Cards in Magic & Mentalism

There was a time when the Tilt, or Depth Illusion, was a top-secret technique known only to a few select insiders. The history of this move is somewhat murky, but most credit Dai Vernon with its invention. Marlo claimed he came up with it independently, which I find plausible. Regardless of who first had the idea, the Tilt is a wonderful deception. Over the years, refinements and subtleties have been added by several cardmen. Today, the Tilt is one of the core techniques most card magicians have in their arsenal.

The concept of the Tilt is the following: A card is apparently...

Excerpt from the foreword by William W. Larsen:

• The Page Pass
• The Visible Pass
• The Riffle-Slip
• False Shuffle
• The Riffle-Down
• The Glimpse
• Simple Glimpse
• One of Four Packets
• A Card with a Certain Number of Pips
• The New Transferred Cards
• Any Card To Any Number
• A Cut At Any Number
• An Original Spelling Card
• The Red and the Black
• A Pickpocket...

The spectator freely cuts the deck. The performer spreads the cards and claims to mentally influence the spectator to choose a specific card. The spectator then freely selects a card - no force. After the selection, the performer splits the deck at the point of selection and reveals that the cards are in suit-and-value order, except for the one card the performer named at the beginning. The finale reveals the spectator's selection, which turns out to be exactly the card predicted at the start.

• No force
• No gimmick
• Only a regular deck

1st edition 2026, video 5:52

Herb Zarrow is one of the most recognized names in magic. His Zarrow Shuffle changed the face of full deck false shuffles some seventy years ago, and its popularity shows no sign of abating. Among Herb's other memorable contributions was Revolving Aces, a knockout 'Cutting To The Aces' approach that grabbed immediate attention and saw publication several times. Perhaps the most detailed write-up was in Harry Lorayne's classic text, Close Up Card Magic.

Decades later, here is Dusting Off The Revolving Aces, a revised handling from Ian Baxter that eliminates the necessary setup...

A variation of a classic routine: the four Aces are turned face down one by one. The performer openly changes the orientation of all the cards, and after the audience confirms the backs are the same color, all four cards change to different colors.

1st edition 2025, video 7:39.

A new method for a simple oil-and-water type of routine. Nothing is gimmicked. There isn't any complicated sleight-of-hand either.

1st edition 2025, video 1:20.

This routine illustrates the principle of synergism. After you learn it, analyze how all its parts (even the minutest) are combined into a time-and-content continuum. It's systematically designed in a progressive way: each discrete effect is successively better. There's culminative improvement and step-by-step enhancement - not only in terms of overall deception, but in virtue of its "theater."

This was the original version of what Jon later called Ladies on the Loose.

1st edition 1991, PDF 11 pages.

A spectator freely selects a card and returns it to the middle of the deck. The cards are split into two packets and interlaced face-up into face-down. In an instant, every card turns face-up except the selection - still face-down. And it's not over. Why can the magician locate the selection so cleanly? Because it's the only card in the deck that's different from all the others.

Bottom Fan Control: This routine also teaches my bottom control: the spectator's card is openly placed into the middle of the deck, the magician squares the pack, and the selection is controlled straight to the...

A near-impromptu routine with surprisingly strong impact. The spectator shuffles, and the magician removes a prediction card and sets it aside. The spectator freely cuts the deck into three piles, shuffles, remembers any card, and gives the deck a random cut. The magician says the spectator will help locate the selection, then has them lift a small packet and perform a faro shuffle with the rest, which naturally re-forms the deck into three packets. Taking the third packet, the magician deals pairs from the top and bottom, and the last card remaining in the hand is the selection. But it's...

Adding to a classic of card magic.

"Wow, what a swindle! In the best sense of the word. Just outstanding!" This is just one reviewer sounding off about Two plus Two, an ingenious revision of that popular mystery The Two Card Trick from Bert Allerton. Not overlooking Bro John Hamman stepping forward some years later with a clever overhaul of the same effect, the evolution of this firm favourite continues. Still very eagerly being performed today, it reinforces that old saying - some magic never ages.

Another reviewer comment: "The trick, in essence, is quite simply...

A fully impromptu performance: you borrow a deck, let the spectator give it a thorough shuffle, no cull, no crimp, then claim you'll memorize the positions of the four Aces. You riffle down the deck and ultimately cut cleanly to all four Aces. A full performance is shown in the demo video.

Before you purchase this tutorial, here are a few things to help you decide whether it suits you.

1. Effects of this nature require a lot of practice. My handling strips away unnecessary difficulty and simplifies moves that are normally quite demanding, but it still requires solid work. This is definitely...

From a deck of cards, the spectator selects one card and, without showing it to anyone, loses it back into the deck. The performer then takes a second deck, shuffles it, and shows that the cards are in a random order, pointing out that two twin cards happen to be together in the center. Taking it as a sign of destiny, the performer decides to use those twin cards to find the spectator's selection - even though he has no idea what it is. After shuffling the deck again, the pair of twin cards magically capture another card, which, however, turns out to be the twin of the chosen one. Undeterred,...

This is my adaptation of Marlo's A Number for Fast Company. I've reworked it to be completely impromptu, finishing with a clean, accurate cut to the spectator's selection.

The spectator shuffles the deck freely, chooses any card, and returns it before shuffling again. The performer then names the exact position of the selection and says, "If I know the position of your card, I should be able to cut straight to it." He then lifts off a packet - matching the number just named - and the final card of that packet is the spectator's selection. Full performance in the demo video. ...

Two Jokers produce two Aces in the middle, and finally, the Jokers transform into the remaining two Aces. A classic effect with a unique and visual handling. Complete performance in the video.

1st edition 2025, video 4:53

This is my direct cut to the four Aces and four Kings routine. It's simple and easy to learn, using only basic card handling techniques. No crimp, no estimation needed. Full performance in the video.

1st edition 2025, video 4:29

Annemann's Synthetic Sympathy is a long-regarded classic of card magic, with a history dating back to 1921 when Charles T. Jordan put out his original version. Annemann slotted it into an early edition of his magazine The Jinx. It took off like wildfire and Jean Hugard promptly included the Annemann update in Encyclopedia Of Card Tricks, further enhancing its popularity. Then Max Holden jumped on the bandwagon and published it yet again, including it in his Annemann compendium Full Deck Of Impromptu Card Tricks.

Holden was particularly...

An adaptation of a classic card routine - the Spades 1, 2, 3, and 4 travel between the top and bottom of the deck, finally gathering together on top. Just when you think it's over - no, the magic has only begun. The Spades 5, 6, 7, and 8 appear on top of the deck, the Spades 9, 10, J, and Q appear on the bottom, and the final Spade King rises to the very top of the deck. For full details, see the performance video.

1st edition 2025, video 8:00.

Effect: The spectator freely selects a card under the fairest of conditions. It is lost in the deck by the spectator. After placing the cards in the cardbox, it is wrapped in a handkerchief. The spectator holds the handkerchief and gives it a shake. His card falls to the table.

Description: This is a classic of card magic. Under the fairest possible conditions, a spectator selects a card from a deck that he has shuffled. The deck is placed in the cardbox and wrapped in a handkerchief. It is dropped by the spectator instead of the magician. This version uses an ungimmicked opaque handkerchief...

Ready-to-perform routines from a working magician's repertoire.

Hidden in Plain Sight isn't just another magic book - it's a curated collection of four battle-tested routines from Marko, a professional magician with 57 years of real-world experience. These are not theoretical curiosities or over-engineered gimmicks, but practical, powerful tricks that have fooled audiences on television, cruise ships, corporate stages, and intimate parlors across two continents. Each routine is streamlined for performance, easy to prepare, and designed to leave spectators genuinely astonished.

Whether...

Sandwich and Collectors are two of my favorite card effects and the ones I've studied the most. This is my original routine combining both effects.

The spectator selects a card, returns it to the deck, and the deck is shuffled. The magician cuts the two Jokers and four Aces into the center. When the deck is spread again, the two Jokers are found sandwiching the spectator's selection, while the four Aces have collected the other three cards of the same value. A pure sleight-of-hand routine with no difficult moves.

1st edition 2025, video 6:59.

Effect: Spectator 1 shuffles the deck, takes it under the table and looks at any card. Spectator 2 just thinks of a card. The magician reveals the name of spectator #1 card and the name and position in the deck of spectator #2 thought of card!

This is the strongest effect I have ever created! An effect that dives deep into the timeless mystery of chance versus choice.

This routine combines two classic principles of magic into an amazing new weapon: a third principle that can be used with other card effects. And just when you think it can’t go further, a brand-new principle is introduced—pushing...

Ace Assembly routines have been with us for decades. Some originate from the best brains in magic, others too numerous to mention, are utterly forgettable - lengthy, complex routines overburdened with ham-fisted false counts, lugubrious palming techniques, endless Double Lifts and quaint presentation ideas.

If you are heartily sick of these approaches, here is a routine that will grab your attention.

Aces With Artistry is just what its title implies, an Ace Assembly that stands up there with the best of them. Visually captivating, AWA owes its pedigree to Ed Marlo and is based...

You feign a centre deal with basic moves. You openly cut the four Kings into the deck and deal them to the spectator. But the four cards you get are the four Aces. Easy and magical! You get a bonus tutorial of Imperial Bicycles.

1st edition 2025, video 10:05.

Snow Drift Deck: A find the Lady type of effect using a deck of 52 blank cards and a Queen.

Origami Card Discovery: A strip of folded paper displays a prediction of a card which a spectator will select. It's wrong! The image magically changes, and the prediction is 100% correct.

Simplicity Card to Wallet: No special wallets used, yet the same effect is accomplished using a very simple method.

Peek-A-Boo!: A joker card, which has a corner missing, is used to locate a chosen card within a shuffled deck.

Split Down the Middle: Ian's version of the classic 'Split Deck'. The deck has...

This is a trick for quickly locating four selections.

During an overhand shuffle, four cards are freely chosen, with no control involved. The spectators clearly see the cards lost in four different positions. Yet in the end, the magician can still locate all four selections with precision. For the full routine and effect, see the video demonstration.

• No force
• No gimmick
• No memory work
• No peeking

1st edition 2025, video 6:42.

Four, say, duplicate Queen of Clubs magically change to four Ace of Spades. These then change to the four Aces. It's a beauty to perform and watch.

1st edition 2025, video 8:44

Jon Racherbaumer lectured around the globe. These are the lecture notes for a lecture he gave in Italy in 2008.

• Rules of the Game / Max Maven
• Snap-Slap Transpo / Marc Serin
• Supra-Gemini / John Guastaferro
• Mathematician - Psychic - Magician
• Suit Yourself / Henry Evans
• Unambiguous Discernment / Edward Marlo
• Humma-Humma-Hummer / Lewis Jones and Jack Avis
• In the Nick of Time / John Gustaferro
• The Last Game / David Britland
• Dunbury Lie Speller

1st edition 2008, PDF 28 pages.

Includes a comprehensive description of the continuous front and back hand palm with cards, and the sensational new rising card trick.

• CHAPTER I. A Few Incidents in the Life of Howard Thurston
• CHAPTER II. Indispensable Sleights
  • THE PASS
  • THE FORCE
  • THE CHANGE
  • THE ORDINARY PALM
• CHAPTER III. The Continuous Front and Back Hand-Palm and Tricks in Connection Therewith
  • THE DISAPPEARANCE OF FIVE CARDS ONE AT A TIME
  • THE PRODUCTION OF CARDS ONE AT A TIME AT THE FINGER-TIPS FROM THE BACK-HAND PALM
  • THE PRODUCTION OF CARDS AT THE FINGER-TIPS FROM THE ORDINARY PALM
  • PASSING A CARD THROUGH...

This double sandwich is based on Dragnet by Jack Birnman. I added two moves that replace ATFUS with a better move. I would even say that it only works on this sandwich. It's just my imagination. I've never seen anyone do what I do. The last move is even better, and so I distribute the aces with the spectator's cards to be in certain places, so that they are different places not next to each other. And at the beginning, if you notice, I don't arrange the cards red-black-black-red, like in every version.

Inspired from Dragnet by Jack Birnman, Tengard by Paul Gordon, New jack...

You try to show a Four-Ace trick, but the same indifferent card keeps appearing. The kicker ending is a shocker, and it's both funny and magical.

1st edition 2025, video 12:59

The magician begins by taking out four Aces. The spectator selects one red card and one black card, which are then returned to the deck and shuffled. The spectator is asked to cut the deck randomly into four packets. The four Aces are placed on top of each packet. The packets are reassembled. When the deck is spread, the four Aces not only gather together, but the red Aces sandwich the spectator’s red selection, and the black Aces sandwich the spectator’s black selection.

• No force
• No gimmick
• Impromptu performance

1st edition 2025, video 5:08