"Outs" Precautions and Challenges
by Charles H. Hopkins

This is truly a hidden gem - a lost treasure. Very few know of its existence and you will encounter almost no references to it. When you read this you will ask yourself: "Why isn't this work known by every cardician?" Some of those who have read it value it as much as they value Erdnase. Others would not trade all card books published in the last 10 years for it.

It is an immensely practical work dealing with situations when something goes wrong, or you face difficult spectators. You'll never again be afraid to try out a new trick, even if they literally see what you do, even if they really catch you, you can finish successfully, entertainingly, and leave them baffled.

It is divided into three parts

• Outs - what to do when things go wrong
• Precautions - avoiding disasters by forethought
• Challenges - dealing with spectators that challenge you

This is a resource every magician, beginner or advanced, pro or amateur, skilled or unskilled, can use to his advantage. On the surface it deals with card magic, but many of the ideas and a lot of the information contained does apply across the spectrum of magic from close-up to stage.

1st edition 1940; original 80 pages; PDF 57 pages.

4. PREFACE...
5. Contents
8. Introduction
8. - When Asked To Do The Impossible
8. - School Yourself For All Emergencies
9. - Experience Still the Best Teacher

   PART I: "OUTS"

10. Chapter 1 - Facing The Music
10. Whose Fault When Things Go Wrong?
11. The Psychology of Failure
11. Use of "Sucker Gag" Technique

12. Chapter 2 - Organizing For Victory
12. Secret And Open Outs
13. When Error Is Still Under Cover
13. 1 - Card correctly identified, but slips out of control.
13. 2 - Identification correct, but placement for climax is wrong.
14. When Error May Be Visible
14. 3 - Incorrect identification of selected card.
14. 4 - Card lost before identification.
14. 5 - The selector forgets what his card was.
15. Either You Know You Are Wrong - Or Else . . .

15. Chapter 3 - Information-Getting Subtleties
15. This Time You MUST Be Right
16. Attitudes That Get Co-operation
16. 6 - When they refuse to tell.
16. 7 - For the extreme "hold out."
17. 8 - Use a thumb writer.
18. 9 - Impression methods.
18. 10 - Pencil reading.
18. 11 - Friendly mirrors.
18. 12 - To meet an absolute refusal to tell.

19. Chapter 4 - Some Handy Sleights
19. Old Ideas Brought Up To Date; Also, A Few New Ones
19. 13 - The "Top Peek."
20. 14 - Fan Crimp.
21. 15 - The "Deck Crimp."
21. 16 - The "Crimp" as a Locator.
21. 17 - Fan jog.
22. 18 - The quarter-bridge.
23. 19 - Gambler's Bridge.
23. 20 - The "Change" Throw.
25. Other Useful Standard Sleights.

26. Chapter 5 - "Outs" To The Rescue
26. Fit The Weapon To The Needs
26. Getting Down To Brass Tacks ... And The Selected Card
27. Quick Switches And Other Fast Closers
27. 21 - Just a gag.
27. 22 - Out-in-the-open changes.
28. 23 - Forced replacement of wrong card.
28. 24 - Using "locators" for "outs."
28. Methods For Counting And Spelling Effects
28. 25 - The "Pilot Card."
29. 26 - New start from wrong turn-up.
30. 27 - The "220 Count" as an "out."
30. "Outs" Productions From Pockets And Other Places
31. 28 - In performer's pocket.
31. 29 - Pocket index.
32. 30 - Card in wallet.
32. 31 - Use of spectators for "outs."
32. 32 - The "Eveready Life Saver."
33. Apparatus Alibis
33. 33 - When force is missed.
34. First Aid For Feeble Memories
34. 34 - Confusion as to suits and values.
34. 35 - Spectator's mind a complete blank.

    PART II: CHALLENGES

36. Chapter 6 - Taking On All Comers
36. "Outs" Compared With Challenges
37. A Word of Caution

37. Chapter 7 - Before Card Gets Lost In Shuffle
37. Try To Keep As Much Control As Possible
38. 36 - Controlled returns.
38. 37 - Use of "Locators."
38. 38 - The "Gimmicked Cut."
39. 39 - The "Cut Break."
40. 40 - Estimating the cut.
40. 41 - The "Cut Force."
41. Astonishing Simplicity
41. 42 - "Blindman's 'Bluff'."
43. 43 - The "220 Count."
44. 44 - Pre-Arrangements.

44. Chapter 8 - When They "Give You The Works"
44. How "Plenty of Rein" Trips Them
45. 45 - Look for informal "readers."
45. 46 - Scrapes and nicks.
46. 47 - Daubs.
47. The Magician's Little Helpers
47. 48 - Secret reflectors.
48. 49 - Wide and narrow decks.
48. 50 - The indexed pocket deck again.

48. Chapter 9 - Bordering On The Mental
49. When Information-Getting Becomes Ticklish
49. They Commit Themselves In Writing
49. 51 - Pencil reading.
50. 52 - Billet switching.
50. 53 - Billet index.
51. 54 - Pad impressions.
51. 55 - Trick notebooks.
51. 56 - A "Case of Hambuggery."
51. A Prophet In His Own Land
52. 57 - Thumb writers.
52. Special Decks On Taps
52. 58 - "Brain Wave Deck."
53. 59 - "New Era Instanto Deck."

53. Chapter 10 - Trickery Conquers All
53. What Makes Audiences Get That Way
54. Circumstances That Lead Up To Challenges
54. Specific Handling of Various Situations
55. The Heckler ... Ding Bust His Buttons!
55. For The Intelligent Analyst Type
56. Troubles Arising Out Of Pure Friendship
56. More To Come? ... Well, Maybe!