Life's A Beach By Gary Jones Vol2.pdf

1

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Published by Magicseen Magazine First edition (2019) Printed in Great Britain. ISBN No. 978-1-9162692-0-0 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any other form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser. © Effects copyright Gary Jones © Text copyright Magicseen Magazine Compiled by Graham Hey Edited by Mark Leveridge Designed, Typeset & Illustrated by Phil Shaw Other titles published by Magicseen Magazine: WD40 - Wayne Dobson Wayne Dobson - The Definitive Collection Wayne Dobson & Friends Magicseen Magazine’s Best of British The Man Who Would Be King - Andrew Normansell A Magic Life - David Copperfield Crafted With Carey - John Carey The Travelling Trickster - Mel Mellers Congreave’s Curiosities - Chris Congreave A Lifetime in Magic Volume 1 - Devin Knight A Lifetime in Magic Volume 2 - Devin Knight Life’s a Beach Volume 1 - Gary Jones

2

FOREWORD

By Mark Bendell I first met Gary about 25 years ago when he was running a magic shop in Exeter, and what I remember the most about this first meeting was that Gary sold me over £90 worth of magic I didn’t need or want. What I mean by that is, Gary was an excellent magic demonstrator, as he could take any trick off the shelf and make it come to life. I became a regular visitor to the magic shop, and on Saturdays there would be a large number of magicians who would meet and session at the shop. I also met the famous Dominic Wood of Dick and Dom fame, in fact at that time Dominic actually also worked at the shop as Gary’s understudy. Dom and I became good friends, and myself, Gary, Dom and a fantastic magician called Craig MacPherson would meet on a regular basis to session. They were great days! This was the start of our very special friendship, and whenever Gary and I got together we started to come up with some amazing magic. I have a few notebooks which are full of ideas and routines we came up with during our marathon sessions.  Gary encouraged me to make a DVD of some of my creations and Gary arranged for Lee Smith and Russ Stevens to come on board and Russ produced the now famous ‘The Unknown’ DVD with Gary and Lee performing all the live performances, while I did the studio work. On the DVD was my creation ‘Bag4Life’, which is probably the most performed effect out there using a split coin.

3

L i f e 's a B e a c h I would like to tell you the story of how ‘Bag4Life’ came about. Gary and I were having one of our regular brainstorming sessions in the famous Imperial Pub in Exeter (this is where Gary and I come up with some of our best creations, I think it must be to do with the huge selection of beers they sell lol). Gary was at the bar buying the drinks and I had this crazy idea with a split coin and a small clear bag. When Gary came back with the drinks I showed him this idea and said, “I think it looks quite good but I don’t think anyone would get away with it.” This was like a red rag to a bull for Gary. He took the props off me, walked over to a group of students and performed the effect for them - it received screams!! And this is the thing about Gary, he has no fear and has balls of steel. I have watched Gary repeatedly load cards under people’s glasses, into people’s pockets and steal people’s watches. If an effect takes nerves, Gary will nail it. Gary invited me to join him at his lectures, and we would brainstorm ideas on these car journeys, often coming up with some great magic. Gary asked if I would film his lecture at the Cornish Magic Society, so while Gary was setting up his lecture I set up the camera on a tripod. All I had to do was to press ‘record’ and then let the camera do the rest. Unfortunately, on this day I was suffering from a very bad stomach and I had to keep going to the toilet, so as Gary started his lecture I pressed ‘record’ and then had to run to the loo. It wasn’t until the lecture had finished that I noticed the camera facing the floor, yes - you’ve guessed it, when I pressed ‘record’ the camera must have accidentally dipped forward when I had rushed to the toilet, so instead of filming the lecture I ended up just filming the floor. Luckily Gary has a crazy sense of humour and he just laughed it off, but he will never ever let me forget about it!!!! Another crazy lecture story was when Gary was lecturing in Nottingham and I came along. We had two rooms in this lovely hotel. My room was about 5 or 6 rooms away from Gary’s room. It is customary to go for drinks after Gary’s lectures, often until the very early hours of the morning, and we always had a few bottles of wine back in our rooms for when the bars close - it’s customary to always have ‘one for the road’.  4

FOREWORD On this particular occasion we both had had quite a few beers, but we hadn’t eaten all day, and when we got back to the hotel we consumed the wine we had in our rooms. At about 3am we called it a day and I went back to my room to get some sleep, but I felt quite nauseous, and the room started to spin. I felt really ill, so I tried to make a dash to the toilet, unfortunately I didn’t make it and accidentally threw up just outside the toilet door. I cleaned it up as best I could but unfortunately part of the wall outside the toilet was marked and it wouldn’t come off. I met Gary in the morning for breakfast and told him about the wall. Gary said we had to act fast to get out of this situation. We were within walking distance of a DIY store, so we bought a small tin of matching emulsion and a brush, and we painted that section of the wall! It wasn’t too noticeable due to it being not well lit in that part of the room, and the toilet door frame also gave it cover lol. Luckily, we got away with it, quick thinking and using one’s loaf to get out of a sticky situation paid off :)  As they say, a problem shared is a problem halved lol. That is the thing about Gary, he always has a solution to everything. I’ve never seen him get fazed and when there’s a problem he just stays chilled and gets on with it, as the above story just proves. I could mention many other stories about our road trips, but most are not printable, let’s just say, it’s never boring lol!  Gary and I still meet on a regular basis and we always chat at least once a week. We do plan to release more of our joint effects like ‘Colour Diffusion’ ‘Bag4Life’ and ‘Thoughtwave’ when we both get the time, so stay tuned! Mark Bendell.

5

L i f e 's a B e a c h

6

C O N T E N TS

Foreword (by Mark Bendell).......................................................................................3 Introduction..................................................................................................................9 B’Waver........................................................................................................................11 Crazy Card Trick........................................................................................................14 Lead Free Extra...........................................................................................................22 Pocket Aces.................................................................................................................23 Thoughts......................................................................................................................25 Card In Balloon..........................................................................................................28 Mystery Card 2.0........................................................................................................30 Back Palm Thank You Mam!....................................................................................33 Win a Watch................................................................................................................36 Card Under Glass.......................................................................................................40 Pocket to Pocket.........................................................................................................42 Vanishing Point...........................................................................................................45 Exact Change 2.0........................................................................................................49 No Deck Switch Blizzard...........................................................................................51 Pickpocket...................................................................................................................53 Coins Predicted..........................................................................................................63 Flower Production......................................................................................................69 iPhone 20.....................................................................................................................72 Repeat Signed Cards to Pocket.................................................................................75 Kickback Kicker..........................................................................................................77 Non-Tossed-Out Deck...............................................................................................81 Six Card Dunbury......................................................................................................83 Kickback Sandwich....................................................................................................87

7

L i f e 's a B e a c h Thought of Card to Pocket........................................................................................91 Under the Spread Force.............................................................................................93 Rubik Revelation........................................................................................................95 Colour Diffusion........................................................................................................97 Colour Remix............................................................................................................100 8 Card P.G..................................................................................................................105 Solidified....................................................................................................................108 Hypno-tastic..............................................................................................................111 Kickback Pick Pack Pocket......................................................................................113 Yours and Mine.........................................................................................................116 Gary’s Opener...........................................................................................................118 Coins To Anywhere - By Chris Congreave...........................................................120 Mental Coins.............................................................................................................122 Not Chosen...............................................................................................................124 Interlace.....................................................................................................................126 No Sleep.....................................................................................................................132 Last Word..................................................................................................................134

8

I N TR O D U CT I O N

Well here we are with the second volume of my work, and once again thank you to Mark Leveridge, Graham Hey and Phil Shaw and the team at Magicseen for all the work they have put into both of these books. This volume contains work from some of my DVDs plus some unpublished routines, and every effect has at some point been used in the real world, so there are no pipedreams here. I urge you not to just read these effects but to try them out. I decided to do this years ago. I had over 100 books on magic and I would just flick through and I rarely tried out the effects. So one day I decided to actually try every effect in a random book. And it was only then did I realise that the written word needs to come alive by performing the magic. Tricks and routines often look bland in print - so it is easy to just speed read past an effect and then move on to the next one without even trying them out. I was pleasantly surprised when I performed many of the effects, and by actually trying them out it really helped me to understand more about routining and structuring my magic. I wanted to keep this Introduction short, so please read, study and use the effects in this volume. Thank you for buying this collection of tricks and routines, and I really do hope you find something here which you will use to put smiles on people’s faces. And remember, ‘Life’s A Beach’ :) Gary Jones

9

L i f e 's a B e a c h

10

B’WAVER

Effect The four Aces are isolated inside a card box and a spectator chooses one of them in a most fair manner. At this point, first the chosen Ace appears to have a different coloured back to the other Aces, and then it vanishes from the card box and is found in an impossible location! 

Requirements You will need the 4 Aces from your deck, and one blank faced card with a different coloured back. There is another ending at the end of this explanation for those who don’t have a blank faced card.

Set-Up Arrange the cards in the following order. AC (face up), AD (face up), blank card (face down), AS (face up). Pop the pile into your card box. You now place the AH in an impossible location, i.e. under the tablecloth, inside your sealed wallet/ purse, behind a window etc, etc.

Working 1. Mention that you have the four Aces inside the card box and that you will have one of them chosen, but in order to eliminate any psychological forces etc, you will have the Ace chosen in the fairest of ways.

11

L i f e 's a B e a c h 2. Have someone cut off a few cards, say 5 or 10 cards, but not too many. Ask them if they know how many cards they are holding. Obviously they won’t know for sure. 3. You are going to use these cards they are holding to do a fantastic force, so please follow with cards in hand. Have them place the top card under the packet and say ‘red’. The next card is placed back onto the deck as they say ‘black’. The next card goes under the packet while they say ‘red’, the next card goes onto the pack while they say ‘black’, and they continue to do this until they are holding just one card. This card will always signal a red card. 4. You now ask them to cut a few cards again and repeat the red-black sequence of putting the top card under the packet and next onto the deck, but this time they say Hearts and Diamonds. The last card they will be holding will always signal Hearts. 5. So, let’s explain what is happening here. No matter how many cards they cut to, whichever card you start with will always be the one you end with... So, if you start with red, then the last card they hold will signify red. Then when it came to the suit, we started with Hearts - so they will have landed on Hearts. Try it yourself, it works every time. 6. So now that you have forced the AH all you need to do is tip out the Aces and spread them. They will clearly see the face up AD, AC and the AS, and they will also see a face down card and assume it’s the AH. That’s surprise number 1. 7. Now turn the three face up Aces face down to show the different coloured backs, and that’s surprise number two. 8. Now for the kicker. Have a spectator turn over the “AH” to reveal that it was all just an illusion and the AH has vanished...then produce the AH from your impossible location.

12

B’WAVER 9. You could have a message on the blank card. For instance, it could mention where the AH is (look inside the wallet etc.) or it could have a birthday greeting, a product/company name on it, I’m sure you get the idea. If you don’t have a blank card you could use a joker, or you could make a blank card by pasting a piece of card onto an old playing card.

Gary desperately looking for the spectator’s ‘marked’ card… 13

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Effect Two cards are selected, signed and lost into the deck. The top four cards are removed, and the deck is placed to one side. These four cards go through some amazing transpositions and then all four change into copies of the signed selections. And to top it off, the selected cards end up inside the card box which has been in view the whole time. Phew...

Comments This is my impromptu version of Darwin Ortiz’s Jumping Gemini, which is based on Bro Hamman’s classic Gemini Twins. I perform this often and the reactions are phenomenal.

Working 1. Remove the cards from the box and leave the case open and off to one side. 2. Have two cards selected and signed, and then after having them replaced, control them both to the top. 3. Remove the top four cards without changing their order. Flip the packet face up keeping it squared and show the bottom card mentioning that this card is the ‘jumping card’, (for the purposes of this explanation we’ll assume the card is the 4D).

14

CRAZY CARD TRICK 4. Flip the packet face down and perform an Elmsley count, holding a break under the last two cards. Double turnover the top two cards to show the 4D, then flip the double down and place the top card, which they think is the 4D, to the bottom of the packet. Flip the top card face up to show that the 4D has jumped back to the top. 5. Flip the 4D face down and once again perform an Elmsley count. Again, flip the top card over to show that the 4D is back on top. 6. Place the 4D third from the top and then do a triple lift to show the 4D back on top. Gary uses a block push off to perform the triple lift, but you could also spread off the top three cards in order to get a break, or just buckle the bottom card. With the block push off, there’s no get-ready so everything flows nicely. 7. Place the top card which the audience believe to be the 4D onto the table, do a double lift to show the 4D back on top. Flip the double down again and place the top card to the bottom, now turn over the top card to show that the 4D has once again jumped to the top!

1

15

L i f e 's a B e a c h

2

8. Position check; in your hand you will have the face up 4D followed by a face down indifferent card and then a face down signed selection. On the table will be the other selection face down. 9. Flip the 4D face down and drop the cards you’re holding onto the card on the table. Pick the pile up and casually reverse count the cards. This sets the cards for the next part. Say, “you probably think that all these cards are the same. Well you would be right, they are the same - but not the 4D!” You will now perform the diminishing lift sequence. 10. Triple lift to show an indifferent card (we’ll say the card is the KH for this explanation), flip the triple down and remove the top card. 11. Now perform a double lift while still holding the top card to show another KH. Fig.1. Flip the double down and take this card under the card you are holding, keeping them slightly fanned. Fig.2. 12. Now do a single lift to once again show another KH. Flip the KH face down and square it with the card below it. Take these two cards as one under the two cards you’re holding and at the same time your left fingers kick the bottom card to the right. Fig.3, underneath view.

16

CRAZY CARD TRICK

3

13. Without a pause, you right hand moves away a little to the right taking the bottom card of the two in the left hand with it under the two cards it already holds, and at the same time your left hand flips the card it still holds (the KH) face up. 14. Having shown the card face for a moment, turn it face down and place it onto the bottom of the packet. It will look like you have shown all four cards to be the KH. It sounds more complicated than it actually is, so do try it!

4

17

L i f e 's a B e a c h

5

15. Position check from the top down; selection, selection, 4D and then the KH. 16. You now perform the Flustration Count to show all four cards to be the KH. Hold the packet in a Biddle grip, Fig.4. Turn your hand over to show the face of the bottom card, Fig.5., then turn the hand palm down and use the left thumb to drag off the top card of the pile into the left hand. Fig.6. 17. Repeat the display and the drawing off of the top card three times until you end up with all four cards face down in your left hand.

6

18

CRAZY CARD TRICK

7

18. Position check, from the top down; KH, 4D, selection, selection. You are now going to perform the Gemini Count to show all four cards to be the selections. 19. Move the top card slightly to the left with your left thumb and at the same time buckle the bottom card with the left fingers. Fig.7. With your right hand reach in and slide the centre two cards out as one, flipping these face up onto the packet showing one of the selections. Fig. 8. Catch a break under them as you do so.

8

19

L i f e 's a B e a c h

9

20. Flip these face down again and deal the top card to the table. The break makes this much easier to do. 21. Use the left thumb to push the top card slightly to the left again and drag the two bottom cards out as one and flip them over onto the single card to show the second selection. Fig.9. Flip this double face down and deal the top card onto the card on the table. 22. Pull out the bottom card of the two you are holding and flip it face up on top of the final card to show the first selection again, and then deal this card on top of the others on the table. 23. Finally flip the last card face up to show the other selection again and drop this card face down onto the others. 24. Now for the finish... as the spectators are just catching their breath, you secretly palm the top two cards (the selections) off the pile. Pick up the card box and place it on top of the palmed cards. Fig.10.

20

CRAZY CARD TRICK

10

25. Retake the box in the left hand, the fingers holding the two cards underneath. Fig.11. Turn the open end of the box towards the table and shake the box downwards, releasing the cards from underneath so that you get the illusion of the two chosen cards coming out from inside the card case. 26. You can of course load the selections into a wallet, or into your pocket rather than the card case if you prefer.

11

21

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Gary’s coin bend effect Lead Free from Life’s A Beach Vol. 1 is a terrific effect - if you haven’t noticed it, go back and take another look! Gary wanted to pass on to you a patter line that he forgot to mention in the original instructions as it creates a good gag plus it gives a rationale for showing the two coins one at a time. We will assume that you are using a 10p/2p coin for the coin bend routine. You say, “I have two coins in my hand which add up to 12p, but one of the coins isn’t a 10p, which two coins do I have?” Yes, it’s the classic riddle, but it works brilliantly here..... Remove the 2p and show it, place it back inside your closed hand, then remove the 10p. Of course they will protest and tell you that you said one of the coins isn’t a 10p, so you hit them with, “No, I said one of the two coins isn’t a 10p, and that’s correct as the other one isn’t!!” What you have achieved here is, to clearly show that you only have two “normal” coins inside your closed hand without any unnatural moves etc. You can now go into probably the easiest self-working coin bend out there.

22

PO CK E T A CES

Effect The magician says he will show a trick using four cards. One at a time he reveals three Aces in different places in the deck which are passed to the spectator to hold, but the last card turns out to be an indifferent card. However, reaching across to the side of the spectator, the performer magically produces the final Ace from the spectator’s jacket pocket. The four Aces are now inserted at different locations in the pack which is then shuffled. The performer states that he could now attempt to find all four but actually it’s easier than that - and reaching into his side pocket he brings out four face down cards which are dropped onto the table. The spectators naturally assume they will be the four Aces, and the magician spreads the deck face up to show that there are no Aces left in the deck. However, when the four cards are turned over, they turn out to be the four Kings! So where are the Aces? They are found by the spectator in his OWN pocket!

Requirements Get a set of four Aces from a deck that matches your working pack and place them on top of the performance deck. On top of these then place the set of four Aces from the deck itself. Now remove the four Kings from your regular deck and put them in your right jacket pocket. If you are right handed, you need a spectator to be standing/sitting to your right and he needs to be wearing a jacket.

23

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Working 1. Start by producing the first three Aces one at a time using your favourite method, handing them to the spectator to hold on to. When you go to produce the fourth, mess up so that an indifferent card turns up instead. 2. If you like, if you don’t know a way to produce the Aces, have an indifferent card in your deck stack positioned fourth from the top. At the start of the trick, you simply deal the top four cards face up one at a time onto the table and the fourth card will not be the last expected Ace. 3. At this point you casually spread the top few cards of the deck as you comment that the last Ace must be in there somewhere, and as you square the deck get a left little finger break under the top five cards. 4. Suddenly you appear to realise where the final Ace is. Palm the top five cards in your right hand and go straight across and into the spectator’s nearest side jacket pocket. Drop the bottom four cards and come out immediately with the top Ace which will complete the set of Aces on the table. You are now set up ahead of time for the finale. 5. The four Aces are now returned to the deck and are controlled to the top. Gary uses a Multiple Shift for this. Once the Aces are secretly on top, you get a break under them and palming them off in your right hand, you go straight to your right jacket pocket. Here you drop the four Aces but come straight out with the four Kings face down that you placed in there before the start. 6. These four cards are spread face down on the table and the spectators will imagine that these are going to be the four Aces. Before you turn them over, however, you comment that the four Aces have vanished from the pack - and you slowly ribbon spread the deck face up to show anyone interested that there are no Aces anywhere in the spread. 7. You now turn over the four cards just removed from the pocket to reveal that surprisingly they are in fact the four Kings! So, where are the Aces? You direct the spectator to feel in his left jacket pocket and he will find all four Aces there for a killer finish. 24

T H O U G H TS

Effect The magician places a playing card face down in front of a spectator who now names any card. They turn the card over and yes, it’s the thought of card.

Comments What you’re going to read will sound impossible, but trust me, this WILL work and I even catch magicians with this. You must, however, follow this script to ensure success. I would like to thank my good friend and great magical thinker Mark Bendell for all his help in putting this together. Also, many thanks to John Carey, Christopher Williams and Christopher Congreave for having to sit through this effect until we all got it down to the finished version.

Working 1. Have any deck shuffled, remove the JD and place it face down in front of the spectator… Now say the following; 2. “You shuffled the cards - pause - there are 52 cards all different - pause - red and black - pause - four suits - pause - number cards ­­­- pause - all well mixed - longer pause (2/3 seconds) - DIAMONDS AND PICTURE CARDS, NAME ONE OF THEM” (you say this last part of the script very slowly and in a firm voice, while maintaining constant eye contact with the spectator). 3. The spectator will name the JD 9 times out of 10. Mention that before you started the effect you placed one card down in front of them. Now say, 25

L i f e 's a B e a c h “I didn’t ask you to choose a card, only to think of one, and the card you thought of was the JD.” 4. Ask them now to turn over the card you placed down in front of them way before they even named their “thought” of card. Notice you don’t say “the card you named” which is actually the real situation. What you’re really doing is re-framing the spectator’s mind into believing that they thought of the JD. 5. OK let’s get down to why this will work and we will also cover some “outs”. Firstly, let’s cover some of the psychological reasons as to why this works. (A) At no point do you tell the spectator what you are going to do and you do not make any mention of the face down card. (B) During the initial part of the script you keep your gaze on the cards just glancing up to the spectator during the pauses, but only for a split second. (C) The spectator’s brain will only take in the last line of the script (diamonds and picture cards, name one of them). This is due to you emphasising these words along with continuous eye contact. (D) When you say “DIAMONDS AND PICTURE CARDS, NAME ONE OF THEM” you do not say “please” as this will change the way their brain will work (by saying “please” their brain will pause, then it will think about the question, something we don’t want to happen). For this to work on a regular basis we must not give the spectator time to think. We also want the spectator to only take in the last part of the script. (E) When you deliver the last part of the script close up the deck and make sure it’s face down. You want all of the emphasis on the force. (F) After the spectator names the JD, re-cap, but say “so the card you THOUGHT of is the JD”. Notice how you say ‘thought’ and not ‘named’. When the spectator back-tacks this effect they will swear that they just “thought” of the JD. 6. The above is based on performing this to a male spectator, who will name the JD 9 times out of 10. If performing this to a female spectator, change the last part of the script to “HEARTS AND PICTURE CARDS, NAME ONE OF

26

T H O U G H TS THEM”. 9 times out of 10 a female spectator will say “the QH” (so make sure you place the QH down at the beginning!). 7. Outs. First and foremost, when placing the force card down, pay no attention to it, just place the card down but don’t look at it and don’t comment on it. Next while delivering the first part of the script locate the QD and the KD (the JH and the KH if performing for a female spectator) and get them to the top of the deck in a known order. 8. If they should name one of the other picture cards and not the JD (or QH) you can now end the effect by placing the card onto the deck and double/ triple lifting, or perform a top change, or use any other switch you have in your arsenal. 9. I know what you are thinking - what if they don’t mention the force card? No problem. Remember that you haven’t told them what you’re going to do. You could remove the named card and go into another effect with this, you could cull the named card and produce it from a pocket/wallet, or you could switch it for the card you place down onto the table etc. The point to remember is, THE SPECTATOR DOESN’T KNOW WHAT YOU ARE GOING TO DO SO AS FAR AS THEY ARE CONCERNED, YOU HAVE NOT EVEN STARTED TO DO A TRICK!! 10. Another presentation idea, is that you can do this effect without a deck of cards. Go through the script but with an imaginary deck of cards, and have the three picture cards in different parts of your wallet/purse. This is now my preferred way of doing this effect, it’s a killer.

27

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Effect A signed card instantly appears inside a balloon.

Comments This is a routine I’ve been doing for many years and is great for the reception type venue. If you do this at the tables, make sure that you don’t pop the balloon near their food!!

Requirements Some ordinary opaque balloons and a few safety pins.

Set-Up Put the balloons, pins and the card box in your right pocket.

Working 1. Bring out some of the balloons from your pocket and have a spectator take any one. Get him to inflate it and then tie it off. 2. Have a card selected and signed and control it to second from the top. Now do a double lift to show it back on top. Flip the double back face down and then take the real top card and push it into the centre of the deck (the spectators will think it’s their card). 28

CARD IN BALLOON 3. Palm off the top card (the selection) with your right hand and go to your pocket. Leave the selection in your pocket and bring out the card case. Hand it to the spectator and get him to put the cards into the box (he believes that his card is now in the box). 4. Go back to your right pocket and bring out the safety pins and have one selected. When the right hand goes to put away the remaining pins, come back out with the selection once again palmed. 5. As you do this, take the balloon with your left hand and ask the spectator to open the pin. Under cover of him doing this, place your right hand against the balloon to hold it, the palmed card remaining concealed. Fig.1. 6. The work is now done. Have the spectator balance the boxed deck on top of the balloon and then when the balloon is popped the card will make its appearance as the box drops. 7. You will notice that this routine is structured so that no heat is on the palming, and you go to your pocket each time to do a natural action.

1

29

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Effect The magician places a card face down in the face up deck. A spectator then chooses a card which is lost in the deck, but when the face down card is turned over, it is found to be the chosen card.

Comments This is a very strong direct card effect. I usually have the card signed, so that then I can go straight into my Ambitious Card or my Pocket-To-Pocket routine.

Method 1. Hand the deck out to be shuffled, and then take it back and remove any face down card. Flip the deck face up and place the face down card into the centre of the face up deck. 2. Run through the face up cards showing the face down ‘card of mystery’ in the centre, then get a break under the card below the mystery card and double undercut everything below the break to the face. 3. Turn the deck face down. Position check from the top; a face down card, a face up card and the rest of the deck face down. 4. Have a card selected. Just make sure you don’t expose the face up card second from top as you do it. While the spectator is showing the card get the top card into Tilt position. Fig.1. 30

MYSTERY CARD 2.0

1

5. Take the selection back and Tilt it under the top card of the deck. Fig.2. It will appear from the front that the card is going into the centre of the deck. 6. Don’t let go of the Tilt break as you need to lose the top card. Using the break below the top card, double undercut the top card to the bottom.

2

31

L i f e 's a B e a c h 7. Position check; from the top you will have a face down card which is the selection, a face up card, followed by the rest of the deck face down. 8. Cut about 6/7 cards from the top and flip them face up onto the face down deck. Spread over these cards while saying something like, “your card isn’t near the top, is it?” but be careful not to spread past the first face down card you come to. Flip all the face up cards above that first face down one back face down again onto the deck. This has put the selection face up and at the same time turned the original face up card back face down again. 9. Now flip the deck face up and spread the bottom half while saying, “not near the bottom either?” You need to spread over about a third of the bottom half. Casually cut this third to the back of the deck, thus centralising the selection. 10. All the work is done. You just need to recap, saying that you placed a reversed card into the deck before you started. Spread through the deck face up to show that there is only one face down card. Have them remove it and you have a miracle.

Break the rules (you are allowed to break the rules, but only if you know what those rules are in the first place. Knowledge is your friend).

32

BA CK P A L M T H A N K YO U M A M !

Effect Two cards are chosen and lost in the deck. The magician cuts the pack a few times and turns over the top card claiming that it is one of the chosen cards - but it isn’t! Taking the card face down in his hand, the performer makes it quickly vanish and then instantly reappear, and when it is turned face up it is seen to have changed to one of the selections. Turning the card face down again, the vanish and reappearance is repeated, and now when the card is turned over it is seen to have changed to the other selected card. Just as the spectators are recovering from this, the performer reaches into his back pocket and pulls the two selected cards out of it for a neat kicker finish.

Working 1. Have two cards selected and signed if you wish. Have them returned to the deck and control them both to the top. 2. Give the pack a few false cuts, and then claim that you have brought one of the selections to the top. Do a TRIPLE lift to reveal an indifferent card that was chosen by neither spectator. 3. Flip the triple face down and push off the top card face down holding it at your palm up fingertips ready to do a backpalm. Fig.1. Start to close the fingers and

33

L i f e 's a B e a c h

1

then open them again with the card backpalmed. Figs.2 and 3 show this in action. With the spectators all standing and looking down on your hand, the card instantly seems to vanish.

2

34

BA CK P A L M T H A N K YO U M A M !

3

4. Without a pause, close and open the hand again to reproduce the card, then slowly turn it over to reveal it is now one of the selected cards. This very quick sequence gets a great reaction and under cover of this, you top change the first selection for the top card of the deck. 5. As soon as attention comes back to you, you are still apparently holding the first chosen card face down in your fingers. You immediately repeat the vanish/reappearance handling, and now when you turn it over, it has changed to the second selection. 6. The trick appears to be over as you replace the card on top of the deck, but with the spectators’ attention wavering for a moment, you palm off the top two cards and immediately produce them from your pocket for a kicker finish.

35

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Effect A card is chosen (let’s say it is the JC) and is lost in the deck. The magician says he will use three cards to give him clues as to the value and position in the deck of the chosen card. Cutting the deck, he flips over a card saying that the colour of this card will reveal the colour of the selection. However, the spectators will notice that this card is actually the selection, the JC. The performer seems unaware, and flips the card face down and deals it to the table. He now flips another card face up and the suit of this he says must be the suit of the chosen card. This is also flipped face down and dealt to the table. Finally a third card is turned face up and it’s value is used to count down in the deck to a particular card which is lifted out of the deck. The performer says he is so sure this will be the chosen card that he will give the spectator his watch if he is wrong. The audience are confused because they think the selected JC is already on the table, but on turning over that card it turns out to be an indifferent one, and the card counted down to proves to be the chosen JC after all.

Working 1. Have a card chosen and control it to the top as you apparently shuffle or cut the cards. Explain that you are going to find some cards that will help you to locate the selection and that the spectators are not to give you any help or clues about its position or identity. 2. Turn the deck faces towards you and spread the bottom few cards, quickly counting up from the bottom of the pack until you reach the 6th card. Injog 36

W I N A W A TCH that card and outjog the five cards above it a little, then turn the deck face down and as your right hand comes over the deck to square up the cards, push down on the injogged card so that as the cards are squared you end up with a break above the 6th card from the bottom. 3. The left little finger keeps the break until the palm down right hand can grip the entire pack from above and lift the deck off the left hand, the right thumb holding the break at the rear short edge in place. 4. Using the right index finger, lift up the top half of the pack at the top front left corner, and swing cut the block over into the left hand. Push the top card (the selection) to the right with the left thumb and use the cards held in the right hand to lift and flip over the spread card so that it falls face up on top of the cards in the left hand. 5. The selected card will show, but you appear unaware that this is the chosen card, and you simply say that the colour of this card will be the colour of the selected card. Push the card over to the right again with your left thumb and as you use the cards in the right hand to flip it face down, secretly drop the six cards below the break onto the top of the left hand pile. 6. Use the left thumb to push off the top card face down onto the table. The spectators will believe this to be the chosen card. 7. Now push the new top card over to the right with the left thumb and using the right hand cards, flip this face up. Whatever this card is, make up some relevant story relating it to the selection. For instance, if the suit is the same colour as the colour of the selection just revealed, you say this will be the suit of the chosen card (even if it isn’t!). If it’s not the same colour, you can say that this is the suit the chosen card will NOT be! 8. Push this card over and flip it back face down and deal it to the table slightly apart from the first card. Push over and flip the next card face up and deal that face up to the table saying that the value of this card will reveal the position of the chosen card. 37

L i f e 's a B e a c h

9

6

12

3

1

9. Position check. The selected card is now sitting fourth from the top and you are going to engineer it so that you count down to it. Here are the various permutations. 10. If the face up tabled card is an Ace, two, six, or ten, you spell the number as letters which will mean you deal three cards face down onto the table, and then you take the next card as the one counted down to. 11. If the face up card is a four, five, nine, Jack or King, you spell the word and take the card on the last letter (the fourth card) as the one counted down to. 12. If the face up card is a three, seven, eight or Queen, you point to the face up card on the table to spell the first letter of the number, and then deal four more cards taking the last one as the card counted down to. In this way, whatever face up card needs to be used, you can count down to the selected card.

38

W I N A W A TCH 13. Drop the card counted to back onto the deck and double lift to reveal an indifferent card. Double lift it back over again as if you are confident in your success and thumb the real top card back into the right hand. 14. Turn the hand holding the deck palm down to reveal your watch on your wrist and tuck the corner of the card under the watch. Fig.1. As you do this you explain that if this card is not the chosen one, the spectator can keep your watch. 15. You now ask for the name of the selection. When the card is named you look a bit confused, and even accuse the spectator of saying the wrong card just in order to get the watch! The spectator will insist that they are telling the truth. 16. You ask whether they have seen their card at all on the table. Usually they will point to the first face down card that you dealt down. Ask them to turn it over. It’s not their card. You immediately turn all the other tabled cards face up to reveal that none of them are the selection either. 17. The card is still in view stuck under the watch, and so you extend your wrist forwards to let the spectator remove it to reveal their card!

Gary’s overjoyed at finding his discount voucher for KFC. 39

L i f e 's a B e a c h

A lesson in misdirection.

Comments This is probably the easiest version of card under glass out there. Please do not be put off by its simplicity. I use my chop cup for the card to appear under, but any glass, salt shaker etc will do.

Working 1. Have the glass just off to your right. Have a card selected and signed, then control it to the top. Please read the following carefully as the words and actions that follow are what makes this version undetectable. 2. You say to the spectator, “I am going to send you a number from 1 to 10 through telepathy, and your card will appear at your chosen number.” As you say this you lean on the table, resting your hand just to the right of the glass, and you stare at the spectator as if you are sending them a number through telepathy... 3. Ask them for their number. When they tell you, stand up straight and look as though this wasn’t the number you were trying to send them, and say, “I will resend the number!” This will get a laugh, and it’s at this point you top palm the selection and lean back on the table - only this time the card will be on the table covered by your hand. 4. You now deal down to the number they said just using just your left hand and when you reach the card at their number you deal this card to someone on your left. As they turn the card over you once again stand up straight and 40

CARD UNDER GLASS at the same time your right hand picks up the glass and places it on top of the chosen card. The misdirection at this point is so strong you will not get busted. Gary has caught out many magicians with his version of this classic.  5. Remember these points. When you lean on the table your right hand is placed flat on the table just to the right of the glass and the side of your hand will just be touching the glass. When you again lean on the table with the palmed card you will be in the same position as the first time. You only have to move the glass a few centimetres and this is done as you are standing up straight and acting like the card at their number is their selection. This ensures that all eyes will be on this card and not on you. Acting is the key here. First you act as though they gave you the wrong number, and then you are sure that the card at their number is their card. 6. When the dealt card is turned over to reveal it is NOT their card, it looks like the trick has gone wrong. All the stronger therefore, when moments later you use your eyes to indicate where they should look instead so that they can find the selection under the glass.

Try not to approach groups head on, it’s always better to approach from the side if possible.

41

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Comments This is a terrific ‘filler’ effect that Gary uses. We’ve called it a ‘filler’ but it’s so much more than that! It’s actually a terrific routine where the signed card keeps re-appearing all over the place. For this, it will be easier just to go straight into the performance. You’ll get the idea.

Requirements A double backer in the same colour as your deck. Place that in a top outside breast pocket.

Working 1. Ask a spectator to select ANY card and then sign it. Reinsert it into the deck so that it ends up second from the top (use the Tilt Move). 2. Double lift the top two cards face up to reveal their card has apparently jumped to the top. Explain that you are going to try and get their card into your pocket using subtle misdirection. Turn the card(s) back face down. 3. Ask a spectator what ‘that is’ over there? (as a joke misdirection) and at the same time take the top card and put it into your left trouser pocket. They’ll see this, and you want them to, so make it obvious. The signed card is in reality still on top of the deck at this point. 4. While people are saying that it was obvious, palm the top card in your right hand and go to your right trouser pocket and say: “Well what’s this card over 42

P O C K E T TO P O C K E T here then?” and bring it out to show it’s the signed card! They’ll swear they saw you put the card into the left trouser pocket!! 5. Place the card back face down on top of the deck and casually double undercut it to the bottom. Get a break above it and lift off the deck with the palm down right hand leaving the selected card in Gambler’s Cop palm, the left hand immediately going straight to the left trouser pocket and bringing out the palmed card which they think is the card they apparently caught you placing there. “Of course, this one is the selected card too,” you say, turning it face up to reveal the chosen card again. 6. “The card often jumps to that particular pocket,” you say as you take the face down selection back to the left trouser pocket for a moment. Without a pause, leave the selection behind and bring out the face down indifferent card that was already in there, “...and even if it is lost in the centre of the pack...” (slip the indifferent card into the deck’s centre), “it’ll often go back to the pocket.” Show your left hand empty and bring the chosen card out of the left trouser pocket again. 7. Drop the card face down on the top of the deck. “Sometimes it ends up in a completely different place, like here for instance.” Reach into your breast pocket and drag out the double backer dropping it onto the top of the deck. Immediately double lift the top two cards right over to reveal the selection again, which you can immediately lift off, the double backer remaining unnoticed on the top of the deck. 8. Drop the selection face up back onto the top of the pack and double lift the card(s) face down. Lift off the double backer and return it to your breast pocket. “Of course, if I put the card back into a pocket sometimes it can appear in another pocket.” 9. Grab the top card only in the right hand and drop your left hand away with the rest of the deck secretly held in it and go straight to your left jacket side pocket and leaving the bulk of the deck behind, bring out the top card only.

43

L i f e 's a B e a c h 10. The audience by now fully expect it to be the chosen card again, but when you turn it face up, it isn’t! You toss the card onto the table and go back and bring out the new top card. Still not the selection. In quick succession you now pull out large clumps of cards and drop them messily onto the table so that the spectators gradually realise that the entire pack is actually in the pocket. 11. Pause a beat and then look at your right hand to reveal there is only one card there, and it is the chosen card. Drop it onto the tabled cards and quickly gather them up. If you want to you can finish by palming the selection off one final time and ‘finding’ it in your wallet for a kicker ending.

Gary performing his signature ‘coin from the ear’ trick. 44

VA N I S H I N G PO I N T

Effect The performer shows two Kings and places them on top of the card box, which is on the table. He then asks a spectator to select a card. He looks at it, and it is replaced and shuffled into the deck. The performer says that ‘he’ isn’t going to find the spectator’s card, ‘the Kings are!’ He asks the spectator to pick up the Kings – but they have vanished off the top of the card box! The performers says; “While you weren’t looking, I secretly picked up the Kings and put them into the middle of the deck…” He spreads the cards and there are the two Kings face up in a face down deck – but there’s a face down card sandwiched between them. The performer asks the spectator to name their selected card. The middle card is turned over, and it’s the spectator’s selection!

Comments This is a version of a John Carey trick, which in turn was inspired by an effect by Kostya Kimlat. It involves one very bold move, but it’s BRILLIANT!

45

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Working 1. Take the two red Kings and show them to the spectators. Hold them face up and squared in a right hand Biddle Grip. Fig.1. The deck is still in your left hand. Secretly get a left little finger break under the top card of the deck. 2. As you patter about the Kings being special cards, bring the right hand back over the top of the deck and use the left thumb to pull the uppermost King onto the top of the deck. As the right hand moves away to the right, secretly bring with it the face down top card that you had a break beneath. Fig.2. 3. Having indicated the two Kings, you apparently bring your right hand over the deck and pick up the face up King beneath the King in the right hand lifting it away. In reality, you allow the face down card secretly held under the right hand’s King to drop on top of the King on the deck and so when you lift the right hand away, a face down card is seen and it appears as if you have simply lifted the two Kings up together.

1

46

VA N I S H I N G PO I N T

2

4. Place the single King (which the spectators imagine is a pile of both the Kings), gently on top of the card box and then slide the box in front of you on the table. The above move is done while you talk about the Kings and how some people believe they are all powerful etc – in fact any story you want to tell – as a cover while you do the move. 5. Kick-cut the cards, square up, and hold a break. Do a riffle force as you would do normally, only make sure you are doing this over the top of the card box. Once you’ve taken the cards above the break off to show where they have stopped, you turn both hands over as you say, “Well, we know what this card is,” (point with your left index finger to the card whose face can be seen on the bottom of the right hand pile) “But we don’t know what this card is!” Turn the hands back down again and point with your right index finger to the face down card on top of the left hand’s packet. 6. At this point, you’ll have the top half of the deck in your right hand hovering over the card box. “Let’s have a look at your card.” Raise your left hand up so that the back of your left hand and thus the bottom of the pile is facing the spectator, and slide the top card over to the right with your left thumb so they can see what it is. Fig.3, performer’s view. 47

L i f e 's a B e a c h

3

7. As you do this, your other hand drops on to the card box and picks up the face up King, so it is now face up underneath the pile in your right hand. This is perfect misdirection, and no one will see a thing, as the card they are looking at is not near the card box at all. 8. Once the selected card has been seen, slide it back square on top of the cards, thus covering the face up King beneath it, and lower the left hand down placing the cards in the right hand on top of those in the left. This will sandwich the selection in the centre of the deck between the two face up Kings! Give the deck a quick false shuffle. 9. The trick is now done. Whatever you do, do not draw any attention to the card box at all during this, as you have been waiting for this moment: “I’m not going to find your card the two Kings are. Please pass me the two Kings.” 10. When they look, the two Kings have vanished. This is a killer moment, so enjoy it! All that remains is for you to spread through the deck and find the face up Kings. Between them is one face down card. It’s the selected card!

48

EXA CT CH A N G E 2 . 0

Effect You say to the spectator that you will give them £1 to spend in a sweet shop. You ask them how much they spent, and it turns out you have predicted their total.

Requirements A pop-open squeeze type purse with a pocket at the back (the pocket is for holding a credit card). Gary purchased his from a market stall, and eBay is also your friend. 

Set-Up In the pocket at the back you will need to put the following coins...1x1p 2x2p 1x5p 2x10p and 2x20p coins. In the purse proper you will need a 1p coin along with a few bits and bobs like a small safety pin, a paperclip, a button, a small wrapped sweet, a small lucky charm etc. These are just suggestions. Once you understand the principle you can use anything of your choice.

Working 1. Say that you will give the spectator £1 to spend in a sweet shop. Ask them how much they spent. If the total is more than 50p you predict the change they have, if under 50p you predict how much they spent. Here’s how. Let’s use these examples. 2. They say 62p. You have to do a quick mental calculation of how much change they would have. 62p from £1 is 38p. You now need to knock 1p off of this total, so you just remember 37p. 49

L i f e 's a B e a c h 3. You open the purse proper and remove the button and the safety pin. Close the purse, and then open the back pocket and remove 37p - so that would be a 20p, a 10p, a 5p and a 2p. 4. Now go back to the other side of the purse and remove the wrapped sweet, then as an afterthought you dump everything onto the table. This will be the other bits and bobs plus the 1p coin to make up the exact change. 5. Put all the bits and bobs back inside the purse and have the coins added up to reveal the exact change. 6. To reset just pop the 1p into the main pocket and all the other coins back inside the secret pocket. 7. If they choose say, 41p, you predict this amount. You remove a few of the bits and bobs, then go into the secret pocket and remove two 20p coins, this is the total they said minus 1p. You now tip out all the contents from the main compartment and once again the 1p in amongst the bits and bobs will complete the total they spent. 8. As you can see, Gary has routined this so it looks like you are trying to remove the coins but the bits and bobs get in the way, and through frustration you just tip everything out, and when you replace the bits and bobs all they can see is the exact amount they said, and the tipping out of everything shows that the purse is otherwise empty without saying so. No need to run when no one is chasing :-) 9. If you cannot find a suitable squeeze purse with the pocket you can buy two purses and cut the back off one and superglue it to the other purse. For other routines using this type purse please check out Gary’s Ring and Coins on the best selling DVD iCandy. A huge shout out to Malcolm Norton and Chris Williams for their contributions with this routine.

50

N O D ECK S W I TCH B L I Z Z AR D

Effect Someone names any card. The magician removes all the cards of the same value. These cards all turn blank except for the freely named card, and then the whole deck turns blank. No deck switch!

Requirements Four blank faced cards to match the deck you are using.

Set-Up Simply have the four blank facers face down on the top of the deck.

Working 1. Have any card named. Turn the deck face up and remove all the cards of the same value. In this instance we’ll assume the selection is the 4D so you would remove the four 4s. 2. Place the selected 4D to the back of the other 4s. Flip the deck face down and place the 4s face up onto the face down deck. You are now going to switch the non-chosen 4s for three of the blank cards by doing the Braue Add On. 3. Spread over the top seven cards and get a break under them. Pick everything above the break in Biddle Grip and peel off the first 4 onto the deck and flip this card face down as you do. Repeat this twice more. 51

L i f e 's a B e a c h 4. You should be now be holding the 4D and secretly under it three face down blank cards. Drop this packet onto the deck and flip the top card (4D) face down. 5. Position check. From the top down: 4D, three blank faced cards, the other 4s, one blank faced card and then the rest of the deck. 6. Deal the top four cards onto the table in a face down pile. This positions the 4D at the bottom of this tabled packet. 7. Spread off the top four cards of the deck and cut these to the bottom as you’re toying with the cards. This sets the fourth blank card on the bottom of the deck. 8. Now for the big finish. Hold the deck faces towards yourself and make a reverse fan. Due to the blank card on the face, it looks like the whole deck is now blank. Turn the deck towards the audience to show that the faces have vanished. Now for the big kicker… 9. Ask a spectator to take the top card of the packet on the table, to blow on it and turn it over. When he does he will find that it too has turned blank. Watch their faces as they will freak out at this point! 10. Take this blank card from them and place it out jogged into the fan you are holding. This looks fantastic. Have them do this two more times, each time taking the cards from them and inserting them into the fan at different points. 11. Finally have them turn over the last card as you say, “So did you have a free choice, or was it just an illusion!!?” 12. Notice how Gary has routined this so he shows the blank fan first, and then puts all the heat onto the cards on the table as these can be inspected. Psychologically they will think that all the cards could be examined! 

52

P I CK PO CK E T

By Christopher Congreave and Gary Jones

Effect A spectator signs a card and replaces it in the centre of the deck as you explain you will get back to it later. You now remove any two of a kind such as the two red Aces and place them inside a spectator’s wallet.  The spectator places the wallet into their pocket.  You tell them you will do a demonstration of pickpocketing. You then go near their pocket and produce the very two of a kind just placed in their wallet! They remove the wallet and inside their wallet is the previously signed card!

Comments That is the routine as I do it at my performances. I have several different takes on this effect which will be taught later on and also some nice subtleties and presentations, but let’s concentrate on the main routine for now.  

Working 1. Have a card selected and signed and returned to the deck, and then control it to the top using any method of your choosing (Gary will explain various handling tips later). 2. Openly turn the deck towards yourself and say you are going to remove the two red Aces. Run through the cards making sure you look at the selection on top and remember it. 53

L i f e 's a B e a c h

1

3. When you get to the first red Ace, cut the deck bringing it to the top. Continue running through the deck and upjog the next red Ace and then the selection (do this towards yourself so the spectators cannot see them). The spectators will think that the two upjogged cards are the two red Aces. 4. Square the deck face down and strip out the two outjogged cards one at a time, then drop them on top of the deck making sure that the selection ends up as the topmost card. 5. Triple lift the top three cards, showing the first red Ace, and having turned the triple face down again, lift off the top card (the selection) with the palm down right hand, thumb at the inner short edge, fingers are at the front short edge. 6. With your left thumb, push off the new top card, and use the left long edge of the card in the right hand to flip it face up to show the other red Ace. Push it off to the right a little and flip it face down again before lifting it off and holding it under the card already in the right hand, but stepped over to the left. Fig.1. 54

P I CK PO CK E T

2

7. All looks as it should. Your right hand is holding two cards, apparently the two red Aces, but really you have a red Ace below the selection. 8. Square the two cards against the left thumb, and as you do so, use your right thumb to release the lower of the two cards so that it secretly drops back onto the top of the deck where it remains hidden. Fig.2. The spectators think your right hand holds the two red Aces, but in reality it is now just the selected card. 9. As you are doing this squaring action, ask the spectator for their wallet/purse. As they remove it you have ample cover for the ditch move. 10. Place the selection inside the spectator’s wallet and tell them to put it somewhere safe as you will try to pickpocket them.  While they are putting the wallet away use this natural misdirection to palm the Aces from the top of the deck. Some people feel uncomfortable palming cards, especially multiple cards, but all the heat is away from you and the deck.

55

L i f e 's a B e a c h 11. When they have put the wallet in their pocket, tell them that you will pickpocket them and they won’t feel a thing. Move your hand in the general area of their pocket and produce the two Aces at the same time, just by simply pushing them to the finger tips.  If you time this just right it will look as though the Aces just popped into your hand from nowhere. 12. Now get them to remove the wallet from their pocket and remove the signed card from inside. This is a double climax as they saw you put two cards into the wallet and now there is only one. 

Afterthoughts Gary says: Sometimes I put the wallet into a different person’s pocket, so it not only builds the suspense but it also makes it appear more difficult; “Not only have I got to get the card out of your wallet, but it is inside his pocket!” etc. But it also adds another layer, so they don’t question the cards that have gone into the wallet. My friend Christopher Williams, when he is using a female spectator, has the card placed in her purse, and then he gets them to put the purse into their handbag if they have one, and put this over their shoulder. And he kind of shows how someone could pickpocket from that position just by brushing past them. Christopher’s patter for this will be given later. I like to get the two Aces on top first, swing cut to return the selection and use a pass to control them back to the top. Then when I do the triple lift, the red Aces are still on top where they should be. A really nice way to perform this without a triple lift is to openly place the red Aces on the top, have a card selected, and then use the Tilt Move to get the card second from the top. You then lift off the top three cards with the palm down right band and turn the wrist to flash the red Ace on the face of the packet. The right hand turns palm down again and you use your left thumb to slide off the top card of the packet and to slip it onto the face of the packet, stepping it over to the left. 56

P I CK PO CK E T You then turn the wrist to show the face of the second red Ace, with the other red Ace being visible above it. Having turned your hand palm down again you square the packet against your left thumb and secretly drop the two Aces off the bottom of the packet just leaving the selection in the right hand.

Original Pickpocket Chris Congreave’s original routine was exactly the same but the cards are placed inside the card box, the card box is then placed inside a spectator’s pocket and the reveal is done in the same way. Some spectators, not that I have had one, might not want to get their wallet out, or might not be bothered to get it out… there is also the chance they might not have one on them, in which case you respect their wish and just use the card box, or even your own!

Pickpocket as an extra phase to a routine Chris showed the Pickpocket routine to Joshua Jay who suggested that instead of using this as a stand-alone routine that you could have a card signed for another routine, like the Ambitious Card for example, then go into the pickpocket story and show the Aces etc. But there is now a time delay between the signed card routine, so when the signed card is later removed from the card case/wallet it is an extra surprise.

Thought of Pickpocket ‘One’ Instead of using the two Aces, after a signed card effect get a spectator to name any card. Cull the card (or cut) it to the top, then up-jog the signed card as before (taking it out without the spectator knowing what it is) and place it on the top. Now double lift to show the thought of card, turn it back down and place it inside the spectator’s wallet (really the selection). Now do the Pickpocket part and you have the signed card inside the wallet.

57

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Thought of Pickpocket ‘Two’ You can also do the effect in reverse. Have a card thought of and written down and get a peek of the thought of card (peek wallet, centre tear etc.). Now go into a signed card effect, and when you want to do the Pickpocket effect, get the thought of card to the top with the signed card immediately under it.

Perform a double turnover to show the signed card, flip it face down and then lift off the real top card (the thought of card) and place that inside the wallet. Perform the Pickpocket sequence then reveal the merely thought of card inside the spectator’s wallet.  Instead of a signed card, you can also perform the thought of card part but using the two red Aces as before. So get the card thought of and peeked, go into the Pickpocket presentation and show the two Aces. Place them (?) into the wallet, perform the Pickpocket part and then reveal the thought of card inside the wallet.

Thought of Pickpocket ‘Three’ This is a really nice subtlety, which I was shown by John Carey. Have the spectator just think of a card. Now hand them the deck and get them to run through the cards and remove the card they are just thinking of. Take the deck off them and have them show the card around. Swing cut the top half into the left hand, and have the selection placed back onto the left hand cards. Now perform a turnover pass as you lift the cards up towards yourself to look through for the two Aces. This does two things. It brings the ‘thought of card’ to the top, and at the same time turns the deck face up so you can look for the red Aces. Now when you have done the Pickpocket part of the routine, you can really milk it for all it’s worth “Inside your wallet is a card that you merely thought of ” etc.

58

P I CK PO CK E T

Wallet Transpo Have any card selected and signed, then have the card returned to the deck, before controlling the card to the top. You explain to the spectator that they have a card, so it is only fair that you get a card as well. Ask the spectator to name any card at random. Once they have named a card run through the deck and upjog the named card. With the deck still held face up, take the card out and buckle the bottom card using the left first finger to apply pressure at the outer right corner of the deck.  Once you have a break above the bottom card of the deck, place their card into the break, so it is essentially going second from top in a face down deck. Turn the deck over and do a double lift showing the named card. Turn the double back face down and place it into the spectator’s wallet (really the signed card). Ask the spectator to place their wallet into their pocket, or to just keep hold of it tightly. Now palm the top card of the deck (named card) and load it into your palm-andload wallet. Take your wallet out and tap their wallet either in their hands, or the pocket which has the wallet, and say “You had a card in your wallet that was mine”. Undo the zippered part of your wallet and remove your card. The spectator will be amazed here, as they just saw it go into their wallet. Get them to slowly open their wallet (after removing it from the pocket of course if it was placed in there!) - and see that there is one card in their wallet, and only one ... their ... signed ... selection!!!

Double Selection Pickpocket This is a very commercial way of performing this routine. You need a message card that says; “You have been pickpocketed by Gary Jones”. Obviously if your name isn’t Gary Jones please add your own! Anyway, that card is on the top

59

L i f e 's a B e a c h of the pack and you have two cards freely selected and signed. Take back one and control it to the top of the deck. The next one goes third from top via the Tilt Move.   Make a gesture and show the two selections on top using the display sequence as previously explained in the Afterthoughts section. Now perform the unload move as you square up and load the message card into the spectator’s wallet. Now at the climax you have a personal message card in their wallet. Needless to say, if you have your contact details on the card, it is a very nice keepsake for the spectator and it gets your details into their hands (sneaky). All that is left to do is ‘pickpocket’ the signed selections back out of the spectator’s wallet! If you don’t like the magical part at the start of the routine as the cards are being signed simply turn the top card of the deck over and have it neck tied as the selections are placed on top, then you can show the cards, turn all three over and go straight into the routine.

Stage Performance I think a nice idea for a stage performance is to use a Himber wallet and a duplicate. So, if you force the card onto the spectator and place the Aces (?) into the empty side of the wallet, on the other side have a duplicate of the forced card but also some photos, credit cards, money etc. And you have a nice payoff that the spectator has pickpocketed you!!!

Presentational Ideas I usually perform this by talking about pickpockets and asking whether anyone has ever been pickpocketed etc. My friend Christopher Williams has developed a script for the Pickpocket routine which is excellent, so in his own words here it is. “You know... some people say you have to lose something, to truly appreciate it... and I think it is true... has anyone ever had anything stolen from them, or lost something? 60

P I CK PO CK E T

“Well, I am going to show you something, but you won’t lose something of yours, you will lose something of mine...sounds strange...let me demonstrate what I mean. “I’d like you to imagine these cards are something precious (pause a beat as this gets a little laugh), OK, maybe not to you, but they are to me. (Have a card chosen and mixed back into the deck, controlling it to the top). Now, would you please name Jacks, Queens or Kings (They name Queens for example) ...OK thanks, and now red or black? (They name red for example). “I will take out the two red Queens. So, now these cards are important to you. I would like them to be placed somewhere that really is genuinely important to you... like your wallet/purse... (The card is placed in) “Now, if you have ever seen a pickpocket before, they are incredibly skilled. They are never, or very rarely, caught at what they do, such as with their hand in your bag or something. But when it happens, it is just a brush past you (As I brush past them, I push the palmed cards out, and bring my hand back past them showing the cards) “And that is all it takes to get what they want. However, they can’t just take it... much like your phone in your pocket or something, you would know if it was gone, they would have to replace it, so that you would think it is still there...in fact, if I actually did...what I just did...have a look...” And they find your card inside their wallet.

61

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Gary secretly sticking a ‘Kick Me!’ sign to an unknowing spectator’s back.

Love what you do and your audience will love you.

62

C O I N S P R E D I CT E D

Effect An old photograph is removed from a wallet and you say “This was my Great Grandfather who was also a magician. He used to do a trick with these old coins.” Here you remove an old penny and an old half crown. You explain that on each coin is a date and that your Great Grandfather would influence people towards these dates. Next you remove a pack of cards and you show that there is a year on the back of each card 1901, 1884, 1921 etc. The spectators name two cards, one for each coin. The cards are removed and turned over. The dates are 1898 and 1971. The coins are checked and the dates read 1912 and 1963.......something has gone wrong....... or has it? You mention the dates they selected 1898 and 1971, they seem familiar somehow........you turn the photograph over it reads “Jeremiah Smith Born 1898 Died 1971” ...the dates the spectators freely selected! A miracle!!!

63

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Comments I have thought for some time that there is something magical about using an apparent old photograph to predict something that happens today. I used to love going through old photos as a kid at my Grandparents’ house. A few years ago Heirloom was released and I loved it and used it for ages, but I wanted something where the photograph could be there from the start.

Requirements You will need two decks of cards with the same coloured backs and two old coins, say an old penny and an old half-crown (eBay is your friend and you can purchase old coins with specific dates on). The coins I’m using have these dates on, half-crown 1892 and an old penny which is 1967. As long as they are not your force dates, any dates will be fine. You will now make up an ‘Oscar’ type deck. Take one of your two decks and give them a good shuffle. Count off 26 cards on to the table and put the other 26 cards to one side as we will not need these. Take your second deck and remove the same 26 cards as the tabled cards and put these in the same order as the first pile. Put one pile on top of the other to make up a full deck. If you would like to repeat the effect, you can make up a second deck using the cards that were left over. You will need to write dates on the back of the top 26 cards. Write any dates that you like (be careful not to write the dates that are on your coins or that are your force dates). The rest of the pack you will write as follows; all the red cards have the born year (i.e. 1898), all the black cards have the died year (i.e. 1971). Assemble the deck so that the half with the random dates is on top of the other half when the deck is held face down. Next you need to write on the back of the photo the two force years. It looks nice when done with a fountain pen or even a calligraphy pen, if you or a friend know 64

C O I N S P R E D I CT E D how to write with one. You can also put whatever name you wish at the top of the photograph. If you use your actual Great Grandfather’s name, at least you know you won’t forget it! Well...at least you shouldn’t!! Below will give you an idea what to write on the back of the photo. Jeremiah Smith “Born 1898 Died 1971”

Working 1. Talk about your Great Grandfather being a magician and that you have a photograph of him. Bring out the picture and place it down on the table. Be careful not to show the writing on the back. Whilst it doesn’t matter if it’s seen, it is better if they turn the picture over at the end and the writing is a surprise. 2. Next tell them about his favourite trick using the old coins. Take them out and have them examined (don’t worry about the dates). Set up the premise of the effect and remove the cards. 3. Select two spectators and say that you want them both to think of a card. So that they don’t think of the same one, you want one person to think of a black card and the other person to think of a red one. 4. Fan the deck towards them. Don’t worry, they won’t notice the duplicates as they’re 26 apart from each other, but if you are nervous just fan the bottom 26 cards. Ask them both to look at a card and to burn it into their minds. 5. Have the cards named and then turn the deck face up and openly remove these cards from the top 26 cards of the face up pack. This will ensure that you get two cards with the force dates on them. Place the cards face up next to the two coins. 6. Square the deck and turn the cards face down. Tell the spectators that all the cards have dates on their backs. Casually start to spread the top 26 cards, displaying random different dates in order to give the impression that every 65

L i f e 's a B e a c h card in the deck has a different date on its back. Square the deck and place it down. 7. Ask the two spectators to look at the dates on the back of their thought of cards and have someone else read the dates from the coins. They will obviously not match. Now using your best acting abilities, say, “Those dates do sound familiar though...”  8. Now you are ready to hit them really hard with the climax. Act like you know what the dates are and ask someone to turn the photograph over and read what’s on the back. They, and everyone else, will be stunned!!!!! That is the original effect and presentation for this effect. Now we will go into another slight variation...

Christopher Williams Handling When Chris performs this, he sets it up differently. Chris actually likes the coins to match the dates on the back of the photo. So in this case, if the two coins you received have the dates 1898 and 1971 on them, those are the dates that are written on the back of the photo, as before like so... Jack Smith “Born 1898 Died 1971”

Working and Patter “Does anyone here own any family heirlooms? I do, (Take the wallet out of the pocket and hold it in your hands) And in fact, it is truly one of the most interesting heirlooms I have come across...it is a photograph of my Great Grandfather Jack, and two coins.

66

C O I N S P R E D I CT E D “I found these in a little wooden chest in the attic of my Grandmother’s house. So, I dusted off the wallet, and these two coins as well. I don’t think they are the exact coins he used, but I liked the look of them. Not something I would usually just keep, but, he was a magician, which is where I believe I got my interest from somehow, so I just kept hold of them. “Apparently his favourite trick would be to try and somehow force a year into someone’s head. So when someone named a year, he would show he forced it by turning over two coins he had and showing the dates matched. So with that, let me show you this... “(Remove the deck of cards) I have a deck where each card has a different year on its back. So there are actually 52 random years from the past 150 years or so (Spread over a few showing the different years)… let’s see if I can recreate his effect... “(Indicate two spectators) I would like you to both think of a card. (Spread the faces of the deck towards the spectators) So you both can’t possibly think of the same card, as has happened to me before, I would like you to think of a red card, and you a black card...got one in mind? What are your cards? The 3H and the KS ...OK, let me just take out those cards.” Bringing the faces into view, openly remove the two cards the spectators name from the force half of the deck, and then as you know which coin has which date, and which card has which date, mis-match them, so the card with 1971 goes behind the coin with 1898, and the card with 1898 goes behind the coin with 1971 on it. “Now, if I could truly influence you, like my Great Grandfather used to be able to do, the years on the back of these cards, would match the years dated on the coins... let’s see how I did... On the back of the 3H is (turn the card over) the year 1971, and on this coin (turn the coin over)...1898..well, that didn’t work. Maybe with this one...the year on the back of the card (turn the card over)...1898, and on the coin (turn the coin over)...1971...again, doesn’t match!

67

L i f e 's a B e a c h “...wait a minute (stare at the cards for a moment as you realise they do match. The spectators might at times beat you to realising this and laugh) ...they’re a perfect match! (Switch the cards or coins around so they do aesthetically match) “But... you know the strange thing is, I forgot to explain the actual reason, apart from the fact that I liked the look of them, that I use these coins...you see, they are heirlooms to his family! See, this coin was from his year of birth, and this one, his year of death...seriously! Take a look… (Turn the photograph over and take a step backwards).

Gary performing for homeless people in the local park. Well, a gig’s a gig. 68

F L O W E R P R O D U CT I O N

Effect The performer takes out a handkerchief and spreads it over his hand. With his thumb he pokes a ‘well’ in the cloth centre and then removing a packet of carnation seeds from his pocket, the magician pours some of the seeds into the well. Moments later the performer pulls the hanky away and the seeds are seen to have vanished. Then, the hanky is whipped away again to reveal a real carnation is now there which can be given away to an assisting lady spectator.

Requirements Go to your local supermarket or florist and buy a carnation and a packet of carnation seeds. You will also need an opaque cotton handkerchief and a thumbtip.

Set-Up Pop the carnation into your waist band (like the Bob Read bottle production) so the head of the flower is sticking out of the waistband. Your jacket should hide the flower. (See the note at the bottom for an alternative idea). Cut open the top of the seed packet and fold the top down to stop the seeds falling out. Put the packet into your right pocket along with the hanky and the thumbtip.

69

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Working 1. Go into your right pocket and push your thumb into the thumbtip before then bringing your hand out holding the hanky. 2. Open out the hanky (the thumbtip will be concealed behind the cloth) and lay it over the left fist which you hold in the position shown in Fig.1. 3. Once the fist is covered, push your right thumb down into the middle of the cloth to create a ‘well’ of cloth, Fig.2, leaving the thumbtip behind as you withdraw the right hand. 4. Use your right hand to go back to your pocket and bring out the seed packet. Thumbing the top of the folded packet open, pour a few seeds into the well and steal the thumbtip out as you apparently use the thumb to ram the seeds down into the cloth. 5. Take the seed packet back to your right pocket, taking the opportunity to leave the seed filled thumbtip there at the same time.

1

70

F L O W E R P R O D U CT I O N

2

6. Grip the edge of the hanky with the right hand and pull it away from the left hand to show the seeds have vanished. 7. If you like, just for fun and also to create a little misdirection, you can hold your left hand in a suspicious way, before opening it to show it’s empty. At this moment, your right hand steals the carnation from your waistband behind the hanky it is still holding. 8. Having shown the left hand is genuinely empty, place it back under the cloth, grabbing the carnation as you do so, and then immediately whip the hanky away to show the flower, which you can immediately hand to the spectator.

Note Gary visits the local £1 store where you can buy small vases. He places the carnation into the vase and then loads the whole thing into his waistband. This makes a fantastic give away and is much cheaper than a bottle of wine!

71

L i f e 's a B e a c h

By Lee Smith and Gary Jones

Effect The magician asks a spectator if they have seen the new iPhone 20. They say “No” and so the magician says, “I’ll show you it!” He removes a playing card from his pocket on which is printed a mobile keypad! “The front is the keypad and the back is the screen”, says the magician. The back of the iPhone card is blank. A card is selected by the spectator and signed, then it goes back into the deck. The magician tries to find it without success and then has an idea. “I’ll phone my friend!” He brings out the iPhone (card) and pretends to punch in a phone number and then speaks to his friend like he’s talking into a real mobile phone. The ‘friend’ on the other end of the phone also tries to find the card, without success. The magician says his friend will try and ‘text’ a picture of a card on the screen. The phone card is turned over, and now it has a card printed on it, and it’s the spectator’s signed card!! This gets fabulous reactions.

Requirements One double blank card and one blank backed card (card face, say 4C).

Preparation Draw a series of keys – like a mobile keypad – on to a blank side of each card. You’ll need to make sure that each card looks the same. 72

IPHONE 20

Set-Up Place the card with the blank back into your back pocket. Place the card which has an identical keypad on one side and is a normal playing card on the other, on the bottom of the face down deck with the keypad side upwards.

Working 1. “Have you seen the new iPhone 20?” You ask. “I’ll show you, I’ve got mine with me!” you say, and you bring out the card from your pocket which is blank on one side and has a mobile keypad drawn on the other side. 2. Talk about how thin the phone is and say that the blank side is actually the ‘screen’. (This is an important line to say, as it becomes relevant later in the routine). Let them have a look at it, but tell them to be careful and not to drop it etc. Use whatever patter you like. Once they’ve had a look at your iPhone place it back into your pocket. 3. Now take the deck and force the card on the bottom. The Hindu Shuffle Force is perfect for this effect. But any other is fine too! 4. Once they have seen their card (it doesn’t matter if you see it, you say), leave it face up on the bottom of the deck – this is perfectly natural – and ask them to sign their card on the face. You hold the deck while they do so, as obviously you can’t allow them to see the other side of this card as it has the iPhone keypad on it! 5. Once they have done that, a convincer is to do a double lift and blow on their card face as if to dry the ink, so that without you saying anything, they get to see that the ‘back’ of their card is normal. You don’t say anything, of course! This ‘convincer’ is purely optional. 6. Now, as you are talking, cut the face up deck, moving about one quarter of the deck to the bottom. This leaves the selected card in the bottom section of the face up deck. Turn the deck faces towards the audience and pick up the 73

L i f e 's a B e a c h whole pack with the right hand and overhand shuffle off about half the cards, dropping the balance UNDER the cards shuffled into the left hand. This will leave the selection in the bottom quarter of the face up deck 7. Once you’ve finished the shuffling, take the deck face down in your left hand and get the blank iPhone card out of your pocket. Ask the spectator to slide the card into the deck as you spread the cards. 8. Of course, you cannot spread the top section of cards now or they will see the signed card which is already in there, so push off about half the deck and continue spreading the rest so they have to place the card into the bottom section, away from the signed card. 9. Give the deck a couple of false cuts. Turn the cards face down and start to spread the deck between your hands until you come to the first iPhone card (this will be the one with the signed selection on its back). 10. Pull out the iPhone card and the face down cards on either side of it. Place the rest of the deck away to one side. 11. You now turn over the normal cards – but neither is the signed card! At this point you decide to phone a friend for help. 12. Pick up the iPhone card and tap in some numbers on the keypad side as if dialing someone. Hold the card up to your ear (make sure you do not flash the selected card back at this stage) and then have an apparent conversation with your ‘friend’ on the other end of the line. You can get some comedy out of this by your friend apparently naming the selected card! 13. Eventually the friend suggests the selection may be third from the top of the pack (or some other location in the top half of the deck), but you look and he’s wrong. So then he says he will send you an image of the card to the iPhone screen. Moments later you turn over the iPhone card to reveal the SIGNED face of the selection now on the previously blank back.

74

R E P E A T S I G N E D C A R D S TO P O C K E T

Effect Three cards are freely selected and signed before being returned to the deck. In very short order, one at a time each of the three signed cards vanishes from the pack and is removed from different pockets. The cards are returned to the deck and then instantly are removed again from the performer’s three pockets. Finally, the magician hands over his wallet to a spectator who opens it to find the three selected cards inside.

Working 1. Have three cards selected, signed, and as they are returned one at a time to the deck, control them all to the top so that the cards are stacked in the order Spectator 1’s card, then Spectator 2’s card and finally Spectator 3’s. 2. Palm the top card in your right hand and go straight to a pocket and produce it. This will be Spectator 1’s card. 3. Get a left little finger break under the top card and then placing Spectator 1’s card on top of it, double undercut the two cards to the bottom. 4. Get a break above these two cards on the bottom of the deck and bring them away palmed in your left hand. Immediately, go to your left jacket pocket, leaving the uppermost card behind and bringing out Spectator 2’s card at the fingertips. 75

L i f e 's a B e a c h 5. Get a break under the top card of the deck, then replace Spectator 2’s card on top of it and double undercut the cards to the bottom, repeating the palm off of the two cards. Go straight to your left trouser pocket, leave Spectator 2’s card behind and bring out Spectator 3’s card and display it. So it appears as if the three signed cards have been produced from three different pockets. 6. Place Spectator 3’s card on top of the deck and place the entire pack away in your right jacket pocket. After a momentary pause, you then start to produce the three signed cards from the pockets again. 7. Reach into the left jacket pocket and bring out Spectator 1’s card, then go to the left trouser pocket and remove Spectator 2’s card, and finally go to the right jacket pocket and lift off the top card of the deck and bring that out to show it is Spectator 3’s card. 8. Having displayed the three signed cards, you can now square them up and apparently put the away in your right jacket pocket, but in reality you palm them and load them straight into your palm-and-load wallet which is in your top inside left jacket pocket, and this enables you to remove the wallet and ‘discover’ the cards again inside the zippered compartment.

Always try to give something away, like an impossible object for instance, as they will always remember you.

76

KICKBACK KICKER

Effect The four Kings are shown and a spectator selects another card (free choice, say the 2C) which is removed and placed in the performer’s back pocket. With a click of his fingers, the magician counts the cards in his hand to reveal there are now five! He then shows that the selected card has rejoined the Kings. However, a quick click of the fingers and one card vanishes, so that now once more there are only four, these being shown to be all Kings. So, where is the 2C? Moving his hand to his back pocket, the magician brings out ALL FOUR KINGS. In his other hand he is seen to have just the selected card, the 2C!

Working 1. Have the four Kings in a face up pile in your left hand and ask the spectator to select any card from the deck which is on the table and to give it to you. While they are doing this, get a break under the top King. 2. Take the spectator’s selected card (let’s say it’s the 2C), and place it on top of the cards in your hand. So now you actually have a break under the top TWO cards. 3. Lift off the top two cards with your palm down right hand, fingers on the front short edge, thumb on the back short edge, and use them to flip face down the cards still in the left hand. So now you will have three cards face down in your left hand, and the other two held as one face up above them in your right hand.

77

L i f e 's a B e a c h

1

4. Flip the two cards in the right hand over so that they land face down on top of the others and immediately slide the top card off with your left hand and place it into your left back pocket (so it’s sticking half out), with the back of the card facing towards your body. The spectators will think you’ve just removed the 2C, but it’s actually one of the Kings. 5. Now spread the ‘four Kings’ face down (really the top one of them is the 2C) “So that leaves me with the four Kings… but if you click your fingers…” 6. Now do the Biddle Count, which counts the four cards like there’s five. In brief: hold the packet face down in the palm down right hand, fingers at the front short edge, thumb at the rear. Bring the left hand over and thumb off the top card, the left hand moving away to the left and the right hand remaining still. Fig.1. 7. Return the left hand to the packet as if to thumb off the new top card onto the one just taken. However, when the first card is aligned with the packet, Fig.2, leave it behind under the pile and thumb the top card off into the now empty left hand. 78

KICKBACK KICKER 8. Continue thumbing off cards for real and it will appear that there are five cards. As you count the ‘fifth’ card, turn it over to show that it is the selected card which has jumped out of your pocket, and back with the Kings. 9. Having displayed the 2C, drop it face down on top of the pile and say: “But if you move your hand over the cards once more…. one card just melts away… leaving only FOUR CARDS AGAIN!” 10. At this point, you have the 2C on top of three Kings. Separate the four cards so you have two in each hand to display that there are once more only four cards, and then as you bring the cards back together, place the 2C and the King it’s with, BETWEEN the other two Kings. Do this casually as you speak. So the 2C is now second from top. 11. Square the cards and turn them FACE UP (the cards are now in Elmsley Count position) and say, “If I click MY fingers, all I have is the FOUR KINGS, and your 2C has vanished.” As you speak perform the Elmsley Count to apparently show four Kings and no 2C. The selected card will end up bottom of the face up pile. Flip the pile face down and hold in the Gambler’s Cop position deep in the palm up left hand.

2

79

L i f e 's a B e a c h

3

12. Say: “That’s leaves us with an interesting question – where is your 2C?” Get a break under the top card (the 2C) and then grip the pile from above with the palm down right hand. As you pose the above question, the right hand stays still holding onto the top card only and the left hand lowers away with the three Kings in a deep palm. Fig.3. 13. Without a pause, the left hand moves towards your back pocket where you will pick up the remaining card already there and bring all four cards out as one together, keeping them as squared up as you can with one hand. 14. The spectators expect the left hand to be holding their 2C, but you immediately spread the four Kings, flipping them face up onto the table. Then slowly turn over the single card in the right hand to reveal the 2C.

80

N O N - TO S S E D - O U T D E C K

Comments I have always loved the Tossed Out Deck premise, but I wasn’t so keen on most of the gimmicked versions as they all relied on a fake deck and asking a spectator to follow instructions with the fake deck in their hands. So, while technically this isn’t a Tossed Out Deck in the truest of senses, it is very similar in effect, and it uses a straight and freely shuffled deck. This is a stand up routine and it’s not suitable for close-up. 

Requirements Just a regular deck.

Working 1. Have the deck shuffled and show that the deck is well mixed. As you do this, remember the top two cards (for this explanation we’ll say the cards are the 7D and the QH). 2. You now go to a spectator to your far left and force the top card onto them (Gary uses the Riffle Force as it works perfectly in this routine). Have them look at the card and keep hold of it for the moment. 3. Repeat this to a second spectator next to them. Have both cards replaced and control them both back to the top.

81

L i f e 's a B e a c h 4. False shuffle the cards as you move to your right. You now force these two cards again on two spectators on your far right. Have the two cards replaced, there’s no need to control them this time. Place the deck away and have all four spectators stand. 5. You are now going to use a piece of Luke Jermay brilliance. You ask the standing spectators to also think of their star signs and where they would like to go on holiday. 6. You now make the following statements. You say in a very clear voice “The 7D, Virgo, QH and Las Vegas. If you are thinking of any of these please sit down.” All four spectators will sit down! 7. As you can see, this is one of the best ways Dual Reality can be used, and because you forced the same two cards on each spectator and you called out those two cards they HAVE to sit down. Each standing spectator will think the other spectators were thinking of Las Vegas, the other named card or the star sign, and the rest of the audience will believe that you really can read minds.

Eliminate methods to avoid backtracking during your presentation. (Listen to your audience, if they think they know the method that’s as good as actually knowing the method).

82

SIX CARD DUNBURY

Effect The magician says he’s going to let the spectator have a chance to win £50, and he gets a £50 note out and hands it to another spectator to hold. A spectator then takes six random cards from the deck and the rest are put away. The cards are mixed up and the spectator selects one. Let’s say it is the 4D. It is placed back in with the other cards. The magician mixes the cards again and then says he’s going to show the cards one by one and he wants the spectator to say “No!” every time he is asked if it is his card. The magician goes through the cards and places each one in his pocket as he says, “No, I don’t think it’s that one!” One of the cards he gets rid of is seen to be the selected 4D. When he gets down to two cards, the magician says: “Your card is either (for example) the 6S or the 2C.” He turns one card over and asks if the spectator’s card is the 2C. The spectator says “No”. The magician then places the remaining card in his hand - the 6S - into the folded £50 note, and says, “Is the 6S your card?” The spectator says “No”. The magician says, “You don’t have to lie now…. what was your card?” The spectator says it is the 4D, and the magician turns over the card in the folded note – it’s the spectator’s SELECTED card!!!

83

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Comments This is based on Charlie Miller’s Dunbury Delusion, which Gary performs all the time. It has a great emotional hook – MONEY!

Working 1. You offer a spectator the chance to win £50! (or any other value which uses a note). Take out the note and give it someone else to hold or place it on the table. 2. Hand the deck to a spectator and ask them to remove ANY six cards. They do this and you then place the rest of the deck into your pocket. 3. Shuffle the six cards and offer them face down for one to be selected and remembered. While the spectator is looking at their card and showing it around, get a break above the bottom card while the pile is being held face down in the left hand. 4. With the palm down right hand cut off all the cards above the break and extend the left hand forwards for the selection to the placed on top of the single card there. It will not be noticed that there is only one card in the hand. 5. Drop the right hand cards on top and do any false mix that will leave the selected card second from bottom. 6. “This is your chance to win £50, but you’re going to have to lie to do it! I want you to say “No” every time I show you a card and ask you if it’s yours! That means you’ll actually only have to lie once, but I’m going to look at your body language to see if you give the game away.” 7. Flip over the top card of the face down pile so it’s face up on top of the others and ask if this is his card? He’ll say “No”. You appear to think for a second and then say, “No, I don’t think it is either!” and you flip it back over so it’s face down, and then take it off the top, placing it into your pocket. 84

SIX CARD DUNBURY 8. You say, “That card is now in my pocket and it’s gone. It can’t come back out. Now we have just five cards left.” Repeat the above handling with the next card which eventually goes into your pocket. 9. There are now four cards left. This time you turn over the top THREE cards as one, by doing a ‘block push off ’. This is basically using your left thumb to push off three cards squared together. As there are only four cards left, this is easy. 10. Turn them face up on top of the remaining card in one quick movement and ask if this is their card. They’ll say “No”. When you do the block push off, you’ll be doing the same action as you’ve done with the previous two cards, so there’s nothing suspicious at all, and it can even be quite messy, so don’t worry about it at all. 11. Now the card on top face up is their selected card, so this is where they are lying. Do the mindreader bit, pretending to be looking at their body language, and then say, “No that’s not your card.” Turn the three cards back face down as one and remove the top card and place it into your pocket. “Now that card has gone and that’s it.” 12. Now you have three cards left. Do the same process as before, just turning over the single top card. “Is this yours?” you ask. “No” they reply. You say you believe them, and place it into your pocket as before. You now are left with two cards. But they think you’ve already got rid of their chosen card!! 13. The selected card is the top one of the two remaining cards. Turning the faces towards yourself, look at the two cards making note of their card. You now MIS-CALL the selected card (use a card that HASN’T already been used!) and then call out the real name of the other card. 14. Place the card which is NOT the selected card face up on top of the face down selected card, and say, “Is this your card?” They’ll say “No!” You think for a second or two and say you don’t think it’s the selected one either, and place it into your pocket. 85

L i f e 's a B e a c h 15. You now have one card (don’t forget which fake name you gave it). “Is the (mis-called name) yours?” They will say “No!” 16. Take the £50 note, fold it in half and place the card into the fold face down. Say, “It’s OK, you don’t have to lie now, is this your card?” 17. They’ll say “No” as they saw you remove the selected card a few cards earlier. “What was your card then?” They name it. But now you open the note and slowly turn over the card to show that it’s the selected card!! The money remains yours and Gary usually gives them their selected card as a souvenir. That’s optional of course!

Gary performing at a local shelter for the needy. The residents said they didn’t need it. 86

KICKBACK SANDWICH

Effect The magician asks for ANY card to be named. Let’s assume the 3S is chosen. The performer then removes two Jokers from his wallet, and places them onto the deck. A snap of the fingers, and one card appears between them. However, it is NOT the named card, but it does have something written on it… ‘Look in the wallet’. The magician puts the Jokers with the instruction card between them on the table. Opening the wallet, one playing card can be seen. Could it be the named card? No, it isn’t, but it does have something written on it… ‘Look between the Jokers’ On spreading the two Jokers and sliding out and turning over the instruction card, it is seen to now be the freely named card!

Requirements One blank backed Joker. On the non-Joker side, write ‘Look in the wallet’ in bold writing, so it is easy for all to read when it is shown in the routine. If you don’t have a blank backed Joker you can easily make one by gluing a blank faced card to the back of a Joker, as the card never leaves your hands and so you can get away with it. You also need an extra blank faced card, on which you write ‘Look between the Jokers’.

87

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Set-Up Place the card which says ‘Look between the Jokers’, in the zippered compartment of your wallet, or somewhere at least inside that’s out of view. The blank backed Joker, and one extra regular Joker that matches your working deck, also go into the wallet, but where they can be seen or easily accessed, with the normal Joker BEHIND the blank backed Joker. Other than that, you just need a full deck of 52 cards, as it really can be ANY card named in the effect, so if you have a card missing, and it is named, you can’t do this effect, but you do have an entirely different miracle!

Working 1. Have the deck of cards shuffled, and get a spectator to name ANY card. This card needs to be secretly controlled to the top. You can either cull it, or just simply cut the card to the top while casually playing with the deck. So let’s assume the 3S is named. 2. Spread through the deck casually, and when you spot it, cut it to the top, as you say to the spectator “Interesting…let me show you something strange.” 3. Reach into your pocket and remove your wallet, and then extract the two Jokers. Leave the wallet on the table, as it gives you an excuse to go back to it in a moment. 4. Square the Jokers up and flip them face down on top of the deck. Make a magical gesture, then spread the top few cards and a face up card will appear. Really it is the back of the blank backed Joker. 5. Pick up the top three cards, which will now be a face down Joker, the special Joker, and finally the face down named card. It will, however, appear as if one card has appeared face up between the two face down Jokers.

88

KICKBACK SANDWICH

1

6. Table the deck or pocket it. Lift off the top Joker, revealing the message ‘Look in the wallet’ on the card underneath. The spectator is now conditioned to believe that their named card is in the wallet. Place the face down Joker back on top of the other two cards, and hold the pile in your left hand. 7. You will now do a move similar to Daniel Rhod’s ‘Rhod Show’. Block push off the top two cards with your left thumb to the right. With the right hand palm down, the right fingers rest on the top of the two cards and the thumb goes underneath them and the hand lifts off the two squared cards. Fig.1. 8. As it does so, turn your right hand palm up and use your right thumb to spread the two cards apart. Fig.2. This will show two face up cards (Jokers), which is discrepant because only one face up card should have been revealed, but no one ever notices! 9. Slip the face down card held in the left hand between the two face up Jokers, and lay these cards on the table, fairly and openly. It appears that you have put the instruction card face down between the two face up Jokers.

89

L i f e 's a B e a c h

2

10. Pick up the wallet, and go to where the other card is in your wallet and remove it. Now ask the spectator if they would be amazed if the card in your wallet was their freely named card. They will always say yes. Slowly turn it over, to reveal it isn’t…but there is a new message - ‘Look between the Jokers’. 11. Place this card down and the spectators will look back at the Jokers. Pick the Jokers up very slowly and fairly, and get a spectator to remove the face down card. When they turn it over they will see their named card and be blown away!

90

T h o u g h t o f C A R D TO P O C K E T

Effect A freely thought of card and a freely chosen card are revealed in a very magical way…

Comments Please try this out as it is very, very, strong. Not only do you find a freely selected card, you also predict a freely thought of card. A huge shout out to Sean Carpenter for his work on this great plot in magic. Sean is one of the best magicians in the UK, please check his work out, it’s clever, entertaining and really devious!!

Working 1. Ask a spectator to think of any card and say to them that you will ask them the name of this card in a moment. While you are saying this, look straight at the spectator and remove a card and place it sight unseen into your pocket. (It’s very important that you tell the spectator that you will have them name their thought of card in a few moments, otherwise you may come across an awkward spectator who will refuse to tell you).

91

L i f e 's a B e a c h 2. Turn to a second spectator and have them select a card and look at it, have it replaced and control it to the top of the deck. 3. Tilt the deck towards yourself so you can see the faces and look directly at the first spectator and ask them to name the card they’re thinking of. As you spread through the deck, look for the thought of card and when you see it cut the deck at this point, so that the thought of card is on the top of the cut away half. 4. Position check - each hand is holding a face down packet of cards and the top card of each packet will be the thought of card and the selection. You now thumb off the selection onto the second spectator’s hand and put the rest of these cards under the other packet. This will leave the thought of card on top of the deck. 5. Say, “As I went through the deck this card jumped out at me”, pointing to the card in their hand. Have the spectator turn over the card, and they will see you have successfully found their selected card. 6. As they are turning over the card you have all the time in the world to palm the top card off the deck and apparently then remove it from your pocket, thus making it look like it was the card that you put there at the beginning of the trick. 

Never compare, never compete. Be humble and leave your ego at home. If they mention another magician they’ve seen before, or a famous magician, just say they are awesome and move on. 92

UNDER THE SPREAD FORCE

Here’s the usual way to perform this move. The force card starts off 5th from the top. As you start to spread the cards you count to the 5th card and when you reach it you cull it under the spread. You then have a spectator touch the back of any card as you continue to spread and you break the pack at this card. As you square up the top half of the deck, the culled force card becomes the bottom card of the pile, and so when you raise the faces of the cards towards the spectators, they see the force card as the apparently touched selection. Although this is an excellent force, Gary wanted to be less ‘cosy’ with the handling, and didn’t want to have to count cards. He also wanted just a little more cover than the top four cards for the cull. So, this is what he came up with. Have your force card on top of the deck. Give the deck a few false shuffles etc, and when ready to go into the force just cut a little less than a quarter of the deck from the bottom to the top, catching a break below these cards as you do so. As you go to spread the cards for a card to be touched, all you have to do is spread all the cards above your break and you will come to the force card. You now cull the force card under these cards and carry out the force as per the original handling.

93

L i f e 's a B e a c h As you will see, there is no need to have to count cards, or to get the force card into the 5th position, plus you have just under a quarter of the deck to cover the culled card. This allows you to be much more open with the force and you can concentrate on the audience because you are not having to count cards.

When Gary’s not performing, he works part time collecting glasses at his local Liberal Club. 94

RUBIK REVELATION

Effect The performer shows a mini Rubik cube and asks the spectator to mix it up. He then reveals another Rubik cube which is inside a small bag and both cubes match on all sides!

Requirements Three mini Rubik cubes found on cheap keyrings. A small bag to hold one cube (optional) and a little nerve!

Set-Up Mix up two of the cubes so they match up on all sides. This is very easy as the cubes are already ‘solved’ when you buy them, so just mix both at the same time. Place one inside the bag and have it in your right pocket. Put the duplicate cube in your left pocket. The third cube is simply to hand.

Working 1. Bring out the third cube and have someone mix it. Take the mixed cube back into your left hand as you say that you have a small bag which you would like to show them. 2. Go to your left hand pocket still holding the cube and just as your hand goes inside, appear to realise that the bag is actually in your right pocket.

95

L i f e 's a B e a c h 3. Look at your right pocket and as your right hand reaches in and removes the bag, your left hand swaps the cubes and comes out with the matching mixed cube. 4. All you have to do now is have the cube removed from the bag and checked against the other cube that is out in view to prove that they match. Another version which Gary now uses all the time is to bring out the bag with the prediction cube and place it on the table. Have the non-matching cube mixed and place it in front of you. Now do the Card Under Glass effect (see elsewhere in this book) but use the cube instead a glass. When they turn the card over you have all the misdirection you need to switch the cube for the matching cube in your pocket.

Always arrive early at a gig, and always allow extra time for unexpected delays on the roads.

96

COLOUR DIFFUSION

Effect The performer removes five varied cards from a red backed deck and spreads them face up for the spectators to see the values and suits. Squaring the cards, he then asks one or two questions about the make up of the pile of cards, and the spectators answer to the best of their ability and probably with varying results. The performer then adds one different coloured backed card to the pile and shuffles the cards, and spreading the cards face up then asks the audience if they know which card has the odd back. However, it doesn’t matter which one they say, because much to their surprise, the six cards are turned face down to reveal that EVERY card has a different coloured back.

Requirements You need to put together a set of six matching sized cards where every back is different. Gary uses regular blue and red backed Bicycle cards plus four other different coloured Bicycle cards. The faces of the cards should be a nice varied mix of values and suits.

Set-Up Place the blue backed card in a pocket, and then assemble the rest of the cards in any face down order as long as the red backed card ends up on top. Place this packet of cards on the bottom of a red backed deck. You may need to remove a few of the regular cards from the deck to make it slim enough to slip back into the red card box. 97

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Working 1. There is quite a bit of psychology involved here because the handling will constantly show red backed cards, even though you don’t mention the backs at any point. This is what makes the change to all different coloured backs at the end such a surprise - the spectators will have been subliminally convinced that only red backed cards are being used. 2. Bring out the red card box and remove the deck, leaving the box on the table. This in itself will help to reinforce the red backed nature of the deck. Spread the top section of the cards face down (all red backed cards will show, of course) as you comment that often magicians have cards selected, but today you are not going to do this, instead you are going to show them something based on psychology. 3. Square the deck and turn it face up. Spread the bottom few cards and then lift off the five special backed cards you set there beforehand. Put the balance of the deck face down on the table, where the red back of the top card will be visible. 4. Hold the fan of face up five cards and ask the spectators to try and remember as much about the cards as possible. After a few moments, square the pile, and hold it in the right hand with the faces towards the audience ready for an overhand shuffle. 5. You are now going to do a Milk Shuffle. Here’s how. The right hand lowers the pile onto the palm up left hand and the left thumb rests on the face card of the packet and the fingers on the back of the top card. 6. Press the left thumb and fingers together and using the right hand, slide out the three cards between the top and bottom cards. As soon as they have been dragged out of the pile, shuffle them off onto the cards remaining in the left hand. This will result in all the cards except the red backed top card changing their positions.

98

COLOUR DIFFUSION 7. You can repeat this shuffle two or three times and it looks as if you are giving the packet a genuine shuffle. On completing the mix, square the cards and place them face down in your left hand. A red back will show, of course. 8. You now ask a question about the packet of cards such as, “Did you notice how many cards were in the pile?” Whatever they say, turn the pile face up and fan the cards to reveal the number of cards. Square them up and give them a few more Milk Shuffles, eventually placing the pile face down in the left hand as before. 9. Now you ask another question. For instance you might say, “How many red cards were there in the pile?” After they answer, turn the pile face up to reveal whether they are correct, then do the special shuffle and end up with the pile face down in the left hand again. 10. Repeat this sequence one final time with a further question, then shuffle the pile and place it back into your left hand. You now bring out the blue backed card from your pocket face down and slip it somewhere into the face down pile as you explain that now the spectators have been concentrating on the cards in the pile, they should be able to work out what the value is of the blue backed card. 11. Turn the cards faces towards the audience and give the pile a genuine overhand shuffle, then spread the packet face up and invite the spectators to say which is the odd backed card. Irrespective of which one they think it is, you explain that actually it’s impossible to get it wrong, because they are ALL different - and you turn the pile face down and scatter the six different card backs all over the table.

99

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Effect This is a scaled down Oil and Water presentation using just six cards, three red suit cards and three black suit cards. The performer also shows that the red suit cards have red backs and the black suit cards have blue backs. This means that you can see whether the cards are mixed irrespective of whether they are held face up or face down. With the cards in a face up fan, the magician repositions the cards so that the suit colours alternate. He then squares the pile, turns it face down and gives the packet a shake. Immediately the cards are spread to reveal that the three red backed cards are back together, as are the blue backed cards. Once again the cards are alternated, the pile is squared, turned face up, shaken, and on being spread the suits have separated again. The performer suggest that maybe there are too many cards. He openly removes one red suit card and one black and puts them away in his pocket. The remaining four cards are interspersed, turned face down and shaken and on spreading they are seen to have separated again. Once again one red backed card and one blue backed card are put away leaving just one red and one black card. These are mixed but the performer explains that there’s not much you can do with just two cards. So saying, he brings the other four cards back out of his pocket and asking the spectator to hold out both of his hands palm up, he places the two red suit cards face up on his right hand and the two black suit cards face up on his left hand.

100

COLOUR REMIX Showing the two other cards back and front, the magician slips the blue backed card face down between the red cards, and the red backed card face down between the black suit cards. Moments later, when the face down cards are turned over, the blue backed card is seen to now have changed to a red suit to match the two cards it is between, and the red backed card has changed to a black suit. As a final kicker, the performer asks whether the spectators think the faces change or the backs? The magician says that actually it’s the backs, and flipping over the six cards every single card is seen now to have a different coloured back.

Requirements First of all you need four Bicycle cards all with different coloured backs. Two of these cards need to have red suit faces, and two black. Next, you need two red backed Bicycle cards with red suit faces, these faces matching the red suit cards from the different coloured backs set. Then you need two blue backed Bicycle cards with black suit faces, these also matching the black suit cards from the different coloured back set. Finally you need one red suit card with a blue back, and one black suit card with a red back.

Set-Up Place the set of four different coloured back cards into your right jacket side pocket. Now arrange the remaining six cards so that the three red suit cards are together, with the odd backed one in the middle, and similarly with the black suit pile have the odd backed card in the centre. Put one pile on top of the other and you are ready.

101

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Working 1. Bring out the cards and spread them face up to reveal a set of three red suit cards and three black. Split the packet into two separate sets of three cards and drop them to the table face up. 2. You explain that these six cards are known as the cards that can’t be mixed. And in fact it won’t matter whether the cards are face up or face down because the backs reflect the faces. 3. So saying, pick up the three red suit cards and hold them squared face up in your left hand. Push off the top card into your right hand and then turn over both wrists to show two red backs (the blue back of the centre card remains covered by the card on top of it). 4. With your left thumb push the top card of the two being held to the right and take it on top of the card in the right hand, but stepped over to the left. Immediately the left hand flashes the back of the one card it holds to show red, and then turns the card face up and slips it under the two in the right hand, the pile then being squared and dropped face up on the table. 5. The same sequence is repeated with the other set of three cards to apparently show that the black suit cards all have blue card backs. Drop the black suit pile on top of the red cards, and pick the whole lot up and spread in a face up fan which you hold in your left hand. 6. You will now mix the colours of the cards. Slide out the bottom card of the pile (a red suit card) and place it openly on the top of the fan. Now slide out the new bottom card and slip it third from the top, and finally take the last red suit card from the bottom and place that fifth from the top. This will alternate the cards in a red, black, red, black, red, black face up order. 7. Square the cards and turn them face down. Snap your fingers and spread the pile and it will be seen that the cards have apparently unmixed themselves as the three blue backed cards are all together on top of the three red ones. 102

COLOUR REMIX 8. With the pile still fanned and face down, swap the middle cards of each set. So the middle red backed card goes second from the top between the two blue back cards and the middle blue backed card is slid in second from the bottom between the two red. 9. Square the spread, turn the pile face up, snap your fingers and fan the cards to reveal that the three red suit cards are together again as are the three black suit cards. 10. You suggest at this point that there are too many cards. With your right hand reach into the fan and slide out the middle two cards i.e. the third and fourth cards from the top of the face up fan. You can openly show these casually both sides as they are genuinely one red backed red suit card and one blue backed black suit card. 11. Take these to your right jacket pocket and leave them behind. You may wish to have something in your pocket, such as a piece of card or a folded handkerchief, to keep these cards separate from the four cards already in there. 12. Now take out the third card in the fan and slip it above the second card so that the pile alternates red suit, black suit, red suit, black suit again. Square the cards, turn the pile face down, snap the fingers, and fan again to show the two blue backed cards together on top of the two red backed cards. Again they appear to have separated. 13. Slide off the top and bottom cards, casually flash them and put them into your right jacket pocket next to the previous two discarded cards as you comment that maybe there are still too many cards. 14. Start to switch the two cards left in view back and forth as you comment that there’s not much you can do with just the two cards, so you’ll try something else instead. Hold the two cards face down in the left hand. Ask the spectator to hold out both his hands palm up.

103

L i f e 's a B e a c h 15. As he does this your right hand goes back into your right jacket pocket and brings out the set of four different coloured back cards face up. Because the face values match the cards that you put away in your pocket, it is assumed that they are the same cards being brought back into play. 16. Place the two black suit cards face up onto one of the spectator’s palms, the other two red suit cards onto his other hand. Casually flash both sides of the two loose cards and then slip the blue backed card face down between the red suit cards, and the other card between the black suit cards. 17. Snap the fingers and turn the two face down cards over to reveal that the red backed card now has a black suit to match the two cards it is in between, and vice versa with the other set. 18. You now comment that the spectators may wonder whether it is the faces of the cards that change or the backs. Well, you can reveal it is the backs. At which point you turn all the cards face down and spread them all out on the table to reveal that every card has a different coloured back.

Make those who help you with your magic look special.

104

8 C A R D p. g .

Effect The magician removes a card from the deck and places it into his pocket saying that this is a card that the spectator is going to think of in a moment. Next, he drops eight random cards out of the pack and gets the spectator to pick them up, fan and remember any one, and to then thoroughly shuffle the packet. The performer says that he is going to show the spectator half of the cards and that his card will not be amongst them. Stripping out four cards he shows them and the spectator agrees that his card is not there. The reason, the performer explains, is that the card he thought of is already in his pocket. Reaching into his pocket he brings out the card for a moment before replacing it again. Once again four cards are stripped out of the packet and again the spectator admits his card is not amongst them. The single card is removed from the pocket as the magician reminds the spectator that this will be his card. On repeating this sequence a third time however, the spectator says that his card is amongst the four cards. The performer seems surprised. Reaching into his pocket he removes the card he’s been showing there and displays its face asking if this is in fact the thought of card. It isn’t. At this point it looks as if the trick has gone wrong, until suddenly the performer starts to pull loads more cards from the same pocket, none of which are the selection, because there is now only a single card left in the performer’s hand, and that is the thought of card.

105

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Comments This is based on a Paul Gordon trick called Merely Thought Of Card Miracle from his book Gold Dust. Gary has added a surprise twist ending to the original.

Working 1. Remove any card from the deck and without showing its face place it into your right trouser pocket. 2. Now drop out any eight random cards and hand them to a spectator. Ask him to fan them and remember any one, then to shuffle the pile so that even he doesn’t know where his thought of card has ended up in the pile. 3. You explain that the card in your pocket will be the one he has just thought of in the pile. You now fan the face down pile and you injog the bottom card, and outjog the card immediately above it. Then injog the third card from the bottom, and outjog the fourth card from the bottom. Continue for the rest of the pile. 4. Square the pile and grab the four outjogged cards and pull them out of the pile. Turn them to face the spectator and ask if he sees his card amongst them. He may or he may not. If he doesn’t see his card, take the removed set and slip them UNDER the four cards still in your left hand. If he does see his card amongst them, drop the four cards on TOP of the others. 5. The presentation to cover this is as follows. If he doesn’t see his card you say, “Well, no of course not, because I have it already in my pocket.” And showing your right hand empty you bring out the card you placed there earlier and display it but still without showing its face. Put it back. 6. If he does see his card, you say, “Oh, well that can’t be right, because I already have the card you thought of in my pocket.” And you display the pocket card as explained before.

106

8 C A R D p. g . 7. You need to repeat the sequence a total of three times. So in and outjog the cards, strip out the outjogged ones, show them and so on. At the conclusion of the third occasion that you do it, the selection will always end up as the top card of the face down pile (I know, amazing, right?!) 8. Holding the squared pile in your left hand, push the top card forward at the front short edge. Bring the right hand palm down over the pile and grab the lower group of seven cards deep in the right thumb crutch, and pull them away palmed as your right hand goes to the right trouser pocket. 9. This going to the pocket you have done already two or three times before so it is an action that they are used to. Drop the pile into the pocket, and then just grab one of the cards and bring it out of the pocket again as if it was the card that you have been showing on every other occasion. 10. Turn the card face towards the spectator as you ask if this is his thought of card. He will say it isn’t. Now you get the lovely moment where you start to drag the other cards in the pocket out one at a time with increasing speed, and as you do so the audience will start to realise what has happened and they will look at your left hand which turns over its single card to reveal the thought of selection.

It doesn’t hurt if you sometimes appear a little fallible, we’re all human.

107

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Effect A spectator signs a card and every time that the selection is put into the deck’s centre, it jumps back to the top. Then it is discovered that the pen used to sign the card, actually doesn’t write, which means the card could not have been signed, and the card is shown to no longer have the signature on it. Plus, it couldn’t have jumped to the top of the deck from the middle because the deck is a solid lump which can be examined.

Comments This is Gary’s version of the Paul Harris effect Solid Deception.

Requirements You need to make a solid deck. Either you can stick every card in a deck into a solid lump, or better, get an Omni Deck and stick a card top and bottom to it. You will also need two loose matching cards, say the 4H, and two identical permanent marker pens, one of which you allow to completely dry out so that it doesn’t write. You may want to coat the nib with superglue as well to ensure it definitely can’t be used.

Set-Up Have the two pens in your right pocket. Make sure you know which one is the gimmick. Gary lies them down in his pocket, one facing one way, the other in the opposite direction so that he knows which pen is which. The two loose 4H cards start off on top of the deck block.

108

SOLIDIFied

1

Working 1. At the start you can casually overhand shuffle the deck as you patter by shuffling the two loose cards to the bottom, then dropping off the block and shuffling the two cards back to the top again. 2. With the two loose cards back on top, flip over the top card and deal it to the table face up. Reach into your pocket and bring out the genuine pen. Hand it to the spectator and ask him to put his name on the face of the card. 3. Once he’s done that take the pen back, recap it and place it away in your right pocket as you ask him to show the card round or ‘blow on the writing to make sure it is dry’. Under cover of the misdirection, leave the real pen in the pocket and come back out with the dry pen, and leave it casually on the table. 4. Adjust the deck in your hand so that the other loose card on top is now held with a break at the back away from the deck block ready for the Tilt Move. Fig.1 shows the performer’s rear view. 5. With the front of the deck towards the audience, take the signed card and insert it flat against the top of the deck under the top card. Because of the break you get the illusion of the card going into the centre of the deck. Fig.2. 109

L i f e 's a B e a c h 6. Push the card in and then release the break. Snap your fingers and double lift the two cards to show the signed card is back on top. 7. Double lift them face down and slide off the top card and repeat the about Tilt Move procedure. This time the spectator can even turn the card over as the signed one will really be at the top. 8. You can repeat this a couple more times if you wish but you need to finish with the signed card actually on the top. 9. At this point you palm off the signed selection with your right hand as you say that you need the pen again. You take your hand to your right pocket, where you leave the card behind, but as you do this you appear to ‘notice’ that the pen is already on the table. 10. Bring your hand back out empty and use it to hand the tabled pen to the spectator. Get him to take the lid off and then ask him to write his name on your face! This is a funny moment, because he really believes that this is the pen that he signed the card with earlier and you may have to convince him to do it. 11. Eventually he tries but it doesn’t write. Then you turn over the top card to show that the 4H no longer has his name on it, and then reveal that the card couldn’t have come to the top several times because the deck is a solid block.

2

110

h y p n o - ta s t i c

Effect A spectator selects a card which is lost back in the deck. The performer looks through the cards but seems slightly unsure which card may have been chosen, and so he places two cards face down on the table in order to hedge his bets slightly. The spectator is now asked to hold out his two hands at chest height and one card is placed face down onto each of his palms. He may select which card goes onto which hand. The performer now suggests to him that one of his hands will start to feel as if it is getting heavier, so heavy in fact that it will start to lower itself. As he talks, slowly one of the spectator’s arms starts to drop until it is significantly lower than the other. Taking the card off the higher hand, the magician says that this cannot be the selection. He looks at it and asks if the selected card was the 4D. It wasn’t. The spectator reveals that his card was in fact the KC. When he turns over the card on the other hand, it is his chosen card.

Comments This is a way to get some simple pseudo hypnosis or suggestion into an effect.

Requirements You need one extra card to match your regular deck. Let’s say it is the KC. Have one of the KC cards on the top of the deck, the other can be anywhere else in the pack.

111

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Working 1. Bring out the deck and force the top card, the KC. Have it returned to the deck and shuffled by the spectator. 2. Take the deck back and look through it as if searching for the selection. Admit that you are not quite sure so you’ll actually remove a couple of likely cards. Take out the two KC cards and drop them both face down on the table without showing their faces. 3. You now get the spectator to mix the two cards face down and then to hold both his hands out flat and palm up. Lay one KC face down on each palm. He can select which card goes onto which hand. 4. You then start to suggest to him that the card that he selected will start to become heavier and that the hand holding that selection will start to drop down with the extra weight. Usually, as you patter about this, the spectator will allow one of their hands to drop down a little and you immediately pick up on this and say that you think the hand that is dropping down must have the chosen card on it. 5. Once it is established that one hand is lower than the other, lift the card off the other hand, turn the face towards yourself and miscall it as any other card. So you might say, “So, this card, the... (look at the card face)...4D is not your card, is that correct?” 6. As the spectator confirms that he did not select the 4D, casually drop the card back on top of the deck and concentrate now on the other card. Ask him which one he did choose and ask him to turn the card over to reveal the very same card.

112

k i c k ba c k p i c k pa c k po c k e t

Effect Two red Aces are shown and slipped into a spectator’s wallet which he pockets. A card is selected and placed between the spectator’s palms. A snap of the fingers and when he turns over the card on his hand he discovers it is in fact the two red Aces, and the selected card the spectator finds in his wallet.

Requirements Apart from your regular deck you need one matching duplicate card, for instance the 3S.

Set-Up On the face of the 3S write clearly a name as if a spectator has signed their name on the card previously. So, for instance you could write the name Dave. Then remove the 3S from the deck itself and write Dave in exactly the same way and position on that card too. This creates two identical signed cards, which will help to reinforce in a subtle way that it is really the selected card that ends up in the spectator’s wallet. Put the two 3S cards on top of the deck and then set the two red Aces on top of those. You are now ready.

113

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Working 1. Hold the deck in your left hand and push off the top two cards and flip them face up onto the top of the deck. As you lift them off the deck with your palm down right hand in Biddle Grip, secretly pick up the first face down 3S beneath them. 2. Using your left thumb, reach across and drag the top face up Ace out of the right hand and back onto the top of the deck. Push it to the right a little with the left thumb so that you can use the left long edge of the cards still in the right hand to lift the right long edge of the card and flip the Ace face down on top of the deck. 3. Lower the two cards still in the right hand down over the top card and pick it up again off the top of the deck under the pile, but keep a break between this card and the other two with the right thumb at the rear short edge. 4. Twist the right hand palm towards the audience to display the face of the Ace that is being held under the pile as you name the Ace. 5. Lower the right hand palm down again and thumb the other Ace off the top of the pile onto the top of the deck as you did with the first one. Flip it over as before, pick it up under the pile stepping it for half its width off to the left and lift it up to show the face of this second Ace. 6. Lower the cards over the deck and square them up by knocking them against the left thumb that is holding the pack, and at the same time secretly drop the two Aces below the thumb break back onto the top of the deck leaving just the 3S in your palm down right hand. 7. Ask the spectator to take out his wallet and slip the 3S into his wallet as you say that you want him to hold on to the two red Aces for a moment. Get him to put it away again in his pocket 8. Give the deck a quick false shuffle and then you need to force the other 3S which is third from the top under the two red Aces. To do this, cut the deck completing

114

k i c k ba c k p i c k pa c k po c k e t the cut but keeping a break in the centre above the red Aces. Riffle force to the break, cutting the deck apparently where told to stop. Complete the cut. 9. Triple lift the top three cards over to show the 3S. People will notice the fact that it has the name Dave on it. If anyone comments on this, just say that it was signed by a previous spectator earlier in a different trick. Even if they don’t mention it, they will see it for sure. 10. Triple lift the three cards as one face down and as you ask the spectator to hold out a hand, neatly double lift the top two cards (the red Aces) off the top of the deck and hold them squared as one card in the palm down right hand. 11. When the spectator’s hand is offered, place the card(s) onto the palm and ask the spectator to put their other hand palm down on top. This will keep the cards from separating. 12. Make a magic pass, and then ask if they noticed anything. They will probably say they didn’t. Ask them to look at their selection between their hands. They discover the two red Aces. Then when they open their wallet they will find the 3S and because it has Dave on it the impression is that it must be the same card they chose moments before.

Ask the whole table questions to get everyone involved, and use good eye contact.

115

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Effect The performer asks a spectator whether he prefers black or red cards. Let’s imagine he says black. Removing a pile of eight cards from a small wallet, the magician fans them face up to show a mixed selection of red and black suit cards, and invites the spectator to name any black one. Let’s say he says the KC. This card is slid out and dropped face up on the table. The performer says: “That KC is now yours, but I knew that you would want that one because all the rest of the cards are mine”. So saying the magician flashes the backs of all the rest of the cards to reveal that each one has the word MINE written on its back. Then when the spectator turns over his choice, it has the word YOURS on it.

Comments This combines the Olram Subtlety move with a nice Nick Trost effect.

Requirements You need to put together two sets of eight cards. Set No. 1 consists of any four red suit cards and any four black suit cards. On the back of each of the black suit cards you write the word YOURS. Then on the backs of the four red suit cards you write MINE. Alternate the cards so that they are in a red/black/red/black order. Have a black suit card as the face card of the pile. Now turn to Set No.2. Again you have four red suit cards and four black suit cards. The difference here is that you write the word YOURS on the back of the four RED

116

yo u r s a n d m i n e suit cards, and the word MINE on the rear of each of the BLACK suit cards. Arrange these cards also in alternating suit colour order, making sure that a red suit card is on the face of the pile. You now need to get a two sided wallet so that you can put one set of cards in one side of it and the other set in the other. Alternatively you could just have the two sets of cards in two different plastic wallets and you just bring out the relevant wallet when required.

Working 1. You ask a spectator whether he prefers black suits or red. If he says black, either open the two sided wallet so that the pile with the black card on the face is seen and removed, or simply bring out the wallet that has the correct pile in it. If he says red, you ensure that the pile with the red card on the face is taken out. 2. In our example above the spectator selects black. You fan the pile of cards that has the black card on the face and ask the spectator to name any of the black suit cards. He selects the KC, for instance. 3. Cut the pile and complete the cut so that the KC becomes the face card of the pile, and then deal the KC face up onto the table in front of the spectator. 4. This card, you tell the spectator, is yours. The rest are mine. You will now perform the Olram Subtlety. Holding the rest of the pile face up in your left hand, you thumb off the top card into your right hand and immediately turn both hands palm down. This will reveal the word MINE written on the two card backs that are visible. 5. Turn the hands palm up again and drop the right hand card face up onto the table and thumb the face card of the pile off on top of it. Repeat this twice more and it will appear as if all the other cards have MINE written on them. 6. All that remains is for the spectator to turn over his card to reveal the word YOURS on it.

117

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Effect A card is chosen and returned to the deck. The performer claims that it is 38 cards from the top. Holding the pack up he riffles down the edge to where he claims the card is. However, suddenly the spectators notice that the selected card is not in the deck at all but is being held in the performer’s other hand!

Comments This surprising quick effect makes an ideal opener and also a great lead in to the classic Card In Mouth effect which can follow logically on from this.

Working 1. Have a card selected, shown to everybody, and then returned to the deck. In the process of mixing the cards control the selection to the top. 2. You now claim that you believe the chosen card has ended up in the 38th position from the top. The spectators may or may not believe this assertion! 3. You then comment, that one thing you do know is that the selection is not on the top. As you say this, double lift and turn over the top two cards as one to apparently show an indifferent card there. 4. Flip the double back face down and casually thumb off the top card (the selection) face down into your free hand.

118

G AR Y ’s o p e n e r 5. Immediately, lift the hand holding the deck up high as you riffle down the edge of the pack with your thumb. Stop about 2/3rds of the way down the deck holding an obvious break with your thumb as you claim to have stopped at exactly where the chosen card is, the 38th position. 6. As you do this, casually revolve the selected card you are holding so that its face is now flat towards the audience. Because everyone’s attention is directed up at the deck held high, nobody will notice. 7. You now pause, let the break go and smiling, slowly turn your head to look down at your hand. The attention of the spectators will be drawn to the selected card now facing them in your other hand, which gets a great reaction. 8. If you want, you can now apparently lose the card back in the deck again and when the spectators look up they discover the selection now hanging from your mouth.

Gary performing at Sunnydale old folk’s home where he is a resident. 119

L i f e 's a B e a c h

By Chris Congreave

Effect You get a spectator to sign a coin with a permanent marker. You wave your hand over the coin and the initials vanish. You tell them that actually, their coin has vanished and been replaced with another coin, of the same value! They look a bit sceptical (I wonder why?). You now remove a locked box and say: “No, really, I usually keep that one in here!” They open the box and the signed coin is inside the locked box.

Comments I have used this with a nest of wallets, also Richard Pinner’s “PET”, a Lippencott Box and into Jon Allen’s Destination box. All get fantastic reactions. Some time after Chris devised his routine, he sat down for a few hours with the talented magician Dave Davies who showed Chris an effect where he used a shell in a similar way. I don’t think he has published his idea as yet, but it was great and I just wanted to give him a mention!

Requirements You will need an expanded shell for this routine but you use it in a very different and sneaky way! Have the shell in your right pocket. I use a 10p shell and I also have a £1 one, just in case. 120

c o i n to a n y w h e r e

Working 1. Borrow a coin and get them to sign/initial the side that matches your shell. As they are doing this get your shell and hold it in a finger palm in the right hand. 2. Take the coin back and turn it signature/initials side up, then get the shell between your thumb and finger tips. You then load the shell over the coin but do it as if you’re rubbing the initials off the coin. 3. Now say the bit about their coin vanishing in a very tongue in cheek manner. You now pick up the shell leaving the signed coin behind in a finger palm, which you can then load into, well, wherever!

Try not to create a challenge situation with a troublesome spectator, you will always lose.

121

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Effect Ask a spectator to think of any 3 digit number. Let’s say they name “401”. You write it down in dry wipe marker pen on a 10p, and then say: “I want you to focus on the number for a few seconds, before I wipe it off ”. You then wipe the number from the coin and continue: “I made a prediction earlier today and wrote a number down on a coin just like you did, but in permanent marker, my coin is locked inside this box”. They open the box, remove a 10p and written in permanent marker is the number 401.

Comments Using the method from “Coin To Anywhere” Gary took Chris Congreave’s idea and put a slightly different mentalism slant on it.

Requirements As well as an expanded shell you will also need a permanent marker (Sharpie) and a dry wipe marker. You are going to take the ink and nib out of the dry wipe marker and replace it with the ink and nib from the Sharpie. You will then have a dry wipe marker pen that writes in permanent ink.

Working 1. Ask the spectator to think of a 3 digit number, (Gary sometimes also asks them to think of the initials of an old friend). Say that you will write them down and remove a 10p from your left pocket and grab the marker from the right pocket.

122

MENTAL COINS 2. Write the number onto the coin, recap and then place the marker away, grabbing the shell as you do so. 3. Now as in the previous routine you pretend to wipe the marks off the coin as you load the shell onto the 10p. You can show the coin all around, lift off the shell as before and load the coin with the prediction into your Lippencott Box or wherever.

Make Your Own Box If you don’t have any of the previously mentioned places for the coin to appear in, you can very easily make one. This is an idea I first saw on a John Bannon video many years ago. He used it at the end of a one coin routine. Get a small tin with a hinged lid and stick a coin that matches your shell into it, (make sure the side that doesn’t match the shell is showing), using a blob of Blu Tack or Dexter’s Putty etc. Also add a few other loose smaller coins of a different denomination. Then simply open the box, show the coins and dump them all onto the coin in your hand with the prediction on. Gary has a really nice convincer to enhance the rubbing out of the spectator’s writing. On the shell make a smudge mark with a permanent marker, so when you load the shell over their coin and apparently rub off their writing they see an ink smudge on the coin. Subtle eh!!

123

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Effect A deck is spread face up and a spectator touches literally any card. Let’s say he selects the 4D. The cards are cut to lose the card as the magician explains that he knew that the spectator would select the 4D. Flipping the deck face down the performer now spreads the pack to reveal that every card has the words BEEN CHOSEN written on the back. The reason for this, he explains, is that each time a card is chosen in a trick, afterwards he writes BEEN CHOSEN on the back. Continuing through the pack the spectators can see that every card has been chosen before until suddenly in the deck’s centre a card comes along that says NOT CHOSEN. This one is placed momentarily on the top of the pack while the rest of the cards are shown to all have the words BEEN CHOSEN on the backs. So there is only one card in the entire deck that has not been chosen before, and when that is flipped face up it is seen to be the 4D! The card is handed to the spectator for a moment to hold as it is explained that the 4D is now a problem because since the spectator selected it, it too has now been chosen like all the other cards. And when the card is turned over again it is seen that the writing has changed to BEEN CHOSEN.

Requirements Take a red backed deck and write the words BEEN CHOSEN on the back of every card. Then get a matching red double backed card and write BEEN CHOSEN on one side and flipping the card over in the same way that you do when performing a double lift (i.e. either side to side, or end to end) write NOT CHOSEN on the other side. Place this card on the top of the deck with the NOT CHOSEN side upwards. 124

NOT CHOSEN

Working 1. Bring the deck out face up and spread it by passing cards from your left hand to your right without changing their order, at the same time asking a spectator to point to one card. 2. When he does so, split the deck so that the chosen card is the lowermost card of the cards in the right hand, and ask if the spectator would like to change his mind. Assuming he doesn’t, put the right hand cards back onto those in the left, getting a left little finger break below the selected card as you square the deck. 3. After a pause cut the deck, completing the cut. This will send the chosen card to the top and the double backer to the centre. 4. Turn the deck face down and start to swiftly spread the cards showing that they all have BEEN CHOSEN written on them. Eventually you will get to the NOT CHOSEN double backer in the centre. You split the deck so that this card is the top card of those in the left hand, and then use your left thumb to push the card onto the top of the cards in the right hand. 5. Continue spreading through the deck until it has clearly been seen that every card, except the one, has BEEN CHOSEN enscribed on it. 6. Square the deck and as you do so get a break under the top two cards. Flip them over to reveal that the NOT CHOSEN card is apparently the one selected by the spectator. 7. Immediately slide off the top card (the BEEN CHOSEN side of the double backer will show on top of the deck and so will go unnoticed) and hand it face up to the spectator. Explain that his card now has been chosen, and so that is why, when he turns over the card, the writing has changed to BEEN CHOSEN. 8. To re-set, just take the selection off the spectator and bury it in the centre of the deck somewhere, and then you only need to flip the top card over and you are ready to perform again. 125

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Effect Four Jokers are removed from a plastic wallet and held face up so that the AD, 2D and 3D can be slipped face down in between them. The cards can clearly be seen to be a face up Joker, a face down card, then a face up Joker, another face down card and so on. Yet moments later the face down cards all vanish leaving just the face up Jokers, and the AD, 2D and 3D are found in the plastic wallet that the Jokers originally came from.

Comments This is Gary’s version of Paul Harris’s Interlaced Vanish.

Requirements On the top of the deck have three cards in the following face down order: AD, 3D, 2D. You then need two identical plastic wallets. In one you slip a duplicate set of AD, 2D and 3D, and in the other you put four Jokers. Place the two wallets together into your pocket, just making sure you know which wallet contains the Jokers.

Working 1. Pick up the deck and spread the top three cards lifting them in a little fan off the deck and turning the faces towards the audience as you say that you will be using three cards, the AD, 2D and 3D. Drop them back on the deck and square the pack.

126

INTERLACE

1

2. Reach into your pocket and bring out the wallet containing the Jokers. Remove the cards so that the wallet is seen to be empty, but don’t comment on the fact that there is now nothing inside it. 3. Hand the Jokers to a spectator to examine and as they do this, pick up the empty wallet, take it to your pocket, and switch it bringing the other wallet straight back out again leaving it on the table. Don’t worry about this bold switch, as the spectators have no idea that the wallet is going to play any further part in the trick so they will not notice. 4. Take the four Jokers back from the spectator and drop them face down on the top of the deck. Bring your right hand palm down over the deck and as you do so, use the left thumb to push the top card a little over to the right. The right hand picks up the card by the short ends and twists the face towards the audience to show the first Joker. Fig.1. 5. Push the second card over to the right as you lower the right hand down and pick up the next card under the first one, keeping it stepped over to the left. Lift the face towards the audience and then repeat with the third Joker. 6. As you come back and are picking up the fourth Joker off the top of the deck

127

L i f e 's a B e a c h

2

under the others, Fig.2, just pause long enough to also get a little break with the right thumb at the rear short edge between the top Joker and the three below it. Your left thumb can help to steady the spread of cards as you do this. 7. Raise the faces to now show a spread of all four Jokers and then bring them back to the top of the deck and square them against the left thumb over the deck. Fig.3. As you do this secretly release onto the top of the pack the three Jokers below the break and come away just with the single top Joker. Your right hand provides cover so that it is not obvious that you only have one card in your hand. Fig.4.

3

128

INTERLACE

4

8. Place the deck face down onto the table and then pass the single card over into your left hand as if it was the pile of four Jokers. Fig.5. 9. With your right hand reach over and slide off the top card of the pack. The audience should believe that this is the AD. Turn the face of the card towards you as if to check which card it is and then you say, “So, we’ll take the AD and place it on top of the Jokers.” 10. Place it face down on top of the card in your left hand, and then immediately reach underneath and slide out the lower of the two cards, turning it face up to show it is a Joker, and then place it outjogged on top of the face down card. Fig.6.

5

129

L i f e 's a B e a c h

6

11. You then slide off the next card, as you say, “And this is the 2D...ah, no sorry, it’s the 3D...” as you look at it and see that it is apparently the 3D. The spectators may have noticed that you had the three cards in the wrong order at the start and if they do, this reinforces the illusion that you are looking at the card faces of the Diamonds cards. 12. Take this card and place it face down onto those cards already in the left hand, lining it up with the lower visible face down card. Fig.7. Reach under the pile and drag out the bottom face down card, turning it face up to show it is a Joker, and place it aligned with the outjogged face up Joker.

7

130

INTERLACE 13. Repeat by taking a third card which you miscall as the 2D and place that on the pile, dragging out the bottom card of the pile to show a Joker and place that on top. Square the packet. 14. So, to all intents and purposes it looks like you have just interlaced the AD, 2D and 3D face down amongst the Jokers. In reality you have a pile that consists of a face up Joker, a face down Joker, then two face up Jokers. 15. Snap your fingers and flip the cards face down. Do an Elmsley count to reveal four face down cards. The Diamonds seem to instantly disappear. To display the four Jokers cleanly, do a Block Push Off with the left thumb so that the top three face down Jokers are displaced to the right. Fig.8. 16. The right hand comes in palm down and grabs these three cards, fingers on the top, thumb underneath, lifting them up so that the backs of the cards are left facing the audience for a moment, and at the same instant the left hand raises its card’s back towards the audience as well. Without a pause the four cards are then lowered and dropped face up on the table. 17. All you then have to do is to reveal the AD, 2D and 3D in the wallet that has been on the table from the start.

8

131

LEAD FREE EXTRA

Effect An Ace is shown and placed face down on a spectator’s hand. The four Kings are then displayed and placed in the performer’s hand. Instantly the two sets of cards transpose, the four Kings being found in the spectator’s hand and the Ace in the performer’s.

Comments This is a very strong instant effect which is perfect for walkabout. Instead of using an Ace you could use a selected card which can be signed if you wish.

Working 1. From your deck remove the four Kings and the AC. Arrange the cards in a face down pile in the following order: KS, KH, AC, KD, KC. 2. Spread the cards face down to display the fact that there are five cards. Square them up again getting a left little finger break below the AC in the centre. 3. Triple lift (easy because of the break) and turn the card(s) right over to apparently reveal that the AC is on top of the pile. 4. Ask a spectator to hold out their hand palm up and as they do so triple lift the cards face down again and deal the top card face down onto the offered hand as you comment that you would like the helper to hold onto the Ace for a moment.

132

PO CK E T A CES 5. Flip the pile face up and Elmsley Count the cards to apparently show the four Kings as you say that you will hold the four Kings. Turn the Kings face down and hold them in the left hand. 6. You now explain that in a moment the two sets of cards are going to change places. As you speak, bring your right hand palm down over the pile and using your left thumb slide the top card of the pile a small amount over to the left. 7. The exposed side jogged bottom three cards are covered by the back of the right hand. Grip the pile from above with the right hand so that you can let go with the left fingers for a moment, then regrip the top card in the middle of its left long edge. 8. Look at the spectator who is holding the card and say, “Did you feel anything happen?” As you are saying this, the right hand slides away taking with it the lower three cards in a palm and immediately reaches out and slaps the palmed cards on top of the one in the spectator’s hand lifting all four up without a pause and turning them face up and fanning them. 9. It looks as if the single AC instantly changes to the four Kings! Slowly turn over the single card remaining in the left hand to reveal it is the Ace.

133

L i f e 's a B e a c h

Thank you for purchasing the 2nd volume of my work, and I hope you really do find something you can use in this collection. If you have followed my work you will know that I have a ‘magic fetish’ with the cards to pocket plot. Over the years I have created a number of different versions. As you may know, to get a signed selection into say, a wallet or to your pocket, most versions require a palm. If you check out volume 1 of ‘Life’s A Beach’ you will find a palm free version which is a belter. In this collection I have included my ‘Repeat Signed Cards to Pocket’. While this version does require palming I created a method to get ‘one ahead’ during the first phase so when the cards jump back to the pocket for a second time there are no moves whatsoever. Please check it out. If you’ve ever wanted to do a little pseudo hypnosis have a look at my ‘Hypno-tastic’. The reactions you will get with this effect far outweigh the simple method. ‘Win a Watch’ is my take on Charlie Miller’s outstanding ‘Dunbury Delusion’. If you really want to ‘knock their socks off ’ this is the routine to use. I know as I have been doing this routine now for over 30 years. It really is a killer effect. As you can see from the contents of this volume the effects vary from self-working to difficult. Nothing in this collection is too difficult, but if you do have any problems with any of these routines please drop me a line and I may be able to help you out. Thank you to everyone at Magicseen for their continued support and all the hard work they have put in to make this project happen. And finally ‘Thank You’ once again for your continued support and for buying this collection. Gary Jones MIMC (Gold Star) 134

LAST WORD

Gary reveals a card sticking out of his mouth. It’s never the right one, but he never stops trying.

The “Raise your hand, no the clean one...” gag never gets old, unlike Gary! 135

Magicseen is delighted to present a second volume featuring the magic of top UK professional close up magician Gary Jones. Gary is one of those performers who is equally at home presenting magic to lay people or to a room full of magicians, and his creative output reflects those two requirements. Some of the magic in this collection is designed to intrigue and fool magicians, while other effects are fast, direct and perfect for working under almost any commercial conditions. What all the magic has in common is that the methods have been constructed to extract the maximum effect for the minimum of fuss. Some of Gary’s handlings do require some sleight of hand - he is very fond of palming cards, for instance - but equally, there are other ideas which are basically self working! So there’s something for everyone here. The vast majority of the 40 effects included here are with cards, but within that Gary has provided a huge variety of plot and magic that always has a big surprise finish. Some of the effects will go straight into your working repertoire because they are just too good to miss! If you love close up magic that has attack and impact, you are going to love Life’s a Beach Volume 2.

Published by www.magicseen.com ISBN 978-1-9162692-0-0