Nomad Aces by Ed Marlo

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 307 et seq.

Personal Comment: Actually good. I would take away the fake stuff in the beginning. It just arouses too much suspicion. More than you get "proof" later on in the routine in my humble opinion. Also, there is a lot to mess up, even if you make a minor mistake. As in most assembly routines. That is kind of a bad thing I guess. But if you wanna study how a routine should not be, even though it is good. Study this one.

Difficulty: 4/5

This is a Four King Trick by Ed Marlo

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 300 et seq.
also
Marlo's Magazine Volume 1
Page 59 et seq.

Personal Comment: What does the title of the trick have to do with the trick? Very, very little. Only two kings... it's like false advertisement. I assumed something in my book was wrong. It feels so unresolved. Good would have been if the black aces would also turn into the black kings. So why is this published the way it is? Food for thought!


Difficulty: 2/5

Bluff Sandwich by Ed Marlo

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 192

Personal Comment: If you read the method you are all like "no way" if you try it you all like "no way".... It is deceptive, even thoug you wouldn't believe it at first glance. Is it any good because of it. No way! There are far better Sandwich routines out there. Most even by Mr. Marlo himself.

Difficulty: 2/5

Over Here, Of Course! by Edward Marlo

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 319 et seq.

Personal Comment: So this is Ed Marlo's version of "Where has it Gone" by Hideo Kato in terms of effect and method is is much closer to the original version and boring as hell. But I can see why. The whole routine was designed to fool magicians. And as such it should be treated. Don't torture your audience with this.

Difficulty: 2/5

Gone To Earth by Roy Walton

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 324 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is Roy Walton's take on "Where has it Gone" by Hideo Kato (published in Genii, September 1969) which differs quite a lot from the original trick. But the changes where done for the better. The basic effect remains. A card vanishes and then reappears. However I cannot help to note that this is a weak effect. If I take a look at my card repertoire this would be bottom drawer material. That doesn't mean that Roy Walton is a bad magician, it means that he took a bad plot and made it "okay". Speaks for the magic wisdom of a Roy Walton, which I consider the lost third god of cards. And this, among his creations is just proof that he is able to "polish the turd". I don't recommend doing this trick. But I urge you to compare this version with the original to see what changes were made and to see why they were made. This tricks is what I consider a perfect example to teach someone was makes up good card magic.

Difficulty: 2/5

The Delayed Sandwich by Edward Marlo

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 199

Personal Comment: I like Sandwich effects. I certainly do. So naturally I have to like this one, as the final sqare up and spread can be done by the audience. And it is easy too.

Difficulty: 1/5

Have Another Sandwich by Edward Marlo

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 200 et seq. March 1970

Personal Comment: There is a time and a place for everything. But the times and places for this trick are limited. The angles are not good on this one, but the method is certainly workable. Do I like it? Nope, yet I can see quite a few magicians with "huge" hands turning this into a full routine.

Difficulty: 4/5

All You Have To Do Is Watch by Edward Marlo

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 173 et seq. March 1970

Personal Comment: Well it's collectors without selection. I see a serious advantage concerning the pace. As no selection is taken there is no "deader time". ("Dead time" is time where no magic effect happens. "Deader time" is the time where not even stuff happens that would lead to the magic effect.) Personally I love this in terms of method. Really straight forward and easy to get in to. And because the deuces appear face down within the face up collectors the feeling of separation is still maintained. I think.


Difficulty: 3/5

Ambush by Roy Walton

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 181 et seq. Nov. 1970
also in:
The Complete Walton - Volume 2 (1988) page 34 1988

Personal Comment: I cannot get the third cut to work properly according to the text. Not my thing. And I honestly don't really see that much of an advantage to use odd colored backs for the collector cards. Personally I like the collectors by Jim Surprise. But I heard that there are Walton fans out there who could explain to me why odd colored backs are better.

Difficulty: 4/5

Dunbury Sandwich by Robert Walker and Dave Solomon

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 193 et seq. 1977

Personal Comment: Nice trick. Actually it is just a revelation of a chosen card, but the whole changing of the sandwich makes it seem much bigger. Notion of being wrong and therefore "rightening" the sandwich is Robert Walker's and the commercial handling is by Dave Solomon's. I like it. Although I was never happy with that "through the fist turnover thingy". But fortunally there are nice ways around.

Difficulty: 3/5

A Quickie and Exhibitionism by Edward Marlo

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
A Quickie Page 394 (1970)
Exhibitionism Page 395 (1971)

Personal Comment: Really easy and somehow this does resonate with the audience. Certainly not on magical level, but on a "Dude you are skilled!"-level. I like it. And it is impromptu FASDIU So what more could one want. Both of these tricks build on top of each others, as the second time the audience may cut the deck, which is strong as you seemingly lose control even more. I like it.

Difficulty: 1/5

That Twist Again William P. Miesel

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 341 et seq.

Personal Comment: Bill Miesel saw Brother John Hamman perform his' Hamman's Twist, which was Hamman's take on the old Touch Turn aka Twisting the Aces plot. But Miesel added an additional kicker, which I think is not really overkill and actually the structure is even a bit more clear than the Hamman version. I like it, although I do not see myself performing this. Hamman's version is FASDIU while Miesel's version requires an odd card from a different deck.

Difficulty: 3/5

Hamman's Twist by Bro. John Hamman

The Legendary Hierophant by Jon Racherbaumer
Page 338 et seq.

Personal Comment: I used that trick for quite a while, but changed the handling a bit, so the card in the end would be a selection that was made earlier, making this whole effect a glorified revelation of a chosen card. The trick deserves a bit more credit than that I think. A nice way to get into the setup is the following: Cull the odd card to the top of the deck as you get out the four club cards. Then arrange them in order A,2,3,4 from the face and do a partial Top Change of the bottom card of the fan and the one on top of the deck, then add the former bottom card back to the bottom and you should be set. If you don't do this effect in a while you will forget the handling. It is rather complex.

Difficulty: 2/5