the award- winning magic of john cornelius

Foreword i

The Award-WinningMagic of John Cornelius

The Award-Winning

First Major Award

Magic of John CorneliusWritten by Lance Pierce

Photographs by Anne WhiteDesign & Composition by Andrew J. Pinard

L & L PublishingP.O. Box 100

Tahoma, CA 96142

800.626.6572 • www.llpub.com

iv Foreword

FIRST EDITION

Copyright © 2001 by L & L Publishing.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in aretrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechani-cal, photocopying, recording or any information storage or retrieval system nowknown or to be invented, without the permission of the publishers.

All manufacturing rights reserved.

Printed and bound in the United States of America.

Design and Composition by Andrew J. Pinard.

Foreword v

Contents

BITS 1

Baby Boom ........................................................................................................................ 3Prints Valiant ................................................................................................................... 5Roughly Mental ............................................................................................................... 7MoonShine Locations ..................................................................................................... 9Passages ........................................................................................................................... 13

On the Tip of My Tongue .................................................................................... 13A Toast ...................................................................................................................... 14Instant Travelers ...................................................................................................... 15

KnotSoTuff .................................................................................................................... 17

MOVES 21

The Fan Steal ................................................................................................................. 23Flicker .............................................................................................................................. 27Fold-A-Card .................................................................................................................. 29Peeping Tom ................................................................................................................. 31The Master Cut ............................................................................................................ 33

The Charlier Cut ...................................................................................................... 33The Circle and Roll Cut ........................................................................................ 34

The Apprentice Cut ..................................................................................................... 37The Oh, Calcutta! Shuffle ........................................................................................... 39Spring Set ....................................................................................................................... 41The Winter Change ..................................................................................................... 43Go for Go Switch ......................................................................................................... 47

CASUAL INTERFACES 49

Armed and Ready ......................................................................................................... 51D’Artagnan’s Release ................................................................................................... 53

Contents

vi Foreword

Dial-A-Trick .................................................................................................................. 55Lines of Flux .................................................................................................................. 57Impromptu Ghost Trap .............................................................................................. 59Arisen! ............................................................................................................................. 63An Assemblage of Silver .............................................................................................. 67Bluff Poker ..................................................................................................................... 71Marked for Life ............................................................................................................. 75

THE JOHN CORNELIUS CARD SYSTEM 79

MORE BITS 87

Hanky .............................................................................................................................. 89Deck in the Round (Pocket Rocket Aces) ......................................................... 90

SmokeFree ...................................................................................................................... 93Trying to Quit ............................................................................................................... 95

Ephemeral .................................................................................................................. 95Chain Smoker ........................................................................................................... 96Lip Service ................................................................................................................. 96

Flashes ............................................................................................................................. 99A Smoke for Old Scratch ....................................................................................... 99My Card, Sir ........................................................................................................... 100Hot Silver ................................................................................................................ 101Fanning the Flames ................................................................................................ 102

The Pendulum Principle ........................................................................................... 105

FORMAL MIRACLES 107

Super (Ball) Card Rise ............................................................................................... 109Meta-Fusion ................................................................................................................. 111MoneyTalk .................................................................................................................. 113Shrinkage ...................................................................................................................... 115Slow Motion Fadeaway ............................................................................................. 119The Jawbreakers .......................................................................................................... 123The IncrediBill Routine ............................................................................................ 129

The $100 Bill Change .......................................................................................... 129Change of Mind .......................................................................................................... 137My Lady’s Ring .......................................................................................................... 139The Fickle Nickel ....................................................................................................... 143The Ball, The Bowl, and the Big, Big Cake ........................................................... 147

THE F.I.S.M. ACT 155

Contents

Foreword vii

Foreword

re you seated and comfortable? Would you like to get anything,a drink perhaps, before we begin? Okay, then. I know, DearReader, that you are anxious to turn the next few pages; to jumpinto the material that makes the meat of this book. But first, allowme a few moments of your time, if you will. You see, the rou-

tines, the effects, the ideas embodied in what follows . . . they are all important.They are, after all, presumably why you purchased this book. I’m willing to wager,though, that as famous as some of these routines are, as much as you may haveheard about some of them, that you have heard little or nothing about JohnCornelius himself.

When I say that, I’m not referring to trivial biographical data such as his placeof domicile (which is San Antonio, by the way) or when he learned his first trick(which was probably around the age of five). No, I’m referring to what kind ofmind John has and how he thinks about things. If you would like some kind ofindication, consider this:

Karl Fulves once showcased the magic of John Cornelius in an issue of ThePallbearer’s Review (republished by L & L Publishing). In that issue are several magi-cal routines and ideas, most of which used offbeat methods that relied on materi-als you were more likely to find in the Edmund Scientific catalog rather than atyour local magic dealer. In the middle of all that interesting arcana, however, is anidea, seemingly unrelated, designed to foil would-be car thieves.

In short, by extending the electrical loop leading to your ignition and runningit through a magnetic reed switch (which is mounted on the underside of yourdashboard directly in the center), you can control the flow of current to your starter.Now, if you take a small statue or some other common dashboard item (John useda statue of St. Christopher that people used to place on their dashboards back inthe 1950’s and 60’s) and put a magnet in its base, when you place it on the dash-board directly over the reed switch the circuit is closed and you can start your car.If the magnet is moved or taken away entirely, though, the circuit is broken and

viii Foreword

you cannot start the car with the ignition or by hotwiring it. The thief would haveto trace the wiring to determine the nature of the mechanism and even then hewould have to have a magnet to close the circuit or remove the reed switch fromthe loop entirely.

Now, if you’re like me, reading this in The Pallbearer’s Review for the first time,you have to wonder—what kind of a mind does this man have? His creativity iscertainly not limited to the field of magic. Wherein developed this particular idea?Later, in this book, you’ll see how he puts the reed switch to more magical appli-cations.

Okay, stay with me now, because I’d like to present another example. The set-ting is Oklahoma City, where a small magic convention is being held. John is oneof the featured performers and has flown into the local airport, where I and sev-eral others are waiting to pick him up. He is quiet-spoken, almost shy. At thebaggage claim, he picks up one small garment bag, one very small satchel, and amonster trunk decorated with shipping labels from all over the world. It is largeenough for Mama Cass Elliot to have performed the “Metamorphosis” illusionwith Meat Loaf. Pulling out a metal device of some unknown origin, John snapsit out into a luggage caddy and attaches the trunk to it with practiced ease. Whenwe get to my car, it barely fits. The ride back is not too comfortable.

Someone suggests dinner before hitting the convention hotel. Good idea. Beforelong, we’re sitting at a restaurant and the conversation is lively. John is continuinghis quiet ways, listening, taking everything in. At one point I turn in his directionand I see that he has unobtrusively pulled toward him the small placard display,which shows tantalizing pictures of desserts and mixed drinks. He has in his handa fork and a straw, twisted together in some odd fashion, and he is attempting tolever the placard into the air with it. He makes many minute adjustments, findingcenters of gravity, shifting points of counterbalance. Then, seeing he needs coverfor the apparatus, he masks part of the assembly with a napkin and makes moreadjustments. He is, in essence, manufacturing some sort of levitation device. Sud-denly realizing now that he has gained the attention of the entire table, he softlysays, “Well, you never know.” The fork, straw, and napkin go back down to thetable and he resumes his quiet posture.

What kind of a mind does this man have? Constant. Watchful. Active.Now let’s consider some of the material in this book. In the first item, for

instance, John uses a baby bottle nipple to cleanly cause four coins to penetrate atable top. Think about that for a moment, then ask yourself “What kind of a personwould see a baby bottle nipple and think ‘Hey! That would make a great coin clip!’?” Or, as inother items, where did this man make the connection between a two-inch piece ofRomex® sleeve and “Glorpy?” And how did heat-shrinkable tubing become acigarette?

Not that all the effects here require a trip to your local home builder’s supplystore. There is also what can be considered “standard fare,” although these itemsas well have a particular stamp on them—an essence of John’s approach. Themethods are clean, the effects are solid. And each of them is another clue into themind of John Cornelius.

Foreword ix

I could think of no better metaphor for this mindset than that of a fine crafts-man constructing a minutely-tuned mechanism. That’s how his material feels whenyou begin examining it on the most fundamental levels—you’ll see that patternevolve throughout the book. In keeping with that metaphor, each section symbol-izes another step in the building of such a mechanism. The first, “Bits,” beginswith singular concepts and ideas. As the chapters progress, the material becomesmore involved until at the end of the book, the final product stands as a wholegreater than the sum of its parts: The F.I.S.M. Card Act. This final presentationis so intricately woven and well-constructed that it stands as the best possible rep-resentation of what John is all about. It is a device that in its simple complexityand complex simplicity exemplifies the very essence of John’s thinking. It com-bines beauty and function, eloquence and efficiency.

But for now, I have taken far too much of your time. You are anxious to con-tinue, and I am equally anxious for you to do so. The journey was mine in writingit, and is now yours in the reading. What more can I say? I envy you the trip. Forme, a journey into a mind is more fascinating than anything. Bon Voyage. Happyreturns. See you when you get back.

Lance PierceOklahoma City, Oklahoma

2 The Award-Winning Magic of John Cornelius

Bits 3

Baby Boom

or this clean and baffling penetration with coins, go into the nurs-ery, reach lovingly toward your young offspring with tendernessin your eyes, and yank that bottle out of his hands. It’s the babybottle nipple you’re after, and Johnfinds that the Nuk® brand orthodon-

tic nipple works best (being slightly larger). The nipplescome in clear or flesh color—flesh may be preferable, buttake your pick—and are just the right size to hold fourhalf-dollars very comfortably (see Figure 1).

To prepare the appliance, insert a ½" dowel of plas-tic or wood into the tip of the nipple (gluing a thimblein the same place also works well) and fill about half thebody with cotton. If you’ve found a nipple that bears awide rim around the mouth, feel free to cut it off. Also,you can apply a thin layer of petroleum jelly around thelip of the gaff, if you feel that will help the coins enter itmore readily.

With this minor preparation complete, you now havea different kind of coin clip, one that you can handleeasily, is flexible, and silent. Hold the gaff, open end up,in right finger-palm position (Figure 2). By this time, thebaby should be emphatically screaming. To distract him,lay four half dollars on the table in front of him. As hestarts to reach for one, pick it up with the first and sec-ond fingers of your right hand, followed by another.Shake your hand slightly, which causes the coins to aligntogether and settle on the mouth of the hidden gimmick(Figure 3). As he reaches for the other coins, say, “No, no,no . . .” and pick those up as well. Push the coins into your

Figure 1

Figure 2


hand with your thumb, setting them firmly into themouth of the nipple. This insertion is automatic andquick, requiring almost no motion of your hand.

The tears should be welling up again. Reach out withyour left hand and gesture to the table, asking him topoint to a spot. As you move this hand forward, bringyour right back toward you, relaxed, until it rests on theedge of the table. Under the misdirection of your request,drop the gimmick and its coins silently into your lap. Ifhe doesn’t point to a spot like you asked, pretend he didand say, “Oh, right here?” Move your right hand, apparentlystill holding the coins, to the chosen site and point to it.Showing your other hand completely empty, take it be-neath the table directly under the spot where your righthand points.

When your hand is out of sight, press your left upperarm against the edge of the table as you lean forward. Thissecures your upper body and reduces the visible move-ment as you double back to your lap and pick up thegimmick. As Vernon and others have pointed out, thisis superior to getting the gimmick as your hand travelspast your lap.

Secretly take the gimmick, mouth down, in your lefthand. Pressing on the tip of the nipple with your thumb(the dowel provides the body to push against—we knewyou were wondering what it was for) will force the coins

into the lower part of your hand, where you hold them with your third and fourthfingers (Figure 4). Drop the nipple silently into your lap.

While this is going on, gesture with your right hand above the table, in prepa-ration for apparently pushing the coins through. Lightly slap this hand down—simultaneously slapping the coins in your left hand against the underside of thetable to emphasize the penetration—and lift it to show the coins have gone. Aftera short beat, bring your other hand with its coins into view, much to the baby’samazement, and slowly drop them on the table.

An idea such as this has applications beyond that described here, so put the kidback in his crib with a copy of Marlo’s Magazine, Volume 6 while you conduct yourfurther explorations. He should be kept quite occupied until college.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Bits 5

ere is a clever idea that allows you to make an impression on yourcustomers seemingly without any planning on your part. Basi-cally, when asked for your business card, you notice that the stackof cards you have is still blank. With just a snap of your fingers,though, your name, address, and any other personal information

you wish to reveal suddenly appear on all the cards.For this, you must have business cards with raised lettering (typeface that is

higher than the surface of the card around it and has texture). In the industry, thisprocess is often called thermography. If you’ve ever run your fingers across the type,you probably noted that it feels tacky, and therein lies the heart of this routine.

Take a group of business cards (about 15 to start) and trim a small amountfrom the short ends. Then, by placing individual “long” (untrimmed) businesscards face down on top of face-up “short” business cards and stacking the pairs,you have, in essence, a miniature mental photography deck—sometimes called a“nudist pack.”1 The lettering on the cards acts the same as roughing fluid, hold-ing the pairs together.

Perform your rope and coin miracles with aplomb. When someone asks youfor your business card (and we hope they will), take out your prepared stack andspread them between your hands, looking at both sides. They are apparently blank.“Uh, oh,” you say, “I hope I have a good one left.” At this point, if you turn the stack overso the short cards are the top cards of each pair, you can dribble them from handto hand to casually show nothing but blank faces (Figure 1).

Turn the pack over again, so the long cards are the top cards of each pair andsay, “I remember . . . I just have to put a snap into it!” Snap your fingers and then lift offabout half the cards, exposing a printed card in the middle of the packet.

Prints Valiant

1. For those purists who have decried the use of this deck, obviously a tricky one in the eyes ofthe lay public, consider that Michael Skinner and Albert Goshman both found it worthy enoughto include in their working repertoires, perhaps even as a feature in the act . . . need we say more?


Complete the cut so the printed card is the top cardof the packet, saying, “Luckily, I don’t think it was my last oneafter all.” Either riffle the cards at their front edges ordribble them from hand to hand to show that there isnow printing on all the cards. Take the top card and handit to your spectator as you turn your left hand to preventhim from seeing the blank card beneath. Later, by plac-ing another short card face up on the bottom of the stack,you’re ready to go again.

With a little tinkering, you can also incorporate yourfavorite techniques, such as color changes, to exemplifythe magical effect of printing the cards. Give it a try. Goon. We dare you.

Figure 1

Bits 7

his is another effect using the thermography principle explainedin the previous item. Here, when asked for your business card,you take out a stack of blank cards and in turn ask the spectatorto name any number between one and fifteen. When he does,you count down to his number and there you find the only printed

card in the stack. To top it off, his number is written on it!To do this, get about forty business cards and arrange them in face-up/face-

down pairs as before (you won’t need to trim any of these cards—unless you justabsolutely want to). On the face of the bottom card of each pair, number themboldly from one to twenty. Next, place an inconspicuous pencil mark on the backof the top card of the tenth pair.

With this simple preparation, you’re ready. When asked for your card, say to yourspectator-turned-prospective-client, “How odd! Last night I had a dream that a man who lookedexactly like you and was wearing that same tie would ask me for my business card. In fact, in my dream,I told him that I had just had this dream! He didn’t believe me, so I showed him. Look, I brought somecards—because I knew you were going to ask—but they’re all blank; there’s nothing on them.” Spreadthe cards, your pairs clinging tenaciously, and show both sides to emphasize your point.

Ask your spectator to name his number and when he does, count down in thestack, taking the cards in twos and counting them as single cards. The pencil doton the tenth pair serves as a point of reference to ensure that you do not miscount.

When you reach his number, split the corresponding pair of cards and say, “Look,we take off exactly that many cards and there is the only card which is printed!” Show the bal-ance of the cards to be blank, then say, “And on top of that, it has your number written onit! It must be good luck, so take it with you and be sure you keep it. Oh, and next time you decide todrop in on one of my dreams? Bring a date.”

Later, in a moment’s privacy, replace the missing card with another and you’reset to roll again. Obviously, almost any playing card effect that takes advantage ofroughing fluid can be converted in some fashion to using business cards instead. . . it’s simply a matter of exercising your imagination.

Roughly Mental


Viewed from a distance, the visage of Dai Vernon becomes apparent. Proposed cover by David Zieglar for aset of John’s lecture notes.

Bits 9

t looks just like this: You spread through a borrowed shuffled packand the spectator removes one—a free selection. Upon his replac-ing it, without looking at the faces of any of the cards, you imme-diately have a known key card.

~ or ~

You dribble cards from a shuffled pack and the spectator tells you when to stop.You raise the right-hand cards to allow him to see the card at which he stoppedyou—no force. Upon restoring the deck, without looking at any of the cards, with-out any “work” in the deck, and without any sleights or manipulative ploys or anysort, you already know the identity of the selection.

~ or ~

You allow the spectator to select a card as you turn your head away and close youreyes. Once he returns the card, you square the pack and set it on the table or handit to the spectator, who can put it away. Only then do you open your eyes andturn to face full front again. Nevertheless, you know the exact identity of the free anduncontrolled selection.

This is an idea that John has used for many years to deceive the best minds inthe business. The ploy is easy to understand . . . so easy, in fact, that the brevity ofdescription may fail to impress upon you just how strong the idea is. Neverthe-less, we form great mysteries by the simplest means, especially when the method isas direct as that of the shiner—a gambler’s term used to refer to any mirror-likesurface with which one can discretely glimpse the identity, color, or value of play-ing cards.

Gamblers and hustlers have used shiners for centuries (most likely since thediscovery of reflective surfaces, and how far back does that go?), but explorations

MoonShine Locations


with shiners in the magic world have been limited—atleast in print. From polished dimes to buffed money clipsto small convex mirrors, the shiner has taken many formsand worn many masks. The best, however, lie in the open,innocent and unassuming—and John has taken advan-tage of this to the fullest degree.

There is a minor bit of preparation involved, but onethat will last you for years. To make use of this principle,you must wear a wristwatch, and it must be of the kindshown in Figure 1, which has a curved metal clasp thatcloses on the inside of your wrist. Take your watch to ajeweler and have him buff the surface of the clasp to amirror finish. Afterwards, you have a permanent andseemingly innocuous shiner that you can carry with youeverywhere you go.

With deck in hand and watch ready, have a spectatorthoroughly shuffle the cards. Taking back the deck, spreadthe cards for a free selection. When your assistant removesa card, separate the deck at that point and hold this poseas he notes his selection. When he has, extend your lefthand with its cards for him to return it. If you look in thereflection of your watchband, you can see the bottom cardof the right hand spread (Figure 2), so when the selectionis back in the pack and the deck restored, you have availedyourself of a known key by which you can locate the cardin most mysterious manners.

As another option, you can dribble cards from yourright hand into your left, asking your spectator to stopyou at anytime. When he does, ask, “Would you like this cardor this card?” as you point to the top card of the lowerportion and then the bottom card of the upper. It is whenyou point to the top card of the lower half that youglimpse the bottom card of the right-hand packet in yourshiner (Figure 3). No matter which he names, you haveachieved your objective, for in one case you use theglimpsed card as a key, in the other it will be the selec-tion itself.

The ploy that is most deadly here, though, is this one,where you follow either of the above procedures, but offer first to turn away andclose your eyes. Turn your head to the extreme left, presenting your right profileto the audience. When the card is selected, open only your left eye. From the audience’spoint of view, both eyes are still closed (the bridge of your nose prevents themfrom seeing the one eye), but you can use your shiner to make the necessary glimpse.Leave your eye open only long enough to obtain your needed information. Oncehe replaces the selection and you know its identity (or have a key) hand the deck

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Bits 11

to the spectator. Turn back to him again—both eyes firmly shut—and, verifyingwith him again that everything is fair, only then do you open your eyes and con-tinue with your most baffling location.

This is a subtle and devious principle that extends beyond its reach—one thatpermits you to bring in other ideas and maneuvers to blend a baffling mystery.Those who are willing to stretch the boundaries will find this to be a useful tool—at least when used with honest intent. You wouldn’t have it any other way, wouldyou?

John suggests as a real fooler to use the “Apprentice Cut.” Have a card peekedat and controlled to the bottom. Perform the “Apprentice Cut” as described onpages 37 and 38 and catch your glimpse before the Charlier Cut (see Figure 5 onpage 38).


John Cornelius, age 13.

Bits 13

t always begins with the germ of an idea and flowers into finemysteries. When playing with his topit years ago, John noted thatonce an item went into the bag, he couldn’t get it back out with-out reaching inside his jacket. It didn’t take long before the scis-sors came out and, by cutting a slit between the inside of the jacket

and the left outer side pocket, he had a way to reach into the topit unobtrusively(he was obviously not the only one to think this way, as later this idea was incor-porated into the topit design publicized and marketed by Michael Ammar). Fromthere, it was a simple matter to explore the possibilities of using a slit both withand without a topit. Gimmicked jackets may seem an odd idea for practical work.In the proper environment, however, their use makes the baffling commonplace.For example, these items:

ON THE TIP OF MY TONGUE

Have a card selected and secretly control it to the top(shift, cut, side steal, shuffle, bluff, palm and replacement,whatever). Saying that you will perform this effect in thedark, place the deck in your left side pocket. “Also,” yousay, “I will perform this effect without the benefit of looking at youramazed faces.” Hold your left hand up, showing it emptyand, maintaining this position, turn your back on youraudience.

Standing thus, slowly reach in your left pocket andpretend to be attempting to locate the card. As you do,take the card from the top of the deck and bring itthrough the slit where you can see it by glimpsing down-ward out of the corner of your eye (Figure 1). Do not tip

Passages

Figure 1


your head to do this. Assume the card is the Nine of Diamonds (the Curseof Scotland!). Say, “I think your card is a red one, correct?” Gesture broadly withyour right hand as you talk. The spectator will say yes. Say, “And I think it’sa spot card, right?” The spectator will say yes again. “And furthermore it’s a dia-mond? A nine? The Nine of Diamonds?” Now the spectator will again concurwith each of these points as you gesture widely again with your right hand.Moving your jacket as little as possible, reach down with your right hand,take the card from your left, and place it by one corner in your mouth (Fig-ure 2). There should be no pause as your hand passes your mouth and itcontinues outward as if to make your sweeping gesture with an empty hand.Note how the previous open gesturing establishes and covers the movementnow.

Turn around to show the spectators the surprise appearance of the cardbetween your teeth as you murmur out of the corners of your mouth, “Yeah,I thought so!”

A TOAST

This is a fine piece for those moments when you’re standing around withfriends in a relaxed atmosphere.

Obtain a glass that will accommodate a plastic lid to form a good seal(perhaps the top of a tennis ball can or similar). Attach the lid to a shortlength of string, the other end of which you fasten to a safety pin. Fill theglass with your favorite drink (okay, maybe not your favorite drink), placethe lid on it, and set it upright in your left rear pants pocket (Calvin Kleinsare not recommended for this). Fasten the safety pin to the back of the insideof your coat somewhere, high enough so that if you let the lid hang freely,it would not be exposed below the hemline of your jacket.

Now, as you’re hanging out in some seedy bar, place your left hand inyour jacket pocket, as if you’re just lounging around, but you actually reachthrough the slit and behind you to remove the lid from the glass. Letting itdangle, take the glass and hold it beneath your coat (Figure 3). Hold yourright hand casually in front of you and say, “I think I’m thirsty.” Turn yourback on your friends briefly and pass the drink from your left hand to yourright. Immediately turn around again. When you do, you have a full glassof liquid, from which you take a sip and say, “There, that’s better.”

Naturally, you can work the effect in reverse, by which you begin with a glasshalf-full of liquid in your right hand. At some point, place your left hand inyour pocket (through the slit) as you’re standing around socializing. When themoment is right, turn your back on your audience very briefly and pass the drinkfrom your right hand to your left. As you turn back, place the glass in your leftrear pocket (which explains why the glass should only be half full) and complainabout how the drinks are so expensive there. You can reproduce the glass lateror not, as you want.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Bits 15

2. Techniques for multiple shifts can be found in many sources, i.e., several Vernon books, morethan one routine in The Classic Magic of Larry Jennings by Mike Maxwell, and of course, Ed Marlo’s“Multiple Shift” chapter of the Revolutionary Card Technique series. Check ’em out.

INSTANT TRAVELERS

Vernon’s “Travelers” routine is still the acid test for many cardmen. It has becomesuch a classic that there have been many other methods and approaches over theyears of making four cards travel to four different pockets, sometimes more thanonce. John’s, though, has to be one of the easiest, because the four cards shoot tofour pockets with only one top palm. This takes advantage of the slit in the jacketwe’ve discussed (this time with topit), but makes use of one additional ploy: Byremoving the partition separating the outer breast pocket from the inner one, theybecome one pocket and anything placed in one can be retrieved from the other.Prepare your jacket in such a manner and find a group of people sitting some-where waiting for someone to watch.

You can use four selections or four aces, but having the cards signed is best (asVernon learned from experience when working cruise ships). How you controlthe cards is a matter of preference, but most efficient is a multiple shift, where youinsert the cards into different places in the pack and control them to the top (orbottom) all at the same time.2

Once the cards are on top of the deck, obtain a break beneath them and palmall four in your right hand, immediately placing the deck on the table. Say, “Watch. . . I have something in my pockets . . .” Reach inside your jacket with your right hand asif you’re going for your inner breast pocket. When your hand is out of sight, droptwo cards in your topit, continue upward, drop one card in your inner breast pocket,and produce the remaining one. Toss this card face up to the table.

Show your right hand empty, then reach into your outer breast pocket and pullout the second selection. After disposing of this second card, show your left handbarren of pasteboard (empty). Smiling, reach in your left outside jacket pocket(really going in the topit through the slit), and take hold of both cards. Under thecover of your jacket, place one card in your trouser pocket and immediately bringyour left hand back out through the pocket with the third selection. After show-ing it, toss it away also.

For the last card, pull your jacket wide open, cleanly reach in your pants pocket,remove the card, and accept your laudations. Try not to brag too much.


John Davidson and John Cornelius (1979).

Bits 17

hown to John by Harry Anderson years ago, here’s a componentyou can include in many existing rope routines, or can use to formthe core of a new one. The basic effect is that of the sliding knot.To prepare, take a length of ropeapproximately 4-feet long and cut it

exactly in half. Next, cut about eight inches from one ropeso that you now have three pieces, the combined lengthsof two equaling the third.

Next, tie a knot at the very end of the medium-lengthpiece, which you then hold in your right hand, your littlefinger securely grasping the knot. Hold the short pieceof rope in the same hand by the second and third fingers(Figure 1) so that the two appear to be one continuouslength. Take the long piece in your right hand beside theother two and you’re ready to begin.

Say, “I have here two pieces of rope. . . .” Begin to twist theupper ends of the ropes around each other, as if you’reabout to tie a knot (Figure 2). Say, “No, I wouldn’t cheatyou . . . ,” as you take the end of the long rope with yourleft hand and pull it clear of your right hand (Figure 3).Each hand now appears to hold an identical length ofrope.

As you say, “There really are two pieces of rope . . .” showthe ropes around with about four inches of the ends dan-gling from the tops of your hands. “And I’m going to jointhem together into one piece, right before your very eyes.”

Bring the ends of the rope together, the piece in yourright hand going in front of (nearer to the audience) andcrossing your left. Pinch both ropes at their point of

KnotSoTuff

Figure 1

Figure 2


intersection with your right thumb and forefinger (Figure 4), in preparation forthe following knot:

With your left thumb, reach under the loop and hook the loose end hangingon the left (the end of the short piece of rope). Bring it through and straight up(Figure 5). Pinch the ropes in this position with your left fingers so your right handcan let go of the end it holds and slide straight down, grasping the other (Figure 6).

This is easily covered by turning your wrists or slightlyturning your body.

Now that you have secretly switched the ends withyour right hand, the audience is unaware that you actu-ally have the middle length of rope dangling from yourright hand, one end of the long piece also in your righthand, and the short piece wrapped around the long. Tiea simple knot in the short piece of rope around the longpiece (Figure 7).

“Look, a little magic, a little squeeze, and voila! ladies and gentle-men, one piece of rope!” Cover the knot momentarily with yourleft hand and give it a squeeze. At the word voila! pull yourleft hand away from the knot (grasping the rope again

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 6

Figure 5

Figure 7

Bits 19

about four inches away from the knot), dramatically dis-playing it to your audience (Figure 8). Let go of the ropewith your left hand and point to the knot, muttering, “Oh,it has a knot in it. You could probably see that, huh? Well, if youdon’t like the knot there, you can just pinch it and move it somewhereelse.”

Take the knot with your left hand and slide it towardthe end of the rope (Figure 9). Say, “Or if you don’t like itthere, you can slide it over here.” Move the knot further down,almost to the end. “Or,” you say, “if you don’t like it there,you can move it way over here.” Hold the end of the rope upwith your left hand and use yourright to slide the knot back to itsoriginal position (Figure 10). Becareful not to expose the configu-ration of the ropes in your handas you do.

“And then when you untie the ropes,you have two pieces again.” Untie theknot and, as your hands movearound, take hold of either end ofthe short rope with your righthand as you let go of the end ofthe long one (Figure 11). Withoutpausing, continue by pulling yourhands slowly apart, each appear-ing to hold one rope. “So much forthat,” you say, as you put yourropes away.

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 11

Figure 10

Moves 21

Moves

Moves 23

The Fan Steal

here have been techniques to secretly remove cards from a fanbefore (for example, Russell Barnhart’s from Marlo in Spades, byEd Marlo), but few have been as simple and elegant as this one.As a matter of fact, almost no skill is involved, other than thatrequired to form a pressure fan with the deck, yet the action

delivers the card smoothly and automatically to angle palm position.

First, a brief description of the mechanics behind the pressure fan:

Hold the deck in your left hand, your right hand framing the deck from above asin Figure 1. Your left thumb extends across the top of the deck, your right thumbextends across the rear end, and your right first and second fingers are near theupper right corner. Note that the deck bevels to the right.

With your right hand, carry the deck forward so that it now rests further upin your left hand. Figures 2 and 3 show the situation at this point, from the topand bottom, respectively. Your left thumb in Figure 2 rests mainly at the center

Figure 1 Figure 2


of the top card near its lower end, while your left first and second fingers inFigure 3 reach all the way across the bottom card of the pack.

Next, by applying pressure with your right hand, bow the cards downward asin Figures 4 and 5, using your left fingers for leverage. You are now going to turnyour right hand at the wrist, so that your fingers follow the circumference of an

imaginary circle. Your right thumb turns also, but staysin the same place, pivoting at the center of the circle.Simultaneously, allow the cards to slip off your right firstfinger in even succession (much like “springing” the cardsfrom hand to hand—Figures 6 and 7). With a little prac-tice and familiarity with the amounts of pressure neededin certain directions, you will find yourself making per-fectly circular fans with almost any deck.

For the fan steal, let’s assume you’ve already had a cardselected, which the spectator still holds. Form a neat pres-sure fan, take the card from the spectator, and place itinto the fan to the left of center, as in Figure 8. Withoutany hesitation, pull the card through the fan to the rightuntil it appears to be at the center of the pack. In reality,the card has been partially slid clear of the fan on theunderside as in Figure 9. Your left second fingertip restson the face of the selection.

Push the card flush into the fan, apparently losing it(after it is pushed flush, your left middle finger shouldbe in the exact center of the card). Now, holding the fanparallel to the floor, begin closing it by pushing to yourleft with your right second finger as in Figure 10. Thisfinger points directly downward as it closes the fan.

As you move the cards to the left, you will feel the sideof the selection against your finger. Continue closing thefan, applying slight upward and backward pressure with

Figure 6

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Moves 25

Figure 7 Figure 8

Figure 11

Figure 9

Figure 12

Figure 10

the tip of your left second finger. The card will swivel and end up both injoggedand sidejogged from the deck (Figures 11, 12, and 13). The back of your right handshields this card from your audience’s view.

Immediately take the deck from above in Biddle grip, which all but places thecard in angle palm for you (Figure 14). By grasping the card in Tenkai Palm while


Figure 15

Figure 14

Figure 13

it still protrudes from the pack, you can then take thepack by its upper left corner with your left hand, carry itforward (leaving the selected card behind), and set it onthe table (Figure 15).

The action is as fast and deceptive as it is simple toexecute. In appearance, the card is no sooner lost in thedeck, then the fan is closed and the deck set on the tableor handed to a spectator. Deriving its strength from itspracticality, it can become a useful tool in any performer’srepertoire.

Moves 27

Flicker

his popular idea of John’s is an instantaneous change of a cardthat is snapped from the deck onto the table. Let’s assume thatyou’ve had a card selected and it is now secretly on top of thedeck.

Do a double turnover and leave thetwo cards face up on the deck, showing an indifferentcard. You may ask if this is the spectator’s selected card,although both of you already know the answer. Move thedouble over the right side of the deck (Figure 1) and holdit there with your left thumb on top and the pad of theleft middle finger touching the back of the double.

You next will apparently snap the card with your rightmiddle finger, flicking it off the deck and onto the table.Curl your right middle finger inward against your thumbas in Figure 2 (much like you were going to give your littlebrother a good one on the noggin). Bend both hands

Figure 2

Figure 1

Figure 3


upward at the wrists slightly (we’re talking about a very small degree in movementhere) and during this motion, pull back the indifferent card with your left thumb(Figure 3). This leaves the selection side-jogged beneath it. This action is com-pleted just as you reach the apex of the movement of your left hand and the cardis out of the audience’s line of vision (“necktie”-ing the deck). Because you’ve pulledyour left thumb to the side, there is nothing holding the selection except the weightof the card above it.

Drop both hands (again, not an exaggerated motion) as you snap the center ofthe right edge of the selection with your right middle finger. The card will flyfrom the deck, landing on the table for a startling visual change. As this is exe-cuted, the left hand turns palm down to shade the face-up indifferent card on theback of the deck. You are left with one indifferent card face up on the deck thatyou can clean up at your leisure. John accomplishes this clean up by scooping upthe tabled card face up onto the face-up card at the top of the deck. He once againdisplays the card and performs a Double Lift, turning the two cards face down.

Santa (the real one) telling John what he wants.

Moves 29

Fold-A-Card

here are many effects in which you reproduce a card, folded, insome impossible location. Quite naturally, then, there are sev-eral methods to secretly fold cards so one can put them in thoseunlikely places. Hugard and Braue’sExpert Card Technique lists at least two. Jos

Bema has a “wonder”-ful method. Gary Kurtz and DavidWilliamson have also sported their excellent approaches.

All these, though, make the folds barehanded or undercover of a squared deck. John’s handling of the idea isinteresting, as it takes place while you spread the deckfrom hand to hand, providing greater cover and motiva-tion. The move, then, can be performed standing or sit-ting in almost any type of environment.

The card to be folded is on the bottom of the deck.Holding the deck face down in your left hand, pull downthe bottom card with your little finger to obtain a breakabove it. Take the deck as in Figure 1 to turn it face upend for end. Your right thumb contacts the inner rightcorner of the bottom card.

As you rotate the deck face up into the left hand (Fig-ure 2), bend the bottom card downward with your rightthumb. Once the pack moves to a vertical position, graspit with your left hand (Figure 3). Your left thumb comesdown on the bent card and completes the folding action.

Now spread the cards from hand to hand, the foldedcard being held in place by your thumbs (Figure 4). Appar-ently sighting a card that you’re looking for in the spread,push the spread back into your left hand slightly, fold-ing the card again from right to left with your right thumb

Figure 1

Figure 2


(Figure 5). Once the card is in quarters, place your leftthumb on it to hold it steady so you can remove a cardfrom the spread with your right hand.

From this point, the avenue you choose is largely oneof preference or need. The deck can be placed face downin your left hand, the folded card riding beneath it andending in left-hand palm; the folded card can be stolenbehind the card you removed from the fan; or it can beloaded under or into another object. Another ruse wouldbe to remove the “unnecessary Joker,” placing it and thefolded card in your pocket.

There are distinct advantages in using a spread of cardsto cover the folding actions. This is a utility move thatcan find a comfortable place in many routines.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Moves 31

ot a peek of a selection, but of a key card that you can use in anyway you need. It takes advantage of the standard actions of a Faroshuffle, in which you weave two packets together at their ends,then bridge the deck to cascade themtogether (Figures 1, 2, and 3—if you need

further information on this technique, check out EdMarlo’s The Faro Shuffle, Faro Notes, and Faro ControlledMiracles, for starters).

Do a couple of Faro shuffles, weaving and cascadingthe cards. When ready, prepare for your next shuffle,taking less than half the deck in your left hand. Match-ing the ends, straddle faro the left-hand half into theright-hand half (Figure 4).

Adjust the deck so you are now holding it upright inyour left hand, the smaller packet extending upward. Thefaces of the cards are toward your assistant. With your

Peeping Tom

Figure 2

Figure 1

Figure 3


right hand, riffle through the upper cards as in the stan-dard spectator peek, asking that he stop you any time.When he does, pull back the cards, allowing him to seehis selection. This will open a gap along the side of thedeck that extends into the lower telescoping portion (Fig-ure 5). Take a left little finger break in these lower cardswhere the opening lies and allow the deck to close.

Once the spectator has noted his card, bring the righthand over the cards, preparing to complete the shuffleby cascading the cards together. When your right handprovides cover, however, kick the cards above the breakto your left with your left little finger (Figure 6, the fingerhas been removed for clarity). Now when you bow thecards to spring them together, you will find that you canclearly see the index of the card on the face of the angledpacket (Figure 7, where the Ace of Spades is visible). Onceyou have sighted this card, allow the deck to cascade toge-ther, finishing your shuffle. Handle the pack very fairlyto allow a critical observer to appreciate that you holdno breaks or steps. You may even set the deck on the tableand hold light conversation. The situation is under con-trol, however, since the card you glimpsed lies directlyabove the selection in the deck.

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6 Figure 7

Moves 33

hey say nothing worthwhile comes without practice. They say nopain, no gain. It’s lucky, then, that with only a minimal amountof time and effort and a miniscule amount of practice, the cardscan flow through your fingers like wa-ter with this simple flourish cut.

Before working on the actual cutting sequence, twocomponents must be mastered first. The first is the simpleand sometimes lowly-regarded Charlier Cut.

THE CHARLIER CUT

With your left hand, hold the deck at your fingertips asin Figure 1. Note that your first and little fingers straddlethe ends of the deck for control, while your thumb andopposite fingers hold the sides. Some performers maywish to curl the first finger underneath for more control.Your right hand does not take part in the following ac-tions:

By gently lifting pressure with your thumb, allow thelower half of the deck to fall in the cradle of your lefthand (Figure 2). Move your forefinger beneath the bot-tom cards and push gently upwards. This will cause thepacket to rise on its side, its lower edge resting com-fortably in the fork of the thumb (Figure 3). As you keeppushing upward, the packet will eventually lift the tophalf of the deck up and their edges will clear (Figure 4).When this happens, the upper packet will fall and reston the nail of your index finger. Now slowly lower your

The Master Cut

Figure 1

Figure 2


forefinger, allowing the now lower packet to drop down and the new upper packetto coalesce with it (Figure 5). You control this new top half with your thumband the edge of the packet beneath it.

THE CIRCLE AND ROLL CUT

If the Charlier Cut is the left hand’s task, then the Circleand Roll Cut (for want of a better name) becomes theright’s. To learn this, hold the deck as shown in Figure 6.Turn the pack clockwise as far as is gracefully possibleto allow your right third and fourth fingers to come be-low the deck and contact it on your near side (Figure 7).Once there, your third finger can take approximately halfthe cards from the bottom of the deck and control thispacket by using your forefinger as an opposing support.Move your second finger beneath the cards (Figure 8) toget it out of the way. Now, by spreading the fingers ofyour hand, your thumb going to your right while your

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 6

Figure 5

Figure 7

Moves 35

Figure 8

Figure 10

Figure 12

Figure 9

Figure 11

third finger moves to your left, the packets will turn in opposite directions andend nearly parallel to one another. This is the “double circle,” shown in Figure 9.

Next, bring your palm-up left hand next to your contorted right and, by liftingyour right forefinger a little, allow the left packet to tumble over and end facedown in dealing position. Figures 10 and 11 show this—the “roll.” You can nowroll the remainder of the deck into your left hand, or pivot it (as you did the lastpacket) 180 degrees first with your third finger beforerolling it over and onto your other hand. We should alsonote (since this comes into play in the actual combinedflourish) that when the packets are side by side, as in Figure9, and you are “ready to roll,” you don’t have to allowall the cards in your right hand’s left packet to tumbleover into the left hand. You may opt to drop only por-tions of the packet, by releasing pressure with your rightforefinger, and allow them to roll in succession. This willbecome more clear in a moment.

In any event, you are ready to combine all the actions.With the deck in your left hand, riffle down the outercorner with your thumb. When you are about halfway


through the deck, turn your left hand downward andallow all the cards above your break to flop over, endingface up on your right fingers. Continuing the momen-tum, flop the packet over once more, so that it ends facedown in your right hand (Figure 12). Now that each handhas half a deck, adjust the positions of both so that youhold the cards in your left in Charlier Cut position andthe cards in your right are ready for the Circle and RollCut (Figure 13).

Begin the Charlier action with your left hand whileyour right pivots the packets for the circle and roll. Justas your left hand clears its packets, your right should havea packet ready to roll over. Allow about half this packetto tumble into the left half—between the packets of theCharlier Cut (Figure 14). Close the Charlier and beginanother with your left hand. As the packets clear again,allow another batch of cards to fall from your right handinto the left hand’s cut. Repeat as necessary.

When the left packet in your right hand is depleted,swing your third finger under again and take another fif-teen cards or so to restart the process. This continues untilyou pour all the right-hand cards into your left hand. Thecards move in tandem and look almost as if they’re aliveas they move from place to place. When you achieve theproper rhythm and economy of movement, the entiresequence flows quite fluidly and is aesthetic to watch.

And was it said that this requires only a minimal amount of time and effortand a miniscule amount of practice? Okay, that was a lie.

Figure 13

Figure 14

Moves 37

The Apprentice Cut

kay, you’ve tried the Master Cut and strained your patience, yourwife’s loyalty, and your social credibility. You’ve missed meetings,dinner dates, parties, and conventions because you’re obsessed withsitting in front of your mirror wonderingwhy your fingers won’t stretch just a little

more in just the right way. You’ve lost the respect of friendsand family, slowly eroded your self-esteem beyond any hopeof retrieval, and have developed a severe textbook case oftendonitis in both hands.

And you’ve made a silent but sincere promise to hurtJohn severely if you ever meet him.

For you, poor lost wandering soul, castaway to paste-board purgatory, here is a simpler yet quite effective flour-ish false cut.

Hold the deck from above with your right hand asin Figure 1. Bring your left hand back as in Figure 2, the Figure 1

Figure 3Figure 2


back of your left forefinger contacting the rear end ofthe cards.

Now move your left hand forward again, your fore-finger picking off and carrying about two-thirds of thedeck (Figure 3). Your right second finger is the pivot pointfor the upper packet, which turns end for end clockwise(Figure 4) and finishes at the left fingertips as in Figure 5,in perfect position for the Charlier Cut.

Do the Charlier with your left hand. After the bot-tom packet has come over and they’re about to close,insert the packet in your right hand between the twopackets in your left (Figure 6). The right-hand packet goes

flush with the upper packet in your left, but maintain a separation between thiscombined packet and the lower one in your left hand.

Immediately lever the bottom packet onto its right side as in Figure 7 (a turn-over pass type of action, but here done openly). Continue by moving the tiltedpacket up and over the other, bringing it to the top of the deck (Figure 8). Squareup. The order of the entire deck has been restored.

Happy now?

Figure 4

Figure 6

Figure 8

Figure 5

Figure 7

Moves 39

The Oh, Calcutta! Shuffle

alse dovetail shuffles that completely preserve the order of thedeck abound. Every close-up worker out there seems to knowtwo or three, but ask them about completely false overhand orHindu shuffles and their faces often goblank (as if with some of them you

could tell the difference). There are a few good shuffletechniques out there, but most are unpublished orotherwise well protected—and Ricky and Persi aren’ttalking. When working in the casual world of the laity,however, overhand techniques can become more valuablethan your Zarrows, strip-outs, Spades, or pull-throughs,because overhand shuffles are what they know.

This shuffle perfectly emulates a casual Hindu shuffleand, even though it is blatantly discrepant, it is alsoextremely deceptive. Figures 1 through 6 show the actionsof a normal Hindu shuffle, where you hold the cards attheir long sides by your right hand as your left hand takessuccessive packets from the top of the deck. Your righthand moves in small clockwise circles to clear the pack-ets you’re taking and to set up for the next removal ofcards from the top. The movements take place more inthe wrists than in your arms as you casually mix the cards.

To execute the false shuffle, your hands move inexactly the same manner, and you adopt the same non-chalant demeanor and rhythm, but your left hand takesthe packets from the bottom of the deck instead. Pay noattention to your hands as you do this. Note that in thefigures of the real shuffle, your left forefinger is at theends of the cards to keep them from escaping your con-

Figure 1

Figure 2


trol. This is also true in the false shuffle. In fact, the place-ment of every finger is exactly the same as in the genuineshuffle and your hands make the same circular motions.The only difference is the removal of the cards from thebottom of the pack instead of the top.

For the most deceptive point of all, begin with yourright side to your audience. As you do the shuffle, slowlyturn to your right (clockwise, bringing your left side toyour audience), and tilt the deck on its side so they cansee the faces. Although in a genuine shuffle the face ofthe right-hand packet should always show the same card,here they will see the cards constantly change, which fur-ther drives home the illusion of mixing.

Again, a relaxed demeanor and guiltless attitudeaccount more for the illusion than anything else. This isa tool that derives its strength from its simplicity—whichmakes the solution even more elegant.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5 Figure 6

Moves 41

his is a flourish revelation that is much easier to do than it reads.First released in The New York Magic Symposium: Close-Up CollectionOne by Richard Kaufman, “Spring Set” became a favorite ofmany workers, especially after beingpopularized by Bill Malone in his han-

dling of the ever-classic “Sam the Bellhop” (see theAugust 1988 Linking Ring for Bill Malone’s “One-ManParade”). With almost no movement of your hand, thetop card of the deck suddenly flips over and lands faceup on the pack.

For starters, here is the basic underlying movement:Holding the deck in your left hand, your thumb rests ontop of the pack at the outer left corner, as in Figure 1. Ifyou pull this thumb to your left while pressing down-ward, you’ll find that the right edge of the top card willlift up (Figure 2). What you want to achieve is a springing

Spring Set

Figure 1

Figure 3Figure 2


up of the card; your left thumb snaps around the cornerof the deck. No other part of the hand moves.

To do the actual production, the second card from thetop of the deck is the one you’re going to “pop.” Push thetop card to your right with your left thumb. This will ex-pose the outer left corner of the second card (Figure 3). Placeyour thumb on this corner and execute the “spring” actionpreviously described. The second card will pop up, caus-ing the top card to turn over and land face up on the deck(Figure 4). By the time this card descends, you’ve alreadyrelaxed your thumb and lowered the “sprung” card. It mayhelp to tip the right side of the deck down a little.

That’s the idea of it, and the brevity of the descrip-tion belies its surprising effectiveness with audiences. Undoubtedly, a few trieswill be necessary to achieve the desired result. The only thing that moves duringthe action is your left thumb—and that motion is a very slight one. It all happensso quickly that onlookers are unable to figure out exactly what caused the card toturn face up. It almost seems to happen of its own accord. In fact, given practice,if you can get the top card to turn over within a minimum of height from thepack, it will look as though the selection simply appeared on top of the deck. Theturnover of the card completely escapes the eye, changing the effect from one ofsudden animation to a sudden—and quite magical—production.

Figure 4

Moves 43

irst released in Harry Lorayne’s Apocalypse, this startling colorchange has been a preference of many for several years. Its casualand soft appearance enhances the simple yet surprising changeof the face card of the deck. It is alsoused in the F.I.S.M. Card Act described

at the end of the book.Hold the cards face up in your left hand. Your left

little finger holds a break near the center of the pack,perhaps beneath a selection. As you talk, casually gesturewith your empty right hand, then grasp the deck fromabove. Your right thumb is at the inner end of the cards,your fingers are at the outer (Figure 1). Your right handwill provide shade for the following mechanics:

As soon as you hold the deck between your hands, placeyour left thumb across the face of the deck (Figure 2) andinsert your left second and third fingers into the break

The Winter Change

Figure 1

Figure 3Figure 2


(Figure 3). Without pausing, use your left fingers to pushthe card to the right from the center of the pack, in a di-rection that will set the outer right corner of the card di-rectly beneath the base of your right little finger and thecard itself parallel with your hand (Figure 4).

Now move your left second finger back to the side ofthe deck and apply a slight upward pressure against theface of the card with your fingertip. Glide your right handto your right (the card moving beneath it), relaxing it,and opening your fingers slightly. Your left second fin-ger helps to push the selection completely from the cen-ter of the pack while holding it against the palm of yourright hand.

Also, you must always keep the card parallel to thedeck to prevent a clicking sound as its corner leaves thedeck. Never should you attempt to palm or grip the cardwith your right hand—this hand remains open andrelaxed. The card is back far enough beneath your handthat its top edge does not show between your fingers.

As you keep moving your hand to the right, you willend with the card completely clear of the deck, supportedby your left second finger (Figure 5). Note that you arenow free to move your right hand about, as long as youmaintain the support of your left finger. Because you arenot in any way holding the card with your right hand,your appearance is very casual and relaxed. Also, becauseof the extension of your left second finger, your right handis high above the face of the deck, which will play animportant part in the color change that occurs in the nextmovement.

Move your right hand to your left, your left secondfinger coming to rest again at the side of the pack. Yourright hand keeps going, however, the card gliding off yourleft second finger and onto the heel of your left thumb(Figure 6), which now supports it. Completely pass overthe pack until it is visible on the other side of your righthand, the card now held in place by the mound of yourleft thumb (Figure 7).

Next, pass your hand over the deck once more, mov-ing it to your right again. As your right hand obscures the deck from view, moveyour left thumb to the side of the pack, allowing the card to drop onto the face.Your right hand never breaks its flow and once it passes over the deck, the cardappears to have transformed.

The moment following the change is the most important. As you complete themovement with your right hand, slow down somewhat, allowing the audience to

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Moves 45

perceive and appreciate the change, and possibly form anysuspicions before you nonchalantly show the hand empty.The important points to remember through the entireprocess are threefold: 1) maintain a constant and flow-ing movement with your right hand, 2) your right fin-gers are always relaxed and partly open, and 3) due tothe mechanics of the routine, your right hand seems tofloat some distance above and away from the face of thepack, making the change seem even more impossible.

Figure 7

Relaxing with Roger Klause and Michael Skinner in the early 1970’s.


Siegfried, Cornelius, and Roy.

Moves 47

Go For Go Switch

lever enough to have been invented by the Japanese (should yousubscribe to stereotypes), this technique holds its own as a verydeceptive switch of two packets of five cards. You can use it in agambling (pseudo) exposé or in a magi-cal context, or just in a session with the

boys, but skillfully plied, it will always get by.For purposes of explanation, we will use five red cards

and five black cards. Palm the red cards, backs to yourskin, in your right hand and hold the black cards in aspread between your hands (Figure 1) as if playing poker.Separate the two rear black cards slightly from theirspread so you can feed their lower right corners behindthe upper right corners of the palmed cards (that is tosay, the upper left corner of the palmed packet feedsbetween the second and third card in the black packet—you might have to raise your right forefinger a tad to allowthis). Figure 2 is an exposed view, looking down from thetop of your hand.

Once the packets are interlocked, square up the blackcards as in Figure 3. Moving your right thumb to the upperend of the black cards and releasing them with your lefthand, turn your right hand palm down so that your leftcan approach the cards from below (Figure 4). Your lefthand appears to simply take the visible packet from yourright, but as you make the transfer, reach under your righthand with your left fingers and pull the palmed red cardsinto the center of the black packet (Figure 5). It is an easymatter to obtain a left little finger break beneath the redcards as they are pulled flush.

Figure 1

Figure 2


Once the red packet has been fed in, take the combined packet in Biddle Grip,transferring the break to your right thumb. Your right forefingers cover the frontedge of the packet, hiding its thickness. Toying with the cards, peel the top twocards singly from the top to the bottom of the packet. You now have the five redcards on top of the black ones, with a break between them.

Place your left little finger on the near end of the bottom five cards. You willfind that with this finger alone, you can swivel these cardsto the right, using your right first finger as a pivot point.Move all the cards beneath the break under your righthand and take them in full palm (Figure 6). This is doneas you turn both hands palm up and spread the red cardsbetween them to check your poker hand again. Now youcan simply take the red cards with your left hand and laythem face down on the table as your right hand withdrawsand reposes to the edge of the table.

The fluidity of the move will not come without prac-tice. Have faith, though, for its appearance is most casualand deceptive. Remember, the onlookers only see youspread a packet of cards, square them, turn them facedown, transfer two to the bottom, and then spread themagain. You merely seem to be toying with the cards whileyou’re waiting for the next bet. Also, the switch is almostretentive (in a psychological way), since the back of thepacket never seems to leave the audience’s sight.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5 Figure 6

Casual Interfaces 49

Casual Interfaces


Armed & Ready

Figure 1

here was a brief time, when a gallon of gasoline cost less than aday’s wages, during which it seemed everyone was spending muchof their time balancing coins on their elbows. The challenge was,ostensibly, to bring the arm down and catch the coins in midair.Increasing the number of coins in the stack made the feat pro-

portionally more difficult, until at last it became nearly impossible to balance thecoins at all, let alone catch them. The greater challenge may have been to avoidlooking foolish while doing it, but finally the fad subsided, along with disco, widelapels, and good customer service.

Roger Klause, ever eager to throw the boys for a loop, began doing the stunt onoccasion—except for a minor variation: After adeptly catching the coins, whichclinked solidly as he snatched them from the air, he opened his hand to show itcompletely empty. The coins had vanished! His presentation has necessarilychanged with the times, evolving from “Have you tried the stunt where . . . ?” to “Rememberwhen people used to . . . ?”

This is John’s variation on Roger’s effect—one of transformation instead of avanish. Here, when you catch the quarters in the air, youopen your hand to reveal a cluster of pennies instead. Theeffect is strong and sure to surprise.

To prepare, obtain three quarters and three pennies,some magician’s wax and an instant bonding glue, suchas “Krazy Glue.” On two of the quarters, place a smalldab of magicians’ wax on one side. Put these quarters,separated, in your right trouser pocket. Now take thethird quarter and glue it to your left arm just above yourelbow (Figure 1). Use a very small amount of glue and noone gets hurt. Don’t worry, it can be removed later withnail polish remover or some acetone-based solvent (if youhappen to have skin allergies to these chemical com-


pounds, please don’t send us your medical bills). Thepennies go in your left pants pocket. Roll your sleevesdown, button your cuffs, and you’re ready.

Later, when you’re hanging around (preferably nextto a sign that says “No Loitering”), tell your prospec-tive audience that you would like to show them an amaz-ing stunt. Unbutton your cuffs and roll both sleeves upone turn only. Push your right sleeve up past your elbow;your left arm won’t come into play until later.

Place each hand into your pants pockets, searching forchange. Take all three pennies in your left hand, holdingthem loosely in fingerpalm. As this hand comes out, yourright hand brings one of the quarters into view. Take thiscoin at your left fingertips as you raise your right arm in“cocked” position (Figure 2). Place the quarter on yourarm just above your elbow.

When ready, snap your right arm out, catching the coinin the air. The best way to ensure success is to spring fromthe knees slightly just before the snap. This will causethe coin to move upward a little, suspending it in the airlong enough for you to make your catch.

Say, “I can even do it left-handed!” Take the quarter againwith your left fingers and use your right hand to push(not roll) your left sleeve up past your elbow. Turn toyour left slightly and take the quarter with your right handas you bring your left arm up. As it rises, your right hand

comes to meet it, to prevent the quarter already there from coming into view tooearly. Pretend to place the quarter on your arm and bring your hand away, show-ing the glued quarter instead. The waxed quarter is concealed in your relaxed righthand and your left arm appears ready to catch the coin on its elbow.

Say, “I’ll even make it more difficult.” Reach in your pocket with your right handand apparently remove another quarter, really bringing forth the one hidden inyour hand. Place this coin onto the quarter on your elbow, firmly fixing the twowith the wax. Reach in your pocket again and bring out the third quarter, placingit delicately on the stack. As you do, press the coins together so all three now bondto each other.

Spring and snap your left arm out as if catching the coins. The pennies in yourhand create the perfect sound of catching the coins. Bring your right hand in frontof you, palm up, and pour the pennies from your otherwise empty left hand. Atthis point, since your right side mainly faces the audience, you can turn the lefthand over to show both sides (Figure 3). You will find that your arm will not turnnearly as much as your hand, and the quarters will remain safely concealed behind.To end, lower your left arm, which will allow your sleeve to fall down, coveringthe quarters. Button your cuffs again and you have all the time in the world toclean up later at your convenience.

Figure 2

Figure 3


rom the mentalist’s parlor to the cocktail lounge, John has devisedeffects to meet every situation. Here, a cocktail sword is threadedonto a straw, which a spectator holds from both ends. Anotherspectator holds the sword. Neverthe-less, the objects penetrate each other

and are magically released!You will need an opaque handkerchief, a cocktail straw,

and two cocktail swords. Because you want this to appearas impromptu as possible, when everyone at your table hasreceived their drink orders, you have already obtained twococktail swords by some devious manner. One goes in aconvenient pocket, with your handkerchief. Prepare theother by breaking the guard between your fingers, creat-ing a slit in the plastic handle (Figure 1). This can be donefurtively at the table, or you can retire for a moment to therestroom to “set the gaff.” Once the work is in the sword,casually place it on the table in front of you and continueyour social interaction.

When you feel the time is right, ask for the loan ofyour friend’s cocktail straw. Looking around the table,set your attention on your sword, pick it up, and threadthe straw through its handle. The minute fracture in thehandle is practically invisible and will escape notice. Askyour friend to hold the straw by its end, trapping thesword on it (Figure 2).

Reach in your pocket for your handkerchief,finger-palming the other sword in the process (if you’veforgotten your handkerchief, a cocktail napkin is anacceptable substitute). Open the handkerchief and drape

D’Artagnan’s Release

Figure 1

Figure 2


it over the sword and straw, leaving the spectator’s hands uncovered (Figure 3). Say,“Now we know that the sword is firmly linked to the straw . . . ” Reach under the handkerchiefwith both hands and tug lightly on the prepared sword as you put the shaft of theother sword through its handle (Figure 4, in which the handkerchief is removed forclarity). The spectator holding the straw understands that you are doing this only toemphasize the condition of the sword and straw. Immediately bring both hands from

beneath the handkerchief, showing them empty. Theswords remain securely settled together beneath the cloth.Finish your sentence by saying, “ . . . and there is no way it canescape unharmed as long as you keep a tight hold on the ends.”

Move one hand beneath the handkerchief again andgrasp the hilt of the unprepared sword. With the thumband fingers of your other hand, locate the point of thissword through the cloth and ask another spectator to pinchit firmly here (Figure 5 shows what the spectators see; Fig-ure 6 shows the actual situation with the handkerchiefremoved). Take both of your hands away. Ask the specta-tor to pull gently on the sword to make sure it’s still linked.

When you’ve built sufficient drama, reach under thehandkerchief with both hands, grasp the guard of theprepared sword, and open its fracture just far enough topass over the straw. As soon as it is free, finger-palm thegimmick as you take the handkerchief away. One spec-tator is holding only the straw, the other the handker-chief and sword, with no clue about how the penetrationtook place. Either pocket the gimmick with your hand-kerchief or lap it at a relaxed moment.

Walter Wilson contributed a method for the exact reverseof this effect, putting a sword onto a straw, in a Linking Ringparade (“Cocktail Sword and Straw,” November 1982, p.58). Combining the two could make for an effective rou-tine and a well-deserved reputation among your peers.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5 Figure 6


t didn’t take long after the commercial introduction of the tele-phone before magicians started taking advantage of some long-distance subtleties, thanks to Hilliard. Telephone tricks nownumber in the dozens, some of which can be real bafflers, suchas Eddie Fields’s contribution in The Artful Dodges of Eddie Fields,

written by Jon Racherbaumer. There is a difference, though, between those effectsthat take place on the telephone between spectator and magi, and those in whichthe performer uses a telephone to contact a third party, who makes an uncannyrevelation. John has typically taken a more radical avenue toward the latter, whichexpands the horizons of the effect beyond anything that has come previous. Nolonger is the magician limited to playing cards or having the information writtenon small pieces of paper—the audience may decide the nature of the challenge.Most baffling of all, the spectator calls the “Wizard” himself.

To our knowledge, all previous versions of this effect rely in part on some typeof code, however clever, between the performer and his assistant. Here, though,no code is necessary, and the performer truly does participate only as a coordina-tor of events. You need no special skills, except some electrical facility, because itis the telephone itself that is the instrument of conveyance.

If basic circuitry lies outside your comfort zone, have a knowledgeable friendinstall a magnetic reed switch in the base of your telephone. This type of switchwill maintain an open circuit as long as a magnetic field is present. Once the fieldis taken away, the circuit closes. The upshot of this is that if the switch is properlyinstalled in your telephone, and a magnet is near enough, then hanging up the phonewill not break the connection. Although the handset rests in the cradle, the calleron the other end can hear everything in the room as if you had merely laid thehandset on the table. Moving the base of the telephone away from the magnet,however, will break the connection and you can use the phone normally.

Once the switch is in place, set a shim magnet inside a small telephone direc-tory or address book. The magnet must be strong enough that it activates the reed

Dial-A-Trick


when the telephone sits on the directory (earth magnets, which are very strong,are well suited for this). The prepared book sits on the table next to your tele-phone, and you’re ready to perform.

When guests are over, choose a convenient and unsuspicious moment to callyour secret assistant at his telephone or have a prior arrangement for him to callyou. You can pretend it is a caller who has dialed a wrong number or use someother ploy, but before you hang up, place the phone on top of your directory andthen put the handset in the cradle. The connection is still live and your assistantcan hear most of the conversation in the room.

Steer the conversation toward psychic phenomena or some related subject andmention that you have an unusual friend who constantly exhibits such abilities.Say, “He’s made something of a profession out of it, and he calls himself ‘The Wizard.’” Have thespectators choose a thought in particular, perhaps the name of any city in the world,a person, or anything they desire. Once the choice is made, say to the spectators,in a voice clear enough for your assistant to hear, “You want to concentrate on the city ofChicago? Are you sure? Would you like to change your mind?” Assuming they wish to retaintheir choice, say, “Let’s call him now; but I don’t want to call him myself . . . I don’t want tosay a word to him.”

Ask a nearby spectator to look up the name of your friend in your address book.When he lifts the phone off the book, the connection is broken. Your assistanthangs up his telephone on the other end. Say with a smile, “Look under ‘W.’” Afterhe finds the number and picks up the handset, a dial tone is present, just as it shouldbe. When your helper answers the phone, he reveals in his most mysterious man-ner, preferably before the spectator has had a chance to say a word, that he knowswhat thought the group holds.

A speaker phone might also further the effect, since the entire group can hearthe revelation simultaneously, rather than experience it vicariously through thereaction of the one caller. You must be careful, though, not to allow the speakerconnection to be turned on until after the reed switch deactivates, otherwise thedial tone will be missing.

As an alternative to the reed switch, John has also used a push button switch,which works equally well, though it’s a little more visible. Each time you push thebutton, the circuit changes from an open one to a closed one, or vice versa. Byinstalling this switch on the base of the telephone, every time the phone is pickedup and set down again, the line is either opened or disconnected.

Ring, ring . . .


n essence, this is a simple effect, but one you can expand in manydirections. It also appeared in The Pallbearer’s Review under the titleof “The Magnetic Fork.” The principle is here described as oneyou would use in a social setting, although you can also modifyit to work within professional venues as well. It is a cunning dem-

onstration of your anomalous powers over forces of magnetism and gravity.Obtain a small but powerful bar magnet. Earth magnets exert the most force

per volume of any magnet and their strength is quite impressive, but their range islimited. John has found that ceramic magnets work well here. Although they’renot as intense, their magnetic fields will pass through a table top more effectively(essential for this effect). One about 1 inch square and 1½ inches long shouldsuffice.

By way of short preparation, insert a small flat metal bar inside your shoe. Thebar—the same type that comes with many magnets—is placed near the ball ofyour foot along the inside edge of the shoe. The magnet goes in your pocket (pref-erably on the opposite side of your body far from your wristwatch and credit cards).

For the actual performance (and in his lectures), John has used steel pennies.Any small objects, though, such as paper clips or some bottle caps, are appropri-ate (steel-shimmed coins are ideal, because of their natural appearance and hiddenproperties). You will also need a standard dinner fork, made of some magneti-cally conductive metal, such as steel or iron. Be certain that such items will beavailable to you when you plan to perform the effect. You must sit at a table withyour spectators—and wearing your shoes.

At an opportune time, covertly remove the magnet from your pocket and crossyour legs, the shoe containing the metal bar now being just beneath the undersideof the table. Place the magnet on your shoe, so that the metal bar within holds itin place. You can now delay the moment by uncrossing your legs, enjoying thesocial activity, and gently steering conversation toward your presentation. Themagnet is secure and will stay on the outside of your shoe.

Lines of Flux


When ready, cross your legs again, bringing the mag-net near the table. Show the coins (or whatever items youare using) and place them on the table, next to your fork,directly above the hidden magnet. Next, pick up the fork,rub it on your sleeve (for show), and touch it to the penny(Figure 1). Because of the proximity of the magnet, thefork itself conducts part of the magnetic field and actswith an attractive force. The penny will stick to the fork.

If you wish, you can hold your hand in a cramped,suspicious position to lead your onlookers to believe thatyou hold a magnet there. When you open your hand,however, it is empty. There are other touches you can alsoadd to your presentation. For instance, first borrow a

wedding or finger ring. Place some steel-shimmed coins on the table and patterabout universal forces of attraction. When you try to attract the coins to the ringand fail, state that it is due to the interference from your own biochemical energy.To rectify this, place the ring on the tines of the fork. When you bring the forknear the coins, it is the ring which appears to attract them and you have led thespectators further away from the correct solution. With the right magnet, you caneven pick up two steel pennies or Canadian nickels edge to edge.

Semi-transparent silks can also be placed over the coins on the table as a cover,which gives the effect a more ethereal quality and adds to a strange atmosphere.Obviously, though, it has no bearing on the method itself.

Figure 1


ere is an odd effect: The materialization of something solid—we’re not sure what—inside the folds of a handkerchief. Yet,when the cloth is opened, there is nothing there. This is an (appar-ently) impromptu version of “Glorpy,the Gerkulating Ghost,” first marketed

in 1963, and still available from dealers under variousnames. For an interesting history of this effect and itsvarious permutations, see Max Maven’s article “A BriefHistory of ‘It’” in the May 2000 issue of MAGIC maga-zine.

First, go to your local hardware store (a phrase thatcould have become a subtitle of John’s lectures as well asthis book) and purchase some Romex® 12/2 electricalwire. This is a thick gauge wire in a protective coatingand you only need about a three-inch length. When youhave the appropriate piece, take a pair of needle-nosedpliers, pull the copper wire out of the sleeve, and throwit away. It’s the thick sleeve you want, and what is themodus for the effect. John has found that aquarium orsurgical tubing will also work well (Figure 1).

Sit at a table with a tablecloth (to keep things fromsliding around later). With the gimmick fingerpalmed inyour right hand (Figure 2), borrow a handkerchief from akind spectator and offer to show him a ghost. “You see,”you say, “there are always ghosts in the air everywhere you go andthey’re made of ectoplasm. The easiest way to catch one is to form aghost trap.” Lay the cloth flat on the table, one corner near-est you, so you’re looking at a diamond-shaped polygonbefore you. Grasp this near corner with your right hand,

Impromptu Ghost Trap

Figure 1

Figure 2


folding it over and toward the center. Set the corner down in the middle of thehanky, allowing the gimmick to fall from your hand onto the hanky as you do.

With your left hand, fold the left corner over and onto the center, momen-tarily covering your right hand, which you immediately withdraw. This preventsthe spectators from seeing the object you’ve placed there. Fold the right cornerover next, followed by the far corner.

“Now that we have the trap, all we need is to gather some ectoplasm.”Lift the top layers of the cloth with your left hand. Reachinto the air with your right hand, showing it empty, andpretend to grab some ectoplasm and place it within thefolds of the handkerchief. Repeat this two or three times.On one of your trips into the handkerchief, bend the gim-mick at its middle in half (Figure 3). Hold it down like this,as your left hand takes over outside the cloth and holdsthe gimmick so you can remove your hand.

Use your flat palms to smooth out the fabric (Figure 4),which will make the cloth taut and continue the pressureon the Romex® sleeve. When your hands are near the edgeof the hanky, slowly release the pressure, allowing the gim-mick to straighten up beneath the cloth. To your specta-tors, the center of the handkerchief will mysteriously rise.“See,” you say, “That’s a ghost, believe it or not, and contrary to whatpeople believe about ghosts, it’s really quite solid . . .”

Place your flat right hand on top of the gimmick andmove it around in circles (Figure 5). This gives the curi-ous illusion that whatever object may be under the clothis spherical. To further emphasize its solidity, take aspoon, pen, comb, or some nearby object, and tap it firmlyon top. The gimmick will not fall and you appear to bestriking something quite solid.

“But we have to return it to where it came from before we bringthe forces of doom on us, so we take out the ectoplasm . . .” Lift the

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5 Figure 6


top layers of the hank again with your left hand, reach in the folds with your right(pretending to remove the “stuff”), and throw it back out in the air. When yourhand goes in the last time, use your thumb to kick the gimmick straight back, outof the hanky, off the table, and in your lap (Figure 6). If you wish, you can pretendto hand different spectators some ectoplasm, on the last stroke removing the gim-mick and placing it in your pocket, “saving some ectoplasm” for yourself.

Many handkerchiefs will have enough body that they will retain the generalshape of the “ghost,” even after the gimmick has gone. If that is the case here, slowlypress it down, flattening the cloth, then cleanly unfold the handkerchief and giveit back to the spectator, thanking him and reminding him to launder it as quicklyas possible. D. D. Home would be proud.

“To the winner of the D.C. look-alike contest—Dick Cavett”


Ouch!


en Krenzel and Richard Kaufman pretty much started it all withOn the Up and Up, a treatise on pure sleight-of-hand methods toachieve the classic “rising cards” effect. Recently, Chris Kenner alsopublished a version in his in-some-ways-admirable book, Totally Out of Control.

As usual, John derived this method without benefitof comparison and he has a few touches on the basicidea of jogging the selection and using the exposedcorner to push the card from the deck. Where most usethe little finger of the hand to move the card, however,John goes in the opposite direction by using the thumb.The difference is worth evaluating. In fact, of all themagic John does, this is one of the most talked-aboutitems among those who are familiar with the Krenzel/Kaufman handling.

Dribbling the cards from hand to hand (as in Figure1), ask your spectator to stop you any time. When hedoes, raise your right hand so he can note the face cardwhere he stopped you. After you’re sure he has com-mitted the card to memory, replace the cards in yourright hand on those in your left, obtaining a standardpinky break beneath the selection with your left littlefinger.

As your right hand covers the deck from above, useyour left third finger to side jog the selection for at leasthalf its width (Figure 2). Without pause, take the decksolely with your right hand from above and by the endsand begin to turn it clockwise, so that your right thumbbecomes uppermost. This also brings the jogged selec-

Arisen!

Figure 1

Figure 2


tion to the side of the deck nearest your body. During this, your left hand alsoturns in the opposite direction, in preparation for taking the deck at what is nowits uppermost end (Figure 3). In taking the pack, the upper end of the side-joggedcard is pushed back in by your left thumb, angling the card (Figure 4) and you nowhold the deck in your left hand, between thumb and second fingers.

You hold the deck this way only momentarily, however, as you retake the up-right pack with your right hand, your little finger sup-porting the deck from beneath at center, your thumbgoing beneath the protruding corner of the selection, andyour fingers along the opposite side. Just before you takeyour left hand away, angle a few of the face cards over tocover the protruding selection (Figure 5).

When you’re ready to reveal the card, shake the deckgently, allowing the cards to settle deeper into your righthand as you push the selection up with your right thumb.Your right forefinger provides some stability on the otherside of the card (Figure 6). Because of the mechanics ofthe situation, the card will not rise straight up, but willsnake its way upward with a slight side-to-side motion.This is effectively covered by the soft shaking motion thatyou use.

As the card slowly rises, turn the deck so that the sidethat your fingers are on is nearest the spectators, then turnit back again so they’re looking at the full face of the cards.By this time, the selection should fully extend from thepack and you’ve moved your thumb back near the bot-tom. Tilt the deck forward (so they can appreciate thatthe card is really in the center of the pack) and removethe card with your left hand to give it to the nearest spec-tator, or let the spectator remove it himself.

With practice, you can achieve the desired effect—that of a card rising slowly and gracefully from the cen-

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5 Figure 6


ter of the pack. The Rising Card has long been recognized as one of the strongesteffects in card magic. Handled well and skillfully, the use of a borrowed packincreases its impact dramatically.

Brussels, site of the World’s Fair and F.I.S.M. And I thought we had big Tinkertoys in Texas!(1979)


John “entertains” Dai Vernon at a Faucett Ross picnic in St. Joseph, Missouri.


he Matrix routines out there are too many to consider (appre-ciations to Al Schneider, although Derek Dingle seems to havehad a hand in spreading the word). Perhaps, though, the reasonthis plot is so overworked is because, like the sponge balls andthe paddle move, it is good. Effectwise, it is fast, visual, and quite

baffling. There are few commercial workers who do not perform some variationof Matrix, and John contributes this method to the wash, thereby increasing thealready exponentially-increasing number of routines by a factor of one.

You’ll need four half-dollars for this, an expanded half-dollar shell (hurry toyour local dealer), two playing cards1, and a soft performing surface. Place thefour coins in a stack, set the shell on the uppermost coin, and hold the stack inyour right hand. The two face-up cards sit to your left.

Say, “Here’s a trick with one, two, three, four half-dollars . . .” Keeping time with yourwords, place the coins on the table in an imaginary square formation, the first (withshell) being set at your near left, the second at your far left, the third at your farright, and the last at your near right.

An Assemblage of Silver

1. And just what, exactly, is the real difference between “Matrix” and “Sympathetic Coins?” Tomost of us, perhaps, very little indeed, with not enough left over to worry about. For others,however, well . . . It is true that “Sympathetic Coins” is normally performed with two cards while“Matrix” most often uses four, but more than that, there is a difference of attitude. In “Sympa-thetic Coins” (at least in the best versions we’ve seen performed—Michael Skinner’s, for instance),the performer handles each coin in succession, causing them to vanish from his hands mysteri-ously. After each one, a card is then picked up to reveal that the coin is somehow beneath it.“Matrix,” though, has a much more visual element to it, the coins seemingly jumping from cardto card as they lay on the table, the performer merely covering them for a moment. The coins arenever picked up from the table to make them disappear and the routine can be quite animatedand lively. Take your pick. Strictly speaking, John’s routine seems to be a hybrid of the two con-cepts, using two cards, but still with the essence of “Matrix.” All this is mentioned for the ben-efit of those purists, historians, and verbophiles who perceive importance in these matters andwithout which their lives would cease to have meaning.


As you place the last coin on the table, pull your righthand away furtively, as if you were hiding a fifth cointhere. You might even feign a classic-palming action forthe knowing crowd. Pick up the cards with your left handas you finish your sentence by saying “. . . and two playingcards.” Revolve the cards face down and take one with yourright hand, with an attitude that might strongly suggestthat you’ve just loaded a coin beneath it. Turn the cardin your left hand over a couple of times to show bothsides, but hold the right-hand card motionless and stiff.Finally, as if begrudgingly, turn the right-hand card facetoward your audience, pulling your fingers back as if youwere sliding a coin up behind them to show the card. Youare holding the card by its edge now, reminiscent of astandard coin ruse.

Place the left-hand card on the coin and shell, and theright-hand card suspiciously on the coin in the upper rightcorner, as if you put a coin down with it. Those who havebeen scrutinizing your actions will believe that there aretwo coins in the upper corner and will anticipate that theassembly will take place there.

Instead, pick up both playing cards with the respec-tive hands, your second and third fingers going beneaththe cards, thumbs on top (Figure 1). With your right hand,you also clip the coin beneath the card as, with your leftfirst finger, you lift the edge of the shell beneath its covercard and push it to the right. The shell will overlap thecoin as in Figure 2.2 Shake your hands (and the cards)slightly, then raise both hands straight up, lifting the cardsto reveal the sudden journey of the first coin.

Show the faces of first the right-hand card, then theleft. When showing the right-hand one, this time you dopull the coin back so you are holding the card by itsextreme edge, the coin hidden behind your fingers (Fig-ure 3). When you turn the card face down again, slidethe coin back beneath it to keep it hidden from view.

For the next jump, hold the right-hand card over theinner left coins and the left-hand card over the outer left

half-dollar. Shake the cards again as you gently and silently lay the coin beneaththe right-hand card onto the two overlapping coins on the table, itself overlap-ping to the right. With your left fingers, pick up the coin beneath their card in the

2. Note here that we are not using the Schneider/Dingle Pick-Up Move which has become some-thing of an unspoken requirement in this type of routine.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3


same manner as before. After a proper time, lift both cardsto show the migration of the second coin. Briefly showthe faces of the cards again, pulling the coin behind yourleft fingers as you do.

Turn the cards face down again (sliding the hiddencoin back beneath the left-hand card) and hold the right-hand card over the remaining coin on your right, the othercard over the coins on your left. Shake the cards again asyou pinch the single coin with your right fingers whilelaying the left-hand coin, again overlapping, on its stack.Lift the coins to reveal all four at the inner left position.

To clean everything up, turn the cards face up, slidingthe right-hand coin behind your fingers as before, andlay the cards on the table well in front of you (Figure 4).The hidden coin stays behind your fingers when the cardsare left on the table. Immediately bring both hands backto the stack of coins on the table, the coin in your righthand sitting idly in “fingertip rest position” (Figure 5).3

Place your fingers on either side of the stack and beginpushing the coins inwards between your hands, as if gath-ering them up (Figure 6). The shell will nest with the coinbeneath it. Take the nested shell and the coin above itwith your left hand as you pick up the remaining coin inyour right hand (on top of the coin you were secretlyholding there). Open your palm-up hands wide to showapparently two coins on each (perfect applause cue) andtake your bow.

3. The Fingertip Rest: see David Roth’s Expert Coin Magic by Richard Kaufman for the value of thisall too obvious—and extremely artistic—piece of finesse. It allows moments of relaxation and acasual air which would not otherwise be possible.

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6


Siegfried enjoying a lecture by John Cornelius at Darwin’s Club in Las Vegas (1980).


ears ago, when the masters were young, Ace assemblies were therage. Vernon and Miller concocted several wonderful versionsof the “slow-motion” assembly plot, “Mac” MacDonald per-formed his destined-to-be-classic MacDonald’s Aces, and BobStencel’s underground handling (not released until almost thirty

years later!) amazed and confounded. The plot may be older than Reginald Scot’sDiscoverie of Witchcraft, but that seems to be where it began. Even in recent times,thinkers such as Daryl Martinez (“Diamond Bar” and “The Psychological JokerAssembly”) and John Bannon (“Mirage Assembly”) have explored the possibleavenues, finding new approaches and lending a more modern fascination to whatcould be a timeworn trick.

Somewhere in all this, Ed Marlo typically did what no one else did. Ratherthan execute an assembly that relied on gaffed cards or consummate skill, Marlopublished “Bluff Aces.” It was an apt title since no assembly really takes place.Marlo put away his moves for the moment and constructed a routine that takesplace mostly in the mind of the spectator. To top it off, he offered a surprisingrepeat phase that neatly cleaned everything up.

“Bluff Aces” appeared in one of the Ireland Yearbooks, which were releasedagain by Magic, Incorporated a few years ago. Here is John’s handling:

To start, openly remove the four Aces from the deck and place them facedown on top of the pack in Spade, Heart, Club, Diamond order (the Spade isthe top card of the deck). Say, “Many people ask if it’s possible for a gambler to cheat withcards that are out of his hands. Well, I don’t know about gamblers, but I’ll show you how amagician might do it.”

Push off the four Aces face down into your right hand, without reversing theirorder. As you do, push three more cards from the top of the deck. Pull these cardsback, holding a break beneath them with your left little finger as you flip the Acesas a group face up onto the pack. Immediately pick up all seven cards from abovein your right hand (Figure 1, in which your right fingers cover the thickness of the

Bluff Poker


packet from the front). Name the Ace of Diamonds aloudas you pull it onto the deck with your left thumb andflip it face down with the right-hand packet (Figure 2).Continue by flipping the Aces of Clubs and Hearts facedown onto the deck. You’re left with four cards in yourright hand, the Ace of Spades face up on top of three face-down indifferent cards. Continuing in the same rhythm,place all the cards on top of the deck and turn the Ace ofSpades face down.

Say, “Now, I’m going to deal everyone an Ace.” Deal the Aceof Spades to yourself, then deal the next three cards (sup-posedly Aces) from left to right in a row in front of yourspectators. Say, “And on top of each Ace, I’m going to place somecards.” As you say this, push off the next three cards (theactual Aces) as a group and take them by the near rightcorner so you can use them to tap each of the tabled facedown cards. While your active right hand controls youraudience’s attention, push over the top card of the deckslightly with your left thumb and pull it back to obtain alittle finger break beneath it. Place the right-hand cardson the deck for the briefest of moments and then raiseall four cards above the break to your left fingertips tosquare them fairly (Figure 3).

With the cards held high above the deck by your leftfingers, reach with your right hand and turn the nearestAce face up on the table, saying, “Since this one, the Ace ofSpades, is near me, it will be my Ace.” Turn the Ace face downagain and take the cards above the deck with your righthand. Casually allow the audience to see the indifferentface card of this packet as you place the cards on the Aceof Spades. “I’ll place a few cards on my Ace, a few cards on thisAce, a few on this one, and this one.”

Spread the next three cards from the top of the deck andtake them from above, still spread, with your right hand. Asin Figures 4 and 5, move your right hand to your left, squar-ing the cards against your left thumb above the deck. As youdo, however, allow the bottom card of the three to coalescewith the deck and really take two cards with your right hand,

which you place on the supposed Ace on the right end of the row.Spread the next three cards, square them, and place them on the center card of

the tabled row. In the same manner, place three more cards on the supposed Aceon the left end of the row. Table the deck to one side.

Say, “Now the object is for me to sneak your Aces away from you without your seeing me do it. Thisis how I might go about doing that.” Pick up the leftmost packet and hold it face downfrom above with your right hand, saying, “Watch this first Ace.” Take each card singly

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3


into your left hand, reversing their order in classic Biddle-counting style (Figure 6).As soon as you take the last card, snap your right fingers and turn your left handpalm down, pushing the cards through your fist with your thumb (Figure 7). Takethe emerging cards, which will be face up, with your right hand and then deal themto their former tabled position one at a time, showing the face of each card. Point toyour packet and pick it up, saying, “It’s traveled over here to join my Ace.”

Turn the packet face up in your left hand, showingthe Ace of Spades. Deal the Ace into your right hand,and on top of that, take the next indifferent card. TheAce of Diamonds will be the next card on the face of thepacket. Replace the two cards in your right hand on thepacket (the indifferent card on the face) and place thecards face down in their former position.

Pick up the center packet and glance at its face as youapparently remind yourself of the suit of the next Ace.Say, “And now, the second Ace, the, uh, Ace of Clubs.” Aftermiscalling the card, hold the packet in your right handas before and reverse the order of the cards as you takethem singly in your left. Again, immediately followthrough by pushing the cards through your fist and tak-ing them from the other side. Deal them face up to thetable to show the Ace of Clubs is no longer there.

Pick up your packet and turn it face up, holding it fromabove by your right hand. Peel off cards singly with yourleft thumb, showing first the indifferent card, then theAce of Spades, the Ace of Diamonds, and the Ace ofClubs. The Club is really a double card, which you placeon the face of the left-hand packet. Turn the cards facedown and hold them in your left hand.

Say, “As for the last Ace, it goes like this . . .” Make a gesturewith your right hand, as if you are invisibly removing theAce of Hearts from the last packet and dropping it into

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 7Figure 6


yours. Turn the packet in your left hand face up again, taking it from above withyour right. Peel off the Aces of Clubs, Hearts, and Diamonds with your left thumbinto a fan in your left hand, leaving the Ace of Spades (and the concealed indiffer-ent card) held by your right. Place the double on the face of the fan and then turnyour left hand palm down and back up to show the faces and backs of the cards.

Square the packet and turn the cards face down, taking them again from aboveby your right hand. Say, “I’ll do it for you again, just one last time. Here’s one, two, three,four Aces.” Reverse count the four cards into your left hand, the last being a double.As you place the double on top of the other three Aces, hold a little finger breakbeneath it.

Turn the two cards above the break face up as one as you say, “Here’s the Ace ofSpades.” Turn it face down and say, “Now, I’m going to put it in this pile, right here.” Takethe top card from the packet in your left hand (the indifferent card) and place itbeneath the cards at the right end of the tabled row. Say, “Now that leaves me over herewith just these three Aces, the Club, Heart, and Diamond.” Turn your left-hand packet faceup and take it from above with your right hand. Name the Aces as you peel theminto your left hand one at a time, ending with a double card.

Place the double card on the face of the packet and turn the cards face downagain. Say, “Watch, just a little move . . . and now the Ace is back.” Spread the face-downcards in your left hand to show four backs. Close the spread and deal the first twoAces singly from the top of the packet to the table. For the third Ace, take thebottom card instead (not difficult from a two-card packet) and deal it face upalso. Dramatically turn the last card, the Ace of Spades, over and place it with thetabled Aces.

The packet at the right end of the row still lies face down, tantalizing youraudience. Most likely, someone will grab for it, but the routine has already beencleaned up and there is nothing to find.


Marked for Life

rom Derek Dingle’s “We’ll Twist—If You Insist” (Derek Dingle’sComplete Works, one of Kaufman’s earliest—and best—works) tothis handling of the same plot. Both, if we are to believe the his-torians, owe a tipped hat to Sam Schwartz’s “Backflip” sequence,an approach to twisting the pasteboards that raced through the

card world like wildfire. Vernon started it all, though (perhaps to his dismay), foreven today, twisters still continue to twist, turning cards up and down, changingthem, multiplying them, transforming them . . . and if you think that there willnever be enough routines, keep in mind Robert Walker’s alleged Crux manuscript,a private tome that Jon Racherbaumer has often made reference to over the years,which supposedly contains hundreds of twisted ideas.

Here, four cards (an Ace, Two, Three, and Four) each mysteriously turn faceup within the packet. At the end, all the backs suddenly change. To do this,obtain an Ace, Two, and Three from a red-backed deck and a Four with a blueback. Also, you need one double-backed card with a blue back on one side anda red one on the other. With a heavy magic marker, draw a large capital “A” onthe back of the Ace, a “2” on the back of the Two, a “3” on the back of theThree, and finally a “4” on the red-backed side of thedouble-backed card.

The packet, from the top down, lies in this order: theface-up Four, the double-backed card (red side up), andthen the face-up Three, Two, and Ace (Figure 1).

Hold the packet in left-hand dealing position, thedouble-backed card on top. Say, “When I was about twelveyears old, my uncle had a game he used to play and he used onlyfour cards. He used an Ace, a Two, a Three, and a Four.” Takethe packet from above with your right hand so you canspread the cards from the rear of the packet with yourleft fingers, showing the faces of the cards (Figure 2).The two face cards are squared as one. Figure 1


“What he’d do is he’d take one card behind his back and he’d reverseit.” Take the double card with your right hand and theremainder of the cards in your left. Take both handsbehind your back for a moment, turn over the two cardsin your right hand, and place them on the left hand’spacket. When you bring your hands forward again, theorder of the packet should be double backer (blue-sideup), face-down Four, face-up Three, Two, and Ace.

“Then he’d come back and say, ‘John, if you can tell me which cardI’ve turned over in there, I’ll give you ten dollars. But if you name thewrong card, you have to mow the grass.’ Needless to say, we had thebest-looking lawn in town. I’ll show you why. If I had named anycard but the Ace, he’d show that the Ace was the one that was reversed,so I’d have to mow the grass.” Do the following modifiedElmsley Count. Begin with the five cards in left-handdealer’s grip. The palm-up right hand takes the packetat the inner-right corner with thumb on top and first andsecond fingers underneath. As this happens, the leftthumb draws the first card off onto the left palm, whilethe right thumb does a multiple push-off of the second,third, and fourth cards. The multiple push-off is mosteasily accomplished by using the right-hand second andthird fingers to draw the bottom card of the packet dia-gonally towards you and to the right. This helps to keepthe block of cards in alignment and serves primarily as aget-ready for the next move. The palm-up left hand comesback under the packet and wedges the first card beneaththe right-hand packet (between the right-hand thumb andfingers) and leaves it behind as it draws off the three-cardblock. As you count off the ostensibly third and fourthcards (but actually the fifth and first), outjog them instepped fashion so they end as in Figure 3 (in a conven-tional Elmsley Count the last two cards would be stackedflush singly on top of the packet). It should appear as ifthe left hand is merely drawing cards from the right hand(which remains essentially still) into the left, displayingeach card in the process.

To close this spread, pinch the rear cards with yourright thumb and forefinger (thumb on top—Figure 4) and pull the top card ofthese three back slightly. Now push these rear cards forward, holding the onepinched card as you push the outjogged cards flush with your left first finger. Asthe packet comes square, pull out the pinched card and place it on top of the packet.The face-up cards beneath it should remain concealed from the audience.

“Now I found out that my uncle was a cheat, you see, because if I had named the Ace, he’d say,‘No, the one I reversed in there was the Two.’ And I’d lose and I’d have to mow the grass.” Repeat

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4


the Elmsley Count technique to show the Two face up.Displace a card to the top in the same manner as before,by stepping the cards and pinching the center card fromthe rear as you close the spread. Repeat the count andthe displacement to show the Three face up as you say,“If I had said the Two, he’d say, ‘No, I’m sorry, the one I reversed inthere was the Three,’ and I’d lose and I’d have to mow the grass again.”

“Well, one day he said, ‘Hey, John, come here.’ I said, ‘I don’twant to play.’ He said, ‘Look, which one of these is reversed?’” Takethe top card of the packet (the Four) and cleanly turn itface up onto the other cards. “I said, ‘Well, it’s the four.’ Thenhe did a little move like that and said, ‘No, they’re all reversed; gomow the grass.’” Make a gesture, then take the cards fromabove in your right hand as you spread them from theback with your left finger (holding the two on the faceas one) to show all the cards face up.

“To make a long story short, I snuck into his room one day and Ifigured the entire trick out. See, he was actually using marked cardsand that way he knew which card to flip face up. In fact, if you lookon the backs of the cards, you can see the little marks he had.” Squarethe cards and turn the entire packet face down in yourleft hand. A red back will show. Take the cards fromabove with your right hand and peel them off singly withyour left thumb into a spread (Figure 5) as you say, “There’sthe Ace, there’s the Two, there’s the Three, and there’s the Four . . .and that’s the little trick with the four cards!” The last card willbe a double card, which you place on the face of the fan. Take the top two (reallythree) cards with your right hand, thumb on the double, and the bottom two withyour left (Figure 6). Separate your hands and turn them over to also show the facesof the cards before you put them away.

Andrew J. Pinard suggests beginning the routine with the cards set in the fol-lowing order (from the top down): The face-up Ace, Two, Three, and Four, withthe double-backed card (red-side up) on the bottom. This allows the back of thepacket (as well as the second card) to be casually shown as having blue backs whileminimizing the risk of premature flashing of the markings. Hold the packet faceup in right-hand Biddle Grip and display the cards individually by drawing theAce, Two, and Three with the left-hand thumb off into left-hand Dealer’s Grip(in the process reversing their order). The Four (actually a double, with the double-backer concealed) is then placed on top of the cards already in the left hand, end-ing up in the set-up as described on page 75. This display is virtually identical toa Flushtration Count without flashing the right-hand packets back each time (whichyou could do, but is completely unnecessary). He also suggests when marking thecards to align them in accordance with the direction of the pip on the Ace, suchthat when the time comes to display them, they will be appropriately aligned to-wards the audience.

Figure 5

Figure 6

The John Cornelius Card System 79

The John CorneliusCard System


The John Cornelius Card System

or several years a marketed item, this idea quickly became a favo-rite of many workers in the fraternity. When it was first released,it rivaled the effectiveness of any system yet in print, not onlyfor its many possibilities, but also for its ease in use and the effectsit made possible.

As an example:

THREEFOLD

After shuffling the deck, you allow each of three spectators to cut off a portion.Each looks at the face card to which he cut (point #1—no force), then each shuffleshis cards (point #2—destroying the suspicion of a stacked deck), losing his selec-tion. The performer then addresses one of the spectators and writes his first pre-diction on a business card or other piece of paper (point #3—you are really writ-ing the name of the person’s card at this point). Taking the cards back from thespectator, you remove one and place it with his prediction. You then write anotherprediction for the second spectator, place it in front of him, then retrieve his cardsand place one before him. This sequence is repeated with the last spectator (point#4—the predictions are always written first). Without coming near the predic-tions or cards again, you ask each person to name his thought-of card. Each turnsover the card you gave them and their prediction (point #5—this eliminates inthe spectators’ minds the possibility of switches or one-ahead maneuvers). Thepredictions are correct and each card matches its prediction!

* * *

If you have studied any previously published card systems, it is obvious that thisroutine could be accomplished using the Nikola Card System (described in Jean


Hugard’s Encyclopedia of Card Tricks). The Nikola system, however, is difficult tomaster and is learned only through diligent memorization. Without constant use,the stack is easily forgotten.

The effect can also be accomplished using a Si Stebbins or similar stack. Here,though, it would demand the marking of the cards or glimpses at crucial moments,damaging the fairness of the effect. With the Cornelius system in play, the specta-tors can note their cards and shuffle their packets while your back is turned. It is alsonot necessary to see the faces of their cards to learn the identity of the selections.

Before explaining this effect, which was honed by both John Cornelius and JohnNovak, it is first important to understand the system and its advantages. In essence,it is a stacked deck combined with a radically nontraditional keying principle.Whereas in the Si Stebbins sequence a card’s identity provides information con-cerning its relationship to the rest of the stack, the Cornelius system works fromthe other direction: A card’s position in the sequence tells you its identity. Also,unlike Si Stebbins, a critical but unknowing observer could examine the order ofthe deck for as long as he might desire and never discover the pattern. You mayenjoy setting a deck of cards in the sequence of the Cornelius system and attempt-ing to derive its underlying scheme. The stack is as follows:

1. J of Hearts2. 2 of Hearts3. Q of Clubs4. Q of Hearts5. A of Hearts6. 2 of Diamonds7. J of Clubs8. Q of Spades9. A of Diamonds

10. J of Spades11. 10 of Spades12. 3 of Hearts13. 2 of Clubs14. 5 of Diamonds15. 4 of Spades16. 7 of Hearts17. 6 of Clubs18. 9 of Diamonds19. 8 of Clubs20. K of Hearts21. 9 of Spades22. 4 of Hearts23. A of Clubs24. 6 of Diamonds25. 3 of Spades26. 8 of Hearts

27. 5 of Clubs28. 10 of Diamonds29. 7 of Clubs30. K of Clubs31. 8 of Spades32. 5 of Hearts33. 10 of Clubs34. 7 of Diamonds35. 2 of Spades36. 9 of Hearts37. 4 of Clubs38. J of Diamonds39. 6 of Spades40. K of Diamonds41. 7 of Spades42. 6 of Hearts43. 9 of Clubs44. 8 of Diamonds45. A of Spades46. 10 of Hearts47. 3 of Clubs48. Q of Diamonds49. 5 of Spades50. K of Spades51. 4 of Diamonds52. 3 of Diamonds


THE SYSTEM

Here, then, is the crux of the system: With few exceptions, a particular card’snumeric position in the deck cues the identity and suit of the card. For example,the number “25” encodes the suit and value of the 25th card, the 3 of Spades.

The basic rules are very simple. To derive a card’s value, if the position numberis even, add the digits together. If the position number is odd, subtract the left digitfrom the right (if the left digit is larger than the right, then bump the right digitup by ten).

Now you can see that the card in the 36th position is a Nine, because the sumof the digits in 36 (which is even) is nine. Similarly, the card in the 39th position(an odd number) is a Six, since subtracting the “3” from the “9” leaves six. Tak-ing another possibility, the card in the 41st position is a Seven. Because 41 is anodd number, we subtract the left digit from the right (remembering to increasethe value of the right digit by ten, since it is initially the smaller of the two). As“4” from “11” leaves “7,” we have derived the value of this card.

For the suit of the card, consider only the right digit in the position number. Ifthis digit is a one, two, three, or four, then you know the suit, since

1 = Spades 2 = Hearts 3 = Clubs 4 = Diamonds

To remember this easily, note that a Spade has ONE prominent point, a Hearthas TWO distinct halves, a Club has THREE principal sections, and a Diamondhas FOUR corners.

Now, if the right digit of the position number is larger than “4,” subtract eitherfour or eight until you are left with a number between one and four (“casting outfours”). For example, the suit of the card in position 32 is a Heart, because the rightdigit is a “2.” Similarly, the suit of the 49th card is a Spade, since the right digit is“9.” Removing all the fours from “9” (or to say the same thing a different way,subtracting eight from nine), leaves us with one, which represents Spades.

The formula is really quite simple once you are familiar with its workings. Forsome further examples, consider the 22nd position in the stack. Because the num-ber is even, we add the digits together, giving us four. Since the right digit is a two,we know the suit is Hearts. The card, therefore, is the 4 of Hearts.

For position 17, since the number is odd, we subtract one from seven, giving ussix for the value, and since the right digit is a “7,” subtracting four from it will giveus three for the suit. We know, then, that the card at that position is the 6 of Clubs.

As one more example, consider the 31st position. Because the number is odd,we subtract the left digit (“3”) from the right (“1”). We first have to bump upthe one (by adding ten) to eleven, where we can then deduce that eleven minusthree equals eight. The right digit also tells us that the suit of the card is Spades,giving us the 8 of Spades.

As we mentioned earlier, there are some exceptions to this formula, none ofwhich affect the “Threefold” routine described a few pages back. You can easilytake them into account for most any routine.


For the first exception, remember that the Kings do not prescribe to the for-mula. Instead, they are placed at positions 20, 30, 40, and 50. For them, the leftdigit represents the suit (position 20 = the K of Hearts, 30 = the K of Clubs,40 = the K of Diamonds, and, remembering to subtract four, 50 = the K of Spades).

Secondly, the first ten and the last two cards do not conform to the system.Instead, they were distributed randomly and could be memorized in these posi-tions if needed for another routine.

Lastly, the cards in the 19th and 29th positions (the first two positions in theformula that end in “9”) are not Spade cards, as you would expect, but Clubs.This does not affect the value of the cards, but only the suit. (This also does notinvolve the cards at positions 39 and 49—they are still Spades).

Perhaps the best way to learn the system is with the help of another, who calls outpositions for you to interpret as rapidly as you are able. Another possibility is towrite the position numbers on the back of a deck of cards and test yourself repeat-edly. You can overlook the first ten cards and the last two (which do not follow theformula) if you like, or you can commit them to memory anyway, which may helpyou in other effects. As you practice, you may also wish to start with the identity ofthe cards and work backwards to their positions—an interesting exercise.

After working with the system in this way, you will soon find that simply see-ing the number will bring the identity of the card to mind without going throughthe calculations. At this point, you know that you have formed a firm memorylink in your mind.

Now, we come to the explanation for the effect “Threefold.” To perform, havehandy some slips of paper on which to write your predictions or, as John Novaksuggests, pay envelopes. Here is the routine with the Novak handling:

With a deck stacked in the Cornelius order, false shuffle the cards (the “Oh,Calcutta” Shuffle fits perfectly here) as you ask the spectators to help you in anunusual experiment. If you wish, you can say that the experiment you are aboutto perform is the same as one done by Dr. Rhine at Duke University when heconducted his famous studies in extrasensory perception. Ask the first specta-tor to cut off a packet of cards from the top of the deck. Because of the ten-cardblock atop the deck that is not part of the actual system, ensure that the specta-tor cuts more than ten cards by asking him to cut off about half the deck. If hefails, ask him to return them and cut them a little deeper. Let us assume he cutsoff 15 cards.

Offer the remainder of the deck to a second spectator, who cuts off anotherpacket of cards (let us assume 19). A third spectator also cuts off a packet (per-haps 11) from what is left of the deck.

Pick up the remainder of the cards and ask each person to look at the face cardof his packet—the card to which he cut—remember it, and shuffle his packetthoroughly. Overhand shuffle your packet to demonstrate, but count the cards asyou do (here, you will have seven cards). Because of this, you know that the thirdspectator looked at the 45th card in the stack (52 minus 7). Therefore you alsoknow that his card is the Ace of Spades (for this routine, John removed the 51stand 52nd cards of the deck—the 3 of Diamonds and 4 of Diamonds—because


it’s easier to subtract from 50 than 52. The result is the same; in this case therewould be five cards left in your packet instead of seven).

Picking up your first envelope, write “Ace of Spades” on its outside and lay iton the table, writing-side down. Take the packet from the third spectator, spreadit faces toward yourself and locate the Ace of Spades. At this time, you also countthe number of cards in his packet (in our example, 11 cards). Upjog the Ace ofSpades without revealing its identity, say, “This is the card I am thinking of,” and placethe card in the envelope.

Because you know that the third spectator thought of the 45th card and he cutoff 11 cards, you know now that the second spectator thought of the 34th card(45–11 = 34). If you think back to the original cutting procedure, this shouldbecome obvious.

A quicker and safer way to arrive at the correct number, though, rather thancounting the number of cards in the third spectator’s packet and then subtracting,is simply to “count down” in threes as you locate the Ace of Spades in the packet.In other words, since you know that the third spectator thought of the 45th card,as you look for his selection, thumb the cards in his packet over in groups of three,thinking to yourself, “45, 42, 39, 36,” at which point you will have two cardsremaining, which brings you to “34.”

The 34th card in the system is the 7 of Diamonds. Write “Seven of Diamonds”on the next envelope and place it on the table, writing-side down. Take the packetback from this spectator and spread it before yourself, counting down the cardsand locating the 7 of Diamonds. In our example, since the second spectator cutoff 19 cards, you will silently count, “34, 31, 28, 25, 22, 19, 16 . . . 15.” Removethe 7 of Diamonds, saying, “This is my second thought,” and place it in the envelope.

Since you have already deduced that the first spectator is thinking of the 15thcard (because the previous position number, which was 34, minus the 19 cards inthe second spectator’s packet equals 15), you now know his card to be the 4 ofSpades. Write that name on the remaining envelope. Remove the 4 of Spades fromthe spectator’s packet, saying, “Ah, here is the third one I was thinking of,” and place itinside the envelope.

There is nothing left to do now but ask each spectator, one by one, to name hiscard and remove it from the envelope to verify that you were correct. Then, byreading your prediction on the envelope, you’ve proven yourself to be doubly correctwith each of the three cards!

Some may note that in order for it to be a true “prediction,” it would be moreproper to write the name of the card on the envelope before each spectator looksat the bottom of his packet and shuffles his cards. With some rework, this is pos-sible, but you should reconsider the rhythm of the performance and adjust yourpresentation and patter accordingly. Considering all the elements, this is a power-ful effect derived from simple means—often the best kind of magic.

More Bits 87

More Bits

More Bits 89

Hanky

t’s a classic ruse to place an object in the upper corner of yourpants pocket so that you can turn the pocket inside out to appa-rently show it empty. Bobo’s Modern Coin Magic and several otherworks contain routines that exploit thisidea. Changes (or, perhaps, alterations?)

in men’s tailoring, though, have made the idea less prac-tical these days, and the ploy seems to have been prettymuch forgotten by the modern magician.

John, however, has typically approached the idea fromanother direction, one that is (if you will pardon the pun)cut from a different cloth. It is a simple idea that allowsyou to hide not only small objects, but very large ones aswell, in your pocket while you apparently turn it inside out.

Simply take a pocket handkerchief (or a piece of cloththat roughly matches the inside of your pants pocket) andpinch it at its center as in Figure 1. Place the handkerchiefin your pocket on top of your secret props, which can beanything that your pocket will hold. At an appropriatepoint in your routine, reach in and grasp the center ofthe handkerchief, pulling it out. Let it dangle from yourpocket as you gesture with your empty hand (Figure 2).When ready, simply push the cloth back in your pocketand continue with your routine, retrieving your propswhenever you desire. The illusion of showing the insideof an empty pocket is compelling.

Lest you think the fabric of the idea is frayed, here isa routine that uses it well. It is tightly woven and seamsto be one you can perform off the cuff. In essence, as theperformer gently needles the audience, the four Aces

Figure 1

Figure 2


thread their way to his pocket. Before he can button it down, though, the entiredeck zips away and he finds it elsewhere. Sounds like work, but the method is verythimble.

DECK IN THE ROUND (Pocket Rocket Aces)

For this, you need two identical decks of cards and a handkerchief. Take one deckand set the Aces of Hearts, Clubs, and Diamonds on top. Remove the Ace of Spadesentirely. Now pinch the center of the handkerchief, preparing it for the pocketploy just described. Place the deck near the open end of the handkerchief and foldthe corners of the cloth up and around the cards (Figure 3). When the handker-chief and deck are placed in your pocket, the pack will act as an anchor, prevent-ing you from pulling the fabric out too far. Place the assembly in your right trou-ser pocket so that the face of the deck is toward your body.

When ready to perform, take the other deck and hold it in your left hand, asyou pull the handkerchief from your right pocket to apparently show it empty.Push the cloth back in and say that you are going to do an unusual feat with thefour special cards. Spread the deck and remove the Aces. Say, “Now anyone can find

Aces like that, but what I wanted to show you is how to find them ina mysterious manner. So to start, we’ll completely lose the Aces infour different parts of the deck.”

Holding the deck face down now, place the Aces infour different parts of the pack. As you do, you mustcontrol one Ace, the Spade, to the bottom of the deck.How you do this is largely a matter of choice, and a simpleone, since the other Aces can be totally lost. As anexample, you can place the Aces in different parts of thedeck, the Spade being closest to the bottom, and thenuse a cull or a well-timed cut to bring it to the face.

Once the Ace of Spades is at the face of the deck andthe others are out of play, completely square up the cardsand display them in a way that makes it obvious you holdno breaks or jogs. Afterwards, take the deck back in deal-ing position in your left hand and pull the bottom carddown with your little finger to obtain a break above it(Figure 4).

Riffle the front end of the deck lightly with your rightfingers as you say “Watch . . . ” Show your right hand emptyand turn your right side toward the audience somewhatto give them a view of your pants pocket on that side.Reach in your pocket and cleanly remove the top Acefrom the hidden deck within. Drop it to the table or handit to a spectator as you turn full-front and say, “That’s num-ber one.”

Figure 3

Figure 4

More Bits 91

Figure 5

Figure 6

Lightly riffle the deck again and turn your body far-ther to the left, giving your audience a fuller view of yourpocket. Reach in with your right hand and remove thenext Ace, turning to face your audience again as you say,“That’s number two.” Discard this Ace in the same manner.

Riffle the cards once more, show your right handempty and turn nearly full left as you remove the thirdAce from your pocket. At this moment, drop all the cardsfrom your left hand—except the bottom one—into yourleft jacket pocket. Quickly adjust the Ace of Spades inyour left hand to hold it as in Figure 5, your left fingersand thumb covering the front edges of the card. As youdrop the third Ace to the table, turn to face your audi-ence again. The remaining Ace masquerades as the topcard of the deck. Say, “That’s number three.”

Reach over with your right hand and casually pretendto square the cards in your left hand. When the momentis right, say, “And here’s number four!” Turn your left handpalm down as you push the card through your fist withyour thumb (Figure 6). The Ace of Spades will presentitself face up. Say, “That one didn’t go anywhere at all . . . butwhere’s the deck?”

Look toward the back of the room as if someone ispointing at you. Say, “I’m sorry? Oh, the pocket?” Reach inyour right pocket and bring out the rest of the cards.“Thank goodness I didn’t have to do that forty-eight more times!” Youare now left with a full deck with which to perform any further miracles—andthat about sews that up.


Visiting with Doug Henning on casual Friday at The Magic Castle.

More Bits 93

he disappearance of a lit cigarette hasbeen considered by many to be one ofthe strongest (if not the strongest) close-up effect one could hope to perform.1

John’s method is something of a depar-ture from most and when followed with “Lip Service”(described a little later), a baffling combination is born.

We should mention now that the cigarette that van-ishes is not a true cigarette. Obtain some brass tubing withthe same inside diameter as a cigarette, but about an eighthor a quarter of an inch shorter. Clean the tube with vin-egar and then, after it is dry, paint it white. Tape aflesh-colored bandage to one end (which from a shortdistance can be easily mistaken for a filter tip—Figure 1). Attach a small nicotine-removing plastic filter (available at most drug stores for detail see Figure 1) to areel, then use a strip of bandage to fasten the tube to the plastic filter against theend. Pin the reel under the inside breast pocket of your jacket or thereabouts (bodyframes are different, so you should experiment to find the best position for you).Now place a real cigarette inside the tube with a little of the tobacco end stickingout. Put the tube in a cigarette case (which then goes in a pocket) or loose insidea convenient pocket on the right side of your body where you can get to it easily.The cigarette can even hang free under the right side of your jacket if you wish topretend to remove it from an inner pocket. Put a cigarette lighter in a left pocket.

SmokeFree

Figure 1

1. How can I vanish thee? Let me count the ways . . . the thumbtip (of course), the fingertip, thepull (second favorite), the pendulum principle, the secret pocketing action, the sleeve, the cuff,over the head (out of doors, naturally), the collapsible cigarette, lapping, “flooring,” vanishinginto some type of prop, tonguing, or most likely the least popular: the grimace-evoking, jaw-grinding, tear-jerking “insertion” method.


When ready, reach in your right pocket and remove the cigarette, gripping it as inFigure 2. The filament to the reel is hidden behind your arm. Take the lighter fromyour left pocket. Hold the cigarette with your right hand as in Figure 3, clipping itbetween your first and second fingers and thumb. The thread now stays behind yourhand as you bring the cigarette to your face with the lighter to light it.

Set the cigarette aflame and take a puff or two as you talk. It will not stay lit forlong, because the flame has no room to breathe. Put the lighter away (or perhaps

make it disappear). Now grip the cigarette and place itagainst your left hand as in Figure 4 (think of this as aretention vanish with a coin and you’ll get the feel). Asyou curl your left fingers around the tube, they begin toform a screen, obscuring your audience’s view of the ciga-rette (Figure 5). As soon as the cigarette is out of sight,let it go with your right hand, avoiding any finger move-ments the spectators might notice.

The reel will pull the cigarette behind your right handand inside your jacket. Move your left fingers back andforth in a crumbling motion as you take your right handaway from it and gesture with your open palm. Slowlyopen your left hand to show it empty.

There isn’t much more to say about the technique—the simplicity stands on its own. With a little rehearsal,the movements follow each other very naturally, and theapparent lack of effort lends a magical quality to thesequence.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4 Figure 5

More Bits 95

ome of us go to museums, theaters, or great libraries. Some perusefine clothing stores. Then there are some, like John, who hangout at Radio Shack, a veritable playground of low-end electricalconsumer goods. While loitering in thisrheostat heaven one day, John happened

upon some white heat-shrinkable tubing, which lookedto him remarkably like a cigarette, even if it was threefeet long. That connection was all it took. Later, at home,he further found that by cutting the tube to an appropri-ate length and putting a flesh-colored bandage at one end(to resemble a filter), from a short distance the itemlooked more like a cigarette than some cigarettes do, butit was extremely pliable and fun to play with. From therecame several ideas, which he presented in lectures aroundthe world. . . .

EPHEMERAL

Display one of these rubber cigarettes to your audience andhold it between both hands as in Figure 1. As you talk aboutmaking the cigarette invisible and then breaking it in two,bring your hands together. The cigarette will fold into a‘Z’ shape as in Figure 2, which you can shove deeper intoyour right thumb and fingertips (Figure 3). Separate yourhands and turn them fingertips toward your spectators. Theaudience sees the situation as in Figure 4 while you talk aboutthe two invisible pieces you supposedly hold in your hands(this is something of a “slow-motion cigarette vanish”).

Trying to Quit

Figure 1

Figure 2


When you’re ready to bring the cigarette back, bringthe hands together again and grasp the end of the ciga-rette with your left thumb and fingers (Figure 5). Sepa-rate your hands, stretching the cigarette to its fulllength, so you end in the same position in which youstarted.

CHAIN SMOKER

For this multiple production, start with eight rubber ciga-rettes in a fingerpalm position in your right hand (Fig-ure 6). The “filter” ends are closer to the base of yourhand. Because the tubes compress so easily, your handcan be very relaxed and casual as you gesture and talk.

To produce the first cigarette, wave your hand up anddown slightly as you place your thumb beneath the onenearest your forefinger. Under cover of the gentle shak-ing movement, push this cigarette out between your firstand second fingers (Figure 7), ending in classic American“smoker’s position.” Take the cigarette in your left hand.Repeat the movement for the remaining cigarettes, grace-fully producing each with flair, aplomb, and consummateskill.

LIP SERVICE

John sometimes uses this immediately after “Smoke Free” (the cigarette vanishusing a reel, presented earlier in the book) to great effect. Showing his hands per-fectly empty, the magician turns around for the briefest of moments. When heturns back around, a cigarette is protruding from his mouth.

Figure 3

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 4

More Bits 97

To do this, place a rubber cigarette behind your up-per lip, in front of your teeth. Held here, the cigarette issecure and you can speak freely without impediment.After some other effects, say, “Watch, nothing in the hands,”as you show your hands completely bare. Holding yourhands where they are visible, turn around, facing theopposite direction.

As soon as you do, pry the cigarette out of your mouthwith your tongue and hold it between your lips. Turnback around and say, “See? I told you to watch!” For a nicetouch, take the cigarette from your mouth and throw itto the ground, stepping on it as if you were smotheringthe flame. “Nasty things,” you mutter, as you move on toyour next routine.

Figure 7


David Copperfield, before the hair and the supermodels.

More Bits 99

lash paper has long been a staple of magicians. The story of“Dorny” Dornfield (one of Chicago’s true originals) comes tomind, who was hanging out one day in the back of Joe Berg’smagic shop in Chicago. A large shipment of flash paper had justarrived and Berg was busy unpacking the material and checking

in the merchandise while Dorny stood nearby, talking in his grand manner andrelating his tall tales. As he gestured carelessly, waving his hands to make a vitalpoint, a small, almost microscopic, ash from his trademark cigar fell to the table.

WHHOOOOOOOOOOSH! The explosion was nearly blinding as the flameswept across the table in a matter of seconds. The two men stood for a minute,dazed and shocked. “My God,” said Joe, “who’s going to pay for all that flashpaper?” Dorny looked around him for a moment, blank-faced, took a long puffon his cigar and, after some consideration, said, “What flash paper?”

John has developed several ideas with flash paper which have long been a stapleof his lectures. Some of these thoughts follow:

A SMOKE FOR OLD SCRATCH

Showing a small piece of paper, the performer folds it into something resemblinga cigarette. When it is lit, however, it erupts in flame and the performer is leftholding a genuine filter king.

This is another item that John has used for several years to great effect. Theidea is also incorporated in “The Incredibill Routine,” a routine to be describedlater in the book. Have a package of flash paper and a cigarette in your outsideright coat pocket. Your cigarette lighter is in your left pocket.

Take out the package of paper and, while talking to your audience, remove onesheet and put the package back in your right pocket. As you continue to speak,roll the paper into the shape of a cigarette (Figure 1). Reach into the right jacket

Flashes


pocket while pretending to look for a lighter and get the unfiltered end of thecigarette in a clipped position between your first and second fingers (Figure 2).Now bring your hand from your pocket and place the paper in your right hand(Figure 3) as you reach in your left pocket for the lighter. The entire series of actionsshould appear as though you have merely been searching for the lighter.

When you light the end of the paper, the flame will cover the motion of yourright hand as you move your thumb beneath the hiddencigarette (Figure 4) and push it up, so that it pops out atyour fingertips (Figure 5). Ideally, the cigarette shouldoccupy the same position as the paper did a minute ago.From here, you can put your lighter away and continuewith your chosen effect.

MY CARD, SIR

For this idea, maneuver to have one of your business cardsbackpalmed behind your right hand as in Figure 6. Placethe piece of flash paper at your fingertips and hold it for

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 4

Figure 3

Figure 5

More Bits 101

a moment while you light your lighter with your left. Touch the paper with theflame and, as it burns, produce the card from backpalm as in Figures 7 and 8 (theflame is omitted for clarity). Hand your card to your prospective client and promiseto do lunch.

HOT SILVER

Similar to the previous and a little easier, this is a finecomponent for many coin routines. Hold a coin inDowns Palm in your right hand (Figure 9). From the front,when you hold the hand level and the coin parallel to thefloor, the audience sees your empty palm. Lighting thepaper and taking advantage of the cover provided by theburst of flame, produce the coin as in Figures 10 and 11.From here you can follow through with the routine ofyour choice.

As an alternative, you can start with the coin inbackclip position (Figure 12) and move it to the front as

Figure 6

Figure 8

Figure 10

Figure 7

Figure 9


in Figures 13 and 14 under cover of the sudden flash. Eitherway, the appearance is surprising.

FANNING THE FLAMES

The Automatic Card Fan is a standard prop among stagemagicians and is available under many different marketednames (Max Londono’s “Auto Fan” is one). Basically,the deck is spring-loaded to form a perfect fan when youlet it go. It was always a better-used item when the fanwas formed under the benefit of some type of cover, rather

than letting it spring open in plain view. The use of flash paper walks the balancebetween the two alternatives and provides a most magical occurrence.

Close the deck and hold it in an angle-palmed position (Tenkai) in your righthand as in Figure 15. This grip permits an open appearance of the hand, whilekeeping a secure hold of the cards. With your left hand, place a piece of flash paperat your right fingertips (Figure 16). When you light the paper, bring the fan up toyour fingers and let it open (Figures 17 and 18). Curiously, as the paper burns, because

Figure 11

Figure 13

Figure 15

Figure 12

Figure 14

More Bits 103

it is in front of the cards, it looks like the flame shrinksand vanishes directly in front of the center of the fan, asif the deck appears from the edges inward. With propertiming, the opening of the fan is invisible and the effectis very startling. Standing there, smile at your audienceand say, “Marlo. Pretty good, huh?”

The possibilities for these types of flash productionsare limitless. Play, albeit carefully, but play . . . andexplore.

Figure 16

Figure 17

Figure 18


Working a private party for IBM.

More Bits 105

The Pendulum Principle

ot a move or a strategy, but a concept. John began demonstrat-ing this idea in his lectures several years ago, showing severalapplications and uses. Since then, others have made use of theprinciple. Danny Korem’s various uses of “The Upside DownTopit,” for instance (somewhat chidingly titled as such by Charlie

Miller, we hear), are the Pendulum Principle cast in different molds.To understand the idea, get a piece of strong black thread (carpet thread is good,

as is black fishing line) that’s about 20 inches long. The exact length will varyaccording to your height, so feel free to adjust it as necessary. Tie a sewing needleonto one end of the thread and insert it into the middle of a 2” rubber ball. Onthe other end of the thread, attach a safety pin, which is then fixed to the seam inyour shirt that runs above your right shoulder. The thread runs over your shoul-der and down the right side of your back, where the ball hangs quietly. After youput your jacket on, you will find that you have good movement without fear ofexposing the ball (assuming it’s properly positioned), yet by reaching beneath thehem of your coat with your right hand, you can retrieve it easily. Take the ball andplace it in your inside right jacket pocket.

Now, take a handkerchief and drape it over your right palm. Reach in your insidepocket with your left hand and take out the ball, placing it on the handkerchief.Very slowly bring a corner of the handkerchief up to cover the ball. When the ballis hidden from the audience’s view, tilt your right hand inward at the wrist just alittle bit. The ball will roll off your hand and swing beneath your coat out of sight.Although the audience has seen no movement of either hand (the right hand’s actionis very minute) and everything appears fair, you show the ball has gone. An alterna-tive is to place the ball on your right hand first and, holding the handkerchief at itscenter with your left hand, cover the ball, letting it roll away as you do.

Keep in mind that it is a simple tilt of your right hand that releases the ball, agentle motion rather than tossing the ball from your hand or abruptly droppingit. It is the apparent lack of any moves that lends a magical quality to the vanish.


Try this: Drill a fine hole through two dice and thread them both onto yourstring. The die on the end is fixed there, but the other die is loose and can slideeasily up and down the thread. You can now take the dice from your pocket, shakethem, toss them from hand to hand, and move them about in other casual man-ners. Finally, cover the dice with a handkerchief and hold it so the spectators cansee the pips through the fabric. Despite this, assure your audience that they willnot be able to tell you the total of the numbers on top of the dice. When they try,pull the handkerchief slowly away, as you tilt your hand just far enough to allowthe dice to silently fall and swing beneath your coat. Your onlookers will be non-plussed.

Formal Miracles 107

Formal Miracles

Formal Miracles 109

Super (Ball) Card Rise

Figure 1

ust how many methods have there been for the Rising Card? Theamount of thought alone that has gone into the effect shouldvalidate it, and unlike Arisen! (described elsewhere in the book)this one is nearly self-working yet quite baffling. Here, three cardsare selected and the deck is placed upright in a drinking glass. In

succession, each selection rises from the deck, after which the audience may exam-ine the glass and all the cards.

John first noticed years ago that the tacky surface of a child’s rubber ball (com-monly called a “super ball”) can be used to move playing cards. He first showedhis handling to Derek Dingle years ago and since then it has become a very popu-lar underground approach to the rising card effect. His handling (and all the others)put the upright deck in the hand with the ball behind it. By squeezing slightly, theball would roll, pushing the rear card of the deck straight upwards. This new appli-cation of the principle makes the handling even easier while possibly increasingthe deceptiveness.

First, obtain a super ball that is approximately one inch in diameter, a length ofstrong black thread, a needle, and a button. Tie the threadfirmly to the button and, about four inches away, securethe needle at its other end. Next, jam the needle into thecenter of the super ball (Figure 1). If it comes out the otherside, that’s okay, just snip off the excess.

Now place the super ball in the bottom of a dark col-ored or opaque drinking glass. The thread and button hangover the rim behind the glass, away from the audience’sview (Figure 2). The glass rests on the table in front of youwhile you perform other routines. When ready, have threecards selected and returned to the deck. You must controlthe three cards to the top of the deck—dare we say it?—by your favorite method. The cards can be placed simul-


Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

taneously in the deck and brought to the top by a multiple shift or returned indi-vidually and controlled with a variety of techniques . . . just get them there.

Once the selections are in position (let’s assume you’ve controlled them in first,second, and third order from the top of the deck), pick up the glass with yourright hand and place the deck upright in it, faces to the audience. As you place thedeck in the glass, tilt the glass back toward you slightly, which will ensure the ball

rolls to the near side and ends behind the pack (Figure 3).To make the first card rise, place your right thumb

on the button while you magically wave your left handaround the glass. Ask the first spectator the name of hiscard. When he tells you, pull down on the button, whichwill pull the ball up inside the glass, dragging the top cardof the deck with it (Figure 4). It helps to tilt the glassbackwards again just a tad. From the front, the cardappears to rise from somewhere within the pack; the audi-ence cannot distinguish that it’s coming from the rear.

When the card has risen to its full height, take holdof it with your left hand and tilt the glass forward a little.This way, you can remove the card without dragging theball out of the glass with it. Keeping your thumb on thebutton, let it slide back up, lowering the ball to the bot-tom of the glass again. Place the selection on the table.

For the second and third selections, repeat the mechan-ics exactly, causing each card to rise. After you’ve removedthe third selection, hold your left hand palm up and invertthe glass onto it. The deck will fall into your left hand,the ball and button assembly landing on your palm behindit (Figure 5). Show the glass around and hand it out, thentake the deck in your right hand and fan it before settingon the table for examination. Your left hand continuesholding the ball, button, and thread, and you secretlydispose of it at an opportune moment.

Figure 5

Formal Miracles 111

his item first appeared in John’s special issue of The Pallbearer’sReview, under the title “S=C2.” The offbeat effect and methodwere typical of John’s thinking in those days and became a stan-dard item in his lectures.

For this quick interlude, in which asilver coin changes into two coppers, all you need are thethree coins. With a small amount of wax or putty, fixthe two copper coins together. All three coins are in yourright jacket pocket and you sit at the table with yourspectators.

To perform, reach in your pocket and take all threecoins. When your hand comes out, though, it is still be-low the level of the table. Silently let the copper coinsfall in your lap just before you raise your right hand todisplay the silver. Place the silver on your palm up lefthand to display it.

As you show it and talk about its unusual properties,casually drop your right hand to your lap and obtain thecopper coins, classic palming them. Once you’ve securedthem, bring your right hand above the table and to yourleft to take the silver coin. When you pick it up, also allowthe coppers to fall secretly onto your left fingers (Figure 1).As you carry the silver away, form a loose fist with yourleft hand and turn it with your thumb uppermost (Fig-ure 2).

Place the silver coin on your left fist near the holeformed by your thumb (Figure 3) and push it in. Unknownto the audience, you work the silver coin out of the backof the fist (Figure 4).

Meta-Fusion

Figure 1

Figure 2


Gesture with your right hand and slowly poke yourforefinger into the top of your left fist, separating thewaxed coins and pushing one partly out of the bottomof your left hand (Figure 5). From below, pull out thecopper, showing it for a moment, then drop it to the table.As the coin hits the table (drawing attention), momen-tarily rest your left hand near the table edge and lap thesilver coin. Immediately bring your left hand further ontothe table again as you say, “Some people suspect I still have acoin in my hand. I do, but it’s a copper one, too.” Open your lefthand and show the second copper coin to end.

Obviously, you can use any denomination of coins forthis effect, which would make a fine component in manyroutines. Here, then, we have a larval idea that can bereborn many times in many different guises, dependingon your immediate need.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Formal Miracles 113

arl Fulves’s The Pallbearers Review was a fascinating magazine, con-taining many routines, ideas, subterfuges, and even puzzles fromthe finest minds in magic (we’ve already referenced John’s spe-cial issue several times). In 1993, the complete collection wasreleased again by L&L Publishing—an event most welcomed by

those dearly interested in their craft who were unable to locate any of the rareissues themselves.

Within its pages appeared an item for the mentalist readers, entitled “Nor Eyesto See With” (p. 291 / Volume 5, No. 1). Fulves offered several possible effects,all based on the same principle contributed by Don Nielsen. Basically, the per-former could divulge several qualities about articles given to him behind his back,including the ability to interpret writing, determine color, and divine the settingson watch dials. This was possible by using a length of fiber-optic tubing, whichgave a more literal meaning to the mentalists’ term: “reading.” Inspired by this,John went—typically—in another direction and devised this routine involving threeborrowed bills. Because it is seemingly impromptu, it is a baffling demonstrationof psychic prowess.

Before performing, memorize the serial number on adollar bill, then attach the bill underneath the rear of yourcoat or tuck it in your waistband (or under your belt)behind you. Have a blindfold in your pocket or nearby.

When ready to go into the routine, ask your audiencefor the loan of a one-, a five-, and a ten-dollar bill. Say-ing that you want to avoid having prior knowledge of anyof the numbers on the bills, ask your helpers to place thebills face down on your hand.

Immediately upon receiving the one-dollar bill, secretlypress down on its center with your thumbnail, your fin-gers applying upward pressure from below (Figure 1). This

MoneyTalk

Figure 1


will leave an impression in the bill—an identifying mark you can feel later. Youeasily cover this small action by the movement of your hand as you walk to thenext spectator to receive his bill.

When he gives you the five-dollar bill, mark it in the same way you did the one,but near a corner. Obtain a ten-dollar bill from your next assistant. Leave this bill,however, unmarked.

Hand all the bills to another spectator and ask him to thoroughly mix themwhile you put on your blindfold. Allow the spectators to verify that you have totallydeprived yourself of sight. Turn around and ask your assistant with the bills tohand you one behind your back. When he does, turn back around to face youraudience and divine the bill’s denomination—made easy by feeling for the loca-tion (or absence) of your marks. As soon as you’ve named the bill, hand it back toyour helper and ask for the other two behind your back. Turn to face your spec-tators again, “reading” the bills, and bringing them forth one at a time as you namethem.

Obviously, the spectator could hand you the one-dollar bill any time, and youwill know when this happens. While the bill is behind your back, switch it for theone-dollar bill under your jacket. Then, after you’ve named and returned all thebills to the spectator, ask for the one-dollar bill again and hold it high above yourhead. With much effort and persistence (and maybe some perspiration), recite theserial number of the bill in your most dramatic manner and then let the spectatorcheck your accuracy. Thanking him for his help, you now ask him to return allthree bills to their rightful owners as you remove your blindfold and take yourgracious applause.

With a minor amount of added effort, you can mysteriously read the serialnumbers on all three bills. To do this, memorize the serial numbers on a one-,five-, and ten-dollar bill, and mark all three bills with unique crimps. All threebills are placed under your jacket behind you.

Now continue the routine as above, but as you reveal the values of all threebills, switch them for their appropriate counterparts beneath your jacket. Whenthe spectator is again holding the bills you’ve returned to him, they are now allthree with memorized serial numbers. Ask him to hand you any of the bills. Be-cause of your crimping system, you can tell which bill it is and recite the appropri-ate number. The spectator then hands you either of the two remaining bills, whichyou read just as easily. Follow this by not having him hand you the last bill, butreading it from where he stands, before taking your ovations.

Formal Miracles 115

thers have contributed methods for this effect (a brainchild ofPeter Kane’s) to the fraternity, but few are as direct and simpleas this one. It is an element that John uses in his “F.I.S.M. CardAct” (detailed later in the book) sobefore studying that routine, it is wise to

first learn this item.The effect itself is as straightforward as the method:

You show a card case, from which you take a normal deck.Instantly, the case shrinks to half its size!

To prepare the card box, take a Playtime card case andopen the glued side (on the right of the flap) as in Fig-ure 1. With your artist’s knife or other razor, neatly cutthe side from the case and glue it to the end of the flapon a regular card box (Figure 2). Next, cut the bottomhalf away from the regular card case (Figure 3) and dis-card it. You will use only the top half of this case. Place

Shrinkage

Figure 1

Figure 3Figure 2


Figure 4

Figure 6

Figure 7

1. If you’d rather save all this effort, the gaff is available in Bicycle card cases from John or yourlocal dealer. Since this prop is plastic, they tend to look cleaner and last longer than one madefrom a standard card case.

a normal sized deck, backs up (from which you’ve re-moved one card), into the open side of the miniature cardcase, which is also back up. As in Figure 4, it will pro-trude for half its length. Next, put the top half of theregular card case over the exposed portion of the pack(Figure 5—note that this case is also back up). Lastly, takethe one card you removed from the deck and insert itunder the top half of the case (on the flap side) so thatat a glance the back of the card case appears whole (Fig-ure 6).1

Now that you’re ready to perform, bring out theassembled case, saying, “People often tell me they don’t under-stand how magicians do some of the things we do.” Handle the boxcasually, giving them a brief view of its back as you talk,but hiding the front of the case from their eye. Place thecase in your left hand, which turns palm down so youcan open the flap with your right (Figure 7). The back ofyour left hand keeps the “bad half” of the case out ofsight. Say, “Even when it comes to something as simple as card tricks,because a lot of people assume that it has something to do with sleightof hand or mathematics.”

Pull all the cards from the box, including the covercard that extended outside the case, and set the deck onthe table. Coming back with your right hand, fold theflap over (but don’t tuck it in) and squeeze the case on

the ends as in Figure 8, collapsing it. Press down on the center of the case withyour right forefinger to aid this action. The top half of the case will telescope intothe bottom half. Finish by showing the front of the miniature case upright and

Figure 5

Formal Miracles 117

toward your audience (Figure 9). At the same time say, “Iguess I can understand that, but what I don’t understand is how eitherone of those can explain how these cards fit into this itsy-bitsy littlecard case!” Show the box on all sides before putting it awayand continuing with your chosen routine.

As an alternative, you may choose not to point out thediscrepant size of the card case just yet, but set it asidewithout comment. If you focus all your attention on yourcards, your audience will discredit the box as having nomeaning and will not notice the transformation. At a lateropportune time, you can point out the magical change,long after the moment has passed.

This is obviously not a routine in itself, but a compo-nent that furthers the set in which you use it. Its effec-tiveness is proven, but becomes even greater when theconcept of shrinking or enlarging is a central theme ofthe presentation, such as in John’s F.I.S.M. Card Act. Inthis way, its place is better defined in the sequence ofevents and is not just a random, disturbing element withseemingly no connection to what surrounds it. Usedproperly, it is always baffling, unexpected, and enter-taining.

Figure 8

Figure 9


Anything you can do . . . I can do better. Who in their right mind would argue with Muhammad Ali?

Formal Miracles 119

t was Vernon who popularized Nate Leipzig’s Slow Motion CoinVanish, which has become an example of fine manipulative sleightof hand. Few performers seem to realize that such maneuvers walkthe thin line between panache and non-chalance, requiring a thorough under-

standing by the magician. For a more strenuous and chal-lenging exercise, try Vernon’s Slow Motion Card Vanish(cigar required).

John published his handling of the coin vanish in ThePallbearer’s Review and has since earned a reputation withit, mostly from showing it to other magicians at conven-tions and get-togethers. For this type of magic, it is excep-tionally clean in appearance, and John performs it withthe casual air of a master.

Display a quarter or half-dollar between the finger-tips of your hands as in Figure 1. Do the standard “Rub-ber Coin” illusion, where you move your hands back andforth as if flexing the coin between your fingers. In anapparent effort to break the coin in two, move both handsinward, pinching the coin with your left hand and snap-ping it off your thumbnail as you do—providing an effec-tive sound as your right hand carries it away. The fingersbend slightly—just enough to conceal the coin behindyour right fingers. Figures 2 and 3 show audience and back-stage views, respectively.

Now turn your hands upward and palms out, in theprocess pushing the coin with your right forefinger into arear thumb-palm position (Figures 4 and 5). With yourhands held palm toward the audience, move them together

Slow Motion Fadeaway

Figure 1

Figure 2


Figure 3

Figure 5

Figure 7

Figure 4

Figure 6

Figure 8

slightly, your left thumb coming behind your right. When your left thumb touchesthe coin, turn both hands palm toward yourself, pushing the coin through the crotchof your right thumb into a standard thumb-palm position (Figures 6 and 7).

The spectators have now seen both sides of your hands. For the next move-ment, bring your hands together, curling your right fingers inward and allowingthe coin to fall to your fingertips (Figures 8 and 9). Notice that your left fingersprovide some screen for this action. Simultaneously raise your hands to the posi-

Formal Miracles 121

tion shown in Figure 10 (apparently pinching the invisible coin between your thumbsand forefingers), using your right thumb to move the coin to behind your fingersas in Figure 11.

Next, separate your hands (Figures 12 and 13), paying careful attention to yourangles of view. The coin has little cover at this point, barely concealed as it is behindyour right finger and thumb tips. Ostensibly, you are showing the invisible halvesof the coin, one in each hand.

Figure 9

Figure 11

Figure 13

Figure 10

Figure 12

Figure 14


Turn your left hand palm inward, as if you were put-ting the pieces of the coin back together (Figure 14). Asyour left hand screens your right, use your left thumb tomove the coin into the vertical position shown in Figure15. Slowly pull your left hand away to reveal the restora-tion and production of the coin.

The technique can be demanding. It is critically impor-tant that it be executed flawlessly and, most importantly,in a completely relaxed manner. If you see John at a con-vention, ask him to perform it for you. While you’re atit, ask to see it from the backside, too. You might besurprised at how it looks.Figure 15

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nspired by John Benzais’s “4-D Ball Trick” from The Best of Benzais,this routine was another prize winning piece at the 1979 F.I.S.M.event, and received the award for “Best Effect” at the First South-west Invitational Close-Up Convention. John has revised someof the techniques involved and strengthened the climax for greater

effect. Following his cue, other performers have also taken the routine to heart,most notably Mr. Frank Price, of Houston, Texas, who added his own touches(with different colored balls, no less!) and in whose hands it is no less than anartful mystery.

In essence, you will show the audience a box containing three orange balls (“jaw-breakers,” supposedly). You then cause each ball to become invisible one at a time.After displaying this magical mystery, they disappear altogether, only to be foundin the box again!

As you might expect, there is some preparation for this, but it is a “one-time”effort, for once you put the box together, it will last many performances. Obtainsix orange rubber balls, each approximately 1" in diameter, or slightly less. Thebox itself should be a rectangular one about 3" long, 2"wide, and 1" high, with a lid. The lid should be deepenough to fit over the entire box, or nearly so. John usesa miniature Russell Stover candy box, which you canpurchase (with sweets) at many retailers. The size of thebox dictates that only six balls can fit within, in two rowsof three.

Next get a piece of sheet metal that measures justless than 3" by 2½". Holding the metal so the 3" sidesare at the right and left, bend the upper and lowerthirds of the metal at right angles, as in Figure 1 (notethat three balls should fit loosely in this “trench”you’ve formed).

The Jawbreakers

Figure 1


Permanently affix the metal piece into the lid as inFigure 2. The open side of the metal is at the center ofthe lid. It is important that the back of the metal flangeis not against the inside wall of the lid, since that wouldprevent the lid from being put on the box. This is alsothe reason that the metal piece was less than 3" alongtwo sides. Leaving this space around the edges of the lidensures that it fits the body of the box properly.

That’s all the preparation needed. To set up for theroutine, set the lid upside down on your table and placethree balls in the metal shelf. The other three balls fit nextto these in the remaining space in the lid (Figure 3). Slidethe body of the box down into the lid, trapping the ballsin place. Because you’ve inset the metal from the edgesof the lid, you should find that placing the body of thebox within it will trap the balls snugly, preventing themfrom falling into the body of the box when you turn itupright.

Sit at a table when you’re performing. Although youcan use the time-honored idea of “lapping” in this rou-tine, John uses a servante, which is a device made of twoconnected halves, the first of which is a flat, rigid pieceof plastic or wood (covered with cloth), the second be-ing a soft fabric with pockets. The rigid flange is placedon the top of the table, beneath your close-up mat or otherperforming surface, and the pockets hang behind thetable, ready to receive whatever objects you secretly dropin them. Many variations are available on the magicalmarket, one of the most impressive being Peter Kane’s,which allows you to set your performing area openly,while secretly (yet automatically) putting the servante inplace. Using a servante will allow you to use a particu-larly gratifying ploy later.

Set the box topside up on the table to your extremeright, the metal shelf inside being closest to the audience.The design on the lid or a marking of your own inven-tion will cue you as to its orientation. Say, “You know, alot of people think that magicians make things disappear. Well, I’ve

found this is not true. What they actually do is make things invisible. That’s when they’re really there,but you just can’t see them. To demonstrate this, I’d like to show you ‘The Mystery of the LittleOrange Jawbreakers.’”

Pick up the box with your right hand and place it in your left. Tilting the topof the box toward your audience, remove the lid, which will allow three of theballs to fall inside the box. The shelf holds the other three balls securely in the lid(Figure 4). Dump the balls from the box onto the table, allowing your audience to

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Formal Miracles 125

see there is nothing else within. Replace the lid onto thebox and set it in its former position, turning it end forend as you do to put the metal insert nearest your sidenow. Move the balls on the table into a line, one on yourleft, one at center, and the remaining one on your right.

Say, “Here we have three little balls, two hands, and a lot of nerve.We’ll do them one at a time. Here’s ball number one . . .” Pick upthe ball on your right with your right hand as you forma loose fist with your left (Figure 5). Put the ball on topof your left fist and relax your fingers to allow the ballto fall deep inside your hand. Continue, saying, “. . . andhere’s ball number two . . .”

Pick up the second ball (the one directly in front ofyou) with your right hand and place it on top of yourleft fist, like you did the first. Relax your left fingers again,allowing the ball to fall inside the hand on top of the otherball there. The second ball, however, should not fall farenough to leave your sight.

Saying, “. . . and here’s ball number three,” take the remain-ing ball on the table with your right hand. As you reachacross your body, giving your other hand shade, pull yourleft hand back to the edge of the table (ostensibly to makeroom for your right arm’s reach). At the same momentyou pick up the tabled ball with your right hand, dropyour left hand’s lower ball into your servante.

Say, “Have you ever seen this done before? Say no. Very good.I’ll do it for you, one at a time.” Bring your left hand forward again and place the lastball on top of the fist. Allow the ball to fall inside your hand.

Hold your left hand above your right and openly drop the lower ball withininto your right hand. Since this is supposedly the first ball you placed in your hand,set the ball to your right in its original position. Next, drop the remaining ballfrom your left hand into your right and place it on the table in front of you.

You still apparently hold a ball in your left hand. Say, “Watch. The first ball goeslike this.” Squeeze your imaginary ball and make a gesture, as if you tried to drop aball cleverly yet secretly into your right hand. Using your best acting ability, shiftthe invisible ball to your left fingertips and display “it” as in Figure 6. Your audi-ence will believe that you’re trying to hide the ball in your other hand.

“You see,” you say, “it’s actually there, but you can’t see it. We’ll place it right there.” Takethe invisible ball between your right fingers and thumb, and turn your full palm tothe audience to display it. During this, they will see that your right hand is totallyempty and react accordingly. Pretend to table the ball to your left.

Say, “Ball number two goes like this . . .” Pick up the ball on your right with yourright hand. Form a loose fist with this hand around the ball and squeeze it to thetop until you display it in the same way that your left hand held it previously.Holding your open left hand palm up, bring your right hand over it. You are going

Figure 5

Figure 6


to open your right fingers, apparently allowing the ball to fall through your righthand onto your left below. What really happens, though, is that you trap the ballwith your right thumb. Figure 7 shows the positions of the hands and ball as youmake the supposed drop. The ball remains securely in thumb-palm position. Noticethat your left fingers curl a little and they cover the space between the hands sothe audience is unable to see that no ball really fell. Also, breaking the wrists at the

moment of the supposed transfer, giving the illusion ofweight, will further the effect. Close your left hand imme-diately upon “catching” the ball, holding your hand as ifyou had an object within.

Keeping your attention focused on your left hand, pullyour right hand toward yourself and to your right, pre-paring to snap your fingers. On the way, however, bringthe hand near the edge of the table, where you release theball into the servante. With no pause in the action, raiseyour right hand, snap your fingers, and make a magicalgesture (this very Slydini-like sequence of movementsappears in Figures 8, 9, and 10).

Finish your sentence, saying, “. . . just a squeeze and a snap,and the second ball becomes invisible. As you can see, it’s actually there,but you can’t see it there, actually.” Open your left hand andhold the invisible ball at your left fingertips as before,then pretend to set it on the table to your right.

Say, “The third ball goes like this . . .”. Pick up the remain-ing ball from the table. If you’ve been using the servanteto catch the balls, then you can now use a bit of businessto throw the discerning spectators off track. Start to dothe next vanish, then suddenly stop, apparently realizingthat those in the back may be having difficulty seeing theeffect. “What?” you say, “you can’t see? Here, I’ll do it for you.How about if I get up?” Stand up behind the table. Thosewho have suspected lapping at this point find themselves

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9 Figure 10

Formal Miracles 127

perplexed. (If you’ve actually been lapping all this time, it’s probably best not tostand up right now. Just make the third ball vanish in the same way that you didthe previous.)

Now hold the ball on top of your right hand as you did before and use thesame technique to cause the ball to become invisible (where you keep the ball inright thumb palm as you pretend to place it in your left). “Now,” you say, “the thirdball goes just like this. Just a squeeze and it’s invisible. We’ll place it right here.” Again show theinvisible ball at your left fingertips and, taking it with your right hand, place it onthe table in front of you. Then as your right hand reposes, bring it to the edge ofthe table as you move your left hand forward to pick up the invisible ball on yourleft. As you pretend to pick up this ball, release the ball in your right hand into theservante. Immediately move your right hand forward to pick up the two “remain-ing” balls.

Bring your hands together, apparently touching the balls to each other as yousay, “Now, you don’t want to let the balls touch, because if you do that, they disappear altogether.”If you own a F.I.S.M. Flash (a wonderful device still available from John, built torelease a flash of light any time you desire), set it off the moment you apparentlytouch the balls. The explosion of light will astound your spectators. Gesture withboth empty hands and drop your arms to a relaxed, reposed position. Say, “Wouldyou like to see that again?” Pick up the box with your right hand, tilting the top to-ward the audience (which helps the balls inside fall off their shelf into the box).Set the box in your left hand and remove the cover, showing the three balls within.Dump them out and replace the lid, setting the box aside, as you say, “Okay, this isthe Mystery of the Three Little Orange Jawbreakers . . . .” Wave your hand over the ballsand stop suddenly. Say, “Naw, you’ve already seen that trick.” Put all your props awayto end.


At the Magic Castle awards with Michael Cole (“The Mod Squad”) and David Roth.

John and wife Linda Cornelius with Michael Cole (circa late 1970’s/early 1980’s).

Formal Miracles 129

lthough the effect predates him, Roger Klause started somethingwhen he began sharing his thoughts on the “Bill Switch” concept.Mike Kozlowski also landed a foothold in the history of the effectwhen he published his handling—andboth approaches have their individual

merits. A refined approach appeared in Roger Klause: InConcert under the more accurate title of “The $100.00 BillChange.” There, Roger (ever the critical artist) revealedthat his work on the technique was not yet done. At thesame time, he gave several different routines using the prin-ciple, proving just how flexible it really is.

Like many others years ago, John became enamoredwith the possibilities of the effect and built a highly com-mercial routine around it, which immediately follows this.It has since become a staple of his professional act andhonored by other performers as well.

First, though, you must become familiar with Roger’shandling of the “Bill Change.” Of course, his book ishighly recommended, but to learn John’s routine, we offera brief description of the technique here:

THE $100 BILL CHANGE

To set up the effect, take a bill (oh, let’s say a $100bill) and hold it between your hands, the face away fromyou (Figure 1). You are going to make four folds, eachtoward your audience. Fold the left half of the bill tothe right (Figure 2). Next, fold the top half of the bill

The IncrediBill Routine

Figure 1

Figure 2


Figure 3

Figure 5

Figure 7

Figure 4

Figure 6

Figure 8

over and down (Figure 3). Third, fold the left half of the bill again to the right(Figure 4), and finally, fold the top half down once more (Figure 5). Flip the billover, top for bottom (so the solid creased edges are to your left and at the bot-tom) and place it in your thumbtip as in Figure 6. The tip then goes on yourright thumb, the bill being trapped between the inner wall of the tip and theball of your thumb. Fold a one-dollar bill in the same manner (to precrease it)and unfold it. Your preparation is complete.

Formal Miracles 131

For the change, hold the one dollar bill between your hands, Washington’sportrait facing the audience. Make the first fold in the dollar as your left thumbcomes to rest on the end of your thumbtip and loosens it on your right thumb(Figure 7). Make the next fold as in Figure 8, where your right fingers push the tophalf of the bill over and down. Note here that the tip further loosens in this action.For the third fold, push the left half of the bill over and to the right with your leftfingers (Figure 9). This will place the thumbtip in perfect position to be stoleninto your left hand as in Figure 10, where it moves into a finger-palm position.The $100 bill stays behind the lower half of the one-dollar bill, concealed fromthe audience’s view. Your right fingers make the next and final fold as they pushthe top half of the bill over and down (Figure 11).

During these folds and through the following movements, the bill has never left theaudience’s sight. This is a critical point to remember when performing the technique.The spectators must be certain that the bill was in their view during the entire fold-ing and unfolding process. To reveal the change, unfold the $100 bill, swinging itsfront half out and down (Figure 12). The one-dollar bill will ride with this half ofthe $100 bill, until it ends behind it and concealed behind its lower half (Figure 13).

Next, you’re going to load the tip onto the left end of the one-dollar bill. Toprevent any hangups, however, you must do it in a specific manner. Place your left

Figure 9

Figure 11

Figure 10

Figure 12


thumb on the open end of the thumbtip as in Figure 14 and pull it away from yourfingers slightly. This happens as you push the next fold of the bill open with yourright fingers (Figure 15). Once this fold of the bill is sufficiently open, your left fin-gers take over and open it the rest of the way. During this, move the thumbtip ontothe end of the hidden one-dollar bill (Figure 16). Move the tip further onto the billand partially onto your right thumb as you open the third fold of the $100 bill (Fig-ure 17—it is here that the audience realizes that the change has occurred). As you

Figure 13

Figure 15

Figure 17

Figure 14

Figure 16

Figure 18

Formal Miracles 133

open the last fold in the $100 bill (Figure 18), push the tip a little further onto yourthumb. Finally, turn the bill around, end for end, as in Figures 19, 20, and 21 to showthe other side. As your right hand travels behind the bill to take its end (Figure 20again), shove the tip securely onto your thumb with your right second finger.

That, then, is the basic technique of Roger’s $100 Bill Change. Again, we rec-ommend a study of the technique as outlined in Roger Klause: In Concert, as manymore details are to be found there on the handling of this idea. For now, though,here is John’s routine . . .

THE INCREDIBILL ROUTINE

For this, you will need a one-dollar bill, a flash-bill, a paper clip, a thumb tip, acigarette lighter, and a small, square piece of flash paper. Fold the one-dollar billas for Roger’s Bill Change. When the creases are firmly set in the paper, unfold itcompletely and then fold it in half once, bringing its ends together (Figure 22).Roll the bill into the shape of a cigarette (Figure 23—in progress) and twist theends slightly (Figure 24) to keep it from unraveling. Place this bill and your ciga-rette lighter in your right jacket pocket.

Figure 19

Figure 21

Figure 20

Figure 22


Next, fold the flash bill as for the Bill Change and place it into your thumbtip.Place the paper clip on the tip and bill as in Figure 25 to keep the paper from fall-ing out or turning inside the tip (you will easily remove it during the performance).This assembly also goes in your right jacket pocket. Finally, place the flash paperin your left jacket pocket and you’re ready to go.

Begin bantering with your audience, saying, “Can anyone here offer me the loan of a$1,000 bill? No? And you call yourself professionals? Okay, how about a hundred? A fifty?” Ata convenient time before or during this patter, reach in your right pocket, partiallyinsert your thumb into the tip, and slide the paper clip off, letting it fall in yourpocket. Place the tip the rest of the way on your thumb. Gently cajole someoneinto lending you a bill—the larger the denomination, the better. Let’s assume yourassistant offered a fifty-dollar bill.

Say, “Many of you don’t know this, but in my lifetime, I’ve become very attached to certainhigh-level government officials. Usually at the wrists and ankles, but that’s another story. Anyway,I’ve been asked by the Treasury Department, as I travel around the country, to demonstrate to youhow you can tell if a bill is counterfeit or not. All you have to do is fold your money in a tight bundlelike this. . . .”

Take the spectator’s bill and begin folding it by way of example, using themechanics of the $100 Bill Change to exchange his bill for the flash bill. Here,

Figure 23

Figure 25

Figure 24

Figure 26

Formal Miracles 135

you are not going to unfold the flash bill, so in the guiseof folding the flash bill one extra time, push his bill tothe left into the thumbtip, and then load the tip back onyour right thumb (Figure 26). Say, “Now you need a light source. . .” Gesture with your right hand to show it empty andreach in your right jacket pocket. Push the thumbtip offand leave it there as you come out with the cigarettelighter. Continue, saying, “. . . which you just hold under thebill, and if you look very close you can see some little threads runningthrough your money . . .”

As you’re talking, turn toward the audience for amoment, not paying any attention to the bill you hold.Inadvertently, set fire to it and throw it away in surpriseas it bursts into flames and vanishes. “Whoa,” you say, “you know what that means?That was a real one! You could have spent that one!”

When the laughter subsides, say, “Well, so much for your twenty bucks! Oh, I’m sorry.Fifty dollars? Whatever. Would you like to see a rope trick instead? I didn’t think so. Well, howabout a trick with this piece of paper?” Place the lighter in your left jacket pocket andcome out with the piece of flash paper. Show both hands otherwise empty androll the paper into the shape of a cigarette. “Watch,” you say, “a trick with a piece ofpaper and a lighter.” Reach in your right pocket, apparently for the lighter, and clipthe rolled-up one-dollar bill between your first and second fingers (Figure 27).Apparently failing to find your lighter, a moment’s confusion crosses your faceand you come out and take the paper with your right hand as in Figures 28 and 29so your left can search for the lighter in your other pocket. Note that your headturns to look at your left pocket just before your hand starts to travel there, fore-shadowing your intent. The rolled-up dollar bill is securely hidden in fingerclipposition.

Say, “Watch the wonderful illusion as the paper appears to burn and turn into your ten-dollarbill! Fifty? Whatever.” Light the end of the flash paper and as it burns, move yourright thumb under the hidden bill and push it to your fingertips as in Figures 30and 31. A slight upward shake of the wrist will further conceal the movement. The

Figure 27 Figure 28

Figure 29


paper will appear to have transformed to the bill in a flashof fire.

Say, “Sir, would you unroll this and verify that it is, indeed, yourbill?” Turn to your audience. “Let’s give him a big hand forbeing such a sport!”

As they applaud enthusiastically, casually place yourlighter in your right jacket pocket and secretly place thethumbtip back on your thumb before bringing your handback out. Only now do you apparently realize that yourassistant’s reaction is one of dismay. “What’s the matter?”you ask him. When he points out that he has only a one-dollar bill, take it from him and look at it strangely for along time. “Huh,” you finally mutter. “What a bummer.”Try to hand it back to him.

“Well,” you say, “that’s the first time that’s ever happened . . .again. Just look at it this way—think of how much enjoyment you’vegiven everyone here tonight and it only cost you a few dollars. You’rethe life of the party! You’ve been such a good sport, I’ll show you onemore trick. I’m going to show you how to INCREASE your money.First, make sure you have nothing but the one bill . . . .”

Show your hands empty except the bill you hold. Beginfolding the bill, executing Roger’s Bill Change in theprocess, as you say, “. . . and then you fold it this way, and thisway, and this way, and this way, and when it’s unfolded in a minute,it will be ‘IN CREASES! ’”

After the groans let up, complete the Bill Change asyou say, “No, no, it increases until it becomes YOUR fifty-dollar bill! Would you verify for theaudience that it is your bill?” Hand the bill to your helper. “Thanks for helping me, and youall have been a great audience!” Lead the applause as you honor your helper and don’tbe guilty enough to ditch the tip right away. Hold onto it for a while as you ges-ture or use your hand to do anything but dive for your pocket. You have all thetime in the world to clean yourself up.

Figure 30

Figure 31

Formal Miracles 137

arketed items seem to come and go.2

Several years back, one effect titled “InSpace” made its appearance and caughtJohn’s eye. This method, a collabora-tion between John and Allan Ackerman,

can be performed with an ordinary pack of cards.In effect, the spectator looks at a group of five cards

and mentally selects one. The performer lays the cards onthe table and asserts that he already knows the spectator’scard. To prove it dramatically, he will place it in a specificposition in the deck. Picking up a card and placing it some-where in the deck, the performer then asks the spectatorto name his card. When he does, the magus deals cardsfrom the deck, spelling the name of the selection as he does.When he reaches the last letter, he turns over the corre-sponding card—it is the mental selection! Of course, thespectator will wonder what would have happened if he hadthought of a different card. The performer then reveals thatthe choice was destined, as he turns over the other cardsfrom the group and shows that they are now the four Aces!

Beforehand, place the following cards on top of thedeck, from the top down: Ace of Spades, Two of Clubs,King of Clubs, Jack of Hearts, Seven of Hearts, Ace ofHearts, Ace of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs. Next, take thebottom nine cards of the deck and put a downward lon-gitudinal bridge in their center as in Figure 1. When they are placed on the bot-tom of the pack, there will be a slight gap, as in Figure 2, which will make it easy

Change of Mind

2. Does anyone remember a “vanishing aquarium” effect many moons ago? ’Nuff said.

Figure 1

Figure 2


to cut exactly nine cards from the bottom to the top ofthe deck.

To perform, ask your spectator to clear his mind fora moment (an easier task for some), as you are going tohave him look over some cards and think of one that hesees. Spread the top eight cards of the deck over to yourright and take the top five in your right hand as you pullthe remaining three back onto the pack, obtaining a leftlittle finger break beneath them. Flip the five cards in yourright hand face up onto the deck and immediately pickup all eight cards above the break from above and by theirends (Figure 3). Notice that the angled position of yourright fingers conceals the extra thickness of the packetfrom the front.

Ask your spectator to think of one of the cards as youpeel them singly onto the deck with your left thumb. Asyou peel each card off, flip it face down onto the deck.The first will be the Seven of Hearts, followed by theJack of Hearts, the King of Clubs, and the Two of Clubs.The remaining Ace is actually four cards, which you setonto the deck before turning the ace face down. Tell thespectator that the Ace is too easy, that he shouldn’t thinkof that one, but of any of the other cards he has seen.Deal the top five cards to the table (actually the four Acesand the Two of Clubs).

After the spectator confirms that he has made a selection, move the cards aroundon the table with your finger, as if trying to decide which he might be thinking of.Finally, pick up the Two of Clubs and, without showing it, hold it before you.Say, “As a matter of fact, I’m so certain that this is your card that I will prove it in a theatricalmanner by using a magic spell.”

Place the Two of Clubs on top of the deck and openly cut the nine bridgedcards from the bottom of the deck to the top. As you do, bend the cards betweenyour left little finger and the base of your thumb in the opposite direction of thebridge, taking out the work (Figure 4). Now, because the names of each of thepossible selections spells with one more letter than the previous (“Two of Clubs”spells with ten letters, “King of Clubs” with eleven, and so on), it doesn’t matterwhich the spectator names. By spelling the name aloud as you take cards from thetop of the deck, their selection will always be the last card dealt.

Reveal, that you did, indeed, find the thought-of-card and then say, “But manypeople wonder what would have happened if they had thought of a different card. Well, if you had, Iwould have had to use a different kind of magic spell.” Turn the supposed other possible selec-tions face up to reveal that they are now the four Aces.

Figure 3

Figure 4

Formal Miracles 139

his is a slightly confusing yet brightly amusing interlude that takesadvantage of the interplay between the performer and membersof his audience. The magical effect is deliberately overshadowedby the performer’s attitude and willingness to play, and his desireto entertain by simple means.

Here, the performer borrows a lady’s finger ring and causes it to disappear in a(hopefully) mysterious and surprising manner. Presenting her with a jewelry boxwrapped in a ribbon, he asks her to open it, where she will find the missing ring.She finds a ring inside, but claims it is not hers. Moving forward undaunted, theperformer then audaciously borrows a second ring from another lady. When thefirst lady looks at it, however, she claims it as hers. The ring in the box turns outto be the one borrowed from the second woman!

The method is mostly bluff and bluster, with a dash of nerve thrown in forgood measure. Obtain an inexpensive lady’s ring (the more generic, the better)and a jewelry box. Place the ring in the box, wrap it in a ribbon if you’d like, andput it in your right jacket pocket. Also, in this pocket, place a small wand or a pen.Lastly, remind yourself that the object here is to play.

To begin, borrow a ring from a good-natured lady. Compliment her profuselyon her taste and the beauty of the ring as you examine it closely while holding itin your right hand. Look directly at her and say with childlike innocence, “Can Ihave it?” At that moment, pretend to lightly toss the ring into your left hand, actu-ally keeping it in right fingerpalm. Your left fingers close around the object theysupposedly hold.

Whatever her response, play off of it and say, “Well, I really just wanted to show yousomething amazing with your ring and a wand.” Reach in your right pocket, drop thering, and come out with your wand. “See, what I’m going to do is have you hold both ends ofthe wand so nothing can get on or off, but even so, your ring will penetrate onto the center of it rightbefore your very eyes. It’s going to go right there on the center, right there, as you hold it. . . .” Asyou talk, become more animated about the feat you’re about to do and allow your

My Lady’s Ring


left hand to relax and open slightly. Suddenly notice that your hand is open andthere is no ring there. Look about you as if confused.

“Oh,” you say to the spectator, becoming slightly embarrassed. Look aroundon the floor, then at your hands again, and then blankly at the lady. “Sorry.” Putthe wand away as you say, “Well! I don’t guess I need the wand now! Listen, have I shown youa card trick yet?”

“No, don’t worry,” you say, “I know exactly where it is . . . okay, not exactly, but prettymuch . . . it’s . . . it’s, uh . . .” Suddenly getting an inspiration, you continue, saying,“It’s in your pocket! That’s where it is! Check it out. Go ahead.” She will look and say that it’snot there. Turn to the man beside her and say, “Are you with her tonight?” If he saysyes, say, “Then I feel sorry for you because she’s not going to be very happy when you get her home!”If he says no, adjust the line accordingly, saying, “Good thing, because she doesn’t look likeshe’d be very happy when you got her home!”

Turn back to the lady and say, “No, I’m just kidding with you, really . . . look. . . .”Reach in your right pocket and finger palm the ring as you bring out the jewelrybox. “See,” you say, “I’m a professional. Go ahead and open it—and thank you for your help.”Turn to the audience and say, “How about a round of applause for her being such a goodsport?”

The audience will applaud, but she will quickly inform you that the ring inthe box is not hers. “What?” you say. “It’s not?” Pause for an extended moment,then say, “Bummer.” Take the box from her and look at the ring inside, then setthe box on the table, angled to one side just enough that the audience cannotsee the ring within. “Look,” you say, “I’d really like to do this trick right just once, so . . .”Nail your gaze on another lady sitting in another part of the audience. “Can Iborrow your ring?”

At this point, this second lady will probably be a little reluctant to lendyou her jewelry. You can ease this by asking her permission before you startthe show, advising her that you are going to have some fun with some ringsand would like to use hers. Later, in the middle of the routine, her resistancewill be less.

After you ask to borrow her ring, cajole her a little into giving it to you if youhave to, and then, when she’s consented, look at the first lady and say, “She waseasy.” As you walk back to the first lady, shuttle pass the ring from your left handto your right, switching them. Say, “Now look at her ring, how nice and shiny it is; isn’t thatbeautiful?” She will say it is her ring. “What?” you say, confused. “Yours? No, she waswearing it over there.” She will insist it is her ring. “Are you sure you’re not just trying toupgrade here?” you ask her playfully. Finally, after some argument, give her the ringand turn to the second lady and say, “Well, that’s the way it goes . . . but wait, there’s stillone ring here, that’s been here for some time. . . .”

Go to the box on the table and pretend to take the ring out of it with your lefthand, really producing the borrowed ring you had concealed in fingerpalm. Closethe box and put it in your pocket. “How does this one look to you . . . any better? As amatter of fact—is it YOUR ring?” She will affirm that it is and you can take yourapplause in stride.

Formal Miracles 141

This idea originally appeared in John’s lecture notes over twenty years ago.Recently, John had the pleasure of seeing Billy McComb perform a similar pre-sentation at a lecture. Obviously great minds think alike!

Of course, you can expand this presentation in many different directions tosuit the personality of the performer (In Workers 3, Michael Close turns this themeinto a circus of bizarre events and gags). More jokes and lines can be added, thestructure can be changed, or the overall mood altered. Remember, though, thatthere is a distinct difference between teasing an audience and abusing them. Theywill find one entertaining, the other not. Above all, have fun.


From Debbie Reynolds . . .

. . . to Liberace.

Formal Miracles 143

ou couldn’t really ask for a cleaner,slower, more mystical disappearance ofa coin than this one, which DougHenning used as an opening effect onone of his earliest television specials.

Showing a nickel, you place it on your outstretched hand,arm extended from your body, sleeves rolled up. Underthese conditions, you slowly enfold the coin with your fin-gers and then, just as slowly open them. The coin is gone.

To drive home the point, you then show both sidesof your hand very slowly and thoroughly before closingyour hand again. When you open it once more, the coinhas returned!

The method is simplicity itself once you’ve become comfortable with it. Thesecret is a subtle use of thread (in that nothing floats or levitates) and John’s appli-cation has baffled the best, including Roger Klause and Dai Vernon.

To begin, you may wish to use a strong basting thread attached to a real nickel,which will let you practice without difficulty. The routine itself, however, uses ahollow replica of a nickel (which weighs practically nothing)3 that you attach toa lightweight, hard-to-see, not quite there “invisible” thread. To set this up in thebest manner, wrap each end of the thread (which should be from 18 to 24 inchesin length, depending on your personal size) around a small portion of a matchstick and imbed them in pellets of wax. This secure grip makes it very difficult forthe thread to slip free from the wax. Place one wax pellet on the backside of thehollow nickel and affix a paper disc over the wax as in Figure 1. This binds the wax

The Fickle Nickel

3. Such items are available at some novelty stores, your local magic dealer, or (naturally) fromJohn himself. They look good, too. I plugged one in a vending machine once. I don’t really wantto talk about it.

Figure 1


to the coin to where it cannot fall off. The other pelletgoes firmly underneath your belt buckle. Place the coinin your right trouser pocket (Figure 2). Later, the coin willdisappear from your left hand.

Now you’re ready to perform. Make sure no one isstanding directly left or behind you, or it will be a levita-tion effect after all. Take the coin from your pocket andshow it at your right fingertips. The immediate object isto get the thread wrapped over the back of your left hand,which you do by first reaching beneath (but in front of)the thread to adjust your right sleeve as you talk (Figure 3).Now when you bring your left hand back to the left and

turn it palm up at the same time, the thread will wrap around your hand as inFigure 4 (where it goes from your belt over your wrist, behind the hand, then underyour hand). When you place the coin on your left palm, the thread wraps all theway around your hand (Figure 5). Use your right hand to roll your left sleeve as farback as it will go.

Pause for drama, then slowly close your fingers around the coin one at a time,beginning with your little finger and ending with your index finger.4 Slowly roll

Figure 2

Figure 4

Figure 6

Figure 3

Figure 5

Formal Miracles 145

your left fist over until its back is toward the audience. As the hand completesits turn, give it a little magical shake. As you do, extend your arm slightly, andyou will feel the coin being pulled from the little finger side of your fist. Loosenyour grip on the coin and allow it to slide out as in Figure 6, unseen by the spec-tators.

From your angle, you can see the coin emerge. As it comes from your fist, turnyour hand back to its original position, again with great deliberation (Figure 7).The coin will remain behind your fist, hidden from the onlookers’ view.5 Openyour fingers, one at a time, and show your hand completely empty.

With your fingers wide open like a starfish, turn your hand over again to showthe back of it (Figures 8, 9, and 10 show this sequence, and how the coin alwaysremains hidden behind your wrist). The weight of the coin works itself, so to speak,to stay out of sight.

Figure 7

Figure 9

Figure 8

Figure 10

4. The key here and throughout the sequence is to move veeerrrry slowly, which will not onlybuild drama, but make it easier to work the method while covering your angles. It also keeps youfrom putting too much tension on the thread and snapping it.

5. A bit of mirror practice will be necessary here, to ensure that you properly understand theangles and relatives positions of the coin and hand.


Reverse the turn of your hand, bringing it palm to theaudience again, fingers still outstretched. The coin isnowhere to be seen. Turn your hand back to the audi-ence once more and close your fingers one at a time asyou did before. As you do, move your left hand back-wards and grasp the coin, which is hanging right againstyour palm (Figure 11). Turn your closed fist over again,bringing it finger-side to the spectators and slowly openit. The coin is seen lying quietly on your palm, where ithad not been a moment before. To finish, pick up thenickle and display it at your fingertips (Figure 12). Thisallows the thread to fall free from around your hand. Tossthe coin to your right hand and put it away in your trou-ser pocket.

We cannot stress enough how slowly the hand movesand how dramatic the effect becomes as a result. Whatwould normally be only an interesting component in aroutine becomes a solid mystery of its own simply by theimportance lent to it by your attitude. Such is the per-formance of magic.6

Figure 11

Figure 12

6. The Fickle Nickel was invented in 1972. John later learned that Ronnie Gann had come upwith a very similar handling in 1968 which he called “Dime on my Hands.” Still later, John foundthat it had been invented even earlier by T. Nordnes in 1933. John recently taught The FickleNickel to Siegfried, who performs it on the Siegfried & Roy special seen currently in IMAXtheatres around the country.

Formal Miracles 147

ohn achieved much of his initial fame in the magic world for hisperformances of the F.I.S.M. Card Act (described later) and foranother item—the execution of a Benson bowl routine which endswith the appearance of a birthday cake, complete with frosting.When he was booked to appear at one of Joe Stevens’ Desert

Magic Seminars, though, John realized he would need something with a little extrapunch and, using the birthday cake routine as a springboard, he expanded theconcept to amazing proportions. It worked well; magicians who thought they knewwhat they were seeing were totally unprepared for the additional climaxes, a Japa-nese television crew immediately booked him for appearances on one of their spe-cials, and this routine later won the International Brotherhood of Magicians’ 1991Originality Contest.7

Here’s what they see (what they remember may be a different story): Showinga bowl (which you remove from a bag) and several small red balls, you show howthe balls come and go at will and often reappear under the bowl. As the momen-tum of the routine increases, you suddenly lift the bowl to reveal a small birthdaycake beneath it. Your eyes open wide as you take some of the frosting with yourfinger and taste it.

Continuing with flair, you then take the bag from which you removed the firstbowl and it instantly changes into a large foulard. Holding the foulard in front ofthe cake, you pause for a dramatic moment, then whip the cloth away to reveal alarger birthday cake with lit candles! You interrupt your audience’s exclamationsof surprise, though, when you hold the foulard in front of the cake again. Whenyou pull it away, there is now a triple-layer wedding cake complete with burning candles!

A moment’s thought will make it obvious that the set-up on something likethis must be extensive and that its performance is limited to certain environments.

The Ball, The Bowl,and the Big, Big Cake

7. A yearly competition with standards strict enough that many fail to even qualify, let alonesucceed.


However, the impact cannot be denied or ignored, and John offersit here for those willing to invest themselves in its perfection.8 Here’syour preparation:

For starters, acquire a candy bowl with a lid and an empty mar-garine tub. The bowl must be large enough so that when the tub isfastened to the top of the lid and the assembly inverted, the tub willfit completely within the candy bowl. The bowl will be the one youuse in the Benson bowl routine and the margarine tub will be thebody frame for the first cake you will produce later.

First, invert the candy bowl lid. Place the margarine tub mouthdown on the convex side of the candy bowl lid and seal its rim tothe lid with white G.E. Silicon seal. When the seal is set and youknow the tub won’t slide around, cover the entire surface of the tubwith the white silicon seal, striving for a texture like cake icing. Youcan also add colored decoration to your cake, bogus fruit slices, afake cherry on top, and other items to add to its realism. From onlya short distance, it will appear to be an actual cake (Figure 1).

We’ll get to the actual performance momentarily. For now, let’sexamine the construction of the next item, which is the daylightseance. John’s idea for this is original and intriguing. Take two piecesof black cloth (each of which would be of a sufficient size to pro-vide cover for the productions of the cakes) and sew them togetheras in Figure 2 (completed). Note that by following the trace linesyou are left with a foulard which has a pocket in the center of oneof its sides. This pocket must be large enough to hold the candybowl. On the opposite side, insert a telescoping rod (like that usedas pointers in lectures or as television antennas—visit an office sup-ply store or Radio Shack) in the hem. To the wide end of the rod(which should be on your right) and outside the cloth, attach a thumbtip as in Figure 2. To set up for the performance, collapse the rod,which compresses the width of the foulard, and fold the cloth as in

Figures 3 and 4, where the rod is folded behind, then up and into the pocket. Neatlydone, you now appear to have a small black bag.

For the second cake, you will need a metal cookie or candy canister approxi-mately eight inches in diameter and four inches in height. You also need a sturdypie pan about nine inches in diameter. At your local hardware store, buy ten 1/8"by 4" springs, a ½" by 1" copper coupling, a couple more tubes of G.E. siliconseal, and a can of red spray paint. Then go to your local hobby shop and pick up

8. Please keep in mind that, since the mechanics of this effect use electrical connections and flashstring, extreme caution is requested, recommended, and demanded. You will be using fire in thisroutine, and the author, publisher, and creator will assume no responsibility for any mishap,damage, or injury which may arise as a result of experimentation with this method or the use,improper or otherwise, of the items described here. Did I cover all the bases? Did I make myselfclear? Thank you. We now return you to your normally scheduled programming.

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Formal Miracles 149

a model airplane glow plug. Swing by Radio Shack on your way home and get apack of AA batteries, a battery holder for them, an SPST toggle switch, and amomentary push button switch.

Got everything? Okay, throw the canister lid away. Turn the canister over andin the bottom, drill nine holes approximately ¾ of an inch in from the outsidediameter. Also, drill a ¾-inch hole in the exact middle of the canister bottom toaccommodate the copper coupling. Paint your springs red to look like candles andinsert them in the holes. Glue them in place from underneath with your siliconseal.

Cut a 7-inch hole out of your pie pan (John recommends a tool he found at—where else?—Radio Shack called “The Nibbler.”) Mount the SPST toggle switchand the momentary switch in the rim of the pie pan and your glow plug into thecopper coupling. Run an electrical wire from your SPST toggleswitch (which will act as a safety switch) to the glow plug, thento the battery holder, and then to the momentary switch (Figure 5).Mount your battery holder inside the canister and glue the canis-ter onto the pie pan with your silicon seal. When everything sofar is set, spread silicon seal all over the “cake,” just as you didthe first one. Decorate it tastefully.

Because your pie tin is essentially bottomless, you can stillaccess the battery holder within. Making sure your safety switchis in the “off” position, insert a battery into the holder. Nowget some Q-Tips or other cotton swabs and break off nine piecesabout one inch in length. Place them into the tops of the spring“candles.” Next place a piece of flash paper or cotton, and putit into the copper coupling next to the glow plug (Need we sayit again? Make sure your safety switch is OFF). Next wrap flashstring around the head of each cotton swab, run string betweeneach candle, and a string from each to the center of the cake.Tie them off in the middle and run a small piece straight downinto the coupling (Figure 6). With this configuration, when theglow plug heats, it will ignite the flash cotton, which will in turnlight the flash string and the flame will run up each string tolight the cotton swabs.9

That’s pretty much it for the second cake. When you flip thesafety switch and press the momentary switch, all the candles willlight within a second or two. Watch your eyebrows.

The last production is that of the triple-layer cake. If you’restill with us, you will need eight ¾" by 3" high white woodendowels. On top of each of the dowels, fasten a ¾" by 11/8" flatmagnet (again, from Radio Shack). Obtain two other canisters,the first slightly smaller than the original one you prepared ear-

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 69. As we mentioned before, your medical bills are your own, so be careful!


lier, the second even smaller than that. These will form the tiers foryour cake. Prepare each cake as you did the earlier one, but here thereare no candles on the middle layer. The second momentary and safetyswitches are at the back of the middle tier of the cake and the secondglow plug is in the center of this same section. The flash string, how-ever, runs from the center coupling to the coupling in the top tier,where the flash string and candles assembly is the same as before. Theassembly of the top two tiers is shown in Figure 7. This construct, whenplaced upon the previous cake, will form the entire three-tier figure.Note also that the coupling in the top cake, after the three tiers havebeen produced, will hold a tapered candle easily, which means that asa final touch, you can produce a Fantasio candle to top off your cake.

Now, back to the beginning. Before performing this, you must setthe various production items behind your table in a manner that theycan be easily obtained. How you do this is largely up to you; John hasused various methods such as retrieval from the lap (requiring a seatedperformance), steals from his close-up case (which sits unobtrusivelyjust behind the table within easy reach), or taking the items from brack-ets which held them suspended from the table itself. They are all prac-tical and the important point is that they be within your easy grasp.Place the bowl in the pocket of your “bag” and place it on the table.

The Benson bowl routine you use is also a matter of choice; prac-tically any sequence can be used. John’s is short and sweet and uses

four sponge balls10 and a wand. Place one of the sponges under your shirt collar,behind the left side of your neck. Your close-up case is behind the table to yourright.

Say, “A little experiment with a bowl, a wand, and these three little red balls.” As you speak,remove the bowl from the bag and place the cloth to one side. Invert the bowl andset it in front of you. Pick up the wand with your right hand and place it underyour left arm. Next pick up a sponge and pretend to place it in your left hand,

actually executing the most natural vanish you know. Asyour left hand closes to apparently take the sponge, bringyour right hand up to take the wand from under yourarm. Tap your left hand with the wand as you say, “Theobject here is to take a ball, give it a little squeeze and a little tap, andhave it disappear.” Open your left hand to show the ball isgone.

“From there,” you continue, “it goes up the sleeve . . .” Tracethe supposed path of the ball with your wand. “. . . acrossmy body, down this sleeve and into the bowl.” Tap the bowl withyour wand and then lift it from the table with your lefthand. Act surprised to find nothing there. Reach underyour collar and produce the ball.

Figure 7

10. Actually, John uses sponge cubes, which keeps them from rolling around.

Figure 8

Formal Miracles 151

“Oh, wait,” you say, as you place the wand beneath your left arm again and transferthe bowl to your right hand. By holding the bowl as in Figure 8, it covers the ballin your finger palm. “This one got stuck on the way across,” you continue, as you reachbehind your collar with your left hand and remove the ball. “It must be a little too big.I’ll try again.”

Hold the bowl vertically, open side to the audience, so they can see its empti-ness (the sponge in your right hand is concealed behind your fingers. Adopt atongue-in-cheek attitude as you say, “I’ll do that again, but right this time.” Place theleft-hand ball in the bowl. “This is what it looks like when it works.” Turn the bowlmouth down (your right hand palm up) and place it on the table. The front edgeof the bowl touches the table first and then the rear edge slides off your right fin-gers as you retract your hand. Unknown to the audience, you have introduced asecond ball under the bowl.

“Okay, here we go,” you say, “one in the bowl . . .” Pick up one of the two remainingsponges with your right hand and pretend to place it in your left. As before, yourleft hand closes as your right travels up to take the wand. “. . . the second one in myhand.” Tap your left hand with the wand as you say, “It disappears, travels up the sleeve,across my body, down this sleeve, and into the bowl.” As before, trace the path of the ballwith your wand, and end by tapping the bowl.

Lift the bowl with your left hand, showing the spongesunderneath and moving them about with your wand.Place the wand under your left arm again and then transferthe bowl to your right hand, concealing the ball. Pick upthe two balls with your left hand. Say, “I’m having so muchfun, I’m going to do it again!” Put the balls in the upturnedbowl one at a time and then invert the bowl onto the table,secretly loading an extra ball just as you did before.

Pick up the remaining ball with your right hand andrepeat the actions to make it disappear—taking the wand,tapping your hand, your sleeve, your body, and the bowl.Pick up the bowl with your left hand to show all threeballs beneath. Transfer the wand to beneath your left armand the bowl to your right hand, but this time the rim ofthe bowl rests directly on the hidden ball in your hand(Figure 9). Turn the bowl mouth up, take two balls fromthe table with your left hand, and place them inside. In-vert the bowl again and place it on the table, but now aportion of the hidden sponge ball protrudes from underthe lip of the bowl on your side (Figure 10). Pick up theremaining sponge and say, “This one I’ll place here, in my case.”Pretend to take the sponge with your left hand, closingit. With your right hand, gesture toward your case and,using the upright lid as a shield, drop the ball in. Bringyour left hand, closed, over the table as you say, “No, don’tget ahead of me.” Open your right hand and pick up the bowl

Figure 9

Figure 10


11. As an alternative, if you are sitting down, the cake could have been sitting on your right kneeall this time. Then, as the balls are rolling away and you reach out with your left hand to getthem, your right hand drops back and you place the bowl directly over the cake on your knee. Asyou catch the balls, raise the bowl and place it on the table so your right hand can assist your left.Either way, the cake is now beneath the bowl, hopefully unbeknownst to your spectators.

Figure 11

by its rim, your fingers on the far side and your thumbnearest you. Your thumb clips the protruding ball as youpick up the bowl (Figure 11), its rear edge leaving the tablefirst, the front edge remaining tipped downward. If youneed to, you can tip the bowl slightly to your left as well,which will shield the ball from any spectators on yourleft-hand side, while your right hand will shield yourangles from the other direction.

Say, “I wouldn’t cheat you; we really do only have two under thebowl.” Replace the bowl, allowing the clipped sponge tofall beneath it. “Two in the bowl, one in the hand,” you say asyou take the wand from under your left arm. “Or is thatnone in the hand . . .” Open your left hand. “. . . and all in the

bowl?” Tap the bowl and place the wand on the table. Raise the bowl with yourright hand (gripping it by the rim again), scooting the sponges forward a bit asthey come into view, as if by accident. As you lift the bowl, reach down with yourleft hand and take hold of the small birthday cake.

Noticing that the balls are rolling away from you (and carrying the audience’scollective eye with them) bring the bowl back as your left hand comes forward.Load the cake beneath the bowl and continue forward with your left hand as youlean with your body to catch the balls before they escape you.11 Because you aregripping the bowl by the rim, your fingers will not get in the way of the load inser-tion. After the load, your right hand holds both bowl and insert in place with thissame grip, using your fingertips.

Say, “Just one more time,” as you move the balls to your left. “I’ll place one here; that’sthe big one . . .” With your left hand, put one ball in the center of the table. “. . . andthe bowl right over it.” Casually lift the bowl to show the interior before you place itand the insert over the ball. Because the underside of the candy bowl lid was con-cave, your audience will still see a curved surface and assume the bowl is empty,not realizing the discrepancy in apparent depth. Only give them a brief glimpse ofthe inside of the bowl.

Pick up another sponge with your right hand and pretend to place it in yourleft. Say, “This one goes here . . .” John uses a simple put-and-take vanish shown inFigures 12 and 13. Pick up a third sponge and place both as one in a nearby spectator’shand, per many standard sponge ball routines, as you continue, “. . . and this one goesright here! Will you hold this one please?” Take the wand and tap your left hand, then thespectator’s hand. Open your hand and say, “Uh-oh, mine’s gone. Did yours go, too?”Have her open her hand to find both balls. Set the wand down again.

Take the sponges from the spectator and place one on each side of the bowl.Say, “Okay, I’ll do it just one last time! But only because you’re nice!” Pick up a sponge

Formal Miracles 153

and pretend to place it in your left hand. “This one goeshere . . .” Pick up the wand and tap your hand and thenthe bowl, saying, “. . . and it becomes invisible.” As your lefthand opens, lap the ball, drop it on the floor, toss it inyour case, or otherwise unobtrusively dispose of it.Repeat this with the remaining visible ball. When it hasgone, tap the bowl with your wand and say, “So, how manysponges are under the bowl?” Whatever their answer, say, “No,there’s only one . . . the one you saw me put there, remember? TheBIG ONE!” Lift the bowl to show the cake beneath it.“In fact,” you exclaim, “there’s enough sponge here to make awhole cake!”

Reach behind the cake with your left forefinger andapparently swipe some icing from it. In reality, you dipyour finger in the reservoir and come away with somewhipped cream. Taste it delightfully as you say, “And ittastes delicious!”

For the next incredible climax, pick up your cloth bagand place both hands into it. Insert your right thumb intothe thumbtip as you allow the bag to fall from your handsand expand the rod at the same time. The bag will ap-pear to instantly expand and change into the foulard,which you are holding between your hands, both thumbsin view. Your right hand, however, can move away be-cause the thumbtip leaves the impression you are stillholding the cloth there.

To produce the second cake, move the foulard in front of the small cake as youreach behind the table to obtain the next load. Bring it up behind the foulard andplace it directly over the first cake (remember, it is bottomless). Flip the safetyswitch and press the momentary switch, igniting all the candles as you whip thefoulard away with both hands. Say, “I didn’t think I had enough for all of you!”

As the audience reacts, move the foulard in front of the cake again as you moveaway with your right hand and obtain the third load. Place this on top of the firstcake, setting the dowels in place, and ignite the flash string with a candle from thefirst cake. Pull the foulard away to reveal the transformation to a triple-layer cake.

As we mentioned before, you can also produce a dinner candle on top of thecake for a nice finish. When John performed this at the Desert Magic Seminar,he rolled the cake off stage after his performance and switched it for a dupli-cate, real cake with candles, which he then left in the lobby for people to par-take of.

Not much can be added that isn’t already self-evident. This is a powerhouseroutine with a stunning finish, worthy of those special occasions when you need areal “reputation-maker.”

Special thanks to Editor Phil Willmarth for allowing the line-art illustrationsto be reproduced from the May 1993 issue of The Linking Ring.

Figure 12

Figure 13

The F.I.S.M. Act 155

The F.I.S.M. Act


The F.I.S.M. ActorEvery Card Trickin the World in Ten Minutes

his routine has become one of John’s signatures, earning him theworld prize at F.I.S.M. and delighting audiences everywhere. Acomplex, rapid-fire act that leaves spectators breathless and dis-armed, it is guaranteed to be impossible to follow by any othercardman, for in the performance, you’ve scooped every effect they

could possibly do. We don’t recommend learning the entire act, but there are tricksand ideas that can be incorporated into your own routines.

The subtitle is literal: John, ever-ready to bedazzle the crowds, offers to show—within the next ten minutes—every card trick ever invented. Removing a card casefrom his pocket, he opens it and takes out the deck, setting it on the table. Instantly,the card case is half its normal size, an impossible configuration! Placing the boxaway and continuing, he shuffles the deck and has four cards fairly noted.

After more shuffling and the like, one card flies from the center of the deck,which John shows to be a selection. When he spins it wildly in the air, it comesdown and enters the deck, whereon he shows that it now lies next to another selec-tion. John shuffles the cards some more, but he appears to have problems locatingthe third selected card. No worry, it seems, for when the spectator names his card,John not only finds it instantly, but also its three mates!

Placing the four cards in a diamond formation, John then asks the remainingspectator the name of his card. When he does, John begins dealing cards onto thefour tabled cards (as if playing poker), spelling the name of the remaining selec-tion as he deals. When the spelling is complete, he shows the next card to be thefourth spectator’s very one!

Asking then if anyone thought of the Two of Spades, it rises mysteriously fromthe center of the deck. Once he removes it, John shuffles the deck again, and thencuts it into two packets. With a rapidly increasing rhythm, he shows that all thecards in one hand are red, while the remainder in the other hand is all black. Plac-ing all the cards aside except the nearest packet on the table, he then reveals thathe has dealt himself a royal flush in spades!


Collecting the cards, John again holds up the miniature card case and showsthat the deck, being so much larger, is no longer able to fit within it. With theapplication of some “shrinking powder,” however, the deck collapses in on itselfand fits smoothly in the case. John’s smugness lasts only a moment, though, whenhe realizes that he used too much powder. Turning the case over, the cards hedumps out are only ½-inch high!

No bother, he says, as he removes supposedly the same deck of cards from hispocket, which has meanwhile changed to a blue-backed one. Shuffling them, Johnalso shows that the faces have all gone. Holding the pack face down, he waves hishand over it to change the backs from blue to red again!

Taking the (now) red deck, he fans it, backs to the audience, to show that thereis still one blue back in the center. He asks a spectator to name any card. Whenthe spectator does, John turns the blue card over to show—not the named selec-tion—but a Visa charge card. Oh, well. But the spectator named a card, and it isstill up to John to find it. Perhaps it’s in his pocket. . . .

John holds up a piece of fabric for everyone to see. Immediately, everyone rec-ognizes it as a cutoff portion of a man’s sport coat—that part that has the jacketpocket. Reaching in the pocket, he takes out a secretary wallet that has a largeenvelope—larger than the wallet itself—tucked inside. “And it’s a zippered wallet!” heexclaims as he turns the wallet around to show a false zipper that obviously goesnowhere. Taking out the envelope, he opens the flap and removes a jumbo play-ing card, back to the audience, which bears his signature and has one corner re-moved. Pointing out the missing corner, John opens his real jacket to show, pastedinside, a multitude of torn corners and pieces of playing card. He says, “I don’tknow which one it is, but I’m sure it’s one of these!”

John then asks the spectator who thought of a card, “Wouldn’t you be amazed if Iturned this over and it had your card on the other side?” The good person agrees heartily.When John turns the card around, the audience sees that written on the blankface of the jumbo card are the words “Your Card.”

After this easy laugh, John tears the card into pieces and holds them in onehand. Saying, “I couldn’t find yours by doing The Card in the Balloon, but I could find theballoon in the card!” From between the torn pieces of the jumbo card, one ordinarysized playing card rises. On its back is a picture of a balloon. John says, “And if thatweren’t enough, if I just give it a snap, it changes to your card!” Flicking his finger against thepicture of the balloon, the card instantly transforms itself to the spectator’s thought-of card!

Finis!

If perhaps you’re thinking that the description of the effect was long, sit back with agood cup of coffee. It goes without saying (to use a cliché) that the amount ofpreparation for this act is extensive, and our explanation will be no less so. Wehave previously described certain elements in this book, though, so part of thegroundwork is already laid. If you haven’t already, you may want to study thefollowing items (which will be only briefly touched upon in this chapter): “The


Apprentice Cut,” “The Master Cut,” “Shrinkage,” “The Oh, Calcutta Shuffle,”“On the Upswing,” and “The Winter Change.”

To make the explanation clear, first we give a summary description of themethod. Later, when we detail the finer points, it will be easier to understand theirobjectives.

1. After announcing that you will perform every card trick in the world, youremove a deck of cards from a card case. The case immediately shrinks to half itssize, using the gimmicked card case described earlier in “Shrinkage.” You thenput the card box in your close-up case.

2. The deck has two cards, the Eight of Diamonds and the Ten of Spades,preset on top. You do several false shuffles and cuts. The first spectator is forcedto select the Eight of Diamonds, after which you force the second person to takethe Ten of Spades. You cut both cards to near the bottom of the deck. The nextselection is free and you secretly move it to the top of the deck via a side steal.Selection number four is also free and similarly controlled to the top.

3. You produce the fourth selection by using a move published by John Benzais.You then toss this card in the air and as it boomerangs back, you cut the deck andtrap the card face-up between the halves. Spreading the deck on the table, youslide out the fourth selection and the card immediately beneath it—the third selec-tion. Scooping up the rest of the cards, you ask the third spectator the name of hisselection. When he tells you, you cautiously lift up a corner of the face-down cardto see for yourself if you’ve succeeded. At this moment, you switch the deck inyour hand for another in your close-up case. You then turn over the card on thetable to show that you’ve indeed found it.

4. The deck you have switched in is stacked. It is segregated by color and setfor the poker deal and revelations. Therefore, when the next spectator names hiscard—the Ten of Spades—you produce all four tens. After the last spectator alsonames his selection, you deal cards into piles, poker-fashion, dealing one card foreach letter in the name “Eight of Diamonds.” When the deal is complete, the nextcard is the selection.

5. You now perform “Arisen!” to make a card rise from the center of the deck.After some more false shuffles, you then show that the deck has segregated itselfinto blacks and reds, after which you reveal that you previously dealt yourself aroyal flush in spades.

6. You collect all the cards and reach into your case for the miniature cardbox. While your hand is momentarily out of sight, you switch the deck you holdfor a third, gimmicked, deck. This new deck is really two solid half-decks heldtogether by a flange. The tiny card box you remove is also not the same one thespectators saw earlier, but one specially prepared for the next sequence.

7. You show that the cards will not fit in the box. Reaching in your pocket(secretly stealing and ditching half the gimmicked deck), you remove a small bottleof “shrinking powder.” Tapping some powder on the deck, you now easily slideit into the card case (this half-deck turns and fits smoothly). The case has a secretpocket in it that already holds several miniature replicas of playing cards—½"


high. Turning the box over, these fakes fall to the table, showing the deck has shrunkto ridiculous proportions.

8. After you put this case and cards away, you remove another deck from yourpocket. This is a red-backed, blank-faced deck (with one blue card) which is in ablue card case. After shuffling and showing blank faces and blue backs, you do“The Winter Change” to transform all the backs from blue to red. After you cutthe deck, you pressure fan the cards to show one blue back in the center.

9. A spectator names any card. You remove the blue-backed card and showthe other side, which has a Visa charge card label affixed to it. Putting the deckaway, you take out the section of a man’s sports jacket. The partial jacket has theouter pocket and the inner breast pocket intact on either side. Duplicate walletsand envelopes are placed in each pocket. Each wallet contains a 26-card index; thered cards are in one wallet, the blacks in the other. All the cards have a picture ofa balloon on the back. Also tucked in each wallet is a jumbo envelope, both ofwhich contain identical blank-faced jumbo cards with one corner removed.

10. Depending on the color of the card called by the spectator, you remove theappropriate wallet and show it. As you remove the envelope from the wallet, youreach in the index with your thumb and steal the named selection behind the enve-lope. You tear the top of the envelope and remove the jumbo card, secretly sliding

the selection behind it as you do. You then show the inte-rior of your jacket, where you have many pieces of cardsalready hanging. Next, you steal the hidden card frombehind the jumbo prediction into your right hand, so youcan turn the giant card over (to show the words “YourCard”), and replace the selection behind it.

11. After this, you tear the jumbo card into pieces,loading the selection among them. Using your forefin-ger, you pivot the selection up and into view, back to theaudience. Taking it from the pieces, you then snap thecard to the table, turning it over in the process, andapparently transform it into the named selection.

Okay, if you’re still with us (and you’d better be—wedon’t want to write all this for nothing), let’s first discussthe special items you will need to perform this routine:

THE CARD CLIP

This holder is specially fashioned to keep a deck of cards(or in our case, a fake deck of cards) outside the close-upcase for easy retrieval. Figures 1, 2, and 3 show the item fromvarious angles. It is formed from a rectangular piece of sheetmetal (approximately 3½ by 4½ inches) with a slot cutfrom one of the long edges. This slot is in the center ofthe edge, is as wide as the middle third of the sheet, and is

Figure 1

Figure 2


approximately 1½ inches deep. Bending the metal at right angles at the end of theslot, then bending each flange upwards at right angles again forms the basic body.Set two bankers’ clips over the back of the holder and cover their inside legs withTeflon tape (found at plastic supply stores), which will hold them securely in place.

As an alternative you can obtain a “Card Clip” such as the type manufactured byRandall Whitworth of Houston, Texas (metal) or that made by Phil Young of Tulsa,Oklahoma (acrylic). By cutting a center slot from one sideof the clip and the middle of the spine, then attaching thebanker’s clips on the back, you have an item that perfectlymatches John’s.

THE CLOSE-UP CASE

John uses a case with an interior tray that raises when thelid is opened (Figure 4). The tray is similar to one youmight find in a jewelry box. You can use other types ofcases, although some modification may be needed. Whatis crucial, however, is the positioning of the inner tray.For the first deck switch, a pack of cards will be restingupright in this tray. When the lid is open and the case isbehind the table, it is important that you can rest yourleft fingers on the edge of the table and, without movingthem, reach down into the case to retrieve this deck. Theexact technique on this switch will become clearer in theupcoming description.

THE GIMMICKED DECK

To make this interesting gimmick, get a red-backed deckof cards, a Playtime card (a miniature playing card), a clampor vise, a drill, a jigsaw or other straight but fine cuttingdevice, strong thread, silicon seal, a metal flange (approxi-mately ½" wide by 1" long), glue, and some cellophanetape. Set the Playtime card aside, with a card from the deck,and cut the remainder of the deck in half, parallel to theshort ends. You can cut the cards individually with a papercutter or scissors, or take the deck to a printer/copy shopand have them do the cutting for you.

Remove the top five half-cards of each packet (soyou have ten pieces of playing cards) and lay them asidealso. Next, take a half-deck and, clamping it securelywith the cards perfectly square, drill four holes in thelocations shown in Figure 5 (or you can punch the holes

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5


individually with a paper punch, if you have the timeand desire). Using strong basting or nylon thread, tiethe cards securely together through the holes, joiningthe top and bottom holes of each side (Figure 6). Oncethe cards are tightly bound, fill the holes with siliconseal (the use of this compound instead of gluing thecards together permits some movement and freedom ofthe deck, such as beveling the cards, which looks morenatural).

Now, insert the stiff metal flange halfway into thecenter of the cut end of the deck (Figure 7)—setting it inplace with glue. Be careful not to shove the flange throughthe thread that is running through the cards. About ½"of the flange should protrude from the end of the packet.Prepare the other half-deck the same way—holes, thread,glue, and all—except there is no flange.

Now you’re going to find two matching halves of thecut cards you laid aside earlier and glue them to the facesof the packets to cover the holes. If you do this now,however, the thickness of the thread will cause a spaceto appear between the packet and this cover card. Toprevent this, first take a half card and cut slots in it asin Figure 8. Make four of these slotted cards in all andglue one to the tops and faces of each packet (Figure 9).These act as spacers beneath your cover cards and will

fill the area created by the thickness of the thread when you fix the cover cardsin place. Now take your two halves of a card that match and glue one to eachface of the half-decks (so that when you hold the halves next to each other, theylook like one card on the face). Glue another half card to the top of each packetin the same way.

Take one of the two remaining half-cards and glue the Playtime card—backshowing—on its face (essentially a double-backed card now, but with a minia-

Figure 6

Figure 8

Figure 9

Figure 7


ture back on one side and half a regular back on theother).

For the last steps, cut off a length of cellophane tapejust less than the width of a playing card. Take your lastremaining half-card and place the tape along its cut edgeon its face, offset so half the tape’s surface is still exposed(Figure 10). Then, take the odd double-backer you’vemade and place it along the overhanging portion of thetape, so that the backs of the half-cards match (Figure 11).Finally, take this jointed card and glue the exposed half-face to the top of the packet that does not have a flange.The resulting configuration appears in Figure 12, whereyou apparently have half a deck with one whole card (even if one with a large crackin it). If you will now take the other half-deck and insert its flange into the centerof this packet (Figure 13), you will have a reasonable facsimile of a whole deck. Bystealing the flanged packet away and folding the hinged card in half on top of theremaining packet (Figure 14), you will be left with a fairly good replica of a Playtimedeck.

We will detail the exact use of this gimmick shortly.

Figure 10

Figure 12

Figure 11

Figure 13

Figure 14


THE MINIATURE CARD CASE

This is a Playtime card case with an extra space inside tohold the ½" cards you dump out later. Obtain twoPlaytime cases, an artist’s knife or razor, and a small plas-tic case that you get when you buy fuses for your auto-mobile (this little case consists of a cover and a small plas-tic sliding drawer).

Discard the fuses and remove the plastic drawer fromthe sleeve. With your knife or other tool, cut away thetop end of the drawer, so you’re left with a base and threesides (Figure 15). Put the drawer back into the sleeve andglue the box, open end up, to the front of a card case asin Figure 16.

Take the other card case and cut away the top (includ-ing the flap and tabs) and the back (Figure 17). Glue thisshell of a case to the front of the other case, covering thefuse box. What you now have is a Playtime card case thatcan hold a miniature deck, with an extra pocket in itsfront.

Put your card case aside for the moment. We’ll getback to it in a little while.

THE CARD INDEXES

This is probably the most interesting item in the routine, and will be one you canuse in many contexts. Obtain two pocket secretary wallets, such as that shown inFigure 18. John finds that the At-A-Glance® pocket calendars work well. You willalso need thin black poster board, numbered and lettered embossing tape (or anembossing device, like a Dymo® embosser and some small index tabs), adhesivecorner mounts for photographs, two zippers, and a blank-backed deck of cards.

Figure 15

Figure 17

Figure 18

Figure 16


Take your poster board and cut it into at least 28 identical rectangular pieces,just small enough to fit inside your wallet. Once you have your pieces, divide theminto two groups of fourteen, take them to your local printer and have them fasteneach group along one long edge with plastic comb binding (Figure 19).1 Back homeagain, place the numbered embossing tape along the right edge of each page (stag-gering them as in Figure 20). Label the first page “A,” the next “2,” then “3,” andso on, up to “K” for “King.” Leave the last page unlabeled.

Next, fasten a clear vinyl adhesive-backed business card holder (available at mostoffice supply stores) at the bottom of each right-hand page (Figure 21). If you cannotfind self-adhesive holders, standard vinyl business card holders can be affixed withdouble-sided carpet tape. These holders will hold the playing cards.

On the back of each playing card, draw or affix a cartoon of a red balloon (Fig-ure 22), then separate the cards into same-colored pairs (two red Aces, two redDeuces, two red Threes—all the way to the black Kings). In one book, place thered Aces in the corner mounts on the first page, the Heart above the Diamond

Figure 20

Figure 22

Figure 19

Figure 21

1. This type of binding has become known in the industry as “GBC Binding” and it is in greatfavor with magicians who own large numbers of photocopied books and lecture notes (not thatI would personally know anything about that, you understand).


(Figure 23). On the next page, place the Twos, then theThrees, and so on. On every page, the Heart should bebehind and above the Diamond. The other book is setup the same way with the black cards, the Spades alwaysbeing above the Clubs. In both indexes, the cards shouldbe oriented so the pictures of the balloons on their back-sides are upside-down.

Holding one wallet so its opening is on your left, affixa zipper along its center (Figure 24). Do the same to theother. Then take the card indexes and place one in eachwallet (use the blank pages as inserts—slide them intothe rear pocket of the wallets to hold the indexes in place).Position the indexes so that when you hold the wallet withthe opening to your right the embossed labels are right-side up.

The preparation of the wallets is complete. In theroutine, when the last spectator names any card, you willtake the appropriate wallet from your pocket (assumehe named the Three of Hearts, so you will take out thewallet containing the red cards). By pulling the walletcover to the left with your left thumb, you will exposethe tabs enough that you can place your right thumbon the embossed index “3.” Once you’ve located theproper tab, move your right thumb to the left, onto thepage. It is no challenge to put your thumb directly onthe Heart, for you know it is above the Diamond.

Because at that point in the routine you also hold a large envelope, it is a simplematter to remove the envelope from the wallet, stealing the Three of Heartsbehind it.

SETTING UP

Besides all these special items, you will also need:

• Two decks of ordinary red-backed cards• A gimmicked collapsing red card case (see “Shrinkage”)• A deck of red-backed cards with blank faces• An adhesive label with the Visa charge card logo on it (seen in the windows

of many stores; you can obtain these labels from a local bank)• A blue-backed card• A blue card case• Two red-backed jumbo cards with blank faces• Two large clasp envelopes to hold the jumbo cards• Two gold foil seals

Figure 23

Figure 24


• Ten to fifteen torn pieces of jumbo cards• A 12" by 8" piece of black felt with safety pin at each corner• The front left half of a man’s dinner jacket (which has the inner breast pocket

and the outer pocket intact—find an old coat and cut what you need . . .keep the sleeve intact, if you’d like)

• A tube or vial of glitter• A magic marker or Sharpie® brand pen• Some miniature playing cards (approximately ½" high—these can be found

at some novelty stores or gum machine vendors. You can cut up some regu-lar playing cards and use those pieces if the miniatures prove hard to find)

• One balloon• Some tape or pins.

Go ahead and get all this stuff now. We’ll wait.Okay, now that you’re back,2 place your close-up case behind the table and to

your left, at a height that brings the open lid of the case even with the table top.Take one of your regular red-backed decks and place the Eight of Diamonds andTen of Spades on top as the first and second cards, respectively. Remove the otherfour Tens from the deck completely (since you’re going to force the Ten of Spadeson one spectator and produce all four Tens when you find his card, you don’twant someone else to take a Ten during the routine). Place this deck in your shrink-ing card case, set up for “Shrinkage.” This assembly goes in your close-upcase in any convenient location in the top tray.

Take your other red-backed deck and remove the Two of Spades, theTen of Clubs, and the Ten of Hearts. Place these to one side for the mo-ment. Arrange the remaining cards in this order: Ten of Spades (on top),Ten of Diamonds, Ace of Clubs, Nine of Clubs, Joker, Jack of Spades, Sevenof Clubs, Four of Clubs, Queen of Clubs, Queen of Spades, Seven of Dia-monds, Five of Clubs, Queen of Hearts, King of Spades, Seven of Hearts,Jack of Clubs, Queen of Diamonds, Ace of Spades, Eight of Diamonds,then all the remaining red cards. Next comes the Two of Spades you placedaside earlier, then all the remaining black cards, followed by the Ten of Clubs,and finally (at the face of the deck), the Ten of Hearts. Place this deckupright (on end) in the top tray of your close-up case, the backs facing toyour right in preparation for the first deck switch (Figure 25). A block offoam or other support will keep the pack from falling over.

Affix the Visa label to the face of the blue-backed card, trimming awayany edges as necessary. Put this card face down on top of the red-backedblank deck, and place the pack in the blue card case. This deck goes in yourouter left jacket pocket.

Hang the card clip outside your close-up case. The gaffed deck (the one which sepa-rates into two solid halves) rests in this clip, faces toward you, ready for the seconddeck switch. The half-deck with the folding cover card should be on your left (the half

Figure 25

2. Good timing. I had popped out for a bit myself.


that does not have the protruding flange). Check out Figure25 again for the placement of the clip and deck.

Now take each of the jumbo cards and, holding themwith their faces to you, tear off the upper right-hand cor-ners. Take these pieces—and the various torn pieces youobtained earlier—and glue them to the rectangular pieceof black felt in haphazard positions (Figure 26). Pin thepiece of felt to the inside of your jacket (the one you willwear during your performance) on your left side.

Turn each of the jumbo cards so that the missing cor-ner is at your upper right and, with your marking pen,neatly write “Your Card” on the remainder of their faces.Then, turn each card over, end for end, and on the back,

sign your name boldly. Next, orient the envelopes so their flaps are uppermostand on the back of each envelope (the same side that has the clasp), write the words“Sealed Prediction” in large letters. Place a gold foil seal on the back of each en-velope, partially under the flap (the foil doesn’t “seal” anything; its presence is forone of a series of gags). Holding the cards so the torn corners are at your lowerright (you’ll be looking at the backs), place each of them in an envelope and foldthe flap down. Tuck each envelope in the back of a wallet (behind the indexes) sothat, as you open the wallet, the writing side is lowermost and the clasp end of theenvelope will be nearest your audience. As a precaution, draw a Spade and a Clubsymbol just below the left edge of the flap on the envelope you placed in the wal-let that contains the black-card index. In the same manner, draw the Heart andDiamond symbols on the other envelope.

Place the wallet with the black-card index in the outer pocket of the jacket rem-nant (from the coat you destroyed not too long ago). The other wallet—with thered cards—goes in the breast pocket (red cards closer to “the Heart”). Neitherwallet can protrude from the jacket—they must be totally concealed in the pocket,for you cannot allow the audience to suspect there is more than one. Bundle thejacket and place it in the lower part of your close-up case.

Fill the pocket (the fuse box) in your expanded Playtime card case with theminiature novelty cards. Close the box and place it in a convenient location in thebottom half of your close-up case. The tube of glitter rests nearby in the samesection. Loosen the lid of the tube so that one more turn will make it easy to remove.Both the tube and the box rest on top of your jacket. Finally, place the balloon inany convenient pocket.

Stop for a moment, review your props and setup, and take a deep breath. Herewe go . . . .

THE PERFORMANCE

Say, “Thank you ladies and gentlemen. I realized before I came out here tonight that I would beperforming with some people that I respect and admire. Because of this, I thought what I would do is

Figure 26


pay homage to these wonderful performers, sort of a preview of whatyou can expect from them—by doing some of their favorite and besttricks! In fact, what the heck, I’ll just do them all! What I’m going todo is every card trick in the world ever invented at any time by any-one . . . and I’m going to do them all in the next ten minutes. Forthose of you who don’t think that’s very special, I’m also going to findfifty-two mentally selected cards and deal myself four Aces from ashuffled deck. Finally, I will end up with the famous ‘Mentally SelectedCard in the Balloon Trick.’” Take the balloon from yourpocket and hold it up for everyone to see. “Now, if I wereto have someone just think of a card and that card was to end up in aballoon, you would think that he and I were in on it together. Toeliminate that thought, I have here a spectator selector, so would some-one catch this?”

Blow up the balloon and hold the end closed betweenyour thumb and fingers. Pointing it toward your audience,let it go, flying into the crowd. “Okay, sir,” you say, address-ing whoever caught the balloon, “think of any card in the deck—except maybe a Joker; that’s a little too obvious. Don’t tell me what it isjust yet, just think of one and whatever you do, don’t forget it.”

Reach into your close-up case and take out the deckin the collapsing box (see “Shrinkage”). “Now, I’m going tofind your card, but first . . . EVERY CARD TRICK IN THEWORLD IN TEN MINUTES! Rest assured, I use only a normalpack of playing cards.”

Take the deck out of the box, saying, “And I only usepoker-sized cards for these because they’re a little bit easier to see.” Setthe deck on the table in front of you while you talk, thenclose the top of the card box, collapsing it in the pro-cess. Look at it in surprise as you say, “Oh, I think the trickcomes at the end when I have to put them back in this tiny little cardbox—that’s kind of a strange thing.” As you show the little cardcase, pick up the deck and hold it next to the box forcomparison, then put the box in your close-up case.

“Okay, to begin with, I’m going to shuffle the cards.” Begin riffle-shuffling the cards in your hands, as in Figures 27, 28, and29. As you mix them, retain the original top cards of thedeck (the Eight of Diamonds and Ten of Spades) in placeby allowing them to fall last in the shuffle. Say, “Now I think you’ll agree these cards arebeing shuffled. I’m now going to have some people select a card.” Follow this with a brief HinduShuffle, by stripping off approximately half the cards (see “The Oh, Calcutta Shuffle”for a description of the Hindu action). As you go to take the next packet from the topof the deck, push the Eight of Diamonds over a tad to get a left little finger break andshuffle off normally. When the shuffle is completed, you should be holding a breakin the center of the deck, between the Eight of Diamonds and Ten of Spades.

Figure 27

Figure 28

Figure 29


Figure 30

Figure 31

Address a member of your audience, saying, “Sir, wouldyou say stop anywhere in the middle of the deck?” Begin rifflingdown the outer corner of the deck with your left thumb.Wherever he stops you, riffle force the Eight of Dia-monds, lifting all the cards above the break and hold-ing this packet full-face toward him (Figure 30). As yourhand comes up to show him the card, push over the topcard of the packet remaining in your left hand (the Tenof Spades) and hold a little finger break beneath it.When you’re certain he has registered his selection,place the right-hand cards on top of the left, restoringthe deck.

Turning to another member of the audience, say, “AndMiss? Would you also say stop anywhere in the middle?” Riffle forcethe Ten of Spades on her in the same manner as youforced the Eight of Diamonds on the first person. Whenshe has remembered her card, replace the cards. It is nolonger necessary to maintain a break, but do rememberapproximately where they lie in the deck. Cut the deckseveral cards below the selections and complete it, bring-ing the Eight of Diamonds and the Ten of Spades towithin a few cards from the face.

Now turn to a third person, saying, “And would you stopme anywhere?” Allow the cards to dribble from your righthand into your left (Figure 31), letting the spectator stopyou at any point (a free choice). When she says to stop,

lift the remaining right-hand cards, allowing her to note the face card of this packetas her selection (let’s assume it is the Three of Clubs). Restore the deck, then side-steal the chosen Three of Clubs to the top of the deck (Marlo’s “Direct Side Steal”from The Side Steal chapter of the Revolutionary Card Technique series is a perfectchoice, and the one that John uses).

Repeat the dribble and free selection for the fourth spectator (assume they’vestopped you at a Queen of Hearts), side-stealing it to the top as well. The order ofthe deck from the top down is now Queen of Hearts, Three of Clubs, and the restof the pack. Say, “Now we have four cards selected and, just to be safe, I’m going to shuffle themagain.” Begin riffle-shuffling them in your hands again, mixing them well, but keep-ing the top two cards in position.

Turn to the fourth spectator and say, “Okay, what was your card? The Queen of Hearts?All right, now I’m going to shuffle your card, the Queen of Hearts, to exactly the 26th position fromthe top of the deck. To do that, all I do are two shuffles . . .” Shuffle the cards twice. “And thatputs your card at the 32nd position. Awesome. Now to get your card from 32 to 26, all I have todo is one simple little cut . . .” Begin the Master Cut (described earlier in the book), alook of concentration dominating your face, the packets swirling around your fin-gers from hand to hand.


Figure 32 Figure 33

3. This is John Benzais’s revelation from “Bewilderment,” a routine that appeared in his book,The Best of Benzais. Benzais was an impressive worker who, from the feel of his writings, thor-oughly enjoyed magic. If you recall, he also inspired John’s routine, “The Jawbreakers,” describedearlier.

“There. That puts it exactly 26 cards down. Now it’s just a simple matter of cutting to the26th card . . .” Place the deck before you on the table, gripped between bothhands as in Figure 32. Lift the top half of the deck at the near side with yourleft thumb while you carry the bottom half forward with your right hand,slightly snapping your wrist. At the same time that the bottom half starts mov-ing forward, your right forefinger also presses down on the top card of thedeck, spinning it off and in front of you (Figure 33—the wrist motion pro-vides the momentum). As soon as the top card flies forward, reverse the di-rection of your right hand, placing its packet back beneath the left. The illu-sion of the card coming from the center of the pack is quite good, once thetiming is right.3

Pick up the card and hold it upright, back to your audience. Say, “I’m sorry, whatwas your card? The Queen of Hearts?” Look disconcerted for a moment. “Well, I didn’tsay it worked all the time . . . but it did that time, ladies and gentlemen! Thank you very much.”Show the card to the audience, then lay it face up to one side.

Turn to the third spectator and say, “Okay, what was your card? The Three of Clubs?All right, give me any number between 20 and 30. 29? Okay, then, I’m going to shuffle yourcard to the exact 29th position in the deck.” Riffle shuffle the cards some more, keepingthe selection on top. “Now your card is 29th,” you say as you pick up the Queen ofHearts, “and in order to find it more quickly I’m going to take her card, the Queen of Hearts,toss it up in the air, have it spin around 29 times, and land in the deck right next to your Threeof Clubs. Wouldn’t that be a good trick?” When your spectators agree, say, “Yeah, I know.I wish I could do it.”

“Oh, well,” you continue, “we’ll give it a shot. Look, I toss the Queen of Hearts up in theair, it lands in the deck . . .” Spin the card upward in front of you at a slight angle sothat it will boomerang back toward you. As the card comes down, give the deck


a quick Hindu Cut, trapping the Queen of Hearts be-tween the halves (Figures 34, 35, and 36).

“. . . right next to the 29th card. Here, I’ll prove it to you . . .”Begin spreading cards from hand to hand to get to theface-up card, mock counting as you go, “. . . two, four, fif-teen, twenty-five, twenty-nine!” Spread to the face-up card andthe face-down card directly beneath it, cleanly placing theback-to-back pair on the table. Show the cards in the deckabove and below where the pair rested, saying, “You see, ifwe went one card higher, we would have gotten this card, the Seven ofSpades . . . and one card lower would have been this card, the Two ofClubs. But we landed right next to THIS card.” Point to the face-down card on the table as you restore the deck and holdit in left-hand dealing position.

Lean over to your left as you reach for the face-downcard with your right hand, turning up a corner to peek atits face. As you do, say, “What was your card again?” Forsupport, rest your left hand on the table edge, your fin-gers lying on the table surface, the remainder of your handbehind and below the table (Figure 37). Your hand shouldrest on the table directly over the tray in your close-upcase, just to the left of the stacked deck, which is sittingupright near the right end of the tray. Under the misdi-recting action of peeking at the card, drop the deck fromyour left hand onto the tray and pick up the stacked deck,

using the same dealing grip (Figures 38, 39, and 40). Bring your hand into viewimmediately after that. As your hand comes up, say, “The Three of Clubs? That’s closeenough.” Turn the tabled card face up with your right hand to show it. The actiontakes but a second and the deck is almost never out of sight during the switch.

“Okay, now, let me see . . . you thought of a card, right?” Point to the second spectator.“Name your card. The Ten of Spades? Okay, to find the Ten of Spades, all I have to do is give thedeck a cut like this. . . .”

Figure 34

Figure 36

Figure 37

Figure 35


Perform the Apprentice Cut, described elsewhere inthe book.

“. . . and your card comes right to the top.” Glance at the topcard, without showing it, and blush a little. “Oops, not rightto the top. Maybe it’s on the bottom.” Peek at the bottom card.“Oh, well, I missed that one, but I’ll make it up to you by making itharder on me. I’ll find all four Tens at the same time!”

Holding the deck in your left hand, toss it sharplyinto your right, the top and bottom cards clinging toyour fingertips and remaining in your hand (Figure 41).Immediately toss the deck in the same way from yourright hand softly to the table, keeping the top and bot-tom cards again.

To reveal the four cards with a flourish, push the top cards forward with yourthumbs (Figure 42). Bring your third fingers up and over the rear cards and pressdown to cause these cards to snap over end for end (Figure 43 in progress and Figure44). Next, pull the face-down cards deeper into the crotch of your thumbs, andbring your second finger tips over their inside edges (Figure 45). By pulling downwith your second fingers and applying upward pressure with your forefingers, the

Figure 38

Figure 40

Figure 39

Figure 41

Figure 42


cards will snap over sideways (Figure 46). Place your thumbs on the faces of therear cards (so you hold them by your thumbs and third fingers while your firstand second fingers hold the front cards) and open your hands as in Figure 47, cross-ing your arms at the same time to end as in Figure 48.

After the applause, place the Tens face down in diamond formation before you,the Spade being closest to your edge of the table. “Now we’re down to the last card andI guess I’ll have to play you poker for it . . . what was your card? The Eight of Diamonds? All I

Figure 43

Figure 45

Figure 47

Figure 44

Figure 46

Figure 48


have to do is shuffle like this . . .” Do “The Oh, CalcuttaShuffle,” retaining the order of the deck. “. . . so that it endsup at a certain position in the deck, and that would be E, I, G, H, T,O, F, D, I, A, M, O, N, D, S . . .”

Begin spelling the name of the card, dealing one cardfor each letter on the Tens that are already on the table.Begin with the Ten on your left and deal around the table,as if completing poker hands. The letter “S” will fall onthe third hand. Pause for a moment, then deal anothercard onto your pile, saying “. . . Period!”

Push over the next card on the deck as you say, “Andthat’s how we get the Eight of Diamonds.” Turn over the card toshow the selection and table it to one side. As your audi-ence reacts, spread the cards before you, looking over theirfaces. Sight the Two of Spades, getting a break above itas you close the deck. Keep holding your little finger breakas you turn your left hand palm down as in Figure 49. Youwill find that this will cause the halves of the deck to forma step where the break lies (Figure 50). Take the deck fromabove with your right hand, allowing you to let go withyour left long enough to retake it in standard dealingposition. By now pulling down on this step with your leftlittle finger, you can regain your break in the same placeit was, beneath the Two of Spades (this ploy is generallycredited to Marlo).

Say, “Now, I had everyone in the room think of a card. Did anyonethink of the Two of Spades?” While you speak, use your littlefinger to secretly kick the Two of Spades out the rightside of the deck beneath your right hand, preparing for“Arisen!” If no one says they thought of it, say, “I knewno one would think of the Two of Spades, so I took the liberty of thinkingof it myself!” Turn the deck end for end (executing themechanics of John’s card rise), bringing it up on your rightside, face to the audience, and cause the card to rise fromthe center of the pack (Figure 51). Naturally if someonedoes say they thought of the Two of Spades, claim thisis their card.

After the card has risen, put the deck, with the Twoof Spades still outjogged in dealing position in your left hand. Grasp the outerend of the Two of Spades with your right hand and lift slightly, which will causethe deck to open a little along its entire right side. Take a little finger break here(between the red and black cards) as you pull out the Two of Spades and place iton the table with the selections.

“Now everyone in here is thinking of a card and I’m going to find them all, but first, I’m goingto shuffle one last time.” Begin an overhand shuffle, tossing cards from the top of the

Figure 49

Figure 50

Figure 51


deck into your right hand. Shuffle normally until youreach the break, then injog the next card and shuffle off.After the shuffle, lift the injogged card to get a breakbeneath it and square the cards. Cut the cards again andhold a break between the halves. The deck is still dividedinto reds and blacks and you still hold a break betweenthem.

Take all the top cards above the break in your righthand as you say, “Now, in order to save time, I’m going to findthem all at once. If you thought of a red card, here’s your card.” Doa one-handed fan of all the red cards so the audience cansee their faces. “And if you thought of a black card, there’s YOURcard.” Do a reverse one-handed fan with your left hand(Figure 52) to show all the black faces there.4 After a pause,set all the reds and blacks off to the side with the selec-tions.

Point to the remaining hands on the table and say,“Now I dealt four poker hands a little while ago to find the Eight ofDiamonds and I did promise to deal myself four Aces from a shuffledpack. A lot of people ask me if that’s possible . . .” Pick up yourpoker hand and look at it for a moment. Look at youraudience as if you’ve missed again and say, “No!”

“No, you see, I wouldn’t do that because there’s still a hand that ishigher than four Aces. That’s a royal flush in spades, the Ace, King,Queen, Jack, and Ten of Spades. Thank you very much.” Take thecards from the top of the packet as you name them, form-ing a fan face toward the audience to let them see yourwinning hand.

Pick up all the cards from the table, reassemble yourdeck, and hold it in your left hand. Say, “Now the problem,like I said, will be to get this deck back into its little box.” With yourleft hand, reach into your prop case for the miniature cardbox. As soon as your hand is out of sight, though, dropthe deck you hold, pick up the deck that’s resting in theclip outside your case and then pick up the other miniaturecard case—the one with the secret pocket in it.

Come out with the box and take it in your right hand,showing it, then set it upright on the table in front of

you. “For this,” you say, “what I use is a little bit of shrinking powder, and I happen to have someright here.” Transfer the deck from your left hand to your right in dealing position.As your left hand moves away, though, it retains the rear half of the deck (Figure53) and immediately goes to the case for the shrinking powder. Your right hand

Figure 52

Figure 53

Figure 54

4. It only takes a little bit of practice. Really.


Figure 55

Figure 56

Figure 57

holds its half deck and cover card in dealing position(Figure 54).

Drop the stolen half deck into the case, come out withyour vial of powder, and set it on the table before you.Because the lid is loose, you can easily remove it with yourleft hand. Set it to one side and pick up the bottle again.“You see, if I just sprinkle a little on the deck, the cards will shrinkenough to where I can get them back in that box.” Begin sprin-kling some powder on the deck in your right hand. Geta little careless and jump back suddenly, getting your laparea out of the way of the falling powder. “Oh, gosh,” yousay with a grin, “that was close . . . don’t spill any on yourself!”

Set the bottle on the table and move your right handback and forth with a gentle shaking motion. “Believe it ornot, those cards are shrinking. They’re getting smaller, smaller, andsmaller . . . until they fit right into the box.” Pick up the box onthe table with your left hand as you tilt your right handback, obscuring the view of the deck from your audience.At the same time, push up on the flap of the deck withyour little finger (Figure 55). Bringing the box up to yourright hand, use your right thumb to pull the flap the restof the way over and slowly slide the gimmick into thecase (Figure 56). Once the cards are halfway into the boxyou can flash the miniature back, after which you foldthe flap of the case over and hold it down with your leftthumb (Figure 57).

Your audience will respond to this and, during theirreaction, you lift up the flap of the box and look inside.“Uh-oh,” you say, “I think I used a little too much shrinking pow-der. If you ever do that, you’re in trouble.” Fold the flap of thecase back onto the other side, holding it down with yourfingers. Press firmly with your fingers and thumb to holdthe half-deck in place while you turn the case upsidedown, letting the itsy-bitsy playing cards flutter to thetable. Scoop them up quickly and throw them and thecard case into your close-up case.

“But wait, we’re running out of time, so I’d better hurry, becauseI said that I would do EVERY card trick in the world in under tenminutes. Now, you’re not going to believe this, but if I snap my fingers, that deck of cards jumps rightback into my pocket.” Reach into your outer left jacket pocket and remove the deck,bringing it before your spectators.

“Not only has it jumped back into my pocket—and grown to its original size, I might add—butthe card case has now turned to blue!” Point to the outside of the box. Open the case andremove the cards. “And if I take the cards out of the case, the card case does not shrink.” Bowslightly as you add, “Thank you very much.” Put the card box in your close-up case.


Turn the deck face up in your hand and begin doinga Hindu shuffle, every so often showing the blue-backedcard at the rear of the right-hand packet. Say, “Not onlydid the cards turn blue, but you will notice that the faces have all turnedblank.” When you’re left with a small packet in your righthand, place these on the face of the deck, holding amomentary break, then cut them to the rear of the deck.Spread the cards face up, showing the blank faces. Squarethe cards and turn them face down in your left hand.

“And not only did all the cards in the deck turn blank, but if Itake my hand and wave it over the deck like this, all the cards in thedeck turn BACK to red!” Do the “Winter Change” (taughtin another chapter), stealing any card from the center and

loading it on top of the deck. Immediately spread the cards, keeping the top twoaligned, showing all red backs. Cut the deck as you close the cards and turn themface up in your left hand.

“And not only did all the cards turn red again, but if I snap my fingers once more, one and onlyone card turns back to blue!” Bring the deck upright so the audience is looking at theback again and do a pressure fan in your left hand. Pull the blue-backed card par-tially from the fan and leave it outjogged. This is the Visa gag card you madeearlier. “Who caught the balloon a while ago? You? Sir, would you tell us for the first time whatcard you merely thought of? The Two of Hearts?” Remove the outjogged card from thefan. “Would it be a good trick if this was your card? I know, but it’s not. It’s my Visa card.” Turnthe card over so the audience can recognize the label. After the laugh, put the cardand the deck on the table.

“No, not only does the card turn blue, but YOUR card, the Two of Hearts, jumps right insidemy coat pocket. No, not this one . . . THIS ONE!” Reach in your case and pull out theportion of jacket you have there.

“And not only does your card jump into my pocket, but it jumps inside a wallet . . .” Depend-ing on the card he’s called, reach in the appropriate pocket and remove the walletindex and envelope. Since in our example the spectator thought of the Two ofHearts, you would remove the wallet from the breast pocket, keeping the one inthe side pocket well out of sight. Show the zipper on the wallet (as if it meansanything here) and say, “. . . and it has a zipper on it!” Now point to the envelopejutting out on all sides and say, “And not only did it jump inside a zippered wallet, but itjumped right into an envelope.”

Pull the cover of the wallet slightly to your left with your left thumb, exposingthe tabs on the other side. Press down on the “2” tab in the wallet with your rightthumb and move your thumb onto the upper card on that page (the Two of Hearts).Pull the envelope straight up from the wallet, your right thumb carrying the Twoof Hearts behind it (Figure 58). Say, “And, ladies and gentlemen, it is a sealed envelope!”Lift the flap slightly to show that while the envelope is open, there is a gold foilseal stuck to it.

Holding the flap open, reach inside and take out the jumbo card. As youdo, take the Two of Hearts straight up behind the card and set the envelope

Figure 58


aside. The blank face of the card will be on your sideand the missing corner will be at your lower left. “Andnot only did it jump to a sealed envelope, it has expanded to fivetimes its original size. It has also changed back to a red card . . .there is my signature on the back . . . and yes, ladies and gentle-men, one of these pieces does fit!” Point first to the size ofthe card, then to the color of the back, then to yoursignature on the back, and then open your coat withyour left hand to reveal all the pieces of playing cardyou have fastened there.

After the laughter has died down, say, “And there it is,ladies and gentlemen, finally . . . YOUR CARD!” With yourleft thumb, push the Two of Hearts to your right andinto a right-hand full palm (Figure 59) so that you canturn the card over end for end with your left hand.Immediately tap the backs of your right fingers sharplyagainst your side of the card, pushing the Two of Heartspast your fingertips, where your left thumb can graspit behind the jumbo card again (Figure 60). The audi-ence is looking at the words “Your Card” printed onthe face of the jumbo card. Gesture with your emptyright hand.

Say, “Oh, I guess that’s not what you expected. Hang on, let metry this again.” Turn the card(s) 90º counterclockwise andtear the jumbo card in half, keeping the Two of Heartsconcealed behind the right piece (Figure 61). Next turn both of your hands in towardeach other at the wrists, which turns the half-jumbo card in your left hand 90ºcounter-clockwise and the pieces in your right hand 90º clockwise (Figure 62). Placethe left-hand piece on top of the right-hand piece, sandwiching the Two of Heartsbetween them so you end up in the position shown in Figure 63. The missing cor-ner will be on the piece nearest you at the upper right, and you can see the cornerof the Two of Hearts there.

Figure 60

Figure 61

Figure 62

Figure 59


Take all three pieces in your right hand as in Figure 64,your second and third fingers on the right edge, yourthumb on the left, and your forefinger on the Two ofHearts at the missing corner. Say, “Now, if you remember, Ipromised I would end with someone just thinking of a card and Iwould find it in a balloon, right? Watch. You’ve heard of the card inthe balloon? This is the balloon on the card!”

Push the Two of Hearts to the right with your rightforefinger, causing it to pivot when it comes against yoursecond finger, rising from between the pieces as in Figure65. The audience will see a card with a picture of a bal-loon on it. Take it with your left hand and put the piecesof the jumbo card to one side.

“Now all that remains is to pop that balloon, finding your card. . . what was the card you just thought of? The Two of Hearts? Look,we pop the balloon, getting the Two of Hearts . . .” Hold the cardby its left long edge between your left thumb and finger-tips, as in Figure 66. Snap the right edge of the card force-fully, causing it to fly down from your left hand to thetable, turning over in the process. The audience will seethe card change to the Two of Hearts. Pick it up anddisplay it, finishing by saying, “. . . which gives us EVERYCARD EFFECT IN THE WORLD IN UNDER TEN MIN-UTES! Thank you very much!”

Thus ends the routine, to which you may take yourwell-earned applause!

In closing, the entire magic world would be understandably surprised if anyonewas to put forth the effort required to perfect and perform John’s routine, amaz-ing and brilliant as it is. However, there are many components contained withinthat could be used in a variety of circumstances, and we would be both surprisedand chagrined if many did not take advantage of them. The wallet index idea, for

Figure 63

Figure 65

Figure 66

Figure 64


example, is a utility idea that will fit in many routines and in many forms, depend-ing on your needs and imagination.

Of particular interest is a study of the structure of the F.I.S.M. Act; the mannerin which the effects, despite their dissimilarity, blend into a logical progression ofevents; and how John adroitly solved the many problems that were inherent intrying to develop an act of this intricacy. From studying the management (the man-ner in which each part of the act supports the events to follow), we obtain a glimpseof how his mind works and perhaps come a little closer to understanding the essenceof creativity. Part imagination, part tenacity, this routine stands as a prime exampleof the rewards of thinking diligently about our craft. John could have taken sev-eral parts of the routine in different directions, adding other elements or tossingin more tricks and moves. He consistently pruned himself, however, favoring thedirect route both in method and effect, which makes the magic shine ever clearer.More important than learning the routine, then, is understanding it, so that wecan carry this knowledge through the rest of our magic—and perhaps much further.

John has continued developing this routine over time, and currently finishes bypulling an electric deck attached to a reel that is in turn affixed inside his case.Part way down the line of cards is the balloon card. He holds the “line of cards”and sets off an electric card fountain which shoots cards up in front of the electricdeck. While the cards are streaming up from the fountain, he releases the electricdeck, maintaining his grip on the balloon card. The electric deck shoots back intothe case, and when the cards have all fallen, the balloon card is revealed!


]

Misdirection is about attitude. To clarify

effect and make method truly invisible, or

more the point, unimportant to audiences,

there must be no incongruous movements,

gestures, or illogical feints intended to

distract. Participants must be drawn into

the presentation, feel connected to the per-

former and relax their inhibitions. Misdi-

rection is not something you do, it is some-

thing that is. AJP (05/04/01)

o

the award- winning magic of john cornelius

Documents

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