r\ +

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N
 Applications
New routines and moves with unprepared cards

Peter Duffie

Edited and designed by Bob Gill

lllustrated by Martin Perry

 Martin Breese lnternational,
164, Kensington Park Road,
London Wl 1 2ER
 CONTENTS

lntroduction. .. !.. .. . .. ... ... . .. r . ! .. r . . .. . .. .... . 7

Cgntrg Fonruard .... r. o.. o.. o................ 9
Jointly Dogs lt .........................r.t... 1 1
Thg Auld Cursg ...............t.rr.t..r...! 14
I Give Up! ..r......!.........rr...!....!....... 15
BOXgd-ln .. r..... r... rrr t. r. t r. t t.. r.. r.......... 17
Mind Gamgs ...............!..tr.......r..... 20
An Odin Sequel ....o.................... .,.24
WOmgn t . r. r . . . . . r. . .. . . . r . . . r. . . . .. . . . .. . .. . r ..r27
r

Palmed Addition Utility Sleight .... 30

A Turn-Up For Thg Book ........!... 33
A Curious lncidgnt ........ro.............. 36
Collusion . r...... r....... r....................!.. 38
Rising Crimg .,....r....o.r..r..i.r..r......r. 40
Audigncg Participation ... o.. o...... ..... 43
Firgsidg Aces ... .. ..... .. ........ .. ... ....... 45
Thg Scottish Assgmbly ........!..,... ..47
Oncg Again ................r....r......r.....r 50
Dutf ig On Keyboards . ,..,..... .. r. ....., 53
A Change In Mood ..r......,,....o..0.,. 54
GIaSnOSt . '. . r . .. . r. . .. .. . ...... .. . .. . . r r.. .. .. r , 56
Guardian Angels,........,....,..,.r..,.... 58
 Applications

INTRODUCTIoN

The most ditficult part of writing a book of this nature is the task of selecting the
best possible balance of etfects. lndeed, this invariably means that it is often
tougher selecting what to omit rather than what gets in.
My seleAion here was based on an early decision to exclude from this publication
any etfect which utilises faked cards or other gatfs in any way. With the minor
exception ol the very first routine, which makes use of a couple of straight stranger
cards, everything here can be performed with a regular S4-card pack, which allows
you to get into the material immediately.
of the selection which lies before you; I
ch and every item. But enough preamble;
, so with these few words I will leave you
find something of interest among these

Peter DuffiA Scotland

Page 7
PeEr Duflie

Page I
 Applications

CnNTREFoRwARD

The evolution of this util:ty move began some years 8go, since when I have
developed many applications for it; so many, in fast, that I could well have compiled
an entire book around this alone. Rather than indulge myself in this way, however, I
preferred to outline just two of my favourites, and leave you to evolve your own
applications.
The satisfying thing about the concept is that, whilst it makes possible some
ertremely powerful effects, it is not partiorlarty challenging from a tecfinical stand-
pointl it requires a sense of timing rather than outright tedrnical ability. First here is
itre itepfrt,'and then two etfects w-nicn capitalise on it.

1. Hold the pack face down in the left hand dealing position. For the sal(e of this
trial have two matching cards on top, say the two black Jacks. Rernove the top two
cards as one, without showing them, describing the double as a prediction card.

lnsert it into the centre of the pack, as Fig 1 shows, the card(s) protruding as one
lor hall their length. The left forefinger presses up lightly on the face of the bottom
card of the protruding pair; this not only helps keep the cards pressed together, but
is essential for the smooth execution of the move which follows.

Page 9
Peter Dutfie

2. Ask someone to give you a Iowish number. Announce your intention to deal down
to that number say, 12. The right thumb deals otf the cards one at a time,
turning each faoe-up onto a pile 6n the table. The cards are each taken off
diagonally fonlrard to the right, as indicated by the arrow on Fig 1. ln this way, you
deal 11 cards off.

3. On the lAh card, and at the same tempo as before, the right thumb simpty
skates over the top of the pack and deals off the upper card of the double! Thus
their card will turn out to be a black Jack; extract the protruding "predicition" card
from the pack and show that it matcfies. lt is as simple as that.

Note that when dealing the cards onto the table, some applications will require that
you deal face-down, and indeed you can do so to good etfect; nevertheless the
larger movement of appearing to turn the selected card face-up masks the false deal
perfectly.
The effectiveness of this sleight belies its simplicity; likewise, I'm all too aware that I
run the risk of the simplicity of the above descriptlon under-selling just how deceptive
it is. lts etfestiveness is due in no small part to the repetition of the dealing and
oounting, lulling the audience to a point where their aftention rela(es.
The key to its success requires you to fight the strong temptation to hesitate at the
point of dealing the card at their designated number; this only forces spectators to
focus particular attention to the deal at the very time they must not. You should deal
the 12th card at exactly the tempo at which you dealt the first eleven. With this in
mind, practise so that the CENTRE FoRWARD deal matcfies a genuine deal in pace
and motion, and very soon you will be fooling your own eyes.

Page 10
 Applications

JorNrLY DoEs Ir
I have a partiorlar fondness for this etfect, since the original concept of CENTRE
FORWARD was developed expressly for it. lts inspiration was a J.G. Thompson
etfect calledJoint Signature, which first appeared in The Pallbearers Review.
Assuming you are using a blue-backed pack, you will require two additiona! red-
backed cards. Remove and discard the duplicates of those cards from the blue pack.
Using a black permanent marker pen, sign one of the reds on its back. (You will
have to spend a while practising signing cards because during the routine you will
be openly signing the back of the other red card, and it is important that they
matfi). To set up, place the unsigned red card on top of the signed one and place
as one into your wallet. Case the blue pack, and pocket the marker pen where you
can get at it easily.

1. lntroduce the blue pack and hand it out for shutfling. As they shutfle, take out the
pen, remove the cap and place the pen on the table. Open your wallet, as you say:
This is a bO day lor me'iust ilils moming / rwred my membershrp ard for lhe
(ba| tlagb SMelyl Take out the double red cards, held as one laoe down, and
place the wallet aside. '/t lwks a liltle lifte a playing ard to m4 but lhen wlrat else
mub a magiaan any? / haven't eyen had llme to sign ilyet"

2. Pick up the pen and sign the bac* of the top card of the double; replace the pen
on the table, and reacfi out the left hand (containing the double) to take the pack
from them. Realising that the hand is already occupied, pass the double into the
right hand, freeing the left to retrieve the p€ c* from the spectator.

3. "Lel? see what rl dres'i you say, as the left thumb ritfles down the edge of the
pack, stopping just past the centre. The right hand inserts the signed double, as
explained in CENTRE FORWARD, leaving it (them) protruding.

4. Ask lor,"a bwish nambeq say up lo lwenly"; let's assume it is fiiteen. Deal the
cards one at a time face up in a'pile, executing the CENTRE FORWARD move on
the fifteenth.
Now you will understand the need for the signature practice!
Hand the spectator the pen, asking him to sign the face of the top card of the
tabled pile. When he has done so, pic* up the entire pile lrom the table and drop it
face-down onto the pack.

5. Push the protruding signed red card flush into the pack, obtaining a pinky break
below it in the process. Give the pack a few cuts, completing each, linally cutting at
the break to bring the signed red to the face of the pack. Cover this with:

Page 1 1
Peter Duffie

7f/ ant the pdr a lew lilnas so lhal your ard and mine are hst sotneiltqe in
amongsl the otters:

6. Hand the pack to the spectator and ask him to concsntrate on the original
number he randomly stopped you at "Ftfte€n, wasn? rt?" He deals down onto the
table, to discover your red card apparently now ocorping that position. Surprise
number one.

7. Take your signed card and drop it onto the table in front of you, purely to
prevent anyone turning the card over to spoil the dimax. Reassemble the pack and
spread it face up, as you comment, 'Tou're doing prelly yell s lar; yan'll qaaliy
lor one of lhese yet'i
Ask your helper to move the card slowly along the spread, asking him to stop when
he reacfies his signed selection. of course be unable to f:nd il. " WeL fiey
tod ma wfien dny sent llp lhat rt antb help me oU rt,
emergen&s ... the instruclbns are on believe". The speaator turns it
over for the real surprise.

END NOTES

8. The oxtra card is easily copped away from the bottom of the pack at your Ieisure.
You can even dean up way ahead of the finish by ereofing a diagonal palm shift
as you insert the signed red card into the pack, obViatng the-need for the cutting ol
the cards.

9. lf the signature business worries you unduly - and it shouldn'tl -

you could omit
the signatures altogether, simply using straight red cards, although you should
recognlse that you iun a real risk of deraaing somewhat from the overall etfect. lf
you insist on pursuing this approacfl, the deoeption can be heightened by using a
garish back design for the double. You could even use hlank backers each bearing
a letrasetted slogan, "Member of Local Magic Society", in keeping with the patter, but
this is starting to detract from the spirit of this book's aim to otfer etfects with
unfaked cards!

10. The above dean-up also allows a slightly ditferent presentation whicfr I have had
suocess with on occasion. Proceed as explained in steps 1 and 2, up to the point
where you are inserting the red double into the pack. As you insert the card(s),
exeqrte a diagonal palm shift into the left palm. The right hand immediately hands
the pack to the spectator; simply allow the left hand to lie naturally on the table, or
by your side if standing.
Get the spestator to give the pac* a shake, then boldly announ@, 'You have
shaken my urd up lrom rts plae rh trte Ente of the pad(, lo arnve al exactu dre
posinbn hed by your ard'. The ambiguity of this statement will not be immediately
apparent, but it's quirky enough to raise a smile; ask the spectator to count down t0
the chosen numbsr, only to find that your card has indeed arrived.

Page 12
 Applications

'Ddnl / pranise you ilnt il ttdtU end up in your Hrd's plae in ilp pa?? But
hoil on, suraf tlnl twuil mean lhat lwo ards wouU llbnlfr offitpy lfie sme
pgtun ... and fiat's not pa$ibl€ ... " slowly turn over the card ' ...is rt?'
You can, of course, dltch the palmed card under cover of the spectator counting the
cards.

11. Bob Gill came up with a comic twist to the presentation whicfr makes for a
slightly speedier etfect, but omits the ooincidence ol your card appearing at their
number; !'ll leave you to decide for yoursell whether the comedy element compen-
sates for this partial loss of magical content.
Proceed with the above handling, up to the point where the signed card has been
inserted into the deck, and stolen away by means of the shift. Hand the pack to the
spectator and ask him to cut it several times, losing the two signed cards, yours and
theirs.
Oflerto challenge your helper to a rac€: 'The dds mast fu lerel lor us, sina
ilnre is one card you haue wttt my
sgnafire. let's see if yott an " Simply
spread the pack bad<-up on th igned red
card. Close up the pack and spread it again, this ti invite the
spectator to find his card as quickly, pointing the gag by looking intently at your
watdr to time him.
It will now dawn on those watcfiing how mucfr harder it is to differentiate the cards
by their faces, and the comic situation becomes heightened as your hapless assis-
tant tries in vain to find the card amongst the-T. you tuuab tte pot il I lind
bollt our ards... [turn over the card] ... togdtter?-:Wll

Page 13
Peter Dutlie

THE AULD CuRSE

When I first worked on CENTRE FORWARD, I showed it to Gordon Bruce, who

came up with several applications of his own. Gordon published one of these in the
now defunct Pabular magazine under the title Way Out. What follows is a variation
of that item.

1. "Before / go any luiltef / mast remoye lhe Aline of Diamonds." As you speak,
spread through the pad< and locate the 9D, ciltting it to the face of the pack,
continuingi "Yott sffi, tte 9D is known as lfie Curce of Splland, and has been ever
sine tp time ol Bobert the &nt@. "

2. Apparently deal otf the lace card onto the table, face-down, actually exeanting a
Ned<tie Strike Second. After dealing the card, the right hand comes bac{< and turns
the pack face-down into the left hand, allowing you to spread the padr. Ask
someone to remove a card. close up the spread, half-passing the bottom card.
Once the card has been noted, sring-cut the upper half of the pack into the left
hand and have the selection replaced on top of this half, dropping the other half on
top.

4. 'My lords, ladies and gentlemen...the AUH Curse ol Sotland!" Drop the pac*
onto the tabled card, picking up the complete pack which they assume has the 9D
at its face. Turn the pack over to show that the Nine has vanished. Spread the
cards face down between the hands to reveal the 9D face-up in the middle.

5. The left little finger obtains a break below the card beneath the 9D. Flip the Nine
over face-down using the right-hand portion of the spread, then with the right fingers
move both cards above the break forwar I as one. Close up the spread leaving the
double out-jogged in position for CENTRE FORWARD; you will have plenty of cover
following the surprise of the appearance of the Nine.

6. "YouVe haard of mad blessings? You can haye mixed curses as we//. Tha Nrhe
lttmw orer tells me that yoar selected card lies nine cards from the top ol tlte
padc" Deal I cards face down onto the table, exeafiing CENTRE FORWARD on
the ninth.

7. Pick up the last card dealt, hold it face-down and have the selection named.
Slowly turn the card over, to reveal not the selection but, ' ... tte Curse of Sotland.
;
But ... see what / mean about mixed anrses ... " the left hand slowly reveals their
card protruding from the pack.

Page 14
 Applications

I GTvE UPI
One ol many fine routines in Roy Walton's book The Devil's Playthings is entitled:
You Can't Cheat an Honest Man. Here is a variation on that trid(, using an
occasional second deal rather than the bottom deal favoured by Roy.
Remove the aoos ancl kings from the pack beforehand. Set the pack as follows,
from top downwards (pac* face-down; "X" - medium spot cards): X,A,X,X,A,A,X,A,
rest of pack. Finally, distribute the four kings throughout the pack so that th€y
alternate in colour. You're ready.

1. Explain that you are about to show them something amazing which was disdosed
to you by a retired gambler. Run through the faco-up pack, and openly upjog the
four kings. Strip them out with the upturned left hand, adding one card from the rear
via the vernon strip-out, add-on move. The balance of the pack is placed
face-down on the table.

last two cards as one; transfer the top

a scoop to turn the entire packet over
ly drop the packet on top of the pack, as
did.

3. Dea! out two hands, each of four cards, se@nd.,dealing on the third card of eacfi
pile. At this stage, then, the piles look lilre this, from the top face-down:
Him: K,A,K,K
You: X,X,K,X

4. Pick up your pile,

transferring it to the
indifferent cards, the la
wlnt / had rh mind ...
you say as you drop the packet face-down

5. Pick up the spectator's hand, turn face-up and straight Ghost Count to show the
four kings. Drop these face-down on the pack as you shake your head in disbelief,
exasperation or both.

6. Hand the spectator the pack with the request that he deals the two hands this
time: "Let's see it you an do betler " Ensure the pack lies on the table afterwards.
Again, scoop up and turn over your pile using the top card. Ghost Count to show
tour indifferents, last card going to the bonom. Drop the packet face-down on top of
the pack.

Page 15
Peter Dutfie

Pick up his hand and Jordan Count to show four kings, give hlrn a quizzical look
and ask, "You haren? met thal od-ilmei haye youT Drop the packet onto the
pack.

7. '/?e lAsl remembard somelhing

padr a tap belore he stanled " Do
on the se@nd, third and fourth cards
hand (no scoop with the top card th
last card going to the bottom. (An ace
conseguence to the spectators.) Drop the pile onto the pack.

8. Pick up the spectator's hand and genuinely count them, approximating the
Elmsley/Jordan handling, although all four- cards are the kings this time. Slap the
cards face-down on the table in exasperation. Pick up the pack in the left hand as
the right picks up the kings; drop them on the pack, immediately top-palming them
into the right hand as you exclaim, "That?s it no more Mistar lVt@Gu1q time to tum
the tables. "

9. Hand the pack to the spectator with the request that he deals two final hands,
announcing that you would bet your shirt on having the four kings this time. With the
left hand (or, if you prefer, ask him to) turn over hnd spread your pile to show four
inditferent cards. Smile as you reach into your pocfiet with the right hand and
produce the four kings.

10. Pick up his hand as if to discard it, pause and double-take as you spread them
:
face up "/ got tte kingo aln!7ht..bul you slrll wrh the game,'

Page 16
 Applications

Bo)GD -- IN

This is a quick and dean transposition of a sandric{red card isolated within the card
case and a selec'tion whicfr lies face-down in the pad<. Unlike the m4ority of such
transpositions, it uses no duplicates or gatfed cards, and relies upon a sequence of
smooth handling rather than technique.

1. Toss out the two jokers and the AS, holding the balance of the pack in the left
hand as for dealing. With the right tingers pick up the jokers face-up; you are going
to place the ace face-down between them, and so the right hand has to pass the
jokers lnto the left fingertips as it moves over to pick up the aos. Slide the ace
between the jokers, and get a small break below the top card with the right thumb
at its rear edge. (Ihe pack is still held in the left hand dealing position, as shown in
Fig 2). As you are doing this, explain that gamblers have nidmames for the most
prominent cards, the Ace ol Spades earning itsef the title "The Bullet".

2. The three cards are squared by sliding the long edges of the packet between the
left fingertips, the right hand gripping it in a Biddle-type manner at the short ends.
As you slide the packet gently to and fro in the left fingers to line it up, the lower
two cards are allowed to drop onto the pack; this is covered by the continued sliding
to and fro of the packet.

Page 17
Peter Duffie

3. The "packet", in reality of oourse now just one face-up joker, is slid into the card
case and the flap dosed; note that the half-moon cut-out of the case should be
uppermost as the face-up joker is slid inside. After closing the flap, the card case is
placed to one side to the right of your table, turning it over in the process so the
wt-out faces downwards.

4. You now perform the Braue Reversal as follows: take hold of the pack in the
right hand from above, thumb at the inner end, fingers at the outer, i.e. in the
familiar Biddle grip. As you take up this position, the right thumb obtains a break
below the second card from top. Undercut half the pack with the left hand, turning
or pivotting this lower half face-up with the left thumb. This face-up halt is dropped
onto the fac€-down half. Without missing a beat, the left hand undercuts all the
remaining cards below the break and similarly places them face-up on top of the
other half.

5. Spread the pack face-up and have a card sebaed. Separate the spread at the
chosen card as it is being extracted. The right hand now places its cards below the
balance of the pack in the left hand, but in doing so the left fingers buckle the
bottom card of their portion of the pack, allowing the right hand to insert its packet
into the break above the buckled card. Turn the pack face-down.

6. At this stage, the top card of the pack is a joker, and the AS is reversed near
the middle of the pac*. Get a break belo r the top card, as you take the spectator's
selection and appear to insert it from the rear face-up into the face-down pack; in
fao carry out Marlo's Tilt Move, to place the card second from the top. Push it
flush, obtaining a break below it as you do so; you thus have a break below the
top two cards.

7. Top palm the top two cards above the break, as the left hand turns the pack
face-up and spreads the cards across the table. The face-down card shows up
amongst the others, and pon it as your right hand reaches for the
card case, picking it up n, thumb at rear edge, fingers at the far
(flap) edge. Picking up th perfect cover for the palmed cards at this
stage. The card case is left hand, and in one movement the left
fingers curl around the case to take the palmed cards from the right hand, dipping
them against the top face of the card case.
This is covered by the left hand turning over, back upwards, and the right thumb
immediately flipping open the flap. Fig 3 shows the position you reach alter this
manoeuver. Note that the above steps Erge into one flowing sequence, and that
the case is held as you would grip a pack for the Glide.

8. And the Glide is precisely what you now perform; the left fingers glide back the
bottom-most card below the card case. The right thumb meanwhile enters the case
and contacts the face of the ioker. The right forefinger lies below the case touching
the face of the seoond joker, while the right second finger rests against the glided
card. Now, the right hand moves al! three @rds, as one unit, forward and out of the
case.

Page 18
 Applkntions

Spread the three cards in a fan to reveal what they expest to see, two fokers
face-up with a faco-down card sandricfied between them. Tap the sandrich on the

pack, asking il they saw anything happelr. Explain that the reason they did not ,was
'turn ov6r
because The Bullet travels'so iast. the fa@-down card in the pac'k to
reveal the AS. Then turn over the sandwich for your finish.

Page 19
Peter Duflie

MIND GAMES

Some time ago Jerry Sadowitz and I collaborated to produce a book entitled
lnspirations, whidr was published by Martin Breese. One of my contributions was an
item called Wraith. MIND GAMES is a vr rsion of that etfect, and the one whicfr I
now prefer to perform.
Beforehand seoetly place any card, other than an ace or king, into your left jad<et
pod<et. ln addition the King of Spades lies, back outwards, in your breast pod<et.
The other three kings are on top of the pack, in the sequenco Diamonds, then
Clubs, followed by Hearts.

1. Open the card case and remove the pack, leaving the KD behind as you dose
the case and toss it aside.

2. Run through the face-up pack and openly remove the aoas, placing them in a
face-up row on the table. As you do so, obtain a break below the second card (KH)
from the bottom of the face-up pack. Continue running through the pad(, this time
up-jogging the two iokers; strip them out, seoetly adding the two kings from the
bottom via Vernon's strip-out, add-on move. PIace the pack aside.

3. You now turn over the two jokers one by one, in such a way as to retain the
two kings face-up beneath them. The pac*et is held squared in the left hand dealing
position. Push over the top joker with the left thumb, effectively fanning the two
rd as one. The uppermost joker is flipped
ed fonrard for about half an inch, as
loH r''3,3yt Jn"#
g'# IXB
"l"J:?'i',
Iush with, and covers, the hidden kings.
"",1 ln
a continuous motion the face-up joker is flipped face-down on top of the packet.

4. The packet lies in dealing position

approaches and takes over the grip of t
lingers at the lar end, thumb on the inne
the top card, again in Biddle fashion, the
packet. This enables both top and botto
the loft hand, leaving the centre tro similarly squared in the right hand.

5. The right hand, still gripping its card(s) as before, moves over to the tabls and
picks up the lirst face-up ace. This is held jogged to the left beneath the face-down
double, as shown in Fig 5, as it approaches the lelt hand and places the spread
onto the double-card held in the left ... Fig 6 shows the position at this point.

Page 20
 Applbations

6. Close up the spread, getting a little finger break beneath the aog. You now
reverse-count the three cards to show the magical change of the aoe to a king: your
left thumb pushes otf the top card, whicfi is taken into the right hand, thumb on top,
fingers below.

4 5

Page 21
Peter Duflie

:op u
The next two cards are taken together as one on top the ilrsl,
of me but jo
first, out loglged forward
about an inch: Fig 7. The last two are put as one on top, leaving the KHI protruding,
proruotng,
outiogged, from the squared packet. ln this state the packet is taken into the left
hand dealing position.

7. Turn the left hand bad<-up, and you now apparently remove the protruding king
and drop it faoe-down onto the Abb. ln fact the right fingers push the king flush
under cover of the right hand removing the taoe-down aoe, dropping it on the table.

8. Turn the left hand back again, to hold the packet in dealing position onoe more.
With the right hand remove the bottom card, tum it face-up to show a joker, then
drop this faoe-down on top.

9. Repeat steps 4 to 7, to cfiange the second ace into a king. At this stage, you
will be holding two faoe-down jokers with two faoe-up kings between them. Ask the
spectators whicfr of the two remaining aces they would like next, immediately
cfianging your mind as you say, 'f knotu lel's lU botfi tryelher this fiime. "

10. Take hold of the packet in the right hand as before. The Ieft hand slides out the
bottom card leaving the three held as one by the right hand. The acos are picked
up one at a time beneath the triple, then all are placed on top of the lett card and
squared; you of @urse seek to emulate the handling used earlier.

11. 'Watdt!" : spread the pac{<et as four cards, buckling on the third. The aoes
appear to have changed into the final kings! Flip the face-up cards face-down,
using the top card, then thumb otf the upfer two cards onto the table. Place the
right hand joker below the left hand cards, buckling the faoe card so that the joker
enters second from bottom. Push the card square, obtaining a break above it in the
process. (this is easier and more etlective than placing it on the bottom and then
obtaining the break.)

12. Using the left thumb, push the top two cards to the right as one, helped by the
break, etfectively fanning the two (?) cards. Wave the fan over the supposed kings
on the table as you explain, 'So lar il has all bean iust an optful illusion". As you
say so, bring your hands together and palm the double into the right, which moves
otl to take hold of the two iokers at their outer ends and holds them vertically-up,
laces towards the sp€ctators. Turn over the tabled cards with the left hand, revealing
the four aoes onoe again.

13. You go on to inform your audienoe that the reason you know for sure that they
have see-n an optical illusion is that you have a superstition whicfr forbids you evdr
keeping the four kings together in the pack at all! As you deliver this statement, tho
right hand drops its jokers onto the table, while you show your left hand to be
unmistakably empty,

Page 22
 Applications

14. The left hand goes to your left ja*et podret, at the same time as the right
hand is_ entering its respective pocket, taking the opportunity to deposit its palm-ed
cards. Bring out wlth your left hand the indiflerent card previously hidden there,
holding it badr-upwards, as the right hand brings out just one of the kings, also
back-outward. Place both cards together momentarily as you say, "Here aE tvo of
lftem'i indicating them with the gesturing right hand.

15. Retake them one in each hand, only exchanging positions so that the face-down
king is in the left while the right holds the indifferent, Replace each card in its
respective pocket, ensuring as you do so that you can differentiate between the two
cards in the right pocket. (l do this by laying the last card on its long side.)

16. Pick up the card case and shake it. Open the flap and tip out the card, leaving
it protruding face-down for half its leng[h. Reach into the breast pod<et and pull up
the card therein, again leaving it protruding half-way. lmmediately readr back into
your jadretpockets and remove the two kings, tossing th m face-up on the table. Flip
over the card case to reveal the third king, then top it all off by showing the card in
your breast pod<et to be the linal ldng.

END NOTES

of using two kings as four was included by Jacob Daley in his

gular readers may reoognise the ruse for the produstion of the first
Double Fantasy, from an earlier book of mine published by Martin
Close Up To The Point.

Page 23
Peter Duffie

AN ODIN SEQUEL
Jerry Sadowitz has already been mentioned in these pages, and the technical
handling whicfr forms the basis of the following etfect leans heavily on Jerry's
excellen't Come Together routine trom Alternativd Card Magic, publistied by Martin
Breese. lt is actually a variant on Roy Walton's Oil & Queens, whicfr has soen
many versions over the years since its inoeption.
The Marlo plot for Oil & Water is so well-known that I will content myself here with
a description of the handling only. Before commencing, place three queens on top of
the pac*, the fourth lying about ten cards further down.

1. Run through the pack and up-jog a

face-up pack; continue spreading and up-j
spot cards: black, red, black, red. Tilt b
out of the spectators' line of vision, as y
seventh protruding card.
Finally spread to the bac* of the pack and move the bottom three cards together as
one unit, stripping all ten cards fonrards and out; place the pack on the table.

2. Hold the face-up packet in readiness for a Hamman Count; you proceed to @unt
these as eight cards in alternate colours, like this:

tr count the first two cards off fairly;

tr as the third is counted otf, steal back the first two below the main packet via the
Biddle steal;
tr count off the fourth and fifth cards fairly;
tr as the sixth card is counted off, perform the Hamman switch;
tr the seventh is counted fairly;
tr drop the remaining two as one final card.

!n actual performance, rather than count the cards you emphasise their alternating
condition: black, red, black, etc.

3. Turn the packet face-down and hold in dealing position; as you close the pac*et
square, obtain a break below the third card. You now appear to out-jog every other
card, in reverse faro fashion, thereby separating the colours:

tr push the first card over to the right and take into the right hand;
O the nerft two cards are ou$ogged as one beneath the first card, thanks to the break
beneath them; see Fig L

Page 24
 Applietons

tr the third card is pushed over normally, in line with the first;
O the lourth is ou$ogged, in line with the double;
tr in similar fashion the fifth and sixth are pushed over in line with their respedive
predecessors;
O the ldt lingers budcle the bottom card, leaving the resultant double as the ssventh
card, and the final card is ou$ogged in line with the other even numbers.

5. Strip out the ou$ogged cards with the left hand, dropping the others face-down on
the table. Turn the packet, held by your left hand, face-up and Elmsley Ghost Count
to show four reds. Turn the packet face-down and deal them singly in a row from
left to right on the table, the final two being placed down as one.

6. Pi blacks.
Turn right as
belor bottom
card number
three

7, The four "pairs" are assembled into two packets as follows; the Ieft hand picls
up pair number one and places them onto pair number two, whilst the right is
simultaneously picking up packet number four and dropping it onto the third.

L Push the newly-assembled left packet towards a spectator, picking up and turning
the other packet facer p. At this point you emphasise that each pad<et

Page 25
Peter Drrtfie

contains two reds and two blacks, which you underline by using the Ascanio Spread
to show your pac{<et as being: black, red, black, red. Complete the move by
transferring the three-card block to the face of this pac{<et.

9. Turn your packet face-down and make some magical gesture towards the
spectator's pile. Then turn your cards over and Elmsley Count to reveal... four
blacks.

10. Finish as in the Roy Walton original by saying, '7f I have the fatr blad( ail
Hrds, lhm you mast have....?" (the spectator turns his pad<et over, and will in all
likelihood pronounoe them "the four reds" in anticipation ol the sesmingly inevitable
dimax) 'i..lhe four queens!"

Page 26
 Applications

WoMEN

My origina! ideas for this routine appeared in the Walt Lees' @mpilation book The
Best of British CIose-Up. That routine used a spelling procedure to locate the four
queens; I have since dispensed with this and use two guick cuts to lead into the
dimat.
Before commencing, seuetly otll the four queens to the top of the pad<, so that
they alternate in colour: black, red, black, red, from the top downwards.

1. Spread the pack and invite someono to remove and note a card. Close up the
spread, during whictr time you obtain a break below the top three cards. Take the
seleclion and return it to the pad( apparently into the centro but in fact below the
break, using the Marlo Tilt Move. Alternatively you could get the spectator to return
the card to the pack, simply cutting at the break and conoealing the thinness of the
top half with the rlght fingers. Either way, the selection ends up fourth from the top.

2. Hold the pack in dealing position, as you say, This is a bp-budget magb show,
'
in wltdt / use lour femab assistents. The left little finger meanwhile pulls down on
the lower half of the pack and obtains a break near the oentre. The left thumb rests
on top of the pack.

3. You now execute a Marlo one-handed slip cut as follows: the left first three
fingers relax slightly, allowing the upper half of the pack to be tossed onto the table;
the top card is however retained on top of the lower half by pressure of the left
thumb.

4. Turn over the top card of the left hand pile to reveal a black queen. As you do
so, get a break below the face-down card beneath it. Leave the queen face-up on
top of the pack. Turn over the tabted a queen
on top of the pack, out-jogging it to cards
above the break with the right hand, e tabled
queq as both queens are picked up ri Fig 9.
o
ln this spread condition they are placed , cealed
beneath the upper face-up queen.

5. Reassemble the pack by placing the tabled half on top of the portion you are
holding, as you say, "Two down, lwo to go." Repeat the previous handling, with
one slight variation. Just belore you make the slip cut, the left thumb pushes the
top card over to the right about a quarter of an inch, just enough for the thumb to
touch the surface of the second card. Proceed with the slip cut, which this time
allows you to hold back the top two cards. conveniently, you will now find that the
left little finger will automatically hold a break below these two cards after the

Page 27
Peter Duffie

cut. You can now repeat step 4, without the neod to get the break beforehand.

6. Place the second pair of queens onto the tirst two, as shown in Fig 10, on the
table next to the assembled pack. Pick up the queens and hold them squared
face-down in the left hand; as you place them onto the outstretcfied left palm, allouy
the bottom three cards to fall, maintaining a break with the right thumb below the
top three. Turn these three over as one, fo show a black queen, say the QS, whidt
you lay face-up on the packet.

7. Comment, '77n laaf in bladc..evrl and sinhler", and budrle the bottom card and
tlip over all the cards above the buckle. Pid< off the top two as one, whicft is made

I 10

easy by the lact that they are boxed face-to-face. Place this double on top of the
pack, calling it by name - the QS in our example.

8. Slide out the bottom card of the held packet, flipping it face-up flush on top of
the packet. This is the other black queen, sister to the first, whicfr you @mment
upon as you buckle the bottom card and turn over all cards above the buckle, as
before. With the left fingers slide the bottom two cards to the left in a fan, which
leaves a double in the right hand, still held from above. Place this double on the
pack, whicfr you ort and complete as you explain you will lose the two blac* queens
in the pack.

9. "/ preler worting wth lhese lwo llre ladies in red'i you say, turning over the pair

Page 28
 Applkntions

to reveal the bladr queens, to your apparent surprise. After a pause for this to
registsr, spread the pack across the table to reveal the two red queens face-up in
the middle, sandirifiing a single face-down card between them.
Have the selection named, and have its selector reveal the identity of the sandwi-
dted card.

Page 29
Peter Dutfie

ParuED AporrroN Lfru-rry Sr-ucHr

Moving on now to another "new" sleight and some applications of it. This is, in fact,
an extension of the lamous Francis Carlyle Card Paddle Moye, and it creates an
illusion in which you appear to turn a pack over face-down, when in fact the pack
remains faoe-up but is covered by a card (or cards) deposited from the right palm ...
hence PAUS - the Palmed Addition Utility Sleight.

11 12

3 4

1. Hold the pack face-down in the left hand, ready for dealing. Top palm the top

Page 30
 Applications

card into the right hand, as you turn the pack faoe-up in the lett hand, where it
rests as in Fig 11.

2. The right hand now approaches ths padq in readiness to turn it over
Meanwhile the lelt thumb lifts the pack upwards at the left edge, as if for a
Pass: Fig 13. The pad< is pressed against, and on to, the palmed card,
taken onto the lace ol the pack.

16

3. The left hand begins to turn over with its back uppermost; the right hand remains
static during this turn: Fig 14. As soon as the left hand has turned, the right takes
hold ol the near end of the pack, as depicted in Fig 15. You will find that this end
is almost automatically delivered into the right hand.

Page 31
Peter Duflie

4. The lelt hand releases its grip on the pack, as the right hand is oompleting the
turnover action, placing the pack back into the left hand, apparently face-down
see Figs 16 and 17.

END NOTES

I developed this sleight when il has formed the basis

of several different ap zinser ln Hy Podret, whidt
appeared in Alternative fist move in5tead of PAUS. lf
wi
you refer to this, you tself to that particular etfect.
Three further routines for this utility move appear in the following pages.

Page 32
 Applications

A Tunu-UpFon TnnBoor
This is an instantaneous reversal of the four aces in the pack, whicfr is extremely
deceptive thanks to the use of PAUS. The action is over in the time it takes to
insert the four aces into the pac* and spread it on the table.

1. Let me start with what you have to achieve in the get-ready, since there are
many ways to get you there. Quite simply, you need to end up with the four aces
dealt in a row on the table, whilst you have a single indifferent card palmed in your
right hand.

tr You can arrive at this position very simply by top palming the top card of the pack
as you hand it to a spectator, who extracts the four aces and lays them in a row on
the table, handing you back the pack.

tr Here's how I get there; you run through the face-up pack, removing the aces and
placing them on the face of the pack as you come to eacfi. Spread to show the
fanned acss, picking them up in a packet as you secrete one extra card (the fac€
card of the pack) beneath them, Close up this spread (now five cards) and turn it
face-down on the face-up pack. Top palm the top (inditferent) card as you thumb off
the four aces in a slight spread; the right hand, still containing its palmed card,
approaches the packet from above and I]fts it off in standard Biddle grip. The right
hand approaches the table and deals the four aces in a spread by releasing the
bonom card onto the table, then releasing the new face card to lie beside the first,
and so on.

2. Whichever approach you cfroose to adopt, you will end up holding the pad(
face-up in the left hand, the right palming I n inditferent card, and the aces in a row
on the table. Apparently turn the pack face-down, actually executing the PAUS move
to deposit the palmed card onto the pack.

3. The aces are now shown, taken face-down in the right hand and inserted one by
one at intervals throughout the pack. (lf you wish, the spectator can hand them to
you one by one from the tabled row.) Square up the pac*, taking the opportunity to
take up a little finger break above one of the aoes near the centre. Explain that you
will now use a secret cutting technique, favoured by a coterie of professional
gamblers, to locate the four aoes. cut the pack at the break and complete the flt,
retaining a break as the halves meet, immediately cutting again at this break to
restore the pack to its former positaon....no need to hold the break.

4. "People often ask me tfie dtfferene between a gambler and a card-magaan'

wela gambler would fihd lhose ams by antfing tfie padr several limes belore
dealing lfiem rhto four hands of ards. The magia?n gels tfiere a lol qudrer ... "

Page 33
Peter Dutfie

As you say this, the left hand begins to turn over, in readiness to spread the pack
on the table; at the same time, the left thumb is bearing down on the top card and
pulling it around the revolving pack; Figs 18, 19 and 20 are lreeze-frames of this
split-seoond action.

5. Immediately spread the pack across the table, the palmed card becoming the top
card of the spread, a move you may recognise as a variation of Stewart James'
Nullifactor.

Page 34
 Applbations

Note that the rnove is over in a split second; it starts as the hand moves to the
table and is completed as, and not before, the cards are ribbon-spread, olr the line:
' ,.. gels tfiere a lot qutd?er "
The faster you can do this, whilst still retaining smoothness of action, the more
surprising will be the appearance of the aoes.

Page 35
Peter Dutfie

A CuRIOUS INCIDENT

There is a lot happening in this routine, and hence I felt you would appreciate a
brisk description of the etfect, before getting into the action. The performer removes
and spreads the aces on the table, and has three cards selected and returned to
the pack. Holding the aces in a packet, the first spectator is asked to announce the
suit of his selected card. Upon displaying the aces, the audience finds that the ace
of that suit has reversed itself amongst its fellows; immediately it resumes its rightful,
face-down position.
This is repeated with the other two spectators, each of whom also turns out to have
selected a card of the same suit; so in each case the same ace reverses itself
before righting itsell againl Finally, the aco is dropped face up on the table, as the
performer observes that he did not need all four aces for this particular etfect ... or
did he?: for the remaining three aces are turned over to reveal themselves as the
three selections.

1. Run through the pack face-up and cull, or cut, three cards of the same suit (for
example, let's assume the ctosen suit was hearts) to the rear. Toss out the aces
face-up on the table, starting with the AH.

2. Force the top three cards onto three spectators, having each selection returned
and controlled to the top. As the pack is placed on the table, palm otf the top four
cards.

3. Pick up the tabled aces, apparently tu

Reverse count the cards as follows: t
Biddle grip. The left thumb pulls off the
fingers buckle and take the bottom card,
together as one. Count otf the next two f
one are placed to the bottom, a break retained above them in the proc€ss.

4. The right hand now takes the packet and places it momentarily over the pack,
releasing the four cards below the break onto it. Your cover for this can be the
squaring of the pac*et by sliding it to-and-fro along the upturned left fingertips, or
you can simply make a magical gesture by moving the packet in a circle above the
pac*, whictr in any event ends up on the table.

5. Jordan Count to show all cards face-down. Have the first spectator name his suit.
Spread the cards to revea! the upturned AH.
Now Elmsley Ghost Count the packet this time, to show the packet face-down once
more.
Repeat this sequence with the second spectator. Similarly, reveal the upturned AH to

Page 36
 Applications

the third helper, this time extracting it and dropping it onto the table.
Have the selections named, then spread the three remaining cards for your final
surprise.

Page 37
Peter Dutfie

CoLLUSToN

This relates to the previous item, and extracts even more mystery out of the basic
etfeo. To those watching, the plot follows that of A cuRlous INC|DENT, up to the
point where the AH is on the table and you are about to reveal the identities of the
three remaining cards in the pac'ket. Asked to name their respective cards in turn,
eacfi spectator announc€s the very same card: the King of Hearts.
A little shaken by this, you turn over the tabled AH to reveal that it has now
changed to the KH. The remaining three cards in the hand are turned over to
display that they are the other three kings.
The handling is a little ditferent, both Jordan and Elmsley Counts having been
eliminated. Have the four kings on top of the pack, KH uppermost.

1. Run through the facs-up pac*, extracting and placing on the table the four aces
as you come to them. Force the KH onto the first spectator; have it returned and
then repeat with spectators two and three. Shuffle and cut, retaining the four king
stack on top.

2. Place the pack on the table, palming off the top five cards in the process. Pick
up the four aces, which should be in a fan on the table to facilitate this pick-up,
apparently turning them over but in practice performing PAUS.

3. Continue exactly as in step 3 in the cuRlous INoIDENT handling, reverse-

counting the cards into the right hand. However, this time the right thumb picks up
one card from the lower section before retaking the break.

4. Repeat step 4 from CURIOUS INCIDENT, showing all four cards face down by
counting them from the left into the right, reversing the order; buckle on the third
card, the final card going on top of the packet.

5. The first spectator names the suit of his card, spreading the packet as four to
reveal the AH face-uP; the last two are held as one. Close the spread, then
immediately respread to show all four fa@-down by double-buckling.

6, Repeat step 5 above with the other two helpers, except that with number three
the ace is left face-up.

7. The right hand approaches the spread from above and squares the upper two
cards, above the ace of hearts, lifting them otf; as you do so, obtain a rear break
between them with the right thumb. Use these two to llip the ace face-down; as it

Page 38
 Applications

revolvos, the card below the break ls added to the packet by dropping onto the back
of the ace, in the now well-known Kardyro Drop Svyitch. The left hand thumbs this
card, apparently the aoe, onto the table, while the right drops its single card onto
the packet.

8. Reveal the three kings, using a single bud<le to conceal the aoe.

Page 39
Peter Dutfie

RTSING CNIME

This item sees the unlikely coupling of an age-old card trick with something much
more modern and sophisticated, The plot is that of the Four Burglars combined with
the Elevators, brought together by means of Roy Walton's Spread-Half-Pass.
The idea was triggered by Steve Hamilton's Lightning Aces. Before commencing,
the four kings lie face-up on the bottom of ths pac{<, and the ace-through-four of
diamonds are spread throughout the pack. You leaf through -
the pac'k, extracting the
ace-through-tour, leaving them face-up on top of the pack.

INTRODUCTORY SEQUENCE

1. lf, as I do, you wish to preface this routine with the magical production of the
ace-through-four of diamonds which feature in the routine, your set-up is somewhat
different. The ace-through-four is positioned in readiness for their magical production;
in most methods this entails having them on top the pac-k Below them are the four
kings, face-down, followed by the rest of the pack.
Proceed with the production of the ace-through-four, preferably using the spectator to
'discover' them; I use AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION, the next item in this book. At
the end of this production, the ace to four will be lying face-up on the table, as you
shuffle the pack, taking the kings to the face of th-e pack. These must now be
reversed, in readiness for the next sequence, and you will have strong opinions of
your own on the best method to arrive at this position.

2. lf you do not wish to preface this with the four-card production, try the following
get-ready : the four kings lie, face-down, at the bottom of the shuffled face-down
pack. Run through the pack, transferring eact of the ace through four of diamonds
as you come to it to the back of the pack, face-down beneath the othenrise face-up
pack. At the completion of this sequence, a king will show at the top (face) of the
pack.
Obtain a break below the four kings; as you turn the pack over to reveal the four
diamond spot cards, execute Ken Krenzel's Automatic Fleversal of the kings. As soon
as the pack has been turned over, you start to rearrange the randomly-ordered
aoe-through-four, with the four lying uppermost, ace at the rear,

As ! I
said earlier, favour the magical production of the spot cards, for three
reasons. Firstly, it sets the scene nicely for the ensuing etfect; it establishes the
magical credentials of the routine with a strong opening; and encourages you t0
study - and use - the AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION routine which lollows on page 43!

Page 4O
 Applbalions

THE MAIN ACTION

3. Whifiever introduction you used, check your starting position; the pack is
face-down, with the four kings face-up on the bottom, and the four-through-ace of
diamonds face-up on the top.

4. Spread to show the four-through-ace as you promise thsm, 'i..a trute sloty aboul
a gang ol iewel thieveg wth a partranlar lihing lor diamondsl Turn the four cards
face-down on top ol the pack, thus putting the ace on the very top of the packet,
and the pack as a whole. Now you appear to deal these four in a faoe-down row
on the table, from left to right; in fact, you deal four seconds slowly and
deliberately as you emphasise, "tlp numfur one man, tlriel number two, lhe thad
man, and qmk numfur lour "

5. '.Their phn was lo relbre the aunfiy? ndtest man of his labulous iewel
48 storeys ht?h." Double-cut the top card
playing with the cards, and there is no
he pack, saying, 'The strong-room was
half-way up the burlding, " as you emphasise the mid-point of the spread; dose the
spread, making a half-pass in the process.

5. "They muld nol afford to draw altention to themselves wlilb the bulming nas
dosed at ntght so they dared not ase the lit " This is said as the pack is placed
on top of the left card in the tabled row. "This psd no problem lo the fiiirsl
thiel..who wag by day an a& magiaan. " Spread the pac* between the hands to
reveal the ac€ face-up at the centre; you can spread two or three cards beyond the
ace, but no more than that.
Let the etfect sink in, then dose up the pack, half-passing below the aos. Eacfi time
tho half-pass is executed, you will notios that it takes place after the effect, giving
you all the cover you need as it is done on the off-beat, under covsr of the
surpnse.

6. Likewise, place the pac* on top of the 2O(?l on the table: at this iuncture I am
saying, "The semnd man in was a rea/ two-limtW double-sosserl Again spread
-the qiread,
thri pl'ck to reveal that the two has joined the acf in the middle. Close
half-passing below the two.

7. Repeat with the three, then with the four, who I nickname 'Fct,r-eyes"; after the
revelation of the four there are no further halt-passes. Close up the spread, obtaining
a break above the card immediately to the right of the aoe in the spread.
'Unforlunalef Four-eyes left his glasses at home fhal niight, and tnp@ lhe alann
system, " (at this point you do a riffle pass), '?nd lhe @/ie tvere lhere rh an rhsbnt'
masl hare hen rtte flying squadl" Spread the pack between your hands, taking care
to conceal the four reversed cards whicfr lie beneath the top card, to revsal the four
kings.

Page 41
Peter Duffie

THE FOLLOW.UP

8. You can finish at this point if you wish, although I prefer to add the following
effect whicfr also deans everything up for you.
Allow the four kings to slide out of the spread onto the table, dosing up the pac*
whicfr is held in dealing position. Obtain a break below the reversed cards, which
themselves make that a straight-fonrard procedure.

9. Pick up the kings and hold in a face-up fAn between tho loft and right fingertips;
the left hand still the thumb-crotdr, in a dealing
position. You nor the pad<, executing the Krenzol
or Elmsley add-on -four onto the kings.

10. '77n pl@ nerer dd uadr his asq but then how auU they; ft had all lhe
hallmarts of an insdeio[" you say as you slowly deal the top four cards fac+up
on the table.

Page 42
 Applications

AUDIENCE PARTICIPATIoN

This is a version of the spectator-cuts-the-aces effect. Belore performing cull the four
aces, two to the top and two to the face of the pack.

1. Riflle shuffle, retaining the aoes in position. Hold the pack in the left hand,
break above the bottom two cards.

2. lnvite a spectator to cnt otf about one-quarter of the pack whicfr he places on the
table. Have him cut a further packet, placing it next to the first on the table, then
once more, in each case the cut-otf packet going to the lelt of its predecessor.

3. You hold the final quarter of the pack, whicfr you square, giving you the cover to
perlorm a pass to bring the two acss to the top, finally placing this pile to the left of
the others. At first you will find, as I did, the pass of only two cards a little unusual,
maybe even awkward compared to how the pass normally feels. Hold the cards a
little looser than norma!, and the pass will work smoothly; the right hand grip only
needs t0 be sutficient to hold the two aces and not to bend them at all.
This is worth perservering with, since the etlect would be severety weakened if you
employed a pass-substitute and cut the packet at this stage in the routine.

4, Lett and right hands now work simultaneously, in a twin movement which is over
in an instant, but wil! take a few paragraphs to describe.

the left hand moves to the pac,ket at your far left, as the right hand moves to the
right-outermost pile. Each hand approaches its respective pile from above, fingers
at the outer end, thumb at the inner end of the packet, as if to make a cut. Each
thumb lifts two cards at their inner ends;
as soon as each thumb has engaged the top two cards at their inner ends, each
double is snapped off its pile with a D'Amico Double Lift, finishing as in Fig 21.
in a oontinuous sequen@. each hand moves to the middle packets, apparently to lilt
the top cards of those nro piles whilst still gripping the cards lifted from the outer
pac{<ets. ln fact, as the doubles momentarily toucfr the top ol each packet, the
fingers simply pull back the top card of each double, immediately lilting the spread
doubles up and off their packets.

The illusion is perfect, since as far as those watching are concerned the focal point
of the effect was the rutting of the piles, rather than the lifting of the top cards. This
use ol the D'Amico Double Lift was suggested to me by Jerry Sadowitz. lf you are
tempted to simply do more traditiona! double-lifts, keeping the doubles horizontal as
you move to the inner piles - don't! lt is the lifting of the doubles to an upright

Page 4ii
Peter Dutlie

position before you move otf which is the disarming part of the D'Amioo handling.

21

5. Turn the faces of the four cards towards you as you glance at them, saying to
the spectator that they cut freely no less than three times. Turn eacfi pair face-up
towards the spectators, dealing the cards onto each of the lour tabled piles, starting
with the two in the middle, finally dropping the last two on the outer piles.

6. There is not mucfr more to say on this; as ever in routines of this nature, the key
to its etfectiveness is to approacfr it as one flowing sequen@, and not to invest too
much significance in what is after all a very quick, almost throwaway, etfect.

Page 44
 Applioations

FmnsrDE AcES

The previous item otfered an ideal lead-in to any four-ace effect, and here we
explore another, very drfferent wqy to get into etfects of the four-ace type. lt is a
variant of Roy Walton's Fireside Faces,- from his book That Certain Sofiething.
The top six cards oJ the pack have to be arranged: face-down joker; face-up ioker;
black aces, then red aces - all face-up; remainder of pack, face-down.

1. Shutfle the pack, retaining the top stock. Extend the pack to a spectator with the
request that he cuts approximately haf the pack. Take the cut-otf portion from your
helper, turning it face-up onto your facs-down portion. For those who fear that the
spectator might disturb the top stock and expose a face-up card, simply dribble the
cards onto the left hand, requesting that they command you to stop, and cut at that
point.

2, Spread through the face-up section and have two cards extracted and laid on the
table side-by-side. Continue to spread until you arrive at the face-down half. Thumb
otf the first two face-down cards of the lower half, onto the table beside th6 two
selections. Turn the top half face-down and place below the lower, already-face-down
portion. You have thus forced the two red aces by means of the Henry Christ Force.

3. 'These lwo cards we all fuow " you point out as you indicate the two face-up
cards, 'plus lwo more whose identittes we can at lltts slaga onl guess at ln
nol
sure tltere is aryrfiing pariliatlarfi speqal or noleworlrry aboul the lour cards you
anrved at' / do lfiott1 lhough, that here are two ards withrh thn padr iltat are iust
a liltle speahl.'
As you speak, you are discreetly obtaining a break below the top three cards of the
pack.

4. The right thumb takes over this break as it lifts the top half of the pack. The left
hand now pivots the lower half face-up and onto the face-down right halt. (This you
may have recognised as the beginnings of the Braue Reversal.) lmmediately the left
hand takes all the cards below the break and places them face-up on the table,
taking care not to flash the reversed joker.

5. The remaining cards in the right hand are placed into the waiting left hand. Flip
this portion over, to reveal a joker, as you are obtaining a break below the top three
reversed cards, their boxed status facilitating this. Turn the tabled half over to reveal
the other joker.

Page 45
Peter Dutlie

6. With your right hand pick up the ioker from the top of the tabled portion, and
place it on top ol the joker in the left hand - but slightly injoggerl. The right hand
now flips over the four cards above the break, but picks otf only three. This you do
by bearing down on the injog with the right thumb. The left hand places its half onto
the tabled half to complete the pack, whicfr is placed to one side.

7. Explain that the jokers' ability to appear from nowhers is only a taste of thsir
powers. The right hand is holding the joker packet face-down, and proceeds to show
them as two by the Flushtration Count. The right hand swivels over to llash the face
ol the bottom ioker; it swivels back, allowing the stationary left hand to pull off the
top card, then immediately swivels over again to show the double as one joker,
finally dropping this face-down onto the first card.

8. Taking one ol their cards from the table in the right hand, fingers below, thumb
on top, the left thumb pushes over the top card of its packet, whicft the right hand
takes below its card. The remaining double is taken on top, thereby sandwicfting the
selection. Give the packet a tap or similar magical gesture, and spread as three
cards, holding the last two as one. Use the top card to flip over the sandwicfied
card, to reveal a black ace. Flip it face-down again, and square the packet, holding
it lrom above in the right hand.

9. The left fingers pull the bottom two cards of the pac*et, spreading them to the
left; in a continuing movement the left hand takes these two cards and openly deals
the top one (ostensibly the centre card of the packet, the black ace just shorvn) onto
the table. Drop the right hand double-card onto the remaining card in the left hand.

10. Pick up the second selection from the table and repeat the above sequences, to
show that they cut to the black aoes: "&ul whal aboul lhe red ams?"
Now comes a variant on the Flushtratio i
showing the lace card. As the left h
contacts the face card and pushes it
thumb to take two as one. The single I
the packet,

11. With the right hand pick up the two face-up cards from the table, as the left
thumb pushes over the top card of the packet. The two face-up cards are inserted
between the face-down cards, and the packet squared,

12. Reverse all cards below the top card by means of a half-pass. Ask the spectator
to command the red aces to show; spread to reveal the black aces: "BOhl ralue,
tyrong mlour! The iokers s@m onf lo have leamed hat the lridc' lhey an onl do
r? wrllt bladr aes. Show tltem how r?3 done. "

The spectator will, I'm sure, obligingly turn over the tabled cards, and hence provide
your climax.

Page 46
 Applkntions

THE SCoTTIsH AsSEMBLY

Eadl of the two previous applications leaves you with the four aoes on the table;
gath.er them together into a single faoe-up pile and you are ready for this follow-up,
my favourite handling of the all-at-once ace assembly.

1. Pick up the pack, dealing twelve cards face-up onto the ace pile, finally placing
he pack aside.

2. Pick up the entire tabled pad<et, holding it face-down in the dealing position. You
apparently now deal the four aces from the top of the packet onto the table in a
row lrom left-to-right; in fact, you deal bottoms. You may recognise this phase as the
opening switcfr from the Jadr Merlin Ace Trick.

3. Turn the pad<et face-up, obtaining a break above the four lower cards (the aces).
Take the pad<et in the right hand from abr e, in the traditional Biddle grip, the right
thumb taking over the break. The left thumb pulls otf the lirst three cards one-by-one
into the left hand, stil! in Biddle-type mode. The right hand uses its packet to flip
these three cards over face-down onto the open left hand, immediately coming over

22

to take them below the main pactet, stepped to the left as shown in Fig. 22, ln one
continuing sequen@, the right hand moves over and drops the three cards onto the
rabled ace(?).

Page 47
Peter Duffie

4. You now appear to repeat stage 3, albeit with a slight variation. As the left thumb
pulls otf the first card, the left little finger grips the-four aces which arc secretly
taken into the left hand below the coveri'ng fi-rst card. At the same time, a hreak is
kept above the aoes..an automatic move under the cirqlmstances. Continue ths
count by pulling off two more cards fairly; as the right packet flips over the left, the
three cards above the break are picked up beneath the right packet. This leaves the
four aces in the position depicted in Fig 23, and the right hand deposits them on
the second card in the tabled row.

5, The left hand now only holds five cards, presumed to be six, and pulls otf three
more cards, actually stealing back the second card counted by the Biddle steal. The
resultant two-card packet is placed onto the third card in the row, as before.

6. The final three cards are counted off and dropped onto the last card in the row.

7. Pick up pac'ket number two, and appear to remove the bonom card, really taking
the one above it by buckling the face card; if you so wish the Side Glide will
achieve the same result. Turn this card face-up to show the expected ace, which
you refer to as the Leader. Use this ace to flip the packet over fa@-up, to show an
indifferent card, again as expected. Place the ace on the table, face-up, turning the
packet over face-down and side-stealing the bottom card into the right palm. Place
the three-card packet onto the ace.

8. The left hand spreads packet one, to show its four cards, as the right hand is
spreading packet number three, taking the opportunity to deposit its palmed card in
the process. The right hand moves over to spread the fourth packet. show the
envanishment of the aoes from these piles.

9. Finally show the four aoes to have congregated in the remaining pile.

END NOTES

10. I believe that it adds considerably to the etfectiveness of this if the spectator is
allowed the opportunity to choose the Leader card. At the completion of stage 2 in
the above, you are left with the four inditlerent cards on the table, believed to be
the aces.

11. Get a spectator to place a coin on one of the four "ac€s" in the row, and
proceed as follows (reading the row from left to righQ:
tr if the coin is placed on the second card from the left, as outlined in the routine
above, proceed as written;
tr if the third card is chosen, proceed as explained but work from right to left;

Page 48
 Applications

D if either the first or fourth is cfiosen, carry out siage 4 prior to sage 3.

11. lf you are not a fan of the side-steal, a top palm can be substituted in stage 7
simply by counting the four cards as three, thereby bringing the face card to the top,
ready for palming off.

12. Unlike coin assemblies, Chink-a-Chink and the !ike, the instant aoe assembly
actually preceded the one-at-a-time variants. This particular handling was inspired by
a Francis Haxton four-ace routine which is to be found within the pages of Lewis
Ganson's Vernon's Ultimate Secrets of Gard Magic.

Page 49
Peter Duflie

ONCE AGAIN

Once again this assembly etfect has its roots in the Haxton four-ace routine from
Ultimate Secrets of Card Magic, but it veers further into Alex Elmsley territory. I
tend to feature the aoe through four, rather than the ubiquitous four-of-a-kind, since
this makes the plot rather easier for your spectators to follow.

1. Run through the face-up pad( and transfer eacfi of the ace through four of
spades to the face of the pack as you oome to them. Openly arrange these in
order, with the four uppermost, and as you dose up the spread obtain a break
below the top eight cards of ths face-up pack.

2. Push over the three top cards in a spread to show the four spade spot cards,
and close them up again as you then lift otf the eight cards above the break. Use
this pad<et to flip over the remainder ol the pac* face-down, finally flipping the
eight-card pad<et face-down on top.

3. Deal otf the top four cards, apparently the spot cards, in a face-down row from
left to right, calling out their apparent identities as you do so. Turn the pack face-up
and get a break above the lower four cards.

4. Run through the pack and upiog any three cards, nominated by the spectator if
you so wish (although I don't bother); close up the pack and strip out these three,
adding the lour cards below the break via the Vernon/Miller add-on move. ln doing
so, retain a break below the three stripped cards.

5. Take the pack in your left hand, still holding the stripped-out cards, and place it
face-down on the table. As you do so, add the three cards to the top of the pack,
leaving you with the four spades in your left hand.
Explain that you will place "these three cards" onto the card of their droosing; ask
them to nominate one card, os you point to eadl in turn naming them as the ace,
two, three and four.
You count your packet of four cards as three, varying this according to their
selection as follows:

ll Ace: reverse count the cards, the last two going on top as one.
tr Two: count the first two without reversing their order, the last two as one on top.
D Three: count the first two without reversing their order, buckling on the seoond, th€
last card goang on top.
tr Four: simply lan as three, retaining their order.

Page 50
 Applkntions

6. For our purposes, let's assume that the Three is selected; after the count, drop
your pa{et on top of the supposed three on the table. As you emphasise the
fairness of their selection, pick up the selected packet and hold in dealing position.
Buckle the bottom card, and take out the second-from-face card, turning it over to
show the three. Flip the remainder of the pad<et face-up to show an indifferent card.
Flip it back over facs-down, and apparently replaoe the three, still face-up, on the
bottom; in fact, you buckle the faoe card and insert the three above it. Leave the
three jogged fonrard, so they protrude from the front of the packet for about an
inch.
Place this pac'ket, in this state, on the table.

7. Pick up the remainder of the pack face-down, ofiting otf about one-third which
you drop onto the tabled ace(?). Cut off about half of the remaining pac* and place
on the seeming two; finally drop the remainder of the pac{< on the four.

8. Now pick up the Three pad<et, moving the ou$ogged Three so that it protrudes
sideways, as in Fig 24. it should apprear that the three indiflerent cards are
supported by this Three in fact, your outstretcfied middle finger gives the
neoessary support.

9. You now tap eacfi pile in turn, depositing the concealed extra card from beneath
the held Three-pac*et onto the first pile as it is tapped. The left hand turns over
eacfi pile in turn to show that the spot cards are no longer to be seen; slide the
three face-down cards otf the Three, using it to flip them over face-up in the
process, and spread them to show the transposition.

Page 51
Peter Dutlie

10. o( course, if you are feeling particularly lat1, you can omit the option ol
-l the spectator
allowing a choioe of des$nation, simply using the four as the colleoion
point. just feel that the selection is a nice toucfi whicfr more than merits the little
extra handling involved.

Page 52
 Applkntions

DUFFIE ONKEYBoARDS
Having already explored the Burglars theme in these pages, here we turn our
attention to another dassic theme, the Piano Tridr, turning it into a routine worthy
of the serious cardician.

1. Run through the face-up pack and remove a pair of sevens, placing them on the
face of the pad(. Continue with a pair of sixes, fives, fours, threes, twos and aces.

2. Spread over the seven pairs, as if to check the order, and in the process obtain
a break below the second card beneath the bonom-most seven. close up the
spread, lifting off all cards above the break as the remainder of the pack is placed
to one side on the table.

3. Spread the packet between the hands to emphasise the set-up, taldng care to
I
conceal the two inditferent cards. 'r don? kttow you are as saparslitious as / am,
bul the namber seyen, far from beng a lualy nimbq has always bwn qufie tfie
rererse for me. " close up the packet and turn it over, fa@-down.

4. Thumb otf the top two cards and push them into the middle of the pack, as you
explain that you will, 'Uust get nA ol ilp offendiog seyens to make sure. with an act
lfie minq who needs Md ludr?.t"

5. Offer to split up two piles. Second-deal on the

4th, 8th and 12th. urn over the top two cards of
the raght-hand pile, e, face-up. Now turn over the
top pair of the lett this way, alternating between
the two piles until the six pairs are face-up in a pile.

6. Appear puzzled that there is an odd card left within each pile; pic'k up one in
each hand, snapping them face-up as you comment, 'ft lmks as il my ludr has
danged "

7. The original version of this appeared under the title Twin Keyboards in Pabular,
and was based on an idea of Gordon Bruce. On seeing that version performed, Roy
Walton worked out Play lt Again Sam, also in Pabular, whicfr induded the
lucky-number presentation. By a quirk of editorial planning, Roy's follow-up actually
appeared in the magazine first, my original routine being destined for a subsequent
issue. ln the interim, Bob Driebek read Roy's routine and produced his variation ol it
in an intervening edition of Pabular; he must have been more than a little confused
when Twin Keyboards subsequently appeared! ln any event, the routine just descri-
bed seeks to combine the best of both the original and Roy's handling.

Page 53
Peter Duffie

A CHANGE INMooD

My last ioint effort with Jerry Sadowitz, lnspirations, contained an item of his entitled
Discrepancy Transposition 2. This used an age-old ploy to bring about a neat
transposition of two pairs of cards. The following routine adheres pretty closely to
Jerry's original con@pt, although the effect goes a little further in using an idea of
Roy Walton's.
Belore the performance, the pack needs setting, from top down: two face-down
indifferents; a face-up indifferent 8C, 75, both face-down; rest of pack, in the @ntre
of which lie the 8S and 7C together.

1. We can do no better than stick to Jerry's presentation; 'f m gor@ to show you
somethitiog wtth the most interesting cards rh the padc " Holding the pack face-up,
start to spread as you searcfi for the lour aces. ln doing so, get a break above the
flve lower cards. Take care not to flash the reversed card near the rear. Openly
upjog the aces as you come to each of them.

2. Close up the spread and strip out the aces, secretly adding the five-card stock
from the reu by means of the vernon addition move. Drop the pac'k on top of the
stripped-out packet.

3. Turn the pack face-down, and immediately obtain a break below the top three
cards. The reversed card makes this easy. Thumb over the top four cards by
pushing over a single, then a double, followed by a single and finally one more
single. Drop these four (?) cards face down onto the table, in a slight spread, as
you emphasise that they are the four interesting cards. Place them to your left.

4. "Lel? get a cards as a @ntrasl, " you recite as you are

turning the pack a break above the four lower-most cards (the
aces). Run throu ou reach the seven and eight, which you outiog
slightly spread. "These look prelly boniog lo me. But then lUe already seen lfio
tri*, " Strip out the two spot cards, adding the four aces from the rear. Drop the
pack on top.

5. Thumb off the top two cards onto the table, to your right. Now get a break below
the top two cards, as the right hand approaches the pack and top-palms the two
cards above the break as it picks up the pack. The left hand meanwhile squares up
the supposed ace packet on the table.

6. 'You knotu tlte most rhterestiog people an seem qurte borng when they are
under extreme pressure. To show you what / mean, /?/ plau an immense burden on

Page 54
 Applications

tpse sprlclhg ans and we'll see wlnt happerc " So saying, the loft hand retrakes
he pack, whicfr it immediately turns over and plaoes faoe-up on top of the supposed
aces. Make a show of squeezing the padc all cards are now pid<e<l up in the left
hand and turned over again.

7. Deal ofl the top two faoe-up cards by pushing them off with the lstt thumb onto
the table to reveal the boring cards. simultaneously the right hand is getting busy; it
readres for the other two cards, adding its palmed burden, as it then turns them
over to reveal the aces...'lryeL that Ertainu was interesling!"

Page 55
Peter Duflie

GLASNoST

This is a routine I use a great deal, particularly for lay-people. lt has the added
attraction for the serious card-worker of being capable of use with the type of
dog-eared pack you tend to find in pubs and kitchen drawers. You will find within
the well-thumbed pages of your copy of Harry Lorayne's Decksteriry a trick called
Foursome, which provided the inspiration for this.

1. Have a card selected, returned to the deck, and controlled to the top.

2. Turn the pack face-up, glimpsing as you do so the selection. Remember it; let's
assume it is the 4D. Explain that your mission is to find the chosen card, but, as it
was selected under such scrupulously fair conditions (!), you would like four chances,
Start to spread through the cards, concealing the seilection from their gaze by
keeping the faces towards you.

3. Upjog any card, followed by the thr selection - in our

Gase, the other fours. Finish spreading it up, obtaining a
break above the three rearmost cards. to flash the faces
towards the audience, as you strip out ith the left hand,
secretly adding the cards below the break by means of the Vernon add-on move.
Place the remainder of the pack on the table, face-down.

4. Turn the packet face-down and hold in the left hand dealing position. As a check,
the packet will read from the top:
selection, X,X,4,4,4,X.

The right hand approaches and deals off the top card face-up onto the table. The
next two are similarly dealt otf onto the first. The last four are snapped over as one
and immediatley used to scoop up the other three.
This is a move Marlo applied to an ace trick, and is totally deceptive; the four-card
block is indetectible. lt is rendered even more so in this instance because of the
psychology of the setting; they have seen a flash of what they assume to be all four
four's as you stripped them out of the pack, and are now more-or-less expecting you
to find theirs from amongst them.

5. After scooping up the tabled cards, the packet is turned over and dropped onto
the pac'k Pick it up as you mention, "The look on your face tells me lhal /'re got
the nght one somewhere amonsl tfiese lout;' the question is, whtdt one?"
Deal otf the top four cards in a face-down row on the table, dealing from left to
right. After some thought, pick up the card on the extreme right of-the row and
pronounce that, 'lltis is itl"Turn it to reveal an inditferent card.

Page 56
 Applications

6. Triumphantly name the card, and when they disown it, counter with, 'fhis trid(
nerer fails; it was you who dtose the w'ong card!" Under @ver of this nonsense,
top change, as you then shake your head and mutter, as if reciting the instrustions
to yourself, 'Hang on' tltey dpose fie ard, / frhd onA show fi aid fi aiaays tams
oul to be lherT ard,...'i
Look up at the spectator and ask him to repeat the name of his card, whereupon
you turn it over to show the change, as you Soy, 'i.../ lltought t at was what you
said "

7. Let the effect sink in, then turn over the other fours one-by-one, saying, 'fl's
fiinny how they afirays dtoose the lour of diamondg' I mean, yott muld have
dpsen the four of clubs, the four ol spadea the lour of heafis...airyays the lour of
dr?mondsl'i naming each card as it is turned over.

END NOTES

8. During stage 2, you may discover that a four is on the face of the pack as you
are about to begin. If so, simply cut it to the @ntre, or transfer a few cards from
elsewhere to cover it; remember that you are only hunting through the pack in a
rather haphazard manner, so this is not an issue.

9. Another fly in the ointment occurs when another four lies within two cards of the
selection; in this event, transfer a few cards from the face to the rear of the pack,
buckling the selection and inserting those cards into the break.

Page 57
Peter Dutfie

GuARDIAN ANGELS

This was inspired by Alex Elmsley's Diamond Cut Diamond effect, with a nod in
the direction of what I believe to be a Paul Curry concept.
A selection sandwicfied between the red kings transposes itself to turn up between
the two blad< kings.

1. Openly remove the four kings from the pac'k, laying them on the table in two
pairs, reds and blacks. The spectator nominates either colour; let's assume he opts
for red.

2. Leaving the red pair on the table, pi

spread hand,
left. Th ile ho
left cor ddle.
but the card

25

as they enter the pack.

3. Push the kings fully into the pack with the right fingers at the lar endt the right
thumb hovers helpfully at the inner end, its sole mission to ensure that the

Page 58
 Applications

sandwiched card does not make an unexpected appearance. Then, the right thumb
is lifted clear as the kings are just becoming fully flush with the pack; this forces the
sandwiched card to injog for just a quarter-inch or so, in true plunger-principle
tradition.

4. Explain that you will need a dozen or so cards, as you in fact thumb off eleven
from the top of the pack and drop them faces-up onto the table. You now place the
pack aside, but as you do this the right thumb bears down on the injogged card,
and the pack is casually cut to bring the injog to the top. To check your position at
this point you have a face-up black king on the bottom of the pack, and the other
lies face-up second from the top. Place the pack down on the table.

5. You now demonstrate to the spectator what you want him to do. Pick up the
face-up packet and instruct him to give them a shuffle, to look through them and
mentally select one. He should then place one red king on either side of his card,
and cut the sandwich to the middle or thereabouts. Run through this yourself so that
he is absolutely clear of the requirements. ln all this he should, you stress, keep the
cards facing himself so you cannot peek.

6. As you take the packet back from him, glimpse and remember the bottom card of
the packet, which you then drop face-down on the pack. Explain to them that if this
was a marked pack, you could easily find their card from the backs. As you do not
stoop to such chicanery, you rely on the kings to do the iob for you.

7. Deal the cards face-up in a row on the table; deal the first straight, then deal
u have dealt the first ngfully, then deal the next
onto the king, calling Continue dealing face-up
u see your key card, f the packet you glimpsed
further second onto th

8, The selection is now on top of the pack, with a face-up king beneath it; the other
king is still face-up on the bottom of the pack. Give the pack a cut as you place it
aside.

9, Close up the spread on the table, and hold the packet face-up in the left hand.
Spread to show the face-down card between the kings, outjogging this card which
they assume to be theirs. Close up the spread, half-passing all the cards below the
outiog. Stare fixedly at the outjog, as if attempting to divine its value; shrug as you
admit defeat 'Maybe / should haye used a lrick deck!" This is delivered as you are
pushing the outiog flush, although you have the presence of mind to retain a break
above it in the process.

10. 'gomethrhg's wrong herA' lhose kings are up lo no good'i you say as you
the packet is being flipped over.
half-pass, reversing the cards below the break as
You then flip it back face-up, done as you seem
to be idly toying with the cards,
This cover for a half-pass is Paul Curry's, I believe.

Page 59
Peter Dutfie

11. Finally ribbon-spread the cards to reveal that the selection has vanished! "The
lrouble is, you unwittingly dtose lhe wrong kings; lhe reds always mess ap. // on[r
you had chosen lhe b/ad6, things would haye turned oul lo 0e so df/erent..': you
recite wistfully as you spread the pack to reveal the face-up black kings with a
face-down card between thq

Ask the spectator to name his selection, and then turn it over for the finish ....

..:. not only of this particular gftect, but also of the book. I sincerely hope it has
given you some food..for.thought, as well as some material for you to put to good
use in your own App/rbalions.

Page 60