contents Show Them a Trick, Ramón!—Juan Tamariz vii Introduction and a Warning ix
SOME BASIC TOOLS 1 Close Up and Not So Close 3 Done with Mirrors? 4 My Secret Card Addition 6 The Good-old Crimp 11 The Principle of Equal Piles 13 The Memorized Deck 15 The Biddle Count 16 The Spread Reversal and D isguised Cut 18 My Lapping Approach 20 The Treated Card 27 No Preparation and Light on Sleights 29 Misdirection and Psychology 31 Cards, Math, Brain, Hands 35 In the Bluff 37 One in the Side Pocket 47 Spellinóo 53 Three Minds with But a Single Thought 57 The Return of the Twenty-one 61 In the Long Run 67 By Any Other Name 71 Four Weddings and an Impossibility 75 The Accidental Detective 81 Arresting Matches 85 Telepathy, X-rays and Telekinesis 93 Moments and Their Types 97 Finnelly Found 103
The Mystery of Cabala 107 The World’s Smallest Computer 117 Laptop 123 You Make Three Piles and I Won’t Touch 125
No Preparation and a Bit More Skill 131 Moves and Flourishes are Different Things 133 The Magician and the Prophet 135 Law and Order 143 Asmodeus 149 Time Traveler 155 My Favorite Timepiece 167 With Some Simple Preparation 173 Two, Three, Four 175 A Bad Mind Reader and a Good Premonition 181 Mnemonica and Other Stacks The Five Senses Control in Chaos Super Telepathy for Skeptics The Well-Placed Card Telepathy to Order
187 189 195 203 207 213
Duplicates, Gimmicks and Special Cards 221 My Staple Card 223 Sympathy for the Devil (That’s Me) 233 Cutting it Close 239 The Fateful Month 245 Erased 251 Cardini Plus 257 James Bond 261 Tricks with the Treated Card James Bonded Assembled Acehesion The Three Bets Name Jumper
267 269 273 279 287
SHOW THEM A TRICK, RAMÓN! Show them a trick, Ramón! This has been one of my most often used phrases (in several languages). I often say it when I want to see magicians’ faces full of astonishment and wonder, when I want to enjoy the enchantment caused by the impossible, when I want to make a very good impression on my friends. Show them a trick, Ramón! And Ramón shows them/us one trick or more, with his absent-minded face: “Cut...count...Could I possibly know that?...But I believe you thought of...and here is the other signed Ace...and if you read my prediction you will see that...” Then magicians look at each other; then they look at me questioningly. And I read their minds: “Do you know how he did it.” “No.” “No way! It’s not possible!” And I enjoy myself and play the fool (which takes no effort after watching his performance), and I see how much they enjoy it (them, Ramón, myself). From Hollywood to Lisbon, from Cádiz to Dresden, everywhere, in every language, in the faces of all magicians, this great, clever, intelligent magician’s magician leaves a mark that reads, “This man does impossible things.” What is the secret? Read this book and you’ll find it: a crystalclear objective in his mind of achieving the im-pos-si-ble. But, who is this Ramón? Show them a trick, Ramón! Well, he is, curiously, a latecomer to magic. He got serious about magic at the mature age of fifty. He turned up at the SEI Circle of Madrid and signed up for a seminar of mine on Mnemonica (which he mastered). He started vii
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doing mathematical tricks (which he mastered) and self-working tricks (which he mastered), without using any sleights (which he didn’t master—then). Gradually, after wisely acquiring a reputation for not using any moves, he started practicing digital techniques (he had mastered the psychological ones) and, lo and behold, he started using unorthodox palms and lapping techniques that went undetected because of his misdirection (which he mastered) with an absolute naturalness (which he has absolutely mastered). And, once again, there is his totally absent-minded face (false!). Ramón and I have nothing in common, except that we both love magic, are addicted to Mnemonica, that we search for the impossible, are mathematically oriented, studied film-making at the same school, almost at the same time, are sons of military men, that we enjoy good food and travel (many of our journeys joyfully shared), that we worked as producers in Televisión Española (me for a few months as an assistant, Ramón for a lifetime as a director). To all that add that we both spent our childhood in the same city (Madrid), on the same street (Francisco Lozano) and in the same building (No. 15). And still I am impressed by his magic! Because Ramón—my dear Ramón—makes us feel the impalpable flutter of the impossible and the joy of stunning ourselves and others. For all that, and for you readers of this wise book, I ask: Show them a trick, Ramón. And Ramón, generous as he is, shows you thirty-nine! And he explains the hows and the whys, and helps you to make others say, “Show them a trick, Carlos!” (or Ana, or Ángel), and to make others happy, as he does for so many of us. So let’s all together, this foreword-writer and you readers, sing that glorious spell: Show them a trick, Ramón! Juan Tamariz San Fernando (Cádiz) August 28, 2002 viii
YOU MAKE THREE PILES AND I WON’T TOUCH ›››››››››››››››››››››››››››
I find
this divination of a card very interesting because it is done under
apparently impossible conditions, yet the method is simple and direct. To get the most out of it, the impossible conditions should be clearly conveyed to the audience. 125
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effect You hand out a deck—it may be borrowed—for shuffling. An innocent bystander divides it into three approximately equal piles, which are spread on the table. This person takes whichever pile she wishes, and two more people shuffle the other two piles, then leave them face down on the table. Your helper takes any card from the packet she holds, looks at it, shows it to the others and puts it face down on top of either of the two piles on the table. She places the other pile on top and squares up the combined pile. She now shuffles the pile she holds and adds it to the tabled pile, reassembling the deck. Throughout all this, you haven’t touched the cards, and the deck has been shuffled several times by others than yourself. You now shuffle and cut the deck, then leave it on the table. Meanwhile, you ask your helper to concentrate on the card she has thought of. Suddenly, in a burst of inspiration, you name it!
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THE FATEFUL MONTH ›››››››››››››››››››››››››
Effect
Someone names one of the suits in the deck, say hearts. You take all the heart cards out of the deck and arrange them in sequential order while you explain that each of these cards represents a month of the year, according to its value. The Ace will be the first month, January; the Two the second month, February; and so on, up to the Queen, which represents the twelfth month, December. Since there is no thirteenth month, the King isn’t needed and is returned to the deck. 245
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Have someone think of a month last year in which something unpleasant happened, something he would like to erase from his life. That will be his fateful month, and he is asked to remember it. You shuffle the twelve heart cards, and then start taking single cards from the face-down packet, holding each one as if estimating its weight. A fateful month, you explain, being full of sorrow, should be a little heavier. At a certain point you stop on one of the cards. It feels different. Set it aside, saying that it feels heavier, so it may be the fateful month. So far, your helper hasn’t said which month he is thinking of, and yet you have set aside a card to represent the month he would like to delete from his life. You now ask him for the month. Suppose he says May. This is the fifth month. You hand him the remaining eleven cards and have him deal them singly onto the table, turning each one face up. The Five is missing! “Thanks to the magic, before you even told us the fateful month, we removed it.” With these words, point to the card you set aside earlier. “But what I actually promised was not to remove it, but to eliminate it, so that it ceases to exist altogether.” Suiting actions to words, you turn the solitary card face up—revealing a blank face!
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THE THREE BETS ›››››››››››››››››››››››››››
I will
describe this trick in detail and with a full presentation, as these contribute greatly to the success of the effect.
effect You ask a willing party to help you sort the deck into red cards and blacks. Both piles are spread face up to show that the sorting has been thorough. “Some people maintain that the hand is quicker than the eye, but nothing is further from the truth. Let’s make a test, not of the hand, but of the eye. If I take one of the red cards and insert it among the blacks [you do so], we can all see what card it is, 279
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because it stands out. The same would happen if we put a black card amongst the reds.” Again your actions illustrate your words. You return each of the odd cards to its matching spread, close both and turn the two groups face down. Turning to the person who helped you sort the colors, you propose, “To test the quickness of your eyes, we’ll take one of the red cards and put it amongst the black cards. I’ll quickly spread the black cards, and whichever of us can spot the red card and call its name first will have proved he has the quickest eyes. Watch carefully and name the red card as soon as you see it.” You remove a card from the face-down red pile, without exposing its face, put it on top of the black pile and cut it into the middle. You turn the black pile face up and ribbon spread it. A red card is clearly seen in the middle. Your helper quickly calls out the name of the card, and you compliment him on his acuteness. Return the red card to the middle of the red pile. “To make it a little more exciting, let’s make a bet. Whoever names the card aloud first is the winner, but don’t worry. If I win, I’ll forgive you your wager.” You write something on a notepad, tear off the sheet, fold it in quarters and set it in front of your helper. Meanwhile you say, “I’ve written what we’ll be betting the first time around. Now take any of the red cards, but without looking at its face. Don’t cheat!” Ribbon spread the red pile face down for your gamemate to take one. Then, in a manner that makes clear that no one, including yourself, can glimpse the face of the red card, you put it on top of the black pile and give the pile a complete cut. Now you turn the black pile face up and rest your hand on top, in readiness to spread it. Say, “Ready? Set, go!” You quickly ribbon spread the pile and instantly shout the name of a card, say the Three of Hearts—and you are right (photo 1). 280
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You have reacted so quickly, your helper has barely had time to see the card, let alone call out its name. “Well, you have lost. This is quite understandable, because I’ve had more experience with this game, and my eyes have learned to see cards extremely rapidly. Let’s see what the bet was.” You read what you have written on the slip: “Ten dollars.” Show the note to your helper for confirmation. You tease him a little, then remind him that he doesn’t have to pay you. Instead, you announce that you’ll give him an advantage on the next bet. You write the new wager on another slip and set the folded paper in front of your helper as before. “This time we’re betting something more substantial, but I’ll give you an advantage of five seconds. I won’t name the card until five seconds have elapsed. Is that enough of a handicap?” Without waiting for an answer, you remove the Three of Hearts from among the black cards and leave it face up on the table. After briefly shuffling the black cards, you invite your helper to take another card from the spread of red cards without looking at it.
1
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With painstaking fairness, you put this card on top of the black pile, cut it to the center and prepare to ribbon spread the cards face up. When your helper says he is ready, you remind him of his five second advantage. However, instead of spreading the cards, you freeze, looking at your watch, and begin to count off the five seconds aloud. You then quietly name the Ace of Diamonds. Spreading the pile, needless to say, everyone sees the Ace of Diamonds, a lone red card amongst the blacks. You have kept your word: You didn’t name the card until after five seconds elapsed. The situation will evoke some laughter, but at the same time people will wonder how you could have known the card without seeing it. Read the second bet aloud: “You have lost a million dollars, your car, your house and your dog, if you have one.” After your helper confirms what is written, you say, “But don’t worry about it. I said I’d forgive your debt. Actually, I cheated a little. I gave you your fivesecond edge before you saw the cards. I’ll give you one more chance. This time you’ll be the one to spread the cards. Only after you spread them will I begin the five-second handicap, and I won’t say anything until the five seconds are up. That is a true advantage, isn’t it?” You again don’t wait for an answer. You remove the Ace of Diamonds from the black cards and set it beside the Three of Hearts. You then shuffle the black cards, followed by the reds, and leave both piles face down on the table. Next, you write a third bet and set it in front of your helper, explaining that this one is even more substantial. Once more have him select a random red card. You place it on top of the black pile and cut it to the center. You then turn the packet face up and let him spread it. Once the cards are spread, you look at your watch and count off five seconds. Your helper, no matter how slow he may be, has plenty of time to see the red card and 282
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call its name: the King of Hearts. To everyone’s surprise, he has won the third bet. But strangely, you remain poised and relaxed. “Well, it seems you have won this time, but magicians always have an out. Please read the bet.” He unfolds the slip and reads, “This time you will choose the King of Hearts.” To this you add, with an unassuming confidence, “And this time I believe I’ve gone too far and abused my intuitional ability. I apologize for having written the name of the card before you even picked it. May I offer you a sound piece of advice? Never bet with a magician who knows the outcome before it happens.”
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