talkmagic.co.uk

I've been watching Larry Jennings perform his 'Open Travellers' effect on, yes, YouTube.

When showing the Aces on the table, he flips the last Ace face down beautifully. After endless, endless, endless practice I can still only get this to work (eg. not revealing the secret) about half the time.

Is there some little tip or secret to this technique that makes it reliable, be it certain types of playing card or a certain grip or something? (I really don't want to resort to r------g f---d).

I hope this is clear enough if you know the effect, without revealing if you don't...

Just a follow-up. If my question is not clear enough I am basically just talking about tabling a d----e in the manner described.

Just before tabling the d....e try slightly bending the cards in an arc. This will squeeze the air out of the d...e card. Use one finger just as you are about to table the card.

This is a knack type of thing.

and use your fingernail to pin the card down not your fingertip.

Practice on different surfaces as they all have different properties

All The Best,
John.

I would say your best bet to learning and perfecting this effect would be to buy 'The Classic Magic Of Larry Jennings' book. It is very thorough in all aspects of the sleights and performance, it is filled with loads of other such gems and you would have ethically gained the right to perform it too.

Thanks for the replies.

Greedoniz: I have the Jennings book, and very, very good it is too. Interestingly, the book describes a different way of tabling the card than Jennings uses in the performance of his that I'm referring to.

In the book, you are told to put the edge of the card on the table and let it fall flat. In his performance, Jennings holds the card horizontally over the table and flips it off his fingers, so it turns over in midair. This is the effect I am after, as I think it strengthens the routine enormously.

edh - I have tried bending the 'card' a little but found it to make little difference one way or the other.

I'm beginning to think it's quite a 'zen', confidence, 'knack' kind of thing. I also find that if I practice the entire routine I have a far higher success rate than if I just practice the flip of the card over and over. Odd.