“But hold on! Maybe I just got lucky. That’s only one out of three. “Next I asked Beth for a number between zero and ten and you said, ‘Eight.’ Remember, I gave you a chance to change your mind, too, but you didn’t want to. “Chris, what’s the second number I have written on that card?... Eight!Eight it is! “One last number. I didn’t give you a chance to change your mind, but I did give you a free choice and you said, ‘Six.’ Chris, please hand the card to this gentleman here, in the front row. “Sir, what is the last digit I’ve written there on that paper?... Six! Show the rest of them! “Thank you, Chris. You may take your seat to a big round of applause. In fact, let’s give all my helpers a big round of applause. A round of applause for Chris, Alan, and especially Beth for not changing her mind. “So, that’s interesting, right? ... By show of hands, how many of you can perceive that the odds here are basically between one and a thousand?... 183
“But that's a lie. You see, it was much simpler than that.” As you point to each of the three participants in turn, say, “What I’m really dealing with is less than one out of ten, less than one out of ten, and less than one out of ten. Which really doesn’t explain anything. You’re still going to drive home and wonder how I did this. Try not to worry about it too much because tonight we are actually going to take the odds and push them past one in a million.”91 91 While there are many pieces that can fulfill this claim, I usually use my routines “Sympathy (for the Devil) Cards” (2007) or “H.C.E.” (2008) for the finale. 184
Envoi Anytime a magician uses mechanical aids in a trick, he has invited Murphys Law to the table; and it is always game to play. As Maskelyne observed, “[Everything that can go wrong will go wrong. Whether we must attribute this to the malignity of matter or to the total depravity of inanimate things, whether the exciting cause is hurry, worry, or what not, the fact remains.”92 Therefore, five precautionary measures should be taken in this effect to ensure that the card is brought to the proper position and orientation. First, using a synthetic line will reduce friction on the thread as it moves through the 2 Nevil Maskelyne and David Devant, Our Magic, Second Edition (1946), p. 69. 185
fabric. Second, curving the card will increase its tendency to flip flat against the back. Third, pushing the pin through the card below center will allow the spring end to act as a fulcrum if need be. Fourth, placing the pad away in the left trouser pocket will ensure that all the slack has been taken out of the line. And fifth, ruffling the jacket by rolling your shoulders and raising your arms is the last ditch effort to flip the card if, after all of that, its still not in position. Each of these actions gives you a chance to fix what otherwise could be a compromising situation; therefore, none should be ignored. The simplest details can escape you when you’re just about to go on stage and there are a dozen other things going through your mind. I’ve always wished I had someone there on the wings to warn me that my fly is open or that my trouser leg is stuck on the top of my boot. If only I’d had such a friend backstage on one fateful evening to remind me to disengage the lock on the reel... Imagine the disaster. After giving my introductory remarks and engaging with the audience, I have a gentleman come up to remove 186
the pin. I turn to display the card, only to see something out of the corner of my eye, about waist-high, flying around like a wounded butterfly. Ugh, the feeling of dread and failure! My ego shrinking. I had invited the audience to dream and then immediately exposed the strings that make Peter Pan seem to fly. The moral of this story: Always remember to take off the binder clip. Unlike similar effects (e.g., A1 Koran’s “The Gold Medallion”93), “Update” does not use double writing. However effective a ruse double writing may be, in this routine it would not only have a negative effect on the choreography; it would also be antithetical to those wise words, “Don’t run when nobody’s chasing you.”94 3 According to Johnny Thompson, "Backdate” was Waters’ version of “The Gold Medallion”: see e.g., Hugh Miller, editor, Al Koran’s Professional Presentations (1967), pp. 9-15. ' 4 Lewis Ganson, The Dai Vernon Book of Magic (1957), p. 36, attributing the adage to Al Baker; see also Theodore Annemann, The Jinx (April 1935), n.p.: "Mr. Baker himself quoted something when he gave me the line — ‘The wicked flee when none pursue.’ If magicians would stop worrying about handing things out for inspection they would have more time to work tricks. But they wander along, always inciting as well as exciting suspicion ...” The “something” Baker was paraphrasing is Proverbs 28:1 “The wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion.” 187
Magicians do themselves a disservice when they try to over-prove things the audience already accepts as true. Doing so has the ironic effect of creating suspicion in the minds of the audience where there was none before. In “Update” you ostensibly record the numbers on the pad just in case they need to be verified later. As it happens, you do take a little glance at the blank page, apparently to refresh your memory; however, you do so nonchalantly, without calling any attention to the action. This adds a bit of verisimilitude to the proceedings, but the audience really shouldn’t perceive this action, let alone attribute any importance to it. In other words, you do not glance at the blank page to “prove” you have numbers written there; you glance at it because you would if you needed to check the accuracy of your memory. Bob White puts it this way: “Nothing is more ludicrous than taking inventory of the obvious!”95 Therefore, I have attempted to structure this routine so that the false reality is implied much more than it is proclaimed. 95 Jason Womack, Bob White Presents: It's a Matter of Style, 3rd Edition (2005), p.ll. 188
Part IV High Five
Real magic cannot be done at a distance — it cannot possibly impress people the same way. — Dai Vernon From a letter to “Dear El Rossio" (Faucett Ross) May 5,1936, 2:30 a.m. One further example of misdirection may be given in regard to the mental attitude of the onlookers. If you are presenting a trick which is based on sleight of hand, ascribe it to anything but that. . . . On the other hand a trick dependent on a mathematical principle should be given as an effort of pure sleight of hand, or the delicate development of some particular faculty, a sense of touch or smell and so on. — Jimmy Grippo The Magic of Jimmy Grippo (1981), p. 13
Effect After a pack of cards has been shuffled and cut, the performer deals a hand of poker to each of his four participants. To keep everything fair, he asks them to see that their cards are all different and then tells them to mix their respective hands. The conjuror has them cut into their hands and burn the image of one card in each of their minds. He gathers the cards, shuffles, and then deals out another round. Showing these newly dealt cards to the players, he asks each of them one yes-or-no question. By reading their “tells” the wonder worker gains all the needed information to reveal exactly which card each is thinking of and, possibly, more. 193
Proem However obscure it may be today, the “Blindfold Poker Deal”96 is a classic effect. In its most basic form, the performer blindfolds himself and then deals out five poker hands — one for each of his four participants and one for himself. The four participants look at their respective hands and each thinks of a card. After gathering the cards, the blindfolded magician shuffles and re-deals the five rounds. He turns over the hand he has dealt to himself, showing that it contains their four thought-of cards. This is an incredibly powerful effect, but very few people perform it these days; in the 1930s and 40s, however, it was so popular that 96 Edward Mario, Let’s See the Deck (1942), p. 23. 195
practically every magician in New York’s inner circle had a version. In fact, its methodological roots go back even earlier. For example, in the July 1926 issue of The Sphinx, Max Holden describes a card effect performed by S. Leo Horowitz,97 the method of which bears a striking resemblance?98 to one of Dai Vernons variations of the “Blindfold Poker Deal”; although the Professor’s method wouldn’t see print for another thirty-five years,99 Dr. Jacob Daley recorded a nearly identical version in the second volume of his notebooks, identifying it as a way of “eliminating seconds” in the “Leipzig and Finnerman [sic] Effect.”100 Leipzig’s trick had inspired Vernon’s and, in turn, Horowitz’s; but the magic community at large would not become privy to Leipzig’s secret until John Northern 97 Excerpted in Stephen Minch, The Vernon Chronicles: Further Lost Inner Secrets (1989), p. xvii. 98 See ibid., p. xix. 99 Lewis Ganson, Dai Vernon’s Further Inner Secrets of Card Magic (1961), pp. 9-10. 100 Frank Csuri, transcriber, Jacob Daley’s Notebooks, Volume 2, p. 31, entry 275 (c. 1938,1974), misspelling “Finneran,” the surname of sleight-of-hand master Francis Carlyle; cf. Edward Marlo, Let’s See the Deck (1942), pp. 23-26, essentially reconstructing Daley’s method. 196
Hilliard published it as “Five Hands” in his monumental tome, Greater Magic, 101 The use of the blindfold in all the methods above was likely adopted only after Walter Scott’s famous demonstration at the home of A1 Baker in 1930. “Not that Scott could lay claim to being the originator of [the blindfold poker deal],”102 but Vernons first documented use of a blindfold in a poker deal came in his 1932 pamphlet, now known as the Twenty Dollar Manuscript. 103 Daley also mentions donning a blindfold in his notebook, but he didn’t record his version until well after the Scott event took place: for one thing, Daley didn’t take up magic as a serious hobby until around 1934 when he started taking lessons from Baker and Horowitz;104 for another, he credits Francis Carlyle along with Nate Leipzig in his 101 John Northern Hilliard, Greater Magic (1938), pp. 560-61. 102 David Britland and Gazzo, Phantoms of the Card Table: Confessions of a Card Sharp (2003), p. 91. 103 See Faucett W. Ross, editor, Early Vernon (1962,1979), pp. 26-28. Notice that while the “Vernon Poker Demonstration” does suggest the use of a blindfold, it is a different effect from what has come to be called the “Blindfold Poker Deal.” 104 See e.g., David Ben, Dai Vernon: A Biography (2006), p. 250. 197
notebook entry, and Carlyle didn’t join the inner circle until around 1938.105 The chronology suggests that Daleys use of a blindfold was inspired by the Leipzig and Vernon routines, both of which tack on the idea of using a blindfold at the very end of their respective explanations.106 As a demonstration of card control, these effects are brilliant and powerful, with or without the blindfold. I’ve always loved the “mental” aspect of these routines, especially the way Leipzig chose not to reveal the four thought-of selections in his hand at the end, but rather learned their identities and switched them for a packet of indifferent cards, thereby destroying the evidence. However, when I started to consider adding this effect to my working repertoire, I was performing at King Ink inside The Mirage in Las Vegas; this meant I had to be careful with anything related to gambling, let alone cheating. For obvious 105 See e.g., David Ben, Dai Vernon: A Biography (2006), p. 291. 106 John Northern Hilliard, Greater Magic (1938), p. 561: “By working it blindfolded, which in reality does not increase the difficulty, the trick becomes a real sensation”; Faucett W. Ross, editor, Early Vernon (1962, 1979), p. 28: “The effect maybe performed while genuinely blindfolded.. ” 198
reasons, the last thing I would ever perform in that venue is a demonstration that would suggest to patrons that there is someone working in the casino who can cheat at cards. Simon Aronsons “Gimme Five,”107 gave me the last bit of inspiration I needed. Aronsons brilliant variation still ends with the revelation of a selection-filled poker hand, but his reliance on Gene Finnell's Free Cut Principle108 made the effect close to self-working, which is exactly what I had been looking for. The Finnell Free Cut Principle is diabolical, but it can become confusing for spectators in a negative way; furthermore, even when the presentation justifies its unorthodox procedure (which Aronsons does very well), it still can appear to be procedurally necessary, which, of course, it is. The simple version described below attempts to streamline the action of Finnell's 0' Simon Aronson, “Gimme Five,” MAGIC Magazine (August 2009), pp. 62-64. Aronson mistakenly cites Edward Mario, Let’s See the Deck (1942) as the earliest reference of this effect. 103 See e.g., Murray Bonfeld, “Double Poker Control,” Apocalypse (September 1986), p. 1256-57; see also James Swain, 21st Century Card Magic (1999), pp. 23-24. 199
incredible principle while still maintaining its elusiveness. The resulting routine also does away with the standard climax to the “Blindfold Poker Deal.” This is one of the strongest aspects of T.eipzigs original, and T have opted to incorporate something similar here. I’ve finished close-up sets with “High Five” many times: it’s that strong. My hope is that you, too, will find this as streamlined and effective as I have. 200
Method & Presentation High 5.0 After a participant shuffles the cards, take back the deck and deal out five draw-poker hands, each with five cards. (Occasionally, I’ll have a spectator deal the cards; but to keep things snappy it may be wise to do these actions yourself.) Once the last card has been dealt, have the talon set aside to your left. For the sake of explanation, think of the participants as being numbered from 1 through 4, starting with the person immediately to your 201
left and continuing clockwise. In this case, the performer will be number 5. “Listen to me carefully. First, look at your cards and notice that they re all different.” Illustrate what you want them to do by picking up your hand and fanning it toward yourself. Spot the most conspicuous card in your hand and memorize it and its position: this will be your key card. Let us assume its the Ace of Spades. Here your actions will suit your words and you must be very precise, without sounding too controlling. You want to be very clear so that later you’re not forced to repeat or correct your spectators. In other words, you want to avoid having to say, “No, not like that! Like this . . .” Any corrective language will be detrimental to your effect because it will betray the fact that specific procedures are required for your method. Therefore, in the beginning, always make your instructions lucid, concise, and as relaxed as possible. Remember: anytime you have to stop someone later and correct him, you risk losing the magic. 202
“Once you’ve convinced yourselves that they are all different, I want all of you to shuffle your cards" In shuffling your own cards, move your key card to the center of the five-card hand (i.e., so that two indifferent cards are on either side of it). Now you can overhand shuffle the hand, peeling one card at a time, reversing their order. Do this by running cards singly, then throwing the remaining cards on top of, or below, the shuffled cards. Now you can overhand shuffle the cards, peeling one card at a time, reversing their order. This way, as long as you run all five cards singly, from top to bottom, your key card will always remain in the center. This shuffle can be repeated several times; just be sure to do it casually and naturally. “Now, if you don’t know the order of your cards, there’s no way that I could know the order, either, right? . . . Perfect! Each of you, hold your cards just like this.. Show them how you are holding your cards face down in left-hand dealing position. 203
“Very good. In a moment — not yet — I'll have each of you reach over and cut anywhere you want in the middle; but don't let anybody else see where you've cut.” Suiting your words, and illustrating further, move your right hand in Biddle grip over the top of your cards, and then, with your right thumb, softly riffle off two cards into the left hand, leaving three in the right. “Then, look at the card you've cut to and remember it... ” Lift your right hands three-card packet and look at the card on the face: this is your centered key card, the Ace of Spades. “. . . but DO NOT bring your hands back together.” That emphasis is crucial, but do not be too vehement. “What I want you to do is place the card you're thinking of here with the rest... ” Put the cards in your right hand onto the tabled talon (which you set off to the left in the beginning). “ . . and then place whatever you have left on top of that.” 204
Take the left hands cards into your right hand and slap them on top of the talon with conviction. “This way there is no way that I could know how many cards you’ve cut, and there is no way I could know where you’d bury them, right?... Good.” Turn to person 1 (i.e., the spectator directly to your left) and say, “Go ahead, sir: cut anywhere you’d like, look at the card there and remember it, and then put the card you are thinking of here.” As he cuts, pick up the talon in your left hand and extend it toward him to signal where he is to place his right hands’ packet. “Perfect. And the rest on top to lose it. Thank you.” Moving your attention clockwise, turn to person 2, extend your hand, and say, “Please, do just the same. Excellent!” Once 2 has slapped the last of his cards onto the talon, turn clockwise to person 3 and say, “There you go. Don’t forget it, and place the rest on top.” 205
Again, moving clockwise, turn to person 4 and say, “And you: please cut, look at the card and remember it, drop those here, and place the rest on top to lose it further Thank you.” Give the deck a false shuffle and false cut. “Each of you, please continue to concentrate on your card. Im going to deal out one more round. Just leave the cards in front of you.” Matching your actions to words, deal out five more hands of poker, starting with person 1 on your left and ending with yourself. Once you have finished dealing all five rounds, set the talon aside to the left as before. “Now, as I show each of you these cards do your very best not to give yourself away. Im going to be looking for every clue I can use to help me discover what your hidden thoughts are.” Leave your cards where they are. Pick up the hand in front of person 1 (i.e., the first spectator to your left) and shuffle the packet as you say, “I will not look at any of these cards, but I will be focusing on you. All I’m going to do is ask you one question, and all I want from you is a yes-or-no response, understand? . . . Nothing else: don’t give yourself away.” 206
Fan the cards toward person 1 and say, “Right now, yes’ or no,’ do you see your card?” This question has only one answer: “No.” It cant be in their hand because it already resides in yours, as does every oilier selection.109 Shuffle the cards and hold the fan up to spectator 1 a second time, ostensibly looking for clues. “One more time, look at the cards . . . Now look at me... Okay, yes, easy.” Take this hand (person is) and drop it on to 2 ’ s. Shuffle the combined packets and then fan the cards toward participant 2 and say, “Remember, don’t do anything to give yourself away. Please, look at the cards. Now, yes’ or ‘no,’ do you see a card that’s the same value as your card? For instance, if your thinking of a Seven do you see another Seven? Just yes’ or no.’ Look at me .. . One more time, look at the cards . . . and look at me. I think I’ve got it. Thank you.” Give the packet a quick overhand shuffle. Drop the combined hands of 1 and 2 on top of hand 3 and shuffle again (because you can). Fan the cards and say to person 3, “Look at the cards. 109 C.f. “An Effective Poker Deal,” Jean Hugard, Card Manipulations, Series 5 (1936, 2010 by Lybrary.com), p. 107. 207
Can you see them all? . . . Great. Do you see a card that’s the same suit as the one you’re thinking of? In other words, if your thinking of a diamond, do you see another diamond? Remember, just yes’ or ‘no’ — don’t do anything to give yourself away. Look at me. Okay, you’re a little harder to read.” Take the combined hands you now have (i.e., 1 through 3) and drop them onto hand 4. Addressing person 4, the last spectator, say, “Please, look at all the cards carefully. Again, just a ‘yes’ or a ‘no’ — don’t do anything to give yourself away. Do you see a card that’s the same color as yours? Look at me. Thank you.” Shuffle the cards again and then vehemently drop the spectators’ combined hands on top of the hand in front of you (i.e., hand 5). Take all of those and add them to the top of the previously tabled talon. “I have everything I need!” That line will take them aback. They’ll likely be thinking, “What is he talking about?” Yet you do have everything you need: each of the mentally selected cards is under your key card, and they are in order. 208
Now, you want it to look as if you’ve already picked up on each participants thought before you glance through the deck. So, look at person 1 and then quickly move through the faces and find your key card (the Ace of Spades in this case). The card directly to the right of the key card belongs to person 1. Place it in front of 1 and look at him while you cut a small amount of cards from the face of the deck to the rear, or undercut a small block and overhand shuffle it without disturbing your slug. This little cut or mix will make it seem that each card is coming out of different spots in the pack. Spread the pack and remove the next card to the right of your key card: this will be person 2’ s. As you remove it, memorize what person 3's selection is (the Three of Hearts, for example). Place the removed card in front of 2, and, again, give the deck a small cut or shuffle, again maintaining your slug. Direct your attention to person 3 and feign disappointment: touching your hands to your face is a natural way to express this nonverbally. “I may have trouble with you. . . . Hmm, I thought I might.” 209
You will now go through and have one of two outcomes: either you’ll run into the mate of, or a card one value off from, participant 3's (e.g., the Three of Diamonds, or the Two or Four of Hearts); or you’ll first get to your key card and spectator 4’s selection. If you reach a one-offcard for person 3 first, remove it and place it in front of him. If, however, you reach your key first, take out person 4’s card, place it in front of him, and say, T knew this one was yours.” Then go back and find a one-off-card for person 3 and table it in front of him. Now ask person 1 (i.e., the person directly to your left), “And what was the card you were merely thinking of?” As he answers, lift up the edge of his tabled card for a little glimpse and feign disappointment. “Did you change your mind?” After he denies changing his mind, say, “Well, neither did I!” Turn the selection face up and take your applause. Look at person 3 (whom you previously stated might be trouble). Say, “If I don't get yours, please don’t hold it against me . . . Getting even 210
one of these thoughts makes me consider this a success” Turning back to person 2, ask, “And yours?” Turn over the tabled card in front of him and assert, “You were easy: I read you like a book, but you.. .” Look back at person 3 and continue: “I'll come back to you in a moment .” Shift your attention to person 4 and say, “Please, loudly and clearly.. ” When he responds with the name of his card say, “Whew!” as you wipe your brow. “Perfect!” Turn over the selection slowly and let it sink in. “Now if I get three out of four that wouldn’t be bad, would it?” I always feels it’s best, when possible, to insert what I call “The Dip”: when your audience expects you to be one-hundred percent accurate, pull back a little and let the possibility of failure breathe. Accordingly, turn back to person 3 and say, “Don't tell me what your card is, just tell me, yes or no, if I’m close.” 211
Reveal your guess. Of course, this will always elicit a positive response, because you are “close,” indeed. “It's close, but it’s not spot on, is it?” This will gamer a negative response. Place this wrong, but close, card back into the deck with all the rest of the previous selections. “Well, as I said, three out of four isn't bad, is it? ... I still think it’s pretty incredible that I even got the three of you, but, you know, sometimes we magicians have to take it a step further. Here, it doesn’t have anything to do with these props; all it really has to do with is one mind and another mind coming together in unison. Can we try to see just how far we can push this?” Remove all superfluous objects from the table, including the playing cards and the box, and put them in your pocket. Now it's your time to shine. You memorized his card long ago, so this will feel like direct mind reading. Do it! Put the last nail in the coffin! “Come closer. Look at me...” 212
Ross Johnsons Addition The handling above was published in a slightly different format in MAGIC Magazine,110 but because of space constraints I had to leave out alternative sequences and much of the presentation. There is, of course, nothing wrong with performing it the way I’ve just described; indeed, I’ve performed the version above much more often than the one I’m about to explain.111 The basic modus operandi will stay the same, but the revelations here will prove to be much more playful, theatrical, and effective. I have always thought of incorporating various revelations in this routine, but it took a phone call from my friend Ross Johnson112 to show me the right path to go down. He had been playing with the original handling and came up with an interesting sequence. As the first, second and fourth selections were being 110 Paul Vigil, "High 5,” MAGIC Magazine (November 2011), pp. 64-66. 111 This is, however, simply because “High 5 Remix” was developed a bit later. All of my effects are forever in flux, constantly being refined, modified, updated, reconstituted, adapted ... 112 Not only is Ross a wonderful friend and confidant; he is also the deliverer of the strongest performance of mystery I’ve ever witnessed. 213
turned over, Ross realized he had ample opportunity to cull the third selection to the top, palm it, and then load the card into his wallet. This, suffice it to say, was a wonderful idea. Not only did it give the effect some variety; its presentation did not veer away from the overall mental theme.113 A Perfect Illusion To be specific, this is what Ross came up with. After reading the minds of 1, 2 and 4, Ross comes back to 3 and says, “I wanted to try something different; and definitely more difficult, with you; and only because I thought I'd have the best success with you.” As he widely ribbon spreads the pack face up across the performance area, he’ll say, “Please name the selection you’re merely thinking of.” Once 3 has named the card, Ross continues: “There is one card, and only one card, that is missing from this pack. Please look for it. 113 Jared Kopf has performed Card in Wallet for many years as a mental item; as in Johnson’s wrinkle, the card seems to have been in the envelope since well before the beginning; not that it has vanished and reappeared therein. 214
“What makes this even more mysterious is you couldn't have seen it. You see, this card happens to be my lucky card. I always take it out of the deck and put it here, in my wallet. Did you see your card here among these? Neither did 1. How could it be any other way? This was much more difficult because it had to do with perception and (perhaps, more importantly) expectations .”114 He gathers the spread, tables the deck, shows his hands empty, then opens the wallet, unzips the compartment, removes the card . . . you know the rest. Ross’s extra idea prompted me to revisit the plot. I immediately adopted his excellent divergent point with the wallet and have since added a few more decorative touches. High 5 Remix With all the previous in mind you’ll also need a card-to-wallet prop of some type to perform the following variation. 114 This is similar to the presentational approach in Derren Brown’s stunner “Smoke” in Pure Effect (2000) pp. 119-28. 215
Let me take a minute to discuss the type of wallet I use and the props involved in its execution. The wallet I prefer is the larger, Le Paul-style wallet, which I often put in the left, inner breast pocket of my suit; alternatively, I may put it in the right pocket if I already have another effect taking up the lefts. We will cover palming techniques to be used in either case shortly. The wallet should be loaded with an envelope that will accept the card. This is much better than simply loading the wallet and opening the zippered compartment to find the selection.115 The wallet can be loaded with an envelope that’s had its short side cut by a serrated knife; this will keep the edge rough and uniform when the envelope is torn open to reveal the card). To do this you’ll want to cut into the envelope approximately a quarter of an inch from the end, then move across. 115 Howard Hamburg once told me that while he was having dinner one night with both Vernon and Grippo the subject of card to wallet/envelope came up; Grippo had this to say: “Let’s ask everyone that comes out what happened; no one will remember the wallet and everyone will remember the envelope.” 216
In performance, of course, with this option you’ll have to open the envelope yourself, at least partially, before handing it off to a participant to finish; therefore, a better option is to use a Bonsalope by PropDog. This gaffed envelope will self-seal when it’s removed from the wallet. Whatever way you decide to load the wallet, be sure to include a few other envelopes, complete with postage and rubber stamps, for the sake of authenticity (and novelty).116 You should also consider adding a few other accoutrements, such as pictures and a check. 116 Sheets of old, out-of-date postage stamps and imitation postal rubber ink-stamps (cancellation, etc.) can be found quite cheaply. Cf. Roberto Giobbi, Card College, Volume 5 (2003), p. 1375. 217
Place these trappings on either side of the gimmicked envelope and secure the whole package widthwise with a single rubber band. It is important to include a few personal effects with the single envelope because they give the wallet's zippered compartment a legitimate purpose. As Dai Vernon often said, misquoting Leonardo da Vinci,117 “Details make for perfection, but perfection is no detail.” 117 Cf. J.K. Hoyt & K.L. Roberts, Hoyt’s New 'Cyclopedia Of Practical Quotations (1922), p. 593, quoting Michelangelo: “Trifles make perfection, and perfection is no trifle”; cf. also this, from personal communication with Jason England: “I don’t know of anyone that has conclusively determined whether or not [Michelangelo] actually said that or that has provided a proper citation in an Italian work of the period.” 218
These props, with all their tiny details, are crucial, but they are not the focus; indeed, they will only be witnessed for a brief moment. They may not be the stars of the scene, but they are the vital background extras, without whom any sense of realism is lost. Well pick up where the cards have been gathered after the yes-or-no questioning.118 All the selections are in the center of the pack, under your key card. For explanation let's assume the key is still the Ace of Spades and the selections are the Ace through Four of Hearts, which are running from left to right in the faceup pack. In your search to find person Is card, go through the faces, keeping the deck somewhat necktied as you look for your key card. When you see your key card, memorize the third card to its right, which is participant 3’s selection (in our example here, the Three of Hearts) and then transpose it with spectator 4’s card (e.g., the Four 118 More on these questions later. See Envoi below. 219
of Hearts). Don’t make a move out of this: simply swap them as you spread the pack. After repositioning these two cards briefly bring the halves back together, and then cut the pack bringing the key card to the face. You no longer need to remember this card; from now on just concentrate on participant 3s selection. From the top down, you now have selection 1, followed by 2, then 4, and finally 3 and the rest of the deck. Pick up the top card in Biddle grip119 and flash its face to yourself. Place this card face down in between participants 1 and 2. Look at person 1 and say, “You’re like an open book.” To participant 2: “Let me see if I’m right on yours as well.” Lift the deck by the inner end and necktie the deck again to avoid revealing the bottom card: it will not change during the following actions and you don’t want some eagle-eyed spectator to notice. Look through the faces and stop spreading somewhere near the center. It will appear as if 119 Holding the card this way will mimic an upcoming double lift. 220
you have spotted the second selection in the middle of the spread, even though your stock is now on top. Mirroring the cut for the previous selection, square up the spread and perform the following subtle false cut. With the faces toward you, swing cut the bottom half into the left hand and place this portion face down on the table by turning the left hand palm down (essentially placing the bottom of the deck to the table and back to its original position). Bring the left hand back to the right and take the remaining cards into the left hand. Again, turn the left hand palm down and place its cards on top of the half on the table (placing the top back on top). Pick up the tabled pack in the left hand. Reach forward with the right hand and lift the end of the tabled card, as if to double check its identity. Under this natural misdirection, secretly use the left pinky or thumb to count off two cards and maintain a break beneath them. Release the peeked card and reach back to the deck with the right hand. Take the top two cards as one in right-hand Biddle grip, executing a double lift while saying, “Remember, 221
I will take every advantage I can to succeed. I may turn this card over and it could happen to be a Spade. Now if you, too, are thinking of a Spade you might react, giving me further clues I can use. Don’t do anything to give yourself away... Turn the face of the double toward yourself, but hold it in such a way that only participant 4 can catch a glimpse of it as well. He will, of course, see his selection. As you replace the double on top of the pack and push over a single card, turn your attention to person 1 and say, “This includes you. I still haven’t turned your card over, and I reserve the right to change my mind until I do.” With your right fingertips, slide his card a little to the left as if to make a bit more room for participant 2’s card. This in-transit action120 is apparently the reason you replaced the double card on top of the deck. With one hand, deal the top, side-jogged card to the table in front of participant 2 and say, “I’m pretty sure that this one is yours” . 120 See e.g., Arturo de Ascanio, “In-Transit Actions” reprinted in Joshua Jay, editor, Magic in Mind: Essential Essays for Magicians (2013), pp. 289-90. 222
Set the pack near participant 3, but in the process palm spectator 4 s selection off the top. Topping the Deck121 works well at this point, but here are some alternatives. The One-Handed Top Palm122 With the pack held in right-hand Biddle Grip, and the tip of the pinky at the outer left corner of the selection, only the slightest downward pressure is needed to propel the card into palm position. It is important to remember that the pack must be placed in the right hand for some ostensible reason. In this case, you are placing the pack in the right hand to free up the left hand so that it can make a gesture toward the two tabled selections. If you were to place the pack into the right hand for no other reason than to palm the top card, you wouldn’t be applying any misdirection or psychological cover for the 121 Dai Vernon, Select Secrets (1941), pp. 7-10; see supra pp. 67-69. 122 See e.g., The Top Card, One Hand Only in John Northern Hilliard Greater Magic (1938), pp. 200-201; see also Hugard and Frederick Braue, Expert Card Technique, 3rd Edition (1940,1950), pp. 177-79. 223
sleight. Unless you execute the palm under natural conditions, the move will be spoiled even if your technique is otherwise perfect. Lets Go, Loewy! If you carry the wallet in your right jacket pocket, you will, of course, need to palm the card in the left hand. You could turn the deck face up and perform a bottom palm; there is, however, no reason for you to turn the pack. Of all the classical methods available, should you need to load the wallet with the left hand, the Loewy Palm123 cannot be bettered. As Hilliard wrote, This method is the ideal one for such tricks as the card and the pocketbook where a card has to be secretly inserted into the breast pocket. In such cases after the right hand has taken the pack, the left hand continues its movement to the right and is dipped into the pocket quite naturally.124 123 See e.g., The Top Card with Left Hand Only in John Northern Hilliard Greater Magic (1938), pp. 201-02; see also Hugard and Frederick Braue, Expert Card Technique, 3rd Edition (1940, 1950), pp. 57-58 (referred to as “The Hugard Top Palm”). 124 John Northern Hilliard Greater Magic (1938), p. 201. 224
With the cards held forward by the left hand, and as the right approaches to take the pack from the front, pivot the top card clockwise with the left thumb in preparation for it to be palmed. As the right hand moves away with the deck, curl the left fingers and bring the thumb to rest on the forefinger to help conceal the card. “Really; this is one of the most difficult things I can do. If I get three out of four of you, Id still chalk this up as a success; but if I’m wrong on either one of these two I should probably just quit while I’m ahead and do my best to preserve my reputation.” 225
If you’re seated it can be advantageous to place the palmed selection behind a knee or between your legs to hide the card momentarily and free the hands. As this a close-up effect, one best suited for private performances, you’ll have to weigh the options for the load. Each circumstance will present itself with problems: everything from angles to the random and ambient sensory input from the room will affect which method should be employed. Regardless of the way you’ve chosen to deal with the palmed card at this point, turn to person 1, lift up on the edge of the card in front of him as if to glimpse it, and say, “I read you like an open book. You thought of a black card, right?” He will shake his head. “You didn’t think of the Jack of Spades?... Well, what was it then? ... The Ace of Hearts? ...” Triumphantly turn over his card, revealing the Ace of Hearts and say, “Like an open book!” 226
Quickly turn to participant 2, ask what his selection was, and then reiterate: “The Two of Hearts.' Lift the edge of his tabled card and take a peek at it. “That would be good, huh? . . . No, it would be perfect!” If you’re still holding out the palmed card, you may want to have switched palms during the offbeat provided by the last revelation, and then deal with person 2’s card with your now free hand. Turn the selection toward the audience and exclaim, “Yes!” Turn to participant 3 and say, “I feel confident. Perhaps I will continue with you after all. Go ahead and shuffle the cards; that'll keep things fair!” This will clandestinely move his selection from the top and lose it somewhere in the center. Not only does this destroy any remaining evidence; it also sets you up for a number of incredibly strong and appealing options for participant 3's selection. 227
Sensing the Aura You could perform a feat of Hellstromism. Simply take the shuffled pack and give it a wide, face-up ribbon spread. Have the spectator grab your wrist and then slowly move over the spread until you converge on the card. This can be embellished by saying, “I could find your thought by looking into your eyes; or I could simply rely on my intuition and gut instincts. Let's try it this way. Do not look at the cards. Close your eyes: this way you won’t give anything away. Simply hold my wrist, and I will attempt to channel your energy through me....” Once the participant takes your wrist, slowly move back and forth over the spread until you locate the card. Place your finger on the selection and have the participant name it before he brings his gaze back down to the table. A Direct Approach Or, foregoing any further procedure, after participant 3 shuffles the deck you could simply look at him and say, as you point directly in front of person 4, “You know what? Go ahead and place them on the table here’.’ Having 228
participant 3 handle and place the cards down himself will allow you some time misdirection to claim later that you haven’t touched the pack. “We don’t need these physical objects. All we need are your intangible thoughts. Look at me_” With that in mind, you should also be aware of the option to put away every prop before moving on to the final denouement.125 Whether you are using “High Five” as a closer or a standalone piece, removing your props from the theatrical space can further strengthen an already powerful piece and help draw the attention to you, the performer. Anyone who arrives after the cards have been set aside will innocently hear, “You have a secret thought; and it could be anything, but you’ve decided on a playing card . . . just one . . . this gives us quite a lot to work with actually....” These latecomers will never know the procedure that followed, and your words here can cement an effect that is truly impossible and confounding. The missing pieces to the puzzle will forever lead them astray from the solution. 125 You should try to choreograph this situation into your own routines wherever possible. 229
“There’s one card you’re thinking about right now; it’s locked in your mind, and, perhaps, I have the key. Would I be correct to say that the . . . Three of. . . The Three of Hearts is your hidden thought?.,, “Wonderful!” Turn to person 4 and say, “And, for you something different, more ambitious, and much more difficult. I don’t know if this worked, but I think it did. Please, for the first time, tell everyone the card you were merely thinking of?... The Four of Hearts?!... No, really, what is your selection?” Participant 4 will insist that he is thinking of the Four of Hearts, which is good because this affirmation will only tangle him further in the web you’ve been weaving. “It can’t be! Show me. I don’t think there’s a Four of Hearts in that pack. Let’s find out. Go ahead and spread through them; see for yourself’ If you have previously loaded the card in your pocket, all of this is simply window dressing; however, if you are still holding out 230