Asi Wind - Repertoire

Over time, the feke and the choreography of the switch were refined, and I realized that this switching device was not just useful for my beloved routine, but it could be adapted to many other routines. In the endnotes I will share some of the ideas I have come up with and they might ignite more ideas once you are familiar with the gimmicked book. The basic plot is that a spectator chooses one of several books. The spectator tears a chosen page from the book, and the magician sets the page on fire. The page then miraculously reappears in the book, reattached to the spine. PREPARATION: You will need to make a switcher device, which is essentially a book shell with an opening along the fore-edge so that you can hide another book inside itthink of a slipcase that looks like a hardcover book (pic. 1). To construct one, obtain a hardcover book, either from a used bookstore or from your personal library (preferably a book you don't particularly like). It should have a dull cover with subdued colors and, if possible, a boring title (you'll see why in a minute). Remove the dust jacket. You will need to detach the pages from the cover. The pages are generally attached to the spine of the book by the first and last pages. With most books, all you need to do is use an X-Acto knife to slice along the hinge (the inner edge) of the first and last pages (pic. 2), and you will be able to separate the pages from the cover (pic. 3). Measure the width and thickness of the pages you just removed- let's say that they are six inches wide and one inch thick. Get a piece of thick white foam board (I recommend half an inch thick), and cut two strips that match the dimensions of the pages; in our example, they would be six inches long and one inch wide. Open the detached cover of the book and lay it flat on the table, with the inside facing up. On the right (back) board, glue one of the strips along the outer edge and the second strip along the inner edge (heavy-duty double-stick tape can be used instead of 8 8 torn, marked, stabbed, crumpled, burned & restored page

strong glue) (pic. 4). Apply glue (or double-stick tape) to the tops of the strips and close the left board on top, so that the strips are glued between the boards of the book cover. Place a heavy object on top of the book to apply pressure while the glue cures. The white strips will look like pages when viewed from the ends. From here on I will refer to this device as the switcher. Trim the dust jacket and glue it onto the switcher. You also need to obtain two identical paperback books, preferably with no pictures or illustrations, such as a novel. The covers of these books should be colorful with an interesting title (maybe a well-known bestseller), but more importantly, these books need to be close in size to the switcher but small enough that you can insert one inside the switcher and have it completely concealed. Open one of them to a page somewhere in the middle (let's assume it's page 70). With a toothpick, poke a hole in one of the words in the middle of the page, and with a clickable red marker, write its page number as big as possible on the page. (Instead of repertoire 89

writing the page number, if you can find out the name of the spectator you are going to invite onstage, write his initials instead. This will add more credibility to the restoration of the page.) For a finishing touch, crumple that page. Although it's not mandatory, I like to burn the edges of this page. You have to burn the edges a little bit at a time, as follows. With a lighter, set part of an edge on fire and immediately close the book to extinguish the flame; repeat this process until you have burned around all three edges of the page. I will refer to this book as Book A from now on. Open the other book to the same page (70 in our example) and poke the same word with a toothpick, but don't poke it all the way through-puncture it just enough so that it will only be apparent to you. Attach a small paper clip to the outer edge of the page, near the bottom. I will refer to this one as Book B. You also need a third, random book of similar size to the switcher, although it does not need to be able to fit inside it. I will call it Book X. When you display the switcher with Books B and X, the three. of them will be relatively similar in size. However, like the switcher, Book X should have a dull cover and a boring title, so that the two of them contrast with Book B-this will be helpful when you try to force that book. You will need to print some random text onto a sheet of flash paper, so that it looks like a page from a book. (Printing on flash paper is extremely dangerous, as is igniting it in performance. Use it at your own risk. I accept no responsibility for accidents that may come from your use of it.) The flash paper should be approximately six to eight inches square. You can use text from a Word document, or scan a page from a book, or use another source. Once you ·have the text ready to print, use Scotch tape to attach the top edge of a full sheet of flash paper onto a sheet of heavy card stock. Place it in an ink jet printer (do not use a laser printer), oriented such that the taped edge goes in first, to prevent jamming. Also make sure it is oriented such that the printing ends up on the flash paper and not on the card stock. Print the text. Detach the printed flash paper from the sheet and remove the tape from it (cut it off if you have to). Cut the flash paper into quarters (approximately three or four inches square each)-you will only need one of these quarters for each performance. With the red marker, scribble a big number on the flash paper (as you did in Book A) and crumple it into a ball. Place Book A inside the switcher. Stack Book B on top of the switcher (make sure Books A and Bare oriented the same way in the stack). Put Book X on top of Book B. Place these books into your performing ease-l use an attache case opened with the back toward the audience-and make sure that the switcher's open fore-edge is pointed away from , the audience. Place the crumpled flash paper into your left front trousers pocket. Put a few toothpicks and a lighter in your right front trousers pocket (make sure the lighter works). Put the marker in your inside left jacket pocket (or any other unused pocket). 90 torn, marked, stabbed, crumpled, burned & restored page

PERFORMANCE: Invite a spectator to join you onstage. Position him to your right. To your left is your case, and in between you and the spectator is a small table. Remove the stack of three books from your case, making sure to hold the books in such way that the spectator can't see the opening of the switcher. Display the books one at a time, and make some appropriate remarks about each that suit your presentation. You are going to force Book B, using a simple equivoque, as follows. Hold the books in your hands, fanned out like a giant deck of cards. Ask him to place a hand on one of the books. If he puts his hand on Book B, this is the best scenario. It is als~ the most likely, since the book has the most appealing cover design and title; also, middle books get chosen more often (I'm not sure why). Say, "You have selected this one. Great." Set the other two onto the table. However, if the spectator places his hand on either Book X or the switcher, instruct him to set his other hand on another book. This will play out in one of two ways. 1. If the second book he goes for is not Book B, as soon as you see that he is going to lay his hand on the second (non-force) book, say, "Great, so we will take those and set them aside." This leaves you with Book B, and you are ready to roll. 2. If the second book he touches is Book B, set aside the third (unchosen) book and ask him to lift his hand off one the two remaining books. If he removes his hand from Book B, say, "Okay, that's excellent," and continue as if he chose Book B, setting aside the other. If he lifts his hapd off the other book, say, "Okay, you let go of this one. Great, that leaves us with [Book B]." No matter which scenario takes place, you should end with the switcher on the table (with the opening facing away from the audience, of course) and Book X on top of it. Hold the chosen (forced) book by the spine with your left hand, the back cover toward the spectator on your right, the front cover facing you, and the fore-edge pointed upstage. With your right hand, cover the paper clip as you tell your spectator, '1 want you to choose a random page, so as I flip through the pages, please call out stop." With your right fingers at the spot where the paper clip is attached, riffle through the pages. Utilizing a timing force, you can make it look as if the spectator stopped you on the paper-clipped page. With experience, you will be able to notice micro-signals that indicate he is about to say stop, things such as a parting of the lips or an adjustment in his posture. Anticipate when your spectator is going to stop you, and accordingly control how fast or slow you flip through the pages-going slowly at first and speeding up as you notice he is about to call out stop. You can feel the paper clip with your fingers and stop directly on that page. Cover the paper clip with your right fingers as you open to the page where he has apparently stopped you. Ask him to say the page number out loud- to prevent him from calling out the opposite page number, cover that page number with your left hand, repertoire 91

forcing him to call the only page number that's visible. Say, ((Oh, you prefer page seventy? That's fine." This implies that he made a choice about which page number to call out. Secretly slip the paper clip off the page, and retain it in finger palm as you let the forced page loose. Ask him to carefully tear out that page from the book. After he has done so, with your right hand, retrieve the red marker from your pocket, secretly leaving the paper clip behind. Take the torn page from the spectator and place it on top of the book so you have a surface to write on. Write the page number (or the spectator's initials) onto the torn page in the same orientation and style as you did with Book A, and display the writing to the audience (bur not for too long so that they won't be able to detect inconsistencies between the writings later on). Direct your spectator to hold the torn page horizontally by its ends (as if holding a tray). Remove a toothpick and hold it on one end, several inches above the page, pointed down. Move the toothpick around in a random pattern over the page, and ask the spectator to say stop. Again, using a timing force, time it so that when he calls out stop you are above the vicinity of the pre-stabbed word. Since the toothpick is some distance above the page you have a chance to subtly adjust the position of the toothpick as you move it down toward the page and push it through the pre-poked hole. ((We can both see the toothpick going through a word on this side of the page, but the other side is concealed .from both us, so please turn the page over and if it's going through a word, remember that word. If not, look at and remember the nearest word to it. "As he is looking for the word, walk away from him and hand the book to a spectator in the audience, saying, ((Please make sure that page seventy is the only page missing. " Confirm that your spectator onstage has committed the word to memory. Instruct him to remove the toothpick from the page and place it onto the table, and to crumple the page into a small ball. Retrieve the book from the audience member by taking it into your right hand at the fore-edge. Walk back and face the spectator on your right, with your case behind you. Use your left hand to pick up the other two books (Book X on top of the switcher) and hold them at waist level by the spines, the fore-edges tilted up slightly, the covers toward the audience. ((You could have chosen any of these books .. . " Extend your right hand with Book B toward the spectator (pic. 5) as you continue, (( ... and you ended up picking this one." Withdraw Book B back to waist level, casually placing the book under the two books in your left hand (pic. 6); your left fingers clamp onto the book, and without pausing, you turn around to your left toward the case, simultaneously tilting the books down, so the covers are facing the audience and the fore-edges are facing down, which will cause Book A to slide into your right hand (pic. 7). Your left hand will continue the action 'of placing the three books (supposedly two) into your case without exposing Book B at the back or the opening of the switcher, while your right hand stays behind (holding book A) at waist level. Think of this switch as being similar to a top change done with books, but from the bottom of the stack, rather than from the top. 9 2 torn, marked, stabbed, crumpled, burned & restored page

Hand Book A to the spectator as you pick up the toothpick. Place it into your left pocket, and retrieve the flash paper ball, retaining it in finger palm. With your right hand, retrieve the crumpled page from the spectator and pretend to transfer it to your left hand (this is a shuttle pass). As soon as the two hands contact, casually leave the flash paper in view as the "crumpled page". With the real page now palmed in your right hand, retrieve the lighter from your right pocket, simultaneously ditching the crumpled page. Ask your spectator to hold the book horizontally with both hands, like a tray or platter, stretched away from his body. Place the flash paper on top of the book and ignite it with the lighter. (Please make sure that the spectator is holding the book by the very edges and that the flash paper is as far from him as possible. I must emphasize that this is dangerous, and your primary concern is the safety of your spectator.) repertoire 93

Mter the page has vanished in a burst of flame, say, "Your page is now back in the book, attached to the spine exactly where it used to be. " By describing the climax before displaying it, you give the audience a chance to see the magic in their heads before they see it with their eyes. This anticipation greatly enhances the experience and is why I generally prefer suspense over surprise. Open the book to prove that your claim is indeed true. The audience can immediately recognize the crumpled, edge-burned page with the big number written on it-it will be visible even on a big stage. To conclude, you will have the spectator confirm three things: '1s this the same page you chose?" Once he confirms, ask him to tug lightly on the page as you say, "And you have to agree it's clearly reattached to the spine, correct?" Finally, ask him, "And is this is the word that was randomly stabbed?" ENDNOTES: I highly recommend giving the book to the spectator to keep at the end of the routine. More than a kind gesture, this also confirms that the book is not gimmicked in any way. You can buy stacks of suitable books from dollar stores. The stabbed word can be dealt with in a few different ways. First, since you don't seem to know the word he "randomly" chose, you could read his mind and reveal the word as a prelude to the final climax. I often use names as the chosen word because there is a chance the spectator will know someone by that name, which can lead to some opportunities for cold reading. It may better fit your style to try to divine the word, but fail to do so. The comedy generated from the failure can provide a great moment to execute the switch. Of course, you could, as described, merely treat the stabbed word as another way to identify the page so that it can be verified after it is restored. I encourage you to play with this utility device and come up with routines of your own, but here are some other ideas I have toyed with. This is more of a fun magical gag: Mter forcing a book and the word "fire" (using methods similar to those described above), switch the book for a fire book that has the same cover. Mter some unsuccessful attempts to divine the chosen word, give up and ask, "What was your word?" At the exact same moment the spectator says, "Fire," ignite your fire book. The switcher can be used to perform "Pegasus Page", in which a random page is selected, and then a torn portion of that selected page vanishes from the book and appears in an impossible location. 40 Here's how. Tear part of a page from one of the duplicate books (make sure the torn portion includes the page number), and hide the page in a gimmicked box or envelope or other object that you can initially show empty, and later have ,the paper "appear" inside of. Place the book with the missing page inside the switcher. Attach a paper clip onto the same page in the other duplicate book. Stack that 40 See Herbert Milton's "A Page of Mystery" in Percy Naldrett's Collected Magic Series, volume six (October 1925), page 19. 9 4 torn, marked, stabbed, crumpled, burned & restored page

book on top of the switcher with a third (indifferent) book on top. Force the middle book and then force the page as described above. Allow the spectator to note the page number. Ask him to look through the book to make sure that that page is not repeated. Close the book, secretly switch it for the book inside the switcher, and hand it to the spectator to hold. Once the spectator opens the book, he will find that a torn portion of the page he "randomly selected" is now missing. Draw his attention to the object you showed empty earlier. Ask him to open it and remove the torn-out page and display it to the audience. Finally, here is a great idea that Jamy Ian Swiss suggested to me. Get two identical books. Turn one of them into what is often called a Flashback book41 as follows. In one of the books, copy the first word from every even-numbered page onto the upper right corner of the following odd-numbered page. Write these words lightly with a pencil, so they can't be seen from a distance. Place the normal duplicate book inside the switcher, the Flashback book on top of the switcher, and one random book on top of all. Force the middle (Flashback) book on a spectator. Ask him to stop you on any page as you riffle through the pages (no force), and have him remember the first word on the page he stopped you on. You know the word he will memorize because he will be looking at the even-numbered page and you can peek the penciled word on the opposite oddnumbered page facing you. You proceed to "read his mind" and tell him the word he is thinking of. You, of course, switch the book in the process, so that you end clean with a book that can be examined or given away. In summary, this device can help you switch any prepared or gimmicked book of a certain size for an ordinary duplicate or vice versa. 41 The earliest published description of what is often referred to as the Flashback principle is in Paul Curry's "Out of This Phone Book" from The Phoenix, No. 53 (February 4, 1944). repertoire 95

make no mistake T wo cards are chosen and lost in the deck. The magician attempts to find them, but both tries are only close to the true selections. He then manages to fix the mistakes with a visual double color change. Jack Merlin, Dai Vernon, and Juan Tamariz have created popular routines along these lines. 42 1heir creations significantly influenced my routine, but I hope that I have contributed a somewhat different approach and some subtleties that make this routine worth your attention. As mentioned, this routine is basically a color change that you execute to fix an incorrect revelation of two chosen cards. I prefer using color changes in subtle ways, such as to change one of the pips on a card, rather than changing the entire face of a card. Of course, both effects- a subtle change or a bold change-are equally impossible. But it seems to me that there is a slight layer of plausibility with a subtler change that compels the viewer to pay closer attention. 42 The first was probably "Rubbing off a Spot and Showing Where It Goes" from .. . and a Pack of Cards (1927) by Jack Merlin, page 74. repertoire 97

PREPARATION: Stack the deck as follows, from the top: Two of Clubs, Five of Clubs, and Four of Clubs. Position the Three of Clubs about ten to fifteen cards from the top of the deck. PERFORMANCE: "'n a minute, I will ask you two to choose cards, but there's one restriction. Do not show your cards to each other. You can share them with a few people near you, but not with each other." Cut half the deck to the bottom and obtain a little-finger break between the halves. Execute a classic force43 of the card below the break (the Two of Clubs) on the first spectator. (You have a one-card margin of error here. It's fine if he selects the next card, the Five. In fact, if he does take the Two, you may offer him the chance to take the next card instead.) After the first selection is made, retain the little-finger break above the Two or the Five (whichever was not taken), and then execute a classic force of this card on a second spectator. Once the second card is taken, keep a little-finger break above the Four of Clubs. Let the spectators display their cards to a few people around them. Take the deck in right-hand end grip, transferring the break to your right thumb, in preparation for a dribble force (see page 40). Dribble the cards and ask the first spectator to say, "Stop," timing it so it seems that he stops you at the break. Have the Two placed on top of the Four of Clubs and dribble the rest of the cards on top, making sure the first few cards drop injogged on top of his card. Square the deck, and obtain a break below the injogged card. Execute a double undercut to bring the Two of Clubs to the top of the deck. (A pass or a casual cut will also work.) The replacement of the second selection imitates the replacement of the first, except this time it is done for real, so there are no breaks, dribble forces, or shifts to execute. Just dribble the cards and make sure you are stopped somewhere near the middle of the deck-you only have to make sure you do not dribble past the Three of Clubs, which is near the top of the deck. Direct the other spectator to return his card. Dribble the rest of the cards on top of his card, and square the deck. By utilizing two apparently identical procedures, where the first one is fraudulent and the second is genuine, the genuine one makes the first one look more innocent than it is.44 Here's a position check, from the top: Two of Clubs, Four of Clubs, the Three of Clubs is about ten to fifteen cards from the top, and the Five of Clubs is somewhere in the middle. "I will try to find both of your cards. However, I will find the cards first and then I'll figure out which card belongs to which person. " This statement will prevent them from denouncing the cards prematurely. 43 A good description of the classic force can be found in Roberto Giobbi's Card College, volume 1 (1995), page 217. 44 In Card College, volume 2 (1996), page 301, Roberto Giobbi refers to this principle as "reverse conditioning". Juan Tamariz describes this dynamic as the first (dishonest) phase "bathing in the honesty" of the second phase. 98 make no mistake

Execute a double lift to reveal the Four of Clubs and set it face up on top of the deck. '1 am not sure whose card this is, but I will find out later. " You need to place the Four of Clubs face up onto the table while preventing the Two of Clubs from showing underneath, as follows. With your right fingers, lift the Four along the right side, and simultaneously turn the entire deck face up so that the Two of Clubs is at the bottom. Two things that will help you keep the Two from flashing are angling the deck toward you as you turn it face up and also using the Four of Clubs as a shield during this motion. You will need to play with these moves in front of a mirror to find the correct timing and angle to avoid exposure. With the deck face up, look through the cards, allegedly in search of the second selection. Once you reach the Five of Clubs, cull it (using a Hofzinser spread cull) and keep it under the spread until you get to the Three of Clubs. Outjog the Three and square the deck. The Five you culled will go beneath the Two of Clubs at the rear of the deck. Remove the outjogged Three and place it onto the table. It is now safe to turn the deck face down and hold it in left-hand dealing position. Push one card toward each spectator as if you are expecting them to react with enthusiasm. Most likely, they will let you know that you got it wrong. Act as if you think you merely erred regarding which card belonged to whom, so casually take both cards and exchange them with each other. Of course, they will still not be impressed, as these are the wrong two cards. Pretend to give up and ask for the identities of their cards. Once the cards are named, point out that you got very close, because the Four is one number lower than Five and the Three is one number higher than Two-and you did get the right suits. This moment is helpful in building up the final climax, because it lowers their expectations. Now comes the part where you fix everything, and everybody is going to be happy. You are going to execute a very visual double color change. With the face-down deck in your left hand, get a break under the second card-since this card is face up, getting a break under it is easy if you use your thumb to push down on the left side of the deck (this is Lin Searles's auto-break). 45 A pinky count is also a good option. 46 Place the Three of Clubs face up on top of the deck and the Four of Clubs face up on top of all. With your right hand in end grip, lift all four cards above the break. To the audience it should look like you only lifted the top two cards. With your left thumb, peel the Four of Clubs back onto the top of the deck (pic. 1). The three cards remaining in your right hand should be perceived as one card. You will need to regrip these three cards as follows. Place the cards, jogged to the right, onto the deck. Regrip them with the very tips of your fingers along the right side, near the center, with your thumb on top, fingers underneath (pic. 2). 45 Searles's auto-break concept was first published in "The Repeat Pick" in P. Howard Lyons's Ibidem, No. 24 (December 1961). 46 A good description of the pinky count (also known as the little-finger count) can be found in Roberto Giobbi's Card College, volume 1 (1995), page 20 1. repertoire 99

With a firm grip, so the cards stay together, you will now brush these cards (as one) back and forth on top of the Four of Clubs, allowing them to bend a bit as you brush them from side to side. Mter a few strokes back and forth, on one of the leftward strokes, when the Three is facing down (pic. 3), thumb off the bottom two cards of the triple (the Three and the Five) onto the top of the deck. You should end up with the Three face down on top of the Four, and the Five face up on top of the Three, leaving you with only one card (the Two) in the right hand (pic. 4).47 47 This is Richard Kaufman's radical change from his book CardMagic (1979), page 80, which is a slight variation of Roy Walton's double paint brush change, first published in his booklet Some Late Extra Card Tricks (1975), page 18. 100 make no mistake

Try to align the cards as precisely as possible, so that they fall perfectly squared on top of the deck; keep brushing the single card on top of the Five one extra time after the change, which will make it seem like the color change happened during the brushing movements. Strive to make the brushing movements smooth and continuous, and make sure there is no pause or change in the rhythm when the change happens. The effect to the audience should look like you were able to move the middle pip of the Three onto the center of the Four, thereby causing the Three and Four of Clubs to change into the Two and Five of Clubs, the original selections. ENDNOTES: I have always thought that it would be interesting to do this trick in such a way that the indexes remain the same and only the pips of the cards change. Of course, that would change the handling slightly and involve manufacturing misprinted cards. I will leave the details for you to figure out, which should not be terribly difficult. repertoire 101

• crossing over W e are all mutations of the people who have influenced our work and shaped who we are. In my case, I like to think that there is some Chan Canasta in my DNA. Chan was known for his mental card tricks. He presented them as "experiments", and he often took significant risks and worked at the mercy of chance to create his miracles. But although Chan was bold and brave he did have ways to get luck on his side with some very clever psychological ploys and a careful use of language. This routine has Chan's fingerprints all over it. A spectator removes a group of cards from the deck and is asked to think of one of them. That card vanishes from the packet and reappears reversed in the middle of the deck. You might, at first, think the method is very risky, but I assure you that the psychology behind it is so strong that the likelihood of it going wrong is very slim. The only credit I can take with this routine is in the fact that I grafted a great idea of Chan's onto the classic trick by Elmer Biddle. 48 1his is one of my favorite and most-often performed tricks. I particularly like the fact that it has three climaxes, which gradually build. 48 The popular "Biddle Trick" is really a combination of Pvt. Richard Bruce's "WOW!" from Hugard's Magic Monthly (September 1951) and Elmer Biddle's "Biddle-Thru" from The Gen Quly 1960). The card vanish used in "Biddle-Thru" (which Biddle named "transcendent", but is now commonly known as the Biddle move) was first published in Genii in April 1947. However, Eddie Joseph published a nearly identical move in 1939 in his booklet Strictly Magic, page 8. repertoire 103

PREPARATION: This trick requires a memorized deck. A deck arranged according to a mathematical system (e.g., Si Stebbins) 49 will also work, but a memorized deck is preferable. Alternatively, you can forgo the stacked deck if you memorize a sequence of five cards and force that group of cards. For this explanation, I will assume you're working with a memorized deck. PERFORMANCE: Give the cards a false shuffle, and then spread through the deck while asking a spectator to remove 'a bunch of cards" from anywhere he wishes. You must ensure that the cards are removed together, in sequence; in other words, he cannot remove some cards from near the top and others from the middle. (Asking him to use his dominant hand will prevent him from using both hands and taking cards from different parts of the deck.) Five cards is the ideal number for the spectator to remove, because it offers him several cards to choose from later (fewer cards would make the choice seem trivial), and it seems like a random number, not fixed or formulaic. Also, five is the number of cards in a typical poker hand, and there are many presentational ideas you can use that exploit this fact. However, you shouldn't instruct the spectator to remove exactly five cards. Tell him, ''Remove a bunch. "Once he grabs some cards, notice if he has more than five cards. If so, before he gets a chance to remove them from the spread, pull a few of those cards back from either end while saying, '.11 few less." If he grabs too few, slide out a few more cards to make a total of five, as you say, '.11 few more. " Once he has removed a group of cards, cut the deck at the spot from which he took the cards. Use a turnaround glimpse (see page 82) to peek the bottom card, which will tell you th~ identities of his cards. (If you're not working with a stack, simply execute a classic force of a group of five cards that you've memorized.) To ensure that you cannot see the cards, ask him to hold the cards against his chest, to move away and face you. Instruct him to fan his group of cards, look them over, and mentally select one of them. Once he has done so, say, ''Now, put it behind your back," as you mime the actions of removing a card and putting it behind your back. As he reaches for his card, you can see which one he is going for. And since you know the sequence of the five cards, you now also know the identity of his mental selection. 50 (This is another reason you don't want to use more than five cards; it would be harder to recognize exactly which card he is reaching for.) Before he can remove it, stop him and say, ''No, no. Put all of them behind your back. "In most cases, he won't even get the chance to touch his card before you know which one he has mentally selected. Ask him to mix the cards behind his back. Instruct him to keep them face down, bring them back out in front of him, and move closer to you. With the face-down deck in 49 Si Stebbins did not invent the stack that bears his name (the idea goes back hundreds of years), but a good description of it can be found on page 76 of 13 Steps to Mentalism (1968) by Tony Corinda. 50 David Britland speculates about this idea in Chan Canasta: A Remarkable Man (2000), page 76. 104 crossing over

right-hand end grip, dribble the cards onto your left palm, and ask your spectator to stop you. (Make sure you drop about half the deck onto your left hand before he gets a chance to stop you; this will ensure that the selection is centered in the deck when it is revealed later.) When he says, "Stop," stop dribbling, and have him place one of his cards face down onto those in your left hand. Say, "We will lose each of your cards within the deck." With the remaining half in your right hand, dribble a few more cards, have him return another card, and repeat this procedure so that he can insert each of his cards into a different place in the top half of the deck. Mter all of his cards are lost in the deck, you can throw in some false shuffies, if you would like. Say, '1 am going to try to find your card by eliminating the cards I think you didn't go for." Go through the cards with their faces toward you, thumbing them from left to right. Once you reach a card that is out of place in the stack, you know that this card was one of those he lost in the deck. Remove all the cards to the right of that card and ask your spectator to extend his left hand. Place the removed cards face down onto the palm of his hand. (In most versions of the Biddle Trick, placing half the deck onto the spectator's hand at this point is not motivated. Claiming that you don't think any of these cards are his plausibly justifies this action.) Upjog the first card of those remaining in your hand and keep going through the cards, upjogging the other four cards that are out of place in the stack (a total of five). Remove the five upjogged cards, and place them face up on top of the face-down cards in your hand, as you say, '1 think these are the jive cards you originally chose. "Make sure that his card is somewhere in the middle of the five; if it is not, cut it to the middle before you place the five cards onto the packet in your hand. repertoire 105

Hold the cards in right-hand end grip. With your left thumb, peel off the top face-up card into your left hand as you comment, 7 believe you are thinking of one of these jive. Don't tell me which one, and please keep a poker face. " Display the card outward at eye level, distancing the peeled-off card from the rest of the cards; this keeps the focus more on the five face-up cards and not so much on the other face-down cards. As you display the card, look him in the eye as if you are studying his reaction to it. Do this for each of the subsequent cards as you peel them off. Peel off the next face-up card onto the first. When you get to his thought-of card, peel it off as well, but keep a left little-finger break beneath it (pic. 1). As you begin to peel off the next card, your right hand steals back this thought-of card onto the bottom of the righF-hand cards (pic. 2). 51 Finish by peeling off the remaining face-up card(s). Ask him to hold out his right hand. As you place the "five" cards (actually four) face down onto the palm of his right hand, your right hand simultaneously places the rest of the cards on top of those in his left hand. However, all your focus is on the cards in his right hand. The placement of the half deck onto the cards in his left hand is in the shadow of the action with the small packet, and the spectators ideally won't remember you going near the deck in his left hand. At this point, you may be tempted to add a false count in order to show the four cards as five. I recommend you don't. The spectators saw five cards initially, and then they saw five cards during the execution of the Biddle move. These are convincing enough. 51 This is the Biddle move mentioned in the footno te on page 103. 106 crossing over

Sometimes false counts and other "convincers'; accomplish the opposite of their goals and raise red flags instead. You have now completed all the dirty work, so recap what has happened so far, and then start your presentation of the climaxes as follows. Pretend to remove one card from the small packet in the spectator's hand. Mime holding the face of the card toward him and say, 'Imagine you see your card here. If this is the card you thought of, what card am I holding?" Let's assume he says, "The Ace of Spades." Say, ''Exactly. The Ace of Spades." Continue with your mime act, turning the invisible card face up and i~serting it into the face-down deck in the spectator's left hand. Take the small packet from him. "You had a choice of jive cards, and even though I only pretended to remove one card, we now have just four cards. " Spread the packet to show only four cards, instead of the expected five. This is the first climax. Also, this is another reason why you want to start with five cards. A spread of four cards here is easy to recognize. Spreading, for example, what they think are eight cards to reveal seven probably wouldn't register. ''And if I removed the card that you thought of, then none of these cards should be yours. " One at a time, turn the four cards face up to show that none is the one he just named. This is the second climax. Finally, say, ''Remember I pushed your card face up in the middle of the deck? Please spread through the deck and look for one card face up in the middle. Take it out and show everyone. " This card will be the one he thought of, the Ace of Spades. This is the third climax. repertoire 107

• reverse engineer 0 n one of Derren Brown's first TV shows, Trick of the Mind, he performed a card trick with a presentation that was as beautiful as the trick itself. The trick fooled me completely and I thought about it for days. All this pondering led me to come up with a similar, but different, trick. I am grateful that Derren fooled me as bad as he did, because his trick drove me to come up with something that I use to this day. So although what I am about to share with you does not explain Derren's trick, it is a direct result of his great performance. A spectator is asked to name any playing card. He is handed a deck and asked to place it beneath the table. He is instructed to remove any card from the middle, turn it face up, and push it back anywhere in the middle. The spectator then gives the deck a few cuts and brings the cards from under the table. He turns the deck face up and spreads it on the table. The card the spectator named is not seen amongst the face-up cards, and it's apparent that there is only one card face down in the middle. The spectator removes that card, turns it over, and finds himself staring at the card he named. 52 52 I have recently learned that Hemy Evans has a marketed trick called "Cards Know" which uses the same basic method for two effects which are similar to this one. The biggest differences are that mine only uses one deck and that the reversed card doesn't match a chosen card or a prediction, it matches a card named by the spectator at the beginning. repertoire 109

PREPARATION: This trick (you probably won't be surprised to learn) uses a memorized deck. Also, you will need to treat the backs of fifty-one cards with roughing spray; the only card that you shouldn't spray is the first card in your stack (Four of Clubs in Mnemonica). I like to use a marked deck for this trick. You can avoid some awkward peeks and adjustments by exploiting the marks, in combination with a bit of estimation work. (You are already using a heavily gimmicked deck- why not go the extra step and have them marked?) There are few ways you can treat the cards. I use a Krylon matte finish spray. Lay out the fifty-one cards face down on a large surface and follow the instructions on the can. (Be cautious- do it outside and wear a mask.) Mter spraying the cards, let them dry well, and then assemble the deck in stack order. Finally, place the first card in your stack (the non-treated card) on top. PERFORMANCE: Ideally, you want a participant who has experience handling cardsanyone from a professional gambler to a parent who plays Go Fish with his kids. Also, this spectator needs to name a card; but if you were to directly ask him to name a card, you are likely to find yourself playing out the following scene: Magician: Name any card. Spectator: Should I tell you? Magician: Yes. Spectator: Why can't you tell me what card I'm thinking of? Magician: Just name a damn card! That's why I recommend you don't present the question in a straightforward manner, but rather in a more casual or conversational fashion. 'Tm curious, if you were to name a card, what card would you go for?" This elaborate question is a bit ambivalent and somewhat passive, which takes their guard down. Audiences often expect a magician to be able to tell them what card they are thinking of, but by asking this question casually you can create the perception that the trick has not started yet, that this is just a little chat before you switch gears into performance mode. Let's say he replies with Six of Hearts (twenty-three in Mnemonica). Say, "You could have named any card in this deck, "as you casually spread the cards down to the general area where the Six of Hearts should be. With the help of the marks, spot the card and, as you square the deck, obtain a left little-finger break under the Six of Hearts. With the deck in dealing position, perform a slip cut at the break and place the top half onto the table-the top card (Four of Clubs in Mnemonica) will slide to the top of the bottom portion of the deck and the Six of Hearts is now on the bottom of the tabled portion. Place ~he portion in your hand on top of the tabled portion to complete the cut. In summary, you have cut the selected card to the bottom and maintained the first card in your stack on top of the deck. In our example the deck should now be arranged in the following manner: Four of Clubs on top, followed by the twenty-fourth card (Ten of Clubs in Mnemonica), all the way down to the Six of Hearts on the bottom. 110 reverse engineer

Instruct your spectator: "Take the cards under the table and remove one card from the middle. Turn it face up and insert it into the middle of the deck. "As you give these instructions, put the deck under the table to demonstrate what he should do with the deck. While the cards are under the table secretly turn the bottom card (Six of Hearts in our example) face up. Hand him the deck. This is the point where you want your audience to think the performance begins. Instruct him again to hold the deck under the table, remove one card from the middle, turn it face up, and put it back in the center of the deck. I.t's crucial that he follows these directions exactly, so I recommend you mime these actions to make it abundantly clear what he needs to do (as discussed on page 46, use the box to simulate a deck as you demonstrate the actions). Before he brings the cards back up from under the table, ask him to give the deck a few cuts. When you can tell that he's given the deck at least one cut, say, "Or don't cut. It's up to you. " You want the cuts to seem irrelevant, but they do accomplish two things. They position the named card next to the untreated card, which is necessary for the method, and they also bury the named card somewhere in the middle of the deck. Without the cuts, if he were to spread the cards on the table, the named card would end up awkwardly at the end of the spread. The few cuts don't, of course, guarantee it will end up in the middle, but they increase the chances that it will. If you notice a reversed card on the top or bottom of the deck as he brings the cards up, simply say, "Give the cards another cut. " Instruct the spectator to turn the deck face up and to spread it on the table (help him with this if necessary). There should be only one card facing down while all the others are face up. Point out that none of the face-up cards is the card he named. By doing so, you achieve a few things: First, you prove there are no duplicate cards. Second, you make them realize that there are no other face-down cards. And finally, you create a "No way!" moment when they realize that the face-down card is likely the card that was named, and thus you build up the climax. Ask the spectator to remove the face-down card and turn it over. He will be staring at the card he named. ENDNOTES: You might be wondering what happened to the random card he reversed. Well, thanks to the rough-and-smooth principle, his card is now stuck back to back with another card, and therefore doesn't show in the spread. You might also wonder why the named card doesn't stick to another card. The slip cut enabled the only non-treated card to remain on top of the deck. The named card was transferred to the bottom and then turned face up, and once the spectator gave the deck a few cuts, he caused both the non-treated card and the named card to meet, and since the named card is roughed on the back and the other card is not, they don't stick to each other. You might also be wondering what to do if someone names the first card in your stack. If that happens, merely transfer the top card to the bottom-a double undercut is sufficient-and the rest is identical to the original handling. repertoire 111

• • supervision D o you want to change your mind? This is perhaps one of the most common phrases in a magician's patter. But when Chan Canasta asked that question, it wasn't patter; it was a loaded question that kept the minds of his spectators busy. What if I change my mind? Will the trick not work? What will he do then? Those questions were going through their minds during his shows and most likely long after. There might be someone out there now still thinking about one of Chan's performances and wondering, "What if I had changed my mind?" We know that Chan took actual risks and wasn't afraid of failure. As a matter of fact, there are some recordings of him "failing", but in his hands they somehow didn't feel like failures. Comedy magicians have the leverage to get away with mistakes because they can turn them into comedic bits. Chan wasn't a comedy magician; he presented his tricks as "experiments", and that framing allowed him to take bold risks for the sake of miracles. When they didn't go according to plan, well, then they were just experiments. For many years, I have performed a variation of one of Chan's signature pieces, and it remains one of my favorite tricks. Here is how Chan would perform it. A spectator would cut a deck of cards behind his back a few times, remove two cards from the top of the deck without looking at them, and place one in each of his two back pockets. Chan would then divine two cards, for example, the Three of Clubs and the Ten of repertoire 113

Diamonds. He would then state, "Now you will tell me exactly which pocket has which card. Whatever you say will be. I will then give you seven seconds to change your mind. And if you change your mind, the cards will change." The spectator would say, for example, the Three of Clubs was in his right pocket and the Ten of Diamonds was in his left. Chan would give him an opportunity to reconsider his choice, and regardless of his choosing, the spectator would remove the Three of Clubs and the Ten of Diamonds from the very pockets he said they would be in. 53 There has been much speculation over the years whether he had an out when the spectator named the wrong pockets. I have been researching Canasta's work for years and have interviewed many people who knew Chan or have information about him and his work. I was privileged to sit down with Johnny Thompson, one of my favorite people, to talk with him about Canasta. Johnny worked with him at the Playboy Club decades ago and witnessed Chan's performance of this routine countless times. Every night the spectator correctly named which cards were in which pockets. Johnny suspected that there must be an out. But he didn't get to see it for many performances, until one lucky night (unlucky for Chan). The spectator guessed incorrectly, and Chan simply exclaimed, "That's why I am the mind reader, and you are the spectator." For certain performers this is a viable out. However, I don't think I have the personality to make it a satisfying moment. My solution, as you'll see, is to change the spectator's decision just slightly while still creating the same basic effect. PREPARATION: This trick requires either a memorized deck or a mathematical system like Si Stebbins. PERFORMANCE: Start with a few false shuffies and genuine cuts to keep your stack intact. Bring a spectator onstage, give him the deck, and ask him to cut the cards a few times. (Before you bring him onstage, you may want to confirm that he has some experience with cards. You will also want to make sure he has two back pockets that are unbuttoned and empty.) While he executes those cuts, watch to make sure he understands your instructions. Once you are sure he does, ask him to cut the cards behind his back, so that neither you, he, nor anyone else can see the cards. ((Stop cutting the cards whenever you think is right, and keep the cards behind your back. " Once he is done cutting, instruct him to take the top card and place it into one of his back pockets. It should be very easy to tell which pocket he places it into. All you have to do is watch which elbow rises as he pockets the card. Glimpse that action from the corner of your eye, then turn away from the spectator, and make sure you remember where he placed this first card. ((Take another card from the top and place it in the other back pocket, the one you didn't use. " I like this phrasing because it suggests that you have no idea which pocket he used for 53 Chan Canasta never published this trick, but a speculative method was published by David Britland in Chan Canasta: A Remarkable Man (2000), page 91 . 114 supervision

the first card. You are still looking away from him, but since you know where he placed the first card, you will also know in which pocket the second card ends up. You'll need to get the deck from him, but doing so should seem incidental because you don't want anyone to think that retrieving the deck gives you any clues about the cards in his back pockets. Therefore, don't ask for the cards; instead, reach your hand toward him and wait for him to give you the deck. This gesture is very easily understood, and most spectators will hand you the cards. If he doesn't, simply say, "Okay, we don't need the rest of them. "This, combined with your outstretched hand, shouid convey the message. The moment you receive the deck, glimpse the bottom card (a turnaround glimpse works well-see page 82). The next two cards in your stack will be the cards he has in his pockets. Let's say you see the Three of Clubs (four in Mnemonica). The two cards in his pocket will be the fifth and sixth cards in the stack (Four ofHearts and Six of Diamonds). Let's assume he placed the first card (Four of Hearts) into his right pocket. Obviously, the Six of Diamonds is in his left pocket. Call out those two cards and wait until the spectator makes a move toward his pockets. Just as he does, stop him and say, ""Wait! That was the easy part. The most amazing part is that you can tell me which card you wish to remove first. Is it going to be the Four of Hearts or the Six of Diamonds?" If the spectator says, "I want the first card to be the Four of Hearts," and you are standing to his right, then just gesture toward his right pocket and say, "Please remove the card. "(Remember he doesn't know where the cards are and he believes you shouldn't know either.) Let him remove the card and display it to the audience. The fact that you are not explicitly saying which pocket to remove it from, but rather combining a gesture with an ambiguous request to remove the card, creates the illusion that he is choosing which pocket to go for. Also, the moment you realize that he understood your instructions and is on his way to the correct pocket, add, 'l:l.ny pocket you want. "It will be too late because he will be in no position to switch pockets. If he chooses the Six of Diamonds, which is in his left pocket, then gesturing toward his left pocket might be awkward. Instead, say, (Til give you jive seconds to think about it." Count out loud to five, and as you do, walk to the other side of him (closer to his left pocket). This walking while counting should seem very casual and nonchalant, as if you are dramatizing the counting. If he doesn't change his mind (most likely he won't), gesture to his left pocket and ask him to remove the card. If the spectator does change his mind during those five seconds then say, "Great, but let me give you jive more seconds to think about it," and as you count again, walk back to his right. The worst-case scenario is when the spectator misinterprets your gesture and asks you which pocket you mean. That's fine because you can say, 7 have no idea, but try this one. "After all, you shouldn't know where it is, and the fact that you do know is still astounding. In the rare instances where you see that-for some strange reason-he is reaching for the wrong pocket, stop him and instruct him to go to the correct pocket. repertoire 115

ENDNOTES: Many years ago I was booked to work the Close-up Gallery at the Magic Castle for the first time. I considered performing Chan's trick. It was clear to me that the weakest part of this trick was the fact that the two cards had to be taken from the top of the deck, because this immediately screams "stacked deck", and therefore wouldn't stand a chance of fooling magicians. So I knew I had to improve the conditions of the selections. I thought that if at least one of the cards could be picked from the middle of the deck, it would throw them off. A solution for this trick formed in my mind. This was one of those rare occasions where I was able to figure out the trick in my head without cards in hand, and once I did I rushed to Hollywood Magic and bought a stripper deck. This idea does not necessarily improve the trick, but it does add a layer of deception. I wanted to be able to have a card removed from the middle of the deck and still be able to quickly 'tell which card was removed. All you need is a stripper deck. I know this might seem like the wrong tool for the job, but here it is used in an unusual way. The stripper deck has many great applications, but no one would ever associate a stripper with a trick like this one, which is why it's quite deceptive. 116 supervision

Arrange a stripper deck in stack order, and then rotate every other card 180 degrees. When the deck is squared, because the cards alternate consistently throughout the deck, the edges along the sides will look even (pic. 1). However, if one card is removed from the middle, the even spacing at that position will be disturbed and become noticeable (pic. 2). 54 This is because the cards that were above and below the removed card are now the only two adjacent cards that are oriented the same way; therefore, the space on one end of the deck will be more pronounced, and on the other end of the deck one edge will be doubled in thickness. This disturbance in the edges of the deck indicates where the card was taken from. If you take the deck when it is missing a card from somewhere in the middle, and you see a double space on the inner end, rotate the deck 180 degrees so that the double space is at the outer end. Riffie your left thumb down the outer left edge and stop at the double gap; you can stop there automatically, as if you have a trimmed card in the deck. 54 It turns out I wasn't the first to come up with this idea. Not surprisingly, Ed Marlo got there first. He published this idea in Marlo's Magazine, volume 6 (1988), page 182. repertoire 117

The slightly larger gap is created by two tapered ends next to each other. You want to glimpse the lower card of this pair. There are three ways to do so. 1. Use your left thumb to pull the bottom half down at the break and with your right hand, lift the top half and cut those cards to the bottom as you say, "You could have taken a card from anywhere in the deck. " During this cut, glimpse the bottom card of the upper half. 2. Use your left thumb to pull the bottom half down at the break and with your right hand, lift the cards above the gap and turn them face up in a gesture as you say, "You took a card from somewhere in the middle. "Look at the card at the face of the top half, and then replace the cut-off packet. 3. Hold the deck with the left side facing up. If you widen the gap you can simply glimpse the bottom card of the top half. Then continue the riffie as you say, '1 could go through the whole deck and figure out which card is missing. Whichever peek you use, the card you glimpse will tell you what card is missing from the deck; it is the card in your stack that precedes the glimpsed card. For example, if you see the Five of Diamonds (twenty-five in Mnemonica) then the card missing is the Ten of Clubs (twenty-four in Mnemonica). And so, here is how to handle the routine if you choose to perform it with a stripper deck. Instruct a spectator to cut the deck a few times and then ask him to give the deck a few cuts behind his back and to stop whenever he wants. Once he is finished, ask him to take either the top card or the bottom card, but to make sure that he doesn't look at it, or let anyone see it. Then have him place it into one of his back pockets. (In this version, it doesn't matter if the spectator removes the top or bottom card, and you don't even have to know which.) Tell him to remove another card-but this time from somewhere in the middle-and to put it into the other pocket. Retrieve the deck from him and spot the bottom card. '1 think the first card was [the card that comes right after the card you just glimpsed]." While you say that, look at the edges of the cards; if necessary, rotate the deck to position the double gap at the outer end. "You also took one from the middle of the deck. " Riffie down with your left thumb, stop at the gap, and glimpse the card using any of the three options above. '1 believe that card was [the card that comes right before the card you just glimpsed]. "Proceed as described in the previous version. 118 supervision

repertoire 119

folded under pressure M aking a chosen card appear in an impossible location is very powerful. But if, when it appears in the impossible location, it is also neatly folded, the amazement is increased. It's interesting how that extra detail enhances an already great effect. Expert Card Technique has been one of my bibles, and one of the many moves I have picked up from this book is the Mercury card fold. 55 I have made folded cards appear inside shoes, under watches, in my mouth, and in many other places, some of which I'd rather not talk about. As I was working on a trick for TV that required the Mercury fold, it occurred to me that, as useful as the move is, it is difficult to execute invisibly. It's very easy for the audience to see (or suspect) that you are "doing something". The following is an attempt to make the move a bit less visible. Not only are the folding moves altered from the original, but more importantly, the surreptitious actions are covered by the overt actions of making and then closing a pressure fan. The following is easier to do with a deck that has been worked in a bit, and is therefore not too stiff. 55 This was described without credit in "Mercmy's Card" in Expert Card Technique (1940) by Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue, page 269. However, on page 3 of The Fred Braue Notebooks, volume 3 (1985), Braue credits John Scarne as the inventor. repertoire 121

PERFORMANCE: Control the card that you intend to secretly fold to the top of the deck. Turn the deck face up and hold it in right-hand end grip. Your right thumb extends slightly below the bottom of the deck. This is in contrast with the original Mercury fold, in which the thumb extends considerably below the deck. You are going to execute a pressure fan, and the first fold of the card will be done secretly during the preparatory action of adjusting the deck to begin the fan. Place the side of your extended left forefinger along the outer edge of the bottom of the deck. With that finger pressing up against the bottom card (the card you intend to fold), move the left hand back, sliding the outer edge of the bottom card inward, forcing it to buckle dow~ward between the left index finger and the right thumb (pic. 1). During this movement the left index finger remains in constant contact with the bottom of the deck- this helps ensure an even fold. The left hand keeps moving until the card is folded in half at the inner end, between the left index finger and right thumb. 122 folded under pressure

In the original Mercury fold, the card would now be folded once more around your right thumb. That does not happen here. With your left thumb, press the bottom portion of the folded card, giving it a sharp vertical bend up the middle (pic. 2). Reposition your left thumb to grip the inner end of the deck. Your hands should be in the perfect position to do a pressure fan, which is exactly what you do as you s.tate, ((You could have chosen any one of these cards. " (Although a pressure fan is preferred, a thumb fan can work as well.) The folded card is hidden by the left fingers on one side and the fanned deck on the other side (pic. 3, X-ray view). As you close the fan with your right ring finger from right to left, your left fingers curl in, forcing the folded card to fold once more into quarters along the bend made by the left thumb a moment ago (pic. 4). This second folding action is covered by the right hand and the action of closing the fan. Once the card is folded into quarters, the left fingers straighten out and regrip the deck. The folded card, situated at the base of the left fingers, is held against the bottom of the deck by the left hand. You can press down on the deck or up with your left hand, thus flattening the folded card and preparing it to be loaded into its impossible location, whatever it may be-shoe, wallet, watch, mouth, ring box, etc. ENDNOTES: If you prefer to fan the cards with the deck face down, so that the backs are toward you, control the desired card to the bottom of the deck and perform a half pass56 with the bottom card, and proceed as described above. Of course, you can omit the half pass if it doesn't matter that the card is folded with the face on the outside. 56 A good description of the half pass can be found in The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley, volume I (1991) by Stephen Minch, page 70. repertoire 123

lazy seconds force 0 ne of the challenges with push-off seconds is acquiring the ability to slide two cards to the right with your left thumb while keeping them aligned, so that it looks like you are only sliding one card. When I first started practicing the second deal, I kept pushing bunches of cards instead of perfectly aligned pairs. Mter doing it poorly for a while, I recognized that my bad technique could be put to use in an interesting way- as a very fair-looking force. The standard application of a second deal to force a card is to continually deal seconds until the spectator calls, "Stop," at which point the force card is dealt from the top of the pack. The same principle is used in this force. However, instead of second dealing single cards, groups of cards are loosely dealt from beneath the top card, lending the procedure a more casual appearance, while also mixing the cards in the process- although, as you will see in the endnotes, there is a way to do it so that the cards are not mixed. The handling of this move is slightly different from a standard push-off second deal. If you have already mastered a push-off second, you can adapt your handling to this force. The exact finger placements are not critical; this is simply my particular handling. repertoire 125

PERFORMANCE: The card you want to force begins on top of the deck. Hold the deck face-down in left-hand dealing grip; the tip of your thumb should slightly extend beyond the end of the deck. Hold the deck parallel with the table and, with your left thumb at the outer left corner of the deck, push about five or so cards to the right. The cards should slide to the right at an angle. The three left fingers along the right side of the deck prevent the cards under the bunch from spreading, but they also extend to the right ever so slightly to allow the small group of cards to move to the right. Try to keep this small bunch of cards somewhat aligned. As you start pushing these cards to the right, necktie the deck; that is, tilt the outer edge of the deck upward about forty-five degrees, so the backs of the cards are toward you. Your right hand takes the sidejogged cards at the outer right corner, with your index and middle fingers beneath and your thumb on top (pic. 1). As your right hand starts moving toward the table with its group of cards, your left thumb retracts the top card in alignment with the top of the deck. Simultaneously, tilt the deck down to its original position, so that it is again parallel with the table at about the same time that the right hand deposits its cards onto the table. Keep repeating this move until your spectator stops you. Since you never take the top card, when he stops you, the force card will still be on top. ENDNOTES: You may want to add this wrinkle, which is similar to the dynamic in "The Trick That Never Ends" (see page 81). Once he stops you, say, '.l!re you sure you want me to stop here? Or would you like me to go a little bit further? " If he is satisfied, the force card is on top of the left-hand packet. If he wants to go a bit further, legitimately deal another bunch of cards to the table; the force card will be on top of the tabled pile. 126 lazy seconds force

As you deal the packets of cards onto the table, if you rotate your right hand outward you can turn the cards face up, so that the cards remain in the same order. This is useful if you are working with a memorized deck and want to keep the order intact. It also allows the audience to see that all the cards are different. Finally, this creates the impression that this selection process mixes the cards, making any tricks you perform afterward with the memorized deck even more impressive. · Dealing the cards face up can also be exploited in the following way. You can force a card that has an odd-colored back, which you can take advantage of in whichever way suits you. Because you are tilting the deck upward with each deal and turning each group of cards face up onto the table, the audience is prevented from seeing the backs of any cards except that of the force card. You will need to retract the top card in perfect alignment on top of the deck every time you tilt the deck down, however. If the force card is red and the rest of the deck is blue, the impression created is that the entire deck is red, when actually only the force card is red. 57 -------- --- 57 This method of concealing odd backs with necktie second deals was used by Alex Elmsley in a trick called ''A Strange Story", devised around 1964. See The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley, volume I (1991) by Stephen Minch, page 401. repertoire 127

not-so-straight triumph A !though I love every routine in this book and perform them all regularly, this one is strong enough that I often use it as a closer. It is an extension of the great trick, "Play It Straight (Triumph)" by John Bannon, a routine that almost instantly attained the status of a modern classic. 58 Without Bannon's creation I never could have come up with the following routine, the first phase of which is essentially the same as Bannon's original. I have added a second phase, which repeats the first climax. I have experimented with many variations over the years, and I will include a few presentational ideas in the endnotes. A spectator selects a card and, without looking at it, places it in his pocket. A second spectator selects a card, shows it to the audience (let's say it's the Seven of Spades), and puts it back in the deck. The performer cuts the deck into four packets and turns two of them face up. He shuffies the packets together, until all the cards are mixed face up and face down. He spreads the deck, and all the cards are face down except for twelve face-up cards- all Hearts arranged in numerical order. Upon closer inspection, the Four of Hearts is missing, and that happens to be the card in the first spectator's pocket. 58 Th is was published in lmpossibilia (1990) by John Bannon, page 1. While Bannon's method and handling are perfect, the plot predates him. In 1982, both Meir Yedid and Michael J. Gerhardt published variations in Harry Lorayne's Best of Friends. Yedid's routine is called "Thirteen Less One", and Gerhardt's routine, "Super Triumph", is a simplification of"Triumph im Triumph" by Ernst Schosser, published in the German magazine, ZauBerlin, issue 2 (1979). repertoire 129

The performer shuffles the cards once more and asks the second spectator to name his chosen card (the Seven of Spades). The deck is spread again, but this time every Spade is face up and in numerical order; the only one missing, of course, is the Seven of Spades. As a final surprise, the Four of Hearts that seconds ago was removed from the spectator's pocket has now changed into the Seven of Spades. PREPARATION: Arrange the deck from the top to the bottom as follows: thirteen random cards, the Ace through King of Hearts in ascending numerical order, the Ace through King of Spades in ascending numerical order, thirteen random cards. Give the top thirteen indifferent cards an upward bow at the inner end. Bend down the sides of the thirteen Hearts at the inner end. Similarly, give the sides of the Spades an upward bend at the inner end. Finally, give the bottom thirteen indifferent cards a downward bow at the inner end. The bridges in these four banks will create noticeable breaks at the inner end of the deck that will help you later on (pic. 1, bridges exaggerated for clarity), but they should not be visible at the outer end of the deck. If you tightly clamp down on the outer end of the deck, the breaks at the inner end will open up more. Alternatively, instead of bridging these banks, you could corner short or edge mark the bottom card of each portion. PERFORMANCE: Force a spectator to take a card out of the Hearts bank; this is a very easy force, and the bridges (or marks or corner shorts) in the deck provide a clear indication of where the stack of Hearts begins and ends. (It is preferable that neither spectator picks an Ace or King. Fortunately, it is easy to make sure they pick a card from 130 not-so-straight triumph

somewhere in the middle of their respective banks.) ((Please don't look at the face of this card, and place it immediately in your pocket." (Alternatively, he could place it under the card box on the table.) Let's assume the card he puts in his pocket is the Four of Hearts. To a different spectator say, ((You, sir, can display your card to anyone in this room but myself" Look back at the first spectator and say, ((Life is not fair. " Have the second spectator draw a card from the Spades portion. Let's assume he takes the Seven of Spades. While he displays his card to the audience, cut the top half of the deck to the bottom (it doesn't need to be precisely half) and hold a little-finger break between the halves. Take the deck in right-hand end grip, transferring the break to your right thumb in preparation for a dribble force (see page 40). Dribble the cards and ask the spectator to say, "Stop," timing it so that it seems that he stopped you at the break. Have the card returned on top of the bottom half, and then dribble the rest of the cards on top, making sure the first few cards drop injogged on top of his card. Square the deck and obtain a thumb break below the injogged card. Execute a double undercut to bring his card to the top of the deck (a pass or a casual cut will also work). At this point the deck is arranged as follows: The second selection (Seven of Spades) is on top of the deck, followed by thirteen random cards, then twelve Hearts in order (the Four is in the first spectator's pocket), then twelve Spades in order, and finally thirteen random cards. ((We are going to mix this deck in a peculiar way. " You will now cut the deck into four tabled piles, relying on the breaks at the inner end of the deck (or the marks or corner shorts), and setting the packets down from left to right. The first packet will consist of all the indifferent cards, with the second selection on top, and it is placed onto the table to your left. The second packet will be the twelve Hearts, placed to the right of the first packet. The third packet will be the twelve Spades, and the last packet is the remainder of the deck, placed to the right of all. Turn the second and fourth packets face up. Make sure not to expose that the second packet consists of only Hearts. You can spread the two rightmost packets and say, '.11s you can see we have cards facing up and some facing down." Square them, then take the two middle packets (Hearts and Spades) and interweave the face-down Spades packet into the face-up Hearts. It shouldn't be a perfect shuffie, and you need to make sure there is at least one Heart on the top and one on the bottom of the combined packet. Obviously, you can't spread these cards to show that they are now mixed face up and face down. Cut anywhere in the middle a few times and display the cards that you cut to. These repeated cuts will display face-up and face-down cards. Try this for yourself, and you will agree that this display is quite convincing. While you present the condition of the cards state, :4.s you can see some cards are facing up and some facing down. Some are face to face, and some are back to back. " You now need to give this mixed packet a false shuffle with the tabled packet to the left, ending with the left packet on top. Here's how. With your right hand from above, grip the mixed packet by the sides. With your left hand, pick up the left repertoire 131

packet and weave it into the outer end of the combined packet, pushing it halfvvay in, making sure that this smaller packet is sandwiched completely within the bigger packet. In other words, the bigger packet has at least one card above and one card below the smaller packet. The following actions all take place continuously, with no pausing at any point. With your right fingers, push the outer end of the smaller packet into the larger packet (pic. 2), but push predominantly with your right forefinger, shifting the cards so they are angled to the left approximately forty-five degrees (pic. 3, right hand omitted for clarity). The left thumb takes over (pic. 4) and continues to push the jogged cards straight back toward the inner end. This should look like you are squaring the deck. Your right fingers shift from being in contact with the outer ends of the outjogged cards to the outer end of the larger packet. 132 not-so -straight tri urn ph

5 The angled cards have been pushed through the deck and are sticking out almost halfway at the inner right corner of the deck (pic. 5, right hand omitted for clarity). The right hand provides cover for the angled cards. Your left thumb lies along the left side of the deck, and the left middle and ring fingers are along the right side of the angled cards. The little finger is at the inner end of the anglejogged packet, and in a moment the left index finger will be at the outer end of this packet (as soon as the deck is out of the way during the upcoming strip-out action), so that the packet will be held in a straddle grip. repertoire 133

By simultaneously rotating your right hand counterclockwise with the deck and your left hand clockwise with the anglejogged cards, you can strip the angled cards out from the right-hand cards (pic. 6); it should look as if you are just cutting the deck. Complete the "cut" by placing the larger, right-hand packet onto the table, and the left-hand packet on top of it. This should all look like you wove the packets together and then simply cut them onto the table. 59 As a substitute for this shuffle, I find that Derek DelGaudio's truffle shuffle an excellent one, as one of its requirements is that the packets must be of different sizes. After the truffle shuffle, you will end up with the smaller packet on top of the bigger one-exactly the result we are after. Turn the combined packet over, and then pick up the last packet and execute the same false shuffle sequence described above. Denis Behr has suggested that dribbling the deck at this point makes for a nice display. The face-down cards in the middle and the random cards on the ends blur nicely, while the all-Spades center remains concealed. After this dribble display (or after the false shuffle if you omit this display), turn the deck over and announce that you will attempt to find out what card the first spectator secretly placed into his pocket. Execute a ribbon spread and point out that the face-up cards are all Hearts. (The distribution of the face-up cards will look better if you keep the spread tight at the top and bottom of the deck, and wider in the middle of the deck.) Add, "You can also see that the Hearts are in order, but there's one missing. "Remove all the cards below the Ace of Hearts and hold them in your left hand. Remove all the cards above the King of Hearts and place them on top of the cards in your hand (the second selection should be on top of this packet). You can justify the removal of these cards by saying, "To make this as clear as possible, I'll get rid of these cards. " Call out the face-up cards. '~ce, Two, 7hree, Five, Six, Seven. As you can see, the missing card is the Four." Ask the first spectator to remove his card from his pocket. Take it with your right hand and display it to the audience. While they react, top change60 the Four with the second selection and casually toss it face down onto the table. Turn the cards in your hand face up and place them onto the table. Gather the tabled spread of cards and shuffle the two halves together. Alternatively, you could have a spectator shuffle; you only need to make sure he shuffles the cards in the correct orientation. Demonstrate how you want him to shuffle by riffling the two halves and allowing them to interweave, but don't complete the shuffle; unweave them, and hand him the two halves to shuffle. "Remember, these cards were shuffled multiple times, face-up cards with face-down cards. " 59 This is based on Juan Tamariz's cascade shuffle from his book Sonata (1988, page 77. 60 A good description of the top change can be found in Roberto Giobbi's Card College, volume 1 (1995), page 233. 134 not-so-straight triumph

Turn the deck over. Ask the second spectator to name the card he chose, and when he does, spread the cards again. Point out that now the only face-up cards are the Spades in numerical order with one card missing-the card he just named. Ask him to turn over the card on the table, the card everyone remembered as the Four of Hearts. Now it is the Seven of Spades. When I started performing this trick I wasn't sure what was the best order for these final two climaxes. Experience has convinced me that this is better, but feel free to experiment with both ways. ENDNOTES: Here is a nice alternative that I sometimes do. To prepare, remove one card from the Hearts bank and bury it in one of the banks of random cards. Only one card is selected (from the Spades bank). The spectator places this card in his pocket without looking at it or showing it to anyone. The cards are shuffled as described above. When you spread the cards, all the Hearts are face up in numerical order, and one card is missing. When the spectator removes the card from his pocket, it is not the missing Heart as anticipated, but a Spade. To fix this you have the spectator shuffle one more time, and when the cards are spread again the face-up cards are all the Spades in order, except for the chosen card. 61 You can also create variations of this trick with ID numbers, dates, serial numbers from a bill, or almost any sequence of numbers that you desire. For example, in the first phase someone chooses a card, and after the shuffled cards are spread on the table, the only card missing from the face-up sequence is the selection. In the second phase the spectator shuffles once more, and when you respread the cards, all the face-up cards are the numbers of his cell phone, in order. . Finally, here is some advice about executing the ribbon spreads in this trick (which applies to many tricks where face-up cards are spread on the table). If you are facing your audience, as will most often be the case, spread the cards from your right to left, so that the indexes of the face-up cards are right side up from the audience's point of view. Their view of the cards is always more important than yours. Of course, if your audience is primarily next to you (or gathered around behind you), then spread the cards from your left to right. 61 Simon Lovell published a similar version (using double-backers) called "Super Play It Straight!" in his book Son of Simon Says! (2000), page 37. repertoire 135

s.c.a.a.n. Although there are considerable differences between the two, this routine is derived from "S.A.C.A.A.N." (see page 51). That earlier version made me obsess over the possibility of genuinely shuffiing the entire deck, as I knew it would greatly improve the impact of the trick. Incorporating this feature, however, does come at the cost of turning an ACAAN into a CAAN; in other words, turning a "name a card" trick into a "pick a card" trick. On the plus side, some of you will be pleased to learn that this also means you do not need a memorized deck. PREPARATION: This trick requires a full deck without jokers, and the card case needs to be prepared as described on page 19 of ''A.WA.C.A.A.N." (You need to be familiar with the workings of that trick to understand the instructions for this variation.) PERFORMANCE: Have the deck thoroughly shuffied by a spectator. Once you retrieve the deck, you will need to deal twenty-seven cards onto the table. To make this process not seem too systematic, I incorporate it within the plot of the trick. I used to thumb off six groups of four cards followed by one group of three (a total of twenty-seven) from the top of the deck. That works perfectly well but I find it to be too repetitious and possibly too obvious. I recommend you break up the pattern. Right after your spectator shuffies, casually spread the face-down deck while saying, "You have to agree, you thoroughly shuffled these cards." Secretly count eight cards (sight counting two groups repertoire 137