Wa0000.

minimalistica :: John Carey
ISBN: 978-1-944241-93-3
Copyright © 2015 John Carey
All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or
used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the
publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.
The information in this book is distributed on an “as is” basis, without warranty.
Although every precaution has been
been taken in the preparation
preparation of this work, neither
the author nor the publisher shall have any liability to any person or entity with
respect to any loss or damage caused or alleged to be caused directly or indirectly
by the information contained in this book.
Printed in the United Kingdom by Haresign Press
Design and illustration by Phillip Smith at Sushi Design ( www.sushidesign.net

www.sushidesign.net )
Ambigrams courtesy of Zachary Heath
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Contents
Welcome to minimalistica - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 7
Foreword: Mick Wilson - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 9
£1.25 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 13
All Four One - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 17
Bluff Lie Detector - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 19
Clipped! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 23
C.T.B - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 27
Cutting for Larry - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 31
Daley Might Have Liked This! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 33
Deal and Decide - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 37
Dream a Li’l Dream - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 41
Easy Open or Closed - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 45
Finessed Hofzinser Force-
Force- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 49
Free as a Bird - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 51
Hands Off Divination - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 55
Hof Stabber! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 59
Homage to Bannon - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 61
Homage to Fechter - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 65
Homage To Vernon - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 69
The In Transit Force - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 71
It’s all in the cards... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 73
Just Say When - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 77
Lazy Man’s Mystery - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 81
Lies All the Way - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 85
Lies Damn Lies! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 89
My Cards Are Your Cards! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 93
No Further Than That! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 97
One,Two,Three! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 101
Open All Day! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 105
Sense - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 109
Sleightless Cull - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 113
Slow Motion Triumph - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 115
The Stepping Stone Force - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 119
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Stranger in the Crowd - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 123

Telekinetic - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 125
The Attitude Force... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 133
The Gypsy Card - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 135
Think & Synch Reloaded... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 139
Think As I Think - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 143
Three Chances - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 147
Timely Transposition - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 149
Topping It Off! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 151
Translocaan - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 155
Travelling Light - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 159
Triumphant Dream - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 163
Twin Thoughts - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 167
Two Card Transpo - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 171
When Thoughts Combine - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 173
Whispering Ambitions - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 177
Y.A.F.A.P! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 181
Your Thoughts Are Mine... - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 185
Featured Ar
Artists - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 189
Away We
We Go: Tom
Tom Dobrowolski- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 191
Poppycock: Pa
Patrick G.
G. Re
Redford - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 195
Open Prediction Deck: David Gemmell - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 203
Hypnosis: Shaun McCree - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 209
Midsection Fo
Force: J.
J.K.Hartman - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 213
Burying The Aces: Paul Gordon - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 217
Annoying Thought: Pablo Amira - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 221
The Jackal: Ben Blau - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 227
Featured Artist: Shannon Clark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 239
Collective Thoughts: Shannon Clark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 241
Forced Coincidence: Shannon Clark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 247
Got a light?: Shannon Clark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 255
Just Between Us: Shannon Clark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 261
Poker with Dai: Shannon Clark - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 269
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minimalistica :: John Carey Welcome to minimalistica
Welcome to
minimalistica
Firstly a very big thank you for purchasing Minimalistica. I will
keep this introduction very short and let you dive into the material.
If you have read or seen any of my previous work, you will know that I have no
time for over-handled angle-ridden card magic. All of the material in this volume
is practical, powerful, doable and has been created with lay audiences in mind.
Nothing in this book is beyond the scope of the intermediate student, although
some items will take a little bit more work than others. You will find a wide array
of plots covered, streamlined to the essentials, hopefully without compromising
impact. In addition a number of utility forces are included that I think you will find
very useful.
In Crafted with Carey I was lucky enough to assemble some marvellous

contributions from magician friends around the world. This is repeated in this
latest work and I believe you will love the work my friends have so graciously
shared. I am blessed to have some extremely talented friends who I regularly
bounce ideas around with.
This book is dedicated to my parents, Maureen and Chris. I can never thank you
enough for all that you have done for me. x
Now go grab a deck of cards and let’s have some fun together.
John Carey
26/7/15
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minimalistica :: John Carey Foreword Mick Wilson
Foreword
Mick Wilson
I first met John at the South Tyneside

Tyneside International Magic Festival
Festival
and within minutes I didn’t know if I should admire him or hit him.
As it turns out, I admire the man, not only for his ability to take strong and often
complex magic and simplify it beyond belief, but also his extremely generous
and passionate nature. John is a very giving man and almost machine like in his
creation and sharing of magic. Granted the sharing initially goes to those closest
to him for the valued critique, but even then he’s chomping at the bit to get his
routines published to share with magicians worldwide. The huge success of his
first publication, Crafted with Carey, released in March 2015 and the release of
this second book 8 months later is testament to that fact.
I share a belief with John, in that an effect is never really ‘finished’, there’s
always room for improvements and/or tweaks to add further smoke to enhance
amazement. Our on-going marathon phone calls remind us of that constantly.
constantly.
That has always been John’s approach: lower the work rate and enhance the
amazement. If you have not read Crafted with Carey yet you will learn very
quickly from this instalment of the Carey Catalogue that John likes to get ‘the
work’ completed in an effect as quickly as possible allowing you to get as much
of you into the performance as possible. It’s been written and recorded a great
many times (to the point of being a cliché) that when you perform it’s best to ‘be
yourself’. John’s effects are a great aid in allowing you to do that, as the work
involved is minimal. Never forget, magic is as much attitude as it sleight of hand.
STOP! Do not put the book down.
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Although the methods contained within are simple and the plots are very direct
the impact upon spectators is huge! This is a good thing. In simple terms you’re
doing as little as possible for as much
mu ch as possible and believe me, the returns are
astounding.
There is a banquet of food for thought within these pages. Even if you never
perform a single effect as described the methods and ‘bits of business’ are
dynamic enough to be taken and used to create further astonishment or to
enhance effects you already perform. Personally, I want simple and extremely
effective and John delivers that. Approach the material contained within not as a
series of effects but as a box of tools waiting to be adapted to which ever job you
see them fit for.
I could go on all day about John’s routines, moves and subtleties and the great
value I hold in the work he has created and those who know me can testify that
I can talk a deaf donkey to sleep. Instead I leave you with words in my native
Geordie tongue:
Is this a canny good book? Why-I, think yu’ll love aal the stuff in it so crack on
and get it lawnt!
Mick Wilson
2015
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minimalistica :: John Carey £1.25
£1.25
I have been having a lot of fun with the following impromptu
mentalism piece. It combines Deddy Corbuzier’s wonderful Free
Will concept with equivoque and a nice timing force, which I have
not seen in print, but would not be surprised if other people have
used in this context.
You will require 5 different valued coins: £1 coin, 20p, 5p, 2p and a 10 pence
piece. On a business card have the following message pre written: I will have the
2p, you will have the 10p. Leave a space to write some further information during
performance.
Bring out your business card and state that you will write a message on it. On the
lower section of the card write down the name of one of your helpers, say Mary,
and then write, “will be left holding exactly £1.25 pence!” Place the card aside
face down, but in view to the group you are working for. Go to your pocket and
bring out the 5 coins mentioned above and place them onto the table in £1,20p,
5p, 2p and 10p order from left to right.
Address Jack and say you will play a little game of decision
decision making with him. With
your right hand pick up the £1 coin and transfer it to your left hand. Then pick up
the 20p and drop it on top of the pound. “I’m going to pick up each coin”. By the
end of that sentence you have picked up the first 2 coins. Then you catch them
off guard and say “just say stop anytime please”. You pick up the third coin and
transfer it to the left hand. The timing on this is akin to the classic psychological
stop force, usually performed with cards. Two things will happen. They stop you
on the 2p or the 10p. Because of Free will, you are covered either way. Let’s say
they say stop on the 2p. Place it in front of Jack.
Continue by asking him to mix the remaining 4 coins around a little. Now we will
force the 10p coin using a classic 1 from 4 equivoque. Push two towards me etc.
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Place the 10p in front of you and then scoop up the remaining coins and ask Mary
to hold them in a closed fist. Now the work has been done and it’s just a matter of
selling the conditions and bringing the effect home. In this example you will have
Jack pick up the business card and read out the message. Conclude by asking
Mary to open her hand and count how much money she is holding. She says
£1.25 and everyone goes home happy. Of course if Jack selects the 10 pence,
you will read out the message a la Free will.
Notes: This hasn’t happened to me yet, but if they stop you on the third coin, just
say,, “Fine, please slide the next coin (2p) towards you”.
say
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minimalistica :: John Carey All Four
Four One
One
Al
All Four One
The title of this four Ace production stems from the fact that you
will be producing all four Aces using one core technique. Have
the Aces evenly distributed in the deck and you are good to go.
Ask a spectator if she is quite observant? Roll with her answer and have some
fun, then suggest a little game of observation with her. Hold the deck face-up and
with the faces slightly raised towards you start spreading the cards until you see
the first Ace. We will now essentially do a partial Hofzinser cull, covering the Ace
slightly with the card below it (ie, to the immediate right / above it in the face up
spread). To do this the pad of the left thumb simply pulls across the indifferent
card to the right of the Ace just enough to cover it. The right hand comes away
with a spread of cards and calls out the cover card that is at the rear of the spread.
Flip this packet face-down and table it.
Repeat the above spread and partial cull sequence twice more, secretly dragging
an indifferent card over the Ace below it just enough to cover it and then come
away with a small spread and call out the exposed rear ‘cover’ card each time
before flipping each packet face-down and tabling, forming a row of three packets.
Finally spread through your remaining cards and execute a full Hofzinser cull of
the remaining Ace, allowing it to ride secretly beneath the spread. Call out the
random rear card of the spread and then flip the packet face-down and table it.
To conclude, state you have a terrible memory and ask your helper to name the
cards she saw.
saw. Have fun with this and state that those four cards would ‘never get
the money’. Make a magical gesture over the tabled packets and then reveal an
Ace on top of each packet,
packet, to conclude the multiple transformation.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Bluff Lie Detector
Bluff
Bluff Lie Detector
I’ve always loved the classic lie detector plot in its many forms,
Jim Steinmeyer’s Nine Card Problem being a particular favourite.
Gary Plants has a great version in his Dallas lecture notes, which
inspired the following. It makes use of the classic plunger principle
for the revelation.
I wanted a version where I didn’t have to do any thinking about what types of
cards to move as the packet is ‘programmed’. Basically this approach is pure bluff
but has proven particularly effective.
From a shuffled deck in use remove ten cards and hand them out for mixing. Upon
return introduce the theme of the polygraph or lie detector.
detector. Spread the packet for
a free selection and when it is returned
return ed control the selection, say two of Clubs, to
sixth from the top. I simply spread off five cards into my right hand and extend the
left hand and have the selection dropped on top. Then drop the right hand cards
on top and you are done. Execute a quick false shuffle or Ose false cut and you
are ready for the presentation.
State you will program the lie detector in readiness for some questions and
answers. Execute a reverse faro, up jogging every other card. Square the packet
up neatly leaving the cards in a telescoped condition with the packet held at the
long edges by the left fingertips.
Ask your helper was her card red or black? She can lie or tell the truth. After
her answer the left index finger pushing sharply down on the outjogged cards,
plunging a packet through. Now based on her first answer ask her what colour
was her card, again lying or telling the truth. With the backs of the right fingers
sharply push the jogged cards upwards, plunging another packet out.
Then ask her to name a value, again having the option to be truthful or lie.
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The left index finger once more sharply pushes the outjogged packet inwards,
plunging another packet through towards you in an injogged condition.
“Mary, so I asked you three questions and you had the option to lie or tell the
truth. You
You kept a poker face and I genuinely am not sure. However the lie detector
knows everything. For the first time, tell the truth,
tru th, the whole truth and nothing but
the truth! What card are you thinking of?”
She says, in this example two of Clubs. Execute one final plunging action, pushing
the injogged cards in sharply, causing one card to plunge from the packet. Make
a one handed fan. Pause, remove and revolve the card to disclose their selection
and conclude the mystery.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Clipped!
Clipped!
Signed card to impossible location always plays really well and
strong for the public. As my magician friends will tell you though,
I am not one for folding my cards!
Here’s a very direct approach sans folds. Place a paperclip over the short edge
of the two Jokers and place them in your pocket. When you want to go into this
piece simply take out the clipped Jokers and place them face-up on the table or
even ask a helper to hold them.
Have the deck shuffled and upon

u pon return have a card selected and signed. Control
it efficiently to the bottom of the deck. I always use the Hofzinser spread cull here.
As you square up secure a left
left little-finger break
break above the signed selection.
“Since childhood I have always been a fan of Star Trek.

Trek. As a youngster the scenes
where the officers teleported from one location to another always fascinated me.
Now we all know that it’s not possible for people to teleport, but with cards
anything is possible!” skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Make a magical gesture over the deck and then the paperclipped packet and
pause. Transfer the deck to right hand overhand grip, transferring the break to
the right thumb. As an in-transit action the left hand picks up the paperclipped
packet from the table at the left long edge, thumb on top, fingers underneath. Ask
your helper to pull off the paperclip and to table it. As they table it the right hand
approaches the packet and using the left long edge of the deck flips the face-up
packet face down, secretly dropping off the card (signed selection) beneath the
thumb break. Table
Table the deck. The above sleight is Jack Merlin’s
Merlin’s tip over addition.
Pull out the bottom card of the packet smoothly and flip it face-up on top.
Immediately pull our the new bottom card and flip that face-up and place beneath
23
the packet and then spread all three cards exhibiting a sandwich of two face-up
cards with a card trapped in between.
To conclude the mystery ask for the name of the selection and slowly extract
the face-down card and revolve it face-up to reveal a successful pasteboard
teleportation!
Ve
Version 2.0:
Let’s say you have a blue deck. You will also require two red backed Jokers and a
red backed force card, say three of Diamonds. Place the force card on the bottom
of the deck. Put a paperclip over the two Jokers and pocket them.
Bring out the paper-clipped packet and table it face-up. Pick up the deck, swing
cut and complete the cut, securing a left little-finger break beneath your odd
backed force card. The right hand removes a Sharpie and hands it to your helper.
helper.
Execute a dribble force and raise the face of the right hand packet towards the
spectator. Ask her to reach over and sign the face of the three of Diamonds.
Lower the right hand and bring both hands together and square up, keeping a
little-finger break beneath your force card. The right hand takes back the Sharpie
and pockets it.
Casually double undercut the signed selection to the bottom of the deck and
secure a little-finger break above it. The handling is now exactly the same as the
first version. In other words transfer the deck to right hand overhand grip, the
break being taken over by the right thumb. Pick up the face-up paperclipped
packet at the left long edge and ask your helper to pull off the clip. Execute the tip
over addition, secretly dropping off the signed card and table the deck.
Now state that earlier today you made a prediction. Pull out the bottom stranger
card and flip it face-up on top. Immediately pull out the new bottom card, flip it
face-up and place it back on the bottom. Spread the packet showing an odd
backed card trapped in between the Jokers. “Jack, how impressed would you
be if my prediction matched your card? Well actually the truth can sometimes be
stranger than that...”
24
Slowly extract the face-down card and turn it face-up to reveal the signed card
and finish the mystery.
mystery.
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minimalistica :: John Carey C.T.B
C.T.B
There are many versions of card to box in print. Some excellent
and others not so. I wanted a really clean version where there
was hardly any physical work and one could really sell the effect.
There is a price to pay in that we will be using a duplicate card.
But there’s a really nice clean up at the end which takes care of
that.
Lets say your duplicate cards are the Jack of Clubs. They have to be picture
cards. Place one of them on the face of the deck and the other on top. Put the
cards away in the box and tuck the half moon flap underneath the top card.
Take out the cards from the box, secretly holding back your duplicate Jack of
Clubs with the index finger.
finger. Close the flap of the box and toss it aside on the table
casually.
Slip shuffle the deck, retaining the other Jack of Clubs on the bottom by pressure
of the fingertips. Cut the deck in half and complete the cut, keeping a little-finger
break beneath your force card. Bring the right hand over the deck and execute a
dribble force to your break. Raise the right hand section to show them their card
and then assemble the deck and shuffle. Then ask your helper to shuffle and then
return the cards to you.
Mention that in a deck of cards there are two types of cards. Number cards and
picture cards. Ask your spectator what type of card is she thinking of? They will
say picture cards of course. Say that you will remove the picture cards. With the
faces of the cards towards you spread through the deck and outjog all of the
picture cards except for the Jack of Clubs. Strip them out of the deck and place
the remainder of the deck in your left side pocket.
You are now a mile ahead of the audience. Casually and very briefly spread the
27
picture cards face-up in the hands and then hand them out for shuffling. Take
them back and hold them face-down at the right long edge, thumb on top. Count
off four cards out loud into the left hand and table them. Then count off four more
m ore
cards and table them next to the first packet. Finally execute an Elmsley count,
false counting three cards as four and table them to the right of the other two
packets.
Ask your helper to cover any of the packets with their hand.
h and. Two scenarios can
arise here: if they cover the three card packet you are golden and simply turn
tur n the
other packets face-up and ask if they see the card they are thinking of? Of course
they will say no. You then make a magical gesture over their hand and then pick
up the card box and shake it. They turn over the cards under their hand and their
Jack of Clubs has vanished. Have them pick up the card box and reveal their
selection inside to conclude.
However, if they put their hand on one of the four card packets you say to them
that you sense their card is not in that packet. They turn it over and you are proven
correct. Follow up by having them cover the other four card packet and repeat as
above. Then conclude by making their card ‘vanish’ from the remaining packet
and get them to remove it from the card box.
Clean up: it’s a simple matter to gather up the picture cards on the offbeat and
palm off the duplicate into the right hand. Pick up the card box and put it away
in your right side pocket and ditch the palmed card. Remove the balance of the
deck from your left pocket and you are clean to continue with further mysteries.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Cutting for Larry
Cutting for Larry

Larry Jennings’ coin cut effect from his book Larry Jennings on
card and coin handling is a beautiful piece of magic where the
effect is crystal clear. Here is a bold but strong approach I’m
having a lot of fun with. It’s a bluff, but fun!
Have a card selected and signed. Upon return control it to the bottom of the deck.
I use the Hofzinser cull for this. Execute a slip shuffle retaining it on the bottom
and table the deck face-down near you.
Borrow a largish coin and execute two or 3 vanishes and productions - a brief
flurry.
flurry. Apparently place the coin into your left hand, really classic palming it in the
right hand. Bring the left fist over the deck and slowly open it to reveal the coin
has vanished. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Now for Jennings load: the right hand comes over the deck from above and cuts
off about half and slaps them down to the left of the remainder. As you do this
the palmed coin is loaded on top of the bottom half. Bring the right hand away to
reveal the reappearance of the coin.
After a short pause the right hand returns to the coin packet and picks it up,
thumb on top of the coin, fingers underneath the packet. Ask for the name of the
selection? Make a brisk right to left tossing action as you toss the packet into your
left hand. Friction will cause the bottom card of the packet (selection) and the coin
to stay together. This is an application of the old Hofzinser toss discovery. Done
briskly the eye simply cannot tell the card came from the bottom. Drop the left
hand cards on top of the tabled stock and focus on the card with the coin on top.
A moment later turn the card over to reveal
reveal a successful conclusion.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Daley Might Have Liked This!
Daley Might Have

Liked
Liked This!
This!
In this book are two versions of the last trick of Doctor Daley.
Daley. This
ve
version
ion takes full adv
advant
antage
age of two iden
identtica
ical Joke
Jokerrs to giv
give one
one a
ve
very clear
ear and dece
eceptive piece.
ce.
Take out the two Jokers and the red Aces and discard the deck. Lay out the red
Aces face-up and side-by-side on the table. Hold the Jokers face-down in right
hand pinch grip and execute a fingertip flushtration count, displaying the Jokers.
Even though you don’t have to do that display, it establishes the move for when
you will use it later.
Hold the Jokers face-down and slightly spread. Pick up either red Ace and place
it in between the Jokers and slowly square up. Ask a spectator to hold out a
palm-up hand. Make the moment over the packet and execute a double turnover
showing the Ace has risen to the top. A moment later turn the double face-down
and place the switched in Joker on her hand.
Now execute the fingertip flushtration count, showing both cards as Jokers. Place
the actual Joker on top at the end of the display. This is a strong moment when
you think about it. Pick up the remaining red Ace and insert it between the left
hands cards. Execute a double turnover to show this Ace has risen to the summit
too. Turn
Turn the double face-down and place the switched in Joker on top of the card
on her hand.
Ask your spectator to cover what she believes to be Aces with her other hand.
State that you will attempt to send your Jokers over to join them. Briefly cover
your cards and then after a few moments lift your hand. Act confused and then
make a magical gesture over your cards and then her hands. Ask the lady to open
33
her hands and turn over her

h er cards to reveal the Jokers. A few beats later show that
you have the Aces and the transposition is complete.
Fingertip flushtration count

Have a small packet in your right hand with the bottom card the one you want to
show all the cards as. Hold the cards on the long edge with your first two fingers
below and the right hand thumb above. Pivot this hand up to show the face of the
bottom card to the audience, then lower it back down again, and with your left
thumb slide off the top card of the packet. Then you pivot the packet up again,
again showing the bottom card, then pivot down again and slide off the new top
card. Repeat for as many cards as there are in the packet, ostensibly showing the
all as the face card. The motion shouldn’t be a studied movement, it should be
loose and free and, with the fingertip handling, very open.
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35
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minimalistica :: John Carey Deal and Decide
Deal and Decide

This piece is designed for a more formal performance. I guess
it’s a do-as-I-do type effect, but at the end I will describe another
presentational gambit.
You require two decks of different colours. Ask your helper to pick up either deck
and shuffle it. Extend your palm up left hand and ask them to start dealing cards
face-up and to stop purely on impulse. Have them deal the next card face-down
on top of the face-up packet you are holding. Secure a left little-finger break
beneath this card as you ask them to turn the rest of their cards face-up and
place them on top of yours. Grip the deck from above in the right hand, thumb
at the inner left corner, index finger at the outer left corner and revolve the deck
face down. This automatically secretly steps the deck at the card (the card they
stopped at) and gives you a secret peek of their selection, say three of Hearts.
Credit to Edward Marlo for this book break glimpse. Table this deck and pick up
the other and shuffle it. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Spread this deck face-up as you comment on how well mixed it is. Secretly note
the card above the three of Hearts, as this will be your key card. If these two cards
are too far down in the deck, simply cut them to around a third of the way down
from the top to cut down on dealing time.
Ask the spectator to extend a palm-up hand. You now replicate what they did
earlier by dealing cards face-up onto their hand. Continue dealing until you get to
your key card. Deal the next card face-down and then turn the remaining cards
face-up and place on top. Have them table this deck.
Remind your audience what has taken place and how fair everything has been.
Spread both decks across the table and remove the two reversed cards. Then
slowly turn both over to reveal a remarkable coincidence!
37
One deck version: With just one deck available I like to use the dream presentation
that I used in the Dream a Li’l Dream effect you saw earlier in this collection.
“Hannah, sometimes people get so engrossed in their work that they actually
dream about it! The other night someone remarkably like you was in my dream.
We were in a bar and I gave you the deck to shuffle. I then asked you to deal
cards face-up one at a time onto my hand until your gut instinct told you to stop.
I had you deal the next card face-down and then place the remainder face-up on
top. I then handed you the deck. Suddenly though, you, the cards and indeed
everything in that dream just faded away and suddenly I was jolted from that
dream by my alarm clock. I got up and went downstairs and made a coffee. As
I sat in the lounge and sipped my coffee I thought about that dream and how it
may have finished. Then I noticed a playing card on the floor and picked it up.
I wondered how it got there. I turned it over and it was the seven of Diamonds.
Please spread your cards and remove the one you left face-down and then turn
it over.
over. That’s
That’s the seven of Diamonds too and so I guess dreams really can come
true!”
The method here is exactly the same as the two deck effect. They shuffle the
deck and deal face-up cards onto your hand and stop on impulse. The next card
is dealt face-down and you secure a little-finger break beneath it. They turn their
remaining cards face-up and they are placed on top. Execute the book break
glimpse as you turn the deck face-down and then hand it to them. The rest is pure
smoke and mirrors...
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Book Break Peek

You begin by holding the deck in left hand dealer’s grip with a little finger break
beneath the card to be peeked. The right hand comes over the top of the deck
and grasps the whole deck from above, thumb at the inner left corner, second
finger at the outer left corner,
corner, with the left thumb underneath the deck. The cards
are then pivoted to the right, using the left fingers as a hinge until
u ntil the deck is face
up held between the left fingers and thumb on the face and back. The action of
pivoting the cards jogs the two halves in such a way that the index of the card
above the break is exposed, allowing your peek. In real use you are able to cover
this exposed sliver of card with the right hand, meaning the spectators simply
cannot see the index from their angle. Once you have got the peek (it takes only
a moment) square up the deck and table it / hand it to a spectator / proceed with
your routine
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40
minimalistica :: John Carey Dream a Li’l Dream
Dream a Li’l Dream

Here is a very simple piece with a Card At A Number style
revelation. Without a presentation it would be pretty
pretty meaningless.
Firstly the presentation:
“Last night Sarah, I had a dream and someone remarkably like you was in it. I was
entertaining at a party in a beautiful hotel and I asked you to shuffle the cards. I
took them back and then asked you to call out a number from ten to twenty. What
number would you say? Fifteen is what you said in the dream! I dealt down to your
number and handed you the card at that number to sign. It was replaced and I
shuffled. I then asked you to give the deck a few cuts. I was just about to try and
find your signed card when suddenly everything started to fade away. The image
of you, that beautiful hotel, everything. I then heard a ringing in my ear and woke
up to the bell on my alarm clock.
I slumbered out of bed and went down to the kitchen to put the kettle on. There
was a deck of cards in reach. I wondered just how that dream may have turned
out? Then I remembered you thought of a number. What number again? Ah yes
fifteen. Just out of idle, sleepy curiosity I counted the cards to the table, just like
in my dream, until I got to fifteen. When I turned it over I just couldn’t believe my
eyes!”
Method: Take back a shuffled deck and ask for a number from ten to twenty. In
the script it was fifteen. Deal and count fourteen cards to the table and then turn
over the next card. Hand it to your helper for signing. Have it dropped back on
top of the cards in hand. Execute any deceptive in the hands false cut. Then pick
up the tabled cards and drop on top. Execute a quick false shuffle and then hand
the deck to your helper and walk and talk her through the Jay Ose false cut, from
Harry Lorayne’s Close up card magic.
Take back the deck and bring the trick home as per the presentation, dealing
41
down to her thought of number and revealing her signed card and that sometimes
dreams do come true... skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Notes: Of course far more technically difficult options could be used for this.
Double lifts, switches et al. But I honestly believe the script more than carries the
low-tech but deceptive method used to achieve this effect. It’s
It’s designed purely for
laymen, who at the end of the day are the true acid test.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Easy Open or Closed
Easy Open
Open or Closed
Closed
The classic open prediction plot of Paul Curry is a fascinating
card problem, with so many possibilities. While the following
approach doesn’t adhere totally to his original conditions, it has
proven itself extremely effective for the public. It is impromptu
and has no weird or difficult moves.
Hand out your deck for shuffling

shu ffling and upon return ribbon spread it face up across
the table. As you comment on how well the spectator has shuffled, make a mental
note of the card fifth from the face. Let’s say it is the Jack of Diamonds. Turn the
deck face down and execute any deceptive false cut. State that you will make a
prediction. But you won’t write
write anything down and will make it an open prediction.
prediction.
Call out the Jack of Diamonds as your prediction. Commence dealing cards one
at a time into a face up tabled pile.
Ask your helper to use their intuitive

intuitive ‘sense’ to say stop when they feel the time is
just right. When they stop you point to the top face down card of the balance of
the deck. Point to the face up tabled cards and state that they could have stopped
sooner.
sooner. Turn
Turn the cards in hand face up and with the cards faces necktied slightly
towards you start spreading them. Hofzinser cull the Jack of Diamonds under the
spread as you lower your hands, bringing the faces into view. Only spread a few
more cards as you mention that they could have stopped later. Turn the cards
face down.
Hold the face down deck in left hand dealing grip as your right hand comes down
to the tabled face up packet and ribbon spreads it. Then deal the top card of the
packet you are holding face down and slightly upjogged on top of this packet.
Turn your remaining cards face up and place them onto the right end of the ribbon
spread and then spread them too. Mention that your helper had complete free will
to stop anywhere on impulse. Then have the face down card turned over to reveal
the Jack of Diamonds and thus conclude this mystery.
45
Closed: Of course, you could present this piece as a closed prediction and get
a particular card set secretly to fifth from the face. Have a stranger card that
matches this inside a wallet or a sealed envelope and carry out exactly the same
steps as above. Everything is kept secret until the end
end until you reveal the card
card
stopped at matches your prediction in the wallet or envelope.
The key with the cull is to be loose and relaxed. The presentation I’ve outlined
justifies or rationalizes its use. Keep calm
calm and have fun!
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47
48
minimalistica :: John Carey Finessed Hofzinser Force
Finessed
Finessed Hofzinser
Hofzinser
Force
The classical Hofzinser cull force is a thing of beauty. Fred
Robinson started the ball rolling with his ultimate force. The
following is a piece of finesse I’ve enjoyed using that adds a nice
layer of deception.
The force card starts out fifth from the top of the deck. Holding the deck in left
hand dealer’s
dealer’s grip, riffle down the outer left corner of the deck with the thumb and
ask a spectator to say stop. When they do lift off the packet at the point stopped
at with the right hand, cards held from above in overhand grip. Use the pad of the
right second finger to push the top card of the lower packet forward about two
inches and assemble the deck, with a card protruding.
Start a hand-to-hand spread and cull the fifth card (force card) under the spread,
Hofzinser style. Continue spreading until you get to the outjogged card. Take all
the cards up to and including the jogged card away slightly in the right hand
and tap the left long edge of this packet against the back of the left hand cards,
squaring them. Momentarily place the right hand packet side jogged on top of
the left hand cards, held in place by the left thumb. Bring the right hand over the
upper packet from above, push the jogged card square and lift up the packet and
expose the face card to your helper.
helper. This must
mu st be carried out smoothly.
smoothly. The card
has been forced and you then proceed from there.
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50
minimalistica :: John Carey Free as a Bird
Free as a Bird
Deddy Corbuzier’s
Corbuzier’s Freewill concept is such a simple but beautiful
idea. It’s
It’s one of those “why didn’t I think of that?” things. Here I’ve
applied it to a simple but deceptive piece using a prediction, a
blackJack hand and a signed card at a number.
Prepare by writing on the back of a business card: “I will get the Ace, you will get
the Jack and the signed card will appear at number 11”.
The Ace of Spades is marked by putting an ink dot in the bullet point of the card in
the centre of a standard Bicycle deck. You
You can use other areas and other brands
of course. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Bring out your business card and place it prediction side down on the table. Do
not call it a prediction or indeed anything. Have the deck shuffled as you mention
that your favourite game is blackJack. Take back the deck and say you will take
out a perfect blackJack hand. Make a mental note of the face card, say Two of
Diamonds and start spreading through the deck in search of the Ace and Jack
of Spades. Silently count as you spread and injog the tenth card from the face
slightly.
slightly. Continue spreading and take out the Ace and Jack and hand them to your
helper.
helper. Get a left little-finger break beneath the jogged card and double undercut
to the break, sending your key card, the Two of Diamonds tenth from top. Table
the deck.
Ask the spectator to take the blackJack hand beneath the table or behind their
back and mix the cards. Have her then deal either card face-down in front of you
and the remaining card in front of her. If you see a mark on your card you know it’s
the Ace, which means you will read out the prediction at the end. If
I f you don’t, your
spectator has the Ace and will read out the prediction a la Freewill.
Pick up the deck and start a face-up hand-to-hand spread and invite your helper
51
to call out any card that takes her fancy. Separate the spread at this card so it’s
on the face of the left hands cards. Have her pick up a marker and reach over and
sign her card. Push it to the right about an inch and recommence spreading the
cards, secretly culling her signed card under the spread with a Hofzinser spread
cull. As you do this you comment on all the choices she could have made. When
you get to your key card, the Two of Diamonds load the signed selection next to
it and square up. Their signed card is eleventh from the top. Execute a casual
false shuffle and then the Jay Ose false cut from Close up Card Magic by Harry
Lorayne. From a method standpoint, your job is done and its pure effect from here
here
on in.
Table the deck face-down and focus attention on the business card that has been
in full view the whole time. In this example, let’s say my face-down card is the
Ace. I turn over the business card to reveal a message. Read out the first part
to show you do indeed have the Ace. Read out the second part and have your
helper disclose that she has the Jack. Hand the business card to her and read out
the final part of the message. Then have her pick up the deck and deal and count
out loud to eleven. Then have that card at that position turned over to reveal her
signed card. Of course if she has the Ace after the opening mixing then she will
read the entire the message out.
Now go and have some fun with this!
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minimalistica :: John Carey Hands Off Divination
Hands Off
Divination
Using a wonderful ploy of Chad Long’s from his Shuffling
Lesson routine, this piece is about as simple as it gets. But don’t
underestimate its power. Designed purely for laymen, you will be
pleasantly surprised how strong this plays.
There is a three card set up on the face of the deck. On the face have the Ace of
Clubs, followed by the four of Hearts and then the seven of Spades. False shuffle
retaining the three card slug on the face. Then ask spectator 1 to say stop as you
execute a slip shuffle, retaining the Ace on the face of the packet, which you hand
to them when they stop you. Repeat this slip shuffle sequence with spectators 2
and 3, each of them getting a packet with a force card on the bottom. You are left
with a few cards, which will serve as a demonstration packet.
Spread your packet in the hands and invite your helpers to copy you. Then push a
few cards out of the centre, strip them out and drop on top. Repeat this sequence
twice more as you talk about how this randomizes the cards. Of course it serves
the covert purpose of the spectators mixing their cards and yet retaining each of
the three force cards on the face of each packet.
Ask your helpers to take a peek of the face card of their respective packets and
lock the thought of that card in their minds. Then have them cut their packets and
complete the cut. Ask one of the trio to gather up all the cards, including yours
and shuffle the deck. Then have them box the deck and toss it or hand it to you.
“So each if you took a packet of cards and shuffled. You formed the thought of
a card in your minds and then mixed the cards some more.
m ore. Everything was done
totally out of my control, so sleight of hand is impossible.”
55
To conclude the piece I reveal or divine the cards a la the Dave Hoy tossed out
deck, asking each person to sit down if I named their cards.
Simple, practical and strong.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Hof Stabber!
Hof Stabber!
I’ve always loved the classic card stab effect where the deck is
wrapped in a cocktail napkin and the selection is located with a
pocket knife. There are some lovely solutions in print. Here’s my
take on this old chestnut, where our friend the Hofzinzer spread
cull once again proves its versatility.
versatility.
Have a card selected and signed and controlled to fifth from the top. Use whatever
you are comfortable with here. I like to use a simple jog shuffle control but the
options are myriad. Hand the deck to your helper and have them wrap the deck
completely with the napkin in view. Be sure they tuck in the napkin under the ends
of the deck and keep it face down. Hand them a pocket knife and ask them to
carefully stab the blade into the wrapped deck.
Take back the package and table it. Bring the hands over the package and tear
away the top layer of napkin, exposing the deck and knife inside. Bring the right
hand over the deck and take away all the cards above the blade of the knife. This
is automatic. Place this packet into left hand dealing grip. Comment on how the
spectator stabbed the deck with the cards in hand. Casually spread the packet
you are holding in the hands and sight and Hofzinser cull the fifth card (selection)
under the spread. As you do this ask them approximately how many cards do
they think you are holding? Square up the packet, secretly sending the selection
to the bottom.
Slide out the bottom card and table it face down. Build up and remind your
audience what has taken place, how the spectator wrapped the deck in a napkin
and freely stabbed the knife into it. All that remains for you to do is to ask for the
name of their selection and then dramatically turn over the card on the table to
reveal that they have unerringly located their signed card.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Homage to Bannon
Homage to Bannon
In a nutshell, this is a signed card in sealed envelope. The
inspiration here was John Bannon’s beautiful effect Heart of the
city,
city, published in Smoke and Mirrors. You will require a small pay
envelope and just
just a moment’s preparation.
Place the three of Diamonds face-down inside the envelope and seal it. From the
top of the deck down set the seven of Diamonds followed by the seven of Clubs.
Bring out the envelope and toss it casually to the table. Do not
n ot call it a prediction
or indeed anything. Just do it. We will now force the seven of Diamonds using
Bannon’s
Bannon’s Christ Cross force, from his book High Calibre. It’s
It’s essentially an in the
hands handling of Max Holden’s
Holden’s classic cross-cut card force.
Hold the deck face-down in left hand dealer’s grip and riffle down the outer left
corner with the thumb, asking your helper to say stop. When stopped swing cut
the upper packet into the left hand and then tap the left long edge of the right
hand packet against the back of the left hand packet. Place the right
r ight hands cards
side jogged on top of the remaining cards. The right hand gestures to a Sharpie
on the table and you ask them to pick it up and uncap it. This provides sufficient
time misdirection for John’s force to be most deceptive. Lift off the upper jogged
packet from above in the right hand and push off and hand the top card (7d) of
the left hand packet to your helper for signing. Get them to write the time down
too. Assemble the deck, getting a left little-finger break above the seven of Clubs.
Dribble the cards to your break and extend the left hand and have the signed
card placed on top of its packet. Assemble the deck, keeping a little-finger break
above the signed selection. Take back the Sharpie and put it away.
“A playing card is made up of two main components. A suit and a value. Gary, just
think about the suit of your card.”
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Cut off half the cards above your break to the table, then cut to your break and
drop them on top. Take the top card of the left hands stock and place it face-down
to the left of the sealed envelope. Drop the remaining cards on top of the tabled
cards and pick up the deck.
“Now think about the value of your card.” Execute any deceptive false cut and
deal off the top card and place it to the right of the envelope. Hand the deck to
your spectator.
“Inside that envelope that’s been here the whole time is a message, cleverly
disguised as a playing card. First let’s
let’s look at the two cards I cut to. This card tells
me your card is a seven and this card tells me your card is a Diamond, yes? And
finally the card in the envelope tells me something very personal. How you sign
your name!” skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Suiting actions to words, open the envelope and take out the card and place it
between the other two cards. Set the envelope aside. To complete the mystery
we will use Brother John Hamman’s sandwich switch from his seminal routine,
the signed card. Pick up the two outer cards and hold one in each hand. Bring
both hands together and scoop up the card in the centre, the right hand card
going beneath it and the left hand card above. Push the packet square at the
fingertips. Without stalling slide out the lower card and flip it face-up and place it
on top, showing a black seven. Immediately slide out the new bottom card, flip it
face-up and slide it beneath the packet, showing a Diamond card. There must be
absolutely no hesitation with
w ith this displacement sequence. To conclude the effect
remove the face-down card and turn it face-up to reveal their signed selection.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Homage to Fechter
Homage to
to Fechter
Fechter
Eddie Fechter was a true master of his craft and all of his card
material was aimed primarily to dazzle the laymen at his bar at
the Forks Hotel. His book written by Jerry Mentzer is chock full
of gold.
One of my personal favourites from the book is Mr Fechter’s

Fechter’s That’s It! Essentially
an approach to Charlie Millers classic Dunbury Delusion,
D elusion, the running line of That’s
That’s
It!, the interaction and the knockout finish make the routine an absolute gem.
The following approach works away from the deck and is simply my preferred
way of doing the effect. Hand out the deck for shuffling and then ask your helper
to deal five cards into a tabled packet and then set the deck down. Pick up the
packet and start transferring cards one at a time from top to bottom and ask the
spectator to say stop. When stopped raise the face of the packet towards them
and ask them to remember the face card. Let’s
Let’s say it’s the Three of Clubs. Lower
the packet and run off three cards in an overhand shuffle and throw the remaining
cards on top. Then run two cards and shuffle off. This simple mix positions the
selection second from the bottom efficiently.
efficiently.
Mention you will try and discern the spectator’s

spectator’s selection by the inflection in their
voice. Tell them you will show them the face of each card and they are simply to
call out that’s
that’s it, regardless of whether it is their card or not.
Turn over the top card and call it out. Let your helper call out “That’s
“That’s It!” and then
turn the card face-down and discard it in top of the deck. Execute a block push off
and triple turnover
turn over,, showing the selection. Once your helper has called out that’s
that’s
it, repeat the block push off and turn the triplet face-down and discard what they
think is their selection on top of the deck and cut the deck and complete the cut.
This is a very strong moment in the effect.
65
Mention that you didn’t get any clues or tells from the first two cards, but believe
it has to be one of the remaining three cards. Turn
Turn the top card of the packet face-
up, showing an x card. The spectator calls out that’s
that’s it and after pausing you state
that’s not their card either. Discard it on the deck. Deal the remaining two cards
in a row on the table. The selection is on the left. Continue to act confident, even
though your spectators will believe you’ve screwed up!
Pick up the card on the right and display its face, calling out the card. One last
time the spectator calls out That’s It. A moment later discard this card on the
deck and ask your helper to put their finger on top of the remaining card. Then
ask them to call out the name of their card. They will say Three of Clubs. Look
shocked and then look over to the deck. This is a beautiful moment. Act it out. To
To
finish the effect ask the spectator to turn
tur n over the card under their finger to reveal
the selection. “That’s it!!!”
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minimalistica :: John Carey Homage To Vernon
Homage To Vernon
Here is my handling of Dai Vernon’s Two Thirteen trick from the
Ver
Vern non Chr
Chronicles
les volu
olume one
one. I wanted an app
approach
ach with as
little extraneous handling as possible.
Take out the Ace, two and three of Diamonds and deal them into a face-up row
on the table, Ace on your left, two in the middle and three on your right. Have the
deck shuffled and upon return have a card freely selected and when it is returned
control it to the top via a favourite method. Have your helper turn the three tabled
cards face down.
“Gary, life is all about decisions. One decision can affect another decision. You
have a very simple decision today.
today. Simply call out Ace, two or three.”
Let’s say your spectator says the three. Pick the three up and hold it face-down
at the right fingertips. Use this card to flip the two of Diamonds face-up. Mention
they could have said this card. Both hands approach each other and you execute
a top change, secretly exchanging the card in hand for their selected card.
With absolutely no hesitation the left hand moves towards the remaining Ace of
Diamonds and turns it face-up. Drop the switched in selection face-down on top
of this card and then pick up the two of Diamonds and drop it face-up on top of
all, forming a sandwich. Casually set the deck aside.
Ask your helper to cover the sandwich with either hand. Make the moment and
then have them lift their hand and turn over the face-down card in the sandwich,
to reveal the transformation into their selection.
What’s nice here is that the handling is the same, whichever of the three tabled
cards is nominated.
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70
minimalistica :: John Carey The In Transit Force
The In Transit Force

Here is a nice card force that requires
requires motivation. It is also a good
example of an in transit action as Ascanio would have said.
Your force card is on top. False shuffle retaining it there. Hand to hand spread for
a spectator to touch any card. Once they do so, separate both hands with loosely
squared packets in each hand. Push off the top card of the left hand packet and
say you will put it under the card box. As both hands are full you apparently take
the card on top of the right hand packet so the left hand can pick up the card box.
In reality you pull the card back square on top of the left hand packet, just like a
false count. Without hesitation the left hand reaches down to the table and picks
up the box. Deal off the force card from the right hand packet and then drop the
box on top as an in transit action.
As I said
said at the outset, this force requires a motivation. I use it for some prediction
prediction
effects where a card is put sight-unseen on the table.
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72
minimalistica :: John Carey It’s
It’s all in the cards...

“Playing cards are not only used by magicians and gamblers. For
generations they have been used by gypsies, fortune-tellers and
psychics to tell the past, the present and the future.
Imagine these cards are fifty-two pages all about you Mick. Please shuffle them as
I want your personality to rub off on them. Now as I flick through the cards slowly,
slowly,
just call out stop. This card will
w ill represent you. Now I need something personal
from you. No not your pin code Mick! Your signature please.
please. Reach over and sign
your card. Lets, give the cards a shuffle and would you take them and give them
a few cuts. That’s perfect. Will you cut the deck into two halves? Now you have
to make a decision, based purely on your impulse or gut instinct. Pick up either
packet. And we will set the rest aside. Spread your cards in your hands. Now push
some out of the middle and put them on top. Do that again and again once more,
mixing your cards while totally under your control. Cut away a chunk and set
them aside. Now they say that three is a magic number Mick. Deal a card down,
then one next to it and then one more next to that. Continue dealing the cards
into three piles, just as if you were playing some crazy game of cards with friends.
So from a deck of cards mixed thoroughly by you, we will use the top card of each
packet and see what Lady Luck has dealt us. Remember at the start I told you
about the cards being used by fortune-tellers? Well
Well this card represents your past.
It tells me you’ve had a very interesting past, full of mostly highs with occasional
difficult times, like all of us. This next card represents the present. Ah, this one
tells me you are at a good moment in your life, both personally and professionally.
professionally.
Now finally there’s just the future to deal with Mick. To be honest, I don’t tend
to dabble in the future. But maybe, just maybe this remaining card will tell me
something very personal about you. Ah, indeed it does, Mick. It tells me how you
sign your name!”
The public, especially ladies, are fascinated by Horoscopes, palm reading and
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other items dealing with the telling of fortunes. This piece, inspired by my dear
friend, Andrew Gerard’s effect Finding Yourself, published in Crafted with Carey,
is essentially presentational smoke thrown around the discovery of a signed card.
The fact that it is almost self working
wor king and pretty much hands off after a selection is
made gives one freedom to really sell the conditions and apparent fairness of it all.
From a spectator shuffled deck riffle down the outer corner of the deck and ask
a helper to say stop. Lift off the cards at the point stopped at and raise the right
hand to show the face of the selection to the audience. Have your spectator pick
up a marker from the table and reach over and sign their card. A moment or two
later bring both hands together and secure a left little-finger break beneath the
selection as you square up.
Take back the marker with your right hand and place it away. Then cut off all
the cards above your break to the table, followed by cutting small packets and
dropping them on top until the deck is exhausted. The selection is efficiently
controlled to the bottom of the deck.
Slip shuffle, retaining the signed selection on the bottom. Hand your helper the
deck and have them perform the Jay Ose false cut from Lorayne’s
Lorayne’s Close Up Card
Magic on themselves: Have them cut off about a third of the deck and table it. Then
ask them to cut off another third and table it to the right of the first packet. Finally
get them to place the remaining packet furthest to their right. A few moments later
have them gather up the packets from left to right. The signed selection is still on
the bottom but the conviction of fairness is pretty strong.
Reach over the deck and cut it into two halves. Have the spectator pick up either
packet. If they pick up the target packet you casually set aside the remaining
packet. However if they pick up the X packet first casually ask them to set it aside
without any fuss. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Now for a delightful (and very sneaky) Chad Long ruse: Ask them to spread the
packet they are holding in their hands and push out a bunch of cards from the
middle. Request they put that bunch on top. Get them to repeat the above actions
twice more, covertly keeping their signed selection on the bottom.
Direct your spectator to cut away a chunk of cards and discard them. Then talk
about how the number three is a magic number. We will now use a beautiful
placement force of Al Leech to get ready for the fortune-telling phase prior to the
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finale of the effect. Ask your helper to deal a face-down row of three cards and
then continue dealing back and forth until all the cards have been dealt. Make a
mental note where the last signed card is dealt.
To finish the effect pick up the top card of either of the X packets and give a
friendly ‘reading’ of this card to represent the past. Then pick up the top card
of the other X packet and turn this card over and make comments about their
present. Finally pick up the top card of the remaining packet, look at it and pause.
Then smile as you reveal the future and how they sign their name! Kudos to Gary
Kurtz for that tag line.
There you have it. A presentational piece with the public in mind. No weird moves
or extraneous actions and a hook that should keep them interested.
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76
minimalistica :: John Carey Just Say When
Just Say When

The Stop trick is a classic of card magic. There are literally
hundreds of methods for this plot in print. Some are exceptional.
My approach to the effect is a somewhat unusual application of
a superb Brother John Hamman idea. It’s simple, impromptu and
ve
very dire
irect.
From a shuffled deck in use have a card freely selected, say Five of Hearts and
have it signed. Swing cut the deck and have it returned. Secure a left little-finger
break above it as the deck is assembled. “This experiment is not
n ot about me, but all
about you Jack. You
You see, as you’ve signed a card, that gives it significance to you.
I will endeavour to locate your card, but I think I will need some help.”
After the
the above monologue cut about half
half the cards above your break to the table.
Then cut to the break and drop that packet on top. Deal off the top card of the
remaining cards face-down to your left and drop the other cards on top of the
tabled cards and pick them up. Carry out the same triple cut as above once more;
this time of course it’s a fair cut and no breaks. Deal off another card face-down
to your right.
Hand the deck to your helper and have him start dealing cards one at a time into
a face-down pile until he gets some kind of intuitive sense to stop. When he does,
have him place the next card face-down between the two tabled cards you cut to.
The deck is set aside.
“Jack, let’s
let’s see how I did. A seven of Clubs and a Queen of Hearts (or whatever).
Not even close! But you remember what I said at the start about this not being
about me and being all about you? You
You see sir, you are just doing what everybody
else in the world is trying to do and find themselves!!!”
The card they stopped at is turned over and revealed to be their signed selection.
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As the above closing spiel is said you will execute Brother Hamman’s sandwich
switch, from his routine The Signed Card. Pick up the face-down selection on your
left and hold it at the left fingertips. Pick up the right hand card and hold it face-
down at the fingertips too. Bring both hands
h ands towards the card your helper stopped
at and scoop it up between your two cards, so that your left hand card goes on
top. Immediately,
Immediately, without any stalling slide out the bottom card of the packet and
turn it face-up and place it on top of the packet, showing an x card. Smoothly
continue by sliding out the bottom card and flipping that card face-up, showing
another x card. Place it face-up beneath the packet and drop the sandwich onto
the table, showing one face-down card between two x cards. Remove the x cards
and discard them. Focus full attention on the card they supposedly stopped at
and bring the trick home revealing their signed card.
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80
minimalistica :: John Carey Lazy Man’s Mystery
Lazy Man’s
Man’s Mystery
Mystery
For more years than I can remember,
remember, I’ve always loved
loved performing
C.O Williams Lazy Man’s Card to Pocket, from The Encyclopaedia
of Card Tricks. Recently, it dawned on me that it makes a pretty
nice mystery card too.
The Jokers start out on top of the deck. Mention that you will place three mystery
cards onto the table. Push off the top 3 cards of the deck and supposedly table
all of them. In reality steal back the third card and table just two cards. Hand out
the deck for mixing and, upon return, ask your helper to call out any number from
five to ten inclusive. Let’s say they call out seven.
False count five cards as six into your right hand and table this packet. Push off
the top card of the deck and hand it to your helper to look at and then sign. Have
them drop it back on top of the deck and then pick up the tabled packet and drop
it on top of all.
Ask your helper to hold out a palm-up hand and then place
place the deck onto it. Make
your mystical motions over the deck and ask the spectator to begin dealing and
counting to their thought of number. Stop them when, in this example they get
to six. Then ask them to turn over the seventh card, where they will see that their
signed card has vanished. As they do this you have perfect shade to top palm
their card into full right hand palm. Table the packet and then let the right hand
descend over the mystery cards and add on the palmed card as you scoop them
up off the table and drop them into your left hand.
“These three cards were placed on the table before we started. Let me show you
two of them. A Joker,
Joker, a face-down card of mystery and another Joker.
Joker. Jack, they
do say that you cannot be in two places at the same time. But maybe, just maybe,
you can!”
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Suiting actions to words, execute a stud bottom deal, dealing a face-up Joker
onto the table. Then deal the next card face-down on top of it, followed by dealing
the remaining Joker face-up on top of those, forming a sandwich. Then build it up
and bring it home, extracting the face-down card from between the Jokers and
revealing that inexplicably it is their signed card :-)
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83
84
minimalistica :: John Carey Lies All the Way
Lies All the Way

This piece was inspired by David Williamson’s fantastic Liars
Poker on his Magic Farm DVD. I wanted something within my skill
set that featured the multiple changes of cards under spectator’s
hands.
There is a simple three card set-up on top of the deck: Ace of Clubs, followed by
the Four of Hearts and then the Seven of Spades third from the top.
False shuffle retaining this set up on top and then swing cut about half the deck
into the left hand and as you complete the cut, get a left little-finger break above
your force cards. Drop the left hand casually to the side as you introduce the
effect and the premise of lies and tells and all that jazz.
Dribble force to your break and hand the Ace to a spectator on your left, the four
to someone on their right and finally the seven to someone even further to the
right. Discard the deck.
Invite each person to peek at his or her cards and remember them. Then have one
of the group gather up all three cards and mix them as you look away.
Turn back around and take back the cards as you urge your helpers to form an
image of their cards in their minds.
With the faces towards you, feign concentration as you try to pick up on any tells
the people may be exhibiting. Casually rearrange the cards into their original A,
4,7 order from the top if they are not already in that order.
order.
“They say the inflections in people’s voices can often give their true thoughts
away. I will show and call out each of the cards to you guys. When I ask you if
this is your card, just say yes. I will try to discern who is telling the truth and who
85
is lying.”
Suiting actions to words, execute a double turnover, showing the four of Hearts.
Ask each person individually if that is their card?
card? They are all
all to say
say yes of course.
Pause a beat and then turn the double card back down and put the switched in
Ace of Clubs under the first spectator’s
spectator’s hand.
Hold the packet face-down at the right long edge and execute a fingertip
flushtration count, raising the face towards the other two people, showing the
seven of Spades and then turning the hand palm up and dragging off the top
card into the left hand. Ask each person the question and they both are to say yes
like before. After a bit of deliberation put the switched in four of Hearts under the
second helper’s hand. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Tilt the face of the final card towards you and very casually miscall it as the Ace
of Clubs and get your third spectator to cover it with a hand. Act very confident
about your decisions and then ask each person if you got their card right? It’s a
very funny moment when they all say no!
n o!
“Ah, so much for inflections, let’s use magic.” Make a magical gesture over their
hands and have each person in turn call their selections out. Then, one by one,
have each card turned over to conclude with a pretty strong triple change into
their chosen cards.
Kudos to Mr Williamson for the inspiration.
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87
88
minimalistica :: John Carey Lies Damn Lies!
Lies Damn Lies!

The lie detector plot is deservedly considered a classic of close
up card magic, and there are some truly superb versions in print.
What makes the effect so strong are the choices the spectator
gets to make and the ensuing entertainment value the effect can
generate.
What I offer here makes an ideal opener. It makes wonderful use of what’s
become known as the Matsuyama Petal force, which with playing cards is a way
of forcing one of two words. My friend John Bannon uses it in an effect called
Petal to the Metal in his book Destination Zero. The actual force was published
with applications by Steve Beam in Semi Automatic card tricks, volume 4.
Set the Jack of Clubs, Hearts and Spades at positions 1,6 and 11 from the top of
the deck. Place the Jack of Diamonds on the face of the deck and you are good
to go.
“I’m sure most of you here have heard all about the polygraph machine or lie
detector. It’s used by law enforcement agencies around the world to determine
whether a suspect is lying or telling the truth. It’s a highly sophisticated, very
expensive piece of equipment. But: did you know that a deck of cards can be
used as a lie detector? Much less expensive, can be carried in your pocket and
usually gives remarkably good results. Let’s put it to the test with you today Raj!”
Remove the deck and false shuffle retaining your set up. Push off a packet of five
cards from the top and table them. Then push off five more and table them to the
right of the first packet. Finally push off another five cards and table them furthest
to the right of the row, forming three packets, each with a Jack on top. This is
done as you make your opening commentary.
Swing cut a few small packets into your left hand, leaving about a dozen cards
89
in your right hand. Place this packet (with the Jack of Diamonds on the bottom)
on top of the packet in your left hand, securing a little-finger break beneath it.
Execute a dribble force to your break as you say you want Raj to put the thought
of a card in his mind. Raise the upper packet and show him the force card.
Assemble the deck, keeping a little-finger break beneath the selection. Pause
a beat as you ask him to lock the image of that card in his mind, then casually
double undercut the forced selection to the bottom and execute a slip shuffle
retaining it there.
Table the deck and ask your helper to cut off a fair sized packet. You then pick
up the remainder and place them on top, but offset at an angle, setting up Max
Holden’s classic cross-cut card force.
“So, Raj, you are thinking of a card. These three small packets of cards on the
table are our lie detector.
detector. I will simply ask you three questions and you may lie or
tell the truth.”
Ask the spectator if his card is red or black? Whatever his answer,
answer, pick up the
packet on the left in readiness for the Matsuyama Petal force: Deal the top card
to the table as you say “black” (opposite colour of force card) and then place the
next card underneath the packet as you call out “red”. Repeat this deal and duck
procedure with the remaining cards of the packet as you call out black, red, black,
red and drop the final card on top. The last colour you call will, by nature of the
maths of the deal, be the colour of their card (in this case red). Explain that this
technique shows the true colour and, depending on his answer,
answer, comment on how
the lie detector tells us he is either lying or telling the truth.
Pick up the next packet of the row and repeat exactly the above process after
asking him whether he is thinking of a Heart or a Diamond? Be sure to call out the
opposite suit to the Diamond as you deal the first card and continue the duck and
Deal. Have some fun with the results here.
Pick up the remaining packet and ask your helper whether he is thinking of a
number card or a picture card? He can again be truthful or Lie. Carry out the petal
force as before, dealing the top card to the table as you call out number, then
ducking the next card underneath as you call out picture. Continue and drop the
last card on top, successfully forcing the word picture.
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“Well we’ve had some fun there with your answers, Raj! You were truthful only
once but the lie detector found you out. For the first time, tell the truth, the whole
truth and nothing but the truth! What card are you thinking of?”
After he says Jack of Diamonds, slowly reach over to the remainder of the deck
and slowly lift off the upper offset packet from above with the right hand. Slide out
the bottom card and place it on his hand. A moment later have him turn it over to
reveal his ‘thought of card’.
To finish the piece, slowly turn over the three ‘lie detector’ packets to disclose the
other Jacks and bring the trick home.
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92
minimalistica :: John Carey My Cards Are Your Cards!
My Cards Are
Yo
Your Cards!
The Last Trick
Trick of Doctor Jacob Daley,
Daley, published in the Dai Vernon
Book of Magic, is quite rightly considered a classic of card magic.
The effect, one of transposition between the red and the black
Ac
Aces,
es, is
is a crowd
owd pleplea
aser. Ma
Many no
notable wo
worke
rkers hav
havee pu
publis
lished
ve
version
ions. Th
The fol
folllowi
owing is
is si
simply a pe
person
sonalised
sed pr
presen
sentation in
an attempt to amplify the effect for the people.
Firstly my presentation:
“You know, 52 cards is sometimes a lot to focus on Shannon. So in an attempt

to make everything crystal clear, I will remove just 4 cards from the deck. These
2 go onto the table. I’ll even show you the others, the red Aces. Here, take them
and mix them up.
Do you remember playing guessing games as a child? Great fun wasn’t it?
Just make a guess and tell me what you think this card is. The Ace of Hearts it is!
Now if these are the red Aces, the cards on the table are? That’s right, the black
Aces. This Ace of Spades is said by some to
to have mystical properties.
properties.
Hold out your hand and we’ll leave you holding the Ace of Clubs. I’ll take the Ace
of Spades and place it under the red Aces. But imagine we could go back in time
and the Spade is back on top! Please hold it. In fact cover both cards between
your palms and I will hold the red Aces.
Let’s take this a step further, Shannon. I will attempt to make my red Aces
disappear.
disappear. Sometimes if mine disappear,
disappear, then so do the others. Did you feel yours
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disappear? Me neither.
But I really want to give you the power sir. Please shake my hand. This is of
course a standard social greeting exchange. But it can sometimes exchange
other things...
Have a look at your cards now? Because my cards are now yours and your cards
are mine!”
Method: Remove the Aces and set them in Club, Spade, red Aces order from
the top down. Set the black Aces face-down onto the table without disturbing
their order. Show the faces of the red Aces to your helper and invite them to
mix them. Take them back and take either Ace and ask them to guess or intuit
which Ace it is? Flip it face-up on top of the other red Ace and comment on how
they did, regardless whether they were right or wrong. This provides enough time
misdirection for the upcoming John Bannon switch to work. It was published in
a routine called amongst the discards in Josh Jay’s talk about tricks column in
Magic magazine.
Ask your helper what the 2 cards on the table should be based on assumption?
Drop the cards in hand on top of the tabled packet, pick it up and turn it over
bringing the Ace of Spades into view.
Comment on how this card is said by some to have mystical properties. Push it off
into the right hand, bringing the Ace of Clubs into view. Execute a double push off
and turnover and place the switched in red Ace onto their hand.
Flip the Ace of Spades face-down and execute a two-card push off, taking a
double card and place it beneath the other card. Make the moment and then
double turnover again to show the Spade back on top.
Allow this moment to register and then flip the double card face-down and deal
the switched in red Ace on top of the card in their hand. Both of you cover your
cards between the palms as you segue into the attempt to vanish the cards
gambit. Nothing happens...
Then extend a hand and shake their hand as you say you will attempt to exchange
‘the power’. I first saw Larry Jennings use this brilliant idea in an effect called
handshake transposition, on a video he shot for Dominique Duvivier.
Duvivier.
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To conclude the piece have your spectator turn over his cards to reveal a magical
exchange has indeed taken place. He has your red Aces and you have his black!
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minimalistica :: John Carey No Further Than That!
No Further
Further Than That!
That!
I’ve always loved the undercount of Martin Gardner’s that Paul
Harris used so brilliantly in his Las Vegas Leaper cards across
routine in Las Vegas Close up. Indeed, in Crafted with Carey I
applied it to a hands-off ambitious card effect.
For the following application set the four Queens on top of the deck, Queen
of Diamonds uppermost. False shuffle retaining your set up and casually cut
the deck, securing a left little-finger break above the Queens. Engage in some
meaningful conversation and then ask someone to help you. Transfer the deck
and the break to the right hand, securing a thumb break. Dribble force to your
break and ask the person to take a peek at their card. This will be the Queen of
Diamonds. Assemble the deck getting a little-finger break above your force card.
A few moments
m oments later cut half the cards above your break to the table. Then cut
to your break and drop them on top of the first packet. Finish by dropping the
remaining cards on top of all and square up. Execute an in the hands riffle shuffle,
keeping the Queens on top. I believe the cut control belongs to Ron Bauer. With
any control like this, the pause is essential.
Now we will throw some smoke around the room with some presentation about
how the inflections in the voice can often give clues about people’s thoughts.
State you will remove a small group of cards from the deck for a little test. Start
spreading the cards and slightly injog the fourth card from the top. Continue
spreading and upjog about eight or nine cards from random locations. Secure
a little-finger break beneath the jogged card and with the right hand swivel out
the upjogged cards. Flip them face-up on top of the deck and with no hesitation
take all the cards above your break from above with the right hand and table the
balance of the deck. This of course secretly steals the Queens beneath the face-
up packet.
Ask your helper to take the packet as

as if they were going to deal a round of poker
poker..
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State that you will ask them to call out the cards and at the same time think about
their selection. Suggest the inflections in their voice may give you some clues.
So have them call out the face card of their packet, push it off, turn it face-down
and place it under the packet. Have them do this multiple times, calling out
the cards until a face-down card appears. This is the brilliant hands off ruse of
Gardner, which covertly hides the Queens and sets up the finale. Casually ask
your spectator to drop the packet on top of the deck and to cover it with either
hand. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
“Tom,
“Tom, you didn’t really give anything away their with your voice. I genuinely don’t
know whether you saw your card or not. I think I will have to try and read your
mind. Keep thinking about your card and call it out
ou t mentally over and over again.
Yes that’s it. The Queen of Diamonds, the Queen of Diamonds, the Queen of
Diamonds yes? Excellent. Most magicians would end right there, but I want to go
further than that. I could try and make your card appear in the box. Or maybe my
pocket. But how about somewhere impossible, like under your hand? Turn over
the top card. Amazing! But you see cards are like people and love the company of
their friends. And so the next card is a Queen and the next and also the one after
and I can’t go any further than that!”
So in the above exchange you will firstly do the divination of Senator Crandall.
Get a reaction and then have them lift their hand and reveal that their card has
appeared beneath it. The other three Queens are then revealed to add the icing to
the cake. Credit to Stewart James for the further than that presentational premise.
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100
minimalistica :: John Carey One,Two,Three!
One,Two,Three!
This piece was inspired by an effect of Larry Jennings called
Triple Discovery, published in his book the Classic Magic of Larry
Jennings. There was quite a bit of ‘top of the deck action’ in
Larry’s
Larry’s handling.
I wanted something a little more streamlined.
Take out and show the two Jokers and table them face down. Ask three spectators
to help you. Hand to hand spread and ask the first person to say stop somewhere
near the top. Bring the hands apart at the point stopped at and push over the card
stopped at. Raise the left hand to show them their selection, say Ace of Clubs.
Lower the left hand and as you bring the two hands together Hofzinser cull their
selection under the spread (Hofzinser spread explained on page 103). Ask
spectator two to say stop around the middle. Repeat the above display,
display, showing
them their card, say four of Hearts and once again cull their selection under the
spread as you address your third helper. They are asked to say stop a bit further
down. Show their card to them, say seven of Spades and once more cull their
selection. Square up the deck sending the three selections to the bottom in 3,2,1
order from the face.
Secure a left little-finger break above the bottom card and then reverse double
undercut it to the top. Dribble the deck and get a little-finger break beneath the
top card. Pick up the Jokers and flip them face-up on top of the deck. The right
hand immediately picks up all three cards below the break from above and the
left thumb peels off the first Joker on top of the deck. Place the remaining two
cards as one on top of all. This of course is the standard sandwich load of Edward
Marlo.
Secure a little-finger break above the two bottom cards of the deck via a pinky
101
pull down. Make ‘the moment’ over the deck and then spread and take off the top
three cards, revealing a face-down card trapped in between the Jokers. Upjog
this card and allow it to slide out onto the table in front of spectator three. Get
her to name her card and have her turn it over to disclose her selection. As she
does this it creates excellent shade to bring the Jokers over the deck, flip them
face-down and come away in the left hand with the two cards you have a break
above at the bottom. This is a version of the jinx switch, again by Marlo I believe.
Table the deck and then take the face-up selection and insert it between the
supposed face-down Jokers. Ask spectator two to extend a palm up hand. Place
the packet on their hand and then get spectator one to put their hand on top,
trapping the packet.
Make a magical gesture over the tabled deck and then over your helper’s hands.
Retrieve the packet they are holding and spread it. Look a bit nonplussed and
then ask for the name of the two remaining selections. Slowly turn over the two
faces down cards to reveal the transformation of the Jokers into their cards and
take a bow!
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Hofzinser Spread Cull
The Hofzinser Spread Cull / Control first appeared in Hofzinser’s

effect ‘Synonymous Thoughts’ in the April edition of The Sphinx in
1922. It’s
It’s a powerful and organic way to control a selected card
card to
the bottom of the pack with the action of spreading the cards.
The cards are spread from left to

right and a card may be touched or
chosen with the spread broken leaving
that card on top of the left half of the
spread. The two hands come back
together, reforming the spread - the
left thumb contacts the back of the
bottom card of the right hand spread
(the one now immediately above the
chosen card) and pushes it to the left
of the chosen card, which is held in
place by the right hand fingers below
the spread.
This creates a ‘lip’ above the chosen

card, which is now held on the bottom
of the right hand half of the spread.
The spread is then expanded a little and

the left half of the spread slips under this
‘lip’, above the chosen card. The spread
is then closed and the chosen card goes
directly to the bottom of the pack.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Open All Day!
Open All Day!

The open prediction is a truly fascinating card problem. The
following hands off self-working version does not adhere to the
stringent conditions of Paul Curry’s original problem posed but
the trade off is pretty strong in my opinion.
Hand out the deck for shuffling and upon return spread through the deck and take
out the Jokers and set them aside. Use this time-honoured ruse to secretly note
the card sixth from the top. Let’s say for the purposes of this description it is the
King of Clubs. Casually false cut the deck.
Hand the spectator the deck and state you will make an open prediction. Call
out the King of Clubs. Ask them to deal a card face-up to the table, followed by
another then one more. Have them deal two more and then casually get them to
deal the next card (KC) face-down for ‘luck’. Request they continue dealing face-
up onto the tabled pile and deal another card face-down on impulse. Once again
get them to continue dealing face-up cards and deal another face-down card.
Have them repeat this one more time, so that four face-down cards have been
dealt. Ask your spectator to turn their remaining cards face-up and drop them on
top of everything.
Time misdirection will now be your friend. Comment on how you made an open
prediction at the beginning and that they shuffled the deck. They dealt cards face-
up and at four different points they randomly dealt face-down cards. Most of that
is true! Be bold ;-)
Spread the face-up deck and slide out the four face-down cards. Table
Table them and
mix them around, tracking where your target card is. Now use a simple, standard
equivoque or magician’s choice to force the target card, the King of Clubs. I
simply ask them to push two cards towards me. If both are x cards I place them
aside and ask them to hand me one of the remaining two cards. If that’s
that’s an x card
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I discard it casually with the others and bring the trick home. However,
However, if they push
the target card and an x card towards you, discard the other two cards and have
them hand you one of their two choices. If it’s
it’s an x card then casually discard that.
But of course, if it’s the target card, you push the remaining card aside without
fuss and not mentioning the dreaded death words eliminate or get rid off!
Either which way, you remind the audience of your open prediction and successfully
conclude the mystery. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
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minimalistica :: John Carey Sense
Sense
In John Bannon’s latest book Destination Zero is a beautiful
hands off card at a number presentation called The Thirty-
Second Sense. I loved the effect but wanted an approach where
my spectator didn’t have too much procedure to carry out or
remember. Luckily, Gene Finnell’s wonderful free-cut principle
achieves this objective in a very expedient fashion.
Requirements: A 51 card deck and a small change purse contains mixed coinage
totalling 34 pence or 34 of whatever currency you use.
Bring out the purse and casually table it. State that you will get a few people
involved in the proceedings. Hand out three packets of cards, each containing
seventeen cards to three spectators. The Elmsley technique of pushing off and
silently counting in groups of three is the most efficient way of doing this. Request
the cards to be well mixed and have each packet tabled, forming a row of three
packets.
Ask one of the group to pick up any packet and lift away a portion, look at the
face card, say 5 of Clubs and drop that packet on top of either of the two tabled
packets. Get them to drop the other tabled packet on top. Finally have them mix
the remaining cards they are holding and drop them on top of everything and
square up. Walk and talk them through the Jay Ose false cut from Lorayne’s
Lorayne’s Close
Up Card magic and you are in a very strong position. Their thought of card is
automatically thirty-fourth from the top, thanks to the ingenious free-cut principle.
Mention you will make a wager with your helper. Pick up the change purse and
open it. Take
Take out all of the coins except for a 5 pence piece and toss them to the
table. Close the purse and throw aside, as if unimportant.
Have your spectator pick up the deck in readiness for dealing. Pick up one of the
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tabled coins and call out its value. Have your helper deal and count that amount
into a face-down pile. Repeat the above sequence with each of the remaining
coins, your helper dealing on top of the previous cards, forming a packet of
twenty-nine cards. Act confidently and ask them to turn over the top card of the
tabled packet. It will not be their mental selection...
Look crestfallen as if the whole thing has gone wrong and say to the spectator
that he wins the money and the purse! This should get a laugh. Pick up the purse
and open it. Then act surprised and ‘notice’ there is a coin left inside, a 5 pence
piece. Show this situation and remove the coin. “My bad, please count 5 more
cards.” He does and calls out the name of his thought of card. The last card dealt
is turned over to reveal his card and everybody goes home happy.
happy.
Kudos to Mr Bannon and Finnell.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Sleightless Cull
Sleightless Cull
The following sleightless cull of, say, the Aces was inspired by
a John Bannon cull in Dear Mr. Fantasy. John used a couple of
indifferent cards as cover cards while culling the aces under the
guise of trying to find a selection.
Have the spectator shuffle the deck and take it back, holding the deck face up in
left hand dealers grip.
“Did you know there are some people who can spread through a shuffled deck
and remember it in under 30 seconds?”
As you say this, spread the deck

deck and sight the first ace.
ace. Get a left little finger break
break
beneath it and square up. “But I’m not one of them!!!”
As you say this, cut to your break and complete the cut, sending the ace to the
rear (top) of the deck.
“Even if I went through the cards and tried to remember three cards, like this three
of Clubs, the seven of Diamonds and the Jack of Hearts, I would still have trouble,
so let’s try something else!”
As you say the above (and trying to keep a straight face) simply spread through
the cards with the faces towards you and upjog each of the remaining aces,
calling out three random indifferent cards. Strip them out and place them under
the deck. Execute an in-the-hands riffle-shuffle retaining the aces and you have
culled the aces to the top, with no moves, just bluff and attitude. The presentation
really is everything here.
Segue into something unrelated to the aces before taking advantage of the bluff
cull.
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114
minimalistica :: John Carey Slow Motion Triumph
Slow Motion Triumph

Here is a fun, progressive approach to the Triumph plot I think
yo
you will
ill enjoy using. It’s a small packe
cket app
approach
ach where the magic
gic
builds quite nicely.
Take out eight cards from the deck and discard the rest. Have a card selected and
upon return control it fourth from top. I simply spread off three cards and extend
my left hand and have the card replaced. The three card spread in the right hand
is dropped on top. Execute an optical shuffle or any other false mix you know.
State that you will create chaos with the cards. Spread off the top four cards of
the packet into the right hand. Turn
Turn the left hands remaining four cards face-up.
Deal off a face-down card to the table and then deal a face-up card on top.
Continue this face down/face-up mix until
u ntil the packet is exhausted.
Pick up the packet and spread it as you comment on how the cards are alternating
face-up and face down. As you do this Hofzinser cull the fourth card from top
under the spread and send it to the bottom as you square up.
State that you will try and straighten out the mess in slow motion. Spread the
cards again and take the top four cards into the right hand and come away with
them slightly in a spread condition. Comment on how there are now two face-up
cards together.
together. Bring the hands together and cull the fifth card from top under the
spread and continue spreading until you get to the lowermost two cards. Come
away with them in the left hand to show two face-down cards are now together.
Place these back underneath the packet and square up, secretly allowing the
culled card to slide to the bottom.
Make the moment and spread the cards once more. This time take the lowermost
three cards away in the left hand to show three face-down cards together. Then
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bring the hands together to show three face-up cards have converged. As you
square up the packet secure a little-finger break under the top two cards. Snap
your fingers and then execute a double push off, taking two cards as one into the
right hand. Then deal the next three face-up cards on top. Bring both hands away
from each other for a moment as you comment on how the face-up cards have
now magically separated from the face-down cards. Place the right hands cards
on top of the lefts, securing a little-finger break between them. Execute a Christ
twist or a standard half pass and a beat later make a one handed fan. This will
show all the cards now facing up except for one stranger in the crowd. Take the
face-down card out and dramatically turn it face-up to reveal the selected card.
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118
minimalistica :: John Carey The Stepping Stone Force
The Stepping
Stone Force
Here’s a utility force applicable to myriad objects. It’s purely a
timing and attitude thing. I will describe it as a card force, but
yo
you can prett
etty much use anany obje
objeccts, ex
except for te
telev
levisions
ons and
elephants!
Let’s
Let’s say your force card is the ten of Clubs. It
I t starts out on top. Riffle shuffle the
deck retaining it there. Then execute a series of swing cuts, sending the force card
about two thirds of the way down. Keep a left little-finger break above it.
Cut off two packets and place them side-by-side. Then cut to your break and put
a third packet down to the right of the first two packets. Continue by cutting and
dropping off another packet (force card on top) placing at the right end of the row.
Drop the remaining packet to the right of all.
“Cameron, as I pick up packets from the table, just say stop!”
As you start the above sentence

sentence pick
pick up the packets
packets from
from above in the right hand,
starting with the far left packet. Then drop the second packet on top and proceed
to the third packet. It’s purely
purely a timing thing. They will either stop you as you pick
up the third packet, but in most circumstances the fourth packet. Psychologically
this is strong because they see you are running out of cards.
If they stop you on the third packet have them peek the top card of the fourth
packet, which will be of course your force card. However if they stop you on the
fourth packet, drop it on top of the cards in hand, give them to your helper and
have him peek the top card. Either way your
you r work is done and the card has been
forced.
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Notes: this has not happened to me yet but if you have to pick up the last packet
of the row simply hand it to them, have them mix it and peek at the bottom card.
Then get them to drop it on the balance of the deck. It will now go next to your
target card, which will now double up as a key card. Proceed from there with
whatever you want to achieve, effect wise.
As I stated at the outset, this technique is simply a combination of timing and
attitude.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Stranger in the Crowd
Stranger in the Crowd

Crowd
The following impromptu effect was inspired by a beautiful Dai
Ver
Vern
non pie
piece,
ce, cal
called It Sta
Stands Alone,
one, pub
published in The
The Vernon
Chronicles, volume 2. I wanted a more direct and easier way to
achieve the effect.
Have the deck shuffled and tabled face-up. Ask a spectator to cut off about
15 cards and hand them to you. Turn the packet face-down and spread for a
selection. Have them remember their card and return it to the spread, then control
it to the top with your favourite method.
Secure a left little-finger break underneath the selection and ask your helper to cut
the face-up tabled cards into two approximately equal packets. As they do this
it gives you ample misdirection to half pass all the face-down cards below your
break, secretly turning them face-up.
Place your supposed face-down cards on top of one of the face-up packets and
then place the remaining face-up packet on top. Bring your right hand palm down
over the deck and slowly revolve it face-up. Then ribbon spread the deck to reveal
there is now only one face-down card in the spread, standing out like a stranger
in the crowd.
Remove it and turn it face-up to reveal the selected card and thus conclude your
mystery.
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124
minimalistica :: John Carey Telekinetic
Telekinetic
“Today
“Today Shannon, I would like the pair of
of us to try an experiment in
telekinesis, which basically means the moving of objects without
touching them. Since we have a deck of cards handy, let’s use
them.
First off though, I want you to get the thought of a card in your mind. I’ll just drop
cards like this and you say stop. Lock the image of that card in your mind.
Now watch closely what I do because it’s your turn next! You see if I just think of
any card, like say the Ace of Clubs and mentally will that card to move, sometimes
something rather bizarre happens. You
You see, if I spread the cards you will see that
the Ace of Clubs has turned over! Let’s turn it down and try again. How about
the Four of Hearts? Any card is possible! Sure enough just by willing that card to
move it turns over while buried in the deck.
Now it’s your turn Shannon. I will spread the deck across the table, so you can
see that all the cards are face-up. You square up the deck. You cover it with your
hands and you mentally will the card you are thinking of to move.
Spread the deck across the table. Ah! One card has this time turned face-down
and is standing out like a stranger in the crowd. What card are you thinking of?
Turn it over. Now that’s Telekinesis!”
Method: I purposely gave you the presentation I use first because without it this
effect would be a rather clever but bland reversed card effect. Take out the Ace
of Clubs and the Four of Hearts and place the Ace face-up second from the face.
Put the Four spot face-down third from the face. On the face of the deck is say
the Seven of Spades. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Bring out the deck and introduce the theme of telekinesis. Casually false shuffle
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retaining your set up on the bottom. Then cut the deck and complete the cut,
keeping a left little-finger break beneath your set up.
u p.
Execute a dribble force to your break and raise the face of the right hands cards
towards your helper, showing them the Seven of Spades. Lower the right hand
and assemble the deck, centralizing your three card set up.
Table the deck and call out the Ace of Clubs as if it were just a random thought.
Bring the right hand palm down over the deck and slowly turn it palm upwards,
making the moment. Pick up the deck and spread it, revealing the Ace of Clubs
has turned over. Separate the hands a few inches apart with the face-up Ace on
top of the left hands packet and slightly sidejogged. Bring both hands
h ands together and
align the face-up Ace with the lower card of the right hands spread. Immediately
turn the right hand palm down and using the left thumb clamp down on the face-
to-face double card and drag it on top of the left hands
h ands cards. Turn
Turn the right hand
back palm upwards and place its face-down cards on top of the remainder of the
deck. This of course is a form of Larry Jennings famous Larryverse, published
in Vernon’s Ultimate card secrets. In this effect it secretly sets us up for phase
two with the Four of Hearts secretly reversed. I first saw Daryl use this simplified
method of Jennings move. Table
Table the deck once
on ce again.
Call out the Four of Hearts, again as if it just popped into your mind and pick up
the deck and hand to hand spread, revealing the face-up card. Take the spread
of cards above it away slightly and secure a left little-finger break beneath the top
two cards of the left hand packet. We
We will now execute Mike Skinners handling of
the Braue reversal to secretly set up the finish of the piece and secretly reverse
the spectators ‘thought of’ card.
Flip the right hands cards face-up on top of the left hand’s
hand’s cards and immediately
pick up all the cards above the break from above in the right hand. Using the left
edge of the right hand’s packet, flip the left hand’s
hand’s cards face-up.
Bring both hands together and as the right hand’s cards are placed on top, secretly
sidejog the bottom card of the right hand packet (their selection) by pushing it
slightly to the right with the pads of the left second and third fingers.
Lower the deck to the table and execute a left to right face-up Ribbon spread.
Because of the jog, their selection is nicely hidden beneath the spread. This great
move is the Charles Nyquist ribbon spread hideout, published in Hugard’s Magical
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Monthly magazine many moons ago.
All that’s
that’s left to do is make your spectator the star and have her call out her
thought of card and will it to move. The deck is spread and there is one face-
down card amongst the face-up cards. Take
Take it out and slowly reveal it to be their
selection. If you wish you can do a divination of their card but I like to stay true to
the premise.
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Braue Reversal
(Mike Skinner Variation)
Begin with one card face up in the middle of the deck. Spread through to the face-
up card, and break the spread when you reach it, so the bottom half of the spread
is in left-hand dealing position and the top half is held in a right hand spread. As
you square up the left hand cards get a left little-finger break beneath the card
second from the top.
The right hand flips its cards face up onto the left hand packet by pivoting them
over their left hand long edge onto the left hand cards. The right hand then comes
over the top and lifts up all the cards above the break. You
You then use the left edge
of this right hand packet to flip the cards remaining in the left hand face-up, again
by levering them over their left hand long edge. The right hand then drops its
packet on top of the face-up left hand packet. To the spectators it appears you
have righted the one face-up card in the deck, but in reality you have actually
reversed another card in the middle of the deck.
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129
Larryverse variation
This move is essentially a variation of the spread double lift

described on page 157.
A single card is reversed in the face down deck and you spread through to find
it and turn it over. You break the spread at the face up card, and take it onto the
face of the top half of the spread, in reality squaring it with the bottom card to the
top half. The hand holding the top half of the spread turns palm down and places
this double on top of the bottom half of the spread. This hand then turns it’s cards
face down again and places them back on top of the bottom half.
Whilst you have turned the one card that was originally face-up face-down in the
face-down deck, you have also secretly turned
tur ned another card face-up.
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minimalistica :: John Carey The Attitude Force...
The Attitude Force...

Force...
Good self-working/semi-automatic card forces are few and far
between. The cross-cut force, the cut deeper force and the Hindu
shuffle force are three of
of the best if managed correctly
correctly..
The following force is one per cent method and 99 per cent attitude. It’s proved a
useful tool in my card work.
Your force card, say Ace of Spades starts out on the face of the deck. Slip shuffle
retaining it there. Ask a spectator to reach over and cut off a fair size portion and
to table them.
Casually mix the packet you are left holding by pushing off clumps, ending by
dropping the force card on top. Pause a beat and then extend your hand and ask
your helper to take a peek at the top card. Force completed, applications up to
you...
Here’s my script which makes this thing work: “Right, Gary lets give these a
shuffle. Would you cut off a fair size packet and put them on the table? How many
would you say you cut off approximately? (Mix remaining cards, running force
card to the top) Okay would you take a peek of that card?” (force card)
That’s it! Just be very laidback and carefree and you will surprise yourself how
deceptive this is for the public.
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134
minimalistica :: John Carey The Gypsy Card
The Gypsy
Gypsy Card
Card
“Just last week on holiday, I was sitting in an outside cafe with
friends, drinking and entertaining with my cards and generally
having a good time. And then a rather craggy looking old man
approached me and smiled. ‘I used to read the cards’ he said.
I was fascinated by this, and he told me that every card had a
meaning. Before he left he reached into his pocket and handed
me this very worn and faded old card. He told me not to turn it
over until my intuition told me the time was right.
I think that time is now guys. First though let’s mix these cards. You take some
please and you and you too sir and together let’s
let’s shuffle. Drop yours on the table,
mine go on top and would you two other guys drop on top.
Shannon, pick up the deck and cut off about a third and table them. Now cut
off about half the cards you are holding and table them too. Finally place the
remaining cards next to the other packets and then gather them up and square
up. So from a deck shuffled by you all, we are in a situation where it would be
impossible for me to know how many cards are in each packet or indeed anything
about the cards. They say there is power in words. I want you to spell the word
impossible, dealing one card for each letter and place the last card on top of the
gypsy card. One card less and we would have arrived at this card, the five of
Spades. One card more and we get the Joker. Shannon, please turn over your
card. Ah the lady of Hearts. A very colourful and memorable card. Now for the first
time let’s
let’s turn over the gypsy card. Impossible!”
Method: The inspiration for this effect comes from two sources. Larry Jennings
effect Impossible from the classic magic of Larry Jennings and my friend Dani
DaOrtiz effect invisible speller on a Dan and Dave download. Dani’s ingenious
spectator shuffle and placement concept in that effect got my gears rolling.
135
You require an old antique style playing card. I like to use the Queen of Hearts.
Keep this in your wallet back outwards until you want to get into this piece. During
the relaxation at the end of another effect manage the Queen of Hearts to the
bottom of the deck. Table the deck as you remove your wallet and take out the
old card and talk about the Gypsy in the street cafe. Place the card face-down
on the table.
Slip shuffle retaining the Queen of Hearts on the bottom and then say would like
to try something that goes beyond good or great and is maybe even impossible.
Now Dani’s wonderful spread and group shuffle: Push off three cards and casually
drop them in front of spectator 1 and then drop three more and then three more
again. Make this messy and very casual. Ask them to shuffle their cards. Go to
spectator two and drop a few cards in front of them and then almost as an aside
spread your cards and have them reach into the spread and pull out a bunch and
then shuffle all their cards. Direct attention to a third spectator and sloppily push
off a packet of cards and hand them to that person for mixing. This leaves you
with a packet of cards with the Queen of Hearts on the bottom. Shuffle it to the
top as you encourage the group to really shuffle well so it’s impossible to track
anything or indeed know anything about the cards.
Ask spectator 3 to drop their packet on the table. You drop your packet on top.
Then ask spectator 1 who has 9 cards to drop their packet on top. Reach over the
deck and cut off some cards. Have the remaining spectator drop their cards into
the gap and then dribble the cards you hold casually on top. The above sequence
should seem very loose and liberated and executed casually. Your target card has
been covertly set to tenth from the top but everything looks so fair.
fair.
Ask one of the group to pick up the deck and cut about a third
third of the deck to the
table. Then have them cut off another third and table them to the right of the first
packet. The final packet is tabled furthest to the right. Pause a beat as you state
that it’s impossible to know how many cards are in each packet and remember,
they shuffled. Have the spectator gather up the packets from left to right and
square up. This spectator false cut is of course the classic Jay Ose cut, published
in Harry Lorayne’s book close up card magic. Jim Swain should get credit I believe
for the great idea of having the spectator make the cuts.
To finish the effect have one of the group spell the word impossible, dealing one
card for each letter out loud. Take
Take the last card dealt and turn it face-up to disclose
136
the Queen of Hearts. Look over to the gypsy card and smile. Have it turned over
to end with an impossible matching of the cards.
Notes: to get the most from this effect, the word impossible has to be stressed
multiple times during the presentation. This really does amplify the final revelation
for the people.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Think & Synch Reloaded...
Think & Synch

Reloaded...
In my book Crafted with Carey was a pretty solid and fooling
mental piece with the cards called Thinking and Synching. It
plays equally strongly to magicians as well as laymen. Here is my
current ‘fix’ on this effect I think you will have a lot of fun with.
From a shuffled deck in use you tell your audience that for some peculiar reason,
you just can’t get the thought of a playing card out of your head. It’s the same
kind of feeling as when you can’t get a song out of your mind after listening to it
on the radio.
“Jack, in a moment I’m going to ask you to put a thought in your mind. A playing
card is made up of a value and a suit. Just imagine for a moment that these cards
are made up only of values. I will drop them in my hands until you say stop. Take
a peek at that value and lock it in your mind. Now just think of any of the four suits
and then combine that thought with your other thought to form a playing card. So
if you were thinking of three and Clubs the card would be the three of Clubs ok?
In a moment I will make a commitment and place the card I’ve been merely
thinking about on the table. Be honest, you’re not thinking of a red card are you.
You are? Me too but it’s not such a big deal as there are only a couple of colours.
As I promised I will take out my thought of card and table it. Would
Would you now take
the card you are merely thinking of and place it on the table too? It’s not there?
Now that’s
that’s strange. What card are you thinking of Jack? The seven of Hearts is a
very special card. But not just for you sir. Turn my card over. Impossible!”
Method and strategy: After your opening monologue, dribble the deck for a
spectator to call stop. Raise the face of the right-hand’s cards and ask them to
139
lock just the value of that card in their mind. Assemble the deck, getting a left
little-finger break beneath the value card. Pause a beat and then casually double
undercut to your break. Execute an in the hands riffle shuffle, glimpsing the value,
say seven as you flex the cards prior to dropping off cards from your thumb and
then riffle shuffling. Cut the deck and table it.
Continue by asking your helper to just think of any suit and combine that thought
with their value to form just one card in their mind. Now we need to ascertain the
colour of their thought of card. Here we will use a bit of verbal subterfuge I first
saw the great Max Maven use. I just look at my helper
h elper and say,
say, be honest, you’re
not thinking of a red card are you? Body language and a very open and liberated
attitude are key here. If they say yes you say that your thought of card is red too.
But if they say no you say that neither is your card. Act very loose and casual in
this moment.
You now have all the information you need, having done hardly anything, to
successfully conclude this effect. However the effect can finish in two different
ways, and that’s what makes this piece fun to do.
In our example the spectator is thinking of a red seven. We genuinely don’t know
which one, but we don’t care! I pick up the deck and with the faces towards me
I remove the first red seven I come to and place it face-down on the table. In our
example I removed the seven of Hearts. I hand the deck to my helper and ask him
to take out the card he is merely thinking of. If he doesn’t find it we conclude by
showing an amazing coincidence and turning over your card to prove that great
minds really do think alike.
However, if he does take out a card have him table it face down. Now we would
comment on how in every deck there are cards that are called mates or twins.
Cards of the same colour and value. Give a couple of examples before slowly
turning over both tabled cards to reveal the matching red sevens.
Of course the first outcome is the stronger of the two but don’t underestimate the
second finish. If it’s built up and sold well it plays very strong.
140
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142
minimalistica :: John Carey Think As I Think
Think As I Think
The do-as-I-do plot is rightly considered a classic in card magic.
Usually the method revolves around the use of a key card - the
following approach doesn’t and has a nice, sneaky thought of
card aspect to it.
You will require a red deck and a blue deck. The set up from the top down in each
deck needs to be: five spot cards, King of Hearts, two spot cards and then the
rest of the deck.
Bring out both decks and table them. Suggest a little experiment in synchronicity
with your audience. Ask a spectator to pick up either deck and to remove the
cards from its box. You pick up the remaining deck and remove the cards.
Mention that in Las Vegas and Atlantic City they have schools for croupiers,
where people are taught to handle cards neatly and professionally before they are
allowed to work at the Poker and BlackJack tables.
Ask your helper to partake in a card-handling lesson and to copy you. Deal cards
face-down into a packet on the table until you have dealt at least six cards. Be
sure to make sure your helper does the same, sending the King of Hearts sixth
from the face in each packet. Continue by overhand shuffling your remaining
cards and have your helper replicate you. Then cut off a packet and place it on
top of your tabled cards. The spectator is once again asked to copy you. Repeat
the above shuffle and cut sequence one more time, finishing by dropping any
remaining cards on top of your deck.
Your helper copies you one final time with these mixing actions as you comment
on how well they have done.
Now a sneaky ruse, courtesy of my friend, Dani DaOrtiz. “A deck of cards consists
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of two types of cards. Number cards and?” They will of course say picture cards.
“Yes indeed. I think it’s fair to say that picture cards are easiest to visualize, with
lots of colour and detail.”
Pick up your deck and ask your helper to watch what you do. With the faces of
the deck towards you, say that you will spread through your cards and think of
the first picture card you see. Act out these actions with your cards, spreading a
fair way into the deck as a subtlety. Ask the spectator to pick up her
h er cards and to
think of the first picture card they come to as you turn your head away. Because
of the set up and the deal, shuffle and cut ruse, this card will be the King of Hearts
of course.
Both of you then shuffle the decks and then table them as you recap what has
happened. “Please remove the card you are merely thinking of from your deck and
this time I will copy you.” After the two cards have been removed, build up the
conditions and bring the trick home, showing that great minds do think alike and
a perfect matching of thoughts is revealed!
Credits: Chad Long’s Shuffling Lesson in the Art of Astonishment inspired this
with the hands-off deal, shuffle and cut ruse.
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145
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minimalistica :: John Carey Three Chances
Three Chances
I have always been fascinated by the classic mystery card effect.
There are so many nice possibilities to achieve the effect. The
following is my most recent addition to this genre and is a no-
frills, very direct and practical approach.
From a shuffled deck in use slide out any face-down card and table it. I refer to
this as the card that represents the future...
Have a card selected and signed, and control it to the top efficiently. State that
you will have three chances to find their signed card. Execute any in the hands
false cut and deal off the top card (signed selection) and place it on top of the
‘future card’. Then carry out a genuine in the hands cut and take the top card and
place it beneath the tabled pair. Hand the deck to your helper.
Pick up the tabled packet and hold it in left hand dealer’s grip. “Let’s see how I
did”. Apparently deal your first chance face-up to the table. Really though execute
a stud bottom deal, showing an x card. Drop the mystery card face-down on top
of your first miss. Turn the remaining card face-up to show you missed again,
exhibiting another x card. Drop it face-up on top of the tabled cards, forming a
sandwich.
“Looks like my luck is out today, but wait a minute... This face-down card was
on the table before you even selected and signed a card. And I did say I would
get three chances. They do say you can’t be in two places at the same time, but
maybe, just maybe you can!”
Ask your helper to turn

tur n over the card that represents the future to reveal that it is
their signed card!
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minimalistica :: John Carey Timely Transposition
Timely Transposition
The following piece was inspired by two sources. Roy Walton’s
Time Machine in the complete Walton volume 1 and an effect
called Rapid Transit in the Royal Road to Card Magic.
Prepare by secretly placing the Ace of Spades in your right Jacket pocket.
Introduce the theme of time and how a deck of cards has a lot in common with the
calendar.
calendar. Fifty-two cards, fifty-two weeks. Twelve picture cards, twelve months in
the year etc. etc.
With a clearly empty right hand remove the Ace of Spades from your pocket and
drop it face-up on top of the face-down deck. Ask your spectators to remember
that moment in time. Riffle down the deck and have a spectator say stop. Get them
to extend a palm-up hand and deal off the card stopped at onto their hand. Have
them turn it over to show say the five of Diamonds. Request that they remember
this moment in time too. Have the selection replaced face-up from the position it
was stopped at and bring both hands together. Execute a top card cover pass,
secretly shifting their face-up selection to second from the top, beneath your Ace
of Spades.
“Let’s see if we can turn back time.” Give the deck a counter clockwise twist.
Execute a double turnover and deal the top card onto their palm up hand. “Back
to when you were holding the five of Diamonds. Turn that card over.” When they
do a transformation into their card will be revealed. This gives one plenty of shade
or misdirection to top palm the Ace of Spades.
“Finally going back to when we started when I took a card from my pocket. The
Ace of Spades. Almost like the twilight
twilight zone or maybe nothing happened!”
Remove the palmed Ace from your pocket and disclose the Ace and conclude
the mystery.
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150
minimalistica :: John Carey Topping It Off!
Topping It Off!
Technically speaking, this is as easy as pie. But from a layman’s
perspective, it’s a little miracle. You
You will require a duplicate card if
yo
you decid
ecidee to use the kicke
cker finish. Let’s say
say it’s the two of Hear
earts.
Leave it back outward in your right side pocket.
When you want to get into this effect, simply manage the Two of Hearts in your
deck to second from the top. Execute an in the hands riffle shuffle keeping it
second from top. Swing cut about a third of the deck into the left hand and secure
a left little-finger break above this section as you square up.
Mention that you want to be as fair as fair can be but there are too many cards!
Ask your helper to reach over the deck and cut off
off a packet from the
the top and table
it. As they do this, it affords you excellent misdirection to execute a classic pass to
your break, sending the force card back to second from top. Hand to hand spread
the cards in hand and request that your spectator pulls some cards out of the
middle, as there’s still too many cards! These are tabled. Finally ask your helper
to pull some cards from the bottom of the spread, because, yes, you guessed it,
too many cards!
Hand the remaining packet to your spectator and ask her to burn/lose the top
card, then to do the same with the bottom card in case they may suspect you
know these cards. This is of course all presentational smoke. Have them peek the
top card (2H) and put the thought of that card into their mind. Then ask them to
shuffle the packet and drop it on top of the deck. Instruct them to cut the deck
and complete the cut. Then insist they shuffle the deck.
Take back the deck and place it away in the box. State that you will make the card
they are merely thinking of vanish.
Pause a beat and then drop the deck into your right side pocket! It’s an old gag
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but a lot of fun.
“Jack, a playing card is made up of a colour, a suit and a value. Please think about
the colour of your card. So if it is red, just think red. Now think about the suit of
your card. So, for example, if it’s
it’s a Heart, then just think Heart. Finally think about
the value of your card. So if it’s a two then just think two. Like two of Hearts, two
of Hearts, two of Hearts yes?!”
The above comedy revelation really creeps up on the spectator and gets a strong
reaction. To
To conclude the presentation we will produce their card from the pocket
under the guise of a cowboy quick-draw demonstration. State that you read their
mind but this trick goes further than that. With a clearly empty right hand you dive
into your pocket and extract the duplicate Two of Hearts from within and bring it
back outwards in a dramatic fashion. Slowly turn it face-up to finish the mystery
and segue into the cups and balls! ;-)
Notes: Instead of the classic pass, you could simply cut the deck under the cover
of them placing a packet on the table. The misdirection is strong. Another option,
if the pass makes you nervous is to lift off all the cards above your break and
shuffle them onto the face of the remaining cards.
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153
154
minimalistica :: John Carey Translocaan
Translocaan
The translocation of a card from one packet to another is a strong
effect. Combining it with a signed selection appearing at a thought
of number ramps the effect up even
even further.
further.
My inspiration was a lovely effect of J.K Hartman’s called position possession,

published in Peter Duffie’s eBook Card magic U.S.A. My dear friend, Shannon
Clark also has an unpublished handling which also inspired this handling.
Bring out a Sharpie marker and hand it to a spectator. We will now execute a
centre double lift from a spread as the spectator makes a selection. Spread the
face-down cards and ask your helper to freely touch a card. Split the deck so that
the touched card is on top of the spread of cards in the left hand.
Bring the two hands back together and allow the selection to align with the
lowermost card of the right hand spread. As soon as the card is in position, the
right hand turns palm down and the face of the selection, say Ten of Hearts is
seen.
The left thumb clamps down on the double card and pulls it down on top of the
left hands cards. The right hands cards are tabled face-down and squared.
Ask your spectator to reach over and sign the face of their selection. A few
moments later execute a double turnover and take off the top indifferent card
face-down at the right fingertips. Request your helper cuts the tabled packet into
two halves. Place the indifferent card side jogged on top of one of the packets and
then place the remaining tabled packet on top, leaving a decoy card protruding
from the side.
Casually false shuffle the packet you are holding, retaining the signed selection on
top. I use the optical shuffle for this. See Card College volume 1 for information,
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although any deceptive false shuffle or cut is fine. Hand your packet to the
spectator and get them to hold it between their palms.
Reach down to the tabled packet and slowly push the decoy card square. Ask
your helper to think of a number from ten to twenty. Snap your fingers over the
tabled packet and then pick it up and spread face-up across the table to reveal
the signed selection has vanished.
Ask the spectator to call out the number they are thinking of? Let’s
Let’s say they
thought of fourteen. Take their packet from them and hold it face-down in left
hand dealer’s
dealer’s grip. We will now execute my variation of a Paul Wilson move called
YAMFACAAN, that he published in Steve Beams Semi Automatic Card Tricks,
volume 8.
In our example the spectator thought of fourteen. Reverse count fourteen cards
one at a time into the right hand and separate the hands about eighteen inches
apart. “If you had thought of one
on e number higher,
higher, you would have landed on the...”
and here you use your left thumb to push the top card of its packet over to the
right and then raise this hand so that the face of that jogged card is facing the
audience. As all attention is on that card, the right fingers and thumb reverse
spread their cards by pushing to the left with the fingers and pulling to the right
with the thumb.
Lower the left hand and square up its packet. Slide out the bottom card of the
right hand spread and place it outjogged on top of the left hands cards. Bring the
right hand away and raise it to show the face card of its packet as you say, “And
if it had been one card less, it would have been this card...”
Allow the jogged card

card to drop face-down
face-down to the table and then ask your spectator
to turn it over to reveal their signed selection.
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Spread double lift
Execute a hand to hand spread until the spectator says “Stop.” and break the
spread as they do. Their selection is the top card of the left hand packet. The
spread cards, held in the right hand, come across and ostensibly turn the selected
card face up. In reality what happens is that as the cards come across face down,
the bottom card from the right hand is approximately aligned with the top card of
the left hand.
The right hand takes this chosen card (now a roughly aligned double) and turns
face up. You
You then grasp this now face-up double with the left thumb on top of the
left hand cards, further squaring up the two cards as you do. The right hand then
moves away with its cards, turns them face down again and places them beneath
the rest of the deck, finally squaring the whole deck with the left hand fingers and
thumb. You
You now have the face down deck with a face up double on top.
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158
minimalistica :: John Carey Travelling Light
Travelling Light
Dai Vernon’s Travellers routine, published in the Stars of Magic
is a true classic of magic. I never felt though that I could do
the original justice, so recently revisited the plot. The following
handling is within the range of the intermediate student and uses
two great ideas from Chuck Smith and Steve Reynolds to achieve
a very rapid travellers.
From a shuffled deck in use ask a spectator to name any four of a kind. This is
very fair and means I don’t have to get cards signed! Let’s
Let’s just say they name the
Aces. Spread
Spread through the face-up deck and outjog each Ace. Turn
Turn the deck face-
down and swivel the Aces out and flip them face-up on top of the deck.
Spread them to display, injogging the face Ace slightly. The right hand takes the
Aces at the fingertips and flips them face down. Come over the deck from
from above
with the right hand and push down on the injog and come away with just three
Aces, which you table face down. Place the deck with the remaining Ace on top
into the right trousers pocket.
Pick up the Ace packet and execute a Stanyon false count. This is basically an
Elmsley count done with three cards, to give the illusion of four.
four. As you count the
last card on top of the packet, outjog it about a quarter of an inch.
Bring the right hand over the packet to square up and push down on the jogged
card with the pad of your right little finger. This will propel the card into full right
hand palm. State that you will attempt to make all four Aces vanish from your
hand and appear in four different locations.
The right hand goes to the right Jacket pocket and brings out the palmed card
and drops it face-up to the table as you call out “one”. As you do this, buckle the
outer right corner of the bottom card of the left hands two cards slightly with the
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pad of the left second finger, in preparation for a gamblers cop. Bring the right
hand over the packet from above as left hand and its copped card goes to the left
Jacket pocket and then comes out with an Ace, and drops it face-up on top of the
first Ace, as you say “two”.
Now a brilliant Chuck Smith ploy from his famous cards to pocket routine. The
right hand simply snaps the remaining Ace face-up and drops it on top of the
other Aces as you boldly say, “that’s three!”. Do not be nervous about this, just
do it!
To conclude we will use a great idea by my friend Steve Reynolds in the context
of Travellers.
Travellers. The right hand goes, with a clearly empty hand to the right trousers
pocket and takes off the top card of the deck, brings it out and turns it face-up to
reveal the final Ace has made the journey.
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161
162
minimalistica :: John Carey Triumphant Dream
Triumphant
Dream
I think most of us would agree that Dai Vernon’s presentation for
the triumph effect, involving the story of a guy at the bar trying
to mess you up is timeless. I’ve used it since my teens. However,
recently I starting thinking about an alternative presentation. It
soon dawned on me that the classic dream presentation, used
with success by Darwin Ortiz in his dream card effect would work
beautifully. I will outline my presentation and then briefly discuss
the very simple method and handling.
“Sarah, last night I had a dream and you were in it. I dreamt I was working at a
function in a beautiful hotel in central London and I approached you and your
friends during cocktails. I took out a deck of cards and spread them and then
did something crazy. I proceeded to divide the deck into two portions and shuffle
face-up cards into face-down cards. I can remember right now you smiling just as
you are at this moment in time. Some cards face-up, some face-down and some
face-up… cards facing every which way.
way. Next I asked you to put the thought of a
card in your mind. Got one? Get one? Good.
Next I placed the deck onto your hand and slowly and mysteriously read your
mind. The 4 of Hearts, the 4 of Hearts, the 4 of Hearts, right? I can recall you
reacting then just as you are right now. I was about to continue and then suddenly
the image of you, that deck of cards and that beautiful hotel seemed to fade away.
Suddenly I heard my alarm clock go off and it jolted me out of my dream. As I got
up to go downstairs, I saw a deck of cards on my table. I spread it in my hands
and all the cards were face-up, except for one face-down card, standing out like a
stranger in a busy crowd. I took it out and turned it over and it was the 4 of Hearts!
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Let me spread these cards. Look! Every single card is facing the same way, except
for one. Wow.
Wow. I guess dreams really can come true!”
Method: Secretly manage the 4 of Hearts face-up on the bottom of the face-down
deck. Hand to hand spread, showing a face-down deck, keeping the reversed
card hidden. Next proceed
proce ed to execute the Tenkai
Tenkai optical revolve
revo lve move from Tarbell
Tarbell
and faro shuffle supposedly face-down cards into face-up, leaving your force card
face-down on top. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Now a very simple show or display: Holding the deck from above in Hindu shuffle
position in the right hand, the left hand pulls out a block from the centre and allows
it to settle in the left hand. Next pull off a block from the top of the right hands
cards and let them drop on top of the first packet. Finally place the remaining
packet on top of all, keeping a pinky break beneath it. Riffle force to your break
and push off the top card of the left hand packet (force card) and raise your left
hand to show the 4 of Hearts. Lower this hand and square up the deck. The rest is
pure presentation. Do the divination, spread to show the deck all facing up except
one card. Remove it, turn it over and conclude the mystery.
mystery.
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Tenkai Optical
Optical Reverse
Reverse
First published in the Tarbell series, the TOR is a great way to
work a Triumph routine.
To set up the move you need to have the bottom card of the deck face up. Hold
the deck in left-hand mechanic’s grip. The right hand comes over the top and
grasps the top half of the deck with the thumb at the near narrow end and the
second finger at the far narrow end.
The right hand turns over the top half by rotating the cards away from you - your
hand pivots out, turning palm-up so the top half of the deck is not face-up. As this
happens, the left hand also turns over, flipping the bottom half of the deck face-
down. Because of the reversed bottom card and the much larger movement of
the right hand this inversion is not noticed. The left hand then claps its packet of
cards onto the right hand’s cards, injogged half their length. This slap is important
to punctuate the move - it should appear that the deck is now half face up and half
face down. Riffle the ends of the face up cards with your thumb, then reposition
the cards in your hands so you can either Faro or riffle shuffle the two halves
together.
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166
minimalistica :: John Carey Twin Thoughts
Twin Thoughts
The following two-deck piece is designed for more formal
performance. With very little work, an uncanny coincidence and
implied transposition is created. My inspiration was a double
brainwave effect of Allan Ackerman’s in his book Las Vegas
Kardma.
You will require a red deck and a blue deck. Take out the Jack of Hearts from the
blue deck and place it on the bottom of the red deck. Reverse these actions and
take out the matching Jack of Hearts from the red deck and place it on the bottom
of the blue deck. Box both decks and you are good to go.
Bring both decks out and remove them from their boxes. Pick up the red deck
and spread it, without exposing the stranger card. Swing cut about half the deck
into the left hand and as you complete the cut, secretly side jog the face card
of the right hands cards by pushing it about an inch and a half to the right with
the pads of the left fingers. Ribbon spread the red deck from left to right and
nearest you. The blue stranger card will be nicely hidden because of this hideout
move of Charles Nyquist, published many years ago in Hugard’s
Hugard’s Magical Monthly
Magazine.
Comment on how earlier in the day you were spreading through that deck and
one card just seemed to pop out at you and you just can’t get it out of your head.
Pick up the blue deck and spread, again being sure not to expose the red stranger
card on the face. Casually swing cut a few packets into the left hand and as both
hands come together get a left little-finger break beneath the stranger Jack of
Hearts. Mention you would like a spectator to put the thought of a card in their
mind. Dribble force to your break and raise the face of the right hands cards
towards them. Lower this hand and bring both hands together and secretly side
jog the force card, just like earlier in the piece. Ribbon spread this blue deck
167
nearest to your helper. The Nyquist hideout once again comes to our aid and
everything looks copacetic. Slowly square up both decks and invite your helper to
cover her deck with her right hand. You mirror her actions with your deck.
“So Raj. You’re

You’re thinking
thin king of a card and so
s o am I. A card is made
ma de up of a colour
colou r, a suit
and a value. Form a m
mental
ental image of that card for me please as I do the same. My
card is a red card. Yours
Yours is too? My card is a Heart. And yours? Very interesting. On
the count of three lets both call out our thoughts. One, two, three. Jack of Hearts!!!
Now that’s
that’s spooky.
spooky. So my thoughts are yours and your thoughts are mine. Please
pick up your deck and spread it across the table as I spread mine. Look there’s
there’s a
card in each spread standing out like a stranger in the crowd. Please take them
both out and turn
tur n them over. Now that’s
that’s what you call synchronicity!”
As per the presentation above, you do the step-by-step colour,

colour, suit and value
coincidence and then both decks are spread and a stranger card is revealed
face-down in each deck. Both are taken out and turned over and the mystery is
concluded.
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170
minimalistica :: John Carey Two Card Transpo
Two Card Transpo

Here’s a very minimalistic approach to the classic two card
transposition, in that it only uses just two cards. In Carneycopia,
John Carney has a version called Trans-essence, which is
beautiful, but beyond my skill set.
For my version remove the Ace of Spades and the Jack of Diamonds and discard
the deck. You
You want two visually contrasting cards for clarity.
clarity. Call attention to the
two values and hand them to a helper for mixing. Take the packet back into left
hand dealer’s
dealer’s grip and then take the top card into the right fingertips and revolve
the face of the card outwards to display say the Ace of Spades. Ask your helper
to hold their left hand out palm down. When they do, change your mind and
ask them to turn it palm down. This gives enough shade to essentially do a top
change, switching the Ace for the Jack. Place the switched in card onto their palm
up left hand. Open your left hand up with what they believe to be the Jack on it.
Cover your card with your right hand

h and and ask them to do the same. “I’m
“ I’m going to
try to make my Jack vanish. Maybe yours might vanish too.”
Take your right hand away to show your card still there. Have them replicate you.
Now a wonderful presentational Gambit of Larry Jennings: “Jack, thank you for
helping by the way. Here, let me shake your hand. (extending your right hand
and shaking theirs) That’s a common courtesy or social exchange of course. But
sometimes, it can also exchange the power...”
power...”
Direct them to turn their card over to reveal they now have the Jack and you have
the Ace and your work is done.
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minimalistica :: John Carey When Thoughts Combine
When Thoughts
Combine
The following is a card at a number effect. It is NOT the Holy
Grail that some people seem obsessed with. It is however a
ve
very pract
actical
cal piec
iece desig
signed for any
anytime and anywhere
ere and
impromptu. Using two age-old concepts, it hits the spot with
civilians.
From a shuffled deck in use have a card selected via the riffle peek method. Ask
spectator one to say stop as you riffle the outer corner of the deck with your right
index finger. Get them to lock the thought of that card into their mind. Allow that
card to drop off the index finger and then secure a left little-finger break above it
as you square up.
A few moments
m oments later cut half the cards above your break to the table. Then cut
to the break and drop them on top of the tabled packet. Finish by dropping the
remaining cards on top of all and square up. The selection, say 5 of Spades is of
course now on top. Execute an in the hands riffle shuffle retaining it on top. As you
square up execute an all around square up glimpse of the face card of the deck.
Let’s
Let’s say it’s the King of Clubs. This will act as our key card.
Table the deck in front of a second person. “Sir, I would like you to think of a
number. Now psychologically there are certain numbers that lots of people
seem to go for. So it’s completely random and fair, we will let the deck generate
a number. I will look away. Please cut off a packet, not too small but not too
big. Then deal and count the cards quietly into a packet on the table. Lock that
random number into your mind and place that packet back on top of the deck
and cut the deck and complete the cut. Tell
Tell me when you are done and I will turn
around and face you.”
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During the above interaction we will be applying the age old, but still beautifully
effective, double count force to position the first persons thought of card at the
second person’s random number. They cut off a packet and silently deal and
count into a tabled pile to form a number. Let’s say it’s twelve. Because the first
card dealt is the selection, when they replace the packet on top of the deck the
selection has been covertly set to this random number. The deck is cut and the
cut completed. This puts our key card, the King of Clubs, 12 cards away from the
selection. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Pick up the deck and execute a false shuffle as you state that one person is
thinking of a card and the other a number. Flip the deck face-up. Start spreading
the cards with the faces of the cards tilted towards you slightly. Mention that if
this was the traditional ‘card trick’ you would go through the deck and try to find
their card. But seeing as you don’t know what card or indeed number is being
thought of, this experiment will be totally out of your control and entirely up to your
spectators to conclude. As you say this you secure a little-finger break above your
key card. Execute a turnover pass as you turn the deck face-down and table it.
Ask the second spectator

spectator to
to call out the number they are thinking of. Then ask the
first spectator to call out their card. Have that person deal down to the number
and stop them one card shy of that number. Pause to build some suspense and
then have the next card turned
tur ned over to successfully conclude the mystery.
mystery.
This effect was inspired by my friend Patrick Redford’s effect Applesauce from
his book of the same name. The deck generating a random number line belongs
to him. I wanted a handling better suited to my style and with only one key card.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Whispering Ambitions
Whispering
Whispering Ambitions
Ambitions
I have always loved the classic whispering card plot. There are
some beautiful versions in print, notably Jerry Sadowitz version
The Whisperers, published in Card Zones and Roy Walton’s
Walton’s Stage
Shout in his book the Complete Walton volume two.
My humble offering to this genre has some nice moments

mom ents and builds progressively
to a strong finish. Position three known cards on top of the deck. I use the Ace of
Clubs, Four of Hearts and Seven of Spades, positioned in that order from the top
down. You
You also require two identical Jokers, which lie in the deck.
Take out the two Jokers and introduce them as the whisperers. Table them a
moment. Execute an in the hands riffle shuffle, retaining your set up
u p on top. Follow
this up by swing cutting about two thirds of the deck and get a little-finger break
above your set up as you square up.
Execute a dribble force to your break and deal off the three force cards into a
left to right tabled row. Table the deck and pick up the Jokers and flip them face-
down and spread them slightly. Pick up the card on the left of the row and raise
the hand showing the face of this card to the audience. Insert it in between the
Jokers and square up. Hold the packet from above in the right hand and then
raise it to your right ear and say that the Jokers are telling you the selection is a
black card. Repeat these actions, saying they are telling you it’s an Ace. Finally
say they are telling you the card is the Ace of Clubs. Once this is confirmed you
mention that cards can be ambitious, just like people. Make the moment and then
execute a double push off and turnover, showing the Ace has risen to the top. A
few moments later turn the double face-down and take off the top card and cut
it into the deck.
Hold the two cards at the right fingertips and execute a quick fingertip flushtration
count, turning the wrist and flashing a Joker and then reversing the action, taking
177
off the top card with the left hand and then flashing the face of the r ight hand card
showing another Joker.
Joker. Place the Joker on top of the other card and keep the two
cards spread slightly in the left hand.
Pick up the second card of the row and flash it’s face to the audience, showing
the Four of Hearts. Insert it into the middle of the packet and square up. Hold
the packet from above in the right hand and raise the packet to your ear three
times, ultimately naming the card. Be careful not to flash the Ace on the face of
this packet. Repeat the ambitious card moment of the effect executing a double
turnover to show the Four of Hearts has risen to the top.
Turn the double card face-down and lose the top card of the packet in the deck
with a simple cut.
Pick up the final tabled card and flash its face to the audience, and insert it in
between the supposed Jokers. One final time raise the packet to your ear and do
the three step whispering divination. Then execute a double turnover to show the
Seven of Spades on top. Ask a spectator to hold out a palm up hand. Turn the
double card face-down and deal off the top card on their hand. Place the other
two cards on top. Make a magical gesture and show that the Seven of Spades is
back on top.
To conclude the presentation you state that sometimes the Whisperers get an
identity crisis. Turn
Turn the other two cards face-up to reveal the magical transformation
into the other selections.
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179
180
minimalistica :: John Carey Y.A.
Y.A.F
F.A.P!
.A.P!
Y.
Y.A.F.A.P!
Four Ace productions are a dime a dozen. The following handling
actively involves a group in the production.
Begin with the Aces on top. State that you will try and cut to a lucky card. Here
I use a false cut of the great Frank Thompson to cut to my ‘lucky’ card: Hold the
deck from above in the right hand. Swing cut about a third of the deck into the
left hand. Then swing cut about half the remaining cards and place them on top
of the left hand cards, getting a little-finger break between the two packets. Drop
the right hands cards onto the table, cut to the break and drop that packet on top.
Finally deal off the top card of the left hand’s packet face-down in front of you. To
complete the sequence, drop the remaining cards on top of the others and square
up. You have an Ace face-down in front of you and the other Aces are on top of
the deck.
“Playing cards are not just used by magicians and gamblers. Gypsies and psychics
have used them for generations to tell the past, present and future.”
Ask one of the group to reach

reach over and cut off a small packet and flip
flip it face-up on
top. Give a little reading about this card, calling it the past card. Keep it positive!
Ask them to cut deeper and flip the packet face-up
face-up on top, showing another
another card.
card.
Comment on how this card represents the present and offer some favourable
vibes about this card. Finally spread through the deck until you get to the first
face-down card. Because of the venerable Balducci cut deeper force, this will be
an Ace. Push it over, at the same time pushing the Ace beneath it over a fraction
too. Allow the face-down card to slide to the table in front of your helper, at the
same time getting a left little-finger break beneath the next Ace.
Flip the face-up cards face-down on top of the deck and immediately pick up all
the cards above the break from above in the right hand and table them in front of
another person. This is an Al Leech steal and secretly sets an Ace to the bottom
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Y.A.F
F.A.P!
.A.P!
of this packet.
We will now do my variation of a Paul

Wilson technique he called YAMFACAAN
in Semi Automatic Card Tricks
Tricks volume 8.
Start taking off cards one at a time from
the packet into the right hand reversing
their order. Request another person
calls out stop purely on impulse. When
stopped separate the two hands so they
are about a foot apart.
Push off the top card of the left hands

cards and raise this packet up vertically
showing an x card. As this happens
reverse spread the right hand’s cards by
curling in the fingers and pushing out.
Lower the left hand and square. Clip the lower card of the reverse spread on top
of the left hand packet in an outjogged position.
Raise the face of the right hand packet to show another x card.
Drop the jogged card in front of your last helper. “If you had gone one card more
it would have been this card. One card less and it’s that card.”
Turn over your lucky card to show an Ace. Have the person holding a packet turn
it over to show another Ace. Finally have the remaining two people show they
have Aces too, concluding this magical gathering of the Ace clan.
Notes: I believe David Parr should get credit for the idea of using a cold read
during the cut deeper force.
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Y.A.F
F.A.P!
.A.P!
183
184
minimalistica :: John Carey Your
Your Thought
Thoughts
s Are Mine..
Mine....
Yo
Your Thoughts
Ar
Are Mine...
Here is an effective, semi-automatic thought-of card piece, with
a strong double climax.
Let’s say you are working with a blue deck. Stack the top five cards of the deck
with any four number cards under ten and one picture card, say Jack of Spades.
You will also require a red back Jack of Spades. On the back of it write, “Your
thoughts are mine!” Place this card on top of the blue deck and slip the deck
inside its box, tucking the half moon flap under the odd back card.
Take the deck from the box, holding back the stranger card with the tip of the first
finger.
finger. Casually place the box aside mouth down.
False shuffle, retaining the five card set up on top and then hand the deck to your
helper. Have her cut about a third of the deck and table it to your left. Then have
her shuffle the cards left and then cut off about half these cards and table them
to the right of the first packet. Finally direct her to shuffle the remaining cards
and table them to the right of the other two packets. Comment on how well she
shuffled and then have her assemble the packets from left to right and square
up. This is my Shuffled Ose and was inspired by a great Ben Earl idea called the
Spectator Holdout, published in the magazine Gambit issue #2. Jay Ose’s false
cut in Lorayne’s Close Up Card Magic was also of course a source of inspiration.
So we are in a very strong position: The spectator has shuffled the deck and yet
our five card set up has been retained on top. Ask your helper to deal off five cards
and place the deck aside. Have her mix this packet and then instruct her to spread
the packet with the faces towards her, like a hand of poker.
“Samantha, focus on those cards and think of the highest valued card. If there is
185
Your Thought
Thoughts
s Are
Are Mine..
Mine....
more than one card of the same value, just decide on one and lock the image of
that card in your mind.”
Of course she will think of the Jack of Spades and the scripting is smoke. Ask her
to mix the packet and then lose it in the deck. Then get her to shuffle really well
before handing the deck back to you. Pick up the card box and place the deck
inside, secretly feeding or loading the stranger card into the body of the deck.
This is simply done by pushing the short edge of the deck onto the stranger and
pushing the deck down and inside the box. Hand the box to the lady and get her
to hold it between her palms.
“So from a deck you shuffled, Samantha, I asked you to merely think of a card and
then to shuffle some more. It doesn’t get much fairer.”
fairer.”
Now proceed to do a piece-by-piece divination of her thought of card, culminating

in naming her Jack of Spades. “It’s almost as if your thoughts are mine.”
A moment later retrieve the deck and remove the cards.

cards. Spread them face-down
until the stranger card with the message on the back appears. Pause and then
smile. A moment later take it out and slowly turn it over to reveal her thought of
card and conclude this meeting of two minds!
186
Your Thought
Thoughts
s Are
Are Mine..
Mine....
187
188
minimalistica :: John Carey Featured Artists
Featur
Featured Artists
Tom Dobrowolski
Dobrowolski
Patrick
Patrick Redford
Shaun McCree
McCree
David Gemmel
J.K.Hartman
Paul Gordon
Gordon
Pablo Amira
Ben Blau
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190
minimalistica :: John Carey Away
Away We
We Go
Go Tom Dobrow
Dobrowols
olski
ki
Aw
Away We Go
Tom Dobrowolski
Effect
A no-fuss and direct handling for cards
cards across.
Performance
Have three cards selected and controlled to the bottom. I like to have three cards
touched one at a time (preferably by three different spectators). As each card is
touched up-jog the selection and allow the spectator to memorize it. After the
cards are memorized I perform a Neal Elias multiple shift.
At this point act as if you had forgotten that you need ten cards separated from
the deck. Ask a spectator to go ahead and deal ten cards from the top of the deck
to the table.
Take the deck back and obtain a break above the three selections on the bottom
of the deck and take them into left hand Gambler’s cop position.
Ask your audience if there is anyone especially proficient at shuffling cards. Take
Take
the deck from above with the right hand and give it to the shuffling volunteer and
allow your left hand to drop to your side.
191
Away We
We Go
Go Tom Dobrow
Dobrowols
olski
ki
Immediately when they begin to shuffle pick up the tabled cards, turn them face-
up, and add them on top of the copped selections.
Turn to another spectator ask him to assist by checking the cards.
You have plenty of motivation to have the cards recounted and observed to make
sure the selections are not there
Hand the packet to the spectator and instruct them to count the cards one at
time, turning them face-down and adding them to the bottom of the packet (the
classic Paul Harris Las Vegas Leaper count). Instruct the spectators who made
the selections to observe the cards in the packet.
This allows them to count each card individually and verify that the selections are
not amongst them.
Instruct the spectator with the packet to hold it face-up between his palms.
Take the deck back from the shuffler and ribbon spread it so that the faces are
towards the audience.
“So if your cards aren’t in those 10 cards they must still be here, right?”
Nod in confirmation as you deliver this line. This will encourage the selectors to
nod in agreement. They are really affirming a set of propositions and a conclusion
based on those propositions, but the rest of the audience will interpret this as the
spectators confirming that they can see their cards still in the deck.
What remains is to perform the magical transference. I leave this to your own
preference.
preference. Whether you want to invisibly remove and toss cards one at a time or
any other such ruse, it is all good.
“So if I have done what I claimed to do and transferred three cards invisibly to your
packet how many cards should you have now?”
“13.” (They should say if their math is acceptable.)
Instruct the spectator holding the packet to count the cards out loud, face-up on
to the table. Stop them when they reach
reach 10. Ask them how many
many they have left.
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Away We
We Go
Go Tom Dobrow
Dobrowols
olski
ki
The spectator will respond “three.”
Remark, “10+ 3 makes...”

makes...” they should respond
respond 13. “But it wouldn’t be a miracle
unless those three cards are the selection.”
Have each spectator who made a selection

selection name their card one at a time.
time. As the
cards are named instruct the spectator holding the cards to turn the relevant card
around, revealing it to all.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Poppycock Patrick G. Redford
Poppycock
Patrick G. Redford
Basic Effect
A boxed deck of cards is placed in front of the participant. She is asked to think
of any card. The performer asks her to change her mind a few times and then
before knowing the identity of the thought of card announces its exact position
in the pack.
Ve
Verity
The simplicity of this routine hides a complicated deception that combines
multiple paths to the same eventual end. There is no memorized stack involved, it
may be quickly set up on the fly with minimal effort, and is virtually sleight of hand
free. That said, the thought of card won’t always be the card found at the named
position. In some, occasions it will simply be a match to that card. Here lies part
of the deception. Let’s first examine the script that goes along with setting the
effect and asking the subject to both think of a card and change his or her mind
multiple times and the effects this has psychologically on what cards are thought
of most of the time.
195
The Psychological Force

Don’t freak out. Don’t turn the page. Don’t move on. You’ve come this far. Trust
me.
This isn’t one of those bits of psychology that are attempting to force a specific
card, rather a specific kind of card. Ideally the goal is to get the subject’s last
thought of card to be a number card and a Diamond. Most of the time this will be
true. This is reliable. There’s
There’s always a back-up plan.
How?
Having the subject to begin by thinking of any card then changing his or her
mind two more times to setting on a new card achieves this effect. Again, it’s
it’s not
bullet proof but its substantial enough. You’ll soon find out that this makes little
difference to the end of effect regardless; even if the subject thinks of any other
suited card.
Timing, acting, pacing, and conviction that this is possible all play a role in this
effect success.
196
The Script
Performer: Every deck has a mate in it. This is a card that another card matches
with. I have a particular card in mind in this deck in a particular position. I want you
to think of one. Think of any card. Got one?
Participant: Yes.
The performer examines the subject’s face for a moment before continuing, “That
doesn’t feel right, change your mind. Think of a different card.” The subject thinks
for a moment and settles on a new thought.
“That’s
“That’s not it either.
either. Change it one more time.” The performer quips.
The subject does so.
“That’s it! Whatever card you have in mind right now matches with my card...
fifteen.”
The subject looks confused, “fifteen?”
“Yes,
“Yes, fifteen! ...I’m sorry what card are you thinking of?”
“The five of Hearts.”
“Yes,
“Yes, fifteen! I said every card has a card it matches with. The five of Hearts’ mate,
or match, is the five of Diamonds. The card you thought of matches with the
card I had in mind and that’s
that’s exactly fifteen cards down from the top of the deck.
Remember I said all of this before you made your thought public.”
The subject unboxes the deck and begins counting down cards dealing them
one at a time until arriving at the fifteenth card. It’s turned over and seen to be a
perfect match.
The performer closes, “Either I’m in your head, I’ve influenced your thoughts, or
this is simply impossible.”
197
The Script Broken Down

There is a lot of subtle language happening in this script. It sets up multiple ideas
and allows for several pathways that make sense depending on which cards
the subject was drawn to when asking to think of three different cards. If you
choose to revise it into your own words, take note of what it sets to accomplish.
It first sets up the idea that every card has a card that it matches with but does
not define how these cards match. It may already be obvious to you that if the
subject thinks of any Diamond card two through ten that an exact match may be
produced at the fifteenth position from either the top of the deck or from the face
of the facedown pack.
It may also occur to you, from the above script, that this also makes perfect
sense if the subject names a Heart of any of the previously stated values. With
some bold reframing these 9 Diamond cards may also “match” with any Club or
Spade of the same value. A Diamond is of course, a non-dominant suit and so is
a Club so they match together.
together. A Spade is one of two pointed suits so they match
with the red pointed suit: Diamonds. It only seems strange to you because you
are so familiar with cards and have come to this effect explanation with a certain
paradigm. I’ll expand more on this concept shortly.
shortly.
Positioning the Correct Number at the Correct Place
No more than five cards ever need to be shifted from the top of the pack to bring
this effect to a successful close. This may either be done by leaving a number of
cards behind in the card box as they’re removed, palming the necessary cards
away from the top, or culling the small group of cards from the top of the spread
to the bottom. Each technique has its advantages and weaknesses.
198
The Stack
Place the five, four,
four, six, seven, eight, nine, and ten of Diamonds at the 15th, 16th,
17th, 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st position from the top of the facedown pack. Place
the two and three of Diamonds fifteenth and sixteenth from the face of the pack.
Box the deck and you’re ready to go.
The Outcomes
If the two, three, four, or five of any suit is named there are no moves to be
performed. The deck may be removed by the subject and instructed to count
from the face of the pack or top of the facedown pack. Either the matching card
will be exactly fifteen from the face (or top of the pack) or the next card down
(arguably this is also fifteen from the top.) This means 40% of the time there are
no moves to be made.
The Performance
Deliver the opening script, pausing each time the subject has chosen a card to
think of before asking him or her to change it to something new. On the third
choice, pause and say dramatically “I may be one off on your thought process but
whatever you have in mind right now...that’s
now...that’s the one. That’s
That’s the one that matches
with fifteen.”
Give this a beat or two to sink in. Of course, it won’t make any sense. Continue,
“I’m sorry what card are you thinking of?”
There are now five different scenarios that may happen:
1. The subject names any numerical Diamond suited card.
If this happens it’s

it’s a simple matter to reiterate the card that matches the exact
199
card that was is fifteen from either the face or top of the pack. Adjust the
script accordingly. Adjust the number of cards by palming them away from
the top of the pack if needed before handing the deck over to the subject to
count down fifteen cards.
2. The subject names any numerical Heart suited card
This is almost exactly the same as scenario one but first you’ll recap and
highlight the scripting point that every card has a mate; a card that it matches
with. For example: the five of Hearts matches with the five of Diamonds which
is “exactly fifteen from the top of the deck.” Allow the subject to count to this
position and turn over the card to a successful conclusion.
3. The subject names any numerical Spade suited card.
This is where a bit of massaging and confident delivery of specific scripting

sells this outcome. You’ll recap and highlight the scripting point that every
card has another suit that it matches with. For example the Clubs and the
Hearts are the round suited cards and the Spades and the Diamonds are the
only pointed suited cards. So the suited card that matches with the named
Spade suited card is the numerical match to the Diamond positioned fifteen
from the top of the deck. Of course you’ll make your adjustment to guarantee
this.
4. The subject names any numerical Club suited card.
This is almost exactly the same as outcome number 3 except instead of the
pointed suit parallel you’ll talk about the dominant suits (the Hearts and the
Spades) and the non-dominant suits (the Diamonds and the Clubs).
5. The subject names an Jack, Queen, King, or Ace of any suit.
This will almost never happen due to the psychology behind having the
subject change his or her mind a few times. It is highly unlikely that you’ll
ever need to resort to this outcome. For this you’ll highlight the scripting
point when you claim to possibly be one off in following the subject’s
subject’s thought
process. After the subject
subject announces the Jack, Queen, King, or Ace say
say,
“Sorry what was the first card you thought of?” If this is a numerical card
proceed as explained above. If it is another face card, ask the subject what
200
the second card thought of was. After hearing this is a numerical card, recap,
“I knew I was one off in your thought process! That matches with fifteen!”
Proceed as explained above.
If the subject only thought of face cards, the trick fails. There is no outcome. I’ve
never had this happen but that doesn’t mean it won’t. You
You may want to option to
perform with an invisible deck as an out in this case. Personally, I’m happy to let
the effect fail and go into a sure-fire think a card effect instead.
Credits and Influences

The effect has its roots in several of my previously released effects. My effect
Wipe-Out (2004) was the first effect that I played with that introduces the concept
of a black card matching with a red card. Later in my book release of Applesauce
(2014) I expanded this in a revision of the Wipe-Out effect and another chaptered
technique called Fishing in One.
Final Thoughts
This is a very script dependant effect. The effect will make or break on your
conviction that the card at position fifteen matches with the subject’s choice. If
you can’t sell this premise to your audience no matter the correlation between the
Diamond numbered card at the shifted position and the named numerical card -
this effect is not for you. Luckily,
Luckily, most of the time the subject will name a Diamond
or Heart card giving the ideal effect.
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202
minimalistica :: John Carey Open Prediction
Prediction Deck David Gemmell
Open Prediction Deck

David Gemmell
Effect
A cased deck is tossed on the table before the magician even says a word. The
spectator thinks of any card in the deck. You write an Open Prediction for all to
see.
They take the deck out of its case. They shuffle it. Now holding the deck face up
they deal the cards into a face down pile. As they deal it is obvious that on the
backs of the cards are the names of cards in permanent ink.
They are different to the cards on the faces.
The spectator looks for their thought of card on the backs. When the face of the
Open Prediction comes into view it is placed (still face up) to one side and the
deal continues. The spectator never sees their thought of card on the backs of
any of the cards.
Now for the first time they are asked what card they are thinking of (?)........the
Open Prediction card is turned over (by the spectator) and on its back is written
the spectators thought of card!.
203
minimalistica :: John Carey Open Prediction Deck David Gemmell
Modus Operandi
This handling of the OP plot really turns things on their head. You will need to
make this deck up.
It’s
It’s quite an easy thing to do, should only take about half an hour or so. The whole
thing is based on the idea that if you know the thought of card then you would
due to a very special coded stack be able to instantly make an Open Prediction.
The good thing about this is that you don’t even have to learn the stack at all, just
the special relationships between the various cards. This idea belongs to a good
friend of mine, Barry Ray and is taken from his e-book “Barry’s Stacked Decks”
(1) I have his permission to teach part of it here. (enough to make this effect work)
Whilst I have made some (very) minor changes it remains the same as Barry’s
Quick Stack. The idea is to have a logical pairing of cards. It looks like this.
A-
A-7 2-Q 3-8 4-J 5-10 6-9
Let me explain
The 1 (ace) looks like a 7
The 2 in some print faces (can) look just like the curly bit on the end of Q
3 is half of 8
4-Jacks........come on, every magician has heard of the 4 robbers trick!
5 is half of 10
and finally
6 is a 9 either way up or down.
There you go, only six pieces of information to remember. Hold on, I know what
you are thinking, what about the Kings?.......well Barry just pairs them up like for
like. I see no reason to argue with him.
204
Ah, but what about the colours I hear you say (?), this is the very small change I
have made, because I have spent a life-time working with the ChaSeD order,
order, that
is how I pair the cards up,
Clubs and Hearts, Spades and Diamonds.
Some examples
Ace of Clubs—Seven of Hearts
Four of Diamonds—Jack of Spades
Five of Spades—Ten of Diamonds
So, go grab a deck of cards and a good (thick nibbed) marker pen. Go through the
deck and what ever the card is on the face mark its stack card on the back. Once
that’s
that’s done the Open Prediction deck is ready to use.
A Thought of Card
The easiest way to determine the thought of card is to use a peek wallet. I use the
Jaks style peek wallet. This is almost like a business card holder and is perfect for
this effect. I take out two business cards and ask them to think of any card in the
deck (except the Joker) and have them print the name of it on the card.
This is then returned to the wallet and the peek is made.
After some suitable patter I make the Open Prediction

Prediction on the other
other business card
leaving it for all to see. Now have them remove the deck, try to guide them to
remove it face up. Have them shuffle it lay-person style then square up. Explain
to them this is a special deck, that it is marked on the back with different cards to
what they see on the faces.
Have a spectator deal through the deck, dealing the cards from a face up deck
into a face down pile.
Everyone looks for the Open Prediction card (face up) except the spectator who
205
is thinking of a card. They look for their card written on the backs of the cards as
they are dealt face down into a pile.
When the OP card appears on the face of the dealing pile (in the hands of the
spectator) have them stop the deal. They are instructed to deal this card still face
up to one side. They now continue the deal. At the end of the deal they will not
have seen the thought of card.
Have someone turn over the OP card as the spectator reveals their thought of
card.
There is no need to even go back to the wallet, if you have presented this well they
will be in too much shock!.
Although I have opted for a peek wallet, any peek from a centre tear or billet will
suffice. Failing that another deck in play stacked will do the job as well. Indeed
the classic reversal of one card using a stack will work very well as a two-deck
combo, think about it...........
So, there you have it, my crazy off-the-wall approach to the Open Prediction
matched with Barry’s
Barry’s Quick-Stack from the outer-rim.........
Thanks to Barry for permission to re-print and teach his work.
N.B – ALL Commercial rights reserved 2015. David Gemmell.
206
207
208
minimalistica :: John Carey Hypnosis Shaun McCree
Hypnosis
Shaun McCree
This is a sandwich effect which has its inspirational roots in Alan

Ak
Akker
kerman’s ‘Fa
‘Fac
ce Lif
Liftt’, which was pu
publish
ished in my
my 19
1995 lec
lecture
note ‘Stand-up Walkaround In The Hands Card Magic For Real
People In The Real World’ and also appears on my ‘Mix & Mingle’
DVD set from RSVP.
Like most of my material, it is done ‘from a shuffled deck in use’ and takes place
entirely in the hands. I have been using it quite a lot lately in a walkaround cocktail
party environment, where it is perfectly safe to hand a packet of cards to an
obliging spectator as their other hand is usually occupied with holding a glass.
Remove the red Jacks from the deck, place them face-up onto the face-down
deck, and cut off the top half of the deck, handing it to a spectator for a moment.
Spread the other half of the deck faces towards you, explaining that you will
reverse a card - and that they don’t need to know which card it is just yet, but
just to be aware that a card has been reversed. As this is said, reverse a card in
the centre of the fan (any card) lowering it so that its face remains unseen by the
spectators. As the cards are squared, the reversed card must be secretly righted,
and many options are open for this - Marlo’s ‘Centre Reverse’ or Bruce Cervon’s
‘Invisible Reverse’, for example, but as any method of righting the card is suitable,
I won’t go into the detail of any one technique here.
The packet is now placed on a spectator’s

spectator’s hand face down, as you swap packets
with the spectator.
spectator. The Jack’s half is now taken up and you explain that the Jacks
have been selected since their design resembles those hypnosis discs which used
to be advertised in comics in the heady days of Ellisdons (before the Advertising
Standards Authority) and for actually finding and sending me a couple of which,
209
I am indebted to George Woo! If I feel in the mood I may perform the spin where
the card is spun on the tip of the second finger as a simulation of a hypno disc.
However,
However, as this preposterous claim is made, the right hand lifts off the top three
cards, the left thumb draws the top card back square onto the deck, and the right
card(s) placed square on top. This is a standard displacement action.
Explain that the spectator is now to look at a card in your half. Take
Take a little-finger
break beneath the top card, and riffle down the packet with the left thumb for
the spectator to call stop. When they do so, lift off only the top card in right hand
Biddle grip as the left hand releases its thumb break and swings up to chest
height, pushing over the top card for the spectator to note.
The left hand now swings back down drawing its top card back square as it does
so and the right hand replaces its cards (actually a single card) onto the packet.
As soon as it joins the packet, lift off about half of the packet in the right hand
and dribble the cards back down onto the left hand packet, then square up. This
is Marlo’s ‘Bluff Sandwich’ procedure from ‘Marlo Without Tears’, and the dribble
replacement subtlety is, I believe, Roberto Giobbi’s.
Giobbi’s.
(The Bluff Force procedure works particularly well in a cocktail party environment,
as people’s hands are often busy with drinks, canapés and so on, so it would
appear to be a courtesy to have them select a card without actually having to
physically take one)
Now you tell the spectator that although he believes he has seen a card, he is
actually under the influence of the Jacks. Here, you lift the top three cards off the
deck, in Biddle grip. The left fingers draw out the lower card of the three into a
fan. The left thumb momentarily clamps the fan to the top of the deck, allowing
the right hand to retake the fan with thumb above and fingers below. Explain that,
under hypnosis, you hope to convince the spectator into believing that there is a
card between the Jacks. As this is said, gesture towards the spectator with the
deck, this larger action serving to cover the fact that you also spread the right
hand cards slightly to expose the face-down card in between the Jacks.
Now draw attention to the fan and the card. Turn

Turn the face-down card face-up and
replace it between the two Jacks, saying “I don’t know for sure if you can see a
card, but if you can, it might look something like the one you looked at earlier...”
Place the fan as it is back on top of the packet, and square everything.
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Take the packet from above in right hand Biddle grip, and explain that although
the spectator may see a card between the Jacks, there is in fact no card there
at all. Here the left hand draws off the top three cards one at a time into the left
hand, stealing back the selected card beneath the packet as this is done. The
packet is now placed on top of the other half deck (handed to a spectator earlier)
centralising the reversed section.
The three (actually two) cards are turned face-down and Hamman counted as
three, stating that although the spectator may see three cards, there are only
two (ENJOY THIS MOMENT because for once you’re telling the truth and the
spectator thinks you’re lying, rather than the usual reverse!). This can also be a
good moment to use Paul Harris’ snapping technique, if you’re familiar with it and
conditions are appropriate, to simulate the sound of three cards.
Now snap your fingers, bringing the spectator out of his ‘trance’.
Separate the two cards in as suspicious a manner as possible, before finally

revealing that there are indeed only two cards. I generally turn the top card face-
up, square it with the other, then undercut the lowermost card, turning it over and
replacing it onto the other card and squaring - sort of simulating a Braue Reversal
action with just the two cards. The idea is to make it look like a card might be
being hidden by an awkward handling, keeping all the heat on the two Jacks,
before you then simply spread the two cards to reveal there are only two - this
also gives a moment of time misdirection, drawing attention away from the fact
that the deck has been reassembled.
skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Call attention to the deck and remind the spectator that before you started you
reversed a card...and that you don’t know if the spectator saw a card, but that
the card you reversed was the nine of Clubs (or whatever the selection was) and
spread the deck to reveal that this is so.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Midsection Force J.K.Hartman
Midsection
Midsection Force
Force
J.K.Hartman
The following constitutes an easy method of forcing one or more

cards in the setting of a free
free cutting action by a spectator.
spectator. It can
also be used to establish a key card for an “impossible location.”
For the basic application, begin with the force card on the bottom of the deck.
False shuffle, ending
ending with the deck face-down
face-down in the left
left hand. Demonstrating
what you would like the spectator to do, lift up a little over half the deck or so and
shift it forward for half its length; lift off a smaller packet and shift it inward, aligned
with the lower section; release
release it there,
there, leaving the midsection outjogged.
outjogged. Pause
for a second or two, and then square up the deck.
Execute a quick centre Hindu Shuffle or false cut, and extend your left hand to
permit the spectator
spectator to follow your instructions. Point out that the neither
neither the size
nor the composition of the protruding middle section of the deck was controllable
by you. Buckling the lowermost card
card with the left fingers, insert the right forefinger
into the break above
above it. Clamp down on the upper section
section with the thumb at the
inner right corner, and perform a Vernon
Vernon Strip-out Addition as you pull the middle
section free, secretly adding the buckled card.
Give the extracted block to the spectator,

spectator, asking him to note the bottom card. Or,
Or,
table the balance of the deck, grasp the packet yourself in right-hand End Grip,
and turn it upright to display the
the apparently freely
freely arrived at card. Alternatively,
Alternatively,
ask the spectator to repeat the sequence described above with the left-hand
packet, seemingly randomizing the selection procedure further, as you perform
a second Midsection Force.
Force. Display the face card
card of the surviving packet which,
of course, is still the original force
force card. Conclude in either case by dropping
dropping the
packet on the balance of the deck and proceed as required.
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To use the move as a key card set, glimpse the bottom card and perform the
sequence just as described,
described, in this case a single time. After the Strip-out
Addition, hand the packet directly to the spectator.
spectator. Ask him to peek at the top
card, cautioning him not to expose it or any other card, and have him give the
packet a complete
complete cut. He can then lift up half the balance of the deck, replace
replace
his packet, and reassemble.
reassemble. The selection is directly
directly beneath the glimpsed key.
key.
Or,
Or, glimpse the bottom card and have
have the midsection outjogged. Turn the deck
upright and ask the spectator
spectator to note the
the face card
card of the jogged block.
block. Lower
the deck, performing the Strip-out Addition.
Addition. Give the packet to the spectator
spectator,, and
have him give the packet a complete
complete cut. In this case, the selection is directly
directly
above the glimpsed key.
The move works as well with a block of cards. E.g., begin with the four Aces
Aces on
the bottom of the deck. Obtain a break over
over at least four cards, and go through
the actions of the Midsection Force, giving the left-hand packet to a spectator.
Ask him to deal it into four piles, and eventually show that an Ace is at the top of
each.
As an obvious application with a face-up deck, begin with it face-down and the
four Aces on top.
top. Turn the deck face-up
face-up and perform a centre Hindu Shuffle.
Execute the move, but in this case, following the Strip-out Addition, retain the
deck proper in your right hand, immediately turning your left hand palm down and
tabling the packet face down. Retake the deck
deck with your left hand and go through
through
the identical actions three
three more times. An Ace is on top of each of the piles.
As an alternative
alter native to the precise cutting procedure, simply ask a spectator to pull
a clump of cards partially out of the deck as you spread it, and demonstrate by
outjogging a tightly spread block of six or seven cards.
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215
216
minimalistica :: John Carey Burying The Aces Paul Gordon
Burying The Aces

Paul Gordon
This trick is an impromptu way of utilising various Gene Finnell

ideas from his Free-Cut Principle booklet of 1967. This routine
is based on a few ideas of my own from my 2003 booklet,
Explorations. From the late J.C Wagner:
Wagner: “Jeez, Paul. This is going
straight into my act!”
Whilst toying with the deck and openly removing the Aces, ensure the top four
cards are value Eight or higher. Usually you’ll find four cards together within
the spread; in which case you merely cut them to top. If not, swiftly cull them
to position. Let’s assume, for this description only, that the top card is a Nine
followed by a Ten, then a Jack and an Eight. (Crimp the corner of the Eight; the
fourth-from-top card.) So, remove the Aces and lay them in a face-up row.
row. For this
description only, lay them in CHaSeD order from left to right. In reality, the order
is not pivotal.
Hold the deck face-up in dealing grip. Now,

Now, because the top card is a Nine, push
over eight cards (nine less one), flip them face-down and table beneath the AD.
Okay, because the second from top card is a Ten, push over nine cards (ten less
one), flip them face-down and table beneath the AS. Once more, because the
third top card is a Jack, push over ten cards (eleven less one), flip them face-down
and table beneath the AH. Finally,
Finally, flip the inhand remainder face-down and table
beneath the AC.
Patter about burying and losing the Aces. Aided by the corner crimp, cut off the
top four cards (make it appear random) of the packet beneath the AC and hold in
dealing grip. Ask the spectator to turn the AC face-down onto its pile. Ask him to
cut some cards from the pile beneath the AH and drop onto the AC pile; thereby
burying the AC. Then ask the spectator to turn the AH face-down onto its pile. Ask
217
him to cut some cards from the pile beneath the AS and drop onto the AH pile,
thereby burying the AH. Again, ask the spectator to turn the AS face-down onto
its pile. Ask him to cut some cards from the pile beneath the AD and drop onto
the AS pile; thereby burying the AS. Finally,
Finally, ask him to turn
tur n the AD face-down and
drop it on its pile. You then drop your inhand four-card
four-card packet onto the AD. Gather
the four piles by going from right to left. i.e., AD pile onto AS pile. Combined onto
the AH pile and then the combined three piles onto the AC pile. If you can, false
cut the deck.
Reiterate the free cuts and the ‘losing’ of the Aces. It really does look that way,
thanks to Gene Finnell. Now, deal the top four cards face-up into a left to right
row. They’ll be the Nine, Ten, Jack and Eight - apparently four random cards.
Holding the deck face-down in dealing grip, say, “Let’s see if these four cards
can locate the Aces.” Deal nine cards under the Nine, ten cards under the Ten,
eleven cards under the Jack and eight cards under the Eight. Discard the inhand
remainder. To end, flip the packets face-up to reveal the Aces. Ta da!
© Copyright 1993-2015 by Paul Gordon.
218
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minimalistica :: John Carey Annoyin
Annoying
g Thoug
Thought
ht Pablo
Pablo Amira
Amira
An
Annoying Thought
Pablo Amira
Au
Audience and participant’s
perception
A participant is invited to an imaginary game of poker, in which only one card is
the relevant one. A deck of cards is used for letting him thinking in the needed
one.
During the mindreading process, the mindreader says that he has an “annoying
thought”, removing one card from the deck while the mysterious person ask the
participant to name one card. After a strange moment, the mindreading process
continues. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
After that the thought-of-card is revealed, the card from the pocket is removed,
showing it as a correct precognition, showing at the end that the “Annoying
Thought” came from the participant subconscious, playing some strange games
with the psychic abilities from the mindreader.
mindreader.
Effect
Mindreading and Precognition. A card is revealed via telepathy and other one thru
precognition.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Annoyi
Annoying
ng Though
Thoughtt Pabl
Pablo
o Amir
Amira
a
How?
This effect is an expansion of a classic concept to ask someone to think in a
playing card using a deck of cards and then reveal it thru a magical process
of mindreading. Obviously the process of getting the thought is dependant of
your own character as performer; personally I play the psychic mindreader.
mindreader. I have
played with the simple idea to add a prediction effect on this so it has 2 different
climaxes and I think that this method is my best solution to date.
The deck can be shuffled before doing the proper procedure, it doesn’t matter.
matter. For
letting your participant think in a card you will use the Marlo/Vernon Spectator´s
Peek. I have use also my own technique called “Amira´s Dribble Peek” for this.
In this performance, because you are creating and experience that must take the
attention off the prop itself and direct the importance to the human connection
and creation of mystery,
mystery, use a technique to know the thought of card that doesn’t
communicate the possibility of any sleight of hand. Be casual and don’t make that
process relevant. The important process comes next when you are connecting
with your participant.
You can explain thru your script and narrative that the cards are used because
they are universal symbols, they are easy to remember, or (as I propose on the
description of the effect) as part of the visualization that your participant is doing
of a card game. This isn’t necessary,
necessary, but in my opinion adds a lot of more artistry
to your performance. There is nothing wrong with “expositive performances” in
which you are just verbally just explaining and repeating what you are doing at a
visual level, as:
“I have a deck of cards…look a card…focus on your card…is the 5 of Hearts”
but I prefer most of the time to add some narratives that makes the experience
much more than just a potential puzzle to solve. At the end, do what suits you the
best. Don’t copy anyone´s performance. Make it your own.
So now, using the method that you prefer, you will know the card that your
participant saw (from now you will label this cards as “the thought of card”…
words creates reality). Let’s assume that your participant is thinking of the 5 of
Hearts. NOW starts the process that it will
w ill be memorable. Place all your attention
on that and you will have an entertaining and remarkable performance. Reveal
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Annoying
ng Though
Thoughtt Pabl
Pablo
o Amir
Amira
a
first the colour and then when you are going to reveal the suit, say that you are
having an “annoying thought”. This line sounds ambiguous and almost funny at
the same time. You
You can pause a little bit while you say it and use the reactions that
you get to help in the dramatic building of the routine.
Take the deck of cards and remove one card of the opposite colour from the
“thought of card” (In this case you will remove a black card). Place it in your pocket
and ask the participant to name a black card. Lets say that your participant names
de 8 of Clubs. Now, if you place that precise card, you have a clean revelation at
the end, but if not, just ACT and BELIEVE that you did that, smile, and continue
with your mindreading. This will be implicit, and it has to be in my opinion.
Go back to your revelation, naming the suit and at the moment in which
you apparently are getting the precise number, just take the deck of cards
(communicating that you are searching for the thought of card) and whenever
wh enever you
found the named card (in this case the 8 of Clubs say):
“Ah… it was not the 3… for a moment I thought that it was but I am close…”
In doing this you will place the 8 Clubs on top of the deck. Now find the 5 of
Hearts, leaving the card on your participant´s palm.
Ask the participant to name the card out loud and when his attention is on
seeing the card and during the applause from the audience, you have the perfect
moment to palm the card from the deck, place it on your pocket and leave a
corner protruding (in that manner you can delay for a bit the revelation). Now add:
“Is amazing how your minds and thoughts were connected, but you remember
that you named one card in the middle, a black card. What was it?
8 of Clubs?...Well. So apparently that annoying thought had a purpose (reveal

( reveal the
card)”
As you can see, a simple and direct routine

routine that allows you to reveal a thought of
card and as a bonus, a prediction to impact the mind and Heart of your participant.
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Annoying
ng Though
Thoughtt Pabl
Pablo
o Amir
Amira
a
Possible
Possible Dialogue
A lot of times when people ask me to read their mind, they don’t realize that
thoughts are much easier to get when they have emotional relevance. For that
I will ask you a very simple thing. Imagine that you are on the middle of a poker
game. You are one step from getting all the money from the table, and at the
same time, one step away from losing all your money and possessions…Such a
moment right?
During that imaginary moment… which hopefully will never be real… you realize
that you only need one card to get that winning poker hand. That card will be
chosen by random manners. Lets use your deck of cards. Shuffle it and please tell
me “there” whenever you want to see a card (use the Marlo/Vernon Spectator´s
Peek or any technique that gives you the proper information needed)
Now focus on that card, imagine that this card is given to you on that poker table.
You are receiving the winner card… that’s right, focus just in the colour now…. It’s
It’s
red, correct? Yes
Ok, now focus on the symbol; the suit… it could be Hearts or Diamonds… (you
receive the “annoying thought”)…this is weird…an annoying thought just came
to my mind…
(look to some person in the audience)…not what you are thinking sir…
(take one black card making just a guess and place it in your pocket). If I asked
you to name a black card, which one would it be? Mmm... 8 of Clubs
Ok, nice, I understand now…. Lets focus on the mindreading… look at me and
see the red symbol forming in your mind… I see a round image...it’s
image...it’s a Heart? Yes
Excellent, now see that Heart exploding in your mind, forming the proper number
or letter that you are thinking of… Ok... I think I have it… (Take
(Take the deck, searching
for the named card and place it via a simple cut on the top while you add the next
line) Ah… it wasn’t the
the 3… for a moment I thought that it was but I am close…”
(now search and take the 5 of Hearts and give it to your participant face down)
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Annoying
ng Though
Thoughtt Pabl
Pablo
o Amir
Amira
a
One winning card in 52…So everyone knows… which is the card that you are
thinking of? 5 of Hearts
(let the participant turns the card, load the card during the applause)
It’s amazing how your minds and thoughts were connected, but you remember
that you named one card in the middle, a black card. What was it?
8 of Clubs?...Well.. So apparently that annoying though had a purpose (reveal the

card)”
Extra Ideas
1. You can use the named card
card as part of the mindreading
mindreading process,
process, using it
as associative mean to get the private thought. For more info in this type of
procedure and psychological process, get Kenton Knepper´s Backlash effect.
2. You can also place the “annoying thought” on the table

table and then use a top
change, or using a card to wallet for this.
Credits and Inspiration

Credit to Ed Marlo and Dai Vernon for the “Spectator Peek”. Inspiration on the
simple expansion of concepts and congruent mix of effects from Annemann´s
Magic vs. Mindreading
225
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minimalistica :: John Carey The Jackal Ben Blau
The Jack
Jackal
al
Ben Blau
Basic Handling
What follows is a structural description of an effective and fooling mental routine
using playing cards. I have deliberately left out specific details of my personal
script and presentational approach, in favor of a more functional explanation.
I encourage you to learn the technical aspects of this effect, and then craft a
presentational framework suitable to your own personality and sense of aesthetics.
Although this routine can be performed impromptu with a very small amount of
memorization, it is made slightly easier by preparing a deck of cards in advance
of the performance.
Remove any three cards you can easily remember.

remember. It doesn’t matter what
w hat they are,
but I recommend using three cards that have nothing in particular in common. (I
always use the three of clubs, the six of hearts, and the king of diamonds.) Place
these three cards on top of the deck, and you’re ready to go. (Should you choose
to go the impromptu route, simply glimpse and memorize the top three cards at
any opportune moment. It is not necessary to remember their order - only their
identities.)
When ready to perform, remove the deck of cards from the case, and spread
through them, face up, to show the random distribution of cards. Turn the deck
face down, and give it an in the hands riffle shuffle, retaining the slug of three
cards on top. When I do this, I usually say something like, “Now, I’m not great
at shuffling, but you can see that they really are well mixed.” I then follow with a
227
standard Ose false triple cut, while saying, “And we’ll give them a cut as well.”
Explain to the participant that you will turn your back, and that he is to deal the
cards face down into three piles. Gesture for him to pick up the deck, turn your
back, and wait for him to start dealing. When you’re sure he has dealt at least
the first three cards, tell him (almost as an afterthought) that he doesn’t have to
deal the cards rotationally,
rotationally, but he should instead deal them haphazardly.
haphazardly. It is not
important for the piles to be perfectly even. The point of this is that by dealing the
cards in a haphazard fashion, it further randomizes their distribution.
When the participant has finished dealing, comment that there is no possible
way that you could know exactly what cards are in any particular pile. (This is
essentially true, with the exception of the bottom cards of each packet - your
original three key cards.)
Tell him that he can even switch the packets around on the table. (Technically, this
accomplishes nothing, although it appears to add one more layer of fairness to
the procedure.)
Now, ask him to mentally select any one of the three packets. When he has
made up his mind, ask him to pick it up, and shuffle them some more. Make the
comment that you couldn’t possibly know which packet he has chosen, much
less the cards it contains. He will have to agree. Remind him that the cards were
not only shuffled before we started, but due to the random dealing, and the fact
that he shuffled again prevents you from knowing anything at all about their order.
Tell him that we need to have a card chosen totally at random, in a manner that
is completely free of influence. To this end, instruct him to give the packet a
complete cut, and to peek at the card he has cut to (the top card of his packet).
Stress that it is imperative for him to remember this card.
Once this has been acknowledged, tell the participant to reassemble the deck by
“sandwiching” his packet in between the other two, and to square them up well
after doing so. (Since both of the two tabled groups possess potential key cards
on the bottom, it is not necessary to specify which packet goes on top, and which
goes on the bottom. This further throws the participant “off the trail”.)
Only once the deck has been reassembled and squared do you turn around to face
him. (Note that the process by which the deck has been reassembled guarantees
228
that the thought-of selection rests directly below one of the three possible key
cards. Another of them will lie somewhere beneath the selection, and the third will
be on the very bottom of the assembled deck.)
Recap the fairness of the procedure, and explain that your task will be to determine
exactly what card the participant is thinking of. “But first,” you say, “let’s give
these another shuffle.”
At this point, you have the option of false shuffling the deck. If you can do a very
convincing false shuffle that mirrors the genuine shuffling technique you used
at the beginning of the routine, by all means use it. This has the advantage of
maintaining certainty that the thought-of card lies directly next to the topmost key
card in the deck.
However, if you like to live on the edge (as I do), you can take the deck, and
give it a genuine riffle shuffle.
shuffle. Though it is genuine, there are certain
certain special
criteria to which you must adhere. The selection and its corresponding key
card lie approximately one third of the way down from the top of the deck. In
dividing it to perform the shuffle, you need to make sure that you do so near the
midpoint - maybe even slightly lower (by a card or two). Next, when you riffle
shuffle the portions together, endeavor to make it as even a shuffle as possible.
It is not necessary to do this with the precision of a faro, but the closer you get
to that “ideal” the better.
better. (With practice, you’ll discover that it is quite possible to
riffle shuffle a deck in such a way that cards from the opposing halves fall either
alternately,
alternately, or in clusters no greater than “twos”.)
After riffle shuffling the deck, execute an additional Ose false cut, to give false
continuity to the “mixing” process.
At this point, the selection will be found via estimation and subtlety.
subtlety. Before actively
looking through the deck to locate the selected card, you must spend some time
engaging in an apparent “process” of reading the participant’s
participant’s mind. (This
( This is true
whether or not you’ve opted to use a false or genuine shuffle, of course.)
Ask the participant to concentrate on his card, and pretend to be receiving

an impression of what it might be. Here, you must act as if you’re somewhat
uncertain, in order to set up a framework for how to handle certain variables that
can occur when you attempt to locate his card. After a moment of contemplation,
hesitatingly say,
say, “You
“You know, I think I’m just going to go with my first impression.”
229
You then pick up the deck, and begin to run through the cards, apparently looking
for the card you were “receiving”. Here, there are two issues that must
mu st be resolved;
namely,
namely, (1) how to identify which of the three possible key cards is the correct one,
and (2), due to the nature of the shuffle, the thought-of selection can be any of the
three cards that are immediately to the right of the correctly identified key card in
the spread, but you will not immediately know which one.
Let’s
Let’s begin by taking up issue #1:
To identify the correct key card, simply observe the following rules:
1. After the riffle shuffle and Ose cut, there

there will be one key card
card that is either
on or very near the face of the deck. This will never be the correct key card.
2. If another key card

card appears
appears very close to
to the face, it isn’t
isn’t that one either
either.
3. If the two key cards are close to each other

other (in the same area of the deck, but
but
well past the face), the correct one will be the leftmost of the two.
4. If the third key card

card appears
appears near the top of the deck, it can also
also be ruled out.
The correct key card will be the one that is somewhere within the deck, not
too close to the top or bottom. (Note that it is not necessary to check to see if
there is a key card near the top. If by the time you’ve looked up to about 1/3
of the way into the deck from the face, and have only seen two key cards, you
can be assured that the third has to be near the top and can be disregarded.)
In most cases, there will be one key card on or near the face (disregarded),
(disregarded), another
single key card about a third of the way in (the “correct” key card), and the last
somewhere near the top (disregarded). We have now identified the correct key
card, and can proceed with Issue #2:
Once you have identified the correct key card, remove the card that is immediately
to its right in the spread, and hold it with its back to the participant. Say, “I just
want to see if I’m close.” In the action of removing this card, secretly glimpse and
memorize the next two cards to the right of the one you removed. You may or
may not need to make use of this knowledge, depending on what happens next.
Continuing to hold the single removed card with its back to the participant, table
the rest of the deck. Acting as if you’re unsure, reiterate the fact that you’ll be
230
happy if this card is even close to the one the participant is thinking of. Turn the
card around, while saying “Am I even close?”
In most cases, this will be the selected card, and the participant will react
appropriately (hopefully with amazement and disbelief). In the event that you are
wrong, the participant’
participant’ss response to the question “Am I even close?” will provide
you with all the information you need to deduce which of the two other possible
cards is the correct
correct one. (Some improvisation is necessary when this
this occurs, but
I will provide some examples of how it can play out.)
The most common scenario is that one of the other two cards will possess a
characteristic that can be interpreted as being in some way “similar” to the first
one you removed. For example, it could be close in value, be of the same suit, be
the same color,
color, etc. Perhaps one is a picture card, and the other a number card. If
the two remaining cards are substantially different from one another,
another, this puts you
in the most advantageous position (and occurs the majority of the time.)
For example, suppose the card you removed is the five of hearts, and is “wrong”.
Let’s also assume that the other two possible cards are the seven of diamonds,
and queen of clubs. When you ask the participant if you are “close” (with the
five of hearts), his response will tell you which of the two remaining cards can be
ruled out. For example, if he gives you a prompt and unambiguous “no”, you can
easily rule out the seven of diamonds, and therefore be sure that the thought-of
selection is the queen of clubs. If the participant is really thinking of the seven of
diamonds, he will have to consider his answer when deciding whether or not the
card you removed is “close”. (After all, it’s the correct color,
color, and not too far off in
value.). Obviously, this can be easily observed, and you can therefore eliminate
the queen. You
You now know that he is thinking of the seven.
Another possibility is that one of the two remaining cards is genuinely close to
the first one you remove. For example, imagine that one of the two is only one off
in value, or even of matching value but in a different suit. This, in and of itself, is
noteworthy to the participant, as it seems to provide credibility to being so close
on your first attempt.
To illustrate how this might play out, suppose that one of the two remaining cards
is the six of hearts (which is legitimately close to the five of hearts you removed
first). If the participant promptly indicates that you are close, simply toss the five
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onto the table, and say something along the lines of, “I knew it! It was the SIX,
wasn’t it?”
Note that you have not even looked through the deck a second time, or even
looked through the whole thing when retrieving the first card. It will feel to the
participant as though you’ve extracted the thought from his mind.
In the event that you are not “close” with the five of hearts (and thus know that
the card being thought of is the queen of clubs), proceed in a similar fashion. Toss
Toss
the single removed card aside, and say something along the lines of “Yeah, my
first impression is sometimes way off. Never mind, let’s
let’s try this a different way.
way.
Think of the color of your card... It’s black, isn’t it? I’m getting a spade... No, a
club! Number or picture. Number or picture... It’s a picture card. A queen. Queen
of clubs?” skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
At this point, you will appear to have read his mind without the assistance of the
deck of cards. Having been wrong with your first attempt, the physical deck of
cards becomes inconsequential, and the effect takes on the appearance of direct
mind reading. The deck of cards, of course, bears no evidence of how you may
have accomplished this feat, and can be left with the participant if you wish.
This same routine could be performed with a symbol deck, as long as every card
is different. Imagine, for example, an ESP deck in which each of the five symbols
is represented in five different
different colors. In such a deck, every card would be unique.
You could preselect any three symbols in any choice of color to function as your
key cards, and transform the routine into a believable “experiment” in ESP.
ESP.
An
An Alternate Beginning
If you are willing to put a very small amount of additional effort into setting up
for this routine, there is an even more deceptive way of presenting it, which I will
describe here. Honestly, it only takes about thirty seconds to set up a deck in
order to perform it this way, and is most definitely my preferred handling. (This
may read as being complex, but I assure you that it is not.)
To set up, start by removing any three cards you can easily remember. Here, it is
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not particularly important to be too clever about the choice of cards, so I always
use the ace, two, and three of hearts. These will function as our key cards.
You will need to create

create a small setup of seven cards in total,
total, which will include
these specific key cards. The setup is as follows (from the top down, in a face-
down perspective):
1. Indifferent card (top card)
2. Indifferent card
3. Key card #1
4. Indifferent card
5. Key card #2
6. Indifferent card
7. Key card #3 (bottom card)
The three key cards occupy positions 3, 5, and 7 in this setup, and are interspersed
with indifferent cards. Before placing the key cards into their respective positions,
I also arrange them so they are not in consecutive order (for instance, 2-A-3). This
ensures that no conspicuous pattern can be observed if the cards are spread face
up (which they will be, in a moment).
Take the setup of these seven cards, and place them on top of an otherwise
shuffled deck, and you’re ready to go. In this structure, it is also important to
include the two jokers somewhere in the remaining shuffled portion, although
it doesn’t matter where they reside. The reasons for including the jokers will
be described later, but it is an important detail. Note that a deck that is thusly
prepared can be freely spread face-up, and appear to be thoroughly mixed.
Next, we are going to begin a shuffling sequence that, when coupled with an
effective script, will make any setup seem absolutely impossible. Let’s discuss
the mechanics first, and then we’ll look at how to combine these actions with the
verbal aspects of the handling.
Begin by spreading the cards face-up from hand to hand, as you display them to
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the participant to show an ordinary deck of cards. There is simply no chance of

anything appearing suspicious at this point, and the arrangement of cards looks
truly random. Square up the cards, keeping them face up in your hand, as you
engage the participant with your introductory remarks.
Next, as you continue talking with the participant, you will transfer the deck into
your right hand, in preparation for a face down overhand shuffle. In so doing,
make sure you peel off more than seven cards in your first shuffle action (I usually
peel off about a quarter of the deck), and then run one card singly in the second
shuffle action, injoggjng it in the process. On top of this injogged card, shuffle off
the remainder of the pack. When the overhand shuffle is complete, transfer the
deck into your left hand, not completely squared up, while keeping track of the
injog. This allows you to perform what is essentially a genuine triple cut to the
table, as follows:
Cut off approximately one third of the pack, and drop them face down onto the
table. When you pick up the next group of cards, simply cut beneath the injogged
card, pushing it flush with the packet as you pick them up, and drop them on top
of the tabled group. Finally, the remaining cards
cards in your hand are dropped on top
of those, thus transferring the seven card setup back to the top of the deck. The
cards are now squared up, and left on the table as you prepare to deliver your
upcoming instructions to the participant.
This sequence looks utterly convincing, as long as you take your time, and do it in
a relaxed, casual manner.
manner. It is best to carry out this sequence while speaking to
the participant about something other than the cards themselves. In other words,
do not make the mistake of saying something like, “Look - you can see that the
cards are really being shuffled.” Statements such as this invite suspicion, and
tempt the participant to ask if he can shuffle the cards himself. By occupying his
thoughts with your introductory
introductory remarks, the apparent fact that the cards are
being genuinely shuffled (and cut) will fully register,
register, without having to point it out.
When I perform this effect, my usual script during this shuffling and cutting
sequence goes something like this:
“Now, sometimes when I do this, people think that I’m some sort of psychic,
which I can assure you that I’m not. On the other hand, some people think it’s a
sort of card trick... and, strictly speaking, it’s not exactly that either. Ultimately, I
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don’t care how people think this works - if it works at all - as long as they realize
that it’s not easy.”
Time these statements so that they conclude just as you are completing the triple
cut to the table, following the overhand shuffle as described above. Note that
this sequence is absolutely indistinguishable from the genuine actions being
simulated.
At this point, you have transferred the seven card setup to the top of the deck,
unbeknownst to the audience. The next series of actions will distribute the key
cards to where they need to be, in the context of explaining to the participant what
you want him to do.
Tell him that in a moment, he will take the cards, and that you will face the opposite
direction. State that he will deal the cards, one at a time, into three face-down piles
on the table. As you explain this, pick up the deck and demonstrate this action by
dealing the top three cards into a face-down row on the table. (Do this from your
left to your right, and mentally think of the three cards in terms of their positions:
1, 2, and 3.) Pause at this point, and say, “But I don’t want you to always deal
them in the same order, like one-two-three, one-two-three...” (Mime this action
as you speak this line.) “For example, you could deal them out as two-three-one,
or three-one-two...” (Actually deal the next six cards as you say this, into the
corresponding piles: 2-3-1-3-1-2. Note that the outcome of this sequence is that
the rightmost pile will now be entirely comprised of your three key cards.)
Next, look the participant in the eye, and say “I don’t care what order you deal
them in, as long as all three piles come out even. Do you understand?” As he
confirms his comprehension of your request, casually stack up the three packets
with your right hand, one on top of the other (from right to left), and drop them as
a group on top of the remainder of the deck, which is still in your left hand. The
outcome of this is that the three key cards are now on top of the deck.
Once he has confirmed that he understands, begin to hand him the deck, and
almost as an afterthought, give them an in the hands riffle shuffle just before
handing them over (secretly retaining the slug of three cards on top). By stating
that you don’t care in which order he deals them as long as the piles come out
even, this will guarantee that he will deal the first three cards into what will become
his three piles, without having to verbally reframe your dealing instructions
235
after the dealing has begun. Because of the overhead shuffling sequence, the
apparently haphazard manner in which you demonstrated dealing the cards, and
the final riffle shuffle before handing the cards to the participant, NO ONE (not
even magicians) will suspect the use of key cards.
Turn your back, and allow the participant to start dealing out the cards. Due to
the fact that the deck contains two jokers, this assures that there will be three
equal piles by the time the dealing is completed. The routine can now proceed as
described in the basic handling above.
A No-Risk Solution
If you are turned off by the slight element of risk inherent to this routine, fear not.
It is quite possible to perform this effect using a sure fire method.
After the deck has been reassembled and squared up by the participant, turn
around to face him. Comment that even though you have no idea what card he is
thinking of, you may have some idea of its approximate location in the deck. State
that you will give the deck a few cuts, to “reposition” it. Give the deck an Ose false
triple cut. “In fact”, you say, “let’s
“let’s really shuffle them, so that there is absolutely no
way to keep track of it.”
Pick up the deck, and proceed to give it an overhand shuffle. When you do this,
just make sure that you peel off slightly more than a third of the deck in the first
shuffle action, and then shuffle off the rest of the cards. Follow this up with an
in the hands riffle shuffle, in which you avoid interlacing the bottom eight to ten
cards, approximately.
In so doing, the correct key card will be somewhere fairly close to the face, with
the selected card immediately to its right. When you look through the deck to
retrieve the thought of card, you will see either one or two key cards in this area.
If there is only one, it is always the correct key card. If there are two, the correct
one is the leftmost of the two.
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History and Background

The inspiration for this effect came from a routine by Sam Schwartz, known as
“Thot Echo”, first published in the book, Play It
I t Again, Sam - The Close-up Magic
of Sam Schwartz (Louis Tannen, Inc., 1977), and reprinted in Roberto Giobbi’s
Card College Volume 1 (Hermetic Press Inc., 1996). I absolutely adore this trick,
and have sought many years for a way of doing it with a less elaborate setup. I
also wanted to be able to spread the cards face up at the outset of the routine,
and to allow more freedom in terms of shuffling, both before and after a card is
chosen by the participant.
The original Thot Echo accommodates two selections by two participants, and
plays out very similarly to what I am offering here. It also has the advantage of
being sure fire, as well as entirely self-working. If you are not familiar with the
effect, I urge you to seek it out.
My routine is meant for one participant; and, while it uses a markedly different
methodology,
methodology, definitely bears the DNA of Schwartz’s
Schwartz’s original concept. This routine
would never have evolved without it.
A Word About The Title

The origin of the title, “The Jackal”, is disappointingly mundane. Originally, the
working title for this effect was “Just Another Key Card Location”. Constructing
an acronym using the first letter of each word got me close enough to “Jackal”
to make me happy, although the fact that the “c” and the “k” are out of order
admittedly gives me the slightest twinge of OCD (or ODC, if you like).
C’est la vie.
237
238
minimalistica :: John Carey Featured Artist: Shannon Clark
Clark
Featur
Featured Artist:
Shannon Clark
My first friendship with John began in early 2006, while participating in Jason
Alford’s
Alford’s online community,
community, “The Second Deal.”
John quickly established himself as a creator of magic which I held in the highest
regard. Luckily for me, as our exchange of ideas progressed, so did our friendship.
I’m happy to say that John has grown into one of my very closest friends in life,
as well as magic.
I can’t possibly express the gratitude I have for John allowing me to share
a sample of my work with you in this chapter. “Something for everyone” is a
common phrase to see slapped on any given magic product nowadays, but I
truly selected these effects in an effort to provide at least one thing for everyone,
regardless of our inevitably varied fields of interest.
There are three card effects which I use almost everyday of my life; each effect is
truly miracle class in the eyes of an audience and each can be done on the fly with
a borrowed, shuffled, pack.
A mentalism effect which utilizes business cards where you, as well as the
audience, impossibly send someone your collective thoughts.
And finally a coin effect that enjoys a truly interesting premise, as well as visually
stunning action, and a surprise ending no one will see coming.
Thank you again, John. Thanks for the privilege of sharing my work and a very
special thanks to you, the reader, who is willing to give my creative efforts a few
moments in your life of magic. I truly hope to meet you all someday.
Shannon Clark
239
240
minimalistica :: John Carey Collective Thoughts Shannon Clark
Clark
Collective
Collective Thoughts
Thoughts
Shannon Clark
What you will need:
1. A business card with the number 3 written on it with a line drawn through it,
and then the number 7 written larger on it as well – to give the impression that
you changed your mind in the process of writing it.
2. A business card with a large triangle on it, with a circle

circle drawn inside of the
triangle.
3. A small stack of business cards and a sharpie
Place the card with the numbers written on it in a separate pocket than the others,
maybe in your wallet.
The card with the shapes on it is face-down on top of the stack of face-down
cards.
Open your wallet and remove the card, handing it to someone to hold between
their fingertips (in Mystery Card type fashion). Announce that you’re going to try
something quite different than what they have seen before - you will actually try
and send them a thought. In essence you are going to try and have them read you
mind, rather than you read theirs.
Remove the stack of cards and a pen from your pocket (keep in mind the ‘shapes’
card is on top of the stack).
“Ava, I’m going to try and send you a thought…but first I’d like to establish what
I need you to do in order for this to have any chance of actually working. One of
the most important things is for you to genuinely name the FIRST thing that pops
241
into your mind each I ask you something, and we also need to keep your thoughts
as simple as possible. In other words we’ll use very simple words, shapes, etc.
For instance, Ava, what’s the first simple word that pops into your mind as we
speak?”
We’ll assume the person responds

resp onds with the
th e word “flower.” You’ll
You’ll treat the response
respo nse
as if the whole bit is just to establish the process you’ll both be using, place no
importance on the actual answer and you respond:
“Perfect! That’s precisely what I’m talking about! Now that we are on the same
page, let’s get started.”
Perform a casual double turnover to expose the blank side of a business card.
Wrist kill the cards to you - you’ll seemingly draw a quick picture of the impending
question. In reality you will write the word ‘flower’ or draw a simple line drawing
of a flower, whatever suits your style. As soon as you are done, address the
spectator.
“Ok Ava, it’s time to try and make our first connection together and when I say
‘together’ I mean all of us will try – everyone here.
I’ve drawn a very simple drawing on this card and we are going to try and send
this image directly into your mind…you know what they say, there’s strength in
numbers.”
Turn the double down and push the card to your extreme right fingertips. At this
point no one can see the face of the card, so the card to your fingertips to the
point where everyone but the spectator can clearly see it. Make mention to the
audience that you want everyone in the room to think about what they see and
without saying a word, to try and send that thought to Ava.
“Ava, make your mind blank for a moment, please. Next I want you to imagine a
very simple geometric shape, the first one that pops in your mind. Next – I’d like
to think of a second simple shape and place it inside the first. Make that picture
as clear as possible in your mind’s eye. We’ve committed to what we’re trying to
send you already… you’ll get to see it at the end as well.
But for now, no one here knows if we’ve succeeded to connect…no pressure….”
242
Now drop the hand with the card and place it with the card the person is already
holding at their fingertips. The card is slid flush under the card they hold.
Instruct everyone not to react to whatever answers the person gives until the very
end. You now ask the person answers as to what two shapes popped in their
mind, and also in what specific configuration. Comment on their answer without
confirming if they got it correct or not.
Perform another double with the business cards; again a blank card comes into
view.
This time you’ll lift the cards up to you view to write

wr ite on just as before, but this time
you will include a member of the audience in on it while you write on the card.
You are going to duplicate the numbers that you had previously written on the first
card you handed the spectator, but in a very specific way.
Stand shoulder to shoulder with someone from the audience as they watch you
write the 3 on the card.
“This is the number I have in mind at the moment…but you known what? To be
honest, this isn’t the first number I thought of…”
Allow the audience to see you draw a line through it and write the number 7 on it.
“This is the first number I thought of… so we’ll commit to it… hopefully I don’t
regret this…“
As the person you are speaking to reacts

reacts to you, simply turn the double down and
place it above the other two cards. This is actually the card with “flower” written
on it.
“Ok - we’re committed again, Ava. This time we’re going to try our best to send
you a number. But it’s
it’s going to be a small number because between one and one
million wouldn’t be very likely at all. I’d like you to think of the very first number
that pops into you head, say,
say, between 1 and 10. Got it? Great!”
Place the remainder of the cards and the pen into your pocket, and now for a little
time misdirection and a bit of reframing.
243
“Ava we’ve been trying my best to send you a few thoughts today – to influence
you, if you will. There’s
There’s one thought in particular which I’m most interested
in terested in and
you’ve had that one from the start of this experiment, but we also decided to try
a warm up or two and everyone else here was included to keep us both honest…
me, more than you…”
One thing to keep in mind here is that the audience has seemingly seen everything
you have handed her as you handed them to her, and in their minds, prior to the
questions that was asked.
In reality they have only seen you write one of the predictions in real time, but you
have managed this in a very specific way.
Even though they didn’t actually see you write the shapes, they physically saw the
drawing of the shapes at your fingertips as it was fed into
in to her hands.
They actually watched you write the numbers,

n umbers, so the fact that they didn’t physically
see the numbers just prior to being handed to her doesn’t register.
register. The feeling that
they have seen you actually write both predictions is very strong.
“Ava, in our first warm- up you tried to read our minds and come up with two
shapes, one inside the other. What shapes did you receive? “
Whatever their answer you will play on it as you reach to pinch the three cards
they are holding at your fingertips in preparation for a Bro. Hamman style switch.
Just before you touch the cards you will look to the audience to get them to name
the shapes that ‘everyone’ tried to send her. Have them name the shapes they
saw and perform only half of the Hamman switch. Several actions will happen
simultaneously:
With your left fingers slide the bottom card out to the left from underneath and
turn it over end for end, back end dipping toward the floor toward you first, as
the card revolves face-up it is placed on top of, and slightly to the left of, the new
middle card of the spread.
During said card’s revolution the right thumb which is contacting the back of the
now middle card, pushes it slightly to the left as well. While the right fingers from
underneath will pull the new bottom card to the right just a bit.
244
This sequence centralizes the “flower” card between one face-up card to the left,
and one card, which is still face-down to the right. All that seemingly happened is
turning one card face-up to display it.
The small displacement is well covered between Ava first confirming her success
or failure to herself as well as the audience announcing what they tried to send
her in their thoughts.
“Great job, Ava and the rest of you as well! We also tried to send you a number…
what number did you receive Ava?”
Again, right or wrong you acknowledge

acknowledge the audience to tell Ava what they all tried
to send her. In this action you can very cleanly revolve the bottom card face-up
and place it back where it was.
It’s very likely you will hit the number dead on, and even likelier that at least one
of the numbers will correlate to the one they thought of, giving you an even wider
possibility of success. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
All that is left it to reiterate

reiterate the apparent
apparent situation...
“Reading someone’s mind is a very difficult thing to do, especially if it’s the first
time you’ve tried to do such a thing! I enlisted the help
h elp of everyone here to try and
send you a thought, we all decided on two different thoughts and sent them to
you…and everyone did a great job.
But I’ll have to admit I was trying to send you a thought I’ve
I ’ve had in my head since
the very first second I met you today. These two cards (pointing at the face-up
cards) you have held for the last few minutes, but you’ve had that facedown card
in your hands before anyone else here tried to influence your thoughts.
That card has a word on it that I’ve been thinking about since yesterday…let’s
yesterday…let’s see
if you got it.”
Credits:
The psychological forces applied here can be found in Banacheck’s,
Banacheck’s, Psychological
Subtleties Vol I.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Forced Coincidence Shannon Clark
Clark
Forced Coincidence
Shannon Clark
“Hi Lori, I’m fascinated by the idea of coincidence. I mean, just

how much can you influence a coincidence before it isn’t a
coincidence anymore? I know it seems a strange question, but
it’s the kind of thing that keep me up at night…”
Run through the deck and casually remove any card, sight unseen, and pretend to
place it in your pocket. In reality this card is immediately palmed back out of the
pocket and placed back on top of the deck.
Some care should be taken to not make this feel like the beginning of a trick. You
want her to see you place the card there, but not place any conscious importance
to the action. While doing this I usually grin slightly and mumble to myself, jokingly:
“I’m sorry you had to see that.”
Continue on…
“Lori I’d like you to simply think of any card in the deck. Please don’t think of an
obvious card, like an Ace or a King, because later when you get home I don’t want
you to think to yourself: ‘I bet everyone thinks of that card!’ Instead, I want you to
think of a card even you didn’t think you would think of.”
We’ll assume they name the 4H. Run though the deck faces to you. Just as you
come to the 4H you will cut the pack, bringing the 4H to the back of the face-up
deck. You will now draw all attention to whatever card happens to be cut to the
face of the deck. Let’s assume it was the 10 of Clubs. You’ll ask a few simple
questions about the card as if it is the only card of importance, presently. For
example:
247
“Lori did you happen to think of a black card first? A Club? Something like the
10C? See I had a feeling you thought of a different card at first, it’s hard to be
certain about these things…”
No matter her answer you casually flip the deck facedown and bring all attention
away from the deck while palming off the 4H. Produce the card form your pocket.
This is an extremely strong moment, so sell it for what it’s
it’s worth.
Now I have a question, Lori. Who gets credit for this sort of thing? Did I place just
the right card in my pocket? Did you think of just the right card? Was it a little of
both? Who knows?
I mean for now I’ll take credit, just so we don’t fight about it….”
During this joke, hand the deck out for shuffling. But you will hold on to the 4H as
you speak.
As soon as the mix is complete, reacquire the deck and casually add the 4H to
the top, immediately overhand shuffle the pack bringing the 4H back to the top.
No attention should be brought to the fact that you held

h eld out the 4H, it’s treated
treated like
an accidental occurrence. But in reality you have held out the card in the easiest
way possible.
“I’m going to make a prediction that you’ll keep until the end of this, as sort of
‘starting point’ for our coincidence – if you will.”
You will now run

ru n through and remove one card from the deck, but you will do so in
a very specific way. Grip the deck, faces to you, with
w ith your RH only
on ly..
Using only your right fingers on the back of the pack, you will push cards singly
into your waiting left hand, starting from the back of the pack and moving your
way through the deck. While this is a reverse spread from your perspective, it
looks completely normal to the audience.
Ignore the 4H on the back of the pack as you begin this backward spread in order
to look for the first Four that you come to.
Now for a casual displacement:
248
As you reach the Four in the spread, you apparently will simply break the spread
at this point. In reality,
reality, you will break the spread while doing two things at once.
The right fingers from underneath the deck will contact the 4H on the back of the
pack. As soon as this contact is made you will break the spread, the four which
you just came to in the spread on the back of the right hand spread. Since your
right fingertips are contacting the 4H as well, this card will naturally be slid to the
right and end up on the back of the right hand spread as well.
Situation Check:
You are left with a spread of cards in each hand. The left most card of the spread
is the 4H and the next card is the four you just found while going through the deck.
You have invisibly just displaced the 4H to the back of the RH spread.
You will now bring the two hands together as both Fours will be openly added
to the face of the left hand spread. All of this is done under the guise of trying to
decide on “just the right card” for the spectator to pocket. I usually say something
like…
“Let’s
“Let’s see…I’m not really sure…it’s
sure…it’s really all about a feeling…”
Now you simply square the left hand spread of cards and place it facedown to the
table (the two fours will be on bottom of this packet.)
This is treated as though they are simply discards because none of them strike
your fancy to give the person. Continue acting as if you are looking for a specific
card you have yet to find and the tabled cards are meaningless.
Continue the right hand reverse spread (pushing with your right fingers from
behind into your left hand) until you reach you next Four.
Four.
Again you will break the spread and this Four will be kept as the backmost card
of the right hand’s
hand’s cards.
Every card you have pushed off into your left hand while looking for this four is
loosely squared and placed face-down on top of the packet that exists on the
table. Apparently these are just more meaningless cards on your way to find your
prediction.
249
Continue the spread as before (keep in mind the backmost card of the remaining
cards in your hands is a four) until you reach the last Four. Upjog this Four and
hand it to the spectator to place in her pocket, without her looking at it. Square all
of the remaining cards in the spread and casually drop them on top of the tabled
cards.
You have just invisible stacked the deck for the ending, but to the audience it
looks as though you simply ran through the deck while trying to get a feel for a
card.
“Lori I’m going to give you this card to place in your pocket, without anyone,
including you, looking at it. Hopefully it’ll coincide in a special way with what’
w hat’ss to
come…I have a pretty good feeling about it.”
Situation check: Lori now has a four in her pocket and the tabled deck consists of
a four on top and two Fours on bottom. The second card form the bottom is the
4H, which is the originally thought of card.
“But I’d also like you to pick a card out that I will place in my pocket without
looking at it as well.”
Execute a wide ribbon spread of the deck on the table, as wide as possible. Allow
the person to push one card out of the spread toward you, emphasis the fairness
of the procedure and offer as many chances to change their mind as they might
want.
Once a card is decided upon you place it, sight unseen, into your pocket.
“Lori you and I have been interacting this entire time and thus far we have hit it off
wonderfully.
wonderfully. I’d also like to get a couple more people involved, but I want you both
in control of your own fate…if you will.
Each of you will be allowed to make your own decision, but there will be points
where you’ll have to agree as well…you’ll see what I mean. ”
With the deck in dealer’s grip extend it to a person on the left. Have him cut about
half the packet and keep them. While confirming they are happy with their cut,
casually move the bottom card of your half to the top. I use a side-steal.
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Give the pack you are holding to a spectator on your right. Both now have two
halves of the deck. Each unknowingly has a Four on top of their packets and the
person on the right has the 4H on the bottom.
You will now use a swapping packet embellishment on the Cut Deeper Force
by John Guastaferro to deceptively have each spectator force the fours on one
another. My only addition to John’s wonderful idea is to allow the spectators to
decide for themselves if they want to swap or not swap at each point - appearing
to have the utmost freedom in the decision making process and also entangle
their results with one another’s fate.
“Ok guys, you two are going to create a completely random series of events, of
which the two of you will have absolute freedom of choice. You
You will have a couple
of chances to make this as random as you can imagine. It’s
It’s completely up to you.
First I’d like for you guys to lift off a small packet of cards from the packet you
hold and turn them face-up. You
You could have cut any number of cards off, correct?
That was your first decision.
Now you guys have a second decision to make. Would you like to swap the
packets you have just cut to, or keep them?”
If they say yes, allow them to swap the packets they have turned face-up by
simply placing the packet the turned face-up on to the opposite person’s face-
down cards.
If they say no, they keep the packet they have. Regardless, each person at this
point is left holding a packet of cards in which the top section is face-up, followed
by facedown cards.
“Great, now I’d like you to cut off another group of cards from the ones you hold,
but this time I want you to cut even deeper than last time – cut a rather large
section.
Please turn these cards over as well. Now for your last decision whether or not to
swap packets. Would you like to?”
Once again, you allow them to do whatever they like. I find most people use
both chances to swap, but most everyone uses at least one. This results in an
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unbelievably random looking mix of the cards.
“Well you guys have made a series of random calls that no one knew you would
make. Lori shuffled the deck to start with and each you guys have cut to any
number of cards you wanted and even swapped packets as well. And it looks
as if you both are left with face-up cards on top the packets you hold, correct?”
You of course know the orientation of their cards, but posing a question at this
point adds a nice touch.
Only deal with one person at a time as you have them do the following (this keeps
one of them from accidentally doing something wrong):
“Spread through your cards until you come to the first facedown card.”
As the person removes all the face-up cards you take the packet from them
and place it facedown in your hand. This makes the clean up for the cut deeper
sequence much easier and also leaves the final upcoming display much clear in
the end.
“This is just about the fairest way I know to randomize these packets while still
allowing you both an even say-so in the outcome.”
Have this person place the facedown card into an available pocket as you take
rest of their cards as well.
Now you’ll repeat the same thing for the other person, he will go through the same
actions to pocket a card. Keep in mind when you take the final facedown packet
from him, it will contain the 4H on the bottom of it.
You will casually place this packet to the bottom of your cards, leaving the 4H on
the bottom of the deck which you now hold.
Reiterate the fairness of the procedure ass most all that is left is to bring this
home.
Have each person remove the card from their pocket facedown, taking care not
to look at it. Under all of this cover you will
w ill palm out the 4H and pretend to take it
from your pocket at the same time they do.
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You will show your card just a beat ahead of theirs because you want to call
special attention to the fact that, again; somehow, Lori gave you the card she
simply thought of once more.
“Lori do you recall at the start of all this, the two of us were wondering just who
should get the credit for thinking of just the right card? Well I have a confession to
make, it was you all the while…I don’t even know why I’m here, because somehow
you’ve given me the exact same card, again!”
After this is pointed out you have everyone else turn

turn their cards over in unison.
For a no-palming alternate

alternate
handling
handling for the ending:
You can place the deck away in the same pocket as the card which was given to
you earlier.
earlier. When it comes time for everyone to remove their cards you will go into
your pocket and remove the bottom most card of the deck.
While discrepant, it will fly by the most discerning crowd.)
Credits:
The inspiration for this routine is Ramon Rioboo’s “One in the Side Pocket” from
Thinking the Impossible.
(The effect originally appeared in Steve Beam’s Semi-Automatic Card Tricks

series.)
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minimalistica :: John Carey Got a light? Shannon Clark
Got a light
light?
?
Shannon Clark
You
You’’ll need
eed: One half dollar and one shell which matches it. One
cigarette lighter, and one book of matches.
Start with a matchbook in your left pants (or Jacket pocket).
The coin, nested inside the shell, is in your right pocket.
A cigarette lighter
lighter is in an easily accessible pocket
pocket as well.
This arrangement allows you to begin the conversation with obviously empty
hands as you introduce yourself.
Start by openly introducing a cigarette lighter. You can produce it in an manner

you wish. I reach into my left pocket to take it out while also going into my right
pocket with my opposite hand. While in the pocket you will secretly finger palm
the nested coin and shell; the shell side is against your fingers. As both hands are
removed from the pockets the left hand comes out just a beat prior to the right.
This brings all attention to the lighter and leaves the right hand unnoticed as you
pose the following question:
“Jadyn, do you know what this is? (Obviously they answer a lighter.) Its a match
with an over exaggerated opinion of itself… it’s amazing what an ego can do…
seriously though, did you know that the cigarette lighter was actually invented
before matches? It’s true; the lighter was invented in 1816, eleven years prior to
the modern match box.”
[As counterintuitive as this titbit of info is, it is nonetheless true and makes for an
interesting presentational angle.]
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“Jadyn, I’d like to show you something special, not with the lighter, but with the
flame itself…”
1- Hand a person the lighter and have her light it. The half dollar is then visually
plucked from the flame via the right hand finger palm and pushed to the right
fingertips. Due to the use of a shell both hands are show completely empty, other
than the one coin they are aware of.
2 – Gesture with the left hand miming the actions of lighting the lighter as you
ask her to once again light it. As this is happening openly manoeuvre the shelled
coin to your right fingertips as you turn the right hand palm up, four fingers at the
bottom of the coin and the thumb at the top (conventional spellbound position),
secretly allowing the coin to fall from the shell directly into the waiting right finger
palm. As the coin is secured in finger palm you simply ‘pinch’ the visible half
dollar (the shell) at the right fingertips, securing it only by the coin’s edge while
displaying it.
Openly transfer the visible coin (the shell) to your left fingertips, still displaying it.
The real coin is hidden in right finger palm.
As she successfully ignites the lighter you’ll once again pluck the fingerpalmed
coin from the flame. Display the coin at the fingertips.
3- Showing both coins at the fingertips of each hand as you explain the coins are
an illusion and as long as the coins are still warm everyone can see them, but as
soon as they begin to cool each coin will once again vanish.
While stating this, take both the shell and the real coin together at the right
fingertips in a fanned display to show two coins.
The shell is the lowermost, and outer coin, of the two coin fan. This position allows
the right thumb to contact the back of the normal coin only. Pretend to take the
uppermost coin in your left hand by moving the fan behind the left fingertips. While
Wh ile
momentarily out of sight your right thumb shells the coin. The right hand remains
completely stationary as the left hand, pretending to hold its newly acquired coin,
moves upward toward your mouth. Blow lightly on the left hand coin to effectively
“cool” the supposed coin and subsequently cause it to vanish.
4 – Execute a fingertip retention pass with the right hand coin pretending to take
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it in the left hand; the coin is secretly secured in finger palm position of the right
hand. Using the right hand, reclaim the lighter from the spectator and wave it over
the left hand while blowing into the left hand fingertips as well, causing the second
coin to vanish. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Just prior to opening the left hand to reveal the disappearance, drop the left hand
well below the right hand, approximately waist level.
Holding the lighter in the right

r ight fingertips allow it to roll off of your extreme fingertips,
toward the audience, and drop into the waiting empty left hand.
This aids in drawing all attention away from the “dirty” hand.
“I know what you thinking, that is a pretty good illusion…but with the current rate
of silver I’m out about $50...”
5 – Matching actions to words ignite the lighter with the left hand and once again
pluck the coin (still shelled) out of the flame, moving it to the right fingertips and
openly place the lighter in the left pocket.
6 – The moment the left hand comes out of the pocket, transfer the shelled coin
from the right hand to the fingers of the palm up left hand -- shell side up so
everything appears normal.
“Do you have any idea what a lighter and money have in common? Both can burn
a hole through your pocket without you ever knowing it…”
As this question is stated move the right hand to your right pocket and tap it.
Under this larger gesture, drawing all attention to it, you simply allow the shelled
coin to flip over and nestle into left finger palm, with the shell mouth up.
Bring the right hand back up to meet the left.
Turn the left hand palm down, visibly dropping the real coin into the waiting right
fingers as the coin falls from the shell, this secretly retains the shell in left hand
finger palm (this is a particularly clean switch of a coin do to the nature of the
shell). The retention of vision here is perfect.
Openly place the visible coin into your pocket and press it against the lining of
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your pocket so it can be seen from the outside of the pocket. Move your left hand,
still hiding the shell, over the pocket. Finger palm the coin inside your pocket while
simultaneously allowing the coin from your left hand to magically come into view.
view.
It appears just as though the coin penetrated the fabric of your pocket.
Casually remove the right hand from your pocket concealing the coin in finger
palm. This is naturally hidden do to the attention of the left hand coin.
7 – Repeat the same actions to repeat the penetration for effect. This time pretend
to pass the shell into the right hand but secretly keeping it once again in left finger
palm while the coin comes into view (basic shuttle pass mechanics). Once again
the coin seems to melt through your pants pocket.
This time while inside the pocket secure the matchbook into finger palm. Openly,
Openly,
with the left hand only, move the shell coin to the fingertips in spellbound position.
“To
“To tell you the truth, Jadyn the lighter and coins are quite interesting, but I prefer
modern technology…”
8 – Execute the typical spellbound change to transform the coin into the
matchbook to end.
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minimalistica :: John Carey Just Between Us Shannon Clark
Just Between Us
Shannon Clark
This effect contains a string of unbelievable coincidences which

lead up to a truly impossible surprise ending, all of this even
though a spectator genuinely shuffles the deck from the start and
continues to do so throughout the effect. The FASDIU aspect of
this trick make it a true worker for me and hands down one of my
favourite effects.
Set up: None
The deck should contain two Jokers, but a pair of colour mates can be substituted
if necessary.
Both Jokers will be removed in order to provide a quick and easy opportunity to
look through the deck.
If you want to end the routine as powerfully as possible, you’ll need a loading
wallet of any style you prefer. Using a Mullica Wallet will of course negate any
need for palming. Sans wallet, you can just as easily use an available pocket if you
wish. Personally,
Personally, I use a wallet to punch up the ending of the routine.
Phase 1:
Hand the deck out for shuffling while addressing someone in the audience.
“Hi Taryn, I’d like to share something truly impossible with you, but first I need a
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favour.
favour. I’d like you to think of any card from a deck of playing cards. It can be any
card at all, but please do try and make it tough for me.”
When they have one you will ask her to name it (we’ll assume the 10H), you
immediately respond with:
“So am I! That’s
That’s crazy, huh? I was thinking of the Ten
Ten of Hearts as well,
w ell, I’ve been
thinking of the 10H for about three days now, actually. Wow that’s a direct match!
Impossible!”
Joke a bit about the astounding lack of support for you claim and continue on by
offering to try and create a coincidence which is a bit more demonstrable.
Turn the pack face-up so the faces are visible to you. Casually begin an overhand
shuffle making note of the card that ends on the back (top) of the face-up deck
-- assume it’s the KS. You
You will also notice
n otice the face card of the pack -- we’ll assume
it’s
it’s the AD. All you really need to recall is that you looked at a black King and a red
Ace for ease of memory,
memory, as the suits are inconsequential.
inconsequential.
“Taryn some people aren’t too familiar with a deck of cards so I’d like to show
everyone exactly what I mean when I refer to the ‘mates’ from this deck of cards.”
Under the cover of removing the Jokers you’ll spread through the deck and
secretly arrange it, via a Spread Cull, in the following way:
While openly removing the Jokers cull both the AH and the KC to the back of the
pack as you reach them. The AH must end be culled to the top of the face-up
deck, with the KC second from the top. To
To the audience it seems you removed the
Jokers to establish what you mean by “mates” for any non-card players. In reality
you have controlled the black King and red Ace.
Place the Jokers onto the box or off to the side of the table after displaying them
to the audience. As you push the Jokers to the side, secure a break beneath the
two face cards of the deck and Dribble Pass them to the back of the face-up pack
(A Double Undercut can be substituted). Turn the deck down and perform an
overhand style shuffle while maintaining the top section of the pack.
Situation check:
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The order from the top of the deck is an unknown card, a pair of red Aces, followed
by a pair of black Kings. Keep in mind what mates you have are irrelevant; you
simply use whatever naturally occurs after the shuffle.
Spread the deck facedown between your hands for the spectator to call out stop
as you spread the cards. Break the spread as they say stop, keeping a spread in
both hands. You will now show the card to the spectator while secretly peeking
the identity using a peek by Bill Goodwin.
Raise the front of the right hand spread upward so the face card can be seen by
the spectator. As you see them look at the card, you will glance straight down
over the top of the spread and peek the identity of the card as well (we’ll assume
you peek the 3C).
As soon as you see the identity of the card, turn your head away as if you never
looked in their direction. The spread is lowered to again meet the left hand cards,
as if you’re going to square the deck. As an apparent afterthought allow them to
remove the card and show it around for everyone else’s sake.
As soon as you peek

peek the identity of the of the person’s
person’s card,
card, you immediately
immediately think
of the mate, committing said mate to memory.
memory. In this case you will be thinking of
the 3S.
Allow them to return the card anyplace they want, no control is necessary,
necessary, and
hand the person the deck for them to repeat this selection process for you.
Mimicking the actions just demonstrated for her your helper spreads through until
you say stop. She will then allow you to take a card for yourself. Fake a quick
glance at the card but completely ignore its identity and return it back to the deck.
Keep in mind that all the while you have the 3S in the back of your mind.
“Taryn I spread through the deck just a second ago and you looked at any card
you wanted. In turn you spread through the deck and I looked at a card as well.
There’s
There’s no way we could know each other’s
other’s card, but will you please run through
the deck and remove your card. Don’t let anyone see it just yet, and place it face-
down on the table.
Take the deck back and openly run through to remove the 3S for yourself, while
also using this as cover to set your next
n ext card in the following way:
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As the pack is handed

handed back to you, gain
gain a break under the
the top card. As
As you deck
is turned face-up for a spread, utilize a Book Break glimpse to note the top card of
the pack (we’ll assume it’s a black 9), this is the card your double undercut placed
there from the start of the routine.
As you run though and remove the 3S, cull the remaining black 9 to the back of
the pack. Place the 3S face-down on the table.
Build up what has happened thus far and have the person turn their card face-
up on the table, you do the same to show a perfect match for a nice minor
coincidence to get the ball rolling, so to speak.
Up until now you have caused a nice little coincidence trick while secretly stacking
the deck for the next three upcoming matches, while keeping the necessary
culling and memorization to a minimum.
Phase 2:
“Taryn this type of thing happens more than you’d think, though it’s still fairly
impressive. We
We seem to hit it off pretty well so far,
far, so I’d like to make this a whole
heck of a lot harder for the both of us. We’ll try this again, but this time without
looking at the faces of the cards whatsoever…”
Have the person cut about half the cards from the deck for you. This places the
stack you have built safely in your possession. They pick up the half they have
h ave left
for themselves. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
Jog shuffle your packet while retaining the top stock, give the packet a Pass Cut
as well. The Pass Cut gives the impression of cutting the pack while actually doing
nothing. Instruct the person to shuffle and cut, mimicking your actions.
As soon as they are happy you simply swap the top
top card of your packet
packet with their
their
top card.
“You’ve
“You’ve shuffled this deck form the start and you’ve cut as well. It’s
It’s asking a lot of
either of us to even come close to matching a card…but we’re in the ‘impossible’
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business, Taryn!
Taryn! Just so there’s
there’s no funny business, lets’ swap top cards.”
They turn their new top card face-up, and you execute double turnover to show
you have both matched perfectly.
perfectly.
Have them lose their mate into their half and you apparently do the same. In reality
you will bury your double card into your half, losing it.
Have the person, if possible, hand their half to someone else. Repeat the exact
same shuffle and swap sequence as before with the next person. This will result in
a second impossible match. Both of you lose the ‘mated’ cards once more – again
your are losing a double card.
Have their half handed to someone else as well if they are available and allow for
a third impossible match. It’s great to get as many people involved as is possible.
This matching sequence, in my opinion, is one of the strongest sequences in card

magic. Sell this for all it’s worth, because it is truly miracle class if you consider they
shuffled to start the trick, and they have been shuffling and cutting throughout.
Final Phase 3:
Instruct the person to look through their packet to inspect it, while you turn your
cards up to show them what you mean. Point out that there are no runs of cards,
mates, etc.
Use this innocent viewing of the faces to spot the card the first spectator just
thought of from the start of the routine (the 10H in this case).
If you have it, cull it to the rear of your face-up half.
Take their face -up half back as well, adding them to the face of your half. Turn the
entire deck facedown.
If you didn’t have the 10H then you know they do. Take their cards back in the
same manner and spread through them culling the 10H to the back of the face-up
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deck. This is simple and extremely quick since you know it’s in the top half of the
deck you just gathered.
All you need to do is mention again that they looked through

through the deck and
and nothing
was odd about them.
Either way you’ll be left with the deck and the thought of card (they don’t even
recall naming a card at this point) on top of it.
“It’s
“It’s amazing series of coincidences we have shared up to this point, I mean what
are the odds? But the most significant coincidence so far actually started about
three days ago….”
Palm the top card, or load your Mullica wallet, and place the deck away.
away.
“Taryn, you thought of any card in the deck about five minutes ago, amazingly
enough we shared the same thought! Luckily for us, a few days ago, I placed the
very card I was thinking of inside this wallet, just in case….”
Allow them, to remove the 10H to bring it home.
Credits:
The swapping packets/double turnover sequence is a wonderful old idea from Pat
Page. There are also couple of other notable takes on Page’s work as well (Nick
Trost and Gary Plants have great work expanding on his idea). Each handling has
its merits but typically demand significant set ups – routinely 10 cards.
The Cut Pass in great detail can be found in page 62 of The Complete works of
Derek Dingle (1982).
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minimalistica :: John Carey Poker with Dai Shannon Clark
Poker with Dai

Shannon Clark
I love Vernon’s beautiful routine Out of Sight, Out of Mind. It’s a

classic for good reason and I still use it to this day.
This routine was originally an attempt to remove some of my least favourite

elements from Vernon’s routine as well as adding a few (I think) nice touches of
its own. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
In the Professor’s original routine there were a couple of drawbacks I wanted to

overcome:
1. Turning the deck face-up and asking if they have seen

seen their thought of card
(sometimes having to ask multiple times).
2. In the original, the number of cards which can

can be potentially thought of is
limited to 9; While 9 cards is a damn shot better than most of the attempted
‘fixes’ you see to Vernon’s original, I still couldn’t help but think there was a
way to sell the possibility of thinking of just about any card in the deck.
Oddly enough, my solution restricts the number of actual possibilities which can
be thought of to 5 cards, while giving the appearance that there is no limit to the
number of possibilities.
This solution never requires the deck be turned face-up at anytime.
From an audience perspective the faces of the cards are never looked at by the
performer and no questions are asked.
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Preparation:
The only preparation is to make the Ace of Spades into a bottom-cutting breather.
breather.
This card must also occupy the 5thposition from the top of the deck. You are
ready to begin. (I typically use the Martin Nash “Infinity Crimp” to do so when
necessary to put the crimp in on the fly.)
Effect:
Give the deck you best blind shuffle as you state the following.
“Travis, not many people seem to know this, but there was a tremendously
successful gambler in the early 1900’s who in fact won so much money that he
became a bit of an underground legend. He was known as Titanic Thompson.
I’ll not go into too much detail here, but sufficed to say he was one of the most
interesting personalities I’ve ever studied.
Ty won millions of dollars hustling pro golfers, Billiards, and especially at the card
table, in a time where that sort of money was simply unheard of. He actually kept
a set of right and left handed Clubs in his trunk. He’d scope out his competition
and would offer to play them “left handed” if they wanted - little did they know he
was an expert with either hand.
His skill at the card table was so uncanny that, believe it or not, there are still
to this day heated arguments as to whether or not Ty actually had some sort of
psychic capabilities. He seemed to know exactly when to fold, when to go all in,
he just never seemed to lose an important game in his life. He somehow seemed
to know exactly what the opposing man’s hole card was.
Well I was lucky enough to meet some of the old hustlers who were close friends
with Thomson, unfortunately they have all passed away now, and while what they
taught me I won’t claim as mind-reading, it certainly will make you think….”
Hand the deck to someone to hold.
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“Travis,
“Travis, if I cut the pack you might
m ight suspect I have some sort of influence over the
outcome. So please, cut off about half the deck or so and hand them to me. We
need enough cards for 5 or 6 hands of Poker.”
Poker.”
Allow him to cut off about half the deck into your hand in preparation to use
a beautiful touch on the old Hofzinser Spread Force titled “Hands Hoff”. This
finesse if the brainchild of John Carey and it the best touch I’ve seen on this force
of any type.
As the cut packet is handed to you, you will simply bring more attention the size,
or number,
number, of the packet rather than the identity of any cards just yet.
“Thank you sir, you seem to have cut off about half the deck. Did you cut to any
specific place, or just wherever felt right to you?”
While he answers you, spread the first few cards (the top for 4 to be precise) from
hand to hand while apparently displaying the size of the packet. As you reach the
5thcard, the breather,
breather, simply cull it to the bottom of the packet and square up.
“Travis you could have cut any number of cards, as well as to any point in the
deck that you wanted. We’ll hand out a few poker hands directly from the place
that you cut to.”
Spread the cards from hand to hand and distribute 5 card poker hands to each
person, beginning at the bottom of the facedown packet (supposedly exactly
where they cut to).
Mentally note who gets the first 5 card packet which contains the breather; I
usually hand out as many 5 card hands as the cut has allowed me. Most times I
get around 5 or 6 five-card poker hands to various people standing in the group.
(Of course you could just as easily deal the poker hands out as well, making sure
the breather is in a known (to you)
you ) hand as the cards are dealt out in groups of 5,
which is a very easy thing to manage. I use the procedure outlined above because
of its ease of execution and it allows me to approach this routine with ease even
when I have no table, which is most
m ost of the time for me.)
“Now many of you guys have your own poker hand, please shuffle the cards as
much as you’d like but don’t allow me to see the faces.”
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Reacquire the remainder of the deck and use five random cards to demonstrate
what you will now have each person do with their cards.
“I’m going to turn my back, I’d like for all of you to look at the hands Travis dealt
you (use the cards you hold to show them exactly how you want them to handle
their cards so there’s
there’s no confusion).”
Explain the audience that one of them will

w ill think of any card they would
w ould like in their
poker hand. But since you can only handle focusing on one person’s thoughts at
a time, you have a way they can silently figure out who will do so.
Display your five card hand face-up as you tell them that when you tur n your back,
you want each of them to move the highest value card they have in their hand to
the face of their packet. You
You do so with your hand, again, showing them what
wh at they
will do later.
Once you have done this, square your mock poker hand so that only the face card
is visible. Turn
Turn the card so that each of them can see it.
“I don’t want you guys to say anything out loud, so there’s

there’s no way I can know who
will think of a card, much less what card they will think of. Turn your high cards
to each other so you each can see. Who ever happens to have the highest card
in their hand…please, this person thinks of any card in your poker hand. It can
be any card at all. When you have done so, everyone square your cards and hold
them facedown in your hands. “
Also explain to each person that if there happens to be a ‘tie’, for instance two
people have a Jack as their high card, the Spade trumps everything. If you don’t
want to deal with this element of the instructions, simply make sure the other
three Aces are in the lower half of the deck to start the routine. – personally I don’t
bother.
Turn your back as you allow them to carry out the direction. I usually reiterate what
I’ve told them up to this point. Now before you turn back around repeat that each
each
person turn their poker hands facedown and hold onto them.
Dribble through the facedown cards you have, hand to hand, until you are at the
midpoint of the packet. Tell them you will have the packets placed back in the
deck in any order they want. The left hand, with its cards, turns palm up so people
272
can begin to toss their packets onto your left hand packet. Dribble the rest of the
right hand cards on top of all. Follow up with a quick blind shuffle if you’d like, as
you say:
“Great! Don’t say anything out loud, so you don’t give me any hints about the card
in your mind, or even who has the card in mind. Someone is simply thinking of one
card, out of all these cards…”
As you say this

this casually cut the breather
breather to the bottom
bottom of the deck. Turn
Turn the pack
up on its left long end, being careful not to display the face cards, in preparation
for a jog shuffle. Throw off about half the deck and continue shuffling clumps of
cards into the waiting left hand. Once you come to the last 6 or 8 cards take great
care to run these cards singly until the cards are exhausted.
Your situation is now the AS is the top card of the deck; the 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th
cards from the top are the remainders of the thought of possibilities.
“There’s no way I can know who is thinking of a card, much less what card is
actually locked inside someone’s mind. This is much the same situation that Ty
must have found himself in over the years in so many big money games…no
pressure…”
As you say this (or whatever

whatever your presentation necessitates) you will begin another
quick jog shuffle. Toss
Toss roughly half the deck into the waiting left hand, continuing
with the left thumb, you will run five cards, singly, onto the Left Hand packet (on
top of the AS), in-jog the next card (the 6th in the run) and then shuffle off.
Now all you need do is square the deck while picking up on the in-jog.
Situation check: in the middle of the pack you hold a pinky break. Below the
break there’s
there’s five arbitrary cards followed by the AS and the remaining four cards
of the thought of poker hand.
You will end in almost the exact same fashion as the original, genius, OOSOOM
ending…with one very small change which isn’t necessary to adopt.
If you have a table, place the deck on top of a tall glass (if available). If you are in
a group with no table, simply have someone hold their hand out and push it up to
about their chest level, to keep everything “fair.”
“fair.”
273
Either way, as you deposit the deck onto the surface, you simply lift up at the
break and take the top half of the cards in your left hand dealer’s grip. You
You want to
sell this cut as if it is all by feel, belabour the point a bit and you apparently think
about what you’ve done.
Explain you’ll have to rely on intuition to try and get a feeling for the card someone
is thinking of. Now you will begin to remove one card at a time, without looking at
its identity,
identity, from the top of the spectator’s packet to the top of yours. Count each
card until you reach the 6thcard, this card will be the Ace of Spades. Keep in mind
as you count the first 5 cards that you are doing so slowly and deliberately as if
contemplating each card as they are moved from packet to packet. Right around
the 4th card is when I say:
“I’m getting a strange feeling that we are getting closer and closer to the card
someone is thinking of. As a matter of fact I feel stronger about you, Lori (assuming
her name is Lori) than anyone else at this moment.
(gesture toward Lori, who is indeed thinking of a card. Don’t just toss away this
moment, it’s quite strong for the laity as they have no clue how you could know
who thought of a card.)
Take the next card, the second card in the run of five, from the top of their packet
as well, just like card before it. But you will slightly tilt the front short edge of the
card up so you can secretly catch a glimpse of its identity. Commit this card to
memory and place it on top of your packet while keeping a little-finger break
beneath it.
Follow this exact procedure, again, memorizing the third card’s identity as you
place it on top of your packet as well.
You will now do this exact procedure one last time.
Here is your situation:
You have three known cards on the top of your packet with a little-finger break
secured beneath them. The card directly beneath the break is the Ace of Spades.
“I have an overwhelming urge to stop right here Lori...I can’t even explain why...”I
why...”I
use a touch from Master Roberto Giobbi and make a sort of ‘Karate Chop’ motion,
274
with my right hand, in the air between my packet and the spectator’s packet.
This gives them a feeling for what you are claiming, while keeping the statement
relatively ambiguous at the same time.
“Lori, for the very first time, will you please name the card that you have been
merely thinking of this entire time?”
Lori will now name one of five possibilities. I’ll outline how each will be handled:
1. She names the top card of your packet. Immediately drop your break and
slowly turn over the card to show her you somehow stopped at the thought
of card.
2. She names the second

second card
card form the top. Drop your break and execute
execute a
double turnover.
3. She names
names the third card from the top – Use the natural break you are
are holding
holding
to execute a triple turnover.
turnover.
4. She names
names the Ace of Spades.
Spades. While one can
can execute
execute a quadruple
quadruple turnover,
turnover,
instead I usually move my break to under the Ace of Spades while addressing
what she said. I then use the standard side steal mechanics, with your Right
hand moving directly forward with the card instead of off and to the right
as is typical. In one continuous movement I move the AS directly over the
spectator’s
spectator’s packet and tap the top of their packet saying:
We could have stopped here…but luckily we went just one card farther….”
Immediately the AS is drawn back to the top of your packet and deposited,
jogged forward for more than half its length, as if this is where it originated.
When all attention is on it, turn it over to show the thought of card.
5. She names a card

card you do not recognize – If she names a card
card you have not
seen, she is thinking of the card which still resides on top of the spectator’s
packet. Simply build the ending and have her flip the card up that she holds
as if this was the card you meant to stop at all along.
Out of Sight, Out of Mind appeared in Dai Vernon’s More Inner Secrets of Card
Magic. skype:kevinmagicstore Email:838667776@qq.com
275
Notes:
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Notes:
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Notes:
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Notes:
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Notes:
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minimalistica :: John Carey

Copyright © 2015 John Carey

Printed in the United Kingdom by Haresign Press

Design and illustration by Phillip Smith at Sushi Design ( www.sushidesign.net

Stranger in the Crowd - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - 123

In Crafted with Carey I was lucky enough to assemble some marvellous

I ﬁrst met John at the South Tyneside

STOP! Do not put the book down.

Have the deck shufﬂed and upon

“Since childhood I have always been a fan of Star Trek.

Cutting for Larry

Daley Might Have

her hands and turn over her

Fingertip ﬂushtration count

Deal and Decide

Book Break Peek

Dream a Li’l Dream

Hand out your deck for shufﬂing

Ask your helper to use their intuitive

Now go and have some fun with this!

Simple, practical and strong.

One of my personal favourites from the book is Mr Fechter’s

Mention you will try and discern the spectator’s

The In Transit Force

It’s all in the cards...

Just Say When

Lies All the Way

Kudos to Mr Williamson for the inspiration.

Lies Damn Lies!

“You know, 52 cards is sometimes a lot to focus on Shannon. So in an attempt

Ask your helper to take the packet as

I wanted something a little more streamlined.

Hofzinser Spread Cull

The Hofzinser Spread Cull / Control ﬁrst appeared in Hofzinser’s

The cards are spread from left to

This creates a ‘lip’ above the chosen

The spread is then expanded a little and

Open All Day!

Kudos to Mr Bannon and Finnell.

As you say this, spread the deck

Slow Motion Triumph

“Cameron, as I pick up packets from the table, just say stop!”

As you start the above sentence

Stranger in the Crowd

Monthly magazine many moons ago.

(Mike Skinner Variation)

This move is essentially a variation of the spread double lift

The Attitude Force...

Think & Synch

Ask your helper to turn

but a lot of fun.

My inspiration was a lovely effect of J.K Hartman’s called position possession,

Allow the jogged card

Spread double lift

“So Raj. You’re

As per the presentation above, you do the step-by-step colour,

Two Card Transpo

Cover your card with your right hand