Pages from My Favorite Card Tricks by Conjuring Arts Research Center

MY FAVORITE CARD TRICKS HARRY LORAYNE

Author of HOW TO DEVELOP A SUPER-POWER MEMORY SECRETS OF MIND POWER CLOSE-UP CARD MAGIC PERSONAL SECRETS INSTANT MIND POWER MIRACLE MATH.

FIRST EDITION

Cover Design by ED MISHELL Illustrated

by WILLIAM A. MORALES

Published by LOUIS TANNEN 120 West 42 Street New York, N. Y. 10036

ELL, here we go again! Lou Tannen is certainly a persuasive charW acter! The response to Close-Up Card Magic was so overwhelming that he talked me into writing Personal Secrets. Now — it seems that

the response to Personal Secrets is such that he waxed persuasive all over again. He has talked me into writing what you're reading right now. Okay — so I sat down and described, in detail, fifteen of my favorite effects and routines with ordinary cards. Effects that you can do anywhere, any time, with any deck and under almost any conditions. Of the fifteen, only four begin with the standard "pick a card" opening. I've used the same format as I used in Close-Up Card Magic and Personal Secrets — that is, I've gone directly into the method and presentation in most cases. And — since I usually write an effect in one sitting, I most often come up with a thought or two after it is written. Therefore — the "Afterthoughts." Don't overlook them; I'm sure you'll find some worthwhile suggestions and ideas there. I must stress again, as I stressed in my other books, that you must learn the effects exactly as I teach them. After you've learned them that way, you can make slight changes to fit your personality and patter. In re-reading Close-Up Card Magic and Personal Secrets, I've been pleased and proud of the fact that there are no ambiguities to be found. No sentences or paragraphs that leave you wondering what I'm talking about. No double meanings, etc. This is not to brag about my great writing ability — rather, it's just a matter of attention to detail — or — plain, old-fashioned hard work. Editing and proof-reading; then editing and proof-reading again — and then again! I mention this to assure you that you can learn the effects exactly as described. There's no reason to make up your own version until after you've mastered mine in its original form. Unless otherwise mentioned, all the effects herein contained are of my own conception and original with me. Of course, some of them are based on existing ideas. (Where do you find a completely new idea today?) For example, the count down and psychological stop (on the 7th card) idea which I use in "Out Of My Control" is certainly not new. I've rarely seen anyone use the idea, however. Perhaps it's because up to now, if the spectator didn't stop where you wanted him to, you were in a bit of a jam. Well, I've been using it as I describe it here for over twenty years. And, just recently, I've become involved in doing trade and exhibit shows for companies like United States Steel, General Electric, etc. Before going into memory, at these shows, I do some close-up card stuff. I always use "Out Of My Control" as the opening or right-afteropening effect. I do it countless times during each day, and it never fails to come across like a miracle. Try it as I teach it and you'll use it often. Not all the methods and ideas I used in "Gambler vs. Magician" (Personal Secrets) were new. But I feel that my additions and ideas have made it a card classic; a workable, practical and entertaining effect. The "proof of the pudding" is that I've received many complimentary letters and calls from magicians advising me that they never used this before, but after learning "Gambler vs. Magician" they are definitely including it in their repertoires. I believe that this holds true for many of the effects in both Close-Up Card Magic and Personal Secrets. And — it will hold true for many of the effects in this book— // you learn them as I teach them!

Page

Foreword

One-Eyed Jack Sandwich

Color Coincidence

Out Of My Control

Criss-Cross

Interlaced Location

Impromptu Out Of This World

Hummer Addition

Aces Only - With Kings

Toss-In Reverse

Any Four Of A Kind

Lorayne's Transposition Breakthrough # 1

Lorayne's Transposition Breakthrough # 2

Your Choice

Pseudo Memory # 1

Pseudo Memory # 2

Last Word

MY FAVORITE CARD TRICKS

ONE-EYED JACK SANDWICH HIS effect is not original with me. Someone performed it for me some years ago. It didn't fool me and there was a move in it that looked like a move. But—it started me thinking. To make a long story short—I eliminated the move that looked like a move, added a presentation, and came up with a quickie that I always use now. It will fool anyone who doesn't know it—if it's done correctly and well. Opening patter:— "There's one thing about cards that I just can't understand. Perhaps you can help me. It works only with the one-eyed Jacks." Run through the deck and take out the one-eyed Jacks—the Jack of Spades and the Jack of Hearts. Continue your patter. "If I place any other card, face down, between the face up one-eyed Jacks, we have, for want of a better description—a Jack sandwich." Suit action to words—hold the Jacks face up and spread, and slip the top card of the deck, face down, between them. If you're working for magicians, let them feel it to see that it's a single card. (Don't allow the face of this card to be seen.) "I don't want you to know where the Jack sandwich—the face up Jacks and the face down card between them—is, so—I'll cut them into the deck." Hold the three cards in a slight fan or spread. During the patter, place the three cards onto the top of the face down deck. As you square them, secure a break beneath the top face up Jack. (Top card of deck.) As you say you'll cut them into the deck, do a double-cut, bringing the top card to the bottom. The situation is this:— One face up Jack is on the bottom; the other face up Jack is second from the top. The audience thinks they're lost somewhere in the deck. Be careful not to spread the cards or you'll expose the face up Jacks prematurely. Riffle the outer end of the deck upwards. (Start a bit above the bottom so as not to expose the face up Jack at the bottom.) Ask the spectator to stick a finger into the deck wherever he likes. Have him remove that card and turn it face up. Say that it doesn't matter if you see it too.

MY FAVORITE CARD TRICKS

When he turns it over, mention the name of the card—say, the 6D. Take the card from him and place it, face down, to the bottom of the deck. This covers the reversed Jack. Now, turn the entire deck face up. Patter:— "Here's the card you selected, the 6D. Now, I didn't want you to know where the face up Jacks and the face down card between them were—and, I don't want you to know where this 6D is either. So—I'll cut it into the center of the deck." Here you do the cut as explained on Page 188 of Close-Up Card Magic under the title, The Spectator Estimates. To make this book complete unto itself, here's a slightly altered (to fit this effect) description of the move, taken directly from Close-Up Card Magic. This is simply a method of giving the deck one slow and deliberate complete cut, retaining the bottom card on the bottom. (For this effect, One-Eyed Jack Sandwich, the deck is face up at the time the cut is executed—so although it's actually the top card that must be retained, the description still holds true.)

Hold the deck, face up, from above, in your right hand. (See Fig. 1) The left fingers go under the deck, left thumb over deckas you start to make the cut. (See Fig. 2) Left forefinger tip breaks away the bottom half of deck and starts to bring it to the top, just as for an ordinary cut. This bottom half is being held by the left forefinger pressing it into the left thumb crotch. (See Fig. 3) As this half is brought toward the top, the tip of the left third finger (or the fourth finger) breaks one card away from the bottom. For this effect, this must be one card only. (See Fig. 4) The card being separated this way is the indifferent card originally between the Jacks.

MY FAVORITE CARD TRICKS

Now complete the cut. (Although this should all be one smooth motion, it doesn't matter if you want to pause—or delay the cutas you're separating that one card from the bottom of the left-hand half. You can pause as you indicate the selected card and stress the fact that it's being lost into the center of the deck.)

From above, the cut looks perfectly natural—because it is a legitimate cut. Except—the card that the left third fingertip separated goes back to the bottom. What's actually happening is—the right-hand half is going right into the break (above the separated card). This entire thing must be done just as you would do any ordinary straight cut. The bottom half is being brought onto the top half-that's all. . . . If you do this move as I've described it—using the left third finger to separate the card—you should turn slightly to your right so that your audience is at your left. If they were at your right, they might see that card being separated. Well, that's all there is to it—the trick is done! This one cut gets rid of the original sandwiched card and places the selected card (6D) between the one-eyed Jacks—all at the same time! And— they're all in the center of the deck ready for your ending! End by spreading the deck face down until you expose the Jack 'sandwich.' Patter as you spread. "Now you know that there was a card between the face up one-eyed Jacks before you selected a card, etc." Very obviously, remove the three cards, holding them in a fan with the Jacks face up and the card between them, face down. "What I can't understand is—how in the world did you know that the card between these Jacks was the 6D?"!

MY FAVORITE CARD TRICKS

Turn the fan of three cards over just as you end the sentence, showing the 6D between the Jacks! I usually add one sentence to end—"That's what I don't understand—and—I see that you can't help me—because you don't seem to understand it either!" Afterthoughts: Assuming you can do the double-cut, the only thing you've got to practice is the other cut—retaining that bottom (or rear) card. It's a bit difficult to describe in print, I grant you— but try it once or twice and it will come to you. Just keep in mind that it must look like a regular straight cut. Don't make it look like a 'move.' Done correctly, it does look like a simple straight cut. Get right under the spectator's nose when you do it—and as I told you—be sure he's looking at the deck from your left. Other than that, get the patter and timing down—and you have a good quickie which you can always use to good effect. I mentioned at the beginning of this effect that it is not original with me. Just to keep the record straight, I believe it was Al Leech who originally performed it for me, perhaps five or six years ago. I changed it, added the presentation and then discussed it with the late Fred Braue, who was then the editor of Hugard's Magic Monthly. Fred eventually put it in a magazine with a different presentation, etc. So it may seem vaguely familiar to some of you. The important thing is that you should learn it and us it—it's a great quickie.