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After being in magic 72 hours, it occurs to every novice that by employing a confederate for certain tricks, he gains an immense advantage; the method be-
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If you and the confederate decide on a spoken or silent code, whereby he will code to you, say, a card chosen by a spectator, the classic impasse is reached; every code requires memory work, and usually a lot of it.
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ten. Worse, it may be remembered, but incorrectly, so that the wrong signals are sent or the wrong interpretation given to the signal received. Then the code has to be re-memorized. At that point the chore becomes so great that the code is abandoned.
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All of the above is easily proven. Every magician can remember at least a fragment of some code. When asked why he can't remember the rest, he will tell you, "
. ..because I don't use it." Then too, and especially
in the area of the silent code, the code mechanisms follow no standard form. If you doubt the truth of this, try and think of a universally accepted silent code. There is none.
Because I had the same trouble memorizing codes and then keeping them in mind (Neilsen and I worked constantly on the subject), I devised a series of absolutely simple codes that could be learned, not in a day or an hour or even in five minutes, but in 30 seconds, even by a 10-year-old. One such system is given in this ms. The strength of this system is that even if you and the confederate forget the code (amnesia not being uncommon in the fraternity), you know the form so you will be able to reconstruct the code easily. There is a bonus. This ms. will likely be read by magicians across the country. Anyone reading this textanyone- will know the form of the code. This means that if you travel anywhere in the country and meet a magician who has read what you're reading now, you can immediately set up a series of tricks in the miracle class, because you both know the code. You can code a chosen article, or tell a spectator which pocket he's hidden a coin or a key. You can code ESP symbols or any card in the deck, and it all works with the same basic code. The code is silent, but it is so simple that the confederate can even set up the spectator so that he codes the name of his own card. All of this will be covered in the following pages. The order in which the tricks are described is the approximate order in which I do them. At times I will do only one or two tricks. If audience interest is obvious, I'll continue with other tricks. The number of tricks you perform depends on audience reaction. Without doubt, the most difficult person to con-
vince to use a confederate is the magician who would not hesitate to label himself a purist. There is probably no point in trying to reason with the purist, but perhaps one of the following two arguments will at least persuade him to try the system discussed here. If you work at parties or with a group of people at the bar or in a restaurant, you know that a single trick in the miracle category will add lustre to all of the other tricks you perform. If you are looking for the one stunning trick that cannot fail to boost your reputation, it is likely to be of the type that is contained in this ms. The other argument is from a different point of view. If you engage your wife, your son or your daughter as the confederate, they will be likely to take a far greater interest in your magic than they have thus far taken. Not only are they actively engaged, but because they are viewing the trick from the inside, they can see how the intrigue evolves, how spectators are led astray, how devastating a simple secret can be when used properly. If you don't have a wife, son or daughter, and live alone with no family, you can still set up a waiter or bartender as a confederate. On occasion, when I'm having dinner with two people, and one leaves the table to buy a pack of cigarettes, I will convey the complete code to the other dinner guest- usually in less than 30 seconds. Thus, when the other party returns to the table, I can perform a simple trick that has absolutely no explanation. What you do with the information in the following pages is up to you. Whether you are a purist or someone less likely to quibble over the method used to achieve the desired end, you might find the information, the tricks, and the techniques, somewhat different from
the usual run of magic tricks. Part Two of this ms. is related to, but different from, the material on The Shamrock Code. Used in conjunction with the Shamrock Code, it will fool the very confederate who is helping you with the trick. It is a system of Totaling, and while the concept is as old as playing cards, the method used here is new and has fooled magicians familiar with published forms of the system. If you switch from the totaling system to the Shamrock Code and back again, using the two systems in conjunction with one another as well as separately, you will find that the results generate offbeat magic. Jan. 16, 1979
Karl Fulves
The Enciphering Technique If you bought this ms. it is assumed that you can read. The point is important because the concept of the code has to do with the way you read, i.e., from left to right and from top to bottom of the page. There is no reading involved in the code. But the concept rests on the fact that you "read in" the code from left to right and from top to bottom, not of a page but of a drinking glass. This is why, in my notes, the code is referred to as a saloon code because your confederate must be holding a drink to work the code. Once the concept is grasped other objects can be used. But if you do the trick at a party or while standing at the bar, it is completely natural for the confederate to hold a drink in his hand. Thus the means used to transmit the code is so natural as to be visible but unseen. Remember that the format is the same as reading a page. It goes from left to right and from top to bottom. Now for the essentials. The Shamrock Code In the easiest application, the spectator places five objects in a row on the table. Assume the objects are a key, a coin, a match packet, a ring and a watch. The spectator places his or her hand over one of the five objects while the performer has his back turned. Then the spectator takes his hand away. The performer faces the spectator. hand over each object, hoping to detect vibration or psychic echo when his hand correct object. Naturally the performer veals the chosen object.
He places his a sympathetic is over the correctly re-
Since you know that a code is used, you know more or less how the trick is done. Therefore your first question will not be, "How'd he do it?" but more likely, "This fools people?" There's no way to convince you until you try the trick yourself, but you will find that even in the absense of counts and phases and moves, this trick fools people. Further,it is likely to make more sense to them than traditional tricks, because people relate more naturally to talk of psychic echos than they do to talk of Leader Aces.
side near the bottom, Fig. C. If the spectator chooses the 4th object in the row, the confederate picks up the glass at the lower right side, Fig. D. Note that in going from A-B to either of the situations depicted in C-D, the position of the hand has
Now the method. The confederate is seated at the a glass of water. The table. On the table before him confederate waits for the spectator to make a choice. Once an object has been decided upon, the confederate picks up the glass. Throughout all of this, the performer has his back turned, so the confederate's actions have no particular importance attached to them.
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It is when the performer turns around that he gets the coded information at a glance because the confederate tips off the chosen object by the way he holds the glass of water. Looking at the row of five objects from the confederate's left, if the spectator chose the object at the far left end of the row, the confederate picks up the glass at the upper left side as shown in Fig. A on the next page. If the spectator chose the second object from the left, the confederate picks up his glass at the far upper right side, designated as Fig. B on the next page. Note that in going from "A" to "B" you are going from left to right. If the spectator chose the third or middle object in the row, the glass is picked up at the lower left
moved from the top to the bottom of the glass. Once again, the format is like reading a page; you move from left to right across the top, then from left to right across the bottom. Just remember left to right, top to bottom, and you have the code.
If the spectator chooses the fifth object in the row, that is, the object at the far right, the confederate does not pick up the glass. He leaves it on the table. That's the code. Except for an added detail in the coding of playing cards, you have all the information you need to code objects, ESP cards, colors, and dozens of other applications. There's a sometimes fine line between methods that are simple and methods that are simple-minded. It depends on the type of approach that appeals to the individual, on individual perception of the practicality of a particular approach. As time goes on I find that cunning, ingenious methods have their place, but that simple methods are ultimately the ones I rely on. That's the case here. Having used this code for years, I know the pitfalls and think that most have been ironed out. They are covered in the following paragraphs. Tips On The Handling 1. Before the trick begins, the confederate takes up a position near the participating spectator. If you are seated at a table, fine, the confederate is already there. But if in a more fluid setting, such as a party, make sure the confederate is situated where he can clearly see the participating spectator. 2. The confederate's glass is on the table. His hands are free. He acts like any other spectator and quietly watches the trick as it unfolds. 3. After the spectator has chosen an object the confederate does not pick up his glass. The reason is
that the spectator might change his mind. This would mean that the confederate would have to shift the position of the glass, and this is a tip-off. The confederate has to handle the glass as if it were a glass and not a signaling device. People remember any slight discrepancy. It may mean nothing at the time, but later they do recall that one spectator seemed more animated than he should have been. So, the confederate wait until the spectator settles on an object. The performer asks the spectator if he wants to change his mind. Ultimately he will settle on one object. It is only then that the confederate picks up his glass. 4. The confederate does not pick up the glass with one hand and trasnfer it to the other. He picks it up in the correct position to signal the chosen object. Then he takes a sip from the glass, and then he remains motionless. 5. It is only at this point that the performer turns around. He does not glance at the confederate as he turns. This is a certain tip-off that the confederate is more important than the spectator. When turning, the performer focuses his attention on the participating spectator, then on the objects in the row, and only later on the confederate. Since the code is completely open and is not concealed in any way, the performer can almost always catch it from the corner of his eye. Thus there is no need to look at the confederate at any time. 6. This next point is the most important. Almost always I set up a layman as the confederate. He knows nothing about magic, he may be a bit nervous, and almost certainly he won't know how to act (or react) should something go wrong. For these reasons I want to make his task as easy as possible. In teaching the code
to the confederate I stress that the reference point is always from his left. When counting to an object in a row, when tipping the identity of a chosen coin (the next trick in this ms.),when coding a playing card or anything else, the reference point is ALWAYS from his left. If he has to count to an object in a row, he starts at his left, not mine or the spectator's. This gets rid of the single most common point of confusion; when you say count from the left, do you mean your left? His?,The spectator's? If it's to be done from your left, is it your left when you have your back turned, or when you face the spectator? All of these questions are done away with if you clearly state that the reference point is his left. He is stationary, whereas you may turn around, pace back and forth, constantly change your position in relation to the confederate. You don't want him to feel that he has to shift the glass from hand to hand in a frantic effort to match your movements, and you don't want confusion. The only way to cut through to the simplest approach is to agree at the beginning that the reference point is his left. 7. This leads to the technique of deciphering the code. After you have turned around to face the participating spectator, you will sooner or later glimpse the coded information. Remind yourself that it's being transmitted to you from the confederate's left and you will have no trouble . In the simple case of finding an object in a row of five, there is no problem, but later, in the matter of coding a playing card, despite the simplicity of the method, it is wise to have a clear idea of the information you have obtained. You can't study the confederate's glass and you don't want to glance at him more than once, so before you go on with the revelation, stop and recall that it all works from his left.
91 Sense The spectator places a penny, a dime, a nickle, a quarter and a half-dollar on the table in no particular order. If he doesn't have a half-dollar he can use another coin. Turn your back. The spectator quietly gathers four of the coins into his left hand and one in his right hand. You turn around and announce the total amount of change in his closed left hand. Although there are only five possible totals, it is not the total that the confederate codes to you. He takes the easy way out and codes the value of the coin in the spectator's right hand. If the spectator gathered all five coins left hand, the total would be 91. Since only coins are in that hand, subtract the value of hand coin from 91. Then announce the total of in the spectators left hand.
into his four of the the rightthe coins
Note the spectator doesn't arrange the coins in a row. It does not matter how he arranges the coins. You and the confederate need only agree beforehand that the penny (lowest value) represents 1, the nickle 2, the dime 3 and so on in ascending order according to the value of the coins. In the 5-object test on pg. 5 you & the confederate can agree to mentally order the objects alphabetically. I don't recommend it because it can cause confusion.(Suppose a cigarette lighter is one of the objects; you may think of it as a lighter, but the confederate thinks of it as a cigarette lighter. For you it's an object beginning with the letter "1" but for him it begins with "c".) If the spectator isn't certain, he's likely to panic or code the wrong information. Obviously, if he's someone
who clearly knows how to handle such situations, and if you work together often, then you can devise any variations on the code you care to. The same applies to the means used; a lit cigarette can replace the drinking glass. So too can many other objects. Plaintext Cards If, before doing a few tricks using the Shamrock Code, I've done one or two tricks with cards, then it is natural for a deck of cards to be readily available. Assuming spectator interest warrants it, I then proceed with a few card effects using the Shamrock Code. The first goes as follows. The spectator removes any five cards from a wellshuffled borrowed deck. These five cards are placed in a face-down row on the table. While the performer turns his back, the spectator turns any card face-up, concentrates on it, and then turns it face-down. The five cards are gathered in a packet The performer then faces the spectator. Picking up the packet, the performer locates the chosen card. Method: The performer knows something about the chosen card because the confederate signals the value of the card to him. The code is the same as the one already described, but the meaning of the cipher has changed. Referring back to pg. 7, if the confederate holds the glass as depicted in "A", the chosen card was either an Ace or a Two. If the glass is held as in "B" the card
is either a Three or a Four. If the glass is held as in "C", the confederate is signaling the fact that the card is either a 5 or a 6. If the glass is held as in "D" the card is either a 7 or an 8. Finally, if the confederate doesn't pick up the glass, the card is either a 9 or a 10. (The question of coding court cards will be dealt with later. The method is simple,but since the spectator is unlikely to choose a court card, we'll defer discussion for the present) When you begin the trick,ask the spectator to remove five different cards from the deck. The spectator is not likely to remove two of the same value. While your back is turned, the spectator then chooses one of the five cards. The cards do not have to be dealt into a row, they can be dropped in a random pattern on the table when the spectator deals them out face-down. After turning his chosen card face-up and concentrating on it, the spectator turns the card face-down. The five cards are gathered in any order and given to the magician. When the performer turns around, he might see that the confederate is using signal " C " This ineither a 5 or a 6. dicates the card
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Performer says nothing. He fans the cards and looks for the Five or the Six. If the packet contains both a Five and a Six, the performer asks, "I'm having trouble getting a clear mental picture. Was your card an odd-value care? " That one question should nail down the chosen card immediately. There's a reason for keeping the test simple. You want the confederate to get used to the idea of coding
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a playing card. Note that each element of the cipher is ambiguous; a glass held as in "A" signals that the card could be an Ace or a Two. Thus, each signal now carries two possible interpretations. Center Deception This is the first card effect to use the complete deck. Any borrowed well-shuffled deck may be used. No preparation and no force. While the performer's back is turned, a spectator removes any card from a spread face-down deck. The deck is gathered and squared. The spectator turns the chosen card face-up.Say it's the 9D. He turns this card face-down and inserts it in the center of the face-down deck. Then he squares the deck. Performer goes thru the deck and finds the chosen card. Method: In the case of a chosen card being a 9 or a 10, the confederate doesn't pick up the glass (another way of saying that in 15% of the cases, the confederate does nothing). YOu thus have two important pieces of information.
you know the chosen card is either a 9 or a 10, and you know it is at or near the center of the deck. Pick up the cards, spread them with the faces toward you, examine the cards near the center of the deck, and find the 9 or 10 that will be located there. If you find more than one, even if you find a 9 and a 10, it will
be a rare event. As before, a question as to whether the card is odd or even, red or black, etc. will narrow it down to a single card. Enciphering Court Cards In my experience, people choose picture cards so seldom (if given a free choice of any card) that it is not worth it to bother expanding the code to account for court cards. But if you want to include the Jacks, Queens and Kings into the code, there is a simple way to do it. I tried many systems. In one, the confederate would pick up the glass between thumb and first finger if the chosen card was a Jack, between thumb and second finger if the chosen card was a Queen, between thumb and first two fingers if a King. Except for the fact that the back of the confederate's hand must be toward you for a clear glimpse, there is another factor that must be dealt with. How does the confederate grip the glass when the chosen card isn't a court card? He can grip the glass with the thumb and all four fingers. But this means that a different fingering must be used for every card and to me that implies confusion. There are many approaches. The one I found most reliable was this. In A-B-C-D on pg. 7 the confederate places his hand either at the top or the bottom of the glass. It seems reasonable then to say that if the spectator chose a court card, the confederate would grip the center of the glass.
The only question is, what is the center of the glass. The confederate looks down at the glass,so his perceptive is different from yours. It can't be left as a matter of judgement, but by the same reason, it must be simple, something that can be done at a glance. The approach I use- the one method that is simple and surefire- is to arrange things so that the confederate holds half a glass of water (or any drink). If he grips the glass above or below the level of the liquid, he is using the code on pg. 7. But if he grips the glass at the level of the top of the liquid, it is obvious to him where this level is, and it is clearly evident to you where it is. Thus, if he grips the glass at the liquid level using the left hand, the chosen card is a Jack. If he grips it at the right side (that is, with the right hand) the chosen card is a Queen, or a King. If you get this latter code, a simple question ("Was it an odd or even value card? Remember that Jacks have a value of 11, Queens 12, and Kings 13.") It is early in the trick and the question seems innocent. As mentioned, I don't bother with this aspect of the code. It means more work for the confederate and I want his job as easy as possible. When presenting the trick, I ask the spectator to think of a card that is easy to remember, one that has not too many spots on it. As an alternate, you can ask the spectator to think of a number from 1 to 10 inclusive and to add a suit to it to give him a completely random choice of playing card. A good way to eliminate the idea of a confederate
is to ask one spectator to think of a number and another to think of a suit. They exchange information, so that one contributes a number- say 8, and the other a suit- say Clubs. Thus the composite card is the 8C, a card arrived at by an obviously random process. Suit Interrogation To this point you have all the information needed to perform several impressive feats with borrowed objects, coins and playing cards. The final test should involve the revelation of a, randomly chosen card, and the revelation should include both the value and the suit. Further, this revelation should proceed without the performer touching the deck. The reason why the Shamrock Code is so simple is that the suit is not coded to you by the confederate. You arrive at it by a simple interrogation process. This process is old and I don't know who invented it. I do know that it appeared in cardician-type articles where credit is always carefully "established" and history always carefully ignored,but as to the first appearance in print, I don't know the source. After the value of the card has been coded to you, and we'll assume here the code shown in Fig. C was flashed, you turn and face the spectator. You know the card was either a 5 or a 6. Ask, " Was it odd?" If he says yes, you know it was the 5. If no, the card was even. "A red card?" If yes, proceed with the next question, "A Heart?" If yes, you know it was the 5H. If the answer is no, the card was the 5D.
genuine. Your first two questions are always, "Was it odd?" and "Was it red?" If the spectator says yes to red, you ask if it was a Heart. If the spectator says no to red, ask, " Was it a Spade?" If he says yes in our example, the spectator chose the 5S. If he says no, the card was the 5C. You always ask just three questions and the first two are always, "Odd?" and "Red?" Even if the spectator answers no to all three questions, you still know the card. Say the card was the 6C. The questions would proceed as follows: "Was the card odd?" The spectator says no. "Was it a red card?" The spectator says no. "Was it a Spade? " The spectator says no. It appears as if you are in trouble, but in fact you can now name the card. If the card wasn't odd and it wasn't red and it's not a Spade, then in our example it must be the 6C. This is the strongest feature of the code, the fact that the work is split up between you and the confederate. Since he does only half the work, his task is easy and he can relax and enjoy the trick. Since you must do half the work, there is no chance of your making the trick look too easy. The questions you ask are exactly the questions any psychic would ask in gaining a mental impression. Since you do not in fact know the exact identity of the chosen card until the very end, your " acting" is real enough and it helps make the performance appear
As a rule the series of tricks using the Shamrock Code end here. You can do tricks with geometric symbols, numbers and the like, but this- to me- would appear to be stretching things too far. The final trick, where the exact identity of a card is revealed, is done as follows. X-Ray Vision While your back is turned the spectator shuffles the deck. He turns it face-up and slides it out of the deck. The balance of the deck is shuffled, squared up and turned face-down. The spectator places his card face-up in the center of the face-down deck. He carefully squares the deck. You turn around and appear to look thru the deck a card at a time until you mentally "see " a face-up card. You then go on to name the card. That's the effect and of course you already know the method. In going thru the jazz about x-ray vision, I sometimes say, "I can see a few cards, there's a 4 and a 7 together .... Further on I see a 9. Oh yes, and there's your card, the...let me see..an odd card, wasn't it? I'm trying to count the spots. Was it odd?" Note the business about seeing a 4 and a 7 together. The odds are well on your side that there will be a 4 and a 7 together somewhere in the deck, so if the spectator later checks, he will have further verification that you do indeed have some form of x-ray vision. This is a good place to end the series of four tricks. You've done one with objects, another with
coins and two with cards. Note that in both card tricks you have the card replaced in the center of the deck. But in the first trick you handled the deck yourself, whereas in the second you did not handle the deck at all.
In using the Shamrock Code, I will sometimes play the part of the confederate. If we are at dinner and a novice magician there wants to impress his girlfriend, things can be quickly arranged so that he plays the part of the magician, getting the signals from me.
There are other types of card tricks, the twodeck trick for example, which gain from the use of silent codes, but I think it best to stop here. In doing any trick with a silent code, it is wise to avoid making the trick appear too miraculous. The reason is, first, that the spectator will begin to suspect a confederate, and second, that he will accuse the confederate of being a confederate. If he accused you, or any seasoned professional, there are ways out of an otherwise awkward situation. But the confederate is likely to be a layman who does not know how to distract the spectator; he will probably become flustered,and, as they say, his cover will be blown. The point is that the tricks are miraculous enough as they stand. Don't make them too much for the audience to want to accept.
The object used to code the necessary information need not be a glass. It can be, for example, a playing card. You either hold it at the upper left,upper right, lower left, or lower right corner, and you can convey all of the information depicted on pg. 7.
Finally, note that if you are working in a more or less professional atmosphere, with you on a platform and the spectators in the audience, variations of this same code work extremely well if your confederate is seated where you can see him. "
Turning" The Spectator While the spectator is usually a loyal member of the audience, you can turn him into an unwitting confederate. To explain how, I'll have to back up a bit.
There's no reason for me as the confederate to hold the card. Better to have the spectator hold it. But it is always possible to give the card to the spectator so that he or she must grip it at the proper corner. That means that when the magician turns around and he sees his girlfriend holding a card, back to him, he "reads" the code simply by the way she holds the card. If she doesn't grip the card quite right, I then pick up a glass of water and hold it the proper way. Now the magician knows to disregard the way she holds the card and get the code from me. The way to convert the spectator into a confederate is to have her pick a card from, say, a row of five on the table. She shows the card around. Then I say, "Wait, can I see that card again? I forgot what it was. " I take the card from her, nod my head, show the card to the others again, and then grip the card so that only the proper corner is available for her to take. Then I hand the card to her in such a way that she has to grip it by the proper corner. This won't always work, and if you see her hesitate, forget this method. Let her take the card any way she wants because hesitation at this point is a dead giveaway. If she does take the card the correct way, all is fine. Excuse yourself, saying you want a fork from
the kitchen or another cup of coffee from the dining room. Either way, you are out of the room when the performer turns around and names the card. Your friend gets credit for Big Powers Of ESP, and you get credit for your demonic ability to handle audiences. Fooling The Confederate Nothing is sacred, not even the confederate. He may even at times be bored with the same card tricks using the same code with the same predictable ending. He is, in other words, ready to be sabotaged. When doing a trick like "X-Ray Vision," and you want to give him something that will haunt his thinking for weeks, give him this. Have the deck shuffled and cut. Then have two cards chosen. Have one chosen from the face-up deck and one chosen from the face-down deck. Both cards are replaced in the center, one face-up and one face-down. The confederate knows the face-up card and he codes it to you. He doesn't know the face-down card, but you still reveal it at the finish of the trick. How it's done is the subject of Part Two. The Date Problem The interested reader may wish to tackle the problem of coding a spectator's date of birth, not in devising a code, but in devising an absolutely simple code. It's an intriguing challenge.
From time to time magicians take re-newed interest in the card plot that goes like this; a spectator removes a card from the deck, whereupon the magician deals all of the remaining cards into a face-up heap and then announces the card in the spectator's possession. The method requires that you add the spot-value of one card to the spot-value of the next card, and that to the spot-value of the next card, and so on. The result should be 364. It will be less, and the amount less tells you the value of the card in the spectator's possession. Somewhere along the way a bright mind realized that you could discard 13's. That is, each time the total exceeded 13, subtract 13 from the total. Then continue adding until the total exceeded 13 again. This way you would not have to carry large numbers in your head because the largest number would never be in excess of 13. All of this is or should be well known. About 1974 or 1975 Randi described a system in which you do not add to 13, you add to 10. Randi's system appeared in M. Kaye's " Handbook of Mental Magic," and of this system the author says, "Also, thanks to Randi for contributing one of the finest mental magic effects in the entire volume."
Since, in this system, you deduct 10 every time the total exceeds 10, Jacks have a value of 1, Queens a value of 2, and Kings a value of 3. The system is easy, but what is to follow should make it even easier. Also, a magical element will be added. The reason I say this is that after trying the traditional approach, where I go thru the deck and then name the missing card, laymen remark, " You just noticed what card was missing," or, " You remembered which card was missing." Thus, they give me credit for having a good memory, but not for doing good magic. I think it safe to say that no one has been fooled by this type of trick. They may be puzzled at the speed with which you go thru the cards, and they may admire you for knowing a clever system, but that is not the same thing as being fooled. As was said, the 10's system is easy, but there is a way to make it even easier. Taking just the standard trick, where the spectator removes a card, you go thru the deck a card at a time and tell him which card is missing- taking just that trick, there is an easier approach which I'll describe first. Clocking The Deck The Aces thru 9's each have their face value, as in previous systems. Since you will deduct 10 each time the total exceeds 10, it is obvious that the 10-spots will have a value of zero. This is another way of saying that 10's are not counted. When you turn up a 10, ignore it. Also, adding 9 is the same as subtracting 1. It is easier to subtract 1 from your running total than it is to add 9. If the total is 4 and you turn up a 9,
don't think 9 + 4 = 13, deduct 10 and remember 3. That's too much arithmetic. If the total is 4 and you turn up a 9, simply subtract 1 from the total. Since the total is 4, if you deduct 1 you arrive at 3. This is the same result you would arrive at by the roundabout way of adding 9 to 4 and deducting 10 from the result, but it is much faster. Just remember that when you hit a 9-spot, deduct 1 from your total. The above is not new either. But there is a way of making a simple system even simpler and it comes about in the handling of the court cards. Let the Jacks have a value of 1, and the Queens a value of 2. There is no decree which specifies that the Kings must have a value of 13, or, in our 10's system, 3. So we take the easy way out and give the Kings a value of zero. Now there are two cards we don't need to count, the 10's and the Kings. This means there are a total of eight cards in the deck we ignore. Later on we'll omit one more card, which means that fully a quarter of the deck will be zero-count cards. But for the moment, let's see what we have. The Rundown Using the new system, where 10's and Kings have a value of zero, if you count thru the entire deck, deducting 10 each time your total exceeds 10, you will " " find that the " value " or "index or "total for the entire deck is 2. Let's apply this to the entire deck to see how it works in the traditional trick. Spectator shuffles the deck, removes and pockets
a card. He gives the deck another shuffle ("for luck") and hands the pack to you.
know the card is the 4H. If he says no, you know the card is the 4D.
You turn the deck face-up and deal cards off the face into a face-up heap on the table. As you deal you keep a mental count. Say the first three cards are a 6,a 5, and a 9. You know that 6 and 5 are 11, and when you deduct 10 you have a count of 1. It is easier to add 6 and 5 and think 1. In other words you know the total is going to exceed 10, so drop off the ten's digit and remember the other digit.
When you ask him if the card is red, if he says no, ask, "A Spade?" If he says yes, it's the 4S. If the answer is no, it's the 4C.
Your total is 1. The next card is a 9. You know that when you hit a 9-spot you will subtract 1 from the running total. In this case, we subtract 1 from 1 and arrive at zero. Our total thus far is zero.
All of the above is more or less standard. The new angle is the idea of letting the Kings have a value of zero. This speeds up the count process significantly. There is a way to speed it up even more, but first we have to deal with a technical problem.
The next card is a 4, the next a King, the next a 3 and the next a 10. Adding 4 to zero gives us 4, we ignore the King (because it's value is zero), add the 3, giving us 7, and ignore the 10. Thus far our total is 7.
Ambiguous Totals In the above system, both Aces and Jacks have a value of 1. This means that if you arrive at a total of 1 when you've clocked the deck (added together the values of all cards except the spectator's card) and arrived at a total of 1, if you subtract 1 from 12, you arrive at 11. But no card in the deck has a value of 11.
We continue this way thru the deck. Suppose the total we get is 8. How does this tell us the value of the chosen card? It's easy; subtract the total from 12. The result is the value of the chosen card.
The alternate procedure, that is, the general approach, is to subtract your total from either 2 or 12, whichever produces a value that corresponds with the value of some card in the deck.
If the total is 8, we subtract 8 from 12 and arrive at 4. We know that the chosen card is a 4. There is no need to look back thru the deck to find out which 4. Just use the Suit Interrogation method on pg. 17 to determine the suit.
In our example, if you clock the deck and come up with a total of 1, subtract it from 2, and you are left with a result of 1. But since either the Ace or the Jack has a value of 1, you must ask the spectator, "Was it a picture card by any chance?"
To do this, ask, "Is it a red card?" If the spectator says yes, ask, " A Heart?" If he says yes, you
If he says yes, it was a Jack. If no, it was an If you clock the deck and it totals 2 you know Ace. the chosen card was either a Two or a Queen. A question to the spectator will clear up the ambiguity.
Finally, if the clocked total is 0, the chosen card is either a 10 or a King. Ask if the chosen card is a picture card. The spectator's answer nails down the value of the selected card. Now we'll speed up the count even more. Suppressed Fives It happens that the 5's are self-cancelling. Any pair of 5's total 10, and since, in our system, 10 is the same as zero, it follows that two 5's add to zero. So do the other two 5's. This means that when we count cards, we can ignore the 5's. This may seem like taking a chance. Suppose the spectator chooses a 5? But the chances are only 1 in 13 that he'll choose a five spot, and this slim chance is far outweighed by the benefit we gain; by ignoring 5's, as well as 10's and Kings, we ignore fully a quarter of a deck in our count.
" a double vision. Did you choose the 10C? If the spec tator says yes, fine. If he says no, remark, "That's the problem of double vision. You double every mental picture. It must have been the 5C." The spectator agrees.
True, it is not an incredibly brilliant presentation, but considering how few are the cases where you miss, and how much you gain by blocking the 5's out of the addition process, on balance it seems worth it. After saying all of this, it is still true that the demonstration gives more credit to memory than to magic. If the spectator says, "You just noticed which card was missing, " he does in a way account for the entire method. He may, by implication, be granting you tremendous powers of concentration, but it is not magic. What follows is a different approach, one that perhaps hints at magical application.
You have only to try this approach a few times to realize how much time is gained by erasing 5's from the count. Not only is it faster, but the mental figuring is easier.
The Deuce Subtracted Before we begin, take a full deck of 52 cards, remove a deuce- any deuce- and pocket it. This deuce will not be used in any of the tricks to follow.
Still, there will always be that small, nagging voice which insists, "Yes, but suppose he chooses a 5?" What happens is that the clocked total for the deck will be 2. You know he chose either a 10 or a King, and you ask if the chosen card is a picture card. The spectator says no.
The clocked total of the deck has now been reduced from 2 to zero. It is not a big change and it does not take a giant brain to do clock arithmetic anyway, but it makes our work easier. Since such a small adjustment makes the work easier, it seems acceptable. Because of the nature of the system we are about to begin working with, the work will be much easier.
Go thru the Suit Interrogation to determine the suit. Suppose it's Clubs. You say, "Sometimes there's
TheParallel Principle Cut off about 20 cards from the top of the deck. The exact number of cards is not important. Obtain the clocked total of this packet. Say it is 8. Go thru the packet, find any 8, and place the 8spot on top of the other packet. If your packet has no 8, get any two cards that total 8 (a 2 and 6 for instance) and place these two cards on top of the other packet. You have now reduced the clocked total of your packet to zero. But you have also reduced the total of the other packet to zero!
ignore 5's, 10's, and Kings. On the average you will thus ignore 25% of the packet or about 5 cards. This in turn means that you will only have to total about 15 cards. The process can be accomplished at great speed, but there is no need to go thru the packet as fast as possible. When you've gone thru about half the packet, remark to the spectator, "I think there's a card missing, the 2D. Would you see if it's in the other part of the deck?" While he picks up the other packet and looks for the 2D, you complete the totaling process with your packet. The spectator's attention is distracted, so great speed in adding numbers is not necessary.
That's the principle at work here. Without touching the larger packet, you know the clocked total of that packet.
Say your total is 6. Cut a 6-spot to the top of your packet. Then say to the spectator, "I can't find the deuce but maybe we can try something with an incomplete deck. Shuffle your cards."
As simple as this principle is, it can be exploited to produce impressive card effects. Here's one. It also shows you how to handle the cards in a logical manner so that it is not apparent you are counting or totaling the cards.
When the spectator has done this, say to him, "Remove any card from your packet and look at it. Take any card. I'll do the same wtih a card from my packet."
The Parallel Locator From a borrowed shuffled deck, and keeping in mind that this is after you have removed and pocketed a deuce, say the 2D, cut off about 20 cards. Beginning at the face of this packet, go thru the cards and total them as already described. You
Openly remove the top card of your packet. In so doing, you have reduced the sum of your packet to zero in a subtle way. Insert the 6-spot into his packet. Then have him insert his card into your packet. Say, "If I looked thru my packet for your card, I'd probably find it eventually. Let me try something harder. I'll look thru your packet. Even though your card isn't there, it sometimes leaves behind a shadow of itself." Pick up his packet and total it. Again ignore
5's, 10's, and Kings. Whatever the total, deduct it from 10. If you should, for example, arrive at 4, deduct it from 10, giving you 6. You know the spectator chose a 6. Use the Suit Interrogation technique of pg. 17 to get the suit, and then go on to reveal the chosen card. If this reads as something rather prosaic, consider this question; having never handled the spectator's packet until after he has removed a card, and if you didn't know the Parallel Principle, how else would you find his card? True, there are other methods (a peek being the obvious one) and there are always other methods, but you might find it difficult to find a method that allows for as clean a handling of the cards. There are two points regarding the handling that should make your task even easier: 1. It is of course not necessary to secretly remove a deuce from the deck. When you cut a packet of cards off the deck and begin clocking the packet, simply ignore one deuce in the packet. Then proceed with the effect exactly as described above. 2. Be sure to cut off less than half the deck. You have fewer cards to total so your work is that much easier. Also, when asking the spectator if the Two of _ is in his packet, name the deuce you ignored in your packet. If you ignore the 2H as suggested in Note 1, then say to the spectator, "I think there's a card missing, possibly a deuce. Is the 2H in your packet?" The spectator won't find the 2H of course, and he will
almost certainly re-check by going thru his packet again. This gives you all that much more cover for your mental totaling process. Matchlock In this trick you find two freely chosen cards. Anyone who knows how to clock the deck knows that it is impossible to find two cards. The process described here is not the only one, but it is easy and impressive. Since you know the effect is the location of two cards, and since you more or less know the method, it is only required to detail the handling. 1. Use any 52-card deck freely shuffled and by a spectator. Cut off about 20 cards. Mentally the cards. As you do, say, "I just want to check there are no Jokers in the deck. Would you check other half of the deck?"
cut total that the
2. A spectator picks up the larger packet and checks that there are no Jokers. In the meantime you clock your packet, arriving, say,at a total of 9. 3. You want to reduce the total to zero, so you remove any 9-spot from your packet. Say, "I want each of you (addressing two spectators) to choose a card." Use the card in hand as a selection. 4. " Each look at your card. Then place your card back here. " Now drop your card, the 9-spot, on top of the larger packet. At that point the clocked total of each packet is zero, (Always remembering that this holds true only if you discard or ignore a deuce in the count)
5, Hand the smaller packet to spectator A, and the larger packet to spectator B. Ask each party to shuffle and cut his own packet. 6. Have each person pick a card from his own packet. Then have "A" drop his card on top of B's packet. Have "B" also drop his card on top of this packet. Finally, have "B" cut the packet and complete the cut. This packet is the larger one, the packet you have not touched until this point.
A's card becomes the only crimped card in B's packet. It acts as a locator, allowing you to easily find it. But in Step 5 "A" shuffles his packet, and he could shuffle the crimp out of the packet. The point of all this is that while there are alternate methods that can produce the same general effect, the Parallel Principle allows for an exceptionally clean handling of the cards.
7. Pick up B's packet and arrive at a clocked total. You have time here because you are looking for two freely chosen cards. Thus, even if you hesitate, there is a reason- you are looking for cards chosen under true test conditions.
Expanded Sum Here are a few simple variations on the Parallel Principle. The first is easy but you will find it even easier if you know how to do the faro shuffle.
8. The clocked total of B's packet at Step 5 was zero. But since "A" put his selected card into the packet, the total is no longer zero. It may be 8. But this is the value of A's card.
Cut off about 20 cards from a well-shuffled deck. Remark that you want to be sure there are no Jokers. Take the clocked total of the 20 cards. In the meantime the spectator checks the balance of the deck for Jokers. Have him place one Joker aside.
9. Knowing the value of A's card, simply look thru the packet for an 8-spot. If there's more than one, a question regarding color, suit, etc. will nail down the right card.
Have him shuffle your packet and you then let him shuffle the larger packet. In-faro the smaller packet into the larger packet.
10. Knowing A's card, and assuming you are spreading the cards from left to right with the faces toward you, B's card is immeditely to the left of A's card. By this very simple procedure you know both cards. It's true that a similar effect can be brought about if you crimp A's packet prior to Step 5. Then
Hand him the deck. Ask for a number, but tell him it should be a mental choice, say between 5 and 40. When he has it, ask if it's odd or even.Have him count to the card while your back is turned. He counts by dealing cards one at a time off the top of the deck into a face-up heap. If his number is even, he remembers the card at that number. If his number is odd, he remembers the next card. Either way, he take the card and pockets it. He then puts the Joker into the position his card was at, thus substituting the Joker for the card removed from the packet.
Have him pick up the face-up tabled heap, turn it face-down and replace it on top of the deck. He hands you the deck. You run thru it and name his card. The method comes down to this. When you get the 20-card packet totaled, say the total is 3. Remove any 3-spot to reduce the total to zero. This is not necessary but it makes the simple arithmetic a little simpler. You've casually looked thru 20 cards for Jokers, but you give the spectator a choice between 5 and 40. The reason of course is that you faro the clocked packet into the balance of the deck. This gives the spectator an expanded choice of numbers. The card he arrives at and pockets comes from the clocked packet. When the deck is reassembled and handed to you, begin with the second card from the top and take the clocked total of every other card until you have totaled 18 (you started, say, with 20; you removed a 3 .4-spot to reduce the clocked total to zero, so now you have a 19-card packet; then the packet was reduced by one more because the spectator pocketed a card). If your total now is 4, subtract 4 from 10 and you know the spectator chose a 6-spot. Go on from here with Suit Interrogation (pg. 17) to reveal the identity of the pocketed card.
In
"
Future Key Matchlock " spectator A's card was a locator
even though its identity and position were unknown when you started. It was only after you clocked B's packet that A's card evolved as a locator. The same principle is as work here. It should be mentioned that the packet need not contain exactly 20 cards, and you don't have to begin by cutting off a packet of cards. You can start at the face of the deck and total cards until you arrive at a total of zero. If the zero-total is arrived at somewhere around the 20th card of the pack, just cut off that group, hand the other group to the spectator, and ask him to check if there are Jokers in the larger packet of cards. Also, you can arrive at the clocked total during the course of some other trick. In this case, remember the last card of your total as a key. Cut to the key when you are ready to perform any of the tricks in this section. All that has been said about the Parallel Principle still holds true; knowing the clocked total in one part of the deck, you automatically know the total in a part of the deck you've never touched. We'll assume from all of the above that you have a packet of about 20 cards and that the clocked total of this packet is zero. Proceed as follows. Ask the spectator to shuffle the smaller packet and then spread it face-down on the table. Neither you nor he know the value or location of any card in this packet. The spectator then shuffles the larger packet. Ask him to remove any card, tell him not to look at it, and have him insert it anywhere in the spread
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tabled packet (the clocked packet). He inserts the card so that it is outjogged for about half its length, and he does this while your back is turned. Ask him to look at and remember the card directly above this card. He does not remove any cards from the spread. He just peeks the indice of the card directly above the outjogged card. With your back still turned, ask him to push the outjogged card square with the other cards. Then he gathers the spread, squares it, gives it a cut and completes the cut. The packet is handed to you. Obtain a clocked total for the packet. It may be 7. You know that the card he inserted into this packet is a 7-spot. Simply note the card directly behtfldthe 7 and you know the selected card. Note: You may feel the trick is more puzzling if he removes a card from the clocked packet and inserts it for half its length into the large!- packet, the one you haven't touched. Then he notes the card above the outjogged card. The reason why I don't do it this way is because the packet is larger and it takes a bit more time to arrive at the clocked total. The excuse, in other words, is laziness. Again note that the random card inserted into the packet is a locator even though its identity and location are unknown to you. It is only after the clocked total for the packet is arrived at that this card becomes a known key. I've evolved many patter and plot ideas around this aspect of the Parallel Principle because the idea of a key is offbeat and well-concealed.
Note 2: If the clocked total for the packet doesn't change it means that the future key has a value of 10, i.e., it's either a 10-spot or a King. Similar remarks hold if the clocked total changes by 1 (the key is either an Ace or a Jack) or by 2 (the future key is a Two or a Queen). Blocking This is the most elementary application of the speed method of clocking the partial deck. With 10's and Kings set to equal zero, and with 5's erased, you can speed-clock a packet of, say, 13 cards in just a few seconds. Here is the handling. 1. When the borrowed, well-shuffled deck is given to you, perform a trick that does not require a fulldeck control. A red/black trick on the order of Oil & Water is fine. Turn the deck face-up, start at the face and mentally total the first 13 or so cards as you come to them. The number isn't important. Just remember the face card of the deck and the last card you clocked. Say the clocked total is 9. 2. Upjog four reds and four blacks beyond the clocked packet. Then perform your favorite Oil & Water trick. Two versions that I use can be found in Notes From Underground, pg. 3, and Methods With Cards (the " trick called " Calculated Colors ). 3. Replace these cards on top of the deck. Then give the deck a riffle shuffle that retains the bottom stock. At the finish of the shuffle, cut off about 20 cards from the top and complete the cut.
4. The known block is now in the center of the deck. Invite the spectator to cut off about half the deck, remove the card cut to and replace the cut. 5. After he's done this, have him cut off about a dozen cards from the top of the deck, insert his card into the packet, shuffle the packet, drop it back on top of the deck,then cut the deck and complete the cut. 6. He hands the squared deck to you. Locate the two key cards (the original face card of the deck plus the last card you clocked). Mentally total all of the cards between them plus, of course, these two cards as well. Say your total is 6. 7. Here's how to figure the value of the spectator's card. Whatever total you get in Step 6, subtract it from 10. Then add this result to the clocked total you got in Step 1. 8. In our example you subtract 6 from 10, arriving at 4. Add 4 to 9 and you get 13. Since no card in our system has a value of 13, deduct 10 (also known as casting out 10's)and you know that the chosen card was a 3-spot. Use Suit Interrogation to nail down the exact identity of the chosen card. Note: If you're familiar with transfer work then you can see the possibilities here. A selected card can be worked into the transfer block during the riffle shuffle. Examine the block after the shuffle and you know the chosen card. Since the card is actually in the block, you can identify it easily.
It's true that a similar result can be achieved with a memorized block, but that is where the strength of this system lies; using any deck and no set-up you need merely determine a partial sum, that is, the sum of a small block of cards, to produce effective card locations. To those unfamiliar with the principles described here, the tricks would appear to have no explanation. I'll again stress that you can, it is true, duplicate some of these tricks with crimp work, nailnicked packets, and the like, but I don't think the same result can be achieved with so easy a method. Also, when doing tricks like Follow The Leader or Oil & Water, there is nothing to stop you from mentally summing the cards used in those tricks. You then have new clocked packets to work with, and they derive from totally unrelated tricks. Blocking With The Faro This is "Blocking" done with a different principle attached. I worked out the principle about 1960 and wrote a few people about it. Apparently it appeared in print a few years later, though under another individual's name. 1. Obtain a clocked total for the bottom 13 cards of the deck. After you have done this, obtain a break between this packet and the balance of the deck. 2. With the deck face-down, drop off the bottom 13 cards into a heap on the table. Allow about 13 more cards to fall into a second heap, 13 more into a third heap, and the balance of the deck into a fourth heap. 3. Invite a spectator to shuffle each heap. Then gather the heaps so that the original packet is back on the bottom.
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4. Cut about 20 cards off the top and complete the cut. This centers the 20-card heap. 5. There has to be a Joker nearby. Ask the spectator to cut the deck at about the center. He can take the face card of the upper packet or the top card of the lower packet. 6. After he has taken and pocketed the card, ask him to put the Joker in its place. Then he squares the deck. The deck still contains 52 cards, but the Joker has replaced a random selection. 7. Cut the clocked packet to the top via a previous crimp. Perform two faros. Then cut the Joker to the bottom of the deck. 8. Push off the top 4 cards without reversing their order. Turn them face-up as a unit and drop them onto the table. Remember the face card. 9. Push off another 4 cards. Turn them face-up and drop them onto the tabled cards. Remember the face card and add its value to the value of the card you remembered in Step 8. 10. Continue this way. You are keeping a clocked total of the face cards of the packets as they come off the deck. These cards, unknown to the audience and to most magicians, were in the original 13-card packet . you clocked in Step 1. 11. After you have dealt off the 12th packet, you . have arrived at a clocked total for the original packet minus the chosen card. 12. Say, " The Joker hasn't turned up yet. It must be in this last packet. By looking at it I can tell Here you you that the card it replaced was the... use the method of the previous trick, Steps 7 & 8, to
get the value of the card. Then use the Interrogation method of pg. 17 to get the suit. Then turn the final packet face-up, gaze at the Joker, and reveal the selected card.
Leverage Although this routine uses a confederate, it does not employ a code. The confederate must be able to clock a packet of 20 or so cards. In other words, he must be familiar with the system described in this ms. You are then able to present this trick. The angle that appeals to me in the construction of routines like this one is that even if the spectator suspects the confederate of being a confederate, it will get him nowhere. The handling is this. Cut off about 20 Cards and give them to the confederate. Give the balance of the deck to the spectator. Each person shuffles his own packet. Each party now looks thru his packet and decides on a card. The confederate takes this opportunity to clock the packet in his possession. Say he arrives at a total of 8. He chooses any 8-spot. The spectator has in the meantime chosen a card of his own. The spectator inserts his card into the confederate's packet. The confederate inserts his card into the spectator's packet.
The magician, who has had his back turned until this point, picks up the spectator's packet, fans thru it and mentally clocks the packet. Say he arrives at a total of 7.
Fooling The Confederate This routine uses a code, specifically, the Shamrock Code. Since the code is so simple, the confederate can be a layman.
He subtracts this total from 10 and that is the value of the spectator's card. In our example, the magician subtracts 7 from 10 and arrives at 3. The spectator chose a 3-spot. Go thru the usual business to arrive at the suit.
In some previous trick, get a clocked total for a group of about 20 cards. Reduce this total to zero. There are two ways to do it. You can add a card to the packet, bringing the total to ten; or you can subtract a card from the packet in order to reduce the clocked total to zero.
To finish, go thru a bluff revelation of the confederate ' s card. Actually, he will simply say yes to any color, suit and value you name.
Hand this packet to spectator "A" and the balance of the deck to spectator "B". Neither of these spectators is a confederate.
As to how it works; when the confederate clocks his packet,he mentally ignores one deuce. This is the same as removing a deuce from the deck before the trick starts. If the clocked total of the packet is 8, and the confederate removes an 8-spot and places it into the spectator ' s packet, he has reduced both packets to a clocked total of zero. When the spectator removes a card from his own packet and transfers it to the confederate's packet, this deficit will show up when you clock the spectator's packet. Note that the method is self-concealing. If the spectator assumes the use of a confederate, he still can't see how this matters. The confederate chooses a card before the spectator, the confederate never sees the spectator's card, and finally, the magician never handles the confederate's packet. There is no code because the confederate has no information worth coding. Must be mindreading.
Have each party shuffle his own packet. Then ask one party to turn his packet face-up and shuffle it into the face-down balance of the deck. After he has done this, he can give the deck several more shuffles and cuts. Have him spread the deck on the table. Some cards will be face-up and some face-down. Ask "A" to choose a face-up card and ask "B" to choose a face-down card. "B" looks at and remembers his card but he does not turn it face-up at any time. Only he knows the identity of his own card. Tell the confederate to square up the deck, turn it over, and re-spread it. "A" replaces his card (still face-up) and "B" replaces his card (still face-down). Then the deck is gathered, squared, and given several more riffle shuffles. Finally, the pack is handed to the magician. He goes thru the cards, locates A's card, and then reveals B's card.
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Since B's card is never known to anyone except "B", the confederate will be puzzled as to how you revealed it. The reason is that he codes A's card to you, but A's card is the only one that's known at any time. The secret is this. After the face-up,face-down shuffle, have the deck spread on the table. Note any card, say the AS. This is only for references purposes. Then turn your back. Ask "A" to pick any face-up card. The confederate sees this card and codes it to you via the Shamrock Code. "B" chooses any face-down card and peeks the card to note its identity. After this has been done, the confederate gathers the deck, openly turns it over and re-spreads it on the table. You want the confederate to do this because the handling must be right. "A" inserts his face-up card anywhere in the deck. "B" then inserts his face-down card anywhere in the deck. Have the deck gathered, squared and given several riffle shuffles and cuts before you turn and face the spectators again. As soon as you face the spectators, you get the value of A's card via the code. Take the deck and spread it between the hands. Look for the AS. If it is among the face-up cards, fine. If not, square the deck, flip it over and re-spread it. You are now looking at the face-up group from which A's selection was made. Ask him if he chose an odd-value card. Whatever his answer, you then know the value of his card because of the code. Mentally clock the face-up cards, adding in the value of A's card. You will arrive at a value in excess
of zero. But this excess is the value of B's card. Since B's selection is among the face-up cards you are looking at, it is a simple matter to nail down the actual selection. Thus, on the basis of a microscopic piece of information transmitted to you by the confederate, you are able to reveal the identity of both cards. The bonus is that in the process you fool the confederate as well. Parallax The final trick in this ms. It is also the easiest application of the Parallel Principle, and, in my experience, one of the most impressive. Take any deck and perform any trick that requires your looking thru the cards. As an example, you are going to perform a four-Ace trick, so you turn the deck face-up and upjog the Aces as you come to them. But in the process, clock the first ten or so cards at the face of the deck, and remember the last card of the clocked count. Say it's the 5C. Because you are using the speed-clocking system already described, and because you are clocking only about ten cards, the count is done in seconds. Remember the clocked total. Say it is 6. Go thru the deck, upjog the Aces and perform the intended 4-Ace trick. Return the Aces to the deck at the finish of the trick. Give the deck several riffle shuffles which retain the bottom stock. There's a good method in Card Control, pg. 102, called " Bottom Stock Blind Riffle." Forget the part about bridging the cards and doing the triple cut. Just use the opening shuffle and cut. -
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Spread the deck facedown on the table. Spectator removes any card, looks at it and places it facedown on the table. Then he squares the deck and puts it on top of his card. Deal cards off the top of the deck one at a time into a face-up heap. Since your remembered total was 6, start with 6,then keep a running total as you clock the deck. Stop when you've turned up the 4H. Don't include the 4H in your mental total. Whatever the total is at this point, that total is the value of the spectator's card. Note that you haven't gone thru the entire deck. There are about ten cards on top of the selected card. Remark that parallax vision allows you to see thru the cards to the face card of the deck. Then go on to reveal the selected card. You're right in concluding that this is a simple trick,but because of the speed with which you get the original clocked total, the effect seems to border on the impossible. Suggested Reading For other systems, you may want to acquaint yourself with the various methods of casting out 9's, 10's, etc. Mathematics, Magic & Mystery is an excellent book to start with. For a trick using digital roots, see the James " Remembering The Future " in Gardner's 2nd Book of Mathematical Puzzles, pg. 48. If you have Mo r s Miracles, check the trick on pg. 6 and the fan effect on pg. 9 for other avenues. Free catalog available on request. For a copy, write Karl Fulves, Box 433, Teaneck, New Jersey 07666.
