Cards in Magic & Conjuring: page 104

This is the first known publication of the Si Stebbins stack and several tricks that go along with it. It is a reproduction from the Sunday 18th December 1898 issue of the St. Louis Post Dispatch newspaper.

1st edition, 1898; PDF 5 pages.

The original Prophecy Move in Bill Simon's book Effective Card Magic has been a favorite with magicians since its publication. The spectator places a business card or playing card between two cards at a random position somewhere in the middle of the deck. The move forces the top and bottom cards of the deck. A myriad of variations and tricks with the sleight have surfaced through the years.

The author first describes his version of the move. This in-the-hands handling accomplishes the move using natural movements in spreading the cards. Neither hand turns over when performing the sleight as in the original version. Gerald...

Walker's Card Mysteries is a book of highly useful and original card conjuring. The forty odd items deal with systems, sleights and subtleties, while each experiment is worked out in the most minute detail. Accurate illustrations enhance the value of the publication.

From the Preface:

J. Stewart Smith presents more of his mystifying card effects, accomplished without knuckle-busting sleight of hand. The author was something of an enigma, eschewing public performances in favor of fooling magicians and mentalists at magic conventions. After a process of continual refinements from demonstrating his effects under the critical eyes of magicians, he would assemble a small number of his latest creations and issue them in small, limited-edition booklets. To say that his books are hard to come by is a gross understatement. This is a shame since the magic is priceless.

Smith was...

The Effect of the Card in the Orange ranks with that of the Bank-Note in Lemon, or the Card in the Egg effect, but has one main advantage over the other two and that is that it is easier to do. Although the impact on the audience is precisely the same, the trick can be performed under any conditions and is literally worry-free. The Card in the Orange is one of those effects that, in the right hands, can be a reputation-maker. The whole effect depends entirely upon showmanship and presentation.

• Edwin's Routine
• What You Require
• Another Method
• Knife Force
• Simplicity Force
• The Glide ...

As you can understand from the title this is an impossible divination. The method is becoming more and more diabolical.

The effect is a classic: the spectator chooses a card and the magician finds it. Here, however, the conditions are strict for the magician. There is seemingly no way the magician could find the card. The deck is shuffled while the performer looks away. Despite this, he will be able to find the chosen card face down. All this with a normal, borrowed, totally impromptu deck.

1st edition 2022, video 12:03

Please note that this is deckless. And that does not mean propless. Two double blank business cards are used in this effect, with something written/printed on them of course, as you will get to know in this manuscript. This ACAAN is notoriously unknown as DAD ACAAN. And this is completely different than the earlier Deckless ACAAN.

3 different participants freely and randomly choose a card value, a number, and a suit. All are fair choices...or so it seems. And you read all 3 minds with a uniquely stunning impact. You can even perform this to a single participant or even in a virtual show or a video call....

The magician attempts to find the spectator chosen card under impossible conditions. In the end, he also manages to find the four aces. Everything is done with a normal deck of cards. Requires minimal sleight-of-hand.

1st edition 2022, video 12:52

You will find here card tricks, cheating exposes, card games, and gambling stories.

A later expanded version of this book was published under the title Gamblers' Tricks With Cards Exposed and Explained.

• Chapter I
  • Invention Of Cards
  • Mysterious Trick Of Thirty Six Cards; Telling The Card You Look At Without Seeing The Pack.
  • To Tell A Card Thought Of
  • Three Jacks As Thieves, Caught By A King As A Policeman
  • To Burn A Card And Fin'd It In A Watch
  • How To Shift Cards
  • The Four Associates
  • To Make A Card Jump Out Of The Pack
  • How To Change Cards To Pictures
• Chapter II
  • All Fours
  • Deceptions Used In The Game Of All Fours
  • How To...

A version of a strike-second deal that the author calls the "shutter" method, referring to the shutter of a camera.

This version could be easier for some to perform than a classic strike-second because the coordination of the thumbs is built into the method itself. While the author claims that his method is practically self-working, there is some amount of practice necessary to acquire the knack. Still, his discovery has earned the praise of top-flight card experts, who have called it perfect in action and imperceptible to the keenest observer.

The second deal is an indispensable sleight...

There are so many possibilities with a stacked deck, or better yet, "Impossibilities." That's because these decks look regular but what you can do with them quite casually can appear incredible. It's an old stack that's still worth its salt is, "The Si Stebbins Stack." It's sorta the granddaddy of this kind of amazing card magic. And it has a mathematical build to it that allows for a variety of other approaches as to magically finding a selected card and or knowing where or what a card is as to its position. This effect is a refreshing and fun way I found to make a bit more magic happen...

Mr. T is an underground gambler, the man who wrote the Pro Guide to the Lucky Log, and the exclusive manual for "Bingo Bango". Now he brings you A Sweet and Simple Swindle. Two of them actually, because the PDF includes an additional bonus swindle with playing cards.

Both dead easy to do, no sleight of hand, no complicated tactics, just a sweet advantage to you, where the mark will believe they have the better of you all along. No marked cards or anything of the sort, both of these use a regular deck of playing cards that can be borrowed, so easy a kid could take advantage of this ... if...

Most tricks explained require a double backer, sometimes the same back double-backer, sometimes a different back double-backer.

• Introductory
• The Two Fold Miracle
• Insto-Transpo!
• The Startling Stop!
• The Double Force
• Double Comedy Relief
• "Satan Behind You"
• Chameleon Backs
• Remote Control
• False Faces

1st edition 1933, 8 pages; PDF 14 pages.

A comprehensive treatise devoted to a brilliant cyclical stack system for professional magicians and mentalists.

This ebook covers the topic in great detail, including ten lessons for learning the system, plus how to use the Magi System to its utmost, including clever false cuts and shuffles that'll hide the fact that a setup is used at all. Also included are mechanical methods that can optionally be combined with the Magi System to make it even better.

The ebook contains a mix of effects that are easy to do and ones that take some skill. All are explained in an easy-to-follow manner,...

An easy-to-calculate version of the Si Stebbins stack.

The name 'Snibbets' (Stebbins reversed) was coined by Rusduck. It denotes a reversed Si Stebbins stack where instead of adding 3 to get to the next card's value one substracts 3. The first to publish a negative step version was Ernest Hammond in The Magic of Tomorrow. While this may seem a rather inconsequential change, it has some advantages over the classic Si Stebbins stack. In this ebook, Dr. Solka takes you through the details of this lesser-known version of Si Stebbins.

1st edition 2022, PDF 19 pages.

A new method to learn the identity of three (could be less, and could also be more) truly freely selected cards from a borrowed shuffled deck.

A real weapon that can also be used in other routines. A powerful effect and a fooler not only for layman but also for magicians. The magician is able to reveal the identity of three cards randomly taken by the spectator under impossible conditions. This method is unbelievable and diabolic at the same time. Everything with a borrowed shuffled deck. The magician always looks away.

• no switch
• no palm
• no mirror or shiner
• no doubles
• no crimp ...

The spectator shuffles the cards, and magi removes one card as an open prediction for all to see. A three-digit number is called by the spectator and the magi deals cards to the table to match each digit, leaving a random card to the side for each number. The three cards placed aside are then added up to the random number they achieve. With the deck now face down, that number is counted down to, and miraculously it reveals the mate to the prediction card initially laid on the table.

No dupes, no gimmicks, no tape, no magnets, no smoke, no mirrors, spectator shuffles, any 3 digits named. ...

Card tricks requiring one or more double-facers.

The 18 tricks were supplied by U. F. Grant. Burling Hull writes:

A minimalist storytelling mentalism card routine.

"This is a truly thoughtful and beautiful presentation - the sort of thing that really warms my heart. The presentation here is the thing. And what's really nice about it, is that it is easily adaptable to other effects if one so desires. I love it!" - Sudo Nimh

A special competition was underway at a famous monastery and all the monks were quite eager to do well. The Master had pointed out a very special tree that lived in the woods surrounding the monastery grounds and the monks had been asked to write a story about this tree. The winner...

A utility move that allows you to control a card to the top, to the second, or a few cards down from the top.

I have created this move back in 2010 to control a card to the top of the deck. Over the years I have refined it to this point, now I am confident enough to share it with the magic community. With this move, you can not only control a card to the top but also to the second position or a few cards down from the top. This move is easy to perform without any knuckle-busting exercises.

1st edition 2022, video 22:20.

Tried and tested card tricks requiring no skill.

• The Sensitive Touch
• A New Card Force
• Locate It
• Out Of The Pocket
• The Subtle Exchange
• Simplified Telephone Mind Reading Card Trick
• The Turnover Deception
• The Invisible Card
• It's Reversed
• A Unique Card Force
• Byplay
• Reel Magic
• For The Reader Of This Manuscript

1st edition 1932, 3rd edition 1973, 19 pages; PDF 18 pages.

This effect has such a subtle method. If you want to destroy your spectator with a killer effect, this is the one. This effect is a mix of impossible location, ACAAN and impossible revelation. Joseph has often used this effect as an opener and always got great reactions. You have all the material at home to construct the deck.

You introduce a deck of cards and instruct a spectator to cut about a third of the deck and place it to the side. The card cut to is remembered by the spectator and also put aside. The spectator shuffles the part cut off and the performer shuffles the remainder of...

If you are interested in mentalism and/or impossible card locations and/or the Sunken Key, you will enjoy this manuscript. If you enjoy fooling other members of the conjuring demi-monde, you will enjoy this manuscript. If you know who Bob Hummer is, you will really enjoy this manuscript.

If you like tricks that involve the Seven Deadly Sins, astrological signs, lucky cards and H.P. Lovecraft, you will enjoy this manuscript.

It's twenty bucks, about what you'd pay for a Starbucks coffee on Rodeo Drive in L.A. Unlike the coffee, you won't need to talk to a sycophantic barista with a Chinese ideogram...

Two bizarre playing card routines.

In the Devil's Game you tell the story of a guy named Billy who finds himself in hell, he simply can't believe it. Billy just doesn't belong in hell, he lived his life honestly, he was loyal, he was a good guy, did the right things, played by the rules. What the hell is he doing in hell?! So he asks one of the Devil's minions to please take him to the devil, that he urgently needs to speak to him to figure this thing out. The minion takes him to the devil's lavish chambers, and the devil, smoking a cigar, surrounded by beautiful women, quietly hears him...