Magic & Conjuring: page 321

In many mentalistic effects, the spectator answers the performer's questions in a sincere way or not, without the performer knowing the choice made.

The concept of "lie or truth" makes the effect stronger and the idea that the illusionist guesses however reinforces the memory of an effect as an exceptional event, almost a miracle.

In the effect presented here, a further degree of freedom has been added: after the first response, the viewer can decide whether to maintain the same behavior (lie / truth) or if he prefers to change it.

In practice, the two answers can be LIE / LIE, TRUTH...

Honestly, I have not been able to trace the author of this principle, which I think is lost in the mists of time. My Master of Mentalism Valerio Bovolenta taught me, and I want to give credit to him. I have done nothing but study it and try to indicate a method to be able to propose it with any number of cards.

The procedure is very simple: the spectator chooses how many cards he wants to use, puts away the remaining cards (they will not be used further), shuffles the cards he chose and, on the instruction of the performer, chooses a number, looks at a card, and reassembles the deck; even...

During the first lockdown period, we lived separated from the world, connected to friends only with the phone; to please my friends I started looking for effects to be presented remotely to people connected, without phone videoconferencing, so that they can use their deck of cards or objects at their disposal, without my possibility to operate, except by checking the game instructions.

I searched for automatic effects and found principles that in some cases were a few centuries old; others, more recent, often conceived by famous and illustrious names; many of these, when they were published...

Due to the "fault" of the lockdown, I began to collect effects to present on the phone to my friends, using their deck of cards or the objects at their disposal, without any possibility for me to intervene, except by carefully checking the game instructions. Many are the mathematical principles used, some "old" of a few centuries, others revised over time, others, contemporary, just as original. I tried, for each of them, to invent a story, a suitable setting, which was unique and original, fantasy, and which was consistent with the operations that performer and spectator were going to perform,...

The effect on the phone has always intrigued me: you cannot arrange the cards, nor do you see them, the deck is that of the spectator, you cannot touch it or see it. Then there is an insurmountable difficulty: you have to explain each operation in a simple, step-by-step way and, not being able to visually check, you are forced to prepare, in the presentation, control "stakes"; all this, however, provided that your description is perfect and, at the same time, flawless, without danger of misunderstanding.

And then there is the "revelation" mode: it can only be presented as an effect of mentalism,...

"Tarot is a deck of cards but the Tarot represents a person. We are the Tarot and we use the Tarot because we live." (Andrea Mecchia)

I don't know if it happens to you too ... when I particularly love a project, I start to collect elements, I work on it a bit, but it always seems that something is missing ... you leave and resume the project, but that something is always missing ... then, one day, it arrives like that in one fell swoop, and makes everything good.

This is the story of this project, which I finally want to share, with the hope that it will also satisfy your desire to present...

The effects on the phone have become, for me, almost an obsession. I have, for now, collected more than 100 and, slowly, I am proposing them with these publications. Some draw inspiration from real "pearls" of great artists, which I allowed myself to face, with extreme humility, developing them with a new setting, sometimes adding some interesting details. Others are a little older, even centuries, maybe even well known, but they are often "disruptive" as never before. I share them with pleasure.

In this booklet you will find:

I WILL FIND YOUR CARD
It is said that the cards think to...

Numbers have tremendous power. They rule life and the universe. There is no living being, molecule, event, evolution that cannot be described with an algorithm, a mathematical formula. Numbers, everywhere. From the speed of light to the circumference of the earth, to the inhabitants of the world, to the ATM pin. And then your lucky number, the number of destiny, bad luck, infinity ...

In my methodical (and obstinate) search for effects to be proposed on the phone, numbers are the absolute protagonist. Except for a few small tricks, they are all a consequence of one or more mathematical...

It is not easy to define, in a few words, Mariano Tomatis, but I want to try: he is a "Curiosity Generator". Because his books, his conferences, and, above all, his "pills" on Youtube (Mesmer in pills) are for me an inexhaustible source of information, culture (magical or otherwise), ideas, and, above all, a continuous stimulus to know, to seek, to try, to create, to "go upstairs".

Two pills, in particular, struck me and interested me (n ° 92: Coin, pen and cell phone, and n ° 228: Seeing with the third eye): once seen, I tried to analyze possible developments, discovering Masters, authors,...

The content of this publication collects the notes of a conference held some time ago to friends and colleagues, dedicated to the problem of "truth / lie". The book, published in Italy, has had a flattering success in bookstores: I think it is right to share the content also in the English language.

A good mentalist must necessarily acquire a good knowledge of the messages of the body and interpret the moods of the viewer to best conduct the effect. An excellent mentalist is always able to understand if the viewer is sincere or if he is lying, often leaving him the possibility to choose...

Ask the spectator to take any deck of cards, and to shuffle it well (it is useless, but it is very "magician"). Get a few cards, as many as the spectator wants, and then make another packet of the same size next to this one. You will ask the spectator to move, as desired, cards from one pile to the other, to divide one pile into two unequal packets, to look at a card of a certain number down the middle pack, and then collect the packets one on top of the other. Before concluding, remind the spectator that he made all the choices independently, he chose the number of cards to move from one...

An unexplored "classic": this has been for me, for many years, the "Australian shuffle". I learned it as a young man from Aldo Colombini, who often included it in his impromptu effects; later I studied John Scarne (and his wonderful idea in Phone Miracle, which we will comment on together later) and Max Maven.

Then I read Nick Conticello, and a new world opened up: I discovered that all the greats of card magic have tried their hand at the Australian deal; Nick, however, made me wonder a bit more: today I don't think there is more space to invent, but a lot to develop new routines, putting together various principles.

In my...

The effects of "remote" mentalism (with the performer blindfolded, in another room, or, even, on the phone, with only the audio connection) generally use mathematical principles. Often, with a little pack of cards (or billets) real miracles can be performed: if the cards are to be shuffled by the spectator, it is necessary that the shuffle appears as random as possible, even if it must necessarily be a mathematical one.

With this publication I have addressed some well-known moves, used in different ways, alone or in conjunction with other shuffles or other principles; once the principle...

• Die Sympathie der Karten
• Das dreifache Problem
• Der Taschendieb
• Ein Buchstabierkunststück
• Die magische Karte
• Die unfehlbare Prophezeiung
• Ein guter Wurf
• Raten Sie!
• Und wieder - die Asse
• Ein Zufall

Erstausgabe ~1939, PDF 20 Seiten

Aus dem Geleitwort bei Manfred Keck:

Jeder Kartenzauberkünstler muß im Stande sein einen schönen Fächer zu machen. Hier lernen Sie die Grundtechnik und einige fortgeschrittene Techniken.

• Der einfache Fächer
• Das Formen des Fächers
• Das selbsttätige Schließen des Fächers
• Der Doppelfächer
• Die Rosette
• Der Fächer mit einer Hand
• Der Riesenfächer

Erstausgabe 1955, 9 Seiten; PDF 14 Seiten.

Dieses Werk, das für jene Liebhaber der Kartenkunst bestimmt ist, welche zumindest die Grundelemente der Kartentechnik beherrschen, enthält in Form eines kompletten Programmes eine Sammlung verblüffender Kartenkunststücke, welche auf einer neuartigen Technik aufgebaut sind und auch sonst vom Hergebrachten abweichen. Die Kunststücke und die zur Anwendung gelangenden, teilweise neuen und teilweise wenig bekannten Kunstgriffe sind sorgfältig und ausführlich beschrieben und durch zahlreiche Abbildungen erläutert.

Aus der Einleitung:

Ein unabhängiges Zauberkunstperiodikum von Österreich. Herausgeber war Hans Spitzer und Redakteur war Reinhold Woda, ein exzellenter Kartenzauberer und Schüler von Ottokar Fischer. Nur ein Jahrgang erschien, 11 Nummern mit einer Doppelnummer, vom Mai 1948 - April 1949. Die Zeitschrift mußte schließen weil die Ausfuhr von Büchern und Zeitschriften von Österreich noch nicht erlaubt war. Viele Tricks mit einigen philosophischen und theoretischen Diskussionen.

• Nummer 1
  • Zum Geleit
  • Die Magischen Essenzen / Ottokar Fischer
  • Magische Ostereier / Ottokar Fischer
  • Blauer Dunst / Hans Trunk ...

Buch ist im guten Zustand. Information zum Inhalt finden Sie auf der Seite der digitalen Ausgabe.

Aus dem Vorwort:

• Vorwort
• Die neunte Karte
• Die Karte in der Tasche
• Die verräterische...

Aus dem Vorwort:

Reinhard Müller beschreibt in diesem Spezialthema ein ganzes Kaleidoskop brillianter Effekte, die mit diesen Requisiten möglich sind. Die beschriebenen Kunststücke sind so vielfältig und einfach, daß Sie spielend Ihre ganz persönliche Würfelroutine zusammenstellen können.

• Einführung
• Utensilien
• Grundgriff
  • Variante des Grundgriffes
  • Ein Wander-Effekt
  • Durchdringen der Handfläche
  • Einhändig ausgeführter Grundgriff
  • Hinweis zu einem sehr guten Hülsenaustausch
• Kippgriff mit der "leeren" Hülse
• Der Klemm—Stehl—Griff
• Eine eigenartige Durchdringung
• Einfache Durchdringung...

Von der Einleitung:

Kartentricks mit den Hofzinser-Zauberkarten.

Von der Einführung: