The Ambitious Card by Gustav Alberti

Drawing Room Conjuring by Professor Hoffmann 1887
Page 38 et seq.

Personal Comment: Talk about old school. This is the first publication of the Ambitious Card, that I know of. Professor Louis Hoffmann clearly credits the French magician Gustav Alberti. There is this theory, that an even older publication (1854) "Nouvelle Magie Blanche Devoilée" by the French magician Jean-Nicolas Ponsin contains a similar idea. And from there it gets fuzzy. Anyway, as you can see it's very basic. Passes mainly. The routine has come a long way. I decided to include this for the historians. As a side note: I like it!

Difficulty 5/5

Second Twist by Brother John Hamman

The Secrets of Brother John Hamman by Richard Kaufman and Alan Greenberg
Page 38 et seq.

Personal Comment: The First Twist aka Hamman's Twist I already covered a few months ago. This gets rid of the extra card. Is it an improvement? Yes, I think so. But just a little one. One I would not care about, considering the fact that the initial setup is much easier to accomplish in his first version. Tastes are different.

Difficulty 2/5

Acey-Deucey by Brother John Hamman

The Secrets of Brother John Hamman by Richard Kaufman and Alan Greenberg
Page 31 et seq.

Personal Comment: Beautiful, simply beautiful. If one is willing to put in the practice needed for that. It's not easy. But it has a few fine points. As it is pointed out in the book, most transpositions without extra card suffer from the problem of having a weird moment right after the first effect. When you have to do a Mexican Turnover or have to replace the tabled card on the deck to turn it over. This avoids the problem. Personally I would put the second phase first and the first phase second. To me the first one seems stronger. But I gotta admit, I love it.

Difficulty 4/5

12345 Peek Thought by Brother John Hamman

The Secrets of Brother John Hamman by Richard Kaufman and Alan Greenberg
Page 26 et seq.

Personal Comment: It read a lot more interesting than it turns out to be. Seriously.

Difficulty 1/5

Revelation Station by Bob Huebert

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 6, Number 10 October 1983
Page 837 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is such a great way to reveal a chosen card. It requires no setup and therefore fits perfectly in a multiple card revelation routine. Also... it is ridiculously easy.

Difficulty 1/5

Unnamed Trick by Bro. John Hamman

The Secrets of Brother John Hamman by Richard Kaufman and Alan Greenberg
Page 18 et seq.

Personal Comment: No kidding, the name of the trick is actually the main method that is being used. It is bold, but interestingly still deceptive. When I did this for real people I changed the grip on the cards. Doing an Elmsley while holding the deck is a bit too demanding for my hands. They are not that huge. So right now I am going into Brother John Hamman's work. I may have to adjust the technique a few times to still do the effect. Please forgive me for that. The above video is excuse enough to cheat.

Difficulty 4/5

OverwHelm by J.K. Hartman

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 13, Number 9 September 1990
Page 1833 et seq.

Personal Comment: Finding four lost aces at the same time is something special. I like that a lot. Especially to close an ace routine. Getting into the setup needed fro this particular kind of production is tricky. I have worked on it on my own and found my solution. But Jerry's version is really good. Basically he decided not to have them slowly placed the deck, but to do a few effect, that get you the aces into your setup. Lovely thinking here. The title refers to the first publication of the ending effect called OverWELM... the letters stood for Wakeman, Edwards, Lorayne and Marlo, who each contributed details. So basically Jerry K. Hartman squeezed in his own letter.

Difficulty 3/5

The Smiling Mule by Roy Walton

The Complete Walton Vol 1. by Roy Walton 1981
Page 175 et seq.

Personal Comment: Ah, one must like that one. Any magic joke, where the joke itself is foreshadowing of the effect is good. And I am a sucker for Sandwich stuff as I have said many times before. I cannot not like it.

Difficulty 3/5

Green Turtle by Roy Walton

The Complete Walton Vol 1. by Roy Walton 1981
Page 130 et seq.

Personal Comment: Cute... But you fail one time too many in my humble opinion. The bad thing is, that the method requires that much fail.

Difficulty 3/5

I've got no Table Space Ace Assembly by Jim Abrahams

The Lecture That Has Never Happened by Jim Abrahams
Page to be added

Personal Comment: This version got rid of the three card packets and the illogical 3 extra cards per packet. That is something I like. Also, as the title suggests... You need little table space, so you can do it between wine glasses and napkins. Also there is actually no setup at all. That makes it really cool. And you have a few convincers here and there and it leaves a lot of room for personal style.

Difficulty: 2/5

What a Mess! by Tony Mullé

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 13, Number 2 February 1990
Page 1748 et seq.

Personal Comment: I like this. It's easy, deceptive and you have found two cards in the end. There is a variation on that by Oliver Ehrens. He gets rid of the "extra" by not showing it, but by miscalling it. Not an improvement I think, because I think the beauty of this trick is that both selections are seen before being lost in the halves. But if you don't have the "extra" you might go for the impromptu version suggested by Oliver Ehrens at page 1990 of the Apocalypse.

Difficulty 2/5

Color me Blue with Aces and Kings by Mike Bornstein

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 13, Number 1 January 1990
Page 1734 et seq. explained after the Afterthoughts

Personal Comment: This is good. And it is really easy to get into the setup. Just take out the red cards from your pocket, and you are done. But there is an error in the description. The initial setup is wrong. Just switch the King of Clubs with the King Diamonds and your are good to go. The ending is something I added, I don't know why I did it, as I try to stick to the original as much as I can, but doing others card tricks for so long makes one hungry to put in own little things. I try not to do that. Please forgive me!

Difficulty 3/5

Color me Blue by Mike Bornstein

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 13, Number 1 January 1990
Page 1734 et seq.

Personal Comment: I don't like it. But I did it for laypeople... and they did.

Difficulty 2/5

Blues in the Night by Nick Pudar

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 12 December 1989
Page 1727 et seq.

Personal Comment: Sort of good I guess, and as I'm writing this, I cringing and sucking in air through my teeth. I like the color changing kicker. I really do. So I guess this is a guilty pleasure. But let's look at this trick in terms of practicability: It is fairly easy to get into. But does one want to? The effect is not that strong. Seriously. If you go trough the trouble of secretly adding cards to the deck, you can pull off way better stuff. So I would consider this a minor gem. Sorry Nick.

Difficulty 2/5

OverWELM by Randy Wakeman, Doug Edwards, Harry Lorayne and Ed Marlo

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 12 December 1989
Page 1717 et seq.

Personal Comment: An Ace production. Basically it all boils down to the moment where the Aces are produced. Doug Edwards, Randy Wakeman and Harry Lorayne each offer solutions of how to get into the setup needed for this. I didn't like either one. That doesn't mean that they aren't good, it just means, they are so personal that I cannot see me doing them. So I made up this version, which is my own. But unlike Mr. Lorayne who loves to see his own name in print, I wouldn't want to add me to the credits. The idea of turning the packets face down prior to the production to hide where the cards are coming from is Ed Marlo's contribution.

The production is one I have used on many occasions. But I do it slightly differently. Let me explain. Instead of getting two of the aces in the center holding a break above them, I just cut them to the bottom. Then I split the deck in two and in the act of separating the hands I turn the former bottom half face up. It will look like nothing has changed. Then I do the production and all is well. It has served me well over the years.

Difficulty 4/5

The Incredible Cardcase Sandwich by Reinhard Müller

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 6 June 1989
Page 1645 et seq.

Personal Comment: Good one... But not my cup of tea. The simple reason. The plot is a bit convoluted with stuff. All happens in the end. If you like that big bang, fine...

Difficulty 3/5

Aced! by Frank Thompson

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 6 June 1989
Page 1655 et seq.

Personal Comment: I'm not a great fan of riffle shuffles... but I do see how this can fool people if properly executed. The original handling used a face up card as the locator card. This uses another fairly common method. But I think this is slightly better as there is no chance of a face up card appearing in the riffle shuffle.

Difficulty 2/5

Surprise Filling by Justin Higham

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 7 July 1989
Page 1661 et seq.

Personal Comment: If you feel comfortable working with the "natural" bend of a deck, then go for this one. I do not feel good about this. "I like ma breakz!" But the effect is surprising and good.

Difficulty 3/5

Why Take Chances? by Jim Molinari

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 12 December 1989
Page 1724 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is great for the magicians who just does tricks for his friends at a bar. Seriously this is exactly the stuff, that wins them beer and the fame of the evening. The performing magician might choose stronger stuff. This is good however. Really good.

Difficulty 1/5

Smorgasbord Cannibals by Randy Wakeman

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 4 April 1989
Page 1626 et seq.

Personal Comment: I like the first part (The David Britland's interlacing precedure) and don't like the later part. The "ate", "ate" and "sick", "sick" - puns don't work in German and in several other languages. And you better be seated doing that routine. Also you better have huge hands to cover the thickness of the packet near the end. This is a routine that Randy Wakeman made his own. So he can keep it.

Difficulty 5/5

Reset at its Best by Randy Wakeman

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 4 April 1989
Page 1624 et seq.

Personal Comment: If you are working seated this is not to pass. Seriously a good version of Reset... if you wanna fool magicians. This is clearly designed for that purpose. Harry Lorayne claims that he has done it for real people, getting one "heck" of a reaction. I seriously doubt that. Because I actually did it for real people. What bothered them was that I didn't show that the tabled packet really consists of the aces before the "reset". It made the whole routine feel uneasy. For magicians, I'd say... go for it. However for laypeople I would go for Set-Reset Plus by Roberto Giobbi In that version you could actually turn over the top card of the tabled packet prior to the "reset" to show (not prove) that the cards really have transposed.

Difficulty 3/5

It's a Steal by Kevin Bethea

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 3 March 1989
Page 1613 et seq.

Personal Comment: Interesting. The effect can be achieved by many means, but this particular method is actually useful in some cases. Mainly to fool magicians, who don't get the steal. Unlike many palms this feels like it benefits from being done slowly. I sort of like this.

Difficulty 3/5

More Cannibals by Lynn Searles

Pallbearers Review by Karl Fulves
Autumn 1973 The Lynn Searles Issue
Page 673 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is certainly no "Cannibal" routine despite the title. This is more a "Visitors" plot. But its a good trick. Easy to do and rather deceptive. Even if you don't do that routine, if you ever need to make a card vanish from a sandwich this is one good way to do it.

Difficulty 2/5

Aces Up by Lynn Searles

Pallbearers Review by Karl Fulves
Autumn 1973 The Lynn Searles Issue
Page 670 et seq.

Personal Comment: Talk about quick assembly. Can't get any quicker and simpler than that. Nice throw away filler. This is the sort of stuff I would do with no words, as people are signing a card or something like that. Just to look busy.

Difficulty 1/5

The Royal Impostor by Jim Abrahams

The Lecture That Has Never Happened by Jim Abrahams
Page to be added

Personal Comment: I am almost through the entire booklet. And I knew it rang a bell when I was going through Roberto Giobbi's "Coalaces". "The Royal Impostors" was what I was thinking of. Try it for real people! You'll get the "what the fuck"-look from them. It is hard to do the effect justice on camera. In a real setting you got way more cover to do all the moves.

Difficulty: 4/5

Fogel's Triple Prediction by Maurice Fogel

Mastering the Art of Magic by Eugene Burger 2000
Page 148 et seq.

Personal Comment: I am sorry to give you such a bad video. I was a bit absent minded when I did that. But you get the main idea. It's a really good effect. Even though it's self working. The reverse counting is needed, but Eugene Burger has a nice way to include this drawback into the routine making an extra effect of it. Also Eugen Burger actually misses on the last card (he get's the color wrong) making this effect that much more "mental". I like that. Mentalism is certainly not my cup of tea in terms of doing it. But I love every single approach to make magic much more mysterious by wrapping it into the cloth of mentalism.

Difficulty: Self Working

The Traveling Worm by Karrell Fox

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 14, Number 10 October 1991
Page 1988 et seq.

Personal Comment: He, how can you not like that. This is super fun. And the message on the back could nearly say anything. It could say "The card is on top", or "The card is the Six of Diamonds"... whatever. This is one of those ideas that can applied to a whole number of effects. All you need is the right surface. I even know of one magician who actually uses this so often that he has the worm printed on his business card. So his business card goes for a ride. Think of the possibilities.

Difficulty 1/5

Coalaces by Roberto Giobbi

Card College 5 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 1178 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is one of those effects that really register on the emotional level. Four cards turning into one. That is cool! The only cooler thing is the exact opposite. Now think about it. If you are going to end the effect where the video and the book ends, you really miss out on a great opportunity to do great magic. Here is my little addition to that. After having a card selected and the four aces turned into the selection, reverse the process: Put the selection face down on the table... but when you turn it face up it is the four aces again. It really hits people in a strange place. Then you can produce the selection form any place you want to. If all of that is put together it gives it a nice feeling of a whole routine. I think I read something like this somewhere... it's ringing a bell.

Difficulty 4/5

Flash Opener by Frank Thompson

Frank Thompson's The Cold Deck by Ray Goulet
Page 1 et seq.

also known as "Thompson's Aces"
Card College 5 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 1183 et seq.

Personal Comment: That is a neat Ace production. Easy to do and has such a nice rhythm. I suggest adding the palmed aces after a spectator has shuffled the deck. Much, much stronger.

Difficulty 1/5

No Extras Please by Jim Abrahams

The Lecture That Has Never Happened by Jim Abrahams
Page to be added

Personal Comment: Just a Sandwich... no extras. What I like is the fact that the three cards involved are seen in different positions. Therefore a simple cut won't solve the mystery to a spectator. It is a very basic routine. And I am sure this must have been published earlier by some people. But I have not found that method yet.

Difficulty: 2/5

The Quick Change Artists

Card College 5 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 1163 et seq.

Personal Comment: Really good. There are tons of routines like this. But this is put together well. The setup is little and the effect good. I like the rhythm of the changes. "1, 1, and 2". Instead of the usual "1, 1, 1, slow 1", Or the "boom all 4". This should work as a prime example of how to put together a prelude to a longer routine. And what you need to do, to make this your own.

Difficulty 3/5