DAI VERNON'SFURTHER

INNER SECRETS OFCARD MAGIC

Compiled and Photographed

by

LEWIS GANSON

C O N T E N T S

PageFOREWORD by Ken Brooke 4

' f'.'.- .CHAPTER ONE THE FOUR BLUE BACKED ACES 5

CHAPTER TWO BLINDFOLD POKER DEAL 9

CHAPTER THREE CARDS OF COINCIDENCE 11

CHAPTER FOUR THREE CARD MONTE 15

CHAPTER FIVE LARRY GREY'S "CARDS ACROSS" 23

CHAPTER SIX MORE NOVEL KNOWLEDGE 251. To Shuffle a Certain Number of Cards Above a Selected

Card.2. Plunger Location.3. Card from Pocket.

' 4. Switching a Card in an Envelope.5. Double Lift From Fan.6. Staring Him in the Face.

CHAPTER SEVEN PALMING 351 . Top Palm.

"'.' 2. To Palm a Card From the Pack With the Gambler's Palm.3. One Handed Palm.4. Second Gambler's Palm.5. Springing a Card into the Gambler's Palm Position.6. Some Useful Notes on Palming. l

CHAPTER EIGHT DEALING SECONDS 481. Dai Vernon's Second Deal.2. Single Handed Method.

:. 3. Dai Vernon's "New Theory" Second Deal.

4. A Quick Trick.

CHAPTER NINE THE CARD PUZZLE 54

CHAPTER TEN ANOTHER LARRY GREY TRICK 57

CHAPTER ELEVEN CHANGES 63The Top Change.The Bottom Change.One-Handed Card Change.Harry Lorraine's Change For Four Cards.

CHAPTER TWELVE TWO TRICKS 69Dai Vernon's Version of "Everywhere and Somewhere".Matching Any Number of Cards.

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?- FOREWORD

*^ bv

- < ( - i > - * P -.-KEN BROOKE

O~t- ..^ .^ , , - > . > - H i A considerable amount has been written by greater authorities

v' than I about Dai Vernon, the man whose magic you are about tostudy, and 1 am most grateful to both Harry Stanley and Lewis

' [

Ganson for allowing me this opportunity to add my own tribute.

Of what has become known as "The Vernon Technique" I shallr,- say little. Suffice to add that since Harry Stanley sponsored Dai's

lecture tours of this country, the whole pattern of magic here has, ^ greatly changed for the better. As a performing magician I have

benefited from the sound advice he has given in his lectures andbooks. Some years ago 1 wrote and published my own routineswhich I had been performing for the Cups and Balls and the ChineseLinking Rings Dai Vernon arrived I listened and studied whathe taught. The result was that I completely altered my perform-ances of these classics and went over to Dai Vernon's routines andtechnique. My engagement book is much fuller and I feel my

"' reputation as a performer has been considerably enhanced.

I can think of no better way to place on record my heartfeltappreciation of Dai Vernon as a gentleman, than to recount thefollowing incident which occurred during those never-to-be-forgottenmoments when Dai Vernon was in this country. -- = - - - --

/; N I had mentioned to Dai that a life-long friend of mine had suffer-ed a long illness which prevented him taking part in social life.Almost before I knew it, Dai was at the home of my friend, notmerely for an hour or two but for several days. My friend had studiedmagic for years but now here was a world-famous man, explaininghis own technique and routines, carefully demonstrating his ways,teaching how to perform in the most natural manner and providing

C . a thousand and one new magic thrills.

v .-;' Today my friend is a new man, as fit and as well as the best of us.In all his performances he employs "The Vernon Technique" and likeso many magicians in all parts of the world, he has very good reasonsto be more than just grateful to the one and only Dai Vernon.

Yes, by nature Dai is a Gentleman, in addition to being theworld's greatest natural magician.

Ken Brooke.

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CHAPTER ONE

THE FOUR BLUE BACKED ACES

Lynn Searles published an excellent trick with four Aces in whichhe made use of prepared cards. In his narrative the author commented,"perhaps one day someone will come up with a method using ordinarycards". Here is Dai Vernon's solution.

The basic effect is similar to the standard Four Ace Trick, butthere is an important difference in that the four Aces have blue backsand the indifferent cards red backs. The faces and backs of the cards areshown repeatedly during the routine, so that when the four blue backedAces are placed in a row, and each is covered with three red backed in-different cards, it seems quite impossible for the Aces to assemble inone packet, yet this is accomplished in a particularly clean manner.The method is extremely ingenious and is a fine example of how DaiVernon uses naturalness of action and superb routining to create anoutstanding effect.

PREPARATION: Remove three Aces (not the Ace of Spades)from a red backed pack, making sure that the Ace of Spades is not leftamong the top twelve cards. Place the three Aces on top, then returnthe pack to its case. The blue backed pack, which is also in its caseat the start, has its Ace of Spades fourth from top and care is taken tosee that no card among the top three is duplicated among the nine belowthe three red Aces on top of the red pack.

PERFORMANCE: Take the red backed pack from its case, fanoff the top twelve cards, letting the red backs be seen; drop these cardsface down on the table, then place the remainder of the pack a little toone side.

Remove the blue backed pack from its case, shuffle the cards butleave the top four cards in position, then glance through the face uppack to look for the Aces saying, "I'll take out the four Aces". Spreadthe pack between the hands and push up the first Ace so that it protrudesfor half its length out of the spread. Do the same with the second andthird Aces, then run along till you come to the Ace of Spades and carryup this together with the three cards behind it. Make no attempt tohide the three extra cards, but when the Ace of Spades is protrudinghalf way out of the spread, carry the three cards down with the lefthand, out of sight behind the pack. Clip these three cards betweenthe left first finger at the top end and the little finger at the bottom end.Straighten the left fingers behind the spread cards, then almost close

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the spread and move up the left hand until the top side of the first fingerjust appears at the outer end of the cards. Now clip the four protrudingAces between the left first finger and thumb and strip them from thepack, immediately squaring the packet in the left hand. Thismanoeuvre has secretly added three cards behind the face up Aces.

(Transfer the face up Aces (plus three cards) to the right hand and

the pack to the left hand. Turn the pack face down with the leftfingers, then add the face up cards from the right hand to the top of thepack, but hold a break beneath them with the left little finger.

Fan the top three Aces to allow the faces of all four to show andduring the fanning action insert the right second finger into the break.Lift off all seven cards (it appears that only the four Aces are lifted),turn them face down on the top of the pack, and square the pack.

Fan off the top four cards (supposedly Aces) and drop them ontop of the red packet on the table. Place the remainder of the bluebacked pack on the table, near to the red backed pack. Pick up thepacket of blue and red cards and fan them between the hands, drawingattention to the fact that only four have blue backs. In making thefan, hold a break with the left little finger under the top seven cards(four blue and three red). Say, "Just four blue backed Aces . . . . " ,square the cards and immediately take off all the cards above the breakwith the right hand, turn the hand to show the face cardan Acealsoturn over the other packet, then place the two face up packets together(right on left) as you continue the patter, " . . . . and none amongst thered cards". Fan off the four face up Aces, square them and place themface down on the table when the back of the one blue Ace will be show-ing.

Spread the remainder of the face up packet between the hands,showing that they contain no Aces, and secretly injog the fourth cardfrom the face of the packet. Close the fan and turn the packet facedown, securing a break below the injog with the left little finger.

To provide a logical reason for holding the cards for the next move,bring the right hand over the packet and take it, holding the break withthe right thumb. This frees the left hand which pushes aside the twopacks of cards (the red and the blue) on the table, and leaves what issupposed to be the four blue backed Aces in a convenient position.Now bring the right hand cards over these supposed Aces, but so thatabout two thirds of the backs of these cards are seen protruding to theleft. Draw the packet back to the table edge where the left hand hasbeen brought back to receive them as these come over the edge. Asthe left hand receives the cards, extend the left fingers and pull downon the break in the top (right hand) packet, taking all the cards below

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the break and squaring them on top of the left hand packet and as theyare added place the left hand packet on top of the cards in the right hand.Deal off the top four blue backed cards, face down, from left to right onthe table.

Say, "We will check once more to ensure that no more blue backedcards are usedjust the four Aces". Count the red backed cards facedown onto the table, reversing the order, then pick them up again andhold them in the left hand. Either place or count three of these cardson each of the four face down blue backed cards, starting from the left,but in each instance leave the blue backs partly exposed.

Pick up the packet on the right, square it, turn it face up to show theAce on the face and replace it on the table as you say, "We will turnthis packet face up". Bring the right hand to the packet on theextreme left, pick up the top card and use it to scoop up the other cardsof the packetthis brings the blue backed card second from bottom.Transfer the packet to the left hand, holding it at the centre of the leftside, with the left thumb above and the first and second fingers below.Hold this packet above the face up packet on the right, flick it with theright fingers, then make Alex Elmsley's move, known as Counting Fouras Four, as follows:

The left thumb and second finger are at the very edge of the centreof the left side of the packet. With the right thumb above and thesecond finger below the centre of the right side, pinch off the top card,slide it to the right to clear the second card, and begin to slide it underthe packet. Just before it contacts the left fingers, the pad of the leftthumb, which is on the very edge of the cards, pushes two cards over tothe right. The right thumb and second finger take these two cards asone, as the left fingers take the first card square under the packet.When the right hand cards have cleared the left hand cards, push the topcard of the left hand packet to the right with the left thumb and take thiscard on top of the right hand cards, by sliding the centre of the right sideunder the pad of the right thumb. Now take the remaining card fromthe left hand, on top of those in the right in the same manner. Theappearance is that four red backed cards have been counted, no bluebacked card being seen because it was covered by a red backed cardduring the count, and one red backed card was counted twice.

Turn the squared packet face up and deal each card singly, one ontop of the other, face up on the table saying, "No Ace".

Pick up the second packet in exactly the same manner as described;make all the same moves as before, but at the conclusion do not countthe face up cards onto the table, but display the faces by fanning them

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in the left hand, then drop them on top of the first packet of face upcards. Lift off the top card of all, scoop up the cards to bring the cardto the bottom, square the packet, then set it down, face up, on the tableonce more.

Treat the third packet in exactly the same fashion as the secondpacket, eventually dropping it face up on the cards on the table andusing the top card as a scoop to pick up all the cards which again takesit to the back of the packet. This time count all the cards (silently)from hand to hand, showing the face of each card. The count reversesthe order, bringing the three blue backed cards to the face of the packet.

Retain the cards in the left hand.

With the right hand pick up the remaining (face up) packet fromthe table, drop it on top of the face up cards in the left hand and immediately fan the face cards to show the four Aces. Secure a break threecards below the Aces, square the cards, cut off all the cards below thebreak with the left hand and place these cards face down on the table.

Turn the seven cards still held, to bring them face down in the lefthand and count them as four only, buckling the bottom card on thethird count to show all the backs as blue, then transfer the bottom cardto the top. Drop these cards on top of the red cards on the table.Pick up the packet and deal the top four blue backed cards singly, facedown, onto the blue pack. Spread the other cards to show all red backs,then drop them onto the red pack, leaving everything clean.

NOTE When correcting the manuscript Dai Vernon added,"I now think it better to simplify the handling by eliminating certainmoves. When you reach the stage where you use the 'ElmsleyVanish' to show the backs of four red cards in each of three of theheaps, simply turn each heap face up after the vanish and deal the fourcards singly in a line from left to right on the table. When the threepackets have been dealt to give four "hands' of three cards each, all theblue cards will be together on the left. Now pick up the 'hands' placingthem together, to leave the three blue cards on the face of the packet inthe left hand for the effect to be concluded as written".

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CHAPTER TWO

BLINDFOLD POKER DEALIN THIS FINE routine Dai Vernon has the pack shuffled then deals

five Poker hands. Asking the other four players to each rememberone card from the five they hold, Dai reassembles the pack, shuffles,then deals once again. On turning over his hand it is seen that hehas dealt himself the cards previously selected. The fact that Dai isblindfolded throughout the demonstration considerably adds to thedramatic effect.

METHOD: In order that the audience have a clear view of theproceedings, sit facing them and have two players sit at the right sideof the table and two at the left.

The method of blindfolding can be any known to magicians whichallows the performer to secretly glimpse when required. Dai Vernonuses the most simple form; a folded handkerchief which he asks oneof the players to tie over his eyes. By closing his eyes tightly as thehandkerchief is tied, then opening them, he can glance down the open-ing between the material and the side of his nose.

When using a blindfold in this manner it is a good rule to only openthe eyes when absolutely necessary. By keeping them closed at allother times your actions will be natural for a person who cannot see andthere will be no need to act.

Ask one of the players to shuffle the pack then hand it to you. Dealfive cards to each player (including yourself) in the normal manner,then ask them to place their cards, face up, in an overlapping line infront of them. Illustrate what you require by doing the same withyour own cards. Now tell each player in turn to select one card of hisfive, remember it, then replace it in the same position in the line.

As each player makes his selection you take a glimpse and remem-ber the position of the card from the topthere is no need to rememberthe actual card, just a number. We will assume that the four numbersremembered are 2, 1. 4 and 3.

Feel for the remainder of the pack, cut the cards, collect up yourown hand and place them in the cutforget all about them.

Riffle the pack then spread the cards between the hands; divide thespread near the centre and have the first player place his cards on theleft portion of the divided spread.

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Knowing that there is a difference of one card between the firstand second players (the difference between the first two of the fournumbers remembered), you must now get rid of one card of the firsthand in order that the position of the card looked at by the first playerwill match the position of the card looked at in the second hand. Allthat is necessary is to hold a break under the top card of the hand justreturned to the pack, then square the pack.

Riffle the pack, then spread the cards and divide them at the breakfor the second player to place his cards on the left hand spread. Asthe third number remembered is 4, it is necessary to add three cardsabove the hand to match the position of the next selected card. Thisis done as the spread is joined, the left little finger holding a breakabove the three cards as the spread is closed.

Again riffle the pack then spread between the hands and divide atthe break for the third hand to be replaced. To match the positionof the last card (3) it is necessary to get a break under the top card ofthe third hand as the spread is rejoined and the pack squared. Riffleagain then spread the cards and divide at the break for the insertion ofthe fourth hand. As the selected cards must be repositioned for a newdeal, it is necessary for the last hand to consist of five cards so two moremust be added as the spread is rejoined and a break held above them.Square the pack, riffle, then cut at the break and complete the cut.

Now false shuffle the pack then deal five hands once more. Askeach player if, by chance, they have received back the card they selected.As you have all the cards in their correct order in your hand you canleave them face down on the table and feel the position of each card,pushing it towards each player as he names the card originally selected.

After reading the above it will be obvious that all you do as eachhand is inserted is to add or subtract cards to position each selectedcard five cards away from the next one, then make up the last hand toconsist of five cards. By understanding the example given, thenumber of cards to be added or subtracted each time will be apparentfor any combination of the four numbers remembered according to theoriginal positions of the selected cards.

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CHAPTER THREE

CARDS OF COINCIDENCE

THERE IS NOT a difficult move anywhere in this routine, yetthe effect produced is card magic at its very best.

The effect is that the performer places a card from a red backedpack into an empty envelope, then gives a blue backed pack to a spec-tator to shuffle. After the cards have been spread face down acrossthe table, the spectator has a perfectly free choice of any card, whichis then pushed from the spread and placed unseen into the envelope.When both cards are shaken from the envelope the faces are found tobe identical. This is repeated a second time and again a perfectexample of controlled coincidence is brought about. For a third timethe performer removes a card from the red backed pack and the spec-tator one from the blue backed pack. This time no envelope isused, yet the two cards again match.

The facts that the spectator always selects his card after the per-former, and has a perfectly free choice of any card from the blue backedpack on all three occasions, makes the effect particularly strong. Theclimax when the envelope is dispensed with, and the backs of the twocards are in sight the whole time, is a knock out.

PREPARATION: An ordinary letter envelope is needed. Thisshould be sufficiently large so that when a card is inside, it will not show,even when the flap is open.

Two packs of cards are also required; say a red backed and a bluebacked pack. The red backed pack has, say, the Two of Clubs ontop, the blue backed Two of Clubs below it, then the red King of Clubswith the blue King of Clubs below it. With both packs in their re-spective cases at the start, all is in readiness.

PERFORMANCE: Show the envelope to be empty.

Take the blue backed pack from the case, hand it to a spectator forshuffling, then take it back and spread the cards face down across thetable.

Pick up the red backed pack, remove it from its case, place thecase aside, then hold the pack in the left hand. Double lift the twotop cards as one, without showing the face, bringing them to the tips ofthe left fingers and thumb. Take the pack into the right hand and

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place it on the table. Be careful not to allow the second card (bluebacked) to be seen as the pack is placed downhowever, this has beenmade comparatively simple because the double lifted cards are held atthe tips of the left fingers and thumb, leaving the right hand free.Take the card(s) from the left hand into the right, pick up the envelopewith the left hand, then slip the two cards (as one) into the envelope.Make the actions deliberate so that there can be no doubt that the card(s)is actually in the envelope, but ensure that the cards are placed nearthe inner end of the envelope. Do not place the cards right at theinner end, as later you have to shake them out, and they may jam if theyare positioned in the corner. Drop the envelope on the table.Remark to a spectator, "You have seen me place a red backed cardin the envelope. Now I would like you to touch the back of anyone of the blue backed cards on the table". After any card has beentouched, push it out of the spread, then without showing the face, pickit up and place it in the envelope. This time see that the card is nearthe outer endturn the envelope over longitudinally and by bendingit slightly, the face of the card just inserted can be glimpsed through thepaper. Remember this card.

Take the envelope by the inner left corner with the right thumbunderneath and fingers on top, and turn it to bring the opening down-wards with the flap towards the audience. Two cards will fall out

which you catch in theleft hand (Figure 1).The third card remainsin the envelope becausethe right hand grip en-sures that it stays in po-sition. Drop the enve-lope onto the table,opening upwards withthe flap away from theaudience.

Take one card ineach hand, turning themto bring the faces to the

audience, when it will be seen that they match (say, Two of Clubs).The obvious inference is that the card freely selected by the spectatorfrom the blue backed pack is identical with the one previously selectedby the performer and placed in the envelope before the second selectionwas made. Having seen that one card has a red back and the other ablue back, the audience are convinced that some form of controlledcoincidence has taken place.

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After exhibiting the two cards place them down on the table andpick up the red backed pack. Fan the cards with the faces towardsyou and remove the duplicate of the card sighted in the envelope.Without showing its face, remove it from the pack and place it facedown on the table, then also place the pack on the table.

Pick up the red backed card again, holding it horizontally in theleft hand, the left thumb at the centre of the top side and the fingersat the bottom sidethe back of the card is towards the audience ofcourse. Now have the spectator again touch any card in the spread,for you to pick up and place in line with the red backed card in the lefthand, but slipped back about one and a half inches so that the cardsoverlap.

Take the overlapped cards into the right hand, then pick up theenvelope with the left hand. Let the audience see both cards insertedinto the envelope by holding the cards and envelope in the positionshown in Figure 2. When the cards are inserted the red backed cardwill be adjacent to the first selected blue card, and as this card is theone previously sighted through the paper, the red card will match it.The other blue backed card (of the overlapped cards just inserted) willbe towards the opposite end of the envelope. Pinch this card by hold-ing the envelope at that end with the left hand, and shake out the othertwo cards into the right hand. Place the envelope on the table, thentake one card in each hand and turn them to show the matching faces.Place them on the table.

For a third time take the red backed pack and make a double liftof the top two cards, lifting them to the tips of the left fingers and thumbwithout showing the face card. This enables the rest of the pack tobe taken into the right hand and placed on the table. The two cards(as one) in the left hand are the red backed King of Clubs with theblue backed King of Clubs behind it.

Say, "Some people may suspect the envelope . . . . " . Pick it upcasually by the bottom and let it fall, so that the edge lightly strikes thetable, for the envelope to fall address side down. This brings the cardto the opening of the envelope, but as the opening is away from theaudience the card cannot be seen.

Have another blue backed card touched by the spectator for you topush from the spread, pick up and without showing the face, placein the left hand, overlapping the red backed card(s) as before. Placethe tip of the right second finger on the point where the two cards over-lap, curl the left forefinger so that the tip rests on the face of the hiddenblue backed card (King of Clubs) and place the pad of the right thumb

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against the inner end ofthe front blue backedcard. Figure 3 showsthe holding position asseen by the spectators.Say, "The red card ismine and the blue cardyours". As this is saidmove the two visiblefront cards to the leftas a unit, simultaneous-ly pulling the back bluebacked card to the rightwith the left forefinger.

This brings the two blue backed cardstogether although the right end of thered backed card is between them. Itwill be found that the pad of the rightthumb acts as a stop for the end of theback blue backed card to comeagainst, ensuring that the two cardsare lined up.

Say, "I can accomplish the sameresult without putting the cards intothe envelope". With the right handseize the aligned cards at the rightlower corner and shift the left hand

slightly to grip the red card only. Move the right hand a little to theright, when the two aligned cards will come free from the red backedcard, then move the cards to the left again to tap them on the backof the red backed card. Turn both hands to show the faces of thecards both Kings of Clubs.

Drop both blue backed cards (still in alignment) on the spread ofblue backed cards on the table and the red backed card on top of thered pack. Pick up the envelope in the left hand and the red pack inthe right hand, then bring the pack over the opening in the envelope,so that pack and envelope are in the left hand.

To leave everything "cleaned up" it is now only necessary to takethe pack back into the right hand, the right fingers going underneathto slide away the card from the envelope onto the bottom of the pack.

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CHAPTER FOUR

THREE CARD MONTE

' There is not a single card feat in the whole calendar that will giveas good returns for the amount of practice required, or that will mystifyas greatly, or cause as much amusement, or bear as much repetition, asthis little game"S. W. Erdnase.

When performing the Three Card Monte many of the old timeoperators used the following little jingle"A little game from HankyPoo, the black for me the red for youall you have to do is to keepyour eyes on the little ladyten gets you twenty, twenty gets youforty . . . now here we go . . . . keep your eyes on the lady".

At the start of his routine Dai Vernon uses the same patter tocreate atmosphere and set the mood for the game. The purpose of hisperformance is to provide entertainment, so he does not introduce thegambling element, nor does he place the spectators in what could be anembarrassing situation by asking them to actually choose a card, buttreats the proceedings as a demonstration. Obviously, spectators willthink they know where the Queen rests after each "throw"; DaiVernon turns the card to show that the eyes cannot always be believed.

THE THREE CARDS.

The cards Dai Vernon uses are; a red Queen, a black Eight and aSeven of the same suit. The three cards are bent along their lengthuntil their sides touch and are then released. This makes them deeplybridged to enable them to be picked up easily from the table. Addition-ally, the cards are placed together, and keeping them perfectly squared,the outer right corners of all three are bent up at right angles(without cracking the surface), then straightened again. This pre-paratory corner bending aids with the final move of the routine.

THE THROW.

To make either a fair or a fake throw the cards are held in thesame manner and the visible actions are identical. The purpose of thefalse throw is to hold one card above another, then to throw down whatappears to be the bottom card; actually the top card goes down.

The throw can be made with either hand but for the purpose ofthis explanation it will be assumed that the right hand is in use.

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Bring the right hand over the first face down card and lift it withthe second finger at the centre of the outer end (the finger tip shouldproject below the card, the deep bridge making this possible) and theball of the thumb at the centre of the inner end. Bring the hand overthe second face down card so that the left sides of the two cards aretouching. Pick up the bottom card, the thumb and second finger pro-jecting sufficiently below the top card for this to be done. Althoughthe left sides of the two cards are touching, there should be a space ofabout half an inch between the opposite sides. Spread the fingers asboth cards are lifted. Show the face of the bottom card by turning theright hand, bringing the fingers together. The tip of the little finger

should now be lightly touching theexact index corner of the bottom card(Figure 1). The throw should bemade as the hand is turned to bringthe card face down again, the turningand throwing being all in one move-ment, for the top card to go down tothe left in a fake throw. To accom-plish this, release the grip of thesecond finger as he hand turns, thebottom card still being held betweenthe thumb and little finger. The arcin which the hand turns should besuch that the top card goes down flat,

without hitting the table with either a side or end.

Of course, to make a fair throw, it is the bottom card which goesdown, but the moves for making either a fake or fair throw must appearto be identical.

Whenever cards are picked up, one above the other, it is alwaysin the throw position.

THE GAME.

Stage One: Place the three cards together on the table, one atopthe other, with the Queen on the bottom. With the left hand, pickoff and show the face of the top card (say "black"). Pick off thesecond card (show the face) with the right hand, (say "black").Leaving the left hand turned with the face of the black card showing,bring the right hand card over the Queen, lift both cards together in thethrow position and turn the hand to show the face of the Queen.

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Throw the Queen fairly, then pick it up again in the throw positionin the left hand. Throw the Queen fairly from the left hand and pickit up with the right hand. Repeat these moves, showing the face ofthe Queen each time it is picked up. On the fifth throw (which willbe from the right hand), make a fake throw. Drop the left hand cardto the extreme right, then drop the Queen in the centre of the twoblack cards. It will appear that the Queen is on the left; though it isactually in the centre.

Say, "It appeared to go here . . . . " and pick up the card on theleft with the left hand, show the face then turn the hand to bring thecard face down but still retain it in the hand. Continue, . . . . butit really went here". Pick up the Queen (centre card) with the righthand, show the face and drop it face down on the table. Pick up thecard on the right with the right hand, show the face then place it overthe Queen to pick it up on the bottom. Turn both hands to show thefaces of the cards then make a fair throw from the right hand. Pickup the Queen underneath the card in the left hand, show the face, thenmake a fair throw once more. Pick up the Queen underneath theright hand card, show the face but this time make a fake throw, tossingthe card well to the left. Drop the card from the left hand to the centreposition, then drop the card (Queen) from the right hand to the right.

Say, "It appears to go on this end . . . . " . With the left handturn the card on the left to show the face, drop it face downagain in the same position, then continue, * ' . . . . but it's on this end".With the right hand turn the card on the right to show the Queen, thendrop it face down in the same position.

Stage Two. Pick up the centre card with the right hand, bringit over the Queen on the right and pick up both cards in the throwposition. Pick up the card on the left with the left hand. Turn bothhands to show the face of a black card and the Queen. Making a fairthrow toss the Queen to the left, then pick it up under the left handcard, show the face and toss it back to the right by a fair throw. Pickit up again under the right hand card, show the face, but this time makea fake throw to the left. Drop the left hand card to the centre positionthen bring the right hand card (the Queen) over this card, to lift bothcards. Turn the right handonly the face of the bottom black cardis seen. Make a fake throw to the centre position, then turn the righthand to show the same black face once more. Although the face ofthis card has been seen twice it appears that the faces of two blackcards have been shown. Remember, the two cards are only ever re-ferred to as "black" and no attention is called to their value. Dropthe card from the right hand to the right, then with the same hand pickup the centre card (the Queen) without showing its face. Place the left

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forefinger at the left side of the card on the right, bring the left side of theface down Queen to theright side of the card onthe right and flip it over,face upa black card.Flip it face down againin the same manner(Figure 2). Place theright hand card (Queen)over the card just drop-ped on the table,pickit up underneath theQueen, show the blackface and remark "Neverbet on this one!" Fakethrow the Queen to the

extreme left. Place the right hand card over the centre card, turn thehand to show a black face, then make a fair throw to the centre. Showthe face of the card in the right hand and drop it to the right remarking,"You'll always find the Queen on the end!". Pick up the card on theextreme left, show its face (Queen) and drop it back in the sameposition.

Stage Three. Say, "This is such an old game so I'm going toexplain it and perhaps save you some money in the future".

Pick up the Queen, show the face, deliberately bend up the outerright corner, following the contour of the preliminary bend, then placethe card face down on the table. With the right hand pick up the cardon the right, show its face, say, "This is black" and turn it face downbut retain it in the hand. Now pick up the other black card, with theleft hand, carrying it well to the left before beginning to turn the cardto show its black face. In this manner attention is drawn away from

the right hand card. As the left handbegins to turn to show the face of itscard move the tip of the right thirdfinger to press on the back of the cardin the right hand, bringing the cardunder tension by also pressing downon the back with the forefinger, reachdown with the little finger exactlyunder the corner, and by a pinchingaction with the third and little fingers,bend up the corner where it wasoriginally bent during preparation(Figure 3exposed view from under-

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neath). Indicating thenew face up card in theleft hand say, "... .andthis is black''. Theposition at this stage isas shown in Figure 4,but the left hand wouldbe more to the left,causing the right handcard to drop out of thepicture.

Bring the left sideof the card in the righthand to the right side of the Queen and flip the Queen face up to show,then flip it face down again. During this action keep the right fingerstogether to hide the bent corner of the card held in the right hand.Now place the right hand card over the Queen and pick it up in thethrow position. Turn the right hand to show the face of the Queenthen make a fair throw to the left saying, "Of course, if I toss the carddown you know it's the Queen because the corner is bent". Pick upthe Queen under the left hand card and make a fair throw to the right.Pick it up again under the right hand card, show the Queen's face thenmake a fake throw to the left. Say, "But even with the corner bent,if I cross my hands it becomes very confusing". Cross the left handover the right (the hands can actually touch) to place the card in theleft hand to the extreme rightas thehands are crossed cover is provided forthe bent up corner of the card (theQueen) in the right hand to bestraightened. This is accomplishedwith the same grip used to make thebend, but the third fingertip shouldrest firmly on the edge of the card forthe little finger to press down tostraighten the corner (Figure 5).

Uncross the hands and pick upthe card with the bent up corner withthe left hand. Cross the hands againto place the card in the left hand tothe extreme right and the one in the right hand to the extreme left.Say, "Of course you must never bet on this end . . . . (turn over thecard with the bent cornera black card!) . . . . but always on this end".Turn over the card on the left which is found to be the Queenclimax!

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These are many other moves and subterfuges that can be used in aThree Card Monte routine, but the errors gf over repetition and compli-cation should be avoided. The reader is advised to select a goodroutine such as the one described above, and stay with it, resisting thetemptation to lengthen the running time by adding more moves justbecause they are clever. However, for those readers who are inter-ested in other ideas we give just two.

1. The use of a short card.

Nate Leipzig was greatly impressed when he saw the followingeffect performed by the gambler known as Kid Royal.

We will assume that three cards of the same value as those employ-ed in Dai Vernon's routine are to be used. In this instance one of theblack cards is a short card. No bridging is necessary in this method.

Lay the cards face down in a row on the table, the Queen on theleft, the short card in the centre and the other black card on the right.

Bring the right hand over the card on the right, pick it up, showits face, place it face down over the centre card, then pick up both cardstogether and show the face of the bottom card. Place both cards facedown over the Queen, pick up the three cards together and turn themto show the face of the Queen. The holding position is that the secondfinger is at the outer right corner and the thumb at the inner right corner.The left sides of the cards are together but the right side of the topcard is held a fraction of an inch away from the centre card. Becausethe second finger and thumb hold the cards on the right of the ends,this space is easily held and removes the friction on the back of thecentre card.

To lay out the cards for the game, bring the right hand to the left,tilting the left side of the cards downwards a little, so that the sides areactually pushed along the surface of the table top. When the handreaches the position on the table where the first card is to be placed,alter the direction of movement to the right. There should be nojerking or throwing action, the hand alternating its direction in a smoothflowing movement. Because the centre card is short it will slide outfrom between the other two and go down firstto the left. Thebottom card is then released a little to the right of the first card andfinally the third card to the right again.

Performed correctly the illusion is that the bottom card (theQueen) goes down first, but actually it goes in the centre. From here

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on other moves can be made to further mystify the spectators.

A somewhat easier handling (and quite effective) is to make athrowing action similar to when throwing down a card in the moreusual version. The centre card slips out and goes down cleanly andcertainly, then a similar but lesser action is made to throw down thebottom card, for obviously the hand must not turn sufficiently for theface of the card to be seen. This way it is not necessary to hold thetop card away from the others in the beginning.

It will be obvious that when building a routine the use of the shortcard can be combined with the method described previously, providingit is used first then the three cards bridged for the next stage.

2. The Optical Move,This is a good move with which to conclude a Three Card Monte

routine.Remove the bridging from the three cards and hold them face

down in the left hand, the Queen on top. Fan all three cards betweenthe hands, then take the top two into the right hand, the right thumb tipon the back of the top card about a third of the way up from the innerend and central. The right forefinger tip should be under the bottomcard and directly beneath the thumb. The fanned position of the twocards is important, the top card being diagonally across the bottom card,the inner left corner projecting slightly over the side and near the leftinner corner of the bot-tom card.

With the leftthumb snap the leftouter corner of the bot-tom card twice (Figure6), then immediatelyturn over the right handinwards, simultaneous-ly moving the rightthumb about a quarterof an inch to the left.This pushes the top cardacross the back of thebottom one, so that as the cards come face up there is a new projectingcorner at the left outer end of the cards to bump into the left thumbwhich has remained in position. This new corner is seen to be theindex corner of the Queen which the left thumb again snaps twice

without pausing (Figure 7). The illusion is that the left thumb hasjust snapped a projecting face down corner, then snapped the same

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corner after the cards have been turned face up to call attention to theposition of the Queen. Without stopping the action, reverse themoves to bring the cards face down, this time of course moving theright thumb to the right to pull the Queen across the back of the blackcard and so return it to its original position. As the cards come facedown the outer corner of the bottom card again projects to the left andbumps into the left thumb which snaps it twice.

The actions ofsnapping the face downprojecting corner twice,turning the right handto bring the cards faceup, snapping the pro-jecting corner twice,turning the hand tobring the cards facedown again, then snap-ping the projectingcorner twice, must allbe continuous.

Place the three cards together, fanned in the left hand and deliber-ately change the position of the two lower cards. Offer the fan toa spectator for him to remove the Queen. He will take the card onthe lefta black card.

The Queen is actually to the right of the fan (the top card), so thatwhen you apparently show where it is, you do so by taking the two topcards into the right hand and show it by the method described above,when because of the fake moves, the wrong card will again be takenwhen the fan is offered once more.

The value of this move cannot possibly be appreciated by merelyreading the description. It is essential to perform the actions withthe cards, when the reason for the excellent illusion will be understood.

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CHAPTER FIVE

LARRY GREY'S "CARDS ACROSS"

LIKE ALL THE late Larry Grey's tricks this one is simple and tothe point. The plot is similar to the well-known Cards Across, butthere are important differences in both the method and the effect.

In the usual version of this trick there is something of an anti-climax when the second packet of cards is counted, as obviously if, say,three cards are missing from the first packet the expectation is that theywill be found in the other. The main applause comes in the wrongplace after the first packet is counted. With Larry Grey's methodthe trick picks up again, for the missing cards are not found when thesecond packet is counted, the real climax coming when they are foundin the spectator's own pocket.

There is an interesting and valuable lesson to be learnt from theneat way in which Larry Grey prepared for the trick some time ahead.Even though the reader may not wish to include the identical trick whichLarry Grey performed prior to Cards Across, which enabled him tomake this secret preparation, many other card tricks can be adapted forthe purpose.

Larry Grey's preceeding effect was Bertram's Four Ace Trick anda spectator was asked to come on stage for its performance. In hisright hand Larry Grey had palmed one Ace and three indifferent cardsand would offer the pack from which the four cards had been taken, tothe spectator with the request to remove the four Aces. Obviously,he would find only three. Larry Grey would reach into the spectator'sinside pocket and take out the other Ace, leaving the three indifferentcards behind. The Four Ace trick would then be performed and atthe conclusion a second spectator was asked to come on stage.

The pack was handed to the second spectator who was asked tocount off ten cards, face down, onto Larry Grey's right hand, then thepack was passed to the first spectator for him to count off ten cardsonto the left hand. During this counting the hands were held wellapart so that there was no possibility of transferring any cards.

The first spectator was then asked, "Have you a handkerchiefSir?please take the ten cards you have just counted onto my leftpalm, wrap them up securely and hold them in your own hands".During the interval, while the request was being carried out, Larry Grey

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brought his hands together, palmed off three cards in his right hand fromthe other packet in the act of transferring the packet from the right handto the left. He then moved his right hand to his hip as he extended

his left hand to the second spectator,asking him to hold the cards betweenhis hands. Larry Grey stood waitingwith both hands on his hips, his rightfingers dipped into his hip pocket tohold it open for the three cards to dropinto as he released them (Figure 1 ).

Next he took back the sevencards from the second spectator, falsecounted them as ten, then handedthem back with instructions that thepacket should be held by one corner.Placing a hand on each side of the

packet, Larry Grey mimed the action of throwing a card from thevisible packet towards the wrapped packet. This was repeated twicemore but on the third occasion he would pretend to drop the card, pickit up, then throw it sometimes he would have the first spectator takeit ( ? ) from his fingers and place it in the handkerchief.

Addressing the second spectator he asked, "How many cards areyou holding?". Often the reply was, "Ten", so he would say, "ButI've taken three cards from youyou'd better count them". Onoccasions he varied the procedure by first taking the cards and countingthem as seven in a suspicious looking manner, as if making a clumsyfalse count, then would say, "I expect you would like to count themyourself".

Having established that there were seven cards only in the visiblepacket, Larry Grey told the first spectator to unwrap his cards andcount them onto his left palm which he held out somewhattriumphantly. As the count stopped at ten, Larry Grey would be look-ing away and said, "Go on". Having no more cards, the spectatorwould insist that ten was the total number, then Larry Grey would lookperplexed and ask for them to be re-counted. After the recount helooked even more perplexed and said, "Remember, you took the cardsand wrapped them in the handkerchief yourselfperhaps you putsome in your trousers pocket, feel (spectator did so),no? then theother one (spectator felt in his other trouser pocket),not there? ; tryyour jacket pocket (spectator did so)the other one (spectator didso). Have you felt in your inside pocket?". The three cards wereproduced and counted to give an excellent climax.

An excellent effect by a superb artist.

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CHAPTER SIX

MORE NOVEL KNOWLEDGE

HERE ARE SIX more clever ideas and ruses which Dai Vernonhas either originated or to which he has added the "Vernon Touch".

1. TO SHUFFLE A CERTAIN NUMBER OF CARDS ABOVEA SELECTED CARD.

This is a novel adaption of a cut described by S. W. Erdnase inThe Expert at the Card Table. It permits the performer to place, say,two or three cards above a selected card after it has been controlled tothe top of the pack. The appearance is that the whole pack is shuffled,yet actually the order remains undisturbed, except that cards arebrought from the bottom to the top.

Hold the pack in the left hand in the customary manner for anoverhand shuffle. With the right hand, undercut about three quartersof the pack, bringing it over to the front of the left hand portion to com-mence the shuffle. Drop a small packet from the top of the right handpacket, but as the hands are together squeeze the packet originally leftin the left hand between the right third finger and thumb (Figure 1 ).Bring it up with the rest of the cards, the small packet that was dropped

from the top now falling against the left fingers, concealing the fact thatthe under packet is withdrawn. With the left ringers tilt the packet overagainst the left thumb and drop another small packet from the top of theright hand portion into the left hand (Figure 2), between the packetand the fingersstill with the usual movement of shuffling. With theleft thumb tilt the other packet back onto the cards on the fingers, thenthe right hand makes its customary downward movement, but this time

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drop the packet which is held by the third finger and thumb by simplyreleasing the pressure of the third finger. Now tilt the left hand por-tion against the thumb, drop the remaining portion from the right handwith the exception of the bottom card, tilt the whole left hand portionagainst the fingers, then throw the single card from the right hand ontop.

This process leaves the pack in the original order, except that thebottom card is now on top. By repeating these moves, any number ofcards can be transferred from the bottom to the top.

A tip for throwing all but one card from the right hand in the lastaction of the shuffle, is to move the inner end of the bottom card up alittle by an upward movement of the left little finger. This is donewhile the cards are in the left hand in position for the shuffle but beforeit commences. It will now be almost automatic when the throw ismade, for the last card to remain in the right hand.

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2. PLUNGER LOCATION.

The following is a subtle method for keeping control of a cardafter it has been returned to the spread pack from which it has previous-ly been freely selected.

Spread the cards from left to right between the hands for a cardto be selected. As the card is taken, imagine that the pack is dividedal that point and injog (for about a quarter of an inch) the card on thebottom of what would be the top portion of the pack. This is done bythe left thumb which is extended across the spread and pulls the cardback.

Without closing the spread, divide the cards at the injogged card(which is on the bottom of the right hand spread) and have the selectedcard replaced on top of the left hand spread. With the left thumb, jogthe selected card forward for about a quarter of an inch. As thespread packets are joined once more, line up the outer edge of thesecond card from the bottom of theright hand portion with the slightlyprotruding selected card (Figure3). Close the spread against theleft hand and with the left fore-finger (which reaches under thepack to the outer edge end) pull orpush on the cards to square thepack. This automatically leavesthe card immediately above theselected card protruding from theinner end of the pack. It is now asimple matter to cut at or form abreak above the selected card.

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3. CARD FROM POCKET.

Dai Vernon's method for producing a card from the inner breastpocket is extremely convincing, as although the card is actually palmedin the right hand at the beginning of the operation and is eventuallyremoved by the left hand, the hands are well apart the whole time.

Assume that the card has been palmed in the right hand and thatit is desired to seemingly remove the card from the inner breast pocketon the right side of the jacket.

Bring the right hand to the opening of the jacket at about waistlevel and allow the card to slide behind the edge of the jacket. This isaccomplished by bending the right fingers inwards to clip the outerend of the card momentarily against the palm, when the inner end willbe free. When the card is behind the jacket it is held by the tips ofthe right first and second fingers curled onto the non-index corner withthe thumb on the outside of the jacket. This position of the righthand is the natural one for holding the jacket slightly open.

By a movement of the second finger the card can be swivelledupwards so that the index corner rises four or five inches. Turning theright side of the body slightly to the audience, reach into the jacket withthe left hand, the second, third and little fingers going into the pocket.Keeping the left arm and wrist absolutely still, reach down on the

outside of the pocketwith the thumb andfirst finger and graspthe index corner of thecard (Figure 4ex-posed view). Withan upward movementof the left hand andarm, apparently drawthe card from thepocket, letting it comeinto view near the topof the right lapel.

At no time do the hands come closer together than eight inches.

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4. SWITCHING A CARD IN AN ENVELOPE.

This is a particularly clean method for switching one card foranother in an envelope. At the start the pack is held face down inthe left hand and the envelope is on the table.

Hold the card to be switched in the right hand and show its faceto the audience, which gives an opportunity to secure a break underthe top card of the pack. In order to pick up the envelope, place thecard from the right hand on top of the pack. Hand out the envelopefor examination, then with the right hand move the two top cards asone, so that they overlap the side of the pack. The break makes thisa clean operation, especially as attention is directed to the examinationof the envelope.

Take back the envelope with the right hand, holding the open flapclipped between the first and second fingers (opening of envelope up-wards). This hold enables the two cards overlapping the side of thepack to be taken as one, between the right thumb and forefinger at thecentre of the outer side, and lifted for the envelope to be laid on the topof the pack where it is gripped by the left thumb. Without pause, slipthe card(s) into the envelope but leave it protruding a little so that theback can be seen (Figure 5). Do not release the right hand grip onthe cards.

The actions of taking the card(s) from the pack, placing theenvelope on the pack and inserting the card(s) are done in sight of theaudience, the position of the hands being as in Figure 5.

Say, "Oh, please make certain that this is your card", and lift thehands to bring the address side of the envelope towards the audience.Simultaneously slide out the top card to show its face, leaving thesecond card in the envelope, still protruding from the opening but

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covered by the open flap. Slide the shown card down behind theenvelope, (as if inserting it) and right onto the top of the pack whereit is clipped by the left thumb (Figure 6rear view). In a similaraction to the top change, clip the envelope (and protruding card) be-tween the right first and second fingers, and move the right hand to theright to bring the other side of the envelope facing the audience. Acard is seen protruding which is presumed to have just been inserted.Now place the envelope back on top of the pack once more, turningthe left hand to enable the protruding card to be seen, then push thecard right in and seal the envelope.

The original idea of this switch was shown to Dai Vernon by JohnScarne. However, the idea of showing a single card at the commence-ment and adding it to the face of the second card, instead of showing adouble to start with, is a decided improvement as it gives greater free-dom.

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5. DOUBLE LIFT FROM FAN.

Make a pressure fan face up in the left hand and spot the desiredcard. If it is not in the right third of the fan, close the fan, cut thecards then remake the fan. Assume the desired card is the Joker inthis instance. Place the right thumb nail under the card to the rightof the Joker which brings the padof the thumb directly onto the corn-er of the Joker. Place the pad ofthe right forefinger on the edge ofthe corner of the card to the left ofthe Joker (Figure 7). By closingthe forefinger and thumb andsqueezing , the two cards can be lin-ed up perfectly.

Pull both cards (as one) abouthalfway out of the fan. The cardswill stay in this position, perfectlyaligned, when the right hand gripis released. Turn the left hand toshow both sides of the protruding Joker(?).

You have made a good double lift for use in any of the usual ways,as the two cards can be taken from the fan as one, the fan closed and thecard(s) placed on top of the pack.

However, perhaps a better form of using this double lift is to turnthe face of the fan towards you, as if holding a hand of cards with oneprotruding. Flip the protruding card with the right forefinger, thentake the card(s) by the upper end between the right thumb and secondfinger and swing it to the left behind the fan. As the card(s) swingsto the left, turn the fan face downand without pausing, push downwith the thumb on the face cardunder cover of the fan, pull out thenew face down top card and slap itface down on the table. Figure 8shows a view from underneath ofthe Joker being left behind the fanas the card above it (King ofHearts) is removed from the fan.

The moves of turning the fanface down, swinging the two cardsto the left, pressing the Joker downbehind the fan and removing the

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face down King of Hearts, should all blend into one smooth action.Obviously, because the fan is turned face down as the cards are swungbehind it, the indifferent card is removed from the right of the fan.

Incidentally the idea of removing two cards as one from the centreof the pack will pass in fast company if the take-out is done withoutfumbling.

For example, open the cards at the left outer corner (a la thumbcount) and as you take hold of the upper card of the lower section,allow a second card to flip up. If these two are pivoted out in anatural action and placed on top as one, the illusion is all that can bedesired.

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6. STARING HIM IN THE FACE.

The following effect, which is an excellent one with which to con-clude a series of card tricks as it entails placing the pack in its case, wasa particular favourite of the late Paul Rosini.

Have the card case on the table, the flap open and pointing up-wards. Offer the pack to a spectator for a card to be selected, noted,and returned to the pack. During the shuffle, control the card to thebottom, then hold the pack face down in the left hand. Bring the righthand over the pack to take it into that hand, but as the hand providescover, push the bottom card a little to the right with the left fingers.

With the left hand pick up the card case, the left thumb at thecentre of one side and the fingers at the other. As the left hand turnsthe case anti-clockwise, move the right hand to the left and as thepack comes to the back of the turning case, clip the bottom card againstitFigure 9 shows an exposed view of the jogged bottom card beingbrought to the back of the case for the left finger tips to clip the protrud-ing side of the card against the bottom of the case. There should beno pause in the turning of the case, the action appearing as if the case

has merely been turned over for the pack to be inserted. All in thesame smooth sequence of natural actions, push the flap further openwith the back of the right fingers, and insert the pack in the case (Figure10), close the flap then take the case into the right hand, holding it atthe flap end between the thumb above and the forefinger underneath.

Demonstrate how you want the spectator to hold the case by ex-tending your left forefinger, only tell him to extend his right forefinger.Place the back of the case (with the selected card on the back) downon the spectator's extended forefinger, asking him to grip the top of

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the case with his thumb. Ask him to take a firm grip then have himname his card. Bring your right hand down smartly, hitting the casesquarely and knocking it from his grasp. Due to the holding position,the face up selected card will still be gripped and will be "staring him inthe face".

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CHAPTER SEVEN

PALMINGIn Dai Vernon's book Select Secrets, under the Chapter titled

Topping the Deck, he described a particular method of palming a cardfrom the top of the pack, which has been a favourite of his for manyyears. Recently he has made slight alterations to the handling, and asthe complete procedure provides an excellent example for illustratingfundamental rules which are applicable to palming in general, it is pro-posed to give a description of this palm before continuing with othermethods.

Throughout this book we have stressed that naturalness of actionis most essential for attaining proficiency in card magic, and nowhereis this more important than where palming is concerned. There mustbe a logical reason for handling the pack in order that the palmingaction can be executed. Next, the secret palming action itself must bepart of a visible, natural and logical movement. After the palm hasbeen made there must be a logical reason for the hand to leave the packbut a pause is essential before it leaves. When the hand leaves, itshould not be held square, as a hand is seldom square when nothing ispalmed. The hand must not "freeze"-this can be prevented bygesturing with the hands; but these gestures must be natural to theindividual and should not be overdone or they will telegraph thatthere is something to hide. Often the hand which holdsthe palmed card leaves the pack slowly; there is a tendency for slowmovement when a card is palmedthe action must be quickened toequal the natural speed of movement of an empty hand.

Bearing the foregoing in mind, we will study the followingVernon method for palming a card and see it through from beginning toend.

1. TOP PALM DAI VERNON.

Hold the pack face down in the dealing position in the left hand,the second, third and little fingers curled under the pack to the rightside, and the forefinger extended under the outer right corner. Thefinger should be curved and relaxed, not held stiff as if it were sore; relax, indeed the whole hand should be relaxed, with only sufficientpressure exerted by the fingers to prevent the pack from slipping.Extend the left thumb across the back of the top card.

To make the palm, bring the right hand to the pack, the logicalreason for doing so being to lift the pack off the palm to the tips of the

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corner.

left fingers and thumb for them to make a squaring movement alongthe sides. To lift the pack, bring the right hand over it, the fingerstogether at the outer end, but only the second finger actually grippingthe end at the centre. The right thumb goes to inner end near the left

The pack is now almost covered, so by extending the leftthumb a little, push the top card tothe right. This causes the card toswing (the second finger acting as apivot) until the outer right cornercomes into contact with the right littlefinger. By curling the right fingertips over the centre edge of the cardand raising the left thumb, the topcard is levered upwards (Figure 1).Simultaneously the left forefingercurls under the pack to aid the lifting.

Lift the pack with the right hand(aided by the left forefinger) to thetips of the left fingers and thumb. By

releasing the left hand hold to enable the pack to move, the left thumbautomatically moves out of the way directly to the left side of the packfor the card to go completely into the right palm. The palm grip ismade all the surer in these initial stages by lifting the right forefingerand placing the tip on the back of the new top card. This position ofthe forefinger gives the hand a natural appearance. Additionally, ifthe pack has to be placed down, the downward pressure of the forefingerfacilitates easy release and obviates the necessity for dropping the packfrom the fingertips.

Now the tips of the left fingers and thumb are in contact with thesides of the pack and move backwards and forwards in a squaring action.

All movements must blend into the natural action of squaring upthe pack and it is of the utmost importance for the right thumb not tomove during the entire operation.

A glaring fault to guard against is that when making the palm,there is a tendency for the right hand to make a twisting movement tocover the pack. This is accompanied by a twitch of the right arm.This tendency must be foughtthe hand must remain relaxed; thearm perfectly still.

This palm is also excellent when one desires to simply place thepack on the table without the squaring up movement, for there is stilla logical reason for the right hand to go to the pack; that is to place it

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on the table. The whole action should simulate exactly the normalaction of passing the pack from the left hand to the right hand to set itdown on the table.

Study how the palmed card is held. The line of pressure isdiagonally from one index corner to the other; that is, one corner ofthe card is againstthe tip of the rightlittle finger and thediagonally oppositecorner is againstthe flesh of thepalm at the base ofthe thumb. Fig-ure 2 shows a viewof a card in the cor-rect palming posi-tion. The cardclings to the hand,the first, secondand third fingersbeing free to move, bend, curl or be stepped. Guard against holdingthe thumb away from the hand, "fish hook" fashion. It should becurved in a little more toward the forefinger than in the photograph.

Assume that instead of placing the pack down we wish to carryout other manoeuvres. We have made the secret palming actionunder the guise of squaring the pack, and the position is that bothhands are still at the pack. From here the next actions will be deter-mined by what we require to do with the palmed card.

Suppose that the effect we need, is to remove the card from thetrousers or jacket pocket.

Riffle the pack with the left thumb, then leaving the pack in theleft hand, raise the right hand, the second, third and little fingers curled,but the forefinger extended in an upward pointing gesture, apparentlyto gain attention;the back of the hand partly towards the spectators,of course. Hold the thumb against the extended forefinger, the thumbtip actually on and bending the curled non-index corner of the card andhiding it from view. Now take the hand to the pocket and bring outthe card.

Notice that there is a logical reason for every action; it all looksnatural, without the suspicion of a skilful manoeuvre.

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For another example suppose that it is necessary to have the packshuffled, then to return the palmed card secretly to the top of the pack.

With the right hand offer the pack to a spectator and immediatelyhe takes it, allow the right hand to drop to the side, but do not leaveit there. It can be used in many ways. For instance, to move thecard case from one position to another on the table, or to mime theaction of shuffling to demonstrate to the spectator what you want himto doany natural action to prevent the hand freezing, but do not over-do it. Study how your hand drops to the side naturally when thehand is emptynotice exactly what happens. It will be found thatthe arm and hand have a tendency to swing a little before coming torest. Imitate this in detail when a card is palmed and eliminate allstiffness from the action, for with a card palmed you will find that thereis a tendency for the arm to come to rest immediately.

When the pack has been shuffled the spectator may place it onthe table or hand it to you. Suppose it is on the table and it isrequired to add the palmed card to the top of the pack.

The easiest way is to extend the right hand and draw the packbackwards, replacing the card as the pack is brought to the table edgefor picking it up. Should the pack be out of line with the hand, do notalter the position of the hand; nudge the edge of the pack to knock itinto position, then immediately draw the pack backwards as described.

If the pack is handed to you, take it with the left hand, then transferit to the right hand, holding it half exposed, the right thumb along theinner end and the right first, second and third fingers over the right sideof the outer end. Make no attempt to replace the card immediately,but remove the left hand for the time being. When the pack is requir-ed again, bring the left hand to the pack, extending tfee left second,third and little fingers under the pack, with the forefinger curled ontothe bottom card. Pull the palmed card onto the top of the pack withthe tips of the left fingers which simultaneously pivot the pack to bringit face up. When the sequence of moves are blended into one smoothaction, the appearance is that the pack is held by the right hand andtaken by the left hand to be turned face up.

For palming off more than one card from the pack, it is DaiVernon's opinion that the first method described by S. W. Erdnase inhis book, The Expert at the Card Table, cannot be bettered. In thesection of the book dealing with The Erdnase System of Palming,Erdnase has described this method particularly well, and the only thingwe have to add is to advise the reader to pay particular attention to keep-ing the right hand at its natural angle and to apply the same principlesfor providing a logical reason for the pack to be handled, and handlingit in a natural manner, as we have previously described.

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OTHER METHODS OF PALMING.

According to the circumstances and requirements, one should feelfree to transfer a card from the regular palm position to one of the otherways of palming.For instance, bytransferring thecard to the Gam-bler's Palm (Figure3), the hand whichhas the card palm-ed, can be used forcounting o t h e rcards from thepack, dealing, turn-ing cards face up-all natural actionswhich are not poss-ible with a card inthe regular palmposition. Addi-tionally, it is asimple matter toclip the outer corn-ers of the card be-tween the fingersas in Figure 4 fora pointing gestureto be made withthe forefinger.

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2. TO PALM A CARD FROM THE PACK WITH THEGAMBLER'S PALM.

The same grip on the pack is used at the start as described for DaiVernon's method, but for conveying the top card to the right palm, theside of the right little finger clips the outer right corner of the cardagainst the side of the third finger. With a slight forward movement,the left thumb pushes the card forward a little enabling the side ofthe right forefinger to contact the left outer corner and lift this corneragainst the side of the right second finger. The right hand holdon the card is now akin to the one adopted for when using the backand front palm, but the left corner is barely gripped. As the pack isset down, the right thumb catches the side of the card and allows theforefinger to be released, which brings the holding position to thatshown in Figure 3. You now have great freedom of movement of theright hand and fingers.

To replace the card on the pack, the moves for gripping the cardare reversed, then the right hand cantravel to the pack and place the cardflat on topall in the action of pick-ing up the pack (Figure 5). If thepack is on the table it is not necessaryto draw the pack backwards to pickit up, as this is done with the tips ofthe fingers and thumb.

Should the right hand be heldin a loose position and it is necessaryto replace the card on the pack whichis held in the leJft hand, it is essen-tial to approach the pack from therear and to extend the right fingers

over the outer edge of the pack. This allows the card to be secretlydropped on top of the pack.

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3. ONE HANDED PALM DAI VERNON.

Holding the pack in the dealing position in the left hand, bring theright hand over the pack, the second and third fingers at the centre ofthe outer end; the little finger just around the right outer corner andthe side of the tip of the forefinger touching the left side of the topcard. To make the palm, exert slightpressure with the tip of the right fore-finger against the side of the top card,causing the opposite side to pressagainst the right little finger, then bybending up the right first finger, theinner left corner of the top card canbe lifted to the fork of the thumb(Figure 6). From this position thepack is either placed on the table oron the extended left palm, and simul-taneously the right thumb moves upto clip the corner of the card as thehand straightens out flat and makesmysterious pass-ing movementsbackwards andforwards over thepack. Figure 7shows the man-ner in which thecard is clipped inthe hand whichcan be straighten-ed and held per-fectly flat.

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4. SECOND GAMBLER'S PALM.

This method for palming the bottom card of the pack is usedextensively by gamblers because of its ease and simplicity.

Hold the pack in the dealing position in the left hand, but the leftsecond finger tip must be directly against the outer right corner of thebottom card. Have the left inner corner of the pack comfortably inthe lower centre of the palm, with the first finger resting idly at thecentre of the outer end of the pack.

To make the palm, press on the outer right corner of the bottomcard with the tip of the left second finger, making the card buckle to-wards the palm and causing the inner right corner of the card to be

widely separated from the inner endof the pack. This allows the pack tobe seized by the right hand at the rightinner corner and removed (Figure 8).As the pack is removed, turn the lefthand downwards. If the corner ofthe card projects, move the forefingerslightly apart from the other fingersto give cover. This will be necessaryif the performer has small hands.

When performing seated at atable, instead of seizing the pack at theinner corner with the right hand for re-

moval, bring the right hand over the pack and take it from above. As thepack is removed, let the left hand drop for the left thumb to rest on theedge of the table, the rest of hand being obscure^ below the level ofthe table. Alternatively, the hand can go to the left side of the tablewith both the thumb and index finger resting above and the palm down-ward. This hold is also good on the inner edge of the table if sittingslightly sideways with right side to table.

To replace the card on the bottom of the pack from this position,curl the left third finger under the card and open the fingersa positionakin to when making the Pass. With the right hand, slide the packto the rear of the table and as the pack comes over the edge, curl theleft fingers in for the card to meet the bottom of the pack.

This method of replacement is particularly good when observerscan just see down below the edge of the table, for it seems that theempty left palm is glimpsed as the left hand comes up to the bottom ofthe pack. Dr. Daley used this most effectively and had many niceeffects with its use.

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With practically the same actions, the card can be brought to thetop of the pack because, as the position of the hands is the same as forfor making the Pass, a wider curl of the left fingers permits the palmedcard to move around the edge of the pack and go on top. This variationwas devised by Slydini.

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5. SPRINGING A CARD INTO THE GAMBLER'S PALMPOSITION.

It is a comparatively simple matter to spring the top card of a smallpacket of cards directly into the Gambler's Palm position. Holdingthe card in the left hand, the thumb at the centre of one side and secondand third fingers at the other, bend the cards upwards from the twosides as the right hand comes over to take the packet by the sides. By

a squeeze, the top card can be madeto spring upwards for the right outercorner to strike the side of the rightlittle finger, when it can be clippedagainst the third finger. The actionof moving the right thumb down togrip the packet, traps the oppositeside of the card. Figure 9 shows anexposed view of the positions of thehands and cards.

Using only two cards an ex-change can take place if the face upcard is palmed off face to palm, and

the other card immediately turned back outward.

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6. SOME USEFUL NOTES ON PALMING.

(a) A ruse for palming the top card is to hold the pack on itsside between the hands and tap it up and down on the table to squarethe cards. As the squaring action is being carried out, the right fingerspull the top card about half an inch to the right. Now the right handleaves the pack momentarily to gesture, the left fingers concealing thefact that the top card has been moved. As the right hand returns tothe end of the pack, the bottom portion of the palm strikes the projectingend of the card, causing it to be levered into the right palm. At thesame time, the left fingers raise up the left end of the pack for the rightfingers and thumb to just seize the pack by the sides then drop it ontothe table.

The levering action in this instance is in the opposite direction tothat more commonly known withthe top palm.

(b) Figure 1 0 shows a cardin the Rear Palm position. A faultto be avoided when stealing a cardfrom the top of the pack into thispalm position, is the unnatural po-sition of the right hand which isoften brought forward of the pack.To correct this, it is necessary tomove the top card backwards bypushing it with the left thumb. Thisshould be done as the right handcomes over the pack, but there is a danger of the projecting card beingseen from the left side, so endeavour to have the right side of the handstowards the spectators as the palm is made.

Alex Elmsley has devised a clever ruse for making the rear palm,by providing a logical reason for bringing his right hand forward of thepack. He has the card to be palmed second from top, takes off thetop card and inserts it into the outer end of the pack, leaving it project-ing for most of its length. He brings his right fingers to the outer endof the projecting card to push it flush, when his right hand is now wellforward of the pack in position for his left thumb to push the new topcard directly into the rear palm position in his right hand.

(c) An excellent use for the rear palm is for inserting the palmedcard directly into the centre of the pack at a position where a break isheld. The inner left corner of the palmed card can be inserted into thebreak opening, which is prised open by the left little finger, as the righthand is brought over and covers the pack.

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(d) With a previously selected card secretly in the rear palm posi-tion, a form of "Stop" trick can be performed.

Holding the pack in the dealing position in the left hand, take offa single card at a time, lifting each one with the right hand, the fingerat the outer end and the thumb at the inner end. Drop each cardonto the table until the spectator calls "stop". Now push the droppedcards forward with the right hand, adding the palmed card in this action,for the spectator to turn over.

(e) A fine colour change can be made with a card in the rear palmposition.

Have the face of the rear-palmed card towards the right palm andhold the pack by the sides in the left hand, so that the face card of thepack is towards the spectators. Approach the pack with the righthand, fingers wide open, and as the rear of the palm comes over the faceof the pack, leave the palmed card on the face. Bring the right handback from the pack, fingers still open, when the face card of the packwill be seen to have changed.

(f) To secretly replace a rear-palmed card on the pack, bring theright hand over the pack and seize it, fingers in front and thumb atthe rear. With the left thumb pull the top card and set it in perfectalignment.

(g) The following method enables the performer to palm the bot-tom card of a small packet of cards with one hand, the palmed card beingtaken to the Gambler's Palm position.

Hold the small packet of cards face down in the right hand, whichgrips the cards from above, the thumb at the centre of one side, thesecond finger at the centre of the opposite side and the forefinger curled

on top. Press with the index fingerand crimp the sides of the cards up-wards. Reach under the packet withthe little finger and buckle the innerright corner of the bottom card, caus-ing the card to pivot clockwise on thethumb. As the card pivots, slidethe second and third fingers along theouter side to the outer corner. Thisouter corner of the bottom card willnow be between the third and littlefingers (Figure 11) . Straighten thelittle finger, clipping the corner of thecard against the third finger.

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Now move the left hand to the packet, the left thumb going underthe side against the right thumb and the forefinger above to hold thecard and packet and move them to the fork of the right thumb. Thepacket can now be removed by the left hand, leaving the original bottomcard in the Gambler's Palm position in the right hand.

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CHAPTER EIGHT

DEALING SECONDS

"To become an adept at second dealing is as difficult a task as canbe given in card handling, but once acquired, like many other arts,it is as easy as habit"S. W. Erdnase.

In his memoirs, Robert Houdin, commenting on witnessing aGreek gambler dealing seconds wrote, "I avowed then and I avow nowthat so rapid was the recoil of the top card that although he dealt throughthe entire pack, not once did I detect the action".

Most methods for second dealing are based either upon two cardsbeing pushed over together, as near as possible in alignment, and thesecond card being drawn out; or the so called "strike" in which anarrow margin of the second card is exposed and the right thumbstrikes at this exposed border and pulls out the second card.

Dai Vernon has evolved his own method which is now publishedfor the first time. It was devised for use by magiciansnot gamblers.

1. DAI VERNON'S SECOND DEAL

Hold the pack in the dealing position in the left hand, the first fingerextended under the pack to reach the centre of the outer end wherethe finger tip acts as a squaring block. The other three fingers curlto the right side of the pack, their tips protruding above the edge. Thesefingers hold the pack bevelled.

When dealing the top card for a fair deal, it is pushed over by theleft thumb, but the remainder of the cards are squareexcept for thebevel. In the second deal the left thumb is bent back a little more thanusual, for the ball of the thumb to push the top card over to the right.This card travels on its own until it is about a third of the way off thepack when, at this point, the right hand advances to take the card, theright second finger going under the top to contact the face right at theright outer corner of the pack itself. At this exact moment the left thumbcontinues to push to the right but the ball of the thumb rolls to curlthe tip of the thumb upwards. This exerts pressure on the back of thesecond card by the flesh below the second joint of the thumb, whichas the thumb continues to extend to the right, moves the second card to

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the right (Figure 1). The right second finger is now in position underthe outer corner of the second card, the right thumb being in light con-tact with the topouter corner ofthe top card (Fig-ure 2view fromunderneath). Thepushing move-ment with the leftthumb is continu-ed for a fractionof a second more,so that both cardsmove slightly tothe right beforethe left thumbdraws back to pullt h e top cardsquare on top ofthe pack. Theright hand contin-ues to pull anddeals the secondcard onto thetable.

In pullingback the top card,it is pushed for-ward slightly sothat the outer edge is touching the tip of the left first finger, the cardbeing boxed between the first finger tip at the outer end and the base ofthe thumb at the left inner side.

When dealing continuous seconds, the left thumb never loses itsposition on the top card; the ball of the thumb merely rolls back andforth over exactly the same spot.

When a single second is dealt, the left thumb immediately relaxes,is lifted, and swings away to the left the moment the top card is inalignment on the pack.

The most important thing of all to aim for is a natural action ofdealing with no exaggerated movement of the left hand; the dealmust be made exactly as if the top card is being dealt. When dealingthe top card fairly first, followed by a second deal, there must be uni-formity of action and no loss of rhythm. Even a poorly executed

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second deal with perfect rhythm and natural handling is superior to aperfect second deal with loss of rhythm and unnatural hand positioning.

An aid to second dealing a single card, is to have the left hand inadvance of the right, for the left hand (holding the pack) to move backas the right hand advances to deal. An example is for the performerto advance his left hand for a spectator to look at the top card, then forthe second deal to be made the left hand moves back as the right handcomes to the pack, the actual deal being made nearer the body thanusual.

When dealing fairly it is often natural for the dealer to take thetop card near the centre or at the inner end. In the Vernon method ofsecond dealing this can be duplicated.

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2. SINGLE HANDED METHOD.

To deal the second card, using one hand only, the left hand actionis similar to the two handed method. The handling is exactly thesame up to when the two cards begin to ride over the left finger tips.The same additional slight push is given by the left thumb, but at thisexact moment the tips of the second and third fingers curl slightly underthe second card and with an extending motion, propel the card to thetable as the top card is drawn back as in the previous method.

The deal is accomplished with a right, upward and inward throw-ing motion with the left hand. This creates a perfect illusion of thetop card being thrown to slide from the pack, the upward movement ofthe hand also covering the top of the pack from sight. By reversingthe hand during the throwing-down action, the card can be dealt faceupthe top card is visibly pushed forward and not until the hand isinverted is the change made.

This method is also ideal for tossing the card and catching it withthe right hand which immediately smacks it face up, or face down, ontothe table. This should be done with flair, flourishostentatiously.

Nothing can be said about the exact amount of pressure of the leftthumb on the cards, as this depends upon whether the performer hasmoist or dry hands. It is not necessary to prepare the hands by theapplication of a lotion or similar substance, as according to the naturalstate of the hands, so the thumb pressure is attuned; each individualperformer being able to determine the right amount of pressure to suitthemselves.

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3. DAI VERNON'S "NEW THEORY" SECOND DEAL.

In this method the appearance isthat the top card is taken fast (withthe right fingers above and the thumbunderneath) and dealt face up on thetable.

The commencement of this dealis exactly the same as the two handedmethod already described, except thatthe right hand comes to