dai vernon - revelations manuscript
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Dai Vernon - Revelations ManuscriptTRANSCRIPT
FOREWORD
This is t he book I have always wanted to write. For nearly fifty years
I have been :Ln touch with active card men, ethical and other1vise, and have
discovered that Erdnase as an author is general-ly misunderstood and misinterpreted.
My object in writing, this book is threefold. F:Lrst, it ~~11 be attempted
to stress the utter practicability and logic of his instruction. Second, I hope
to clarify many points of procedure so that t hey may be acquired with greater
facility. Lastly, I propose to include sundry new and original methods and
practices generally unknown in Erdnase1 s day. These, I trust, , will aid in
bringing the old cl assic, 11The Rlcpert of the Card Table11 thoroughly up to date.
The Il' esent volume will in no ~~a::r supersede the Erdnase work. It is intended
simply as a companion volume. .Indeed, it cannot be understood without constant
reference to 11The &cpert at t~e Card Table". Therefore, I cannot stress tQ,:»strongly
---------~that t he t Ho books shoul d be studied together.
The Erdnase ''ork has often been spoken of as being a textbook on geOllletry
or higher mathematics and too essentially theoretical to be taken seriously.
No greater mistake '-ras ever made. Erdnase is at once logical and practical.
Surel y no one, before or since, has written as lucidly on the subject of card
table artifice.
To me t here is in Erdnaije a timel ess and uni.versal quality ~Tllich the years
}lave changed only superficially. Neverthel ess, I have mde bold to add, as above :1\-P:O
stated, a number of ~ternative and original methods~ procedures.
CARD TABLE ARTIFICE
Under this heading Erdnase stresses the fact that t he real secrets of card
table artifice have been held sacro.sanct. Tnis statement largely holds true today.
Even the ••ell posted magician has little or no knowledge of t he actual uethods . ~"
and dodges employed by~ con1petent professional 1'mechanics. 11 Even less does
he know how tbe subterfuges are empl oyed 11under fire."
2
Erdnase 1 s discussion of card table artifice should be read <lith the closest
attention1 particularly his disselltation on uniformity of action.
He dismisses the use of holdouts i n a feH Hords. As a matter of fact there
are actually not over a l·alf dozen men in this country capable of using a holdout
oR.. t'mac~e11 to advantage. Its use requires great nerve and for this reason
most operat(?rs : resort to t he use of drugs or liquor.
THE ERWASE SYSTEM OF BLIND S1-:11FFLES
Altho Erdnase clearly states that the first and little fingers hold and locate
t he jog it is essential to b~ in mind the following technique. To begin with
bot>- t he outjog and injog should be made so that card does not project over ~
parter of an inch. When card is outjogged it should project veey slightly over
t he curled left index finger"?-P. By a sUght up;rard pressUre the projecting card
is heJ.d in its jogged position. If this is done correctly one has the feeling
that a fine break is being hel d by forefinger, altho no actual breqk or separation I'"OI!E. l' J>-/Gti R
is created. As a mtter of fact the fo"~~ilr is merely holding the j ogged card
in a secure position. The same t hing applies to t he injog in ~rhich case the
little finger is employed.
Correctl y performed it is virtually impossibl e for the closest observer to
discern a jogg~d card. It is needless to state t hat t he shufflee are performed
without glancing , at the pack.
THE ERDNASE SYSTEt1 OF BLIND RIFFLES AND CUTS
The positions described by Erdnase cannot be improved upon. Learn to
riffle shuffle naturally. Proper atten ti.on should be given to squaring up and this
is perfectly described by Erdnase.
PUSH THRaJGH AND _PU~ OUT SHUFl"LF£)_
Tte se shuffles, valuable to magicians, are briefly mentioned by Erdnase
who goes into no details.
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The basic details of this type work was recently described in a manuscript
retailin~ for fifty dollars. This material is veey similar to methods and f).I-E L-k'f E:
technique evolved many years ago by a well known New York physician," Dr. Jacob
Daley.
It was our pleasure in 1919 to Jneet. i n Chicago a truly fabulous gambler
whose real name we must w.i.thhold but knO\m to t he frat.erni t.y as , 11The Mysterious Kid. 11
He had originated and perfected a technique 'vith the riffle shuffie that we have
never seen duplicated. As an example of hi s uncanny skill he '1-rould,with four
apparently orthodox riffle shufflel!l1 bring any four desired cards to the top of pact<.
~ We !eel certain t hat his methods are utterly unkno;m );'f' present day card men and
even more certain t hat ris attainments will never be duplicated. In the final.
chapter of this book will be described t he fundamental basis of this work. put..L-
For all practical purposes t he ~ through shuffle is infin4tly superior
to t he pull out -- it is sure and cannot miss.
First, ho~1ever,. lte re are a fe~T po:inters on the pull out shuffle--always
i:azardous. The t~;o packets are riffled together and pushed in evenly until ~ost
an inch protrudes. Then t he sides of t he second finsertips square up and push
the tHo packets together. HoHever, right fi.neertip pushes its packet
diagonally in,qards to a slight degree so that inner left corner projects
about width of a marg:in. It will be found that right second finger and t liUlllb can
be passeJ. or rubbJed along right end o.f'pack in a squari 1.g movement (as described
by Erdnase, Fig. 10, Page 38) and during t his nrJvement the left hand remains NC:.AR.
iromobile •.Jit.-. second f inger :rressed ~" outer corner at end. Thumb is
positioned at left inner corner.
To pull out the hands must s r ift position. The t i •umbs are held at the t wo
inner corners and second and t ird f ingers are moved to front side of pack.
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Second fingers s hould be about one r:alf inch apart as deck is grasped. Owing to
diagonal pos:i.tion of packet~, thumb and fingers can definitely feel and grip
the two separate packets. Right, now' pulls out its packet w:i t h a natura+
undercut and s l aps it on top.
PULL THROUGH SHU.F~ . e
This h as more utility and severaJ. mpthods ~Till be described.
Shuffle# the same as before and push in until about one inch protrudes. Now
the manner of appare!ftly squaring differs. At this pQint t he sides of third
fingertj.ps are placed against edges of packets and as c l osely as possible to b.
outer corners. As before, the right third~~es its packet diagonaJ.ly
in't-.rards, but in t his case its packet is also pushed fol'l·rard ancJ. continues to be pushed
until it passes around the corner of the other packet. It ;.d.ll no1·r be found t hat CONTACT
the fleshy pad of the right third f ingertip ~lin be against or in El§olEh'ut
1vith the corner of t he other packet which is ,held firmly between the right third
fingertip and t rrumb.
Seco~d finger of right hand and left t humb square up t he diagonal packets.
Throughout t ,his movement t he under or left packet remains stationary thns
avoiding the usual tell ta,le "~<reaving or eccentric motion. All t hat remains to be
done is to pull packets apart and, if desired, repeat one or more times.
At conclus,on instead of separating packets and reshnf!ling, the right hand
pulls out its packet and in an oblique, forward movement places it on table.
Then right h~d takes other packet from left and pl aces it atop. This perfectly
simuJa tes a bonafide cut. Thpse who witnessed the above handling by the late
Dr. Jacob Daley •rill attest to it's complete deceptive properties.,
To enhance t he effecti veness of the abqve we have added an original touch
w~ich permits t he shuffle to be performed at a slower tempo and results in puzzling
those 1-rell versed in t his tY.J?e of worko
5
When commencing s'mffle, top packet must be cut to t he right (the usual
procedure) and l eft t humb tilts up from table its complete packet. Right hand,
however, til ts up only about hal.f its packet. S\uffle, but commence wi t h left
t •ro.mb. Cards are pushed t hroueh as above described with resul t that about tMo
t hirds of the pack l-d.ll be projecting about one quarter inch to t he right. f"M·:J'
Rieht thumb l ifts up, or tilts very slightly t hese projecting cards and,.are held
in th.is position by l eft thumb so t hat right hand can irnmed:i.ately grasp t he small
bott0111 packet and cut it to t.he top, but in such a manner that its right edges are
in alignment. In this posi tion there l-lill be a packet of cards projectl.ng
on t he l eft. Tre se cards are noi., grasped by t hird finger and thumb and right
hand carries remaining cards obl iquely forr1ard on table. Right hand then returns,
picks up remainder and places on top.
Due to the Jarge proportion of cards on top that are not interlocked t he
f inal move1nent above creates the illus!.. on of a perfect cut.
This handling of t he unshuf!led middle block can be applied with equal
success to t he first mentioned pull out shuffle. The cards are shuffled
exactly as bef ore and Hhen the packets are pushed togeth:lr diagonally the f in;.;ers
are moved to t he sides of pack and t he t l umbs to t he rear and a slight pressure
resul ts in squaring or a l ignine the sides. In this case t te left thumb lifts
up the enti re interwoven packet and the r j_ght fingers am thumb pull out the
uns•Juf!led block and slaps it on top -- left edges in perfect r egister. This
results in leavi.ng t he int er.,oven cards projecting in the l ower part of t he pack.
Trese are then pulled out an<;l slapp ed on top with the result of all cards being
in their original order.
Many variations are possible wl th both t hese s hui'fl es. An excellent
procedure is t he folJ.ovTing : When stripping out t he cards with the right hand,
instead of throwing all on top at finish simpl y slap the packet on so tr~t it
6
projects about a half inc h to t he r ight. Immediately pull out t he lo•Ter hal!
of t his packet and s l ap it on top of all--with left edge in Jine wi. t h J.o ~;ermost
packet. Projec t ing packet on right is t hen slapped on top completing the
subterfuge. Neatly executed t !o.is is most convincing and the cutt:i..ng will be
r ecognized as an adaption of the famil iar '~p t he 1a dder."
The possibil ities of combining t he false r5.ffle with various block transfers
and cuts are practica~y l imitless. Here is an interesting princ:i.ple -,rhich
involves t he block transfer of any desired number of cards during a r iffle
shuffle. ~Assume t hat a desired card is in fourth position and you vTish to
bring it to 1;.he top by a riffle shuffle.; Proceed as follows. As usual cut
off top half, to right and riffle cards but somewhat faster •·Tith the right
until all but t hree cards have run dmm. These t hr-ee ar..e allowed to drop on top
and t be position of desi red card may pe disregarded. No;.r perform t he regular
pusb t hrough s;.u :t:fle but as cards are pushed t brough the top t l::o:-ee do not
accompany t he packet but by a sl i ght movernent of t he left second finger to
t he 1e f't t hey alm.ost automatically transfer to t he former left packet. No•·r when
cards are stripped out for t he second riffle t.l:e desired card will be atop
t he left hand packet and during t he ensuing riffle it is allmV'ed to fall on top.
Should desired card be deeper in pack, say twelvth, simply transfer or
get rid of four during t he first riffle, four t he second and tl~ee the t hird
time whic h e l i minates eleven cards and leaves desired card on top.
quite possible to accomplish t r e above in t wo riffles by getting rid of six and five
but greater skill is required.
Altho Erdnase does not stress t he fact, i t is most important t hat t he action
of t he one card blind cut ll!llst perfectly simulate the natural cut.
Important. In practice aim to have t he top or slip card fall in perfect
alignment or register wit;; tl:e l ower packet. The usual fault is that slip card
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either does not perfectl y align itself or fall flatly atop 10\'rer packet. Thu:~
the illusion is destroyed.
CUT TO RETAIN THE COMPLETE STQCK
The secret of perfecting this cut is to first learn to genuinely cut the
cards fol10ldng Erdnase t s instructions to t he l etter. However, in performing
t his blind cut there is an i mportant point that Erdnase does not stress--the
exact position of second fingers and thumbs of both hands !liUst be identical
whether executing t he true or t he blind.
It is not necessary to raise or l 01>er or, in any wa;y alter, position of
t he left second finger duri ng the cutting. Again we stress that the action
must be in perfect conformity witt:. the true cut.
TO RETAIN THE TOP STiroK
Altho the method described by Erdnase is excellent in every detail there is
an added touch wl ich renders it even more effective for practical use •
The action is t his. When the right hand slaps its cards on top, ti:-.d.s
packet actually drops on other packet diagonally. Specifically the right ends
of both packets are squared but outer left corner of upper packet extends over
l or.ver packet about a quarter or a half inch. As this is done the ~ thumb
and second finger are heJ.d out of t he r.iay so that the p.ction is not obstructed.
Left finger and thumb immediately square up the t wo portions in this manner.
Left thumb presses against upper edge of projecting lower packet. At same time
second finger presses do\m slightl y and ~.Ji t h a slight squeezing motion both
packets are pressed together.
S:l.nnlltaneously, at opposite end slide t he second finger inward along the
end and thu.'llb outrrard along t he :inner side until t hey meet at the corner which
serves to squeeze or press t he cards into a squared position. This s~g
motion, ••hich can be repeated, automatically creates a break which is re ld by Je ft
tlrumb.
Since evolving the above handl ing' many years ago we mve u s ed it consistently
8
to the exclusion of all others.
TO RETAIN THE BOTTOM STacK
This is simply a variation of the moves already discussed but Erdnase's
description should be carefully understood,. V u ~r. 1'rfe l-1r?'mo l> For<. secv.~r~c. ).. ~P.MiL ~ .J'Et,'l:!.t3>tl').
COMBINA. TIONS OF RIFFLES AND cu·rs
This is one of the most important paragraphs in Erdnase 1s entire v;orlc
and j s often disregarded by the average reader. This really demonstrates the
practical use of the riffles and cuts.
FANCY BLIND CUTS
A possible improvement suggested by a veteran card expert is when the four
packets are successively dropped atop table they are allowed to ov,erlap one
another for half their length. They are then slOlvly pushed together and squared. I
This tends to accentuate the fairnessof the cut.
ONE-HANDED FANCY TRUE CUT
We have often utilized this simple cut for a variety of purposes. Among
other things it lends itself to an artistic delayed force at the card table. Card
to be forced is on botton of pack. Execute the fancy true cut which results in
the t;1o packets being in a stepped condition--the upper packet projecting
over lower at outer left corner. By grasping pack at sides by right end, it may
be carelessly picked up and moved to another position without disturbing the JOG .
jog or 11brief. 11 I1' ~ happens to be too 'ldde it can easily be narrowed by a
slight pressure of finger and thuntb. A delay can be created by making a few
remarks "•hile pack remains on table. When ready to have card chosen second
finger and thumb grasp pack at right end and slide it over to zslmffling posi t:ion.
Left hand grasps pack, f~ngertips at front edge and tbumb on top. Lift pack
and place it in left hand but at same time give it a half turn to left. Right
fingers and tl:umb grasp ptck f'rom above at ends. Left hand holds pack :in
dealing position and little fincer pulls down step thus creating a break.
9
Th..e above procedure may appear somevmat involved but in reaJJ.ty it i s quite
simple and above all completely disarming. The U&~al get-ready often
vrarns the spectator t hat a force is about to be made. By the above handling
his suspicions are completely lulled.
(I) TO INDICATE THE LOCATION FOR THE CUT
The only suggestion in handling is that, at the exact moment o£
: bending t he cards, the left t humb presses down f irmly on the entire pack--causing
it to concave slight l y . At same time the left fingers bend t he bottom portion
quite s harpl y. Altho both packets are bent in the same direction due to the
fact that lo~·rer packet has a greater concavity (e::~pecia.J..l.y at inner end) a break
is thereby formed.
In the convex crjJnp method it is ad·vi sable before putting in t he crimp
to make all the cards slight l y convex.
(II) LOCATION BY TBE JOO
Not only can be used for cutting as described but is useful :for
magic as at completion of cut instead of placing on table, pack is seized at
ends by right, pl aced in left and fingers can easily form break belo~1 jogged
cards. This is vastl y superior to in or out jog usuaLly employed.
(III) LOCATION BY THE CRIMP
A more practical method f or :magical purposes is, instead of dravring
pack to edge of table in order to put in the convex cr:Unp, as t he cut is made
th~ right end of deck is tilted up slightly lihich enabl es third finger to be
slipped under ~d. Tlte crimp is. formed as Erdnase suggests except the cards
are bent over th:i.rd f inger instead of table edge. This operation of bending
must be done quickly before lor.rer half i s withdrawn. When loHer half is exposed
a l l signs of pressure must be absent0
10
{IV) LOCATION BY THE SlNGLE JOG
In t he method described the card projects f rom the r~i:t end. However
our original manner ot handling will be found most useful. With card projecting
to right as above, second fingers of both hands apparentl y square ends. Right
fingertip pushes card flush but sli ghtly diagonally so that left inner earner projects
about one sixteenth of an inch. Right hand, finger and thumb, squares up at r i.ght JoG
end only. Pack can nov be freely han:iled by r ight end and ~ instantly l ocated
by left thumb. This permits a neat cut to be made at t .d.s point i f the first
fin -·er at top exerts a slight downward pressure to retain jogged card in proper
posi tion.
!n the above, pack must be cut Hith the left hand but if desired to
cut ld th right hand all ~oves are a mply reversed.
BOTT011 DEALING
Fe•1 present daY experts use or recoi1Jil1end the nethod of bottom dealing
described by Erdnase; their cl~ef objection beincf the posi tion of pack in hand
and the difficuJ ty of concealing the movement of the t hird finger. May we say, (
ho1-1ever, t hat the above grip is of constant u'l:,iJ.i ty to card men. When the cards,
thus held, are spread betweeu hands it is easy, wit.hout descernible movement,
to slip the bottom card along bottom of fan -- a :nove of constant utility.
TOP AND OOTTOH DEALING HITH ONE HAND
This is well worth learning if used only f or exhibi tion purposes. The
natural sv7ing necessary to deal cards serves to conceal. the secret action. One
has only to witness the work .of Edv:ard G, (Tex) McGuire of Providence, R.I. to
appreciate the possibilities of this deal.
1'HE SECOND DEAL (rl
If t he follo•dng suggestions are adopted anyone attemtping to master the
sl eight can aL~ost immediately acquire t he essential knack and feel which are of
11
all importance in acquiring the deal. Thus countless houx·s of tedious practice are
obviated.
F.ir st, hold pack in an eagy, normal position with the forefinger resting
against or curled around outer end. If preferred the tip of forefinger may rest
against t r e right outer corner of bot. tom card.
To practice deal , simply pull back the top card about one quarter inch thus
exposing the outer end of second card and, important, the left inner corner of card_
must be press~irw~y against base of palm. The tip of left thumb is placed so
that it contacts edge of top card a"ld exposed card equally. To deat, the thumb
pushes t ha two cards over the side topether but in such a manner that inner left
corner of top card actually bites into flesh of lower palm and pivots at this point.
Thus the second card is dealt in the customary manner.
Cl osely following this si. mple expedient it ldll be found that by dealing
throug~ t l:e pack a few times the proper feel of pivoting the top card will all11ost
instantl y be acquired. Likevlise, and of equal importar:c e, it ~-Jill be found that
the left third ani second finger acts as a sensitive gauge to permit only two
cards to be pushefver edge of pack. If correctly executed the tip of third
finger experiences a distinct sensation; the bite of the t l· O cards pas sing over
the finger pad.
As proficiency is acquired the lap of the two cards can be narrowed until it
can be executed with an increasi.::lgly small margin. When this has been accomplished
the pulling back of the top card can be dispensed with and left thumb performs
the duty as descr:i.bed by Erdnase •.
Important note. As the second card is grasped./\rust be dealt in the exact AGif.lrTfol-1
lateral plane of the top card, otherwise there •dll be a d:i.scerni.ble ~ of
12
t he top card as the second i s dealt. ~df-=ll!llst.-~11~cl.-:ttill1r-dur;tng the
Secwu3 ~.
These detai l.s combined wit h the rapidity of the top card's baclo rard movement
create the desired deception.
Both Robert-Houdin and Erdnase agree that the rapid.:ity of t he backward
movement prevents detection.
This deal, correctJ.y executed in all particulars, i s, in my own esthation the
b est of. all ne thods I have seen.
ANOTHER l.fETHOD
This method as Erdnase admits is difficult to contr ol but 1-:e suggest an
orif :i.nal variation whic h oll'ercomes the essential wealmess as the cards can be kept
under perfect control.
Pack is held in reguJa r deaJ.'i.n0 position but first f inger must extend around the
outer en/.or deck and slizhtly above same . Pack must be held in a slight ly diagonal
position so that thumb r ests naturally and easi~ on top with tip near outer l eft
corner . Thumb is bent slightl y and t hen pushes top card directly to the right. If .
this push is continued t he tlcumb will consequently straighten out so that t he
portion of t humb bet1"ee..11 first and second joints comes into contact with the exposed
second card. The top card ll!llst be pushed ful~ three quarters of an inch to the
right before t he secon'i card starts to move • Left fingertips which Will be under
top card, gauge the pushing off of t he second card as in a reguJa r top deal.
RiPht hand deals second card as usual but the instant this rand erips second
card, the top card must be pulled back by thumb in perfect alignment with pack.
T~j_s is faciJJ.tated by the {iui dru:c e of the left f orefinger. Remember that before
second card is more than half ··:i t hdratm the top card sh..ould be fully flush Hi th pack.
STACKING, LOCATJ:!lG AND S~_URmG
Both metl:ods g:l. ven (especially t he second) are well worth acquiring paxticu.'h rly
as regards magic where it is so often necessary to arrange a number of cards secret~
13
and under close observation.
,If Hhen th1.UYlb very rapidl y f lips cards, f:reque,1t1y the desired card •'lill
inadvertently slip by. If this happens~j is a simple 1•tter f or the thu:nrjtip to
return to the proper point and secm·e the desired card. As stated this per1ni ts
the operation to be performed Hit h extreme rapid:i.ty.
By t i>e sec,ond method four or more desired cards can. be brought to bottom
or top 'l'."i. th a m;i.nimum of effort.
We consider this first s uffle described by Erdnase much superior t o the
one in co.•mon use. In the latter t he top and bottom cards are dra;m off in pairs.
For several obvious reasons the Erdnase sleight i s superior.
ERDNASE SYSTEM OF STACK._E.~G _
Th~ all essential thing to strive for in the Erdnase system of stack shuffling
is to make no more than a qu arter inch inner or out jog. It is amazing how little
margin is needed if you adhere strict ly to the instructions o! con·t.rolling, the
jog · by the first and little fingers~ Once acquired the operator should
experience the feeling of holdi11g a very !ine break althqugh he is actually not
doing so. In conjunction vTi th card tricks we consider the out jog generally
superior to the injog. This s l ruffle ·..rell performed can be used with i.mpunity
before those l·rell acquainted with the \vork. Sadl y enough, as usually performed,
it is painfully obvious to even the most unobserving.
TJ.-.:E ERDNASE SYSTEM~~l:!fr~-~9'_-
0nce Pilt.Oficient in the stack shuffle no difficulty will be experienced
in acquiring the cull shuffle. In ll'.odern card magic this shuffle can be used
to tremendous advantage so it i s passing strange that i.t has been alluost
entirel y neglected•
PA.LMJNG
The Erdnase paJ.rn rTas apparently devised to eUm:inate all strain from the
hand. Owing to the technique employed it almost appears as if cards were
placed in palm by an invis.i.bl e po•·er. A
At th~point in description 1·1here Erdnase states that fingers are held I
perfectl y straight it must be reme·tbered that this consumes only a small part of
a single second.
Important. After the palm and after cards have been dropped to table
the action of the right han~s most ~nportant.
card is palmed for t he hand to nwve too slowly.
There is a tendency when a
This is due to the fact that
a palmed card ha.'l!pers natural relaxation. Therefore it is necessary to move the
hand more rapidly to simulate natural action. Hay we st.ress again that when
the hand conceals a palmed card t he f ingers, the hand and the wrist must be completely
' relaxed. Actually the hand does not grip t he card but owing to the natural
curve of the card t he diagonal corners simply press slightly against root of
thumb and first joint of little finger. This is due to the natural tendency
of the card to straighten. A card correctl y palmed creates the sensation of
merely clinging to hand and not of be:i.ne gripped or held.
The second method described by Erdnase is sil'liliar but inferior and needs
no collllllent.
When pack :is held!i.n r lght h<md ld th card palmed the hand has a much more
relaxed appearance if the forefinger is bent inward oo that its tip rests
on t he top of the pack. This applies even more strongly ~Then pack is grasped
by the sides.
BOTTOM P.AIM
We consider the first 11e thod the best for ~aJ~tbling purposes, nowever the
second re thod is superior for conjuring .
When the cards are pi votecf.nward the t :;ird f inger should be used..
in preference to the littJ.e finger. Cards are aligned in palming position with
extended left forefinger 'lorhich (~Tips them and the remaining three fingers 1-rill
be in a curled position. Under scrutiny it is f~tal to attempt to extend t ha. cv JZ-Lt-D ·
fingers at this point altho it may appear otherwise.
Instead, right hand should be extended to place pack on table, to show
bottom card or some similiar pretext. Simultaneously left hand turns inward
and dol·mward and perform~ some such action as pulling back sleever, adjusting tie
or even dropping to sid~ while standing. In short, this is a perfect example
of delayed action.
REPLACING BOTTOM P.Allv!,
If Erdnase's instructions are closely followed there should be no dfficulty
in performing this sleight.
The important thing to bear in mind is that forefinger firmly grips card
at end which enables the other three fingers to slide along end, around corner to Al-or-.~ G
side. Then immediately forefinger slips-\end to position near outer right corner
or, as Erdnase suggest, curls under front edge of pack thus aiding the rotary
motion. The above ::1ovement is not co!lllnensed until the instant the left edge of
pack comes into contact l>rith fork of thwnb as cards are placed in left hand. The
entire action or adjustment takes place in less t~an a second and is entirely :
ilnperceptible.
MAINTAINING BOTTOM PALM \iHILE DEALWG
' vle have often lvondered why this handling has been almost wholly neglected
in the performance of card magic~ Under many co~di~ions the appearance of
the; hand holdinr; the palm is enhanced by curling the . forefinger around the end
of deck. ·'
TO HOLD THE LOCATION OF CUT Wh'ILE DEAIJNG
Erdnase's exact handling should be ac~red by every card l~orker . as it has
16
unlimited uses. :..f·f'\
When 1•orking surrounde~ t is well to have11fingers at extreme IJ\lN (.I<:.
end of side canpletel y covering t he break.
SHIFTS
Erdnase's method for the two-handed shift is the only one in which tip
of tha~b is held at side of pack and it is decidedly more efficient especially if
operator's hand is small.
Unquestionably the finest descriptions of the two-handed pass yet given are
by Lang Neil and Erdnase. Both stress the fact that right fingers should not
pull up the under packet. The Bertr~ method (described by Lang Neil)
uses first finger and thumb as pivot and Erdnase the second finger and thumb.
Undoul>tedly better control is achieved by curling first finger of l eft
hand around the outer edge o£ pack as deRc~1hed by Lang Neil.
In any pass or shift the all essentiU purpose i s to cause t;;o packets o~
cards to transpose in the least possible space with the greatest minimum of
movement and with the maxi.rtlUITI of cover. Furthermore a ma:x::I.ITtuln of speed is
essential without the sacrifice of smoothness and there must be no semblance of
strain during the action. In initial practice the beginner should strive only for
smooth a"ld even execution after which speed will unconsciously be achieved.
There are, of course, a multitude of different shi.t'ts and each usually poss~~
certain advantages for certain specific purposes. For many years we have
consi stently used a shift possessing sundry original qualities and which, we
feel, can be successfully employed under most circumstances.
The mechanics of this s!-.ift are quite s:imil iar to t he conventional but
o,.,'ihg to the el imination of any tilting or hinging motion of the lower packet
the· sleight bears little reselnblance to the orthodox.
Briefly pack is held in regular dealing position but 1. th little finger
separatine th.e t Ho packets and forefinger curled loosely around outer end.
Hhen right hnnd approaches to grasp the pack, as usual second finger and
17
thumb seize bottom packet by ends. No,.r this packet is l ifted straight upward
vii t hout any til ting 11hatever. The left edge of l o·.rer packet, i n so doing, Hill
s l ide up'.{ard along the inner side of t humb unt il i t reaches a point near t he
tip
With a s l i ght as sistance f rom the l eft fingers the elevation of l o-.rer packet
as above described causes upper half to s•·l'ing around underneath~ Holding t he
nm• uppermos·!; packet dead still, l eft ·fingers bri ng up r emainder of cards from
belo.v and i mmediatel y left thumb and f ingers square up sides by sliding to and
fro along edges.
' The enti re 'action shoul d appear to onlooker as if the pack 1vas merel y lifted
from a normal dealing position to f i ngertips f or the purpose of squaring.
When employing t he orthodox shift several gambl ers of our acqul1i ntance
utilize t he f ollowing dodge to more fully cover t he action of the s11Ht from
t he f ront. During the s hift t he l eft forefinger, curled around t he outer end, ·
is kept in · constant contact ld t h t he right fingertips. At Hrst trial thi s
may appear ir~possible but after a few attempts it will be f ound t hat if the , I
pulli ng off of t he top packet is restri cted to t t he us e of t he Ja st three fingers,
the · f i rst .finger can be held firmly in contact 'ld. th the r i ght fingerti ps. TP.is
immobile first finger tends to cover any telltale flash that mi ght other~tise rel$Ult.
We mentloned at the outset that t he t wo packets shoul d transpose in the
l east poss ibl e space and we here offer an invaluabl e suggestion as to how this
may be realized easily and practi cally. Altho it can be appli ed to al l t1-ro-
handed shifts, it is an essential part of our own parti cular method.
0!-1:ing to t he f act t hat the l ittl e f inger separates the two halves o!
pack, a triangul ar space is thus created. If pertni tted to remain during the
action more movement occurs. Hol,rever dur:ing t he action this space can be
18
eliminated by recoul'se t o t he following simple expedient.
As soon c>.s the inner left corner of t he upper half clears the ~ght
t hu1nb, the nngers of same hand tldst t he l o1.rer half slightly in a
counter-clockwise laovement. At same time left fingers give a slight t~iist to
upper half in opposite direction. The pass is then completed.
These simple actions brine the right irmer corner of lower half in contact FA-c. e
vrit h t he ~card of top half t hus eliminating this undesi rable triangular space •
Another point to r a>ne111her is, that as t he packets clear onekother the sides
of each will be parallel.
Another ir~portant point to bear in mind is that t hroughout t he s hift's actiO!l.
t he lef t t humb exerts a dovmward pressure which causes t he right sid!l of under ·
packet to pivot upward bett·reen s econd finger and thumb of right hand. This
pressure s hould not be relaxed. Actually l ower packet pivotsup and is,~
in t his position until left hand completes the movement., F~~
Thus one novement is
el:\:rlinated. l>fnen t he pass is executed correctly t he operator must feel he is
making only a single movement.
Here are t 1-1o 1rrays to employ t he pass to advantage. First the delay~c.l.
tec :·nique. The l eft hand '1-ri t h finger inserted may be drQ)ped to side .
or a ges ·~ure made and during t his action the pack lll.U.st be adjusted to t he
exact posi tion so t hat '·!hen t he t Ho hands come together not the slirll test
aJ teration of position in l ef t hand is necessitated. Thus t he shift can b e
instantly :·!ade.
It is often desirabl e to make the pass i mmediatel y after a card is repl aced
either in .fanned Clr' squared deck. The l eft hand, in either case, adjusts itself
before t he selected card is returned so t hat ~snen deck is squared the pass can
be instantly made.
19
THE ERDNASE SHIF';r . ....__;:;;ON:.;.:E::...:.:H=AN· D~
Most experts after mastering this most difficult shift find it dif ficult IIJ l>f 1';CT}I~I.~
if not impossible to uti lize it in a practical or .:indM\8ble lYaY. However,
we submit an original technique..:-a natural screening which make:~ the action
virtually invisible. It these practical details are f ollowed the pass ldll
fulfill all cJ.aims made for it. -
The s hift can only be rendered deceptive at the card table by usine t he rir:,ht
hand for screen or cover. The pack is hel d as described by Erdnase with l eft
thumb ready to assume its grip. Right hand then approaches in a natural way to
grasp cards at ends but not unti l right edge of pack is screened or covered does
t he l eft thumb curl around end. Then the sl"d.ft is inatantJ.y made to t he point
where l ower packet passes around upper half · and is almost ready to fi.l, It
is at t~is instant that t he falling packet is arrested and grasped at ends by
the rip:ht fingers and thumb. Left hand lifts or actually boosts up l ower half
to meet it. Right hand can t hen take deck and tap edge on table or left
hand can make a squarine -~ovement al on;7 sides.
For ~agical purposes t he foll o ·1ne move can often be used to great advantage .
Holding pack in starting position allcm spectator ':Jho j_s stancling on your left
to sight or peek a card by opening deck at corner. Your left thumb indicates
,. hat is t o be done by breaking pack in several places -- a PG!fectly natural
gesture. The instant card i s sieht ed a break is held by second finger with
thumb in perfect posj.tion .
Hand,holdint; pack, grasps spectator's arm fiR a request is made.fbr him
to step foi'l·rard or backward. Under cover of this ,pass can be made invisibl y
and in a t~.rinkling.
THE ERDNASE SHIFT TWO fi.ANDS
This is undoubtedly the easiest pass in the Erdnase book toacquire but
20
personally we have faund but little use f or it.
TO ASCERT.AIN THE TOP CARDS WHILE RIFFLING AND RESERVE THEM AT BOTTOM
Erdnase's handling cannot be improved upon. · This has many uses at the
card table as well as for magic. Strangely enough it has been largely
overl ooked by the magical. fraternity. An able card eutlnlsiast in Detroit
recent ly 1-n-ote us that he consi dered i t one of the best thines in the book.
MODE OF HOLDING AND SKmNlNG THE HAND
Whil e t hese methods are excel lent more modern procedures will be submitted
later in this book.
THE PLAYER WITHOUT AN_~
This section gives much sensible advice and several valuable tip:: to
the reader so it should be caretuUy studied.
TJ1REE CARD 1-fONTE
Thi s is beautifully described by Erdna seo Professional operators
inevitabl,use ti-ro duplicate cards and an odd one--usually t wo black tens
and a red ace or fi!Ueen. This enabl es the double flash to be employEd most
eff ecti veJ y.
We 1dll briefly discJose several closely guarded dodges used by
professional. 1'broad-tossers. 11 As Erdnase states the three m rds are
always crimped lengthwise to facilitate picking them up but there is another
crimp or bend secretly made in advance; namely, l'ritt. t he three cards squared
up together, outer right corners of t he t hree cards are given a sharp bend
up1~ards rri thout, of course, breaking the cards. They are then straightened
again. This !'acilitates the dodge of crimpine the corner, secretly
removing it and indetectably crimping another card.
Altho Erdnase does not mention i t, the double flash immeasurably
enhanses t he deception and we regard it as the real 11convi ncer 11 or 11c01ne on. 11
21
. There are ma.11y variations but •-te 1·:ill noH describe a demonstration ~.e have
Used for many years lf.i. th unvarying sUCCess. For impromptu purposes
~~e renove t he seven and eight of c l ubs and t he queen of hearts from
t he pack giving them the usual dmmward crimp and prepare t he corners as
above described.
The t hree cards are placed in a rOlf 1·ith queen :in center. 'vie •iill
number t he cards one, t ..ro and three running from the operata: 1 s l eft to his
rieh't.
Right hand picks up No. 3 and s bov1s. Left picks up No. 1 and shnTS.
Three i s placed over tHo (the qu.een) and both are tw:ned face up with
the remark, "A l ittle game from F.anky Poo. The black for me, t he rei (~€~~>
for you. Keep your eye on the lady." Right tosses t wo_Aface down m table.
The toss and the turninr, down are all one movement.
Left picks up t'•o, shows and tosses it face down . Tms sequence is
repeated starting vii th right hand. .
Again right hand picks up two, and on the thro'.' svri tches card so that
three lands on t he lett. With cards face done both hands move to the right
t hen left hand deposits one on extreme right and right crosses over and drops
t •m ' (queen) in the center.
Then we say, "Most people would pick t his card" - we sho•r card on left and
continue, "But t he queen is really in the center. 11 \'le ·show it, always holding
cards by ends.
Again right picks up three, , shoVJs face, left does the same. Right, still
holding card picks up t1,•o (queen) sho~rs and apparently thro•1s it to left but
makes switch. Left hand drops its card to center. Right still holding card
imniediately picks up t he card just thrmm, turns them face up ·saying 11Black here, 11
tosses to number two position at center \llaking s•ritch. Right turns up card
22
· remaining in hand and says, "Black here. 11 It is then tossed to nU!lb er
three position. Remarking, 11Even a blind man could see that the card fell
here," ~re touch inner left corner of supposed queen (in position one) ldth
left forefinger. ru.ght picks up center card, (queen) and \•r.i,th it flips over
card held by finger. As face is disclosed we remark )!l\lt1
never bet on this card
because it is al1~ays bl ack. 11 Flipping it face do•m again, card in hand is
again placed atop, both cards are turned face up, sh01·:ing black. Toss on
table making s•,r:i.tch for queen. Without s ho<Ting, card remaining in hand
is placed over card at right, both are turned up saying, "Black here. 11 Make
l eg:l.. timate toss to centel' and show last card in hand remarking, 11And1 black
here." Toss it to number three position.
Without hesitation the queen :i.s impressively turned face up ~,ith remark,
"Always pick this one."
We continue by remarking, 11This may be a bit conf using so T.·re vd.ll make
everything easy to foll01-l. 11 vie openly bend up outer right corner of queen
and place it in center position face do•m vTith the black cards at number one and
three positions.
Right picks up black card at three and clearly shows its face remarking,
11Ren1ember, this is black." Card is turned face dmm and left picks up blaclc
card f rom one pos ition, shows its face clearly and slol-rly, remarking J'.And
black here. 11 \'lith attention directed to this card, right hand secretly
bends corner of its card exactly as described by Erdnase.
Right hand, with fingers concealing t k is crimp places card atop 1t1a
queen and tosses it to left. Left hand places its card atop queen rod
tosses it back to the r ir'r,t. This is repeated several times t>hich permits
onlookers to observe the bent corner of queen. We remark, "You will n~
23
be able to see exactly what happens, but it becomes very cotf using 11hen
I cross my hands."
Finally r ight hand holding secretly crimped black card places it
over the queen, flashes it, makes switch as it is tossed to let. •
Left hand places its card to r:j..ght of apparent queen, picksup the
l atter, i mmediatelY picks up bent card on table, slowl y depos~ta it
at number three position. At this point the arms cross, left over
rig ht and under cover right f ingers straighten out corner o! real
queen and places later at number one position.
Concluded by remarking "Even it' you followed everything you would
still lose bec ause this is black, (turn over right hand card) and this
is black (turn over center card) and t he queen is al~otays here" (slowq
turn over queen.)
~le t horoughly agree with Erdnase that no card feat will give as good
returns for t he practice exp~ded as t he grand old pastime of three card
monte.
MEXICAN MONTE
This method of t urning over one card wi. t h another must be thor~ hJ.y
established by legitimatel y doing so a number of t imes before the
sl eight can be safely used. This amounts to a simple condi t:b ning
process.
The usual mistake in perfor:ninr-: t his slei.ght is that. the right
hand does a sort of !olloi.r through by conti.puing the movement beyond
the turned card. For perfect deception t he action must be a flipp::ln g
motion. wren the ri~?ht for efinger turns over t r.e tabl ed card the
other card must be lifted sufficiently to allow right side of the un<br
24
card to revolve belo1·1 it to a !ace up position. The action rnust be
smooth and done in one continuous movement.
LEGERDEMAIN
Erdnase gives sound and constructive advice in his introduction
to conjuring rd. th cards. His remarks should be carefully read and
digested.
THE C~ ARLIER ShiFT
This has been described by many 1-ll'iters on magic 'h'it h novariat:il
bUt Erdnase suggests t l at the 11 ttle finger be held at end of p ack a; a ma~'t"$
menda of attaining greater control. We have found that it is entir-ely
possibl e to make t his pass ~li thout detection if it is accompanied by a
sHeeping but natural gesture.
THE LONGITUDINAL SiiiFT
Attention should be paid to Erdnase's advice to hold right thumb
c lose to first f inger during t he action. The pass is performed entirely
by l.eft band, t lle right hand simply acting as cover.
THE OP'Fll SHIFT
This is an exceedingly difficult pass but its acquisition can be
greatly facilitated by follotling Erdnase 1s exact instructions viz: -
11The upper packet should not fall into t he left hand. It rnust be caught
by t~e curled up first finger and t he first joints of t he other left
fingers as i t cJears t he side of t he under packet."
THE S,\t/,E, SHIFT
This pass is lucidly described and we have found it ideal for
making a false cut, In t his connection t he following extract !rOlll
Erdnase' s description rnust be observed. 11This action will tilt the
opposite sides of both upwards and as t hey clear each other the right
25
thum-b tip catc hes t he under packet. 11
Now at t l·is exact point instead of continuing t he pass the
rip.ht hand places its packet on the table and then taking xemaining
packet f r om l eft hand, places it squarel y on top. This exactl y
s:ilmll ates a true cut.
Tl1E DIAGONAL Pill1 Sl,IFT
Many performers attempting to learn t his important s leight may
find t · at t l':e follo~line tecl:nique will aid them in their efforts.
\Vhen the selected card is pushed into pack diagonaUy it is not
neces sary to push the left corner dol-m t he side "~>'i t h t t e right first
.finger. Instead, l ef t t l umb tip can immediately gr:ip t his comer
and assisted by the t ree fingers at opposite si de, slide the card
b ach•ard under cover of a squaring motion. w •. en t t e thumb reaches
a point slicl't l y beyond center of t he side, t he left t humb and
l ine ers slide f or1vard again alent. tl~e edges l eaving the card pro-
truding under cover of the rigtt hand. Oldng to this greater pro-
jeeti on of the card and t he forward position of t he l eft hand it
:·'ill revol ve more neatly and invisibly into left palm. Also it
will result in less telltale movement of the left fingers .
lfi th t ·· e th.tmb al ong side of deck , bottom card or cards can be
brought into the above dia( onal position and palmed as easily as
if they Here inser..ed into t he pack. This is an efficient1b ott om
i palm w.ic:., altho mentioned by Erdnase, we i:ave never seen used.
TIE BLlNJ) SHUFFLE F'OR S.~lJ!T_N9 SELECTED CARD_
A variation of t his is our favor i te method of s ·.ufning a selec\e d
26
or peeked at card to t :"le botto.11. Break is held bel o;r noted card,
deck is turned on i ts side i uto t he l eft palm in the manner described
but i nstead of cutting to half pcr tion above break, cut directly
below breal< and s ruffle these cards to the top. This l eaves
selected card on bottom. We folio'" immediatel y wi t it another shuffie
but t ·is time retainine card on the bottom by pressure of left fingers .
T >is is easy, direct and efficient. Card on bot.tor!l is :instantly
pal.l!led i.n l eft h.and and deck can be i'lD'Ilediately handed to spectator
f or furt'ter s huf.tl ing. Erdnase rras a~rare of t he fact that t he pJ.llll
should be made without hesitation and he states - "Acticn it! quicker
if not particul ar about the number."
FORCING
Long experience wi ll undoubtedly prove that forcing a card from
above the break is greatly preferable to the force from below break.
Tr.e break, if possible, should always be belo•,; center of pa.ck .
The reason for t his is that it allo1.;s more cards to be spread and gives
a more careless appearance in handling. In spreading cards before
reaching break t he pack should be held just beyond spectator's reach. Thus
he ia compelled to advance sliehtly or extend his reach which affords
time to reach the break.
Should he r each !or a card sooner than expected do not increase
the tempo of t he pushing move111ent but, instead, push the cards w
larger groups or se~ents. It should be remembered t hat cards are
never pushed singly but in a . succession of spreads.
The i deal >lay to learn foreing is to alua;rs attempt to force e'B
11'hen a f ree se1ection can be all01-:ed.
One areat secret of the fol'Ce is to do it \·1itt>out apparent
"get-ready" such as a cut, shuf fle or furtive glance to note car~
27
A perfect illustration ot this point is the manner in which a card ;:•m
forced by the Ja te Max Malini. The card to be forced '!lras IlGlted
well in advance usually •-;hile performing another trick. A b-eak
was held belo,·r card to be f orced and in placi11g pack on table he left
a slight step or joe at this card. Entirel y disregarding pack he
would tell an amusing story or experience. Then after this dela;r \?o'w(-n<r
he would be reminded of another trick. liUeh~ up the cards in the . most careless manner possible; and without apparentJ.y looking at eitha-
spectator or pack] he ,,ould spread them out for a selection.
was no appearance of get-rea~ or preparation.
PAlMING
There
A1 tho Erdnase' s description of the back palm was 1·:ri tten in the
' "horse and buggy" days of this sleight nevertheless, •li th t he except:bn
of the initial position, the moves are exceptionally accurate and
practicalo In fact, one small move he describes is superi or to the
technique generally employed at the present day. We refer to the
action of the ri?ht thumb in bringine the card. from the rear position
to the inside of the hand. The fact that the thumb replaces the
grip of the first finger on the edge of card eliminates the
unnatural and awlnrard contortion SO COll'llliOU o·l;herHi se. This thumb
technique a:pplies equally ':'ell -vrhen using a number of cards. The
thumb always remains i n vierr0
CHANGES
In general Erdnase' s description of the top change is superlor -mos{ , to~. Ho,.;ever, one i<Y!por'~ant thing in the handling is omit ted.
At t he point '"hen the b o cards are actually exchanged, the right
hand card is smoothly slid or thrust 1Jl}der the il1ll1lobile left thurlD.
28
It must be stressed that the left tlrurab ~ ust remain absolutely mo1lonless
so t hat t he serenity o.r the change is not disturbed.
BOTTOM C~
The usual mistake in executing t his chanee is l ack of proper
timing. The top card is usually pushed over side of pack teo soon.
The push should be del ayed until the n ry inst'ant of the change. In
t his lray t he pack itself appears undisturbed .unti , aft e; • hauge i s
~-THE PAll-1 Cf.ANOE
As descri bed by Erdnase t his sleight has one noticeable weakness
.,. hich is an obvious pushing movement of the l eft ~ers in onder
to propel card into pa.1m. This move1~ent ca11 be mini'fri..zed. App a rently
the cards are held betvreen all four fin;;ers and thumb. In real i v they are supported solely by little finger and thumb. The other
fineers being relaxed, permit t he follo•r.ing action -- in> tead of
t he left band sei:!}ing the cards by their s ides as Erdnase directs,
t he left thwnb and second and t~ri..rd fingers grasp the top card by
outer ~ near l eft corner and it will be found t hat a very slight
movement o! the l eft second f'inger vr.i.ll be sufficient to p:Lv-ot
card into palm .
THE DOUBLE PALH C~~.!_.
This change b~omes highly practical if one small cetail is
observed. As the right hand· advances to take the packet for
palminr t he r:tcht thumb must go fuectly to en1of packet and not
be allo•~ed to assume t he telltale "fishhook" positiono
TRANSFORV~TIONSJ ~_l~Dp_
FIRST l{ETI:OD
Instead of holding deck at fingertips it may be held jJ1de:allt;.g
29
position with thumb along the left side and projec-t~ng slightly
beyond corner. This effectually conceals t he projecti'On of bottom
card ,rhen pushed for1•Tard. If t he hand is ;easah'llbly lllOist
:Lt 5.s pos sible to make t he change by pushing t he card f'crward
even leas than a quarter inch.
SECOND ?£ THOD
This me·!;,hod has beer used by top card men and is still
hi ghly popular. It •ras a great favorite of .Mc;.x lhlini. who
astounded the most observing people vlith his perfect harrlling.
Particular attention should be given to figure 8.5 of the
Elt'dnase <fork with reference to position of t he right thumb
1Vhioi1 does not stick out in t.he usual fish hook manner.
Regardl ess of the particul ar l'lode of presentation when
the actual palm is made all action is done ;Titi, the left hand.
As the . index finger pushes card into palm t he hand remains
absolutely i r.unob:U.e. There is a great tendency to m~
a s l i ght contraction of fingers at the moment card touches palm.
In s11ort the hand must be contracted before card is ree.eiwEid.
The left forefinger makes all the movement an<ilethe right hand
must. receive card vTithout the slightest flicker of fingers or
t hurnb. It is stri ct attention to t hese details Hhich di1I erentiates
the expert from t he inept·.
Tl-'IRD, FO~!LLAFJl.LI~F.:f.'i...@~
The above suggestions applied. to t hese three methods will
greatly enhance their ef.fec·t;.
SIXTH METHOD
This is a most ineenious change but much; study and practice
is required to make the action now smoothly.
ltle suggest this slight alteration in har.dling. After the
card has been pivoted :Ll'lto t he pa:Jm do not imlllediately~ as
suggested, seize t he deck by t he l oner end. Instead carry
t he deck away to the left f or at l east one foot and hold
it perpendicularly with thumb at top and fingers below. Then
right hand takes deck by lo~•er end as left changes posi tim
and holds deck by sides.
1'RANSF0ffi.1ATIONS, •• ~ • .O!!!}f!N~
FIRST :HETHOD
Anyone desiring to use this c hanee should bear in mind
a slight deviation f ro:11 Erdnase 1 s description. When di~Ii ¢ng
face of pack keep the left t humb well away from front card-
preferably it should rest atop edge of pack. In short i t
should be in sa'lle position t hat it will assullle at !in:il h of
c hange. In ot~1er words t he thumb is not extended acl'()Ss
face of pack until the instant t he action takes place.
SECOND METHOD ~.:J7iT4faJ
Perfect execution of t to.is change can be tadl:ated if the
tip of thumb is placed against inner or little finger m d a£
pack. This insures t he card revol ving more n eatly.
If not desired to use as a color change this move is
extre1nel y use.t'ul for secretly reversing a top or bottom ca-d
when hand is dropped t o side or even below table i!
right hand engages i.n misdirection.
BLlliiD si:un:¥3 RET~ •. ~.TIRE ORDER
FIRST METHOD
This s hould be in t he repetoire of evgry card handler
31
as it is of constant utility and can be used in many ways. In
the five moments made if the fifth or last throw consists of
a single card instead of a packet the action l eaves the entire
order the same vrith exception of bottom card which ends up on
top. A second shuffle brings another cardfr<:m botton to
top and thus the original top card of pack is now in third
position. Possibly no other method accomplishes thi.s
result so deceptively.
SECOND METHOD
This riffle can be made much more effective i.:t: when dividing
packets at start, t he l eft forefinger performs the one hand
cut (sliding top card of pack into left :b..and portion) so lt1en
packets are fanned and pushed together the illusion of a
genuine shuffJ e is greatly enhanced.
THIRD ME'l'HOD
The above dodge can be effectively applied to this met hod.
FOURTH METHOD
This is ideal for anyone who does not ,.rish to make a display
of dexterity.
FIFTH lo!ETEOD
As Erdnase suggests, this should be rejecled. However, it
is hi.ghly effective when apparently mixing a smaJJ. packet
of cards so often necessary.
l1ETHODS OF p~~~~IN~ A CARD THOUGHT OF
METHOD A
This is one of t he classi cal methods of mental forcing
and can be refined in several ways. The usual fault as
Erdnase describes it is making too long a hesitation.
32
Our O}m procedure elininates the necessity of stopping at
any one place even for an instand; the springing is continued
evenly throughout yet t he resul t is achieved.
Start an even rHf'le ~ as per lill:':dnase and
'.Jhen center of pack is reached simply bend the cards remaining in
right hand a trii'le more sharpl y, which wiltncrease the area and tlms
give a clearer and more unobstructed vielo/ of the card to be forced.
However, this will not alter the even tempo . of the riffle. Needless
to say at the instant the bend of cards is increased a break is held
so that noted card can be controlled.
METHOD B
Experiment will prove that it is not necessary to consciou~ hesitate
in sprineing the cards as the normal sprineing .dll re sult in a momanta;ry
l ull or hesitation. As performer springs c.ards he watches for a ca.Iid
more visible than the others. The card thatrsees wiJ.l be the one
also noted by the spectator. This was one of many mental effects with
cards performed by the late Paul Rosini and in his hands it left
nothing to be desired.
lofE'l'HOD C
This requires excellent manage111ent to ll1_effecti ve and is
rarely if ever used by the modern expert.
METHOD D.
The real secret of this method is contained in a s:i.ngJ.e ~rord
mentioned by Erdnase and 'qhich is al1-1ays overlooked. He states that the
operator looks ~ into the eyes of the spectator. This can
be accomPliShed by turning the head slir,htly aside 8Qd a~narently
if~noring the spectator ' s glance . However , the spectator ' s reaction
can 'fli easily bo observed out o:e the tail of the eye. 111 thou~h the
operation appears childishly simple it requires experience based on
trial and error before real success can be ach:eved . If performer
stands at a little distance fro.m spectator tbe working \/ill be
facilitated .
TO G~- SIGH'l' Oi *\ .:::lELF.CTED 0.!\I~
The two last methods aro vrell worth learning. The technique
is clearly described but it mu ... t be adapted to one ' s O\'m personality
and natural demoonor .
THE SLIDE on GLIDE
This , like the vast .rna jori ty of sleic;hts, is dependent for
success on •how you go into it. " The averat·e card man po-form.s the
subtorruce quite badly for the reason that he •telegral)hs" the .raove
in advance by ~uspiciously ol ocing oack in correct position prepara
tory to performing t.he sleirht .
~lhen drawing at~ention to bottom card prior to executing , hold
the pack axactly as de_:)icted in Figure 97 of the Erdnaso book with
exception that the three fineers are not curled around pack but held
in rcla:xod position so that bo'l:;tom card is not obstructod, Position
of thumb and forefinger, cor:r·actly shown in cut , are importnntJfor
they, br exerting pressure on bot~om card prevent more than one card
being drawn back. A certain touch or feel u:Jdures you of only a
single card being pulled back.
Now as pock is turne.d frlOO down and th, riGht hand approaches
to remove bottom card, the three fincers curl in , as per illustration,
gliding the card backuard.
men this silllple ;.;lcight re11.uires careful rehearsal and timinB.
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If the action conf orms to your na'Gural movement i t can be made to
d,Qceive t he raost .obs ervant .
F.AVOHITE dLEIGH'l~ l~'OR 'I'E<~MINATING 'T'l:UCKB
These are too fa!'lilia r and Wid ely used to require comment . · The
last method (Rising Card) can be made most effective .
OAnD TRICKS
The last sentence in Erdnase ' s introduction to card tricks
should be underlined and i mprinted upon the memory.
THE EXCLUSI'IT~ COTmUE
This is a pefe ct illustration of how a classic can be so
garn ished by patter as to assume an entirely new aspe ct . Note how
Erc1nase creates a favora bl e moment to palm the necessary cards-- a
little lesson in itself . .Also by utilizing the pass , h e creates the
impression that any three cards 8re placed atop each queen. .Althout;h
t he a ctual p a tter is d a ted, yet , it forms a perfect patteJ:n f or a
modernized p resenta tion.
TBE DIVTIHHG ROD
An elaboration of thi s tri ck .made the reputation of t he l ate
Max l<lnlini. ~/e sugges t t hat the reader consider the alternative
method suggested by l':rdnas e in the final paragr aphs of his des
cript ion. We have so performed it many times vii t h gratifying r esults.
THE INVISIBLE FLIGifr
1/ie r e cently puzzled a· group of well versed card men by performing
this tri ck exactly as described .
Note how the pa lming is done at an opportune moment - the mis
direction is quite perfect . Even the taki~~ of pack into right
hand wi th card palmed affords a ;feelinc, of comfort and security .
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Note after the palm change that the hand is :lr11r.1edi ately. used.
Erdnas e beautifully analyzes tho exact procedure .
TRICKS ~'liTH PRE-A~:U.NGED DECK
The rules supplied can be adapted to any progrezsive setup . By
progressive we mean any se tup wherein the thirteen values are
repeated in the same order of which the Si Stebbins arrangement is
a classical example .
CAlmS UP THE SLEEVE
This is another classi c and a close perusal wil l reveal
suggestions and timing
Over tho years v1e hove performed t he trick in its Irtany variations
and IJ.any time:;; have usE>d it almost exactly a~ des cr ibed by Erdnase .
TEN CARD TRICK
7/e agree with tho statement that this iS one of the bes t non
sleight of hand effe cts possible . Many variations have been worked
out s ince the days of E'rdnase . Our o;m method will be described in
the final chapter of this book.
THE ACROBATIC JACKS
This is anothe r classic and should be in tha repetoire of avery
card worker . !fiND READHU TRICK
ile gained somewhat of a reputation years ago wit h this trick
usinr exact patter and method.
THE • C'-.!E OF COl'!TROL
Rven at this l ate da~e an entirely new effect has been created
by a well known Chicag o ma·gician using this priciple .
Tln,; c~nm Il\ l:uHID!::E!WHI:;F
Among macicians thin is con$idered a trite trick but is actually
littl e seem by the lay public.
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TOP AND BOTrOM PRODUCTION
Here is a trick of considerable antiquity, yet , v1ell performed
at the present day it 'dill reg ister more stronc ly than ninety
percent of the so-called modern ca rd miracles.
'1'1£.. TBllliE ACES
An exce l lent ·t;rick to teach a small child.
c.mn nr H.\T
An e:x:cel lant trick performed as described . Note ingenious way
in which necessity of using a duplicate card iS eliminated. Holding
selected card bet>Joen palms and delaying its return is an excellent
way to eliminate duplica t e.
Pllli.3ENi ' D4\Y DEVM..OP:ii}.C1fTS
Our purpose in writing this volume is simply to ass ist in making
the instructions of Erdnase moro lucid. Ho·wevor the present
chapter will be devoted to sund:by methods and strata~ems not
dis cussed by l!.'rdnase and for the n ost part unknown in his day .
In fact, we feel quit e confident :tE a number of tb9 items v1e propose
to describe are unknown at the present day . The follol ling s ystem
of rif:Vle shur!ling will .. illustrate, we f(;jel, the truth of this
statement. Tl'(i'; CULL RIFFLE OF T:Hr:: LITSTERIOU~ KID
·or the scores of demonstrations, by skilled .mechanics we have
witnessed over the years this , in our opinion , stands out clearly
as being the most incr.ed~ble system ot Cal'd ·handling we have ever
s e en.
As oringinally seen by us ~he Mysterious Kid~ simply subje cted
our own pack to four a)parently orthodox riffle shuffles and then
revealed four Jacks atop the pack . In actual play the a_bovo operator
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informed us that the culling of three of a kind was generally
sufficient to -get t he mo"n'ey. n
In substance the groundwork of the system cons ists of ""'throwing
in briefs~ at sighted c ards and transfe rring them to. t.he top of the
deck. ?'\ .
Although the pi!Jrvious sentence reads simply the actual work
is something else acain. Performed slowly . as a demonstration,
atta,inment, may be gai ned by the averag e card mat,J. . but to be able to
exe cute the work~tunder fire~ represents the very . ~enith of. tech-
nical accompflishment .
The operf:l.tion co~.mences by riffling one pa cket into the other.
As the shuffle is started the top card of the l _eft packet is glimpsed,
for example atr · ace . .As the riffle proceeds the operato1• watches
f or another ace and as soon as .it dl'OpS from the left thumb right
hand i ruv.ediately allows n s mall block of fj ve or six c ards to fall
above it as the shuffle continue& • . • • ret~ining the ace already on
top.
In this condition the packets are pushed togethe r and apparently
squared as p~~viously described in' thG "'pull o~t riffle•. Correct
e xecution v1ill resul.t in a wide •briar• or gap near the l eft corner
of.:outer Side of pack.
In di v:\.ding the cards for the next shuff'le the second finger ttp
of loft hand. easily locates by feel, t his division and by simply
p:cessing down on all cards belov< the gap permits right hand to
slide off all cards above in readiness f or the next riffle. At
this point there will be an ace atop each pa cket.
Identically the same procedure is employed f or the second riffle
but of course maki ng sur,e that .the ace on each pa cket remains on top .
At the cor::mencef'1e nt of third riffle there wil l be two aces on the
r:i.ght hand pa cket and naturally, these must be shuffled below the
third ace Which Hill be on ~he top of' the loft packet . If des ired to
cull the fourth ace the p rocedure is identical , shurflins·the three
aces on .: right .I?Ortion under last ace atop loft pa cket. It goes \'llith
out saying that the natural'distribution of tho wanted cards greatly
affects the exact procedure . For example , should one of the desired
cards ha_:">pen to be on or very near the bottom the following variation
is utilized . .lssuming the ace is on the bottom of left portion, it
is dropped sj ng ly boforo tho rir;ht hand c 1rds ere rifflod in. Cards
aro squared up but rieht end is ~lir~hly beveled which cou:Jos bottom
of for.mer right packet to project slightly on right end . Half of cards
are ;.,o\'1 cut to the top and very slightl y joc;eed to the richt . ./hen
the curds are again separated for the riffle the right third finger
eadily locates this jog and tho pack is divided leaving tho ace atop
the left _9acket .
11hen sighti~· cards durine riffle , if by accident an extra card or
two slips by, simply drop the block in at t his point and upon cot'U':lence
rnent of t he following shuffle it Will only be necessary to :lllow the
aco~; on the rirht pacltet to fall as before, underneath tho left a ce .
The eztra card.; now on top can be neatly disposed of on the next
riffle by the method we have previously desc:.-ibed under heading of
PULL 'l'ffiU RIFFLE WITH BOLCK TH .. ·\N.:iFER.
One point must not be omitted . It iS quite possible as a result
of distribution that all the wanted cards may be in the right hand
packet . In this event none Hi 11 bo g linpsod so a pull thru shuffle
iS executed whicll will result in tronsferring cords to t~e left portion
where they c3n then be sf~hted end culled.
TOYihG ·.IITF 'I'J.fr; DIJC '1RD
1-:ere is a stratagem for putting up pairs back to back in stud
noker. This iS currently bein~ used by a number or top flight
mochanic.J in the f:3Stest comPany .
The opera t or 1 who i.s await in£;; hiu turn to deal 1 1Nhile €;otherinr::; up
the dead hands together \'Ji th the balance of the deck unobstrus ivaly
rnanr3r::es to have t~to pai.ro alternated on the bottom. thO largO T' being
beneath. Vow by a series of' q1.1ick innocent ap,)oaring straif~ht cuts
he c::n set the cards so that the two pairs nill fall to 3ny player
he desires . This attr€lcts no attention as it is a habit often i ndulged
in by ~any unsophisticated card players and attracts no att~ntion.
'llhe actual work 1s perfor med as follows .... prel:3 u.w.ing it is des i red to
give one pdir to ... he t .ird player and rcmain::.n~ pair to the dealer in
a five handed game , t hiu is tho action- in the oct :)f undercutting ,
bottom card is jov,~ed sliGhtly to the riGht a.:> the lower half is .:Jlapped
on top and plac0d ..... lir;htly to thu left , the protruding card \'Till co
incide ;·Ji th the other packet .
Uithout hesitation , the ri··ht hand again undercuts but thi.:; time the
rir-ht index f'in~'er car.t'ies off the top card thus executine; the ono card
cut .
The above i s repea t ed e xactly .
Then a plain undercut is made and when packet is Slapped on top as
bGfor e richt i ndex pre:J;;es on top card and acain one c1.1rd out is m€'lde .
By trase six ra;>id cuts h<ilf the v1ork has been accomp9li3hed. Now I
by an exoct rep&.tit ion of.·tho above the work is com_rleted .. and cards are
now set so thl:it the thi::d playor rlill rooeive a pair back to back and
thtJ denlex· ·will get the larger ;?air .
Once the theory is understood li~tle calculation is required t o
adapt the ~rork to any number of hand::; or to doal tllC desired (cards to
any player .
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~lhile on th · subject of cutting ne r:ould like to descri'Qe a ,?er:rect
blind cut, virtually unknown and particularly ideal V<"hen used after a
"cooler• has been put into thO game .
The ri~~t ae oond finger and thuob grasps the deck by the Sides near
end and undercut about one third . These are placed on top, retaining
grip and v:i thout hesi tetion t: ird tinge'-· a no. thumb tip pull out half
the un<ier portion and the rit;t,ht hand moves forward placing tho lower
portion on table C~nd the upper portion in front of it . This results in
tbree packets in a row. The richt hand returns, takes the pa cket held
in left , and places it atop middle pile and these are placed on renain
ing heap . 'l1 his leaves the entire order undisturbed .
S'IUD FOKER " RIFFLE RUN- UP
4fe will assume that it is desired to run up a pair of n.ces back
to back for the dealer and a les~er pair back to back to any desired
player . The following df.lacription is based on seven hands with:he
le;;>ser hand (pair of queens) going to the fourth player .
A pair of quuens are on top and t he t\JO aces below them. Separate
pock for riffle and secretly execute the one card cut . Rif~1e cards,
shuffling the top three of left pa cket under top two or rit,ht •
..iquare up.
Again divide cards for riffle but eliminate the one C(l1.'d out .
Repeat riffle, again shuffling three under two .
Again divide cards for riffle shuffling tHo cards under one.
For final riffle simply shuffle three on top .
These last two operations can be done in one riffle by retaining
fiva with the left thumb and allowiing two of thom to fall below top
oard of ri~ht packet and the other three atop all .
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The formula for any number of hands is determined as foll ows : , 0
Vl'?\De P~ f)o iN r; /~t-~;:; .::t.r~O c,v-r '' {o¥Lt.~~ e"- -h{;t '~w<t tALt._, ~;r"";u-:{.,s, 1VAp • First Riffle
t-:umber of hands .minus position of other player (shuffled under two)= 3.
Second Riffle
Position of other player minus one (shuffled under two) .. 3
Third Riffle
First result (above} mihUS one ( shuffled under one) = 2
Fourth Riffle
Position of other pl ayer minus one ( shuffled on top} = 3
Combining third and fourth riffle , making thrEJe ri:ffles in all, would
be 2-f..:" 3 = 5 . Two of this five under one 3.tid the rernaininc; three on
top. rlec;ardless of the nwu.ber of hands the two on the right in the
first two riffles arc always constant . In the . ~chird riffle the one
is ulways constant .
HOLB Ci\IW SWITCHJ~d
It is passing st,range that Brdnase made no mention of Jtud Poker •
• Uthouellt the game .must have been quite popular in his d ay .
One of the strong est advantages in Stud i s undoubtedly the so
called hole care switch and nany methods have been devised. We are
acquainted v1i th ove r tv1enty of these subterfup,es but will des oribe
only a few of the best .
The firs t,knovm as the LAY DOWN SWITCH, is extremely sirnple and
efficient. For ~~ple , the operator has an aoe pal med in the right a
hand and desires to substitute it for the hole · card delt him.
As the left hand b ends· up the inner side of card in order to look
at it, the right. hand is laid flat on table i mmedia tely in front of it .
Rieht hand is then t ilted up slightly , allo;<Jing palmed card to remain
on table. Sir.ml taneously left hand p-laces the hole card into immobile
p alm. Both hands now move~ back tp odc e of table in a relaxed position
-42-
v<l'i th ric;ht hand resting across back of left . The~e moves imitate
perfectly the mannerisms adopted by many players.
There i s a similar method but usinr, only the right hand . This
hand with palmed card is laid.; di:::-ectly in front of tablBd card .
Thumb iS ext.ended over visible card and latter is slid forward under
the flati hand and above it • ' . . As hand tilts up to convey the
impress'icih of lookinc rat card , thwnb lifts up inner side o:e it and
presses firnlly .into . palm~ : :, 'l'humb fei~~ns releasing card and band moves
away to rest a·crbSs left hand as in forrner method.
Probably the finest one handed .method ever devised was used for
many years by a ~abulous gambler hailing from· the dta te of Oregon.
The novel feature of this switch is the fact that a portion of the
card appears to ue visible at all t imes. top of
Hand with palmed card is laid directly on/tabled card but ,.simul t -
aneously the thumb pusninu against the side ede;e of pal med card
causes it to extend Slig htly beyond outer Side or litt l e finger .
Thumb now bends up lower card and by exerting pressure ag<linst base
of forefinger'" card is allowed to spring free of other card •. This
resul t s in transposing t,he two cards and hand vrlth palmed card now
moves away as uaual . To facilitate the move pres s ure must be exerted
against t able by oute r side of hand during this s pring ine move.ment.
THE BLICKJJ\CK 3;[['l'CH
We are assuming that operator has been dealt a face down deuce with
a face up ace . atop it and a se cond ace iS conc.ealed in left hand-
( ~amb~ing:palm position} Edges of carQ. ure thus clipped by little
finger and thti.mb • .
Right thumb and fing ers grip visible ace at rie; ht end and slide i t
under face down card . '.Phen without pause bo th c3rds are slid ; under
palm clovm left hand and im .. "lediately both hands are raised slightly
- 43-
from table-all three cards be1nb perfectly squared together . Both
hands are pl aced on table and \lith left hand Shielding cards and right
fingers and thu.mb turnjng up index corner, in customary fashion, then
the following a ction takes place. The card near as t left palm is fanned
up slie htly and the right thumb fans the lower most ca rd so that the
two cards co incide. This r esults in leaving out or corner of center
card protruding where i t can be clipped by thj.rd and little fingers .
The two aligned cards are pinched together at the corner by the
index finger and thumb and slid · into view. And then upper face down
card is replaced below. fac·e up a ce in original position.
11l.Y3 AND MEANS
It is one thin~ . to master tho sleights of the card table but ~uite
another to employ them successfully in order to get the money . It
may be surprising to learn that many of the m~~x ruses and subterfuges
utilize no techinal skill whatever . Rather they are dependent upon
management, planning and she er effrontery . It is now our purpose to
briefly describe a number of schemes , generally unknown, and , how they
are carefully built up to dramatic proportion~;; in order to gain the
victim's confidence and cash. It is difficult to cheat an hones t man
so it is inevitably the person with larceny in h is heart who falls
victim to the wiles of the unscrupulous operator.
TEE CAJJIHO MITT
Years ago the game of Cassino was highly popular and iS still
widely played in certain sections of the country.
Jf.rdnase ;vryly .men tions t hat he was subjected to a protracted (
streak of bad luck as the result of playing nith a short deck.
We here\'lith describe a simple procedure known t o the inner
fraternity as the ._Cassino !-'itt• •
• \fter havinr engaged in several games of Cassino the followins.
-44-
situation (well plam.ed in advonce) developes . It iS the last round
and the •mechani c• who 1..: dealing c lanceD at l.L:J curds, remarks • I
wish we were playinr; poker . • The victim. lookinF' at hi.;; ovm hand
finds he is holding four •cold• eights and so probably re tor t s , •so do 1. • Then t he operator states , _.Well, you may have a good hand but
I ' ll wager you·do not take a sinp:le card . •
An ar~ument ensues and it is not difficult to persuade the victim
to wager a considerable sum of money for as any Cassino player real
izes , it appears impossible not to be able to take· at least one trick.
As there is no combination "on the boardn that makes ~ight, the
play 1~ as follows ~ Victim plays one of his eights , the me chanic
imrnedia·bely places a deu ce on top and bu ilds ten.
The second e i ght iS played and the me chanic , playing another deuce ,
builds a second ten. This occurs the third time and of course the
victim is forced to play hi~ last eight and as the mechanic ' s last
card is a ten , he naturally takes the ten heap ond cleans the board ,
The sample setup that makes the above possible can eQSily be
arranged , wit hout suspicion , during pr ev ious play as opportunity
presents itself.
nm DRUNKlli HITT
Unlike the above , tte victim deals the cards himself but with the
usual result .
The "mechanic or "operator feigning great intoxication, staggers
into a spot where in a poker game is j ust breaki.n~ up . He makes a
loud cheilenge that he will play anyone a hand of draw poker. .:tt thE!
same time he h ashes a larP".e roll of bill s . . . . • • r.sually hi8 challenee is accepted by some avaricious ind i vidual .
Accordingly, the victim deals two hands and finds himself in
pos~esion of, let us say , four kin~s and an odd card . The inebr iated
- 45-
mechanic tb3n picks up his cards a nd in fanr:ina them a:!.lows three cards,
all j a cks , tD be clearly seen by hi s opponent . He asks for tv1o cards
and discards two.
After the bet is made t he operator s ur prisingly lays down four
aces and an odd jack to the victim' s utter amazement . He grab-> the
r.mney and hurriedly disappears~.
All this is bro11g ht about by a simple procedure . \/hen the drunken
operator flashes the t hree jacks, the two unseon cards are a cos . When
he draws two cardu the victiro. naturally assumes that the best hand he
could possibly make \/Ould be four jacks but he actually discards two
of the jacks and draws two more aces. Then keeping his hand squared
he again flashes the lone jack on tho bottom which f urther convinces
the victim that he has a '1mortal cinch. 11
.Above makes on e xcellent exhibi tion and will impress any poker
player.
Along similar lines is another bold and barefaced proceeding known
as "The Snatch" end wb'i.ch may bo used in a number of different games .
In this instance the mechanic is assisted by o parlner who needs
l ittle rehearsal for hi s part in t he R:3me and who may be seated any
where at the t able .
The stratagem i s held in reserve until an occasion arises vthen
there is a considerable sum of money in tho pot end the mechanic can
eas ily fathom by the betting that ho does not hold the top h·md .
~ea lizing this he stalls for time and hi-> accomplice comwences to
idly toy wi tb tho cards not in play . From these he select:.> any hand
of five cards th~,·~; he knows ,will win the money. These five cards he
holds in one hand by the extreme ends and slibhtly above tho other
cords . Inasmuch as he is naturally not eng a ged in the play and
attention of all others is concentrated elseHhere he is able to do
the above openly and VIi thout croat~nG suspicion.
-46-
\/hen t he .me chanic observes that a l l i s ready he boldly calls and
and makes a sizeable raise. Th<=m. appea r:; to notice what his a ccomplice
.is doing and suddenly , (hold ing his own ca rds at ends by forefinger
and thwnb} raaches out and snatching vd.th h is last three fingers the
high hand of hj.s a ccomplice, aPI>arently and with violence slams the
hand on table exclaiming , ... Stop fooline; with the cards. I'm betting
b ig money here ....
The above rs.sul ts in a simple switch of handfi. Mechanic's own
hand iS tr~own on t able in front of victim as he re tains accomplice 's
hand. The swi.tch is absurdly simple and, of course, enables operator
to v'lin tho . pot.
.THE TEAH-UP
There are many ways of winning at cards in add ition to mani pulating
the pa ck . in t his field there is nothing stranger than the so-called
tear-up. This is strictly a con game .
'l'he mechanic steers the victim who is known to have a sizeable bank
account to a card game and , previously tells him t hat t he opera tor
will accep t hiS personal ~heck in exchanr,e for chips, He is instructed
that i f he WihS he can alloW hiS check to be CDShed but if he loses
he can easily stop payment on it. ThiS a ttractive bait i s usually
sv1allowed avidl y by the victim particularly if he possesses the usual
amount of larceny. G
Astiuming t hat the v1tim has lost a considerable sum he is i nformed
by the genial g ame keepe r tha t there ·.is -.no desire to emb~rrass him
by cashing hi e check and that he will be permitted to pay his obli
ga tion later ,in cash. .As proof of his g ood intentions t he opera tor
appa r e ntly t ears the check into pieces <.lnd toS<>es them into the waste
basket. What actually hap;-,ens, however, iS that the real chock is
adroitly s ubstituted for a phoney one and it iS this latter one Which
is torn up .
- 47-
When the victim's bank opens next morning the e euuine cneck is
prompt l y presented and cashed.
THE DOUBLE DI~CARD
This subteJ?fug e g reatly increas as the chance o.f iruprov:ing the
player 's hand on the dr aw . Although t here are many methods , variations
and procedures they all a ccompliSh the same and .
\Ia will presume aif'ter the deal t he player looks a t his hand end
findS he has a pair of kings. The nor.ro.al procedure would be to
di s card the · tnree odd cards , hold the kings and ask fo r thr ee .
Instead , he p laces fa ce down in front of him three c ards, two kings
and the highest of t he remaini.t:Jg tbre~ ... ; • • L ·. rhis leaves lli.ro holding
two odd car'd:s.
When he is dealt the tbree cards he addS them to the two he is
holding and .qu;i:l}k;ly scru tinizas his band . If he happens to note a
king among th,em the riv,ht hand immed i ate ly removes i t togotbcr with
~n adjacent card and wi t h them scoops up the trJXee tabled cards as
the lef t band dis c~rds the cards it holds •
.Although t il:,is •.:pn:ocedure m;:~·y appear bare :faced and obvious the
a ct ioh conforms. to the g eneral tenor and tempo of' . the poker game .
In this exact form l.t :P.as been used many ti.mos succes sfully
agains t the mos t .knowing pl ayers.
THE ROY/ 0 F TJL'N 0 A P.DS
In acco,rdance v1i th our promise given elsewhere in thi s volume we
now su brait sevcrsl improvomgnts as re!:;ards both the worlcint; and . '
presentat ion oi' th:..s excellent feat .
The ·6'->sent ial weakness of the trick is that it l acks a definite
climax or fini~>h. .,aso it .must be perforrae(l on a tab le which lim.its
its JJrosant;ation to a s :n.all number ~of people .
- 48-
In our version a spectator is invited to as~ist . 7erforroer holds
a packet of ton cards arranged consecutively from oce to ten , the ace
beinP; uppermost . It
Jj) Performer illustrates v;hot he v?ishes done by openly transferring ~
~vo cards, one by one from too to bottom of packet . J pectator iS
then requested to transfer, in. sil:niliar ..:'ashion , any number fro.m one
to ten and as he does dO performer turns his back.
Ue will as.;ume that seven cards are transferred .;o takins packet
performer fans cards, remarking, .-It v1ould be quito impos..; ible for
me to know the exact number of cards you transferred but watch!"
So saying ho secre·tly obtains a break above the two lowermost
cards and squares . Then he dramatically lifts tho block of eight
cards above break and displays the seven spot on bottom.
Before repeating , per forme r must secretly determine the value of
bottom card by adding number o~ cards ~oved by tipectator (seven) to
tho..;e reri'.oining in le ft hand . This permi ts the trick to be repeated
and we suggest that thtree tilnes is quite sufficient .
For the climax , the perfor mer simply recalls the last number
transferred and fanning out pa cket he fip-ures ahead to t he eight spot
and outs it to bottom. ~~:..,
IIe then announces that he will make a ~n so from the fanned
cards he removes the second card from top {tho ten spot ) and places
it aside in fUll view.
~pectator again transfers any number of cards devired (thiS time
betv1een one and nine) and top card uill always denote the number
tronsferred . ·
It iS now only necessary to exchange the top card of packet for
the one previously set a.:lida . "\/e personnaly u::H3 our own switch
involving the •renkai palm (so e the Dai Vernon Book of Magic , Chapter
six) In the present case, of course, tho card must be held face down.
-19-
'rhe s·-;i tch can alSo be mode by the famiL.ar ton or bottom chanc e .
1/ith a sli ·ht adjustnent the Curry 'rurnover can likEmise be usee}.
;. FJ::',! TIPo
l\lost cord moves are greatly f::~cilitated by havine; tho dock neatly
squared . Normally the deck should be ho l d by tips of loft fingers
and thumb with forefinGer curled against face of pacl(. ~/i th deck on
table it should be squared as doccribed by E'dnaso in his instructions
for riffle shuffline.
~lhen v1idening a break i'or insertion of a fint;er avoid lifting upper
packet but lov;er under portion. , , o wt.,,.... ~} ()Jl..{_ 4¥<-~
\/hen cutting to . a "brief'' ( finely j ogc ed card) 1pro~w on top of deck
v1ith index finge r until separation of packets is asuured .
With a card palmed the hand should never remain in a frozen position
longer than necessary. It should move to other positions but for
natural reasons . However , this must not be overdone . ~
When holding a card"palmed v1ith pack in dealinc po .. i tion and it is
desired to turn cards face up it iS much better to grasp the deck by
inner ond with f i nger$ on top and turn i t over . This permits t he left
hand to re - grip the c ards in a normal way .
!.)any n:.ovc3 , otherwise obvious, can be rendered quite natural and
illusive by merely tippinG the front end of the deck upward thus
obscurinG spectator ' s view •
• ~ card inserted into pack diaE.;onally , but only to a sli~ht degree ,
oan be easily loc ated by cutting, riffling or spreodine evenly on
table .
",/hen holding more than one break , handling i.., usually facilitated
by holdinc; one of them acsinJt base of thumb.
In all forl!'.S of bottom dealine it is aluays adv:mtaroous , instead
-50-
of dealint~ card vJi th a direct or strait:~ht pull , to ?;ive it a slight
t vtist v:hich tends to eliminfl.te friction.
When having a card ''peeked at>\ ulways keep oposite side of pack
firm.l y gripped in crotch of thumb thus preventing the two halves from
sep3rating or breaking. Otllcrw5.se diffJ.culty will be encountered in
squa rint: up rerfe ctly.
1/hen holding a break nith little finGer actual breuk should be held
near first j ..)int so that tip of finger is clearly visible. If this
simple direction is followed it iS i mp ossible tor anyone to discern
v1hethor or not a break is held. a
i1~any an awkward rflove oDn be made i lila~o by f;;;l ic;ht chanr'e
in pro:>entation. For exal!lple , a bad t;wo handed pass .may be covered by
a nide svmop of the hands ot same ttme ,rnrnarking, 11 .Jome tbcioians make
quick moves like this bu·l:i ob::;erve I do nothin.<:, at all . '' f!S the so lost
words are spokc~n s5m!)1y square deck thus under cover of <;l.lsarmint~ words
and a ction t he move has been made. Hen ceforth tJ- e perforr~or muHt 0
Sup:~;eDt by his notionS :<nd octing ability that the ac·tual s14;i~ht haS yet
to occur w.hen , in point o-r f<:~ct it has alreedy tron~~!lired ,
l)ractically every trick has a Heak spot but a little thour;ht v;Hl
devise simplo n.et:t-ods for• oover:i:ng .and even eliminiatj_ng these
deficiencies .
};xpert gamblers are more in teres ted in the misdirection or aD they
colorfully term it "ti'1e t:~hade,.. than in the actual move j_tself . l,1any
.cunningly d6vised .moves are utter:J_y uuele..Js unless adequate nisdirection
can be found to cover them.
So vlith tho above words a pleaBant task is finished and yet we take
our final bow with t.he fe•::~ling t:r..at only tl113 surfoce of a vn::st subject
has been scratched.