ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW A PRACTICAL HANDBOOK with complete instructions for a routine of card tricks performed using the cards as they are removed from the manufacturer's sealed carton. The book is designed to guide the beginner in card magic through all the procedures required to produce effects that will delight; surprise; and amaze an audience. Full explanations are given of all the handling required and the tricks can be performed with the minimum of manipulation and; if wished; without the use of any sleights-of-hand.

OUT OF THE BOX

AMAZING CARD TRICKS FROM A SEALED PACKBy STUART LEE

Trafford Publishing

Copyright © 2012 STUART LEE
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4669-4588-3

Contents

INTRODUCTION......................................viiTHE CARDS.........................................1THE ROUTINE.......................................3ALTERNATIVE PACKS.................................17ADAPTATIONS.......................................19ADDITIONAL TRICKS.................................25HANDLING AND SLEIGHTS-OF-HAND.....................43SOURCES AND BACKGROUND............................65

Chapter One

THE CARDS

IT MIGHT WELL BE said that performers of card magic are spoiled for choice by the variety of playing cards available to them. There are giant-sized cards and miniature cards, triangular cards, and circular cards. They have plain backs in a full spectrum of colours or patterned backs in as many styles and designs as there are manufacturers. However, the majority of performers prefer to use either the "Poker-size" card or the "Bridge-size" card, the former being the larger of the two sizes.

A popular example of the Poker-size pack of cards is the "Bicycle Rider Back" pack produced by the U.S. Playing Card Co. It has two indexes on the face of each card (ie, the value and suit of each card are shown at the top left and at the bottom right corners) and it can be obtained in a variety of colours for the backs. Of particular interest to some performers is the fact that the packs can also be obtained with blank-faced, blank-backed, double-faced, double-backed cards, and in a miniature size with red, blue or green backs in a design identical to the full-size packs. Additionally, they are available as specially prepared packs to perform particular tricks and effects.

Examples of the Bridge-size packs are the "No 1" pack of the Waddington Playing Card Co. Ltd. (Winning Moves UK Ltd.) and the "Standard" playing cards produced and sold by W.H. Smith. They come either Red-backed or Blue-backed and are four-indexed cards with the value and suit of the cards show at all four corners of each card. Waddington also produce a four-indexed "No 1" Poker pack.

For completeness it should be noted that W.H. Smith produce and sell miniature "Patience" packs in identical back design and colour to their "Standard" packs and also a Poker-size pack—this latter pack being a card with two extra-large indexes on the face of the card.

A fourth range of playing cards merits attention and that is the "Classic" design produced by the Austrian company Piatnik. They are Bridge-size cards available in back designs in red and blue and also in special packs (ie, blank backs, blank faces, etc.). However, because of their order in the sealed pack they are not suitable for use in the routine described in the chapter "The Routine". It should also be noted that the descriptions of the handling set out in the chapter "The Routine" assume the use of the "Bicycle Rider Back" pack. The handling required for the Waddington "No 1" pack and the W.H. Smith "Standard" pack are given in the chapter "Alternative Packs".

THE ROUTINE

Opening The Pack

Start with the sealed carton of cards on the table. Invite a spectator to remove the wrapping, break the seal, and to take the pack out of the carton. Take the pack from the spectator and remove the Joker cards and any other extraneous cards. In doing so do not disturb the order of the pack.

The sequence of the cards in the "Bicycle Rider Back" pack is (when the pack is face-down): Ace to King (Hearts)—Ace to King (Clubs)—King to Ace (Diamonds)—King to Ace (Spades). However, it would be prudent to check the sequencing by examining another pack from the same production run. This precaution applies equally for the alternative packs.

Mixing The Pack

If you do not intend to use a bridge card or sleights-of-hand in the performance of the routine proceed directly to the next section of this chapter, "Arranging the Pack". If you are using a bridged card and wish to give the impression to the spectator that you are mixing the pack proceed as described in the next paragraph.

With the Ace of Spades as the bridged card you may allow the spectator or any number of spectators to cut and complete the pack, provided that, finally, you cut the bridged card to the bottom of the pack. Additionally, using the bridged card you may perform a false mix of the pack. (For details of how to produce the bridged card and how to use the bridged card see the relevant section in the chapter "Handling and Sleights of Hand" and for an explanation of the term "cut and complete" see the "Introduction".)

Arranging The Pack

If you wish to arrange the pack without using a bridged card begin by stating that it would be as well to make sure that all the 52 cards are there in the pack. Count out the first 13 cards from the top of the face-down pack and place them on the table. Do this without reversing their order, ie, as you count the cards off the pack each card is placed beneath the one or ones already counted. Continue counting off the next 13 cards (again without reversing their order) and place these cards on top of the cards already on the table. Continue counting out the rest of the pack (still not reversing the order of the cards) and when the count is completed pick up the cards from the table and place them on top of the cards in hand.

The sequence of the cards is now: Ace to King (Clubs)—Ace to King (Hearts)—King to Ace (Diamonds)—King to Ace (Spades).

To rearrange the sequence of the cards using the bridged card (Ace of Spades) begin by asking a spectator whether he or she would like to have the top half of the pack or the bottom half. Irrespective of the reply count out the first 26 cards from the top of the face-down pack and place them on the table. Do this without reversing their order as described in the preceding paragraph. You then place the remainder of the pack (without counting them out) by the side of the cards already on the table.

Finally, you instruct the spectator to take the part of the pack that he or she chose and to place it either at the top or at the bottom of the other half of the pack. The spectator may then cut and complete the pack as many times as wished, provided that, finally, you cut the bridged card to the bottom of the pack. The sequence of the cards is then as stated above.

Setting The Pack

State that in order to make sure that the pack is thoroughly mixed you are going to deal it out into four piles.

Deal out the cards from the top of the pack face-down into four piles, placing a card in turn on each pile to give:

Pile 1—Pile 2—Pile 3—Pile 4.

Reconstitute the pack by placing Pile 4 on Pile 3 and then those cards on Pile 2, and then all those cards on Pile 1.

Repeat the procedure described in the two preceding paragraphs one more time.

First Trick: "Cards And Numbers"

1. If you are not using a bridged card proceed directly to paragraph 3.

2. If you are performing the routine using a bridged card (Ace of Spades) you should note that this card is now at the bottom of the pack and you may, therefore, if you wish, allow the spectator to cut and complete the pack, provided that, finally, you cut the bridged card to the bottom of the pack.

3. Now deal out from the top of the face-down pack two piles of face-down cards—one for the spectator and one for yourself. Deal the first card to the spectator and the second card to yourself and continue to deal, placing a card in turn on each pile until the pack is exhausted.

4. Now ask the spectator to select any number from 1 to 26.

5. Once the spectator has selected the number go through your cards (without revealing that you are counting them) to the card represented by the calculation 26 minus the spectator's number plus 1 (or, more conveniently, 27 minus the spectator's selected number). Move this card forward from the rest of the cards so that it projects from the packet for about half its length, but do not disturb its order within the packet. Then place the packet (still face-down) on the table.

6. Instruct the spectator to do exactly the same, moving forward the card at his or her stated number.

7. When the two piles are cards are turned face-up the projecting cards will be of the same value and colour.

8. Push the projecting cards back into their positions in the separate packets, turn both packets face-down, and place your cards on top of the spectator's cards.

9. Again deal out face-down two piles of cards—one for the spectator and one for yourself. Again deal the first card to the spectator and the second card to yourself and continue to deal placing a card in turn on each of the piles until each pile contains 26 cards.

10. State that in order to convince the spectator that the cards are neither marked nor arranged in some way you will choose your card first and then allow the spectator to arrive at a completely arbitrary number for the choice of his or her card.

11. In your own packet of cards go through to the 17th card from the top (again without revealing that your are counting) and display it face-down as described in paragraph 5 above.

12. If you are not using the bridged card proceed directly to paragraph 13. If you are using the bridged card (Ace of Spades) you should note that this card is now the bottom card of the spectator's pile of cards and you may therefore, if you wish, allow the spectator to cut and complete that pile of cards, provided that, finally, you cut the bridged card to the bottom of the pile.

13. Now allow the spectator to arrive at "a completely arbitrary" number by cutting his or her pile of cards roughly in half. You take the bottom half of the cut and place it on top of your own pile of cards in line with the non-projecting cards. You then invite the spectator to deal off face-down onto the table into a pile the cards he or she has cut off. In doing so he or she should count out the number of cards being dealt. When the dealing and the counting have been completed the spectator should add together the two digits of the number arrived at to produce a single figure "arbitrary" number, (eg, 12 = 1 + 2 = 3). (Note: If on the count the spectator has cut off less than 10 cards instruct him or her to deal off onto the pile additional cards from the top of the pack to take the total to 10 or above. Take the total then arrived at and proceed with the calculation using this total. For example, if the spectator has counted out seven cards he or she then deals 10 cards to make a total of 17. The calculation is then 17 = 1 + 7 = 8.)

14. Instruct the spectator to take the cards he or she has dealt out onto the table and to deal them out from the top of the face-down packet face-down into a pile. When he or she reaches the card indicated by the number calculated at paragraph 13 above he or she should take that card and place it (still face-down) projecting about half-way forward on the other cards. The spectator should then continue dealing out the other cards of the packet aligning them with the non-projecting cards.

15. When the two piles (the spectators and your own) are turned face-up the two projecting cards will be of the same value and the same colour.

16. Push the two projecting cards back into the separate packets, turn both packets face-down, and place the spectator's cards on top of your packet.

Second Trick: "Bluff—Double Bluff"

1. If you are not using a bridged card in the performance of the routine proceed directly to paragraph 3.

2. If you are using the bridged card (Ace of Spades) you should note that this card is now the 26th card down in the face-down pack. Tell the spectator that for the next trick you need to divide the pack between the two of you and that usually you are able to cut the pack exactly in half. Cut at the bridged card and count out the cards face-down into a pile in front of the spectator (thus reversing their order). You may, if you wish, appear slightly surprised that you have managed to cut the pack exactly in half. Alternatively, you could have cut slightly above the bridged card in which case you would then count off the additional cards from the other packet to bring the total in the pile to 26. In any case you do not disturb the order of the bottom 26 cards of the pack, which you take as your own packet. Now proceed to paragraph 4.

3. If you are not using a bridged card count off the top 26 cards of the face-down pack face-down into a pile in front of the spectator (thus reversing their order) and retain the bottom half of the pack for yourself (thus not reversing their order).

4. Now instruct the spectator to deal out his or her cards side by side on the table forming two face-down piles—Pile 1 and Pile 2 (ie, he or she deals a card to Pile 1 first and then the second card to Pile 2 and so on throughout the dealing). You match the dealing with your own cards, producing Pile 3 and Pile 4. At any point in the dealing as the spectator places a card on Pile 1 he or she may call "Bluff", in which case the spectator places that card face-up on Pile 1 and the next card face-down on Pile 2. You then place your 2 cards face-down on your piles and invite the spectator to turn any one of them face-up. When he or she does so the card will match in value the spectator's face-up card. The spectator may also at any point in the dealing as he or she is placing a card on Pile 1 call "Double Bluff", in which case he or she places that card face-down on Pile 1 and the next card face-up on Pile 2. You then place your next two cards face-down on the appropriate piles. When the spectator turns your two cards face-up they will both match in value the spectator's face-up card.

Third Trick: "Separating The Cards"

1. You now have on the table four piles of cards (Pile 1—Pile 2—Pile 3—Pile 4) with face-up and face-down cards in each pile.

2. There are three possible finishes to the routine. The finish described here gives a separation of the cards by colour after the cards have been shuffled. The second (the separation of the cards by colour with the cards in numerical order) and the third (the separation of the cards by suit in numerical order) are described in the chapter "Adaptations and Alternative Tricks".

3. If you wish to conclude the routine with the separation of the cards by colour after they have been shuffled proceed as described below.

4. Pick up each pile of cards separately and turn the face-up cards face-down. This is done by dealing from the top of the packet onto the table, turning the face-up cards face-down as you come to them. (This reverses the order of the cards in the packet.)

5. When you have done this for all the piles place Pile 4 on Pile 3, all those cards on Pile 2, and then all those cards on Pile 1.

6. You may now allow the spectator to cut and complete the face-down pack as many times as he or she wishes. (For an explanation of the term "cut and complete" see the "Introduction".)

7. When the spectator has finished his or her cutting take the pack and perform a Charlier Shuffle (For a description of how to perform this shuffle see the relevant section of the chapter "Handling and Sleights-of-Hand".) When you have done this turn the pack face-up and invite the spectator to cut again, placing the packet he or she has cut off by the side of the other packet. If the two packets have face-cards of the same colour re-constitute the pack and invite the spectator to cut again. Continue with this procedure until a cut of the pack produces two packets with different coloured face-cards.

8. Take the two parts of the pack, turn them face-down and riffle shuffle them together or, if he or she is able to perform it, you may allow the spectator to perform the riffle shuffle. (For a description of this shuffle see the relevant section of the chapter "Handling and Sleights-of-Hand".)

9. Now take the face-down pack and deal it out into two piles on the table in the following way:

a. Take the first card and place it face-up on the table.

b. Take the next card and place it face-down on the table by the side of the first card.

c. Take the third card, turn it face-up and, if it is the same colour as the first card, place it on the same pile face-up and place the next card (the fourth card) face-down on the second pile. If the third is a different colour to the first card place it face-up on the second card and place the fourth card face-down on the first pile.

d. Continue with this process until you have two piles of cards on the table in which all the face-up cards in one pile are of one colour and all the face-up cards in the other pile are of a different colour.

10. Pick up each pile in turn and deal it out, turning all the face-down cards face-up as you come to them. They will all be of the same colour as the face-up cards.

(Note: If so wished, it is possible to repeat the finish by placing any one of the piles produced on the other and then dealing out the cards as described in the section "Setting The Cards" in this chapter. When you have done this, deal out the cards into two piles, place any one on the other, and then proceed as described at paragraphs 9 and 10 above.)

ALTERNATIVE PACKS

THE MIXING, ARRANGING, AND setting of the pack described in the first three sections of the chapter "The Routine" assume that the cards used are a "Bicycle Rider Back" pack. With this pack when the cards are removed from the sealed carton and the Joker and extraneous cards are removed the order of the cards from the top in the face-down pack is Ace to King (Hearts), Ace to King (Clubs), King to Ace (Diamonds), and King to Ace (Spades). The W.H. Smith "Standard" pack has exactly the same arrangement and the handling required for the mixing, arrangement, and setting of this pack is therefore as described in the first three sections of the chapter "The Routine".

The Waddington "No 1" pack has a different order in that all the suits in the sequence Hearts, Clubs, Diamonds, Spades are arranged King to Ace. It therefore requires different handling to put the cards into the necessary pre-arrangement for the routine. To do this proceed as follows:

a. Mixing The Pack. If you are not using a bridged card proceed directly to the next paragraph: "Arranging the Pack". If you are using a bridged card proceed as described in the section "Mixing The Pack" in the chapter "The Routine".

b. Arranging The Pack. To re-arrange the pack to the sequence required for the routine proceed as follows:

• State that you need to confirm that all 52 cards are in the pack.

• Deal off from the top of the pack face-down onto the table the first 26 cards, counting them aloud as you do so. In doing this you are reversing the order of the cards.

• Continue the count from "27-52" with the cards in hand. In performing the count do not reverse the order of the cards, ie, as you count the cards each card is placed beneath the one or ones already counted.

• When the count is completed place the cards from the table on top of the cards in hand.

• The sequence of the pack is now: Ace to King (Clubs), Ace to King (Hearts), King to Ace (Diamonds), King to Ace (Spades), which is the sequence required to perform the routine.

(Continues...)

Excerpted from OUT OF THE BOXby STUART LEE Copyright © 2012 by STUART LEE . Excerpted by permission of Trafford Publishing. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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