2 of a Kind

Effect: The magician picks out two cards. He has a spectator cut the deck. He flips over the cards that he picked, then he flips over two cards of the deck that was cut. The cards match.

1. Shuffle the deck so the specator doesn't think you've rigged it.

2.) Tell them you will pick two cards. Go through the deck making sure you look at the bottom and the top cards of the deck.

3.) Pick out a card that matches the bottom card. (If the bottom card is a Four of Hearts, you would pick out the Four of Diamonds to match it.) Then pick out a card that is the same as the top card.

4.) Ask the spectator to cut the deck.

5.) Take the first card, the one on top of the original top of the deck, and flip it over.

6.) Flip the bottom half of the deck over completely.

7.) Flip over the cards you picked. They all match!

Ace Party

Effect: With the spectator's help, you make four piles of cards. When this is done you flip over all the piles and all four Aces are there.

Preperation: Arrange the deck like so: three Aces on the bottom and one on the top.

Presentation:

Ask the spectator to tell you when to stop putting down cards. Begin dealing cards face down on the table. Continue until they have you stop. After the first pile is down, stick the card deck, still in your hand, under the table and put the bottom card on top. This gives you an Ace on the top. Repeat the above steps until you have four piles. Then flip over all the piles to show an Ace on the bottom of each!

THE MAGNETIC CARDS

Effect: Two cards are either chosen by the same person or 1 card each by two people. The magician then drops the deck and only those two cards remain.

The Performance:
1. Shuffle the cards, noting the bottom card.
2. Fan out the cards and tell someone to pick any card.
3. Once he (or she) has picked a card, close up the deck and tell him to memorize it.
4. Tell him to place it on the top of the deck.
5. Have him cut the cards and place the bottom half on the top, apparently losing the card in the deck.
6. Look through the cards and find the bottom card you noted. The card to its right will be the spectator's card. Remember it and keep going through the deck until you reach the end. Say something like "I am now giving your card a positive charge." Note the new bottom card.
7. Ask someone to pick another card. She will be amused and think you couldn't find his card.
8. Repeat steps 3-6, but this time say, "I am now giving your card a negative charge".
9. Now, knowing the two cards, shuffle the deck in such a way that one of the their cards is on the top and the other on the bottom. (See note at end.)
10. Make sure that they don't see the bottom card, because if they do, one of them will figure out the trick.
11. Firmly grip the cards and hold them lengthwise so that the back of the top card is facing them.
12. Quickly lift the deck up and slightly release pressure on the cards and let them slide so that the top and bottom cards remain in your hand and the rest fall to the table. Show the audience that the two cards left in your hand are their cards.
Editor's suggestion: After you've found the spectator's card in step 6, casually cut the deck so that it's on the bottom. Use it for your next "bottom card." After the other spectator has chosen her card and cut the deck, look through and cut the two cards to the top and bottom. Overhand shuffle by pulling off the top card with your thumb and then shuffling down so that the bottom card ends up on top. --RS

Vanishing Card

Performer shows a pack of cards in its case. He withdraws the deck and announces he will magically make a card leave the deck invisibly. He requests that five cards be drawn. These cards are placed face down on the table so no one can see them. Performer now picks them up and asks someone in the audience to write down their names as he calls them off. After the cards are listed, he puts them back in the deck. Someone now looks through the deck trying to find the five selections. Only four are found in the deck! The performer opens the case the cards came in... the missing card is found to have left the pack and gone back into the case.

Explanation: When performer withdrew pack from the case, all he did was to leave one card in it, secretly learning its suit and number. When performer reads the names of the five cards, he says the name of this card instead of one of the drawn cards.

Four Kingdoms

This card trick seems magical, but it's not. To perform, separate all of the Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks from a deck of cards. The rest of the cards will not be used. Begin the trick by telling this story of the greatest and most powerful wizard.

Once upon a time there were four kingdoms. In each kingdom there was a beautiful castle. (Put down the four Aces, face-up, in a row, next to each other.)

In each castle lived a wise and just King. (Put down the four Kings: the King of spades on the Ace of spades, each of the other Kings on the Ace of the same suit.)

Each King was married to an equally wise and just Queen. (Put down the four Queens, the Queen of spades on the King of spades, etc.)

One year to each family was born a healthy, happy child, and all seemed right with the world. (Put down the four Jacks, the Jack of spades on the Queen of spades, etc.)

And the greatest and most powerful wizard saw just how good things were and said, "Great! Now I can take that vacation to Disney World and visit the Florida Keys to soak up some sun." And so he began to pack. (While you are saying this, pick up the four piles and place them one on top of the other.)

In the mean time the evil wizard, Morganus, was conjuring up an evil spell to be cast on the four kingdoms. Once the good wizard left, Morganus didn't waste any time. He chanted, "Mouse tails, bat's eyes, blood from a rat. Mix it together in a great big vat." (While saying this, deal the cards into four face-down piles, one card for each word.)

His spell took hold of the four kingdoms and, leaving no stone unturned, he cast them to the four winds. (While saying this arrange the four piles in a diamond shape.)

The results were devastating. The children became lost in the forests, the Kings and Queens wandered aimlessly in the desert, and the castles were empty. (While saying this turn over the four piles to show the piles of all Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks.)

But soon the greatest, most powerful and most rested wizard returned, and he saw what Morganus had done. "This just cannot go on!" he said. And he cast his spell. It worked a magic much more powerful - it gathered in the Kings and Queens, children, and castles from the four corners of the earth. (While saying this, pick up the four piles and lay them on top of each other.) And he said, "Morganus is in trouble if ever he's sighted. But these families four will soon be united." (While saying this, deal the cards into four face-down piles, placing one card for each word.)

And the wizard proclaimed that all was right in the kingdoms. (While saying, turn over the four piles to reveal the four united families.)

Note: with some practice you can cut the cards during the trick, but you have to make sure that you only cut the deck after card #4 or 8.

Mirror Image

First of all: set up the pack by alternating red, black, red, black through the whole pack. Do this before your audience arrives. Now you are ready to start.
1. Tell a spectator to cut the pack as many times as they want.
2. Have them riffle shuffle it, but once only.
3. You cut the pack between two cards of the same colour.
4. Turn over the top card. If it is red, deal it to your left, face up. If it is black deal it to your right, face up.
5. Deal the next card face down underneath it. Repeat step 4, then this step (5) until the pack is gone.
6. The piles you have are mirror images. The cards underneath the red face up pile are black, and the cards underneath the black face up pile are red. Reveal this to everyone.
7. Take your well deserved bow.

Kathy's Prediction

Shuffle a deck of cards. Place the top card face up on the table and look at its number (Jacks, Queens, and Kings all equal 10.) Put enough cards on top of the card to make the total 10. For example if a 4 is showing, then you would put 6 more cards on top of it. Put the cards on so that all are face up. Keep making piles like this, until the deck is used up. If there are remaining cards that do not exactly equal 10, hold onto them.
Ask someone in the audience to choose three piles, each with three or more cards in it, and flip them face down. Pick up the rest of the piles. Count 19 cards from those in your hand, and place them to the side, as they are unnecessary for the rest of the trick.
Ask the volunteer to flip the top card of any of the three piles over, so that it is face up. From the cards in your hand, take the number of cards that corresponds to the number of the card flipped over. For example if a 5 is flipped over, count five cards from your hand and place them aside. Repeat this for one of the other piles.
Now count out how many cards are in your hand, and tell the audience that this is the number of the top card of the final pile. Have the volunteer flip that card over. The number always matches.
(Editor's note: to make this trick seem less "mathematical," don't just count the final cards and say that is the number. Instead, have your volunteer put the cards from your hand onto the last pile. While they do this, you can quickly count the cards in your hand. Now make a production of how you announce the final number.)

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

THE FINGER TIP CARD PRODUCTION

By Doug Edwards

The late, great Roy Benson will be the subject of a large tome to be published this year. Roy was a consummate magical artist and a pioneer of magic on television. I had the pleasure of meeting him on several occasions at magic conventions here in New York City in the 1970s. Upon his wife Connye's death, I bought all the props from his act right down to the carrying case. Although I later sold most of it to David Copperfield in 1996, I did manage to work with the props and study his act very closely. Upon viewing rare film footage of Benson's card production act, I developed my own original 'card acquitment' explained here.

Hold a single playing card, that you will cause to vanish, at your right finger tips. Clamp the card against the slightly curled second and third fingers with your first finger and fourth finger. Now, in an upwards tossing motion, open the right hand bringing the card to the back of the hand and out of sight.

To the audience, the card has vanished! Brush the back of your left hand against the right palm and pause for a beat. Your left hand masks the fingers of your right hand and will continue to mask the actions that follow.

Turn both hands over so the backs are towards the audience. In doing so, bend/curl your right fingers in half to again mask the action. Revolve the hands palm up again as the left hand continues to mask the hidden card.

The hands appear convincingly empty. To produce the card, turn the left hand over and briskly bring the card into view by closing the right fingers. Performers view: the position of the right hand with the left hand removed.

It's now safe to open your right fingertips, thus sandwiching the card between both open palms. The card has magically re-appeared!

If you prefer, you can use this move to climax a card production routine. Simply produce cards from a hidden stack that you have secretly back palmed. When you have one card remaining, use this Finger Tip Production. It's pretty and convincing.

The Four Ace Extravaganza

Preparation: Remove the four aces from the deck and the cards 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 (any suits). Put the four aces on top of the deck. (Later they'll be found in order from the top down.) Put the other eight cards in order from 2 through 9 and place them on top of the aces. Starting with the top card, the deck should be 2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,A,A,A,A, then the rest of the cards. Now you are ready!

Procedure:

1. Bet the audience that they can find all the aces. Shuffle the deck, making sure that the top 12 cards stay in order on the top. (The audience won't notice, I guarantee.) 2. Ask a member of the audience to name a number between 10 and 20 (not including 20). Count that many cards one at a time face down onto the table. 3. Now ask him (or her) to add the 2 digits of his number together and state the sum. Pick up the cards on the table and count that many cards back onto the deck. 4. Remove the NEXT card and lay it face up on the table (it will be the first ace). Place the remaining cards on top of the deck without disarranging them!!! 5. Shuffle again without disarranging the top 11 cards and repeat steps 2-4 TWO more times!! 6. Now place the deck face down in front of the person and tell him to think of a number between 1 and 9. Have him count that many cards face down onto the table and turn the last card dealt face up. 7. If he thought of 9, he'll turn up the Ace. When this happens it makes the trick better, but it usually doesn't. If he thought of another number, he'll turn up a 9, 8,7,6,5,4,3, or 2. Tell him to deal off that many cards--counting the turned-up card as the FIRST--and the last card he deals will be the fourth ACE! 8. It's a good trick but don't do it more than once for the same audience.