CARDS By All Means copyright © Peter Duffie, September 2001 · 2020. 5. 3. · Push over the top...

CARDS By All Means copyright © Peter Duffie, September 2001

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Table of Contents

1. Black Sheep 2. The Keeper of the Secrets 3. Spectator Cuts to the Aces 4. Spectator Cuts to the Aces - Plus! 5. K.I.A. (Kane is Able) 6. Miracle or Impossible Revisited 7. The Universal Base 8. Hofzinser on Base 9. Change-over Quicker 10. Here We Go Again… 11. Combination Luck 12. Cannibalector 13. Witch Way? 14. The Face Up Trick 15. Piano Biddle 16. Triple Humdinger

CARDS By All Means copyright © Peter Duffie, September 2001

Table of Contents

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Black SheepTwo spectators each select cards from a packet, then you select one, but youleave your selection face up as proof of your actions. You spread the packet andremove your card along with the two cards on ether side. These prove to be theother two selections. As an afterthought, you point out that both of thespectator’s selections are red, and your card is black. When you show all theother cards, they prove to be black also. Somehow the spectators managed tochoose the only two red cards!

1. Hold the deck with the faces towards you and spread through, upjogging 13black cards then any two red cards. Remove these cards and discard the rest ofthe deck.

2. You now need to position one red 2nd from the face, and the other red 5thfrom the top. You could, if you so wish, remove the 15 cards with the cardsalready in position. But a simple Overhand Shuffle does it easily, as follows:

Pull off top and bottom cards together and throw the balance on top.Immediately run 5 cards singly then throw the balance below these cards. Thissimple shuffle should be done while talking and not presented as an object offocus!

3. You now proceed with the selection process, as follows, using two spectatorsA & B:

a) Spectator A deals the packet intothree piles – looks at the top card of the middle pile (see photo) – picks up theouter two piles and mixes them together – finally he drops these cards on top ofhis selection.

b) Spectator B takes the packet and repeats the above exactly.

trick1- black sheep

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c) Now you take the packet and dealthree piles. Look at the top card of the middle pile, then pause, and say, "In caseyou don’t trust me I’ll let you see my card." Turn the card face up and replace itatop the middle pile. Now pick up the outer two piles and place RIGHT on top ofLEFT (assuming you dealt left to right), and say, "And I‘ll mix the cards too."Here you carry out a casual/sloppy mix – push off the top two together into righthand (see photo), then push off further bunches on top until all the cards are inyour right hand. Finally, drop the packet on top of your face up selection.

4. It’s all over, apart from the effect! Spread the cards across the table and slideout your face up selection along with the cards on either side. Ask eachspectator to name his card then turn over the face down cards to reveal bothselections.

Pause for effect, then say, "I’ve just noticed that both your cards are red andmine is black…so it perhaps just as well that my card is between your two redcards...otherwise it might have been impossible to find...among all theseother...black cards!" Turn over the other 12 cards and spread to reveal all blacks.

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trick1- black sheep


The Keepers of the SecretsA quick sandwich effect using ten red spot cards and the two black Jacks. Thisuses a Laurie Ireland Bottom Deal concept, that of secretly losing a card as youdeal. But you only need to do it once, and ‘you’ choose when. So no pressure.

1. Spread through the deck and toss out the Ace to 10 of Diamonds into a faceup pile on the table, then remove the two black Jacks and place these on top ofthe 10 cards. Discard the rest of the deck.

2. Pick up the face up pile and spread to show the cards, saying, "I want you toimagine that the ten Diamond spot cards represent extreme wealth...wealth ofknowledge that is. The black Jacks are the keepers of the secret knowledge. Butonly you will know what that knowledge is."

Close up the spread and catch a break under three cards. Lift off the two Jacksplus the extra card and flip the remaining 9 cards face down into dealingposition. Drop the three cards face up on top, retaining a break below them.Push over the top card to display both Jacks then flip over all three cards. Dealthe top two cards, one by one, into a face down pile on the table – flashing the2nd card if you wish. Say, "We’ll leave the keepers here for now."

Give the cards a quick Overhand Shuffle running the top card (Jack) to thebottom.

3. Take the packet into right handBiddle grip and ask a spectator to call stop as you count the cards from hand tohand. Start to count the cards into your left hand until told to stop. Raise yourleft hand, push over the top card, and ask the spectator to remember it, saying,"That will be your secret." (see photo) Retain a break under this card as you pullis square again.

Place the right hand portion on top then give the packet a cut, cutting at thebreak. This places the selection on the bottom, with a Jack immediately above it.

4. Say, "Your secret is lost among the other cards. Let’s see how safe it is." Atthat, drop the packet on top of the two Jacks(?) on the table, then pick up all.

trick2- The Keepers of the Secrets


5. Ask the spectator to watch out forhis card as you deal. Start to deal the cards, one at a time, into a face up row onthe table – Bottom Dealing once at any point (I recommend a stud-bottom on thefirst to catch them unaware - see photo) – and stop when you have dealt ninecards in all. Ask him if he saw his card. He’ll say no.

Say, "Well, that’s because the keeper of secrets have kept your secret...secret!"Turn over the three cards remaining and spread revealing the two Jacks and acard between them. This is the selection.

FACE UP VERSIONYou can do the above trick with the two Jacks face up. There is, however, adiscrepancy when the uppermost Jack of the tabled pair changes, but the timelapse renders it harmless. Here is how you proceed:

Hold the 10 Diamond cards face down with a break under the top card. Hold thetwo Jacks face up in right hand Biddle grip.

You now do an ATFUS switch. Secretly pick up the card from the break so itjoins the two Jacks, then pick up one more card and keep a break with your rightthumb. Peel off the upper Jack onto the packet, then apparently pick it up againbelow the "other" Jack. In fact you simply release the broken card so it coversthe Jack. Your right hand now places its two cards on the table. These consist ofa face up Jack with a face down Diamond card below.

Double Cut the top two cards to the bottom. Now proceed as per step 3 onwards.

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trick2- The Keepers of the Secrets


Spectator Cuts to the AcesClassic plot – a spectator cuts the deck into four piles. The top card of each pileproves to be an Ace.

This is a minor variation of the Jim Surprise method that can be found inMentzer’s Card Cavalcade, and I believe Dai Vernon had a similar method. Inboth these versions one of the four piles was held in your hand. Here, all fourpiles remain on the table.

Get the four Aces to the top and insert adownward a bridge at the inner end only (see photo).

1. False Shuffle then place the deck face down on the table. Invite a spectator tocut the deck into four piles – you may want to demonstrate first, so that the pilewith the Aces on top finishes at either end.

2. Starting at the end of therow with the Aces on top, with your right hand lift off the top four cards as a unit– easy due to the bridge – and place them into your left hand (see photo). Nowlift off the top card from the remaining three piles and place them on top of theAce-unit, but retain a little finger break below these three cards.

3. Slide out the bottom card of the packet and flip it face up on top of the packet,saying, "Well, that’s a good start, an Ace." Lift off all four cards above the breakand place them square on top of the left hand pile. This leaves you clean withonly three Aces. Flip these over one by one, placing each on top of a pile.

trick3- Spectator Cuts to the Aces


Finally, spread each pileinwards, thus showing that there are no other face up cards below either Ace(see photo).

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trick3- Spectator Cuts to the Aces


Spectator Cuts to the Aces - Plus!You show the four Kings to a spectator and place them face down on the table,saying, "I now want you to create four perfect blackjack hands – to do this I wantyou to cut to the four Aces!" The spectator cuts the deck into four piles. You nowturn over the top card of each pile to find…..the four Kings! The four cards thatyou placed aside at the start prove to be the four Aces.

This uses a different method for the spectator cutting to the Aces, but you cansubstitute the previous method if that suits you better. Place the four Kings ontop of the deck and give them a bridge at the inner end as in the previousmethod.

1. Hold the deck with the faces towards you and run through saying that youneed the four kings. In fact, you remove the four Aces and transfer them to therear as you find them.

2. Turn the deck face down and flipover the top eight cards (lifting at the bridge) – apparently only the four. I lift thepacket from above with my right hand then use my right first finger to revolve thepacket face up onto the deck (see photo). This helps to hide the front edge of thepacket. Spread the upper three Kings to display four, then flip all eight cards facedown again. Deal the top four cards into a face down pile on the table.

3. Place the deck on the table and invite a spectator to cut it into four piles – asbefore, you want the pile that has the four target cards on top to finish at eitherend.

4. As before, lift off the four card block and place it face down into your left hand,then lift off the top cards from the remaining three piles and place these onto theblock – however, as you place the first single card on top, instantly lift up on thetop King with your right thumb and catch a break under it. In the end you willhave a break under the top four cards.

If you have difficulty making this break without undue hesitation, forget the

trick4- Spectator Cuts to the Aces with a Difference


break. Instead, simply collect the cards, then, pretend to peek at the cards asyour right thumb riffles off three cards one by one from the bottom. As you say,"Now this looks very odd."

Bring your right hand overpalm-down and insert your thumb into the break – fingers on top of packet – (seephoto) and stud-deal the unit above the break face up onto the left hand pile.This reveals the first King. You now deal the remaining three Kings onto theother three piles in the same manner. You can't spread the piles inwards thistime, but the trick's not over.

Finally, turn over the four cards you placed on the table at the start (apparentlythe Kings) to reveal that they are now the four Aces.

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trick4- Spectator Cuts to the Aces with a Difference


K.I.A[Kane is Able]

A different stack for an ingenious Marty Kane Automatic Placement concept.

Arrange the following 20 cards on top of the deck, reading from top to bottom:

KD-AC-2C-AH-3C-2D-4H-AS-5C-3H-QD-2S-JH-4C-QS-AD-KC-5H-QH-3S

1. After a False Shuffle, push off the top 20 cards and place the packet on thetable. Discard the rest of deck. Take a piece of paper and write the number 19 onit and give it to a spectator. Explain that this is a prediction. It doesn’t matter ifit’s seen or not.

2. Tell a second spectator to pick up the packet and think of any number fromONE to TEN. Say, "As ONE is not exactly challenging I suggest you begin yourchoice from TWO upwards."

Turn away and tell the spectator to deal that number of cards into a face downpile in front of him, then to give the balance of the packet to the first spectator.Before you turn round ask him to cover his pile of cards with his hand....so youcan’t get any clues.

3. Ask the current spectator who now holds the packet to observe your prediction= 19. Point out that this number was written before you started.

Now tell the spectator to count 19 cards from top to bottom one at a time.

4. Now the finish. Ask thespectator to deal the top card of the packet face up onto the table. State (beforehe deals it) that you will use the VALUE of this card. Now tell him to turn thepacket face up and place it beside that card, saying that the SUIT of the face cardwill be used (see photo - this example shows a value of Ace and a suit of Clubs).Value and suit give a new composite, and randomly arrived at, card. Announcethe name of this card.

trick5- KIA


Finally ask the other spectator to lift his hand and turn over the card he stoppedat. It’s the same card.

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trick5- KIA


MIRACLE OR IMPOSSIBLE REVISITEDThis is a simple variation on Arun Bonerjee’s "Miracle or Impossible" (Billetno.348, July/Aug 2000). During all the spelling in this routine I suggest that youspell the words as the spectator deals the cards.

1. Begin by having a card selected and controlled to the top of the deck.

2. Give the deck to the spectator and say, "Let’s pretend you’re a magician.....it’seasy...I do it all the time. First you need to join the Magic Circle." Tell him to spellM-A-G-I-C -C-I-R-C-L-E dealing a card for each letter into a pile on the table.

Now say, "Now that you’re a member of the Magic Circle, you need a magicpassword to get in. Let’s use the most common, ABRACADABRA." Tell him tospell A-B-R-A-C-A-D-A-B-R-A dealing the cards onto the first pile. He now placesthe rest of the pack aside. Explain that the cards he’s dealt are now a "magicpacket."

3. Take a piece of paper and write the following three words:

MAGIC

IMPOSSIBLE

MIRACLEAsk the spectator to pick up the "magic packet" and nominate any one of thethree words. Which ever one he picks he spells into a pile on the table. So if heselects MIRACLE, he spells that dealing a pile of seven cards. Finally he dropsthe balance on top then picks up the complete packet again.

Ask him to nominate either of the two remaining words. Again he spells it - dropsthe balance on top then picks up the packet.

One words remains. He spells that but this time he retains the final card in hishand. Ask him to name his selection then turn over the card to reveal it. You’refinal line will depend on the final word. For example, if the final word is MAGIC,you say, "And that’s magic!" Substitute the appropriate word: "...impossible! Or"...a miracle."

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trick6- MIRACLE OR IMPOSSIBLE REVISITED

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THE UNIVERSAL BASEA "Universal card" (Ace of Spades) placed on the face of the deck changes intothe mates of two freely chosen cards. Finally the other three Aces appearunexpectedly to finish.

This again uses the Laurie Ireland Bottom Deal concept (See The Keepers of theSecrets earlier in this book), that of secretly losing cards as you deal.

A small set-up is required. Remove the four Aces plus two pairs of matchingmates. Here is an sample arrangement for this description – reading from theface:

3D – 3H – KC – KS – face up Ace – face up Ace – face up Ace – rest ofdeck.

1. Hold the deck with the faces towards you, and, without exposing the reversedAces, spread through and transfer the Ace of Spades to the face. Explain thatthis Ace is a highly skilled card that can take on the appearance of other cards.

2. Hold the deck face down in dealing grip and ask someone to cut off aboutone-third of the deck and place it on the table, saying, "That gives us a randomplace from which to begin." Alternatively, you could also say, "That makes theforthcoming Bottom Deal easier." But I prefer not to say that.

Now ask someone to call out a number from 5 to 15. Let’s say they call out 10.Deal 10 cards into a face down pile on the table, dealing the first card from thebottom (AS), then continue dealing fairly – finally deal the last card, in this casethe 10th, from the bottom.

Turn over the last card dealt to reveal, in this instance, a red Three spot. Tap theThree with the balance of cards in your hand then slowly turn the cards over toreveal that the Ace of Spades has changed into the other red Three spot.

Take the packet back into dealing grip and ask for a second number. Let’s saythey call out the number 8. Deal 8 cards onto the previously dealt pile – this timeyou must lose the bottom card with a Bottom Deal, but you can do it at any timeprior to 8. Then, you deal a bottom on the final 8th card.

Again turn over the last card dealt – this time a black King – then slowly turnover the cards in your hand revealing the bottom card has transformed into theother black King.

trick7- the Universal Base


3. Flip the cards in your hand face down,then pick up the dealt pile (first adding the two face up cards) and place it ontothe cards in your hand – but – execute a Kelly/Ovette to place the Ace of Spadesback on the face (see photo).

After a pause, turn over the cards in your hand to show that the Ace of Spadeshas returned to it’s normal state. Turn the cards face down again and slide outthe Ace. Drop the remaining cards on top of the other section that was originallycut from the top.

Finally, say, "Now,you’re probably wondering how the Ace of Spades did all that? Well…." At that,tap the deck with the Ace then spread, revealing the other three Aces face up inthe middle (see photo), and conclude, saying, "...he had the full support of therest of his family!"

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trick7- the Universal Base


HOFZINSER ON BASEThis uses the same concept as the previous trick to achieve a different effect.This time we revisit the Hofzinser Card Problem.

1. Hold the deck face up and transfer the four Aces to the face. The onlystipulation here is that the first Ace that you bring to the front must be the samesuit as the rearmost card of the deck.

2. Spread and show the Aces so that theaudience is aware of what you have done, then close the spread and hold abreak under the upper three Aces.

Turn your left hand over and deposit the three Aces only on the table (seephoto), then adjust the deck so it’s face down in left hand dealing grip.

trick8- Hofzinser on Base


3. Invite someone to helpyou. As you do so slip-cut the top card into the middle (see photo) and hold abreak above it. Riffle Force to the break and place all the cards above the breakto one side. These are no longer used. Invite the spectator to look at the top cardof the remaining half, then take the card and place it on the bottom of the packet.Raise your hand to allow the audience to see the card really is there, saying, "Weall know exactly where your card is."

4. Pick up the Aces (apparently four) and place them momentarily face up on thedeck, then flip them face down, saying, "We also know exactly where the Acesare. The Aces will now use their X-ray vision to see through the cards and tell methe suit of your card."

Deal the top Ace face up on the table – pause – then look at the spectator andsay, "No. I don’t think this is the same suit as your card."

Deal a second Ace face up on the table overlapping the first, and repeat the samewords.

This time deal the card fromthe bottom face down onto the two face up Aces, then say, "But this one seemsmore promising." (see photo)

Finally deal the top card (Ace) face up on top of all, saying, "No. Definitely not."



You now name the missing suit – it will be assumed that the face down card isthe Ace of that suit. Snap your fingers then turn over the face down card toreveal the selection.

Finally you slowly turn your hand to show that the bottom card of the packet isnow the missing Ace.

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CHANGE-OVER QUICKERA forerunner to the Fulves "Black Widow" plot was Tom Sellers’ "TheChange-over Aces" from Magical Mixture, 1943. In this, a red Ace is placedbetween two red court cards and a black Ace is placed between two black courtcards. The Aces change places. Sellers uses only the Glide to achieve the effect.However, he transfers eight cards in the process. It struck me that he didn’t needto transfer eight cards, it can be done in only six transfers – which is what youwant. I have also added a second phase with the Aces face up.

PHASE 11. Remove the four Kings and a red and black Ace. Discard the rest of the deck.

2. Hold the Kings in a face up fan with the reds on top of the blacks. Place thered Ace between the red Kings and the black Ace between the black Kings. Makesure the audience are fully aware of this! Turn the packet face down and hold inreadiness for the glide.

3. You now count the 6 cards one by one, transferring a card from bottom to topeach time. However, you execute a Glide on the 3rd and 6th cards. So, it goeslike this:

FAIR / FAIR / GLIDE - FAIR / FAIR / GLIDE.

As you count, say, "King-Ace-King...King-Ace-King."

You now spread the packetand lay the top three cards on the table to your right and the remaining threecards to your left (see photo).

trick9- Change Over Quicker


Pretend to transfer twocards, then turn the packets face up and spread each to reveal that the Aceshave transposed (see photo).

PHASE 24. Switch the Aces back to their original positions. Pause, then say, "I’ll do itagain, but this time I’ll leave the Aces face up so you can see that I don’t cheat."Flip both both aces face down, then place one packet on top of the other andpick up all. Turn the packet face down.

Now repeat Step 3 as described – fair-fair-glide fair-fair-glide. The face up Acesdon’t make any difference at all.

Again, spread the packetand lay the top three cards on the table to your right and the remaining threecards to your left. There is a face up in the middle of each (see photo).

Snap your fingers over the packets, and say, "Notice the Aces stayed where theyare...this is because the Kings transposed this time!" Turn over the Kings ineach pile to show that this is the case.



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HERE WE GO AGAIN...I return once again to one of my favourite obsessions, the Hofzinser "RoyalMarriages" plot - the marrying up of Kings and Queens. Among past methods Ihave used is the Stay Stack principle. The present version also uses the StayStack principle, but not with the full packet, as the cards appear to be dividedinto Kings & Queens to begin. I’ll describe handling only here and leave thepatter to the reader.

1. Remove the Kings and Queens and discard the rest of the deck. Lay the Kingsin a face up spread on the table in C-H-S-D order (Diamonds at the face). Lay theQueens in a separate spread in H-C-D-S order.

This is simply CHSD withthe first two cards swapped and the second two swapped (see photo). So,basically, you can toss out the Kings in any order, then remove the Queens inthe same order before swapping 1 & 2 and 3 & 4.

2. Flip the Kings face down then drop the Queens face up on top of them, thenpick up the complete packet. Place it into left hand dealing grip. NOTE: In actualperformance it doesn’t matter which set of cards is face up on top. We’ll make itQueens for this description. We now do a simple Braue Addition to set the cards,as follows:

Spread the packet and talk about the face up Queens/ladies, then close the cardsand obtain a break under the top 6 cards. Now lift them off in right hand Biddlegrip.

a) Pull off the upper Queen (Spades) with the left thumb and flip it face down.

b) Repeat with the next Queen (Diamonds).

c) Drop the remaining four cards on top, then push over the remaining twoQueens and casually flip both face down on top of all – without changing theirorder.

trick10- Here We Go Again


3. Count the top four cardsone-at-a-time into your right hand, then turn both hand over and place eachpacket face up on the table (see photo). There are two Kings at the face of onepile and two Queens at the face of the other, so you don‘t need to worry aboutthe front cards spreading.

4. Invite a spectator to choose either pile – "Kings or Queens." Pick up thechosen pile, turn it face down, then hand it to him. He now does a mini-Deal Mixby dealing the packet into two piles, then drops one on top of the other. He canrepeat this as many times as he wants.

Next, invite a second spectator to do the same with the other pile. Or you canuse the same spectator. Finally one four-card pile is dropped on top of the other.Either spectator now holds the packet face down ready to proceed.

5. Explain that, despite the Kings and Queens being both mixed and separated,the word "Marry" can have a magical effect. Ask him to spell M-A-R-R-Ytransferring five cards from top to bottom. He then deals the top two cards into aface down pile on the table. Pretend that these are eliminated.

He repeats this two more times – spells MARRY and deals two new two-cardpiles. Again pretend that these are eliminated.

Finally ask him to turn over the remaining two cards in his hand to reveal aperfect match of King & Queen. Act as if that’s it. Then say, "But if the wordMARRY truly is magical, then perhaps it worked for the others too??" At that, flipover the three pairs on the table revealing a further three matching pairs.

NOTE: Check out The Marriage Bureau on my website for several more relateditems.

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trick10- Here We Go Again


COMBINATION LUCKA card discovery using a random number thought of by a spectator that worksautomatically.

This was based on a Stewart James trick that I read, but cannot relocate, despiteBill Goodwin’s excellent index!

An easy-to-remember set-up is all that’s needed. Arrange 22 cards as follows –mixed suits and where X = any card:

(top) 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-A-X-10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-A-X (bottom).Take the remainder of the deck, crimp the bottom card, and place it on top of thestack.

1. False Shuffle retaining the bottom stock then place the deck face down on thetable. Invite a spectator to cut off a section of "about half or less" and shufflethem. Then ask him to think any number from 1 to 10, saying, "This will be yourspecial number."

Let’s say he thinks of 7. He now remembers the 7th card from the top of hissection and leaves it at its position. Make sure he shows it any others present incase he forgets it. Finally he replaces his portion of the deck back onto thebottom half then gives the deck a few straight cuts.

2. Pick the deck off the table and say, "You are thinking of two unknown things –a secret number and a secret card." As you are talking, cut the crimp to thebottom then casually place the deck back on the table.

3. Say, "I am a great believer in THIRD TIME LUCKY. So I claim that your card willappear on the third attempt of what follows!"

The spectator now deals a few cards ontothe table in a single pile and stops anywhere, turning the last card face up on the

trick11- Combination Luck


pile, but it must be within the first 10 cards. That’s why you must stress just afew cards. Let’s say he turns up a Five spot (see photo).

Say, "Because of my belief in third-time-lucky, I know that is not your card. Let’smove on to the second attempt."

Tell him to add this value to his secretnumber. In this example he would add 5 + 7 =12. Now tell to deal that number ofcards onto the same pile and, again, turn the last card face up. Keeping with ourexample this card will be a Four spot (see photo).

Say, "Once again, because of my firm belief, I know this is not your card. Let’smove on to the third attempt...and remember, third time is always lucky."

Again he adds this value to his secret number and deals the new number ofcards onto the same pile. So, 4 + 7 =11 (it‘s always 11). This time tell him to holdthe last card face down.

Ask him the name of his card then tell him to look at the card he now holding.This will be it.

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trick11- Combination Luck


CANNIBALECTORAs an introductory feat, the four Kings demonstrate their magical abilities bycausing two random cards to vanish. Having proved their expertise in the art ofvanishing, they now instantly collect three previously selected cards.

This is based on a Phil Goldstein combination of Twisting the Aces and theWalton Collectors. Here, the combination is the Searles Cannibal Cards and theCollectors. The principle behind the trick remains Goldstein’s.

1. Remove the four Kings and lay them face up on the table in a spread – the tworeds in the middle and Spades on the face. Now have three cards selected andcontrol then to the top in any order.

2. Turn the deck face up and obtain a break above the three selections at therear. Spread the cards and outjog any two cards at random, asking, "Are any ofthese the cards you chose? No? Good. Because I want to use these for a quickdemonstration."

Strip out the two cards adding the threeselections via the Vernon Add-on (see photo), then immediately drop the deck ontop of them. Turn the deck face down and deal the top two cards onto the table.

3. Pick up the Kings in a Biddle grip, while obtaining a break under the top cardof the deck.

Say, "The Kings are great magicians – Spades, Hearts, Diamonds and clubs.Together they make one of the best teams in magic." Accompany this by doingthe following ATFUS:

Pull of Spades onto the deck, but as you do so, pick up the card from the breakunder the other three kings – keep a thumb break over this card. Apparently pickup the King of Spades under the other three, but really deposit the broken cardon top of it so it remains hidden 2nd from the top of the deck. Now pull off the

trick12- Cannibalector


next two red kings one by one, transferring each to the rear of the packetnormally. Finally draw attention to Clubs – now at the face of the packet where itremains.

Place the deck on the table and then place the Kings (only three) into your lefthand, still face up.

4. Say, "Before we proceed to the main event, let me give you a quickdemonstration of how good these guys really are."

Pick up one of the two face down cards –apparently random cards – and insert it second from the bottom of the three faceup kings via a Buckle (see photo).

Don't be overly concerned about this because the card is supposed to be goinginto the packet. A buckle is a way to ensure you don't expose the fact you'veonly got three Kings.

Take care not to let the face of the card be seen as this is now a selection. Flickthe packet then give the cards an Elmsley Count – last card to the bottom. Therandom card has vanished.

Pick the other face down card and repeat the above exactly – again last card tobottom. The second random card has vanished.



5. Say, "I told you these guys were good.But that was only a demonstration. Now for the main event." As you speak,Double Buckle then pull the king of Clubs onto the lower two cards – as if givingthe packet a cut. In fact this is a Slip-cut (see photo).

Finally drop the kings on top of the deck – snap your fingers over the deck –then pick up the deck and spread off the top seven cards showing the four Kingswith three face down trapped between. Reveal these as the selections to finish.

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WITCH WAY?The two black Queens are shown then cut into the deck. Instantly one of theQueens is produced from your pocket. Using this red Queen as a magic deviceyou wave it over the deck then spread it. The two "red" Queens are now seen tobe face up on the middle, but there’s one face down card trapped between them.This proves to be the other black Queen.

This is a variation on a previous effect of mine called "Lucky Ladies" whichappeared in The Budget.

Prior to performance, place a red Queen face down on top of the deck, then placethe other red Queen face up on top – finally place any card face down on top ofall (but not a Queen). The other two Queens are anywhere in the deck.

1. Run through and toss out the two black Queens asking a spectator to examinethem, saying, "The black Queens perform black magic. Check them out." As he’sdoing so, hold the deck face down and Double Cut the top two cards to thebottom.

2. Take the two black Queens from the spectator face up and square them overthe deck secretly picking up the top card below them. Now peel off the upperQueen onto the deck, openly injogging is slightly, then place the remaining twoas one on top. Lift off the three cards and flip then face down onto the deck.Conclude this phase by Double Cutting the top two cards to the bottom, saying,"I’ll cut the black Queens into the deck somewhere."

3. You now carry out a double action:Your right hand comes over and Palms the top card, then, without hesitation, itcuts the top half of the deck to the table (see photo). Finally place the remaininghalf on top to complete the cut. "If I give the deck a special cut, something oddhappens to the black Queens…"

Immediately reach into your right pocket and bring out the palmed card, as youfinish your sentence, "…one of them jumps into my pocket!"

trick13- Witch Way?


4. Give the Queen to a spectator and ask him to wave it over the deck. Nowribbon-spread the deck revealing the two red Queens are now face up in themiddle. "Oh, you’ve summoned up her sisters – the red witches. They must haveturned up for a reason? Perhaps it’s to show you the way. That is, the way to theother Queen."

Remove the face down card and turn it over revealing it to be the other blackQueen.

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trick13- Witch Way?


THE FACE UP TRICKYou offer to demonstrate a card trick, but you point out that you’ve only learnt itwith the cards face up. You turn the deck face up and begin. A card is freelyselected and pushed back into the middle. Using your "sensitive fingers" yousuccessfully cut to the chosen card. You now offer to do try it again with half thecards face up and half face down this time. You spread the cards and spectatorindicated the spot near the middle. You flip the upper section over so they lieface-to-face with the bottom section. Instantly you spread the deck and all thecards are now face down! "Great!" you say, "I’ve never been able to do this trickwith all the cards face down before." But there are two cards that remained faceup. Noting that there is a card trapped between them you slide it out and itproves to be the previously selected card.

Before you begin, secretly reverse the 2nd and 4th cards from the bottom of theface down deck. You can, if you so wish, make these the black Jacks, but I preferthem to be random cards. Here is the handling only as the presentation hasalready been given.

1. Shuffle the deck keeping the bottom four cards in place. Turn the deck face upand Double Cut the front two cards to the rear.

2. Spread the cards from hand to hand – take care not to expose the reversedcard 2nd from the face – and invite a spectator to take any card. Close the spreadand get ready for Tilt under the face card. Take the selection and apparentlypush it into the middle, really executing Tilt.

3. Square the deck. Execute a Slip-cut tobring the selection back to the face.

I use the Cy Endfield technique (see photo).

trick14- The Face Up Trick


4. Again, spread the cards from hand tohand and invite the spectator to touch a spot near the middle. Flip the uppersection face down, but injog the selected card as you do so (see photo). Nowsquare the cards and get a break under the injog.

Immediately Half-pass the lower section and ribbon-spread the deck across thetable. All the cards are face down...except for two stubborn cards. Finally drawattention to the fact that there is one card trapped between them. This is theselection.

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trick14- The Face Up Trick


PIANO BIDDLEYou remove six matching pairs of cards, then you count them to make sure youhave only six pairs because this trick uses an even number of pairs. But, oops,you have seven pairs, so you return one pair to the deck. These might be the redAces. You now split the six pairs up be dealing them into two piles. A magicalgesture, and you now show that the pairs have magically reunited, as you turnover pairs of cards from the top of each pile. But wait, there is a single odd cardremaining in each pile. These prove to be the red Aces!

This is a non-Second Deal version of a trick I published in Pabular called "TwinKeyboards." A slight variation, still with Second Deal, later appeared inApplications (Breese Books). Roy Walton also published a non-Second Dealversion in Pabular but the following is entirely different. This uses the BiddleCount.

1. Run through the deck and remove six matching pairs of cards, placing themone on top of the other to form a face down pile. Then remove the two red Aces(or any other prominent pair) plus two random cards behind them and place thisfour-card packet on top of the pile. Place the rest of the deck face down to oneside, but within reach.

NOTE: while removing the pairs, do not mention the number of pairs at all. Don’teven say what you’re doing. If you don’t want to be so open about it, simplytransfer them to the rear of the deck instead of forming a pile. Then remove thepacket from the rear, and continue.

2. Explain that this trick only works with an even number of pairs, and you thinkyou removed six. You will now check that you have an even number by countingthe pairs, at the same time you will set the cards for the finish. This is all doneusing a Biddle Count.

Pick up the packet and hold it face up in right hand Biddle grip. This is arepetitive count, done in stages of two-pairs-at-a-time. Here is what you need torepeat:

Count one pair: Pull off a card into your left hand, then count off the 2nd card ontop but keep a break under it.

Count 2nd pair: Pull off next card but steal back card from break – but keep abreak above it with your right thumb. As you count the next card, allow thebroken card to fall under it.

You have thus counted two pairs. However, you have secretly interlaced them.This is a rhythmic count, and is NOT difficult to maintain.

You now repeat this count two more times, after which, you will be left with thered Aces (plus two hidden cards) in your right hand. As I count, I say thefollowing:

"One pair...two pair...three pair...four pair...five pair...six pair….oh, I’ve gotseven."

trick15 - Piano Biddle


OK. Your right hand still holdsthe red Aces (plus two hidden cards). Use the right hand cards to flip the packetface down (see photo), then place these cards face up on top – keeping a breakunder them. Push over the top card to display two red Aces then flip over all fourcards as a unit.

Remove the top two cards, saying, "We’ll get rid of these red Aces and that’llgives us the required number." Drop the two cards on top of the deck and givethe deck a casual cut. Don’t make too big a deal of this as you don’t want theaudience to think that the red Aces have any future in this trick!

3. You now deal the packet into two face down piles, dealing alternately, thusapparently splitting every pair. As you’re dealing, keep talking about how eachpair is now being split up. Don’t allow them time to sit and count the cards asyou deal!

4. Snap your fingers overthe piles, then lift off the top two cards of the left pile and turn them overrevealing a matching pair. Place the pair in front of its pile (see photo). Nowmove to the right pile and do likewise. Then move back to the left and repeat, andkeep going like this until all the pairs are face up, except for a single face downleft over in each pile.



Appear puzzled, saying, "That’s odd. I’m sure I had an even number of pairs?"Then, after some thought, continue, "I think I know what’s happened. You know,Aces are real show-offs, and I’m betting those red Aces have come back to joinus for the finale!" Turn over the two odd cards revealing the red Aces.

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TRIPLE HUMDINGERA spectator removes any 8 cards from the deck then you write three predictions.In the end, all three predictions prove to be correct.

This is based on Bob Hummer’s "Personality Test" (Collected Secrets, page 14).Here. Hummer has a spectator mix 8 cards. In the end he has predicted that 5cards face one way and 3 face the other (a 5/3 personality). The problem is thaton occasions, you get 7 facing one way and one facing the other. The ‘out’offered is, in my opinion, weak. The following circumvents that problem. Byopenly mixing a few cards first you are guaranteed a 5/3 result. However, thanksto Hummer’s CATO (which isn’t really used in the original Hummer trick), whenthe spectator carries out a further mix you are then guaranteed a 7/1 result. Soboth can be predicted in advance. The icing on the cake is that you also knowwhat the single face down card will be, thus securing your third prediction.

1. Have three slips of paper and a pen at hand. Give the deck to a spectator andask him to shuffle it then remove 8 cards. The rest of the deck is discarded.

2. Take the 8 cards face and hold themface up in dealing grip, saying, "This is an precognition. In a moment, you willmix the cards so that some face the wrong way. I will try to predict certain facts."As you speak, openly flip over the cards at positions 2, 4 & 6. Also glimpse andremember the lowermost face up card. Let’s say it’s the Ace of Spades (seephoto). Place the packet on the table.

Take the three slips of paper and write the following on each:

Slip 1 Slip 2 Slip 3

5 / 3 7 / 1 AS

trick16 - Triple Humdinger


Leave these lying in a row on the table, in order, writing side down. I suggest youwrite 1, 2 and 3 on the backs so the audience know which is which in advance.

3. The trick now works itself. Or, I should say, the spectator does it all for you!Here is the procedure:

FIRST PREDICTION

a) Tell the spectator to pick up the packet and give a cut. It doesn’t matter whichway up the packet is.

b) Tell him to flip over the top two cards together then give the packet a cut. Herepeats this as many times as he wishes (this is classic CATO).

Finally he spreads the cards on the table. Draw attention to the number of faceup and face down cards – this will be 5 and 3. Turn over the first prediction andhave it verified.

SECOND PREDICTION

a) Gather up the cards and give them back to the spectator. He can repeat theCATO process a few more times as it won’t alter the outcome. Otherwise, justmove straight to step b).

b) Tell him to deal the cards into two piles – dealing alternately left and right. Hethen turns either pile over onto the other.

Again, he spreads the cards on the table. Draw attention to the number of faceup and face down cards – this time there will be 7 and 1. Turn over the 2ndprediction and have it verified.

THIRD PREDICTION

Finally, point out that there is one single reversed card among the eight, theidentity of which, nobody could have guessed in advance. Turn over the finalprediction and have it verified to conclude.

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trick16 - Triple Humdinger


CARDS By All Means copyright © Peter Duffie, September 2001 · 2020. 5. 3. · Push over the top...

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Transcript of CARDS By All Means copyright © Peter Duffie, September 2001 · 2020. 5. 3. · Push over the top...