted that the thing I feared would seduce me away from magic - hold ‘em – has become my inspiration within magic. I sincerely hope that this material inspires you. Shuffle up and deal! Tom Frame San Francisco - 2011
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HOLD ‘EM SEDUCTIVELY Chris Westfall
Chris changed Paul Harris’s “Seductive Switch” from Close-Up Seductions (1984) from a non-visual switch into a visual transformation. He then applied it to this tasty piece of hold ‘em eye candy. EFFECT: The performer recounts a heads-up hold ‘em game in which he improved his hand by sneaking a folded Ace of Spades into his hole cards. He displays the face-up Ace of Clubs and Ten of Hearts, with the folded Ace of Spades beneath them. Instantly, the Ace of Spades and Ten of Hearts visually switch, creases and all. SETUP: Place the Ace of Spades face outward in your right front pants pocket. PRESENTATION: Spread through the deck and remove the Ten of Hearts and the Ace of Clubs. Table them face down in front of you with the Ten of top. These are your hole cards. Remove the Queen of Clubs, Queen of Spades and the Ace of Hearts and table them in a face-down, overlapping row. This is the flop. “People always ask me if I cheat at cards, and the answer is, of course I do. Once I was playing a game of hold ‘em and the flop delivered a pair of Queens and an Ace.” Turn the flop and your hole cards face up. (Photo 8) “I looked down at my hand and noticed
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that I had the Ace of Clubs and the Ten of Hearts. My opponent went all-in, so I had to assume he was holding a Queen.” Turn your hole cards face down. “Of course, he didn’t know that, a few hands earlier, I snuck into my pocket...” With your right hand, remove the Ace from your pocket. “…the Ace of Spades. “Now, to get pocket Aces, I have to sneak the Ace of Spades into my hand and sneak the Ten of Hearts out, without anybody noticing.” Demonstrate some horrific techniques for palming the Ace in your right hand. Execute a classic palm with your fingers spread so that the card can be seen. Execute a longitudinal palm in which half of the card is seen sticking out of the side of your hand, etc. “I know some guys can hide cards behind their hands, but obviously I know nothing about that. And to be honest, I think switching them like this wouldn’t fool a blind man.” With your left hand, pick up your top hole card, the Ten of Hearts. Place the Ace of Spades face down on top of your other hole card, the Ace of Clubs. Use the face-down Ten to scoop the two black Aces into your right hand, leaving you holding all three cards. Hold the cards with their faces toward you and rearrange them a few times, ending with the Ten of Hearts on top and the Ace of Spades in the middle. “So this is how I did it.” Take the three cards face down into left-hand dealing grip. Execute a double turnover, displaying the Ace of Spades.
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13 The double lift was described in Richard Neve’s The Merry Companion (1716). Turn the double card face down and grab the top card with your right hand by its inner edge, fingers on the back, thumb on the face. (Photo 9) Drop your left-hand cards onto the table face down. These are apparently the Ace of Clubs and the Ten of Hearts. Re-grip the purported Ace of Spades (actually the Ten of Hearts) by its lower long edge between your thumb and first and second fingers. (Photo 10) “I went to the bathroom and folded the Ace once…” Your right thumb and fingers fold the Ten toward you until it is folded in half lengthwise. (Photo 11) While creasing the fold between your fingers, your right thumb folds the lower right corner of the Ten upward. (Photo 12)
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“…and folded it twice…” Your left fingers fold the left half of the card away from you, folding the card into quarters. Firmly crease the folds. The upwardly folded flap is still facing you. (Photo 13) Your right hand takes the card, gripping it by its right edges between your thumb and fingertips. “... so that it would be easier to conceal in my hand.” Use your right thumb to pull the card into your palm. Display the back of your claw-like right hand to the crowd as you demonstrate your poor palming technique. (Photo 14) Use your right thumb to push the card back into view at your right fingertips. The flap is still toward you. Transfer the card to your left fingertips and use your left thumb to hold the flap in place. (Photo 15) “Now, I usually do this next part face down and sneaky.’’ Your right hand picks up your hole cards, turning their faces toward you. In a continuing motion, bring the folded card toward your hole cards and apparently place it behind them.
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19 In reality, you slide the upper left corner of the Ace of Spades under the folded corner of the Ten. (Photo 16) Once the cards are properly aligned, use your left thumb to cover the line. (Photo 17) “But for demonstration purposes, I’ll do it all face up.” Tilt the face of the packet toward the crowd. They will see that you’re holding the face-up Ace of Clubs and Ten of Hearts, with the folded Ace of Spades beneath them. (Photo 18) “I have to sneak the folded Ace of Spades in and the Ten of Hearts out, without anybody noticing. But, I also have to iron the creases out of the Ace of Spades and fold the Ten of Hearts so that I can hide it back in my hand. This is how fast it happens.” Grip your hole cards with your right hand, thumb on top and fingers beneath. (Photo 19)
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Your right hand now pulls up slightly on your hole cards as your left hand simultaneously executes a wrist kill. (Photo 20) The startling effect is that the Ten of Hearts and the Ace of Spades have visually switched places, folds and all. Drop the Aces face up on the table near the flop. (Photo 21) “My pair of Aces gives me the winning hand. A full house, Aces over Queens.” Use both hands to unfold the Ten of Hearts. Once it’s unfolded, your right fingers hide the flap crease as you display the card to the crowd. “And this of course is the Ten of Hearts, which I sneak back into my pocket.” Fold the Ten into quarters, and openly place it into your right pants pocket.
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HOLD ‘EM SWITCH ‘EM Bobby Hasbun
Bobby combined the classic ruse of pseudo mates with a transposition effect and then dressed it in spiffy hold ‘em attire. EFFECT: The worst hole cards in hold ‘em visually transform into the best hole cards. SETUP: Place the Seven of Spades and the Two of Clubs face to face on top of the face-down deck, with the Two uppermost. PRESENTATION: Talk about how Seven-Deuce off-suit is the worst opening hand in hold ‘em. Spread through the deck and remove the Seven of Clubs and the Two of Spades. You don’t want to give your participant the opportunity to remember the precise identities of the cards. So, briefly display their faces, turn them face down and table them near your participant. State that the best opening hand is a pair of Aces, also known as pocket rockets and weapons of mass destruction. Spread through the deck, remove the Ace of Diamonds and the Ace of Hearts and table them face up. Describe how a card cheat friend of yours blew your mind by demonstrating how he could invisibly switch the worst hand for the best hand. Flip the deck face down and catch a break beneath the face-to-face cards. Place the Aces face up on top of the deck. Rest your left thumb on the face of the uppermost Ace, say the Ace of Hearts. Page 26
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23 With your right hand, in end grip, slip the three cards above the break (and below the Ace of Hearts), as one, off of the deck. (Photo 22) As you remove the triple card, maintain a left pinkie break beneath the Ace of Hearts. (Photo 23) This triple card consists of the face-up Ace of Diamonds, the face-down Two of Clubs and the face-up Seven of Spades. Turn the triple card face down and place it on top of the Ace of Hearts. You are apparently placing the Aces face to face. Lift off the top two cards of the deck while maintaining your pinkie break beneath the face-to-face Aces. Flash the underside of the pair of cards and then table them. Retrieve the Seven of Clubs and the Two of Spades and place them face up on top of the deck, with the Two uppermost. The following double color change was described in Jack Merlin’s “Rubbing Off a Spot and Showing Where It Goes” in ... And a Pack of Cards (1927). Rest your left thumb on the face of the Two. With your right hand, in end grip, slip the three cards above the break (and below the Two), as one, off of the deck. (Photo 24)
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28 Alternatively, you can grip the triple card between your right thumb at the inner right corner and your right second finger at the outer left corner. After you slip the triple card off of the deck, this grip allows you to use your right index finger to spin it on its diagonal axis. This flashier handling allows you to emphasize the apparent singularity of the triple card. (Photo 25) Place the triple card face down on the deck, ostensibly positioning the Seven and Two face to face. (Photo 26) Slide the top card toward you, revealing that the Two has transformed into the Ace of Diamonds. Turn over the top card to reveal that it has transformed into the Ace of Hearts. (Photos 27 and 28) Ask your participant to turn over the tabled hole cards to reveal the Seven-Deuce off-suit. Remark that you still can’t figure out how he did it.
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BETRAYED Joshua Jay
In 2008, Josh was hired to perform at a hold ‘em event. He thought that he should learn a few hold ‘em effects, but none were readily available. Yet. Out of necessity, he created this clever effect, which he still performs whenever anyone mentions hold ‘em. I rescued it from its anonymous existence by giving it a name. EFFECT: The performer demonstrates how a cheater can ensure that his secret partner receives pocket Aces. He deals two Aces to a participant and two Aces to himself. When the flop is dealt, it contains three Aces. The turn and the river deliver the Queen and King of Spades. The performer turns his hole cards face up, revealing that he has made a royal flush in spades, doublecrossing his partner. SETUP: From the top of the facedown deck: Ten of Spades, x, Jack of Spades, x, x, Queen of Spades, x, King of Spades. The royal flush cards can be in any order. The cards can be prearranged or culled on the fly. (Photo 29)
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PRESENTATION: “I’ll show you one of the latest hustles that cheaters are using in games of hold ‘em. I assume that you know the rules.” In this effect, an understanding of the game is critical. So make sure that the participants know the rules.
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As you talk, spread the cards face up and up-jog the four Aces as you come to them. While doing so, secretly in-jog the King of Spades near the rear of the spread. Close the spread. (Photo 30)
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The in-jog is described in Erdnase’s The Expert at the Card Table (1902). Turn the deck face down and strip out the Aces. Replace them face up on top of the deck, taking care not to disturb the in-jogged King. As you gesture to the Aces, reposition the Ace of Spades so that it is uppermost. “I’ve removed the Aces so that I can show you the con. The cheater would work with a secret partner.” Address your participant. “You can be my secret partner. “The cheater begins by secretly palming the Aces in his hand, like this.” Your right thumb lifts at the in-jogged King and your right hand apparently removes the four face-up Aces. Actually, you remove the Aces as well as eight face-down indifferent cards. Hold the packet in end grip, with your right fingers obscuring the thickness of the outer edge of the packet. Hand the deck to your participant. “Now you can shuffle the deck legitimately, because the Aces remain in my palm, like this.” Place the packet against your left palm and feign a terrible palm by gripping the cards in a claw-like grip. Josh quips that you’ll be fine if you simply mimic the way most magicians palm a card. The Ace of Spades should remain uppermost and in view as you demonstrate your pathetic technique. After your participant has shuffled the cards, take the palmed packet into righthand end grip and retrieve the deck with your left hand. Page 30
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Replace the Aces face up on top of the deck, secretly unloading the stack beneath them. Spread over the face-up Aces and obtain a left pinkie break beneath the fourth face-down indifferent card. Square the cards above the break and lift them off of the deck in end grip. Immediately count the Aces one by one, levering them face down onto the deck with your left thumb. On the last Ace, drop the entire five-card packet on top of the deck and then lever this last Ace face down on top. This is Fred Braue’s The Secret Addition, which was published in Hugard’s Magic Monthly in July, 1945. Position Check: Ace, Ten of Spades, x, Jack of Spades, x, Ace, Ace, Ace of Spades, x, Queen of Spades, x, King of Spades. “Once the Aces are secretly loaded onto the deck, I can deal pocket Aces - the best hand in hold ‘em - to me and my secret partner.” Deal hole cards to your participant and yourself. Your participant believes that you’re both holding Aces. “So that’s the con for delivering pocket Aces. But this is a con within a con.” Turn your participant’s hole cards face up, but keep the cards squared for a moment. “It looks like you have pocket Aces, but you don’t!” Spread her hand to show that there is an indifferent card beneath the Ace. “And if you’re upset that your partner has double-crossed you, this discovery should make you furious.” Burn a card and deal the flop in a face-down pile. Turn the flop face up and spread it to the left, leaving the Ace of Spades as the right-most card in the row. “The flop has our Aces, which makes things interesting.” Hold ‘Em Magic HoldEmMagic-Layout.indd 31
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Burn a card and deal the turn, the Queen of Spades, face up. “The turn gives us the Queen of Spades.” Burn a card and deal the river, the King of Spades, face up. “Here comes the river…a King of Spades.” Turn over your hand to reveal the Ten and Jack of Spades. Place these cards on top of the indifferent Aces to display the complete royal flush. (Photo 31) “From a deck that you shuffled, I dealt myself the exact cards needed to make the best hand. My royal flush beats your four Aces. Now…anyone for a game of hold ‘em?”
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