Notes on the 18 Card Trick.
Nick Conticello starts a new series of ebooks on sleightless magic with a new take on the venerable 27 Card Trick. A card merely thought of by a volunteer is revealed at a position the volunteer requests at the start. This method uses just 18 cards and needs no complex formulas or tables, just a few simple rules. Besides the basic effect, Nick adds a presentation that elevates this item from a mere puzzle to a great card effect.
1st edition 2017, 11 pages.
Two locations based on a unique method.
No Mean Card Trick
Effect: From an unprepared pack he has just shuffled and cut, a spectator counts out ten cards and thinks of one. He buries the packet in the deck himself. The performer cuts the pack and deals out a 5x4 face-up array. He asks the spectator to think "yes" if his card is in the array. The performer confirms the card is on the table. Next the performer asks the spectator to concentrate on which horizontal row his card is in. After some effort, the performer discards the other three rows correctly. Finally, the spectator is asked...
Problem: To divine or locate two cards that are merely thought of by two persons.
This effect has intrigued me for many years. I've published several approaches in the past ("Think Stop" in Automatic Placements, "Talons of the Hawk" and "Talons of the Bat" in Potpourri 2, to cite a few) but these tricks smack openly of mathematics. They lack the directness of selection and revelation I would deem ideal.
Two classic but widely divergent approaches are Ed Marlo's "Double Thought, Single Deck" and Simon Aronson's "Simon-Eyes." Recently, I combined Marlo's basic premise with a concept of Aronson's and a hitherto unpublished key card...
[Note: If you purchase this together with Sunken Treasury: Part 1 and 2 and Sunken Treasury: Part 3, 4 and 5 you will get The Catch-All Principle for free. Discount is automatically applied in the shopping cart. Also applies if you have purchased the entire Sunken Treasury in the past.
The Catch-All Principle allows you to covertly position a free selection at a predetermined position in the deck. It does this with the help of two key cards. The real strength and novelty of this principle is that at crucial moments the spectator is free to cut the deck, which makes it seem impossible that the selection will end up at a predetermined position - but it does.
Perhaps the best use of this principle...
The deck is shuffled by the performer and then cut several times by the spectator. After, the spectator cuts the deck into four packets totally at random. No force. The magician will be able to divine not only the cards above but also the cards at the bottom of each packet. All this with a normal deck of cards. No marked cards. Instant reset.
1st edition 2022, video 18:54
The basic effect as seen by your spectators is that you can read minds and see through the cards as if you had X-ray eyes.
"Dedicated to the Art of Cardistry" was the subtitle of this legendary cards only magazine from the late 50s. It is one of the most influential card magazines ever produced, with effects by Rusduck, Elmsley, Charles Hudson, Bill Miesel, Marlo, Kosky, Milt Kort, Ron Edwards, Max Katz, Tom Ransom, etc.
1st edition 1958-1959; 156 pages.
Edward Marlo needs no introduction. He was one of the most prolific and influential creators of card magic. This is one of his most ambitious undertakings - a big book that runs the gamut of Marlo card magic. Unusual sleights, miraculous tricks, incomparable routines, material for the student, gems for the expert. Plus an interesting chapter showing how card tricks evolve and giving full credit to all inspirational sources for the entire book.
1st edition 1953, 199 pages; 1st digital edition 2012, 184 pages.
Table of Contents
Chapter One
23 fantastic card routines.
1st edition 1984, 52 pages; PDF 61 pages.
Table of Contents
Excerpt from the introduction by David Goodsell:
This book is not for everyone, because not everyone will want or be able to do the magic contained herein. It is a particular brand of close-up material with cards and coins that requires considerable practice to master, for the most part, and will send the intermediate or beginner to the reference books to learn specific sleights. For the serious student of close-up magic this issue will be a delight. The Marlo treatise on the "Observation Test" is very thorough and the items by Garret, Castillion, Aronson, Solomon, and Racherbaumer are all first rate....
If you like card flourishes or extreme manipulation, if you like what Dan and Dave Buck or Jerry Cestkowski do, then this is the ebook for you. However, this ebook is not just a collection of flourishes. You will learn the card punk's triumph routine. A lot of photos make the study of these flourishes and manipulations possible and accessible to dedicated students.
1st edition 2006; 34 pages.
This ebook contains 16 routines based on gimmicked cards, jumbo cards, regular cards, special decks, etc. Some are almost self-working, some require a little bit of handling.
This work by LePaul has become a classic a long time ago. It is a must read for anybody who is seriously interested in card magic. LePaul was one of the 20th century's most admired card technicians. Here he teaches you 31 moves and 21 routines, beautifully explained in word and more than 300 photos showing the master at work.
Paul Fleming wrote:
No one who has seen the program of Paul Le Paul can doubt his ability as a performer; and no informed magician who reads The Card Magic of Le Paul will question that it is a real contribution to the literature of card conjuring.
The "new and different effects...
A great performer presents the work of another great performer, and you end up with an ebook of new and freshly different card effects. Brother John is known for his Final Ace Routine, Halucination, etc., but here is another side of his talents. All tricks with ordinary cards, gathered by Paul LePaul (his close and personal friend), edited into a dozen wonderful effects for the enthusiastic card man. The late Paul LePaul illustrated the material.
Be prepared to receive a good dose of Tommy Wonder's clever magical thinking. Critically hailed as the best "Card in Box" ever created. Tommy shares all of the intricate details of this powerful routine, including the incredible "Two Second Card Fold", where you fold the the card three times into 1/8 of its original size. This is how magic is meant to look.
Tommy Wonder thinks about every minute detail. For example
A master class on card technique, giving the 19 possible effects in all of card magic, the 16 basic sleight-of-hand accomplishments, and details on what is required to become an expert with cards. The first six chapters alone are a "must read" for all magicians, as they will most certainly provide motivation and (hopefully) inspiration to improve their routines.
Also included is a completely rewritten and illustrated explanation of Buckley's Thirty Card Problems book, including explanations and illustrations of the necessary sleights, supplementary suggestions, presentation ideas, observations, comments and advice...
Auto Hue
Two spectators each select a card from a packet. The selection procedure happens in the hands of the spectators, you have no influence over the procedure. First, the cards separate into reds and blacks. Then the selections magically appear among the cards of opposite colour. All this happens without the performer touching the cards.
Not Wrong
You offer to demonstrate your ability to cut to certain cards with great accuracy. You give the deck a couple of cuts, placing a packet face down on the table. You turn over the top card of the tabled pile to reveal the Ace of Hearts. This...
SELF WORKING - SELF CONTAINED - INSTANT RESET - WORKS EVERY TIME
(This is Dave's treatment of Cameron Francis' effect 18: A Powerhouse Prediction Effect.)
EFFECT: You display a deck of cards and begin by telling your spectator two pieces of information:
[A less detailed version of this trick can be found in Direct Hits.
Three strong effects with an unexpected climax. This routine can last for several minutes and although it is very easy to perform, you will produce three strong effects due to the gimmicked deck that you can easily prepare in ten minutes.
EFFECT
The performer shows a deck and shuffles it. A card is selected by a spectator and openly placed in the middle of the deck. A coin is vanished. The deck is cut and on the bottom portion there is the vanished coin. Below the coin is the selected card.
Another card is selected and replaced in the deck. The words WHO IS THE GREATEST MAGICIAN?...
From the forward:
What are Bottom Collectors? Perhaps this may be best explained by stating a goal set for working out a version of Roy Walton's "Collectors". The goal was to achieve a clean spreading of the Collectors packet. The means adopted was the addition of three aces plus the three selections to the face of one ace. This is easily done if the six-card stock is on the bottom of the deck. It can be added directly to the face of the supposed ace packet. Thus the name "Bottom Collectors". Another factor that came into developing this approach was that all of the published versions of...
Explanation of the Boris Wild Marked Deck + Explanation of the BW Memorized Deck + 5 incredible routines including "Miracle!" and "Pure Telepathy" as seen on French National television.
"The Boris Wild System is a marked deck for the 21st century. It's intelligent, unsuspecting, and it fooled me sooo bad! I love it!" - Joshua Jay
"For an easy and sure-fire way to read the back of any card in the deck, Boris' method is safe and unbeatable. I recommend it highly." - Aldo Colombini
"Boris Wild has created a genuine masterpiece with his marked deck. You can do effects with it that you simply cannot do with...