mfiGflzine OF innovfiTion XCIX
PRECURSOR
XCIX
This is PRECURSOR XCIX and is published in February 2006. PRECURSOR is edited by William P. Miesel and is published by unikorn magik. The editorial offices are at 2215 Myrtle Street, Erie, Pennsylvania, 16502-2643 (phone 1-814-454-8802). unikorn magik can be reached through Ed Eckl, "Clutter Cottage," 3 Gregg Street, Beverly, Massachusetts, 01915-2913 (phone 1-978-927-9388). PRECURSOR will be published more than three times a year, and it will be sold for $21.00 (U.S.) for three issues. Outside the United States, Canada, and Mexico, three issues are sent Air Mail for $25.00 (U.S.). 'Tattle-Tale Cards" is a deceptive card control that is performed under test conditions and is the final card trick that I received from Al Thatcher last spring. "Using Your Sixth Sense" by Marty Kane tells a story about buying a deck of cards, 50% off, using Reverse Faros. In "MIB II," Max Maven presents some thoughts on Marty Kane's "Men In Black," which appeared in PrecursorXCVll. "Ultra Impromptu" is an impromptu version of "Ultra Mental" by J. K. Hartman, which was inspired by David Jockisch's "Coercion" in Precursor XCVll. "Royal Gathering" by Robin Robertson is a routine combining a "King Assembly" and the "Royal Marriages." Tom Craven contributes "More Thoughts On Quine's Keeper" using "Quine's Keeper,'1 which appeared in Precursor LIII. "Dream Away" by Paul Gordon is a means for secretly loading a red-backed card into a bluebacked deck of cards. My "About Face'" is a double-reversal that was inspired by Roy Walton's "Spread Half-Pass." In "Royal Government Deal," Robin Robertson has added a strong climax to Aldo Colombini's "The Government Deal," which appeared in Precursor LXXVI. Harry Hirschvogel, Ed Eckl's mythical friend, gives us "Aye. Aye ... 'Any", a ridiculous baseball trick that is performed with alphabet cards - very funny! I have changed both the handling and the presentation of Frank Garcia's "Out of Town Kings" by replacing red Kings with red Queens resulting in "The Extra Spicy Surprise." William P. Miesel January 4. 2006
TATTLE-TALE CARDS This effect is a very clever handling of a "test" card location. It is based on Eddie Joseph's and Aldo Colombini's "Infallible Memory" in Impromptu Card Magic. This works with a deck of less than fifty-two cards. Hold the faces of the shuffled deck toward yourself and cull the two black Kings to the face. These two Kings serve as key cards. The black King on the face of the deck is now moved to twenty-first position from the face as follows: Spread seven groups of three cards (twenty-one) from the face of the deck into the right hand. Then with the left thumb, slip the King on the face of the deck onto the left-hand cards and square up the deck. This minor set-up takes but a moment, and there is now a black King on the face of the deck, and the other one is twenty-first from the face. Place the deck face down on the table. Say to a spectator, "Cut off a small packet, about a dozen cards, and place that packet face down beside the deck. Now, cut off another small packet and drop it face down onto the first packet. " These two cut-off packets now consist of about half the deck. Continue, "Cut off about half of the remaining cards and look at the card on the face of the packet but don 7 let me see it. " This cut should contain the black King, twenty-one from the face, and this packet is dropped on top of the previous cut-off cards; thus, burying his selected card in the deck. Finally, have the spectator pick up the few cards left on the table and place them on top of the cut-off cards. The deck has been reassembled and you apparently have no clue to the location of the selected card. Pick up the deck and say, "/ am going to memorize the order of the cards. " Hold the deck with the faces to you and spread it from the left hand to the right hand until you spot the first black King. Count it as twenty, the next card to its left as twenty-one; continue counting until you reach the second black King, then stop. Remember the number this second black King falls on and stop counting. Let's say you stop counting on "twenty-four." The spectator's selection is now twenty-four from the back of the deck. Reveal the card this way; ask the spectator to name his card, let's say he answers, "The Queen of Diamonds. " Appear to concentrate, the say, "If I have remembered correctly, the Queen of Diamonds is twenty-fourth card from the top." Count from the back of the deck and turn over the twenty-fourth card - it is his selection. Note: To reset, pick up the packet dealt by the spectator, turn his selection face down on top. then spread this packet faces to you. Spread to the second black King and cut the packet at that point, bringing this second black King to the face of the packet. Turn these cards face down and place them below the rest of the deck. You are reset. There is again a black King on the face of the deck and a second black King is the twenty-first card from the face. Al Thatcher