Effect:
Two spectators each select a card
under test-conditions (bad for the performer) and shuffle them back into the deck
hemselves (worse for the performer). A third spectator just thinks of a card (even
worse for the performer). Nevertheless, the performer is able to find all three cards
without much fishing.
At first glance this seems to be another one of those boring automatic never- ending-self-working card revelations, but be assured this is one of the strongest effects you will find in this book. It’s a perfect closing piece in formal close-up situations. The sound dramatic structure and clever combination of principles deceives laymen and magicians alike.
Preparation: You need to prearrange the deck, but the setup is not as complicated as you may think and can be done in two minutes. Remove all the Club cards from he deck and put them facedown on the table in the following order: Ace, Two, Three . . . Jack, Queen, King and be careful that all the one-way cards (all cards with asymmetric faces, where one or more of the central pips point one way, such as he Three, Five, Seven and Ace of Clubs) are pointing in the same direction.
Turn this packet of thirteen cards faceup (Ace now on top now). Take all the one-way cards from the other three suites and put them in any order, faceup on top of the Club cards. Make sure that all of the one-way cards are pointing in the same direction. From the remaining 24 indifferent cards, put 14 on the face and 10 at t he rear of the faceup deck and the setup is finished.
Performance: After you have switched the normal deck for the prearranged one in the course of some preceding routine, ask a spectator on your left to cut about a hird from the top of the deck and put it facedown in front of him on the table. He should be careful, however, that nobody gets to see the bottom card of his packet.
(for technique and theory involving a good full deck switch see "The Dazzle Act" in The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley, Vol.II, Minch, 1994)
Ask a second spectator, this time to your right, to cut off about half of the remaining cards and put them in front of him. He is also to make sure that nobody else is able to see the face of the bottom card.
Now address a third spectator, someone sitting a little farther away, and tell him that the rest of the deck is meant for him. Put the remaining packet in the middle of the table in front of you. Turn to the first spectator on your left and give him the following instructions: He is asked to pick up his pile, look at the bottom card (the one he cut to), remember it and then immediately shuffle the cards. Turn away and emphasize the fact that nobody except the first spectator saw the card, so there is no chance for possible confederates in the audience to signal the identity of the card to you.
The spectator to your right, in whose direction you have turned, is asked to watch your eyes so you can’t cheat. After the first spectator has followed your instructions, turn back to the audience again and continue.
Take the second spectator’s pile, spread it facedown between your hands, and ask him to take any card. Meanwhile, turn to the left so your eyes can be watched again, his time by the first spectator. The second spectator is also asked to make his selection a personal secret, put the card back into the spread, and then immediately shuffle the cards (it’s getting worse). While the spectator was noting his card, you simply squared t he packet and turned it around so his selection is the only one whose pips now point in the other direction.
Hand the deck to the second spectator immediately after he has returned his card and ask him to shuffle it. Indicate an overhand shuffle with your hands so the spectator doesn’t inadvertantly destroy the one-way setup.
(general remarks about the One-Way principle can be found in The Encyclopedia of Card Tricks, Hugard, 1937, p.138. A subtle method for secretly turning the deck around can be found in The Fine Art of Magic, Kaplan, see "Follow the Arrow" on p.90. See also "Fantasy Card Routine" in Steranko on Cards, Steranko, 1960.)
Finally, pick up the third pile and spread the cards smoothly between your hands from left to right, faces toward the third spectator. Ask him to look at the cards while they are moving in front of his eyes and remember one. Watch his eyes closely while he is looking at the cards. When he decides on one card his eyes will fix on it for an instant and follow it until it leaves his sight. As soon as he can’t see the card anymore his gaze will relax and he won’t concentrate on the balance of the cards. Often the spectator even lifts his gaze from the spread the moment he remembers his card, so it’s hard to go wrong.
(the origin of this "card control" can be traced back to The Discoverie of Witchcraft, Scot, 1584, then to The Secrets of Conjuring and Magic, Robert-Houdin, 1878, see p.164—"The Card Thought Of." See also "One Hand Fan Force" in The Complete Works of Derek Dingle, Kaufman, 1982 on p.153)
It’s important to make the whole procedure look as casual as possible. Ask the spectator to look at a card after you’ve already started spreading the cards. Time the spreading action with your patter in such a way that you’ve already spread a few cards when you ask the spectator to "remember one of the cards." As with the classic force, the spectator finds himself under pressure since he must decide upon one card before you’re done spreading.
As soon as you’re sure the spectator has decided upon a card, casually ask him: "Do you have one?" This seemingly innocent question prevents the spectator from concentrating on one of the following cards and changing his mind (should this be the case, however, you can just guess whether he decided upon the first or second one). In any case, spread all the other cards to give the impression the spectator really has a choice.
With some practice you will get the knack for the necessary timing and will be able to judge the different reactions of the spectators with greater certainty. Thus you should be able to limit the possible thought-of selection to a group of one or two cards among which you have to "go fishing" later on.
In order to obtain a key card, downjog the estimated selection (the one which the spectator noted) and glimpse it while closing and squaring the spread. Put your just squared pile onto the second spectator’s pile and then place the first spectator’s pile onto that combined pile. In other words, the bottom and middle packets are transposed from their initial order, only the top third of the deck stays in the same position.
Leave the deck on the table and, without looking at it, ask the first spectator to concentrate on his selected card. Since you already know that he cut somewhere among the Clubs (due to your setup), after a short moment of intense concentration say: "You’re thinking of a black card—it was a Club."
Say that you’re absolutely sure about this and pick up the deck to remove the selected card which you apparently already know. Spread the cards with the faces toward you and look in the lower third for the only card whose pips point in the wrong direction. Remember that card since you’re going to find it next. Let’s suppose it’s the Three of Hearts. Spread farther through the cards until you reach the upper third of the deck. Look for the lowest Club card you can find and put it in front of the first spectator (the selected card is always the lowest Club in the upper third, since all other low Clubs are in the lower third of the deck due to the cutting action).
Put the deck facedown on the table and ask the second spectator to concentrate on his card. You’re already one step ahead and know the identity of his card (in this case the Three of Hearts). Nevertheless, you make two direct statements: "You chose a red card, a Heart." After you have silently assured yourself that you read the mind of the spectator correctly (e.g. by looking in the air for a second and nodding your head) pick up the deck and remove the Three of Hearts and put it in front of the second spectator.
To find the third and final card you have do some "fishing." You are, however, in a very good position since the spectators are already used to your manner of making two direct statements (not questions) before the removal of the cards.
Fan the cards toward you and look for your key card. Depending upon the identities of the cards directly to its right and left (e.g., more black than red cards, more number cards than court cards, etc.), make the following statements. If you see, for example, three black cards and only two red cards, say: "You chose a black card." If the spectator agrees then everything is all right—he thinks you already know his card (this appears to be similar to the style of statement you used for the first two cards). If the spectator disagrees, two red cards are left. With one more question you can identify the thought of card. The worst case is when you receive two "No" answers. If that happens, simply say you’re obviously wrong this time and remove any card "just by chance."
The most important thing to remember when using fishing strategies is to make statements and not ask questions. The spectator should have the impression you’re absolutely certain about his card and not that you’re asking questions about it (even though that’s what you’re actually doing). Since you made similar statements about the first two cards (which were correct), the actual questioning (fishing) nature of your words is camouflaged and the spectator will answer with Yes or No.
Whatever happens, you should be able to narrow the possible selection down with two statements, leaving you with just one card from a group of five or six candidates. If for some reason two cards should remain at the end, just take a wild guess and put this card in front of the spectator. Cut the second card to the top of the deck, ready to perform a Top Change if necessary.
Don’t be afraid of fishing for the selected card. With practice and a little luck it’s possible o find a thought of card from a complete deck this way. In our case, however, the whole construction of the routine supports the fishing procedure and makes it almost surefire. The spectators are preconditioned to the type of statements you make before removing a card, and the fact that the spectator could only choose among a third of the cards increases the chances of success to almost 100%.
Let the spectators name their selections and instruct them to turn the cards over themselves. If you’re wrong on the last card, simply say: "That’s not my fault you thought of the wrong card." The ensuing laughter gives you enough cover for the required Top Change. Present the change of the last card according to your own taste and style. This "out," if performed properly, doesn’t look like a fault, but gives the impression of a planned failure meant to increase the dramatic tension and therefore the overall final effect.
