Cards in Magic & Conjuring: page 94

Based on a Bob Hummer and Karl Fulves principle. A spectator is handed seven playing-cards. He shuffles them, then places one of them aside face-down without looking at it. Now squares of cardboard are shown with cut-out windows. Spectator follows the magician's instructions and, at the end, looking through the cut-out windows in the cards, an index of a card appears. The chosen card is turned over and has been correctly revealed.

You will have to make up the squares of cardboard for this. The trick itself is self-working, the real work having been put into the evolution of the effect, but they are useful for...

That popular card plot One-Eyed Jack Sandwich is given a new lease of life here, with the assisting spectator being asked where the magic is to take place – within the deck or out of it. Themed after a 1930’s classic The Charmed Watch, this smooth handling is sure to delight the most fastidious card man.

The One-Eyed Jack Sandwich theme was popularized by Harry Lorayne. However, it was none other than the Australian Charles Wicks who started the ball rolling, with his contribution The Charmed Watch appearing in The Magic Wand journal over eighty years ago. Ian's streamlined version keeps within the guidelines of...

Here is a 21st Century version of John Scarne's Think-A-Card, published by U.F. Grant back in 1938. Whereas Scarne's version relied on the convenience of writing predictions on cigarette papers, Baxter completely dispenses with this quaint idea with a new, slick presentation.

Daley was really fired up about this highly effective mental test from the ingenious Scarne: "You are about to become the possessor of a rare and beautiful gem in mental magic" he enthused. "Simple in its modus operandi and yet so tremendously effective...an almost perfect demonstration of mind reading."

Scarne, a universally recognized...

A very easy to do prediction effect with a surprising ending.

The performer introduces ten cards and deals them into a face-down packet to prove it. He hands the packet to a spectator and asks him to think of any number between one and ten. The cards are then cut by the spectator and shuffled. Then they are laid out in a face-down line. The performer asks the spectator to, for the first time, announce the number he thought of, then counts along the line to that number and pushes out the card lying at that position. (Note that this is a real count that can be done from the spectator - absolutely...

The magician shows an ungimmicked deck of cards and lets the spectator shuffle them, if he so desires. A card is then freely selected using no force and pushed back into the middle of the deck. The magician then cuts the deck and deals the top five cards in a face down horizontal row in front of the spectator.

The magician then shows a dollar bill and says "A lot of people don't know this, but George Washington is also a magician and I think he can find your card!" The magician says this tongue-in-cheek.

With the front of the bill facing the spectator and being held over the first face...

"Another look at the Three Of Clubs problem" and you will be hard pressed to find an easier, more practical application than this one. Performer places a card on the table, spectator thinks of and names any card in the deck. Performer turns over his prediction and wow...that's it!

The raw effect is impressive: Performer extracts a card from the deck, placing it face down to the table. Spectator now names any card that comes to mind, with the tabled selection revealed as the one thought of. Yes, as brief and as straightforward as that.

A firm favourite that has been making the rounds for...

An entertaining mental feat with a borrowed deck of cards.

From the brilliant mind of Bob Hummer comes a divination mystery that seems impossible, yet you do it every time. The performer takes the spectator on an adventure with a borrowed deck and a dead person's age (which is furnished by anyone in the room). In some uncanny manner, the "Whispering Spirit" aids the performer in solving the mystery. The performer does not need to touch the deck while they are in the spectator's hands.

There are no setups, stacks or cyclical rotations. The cards may be borrowed. The cards are not marked....

A winning poker hand turns blank on both sides.

Two tricks in one. These are two of the most visual and eye-appealing tricks you can do. Looks like trick photography and takes around 30 seconds to perform. They are almost self-working and require no sleights. You can learn to do these effects in about five minutes. They are that easy to do. Resets in 3 seconds. This is perfect for strolling gigs because of the instant reset.

EFFECT 1: Magician says he would like to share a dream he had. He cleanly shows five playing cards back and front. It is a winning poker hand and the stakes are high....

From noted card man and gaming expert John Scarne comes this clean-cut triple prediction miracle effect that will build a reputation for you. No difficult sleights. Simple, sure and direct. The publisher had been after Scarne for years to release this clever item, before he finally agreed.

Any deck of cards is shuffled by anyone and spread out on the table face up. Two spectators and the performer each merely think of a card and you write a prediction on small slips of paper for each card thought of. The thought-of cards are pushed out of the pack and the predictions are placed on top of...

Find any card a spectator takes from a borrowed and shuffled pack.

EFFECT: The magician tells his audience he has trained his mind to work like a computer. To demonstrate its computer-like capabilities, he asks a spectator to shuffle a pack of cards then, without looking at it, remove one card and place it in his pocket. Taking back the pack, the performer runs through it quickly, then goes through it again even more quickly and pulls out one card which he places face down on the table. The spectator removes his card from his pocket and places it face-up alongside the magician's card, then...

An exceptionally clever version of the 4-Ace Trick - no trick aces - use a borrowed deck.

In effect the 4 aces are dealt singly on to the table, face down. Twelve indifferent cards are then shown and dealt on to them, making four packets, one of which is chosen by a spectator. No force of any kind, believe it or not, he takes any of the four packets. The remaining three are turned over to show all indifferent cards. The four Aces are in the packet chosen. It's the most convincing of all Four Ace Tricks, and we know it will fool the best of card men. A couple of easy-to-do moves and the special...

In one of the New York Magic Symposium volumes there is a trick by Brother John Hamman entitled "The Lie-Detector Card Case". In it, he describes a truly brilliant-in-its-simplicity method for discovering a merely-thought-of card. Here is an alternative ending to it which, for me, makes it easier for larger audiences to see.

EFFECT

A spectator shuffles a pack of cards, then merely thinks of a card as the performer counts some over before his eyes. The cards are shuffled, then the performer shows the cards at the top and bottom of the pack; the selected card is not among them. Next, he introduces two paper...

You reveal a freely thought card.

EFFECT: Spectator freely selects several cards from his own shuffled deck and thinks of one. Those are returned and mixed in the pack. By means of "tuned thought-waves" the performer discovers the very card spectator is thinking of and, either names it dramatically, or causes it to obey his command in a distinctly "unique" manner. A real mental mystery.

Remember:

• No advance preparation
• The card is really only thought
• Free choice without any force
• Cards can be borrowed
• Very subtle method…you will love it.

PDF 5 pages

British magician Alex Elmsley carved a permanent niche for himself into the field of card magic, not only for his Elmsley Count, but two outstanding effects: "Between Your Palms" and "Point Of Departure". This manuscript explores a new and combined approach to these, put together by Ian Baxter. Easy, straightforward and uncomplicated. One of Baxter's best and highly recommended.

1st edition 2019, PDF 4 pages.

Ian Baxter steps forward with yet another twist on a classic from the past. Eddie Clever's Hallucination gets a working over here, thanks to a recently published variation from Todd Karr.

"A very direct effect here - entertaining presentation, plays big, kicker ending and can be done with a borrowed deck. This card mystery has it all!" - David Jones

1st edition 2020, PDF 4 pages.

An ungimmicked and easy-to-do double transformation with playing cards using the spectator's signature.

The magician displays a red-backed Joker. "Jokers can be useful in any card game but they also have interesting properties for magicians. Let me show you how." A spectator selects and signs a card in a blue-backed deck. The magician buries the signed card and inserts the Joker into the deck. "When in contact with the deck, the Joker is able to take the identity of any selected card, including yours." He spreads the cards face down to show the red-backed Joker in the middle. The red-backed...

From Ian Baxter, a breathtaking new approach to Al Koran's classic Five Star Prediction. The effect is as straightforward as could be expected: A prediction removed from a wallet and handed to a spectator, matches a freely chosen card from a shuffled deck.

"A significant improvement with a radical new use for the Himber Wallet. Very clever thinking indeed. Perfect!" - David Jones

"Loved It. Very, very clean, Loved the fact that the deck is shuffled at the outset. Cannot fault it." - Charles Gauci

1st edition 2020, PDF 6 pages.

An incredible Nate Leipzig card effect, now redesigned with subtlety, instead of knuckle-busting sleight of hand. A deck of cards is genuinely shuffled. The spectator then chooses a suit and removes the corresponding thirteen cards from the deck. The performer chooses another suit and likewise removes his thirteen cards. The spectator places the top card of his packet on the bottom of his packet; the magician duplicates this procedure. The spectator places his next card face down on the table. The magician does likewise. The spectator then alternately places cards on the bottom of his packet...

From Ian Baxter, here is a remarkable 21st Century version of Bill Simon's famed Business Card Prophecy - virtually sleight-free and within reach of any card handler.

"A modern-day approach based on casual handling and natural misdirection, achieving the same outcome while eliminating the move entirely. Very clever thinking." - David Jones

1st edition 2020, PDF 4 pages.

Edward Marlo originated The Elevator Cards back in 1948 and now, Ian Baxter's latest streamlined offering is available. Short, snappy and to the point, with several strong magical moments. This is totally impromptu, practically sleight free and is sure to please the most discriminating card worker. This is one of Baxter's best!

1st edition 2020, PDF 7 pages.

Based on an idea by Nick Trost. You will be thrilled with the splendid effect which you achieve in such an easy manner.

You show a packet of five jumbo cards cut in half. Two spectators shuffle the cards and split the packet taking some cards each. For example, one spectator has 4 cards and one has six. You place an envelope on the table and then show the cards to each spectator in turn. They look and remember the one half-card (that corresponds to the number of cards they each had in hand). Then you ask them to remove from the packet the half-card they have seen. Incredibly they match! Not...

Francis Carlyle and Faucett Ross get coverage in this latest manuscript from Ian Baxter. In a tribute to both of these giants from the past, Baxter examines Carlyle's 'The Card That Finds Itself' with a new and novel approach, while the Ross classic 'Twice Turned' gets a dusting off that adds value-plus to this popular effect from the Vernon Chronicles. The third entry is Baxter's technique for the Top Palm, unbelievably fast, straightforward and appreciably easier than most other methods in print.

1st edition 2020, PDF 9 pages.

The ingenious Paul Curry, creator of 'Out Of This World' was also responsible for a number of other timely favourites - 'Open Prediction' being a standout and attracting variations a-plenty from card experts everywhere.

Ian Baxter has fashioned a particularly appealing version of this classic, written in his inimitable style and now available in an easy-to-read manuscript - totally impromptu, simple to perform, no fakes, stranger cards, or hidden accessories. Skills need are minimal. A delight indeed!

1st edition 2021, PDF 4 pages.

John Racherbaumer's latest compendium Picnic Pocus, has certainly revived interest in that long-standing Ace revelation, Poker Player's Picnic. Published years back in The Royal Road to Card Magic, it is a routine most of us perform when starting out in card magic, but eventually, drop from our repertoire due to the odd counting method involved.

Ian Baxter's new approach to this classic has solved this problem, providing a clear rationale for the procedure and adding touches that considerably enhance the routine's effectiveness while still maintaining the sleight-free handling of the original. Clever thinking at work here! This new version is worthy...