Your Days Are Numbered by Jim Abrahams

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

Personal Comment: In the version in the book you never ask her her age. You just claim that she has cut off as many cards as she is old. Then you walk away. Doing this to a male spectator of course you ask them their age and let them count. This trick has a chance of failing, but you start your patter about the birthday and all of that AFTER you made sure the effect is going to work 100%. Otherwise you just do a different trick. In terms of method this is fairly easy. You just have to know the age and in an earlier trick you simply set up the deck by sticking the "Breather" in the right place. Just makes sure that while instructing your spectator to cut the deck to say "below, above or about the middle" depending on the age. I had fun with this little trick. It adds so much more to the "Spectator cuts off a certain number of cards".

So with that I am going to leave this project. Cards are still great and all, but I feel that I have enough for a long time now. This blog will be transferred to the new blog eventually and the url will be gone.

Difficulty: 3/5

Eine alte Seemannsgeschichte by Martin Michalski

Das grosse Buch vom Zaubern by Martin Michalski (German book)

Page 92 et seq.

Personal Comment: The Martin Michalski was born in 1927 and died 2008 so I forgive him the story. But here we have a mathematical trick. Any false shuffle would make this a better trick. But somehow the bitter taste of math would still be there. It is interesting though. Here is where I see this trick being performed. By a layperson doing this to his buddies in a bar. Instead of the story any saucy premise would work well. Like getting rid of guys in order to be with 15 women or something like that. Not that I think that this is what magic should be about, yet I see nothing wrong with it, as long as not a serious performer does this.

Difficulty: Self Working

Loser! by Robert Hess

Epilogue by Karl Fulves

Issue 7

Page 49



Personal Comment: This really is interesting. Seriously. While I think that in terms of method this is an atrocity, it really works for laypeople. I am serious. I have tried it. Many times. It plays great. Maybe this is due to my performing character, but the effect is rather strong. The whole byplay of not getting the ace is fairly entertaining to the audience. The end really gets them. What I have done is to add the line that one participant actually has the ace. Of course I'm foreshadowing the fact that the fifth person has the card in his pocket. But to the spectators it will seem like that maybe the ace has jumped back to one of the spectators involved in the selection process. So you are setting up an effect via the line and not only deliver, but surpass the announcement. When reading this in Epilogue I was like "Really? What the hell is this" but actually doing it has made me come 180 on this initial opinion.

As mentioned above, the method sucks. There is a queen in there which disappears near the end, only to reappear briefly thereafter. But I guess the spectators are so much focused on the ace that they hardly notice.

But that doesn't mean I have to stand up for crappy methods... no... Pick a better one!



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

Slappy by Jim Abrahams

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

Personal Comment: When I read this I was all like "What? That's not going to work!" And in a way I am right and in another way I am all wrong. But then I saw something similar done by Dani DaOrtiz I at least had to give it a try. Hello.... it works. Here is how. People are not really fooled, but they sure as hell are surprised and entertained. I forgot to add a phase in the video. It is the exact opposite. Basically a rub-a-dub vanish in the spectators hand. Try it, you will see how well this plays.

Difficulty: 2/5

Three Fo(u)r One by Richard Vollmer

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 11, Number 1 January 1988
Page 1450 et seq.

Personal Comment: Actually pretty convincing if you put in the right amount of work (unlike me who just took 5 minutes)But personally instead of going for a four of a kind, I would go for jokers. You would need three jokers but the effect would look much cooler that way. So if you have three jokers in the deck (I looking at you Fournier) go for it.

Difficulty 2/5

Identity Crisis by Jim Abrahams

The Lecture That Has Never Happened by Jim Abrahams
Page 11 et seq.

Personal Comment: It mighty be obvious to magicians what is going on, but never forget that non magicians have never seen the items needed for this. So what would be exposure in most case becomes an effect in this case. And I love in how many ways you can spin this. It could be a mental piece by never revealing what the spectators sees, applying the dual worlds principle or maybe a fusion of two cards. Another neat thing: The necessary thing can be in the deck the whole time acting as a locator card making switches and such more easy. I love ideas involving the same thing many times in the routine used for different purposes. That is commercial.

Difficulty 2/5

Incorporated Color Control by Karl Fulves

Pallbearers Review by Karl Fulves
July 1967
Page 111 et seq.

Personal Comment: Just another application of Gilbreath I assume, that I wouldn't use to bore my audience with, but damn it is so much fun to do it to yourself. Of course if the mathematical principle is something you don't care about you better skip this one.

Difficulty Selfworking

The Magic Six by Ron Ferris

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 6, Number 12 December 1983
Page 856 et seq.

Personal Comment: In a way those type of tricks can be entertaining. Most often they are not. So is this. Pretty forgettable in a way. Jon Racherbaumer would probably call it a glorified revelation of a selection. And I would agree. The sad thing: I see routines like this all the time. It usually goes like this: A card is selected and lost. Then a whole array of magic is done not involving the card and a lot of time passes where both the card and the importance of the card could be forgotten. The end is always the same. The impact of the revelation is lessened by the preceding magic. It's easy though.

Difficulty 1/5


EDIT: Big lol! I rewatched the video having forgotten all about it. I was kind of expecting the six to have a different color in the end. Then it turned out to be the king. I was like "What?"... I had to skip back to realize that I actually had a selection involved in this. Just proves my point about it being forgettable and the revelation coming way to late in the routine.

The Happy Wanderers by Roy Walton

The Complete Walton Vol 1. by Roy Walton 1981
Page 31 et seq.

Personal Comment: Can anybody name the plot? I am not sure. Lately I have seen quite a few effects where cards that are in a group spread out in the deck. Is it a reversed Sandwich? I don't know. This is the first video that I redo, simply because I messed up the first time I did it. Somehow I forgot to add the whole second part of the routine. And that changes everything. Suddenly it is a routine and not just a cute interlude. The reason why I forgot it.... well I forgot to turn the page in the book. My brain somehow said "done" and I didn't bother to recheck. My bad.

Difficulty 3/5

Cry Wolf by Phil Goldstein

Focus by Phil Goldstein 1990
Page 58 et seq.

Personal Comment: I think this trick is a joke by Phil. He put that trick in the book giggling to himself... I cannot believe that he was serious about it. This routine uses pretty much every false count there is. It uses the Jack Avis' Siva Count, the Victor Eye Count, the Elmsley Count, the Castillion Spirit Count and Phils own Snap-Turn Count. This routine must be a joke. Or maybe it is a demonstration piece. Painters do demonstration paintings. Usually those would include a portrait, a still, a nude, landscape, sky, animals, buildings and all sort of thing to showcase the painter's abilities as an artist. The same seems to be true for Cry Wolf. If you wanna study false counts, go on study this routine. I won't bother anymore.

Difficulty 5/5

Ascension by Phil Goldstein

Focus by Phil Goldstein 1990
Page 50 et seq.

Personal Comment: Focus is a lovely book, because introduces me to new idea in a very direct way. Often simpified and very well constructed. This particular routine is nice I guess, but it takes way too long for my personal taste. Three selections would be quicker than four kings. Personal taste is different, so I assume some magicians love that idea.

Difficulty 3/5

Another Royal Miracle by Jon Racherbaumer

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 3, Number 1 January 1980
Page 296 et seq.

Personal Comment: This effect is Jon Racherbaumer's variation on Acrobatic Card Extension by Larry West. (Also Apocalypse Vol.2 No.3 March 1979 p.171 et seq.) I don't see me performing this effect. It is cute yes, but more for the hobbiest to show his magic buddies. It is not practical to get into this effect but it is rather easy to do. The revelation of the selection takes place way too late in the process. I really do not want my spectators to remember the card for that long. But it is a terrific piece for magicians. Which is most of the stuff that Jon Racherbaumer put out.

Difficulty: 2/5

Decking-Hofzinser Deluxe by Jon Racherbaumer

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne (and still Richard Kaufman)
Volume 1, Number 3 March 1978
Page 27 et seq.

Personal Comment: Don't like it too much, but I have seen magicians like Chad Long do something similar. That the suit matching the suit turns around in a four of a kind. And I like Chad Long, therefore I must admit that it might be just me, that this effect doesn't ring with me. Well... that's a good thing I suppose, otherwise everyone would do the same.

Difficulty: 3/5

Autograph Round by Jon Racherbaumer

1984 The Summer Extra Almanac by Richard Kaufman
the Jon Racherbaumer Issue
Page 217 et seq.

Personal Comment: Not really practical for walk around stuff, but in a fixed close up setting this is a nice little filler. But the error margin is really little here. If you mess up during the structure, there is no out. Do I like it? Sort of!

Difficulty: 2/5