July 2015 Paul Rosini’s Double Reverse (A Good Trick + An Easy ay !o Prac!ice P rac!ice a "lei#$!% &ea!urin# 'en 'renel’s )ec$anical Reverse
I’ve come across several interesting tricks that used Ken Krenzel’s “Mechanical Reverse” (a type of half-pass! "ut have al#ays "een reluctant to try them them "ecause I #as #orried that the move #ould flash$ %ctually! I’ve never "efore performed a trick using a half-pass& I #asn’t confident performing one$ I’ve al#ays felt the "est #ay to learn a sleight is "y using it in a trick that provides enough natural misdirection so that you can perform the trick #ithout the paralyzing #orry that you’ll flash the sleight and ruin the trick$ 'he confidence you get performing the sleight in this contet #ill eventually give you the confidence confidence to perform it in more eacting situations$ I found that )aul Rosini’s “*ou"le Reverse” is a natural vehicle for learning Ken Krenzel’s “Mechanical Reverse$” (If you go to http+,,youtu$"e,ir.Ro/0kz% ! you can #atch me performing “'he Mechanical Reverse” from several angles! to see ho# effective the move can "e$ I’ve mentioned 1y"rary$com the last t#o months$ I #as rather rather du"ious a"out reading a magic )*2 as opposed o pposed to a magic "ook! "ut I decided to give these a chance #hen I sa# they had Paul had Paul Rosini’s Magical Gems! Gems! "y 3$ 2$ (Rufus teele$ teele$ I learned of this #hen I read 4ugene 5urger’s The Performance of Close-Up Magic! Magic! #here he #rites up his version of “*ou"le Reverse$” I figured for 67$88 it #as #orth a look$ Its initial copyright date is 09:8! and is a )*2 of seventy pages$ If you eclude the covers! ta"le of contents! etc$ ;ou get sity pages of magic< a"out fifty tricks #orth$ 'he first thing I noticed #as that that there are virtually virtually no illustrations$ 'here are only t#o in the entire "ook<"oth for the same trick$ 'he #riting is also rather terse$ ;ou are often told #hat to do! "ut "ut not ho# to do it$ ometimes this really ticks me off! "ut in this case it led me do#n a road that I hope hope you’ll find fruitful$ ;ou are supposed to start start the trick #ith a kno#n card reversed on the "ottom! "ut are not given any method to do so$ I figured the misdirection provided "y this trick #ould ena"le me to learn the “Mechanical Reverse” and a good trick at the same time$ 1
=nce again! I’d like to thank >hris 3asshu"er of 1y"rary$com for allo#ing me to use the Rosini routine$ I’d also like to thank al Mannuzza for taking the photos for this issue$
Double Reverse, by Paul Rosini Effect: 'he magician and the spectator each take a"out half the deck$ 'hey remove a card from their half and ta"le it$ 'he spectator’s card is inserted into the magician’s half! the magician’s card is placed in the spectator’s half$ 'he deck is reassem"led! and held "y the spectator$
5oth call out the name of their card$ 'he spectator spreads the deck! and "oth cards are no# face up$ Method: ?ave the spectator shuffle the deck and cut off a little more than half the cards$ ;ou then pick up those that are left$ (It’s not essential that you take less than half the deck! "ut it makes the reverse a "it easier$
'ell the spectator that he must #atch #hat you do carefully! for he is to repeat your actions$ pread the cards in front of you! holding them in a lefthand fan! "acks to the spectator! ostensi"ly to find a card in the center of the spread$ ;ou should only pay attention to the face card of your packet$ ;ou must remem"er this card$ It’s the one you #ill reverse$
tare at the spread of cards for a "it! then remove any card from the center and hold it in front of your eyes as you pretend to memorize it$ ()hoto 0 *on’t memorize this& you need to remem"er the face card$ I’m em"arrassed to say that there #ere too many practice sessions #here I forgot to memorize the right card$ Photo 1
;ou may say to the spectator! “5e sure to lock this card into your mind$ If either of us forgets his card! #e have no trick$” %fter a suita"le amount of time! ta"le the card face do#n$ %sk the spectator to pick up his half of the deck! decide on a card! memorize it and ta"le it as you have .ust done$ 'his #ill (I hope give you sufficient misdirection to make the follo#ing t#o moves$ =f course if you #ant complete cover for the moves .ust say! “'o assure you that I #on’t try to peek at your card! I’ll .ust turn around$” If your spectator can spot the reverse #ith your "ack turned to him! your demeanor is waaaaay too transparent$
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Ken Krenzel’s Mechanical Reverse:
>lose up the spread of cards in an uns@uared packet in the left hand! the face card (%ce of pades in )hoto A should "e slightly side-.ogged to the right$ ;our right hand no# comes over the top of the packet to s@uare it$ %s you do so! insert the tip of your left little finger underneath the face card$ ()hoto B ;our right thum" #ill end up at the lo#er left Photo 2 corner of the packet! and your right middle finger #ill "e at the top left corner$ ()hoto C
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/sing your right hand! pivot the packet around its right side! etending your left fingers so it ends up face do#n$ ;our pinky remains in the "reak! #hich is no# on the left side of the packet$ ()hoto :$ ;our right hand returns to 5iddle grip$ Dote+ I try to take this grip as close to the ends of the right fingertips as possi"le! to give as much clearance to the reverse that’s to follo#$ ()hoto E$ Photo 5, Right Hand Removed
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;our left hand lifts all the cards a"ove the "reak some#hat up and to the left$ %s you do this! you curl the left inde! middle and ring fingers into
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your palm! reversing the card under the packet$ I find the move #orks the smoothest #hen I use my left index finger to initiate the move$ ()hotos 7 and F
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>ontinue s@uaring #ith your right hand$ >ongratulationsG ;ou’ve .ust completed the reverse<"ut you’re not done yet$ ;ou have to turn the packet over$ (5e sure to see the section on Angle Problems at the end of this article$ If the spectator’s attention is still else#here! you can .ust continue your action or the Mechanical Reverse "y rotating the packet up and over "y pulling up and to the right #ith your right inde finger and thum" #hile pulling do#n and to the left #ith your left fingers$ ()hotos 9 and 08
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If you feel you need a "etter cover for the turnover! you can use the follo#ing move$
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Reach over to the spectator’s face-do#n card! and slide it to#ards yourself$ %s you do so! you’ll "egin a “'enkai 'urnover” "y dropping your left hand to your side (if standing! or relaing your hand! palm do#n! on the ta"le “off stage!” if sitting$ ()hoto 00$
Do# slide your card over to the spectator and say! “)lease put your right hand on my card until #e’re ready to use it$” %s they do this! turn your left hand palm down! and take the packet into your right hand! thum" on top! fingers underneath$ ()hoto 0A Make a s@uaring gesture along the sides of the packet #ith your left fingers! and then replace the packet in left-hand mechanic’s grip$ Photo 12
/se your left thum" to "evel the cards at the upper left corner$ ;ou can make a surprisingly large "evel #ithout eposing the fact that the cards are really face up$ ()hoto 0B )ick up the spectator’s card and insert it face do#n into your packet$ >arefully "egin s@uaring the packet at the inner and outer ends and then ask the spectator to place your card face do#n into his Photo 13 packet$ %s he does this you must turn over your packet once again$ Move your left thum" under your packet and flip it over$ ;our right fingers mask this action #ith the right hand continuing their s@uaring action$ ()hoto 0C$
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=nce the spectator has inserted your card fully into his packet! place your packet on top of his! and ask him to hold it tightly$ 'ell him! “=n the count of three! I’m going to call out the name of my card$ )lease name your card as I do so$” Make the count! and then call out the card you reversed 'he spectator #ill do like#ise$ %ll that’s left to do is ask the spectator to spread the cards$ ?e’ll see his card and your card! "oth appearing face up in the deck$ %s I mentioned! you can do the secret moves #ith you "ack turned to the spectator$ ;ou might #onder! #hy not .ust “openly” turn the card over! and then the packet$ It’s .ust to get you used to doing the reverse and the turnover$ =nce you’re comforta"le doing the trick and the sleights! you might eventually stop turning your "ack! and do the moves #ith the natural 5
misdirection supplied$ =nce you’ve mastered the reverse under these circumstances you might try some other tricks that use a reverse$ ;ou should also "e a#are that the “Krenzel Mechanical Reverse” can "e used for any num"er of cards$ If you need to “face” a deck! this is an ecellent move to do it$ ;ou can do any trick that re@uires a half-pass #ith this reverse! as long as you have a reason to turn the deck over$ Angle Problems 'his move is not fool-proof$ It #orks perfectly if you’re standing #ith a spectator to your right! or directly in front of you$ pectators to your left #ill definitely see the move if they are not misdirected$ If you are #orking to several people! face the leftmost one! and you’ll not have any pro"lems$ ;ou can do this standing at a ta"le
;ou can’t do this seated at a ta"le #ith a spectator across the ta"le$ 'he ta"le top #ill stop you from lo#ering your hands sufficiently to "lock the person’s line of sight$ I must say I #as skeptical of this move at first$ 4tensive videotaping led me to change my mind$ I’ve performed this standing! #ith people seated at a ta"le! to ecellent results$ I #orked to the person to my left! and had no trou"les$ References Card Classics of !en !ren"el! "y ?arry 1orayne! p$ A87$ Card College #! "y Ro"erto Hio""i! p$ 990 Complete wor$s of %ere$ %ingle! "y Richard Kaufman! p$ A7 %rawing Room %eceptions! "y Huy ?olling#orth! p$ A:E !en !ren"el&s Close-Up 'mpact! "y Ken Krenzel! p$ E0 !en !ren"el&s 'ngenuities! "y Ken Krenzel! p$ E0 (or$ers )! "y Michael >lose! p$ B8
Det time+ omething out of the ordinary$ Copyright 2015 by Edward Hass. Feel free to link to this article at: www.edhassmagic.com/eds-head .
