Magic & Mentalism: page 440

Imagine this: A spectator shuffles a regular blue-backed deck and freely selects any card - no forcing, no restrictions. That card is immediately sealed inside an envelope, in full view. On the table, untouched from the beginning, lies a wallet - secured by elastic bands. Inside, the spectator discovers another sealed envelope. The envelope in the wallet is opened and a red-backed card is extracted. The spectator's blue-backed card is taken out from the envelope, two different cards from two different places. No envelope switch (only two envelopes used). No sleights. No clue. Yet when both...

Cristian presents three very different card tricks. However, they happen to share the same easy method, allowing the performer to focus entirely on the presentation.

The three routines play for very different audiences, in vastly different environments. They include:

• a light-hearted, highly visible card trick which can be performed standing in front of the audience
• a close-up "bar betcha" trick suitable for any close-up performance (planned or impromptu)
• a reputation-building stand-up mental magic (or mentalism) routine

His line of thinking can inspire magicians to increase their...

A prediction is lying on the table. The magician asks a spectator to cut a shuffled deck in three parts and to pile them up. Then, he removes the Jokers as he explains that he and the spectator are going to choose a card through an elimination procedure. To do so, he deals the cards in two piles and asks the spectator to choose one. They are left with one half of the deck. The magician deals the cards again and chooses a pile this time. They are now left with a quarter of the deck. The procedure is repeated a couple of times again (once with the spectator choosing a pile and once with the...

Effect: Two decks are examined and shuffled by spectators. A card is freely chosen from a third deck The Queen of Hearts (QH) and turned face up. The (QH), mysteriously appears at the same position in the two independently shuffled decks. The magician seemingly never touched the cards.

Imagine: Two spectators each shuffle a deck. From a third deck, a card - the Queen of Hearts (QH) - is freely chosen and turned face up. With seemingly no involvement from the magician, both spectators are instructed to count down to the same specific number of cards in their shuffled decks. The unbelievable...

IBM is neither the International Brotherhood of Magicians nor International Business Machines. Here it stands for Impossible Birthday Message.

This is a feel-good effect that leaves your participant with a good, positive vibe. This effect can be performed literally for any occasion like birthdays, wedding anniversaries, family dinners, etc or even if there is no occasion and you are just performing for family or friends. There is an emotional hook, there is drama, there is suspense, and you end up leaving a memorable little souvenir with your participant, which also contains your contact...

A spectator chooses, through a special "elimination ritual", only four cards that will generate both a card and a number, which will magically be found in the deck.

A formidable semi-automatic card magic effect, themed "A.C.A.A.N.," or rather: "Card to Number," in which the magician, after quickly showing and shuffling the deck, explains that the whole world we know is characterized by Duality: Good and Evil, Light and Dark, Day and Night, Positive and Negative... We can also distinguish playing cards and numbers in the same way, and to demonstrate this, he begins by dealing out about twenty...

Uno spettatore sceglie, attraverso uno speciale "rituale di eliminazione", solamente quattro carte che genereranno sia una CARTA che un NUMERO, al quale magicamente essa verrà incredibilmente trovata nel mazzo!

Un formidabile effetto di magia semi-automatica con le carte, a tema "A.C.A.A.N.", o meglio: "Carta al Numero", nel quale il mago, dopo aver mostrato e mescolato velocemente il mazzo, spiega che tutto il mondo che conosciamo è caratterizzato dalla Dualità: Bene e Male, Chiaro e Scuro, Giorno e Notte, Positivo e Negativo... Allo stesso modo si distinguono anche le Carte da Gioco...

A number force using your Android phone calculator.

Here is what happens :

1. You'll ask everyone to think of a two-digit number. You reveal yours - for example, 88.
2. Announce that three random people will enter their number one by one, followed by a random math operation (+, - , ×, ÷). And a 4th person will enter your number 88 and press equals.

And then the process begins. The final result will always be your force number. That's it.

What makes this stand out is the transparency it offers

• You clearly explain the entire process upfront, making it impossible to manipulate. ...

Admittedly on the crude side, but a magic effect that doesn't stoop as low as the Magic Ding Dong - this one you can show your Mom.

The effect: The magician shows the back of a shopping list and explains on the other side is everything the volunteer needs to make a special spaghetti dinner for their guests tonight. Unfortunately, the volunteer has forgotten one thing on the list and the magician puts a card face down on the table, saying that's his prediction for what will go wrong with the dinner.

Handing the volunteer a pair of scissors, the magician has them choose a line on the back...

Welcome to a collection of insights designed to elevate your close-up magic performances to new heights. As a close-up magician, I've had the privilege of working with some of the most iconic tools in the craft - gimmicks like the thumb tip, dye tube, Sanada, and Swami writer. These timeless props have been used for generations and continue to be a foundation for magicians worldwide. However, mastery of these props alone is not what sets great magicians apart. What truly separates the skilled performer from the rest is the art of presentation, timing, and conceptual thinking.

In this ebook,...

A deck of tarot cards and four lucky coins create a magical moment.

This is a reading, magic, an incredible coincidence, and a prediction, all wrapped up in a piece of storytelling close entertainment. This is right out of my Tarot Party show. Also included a non-tarot version.

"I love it! The best thing is that the effect doesn't look tricky. It's a beautiful effect. You're a genius at coming up with easy-to-perform effects that are enchanting and look real. This is something I'm definitely going to use!" - Richard Webster

"TC Tahoe creates an impactful moment and curious mystery with a participant...

Spectator shuffles the deck. The magician immediately produces two of the aces. Spectator shuffles again. The spectator cuts to an ace. The final ace is found under impossible conditions.

This is not another cut the aces where the magician shows off his skill. The Gilbreath Principle meets corner short cards.

• Easy to do
• The spectator shuffles the deck numerous times
• Minimal sleight of hand
• 5-second reset
• No duplicate aces
• No double facers
• No rough and smooth
• A very deceptive force that could become your favorite

1st edition 2025, PDF 11 pages.

Oddities and weirdness to show uncle Ezra, cousin Ozzie, and the boys in the band.

• Simple-Simon Copper-Silver / Edward Marlo: An English penny and an American half-dollar are examined by a spectator and then the magician performs several transpositions. Afterwards, the coins are returned to the spectator for inspection.
• Short Hop / Mark Jenest & Jamy Ian Swiss: A Hopping Half version that can be done with genuine coins for the short-attention-span spectator.
• Curse Of Nine
• Knotty Feat
• Tit-Tat-Toe / Martin Gardner & Costello: A large tit-tat-toe board is drawn on a sheet of paper. The magician and spectator proceed to play a...

A close-up routine for the people in your audience who'd rather be fishing.

(Psst! I don't want to say this is self-working, but...)

The effect: Sixteen fish cards are dealt face down in a 4x4 grid, and your helper is asked to choose a number from 1 to 4 so you can eliminate that fishing spot. Remove all the cards from the chosen column and row, and show a few of the faces to display what trophy fish were not caught.

Ask them to eliminate another fishing spot by choosing from the rows/columns that are left and remove those cards, again showing some of the world-class fish that weren't...

Two spectators think freely about a card: one mentally decides its suit and the other its value; The magician shuffles a deck of cards, faces against backs...Then he shows them both a few groups of cards, asking if, among them, they see their suit and value. After a few moments, he guesses the thought card!

An incredible mentalism effect in which any card will be only thought but, to make the choice even more random, the magician will randomly call two spectators: the first will be asked to think only of one of the four suits, Clubs, Hearts, Spades and Diamonds, while the second will think...

Due spettatori pensano liberamente ad una carta: uno ne decide mentalmente il SEME e l’altro il suo VALORE; Il mago mescola un mazzo di carte, facce contro dorsi… Poi mostra a entrambi alcuni gruppetti di carte, chiedendo ogni volta se, tra queste, ne vedano Seme e Valore. Dopo pochi istanti INDOVINA LA CARTA PENSATA!

Un incredibile effetto di mentalismo nel quale una carta qualsiasi verrà SOLAMENTE PENSATA ma, per rendere la scelta ancora più casuale, il mago chiamerà a caso due spettatori: al primo verrà chiesto di pensare solamente ad uno dei quattro semi, Cuori, Quadri, Fiori...

This is a killer playing card prediction effect. There are two versions explained. One for stage or parlor, and another for close up.

A single playing card is kept in an envelope as a prediction. And several audience members are used to create a random playing card. And your prediction comes true in a most unexpected and extraordinary manner.

A unique emotional hook, an engaging back story, and a solid method make this routine a crowd-pleasing jaw-dropper. This can be described as a card trick, but without a deck of playing cards in play. Only a single playing card is ever used, which...

A matrix effect with playing cards.

[Also available as a video download.

Without a doubt, this "matrix" with playing cards created by Aldo is truly special. A splendid opening routine and a surprising ending.

The classic trick of four coins that gather under a card is presented here with playing cards that are found under a jumbo card. The manipulations are really simple; they should already belong to the repertoire of every magician. In a close-up magic program, this could be the only card trick to be presented.

Effect: The A, 2, 3 and 4 of Diamonds are placed on the table, in a square formation. The cards are covered...

You start with two packets of four identical cards each, for example, four 10s of hearts, and four aces of spades. You interleave them, show them again singly to confirm that they have been interleaved, but then magically they have separated. You do this twice, once face-down, and the second time face-up.

1st edition 2025, video 2:04.

This ebook focuses on how the pinky is used to obtain breaks, which is popularly known as The Pinky Count.

The history of the Pinky Count is murky. One creation story is that it was created by Dai Vernon after reading a comment about Hofzinser that he had a way to count cards secretly with one hand. However, most card enthusiasts will associate the Pinky Count with Jim Steranko and/or Darwin Ortiz.

1st edition 2015, PDF 12 pages.

Lost ideas, concepts and tidbits of legerdemain.

• Editorial
• THEATER PRACTICE
  • Direction in Magic
  • The Theater Crew
  • A Director - Yes or No?
  • The Title of the Show - The Script
  • The Plot
  • Audiences Crave Emotion
  • Conflict: The Key to Emotional Flow
  • Building a Resourceful Repertoire
  • Recommended Reading
• HIDDEN GEM: Mark Elsdon's Limelight
• CLOSE-UP MAGIC: My Dice Switch
• HIDDEN GEMS: The Body-Load Box
• MENTAL MAGIC: Ballydesmond Polka
• RAMBLINGS: Crossroads
• CARD MAGIC: The Al Koran Deck Reimagined
• LETTERS FROM ETERNITY: A Letter from Dai Vernon
• GIMMICKS: Bill In Envelope Fold
• PRESENTATION IDEAS: Makramé Magic ...

Verlorene Ideen, Konzepte und Leckerbissen der Taschenspielerei.

• Editorial
• THEATERPRAXIS
  • Regie in der Zauberkunst
  • Der kreative Prozess im Theater
  • Dramaturgische Gestaltung
  • Praktische Umsetzung
  • Inszenierung und Probenarbeit
  • Checklisten und Werkzeuge
  • Fitzkee Audience Appeals
  • Checkliste: Erfolg des Stücks
  • Literaturtipps
• GEHEIMTIPP: Mark Elsdon's Limelight
• VERGESSENE PERLEN: Die Body-Load Box von Victor Farelli
• CLOSE-UP ZAUBEREI: Mein Würfelaustausch
• MENTALMAGIE: Ballydesmond Polka
• RANDBEMERKUNGEN: Über Zauberzeitschriften
• RAMBLINGS: Crossroads - Die Magie am Scheideweg
• KARTENMAGIE: Das Al-Koran-Spiel in einer...

Excerpt from the Editorial:

• Editorial
• The Art Of The Magician, The Great Levante
• The Four Ace Trick With Giant Cards By Ellis Stanyon
• The Mirror Mystery By Chris Van Bern
• Remarkable Record By Eric C. Lewis
• Novel Necromancy With Numbers By Stanley Collins
• A Brilliant Card Effect By Archie Tear
• The Queer Liquids By Robert Harbin ...

An experiment of thought - powered by statistics, imagination, and impossibility.

This new effect offers a seamless experience between two spectators using only their own phones. No apps to install. No magician intervention. Just a static website that appears to display nothing more than card statistics.

Each participant thinks of a card, submits it, and follows a set of seemingly harmless instructions. Everything happens in their imagination: a card is exchanged, inserted into a virtual deck at a specific position. And yet, when the real deck is counted, the cards are found exactly where...