Lofayne's VOL. 9 NO. 1
$4.00
JAN., 1986
pocalypse ISSUE NO 97
DOUG EDWARDS THE STUNNING, JUMPING- JACK BOIoug's inspiration was an effect out of The Joe Berg Book called The Trained Card. He uses the same gaff (just a bit more sophisticated), but has come up with a really strong effect whereas the original was not much more than a "throwaway." I'm not altogether sure who originated the half-card gaff. I know Paul Le Paul had something to do with it. Make up the gimmick; once you have, you can use it for quite a while. Assuming you're working with a blue-backed deck, you'll need a matching (in size and texture) redbacked (say) JH. Use any picture card - I'm using a jack because that gave me the title! You'll also need a pair of scissors, some strong thread, and some glue. Cut the blue JH so that you have a piece slightly larger than half the card. The one I have measures exactly 2\ inches. Keep the smaller strip; that, too, is used. But it's too wide - cut off a small strip of that strip. You want to retain a strip of card that's perhaps three-quarters of an inch wide. Cut off two corners. (All this will "clear for you when we get to the illustrations.) Thread the length of thread (a needle will be of some help) through the cut JH at center of the cut end - about one eighth of an inch from that end The two ends of the thread are together and about 2\ inches away from the card. But, don't cut them to size yet; we'll do that in a moment. Don't tie the ends together; any knot would cause "bulk" in the finished gimmick. Now; place an indifferent blue-backed card face up onto the table. Place the 3/4 inch strip of JH face up at its inner end - matching ends perfectly, of course. This strip can be glued in place now; but wait until you're familiar with the s> COPYRIGHT 19S6 by H. Lorayne, Inc.
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gaff, then you can do the gluing whenever you like. (The reason for that small strip is to keep the thread ends securely in place.) Place the face-down half JH at the indifferent card's other end - overlapping that end by about \ of an inch. This overlapping is important, as you will see. The 2 loose thread ends should reach onto the 3/4 inch strip - to center or farther. Cut them now so that all looks, at this moment, as in Fig. 1. The reason I told you not to glue the 3/4 inch strip yet is because you may want to glue it onto the two thread ends. Those ends must be securely glued into place, so do it as you think best. Now that you see what must be done -- I prefer to place the JH half and the thread, then I glue the 3/4 inch strip onto the ends of the indifferent card and onto the ends of the thread. Glue firmly.
bove your break.) Hold the right-hand half face to spectator and ask him to remember his card (See Fig. 3. ) Replace the right-hand half onto the lefthand half - no break is held. Patter - "I'll show you one of the fastest card tricks in existence." Pause for a beat. "Tell me the name of your card." He says, "Jack of hearts," of course. Look down at the deck to bring attention to it. Your left thumb should be across its inner end. (If that thumb lies across the center of the deck, it might keep the gaff from doing what it's supposed to do.)
6 Now, glue the end of another indifferent card face up onto the 3/4 inch strip. It is glued only at that end, the rest of the card is "free." (Look at Fig. 2, which is an attempt to show you what the finished gaff looks like.) Push the half JH flush between the two indifferent cards, and you have what looks like a double card. Set up this way: Place the uncut red-backed JH to the bottom of the deck. Then, place the gaff — opening outward (glued end toward you) under that. The red-backed JH is directly above the gaffed card. Complete cut the deck so that these vital cards are near center. Put the deck into its case, and you're set to perform. To Perform: Remove the deck from its case. I always do one overhand jog shuffle. Simply undercut below the gaffed card, etc. (If you keep the two vital cards at bottom, you have plenty of leeway for center Hindu Shuffles. You can cut the deck to bring them to center after the shuffles - up to you.)
Your right fingers sharply riffle upward the outer ends of the cards. This is, by now, a fairly standard procedure. Air pressure causes the half JH to "pop" out of the deck. That's why your left thumb has to be across the inner end; you don't want that thumb to hold back the half JH. And, because of the way you overlapped that cut JH when you were forming the gaff, it can't possibly protrude too much - if it did, it'd expose the fact that the JH isn't a whole card, of course. Anyway, that can't happen.
The gaffed card acts as any double card (it's actually a triple card at the inner end) would. If you riffle up lightly at the inner end, it acts as a "stop." As soon as you feel it fall - feel that "stop" - get a left little fingertip break above it. That break is automatically directly beneath the red-backed JH, Riffle force that JH. (I have to assume you know how to riffle force a card. But, briefly: Your left thumbtip riffles down at the deck's outer left corner, as you ask your spectator to say "stop." Time it so that your thumbtip is at center when you are stopped. Your right hand [from above] simply lifts the block of cards a-
And, the JH pops out face up. (Fig. 4.) This is startling. Say something to the effect that his card not only popped out, but that it turned itself over - it's facing up while_all the other cards are facing down. There is a possibility that the half card may cant a bit to the right or to the left. If that happens, •1154"