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A Book in English: The card magic of Woody Arag6n
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h ffig[fiffi Written by: Woody Arag6n
Foreword by: fuan Tamariz Translated by: Fernando Rosal
With some help oft Rafael Benatar t I
Pictures by: Pepe Castro Sandra Asenjo Fernando Pelayo Maricarmen Perea
Proof reading and notes: Harold Cataquet Todd Neufeld Michael "Six" Muldoon Plt Hartling
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Alirgrin
Nobody's Foollro By JuanTsrnariz When you meet Woody, the first thing that you notice is... his lrcad! That's because, believe me, Woody has a big, beautiful, lound head. And because of that head, his magic is full, st turated with intelligence, originality, creativity, intensity... He rrscs his head! And he presents his magic with beautiful scripts (rrrrritted incessantly and with dizzyng speed by the lips that Woody has ... in his head!) that are full of intelligence, that aim lor the maximum magical impact, the maximum sense of inrpossibility.
And it is a brilliant head. Whatever angle you look at it from, lris head shines. Because his ideas are as bright as he is bald. He hls a big, shiny bald head. Shinier than the other bald heads (lhat so many men try to achieve by daily shavings). It shines llrightcr than the rest because (and this is a secret, the first one in this book) Woody hides under his skin millions and millions ol' ncurons engaged in constant electrical and contemplative rrt'livity. Woody has always amazed me and I admire the t'orrstant flow of ideas that, if you look carefully from above, you ('iur sc() nroving under his scalp. Ideas for incredibly practical slt,ights (his "scparagr)n"), ideas for effects, methods (the genius ol' h is " l lunrlrt Sc:tlc", a vcrsion worthy of a standing ovation, (t)'l'ln rtrillirt u/ Sprrrris/t till{'. "Ni rrtt pclo rlc lottlrt", littnrlhl tttcrttt.s "Mr/ a sinqle lnir rr/ rrl//irr1ss".'/7ris is tt,\ltrttriilt stttlirttl ttsarl lo tlrlticl trtt itrltllitltrnl pcrsotl. lltll)t'lttttrtlrltl, lltI r'l(r'r't'ltttl'', lu'lt|r'r'tt lltr sttrlittrl rtttl llrr rtji'tt'rtrcs
trrrr hul irt lt'tttt:;htlirttt
ttt Wtxxly's lrcod
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Anrg(rrr
which
I
have seen many audiences give Woorly irs thcy are full of wonder after seeing hin-r purlornr it) and ideas for the structures of acts and shows (his marvelous "Summary Suite" at the end of his one man czrrcl mugic theater show is full of surprises, drama, and magic, all building in intensity: a genuine artistic discovery.)
Woody has already establishccl his value as a magician, but rising star. His yor"rth ltas ahnost peaked, and for the rrcxt 70 or 8o years we will have plenty of Woody's creativity, wit, energy and Magic. I am sure of this because of his lnthusiasm, his work, his efforts and his undeniable inlclligence.
And everything, or almost everything, comes from... his head! A metaphorical billiard ball (the rigorous geometrlz and internal harmony of his tricks and routines live up to the comparison); a symbolic "egg" shape, an egg that spawns life as the artist Woody, or should I say, Woody's head maintains a constant and joyous creativity (isn't "creating" what brings an artist closer to
'l'his is, then, my "summary": Every time l)(,r'son and nobody's fool!
amazed and
the Gods?). Because that head in
just
a few years had shed
what separated
it from life (its hair), it is always brainstorming, and this is the second secret in this book, there is a hidden "b" in describing him as a bald man, it disguises the constant boiling state of the millions and millions of neural synapses. No one knows whether it's a state of tremendous joy or brotherly merrymaking but, I'm sure that it is constant and almost driven, crazy thinking.
And some of that activity, a "something" full of suggestions, ideas, brilliant effects (the light), rigorous and at times mathematical (the billiard ball) and beautifully created ("eggshaped") has been poured into this book just for you. And I strongly advise you to enjoy it, just like I enjoyed watching, experiencing and applauding some (many) of them (others, I've only had the pleasure of having Woody explain them to me, but I never lose the hope of one day seeing them performed live in front of me).
But that's not all. Woody has a special gift that allows him to be liked by everyone (Woody is such a nice guy!); and he's always bursting with energy (both on ancl offstage). And the pleasure he gets from ltct'lil'rning lnagir: is absolutely contagious, and mal
Irtr's also a
a
better artist, a great
A Bool< in English: The card magic of Wootly Alirgirrr
Introduction to this work (letts call it "work" for the moment...)
For a few years, after I started to travel and get to know the international magic community, and after making
good friends in
several
countries (thanks to this great art that unites us, and also to a kind of intrinsic feature of our guild - I don't know why, but it brings together a majority of nice people. I think g5o/o of the magicians I know are great guys) a recurring story started developing in the back of my head. Every time I met my friends, someone always asked me: "When uill you torite a ln x* itt littlllish? So, uill you urite a book in English someday? I' t tt t t 1t tl I rt ruritc cr book in English!"
With luan, at his house in Madrid, TDorking on this book. (2011)
Wcll, :rl'tcr' :rlrnost two years of hard work, "A Book in English" (lrr,rrct'tlrc titlc) has bccome a reality, and it is now in your Iuurrls. Arrtl it worrlrln't have happened without the enthusiasm irrrtl lrt'l1r ol'rrrarry pt'ollltr: My girlfriend, Maricarmen, always lrr.sirlr, nl(. or) rr.y.jorrrrrr'.ys, slitttttl:ttirtg itrttl l'ccding my passion lol r,r,r'r'vllrirtg I rlo. Slt'vt: llcanr, tlrt'l'irsl ottt'to cvcr publish ,,rlr(. ol' rrry worlr; itr l,lnglislr. lit'r'rr:ttrrkr lltlsal, tirclcss Itrrttsl;tlot'ol'llrir; lrr,llt'lrooli, lo wltottt I ;tttt rlt't'1ll.y grirtttlirl.
B
A Book in English: The card magic of Woocly Alirgrin
Rafael Benatar, who was the first to give me advice and orientation. Juan Tannariz, not only for his amazing (and flattering) prologue, but also for driving me to put the best of me into this book (he is responsible for turning a small booklet of about 90 pages into... this book of more than 37o!). The friends who have helped correct this book, starting with the talented Michael *Six" Muldoon, Todd Neufeld, who also did a great job, my admired Pit Harling, and I have to say, the outstanding job of Harold Cataquet, which inspired and amazed me with its quality and thoroughness. Without his help, the bookwould be a much tougher read. Every time I read a book, I always want to get to know better the person behind the creations. That's why my intention when writing this book wasn't to publish a cold, encyclopedic collection of tricks, to be dissected like a corpse, but instead I tried to be present, just the way I am, throughout it. My writing style (or lack of it, I should say) will be like a direct conversation with you. Even though some of the finesses may be lost in translation, I hope that you will feel comfortable with my approach. I could not have done it any other way.
I also have to thank my friend, the great Ricardo Rodriguez (the current Spanish Magic Grand Prix holder) for the interview with which, hopefully, the reader will get to know me a little better. With this end in mind, I will also fiIl in the blank pages of this book (they are there to help with the layout of the text) with a collection of personal photographs, in order to give you a glimpse of various moments in my recent life. A good part of the material in this book is in print for the first time, but most of it comes from my previous publications in Spanish, properly revised, rewritten and translated. In regards to the kind of card magic that I present in this book, you will see that my tricks are mainly mathematical, but without avoiding the use of sleight of hand. In fact, the first chapter is all about moves, and some tricks you can do with thcm. So, here we go! A littl(, lrit ol'
chunl<
lct:hlrirlue ovcr lrt,r't., a goocl
ol'psychology ()v(,1'llrt'rr',;rrkl ;r I'isllirl
ol'
rrrathematics, a little bit of tr:ick czrrds, a lot of Elmsley and 'l'amariz (let the taste of influences be noticed!), add a couple ol'clrops of drama and comedy, let it cook slowly and say the ragic words... Abracadabra! rr
Un saludo en espaflol, your friend...
WoodyArag6n, Toledo,
Spain, June
zott
A Book in English: The card magic of Woody Arirgrirr
BEFORE YOU READ ANY FURTHER... HOW TO FIND YOUR OTHER HALF! llccause I believe in "Learning by Doing", before I begin r,xplaining any techniques, principles or routines... please allow rrrc to do a trick for you. Arc you "Lucky in Love"? No? Then you need to perform this "l,ovc Ritual"! OK? Do it anyway, you can neverbe too lucky! 'l'lris ritual will guarantee you a week's worth of "Love Luck"!
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Willy Monroe, Hector Manchn, me and Harold Cataquet (2011)
rrcr,rl yort
lo l'itttl ittty lottt't'ittrls llrrrrr ;rrr oltl rlt'r:li, otrcs that vorr rlott't tnittrl lr,itt'irr1i.'l'ltt' rlrrll rt,rprircrrrt'nt is tltirt thcy
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in English: The card magic of Wootly Arirgr'rrr
should have different faces, but the same backs. Go and get them, I will wait for you right here... You're back! Fine. Take the four cards and shuffle them. Do not look at their faces yet. If you want the ritual to work, the cards must be thoroughly shuffled, so that the outcome of your actions is completely random. That's how love works, my friend... Now hold the cards between your hands, in a slightly beveled position, as you will see in the next picture. Your fingers will grab the cards by their long edge, with your thumbs positioned on the faces. You are in the perfect situation to tear the cards in two pieces. DO IT! Just like the hearts of a breaking couples are torn in half. Just like they tear their pictures in two... it's all really symbolic, isn't it?
ok, so you've got a small "deck" made of playing card halves. What should you do with it? Cut. Cut and complete. When a corrple breaks up, they're "cutting" their bond, aren't they? Make a small fan with the pieces of cards in your left hand. 'l'lkc the three top pieces together, with your right hand, and
lrllce them somewhere in the middle.
Now place either the left hands pieces on top of the rights or vice versa. It does not matter if you put the right or the left pieces on top. That's the good thing about love, no matter if you're left-uting or right-wing;love doesn't care about politics...
(r) r) In Spanish, being a "riglrt" or"'lt'll" lx'r's()n inrlir':rtt's wlrt'llrt.r'yorr lrglct.with right or left wing politics.
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Bool< in English: The card magic of Woocly Arag
Square everything. Grab the top piece. Do NOT look at it, just place it in your pocket or wallet. That is something lovers usually do, they carry a picture of their loved one somewhere near their heart... mushy, isn't it? But true nevertheless...
Repeat the ritual, passing a piece to the bottom every time you sny "SHE LOVES ME", and throwing away the pieces when you
sny "SHE LOVES ME NOT". "SHE LOVES ME" (pass to b
You'll end up with only one piece in your hand. That one rcpresents you. Depending on your actions during the ritual, t:uts, shuffles... your piece could have been a completely
Make a fan one more time. Take the upper piece and LOSE it in the middle of the fan. Do it one more time, with two pieces at the same time if you wish. Do it once again, if you feel like it. That's what happens when men try to understand women, they always end up lost...
rlifTerent one. Take the one that you saved at the very beginning, put it right next to the one you ended up with, and...
Let's make this even more complicated (such is love...). Take the top piece... or the two top pieces... or even the three top pieces... and. You can either loose them in the middle of the fan,
or just throw them away. Obviously, no one could ever have known how many pieces would be left in your hand by now... Due to all that shuffling, cutting, losing pieces in the middle of the stack, it has become a total MESS. That's the way men are.
And women really hate it... they say they always have to put order in our mess... many couples argue over this kind of stuff. And now, Iet's get ready for a week full of love... take the top piece, and transfer it to the bottom, as you say: "Sunday". Transfer the second piece, "Mondey", and so on, one by one, until you finish with "Saturday". So the week ends up with broken, cut, shuffled,lost and messy relationships. And the only thing that can make us remember true love is the picture of our loved one, safe in our heart. Well, we can always pluck a daisy, and say SHE LOVES ME... SHE LOVES ME, NOT...
l'l'S YOUR OTHER HALF! The miracle of love! Cupid did it rrgnin! Isn't it wonderful?
AI)DITIONAL REMARKS
I havc always loved tricks that the audience can do llttrrttsclvcs, just by following the magician's instructions (sonrcthing ,Iuan Tanrlriz recently named, quite appropriately, Vt.r'birl Magic). lt nright bc because I f
Take the first piece, and pass it to the bottom of the stack, as you say "SHE LOVES ME". Grab the second one. That one corresponds to "SHE LOVES ME NOT", right? Throw it far away from you! We don't want thosc who do not love us nearby, do we?
k4e
A tlook in English: The card magic of Wootly Anrgrirr
am, what I do for a living, and the very fact that you are now reading this book.
As my methods usually have to do with
mathematical
processes and principles, I find myself at ease with these kind
of tricks. They have, in fact, become one of my "specialties" in magic. I even designed a routine especially for Nacho Vigalondo, with the aim of promoting his movie The Chrono Crirnes, back in 2oo8. The Movie fans should go into its website, and watch a video in which I did the "interactive" trick. The result was not only magic, but it also gave them the key to a movie-reiated "Chrono Game".
Internally speaking, this trick is based on the Australian down-under deal. I took the idea, and added a basic principle I read in Max Maven's Redivider that creates, in my opinion a vcry "heartfelt" feeling of really shuffling the cards (plus, you cran clo the trick with only four cards, and there's no need to sign anything). The only real shuffle is done at the very beginning, but, the result of tearing the cards in two is a kind of cyclic stack: Each half is four positions away from its match. You can cut this "deck" as many times as you want. Creating a stack from fairly shuffled cards is something I am enthusiastic about. On an external level, the idea of a collective "ritual" that will make everyone lucky in love, appeais to the audience. Every mushy topic related to the theme, w;hich I constantly refer back to (the torn picture, the "other half', the daisy, "she loues me", "she loues me not"...) justifies the procedures. And I think that the final image, with the spectators holding the two pieces that form a whole card, is very suggestive.
For practical reasons, I designed the trick to not require a table. I usually perform it when I am the MC, in parlor shows, and even in theaters with two or three hundred people, each holding their own four cards and following my instructions. In those cases, I stress the rnornt'rrt whcn thclc is frurcdclnt of choice, so that the fact thrl cvcry spr.r'l;rlor cirrr tlo sorut.lhing completely tli{lcrcnt bccorrrcs olrviorrs, llrrt cvt,r't'orrc gt,ls tlrt'ir' matcltittg It;tl1' ttt'vt'r'lltclcs:., t,';rlltinl', ;ur ittt;rossilrlc r'lirrrlrx. Il'
followed the sartttr iustructions, and ended up lirrtling the matching halves, thcy could (correctly) guess that llrc wlrole procedure is just a "pl:rzzle", and that if they did the ri;rnlo exact actions back at home the trick would also work. Irrslcad, I give them options, some spectators shuffle; others jrrsl t:ut the halves, some of them once, while others do it four lirrrcs. This makes for a shocking climax, as the "instructions" liivt'n by the magician couldn't possibly have predicted every r;;rr,r'tator's choice. And I've tried to enhance this feeling by irrclrrtling an adaptation of the great Alex Elmsley's Australian ,\t'll'-l lclp in the passing of one card for each day in the week. 'l'lris irllows the spectators to get rid of some cards (their choice) lrt,li rrc doing the Australian deal. (,\,(.r'y spectator
I irlso Llse a false clue, so that no one in the audience can rr.lrrrrrluce the trick, should they try it later. I use the moment at rvlriclr the cards are opened in a fan, and the three top pieces are hrst in the middle. After that, the pieces are squared. Tell the ;rrrrlicrrcc: "Do you knou uhy you haue to square the cards? /lr'r'rrrr.sc I forgot to do something uery important!"Ask them to lirlir, lht: top piece, save it inside the pocket, and now make the lrrrr orrr:tr again, in order to continue with the process. Later I rvilf rct::rll the actions as "YoLt cut the cards, took a piece and ,,ttt,t'tl it, ttrul then opened the pieces in afan and sfuLfJled them" lrr,t';rrrst' that is what I want them to remember.
My ll'iuncl Pipo Villanueva has a great idea. If
you're group people, them asking this trick for a of before 1-x,r'lorrrrirrg lo 1,,r,t ritl ol'some pieces, tell them to take the top piece and r.rclrnngc it with another spectator. After the exchange, they irlc lo losc il in the rniddle of the fan. Not only does this enhance llrr. irrrpossibility of the effect, as the spectators will be holding lrilt'r,s ol'stranlScr cards, but it also has the added bonus of nrirliirrg llrt' irrrrlit:uc:t' interact, not only with the magician, but I rr,l wt.r,rt I lrctttsclvcs.
lo krrolv rr lol tttot't'rtllotll ltow ttl ltresent and lrrrlornr llrcst'liinrl ol lorrtittt's, I rcli't't'ott lo tltt'wisc and r,,,,,r,rrli;rl r,volrl:r ol llrc N4;rslt't',,ltt;ttt'l';trtt;ttiz, irt ltis lt
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A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Aritgrirr
My one-man
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"La llusion la pintan Calaa" (201o)
Sleights and moves
A book in English: l'hc cirrrl rrrirgic ol.Woody Aragon
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Arlgrin
THE SEPARAGON 'l'lrc Separagon is a move that I developed in tggg.It allows you to separate two groups of cards from a shuffled deck: Red rurtl black, odd and even, the two halves of a memorized deck... you can also control a single poker play, or one of the deck's srrits, etc. It's one of my most talked about moves. Recently, as I wirs cxplaining how it works, David Stone got up and gave me a liiss on top of my head!
It is a simple move, and has the advantage of not being r,xt,t:utcd completely in the magician's hands, presenting an irnllic of disorder and lack of control by the performer. Let's see Ilrt,basic handling. t. - The Separagon Irrragine you want to separate the red cards from the black orrt.s lhrm a shuffled deck in use. Hold the deck in left hand rh,rrling position, face up. The thumb rests on the center of the logl t:irr'
'l'lrt, r'ight hand approaches the deck, with its palm facing you, orrlcl to tal
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Arag(rn
A book in English: Thr: carrl trirgic ol'Woody Aragon
llrun you would rest the right thunrb on the base of the upper lrrrll). The top right corner of the card should nowbe pointing at llrc right hand's palm.
The right hand grabs the card, moves forward and twists, turning the card upside dor,rm. When the card is face down, the right hand drops it (the card is thrown, not placed) on the table.
'l'lrc result of this, after turning the card face down, is that the crrrrl will form a 90 degree angle with the opposite cards already rk,rrlt. Throw it on the tabled pile.
The move is repeated with the next card, and executed the same waywith all of the cards that share color with the first one. The cards will form an unsquared pile on the table.
Whenever a card from the opposite color appears, you will execute a very similar move. So much so, in fact, that it looks almost the same to the aucliernr:c cvcn if they'ro loolcing directly at your hands. The only rlil'k'r't.rrt't. lics in tlrr' position o1'the right thumb, which rcsls orr llrt.r':rrrl's lirt't', sliglrtl.v irlrovc the: Ieft thurnb. (ll'.yorr
A book in English: 'l'lrc crrnl
A Book in English: The card magic of Woorly Arug(rn
nrrrp.ic
ol'Woody Aragon
After going through the whole deck, changing the grip depending on the card's color, there will be a messy pile on the table, with cards pointing in different directions, which no one will suspect you might have any control over.
'l.he thumbs approach the nearer side of the pile, while the rest ol'the fingers grab the far side.
lnsert your thumbs under the pile and slide them forward, grabbing the pile with both hands, and hitting the table with the krwor side in a squaring motion. While doing these moves, the body should be slightly turned to one side, and the attention should be focused on the face up cards. The pile should rest at the side of the table, in the "shadow zorre". The reason for going through the whole deck depends on the routine you're performing. We'll cover some ideas later.
Now it's time to pick up the pile of cards. To do so, the palms of both hands approach each side of the pile, and push them toward the center.
l
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A llook in English: The card magic of Woorly
A book in Englislr: l'lrc cirnl rrupit' ol'Woody Aragon
Arirgr'rrr
'l'he Separagon in pictures. Audience view.
You will be automatically holding 2 intenr'yovcn packets of cards. Black cards will be in horizontal position, iurcl reds in a 90 degrees angle. Your fingers should rest over the backs, covering the front angle.
Keep your left hand's fingers still. Your right index finger will push the vertical facing cards to the left as you hit the table with
the deck (repeat the squaring action a couple times). This will leave you with z groups of cards, red and black, forming art "L" shape.
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lr.'t'he unweaving. will now unweave the cards. 'I'here are many ways to do so, I use them indistinctly, usllally adapting to the situation I
You rrrrrl
rrrrr in when the
time comes.
'l'he direct way.
ll might be the simplest way to accomplish the unweaving, but it is also the one I use most. I am holding the cards in the final " 1," position, after doing the Separagon. I have been looking at llrc thces of the cards throughout the squaring actions. Then I ririsc my focus and look up at the audience, and ask them a "lrlrrrring question". (r) At this moment, both hands raise the "L", and my left hand st'parates the vertical facing cards, rotating them out as the right hand holds the horizontal packet, thus making the rrnweaving easier. Then the right hand deposits its cards over llrc ones in the left hand, completing what, in the audience's r,.ycs,
should look like no more than a simple cut.
Son'rctimes, in order to disguise the action a little bit more, I lirlrlc thc deck and give it "one more" cut (this time for real) orrlo rrry krli hantl. 'l'lrcrr I follow with some "in the hands" cuts.
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Irot.izontal one in the left hantl, thtr right hand continues the irr.liorr by giving its packet a llinclu shuffle. The whole move ,lisgrrises flr" ,ri*"uting as an action between squaring and Hindu shuffle' 1,i,'i.ing up the deck, and the start of the
The biggest problem with this method is tlr:rt s()tttetimes the cards g"iitrct and, if the audience notices it, tlrt'trnweaving of a group of cards will be obvious- But, even whcn this happens, th6 urrdience won't suspect that you have contt'olled a specific group of cards, so as far as they are concernecl, the technique witt ititt work miracles because they cannot imagine the cards you are unweaving are the ones you need, instead of just iandom ones. In any case, because it's the most direct unweaving, it is the best to one do, if you apply the proper misdirection. As you will see, many of the justifications to deal through the wholb deck consist of divination effects, or gags. This makes it quite easy to unweave the cards after a climax, on the offbeat of an effect, or at the natural relaxation point that comes after a ioke.
l(r,st0r.irrg the order of the deck is quite easy, as_the lower half r,, irl't'irrly itt order, a,d the upper half has only been cut a few Ittrtcs. t lsirrg
tlrt"llrjtrnrph shuffle.
You will ont:c itgait-t start in the Separagon's final "L" shape' As
tlrr, r.iglrt lrrrnrl 1:sts 1ln the horizontal half, keeping it.still (and ,,1,,,, ,1,',v,,r'irrg thc bacl
Hindu Shuffle unweaving. This method is more doccivirrg tlt:rtr tht'1ll'trviotts ottt', [ttt it has the disadvantage 0l' sliglrtlr, ;rllr.r'irrg lltt, otrlt't' ()1' ottt' ol' thc packets. Yorr will go llrrorrl,,lr llrc s;ttttc ltt'liotls rts itt lllr'
l
A book in E,nglish: l'ltc t'rrrrl ttt;r,tr' rtl Woody Aragon
A Bool< in English: The card magic o1'Wootl\, ,\ r rrqirrr
Once both halves are in horizontal position, lircirrg cach other, table the cards and you will be in the pcrlirct position to simulate the squaring of the cards, as in Vcluon's triumph, continuing with the extraction of the carcls hirlclen under the right hand.
Other unweavings. Once you get to the "riffle shuffle" position, you can actually do any kind of false riffle shuffle technique (push-through, etc...) although I don't recommend some of them, as they
reinforce the idea of two halves being weaved in the mind of the spectators. The ideal would be for them to remember only the squaring of the tabled cards. That is why I prefer the unweaving actions that look like shuffles in which you have supposedly squared the cards. 3. Justifications. The Separagon is a very deceiving technique, but not exactly what I would call fast. That means you need to justifiz, in the best possible way, going through the whole deck card by card (of course you can apply the technique only to half the deck, or a group of cards). I have found several possibilities. a) Looking for a chosen card, which you previously forced. b) Simulate memorizing the whole deck. c) After a fake memorization, revealing the cards by naming them one by one (for example, if the deck is set in memorized stack order) leaving the card(s) you want to control in perpendicular position at the same time. d) Showing the cards to a spectator, and telling him to think of one, to be found Ial"er. e) You can also do the latter as a gag. Set a card with a different back as an open prediction, stating that the card thought by the spcrt'trrtor will nratch yotrr' prccliction. After going throtrglt llrc wltolt' rlt'r'l<, tlrc tlrorrglrl ol'carcl is nunrcrl :rnrl tlrt'rr yorr slrow vorrr'plr'
written on it. You could lrlso rrsc the classic "52in 1" gag card, or use a joker ancl statc that the joker can substitute
l')
any card...
If using a borrowed deck, yott can count the cards, just to rnake sure the deck is complete.
Wlrt'rr I showed the technique to Juan Tamariz, he told me tlr;rl going through the whole deck in front of the audience could ,'rrrl rrp lreing quite boring. That is why you need to be very ,:rrr,l'rrl with your script for this moment, so as to make the Irlr)('(,ss interesting. In any case, Juan proposed an idea for grr r,sr,nling the Separagon anytime, any"where in an entertaining \\;l\'.
'l'lu'r'r' lrrdience members select a card. You should know the rrlr,rrlil.y ol'the first two cards in advance (either by a peek or l,r't't,). Whcn returning these to the deck, make sure that the Irr:,t crrrtl goes in position L4to 2+ and the second one 30 to 40. l'lrr' '1"t t'irrtl (which could be signed) is either palmed or lapped, nr ;rlr,lxrnrti
,lr',r';rrrl llrt' non-chosen cards. Ask the spectators to show you llr.rl lrcsl "pol
llrr:r rvrry, llrt' St.lxrnrgon stops being just a "technique" and lrlr'onru; ;rrr t'xt'ilirtg trirrl<, witlt effercts distributed during the ,'lr,rlr"'1loirrg llrrortglr tltt'tlct:l<" l)r'(x'('ss, ittt:l'easing suspense lllrrrr' ;rrt'li'rryr'r';rrrrl li'lvct'r'rtt'rls lt'f'l llirltt wltit'lt yotl can get the , llr'l iotr ), irntI lr r;trr';rri:litrg t'litttttr.
A book in English:
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Arirgrin
Tl.re
clrl
nutliic ol'Woody Aragon
4. Alternate handlings THE RIBBON SPREAD
It might
seem impossible, but before squaring the cards, you can actually ribbon spread the deck on the table. This helps to enhance the apparent lack of control, without really altering the 9o degree angle between the two groups of cards.
Simply spread the cards to your right, with your right hand, in a slight curve, as you can see in the picture. You can make a remark, depending on the justification you used for going through the cards face up, or on the trick you are performing. But you have to refer to the deck. I mean, if you do it and say "These are all red-backed cards...." You justify the spreading of the cards. s
l,l
l,A t(AGON
To T.P.c.
'l'lrr, lirrrndation of this technique, placing the desired cards in pr,r'pr.rrtlicrrlar position with respect to the rest of the deck, rrrirkr,s it llossible to combine the Separagon with the T.P.C. ('l'rrrrrirriz's Perpendicular Control), which is described in detail lrr Sorruta (t)
(lr
llrlotrgh the Separagon, leaving the whole deck with its 'rlrnll sitlt' krol
Then gather the cards, just as explained in the description of the Separagon, with both palms pushing the deck from its side, only this time they both close the whole spread and square the
llrr,"pilr," ol't::rrcls, the thumbs do not go under the
cards.
(t
l
| .ltrttt'l'itttt:tt
iu.
Sttttttltt. l'rrlrlislrcrl lrt lrt;tl.r,ott
11,,1;li5;, 1t)r)o.
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Arlgrirr
A book in English: The caltl rrrirgic ol'Woody Aragon
rrrrtlcrneath the deck, getting to Lhe same position as in a nlrrrrrlard T.P.C. for several cards. F'rom this position, you can uH(, illly of the applications Juan Tamariz developed for his lr.r'lrnique. I recommend having the cards to be controlled in llrr, krwer half of the deck, so as to make the spreading easier. 'l'lrtr advantage of this combination of moves is going directly shuffled deck, without having to lu llru "f.P.C. spread from ao'lose" them again in the deck. r,r'nrclr tbr the 4 aces only to
6. - 'l'hc psycholory behind the Separagon.
Now you will seemingly square the deck, but what really happens is that the left hand's fingers will reach for the ends of the cards in perpendicular position, and push the rest of the deck to the left. Meanwhile, the right hand covers the right side of the deck, where the aces are sticking out.
'l'lrrrru are several techniques that allow you to separate cards Irurrr l shuffled deck: Harry Lorayne's "The Great Divide", llolsirrzcr's Cull, Lennart Green's "Angle Separation"... The Sr,pru'irgon has fundamental differences from all of them, and as when comparing ',rrclr, llrcsents advantages and disadvantages ll lu lltcnr.
I
llrirrl< the main disadvantage is the need for a table, which
h'xsr,ns lhc Separagon's versatility. Another inconvenience is the
rlrn'rrlion of the process of going through the cards, due to the rnng(,ol'the motions implied, it takes more time than the lr,r'lrrritlttt:s of Lorayne and Green, and even more than the time rrlx'nl in t:ulling. 'l'lrc rrtlvirntlges, though, are the psychological aspects of what I ltr tttttlicnt:c sees.
ljlrsl, tlrc othcr techniques have a hidden secret action, and llrux lrrrtl lnglcs that you need to cover (cards sliding and joining r,nllr ollrcr scclctly under a spread, packets of cards that need to Lruk rrs tlury are squared, when in reality they are not...). In Hr'pru'rrgon, what tlte audience sees is exactly what is happening: l'uu't'r, llrruwing carcls in an unsquared pile on the table. The luyr,t'i1rl{ plint:illlcs (r) arc thus built into thc technique. Now the right thumb pushcs the top car
ttl 'l'lrr.MnBicol'Au'ttltlttVol.t"'l'lrcSltttllttt'itl('ottt't'Iliottol'Mttgic
A book in English: 'l'hc c:rrrl rruq,r( ol Woocly Aragon
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Arirg
Second, the other techniques are all done in the magician's hands, with the deck under his control. On thc contrary, the Separagon is done on the table. Because the magician does not touch the cards, the possibility of using sleight of hand is much further from the audience's minds.
Third, the result of the technique is connected to the effects in which you can do it: Tricks with hear,y deck stacking. The natural look, the seeming lack of concern of how the cards fall on the table, and the visual picture of the unsquared pile on the table help create the illusion of a totally mixed deck. In fact, it is easy for the audience to think that, after the Separagon, the cards are further mixed. It is a controlling technique that conveys a complete lack of control. And fourth, the extraction of the desired cards is justified by the action of squaring the tabled deck, and it can even be done while the audience is burning your hands (they might think that, instead ofjust squaring, that you have taken the cards that get in your way and put them on top, but they cannot imagine a full deck control in the 4 or S seconds the squaring action takes). In the Loralme and Green techniques, the extraction/unweaving is done from a seemingly squared deck, which makes disguising the technique a little bit tricky. 6.
-Apracticetrick.
The first few times you try the Separagon, you will probably I guarantee that once you master it,
Iose control of a few cards. it is a too%o safe technique.
You have to be sensitive to the condition of the cards. An old deck, with cards that "stick" to each other, can give y<-ru problems. But the most dangerous are freshly opened decks, with cards that slide too much (Aviators, for example). The danger is when you throw onrr slip;tery card on lop ol'another, the falling card spins a bil rrl'tr,r' lrrrrrling anrl cntls rrp l;rr,irrg the
wrong way.
ll you're very careful whilc c:xct'ttlirrg thc technique, obviously r',,rr rcduce the chances of losiug ittty of the cards. Nevertheless, nr\, ;rtlvice is to do it carelessly, with a total lack of concern, and
tlrrrr rnake a correction if you feel you lost control of any card. l(r,rrrcmber what this technique is all about, the "messy" feeling \ ou wilnt to create, and you will realize that if you are too r';rlt'l'rrl about the way you put the cards on the table, you might lr)nv('.y to the audience that you are purposely arranging the prlr,.
Irr rrrry case, at one point the Separagon will look really good rvlrr,rr lrructicing it at home, but you might be scared of doing it
irr lrorrl o[ a real audience, for fear of losing control of a card. ,lrrrl so .you can practice, and start feeling confident, I will show r,rr ;r lrit:l< I've done thousands of times, which I could say is a rr,r'sirrn" of the classic Oil and Water plot... but a little , irrr,liit't'...
A book in E,nglish: 'l'hc crrnl tttitliit' trl Woody Aragon
A Book in English: The card magic o1'Wootly Alitgrin
CHEEKY OIL AND WATER l,ct a member of the audience shuffle the deck. After he (r) p,ivr,s it back to you, execute the Separagon, use any excuse, and rir,l)rrirte the red and black cards. Arrrrounce that you will now perform "the classic Oil and Wrrlt,r'c('['ect", and you are going to take 4 red cards, and 4 black LI l( 's.
S;rrt,atl the deck, with the faces pointing at you, so as to not let ry(,n(: glirnpse the cards. Now you will seemingly look for eight r'irnls ol'your liking, what you really do is look for possible rrrisltrlics in the separation. If you find a black card between the rr.rl ont's, take it, and vice versa. You will end up with the deck ',r'l)nrirl('(l by colors. Then pretend you're still looking for cards, lrrhirrg rirnclorn ones to complete the eight you need for the oil rrtrrlwitl(.t'. ru
ll llrcrc wcre more than 4 red and 4 blacks mixed in the uplrosilc gr'oup, correct the whole deck before taking the eight r ir r'( lli .you will use for the trick. l'lrrcc llrt'rlcck asicle (as far away as possible), and focus your rrllr,rrliorr on the eight cards you removed from the deck, and ,,lirrl llrc l.ypical Oil ancl Water patter, sa)'lng that red and black r rurls lrirvt' ;r tlill'crcnt density, and thus, just like oil and water, r'\r,u il vou wcilvr) tltcut alternating colors, after letting them r,'il, lltr.y st'piu'ittt' lty lhtrntsclves.
Explnittittg lltt Stlttnt,lrttr lrt,/ttl lttt',,,,,,,,,,r,,4it :'lrrtlt
('0();)
i11
Mirtttti
(t) l rvill rr:l'llr,.rrr;rlr, l)r'()noun lirl llrc lr':;l ol lltr lrooli, l'ttt st>t't'y about llrrl, lrrrl il':r tttot,'r'ottvctlit'ttl tlr;rtr rvlilirrli lrr'/:;lrr';rll lllt'tiur<'...
A Book in English: The card magic of Woody Arlrgtin
A book in Englislr: 'l-lrc cirnl rrurliit' ol'Woody Aragon
With the cards facing dovrn, set them in recl-black order. If you do this for magicians, you can simulate the actions of any known version of the trick, but without really altering the order ofthe cards. Finally, make a quick move, as if flicking the cards, so that the audience will think "there, he just did somethtng". Then say "Red and black cards, intertuouen one by one, separate if you let them rest, so if I do this magic gestltre, uhat uill happen to them?" "They seperete"
-
should be their answer.
"Of course they don't, come on, are Aou kidding me? Hotu could they separate?" Say this as you show the cards are still in red-black order. The audience will laugh at the gag. "Becettse, as I told you, the cards separate if you let them rest, and these B haue had no rest in my hands... On the other hand,
the rest of the deck, that you shuffled yourself, has had plenty of time to rest... and nou red and black cards are completely separated!" Take the rest of the deck and ribbon spread it to show the separated colors.
SEPARAGON TRIUMPH r\ vcry bold version of the Triumph effect, but with a nice r,rrrlirrg and very interesting performance conditions. Give the rlr,r'k lo someone in the audience, and have him mix the cards lncr, lrgr and face down. Retrieve the deck, peek at one card, and lnrcc it thce down so no one can know its identity. Have them lroh I I lrc fbrced card away from the deck. Arrrrounce that using your great memory, you will try to rrrr,nrorizc the face-up face-down sequence. Tell the audience rrlrorrl lhc great difficulty of the task, inviting them to remember il loo. ils you show them the cards.
ADDITIONAL RE,MARI(S:
If the first few times you try the Separagon you don't get it rooyo right, and there are too many mixed cards when you are tryrng to find the red and black cards, you can just do a regular Oil and Water trick, eliminating the full deck separation climax. I am sure the experience you will get from the failure will make your next attempt successful (and, if it doesn't... just keep trying!) This gag is more suitable for rnagicians than fbr layrnen, but you can perform a couple o1'phitst:s of a stancl:txl Oi1 ortd Water routine, and finish with llrt't'lirrrrrlic cf'ltt'l rtl'lt:rvirrg thc full deck separatccl by cokrt's. I llrirrl< pt't'lirt'tttilrli tlrc r'l'li't't in those con
('rrl rrlrorrl l tlrirrl ol'tlrt' tlcr:l< arrtl rlo lltt' Iirst part of the 'ir'prrrrr;iorr witlr il, st,prrrirling Iirct'rr1l irrrrl lirt't'rlown carcls in a rli'irrrrrl" pilr, on llrr, lirlrlt', "lwistcrl" irt rlil'li'n'rrt itngles. l\tlrrtrwltik., y()u (';nl trttnnlllr"'li;tt't' ttp, l;rcc rlowtt, litt't' tt11..."
A book in English: Tho cllrl trrtgit' ol'Woody Aragon
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Alirgtin
with another third of thc clccl<. Then finish with the rest of the cards. Ask the audience if thcy were able to memorize the sequence. They will obviously be lost from the very beginning. Now ribbon spread the "messy" deck. Everyone will see a mix of face up and face down cards. Now pause and take a good look at the spread, saylng that you will now use you photographic memory to fix the order in your mind. What you really want is for the audience to register this image in their minds, so that they will remember it afterwards. Repeat the process
Now say that, if everything was right, you are ready to determine the identity of the missing card. Name the forced card and, immediately after showing it, take advantage of the relaxation after the effect. Close the spread and extract the face up cards from the face dov,n ones, turn over one of the halves and square the deck. Then lose the chosen card, in reversed position, in the middle of the deck. Give no importance to this; it should just seem as if you are gathering the cards to continue with the memorization effect. Leave the decl< face up on the table.
liocus the attention back on thc clcck, remind everyone that it litirly mixed face up and fzrcc clown by the audience, and rrrrrkc a magic gesture. Ribbon spread the deck on the table, and ',lrow all of the cards are face up, except one. Show that it is, urrcc irgain, the selection. wrrs
N( )'l'li: If you are working with a stacked deck, you can start lrv rkrir.rg a riffle shuffle, turning half of the deck over. (A
nrr,rrrlrcr of the audience could also do the shuffle). After the real ,rlrrrl'l'lu, execute the Wiper Move (a technique I will soon r,rlrlrrirr), and then go on with the Separagon Triumph. There rvill lrc a great feeling of disorder, but the deck will practically t r,l rr i rr t ho initial stack (you will only need to return the selection lrrrrk into place).
A book in English: The calrl trrtlitc ol'Woody Aragon
A Book in English: The card magic of Woorly Arirgrin
THE WIPER MOVE l'lris is zl move I came up with while toying with the :illrnrirllon. It can be used an),time you need to seemingly mix a ,ilrrr'lir,rl rlcrck, with cards face up and face dovrn, while retaining llrr, irrili:rl order, or if the face up cards cannot be shuffled with llrr, lrrcr,tlown ones: Shuffle Bored, etc... slirrt lrom a deck that already has cards face up and face in lcll hand dealing position. The foundation of the tr,r'lrrrirlrrt. is very similar to the Separagon. The right hand takes rr |r,r'ilil1) 0l' t:ards, with the thumb over them and the rest of the llrr1lr,r's rrrrrlcrneath. The right wrist turns, turning over the r iu rlr;, irrrrl thruws them on the table. The cards will fall slightly l n,ir l u iu'(.( 1, iurtl turned over with respect to their initial position. Yurr
rLrrvn,
With Maricarmen, my girlfriend, in Firenze (2008)
Nnrr', llrt, r'iglrt lr:rrrtl t'ornt,s lxtr:li to tlrt'rlct'l<, ilt orcler to grab rulrllr,r'llr'()ul) ol r';rlrls, lrrrt tlris lirttc licr'pitrli tlrt's:ttttc position
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootlv At'rtgtin
A book in English: Thc caltl ttrtp,tt ol'Wttody Aragon
it
had after taking the first cards. That is, with the thumb underneath, and the four fingers on top. Thr: r'r'strlt is that, even
if you turn the cards over again, the cards tut'n in the opposite direction (now the wrist turn so that the cards Ilove towards the audience) and fall on another plane, also unsquared, over the previous ones.
;\r'lrrirlly, if you square the deck and turn it over, you1l be r,rrrrlly in the same situation you were in the beginning. The move is repeated, alternating the direction of the turn (always in a natural way, since the hand is already in the right position after throwing the cards it carries). You can say something like "I'll turn ouer some cards face up, some face down, face up, face dotun.." Actually, you're not 1)org, but the truth is, turning some cards in one direction, and the rest in the opposite one, is the same as turning all of the cards in the same direction.
You simply turn over the whole deck, which stays just like it was before the move. But the impression you give the audience is closer to the action of alternating between turning over a packet and just throwing the next one, as it is, onto the table.
In other words, we want to create the feeling of breaking up the order, and that some of the cards which were facing up are now facing down (and vice versa), while others stly with their original orientations.
A Book in English; The card magic of Woorly Arirg
A book in English: Tho canl rrurllit' ol'Woody Aragon
CONVEX CONTROL Irr Arthur
Buckley's
Card Control book, there is
an
"r,r1rt.r'inrent" by the name of ConuexedAces which is a multiple
nrrrlrol of the four Aces invented by Joe Berg, and based on \,rtt'v ( )t'iginal principle.
a
Al tlrc liscorial Meeting, some years ago, a great deal of time t,rrs rlcrlicated to Buckley's book. As I thought the said control lrrrrl nlilrly possibilities, I chose it as the theme for my prr.sr.nlation, and studied the technique for a while, trying to lrpkrnr its possibilities. I hope you enjoy some of my ideas.
('ONVIiXED ACES llirsl, I will explain the procedure in Buckley's book. It rrrlvrrttlitgrr of being very safe.
In London, performing a trick for Max Mauen's cousin (2008)
has the
A book in English: Thr: ciu tl tttit;iit' ol'Woody Aragon
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Anrgrin
The idea is to place the four Aces separaterl in a row on the table. But before doing that, bending thcrn vertically, by pushing on the long ends (as opposed to thc way you would bend them in the classic pop-up ending to an ambitious card routine), so that when you lay them on the table, face down, the cards form an arch and the center of the card is elevated about half an inch. This is similar to the classic way to prepare the cards for a 3 card monte routine.
'l'ltr. lwo hands come together, dragging their respective piles, nrrrl grrrshing them into one pile. Done quickly, it seems like the lrrxls in the two piles are being randomly mixed, but the truth 1,,, rlrrr. to the elevation of the cards over the Aces, and their bent ,rlrrlr., llrcy are now together at the bottom of the new pile. l(r,pr,irl lhc same action with the third and fourth pile, and llrlrr wilh tltc two remaining piles. You will have controlled the lr
Now grab three cards from the deck, extend them a little, and put them over the first Ace, completely covering its back. Do the same with the other three Aces. Rest your left hand's fingers on the left side of the first Ace's pile, the one at the far left side. The Ace will work as a fulcrum, and the right side of the cards over it will rise up.
The right hand will do the opposite action with the second pile, resting its fingers on the right side.
\
rrrr Act.s to the bottom.
ilASI(t 'l't,l,cHNrQUE I plrrclit'crl this technique for a while, and I realized that most rrl llrr, linrt.you tlon't need to bend the cards that much (unless r'uu'r'r. worl
A book in English: Thc citrtl tttitlr,it' ol'Woody Aragon
A Book in English: The card magic of Woorly Alirgrin
one, ending either directly above
or
bekrw
it, but never
contacting any of the indifferent cards.
If the deck is in good condition, and all of the cards are
"straight",
I
usually do the following. Take the four Aces
together, and bend them, nonchalantly, Ren6 Lavand style. Lay them on the table, forming a line, and place a few cards (they do not need to be exactly three) over each Ace. The Ieft hand will now approach the leftmost pile, but will not rest on it. Instead, you will place it in a vertical position, so that the side of the hand and the pinky contact the table (in a kind of "karate chop" position). The right hand does the same, next to the second pile.
In a straight movement, the hands get together, and push one pile into the other. The hands barely touch anything but the sides of the cards. You'll see that the Aces still end up on the bottom.
r,ns.y rnove,
"hrrircl(".
but you will havc to pt'itctice in order to get the
(IONCAVES AND CONVEXBS
'l'lrc tact that you do not press on the piles has another rrrlvirntage. The non-bent cards
will remain straight, and that
irlkrws cluplicating the control with four other cards on the top, lrr,rrl thc opposite way.
l,lrr cxample, imagine we have four Convex Aces, just as I just r,r;rlirincd, and we put indifferent cards on top of them... but tlris lirrrc we deal those cards, one by one. The reason is, the last lrrru'r'rrrcls are kings, which we have also bent... the opposite rrir\'. 'l'lrc center of the kings contacts the indifferent cards, but llrr, Lrrrg cnds rise slightly over them.
ll
lpply the basic technique to the four piles, the result will lrr, llrirt thc four Aces will be controlled to the bottom, but also llrr, lirrrr l(ings will end up on top. wr,
,I'IIIq I)IRECTPUSH ,\ r;rrit'licr ernd "cleaner" way of controlling the cards, although ir lillh, lrit riskier, is not to push the piles together one by one. llr rLrirrg the basic technique, but pushing the leftmost pile ,rllrrirrsl tlrc rightmost one (that is, pushing piles r and 4 into r,nllr ollrt.r'), and letting them push the two in the center... it rr nt'lis loo!
This move is much more natural, and creates a much better illusion, as it seems as you bardy touch the cards :rt thc moment you push them together'. 'l'lrt' prrrblt:rn is, if tlrc lrirnrls clo nrrt come straight at eadr otlrcr', w('r'un thc risli ol'rrccirlcntally pushing an inclil'l'crcnt t';rrrl lx'lwcctt lltt' Accs. ll's ;tt'lttitll.y itu
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Arag(rn
In this case, the feeling that you have no control whatsoever over the cards is even greater: Four piles are pushed and shuffled into one, are you barely touch the sides of two of them.
CONTROL PLUS I-APPING (ACES TIIROUGII TIIE
rABLE) I had the idea of combining the convex control with lapping, taking advantage of the fact that after the control, the four Aces are on the bottom of the pile, and still bent, creating a "bridge". The use of misdirection is directly taken from Gabi's switch, one of the deck switches I use most, which I'11explain later on.
I
use this combination for a super-fast and direct version of Aces through the Table. The Aces could be signed, but I never bother.
Do the convex control (it is preferable that you use the direct pushing method) and square the pile. The hands rest on it, in position to do a tabled shuffle, thumbs on the inner long end, first fingers on top, and the rest of the fingers on the outer side of the pile. But you will not take it. The right hand stays in position over the pile. The lclt hand riffles the carcls, until there are only four or five lcft.
A book in English: Thc clrrl rrrirliit' ol'Woody Aragon
'l'lrc lclt hand grabs those few cards and takes them to our left ahlt,, r'irising them to your eyes level. Follow that pile with your nlglrl, wlrose face will be flashed to the audience for a moment, lrrnl lrt'lirrc the left hand repositions it back to standard dealing prrxilion. '['urn your whole body to the left, focusing all of the rrllr,rtliort on that pile. Mr,rrrrwhilc, the right hand will slide its pile to the border of llrr, lrrlrlt, antl, due to the bridge created by the convex Aces, they rvlll rrlrrrost lap themselves. The right hand continues its rnovr.nrcnl, placing its cards over the ones in the left hand and Irrrrrrr,rliirlcly starting a Hindu Shuffle, as you say "We'lI mix the r rl'rls lltis ttt
A Book in English: The card magic of Woorly Allgrin
A book in English: Thc cuxl
rrrirl-iie
ol'Woody Aragon
GABI'S DECK SWITCH
Then, always following the cards with your eyes, place the pile back in the center of the table, once again directing our body and focusing the attention on the pile in the center. The right hand presses on the pile four times, as the left one goes under the table, taking the lapped aces on the way.
'l'lris is the way I present one of the most direct deck switches I llrow. I have been using it continuously since its creator, Gabi l'lr'(,r'ns, showed it to me, and gave me permission to use it and lr,nch it (it was previously published in my A la Carta). This r,wllr,lr wisely applies misdirection at its best. You start with the rh,r,k you want to switch in your lap. The magician is going to rlrow his audience the different wavs to shuffle a deck of cards...
"'llris r.s lltc ouu'lturttl slnqffle, otTe ntore often used by those tuut litntilitu' tuilh pluqirul cur(ls..." Show the aces are not in thc pile anymoro. 'l'ake the four Aces from under the tablc, slrowirrg they hirvt' ;xrsscrl right through it.
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'l'ltr,rlt,r'k is slrrrl'llt'rl itt tltu ttticltllc ol'lltt'tlhlc. You shouldbe hrnlrlttg rrl il, so llrirl tlrt' 'ru(li('n(:(!rs itllcttliott is t:t'ttlttt'ctl
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Boo[< in English: The card magic of Wootly Alag6n
A book in English: Tlrc clnl rtrrgic ol'Woody Aragon
wllh only one hand, let your right hand fhll naturally to your lap, wlrcrc it will grab the second deck.
"There's ako the Hindu shufJle, ushich consrsts of letting little groups of cards fall, just like thk..."
Turn your body slightly to the left, placing the deck in front of your face. Don't take your eyes off the deck, and the spectators won't either.
"t.t., tlou can also... well, you
allknou
this one, don't'you?"
l,rrrrl< nt your audience, and ask them a blurring question as ynrrr lxrrly turns back to its original position. Both hands come lngr,llrtrr, and meet right over the edge of the table. Because you rrt'r, lrnsically crossing the gaze, the audience won't look at your Irnrrrl. ll's the perfect moment to lap the deck in your left hand, rvlrk'lr will then be taking the bottom half of the switched in rlr,r'lt lirrnr the right hand.
"You cen also shuffle by ctLtting the deck. skillfully, using only one hond..."
It
can be done
Perform one or two (llrirrlicr t'rrls. lJccausc ol'lltt'sliglrt turn o1' thebodyyou
lul
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Arag(rn
A book in English: The carrl tnrtliic ol'Woody Aragon
nre
"Well, Aou can just do a regular cut, just likc eueryone does at home uhen playing poker..."
The right hand takes the upper half of the deck, brings it forward and, in the act of cutting, the whole body will move forward. The left hand moves away from the table's edge, holding its half of the switched deck. Your gaze will be directed at the half you just tabled, so that the audience focuses on the spot where the cut will be completed.
THE BREATHER CRIMP Surrrc of the tricks in this book use a breather crimp ("Mrrvt.r'icft" is based mainly on it). I will now explain it, and glvl you some of my ideas and "tips" about this marvelous ,rt tlrlr,t'l'ttgc. 'l'lrr, lrrcather crimp is a technique that Dai Vernon imported Irurrr tlrtr world of gambling (t). I usually have one card with a lrrr.rllrt.r'crimp in my deck, as you can use it to your advantage rvlrr.rr nt.trrlcd, but it does not interfere the normal handling of I lrr, r lr,r'l< wltcn not in use.
"And there you haue it: a deck that's been shuffled in seueral u)aAS, andfinished off u:ith a traditional cut." Complete the cut, and show your empty hands. You can ask the audience to perform one or two "traditional cuts", should theywish to.
As you will see, no one will remember that you hid a hand beneath the table's edge, or even that the deck approached it, since in their minds, they will fuse the action of the Charlier cut and the regular cut into one smooth motion.
Hlt,lrlrr,rr Minclr, trtU'/.
'l'lttr Vcrrron (llrrorrir:lcs
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A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Arag6n
To install a breather crimp on a card, grab it face down, pinching its center with the left hand fingers. Press with your right hand at the same point, thumb on top and first and second fingers on the bottom. Push hard with your right thumb on the space between the first and second fingers, which should be slightly separated. Drag your fingers in a diagonal line, from the center of the card to the lower right corner, creating a small 'otrack". Rotate the card and repeat the process with the other corners. You will end with an X-shaped mark in the card's surface.
The crimp is almost invisible, and the card will almost stay "breathered" forever. From now on, sensing by touch, it will be quite simple to cut the deck so that the crimped card ends up on bottom.
In its original form, the crimp was done with the card face up, so that the card would end up on top, but I prefer to do the opposite (a "reversed crimp", so to speak). It is also recommended to use a picture card for the breather crimp, as the complexity of the drawing helps further hide the crimp if someone were to look directly at the card.
When I create a stack, I always try to place my crimped card at the last position (the one at the bottom) so that the spectators can cut as many times as they wish, but I can still return the stack to its initial order by quickly cutting at the crimped card. Obviously, that card is also the 5znd in my memorized stack (if you Aronson's or Tamariz's stack, placing a crimp on the 9D will be of great help if you later want to instantly return to the deck to its natural order).
If I don't have
a crimped card in the deck, but I want to use one later, I have a method for doing it in front of the audience, in a way that flies right by them. I perform a quick ambitious card routine, ending up with the popular bent card ending (see "The Pop Up Card" in Expcrt Card Technique). Then, without making any conrnt.rrl, I .just take thc sclection anc] install a breather crinrp orr il itt ll'otrt of evcr'.yorrc. As the carcl has bccn bcnt lt llrt' r'rrrl ol' lltt' last cl'li'r't, lltr. ittttlicncc I
tI"
A book in English: The caxl nrirliic ol'Woody Aragon
1rr,t'r'r'ives this as a normal action lix' r'cmoving the bend in the lrrrrl, As far as they're concerned, I am iust straightening out the llu'rl, so that it ends up just like the rest.
belongs to a layman (I don't to crimp your fellow magician's cards), don't be
ll'thc deck is borrowed, and rrttggust you
tvot't'itrtl by the fact that he might notice the crimp when you y,lvr. lrinr back the deck.
A book in English: The caltl rrrirliit: ol'Woody Aragon
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Arag6n
THE BROKEN CORNER (Gard to Wallet) 'l'lris is an idea that combines technique with perceptive lllrrsion, creating an effect that has all of the advantages of rrxirrg a duplicate card, but which can be performed with a s'r'grrllr deck, anytime, any"where: the card you'll use is not a rlrrprlicate, but it looks like one. The only problem is, you can't rhr it with a borrowed deck... unless the ovrner doesn't mind yurr lrrcitlcing his cards!
ln Manhattan, u)ith
one of my far)orite young magicians: the great Helder Guimardes. I loae this guy... andhis family!
(200e)
Wlrcn I started toying with this idea, I used it in the context ul rrrr rrnrbitious card routine. But over the years, I've applied it Irr rrrrrrr.y other routines, such as Peter Kane's Elongated Lady rrr lfrrrrrcis Carlyle's Homing Card. As I want to explain this irL,n in the context of a trick, here's a version of "Card to .Wnllcl", which is one of the most direct ways to use it. But, qlrnrrltl you want to, you can easily adapt it for the routine you wnttl lo llurfbrm. ,loxt, (}rrroll, in his "Conflicts" article (r), said that a way to ;4,lvr, rrroru clrama to "Card to Impossible Location" tricks, is to 1r'r,Hr,nl lltc obiect (where the card will be) when the audience lrlllr,vt.s tlrc card has not yet "travelled". A classic example wurrlrl llc
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A book in English: Thc cirrrl nritlitt' ol Wottcly Aragon
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Arug(trl
Ring to Ringbox, in which the spectator belicvcs that he's still holding "the ring" inside a silk (in reality, it's.iust a duplicate sewn on the inside). We'll use a similar ruse here. Start by controlling any B to the top of the deck, followed by a 7 of the same suit. It's very easy to do this impromptu, by using a cull. Use any kind of "stop" force (eg, riffle force), so that you can use a double lift to show the spectator the 7 as his "selection". Grab the deck so that the middle pip of the 7 is at the upper half. Ask the spectator to sign the face of the card, indicating to sign right at the blank space under the middle pip. Don't make a big deal of it, just indicate to him where to sign marking the spot with your fingers. As soon as you finish ripping the corner, the hand that holds llrr,rkruble corner goes to the pocket, as if you were going to plrrct, the card inside. Quickly dump the "rear" corner (the B's lrrrk.x) arnd, pretending to change your mind, take the rr.rrririning corner out, and hand it to a spectator to hold.
Tell him: "Well, this signature means anAone can tell rhis rs your card... if ute look at its face. But if you look at the back, you won't be able to tell uhich one is your card. Let me make it easy for eueryone to keep track of it..." Grab the double with your left hand, being very careful so that the cards stay aligned. Then tear what looks like the upper index corner of the 7, actually tearing both the 7 and B corners. You will be left holding a double card with a missing corner in one hand, and a "double corner" in the other one.
l'lrrcc the double card, face up, on top of the deck, and r,rr.r'lrlc a double turnover. Push the top card (the eight) about irrr irrt'lt t
nn llrc table. The left hand wrist kills", turning
The first written reference for breaking a double card that I've found is in Edward Victor's Further Magic of the
Hands (tg+6). He held the card vertically, with its
face
looking at the audience. My grip is a little bit sturdier, but very secure. I hold the card at a horizontal position, and keep the face towards me. The double card is kept squared with the fingers of the left hand, as you can see in the picture. Holding it this way makes it impossible for the cards to lose their alignment. And, even if the grip might look a little bit weird, it is justified by the "weirdness" of what you're doing: tearing the corner of a card.
LL
'l'rrl
llrc tlcck fhce up in your right hand and place it back on vorrl k,l'l hancl - readjusting the deck (turning it 9oo) so that llrr. lorrr (:onrer firces you. It will be in the perfect position for l'I'rlrrirst"s lrottom perhn (although any other bottom palm will rvurk
).
Allct' p:tltttirrg tlrt' t'ltt'tl, t'cilt:h ittio yttttt' lltlt:l
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A Book in English: The card magic of Wooily Arag6n
typical patter, sayrng "if this trick fails, euerything I haue in my wallet...".
I uill
giue
A book in English: The carrl nrirllrt' ol'Woocly Aragon
Aou
l(r.turn the deck to a horizontal position, place the torn lonror back on the table (being extremely fair so that no one lrrrr suspect a switch) in front of the spectator, and push the r'rrrrl tll the way into the deck, losing it completely. You can ,ilrrrl'l'lc the deck, if you wish. Then place the deck on the table, Irrcr, rrp, turning it so that the broken corner ends up facing
Once again, take the deck with your left hand, in standard dealing grip. Take the torn card (the B) with your right hand, face down, and insert it in the middle of the deck. Leave about a third of the card protruding, so that the broken corner can clearly be seen.
\'oil.
Take the broken corner of the 7 from the spectator. Tell him that, no matter where the card is, it can be quicldy identified because the torn corner will only match that particular card. Keep showing the back, and place the torn corner close to the B. The card will not fit exactly, of course, since it doesn't belong to the same card. But, since the two cards will have been ripped off at the same time, the tear will be very similar, and if you keep them at the right distance, it will look as if both pieces belong to the same card.
l)o the magic gesture of your choice, or follow with your lrn,lirrred patter for a card to wallet effect. Spread the deck to right. The broken corner will be covered by the spread, rrrrrl lhc B will now act as a double index card. Its remaining lrrrk,x will show, allowing you to invite the audience to look for l lrr, r'ir rcl in the spread. Tte T will have seemingly vanished. 1'orrr
l,r,t lhc spectator open the wallet himself, and find the ',i1.,,rrt'tl selection inside. Let the spectator keep it, and check tlrrrt lhc corner fits (it will nowbe a perfect match). N(lw you only need to find the broken 8, an easy fit if you lnkr, irrlo account that you can locate the torn corner by simply rilllirrg lhc inner corner with your thumb. You can ditch it
u:rinH,.your favorite method, or use l\lrrlkr/l,trl)aul style torn and restored card.
Now you will raise the deck, so that everyone can see the face of the card. Move the torn corner along, keeping its "place" in respect to the torn card. Tht' scnsory illusion will be perfect (remember the brain lcrr
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A book in English: Thc crrnl rrr;r1'rt ol Wootly Aragon
A Uook in English: The card magic of Wotttly Arag6n
MY ANTI.FARO 'l'lrr,r'r, are two moves that people usually refer to when ,,1,,.rrliirrg of an "anti-Faro". One is the sleight created by Finnish nrrrf,,i('iiul Christian Engblom in which, just by springing the r rr r r ls, thcy end up in alternated injog/outjog positions, just like llrr'1' ;11'f at the moment before pushing the two halves of a Faro l,1,,r,llrr,r' after weaving the cards. When my good friend t'lrrisli:rrr showed me the sleight at the meetings of Escorial, l,rrlk irr 2oo2,I thought it had to be one of the most impressive ,rrrrl rlil'l'it.rrlt sleights in card magic.
l)n nr)l wony, we will talk about the other definition of "antil,un" in lhis section. The idea of using the mathematical Irrr,lr(.r'lics
Performing "Window Shop Magic" in MAGIALDIA! The one and
only conztention in Vi toria-Gasteiz. (2010)
1,r,
rlr,rlrlt'r,).
llrl lilsl llring
know is, if the number of cards is il'thcc:ardsareodd,you lrr rlrl its ln:lny lirrrt's;rs.yorr witrt[. So, il'tlrc tlick I want to lrlrlnrrrr t'r'rltrircs ;ln ('\/('n ttrrtttltt't'ol'r'lrt'rls, I trstritlly add an , ,, lrrr lin'rl, willr ;r r isilrlc rruu'l< or rr crirrP orr il, so lltitl I cir-t , ,r ,tl\ ,lpol ;rrrrl r'(,nrr )\'r' il rrsinli ;ln\' ('\('u:i('. .yorr slroulcl
| \r,1. \'ou cirtt'l t'rrl llt'lwtrt'n liarrls. llrrt,
8.r
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A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly Arag6n
A book in English: The canl nrrrgic ol'Woody Aragon
h, I lll
That means we start in this situation: There's a group of cards that can be dealt into two piles, then gathered by placing either pile on top, cut, and dealt again... instead of simply doing this, I like to use an idea by Ram6n Riob6o for a kind of perceptive false cut, which works perfectly in this situation. Actually, this cut conveys such an image of fairness that I don't think it's necessary for the spectator to deal the cards in piles. I even think it's detrimental. I let the spectator cut the cards, but I do the dealing, since it's something I have experience with. I have a good pace and I can do very quickly, something I think is necessary in tricks that use these kinds of processes. Here is the whole procedure:
and place it on top of the one he just cut jog. Then I say
(uvr,r' lhe former top half) with a slight diagonal " ttu,ll, und the other pile..."
r.- I quickly false shuffle the cards. If the pile is not too big, then the Charlier shuffle is an ideal choice. z.- I let the spectator cut, and complete the cut.
I stress the fact that I'11 start
dealing on the card that the into two piles. I then deal the cards spectator cut to.
3.-
rr I lrrl
,,ln'llrlor', and place it over the unsquared pile, aligned with the lrullunr hrrlf (the previous top one, now on the bottom). I , rrrlirrr rt. " ..:.:uill be placed right there, in the middle, at the spot rylrt't't'
'
t1ort
t:ut to."
l'lrrrr I slowly square everything. And I finish by saying "...
ttrt11t i1's
cttrrtPlctelY lost".
ll ll llrt'sllrrctator
wants, and the trickpermits it, I go backto
,,llJr il"
l'lrr, pr,r't't,1ltivc principle that allows this false cut to work is llrr, ,irun(,irs wlrat makes the classic cross cut force work. After llrl,, Ir'olt,ss lhc spcctator f'eels that two piles were made, and llrrrl orrr.ol'llrcrn wirs krst irr thc n-riclcllc of the other, exactly at llrr, lrorliliorr ryl11rrr. tlrtr slttrt:tatol t'rrl. Ilowcvcr, this process r rlrlrl, rr p,r't'irlt'r' irrrllrt'ssiorr ol':r rt';rl irnrl rirrttklrtt rnix than if \ rn r)lrlv rlr';rlt tlrt't';rrrls ittlo lwo lrik's.
4.- There are now two pilcs on lltc table. I let thc s1-rcr:tator freely choose one, and asl< Irirrr lo t'rrl llrirl pilc.
t
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A book in English: Tltc t'irtrl ttrt;iit ol Woocly Aragon
Bool< in English: The card magic ol-Wootly At'irg,(rn
THE SWINDLE SHUFFLE l';rrrl Curry invented a trick ("Swindle Switch", in his book l'rrul Curry Presents) based on a move that created the
lr,r,lirrg of two cards changing order, when that never really Irrrlrpcrred. Later, Terry Morgan, a NY magician, used the same trh.ir (l)aul Curry himself explains it in Special Effects) as a rvrry lo seemingly mix a group of cards (he dealt cards to the lrrlrlc, one by one, and the audience could stop him any time, ,rrrr I lcll him to "switch" the order of two or three cards).
Wlrilc working on Mr. Morgan's idea, little by little I started to rl,'r'r'krp the false shuffle I witl now explain. Although not ',rrilrrlrlc fbr a whoie deck, I think it is great for a group of
lnternntional gala at 4F conoention: Camilo, Bob Sheets, Willy Monroe, me, Luis Otero, Robert Jrigerhorn, Meir Yedid, the late l.C. Wagner, Antonio Romero, Sue-AnneWebster, Tim Ellis and Daaid
,,,
r5 and 35 cards. 'rnr,wllcle between
Slirrl by false shuffling the deck, as you ask everyone in the
irrrrlicrrt:c to think of a number between r and 5, inclusive. Tell llrcrrr yorr will ask them for it in a moment. You need to them to
lnde.
(2010)
tlrirrli tlrc rtumber in advance, so there will be no pause in the later.
,,lrrr l'l'lirrg prrrccss
'lirlir. tlrt' cleck ir-r Ieft hand dealing position. Ask the first ,ilx,('litlor to tcll you [l"re number he was thinking of. Let us irrrrrp',irrc ltc srrys "'l'ltraa".'fake, one by oue, three cards with 1,,rrr li1,,lrl lrirrrrl. I)o rtol s(luillc tltctn. lrt tltc itt'tion of counting, r,,rr will r'('v('r's(' llrc cirtrls. 'l'lrt' r'iglrl lt;ttttl titl
l
A book in English: The calrl rrrirgit' ol'Woody Aragon
A Book in English: The card magic of Wootly AI'ag6n
Let's say the next number is also three. I{cpcztt the actions with three cards, but lay them over the previours group of cards, in a lower, and slightly to the right position.
,rrl)ly hands, and explain "When 11ou rffie the cards,firstfour r'urrl.s will fall, then three on top of that four, then two... rtttxknnly, depending on put"e chance..." This is absolutely true, lrrrl .you are omitting an important detail: That the cards fall rrllr,r'rrltely from the two halves. No one will think about this, as vrrrr irrrrnediately continue "... end the same thing happens in an t,t|riltuttd shuffle,first three cardsfall, thenfiue, then one..." as \'nu sliu't to mimic the actions of an overhand shuffle. f
llrrr't fbrget about presenting the
audience this "answered r;nr,slion". Their acceptance of your definition of a shuffle is of ulur(,sl irnportance, as it will lead them to accept the actions llrrrl will fbllow as fair.
If the next number is two, count the cards
(reversing the order) and place them on the table, vertically aligned with the first group. The picture shows you this third group about to be placed on the table. The following group will then be placed in line with the second group, then the next group will align with the first one, and so on. Keep a quick rhythm, asking numbers and taking cards, tr)rrng to reduce the importance of the actions.
Actually, the only thing you're doing is reversing the order of the cards you have in your hand, but the process of taking the number of cards you are asked for, resembles the "random falling cards" idea that you presented before. You can leave the cards on the table in a carefree way, since as long as the lower card of the group you deposit touches the upper card of ther previous group, the order of the cards will not be lost when you square them.
Then ask your atttlit'ttt't': "lUlutl lruttrt1tt'ns rulu'tt rlrttt slu{'flc u dcck o.l' r'rn'r/.s?" Itttilrtlc llrr' ;rr'liott ol'ir ril'llt' slrrtll'lc willt yottt'
I
ltrn, yorr'vc l'inished with all the cards, the audience will see rvlrrrl yorr slroultl cxpect if the process really matched a real riffle elrrrlllr,, 'l'lrt,y will sce a spread of cards after a shufile, which 111,r,rlrr lo lrc srlrrlxrtl. Actually, it is a good idea to present this lttrrrp,r, lo lltt'irrrtlicrtt:c irt previotts tricks, after a real shuffle. llrnl will rrrirl
A Book in English: The card magic o1'Wottrlv Arirg(ru
This is not the truth, but you will create thc [ccling of it being so. Before squaring the cards, both as a "Parenthesis of Forgetfulness" (1) and as a way to reinforce the final effect, remind the audience "A deck, uhich u;as randomly mixed before, nout mixed by each and euery one of us, by choice... I don't tuent to touch the cards..." Ask for a member of the audience to square the cards himself and, if the trick permits it, to cut the deck. Everyone, including the spectator who squares the cards, will think the cards are completely mixed. This is not a shuffle that you can use every time because of the time it takes to execute, and the direct method it uses. But, at the same time, those characteristics are precisely what make it an ideal choice when the effect will happen right after the shuffle, and depends heavily on the initial order of the cards (new deck order, coincidence effects, poker demonstrations,
((1-r'--
etc...)
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A book in English: The cartl
A Book in English: The card magic ol'Woorlv Arag6n
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ol Woocly Aragon
COINGIDENCES with Incidences l,,lrlrl,lC'l':
\ r k,t'k
is shuffled several times, both by the magician and the
'rrrlir,n('c. It is finally mixed face up and face down. Two ',r,llllions, one face up and one face doum, are made. Theyare ,,lrnrvrr, irrrcl they happen to be mates! Then the cards are dealt In lrvo llilcs. Once again two cards are selected, stressing the llrrrr.) ll'ccrlom of both choices. Even so, both cards match 'rllrrin, liin:rlly, one of the halves is shuffled again, at the ,nrrlitn('("s will. But once again, the cards in both halves match... rrrrrl llrr, ncxI r)nes, and so on with the rest of the deck! rrl,,'l'l llr: \rrrurgc llru cleck in a mirror stack (Rusduck's stay stack). This nrirnri llrirt tlrc tirst card is the last card's mate, the second one rrrtlrlt(.s llrc sccond to last, and so on, until the last two mates rrrr,r,l irr llrt. t'cntcr of the deck.
tlil,,
t'il()t):
'ilrn l lry rkrirrg any number of Faro shuffles (the mirror stack r''lririns, rro nrlttct'how many times you Faro the deck). Do not lltrl',lr llrr. slrrrl'l.lc, llut instead leave the cards half weaved and ',lrrlrrrl llrt'ttt ort tlrt: tirlllt:, llces down. IIere I use some of Juan l,rrrru iz's r.vil nrst's lirr thc liaro shtrl'flt. (r) to hide the fact that lll'r rrt'rlr; ;tt'r'wt';tvcrl ()n('on ortt'. Asl< ;r sllt'r'litlor t
rrr llr'rrtlllrlrl Itllrt
&r
t
rrrrrsir': \,'ol.
L Sorr;rlir. liilsl
rrrnvr,rrrr.rrl. Slrrrlllt,s. Alrotrt thc
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A llook in English: The card magic ol Wootly Arag6n
"finish the shuffle" pushing both halves squar'o, iurd closing the spread.
A book in English: Thc curtl lrrrl',i1
,,1 Woocly
Aragon
l,rlrlt,, while the right hand holcls Ilrc carcls that were on top of llrr, r'lrosen one. Now you have to peek at what will become the key card: the Itr:il lirce down card on top of the selection. It might be the one rtglrl on top, which means it will now be the face card of the tlruul) you hold in your right hand, or it might be a few cards ,r\vrv. ln this case, after tabling the selection, both hands come lulir,llrt'r'for a second, as if squaring the cards. Then, as an rrllr,r'llrought, the right hands turns over and points to the tabled r irrrl.,.r, irs you say "tuell, you could haue chosen this card, that t,nt'... ot'uny other card". At this moment, peek at the key card, rrrrrrrorizc it, and turn over again the right hand, so everything lr rnlis.irrsl the same as a moment ago.
Pick up the deck and locate the matching cards in the center. Cut the deck at this point. Arrange both halves facing each other, but one of them face up and the other face dovrn, and present them this way to a member of the audience at your right. "NILU it is your turn to shulfle" say, "but this time some oJ the cards will be face up and some usill be face dolDn". Ask hinr to shuffle the two halves, but not to square them. (Before it was you who shuffled the cards and he who squared, but the script is designed so that every,.thing will be mixed in the audience's memory, in order to create the feeling that both spectators shuffled). After the shuffie, tell him to spread the cards, ancl square them.
At this point of the routine I usually grab the deck and executt' the wiper move, to make it seem that the deck is mixed further', but it is not necessary.
FIRST PHASE: Spread the deck in yotr lutttrls skrwl.y, ittrcl asl< tltt's1lct:tittot'to your left to lout'h ittty lltcc rl,,wtt t';tt'tl. llt'will t'ltoost'otttl, :ttt
{a
Nlrv you nccrl to locate the face up mate of the key card. ll,r irn:i(,ol'llrc nril'rrrr stacl<, and the fact the two halves were rrrlrr,rl wlrilt' lirt:ing cach other, it cannot be far away from the 1,,,r r'irlrl ilsr.ll'. Irr lirt'l, tlrc ncxt l'acc rrp card (the one under the 1.,,r lrrlrl's rrurlt.) will lrc thc sclccliorr's nrirtc. You'll now force lltl'r lirt'rl ott lltt'sllccltrtor lo yortt't'iglrl. I trrnr;lly ttsc llrc cl;rssic lottt.;rs, il'rlonc cor'r'r'r'llv, il lras altnost ,r |tilrrri,:iil('('(,ss r';rlio irr llrr.siltiltliorr \()u t(,in. Sllrrl sllrf'tttling
A book in English: The carci nurp,it' ol'Woocly Aragon
A Ilooli in English: The card magic ol'Woody Arag6n
lrr ,,pilt' of the apparent freedorn that you are giving to the 1,r r l;rlor', you will now try to force the first selection's mate on lrtrrr, lrrsl like before. But this time, instead of using the classic l, r, r', \'()ll will use a different, much more subtle method, whose ,r, , ,",:, rlcltends precisely, on having him lose interest in using lrr lrr,r,rlonl of choice. That's what makes this phase so strong.
the carcls to the spectator on your right, and ask him to touch one, just as yoLl would do in a regular classic force. But, when her is about to touch a card, you tell him "touch anA card... but ct face up one". His last sentence warns him not to touch a face down card, making him hesitate for a moment. Due to timing, he will accept the next face up card (the force card), which is casually next in the spread...
\\'lrirl yorr will do is this: When you fan the cards in front of l,rrrr, l,r'rrlr,the key card. The card to be forced is the one under
Leave this card next to the first selection, and put the decli away. Reveal the first coincidence. Then, isolate the choserr cards together, face up, in the top right hand corner of the table.
rl 11.;1, .yotrr thumb to "arrange" the fan, and exaggerate the nrrf,, lrctween the two cards, so there will be a greater t, n,,r( )n o1' the force card in the fan. Then ask the spectator to I' n(l ir lirrgcr, and touch a card, and mimic the action with ,,lr rr1,,lrl lrirncl. He will follow you with his finger, extending it ,,,,1 llrr.rr vorr will slightly reposition your arm so that the forcing ,,r,1 1r,,,, r'iglrt in f-ront of the spectator's finger.
'trr11
SECOND PTIASE:
,1rr
You will now deal the deck in two piles, separating the face ulr cards from the face down ones. Say that you will attempt to repeat the feat, but in a differerrt way, trying to use your intuition to make the coincidenct' happen again. When you're done dealing, grab the face dowrr pile, and do a fan with it. Show the faces to the spectator to yorrr left, so that he can see all the cards are different. Tell him thrrt there can be no shadow of doubt that he has a free selectiorr Show him the fan, face down, and ask him to touch a calrl When he does, cut the fan at this point, again grabbing tlrr' selection and the cards under it in the left hand, and the rest ol the cards in the right. You will once again table the selectiorr. but now, both hands get together, and the left hand deposits it:, cards on top of the right hand ones, thus cutting the pile at tlr,' place of the selection. Then, table the half, taking a peek at tlr. bottom card of the pile as you do so.
The mate of this card will once again be your key card in llr,' face up pile. Take the pile and, as you fan it, explain to tlrr' spectator on your right what lrc will rlo. You will presenL lrirrr with the fan, just likc you.jrrsl rlirl witlr thc prcvious spccrlirlor' But this tirne all the r:lrrls rlill lrt' l;rcc ttp, so tlurl hc cau st'r' llrl card that he is r:hoosinli. Ill rvill llrlrr l'r't'r'lv Iorrt'lr ;r t':rrtl irn,l. once itg:tilt, tltt't't'will lrc ir t rirtt'trlrttct'.
\
'1,
lrrrrr lo lowcr lris f ilrgt'r'trrrd torrt:h lr c:itld.
go%ofthetimes
lr' r, lll lurrr'lr llrc otrt' wt' wtrrr[.
\rrrl ;rl llrir; r't'r't'rrrorrcrrl, 1,orr rlill rlinlirrtt'tltr. t:onrplete lr,,,l,trrol rlroicr., lrrrilrlirrti lr.nsiott in olrllt lo ttt;tlic lltt'ttttlst of
;
ffiffiffiffi1
A book in English: 'l'ltc t rrrrl rrirl,r( ()l Wootly Aragon
A llook in English: The card magic ol'Wootlv All96n
the effect. Tell him "This card? Are you onother one if Aou Luant. This uill Aou choose. This one, that one..."
can touch happen tto tttuLter uhich one srtr'<"? Ytsu
And the spectator will not change his mind, rnost of the time. Why should he? The previous selection was completely free. You just promised him the same freedom as the first spectator. To make things even better, the cards are face up, so there can be no doubt that, should he choose a different card, the resulting mate would be completely different. Most importantly, you gave him the additional complete freedom to change his mind, and you announced (with total conviction) that the coincidence will happen no matter what card he chooses. He does not know what method you are going to use to make the coincidence happen, but at this moment in time, he probably doesn't believe that changing his mind will make any difference.
like this: After thc st't'ontl st'lcction is done, leave it to the first one, anrl tlo rro[ say they will match. Just irurounce that, after two frec sclcr:lions have been made, you rvill now try to detect where a coincidence might happen. Cut llrr. sccond packet at the point the selection was made. l'r'oceed
Irrct, up next
l,r.;rve it on the table, to the right of the other half, facing rlrrwn, and turn the top two cards face up. go% of the times they rvill rrot match (if they do, show the coincidence and stop at this
puint). However, the card on top of the left half will be the new hr'1' 1';11'6. Start dealing pairs of cards on the table (the audience rvill scc there are no matches). If there is one, just keep on ,lr,irlirrg cards until you deal the key card's match on the right ;rrL.. Slop right there.
will happen with the next two l)cal the right halfs top card and show it. Then turn the llll lrirll's top card face up... and show that the two cards do not rrrrrlclr. Show hesitation for a second. r\rrrrounce that the coincidence
, ru'rls.
Thus, under conditions of total freedom in both spectators' selections, you now reveal a second coincidence, and that usuaily hits the audience very hard. Even better, you can now go on to the third phase.
But now, my dear reader, you are probably wondering what would have happened if the force faiied, or if the spectator wanted to change to a completely different card. Don't worry, as I said before, the force will work perfectly due to the confidence that you will have in its success. And this confidence comes from the fact that, from the very beginning, you know that NOTHING could go wrong, even if the spectator selected a different card.
the force card is not selected, you simply switch to a different effect, as you are now in perfect position to perforrr one of the possibilities in Eddie Joseph's Staggered: You nevel
If
said that the two selections would match. Instead, you told thc audience that you will use yottr powers of intuition to make surt' that, despite the total Ii'r.t'rloril ol'choice, thcrIc will llc anothcl' coincidence.
'l'lrt,rr, as if suddenly realizing something, you point out that llrr r';rrrl cloes not match the one next to it... but it does match lll'r'lrtl the spectator chose from the face up cards in the fan. Ilril coirrcidence is a double one: If you stopped at a black king rn, l rr rt,tl nine, the two selections will also be a black king and ei ' r ,'r I rrirrr.! l)ut the four cards together; face up, over the matching r irrl:i l11)lll phase f.
i;rllrcr thc cards. One of the halves will remain the same (the ,l,',rll r';u'tls are taken together and added face dovrn, to the pile). l lrl ol lrr.r' half will be cut at the point you stopped dealing (turn llr,, rlr.;rll t'itrcls lace dor.rm, then take the rest of the pile and drop rl 'rn lol)).'l'hus, each halve is, once again, in reverse order to Iltr' uIltr,t'ottc. (
I
llllil) l,llASI,]: l'r,ll orrt'ol'llrr,s;rccllrlols llrirl, lirr llrr. l;rsl t'oirr<'idcnce, one of
llrr lrrlvr.s will lr,':;lrulllcrl,;rnrl Ilrt'ollrcr rryill lit,t.p its current ,,rrlr't ,\slt lrirrr lo poirrl ;rl llrr'lrilc lr,'rr';rrrlr; lo lt;rvt'sltrrltflccl,
A book in English: Thc crrrrl nr;rl'r(' ol Woody Aragon
A llool< in English: The card magic of Wootl.y Arag(ln
and table the other one next to him (if you wAnt, you can ask him to put his hand over the pile, so that it is even more impossible for you to change or modify the order of the cards).
in an atternpl to :ulupt the three phases of lirn;u'iz's Total Coincident:c [o a singie deck, whi]e Irrlor'porating my own techniqucs and handling. I chose to Irrllrrrlt: this routine for two reasons. Not only do I think it is a
After false shuffling the other half, announce that now "eueryone toill participate" in shuffling the cards even further. Execute the swindle shuffle, as previously described.
1',,r,rl
Gather the "mixed" half, and hold it in your right hand, face up. Ask the spectator to give you the other one, taking the unmixed half face up in your left hand. Everyone will see the two face cards match. Pause, and let the image register in the audience's minds. Then push both cards with your thumbs, and deal them on the table. Two matching cards will be, once again, at the faces of the two halves. Be careful so as to stop for a moment, keeping your hand still, every time you show a new pair of cards, so everybody can see the total coincidence. Start dealing cards, two by two, until you run through the whole deck.
ADDITIONAL REMAITI(S: This is lny vcl'siorr ol'llrl cl;r:lsic coint'itlt'ttcc t'ottlittt'lxtsctl ort thc ntit't'ot'sl;tt'l< (r l.;r Nllrrlirr Nltslt's Ottttlitttt). I rlcvt'lrlllt'rl il
It
nrrurv /€&rs ago,
lrick, but it also combines several of the techniques that ,rrl cxltlitined in this book.
w
A book in English: The canl nurltrt ol'Wrlocly Aragon
A llook in English: The card magic of Wootly Arag6n
THE CHEERLEADER l'lris is one of my many approaches to the spelling effect. This joining them into a solid block, rllllr llrtr advantage that everything apparently happens without llrr rrrirgician touching the deck.
l
rrrlirrtr s)mbines several effects,
l,llrlrl,lcT: l'lrr. rltrc:l< is divided in four piles. A member of the audience one of them, shuffles it, and freely thinks of a card in llrrrl grilt'. [[e loses the card in the deck himself, and then cuts llrr, rk'r'l<. 'fhe magician asks him to spell his selection, dealing ,rrr,('ru'(l on the table for each letter. At the end of the spelling, I I rr',ir,h.r'tt:rl card appears. , lrooscs
I
don' t know why they are
trying to make me look handsome, rohen
that's impossible.
t't I ti st,:'r-uP
l'lris llit:h needs a small set-up, but it is very easy to prepare llrr, l'|.y. .lust look through the deck for rz non-diamond cards r\,lrrrrr1, virlrrcs ure 4, S, g, J or K (these values spell with four L,lllls), 'l'lrosc go on top of the deck, and right under them, 1'lrrlr, rr r';rrrl with a normal breather crimp (unlike the one I ,h,,,r'r'ilrcrl lrcrlirrc, crirnp the card on the face, so that it will be on lrrp rvlrr.rr .yorr t:rrt t
,n
Iutr slrorrltl lx. irlrlt' 1o idcntify thc r:r'inrpecl card at a glance. It,,trirllY v(,lr ('iul t':rsil.y tlistinguislt ir t'r'irttlrt'rl clrtl by looking at ll ,lrirr'1,, lrrrt il'y()lr'r'('irr rlorrlll,.yolr (';ul lrr;rt'li it snritll pencil dot
L
l
A book in English: Thc
A tlook in English: The cartl tttrtgic ol Wootlv Allg6n
on the card's back, or uncrimp one of th() ('ot't)('t's (leaving a very easy to spot crease on the card).
rr
cards.
nrir,'r( ol'Woody Aragon
llow you proceed depends on whiclt pile the spectator put his ',,'lrt'lion on, as your goal is to get thc Pile C on top of the one he 1u',1 ;rlaced his pile. I use a great method, created by the Spanish
METHOD Start by cutting the deck into 4 piles. First, cut to the lz card group (with the aid of the breather crimp) and leave it in the center of the table. Overhand shuffle the rest of the deck, transferring the crimped card to the bottom of the pack. Cut off about a third of the packet, and put it to the left of the first one. Leave the rest of the deck on the right, and then cut a fourth packet, placing it further to the right. After this, there will be 4 aligned piles on the table, from your point of view, left to right: Pile A, with indifferent cards; Pile B, with the rz-card setup; Pile C, with the crimped bottom card (I left it face up in the picture, so you can easily see it); and Pile D, with more indifferent cards. Tell your audience that from here on, you will not touch the
clrl
rrrlqicil n Ramon Riob6o.
ll
lrt' placed his pile on one of the piles at the sides (A or D), tlr.rr ;rsl< him to reassemble the deck, starting with the furthest lrtlr'(tlrc one on the opposite side goes on top of the center pile, ,r rr,l I lrosc two over the pile in which the selection lies). It will be , ,'r y ck':lr if you mime the actions for the spectator.
ll llrc t'ards are placed
on top of the center pile (C), tell him to
' rl rn(l txrmplete the cut. Then discard the other two piles, ,rr rrr1,, I lrat
they have been eliminated.
lrr irrry (:ilse, regardless of whether you are using the whole ,1,, l, or orrly half of it, the crimped card is in the center and the ,,lr,r'lion lics rz positions below it. \',1, llrt. spcctator to cut the (ha10 deck. Because of the crimp, tlr,'rr' ;u'r. nrilny opportunities for him to cut right to it. Glimpse tlr, l,irr'li ol'the top card and confirm that it is the crimped card. ll tl r,,rr'1, tlrcn ask him to cut once again. If the crimped card is ,till rrol orr lo1t, then give the cards to a second spectator and tell lrirf f "f /(,1, t'iln c.llt, tOO".
ll irllr.r'rrll llrosc attempts, you still don't see the crimped card 1,,1r, t,rrl it yourself as you say "That's right. Eueryone can , trt l'ltt, itttltortttnt thing is for the card to be completely lost in ,,ir
tlt, rlr,r'l.".
Use magician's choice to force Pile B on a member of tht' audience, and ask him to thoroughly shuffle it. After that, tell him to spread the cards in a fan in front of him so that he cart see all of the cards, and choost'rttly orle he that likes. Then he is to put that card on top rtf rtltv olltt't'1tilc, shuffle the remaining, cards in his hand, antl ;rtrl lltt'ttt ott tolt o['thc strlct'tiolt.
IL
Irr rrro:;l (';ls(.s.yorr won't need to cut, but if this ever happens, tlr, ,rr'lrnrr is so wcll r:overecl (by all the other cuts) that people , ' tll r rlvlr rt.rnt'rnbcl that yotr touchecl the cards.
l,'ll
tlrr.;rrrrlicncr. llurl yorr lr';rnrt'rl llris tricl< flrrm a mentalist llirrlr,r'. 'l'lrc slrr.r'lirlol' rrrrrsl rrow lltirrli ol'lris t':rrrl .iust like a ,1r,, rlr';rrlr't' worrlrl: So, il ltr, wtrs llrirrl'irr1,, ol llrr' ()trccn
lrl
r
A Book in English: The cartl tttitgtt' ol'Woorly Arag6n
A book in English: Thc carrl
rrur1,,rr'
ol Woody Aragon
on until the final "Give me an S". ThaL is ltow ltc must mentally spell the name of his thought of card. 'l'cll hirrr to take the cards, and get ready to deal them one by onc ortltt the table, following your instructions, as he thinks of the card nttnte's letters.
the spectator does mentally spell his card, he will feel a greater impact himself (because it is as if you were able to hear his thoughts). If he doesn't, it is not realiy important, because you are the one who will really spell the card, and the final spelling will prove to everyone else that you could read his
If
thoughts. Look at the eyes of the spectator as you point to the place on the table where he's supposed to deal the cards one by one. Ask him to deal, 4 cards in a row (this is the value of the card). After the first two cards, the rhythm for the additional cards should be similar to saying "Hit Me" when playing Black Jack. You hesitate momentarily, and then want him to deal another card. Then point to a second row, and ask him to deal 2 more cards ("Of'). Finally, ask him to deal a final row of five cards. When he is holding the sixth card, instead of pointing to the table, open your hand and say "Right there! Stop!"
At this moment, even though the selection has never been named aloud, it really does seem as if you were able to know it, because the spelling is correct. Remind everyone you never' touched the cards, and ask the spectator to tell everyone thc card he was thinking of. l
If it's a club, for example "Jack of Clubs", quickly spell '7ock" with the four cards on the first row, then "of', then "Clubs" witlt the five cads on the third row. Finally ask him to turn over tht' card he's holding.
If it's a Spade or a Heart, then you will do the same, but whcrr you get to the final row point to the card the spectator is holdirlg as the final '3" of the spell, rttttl itsl< ltim to turn it over. It will [rt' the selection.
l-
AI)I)ITIONAL REMARKS 'l'lrr, lirirness of the choices and the fact that the magician lr,\'r.r' louches the cards after the selection makes it seem Inrgrossilrlc for the magician to know the name of the card. But tlrr, l;x,lling clearly indicates that you really were able to discern ll,, irlr,ttlity. And what's more important, if you are skillful ',ruu|,,lt in your presentation, the fact that the card appeared at llrr, r,rrtl ol'thc spelling sequence will just be a CONFIRMATION l, Ilrc rrrrtlitrnce that you knew the thought of card. Even though llrr,r'tkrrr't know the real method, and have no clue as to how ,r,ulrl yorr llossibly do it without touching the cards, they must rrrrrllrrrlt, that yoll could not have moved the card to a rlr,lr,r'rrrirrctl position because you didn't know its identity. The urlntr, ol lltt. t::rrrl cxisted only in the mind of the spectator!
A book in English: Tho caltl rrrirgic ol'Woody Aragon
A Book in English: The cartl tttitgic ol'Wootly At'ag6n
ROUTINED SPELLING 'l'lris is one of the routines that I have worked on and Itrr;lrrrved over the years. Being a fan of stacked decks, I never tttrrlcrrtrted the potential of the spelling plot, even though I llrlrrk it is really hard, at least in the Latin culture, to achieve a prr,rrl magical impact with it. Over the years, I have adapted Huur(! ideas for the Si Stebbins stack to create several ittrh'pcndent spelling tricks. I started to combine them and t'r,rrlizud that, if properly structured, they could merge into one vr,r'y llowerful and original routine.
The banner
for my one-man show, next to the wonderful Toletam theatre, in my olon citY, Toledo. (2010)
l,illlc by little, I developed the routine that I am about to r,rplrrin. I've had tremendous success with it in front of lay rrurlit,nccs (because of its virtues, I regularly use it to start a r'L nt,-rr1l session), but it has also served me well with magicians (l worr the first prize in an Spanish close-up contest in zoo7, rurrl, vcry recently, the Award of Merit at the IBM convention r r I I in t)allas... and right now I'm thinking, that when they find rrttl lltirt the only techniques that I used were a couple of false qlrrrl'llcs... they'll hate me!). My thoughts when performing the r nrrlirrc (lnd winning the prizes) were with the Spanish maestro Alli'r,rlo lilorensa, a great supporter of spelling tricks. llttirt'lttrtatcly, he passed away just before I could fine tune the r nrrlirrc, so allow me to use these pages to honor his memory. lilrtrtic't': llsirrg ir slrul'llctl tlut:l<, thc nragician slrows the audience that lll)l)(!irr ll.y color irccolcling to tlrt':rrrrlit.rrt:tr's wishes, when ripr.lls lrr, lltr, st'lr,r'lt,tl t'olor'. llc t.rrrplrirsizt.s llt:rt this only
I ru(lH
A book in Englislr: 'l'ltc t'rrrtl nrirJ,r( ol Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: Thc caril tttrtprt'ol Wootly Arag6n
happens when the cards are dealt as tl)(' spt'llirrg is done, not just by dealing the same number of t:itrtls. "ll is spelling aloud that makes the magic happen!". Al'tcr tlris color test, the magician shows that suits can be also spellccl, with the same amazing results.
Slrow the deck and do any conrplctc ftrlse shuffle. Tell them to rurrrrc either color: red or black. Spell the named color, and
To raise the stakes, in the next phase the magician does not
',lrow that you get a card of the chosen color. It's not a great ,'lli,r't (there's a fifty-fifty chance), but tell the audience you can
touch the cards! The spectator can shuffle as much as he wants, choose a card (a genuinely free choice, whose identity the magician will completely ignore), and lose it in the deck. He can even switch the position of the cards as he desires, and the selection will appear when the spectator himself spells and deals.
l,'l
r
ltST PIIASE: Color spclling.
r,pr,trt it...
will always spell transferring cards from the deck in the changing the order, and ',lrowing the card spelled to by turning all of the right hand's I rr'(ls lilce up to show the bottom card. So, if the spectator Yorr
l,'ll lrlnd to the right hand, without
r,r'ls "red", take off three cards one at a time (each card going rrrrrk'r'ncath the previous ones), and then show that the bottom ,,r.f
Finally for the astonishing final climax, a card is again freely selected and, as the data of the card (suit and value) is spelled, the deck will tell us the exact identity of the selection, find its color matching mate, and even show the audience what would have happened ifthe spectator had chosen a different card.
THE STACK: For this routine, I use a kind of reduced, altered version of the Si Stebbins stack that I call "Rosary g".It is a rosary kind of -!.o, 6, stack because I have memorized the values sequence: 4, A, J, 9, S, 2, K.The order of the suits is the SHCD which I memorized using the classic mnemonic "SHoCkeD". So, the first four face down cards in the stack are 1oS, 6H, 4C and AD. Stacking the cards this way, you'll have a cyciic sequence of thc 36 cards. The rest of the deck (16 cards) are the values that are not included in the rosary, which are 3, 7, B, and Q, which, yotr may not have noticed, are all spelled with five letters. Stack the cards in Rosary 9 order and, cut the cards so that tht' 5H is the top card, and the gS is the bottom one. Place a Jokcr' under the gS. Put the rest of'tltt' tlct:l< (the r6 crttrls ttot incluclctl in the Rosary 9) in CSIII) ("('rrSllt'l)") ortltrr'- : lrlirt'l<, itttcl z t'ctl (the ordcr of valttcs tl
prrt this gr'olll) ott loll ol
llrl rllcli.
irll ol'the stack (the last card to be dealt) is a red card. Then l,rl,r,rrll of the cards in the right hand and, either transfer them lr r llrr. lrottom of the deck, or table them face up.
,
\l llris point, you will have to take something into account: If tlr,'r'irrtl you just spelled to is a Club or a Diamond, then the ,l'r'('lrlor can freely choose a color, and the spelling will work 1,,'rlr.r'lly.'l-he situation is the same as in the beginning, and you
,,rr irsl( krr a color again and repeat the effect. If you end up gr,'llirrg to a Spade or Heart, then the next spelling will not worl< ,rt ,rll (irr cither case). Far from tr)rrng to correct this with sleight ,,1 lr;rrrrl, you will use this to your advantage, removing from the ,rurlir,n('(,'s ntind the idea that the counting always works, or the
irli,;r llr;rl nr:rthematics are somehow involved. Moreover, you "rll r.nrpowcr the magical ritual of spelling the letters. "Bttt l,'1tl,t" you say "Son7e of you might think that this altuays rlr u'lr,,,.. I lottt rrtcut!) letters does "Black" haue... fiue? Well, look rrlrrtl ltrtltltcrr.s i/' I corufi fiue cards, but do not spell..." Count lir. r'rrrrls, lnrl show tlrat you get a red card. "See, it doesn't t t't,t'h I l\/rll, il trtiqlil ruork sorLe of the time, but that uould just 1,, I'ttt'r' clttttur,, brrrrrr.sa it oril11 tutn'ks I|VERWIME u-then I 1,,'ll lltt' t'olot'... Wlrrtl tlo tlrttt tutrttl rn<, lo sltall? ll.ecl or black?" llr,',,trl1,rlt.tiril lo lr.rrrurrllt'r'is tlrirt il'llrr.t'rrltl sltclled to is a llr,rrl,llrlrt votrrlrorrlrlcorrrrl 5 irrslt';rtl ol spr.llirrg "/lftlr:/r". If the ,.rr,l ';prllt.rl lo i:r;r lip;rrlr', llrcrr lorr slr,,rrlrl corrnl 11 irrstt':ttl ol'
A book in English: 'l'ltc t'rrrrl rrr:r1,,rt ol Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: Thc crrnl trrtlitt' ol Wootly Arlgcin
spelling "red". That is, in these cascs, :tlwrt.ys trsc the opposite color of the last card as an examplcr. 'l'lrctt yor.l can continue spelling until you have exhausted thc l(r t:itt'cls above the 5H, or until there are not enough cards [o cotttitrue with another spelling. You will be abie to spell the colors three, four, or five times.
This means you will have to "jazz" a little, depending on the circumstances, because each spelling depends on the audience's choice and/or the resulting face card.
I know the effect of spelling one of two possible colors is not that amazing (nor do I try to sell it as such, actually I do the opposite). But do not underestimate the importance of this phase. One of the problems with many spelling tricks is that it's the magician who decides the word to be spelled. This phase is created precisely to avoid this fault. SECOND PHASE: Suit Spelling. Announce that you will go one step further, and cut the deck to position the 5H on top (you can just spread the deck to show the shuffled state of the deck and spot the 5H, or you could use a short or crimped card, if you prefer). Really shuffle the bottom 16 cards (I usually combine a full deck false shuffle with a real shuffle of the 16 card group). Say "Watch this: if I spell DIAMOND..." spell diamond and turn the cards in the right hand face up, showing AD. "Oh uell, I did say DIAMOND, so there's only ONE diamond..- I should haue said DIAMONDS plural..." Place the AD packet face up on the table and spell Diamonds, and you will now get the 4D. Place this pile next to the AD pile. Continue spelling suits, placing each pile next to the previous
one. You should spell the remaining suits in this order': HEARTS (KH), CLUBS (,IC) ancl SPADES (65). Suddenly, as il having an idea on thc sprtt' o[' lltc momcn[, .yott will spt'll JOI(ER, and you will gct lo ottr'. Sltow it to tltt';ttttlicttct: ittttl removc it; cithcr'plirt'in1i il insirlc l llot'l
Al tlris rroment, all of the cards belonging to the Rosary 9 ,,lrrlli rrrt,on the table. The cards in your hand are the 16 non,rlirckr,rl r:ards, so it's the perfect time to move on to the... I I I I ltl)
I'HASE: The spectator spells.
lirvr'llrt' t6 cards to a spectator,
whose name is 5 or 6letters 'l'lris isn't a restriction, but it's better than a long name. \rr\rvlry, you'll be able to "adjust" to any given name. You will lr,rr r. lo l'irrrl
llrr, lrrlrk. irr rcverse order (pick up the last pile you placed on the it onto the previous one, and then repeat with tlr,' r'r,rrr;rirring piles so you end up recombining all the packet), 'rrll llrc r':rrrls will be back in Rosary 9 stack order. Put this r,rrlrr'l ltsitlt'. t.,rlrlr' ;rrrtl pl;rcc
g
lr,l':, irrr;rgirrc his llame Peter. Ask him to shuffle his
cards
rrrlqlrlv, lrt't'trusc "'thc spelling ritual uorks, no matter how 'r, ,,rrt''lt tlrnt sltttl.'lk, lltc crtrds!". Ask hirn to select a card, but to do it l,r ';lrrllirrg: lllrvc lrirrr tlt'irl ontr t'irlrl onto the table for each l. ll,'r ol lris nilnr(,. l' l,l 'l'-1,1, irntl looli rrt tlrt. top card (that tlr,
1,, l,nl',,; lo "l{"). ;\sli lrirrr lo rt'rrrt.rrrllr.r'llrt't';rrrl, rr.1ll:rcc it face ,l,rrn rrr lop ol llrr,orrcs prr.r,iorrslY rlr';rll,:;lrrrlllc llrc rt'st of the
A book in Englislr: 'l'ltc cirltl tttrrlitt' ol Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: The cartl tttitgic ol'Wootly Arag6n
cards in his hands, and put them ott to;r ol' tltc cards he just dealt.
This procedure will make the selection end up sth from the face of the pile, or 12th if you count from the top. For the next effect to work, we need to have it r3th from the top, so you will have to transfer one card from the bottom to a position higher than the selection. If the Spectator's name had six letters (e.g. GEORGE), you would have to move two cards from the bottom to the top. To do this, you will use a fan shuffle. Ask the spectator to make a card fan, as best he can. You will now use a clever excuse, and say "Just in case I sato the bottom card, take it and insert it somettshere in the middle" of the fan. Then ask him to take the top card, and lose it, once again, in the middle of the fan. Then tell him that, if he wants, he can even take one or two more cards from the top, and lose them in the middle. The truth is, that as long as he doesn't insefted a card below the bottom 4 cards, it doesn't matter how much he shuffles the top twelve, as the selection will still be in the r3tr' position. The feeling of a totally fair shuffling and selection process (the spectator selects and buries the cards in the pile himself), together with the real shuffle done at the beginning of this phase, will completely remove from the audience's mind the possibility that a stack could be the method behind the spelling effect.
When the spectator (or fellow magician!) has finished mixing up his card, reinforce the conditions: you never touched the cards, nor will you touch them. Ask him to name aloud ther selection. As all of the cards' values spell with five letters, yotr just focus on the suit in order to know how to instruct him to spell the card: IF IF IF IF
it it it it
is is is is
XXXXX OF CLUBS a HEART, spell XXXXX OF HEARTS a SPADE, spell XXXXX OF SPADES. a DIAMOND, spcll XXXXX DIAMONI)S. a CLUB, spell
l,lach word goes in a separatc rrrw. Il'thc selection is a club, llrcn the card will be the top caltl ol'thc pile in the spectator's Irrrnd. In every other cases, it will lrc the last spelled letter.
As a nice additional touch, when you get to the last letter of llrr,value, remember that there are 3 more cards with the same rrrlrrc in the group of 16 cards. This makes it very likely that a lrrrrl with the same value as the selection will appear at the right h'llcr'. Peek at the card that belongs to the value's last letter and, tl il rrratches the selection's value, turn it face up. That is, if the ,,r.lr.t'tcd card is the 7D, tell the spectator: "Spell the ualuefirst, ln,x,: S-E-V-E-Lr..." (Peek at the last card, if it was a seven, turn il rrvrrr') "So, logically, you spell to a seuen. And notu, spell the ,iuil, DIAMONDS..." in any case, when you get to the last letter, rhr rrot reveal the selection yet. Quickly remind the audience of rrll llrc shuffles, the fairness of the selection process, and remind llrr,rrr that you never touched the cards. You have to experience llrrllrirnd the strength of the moment when the selection is t
r.t,r,ttlctl.
lr( )t
Ilt'l'H PIIASE: Spelling divination.
r\l'lr,r' r'cceiving a well-deserved round of applause, gather the
t(r crrrrls that you just used in the last phase, and give them to llrr,sgrct:tartor who handled them, telling him to examine them llrurorrglrly. Now take the rest of the deck (Rosary 9 stack). Give llrr,r'rrrrls a couple of nice false shuffles (the Charlier false ,,lrrrlllt, worl
ll r
r\r'lrrirll.y, .yorr slrorrltl luitl
llris poirrl. llc slrorrkl lxr t:cr'[lirr wlriclr ol'lhc two cards he
llltir,,
A book in English: 'l'ltc t'rrnl rnrrlirt' ol'Wrlocly Aragon
A Book in English: The cartl tttitgit' ol Wootly At'itg(rn
Isolate the two cards from the spt'cil(l, ittttl its you start to gather the rest of the cards get a bt'citl< 5 t:itl'cls ABOVE the extraction point. [For reasons we will sco wlty later, if you spell COLOUR (with a U), then get a break 6 cards above the extraction point.l I usually do this in two steps: gather the cards holding a break at the extraction point, and then count five [six] cards above it.
spcctator to turn over the sclcctiorr irntl, due to the suit rotation (r,very 4 cards) and value rotation (cvcry 9 cards, where SUIT + VALUE= 9 letters), the deck will f incl out the selection's identity orr its own!
IiNCORE: You will now quickly move on to a similar effect. because you could irlso find the card whose value and suit match the selection. SpaII "IDENTICAL" (oT "MATCHING"turning the next one... no orrc will tell the difference). It will be the selection's color rrrirtch. Place this pile next to the others.
'li'll the audience you can go even further,
Cut the deck at your break and table it. If you've done everything correctly, then the replacing the two selections in positions 6 and 7, counting from the top, would restore the Rosary 9 stack.
I
I
Ask the spectator which of the two cards is the one he wanted. He will point at the bottom one, so remove the upper card, by sliding it to a corner of the close-up pad, or table. Explain to your audience that you will try to find out the identity of the selected card. But you wiII not use mind reading, like other the magicians do... but you will do it by spelling. Do not reveal the selection yet, but slide it to the front of the table/pad, where it will be seen clearly by everyone. Grab the deck, and spell"COLOR" for "COLOUR" if you took a break about six cards] as you transfer cards from the left to the right hand, as you did in the previous phases. However, this time, the bottom card (the one that occupies the "R" position) will not stay on the bottom of the pile. Instead, when you get to the R card, turn it face up onto the other cards in your right hand, and place the pile on the table. So the tabled pile consists of S [6] cards, with the original sth [6th] card being face up on top. Move this pile to the right side of the pad, as you explain that the selection's color will match the spelled one. That means, if you spelled to a red card, then the selection must be red, and vice versa.
l,'l
lr|'l I I'HASE: Final surprise. What if...?
l{r,rrrirrtl the audience of the unbelievable conditions in which and cut both by
tll. tr,sl lras been performed. A deck, shuffled
llrr,slx,('tators and the magician, is spread on the table. A
,rlrr,('lrrl(,r' sclected a card, w;hose identity is unknown to r,\ r'r'yon(,.!.At this moment, retrieve the card that was discarded rr I I I rr, I rr.gi n ning. " ...bry thc ruay, there tuos a moment in which I lltt4111l11 tlott ltud lotrclu
Continue spelling, this time "S[JIT", and the "VALUE". Yon will end up with three piles on the table, each inclicating somtr data about the selected carul. Itttitgine the carcls ort Iltc top of thtr piles are a black cat'tl, it Sp:rtlt', :ttttl a I(ing. 'li'll vottt' ittttlient:t' this nrcarts tltrr citt'rl is lrlrrcli,;t Slrittlt', itlttl ;t l(irrg. Asl< tht'
la
A book in Englislr:'l'lrc t'rrrtl nur;iit' ol'Woody Aragon
A Book in English: The canl tttitgit' ol Worttly Allrgtin
tlte deck) or you can usc thc;3(r stlcked cards as a regular it ttttcler the original Take the card, turn it selection. "But, u)hat if you had selcclt'
l{osary.
face down, ancl slitltr
(}IJTTING INTO THE STACI( FROM NEW DECK 0ITDER:
()etting the deck to the required order from this routine, slarting from a fresh deck, is quite simple. So don't be afraid of ;x,r'fbrming this routine because the set-up is not practical!
opposite..."
Match actions to words, and, in a constant pace, turn over each and every pile, starting with the "COLOR" ["COLOUR"] one. Little by little, everyone will see that not also the COLOR ICOLOURI, but the SUIT, VALUE and IDENTICAL piles all correspond to the new card...
llcre's how...
t.- Place all of the cards in Ace to King order, in SHoCkeD suit lolation. :r.- Go through the deck, outjogging the Q, B, 7 and 3 from urr:h suit. I usually outjog them quite openly (pushing sevens ;rntl eights together) and extract everything once I have the 16 cirrtls. Leave them on the table.
RESETTING: If you want, you can reset by gathering the cards this way:
r.- Hold the unused part of the Rosary 9 stack in your left
:t.- Cut the Spades so that the ro is on top (transfer 3 cards to llrt' top)
hand, in dealing position.
z.- Take the MATCHING pile with your right hand. Place it over the cards in the left hand, adding the reversed bottom card. Then turn over the rest ofthe cards, and place them on top.
l
,
1.
- 'l'he Hearts are cut on the 6 (4 cards to the
t;.- Clubs are cut on the 4
bottom)
(zto the bottom).
(r.- l)iamonds are left in the original order.
3 and 4.- Repeat the same actions with the VALUE and SUIT piles. 5.- Take the pile of two cards (selection and rejected card), turn over the top card (the rejected one) and place it over the selection. Now place the two cards together on top of the deck'
',,. 2out Faro shuffles... etuoilall A I ) I )I'I'IONAL
REMARKS
'l'lris is a great routine, not only as a stand-alone trick, but also rri lr l)ilrt of a longer act, mixed in with other tricks. I won't go Irrlo llrc l)r'ocess of analyzing each component effect, but I have lu.'iiry tlrat, lbr Latirr aucliences, who are not used to spelling lllr,r'ls, tlris rorrtinc worl
6.- Take the COLOR ICOLOUR] pile, just like you did with the SUIT, VALUE and MATCHING ones. Z.-Add the 16 non-stacked cards on top of the deck. The deckis readyto r.r.1lt.irl llrt. lrit:l< (wcll,.yorr'll ttgtrtl t9 stat:l< the 16 cards into CSIII) orrlcr',;rrrrl lr
'l'lris rorrlint'r'orrrr.s ll'orrr v;rriorrs
I
A Book in English; The r:arl tttitgit' ol Wootly Artrgtin
spelling effect done with a group ol'lirirly slrrrl'llcd cards (also original with me, but reaching its lirll lrott'rtti:tl atter adapting the method so that it could be perfix'rtttrtl itt the hands of a spectator, using Verbal Magic tttctltotls). I added my presentation and an original adaptation to Spanish of an Allan Slaight trick ("Sly Stebbins", based on a Stewart James idea), with the surprise ending involving a second card and the turning over of the piles (which was one of the two great ideas added to Slaight's trick by Steve Beam when he published it in his Semi-Automatic Card Tricks series). Actually, I also did the reverse of the original routine, where the effect was the divination of the second card. I prefer to reveal it, so that the effect becomes the appearance of the 4 cards when reversing the piles, to achieve a higher climax due the "anticipation" (el atisbo, Ascanio dixit). Using these effects as my starting point (actually, I realized I had always performed them one after the other instinctively), I remembered the "half-mnemonica" concept (first published in Expert Card Technique) in which, by shuffling half of the deck for real, the magician creates the illusion that all of the magic was performed with a fully shuffled deck. I thought that, if I could create a partial Si Stebbins stack (there was no way I could shuffle half of the stack, as it would lose its cyclic properties), I would then be able to, if had enough extra cards to freely shuffle, empower the existing spelling effects, and use some of my other spelling effects with a shuffled pile of cards... Finally, after working on it for a while, I came up with a stack that allowed me to perform the routine that you have just read (although you are reading a version that was adapted for the English language).
A book in English: l lrr. t';rrtl nrirl'r( ol Woocly Aragon
NEVER TELL THEM WHAT'S GOING TO HAPPEN (My AGAAN) 'l'his is one if my most recent creations (I created about a year rrgo). But the effect has done so well, both for lay,rnen and rrrirgicians, that I finally decided to include it in this book, even tlrough I have not been performing it for as long as I'd like to. If vorrl audience experiences the same feeling of impossibility as llrose who have already seen this trick, it will be worth it. IiITFECT:
'l'hc magician announces he will pefform the famous 'i4ny rttrd ot any number"trick. Members of the audience select, first rr srrit, then several values. Throughout the procedure, the deck is rrot used. The spectator who selected the suit forms a card willr one of the named values, and the rest of the values are used lo lorrn a number. The freedom of choice in the selection pr'(x:oss is crystal clear. The deck is far away from the magician, Itt I'rrrnt of a spectator, who takes it himself and counts to the u'k't'lccl position. Impossible as it may seem, the freely selected crrnl lics in it! 'l'l I ri sIlT-uP: Yorr will stat'l< llrc rlccl<, sctting up all tlrc cards in reverse orrlr,r', l(irrg to Acr'.'l'lrr.srrils slrorrkl lx'irr lr lirrown order (as an r,rirrrrplr', I'll u:r(, llrr, Sllo(ll
L
Abook in Englislr:'l'lre t':rrtl rrr;r;,.rr' ol' Woocly Aragon
A Book in English: Thc cilltl tttrtlr,it ol WootlY Arilgtin
Diamonds). Cut the deck so that thtr ()S is lltt'lrottom card, and use a crimp, bend, out-jogs, or evclt sltol'lt'tt the other three queens so that you can easily cut to tltcttt.
METHOD:
This trick uses a principle by Spanish rnagician Ram6n
Riob6o, one he himself named "Inverse compensation". Ramon showed it to me some years ago, when he explained me his trick "The Roulette", in which he uses it. Toying with it, I came up with an idea. The values selection of the Roulette routine could be performed without cards, just by naming them, and if I stacked the whole deck (the original routine used only a partial stack) I could get, not to a card matching the selected value, but to any named card. The trick slowly became a super effective "ACAAN" routine, with an intense challenge element, and a great deal of suspense: Both the selected card, and the chosen number, are determined when the deck is out of the magician's reach and, most important, after the effect has already been announced.
in advance is so powerful in patter take advantage of it, relying on tries to method, the this procedure more the selection make irony, and trying to ACAAN theme the interesting. One the deck is ready, introduce to your audience: Since the fact of telling the effect
"There is one rule in magic that says you should neuer tell
uhat uill happen in a trick beforehand. Thrs is
because
magicians use the element of surprise, and if people already kneu tahat was going to happen, the tricks uouldn't be half as good, uould they?
For exarnple, ushen I perform the trick Aou are Qbout to see, I neuer say it's called "the any card Qt any number trick".-. I don't usant to giue you information in aduance! Then, uhett people start telling tne nutttlxt's, ond I tell thcrtt tlu11 haue ttt create a card ttsinq u rttttrrltt't' tttul u uohu', it u'ill lx' rttrtt'c ttl'
Ask a spectator to namc a srrit. Now usl< three or four more to name numbers, h'
As the spectators name values, you will have to add them up rrrt,ntally. Your key number will be 25. You have to try to get as llosc to it as possible. That's why the number of spectators who rvill name values is not set from the beginning. If you get close lo :t5 with three spectators, stop right there. If you still need rrrorc values, you will ask a fourth (and even a fifth!) one. The irlcir is to get numbers whose sum is between twenty and thirty.
You will now cut the deck at the Queen whose suit is the ;rlcvious one to the selected one (in our know rotation). In our rvrrrrple, if they select diamonds, you will have to cut to the (.)rrccrl of Clubs. If they choose Hearts (the most common r,pliou) you won't have to cut the deck at all.
l,t'l's get back to the named numbers. If the sum equals 25, lorr rlon't need to touch the cards. If the result is lower, you will lrrvt'to transfer cards to the top of the deck, in order to lorrrlrt:nsate the difference. If it was higher, you would have to Ilrrrrsli:r cards to the bottom. That means, if the result is zz, you rvill lrave to run 3 cards from top to bottom. If itwas 29, you'd rrrr ,1 t:al'ds from bottom to top.
'l'lris should be done quickly and nonchalantly, just before 1,|;rcirrg the deck on the table, in front of a spectator. At this rrronrcn[, czrll attention to the deck, and spread it in front of him. (ligrrr,:rrl only the top part of the deck, leaving the bottom as a l,lulli.'l'his way, there will be no confusion as to where to start .,rurlirrg lirlnr). Nlcrrrrwlrilc, yorr will s:ry "Oftl 77 is uertl irttltortant that, as ttrttttltt,t's trtv lx,itrrl rtrllrtl, tlrc dcck rrrrrsl /rc llu'r<,, t'it1ht in-front ttl tt slt(,(l(tlor'.'l'lti:; tt'rttl il's t'trurlt1 .litt'ltirrt ltt lttlt,t't,ottnt the rrn'r/r;, ttttt,lttl (tttt'. lt'ttrrr lltt'lttlt trf'lltt'rlt'clt..,ltttl,.sfrrcr,/rcis ltol
A book in Elrglislr: 'l'lte t'rrrtl rrr;rlirt ol Wooily Aragon
A Book in English: Thc clrltl tttrtltit ol WoorlY Alag6n
etuare of uhat's going to happen, U(nt'll.s('(' ltrh(Il u big surprise he gets ot the end!" At this moment, thanks to the amazirlg ;lrinciple by Riob6o, all of the "dirb, work" is done. You only rlced to stress the impossibility of what is to come. "Arrcl rtoru i.s when I ask the guy who chose the suit, to combine it ruith one of the numbers that heue been said, tuhicheuer he uants, to form a card. And, adding up the rest of the numbers, we tuill get a position to count LLp to.And, since no one knous that uhat uill happen is that the card they freely came up uith is going to be at the selected position, uell... Aou can imagine the amazement, and the Ltstonished looks on their faces..."
On exceptional occasions, whcn thorc are not enough people irr the audience to reach 2t), I nume a last value myself. ( )bviously, I name a value that gets the total up to exactly 25, llrrrs avoiding even the slight bit of manipulation this trick asks lot'.
'l'he description of the "inverse compensation" principle can lrc lirund at Ram6n Riob6o's More Though of Magic (r). This principle is just the tip of the iceberg of wonderful ideas born of llrc rr-rind of this genius. I can only wholeheartedly recommend vort all of his works.
Ask the spectator who selected the suit, to choose from one of the named values for his card (that means, if he said diamonds, and one of the spectators said 6, his card would be the 6 of Diamonds. As soon as he makes a selection, offer him the chance of changing it. Should he want to, let him choose any other value. If he doesn't (which happens most of the times) we will recall this moment later to our advantage, and remind him that, after he chose a card, he had the option to change it to any other card in the deck. Ask the spectator who will count to help you adding the rest of the named numbers. When the total is reached, say "imagine the surprise of a spectator tuhen, after selecting number 17, and the 6 of Diamonds, he counts Ltp to the tTth card, and this card IS the 6 of Diamonds... notu count, count!". The spectatol' will count to the chosen number, and there will be the selection.
"That's uhy because people
neuer tell uhat uill happen in aduance, uould see it coming, and the trick wouldn't be
ue
asfunny, uould it?"
ADDITIONAL REMARI(S: When I perform this tr.it.li lirI lcll0w utagir:iltrrs, I rrsrtitlly cut Io the QII,:rs tftg rlcllrrrlt srrit lirr llrr.r'l'li.t't lrt'r'orrrcs ('lrrlrs, w[icll I think is tlrt' srrit nrosl tt;tttrlrl lrt' tttltHit'i:ttls.
(
r) Mtis rrr:rgi:r lrcrrsrrrlrr,
:,oto, l'irgirr;rs. Ar,;ril:rlrL'orrlv irr Sllitnish.
A book in English: I'ltc t'rrrtl rrr:tl't( ()l Woody Aragon
A Book in English: Thc clrrl rtutllit' ol Wootly Arag6n
MAVERICK I,llrlrl,lcT:
'l'lris is a demonstration of "super-sensitivity" in estimating /ur(l ('utting a specific number of cards. The deck is thoroughly ''lrrrl'llc
',rrr;rll group of cards and giving the rest to the magician. He llrr,rr proceeds to estimate the thickness and weight of the 'ipr'('lllol-'s cards, and cuts a very similar group from the deck llrrrl lrc's holding. Both the spectator's and the magician's cards rr r, lll(!n counted. The magician was able to cut exactly the same rrrrrrrlrcr of cards as the spectator! Lecturing with Ram6n in our master class about semi-automatic canl tricks, in Hocus Pocus Festiaal (2005)
I'lris is repeated a second time, but this time the spectator just llrrrrlis ol'a number of cards that he wants the magician to cut ,,11, i\g:rin, the magician succeeds. lrirrrrlly, l card is freely selected and fairly lost in the deck. The rrrirlliciirrr is able to name the selected card, and its exact gru'iiliorr irr the deck. I{e then cuts the exact number of cards rr',r,rk.rl lo I'ind the selection in the deck.
\l,l't'-l
[,
!,rr
rrt,t.tl ir corrr;llt.lt' 52 calcl rk:r:l<. Yorr nrust also have a posiliolr :.t(r (l rrst'1111'r1ol ('lrrlts because of its r,rrrp;rlilrililv willr rrrt' rrrrrt,rrrorrit' slircli). l'1r';11111,;'r'r'irup irr
L
A book in English: 'l'lrc c:url rrrrllrr' ol Woody Aragon
A Book in English: Thc cirrtl tttrtgit'ttl Woorly Arag6n
lorr rlo a per{ect out Faro (l'}ic:. t ), tlrirl is, cutting the deck in two r'vrt't halves (26 cards each), anrl purltctly weaving all of the r'rrrrls one by one, the new position of the crimped card will be
The crimp must be a reverse breatltct', wlrit:h rtleans that when you cut at the crimped card; it will always crtttl up at the bottom of the deck.
r(r. 'l'hat is to be expected...
A quick way to position the crimped card in position 26, from a shuffled deck, is to cut it to the bottom, then run 13 cards under it, and do an out Faro. The crimped card will end up in
Now suppose you didn't get the cuts right (let's say you cut off nrrly 2t) cards, leaving 3z in the bottom portion). As you start to r\'r'irvo the card together (from the bottom up), you are perfect u1r lo the crimp. Above the crimp, you really mess up the weave (l'ir'. z). Amazingly, the result will still be EXACTLY the same: I'lrc t'r'irnped card will end up in position 26. All you need to r,nsur'o is a perfect weave for all the cards at the crimp and lrrkrw; anything that happens above the crimp can be safely lgrrorr,rl. When the cards you want to control are in the lower pnllioll of the deck (as they are now), perhaps it is rr,r'orrunended that you Faro the cards face up rather than face r lurvil
z6th position.
REGARDING
THE USE OF THE, FARO SHUFFLE
TO
CONTROL A CARD
It is important to be aware that when you use the Faro shuffle to control a card to a certain position (as you will do now, and later in this routine), you can still use the Faro to control the card you want, no matter how many cards are in each half, or how perfect the Faro above it is.
'l'lris will give you confidence and a little more flexibility when ,lnirrg llrc Faro in front of the audience, as the card would only .'nrl ul) irr a wrong place if you cut below it (less than 14 cards in llrr. r'xirrnple) or if the weave was not perfect under it.
Let me explain this:
I'lris inlirrmation will give you more confidence and a little rrrurl llcxibility when doing the Faro in front of the audience, as llrr, r'rrrrl would only end up in a wrong place if you cut below the (lt'ss than 14 cards in the example) or if the weave was ' rinrlr 11ll pr.r'lirct above it.
\nollrr.r'point is that the difference between an "in" and an rrrrl" lrrrrr only depends on whether you want the bottom card lr r r'lrrrrrgc (in ltaro), or stay the same (out Faro). t\l l,l't't
Pic.
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lilrrtl lrv slrrrl'l'lirrg lltt' lolr or llottortr lrorliorts o1'lhc
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A Book in English: Thc trrrtl
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Put the deck on the table and asl< ir sl)('('trltol to cut off a big packet, more than half of the decli, tttttl givt' it to you. Now ask him to take the rest of thc citt'tls f}om the table, and give them a good shuffle. Whiie you explain this to him, shuffle the cards you're holding, by doing an ottt Faro (again, you only need a perfect weave up to the crimped card). Leave the deck, squared, on the table. Take the spectator's packet for a moment, and hold it for a second, as if you were calculating its thickness, weight, and so on... then give it back to him and with just two fingers, very fairly, and cut the deck at the crimp. Give the cards you just cut to a second spectator, and tell both ofthem to count their cards at the same time. They will have exactly the same number ol cards.
This miracle happens thanks to a wonderful mathematical principle discovered by Alex Elmsley, which he called tht' "Penelope principle". In brief, when there is a number of cards missing from the deck, if you do a Faro shuffle with tht' remaining cards, the card in the middie automatically ends u1r in the same position as the number of missing cards.
Phase z (The principle of equal packets): At this moment, there will be two piles with the same nurnbt'r of cards on the table. This is a perfect moment to use tlrr' principle of equal packets. Take the cards that you cut off in the previous phase. If tlrt' spectator reversed the cards while counting, the crimped c:trtl will be on top. Shuffle the packet so that it ends up back on tltt' bottom. Now do a Zarrow shuffle with these cards and the I't':;t of the deck, or simulate losing those cards on the deck by lift i r rr', only the top card and putting the packet under it. Whatever' yorr do, the goal is to have tht'<'rtt of'f p:tcl
A book in English: 'l'ltt't rrt,l rr;r;,11' ,'1 Wootly Aragon
l,r'l's say that the spectaLor crrl t7 r';rrrls on the first phase. Itiglrt now the situation is: 'l'hcrr"s ir pilc with r7 cards on the l;rlrlc, and you hold the rest ol'thc rlt:t:l< with the crimped card in g,,,sition rB from the top. \sl< the spectator to think of a number, this time a little bit lrrl,,lrcr than t7, so that the feat becomes more difficult. Tell llrr.rrr not to say the number aloud, or tell anyone about it. For ,'r;rrrrllle,let's thinkhis chosen number is 23.
,\sli him to grab the deck and, while you turn your back is Irrrrrr,rl, deal as many cards as the number he thought of onto l lr. lrrlrlc, thus inverting the order of the cards. Then ask him to l'l 1'orr hold the cards for a moment, just like you did before. Itrrl, ;rt tl-re very last moment, BEFORE taking the cards, change 1, rrrr rniild, and tell him to place them back on the deck, as you "I tuill use rll ', 1,,rrt.ss his number WITHOUT touching the cards. It'lr'1xtllu,1 to guess the number Aou are thinking of. Not only llrrtt, ltttl I uill also cut some cards..." at this moment, cut at the r rnrl), lrucl spread the cards on your hands, quickly counting tlr.rrr. liirrish the sentence saying "... end they uill be exactly as tttnul (ts Uour thought of number". Place the cards you just cut l,,r' 1. orr the deck. At this moment, knowing the spectator's tluulilrl o['number is very easy: Just add the number of cards r,,rr irrsl cut to and the thought of number from the previous 1rl1;1r;r' ( llris is a clever idea from my Argentinian friend Alfredcr \l;rrllrt'st'"Alnn"). In our example, there will be 6 cards above llrr,r'r'inrp, since t7 + 6 = 23. Resist the temptation of revealing llr,rl nrrrrrlrt'r' to the audience at this point! lrr,,l s;ry: "Wt' olso haue the cards from before..." and proceed t, l.rLr.tlrr, t7 cards pile from the previous phase, give them a lrrlllr,, rrrrtl lllacc thern on top of the deck, completely ' lirrrrn;rlirrg irrr.y llossiblo rnethod from the audience's mind.
\\'lr;rl yorr llrvc tr;lpirrtnlly douc is .irrst gathered the whole
'1,, l. ',o llr;rt il is cornplclr.rrli;rirr... lrrrt, tlr;rrrl
A book in English: l'hc t'rrrrl rrrrl,,rr, ol Wooily Aragon
A Book in English: Thc cirrtl rrurliit'ol Wootly Arag6n
crimp. Ask the spectator to say his nunrlrcr aloud. It will be the one you just named. Then ask hinr to cotttrt thc cards you cut, in order to verifii your success.
Phase s (The principle of... subtraction):
To finish the routine, explain the audience the real use for your "super-sensitivity": "If I know the exact location of a card I need, I can cut to it and find it uery easily. Imagine hou useful this would be uhen I am gambling, and play the game of "Cutting to the Highest Card". Or in a gome of poker, I can always cut to an ace...Iet me shotu you". Take the packet of cards from phase two, and once again shuffle it so that the crimped card ends on the bottom. Then leave the packet on top of the deck. Now you will simulate shuffling the whole deck, while actually running some cards tcr the bottom of the deck. In this case, since the packet had z3 cards, you would run B, so that the crimped card lies in position
Nlovt. .y
rS (zg-B=rS).
Tell a spectator to pick a card. He has a free choice, but yorr should try to get him to pick one under the crimp (so that it stays in r5th position). If they insist in taking a card from thr' upper portion of the deck, let them do it, but keep in mind thal the crimped card will be in the r4th position. Let the card be shown around, and ask them to remember it. As the spectator is about to return the card to the deck, cut lt the crimped card, so the selection is right under it. Square tht' deck, and shuffle the cards above the crimp without disturbing their position (16 cards can be shuffled, in our example).
Put the deck on the table, slightly beveled the long sick's towards you, and put your hand over it, as if concentrating. Asli the spectator to focus on the sclcction. You will start to "fct'I" something... "Your cord is... Irlot it... riqht urule.v slls c1 ttl clubs... positiort t6! 'l'lxtl ,t,('(,,r.s tlutt, i.l'I tottttl lo t'trI to it. I need b cul cxtrclltl t.5 t'ut'(1s,.. 1/ri.s lilrrr', I ttron'l ll.sr' /tt,o .firttlt,t's.-. I tuill
lry sorttt'lltirtrl ltrtt'tlt'r'...rt,illt ortltl ottt'l'itttlt'r'!"
hit it
rrlrrvrrrtls with your first finger. The deck will automatically be r rrl rrl llrc crimp, and the upper packet will fall face up, showing
llrr, r1 111'Ch-rbs (the card you said was on top of the ielection!). lrrhr, llrt'llacket and count it onto the table, showing that you , rtl rr;rcll.y r5 cards. The card on top of the deck is the r6rh. Ask llrr,:;1rr,r'lator to name the selected card, and turn it over rlr.rtnirlir';rlly as you say "... I kneu) it". A I ) t )I'I'IONAL
REMARKS
I )rrl ol'tlrc magicians who's gotten the most of "Maverick" is \lrnln'lirrrr lkrm Tenerife. He's got a great patter for the trick, l,ir.rr.rl ,rr tlrc iclca of "The five senses". Since touch is already l,',,r'nl (llrc rotrtine is practically an exhibition of touch), he
1rr",r'nls crrt'lr phasc fbcusing on a different one. First he cuts by ,t11lrl (r,slirrrirlcs), tlrcrr with hearing (he asks the spectator to rllllr' llrr' llirt'l
rrr ll
A book in English: l lte t'ltttl lttltl't( ()l'Wprl{y Aragon
A Book in English: Tltc crttl tttltlrir'ol Woorly Arag6n
This is one of the effects in whit'lt I lrtvt' invested the most time, and over the years, I have ittt:ltttlctl ltlitny versions and handlings in my repertoire. The tricl<'s r):ullc comes from the Mel Gibson movie, in which he always Lrictl to cut exactly at the card he wished. In my first book [Cosas Mias (zooz)] I published a first version of this routine that used a stacked packet of cards, but some of the calculations needed were confusing, and that made me strive to create an impromptu version, and that's how I invented the trick you have just read. But I have to say, that when I perform for magicians, I usually skip the last phase as, while being really appealing for laymen, it makes the existence of a crimp obvious to magicians.
THE HUMAN SCALE 'lris is one of my most famous tricks and one of my essential lorrlines whenever I perform stage or parlor magic. I am very lr rrrrl rrf it. Pit Hartling told me, not long ago: "I think this is the ln,st "ueighing the cerds" I'ue euer seen." 'f
Not much later, I saw Pit Harling (a good friend, and an artist I really admire) present a very similar trick (Finger Flicker from his Card Fictions) at a lecture he did at the Hocus Pocus Magic Festival in Granada. The effect was very similar, but the method was very different from mine. Pit and I, are not only good friends, but we also share the same way of thinking about magic, and have a similar style - not so much in presentation ol' the effects but in the methods and kind of effects that we like. This trick is only one example of the many instances over tht' years in which we have had similar ideas. So if you like this book, I really think you should take a look at Pit's great videos. books and lecture notes. They are worth their weight in gold.
titrtrECT: r\ r'lassic plot: The magician is able to ascertain the number of ,'rrrrls in a group, only by feeling the weight of them in his hand. .!'I
I 11 SET
UP:
Yrrrr will need a complete deck of 5z cards (or a deck whose rrrrrrrlxrr' of cards you know). Place one of the suits in order, Ace
lo Kirrg (we'll use Diamonds as an example). The stacked suit
,,lrorrltl llc on top of the deck.
MI|'I'IIOD: Alan ntrrl Me (201t)
,',llrrrl by shuffling the deck, without altering the t3 card stack rlr l()l), ils you tell the audience that, after years of practice with ' llrr, rlr,r'l<, .you can even feel the cards by their weight.
"/,irr r,.rrrrrrpk , il'I tututtetl to ctLt to, sal1, t3 cards... uhat I rt'rtttltlrlrr i.s crrl tlu,tk,ck,.irrst like t|ru1..." Ilolcling the deck, cut 'rl,lrr'(l\ilnittt.l.y;r r;rilrIlr.r'01'it, tl'yirrg rr0l l() gt.l ntore than 13 I in(l:i. Ar'l ;rs il lou ;rrt. wt'iglrirrg tlrr, r';rrrls, trncl use this ,1r1rol'lrrrrily lo pr,t.l. ;rl llrr. lrollorrr r.;rrrlol llrr,pilr,. lls v:rlrrc will
L
I
A book in English: I lte t rrnl rrirt'r{ r}l Wootly Aragon
A Booh in English: Thc crtrl ttt:tl'it ol Wot,tly Arag6n
tell you how many cards are in yotu'luttttl. ll', lix'example, you cut to the JD, say "Hmmm... no, tlrctv ut'<' t t itt tlis pile... I need to get tuo more cerds..." - add two citt'cls ttttcler the Jack, and repeat the weighting gesture - "riqhL, Llta'a ure 4 this time".
,,\sl< a spectator to cut sur.rrc t'rrrrls, lcss than half of the deck, ,rrrrl ;llace them over your h:rrrtl. l(t't'p.yorrr hand flat, and your Irrr1,,r'r's extended, so that uo oltc srrspccts you might be using \ r )ur' f ingers to count the cards.
Give the rest of the deck to a spectator, and ask him to shuffle the cards thoroughly. Meanwhile, give the r3 cards to a second spectator, asking him to count them, (or you can do it yourselfl and thus reverse their order.
\&lrt'n the spectator cuts the cards, there are two possibilities. tlrt,card on the face of the pack is a Diamond, multiply its ',rlrrr. by two in order to obtain the number of cards you are
Don't give any importance to this effect (it's not really very powerful, because you cut the deck). Its goal is to eliminate the surprise factor in the next phase. If you didn't perform this phase, you would be wasting the second phase because the next effect allows, and is more suited for, creating suspense rather' than surprise. It also justifies the shuffling of the rest of the deck, while naturally isolating the r3 stacked cards that we neecl (the stacked ones). I usually perform this first phase as I walli through the audience, while they are still seated.
(REAL) FrRST PITASE: Ask the two spectators to join you onstage. False shuffle the r:i card packet as you do so and, once on the stage, take the rest ol the deck and Faro the 13 cards into it. Address the spectator who shuffled the 39 card deck "Did you giue them a gootl shuffie? Ok, let's shuffie those ones too.-." and Faro the two packets. It doesn't matter whether you do an in or an out Fat'o. because it's actually better if you weave the cards in the midcllt' of the pack. Just make sure that only one indifferent card gcts between every two cards in the stacked suit.
Spread the cards, showing the apparent randomness of tlrc cards, and locate the AD. Cut the deck two cards above it, itrtrl leave it on the table, face up. The situation is: The deck is on llrr' table, face up, and the AD is tht'third card crotttttittg frotn llr,' faces, the zD is the fiftlr,:ll) is tlrt'st'vt'ttth,:ttttl so ort...
ll
lr,,l1;11,*.
ll
tlrirt was not the case, simply extend you hand slightly, so
llr;rl llrc cards slide slightly over each other, allowing you to yqlrrrrlrsc at the index of the bottom card of the pile (it will be a I
tr;rrrrond). Multiply its value by two, and add one.
Irr ;rrr.y case, you will knowthe number of cards you have in r,rrr' lr;rncl. Announce it, and give the cards to the spectator who , rrl llrt, t:ards. Ask him to turn over the cards as he deals them ,n \'olu' harnd, counting them (as he is turning the cards over, llrl t';rr'
',unls. proving that you were right, take your
deserved
r;r;rlrrrrst', and put the cards back on the deck.
:iI,:('0NI) PIIASE: l;rLr, llrt. cleck and, using the after-effect relaxation to your ,r,lr;rrrlir,l,(', r'un rr cards from the top of the deck to the face. lcrrvt.s the AD on the r4th position from the face, and so ,l,lr,rl
ol llrc problems I find when performing these kind of rl,(.t'l)ow('l's" routines is that sometimes it is so feasible that, l,,t ,,1vs1',. 01'llrc auclience, it becomes more a display of great rl,rlrlr', r';rllrt.r'thun ura11ic. In order to avoid this, I took the ,,,nrlrliorrs Io tlrt' t'xtr'(.ll)(,, iu crcating this sccond phase. The lr ullr i:;, t';rlcrrlllirrg lltr. rrrurrltcr' o1' t'ltrls in it ltile you are lr,,l,l1s11, is ttol so corrrlrlir';rlt.rl, ltrrt tloinr- so ilr llrc conditions tlr,rl I rvill rror,r' prlr;r,rrl ir;, i[' rrot rr';rl rrr;t1',ir', sorrrctlring that , ,,nr{,,. t,,t I r.l,r:;r, lo tl I rrrr.
A Book inEnglish: Tlrc t'rrtrl rtrtl'i1
A book in Englislr: 'l lrt' t'rrrrl
,,1 Wootly Arag6n
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ol Wootly Aragon
Ask your audience for a bag, ir s('lrl, a handkerchief... anything that can hold a deck of cat'cls insitlc will do. Hold it
ll'you see an indifferent caltl,.irrsl tcll your audience "I need a ',itu1le card as a tueight refi'rcrtca" rrrrrl when the spectator gives vorr the top card, peek at thc ucxt onc, which will be a diamond lrrrrl. Multiply its value by two anrl ackl 10 to get the number of
same.
,'rrrrls inside the box. Give the "ref'erence" card back to the ';pcctators after weighing" it, act as if you were subtracting the rvr,ight of the handkerchief and the box, and continue with the lr.r,t'lation.
with one hand, concentrate, and say sottrcthing like "this tueighs as much os... saA... 70 cards". Take thc cett'd box, and do the: Give the box to one of the spectators, asking him to examine it. Tell him that he is to cut a good chunk of cards, about half of the deck - not exactly; a few cards more, or a few cards less. The idea you want to convey to your audience is that, the more' similar the packet they ieave to the one they take, the harder il is for us to calculate its weight. Actually, as long as the spectator' cuts between r3 and 37 cards, the trick will work.
After the spectator cuts the cards (it doesn't matter where ht' cut), ask him to put his cards into the box, close it, and put il inside the handkerchief, bag... or whatever the item yorr previously weighted.
Throughout this whole procedure, keep your back turned tt, the audience. But, at the exact moment when you tell tht' spectator to put the cards into the box, address him by turning slightly, and use this opportunityto peek at the top card of th,' remaining pile. Once again, there are two possibilities. If the card is ;r diamond, after the first spectator has packaged the cards, asl. the second one to put the remaining cards in his pocket, so thrrt when you finaily face your audience, there are no cards in siglr l. Take the package, put it in your hand, pretend to weigh it [dorr't forget to pretend to subtract the weight of the handkerchief arrr the box from the weight of the package in your hand], and nartt,' the number of cards inside. I
Obviously, you get the number by multiplying by two the valrrr' of the peeked diamond, antl a
,I'IIIRD PTIASE: Asl< the spectator who put the cards into the box to shuffle his lrrrrls thoroughly, and ask the other one, who has the rest of the ,lr,r'|i... to do the same. Even after destroying the stack, you will rrow rcpeat the demonstration in a very dramatic way. " l)o lJou went to knotu how I do it? I uill explain it to you. It r,. trttl only a skill, but I am actually a human scale... let me ,.lttnu Uou..." Gather the deck, taking back the cards from the 'ilr('('lirtors. You might be thinking: How can I know the position ,I ;r rry carrds, after being shuffled by the audience? The answer is rilr t,irs}/ one: You know exactly how many cards each one had, l,r,r';rrrs(: you just guessed them in the previous phase!
.'\l llris moment, it has been a while since you guessed the rrrrrrlrt:r'
'-,t
t rr) \'. ,\:;li llrc spectator holding the Y pile for his cards first. Place llrr,rrr llrt'tr up in your left hand. Remember the card on the face ,,1 llrr, lrilc; it will be your key card. Place the rest of the cards I llrr X pilc) face up on top ofthe Ypile. You are nowholding the ,lllli, willr ir l
\,,L on(,ol'tlrt,spt.r'l;rtors (rrsc tlrt'orrt,wlro has been least tnr',,lvr.rl irr tlrt. lricli so l';rr')lo crrl :r pilc ol'r,;rxls,;rltotrt a quarter ,,1 llrr,rlccli,;rrrrl pl;r,',,i1 ol,r.t'yorl'r'ililrl lr;rrrrl. lltsist
-lhc r'rrr.tl tttlrl'.tt ol Wootly Arag6n A Book in English:
complete freedom of his choicc, tcllirrg lrirn he can add or remove one, two or three cards bclirl'c ltlitt'itrg the pile on your hand. Just make sure he cuts abovc yottt' licy catrd.
Extend your arms so that each hancl can be watched at all times by a spectator (once again, make sure that no one can suspect that you are counting the cards). Be as serious as yotr can, make a big deal of what you are about to do. If you can, piay some tense music and dim the lights. The contrast of thc stage with the situation of having someone with his arms extended, acting as a human scale, is a very funny moment, bul your audience will be completely engrossed in the trick.
Acting as a scale, raise your right hand, the one with tht' smaller pile, and lower the left one. As if trying to reduce tht' weight difference between the piles, start dropping, one by onc. cards from your left hand. Meanwhile, start raising your lef't hand, as the right hand lowers. As you drop the cards, start counting backwards, keeping irr mind how many cards are on top of the key card...(in orrr example, think "there are 21 cards left...'drop one, then therr ore 20 cards left...'drop another one, "19 left...') until you gt't to the key card. The number you count down to when yorr get to the key card (which you see, trut do not count) is
the nurnber of cards that the spectator has cut (thosr' cards are in your right hand).
Now that you know the number, you only need to drop tlrr' necessary number of cards from the left hand. And, since yorr now know the piie has Y cards, count the key card as "Y-1", ilt)tl continue counting. For example, suppose you counted t4 cartls in the right hand pile. You remember the value of Y is 31, so y()rr drop the key card and count "3o", drop the next one '29", llt'rl u28"... until you drop the card and get to "74". At that poirrl piles will contain the sitltte nllmber of cards (r4 in tlri:; both case).
All of this st:ct'tl t'orntlirrli;rr'lrrlrllv lrcllts lo t'tttlvr'1' lltt'itttttlit',,1 real cont't'tttlltliott. ;tttrl llr;rl ttt;tLr's lltr'
A book in English: l'lrr' r':rtrl
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|.wt'r'ful one (if it looks "r't'lll", tlrr' ;rrrrlit.rrt:c genuinely feels the ,lrllit'rrlty of the task yotr arc irllt'rnptirrg). Mren you finish with \ our' counting, relax. And, al- thcr nronrt:rrt your two arms are on llrr,sarne level, smile and show youl audience that you just rrr;rrlt' it! Many times, the audience will start clapping even Irllot't, you have proved anything!!! N;rnrc the number of cards cut by the spectator and, ,lr;rrrr:rtically starts dropping cards in pairs, from both hands, at llrr,s;rnre time. Count them as you do it, until you reach the riun('(l number. The tension of the magician dropping cards one l,\ orrc, until he runs out of cards at the exact moment of the , lrrrr;rx, make this a very powerful ending to the routine. A I ) I ) I'IIONAL
REMARKS:
iionrt. people say that card magic does not work on stage. Well,
I r';rn lrroudly say that I have even used this effect to close a ,t;rll(' gala, performing after several professionals in rrr;rrrilrrrlation, great illusions and stage magic, with magnificent rr",ulls (cven I was surprised!). In any case, you can also l','rlonn the routine close-up. Just drop the cards on the table.
\llr.r' prcsenting this version of the trick in one of the galas zrt llrr' l',scorial meetings, some years ago, Steve Beam told me Ton-t llrrlrlrrrrl had a similar idea to the third phase of my routine. I rr, r,'r'lrrrl the opportunity to share my ideas with him, but I l,rllr rcrrlizccl that I had read Hubbard's idea in The Card l\lrrgic ol'Nick Trost (I hereby suggest that you read it, as it r, 'luir'('s lr l
I rrrll rrow corrli'ss llr;rl. lrltlr
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A Book in English: Thc citrtl ttt:t1'.it' ol Wootly Aragon
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ol Woorly Aragon
" l ruill nou) remoue I'vc always been more the Jokers". The reason is tl-rat
any cards, without showing them, tls I sil.y
comfortable calculating the cards nccrlccl kr reach 50 at the beginning of the third phase.
I will also tell you that I never use a suit in order, although it works perfectly for the routine. In performance, I use the first 13 cards from my mnemonic stack. As I decided not to publish any mnemonic deck tricks in this book, I have described the effect with the ordered suit idea, but if you use any stack (Tamariz, Aronson...) using the first 13 cards of the stack works perfectly, and allows you to fairly show the first 13 card pile (the ones in the warm up phase). Another possibility is to have a packet alternating even diamond cards with odd clubs cards to disguist' the order.
SI FRY Sorne time ago I created a trick, called The Lemon Pear (t). rrrrrltiple divination, after a genuine shuffle, that delighted ,ur(li(.nces, both laS.men and magicians (and even me, when lrrr'lirrnring it). It was included in my first set of lecture notes, irul irr my first book, Cosas Mias (z). I have to say it fooled rrrrrl,,it'ians like David Solomon, Gabi (g), and Henry Evans... ,lr",us Iitcheverry read it in the EMM (4) newsletter and he ,rlrurlrrlcly loved it, so he asked me to perform it at the meeting ,,l llrr, Iiscorial (5) later that year. Tony Cachadifla, Joan Font, ,rr(l (,von Herb Zarrow really liked it... I am not telling you all of llrr,, irrst because I'm proud of the effect (which, of course, I am) l,rrl lrr,r'ause I want you to know how much I appreciate this ,'llr,r'1, :rnd why I think it is reallyworth performing.
\
A lt'rrron pear is a variety of the fruit that grows in Spain. There is :rlso ur cxpression with it meaning that something is great/cool. 'l'lrirl's wl'rere the name comes from. l,itt'r'irlly meauing "My Things" (or My Stuff), it hasn't been published irr l,irrglish.
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irrlri l)irlt:r'as, one of the foremost pupils of Ascanio. His ideas have llrr,irlly irr{lrrcnced many of the top magicians in Spain. He lives in (
Ilrrlt't'krrtit. "l,lscrrt'lrr Magica dc Madrid", Madrid's magic artistic School, whose rrrr,rrrlrt,r's irrr:lrr
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A book in Englislr: 'l'lrc crrnl
A Book in English: Thc olxl tuitgic ol'Wootly Arag6n
I have developed several versions ol'this trick, depending on
the stack I am using at the moment (tnncnronic, arithmetic...) This is the most "popular" version because it's based on the Si Stebbins stack. Steve Beam, who really loves this trick, came up with the English name, Si Fry, when he published it in the volume 6 of his Semi-Automatic Card Trick series, in a chapter dedicated to my magic. Thanks Steve! EFFECT The magician tells the audience that he is going to find out not one, not hvo, but as many cards as they want... but, trying not to make the trick take too long, a spectator will choose a number between 5 and 15. The spectator himself will shuffle the cards, and he will take as many cards as he chose. The magician will have his back turned to the audience at all times, and will not even touch the cards at any time. Even under those seemingly impossible conditions, the magician is able to ascertain every single card!
METHOD Start with a deck in Si Stebbins order. I usually stack the suits in SHCD order (r), but, of course, the trick works just as well in CHaSeD order. Have the spectator cut the deck, and then ask him to think of l number, and say it aloud. It should be a number between 7 and 13, but I usually say a number between 5 and 15, so it seems that the choice is bigger.
Usually no one gives me 6 or r4...but if someone did, I woul
(r)
The SHCD; or "l)i(li I\rl)o" irr Splrrish, is thc nrosl poprrlar striI ortlt'r' fbr thc Si Stcl)l)ir)s
rrrrr;1rt,
ol'Wrlody Aragon
l,ct's say the chosen numbcl' is to. Ask him to cut the deck and then deal ro carcls on tlrc table (thus inverting those lrrr'(ls' order). You will look asicle as thc cards are dealt. rr14irin,
Ask the spectator to cover the cards with his hand, so that you lrrrrnot see them. Then gather the rest of the cards, and peek at tltr,bottom card. Now transfer, from top to bottom as many r'rrrrls as the difference between 13 and the chosen number. In llrr. uxample, 1B-1o means you have to transfer 3 cards from the lop to the bottom of the deck, using a double undercut or an ovcrhand shuffle (the best option ifyou need to transfer several r'rttrls). The patter for these actions is 'You could haue chosen tttttl other cardfrom the deck, you cut the deck, you shufJled..."
At the moment you say "you shuffled", act as if you
are
for a moment, and then ask the spectator,'YoLt rlitl NOT shuffie, Did you?". He will say no, so you'lI reply "Oh trn'll, I almost forgot the best part of the trick. Well, Iet's start tu1uitt..." Cut about z6 cards from the packet you are holding, lrrkirrg them with your right hand (do not leave them on the trrlrlc). Then ask the spectator to return his cards to the center of llrr. 1rircft. As soon as he does, dribble the cards you are holding uvr.r' lhc spectator's, but a little bit nearer to your body. The first ,'nrrl lo fall will be automatically injogged. Catch a break at the 1op, with your thumb, and transfer it to the pinky as you square llrr, rlcr:l< and prepare to start the trick again. r'rrrrl'rrsed, pause
('rrl lhc deck at the break, table the two halves in front of the rrgrr,r'lnlor, and ask "Do you knous hou to shulfle like this... r'rrli,,,o sttlle?" (NorE 1) Ask him to riffle shuffle the deck and, as he lq rrlrorrt to do it, stop him and tell him that you are about to find rrrrl lris t:lrds, and it is important for everyone to see that your lurcli will be turned at him every moment, and you will not lrrtrllr llrc cards anymore. 'l'lrr, spcr:tator ri1'l'lc shutlles the deck. Ask him to square it, and rrllr,ss llrc lirr:t thal rrow "'l'|rc cleck hus bcat utmpletely shuffled 141 t1ott, r'iqht'? Olc, tlmt lrrkc...hous nt(tntl tttrtls tlid you say..? ll,'()lt, to... Ok, !ltt'tt ltth' to curds..."'l'ltis sr.nltrn(:(r has the goal
,rl lrrliitt14 llrt,sgx'r'l;rlor lirrrrr llrt'sltrrl'llr', slr';riglrt irrlo tll
A Book in English: 'l'hc trrltl tttrtltt ol Wootly Arag6n
cards, without giving him a chauc:t' to t'ttt, sotttcthing that would
ruin the effect
(NorE 2).
Now you will ask him to look at thc citt'cls and concentrate.." meanwhile, you will calculate the value o1'the card that comes after the key card you peeked at earlier. As we're using the Si Stebbins stack, the next card's value results from adding g to the key card. The suit will be the opposite suit of the sarne color as the key card. That means, if the key card is the 4 of clubs, yotr will calculate the 7 of spades (Value: 4+3:7, Suit=same color, opposite suit). When you name this first card (it will always be one of thc selected cards, although there is an extremely low possibilitv that you might make a mistake in the first card) ask thc spectator to show it, and place it face up on the tablc, confirming that your guess is right. It is important to keep tracli of how many cards are left (in this example, he said 10, so you'rt' now left with 9). Now you will start naming cards following tht' regular Si Stebbins stack (adding 3 to the vaiue and rotatinii suits in the chosen order), and the cards will be shown as you guess all of them... But there will be a moment at which you wi1l be told that yorr failed! Watch out for this: you have to be ready, this shouid not seem a mistake, and you should make it look as though it was simply a miscail. Just fake having rushed too much in namirrli the cards, making a mistake oniy at the suit. Immediatclr correct yourself, and say the suit of the last guessed card. If, lirr example, you say "King of Spades, 3 of Diamonds, 6 of Clubs... and suddenly you're told the 6 of Clubs is not one of the cat'tl:,, say "oh, sorrA, it IS a six, but I meont the 6 of Diamonds..."'l'lt,' spectator will confirm you're right. Give a sigh of relief arrrl continue naming cards again, in standard Si Stebhins ortk'r, from the 6 of Diamonds. (NorIi 3)
This mistake happens ottlv irt lltc Si Stebbins vtrt'si{)tt, :ttt,l results from cr'(rssing tlrc ltvo pt'ittcilllcs tltat itllow lltc lt'it'li l, happcn. II
A book in Englislr. l lrt't;rrrl rrr,u,r, ol Wootly Aragon
l(r'tl-Black color sequenc(f, lris particular stack. (No'r'r'r'l)
il
rrsrrirl wolr'.y when working with
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I usually refer to rilfle shuffling as a "casino style" shuffle for psychological reasons. In Spain, it is not a normal way of shuflling, except at casinos. If I asked a spectator to riffle shuffle, he might think ("What? Rtffle shuffle? What's this? Why can't I shuffle in the normal uay? Why? Do I haue to shuffle just the way he uants
me to? Will this allou him to control the cards, somehotu?"). When I say "casino style", I ciearly convey the kind of shuffle that I want - the one done in casinos, where people play professionally. Everyone in the audience will accept this, as it is a fairly common image fbr them. This leads them to think "If this is the tuay they shuffle in casinos, it must be because it is the best uay to mix the cerds". And that's exactly what I want them to think: I want them to shuffle this way, because it is the best way to really mix the cards, not because the trick's method requires them to shuffle that way. (:,) In the first phase (a phase everyone will forget, or at Icast, will not associate with the rest of the effect, as no iu"tist would be so stupid as to make a mistake on l)urpose, and have to start again from the beginning), llrc cards were actually cut. You will use this to your Irrlvantage, trying to mess with their memory and rcr:alling the action of cutting at the moment you want. I rrsrrally do this when there are only three cards left in the slrcctator's hands. I pause and say something like"There ttt't' orilt1 ttuo cards left...No?! Three? Aren't their ttuo?! Wttto... rue.ll, yott knotu, fhis ls not easy., Remember, tltm slntffk'd tlu, curds tlotu"self, tlott cttt them, you took (r.s ,,r(ulu (ts tlou ttrtrrtlcd... Brtt il's ok, tf't1ott saq yotL still Itttttt' !ltrt't,... irr.s/ ltrkc otrl lhc lrpo of'diontonds [for rxirnrplr'l trtrtl lltt'tt llt<,t'<, tuill lx' ltt,o... (1,)vcryrx-rc will l;rrrlilr ;tl llr;rl poirrl, llrt y'orr slill rrr;rrr;r1ir,rl lo trrl
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A book in Hnglislr: 'l ltt' r'rrrrl ur:r1iir' rrl Woorly Aragon
A Book in English: Thc cirltl tttrtl',it' ol Wtrotly Arag6n
(S)
And at the end, when thct'tr itrt' ottly two cards left, I always use Richard Osterlincl's Clrrrt/ Calling subtlety. I refer you to his Breakthrough Card System booklet/DVD, whichever you pref'er. It's worth its weight in gold.
(+)
If
you want to further disguise the Si Stebbins color two cards in inversed order at the beginning. For example, if the chosen cards are Ace
BORED OF SHUFFLING
sequence, you can name
of Clubs, 4 of Hearts, 7 of Spades... you could say "Ace oJ Clubs, 7 of Spades, 4 of Hearfs..." and the final display o1' the chosen cards on the table will have a more random look.
'l'lris is my personalized version of Simon Aronson's ShufJle lhrtrl. The effect is practically the same, but part of the method rrrrrl presentation are new, and good enough (in my opinion) to lrrstil'y its presence in this book. On one side, the deck lortl'igtrration allows for the use of the Gilbreath principle, and ,r(l(ls some freedom to the handling. This method will fool even llrosr.who knowthe original, and has gotten me the praise of rrrrrrry l'cllow magicians. The presentation, on the other hand, rlilli'r's from the original, and does not go for a feeling of lrnrl)l(!te chaos, but instead focuses on the clarity and freedom ,,1 clroicc, something that, I think, reinforces the prediction
lllccl.
l,llrlrlicT:
Performing "Borcd
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Slrul'llirt;q" itr I)orr I:rrtrtcist'o's'l'V Prttgrtrtr I lrri,,i:,itttt, itt Mitttti
,\rr rrlrcrr prediction is shorrr.n. It states: "In the end, there uill lu' :,.1.1111,1r up cards". Two members of the audience are invited t,, rilrrrl'{1c, cut and turn over packets of cards, while the rrrirl',iciiur Announces that, no matter what they choose, the I'rr,(li('lion will still be right. The spectators control which cards irrl lunr(!(l thce up or face down right up to the very last rrr.rrrrr.rrl. Ncvcrtheless, the prediction will not only be correct lrrrl. wlrcrr cxrmpletely revealed, it is shor.rm to have also ;,rr,rlillr,rl thcr color and suit of all the face up cards. Not only tlrir,, lrrrl llrc ntagici:rrr sccmcd to know in advance that none of llrr lrrcc rrlr t':u'tls worrltl lrt. :r r:orrrt cal'r1... wcll, there is one... but llrirl wrrs rrlso irr llrc nr;rgit'iirrr's;lrulit'ti
trl
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I
I
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A Book in English: 'l'ltc trrrtl tttrtt',it ol Wtxrtly Arag6n
A book in Unglislr:
lltt't:rtrl rn;r1'rr'ol Woorly Aragon
'l'hen, on the back of t[-rc prcrlit'tiorr, I write:
METHOD The original ShufJle Bored methocl crottsists of a procedure for seemingly haphazardly shuffling togethel two groups of cards together, some of which are face up ancl some face down, but fby using parity] actually keeping the two groups of cards easily separable. One of the two groups initially held all the cards needed for the final prediction (there will be X cards face up, Y
red, Z hearts...) but when the two piles are combined, ther predictions provide a logical reason for separating the two groups. However, the magician has to keep track of this group with the necessary cards, and often, at the very last moment, tht' magician had to turn the whole deck over to ensure that thc cards required for the final prediction were all face up.
My version grew from the idea of taking advantage of tht' ambivalence of the characteristics in the predicted cards (tht' prediction states "there uill be tz black cards" ot "6 of thettt u.till be Spades", without really saying which will be the exat't cards). This allows me to use not just one group of cards, btrl two. I mean, both the face up and face dornrn cards contairr exactly the same number of cards, the same number of re'tl cards, of hearts, etc...
This frees me from having to control one of the groups to bt' face up, making it fairer for the audience, and has some mor'(' advantages, such as using the Gilbreath principle to start with ;r
EXCEPT }'OII THE K J OF HEARTS I tlo this because, using a normal deck (I will later explain the irrlvirntages of using a duplicate), you can have two groups of r'rrrrls that meet all the requirements on the front of the prr.rliction, but the final exception on the back isn't (can't be!) llrc snme for both groups. Since the audience will be free to ,'lroose which will be the face up cards, you will not know, until I I r , vcry end, if the picture card will be the Jack of Hearts or the Kirrg of Hearts. Writing the prediction in this manner, yolt can irrrl 1lu[ your thumb over the K and turn the prediction over rr illr .your hand, or pass it to the left hand and cover the J with r urrr lhumb. r
l,r't's talk about the deck now. Before starting the routine, yon ',lrrrrrltl remove the two red Queens and any 2 Diamond cards lrnrrr lhe deck. I usually leave them in the card box. Later on, I r ,ur l)ul the deck in the case for a moment, then "change my rrrirrrl" ancl take out the complete deck to continue using it for ,,llrr.r'c1'['ects. So, for this routine, you will have a 48 card deck. 'ir'p;u'irtc it in traro groups as follows:
r:t lll:rr:l< cards, 5 Heart number cards, 5 Diamond cards, King
real shuffle by a spectator.
,,1 I lr,trlts.
But before I explain the details of the deck, let's talk about tlr,' prediction first. For practical reasons that I will explain later'' use this one: I
THERE WILL BE Z4 FACE UP CARDS 11 OF THOSIi WII,L BE RED 6 WII,I, ItI.] III1ARTS
Ar,r, oF THE IIliAlt't'S Wll,l, tlli NUMltl,llt N( ) !'l( "1'l lluis.
cAltl)s,
,lircli ol'llearts,5 Diamond cards,5 Heart number cards, t3
lllrrlli
crrrrls-
l'lris rrrt'ans that, if you cut the deck between the Jack and the ol'llt':rr'[s, tht'two groltps are sylnmetric, in a kind of nultr)t'sllrt'l<.'l'ltis is r.rrorrgh to mal
A Book in English: Thc clrlrl tttrtgit'ol Wootly Arag6n
A book in Englislr: l ltr' r'rrrrl rrrrlirt' ol Wootly Aragon
PERFORMANCE Start with a spectator on each side, and display the prediction while hiding a part of it with your I'rand, the box of cards, or simply by folding the prediction itself. The audience should only see "There uill be 24 foce up cards". Now tell your audience that you will perform the famous "There uill be z4 face up cards" trick. The trick gets its name because, no matter what you do, at the end the prediction is always correct... Cut the deck exactly in half (between the Jack and the King ol'
Hearts), separating the two groups, and tell one of thtr spectators to riffle shuffle the two portions together. Because o1' the Gilbreath principle, the two groups will still be together, only in a random order. Next, I need to cut the deck again exactly in half, and I coultl secretly count z4 cards, but I usually cut by estimation and do l Faro check, as I talk about shuffling the deck (since the trick is about shuffling, a Faro attempt is justified). Once you have tht' two exact halves, give one to each spectator, and tell them to shuffle their cards.
Now you will perform an adaptation of the procedure used b.r Ramon Riob6o in Control in Chaos. Ask each spectator to plat't' his cards on the table, in front of him, and cut "a big, small ttt' medium packet, uhicheuer you like". There will be 4 piles orr the table. Point at them, and ask "Wouldit be possible tofores<'t' the number of cards that are in each packet?"
Now ask them to turn over one of the two piles, in order lo decide how many cards will be face up, and how many lirt',' down. "Could I haue knoun in aduance that you uere goirttl ttt turn ouer this pile, instcod o.l' this biqqer ot7e, ot' this .srrrrrl/ one?"
Now lirl
pllr.ul'llrt'otlrt'r', ;rntl givt. it [o one ol'tltt: sltoctators so that he ',lrrrlllcs llrt'ru logcllrcr' (witlrorrl x'vt'r'sirrg thc clirection the 'l'lrr, sr,r'orrtl sllct'llrtor r,vill shrrl'llrr the other ',rr(l:i ;lr'(' llrcirrg).
A book in Englislr: 'l'lrc t':rltl rnl;.irr'ol Woody Aragon
A Book in English: Thc crrnl tttirgit' ol Wootly Arag6n
two piles together. This is a way ol' slightly motivating the exchange of face down piles.
After the shuffle, proceed with Aronson's original handling, but only once per spectator. Specifically, ask the first spectator to cut a packet from his cards, put it in the center of the table and turn it over. The second spectator shuffles this packet together with his cards. The spectators now repeat the procedure, exchanging roles (ie, the second spectator cuts ancl rotates a portion of his deck and then gives it to the first spectator who shuffles it into his deck). Now you will tell one of them that he is to have the final choict' over the cards that will be face up and face dovr,n. Tell him that he will choose one of the two piles, turn it over, and shuffle tht' two piles together. Stress the point that, if he chooses to turtr over his pile, the cards that he sees face up (at this point it is good to spread his cards a little and name one or two) will entl face down, but if he chooses to turn over the other packet, thetr his cards face up cards will stay face up, and the other cards will be the ones to end face down... This decision will come back lo haunt the audience at the moment of the final revelation... If tht' prediction already stated that all hearts would be number carcls "exceptfor the Jack of Hearts", then they will think "but at tltt' uery last moment, I had the free choice to leaue this card fou' down!" I am not saying that everyone at the audience will junrlr to this conclusion, but the feeling of control over the finirl outcome is there, and they will perceive it. No matter what they choose, you will now proceed to show tlrt' prediction, step by step, proving that each one is right arrtl revealing the next step. At what will seem to be the lrrsl prediction, the audience will see a picture card that should rrot be there. But, since the spectators checked the first predictiorr (counting the number of face up cards) you will have sp
A I ) I ) I'I'I
ONAL REMARKS
An I saicl before, you have just seen the description of the rrrrllrotl lor a rcgullr dcck, with which yolr can just write the prr,rliclion on ilny l):rlxrr irrrytirne before the perfbrmance. But, if \nlt lu'(,going to 1lt,r'lirrnt tltis rnrrtint'irr ir ftrrntal setting, the lrrr.rlit'liorr t'irrr lx' sorrrr.llrirrg rrron' spt'r'il'ir'. I normally wear(!) lltr'ptr,tlicliott ott lr 'l'-Slrirt, irrr itlr';r lrl rnt,goorl li'icncl .Iuan
A Book in English: The clrrtl lltrtgtt' ol Wootly Arag6n
A book in Englislr: l lre t rrrtl
(with thtr pt't'tlit:titttt at the front, and the "except the ..." and a draw of thc I'irtal cat'd on the back). I suggest you bring a prepared deck, in which you substitute the Jack of Hearts for a duplicate of the I(ing of Hearts (or vice versa). In this way, you know for sure that the exception card will be the King of Hearts. Don't worry about the duplicates getting together in the deck, or being seen both at the same time. Thanks to the Gilbreath principle, the two Kings will never lie next to one another in the deck, but, if they did, one of thenr would be face up and the other face down, so no one would bt'
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ol'Woorly Aragon
Esteban Varela from Chile
GILBREATH DETECTIVE
able to see them both at the same time.
And now, I will tell you the advantages I promised you aboul this stack and prediction I made. You can get to the needetl order very easily from the 4th Faro in the B-Faro cycle starting, from new deck order, which makes it possible to get to the staclr quickly from a deck in new deck order or Tamariz's mnemonicrt
I consider this a trick more suitable for magicians. By this I rrr'l rnean to say the rest of the tricks in the book will not fool rrr;rgicians (I have verified that they usually do); it is just that all ll llrcm are composed, and most of the time conceived, by lor'rrsing on the effect, the feeling of magic, and the emotions llr;rl I want to convey to the audience (be they la);rrten or rrrirgit:ians). Virtually all of them belong to, or have been in, my rh
stack.
If you have a deck in new deck order, just position the two rctl suits in the middle of the pack. If, for example, you open a freslr bicycle deck, just take the clubs and put them on the top of tht' deck, then do 4 out Faros. If you have a deck in mnemonit'rt stack, I refer you to Tamariz's book, where you can find tlr,' instruction to get to "Faro 4".
1,r'oli,ssional repertoire. On the other hand, Gilbreath Detectiue r', ;r lrir:l< that I would never perform in an act, and I have almost nr.\,(.r'
llresented it to laymen. But it has worked incredibly well
l,,r' nrirgicians, in lectures, and in postJecture sessions.
'l'lrt' r'cason is that, externally, it looks just like a card location rrr rrr.irrly impossible conditions (One more amoung the myriad ,rl vr,r'sions availatrle in today's magic literature). So it does not I r i rlt ir nything new to the emotional field. But from the internal lruirrl ol'view, it relies in a very interesting method, as it ,,h';,,rrrrll.y cornbines the Gilbreath principle with Annemann's lllt't'ttttlt, l)etection, resulting in a very deceiving trick for rrrrrlr,iciirrrs. Nevertheless, I am not saying the old "pick a card, ,trttl I tuill.l'irul it" trick will not have an impact on laymen, but I rr,rrrltl lil
This "Faro 4" is ordered in a mirror stack, but it is not tlrt' order you need. To get to it, just run 20 cards (from the factr or the backs, it doesn't matter which) inverting their order. Yorr also need to remove, from the middle of the pack, the two tlrl Queens, the g of Diamonds and the z of Diamonds. If you cut ;rt the center of the deck (between the two black nines), you rrr'(' now in position to perform the trick as explained.
,
a
r
A book in Englislr: 'l'lte t rrt,l rrr;r1,rr ol Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: Thc cirrrl tttrtliit ol Wootly Arag6n
trick experiencing the effect, l-r'yirtg to get the most of
',irrt'c you've turned arouncl, tlrt,
possibilities, trying to put the best ol'rttc at the performance.
r , rrrr
atn
its emotional level irr
EFFECT: The deck is divided into two halves. Each half is given to ;r different spectator, and they both shuffle their respective cards. Then, they each select a card, return it to the deck, and shuftlt' again. Both halves are shuffled together. One of the spectator':, cuts the deck, and the other shuffles the complete deck and cul:, again. Nevertheless, the magician is able to find both cards.
METHOD: You will need to prepare a simple setup for this trick. Separa tt' the red cards from the black ones, the z6 first cards from the "(, last ones in your mnemonic stack, or any other kind of setrrlr that allows you to identify both halves (odd/evt'rr' straight/curve values, and so on...). You can use the Separag,orr [earlier in this book] to create the setup right in front of yorrr audience, or even to perform it with a borrowed deck. To mrtl',' things clearer, I will refer to red and black cards for the rest ol the explanation.
in two exact halves, and give each one lo ;r spectator. One of them will shuffle the red cards, the other orr,' the black ones. The audience should not know it, so make sttr,' they don't have the chance to realize the cards they are holtlirrr', Separate the deck
are all of the same color.
Take both halves, one in each hand, and ask each spectatot'l,r pick a card from his pile, and remember it. While thev;rr''
looking at their cards, exchange both packets.
A way to do this without ttsing any sleight of hand, is to lrol' l each pile in one hand antl, ottt't'tltc cards have been stlt'<'lt'rl, turn yourback tc thc lttr
lrrrrtl llrirl was in your right is in
left, and vice versa.
ll.you prefer to do the switch whilc scating, you can use any ,rllrcr method (there are plenty of them) to have them return tlrr.ir card to the opposite pile.
'li.ll both spectators that, after returning their card to their lrrlt', they should shuffle the cards again. t )rrt'c they're finished, Faro both halves. Let one of the two 'il)r.('littors push the cards together (so that later he will rrrrrcrnber the shuffle as his) and let him cut and complete as
rrrrrry times as he wants.
Itr,rrrcrnber the conditions in which the trick was performed: 'ipr,r'tirtors shuffling the cards themselves before and after ,,'lq'lirrg the cards, and absolute freedom in choosing and rrlrrrrring the cards to the deck. Magicians should be clueless r''llrr'(lillg the method, but the Faro shuffle gives them a possible rr,rv lo rliscern the method to "hang on".
'ir now you will ask one of the spectators to riffle shuffle the ,l'r'li, loHcther, and once again, cut and complete as many times ,r', lrr, wlnts. Now, even the most analytical person in the ,rrr,lrr,nt't,will have no idea as to howyou could find the selected I tllllli.
ll'lorr. tll
lll
lrr1llr llrr. t:arcls, until you see two cards of the same color. Cut l,r'lrr.'r,r,n llrcrrr (orrt'slrorrlcl cnd up bcirrg at the top of the deck, llr. rrllrt,r' olrt' trl llrt' lrollont). l{rrrr llu'orrglr lhe cards, while 1,,,,1, 1111, ;rl tlrt'ir l;tccs. Yott will st't'llt;rl t';rclr lliriro{'cards inthe ,1,,l', ,;l;rlling ll'orrr llrr, llrct,, r'orrsisls ol ;r rr,rl ;rrrrl l lllack card. r,,r llrlorrlilr llrc clrlrl:r, lxrir' ;rl'lcr' p;rir'. lilrrrcrrrllr.r' il slrorrlcln't
A Book in English:
Thr.:
A book in Englislt: 'l'ltc t rrrrl rrrrl'rt ol Woorly Aragon
cirnl ttrrp,ir' ol Wootly Arag6n
look as if you're looking for the celr'(ls, I':rlllt)r'as if you're already certain of their identity, and areiust scalclting fbr them. You will find two pairs of "matching" cards, two red and two black. One of the cards in each pair is the one selected by the spectators. Since you are looking at both cards, you can ask for a trait that
will allow you to ascertain the selection's identity. For example: If the two red cards are the 7 of Diarnonds and the Queen o1 Hearts, you can ask"your card uas not e picfure, was it?".I1 the cards are a six and a three of spades, you can ask"utes your card odd or euen?". You can ask for the suit, the valuc (high/medium/low)... Once you know the identity of both cards, place them on the table, and remind your audience of tht' conditions of the trick. Show them that you have found both ol the selections. Climax. NOTE: IF you can't find the selections, because there are mort' than two cards of the same color, it means you cut at one of tht' two pairs than included one of the selections. That means one
ADDITIONAL REMARKS: A good presentation that I use for this trick is to pretend thal am clearly getting an image of one of the cards, but that thc other one is giving me a hard time. I claim to have some doullls about the two cards; maybe the clear image is beirrri contaminated by the blurry one. In order to get some ut.sttrr/ clarity,I look through the deck, and locate the first matchirrli pair of color cards (one of them will be spectator A's card, utrrl the one that I am seemingly having a hard time finding). I lcar r' them outjogged, and continue running through the deck until find the second pair, which contains the second selectiorr. simply memorize the two cat'tls itt that pair and then I iust l'islr for spectator A's card, :rrttl r'('nrovc it ljrrr-n thc tlccl<, ltlzrcilrg it face down on the tablr'. l)lrtcc llrc rlct'l< rrsitlt', it
I
I
1,,
tlrc situation, and ask hinr [o rrirrnt' lris t'irlrl. furn over the card, them that you wcrc riglrl. ltirst sclection found.
rrrrtl show
'l'hen I look at spectator B, ancl tcll hirn that now it is very easy lor me to focus in on his selection, so I won't even have to touch llrr.cards. I will simply concentrate on (and fish for) his card. I 'ilrrrt naming the characteristics of the second selection, but the lirst one that I mention is the one that allows me to ascertain rvlrich of the two cards in the pair is spectator B's selection. SooA ul' lhe time, you will get a direct hit, so you can just continue lisling characteristics before ultimately naming his card. The ollrcr 50% of the cases you will make a mistake on the first rlr,lrril ("1 knew it! That first card was distracting me... Please, lrl trut think..."), but you now know his card was the other one in llrr' pair. So, list a few more characteristics and name his card.
ll' you perform this as an isolated trick, an in-the-know ,rr(li()nce might suspect that you are using a stripper deck, or I think it is important to hand the the trick, or perform some other r,lli,t'ts to make it clear that you're using a standard deck. To llittrinate the idea of a stripper deck, aside from clearly stating llrr,r'ards can be returned in any desired orientation, you can rric l,cnnart Green's Rosetta Shuffie instead of a standard riffle ',ltttlllc. ,,rrc with several duplicates. rlr,r'l< fbr examination after
A book in Errglislr: 'l'ltc ciu'tl
A Book in English: Thc cartl tnitglic ol'Wootly Arag6n
nrrrp,.ie
ol'Woocly Aragon
PSYCHIC POKER 'l'his practically self-working trick is a mentalism routine with lrlrrying cards. It combines poker with divination, intuition and r ; rrtliction effects under incredible conditions.
IiIIFECT: While the magician turns his back to the audience, a Spectator four poker hands, for him and three rrrorc participants. Each spectator covers his card with his Iuurcls, so that no card can be seen. Once the cards are dealt, the t'r.sl of the deck is removed from sight. Only then, when there nr'(' no cards visible, does the magician turn and face the rrrrrlicnce. shrrl'fles the deck, and deals
l
Feast in Madrid,
with
a lot of friends!
I lrrrlcr these test conditions, and without ever touching a card, llrr, nragician is able to guess who will be the winning player. He llrt,tt l4uesses what hand each player has, and he is even able to nrtt'ct'tain the position of the cards in one hand. A truly amazing k,rtl ol'intuition. For the grand finale, the magician shows he lrrrrl prcclicted the winning hand... including the kicker!
lr
't't
,
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sET-uP:
'l'his is the ftrll decl< order:
rll
il
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T
(Jll, 75, 8FI, 65, 9ll, 55, r{lH, 45, JH, 35, zH, QS, 3H, JS, 4H, tuS,5ll, c;S,6ll, ttS,7ll,:S, KI{, AS, A(1, I(D, zC, QD,3C, JD, .;(', lol),50,91),6(', lll),7C,71), fl(), (rl),
A Book in English: Thc t'rrltl trtrtlit
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A book in lltglislt: 'l lrt' t rrrrl
Woorly Aragon
After the explanation, I will givc yotr sor)r(' sirttple instructions on how to get to this set-up from ncw tlctrl< ol'tlct'.
Write the foilowing prediction on a bill: "You tuill uin uith Kings ouer Aces, and a Deuce kicker". Fold it, hiding the prediction.
Ask for the help of firur rrrolt, spt't.tirlors, who will be playing with the one who shulllcrl llrt'r.irxls. Ask the first player to cxtend one of his hancls, palnr rr1r. 'l'lrc spectator who shuffled llrc cards wili now deal five carcls onto the extended hand. When lrr.'s finished, the first player will put his other hand on top of llrc cards, to prevent anyone fiom seeing his cards.
l{cpeat the process with the second player, who will get the
Start by false shuffling the deck. Introduce the poker theme, asking if there is someone in the audience that knows how to riffle shuffle "casino style, like in real poker games". When you find one, ask him to help you. Spread the cards face up, showing, the deck is fairly shuffled, and causally cut the deck at the retl Queen in the center. Gather the two halves (both should have rr red Queen on top), and place them on the table, so that tht' spectator can riffle shuffle them.
Tell him to shuffle "cesino style, just like in a poker gomd' (you are asking him to riffle shuftle, without telling hinr directly). Turn your back to the audience, announcing that spectators will play poker, and you will not be able to see atrr card. Ask them to follow your instructions very carefully, as yotr don't want to be any cards to be visible after the dealing hrr:; finished. 1
Actually, I recommend you to peek at the spectator who shuffles the cards, as the trick will only work if both of the to1, cards (the two red Queens) stay in the top five cards of tlr,' combined deck. If the spectator is not good at shuffling, artrl lets, for example, the ro first cards of the left pile fall withorrt shuffling them with the right pile ones, you should tell yorrr spectator that you want the cards to be thoroughly shufllt',l separate the two halves again, and have him repeat the proct's:, So, if you feel the spectator rnight rrot shuffle the cards gor,,l enough, control the prrrt't'ss lrclirt't' ttlrning ytlttt' llitt:l< [o tlr,'
L
ol Wootly Aragon
rrt,xt five cards.
METHOD:
audience.
rrr;r1,rr'
llut, when the turn of the third spectator comes, tell the dealer Aou dealing cards.from the top of the deck, or from the lxrllom? I knotu in some states people deal cards from the Itttllorn of the pack, but I'ue been told here people regard that rt:; <'lrcating... anALUaA, you might think I uas somehow eble to I'rtotu the cards on top, so... what do you prefer? Top or Itrtllun?" "u,'e
ll' lre says he prefers the top cards, say "Ok, then giue the third 1tlttt1t,r" fiue cards .from the bottom". If he says bottom, reply '' liirra, deal one more hand.from the top to the third player." lJirr;rlly, the fourth player gets his hand (from top or bottom, ,lr.pt'rrding on the previous choice) and saves the deck in one of lris pockets. All of the players hold the cards between their lr rr rrr
ls.
,\l this moment, just
as you promised before, you turn and that you will bet your money on llrc winner of the game, concentrate, and pass your hand over llrl lr;rncls of the players, as if "receiving" the cards in each one. 'irlr.r'l thc player who got the bottom cards as the winner, and ,r',1' lrirrr to separate from the other three. Give him the bill, and ,r',1, lriur to hold it between his hands, together with his cards, as \ r,il ;ililroullce yoll will bet your money on him. l,rcr.
lltc
zrudience. Announce
li;n "lrlr,//, rr.s /.irrsl lx'! rtttl nlotTetj ot7 LJoLt, let's saue your r rtnls.litr tltc cttrl... it tt,ill lx,rrnre cxcitirttl lltis rucrtl! Butbefore I ,,lttt'1 ,I ttttnrltl lil'r'tltttt" lloirrl lt tlrr.tlrrct.olhcr players "fo Irrl,r'tt 1tt't'lr'ttl tlt,ttt't'(tt'tl\. I tt,ill ltrt'tt rtttl lttt<,lr Oll
UOL;
A Book in English: 'l llc t'rrrtl trtrtl'tt ol Woorly Arag6n
A book in l',rrr'lislr. I lrt' t':rrtl nr:rl'r( ol Woody Aragon
ogoin...look at your cards, btt ltlurst' tktrt'l lc! utt!)one else see them... ore Aoufinished? Fine, I'll lttnt lxtck ottut ctgQin..." You will now announce, one by otttr, tlttr llitttcl of each player" Ask them to keep a poker face throughtttrt tltc process, and not to nod, make any gesture, or say any worcl trntil you ask them to" Concentrate, Iook at the eyes of the first spectator and, finally, tell your audience that he's got a pair of Queens. Then teil him that you can clearly see two red Queens. Ask him to show his cards, proving that your first prediction was right. Continue the process with the second player. But this time,
you will feign having difficulties in perceiving his cards. Announce that you can see nothing. Finally, in a sudden realization, tell them "oh! Of course I could see
nothing...because you're actually holding nothing! I mean, it's a no-pair hand!" Ask the second player to show his hand. His cards will be all different.
In order for you to know the next player's hand, you will havc to look at the cards of the previous two players. Just track tht' values that you can see, going from 3 to J, until you find ont' missing. Well, the third player is holding a pair of the missing value.
For example, if you see the two red Queens, and all of tht' values from 3 to J except for 10, that means the third player has a pair of Tens.
No matter what thc spt't'trrlor s;rys, Irrrl your hand over his, as il'receiving something. 'l'lrcrr, rr';r<:lr irrlo the player's hands with two fingers, and search firr tlrc t:t'rrlcr card (third card counting ll'om the top/bottom). Takc it ancl show it to everyone. A) If it's a Ten (well, a Ten in this example), sell the effect as if yolr were trlang to extract the two Tens from the beginning by nrere intuition. Say "here's one, now for the second..." And this linre, grab the bottom card. It will be the second ten. Let the llrird player show the indifferent cards he's holding. Not only wore you able to guess the spectator's hand, you even found the crrrds by touch!
l)) It the card is not a Ten, continue by extracting the two top crrrds of the player's hand. go% of the time they will be two irrrlifferent cards. Say "If u)e were playing fiue card drau lxtker, those would be the cards I'd discard. Because, if mA itttttition tuas right, you must be holding..." let the player show llrc two Tens in his hand. In this case the effect is just the same ;rs the previous one, but leaving the selected cards in the r;;rt,ctator's hand, and taking the rest.
tl) If a Ten appears in the top three cards, just say "A Ten! /,rrrrlr.s like I'm on the right path...If I uas correct, there should Itt' t)n€ more, and only one, in your hand-.. I'll try to find it by
rrtt't'<, intuition!" Take the bottom card and show it is the second 'l'r'n. [n this case, sell the effect as just one more divination. The ',h rw tarking of the cards is justified by the doubts you had while ;r
Not only this, but you also know the position of one of tl'rt' Tens, and possibly the position of the second one. You will ust' this for an "intuition" effect with multiple outs. Announce the hand of the third player.
It
should look as il
you're in doubt, though: "Yoltr hand, hmmm..- don't
surl
anything, I think Aou are holcling... a pair... of... tens... hnutrrtr. I'm not sure, but I thh:rlr i/ i.s rr pair of ferts... ok, I'll tn1 something rnore. Do rlrttr t'r'trtt'tttltct' llrc exoc! po.sifirlrt of'euclt ten?"
rrr
rorrncing the hand.
ll you'd rather not touch the cards, as the audience might ',us1rur:[
of physical marks in the
',1rccl:rl
cards. You can ask the the cards. "Giue me the third card, t7o1t)
the second one..."
('orrlirruc saying: -lMall, tLta're left uith only one hand, and I ',rrirl .l't'ortt llu' lx'rlirrtrittrl il ruottld be thrt ruinning hand, right? t'rtrtltl tlott ltlt'trsr'..;/rorl rrs tlttttt't'ttttls" Lct tlrt'last player show lrr:, r'lrr'
A book in E,nglislr: 'l'ltt' r'rrtrl nrirl'r(' ol Woorly Aragon
A Book in English: Thc errrrl rrrirgio of Woody Arag6n
the bill and, showing that it's bcttcr not to play poker with mentalist,let them read the preclictiort. Climax.
a
Turn the deck face up. l{rrrr ;; r';rrrls, one at a time to the top. The zS will be thc lop lirt't, rkrwn card, and the QH will be on the face.
ADDITIONAL REMARKS: This routine is based on a Karl Fulves' displacement Gilbreath principle. He used it in his trick ESP + Math.I've extended tht' original principle [a sequence of cards which results in each player getting a pairl so that now each player gets a different hand with no matching cards.
the QH to your right hancl, then spread the deck on top of it. \tVhen you get to the 7H, take it, with all of the cards on top of it, and pass it to the right hand, over the QH. Do not change their order. You will be starting at the 75 on your left hand. Continue spreading the cards, until you get to the zH. Pass the entire group to your right hand, on top of the previous Pass
c:ards.
You might be tempted to modify the second hand, because yorr might think that a "no-pair" hand is an ugly one... and yes. you're right. And that's precisely why it works so well, because il enhances the "no set-up" feeling which is so beneficial for rr routine like this. Actually, when I show the second hand, I likc to say "well, high card... what a pitA, sometimes ue get a niu' shoudotun, uith better hands... but not today" The final climax, with the divination of the final hand, com('s from my routine Confederate Offered (in Cosas Mias). Tlr,' "intuition by touch" in the third hand is an adaptation of tlr,' final effect in Max Maven's Symbalance trick. Since the cards are held between the hands of the spectatols, the pressure and sweat often ends up ruining the cards. As a lrit of practical advice, whenever it is possible, have the cards derrlt on the table, and covered by the players with only one hand.
GETTING INTO THE SETUP FROM NEW Pg(]I( ORDER
. e
t
Outjog the Clubs and put them on top of the pack. 'l'lr,' deck is now in mirror stack order. Do an out Faro (the blacl< Accs should remain as the lolr and bottom cards). 'l'lris li;trrr-l cleck works as a classi,' t4lLsforce dech.
'l'he QS will be the top card of the left hand's pile. Pass all of the cards in your left hand to your right. The deck is rtow ready to perform the routine.
A Book in English: Thc t';tttl
trtttl',i1'
Abook in [tlrglislr: l lrt't;rtrl
,,l Wootly Arag6n
rrr;r1'rr
ol Woorly Aragon
GRANDPA'S POKER Alrout 10 years &go, I created a poker routine called lmndpa's poker". It quickly became a staple on my repertoire, ,rs I think the method achieves the maximum impact possible "{
rvlrilc being almost undetectable. Basically, the deck is FAIRLY ',lrrrflled by two members of the audience and the magician, by rloirrg almost nothing, is able to set up several poker hands. I nr(,iur, from the real shuffle to the 20 or z5 set up cards there is rrlrrrost no intervention on the magician's side.
I lrlve created different versions, playrng with the same idea,
In Dallas, after a psychic poker play with the enormous Max Mauttt
rrrlirpling the core of the routine to the conditions I was working rvitlr normal/stacked deck, more or less technique in the lrrrrrrlling, using a descriptive patter (like the version I will now ,'rlrlirin) or a story-based one (with the Erdnase theme, which is llrc rrcxt routine in the book). The one I present here is, for me, llrr, rrrost polished and balanced version.
(2011)
titrtrt4c'l': 'l'lrrr,c rnembers of the audience are invited to play a game of polir,r' irl3ainst the magician, in order to obserue the magician's lltr,rrlirrl3 skills. The magician deals cards, one by one, and asks a rpr,r'l;rlor to stop him at one card, before the game even statts. 'l'lrr, r'rrxl is chosen and put aside, and then the magician rurlolnl('('s tlrat a rt'grrllr'poker game, with 5 card hands, will be grlrrt'r'rl.
Nou, lwrl ol llrr, r'olrrrrlct.r's slrrrl'l'lr, lrtrll rlct.l< circh. The ltrrrlii('i;lt t'('itsri('rrrlrlr", llrr, ;l;rcli, ;rrrrl 1,,ivcs il ;r t'otr1llt. ntorc
L
A book in Englislr: l lrt' t';rrrl nrirl,rr' ol Woorly Aragon
A Book in English: Tltc t rrltl tttrtliit' ol Wootly Arag6n
shuffles. He then proceeds to dcal 4 ltittrcls ol'poker, but he deals himself only 4 cards. "5 to each ol'yott, btrt only 4 for me, as my fifth card will be the one you chosc bc{ore we ever started". Then the magician claims he has been able to not only deal himself the best 4 of a kind, 4 Aces, but every other player also has a good hand, so ensures that they will place high bets. The hands are named before being revealed. "I gan)e the first player a straight, with a King kicker... the second player receiued u flush in Hearts, and the third player got three... Aces? What are the Aces doing inyour hand?"
The third player indeed has the Aces... But what about tlrt' magician's hand? Actually, actually he's got 4 sequential spatl,' cards. "Wait, I heue the B, 9, Jack and Queen of Spades... tTott' giue me the card you chose for me!" The card is shown to be t t' ro of Spades, exactly the card the magician needed to get tlrr' highest hand: A straight flush. Ir
METHOD This trick is based in l lirll tlct'l< stack, and uses otlt'gootl friend, the Gilbrcath plirrt'i1rlt'.'l'lrt'ot'tlct'of thc dcck is tlr,' following (top to lto[[otn, l;rcls rlowtl):
I), AC, 8C, zS, 35, 45, 55, 65, 75, l"lS, 95, 1oS, JS, QS, KS, AS, ), ,l I 5C, 6C, 7C, zC, 6D, 4C, 5l ), 8 I ), A I l, 4H, BH, 5H, QH, 7H, :,1),7D, zH,9C, toD, JC, QI), KC, I(ll, 3H, 6H, 9H, 1oH, 4D, ;11),3C, KD, QC, JH, roC,9D. n
You can do a couple of false shuffles at the beginning of the rorrtine, but, as the following shuffles by the audience will be so lrrir', I don't think it's really that important. Cut the deck in two Irirlves, right between the AH and the 4H. Casually take the ut)l)or half (the one with the AH on the bottom). Start dealing r'rrrtls face down on the table, inverting their order as you deal llrt.rrr. Now you will perform a timing force so that the spectator rv i ll stop at either the B, 9 or 10 of Spades. If the card stopped at i:i the 5 or Jack of Spades, the trick will still work 9o% of the lirrrc, but there will be a slight chance of failing that is better to lrc irvoided. The way to make the force work is to deal cards one l11' one, slowly, as you start explaining to the spectator what you irrr,going to do. After dealing 5 or 6 cards, tell him "...say STOP rvlrr.ncver you want" and continue dealing cards, silently, while vou intently look at him. The spectator will feel the pressure of lrr,irrg the center of attention, and stop you at one of the desired lrrrrls. Take advantage of the situation, and offer him the ,lrportunity to take the next or previous card, or even both, ,lr.pt'rrrling on where he stops.
(iirlhcr the cards on the table and apparently put them over llrr,orrcs you still hold in your hand. Actually, keep a pinky l,r'r,irli trnder them. Announce that the deck will be shuffled, not rrrrly l)y you but by the other "players". Cut the packet you're lrohlirrg at the break and put the two halves on the table, facing llt'lr olhcr, so that the first spectator can riffle shuffle it. Take llrr, ollrt'r' half of the deck, and show the faces to prove it is well rrrirt,rl (rrncler this pretense, locate the two middle cards of this lrirll, tlrt. I(C ancl thc I(l I, and cut at this point). Present this half ln llrt, lhirtl sltct:lirior', sa.ying it will be shuffled just like the rrIIrr,r'ottr'.
,'ilrow yortr t'lrrplr lr;rrrrls, so tllrl llrr.r'r' is rto rlotrbt of the lrrln('ssi ol'1,1 ,1,'';tr'l ton:r, ltrtrl llt;tl llrr.l'r.;u(.no nt()t'(.t.:u'tls (tht:
A Book in English: Thc, e irttl rttagic of Woody Arag6n
only cards in play are the ones tllov celn see on the table), and invite them to shuffle them "casitttt style". Once they do it, gather the two halves and do a Faro shuffle. It does not matter if It'. un in or out Faro. Since there is a card missing in the deck, it will be a straddle Faro shuffle (one of the packets will encompass the other). Take the deck face up, and do an overhand shuffle, running ro cards from the face of the deck, and then shuffling until you have two approximately even halves, one in each hand. Once again, do a Faro. Just make sure that the 10 upper cards of each half are perfectly weaved, and that the card ihat was on the face of the pack (the first card you ran on the overhand shuffle) becomes the top card of the deck' Quickly give the deck a false cut, and deal 4 hands of poker, wiih you is the 4th player. But, when it's time to deal yoursell' the list (5th) card, d-o not deal it, instead keep only the 4 cards you already have, as explained in the effect's description.
At this point, you're already done. Thanks to the internal mathemaglc workings, even after the fair shuffles, the first player's hind will be a straight to a King.,The second player's iru"a *iU be a flush, the third player will get aces, and yottt' hand will be a straight flush that will be completed with the cartl chosen at the beginning of the trick.
BNCORE: You could finish the routine at this moment, but Juan Tamat'iz gave me an amazing idea to add, in a very- simple way,-a Royirl Flush climax. Due to the stack properties, the cards needed fol il Royal Flush in Spades will be near the top. At the- natut'ilI relaxation that wili come after the final effect, just take the decli, look for the Ace of Spades, and cull it. Continue going througlr the deck, culling the King, and so on, until all of the necesslr'\' cards are on top of the deck. This should only take you, a Ii'w seconds, and you should perfolrrt ovcry action in a relaxed stittt', as all of the heat will bc orr tlrt' t;rblcd catrds. Place the clct'l' aside, and call the attr,ntiott ol lltc tttttligtt(:(', ils il'.yotr |acl irrst rememberecl soutellrirrl,, irtrporl;rrrt. "Alt, rttrtl I tTrtl lltis lrutrrl
h,
A book in Englislr:'l'ltt' r'rtrrl tttrrlltr' ttl Wootly Aragon
tuithout using any discut'ds. I.[ I luul, I ruould get rid of those c(trds" (take the cards that clott'l lrclotrg to the Royal Flush, and ;rlace them aside). Deal yout'scll' tlrc cards you just placed on lop, and reveal that you really clo ltitve a Royal Flush in Spades.
A book in English: 'l hc t rrltl rrltlirt' rrl Worltly Aragon
A Book in English: Thc cirnl rnagic of Woody Arag6n
ERDNASE 'l'lris is a different version of "Grandpa's Poker". It was the n,srrlt of a time in my life when I broke my left elbow, and I lorrkl only use my right hand to do magic. In other versions, I lrrrrl included several complete false shuffles and false cuts, r'r'irrrps, the pass... The version you are about to read eliminates rrll ol' this sleight of hand (you can perform it with just one lrrrrrtl... I've done it!). It can be done with a regular deck of cards, rrrrrl rcquires a simple setup, which is very easy to remember. It lri rrlso easy to reset, and you only need to set up the first 3o ,'rrrrls in the deck, which means you can freely shuffle the rlrrririning zz cards on the bottom of the deck. trick's patter I introduce the character of S. W. Erdnase whenever it is possible, I try to bring with me an old copy 'rr(1, trl li.r'1rtr"t at the Card Table and show it to the audience. This I
Performing "Grandpa's Poker" at the Escorial Meeting, with thc assistance of the greatest poker experts: Christian and Pit
rr thc
rnrrlit,s the story seem more real, and creates a great atmosphere
lur llrc routine. (I am, in fact, showing them one of the great
(200e)
,rn
rr
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of magical knowledge).
l,llrlrlicT: 'l'lrc rrragician shows the audience a copy of Expert at the ('nrrl 'lhble, and tells them about the legendary card cheat S. \\' l,l'rlrrasc, who wrrrlc all of his technique in a book that's lrrr13j1l1.'',..1 thc t'lrrl t'lrca['s bible, llrt wh
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A book in English: 'l'ltc t'irnl
A Book in English: Thc crrrtl rnagic of Woody Arag6n
the croupier dealt five hands (onc fbr each of them, plus a symbolic hand for Erdnase). Thc l'irst player got a flush, 9 to King. The second player got the same... and the third... and the fourth! The game was a four way tie! They say that Erdnase's spirit was present in the room that day, and he did not want anyone to be able to call himself his "heir". The final, s1T nbolic hand is turned over to reveal Five Aces (Four Aces plus the Joker)! Just as the legend says, Erdnase won every game, even from beyond the grave...
THE SET-UP: From the top of the deck: 4 flushes. The suits should be mixed, but the order should be the same (e.g. 9 to King). Bridge thosc cards, so you can easily cut to them later. The next cards will bc two eights, a Joker, the Four Aces, one more Joker, and tw
rrrrr;.1rt'
ol'Wootly Aragon
METHOD: llegin by telling the audience about S. W. Erdnase (if you don't
Expert at the Card 'l'uble, you will find a lot of data, in which reality and legend are rrrixed together, in the many books dedicated to his work: l(cvelations, etc...). Meanwhile, fairly shuffle the cards on the lrottom of the deck, maintaining the order of the top 3o-card know the story of the mysterious eruthor of
sctup.
I usually speak about the Erdnase anagram (a fact that usually xrrr'prises the audience), the mystery surrounding his real irluntity and, a little about what will later happen in the trick. I r,xlllain about the importance of the book, because it was the l'irst one of its kind. Before Expert at the Card Table, the nttly way to learn how to become a cheat was by finding one who would agree to teach you.
lixplain that there is a legend amongst gamblers that says that l,lrrlnase had four apprentices. When Erdnase died, they all wrrrrted to keep Erdnase's writings, and all his cheating devices, Irr,r'iu.rse each of them considered himself Erdnase's rightful lrr,ir'. llut Erdnase had such a passion for gambling, that he even rvrrrtc into his last will and testament that "my successor will be t l*'ided by a poker game" .
ll ruas a gome utith uery strict rules. There usould be a pair ttl crutttpiers, and the cards had to be shuffled just like this..." ('ttt lhc cards at the bridge, and give the top pile (the one with lltr. lltrshes) to a spectator, who will be the first dealer. Tell him ln crrt and complete his cards as much as he likes, while you rtl)l)lr'(rntly do the same with yours (actually, you will perform a "
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If possible, bring with yott il ('opy of Expert at the Carrl Table, the older the bctlt'r'.
I,
of yOUr favorite false cuts).
'l'lrcn ask him to deal cards one by one on a pile on the table, tttrlil lrc l'eels he has two cqual piles, so that he can shuffle them lnlr,t'. Miltchirrg ircliorrs to words, do tlre silnte, but deal only the llvl l'irsl t:arrls (tlrrrs irrvt'r'lirr13 their orrlcl') r:rrl .your cards in two ,,lttrilirt'llilcs, irrrrl k,irvr, lltt,fivc invt'r'tt,tl t.;rlrls ovcr thc bottom lrrrll, k,irvirtg llrt'lwo;rilr,s lirt'irrg r,;rclr ollrr,r'.'l'lris shoulcl be
A Book in English: Thc
clltl
tnagic of Woody Arag6n
done nonchalantly, as if you werc just trying to save some time. As you are doing this, you say "Y{ttt should end up utith ttuo equal piles, more or /ess, so that you con properly shujile them".
Right now, there are four piles on the table. Two of them consist of the flushes, one pile inverted in respect to the other, and the other two piles have two aces on top each. Present your two piles to a second spectator, who will be the second dealer.
A book in English: 'l'lrc cirrrl rrurp.ir, ol'Woody Aragon
Once he's done, tell him "Bul, in lis.littcrl will, Erdnase turote lhot the croupier would deal onc ntore symbolic handfor him. llc was so passionate about poker that, euen after his death, he slill wanted to play..." Ask the spectator to deal five more cards orrto the book's cover.
"The most important thing in the game uas that only thosc two dealers could shuffle the cards and, in order to preuent thc four cheats from using their techniques, they uere neuer qlloued to touch the cards". Show your empty hands, stressing the importance of this moment, so that everyone can clearly set' that you are not hiding any cards. You will not touch the cards anyrnore, and the shuffles will be fair. After the two spectators have riffle shuffled their piles, ask tht' first one (who's holding the zo card pile with the flushes) to pul his cards over the cards of the second spectator, so that the detrli is complete again. I don't want to make this moment looli important, so I just mimic the actions to the first spectator', asking him to put his cards on top as I say "nota reassemble tlu' deck, just like this". This way, they will only remember ntv asking for the deck to be reassembled, and it will seem likc I didn't care which pile ended on top.
If you want to further shuffle the cards, you could false shufll' the two piles yourself (performing a push through shuffle), but I prefer not to do it, as in this version of the trick I am l)ol performing a gambling demonstration. I am telling a story irr which it is Erdnase's spirit that is responsible for the outcomc ol the game.
Now ask one of the two crottpiers to deal four poker hatttls. But, as if it was one of the ntlcs ol'Erdnase's will, tell him to tlt'irl five cards to the first pla.yt'r', l'ivtr t:itrcls to the second, ancl srr on...
Sltow your audience the hands of the four cheats, revealing the rlttrrtlruple tie. Place the flushes in order, 9 to K as they are t'r,vcrrlcd. Tell the audience that the chances of getting a flush in pol
A Book in English: Thc errrtl ttrltgic ol'Wootly Arag6n
A book in Englislr: 'l'ltc t'rrrrl rrr;rlirt ol Wootly Aragon
After the routine is finislrcrl, yorr orrly nced to gather the four ilt 9 [o l(ing order), and restore llrc order of the to card group (ti, ti,,loker, Aces, Joker,8, B, or llrc duplicate set of Aces) to restore the initial order and reset llrc deck for the next performance. llrrshes (they are already sct rrp
ADDITIONAL REMARKS: There is a chance for that the winning hand to be a Full Hous,' (aces over eights), so after the first hand is revealed, I usuallr say "WotD, aflush! You'll need at least afull house to beat thrtl !"
in order to prepare the audience for one possible outcome. I rr any case, Erdnase will usually get the four Aces, and most of tlr,' times, the Joker (which gives him the five aces). Since this is a more theatrical version of the trick, not only rl,,
I bring the Erdnase book to the stage, but I
also try to ust' ;r Texan style deck, which looks more antique and appropriater li,r the story. Not only is the atmosphere of the routine flirllrt'r enhanced, but it also allows me to have the deck set up for llrl routine in advance, so that I can do it at a moment's n
A book in Iirrglislr: I ltc t';rrtl nrrl'r( ()l Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: The e irltl tttitgic ol'Wootly Arag6n
BLESSED POKER lrr the process of creating a new routine, I usually try to r'ontemplate every possibility I have, as I think that a thorough rrn;rlysis of what works best for me as a magician is a key step to lirrtling the best tricks for my repertoire. Sometimes, though, a rorrline created almost by mere chance can end up being one of t'orrr best. I'vc always been a fan of the classic Jonah Card principle, but rrrv problem was that, in Spain, most of my audience didn't hrrow th€ rules of poker until two or three years ago (God Bless 'l'r,xirs Hold'em!). Gambling demonstrations, in which the rrurgit:ian shows his ability to control certain cards (usually a lirrrcy hand, like the four Aces or a Royal Flush) work because lorr tlon't need to know the rules of the game to admire the skill rrl llrt.clreat. But a Ten Card Poker Deal, in which you can end rrlr slrowing a three of a kind beating two pairs, was a little bit r'rrrrlirsing, and very hard to present in my country.
Lennart Green, Rubiales, Christian Engblom,lnaki Zabaletta snd M,
IMat
a great shoLo!
(2006)
lk,r':rrrsc of this, my interest and massive collection of these l.irrrls ol'routines belonged mostly to my academic side of magic.
I lovcrl studying them, but never presented them in public.
()rr llrt'othcl lurnrl,'l'V has been onc ol'nty main sources of rrnrli. I lurvt, irllllr';rrcrl olr solno l)t'o,lt.iuns oll Arnerican TV, (ttrtitrlv ;tl)l)(,;u'rn('(,s irr IJrrivisiorr's t)on lirancisco I't't'st'ttl:t), lrttl tttorrll\', l'r,r, wol'kcrl in Sp;rrrislr 'l'V. I clidn't
I
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A Book in English: Thc t'rrrtl
A book in LlrrLllislr: 'l lrr' t rrrtl nrirl,r( ol Woorly Aragon
rrrirgic of Woody Arag6n
appear in a mainstream show, lrtrt I had a weekly 15 minutes slot totally dedicated to magic (sonrcthing very rare in today's T\) for 4 years. One day, I received a call from Rodrigo Garcinuflo, the show's host. He told me he had something special for that evening's show, and suggested that I prepare a gambling demonstration, similar to the ones he had already seen, in which I presented m.t' "uncanny ability" to control and classify cards.
When I got to the set, I understood why. They had invitetl Manuel Sevilla, the current Spanish poker champion, and thcr had arranged a showdown between the two of us. They hatl taken away the usual interview table from the set, and in ils place, there was a round table covered with a long table clotlr, complete with a card mat, and someone from the productiorr team was even sent out to buy a new deck of (poker) cards. Tht'
deck was unsealed and opened as they presented
atttl
interviewed the champion. They put some money on the tablt', and Rodrigo and Manuel played a couple of hands to warttt:; things up. As you would expect, Rodrigo ended up losing.
It was a priceless moment. Many magicians (including nrt') perform Gambler vs. Magician routines... This one was FOI( REAL. I thought I had to get the most of the situation, and plrl a game with him, with as much conflict as possible. I could hirr',' gone on air, shown the guy how I could control four aces, ancl lr,' would have said "oh, that's nice..." but that would have bt't'rr wasting a unique opportunity. quickly discarded the trick that I had planneil ()tr performing, and thought of a basic routine, that allowed lor ;, one-on-one match, and used the deck they had been just lx','rr playrng with... I remembered the Jonah Card principle, arrrl figured that if I used it well, I wottldn't even have to totrc:lt llr,' cards. And in literally 5 nrintttt's, I had atssemblcd thc t'ottlirr,' that I performed that tltrv. ll wits so sttt:trt:ssfirl thitt, trt tltis tlrrr. they still know ln('its "ll'otxlt1. llrr r1ttt1 tulut hutl lltc lxtlt'r So
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chatttltiort"t.
I will now explain the routirrt':rs I pcrlonn it now. The trick wirs so successful, that I clid it lil' tlrc pupils at Ana Tamariz's rrr:rgic school, where I teacl-r. 'l'ltcy lil
.rrrbtleties.
At'tually, I didn't really take great pains when creating the rolrtine's structure. I went for a classic, functional approach: 'l'lrrcc phases, each one under more impossible conditions than llrr, llrevious one. The first two phases are based on a method by Nicl< Trost, called Eighteen Cerd Poker (in The Card Magic of Nir:l< Trost), and the last one comes from the ending of 'l'irrrtariz's Ten Card Deal rolutine (published in the book that ,'rrrrrc with the Magic Card Set, written by Santiago de la Riva lor liournier. To my knowledge, it has never been published urrlsirlo of Spain.)
THE TEN CARD DEAL, AND THE "JONAH CARD'/*STRANGER CA RD" PRINCIPLE 'l'lris is a classic principle, but I still thinkthat it's interesting lo r,xplirin, just in case the reader is not familiar with it. The idea rr;rs l'irst published in Arthur Buckley's Card Control. The Irirrciplc consists of taking 10 cards, so that there are 3 groups ,rl llrrr.c and a "stranger" card. For example, we could take three ,lirllis, three ICngs, three Queens and the Ace of Clubs. Because llrr slr':nrgcr card (AC) does not help to form any poker hand rvrllr llrt' r'cst of the cards, and the fact that there are only two lr;rtrrls irr lo carcls, wlrot:vcl'has the stranger card in their hand rrrll lrirvt.tltt'wt':rl
A book in lmglislr:
A Book in English: Thc t'ltrtl tttrtgic ol'Wootly Arag6n
In addition, the winning hancl will always be one better than the losing hand. So, if the losing hancl has a pair, then the winner will have two pairs. If the losing hand holds two pairs, then the winning one will hold three of a kind. If there is a three of a kind in the losing hand, then there will be a fuII house in thc
winning hand. That's it, there are no other possiblc combinations.
This principle has been extensively used for pokel demonstrations, but it is also the basis for many different kinds of effects (Max Maven used it in a prediction; Vernet had rr version with cards printed on a CD, etc...).
rrrrl rrrrltrr'
ol Wootly Aragon
tltna- hands, I can reod qtnt.lirtttt't"....jttst lcoue me alone! This rttude them both uerA onqt't1 tuillr rrtt,, trtttl they started calling rtrc names!Thenthey botlt pul u qUl)st) cut'se onme...
...but they both did it at the sontc thne... Simultaneously! And in mathematics they say if you multiply a negatiue Ittl o negatiue, the result is a positiue... So, Aou con imagine. littcr since that day I haue been BLESSED, and I always haue rltxtcl luck. Man, you can't euen imagine how stressful that is. I'his ueek I win on MegaMillions, next tueek Potuerball... n t t I h1, really tercible... tltnt know,
Olt, and poker. Does anybody here play poker? Do you play?
()li, then let's play poker, the three of us, so that Aou can see Ittttu I always uin. Really,I always uin!
THE SET-UP: First, separate 18 cards into two groups of nine. Each grotrlr contains 3 groups of 3 cards with the same value, which shoultl be between 9 and Ace. That means, you could make one grotrl) with three Nines, three Jacks and three Kings, and the otht'r group with three Tens, three Queens and three Aces. Make sutt that one of the Aces is the Ace of Spades. Justify this by sayirrri "We'll only use high cards, I don't taant to uin uith, say, a puit' of tll,os..."
INTRODUCTION: You can talk with your audience as you prepare the set-up. I usually tell this surreal story I came up with in order to juslilr the effect:
during one of ma ursits fo Granada, ant ttl,l uas selling lucky chcrrttr:' 'Please buy alucky charm', she said.'Or maybe I can do a pttlrrt reading for you.'... What a pain! I.iust said'No, please leauc rrr,' alone!' But she wouldn't. And, lo rnuke matters u)orse, (1 sQfl)trrl GApsU ceme along, antl slrc truulc cxuctly the sorne derturttrl:'l 'Please buy a sprigl tll' t'os('ttt(t,'tl. t rt Oh, let tttt lruuc ct kxsk trl "Some Aears ago,
GUpsU u)oman approached me. She
(l) 'l'lrt's;rrig ol l{ost'ttt;tt t i
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ll lrir';rl lttt'liv t'ltltt ttr irr Sp;rirr.
I txtk, I separated some cards. We'll play poker just tuith these ,'rn'r/.s.' they are the high cards. Bg that, I mean that these are
t,nly the high ualue cards, nine to Ace, so we uill only get ,,1tt't'lucular hands... not a tiny one, like a pair of tuuos... and tlttn, please, start getting out some moneA, or uhateuer Aou tt,rtttl lo bet, on the table"
I 1r'ef'er having the audience bet something else other than rron('.y, or at least something more valuable (besides, people r,.rrll.y tlon't like putting too much money on the table). It is rrrrrllr better if they have to bet something to which we can ir,,:ri11rr a great monetary value: the house/car keys, the latest 1,,r'rrcrirtion cell phone... anything that they have at hand will rvorli. 'l'tren we can improvise a comment for every object that llrcy rrsc to bet. I say this because I've always thought it is more irrlrrr,sling if a spectator does not bet a 20$ bill (whose real \ rr lu(' (,v(]tyone knows), and instead he bets a pair of sunglasses. l',r'r.rr il' thcy zrre really cheap, you can tell the audience that \ln'r'r'playing fill a ;rail'of Ray;ban Santa Cruz Super Fashion l'lrnr srrrrglitsscs, llrt. orrcs thert all tlrc t:clcbrities wear, and r,rlrrcrl
trl ov('r' $;;,ooo. 'l'ltt: :rrrrlicnt't' will
suspend their
,lr',lrclicl', rrrrrl llrt'lllrnrc lrccorrrt's rrrrrt'lr rrrorc lirn irrrrl clramatic.
Abook in Iirrglislr: l lrt'r'rrrrl rrrry,rt ol Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: Tltc t rrttl ttrrtliit ol Wootly Arag6n
nothing in your hand. 'l'ltc ltntlilt,nr i.s //rrrt my hand is a little lx:tter... but yours r-s rrol tltttl lxr
FIRST PHASE:
t'ueryone..."
This is my presentation, as it comes, of one of the phases irr Nick Trost's Eighteen Cqrd Poker. In my case, I have a spectator shuffle each of the two groups of cards, so that I do not have trr touch the cards. I also added the divination of the resulting hands. Give one of the 9 cards group to a spectator, and the otht'r group to a second one (don't say there are 9 cards in each, just say you are giving them a half each). TeIl them to shuffle their cards thoroughly, as much as they want, as you don't want to touch the cards, since you are going to win anyway... You shoultl really stress the situation in this first phase: you do not tout'lr the cards, and the spectators can shuffle as much as they want. Now you will choose one of the spectators as your opponerrl Place your wallet on the table, as a bet against whatever he prrt
Tell him he can either place his cards on top of or below llr,' other spectators card, as he wishes (usually everyone wants lrr place his ovrn cards on top). Once he's gathered all of the c&t'tL,, tell him to deal two hands of poker, one for you and one li,r himself. The Jonah Card principle works automatically in this cirs,' Since there are 9 cards in each group, the toth card will belorrr', to the second group, and thus become the "Stranger" c:llt,I Ironically, if you were the one dealing the cards, you would lrrrr,' to employ some tricky maneuver to get the stranger card irrl.' the spectator's hand (this is the case for most ro card poker tlt';rl routines). But here, as the spectator deals the cards, it is natrrr';rl for him to deal the first card to you, and the Stranger (1otr') t'ir r , to himself.
'l'he spectator will turn ovel his cards. He will be holding sornething (there should, at least, be a pair). But the nice thing rrbout this is that you will hnow that you have the next best lrirnd. So, let's say he's got a pair of Queens. You could say " Wou! A pair! And none other than a pair of Queens! Actually, tlutt is not a bad hend... the only problem is, one pair con neuer lxut ttuo pairs, and that's exactly what I haue... two pairs..." 'l'urn your cards over and, as soon as you see them, continue, rrs il'finishing the sentence "Tens and Kings, as Aou con see..." 'l'his first phase is really strong, but, as you will see, it will pale irr t'omparison to the following ones. That's why I urge you to t I r i rr k about it carefully. Don't just rush through it, thinking "fhrs t:; 1l7o weak part, I need to get ready for uhat comes next..." llt.t':ruse as far as the audience is concerned, this is what iust lr;rppened: under the fairest possible conditions, two people ',lrrrl'lled the cards, rearranged them at their will (which, ',orrrt'how, substitutes for a cut) and then dealt the cards llrr,rrrsclves. And, with total impunity, without even touching the ,';u'rls, not only have you won, and you have been able to rnrrourlc€ the result beforehand (winning in itself is not so rrrcrt.rlible, as in a legitimate game you would have a 5o%o ,'lr;rrrt'c. The amazing thing is that you KNEW you were going to rvirr ), lnd you managed to know what was in each hand before it lrrlot't' it was revealed. Suddenly, your blessing becomes more l,r'lit,v:rblc, and the spectators start to realize that, no matter rvlr;rl llrcy do, you reallywill win.
I
As soon as he's done clcitlirrg, lttrlirrc he has had timc to t't'r'tr touch the cards on thtr t;tlrlr', t'xt'lttirtt "O/c, I tttrttt!"'['hc sllt:t'tltl,,r will be surprisccl, lttttl lltc rttttlit'ttt't'will llrrrglr lll .yotll's('ll confit'lt:rtgg. (llrttittrtt' lr1 ',;tt tttl',: "ll/cll, i/'.s llol lltttl tltttt ltrtt',
;\l;li .yorrr'
A book in [irrglislr: 'l'lrt' t'rttl trurl.itu ol Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: Thc crrrtl tttitgit' ol'Wootly Arag6n
think "I hauen't the slightest itliLrt ubottl pluying poker, but if that guy, uho knous hous to plor1, sttqs he lost, then it must be true".
SECOND PHASE:
starting a row (where you will ttrll lrinr to place the rest of the r':rrds as they are dealt). S:ry "Mrrrl
This is the only phase in the routine that has been completely created by me, although it is based on the same principle as the previous one. It is a way of getting the Stranger Card into thcr ipectator's hand. Many fellow magicians praise it, and tell mc it's a great contribution to the Ten Card Poker Deal ptinciple. I agree, but I can't boast about how much hard work I put in ttr develop it, as I came up with it while improvising a way to let the poker champion choose which cards he wanted, while at tht' same time making sure he got the stranger card.
After changing (or not), ask him to deal the third card. But you won't just offer him the opportunity to change his card for \/oul's. Instead, say "Would you like to change your entire Itund for mine?" Once again, his decision doesn't affect the ttttlcome.
Pick up the two hands from the previous phase so that tht' stranger card (it will be the last card in the spectator's face ttlr hand) ends up being the bottom card of the whole face dowrr packet. Then gather the cards that were not used in the first phase, and put them under the rest, thus returning tht' "stranger Card" to its group, and restoring the two groups ol nine cards. At that exact moment, act as if suddenly changing you mind, and separate the two groups again, and give eat'lr spectator one group ftop or bottom nine cards], and tell them lo shuffle the cards once again. But this time, try to give the grorrlr that includes the Aces to the spectator who will be yorrr' opponent.
him choose tlrc order in which the two packets will be assembled (as I told yorr before, people usually put their packet on top. That is why Yorr should hand your opponent the Aces. If they appear in yottr' hand in this phase, it makes the third phase a little bit easierr'. ll he chooses to place his pile on the bottom, it doesn't rcrrtllr Place your bet against his and, once again, let
matter). Once again, you will ttol lttrtt'lt thc stack of carcls, ttntl llrt' spectatorwillbe thc ck'irlr,r'. llrrl llris lintc, asl< ltipt to slowly tk';rl a card fol yott, itntl ottt'lirr lrirrr. I'litt'tr yottl't'lttrl ttt'xl trt lris,
lrirrirlly, after he deals the fourth card, say "Would you like to rlttttttlc rtrtyt of yotLr cards for anA of mine? Or euen change ytttrt' tulwlc hand... or, ntatlbe you would like to SEE ALL THE l',,1r{/)^5'?" Don'[ givt' lrirrr tirne to answer, iust start turning the lrrlrls ovt:r'. "'l'lutl's il. ltxtlc, I'll tunt llrc cunls.ltrce up, andyou rrttt ltxtk ul lltrttt rttttl tk,citlt, tolticlt o,l(,s Uol toet1t... I don't r'ttt\', l'll tttitt trtttltt,ttti'.
A Book in English: Tltc
e
lttl
tttltllic ol Wootly Arag6n
So, what is really happening? Qtritc sirttplv, U of the 9-cards above the "stranger Card" are being clividcd ittttl two hands, but
their final allocation will make no clil'fi:r'cllce to the outcome. The way you've been increasing thc odds in favor of the spectator, io the point of letting him choose the cards face up, justifies the fact ihut th" last card will be dealt face up. And, at ihis .no*"nt, of course, it will be too late for him to change, as the hands have been completed (and you've won!).
To top
it all off, this is the phase with the most spectacular
hands. As the spectator can see all of the cards, he will naturally combine themln order to get the best possible hand (usually three of a kind, which gives you a full house).
As soon as the spectator has made his decision, tell him "OK, d.eal the next card, face up for me.- nott; the last one, face up for you..." And, despite the conditions, which make it seemingly imp"ossible for him to lose, he has. You ask the spectator "So, tttio won this hand?" Of course, it will be you.
I
My admired friend Gabi Pareras says about this phase: "This second round is truly wonderful. Card by card, ahtays down, the spectator is inuited to test his luck, as thc face "magician witnesies the process uith a lack of concern thal incieases more and more, building up the feeling that the finul result is unauoidable. The spectator is betuildered, up to tlrc point where the magician turns the cards face up, and lets hittr freely choose his cards. And, at this moment, he gets the best "pottibl" hand uith the eight cards on the table! Right there, his hand is better than the mogician's. The spectator is about ltt win, not just a round of poker, but a fight against fate, this unknounforce that Seems to determine what will happen, euctt against thefree choices that the spectator has had all the uaq! fieuertheleis, uhen the last card is dealt face up, and in just one card"! The picture changes cornpletely and, ortct' again, yet one more tinto, irt an unbelieuable hoist, llu' iagiciin uins. They xry t/r'.slirrr7 can be crue'l sontetimes' I totally agree!"
A book in Irnlllrslr: 'l'lrc t'lrrtl rnrrliit' ol'Woody Aragon
THIRD PHASE: This phase is somehow rcl:rtctl to the second one, but I think it gives a nice twist to the "clczrling" procedure. It is also "louder" (and, as such, more fitting zls an ending) as you are playing against three spectators "at the same time". Ask two spectators (who know how to play poker) to help the poker player. This I4roup of three spectators will act as a committee, and make all the decisions.
"Maybe it's better if ue take out some of the cards. Let's make it clearer, and play uith just 10 cards..." As you say this, gather :rll of the cards, and keep just three groups of three cards, which should include the kings. For example: three Kings, three ()ueens and three Tens. Then add the Ace of Spades, which is now the "Stranger Card". Meanwhile, we will cheat a little bit by sirying "I uill take just the high cards, the uery high ones. So tue'll take the ACES, the Kings..." In fact, you are not lying, as lhere ARE Aces (we11, there's one). But saytng ACES aloud srrggests that there will be more of them in the chosen pile. The rrrst of the cards go back on top of the deck. Count the to cards aloud on the table, to make
it
clear there
;u'c no extra cards involved. Then shuffle the pile, keeping the Ar:c of Spades on the bottom.
"'l-his time, I tuon't just play against you, but against the tltree of you at the same time. If you uin, I'll giue you back n,arlJthing. Moreouer, ue'll do something dffirent this time, I tuill shuffle the cards and shou you the last one..." At this rnornent, stop shuffling. The Ace of Spades should be on the lrollom of the pile. Show it to everyone (but do not look at it vrrrrrselfl and ask the spectators "For example, this card... torntld you keep this one?"
l,irr nrany psychologicll leasons (reasons that I will analyze lirlr,r'), thc slrct'tllor will lirl
A book itr l'.rrllrslr llrt't rrrrl nrirl'r( r)l Woocly Aragon
A Book in English: Tltc t rrrtl ttt:tliit ttl Wootly Arag6n
Ace?". This "force" works 99%
ol'tltt' titlltrs, lllld they will
say
IES
Deal the Ace face up, as yoll say "Yr:s? Ok, you can keep it then. This one's for you. I uill cotrtittuc slrufJling, and then I uill shout you cards, one by one. As I slrcru you all of the cards, you decide which ones Aou tuant to keep, and uhich ones Aou leaue for me. It really doesn't ntatter, as I uill uin again..." Shuffle the cards, this time for real, show them the bottom card, and stick to what you initially promised - you keep all the cards they discard, and giving them all the cards they want.
At some point in the procedure, one of the cards will not be good for their hand, but will be good for yours. They have two choices now:
. If they keep the card, say "Good, aou are keeping this I don't get a good hand. But keep in mincl that nou you haue a bad card in your hand... Btt
card so that
careful! You shouldn't be trying to preuent me frottr getting the Eood cards; you should be trying to get thc
.
best possible hand".
If they choose to give you the card, say "Well, I noticed that you'ue giuen me this Jack lor whatever card it is l,
I already haue one in my hand. Guys, you're giuiru1 me all the good cards! Be careful! You shouldn't b<' trying to get the best possible hand; you should bt' but
stopping me from getting a good hand"
.
any case, we should be able to split the focus of th,' spectators between playing aggressively and playirrg defensively. This enhances the idea that the three participanls don't really know what they are doing, getting to the poirrt where sometimes they will even argue over some of the choict's. That is great for us, as the rest of the audience is witnessirrg these three people, who srtpposcdly know how to play pokt'r',
In
but they have no idea how [o lrt':tl ir guy who is showing thetrl irll thecardsonebyor-rr',irntl lcllingtltcntt:hoost'lltt'oltt'stItl.ygt'll
Continue with the pr'(x'(.sis rrrrtil, l'inrrlly, we get to my favorite nroment in this phasc. Wltt'lr llrr'.y lrirvc chosen four cards for tlreir hand, say:. "Well, I sc<, tltur tntlq rrced to choose one more card... Just pick onA otrc qr;tr tuurtl, trncl leaue the other onesfor nre". Spread the remaining calcls in a fan. This is a really funny ttroment, as the three spectators will start looking at their hand, then at yours, then at the rernaining cards... and start doing t:alculations on what will happen, depending on their last sclection... At this moment, rush up to them and say "Come on, tpu should pick one... it's rtot that hard, you knotu". Finally, they will pick any card and complete their hand. You complete yours with the remaining cards and tell the audience "Well, I utn no expert at poker, but I can see you'ue gotten yourselues a lxtir of Kings [or whatever hand they have], and I haue hoo 1rirs, Queens ouer Tens... Who tuins?" lle a good boy, and return everything they bet at the beginning ol'the routine, and clearly state that you're an artist, and never usc your powers for evil... because you don't want to, not Irct:ause you can't.
IIINAL COMMENTS: ( )abi remarked on the fact, and I agree with him, that the conclitions in which this routine is performed can deeply move vorr audience, even distressing them, as they might feel that rrnrlr:r normal circumstances, both of you should have the same lrrcl<... So if you are having better luck than normal, that means llrrrt they are having worse luck. In a way, you're stealing the
lrrt:l< from them! One could say that the word "vampiric" 1rr.r'lirctly fits the effect of this routine. Itt.g:rrding the much feared faiiure of the Ace of Spades force rrr llrc beginning of the third phase, I will give you my thoughts , rrr il, irnd I will givc yorr :u-t out in case there is a problem.
'l'lrc spcct:rlot' is pl;n,itr1i llol
W
A book in lirrglrslr: 'l'lrc t rrrrl rrrirlrrr' ol Woody Aragon
A Book in English: 'l'ltc t'llrtl ttt:tgit' rtl Wootly Arag6n
Psychologically, we've made this cartl cvorl lllore tempting. Take a look at the whole routine:
-
In the first two phases there are three Aces in play, so there will probably be Aces in the winning hands, or, al Ieast, multiple Aces will be seen during the shuffling sequences. In the second phase, you will try to have tht' Aces be a paft of the face-up selection process.
-
When you are selecting the ro cards for the final phaser, you will say "ACES', thus suggesting a possible hantl with multiple Aces in the spectator's mind.
-
You will keep the Ace of Spades, the one with the most elaborate design, and the biggest picture. Even thouglr the 4 aces have the same value, at a subconscious level. we tend to think of it as the highest card there is. This makes it a more likely selection than any other Ace irr the deck.
-
The Ace does not appear because you chose it, you just shuffled the cards and it happens to be there when yotr show the bottom card (Just do any shuffle that retains it as the bottom card, and try not to flash it during tht' shuffle). As the Ace seems to appear out of pure chant't'. it will not feel as though it's a part of a "trick". So, for ir ll these reasons, no one is going to stlspect that yorr actually need this card to be selected.
I don't have an out lirr' llrc t'irst. whcrc the second spectator silys no, but I think it's such :rrr irrrprubable outcome, that it is rcally is not worth the eflbrt to try and come up with one. Moreover, if I stafted thinking about a possible solution, that would mean I would be contemplating failure, and I fear that this would affect my attitude when performing the routine, and Irirrm my execution of the force. Therefore, I am completely
confident that the spectator
will
decide it.
to take the Ace of
Sp:rdes, and that's why they always take
And by the way, if you don't mind the fact that it is in Spanish, you can see what happened the day I played against the poker clrirmpion. There's a video of the TV program on Youtube . You r'rrrr search for the two parts of "Duelo de Campeones" ["The ('lrirmpion's Duel"].
But... what if it does not work? Juan gives the solution in hi:; original routine. The out to this force is in the way you ask llr,' question. "Would you keep this card...?" I show the Ace to orrt' of the spectators. As soon as one of the three spectators says yt's, I automatically give him the card. But what if he says no? ,lttsl KEEP THE SAME ATTITUDE, and continue, as if finishing tlrt' sentence "No? Then this ctu'd usould be for me, the next ortr" il Aou uanted it, tuoulcl ba .litt' ryrnt, ond so ot7--- Got it? Lcl':; begin!" And then I stitr't lltt' 1rt'ttt't'ss aguitr, showiltg the Acc to ;r SeCOnd SpeCtertor'. Atttl, ont'r' ;t1i;titt, llttlt'g's it <1t1'%, t:ltitttt:tl ltt''ll take it!
I
A book in lirrglislr 'l'lrc t'irltl
A Book in English: Thc crrrtl lttttgic ol'Wootly Arag6n
Being transported from the 5 stnr hotel to the TV studio in limousine... the life of wL magicians, is sooo hard,..
rrrirl-irt.
ol Wootly Aragon
a
(200e)
Tricks with special cards
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A book in Ilnglrslr: 'l'lrc cirlrl
A Book in English: Thc cirtrl rtrirgic ol'Wootly Arag6n
nur1,'.rr.
ol'Woody Aragon
DO NOT GET CONFUSED... l.'or a while, this trick became my preferred opener when l)('rforming close-up or cocktail magic. It is my version of a wrrnderful little trick by Nick Trost called Ttuisto-Blanko. you'll scc it is one of those tricks that almost look like a hallucination, lrttt the ending separates the effect and the cards from the rest ol'the deck, making it a great opener. IiF'FECT:
'l'he magician shows the three picture cards from one of the r lr,t:l<'s suits. In a rapid succession, the cards turn, face up or face rlown, with no possible manipulation or possible explanation. Itinally, the magician shows that everything was just an illusion, .rirrcc the cards never had any faces or any backs, and he was jrrsl holding four blank cards. ,I'I
IE SET.UP:
You
will need four special cards for this routine. A blank
lrrrcltrcl King, Queen and Jack (all of the same suit), and a blank Irrcr, r:ard with a back design that matches the deck you will use. 'l'lrr. rlcck starts inside the box, and the special cards are set irprrrl in the following older (starting from the face of the pack): (Jttr.t.rr, lllanl< I.'at:c t:ar'(l (r'cversed), ICng and.Iack.
**
A book in l'lrrp'lislr: I lrc t'irrrl llr1,.rt' ol Woocly Aragon
A Book in English: Tltc t'rrttl tttrtliit' ol Wttotly Arag6n
"This is the infatnou.s ,/rrt'k trick, in which the magician puts llrc Jack in the middle..." Usc your thumb to clearly slide the .lack between the other two picturc cards.
PERFORMANCE: When you are ready to start, take the four prepared cards and place them over the card box, which contains the rest of the deck, as you say "I will nou perform a trick using only three picture cards" . This will make your audience assume the three iards come from the deck that's inside the box. We could really take them from the deck, in different places, but that woulcl siow down the pace of the trick, and it will not be consistent with the trick's ending.
"And, euen uhile scmdwiched betuueen two other cards... it Ittrns ouer on its own!"- square the cards and, in a continuous rrrotion, do another Ascanio Spread. The Jack will appear to Iurvo turned over.
So, start by quickly performing an Ascanio Spread (showing four cards as three) to show that you have three picture cards irr your hands.
I
A book irr lrrrlllislr: 'lltt't:rrrl nrrl'r( ()l Woucly Aragon
A Book in English: Tlte t'rttrl tltrtgit' ol Woorly Aragon
Using your left thumb, run lwo t:itt'tls sitrgly over the left hand's palm. Place the remairrirtg two cttt'ds under the left thumb as one. Say "But do not glet anlfitscd! It's the infamous Jack trick because the Jack turns ouer! Sontetimes people think that they see the Queen turn ouet'..." The card in the middle will still be reversed, but everyone will think it must be the Queen, since they are staring at the faces of the Jack and King...
"Because the card tlutl's.sl//)/x).s(,(/ lo turn ouer is the King!" Once again, run two cartls ancl place the double on top of overything. It will seerr zls il'thc I(ing turned over.
"lltrt, do not get confused. Because, the truth is, for this trick tyru don't really need..." Square everything, holding a break rrrrrler the bottom card (the Jack) with your left pinky. Hold the ollrcr three cards as if they were one, and do Father Cy>hrian's (,)ttick Change. Everyone will see a blank back (on the other side ol'Ihe Jack, as your wrist turns over) then a blank face as you go
"But do not get confused, because that is not true! The Queen u clearly face up, as euerAone con see..." Do another Ascanio spread, just like the previous ones. It will seem like the Queerr has magically turned face uP.
lrircl<
to dealing position.
... u King, a Queen or a Jeck". Release the three cards over the crrrrl in the left hand and square everything, as you go straight itrlo ir Flushtration count. But, in a similar fashion to what you rlirl hcfirre, the last two cards have to be placed as one under the lll'l lrlncl's thumb. "
t
A Book in English: Thc t'rtrtl trrir;'.ic ol'Wootly Arag6n
A book irr lirrglislr: l lrt. t'rrrrl nrirl,r( ()l Wootly Aragon
THE TRANSPARENT TRAVELLING SPOTS 'l'his is my version of a classic trick in which the pips of a pllying card travel to a white card chosen from a group of four. When I was a beginner in magic, this was one of my favorite I rit:ks, because of the strength of the effect and the simplicity of llrt' rnethod. The version I will explain now uses a very different rrrclhod. It makes the trick look more impossible, and adds a
Now you will reverse count the three cards into your righl hand by taking the first two cards as one. Finally, put the card irr your pocket (they can be seen blank on both sides). Contintrt' your performance by taking the deck from the box.
vr,r'.y
ADDITIONAL REMARKS:
visual element to the climax.
IiIIFECT:
I have to say that I think it is wonderful that in the first phast', using only one back, as the first round of effects happens, tht' audience assumes that they have seen the backs of every cartl (and there's no need for an introductory phase). Kudos to Mr. Trost for such a great idea! And, as a nice addition, the effecl irr itself acts as a theme misdirection, as the audience is looking li,r' the secret move that allows the magician to turn the cards ov,'r under their very noses. That helps to build up the final efli't't. making it a really powerful one, even more if you take irrl, account that the trick is performed with only three cards... or, maybe, because of it.
'l'lrt: magician removes from his pocket four pieces of clear ir('(,1;rt.e, the size of a playing card, and numbers them r to 4 with ir l)(.r'ulanent marker. He sets the cards on the table, and takes a ,lr,r'l< of cards. A spectator selects a card, which is then shown rrrrrl placed between the 4 transparent ones. The magician sets llrt, tlt:ck aside, and takes the selection and the four transparent lrrrrls in his hand. Gently waving his other hand over the cards, llrc spots on the selection are seen to visually travel upwards nrrlo ol.lc of the transparent cards. ,I'I
I I,I
SET-UP: A pcl'nr:rncrrl rrr;rrl
L
I
A book in lrrrglislr: 'llrt,t.irltl rrr;r1irt.ol'Woody Aragon
A Book in English: Thc citltl tttttgit' ol'Wootly Arag6n
What will later appear to btr 4 tl'attsparent pieces of acetate is actually just three picces. 'l'ake a sheet of clear acetate and, using a playing carcl as a template, cut out three pieces, making sure that they are the exact size of a card.
written). Place everythirrg irr lltt'r.irxl lrox, and place the box in your pocket.
METHOD: Show the transparent cards to your audience. Do not count them yet, just say that there are four cards. Take the permanent marker and number the cards, from 1 to 4, in the same size and in the same location that you put the number r on the TC card. The technique (a classic of mentalism) consists of writing the number r, showing it, and put it back on the bottom of the pile. Then you repeat the process with the sccond and third card. As there are only three cards, the supposed fourth card is actually the first one. You iust need to t:ross the number one with a line, turning it into number four, irnd then show it to your audience as card number 4. Because tlrey have seen four different numbers, the audience will assume .you are holding four transparent cards.
Now turn over the cards. Because the numbers are reversed it will be very hard for the spectators to rliscern anything, even for those who are watching the cards vcry closely. If you want, you can perform an Elmsley count to sltow 4 cards. The count confirms that you have four cards, and pcr"forming it with the transparent cards is amazingly deceptive. ( lt helps to create a "false fairness" effect.) rrrtd overlap one other,
Finally, choose a high spotted black card (the force card), and have it photocopied onto a sheet of acetate paper'. Alternatively, if the type of acetate that you have allows it, yotr can use a laser printer to print the card image onto a sheet ol acetate. Cut this card (the transparent copy or TC card) to sizt' and, using the permanent marker, write the number one on its face.
On top of the face down deck, place the force card fat't' down. On top of that, place the TC card face dov,rr with tlr,' numbered end closest to you (Be careful not to reverse it!). Place the blank card face down on top of everything. Now plat't' the Ace of Spades on the bottom, with the tip of the Spatlt' pointing at the audience. This is important because it enstttts that you can instantly dctt'r'rttinc which end has the number t otr it (the base of AS itr
l'lace the transparent cards on the table, and remove the deck
lirrm its case. Cut the deck and hold a break. Force the card rrntlcr the break, either by doing multiple cuts, and cutting to llrc break when a spectator says stop, or by using a riffle force. Arr.y force that doesn't let the cards fall or spread will work; the kr,.y is
not to spread or dribble the deck and flash the TC card.
Oncc you've excr:rrtcrl the force, you will now do a pseudo triplc lift (whcn vorr tkr it, because of the thinness of the TC lrutl, you will scr, llr;rl it is rtrally morc lil
A Book in English: Thc clrtl rnagic of Woody Arag6n
this card will magically travel, and let a spectator run his fingers over the card's spots to confirrn that the card is really there antl the spots do not rub off. i
i
Turn the unit over again, and just pick up the top two cards orr
top of the deck. That is, pick up the blank card and thc transparent copy card under it. This is not easy, and you will good misdirection. I use the crossing the gaze techniqut', directing my look from the deck to the audience's eyes, as I asli
them a "blurring question", which should be something funn.v, and make some of them laugh, something like "I presume yort are allfamiliar uith the basics of matter transmutation, arett't yolt?". Meanwhile, you will place this double on top of thc transparent cards on the table.
Now comes my favorite moment. Take the whole packet blank card face down, TC card, and the three transparent cards square it and turn it face up... it looks like nothing h;rs happened, but in reality, you're already finished.
I usually transfer the top transparent card under the blarrli I say "I'II SANDWICH the selection u:ith tlu'
face, as
transparent cards". Then I start to slowly wave my hand ovcr' the packet, as I start to relax my fingers, and let the cards slowlr slide apart.
The ghostly movement of my hand, together with the fact th;rl the spots start moving offthe card on which they are supposctllr printed, creates a sensory illusion, making it seem like the spots are being transferred from the regular card to the transpart'rrl one.
A book in Englislr: 'l'ltc crrrtl rrrrrpir, ol'Wootly Aragon
You can have the audicrrct: cx:rrrrirrc the blank facer and the It'ansparent cards, while you gct ritl ,f the top card of the deck. Yru can then have the deck cxamined, and cohtinue performing with it...
AI)DITIONAL REMARKS: YhV do I put the blank facer between the transparent cards (when I say I will sandwich the selection)? Because lf I leave the trormal card under the acetate ones, then it would be very nlrvious that the spots move to the transparent card closest to llrc selection.By doing this, it gives the impression that the rrgrrts go t\rough several cards until they finilly settle on one lrrrrl. Or at least, that's how I think. Miguel Puga gave me a nice idea that will make
it
easier for Before
v,lr to handle the blank face and TC card unit.
p.r'lirrming, slightly wet the surface of the blank card with a tiny lril .f saliva, and stick the transparent card to it. If you don't lei 1,, rnuch time pass, this will make them stick togeiher, making ll .irsie-r for you to transfer them from the deck to the top of thE uIlrcr three pieces ofacetate. Arr,ther idea I sometimes try, is to psychologicary force the r, so that it seems as if the spots traveled to a chosen r rurl. If you want to try it, you will have to do the force before llrr,.hcginning of the trick (and, of course, before showing your rrttrlit'nce the transparent cards). when the audience still dllsn't lrtrrw what is going to_ happen, just ask a spectator ,,Could you 1ilt,ttse giue me a number... but a really tiny, small one...,, Vfiny lltrr.s, the person gives me number one, to which I responi "()ttr? Well, ok... thrs is the smallest number possible. I said I ttttutlul u small number because I didn't want you to name ttutnlx,r t2... I tuttntccl e 7, 2... no more than a 4,because ue,ll u,it, .l fltt'(ls.lin, tltis lr.ick..." I then removc the transparent cards rrrrrrrbcr
It'utrr rrr.y llocl
ll lltr'.y 14ivt.nrr,;trr,llrr,t. llunlll.r', Isiry "No, no... e sntaller
ttilt'!", rlll
t&
I
llrt'rr ;rsli lirr rrrrollrt,r' rrrrrrrlrr,r' (lrrrl lrrrollrcr. nrrmber)
A Book in English: T'ltc citrrl
rrragic of Woody Arag6n
A book in lirrglislr: l ltr' t rrrrl rrlrlirr' ol'Wootly Aragon
until someone names one. Thcrl I sety "RecllA? Did Aou reallll name one? Is it your freely clutsut number? Ok, gou carr squore it, triple it, or eleuate it trt any power... and I will piedict the result" It is a very silly joke, but it will not look as ihough you just failed at a force. Next I continue performing tht' routine, as if this brief conversation had nothing to do with thc trick.
EXAMINABLE CANNIBALS 'l'his is one of several routines based on the "cannibal cards" lrkrt that I have created in recent years. It's probably the most prirctical, the technically least demanding, and the most lirnctional of them all. And it fulfills what I think is an essential rr,tlrrirement: the audience can examine the cannibal cards after r,rrt'h vanish.
l,irr many years I performed the original routine, based on ,\lt.x Elmsley's amazing Repulsiue Aces. The missionary cards ru'r, hidden between the cannibals, using any "5 as 4" display (rrsrrally the Ascanio Spread, but obviously Elmsley didn't use it irr lris original routine). Finally, before introducing the last rrrissionary between the cannibals, all of the missionary cards rrlt. tlitched on top of the deck. Even though this method's r,ll'icicr-rcy is proven, I realized that the audience didn't applaud irl'lt.r' lhe first vanish, and only did it at the end. I fe]t there was lr.rrsion (and suspicion) throughout the whole routine, because r,\'('n though the false displays were very convincing, the rru(li('llc:c could not confirm for themselves that a missionary lnrrl had vanished. So, the feelings that such a strong effect .,rrltl r:r'cate (the complete vanish of a card!) were diminished lrr,r'itusc it could not be proved.
,\s I tlrink thrr oriliirrirl thcn-re of thc rrrtrtir-re, and its patter (r'l'('irl(,(l hy Lin St,;rrlr.s) ;rnr w
A book in Iinglrslr: I lrr' r'rrrrl nr;rl'r(' ()l Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: '['hc crrnl rrragic of Woody Arag6n
tlrat when you spread tlrt.t'irrrls lrrcc rr;r, lhe JH side will show. 'l'lre sticky QH should bc tht. lxrttonr t'irrrl, s<) that when the deck is turned face up, it will bc t lrc l'irsl t'iu'rl to be seen.
the four cannibal cards were lcl't ill'tcr each vanish. And ever' since I came up with it, this routinc has become a staple of my repertoire, and the favorite of metny magicians- - ranging fronr my good friend Pepe Souza to others such as Rafael Benatar antl .lohn Carney, who have all praised the virtues of this routine'
If I want to add the special calcls and set up in the middle of a :i('ssion, I cull the regular QII ancl JH to the top of the deck irrrrnediately after the previous eff'ect's climax. I then spread the r k'crk face up, and leave it just like that, in readiness for a classic rrrltlition technique. I have the two special cards ready in a lrocl
This is one of the routines that I perform most often for m.t' audiences, and I have created two versions of it. This versiott uses trick cards, but, for those occasions where I don't have thc trick cards with me and want to per{orm the routine any"way, I developed an impromptu version, that I will explain you later' EFFECT:
r
The classic cannibal plot routine. Four spade cards [playirrli
'l'here's another way to do it, that you could use in any ';ilrration, which is to have the two special cards in the card box. t'rrll the regular QH and JH to the top, place the deck inside the lrox, r'ight on top of the two special cards. Perform a quick trick willr coins, or any other different prop, and then take the deck oul ol'the box again. You will be ready to perform the routine.
the role of "cannibals"] capture three picture cards fplaying tht' ,,missionaries"] plaie them over the sacrificial stone (tht' role of deck) and eat them one by one.
THE PROPS: You will need to add two special cards to the deck. The filsl one is a double facer - JH/roS. This should be easy to find, sitrt',' it belongs to the standard Bicycle set of double face cards.
ll' .you choose either of these options, when you spread the lr,r'li lirce up and remove the picture cards, everyone will see the ,ll I ;rrrcl QH together and right at the face of the pack. Don't try tr r irrstify this, just act as if the cards were together out of mere ,'lurnt'c, and don't give the situation any importance. r
The other one is a specially treated Queen of Hearts. The facr' of this card is sticky, thanks to the use of repositionzr|1,' adhesive. what I do is to cut a rectangular hole slightly smallt'r than the size of a playing card in a sheet of paper (the reasorr i.' to prevent the caid from becoming sticky at_the sides). I l.ltt'rr plice it over the face up QH and apply, from about 1.5 feet awir\ u .pruy adhesive called "3M Mount Spray: Repositionultl'' Adiesiue". This spray is easy to find in any stationery stot't' irr Spain, so I think it (or a similar product) shouldn't be too ftrrrtl to find in any other country. ,
THE SET UP: The regglar Qttcrt,tt ittttl ,l;tcli ol llt'itt'ls slrorrltl lrt'ott top ol'llr'' clecrl<.'l'ltt.
MI,I'I'HOD: St;rrt by apparently removing the three Heart picture cards urn llrc cleck. Actually, you will remove the two trick cards, and llrr, r'r'grrlar I( of Hearts. Place them in a row face up on the lrrlrlr,. 'l'hcn rernove the 7, B, 9 and ro of Spades, the cannibal , ru'rls, irrrrl taltle tht'rrr irr a separate pile. Ir
lil;rrt lry givirrg tlrc r':rrutib:rls to;r s1lr.r'lrlor so that he can ''\tulin('llrt.rrr llrororrl,,lrly. Il is rrt't'r'sstrry lo irrsist upon the
r'\irnrinlttiorr ol'llrr,r';rlrls trl tlrt' vt'r'v lrr.lqirrrrirrg ol'llrt. rrxrtine, as llrr:, rvill sl:u'l lotvlt nrli lltr ittlct't'sl ol'llrc rpt'r'l;rlol'irr r.xirrrrining
A book in lirrglislr:'l lrc t.irrtl rru;irt. ol'Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: Tlrc crrltl nragic of Woody Arag6n
l'crform a Braue addition: lil't rrt tlrt' lrnrll< and turn the KH face tlown onto the top of thc tlct:li (x.vcirling the JH in your hand) rrnd then drop the JH cloublc on lop (the I(H is now second l'rum the top). Then take or.rly thc ,l l-l and place it on the bottom ol'the deck. The way that I do it, in order not to flash the back, is hy turning the whole deck over, placing the JH on the face of the rlcck, and then turning the whole deck over again. Tell your rrrrdience that the third picture card was "nof placed on the Sucriftcial Stone".I usually place the KH on top, stating that he will be the first course, the JH on the bottom, as he will be the rucond course, and leave the Queen apart, as she will be the
the cards, helping us later (e.g., in the second phase, wh-en wt' sneak the do;bl; facer in with ttre cannibals). But we'll tallr more about that later... Gather the cannibals, and tell the audience that they belong t
r
lcssert.
IIIRST VANISH: Oather the cannibal cards (If you think there might have been anti-contrast parenthesis, you can perform an Elmsley count Io show there are still four cannibals. I never do it, as I do not llrink it is necessary). Now put the cards in the typical "mouth" lrosition. With the other hand, perform a one-handed double lift with the top two cards of the deck to show the KH (I usually just gllll the two cards, replace them on the deck and take the rLrttble fsupposedly just the top card]. This way the deck never h'rrvcs the table. But if you prefer, you can grab the deck and do ,lrrsc Carroll's "little juTnp" or Ren6 Lavand's double lift). rrrr
you will now pick up the deck (you will refer to it as tlrt' "sacrificial Stone"). As you do it, you will need to transfer one' oI the cannibal cards to the top of the deck. You can use tlt. Vernon transfer, palming, or any other technique that suits yotrr technical abilities, but at the end of this explanation, I will explain to you the method that I use. (note r)
Act as if you had forgotten something, and explain to
yottt llrt' onto picture cards placed the audience that you should have the Take begin". 'lll stone "so thai the cannibalistic feast can (be careful not to show the back) and the KH, and_place thcrrr, iu"" ,.p on top of the decl<. As ygrt tlg so, obtain a break urttllt' the top card (the cannillirl t.;r|tl yorr lransferrccl prcviously). Yorr will b; holding thc cltrtrli willr ;r lrt't'itl< tttttlct' tltt'ct: t:itl'ds (thtr llrr''' up I(I{, thc iat:c rrp,lll, rrrrrl llrc litcc tkrwtt t'itrtrtillitl tr:ttrl).
t_
*,qx
A book in lrrglislr. I lrt' t;rrrl ru;rl,r'rl Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: J'ltc t rrttl rrrlgic of Woody Arag6n
After the double lift display, ttlt'tt the double face down ancl take the top card fthe previously t[a[rsf'erred cannibal] and put it into the;'mouth". When the picture card then vanishes, yotr are left completely clean. Show that the card has vanished using an Ascanio ipread (actually it is not at all necessary, but it is nice aestheticilly because of the feast dance patter). Then hantl
the cannibal iards to a member of the
audience
fcrr
examination. The spectator wiII usually grab the cards, take a look at thenr. searching for the missing picture card, and then give you bacl' the cardi when he sees that there is nothing hidden. At thi:; moment you are going to condition him again, as you want trr him to gei "bored of examination". Just say "No, no, please talit' a good look at them, see... Is there any t1a9e of-the kbul beiueen those cards?" Hand the four cannibal cards, one lrr one, to the spectator so that he can thoroughly examine them'
lrrble, and stress the I'ac:t llurl yorr'r't, rrot lritling any extra cards.
Once again, you will h:urtl llrt' lirrrr r:ards, one by one, to the slrcctator so that he can crxlrrrirrc thcnr. Start by letting him clrcck the roS (the double laccr'), asking him to "touch it and rlreck there are no extra hicltlat cords", but you will not release vour grip on the card, ensuring that he can't take it and turn it ovcr. As soon as he says there's only one card, place it on the llble and continue by giving him the other three cards, which he urrr examine, this time for real.
'I'HIRD VANISH: 'l'he third vanish plays a remarkable role in the routine's 'rlrrrcture. Regarding the "external life" of the trick, you get one ol' t'he strongest and cleanest vanishes possible. As for the irrlcr.ral life, it solves the problem that might be caused by the r
SECOND VANISH: Take the cannibal cards, and tell your audience that they will now eat their second course: the JH, which lies at 1lr,' botlom of the pack. Once again, you need to transfer one of tlr,' cannibal cards to the top of the deck, only this time, you need t" make sure that it is the 1oS. I use the same move as in tlr,' previous phase, as it works even better now because of the nt't',1 io turn over the deck, and the appearance of the JH in tlr'' audience's sight which creates a visual misdirection.
Grab the cannibal cards, and place them
in
"mottllr"
formation, this time with two on the top and one in the bottorrr, as you say'ottt)o on top, hao on the bottom, just like beJinl' Take the picture card, this time face up, and place it betweetr I lr,' cannibals.
will eliminate the auditrrtr',"', suspicion of a possible swilt'lr. l|.y thcn perfonning an l'llrttsl, r count, the audience will sct'lirttt't'r'gttl:tt'llitt:l
u1-r,
yOu
lorrlrle facer that is now one of the cannibals.
,lrrst tell your audience that, as a dessert, the cannibals ate the r(,crl. And this lime, "for the sake of complete fairness", all of llrt't':rrds will be face up, so that everyone can clearly see there ;rrr. .just four cannibals, no extra cards, and the picture card that ( r |
1',or,s
t:learly in the middle. In addition, the picture card will not
,r1,;rrrrach the deck at all.
Srrit actions to words, spread the cannibal cards face up, lirliirrg advantage of the moment to place the roS/JH second Irorrr tlte top. Create the "mouth", tilting it slightly dorrr,nwards ,rrrrl lo the left, to prevent everyone from seeing the JH side of llrr, rlorrble facer. Take the Queen, nonchalantly show its two ',rr lr,s, rrnd place it inside the "mouth". As you close it, the sticky l,rcr, ol' lhc Queen will contact the JH side of the double facer, rrrllrr.r'irrg to it, and thc resultwillbe a loswith a regularback. lior llrt' sirl
trli,rin (lt'ol) llrc r':rlrl:; ,rr lltr, l:rlllt., slrrwirrg lrollr sirlcs of the I ru(lri,;rttrl Prrrviru,()n('r,1r1,,;ritt llutl llrr.r'r.iu'(,no r.xlrit <.irrrls, 'l'he l,)ullrr luts r,;rrrillr,', 1 rr illrorrl lr lt';rcr,!
A Book in English: 'l'hc
crrrul rrragic
A book in Irrrglislr; 'l lte t.lrrl rrlrltrt, ol Woorly Aragon
of Woody Arag6n
llocket, thus leaving yorr witlt ir t,ornplt,tt, nolmal deck.
This is a very strong climax. Iiirst, there's the tension create(l by the vanish of the Queen under seemingly impossibk' conditions, with the added pressure of being the third card thal has vanished. Second, the last card has disappeared, something that wiII lead the audience to think that the routine is over. Il you just relax, you'll see that the audience will start to applausc, without them asking you to let them examine the cards agairr. (Besides, the sticky card has just allowed you to show a ver'\ clean vanish and display of the cards, and the spectator hirs already examined the cards three times)
(note
'I'IIANSFER:
I will confess that my way of transferring a cannibal to the top
,l' the deck is not_ really subtle. Neve-rtheler.,
u.rd
maybe
llccause of-my performance style and handling, it suiis me pcrfectly. I hold the deck in left hand dealirg politio.r, and the r':rnnibal packet is in my right hand face uf.^the cards must ftr.m a messy spread, with one of the cards {uite injogged with r.spect to the others. The cards above the injogged one are the ,rrcs that will be transferred to the deck. In Ii'is routine, the st't:
l
You will now act as if the trick was over. Grab the deck in lerlt hand dealing position, and start gathering the cannibal carcls. Take the roS (the double facer with the QH stuck to it) antl place it on top of the deck. Grab the second cannibal card antl, then suddenly, address the spectator, telling him "oh! Examfiu' those cards, please!" Give him the card you were about to placc on the deck and, immediately perform a second deal, giving hirrr the regular roS. Then give them the other z Spade cards. Tlrr' spectator will be left with four regular Spade cards that he carr examine to confirm that there is no trace of the Picture cards.
I
r) MY TURN-OVtil(
THE FOLLOW-UP: You could end the routine right there. But I would like to lr,ll you that, if transfer the special card from the top to the midrlL' of the deck via a slip cut, then the spectator will be holding ,1 regular cannibal cards, and you will be holding the deck witlr the three regular picture cards on top. You are in the pelli'r'l position to perform the Jay Ose's classic collectors (ApexAccs), or any other version that you fancy, which will allow yorr l, make the picture cards reappear between the four cannibirl:r Making the picture cards reappear is a great addition to tlrl
routine's structure, plus you can show all the cards to
Y,rr need to misdirect your audience (using the natural r'lrrxirlirn after a joke, asking a brurring quZstion io the rrrrrlit'nr:c or crossing the gaze) is you turn lhe'packet of cards ,\'r'r. 'l'llc right harrrl. is- now empty, and starts to square the
lrr'
completely normal.
I
lrrrrls on lop ol'llrt'tlt'cl<. At the lzist nrolr.rcr-rt you pietend to .lrrrrrllr' y.rrr rrrirrrl, lr,ltl tlrc injoglicrl .rrrrls ,,n,1 nlithe cards rrlr,vr,it witlr y,rrr.r.iglrl lrirrrrl,,i* yi,,,,. l.l't lrirrrtl tirkcs the deck rlrvry,'l'lris is r;rrilr';r lr,kl rrrovt', irrrrl r.r,r,n llrorrglr ir rnight be rlIlcclcrl il'sorrt'rn(' rviri lrttt.nirrg .yorrr. lr;rrrrls, llrr, ovr,r.irll'in,irgc
In order to clean ul), v()lr will orrly rtcccl to find thc sllct'i:rl cards (it's very easy lo tlo il lrv lorrclr, sirrr:c llrt'lwo c:alrls slrrcl' togcthcr will irt't ;rs ;r llrit'1. r';rrtl) irrttl lxrlrrr it, or tlitt'lr it irrlo ;r
l I
li-
lqn
A Book in English: Thc cirrl
A book in English: 'l'lrc clrrrl
rrragic of Woody Arag6n
is that you just turned over thc gl'oup of cards in your right hand.
rrrrrl.tit'
ol'Woorly Aragon
SECOND VANISH:
Now take the Cannibal Carcls ancl announce that they are going to "eat" the second card, the one on the bottom of the rlcck. Turn the deck over, so that the picture card becomes the Iop one, and is clearly seen face up. You can clearly show the lirur cannibals, and create the "mouth" with two cards on top rrrrcl two on the bottom, just like before. Now take the picture lrrld and introduce it, this time face up, between the four cirrrnibals.
It is important not to move the right hand at all after tht' execution. The left hand leaves with the deck, never do tht' opposite. The audience must see the right hand in the sanlt' position it was holding the face up cards. APPENDIX: IMPROMPTU VERSION
l
This version can be presented anytime, with just a regulirr' deck of cards. Start by removing the four spades and the thrt'r' heart picture cards, and placing them in the same positions rts in the beginning of the special cards routine. That is, transfet' ;r cannibal card to the top of the deck; place the QH on the tablt'l place the JH and KH on top of the deck; perform a Bruttt addition and place the JH on the bottom of the pack. FIRST VANISH:
in the version with special car'
It works exactly the same
exactly thtt samc.
as
lly introducing the card face up this time, you will eliminate llrc audience's suspicions about a card change, while actually rrsirrg the Ascanio spread to hide the picture card during the rLrnce, as done in the
traditional Cannibal Cards routines.
'l'trrn the cannibals face up, do an Ascanio spread, and take the rkrtrble card to the bottom of the packet so that the picture card r.rrrls up face down on the bottom. You can now do Ascanio's 'rittt'cre spread, and then give him the cards for examination just liltt' llefore, executing Nick Trost's false count. The spectator will r.xrrrrrine the four cards and, at the end, it will seem that there nrt no more cards, and you are simply holding the cannibals Ittcc tlown. ,I'I
IIRD VANISH:
l)crfbrm a Biddle count with the packet in order to transfer llrr. picture card to the bottom and, as in the traditional version, lrukl it in your right hand while holding a thumb break over the lrvo lrottom cards (the picture card and the cannibal above it).
'l'rrrn thc deck face down with the other hand, take it, and prr,lt,ntl to give it to thc spectator. Change your mind and then lr,ll lrirrr "rto, rur"ll tn1 sortrctltinq else...tuhy don't you eat the r'ttfil? 77ri.s /irrrr,, rltnt'll ttltt,t'utc tho ntoutlt/" Your left hand will rrpl)r'oil('ll llrc llirclicl ol'r.irrtls, in ol'tlt'r'lo lirr.rrr llrc mouth, and r ott will lirl
M
A Book in English: -l'lrc crrnl rnagic of Woody Arag6n
A book in lrrrglislt: 'llrt.t.rrrrl rrrirllrt.ol Woorly Aragon
(there will only be 3 cards) ancl asl< the spectator to hold it with two fingers, just like you did beforc, and push the ends together' so that the mouth stays open. Take the last picture card (QH) from the table (where it has been throughout the routine) with your right hand, show it antl turn it face dovyn. Tell the spectator that not only should ht, push the ends together, but he should also loosen his grip on thc cards so as to create a chewing action. Use this moment as misdirection to do a top change between the QH and the tolr card of the deck (a cannibal card). Alternatively, you could placc the queen on top ofthe deck and do a second deal. In any cast., you will be holding a cannibal card, and the QH will be on thr, top of the deck.
WINNER'S INTUITION I wouldn't say this next piece is a trick. It is more of an idea for rrn alternate handling of a trick that is one of the modern cl:rssics of mentalism. Let's go for it.
I.]FFECT:
If you have a great top change, and there is no anti-contrast parenthesis, that's great and you can continue. But in my case, I usually prefer to say something to the audience, place tlrc cannibal card back on the deck, show the queen with a doublt, lift, and explain that it will be the last one to be eaten. Then I turn the double face down and take only the top [cannibal] caxl. Now you will introduce the card (everyone thinks it's the QII) into the "mouth" that is being held by a spectator. Insert it ;r little bit, and, as soon as you see it is not going to fall, ask hinr to push it further in himself "Pleese, do it yourself, finish pushirr,l the Queen into the cannibals' mouth... that's it, let tlrcrrr chetu.-.yum Aum-.. great! Square them yourself... turn tlrcttt ouer and... Make them dancel" (Explain this as you try to gel ;r:, far as possible from the spectator).
I
He will try to slide the cards as well as he can (unless hc's :r magician, of course), and then he will realize the cannibals hrrr',' eaten the card once again. This time, it all happened in lrir, hands!
'l'wo card boxes (one red and one blue, but they can be
lrorrowed) game o_f noker against each other. ihat is, a _play a spcctator chooses ro cards from a deck, and places cards (a 5 prl
Mh)THOD: 'l'lr.r'c is an effect thathas been doing the rounds lately, and it Irrrs bcen included in the repertoire 6f -uny mentalisis (and rrrrrgicians!). It is knor,r.n by various names, but r'r refer to it as "'l'lrt. ltclic". Usually, a spectator takes a medallion, coin, or any ',irrillr object, andplacis it inside one of his closed fists. The trrlrrlalist is then able to ascertain the hand that holds the ,l,ri.t'|. Iive. though it'.s not a great effect if performeJorr"., rvl,llr t'ontinuons lc;xrtition, the routine ends up becoming a true rrr
Ir
Llll
irrrt'lc.
'l'lrirrkirrg irlr.rrt llrr. lrir.k, irnrl lr..yirrg l. hn.llrt.r' clisguise the rrr;rlir.s it w,r'li, r hirrl ilrc itlr.;r ,l'rnixirrg iiwiththe Irtirrciplt'llrirt '"1'r'tt ('ltt'rl l'olir.r'llr,;rl" lrr.irrr.iltlt', wlrir.lr I 11.r,r,i6rrsiy t,xllllinecl
A book in linglislr: 'l ltt, t':rrtl nril,'t(' ol'Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: l'ltc cittrl rrragic of Woody Arag6n
routine (l tokl you that I loved lhe Jonalt Card principle!) ... In case yotr didn't know, in the most common approach, the magician hats a concealed magnet and, by bringing it close to each of the spectator's closed fists, he is aLle to find out which one holds the (f'errous or magnetic) object
in the
Blessed Poker
'l'he audience can cxarnirrt't.vt.r..yllrirrg, boxes and cards (shimmed cards, if they arc rrrirtltr wcll, look and feel exactly like rrormal cards, and they only r.cvcal thcir nature when you bring ir nragnet close to them). So, thc auclience will be unable to find orrt how you can always know tl-re winning hand.
The reason for this particular association of ideas is that, irr Ten Card Poker Deal rottlines, there's only one hidden object (the Jonah Card). If you know which box it's in, then you know that the winning hand is in the other one.
Once 5 cards have been placed in one of the boxes, while the rilrcctator puts the rest of the cards in the other one and closes it, vorr will take the box and place it on the hand that has the pK lin13, so that the box rests on the fingers. You then use that hand lo lllace the box aside.
I came up with this trick. I have to say that I don't normally perform this in my shows, as I don't have a fulI routine for it yet. I harre sho'nm it to magician friends while sessioning, and everv single time it has fooled them. As I already said, repeating tht' effeit g or 4times greatly empowers it. I think those who do not know the method and are reading this now and will get quite ir So
big surprise.
ll .you notice that the ring sticks to the box (believe me, if the ',lrirrr is in the box, you will feel it), you know that the Jonah ('rrrrl is inside that box, and the winning hand is in the other lrux. ll'you don't feel anything, then you know that the winning lrlrrrl is inside the box you are holding.
l
I
r\llr,r' r'cpeated performances, I found it useful to change the nr.llrul slightly during one of the early sequences. Just keep the lr,r opt'n in your hands and look away, as you invite the
The method consists of wearing a magnetic, or PK Ring (yorr can find one in any magic shop) and a shimmed card (also widely available for sale). Yol igst need to put the shimnrt'rl card in a normal deck, altl lgrlt' t
',pr.r'l;rlor to place any 5 cards inside. This way you don't have to rlrrllr lirr thc box, irs .yoll will be holding it from the beginning. l)rrr. lo Iltt' lrrcclt;rnir,s ol'tlrr' '/trrr Cttttl l\ilct,t. l)ail, there is an ,rrlrliliorr:rl lrlrr';rsirr,1i llr;rl yorr will l'irr
I
A Book in English: 'l'he cirtrl nragic of Woody Arag6n
A book in I')nglislr: l lre t'trtrl trrirllrt' ol'Woody Aragon
about the composition of the tw6 ftands as if you cou]d almost see the cards inside each box. Something like"Well, let's see..' in this box... there Qre, at least, ttuo matching cards... but, irt the other one... Aes, there's ttuo matching cards too... yes, ttao, but in the other box there are more matches... yes! The cards ht that box uin! This other box loses!" Even though you are guessing one of two possibilities (onlv which of the two hands will win), the secret is diluted in tht' apparent complexity of the feat, and the effect for the audienc:t' is different. Ilthe spectator is unaware of the Ten Card Poka' Deal princi.ple, then he is probably thinking that you woultl need io know the exact allocation of all ten cards in order t0 know which box contained the winning hand. So, unlike thr' Relic trick, you are not finding the location of one item, but ten.
CLOCKWORKWOODY I have always liked the classic Clock Trick.I think the inner principle that makes it work is very deceiving, while at the same lirne I really enjoy its "external life" (creating a "clock" using rz cirrds, and having a thought of hour match a selected card is a visual and suggestive image for the audience). Using my two lirvorite clock routines (one by Ram6n Riob6o and the other by Allbnso Molin6), I developed this handling which I think is r'l'l'cctive even for magicians. Don't disregard the extra climax lirr er session finale! IiITFECT: 'l'he classic effect in which a member of the audience selects rrtt hour, and looks at the card in the corresponding position lirrrtr a clock circle formed with tz cards. In most versions, the trtrtgician just finds the selected card. In this version, the rrrrrgician writes down a prediction for the thought of hour and orrc lirr the selected card, and both are correct. To top it all off, rrll ol'the other cards are blank!
MIi'THOD: Only one regular card is used (put a mark on its back, so that you (:iln easily spot it).'['he card goes on top of a deck of blank litt't,rl t:arcls. Obviorrsl.y, thc back of thc regular and the blank litt't,tl r':tt'tls slrorrkl lrt' llrt' silntc.
l(il'llr,slrrrl'llc lltc rlccli, lir,t,grirrg tlrc l'r,grrlirr r,irrrl on top (let's
rttvil istlrt.5oI llr,;rrlri). l)orr'l prrslr llrt'r.lrrrlslogcllrt.r.al'tcrr.the
Abookin [')nglislr: l ltt' t rrrrl nrrl,t( ol Woorly Aragon
A Book in English: Tltc t'rrttl ruagic of Woody Arag6n
shuffIe, spread the deck and let a sllcctator do it. (This move, as used by ihe great Gabi, helps thc attclience imagine the faces ol the cards being mixed, thus creatir-rg in their minds the image ol regular cards with different faces being shuffled, while actuallr most of the cards are blank faced).
Tell a member of the audience to think of an hour, one lo twelve. Pretend to read his mind, and clearly stating you aI'(' going to do it BEFORE the cards are used, write a predictiotr What you will really do is to use the "One ahead" principle, antl write "CARD.' You uill choose the Fiue of Diamonds [,,' whatever force qard you are using]". Fold the paper, and place aside (inside a glass, ashtray, etc...)
it
Remove rz cards from the middle of the pack, and give therrrr to a spectator, asking him to place them under the table, whet''' nobody can see them. I usually tell him something like this: "Take some cards... since there are only lz hours to choosl .from, I utill giue you a bunch, there may be t4 or t5 cards, btrt anAu)aA, you'll haue more than enough..." this helpg to thtrru the audience off the method, and takes the heat off the unust'r cards. If you wanted to, you could even give the spectator' ;r larger number of cards (but you must know exactly how mrttrt cards you give him). If you gave the spectator X cards (X>t:') then just remember to transfer X-rz cards from the top of tlr'' deck to the bottom just before dealing the cards that form tlr'' "clock". So, if you gave the spectator 14 cards, you worrltl transfer z cards from the top of the deck to the bottom. I
Ask him to take as many cards as the hour he's thought of, rttr' l place them inside a pocket, or in any other place where nrl (),,' ian see them, and place the unused cards on top of the deck. Take the deck, and deal rz cards, forming a clock, in invt'r':"' counter clockwise order (starting with rz, and finishing witlr one). This is justified by the firct tltat we are trying to m;rlit' rl clear for to the audiencer, wlrir,lr is sittrated in front of us). ll r:, advisable to place tht't'rtt'tls irr posilions 12,6,9 atttl ;; rrr perpendicular p
r';rrds,locate the mark on tlrt'lr;rt'li ol'lltr, lirr.cing card. (Let's say llrt: card is dealt at the 4 o'r:kx,li lrrsiti,rr). lJecause of the clock lirrce principle, it the cartl will cntl trp irr at the thought of hour. Ask the spectator to look zrt thc car.cl that lies at the thought of Irorrr. In order to keep you [rom glirnpsing it, you will turn ;rround. Once he's seen the card, ask him to remember it, and lclurn it to its original position. Turn around, look at his eyes, rrrtl once again, pretend to read his mind. Tell your audience llurl now you will write a prediction, this time regarding the rirrcl. Take another piece of paper, and write: "TIME: The lltought of time is Four for whatever value the force card is at] rt'(lock". Fold the paper, and place it next to the first one, so that n( ) one can distinguish which is which.
Now comes a small "parenthesis of forgetfulness", in which lorr will go over all of the things that have happened, while ',liglrtly altering the truth: " liirst, before we euen touched the cards, you thought of an Itrtttr, and I tried to predict it on a piece of paper. Then, you lr rr r/t rr.s manA cards as the hour you thought of, tahich means if ttrt11 lvnss 7 cards in your pocket, you thought of 7 o'clock... ritlltl? Then, youlooked at a card. Andremember, the deckwas tlrrtrouclhly shuffiedfrom the uery beginning, so you uill agree rt,illt rtrc in that it utas impossiblefor me to know uhich cards tt'ttttl(l end up in the clock. And neuertheless, I made a l,ntli<'lion about the card too... am I corcect? Well,let's see if I n,tts t,iglt"
l)runp the two predictions from wherever you placed them
,url, llrc table. Tell the spectator to read the predictions, but
Lrr,l) llrcm to himself. Ask him to take the cards from is pocket, to you (be careful so that the blank faces don't llrrrlr). (lount thcnr ulorrtl, as you deal them on the table. pretend l, lr1, u..''.u hapl'ry:rborrl llrt. ntrmber (you got it dght!) as soon as r,rr lirrislr Ilrt' t'orrrrl. Vcril'y .youl su(](:(!ss ll.y irsl
A Book in English: 'l'lrt' t'rttl nragic of Woody Arag6n
A book in lrrrgllislr: I lrt' t rrr,l
Now turn over the card at thc ltottr's position. It will be thc regular card. Ask the spectator to read aloud the seconrl prediction. Once again, you were right.
For the atrdience, this looks iike the end of the effect. Thl blank faces'climax is a very different one, and it might clue ther rr in to the method, as someone might think that you already kncr, that the only regular card was the one that was going to lr,' selected. Don't make the mistake of rushing to this climax, atrr ruin the effect of the card and time divination. In order to avoirl this, you need to take an assimilatton pause: stay static, arrtl don't say a word until the applause fades. Try to live the effect rr:: if you had just finished with it, and you were about to starl ;r new one in which the effect is that you will erase the faces of tlr,' I
cards.
"Actually, the effect you'ue just taitne.ssed rs quite a dffir'trlt one. If you had chosen another hour, or ctnother cqrrl. I couldn't haue done it. Infact, it only workeil bec(tuse yolt chtt:',' 4 o'clock. Had you chosen three o'clock, I t:trtould haue guesx'tl. nothing (turn ouer the card at three o'clobk. The audience rt'ill see a blankface). Fiue o'clock, nothing... and here, and hen'.. Turn over all of the cards on the table. Once again, address the spectator "But not only those, but ttl:,,,
the cards you placed in your pocket... those haue no .ftrr',' either!" Turn his cards over. And finally, for the rest ol'llr,' audience "Euen tf ue look at the rest of the cards... thcr,"" nothing on them!" Show the rest of the deck, so that everyorr,' can see all of the cards are blank. The only card with a face orr rI is the chosen one.
AN IDEA FORA SESSION FINALE:
I present you now with an idea, in order to present this lri,
I
as a closer for a close-Lrp sttssiolt, with a devastating intl'xtt'l your audience (this I gtutt'ltttlt't' yotr!). It looks sometltirlg lrl',
,,rr
this:
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ol Wootly Aragon
Start with the blank [irct' rlt'r'li in vorrr' lrocl
slrow the face of the clccl< lor lrr irrslrrnt, without flashing the lrlank faces). Next to it, pl:rt:t' l t,irrtl llox Iull of poker confetti. 'l'lris confetti is available in nrost palty supplies stores, or from r';rsino/Vegas themed stores. lirx a very affordable price, you lrrn avoid having to manually cut out the pips from cards...
'l'lrroughout the show, use a regular deck with the same box ;rrrrl back design. Perform any routine that ends with a card to cru'cl box effect (there's a very effective automatic version in l(irnr6n Riob6o's Thought of Magic that uses a duplicate card rrrrtl a neat handling of the cross cut force, called "The Super l,).t'trct Cut"). Later, you will switch the regular deck and box for tlrr. blank face deck and the confetti box. (You can simply place lroth the deck and box in your pockets, do a coin trick, and then lrrl
l'crform the clock routine, with the blank deck ending, ,,lrrcading all the cards all over the table (Lennart Green style). \sli your audience "But, if all of the cards are blank... where rtn' llrc pips? Do Aou remember where did the cards trauel to?" 'l';rl
the card box, open it, and slowly dump the confetti all
ovt,r' lhe cards. The pips went to the box!
A book in Linglislt: 'l'lrc t'rrrl nrirlirt' ol Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: l-he cirrtl tnagic of Woody Arag6n
The idea of the "traveling pips" is a creation of one of the magicians that I'edmire most, and one whose company I really enjoy, no matter whether I am watching him perform; sharing a meal or journey with him; playing songs on the Banjo or the bones; or even, just spending some time with him: the great Camilo Yizqrtez. Camilo came up with the idea as an ending fol his "Pips Routine" which earned him first prize in the National Magic Convention of Madrid inrg7t.
THE PSYCHIC DECK 'l'here was an idea in Juan Tamariz's book Mnernonica that I rlr.crned to be a wonderful one: that the deck would answer the irrrrlience's questions, depending on the color of the cards. The r L,r'l< is false shuffled, and questions are asked. A spectator turns ovt,r' the top card, if it's red, the answer is yes. A black card nl(rilr)s no. For example:
,t Is your c(trd red? I
mean the one you selected, not the
oneinfront of you... Spectator looks at his selection. It is red, so the answer is , ' Yes. [Red card] , , Is it a heart? 'l'he spectator takes the next card. It is black. , , -l/o. [Black card] , , /.s ff a Diamond, then?
) Yes. [Redcard] ,, ls the ualue an euen number? ,, No. [Black card] ,
',
,
Oclcl ntLmber?
, No. [Black card] , No? Tlis nteans tlrc card is a picture, right?
, Y(,.s. lRed carrl , , /.s it u,loclc'? ,
With Camilo, after our ptrforrrttrttct' itt MondatlNight Mngit' nl llrt ()ll llt'utrkwy
,,
',
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'
l"*
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No. llllircl< r'rrrrll A l(itrt1? )'r'.s. I ltcrl r';rrrl I 'l'ltut tttt'(ttt:; tlrtrtl'1',,,'r1 is...'l'lu' kirtrl ttl'llitttttotuls!
A book ilt l'.nllrslr.
A Book in English: l'lte t rurl rrragic of Woody Arag6n
As you see, the magician kecps on asking questions until ht' finds the selected cards thanks to tl.re answers provided by tht' deck.
Juan credits Alfonso Molin6 for coming up with the concept but he says that he composed the routine in Mnemonica aftt'r reading a simiiar trick that used the Gilbreath principie. haven't been able to find the original trick (it was credited t,, Nick Trost in a compilation of effects created by Reinhartl Miiller for the Escorial meetings), but I thihk I have been able t,, discern the original method. It is actually a classic effect, ort,' that allows you to know the sequence of colors in a shufflt'rl deck (Color Sense byNorman Gilbreath himselfl.
llr, ,:rr,l
nr,rl,rl ol Wootly Aragon
'fake half of the blarrli r':rrrls, ;rrrrl wlitt. l ltig YES, in capital Icttgls, on its face. Orr tlrc ollrr,r'lurll, wlitc NO. You will also rnark the backs of tlie No lr:rll'witlr tlrc t:ard punch, creating a srnall hole that can't bc clistirrgrrislrt'tl by sight, but easy to feel lry touching the corner ol'tlrc r:artl. Once you're finished, do a li:rro, or an alpha shuffle with lxlth halves, so that the cards end rrp in alternate order. Cut a NO card to the bottom of the deck.
I
For several years, I performed this trick, and I started 1,, polish it, trying to solve the problems I found while perforntirr,', earlier versions (the main one: having to turn colors ittl,, answers made it a confusing routine). I ended up with a soli,l version, one that I have performed many times, in close-tr;, shows, and even in parlor shows. Actually, right now I have ltr,, versions: one for situations in which I am seated, and the otlr,'r one for situations in which I am standing. It is one of trrt favorite tricks, and I really enjoy performing it.
THE SETUP You will need a thick permanent marker, a blank faced tlccl' and a "puncher" (or a thin needle) in order to mark cards. Al:,,, you will need a box, altered following Annemann's wonclt'r'lrrl The Mental Masterpiece Impression Pack idea: A pit't't' ,,1 carbon paper is stuck on the inside of a card box, so that wlrll you place a paper on the card box and nrite something on it. llr,'
writing is duplicated onto a card inside the box [the ott,'rl contact with the carbon paperl. To aid transfer of the wlilirr'. stick a piece of paper onto tltt' lircc of one of the blelnl< l;r,,',1 cards, and sand the insirlt'of'lltt't'rtt'cl box fort thc siclt: wlr,'r,' you will stick the crtt'lrott lrrr;tcr'1.
'l'ake the card with the piece of paper on its face, and place it orr the bottom of the deck (under the NO one). Place the deck in llrc box, with the papered card next to the carbon paper. You
will also need a piece of paper, and a pencil.
I'I]RFORMANCE l,or close-up (seated) conditions.
'l'll
lly lcllirrg hirrr to trrrrr Iris bach to tl-rc table, yolr are justifying llrr,rrr.r.rl tort.sl llrt'lxrpcrorrto;'ro1'thr.t.;rltl llox,andnotonthe lirlrlr,. Wltt'rr Irt'is lirrisllrr,rl, irsli lrirrr to loltl tlrt, lxrlrcl twice, and l,r'r'1r il irrsirlc lri:; r'lo:rr,rl lisl.
A Book in English: 'l'hc eltrl rnagic of Woody Arag6n
Retrieve the deck, and tell thc auclience that it is not a regulal one, and that you don't want anyono to see the faces of the cards yet. This will be your excuse to tilt the box at an angle at whiclr no one but you can see the cards. Take the cards oqt ofthe box. just enough to see the name of the thought of perstln, written br the carbon paper on the face of the bottom card. Push this cartl back in, and remove the rest of the YES/NO deck. Address tht' audience as you do this "I strppose all of you must haue seett one of those tricks in uhich the magician finds the chosetr card. That is a normal thing: a person finding cards... but. haue you euer seen cards find a person?"
Tell them that you are actually holding a psychic deck. lrr order to prove its powers, ask a spectator to think of any card irr the deck. Take the bottom card, so that no one but you can s('(' it. Ask the person who's thinking of a card "For instanca... rlrt you think there's anA uaA I could knou tuhich card you'r,' thinking o;P" When he answers "No", follow with the classic girl', and show the face of the card. "That's right! No! It is clearfu rt psychic deck!" This is a classic magician's gag, and it has been used arr,l abused for a long time. But in this routine, it is the perfect w;rr of introducing the deck to your audience, while also justifyirrr the fact of hiding of the deck while it was being removed fl'orrr the box.
Explain to your audience that the reason why the decli ir, "Psychic", is because it can correctly answer "YES" or "NO" 1,, any question. Spread the deck, so that the audience can sec lltr' two words are mixed: they will not realize that the deck is in ;rrr alternating order. Do any false shuffIe, and cut the deck (you can also pet{trrttr ;r Charlier Shuffle) as you say that, in order to complt'lt'lr randomize the cards, you need an expert in shuffling, sotll('()rr(' who's able to shuffle the catrls "t:itsino style". Givc the clct:l< [,, ,, spectator, and have hirrr ril'l'lc slrrrl'llt'itncl cttt thc llat:l<.
A book in lrtrlrlrslr:
I lrr. ,
rrr,l nr;ll,r( ol Wootly Aragon
Spread the deck oncc lg;rirr, slrowirrg llrc random order of the r';rrds after the shuffle, antl lot,;rlr, lwo itlcrrtical cards together in
llrc spread (two "YES" or"'NO" r'irltls). Cut the deck at this point, so that one of two r:arcls bcrc
rrrirtle, take the other one, as you say "u)ell, tue tuon't use this
ont,, then". Keep the discarded pile in your hand while you rpcak for now, it is important that the audience gets used to rrr,t,ing you with the cards in your hand. l,lxplain to the spectator what will happen. You are going to Irrrrr yourback on him, and, as you askthe questions, he will l;rkc the top card of the deck, show it to everyone, and read the iurswer aloud.
'l'rrrn around, and move back from the table, so that your Irrrrrls naturally fall into your lap. Under the cover of the table lrrrrrl using your back as a shield], run the cards, one by one, rvlrilt' checking whether they are marked [NO] or not. Because , rl llrc Gilbreath principle, there will be a relation between your ',r'(ls and the ones the spectator is holding. If the card is rrrrrlicrl [you hold a NO], then the answer will be YES. If the , .rrrl tkres NOT have a mark [you hold a YES card], the answer rr rll lxr NO. In other words, you interpret the marked cards as a \ 1,,S, irncl the unmarked cards as a NO [opposite to their actual rrrirrliirrl3l. Since you already know the identity of the famous lr.r'son, you will just have to make a series of generic questions llrirl rrntc:hes the answers you will get. On the second question, rrrrr will gct a little closer, and so on. After about t4l7; cards, r,rrr slrorrltl have a tlzllre or, if you're not very close, you should Ir,rvr,r,rrorrgh inf
I ol' lttrls
lirrrcc llrr.rr.'s
lr lol ol
irrrprovis;rlion
irr tlris routine, I
rr'r'r)nnll(.n(l yorr lo:;l;rr'l nt;rliirr1,, \,(.1'\, 1,,(,n(,t'it.tlrrcsti
A book irr lllrllislr. I lrt' t ;rrrl nr:rl,rr rll Woorly Aragon
A Book in English: I ltc t'rtttl lnagic of Woody Arag6n
From the 2ott, <'t,tt!ttt't1'/
person. But always make sure thitt yoll ask about things that carr be divided Sol1o. Let me explain what I mean:
Yes
American? No European?
If the thought of person was Einstein, and you started askinli about nationilities:'.Is he Argentinean?" "Is he Spanish" "Is lt,' Chinese?" "Is he American?" you would have to go througlr many NO answers before getting to the right country. If yorr started asking questions about the nationalities, and the thirtl card was a YES, then you'd be forced to ask if the person wrr:, German. So, given all the countries in the world to choose frottr, it would be highly unlikely that you would have got it right t,rr the third try. If this happened several times throughout tlrt' procedure, then it might signal to the audience that thert"r something "fishy" about the questions you are asking.
Yes
Eastern Europe? No Centrel Europe? Yes
German? Yes
Is he dead? Yes
Did he write?
Sometimes, you will end up having no choice, but to ask thos,' questions. If you feel you need it, here is an out for you: Justilr the "early success" by saying something like "Wait... I thinl' t am getting something... he's German, isn't he?" Awarding tlr'' success to your own intuitive powers, you can get out of ont'r,l those really tricky situations. However, I really think it's mttt'lr better if the magician doesn't "guess" anything, and the clt't'l' does all of the work.
The way to avoid the audience suspecting that thert' L something "fishy" about your questions is to avoid asl
Following the previous example:
o o
1s she
a uoman?
.l/o
o That meetTs
/tr".s
antiquc firttr'.s?
oMr
rr ttt(ttt... f.s /lc tr clutt'ttt:lt:t' .fi'r'trt
Yes
Nouels? No Scientist? Yes
A Scientist, male, German, dead...
Mctx Planck? No Ah! He's German, but he left Germany because of the w ar... Alb ert Einstein? Yes
I'vr, given you an example of a bad situation, so that you could kind of outs you can use. Actually, in a real situation, if
',r'r' wlrat
rrllr,r'irnswering YES to the Scientist question, I know the next lirrrl is :r NO, I would say something like "WelI... scientist, male, t ;1,,',,t(nt, clead... actually, I think this rs quite obuious. I guess it tttttsl lxr liinstein. cotLld you shotu eueraone the paper with the ntt,n(' ol' Llrc persotl tlotL tkought ofr" In this case, I eliminate llrr rrrorrrt:nt in whir:h thrr clocl< answers "NO" when you ask it I lrl rr;rrrrt. o1' thtr tlrouglrt ol' 1lt'r'son.
ll
yorr wirrrt
lo
prr.sr.rrl llrc rorrlirrc slrrrrrlirrg, the method ;'rr.r'iorrsly rlt.scrilrt,rl rr.,orlis ;rt.r'li.r.lh,.'l'lrr. ljrr.t ol'wr.i ting on top ,,1 llrt,r'irrrl lrox ir;1rr,rlr.r,llt' jrrslilir.rl ((.\.r,n nror.r, llr;rn irr it closettlr:,r,llittli);rrrrl \orr,rrl\ trr,r,rl lo lrrrrr lorrr l,;rr.l. lu llrt,:rrrtlit.rrt.t'.
WI
A Book in English: 'l'lrc crrrtl rrragic of Woody Arag6n
A book in lilrglrslt: I lrt' r'rrrrl rrirl'r( ol'Wootly Aragon
Go to a corner of the stage (kecp your elbows close to your body,
so that nobody notices you're ruttning the cards in your hands) and ask your questions from there, as the spectator becomes tht'
star, in the center of stage, showing the cards to the audienct' (the words YES and NO are big, and different enough to bt' distinguishable from a good distance). I performed the routint' this way for almost one year, and had a great success with it...
I really hated the i&ea of having to turn my back at tht' audience for so long! It completely stopped my communicatinli with them, and I ran the risk of giving the spectator in tht' center of stage the responsibility of holding on to that link firr me. Besides, the scene with the magician standing in a cornct'. with his back turned to the audience, is quite suspicious, antl ... But
not very aesthetic. have found two possible solutions: The first, which I nevt'r done in practice, is to present the routine with a partner, wlr, would be the medium. It is the medium who turns their back r I the audience, or maybe even ask the questions from insidt' rr spirit cabinet.
I
rr
The second, which is much more practical, consists of showirI' the deck to your audience, and giving each of the two hnlvgs .I the deck to two different spectators. One of them consists ,l only YES cards, and the other only of NO cards. Once you gt't the two halves back, Faro them, alternating thg s21fl5. (ltrl' leaving a NO on top, and then I per{orm the following slocl' shuffle: Run B cards, place them back on top, run 4 cards, plrr, ' them on top, run 5 cards, place them on top. That leaves tht' 'r first cards in an order I have memorized: YES, YES, NO, y'l',': l/q NO, YES, NO,llO, and the rest of the deck is in altet'rrrrl'' order, YES and NO. That is enough to eliminate any seetrtitrr'. pattern, the spectators think they have shuffled the wholc tlt', l' themselves, and I know in advance what cards the spectatot'r'r'ill get. In this case, I will place hirn slightly behind me, ancl tlo ;rll of the questions witholt l96ki1g rrt him, while still fhciptri tlr,' audience.
l-
ADDITIONAL REMAIII(S: Asi Wind, a friend nr:rgicirrrr lhrrrr Ncw York, released two interesting versions of tht: t:lassit: (\tlor Sense routine in his lrook/DVD Chapter Onc. Ilis rncthods could also be used in llris routine.
A Book in English: 'l'ltr.' urltl rrragic of Woody Aragon
Ytttrt, tlttttt!
t
A book ilt lllrl,lrslr I ltc t ;r,l nr,rt,r(
.l
Wootly Aragon
A book in linglislr: l'ltt' t irtrl
A Book in English: Thc cartl tnagic of Woody Arag6n
tttttl=',it'
ol'Worldy Aragon
FARO SHUFFLES AND FACTORIAL DEALING I would like to include in this book some notes, which I think rrrigltt be of interest to those magicians who, like me, are in love with mathemagic (although I know they are more suited to lltosc who are already knowledgeable about these matters). In rrry book Cosas Mias (zooz), I wrote, in the explanation of a rorrline, that I had observed some curious relationships between Itrrtrr shuffles and factorial dealing, as both include deals in a lr.t'l:rirt number of piles that carry mathematical consequences Irr llrc resulting order. Obviously, we are not just talking about rL,rrling in the case of factorial deals, but also in the case of llnros, as anti-Faro shuffles can also be done by dealing. 'l'lrcsc are the main results
in my
analysis regarding those
n,lrrIiouships. I
I llrinl< applying factorial dealing to magic tricks is a classic lntrrlrination, whose exact origins cannot be traced. Just keep in rrrirrrl lhat one of the most popular card tricks amongst laymen, "f'lrr, lrrn" (well, together with the "2L Card Trick") is based rlllr.r'lly on this principle. I,'or more information about Faro and rrtrli liiu'o shuffles, I rtrf'cr you to the article in Sonata, where tott will l'incl all ol"l'irnrirriz's worl< on lhu srrlr.icct. r
,'\llr,r'wrilirrg;r rorrglr rlrirl'l lor llris irrliclr', I rcralized that I lo irrr irrlcrt,slirrl,, r'orrclrrsiorr. I tlrirrli llrt, lilrl< that I am
rnn(r
rrrrrkittg, t'orrlrl ()l)(.n up
riorrrr,pussilrililir,s lor lirrrlirrg slrol'tt:rrts in
A book in lirrglislr: l lrr' t :trrl rrrrlirr' rrl Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: Tltc cirltl rtragic of Woody Arag6n
piles because wc wirrrt lo rlo irrr iruti-Faro-z or factorial dealing. In thct, llrt' ploct.ss lncl the results are the
the bewildering paths of travcling between stacks, and tht' ability to get from one stack to another in just two shufflt':; finstead of six!] is something that should not b''
o
underestimated.
The relationships between the Faro shuffle and thr' factorial deal When you Faro cards, you insert one card betwet'rr every two in the other half. The most immedialr' mathematical consequence is that every card (countirrri from the face if the card was in the lower half, or frorrr the back if the card was in the upper one) will end up irr a position whose value doubles the one it had before tlr,' shuffle. So, if a card occupied the roth position, it will now be in the 2oth. If you do an anti-Faro shul'l'l'' (dealing the cards in two piles) the result is the exrrr'l opposite. The card's position will be exactly half the orr,' it had before. (For the sake of clarity, I am intention:rllr omitting the differences between in-Faro, out-Faro, ittrr
same!
That means the rcst o1'thc prime factors fthe ones not involved in the dealingl will equal the number of Faros needed to finish the re-ordering.
'lir sum up, as a rule, dealing the cards into N number of piles will always equal a number of Faro/anti-Faro shuffles, if the rrrrrnber of cards in the pile can be divided
byl/.
(lonsider the standard 5z card deck. If we factor 5z into prime nrrnrbers, we get 13x22 Wt: know doing B out Faros
will return a deck to
its
original
ol'(l()r', so we calculate the Faro number 28.
Wc now relate the prime factors (r3 x 2z) with the Faro In other words,
rrrrrrrber, and reduce terms.
I
even/uneven Faros). A group of n cards will go back to its original order tt I I , 'r x Faros/anti-Faros. This is always true. You will necrl l" Faro more or less times depending on n (there is rttt r value for every n value, as already mentioned by Al,'r Elmsley and Luis Garcia in their studies). 'l'lr'' maximum number of times you will need to Faro llr,' cards is equal to the number of cards in the pile' \'r,rr can apply this to deals in 2, 4, 8 or 16 piles, due to llr,' way that anti-Faros work. Regarding the pile's ot'tlt'r, the Faro is based on the relationship between lltr' number of cards shuffled and the powers of z. The same pile of cards will also return to its ot'igirr;rl order by consecutively dealing it in a detcl'ttrirrr''l number of piles, by factoring the number of cartls irr rr
factors. Regarding tht: order of the pile, fttcloritrl dealing is basccl ort lilrtling the prirnc factors ol the numbcr ol't':trtls ilr lhc pilc. Occasitxritll.y, ()n('ol'llrt'ljtt'tors itlvolvt'tl is Obviorrsly, lltt't r.':r rro rlilli't't'ttct' irr rlr';rlittli t'lttrls itr
I
lJ x 2z x28 lJx26 Wc already know that, if we deal the cards into 4 piles, or z lrih's twice, that is equivalent to z anti-Faros. Factorial dealing Irrrllrt'r'tells us that we still need to do a t3 pile deal to return llrl rlcr:l< to the original order. But, what that last line in the lrlrrirlion tells us that 6 anti-Faros is equivalent to dealing 13 grih.sl
'l'lris lr:rs already been explained, although not explicitly, in the ,rrli liilt'o article in Sonata. Tamariz says: Anti-Faro t equals ,|,'rrlirrli irr two ltilcs; anti-F-aro z equals 4 piles; anti-Faro 3, B lrilr':i: rrrrli-lilrn 4 r.r;rrals r(r ltilcs; anti-Iiaro 5 (published as an Inrpr';rclical possilrilit.v") ;12 pilt's... logit. t:lairns anti-Faro 6 'rlrotrlrl lll(.illl tlt.rrlirrg tlrc r.;rrrls ilrlo 64 pilcs, something , urrrplr,lr.l.v illogiclrl, ,;rs llrr.r'r. worrkl lrc nrorr, pilt.s than cards, llll'l',1tt;rrr r.xpllrirr:r llr;rl rrnli liirro (r i:r rlorrr. lry rlr.;rling tlrc cards
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A Book in English: Thc cirrtl nragic of Woody Arag6n
in
13 piles (and gathering them
A
The truth is that dealing the cards into 13 piles IS NOT arr anti-Faro (because 1g is not a power of z), but the result is thl same due to the rules of factorial dealing. To all this, we can also apply factorial dealing because of tlrr' last multiplication by z, which equals an anti-Faro. Dealing tlrr' cards in z6 piles (r3 x z) would be an anti-Faro 7, as tht'r',' would be one card Ieft to complete the cycle of 8: So, dealing rrr z6 piles equals a Faro shuffle. Let's look at a different example: A deck of zo cards returns its original order after 6 in Faros. This means
' '
The prime factors of zo are 2'x In Faros: 26
.
22XS-26or5-24
lr
)
S.
Here's a list of deck sizes that, because of the relationslri;, between n (the number of cards) and x (the cycle of li;rr',r shuffles for n), I consider to be most practical for magic. card deck returns to its original order after 3 Faro shuffles.
A r5 card deck returns to its original order after 4 Faro shuffles. A zr card deck returns to its original order after 6 Faro shuffles. A 3r card deck returns to its oliginal orulcl after 5 Faro shuftles. A 45 card deck leturns to ils oligin;rl ot'rlct'itltct'
A st calrl rlct'l< n'[ttt'tts lo tl:: ot iliirt;tl otrlct
t:
I"itt'tl slrull'lcs.
itllt't'll li;rl'o sltttl'l'lcs.
(r13
card deck returns t
A 73 card deck
returns to its or.igirr;rl or.
All of these decks are odd, which means that the Faro shuffle is cven, so the decks can be cut anyr,lrhere. But you can round all
llt,se numbers up or down by adding or removing one card.
If
llrrrre is one card less, you will need to do in-Faros-. If you there is ,ne card more, you will need to do out-Faros. If the number ,l'r:ards is e-ven, you can't cut between the shuffles. But, since
rrrrrltiples of z are related to factorial dealing, even numbered more interesting for applying the principles explained irr this study.
rh'r'l
Therefore, we can deal in two piles 6 times, in 4 piles J tinrr':'. or in 8 piles z times. The reason is 26 = (z')s = (zs)2. In additiorr, dealing in 5 piles is the same as 24 (4Faro shuffles). We itls,, know that dealing in ro piles is the same as S Faro shuffles.
t
Wootly Aragon
in a normal way, unlike anti
Faros).
A7
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A Book in English: Thc citrtl tlagic of Woody Arag6n
ON THE GILBREATH PRINCIPLE I will now summarize for you a study I published several years rrgo (October
2oo2) in the Escuela Maqica de Madrid's circular
h'llcr: 'l'lrose familiar with the kind of magic I perform, know that orrc of the weapons in card magic that I use most is the fairly urrknown Gilbreath principle. I insist this is a fairly unknown lrrirrciple: even though many magicians have heard of it, I have lorrrc to realize that most of them are not familiar with its inner worl
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This would seem obvious, bttt rlctually it isn't. We know thrrt Gilbreath's principle works when we shuffle two inverted serit',, of cards. If we place the cards in a predetermined setup arrrl riffle shuffle them, we will obtain a certain result. But... dot': this mean that if the cards are not in a setup order, the principl'' stops working? NO, the mathematical relation between tlr'' cards when they are riffle shuffled are ALWAYS the same, tt" matter if the magician places them ordered by series of cartl:' alternating reds and blacks, shuffles duplicate cards, or even il he is unaware of any mathematical principle. Actually, we cortlrl say that the Gilbreath principle works EVERY SINGLE TIMI'I ;r deck is riffle shuffled.
This idea pushed me to study the mathematical relatiorr'' between the cards in depth, independently of the inverted set'it"' concept that seemed to be a staple in Gilbreath principlt":; working. HOW DOES THE PRINCIPLE WORK? We already know this: If we have 2 groups of X cards (tlr'' groups canbe colors, suits, values, inverted cards, etc.) that lrr'' fuentical, but whose order is inverted in respect to the otlrcr series, if you riffle shuffle them together, every group of X cartl:' counting from the top of the deck, will contain every sin;il'' element of X only once, but in a different order. This is the general principle, but actually the riffle shufflt' r' not necessary (I would like to remind you about the invt'r:''' application of the principle, first published by Nick Trost, wlrt't'' X cards are freely taken from the top of two piles of canls) Neither is the principle only applicable to cards (we could alrlrlr it to colored objects, coins, dice...) o1' llr'' (that lt'' tneittrs, z X was valttc of principle in which the only gne rrrrrl t'ctl c.g. by ono, only used series of z calrls, :tllt't'ltltttrtl black). Later, when lrt'rlisr.ovt'r't'rl tlrirt X coglrl bg gt'g:tlt't'tlr;rrr 2, and he lttrltlisht'tl ;rtt lrllttr;iotl to tltt'pl'irrt'i1llt', lttttl pt'rt;'l'' star.tgrl <'irllitrg tlrr.rrr lir:;l .rrr,l :,,,r'orrrl (lillrrr';rllr prirrt'i;tlt's. lirrl
In the beginning, Gilbreath published applications
rrr,r1,tr
,l
Woorly Aragon
;rctually, both princilllt.s rrlr, llrc s;rrrrr', or rrraybe llratthe second one cn('onrl);rss('si llrr. lilst.
I should
say
,I'IIE PRTNCIPLES 'l'he First Gilbreath Principlc rcl'crs to series of two cards. It includes the most well l
'l'lrc Second Gilbreath Principle (RS - Repeating Series 1,r'irrr:iple) actually works in exactly the same way, only the ',r'r'it's can consist of groups of four, five or more cards. If you ,rrrlr.r'th€ suits in a deck - Ace to King, and Ace to King in one lr;rll, and King to Ace, and King to Ace in the other half (a deck rrr ortlcr, but in mirror stack) - when you riffle shuffle the deck, IIrcrr iI'you were to deal4 piles of 13 cards each [deal r3 cards in ,rrr, pile, then the next], EACH group will have one, and only rrrrr. t'ilrd of each value from Ace to King. You can't control the ,rrils, llut you can control the values! I
N I)I.]PTH STUDY
I said I would try to go the concept of a "series of cards" in this study. Let's start lronr iln obvious st:rlcrrrcrrt: II'y
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A Book in English: Thc cirxl magic of Woody Arag6n
nrspect to the position nrrrrrlrt'r's irr tlrt. original series) of the cirrds in the original serics.
What happens when you apply the Gilbreath principle to ;r series of cards? The cards on top of the deck after the shufl1t' will form a RANGE of the initial deck order (not inverted).
AN EXAMPLE:
Imagine two inverted series of cards, ready for the principle to work:
'l'ake the first zo cards frorn your Mnemonic stack of choice.
(
Fiue
Ace Two Three
rrrrrnbers 1 to 20 in their backs, in ascending order).
Three
t - z-
Tuo Ace
But now, let's invert the series of cards on the right (so tlt;rt now both series are in the same order), and imagir€ tlrr' following chain of ordered cards: ee - F our -
Fiu e -Ac e -Tu o -Thr
ee - F our -
ttt
Given any ONE series ol \ cards, in a certain order, if wc ittvert half (X/z) of the serics willr respect to the other hall', itrrtl ril'llc shuffle tl-re two grottps, llrl series formed by thc I'irsl X/:' t'itt'tls, t:ottlltittg llrltll tlttr lop ol the deck, will c6psist ol';t l{AN(ll'l (irl t'ottlittttstts gtrlt't'tt'illr
t6- t7- t B- 1g-2o
Now, divide the series in two equal piles, in preparation for a
10
77
912
B1s
714 6 516 417 318 219 120
I
By doing the inverse operation of the one I just showed vorr, we arrive at the principle that I now propose, and joking call...
-t1- B-7-6- 5- 4- S-2- L- 1 1-12- 1 S- 14-15-
ril'l'lc shuffie:
Fiu e
Now choose any RANGE of five cards, and move through tlr,' series. You will discover that you always end up with an Ac:t' l, Five group in your range, and there's another Ace to Five gtrrrr;, that has been excluded by the selection process. Those excltt
"Third Gilbreath principle".
o
rrrrr the last
If you riffle shuffle those two groups of cards, the first l'irt' cards of the resulting deck will always consist of an Ace, a Twr,, a Three, a Four and a Five (in any order).
-Thr
3- 4- 5-6-7- B- 9-t o- t 1- 1 2- 1 S-1 4-15- 16-12- 1B-19-2
Now run the first ten cards, inverting their order (you could also ro cards). The series will look like this:
Indifferent Indffirent
o
ll' you don't use any stack, take any 20 cards, and write
Four
Four Fiue
Ace-Tw
X/z
i-S
l(il'llc shuffle the two halves, and take the first ten cards. ',irirrrlr lirl the card with the lowest value of the group, then the nrrl on(r, and then the next, and the next... you will see that the ,, r'ru'rls that fbllow thc lowcst one, in order, are included in the llruul). (As I tokl yolt, yolt olttair-tcrl a r:cntnrl range of cards from t
lrr, irril iirl ',
r\r'lrrirll.y, il'.yorr rvclc lo lrrurlyzt, llris cx;rrrrlllc in dcpth, you rrnrrlrl rt'trlizr. tlt;rt llris rlr.lilriliorr ol' llrtr pr.inciple t'nt'onll)ltsscs llrr' llrr.r,iotrs lwrl! Sirrrplt' lrt' trsirrg ir scrics
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formed by two equal series of carcls, one after the other, tht' range of cards which we move always leaves, inside and outsitlr' of the said range, the same cards.
Another interesting idea, which I think has not been used yt't. is that a consequence of the range concept is that, if you shufl'|,' two series of cards from r to 5, and then take 6 cards, the sixtlr card will always be either a 5 or a 1, that is, the cards next to llrr' 5 card group ending.
THE TRICKS I am aware that, when you first read this, you will think that this is not really a practical article, the conceptiotr ,l Even though
the principle based on the "range of a series" idea has helped r r r, ' to create some very effective routines. Si Fry and Grandlxt',' Poker,both included in this book, are good examples.
The Permanent Deck PrincipXm
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THE PERMANENT DECK PRINCIPLE 'l'he basic idea of what you're about to read came to me while rrlrrrlying a Faro shuffle concept by Alex Elmsley which he called
llrc Restccking Pack The basic idea is this: During an out 'ilrrrflle, the top and bottom cards never move, and the r8th and ltsrl' cards just change places. The remaining 48 cards lie in six llririrts, each chain comprising a sequence of eight positions. A lrrrrl at any of these positions will just move through each of the
ollrcl positions in its chain before returning to its original lrosition after B out Faros. But, if we put four cards of the same vnlrrc at alternate positions in each of the chains (eg, Jacks in lrrrsili
I llrorrglrt thc llrrrlrlcrrr wilh lilnrslcy's iclcra was that he limited Itltttsr,ll' lo :r slirrrrlirlrl 5z cirxl rlt't'l<. 'l'lrirt urcant that you rrrttlrltt'l crcirlt';rrr t'l r';rrrl llr;rirr willr rr singlr.r,irlrrc (becauseyou rrorrlrl rrcr'
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Faro. So, I started with the iclcit ol'Lrsing six cards repeated ll times - each value (eg, AS) represented a chain. This allowc,l the deck to keep its order after every out Faro... Obviously tlr,' deck couldn't be examined, but, at a theoretical, mathematic'rrl level, it worked. Later, I had another idea: Using an odd number of cards (l,r removing one card), I wouldn't have to care where the deck w;r,, cut, or if the Faro shuffles were in or out... And right after that, one more: Why stick to a 5z card deck? :l and zr card decks return to their original order after 5 or 6 Frtr',, r
shuffles, so their chains will consist of fewer cards... Evt'rr better: if you wanted to use the reverse Faro (for example, l,r having a spectator deal the cards in two piles), fewer car',l,. would need to be dealt.
Let's take a closer kxrl< rrl lrow lo rrsr. llrt. ltrinciple, and how to lt'citte your own permancnl sllrt'lis.
'l'he first thing you'll havc lo tkr is to decide on the number of ,'rrrrls for your permanenl clcc:l<. You can't just pick any number, ,,irrce the number of duplicatc cal'cls that you'll need to use for lilling the longer chains is as big as the number of Faro shuffles rrtr.tled to return the stack to its original order.
l,or example, a22 card deck returns to its original order after tt irr-Faro shuffles. That means that a zz card permanent stack ,'orrkl only consist of rr duplicates of two different cards. And, llrr,r'c are some stacks that need as many Faros to return to its , rrigirtal order as the number of cards in them, which means you rvorrlcl have to use a deckwhose cards would all be the same!
llirvc a look at the list at the end of "Faro Shuffles and l"rrclorial Deals" (in this book) and check the most suitable ,h,r'lis fbr this principle, and the number of shuffles required to lonrl)lcte each one's full cycle.
And finally, I had the best idea: Why use a poker deck at itll,'l Why not use a deck in which you can show the duplicate cartl,, and that the nature of the deck actually required it to col.tl;tttr duplicates? For example, an ESP decks, a Scrabble decks (witlr Ietters on each cards, many of which would be duplicatt','). blank cards on which I could write letters, numbers ()r drawings...
And I have to confess, I really love the results that I lr;rr, found so far. I have called this the permanent deck principlt': ;r deck that retains its order, no matter how many timcs it shuffled! I'm still working on new applications, but I can slt;rr,' with you some of my results. Every trick that you're abtttrl 1,, read uses a stack based on the permanent deck principle, wlri, lr means that no matter how many times you do Faros, ot' lcl .r spectator do reverse Faros, the cards will stay in the s&r1c ot'tllr You could ask the spectator to deal the cards in two piles, g;tllr,'r the cards, and repeat the process as many times as hc wrtrrl (even while you're in the other room, so you don't knowilrg lr,,r' manytimes he's done the t'cvt't'st' Iiitro). The orclcr ol'tltt't'rrr,l', still remains the same!
,
,\ll ol'the stacks I propose are odd, which means the Faro ,lrrrlllc will be a straddle one and you can cut the deck as many lnn(,s its you want. But, if you need to, you can add or remove rrrrr.('ll'(l from the stack. If you remove a card, the Faro shuffles ''rll lr:rvc to be in ones, or if you add a card, the Faro shuffles ,' rll lr;rvc to be ouf ones. Most importantly, if the number
ul'r'nrtls in the stack is even, you can't cut between tlrulllcs.
l'lrr. srrnrc concept applies to the anit-Faro. The way to gather crrrrls will have to match the kind of shuffle (in or out) you
llrl
rr,url lr) pcrtorm. I highly recommend (again) that you to take a l,r,li lrl 'l'unrariz's strrtlics rcgitrcling the anti-Faro shuffles in
tolrrrlrr.
I rvorrlrl lil
A Book in English: 'l'ho cltrl rlagic of Woody Arag6n
A book in linglislr: l'lrt, t'rrrrl
your stack is even numbcred, you don't have that
option. The pile that will go on top after each deal depends orr the kind of Faro needed for the principle to work, be it out (th. second pile goes on top) or in (the first pile goes on top).
rrrul,ltr,
ol'Wootly Aragon
that if you cut to it, yorr l
I first proceed by elirninating thc rrrws with number one and rrssigning them the name of thc l'ilst Wise Man.
The stacks listed in "Faro Shuffles and Factorial Deals" are tlrt' ones that I find most suitable for the principle, because of tlr,'
relation between the number of cards and the numberuI different cards that you can include in the stack (which is tlrt' number of cards divided by the number of Faros). Nevertheless, you could apply the permanent deck principle to a stack of atri number of cards, but you run the risk of having to use too martt duplicates.
The next step is finding out the positions of the cards al'tt'r each Faro. I usually use as many cards from the mnemotrit';r stack as I need, and just write down their positions after eirclr shuffle. If don't know any mnemonic stack, you can just writt' ;r number on each card, marking their initial position.
You will realize that r, z and 4 always ends up in the same row, ,io I assign those values to Melchior as well. This is our first llririn. I then look for the second name, Caspar, which I assign lrr rrtrrnber 3:
Let's take a simple example: We'Il use a seven card stack, itrr,l the names of the Three wise Men (the Biblical Magi: Melchior Caspar and Balthazar). If I take seven cards, give each on(' ir number, and start doing Faro shuffles, the stack will retut'tt l. its initial order after three shuffles. Going through these tltrr','
,
steps, we have:
Initial
After the zrd Faro
1
After the 1"t Faro 4
2
1
6
4
5 2
5
6
,)
6
.)
5
Order
After the ?rd Faro
2
1
4
2
1
6
7
As you can see, the Ttt' c:tt'tl ttt'vtrt't:ltattges its ptlsititln (llttt'lrtt:,,' of the straddle Fartl). Il will lrr, .yottt' I'trl'ct'crttt:g lal'{1, tlt3lttrirrl,,
r\ri .yotr can see, 3, 5 and 6 always end up in the same row, so llrusr,v:rlucs are assigned to Caspar. This is our second chain, rrr(l rrl lhis point, we're finished with our example. With a larger ,rlrtlli, .you'cl havc to t'ontinuc ur-rtil you idcntified all the chains. I rvlll I'irrish lhis t'xirrrrplt' by irssil3ning thc last card a different \ rrlu(', irr tlris cirsc llrc lirsl rrilrrrtr, llirlthirzlrr'.
'l'lrrrl's i1! Ali(,t'lirllorvirrg r,;rt.lr slt,p, llrr,r,orrt,lrrsion is that if rrrl ('t'(,;tl(,;r sl;rcl. rrl '' r'irrrls witlr tlrr,rr;rrrr,.:l ol'lltt.'l'ltrctc Wisc
A Book in English: The card magic of Woody Arag6n
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A book in English: Tho card mrglo of Woody Aragon
Men, in the following order: Melchior - Melchior - Caspar Melchior - Caspar - Caspar - Balthazar, no matter how many Faro or reverse Faro you applied to it, the stack will always retain its order.
ESP MEMORIZED DECK You show your audience an ESP deck, consisting of z5 cards, 5 Iroups of 5 symbols. Actually, the truth is a little bit different. the deck does not have z5 cards, but zr cards, and the groups lre not equal (some have 6 symbols, while others only have 3), but the audience will be totally unaware of this.
?o construct this deck, you will need z ESP decks. The order of thc stack is as follows:
t- Square 8- Square
9'I{aves 4'Square
t- Star
6. Waves
/. Cross
t.
*. # ry
9,
Square
9'Clrcle
lO. Star 11. Square ll. Waves
It- 9tar
14- Cross
It'Clrcle 16.Square
l7 Btar It. Clrcle
w
19'0tar lO. Star
ll.
Crogc
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You can ask thcrn to rr;rrrrt' ;r rrrrrrrllt'r', count to it, and look at the card at tlrrt posilion. l,lvt.rr bcfore the spectator reaches the cartl, wt' will :rlrr,irtl.y l
card, (so that tlrr' crimped card ends up on the bottom) thus allowing you to cut irl the crimp and return to the iisted order after a spectator culr, the deck.
Put a reverse breather crimp on the
21st
Ideally, you could memorize the order in order to use this dert'l' as a mnemonic ESP stack. Actually, it's not really that hartl since there are only 21 cards, and you only need to memoriz,' the number-s5rmbol association (and you don't need l. remember the symbol-number association). Moreover, [lr,' order has been created with built-in mnemonic-mathematir';rl pegs that will help you memorize the symbol numbers. Ii,,r example, the square is associated with number four in the Irsl' deck (because of the number of strokes you need to draw otrt') If you look at the order of the stack, you will see that the squrrr ,' occurs at positions L) 2) 4, B,7l and 16. Three of those r,',' divisible by + (4, B and 16). Twelve is the missing one - wlrit lr means 1, 2 and LL (1,2 missing r). If you don't want to memot iz, the stack, you can always use a crib sheet with the stack ot'rl,'r written in it. There are ESP decks in the market made using Bicycle stot l', with Bicycle backs. Those are the ones best suited to work u'itlr this mnemonic stack, as they are one of the few ESP decks llr:rt you can Faro properly.
With this setup, you can do several "small miracles" with
tlrr,,
deck:
If you ask a spectator to cut some cards, and look ltl llr'' bottom card of the cut pile, by knowing the nunltcr "l cards in the pile (counting the remaining cards irt llr'' pack, or having the spectator count them aloud fol' st,tt,'' reason), then you know the identity of the card. In a similar way, you could estimate the number o[' t'rr r ,l', cut and fish for tltt' st'lt't'lccl card (with onc tlislirr, advantage: the spccl;tlor will sotttctiltlt's t'ttt itt lt p;tt'l ,,1 the stack whttl't' t';tt tl:; ;tt c rr';lt'lttt'tl). I
Arrrl all of this, while the deck is fairly shuffled by doing l'ir'os (as many as you want) and letting the spectators cut and rlr,;rl cirrcls as many times as they want, dealing in either two or lrrrrr'lrilcs. Incidentally, if you deal the cards in two piles, deal llrr,rrr llrr:c Llp, or you will end up reversing the order of the r
itl r ls.
I rr,t'orru)lcnd you nr;c the anti-Faro or "dealing in ttuo piles" llrr rrr:rirr rrrcthorl o1'hlving thc cards rnixed by a spectator. As 1,1 ll11' rtgrrlar'lilrrr, I r'('('onrrncr.l(l yotr rrsc it as a false shuffle ,lrrrinl,,llrt'rrrrrlirrt'(witlt tlrt'irtltlt.tl ltorrrrs tlr:rt thc shuffle is real, ,rrl \'()lt ('iln ollcnlv slrow lrow llrt. lwo lr;tlvr.s ol'thc deck are r\,\'r'n,;rttrl givc llrr'rrr lo;r sPccl;rlor', wlrr) (';ut s(lltiu'c the deck lrurr',r'll). llrrl,lrlloll llr lorrlirrr. lirr;rlr', I llrirrli il is;r gootl iclcir l, r'\lrllritr lo llrr':rrr,lr,'rrlr,rvlurl llrr.l,';rr,,,.ltrrlllr.is,;ttrtl slt
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A Book in English: 'l'ltc t rtttl tnagic of Woody Arag6n
how the cards are woven one by ono, just like Luis Garcia did his wonderful Rife of Passage.
il
And, if you want to use jumbo cards, using the reverse Faro is also a great
idea. Outjog one card in every two, stripping them
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out afterwards.
SLOT MACHINH
lrr this trick, you will use the permanent deck principle in a trick: Three spectators combine to create a random ,lisplay from a slot machine. prrcl
As the deck is composed of zr cards, andT x3 = 2t, you ('irrr urse factorial dealing to give the spectators the opportunity "l dealing the deck in three piles. Ask them to deal the cards irr ,, number of piles between one and five' If they choose 2 or' l,
just deal the cards (the dealing equals a simple, or dorrl'l'' reverse Faro). Should they choose three, deal the cards, ittll then just say "Ok, nous I'll decil the cards in seuen piles" (or' ;r,'l
for a number between 5 and ro in order to force 7), anddeal t I r'' cards in 7 piles. By doing these two series of deals, the tlr'' returns to its original order. I
Obviously, there's another advantage to knowing the orclt'r "l the stack. You can actually hand the deck to a spectator, let lrrrrr shuffle, then use the excuse of looking for a chosen/thouglrt "l card to restore the order. Along the same line, there's & colrcr'pl worth considering that I developed in my book Cosas Mi:ts 'r good riffle shuffle, due to its similarity to a Faro, will leavc t'r, , t card in its Faro position, or very close to it.
Yorr will need one, or more special decks with the classic slot rrr;rclrine symbols on them. The more cards you have, the more ',r,ts you can create and hand to the audience, thus involving rrrorr, spectators in the trick. I usually carry 3 sets with me, as llrr,r'r. :tre usually three wheels on the classic slot machines, r,,rr t'ould even hand a set to every member of the audience.
rr trirch set, you will need 4 Bells, 2 BAR symbols, 4 Oranges, 1 /'/rnrr.s and a special card, the back of which we will mark with f
ir
tlr,, rlr';rwing of a coin.
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A Book in English: l'lrc crrrtl magic of Woody Arag6n
Bell, Bell, Orange, Bell, Bar, Orange, Plum, Bell, Orange, Plum, Orange, Plum, Plum, Coin Card.
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Once again, ask lirr ir rrrrnrlx,r'. lnrirl4irrc the number 3 is cltosen. Tell the participirrrts llr:rt il'lltt'.y wunt to, they can singly
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It'itnsfer three cards filrrn tltt, lolr lo tlrc bottom of the deck, or lhrm the bottom to the [op. Anrl, i1'tlrcy want to, they can skip I rirnsferring any card.
Tell your audience that you had a dream last night, in whit'lr you all went to a casino, played slot machines, and, after rrrr unbelievable winning streak, you and the audience both madt' ;r lot of money. Unfortunately, it was only a dream, but, evetr il you can't take them all to a casino, you offer them a substittrlt' The Slot Machine Cards.
lletween every step of the procedure, they can cut the deck
You could continue with this process forever, but I
Take some time to show the cards to your audience, as mos[ ,I the times people find them really amusing. Tell your audiett,',' that the card with the coin on it represents the process ol
lct:ommend you to stop here (after three numbers have been rurrued) because, depending on the order of the cards after the ;rrrrcedure, you might need to ask the spectators to deal the lirrcls one more time. Even though dealing 15 cards doesn't take loo long, you don't want to bore your audience.
inserting a coin into the slot machine. Give a set to errclr spectator. Don't make the mistake of giving them the packt'lr, before this explanation of the cards, as they are bound to charrli,'
'lcll them it's time to find the coin that goes into the slot
the order!
Ask members of the audience to think of small numbers (:.r, :1, +...) and start improvising, asking them to transfer cards ll'r,rrr top to bottom, bottom to top, or deal the cards in piles (two-1ril,' reverse Faros, or four-pile double reverse Faros) and so on. llrrl always offer the spectators a FAIR CHOICE of going throtrlilr each of the steps, or skipping them.
rrr;rt:hine, and test their luck. Have them turn the cards face rwn, and ask them to go through the cards, until they find the orrc with the coin on the back, and cut the deck to bring the coin lrrrrl to the top. Go to the first spectator with a pile of cards and lr,ll them to place the coin card on the table, and turn over the lop czrrd of their pile. Repeat with the second and third ,i r(,('l iltors. Make a " Ding !" sound every time a card is revealed. I
Here's an example: Start by asking them to cut the tlr','|. Obviously, each participant wiII cut at a different card. Tell tlrlrrr that if they want to, they can cut the cards again.
Itight now, there are two possibilities. The first one, is that the llrrt't'cards at the bottom of the piles have the same s).rnbol. In tlris cirse, it looks like the trick is finished, since you've got a
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Ask a spectator for a number. Imagine he says "4". Ask tlt,'rrt to deal the cards into 4 piles, and gather them in order'. lirrl. once again, tell them that if they want to, they can skilr llr,' dealing process.
rrrlclr.
'l'lrt. other possibility, is that two of the cards have the same ,ryrrrlrol, and the third one doesn't match. In this case, change llrr,sorrncl to a "Clonk! Clonk! Clonk!".It's one of the times rvlrr,r'r, llrc slot mar:hinc lights up because you have the chance of llr,llirrg l ltrizc, ltrrl .yorr lrirvtr [o dcciclc which spnbols to keep rrttrl wltit:h synrltols lo spirr.
'1,'ll Ask another spectator for a number. Imagine he says ":1". the spectators that if they want to, they can deal the cArds itt lrr ', piles. Those who chose to
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lrr tlris r':rsr', lsli llrr. lrvo sllccl;tlors wlro gol llrt.s:trnc symbol ln lrrrrr llrcil';lilr,:; l;rlr,rlulvrr,;rnrlrlt';rl llrr.r',;rrrls ont.t'irgirin. This
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A Book in English: 'l-hc t'rtrl rnagic of Woody Arag6n
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time, each spectator has to deal thc cards face doram into eithcr one, two or four piles. No matter how they deal the cards, they will invert the ordt'r
of the cards, ending up with the same order as the thir',| spectator. Ask them to turn over their cards, and the thrt',' symbols will now match. Act as if that was the end of tlr,' routine. But then, tellyour audience that, if luck is really with all of yol tonight, then a miracle might happen, just like in the dream y,,,, had. Ask them to remove the top card of their pile, and the nt'rt ones will also match, and then the next one, and the next ont'. every card, one by one, in the three piles of cards shuffled arr,l cut in different ways by three different members of tlr,' audience.
POSTCARDS When a magician publishes one of his effects, it's obvious he it because he wants to share it with the magic fraternity. 'l'lr;rt's why I am not publishing some of my material... because riglrt now, for one reason or another, I want those tricks to be ,'xclusively mine. Pure selfishness, I know! And I have to say llr:rt I almost did not publish the Postcards trick. I wanted to l,r'r'1r it to myself. But then, what good is publishing a new ;rrinciple, if you don't publish its best application?! If all of the rvorl< in the permanent deck principle has been worthwhile, I lr,t,l it's because of this trick. Actually, the effect is just the ;rrr.tliction of an order but, both at a visual level and as a r'rln('c)pt, I think it's very different to the others, and I can r,rurrirntee you that the audience will love it. Really love it! rlot:s
Irr rny "La ilusi6n la pintan calva" show, I performed 9o ttrirrrrtcs of close up magic for a big audience (in theaters, lorrli'r'cnce halls, etc.) with the aid of a video projector. During llrr, I'irst few years of its performance, Postcards was a central lrrrrl o1' tlre show. And I have to say, Postcards was one of the r,lli.r'ls rnost remembered by the audiences after the show. Not urrly rkrcs it have a strong magical impact, but the audience rrllr,lrls tlrc trick as custom made for them (since their very own lurvrr is part of the trit:l<). Thc beautiful image on every postcard, rri il is slrown to tlrt' ('iul)ct';I, and ltrrfected in the big screen, ntrrl llrt, lircl llrt';rll ol'llrr':rrr
A Book in English: Thc t'lrrl rnagic of Woody Arag6n
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routine, something completely clilfcrent happens (maybe that part of the reason the routir-rc is so charming). As a prorr,l resident of Toledo, I will use 16 postcards from my city os tlr. example. This, while helping me to explain the routine to yorr will also help you to know some of the wonderful places in llr,' imperial city (In case you're wondering, I am not sponsorecl l,r the city's board of tourism). And now, without further ado...
EFFECT:
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IItc postcard, or on any ol' tIrt, oIIrcrs 1roslt,:rr.rls. The "prediction,, .trvelope is opened, autl rr prslciu'rl itlcrrtical to the special one l;rlls out. Tlowever, this p,stt';r*l lrrs :l ,lessage writien on it... orrc that describes the drcarn.iorrr.nc.y ol the migician.
'l'he magician hands the p.ccliction postcard to a spectator, rrrrtl asks him to read it. As he cloes so, eich postcard is ihown to llr. audience. The order in which the journty was described in llrr'prediction is exactly the same ordLr as tire postcards, even irllcr all of the shuffling and dealing!
The magician talks about the city he's performing in. He tlll the audience about a dream he had last night, in whiclr lr, visited this city, and was walking through some of its icorrr, spots. In his dream, he bought a postcard at each plact'lr,' visited, and posted it back home. After returning from his r i:,rt to this city, the magician wrote one final postcard. He then ;,rrt this special postcard inside an envelope and wrote the n,r,l "Prediction" on it. What's even more interesting, is that wht'rr lr,' woke up, the magician found an identical envelope orr lrr', bedside table! Intrigued, the magician went to a shop ;rrr,l bought the postcards in his dream, with the intention of tri irr,', to embark on the very same magical journey, accompanit'rl l,r tonight's audience.
He then shows the audience 15 postcards, all difli'r,'rrt portraying different locations in the city. The postcaxls ;rr, shuffled and cut, both by the magician and the audienct'. 'llr, postcards are dealt in two piles, and the magician shows tlr, audience the order of the postcards. A spectator cuts the prrcl , deals the postcards once again, and the order is shown [o lrr' ,r different one. The magician keeps on dealing the postc'rrlrl:, rrr piles, and the spectators decide whether they want to cut or rr,l and which pile should end on top of the other. Orrlv rr'lr,'', everyone in the audience wants the procedure to stop llrt'r';rrr ,, they're satisfied that tht'olrlcr ol'the carcls is corrr;rllt,'lr random] will the nrrgi<'i;rtt rlo so. 'l'ltc nr;rgir:i:rrr Ilrt'rr trrl', ,r postcard, one hc l;rlrclcrl ;rs "slrccirrl' fl'orrr lltt'vt'r'.y lrcgirrnirr,'.,,1 the tritl<. llt'sltows llr;rl llr,'t,' rr, riol ltittg wrillr,rr ort lltr'1,'11 1 ,,1 t
t't I t{ trRoPS: \',rrr will ,ced an envelope, which should be fairly opaque, so llrrrl rr, ono can discern its contents. It should be slightlytigg", llrirrr ;r Poslr:urcl. You will also need rB postcards. Tliese consist
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'rilr r'\iuill)lr', rl'r"ll r],(';r ('orrr;rlr,lr.lt lrl;rcl. po:rlr.;rrtls wlriclr I call I ',li',1,t rt! ttitlltl
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Unique postcards, that represcllt a very significant place ol
the city. In our example, the Syncrgogue of St. Mary the Whit, and El Greco's picture "The Burial of the Count of Orgaz".
A, B, C, A, X, l), l,l, lI, I), X,
6 Pairs of postcards of the town. These pairs should refer l, ' the same general location [so that you could refer to each orr,' with the same sentencel, but they should look different. li,,r example, the same bridge by day and by night, or postcards ,l monuments that are very close to one another. In Toledo, [lr'' Zocodouer Square (the main square in the historical centet' r'l tor.m) and the Alcd.zar (fortress) are just a few meters aparl You only need to go up/down a short slope to get from on(' l. the other. By having two postcards portra)ang the slo1r,' Zocodouer and the Alcdzar, you could say "l ualked dolLtrr t,' the Zocodouer square" ot "I uent all the up to the Alcdv,,r tou)ers", and even though you are saying different things, n11.1 .I the two postcards would appear to be right. possible to get that many pairs of postcrtr'|" depicting the same place. If that's your case, then don't wor t \ You can just use two identical postcards depicting the s;trrr'' location, and walk through it twice in your imaginary journ('\'.
It is not always
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l,ot's refer to the picture siclc of the postcard as the back, and tlrc writing side of the postcard as the face. Throughout the 'rlrrrffling process, the backs (picture side) will always be facing rrlrwards (In fact, the writing side of those postcards will never lrt's€€fi, unless you show it to the audience!). The stacked ;rostcards on top of the table should have an A postcard visible r
)n [Op.
lr.t'cping the postcards in this order, take one of the Joke 1,r'r.rliction postcards, and w,rite on its back, line by line, an rrn;rginary travel, so that each line matches its corresponding lroslt:ard. BE CAREFUL! The first and fourth lines, should not lorrlirin the same exact message (remember these are a pair of ;,oslclrds, but the described location should be slightly ,lrlli'r'cnt). You need to use the double meaning I told you about Lr,li rrc, to define both postcards with two different sentences. I
THE SET UP: First, you will use the indffirent postcard, lo prepat't' llr'' prediction envelope in a very easy way. Cut the postcard, so llr,rl its length is exactly the same as the envelope's. Put the poslt ;rr. inside the envelope, and then put the two identical ./,'/,, postcards, each with a different prediction written on it, rtlr,,r ' and below the indffirent one. You can choose which of tht' lrr " will fall out of the envelope by simply exerting pressurc o r t I I r, indffirent postcard (which is in the middle). This allows.vtttt l, 'l'\\'t t have two outs for the final prediction, and there are rlnl.y possible final orders forthe stack (with each Faro yo1 ge lr,,rrr one to the other). Obviotrslv, votl (r:lll use any gl't[c t'ri:;lrrr' trick envelopes, or ap.V 9[lrt'r'rttglltorl lltitL.ygtt w:tttI lg ggt llr,'
b-,
n thc Toledo example, the journey looks like this:
We arriued in Toledo by crossing the Saint Martin ltridqe. 'l'lte city looks beautiful at night. The Cathedral, with its liqltting, is an auesome sight. Wc parked our car in the Puerta del Sol. Arrcl rue crossed the bridge, this time on.foot... Attd urriuecl at the Synagogue.
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same effect.
t'orrrplt,Ic thc writing ol't.aclr stagc of the imaginary journey rrnlif vorr trltirrurlt,lt'r.rrtl rrp witlt tltc,lol
,
t tl,r'iorrsly orrr,r,l llrl r'ool li';rlll'(,s ol llris rorrlirrt, is that you rrr pl;ty lvillr llr,',,r,lrr ol llrr'por;lclrrrlr; (;rr lr)n1,, its yott sticl< to
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imaginary journey match a real journey that you could actuallr make [or would actually like to rnake], or you could &rr&n!ir' them to suit any other needs or intents. In other words, yorr have to stick to the pairs order of the stack, but you can choos,' what will appear on pair A, pair B, etc... Once you've written your prediction, deal the postcards in tu,, piles. Place one of the piles on top of the other, and cut it so tlrrrt the Joke postcard is back on the bottom, creating a new stitt l' order. The new stack order is
E, F, D, E, X, C, A, F, C,X, B, D,
A,B)Z
The journey associated with this order is the one you'll havt' write on your second Joke postcard.
1,,
If you deal the cards in two piles again, the order woultl 1,,' exactly the same as the one described on your first,lol',' postcard. You can test it out, if you want.
Place
the predictions inside the prediction envelope, rrr
preparation for letting one or the other fall. Remember wltillr side contains the journey starting with A and which si,l,' contains the journey starting with E. You can either take tlrt' r postcards and place them inside another envelope, or yotr (;rrr simply bind them together with a rubber band. The only tlrrrrl' that matters is to keep the order of the stack [it doesn't l-ttrtll,'r whether is the A order or the E order] until the performanct'. ,
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Replace theJoke ltoslr.rrrrl irr ils pl;rt,t., irrrclfbllow."Well, since llrcse are big postcartls, trnlil;c ltkttlitttl rrut.cls, you can't shuffle llrcm easily. Well, lJou (un sltttl.'lla tlunt in small groups..." r,xecute an in-the-hands (lh:rrlit,r' shLrl'lle "but the shufJle is not raully random, since ntuul tru.tLs slick together... "
Start dealing the postcards in two piles. "So, in order to giue lhun a good shuffle, ue'll proceed just like this, dealing the lrrrds in huo piles, one by one. I don't think I haue to go tltrough this, but it's obuiotts that, if at this moment there's the 7tx:odouer postcard, and right after it, the Burial of the Count ttl'Orgaz, after dealing, the postcard next to the Zocodouer [s lltc Alcazar, and the burial is next to the Cathedral...So, euery tittrt you deal the cards, Aou are creating a new order. And, ,;itn,e. there are 16 or t7 postcards here, if there's anyone keen ,trt rnathematics, he or she wiII knou that there's as manA lrrtssibilities os permutations of tZ elements, uhich I think ('r)rurfs up to 3 trillion, or 3 billion..." As you talk, finish dealing the postcards, and ask a nearby uant me to gather the postcards? :iltrntlrl I put the left pile ouer the right one? Or the opposite?" 'I'lrr,spectator will choose which pile ends up on top. Ask him to lrrl tlrc pile of postcards. Take them, and deal them again. ',1rt,r'lator. "Well, hous do you
Start the performance just as described in the beginning ol llr,' "Effect" section. Give the prediction envelope to one ol llr,' spectators, who will hold on to it until the final revelation.
I uill keep on dealing the postcards, changing their rtrtil you ask me to stop." Continue dealing the cards in I'ik,s, irsking members of the audience to choose the pile they rvrrrl orr top, and letting them cut as many times as they feel l,r.lwccrr dealings. The important thing is to remind them that ',rrlv whcn EVERYONE is satisfied, and I mean EVERYONE, rorr will stop, and the final order of the postcards will be ,lr,lr,r'rrrirrucl. Oncc thc.y lbcl I shor-rld finish, and they tell me they
Show the postcards to the audience. Insist on the litt'l llr,rl they're all different. Take thc,/o/rt'otte, and show it to itll ol llu audience. Emphasize its irrrpol'lltltt'tr, by sayirlg "Aclturllrt. I remember this ucrs tlrc ltrst ltrts!t'rtttl I lxnrylil. Atrul it is rr s7r,', t,t/ " one, .t1ou'll scc ru|ry lttlt'r'.
rlrrrr'l witrrI rnc lo tlcirl irrr.y rrrorc r:irxls, I rrstrallyinsist. "Keepin trtttttl llrul, il' I lrtk'r llu, ltrtrlicliorr, t.uul il olotLd, and it's ,,tt,ttt,ltout tt,ltt!ttl lrt !ltc ottlt,t' rtf' lltt,st' ltoslcttt,tls, you ulill trltt,tttls lx, itt tlt,trltl tt:; ltt tt,ltrtl tt,ottlrl ltrrttt' lrttltltt,nr:fl, if you It,trl rr.s/ir'r/ tlrr'r'tn'r1,, lrt ltr'tlt,,tll irt:;! (,n(, lp()t.( linrc... / l r',/il1)N/, ttttt:.1 ttttt ('t't ll jtt.,1 ttttr'rtl tlrt11 11,ttrrls ntt' lo cltuttqrt
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the order of the postcards, I Luill tleal them one more time. ll euerAone ogrees, then ue're .lirished... " Clearly stating th;rt they're in control up to the very end. Usually, the audience will stop you after 3 to 5 dealings, btrl no matter what they decide, you know they will end up in ont' ,,1 the two predetermined orders.
Remind you audience about the "special" postcard )()u mentioned at the beginning, the last one you bought in yt,r,, dream. Spread the postcards, looking for the Joke one. Takt' rt and show its picture to the audience. Place it under all of tl',' postcards that were on its right on the spread, and turn over I lr, whole pile over, in order to show that there is nothing writl,'r, on the back. "There is nothing usritten on this one, becant*' I bought it just before the shou, neither uas there anythinq ,,rt the back of the one in my dream. But inside the enuelope..." As you look at the envelope, assemble the postcards so tha I
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'
Joke one is cut to the bottom. Just place the pile you har',' ,,, your right hand under the rest of the postcards. Watch ollt: \ , ,rr don't want the audience to "register" the moment of briltl',rr," the Joke postcard to the bottom, so don't call attention lo rl And don't make a move out of it either. You already saitl llr.rt was the l/.ST postcard, so it's logical that you place it ott llr, bottom. Do it naturally, placing all of the postcards on thc l;tl,l,' as you focus you
attention on the envelope.
Take the envelope, and look at the top card of the pilc ttrr llr,' table, thus informing you of whether you need to read tht' lir ,t (A) or the second (E) prediction. Open the envelope, ancl lt'l I lr, right one fall from it, thanks to the pressure of the btdil.'ltt,'rtt postcard. In brief, if you press down on the A side, then ttrth llr,' A prediction card will come out as the indifferent postt';rrrl rr rll buckle and hold the E postcard inside the envelope. Cotrvt't,,, lr if you press down on the E siclc, thcn only the E prcclictiorr , .rll will come out as the indiifi'ttttl poslt:itrd will btttrl
Show the uriting orr tlrr. lrrt'li ol llrt, poslt:lld, and give it to a spectator, who will tlrcrr rt.;rrl il ;rlorrrl. As he reads every st'ntence, you take thc top poslt'irrrl ol'llrc pile and show it to the ;rrrdience (or, in my casc, to tlrc ctrrrrcra). When the spectator :ilirrts to read the next scrrtcrrt:c, llrrt thc postcard aside, turning il over to show there's r"ro writing on the back. The discarded postcards will form a new pilc on the table. The ending, using llt<,.,Ioke postcard, will give a nice and funny ending to the story rrrirl
ADDITIONAL REMARKS: )rre of the many things your audience will feel when you trrlrlirrm this routine for them will be a sense of intimacy. They rvill understand that, if you prepared a trick just for their city, llrcrr it is because you really cared about them, and they will rr';rlly appreciate that. Moreover, because it's obvious that you ,'rrrr't really use those postcards anywhere else, the audience r,'rrll.y feels as though they are watching something very special, (
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trulyunique.
'l'lurl's why, every time I present Postcards in a new city, I I'rr'l)rrc a specific set of postcards for it. The good thing about llris is that you will be able to use that set every time you ;,r.r'lirrrn in that city. l lcrt,'s one more idea, or I should say one story about this trick llrirl I'rl lil
A Book in English: 'l'lrc crrxl magic of Woody Arag6n
A book in lirrglislr: I ltt' t rrt,l nr:rl,rr r)l Wootly Aragon
Miguel Puga gave'rne another interesting idea. He suggestt',1 having a duplicate set of the postcards, and giving them to ;r member of the audience, and having him shuffle the postcartl,, Take them back and, using the excuse of bringing oul ;r "Prediction" envelope, switch the shuffled postcards for tlr,' stacked postcards. This allows you start with a genuine shul'll,' and then follow with all of the cuts and deals afterwarrl,, Actually, I have tried this method several times, only to find 1 lr, rt I don't need to switch the postcards. Shuffling a dgsft ,l postcards is not easy due to the difficulty of trying to hatttll,' them as cards, and many times the spectators just end up doirrri nothing more than just a bunch of cuts!
In any case, I
have performed this routine dozens of tirrr,", without the switch, and the effect has worked perfectly anyw;r\ Nonetheless, I feel that Postcards is best suited for the last 1r;rr of a show, or as a closer, because a magical atmospherc lr;r already been created, and the spectators will be less likelr t,, question you about the trick's procedures. I really think thrrl, rl you were to perform this routine at the beginning of a shon', ,,r as an isolated trick, it would lose a great part of its impil('l ,,n the audience. I
And, as a final note, there's something else I would like to l, ll you. Sincerely speaking, I have to say that many times wlttrr perform this routine, I don't carry the described precliclr,,rr envelope with me. I simply carry an envelope, from which I l:rl ,' the r5 stacked postcards, secretly leaving an extra one insitlt', , ,rr which I've written one of the two possible outcomes. Tht: ollr,'r one is written on the Jokepostcard that's part of the stacl<. ,lrr',t by being careful not to show the writing on the baclt ol llr,' postcard, I can, at the end of the effect, proceed just likc irr llr,' described handling if I have to take the prediction otrl ol llr,' envelope. Or, I can cut to the Joke postcard, not willr tl, intention of placing it at the botl'om, but instead to show il i:r lll only one with a written plctlit'liort olt its bacl<. In lhis t'ltst'. llr,' dornrnside is, that you crrrr'l ;nurolln('(' lirlm tltc vcl'.y bt'liitrrrrrryl the location of t|tr ;lrt'rlir'liorr (l wotttlt:l' il' rlrit.ylrt' solrrl,rrl might tlrinl< of l)liln.v rrrrrlliplr ottls/), llttl ott lltr'olllt't'sirl,' rl I
mrrl
lltc order corresponcls lo llrt, poslr';rrtl irrsitlc the stack, cutting lo it has a much better'.jrrslil'it'irtiorr. SOME OTHER IDEAS USING I'OSTCARDS:
'l'he routine you've just read
is my favorite one using
it's not the only one I've created. I have thought ,rl rlifferent possibilities for combining the use of Postcards (or trrrtling cards) and card magic techniques in order to create r,lli'cts for mentalism. I hope to someday publish my ideas rlgirrding my "other brand" of magic, in order to share my ideas ,,rr rnental magic. In the meantime, let me give you some ideas: postcards, but
,,
You can force a postcard on a spectator, using your favorite method, and then read the picture in his mind. You can memorize a stack of postcards, give several of them to a group of spectator, and read their minds, guessing each one's postcard. Ily using several postcards with different famous monuments of cities around the world, you could force a previously predicted city. tlsing cards of the same size, you could create a Svengali rlcck of postcards, using different ones as the long cards, irnd several duplicates of the same one which you cut slightly for the short cards. You could combine a small group of postcards [with a sirnilar themel, and fish for an image thought of by a sllcctator. You could repeat the above group several times, creating a l
A book in lrrrltlislr: 'l lrt' r'lrrrl nutllt(' ol'Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: 'lhc card magic of Woody Arag6n
quaternary groups (the equivalent of classifiring a deck ol regular cards in colors, suits, etc.) You could stick carbon paper to the inside of a postcat'rl, using it to read a message written by a spect&tor orr another one, in a similar fashion to Maxwell's "Carbott Card" (Telepathic Selection in Hugard's Encyclopedia ol' Card Tricf
THE COURT CARDS 'l'his is the principle's most practical application. It's a conrmercial and a very easy automatic trick, and it always gets a rrit:c reaction from the audience.
I usually perform this trick if I have to explain the permanent principle to someone, and I am not carrying special cards wilh me. In order to apply the principle to a regular deck, I ('rnrc up with the idea of justifying the fact of taking only 15 lrrrrls from the deck, by telling the audience I will perform a lrick using only the picture cards: J, Q, K and A (I treat the Ace rli ir picture cards, which for many people is something rlr,t'l<
r'o
rr r
llletely normal).
'l'lrt: audience believes I use all of the picture cards, but in rlrrlily I leave the Ace of Diamonds in the deck. This is the stack ,
rt'rk'r':
K, K, Q, K, A, Q, J, K, Q, A, J, Q, J, J, AII 'l'lrt, Ace of Hearts in r5tt position could be crimped, so as to nrrrkr. t:utting to it easier.
'l'lrl slack should bc rnixed in with the rest of the deck. A good lr,rr wotrlcl be t
ordcred stack, on top of the deck, and lrl rr spcctutor' llcrftrrrrr ir ril'llc shul'flcr. Whcn you take the cards lrtl ol'lltc tk:t:k, llrt,y will still llt' in tltc rrrrtrrlcrl order). lr
You ('ill) rlo lrll ol llrt, liirro/r'r'vt,r'sr'litrro slrrrl'flcs, cleals, and Irnr'(.rili(.s tlr,scrilrlrl irr llrr,prr.viorrs lriclis, lrrrrl llrt.vitlucs of the
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A Book in English: Thc crrrtl
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A book in llrrlllrslr l lrc r'rrtrl nr;rl'rr' ol Woorly Aragon
of Woody Arag6n
will stay in the same ordcr. I use the method described irr "My Anti-Faro", in this book. This process can be repeated ;r much as he wants. But remember, if the cards are dealt an oti,l number of times, you'll finish with the stack in reversed ordt'r In that case, just deal cards from the bottom, or place the pil,' cards
face up.
You can do any of the effects previously described in /rlsi ' memorized deck with this stack, but because of the fact tlr;rt only the value of the cards is known, I think the best idea is t, present a story with the cards a la Sam the Bellhop. ,
Here's how I do it:
After all of the Faros, deals ... gather the cards, and cut to llr, crimped AH. Take the cards, spread them on your hands for.irr a moment, and secretly exchange the 5tt' and 4th cards fronl I I r,' bottom of the pile. Then, start dealing as you tell the story: t
"Once upon a time in Ancient China, there uas a l(iruy. ll,' had a brother, uho also happened to be a King, and liuerl i r t,, nearbg castle, and a dauEhter (Q). fhe King wanted to ruk' ,tll of Ace-sia, but, to his dismay, one day he found oul ltt, daughter (Q) tuas dating o uesterner called Jack! The ir.ttt,1 got reallg mad, so he summoned his daughter (Q) arul r,,l,l her: You will marry an Ace-sien prince! I don't Luant ltttt ttt euer see Jack again! Nor his brother John eitherl" - Tal
willtryto
clxls, irr llrc orrlcr llrtry have ended afterthe slruffles, and then try to irrrprovisr, ;r sloly ars I reveal them, one lr.y one. 'l'his presentation mzrkes sonsc il'you deal the cards from the lop, if the cards are in thc right olcler. But if the spectator deals llrc cards in two piles an odd number of times, and the order is rcvcrsed, I don't reverse the order once again, neither do I turn llrt,whole pile face up (it diminishes the effect). I don't even :rwitch the order of the 4th and the 5th card. What I do is ask the spectator to cut the cards one more time. ,\ high number of times he will cut at the crimp, placing the AH ,n lop. (If he doesn't, I do it myself by performing a quick cut). I ,'rrrr.lirlly gather the cards, showing I am being completely fair, ,n r( I l)lace them in my left hand, in readiness for the glide. If the .'\ I I is on the bottom, and not on top I simply take it and Ilrrrrsl'er it to the top, as I explain the audience what I am about lr rkr: take cards from the bottom of the pile, naming them lr,lirrc and trying to make up a story. 'l'lrcrr I start telling the story, as I take cards from the bottom of llr, lrilc and turn them face up over the table. When I get to the ,\r'itlx:r his brother John!" part, I simply do the glide (the only ,lr.ililrt in the whole routine) to get the Jack I need.
ll vorr think dealing the cards from this grip doesn't look r,rlln'll, I will tell you that I think the effect looks even better for \r,ul' ilu(lience: Since you're taking cards from the bottom, llrlrr"s no way you could have seen any kind of marking in the r rurls, tlrrrs giving the audience one less possible solution for u
Obviously, by learning the story you also learn the stacl< which is always a nice plus.
o
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'r
guess the
ru
r u nlx)licvable "divination".
.
ADDITIONAL REMAIII(S: I usuallypresent "s:tttt llrt ltrllltoll" liirrtl
Irr ;rrry r:irsc, il'yolt us() tho regular presentation for this plot tllrr, rrurgit:iln tt'lls lr slory, irrrrl thc calcls uragically change their ,rrlr,l'lo srrit tlrc slorv lrcirrg loltl) tlrt'r't'srrll is r:ryuallypowerful, 'r', llrr,rttt'lltorl ;rllorvs lirr llrr,spccl;tlol to "lirirly shuffle" the ,,tr rl:; itt nl;ulV WlrYi;, ;ut(l ;r:; ttt;uty l irrrr.r; ;r; ltt. wttttIs.
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A Book in English: J'hc crrrrl rnagic of Woody Arag6n
GILBERT ALGORITHM
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SOURCE CODE
1o order=RND(*Randomize_cards); // Create Random Card Onder" 20 BIN(cards); // Binany Convension 3O *cards=RND++; / / Locate Pointer" 40 IF (Order==RND && Spectator_Wants==1) GOTO 2@ / / If the onden is still Random and the
spectator wishes, repeat the pnocess. 50 RETURN (cards(*chosen-card));
GILBERT'S ERROR CODE My good friend Alberto Fernindez "Gilbert" is not only a great rrr:rgician, but also a computer programmer. He found out this
ri(.(luence, ERROR 9o5Ro95oSS, that keeps its order no rrurtter how many faro shuffles you apply to it, thanks to the ; x'r'manent deck principle.
llc
_r$o-[_!Q_o_E_s_:_-
The card is the Five of Spades - The card is the Two of Clubs - The card is the Six of Hearts - The card is the Four of Spades ERROR 10001R5 - The card is the King of Spade', ERROR LlttOgOO - The card is the Ace of
ERROR
O3
-
ERROR 2O8P ERROR 14978 ERROR 2OOR26
Diamonds ERROR 9O5RO95O55
-
The card
is the King of
CIubs ERROR 119047291-1742876361-
Three
of
Hearts
-
The card
is
thought the sequence suited his profession well, and ';lrowed it to me. I then developed the routine you're about to rclrl, saving the revelation of the message for a final surprise, ,'rrrphasizing the computer geek-themed presentation, and r lt I i rrg a macguffin in the form of a chosen card, which justifies llrt'scquence of actions required for the routine, and makes it g,ossible not to show the message until the very end. I also llrorrght it would be very interesting to play with the "Error" , orrt'c1)t, as the magician's attitude in this trick can lead the rnr(li(.nce to really believe something's going wrong, and an ''r r'or has been made, as the magician admits it. But suddenly, tlrr,srr;tposed "error" is revealed to be the effect in a very rrrrrg,it':rl way! ir
the
lior this routine, you wiil need a group of r5 cards. They ,lrorrlrl all have different suits and values. Just in case, deal the , iu'(ls in two piles four times, and take a look at the resulting ,,r,lr.r' in cuch
l" \vl'il(,r.;tclr,rl llrr.r.nr)r ('()(lr"l; r'lt;rt;rr.ltt::
Abook in l'.rr1'.lr:lr llr,',;rr,l rr;rt'rmI Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: l'hc cirrtl rragic of Woody Arag6n
backed cards, or custom decks with clear backs... even whit,' backed ones would do). Memorize the card in which you writ,' the letter E, as it will be the key card you will have to cut lrr later. Place the cards in a separate packet in one of your pockel:;.
together with a copy of the "source code" page at the beginnilrl', of-this routine. Before the trick starts, force the King of Clulr,, from a regular deck of cards on a spectator, let him keep it, all(l place the deck of cards apart.
"Haue Aou euer heard about professor Gilbert's famcttt' algorithi? Professor Gilbert is a computer genius, and he htt'' diueloped a "natural algorithm" that allows him to find 't chosei card.. The problem with it is, he needs o uerA specittl slLpercomputer, just like the ones they hTue in NASA, to run llt( need.ed operations. Or, a small packet of cards, just like tfii:'
one." Taie the cards from your pocket and place them on tlr. table. Be careful to place them face up, so that the letters in tlr,' backs cannot be seen.
"Create Randont (\tnl ()nlrt'... lltrtl tttt,ttrts ue should shuffle lhe cards!" - Executc lr ('lrirllit'r'slrrrl'llc. llaving the cards face tup does not make it lcss rlt'r't.iving. 2O
BlN(cards);
//
Binary Conversion
"Binary! That has to tks tuith all that Zeroes and Ones stuff... Ok, then I'll deal tlrc cards like this: Zero, One, Zero, (hte..." - Deal the cards into two piles, in readiness for "MyAntiIi;rro" handling, as explained in the "sleights and Moves" scction of the book. - "Notice that, as Aou con see, if hao cards litllowed each other, after this process they uiII haue s<,parated, thus changing the order of the cards".
30 *cards=RND++i
/
/
Locate Pointen
*Well, this thing about the pointer is quite complicated. I just go u,on't through the details, shou youwhat to do. Cut one ol' tlrc piles, at any point. Then place the other pile there, right irt the middle..." perform the optical cut from the anti-Faro :i('(luence.
"This is still being beta tested, so let's giue it a try. I haue llt'' algorithm's source code with me. You uill read it aloud, urll ub will allfollow the instructions. If youlook at the cards, tlu'r1 are randomly mixed, right? Well, thanks to the algorithm, tlu'r1 uill arrange themselues in a specific order that utill help us t,, locate your card. If all of the Diamonds end up together, llti:' means your card is a Diamond. If euen cards end up nexl lt) eech other, then your card must be et)en... and so on." Give llr'' sheet with the "source Code" to a second spectator, not to llrr' one who chose the card.
Ask him to read the code aloud. You will make remarks them, and do the following:
LO 0rder=RND(*Randomize-cards Cand Order
L
)
;
/
0rr
/ Cneate Rantlorrr
40 TF (Order==RND && Spectator_Wants==1) GOTO 20 I I the orden is still Random and the spectator wishes, nepeat the pnocess. *Well,
/
/
if the cards are still in random order... and that to be the cose... looks like use'll haue to repeat the uhole /,,'(x'(f.s.s... shall ute?" - go through the whole procedure once irlqrrirr, clearly showing that the cards do not follow any ,lir;r'r,r'rrable pattern after. - "Well, looks like the algorithm's not rt,rtrl;irttl... but matlbc uc cotLld try once more... but, if you u'(tn! lo, LUe cotl lt't1 ottt't, ttt1ttin..." - Repeat everything one more I urrt,. lt will not w
r
ottt' rrrrrlit'rrcr,!
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A book in l rrl'lr,lr I lrr' , rrrrl nrirl,r( nl Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: 'f hc t'rrrtl rnagic of Woody Arag6n
ends up in a locatir)n w(,\,(. prr.r,iorrsl.y written on a prediction. You could even draw :r ;xrllr orr llrr, prr.rlit:tion, one that matches exactly the path drawrr orr llrr, rrrirp.
order. After performing several rtttt reverse Faro shuffles, antl asking a spectator to stop us whenever he feels like it, we carr have [im call the resulting phone number' \'Vhen he does so, ht' could reach an answering machine, where a message w(' recorded earlier would reveal the identity of the chosen (well. actually, forced) card or word.
I think if the routinc w:rs 1rt'r'lirrrrrccl using figures and maps from a role-playing gallrc, srrclr :rs l)uttgeons & Dragons ot The Lord of The Rings, Iht rcsulting routine would be quite appealing, and the use ol'carcls to decide the path of the figure would be completely justifi ocl.
b) Letters, words... You could use a "scrabble" deck, with letters in each card, lo perform Faro and reverse Faro shuffles, and still control sevet'r l words you could later force. The letters don't even have to br' together in the stack, as, by previously noting their position, it will be easy to force them after the shuffles.
In this case, I believe the best choice would be the 63 carrl stack, as there would be plenty of words you could fit in tlrt' stack. The problem is that performing a reverse Faro by dealirr,', a 63 card deck in two piles would end up being extremely tirrrt' consuming and boring. One possible solution could be to let tlr'' audience choose the kind of reverse Faro to be performed. Tlr:rt is, by allowing them to name how many piles they want yott l, deal the cards into, in a similar fashion to the Slot Machirr' trick.
c) Treasure hunt. You could use a deck with blank cards, in which you cottl'l draw a compass with directions, arrows, etc. Or use a regtrl;rr deck, and select a group of cards (r5 would be a good nutttlr.r as it allows for the use of 4 groups of cards, plus a joker) rrrr'l you could assign each suit a direction (Spades: North, Ht'rttl:' South, Clubs: East, Diamonds: West). After all of the shtrl'l'lirr| procedure, a prediction can be shown: "Here's my lrirtsrtr''' map".
rl) Red and Black.
I developed this stack in order to control the order of the colors with roo% accuracy, by using the permanent deck principle:
t.- Red, z.- Red, g.- Black, 4.- Red, 5.- Black, 6.- Black, Z.- Black
B.- Red,
g.- Red,
to.- Black, 7t.- Red, tz.- Black, 4.- Black, t4.- Black
tg.- Red, t6.- Red, t7.- Black, tB.- Red, tg.- Black, zo.- Black, 21.- JOKER
'l.his is a zr card permanent stack. It allows you to retain the order of the colors. After all of the Faro/reverse Faro shuffles, rlcals, etc. You can remove the Joker (as an excuse to cut to it) ;rntl then, you can guess the cards colors, separate then in reds rrrrrlblacks, and so on...
,
you could use a map dr:rwr) ovcl'll squares gricl, lncl ll srrr:rll figure, which you move ltt'r'ot'
h
Sorne of the properties of this stack are not only useful, but corrld also help you to memorize it. For example, you can see it is rrlrnost a mirror stack, except for cards 7 and 14, which are lrl;rcl< (Remembcr', 7 :rnrl l4 are the exceptions and they black. 'l'lris will hclp yorr l;rtt'r'). (liri'rls I to 1o correspond to Cards rr to :,o, so that cvt.r'.t' lwo clrrrls, stlrrt ing lhrrrr thc ccnter of the stack lrrrrl going 1o clrclr r,rrrl (ro n,r) t:,[l t;1,;rrrrl s
A book irr l'.n1,lrslr I lrr' , irr,l ntitl't(' ()l Woorly
reABookinEnglish:Ther:artlrrragicofWoodyArag6n
Arzrgon
Moreover, if you take a look at the stack you will realize that the order of each of the three groups of 7 cards is exactly the same, except for the 21"1 card (a joker).
If you take this stack, and replace Red and B1ack with Yes ancl No, you could have the core of a very interesting version of thc Psychic Deck routine in this book.
Articles and es$ays I
W
Abook irr l,,rrlilrslt: Ilrt.r'rrrrl lt/tp11 1;l'Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: Thc cartl rnagic of Woody Arag6n
ANINTERVIEW Ricardo Rodriguez interviews Woody Aragon.
Ricardo: Well, Woody... I think some of your
thoughts on magic in general are going to be explained on the book. So I am not going to speak about them... Woody: Yeah, right...
R: To begin, I think it would be interesting if you told us about the motivations for your own magic. Is your rnagic created to fool magicians, to entertain an nudience of laymen, or maybe both...? W: Well,I think I create magic...for me! By that I mean, that artist tuho creates imagines an "ideal spectator", uho is ttorrc other than himself. That is, you try to create something llutt youutould enjoy watching as a spectator. t't,(tt"U
llttt
I
do understand tuhy you're asking me that particular
tlttt,stion. I'ue had a peculiar experience regarding "magic for tttttrlicians". As you know, I uas born and raised in Toledo, a ::ttuill city (less than Bo.ooo inhabitants) near Madrid. And 1tt't,t:isely because ir rs so small, there haue neuer been many ttttttlicictns in Toledo. Iirom the moment I started studying ttttttlit .front books, toltctt I runs tuelue, until the time I started ttllttulinry ntc
A bool< itt Itrrl,lr:;lr l lrt' r rrrrl nrrrl,rr ()l Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: Thc cirltl nragic of Woody Arag6n
Neuertheless, Luhen I startctl ctttending the meetings ctl Madrid's SEI(t), and going to clirnrcrs, and conuentions, anrl presenting tricks to other magicians... euerAone starts to sctrl ''Woody does magic for magicians..." something uhich realhl made me think about my magic, QS, euen though I haue tut admit the tricks fooled magicians, I hadn't created them frtr this purpose. Actually, I didn't euen know the "magic fot' magicians" concept euen existed, and I would neuer hau,' imagined that it LUas so popular amongst magicians.
But as time uent by, and I greu in "magical maturity", so l,' speak, I discouered some of the reasons this happened to me. I think the main one is, since I felt comfortable tuith a cerktitt styte of tricks, and deueloped routines based on mathematiurl principles, memorized stacks, etc... that made the tricks deceir', magicians, because they did not recognize the methods. I n7ean, if I do a trickfor you, and I use an Elmsley count, or trtt Ascanio spread, Aou, as a magician, will be able to recogttit,' the uay I count, or hold the cards. You uill knotu what I uttt doing, and the consequences of my actions. On the other hatttl, if you knou a trick that works thanks to a mathematittrl principle, and I perform o dffirent trick bo-sed on the xrtrt' principle, altering the presentation, changing the procedurt's tf Aou are not an expert in that kind of magic, you probultltl u)on't recognize uhat makes the trick uork- That's tt'lrrt mathemagic is so suitablefor "magician's mo"gic".
In addition to this, mathemagic sometimes implies hauirttl t,' go through processes uhich are dfficult to present. Wltcrt I taos o beginner, this obuiously led me to tricks thlt trt'r''' sometimes dull, and boring... since those tricks uere not rcttlltl attractiue in their presentation, but uere deceptiue euctt f ,'r magicians. It tuas a logical thing for them to thbtk "?-his t1rtr1
just wants to fool me..." But I uould soA mA sll/)/)o.';r'r/ "specialization" in magic for magicians u)as a cotTsequett((' t'l
the methods I uas keen on stttdllirtg and usingl, bul llrul rr',t" neuer my goal. r)
SEI stands
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R: Yes. I remcntlrt:l' lhr. lilrrc when you started to attend our meetings. I thirrh thcrc's been a great step, an evolution that h:rs grt-.:rtly changed your magic, both in theory and in perfirrmztncc. And I've got the feeling that something that rcarlly hclped you to evolve, to give you that great step fbrwzrrd, was becoming a full time professional. I've seen a quantum leap in quality since then. And today, and this is rny opinion here, you still have the same sryle, the part that fools the magician, where all the conditions rnakes it seem impossible for the trick to work, and the methods are not recognizable... cverything is absolutely deceiving. But now your tricks are much more audience oriented, the emotions you convey, the rhythm... even when there are long l)rocesses to be done, you have really worked on the presentation, polishing every detail so that every step of the trick is entertaining... W: WelI, obuiously it's because my magic has changed as the I7,rlrs uent by... I needed to experiment, it was a "phese" I tttcl./ through... I tuould say that, thanks to insisting on
1x'rforming that kind of magic, I deueloped "t't,sottrces" that utere really handy later...
It: What I
rneant
a
series of
is, that there are reollg good
uulhors dedicated ta those kind of tricks, a:nd rnorng lriclc.s, sotne of thern reallg good-, o:nd. deceiuing. But it itt rtot so cotnnton for these tricks to be great for rttlet'tcrirting an anulience as uell. Your tricks houe a ilirect effect, lhey (rre easy for the o:udience to ttttilerstanul, uttd (r.$ sltntnino .for laytnen as for
rtrrgicirrn.s...
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A Book in English: Thc r.:artl magic of Woody Arag6n
haue to moue mAself first. That is, in selecting certain methods. it is not about the mathemagic being cleuer, or deceiuing. I choose these kind of effects because I feel fulfilled, I anrt passionate about them, and I haue fun creating antl performing them. And this is an open door through ushich I u t t communicate usith my audience. At an artistic leuel, there ar',' some "heights" you cen't reach if you don'tfeel and "litse" whtrt Aou are doing, from the depth of gour soul.
That's why I deemed it necessary to start from the methotl I uas a kid, in the early years I spoke about before, I jttsr copied the only magician I had access to (uia TV): Jutrtt Tamariz. He had a brutal inJluence on me. I performed hi:, tricks, uith his patter, his presentation... and euen todey, l'r',' been left with some "Tamarician" expressions that branded rrr,' at that time, uthich I use in my euerydag lift, but not when I'ttr performing. lVhen
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R: Well, of cour.sc y()lt (.:tn s:ry ttrat. Juan is the main reference... the gre:rt "lrr:rgit:i:rrr's magician,r... and for laypeople too...
W: Yes, he's a true rtursk,r.. I/r.s tlrcttghts, his conception of trrugic... he has createtl u sclutol: nrugicians such as-Manuil l,laser, Pit Ha_rtling, Rttbktles, Aott, ,[ to a point, and me, of fl)uffse... ute haue all "drunk" from his toell, absorbed his llrcories, his conclusrons... and ue haue applied. them, and. unnparedJuan's point of uiew to that of other-magicians...
As I grew up, I realized I had committed a big misteke, rt,, there utas a moment in uhich I couldn't perform a trit'l, toithout being just a poor replica of Juan. And I thought, i1 t want to perform... not professionally, as at that time I didrt't euen consider the possibilifu of being a professional magicittrt But if I uant to perform something tuith an srtistic ualue, I lttt,l to deuelop mA own style. And I thought the first step woukl lx, to create mA oun tricks, and I imposed myself the rule of rct,,',' performing a trick by Juan (I must confess, sometimes I tlttrt't obey that rule, but at least if I do, I am aware of it).
R: But Juan is present in your tricks... his "spirit", so to speak... W: Of course he is! He did haue an obuious irnpact on ntr', that is present mainly when I perform in English, becattst' ,tl our similar accent andway of speaking. But, euentually, tt,lrtrr I entered the second phase of mll education in ntagic, rtntl I started going to Madrid ancl rtu,t,linq Juan euerlJ Mortdurl. lt,' still influenced me, but ha r/ir/ .so ul urt internol k:uel, rnot't, t,t mA conception of ntorlit'. ttrtrl I .litttttd tt ccrsier to ltc ttttlx,ll but, I haue to scry tlrul I lrttt'ttrtl rru'rtllhirul.fitutt ,ltuttt... ttttrl I
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R: Yes, yourre right! Juan's influence is so wide... he's in every aspect of magic.
a genius
W: The great genius. But there's a danger in looking only ttr the outside. That's uhy, and I'll go back to your preuiott'. ensu)er, in order to cornpensate the great influence he had it, me, I decided I needed to create mA oun magic, and I stan"lt'rl by focusing on the method. Thatb how I "geue birth" to tho:;,' mathematical, automatic and ingenious tricks, because they't',' based on the methods I enjoy the most. But, once I had takt'tt care of the method, I had to focus on the presentations. Atr,l after uorking on them, it usas time to work on the construclit,rt of the routines, and then on how to create the structut€ ttl rt show, and then I had to work on mA onstage persona... rttrtl rhis rs the road I'm in, Wing to slously master euerA aspet:l .l this art, so I can then customize them end use them t, communicate uith my audience. And the final g oal has ahut t t been the some: To reach my audience uith my magic, wlril, stickinq to uho I am. r
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R: Woody, do you have any kind of
professiorr;rl relationship with mathematics? I mean... many peoplr' think you're a mathematician, or something relatetl lo
it...
W: That's right. Many people tell me...
R: I don't know if that's trecause of the kind of tricl.. you perform... or maybe because of your looks... W: Because of my look? Do
I look like a Math teacher?
R: Ha, ha, ha! I don't know... maybe.
W: Well, it might be, as some people approach nu urttl t,ll me, "WeIl Woody, since uoirc tt ntathematicictrt...", bul llt,rl can't be farther fro* lltc lnttlt. Not onhy ultt I trol tt mathematician, I'ue hutl tt tt't't'iltlc litttt'ttsith rnulltetturli('.s {r, rr kid at school, I'ue ulttttrtls ltt't'tt ,,,1 111trlirl ttrullt<'ttttrlit'.s.slttr/r'rrl preferrecl literutttrt', ( irtr'1, trrrrl lttlirt!
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I think that, tuhett tt ttttttlit'itttt pt't'fitrrrts
ntost of his magic llut!'s ltt't'ttttst' it's the method that he atjoys the most. Thul's rplt!t, U'l .srt rr trtttrlician performing all o/his tricks based ort dil.'l'il-rtlt slaiqltt ol'hcrnd, I willpresume he atjoys using these lcirul of' lccltttitlttcs. And, since most of mA tricks are based on nrullutrttrlitrul principles... plus, many of tlrc magicians that speciuliz
rnt them.
In my case, using mathematics in magic is not a result of
because I loue whet tnathematics can add to traditional magical methods. Instead rrl'using a sleight, I go through a process that has no "trick", lnil has a result that seems impossible for my audience, since llrctl can't relate the process to the result. There's an article kttcr in this book about this, as I think combining "classicel" lrclmique uith mathematics, mostly applied to card ntagic, fltrt lead to amazing results.
Iwing mathematics itself, but rather
ll: Actually, there's sornething I wanted to ask you. What do you think mathemagic could add to "regular" rrragic? You just said there's an article about this in the lrook, but... is there any.thing you would like to add in lhis regard? Something missing in the article that you would like to say?
ll: Well, in the erticle I speak about uhet I think is the "rlttrule.rous" side of mathemagic, and ctlso about its best tlttulilie.s, uhich can ntoke it worthy of being included in any nt.t(tic ttct. Ancl ryes, I do think it's a kind of magic "frowned ul,t,n irr .sonrrr cirr'/r,s. ll lurs lrcert xdd it i.s foo easy, boring and ',rtilul onlq.fbt' lx'
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W:
Yes,
a dffirent kind oJ Luork, but uork
neuertheles:'
Euerything has to be quick and smooth... I think tue haue t,, forget the idea of "tricks suitedfor amqteTtrs" and appreciut, the reol ualue of mathemagic, and realize uhat it can add t,' the artistic ualue of your show, because of its inner workfit,t not just because it's easy. Actually, most of the tricks I perfu'ttt. while hauing parts being based on mathem(fiical principk',.. use manA sleights end subtleties: Faro, false or stock shufJlt',' forces (b oth technical and p sy cholog ical), false dealing ... Some people think I am specialized in mathematic tricl'" based on cleuer principles. I, on the other hand, belieue tlt,' reoson why this style fits me so well is that my real speciahtl r" composing and constructing routines that include that kirul ,'1 magic. I(nouing the ingredients you are working tuith, utr,l knouing hout to combine them to "cook", if I might say. I tltirtl' I knota hotu to discern uhat uorks in a shotu, after hauitt,t been in front of an audience in so many dffirent situcttittrr And that brings us back to ushat you said before, regardiruy tlt,' effect that becoming a pro had in me, what I learned.fi',,rrt Juan, Gabi... ,
R: ...well, I also think your background might also have been a determining factor.
in
musir'
clearly influenced tlt,' uay I created magic, later on. Actually, tttso or three ol llt,' main acts in my shotu,like the "Ouerture in Tuo Mouettrr'rrt" act, haue a lot to do, or haue been directly born from Qcktltlirt,l ideas I used as a corry)oser.
W:
Yes, composing syrnphonic music
R: Is there anything you try to tell your audiencc n'illr your magic? I mean, is there any message that nr:rLr'\ you think before performingz "That's tohot I Ltstrrtl ttt
saA with tnA ntagic", and then try your bcsl ltr communicate it onstage. Antl I'rn talking abottl lrollr your personalit5r, :urrl v()ltt' oltslitgc pcrs()ll:1. llct':ltrsr' you've always h:ttl :t vcrt' rlil'r't'l itn
n
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ittttliettt't'...
W: Well, there lS xttrtrlltitttl, tttttl I utn (ttuore of it. But it has been the result oJ'1ttu't, <'ttittt'itlt,ttt,c. l,cl is .say that, at a certain moment of mA lijb, ltuo littt,s tltttt ltttd lrcut running parallel to <:ach other, suddenlty trt<'1, tttrtl lx,ctrttttt urc. At the beginning,
I
ruas not ou)ore oJ'tuhut I ttrttttlul lo communicate uith my rnagic (you need Aeus o.f' ltaflbnrirry experience in order to Irnow that) because ntll rttitrcl ruus busy taking care of other tlings: testing methocls, cJJ'ccts... But there was a point at tuhich I became au)are oJ' my magic, and knew there u:as something I wented to say u;ith it. And then I realized it ttrutches mA personality. The uay I am influences the uay I ltresent mA magic, but it elso infLuences mA decisions tvctarding uhat I want to tell. For me, it uas a natural process.
As you just said, I am o uerA straight person, probably lx'cause arcogance is something I really despise. I like to rclctblish a close bond tuith people, and I think no one is more itttportant than anA other person, but anAone ls more itrtportant than anything, including the art of magic. When I 1x'rfbrm magicfor somebody, I really care ctbout uhat hefeels, rrttl ctbout "creating a mostetpiece". That's the uay I am, and rt,lut I want to tell uith my magic is, of course the feeling of tt,orrcler, and amazement, but also, I want the audience to httotu that euerything in life is relatiue, and our "mltndene" rt'rtt't'ies are not so important. What really matters is being a tl(t()d person. And, as mA grandma used to say "the most ttttlttn'tant thing is staying healthy".
l{: You know, sometimes this is sornething that lrrrllpcns sometimes... I think, sometirnes, there are
rrrrrg,icians that are really intelligentr you can tell they ru'r'. Ancl, when thcy pcrform, the way they present llrr.ir margic sccnls lo bc scr.caming "lookhow srnozrt I ttttt!" Srmrelilrrr.s il's lrtrt:atrsc of the effects they 1lr.r'lol'rn, brrl nt:lny lilnt.s il's :rlso bcczruse of their rrl I il rr
onsl:rgr'.
Irr yorrr' ('irs.', r'orr ;lr.r'lirrrrr rr.:rllv clr.r,t.r. trr:r;4it:....iust lry lrrkirrg tr lool. ll llrr. ll'icks 1'ou cl'r.rrl(., y()lr r.:tn tcll.
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A Book in English: l-hc calil nragic of Woody Arag6n
But you don't "play" the part of an intelligent pers()rr. On the other side, some people really like showing ol'1. And what I mean by this is that you can show y()rrr' magic is deep without constantly showing off how dcr';r and cultured you are. Or, you can have great artisl ir' sensitivity, without having to be overly sentiment:rl, and constantly doing stuff tryrng to make people s;rr "Wow! Whst a gug! IIe's so sensitiue!"
W: I think thqt's not the uaA to go! It
canT !,, counterproductiue. Sometimes, in a mouie, at the theater, utr,l' of course, in magic, a "trap" is sef for the audience. Arttl I suppose some people taill like it, Qnd I don' knou if it dept'rr,l" on Aour sensitiuity, you cultural background, or simphl ,'rr u.;hether you're used to it or not... but for me, u)hen I rtrtt taatching a shotu and suddenly, for no reason, a uerA moritt,t piece of music storfs to play, and then the performer pull:. ,r child from the audience and starts talking about illusiort, ,ttr,l the big things in lift, and euerything starts getting -frt.tu. t somehow reject this kind of stuff, unconsciously. It pulls nt( ('ttt of the shoru, and I don't like that at all.
I am not saying that I don't like to be moued by a nice slttt tl
or music, or by the mood created at a certain point of a slrttrt' but I feel there's a big dffirence behaeen the times u)l7ctt t1,'tr
are moued because of the moment and the attitude of thc ttrtt 'r creqte that feeling inside you, and uhen someone fri<'s /,' 'force" us to feel moued, ond tries to create that feeling tlu' t'r r " t uay. I really think thlt you need to haue great taste to dtt tlrrrt kind of stuff well and, unfortunately, thrs rs not colttttttttltl t
seen.
R: Yes, some get into it when presented with tlrcsr' kinds of "scenes", and some others dislike it. Just lil.r' me. But in your case... there's nothing getting ilt llrr' way between you and your :ttrtlicnce. And I thinl< tlr:tl's one of the great virtues ol'yottl' lnagic. W: Well, n"tctql;a.solltt'/irttr':; i/':; rl t/t.srtt/ttttttltttlt'ltt(t, (l.s .strttt'' people niclht nrtl !trl;r' tttt' t't't'tl',,'r'iotts/t/... I t'<'ttlltl tltttt'! l':ttttrt'
ll: No, no... I really lilic it! I thirrl< that it is more pure, lirrm an artistic point ol'vicw. You can tell there's rrothing fake. W: That's beceuse I think llrut, il'uhat I do for them is good t'ttough, the audience will reulize it euen if I don't constantly trll them. If I want to treat my audience os equals, I can't ttrtderestimate them. I knou that a magician can be as much of ttn ortist as a painter or a piano player, and that because of ttt'ltin prejudices against magic, some people do not ualue it rrs trntch as they should. But I don't thinkmy shous are aplace trr "lecture" people about the importance of magic, or the ltl.,stige it should heue. The only thing I can do is try to be as Itrnu,st as possible, do what I enjoy doing the most, do the best I t'ttn, qiue it oII I'ue got, and then it uill be their turn to decide tt,lrcllrcr they think I perform art, or worthless junk.
It: Ok. ThankyouWoody! ll/;
ArIo,
ThankYOU uery much. See you!
A Book in English: 'l'hc crrnl magic of Woody Arag6n
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TH EORETICAL RELATIVISM Magicians love theory, and it seems that Spanish magicians it even more. If you take a look at the international magic sccne you will discover that Spain, and the Latin culture, rlcvelop their theories about the art of magic to a greater extent tlran most. In lectures, articles, books, master classes, internet lirrums... and even in a casual conversation between two rrragicians, you will find not only discussions about the most srritable technique in the context of a routine, but also rliscussions of theoretical issues, applications, and the validity ol'said theories. krve
'l'his is probably a result of master Ascanio's influence, and the rk,vclopment of the Escuela Magica de Madrid, whose lirt:ular letter has, for more than 30 year, been eminently Ilrcoretical.
Monday night meetings: Iuan Tamariz,Ignncio de lourdan (fr,,ttr Chile, aisiting Madrid), and Me. (2007)
'l'lrc importance of Arturo de Ascanio's theories cannot be rk'rriccl. But as others have previously noted, Ascanio did not "irrvcnt" them in a vacuum. His theoretical conceptions came Irorrr watching other magicians perform (primarily, Fred Kaps rvlro Ascanio consitlcrctl to be the perfect performer). Ascanio l,,lrv(' nilmcs to cxislirrg hrrt lrrcviously undefined concepts that, rvlrilc alrctr
rr(lviullilg(.ol llrr"'lrrlrl r'lli'r'1". rrol orrlt'lrt'irrslinct, ltut on
r'ottsciotts lr'r'r'1.
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A Book in English: Thc crltl rlagic of Woody Arag6n
Most of the timcs, rrry oPirriorr rvlrs llt:rt sorne parts of their
And that is the greatness of Ascurrio's works: The use of theorr as a tool. Theory must be born from performing, analyzing yorrr performance, and then returning to theory. If it doesn't, it i,, easy to fall into the trap of merely senseless pondering.
But there's something that worries me. In my opinion, rtl excess of theory, or, should I say, an exaggeration of it: importance, creates the opposite effect. On the one hand, sottr,' of the younger magicians (including me) sometimes darc l, make theories about some aspects of magic when we stil1 lat'l. years (not only in terms of experience, but also yet to reat lr maturity). Besides, when theory becomes the foundation of orrr magic, rather than just one more tool, it creates a rigidity in t lr, way one performs, thinks, creates and values. And, at the sattr,' time, I see some people overreacting in a negative way wht'rr they realize that theory, isn't always perfect. In the latter cits,', we can sometimes find articles and opinions that disctrs,, attack, and sometimes it seems that they even try to destroy tlr,' theoretical foundations on which we've based our work mrt',r ,
'
years ago.
The notion of "theoretical relativism" is something thrrl thought of, at an internal level, when I witnessed, ( )r participated in discussions about theory, and someone defettrl,',1 a trivial theory, as fiercely as if his life depended on it, or rts rl the idea was an unmovable pillar on which rested the v.rr existence of magic. Or sometimes, the opposite occurecl, ;tn,l someone stated that a well-established theory, used and prt)\'r'r for centuries, was no longer valid, and that magicians sltorrl,l discard it if we wanted our art to develop and reach a new lt'r , I
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of depth and meaning.
itleas were right, bul il is rlillicrrll lo lr'.y to lrresent a "universal Iruth" in these kincl ol'rliscrrssiorrs, lrt't'lusc in magic there is no
lbsolute truth about wlrlt tlrt'rrrrtlit'ncc should see or think.
I think Alex Elmslcy rrriglrl lurvc been a precursor of this "lheoretical relativism" irlca. llc wrote an article in which he compared the trick to zr paLicnt, and theory to the remedy for its illrress. "Btrt e person gocs Lo tlrc doctor only uhen he's ill, and tnily then the search for the right remedy begins". If a doctor lrve every medicine in the w-orld to a new patient, in order to lit'cp him healthy, he would probablykill him. 'l'[re lesson of this this essay is to be aware of how the different
llrcoretical concepts of magic can be applied to an actual pr,r"fbrmance. However, when I start working on a trick, I begin rrr;rinly from intuition. Theory vs. intuition? Are those concepts , rlrposite? Actually the truth is the opposite one, as probably the ,l.t'tl for Ascanio's theories was is wonderful intuition. It is the ';;urre for Gabi's concepts, Bob Neale's classifications, and
'l';rrrrerriz's theory of false solutions.
llt'caruse what usually happens, when you create by intuition, r:r llrat you unconsciously apply all of the theory you know. If
\'()ll detect a problem in your creation then, as Elmsley g,r',rposed, it is time to try to find a remedy in theory. But if tlrr,ory goes against your intuition, I think that, when in doubt, rl's lrctter to follow the latter. Follow what's inside you, even rvlrcrr it makes you question your theoretical base, and makes rorr li'cl unsure. But, if there's something that I am completely
orrl'itlcnt about is what I feel when I am performing a trick. \rrrl, il'sornething works for me, I'd rather not change it. I will I ;r vr , pknty of time to clctrrrmine why it works, and maybe, after ',,,r'r,r'rrl .ycars ol' cxpt'r'irrrt'ntlrtion, and drawing conclusions, I rr rll l'irrtl :t rr('w Ilrt'or'.t' nrvscll'.
,
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Curiously, most of the time, the people presenting [ltr,',, arguments had only been practicing magic for a f'cw vt'rrl and/or were never abie to itt'tit:ttlat-c a practical ttsc lirt llr, theories they defended. So llrt'v llrilt'tl trl llxrvitlt' lttly t'vitlt'tr, thatmighthave convittt't'tlolltt'ts llrrrt llrt'ir itlt'lts wt'tt vltlirl. ,
l'lr;rl is wlry I w:rrn vorr lo lrc r';u't'lirl wlrcrr tr':trliltg the articles lrooli.'l'ltct' ;u'(' rrollrirtg ltt
A Book in English: Thc cirrtl magic of Woody Arag6n
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When I began studying music, I found several handbooli, about creating harmony. They taught almost-mathematit';rl concepts for a method that made that any melody you played t,rr a piano sound "well The problem was that sometimes I woulclrr't follow the handbook's methods, but I would still get a goo,l sound - even though I was not following the estobhshed rules. \ friend of mine, a viola player, told me, while recording oDC .l
my pieces with his string quartet:
"I hope you knou ultrtt
you're doing! This chord doesn't match the harmonyl" I almor;l felt guilty for liking what I heard. Could it be that I had rr,, musical talent? Was I wasting all of the basic principles ol polyphony? Years later, I was relieved when as I studied the works ol ;r master who is considered by many to be the best authot'r,l music handbooks in the world: Walter Piston, famous for lrr:; books on orchestration and harmony. In one of them, he stalt'rl
"The rules presented in this harmony handbook are tt(,l unchangeable principles that can't be auoided, but ntt't',' guiding rules deducted from the toorks of composers durirt,l more than 4 centuries. I uill not tell you how to do things,./nr',/ houL they haue been done so far" .
I always try to follow his advice.
REGARDING MATHEMAGIC I{eading through this book, I'm sure you realized that most of I explained rely on mathematical principles.
the routines
I must admit that I am passionate about mathematical card tricks. However, I find it is an area that is somehow "marginal" in today's magic or, at least, one that is not studied with the sirme passion as other areas of our art.
I also must confess that my current thoughts on mathemagic Irirve completely changed from when I first studied magic. At llrc very beginning, I thought these effects were nothing more llrirn curiosities, nice effects for beginners, but absolutely lroring, and not interesting at all for a real audience. At that lirrrc, I thought transforming a 6 of Diamonds into a King of Spircles using a double lift was much better than having two lrrrrls whose values, if added, would match the prediction of the rrrrnrber of cards of a group selected by an spectator with the r\ r rst ralian (over-under) deal... . Arrcl I was
right, of course!
llt,t'ause my humble opinion is, that many of the rrrrrllrcmatical-based tricks existing are, if not outright bad, "lrrrll-baked". Thc l)t'(x:css often works like this: A magician rliscovcrs or f inrls otr[ :r t'lcvt'r' nr:rthcmatical principle, applies it lo ir tklt:l< ol'r:irxls, ;rrr
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A Book in English: Thc crnl rnagic of Woody Arag6n
And I think it is an interesting idea to analyze the reason lirr this. This is the same thing as when a magician who, aflt'r inventing a new technique, created a trick whose only purpos,' was showing the technique itself. But I will talk about tlr, concept of "sleight of math" (mathematical technique) later.
rrrtrl
counting. Nevertheless, I have to say that in mathemagic, which is ,, widely experimental field, I don't think it is too bad to have ttt'rr method published, even if the effect they are presenting r' boring, or not that strong. When this is done, the mitr',i, community as a whole has a new technique available. 'l'lrir technique, after some study and assimilation could be llr,' foundation of wonderful effects. I am now thinking of Maqttt'tt, Colors, where the Gilbreath principle was first published, or'l'lt, Scarne Puzzle that would later become Alternating the Colot's. Sometimes, the reason for this "half-baking" of math b:ts,,l tricks might be caused by the ease with which a trick's 91'1';1l,rr might fall victim to the lure of automatism. A mathenrrtlir'.rl principle is able to create a magical effect by itself, withorrl llr, need for skill or technique on the performer's side. That's ulrr those tricks are usually classified as suitable for beginnel's. ,\ rrr constructing routines this way ends up stressing the crltst' ,'l performance, not the effect's power.
I
My own idea of mathemagic completely charrgctl ;rll, witnessing Juan Tamariz per{irl'rn his 7ofn1 Coirt<:idarcr'. ,\:, ,t solution to a card prolrlt'rtr pt'opostrtl }y Ltris (lltl't'ilt, .lrr:rrr applies the characterislics ol'llrc rrriltrrt'stitr:l< trt rt t'tlnlritt;rli,'rr of two half clecl
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And, if I still had any tkrrrlrl, tlisr'ovcring the method for Luis larcia's Rite of PassrrrTc crrrlcrl nry own conversion to the "Dark Side" of mathemagic. In this nxrtine, not only a mathematical lrrinciple is the basis of the trick (in the early zoth century, in a lrook by Maskelyne, it was first mentioned that a 5z card deck will return to its initial order after B out Faro shuffles). Garcia openly explains that this principle is the reason that makes a lnrshly opened deck returns to its original order after several slruffles. Mathemagic was so powerful that the final climax, cvcn after the open explanation, is unbelievable to the audience. (
You should also bear in mind that mathematical tricks, for llrr' most part, require going through a series of process€S ilrrrl calculations, sometimes even on the part of the audience. Atr,l, for most people, mathematics are boring. Your audience will 1,,' disappointed if they came to your show expecting to have sotrr,'
fun, and suddenly find themselves doing calculations
ligure out the methorl lirr rrrorrllrs, willrorrt a clue as to how such rr wonder was possiblt'. 'l'lrt' rl;rv I rr';rrl thc explanation of the trick in Sonata was :r lrrppv rllrv.
Rite and the Coincidence are, in my opinion, two of greatest llrt. card tricks in history. And both are math based, and It
vcry distant from the idea that I had been thinking - that all I Irose kind of routines were boring and not at all interesting. Since then I haven't stopped investigating and creating new rrrrrthematical tricks. And I have managed, I think, to entertain irrrrl rnystify my audience (although sometimes, when I am l,yf11g with a new principle, I can't avoid taking some risks, but I will cxplain why later).
t.
The role of mathematics in card rnagic.
'l'r't'lrnique, sophisticated gimmicks... they have a chance to lril. Mathematics does not. A mathematical principle inside a lr icli will always work, and it will do so while being rrrrrlr,tt'ctable. What I rnean is, the workings of a mathematical l,rirrcilllc are secret, and unl
Abook irr l'rr11lr:,lr lltr',;rtrlllillir( ol Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: l-lrc clrtl rnagic of Woody Arag6n
course
But the principles are there, and they are completely selfworking. That is why, instead of considering them as tht' barebones of a trick (and using them only in this way), yorr should think of them as one more weapon to add to your arsenal, together with manipulative technique, gimmicks, or tht' use of psychological subtleties. Sometimes you can base art effect on them, sometimes you'll only use them to help create it.
is, but
it tlot,sn'l looli lilir, llrirl lo the audience! lrirppr.rrirrg,
tlrcy don't
They recognize
mathematics.
Psychologically, thr. lircl< ol' kltowledge of the natural principles involved (nrltlrcrnirtical in this case, but I think you could apply these idcas to plrysical principles, chemistry, optical illusions, etc..), which ilrc couullon to magicians and laymen, ensures the greatest covcl possible. Maybe that's why mathematical tricks are nlso very suitable for an audience of magicians. Most magicians know almost every classic sleight of hand technique, but many of them are not aware of the inner workings of mathematical principles.
One most fantastic advantages of mathematics is that, if yorr combine them with more "classic" techniques, the "subtext of the magical method" so to speak, changt's completely what you do and the way you deceive.
So our only task is to enhance this feeling of impossibility (remember our goal, and I insist on this because I really think it's important: you want to make the possible seem impossible) with the use of patter, presentation... because if the audience is convinced that what just happened is impossible, and that there has to be a "trick", they will start looking for a "move" that does rtot exist (in reality, you did nothing, everything worked on its own, almost "magically"). And that, in my opinion, will make it casier for them to "let go". Once they get tired of looking for the "secret move" that does not exist, they will not suspect later when you let them handle a trick deck, or hold a palmed card. 'l'he combination of both "sub-texts" (manipulative and rrrirthematical) will empower the magical atmospiere.
Let me go into further detail:
Our goal as magicians is to make the audience feel that tho are witnessing, even participating in, is somethinli IMPOSSIBLE. This is the main trait of our art and, in fact, tlrc one we use to measure the "magic strength" of an effect. I(eeping this in mind, you will see that what we try to achievt' with the traditional manipulative and psychological techniqucs,
SEEM POSSIBLE. It is just burned to appear inside a lemon, btrt impossible for a note we are able to "make it happen" thanks to our techniques. Arrtl those have to be good enough so as to deny the audience atrl possible explanation, one they will surely try to find after tlr,' effect. We are able to achieve this with the use of misdirectiorr, hidden manipulation, psychological forces, and so on...
is to MAKE THE IMPOSSIBLE
But all of these techniques are "tricky", and intended
it
don't know what's
Most mathematical principles, when applied to card magic, rrrc related to the values or positions of a card. That is why they
wolk well with arrangements of cards (set-ups), very well with
to
rrrncrnonic stacks and memorization techniques, and extremely
disguise that the actual facts are different from what we pres('rrl,
wcll with mathematic stacks (such as the popular Si-Stebbins slrrt'k) (r)
and that lemon.
it really is impossible for the bill to appear inside tlr,'
(r) ll
is wolllr rrolirrli llrirl 'l'irrrriuiz's nlrt,nrotrit'stircl<, as well as some ollrr,r'(irrllrr,lrrr1,, rrrrrrr'),:rlr,trol orrll rurrt'rrrorrit'in thc sense of
The case of mathematit:s is tltc complete opposite of tlrrrl Using mathematical prirt<'i1rlt's will Ittt'tt our goal ittto MAI(IN(; THE POSSIBLE SI'll':M lMl'()lil'illtl,l'1. Is it possiblc Io l
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A Book in English: Thc cirnl magic of Woody Arag6n
Bear in mind that the use of a mathematical principle does nol exclude the rest, and that brings me to the next point.
z.
The "sleight of rnath" concept.
I really think that, in the same way we speak abotrl manipulative (sleight of hand) or psychological techniques, wt' should also speak about "sleight of math". In fact, you can even substitute the use of manipulativt'
And you can also rnix llrosr, prirrciplcs with the anti-Faros, which involve dealing llrt' r'irrrls irr pilt.s in a way that mimics the effects of one or sevcrrirl ltirro slrtrl'llt,s. Ancl all of those principles will work at the samc lirrrt', lx't':rrrsc thcy work EVERY SINGLE TIME a Faro shufllc is tkrrrc. You only need to know the principles, and be awAlc ol'lrow aucl when to apply them.
B. Facing mathemagic.
techniques with the use of mathematical principles. Controllinil a group of cards to the top of the deck, after a spectator shufflt's. using the Gilbreath principle, can replace palming those cartl:; and then adding them back after the shuffle.
Well, it's time to start working. How do I use a mathematical principle, without creating a trick that bores the audience to death? Without sounding dogmatic, let me show you what I usually do, because I think it works, at least for me.
Because, if you know and assimilate several mathematit';rl principles, as if they were regular sleights, then you will be abl,' to combine them, even"jazzing", in order to create new effet'l:r or improve our methods.
The first approach relies not so much in working on the lrresentation, but in modifying the effect itself so that the rnathematical essence is "out of sight" ("Maverick" in this book
That is why I rarely learn a math based trick and perfonrr it "as is". I usually work with the mathematical principle until reduce it to its "skeleton", tryrng to assimilate it as best I tltrr Once I get it, I have one more weapon, one more possibility, arr,l I can now dedicate myself to creating a new routine with it, rrtl,l it to my existing ones, combine it with another principler,,,r simply "throw it to the bin" (because, as well as sorn(' techniques, some mathematical principles might not suit mcr). I
Let's use the Faro shuffle as an example. Due to llrr' mathematical properties of this technique, you can cl'('irl(' MANY magical effects using it alone. The exact result will
depend on the principles you apply, and the quantity antl llr,' order of the cards you shuffle. You can combine the mirrot'slrrll. (that keeps its properties after a complete Faro) witlr llr,' Gilbreath principle (two series of cards, after the shuft'lc, vrill stay separated in two grottps t'otttititting one card of cach st't'it':, ) with the principle of conslitttl lxrcl< (.yott t:otrld tlc:rl 4 pilt's, irll,'r the shuffles, and eaclt pilt'will cottt;titr irll thc t:itt'tls of ;t sitrl',1,' suit), or...
is a good example). The point to consider is whether you can get
the principle to work in a secret way. You can achieve this by rlifTerent means, and I will use a well-known mathematical principle as an example. I will call this principle "The sum llrinciple" or "The principle of to+1o=2o" (everyone knows lo+to equals zo, but let's imagine for a while that this could be lritlden and would be a surprising fact for your audience... just lirl the sake of having a very simple example). l,t,t's start with a "trick" based on this principle: 'l'lre magician, without letting the audience see, writes "2{)" on ir picce of paper. Then he proceeds to fold it and hands it to a rrrr.rrrber of the audience as a prediction. Taking a pack of cards, lrr, lirces the ro of lrealts to a spectator, and the ro of diamonds lo ir sccond onc.'l'ht'.y art'asl
itttr
lo urrr, llrt.s:rrrrr'prirrr.iplr.willtorrt letting the I ltlt r"r, "r'olt n I i trg" I o I rc r lotrr'.
A Book in English: 'l'lrc crrrtl magic of Woody Arag6n
Abool< ilr
One of my strategies for doing this is to convert what happerr: to numbers (the values of the cards) to quantities of carc'l:; Then we can start talking about piles and positions of cards, n<,1 iust cold, abstract numbers.
r- I would start with the prediction in this trick. Predicting rr number is mathematical in itself, so I'11 get rid of it. Instead' might use a deck and have a certain card in position 20, tht'rr predict that card. t
z- One problem with this is that there would be no clint;r' until turning over the zoth card, so there would be no effect irr counting up to 20. I can avoid this by having a red backed cit r ,l in the desired position of a blue backed deck, thus having ,, visual effect at the moment of getting to the 2oth position.
3- On the other hand, adding numbers (ro+lo) is the same ;ri, adding two groups of 10 "somethings". Instead of adding 1o* lo, I could hold a break under the top to cards of the deck, thcrr have a member of the audience cut "a small packet", forcing l,' take the ro cards over the break. Then repeat the operatiorr' forcing the next ro cards on a second spectator. Have thetlt l" shuffle the two packets together (and in the process of shufflirrl we "add" them. We now have a zo card packet). 4- Next, I could ask them to count the cards they are holclirrr', and then count to that position in the "prediction" deck. lirrl again this counting process can be avoided: We could bollr simultaneously deal cards on the table, revealing the predictiorr when the spectator dealt the last card (In doing this I lr;rr'' successfully eliminated all the numbers, there is no countitr.q l' ' be done, and there's no trace of any 10 or the resulting :'o, anywhere in the whole trick).
5- Finally, in order to add some more "drama" in the cltrlrlirrr', to the last card process, and sccing that there will bc a rilll,' shuffle (that allows the nst' ol't't'l'Iititl Itlathetnatit:ill 1lt'ittt'i1rlt'rr], the trick could end up looliitrl', sorttt'llrirrg likc tlris:
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Aragon
Start uith a bhu, dccl,. ltt tplticlt tltttt tttkl u red lo of hearts in position 20, cotutlitul.lntrtt llrc ltrct,trl llu'dcck. The blue lo of lrcarts and lo o.f cliuttttttttls lit' itr lxr.si/iorr.s to and 20, counttnq .from the backs. Ilokl lln' tlrcl; .litct, tlotutt fu dealing position, lrclding e break utuk'r tlt<' lilttt' lxr<:lcc
I have managed to change a trick which consisted of adding vllues and predicting numbers, into one of cutting and shuffling lrilcs and predicting cards, and even added a visual climax. 4- So... is
it really worth it?
Lct's face it: this is still a bad trick. Or, at least, I don't think it's a trick worth performing, as I think the method should be on llrc same level as the effect, or the secret utility of the principle i r rvolved. If I really wanted to perform this effect, I wouid prefer lo rrsc a brainwave deck: the procedure is more direct, less rnvl
Arrtl this is another danger of mathemagic, one needs to be ol. We havc lo cvirlrr:tte if, for us, the method is worthy of rvlrrl we will ar:t'orrrplislr willr it. I would personally never spend lr;rll lrrr lt
Abool< itr I rry,lr',lr Iltr',,ttrlnr,rl'rr ol Wootly Aragon
A Book in English: Thc cirxl rragic of Woody Arag6n
think it's better to just use mathematics and have
it
happerr
directly).
5- How to present data and processes. You have just seen an example where mathematics, while still being part of the method, is hidden to the audience. But this will not always be possible. Sometimes, the structure of a trick will make it necessary to "play" with the numbers, or for sontr' actions (cuts, "controlled" deals) to be performed with the onlr purpose being to make the mathematics work, which makes tlr,' result very hard to "cover"... In those cases you'lI have to resot'l to presentation as a cover for the method.
First and foremost, you have to bear in mind that everythirrl you do must have a meaning. If we need a member of tlr,' audience to think of a number, make it more "personal" if llt,' number comes from the personal data of that person (birllr date, telephone number, id...) Let's see some possibilities of presentation.
A)
As a ritual, or as numerology
Cards and numbers have been used for centuries to divine orrr future. If you buy a book on how to read tarot cards, you will s,',' the procedure to do so asks that the cards be dealt in a spct'ilr, way, in a determined number of piles, gathered in a cet'l;rrrr manner, and so on... or, if someone explains to you how to tlo :r numerological analysis to try to ascertain someone's future, I I t, 'r will explain that you have to do series of mathemrttit,rl operations, using personal data from the subject (date of biltlr. number of letter in the person's name...). Finally, after all tlr,' calculations, everything is reduced to a single digit, which lt;r', ,r special meaning and will be his/her "destiny guide". 'l'his i:, ,r generally accepted fact, and it is plrt of our culture.
You can use this 1o \'()tlt';ttlvltttlitgtt, lttttl ptt't'st'ttl ,r mathematical princilllt' rts ;t ulru('r'okrgit'ltl :ttt:tl.ysis llltl .yott ;rr, doing filt's
less serious way, rlt'1rtrrrlirr1l ()n \'olu' pt,r'lirrrrring style and stage persona. You can also rrsc l lt is prr,nr isr, i l' ir trick asks for a weird way of dealing anrl grrtlrr.r'irrg t';rrrls irr lrilcs(e.g. an anti-Faro-4: 16 piles) or tell the urrrlit'rrcc llurl voll lt'c going to perform "card reading" (and, if thc 1r'it'li rrllows lil'it, we could even use real tarot cards). In fact, irr ',
to be performed. In the case of tarot, for example, the cards have to be cut always with the same hand, depending on what you want to divine, or the deck has to be cut in 3 piles, or... I am not talking about just using a Tarot presentation exclusively. You could tell the audience about certain rituals that have to be clone so that magic happens: magic dust, snapping the fingers... then ask for a set of instructions to be followed, tryrng to create the feeling that it is a kind of "ritual", that is only part of the presentation (and has nothing to do with the method), so it is rlone only to ensure that the magic works.
B)
As part of the effect.
You can also justifir the actions that the mathematical principle requires, by giving them a seemingly different goal, orrc that looks like part of the routine's structure.
lior example, some tricks use the "principle of equal piles" in wlrich a spectator is asked to cut a packet from the deck, then colurt the cards in the packet, remember this "magic number", ;rrrrl then look for the card that lies in this number's position in llrt.tlcck. The carcls art: gatlrered and in the end, the magician is ;rlrlc lo find thc c:rrrl lrrtl/or nragic number. Nt'vtrr'llrt.lt'ss, llrc st,lr,r'lir)n l)l'o('(.ss w:rs irwl
A Book in English: 'lhc cirrtl rnagic of Woody Arag6n
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Well, maybe because you want to have a final confirmation: ask the spectator that, instead of cutting and counting the cartl:;, he is now to think of a number, take as many cards as [lr,' number he thought of and keep those cards in his/her pockt'l At the end of the effect, I write dor,rm on a paper "You thought oI number 12". He takes out the pocketed cards and counts tht'rrr out loud so that everyone knows, for the first time, the thouglrt of number. Then the prediction is shovrn, and proves to be rig,lrt This way, the pile of cards is the same as taking a card insteatl .l just thinking of a card, or asking a spectator to write down lri,' thoughts in a piece of paper: It is just part of the presentatiott :r, o'visualize" the spectator's choice. that everyone can I
deal the deck in 4 pik.s ol' t1; r';rrrls,.irrst lilic in bridge (4 piles 4 cards are used in tlrc Slxrrrislr !l;un(,ol'rrrrr.s), etc...
of
But one thing that I x.irll.y liltt'is tlrat, if there is no game that matches the actions you rrt.t.tl lo ckr... you can invent it! I sometimes perform a trit:l< willr rrry nrnemonic stack in which I need to deal 3 piles of rlj carrls, so I present it as an exhibition game of Helsinki Briclqc, which is iust like regular bridge, but fbr 3 players.
D)
Test conditions.
,
It's possible to use this method to cover actions that belong t,, a mathematical principle's inner workings, and justifi, thent rr,, part of the presentation; as a final proof of the effect (as in tlr,' case I just explained); as a way of making a selection "fairer" 1,,,, that everyone sees that you could not "cheat" or "force" it); lr:; ,, way of having several members of the audience participatc (lt'r each one choose a number, and add them to get a final sum); ;r'. part of the routine's climax (if someone takes a pile of t'rtt,l', from the deck, puts it in their pocket, and the pile is firrrrllr found to have a different back from the rest of the cards, llrr, action justifies the holding of the cards as it ensures I coultl tr,,l cheat); and so on...
C)
There's also the possibility of presenting the actions that will rnake the mathematical principle work as just the contrary: A transparent "scientific" observation that emphasizes to the irudience that you have no control, or choice over what has to be tlone.
For example, you could hand an ESP deck to a member of the itudience and ask him/her to pick a card, but in a way that will lct him/her have no control over the choice, and ensure it will lrc a completely random choice, by using a random procedure
rlcveloped by Dr. Zenner and used in the Department of l'trapsychology at Duke University in California: Put the top t'irrd on the bottom of the deck, deal the next one, put the next one on the bottom... until there is only one Ieft (a pseudoscientific way of presenting the Australian or doum-under deal).
As the rules of a gambling game.
This is one of my favorites. In gambling, there are rtlu':rt some set procedures: shuffling in a certain way and mottr('nl. dealing cards in a required number of piles, adding carcl v:tlrr," to determine the winner, looking for the card with thc higlr,",t values, and so on...
'l'he best example of this kind of presentation would be the use ,
You can start by checking if thc nrathematical principlt' .v( )rr I . working with adjusts to tht' t'ttlt's ol'itn existing gitltt(l: zl l";tt. shuffles on a 20 carcl prtclit'l is tlrt'silr))c as tlcalillg 4 ltitttrlr,,,l poker. Or maybe, you t'ottlrl pt'r'st'ttl ;t tt'it'l< ilt wlrit'lr .yott llitvl 1,,
ol' tlre Faro shuffle in Luis Garcia's Rite of Passoge; The Faro slrrrffle is shown; so that everyone can see the cards are mixed in ;r grcrf'ect way, one by one, so that no two cards could possibly cntl up together and thc whole deck is completely mixed.
l,)) For lrlrysir';rl
r'(':rsons
Sttntt'titttcs \'()u (';nr irrslilt, tlrc rrrirlltt'rrrirtit'al procedures lrt.r'lrrtst'ol'tlrr,r'orrrliliorrl irr wlrit'lr 1,orr pcrlirnll, ol'thc props yr)lt lts('. Ilyorr'r,,u:,nrl,, it irurrlro rlr,r,li, (,\,(,r'\,orrr,will trntlcrstitnd llr;rl il is rrol r';r'.r l.'.ls111llr,il, r;r) \'()lr ('orrlrl rr:lr, lr ltt,r,r'.sr,/,'rrrrl
A Book in English: Thc cultl uragic of Woody Arag6n
(mixing cards by outjogging alternating cards, extracting all ol the outjogged cards at the end and putting the resulting pile orr the top or bottom of the deck), or shuffle by dealing the cards irr piles. You could also use an incomplete deck, and say that sonrc cards cannot be selected because they are not in the deck (e.,11. the queen of clubs) so you will use two cards (a queen ancl :r club) to create a selection.
A)
As a mathematical trick
This is a very funny idea. If you believe the mathematit'rrl principle, or a combination of them, is deceiving enough for tlr,. audience, you could base your presentation on the idea ol performing a mathematical trick for the audience. Tellinli everyone that you will perform a math-based trick justifies (ol course!) the calculations, numbers, and counting needed. If llrr. final effect makes it impossible for the audience to imagine il i:, a result of mathematics, then the presentation will just sct.rrr like a funny way of showing an impossible and unexplainllrl,. magic trick.
Abool< in l,,rrlllislr: Ilrt,t.rrrrl trrrrp.rt'ol Wootly Aragon
iI(':
PROPERTIES OF MA'I'I II.]MA(
-
Mathematical llrirrt,iplt,s rrcvt'r' ljril (cxact science) A different subjct,t: Muke t hc possible seem impossitlle. Greatest possiblc <,ou(t,. The "sleight of ntut lr" t:orrt.cpt (it can replace other techniques)
DANGERS (T)
-
"Half baked" tricks. The "ptzzle" feeling (it kills the magical atmosphere). Boring the audience (mathematics = boring).
I)EVELOPING A MATHEMATICAL TRICK
-
Assimilate the basic principle (sleight of math) Disguise the internal mathematical technique.
-
Personalize numbers (ID, dates...) The goal of the presentation is to make
Transform numbers
to
impossible. I' ITESENTATIONS
-
quantities and/or positions, the possible seem
THAT JUSTIF'Y PROCEDURES
Numerology/TarotlRitual Part ofthe effect. Gambling game rules. "Test conditions" Due to physical constraints. As a mathematical trick.
(t) Irr llrcl,;rll,,l
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A book in English: The cartl nragic of Woody Aragon
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CONSTRUCTION AND COMPOSITION: THE STRUCTURE OF MAGIC Many things have been said, and written, about the
construction of magic (r)... well, actually, that's not true. The truth is, we've barely scratched the surface of the subject, if we compare what has already been written on the subject to the tluantity of pages dedicated to describing techniques and cffects. So, if I want to be accurate, I should start by sayrng...
Not much has been written about the construction of magic. Nevertheless, some of the books on the subject are real gems. lltrt most of the time, they are focused on how to construct rnagic by combining effects and methods, in order to create sornething greater than the sum of its parts, the goal being to completely disguise the method, so that the audience never srrspects anything, and the magical atmosphere (2) is lrcightened. 'l'hat means that almost all of the good studies in the subject rlr':rl with how to construct the "inner life"(3) of our acts: ('r'ossing the gaze, parenthesis of forgetfulness, the tube effect, worl
(r) I ant nrlt.r'r'itr1i lo ;rll llrt. lcvcls of uragical My alter-ego, the numarolog.tl t'.\'lrrl
ntrd
A('(itt':; (.)00.\)
.ftirtunc-tclltr, l)ttclrtt
construction: be
it
({)llstl'll('l iott :r sitt1.',h' l1i1li, lr trrtttittc, 9r' ir fir'll act. (.1) 'l'lrt'Mrtgil ol r\:l'rtttio Vol. t "'l'ltr',Slrrrt'trrrirl (lrrrr:clttion of Magic
the
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A book in English: The ctrltl lnagic of Woody Aragon
A book irr l'rrlllr:.lr I lrr' , rrrrl tlrrll!.t{ ol Wootly Aragon
But what about the "outer life"? How to combine, build ancl order our routines, acts, or magic sessions from the point o1' view of what the audience feels? From what has been written so far, sometimes it seems that "Sfort with a quick and uisual effect, then perform tricks uith an increasing irnpact order, andfinish with your best trick" should be enough.
style. I don't want .yorr lo us(, ntv slvh, ol'r'onrposing, but rather I want you to think lrlrorrl yolu' (,wn. llrrl soutetimes I will have to refer to my persou:rl t'lroicr,s, ;rs I t'orrkl not explain myself in any other way.
Finally, before you start rr.irtlirrg, I have to say that throughout this (really long) essay I will tall< specifically about the structure of routines, acts, or evcn I'ull shows. Everything in this essay can be translated to any o1' those other situations, so I will jump from one to the other without regard.
The best written work regarding these matters is an amazing article, published by Tamariz in the Escuela Mdgica dc Madrid's circular letter, explaining how he structures his owrr stage act, and going into details on the function of each trick, what the audience receives from it, and what Juan's objectives are in doing that trick at that precise moment.
The audience senses the structures The important thing to keep in mind is that the audience will experience our magical act in a completely different way, not iust depending on the individual components of the act, but also clepending of the order in which they are presented. And you should be aware that while they will not analyze the order at the cnd of the act, they will be influenced by what has happened previously.
notes and essays I should also say Gabi, Nevertheless, go detail. into references the subject, but does not he makes a nice distinction between the two subjects I am trying to explain here: The structure of our act in the "inner life"' which he calls the construction, and the structure of tht' "outer life", which he calls the composition. I will use Gabi's terminology to try and make you understand what I will bt' talking about in the rest of this essay.
in his multiple
I will use an example which is not magic related. If you attend rlifferent concerts by your favorite band, you will notice some t:oncerts are better than others. Of course, some days they will play better than others (undeniably), but the set list for each occasion will also play a fundamental role. Not only this, but sometimes, even though the set list was almost the same, but played in a slightly different order, you would experience every song in a different way. Each song left you in a certain rlisposition to face the next one and, at that moment, the structure of a determined order will create a specific feeling on yoll.
I learned about this subject, from these two masters: Gabi anrl Tamariz. And I think referring you to anything written by therrr is essential. I will be trying to give you my conclusions, based tttt I have learned, and combined with my experience atrtl knowledge, not only as a performer, but thanks to my previotrs jobs as a script writer for video games, and orchestral musir' composer.
what
I want to make it clear that I want to wT ite this essay becaust' I think this should be an essential subject for the advanct'tl magician, but, at the same time, it is something that is not reallr known, or studied, beyond everyone's intuition, solelybecaust' il is subject generally absent sttliercrt Ii'orn rnagical discussions. Mr intention is to go beyon<1 .irrst slrowing that tl-ris is zt 1-ritt'[ ol magic that should bc lirl
"at thaI rrrorrrcnt" ltecause, as I previously stated, that rrrrtlicncc will rrot ;rn;rl.yzc lhc inner structure at the end of an rrcl, irrr
I
I
saicl
A book in English: Thc crrnl
rrragic of Woody Aragon
knowing the whole structure of a trick, bases his constructiorr and interpretation on his overall vision.
I firmly
believe (and, hopefully, you will agree with mt't that the spectator is never conscious of the trick's complel,' structure.
But
When he sees a trick for the first time, he lives tlr, moment: he is only affected by what he feels and knor,t,, in the moment he is living, because he doesn't knor, what will happen next... even if he believes he's "caughl the magician, everything could be part of the plan (hou many sucker tricks rely on this!), which means th;rl anything could happen... But when the trick is finished... he doesn't know whrl happened! At this moment, he will try to rewind, ittr,l analyze the effect, but the only available data will bt' in his immediate memory. Anything not registered in rt does not exist. That means the audience can only ust' il,, immediate memories to try to reconstruct the trick, rtn,l those memories will have been influenced by you us ,, magician, their expectations, the structure... actuallr they will never remember the trick "as it was". And, as time goes by, when they try to remembel llr' trick after some days, they will use their long tt'rn, memory, which is even less reliable than the short tt'rrrr one. The result is what Juan Tamariz calls the cottt.l effect. These are exaggerated memories in which, il'tlr, audience was mesmerized and fascinated by the ttt;r1',i, the effect will become something short of a nlit';t, 1,' (usually impossible to recreate in real life). So, if a spectator wanted to be conscious of every singltr itslr.r'l of a magic trick (and I am hclt: sltc:tl
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dissect every singlt' tlr,trril. 'l'lr;rl is, lrc worrltl lrave to become a magician.
That's why I thinli it I rr';rll.y inrporl:rnt to notice that, when you are creating a slrrrt'lrrn., rkrirrg something at a precise moment, or orderitrl3 ;r st,r'it's ol'irctions in a certain sequence, you should be thinking uborrt wltat lhe spectator is experiencing at that precise morncnt: l)on'[ clo a false shuffle just because later, when the speclalor rcwincls, he will think "Just a sec! Could the aces haue beat on top of the deck .from the beginning? No, ir can't be, he shuffled the deck..." The reason should be that, right at the moment when the Aces appear, the audience feels that they are coming out from a shuffled deck.
The audience senses the method There is one more matter that I believe is important. I will refer to it later, and it is a concept that took me time to grasp, and even more to understand so clearly as to explain it here (zrlthough now I find it obvious): The audience is affected by the method.
Throughout my life in magic I've heard many colleagues say lhat, as long as it looks clean and fools people, the audience tloes not care about the method. They say that this is an internal thing, only for magicians. They think the magician should only care about the conditions in which the effect is performed, and tlrat nothing is "seen". But for the audience, the only thing that rrrltters is the effect, the rhythm, the presentation... the st'rrtence, made popular by Colombini, that says"People pay for ttthut theA see, not.for what they don't see" is misinterpreted, rrrrrl used as a souncl bite justification. In some extreme cases, I'vc heard peoplc rlclirnc'l terrible methods, and even outright clrt.rrting (stoolit's, usirrg nurrkccl cards for straight divination r,lli't'ls, ctt') lr.y srryirrg llt:rt lhc auclience only wants to "r.x1rt.r'icnct' tlrt' illrrsion". 'lir slllll ul), son)c lxx)ple think that, lrt,r';rtrsr, llrr';rrrrlir.rrr'r,ir; unir\,v;u'('ol'llrt'trit,l<'s sct:t.ct, they are ittst,ttsil ivr, lo
I
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A book in English: Thc canl rrragic of Woody Aragon
I completely disagree with this generalized view. Not only do
I
share Tamariz's vision, which is that method and effect are tlrr'
foundations
of
magic, as opposed
to
construction
artr
I
presentation (I refer you to his lectures, in which he compart',, the trick to the skeleton, the construction to the body and tlr,' presentation to the make-up), but I also believe that, if 1rou ar. composing something for an audience, you have to take irrl,, account everything that might affect them, and that includes tlr, method.
Every method in magic has some characteristics, and tho:,,' affect the outer life of a trick. And those characteristics;tr,' perceived by the audience. If you do a trick that requires yotr l( do an Ascanio spread, the audience doesn't have to think yorr are hiding cards from their sight, but they see you take, sprt';r,l and move the cards in a certain way. Leaving apart the qualitr of the secret, as long as the way you hold and/or move the carr 1,, affects the audience's perception of a certain moment in tlr,' routine, they care about the method. )
Construction vs. Composition First, your objective when structuring magic depends on wlt;rl you are working on.
If
you're working on the construction of magic, that i5, ,rr disguising the method, then throughout your act you rlust lrtl', into account:
-
What is the audience thinking of at this momenl ? Am I controlling their attention? Do I need to rlo rl now? Could they suspect the method? If so, you llitvt' 1,, divert them away from it. If they were tryirtg lo llncl out et nlcthotl, llr.r shouldn't be ablt' lo ittt;tgittt'ortc that I'its willr r'r'lr.rt they're settittg.
Can thc t'xlt.r'n;rl rrclions tlr;rt I tl
Do thc cl'li'r'ls tlrrrt ltaltlten throughout the routine/scssiorr t'rrrpowtrr cach other, so that the overall rcsrrll is nrort. rlccciving? Conversely, when worl
What does the audience feel at this moment?
Will they
the effects that the made has in store for them? If the sensations I create are very similar to the previous ones, will they like it? Or maybe it will be too much, and they will get bored, or even uncomfortable... Empathy: Try to put yourself in your audience's place. This is FUNDAMENTAI. Try to find the best emotions for them to feel: Conflict, enjoyment, surprise, astonishment... Can you relate this moment to a previous, or later, one so as to enhance your act's clarity, unity, structure or rh'uthm? construction
understand
I
I{ow does WoodyAragon create a structure? As I said before, I will use my own choices as a starting point in l rying to write about construction. All of them come from my owr) personality, concept of magic, criteria and, first and lort,most, my own preferences (which should be the foundation ol'your style: what you like to do, and what you don't).
l)on't worry, I will rrot stalt cxplaining in detail how I like my rrr;r1iit'to bc, or wlr;rl I lrv lo ('onvcy to my audience. This you rvill scc.yorrrst'll', il vorr s('('nt(, 1lt'r'lirrnr sonrc day. Despite the lillr,, this st'r'liorr r,r,ill rrol lrt'llrt, lvpir':rl t'go-lroostir-rg script in rvlriclr it nlrliici;rrrrpr';rkr,;rlroul lrirrrsr.ll'lirr wlurt sccm to be ,r1ir,s. I irrrr orrlr irrl.rr".l,,,l irr r';rr'lrl.irrli;rlrorrl lltc tlrirrgs thitL y
A book in English: Thc clrtl
A bool' ilr I rr1,lr',lr Ilrt r.rtrl rn,r,,rr ol Wootly Artrgon
rrragic of Woody Aragon
take into account when creating the structure of a magical act' I will talk about the main things that I keep in mind, but I know that you might consider different ones in your own personrtl analysis.
can basically sum up the whole process in the phras,' "Variety in tnethod. Unitg in effect." Let me explain tlrt' three key points in this thinking:
I
Magic for the sake of impossibility: Some magicians lilir' to present feats of unearthly skill. Others want to move their audience with poetry, or with the symbolic images in their magic. Some aim to make people laugh as much as they ar',' astonished. Others look for spectacular, visual effects. I havr' nothing against any of these decisions, but my decision is to tL, magic just for the sake of pure impossibility. I am completerlr convinced that doing, watching and experiencing somethirrli impossible is entertaining / beautiful / powerful / artisti, enough so as not to need any additional window dressing. So, in words of Simon Aronson, it is not enough for me l, know that the audience cannot figure out how I do my magit'. want them to feel that what they have just seen cannot be dotr,' And, in order to create that feeling, I use the same kincl ol construction for my routines (most of the time). As long as I t':ttr do it, and it adds to the totality of the routine (and I think llr,' ones in this book are an obvious example), I try to ensure tlt;rl every time an effect is repeated (even with slight variations) tlr,' method is a different one. I
Magicians are keen on building a routine based on a sitrg.l,' method (I suppose we think "well, I'ue got this nice mellrttl here,let's try to get as much of it as I can')- Three aces tt'rttt'l invisibly and join a fourth one. The method is that the tltlt',' aces are double facers... The carutibal cards eat tl-re cxplort'r,, and the explorers disappear. Twi
k
But if you focus orr rvlr;rl 1'orr rr';rrrl lo corrvcy to your audience, instead of doing wlrrrl i:; llrl r';r:;it'r;l llring lirr you as a magician, you'll see that rllur.y lirrrt's t,r,r,r'\' plurst,ol'a routine can rely on a different method. Arrrl tlris crrrr lclrrirlly heighten its magical power (by means ol'tlrr' llturt't1 ol'.liilse solutions) as well as giving the routinc's olrtt'r'lili'tlrt.valiety I was talking about earlier. But bewalc, I lrrr rroI rrrrtlcrcstimating the strength and usefulness of using tlrc s:lnrc rnethod more than once (McDonold's Aces, Iirr crxlnrplc, bases the three transposition effects on the use o1'dotrblc Iacers, and it is a perfect routine just as it is). But I think you should at least consider if basing a routine's construction on a variety of methods might improve it.
And I try to go even further. I personally look for methods that, while being different, have some externai feature that helps me to erase, in the audience's mind, the internal characteristics of the other methods I use. Let me give you an example. In the spelling routine, most of the phases are based in the properties of a stack: Red-Black alternation, suit rotation, the rosary for the final phase... but, in the third phase, not only does the method not rely on the stack, but it allows for the cards to be fairly shuffled by a spectator. The fact that the effect happens in the hands of an audience member, and after he shuffles the deck adds fby means of rnagical languagel something that a hundred false shuffles could never do for the routine.
Unity: Unity and variety are on the two sides of a scale that should be carefully monitored. Imagine that you perform a close rrp show, which runs for over an hour, completely based on "vanishing coins" effects. It will be a unified show, but you will probably end u;r boring your audience. On the other hand, if ('vcly tricl< in llrt'slrow uscs a clifl'erent element (coins, cards, r'ol)os, sill
Abooli irr I rrllr',lr llrr',,rrrl
A book in English: The cartl rrtirgio of Woody Aragon
Imagine a concert in which a rnusician started by playing a ballad on the piano, then heavy metal with a guitar, then gospel on a trumpet... there would be variety in the show, but... When building the structure of an act, you should choostr elements related to each other, or to your personality. Personally, if I build a routine based on a premise ("the Jokers are influenced by the ualues of the cards", "the deck finds tltc cards you spell to") all the effects in the routine should br' related to this theme, so that everything works like a melodl' and its variations.
I am not completely against "beroque" magic, or routines thal start with a sandwich effect, then a rising card, a triumph antl, finally, by having all of the cards in the deck turn blanli (actually, I do perform some of those kind of routines), but I believe that this makes unity much more difficult to maintairr. and you run the risk of ending up performing what would seettr to be a mdlange of effects with no apparent external structut't'. In any case, I think mixing effects is fine if including a certain magic effect at a determined moment of a routine is the result ol fulfilling the needs of the audience (needs created by orrr composition, in the trick's outer life) and adds to the routinc':; totality. If you can take the effect out and the rest of the effet'l:r in the routine don't notice the difference, then those previtttt:, conditions are not met.
Variety: Variety in method also helps to create a vat'ictl act/session, as much as trying to perform different kin
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ol Wootly Aragon
Over ten years ir,lo, I sl;rllr,rl pcrlirrnring close up shows in I exclusivcl.y pcrlirrrrrcrl rrr.y owrr material. And, at the beginning, the rcsult wirs il slrow rnorur repetitive (and boring) than when I perforrrrt'tl lliclis lhrnr otlrcr rnagicians. Some of my friends told me "you trt't' tttrltl ttsirttl
which
were very different (a gambling effect, a divination one, transformations, cards across...). It took me years to find out the problem: When you are creating your own tricks, you do it based on your ovrn style, your own creative resources, and use the methods that you are more comfortable with. In my case, most of my tricks were based on the use of a mnemonic stack and mathematics. And, since the methods I used made it necessary to shuffle in a certain way, or do similar processes like dealing cards in piles... the result was that, no matter how much variety of the effects I presented, there were some repetitive irctions in every trick that imbued them with a halo of "this is llte same as before". Ever since then, every time I am working on a new show, I try lo include a variety of methods in it. A trick based in a stack, lhen one based on sleight of hand, another one with trick cllds...
audience.
The reason for this is related to what I exposed before, ilt llr,' "the audience senses the method" section. Since the ntctltorl affects your audience because of what they "see", using a sitttil;rr method several times during your act will affect the auclictrt'r'. mean, if you abuse a certain tt't'ltttitlttc or grab thc c:itt'tls in ,r certain way many timcs tlttt'irrg vottt' slt
Composing tools So let's go str':riglrt to tlrc point. How to face the task of il'wc want to structure our act so llr:rt llrt'wlrolc is lrrlgcr llr;rrr llrt'srrnr ol'its parts, you should linow whrrl lo rlo, ;rrrrl llrr,olrlr.r'in wlriclr yorr shorrlcl do it, based ott wlt;rt lltr';rrrrli,'rrll ir; lr,r,lilr1,,... lrrrl. lrow rlo votr l
A booli in I rr1,lr,lr I lrr'r;lrl
A book in English: Thc cartl rnagic of Woody Aragon
Actually, it is obvious that you can never know for sure. That is why it is so important that you ernpathize with your audience as much as possible. Try to put yourself in their place. Beyond thal, you will have to rely on your own intuition. But if there's one thing you do know is what you have done irr order to make the audience feel a certain way. That means your' starting point when trlnng to know what to do next should bc asking yourself: What is the state of the audience after the last trick? What are they feeling after the effect/patterlgag I just ditl for them? If you just reached an astonishing climax, they might be wanting to see something even more amazing, or maybe tht' best thing would be to perform a "lesser" trick, in order to rel:tr them... Most of the time, your choice will depend on the nerxl effect you will be performing, or on how far in the show you ar'('. So, obviously, you need to know very well every detail of th,' effects you perform.
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ones you can per'firrnr, llrt,rr ,r,orr rryill .irrsl lrt: able to find the idea]
order and distribrrliorr lirr llrosr, 11 t.l'lircts. But if you have 18 tricks, from whicl) yolr ('iur clroosr, t.y, .yott'll obviously have many more possibilities wlrt,r r t'o r r ros i rg .you r act. r
1
r
Actually, in somc ol'nr.y nlor'c (:onlltlex acts (routines like the "Ovetture in Two Movcrrrcnts", or shows like "La ilusi6n la pintan calva"), I startctl ll'orrr u list of the main tricks that I wanted to perform ancl, or.rcc distributed throughout the show, when I felt like the structure was asking for a certain kind of effect at a precise moment, I created new tricks on purpose to act as fillers for those parts of the show. Since the main idea is that the structure of your act should be externally harmonic, let's see some examples of valid structures. Obviously, they will serve only as a starting point. You can modify any of them, combining effects and developing your act at your wish, but it will be the whole act, not just the tricks that comprise it, that determine whether it has the "ideal" structure.
I wrote earlier that this should be an essential subject firr advanced magicians. I did not mean that beginners have It,, right to present a well-structured act. The problem is that irr order to gain consciousness about every aspect that will tali,' part in the composition of an act [at every moment, and in evt'r r effect you performl, you will probably need years of expericttt',' in performing.
that,
Because this article is not about what tricks you can do, lrtrl about knowing at every moment during the trick's performttttt',' what you are conveying to your audience, in order to know tlri:r, you will have to go through a performance hundreds of timt's, irr front of different audiences, in different conditions, itnrl understand why you are doing every part of the tricl< (wlriclr implies testing different versions of the same effect). In otlrlr words, if you want to have a good composition, you will ncrctl 1,, work with a repertoire already in w'hat Ascanio callctl llrr' "assimilation phase", or quite close to it.
structure, not the musical, literary, theatrical or r:inematographic one. But, in order to make the examples
The more tricks yott nritstt't' ttp lo tlr;tl lttvd morefreedom yoLI will lrirvc lrl lltc lilttt'ttl't:olttll
of prrrf icicrtt'v, llrr'
I
speak about this subject, many people falsely believe you were to copy the structure of one of Mozart's symphonies, changing every piece for a magic effect, you would end up with a well-structured act. But the truth is, Mozart l,Vhen
if
created the symphony's structure for the specific pieces that are part of it. And, when he used different ones to compose, the resulting structure was a different one. That means "copy & 1)aste" doesn't necessarily work.
To sum up,
it
is the magical language that should rule our
t'lcrarer, I will constantly refer to all those other arts, which have tlcrvcloped thc srrlrit,t't to a nruch greater extent than our beloved rrt:rgic.
l,inear slru('lurr.. 'l'lrc
rrrosl t'orrrnrorr stnrt'Irrle: A different t'l'lt't't t'irt'lr lirnt', orrl lrllcr lltc ollrt.r'. 'l'lrc rrurirr tlirngcr of this Itirrrl ol'('()nll)or,rlrorr r, llrirl \'()u t'un tlrr,r'isli ol crt.lrling a l
A book in English: The cartl rrragic of Woody Aragon
A book irr I rr1,lr.,lr llrr.r rrrrlurirl,t(.()l Woorly Aragon
everything you've done before, and start a new, going into the next trick with a "Well, that wcts the rising cords trick. Notu let me shou gou something with this piece of yellow rope" very similar to hearing "NotD, in the center ring, the knifesut allou erl" from the ringleader. There's nothing wrong with this composition, if that is what you wish (showing the audience a compilation of the tricks you can do), but you should be aware that the feeling of watching a well structured show is very different that the feeling of having witnessed a succession of independent effects.
Confrontulion ('r.ilir,;rl l,oirrl: A very strong conflict that relatcs to llrt, I'irsl orrr,. Resolutio. l)lr;rsr': 'l'lrt, I'irrirl r.lirrr:rx is reached, and all of the conflicts ln. solvt.rl. You will be able t, "l'ir" irlrrrrst ir.y .f the dramatic works you already know into this str.rrt.lrrr.c. Allow me to give you an example, using a st.ry tlrlt cvcryone knows: charlei Dickens'A Christmas Carol.
Setup: Meet Mr. Scrooge, a cruel and bitter old man who doesn't celebrate Christmas. Setup > Turning point: Scrooge receives a visit from the ghost of Jacob Marley, his business partner.
Juan Esteban Varela once told me that he thought the answer
to this problem was a simple one: Not only should you study and practice the tricks you will perform, but also the interludes between them. If the transition between every trick and thc following one is smooth, and there seems to be a plot, tht' problem will disappear. In any case, and more
if you opt for this kind of structure, i1 classical three act dramatic structure: Setup, confrontation and resolution. Almost every magic trick can be divided in those same three phases: The initial situation is explained ("here's a shuffied deck ol cards..."); there is a series of facts that change the initial situation ("pick a card, sign it, lose it in the deck, shuffie..."); and a final resolution that usually happens at the same momenl as the magic effect ("the card trauelled to my wallet!").
Confrontation: The ghosts of the Christmas past, Present and Yet to Come make him face several moments in his life, from his childhood to his eventual
future. Confrontation > Crisis point: Scrooge, facing the vision of his own grave, realizes that he has wasted his whole life. He repents, but knows that it is too late. He knows he will die alone, with no family or friends. Resolution: Scrooge wakes up, transformed, and discovers that he's back in the present day. He has been given a second chance. He Eecomes a kind hearted person, and joy{ully celebrates Christmas.
so
is very important to keep in mind the
But this three act structure can be further developed by adding two more "conflict points" at the end of each of the two first acts. Something like this:
. Let me low present you with a magic example. This structure i's.masterfully adapted for the classic Matching the cards.If any ,l'you perform it, you will already know it ii one of the most wonderful effects that can be presented in front of an audience. look at its contposition:
'l'al
Setup: Introduction to the plot, characters... Setup > Turning Point: Something happens, a conflit:t is presented. Confrontation Phast': A st'r'it,s
r
o o
Sctrrp: 'l'lrt. pt.r'lirnncr. introduces himself to the :rrr
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A book in English: The carrl rnagic of Woody Aragon
predict it correctl.y llrrr.r, lirrrr,r;, llrr,rr I r,liruinerte the element of pure chance. Slroulrl .\,orr lr'\'lo rlo it to times in a row, my prediction is that.yorrr':rrrrlicrrct,will bc bored to death long before you get to tlrt, torl, prr,tlictiorr. In any case, I am only highlighting this as irrr olrliorr vorr slrould be aware of, because its constant prescrrct' irr tlrt, t,lirssir: works cannot be ignored. Let's take another lool< ;rl A Christmas Carol. and analvze each act in detail.
Confrontation Phase: Even though finding the cards with the same value is more a test of skill with cards than pure magic, the performer succeeds in finding, one by one, the three cards with the announced value. The difficulty increases every time, as there are fewer cards with the said value in the deck. Confrontation > Crisis Point: The spectator's first selection is revealed... and it has a different value. The magician failed at his task, and all of his effofts have become worthless. Resolution: The three previously found cards are shown once again. They have magically changed to match the value of the first selection. The performer succeeds, and proves he is a true magician.
I think I don't have to
stress
the importance of
Setup Scrooge is a miser, he hides the coal from his employees, even though it is very cold.
He hates his only nephew. He doesn't like Fred inviting him for Christmas dinner. He is cruel with his employee, Bob Cratchit. Setup > Turning Point. Confrontation phase The ghost of Christmas Past makes him remember who
ther
cornposition element in this routine. Imagine the beginning o1' the trick was the same but without the crisis point. For example, after finding three Jacks, the spectator's card was turned over, and shornm to be the fourth Jack. There would be no problenr from the technical side (construction), but... it would be a much worse trick, wouldn't it?!
he is and why.
The ghost of Christmas Present forces him to see how the people around him feel. The ghost of Christmas Yet to Come makes him face the consequences of his actions and forces him to witness
The importance of number three: I would like to remintl you (and many other have done it before me) that using thret' parts when composing an act has always worked, ever sinct' classical Greek theater. Juan Tamariz has always defended tht' beauty of using number three in magic routines: Tricks witlr three phases, the three bread crumbs by Ren6 Lavand, the thra' Cups and balls, three Linking Rings, the three card monte... There are four aces in an ace assembly, of course... but onlr three ofthem travel!
his own grave. Confrontation > Crisis Point. Resolution a. Scrooge asks a kid to buy a turkey for him, giving him a tip. b. He goes to his nephew's dinner, and apologizes to him. c. He gives the turkey to Bob Cratchit, and gives him a raise. As you can s()(), crrr:h ac:[ can be
It
has been said that the reason for this beauty is that, sincc there are three phases, each one "balances" the other two, making the whole look more complete. And there's also the flrct that three is a good numbcr'ol'titttcs to repeat ati efl'cct lit tlrt'rr
further divided in three phases.
Antl this is sontt'llrilt13 (.ontrnon to many other dramatic corrstnrr:I iorrs.
l'lrlt'l'hl'r.:rrls. 'l'lrlrl will trlw;r.ys lx' lwo plol lhr.cacls in your ircls. Orrc,l llrr,rrr rvill irrvolvt. llrr.;rcrlirrrrrcr.(.yorr!) ancl thc
starts getting a bit bolirrg [irr yottt' :ttttlicnccl. II I llrctlit:lt'rl something correctly ortt'r', I rrripilrl lutvt'ltct'tt ltrt'l<.y. lltrt il'l
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A book in English: The card magic of Woody Aragon
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every trick or routine yolt will perform. But having an additional plot thread throughout the show, or bonding several of the tricks into a longer routine, can be an interesting addition to your show.
repetition of an cl'li't't llrrorrglrorrl llrr. pt,r'lirnnance. Bill Malone pulls cards out o['lris rrrorrllr rrl'lt'r.t'vcry etfect in one of his shows. Imagine cloing llrirl sr.vt,r.irl lirncs, and end by slowly producing from yotrr rrrorrllr ir ,lrrnrlxr card, which had been selected and lost irr ir .lrrrrrlro I)ct.l<. Alcx Elmsley, in his Dazzle Act, repeatedly removcs tltt'.iol
in
The plot thread can consist of a theme for the whole performance (e.g., gambling cheats) which does not have to be related to the effects you perform. On the other hand, the plot can be built around the similarity between some of the effects of a long routine that you perform. Setting the stage before the show begins. Here's an interesting option for you act. Before the beginning, set something in your performing space that indicates to the audience what will later take place during the show. Imagine that the spectators, even though you're not on stage yet, are able to see a table in which there's a candle, a crystal ball and an envelope with the Zodiac signs and a big question mark right in the center. Even though you've done anything yet, the first act (Setup) has already started. The elements on stage tell the audience about the magician, who he is, and raise the question about what could be inside the envelope.
The reprise. In musical theater, there is a plot that binds the show together, but there are also independent acts, that arc somehow similar to the magic effects we magicians perform. I am referring to each song, ofcourse. There is a resource often used to enhance the structure of tht' show, so it does not seem that the audience is being presentetl with just "song after song". It is the repetition, or variation of :r song, in the form of a reprise. It works like this: a song is playcrl, and then, in certain point of the show, it is repeated, with slight variations, to create the feeling of a progression throughout tht' play. At the end, the song is usually developed until it reachcs rr climax.
Meter structure. A more elaborate version of the latter would be repeating not just an effect, but several of them. Meters, or measurements, and their structures (ABAB, ABCBA, ABA, etc.) have been studied and used thoroughly in poetry and music.
Imagine you perform different transposition and sandwich effects, and for some reason, one of the transpositions works very well with one of the sandwich effects. If you are aware of this possibility, you could try fitting the effects to one of the previous structures.
Cyclic structure (starting from the end). One more possibility in structuring your act consists of presenting a situation at the beginning of the show, and what looks like the trnd of a trick. Then the show starts, and it develops until the sarne initial situation is presented, and the final trick is pcrformed. The feeling that a cycle has been completed, and cverything is back the starting point, can be quite interesting. A similar option would be to start the show as usual (from the lrcginning), but cntling it so that everything is back to the initial siluation, crcatirrl4 llrr, Ii'cling of an endless loop.
lknrtinc th:rl gor.s orr llrroughout the act. This idea
ol't;rliirrli;r nrrrlli ;rlt;rsr'
Actually, there's a sirlilirr l'(,sout'('(' tlrirt is oftcn rrsctl in rrrirgit': The running gag. Iltrt it rrsrr;rllv consisls rrrolr.of ir.iol
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A book in English: Thc cirlrl rnagic of Woody Aragon
made popular by Ricky Jay
in the United States and Jose Carroll
in Spain) that happens throughout a whole act. The aces are produced, and one of them is selected. It is the Ace of Spades. The magician sets it on the table, and cuts the deck to the Two of Spades. Then he performs the first trick. Once it is finished, the Three of Spades is produced. One more trick, and then theFour, and so on for the rest of the show, as the audience sees the Spades in a ribbon spread, which slowly increases as the cards are produced. The show would end when the 13 Spades changed into Hearts.
An exercise. Take 7 blank
cards. Choose a film, book, concert, or any other artistic work of your choice. Make a list o1' the different scenes/acts, and select the 7 that you feel are mosl representative. You will usually choose the beginning, the end, and the main plot conflicts. Write the 7 scenes on the blanli cards, in order, and describe in each card what you felt when watching it flistening to it] as a spectator. (Rhythm, comedy, thrill, drama...)
Try to assemble a magic session, using 7 tricks from
your'
repertoire, respecting the same structure and emotions. Try to use effects that convey a similar feeling to what you wrote otr the cards. Then check if there is an apparent variety in tht' effects, while trying to maintain some unity in the structure. Tn to find some recurring plot references, and build it into your magic structure.
Final thoughts:
I
It might seem as though this article is aimed at tht' professional, or semi-professional magicians, who already havt', or are building, a complete act. But actually, one of the mosl common problems for amateur magicians, who perfortu informal magic, is that, when they are requested to perfirlnr, they start improvising, doing trick after trick as one comcrs l() their mind. The problem is, if your empathy with thc auclicttcc isn't good enough, or your rt'pt't'loitt isn't clccp cuottglt, it's vcrr easy to end up perl'ortnirrg t'l'li't'ls lltitt, ottt: itl'tt'l'lltc tttltt:t', ;tt'r' repetitive, ol' ntaybt' ltcrlirt tttitt,l', ;t tttittot' t'l'lct'l lrl'tcr' otl(' ()l
greater impact, or sirrrlrlr, lry lrllv;r.vs rkrirrg lhe same tricks, just think "What shall I do now...?".
because being on tlrt' spol, llrr,rt,'s rro lirrrc lo
My advice for rtragit'i:rns irr llris sitrratior-r is: following the rules on this article, try to ;rsst.rrrlrlt' "srnall acts" composed of three tricks (a beginning, a st't.onrl, ulore complex trick, and a powerful effect fbr thc cntling) suited to the performing conditions you will firrcl yorrrsclves in. For example, what deck
will you be able to usc (stacked deck, normal deck,
borrowed/incomplete cleck)? Will you use a table? What's the environment like (you need to adapt for noisy places where visual effects are more important than patter)? and so on... This way, you will organize your tricks into "blocks" whose structure you have analyzed, and you know that it works. After performing one of them, if you feel your audience is ready for more, you can always perform another one, or maybe think of an "encore" trick in advance. If, on the other hand, after one or two tricks the circumstances you are performing in change, this won't be a problem at all, as the same structure might end up leaving your audience "hungry for more", which is always a good thing. This subject could be the subject of a whoie book, but I hope this article serves as an introduction, and also as a way to try to spark your interest. If, after reading it, you feel like examining and starting to work on this area of your magic, my goal will be accomplished.
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THE ROLE OF STUCTURE.IN MAGIC: The audience faces the structure: They are affected by it at an unsconscious level. The only thing that matters is what they feel at every moment. The audience faces the method: They only care about the method's "external life" Construction vs. Composition.
MY MASTERS
MY WAY TO STRUCTURE:
-
Some years ago, I interviewed Spanish magician Miguel Gomez. He told me that he thought "there are tuo kinds of masters: the ones you get to know in person, and those uho Aou neuer meet, but are able to make you change the way you und er s t and maq ic neu erthele s s " .
Magic for the sake of impossibility. unity in Effect. Variety in Method.
COMPOSING TOOLS:
-
This means that a master is a magician that influences you in some aspect of magic, up to the point where he becomes fundamental to your understanding of the way to perform and approach magic. That means all of us end up having several masters, no matter how their work has reached us - "live", in books or videos. And today, where you can find magic schools such as Ana Tamariz's, in Madrid, where pupils have the chance to learn from different magicians, and about the different categories of magic (but all of them associated with the figure of Juan Tamariz, the school's flagship magician), there's a new generation of magicians that, in years to come, will have a long list of magicians as their masters. Lucky them!
Linear Structures. The importance of number three. Plot Thread. Some Structures: o Linear Structure. o Meter Structure. o Cyclic Structure.
In my case, due to the "magical isolation" I experienced in my carly years as a magician, everything I learned was quite selftaught (with all of the resulting problems). Nevertheless, there Itave been somc nragicians that did bring that the change of nragical vision tlrirl Migucl Gomez talked about, in different rlcgrees. An
i
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A book in English: The carcl nragic of Woody Aragon
1,oo(% my master. His shows and his books have had a greal influence on my education as a magician, and probably as :r person, ever since I was a kid (I remember experiencingVerbol Magic for the first time, in a trick I did with him through TV irr the popular quiz show f/n, Dos, Tres, when I was barely r
Juan can also tell the virtues and flaws of a trick... or ir performer. And he doesn't want his pupils to become "littl,, Tamatiz" clones, but he rather encourages you to be yoursell', lr,t your own personality show, and convey it to your audient.r, irr the best possible way. And, first and foremost, to enjoy doirrlq ir I remember what he told me just before starting nty at'l irr FISM, zoo6 in Stockholm: "Woody, remember you ccurtc ltt,r.,, to shotu your routine to the whole utorld. Nou ftis tirtte lo t,rt jotl it. Don't uorcA about tuirttrirttl.'l\t rtte, tlou ah.corlry ut
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Thanks Juan.
Fernando Pclayo, wlrorrr I rrrr,l l)r,rlrrcntly before starting to spend time with ,lrurrr. llt, lrirrl lx't.rr l
ruining the trick, but
if
there's something
I
learned from
Fernando, is that it's worth it: Your own version of a trick, even if it's worse, is enjoyed because of the very process of its creation- The only important thing after that process is being able to discern if you really added something worthy to the tricl and, if that's not the case, then abandon your version and perform the trick as you learned it. This eliminates the danger of ruining a good trick, and makes "toying" just a game to enjoy oneself, and an exercise in creativity.
Alex Elmsley, speaking of creativity, is one of the second kind of masters Miguel Gomez spoke about. I never met him in person, and when we eventually planned a trip, it was too late. Nevertheless, after having the chance to see his works for the first time (thanks to Stephen Minch's books) I was completely fascinated by his creative genius. Since then, I've been collecting and studying every,thing he's come up with. As I said in the prologue to ttr: Sltanish version of his books, Elmsley is a continuous splrl< lo t:r'cirlivily. His methods amaze me, and he hclped ntc l, r't'tlrirrli rrr.y nragic, antl think about magic from tlillbrcnt 1rt'r's1rt,t'livr,s. Willr lrirrr I lcirr.rrcrl to appreciate invcrrlivt'rrcss irr rrrr'llr,rl, ;rrrrl llr:rl ;rrr irrlr,lligt'rrt :rrralysis
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A book in English: The r:artl nragic of Woody Aragon
regarding the structure of a routine and "theoretical relativism" that made me feel that I had found a twin soul in magic. Because of this, and much more, I always acknowledge the importance of Elmsley, who's been unfairly pushed into the background. I think he's one of the most creative and original magicians in the zoth Century.
Gabi Pareras, an unbelievable case. In spite of his young age, he can be considered one of the true masters of our art in
Spain. He studied and assimilated Ascanio's teachings, then continued working on them, and was able to take some of them to the next level. I met him about B years ago, and since then we meet two or three times a year, when I visit Barcelona. Watching one of Gabi's lectures is like turning on the director's commentaries in a DVD: he doesn't just tell you what to do, but why, how it works, and the name of the concept he's isolatetl and labeled, so that you can use it anytime you want, jusl normal sleight of hand (and it works just like it!). Anv conversation with Gabi is that and much more. His tricks, as simple as over-whelming, create really powerful magicirl moments, and feelings very different to the ones we're used to in magic. Over the years, Gabi has taught me some of those concepls (and we have talked about many of them for a long time), anrl that made me finally realize that there's a main underlyirrli concept. The most important thing I've learned from Gabi is not to limit myself; to try to think outside of the box. In magic, it doesn't matter whether something is true or not true, or logir';rl or not logical. The only thing that matters is what we convey lo our audience. All the rest are archeffies created by magicirrn:r for our own comfort. The problem with that is that sometirtrr':, this ends up limiting our creativity.
Lennart Green, is the iast magician I can considcl rrn "master", but his influence in magic was not as direct as itt llrr' case of Juan or Gabi, as my cot.ttitt:ts with him havc bct:tt sl):u'sr' His case is a strange ouc, ittttl rltrilt'trrritlttc, as thc t:ltitngc itt llrr' way I see magic th:rt Irt'pt'ovolit'tl in nttr t:ittttc:tbottl lltt'otrl',lr watching him on virlco, ;r rrrcrli;r so ol'lt'n t'r'itit'izt'rl. l,'t'r'n:rrrrl,,
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Pelayo had alrt'irrlv lolrl rrrr, ;rlrorrl lrinr, lrut I though his words were exaggeratt'tl. W;rlclrirrg l,r,rrrurrl (lrccr-r for the first time completely chlrrgt,rl llrr, wit.y I llrotrght of many magical concepts. Thanl
enjoying the mere practice, creation, or presentation of a technique. I discovered the table is a "third hand" that has to be taken into account. I felt comfortable using his " chaoticcontrols" as much as I was when using classic techniques. There's a different side to Lennart's sleights, nevertheless, that has to do with his Snctp Deal andhis amazing flourishes, which are completely opposite to the sleights I like to use, but I enjoy immensely r.vtren I see him perform them.
I was lucky enough to meet Lennart in zoo6, at the magic festival Toledoilusion (a convention I organized, in which Lennart was the main artist, thanks to the great Dani DaOrtiz's help) and at that occasion, and in some more that would come larter, I spent some days with him, and showed him my Sepcrragon (a slcight that I could only have created after wittching hinr). I also got to see some of his ideas live. I tlisc:ovcrt'tl llr.'s vr,r'v lit.t.rr on mathematical principles, and that Irt''s ir grr':rl pclsorr, lrrrrrlrlt.irnrl l
re
A book in English: The caxl nragic of Woody Aragon
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you want to live life to its fullest.
That's about it. But, I must say there's a different group o1' magicians in Spain that, without meeting Miguel Gomez's requirements to be considered as my masters, they have had a great influence on my magic, helping me to grow as a magician. Miguel Angel Gea, Ram6n Riob6o, Juan Esteban Varela, Miguel Gomez himself, my partner in magic li.aki Zabaletta... I will speak of my "lesser masters" on another occasion. TO SUM IT UP:
Juan:
The goal of magic: Joy, Love, Communication,
Emotions.
Fernando:
Being fond of magic, "toying" with it. Enjoy the process, "taste" it.
Alex Elmsley: Enjoythe method. Originality. Analysis. Creativity. "magician's logic". Create feelings. Catli: Fighting joy of sleight of hand. Relative Lennart Green: The naturalness.
could say, then, that I try to have Elmsley in my heacl, Fernando in my taste, Lennart in my hands, Gabi in my eyes' and Juan in myheart.
I
Appendix:
WOODY'S CHANGE BOX Every time a magician llcrlin'rns tricks similar to the ones in this book, that requirc stacking several cards (or even the whole deck) prior to the start of the trick, being able to perform a deck switch comes in real handy. That's why I will now explain how to build a gimmicked box I invented around r99B (although I would not be surprised if someone had invented something similar before me), and that I even sold in Spain for a while. The gimmick looks just like a regular box, but allows you to switch up to half the deck when you introduce it inside the box, and later take it out.
What you will need: Two identical card boxes, scissors or an exacto knife, glue, and about 3o cards, preferably old ones, case they are stained with glue.
in
Start by flattening out the card boxes completeiy. You will only keep the front (the "face"), sides and flap of one of them, as you can see in the picture.
A book in English: The carcl nragic of Woody Aragon
A
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on the oppositt.sitlc ol'llrr, ollrcr, lrox's l1ir1r. 'fhe result will be a regular sized box witlr two r.orrrpiu.lrrrt'nls.
Place 3o cards over the same "face" of the complete box.
Bend the side of the box at the right of the 3o card group, so that the box becomes as thick as the cards. When you place the box over the cards, there will be some excess of the box on the Ieft. Bend it and cut it, so that the box is even. Stick the side and lower flaps. Finally, make an exaggerate cut the "bite" in the rear of the box, as you can see in the picture. You wiII end up with a "half box" that can fit half a deck.
The only thing left to do is to cut a slit in the lower part of the first "half-box", between the "flap" and the "body", so that both flaps can be closed. It should look like a regular box.
In order to use it, take a look at the box. you'll see that one of the sides (the "half-box" one) that will only allow to insert and oxtract cards from the top. The other part, if you open both flaps, lets you tal
Stick the other "half box", lcaving space for another 29 or 3o cards, over the cut at thc lt:rt'l< .yott.ittst ntitde. The flap shgtrlcl lrt'
t
A book in English: The carcl magic of Woody Aragon
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Whenever you want to change a packet of cards, even half deck, take out the "loaded" box, and open the flap of the "half box", placing the half deck you wish to change inside the compartment with only one opening. Place the box on the table, turning it upside down in the process. Since the box has no "front and back", no one will notice it.
Open the flap of the "half box", and tilt the box so that everything falls from inside. The base of the "half box" wiil prevent the cards you loaded on it from falling.
FINAL THANKS
I think there are two important
details when working with these kind of boxes. First, the "looseness" of the cards inside the compartment. If you were really placing half a deck of cards inside a box, there would be no sense in trying to "fit" it. It is also important that one of the compartments prevents the changed half from falling off the box. If you were really taking the cards from a regular empty box, you would never put thc fingers inside it to retrieve the cards, you would just tilt it s
Beside the several friends I already mentioned at the beginning of this book, I feel there's still people I should mention as, while they didn't participate directly in its creation, they have done so by contributing to my magic, my thoughts, or my personality.
My family, for obvious, but still very important reasons.
-
To Juan, Fernando, and Gabi, the "direct" masters I just told you about. Not only for what they have taught me as a magician, but for sharing their friendship with me. To my colleagues in Magic, from my generation, with which I have shared (and still do) so many things, mainly with my brother in magic, Rubiales, and my "partner in crime", Argentina's Iflaki Zabaletta. To the magicians at Madrid's SEI Magic Circle, a place where I always feel loved. To Fernando Blasco, with whom I share a passion for mathematics, for his help and enthusiasm. To everyone in Ana Tamariz's magic school, from my fellow teachers to all of the alumni who have bored with my incessant rumbling... To thc ntany friends I have met thanks to the Art of Mlgic. I,)vtrryone at FFFF, the Escorial meetings... 'lir llrrrrrorr l{ioll(ro, lirr bcing ir go
A book in English: The carcl rragic of Woody Aragon
-
magician audience), for every dinner, congress and session you've shared with me. To Maricarmen, who's had to "live" with this book for the last months (picture taking included), because the best thing that could ever happen to me is sharing my life with you. And, last but not least, to you, my dear reader, with the sincere hope that you have enjoyed, at least, some part of this book.
I love you all,
WoodyArag6n
A booli
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ol'Woody Aragon
A Book in English lndex Nobocly's lirol! (by .lutn'famariz) Introclrtctiott to lhis work Yorlr othcr lurll' Slcighls :urrl ltror t's The Separagon Cheekic Oil and Water Separagon Triumph The Wiper Move Convex Control Gabi's Deck Switch The Breather Crimp The Broken Corner Card to Wallet My Anti-Faro The Swindle Shuffle 'X'ricks w€{fu mmy *fe*k Coincidences with incidences The Cheerleader Routined Spelling Never tell them what's going to happen
Maverick The Human Scale Si Fry Bored of Shuffling Gilbreath Detective Psychic Poker Grantlpa's Poker Iirtlnirsc lllcsserl l)okcr
17
2t 25
35 55
57 61
65
t3 81 81
87
9l
97 107 113
125 131
139 141 153 161
167
115 I8
I
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A book in English: The card magic of Woody Aragon
YrteXcs
A book ln Eryllthl Thr oud rarylo of Woody Aragon
with special cards
Do not get confused... The Transparent Traveling SPots Examinable Cannibals Winner's Intuition Clockwork Woody The Psychic Deck
207
2t3 2t9 231 23s 241
$Ie&ght *S smath Faro Shuffles and Factorial Dealing 253 259 On the Gilbreath Principle T&re
P.$"F.
{Serxxlxxeexa* I}ee}< Pr&xaeip&e)
The Permanent Deck PrinciPle ESP Memorized Deck The Slot Machine Postcards The Court Cards Gilbert's Error Code Wait! There's still more!
.&rticles amd &ssxys An Interview Theoretical Relativism Regarding Mathemagic Construction and Composition My Masters
AppexdiN Woody's Change Box
267 273 277
28t 293 296 301
307
3t9 323 339 361
367
Fimx$ ?'hamks
Final Thanks
//lore Woody in...
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