Crossroads

"This is going to fry a lot of people..." —Richard Kaufman

"...the Crossroads Deck; a devious conception and one of the most interesting to hit the magic scene in recent times..." —Peter Duffie (from the foreword)

"The Crossroads technique alone, which we really like, will be seen as food for thought by many. As mentalists, our variation would be to use no deck at all. Just a single, thought-of card in the pocket. The solution will dawn on you after reading the text..." —Richard Busch & Larry Becker

A spectator is handed a cased deck with the promise that the performer will not touch it. The performer also places his wallet on the table, "This is my money trick..." he explains. Two spectators are asked to assist. Between them, they decide upon any card in the deck. In this instance, we'll assume they decide upon the "Seven of Hearts." The performer now invokes his magic, and the selected card is brought under his spell—from a distance—by these magical passes and incantations.

Reminding the audience that he has not once touched the cards, the spectator holding the cased deck is instructed to remove the cards from the case and to count them "out loud, one at a time, face down." He does so and counts only 51 cards to the table! In other words, one card is missing. You can hear a penny drop—"my goodness, could it be...?" Before that thought—and the resulting implications are allowed to fully form—the spectator is asked to turn the cards face up. He is now instructed to specifically locate and remove the selected card. Even with those standing nearby assisting him, he cannot locate the card—it has COMPLETELY VANISHED from the deck!

This amazing and baffling disappearance of the selected card is accomplished remotely—and automatically—without you having to touch the cards. Only one deck is used and it is given to the spectator before the card is selected. Again, reminding the audience that he'd previously declared this his "money trick" the performer gestures towards—but does not actually touch—his wallet. It's been on the table since before the card was selected. A spectator is invited to rummage around within. Inside she finds one single card. This is the SELECTED CARD!

Note: The performer is free to re-produce the selected (and just vanished) card from a variety of amazing places: inside his wallet, inside his shoe, under his hat, or even a spectator’s own pocket. It's really up to you. Again, it's fully automatic. Can immediately be repeated with another named card and without any re-set.

Some things to consider:

• Completely self-working (both the vanish and the re-appearance)
• You never touch the cards—ever
• Only the one deck used (no more multiple-deck outs)
• Spectator can remove card from its final destination
• Immediately repeatable (ideal for walk-around, or the streets)
• Chosen card can appear in your wallet, shoe, pocket, or anywhere—you decide
• No switches of any kind, no stooges of any kind

This is the Crossroads principle applied to the "Any Card at Any Number" plot with stunning results. Steve Shufton cracked the code allowing the selected card to appear at any nominated position in the deck.

SECOND BONUS: Basic Equivoque by Jamie D. Grant

A step by step example of equivoque in action.

[If you are interested in Crossroads you should also consider getting CrossRoads Revelations. And Silent Running takes the Crossroads concept to a completely new level of excellence.]

1st edition 2009; 52 pages.

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