൮.൮. TÉCNICAS UTILIZADAS

While the performer's eyes are completely covered by one spectator he is able to name freely chosen cards. Then to top it off he causes a card to change into a free selection whilst it is held by the spectator. Remember, his eyes are securely covered throughout.

Requirements

Two short cornered cards (one black one red). Have these two cards anywhere in your deck.

Working

1. Hand out the pack for the spectator to shuffle. Ask another volunteer to stand behind you, reach round and cover your eyes securely.

Talk about how the senses work. Specifically how one sense will compensate for another if one is lost. For example, a blind person may develop a much stronger sense of hearing than someone who has 20/20 vision. Explain that over the years you have been able to develop your ability to sense other people’s thoughts.

2. To demonstrate this, casually cut the pack and remove a card (first corner short). Hold the card facing the spectator and ascertain whether it is red or black. The method I use is to ask the spectator to make the card as bright and vivid as possible. Then I take pot luck and state “This is odd I can see a real darkness here, is this card a black one?” If they say yes I can safely name the selection, if not then I make a joke about the fact that my eyes are shut and covered that’s why I can see nothing but black. Either way I can now name the right card.

3. Once this has been achieved leave the card on the table and ask for the cards to be reshuffled. As this is being done say, “As impressive as that may seem maybe I had someone signal the card to me in some way. To make it completely fair you can select the card at random and make sure no-one else sees it”.

Take the pack back and cut the short card to the bottom. Take the pack in mechanics grip and begin to deal the cards in ones, twos, threes, etc, randomly onto the table. Ask the spectator to say stop whenever they want. As you begin this, Buckle the bottom card with the right middle finger in preparation for the next move.

Whenever the spectator says stop, ask them to have a peek at the top card on the table (direct them to do this in the same way that a poker player would, just by lifting the corner and peeking at it), at this point push the bottom card across passing it from the fingers of the left hand to the fingers of the right (Fig.1) and separating the top card from the pack momentarily so that the key card (short corner) is held hidden below it (Figs.2 & 3 show top spectator view and under view). As the hands separate so that you have two cards in the right (short & indifferent) gesture towards the tabled cards with your left hand as you ask them to peek at the selection. Casually return the two cards from your right hand onto the deck, one at a tine reversing their order, and hand the cards over to the spectator to continue dealing the cards down. Pause a beat to make sure they have dealt the short card then remind them they can deal the cards two, three at a time, in fact completely randomly. The selection will now be above the selection. Square the cards up and cut (or pass) at the short (bringing it to the top).

4. Take the top card (short) and show it to the spectator then ask them to “look me in the eyes and mentally send me the name of the card”. As you say this top change the card bringing the deck in your left hand up to point at your eyes. Place the card face down on the table with the spectator’s hand on top. Correctly name the card they believe they are holding (short card). Ask them if they remember the card they freely selected. Ask them how they would feel if they had the ability to change the card bit by bit into the card they thought of earlier. Wait for the screaming.

Fig.1

Fig.2

Fig.3

End Notes

This entire piece should only take a few minutes to perform. The naming of the two selections should grow in tension for the final change. The top change whilst essentially blindfolded is going to terrify many performers. The truth is having your eyes covered will

work to your advantage. Add to the fact that there is good verbal misdirection as well this is easier than it reads. I have purposely left scope at the end for the performers own wording and rational for the final revelation. I get great mileage from the idea of endowing the spectator with the magical skill to affect the change. By asking them to imagine how they would feel they set a bench mark for their own reaction. They can not feel less than this only more. You can also heighten this feeling before you allow them to ‘affect the change’.

Caught 3 Times

Using their imagination, three spectators cause their selected cards to appear one at a time between two face up Queens whilst they are holding the cards.

This routine was inspired by John Carey’s Slo-Mo Collectors, which was a variation on Alex Elmsley’s “One at a Time Collectors” that appeared in Pabular. It uses any deck. I make the assumption that you know how to spread cull for this one.

Working

1. Start by removing the two red Queens and place them on the table (or hand to a spectator) for later. Have three spectators remove a card from the pack, remember them and replace them one at a time.

2. You will now control these cards to positions 5, 6 and 7. The method I use is as follows. Have the first spectator replace their card towards the top of the pack and immediately cull it under the spread. Continue the spread and offer the pack for the second spectator to place theirs somewhere in the middle. Cull this one under the previous selection. Finally ask the last spectator to replace theirs somewhere near the bottom. Again cull under the previous two taking the lot to the bottom of the pack (see Kostya Kimlat’s Roadrunner Cull DVD for more info in multiply culling).

From here, get a break above seven cards from the bottom and Double-undercut to the top. This will place the first selection at position 5 then the next two at 6 & 7.

3. Hold the deck face down in your hand and ask one of the spectators to lift up about half of the pack and place the two Queens face up in the middle. Spread the pack culling the first selection below the spread and secretly load it between the Queens as you ask the spectator if they can remember where they placed their card. Before they can really answer this, give them the deck to hold. Ask them to imagine their card moving up and down through the pack until it finally rests between the two Queens. Take the cards back and slowly spread (culling the second selection from position 5) to reveal one card between the Queens. Up jog this card as you load the next selection. Have the spectator remove the out jogged card and hand the deck to the next spectator. Build a little tension before revealing the first selection.

4,. Repeat for second selection, handing the pack to the third person (final selection now loaded). As the final card is loaded you can be totally hands off and make as much out of this one as you like.

End Notes

As a conclusion you make like to add a bit of fun to this one. For the final selection retake to deck as before and spread to show the selection between the two face up Queens. Have the selection removed and on the off beat created by this execute a spread pass to

bring one Queen to the top and one to the bottom. As soon as this is done turn the pack end for end. If this is done correctly it should look like you have just shut the pack once again. Hand this to one of the spectators as you recap the fact that each of the selections has materialised between the Queens in the centre of the pack (gesture towards the cards). Turn to the spectator holding the pack and ask them to think of all the cards bar the three selected… Spread the pack to show all the cards are now between the two Queens! Silly ending but done correctly is powerful enough to make them drop the cards on the floor!