Cards in Magic & Conjuring: page 32

The contents of this series, for the most part, emphasize the history of effects and ideas. There are effects and methods in some of them, though.

From the introduction:

The contents of this series, for the most part, emphasize the history of effects and ideas. There are effects and methods in some of them, though.

• Proem
• About this Issue
• Excerpts Taken from a Photocopy of a Letter Written from Ed Whitford to Edward Marlo
• A Marlo Letter to Persi Diaconis
• Racherbaumer Letter to Charlie Miller
• Shall We Ask All The King's Horses and Men?
• Correspondence Between Jon Racherbaumer and Stephen Minch Regarding the So-Called Hide-Out Move
• Appendix: Paul Curry's "Out of this World"; a new version / Ed Whitford

1st edition 2014, PDF 30 pages....

The All Backs Motif is odd. For one thing, it casts a revealing light on we magician's claim (when it suits our purpose) that we use ordinary cards. That is our decks, which we prefer to borrow, consist of cards that have faces and backs on both sides. Therefore, if we show a deck that consists of all backs and faces we are admitting that such anomalies exist and the cards being used are probably gimmicked in some way. Why do this?

A better question may be - What motivated someone to create such an effect using this kind of deck? That "someone" was Dai Vernon and my guess is that he wanted to...

ABOUT RUB-A-DUB: The rhyme is of a type calling out otherwise respectable people for disrespectable actions, in this case, ogling naked ladies - the maids. The nonsense "Rub-a-dub-dub" develops a phonetic association of social disapprobation, analogous to "tsk-tsk," albeit of a more lascivious variety.

The Rub-a-Dub Move's inauspicious beginning began in 1909 at a time when, relatively speaking, magicians had a limited number of utilitarian sleights and techniques at their disposal. Besides, the Rub-a-Dub Move happened in the blink of an eye and was only an offbeat way to make a card disappear. ...

A deep dive into Elmsley's Point of Departure.

The original effect is the following. A card is chosen and placed face down on the table. The two black aces are then removed from the pack and with the utmost fairness, the chosen card is placed between them, and this sandwich is handed to a spectator to hold. On the magician's command, the chosen card vanishes and is found in the performer's pocket.

• Point of Departure / Alex Elmsley
• Card Vanish Supreme / Edward Marlo
• A-E-I-O-U / Sam Schwarz
• Last-Minute Departure / Jon Racherbaumer
• Escapade / Max Maven
• Between Your Points of Departure / Earl...

Ten card mysteries Annemann would have loved.

This book was part of a two-person three-hour lecture session given by Harry Anderson that Jon gave at a Daytona Magic Conference.

Excerpt from the foreword:

Tricks that allude to the game of BlackJack.

• Black Jack Kicker / Paul Gertner
• Blackjacked! / Don Alan & Eddie Fields
• Duck or Deal Blackjack / Nick Trost
• Black Magic / Ron Ferris
• Black Jack Versus Poker / Edward Marlo
• The Almost Perfect Blackjack Hand / Dan Block

1st edition 2023, PDF 30 pages.

This short compilation follows on the heels of another compilation titled Dreamwork. Both relate to Bob Hummer's "The Midreader's Dream." Bob Hummer introduced to the magic world many interesting principles and effects. One of the first to make a splash was introduced in 1952. The dreamy dealer ad seemed too good to be true: A spectator merely thinks of a card and then performs a few, unseen dealing procedures with a deck of cards. The magician, whose back was turned throughout these actions, turns and faces the spectator. He takes the deck, briefly scans the cards, and consults a "dream book." He then names...

Diving into double-back transits.

• Jennings' Visitor: The spectator selects a card and the performer places it between two black Queens. The card becomes restless and upon command leaves the black Queens and is found face-up between two red Queens. Upon command, once again the card jumps from the red Queens back between the black Queens. The selected card may be initialed.
• The Visitor Sans Deck / Dave Solomon: Four Kings and four Jacks are removed from the deck. The Kings and Jacks are separated into two fours of a kind and are placed as two packets on the table. A spot card is selected from the...

Scores of street scams, swindles, and card table ruses are explained in this 163 page ebook, guaranteed to separate a sucker from his money just as quickly today as when this tome was first written in the mid-1800s. Don't read this book to cheat -- instead, get it for protection so you don't become a victim.

This a fascinating study, filled with accounts of colorful, larger-than-life characters. Some were victims, others turned the tables and made suckers out of the swindlers. The author, "a reformed gambler," goes beyond playing cards to detail the inside work on thimbles (the precursor...

This is an unusual mix of contents including magic card tricks, card games and how gamblers cheat at those games, other swindles and scams, a section on dice and cheating at dice games, as well as moralizing against the evils of gambling.

Jonathan H. Green was a reformed gambler, who made a career exposing cheating via lectures, presentations and books.

An earlier shorter edition of this book was published under the title Games and Tricks with Cards.

If you are looking for an edited version and somewhat modernized rendition of this book you can find it here.

• Chapter I
  • Invention Of Cards
  • Mysterious Trick...

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...

Chaos Prediction is an effect with great surprises and twists. For the spectator, it will be an impossible event because he shuffles the deck and he will do all the work. Despite the impossible premises, the magician's predictions will be infallible and the order is established above the chaos. A real great climax of emotions. Simple to do. All with a normal deck of cards.

Joseph B will explain the principle behind it and guide you step by step in its execution.

1st edition 2021, video 15 min 26 s.

This effect is one of the most powerful ones that I still perform. A truly exceptional prediction. The magician is able to predict how many cards the spectator has in his pocket a long time before the routine starts.

This is what happens:

The magician places 3 predictions on the table long before the routine begins. The predictions are always in view. The spectator shuffles the deck of cards and freely cuts the deck, he remembers the card he cut to and puts a portion of the deck in his pocket. The magician cannot absolutely know how many cards the spectator has put in his pocket. Despite...

Just Absurd is an incredible effect halfway between an ACAAN and an impossible location. The magician shuffles the deck. The spectator cuts one third of the deck, he remembers the bottom card, and loses his packet somewhere into the middle of the deck. At the end the spectator himself will be able to find the position of the chosen card. Everything under impossible conditions, it will be the spectator who will find his own card.

The principle is diabolical, really impressive. Absolutely a fooler. Includes an in-depth explanation.

1st edition 2021, video 17 min 53 s.

The spectator's cut to the four sandwiches is a succession of magical effects. The magician takes his two lucky cards from the deck: the two of hearts and the two of diamonds. The spectator examines the two cards. The magician shuffles the deck and asks the spectator to cut it into four piles. This is where the fun part begins. Each time the magician approaches the two lucky cards to one of the piles, a card will mysteriously appear between the two lucky cards. The first will be a King, the second as well, and so on until you have the four Kings. It is not finished. Immediately the magician...

This effect is a masterpiece of mathematical engineering with a sophisticated and devilish method. If you are a fan of the Faro shuffle you will not regret having acquired this gem. This effect is an exception because it requires skill and sleight of hand compared to tricks published by joseph B. in the past. Despite this, if you are familiar with the Faro shuffle this is the effect for you.

Effect: The magician places a prediction card on the table indicating his lucky number. The spectator thinks of a number from one to ten, cuts the deck in two, and takes a number of cards equal to the...

Medium can be made with any deck of cards. The spectator thinks any card and the magician will be able to find it. The conditions are impossible. Medium is a real pearl to add to your repertoire. Easy to do. Not only will you be able to amaze laymen, but you will be able to fool fellow magicians, too. Requires no memory or sleight-of-hand.

• No gimmick
• Easy to do
• No memory work
• Normal deck of cards

1st edition 2021, video 9:11.

If you want a real mind-bender, also for magicians, this is the perfect effect for you. An extraordinary effect. A magician fooler. A climax of increasingly impossible effects. Here's what happens:

The magician shows a deck of cards and asks spectator 1 to cut a third of the deck and look at the card he cut to and then shuffle the packet. The magician looks away. Spectator 2 does the same with the rest of the deck: he cuts another third and looks at the card he is cutting and then shuffles his packet. Still, the magician looks away. Conditions are impossible. The magician is able to find...

Two outstanding effects. The first effect is totally impromptu and can be done with a borrowed shuffled deck. It is completely hands-off. This is an impossible location that will fool even fellow magicians. You will get phenomenal reactions from your spectators.

The second effect is called the spectator's revenge because he will find his own card. This is a really fun and surprising routine.

Everything is explained in detail. You may need to buy something extra in order to perform the second effect - Spectator's revenge.

1st edition 2021, video 19:24

Wasabi is a truly amazing effect for the audience. Full of twists and a great climax at the end. Basically, it is a semi-automatic effect that is very easy to perform. An impossible location, a spelling trick, and still a triple prediction. What more can you have than this? All this with a normal deck of cards. No gimmick.

1st edition 2022, video 13.28.

Mathematical Fooler is in fact an impossible location effect. It really is a fooler. The principle appears as already known but will succeed in deceiving even fellow magicians.

First of all, it is possible to proceed with a borrowed deck, a real selling point. The magician borrows a deck. He looks through the deck with faces up and inquires if it is a full deck. Then he asks the spectator to cut a third of the deck and count how many cards he has in his hand. It will certainly have a two-digit number. The spectator adds the two digits together and looks at the card that corresponds to that...

La routine des rois is a mixture of a packet trick and a production of Kings and Aces. You can do it with a normal deck of cards. It is a climax of twists, as you can see from the demo video. You need to know only the Elmsley Count. In any case, I also give you a little tutorial on it. No gaffed cards and no gimmick.

1st edition 2022, video 10:56

Mental Fooler is a great and direct effect. It looks like you really know how to read the spectator's mind. The most important element is that you can do this with a borrowed shuffled deck. Everything is done with the cards face down. You take a borrowed deck of cards and remove a couple of cards. While you are turned away the spectator first shuffles these cards and then only thinks of one of them. Then you explain to him how to spell a card and move for each character a card from top to bottom. While you are again turned away the spectator spells the thought of card silently. You are able...