Chapter 8

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THE GLIDE

"Anything done beautifully justifies its own existence."

Milbourne Christopher

The glide enables you to exchange the bottom card of the deck for the card just above it This very simple technique is useful in numerous tricks in which cards must be changed or exchanged. The glide should be regarded as a serious substitute for the much more difficult top change (see Chapter 22, Volume 2) and the double lift (Chapter 11 in this volume and Chapter 21 in Volume 2).

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The Glide

Pay attention here to the exact positions of the fingers, which lead to an easier and more natural glide than is found with the traditional grip.

| Hold the deck face down in left-hand dealing position; then, with the right hand, turn it over sidewise and return it face up to dealing position. Point to the card visible on the face, then to the table top, following this action with your eyes as you state, "We'll place this card face dawn here on the table."
| As soon as you finish saying this, look at the spectators, decreasing their attention on the deck while you turn the left hand palm down. Move the left index finger next to the middle finger and against the outer left corner of the deck, the outer phalanx contacting the side of the deck The deck itself rests on the pads of the left middle, ring and little fingers. This brings the lower left side of the deck in contact with the outer joint of the middle, ring and little fingers. The illustration shows a transparent view from the front.
| As you look at the spectators, move the left middle, ring and little fingers as a unit a full half inch back and to the left. This slides the face card back in a slightly diagonal path. Do not move the thumb and index finger, which provide a counter pressure to keep the rest of the deck perfectly squared. This illustration shows a view from below.
| While moving the right hand toward the deck, shift your gaze from the spectators to your hands. Place the pad of the right middle finger on the exposed index of the card above the face card and pull this card forward, grasping it between the right thumb and middle finger. The illustration shows an exposed view—in actual practice the projecting card would not be visible.
| As the card is being placed on the table by the right hand, move the left middle, ring and little fingers back to their starting positions, carrying the card on the face of the deck with them. Once the drawn card is on the table, grasp the deck briefly in the right hand at the outer end and replace it face down into left-hand dealing position. Any residual misalignment of the face card can be corrected at this time by squaring the deck. You can also return the deck to face-down left-hand dealing position without involving the right hand, by moving the left thumb to the left along the top of the deck, then working the left fingers underneath the deck to its right side.

Check Points

1. Keep the left index finger at the outer left corner of the deck Do not move it, even as you execute the glide.
2. Move the middle, ring and little fingers as a unit and not individually. This renders the movement virtually invisible to even a keenly observant spectator.
3. The slightly diagonal glide not only minimizes the distance the face card must move, but prevents the spectators on the right from seeing any telltale projecting edge.
4. Pay dose attention to the timing: The face card is moved before the right hand reaches under the deck and while you are still looking at the spectators.
5. If more than one card slides back with the face card during the glide it is probably due to poor quality cards; use new, clean cards that slide easily. The rest of the deck is held in check by the left thumb and index finger.
6. If the cards above the substituted card slide forward as it is drawn off the deck this is not a problem, since this could actually happen as a result of the action you are simulating.

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TRICKS WITH THE GLIDE

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The Acrobat Family

### Effect

This is my presentation for a classic of modern card magic, Edward Marlo's "Elevator Cards" [34]. The Jack, Queen, King and Ace of Spades are placed face down in a row on the table. One after another they execute wonderful feats of ever increasing difficulty, always reappearing in unsuspected places.

### Construction, Management and Script

| Spread the deck face up between your hands and cut it to bring the Ace of Clubs to the face. Spread through the cards again and outjog the Jack, Queen, King and Ace of Spades, so that they project halfway from the spread. With your right hand, remove these four cards from the spread and place them on the face of the squared deck, with the Jack at the face, followed by the Queen, then the King and finally the Ace. Spread the first three cards to display the four spades, while keeping the ace of clubs hidden. "Ladies and Gentleman, may I introduce you to the deck's premier family of acrobats. Each member has mastered an artistic feat of increasing difficulty. The Jack is a beginner, the Queen is more advanced, the King is a professional, and the Ace, as you might suspect, is an absolute master."

The goal of this introduction is twofold: first, by personifying the cards you create greater interest in the effect; and second, the order of the cards is reinforced for the spectators.

| Square the face-up deck and hold it in left-hand dealing position. Tap the Jack with your right index finger, then turn the left hand palm down, automatically bringing it into glide position. Apparently place the Jack on the table—but actually glide it back and set down the Queen in its place. Keep the Jack in its offset position as you deal the next three cards above it into a face-down row to the right of the Queen. As each card is dealt, repeat the name of the card supposedly being placed on the table.

"Let's begin with a simple leap from the bottom to the top. Acrobats call this feat a 'salto mortale'—the fatal leap. This is something the Jack already does really well." As you say this, casually overhand shuffle the deck, bringing the Jack from the bottom to the top. Then set the deck face down on the leftmost card in the four-card row. Riffle the ends of the deck and with a showmanly gesture show that the Jack has jumped to the top. (In Chapter 13, which is devoted to flourishes, you will learn several pretty ways of displaying the top card, one of which you may wish to add here to embellish the effect.)

"The Queen will demonstrate the difficult two-phase salto mortale to the bottom." Pick up the "Queen" (which is actually the King) from the row and place it on top of the deck, which you then take into right-hand end grip. Riffle your left thumb down the left side of the deck—and slide the bottom card out to the left, using the left middle and ring fingers, which you then close to flip the card over sidewise on the hand, revealing the Queen. Place the Queen face up on the table next to the face-up Jack.

"The King, being an expert, goes in the center, turns a one-and-a-half pirouette, then leaps to the top with a two-phase salto mortale with a half twist." Turn the deck face up and insert the third card of the row face down in the center. Snap your fingers, turn the deck face down, then turn the top card face up. (In Chapter 26 of Volume 2 you will encounter the "Top-card Turnover IV", which fits particularly well at this point in our acrobatics.) Place the King face up on the table next to the previous two face-up cards. The face-up Jack, Queen and King silently serve to reinforce the identity of the fourth face-down card, presumed to be the Ace.

| "And finally, the Ace of the acrobat family! I place it in the approximate center of the deck." Indeed, do so with the remaining face-down card of the row, and leave it projecting for about half an inch from the outer end. "The Ace has incredible talents." As you say this, turn the wrist to bring the deck face up, exposing the outer index of a black Ace, which the spectators will assume to be the Ace of Spades, though it is actually the Ace of Clubs. The illustration shows their view from the front.

Turn the deck face down and snap your right fingers. "Viola! The only three-phase salto mortale in the world, executed by the Ace of Spades in a deck of cards!" Ribbon spread the deck face down on the table to reveal the face-up Ace of Spades in the center—and accept your applause.

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The Coué-Test

### Effect

The performer apparently finds the wrong card, but manages to correct his mistake in a surprising manner. This trick, in which the magician amazes the spectators by righting a wrong, is extremely effective in making an audience sit up and take notice [35]. The version of the trick offered here is a variant handling of one Hugard and Braue called "Design for Laughter" [36].

### Construction, Management and Script

Control the chosen card to the top of the deck, then overhand shuffle it to the bottom. Perform a false cut and set the deck face down in front of the spectators. For the apparent mistake to be effective later, it is important for everyone in the audience to know the identity of the chosen card.

"Allow me to administer the Coué psychotest to you. As you may know, Emu Coué was a French physician who developed a treatment based on autosuggestion. You will find your card yourself, with the help of his method." Take the deck, briefly riffle one end toward the spectator, then replace the deck on the table, taking care all the while not to expose the bottom card. "Your subconscious mind has now registered the position of your card in the deck. Cut the deck into three packets while you say, 'I am absolutely certain that this is my card.'"

| The spectator follows your instructions, cutting the deck into three packets while repeating the above suggestion with mock seriousness before each cut. During the dividing of the deck, secretly observe where the bottom portion is placed, as the bottom card of this packet is the spectator's chosen card. For this explanation we will assume that the spectator cuts the cards from your left to right, which places the bottom packet on the left.

"Let's see how you've done. Well, apparently it didn't work with the first card." Pick up the packet on your right in right-hand end grip and turn the hand palm up to display the face card. Place the packet face up in left-hand dealing position, then turn the left hand palm down and grasp the bottom card with the right fingers to place it face down on the table. In doing this you simulate the action of a glide without carrying one out This serves to familiarize the audience with this handling.

Repeat this procedure with the face card of the middle packet, which again is not the spectator's card. "Please don't say anything, but I am quite certain that this is not your card either." These words serve to anticipate the next phase, preventing any premature reaction from the audience when they see the chosen card.

| Finally take the third packet and display the face card, which is the chosen card. "The test seems to have failed—this is not the card you chose either." Using the same actions as before, apparently place this card beside the other two, but actually execute the glide with the spectator's card and place an indifferent card onto the table. (This illustration and the next show the audience's view.)

| Immediately remove the next indifferent card from above the still offset selection and use it to indicate the three tabled cards: "None of these three cards is the card you chose." Hold the indifferent card with its face "inadvertently" visible to the audience. Then place this card on the face of the left-hand packet and reassemble the deck, setting the other two packets on top of the left hand's cards. The spectator's card is now second from the bottom.

Look at the spectators and explain: "The Coué test failed. Perhaps we'll have more luck with numerology. Name your favorite number between one and ten." In principle, the spectator could name any number from one to forty-eight—you are holding forty-nine cards—but restricting the choice to less than ten keeps the trick moving briskly. Position the deck for the glide, casually exposing the indifferent card on the face. Let's assume the spectator names the number five. With your right hand, deal the bottom card face down onto the table and casually flash its face in the process, subtly reinforcing the outward honesty of your actions. Glide back the chosen card and deal the next three indifferent cards onto the table. On the count of five take the chosen card and hold it face down in the right hand: "One, two, three, four and five: the number you chose."

Look confidently at the spectator, who is finally asked to name the chosen card. As soon as you hear it, shift your gaze disconcertedly toward the face-down card on the table that the spectators believe to be the card just named. Look at the face of the card in your hand and ask the spectator, "Are you sure?" Pause to let the spectator confirm the card; then slowly revolve the card in your right hand, so that it first faces you, then faces the audience. It is the card chosen by the spectator! You and the rest of the audience can now enjoy watching the spectator who incredulously turns over the tabled card. Who doesn't believe in numerology now?