docc hillford's
64 Sinful Secrets of the
CASSANDRA deck™
Copyright© 2003 Docc Hilford First printing May, 2003
No portion of this book or original illustrations can be reproduced in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner.
Docc Co. 10275 Collins Ave. Suite 824 Bal Harbour, FL 33154 cocktailiWstis.net
TABLE OF CONTENTS
1
Basic Effect
10
2
Shuffled
13
3
Juliet and her Romeo
13
4
Al & Rudy
13
5
Tossed
14
6
Tossed Deck II
15
7
Tomorrow's Thought
16
8
Master Magazine Test
17
9
Blinded by the Light
18
10 Blinded Too
19
1 1 Siamese Twins
19
12 Turkish Delight
2O
13 E'voqued
21
14 Souled
22
15 A Truly Open Prediction
23
16 Memoed
24
17 Mediumystic
26
18 TresMentalia
26
19 Three on a Match
28
2 0 Remote Quickie
29
21 Psychic Friends
3O
2 2 The $1,000,000 Telephone Test
31
23 Good-outitude
31
24 Hypnometer
32
25 Q'ed
33
26 The Flame
34
27 Fingers Sensitivus
34
2 8 An Honest Deal
35
29 Hey Nineteen
36
30 Miracle Thought
37
31 Par Optic Divination
38
3 2 Major Tom's a Junky
39
33 Thought Poker 3 4 Blackjacked 35 Colded
39
36 Reverse Hype
42
37 The Premonitionist 3 8 In the Corner Pocket 39 One in the Side Pocket
43
40 41
44 44
40 Sound Advice 41 Penciled In
44
4 2 Cartouche 43 Destiny
45
44 45 46 47
47
Cessasion Aussie Even Star Cross'd Lovers Anyplace Anytime
45 46 47 48 48
4 8 Out of Order 4 9 Nailed 50 Knight's Tour
49
51 52 53 54 55 56 57
51
Poker Prediction Billetus A Light in the Darkness Contact Contacted! Abducted! Card in Cigarette
58 And We Named Him Checkers. 5 9 20 Questions 60 Strange Coincidence
49 50 51 52 54 54 55 56 56 57 58
61 Birthday Wish 6 2 Checker/Bingo
58
6 3 Trade Show Stopper 6 4 The NEW Deck
6O
Appendix
59 61 62
Introduction Any time a magician gets his hands on a book of sixty-four different killer card tricks, it's a good book. But when the book is actually a manual on the use of a stealth gimmick, it soon becomes a classic. That gimmick is The Cassandra Deck™. The tricks in this book are all good, some are great and others still outstanding. There are no bad or mediocre tricks here. A remarkable card gimmick needed a remarkable collection of tricks to go with it. Understand that these tricks can be combined into routines. When routining a program, you may use The Cassandra Deck™ for more than one effect in the same program. You can finish one trick with another. By carefully selecting different tricks from this book, you could read minds, influence dealing, make startling co-incidences, hypnotize others, be a poker shark and cause a mental selection to disappear from the deck and reappear across the room in a single show. There even is a simple trick in this book that allows you to switch in a cold deck of ungimmicked cards after you're finished using The Cassandra Deck™. Besides The Cassandra Deck™, the tricks here use Himber wallets, books, nail writers, contact mind reading, billet switches, sound reading, and the ubiquitous pocket index. However, none of the tricks require much skill. The gimmicks are simply to add to your flair for showmanship. The Cassandra Deck™ does most of the work for you. You are free to use methods with which you are most comfortable. If a method suggests using a tea cup and a finger palm, you may wish to do a straight billet switch. You may find placing the slip under an ashtray is better for you than inside a hat. The choice is, of course, up to you as the performer. A couple of tricks require you to add an indifferent card to the top of the deck. It is suggested that you move the Ace of Clubs to the top, however this is not the only way to add an indifferent card. You may add the joker. The instructions give you the most direct way to achieve the effect. After some practice you may change the method to suit your style and needs. I have several favorites to perform from this book, as I am certain you will select your favorites. Two that 1 perform constantly are Tomorrow's Thought and Hey Nineteen. Tossed is another that 1 use in performance. I perform many others, but there arc simply too many tricks here to perform all my favorites. Keep in mind that one trick may not be right for you while
in someone else's hands it becomes a showstopper. It is not the trick, but the tools that are being taught here. Try not to skip any of the tricks. I created them as illustrations to the hundreds of tricks possible with The Cassandra Deck™. The trick you skip might be the one that sends you over the top. Many trick methods explain more than the M.O. of that particular trick. Tres Mentalia, for example, has a professional view of the way a triple prediction effect can be best sold to an audience. I'm certain you will find the information very helpful. Three on a Match gives a way to be a full step ahead in a triple billet test so you're clean before the selections are made! One of the wonders of this deck is that it can be used as a force deck. But better than that, it is a mental selection force deck! You control which card they think of and there are several tricks based on this feature including. The Flame. Another fine feature is that the cards are set for poker and blackjack deals. Check out Thought Poker and Black Jacked. Cards can be made to vanish from the deck be simply displaying them in a reverse riffle, as in Hypnometer. There's a simple force of a magazine in Master Magazine Test and Psychic Friends and The $1.000.000 Telephone Test are ways to promote private readings! You can learn contact mindreading with Contact, or sound reading with Sound Advice. If you need a trick that covers you while you try pocket writing or nail writing, there in here too. The original title to this book was, 56 Tricks With The Cassandra Deck™. After several months the title was changed to 64 Tricks With The Cassandra Deck™ and it sold with two decks for $100! Less than fifty professionals were allowed to know her secrets. Now, four years later, you have it for much less than the original price. Some wags may protest that a few of these tricks may be performed with a regular deck... and twenty years of practice. And others may claim that an effect is not new even if the method is. This may be the case, but it is not the goal of this work to invent 64 new and wonderful tricks with a pack of cards, but rather, an array of original examples of how to use the wonderful Cassandra Deck™. Enjoy! Docc Hilford May. 2003
How to Construct The Cassandra Deck™: The Cassandra Deck™ is revolutionary. It was designed from Gene Grant's Psvchorama in his wonderful book, Phantini's Mental Key (circa 1951). After developing this deck, Jack Dean informed me that although she contains some elements of the Koran Deck and the Himber Deck, The Cassandra Deck™ is quite original. The pumping deck — although addressed by Phantini, as well as Waters, Chelman, Corinda and others — dates back to the late Nineteenth century. You have a utility deck that will fool both magicians and you. Guard its secret carefully. How it works: The Cassandra Deck™ consists of 52 cards plus a Joker. There are 10 force cards, 5 red and 5 black. These cards are repeated 2.6 times to make a half deck of 26 force cards. 26 mixed indifferent cards separate the 26 force cards. The Set-up: The force cards are all regulation size. The pump is based on a "stranger" card formula. They are JH-2H-3C-QC-5H-6C-7C-8H9S-10D and remain in a fixed order for dealing tricks. From the top (back) of the deck down is a group of 10, another group of 10 identical force cards in the same order, a joker, and an incomplete group of slightly more than half (6) of the force cards group; combined with six indifferent cards known as the "Bottom Twelve". This is the order of the full deck: JH-x-2H-x-3C-xQC-x-5H-x-6C-x-7C-x-8H-x-9S-x-l0D-x-JH-x-2H-x-3C-x-QC-x-5H-x-6C-x7C-x-8H-x-9S-x-10D-Joker-JH-x-2H-x-3C-x-QC-x-5H-x-6C-Aceof Clubs. The Joker (a short card) appears before the bottom twelve cards. This helps you when handling the deck, and by breaking the pattern, helps deceive the eye when the cards are ribbon spread. It is not a necessity after you become comfortable with The Cassandra Deck™. The indifferent cards are all trimmed short and none of them are repeated anywhere in the deck. They are specially selected to resemble, but not duplicate, the force cards. When spread face-up, the force cards become invisible because of the randomness of the indifferent cards between them. The indifferent, or x, cards are: AD-3D-6D-7D-9D-QD-3H-4H-6H-7H-9HQH-KH-2S-5S-8S-10S-JS-KS-2C-4C-5C-8C-l()C-JC-AC-JOKER and should be mixed before assembling the deck. It takes five decks to make The Cassandra Deck™, but if you van the suits of both the force and the indifferent cards, you can make four decks from the five. The easiest way for me to explain this is to say get out a piece
8 of paper and write down the ten force cards. Under this list, write a second list with duplicate values but substitute the suits. That is, wherever there is a club on the original list, put a heart on the second list, a spade on the third list, and a diamond on the forth list. Wherever there is a heart on the original list, put spade on the second list, a diamond on the third, and a club on the fourth. Wherever there is a spade on the original list, put diamond on the second list, a club on the third, and a heart on the fourth. And wherever there is a diamond on the original list, put a club on the second, a heart on the third, and spade on the fourth. The indifferent cards are two full decks, both cut short. Make certain your indifferent cards are not duplicating any force cards for the other decks. You will find that the indifferent cards listed here will work with the force cards that have the Jack of Diamonds and the other 26 indifferent cards will work with the force cards that contain the black jacks. Now. you can construct four deck out of the five needed. On a peel & stick label, make a small crib sheet to queue you on the order of the force cards 9 4 6 3 7 [Fig 1]. Stick it on the 9S QC 6C 3C 7C inside flap of the card 10D JH 5H 2H 8H box. 10 1 5 2 8 A tip is to secretly mark each
Figure 1
Fig i
indifferent card with a pencil dot on the back corner. This allows you to instantly see that all is in order when you fan the deck. The Ace of clubs is at the bottom. If the deck is cut, you can re-cut it to starting of position at any time by cutting at the Ace of Clubs. This keeps the "Bottom Twelve" at the bottom. You may switch the Ace of Clubs with the Joker if you prefer to have the joker at the bottom face of the deck. How to display: Hold The Cassandra Deck™ face-down on your left palm. Pick up the deck with your right hand; fingers on one narrow end and your right thumb on the opposite narrow end. Place the nail of your right index finger against the back of the deck and apply some pressure. Allow cards to slide off under your thumb and back into your left palm. This is the same display as done with a Svengali Deck and allows the spectators to see only force cards, plus the indifferent, Ace of Clubs, bottom card. Tell the spectator not to select the bottom card as it is too obvious.
If you repeat the above procedure with the cards oriented face-up in your left hand, only the indifferent cards will be seen as they fall face-up into your left palm. When displaying the cards, go slow enough for the spectator to mentally select a card. However, don't go so slow as to reveal the fact that any cards are repeated. How to cut: The indifferent cards being trimmed short assures that the spectator must cut to a force card on the bottom of the portion cut. Hold the deck face-down in your left palm. Keep your left fingers and thumb along the wide sides of the deck. This forces the spectator to grab the deck by its narrow ends. He will be able to only touch the edges of the force cards. The spectator lifts up a group of cards and looks at the bottom card of that group. That is a force card. How to shuffle: The same principle allows you to dovetail shuffle The Cassandra Deck™. Cut the deck and tap the far ends on the table to expose all the long edges of the force cards. Shuffle with your thumbs touching the narrow, inside, ends of the cards. The cards will fall in pairs of one force card and one indifferent card. This jumbles the order of the force cards, but doesn't disrupt the working of the deck. A single shuffle will not put duplicate force cards together, but repeated shuffles may. How to re-set the deck: If your deck gets jumbled — either by accident or design during a shuffle — it is an easy matter to re-set it. Separate the force cards from the shorter indifferent cards. Look at the crib on the flap of the card box and place the first force card (Jack of Hearts) face-up on the table. Cover it with an X card, then the second force card (Two of Hearts), an X card, and so on. The 40th card is the Joker and the bottom card is the Ace of Clubs. The X cards are easy to spot because they are shorter than the force cards. If pencil marked, they're really easy to spot.
10
The Tricks What follows are 64 different tricks with The Cassandra Deck™. To understand the working of the deck, it's suggested you read through the first seven tricks.
-1- Think-a-Card A spectator is told to think of any card in a regular deck. So she can pick one at random, and not one that most people pick, you offer a visual aid. She remembers one she sees in a deck. The deck is quickly shown to the spectator and put away. You make a series of correct statements about her card. Finally, you name the thought of card. Method: Each set often force cards can be divided by the fact that they are either red suits or blacks. Each set of five (either all red or all black) has a series of "stranger" cards. Four are the same suit, one is a "stranger"'. Of the four, three are not face cards, one is a "stranger" (a face card). Of the remaining three, two are odd if black (or even if red) and one is a "stranger". Of the two cards left, one is a high card (above seven) and one is low valued. By a series of positive statements, you are able to reveal the mentally chosen card while appearing as if you are not asking any questions. And you are never wrong! You will make statements about: 1. The color 2. The suit 3. The court card 4. A low value How to make correct statements: On the inside of the card box flap is your crib. The top row of five is all the red force cards. The row below is all the black force cards. The number above or below the card's initials indicates the order in the group stack. [Fig. 11 The value of the force card also indicates its position in the
11 group. Please note that the jack is 1 and the queen is 4. This helps break any visual pattern The cards are listed in the order of the statements you will make. Always make a statement based on the majority cards, NOT the "stranger" card, (with the exception of the court card — as explained later) When making your statements aim to get a response from the spectator's facial expressions only and not a verbal answer. The force cards are specifically selected to help in this. Your statements are timed with a pause so that you can correct yourself if needed after seeing the spectator's facial response. For example: The first statement you will make is, "Your card wouldn't be red, would it?" This is an ambiguous statement. You seem to be correct no matter what the spectator's answer. If the response (either facial or verbal) is 'Yes' you know to make your statements about the red force cards on the bottom row of your queue list. You add, ''Of course it is." If the response is 'No' you know to make statements based on the top row of black cards. You say, "Of course it wouldn't." With either response you affirm that you knew what the response would be. We will assume she smiles or nods her head, which tells you the response is 'Yes', her card is red. You secretly look at the crib list. The first red card on the list is the first "stranger" card of the red set, the Ten of Diamonds (10D). The remaining majority of force cards on the bottom list are hearts. Continue your statements about the majority cards. Say, "Your card is a heart..." leaving your voice hanging. There is a 4 to 1 chance you are correct. If she frowns or looks blank, the response is 'No' and you immediately know her card is the Ten of Diamonds. You finish your statement with, "...or a diamond. Yes. it is a diamond. The Ten of Diamonds." You have correctly identified her card quickly and directly. If the response is "Yes" go on and make your third statement. The next card on the list is the Jack of Hearts (JH). Say. "I see a picture of your card. Please mentally count the Hearts on your card."
12
If she looks puzzled because it is impossible to count spots that aren't on a face card, you know for certain that her card is the Jack of Hearts. Quickly add, 'There are two in the corners, but I see lots of hearts all over the card. It's a picture card. The Jack of Hearts!" If she seems to be counting the spots, you know she does not have the jack in mind. Go to the next statement. The next card on the list is the Five of Hearts (5H). Say, "I believe you're counting an even number of spots on your card..." You have made a statement about the majority force cards both of which are even in this example. If the facial clue is "No" you instantly know her card is the Five of Hearts. You immediately add, ""...don't say anything! .... The card is shaped like this." drawing a five shape in the air. "I'm not certain whether it is a five or a two. There seems to be an odd number of spots. Hmmm, it is a five. The Five of Hearts." You have re-stated your position on the number of spots and hidden it under the action of drawing out the number. If the response is 'Yes' to your statement about an even card, go on to your final statement before the revelation. The next two cards are lower and higher than seven, (the black set of force cards contains a seven as high card and the red set contains an eight.) The high cards (seven and eight) are confusing to the spectator because they are not usually thought of as high valued cards. In this example the high card is the Eight of Hearts. Say, "Your card is a low valued card..." If the response is 'Yes' you immediately know her card is the Two of Hearts. If she looks as if she's not certain whether her card is actually a low card, you know her card is the Eight of Hearts. You add, "... low and even, like a four, six or eight. It is the Eight of Hearts." You have made five correct statements before revealing the card. If you get an oral 'No' response, you correct it with, "Lower than a nine or ten", and immediately reveal the card. Each time you seem to be correct. The same procedure is used with the black suit set of force cards with appropriate adjustments to your statements.
13 In performance, the basic effect should give the appearance of real mindreading. The audience should forget that a deck of cards was ever used. It should be emphasized that a card was simply thought of and never touched. Because the deck is handled for about ten seconds at the beginning and put away, later, many will remember your ability to read minds, not your clever handling of cards. It is important to practice the way you make the statements. You must avoid sounding as if you are merely eliminating groups of the entire deck. You stress that each statement is true. You are not fishing. Be bold!
-2- Shuffled Effect: A deck is shuffled, cut and riffled toward a spectator. He remembers one card he sees. Even after the shuffle and cut, you reveal his mental selection. Method: The basic trick of The Cassandra Deck™ can still be done after one or two dovetail shuffles. The shuffles and cuts do not disturb the mechanism. However, the order of the force cards is changed after shuffling, so any counting tricks cannot be performed following a shuffle.
-3- Juliet and her Romeo Effect: A woman thinks of any card she sees in a deck of cards. A man is asked to think of any card he sees, as long as it is different from the woman's. She is not to tell him the card, just name aloud the color of her card's suit. The man looks for a card of the opposite color. This ensures that both cards are different. You make statements about each card. All statements are true. Eventually, you reveal both cards. Method: The same procedure as the basic effect is used. But in this presentation, you already know the color of each person's card. You have eliminated one possible negative response. You make the statements based on the force card crib and identify the mentally chosen cards. This is quick, concise and easy to follow. Really, it's the perfect mental card trick! -4- Al&Rudy Effect: You show the audience a sealed envelope tucked in a compartment of your wallet. The Cassandra Deck™ is shown to a spectator who thinks of any card he sees. The spectator states the card's name aloud. You open your wallet and remove the envelope. When the spectator opens it.
14
it contains a duplicate of the same card as was mentally selected. Method: Rudy Hunter developed a version of Koran's Five Star Miracle using a Himber wallet as an index. A duplicate of one of the ten force cards is in an envelope on one side of the wallet and the other nine duplicate cards are in envelopes on the opposite side of the wallet. You display the single envelope at the trick's beginning. After the spectator names his card the correct envelope is removed from the wallet. If the card in the single envelope is named it can be removed from the wallet openly: if not. the appropriate envelope is removed from the other side of the wallet without showing the other eight envelopes.
-5- Tossed The Cassandra Deck™ can be used for David Hoy's Tossed Out Deck trick. The original used a single card force deck. Subsequent methods have used a three way force deck or other multi-card decks. The Cassandra Deck™ makes possible the best presentation of this classic effect. Effect: A deck of cards is spread face-up in front of a spectator for a moment and then closed. A heavy rubber band is snapped around one of the narrow ends of the deck. The audience is shown how you want them to lift up some of the cards with their thumbs and look at a card. The deck is tossed out into the audience. The person who catches the deck lifts some cards, peeks at one card and tosses the deck to someone else. That person peeks at a card and tosses the deck to another person. Three to six people are allowed to peek at cards. They toss the deck back to you. You ask all who saw a card to stand. Individually, you reveal each person's card. Method: Displaying The Cassandra Deck™ face-up will not disclose its secret. When the deck is closed, give it a tap on a flat surface such as a table to knock all the card ends to one end. This ensures a good long/short relation at the other end. Place the rubber band around the flush end. By following your instructions the spectators can only peek at force cards because the force cards are longer than the indifferent cards. After the spectators see a card each, tell them that you are receiving many thoughts at once. Ask all who are thinking of red cards to stand. We will assume that four of six participants stand. Look at your crib. Address the four standing spectators and have
16
-7- Tomorrow's Thought Many amazing predictions can be performed with The Cassandra Deck™. This is one, based on an idea from Clayton Rawson's (a.k.a. Don Diavolo) Tomorrow's Card trick published in the Jinx. Effect: You write something on a slip of paper, fold it and put it in an empty coffee cup. A deck is handed to a spectator. Another person is asked to call out any number from 1 to 52. The spectator deals that many cards face-up off the top of the deck and a card is set aside, face-down. The spectator takes the slip of paper from the cup. He opens and reads the paper. It says the name of the card just set aside! Proving you knew in advance the card that would be selected. Method: There are only ten cards that can be forced. Write the names of these cards on ten slips of paper and fold them into billets. Put the Fi ClUfe 2 first five card names in a matchbook [see fig.2] and put it in your right pocket. Place the last five card names in another matchbook and put it in your left pocket. The easy version, or The "'Soft" Formula, [see appendix] is used to determine which force card is at the chosen number. It is based on whether the announced number is odd or even. First, move the Ace of Clubs from the bottom to the top of the deck. If even: the chosen number (n), is divided by 2 and use the last card dealt (a). - {Even=(n)/2=a} If odd: the chosen number (n), plus 1, is divided by 2 and use the next card (b). - {Odd=(n+l)/2=b} If you get a two digit number as your sum, discard the first digit (for example: 23 is thought of as 3). This single digit number is the same as the force card value. It is also on your crib inside the card box flap. [Fig. 11 (There is an even better and faster formula at the end of this book. The "Soft" formula is intended only lo
17 acquaint you with the working of The Cassandra Deck™) Let's assume that the spectator called 18. Eighteen is even so you divide by 2 to get 9. Deal nine cards off the deck and look at the last card dealt. It is the card numbered 9 on your crib (9H). Notice that the force card position matches the card's value. When you make your prediction be certain to fold the slip the same way as the index slips are folded. As you place the folded prediction in the cup, you actually finger-palm it out again and the cup remains empty. While the spectator is dealing the cards, casually put your hand in the appropriate pocket and find the correct billet. You have plenty of time to palm it out and add it to the cup while moving the cup closer to the spectator. Do this before the dealing is over and no one will notice you ever touched the cup. The audience will remember that the spectator removed the slip. I always deal the cards trick face-up. But if you're worried about the one or two dupes being seen, deal face-down if the number is higher than 22. The first 21 cards have no duplicates, so always deal them face-up.
-8- Master Magazine Test Effect: You show five different magazines. The interiors are shown to the audience. All are apparently different. They are laid in a row on a table. A spectator deals cards into two face-down piles. A randomly selected card from one pile is used to select one of the five magazines. A selected card from the other pile is used to select a page in the magazine. You never get a glimpse of the page because your back is turned. Still, you reveal specifics about the chosen page. As if reading the page with telepathic eyes. Method: Three of the magazines are different and ungimmicked. Two are duplicates of each other with different covers. Some magazines are held upside-down when flipped through. If the two dupes are one shown upside-down and one rightside-up, they appear quite different from each other. The magazines are shown with the force magazines 2nd and 4th and stacked in a pile. False shuffle The Cassandra Deck™. Spread the deck face-up briefly for (he spectator to see the random order of the cards. Close the deck and
18 have the spectator deal a card to the right and one to the left. He continues dealing the deck into two piles. As he's dealing, explain that all cards have numerical values. Even the face cards have a value, i.e., jack 11. queen 12, and king 13. The suits of the cards have no numerical value. The pile on the left contains all indifferent cards. The spectator cuts this pile and takes the top card. This card indicates which magazine is to be selected. The spectator holds the stack of magazines. He deals a magazine to the table as he counts the card's value. If he runs out of magazines, he picks up the stack and continues. If the card vale is even, the last magazine he dealt is forced. If the value is odd. the next magazine is forced. The spectator can turn the stack of magazines over when he picks it up. It won't matter. You need only to know if the spectator has dealt an even or odd number of magazines to know which one is forced; you don't have to know what card was chosen. Each of the ten force card values can be translated into a one or two digit page number. The other pile consists of all force cards in reverse order. The spectator is told to cut the pile and take the top card as he did with the first pile. This card value sends him turning to the page indicated. You pick up all the cards and note the bottom card of the force pile. The value one lower of the bottom card is the page selected. For example, if the bottom card is the Six of Clubs, the page number will be 5. If you see the Jack of Hearts on the bottom, the page number is 10. You have cleverly made a crib sheet about the contents of the ten force pages of the force magazine and pasted it to a note pad. When you know the chosen page, just look it up and write some notes on one of the pad sheets. Go south with the deck, the other magazines and the pad before you reveal the chosen page. This leaves you clean and puts the emphasis on the single magazine and you.
-9- Blinded by the Light Effect: You are blindfolded with a handkerchief. A spectator shuffles a deck of cards. The deck is kept face-down and cut. The card on the bottom of the cut half is noted and put in the spectator's pocket. You psychically look through the blindfold and into the spectator's pocket to reveal the chosen card. This is accomplished without any questions asked. Method: This is a strong trick, even without (he blindfold. The Cassandra Deck™ will always cut to a force card facing you if the deck is held face-down.
19 The force cards are in a set order. When the spectator cuts the cards, you must get a glimpse of the card second from the top of the half you hold. This is a force card and will queue you as to the previous force card in the stack. If you see the Six of Clubs, for example, you know the chosen card is the Five of Hearts. The blindfold you use allows you to see down the side of your nose. Spotting the second card from the top of the deck is easy because the audience believes you are sightless. Hold the deck face-up and simply slide the top two cards over and glimpse the index while the spectator shows his chosen card to the audience.
-10- Blinded Too Effect: You are blindfolded with coins, tape and a handkerchief. A deck is spread face-up then closed. A spectator shuffles the deck. You riffle the cards and show them to be quite mixed. Still holding the deck face-up, you tell the spectator to place his finger in the cards as they fall. He is to take the unseen card above his finger. The card is noted and placed in the spectator's pocket. By using x-ray vision and looking through the blindfold and into the spectator's pocket the chosen card slowly becomes clear. You reveal the name of chosen card and it is removed from the pocket. Method: This is really the basic effect with a blindfold and buildup. The shuffling doesn't separate the force cards from the indifferent cards. The cards can be displayed as different and well shuffled by riffling them face-up. A force card will always be above the spectator's finger if riffled in this manner. When he puts his finger in the deck, turn the right hand portion up and have him take the top face-down card. He looks at it and puts it in his pocket. The blindfold is real, not allowing any vision down the side of his nose. You simply pump the spectator - as in the basic effect - and reveal the chosen card. This is a terrific press effect because of the authenticity of the blindfold.
-11- Siamese Twins Effect: You write two predictions, each on a slip of a different color. They are dropped into your hat. Two spectators count down to a number mutually agreed upon and note the cards arrived at. The predictions, both of which you wrote and placed in the hat before the deck was handed out, prove to be correct. Method: My good friend and mentor. Orville Meyer, contributed
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Twin Prediction to The Jinx in the 1930's. The Cassandra Deck™ is ready to perform wonderful trick without additional set-ups. Also, the choice of numbers is increased from 20 to 52. Begin by moving the Ace of Clubs from the bottom to the top. This puts all the force cards at even positions in the deck. When removing the cards, leave the Six of Clubs on the bottom of the deck in the box. The matchbook indices are used again; all of the billets being white paper. After a false shuffle and cut The Cassandra Deck™ is handed to one of the two spectators. Pick up a white slip of paper, look at the man with the deck and write anything on the slip. Fold it exactly as the billets in your matchbooks are folded. Drop it in full view near the hat. Look at the second person and pick up the colored slip. On this write the name of the Ace of Clubs. Fold this paper and drop it into the hat. Pick up the white slip and pretend to put it in the hat also, but finger palm it instead. The person holding the deck is asked to name aloud any number from 1 to 52, but he is reminded that the higher the number the longer the dealing. No matter what number is called, you will cause him to get a force card. If the number is even, use the last card dealt. If the number is odd, use the next card. In either case, after the card is noted, it is placed on the dealt pile and the cards returned to the top of the deck. Pick up the deck and give it a false cut and hand it to the second person. He counts off the same number of cards and looks at the last dealt or next card - the same way the first person did. This automatically forces the Ace of Clubs. When you know the number, you use the "Soft" formula to figure the card at the position. During the last procedure you cop the correct billet from your pocket and finger palm it. When the second card is noted, you reach into the hat and push the palmed billet to your finger tips. Pick up the colored slip and bring both out. Hand the correct slips to each spectator and everything is examinable.
-12- Turkish Delight Effect: A spectator looks at any card in a deck. You ask the name of the card. You cut the deck and tell the spectator that the card, " ... is the 37th card from the top. Wait! It has moved. It's now the 18th card down. Wait! It moved again. It is now seven cards down from the top of the deck." The spectator deals the cards face-up and finds the mentally selected card at the stated position. You have demonstrated remarkable skill in the control of playing cards.
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Method: Riffle the cards so the spectator sees only the ten force cards. Calculate the correct position of the chosen card by using this formula: Double the card's value and subtract 1. False cut the deck (so any discrepancy in position is accounted for) and announce two false positions. Finally, state the card's actual position. A simple, yet very strong trick. It has a certain similarity to the Lazy Man's Card Trick, however it has the advantage of the card being mentally selected. This effect could be performed with a memorized deck, but why would one wish so much brain work?
-13- E'voqued Effect: A business card wallet is shown and said to contain a detailed prediction about the future. A deck is cut several times by a spectator and you. Finally, five cards are dealt face-down on the table. The spectator selects two cards and turns them face-up. He picks one of the two. The wallet is opened and a card removed It is read aloud. It predicts the card that is finally selected as well as the other card not chosen and what order they were picked! Method: Thank Rudy Hunter for the prediction used in this fine trick. The card in the business card wallet is a folded index card. Unfolded the entire prediction reads: You will pick the Jack of Spades..., but will keep the Two of Spades. The card is folded at the point before the word '"but" and placed writing side out under the window portion of the wallet. Only the first half of the prediction is visible through the window. The Cassandra Deck™ must be riffled and cut with a ten valued force card on the bottom. This is easy as there are three ten force cards and they run in succession. This makes them easy to spot and cut to. By cutting a force ten to the bottom of the deck it places a jack and a two 2nd and 4th in the line of five cards dealt. These are perfect positions for an Equivoque. You tell the spectator to touch a card with his right finger. If the spectator touches the jack, the wallet is opened. The first half of the prediction is seen through the plastic and reads: You will pick the Jack of Spades, and the trick ends there. If he touches the two he is told to touch another card with his other hand. He will most likely touch the jack. If so, both cards are turned face-up and he is allowed to openly choose either card. If he selects the jack the wallet is opened, the prediction read and the trick concluded. If he selects the two. the wallet is opened and the card is removed and unfolded. The
22 entire prediction is read. This is the best scenario. If the spectator does not touch either force card, the two cards he touched are eliminated and you continue as above with a three card Equivoque. The spectator touches two more cards because, '"...this is the important decision." If he selects the two force cards turn them face-up and allow him to openly choose one of them. Show the appropriate prediction and the tricks ends as needed. If he selects the Jack of Hearts and one indifferent card, use the standard Equivoque to force the jack and show the window prediction. If he selects the Two of Hearts and an indifferent card, eliminate them and turn the jack face-up. Show the prediction with the jack. Every prediction in this effect is much cleaner than a simple l-in-5 equivoque. You can tape the wallet closed and send the prediction to a reporter or club president. Later, you allow him to open the wallet at your performance; much like a headline prediction! Then either let him view the prediction through the plastic or tell him to read it and remove the card to get the kicker finale'.
-14- Souled Effect: You write a prediction on a slip of paper, fold it and drop it into a coffee cup. A woman notes a card in a deck and names her card. A second prediction is written on a slip, folded and dropped into the cup. A man now notes a card and names it aloud. The slips are removed from the cup and read aloud. One states that. The man will chose the Two of Clubs and the other reads that, The woman will chose the Four of Diamonds. Your predictions were correct for each person! Method: Al Baker's original trick, Two Souls, used a lot of dealing. Annemann in his, Lady and Gentleman improved it, by adding a pocket index of 52 billets, but the dealing remained. With The Cassandra Deck™ the spectators don't have to do any dealing of the cards, they just think of a card! You don't have to have bulky pocket indices; just a matchbook with five slips! Have one of the matchbook indices (described previously in Tomorrow's Thought) set in your right pocket. Each of the five billets has the words. The man will think of the... and the name of one of the black force cards.
23 Look at a woman spectator and tell her you can see a bit of her future. Write anything on the first billet and finger palm it as you act as if you are putting it in the cup. Be certain the slip is folded identically to the slips in the matchbook index. Reach into your pocket for the deck of cards and secretly leave the billet behind. Explain that the woman will think of any card. She is asked to choose red cards or black, reminding her that it doesn't really matter what she says as you have already written a prediction. If she chooses the red cards - as woman often do - ask her to select a red card as you riffle The Cassandra Deck™. If she chooses the black cards tell her, "Very good. " Turn to the man and add, "Don't of that black card yet, let her choose a card first/' Whatever her answer, the woman is instructed to think of a red card as the deck is riffled. She is asked to name it aloud. You seem pleased with her response. Now, turn to the man. Write a prediction for him, really writing. The woman will think of... and fill in the name of the card she just named. Drop the billet into the cup. Riffle the deck for the man and have him remember any black card he sees. He looks for a black card to be assured that he sees a different card from the woman. Ask the man to name his card. When he does, cop the appropriate billet from the matchbook index in your pocket. Keep it finger palmed. Dump the single billet from the cup onto the finger palmed billet. Both predictions are opened and read aloud. They both match the mentally selected cards. A truly miraculous effect!
-15- A Truly Open Prediction Effect: You write a prediction on a slip of paper, fold it and drop it into your upturned hat. A deck is separated into two piles. Any two cards from one pile are totaled to make up a number. That many cards are dealt from the second pile. While the spectator deals the cards face-up, your prediction is opened and read aloud. When the dealing is finished the randomly chosen card is set aside. After some build up, it is found that the card matches your prediction. This is the last word in open predictions. Method: Walter Gibson invented a clever trick with a deck of cards. One had to deal the cards face-up into red and black piles, perform metal calculations and add the top two cards of the first pile to get a second card. A cute trick, but very restraining. In Practical Mental Effects. Ted Annemann devoted a chapter to the use of billet indices and credited
24 Gibson's trick as the inspiration. Annemann's Omega Card Prophesy is now immensely improved by using The Cassandra Deck™. The trick becomes 52 times more powerful and 52 times easier! The ubiquitous matchbook indices are used again. One book in each pocket as before. You begin by writing a prediction on a billet. Fold it identically to the billets in the matchbooks and act as if you drop it in your hat. You actually finger palm it so the hat remains empty. A spectator deals the cards into two face-down piles. This splits the cards - one pile of force cards and one pile of indifferent cards. The piles are quickly checked to be certain they contain 26 cards each. The spectator counts the face-down pile of indifferent cards and you count the force cards. This action reverses the order of the indifferent cards and, most importantly, the force cards. Any two cards are taken face-down from the indifferent pile and their values totaled. Note only the last digit of the total and that queues you as to the force card. For example, if the two cards total 15, the Five of Hearts is the force card. A spectator deals the same number of cards from the other pile as the indifferent cards" sum. He deals them face-down. This gives you time to cop the correct billet from one of the matchbooks. The billet is covertly added to the hat when you hand the hat to a spectator. If the sum is less than ten, the cards can be dealt face-up because there will not be any force cards repeated. The prediction can be read even before the selected card is turned face-up. And that fact makes this a truly open prediction effect.
-16- Memoed Effect: After performing a number of effects, you shuffle the deck and ask a spectator to cut it three times. The deck is retrieved and fanned so both you and the audience can see the mixed cards. You claim you will memorize the entire deck A spectator is told to cut the deck in halves. One half is cut again by a second spectator. You mark the cut by placing the two sections together in a crossed fashion. The other half of the deck is riffled for the first spectator and he thinks of one of the cards he sees. The crossed quarters are separated and the bottom card of the top quarter is set aside. The two quarters are put together and both halves of the deck are shuffled together. The deck is riffled again and you and the audience look at the cards flip by. You claim you have memorized every
25 position of every card and that you even know which card is missing. You hand the cards to the second spectator and ask the first spectator what card he has mentally selected. He says, for instance, the Five of Hearts. You say the Five of Hearts is the 9th card from the top of the deck. The spectator deals the cards face-up and counts aloud. The 9th card is, in fact, the Five of Hearts. You add that the missing card is the Ace of Clubs. The spectator is told to gather the dealt cards on top of the deck and deal all the cards faceup on the table. He must count aloud as he looks for the Ace of Clubs. There are only 51 cards and no Ace of Clubs. The card set aside is turned face-up. It is the Ace of Clubs. You have proven your wonderful talent of being able to memorized a deck of cards by viewing them only once. Method: This is a pretty impressive demonstration. The buildup of finding the missing card is quite strong. The deck is false shuffled at the opening. (If you can't do a good false shuffle multiple cutting will do). When fanning the deck you look for the Ace of Clubs and cut there. This puts everything in correct order again. The deck is cut into two halves by a spectator. The left half is the bottom half. It is cut again and the "Cross-cut" force employed. The bottom card from the top quarter is actually the bottom card of the deck. It appears that you have taken a card from a randomly cut place. The result is the Ace of Clubs has been forced. Return the quarters to their original positions. The other half of the deck is riffled for the spectator to make a mental selection. Only the force cards will be seen, as in the basic effect. Both halves are false shuffled together so all cards are in their original order. (If you still can't do a good false shuffle just put the halves together with the right half on top). Riffle the full deck face-up so all indifferent cards show. Say you have just memorized the deck and you can tell which card is missing, plus you know the position of all the remaining cards. When the mentally selected card is named use this secret formula. Use the card's value (V) to figure the position of the chosen card (P), multiply it by 2 and subtract one. [(V\2)-1=P| Call this number (P) as the position of the chosen card. It will always be less than 20 so the cards may be dealt face-up. As a climax. the spectator deals all the cards face-up and searches for
26 the missing Ace of Clubs. The entire deck may be dealt face-up without fear of duplicate force cards being discovered as the spectator is counting while looking for the named card. This action makes it impossible to spot any duplicate cards.
-17- Mediumystic Effect: Your woman partner is introduced as a spirit medium. She sits in a chair away from the seance table and wears a velvet blindfold. As a warm-up to the evening's spiritual activities, she is able to ascertain the thoughts of several people at the seance table and give brief readings based on any mentally selected cards. Method: You and your partner use The Cassandra Deck™ to have the sitters look at and think of different cards. Riffle the cards from your right hand into your left until the sitter says to stop. The sitter looks at the card. Separate your hands and as your right hand displays the chosen card to the sitter, your left pushes the second card from the top to the side. The index of this second card should be visible. You secretly flash this to the medium behind your back. The medium uses a gimmicked velvet blindfold that allows straight ahead vision for her to clearly see the card index. She looks at the exposed index and knows what the next force card is in the cycle. This is the chosen card. A brief reading is given by the medium based on the mentally selected card. After each reading you can repeat the procedure for another sitter. An alternate presentation is for you to look at the index and queue the medium with a secret queueing device or code. In this alternate presentation the medium could be out of the room or use a real blindfold.
-18- Tres Mentalia Effect: You write a prediction and drop it into a paper cup. Ask someone to think of any word he sees in a book. You riffle the pages and the spectator names a word. "That's right!" you say. ''Let's try another one." Because you apparently feel you have been successful in your first test you write a second prediction and drop it into the cup with the first prediction. A second spectator is told to think of any page number from the same book. You riffle the pages again and he names a selected page number. When you hear the number, you are very happy that you have hit two-fortwo. You look around for something different to use besides the book. A third prediction is written and added to the other two in the cup. A third spectator is told to think of any card he sees from a deck of cards. You riffle
27 the cards, as you did with the book, and the third spectator names a chosen card. You are very excited and explain that making a single hit was a 1-in5,000 problem as there are about 5000 different words in the book. Making a two correct hits made it about a 1-in 1,000,000 problem because you multiply the 200 pages by the first odds. But the most difficult is to make a third correct prediction, because multiplying 52 by 1,000,000 makes a third successful prediction a l-in-52,000,000 proposition! To prove the amazing outcome of you predictions, you dump the slips from the cup and hand them to one of the spectators. Upon inspection, all three slips are found to have the correct choices written on them. Three in a row correct; a l-in-52,000,000 hit! Method: Before the simple working of this trick is explained, it is important you understand the psychology of the triple prediction. This is a hoary trick, but only because it is so often misused. A performer who asks for a random thought, and then writes it down doesn't fool audiences. That is how spectators see most triple prediction effects. It is extremely important that you have the mind-set of trying one experiment only. Because the first one is a success you continue. That is the true secret of the tri-prediction. This trick employs the two matchbook indices again (see Tomorrow's Thought. The first slip containing the first prediction is not actually put in the paper cup, but is secretly retained in your hand and ditched. A paperback book is riffled for a word selection. This action is important because it is the same way the cards will be riffled later. When the spectator announces his selection you are pleased because you have apparently been correct. This encourages you to attempt another test. What you write on the second slip is actually the first choice of a word. The audience believes you are writing a second prediction. The paper is folded exactly as the index billets and dropped in the cup. The book pages are riffled to the second spectator to note a page number. He announces his selection and you are openly excited. You propose a third test and look around for another selection pool. Here is where the deck becomes secondary to the effect. It appears as if you decide, at that moment, to use it as the final test. The third slip will really get the chosen page number written on it. The audience believes you are writing a third prediction. You fold the paper and drop with the other. When you riffle The Cassandra Deck™ the third
28 spectator sees a force card and names it. You have plenty of time to cop the appropriate billet from the correct index while explaining the odds of being correct three times in a row. You add the stolen billet to the others dumping the two from the cup onto the finger palmed billet. The patter about odds is very important. Although the odds are not correct, they seem to make sense. The purpose is to explain why each selection pool becomes smaller. This is a problem with most triple prediction presentations. In this presentation you have covered every angle.
-19- Three on a Match Effect: The topic of conversation turns to your psychic abilities. Explaining the different types of ESP, you offer to demonstrate your psychic abilities by using precognition to predict a thought a spectator will have. You will also use telepathy to read another spectator's mind, and finally, clairvoyance to see a card hidden in a spectator's pocket. Method: Before you begin, have the ubiquitous matchbook indices in your pockets (see #7). Act as if you write a prediction of a thought the first spectator will have. You really write anything on a billet slip and palm it away while acting as if placing it in a bowl. The first spectator, we'll call Allen, puts his finger in The Cassandra Deck™ while it is being riffled. The deck is cut at that spot. The top card is an indifferent card. The spectator takes the top card and holds it. A second spectator, Bruce, is instructed to take the next card off the deck (a force card) and put it in his pocket without looking at it. A third spectator, Candice, takes the next card off the top of the deck (another indifferent card) and holds it. You remind everyone that you wrote something on a slip of paper before any cards were chosen. You will perform an experiment in precognition with Allen. He is told to show his card. You comment about your accuracy and continue to the next experiment. "The selection will be checked against the prediction in just a moment, now I must follow the psychic connection I feel,'' you say. Secretly note the bottom card of the deck for it will tell you the next force card in order. This is Bruce's card. "Now for telepathy," you say. Look at Candice and begin to read her mind. Cop the appropriate billet from the correct matchbook index and stealthily hold it. After receiving her thought write your ''telepathic" impression on a slip of paper, fold it over the palm billel and put both as one in the bowl. You have actually written the name of
29 the card shown by Allen. The bowl now contains two billets and can be watched by the audience. You are a full step ahead and are clean before the trick ends! Ask Candice to reveal her card to you and the audience. You are impressed with the apparent success of the second experiment. "And finally, the most difficult of all ESP techniques, clairvoyance, or remote viewing." Look into space and explain that you're trying to see the card in Bruce's pocket. Write your thought on a third slip and drop it in the bowl. Really write the name of Candice's card. Drop the third billet openly into the bowl. Take your time in recapitulating all that has happened. The trick is over, but the magic is just beginning. Let anyone take the three billets from the bowl and open all of them at the same time. When the billets are read, it is apparent that two of the names match the selected cards. The final slip is for Bruce's card, which still resides in his pocket. The card is removed and matches the name on the slip. A fitting climax. Combing the full step ahead principle with the psychology of Tres Mentalia makes this a perfect billet test!
-20- Remote Quickie Effect: a spectator repeatedly cuts A deck of cards. You turn your head away from the spectator and the cards. He chooses two cards. Without looking at the cards one card is put one under a plate and the other under a book. You face the audience and announce that you will view the faces of the hidden cards remotely. You envision one of the cards and reveal its name. The card is retrieved from under the plate. The other card is psychically viewed, revealed and picked up from under the book. Both cards are shown to the audience proving that you were correct in both cases. Method: The Cassandra Deck™ can be cut as often as wished and the set-up will not be disturbed. The spectator selects cards by sticking his finger into the deck while it is riffled. You hold the deck, but turn your head away. The card under the spectator's finger is an indifferent card and goes to under the book. The very next card goes under the plate. Cut the deck at the spot where the cards were chosen. * Note the identity of the bottom card. This force card queues you as to what card was chosen. The next value higher is the card under the plate. For example: the bottom card is the Two of Spades. The next higher value is a three. The force card is the Three of Clubs. So the card under the book is the Three of Clubs. The card under the plate is still unknown.
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Look at the plate and declare that the card hidden from everyone's view is... and name the force card; in this case the Three of Clubs. Lift the plate, set the card aside without showing it getting a glimpse of the index. Look at the book and name the card that was just under the plate. Lift the book and place the card face-down on top of the card you hold. When you turn both cards face-up, slide them so they change positions. (This is the well known Two Card Monte move.) Show the pair to the audience. You are correct in both cases. Replace the indifferent card followed by the force card on the top of the deck cut the Ace of Clubs to the bottom again. The Cassandra Deck™ is now in first position again. *In this effect it is important that the "Bottom Twelve " does interfere with your queue. If the Six of Clubs is on the bottom, check the second card down from the top of the deck. If you see the Two of Hearts, the chosen force card in the Jack of Hearts. If the second card from the top is the Eight of Hearts, the chosen force card is the Seven of Clubs. This is easily done while putting the halves together.
-21- Psychic Friends Effect: You tell the guests at a party about your psychic friend. After the usual questions about his authenticity, you offer a test to demonstrate his psychic powers. You give your friend's business card to a guest. The guest can think of anything, but it must be from a controlled selection pool, because your psychic friend is real and not a magician! You suggest playing cards. The guest thinks of any card she sees in a deck. She calls your friend on the phone using the phone number on the business card. The guest asks your friend if he can psychically determine what she has in mind. Your friend picks up the psychic vibrations and says, "A playing card." This is a good revelation, but your friend is then able to tell the guest the exact mentally selected card. Method: You riffle The Cassandra Deck™ for a mental choice as in the basic effect. Your friend is in his home or office. He has the crib list and has been instructed on how to pump the spectator. So he simply performs the basic effect over the phone. This is a very strong trick because no one knows the identity of the card, it's a mental selection! This floors anyone who thinks you might try to
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code the card. You never touch the phone and the phone number is open at all times. This is also an excellent way to help you and your friend promote any private reading business you may have going.
-22- The $1,000,000 Telephone Test Effect: Show a phone number written on the back of a business card and return it to your wallet. A spectator thinks of a card he sees in a deck. He dials the number on the back of the business card and asks for the name of the person printed below the number. The party on the other end of the line is able to immediately tell the spectator the mentally selected card. Method: You briefly show a business card in your wallet. Written on the back of the business card is a name and phone number of a famous spirit medium. The force card is seen by riffling The Cassandra Deck™. After the spectator names the card he saw in the deck, you hand him the business card telling the spectator to call the medium and ask him about what he's thinking. The wallet is a Himber style wallet with one business card on one side and nine more on the other side. Each business card has the same phone number, the same first and last name but a different middle initial. The initial letter queues the medium as to which force card was selected. Looking at the crib we see the first force card is JH and this is represented with an initial "A". The second force card is 2H and is queued with a '"B" initial. (This type of code is credited to many, but Al Baker's name comes up most often. In his phone test you needed to know 52 different names to code each card!) The "A" initial business card is on one side of the wallet. If the JC (the first force card) is selected, you take the single business card out openly. If another playing card is mentally selected, you don't show the inside of the wallet while removing the appropriate business card from among the other nine on the other side of the wallet.
-23- Good-outitude Effect: A woman asks to see a demonstration of your powers. You ask her, "Red or black?" She is slightly confused by your question, but answers red. You riffle a deck of cards and she thinks of any red card she sees. You ask her the name of the mentally selected card. She answers, "It is the Queen of Diamonds'". You tell her to look under an ashtray on a table. She lifts it and finds a slip of paper. Written on the paper is a prediction that states she would think of the Queen of Diamonds. This proves you knew in
32 advance of which card she would think. Method: Before the demonstration, write the names of the five different red force cards on slips of paper and hide them in five different places around the room. Using a clockwise mental picture, remember the five hiding places. J
The red cards are forced with a simple red or black Equivoque. If the woman selects red you use the red cards. If she selects black you eliminate the black cards. * Riffle The Cassandra Deck™ for her mental selection of any red card. When the spectator reveals the thought of card, tell her to go to a particular spot and read the note placed there earlier. You, of course, direct her to look under the appropriate object to find the correct prediction that will match her card. This trick seems very impressive because — with the use of the red and black Equivoque — she feels she had a free choice of any of 52 cards! * You can use all ten force cards in The Cassandra Deck™ eliminating the need for the Equivoque if you desire. The obvious drawback-is remembering the ten various hiding places for the ten different predictions.
-24- Hypnometer Effect: You announce you will hypnotize a spectator. Under your spell, the spectator will believe he can read minds. You think of a playing card and write its name on a slip of paper. The paper is folded and put under a nearby book. You wave your hands over the eyes of the spectator, put him in a trance and show him a deck of playing cards. The spectator names any card he saw. The slip of paper is retrieved and on it is written the name of the card the spectator named. The spectator has apparently read your mind. You explain that the spectator did not read your mind because that would be impossible. Rather he saw an hypnotic image of a card; a card that was not in the deck. You show the mentally chosen card is not in the deck but, having been removed earlier, is in your wallet! The spectator was psychically drawn to the card you had in mind. Method: This is, in fact a card version of my book test. The Wizard's Manual. The two matchbook indices are in your pants pockets. The original slip is palmed away and ditched when you act like you put it under the book. Riffle The Cassandra Deck™ and instruct the spectator to think of
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any card he sees. The spectator names the mentally selected card and you use the matchbook indices. Find the matching billet and palm it. While picking up the book, secretly drop the billet under it. The Cassandra Deck™ is displayed face-up, showing all indifferent cards. A Himber style wallet has one duplicate force card on one side and nine other duplicate force cards on the opposite side of the wallet. The cards seem to be from The Cassandra Deck™ because of the matching back design. -25- Q'ed Effect: The hostess of a cocktail party is brought up to assist you in a psychic demonstration. You apparently hypnotize her and whisper somnambulistic instructions. A man is also brought forward. He is instructed to think of any card he sees in a deck of cards. While deep in trance, the woman looks into a crystal ball. She is able to read the man's mind and reveal what card is there. Method: After the party's hostess is comfortably seated in a chair, The Cassandra Deck™ is riffled for another spectator. He mentally chooses any card he sees and remains in his seat. While apparently hypnotizing the spectator you are giving her instructions. You explain that you will show her what statements she must make. All she has to do is make statements queued her by a crystal ball. The statements will be clearly seen, she simply reads aloud. All her statements are on a small set of white 2x3 inch cards and held under a thin white silk. The crystal ball is placed on the silk. Nothing can be seen through the silk until you push the cards against the silk and ball. Then the words written on the card is clearly seen magnified through the glass ball. There are two sets of five cards and they have the same basic effect statements written on them. On the back of each statement card is the name of the playing card connected with a negative response. For example: One card reads, "You are thinking of a diamond..." and on the back it reads, "...or a heart. Yes a heart, the Nine of Hearts." If the statement is correct go on to the next card by secretly flipping the card to the bottom of the stack under the silk. If the response is negative turn the card over and let the woman read the name of the selected card through the crystal. There are two sets of five queue cards. One set is for the black cards and the other set is for the red cards. There is also an additional starting
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queue card. It reds, "You wouldn't be thinking of a red card would you?" And on its other side it reads, "Yes, I thought so." This is to determine whether the spectator is thinking of a red or black card. Whatever the response the hostess reads both sides of the starting queue card. The see-through silk and crystal ploy is an idea of Punx and was published in my magazine, The New Invocation.
-26- The Hame Effect: A spectator thinks of any card he sees in a deck. He writes the name of the mentally selected card on a slip of paper and folds it. The paper is torn and burned. The spectator's wife then looks into the burnt paper and reveals the man's thought. Method: Prepare a book of matches by writing the initials of the ten force cards on each match head in pencil. Write the initials on the backs of the match heads. When the match is burned it will leave the letter and number in a different ash on the match head. There are 20 matches in a typical matchbook. Repeat the ten force cards twice. Riffle The Cassandra Deck™ and allow the man to think of any card he sees. Tell the wife that she will be able to read her husband's mind if she will watch for signs. Have the man write the name of the card in the center of a slip of paper. Perform the center tear and note the chosen card. Remove the match with the correct card's initials written on it. Strike the match and light the paper bits. Blow out the match and let the paper burn away. As you stir the ashes with the burnt match, verbally guide her to look for signs and she will see the initials on the match head. If she doesn't get the queue ask for a spirit sign to appear. Strike the second prepared match and hand it to the woman. Make your spirit request, blow out the match and show the initials burned into the match head. Either way, this is a strong presentation.
-27- Fingers Sensitivus Effect: A spectator mentally notes a card. The deck is cut and placed in your jacket pocket. By touch alone you are able to find the spectator's card. Method: The Cassandra Deck™ is riffled so the spectator sees one of the force cards. The deck is false cut and put in your jacket pocket.
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The usual pumping by statements is performed. The card will be within the top 20 cards. As you get each bit of information you are really separating the indifferent cards from the force cards by turning the force cards 90° on their ends. This turns the deck into a ten card pocket index. You proceed as in the basic effect with the exception of how you make the statements. You don't envision the card mentally, but rather you are feeling the card. You indicate that you think you are feeling a card with the spectator's vibrations and it feels like as red card. Continue based on the spectator's responses. You are using touch and this gives you a lot of leeway in making statements. When the chosen card is known, you count to that force card. Because there are only ten or less cards to count, the action is fast. The value of the card tells you where it is in the stack. You then pull the card from the deck and cut the deck there. Later, when you replace the card on top, the deck will be in the same set-up order for more tricks later.
-28- An Honest Deal Effect: You turn away from a spectator. You ask him if he wants to use an odd or even number. He says he will use an even number. While you have your back turned, the spectator deals cards face-down off the top of the deck and silently counts them. He stops dealing wherever he wishes, as long as he stops on an even number. The spectator takes the next card, looks at it and sets it face-down on the pile of dealt cards. He cuts off a few cards from the talon and sets them aside. He deals a few more cards on top of his chosen card. Then he mixes all the dealt cards in the pile together. You pick up the pile of dealt cards and cut it a few times. You look through the cards for a moment and miraculously find his chosen card. Method: The spectator is instructed to deal as many cards as he wants, but you must know whether he is dealing an odd number or even number of cards. If he uses an even number he will look at the next card. If he chooses an odd number he looks at the last card dealt. Either way he looks at a force card. After dealing, the spectator takes the appropriate force card and notes it; either the next or last card. He places the card face-down on the dealt cards. He cuts a few cards off the talon and sets them aside. This keeps the "Bottom Twelve" from interfering with the system. It doesn't matter if he cuts an indifferent card to the top or not. The spectator deals a few more cards on top of his card. He can deal as many as he wishes, but only as many
36 as he holds in his hand. He cannot pick up cards from the table previously cut from the talon. The dealt cards are mixed together face-down. Get a glimpse of the bottom force card of the talon held in the spectator's hand. This card queues you as to first card of the second run of force cards. If the spectator doesn't flash it to you, take the cards from him and set them down, spotting the bottom card. Pick up the dealt cards. Tap them on a table and the long cards can be easily stripped out. Separate the force cards from the indifferent cards and move them to the bottom of the packet with a series of cuts. Look through the cards and put the force cards in numerical order. There will be two runs of force cards. A gap will separate the two runs. The last force card of the first run (before a skip in the cycle) is the chosen card. For example: You know the 6C is on the bottom of the unused talon. You hold the JH, 2H, 3C, QC7D, 8H, 9S, and 10D. The next force card above the 6C is the 7C so it begins the second run. The last card of the first run is the QC That is the chosen card. There is one wrinkle in this trick, but it makes for a stronger effect. If the spectator make his second cut at a force card that is next in the cycle, there will not be a gap in the cycle when you look for his card. For example: you arrange the force cards and see the 6C, 1C, 8H, 9S, and 10D. There is no gap in sequence. If this happens look at the bottom card of the talon. It should be a force card (or the card above it will be). That force card matches the chosen card! I don't really expect people to perform this, as there is a certain amount of work involved. But it is very old school style and deserves a place here.
-29- Hey Nineteen Effect: A spectator is told to think of a number under nineteen. The spectator deals cards face-down off the top of a deck. He stops at his chosen number. The spectator looks at the top card of the pile. He deals exactly nineteen more cards on top of his chosen card. You take the unused talon of cards and set them aside. You say that finding the chosen card would be easy if you took nineteen cards off the pile. It would be more difficult if the pile was cut, and you cut the pile of cards. You state that it would be impossible to find the selected card if the two halves of the deck were shuffled together. You hand the unused pile to the spectator who shuffles both piles together.
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You ask the name of the card and show that the card is no longer in the deck. You let the spectator reach into your jacket pocket or purse. There is the chosen card! The shuffled pile never left the spectator's sight and you seemed to never touched it except to show the card was gone. Method: After the spectator has mentally chosen a number under nineteen, ask him if the number is odd or even. Whatever the reply you add, "Good." If the spectator's number is even instruct him to deal that many cards face-down and look at the next card. After he looks at the card he must place it on top of the pile of dealt cards. If he says his number is odd have him deal the cards face-down and look at the card on top of the pile dealt. Either way he looks at a force card. Adding exactly nineteen more cards to the pile brings a duplicate of the chosen card to the top of the unused pile (the talon). Pick up the talon. While talking about the difficulty of finding the chosen card, you secretly push the top card off the side of the talon a bit. Drag the talon over your jacket pocket or open purse and catch the top card against the edge of the pocket. Allow the card to fall inside. Hand the talon to the spectator so he can shuffle all the cards together. After he shuffles the deck, show the force card is gone by riffling The Cassandra Deck™ face-up. This move shows only the indifferent cards. The chosen card is found in your pocket. It may be hidden anywhere you feel is appropriate. The misdirection is perfect. You never touch the pile of dealt cards that contains the chosen card, yet it vanishes. This has fooled some of the best card guys!
-30- Miracle Thought Effect: You turn away from the spectator. The spectator cuts the deck and takes a card. He looks at it and puts the card in his pocket. The spectator cuts the deck again and hands it to you. You merely shuffle the deck and put it aside. You are able to immediately reveal the card! Method: While your back is turned, the spectator is told to place The Cassandra Deck™ face-up in his hand and hold it by the long edges. He cuts the deck (by the narrow ends) and puts the cut half face-down on the table. The spectator takes the top card of the tabled half and looks at it. This ensures the selection of a force card. He puts the chosen card in his pocket. He replaces the half in his hand face-down on the tabled half. This puts two indifferent cards together, but leaves a space where the force card was
38 removed. The deck is cut several times. This will not disturb the two short cards lying next to each other. You take the deck and riffle it to the two indifferent cards. The noticeable skip indicates the gap. Cut the cards there, above the two short cards, and glimpse the bottom force card while dovetail shuffling the deck. In the brief time it takes to complete the shuffle, you know the next force card in the series. That is the chosen card. For example: if you spot the Six of Clubs on the bottom after the cut, the chosen force card is the Seven of Hearts.
-31- Par Optic Divination Effect: a spectator takes A group of cards from the center of the deck. The cards are dealt into two piles. The spectator chooses a pile and places it in his pocket. The spectator removes a single card from his pocket and looks at it. You name the card. The spectator removes another card from his pocket and looks at it. You also identify the card. Finally, the last card is named without being removed from the pocket - in fact it is not seen until removed from the pocket. Method: This is The Cassandra Deck™ version of Ted Annemann's Par Optic Vision. The spectator is allowed to pull about six to eight cards from the center of the deck. You cut the deck at that point where the cards are removed. The spectator deals the six to eight cards into two face-down piles. Look at the bottom card of The Cassandra Deck™ after completing the cut. If the bottom card is a force card, all the cards in the right hand pile are also force cards. If the bottom card is an indifferent card all the cards in the left hand pile are force cards. The first force card in the pile is the next higher valued card of the bottom card. If the bottom card is an indifferent card you must sight the force card above it to know what cards are in the force pile. For example: if you the JH on the bottom of the deck you know the three force cards in the pile are the 2H, 3C, and QC. You force the pile of all force cards with the magician's choice. The spectator puts that group of cards in his pocket. When asked to bring out a card, the spectator will most often bring out the first or highest valued card of the group as it is on top of the pile. You can name it by stating, "It is red.... It is a diamond..." etc. (If the spectator brings out a different card the you use a simplified pumping system.) There are only three or four force cards in his pocket. It is an easy matter to pump for one of the three. Name the next card in order. The final card is left in the pocket until you name it.
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-32- Major Tom's a Junky Effect: You ask the spectator the month and day of her birth. She's instructed to add the numbers together and deal that many cards off the top of a deck. She looks at the next card and remembers it as her lucky card. The spectator then writes a wish on a slip of paper and folds it. You tear the paper and burn the bits. You rub the ashes on your forearm. The dark marks begin to make a picture and you reveal the wish. Suddenly, the ashes seem to form a number and a letter. It is the initials of her lucky card! This is proof her wish will come true. Method: The ''ashes on the arm" trick is very old. It has many variations. In The New Invocation Phil Goldstein conceived a trick using 12 zodiac symbols on the forearms. In our effect, the spectator seems to have a choice of all 52 cards, but is actually limited to only ten. Write the initials of the ten force cards on your forearms in soap jack through five on the right and six through ten on the left. When the soap dries, the ashes will stick to it even though the soap remains invisible. When the spectator announces her birthday you mentally add the numbers, apply the Harder But Better Formula (see appendix), and know what card will appear at that number. You also know where to rub the ashes; if the card is the Five of Hearts, rub the ashes in the fifth spot. The wish is written on a slip of paper and the center is stolen. Read the center and you will know the wish. Reveal it while rubbing the ashes on your arm. Simply interpret the marks as small pictures describing the wish. You must make certain to rub the ashes only where the appropriate initials are located. When the card's initials appear it is very stunning to the spectator. It comes as a complete surprise and culminates the effect.
-33- Thought Poker Effect: the spectator who deals two poker hands; one to you and one to himself cuts The deck. You push your cards aside and turn away from the spectator. He mentally selects one of the five cards in his hand. You concentrate for a moment and tell him he has a very good hand; a straight. You ask him if he is thinking of a black card. He says, "Yes". You tell him, "Then you don't need the red cards. Give me the..." and call for the red cards by name! You continue asking for the precise cards he did not choose until he holds one card. You name the card and it is
40 the one he mentally selected. Method. Allow the spectator to cut the deck by riffling the cards and having him insert his forefinger. Let the "Bottom Twelve" cards fall first. Cut the deck at the point where the spectator put his finger and note the bottom card of the deck. This queues you as to the top five force cards. He will deal the cards - and to himself - the top five force cards. You know these cards because they are the next five in the force cycle. You receive only indifferent cards. Without looking at their faces, your cards are set aside. Because you know his cards, he will have either a straight or a four card straight*. You reveal this as the first part of the trick. Make a guess of his mentally selected card by stating its color. Whatever the spectator's response, tell him he won't need - and name all the cards he holds that is not be the color of the one he selected. He hands them to you. This is repeated until he holds one card; his mental selection. You name this card. For example. You note the 6C on the bottom of the deck, the 6th force card. You know he holds 7C, 8H, 9S, 10D, JH, the 7th, 8th, 9th, l0th and 1st force cards. Chances are 3 to 2 that the selected card is red. You state the card is red. He says yes, so you add he should hand you all the black cards such as the 7C, and the 9S! State his card is a heart. He says no. You ask for the 8H and the JH. This leaves him with his selected card - the one card of the known five for which you have not openly asked. In this case it is the 10D.
* If the spectator's hand contains the Jack of Hearts (as 1) or the Queen of Clubs (as 4) you must state that he has a very good hand; almost a straight. This is a very powerful stage demonstration. -34- Black Jacked Effect: You show a twenty dollar bill in you wallet. Stuck to it is a Post-it™ note. The deck is cut. The spectator deals two hands of Blackjack. The twenty dollar bill and note is removed from your wallet. You propose a wager with the double sawbuck. If the note doesn't predict the spectator's blackjack hand, the twenty is his. The spectator's cards are turned face-up. The note is removed from the twenty and read aloud. It accurately predicts the two cards dealt the
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spectator, a l-in-2,652 possibility! Method. In this trick the spectator can cut The Cassandra Deck™ as long as he doesn't cut the :Bottom Twelve" too near the top. Watch the cut and if the Ace of Clubs comes too near the top have the spectator cut a second time*. The wallet is a Himber style. On one side is a twenty dollar bill with a Post-it™ note stuck to the top of it. On the other side of the wallet is a twenty dollar bill and nine more notes stuck to the wallet flap near the bill. Each note has the names of two force cards written on it. The first note names the jack and the two. The second note names the two and the three. The third note names the three and the queen. This is continued through the tenth note, which names the ten and the jack. Because the force cards are stacked in a series there are only ten possible two-card combinations. The single note on the first side of the wallet names the jack and the two. Cut the deck at the narrow ends and note the bottom card of the top half. The spectator will deal himself the next two higher valued force cards, because the indifferent cards are dealt to you. When you know the force cards the spectator holds, you open the wallet, secretly lift off the correct note, stick it to the twenty and remove the bill. This is done without showing the wallet's interior. If the spectator's cards are the jack and the two you openly remove the bill with the single note on it from the wallet. Because there are two cards predicted, this appears to be an extraordinary feat. The ratio of l-to-2,652 is obtained by multiplying l-in-52 by 51. This leaves many patter possibilities. A well mixed deck, that is handled by the spectator and still you knew the cards before they were dealt. A strong performer will turn this into a dramatic demonstration of mindreading.
* / have put an edge mark on the Ace of Clubs. This enables me to see where it lies in the deck. -35- Colded Effect: After several tricks with a deck of cards, you perform one final trick. Two spectators mentally select cards. The deck is placed in your jacket pocket. You read each spectator's mind and reveal his or her mental selections. Using touch alone, you reach into your pocket and find both cards. The deck is removed from your pocket. You are left with an
42 examinable deck of cards. A cold deck, if you will. Method: Riffle The Cassandra Deck™ for two spectators. The first spectator chooses any black card he sees. Repeat the riffle for a woman. She chooses any red card she sees. You explain that by using different colored suits the cards mentally chosen will certainly be different. Before the trick, place a duplicate deck in your pocket. Arrange the duplicate deck so all five of the red force cards are on top. On the bottom of the deck place all five black force cards. It will take no time at all to find the correct cards from either the top or bottom of the duplicate deck. After riffling the cards, place The Cassandra Deck™ in your pocket and pump the first spectator for his card. Touching the cold deck, keep a finger on each stranger card as you make your statements. If you get a negative response you immediately pull the card from your pocket and throw it on the table. The basic effect pumping takes very little time. Pump the woman for her mentally selected card and remove it from the top of the duplicate deck. Throw it down face-up on top of the man's selection. You have performed a very strong trick. Take the 50 card duplicate deck (it is minus the two selected cards) from your pocket and add the two cards from the table to it. You have a complete deck of ordinary cards. Just walk away, you can't do anything stronger! Unless you decide to work this in reverse. Perform a few tricks with a regular deck and then perform Colded. This leaves you with The Cassandra Deck ready for use. Of course, you must adjust the handling so you pull the cards from The Cassandra Deck.
-36- Reverse Hype Effect: A spectator selects a card by inserting his forefinger into a deck. You both note the selected card above his finger. You square the deck and set it down. You explain that a good gambler can estimate the position of any card and then control the card by means of a series of cuts. You quickly cut the deck twice and declare that the chosen card is now directly under the top card. "Not only that," you add, "but I also reversed it." You slide the top card aside to reveal the selected card facing up. Method: The Cassandra Deck™ is not limited to mental effects. This trick seems to be a demonstration of expert finger flinging. The bottom indifferent card (the Ace of Clubs) is moved to the top.
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The bottom force card (the Six of Clubs) is placed aside for this trick. The top ten force cards are reversed. The deck is riffled for viewing but the last bunch of cards fall as a block. This action hides the reversed cards. The spectator selects a card from the riffled deck. You secretly thumb counts down from the top of the deck, one less than the value of the card seen and hold a break. Because of the long/short principle, the cards are thumb counted in pairs. For example, if the Three of Clubs was noted, two card pairs are thumb counted. The deck is double under cut bringing the duplicate force card second from the top. The top card is slid aside without flashing any other face-up cards to reveal the chosen card now face-up. Spring the cards face-down in a ribbon spread and all the cards will seem face-down. This trick can be performed with a mental selection if you are careful not to flash the top cards while riffling The Cassandra Deck™.
-37- The Premonitionist Effect: A spectator is told to think of any card he sees in a deck as it is riffled. He is handed the deck and asked to quickly count the cards facedown on a table. As he does you reveal the card in the spectator's mind. The spectator finds there are only fifty-one cards in the deck. The deck is displayed and his chosen card is not seen. You explain that you knew the identity of the chosen card before it was even chosen. The spectator reaches into your jacket pocket or purse to find the mentally selected card; having obviously been placed there earlier. Method: Based on the classic effect, this version allows for a single deck to be used and is somewhat stronger in effect. The Cassandra Deck™ is riffled for a mental selection of a card. Later you change the memories of the audience by claiming that the spectator merely "thought of any card". As the cards are being counted face-down*, reveal the card bit-by-bit as in the basic effect. There are five duplicate red force cards in your right pants pocket (one of each) and five duplicate black force cards in your left pants pocket. To show the card is not in the deck, it is displayed by riffling it backwards. This is arguably the easiest Premonition ever devised and actually stronger than the original presentation in the eyes of the audience because the card is telepathically ascertained. * You can deal the cards face-up without the duplicates being seen because the spectator is counting and being asked ahout the suit and value
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of his card. This is the method Ted Lesley uses.
-38- In the Corner Pocket Effect: A spectator thinks of any card she sees in a deck. You fan the deck and put one card in your pocket. The spectator is shown the deck and asked if she sees her card. She answers she does not. Her card is named and you remove it from your pocket. Method: You have five red suit duplicate force cards (one of each) in order in a small paper clip and five duplicate black suit force cards in order in a large paper clip, both sets hidden in your pocket. If wearing dress pants you wedge the sets of cards up in the corner of your pocket. You can pull the lining of your pocket out to ''be certain the pocket is empty". The cards will remain hidden. The Cassandra Deck™ is riffled for a mental selection of any card. After the mental selection, look at the card faces and remove any force card you wish. Place the card in the same pocket as the two indices. The Cassandra Deck™ is displayed face-up so only indifferent cards show. The spectator names her card and you remove the correct duplicate from your pocket. The large and small clips help you feel which set is red suits and which is black suits.
-39- One in the Side Pocket Effect: A spectator mentally selects a card from The Cassandra Deck™. You reveal the card and then allow the spectator to reach in your pocket and remove a card from the pocket. It is the very card the spectator mentally chose. Method: The card is revealed using the basic effect technique. You have duplicate force cards in ten different pockets on your person. Depending on which card is revealed, you let the spectator remove the appropriate card from your pocket. The average man's suit and shirt combination (forgive the lack of pockets in women's fashion) has at least ten pockets: right and left outside jacket, right and left inside jacket, right and left front pants, right and left hip pants, jacket breast and shirt. The first five cards are located on the left and the second five on the right. The pockets are numbered mentally and the appropriate cards placed in them. This is really stunning.
-40- Sound Advice Effect: A spectator mentally selects a card. He writes the initials on a
45 slate. Without a single word spoken between you and spectator, you write the name of the mentally selected card on another slate. Method: This is a very powerful trick, but requires more practice than a novice will probably give it. However, the professional will make a reputation of it. Practicing the art of sound reading takes time, but when you need to know ten different sound queues only, the task is considerably easier. When the spectator writes, listen for the value of the card first. You will probably know what he is writing. Double check your guess with the sound of the suit. If you don't catch the value, the "stranger" principle can queue you. A couple of evening's practice will reward you with a trick that can't be equaled. Within a few performances you will be able to sound read all numbers and letters without any gimmicks.
* Susurrus Arcanus by Docc Hilford is an audio tape teaching sound reading techniques for professional performers. It is available from the author.
-41- Penciled In Effect: A spectator mentally selects any card he sees. He writes its name on the back of your business card and holds it out of your view. You never touch the business card or the cards after the spectator's mental selection, but are able to read his mind. You don't ask any questions or make any statements. You simply write a card's name on the back of another of your business cards. When both business cards are turned over, they both contain the name of the same card! Method: The Cassandra Deck™ allows you to practice the art of pencil reading without fear of failure. By knowing there are only ten possible selections from the deck, you are able to read the movements of the top of the pencil to ascertain what is being written. If you are incorrect, you have the option of concluding this trick by orally revealing the card as in the basic effect, or by any of the other methods explained in this book. This is one of the few "safe" methods of practicing pencil reading -an almost lost art. -42- Cartouche Effect: You display a deck of unusual playing cards and ask someone to hold them until later. A woman and a man are asked to think of any card she sees in another deck. You reveal the cards mentallv chosen bv both the
46 woman and the man, then ask for the unusual deck. It is opened and spread with the faces to the audience. There are two cards from another deck facing the other way in the deck. They are removed and turned over. They prove to be identical to the mental selections of the woman and man. Method: This very '"Jaksian" effect allows you to perform a double Brain Wave effect. The first half of the trick consists of riffling The Cassandra Deck™ and revealing the two selected cards as in the basic effect (or as in Juliet and her Romeo). The second half utilizes a modified Brain Wave deck similar to one from The Confidence Man Video by Docc Hilford. Only ten force cards from an odd backed deck are roughed and placed reversed in another strange deck. Use the same force cards as are in The Cassandra Deck™. By displaying the deck face-out to the audience, the ten reversed force cards are visible only to you. Simply separate the two selected cards while spreading the deck and the selected cards will appear reversed in the deck.
-43- Destiny Effect: You purpose an experiment in precognition. You take a deck and give it a good mixing. A spectator calls out any number between 1 and 52 inclusive. Another spectator begins dealing cards off the top of the deck. While he is dealing the cards, you remove your wallet and lay it on the table. When the dealing is finished you tell the spectator to open you wallet, unzip the side compartment and remove the folded business card. He unfolds it and reads a quickly scrawled note. Written on the back of the business card are the numerals 32 and the initials 7C. The next card is dealt face-up and it is the Seven of Clubs! Method: Pre-fold a business card and secure it to a small square of cardboard with a rubber band. This is secreted in your pocket along with a pencil stub. After handing The Cassandra Deck™ to a spectator, stand with you hands in your pockets. When you hear the number called, use the stub to jot the number on the business card. Use the "Hard" formula to determine the card at the called position and jot the card's initials on the business card. You have lots of time to jot the information and remove the card from the pad while the dealing is taking place. Fold the card while in your pocket and palm it out. Load it into your wallet as you reach in your jacket pocket. Just like a "Card-in-Wallet" trick. When the dealing is finished, tell the spectator to turn over either the last card dealt (if an odd number was called) or the next card (if an even number was called). The force card will match your prediction. This trick
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has a double impact because both the chosen number and the card were predicted.
-44- Cessation! Effect: You get a psychic impression and write a prediction on a slip of paper and fold it up. The prediction is dropped on a table. A deck of cards is handed to a spectator and he deals as many cards onto a pile as he wants. The spectator stops dealing and sets a card aside. You pick up the billet and hand it to the spectator as he turns the selected card face-up. The name of the selected card is written on the paper. Method: The ubiquitous dual matchbook indices are in your pockets. The paper on which you apparently write the prediction, is really just a dummy billet. Watch the spectator as he deals the cards and count them. When he stops counting use the "Soft" formula (see appendix) to calculate the correct force card. As soon as you know the identity of the card, cop the correct billet and pick up the dummy. Tell the spectator to turn the card face-up as you switch the billets. Hand the new billet to the spectator and you are out of danger of being caught changing billets. He opens it and reads your prediction, which, of course, matches the chosen card.
-45- Aussie Even Effect: You get a premonition and write something on the back of a business card, fold it and toss it on a table. You hand some cards to a spectator and tell him to call out any Australian number. He asks you what an Australian number is. You tell him an even number under twenty is an Aussie number. The spectator calls out an even number under twenty. You tell him to deal that many cards face-up in a pile. When he is finished he must pick up the pile, turn it face-down, and do an Australian deal. You explain that it's a "down under" deal. That is one card down on the table, and one card under the pile he holds, until he has only one card in his hand. While the spectator is dealing, you pick up the folded business card and hand it to someone in the audience. When the spectator has one card he turns it so everyone can see it. The audience member with the business card unfolds it and reads the writing on the back aloud. On the business card you state the name of the playing card the spectator is holding. An Aussie miracle. Method: Move the Ace of Clubs to the top of the deck. Set the bottom force card (the Six of Clubs) aside for this trick. The spectator deals an even
48 number of cards (less than twenty because the force cards repeat) in a pile on the table. He holds them face-down and puts one card down and one card under as explained above. You figure the force card he will hold with this simple formula. Memorize these key numbers: 1, 2, 4, 8 and 16. When you hear the Aussie number called, subtract the highest key number from it. The result will give you the value of the force card. For example: if the Aussie number is eighteen, you subtract the highest possible key number, sixteen from it. The answer is two. So the 2H will be the force card left in the spectator's hand. While your back is turned, and the spectator is dealing cards, casually write the force card initials on another business card switch it out. This is quite easy and undetectable. You may choose to use the matchbook indices or pocket writing if you wish. There are approximately 17 mathematical variations on this trick, I will leave them to you to have the pleasure of figuring out. -46- Star Cross'd Lovers Effect: A young couple is shown how their love is magical. The young woman looks for any of the female gender cards as a deck is riffled. The young man chooses any male card he sees. You ask the couple to hold your hands as you cross them. You recite a selection from Romeo and Juliet and ask the names of the mentally selected cards. You point out that no one knew of their choices, not even each other. Then you turn your forearms up and show a half of a heart tattooed on each forearm. Inside each half is the name of the chosen cards. You bring the two halves together to make a single heart. Method: This can be a wonderful bit for a couple. It is easy to do and can be performed any time during a complete routine with The Cassandra Deck™. Use colored markers to draw a half of heart tattoo on each of your forearms. Inside write the names of the Queen of Clubs and the Jack of Hearts. Be certain to draw the heart upside-down so it is oriented to the audience. Only these two cards can be chosen, as there are no kings in force card bank. The fact that the cards are mentally selected gives this simple trick a lot of punch.
-47- Anyplace Anytime Effect: A spectator thinks of a card. You reveal the card and show that it is no longer in the deck. The thought of card is found under a
49 telephone in another room. Method: The Cassandra Deck™ is riffled and a spectator thinks of a card he sees. You have placed ten duplicates of the force cards around the room or house. You pump the spectator for the card's identity. When you divine the card, you riffle the deck backward so the force cards are not seen. You say the card has mentally teleported and reveal the appropriate location of the duplicate card.
-48- Out of Order Effect: Any card is taken, noted and returned anywhere in the deck. The deck is shuffled repeatedly by the spectator. You take the deck, spread it face-down all over the table, concentrate and immediately find the chosen card without looking at a single card's face. Method: This trick is really a challenge mystery and should be presented as such. Build up is the key to making this effect a stunner. The deck is riffled while the spectator inserts his finger and removes a card. This will be a short indifferent card. You cut the deck at the place where the card was removed. The card is noted and returned to the deck while it is being riffled. Although the card's position is random, it has been placed above another short indifferent card. Now, no matter how often the deck is shuffled the chosen card will remain above another indifferent card. Riffle the cards and find a slight skip produced by two short cards together, cut the deck at that spot and the chosen card is on top of the deck. Giving the deck a riffle shuffle and keeping the top cards in place can hide this action. The cards are spread all over the table with the top card kept in sight. After an appropriate build up, the card is picked up from the table. The spectator reveals the chosen card's name and the face of the card you hold is shown. The card is found! This trick uses an indifferent card so it is good to use after a series of force card tricks.
•49- Nailed Effect: You purpose an experiment in precognition. Write something on the back of your business card and seal it in a small pay envelope. You place the sealed envelope halfway in your breast pocket. A deck of cards is shuffled. A spectator calls out any number between 1 and 52 inclusive. Let's suppose he calls the number 24. Another spectator
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begins dealing cards off the top of the deck. The cards are dealt face-down. While he is dealing the cards, you remove the envelope and lay it on the table. When the dealing is almost finished you tear open the envelope and remove the business card. The spectator takes it and reads a quickly scrawled note. Written on the back of the business card are the initials 3C and the numeral 24. The next card is turned face-up and it is the Three of Clubs! You have predicted the future, again. Method: The envelope is prepared by tearing a slit half-way down the address side of it. The business card goes into the mouth of the envelope, but slides out of the slit where it is held in place. Most of the card is exposed, but you must take care not to let the audience see it as you put it in your breast pocket. You take The Cassandra Deck™ and give it a false shuffle. When the number is called out you use The Harder But Better Formula (see appendix) to figure the card at the position called. In this example the number is 24. It is even so you add 2 and divide by 2 to get the identity of the force card at position 24. (24+2=26/2=13 drop the 1 and the answer is 3 or the 3 of Clubs.) Because the card is even, you must turn the NEXT card over. Before the dealing is over, remove the envelope from your pocket and use a Swami writer to jot in the called number and the initials of the card. Because the dealing is still going on, the heat is off the envelope while the writing is being done. The Cassandra Deck™ puts you a step ahead of the audience.
-50- Knight's Tour Effect: A grand chessboard is displayed. Each square is numbered from 1 to 64. A deck is riffled for a man to make a selection by inserting his index finger into the deck. A woman is allowed to make a selection in the same manner. The deck is dealt across the board, so 52 of the 64 squares have a face-down playing card on it. You hand a knight piece to the woman and explain how she is to move. You will call out numbers of the squares and she will move the piece to that square. You claim that you will not duplicate a square and will do this all blindfolded! Twelve blank pieces of card are placed on the squares without playing cards. Each time the knight moves to a square the card will be removed and set aside. This way the audience is certain that you do not duplicate any moves.
51 You put the piece on a square to start and then don the blindfold. After calling 62 moves there is one card remaining on the board. The man calls out the card that has been in his mind only and the remaining card is that card! After removing the blindfold, you use your thumb to break the paper cover on the bottom of the chess piece and hand it to the woman. Inside she finds a rolled piece of paper. She announces her mentally selected card and reads the paper. It is an accurate prediction of the card she had in mind! Method: First you must learn the formula for the classic trick, The Knight's Tour. It is not complicated, but beyond the scope of this book. You can find it in many magic books. Knowing the formula allows you to end on any square you wish, provided you begin on a certain square. Of course you wish to end on the man's card selection. Simply cut The Cassandra Deck™ at the spot where his finger enters and look at the second card from the top of the talon. His card is 1 less in value than the card you see. The same holds true for the woman's card. As the woman is moving the chess piece, stealthily take the correct rolled billet from an index in your pocket and place it in a thumb tip. When you poke the paper bottom with your thumb, leave the tip inside the knight. Now your prediction gives The Knight's Tour a real ending.
-51- Poker Prediction Effect: Two hands of poker are dealt from a deck that the spectator cut. You discard your hand and instruct the spectator to mentally choose a card from his hand. You use your psychic powers to identify four of his cards, leaving his mental selection. You pick up the card box and dump out a slip of paper. The paper is read aloud by another spectator; the final card is displayed and both match! Method: Of course, this is the trick, Thought Poker, but with a surprise ending. The paper prediction is copped from your pocket index and loaded into a hole in the side of the card box. It is, to be sure, one of Cassandra's greatest secrets.
-52- Billetus Effect: Two spectators are asked to help in a demonstration of coincidence. You continue to casually cut a deck of cards as you ask the spectators questions. The first spectator is asked to select any card she sees as you riffle the cards. The second spectator calls out any number from 1 to 52. The deck is handed to one of the spectators with instructions to deal the
52 number of cards that matches the chosen number. You remove an envelope from you wallet and hand it to the second spectator. When the final card is turned face-up it is the first woman's chosen card! The second spectator opens the envelope and finds a slip of paper that reads: The card mentally chosen will be the 6 of Clubs - and your friend will deal... 23 cards to reach it exactly! Method: Half of this trick can be accomplished with a memorized deck; but that is a lot of work for one trick and you can't predict the outcome! With The Cassandra Deck™ you can wow them with your weird talents. You must be well practiced in use of the "Soft" Formula from Tomorrow's Thought. All rules apply, i.e., "...always use the LAST card when number is even", etc. Then you need to know another simple formula. The Reverse Formula: V>K=T and V
-53- A Light in the Darkness Effect: Two spectators join you on stage, one on each side of you. You step
53 forward and allow three other people to mentally select a card as you riffle the deck. The first person remembers any red suit, spot card, the second person remembers any black suit, spot card and the third any face card. This ensures that all three participants choose different cards. Redirecting your attention to the two helpers on stage, you give the deck a few cuts and hand it to the person on your right. You take a black handkerchief a white handkerchief and drape them in the crook of your right arm. You hold both hands palm up and tell the man with the deck to deal a card face-down onto each palm until you have ten cards in each hand. You announce that through the powers of darkness the spectator has dealt the three cards that are in the minds of the audience onto your right palm. You fan the ten cards and the three people in the audience admit you are holding their cards! You let the man on your left wrap the left hand group often cards in the white silk and hold it. You let the man on your right wrap the ten cards in your right hand in the white silk hold it. Now, you invoke the powers of light to move the three mentally selected cards across the stage - from one bundle, the darkness, to the other bundle, that of light. As the cards invisibly fly across the stage, you correctly identify them. When the bundles are opened the black silk holds only seven cards and the white silk holds thirteen card; including the three mental selections! A demonstration of the power of Good over Evil. Method: The Cards Across trick is very old indeed. This is a blend of methods and ideas of at least Herman Weber, J.G. Thompson and Phantini. The Cassandra Deck™ is riffled for three people in the audience and given a couple of false cuts. By following the outlined instructions you will have ten force cards on your right palm and ten indifferent cards on your left palm. When three cards have been dealt onto your left palm, give them a good buckle. Now, let the man continue dealing the cards. The only move is bold, but well covered. Unseen by the audience, use your left forefinger to push the three buckled cards toward your left wrist. This out jogs the remaining seven indifferent cards. As you turn to your left so the man on your left can take the white silk from your right arm, add the right hand group of cards to the buckled three in your left hand and take the seven in your right. You have merely switched the packets and left three indifferent cards
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in your left hand. Turning your whole body covers this action. It takes but an instant and you immediately turn so the man on your right can take the black silk and wrap the right hand cards. Use the basic technique from Tossed explained previously to reveal the chosen cards. Of course it is much easier because of the limited selections. This is really a beautiful stage trick and one that can make a reputation for you.
-54- Contact! Effect: Two decks are removed from their decorative box. One deck is shuffled and dealt face-up on the table. The other deck is riffled for a spectator to make a mental selection of a card. You explain that you don't want him to select from the face-up cards because he might believe you were watching his eyes or something similar. The man holds your wrist and you are able to pick out the card of which he is merely thinking! Method: Many have wanted to perform contact mindreading, but few have had the nerve to practice. The Cassandra Deck™ gives you the power to practice this fine art. (See Contact Mindreading by Fitzkee) Stack an ungimmicked deck so that the 10 force cards from The Cassandra Deck™ are spaced every forth card - that is three indifferent cards and a force card. Lay them out in five rows of ten with two left over. This will place the ten force cards so that there are two force cards in each row. This makes it a simple matter to use contact mindreading to determine the chosen card. First, find the correct row, then the one of two known cards.
-55- Contacted! Effect: You riffle a deck for a mental selection by the spectator. After a card has been noted, you put the deck away and explain the rules of the hiding game. You point to the four quarters of the room identifying each as a corner for a particular suit. For example, if the chosen card is a club it will be hidden in the north quarter, if a spade the east and so on. You also explain that if the value of the card is high it is to be hidden high up. If the value is low it is to be hidden low or near the floor. You leave the room so she may hide (he card without notice. After you return, take her by the hand and psychically search the room You tell
55 her bit-by-bit the identity of her card and eventually find its hiding place! Method: This is another method for learning contact mind reading without the fear of failure. As you pump for the name of the force card you know in what general area the card is hidden. Lead her around the room until you think you know which side of the room has her card. One side of the room will indicate black suits and the other side will indicate red suits. When you think you know the color as indicated by her movements, state it. If you are correct about the card's color, you are also correct as to which side of the room her card is located. Use this method to double check your contact mind reading skills. If you get into trouble with the contact mind reading, simply pump for the card. Its value tells you where it is hidden. If you completely fail at finding the card - which will seldom happen if you practice - reach into your pocket and cop a note from your index. On it you have written that you predict you won't be able to find the card but you know it is the Six of Clubs! A perfect out for practicing a previously difficult art.
-56- Abducted! Effect: "We're going to play a little game," you begin. "You will hide this envelope somewhere in this room and I will find it. We have some rules though." The spectator looks suspicious. "You will think of any card. Its identity will tell you approximately where to hide the envelope." You riffle a deck for a mental selection by the spectator. After a card has been selected, you put the deck away and hand the spectator an envelope. She writes the name of her card and a wish on a piece of paper, folds it and seals it in the envelope. "If your card was a club you will hide it in that quarter of the room, " pointing to a particular area. You point to the remaining three quarters with similar instructions, "If it is a heart it goes somewhere in that quarter. If a spade, over there. And if a diamond it will be hidden in that quarter. "If it is high valued you must hide it up high. If the value of your card is low you will hide it low. I will leave the room while you hide the envelope." You leave and return after she has hidden her wish. You take her by the hand and psychically search the room. You find the envelope under a book on a shelf in the corner of the room. You take the envelope and tear it into bits explaining, "If you tell anyone about your wish, it won't come true.
56 However, the Queen of Clubs would indicate that soon you will be driving a new car!'' The spectator is shocked. Not only did you find the hidden envelope, but you knew her card and her wish! Method: This method is for when you have mastered the art of contact reading. You use the spectator's motions to queue you as to the identity of the card. Thus, if the envelope is found high the force card is high. You eliminate the force cards by noting the spectator's movements. The wish is read via a center tear. It is an easy matter to use this through an envelope. (Thanks, Al Mann.) Remember how to get to Carnegie Hall... practice, practice, practice.
-57- Card in Cigarette Effect: Tell a spectator that you gave up smoking and had to take up another hobby, mindreading. You aren't the best mindreader, but you're pretty good. Riffle a deck of cards for a mental selection. You try to ascertain his card, and come close, but not completely. You claim that a little bit of a cigarette would help. You borrow a cigarette and tell the spectator not to mention the name of the card yet. As you light the smoke, you're disgusted with its taste. You flip the end off and strip the paper off. Inside is a tube of card. You ask the spectator to name his mentally chosen card, he does. The card rolled in your cigarette is his card! Method: One of the "Holy Grails" of magic has been the Mental Card in a Cigarette, (see New Invocation # 83) Here is a nice method. Have ten cigarettes prepared by rolling ten duplicate force cards and covering them with cigarette paper. Tuck a pinch of tobacco into the ends. Keep them in a little pocket index made of Styrofoam. After the spectator sees a card from The Cassandra Deck™, pump him for the card. Don't reveal it yet. If you get a negative response, you know the card, but feign failure. Cop the correct cigarette and palm it. Borrow a different cigarette, break the filter off and switch it for the palmed one. A simple, direct and clever Card-in-a-Cigarette trick. All done with a mentally selected card!
-58- And We Named Him Checkers Effect: A checker board and a miniature deck of cards are used in this trick. A spectator thinks of any card she sees in a regular sized deck. The mini
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deck is shuffled and dealt face-up on the checker board squares while your back is turned. You claim that you will call out every card in the deck, they will be removed from the board and will call each only once. You will also leave the mentally chosen card on the board. All you ask is the position of the column in which the mental selection lies. The spectator tells you the column only. You call out the names of 51 different cards. Each time you call a card it is removed from the board. You never repeat yourself and still leave the selection on the board. Method: Stack the toy deck so that a duplicate force card will come up in a different column after being dealt. Two force cards will share a column, so have the jack share with the two and the queen to share with the five. If the column with a court card force cards is called, ask if she selected a face card. Whatever her answer, act as if it meant nothing and continue. Knowing the column will instantly tell you which force card was spotted. Calling the cards without repeating is a different trick. You can use a crib sheet, since your back is turned from the board, but there is a better way. Use a stacked deck system as a queue. Because of the rotation of suits, the Docc's Deck stack (available from the author) is best. You simply call out the cards in order and skip the selected card. This trick can be performed for more than one spectator at a time. Perhaps that's something to contemplate.
-59- 20 Questions Effect: A deck is riffled for a woman to think of any card she sees. You explain that her future is revealed in the card to which she was drawn. You look into her eyes and tell her that her card was a red card. She says you are correct. You explain that red cards are about relationships; other people as it were. You tell her that face cards indicate people of great power. You ask her if the person you are trying to picture is very powerful. She says he isn't. You continue giving readings about the unknown person until you identify him and reveal the though card. Method: Although this is simple, it is very strong. Pump the spectator for the facts about her card, but do it in a manner that appears as if you are making statements about the person not the card. Just say what each bit about the card means, then make a statement about the person. Each time you are correct (as in the basic effect you are always correct) make a
58 statement about the person. At the conclusion of the reading you have identified the subject and can reveal the mentally chosen card. By knowing what she was thinking, not the card, you are answering questions that don't need to be written. This trick is based on George Anderson's Twenty Questions trick in his book. It Must be Mindreading. The Cassandra Deck™ adds a real kicker to this routine.
-60- Strange Coincidence Effect: You announce that you need a couple of people with "simpatico". You riffle the cards for several people in the room. You ask all those with red cards in mind to stand. You ask those thinking of a face card to sit. Finally you have two people standing and you reveal that they are thinking of the same card; then you announce the card! These people are used in your next demonstration of ESP. Method: This is very like Tossed explained before. Here, however, you don't need to reveal more than one card. You are eliminating the force cards and noting who responds. If two people sit down when you ask about face cards, they both are thinking of the queen. You can sit everyone and concentrate on those two. Each party will be slightly different, but you will be able to find two out of six with the same card in mind every time. These people are used in your next ESP demonstration requiring two people for a telepathic test.
-61- Birthday Wish Effect: You look at a young woman's palm. You are delighted that you can see her lucky card, so you make a note of it on a slip of paper. You set the slip under your drink. You continue the palm reading and ask her for her day of birth. You add the month number and date together to get a strong numerological indicator. You tell the woman what this indicator means. You tell of lost dreams and hopes regained. Then you propose an experiment. You shuffle a deck of cards and hand it to her. She is to deal down the number of cards off the top as her numerological indicator. She sets the last card aside as you explain that if the card to which she dealt is the same as her lucky card, her wish will come true. So she closes her eyes and makes a wish. When she opens the slip of paper and reads the note she finds it
59 matches the card from the deck. Her wish will be granted! Method: Women are more interested in their future and wishes than a thousand card tricks combined! Use the Harder but Better Secret Formula (appendix again) to know what card is at her number. When you act as if noting the lucky card on the paper, be certain she doesn't see what you write. Palm the slip out from under the glass while acting as if placing it there. When you know which slip to cop from the pocket index, cop it and add it under the drink while she is dealing. Just lift the glass and let the slip drop. Let her pick it up. She will remember that it never left her sight.
Of course the shuffle is false.
-62- Checker/Bingo Effect: Two spectators help you, a man and a woman. On display is a large checker board with each square numbered. The man will be in charge of the board. The woman is handed a deck of cards. You hold a different colored checker in each hand; one red and one black. You let the woman choose a hand. She gets, for example, red. Now, because she chose red, she peeks in the deck of cards and remembers any red card she sees. The man uses magnetic black checkers to choose eight numbers from a checker board. Every time he puts a checker on a square, you use a marker to draw through all the squares directly above, below and to both sides of his selection. The man cannot choose a square that has been marked through; only unmarked squares. This is repeated seven more times. The man's eight numbers are added together and you get a sum of 260. You ask the woman what her red card was. You turn the checker board around and on the other side is another checker board with a playing card tacked face-up to each square. The woman drops the zero and counts 26 squares and turns the card around. It is the card of which she was merely thinking! Method: The two checkers are "Sun and Moon" coin checkers. Use a permanent black marker to color one side of two red checkers. When the woman chooses a hand, show her the red side of that checker. After her choice, flash the black side of the other checker when putting them away. The checker board will always force the number 260 if you follow the outline for the "Bingo" force. The five red force cards are placed on the other side of the board so that vou can count 26 and land on any of the five.
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First, count 26 squares from left to right and tack the first red force card. Turn the board 90° and count 26 more squares. Put the second red force card there. Turn the board a quarter turn again and count 26. Place the third card. Turn the board and count 26. Put the forth red force card on that square. Now turn the board to its original position and count 26 from right to left and put the last card on that square. In performance, all you have to do is flip the board around so that it's oriented correctly. The board can be flipped side-to-side, end-for-end, or rolled diagonally to show the back. This sets the board. Stick the cards to the board slightly askew in all directions. Putting a secret mark in the upper right-hand square to queue you as to how to flip the board to force the right card, is the only remaining secret to this commercial trick. -63- Trade Show Stopper This trick has been performed countless times in a professional trade show booth. Effect: A man and a woman are stopped as they walk past your booth. You open your wallet and show some cash and a folded business card on top of the bills, then you close the wallet. You leave it, however, in full view. They are asked to help in a quick trick. Because the cash has caught their eyes, they oblige. You flip The Cassandra Deck™ before them and ask the woman to remember any card she sees. After she has done this, you ask the man to do the same. Now you stare at the man and slowly name his card! You shuffle the deck and announce the exact position of his mentally chosen card! You set the deck aside for a moment while you reveal the name of the woman's card. Slowly, like the man, you name her card. You open your wallet and remove the folded business card, but suddenly you look at the deck and cry, "It has moved! You card has moved!" You tell the man the new location of his card and pick up the deck to deal to it, when the card apparently moves again. Finally, you state the card's position, deal to that position and find the mentally selected card. You ask the woman to repeat the name of her card and open the folded business card that you showed her before she ever thought of a card. It has the name of her card written on it! Method: This is a compilation of several tricks previously described.
61 And although you may think this an awful trick, I am certain you know the methods having read the book. If you skipped to this trick first, shame on you. You have missed a lot of information. Try some other tricks, such as Turkish Delight. Souled. and Al and Rudy, first.
-64- SPECIAL BONUS The NEW Deck I wasn't certain I wanted to share this with the world as it is my private method, but I have opted to offer this: One can re-construct The Cassandra Deck™ in a totally new manner so that the bottom twelve cards do not need to be separated. By devising a pumping system for two sets of six cards, rather than the two sets of five as it is now, you can make a twelve card bank. Doubling it and adding it to twenty-four indifferent cards will make a forty-eight card deck, enough to pass as a full deck with the joker. The advantage to this NEW deck is that it becomes completely cyclical. It can be cut repeatedly without disturbing the arrangement. The force cards are only repeated once in the deck. This idea comes from the past five years of working with the original deck. Of course, all rights for publication or commercial manufacturing of the NEW deck is reserved by the author, but you are free to try it for your own performances, if you desire.
The other secret is to combine four 12 card banks into an ungimmicked deck. This is my Diablo Deck and will soon he in an upcoming book.
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Appendix:
The Harder but Better Secret Formula: To figure out what force card is at any position called without having to move the bottom black ace to the top uses a different formula than earlier stated. The top card is the first force card ( J). If the number called is even, add 2 and divide by 2, use the next card (b). {E=(n+2)/2=b} If the number called is odd, add 1 and divide by 2, use the last card dealt (a). {O=(n+l)/2=a} The previous formula was described because it is a little easier to understand. However, it is preferred that the black ace remains on the bottom of the deck. To facilitate this, you must use The Harder but Better Secret Formula.
The "Soft" Formula: First, move the black ace from the bottom of the deck to the top. If even: the chosen number (n), is divided by 2, and use the last card dealt (a). - {Even=(n)/2=a} If odd: the chosen number (n), plus 1, divided by 2, use the next card (b). - {Odd=(n+l)/2=b} If you get a two digit number as your sum, discard the first digit (23 is thought of as 3). This single digit number is the same as the force card value. It is also on your crib inside the card box flap.
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Secret Formula to Find Named Card's Position: Use the card's value (V) to figure the position of the chosen card (P), multiply it by 2 and subtract one. [(Vx2)-l=P] Call this number (P) as the position of the chosen card. It will always be less than 20 so the cards may be dealt face-up.
Reverse Formula: All rules from Soft Formula apply, i.e., "... always use the LAST card when number is even", etc. V>K=T and V
V is the card value that is called. K is the known force card value. T stands for top of the deck and B stands for bottom.
How Make and Use Your Own $100 CASSANDRA deck! Never before has a book like this been written! Never before has an item like The Cassandra Deck™ be invented! The Cassandra Deck™ is a special deck of cards that made magical history in 1999 when it sold to a very select group of inside professionals for the unprecedented fee of $100! Those few fortunate enough to own one, guarded its secrets closely. Now, you can learn her innermost secrets. The Cassandra Deck™ is so much more than a special deck of cards. It is a tool that enables the amateur or professional magician to perform miracles. This book contains 64 original tricks that are guaranteed to shock both your audiences as well as you with their directness and mystery. You will also be shown what no one has ever known before; exactly how to build your own The Cassandra Deck™. Each trick is so uniquely different you can do an entire show with The Cassandra Deck™ and your audience will experience a wide variety of magic and mentalism. NOT JUST CARD TRICKS!
shares with you these secrets: *
» A
* *
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A Tossed Out Deck where you name each person's card correctly! A method for learning REAL contact mindreading! Poker and Blackjack demonstrations. A Cards Across where thought of fly across the room! Any Card at Any Number and you predict both the card AND number! A Card in Cigarette with a thought of card! ...And 57 more ways to learn pocket writing, swami writing, sound reading, pencil reading, plus book tests, billet tests, cold reading effects, etc!
is only...
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Docc Co. -10275 Collins Ave. #824 Bal Harbour, FL 33154 -
[email protected]
