More Free Magic Tricks...
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John Scarne devised a nice trick where the spectators selected card is found by a magic 'indicator' card, which is a joker and a four stapled back-to-back. Actually, the spectators card isn't located by the locator card, instead it is found stapled to the joker in place of the four. I won't go into the specifics of Scarne's effect, as it's rather long (as if my version isn't..). Instead, I'll offer my version, which has the same premise but is about half the length.. text wise.
What you need: Two jokers and two regular cards, for the sake of illustration, a four of clubs and a ten of hearts. Staple the four and a joker back to back. Do the same with the other joker and the ten. Put the joker/ten either in your jacket pocket or your back pants pocket. Put the joker/four in any front pocket. Now, you're ready to performed "Stapled", my version of Scarnes "The Stapled Card".
Force the ten of hearts. As with the wizard effect above, I like to use a magicians choice to force my card. If you aren't familiar with a full deck magicians choice, you can read about it HERE. Taking the time to perform a magicians choice helps fill out the effect and when performed rapidly, leaves the spectator convinced that he/she chose the card fairly. Of course, you can use whatever method you like as long as the ten ends up on top of the deck.
I force the ten, gather the cards, cut them near the middle, and ask the spectator to place his chosen card into the middle of the deck. I catch a pinkie break and bring it back to the top. If you aren't comfortable with that.. glimpse the bottom card, have the spectator place the chosen card on top of the deck, cut the deck a couple of times, and flip through the deck looking for the bottom card under the pretex that you're going to find the chosen card.
When you find the former bottom card, assuming you're looking at the faces, separate the deck at that point . The former bottom card will be on top of the pack in your left hand and the spectators card will be on bottom of the stack in your right hand. Put the right hand pack under the left hand pack, flip the cards over with the backs up, and the spectators card is now on top of the deck without any sleight of hand..
Whew..!!
If you use the pinkie break method, announce that you are going to use a special locator card to help you find the selected card. If you used the non-sleight method, announce that since you couldn'd find the selected card, you are going to be forced to use a special locator card to find it.
Reach in your pocket and remove the joker/six, hand it to the spectator and ask him to check it out thoroughly to make sure it is nothing more than two cards stapled together. Tell the spectator about this being a special combination of two magical cards first taught to you by Mama Lenora, your gypsy grandmother. And since the magic skips a generation, you're empowered...
Place the locator card on top of the deck (also directly on top of the ten of hearts ) , and place it in your jacket pocket with the joker/ten - or, move the cards behind your back if you use that method. Either way, keep the two locator cards separated..
If you put it behind your back, take the locator card out of your pocket and stick it into the center of the deck. Remove the joker/four and the top ten of hearts and put them in your back pocket. If you use the jacket method, do the same with the joker/ten and then leave the joker/four and the ten in your pocket when you bring the deck out..
Bring the deck back around to the forefront, making sure that you know the position of the joker/ten in your pocket so the joker will be visible when the deck is brought back into view.. and NOT the ten..
Lay the deck on the table and announce that the locator card has been inserted into the deck at percisely the location of the chosen card. Remove the card under the joker/ten , lay it on the table, and as you flip it over announce that "my magic locator card has succeeded yet again.." When the spectator tells you that's not the correct card, tell him that sometimes the locator card actually slips under the selected card, and remove and show the card above the locator card. Again, this will not be the correct card.
Tell the spectator that this is quite strange, as this has never happened before, and ask him to please look through the deck and remove his chosen card - while you hold the locator card. Of course, he won't find it.. When he tells you that his chosen card is not in the deck, ask him what his chosen card was.. When he says "the ten of hearts", say.. " Wow, this IS strange. I've never had this happen before either... Look.." as you hand him the joker/ten locator card for examination...
With the proper patter.. this can be a very strong effect..
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John Scarne devised a nice trick where the spectators selected card is found by a magic 'indicator' card, which is a joker and a four stapled back-to-back. Actually, the spectators card isn't located by the locator card, instead it is found stapled to the joker in place of the four. I won't go into the specifics of Scarne's effect, as it's rather long (as if my version isn't..). Instead, I'll offer my version, which has the same premise but is about half the length.. text wise.
What you need: Two jokers and two regular cards, for the sake of illustration, a four of clubs and a ten of hearts. Staple the four and a joker back to back. Do the same with the other joker and the ten. Put the joker/ten either in your jacket pocket or your back pants pocket. Put the joker/four in any front pocket. Now, you're ready to performed "Stapled", my version of Scarnes "The Stapled Card".
Force the ten of hearts. As with the wizard effect above, I like to use a magicians choice to force my card. If you aren't familiar with a full deck magicians choice, you can read about it HERE. Taking the time to perform a magicians choice helps fill out the effect and when performed rapidly, leaves the spectator convinced that he/she chose the card fairly. Of course, you can use whatever method you like as long as the ten ends up on top of the deck.
I force the ten, gather the cards, cut them near the middle, and ask the spectator to place his chosen card into the middle of the deck. I catch a pinkie break and bring it back to the top. If you aren't comfortable with that.. glimpse the bottom card, have the spectator place the chosen card on top of the deck, cut the deck a couple of times, and flip through the deck looking for the bottom card under the pretex that you're going to find the chosen card.
When you find the former bottom card, assuming you're looking at the faces, separate the deck at that point . The former bottom card will be on top of the pack in your left hand and the spectators card will be on bottom of the stack in your right hand. Put the right hand pack under the left hand pack, flip the cards over with the backs up, and the spectators card is now on top of the deck without any sleight of hand..
Whew..!!
If you use the pinkie break method, announce that you are going to use a special locator card to help you find the selected card. If you used the non-sleight method, announce that since you couldn'd find the selected card, you are going to be forced to use a special locator card to find it.
Reach in your pocket and remove the joker/six, hand it to the spectator and ask him to check it out thoroughly to make sure it is nothing more than two cards stapled together. Tell the spectator about this being a special combination of two magical cards first taught to you by Mama Lenora, your gypsy grandmother. And since the magic skips a generation, you're empowered...
Place the locator card on top of the deck (also directly on top of the ten of hearts ) , and place it in your jacket pocket with the joker/ten - or, move the cards behind your back if you use that method. Either way, keep the two locator cards separated..
If you put it behind your back, take the locator card out of your pocket and stick it into the center of the deck. Remove the joker/four and the top ten of hearts and put them in your back pocket. If you use the jacket method, do the same with the joker/ten and then leave the joker/four and the ten in your pocket when you bring the deck out..
Bring the deck back around to the forefront, making sure that you know the position of the joker/ten in your pocket so the joker will be visible when the deck is brought back into view.. and NOT the ten..
Lay the deck on the table and announce that the locator card has been inserted into the deck at percisely the location of the chosen card. Remove the card under the joker/ten , lay it on the table, and as you flip it over announce that "my magic locator card has succeeded yet again.." When the spectator tells you that's not the correct card, tell him that sometimes the locator card actually slips under the selected card, and remove and show the card above the locator card. Again, this will not be the correct card.
Tell the spectator that this is quite strange, as this has never happened before, and ask him to please look through the deck and remove his chosen card - while you hold the locator card. Of course, he won't find it.. When he tells you that his chosen card is not in the deck, ask him what his chosen card was.. When he says "the ten of hearts", say.. " Wow, this IS strange. I've never had this happen before either... Look.." as you hand him the joker/ten locator card for examination...
With the proper patter.. this can be a very strong effect..
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:. Stapled
( John Scarne & Rick Carruth )
( John Scarne & Rick Carruth )
This was a favorite effect of many magicians in the New York area during the middle of the century. Again, I'm going to give you an abbreviated version. The principle is the same, and can be used during many other effects.
This effect is perfect if the deck actually belongs to someone else, as it eliminates the possibility that you gaffed the deck beforehand. Ask the spectator to remove approximately twenty cards from the deck. (I'm not going to provide the patter.. only the method..) Tell the spectator that your fingers are so sensitive that they can actually feel the ink on the playing cards.
Turn your back to the spectator and ask him to turn one card in his pack of about twenty around backwards and reinsert it into the deck at any point.. Ask him to place the stack into your hands, which you're holding behind your back. When he puts the stack in your hands, turn back around and face him. Slowly flip through the cards, find the reversed card, turn it the correct way, and hand it back to the spectator to confirm that you found the reversed card.
That was simple enough, wasn't it? With the proper patter, you can make quite an impression.
Make sure that the deck you're using is a used deck. Not necessarily an old deck... just used. If you hold a card with your thumb on one side and your middle finger on the other side and slightly squeeze the card, the card will bow face-out. If you're holding the cards with the faces facing the palm of your hand, you can let your index finger almost touch the center of the card, and when you press the card you'll feel the card bow out to touch the tip of your index finger.
Of course, when one card bows the other way, it's the reversed card.
You can use this principle to find a chosen card also. Let two or three spectators select cards. While they're looking at them, secretly flip the deck over, then flip the top card over to give the impression that this is the top of the deck. Bring the deck up and ask the spectators to please insert their cards into the deck at any location. Put the deck behind your back, flip the top (really bottom) card back over to it's original direction, and begin your search..
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This effect is perfect if the deck actually belongs to someone else, as it eliminates the possibility that you gaffed the deck beforehand. Ask the spectator to remove approximately twenty cards from the deck. (I'm not going to provide the patter.. only the method..) Tell the spectator that your fingers are so sensitive that they can actually feel the ink on the playing cards.
Turn your back to the spectator and ask him to turn one card in his pack of about twenty around backwards and reinsert it into the deck at any point.. Ask him to place the stack into your hands, which you're holding behind your back. When he puts the stack in your hands, turn back around and face him. Slowly flip through the cards, find the reversed card, turn it the correct way, and hand it back to the spectator to confirm that you found the reversed card.
That was simple enough, wasn't it? With the proper patter, you can make quite an impression.
Make sure that the deck you're using is a used deck. Not necessarily an old deck... just used. If you hold a card with your thumb on one side and your middle finger on the other side and slightly squeeze the card, the card will bow face-out. If you're holding the cards with the faces facing the palm of your hand, you can let your index finger almost touch the center of the card, and when you press the card you'll feel the card bow out to touch the tip of your index finger.
Of course, when one card bows the other way, it's the reversed card.
You can use this principle to find a chosen card also. Let two or three spectators select cards. While they're looking at them, secretly flip the deck over, then flip the top card over to give the impression that this is the top of the deck. Bring the deck up and ask the spectators to please insert their cards into the deck at any location. Put the deck behind your back, flip the top (really bottom) card back over to it's original direction, and begin your search..
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:. Buckled