M Dark Art s Pres s “Paul Vigil is one of the most engaging, original and provocative close-up performers of the 21st century.” — Johnny Thompson “Paul Vigil is soft-spoken and humble, but behind that compelling demeanor is a diabolical mind. lie is one of the best magicians working today.” — Lance Burton “Paul Vigil is entertaining, charming, way funny and delightful. But we didn’t care about any of that — we just stared... and he still fooled the bullshit out of us!” — Penn & Teller Classic Fantastic features four of Paul Vigil’s professional routines, each of which is based on a vintage plot: The Multiple Selection, Fast & Loose, The Card Card Over the Heart, and The Blindfold Poker Deal. These routines have been designed and performed for scrutinizing audiences from all over the world; and now, students of artistic magic have access to some of the creations that have given Paul the reputation as one of the finest mystery performers working today. Two-time Merlin Award recipient Paul Vigil is one of the most mesmerizing and engaging performers in the world. His evening parlor show at King Ink inside The Mirage (which ran from 2010 to 2013) held its own against the multimillion dollar shows for which the city is famous, gathering standing room only crowds week after week. He is the creator of several critically acclaimed effects, including Sympathy (for the Devil) Cards, ICON, Diplopia, and HCE. Classic Fantastic is his first major collection of original material.
clas®sic | 'klaesik | Dadj. judged over a period of time to be of the highest quality and outstanding of its kind fan®tas®tic | fsen'taestik | Dadj. imaginative or fanciful; remote from reality The New Oxford American Dictionary
Also by Paul Vigil Diplopia ICON Sympathy(for the Devil)Cards H.C.E. Prime Cut Lady Bug
Classic Fantastic Paul Vigil edited by Jared Kopf
Copyright © 2014 by Paul Vigil. All rights reserved. With the exception of short quotations for the purpose of review, no part of this book, text, or photographs, may be photocopied, reproduced in any form or by any means, stored in a retrieval system, electronic or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. No part of this book may be photocopied, transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or otherwise, without prior permission of the publisher. Broadcast performance rights for the routines herein (including, but not limited to, Internet, television, video, or by any other medium known or to be invented), as well as conflicting live performance rights, are reserved by the author. Only written consent from the author authorizes permission for any broadcast performance. First published in the United States of America by Dark Arts Press Cover design by Jared Kopf, derived from “The Magician” by Pamela Colman Smith Designed and edited by Jared Kopf Final photograph by Rob Domenech
Contents Foreword xiii Exordium 1 Part I: The More the Merrier 5 Effect 9 Proem 11 Preliminaries 15 The SCaM Card 15 The Short 16 The Crimp 17 The Mark 19 The Order of the Selections 21 Method & Presentation 25 The Selections 25 Malones Control 28 The (Modified) Charlier Shuffle 29 The Vernon Transfer 31 Let the Revelations Begin! 35
1A (Basic): Time for a Change 38 The Flip-Flop Change 39 IB (Advanced): A Redemptive Exchange 40 The Top Change 41 2: Every Gambler’s Dream 43 3A: There’s the Rub 45 A Modified Slip Cut 45 Rub-a-dub-dub (Phase 1) 47 3.5: Avaunt, and Quit My Sight! 48 Rub-a-dub-dub (Phase 2) 49 3B: With Just a Wave of the Hand 50 The Houdini Color Change 52 Ose's Cut 54 4, 5, & 6: Let’s Speed Things Up! 55 A Modified Mario Sequence 55 7 A (Basic): Rise! 61 The Nelson Card Rise 62 7B (Intermediate): The Homing Card 64 Topping the Deck 67 Grippo’s Out-jog Pip Concealment 69
An Alternative to the Double Undercut 74 8: Triumph 80 The Zarrow Shuffle 83 ENVOI 89 PART II: Our Kind ofGir(d)l(e) 93 Effect 97 Proem 99 Preliminaries 105 The Chain 105 Three New Throws 106 Throw One (Lose/Lose) 107 Throw Two (Lose/Win) 112 Throw Three (Win/Lose) 113 A Classic Throw 115 A: The One-Finger Throw (Win/Lose) 116 B: The One-Finger Throw (Lose/Lose) 119 Method & Presentation 121 Playing Fast and Loose 121 Setting the Rules 122 Phase 1 122 Phase 2 125
Phase 3 126 Playing for Real 128 Phase 1 128 Phase 1.5 129 Phase 2 130 Phase 3 131 Envoi 133 PART III: Update 139 Effect 143 Proem 145 Preliminaries 153 Supplies 153 Setup 156 The Reel 156 The Line 157 The Card 164 The Pad 168 Pre-Show 168 Method & Presentation 173 Envoi 185 PART IV: High Five 189
Effect 193 Proem 195 Method & Presentation 201 High 5.0 201 Ross Johnsons Addition 213 A Perfect Illusion 214 High 5 Remix 215 The One-Handed Top Palm 223 Let’s Go, Loewy! 224 Sensing the Aura 228 A Direct Approach 228 An Impromptu Handling: Sans Wallet 232 Envoi 235 A Perplexing Procedure 235 Questions of Order 236 When and Where 237 Magic vs. Mentalism? 238 The Lazy Mans Card Trick 240 Think Stop 243 From Your Pocket, Sir 245 Epilog 247
Foreword I first met Paul Vigil at my Las Vegas home thirteen years ago, and we soon became fast friends and magical confidants. During our first session I realized that he was a far more skillful and inventive magician than I initially had imagined him to be. Over the years we have spent many nights discussing magic and developing sleights, methods, moves, subtleties and effects. Paul is an adroit practitioner of our art, and his magic, if carefully studied, will provide you, the reader, with material that could make you a stellar performer, too.
This booklet contains a collection of four classic effects from the repertoire of a professional working magician — magic that’s audience tested and carefully explained in complete detail, including plot lines and structure. “The Multiple Selection” has been a feature effect of a great many performers, but unlike most routines (which rely on a series of rather quick, slick flourishes for the revelations) Paul’s opening entry is a very magical handling that comprises eight startling effects. In addition, following the informative text, Paul explains how to cut the routine down to accommodate smaller groups of participants. Paul’s treatise on “The Endless Chain,” which contains three new throws that deliver different outcomes, advances this plot to new dimensions. It’s a fully explained three-phase routine that opens with Patrick Page’s classic, “Flash Cash,” and ends with a novel finish that leaves the participants utterly dumbfounded. His third entry is a variation of T.A. Waters’ “Backdate,” which is a routine based on Persi Diaconis and Peter Pit’s “The Card on the Back.” XIV
Paul performs it as a mental effect just as T.A. Waters did. The problem with this effect has always been the mechanics. Paul, through intense research and development, solved this most difficult problem, and he provides you with all the necessary information required to accomplish and perform this most unique mental mystery. The last entry, “High Five,” is Pauls handling of “The Blindfold Poker Deal.” His version does away with the poker demonstration aspect and instead provides the performer with a series of entertaining revelations of mentally selected cards. It relies on his streamlined handling of Gene Finnells Free Cut Principle. There is a section that involves the Le Paul Wallet, and it is the first time someone has found a practical and believable presentation for the “Card in the Envelope.” Paul also provides three contingency effects that can be interspersed into the routine. One of particular interest is his handling of “Think Stop.” The text and material contained in this collection are not for the beginner; they are for the serious student who desires quality material. XV
Every routine should be closely studied and practiced. Paul has developed four beautifully constructed effects in which every detail has been carefully worked out; so the serious student should have no difficulty in executing each of them. John Thompson Las Vegas, Nevada November 2014 XVI
Exordium Come, shipmates & scoundrels, All motley cools; You with the leather, And you, with the feathers Even you, over there, with electric green hair Yes, you, I see you - the one with the hat It’s time to check in, Look! The audience awaits Come quickly! Make Haste! We’ve no seconds to waste! Grab your pasteboards & wallets, business cards, too We’ll need needles with threads And black pens that write red To pull on their chain for surprises ahead Hurry! Hurry! There’s not a moment to lose For now is the time Without further ado... 1
Contained herein are some of the classic effects of our art, which I have attempted to bring to modern audiences. These “recreations” and “amusements” are around a hundred, if not hundreds of, years old, “When a new trick comes out,” wrote the Great Jaggard, “I do an old one.”1! can empathize with the sentiment. Each classic is a timeless treasure. It waits patiently in dusty pages for some communicant to unravel its peculiar dreams and share them with bewildered beings. Unlike most of the magic advertised these days, each of these routines has served me well in my professional performances; they truly have been tested before the scrutinizing eyes of live audiences. There are aspects that are self-working; others will take time to acquire. Sometimes we will utilize sleight of hand; at other times we will rely on psychology and subtlety. We must be comfortable to use misdirection, but, more often than not, we will construct to focus. Some of our words are the truth, while many more (especially after the fact) are those 1 John Northern Hilliard, Greater Magic (1938), pp. 117. 2
little white lies that leave a false trail of breadcrumbs to follow on the road leading toward impossibility. There will be moments of laughter and moments of stark silence, all for the sake of some beautiful illusions, mysterious truths, and, most importantly, a damn good time. The party is starting Where are you? The mischief begins... No need for fear here, Where Lies become Truth; It all hangs in the balance For even in this cruelest month, And at this late hour, you’ll be prepared; Pull them from history, The nightmare from which we’re all trying to wake Take them on a Journey For the Universe is indeed wider than our view of it And is, most definitely, Stranger than we can ever suppose Go! Show them, For fun2 2 Phrasing and themes throughout are woven from the following works: Terence McKenna, The Archaic Revival (1991); Marcel Proust, Remembrance of Things Past: Time Regained (1927); T. S. Eliot, The Waste Land (1922); James Joyce, Finnegans Wake (1924); Henry David Thoreau, Walden (1854); J.B.S. Heldane, Possible Worlds and Other Papers (1927). 3
PartI The More the Merrier
Here, by the way, the performer has an opportunity of displaying his skill in sleight of hand, and at the same time of heightening the effect of the trick by varying, in each case, the method of production. Thus, in the first instance, he may simply “cut” at the chosen card; in the second he may lay the pack on the hand of the drawer, and order the chosen card to pass to the bottom and be found on the palm. In the third he may show a wrong card, and on being challenged “change” it to the right one. In the fourth he may command the card to leave the pack and be found in the drawers vest or pocket, and to produce the fifth card he may hold the pack aloft, and order it to rise spontaneously from among its fellows. — Professor Hoffmann Tricks with Cards (1889), p. 206
EFFECT: After having many cards chosen by members of the audience, the magician mixes the selections together; then he loses them throughout the rest of the pack. Although the cards have been shuffled and cut, the conjuror finds the selections one by one: in his nimble hands the cards transform, appear where needed, perhaps float, and possibly even locate themselves. The effect concludes with all the cards mixed into a chaotic mess, and still the magician triumphs. 9
Proem Despite considerable thought and dogged experimentation, “The Multiple Selection” plot3 evaded me for many years. One of the main problems I faced was finding the best way to set up the effect. In most of the versions I have come across, the performer spreads the cards from hand to hand, has a participant call out 3 See e.g., Professor Hoffmann, Tricks with Cards: A Complete Manual of Card Conjuring (1889), pp. 206-08; “Malini-Elliott Multiple Card Location,” Genii (November 1999), p. 28, reproducing a section of the June 16, 1937 letter from Charlie Miller to Faucett Ross, in which Miller states, “I suppose that the trick is very old”; cf. Darwin Ortiz, Lessons in Card Mastery (2012), p. 89: “Although one can point to forerunners, the multiple location plot as most magicians perform it today was created by Eddie Fechter,” citing Jerry Mentzer, Magician Nitely: The Magic of Eddie Fechter (1974), pp. 95-101. 11
“stop,” and he breaks the spread at this point; he then lifts the upper portion of the spread to show the face card as the participants selection. The performer repeats this sequence until the desired number of selections have been made. This procedure, however efficient, seems aesthetically flawed to me. If, as a magician, you give me a free choice of any card then take that selection and place it back anywhere you want, (or, as in the procedure described above, you know exactly where my card is to begin with) how can I not expect you to have my card under your control? As enchanters, we should be showing our audiences events that cant happen; so this is no way to begin if we are trying to set up apparently impossible initial conditions. Having cards chosen or peeked at so that they never leave your hands has always left me cold: this kind of method takes us and our audiences off the path that leads to Never-Never Land. Therefore, I became keen on having each participant remove any card he or she wishes from an open spread. But using such an open action for the selections left me with the 12
problem of finding a control procedure that was (or at least seemed to be) just as carefree. I found the solution to this initial condition on Bill Malones excellent On the Loose DVD series. Bill had the genius to employ an old cheating move4 (which cardsharps use to move cards from the hand to the deck or vice versa) to switch and then apparently lose each of the freely chosen selections into a ribbon spread.5 This is what the audience perceives: The magician gathers all of the selections and mixes them in his hands; he grabs approximately half of the cards from the tabled deck and mixes them into the packet of selections; then, giving the cards that remain on the table a wide ribbon spread, he haphazardly inserts the cards in his hand into random places throughout. For my needs I couldn’t have asked for anything better. 4 This sleight has since come to be known as “The Vernon Transfer,” which Dai Vernon first introduced to the magic world in his Ten Card Problems manuscript, i.e., Dai Vernon, $20 Manuscript (1932), republished in Early Vernon (1962), p. 36. 5 Bill Malone, On the Loose, Volume 4, DVD (2002). 13
The following routine uses many classic revelation sequences. My brief descriptions should in no way be considered substitutes for the primary source materials, which are cited in the footnotes. 14
Preliminaries The SCaM Card The Shortened, Crimped and Marked card is perhaps the most valuable secret in all of my card magic. Any one of these concepts is iniquitous by itself; but when the “work” of all three is placed into just one card, the result is a highly versatile gimmick whose whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The SCaM Card6 can be used to control, force, and even reposition cards, making it one of the most versatile tools I know of. We must keep it as hidden as possible; let it work in the shadows. 6 Cf. “Mario Key Card” in Ed Mario, Advanced Fingertip Control (1970), p. 69. 15
The Short Trim a sliver off the inner-left corner of the face-down SCaM Card. I use a photo trimmer, which can be found at most stationery stores, but I have used scissors and nail-clippers in the past, and these work very well, too. Occasionally, I’ve seen fellow magicians use similar cards, but they seem to think it's best to cut every corner. I inveigh against this: it's a dead giveaway and makes the deck look like it's been chewed on by a pet. One corner is all you need. 16
The short card is used to bring the SCaM Card to the top of the pack; the forthcoming crimp will be used to bring it to the bottom. To bring the SCaM Card to the top, hold the deck in left-hand dealing position and the right hand above in overhand grip. Riffle upward on the inner-left corner with the right thumb until the short card falls,7 and finish by cutting at that point. The Crimp The crimp I am most fond of is Martin Nashs Infinity Principle.8 While it has been maligned by some, I have found it to be one of the mightiest concepts in all of card magic. To put the “work” in, hold the cards face down in left-hand dealing grip and move everything above the bottom card forward so that just the bottom card becomes in-jogged. 7 There will also be a small, audible “click.” 8 Martin Nash, Infinity and Beyond, DVD (1999). I could go on forever about the benefits of Nash’s Infinity Principle. I have written about it extensively before in another manuscript, Diplopia (2007). Do not let the simplicity of this principle fool you. This truly is a valuable tool, and it is my hope that you, too, will use it further for purposes in creating, designing and performing your own miracles. 17
With your right thumb, press down on the exposed bottom card, just inward of its center, bowing the card into the left palm. This creates a very minor indentation, which makes the card have a contour somewhat akin to an inverted pyramid. Whatever card you do decide to use for the SCaM Card, it's best to put this crimp work into it as soon as a pack is opened: work placed into an older card has to be much heavier, and it will never function as well, nor last as long, as work put into a brand new card. 18
With this card centered, it is quite easy to reach over and cut to it anytime you wish.9 Doing so with the deck face down will bring the SCaM Card to the face of the cut-off portion. The Mark I use an edge-mark that should look like nothing more than a speck of dust. 9 Do not try to cut directly at the crimp: its easier to handle if you lift the entire deck minutely and let everything from under your crimp fall; then, complete the cut. 19
With a black marker lightly touch the left, top side of the card approximately one quarter of the way down from the upper corner.10 You’ll want to hold the marker at a 45- degree angle so that when the tip touches the card the ink only stains the back of the cards surface. Experiment with a pack of old cards to get this mark as subtle as possible. This mark should be made so lightly that no one except you will be able to see it; but even with heavier work, the mark can be easily hidden. If a darker mark is required, simply hold the deck in left-hand dealing grip and leave the left thumb along the side to keep the mark hidden from view. To expose the mark, bring the left thumb over the top of the pack so that you can glance down along the beveled edge of the deck to find it. The mark is a vital addition to this versatile key card. For one thing, it will let you know which way to turn the deck to orient it appropriately. For another, because the mark is 10 See also David Britland and Gazzo, Phantoms of the Card Table: Confessions of a Card Sharp (2003), pp. 234-35. 20
on the same side as the short corner, you can visually ascertain where the SCaM Card is at all times. Finally, it will allow you to physically estimate where the SCaM Card is, eliminating any prolonged, telling and offensive running of the thumb or index finger as you search for the shortened corner. The Order of the Selections When I perform this in a close-up or parlor setting, I usually have two people sitting right next to me — one on each side of my table. These two participants will take Selections 1 and 2. The next person to my left will take Selection 3. The person to the right of 3 will not pick a card, but later I will appear to think she has; therefore, for the sake of explanation, I will refer to her nonexistent card as the “PseudoSelection” (or “3.5”). Changing direction, I begin to move counterclockwise and have three people on the right make Selections 4, 5, and 6. 21
Two more people, who are sitting farther back and toward the middle of the audience, will take Selections 7 and 8. The schematic below shows the general pattern I tend to use. 7 8 6 3.5 5 3 4 2 1 Performer Whatever pattern you settle on, stick with it: this will allow you to focus on the presentation rather than trying to remember where the next participant is sitting. In the following explanation I have used a sequence of cards running in value from Ace to Eight to represent the selections. These also follow a Clubs, Hearts, Spades, Diamonds series 22
(Ace of Clubs, Two of Hearts, Three of Spades ... Eight of Diamonds). In real performance, of course, the selections will be random. 23
Method & Presentation The Selections Hand the deck to the person on your immediate left and say, “Witt you examine these?” After a brief pause add, “And please give them a little mix, too. After all, it wouldn’t be very mysterious if I were to shuffle them. “You see, tonight, I want to show you something impossible; and to do that we should start by covering all the logical steps in the beginning.” Once the participant has finished shuffling the pack, continue by asking, “Have you 25
examined them? Are they well shuffled and mixed?” He will respond affirmatively. Extend your hand and retrieve the cards, saying, “Everything’s legit, right? And I can tell you re a gambling man, so you would know.” Look for your mark, turning the deck to the proper orientation to find it, if necessary. ‘Are they just the way they come from the store? Of course they are, except now they’ve been shuffled and mixed by you.” Relying on the Infinity Principle, cut the pack, bringing the SCaM Card to the bottom. You will now have the eight cards selected according to the schematic. Look at the lady on your right, spread the cards between your hands, and say, “Please select any card...” The following instructions will discourage her (and subsequent participants) from selecting the SCaM Card: “Bear in mind, however, I’m going to take every advantage available to me. I may, or may not, have seen the top and bottom cards already. 26
“So that you don’t accuse me of cheating later, lets keep it fair right now: take any one hut those... ” (Selection 1). Face the audience and say, “Now, if I were to find just one card that would he good; but if I were to find two... Well, that would be incredible!” Turn to the man on your left and spread the cards. “Perhaps I can have you select a card from the middle as well. Just one. Thank you. Now were getting somewhere...” (Selection 2). Spread the cards for another person on your left and say, “And you, please take a card. Yes, just take one, any one . . . Now were getting closer to amazing!” (Selection 3). Move to the right side of the audience and have three more people select cards (Selections 4, 5, and 6). “Having this many selections will make it impossible... But let’s do a few more!” Move toward the center and allow two more people to choose a card. “How about you; and you, too?” (Selections 7 and 8). 27
Place the remaining talon onto the table at the point where your left hand would naturally rest. “Now what’s important here is that you must remember your cards. “If you have a friend sitting next to you, or someone behind you, let them take a peek at it, too. That way, if any of you happen to forget, your friends can help us remember.” Malones Control Approach the people who made Selections 7 and 8, extend your hands and say, “Please, may I?... ” Gather the selections in reverse order as you make your way back to your performance area; this will put them in the necessary order for the upcoming sequence of revelations. Specifically, Selection 1 will end up on the top, Selection 8 should be on the bottom, and the rest will be in sequential order between them. 28
The (Modified) Charlier Shuffle11 " . . Lets give them just one more little mix here.”12 To execute this modified Charlier Shuffle, in-jog13 the top card with your right thumb as you spread the top four cards to the right with your left thumb. Take these four cards into the right hand, maintaining the in-jog. Bring the left hands four cards above those in the right hand and reverse spread the left hand’s bottom three cards; take these three reverse-spread cards on top of those in the right hand (being careful not to disturb the in-jog). Take the one card remaining in the left hand and move it to the bottom of the entire packet. 11 Cf. SW. Erdnase, The Expert at the Card Table (1902), p. 165. This blind shuffle is also called the "False Haymow.” 12 Cf. Bill Malone, On the Loose, Volume 4, DVD (2002). Malone uses a false overhand shuffle; instead, we will employ a modification of Charlier’s false mixing technique and then continue with Malone’s brilliant control procedure. 13 The in-jog is a safety measure to assure that you won’t lose the sequence. 29
Next, take the top two cards into the right hand and move them to the bottom. Finally, take the top card into the left hand and move it to the bottom, too. This will bring your injogged card back to the top. The shuffling action must flow smoothly and freely so that it appears to be completely haphazard. In capable hands it can be a thing of chaotic beauty. Still, Erdnase inveighs against the Charlier Shuffle: This process is very much employed by many clever card conjurers who ought to know better, and we include it only because it is in common use and to suggest its rejection . . . This clumsy juggling might prove satisfactory if performed by an awkward novice before a parcel of school children, but it appears simply ridiculous in the hands of a card conjurer, who, it is presumed, knows how to shuffle a deck in the customary manner.. , 14 As usual the mysterious author is spot on. Notice, however, that he is describing (and rightly abjuring) a full-deck control. When this 14 SW. Erdnase, The Expert at the Card Table (1902), p. 165. 30
technique is used to maintain the order of a small packet (which is what we require) the results are quite natural and extremely deceptive. The Vernon Transfer15 After the false shuffle you will be holding the eight selected cards in left-hand dealers grip. The remainder of the deck is to the left of center on the table. As if the thought just occurred to you, glance down at the tabled deck and say, “In fact, what I’ll do is take about half of these and shuffle them all together” Take approximately a third of the tabled talon and place them to the top of the eight selections, holding a break between the packets. Commence an overhand bottom-stock control by shuffling only the non-selections while maintaining the break over the bottom eight cards. 16 15 Dai Vernon, $20 Manuscript (1932), republished in Early Vernon (1962), p. 36. 16 See e.g., Steve Forte, Poker Protection (2006), p. 91. 31
After the shuffle bring the right hand above the packet in overhand grip and square the cards. Under the cover of this squaring action, transfer the break to the right thumb and move the left little finger to the short side of the selections’ packet so that it rests at the inner right corner. Extend the left little finger, kicking the inner end of the packet slightly to the right. You will now be holding the selected cards at opposing diagonal corners between the right hands little finger and thumb. The image below shows an exposed view of this position. 32