• • • I• ............... f I were a betting man, I would say this is the trick from this book that most people will end up doing. When someone hands me a deck of cards, this is one of the first routines I perform. It only uses :five cards, the plot is simple to understand, and there are many moments of magic. It can be done formally or informally, and it plays equally as strong. The heart of the routine is Noel Stanton's "Palindrome Cards': but the added phases elevate the effect to a full routine with explanatory and climax phases. 5 If you only have enough time for one trick with a spectator, this is a good option. 5. The handling that mine is based on is Roberto Giobbi's from Card College Vol 3 (1998), p.585. I-Iowever, the creator, Noel Stanton, first published his routine under the title "1-2-3-4-5" in The Gen in 1965. 39
40 Effect The Ace, Two, Three, Four, and Five of a selected suit are placed in order and a game is wagered. You claim that, no matter what happens, the Ace will always be on top. Under more and more impossible conditions, despite the order of the cards being reversed, somehow the Ace is always on top. Method Overview With a series of double, triple, and quadruple lifts, the cards appear to correct themselves. Moves • Spread Cull • Double Lift • Triple Lift • Qµadruple Lift • Bottom Deal • Slipduc Displacement Don't let this list of moves discourage you. The packet of cards is only five cards deep, which makes the moves a piece of cake. Needed • A deck of cards.
Choreography "I'd like to play a simple game that you have no chance of losing. I won't even make you play far money." "What's your favorite suit?" Let's imagine that the spectator names Spades. "Spades. Perfect. " "1his simple game is fairly easy to follow since it only uses jive cards, and I've even put them in order to help you out." Spread the deck between your hands with the faces toward you and place the Ace, Two, Three, Four, and Five of Spades face down on the table. Set the rest of the deck aside as you will not need it for the rest of the routine. The Initial Display Pick up the five cards and arrange them in order, with the Five at the face of the packet. Figure 1, next page. Square the cards and place them face down in the palm of your left hand. "1he only thing you need to remember to win this game, that I've clearly just made up, is that the top card is always the Ace of Spades. J(eep that in the back of your mind, and you'll come out ahead. "So, what's the top card?" 41
42 Pick up the top card with your right hand and clearly show it to be the Ace of Spades. Place this card face down on the table. ''Look at that. You're crushing the game already. "1his, of course, means that the second card is going to be the Two. 1he third is the 1hree. 1he fourth is the Four ... " As you are explaining the order of the packet, flip each respective card face up to show its value, and then place it face down on the tabled Ace of Spades. ~-- and after the Four, we have the ... ?" I like to wait for a response here in order to encourage them really to follow along. If they lose track of the order of the
t:Rrds, then they will not be able to appreciate the effect. If all has gone according to plan, they will say the Five of Spades. '['urn the Five of Spades face up and openly place it face up on top of the face-down pile on the table. Figure 2. ':As long as you know what card is on top of the packet, you cannot lose." Pick up the tabled packet. You now need to reposition the face-down Three of Spades ( third from the top) to the bottom of the five-card packet. Collect the cards and hold them in a spread in both hands. Show the packet to the spectators on your left, and then slowly start turning your body toward the spectators on your right. The larger action of turning the body makes it difficult to follow the smaller motion of the card being 43
44 relocated. To execute the cull, place your left thumb on top of the second card from the top and your right second finger on the face of the Three of Spades. Pull the right fingers to the right as you pull your left thumb to the left. This pulls the Three under the spread. Close up the cards, allowing the Three to slide onto the face of the packet. With only five cards in play, this is a breeze. The First Reversal "Let's begin. My move is first." Openly and slowly turn the Five of Spades face down. Make a point of how fair this is so that the audience doesn't lose track of the card. Figure 3.
' /bat's it. What card is on top?" ( >ne of two things can happen at this point. Either they will •,ay the Five of Spades or the Ace of Spades. The way the script 1s laid out, I'm hoping they forget that the Ace is supposed to I ,c on top. This makes this next phase seem more explanatory. Either way, the actions are the same. If they say Ace of Spades: "Absolutely. The Ace is always on top. I'm glad we aren't playing this fl ,, game or money. Let's assume they say the Five of Spades: ':A.ctually the Ace if Spades is always on top. I thought I was clear, but let me explain this again!" Use your left fourth finger to pull down on the bottom card of the packet to obtain a break under the top four cards. With the help of this break, execute a quadruple turnover, and show the Ace of Spades now to be on top of the packet. To hold a break between the top four cards and the bottom card as you show the Ace of Spades, use the Altman Trap, by using the fleshy base of your left thumb to hold a break between the two packets. 6 Figure 4, next page. This minor adjustment keeps the obvious break of holding the packets separate from being out and in the open. After showing the card to the audience, turn the quadruple face down and deal the top card face down to the table. 6. Art Altmads move was published in Advanced Fingertip Control (1970) by Ed Marlo,p.147. -------- 45
46 Using a pinky count, obtain a break underneath the top two cards. Perform a double lift, showing the next card to be a Two of Spades. Flip it face down and deal the top card on top of the card already face down on the table. Direct your attention to someone on your left, and in the action of gesturing to them with the left hand, perform a bottom deal so that the right hand will now be holding the Three of Spades. Since there are only three cards in play, there is no real technique here. Pinch the three cards with the right hand, thumb on top and :fingers below. Push the top two cards to the left and grip them with the left hand, leaving behind the bottom card. ':After the Two of Spades is the ... ?" Wait for them to answer and reveal the Three of Spades. Place it face down on top of the tabled packet.
I he audience believes the next card to be the Four of Spades. I 11 reality it is the Two of Spades, which you deal onto the pile without showing its face. ''/Ind if this is the Four of Spades, the card after the Four is ... ?" · I he right hand should now be holding on to the Ace of Spades. 'lh e audience should believe this is the Five of Spades. As you wait for them to answer your question, slowly begin to move the card so that it is over the tabled packet, but keep the card in your hand. Figure 5. 47
48 If the question is delivered correctly, the audience almost always names the Five of Spades. Point out the location of the card in your hand. '1sn't this card on top?" Slowly turn over the card at your right fingertips to reveal the Ace of Spades. Figure 6. This goes face up in the left hand. Then turn over the top card of the tabled packet and reveal it to be the Two of Spades. This goes face up in the left hand also, followed by the Three, the Four, and the Five. Figure 7. Don't rush through this sequence. A lot of magic happens in a very short amount of time.
A Pseudo Explanation "To be honest, this isn't a game at all It's a con. These cards are smart enough to always correct themselves. If they are ever out of order, they have the ability to find their way home. Let me show you. " Pick up the packet and place it face do\vn in your left hand. Show the top card, the Ace of Spades. While you show it, secretly get a fourth-finger break below the next card, the Two of Spades. This is in preparation for the Tilt move. 7 7. "Tilt" was first published by Ed Marlo in his booklet Tilt! (1962). In the foreword, Marlo stated that while establishing credits for his notes he had heard (through Neal Elias) that Vernon independently invented the move a few months before he did. Vernon would later publish his original handling in The Pallbearers Review: Close Up Folio# 10 (1977). 49
50 ''If the Ace of Spades is placed anywhere else in the pack, and you wait far just a second, the Ace will always return where it belongs." Place the Ace of Spades into the break at the back of the packet, positioning the Ace of Spades second from the top. Figure 8. Since there are only five cards in the packet, the Tilt might seem like overkill, but I like this more than just openly placing it second from the top. Now that the audience believes the Ace of Spades to be lost somewhere in the packet, perform a double turnover and show that the Ace has risen to the top. Figure 9. Hold a break underneath the double to avoid having to establish the break again later on. "Now that you know what you're looking/or, watch as closely as you can."
Since you already have the break, this phase is particularly clean. Turn the double face down on top of the packet and openly place the top card, which is supposedly the Ace (really the Two), third from the top. Figure 10. Wait for a second. Tum the top card face 51
up and reveal it to be the Ace of Spades. You are demonstrating again, without saying anything, that the Ace always returns to the top. Take the Ace and place it face up on the table. Figure 11. '1 always get accused of having more than one Ace of Spades. So I'll show you that this also works with the Two of Spades. " Perform a double lift, turning the top two cards over in the left hand, displaying the Two of Spades. Figure 12. Turn the double face down, and push off the top card. Fan out the rest of the packet and openly place the single card onto the bottom of the packet. Square everything up and slowly turn over the top card, displaying that the Two of Spades has risen to the top. Deal it face up onto the Ace on the table. Figure 13. 52 -
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54 Everything, All at Once8 "I know the problem. You probably think I have more than jive cards. Just for you, I'll do this face up. That way you can see it happen for yourself" Pull down on the bottom card with the left fourth finger to obtain a break above it. Figure 14. With your palm-down right hand, place your right thumb into the break. As your right hand turns the upper two cards over end-for-end, Figure 15, your left hand turns the card under the break over side-forside. Figure 16. Place the two cards in your right hand on top of the single card still in your left hand. This places the Three, Four, and Five back into the correct order. 8. This phase evolved to its current state over a number of years performing this routine. I later found out Chad Long had an unpublished effect called "Out Of Order." It is similar in plot, but different in handling.
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56 Pick up the two cards on the table and place them on the bottom of the packet in your hand. Figure 17. "7his is done with five cards, and only five cards. Since they're face up, we can mix those cards up so none of them are where they should b ,, e. This sequence will sound confusing in print, but in performance it only takes a second. The goal is to mix up the five-card packet convincingly, while also setting up for the final revelation. The cards are face up in your left hand, in order, Ace through Five, with the Five on the face of the packet. The right hand picks up the packet and slightly fans the cards. The left thumb pulls the cards into the left hand one at a time.
'lhey should end in the following order from the face to the hack of the packet: • Three of Spades • Five of Spades • Four of Spades • Ace of Spades • Two of Spades Since this process is over very quickly, after having taken the cards in the left hand, I like to pull the cards haphazardly one at a time back into the right hand without actually changing the order. This further convinces the audience that the cards are mixed. Figure 18. 57
58 ''ff these cards were going to correct themselves, then several things would have to happen. 1hat Ace would have to move all the way to the top of the packet, since that's the only rule. 1he Two would have to move up three spaces to be below the Ace. 1he 1hree would have to shift down two spaces to be directly in the middle. 1he Four would have to shift down one position, and the Five would have to move all the way to the bottom. Everything has to happen, but all at once." This may seem long winded, but deliberately describing the movements of the various cards really sells the impressiveness of the effect when they go back in order simultaneously. The left hand apparently takes the bottom three cards of the fan, leaving the top two in the right, the hands moving apart as the cards are displayed, front and back. In reality, you pull the Five onto the Two and the Ace with your left thumb, while your right middle and ring fingers pull the Four underneath the Three in the right hand, switching the positions of the Five and the Four. This is Howard Lyon's Slipduc displacement move.9 Figure 19. Place the cards back together, bringing the cards into the following order from the face to the back. • Three of Spades • FourofSpades • Five of Spades • Ace of Spades • Two of Spades 9. See Ibidem #9 (1957).
At this point, you are locked and loaded for the finale. Palm Ending If you look at the position you're in, you'll notice that cutting the bottom two cards to the top of the packet will not only put the Ace on top, which is the whole point of this routine, but it'll also put the entire packet into order again. You're about to create an extremely visual change of the packet going back into order in front of their eyes. This is a startling moment, but it requires a beat of misdirection. Using a side steal, palm the Ace and Two of Spades into righthand classic palm from the bottom of the packet. As you wave your hand over the packet, drop the two cards onto the face. 59
60 The Three will look like it instantly changes to the Ace. I find that this ending works best in front of a small number of spectators where you can easily determine the exact focus of their attention. When in front of a bigger audience, I like to change the moment. This is when I default to the No-Palm Ending: No-Palm Ending Sometimes, the best way to hide a move is to perform it out in the open. "1he only thing I have to do is reach into the center of the pack and take one card, the Ace of Spades. 1he second it goes back on top, that's when everything changes." Riffle up on the back of the packet, and obtain a break above the bottom two cards of the packet. With your right hand, pretend to reach into the center of the packet. In reality, pinch the bottom two cards together with the thumb on bottom and the index finger on top. Pull the double backward for half of the card's length. Figure 20. Pull it out completely and place in on top of the packet, but still backjogged. Figure 21. This is a great moment because the more directly you highlight this moment, the more clearly the audience will remember the Three directly beneath the Ace. Of course, this is not the case - the cards are in order.
61
62 Slowly push the double forward until it's completely aligned. The rest is just show business. One at a time, count the cards from the face into the right hand, showing the cards to have returned themselves back into order. Figures 22-23.
63
•••••••••••••• 've always liked the classic "magnetic coins" sequence, wherein the magician essentially uses acting to make it appear as if coins can be made to be magnetic, sticking to each other, flipping over and repelling.10 I first sa,.v this sequence from a great coin man named Patrick O'Gorman at Magic, Etc in Fort Worth, Texas. While mesmerizing, to me, it lacked a real moment of magic and a clear ending. 10. Shoot Ogawa later released a DVD on applications to this idea called Laws qf Attraction, which used everyday objects. The Basic lvfagnetic Coin Move is also described in Bamboozlers (2008) by Diai:nond Jim Tyler under the name "Magnetic Coins". 65
66 To create that missing ending, I've added a genuine moment of magic that can't be explained by pantomime. It requires a gimmick, but it lies in wait for so long, no one suspects its presence. Plus, I feel devious knowing how ahead of things I am, and how desperately far behind the audience truly is. It plays as a bit tongue in cheek up until the very end, when the magic sneaks up and genuinely surprises the audience. Effect Two coins become magnetic, attracting and repelling each other in several different ways, culminating in one coin shooting invisibly from one hand to the other. Method Overview This routine is built around a pantomime sequence with two coins that creates the illusion that the coins are magnetic. As I played around with the sequence, I found that adding a shell to one of the coins doesn't change the sound produced by the coins hitting each other. ( One of the drawbacks of a shell is how it sounds when hit by another coin, so, for an effect built around sound, the ability to have a shell in play from the beginning opens up a world of possibilities.) The addition of a gimmick does require more care and additional handling to keep it hidden, but I believe it genuinely magnifies the strength of the routine. And while one might be tempted to add more sequences that take advantage of the shell, I think using it sparingly and right at the end maximizes the impact.
Needed yf wo silver half dollar coins and a matching expanded shell. (I find that dollar coins tend to be too big for the pantomime sequence to be convincing and I prefer the sound that silver coins make when the coins snap together.) The explanation will assume your shell shows the head side of the coin. Moves • Basic Magnetic Coin Sequence • Ramsay Subtlety The Basic Magnetic Coins Sequence I recommend learning the basic sequence without the shell, then adding it back when you're comfortable with the handling. Hold a half dollar in each hand between the thumb and index finger, holding the left hand's coin firmly and the right hand's coin in a fairly loose grip. Figure 1, next page. The clicking sound that creates the illusion the coins are magnetic happens in three distinct beats. Bring your hands together, resting the right edge of the left hand's coin on the right index fingernail, and the left edge of the right hand's coin on the left thumbnail. Figure 2, next page. The left hand's coin is farther from your body. 67
68 Push your right hand forward until just the edge of left hand's coin slides off your right index .fingernail and clicks against the face of the right hand's coin. Figure 3. Continue pushing your right hand forward until the left edge of the right hand's coin slides off your left thumbnail and clicks against the rear of the left hand's coin. Figure 4. These two clicks create the illusion of the coins sticking together. Holding the right-hand coin lightly, begin to pull it toward you, allowing the edge of the coin to catch underneath the tip of your left thumb, which still holds its coin firmly. Figure 5.
Continue pulling the coin back with your right hand until it snaps away from the left thumb. To enhance the illusion, make sure the left thumb remains hidden behind the left coin. When the coin snaps away there won't be a click, but it should still snap back, creating the final moment of magnetic attraction. When done at a fluid and consistent pace, the illusion is nearly perfect. Adding The Shell Once you are comfortable with this sequence, add the shell to the front of the left hand's coin. The handling remains the same 69
70 because the clicks come from the coins contacting each other, not the shell. Also the tin-like noise associated with a shell is avoided due to the firm grip of the left hand. This is the sequence at the heart of the routine. Setup Begin with the coins in your right pocket, the shell nested over the coin on the outside. Choreography Take the coins from your pocket and hold them in your curled right hand, shell against the fingers. As you dump both coins into your left hand, hold back the shell in right-hand finger palm. Figure 6 is exposed for clarity.
I land out the coins to be examined. Nothing has happened as of yet, so no attention will be paid to your right hand. Retrieve one of the coins and take it into your right hand, the side of the coin matching the shell closest to your fingers. As you reach for the other coin with your left hand, use the 1noment of misdirection to nest the right-hand coin into the shell. Move both coins to your right :fingertips, spread upward, the shelled coin on top with the shell away from you. Both coins should have the same side facing you. Figure 7. "It's amazing what a little heat and friction will do to these old silver coins. It's rather hard to explain, so let me just show you." 71
72 Holding the coins with your thumb on back and first and second :fingers on the front, rub them together in a circular motion. Do it slowly at first, and then increase in speed over the course of 5-10 seconds. This is the aforementioned friction. Take the shelled coin with the left hand, and then close each coin into a fist. Exhale into both hands. This is the aforementioned heat. While it has nothing to do with the method, these actions provide a source for the effect, shifting it from a neat trick into a piece of magic. The First Attraction Shift the coins in each hand into position for the basic magnetic coin sequence, but keep the hands a few inches apart. Slowly bring the hands together, acting as if you feel something between the coins. "Ahh. Yes. I think it worked peifectly. " Perform the magnetic coin sequence 2-4 times to demonstrate the coins have become magnetized. It's tempting do this sequence many, many times, but I find it important not to over prove your claim. You just want to convince the audience, then move on.
The First Repel "'Ibey don't just attract each other with the strength of a rare earth 111 agnet, but they repel much the same." In a moment the underside of the shelled coin will be briefly exposed. Attention will be on the other coin, but the more coverage the shell provides, the less of a chance the spectator will notice the gimmick. Without flipping it over, take the left hand's coin, shell side down, onto the left fingers, holding the hand palm up. Clip the coin between your first and fourth fingers, raising your index finger up past the edge of the coin. This hides the edge of the shell and reduces attention on the coin. Figure 8. 73
74 As your left hand moves its coin into position, openly flip the right hand's coin over so that the tail side faces the spectator, holding it between the tips of the thumb and first two fingers. Turn the right hand palm up so the coins are parallel, and then begin to move it toward the coin in the left hand. Figure 9. The left hand's coin is tail side up while the right-hand coin has its head side pointed upward. Move the right hand closer to the left hand. When the coins are roughly two inches away from each other, apply pressure to the edge of the right hand's coin with your right thumb. This causes the far edge of the coin to begin lifting upward. Figure 10. If done at the right speed, it appears as if the coins are repelling each other. As you move the hands apart, release the pressure and allow the coin to flatten out again. Repeat this a couple of times to establish the illusion.
On the last approach, move your right thumb out of the way and allow the right hand coin to tip over your first and second fingers and onto the shelled coin in your left hand. Figure 11. It should appear as if the coin flipped over and was attracted to the lower coin. Clamp the coins together firmly and bring them up to chest height with the head sides of both coins toward the spectators. Apply pressure with both thumbs on the rear of the coins with the fingers on the front, and then pull the coins apart, acting as if it takes some effort to separate them. The Visual Bounceback Momentarily lower the hands palm up, displaying one coin, head side up, on the fingers of each hand, the right hand holding 75
76 the nested coin shell side up. Using the left thumb, lift up the back edge of the left-hand coin and push it to the fingertips to display it, head side out. As you display the left coin, use this moment of misdirection to use the right thumb to lift the back edge of the shell off the right hand's coin, and then push it to the fingertips to display it in the same way, retaining the real coin in right finger palm. Figure 12 is exposed for clarity. Perform the basic magnetic coin sequence, but with a softer touch. Since the shell is empty and in the right hand instead of the left, a harder snap will make a hollow tin-like sound. You do not want this. Once the coins appear to have stuck together, grip both with your right hand as you turn the hand palm down. Since there is a coin finger palmed in your right fingers, take
advantage of the Ramsay Subtlety to show the hand empty as the coins are being regripped.11 Figure 13 is exposed for clarity. Rotate your left hand clockwise and grip the real coin at the fingertips, thumb on top and fingers belo,v. Once it has gripped the coin, turn the left hand back toward you and rotate your right hand away, pivoting the real coin around the shell so that the tail side faces outward and is in position to slide inside the shell. The left hand grips both the coin and the shell, the back of the hand facing outward, the real coin closer to the body and on top, held in place with the left thumb. Figure 14 is exposed for clarity. 11. Ramsay Finger Palm, The Ramsay Legend(1969), p.3. 77
78 Both the visible coin and the one hidden in right finger palm should have the tail side facing the spectator. The orientation of the two coins is important because when one of them appears to jump from hand to hand, the same side of the coin will be visible both before and after it travels. Move the hands roughly a foot apart from each other. As you look up at the spectator to draw their attention away from the coins, both hands begin to rotate palm down. Pull the coin into the shell with your left thumb, while the right hand thumb pushes its finger palmed coin into view. Figure 15. When done properly, the coin should appear as if it has been repelled from one hand to the other. This will take some time in the mirror to get perfect, but the illusion it creates is striking.
Shake Off Because of the orientation of the shelled coin, you are in a position to repeat the basic magnetic coins sequence you performed at the beginning of the routine. Turn the right-hand coin over, so the head sides of both coins face the audience. Perform the magnetic sequence one or two times, and then stop when the coins appear to have stuck together. Without visibly moving the left thumb, shift just the tip so that it can clamp down on the left edge of the right-hand coin, and then let go with the right hand. Give the left hand a little shake, acting as if the coins have somehow become even more attracted to each other. As you shake the coins you should hear them clinking together. Do this a few times to ensure the effect registers. Figure 16, next page. This is a quick moment, but a convincing one. 79
80 Through-the-Hand Cleanup Turn the right hand palm down and hold it in a relaxed manner, similar to the way it would appear when a coin is classic palmed, which will shortly be the case. Figure 17. The coins should still appear to be connected in the left hand. Without letting go of it, place the edge of the unshelled coin onto the back of your right hand. Apply pressure with your left :fingers, and then allow the left thumb to move out of the way, snapping the coin against the back of the right hand. With your left second :finger, push against the coin on your right hand as the thumb and :first :finger move the shelled coin away. Since the coins are supposed to be magnetic, this should appear as if it's taking some effort to separate the coins.
"1his magnetism is even strong enough to attract through flesh and bone." With the left hand, openly press the shelled coin into righthand classic palm, shell against the skin. As you grip the coin in classic palm, work a bit of flesh at the thumb base and on the opposite side over the edge of the shell, which will prevent the coin from falling. You may have to experiment to find the right spot on your palm to place the shelled coin that will allow you to retain the nested coin without unnaturally contorting your hand. Keep your right hand as flat as you can, holding it just below the spectator's eye level. Your right thumb is hidden behind the hand, where the tension used to palm the shelled coin can't be seen. Figure 18, next page. 81
82 Use your left hand to tip up the near edge of the coin slowly on the back of the right hand until its surface faces the audience, keeping the edge of the coin in contact with the hand. Lift the coin and, as soon as it no longer touches the back of the right hand, allow the shelled coin to fall onto the table, making sure the shell stays in classic palm. Figure 19. "If you wait for these to cool off, they should go back to normal " You still have the shell in right-hand classic palm, but since only two coins have been visible the entire routine, and both are apparently on the table, there will be no heat on your hands. As they examine the coins either casually place the shell into your right pocket or wait until you take the coins back and load the shell back onto one of them. This resets the effect for your next performance.
• ' •••••• •••••••• c) he Walton/Freeman Time Machine plot is a thoughtprovoking effect.12 When talking to magicians about it, I found it to be a very polarizing trick: they either love it or hate it. When I first encountered it, I fell somewhere in the middle. I enjoyed the simple premise, but there were a few clements I wanted to change. I was never keen on obtaining a double from the center of the deck, as it felt like the sleight happened when the audience's attention was focused on my hands. This version has multiple reveals that hit with increasing strength, and it hides the techniques under more natural motivations. 12. "Back into Time", 1he Pallbearers Review (1970), Vol. 5, No.11, p.363; "The Time Machine", Card College Vol. 3 (1998), p.588. ------ - - - 85
86 This isn't a routine I do in formal performances, but it is one of my favorite effects to do casually or in a walk-around environment. It's not an easy routine, but it's not brutally difficult either. With just a little practice, it should be within reach of most magicians. Effect The Ace of Spades lies face up on top of the deck. The spectator selects a random card from the middle, which you outjog and display, noting the the bottom card as well. You explain that this is the moment the audience will be returning to. You push the outjogged card flush, lose the Ace of Spades into the middle of the deck, and then lose the bottom card into the middle as well. Holding the deck in left-hand dealing grip, one card slowly starts emerging from the middle, which you say represents the deck moving back in time. Once it stops, you turn over the top card to reveal the Ace of Spades is back, and then turn over the deck to display the outjogged card is the selection and the bottom card has returned. Method Overview A double turnover and a glide keep the top and bottom cards in place, while a crimp gains you access to the selection in a squared deck, while also setting you up to use the Ambitious Riser as a way to represent moving backward in time.
Moves • Double Turnover • Glide • Ambitious Riser • Gambler's Cop Choreography Openly run through the face-up pack and look for the Ace of Spades, and then cut it to second from the top of the deck. ·rurn the pack face down in left-hand dealer's grip and you are ready to begin. "In every single pack of cards, there is one card that has the power to control all of time and space ... as long as it's limited to the time and space within the pack of cards itselj I know that sounds ridiculous, but that card is the Ace of Spades. " Perform a double turnover and let it land flush with the pack. The audience should think that when you looked through the cards and cut the deck, you were simply finding the Ace of Spades and cutting it to the top. The Selection Process 'Tn order for you to see just how this works, besides the Ace, we'll need one more card. " Being careful not to flash the face-up card underneath the Ace of Spades, spread the cards and ask the spectator to touch a card. After they have touched one, use the tips of your right 87
88 fingers to apply a downward dog ear crimp to the inner right corner as you upjog it from the spread. Figure 1. Taking the top half of the spread, including the selection, turn your right hand palm down to display the identity of the outjogged card ( the Five of Hearts here). Figure 2. Your right fingers prevent the crimp from being seen. Return the top half to the left hand and square the cards, leaving the selection outjogged for about half its length. Figure 3. Setting Up The Anchor '1 want you to remember this moment right here. The moment when the Ace of Spades is on top of the pack, and the Five of Hearts is sticking out from the front."