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.
Marlo’s Stacking Two Sets of Three
This is from “Riffle Shuffle Systems”. I found it easier to do by swapping the right hand and left hand actions, so this is that description. This method sets up the deck so that in a five-handed poker game, the first player receives all three Kings and the dealer receives all three Aces. The instructions below have been rewritten to reverse the left and right hand actions from the original text.
Continue reading “Marlo’s Stacking Two Sets of Three”Marlo’s Two-and-Two Combination riffle stack
Ed Marlo was a prolific and brilliant creator, but his writing style was dense, technical, and often difficult to follow. He wrote for experienced magicians, using highly specific terminology and offering exhaustive variations without always clarifying the core method. As a result, powerful ideas—like his two-and-two combination riffle stack—can be buried beneath layers of complexity.
What follows is a clearer, more accessible explanation of Marlo’s two-and-two combination stack. I’ve aimed to preserve the mechanics and intent while making the method easier to understand and apply.
Continue reading “Marlo’s Two-and-Two Combination riffle stack”Prediction Effect
This is my handling of a “self” working effect from one of Bob Longe’s books. He’s written many well‐regarded card‑trick books—notably Mystifying Card Tricks, World’s Best Card Tricks, and 101 Amazing Card Tricks—which offer a mix of sleights and self‐working effects.
Continue reading “Prediction Effect”Impossible
This is another Larry Jennings trick, which was written up by Harry Lorayne in his magazine, Apocalypse V9.
Continue reading “Impossible”The Holmes Deduction
A Mathematical Card Mystery
Adapted from Richard Vollmer’s “Einstein’s Favorite Trick”
Opening Quote
“Just as detectives have their methods of deduction, magicians have their own theory of elimination. It states: ‘When you run out of friends to show card tricks to, the only people left are relatives… and they’re the hardest cases to solve.'”
Continue reading “The Holmes Deduction”Larry Jennings’ Key Card Location Trick
Based on Henry Christ’s “Dealing Trick Procedure” and from “The Classic Magic of Larry Jennings”
Effect
A spectator selects a card, which is then lost in the deck. The performer removes several cards from the deck, calling them “key cards.” The values of these key cards are totaled to arrive at a number. When that number is counted down from the top of the deck, the selected card is found at that exact position.
Continue reading “Larry Jennings’ Key Card Location Trick”Ed Marlo’s 26th Card Location – A Mathematical Marvel
A brilliant method for locating any named card using mathematical principles from Revolutionary Card Technique
Continue reading “Ed Marlo’s 26th Card Location – A Mathematical Marvel”Dice Decider
In volume 5 of Nick Trost’s Subtle Card Creations is a trick titled Dice Decider. The basic concept is that the spectator rolls 4 dice and the magician uses those numbers to create 4 piles, which then reveal four aces.
Continue reading “Dice Decider”