with Demo Video in Magic & Mentalism: page 43

Imagine four helpers who each secretly select and mentally store a symbol from a group of sixteen unique characters. Only they know what they chose. Now imagine a mentalist who determines the symbol each participant selected by merely observing the scrambled sixteen symbols. That's it!

Everything can be examined. No forces of any kind. Symbols are selected from four sides of four cubes or blocks. Cubes are randomly mixed and the order of display selected by a participant.

There are two presentations offered. A parlor version uses 2" blocks or cubes. A close-up version uses four dice....

A multi-phase ACAAN routine with a completely unexpected ending.

A very unusual selection-finding sequence: after a freely chosen card is returned to the deck, the performer claims to give the spectator four chances to locate it. The spectator cuts the deck into four piles, but none of the top cards are the selection. Just as it seems the magician has failed, the plot turns - each of the four cards not only indicates the exact position of the selection, but also reveals the mates of the chosen value. See the full routine in the performance video.

Performance transcript:

• I riffle down...

A clean and easy matrix. Four coins are positioned at the corners of an imagined square. Two cards are used to cover coins temporarily. Cover two coins, and one is magically moving from under one card to under the other card. You continue this until all four coins have assembled in one corner.

Please note that this is a gimmicked version and will require certain performing conditions that are not present in all situations.

1st edition 2025, video 2:55

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...

A small packet trick with several color changes. First, you have four blank cards. Then slowly, one by one, they turn all into the 5 of Spades. Then they all get red backs, and finally they all get blue backs.

1st edition 2025, video 2:46

Four methods of this classic illusion, suitable for close-up, parlour or stage. Both DIY and sleight of hand to suit your needs and desires. Can be done surrounded. No threads, magnets, or hookups. Simple construction. Add the effect of giving life to an inanimate object to your performances for a real crowd-pleaser. Highly recommended for children.

Cover art: House of Horrors, Coney Island, 1961, Diane Arbus

1st edition 2025, video 1:57.

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...

Two chosen cards, seemingly impossible to track, are miraculously found by the magician.

From a shuffled deck, two spectators each select a card. While they look at their card, the magician divides the deck into two piles and turns away from the audience.

Each spectator places their card on top of a pile and thinks of a number between 1 and 10. To lose their card, they move that number of cards from the top to the bottom of their pile. Then, they assemble the deck by placing one pile on the other and may cut as much as they like.

Only now does the magician face the audience again. ...

Four blank cards, shown from both sides, suddenly have big holes cut through their centers.

1st edition 2025, video 4:25.

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. ...

An incredible mentalism effect with cards, totally impromptu and hands-off, in which the illusionist will find the card thought of and scattered within a deck that the spectator himself, cutting in various parts, will shuffle several times, also faces against backs.

This is an incredible effect involving the retrieval of a thought-of card, totally impromptu, practically hands-off (the illusionist will only pick up the deck of cards at the end of the experiment) and therefore always ready for a performance, even if the magician only has a borrowed deck of cards, which may even be incomplete. ...

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.

Performance transcript:

• For this next trick you need two cards.
• Between two cards there's nothing there.
• 3 2 1 discover
• There is an extra ace in the middle of the two ghost cards.
• Two ghost cards.
• OK.
• Continue 3 2 1
• Converted the second a
• These two cards, shake them a little bit.
• You will find these two ghost cards.
• It automatically becomes the other two A's.

1st edition 2025,...

A prediction effect with ESP cards that fits in your pocket.

The performer invites a spectator to take part in a brief experiment in intuition. He removes a small packet of cards from an envelope, holding it face down as he explains that it contains all five E.S.P. symbols.

After confirming that he has no way of knowing the order of the cards, the spectator freely names a number between one and five (inclusive). Let's say he chooses four. The performer counts the cards and removes the one corresponding to that number – let's say it is the Circle. The remaining four cards are clearly...

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

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.

Performance transcript:

• Imagine the deck as a building, with each card representing a floor.
• The Ace of Spades travels from the bottom to the top.
• The Two of Spades goes...

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.

Performance transcript:

• Four Aces.
• The spectator selects a card. ...

This is my control system, which allows you to cleanly push the card into the deck with no visible break, and still maintain control.

The system can control the card to four common positions: the top, the bottom, the second from the top, and the second from the bottom. It can be applied flexibly in many card routines, taking your sleight of hand to the next level. For the detailed controls, please watch the performance video.

1st edition 2025, video 4:11

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.

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

Performance transcript:

• This is a trick for finding four selections.
• Shuffle.
• Have the spectator call stop at any point.
• Remember the stop at card.
• Continue.
• Call stop again anywhere. ...

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

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

Performance transcript:

• Four Aces.
• Spectator picks a black...

The effect is pretty standard, but the sneaky method isn't. Four Aces vanish, and one is located by spelling to it. What's more, the other three magically appear. Standard sleights.

1st edition 2025, video 13:38

From a packet of shuffled Tarot cards, the mentalist divines the first selection, and a century-old photo predicts the second and final selection.

EFFECT: The mentalist recounts the story of a distant relative from the early 20th century who was reputed to possess clairvoyant abilities. All that remains of her is a single photograph and a few handwritten notes that informed his next experiment.

Beforehand, he sends the spectator a cropped portion of the photograph on his Smartphone, requesting that he refrains from opening it until instructed to do so later. Next, he presents ten Tarot...