Mark Leveridge - Lecture Notes

30 TOP RATE CLOSE FROM ONE OF BRITAIN'S

UP ROUTINES

MOST

CREATIVE

AND IDEAS

CLOSE

UP ENTERTAINERS

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THE

BEST OF THE LOW DOWN ON CLOSE UP, CLOSE UP ENCOUNTERS THE MAGIC

OF CLOSE

IN ONE REVISED

UP and THE DECEPTIVE AND UPDATED

VOLUME!

DECK

Contents INTRODUCTION. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p2 FOREWORD. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p3 PRIVATE EYE

.p5

PAPER MONEY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p8 COUNTDOWN PREDICTI ON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . plO CARDS AND COINS THE SENSITIVE QUEEN THE MAGIC RING . THE BLANKETY-BLANK PACK LOOP IT THE INVISIBLE DECK ROUTINE

pI2 pI6 .pI7 pI9 p22 .p24 THE WRISTWATCH COIN VANISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p28 THE MAGIC SQUARE PREDICTION p29 IT PAYS TO BE A LADY p31 FLICK BOOK .p35 POOLS WINNER p3 7 A KEY ROUTINE p38 THE FASTEST FOUR ACE TRICK IN THE WORLD p41 THE THOUGHTINDICATOR CARDS p44 COIN VANISHER .p47 NO PALM CARD TO POCKET p49 THE MELTING COIN p50 THE BIONIC CARD .p52 NEW ACES THROUGHNEWSPAPER p55 THE SLAP COIN VANISH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . p59 TRANSPO CARD p61 DEVI L 'S ISLAND p65 THE DETECTIVE COIN .p67 TRANSPARENT SWITCH .p70 THE HOMING COIN p74 THE RIGHT WRONGPREDICTION p77 CONFUSING CHIPS p81

- 1 -

Introduction I first

began

DOWNON CLOSE

giving

close

UP. Between that

up

lectures

in 1977

with the appearance of THE LOW

date and 1982 I produced a total

of four different

lectures, three being on general close up (CLOSE UP ENCOUNTERSand THE MAGIC OF CLOSE being the other two) and one being a shorter lecture devoted to card magic entitled THE DECEPTIVE DECK. The one thing they all had in common was that all the material presented was practical and required few if any specialised props. I have always possible. Al though I for the sake of it, skill than I am with

tried to make my close up entertaining and as easy to do as am not averse to some sleight of hand, it is never used just as I am less interested in trying to impress people wi th my trying to amuse and entertain them.

This book combines in one volume much of the material presented in those four lectures. All the effects have been either revised, up-dated or in some cases, changed entirely in order to reflect the methods and presentation which I now prefer. Most of the effects themselves appeared in the original lecture books, but eight of the items which were in the lectures but not in the books are appearing in print here for the first time. On the These letters

same line as each trick title you will are a code to tell you in which lecture

So (LD) = Low Down On Close Up and (DD) = the Deceptive

this

Up, (CUE) = Close Deck. If there is

item was not in the original

lecture

see some letters in brackets. the item originally appeared.

Up Encounters, an * after the

(MCU) = Magic Of Close letters, it means that

book.

I sincerely hope you enjoy this selection and that if you have not seen the material before that it wi 11 provide inspiration and practical effects which you will use. Those who had the original books will I am sure find the up-dated versions of interest and will hopefully like the extra material from the lectures which were not originally included. MARK LEVERIDGE

THE MARK LEVERIDGE LECTURE EXPERIENCE is copyrightto MARK LEVERIDGEMAGIC, Exeter, Devon from January this publication in any form or otherwise,

may be reproduced, stored by any means, electronic,

without

permission

1990. No part

of

in any retrieval system, or transmitted, mechanical, photocopying, recording or

of MARK LEVERIDGE MAGIC. DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my friend CHRIS PAYNE whose help, encouragement and knowledge helped to get me started and who sti 11 continues to provide me with invaluable enthusiasm and assistance in all aspects of my magic business.

- 2 -

Foreword Having seen Mark Leveridge lecture and perform most of the effects described in the following pages, it is a pleasure to write this Foreword to some really entertaining and practical close up magic. There are those who say that there is nothing new in magic, that everything is merely a variation on that which has gone before. Well, to a certain extent this is true, but there are al so those who, being blessed wi th a mind that can think differently, constantly strive to produce new effects and methods, and Mark is one of these. I would think his main strength is his ability to achieve a directness of method, using subtleties rather than sleights whenever possible, so that every attention can be given to presentation. There are sleights, of course, but never for their own sake. A good example of this is in the "Private Eye" routine, in which a card must appear reversed. The problem is overcome not by finding yet another way of reversing a card, but by a far more subtle approach. You will not find in this book the umpteenth variation of the "Grimble Slip", whatever that may be!! What you will find are thoroughly practical moves that have been tried and tested in working conditions, and only retained when they have passed that test. In April 1989 Mark presented the first ever British Close Up Magic Symposium. I was privileged to be present and felt that the large attendance on that day was a measure of the esteem in which Mark is held by the close up fraternity. He loves his subject and it shows.

I am sure that this collection of practical effects will prove a most useful source of material for the working performer, and hope that a further collection will follow. BOB OSTIN, LIVERPOOL January 1990.

- 3 -

PRIVATE EYE

(LD*)

EFFECT:- A card is selected and returned to the deck which is shuffled. The performer then introduces his own personal Private Eye. This turns out to be a picture of an eye which is inside a transparent plastic key fob. The Private Eye is going to look at the cards and reveal to the performer which one has been chosen. The deck is fanned and the Private Eye looks along the cards. Unfortunately he is a bit short sighted (!) and so has to have the aid of a magnifying glass in order to see the cards properly! After a few moments he reveals to the performer the name of the selection. Not only that, but when the deck is spread again, the selection has turned face up...plus, the Private Eye itself is turned over to reveal now inside the perspex fob a miniature duplicate of the selected card. COMMENTS:-This is quite an unusual little effect which was in The Low Down On Close Up lecture but which I did not include in the original notes. There is quite a lot of potential for gags and puns here, but I will spare you the ones I use since they are hardly very original and you probably know a few 'eye' jokes yourself already! REQUIREMENTS:- 1. Your main requirement here is a set of two small transparent fobs. (NOTE:- See section 16 below). The ones I have are shown in Fig.l.

These are usually supplied with car keys. They normally have the car manufacturer's logo inside. You will need to remove the car logo from both the fobs and also remove the key rings themselves so that you are just left with the transparent fobs.

t;G.\

2. You will

need 2 pieces

of square

key

white

card which can be fitted

inside

the

fobs.

3. If you look through some magazines you will be able to find some pictures eyes! You need to find two identical eyes which you can cut out and which will inside the particular fobs you are using.

4. A miniature you can usually

card. These are the sort buy them in toy shops.

you sometimes

get

in Christmas

crackers

of fit or

5. A pack of cards. 6. One duplicate card to match the miniature card you are using. Let's assume the 6D is being used as the miniature card. Get an extra 6D from a deck which matches the pack you are going to use in the trick. 7. A pocket

magnifying

8. Some paper

glass.

glue.

SET-UP:- Stick an eye onto each of the pieces of card, attaching the miniature card to the back of one of them. Insert the cards into the fobs and then replace the snap in piece of plastic to seal the cards on the inside. The fobs should look identical except that one has a miniature card on its rear, the other does not. slip

Put the fob with the card on its rear into your right the magnifying glass into your left jacket pocket.

-

5 -

jacket

pocket,

and then

To set up the deck all you need to do is put the 60 on the top and then slip 6D FACE UP about three cards up from the bottom of the face down deck. Have the deck and the fob with just the eye in it to hand.

the extra

PRESENTATION:- 1. Bring out the deck and remove it from the box being careful not to flash the face up 60 as you do so. You can fan the deck face up to show the cards as long as you keep the bottom few together. 2. Square left little

the deck and hold it face down in the left hand. Cut the deck finger break in the centre after you have completed the cut.

3. Riffle force the card immediately below the finger the 60). If you are not familiar with this force here

keeping

break (the original top is a brief description.

a

card,

4. With the deck held in the left hand and the break maintained by the left little finger in the centre, raise the face of the pack towards the spectators and with the right hand riffle from front to back along the top short edges of the cards. 5. Ask a spectator to call 'stop'. When he does so, you hold the pack open with the right fingers at the selected spot, then lower both hands to a horizontal position, at the same time cutting the deck, NOT at the chosen spot, but actually at the break. Complete the cut and push off the top card. 6. Get the spectator to look at and remember his chosen card, the 60. Spread the deck between the hands and have him insert his card anywhere he likes back in the deck. Shuffle keeping the bottom few cards in place. This will retain the face up 60 in position and unseen. 7. Bring out your seen to be blank. few cards together.

Private Eye and freely display it, making sure that the rear is Pick up the deck and fan it face down, again keeping the bottom

8. Pick up the Private Eye and run it along the underside of the fan as if you are trying to give him a view of all the cards. Bring him out and hold him up to your ear as if you expect him to whisper the name of the selected card (I told you this is an unusual trick!).

9. However, a problem has arisen. Unfortunately your Private Eye has eye trouble(!) and needs glasses (or in this case 'glass', as he only has one eye!) to see the cards properly. 10. Square the deck and place it down. Your two hands go to their respective pockets simultaneously, the Private Eye sti 11 being retained in the right hand. The left hand emerges first displaying the magnifying glass and attention is turned to this as the right hand comes out having left the original Private Eye behind and bringing out the other one with the card inside. 11. Place the magnifying glass and Private Eye down for a moment. Fan the deck again and then place the magnifying glass on top of the eye and lift both in the right hand. Run them around the underside of the fan. 12. Place the eye and glass down and then square the deck, casually the process. This sends the face up 60 to the centre of the pack. 13. The Private you reveal that the audience!

cutting

it

Eye now apparently whispers to you the name of the selected card he says the spectator chose the 60. That is the first surprise -

6 -

in and to

14. Then you explain that in order to prove that he really did know which one it was, the Private Eye has done something to the selection. Ribbon spread the deck face down to reveal the 6D now face up in the deck! 15. Finally, just in case there are those who doubt all this, the Private Eye has

made a prediction - and you turn him over to reveal the miniature 6D sealed inside the fob along with the eye. 16. If you wish to dispense with the switching of the eye I see no reason why the whole thing could not just be done with one fob already set with the card inside. At the start of the trick, simply do not show the other side of the fob! This would also mean you did not have to make two eye fobs!

-

7 -

PAPER MONEY

(CUE)

EFFECT:- A blank piece of paper is freely shown, folded changes into a bank note which can be examined or spent you!).

and when unfolded instantly (if anyone will take it off

COMMENTS:- This quick item is really excellent for carrying around in your wallet so that you are ready to make money at any time. After all, one of the things lay people often ask when they discover you are a magician is "can you make money?". Well, now you can. This effect has been copied a couple of times by others who have

marketed their

Iimprovements '.

But this original versionscores in that it is

magical rather than just a paper folding novelty and finish can be examined. REQUIREMENTS:-

1. A new flat bank note of the largest

2. A piece of white

opaque

paper

cut to exactly

the money produced at the

denomination

you can afford!

the same size as the bank note.

3. A small piece of Blu Tack. SET-UP:-

ITJ (0)

Lay the bank note on the table.

~

[IJ

Fold as shown

in Fig.l.

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h

a..

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c

et

FIG. I

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~t"o

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So

~~

\5

cU:. t:\Je..~?

c.t"e.QSe..

Fold the piece of paper in exactly the same way. When Fig .ld is reached, attach two very small pieces of Blu Tack to the paper edges. Fig.2.

Folded po.~r

IFolded F~t

~ L J

1\\",T~"

~I

~

hG.~

~

~KC)o~

"\0

F\Er.3

Turn the folded bank note over, top to bottom, so that the creased edge is at the top. Lay it carefully onto the folded paper and press the Blu Tack to hold them together. Fig.3.

Open out the piece of paper and the bank note will be folded and attached to the right hand square at one end of the paper.

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~'v<.

C)o(:;e.

h \ c~e..
PRESENTATION:- 1. Hold the unfolded paper in the right hand, the thumb on top, fingers underneath covering the folded bank note. Fig.4. Casually show it back and front. 2. With the left hand, fold the paper in half towards you along the centre crease. Then the left hand grips the left side of the paper while the fingers fold the paper in half again.

- 8 -

3. At the same time as the paper is folded by the right hand, the paper is twisted 90 degrees to the right. Fig.5.

~

4. The right hand grips the rear right side of the paper and the left fingers fold the front portion back onto the rear half. All folds have been made along the existing creases, so the paper should fold easily and in the correct direction. 5.

. c\o.t\~) ~\t\s ~t \f\ ~l~ CAt)clt\.lt\'\5 'It.

~

Q(1' to ~t

\"\jt

FIG.S

With

the paper held in the right fingers, across the folded paper, obscuring it from view.

passes

~QJ\d (tet()O\JW ~t'

f
the

and the

left

right

hand

turns

finger

palm

tips

down

and

momentarily

6. Simultaneously, the right fingers turn the whole packet over end for end, so that as soon as the left hand moves aside part of the folded bank note will be on top and in view. 7. Immediately,

the left hand folds the top half of the note forwards and continues to unfold the note to the left until the complete note is on view. The right hand is holding the bank note and covering the paper at the rear. 8. As the left hand pulls the note away, the right fingers secretly pull the paper off the note, thus leaving it in a condition to be examined or spent.

-

9 -

COUNTDOWN PREDICTION

EFFECT:- A deck is selected number of be well mixed and eventually arrived turns out to be the

shuffled

and a spectator

gives

(DD)

any number from la - 20. The

cards are counted off the deck. The placed aside. By eliminating cards at. The other cards are shown and same as a Jumbo Card which has been

remaining cards are shown to one at a time, one card is discarded. The selected card on view from the beginning.

COMMENTS:-This effect uses the one-on-the-table-one-underneath (the Australian shuffle!) principle in such a way that with the correct presentation, a really baffling trick is produced. Not a showy effect, more of a thinking man I s trick really!

REQUIREMENTS:1. Seven identical 2. A matching

cards,

say the QD.

pack.

3. A Jumbo card

of the QD.

SET-UP: - Find the QD from the deck and add it to the other seven QD cards. Now posi tion the Queens at 2nd, 4th, 6th, 8th, lath, 12th, 14th and 16th positions from the top of the deck. Discard any other seven cards from the pack to bring it back to its normal size. PRESENTATION:- 1. Show the in view. This, you explain,

Jumbo Card without is your prediction.

revealing

its

face

and place

it

down

2. Pick up the deck and turn it face up. Run through the bottom two thirds of the pack casually showing the faces of the cards. You stress as you do so that there are millions of possible combinations in which 52 cards can arrange themselves and that it is therefore impossible to know where any card is at any given time. 3. Square the deck and turn it face down. False shuffle. This can simply be a case of overhand shuffling the lower half of the deck, making sure that the top 16 cards are always dropped back on top in order.

4. Ask a spectator to call out any number between la and 20 inclusive. number of cards from the top of the deck WITHOUT reversing their order. 5. Hand the cards

to the spectator

to hold

face

Count that

down.

6. Turn the remainder of the deck face up and spread the bottom three quarters of the pack to show the random mixing of the cards. Emphasise that even a slight difference in the shuffle would have changed the cards the spectator now holds. Square the deck and place it aside. 7. So that neither the assisting spectator nor anyone else can possibly know which card will be chosen, you instruct your helper to place the top card of his pile on the table, the next under the packet, the next on the table, the next under the packet and to continue in this way until only one card remains in his hands. 8. The selection completed, pick up the discarded pile, turn it face up and casually spread the bottom few cards to show indifferent faces. You point out that if a different number from ten to twenty had been chosen, a different card would have been left in the spectator's hands at the finish. In fact, this is not true. No matter which number from ten to twenty inclusive is chosen, if the one on the table and one underneath sequence is followed through, the card left at the end will -10-

always be a force card, and furthermore all the other force cards will be collected at the top of the discarded pile. This means you can always fan the bottom few cards to show indifferent cards!

9. Square the discarded pile and drop it back on top of the deck. All that now remains is to build up the effect by stressing the random nature of the selection, and then turn round the selection and the Jumbo prediction card to show that they match!

\

-11-

CARDSAND COINS

(LD)

EFFECT:- Two pieces of white card are freely shown. By using one of these pieces a copper coin is produced on the performer's hand. Then a silver coin appears between the two cards. The two coins then magically change places a couple of times, until finally a bank note suddenly appears under one of the cards. COMMENTS:-This routine is typical of the way my early thinking worked. Simple props, a little basic faking and some sleight of hand combined in a nice magical sequence. Set piece routines such as this provide as much fun in practice as they do in performance, I always think! REQUIREMENTS:-1. Two silver 2p. 2. 3 pieces postcards.

of white

3. A bank note,

I use

SET-UP:Fig.1.

two

Stick

card,

coins,

I use

lap

pieces,

7cm x lOcm approximately.

and one copper These

coin,

I use

a

can be made from blank

a £5. of

the

pieces

of

card

together

to

form a pocket

as

shown in

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I I I I

I I I I

~ I

:

I /---"",

l'

FIG. \ Cv.\=- Ou.\:. CoN

short

n

I \ L-

l

'l )

_.J

FIG.2

5"~

I

lOp

~t()
ot)~

You then need to cut a small opening from one of the cards at end. This is so that you can 'unload' items from the card pocket.

the

unstuck

Next, fold the £5 note twice across its width and slip it into the fake card pocket. Make sure that there is some of the note showing in the cut out section, otherwise you will not be able to unload it! On top of the note slip one of the lap coins. Fig.2. With this card pocket opening upwards, place the unfaked card on top Have the other lap in your right pocket and classic palm the 2p in your right PRESENTATION: - 1. Spread the two cards while holding them in the left hand. Fig.3. Show the cards back and front by twisting the left wrist. 2. The right unfaked card at edge, thumb on and both hands cards over, the

hand then grips the top the top of the right long top, fingers underneath, simultaneously turn their right hand replacing its

!., , l"

-12-

r;1&3

of it. hand.

card on top of the left one as before. Make sure that the left fingers keep the pocket opening in the fake card nearest you. This has apparently shown both sides of both cards while keeping the pocket opening concealed. 3. Allow the palmed 2p to fall onto the right fingers, and then take hold of the top unfaked card at its top short edge, the fingers going under the card with the

2p secretly held there, and the thumb being

on top.

Fig.4.

4. The left hand places the fake card onto the table. 5. Hold the left hand palm up and flat. With the right hand, stroke the card it holds back and forth in a sort of "painting brush" motion along the length of the left palm, releasing the 2p coin onto the left hand on one of the forward movements. It should appear as if the coin has been painted onto the left hand. 6. Drop the card aside for a moment and display the 2p. Put the coin down on your mat. 7. The left hand picks up the fake card and the right top of it in the fanned position as at the beginning. 8. The left second finger makes sure that fake card pocket. After a moment or so, LOWER

hand

puts the unfaked

card

on

it is resting on the lOp concealed in the the right hand comes over and grips the

fake card at the front short edge and pulls it away from the left hand. The

left second finger, however, exerts a little pressure on the lOp coin so that it is automatically dragged out of its pocket where it remains concealed beneath the unfaked top card.

9. The left hand places its card on top of the fake card, the coin being secretly introduced between the two. 10. Both cards are held left hand. Fig.5.

squared by

the

11. Snap the cards and start to spread them, allowing the lOp coin to slide out into view from between the cards and by tilting the cards to slide onto the table. Drop the two cards aside, and display the lOp.

IOpC~d ~~

!::too~

FIG.5

12. Pick up the lOp and pretend to take it into the left hand. Vanish the coin and with the coin classic palmed in the right hand, reach into your right pocket and bring out the second lOp coin. 13. The middle section of the routine now begins. Those who do not wish to be bothered with some sleight of hand can jump this bit and go onto the finish which starts at section 28. 14. Position the 2p to the left of your close up mat, the lOp to the right. You still have the original lOp classic palmed in the right hand.

-13-

15. Allow

the palmed lOp to fall

onto the incurled right

fingers as the hand picks

up the 2p. Pretend to throw the 2p into the left hand, really retaining it in the right hand and throwing the lap instead. (The Bobo Coin Switch) 16. The closed left hand turns palm down. The 2p is classic palmed in the right hand. Use the right fingers to pick up the visible lap on the right, backpalming it as the hand closes. I use the Goshman Pinch, this being the grip which holds the coin between the third and little fingers. 17. With both hands palm down and closed, you remind the spectators that the 2p is in the left hand and the lap is in the right. Immediately open both hands, twisting them palm up to now display the lap in the left hand and the 2p in the right. The extra lap is still back palmed behind the right fingers.

18. Drop both coins onto the table. As both hands turn palm down, secretly pull the backpalmed coin into the right finger palm. 19. The left hand picks up the unfaked will cover the coin. 20. Having gestured the left hand.

with

the card

,.. /

,\

in the right hand,

2pCO\11 \ \

)

- -I' , ~

both card

and coin

cf

UJll:t) 1e.'1:.lndex ~?J"d t-l~ 23. As the right hand goes to the table with the card and lap, the left hand

up the fake card, slipping The

to

22. The right hand now grips the card and lap coin and lowers both to the table. Meanwhile the left hand has concealed the 2p in the finger palm.

bp .C.oln held

24.

it

\s

FIG.6

~

transfer

hand where

piOCr.t.d

\

/1- . I

~1f'\SI:

it to the right

21. The right hand picks up the 2p and apparently places it under the card which ttb-vttO. is immediately placed onto the table. What left \\"\a~ really happens is that the 2p is slipped ~ &c:o<\d between the left first and second fingers ~\~er W\OO' where it is pinched. It is covered by the C.QJ-O card. Fig.6.

~-,

-- -::.~<:

card and passes

its finger

palmed

2p under

picks

it.

right hand now picks up the

visible lap and displays right fingers. Fig.7.

it on the palm up

25. The left hand covers the lap, this coin being backpalmed under cover of the card and left hand. This will leave the right fingers free to accept the 2p which is beneath the card and prevents the two coins 'talking'. 26. After a moment, the left hand slides the card off the right fingers, slipping the palmed lOp off the back of the right hand at the same time so that the coin ends up concealed beneath the fake card. The 2p will now be seen on the right fingers. 27.

Place the coin down and flip over the tabled

-14-

card

to show the lap underneath.

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lOp he.\d W\Oe.t-

CM!

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28.

Place

the

unfaked

card

on

top

of

the

faked

one,

making

sure

that

it

is

in jogged.

Fig.8. 29. Position

the 2p at the front of your mat,

the lap to the rear.

30. The right hand grips the front short edge of the lower faked card, the fingers going underneath and also taking over hold of the lap concealed there. As the right hand draws this lower card away, the left second finger contacts the exposed edge of the £5, so that it is retained below the upper unfaked card. Fig.9. 31. Allow the right hand to lower its card over the visible 2p at the front of the table, making sure that the lap secretly concealed beneath the card does not 'talk' as it is put down. 32. Pick up the visible lap with the right hand and lower the unfaked card towards the table top, apparently placing the lap underneath. In reality it is secretly retained in the right hand. 33. After a magic pass, lift away the front card to show the two coins now together beneath it. Then for your surprise finish, flip over the other card to reveal the £5 which you open out quickly to make it look as big as possible!

-15-

THE SENSITIVE QUEEN

(MCU)

EFFECT:- A 'sensitive' QH is mixed up amongst some other 'insensitive' cards are then spread face down all over the table top. By pushing - because she makes an audible squeak!! the cards the QH is located COMMENTS:-This may not that it usually produces

cards and the on the backs

of

read as very much but the audible squeak is so unexpected a laugh. Not a world beating mystery - just fun!

REQUIREMENTS:-1. A deck of cards. 2. A small

squeaker

as used for

the

inside

of soft

toys.

SET-UP:- Mark the back of the QH so that you will recognise it from other it is face down. Have the squeaker in your right jacket pocket. PRESENTATION:- 1. Run through You explain that the QH is emotions! 2.

the deck and drop out the a 'sensitive' card, the

Drop out about a dozen other cards and gather

spectator table.

to

shuffle

and then

ask

him to

deal

cards

when

QH face up onto the table. only card which has real

them up with the QH. Hand them to a the

cards

face

down all

over

3. While he is shuffling the cards, put and drop the box into your right jacket the squeaker in the right finger palm.

the remainder of the deck back in pocket, at the same time secretly

4. As the spectator starts to deal the card so that you know where the QH is.

cards

over

the

table,

look

for

the

the

its box getting marked

5. You now extend your right forefinger and in a fairly abrupt manner, you start to prod the backs of the cards in a random order. When you come to the marked card which you know is the QH, squeeze the squeaker so that it emits its noise to coincide wi th you prodding the back of the card. It sounds as if the card has squealed in protest! 6. Immediately use the left hand to flip the card over to reveal the QH. At the same time the right hand goes to the pocket, leaves the squeaker behind and brings out the card case ready to return the cards to the rest of the deck. Do not underestimate the surprise of this little item - it is often the silly things that people remember!

-16-

THE MAGIC

RING

(CUE)

EFFECT:- An examined ring is slipped onto the performer's ring finger by a lady spectator who then holds the end of his finger to prevent the ring being removed. Covering their hands with a handkerchief, the performer places his empty free hand beneath the handkerchief and removes the ring throuqh his finger, leaving the lady still gripping the end. COMMENTS:- Thi s is a very strong spectators. The original plot I read have updated the handling to make it REQUIREMENTS:-1. A single it looks reasonable.)

band gold

effect

when done to

in an old Hugard's cleaner. coloured

ring

a very

small

group

Magic Monthly magazine

(this

of

and I

can be a toy one as long as

2. A duplicate ring to the above which has a wide split cut in it. The size of this split should be wide enough so that the ring can be pushed down over the base of the finger you intend to put it on in the trick, but not so wide that the split shows when it is in position. 3. A handkerchief. SET-UP:- One point to bear in mind when buying rings for this trick is that they must be big enough for you to slip easily on and off your ring finger. When you are hot, your fingers will swell slightly, so make sure there is a little extra space in the ring's size. ring.

Have the Hold the

handkerchief folded in a square on the table fake ring in a loose right finger palm.

PRESENTATION: - 1. Give the ordinary ring meantime open out the handkerchief and lay wrist.

to it

along

with

the

ordinary

a lady to be examined and in across your left arm just above

the the

2. Have the ring slipped onto your left third finger, the hand being horizontal and palm up. If the ring has been pushed right to the very base of your finger (as it almost certainly wi 11 be) ease it forward sI ightly wi th your left thumb so that there is a gap between the base of your finger and the ring. 3. You comment to the pull it off the end.

lady

that

the

only

way to get

the

ring

off

the

finger

is

to

4. As you speak, secretly grip the spl it ring between the right thumb and index finger so that the split is facing downwards and so that the ring is still concealed by the back of the right fingers. Once in position, the right hand moves over the left palm and under hand, pushes the fake ring onto the third finger between the real ring of the finger. 5.

6. Now, as you patter, illustrate how the ring

cover of the and the base

start to slip BOTH rings quickly down the finger, as if can be removed, but stop about half way down.

7. Immediately slide wi thdraw the genuine

to

both rings back again, leave the split ring on the finger and ring concealed in the right hand. This is over in a split second and the fact that there were two rings on the finger for a moment is covered by the back of the right hand.

-17-

8.

You say that you will demonstrate the magical way to remove the ring. With the

19ft hand still horizontal and palm finger and not to release it.

up,

ask

the lady

to hold

thg gnd

of your

third

9. With the genuine ring in the curled right fingers, take the edge of the handkerchief nearest over your left hand.

your

left

palm and

pull

it off your

arm and

slide

it forwards

10. The ring is clipped under the front edge of the handkerchief and as it passes over your left palm, drop the ring secretly onto your palm. 11. Your empty right hand then goes under the handkerchief and under the pretence of pulling the ring through your finger, actually, via the slit, slips its off and pretends to put it onto your left palm.

12. The right fingers slide out to the edge of the handkerchief, and keeping the split ring still concealed under the cloth, the right hand pulls the handkerchief away to reveal the lady still holding the end of your finger and the real ring left lying in view on your palm. 13. If you want to clean up completely, as you pull the handkerchief away from left hand tuck the corner of it into your right pocket, dropping the fake ring the pocket at the same time. The empty right hand can then pick up the ring and it out for examination and can then pull the handkerchief out of the pocket and it on the table.

~~~ ~

~

~

--

~~~

-18-

your into hand drop

(DD)

THE BLANKETY-BLANK PACK

EFFECT:A double blank deck is displayed and shuffled by a spectator. Three cards are freely selected and placed 'face down' on the table. One at a time the magician

attempts to divine what the chosen cards are - and when he turns them over claims that his assertions are correct - although as the cards are all still blank it is hard to tell! However, taking the blank deck, the performer instantly prints backs and fronts on all of the cards, and when the tabled cards are turned over, each now has a face printed on it and each is the correct value as claimed by the magician!

COMMENTS:- In some ways this is an early version of my highly successful marketed

effect BRAINSTORMER,

although the method is entirely different. I have never liked

the traditional Nudist Deck and this routine was my first attempt at achieving a similar effect without the need to resort to roughed pairs of cards. Performed properly, this is both strong magic and also amusing and entertaining. Definitely worth getting the necessary cards together! REQUIREMENTS:-

1. An ordinary pack, say a blue backed one, plus TWO blue card cases.

2. One double blank deck 3. Three blank backed cards. These can be of any value but try to choose cards about which you can easily patter, since these are the card values which you will try to disclose by apparently analysing the characters of the spectators who chose them! I use the AC, 98 and 7H.

Place the double blank deck, minus four of its cards, into one of the blue SET-UP:card cases. Take the ordinary blue backed deck and discard the cards which match the faces of the three blank backed cards (AC,98 and 7H) along with a couple of others. Take two of the four double blank cards you removed earlier and stick them together to make a thick card. When this is dry, place it on top of the face down blue backed deck. On top of this thick card place the three blank backed cards in a known order, faces uppermost. I use the AC,98 and 7H in that order reading upwards. On top of these cards place one of the remaining two double blank cards. The last double blank goes on the bottom of the pack. 80, reading from the top down you should have:- Double blank, 7H, 98, AC all face up, thick double blank card, rest of the blue deck face down, and a double blank card. Place this setup into the other blue card case and put it into your right jacket pocket. N.B. You need prepared

pack

to be able to fan this

smoothly

so you may

need

to

use some fanning powder on it. PRESENTATION:1. Remove the genuine double blank deck from its case. Hold it in the right hand as in Fig.l.

FlG.\

2. Fan the cards to the left by spreading the cards round with the left hand. This is a reverse fan. You wi11 be doing the -19-

same fan later

with the prepared deck

so

you do it this time with this pack so that it will look the same. Fig.2. Show back and

front.

3. Close the fan and have the cards shuffled by a spectator. (This destroys the idea that a 'special' pack of cards is being used). 4. Have three spectators each select a card and place their cards 'face down' and 'unseen' in a row on the table.

F\G.2

5. Fan the pack again as described above to emphasise the cards are different and well mixed (!!). Replace the cards in the case.

6. The right hand takes the pack and goes to put it away in the right jacket pocket. As soon as the pack is out of sight, the right hand drops it and grips the other pack and comes straight out with it. Your patter is about the cards on the table and you might be saying something like: "So, three people have now selected unknown " As you mention the deck again you raise the cards from this shuffled deck switched deck up to indicate it and then leave it on the table. Properly timed the switch is not noticed, especially as the pack will now not be touched for a while and appears to no longer be required in the trick.

7. You now engage in some comic 'analysis' of the three spectators who chose the three cards in an attempt to predict the cards they have chosen. My approach is something along these lines. 8. The first spectator is clearly someone who of the pile, so he is bound to have chosen signify the top.

loves money and always wants to be top the money suit, Clubs and the Ace to

9. The second spectator is easily influenced and seeing the first spectator choosing a Club is drawn to a black card too. However, there is some spark of individuality here because he has gone for a Spade rather than a Club. His aspirations are not so high as the first spectator, preferring the anonymity of an unintrusive 9. So the 9S. 10. The last spectator is a romantic, so has to choose Hearts as his suit. He is also rather superstitious, and so would go for a 'lucky' number, probably a 7. His selection is therefore the 7H. 11. Having thus apparently sorted out the three selections you now turn the cards over one at a time and triumphantly announce that you are correct! However, as the cards are all blank, the spectators assume you are leading them up the garden path! 12. Remove the set deck from its box and put the box away in your the deck in the dealing position in the left hand, the stack being

LEFT pocket. on top.

Hold

13. With the right thumb riffle up the rear short edge of the cards until you feel the thick card spring past. Get a left little finger break above this thick card.

-20-

14. Place the staggered line

three tabled cards over the front short

one at a time onto the edge of the deck. Fig.3.

top

of

the

pack

in

a

15. With the right hand pull back the staggered cards until they are square with the rest of the deck and in a continuing motion pull all the cards above the break back off the rear end of the deck and turn them over en bloc back onto the top again. 16. Immediately deal the top three cards in a row again from left to right. The three bl ank backed cards wi 11 now be on the table. 17. Your patter to cover this is: "Oh, so you don't believe me! You really do not think that this card is the AC (as you place the first card staggered over the

front

of the deck)

r

that

this

is

the

9S

(as you position the second) and that this one is the 7H (as you position the third)? OK, let's turn them face down again and I will attempt to prove to you that I was right. " 18. You offer to make the trick easier to follow. Turn the pack over and hold and fan as in Figs 1 and 2 above. If you do the reverse fan carefully, the white right hand edges of the face up ordinary deck will show and the pack will appear blank. 19. Close Get a left

the fan. Turn the pack over and hold in the left hand dealing little finger break above the bottom card of the pack.

20. Snap your fingers over the deck and cut away the top half of the right hand, slipping the cut half under the deck, still retaining the break. A card back will have appeared as the new top card.

position.

pack with the little finger

21. The right hand now cuts away all the cards above the break and simultaneously both hands turns their piles face up. The cards in the right hand are placed on top of those in the left hand. Two card faces will have been seen. 22. Immediately spread the deck to the right between the hands showing all the cards have faces. Split the deck at various points in the spread and using the right hand turn the cards split away over to show their backs. Suddenly all the cards are seen to be printed. Obviously you keep the bottom few together. 23. Square the deck and hold face up in the left hand. Get a left little finger break above the thick card which is the uppermost card of the fake ones collected at the bottom of the deck. 24. Ask a spectator to turn over the tabled cards you said were chosen will be revealed,

the right

hand comes over the deck and grips

selections. and under

it

As he does cover of this

from above r while

so, the three misdirection,

the left

hand

comes away with all the cards below the break and goes to the left pocket for the card case. The fake cards are left behind and the case is brought out and dropped on the table. The deck is put down. This means that if anyone now wishes to examine the blue

deck

- they can! -21-

LOOP IT

(MCU)

EFFECT:- A length of shoe lace or string is shown and the centre held in a loop in one hand. The other hand takes hold of one of the two ends of the lace hanging down and by pulling this PAST the loop,the lace is suddenlyseento be threadedTHROUGH the

loop!

This little novelty was shown to me when I was 11 years old and is based on an old idea. However, I have tidied up the handling to make it more baffling than the original was, thus making it impossible for an onlooker to copy what you have just achieved. This is ideal for those occasions where you are caught 'unprepared' and need to perform a little something to satisfy your admirers! COMMENTS:-

REQUIREMENTS:-1. A three

foot

length

of shoe lace.

SET-UP:- None! PRESENTATION:- 1. Show the lace and form it into a loop, contriving at the same time to wind it once around the left thumb. The best way to do this is to display the lace between both index the audience.

fingers

and thumbs as in Fig.1. The palms are turned towards

2. Then twist

the palms towards yourself, at the same time releasing the lace with the left hand so that it drops down to the base of the left thumb. Fig.2.

~\G.2

F\G.+ A

~~3 3. The

the

left

left

hand

thumb and fingers and takes

its

lace

B

open apart slightly and the right hand comes over up between the left thumb and fingers. Fig.3.

to

4. As it does so a loop of lace will be formed which is then gripped by the left its grip.Fig.4. fingers and thumb, the right hand then releasing -22-

5.

This will leave the lace wrapped once round the left thumb but this is hidden

from view by the back of the left hand. In the original version, the lace would have been wrapped several times round the thumb and then the loop made. This would have been impossible to hide, and so any spectator could have copied your actions and achieved the same result. With this method, it just looks as if you made a loop of the centre of the lace and held it in the left hand, and if an onlooker tries to do the same, what you are about to do will not work for him.

6. The right hand now takes hold of the left hand end of the lace ('A' in Fig.4) and raises it up until it is level with the loop. It then openly threads the end through the loop to show how normally it could be threaded. Fig.5. 7. You then carefully unthread the end and hold it again in the right hand. Now for the magical way to thread the end through the loop. Holding the right hand still, bring the left hand back towards your face to blow on the loop. If you do it right, the lace will be pulled up past your thumb and will end up through the loop, at which point you stop to display the lace threaded. If you continue pulling, the whole thing will collapse, so you need to stop at the right point. 8. All

that

remains

is to unthread

the

lace

out

F\G.5

it and

or you might want to do the effect again, because it all happens so quickly that it is quite hard to visually appreciate what has happened!

hand

AI'

-

-23-

B

THE INVISIBLE

DECK ROUTINE

(MCU)

EFFECT:- A spectator is given an invisible deck to shuffle and he then selects one invisible card. This invisible card is placed into an examined and initialled visible envelope. Holding up this real envelope, the magician asks the spectator to repeat the name of his card. He then reaches inside the envelope and pulls out a VISIBLE card which is the same as that named by the spectator. COMMENTS: -

One of the features of Alan Shaxon I s lecture is his version of the InvisibleDeck in which an invisible card is placed into a small envelope which is in turn dropped into a larger envelope. The freely named card is actually found moments later inside this nest of envelopes. Although I liked the idea of having the invisble card materialise inside an envelope, I felt that the use of two envelopes, although necessary for the method, was not logicalin termsof presentation. So I set about devising my own version which not only did awaywith the envelope-withinenvelope idea, but also allowed me to have the named card appear inside an envelope which had been examined and signed by a spectator! Al though the preparation takes some time do not let this put you off - it does only have to be done once and then the re-set each time is very quick. REQUIREMENTS:-1. About 150 small

manilla

envelopes.

and have a flapopeningat one end. Fig.l. 2.

A full

pack

cards

of

Joker. 3. Some paper glue, a pair small knife and a pencil.

including of scissors,

Mine measure

about

7cm x 12cm

-7U'\~

FlG.\

the a

12.<:.<'\

Glu.e. \C\$lQQ..

o..\o~

col:ted h<\e

4. Four rubber bands.

5.

A pen. I

-+-_J...~.-

~\G2

A t>91\E:SS SIDE

~\G3 \==lG-.4-

SET-UP:-

With the knife slit the bottom of 53 of the envelopes. Fig.2. Then cut a Fig.3.

small square shape section from the address side of each one. Next,

put a line of glue across

top opening. Fig.4. normal

with

the inside

of the envelopes

about

lcm from

the

This effectively seals off the inside of the envelope from the

top opening.

You now take the pack of cards and using another 53 envelopes, back each card a piece of envelope. This should be cut from the address side of the envelopes,

-24-

the shiny outside surface of the envelope piece facing outwards. Although this part of the preparation is time consuming, it improves the angles of the trick enormously and is therefore worth the trouble.

As soon as all the cards have been covered on the back with pieces of envelope, you slip one card into each of your faked envelopes. The cards are inserted by pushing them up through the slit bases of the envelopes and when an envelope is held address side down, the card inside should be FACE UP. Fig.5. Because of the sealing off of the top of the envelope, the card can only be pushed so far inside and thanks to your square shaped cut-out in the address side, part of the card back should still be visible. If it is not, enlarge the cut-out until it is! Fig.6.

FlG.5

0

z 1 I I I I I I I

f:\Er.6 1

~-

_J

With the penci1, write the name of the card inside in small letters at the bottom left hand corner of the flap side of each envelope. Fig.7 . This makes sorting the envelopes out much easier and it also gives you a quick visual check during the presentation of the trick of whether you have got the correct envelope needed to reveal the spectator's chosen card! Arrange all the envelopes in four piles, so that the cards inside the envelopes are all of the same suit and run in numerical sequence from Ace at the top to King at the bottom. The sides with the cut-outs are underneath and the flap sides

are on top. Put the envelope with the Joker

rr,&.1 of

on the bottom

of the Clubs

pile.

Put one unprepared envelope on top each of the four stacks and put a

rubber

band

round each pile.

':W

f

~ \ wt'\,~ ~ Co..I"d

The remaining envelopes are your spares. You wi 11 need one new one after each performance.

Place the four stacks of envelopes into your case in an order known to you. I use the CHaSeD (Clubs, Hearts, Spades, Diamonds) order. It is possible to carry a stack in each of four different pockets as the stacks are not very bulky, but obviously having them in a case is much better. Have the pen to hand. PRESENTATION:1. Bring out the invisible pack of cards and have them shuffled by a spectator. You can have the usual fun here of pretending the spectator is shuffling the deck without taking it out of the box first or that he has dropped some cards etc.

-25-

2. Have the spectator then fan the deck, remove any card and hold it up for everyone to see! spectator

Just to ensure to call aloud

that those its value.

at

the

back know the

name of the

card,

ask the

3. Let us assume that he has chosen the 5S. Ask the spectator to place the invisible pack down but to keep hold of his invisible selection. Reach into your case and bring out the envelope stack which contains the suit of Spades. 4. Quickly remove the rubber band and discard it. Spread the envelopes the right and hold in the left hand. With the right hand remove the envelope and hand it to the spectator to examine.

slightly to top unfaked

5. Bring out the pen and give this to him as well. Tell him to initial the flap of the envelope and slip his invisible card inside. This is so that he will not lose his card, because if he was to put it down somewhere, no one would be able to find it again!

6. As he is doing this, you use your left thumb to thumb count down the left edges of the envelopes unti 1 you come to the fifth one (the one containing the 5S). Casually cut the pile of envelopes at this point sending the 5S envelope to the bottom of the pile. Hold the pile now squared in the left hand. Fig.8. 7. If you now glance down at the top envelope in the stack and locate the place where you wrote the card names in pencil, you should see written on the top envelope the 6S i.e. the next one in the sequence. If so, you know you have the correct envelope at the bottom of the pile. If not, then cut to adjust accordingly.

F\G.8

8. Take the initialled envelope back from the spectator and display it to all, placing it back on top of the envelope pile in the left hand. The freed right hand can then take back the pen and place it away. This gives you the logic for placing the envelope back on the pile for a moment. 9. Recap on what has happened so far. As you do so, bring the right hand palm down to the rear short end of the envelope stack. The fingers rest on the top of the initialled envelope, the thumb goes underneath and rests on the exposed back of the card which is secretly inside the bottom envelope. (5S)

1>c~('()

c.o.~ b>~ A\1.D\~e.

rest

of the envelopes

back into

Gx\\::a..I.(\5

~ec1::nt:o~'s ~I.c.e...

f\G.g

i

..~\~ ~\s ~d.

CQ..ro t'-~

la. Slide off the top envelope back towards you, using card out of its envelope pocket and behind the initialled hidden from view. 11. Drop the

e(\\)~~

the

'o~\O "fi1o..~~ o~ e.(\\)e..~

right thumb to slip the envelope where it remains

your case.

12. Transfer the envelope and card to the left hand. The envelope is held with flap side facing the audience, the flap itself pointing to the right. Fig.9. -26-

the

13. Because the card has an envelope back, even people who are sitting rather to one side of you should not notice anything unusual. You can, of course, use your body to shield the rear of the envelope to a certain extent.

14. With the right fingers open the envelope flap. Ask for the name of the card again. The fingers then reach into the envelope, the thumb going on the outside and the left and right hands pull smartly in opposite directions. The right thumb pulls the card across to the right so that it ends up in the right hand and the illusion of it coming out of the envelope is perfect. 15. As the envelope is unfaked it can be given back to the spectator and if you are publicity minded, you can have your publicity sticker side so that he can remember who you were!

as a souvenir, on the address

16. To re-set all you have to do is slip the 5S back into its envelope, cut the pile so that the Ace is back on top, add a fresh ordinary envelope to the top of the whole pile and put the band back around the lot.

-27-

THE WRIST

EFFECT:- A coin, empty.

WATCH

COIN VANISH

(CUE)

placed into the left hand, vanishes leaving both hands completely

- I have lost count of the number of magicians I have fooled using this vanish, and that is just the magicians! Unlike sleeving, you do not have to Iretrieve I the coin immediately so both hands can stay empty for as long as you wish. This is particularly useful if the vanish is used in the middle of a routine where you need to complete the routine before you can unload.

COMMENTS:

REQUIREMENTS:1. Any coin. You must be wearing a wrist watch and it is best if the strap is made of leather. SET-UP:-

Simply

PRESENTATION:the coin. Your

ensure

that the watch

is pushed

as near

to your

palm

as possible.

1. You are ready to vanish left hand is held with the

fingers pointing to the right, back of the hand towards the audience. The right hand holds the coin at the tips of the vertical thumb and fingers. Fig.l.

\=\G.

\

2. The coin is placed into the left palm and the left fingers start to close round it, the hand bending inwards towards the wrist slightly. 3.

The right fingers tilt towards the

left, the index finger and thumb carrying the coin towards the watch strap on the left wrist. Fig.2. This movement is largely concealed by the back of the left hand. 4. The edge of the coin is slipped under the watch strap and the right second finger pushes it through until no part of the coin is visible to the right of the strap. Fig.3.

F,G.3

5. As the right second finger finishes pushing the coin under the strap, the right hand moves diagonally up to the right and into the top of the closing fist as if depositing the coin there.

left

6. The whole move is over in a second. The right hand simply appears to allow the left to close around the coin, the right hand then emerging empty while the left is closed seemingly around the coin. From your side, the move looks open and obvious. Done properly and seen from the front, there is no clue to indicate where the coin really goes. 7. All that remains is to open the left hand to show the coin has vanished, coin can remain under the strap for as long as is necessary.

-28-

and

the

THE MAGIC

SQUARE

PREDICTION

(CUE)

EFFECT:- Some cards are shown on which are a random sample of two figure numbers. One is chosen and without the number being seen, is left on the table. A 4 x 4 square is drawn and some figures entered in a haphazard fashion in the squares. Four numbers are chosen and added. Despite the freedom of both original card selection and of numbers in the squares, the two numbers somehow match! COMMENTS:- The magic square here is not the sort of magic square which adds up to the same number in all directions, but is in fact a number forcing square. I originally saw it in Martin Gardener's "Mathematics, Magic and Mystery" where it was referred to in passing. I took the mathematical square and changed it's use so that it became part of a magical trick. The same square has been used in a number of other mental effects since by the likes of Max Maven and others.

REQUIREMENTS:- 1. About 30 cards on each of which is a two figure number. You can write some numbers of your own with a permanent marker pen on blank faced cards. The numbers can be anything from 10-99. The only proviso is that one of the numbers must

be 58. 2. A piece

of paper

as large as is necessary

for good visibility

for the audience.

3. A pen. SET-UP: - Draw Have the pile random order.

the 4 x 4 square on the paper, this wi 11 save time in performance. of number cards ready with the number 58 on top, the rest being in a

PRESENTATION:1. Pick up the pile of cards and show that each card number on it. Shuffle them if necessary, but retain the 58 on top. 2. Force

the top card and place

it sight

unseen

has a different

to one side.

3. Discard the remainder of the cards. You are now going to fill in the square with numbers in an ascendinq sequence starting with the number 7. You can start in any of the four rows, and you can fill in the squares in your chosen row in any order. I do as follows.

9

7

10 8

4. Then you can move to any of the remaining three rows to continue the numerical sequence. However, having decided on the formation of numbers WITHIN the row, this pattern must be adhered to in the other rows.e.g.

9

7

10 8

13 11 14 12 5.

Continue

until

the

square

is

filled

completely

-29-

-

17 15 18 16 9 7 10 8 21 19 22 20 13 11 14 12

6. I

prefer to fill

the square in in front of the audience as this makes it appear

more random. You could, leave it up to you.

however,

simply

produce

the

square

already

filled

in.

I

7. Hold up the completed square and ask a spectator to call out any of the numbers. With the pen put a circle round the chosen number so that it can be remembered, and cross out all the numbers in the same row and the same column as the selected figure. 8. Now have any of the remaining numbers chosen. Put a circle cross out all those in the same row and column again. 9. Repeat a third time. By this stage there will be only one and because of the mathematical way in which the square number, when added to the other three chosen ones, wi 11 However, to disguise the fact that the last number is not a fourth number to be called out. The last one will be named will not notice that it was the only one left!

round this

number and

number left untouched, works, this remaining always add up to 58. free choice, ask for a and often many people

la. Get someone from the audience to add up the four circled numbers and announce the total - 58. You stress here that four numbers were chosen at random and have totalled 58. Clearly, if another four different numbers had been chosen, a different total would have been reached. You then remind the spectators that a two figure number was chosen at random at the beginning - and here you turn that number round to show that it too is 58.

-30-

(CUE*)

IT PAYS TO BE A LADY

EFFECT:- Three Jumbo cards are shown, a Queen and two indifferent cards. These are mixed and place in a face down row across the table. A story is told of how a con man was playing the three card trick in the street and how he allowed the performer to mix the cards and place them out and how he, the con man, tried to guess where the Queen had been placed. With the three cards face down on the table, the con man

selects one and this is lifted to show he was right be a real £5 note,

-

and under the card is seen to

his winnings!!

The Jumbo cards are mixed and placed out again. Once more the con man chooses a card and when it is lifted it is the Queen, and lying under the Queen is the £10 note which he won!

The performer mixes the cards one last time and in an attempt to confuse the con man, secretly slips the second card in the pile down on to the table ahead of the other two. The con man selects a card, and the performer triumphantly shows that the Queen is one of the others! However, the con man asks his selection to be lifted. Under it is now a normal sized card face down. And when this card is turned over, it turns out to be a Queen, so there was a Queen where he had said after all! The performer feels he has been cheated and tells the con man that that is not the real Queen. To which the con man replies "No, but this is" and the pile of Jumbo cards is lifted to reveal a postcard picture of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth! COMMENTS:- This routine was one of the effects which helped me to win the IBM Close Up Competition in 1981 and for many years it was a good seller as a marketed item. Since this is no longer on my current list, I decided that this would be a good opportuni ty to have the routine recorded for posterity (always assuming posterity has not already got the trick!). The item is straightforward to make, but please do the preparation carefully. Use this and you will have an unusual, commercial and surprising item.

REQUIREMENTS:- 1. Four Jumbo cards. A Queen and three indifferent cards. Ideally at least two of the indifferent cards should be the same, but strictly speaking, as one half of the card is never seen, it does not really matter. 2. A normal sized queen to match the Jumbo one. 3.

A picture

postcard

4. Two bank notes,

of

Her

Majesty

Queen

3

I

.

.

Elizabeth.

say a £5 and a £10.

/ / I

.

5. Some glue and sharp scissors or better a small guillotine. SET-UP:- With the scissors or guillotine, cut one of the indifferent Jumbo cards in half diagonally. Fig.l. Note where the exact cutting line is as this is not just from corner to corner.

Place a thin line of glue on the reverse side of the cut piece of Jumbo card around the two outside edges. Fig.2. Do this very carefully, trying not to get any glue on the face of the card piece.

-31-

:D'SCAtd

I I I /

I

. .

r-\G.\

\=\G.2

~\S ho..l~

. £

Very

carefully

stick the

indifferent cards, making sure Allow this to dry thoroughly.

cut piece

you

of

Jumbo onto the face

.. . .

line up the top and side edges

.

:3

F\G.3

\.. Once it is dry you load the following items into the pocket. If the the postcard until it is

of one of the

accurately.

other

Fig.3.

.

£

will have a pocket card. Into this pocket card you will now in the following order. Firstly slip the postcard face down postcard protrudes round the sides of the Jumbo card, trim small enough to fit. Fig.4.

On top of the postcard, slide the ordinary sized Queen card, face up. Fig.5. Then slip the £10 note up into the pocket as in Fig.6 and end with the £5 on top of the lot. Fig.?

,-----,-f\~o..\ - - - ='II , ''S\'~d , -I L -(3L\.\.ee,C"\

~ I I

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, ,---=---'

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111 - - - -,t - I'I-t I I

- - -- I I

I LI I1

.

I

,

tI rI ,I rI

I ,

I

r

,

n- -""-I-. -: - - r . I

I r11' I

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,I

~\G.5

f

I.

I I

I1 I

I'

'

~

\=l&,~

-

Fl&.b

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FlG. I

You will have to experiment a little to judge just how much up into the card's pocket you need to push the items. You want it to be far enough so that the items do not fallout, but not so tightly fixed that when you try to slide one out, the whole lot falls out! A certain amount of trial and error should produce the right amount of tension for your particular card.

With the pocket card thus loaded and face up, place on top of it the Jumbo Queen card and then the other indifferent card. The sealed end of the pocket card should be facing the audience. PRESENTATION:-

1.

Fan the three cards to display them, making sure that the open end

of the pocket remains hidden by the two cards above it. You can slide out the Queen to display it as you talk about the three card trick, provided that your left thumb slides the top indifferent card over to the left to maintain the cover for the pocket in the lower indifferent card.

2. Slip the Queen back into the spread and close the fan. Turn the cards over END FOR END. This will put the sealed end of the faked card nearest you.

-32-

3. You are now going to apparently mix up the cards, as your story tells how you were handed the cards by the con man who invited you to mix them up and place them out so that he could guess where the Queen was. This mix is not really a mix at all, it just looks like one when done at a reasonable pace, and the mix will be the same each time. It is performed as follows:-

4. The cards are held face down by the right hand holding the middle of the right long edges. The left fingers pull out the BOTTOM card of the three so that it is clear of the pile. 5. The right fingers push out the new bottom card to the left and this card is taken UNDER the one already in the left hand, both cards being pulled clear of the one remaining in the right hand. 6. The left thumb now pushes off its top card on top of the card still the right hand (the pocket card) which grips and retains it.

being

held

by

7. The left hand then deposits its last card on top of the other two and the cards are squared. 8. This will give you the Queen on top of the pile and the pocket card on the bottom. You are now going to lay the cards out and at the same time load the £5 under the Queen. 9. The left hand holds the cards along the left long edge. The right thumb pulls off the top card (the Queen) to the right and simultaneously the right fingers, which are under the pile, contact the £5 which is pulled out of the pocket and slid off onto the table at the far right side covered at all times by the card.

10. Immediately the right thumb pulls off the second card and slides it onto the table to the left of the Queen, this time without any load, and the last card is placed down to the extreme left. This laying out of the cards is done with the cards held at all times just above table level so that there is the minimum drop for the cards to go from your hands to the table top. 11. Your patter explains that the con man right is the Queen. If he is right, you have pay you £5. You lift the Queen, turn it over to scoop up the £5 which has appeared on the £5 you paid him.

bets £5 that the card at your extreme to pay him £5, if he is wrong, he will to show the card face and use the card table, as you explain that that is the

12. Place the £5 to one side. Lift the card at the extreme left (the pocket card) and keeping it face down, drop it on top of the face down card next to it. Turn the two cards over end for end and spread them, the pocket being hidden again by the face card of the two. 13. Slip the Queen face up between the two indifferent cards, as you patter about how you decided to try again. 14. Square the cards and turn them over end for end. Mix them as before. Lay the cards out as before, except this time lay them from left to right, the £10 being loaded under the Queen at the extreme left. 15. The con man bets £10 that the card on your far left is the Queen. You lift and turn over the card to show that he is right. Scoop up the £10 and place it with the £5.

-33-

16. Lift the pocket card and put it on top of the other card as before, turn them

over end for end, fan them and place the Queen face up between them again. 17. The con man now warns that this time he will bet £20 on the Queen. Turn the cards face down, mix as before. 18. You patter that by now you had lost £15 and you did not want to lose any more and so you cheated! Instead of dealing the top card to the far right, you secretly dealt the second card in the pile instead. 19. Suit your actions to your words by sliding the middle card of the three out, loading the normal sized Queen card under it as you place it down. Then deal the other two out alongside as normal. 20. The con man appears to be fooled and wagers on the far right card. You are delighted and turn up the MIDDLE card to show the Queen. As soon as it has been shown, turn it face down, pick up the pocket card which is at the far left position, and lay the Queen face down on top of it. 21. The con man, your patter explains, is not at all worried, but just asks you to look under his chosen card. You lift and turn over the card to reveal a face down normal sized card underneath.

22. Place the Jumbo card face down on top of the two already in the left hand. Immediately the left hand pulls out the bottom pocket card to the left, the right fingers ensuring that the postcard is retained under the Jumbos. The pocket card is casually placed on top of the pile and the three cards placed down on the table with the postcard loaded under them. 23. You now turn over the normal sized card and it is seen to be a Queen. The con man was right again! Here you protested that that was not the real Queen and the con man agrees. The real Queen is over here - and you turn the Jumbos over to reveal the postcard of the Queen underneath!

-34-

FLICK BOOK EFFECT:colours,

(CUE*)

A small book secured at the top by a bulldog clip is used to force numbers, names, playing cards, in fact anything which can be written inside it.

COMMENTS:- Flick books have been around in a number of different guises over the years and so the idea of a long/short page arrangement to affect a change in the book's contents is hardly new. I wanted a very small version which would be easy to make and use and came up with this version which is very adaptable and which incorporates, because of the way it is made, a subtle piece of handling which can be used to disguise the method being used. REQUIREMENTS:2. Two pieces 3. A bulldog

1. 50 pieces of coloured clip,

of white

paper,

approximate

size 2" x 2~".

card of the same size as the paper.

2" size.

Fig.l.

SET-UP:- Take 25 sheets of the paper and trim 2mm off the paper length, the length being 2~" before you start. Arrange all the paper back into a pile, alternating the trimmed sheets with the other 25 full length sheets in the standard flick book arrangement.

FIG-.I

Square the paper so that the top short edges are all squared, thus making sure that the other ends are nicely long and short in alternating sequence. Place a piece of coloured card top and bottom of the pile and then secure with the bulldog clip. Fig.2. You are now ready to fi11 the book in. Obviously it will depend on what you want to force. If it is a playing card, for instance, you go through the book one way writing all different playing cards on one side of each of the long pages. Then you turn the book over and write the name of the force playing card on the other side of every long sheet. I will now describe how the handling of the book works.

~\G.2

PRESENTATION:- 1. With the writing showing all the different playing cards uppermost, hold the book as in Fig.3 in the right hand. 2. Your right thumb riffles through book from front to back, showing different playing card names.

the all

FlG.3 -35-

~

FlG.~ t='\G.5

3.

When the riffling

is finished.

allow

the book

to fall flat onto the right

fingers

and palm. Fig.4. Tilt the hand and allow the book to slide off onto the table.

Fig.5.

.

4. When you come to pick the book up again, the right hand down and the thumb grips the open end of the book, and the either side of the clip. Fig.6.

comes over the book palm fingers go the other end

(.) /

--

~\G.b

~ \, !

5. The book is grasped and picked up, the right hand twisting palm up in the process. Thus the book has been turned over and so now when the right thumb riffles through the book, all the same playing card will show. So, tilting the open end of the book away from the audience you riffle through the pages until you are told to stop. At which point you hold the book open and twist it towards the spectators so that the 'chosen' playing card name can be read. 6.

By picking the book up in this way, the turning over of the book is disguised

since the hand

is turned

over

rather

than the book.

-36-

POOLS

(CUE*)

WINNER

EFFECT:- A small book is shown and fl i cked through to reveal that there are different combinations of football pools forcasts written on each page. The performer explains that he has had a great deal of success in predicting the six results on the pools coupons because he has been using this amazing forcaster book. To show how well it works, the magician shows an envelope inside which is a set of six results and these are given to a spectator to hold. The forcaster book is picked up and riffled through and another spectator calls stop at any time. He checks the line of results in the book and when the prediction inside the envelope is read out, it matches! COMMENTS:-This is just one of the many possible applications for the Flick Book described above. A similar theme would be to predict a winning lottery number. However, the football pools is the one I have used, so I will describe that one here. REQUIREMENTS:-1. A Flick 2. A piece

of paper

Book.

to write

a prediction

on and an envelope

to put it

in.

SET-UP:- In the Flick Book you need to write a whole series of different For those not totally familiar with what I mean, the idea is to place home team win, a '2' for an away team win and an 'X I for a draw. So series of different combinations of 6 results, Le. XX21Xl or 2121X2 other side of the long sheets in the book you write the same 6 results, and this is the same line of results that you write on your prediction sealing it in the envelope.

6 results. a 'I' for a you wri te a etc. On the e.g. 21X2Xl paper before

PRESENTATION:- 1. Talk about your success on the pools and show the Flick referring to it as your forcaster book. Flick through to show all the different of 6 results. Place the book down. 2. Hand out the

envelope

which contains,

you say,

a winning

line

of six

Book sets

results.

3. Pick up the book as per the handling described in the Flick Book article above, and riffle through asking a spectator to call stop. Hold the book open at his chosen spot (since all the forcasts are now the same it makes no difference) and get him to read out his chosen line. 4. The prediction

is opened and the

line

seen to match.

-37-

A KEY ROUTINE

(LD*)

EFFECT:- To a humorous (?) patter line the magician tells the story of how he tried to get a front door key cut in a Heel Bar. Unfortunately, although the key appears to be the correct one each time he leaves the shop, it is seen to repeatedly change to a completely different key, the routine ending with the appearance of a padlock as the Heel Bar 'locks up' for the night! COMMENTS:-This routine was one of the three that I used in my IBM Close Up Competition act in 1981 and it has appeared in print in Abra 1704 and also was one of the four routines featured in an early manuscript series called 'Quartet' which I marketed for a while. I have always thought that this effect rather embodies the essence of my early work as it is slightly off beat, uses simple objects and a corny line of patter - in fact it sounds rather like some of my more modern material too! If you take the trouble to collect the necessary props and learn the routine, you will have an interesting and different effect to add to your collection. REQUIREMENTS:-1. Three Yale type

front

door keys,

preferably

brass

coloured.

m L-J t=\G.\

2. A silver

hG3

F"lG.2

coloured

'back

door'

key.

Fig.l.

~

F\G.4

Fig.2.

3. A car key. Fig.3. 4. A small

padlock

5. Three small 6. A small

piece

with

its

key.

rlG.S

Fig.4.

pay envelopes.

.

of Blu Tack.

SET-UP:- Cut the address side out of one of the envelopes and slip this piece into one of the other envelopes thus creating a partitioned envelope. Fig.5. Fl&.b

Attach the small piece of Blu Tack to the top of the address side of the unprepared third envelope. Fig.6

Take the small padlock key and attach it to the Blu Tack on the rear of the envelope. Inside this envelope drop one of the front door keys and place this envelope into your top right inside pocket. The address side with the key attached to the Blu Tack on it should be facing away from your body. Open the partitioned envelope and into the front compartment slip your top inside pocket on the left.

and into the another front

-38-

rear compartment drop the car key door key. This envelope goes into

The padlock is dropped into your right jacket pocket. The back door key is loosely finger palmed in the right hand. The last front door key can be out on view. PRESENTATION:- 1. You tell the story of how you wanted to get an extra front door key cut. Pick up the visible front door key in the right hand and apparently toss it into the left hand which closes around it. In reality, you allow the back door key to drop into the left hand while the right hand retains the front door key out of sight. (This is the Bobo Coin Switch done with keys). 2. Although you appeared to have the right key when you left the shop, by the time you got home the key had changed, and that was not the key you wanted at all. As you say this you open your left hand to reveal the back door key. Display it and place it down on the table. 3. So you explain how you went back to the shop to complain. The man in the shop looked at the key and said:"I'm terribly sorry,sir, you appear to have the key to the local monastery

-

it's a monk-key.

(groan!)

Your

key is here

in this envelope."

4. The right hand goes to the top inside pocket on the left, leaves the front door key behind and comes out with the partitioned envelope. Hold it in the left hand and open the flap with the right. Slip your right index finger into the top of the envelope, making sure that it pushes the partition to the rear. 5. If the left hand now tips the envelope over the right hand, the front door key will drop out and the car key will be secretly held up inside the envelope by the partition. The envelope will therefore appear empty without you having to say so. 6. The man in the shop offers to wrap the key up for you so that it does not get lost again. The key is dropped carefully back into the envelope and the flap closed. 7. Yet, when you got home and opened the envelope to tip out the key, the key had changed again, and that was not the key you wanted either! As you patter, open the envelope this time pulling the partition forwards. When you tip up the envelope the car key will fallout into the right hand, the front door key being retained by the partition inside the envelope. Place the car key on the table and put the envelope away in your left jacket pocket. 8. You

went

back to the

shop to complain.

The man

in the shop

looked

at the key

and

said:"I'm terribly sorry, sir, but you appear to have the key to the local University,

it's a don-key.

(further

groan!)

Your

key

is here,

in this envelope."

9. So saying, your left hand reaches into the top right inside pocket and grips the envelope there, the left fingers concealing the key stuck on the outside as it is brought out into view. la. Open the envelope and tip out the front door key inside. Display it in the right hand and then place it down. As you do so, the left fingers pull the padlock key off the Blu Tack and drop the envelope on the table.

11. The shop assistant offers to wrap the key up for you again, but you turn him down, saying that this time, to be absolutely sure nothing happens to the key, you will carry it home. The right hand picks up the front door key and apparently places it into the left hand which closes. Really, the right hand retains the front door key leaving the left hand just holding the padlock key. 12. Nothing could now go wrong your

hand

the

key

had

changed

-

or could it? Because when you got home and opened

again,

and

that

-39-

CERTAINLY

was

not

the

key

you

wanted.

13. Having

opened

your

left hand

to show

the padlock

key, place

it down next

to the

others. Use the right hand to pick up the envelope which is on the table and put it away in your right jacket pocket. Leave the palmed front door key and envelope behind and come out with the padlock finger palmed. 14. By this time you were furious with the man in the shop and you raced back to let him know what you thought. But by the time you got back it was too late - he had 'locked up'. As you say this you bring your two hands together in a squeezing motion, then open them to reveal the padlock.

-40-

THE FASTEST FOUR ACE TRICK IN THE WORLD

(LD)

Four Aces are removed from a pack, shown and dropped face down on the Three cards are placed on top of each. One by one the Aces vanish in a very manner from their piles and appear all together face up in the centre of the

EFFECT: -

table. clean deck.

COMMENTS:- This was one of the first card effects I ever devised, and it is still as effecti ve today as it was when I originally routined it. Inspi ration came from a Brother John Hamman Ace routine using similar fake Aces. His routine was, however, rather long and complex, so I took three of the fake cards and produced this version which is ideal for lay people because of its simplicity of plot and method. Those who like to do good, direct card magic without the need for long hours of practice will enjoy this! REQUIREMENTS:- 1. transfers on blank

A V

, , it

Three faced

fake

Aces as shown in

Fig.l.

These

can be made using

card

cards.

A

"-

+

I

I

+

-r

+

I

I

I

I

I

I I

itV

f'tG.1 2. An extra AS on which you position a small piece of Blu Tack. Note the exact position of the Blu Tack - it is placed there so that when the card is held with the Blu Tack end at the bottom in the right hand, the right thumb will naturally cover the Blu Tack. Fig.l. again. 3. A matching

deck.

SET-UP:- Position the AS with the Blu Tack on it about third or fourth card from the face of the deck, the Blu Tack end at the bottom. Then insert the other three fake Aces into the pack so that they are spread out in the lower half. The fake Ace indexes should be at the top. The four normal Aces from the pack are all together and FACE UP about a quarter of the way down from the top of the FACE DOWN deck. Fig.2. Drop the deck back in its case.

A .QI+

+

"V

+ .+

+ + +.L -41-

~\G.2

PRESENTATION:-

1.

Remove the pack

down onto the table.

The AS with

from its case and drop out the four fake Aces face the Blu Tack will thus be the bottom card of the

face down pile. The balance of the cards run into the right hand during this are cut to the top of the pack. This positions the four ordinary face up Aces just below centre position in the balance of the pack. Place the deck aside. 2. Pick up the pile of Aces and turn them faces towards you. Spread them in a fan so that the fake index corners of the lower three Aces are revealed while their extra pips remain hidden. The AS will be the face card and your right thumb covers the Blu Tack as you lower the fan to display the card faces.

3. Casually remark that you have removed the four Aces from the deck. No need to make a big thing of this because at this stage the spectators do not know what is going to happen and so have no reason to doubt what they think they can see!! 4. Close the fan and turn the pile over from side to side. This maintains the fake index corners at the top end of the cards. Deal the cards in a face down row from RIGHT to LEFT. The AS with the Blu Tack will thus be the first card on the far left of the row. 5. Pick up the deck and as you explain that you are going to put three cards on top of each Ace, get a left little finger break under the top two cards. Use your right thumb to help with this. Then with the right hand palm down over the deck, lift off the top two cards as one, the right thumb holding the back short edges, the fingers being along the front short edges. The left thumb pushes off the new top card so that it can be taken under the two already in the right hand, yet still leaving it stepped over a little to the left. Then take a third card from the top and add that under the others, this too being stepped over to the left. When the three(?) cards have been seen, square them up by knocking their left long edges against the left thumb, and drop the pile on top of the AS at the far left end of the row.

6. Apparently repeat this handling three more times except that you really do only take three cards on each occasion, and thus the three fake Aces will end up with three cards on top of each. Fig.3.

RG.3

AS

"-

)

~o..\Q I\C\LS

/

7. Pick up the pile at the furthest RIGHT position in the row and hold it face down in the left hand dealing position. The right hand turns palm down and the left thumb slides the top card of the pile slightly over to the right. The right hand grasps this top card by the top RIGHT corner, thumb underneath and fingers on top. 8. Pivot the right hand palm up and the card will be turned over to reveal the face. However, the right thumb will automatically be covering the corner index which is

-42-

bottom right on the face up card. As soon as the indifferent card face has been seen, drop the card face up on the table. Repeat with the next two cards. 9. Snap the remaining card and then turn it over in the same way. The fake index will be covered by the right thumb leaving the face of the card as an indifferent card. As soon as it has been seen, slide this card under the long right edges of the three tabled cards, scooping them all up into the right hand. Move to the top left position on the table and spread the cards from left to right. This reveals four indifferent cards and the fake Ace index is well hidden under the bottom of the pile. Fig.4. 10. Repeat

this sequence

for the next

two piles

ItlJY{.

+

,....,.

'-

FlG.+

Foxe.. co..t-C

working

" "6

from right

to left.

11. At this point you stop and ask if you are going too fast! You offer to show the last Ace actually disappearing. Pick up the last pile and turn it face up, making sure that your right thumb covers the Blu Tack on the bottom AS card. Hold the pile in the left hand and slide the AS off with the right hand. 12. Insert the AS in amongst the other cards in the left hand. I usually just use my right second finger to openly slide the bottom card of the face up pile back a little towards me and then push the AS in right above the protruding card. Remember to push the AS flush before lifting your right thumb off the Blu Tack, otherwise you will reveal it to the audience.

13. Square the cards and give a slight squeeze on them with the right hand as you take the pile and quickly flash the pile back and front. This makes the AS stick to the card above it via the Blu Tack. 14. You now snap the cards and in a very clean way simply count the cards across from your left hand to your right. No special counts required, the Blu Tack does the vanishing trick for you. (This fools a lot of magicians too!) 15. Drop the cards on top of the other tabled ones and collect them all up into a squared pile which you place face down to one side. All that then remains is for you to pick up the balance of the deck and ribbon spread it face down to reveal the four Aces face up and together in the centre! 16. One final point concerning the reset of this effect. If, as you count the last pile to show the AS has vanished, you retain the order of the cards and then you twist the pile round end for end before dropping it face up on top of the other cards, the trick can actually be reset automatically. Gather up all the tabled face

up cards and square them, turning them over

END

FOR

END.

This puts the fake Ace

index corners back at the top. After spreading the balance of the deck to show the face up Aces, leave them in the spread and square up the deck. Drop this larger deck portion on top of the other pile and the trick is now reset.

-43-

THE THOUGHTINDICATOR CARDS

(MCU*)

EFFECT:- A card is chosen from a deck. Three double blank cards are displayed one at a time and the performer explains that they are able to pick up a spectator's thoughts! Holding the cards at his fingertips, the performer asks the spectator who chose the card from the deck to think of his card and to project his thoughts towards the blank cards. As he does so, the magician shakes the cards and the centre one drops down into view from between the other two with a back printed on it! However, when this card is turned over, it has no only to have thought of the back of his selection and not card is placed on the spectator's palm and he is asked to card face. He then names his selection and turns over the now printed with the correct card face. COMMENTS: -

I

first

read

of the

main

face. Trust the spectator the front! The blank faced now think of his selected card to reveal that it is

move used in this

little

routine

when I read

Bernard Billis's book "French Pasteboards". Subsequently I saw a similar move used by Brian Glover in one of his card effects in his lecture. I took the move and created this nice little printing effect which not only looks neat but which seems to be entirely free of 'handling'.

REQUIREMENTS:-1. Three double

2. One ordinary

card

-

blank

cards.

say the 6S.

3. A matching ordinary deck. SET-UP: - Arrange the extra 6S FACE UP, third from top of the pile of three double blanks. Fig.l. Get the matching 6S out of the deck and place it on the top ready to force it.

t-\Gr.1

PRESENTATION:- 1. Bring out the deck and force shown around and then returned to the deck.

the top

card.

Have the

2. Bring out the Thought squared and in the order With

the

right

hand,

bottom right corner, top of the pi le, underneath. Fig.2.

6S noted

and

Indicator Cards shown in Fig.1.

grip the

pile

in the

the thumb being on the index finger

3. Turn the pile so that the card under the thumb is held flat facing the audience. The cards are held vertically to the floor so that the full face of the top card can be seen. 4. Twist the right wrist bottom of the pi le and then its former position.

-44-

to show the return it to

5. Now give the cards a slight shake downwards. If this is done with the correct amount of liqht pressure from the right index finger and thumb, the centre two cards will drop out slightly together and appear as one card. Fig.3. 6. You may find it helps to moisten the right thumb and index finger very slightly before trying this. FlG.3

7. As soon as the centre cards appear, lower the right hand down to a more horizontal plane and grip the exposed top left corners of the centre cards between the left thumb and base of the left index finger, and draw the two cards away as one together. Fig.4.

~tG..q-

8. Because of the grip taken on the cards they will be lying deep in the left hand and the fingers can curl round the right long side to adjust any slight spreading of the two cards.

9. Once these

cards have been drawn away, the left hand returns and thumbs off the top card of the remaining two in the right hand onto those in the left, before finally taking the last one on top of the lot. This little move (it is the one referred to in 'Comments' above) is very disarming and creates a clear impression that there are only three cards. 10. You explain that the Thought Indicator Cards are blank on all sides but that they are capable of receiving thoughts directed at them. As you patter, the right hand takes off the top card, shows it back and front and places it under the pile. 11. It then takes the second card, and shows it back and front, the left hand simultaneously turning the pile over to show a blank surface there as well. The pile is turned back again and the right hand replaces its card on top of the pile. 12. Turn the whole pile over. Grip the bottom right corner as earlier and hold the cards facing the audience. Ask the spectator to think of his selected card. After a moment or so, shake down the middle two cards as before. A card back will suddenly appear facing the audience. -45-

13. Withdraw

the

two cards

cards on the table.

as one with

the

Then use the right

left

15. With your optimistically But no luck.

The right

hand drops

hand to grip the card(s)

hand, taking them with the hand palm down, fingers at the rear short edge. 14. Lift the face of the card(s) to also be printed - but it is back of the card!

hand.

at the

front

its

two

held by the left

short

edge and thumb

towards the audience as if you expect the card face blank! Scold the spectator for only thinking of the

left hand pick up the two blank hoping the face of the selection

cards from the table might have appeared

and look at them on one of those.

16. The left hand holds the two blank cards squared and the right hand lays its card( s) face down on top of them. You hold out the right hand then palm up to indicate how you would like the spectator to hold his hand. As he does so, the right hand lifts off the top card only of the pile and places it on the spectator's palm. 17. The left thumb pushes off the top card of the three in its grasp and the right hand takes it. The two remaining cards are held as one in the left hand. The cards are shown both sides and then waved over the one on the spectator's hand as he is asked to think of his selected card face. When he turns his card over it will now be printed! 18. There are several other effects possible using this set up, move and handling. For instance, you could print a selected ESP symbol, or any other sort of picture or design or word which could be printed on a blank faced card. Let your imagination go to work on it!

to ')

(

-46-

(CUE)

COIN VANISHER EFFECT:-

Another

complete

coin vanish

in the hands.

COMMENTS:- This is a simple to make fake which after a 'vanish'. I use it with coin vanishes. REQUIREMENTS:1. A piece being 2" x l~". 2.

of stiff

cardboard

allows

you

or preferably

to dump

plastic,

any small

object

approximate

size

A safety pin.

3. Some scotch

tape.

F\&.\

.

13\

L>..

'\ o..c.\i(

4. Some Blu Tack. SET-UP:- Attach the safety pin to the card on one of the l~ inch sides large piece of Blu Tack over one side of the card. Fig.l.

and spread

a

Using the safety pin, attach the fake to the inside lining of your jacket, at a place where the fingers of the right hand, when hanging naturally by your side, curl round the bottom edge of the coat. The side covered with Blu Tack faces towards the body. One small point here is that you will have to renew time as it tends to dry out and loose its stickiness.

the Blu Tack

from

time

to

PRESENTATION:- 1. Apparently place a coin into your left hand, really retaining it in the right.

2. Allow your right hand to casually drop to your side, keeping your attention meanwhile

on your

left hand.

3. The left hand apparently throws the coin into the air where it vanishes and at the same moment, the right fingers curl round the bottom edge of the jacket and press the coin onto the Blu Tack on the fake. 4. The coin is thus retained safely out of view. If you make sure to only stick half of the coin's surface onto the Blu Tack, you will be able to secretly unload it off the fake for a production of the coin later. This would also be a possibility if you wanted to start a routine clean and then needed a coin some way through. Being able to use the fake to load as well as vanish makes it particularly useful.

-47-

NO PALM CARD TO POCKET

(LD)

EFFECT:- A card is chosen and returned to the pack which is shuffled. The pack is put into the card case and given to a spectator who is handed an elastic band and asked to put it round the case to secure it. The case is then wrapped by the spectator in a handkerchief and held up by him. Without touching the pack, the performer removes an invisible card and places it into his pocket. When the spectator unwraps the deck and examines the cards, he finds his card is missing. With his empty hand the magician removes one card from his pocket and this proves to be the selected card. COMMENTS:-

This is

very strong magic and ideal for those who fight shy of palming.

Since the method really only requires nerve and timing it could with many. Do try it, you will be credited with a miracle!

well

find

favour

REQUIREMENTS:-1. A pack of cards in its case.

2. A handkerchief. 3. An elastic band to go round the card case lengthways. SET-UP:Fold the handkerchief into a square and have the deck to hand. The elastic band should be in the LEFT jacket pocket.

1. Remove the pack and have a card freely chosen. You might want to PRESENTATION:have the card signed. Have it returned to the deck and control it to the top. A simple cut and shuffle would achieve this with the minimum of fuss.

2.

Slip the pack into the case face down, and as you tuck the flap in, slip it

between

the top card and the rest of the pack.

Fig.l.

\

-rop

Co..t"d

.--:-

FlG-. \

\f\l.\.('(\bco~'"\~ \f\ w-d

u - c.~ Ol\,.\::.

();\9£

3. Hold the pack in the right hand, the right thumb covering the portion of the card showing in the U-cut out in the front of the case. Fig.2. 4. Pick up the handkerchief with the left hand and pass it to the right where it is gripped between the right first and second fingers and covering the pack from the spectators' view.

Aw:henc.e..

/

~\G.3 \

S~\:or5 c.~

5. You ask a spectator to help. The left hand reaches behind the handkerchief and pulls the bottom of the card case so that it is pulled down and out from behind the handkerchief. However, pressure from the right thumb on the exposed card ensures that the selected card is secretly retained hidden behind the handkerchief. Fig.3. -48-

~

~

6.

You

The pack say

that

is gently the

thrown

spectator

to the assisting

needs

an

elastic

spectator

band

to

who

seal

(hopefully!)

the

catches

it.

case.

7. At this point, both hands go simultaneously to their respective pockets, the right hand simply slipping the secreted card into the pocket from behind the handkerchief (the handkerchief itself does not actually go INTO the pocket at all, but remains outside, the fingers dropping the card into the pocket from behind it), while the left hand emerges holding up the elastic band. 8. Hand the band to the spectator who puts it lengthways him the handkerchief and ask him to wrap the pack in it.

round

the

case.

Then

give

9. Go through the motions of apparently removing an invisible card and placing it into your right pocket. 10. Have the spectator uncover the pack and look through for his card. He will, of course, not find it. It only remains for you to show your right hand empty and produce the spectator's card from your pocket.

~

-49-

THE MELTING

COIN

(MCU)

EFFECT:- A coin placed on top of a playing card and covered by a matchbox drawer melts right through the card and ends up underneath. The spectators suspect they know

the

secret,

but

they

are

in

for

a surprise.

COMMENTS:- Although I rarely use fake coins, subtle use of a shell here makes this very easy to perform. This is an ideal effect for very close up work. Overseas readers will be able to do the same routine using their own coins, but I will describe this using British money. REQUIREMENTS:-

1. A lOp coin,

a 2p coin and a lOp shell

(not an expanded

one).

2. A pack of cards. 3. An empty matchbox. 4. A small piece

of Blu Tack.

SET-UP:- Attach the piece of Blu Tack to the underside of the card case. Stick the ordinary lOp to it. This removes the need to palm the coin in the early stages of the trick. Put the lOp shell over the 2p coin and position it on your close up mat next to the matchbox and the cards in their case.

PRESENTATION:- 1. Pick up the fake coin. To do this without the 2p 'talking'in the shell requires careful handling. The best way is to place your index finger on top of the shell, exerting a little downward pressure, and then slip your thumb under it up so that the thumb holds the 2p in place against the top the coin and lift for this operationas it will give inside of the shell. A close up mat is essential the necessary springiness of surface required.

2. With the lOp facing the audience

casually display it and then something using

table as you say that you will show the audience lOp, a matchbox drawer and a playing card.

3. As you patter,

replace three

it on the

objects

- a

you pick up the matchbox and slip out the drawer placing it on the

table and discarding card freely selected.

the

cover.

Then remove the

cards

from their

case

and have

a

4. Take the balance of the pack back and replace it in the case. As you place the box down, allow the left fingers to secretly pull the real lOp off the Blu tack so that the coin is held in the left finger palm. 5. Take the coin

selected

card

back into

the

right hand

and place

it

face

down over

the

in the left hand.

6. The right hand then picks them onto

the back of the

up the lOp shell and 2p as described above and slides card where they rest on the centre.

7. With the left thumb holding the coin( s) whole set up onto the table. The extra real under the card on the table.

steady on top of the card, place the lOp will, of course, be secretly left

8. The matchbox drawer is placed mouth down over the fake of the drawer stating through the card.

that

this

coin. Gently rub the back action will melt the lOp so that it will pass right

-50-

9. After a moments delay, slowly slide the card to the left until the real lap appears at the side, emerging from underneath. When it is half in view pause for a moment so that the spectators can appreciate the coin really is below the card, and then push the card right off the coin. la. You comment that many people think you use two coins and that there is still under the drawer. And you have to admit that this is true. But, the only thing the coin which is left is a 2p.

one is,

11. As you say this the right hand reaches over and grips the drawer by the middle of its two long sides, pinches them in slightly and lifts the drawer away. This will have the effect of secretly gripping the lap shell and carrying it away concealed under the drawer. The 2p is left in view and creates enough misdirection for you to palm off the shell out of the box if required.

-51-

THE BIONIC CARD

(LD)

EFFECT:- A freely selected card is put into an examined envelope and cut in half. The card is removed seconds later restored, leaving the envelope still in two halves. COMMENTS:- Although basically an old method, there are a few disguising elements included in the presentation to throw off even those who think they might know! When this routine was originally published in 1978, 'bionic' men and women were all the rage on TV in Britain, hence the title. Since at anyone time there are always popular 'super-heroes' who are in vogue, naming the card after one of the current batch would keep the patter reasonably up to date. REQUIREMENTS:-

1.

A pack of cards.

2. A few small manilla 3. A pair of nail

pay envelopes

(4" x 2~" would

be a standard

size).

scissors.

SET-UP: - Cut a slit across the back (address side) of one of the envelopes just above half way down from the flap end. Fig.l.

~

----------

~ She

eC')ve.\q>e.

F\G-,2

F\G.l Arrange the remaining envelopes into a pile, all the envelopes being address side upwards. Turn the top three envelopes over so that they are flap side upwards. Flip the complete pile over and add the slit envelope to the top. Then turn the pile over again so that the slit envelope becomes the bottom envelope of the pile. Fig.2.

Have the pile of envelopes ready along with the deck of cards. The scissors should be out of sight. PRESENTATION: - 1. Pick up the pile of envelopes, remove the top one and have it examined. I usually ask the spectator who takes the envelope to just check that the envelope is completely empty. This is so much better than asking him to check that it is an 'ordinary, unprepared envelope', as this would simply lead him to question the envelope itself later in the effect. 2. Take the examined left hand. Pick up select a card.

envelope back and place it on top of the pile still held in the the deck with the right hand and pass it out for someone to

3. Under cover of this misdirection, casually turn the envelope pile over as you place it down. This will, of course, leave the slit envelope now on top.

-52-

4. Take the pack back from the spectator and put it away. Then take the selected card and look at it and show it around. Tell the audience that by complete chance (!) the chosen card happens to be a Bionic Card! To test its superhuman qualities you will put it to a test. 5. Lift off the top envelope from the tabled pile and place the rest of the pile aside. The audience will assume that this is the examined envelope, whereas in fact it is the slit one. 6. Holding the envelope in the left hand, flap towards the audience, insert the card inside, really sliding it right in at this stage and avoiding pushing it through the slit in the rear.

7. Raise the envelope to your mouth and lick the flap. Your left fingers act as a cover for the slit across the envelope's address side. Lower the envelope and just before you seal it down, reach inside and pull out the card to show it for one last time. However, you do not pull it all the

\~ d~()

~0.5\:;

Wlbri-

~ ~us~

al e.

HG.3

way out, just far enough so that the

SIlt-\() t-WJ' ()~

card's lower end goes just past the slit. Fig.3.

e.t)ve.\~

8. Once the card has been seen, use the right fingers to push it back into the envelope, but this time make sure that it goes through the slit. Fig.4. Seal the fl ap

9. Place the envelope on the table for a moment, being careful not to flash the half of the protruding card under the

\='lG,4-

lA..C'tcle.tneoJ::h \I \~ 10. Bring out with them.

the

scissors

and

down.

envelope. show

them.

Grip

11. The left hand picks up the envelope and holds it as in Fig.5. The flap side is tilted slightly towards the audience. 12. Using the left little finger, lift up the lower right corner of the envelope so that you can see between the exposed lower end of the card and the envelope. Fig.6.

them

~

in the

right hand

-~ ~

0

ready

to cut

FIG.5

?7

\-\G',b

13. Slip the scissors into this gap and slide them up to about half way along the envelope's length. Slowly cut about three quarters of the way across the envelope. Use the right hand to 'catch' the envelope halves as if you are trying to keep them together.

14. Regrip the envelope in the left hand near the envelope centre and then use the right hand to cut off the end of the envelope and slowly slide the card out still in tact.

-53-

15. The card

is

seen to be unharmed

apart to show that envelope

halves

and you can tear

the envelope itself

and drop them to the

really

table.

. .

-54-

the two halves

now completely

has been severed in two. Crush the

NEW ACES

THROUGH

(CUE*)

NEWSPAPER

EFFECT:- A piece of magazine paper or newspaper is laid out and four Aces positioned at its four corners. Two blank postcards, both only slightly larger than the cards, are shown and are used to cover two of the Aces. One at a time the Aces are taken and slipped under the paper below the AS, and somehow each of the Aces penetrates through the paper and appears with the AS beneath its postcard cover. The last Ace, however, proves to be a slight problem, until suddenly it is the other three Aces which disappear and penetrate back DOWN through the paper to collect all together underneath! COMMENTS:- In Abra 1724 for the 10th February 1979 I had published a new handling for the classic Aces Through Newspaper effect called (imaginatively enough!!) "Improved Aces Through Newspaper". Shortly after that I marketed another version called (even more imaginatively!) "New Aces Through Newspaper" which altered the handling and finish to the one published in Abra and which used specially made leather drink coasters. The routine you read here is the same as the one supplied with the marketed effect, but using the postcard fakes originally described in Abra instead of the leather coasters! In fact when the coasters were made we did change the way the fake was made and this improvement is described here for you to make up in postcards. Whether you understand all that or not does not really matter since the final product means you get an unusual and angle proof version of Aces Through Newspaper which requires no sleight of hand and which finishes on a surprise! REQUIREMENTS:- 1. Three pieces of completely blank postcard. 2. Four ordinary Aces and three matching extra Aces, the AC,AH and AS. 3. A double sheet of magazine paper. The best size would be just a bit bigger than the size of your close up mat. 4. Some scissors and paper glue for the preparation.

" ...", .

/

",r ",-

A~~ ~~\A£. \~

S~~tle.cl.

Q.~

"..." "" ,,-'~ ~I

1

..... ..... / ",/ ..... / .../"

SET-UP:- First you need to make a pocket card with an opening on its right long edge. The pocket should be big enough to take two playing cards on top of each other. Fig.1 shows how the cards are glued together and how the lower of the two cards needs to have an opening cut from it.

1

1

F\&.l

When the glue is dry, turn the card over so that the opening to pocket is on top. Slip the extra AH the pocket face up, making sure that of the card is still visible through cut out at the pocket's entrance.

(

'''1 ," .,,1

the

double

sheet

of paper

the into some the

On top of this card slip the extra AC, also face up. Turn the mat over so that the opening to the pocket is on the left hand side underneath. Place the unfaked card on top of it.

....

Place

fake

on the

table

-55-

unfolded.

Fold

the

right

hand

sheet

over onto the left hand one. Then fold the whole double sheet in half, bottom up to the top. The extra AS is held face down under this folded paper at the top position. With the postcards and other four Aces to hand, you are ready.

left

PRESENTATION:- 1. Hold the magazine paper in the left hand at the top left corner with the extra AS hidden underneath and casually place it on the table. 2. Unfold it downwards and then over to the right, so that The extra AS will be hidden under the top left corner. 3. Show the four Aces

it is fully

spread

out.

and lay them out as in Fig.2.

B

~

F'lG.2

§l

§l

4. Pick up the two postcards, the left hand holding the lower fake one, the right hand the unfaked one. The postcards are held with the fingers underneath and the thumbs on top as in Fig.3.

FtG-.3

5. Held in this manner the left fingers will in a natural way cover the cut out opening to the secret pocket. Casually show the postcards back and front and then place the unfaked one on top of the faked one and hold them both in the left hand. 6. With the right hand, turn the four Aces face down. The right hand comes over to the left and the right fingers go under the postcards and start to slide out the lower faked one to the right. As this happens, the left fingers press lightly on the part of the AC exposed in the fake pocket so that it is retained under the unfaked card as the fake postacrd is drawn right away. Fig.4 shows an underneath view.

~~ ~ -/ /

---56-

7. The right hand places the fake postcard over the AH positioned top right, while the left hand deposits the unfaked postcard with the extra AC hidden below it over the AS top left. 8. Pick up the visible AC from its position bottom left, show its face and slip it under the paper so that it is below where the AS is covered by the postcard. 9. Leave the AC under the paper and withdraw the extra AS under the paper top left.

your

left hand.

The AC will

now be with

la. Tap the back of the postcard covering the AS and flip it over to the right. Spread the two cards which are revealed and then flip them face up to reveal the AS and AC together. The AC has apparently penetrated up through the paper. 11. Square the two Aces and turn them face down again leaving them top left. Pick up the unfaked postcard and hold it by its long left side in the left hand. With the right hand pick up the fake postcard and place it under the one already in the left hand. 12. With the freed right hand pick up the AH now revealed top right up to show which Ace it is. Drop it face up back on the table. 13. The right hand then comes and takes the lower fake postcard AH being unloaded at the same time under the unfaked postcard.

and turn

as before,

it face

the extra

14. The right hand places the faked postcard over the AD bottom right, whi le the left hand deposits its postcard over the two black Aces top left. This leaves the extra AH on top of the black Aces of course. 15. Take the AH now face down under the paper to below where the two black Aces are. Leave it there and bring out the left hand. Tap the postcard and flip it over to reveal now three cards there. Turn them face up to show the AH has arrived.

16. Square the three Aces and turn them face down again. Pick up the unfaked postcard and place the fake one ON TOP of it. Square the cards carefully, thumbs on top, fingers on either side underneath and lower the two postcards over the three Aces top left. 17. The AD is turned face up, shown and then slipped face down under the paper where it joins the others already left there. Tap the postcards and lift them off as if you are expecting the AD to have made the upward trip to join the others. You are apparently surprised when it has not appeared. 18. Casually separate the postcards, placing the fake The fake postcard is staggered slightly to the left.

one now UNDERNEATH

the

other.

19. Hold the two postcards as described in section 16 above and lower them over the three Aces. However, the front short edges of the postcards are angled down slightly so that they touch the paper first and conceal the Aces from view. As soon as this happens, the fingers of both hands secretly pick up the three squared Aces and hold them against the bottom of the lower postcard.

20. Immediately the right hand stops gripping the lower postcard and cards so that the left hand can slide the lower postcard out and place it on top of the other one, the three Aces being left trapped between the two.

-57-

21. The moment the lower postcard

is slid out, the right hand allows the other

postcard to lie flat on the table as if it was covering the Aces. 22.

You now tap the postcards harder as if this will help to make the Ace travel

upwards through the paper. You then lift away the two postcards together and the Aces have disappeared! Immediately you pull back the left hand side of the paper to

reveal the four cards are now underneath

-

you must have tapped the postcards too

hard!

I

( "

A ...

~

-

"-

.I.

if[

l

-58-

\

(MCU)

THE SLAP COIN VANISH EFFECT:- A coin placed into the left BOTH hands are completely empty!

hand

vanishes

when

slapped

by the right

hand.

COMMENTS: - I have fooled countless magicians with this vanish and it is, in my opinion, such a strong vanish of a coin that it is worth the practice to try and perfect it. Although this appeared in the original Magic Of Close Up lecture notes, this is the first time a really full description of the exact technique has been published. REQUIREMENTS:-

1. Any coin.

2. A handkerchief. 3. You need to be wearing

a jacket.

SET-UP:- Fold the handkerchief into a tight bundle and wedge it within the top inside pocket on the right. The only purpose of the handkerchief is to hold the top inside pocket open, If it hangs open normally, you do not need the handkerchief. PRESENTATION:- 1. Hold the coin at the right fingertips and apparently place it into the left hand. In reality, steal it back out again. The coin should be secretly held as in Fig.l. 2. Turn the left hand, which is closed in a fist apparently around the coin, palm down and hold it at about waist level.

lG

t='

. \

3.

The right hand is now going to raise

itself up to just below your chin and come down on the back of the left hand in a sharp slapping motion. As this is done, the palmed coin is going to be thrown into the top inside right hand pocket!

4. This is how you should PRACTISE the action required. Turn your right shoulder slightly towards the front and lean it forwards a little. This will cause the right side of your open jacket to fall away a bit leaving a visible gap between your body and the coat.

5. In slow motion, start to raise the right hand up, running the right thumb up the RIGHT edge of the unbuttoned jacket. Fig.2. 6. The right fingers in fact can bend round the edge of the jacket taking the coin almost to a point where it touches the inside jacket lining.

F\G.2 -59-

7. When the right hand gets to a point just above the level of the inside pocket, bend the right wrist so that the fingers can position the coin over the open pocket and can drop the coin into the top. 8. As soon as the coin has been the back of the left fist.

dropped

the right hand

comes

sharply

down

and

slaps

9. The idea of practising the raising of the hand and dropping of the coin in this way is to accustom you to the coin going back into the right inside pocket. Sometimes magicians trying to learn this vanish have got confused and have tried to deposit the coin in the LEFT side inside pocket in an action similar to, but higher up than, loading a Toppit. 10. Once you have got the idea, you start to speed up the process until the point where the right hand actually throws the coin so that it hits

you get to the inside

lining of the jacket and then drops down into the open pocket! Making sure the right side of the jacket hangs open slightly is essential to success here, so try to stand in a position to encourage the jacket to behave how you want it to.

11. Performed without a pause and in a flowing movement, the coin is seen to apparently go into the left hand and the right hand then raises up and slaps down on the back of the left fist which opens to show the coin has vanished and BOTH your hands are left empty. 12. At first you will undoubtedly make a real mess of this vanish, but practise it regularly and you will have a killer vanish to add to your repertoire. And it means you do not have to wear a Toppit to affect a really clean coin vanish.

-60-

TRANSPO

CARD

(CUE)

EFFECT:- A selected card is marked with a sticker initialled placed into a pay envelope which has a hole cut right through card is chosen, and this one, marked with a sticker initialled placed face up in the centre of the face down pack. In an instant the envelope, the spectator's

two cards change places, being the only reversed

by a spectator and A second its centre. by the performer, is

the performer's emerging card in the pack!

from the

COMMENTS:- The envelope

principle used here is, I think, quite ingenious. I first saw it when reading an old Abra magazine from the 1940 I S in which Len Sewell described the envelope for use with a Jumbo card effect. He in fact read about the principle even further back, so I guess the originator is lost in the mists of time. There are many other effects possible with this kind of fake, so even if you do not like the trick itself, you can have some fun devising your own routines with it. I have published a colour changing idea in my envelope book "STILL FLAPPING" where this envelope is also described. REQUIREMENTS:-1. A pay envelope,

size

4" x 2~".

2. A pack of cards. 3. One extra 4. A double 5. Some small

ordinary faced

card

card with

round self

to match the pack being different

adhesive

white

faces

used - say the

on each side,

5C.

perhaps

JHjlOS.

stickers.

6. A pen.

5 +

SET-UP:- Cut a square hole out of the centre of the pay envelope. The hole goes right through back and front. Fig.l.

\k

~~e. t 9

3"

Cut a square hole out of the centre of your extra 5C, Fig. 2, simply making sure that this hole is larger than the hole in the envelope. When the card is in the envelope, no part of it should be visible through the envelope's hole.

kr~c..~ \iQ\~

F\6.2.

t="\Gr.l

Place the 5C with the hole in it face up into the envelope. Place the double faced card on the bottom of the pack, the JH side facing the same way as the rest of the card faces. Remove the JH, 10S and 5C from the deck. Discard the 10S. Onto the face of the JH place a sticker and then put your initials on it. Place this card on top of the pack with the 5C positioned immediately below it. Have the other stickers to hand and the pen. To save time, and in order to make sure it looks the same as the one already on the JH, you could initial another sticker ready for use in the routine. PRESENTATION:- 1. Pick up the pack and cut little finger break in the centre.

it,

-61-

completing

the cut

and holding

a left

2. Riffle force to the break (for a brief description of the Riffle Force see the routine PRIVATE EYE). Having cut the deck apparently at the chosen position, complete the cut and double lift the top two cards leaving them face up and squared on top of the deck. The SC will show as the selected card. 3. Ask the spectator to put his initials on a sticker. You then peel the sticker and attach it to the centre of the face up SC thereby marking his card. 4. Double lift again, turning the cards face down onto the top of the pack deal off the top card only face down onto the table. Place the deck down.

and

off

then

5. Pick up the envelope in your left hand, the sealed end being held by the left fingers and the address side being held flat facing the audience. The opening to the envelope is pointing to the right, not upwards. 6. The right hand picks up the tabled card and turns it face towards you and the end of the card is pushed into the envelope. If you push the end of the card towards the rear of the envelope as it is inserted, it will automatically be slid BEHIND the SC already inside. 7. Because the envelope has been held flat on to the audience, see the apparent selected card (really it is your initialled into the envelope and sliding past the central hole. 8. Once the card is inside, you mention the hole it has been cut so that the back of the selected and the face of the card through the other.

HQ\

e. \C')QAt-cl

cove.~

-b~

they will be able to JH of course) going

in the envelope. card can be seen

You explain through one

that side

9. As you say the last part, the left fingers hold the envelope so that the hole facing the audience is covered by the fingers, and the right hand reaches into the top of the envelope and pulls the SC out slightly. Fig.3.

Q..t)\J~C?e.

3'~

~\'<)CA\.<'G ~\d.de.\\

1=\G-.3

la. The left hand then lowers the envelope so that the audience can see the face of the SC protruding from the top of the envelope. Because of the positioning of the card, the hole in its centre is hidden by the top part of the envelope, and the JH is covered from view by the lower part of the SC.

11. This showing of the apparent selected trick, because the audience really believes because you put the spectator's initialled would naturally be hidden by the top part of 12. Push the the table.

SC back

inside,

turning

card is vital to the strength of the the selected SC is in the envelope. And sticker on the centre of the card, it the envelope!

the envelope

over

simultaneously.

Leave

it on

13. Pick up the pack. Hold it in the overhand shuffle position, faces of the cards towards the audience. By exerting a little pressure with the left fingers and thumb which are holding the deck, the top and bottom cards can be held back in the left hand as the right hand lifts all the cards out from between them and shuffles the balance on top.

-62-

14. The bottom card, the JH/lOS will thus have been pushed onto the spectator's 5C so that at the end of the shuffle the top two cards of the deck will be the chosen 5C followed by the double facer.

15. Undercut the pack, completing the cut but obtaining a left little finger break as before in the centre above the 5C. 16. Do the Riffle Force again. Double on top of the pack. The JH will show.

lift

the top

two cards

and turn

them

face

up

17. This is your selected card, so you place the initialled sticker you signed beforehand onto the JH card face in the same position as it was placed on the real JH face in the envelope. 18. Double lift the top two cards, flash the back and then slip them into the middle of the pack. Place the deck down on the table.

still

face

up

19. The spectator's card has been seen in the envelope, you recap. Your card has been seen face up in the centre of the pack. Now for the lightning transposition. 20. A snap of the fingers and then immediately turn over the envelope. Reaching inside, slide out the JH leaving the fake 5C within and invisible because of its hole. 21. Turn the deck face up and ribbon spread across the table. One card will be seen face down in the centre. Slide this card out. When it is turned over it is seen to be the spectator's own signed card!

-63-

DEVIL'S

EFFECT:- A map of an imaginary island six

different

locations.

A spectator

ISLAND

(MCU*)

is shown on which are clearly mentally

selects

one

of the

marked and named locations

at

which

to bury some I treasure I and records his choice on a card which is sealed in an envelope and left in view. Six cards, each bearing the name of one of the locations, are displayed and shuffled by the spectator who then deals them in a face down row on the table. The assisting spectator slips one card at a time into an envelope and hands it to a member of the audience of his choice until six members of the audience are holding location cards. A prediction which has been in view and which has not been touched by the performer since the effect began, is now picked up by the spectator. Despite the fact that the chosen location was the secret mental selection of one spectator, and despite the fact that not one of the six spectators holding an envelope has any idea which location they have in their envelope, when the prediction is read out it leads straight to the spectator who is holding the correct location to find the buried treasure. COMMENTS:-Depending on the size of props used in this effect, it close up or on the cabaret floor or even on the stage! In spite nature of the plot, it is an easy effect to do. REQUIREMENTS:-1. A drawing

of an island

with

six

locations.

can be performed of the baffling

Fig.l.

HANGMAN'S"HI,LL

J\

ST.MARY'S

t

CHURCH

~

COOMBE LAKE

BIRCH WOOD'

g

ftG. \ DEVIL'S CAVE

~

2. Six cards, each bearing one of the names of the six locations. Each is marked the back so that you can tell which is which when they are face down. 3. Six envelopes, big enough to take the numbers 1-6 in bold numerals.

the

cards

-64-

and marked on the

address

side

on

with

4.

A card on which

you will write

5. Another envelope, the its address side. Fig.2.

your

prediction.

same size as the others,

\-1.01... £:.

c.u..

'I

~

C) 6.

.~1:R83':, s\'1>"E. D>'~V~ \=\G.2.

which

has a large

hole cut out

of

[2J t=""lG:3

A piece of opaque card on one side of which is a rough outline of the island.

Fig.3.

This

card has to be small enough

to fit in the envelopes.

7. A pen. SET-UP:-

On the prediction liTHE

card write

the following:-

PERSON WITH ENVELOPE NUMBER 5 WILL FIND THE MONEY"

Arrange the numbered envelopes in any order, but ensure that the one numbered 5 is on the bottom of the pile when they are held flap side up. Place the envelope with the hole in the back on top of the pile. Have all the other props to hand.

PRESENTATION:- 1. Show the map and choose a spectator to help. Ask him to mentally select any of the six locations. 2. Hand him the piece of opaque card and the pen with the request that he record his choice by writing it in the little outline of the island. This makes him centralise his writing on the card.

3. While he is writing, pick up the top envelope from the pile (the one with the hole in the address side) and open the flap. Take the card from the spectator writing side down and slip it into the envelope. 4. Seal it and as you hold it up to show that it is sealed, you can sight the name of the chosen location through the hole in the envelope. Place the envelope down in view.

5. Hand out the six location cards and have them looked at and shuffled. Get the spectator to arrange the cards in a face down row of six. 6. Look along the row and spot, via the markings on the back, chosen location and remember its position in the row.

which

card matches

the

7. Pick up the pile of envelopes and arrange them in a fan in the left hand. Invite the assisting spectator to pick up any of the tabled cards. Each time he picks up a card which is NOT the one naming the chosen location, pass him an envelope from the TOP of the pile with the instruction that he slip the card, without looking at it, into the envelope and hand it to any person in the audience.

8. As soon as he picks up the chosen location card, the right hand grips all the

envelopes left in the fan and the left hand passes him the BOTTOM envelope. This -65-

ensures that the correct location card is put into envelope number 5 and thus will make your prediction correct at the finish. 9.

By the time all the cards have gone, six members of the audience will have been

given

a location

card.

10. Point out the prediction card and explain that although no one could possibly know which of the six locations the spectator has selected, and although he shuffled the location cards and has, himself, placed them into envelopes which have been given out to members of the audience, the prediction wi 11 actually lead to the spectator who is holding the correct location card. 11. The prediction card is given to the assisting spectator who reads it aloud. members of the audience look at the numbers on their envelopes. Number 5 takes card out and it is shown to name the location chosen at the beginning. 12. Incidentally, it is perhaps a tear open the envelope containing location, and to display what he This confirms the mental choice removed or changed in any way.

The his

good idea, before the prediction is read out, to the spectator's card on which he wrote his chosen wrote before proceeding to the end of the trick. and also shows that the card was not secretly

0

-66-

THE DETECTIVE COIN

(LD)

EFFECT:- A card is selected

and returned to the pack. A coin, which is supposed to be a detective coin, is shown. The pack is put back into a drop lid card box and the coin placed on the top, after which the lid is dropped on. When the box is opened, the coin has gone from the top of the pack and is found near the centre resting on the actual selected card. COMMENTS:-This is one of my all time favourite plots and I have devised a number of different ways of achieving the basic effect. The trick was originally brought to my attention when I read a method in Abra. That version required magnetic coins, which I did not have, and this lack of a gimmick encouraged me to come up with this very simple solution. [See THE BRITISH CLOSE UP MAGIC SYMPOSIUM BOOK for a table hopping version of this trick]. REQUIREMENTS:-1. A drop lid

card

box. Fig.l.

Ftc;..l 2. A pack of cards 3. Two coins.

to fit

I normally

in the

Rlbbon

box!!

FtG.2

use lOp pieces.

4. Some Blu Tack. SET-UP: - On the inside of the card box there has to be a piece of thin ribbon attached to the centre of one long side of the box base. The ribbon should be long enough to stretch across the bottom of the box when there is a deck inside and some of the ribbon should protrude out of the other side. Fig.2. Many drop lid card boxes come with this ribbon already in place. If yours does not have it, add it! The ribbon is simply used as a neat way of lifting the cards out of the box, because when the protruding end of the ribbon is lifted up, it raises one long side of the deck sufficiently out of the box so that the deck can be gripped. Stick a piece of Blu Tack in the centre of the inside of the card box lid. Fig.3. Also attach a small piece to the rear of the card box base. Fig.4.

Fl6.3

Attach one of the coins to the Blu Tack on the base of the box. This is simply so that you do not have to palm an extra coin during the first part of the routine.

~\G. 4-

-67-

Put the deck into the box and then drop the lid in place. Check that the top card of the deck does NOT stick to the Blu Tack in the lid. If it does, remove and discard a few of the cards from the deck. PRESENTATION: - 1. Begin by displaying detecti ve coin. You aim to put it "criminal".

the second to the test

coin and explain to see whether

that this is it can find

a a

2. Place the coin down and pick up the card box. Remove the lid and place it down, making sure that you do not turn it over so that the inside of the lid is on show. The presence of the Blu Tack might cause some comment!

3. Holding

the

base

of the

box on the

left

palm,

use

the

right

ribbon and thus raise the right edge of the deck. Allow the right to grip the deck and lift it clear of the box. 4. Drop the lid back on the empty box and then place it deck and have a "criminal" card freely chosen (and signed I do not.)

hand to

fingers

lift

the

and thumb

on the table. Display the if you feel it necessary.

5. Split the deck and have the chosen card returned to the top of the lower half. As the right hand places its half on top, get a left little finger break above the selection. Having squared the deck, cut at the break and riffle shuffle the two halves together so that the selection is the last card to fall. The chosen card is thus the new top card of the deck. Place the deck down. 6. You now explain that the detective coin is in fact an undercover agent, and so in order to make him feel at home, you will place him under cover. Pick up the box with your right hand and place it on your left hand. As the right hand removes the lid and places it down, the left fingers pull the extra coin held under the box on the Blu Tack away so that it falls onto the fingers. 7. As the right hand lifts away the base of the box, the left fingers twist towards you to conceal the fact that they now hold a coin. The right hand places the base of the box on the table for a moment. 8. The right hand then picks up the deck and places it into the left hand and thus over the coin secretly held there. Spread the face down deck across into the right hand and split the cards about half way so that both hands hold some spread cards. Flash the faces of the cards by twisting both hands palm down, then place the cards held in the right hand UNDER those in the left, trapping the coin between the two halves as you do so. Square the deck. 9. Your patter to cover the somewhere in amongst the other him.

above cards

10. As soon as the deck is squared, ensure that your hands cover the deck coin already in the deck centre.

is that and the

the" criminal" detective coin

card has been will now try to

lost find

drop it straight into the card box. Try to sufficiently to mask the fact that there is a

11. Pick up the box base and place it in the left hand. Take the detective coin and position it on top of the deck in the centre. Pick up the lid and push it down on top. Because there is a coin already in the centre of the deck, the upper half is lifted up slightly. This coupled with the thickness of the coin placed on the top of the pack will mean that if you squeeze the box top and bottom centre as you place it down, the coin will be stuck to the Blu Tack on the inside of the lid. -68-

12. After a few moments, lift off the lid to reveal that the coin has gone. Showing both your hands empty, lift up the ribbon and allow the spectators to see the gap in the side of the pack where the coin rests in the middle. 13. With the right fingers, lift off all the cards ABOVE the coin and place them one side. Tilt the box so that the audience can now clearly see the coin resting the remaining portion of the deck.

to on

14. Lift the coin off and then remove the card it was lying on. Ask for the name of the chosen "criminal" card. Snap the card and turn it over to show that another case has been successfully solved!

-69-

TRANSPARENTSWITCH

(DD)

EFFECT:- The performer offers to Iexplain' how magicians are able to apparently predict events before they have actually happened. From a small envelope he removes a completely transparent plastic wallet, inside which the back of a playing card can be clearly seen. The envelope is shown to be otherwise empty. This card is to be the magician's prediction and he even shows the face of the card to the audience, explaining however that normally the card's identity would remain undisclosed until the end. The card, inside its wallet, is left face down on the table. A pack of cards is shuffled and a card chosen and placed next to the prediction. The magician confidently explains that the prediction card will always match the selection, even though the spectator has a choice of 52 cards. As he says this, the magician fans the balance of the deck faces towards the audience and the spectators will suddenly notice that the card matching the prediction in the wallet is in fact still on the bottom of the deck! A mistake appears to have been made, and when the selection is turned over, it is indeed another card. However, all ends well when the magician flips over the transparent wallet to show the prediction card inside has changed to match the selection. COMMENTS:-This effect is similar in plot to the The Right Wrong Prediction described elsewhere in this book, but the method is entirely different. The basic principle using the transparent wallet to switch cards can be used to change either the face or the back of a card placed inside and this means there are several other effects which are possible with the set up described. REQUIREMENTS:- 1. Two small completely transparent plastic wallets, size approximately 4cm x 7cm. Fig.l. These can usually be bought in larger stationery shops and are normally sold in packs of 5. 2. A brown manilla size 7~cm x 12cm.

envelope,

HG.\

approximate

3. A pack of cards. 4. Two extra and 4D.

matching

cards,

say

the

KS

SET-UP:- Cut out one complete side from the second wallet and insert it into the first wallet. Fig.2.

g

This creates a kind of changing bag wallet. In the rear compartment of the wallet slip the duplicate KS face up. From the discarded side of the second wallet, cut a tongue of plastic about 3cm long and attach it wi th sellotape to the rear of the 4D. Fig.3. ~~~ -70-

of c..A~1>

t='\G.2

t-\G- .3

Fold the tongue over onto the face of the 4D so that a crease is formed in the plastic level with the top edge of the card. Unfold the tongue and slip the 4D face up into the front compartment of the wallet so that the 4D is exactly aligned with the KS. Fold the tongue down onto the outside of the wallet. The cut out may have to be enl arged si i ghtl y to do thi s .

40

0

<)

Fig.4. ~

To all intents and purposes it now looks as if there is one card inside the plastic wallet. In reality there are two and they are kept separate by the central dividing piece of plastic.

'\7

t="~GA.

placing

Slip the wallet into the envelope. the KS on top of the pack and then

The pack of cards is quickly set placing the 4D on top of the KS.

PRESENTATION:- 1. You offer to explain how prediction the envelope, you state that inside is a prediction. wallet, face of the card should be towards yourself. place it on the table.

2. Inside trick rather advance.

the wallet

is your prediction

than

it,

performing

you are

Turn the wallet round, using the fingers to conceal the plastic tongue from view.

3.

4. Once the card face face is towards you.

has been seen,

5. Grip the open end of the fingers on the other side. moment to allow the left protrudes above the top of

turn

and since prepared

effects are done. Holding up Carefully remove the plastic Show the envelope empty and

you are only to

show the

I

face

explaining of the

or thumb of the hand holding the

wallet

up by

round

again

so that

I

card

the

the in

wallet

the

card

wallet in the left hand, thumb on the plastic tongue and The right hand grips the bottom end of the wallet for a thumb to straighten out the plastic tongue so that it the wallet. Fig.5.

! F\G.5

-71-

ALtcl\ec=

6. The right hand then picks up the envelope by its flap. The flap should be open and pointing to the right, the address side of the envelope being flat on to the audience. 7. The left hand places the wallet against the back partly hidden from the audience's view. Fig.6.

of the envelope,

so that

it is

F\G.G a.

Note how the left second, third and fourth fingers have gone onto the address

side of the envelope fingers.

so that

it is held

pinched

between

the

left

index

and

second

9. The right hand, which can now release its hold on the envelope, takes hold of the sealed end of the wallet and pulls it away from the left hand, sliding it along the back of the envelope. Fig.7.

..

HG.1 10. As soon as the end of the extended plastic tongue is past the opening of the envelope, the wallet is pushed inside, the tongue remaining extended. Fig.a.

-----r' I r 1...1.. ,,,- --I

,

I, I-, I

L~

r-\G.

-72-

~

11. Your covering patter for this action is that normally remain hidden inside the envelope, but on this occasion that since you have already shown the face of the card. 12. So saying, the exact spot Fig.9.

the will

prediction would not be necessary

the left thumb and index finger hold the very base of the envelope at where the extended plastic tongue will be positioned in the envelope.

rr--=-~-= =-~ ,

:t ./

, 11

1(I IL '

11

--

I

=!J

F~G 51

13. The right hand reaches inside the envelope and GENTLY grasps the bottom edge of the wallet and smoothly withdraws it. Because the left hand is holding the plastic tongue through the envelope, the 4D will remain inside the envelope and the wallet will be slid off it and out into view again. 14. Due to the plastic central divider between the 4D and KS, the KS will be left unmoved inside the wallet and nothing will appear to have changed. The wallet is immediately placed with the card face down on the table and the envelope is casually put away. 15. Pick up the deck and shuffle keeping the top two cards in place. Get a break below the top card with the left little finger and transfer the break to the right thumb as it holds the deck from above. Undercut the deck with the left hand and place on top, keeping the break. Regain the break with the left little finger as it takes hold of the pack again. 16. Riffle Force the card below the break. (For a brief description see PRIVATE EYE.) After completing the cut push off the top 'selected' onto the table without showing its face, next to the prediction.

of this force, card (the KS)

17. You explain that although the spectator could have chosen anyone of the 52 cards, the one he has chosen will always match the prediction. As you say this, pick up the deck and turning the faces of the cards towards the audience, fan the deck. The spectators will see the 4D staring at them from the bottom of the deck and they will assume that you have made a mistake! 18. Close the fan, apparently unaware of your error, and confidently flip selection over. Appear somewhat confused to find the KS on the table! Then turn the wallet to reveal the prediction has changed also to the KS.

-73-

the over

THE HOMING

COIN

(CUE)

EFFECT:- A coin vanishes and appears under the drawer of a matchbox placed mouth down on the table. The coin then penetrates the back of the drawer to appear once more underneath. The matchbox is put back together again and the coin disappears and reappears within the box. Finally the empty box is wrapped in a handkerchief and held by a spectator. The coin vanishes and is supposed to end up in the box. However, when the box is opened the coin is not found inside, because the whole drawer is completely filled with matches! COMMENTS:-This routine started with the idea for a fake matchbox. I think the idea of a matchbox being able to load a coin is one which could be incorporated into other routines. Here I have used the special box plus some sleight of hand and nice routining to create a pleasant sequence which I hope you will like! REQUIREMENTS:-1. Two matchboxes. 2. Two coins. 3. A cotton 4. A small matchbox.

I use lOps although

half

dollars

will

fit

equally

well

in the box.

handkerchief. piece

of

thin

card.

This

could

be made from

the

drawer

of

a third

SET-UP:- Remove the drawer from one of the matchboxes and discard the matches. You now need to cut and fit a flap (which you cut from your extra piece of card) to the inside of the matchbox COVER. The flap should be slightly over half the length of the matchbox and should be attached with sellotape to the top underside of the cover. Fig.l.

t:.oJ ~

\ \ \ \ \

F\~~ Eod A

F\G.\

\=\&,3

Eoo A

~~~ Y8~", d~

HG-.2 When the

cover

is

stood

with

end A on the

table,

the

flap

will

drop

open.

Fig.2. Take the drawer of the matchbox and cut an eighth round. Fig.3. This ensures that the drawer can be slid presence of the flap. When inserting the trimmed drawer enters end A and is pulled break the flap inside the cover!

of an inch off into the cover

all the despite

way the

drawer into the cover, always make sure that the out at end B. If you do it the other way, you will

The second identical matchbox is filled so completely with matches, that when the drawer is in the cover, the matches are jammed and will not rattle. It is best to fill the drawer with a few matches at a time and to shake the drawer to ensure

-74-

that the matches settle while you are doing the loading, otherwise your 'jammed full' box may settle and rattle in performance.

you may

find that

Fold the handkerchief into a square. Put the full box of matches under the folded handkerchief and place the two together in your left jacket pocket, the handkerchief nearest the body. Slip one of the coins into the fake matchbox and have this on your table, end A of the box facing you. The other coin is classic palmed in the right hand at the beginning of the routine. PRESENTATION:- 1. Pick up the visible matchbox and push out the drawer so that it emerges at end B. Remove the drawer completely with the right hand and place the cover down so that it stands upright on end A. 2. Tip the coin out of the drawer and onto the table. You say that the coin is a 'homing coin' and the matchbox is its home. No matter where the coin goes, it always returns to its home. 3. The left hand has hold of the drawer. The coin palmed in the right hand is allowed to drop onto the right fingers. The left hand inverts the drawer mouth downwards over the coin and the right fingers place the drawer onto the table with the coin secretly underneath. 4. The right hand picks up the visible coin and pretends to place hand which closes. The coin is classic palmed in the right hand. 5. You

say the

coin will

leave the

hand

and return

home

under

hand reaches over and pinching the two long sides of

it into the

the drawer.

The

left

right

the drawer, lifts it

momentarily off the table as if to show where the coin will arrive. The pinching of the sides of the drawer means that the coin is secretly picked up under the matchbox and remains out of view. Replace the drawer on the table mouth downwards. 6. The left hand is finally opened, the coin over backwards to reveal the coin underneath.

is gone.

The

left hand tips

the

drawer

7. Allow the palmed coin to fall onto the right fingers again and picking up the drawer with the left hand, invert it over the palmed coin as before, placing both down onto the table. So once more there is a coin secretly positioned under the drawer on the table. 8. Place the cover of the box on top of the drawer back, end A being at the bottom. Fig.4. Pick up the visible coin and gently lower it into the cover where it rests inside the open flap. ..

9. The coin will apparently penetrate through the drawer again. The right hand lifts the cover away, the coin being

Au.dle.C\CQ.

F\o.p

secretly held up in the cover by means of the flap, and the drawer is pivoted over backwards to reveal the coin underneath. 10. Push the drawer up into end A of the cover for half trapped by the pressure of the drawer on the flap.

-75-

,'" ..

- -

-

- .

-- -'

.

F\G.4-

~

its length.

The coin will

be

11. Once the box has been seen to be empty, on the table, end A nearest you.

push

the drawer

shut and

place

the box

12. Pick up the coin and apparently place it again into the left hand, palming it in the right. 13. The left hand goes beneath the table top and apparently makes the coin up through the table and back into the matchbox. The left hand emerges empty from below the table.

penetrate open and

14. Pick up the matchbox and rattle it. Push out the drawer and the coin will automatically be loaded into the drawer from the flap. If you find this does not happen, it may be that the length or perhaps the width of the flap needs to be trimmed a little. 15. With the drawer removed from the cover, the drawer back into the cover.

tip the coin

onto

the table

and

replace

16. You say that best of all is the 'long range' flight of the coin. Both hands go to thei r respective pockets at the same time. The right hand simply releases its palmed coin and reemerges empty. The left hand comes out with the handkerchief and the second matchbox hidden underneath.

17. Open out the handkerchief, keeping the box still hidden. The cloth is held as in Fig.5.

/

G/V\~

(\ F\G.5

18. The right hand picks up the visible empty matchbox and comes behind the cloth where it takes the hidden full box out of the left fingers and pushes it up to the centre of the handkerchief. 19. The left hand releases hold of the handkerchief edge and grips the full box through the handkerchief. The right hand, concealing the empty box, drops casually down to your side.

20. Turn your left side towards the audience a little and approach a spectator on your far right. Hold up the cloth covered box and ask if he would hold it up in view. As you do this, the right hand quietly ditches the extra palmed box in the right jacket pocket. This side is hidden by the body of course. 21. Pick up the visible perform the Wrist Watch coin vanish.

coin and apparently Coin Vanish or the

take it into the left hand, in reality Slap Coin Vanish or any other complete

22. Toss the invisible coin round the room and ask the spectator whether he felt the coin arrive. He will probably say no. Take the handkerchief covered box from him and uncover it. Then push open the drawer and slowly tip the matches all over the table.

-76-

THE RIGHT

WRONG

PREDICTION

(MCU)

EFFECT:- A spectator is going to do some magic. He freely selects a Jumbo card as a prediction and it is placed into an examined envelope which has a large hole cut from its front. Another spectator chooses a card from a normal sized pack, but unfortunately it does not appear to match the first spectator's prediction. However, suddenly the prediction changes to match the selected card.

COMMENTS:- One of the classic stand up tricks sold by Ken Brooke was Potty Prediction. I bought one and used it many times in my act. However, I wanted to do a similar effect in close up and decided it would be nice to change the plot so that it was a spectator who apparently did the magic rather than the performer being rather I clever-clever I in changing the prediction card. This in turn led me to

wonder if it was possible to have the envelope containing the prediction examined beforehand and so the handling I am about to describe was born. REQUIREMENTS:- 1. A Jumbo deck (including the Joker) and a drop lid card box. Fig.l.

[

[~

~J FIG.

2.

Two manilla

envelopes

3. A pack of normal

~

r--..

I

(16cm x 23cm approximately).

sized

cards which

4. For the set up you will need

some

has 26 duplicates

and 26 indifferent

cards.

scissors.

SET-UP: - From the address side of one of the envelopes cut a rectangular piece measuring

llcm x 15cm. Discard

the rest of the envelope.

Fig.2.

F\G.2

1="\G.3

<s- I\cf<\

qcl'"\

t

i

0

Ix('l\ ler-.

, -------

t

Ir1~~1 t

The other envelope has a square hole cut out of its address side. The size of the hole should be 7cm x 7cm and its top edge should be about 9cm from the top of the envelope. Fig.3.

-77-

The Jumbo deck

the 26 duplicates

is now required.

Firstly,

remove the

the Jumbo Joker. From any other the top and bottom short edges.

card

make a 'short'

which

matches

card by trimming

is essential

that

I

, I I

- -- - 6Iuel~

p\ec..e.

the card box. Put the lid on. The normal sized random cards on the bottom (face) of the deck.

you work this

of

\-\&4

The pack should now read, from the bottom upwards:Joker, envelope piece, QH, short card, rest of the pack. Fig.4. Drop the deck face up into has 26 duplicates on top and the

one or both

-uo'-<er- -,

Replace this short card on the bottom of the pack. Then on top of it put the QH and on top of that lay the piece of envelope which you cut from the first envelope. The shiny outside of the envelope piece should lie against the face of the QH. On top of the lot place the Joker.

It

Jumbo card

in your normal sized pack. Let us say it is the QH. Also take out

on a close

deck

up mat.

PRESENTATION:-1. You say that a spectator is going to attempt a mental effect. Open the Jumbo card box by lifting off the lid and place it aside. Then with the right hand pick up the bottom of the box and tilt it over to the left hand so that the pack is tipped out face down onto it. Fig. 5. You should find that the deck will spread slightly as you do this.

rlG.S

v

F\G.~ 2.0\<&

2. Place the box down and then transfer the deck to the right hand. This hand should hold the pack by its right side with the right thumb on top and the fingers underneath. 3. The left thumb now goes to the left long side of the deck and peels down the bottom card sufficiently for the left fingers to slip in above the Joker and grip the pack at the left long edge. Fig.6. The fact that the pack spread a little as it was removed from the box aids this peeling down of the Joker. 4. The left fingers will be holding the envelope piece now against pack and the left thumb will be resting on the top of the cards.

-78-

the

bottom

of the

5. The two hands lower the deck to the table and just before the close up mat is reached, the right hand slides out the Joker, leaving the left hand to place the deck down leaving the envelope piece hidden under the whole deck. 6. Turn the Joker casually face up and drop it into the base of the case. The only purpose of the Joker was to keep the envelope piece hidden and in place prior to the deck being placed on the table, so now it can be removed and discarded without arousing suspicions.

7. Spread the pack across your mat from left to right. Have the spectator who is going to do the trick touch the back of any card. 8. Remove his selection and show it to everyone. This, you explain, will be his prediction. Transfer the card face down to the left hand and starting with the bottom right corner of the card, slip it under the bottom of the pack at the left long side. In a continuing scooping up motion, collect up the whole pack into the right hand. If you do it right, you will find that the chosen card will automatically go under the envelope piece in the course the deck is finally squared again in the right hand, trapped between the selection and the QH.

of this action so that when the envelope piece will be

9. Hold the deck face up and squared in the left hand, the left thumb running the left long edge, the fingers along the right. Fig. 7 . The spectator's selection will be in view on the face of the deck.

4-

\-\6./

along free

F\G.~

0

0 /

la. With your free right hand pass the spectator the envelope to examine. Take it back and lay it hole side up on the table, the flap being open and facing towards you. 11. The right hand now comes to the inner short end of the pack and the thumb gets underneath the top two cards of the deck (i.e. the spectator's card plus the QH). Fig.S. This is made easier by the short card being under the QH. 12. With the fingers on the face and the thumb underneath, lift off these two cards as one (with the piece of envelope trapped between them) and turn them back towards the audience.

13. Put the Jumbo deck down and immediately use the left hand to pick up the envelope by slipping the fingers into the square hole at the top edge and separating the fingers inside in order to open the top end of the envelope. 14. Flash the face of the card(s) again and then smoothly slide them face down into the envelope, leaving them resting in a central posi tion so that the middle of the

-79-

card back shows. As far as the audience is concerned, they have clearly seen you take the freely selected prediction and slip it into the examined envelope. All looks fair and above board. Leave the envelope to one side but in view. 15. Put the rest of the Jumbo deck away and then get out the ordinary sized deck. Fan the bottom half of this deck to show the cards are all different. False shuffle making sure that the top 26 remain together and unseen. 16. Turn the card faces towards yourself and casually split the ensure that all those in the left hand are the duplicates and the right hand.

cards. However, rest are in the

17. A second spectator is invited to point to one of the two halves. If he points to the pile of duplicates, you keep that pile and discard the other. Then, having split the pile of duplicates in half, you keep whichever pile he points to this time and continue in this way, on every occasion KEEPING the pile he points to. 18. If he originally points to the indifferent card pile, that is the one you still discard, but on each subsequent choice you make sure that you continue to DISCARD the pile he points to. The net result is that you will always end up with a QH being left at the finish. This is a subtle force because you are completely consistent in the way you handle the spectator's choice each time. 19. The final card which remains at the end of this selection process, should, you tell the audience, match the spectator's prediction card if he has done it correctly! The normal sized card is placed face down on the table without its face being shown.

~\G-.<1

20. Pick up the envelope and hold it in the left hand as in Fig.9. The hole in the envelope is facing the audience. 21. Slip the right hand into the top of the envelope and insert the fingers between the front card i.e. the card showing through the hole in the envelope, and the loose piece of envelope. 22. Gripping this front card and holding the envelope VERY LIGHTLY with the left hand, gently remove the front card. The piece of envelope should remain in position and therefore give the impression that the envelope is now empty.

./

23. Place the envelope to one side. Turn round the normal sized card and act surprised that it does not match the spectator's prediction card chosen earlier. However, you compliment the spectator on his magic powers because although he could not predict the selection correctly, he has managed to change his prediction to match the selection. And you turn round the Jumbo to prove your words.

-80-

CONFUSING CHIPS

(CUE)

EFFECT:- Two different coloured chips are shown and despite the performer openly removing one, there are always two back in his hand. Just when the audience think they know what to expect, the two chips change colour completely! COMMENTS: - One of my marketed items is called THE CLAUSEN CHIPS and avers ion of this routine appears in the booklet which accompanies the supplied brass chips. (See Mark Leveridge Magic price list for details.) This, however, is the original 'lowtech I version of the effect which was originally inspired by the similar Bob Swadling effect using fake coins. The chips required can either be made by carefully cutting the required colours fromm coloured cardboard, or you will find that children's games often have coloured chips you may be able to adapt. The chips which I use come from a game called Match-A-Balloon which is sold in Britain in the Early Learning Centre toy shops.

REQUIREMENTS:- 1. 5 chips in the following colour combination both

sides,

1 chip

red on both

sides,

1 chip

yellow

-

on both sides

2 chips green on and 1 chip

red

on

one side and yellow on the other. (The colours can be varied as long as the combination of colours is maintained.) The size of the chips should be as large as you can comfortably classic palm. SET-UP:- Put the all red chip in the right jacket pocket. The red/yellow the ticket pocket in your right pocket, red side towards the body.

chip

put in

Classic palm one of the all green chips in your right hand. Have the other green and all yellow chips on view in your left hand. PRESENTATION:remove

one

-

1. Show the two chips on the left fingers. You say that if you openly and you do so - it would be easy to name the colour of the one which

remains, because it can be seen. But as soon as it cannot be seen, it becomes more difficult

.

2. Replace the chip in the left hand. The yellow chip should be on top of the green and staggered back slightly so that the green can be seen underneath. Fig.l. Both chips are resting on the fingers rather than on the palm. 3. Curl your left hand inwards towards yourself, half closing the hand. Allow the palmed chip in the right hand to fall onto the flat of the fingers.

'FlG.1

4. With the back of the hand uppermost, the right fingers enter the rear of the half closed hand, leaving the palmed green chip on top of the yellow one and openly coming away with the green one which was underneath the yellow one.

5. Show this removed chip both sides and place it in your right jacket ticket pocket, secretly removing the red/yellow chip in the fingers with the yellow side resting against the fingers themselves. 6. The left hand has meanwhile closed. A spectator is asked to name the colour of the remaining chip in the left hand. Whatever he says, you open the hand to show the green one back on top of the yellow one.

-81-

7. Repeat

the above sequence,

red/yellow chip chip uppermost. 8.

Place

pocket

the

being

all

and come out

left

yellow with

this

time the all

on top of chip,

the

9. When the hand is opened,

all

after red

the green

the

green,

showing chip

it

in the

and yellow

yellow chip being removed and the with both

the

yellow

side

into

the

sides,

of the

fake

right

ticket

right

fingers.

chips

are seen back together

again.

10. Repeat this a third time, this time removing the green chip, showing both sides and depositing it in the right jacket pocket, the all red chip having been already deposited in the left hand along with the red/yellow fake. The right hand emerges from the pocket empty. 11. As the left hand is turned over this time, that when the fingers are opened two RED chips

-82-

the chips are allowed to flip suddenly come into view!

over

so

THE MARK LEVERIDGE LECTUREEXPERIENCE

IS A REVISED AND UP-DATED COLLECTION OF MOST OF THE ITEMS FEATURED IN THE LOW DOWN ON CLOSE UP, CLOSE UP ENCOUNTERS, THE MAGIC OF CLOSE UP and THE DECEPTIVE DECK LECTURES. 30 TOP RATE CLOSE UP ROUTINES AND IDEAS ARE CAREFULLY DESCRIBED IN FULL DETAIL WITH DIAGRAMS WHERE NECESSARY AND FEATURE MAGIC USING CARDS, COINS, MATCHES, RINGS, BANK NOTES, KEYS AS WELL AS SOME CLOSE UP MENTAL ITEMS.

IF YOU

HAVE NOT COME ACROSS THE MATERIAL

FROM MARK'S

EARLY LECTURES BEFORE, YOU ARE

SURELY IN FOR A MAGICAL TREAT! VERYFEW SPECIAL PROPSARE REQUIRED,AND MARK'S BLEND OF BASIC SLEIGHT OF HAND, SUBTLE FAKING OF EVERYDAYOBJECTS AND GOOD ROUTINING ADD UP TO A WHOLEARRAY OF PRACTICAL, USEABLE MAGIC. THOSE WHOHAVE READ OR SEEN MARK'S LECTUREMATERIAL BEFORE WILL FIND PUBLISHED HERE EIGHT EFFECTS NOT INCLUDED IN THE ORIGINAL SEPARATELECTURE BOOKS, PLUS MANY OF THE OTHER ROUTINES HAVEBEENUP-DATEDAND REVISED. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR GOODQUALITY CLOSE UP MAGIC TO ADD TO YOUR REPERTOIRE YOU NEED LOOK NO FURTHERTHAN

THE MARK LEVERIDGE

LECTURE

EXPERIENCE

A

--'.

PUBLICATION