I love this math principal. This version was in THE
“WORLD’S BEST COLLECTION OF EAS Y-TO-DO IMPROMPTU CARD MAGIC” compiled by Aldo Colombini and published in 2003.
The Last Trick of Dr. Daley extended.
While teaching a student the Elmsley count as a setup for “The Last Trick of Dr. Daley,” I made an interesting mathematical observation. Starting with the four aces in Black, Black, Red, Red order (face down), the Elmsley count creates a predictable cycle:
- First count: B,B,R,R → B,R,B,R
- Second count: B,R,B,R → B,R,R,B
- Third count: B,R,R,B → B,B,R,R (back to start)
This three-count cycle became the foundation for a routine that provides for a two phase Daley effect.
Continue reading “The Last Trick of Dr. Daley extended.”Dai Vernon’s Slap Trick
This is basically a “Card at any number” trick that I found in a book:The Vernon Chronicles — Volume 2: More Lost Inner Secrets. (1988), by Stephen Minch,published as “The Slap Trick” Stephen Minch,’
Continue reading “Dai Vernon’s Slap Trick”Just a second, a five handed poker stack with Faros
I recently wrote about using two Faro shuffles and an overhand shuffle to stack four aces for a five handed game of poker. (Obviously for a magic/gambling demonstration.) I kept playing around and here is another variation using second deals instead of an overhand shuffle.
Continue reading “Just a second, a five handed poker stack with Faros”Milking the Faro, 5 hand poker stack
This is something I am playing with. Start with four aces on top of the deck. Perform two in faros, which stack the aces for a four handed game. Now you can show the top three cards and the bottom three cards to the spectator to show that the deck is “well shuffled”.
Continue reading “Milking the Faro, 5 hand poker stack”Prior Commitment simulator
Simon Aronson published a great card trick titled Prior Commitment first published in his book Simply Simon in 1995. This book is a collection of Aronson’s original card magic and includes detailed explanations of his principles, including the Undo Influence that powers Prior Commitment.
Prior Commitment was performed on Penn & Teller: Fool Us by British mentalist Graham Jolley, and it successfully fooled them.
Continue reading “Prior Commitment simulator”My Streamlined Handling of Larry Jennings’s “Larry’s Favorite”
This routine is a simplified adaptation of a classic effect by the legendary Larry Jennings, originally published in his book, The Cardwright. While Jennings’s method was a masterpiece of impromptu magic, this version uses a single, pre-set breather crimp card to make the performance smooth, reliable, and completely baffling to an audience.
The Effect
The performer asks a spectator to freely select a card from a deck and remember it. The card is returned and appears to be genuinely lost. The performer then asks the spectator to think of a number between ten and twenty. With a magical flourish, the magician cuts off a packet of cards from the deck, proving that they have cut to the exact number the spectator was thinking of. The final card in that packet is, impossibly, the spectator’s selected card.
Continue reading “My Streamlined Handling of Larry Jennings’s “Larry’s Favorite””Stacking a Royal Flush for a five handed game.
I just finished writing up the trick “Just Lucky“, which ends with you having found a Royal Flush. So I thought a good follow up trick would be to demonstrate how a card cheat could take those cards and stack them to be dealt to the dealer in a five handed game of draw poker.
Continue reading “Stacking a Royal Flush for a five handed game.”Just Lucky
This trick, attributed to Roy Walton, is a variation of a routine by Howard Adams that was featured in Genii magazine. It’s a self-working card trick, meaning it relies on a specific setup and mathematical principle rather than sleight of hand.
Continue reading “Just Lucky”Free cut poker deal
This is not for everyone, but it is something I have been playing with. It is based on the “Free Cut Principle”, and sets up the deck for a five handed poker game, with the four aces going to the dealer. For more on the “Free Cut Principle” see:
Finnell, Gene. Free Cut Principle. Self-published, 1967.
- This booklet is a landmark publication. Gene Finnell independently rediscovered the principle and published several applications, including one titled “Aces at Random,” which is a direct application of the principle to find the four aces.