Not Alone by Bob King

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 12, Number 8 August 1989
Page 1679 et seq.

Personal Comment: Bob Kings Material is truly targeted towards real people. I like that. This may be boring to magician, but this is strong stuff for laypeople. Good trick.

Difficulty 2/5

Maxi-Twist X by Harold Cataquet

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 18, Number 11 November 1995
Page 2576 et seq.

Personal Comment: Good. And not too difficult either. Unlike previous versions you don't end dirty and you got a strange fulfilling climax. I tried it and it played well with my usual test audience (The bar next door). So I have good confidence in saying that this trick is a worker. The setup required for this works well with me, as I usually do tricks with the kings. So they are usually together in the deck anyway. So cutting them to the top while removing the aces openly makes this piece of cake.

Difficulty 3/5

Fly Sport by Robert E. Neale

Life, Death & Other Card Tricks by Robert E. Neale (2000)
Page 3 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is a magic gag. If this sort of presentation works for you, then by all means do it. Also check out Eddie Fechter's stuff. As this trick reminds me a lot of him. Only this has a bit more class, if you "catch my drift".

Difficulty 2/5

Som-Ace-Sault by Justin Higham

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne

Volume 7, Number 12 December 1984

Page 1006 et seq.



Personal Comment: This feels more like a pipe dream. I am sure one can get away with this on camera, but in real life, the thickness of the one card in the fan will show. However the last part can be used for other effects in which you need to secretly reverse cards.



Difficulty 2/5

Rosecrans Reverse by Bruce Cervon

Epilogue by Karl Fulves
Issue 1 1967
Page 4 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is such a nice quickie. It's easy, no setup and the effect is clear. Great lead-in to a Twisting the Aces routine. It is deceptive and really any suit is possible. Although you got no work if hearts is chosen which happens more often than you think.

Difficulty 2/5

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

The Strasbourg Waltz by Richard Vollmer

Card College 3 by Roberto Giobbi
Page 613 et seq.

Personal Comment: Nice version of Twisting the Aces I think. Not much illogical stuff going on. And I've been through many, many version. The last effect seems a bit off, but hits people on a weird emotional level. I tried it and I get good reactions. Compared to the almost non existing setup this is great. However is you don't like the end you can do the following. Lose the two aces in the middle of the deck instead of placing them on the table. The other two go to the top. Do the magic stuff and reveal the other two aces on top. Deal them on the table and do a turnover pass as you show the other aces in the center. If you decide on that handling you don't even have any setup at all.

Difficulty 2/5

Fifth Twist by Mirko Ferrantini

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 7, Number 6 June 1984
Page 934 et seq.

Personal Comment: There is only so many times a weak method can withstand repeat. And this routine shows the same cards a little too often so it will become obvious to some spectators. So is this a good routine? No, not really! The kicker in the end of a card vanishing could be solved as convincingly with a simple palm, or a duplicate. So this is effort wasted in my humble opinion. There are way better "twisting" methods out there and even better climaxes. Why did I add this then... because it uses a nice subtlety by Ed Marlo. That might be of use for some. Btw: there is actually an error in the description by Harry Lorayne. If you do it like it is written you will have "three red cards" as the final display. So here is my little tip... When you get to the point in the text, DO put the card to bottom, don't pretend to. Then cut the two bottom cards to the top. Then go on as suggested.

Difficulty 3/5

Ein König dreht sich by Jochen Zmeck

Handbuch der Magie (German book) by Jochen Zmeck
Page 97 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is only interesting from a technical point of view. The same effect can be achieved even easier with the cards counted in "Biddle Style" But of course this kills in a real performance. Actually I did it today and the color change in the end got me a reaction I was not prepared for. So I recommend the effect, but not the method.

Difficulty 3/5

Hyper-Twist by Richard Vollmer

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 6, Number 7 July 1983
Page 791 et seq.

Personal Comment: This is a beast. Thirteen effect in 2 and a half minutes, that is about one effect per ten seconds. And again as with most routines, this is all a question of taste. I sort of like it, but cannot see myself in a situation where this is suitable. But others might. So I leave it at that. Good, but not for me!

Difficulty 3/5

Packetrainer by Phil Goldstein

Focus by Phil Goldstein 1990
Page 73 et seq.

Personal Comment: This routine is fun. It is cute, the effect is clear, even though I personally would change the method a bit, but as an impromptu trick using just four cards this stands out as one of the better tricks. Let me explain: The effect is the same many, many times during the routine. But this is not what is important. The story here is what matters. Card turning over hearing a special command, that is cool from a spectator's point of view. I like it. Something about it makes me love this trick.

Difficulty 2/5

Extendedexitwist by Phil Goldstein

Focus by Phil Goldstein 1990
Page 78 et seq.

Personal Comment: Slightly better than yesterdays version, but again the half passes are at the wrong time and I don't think that haveing one joker change adds more to the effect, compared to the effort. I don't like it. The routines premise is based on an idea by Brother John Hamman, so I guess I might be wrong.

Difficulty 3/5

Extraexitwist by Phil Goldstein

Focus by Phil Goldstein 1990
Page 76 et seq.

Personal Comment: I added this one, to show that you can totally "disimprove" on a trick. In my opinion the half passes are at the totally wrong moment. And unless you have huge hands or perfect skill this will not go unoticed. Exitwist is great, Extraexitwist is not so great.

Difficulty 3/5

Exitwist by Phil Goldstein

Focus by Phil Goldstein 1990
Page 74 et seq.

Personal Comment: Fun trick usually done with the four jokers, but as you can see, it works with all sorts of cards. If you can do an Elmsley count the routine is easy. Little to remember and clear effect. I read it in the book and it took me 5 minutes to "know" the routine. Compared to those multiphased odd backed oil and water routines this is a piece of cake. I called the effect Extra twist in the video which is wrong. It's Exitwist. Obviously the name is harder to remember than the routine. You can produce the missing canrd from anywhere, as suggested in the book, and doing that you'll add a fullfilling climax. Highly recommended.

Difficulty 2/5

Twist Till It Hurts by Geoffrey Latta

Apocalypse by Harry Lorayne
Volume 1, Number 13 December 1978
Page 139 et seq.

Personal Comment: *sigh* Another twisting routine... But at least this is self aware of it's existence among many, as the title shows. Is it any good? Unlike many version this one doesn't hide it's discrepancies. It embraces it. And that might be appreciated by a few. So if you like bold this is good, otherwise stay away and stick to Bro. Hamman, which is much clearer.

Difficulty: 3/5

Twisted Location by Phil Goldstein

M-U-M, Volume 66, Number 12 Mai 1988, Page 28 et seq.
also
Focus by Phil Goldstein, page 15

Personal Comment: Yet another take on the Touch Turn trick aka Twisting the Aces popularized by Dai Vernon. (Dai Vernon 's More Inner Secrets of Card Magic, page 5 by Lewis Ganson) and a good one I might add. Most version that somehow include a selection that is taken have the selection taken and remembered before the twisting takes place. That is quite a long time and chances are the spectator forgot his selection by that point in time. Not so in this version by Phil Goldstein. It is rather easy, if you are able to do the various counts and it is suprisingly deceptive given the simple structure in method.

Difficulty: 2/5

PS: If you are interested in packet tricks from a full deck, Focus is such a great book to start.

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