Now fold the loose bill to the right, so the two bills are trapped in each other in a Z-fold (fig. 32). Pull the loose bill forward until it almost forms a big square together with its mate (fig. 33). Do not move the bill too far, else it will be visible when the setup is complete. Next, fold the top part of both bills down along the creases in the gaffed bill (fig. 34). If the extended loose bill extends below the bottom part of the gaff, you have likely pulled it up too much in the previous stage, and you will need to start over. Finally, fold along the last crease of the gaffed bill to make it into a square package (fig. 35). Unfold the package and remove the loose bill so that you can refold the loose bill along its creases to make them really sharp. Unfold it again and refold it into the gaff as it just was.
Handling The handling is identical. Start by showing the bigger denomination bill and then perform the change. The bill will automatically split into two in a very visual and eerie way (figs. 3 6 -4 1 show the entire sequence).
DOUBLE BILLS LUITCH ROUTINE Here is a fu ll routine using “Bills Witch” that originatedfrom som e fru itfu l discussions with Paul Harris. It works w ell when perform ing informally, such as fo r a cashier. Effect Tomas brings out a twenty-dollar bill and splits it into two ten-dollar bills. He then shows a participant how to double her money: by folding the bill in half! After that groaner of an excuse for a joke, he takes the bill and proceeds to magically double it in value for real. gaff as in “Double Bills Witch,” where the hidden and folded ten-dollar bill is at the face of the twenty-dollar bill, in its lower right corner. Fold the twenty once to hide the tens inside it, and place the whole package into your wallet. Handling Take out the folded twenty and unfold it with its back toward the spectators. Carry out the usual move to turn its face toward the audience, while hiding the tens behind it. Execute the Double Bills Witch to change the twenty into two tens. Explain that you will show the audience how to double their money. Hand someone the ungaffed bill and instruct her to hold it up with the person on the bill facing her. Move your hidden twenty so you can show the back of the ten. Instruct her to fold the bill once as you do the same with your bill (fig. 42). Prepare your grip on the bill for the switch to come by rotating the bill so the fold is toward the spectator and the hidden package is on the lower part of the bill. Extend your left index and middle fingers to the right and clip the left part of the bill between them. Explain to the spectator that it was just a lame joke, folding it once. Setup Use the s;
Now comes a beautiful idea suggested by Paul Harris to allow the spectator to apparently examine the other bill, too. Take back the first bill and execute the Daley Delight Switch (explained with cards in “Svensk Voodoo,” page 256) as you apparently take her bill and hand her yours. During the switch, explain that you will actually show her how to double the money. Unfold the bill and keep the twenty hidden while you turn its face toward the spectator. Do the basic Bills Witch, which will cause the ten to turn into a twenty. Show its back, hiding the ten, and then fold the twenty once around it and pocket the gaff. If you are performing for a cashier, the ten that remains in play can be used as payment for whatever you are buying.
One o f the first magic books that Tomas read included a trick that required prior knowledge o f Michael Closes MC Spread Double Lift. As a relative newcomer to the craft, Tomas wasn't aware o f the move, so he set about devising his own handling. He showed the move around and it quickly circulated, becoming the standard way that many o f the best card magicians now execute a double lift from a spread. By way of example, position the Ace of Spades fourth from the top of the deck. Spread the cards between your hands, culling the fourth card when you come to it. Keep spreading and ask someone to touch the back of any card in the spread. Outjog that card, secretly sliding the culled Ace of Spades below the outjogged card. Catch a little-finger break below the Ace and square up, leaving the selection outjogged. Grip the deck from above in right-hand end grip, lift up all the cards above the outjogged selection and tilt the front of the packet up about a quarter of an inch (fig. 1, from the front). As you lift up the packet, keep your right thumb in contact with the back of the Ace of Spades, which is directly above the little-finger break.
Angle the upper packet clockwise (to about the 1 o’clock position), using the base of the right thumb tip as the pivot point (fig. 2). Begin to move your right hand forward, keeping the right thumb tip in contact with the inner end of the Ace, so that it is pushed forward as the right hand moves forward with its packet (fig. 3). The Ace of Spades will secretly align with the outjogged card. To ensure that the double card is perfectly aligned, move the right hand a little to the right so that the thumb slides along the inner end of the double card (fig. 4). This should be a very casual action; no attention should be on the thumb during this action. You now have a double card outjogged on top of the left-hand packet. Exactly what you can do with that double is explored in the rest of the chapter.
Chris May hews TB Force Canadian magician Chris Mayhew uses the TB Spread Double as a force in an interesting way that does not remove the double from the deck. Spread through the deck, culling your force card, and execute the TB Spread Double. After squaring the double at the back with your right thumb, pull up on the front of the outjogged double with your right second finger, holding the back of the double on the deck with the left fingers and thumb (fig. 5). This allows you to display the face of the double (showing the force card), before squaring up the deck. Comments As you will see from how Tomas utilises this move in his tricks, it is incredibly important to motivate the action of the upper packet. It is equally important that, throughout the move, the left index finger does not contact the outer short end of the outjogged card, as that could suggest that you could be using that finger to align the cards. Tomas has many contextual variants of this basic move, which we will explore within the tricks in this chapter. Credits Michael Close’s MC Spread Double Lift was first published in his book Workers, Volume 2 (1991).
We will start with a simple effect that makes use o f the TB Spread Double and will then move on to some more sophisticated applications. Effect Tomas removes the Joker from the deck, and then has a card selected and shuffled back into the deck. He then asks the participant to insert the Joker into the deck, next to where she thinks her selection is. Unfortunately, the Joker isn’t inserted next to the selection, but not wanting his participant to fail, Tomas magically changes the Joker into the selection. The card then changes back into the Joker ... and then back into the selection again several times, each change more impressive than the next. Handling Remove the Joker (or Ace o f Spades if you don’t have a Joker) and place it face up onto the table so that the design o f the Joker is orientated toward the audience. Have a card selected and returned to the spread, and then square the cards, keeping a little-finger break below the selection. Instead o f rushing to control the card, Tomas maintains the break during the next stage o f the process. This helps him execute a control when less attention is on the deck. Spread the top ten or so cards into your right hand, clamping down on the spread w ith your left thum b (fig. 1). Explain what the spectator w ill do: “/ w ould like you to take the Joker and to insert it fa ce down into the deck next to where you think your selected card is.” Pick up the Joker, turn it over sideways (in order to keep it orientated toward the audience) and insert it somewhere amongst the top few cards, leaving it outjogged, by way of example. Remove the Joker and square up the cards.
Hand the Joker to the participant and ask her to hold it face down. Separate the deck at the break and then riffle shuffle the packets together, secretly controlling the selection to the face of the deck. A quick aside here: Fomas has a clever ploy when performing for magicians. He executes a fake top change and then hands the Joker to the participant. The intention is that the fellow magician will think that he caught the switch, but really he is actually holding the Joker. As he checks the card, he will be distracted enough to not notice the control during the riffle shuffle. Re-grip the deck in mechanic’s grip and spread the cards, secretly reverse culling the lowermost card under the spread. In brief, execute a hand-to-hand spread, allowing your left second finger to curl under the deck and to contact the face card (fig. 2, from below). As you spread the first block of cards, extend the left second finger, pushing the face card to the right (fig. 3, from below). In a continuing motion—one akin to Mario’s Prayer Cull—stretch the right fingers until they reach the face card and pull it to the right of the spread. The selection is now under control in exactly the same way as a traditional cull. Ask the participant to insert the Joker anywhere in the spread, and then close up the spread, sliding the culled selection directly under the outjogged Joker. Pick up all of the cards above the outjogged card, using the TB Spread Double to square the selection with the Joker as you twist the right hand palm up to display the face of the upper packet (fig. 4, next page). Ask if the face card is the participant’s selection and feign disappointment when you discover that it is not. Replace the upper packet on top of the deck, keeping the double card outjogged. Say, “Well, i f that is not your card, then it must be here," and pivot the double card face up onto the top of the deck to show the selection.
Turn the double card face down, keeping a break below it. Take off the top card into the right hand, make a gesture (such as spinning the card) and turn it over to show that it has changed back into the Joker. Place the Joker face down on top of the deck and then push the top two cards forward using the Relativity Push-off (page 81). Undercut about half the deck from the back (fig. 5) and cut it to the top, leaving the double card outjogged for half its length (fig. 6). Explain, “The Joker only looks like your card when it’s inside the deck," and tip the front end of the deck upward to show that the Joker has changed back into the selection (fig. 7). As soon as the change has been appreciated, turn the deck face down and execute the Push-in Change. To execute the Push-in Change, reach around the front of the double card with your right hand and push the lower card inward a little. Start to pull the top card of the double out of the deck as you simultaneously reach under the outjogged double with your left index finger to push the bottom card flush. Pull out the outjogged card, turn it face up and say, “But when it’s outside o f the deck, it is ju st a Joker!"
7. S. Comments Here is a cleaner version of the Push-in Change that you may prefer: angle the top card of the double a little to the left under cover of the right hand (fig. 8). This gives the left index finger a clear path to push the lower card into the deck. You can then spin the top card of the double out of the deck to the right, rotating around the left index finger. This is essentially the Mario Swivel Change from Mario's Magazine, Volume 2 (1976). Credits As the name suggests, Tomas’ inspiration for this effect was Paul Cummins’ “A La Annemann” from FASDIU II (2002), which in turn was inspired by Annemann’s “Change in Hand” from The Jinx (No. 80, 1938), which is the classic one-phase routine of this nature. The Push-in Change dates back to August Roterberg’s classic New Era Card Tricks (1897), but the handling most used today is Frederick Braue’s “Ambitious Card Move” from the March 1938 issue of Genii magazine (Vol. 2, No. 7), published under the name of Fritz Braue.
It is Tomas' opinion that John Bannons “Tattoo You” is one o f the best tricks ever devised, and he has performed it for at least a decade. Over the years, Tomas has tweaked Bannons trick to remove the requirement for a gimmicked card and to make it possible to show the prediction early on without ever bringing it to the deck for a switch. It is one o f his most performed pieces. Effect Tomas recounts a dream that he had where a lady from the audience picked a card from his deck. To match the dream, he asks a female participant to pick, and to sign, a card from the deck (a red deck) and jokes that she picked the same card from his dream. As proof, Tomas explains that when he woke from his dream, he found a blue-backed card under his pillow. The card matches, but is not signed. Tomas rectifies this by pulling the signature from the red-backed card onto the face of the blue-backed card. Requirements A red deck and any two cards from a blue deck (I will use the Four of Hearts and Two of Diamonds in the explanation). You also need a marker pen. Setup Stack the deck with the following cards on the bottom (with the red Four of Hearts on the face): Red Two of Diamonds (only required i f you are follow in g this routine with "Signed Hot Mama, ’’page 203) Blue Four of Hearts Blue Two of Diamonds Red Four of Hearts Place the deck in the box with the flap side toward the face of the deck.
The two Twos are never shown, thus can actually be any values and suits. However, if you have them matching in this way you can immediately follow this effect with “Signed Hot Mama” (page 203), just as Tomas does. box and start to remove the deck from it. As you do, though, secretly push the lowermost two cards (blue Two of Diamonds and red Four of Hearts) back into the case (fig. 1). Say, “ Last night I had a dream ... and you were in it! In my dream, I had you pick a card.” Remove the rest of the deck and spread the cards, reverse culling the bottom card (blue Four of Hearts), and have someone touch a card. Execute the T B Spread Double to outjog the selection, loading the culled card underneath it. As soon as the double is squared at the back, grip the outer right corner of the double with the right second finger, and the inner end of the card with the right thumb (fig. 2). Lift up on the double to show the audience the selection, sidejogged from the upper packet (fig. 3). Joke, “ Strangely, you picked the Four o f Hearts in my dream, tool’ Handling Bring out the card
Continue, In my dream, you wrote you r name on the card. Here’s a pen. Please do exactly that.” Turn your right hand back palm down and clip the sidejogged double onto the left-hand packet with your left thumb (fig. 4) as you ask the spectator to take the pen. Turn your left hand palm down and pull the top card of the double back square onto the deck. Use your left fingers to push the face-up Four of Hearts onto the table. This is a very basic second deal, known as the Downs Change. Assemble the deck and place it aside. Ask the participant to sign the tabled card and then ask that she re-cap the pen. As she does, slide the selection toward you so that she does not have time to pick up the selection and look at its back. Continue, “Do you know what happened nextI Neither do I! I woke up. But weirdly, I fo u n d a card under my pillow .” Pick up the card box with the cut-out side facing upward and open up the flap to show a blue-backed card inside. Grip both cards together and pull them, as a double, about halfway out of the case (fig. 5). Rotate the card box up with the flap toward the audience and let the blue-backed card drop back into the case. Tilt the box forward so its interior is seen as you pull the face card upward, which keeps the odd back hidden. Tilt the box up just as the card is removed completely and table the box to the side with the opening toward yourself to hide the card left inside. Scoop up the tabled signed selection with the prediction card so that the prediction card is angled counter-clockwise under the signed card, with its index corner sticking out at the outer left corner (fig. 6). Flick the outer left corner a few times with your thumb as you talk about the prediction. Everyone can see that the card that you apparently found under your pillow perfectly matches the card that was selected.
Say, “But, o f course, the blue card d id not have you r signature on it, as I was surely sleepwalking and p u t it under the pillow m yself’ Turn the right hand palm down and flick the left corner of the blue-backed card a few times, like you did when the cards were face up. This sequence is somewhat like the two-card monte move, but the cards are kept stationary and not moved around. Turn your hand back palm up. Take the signed card in your right hand and pretend to slide the signature onto the unsigned card using your left thumb. When you are ready to visually slide the signature onto the other card, simply grip the signed card with the left thumb and the unsigned card with the right hand, to swap the cards in each hand (figs. 7 to 9). Pause for a second, and then turn the right hand palm down to show the red back of the unsigned card and drop it onto the deck. Quip, “But sometimes dreams do com e tru er Show both sides of the signed card to display the final souvenir. Credits The effect and presentation are borrowed directly from John Bannon’s “Tattoo You” from Smoke and Mirrors (1991). John’s trick required the use of a gimmicked card, which Tomas has removed. He isn’t the first person to offer an ungimmicked version of this trick, though, as Allan Ackerman published his “Impromptu Tattoo You” in Al Cardpone (1996). This effect also owes thanks to Darwin Ortiz, whose “Dream Card” uses a similar presentation. Darwin’s routine was published in D arwin Ortiz at the Card Table (1988). T. Nelson Downs’ change was first published in The Art o f M agic in 1909 (ghostwritten by John Northern Hilliard).
Tomas handling and presentation o f the neo-classic Anniversary Waltz takes advantage o f the TB Spread Double at two points in the routine to allow a couple to cleanly select their partners card. Effect When performing for a couple, Tomas makes a tongue-in-cheek challenge to test if they are meant to be together and then a second test to see if they will stay together in the future. To start the test, the lady signs the face of any card that she thinks represents their love, and it is lost in the deck. The man is then asked to touch the back of any card. It turns out to be the signed card. The first test is a success! The man also gets to name any card to represent their love and is asked to sign the back of the card. Tomas then places the two signed cards together on the man’s palm and asks the woman to cover the cards with her hand. Tomas addresses the man: I want you to prom ise m e to always keep the card with her signature close to you, and then turns to the lady: And I want you to always keep the card with his signature close to you." When they check the cards, they notice that they have fused together into a single card with both signatures on it, forcing them to be together from now on. Handling Ask a couple irthey would like to take your love test, and explain that the first part is to see if they were meant to be together and the second is to see if they will stay together. This is, of course, delivered in a fun way. Spread the face-up deck between your hands and ask the lady to touch the face of a card she thinks represents their relationship. In Tomas’ experience, she will usually pick a court card in Hearts, or if she is particularly sentimental, she might pick the Two of Hearts. Move it to the face of the deck and have her sign its face. Spread the deck as you ask, “You could have chosen any card. Why does this one best match you r relationship?' Catch a break below the fifth card from the face of the deck as you square the spread. Double cut the five cards to the back of the deck as you apparently lose the signed selection.
lurn the deck face down, start to spread the cards and ask the man to try to intuitively find the card that his partner picked. When you get to the fifth card, cull it under the spread and then execute the TB Spread Double to show that he successfully managed to find his partner’s signed card. Lever the double card over onto the top of the deck, so that it is face up on top of the deck with a break below it. Turn the double face down on top of the deck and deal the top card onto the table (apparently the selection, but really an indifferent card). Turn the deck face up, and as you spread through the deck, reverse cull the bottom card of the deck (see “A la Cummins,” page 58, for a description of this move). With the card culled, continue spreading and ask the participant to pick a card that he thinks represents their love. There can be plenty of byplay here as Tomas has found that the man often rebels from the romantic nature of the lady’s selection. Once he has chosen a card, outjog it, executing the TB Spread Double as you say, “ You are not goin g to sign its face..." Lever the double face down onto the face of the deck and continue, “...but its back!' Extend your hand to have the card signed. Lift the double off to blow on its back, to flash its face and to dry the ink. Flip the deck face down with your left hand. With your right hand, still holding the double, pick up the decoy card that you placed aside earlier and place it outjogged on top of the deck. Place the double on top of it, but square with the deck (fig. 1). Now, try to pull all attention to your actions by saying, “It is incredibly important that you r two cards are perfectly square.” Slowly push the top card of the double forward, stopping just before it is aligned with the outjogged card, so that both outjogged cards can be seen. Reach over the outjogged cards with the right hand and take the top card in end grip. With the cards covered, stretch out the left index finger, contacting the end of the lowermost outjogged card, and push it square. This is the Interlock position, which we will explore in detail starting on page 100. Lift up the top card and turn your right hand palm up to flash the face of the single card that they think is two cards. Ask the gentleman to hold out his hand, palm up. Place the card onto his hand, but don’t let go until you have asked the lady to place her hand on top. Ask them both to promise to keep each other’s cards close to them at all times, and then finally, let them discover that the two cards have fused together, proving that they’ll stay together forever. 1.
m flTEST INVERTED Tomas uses this version at parties as it allows the guests o f the party to make a special souvenir fo r the organiser. The handling is very sim ilar to Matest, but with a different closing phase; that is, the signature ju m pin g from the back o f one card to another. Handling Start by spreading the deck fa ce down for a selection (instead of face up as in “Matest”). But this time, when the card has been selected, have as many people as possible sign the back of the card, but without allowing them to look at the face. Have the card returned and control it to fifth from the face. The easiest way to do this is to spread the deck and catch a break under the fourth card from the top. Square up the deck and then have the card returned on top, finally executing a double undercut. The selection will then be fifth from the face. Turn the deck face up and spread it to have a card selected by the intended recipient, but cull the fifth card from the face (the selection). Execute the TB Spread Double, levering the card face down on top of the faceup deck to show that the participant found the signed card. Comment, “You may be wondering what w ould have happened had she chosen any other card.” Flip the double face up and table the face card. Immediately turn the deck face down to avoid flashing the face of the force card. Reverse cull the face card as you spread the deck, asking the participant to touch a card. Execute the TB Spread Double again as you explain that this card doesn’t have any writing on the back. Lever the card face up onto the top of the deck, keeping a break below it. Execute a K.M. Move in the gesture of turning the left hand palm down to pin the first selection to the table with the left index finger. Then slide the card under the right side of the tabled card to rub against its back. Flip the first selection face down, using the second card to show that the signatures have vanished. Slowly turn over the face-up card to show that all signatures have appeared on the back of the card.
Comments Iomas often performs “Matest” for good friends, adapting the presentation as a “friend test.” Credits Norm Houghton’s “Stranger of Another Colour” is the first known effect in which two cards merge together. It was published in Ibidem (No. 5, 1956). It was J. G. Thompson, Jr. who introduced the concept of two signed cards merging together and published it as “Joint Signature” in the October 1970 issue of The Pallbearers Review (Vol. 5, No. 12). The idea of performing a Fusion effect with a romantic presentation comes from Doc Eason’s “Anniversary Waltz,” which is a version of Christopher Carter’s “Cold Fusion” from the September 1990 issue of The Linking Ring (Vol. 70, No. 9). Doc’s version was marketed in 1994. The K.M. Move was published in a booklet of the same name (1962) by Tony Kardyro and Ed Mario.
This exceptionally clean Brainwave-esque routine is smartly structured, such that one TB Spread Double allows you to show that a named card is the only oddcoloured card in not one, but two decks! Effect Tomas has a red-backed deck and a bluc-backed deck. He asks someone to name any card and then fairly spreads through the red-backed deck to show that the named card is the only blue-backed card in the deck. He then carefully spreads the blue-backed deck on the table to show a red-backed card. It is also the named card! Requirements A red-backed deck and a blue-backed deck. Setup Stack the red deck as follows, from the top down: Red-backed Joker Rest of deck Any blue-backed card (Tomas uses the Queen of Hearts) Any red-backed card Red-backed Joker
Remove the card that matches the blue-backed card (Queen of Hearts in this case) and discard it. Put this deck into the box, ready for your performance. Place the blue deck—in any order—to your left (this positioning will help justify a sleight during the routine). Handling Remove the red deck from the box and ask someone to name any card. If the card matches the blue-backed card in your deck (that’s why an oft-named card is used), simply cut the deck, hand it to the participant and ask her to spread through and to find a blue-backed card to bring the effect to an astounding conclusion. Otherwise, turn the deck face up and spread through it, secretly culling the third card from the face (this is the blue-backed Queen). Spread to the named selection and then execute the TB Spread Double to load the blue-backed card under it. Immediately after you have squared the double at the back with the right thumb, place the right middle finger on the outer right corner of the outjogged card to lift the card off the lower portion (fig. 1). This bends the double card convexly toward the audience, and has the added advantage of providing additional cover for the edge of the double card. As you lift up the card, ask, “Do you notice something different about the card you nam ed? Lower the right hand again to replace the lifted double card outjogged on top of the left-hand packet, where the left fingers and thumb grip the long sides to hold it in place. In a continuing motion, turn the left hand palm down and drop the outjogged double on top of the blue deck (fig. 2).
Immediately re-assemble the red deck and move it forward over the blue-backed deck to widely spread it and to show all red backs (fig. 3). This staging is important, as it blocks intrigued spectators from turning over the blue selection from the top of the blue-backed deck. Pick up the blue deck, but as you do so, let go of the bottom half of the deck, allowing half the cards to fall onto the table. This apparent accident allows you to then pick up the dropped cards and to put them on top of the cards in your hand. This is a casual alternative to secretly executing a pass. Here comes the strongest moment of the routine. Spread the face-down blue-backed deck to show a red card amongst the blue-backed cards. Cut the deck, bringing the red-backed card to the top, and turn it over to show that the red-backed card matches the named card, too. Comments Hie Jokers are used in the setup to avoid you having to make any alterations to the handling should the top, or face, card be named. You could remove them, but you would have to adjust the handling if either of these cards is named. Credits This is Tomas’ reworking of Allan Ackerman’s “Mario’s Double Brainwave Update” from Las Vegas Kardma (1994). Mario’s effect (along with five handlings) first saw print in Ibidem, No. 23 (May 1962). Dai Vernon’s “Brain Wave Deck” was originally published in The Jinx, No. 19 (October 1938). In Vernon’s original effect (created in 1930), a named card was shown reversed in the deck. Vernon credited Paul Fox with the idea of the odd-backed revelation. I highly recommend Karl Fulves’ A History o f the Brainwave Principle (1983) for a fascinating look at how this effect evolved. While its predecessors credit the Brainwave plot, I believe that this effect is more closely related to another Dai Vernon effect: a little-known trick called “Mental Choice” that was marketed in 1939. In this effect, Dai would show that a thought-of card was the only blue-backed card in a red deck (without the card being reversed). Like his Brainwave, this effect used rough and smooth cards.
REALLY DOUBLE BRAINWAVE In this handling, Tomas has two different cards nam ed and shows that one card is the only odd-backed card in the red-backed deck, and the other is the only odd-backed card in the blue-backed deck. The setup is the same and the handling is almost identical. Start by having two different cards named, spreading through the red-backed deck and culling the third card from the face, as before. Continue spreading until you reach the first named card and secretly cull it under the deck, but above the already-culled card. This requires a little careful finger gymnastics, as you use the left second and third fingers to slide the select above the card you’re already culling. The technique is identical to a standard cull, but your fingers need to move a little more quickly as there is less exposed surface on the selection as you start to cull it. With the two cards culled, continue spreading until you reach the second selection and execute the TB Spread Double to create a triple. Tomas has a good handling here that hides the thickness of the triple card. As soon as it has been outjogged, turn over the deck end for end (the inner end being rotated over the outer end) so that the outjogged triple is now injogged (fig. 4). Drag the triple out of the deck, flipping it face up on top of the deck and keeping a break below it. Then flip the triple face down to again show the odd back. Spread the cards to show that no other odd-backed cards are hidden in the deck. As you square the spread, catch a little-finger break below the top two cards. Transfer the double card to the top of the blue-backed deck and continue as explained by spreading through the blue-backed deck to show that the second named selection is the only odd-backed card in the blue deck.
/—\ \__/ MPR Here is another example o f how Tomas has cleaned up a plot using the TB Spread Double. Starting with a Simon Aronson tricky this handling o f the Open Prediction plot is incredibly direct. Effect Tomas places the Queen of Hearts in a very specific, but secret, position in the deck: the exact location at which he believes the participant will stop dealing. She deals through the deck, turning each card face up as she does so. When she finally settles on a card, it is placed face down on top of the pile, without the participant looking at it. After looking through the deck to show that the Queen of Hearts is nowhere to be found, Tomas turns over the face-down selection to show that it is indeed the Queen of Hearts. Handling Explain that you will place a card in a specific place in the deck: a position at which you think the participant will eventually stop. Put the deck under the table and spread through, looking for two prominent mates that are close together in the spread. For example, you might find two red Queens that are just a few cards apart. With the deck still under the table, reverse one of the red Queens (remembering which one, say the Queen of Hearts) and place it below the other red Queen, with an indifferent card between them. Cut the deck so that the non-reversed Queen is about four or five cards from the face of the deck. The end result should be: four or five face-up cards, Queen of Diamonds, indifferent card, reversed Queen of Hearts and then the rest of the deck. Move the deck back above the table, turn it face down and hand it to the participant. Ask her to deal cards face up, one by one, into your left hand until she thinks that the next face-down card is the Queen of Hearts. At that point, ask that she deal the stopped-at card, without looking at it, face down on top of your packet. Manoeuvre the face-down card so that it is outjogged for about an inch (fig. 1). If she desires, she may then deal a few more cards face up on top as she looks for the Queen of Hearts. She won’t find it.
At this point, you can allow the participant to change her mind and to look at the face-down card. If she does, she must, of course, continue dealing to find another card that she believes to be the Queen of Hearts. Take the rest of the deck from the participant, turn it face up and place it on top of the packet in your hand, keeping the face-down selection outjogged (fig. 2). Start to spread the deck one card at a time until you reach the Queen of Diamonds (near the face) and spread it, too. Hold the spread still and comment that it is similar to the Queen of Hearts. As you are talking, reach under the spread with your right ring finger and gently pull up on the top two cards of the deck (fig. 3, from below). Push your ring finger farther into the gap below the two cards and secretly drag the lowermost of the two cards (the reversed Queen of Hearts) into a cull position (fig. 4, from below). This is a surprisingly easy way of culling a card without revealing it in the spread. 3. 4.
Continue spreading through the deck until you reach the face-down selection and execute the TB Spread Double. Tomas feels that the Spread Double should always have justification for the forward action and therefore, in this routine, says, “This card has not left you r sigh t” Grip the outer end of the double with the right hand, effectively hiding the edges of the card. Pull the double forward and then slowly flip it over onto the deck to show that it is the Queen of Hearts. This action can be done surprisingly slowly, as the edges of the double are concealed at all times. Credits Tomas’ routine is a personalisation of Simon Aronson’s “Two Possibilities” from Simply Simon (1995). Simon’s trick utilised a double-faced card and the MC Double Lift to perform the same effect.
Tomas work on the double turnover is extensive. These two double lifts work perfectly together in that one is best suited to display a card\ and the second works well fo r turning a double back face down. Top Centre Double Turnover Tomas has applied the classic handling for the centre double lift to a double turnover from the top of the deck. Holding the deck in left-hand dealing grip, place your left thumb on the upper left corner of the deck and riffle off one card (fig. 1, from the front). Create an opening of about a quarter of an inch, so that it’s clear that you have separated the top card from the deck. Move the right hand over to the opening, momentarily covering the front corner of the deck with the right index finger (fig. 2, from the front). During the short moment that the front of the deck is covered, allow one more card to riffle off the left thumb. 1. 2.
In a continuing action, contact the front left corner of the double with the right second finger (fig. 3). Move the right second finger to the right. This starts to pivot the card clockwise, using the left little finger as a fulcrum (fig. 4). When the long edge of the double card is parallel to the long edge of the deck (fig. 5), flip it face up on top of the deck. Notice that the left little finger automatically creates a break below the double card (fig. 6). You can use this break to facilitate turning the double card back face down.
Relativity Push-off There have been a number of sim ulated double push-offs published in the past half-decade. The Relativity Push-off follows this trend. It requires that you start with a little-finger break below the top two cards and therefore flows perfectly with the previous turnover as a way of turning the double card back over. You should already have the deck in left-hand dealing grip with a little-finger break below the top two cards. Approach the deck from behind with the palm-up right hand and the fingers loosely curled. Slide the side of the right little-finger knuckle slightly into the break (fig. 7). Precisely, it is the knuckle nearest the hand (the inner phalanx) that is inserted into the break. Place your ring finger on top of the deck (fig. 8) and gently pinch the double card between the little and ring fingers. Finally, to complete the grip, place your right thumb on top of the deck (fig. 9). The right fingers should be relaxed so that it is not possible to see any tension from gripping the cards.
Keeping the right thumb on top of the deck, slide the right hand to the right, dragging the double card with it (fig. 10). The key is to give the appearance that you’re pushing the top card across with the right thumb. When about half of the double card protrudes from the deck, flip it over just as you would with any other double turnover (fig. 11, in action). Tomas has an alternate handling for this technique when he wants to push the top card forward (such as in “A la Cummins,” page 58). Instead of contacting the top of the deck with the thumb, he extends the right index finger (fig. 12) and pushes the double forward so that it protrudes from the front of the deck. The left thumb is kept on the side of the deck, which helps keep the two cards aligned as they are being moved forward.
Credits The thumb count aspect of Tomas’ Top Centre Double Turnover has been used before as the get-in for several double lifts. In particular, it is used in Father Cyprian’s Thumb Count Double Lift (The Elegant Card M agic o f Father Cyprian by Frank Garcia, 1980), and in Secret Agenda (2010), Roberto Giobbi describes a Fred Kaps double lift using the same procedure. As the name suggests, Tomas’ Relativity Push-off was inspired by Paul Curry’s Relativity Lift, which was published in the February 1982 issue of Genii magazine (Vol. 46, No. 2) and then in Stephen Minch’s Worlds Beyond (2001).
This extremely fair-looking handling o f Ernest Earick’s Bow-to-Stern Control is performed while the deck is in the card box. Tomas uses it as the final phase o f his Ambitious Card routine. Setup Prepare the card box by bending the flap back and forth a few times so that it loses its natural tendency to close. Handling Hold the deck in left-hand dealing grip, with the selection face down on the table. Pick up the card box in the right hand, holding it flap side upward (fig. 1). Insert the deck into the box for about one third of its length, holding the box tightly with your right thumb on top and fingers on the bottom. Squeeze the box to keep the cards in position (fig. 2).
Take the selection with your left hand and insert it halfway into the outer end of the deck (fig. 3). Re-grip the box in left-hand dealing grip, extending the left thumb along the left side of the deck. Curl the left fingers around the right side of the deck, with the index fingertip touching the upper right corner of the deck (fig. 4). Twist your wrist to bring the face of the selection into view (fig. 5). Pinch the outjogged card with your right first and second fingers and pull it a little farther out of the deck to give the audience a better view of the card (fig. 6). During this motion, use your right thumb to secretly push all the cards above the selection down into the card box (fig. 7, exposed view).
In a continuing action, push the selection very slightly forward with the right hand. This will cause the selection to bend at its lower edge (fig. 8). Place your left thumb on the flap of the card box to push it to the back of the deck and then push the selection downward, guiding its lower edge into the box with the flap as a guide (fig. 9). Start pushing the selection flush with the deck as you lower the hands so that the back of the deck can be seen by the audience. Continue by pushing the selection flush as the left fingers push most of the outjogged packet into the box, leaving a few cards as a decoy. The audience will think that the selection is still outjogged (fig. 10). Slowly push the outjogged cards flush with the rest of the deck.
Ambitious Card Ending Tomas likes to perform this control at the end of an Ambitious Card routine. In his typically devious way, before performing this sequence (after showing the selection on top of the deck for the penultimate time), he places it onto the table, acting as though he may have just switched the card. His motivation here is that it creates a little more interest when he shows the face of the card. After controlling the card in the box, he then closes the box and uses Jay Sankey’s “Floater” to apparently charge the deck with static electricity. He then allows the participant to open the box to find the selection on top of the deck. Tomas likes to retract the little finger while the box is in the air, making it seem like the static electricity is suddenly lost and causing the case to fall down. This can only be done with the cards in the box, as otherwise the bottom cards would move out with the finger, tipping the method. Credits Ernest Earick’s Bow-to-Stern Control was published in By Forces Unseen by Stephen Minch (1993). It is similar in structure to Edward Mario’s “Ambitious Bit #2” from Mario’s Magazine, Volume 6 (1988). Tomas wasn’t the first person to constrict Earick’s control to a card box. Ken Krenzel’s “Box Top” from Ingenuities by Stephen Minch (1997) is a similar sequence, but using a prepared card box that allows the upper portion to slide out. In 2002, I published a variation of Tomas’ move in EGO M agazine that introduced the idea of outjogging a decoy card at the end of the control (matching the original Earick move). Tomas now uses this in his handling, as taught in the explanation. Amongst other places, Jay Sankey’s “Floater” appeared in The D efinitive Sankey, Volume 2, 2012 by Joshua Jay and Andi Gladwin.
We continue our look at the Ambitious Card with a combination o f the famous Ambitious Card load-up move and a Baltazar Fuentes colour change. Together they result in a very nice switch o f a selection for an indifferent card, leaving the selection face up secondfrom top. Once you are familiar with the move, I will also teach Tomas’ favourite application o f the sequence. Reverse the card second from the face of the face-down deck be switched in for the selection. and get a break above it. This is the card that will in right-hand end grip, with a thumb break above the bottom two cards, execute a swing cut, taking the top half of the deck into left-hand dealing grip. Use the left thumb to drag cards singly off the top of the right hands packet until the participant calls “stop.” Once stopped, use the right packet to flip the top card of the left-hand packet face up to show the selection. As the card is turned face up, lower your right hand onto the left packet, dropping the two cards below the break on top, but injogged for about an inch (fig. 1). Immediately turn the left hand palm down, which provides the necessary inertia to move the two injogged cards forward and square with the deck, The timing is such that the audience never sees the injogged cards as the hand turns palm down (fig. 2). Handling Holding the deck
2. 3. Place the right hand’s packet onto the table and then thumb off the top card (the card closest to the table) of the left hand’s packet onto the tabled packet (fig. 3). Turn the remainder of the deck face down and drop it on top of the tabled pile, apparently losing the selection. In actuality, the selection is face up, second from the top of the deck. CWITCHHOPPER Effect Tomas places a selection face down between the two red Queens. It magically appears between the two black Queens. Queens and hold them face up with the black Queens on top. Spread the remainder of the cards face up on the table. Have a card selected and insert it face up into the middle of the packet. Handling Remove the four A small aside here: if you were to have the card selected from a face-up odd-coloured deck, the back of the selection is not shown in this effect, so you can, if you wish, perform a colour-changing card routine at the end of this effect.
Hold the packet in right-hand end grip and peel the first black Queen into your left hand, flipping it face down as you do so (fig. 4). Repeat with the second black Queen, catching a break below it as it squares with the first (fig. 5). As you peel off the selection (keeping it face up), secretly steal the top black Queen back under the packet. This is facilitated by the break. Execute the Fuentes Load-up, dropping all but the top red Queen injogged on top of the selection. You don’t need a break for this, as you simply release your grip on all but the top card of the packet. Thumb off the apparent selection (really a red Queen) and take it tinder the right hand’s red Queen. Keep the left hand with its back toward the audience (and therefore the faces of the cards toward the audience) and push the top card over to show two Queens (fig. 6). You’ll now drop both packets onto the table at the same time, executing a move with each. Right hand: Pull up on the face-down card with your right index finger as the cards fall (fig. 7). This pivots the card face up, showing two red Queens when they hit the table. Left hand: Turn the left hand palm up and use your left thumb to spread the packet, showing the selection between the two black Queens.
Comments Tomas sometimes applies a small finesse to this sequence. We pick up at fig. 3, where the left hand is palm down and the left thumb is pushing off the bottom card. At this point, gently allow the second card to be pushed off a little, too. This further sells the illusion of a single reversed card at the bottom of the packet. The trick described is just the tip of the iceberg. This sequence can be used to switch several cards, doublefacers and other gaffed cards with some very interesting results. Credits J. Stewart Smith’s Load-up Move was first published as the second phase of his Ambitious Card routine in Top o f the Deck (1950), although it is commonly miscrcditcd to Wesley James. The Baltazar Fuentes change was popularised by Bill Malone, who published it—with permission—in his trick “Radical Aces” in M -U-M magazine (Volume 82, Number 11, April 1993). In his book Vortex (2010), Tom Stone suggests that Tim Star also created the same change and lectured on it in the early 1980s.
The Kosky Switch (a switch o f a face-down card sandwiched between two face-up mates) is often a vulnerable move and one that magicians often have trouble finding motivation for as it looks a little too studied. Tomas handling makes the move burnable by using completely natural actions as cover. Unlike other handlings, it can also be executed with the principle packet away from the deck. A switch of this nature is typically used in a Sairdwich routine. Therefore, I will assume that you are holding two face-up Jacks with a face-down card on top of them (perhaps you have just shown the face-down card to be the selection in the previous Sandwich phase). You will be switching the face-down selection for the top card of the deck. Hold the deck in left-hand dealing grip with a break below the top card. Hold the three-card packet in right-hand end grip, and momentarily lower the packet onto the deck to pick up the top card secretly under the packet. At exactly the same time, openly move the selection to the bottom of the packet, leftjogged slightly (fig. 1). You are now ready for the switch. Move the packet over the deck so that the leftjogged selection is almost square with the deck (fig. 2). Start to pull the top faceup Jack onto the deck. As soon as the face-down card is frilly covered by the Jack, reach under the sandwich packet with your left fingers, contacting the indifferent card from below (fig. 3). Pull the Jack onto the deck, also pulling the selection square with the deck as you pull the indifferent card out about half an inch. This happens while the Jack is being pulled onto the deck, so that all three cards are moving at the same time. It will take a little practice to get a feel for this, but it eventually becomes second nature.
The face-up Jack and face-down selection (below it) will become square with the deck, and the card that was hidden under the face-up cards will come into view (fig. 4). Pull the rightmost Jack and the visible face-down card to the right, taking them in the right hand. Finally, push the Jack that is now on top of the deck under the two-card spread (fig. 5) to show that the face-down card is apparently once again sandwiched between the two Jacks. Credits The Kosky switch was originally sold as a separate manuscript under the title of Kosky s Invisible Card Exchange (circa 1940), and then later in The M agic o f Gerald Kosky (1975).
Tomas handling o f Daryls Rising Crime Display quickly circulated amongst his friends. It is a much improved version o f the count that allows you to show four Queens in a packet that actually only consists o f two different Queens. Our mutual confidant Jack Parker was particularly fond o f this switch and worked with Tomas to create an effect using it (see Jack’s Trick,”page 254). Setup Reverse the third card from the top of the face-down deck. Ensure that none of the top three cards are Queens. Handling Turn the deck face up and spread through, upjogging the four Queens as you come to them. Close the spread, keeping the Queens upjogged, and turn the deck face down, catching a break below the reversed card that is third from the top. Remove the Queens and turn them face up on top of the deck. The lowermost two Queens should be of different colours. Spread the Queens, slightly injogging the third Queen from the face (fig. 1), and then square up the packet. Start to turn over all seven cards above the break, but stop just after halfway, holding the long side of the packet with your left thumb to ensure that the cards don’t coalesce (fig. 2). This is the same position that you might use for a tent vanish. Pull up on the injogged card bottom Queens secretly back onto the deck, as you take away the top five cards. Place the deck aside. This leaves you holding a face-down card, two face-up indifferent cards and then two face-down Queens: one red and one black. with your right thumb, and push the two
Now to the Low Life sequence: With the packet in left-hand dealing grip, momentarily raise the packet so that the faces are toward the audience. Slide out the Queen on the face with your right fingers and clearly show it to the audience. Lower the left hand so that the packet is in face-down dealing grip again and flip the Queen face up on top. Execute a block push-off of all of the cards above the bottommost card and turn them face down. Deal the top card onto the table. Repeat the same actions again (take the bottom card, turn it over, put it on top and execute a block turnover), but this time when you deal the top card onto the table, wrist turn the left hand to hide the face-up card that shows on top as you remove the apparent Queen (fig. 3). Keeping the left hand palm down, take the bottom Queen and turn it onto the top of the packet as you turn the left hand back palm up, timing it so that the reversed indifferent card does not show. Execute another block turnover (this time with just two cards) and deal the top card onto the table. You are left with a double card (two Queens). Show the face of the double and place them, as one, on top of the tabled pile. It is important to note that Tomas tries to find motivation to mimic the wrist turn in Step Two in the other three phases of the count. As you will see in “Jack’s Trick” (page 254), he has achieved this with ease. Another trick that Tomas uses with this sequence is John Guastaferros “Turning the Tables” from his G Notes booklet (2008).
Credits Daryl’s Rising Crime Display was first published in For Your Entertainment Pleasure (1982) by Stephen Minch. Edward Mario also used a similar wrist-turn handling in his Diminishing Lift Switch, utilising the top of the deck instead of a packet. It was published in Ibidem (Issue 21, June 1960) and later in Volume 2 of the hardback compendium (2001).
This switch o f a small number o f cards from the top o f the deck is very mechanical in nature, yet it feels surprisingly hands off. Notice how Tomas moves two packets in different directions at the same time to make the switch as clean as possible—an underused concept in magic. Start with the four Aces face up under the top face-down card. You will need to acquire a little-finger break below the Aces before you start the switch. For explanation purposes, also remove the Kings from the deck. left-hand dealing grip with a little finger break below the Aces. Pick up the face-up Kings in righthand end grip and place them sidejogged onto the deck, keeping hold of them with the right hand (fig. 1). Handling Hold the deck in Adjust your right-hand grip a little so that your right thumb and second finger also grip the five cards above the little-finger break. The cards are gripped in such a way that, if you were to lift your hand, you would pick up all nine cards at once. Put your left thumb down onto the deck so that it contacts both the top card of the deck and the top King (fig. 2). Move your left hand to the left to cause the King to slide rightjogged onto the deck (fig. 3, next page). However, at the same time, the four face-up Aces will move to the 2.
3. 4. right, relative to the deck (fig. 4, with the Kings removed). Release the grip on the Aces when they have moved halfway to the right, so they are still hidden by the King you just peeled onto the deck. The hidden Aces need only be slid about half as much as the peeled King extends over the right edge of the deck. You should not strive to get their long sides aligned. Peel the second King onto the deck, spread on top of the first (fig. 5), and then the third and fourth Kings to create a small spread (fig. 6). The switch is now easy; simply reach under the packet with the palm-up right hand and pull out the Aces as you turn all eight cards face down on top of the deck (fig. 7).
Push over the top four cards; they are the four Aces. Credits This kind of switch comes from an unusual switch using a stripper deck: The H-B Stripper Change from Hugard and Braue’s The Stripper Deck booklet (1941). Since then, a number of ungimmicked versions of the switch have been created. For example, Harvey Rosenthal has an old unpublished switch called the Submarine Switch that he apparently showed to Ken Krenzel who published his own handling of the Slide Under Switch in Karl Fulves’ Epilogue, Special 2 (circa 1975/76). Most importantly in this context, Darwin Ortiz published a version of the switch that is somewhat similar to Tomas’ switch. Darwins move is called Stripper Switch and was published in Cardshark (1995).