Jon Racherbaumer has passed and his website is no longer live (at this time). I used the wayback machine to find the tricks he published as “Freebies” on his web site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
by Jon Racherbaumer<\/em> This combines a Marlo version of the Hofzinser Lost Ace problem with the Wow gimmick that makes the final transformation of the Eight that has the same suit as the selection into the actual selection spectacularly visual.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Requirements:<\/strong> A regular deck of cards, a Sharpie pen, and the Wow gimmick. Every Wow gimmick shows a different card. Therefore, the four principal cards used instead of Eights must match the value-card in the gimmick. In my gimmick, the card is the 8H.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Set-up:<\/strong> Arrange all of the 13 Heart cards (except for the regular 8H) in no particular order on top of the deck. Next, arrange the Eights in this order from the top: 8D 8S 8C 8H. Show the Eights and as you square them face down against the top of the deck, unload the 8H on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Table the deck face down and perform a casual straight cut to centralize the Heart slug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ribbon spread the deck and gesture toward the center of the spread and ask someone to remove a card (not the 8H on top). This forces a Heart card; however, the apparent freedom of choice will not arouse suspicion that a specific card is being forced. Assume that the Four of Hearts is selected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have the selection signed on the face and returned to the deck. Then control and palm it in your most deceptive manner. Place the deck aside and direct the audience’s attention to the supposed tabled Eights. As you scoop them up, secretly add the palmed 4H and immediately spread the cards to show four. Everything seems copacetic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up the cards and spread them again, taking two in each hand. Reassemble these pairs so that the selection ends up second from the top and the 4H ends up at the face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Say, “Think of the Eight that has the same suit as your card.” As you say this, perform a quick face-up Elmsley Count, flip the packet face down, and hand it to the spectator. Pretend to mix the Eights, keeping track of the 4H.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Explain that you will remove one of the Eights without looking and will insert it into the transparent envelope (Wow gimmick). Place the 4H face down into the gimmick and leave the gimmick on the table with the back of the 4H showing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask the spectator to concentrate on the suit of his selection. Then turn the other three Eights face up, saying that the chosen suit is not Clubs, Spades, or Diamonds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up the Wow gimmick and turn it over to show the Eight of Hearts. Finally, ask the spectator to name his signed selection. When he does, cause the 8H to visibly change into the signed selection. Remove it from the Wow gimmick and let the spectator examine it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you want to take the trouble you can use Marlo’s Dream Method, which permits you to apparently ask no questions regarding the mentally selected suit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n by Jon Racherbaumer<\/em> This version does not require a Faro Shuffle or Bold Atfus. There are trade-offs\u2014namely that you must have the spectator name a number earlier in the procedure and there is a mild discrepancy that will trouble purists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This uses Marlo’s Switchless Switch in a subtle way. After the deck is shuffled, explain that you want the spectator to think of a number from one to five and then remember a card at that chosen number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With the deck face down in your left hand, further explain that you are going to show the top five cards one at a time. Say, “I want you to remember the card that is shown when your chosen number is called out. For example, if you thought of the number five, you would note and remember the fifth card shown.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you utter these instructions, thumb over the top five cards. As you close the spread to square up, retain a left pinky break below them. Your right hand then grasps the top four cards in a Biddle Grip; however, your right thumb at the back end also lifts the fifth card, takes it underneath the four-card packet and retains a thumb break above this card. Then lift all five cards as apparently one card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Without hesitation, tilt back the right-hand card(s) so that the spectator sees the full face of the bottom card without detecting the thickness of these cards. As you show the card(s), audibly say, “One!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your left thumb then pushes off the next card to side-jog it for half its width. Lower the right-hand card(s) to the right of the side-jogged card, which is then pushed under the right-hand cards so that all of the cards are aligned. Again, tilt back the right-hand card(s) so that the spectator sees the full face of the supposed second card. As you show it, say, “Two!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Again, your left thumb pushes off the third card to side-jog it for half its width. Lower the right-hand cards to the right of the side-jogged card, which is then pushed under the right-hand cards so that all of the cards are aligned. Again, tilt back the right-hand cards so that the spectator sees the full face of the supposed third card as you say, “Three!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Repeat this to show a fourth and fifth card in succession. During this one-at-a-time display, your right thumb maintains its break or separation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To complete the action, your right hand, which is now holding 9 cards in a Biddle Grip, moves to the left and over the deck in a squaring action. As soon as the cards are flush, unload the five cards below the thumb-break onto the deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your right hand then moves away with four completely different cards. Your left hand momentarily tables the deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n False count the four cards as five as you also ostensibly mix them. Ask the spectator to name his number. Suppose he says that his number is 4. As soon as he names it, you know the position of the selection in the deck. In this case, his selection would be fourth from the top. Remember this number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Explain that you will invisibly remove his selection from the packet. Pretend to make this invisible removal. Then fairly deal out the four cards into a row from left to right, leaving a space for the invisible selection. In this case, you would leave a space between the third and fourth card dealt. Doing this somewhat justifies asking the spectator to divulge his number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Say, “I want you to name another number\u2014say, from ten to twenty.” Suppose the spectator says 14. Your next task is to shuffle cards onto the top of the deck so that the selection ends up at the chosen number. In this case, since the selection is already 4th, you only need to add 10 cards. However, you need a ruse to shuffle at this point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Say, “Before we go any further, let’s make sure that these cards are shuffled. Take the upper half of the deck and place it in your left hand. Hand the remainder to the spectator and add, “Here! Shuffle these.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n As you spectator shuffles, say, “I’ll shuffle these.” Here shuffle 10 cards from the top to the bottom in any convincing Overhand Shuffle combination that you know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take back his portion and put it onto yours, retaining a break. Double Cut to the break and table the deck in front of the spectator. Unknown to him, his selection is now 14th from the top. However, he assumes that his selection is probably one of the four cards on the table, or he may believe that his card is the invisible one?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up the invisible card and make the invisible toss. Explain that you have tossed his card into the deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up the four tabled cards and hold them face down in a fan. Flash the faces and ask, “Do you see your card?” Lower and table the cards face down after the spectator says no.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All that remains is to have the spectator deal down to the 14th card to find his selection. Granted: The selection is not face up, but this will mean little to the spectator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The purist will argue that astute spectators may notice that the four cards shown at the end are not cards shown at the beginning, but this seldom occurs because the spectator to focused on remember his particular card, at his particular number. Inattentional Amnesia sets in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n by Jon Racherbaumer<\/em> This is based on an idea conveyed to me over the telephone by Ed McGowan, who demonstrated it as a telephone trick. He did it with only five cards and the necessary transfer of two cards (which makes retrograde analysis easy) is conspicuously done. This version uses ten cards and the transfer is less conspicuous, if not casually concealed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Effect:<\/strong> Ten cards are removed by the spectator from his deck. The cards may be mixed as the spectator thinks of a number from 1 to 10. He then notes a card at the same numerical position (from the top) of the packet. The performer turns around and asks the spectator to transfer an equal number of cards from top to bottom. For example, if his chosen number is 6, he transfers 6 cards from top to bottom. The packet is shuffled and inserted into the deck, which in turn is shuffled. The performer names the selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Method:<\/strong> Use a borrowed deck. Have ten cards removed by the spectator and then mixed. Ask the spectator to think of a number from 1 to 10 and then note the card at the same numerical position from the top of the packet. Do this by holding the packet face down in your left hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take cards one at a time into your right hand without reversing their order as you audibly call out each number from 1 to 10. Say, “Please concentrate on your card and your number.” As you say this, separate the ten cards into two sections of five cards each, taking each five-card portion in separate hands. When you reassemble these cards, place the right-hand five cards under the left-hand five cards and square up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hand the packet to the spectator and turn your back. Ask the spectator to transfer an equal number of cards from the top of the packet to the bottom of the packet. For example, if his chosen number is 6, he would then transfer 6 cards from top to bottom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Say, “Please do this silently and quickly. The purpose is to exert a physical action to coincide with the mental activity.” When the spectator has finished, take back the packet and add, “At this point if I were to look at the faces of the cards, I would not be able to determine the identity of your card or your number. Granted: If I had known the order and identity of all ten cards before you transferred cards, I could deduce the number of cards you transferred and then figure out which card you chose. But, remember, the cards were mixed and I have not seen the faces of any card.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Position the packet for an Overhand Shuffle. Run four cards and throw. Then run a few more cards and throw. The card now at the face is the selection. Glimpse it and fairly shuffle again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Insert the packet into the talon and hand the deck to the spectator for further shuffling. Say, “Would it be a good trick if I could now find your card?” Permit the spectator to reply. Then add, “Well, I cannot do that. However, wouldn’t it be easier if you sent the name of your card to me telepathically?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n When the spectator replies, name his selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n by Ram\u00f3n Riob\u00f3o<\/em> Rioboo writes: This magical effect works beautifully for lay audiences and sometimes baffles well-posted magicians. How you present it is important, the translated patter is only an approximation of the one uttered in Spanish; however, perhaps readers will grasp the gists, fill in the gaps, and develop their own approach?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Effect:<\/strong> The magician explains that he will use six red cards and six black cards to demonstrate the powers of magic. “This is only an example,” he says, “but let us suppose that these six red cards are murderers. Remember\u2014red is the color of blood! Let us further suppose that these six black cards are police officers who must oversee and guard the murderers. If we mix them and make two packets of six cards each…” The magician mixes the cards, counts six of them, and places them squared and face down on the table. He then places the other six cards as a packet to the left of the initial packet, continuing: “It would be wonderful if every time there is a murderer in this packet, there would be a cop in the other packet to watch him…” The magician takes the first card of each packet in each hand to show a red card and a black card. Both are placed together on the table. This process is continued as the top cards of each packet are shown to be a red and a black card as the magician adds: “A murderer, a cop, another murderer, another cop…Perhaps you think it’s a matter of luck or suspect that I did something sneaky? Therefore, I’ll do it again. This time, however, you will decide which six cards will comprise the first packet. But before you make your decision, I will place the cards so that each cop will be ready to watch.” The magician holds the twelve cards with the faces toward himself, then moves various ones to different positions. He does this in a very studious but indecisive way, seeming to change his mind several times. Finally, he seems content and holds the cards face down and fanned. He asks the spectator to choose any six cards by pointing to them. These six cards are outjogged in a fair manner, then are removed and placed face down in a packet. The remaining six cards are squared and placed to the left of the chosen cards. The magician says, “Very well, you have freely chosen the six cards you want. Watch closely!” Again, cards are taken from the top of each packet in pairs and each time they consist of a red and black card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Requirements:<\/strong> Six Red Spot-cards and six Black Spot cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Set-up:<\/strong> Arrange the six red cards on top of the six black cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Method:<\/strong> This is a semi-automatic effect based on the Gilbreath Principle. Perform a false Overhand Shuffle, followed by a Charlier Shuffle. Briefly: Hold the cards face down in your left hand. Thumb over a few cards and take them into your right hand. As your right hand moves away, your left thumb pulls the top cards of the remainder to the left as your left fingers simultaneously push the bottom cards to the right. This forms a ragged reverse-spread, making the next action easier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Move the right-hand cards back to the left-hand cards and pinch off a few cards from the bottom of the left-hand spread with your left thumb. These cards go on top of the right-hand cards. The next take is just the opposite. Take a few cards from the top of the left-hand portion and place them underneath the right-hand cards. Continue in the manner until no cards remain in your left hand. Keep the procedure straight in your mind. The cards from the left-hand portion are transferred to the right-hand portion in an alternating procedure. The top cards of the left-hand portion go on the bottom of the right-hand portion. Bottom cards from the left-hand portion go on top of the right-hand portion. This mixing procedure does not disturb the order of the cards and produces the same results as a straight cut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After several Charlier Shuffles, thumb over the top six cards and take them into your right hand without reversing their order. Place them face down on the table as a squared packet. Square the remaining six cards and place them face down to the left of the first one. Follow the procedure outlined in the Effect description, taking the top cards of each packet off in pairs. Each will consist of a red and black card. Be sure, however, to place the left-hand card under the right-hand card each time, then drop them face down to the table. Afterwards, the 12-card packet will be set for the Gilbreath Principle to work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up the packet and spread the cards with the faces toward yourself. Explain that you will arrange the cards in a special order. Pretend to study and move them in a haphazard manner. In reality, separate the reds and blacks. It does not matter which color is on top or bottom. Hold the packet face down, spread them into a fan, and ask the spectator to point to any card. Out jog the chosen card and ask the spectator to point to five more cards. Remove each card one at a time, starting with the uppermost outjogged card and work your way down. Place each one face down on the table until there are six cards face down in a packet. (This one-at-a-time process reverses the order of the chosen six in a subtle way.) Place the remaining six cards face down to the left of the chosen six. All that remains is to take off the top cards of each packet in pairs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Racherbaumer Note:<\/strong> After the first phase, pick up the 12-card packet and crimp the bottom card. Perform a few Charlier Shuffles, then cut the crimped card to the bottom. Now perform the second phase as explained. The cards will come off in red-black pairings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Sometimes Riob\u00f3o begins by really mixing the cards and dividing them into two packets to show the randomness of the procedure; that the pairings do not always come out red-black. If the pairs happens to come out red-black every time (despite the shuffling), then he capitalizes on this fortuitous event. Otherwise it serves to show the randomness of the process. In the second phase, he sometimes asks the spectator to mentally choose numbers from one to twelve. He then seems to rearrange the cards in a predictable order. When the chosen numbered cards are removed and the pairings are revealed, it suggests that the magician knew which ones the spectator would choose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n by Jon Racherbaumer<\/em> This is a modest variation of Richard Vollmer’s Mystical Countdown, which combines a few extra bits of handling to further obfuscate the underlying principle at work and consequently defeat retrograde analysts. Vollmer’s significant addition to John Hamilton’s ideas is to apply the so-called natural card principle usually credited to George G. Kaplan, who applied it to two tricks: The Impossible Location and The Captain Kidd Card (First Version).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Method:<\/strong> Take a shuffled deck and obtain a left pinky break midpoint or under the twenty-sixth card. This can be done via a Faro Check or Estimation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Instead of openly dividing the deck exactly in half, use a casual, sequential cutting procedure that Trini Montes uses. That is, cut off a few cards from the top half and toss them face down to the table. Say, “I want you to use some cards…” Pause and then cut at the break and toss the rest of the half onto the other tabled cards, adding: “…these should be enough. Please pick them up and shuffle them.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n At this point the spectator is unaware that he has exactly twenty-six cards. He assumes that he is shuffling a random number of cards. Ask the spectator to hold his portion face down. By way of demonstration, cut off a small number of cards from your half and look at the card at the face (bottom) of the cut-off packet. As you do, you casually glimpse and remember the card at the face of your cut-off packet. This will later be your key card. Suppose it is the Jack of Diamonds. As you do this, say: “I want you to cut off any number of cards like this. Note the card at the face.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Replace your cut-off portion onto the balance in your left hand, but retain a left pinky break below it. The next step applies John Hamilton’s Inverse Replacement Principle; however, the fact that the cut-off packets end up on the opposite talons is disguised. This is a Marlo idea.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While the spectator is still holding his cut-off portion, lift off the cards above your break with your right hand and then extend the remainder toward the spectator. Ask him to place his cut-off packet onto the left-hand cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, place your right-hand packet onto the spectator’s remaining portion. Take this assembled portion from the spectator and place it onto your left-hand half. The secret inversion has now taken place. There are now exactly 25 cards between the spectator’s selection and your key cards. Suppose that the spectator’s selection is the Ace of Hearts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n False shuffle and false cut the cards if you like. Explain that you will deal cards face up onto the table. Add: “If you happen to see your card, please say stop. If I happen to see my card first, I’ll stop.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Deal cards as explained face up to the table. You will arrive at your key card (Jack of Diamonds) first. When you do, do not stop dealing. However, begin silently counting to yourself, beginning your count with your key card. Count to 13 and then pause, asking: “Obviously you haven’t seen your card. Neither have I.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue dealing cards face up and begin another mental count with the first card dealt after the pause\u2014only this time begin counting backward from 13. As you do so, watch for a card having a value that matches the mental number you are simultaneously counting. That is, if a Six appears as you mentally count six, stop on that card. If a Deuce appears as you mentally count two, stop dealing on the Deuce.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you happen to hit a match during this second mental count of thirteen cards, the spectator’s selection (Ace of Hearts) will be at that particular numerical position from the top of the un-dealt talon. Example: Suppose that you hit a match at the count of seven. Stop dealing and point to the face-up Seven on top of the dealt cards. Say, “That’s my card\u2014the Seven of ______!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue: “How peculiar. If I now count down seven cards…” Quickly deal six more cards and deal the seventh card face down in front of the spectator, adding: “…we should find your card.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have the spectator turn over the Jack of Diamonds to cap the effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If you do not arrive at a hit or a match when you do the backward-count, stop dealing after you deal the thirteenth card at the mental-count of one. Point to the last card dealt and say, “That’s my card, the ______.” The top card of the talon will be the spectator’s selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue: “How odd! Your card ended up right next to mine!” Deal the spectator’s selection face up to cap the effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Alternative Approach:<\/strong> If you do not arrive at a natural card during the second thirteen-card count, deal the thirteenth card and say, “Wait a minute! This is my card.” Pick it up and place it face up onto the remainder in your left hand. Then get a left pinky break under the top two cards. Name the face-up card and then deal the back-to-back double onto the dealt cards on the table. As you do, tilt the double forward and glimpse the spectator’s selection. You have now secretly loaded the spectator’s selection, which is also reversed, and you know its identity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask, “Are you sure we haven’t passed up your card?” When the spectator says no, continue dealing the rest of the cards face up. At the end, the spectator will say that his card didn’t appear. It has ostensibly disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up the dealt cards and turn them face down. Say, “I’ll tell you what\u2014just concentrate on your card. Close your eyes…” and then utter Michael Skinner’s line, “Let’s see\u2014you picked the Jack of what?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The spectator should react. When he names his card, ribbon-spread the deck to reveal it face up in the spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Roots:<\/strong> Richard Vollmer’s Mystical Countdown was initially published in Apocalypse #226 (Vol. 18 – No. 2: February-1995), pp. 2467-2468. John Hamilton’s Eyes of the Gods was a marketed trick put out in 1948 by Max Holden. Karl Fulves re-printed it in the Pallbearers Review (Vol. 5 – No. 10: August, 1970). I published a variation titled Ayes of the Gods in Cardfixes (1990), pp. 1-5. Hamilton’s Inverse Replacement Principle is explained in Arthur F. MacTier’s Card Concepts (2000), pp. 120-124. George G. Kaplan’s The Impossible Location was published in Greater Magic (1938). Pp. 269-270, and The Captain Kidd Card (First Version) appeared in The Fine Art of Magic (1948), pp. 101-103.<\/p>\n\n\n\n by Edward Marlo – Jon Racherbaumer<\/em> Marlo initially published this two-hop version of the Leaper Card in The Cardician (1953) as The Traveling Card, pp. 87-89, at a time when the Kardyro-Biddle Move was beginning to be known and applied. This is the kind of trick that gains traction and then unceremoniously fades from the scene. Michael Ammar explains it in the ninth volume of Easy to Master Card Miracles (2004), renaming it the 21st Century 21 Card Trick. This is a bit misleading because it suggests that this video-method is a version of the hoary 21-Card Trick based on intersecting sets. This is incorrect. The only link between the Traveling Card and the 21-Card Trick is that twenty-one (21) cards are used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What follows is 99% Marlo. My modest addition is the application of the Miscall Principle to the first transition and using a Rub-a-Dub vanish to signal the second transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Effect:<\/strong> A freely selected card ostensibly travels from packet to packet. After it is returned to the deck and the cards are shuffled, twenty-one cards are removed and counted into three seven-card packets. These packets are placed face down in a row. The spectator indicates that his card is in the first packet at the far left. The selection travels to the second packet and then to the third packet. Each time the packets are counted and the selection is shown to have vacated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n No duplicates or gaffs are used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Method:<\/strong> Have a card selected and returned to the deck. Control it to third the top. False shuffle and cut. Count off the top twenty-one cards, reversing their order, saying: “I need twenty-one cards for this experiment.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turn the packet of twenty-one cards face up and hold them from above with the right hand in readiness for the Kardyro-Biddle Move. Your left thumb peels off the first face card into the left hand as you audibly count “one.” Peel the second face card onto the first one on the count of “two.” The third card (selection) is likewise peeled on the count of “three.” Note its identity\u2014say, the Jack of Diamonds\u2014and retain a left pinky break beneath it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Your left hand moves back to the right-hand packet to peel the fourth card. As it does so, the left-hand cards go beneath the right-hand packet and steals or adds the selection underneath. This is a simultaneous action. The separation held by your left pinky makes this easy. Almost immediately peel the fourth face card onto the left-hand cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue peeling cards from the right-hand packet until the count of “seven” and then cleanly drop the supposed seven-card packet face down to the left on the table. Ask, “By any chance was your selection among those cards?” The spectator will affirm. He also is reasonably convinced that there are seven cards on the table with his selection among them. In reality, his selection (JD) is at the back of the face-up packet in your right hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The next seven cards are peeled fairly in a legitimate manner and this seven-card packet is placed face down to the right of the first packet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The remaining eight cards are peeled and counted as seven by peeling off the first six cards one at a time and then the last two cards (as one) are placed on the face of the left-hand cards. This packet is turned face down and placed to the right of the other two.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Situation Check:<\/strong> The selection (JD) is second from the bottom in the third packet, but the spectator assumes it’s in the first packet. There are six cards in the first packet and eight cards in the third packet. The spectator thinks that each packet consists of seven cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Say, “Don’t tell me the name of your card. However, I’m going to make your card travel from its packet to the center packet.” Snap your fingers and pick up the first packet on your left. You are going to false count this packet a consisting of seven cards. Marlo’s used this type of false count:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hold the cards face down in a left-hand dealing position (Mechanics Grip). Your left thumb pushes the top card diagonally over the side preparatory to second dealing except in this case the top card is taken at the outer right corner between your right thumb on top and second finger below. Your right forefinger should rest along the outer edge while your right third and fourth fingers support the cards as they are taken into the right hand with a flicking movement of your right second finger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The movement of the right second finger is important to make the false count illusory. The second card is likewise treated, but is taken into your right fingers underneath the first card. The third is taken under these two. Please note that the cards taken above the right-hand cards cover the left-hand cards as time with the left thumb going between the two packets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n By counting the cards in this manner, your left thumb can easily pull back a card, not taking it, and simultaneously flicking your second finger against the face of the card as the count is made. Do this on the count of four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Next, count the rest of the cards legitimately up to seven. Say, “One of these seven cards will travel\u2014specifically, your card.” Lightly shake the packet and add, “It’s done!” Flip the packet face up and quickly deal the cards face up, counting the six cards aloud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Say, “Again\u2014don’t name your card. Just tell me if your card is missing.” The spectator will affirm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue: “I think that your card is now in the second packet.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up and hold the second packet face down in your left hand. Then grasp it in a Biddle Grip with your right hand in readiness to peel and count cards into your upturned left hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Peel the first two cards into your left hand. Then peel the third card onto the others and retain a left pinky break below it. Peel the fourth card, stealing the third one under the right-hand packet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Resume peeling cards into your left hand, audibly counting them until you peel and count the eighth (?) one. Say, “See? It has arrived.” Lift just the inner end of the last card counted with your right hand and peek at its face, adding: “You must have chosen the Jack of Diamonds!” This miscall is convincing, but don’t let anyone else see the face of the miscalled card. Instead proceed quickly to the second transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask, “This time you will see it travel again?” Position the top card for the Rub-a-Dub Vanish. Perform it and raise your right hand to show that supposed Jack of Diamonds is now invisible. Look at the spectator and add, “You don’t believe me, do you?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Quickly deal the cards face up one at a time to show only six cards, showing that the Jack of Diamonds is missing. This is strong. Say, “The Jack of Diamonds is on the table, but it’s invisible. Over here are still seven cards.” Pick up the third packet and quickly count them as seven, using the Buckle Count. Snap the last card and casually place it on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hand the packet face down to the spectator.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Point to the last packet in the spectator’s hand and say, “I’m going to pick up the invisible Jack of Diamonds and add it to your packet.” Pretend to do exactly that and then ask the spectator to deal the cards slowly and face up to the table. Count aloud as the cards are dealt. The last card dealt will be the selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n by England\/Sadowitz\/Freed<\/em> Lee Freed combined two tricks synergistically “Come Together” (Jerry Sadowitz) and “The Mysterious Case of the Open Travelers” (Don England).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Set-Up:<\/strong> Remove the Kings, Queens, and Aces from the deck. Place the Ace of Diamonds face up and second from the bottom (face) of the deck. Place the Queen of Hearts inside the card case and put the King of Spades back in the talon. Arrange the other Kings, Queens, and Aces in the following order from the face: Queen of Diamonds – Queen of Clubs – Ace of Clubs – Ace of Spades – Queen of Spades – King of Clubs – King of Hearts – Ace of Hearts – King of Diamonds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Say, “Instead of having someone take a card, I’ll show you some cards with fantastic properties…” Hold the deck face down in your left hand and casually spread the top nine cards. Take them into your right hand and place the talon aside. Square up, spread, and count them as eight cards. Hold the last two as one or do a Single Buckle on the eighth card of the count. Say, “There’re eight in all. Take a look.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Square up and spread the top four cards into your right hand. Table the rest to your left. Turn the cards in your hand face up and perform an Elmsley Count to show four Kings. Turn the cards face down and deal them into the square-formation of the Sadowitz method. Deal the top card at the upper left corner of this imaginary square. The next card is dealt at the upper right corner. The third card goes at the lower left corner and the last one goes at the lower right corner. Say, “The cards are these Kings.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up the other packet, turn it face up and perform an Elmsley Count to show four Queens as you say, “…and these Queens are dealt onto the Kings to form ‘royal marriages’…” Turn the supposed Queens face down and deal one onto each tabled King, following the square-deal. The last card(s) are dealt as one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Situation Check:<\/strong> The pair at the upper left is: Ace of Spades – Ace of Hearts. The pair at the upper right are: Ace of Clubs – King of Hearts. The pair at the lower left is: Queen of Clubs – King of Diamonds. The cards at the lower right are: Queen of Spades – Queen of Diamonds – King of Clubs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up the cards (three) at the lower right and turn them face up. Casually transfer the face King of Clubs to the bottom. Say, “As you see, Kings and Queens are paired…” Flip the cards face down into your left hand. Pick up the pair at your lower left corner with your right hand. Spread them as in the D’Amico Spread to show another King-Queen pair. Say, “As you see, Kings and Queens are paired…” I’ll continue formatting the rest of the “Traveling First-Class” trick:<\/p>\n\n\n\n pair, then drop them face down onto the left-hand cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up the pair at the upper right corner and drop them face down onto the pair at the upper left corner. These cards cannot be shown. Simply say, “This King and Queen also goes with this King and Queen…” Turn the packet in your hands face up to show the Queen of Diamonds at the face. Say, “If I pass my hand over these cards…”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perform an Elmsley Count to show four Queens as you finish the patter line, “…they become Queens.” Tuck the supposed Queen-packet face up under the lower, right corner of your close-up pad. Don’t slide them completely underneath; leave them halfway exposed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up the other four cards and hold them face down. Say, “These are the Kings.” Don’t show them right away, but ask, “Would you like to see a four-King trick?” When someone replies, say: “I was afraid you’d say that!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turn the supposed King-packet face up and perform a quick Elmsley Count to show four Aces as you utter Marlo’s line, “Then how about a four-Ace trick?” Turn the supposed Aces face down, then fan and drop them onto the deck.<\/p>\n\n\n\n PHASE TWO<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Remove the face-up Queens tucked under your close-up pad. Hold them face up in your left hand and casually spread the top two Queens to flash the faces of three Queens. Say, “Let me show you something quaint with the Queens.” Close the spread and flip the cards face down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Push over the top three cards and grasp them at the upper right corner between your right thumb and fingers and flash the faces. Table them face down and say, “Three of the Queens go here.” Grasp the card(s) face down in your left hand with your right hand, holding them from above and by the ends. Flash the face of the Queen of Diamonds, then place the card(s) face down in front of you. Cover it with the card case as you finish the patter line, “…under the card case.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Pick up the other three supposed Queens and square them into your left hand. Take off the top card (King of Diamonds), look at it, and miscall it as you place it in position for the Tent Vanish. Say, “Watch the Queen of Clubs.” Perform the Tent Vanish as your right hand appears to take the tilted card into a crude palm. Turn your right hand palm up as you say, “This is called the invisible grip.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Move your right hand over the case and make a crumpling gesture as you say, “This allows me to disintegrate the Queen of Clubs into tiny particles which float downward like flakes of fluff, only to reassemble as a solid card underneath the case.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grasp the tabled case with your right hand and use it to separate the “double,” then lift the case to show two face-down cards. Drop the case to the right of the split pair. Say, “Notice that the Queen of Clubs has reassembled.” Turn the top Queen of Clubs face up with your right hand, followed by turning over the Queen of Diamonds as well. Let the effect register.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Casually push over the top card (King of Diamonds) with your left thumb and then grasp the upper right corner of the cards. Flash the faces, then table them in front of you. Cover them with the case as you ask someone to choose either the Queen of Diamonds or Queen of Clubs. Put both cards face down into your left hand and cleanly show that you are putting the chosen Queen into position for the Tent Vanish. Suppose the Queen of Diamonds is chosen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Perform the Tent Vanish and say, “The Queen of Diamonds becomes invisible and flutters down…” Grasp the case, slide it to the right, and lift it to expose three face-down cards. Say, “…and reassembles itself into a solid card.” Turn the card(s) in your left hand face up to reveal a single(?) Queen of Clubs, snapping it to indicate its singularity. Turn the card(s) face down and use them to scoop up the tabled spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Hold the scooped packet face down in your left hand and immediately perform a Four-Card Turnover to reveal the Queen of Diamonds. Say, “I can’t figure out how this works.” Repeat the Four-Card Turnover and spread the top three cards, holding the last two as one. Close the spread and retain a left pinky break under the top two cards (King of Diamonds-King of Clubs).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Grasp the top two cards from above and by the ends with your right hand. Turn your left hand palm down and table the Queens face up. Pick up the case with your left hand and cover the face-up Queens. Pick up the deck with your left hand and hold it face down (dealing position). Drop the right-hand card(s) on top and immediately push over the top card with your left thumb in preparation for the Rub-a-Dub Vanish from Expert Card Technique (1940), pp. 301-302.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Say, “Watch this Queen penetrate the case and join the other Queens…” Position the supposed Queen and perform the Rub-a-Dub Vanish. If you’re unfamiliar with the Rub-a-Dub Vanish, drop the card(s) on top and cut the deck. Say, “The Queen flies from the deck and joins the other Queens.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Lift your right hand and show it empty. Place the deck aside, then spread the face-up Queens using the case. Lift the case, act puzzled, and say, “That’s odd. Where’s the Queen of Hearts?” Shake the case to rattle the Queen of Hearts inside. Cleanly open the case and dump out the Queen of Hearts as you say, “It looks like it got stuck…!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n by Jon Racherbaumer<\/em> This is a presentation of a combinatorial effect that incorporates Baby Hummer and Number Hummer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Set-up:<\/strong> Remove any Two, Three, Four, and Nine of mixed suits. Arrange them so that the Nine is on top when the packet is face down. The other three value-cards may be in any order.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Place this four card packet on the bottom of the deck. Crimp the bottom Nine and then transfer seventeen cards from top to bottom. This places the crimped Nine eighteen from the face (bottom).<\/p>\n\n\n\n Method:<\/strong> Introduce the deck and say, “I’m going to show you the mystery of the number nine. It has magical properties. However, before we do that I want you to select another card.” Spread the cards and offer the spectator any card below the crimped card.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have the card noted. Suppose it’s the Jack of Diamonds. Close the spread and table the deck. Ask the spectator to place the selection face down on top of the deck and then perform several straight cuts. Say, “This loses your selection.” Pick up the deck and note the location of the crimped card. If it happens to be on the bottom, you are set. If not, casually cut it to the bottom as you say, “Let’s cut the deck again for good measure.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Have four cards selected and deceptively switch them for the four preset cards on the bottom. Your goal is to give a strong impression that the four cards to be eventually used were randomly selected.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A good switch is the Vernon Addition. To wit: Get a left pinky break above the bottom four cards. Then ask the spectator to touch any face-down card; however, start spreading below the crimped card. As soon as a card is touched, outjog it in situ. Repeat this three more times until you have four outjogged cards. The right-hand block of Aces on the bottom remains squared and intact underneath the spread.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Close the spread, retaining the break. The touched cards, still outjogged, are cocked to the left so that you can hold the deck in a right-hand Biddle Grip. The break is transferred to your right thumb at the inner end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n All that remains is for your left hand to move up and underneath the angle-jogged cards to strip them out of the deck. Your right hand continues to stabilize and hold the deck in a Biddle Grip.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As the strip-out is performed, the block of four cards remains completely concealed below the stripped-out block. Retain a left pinky break between the two four-card blocks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the cards are stripped out, all eight cards are held in a deep grip, concealing any telltale thickness at the front end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Move your right hand so that the deck momentarily covers the left-hand cards. As soon as it does, take the block above the break underneath the deck and immediately move the deck forward to ribbon-spread it on the table. Meanwhile, your left hand spreads its four cards. Say, “You randomly chose four cards from different places in this deck!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Direct attention back to the four other selections. The Nine is still on top. Spread them, close the spread, and get a left pinky break under the top two cards. Say, “I’m eventually going to have you flip over cards to arrive at another random outcome.” As you say this, flip the top Nine face up to demonstrate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Then lift both cards above the break in a right-hand Biddle Grip and simultaneously rotate the remaining two cards in your left hand face up and place them under the right-hand card(s). Finally, flip the packet face down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Situation Check:<\/strong> There is now a face-up card third from the top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue: “…and I want you to take these four cards under the table. However, before you do, let me mix them again.” Perform an Elmsley Count to show four face-down cards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Once the spectator is holding the packet face down under the table, ask him to flip the top card face up. Next, have him push over the top two cards and flip them over. Have him push over three cards and flip them over. Finally, ask him to flip over the entire packet and bring it forward.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Take the packet and say, “Remember what I said about the magical properties of the number nine?” Spread the packet to show a face-up Nine. Remove it from the spread and place it face up on the table, adding: “You randomly selected four cards, which included a Nine. Then you flip over cards randomly so that the Nine ended up face up. Strange, wouldn’t you say?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Turn the remaining three cards face up and say, “Wouldn’t you say this is equally strange?” Ask the spectator to add the values of these three cards, which he will note add up to 9.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Drop the Two, Three, and Four face up onto the face-up Nine and let the effect so far register.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Continue: “Notice that if we add the values of those four cards, they total eighteen. If you add the two digits\u2014one and eight\u2014they total nine! Strange, don’t you think?”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ask the spectator to pick up the deck. Ask him to deal down to the eighteenth card, which will be the selection (Jack of Diamonds). Make up your own tag-line; however, it should have the word “strange” (or any of its variants) as part of your crowning utterance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n [1] Number Hummer was published by Robert Neale in The Pallbearers Review (February – 1973), p. 600. Baby Hummer was contributed to the Linking Ring. Later, Hudson published Hummer-4 in Epilogue #16, p. 150-151. Jon Racherbaumer has passed and his website is no longer live (at this time). I used the wayback machine to find the tricks he published as “Freebies” on his web site.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_eb_attr":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[190,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6474","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gilbreath-principle","category-magic"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Bob","author_link":"https:\/\/robertjwallace.com\/es\/author\/admin\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertjwallace.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6474","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertjwallace.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertjwallace.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertjwallace.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertjwallace.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6474"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/robertjwallace.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6474\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6475,"href":"https:\/\/robertjwallace.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6474\/revisions\/6475"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/robertjwallace.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6474"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertjwallace.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6474"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/robertjwallace.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6474"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
Posted on 3\/9\/2008<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nNo-Frills Invisible Toss<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Posted on 11\/10\/2008<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nBubkus Divination<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Posted on 9\/19\/2009<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nSix Murderers and Six Cops<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Date: 10\/1\/2003<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nNumb-skulls’ Numbers Game<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Date: 8\/1\/2004<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nSkedaddling Selection<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Date: 10\/1\/2004<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nTraveling First-Class<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Date: 12\/1\/2004<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\nTraveling First-Class (continued)<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
\n\n\n\nHumm Job<\/h1>\n\n\n\n
Date: 8\/10\/2005<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n
[2] This is Derek Dingle’s finessed handling of the Vernon Addition.
[3] This is a Tom Craven procedure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"