Early books on magic, such as Modern Magic and Illustrated Magic (1931) stressed mastering the pass as fundamentally necessary to every card handler. As time went on, easier sleights such as the double cut to the break replaced it, rendering it anachronistic. Times change. Recently, a friend was asked to comment on one of today's card experts. Her reply, "Too much shuffling." Modern audiences often don't know what happened, but they sense when it happened (He did something tricky) because of excessive cutting and shuffling. Attention spans are shorter now so effects must take up less time in order to not become tedious. There must be the element of surprise. Nate Leipzig distained using fans, flourishes or extensive shuffles. His effects were miracles, in part, because he didn't seem to do anything. The turnover pass consists of a natural, unsuspicious action that covers the subtle bringing of a selected card from the middle of the pack to the top without seeming to disturb the order. From there the trick can go in any direction. This will take some time to learn but is well worth the investment. By mastering this your card effects should be elevated to a higher class of entertainment. Audiences will be thinking, "How can this be possible?" Sometimes the old things are the best things and for good reason.
[Cover photo credit: Patricia Ireland]
1st edition 2025, video 1:51.
