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Hi, not sure if this specific question has already come up (can't find it via the search) - but I've been trying to perfect a 100% hands-off card routine, and been employing the cross-cut with great effect. Can anybody suggest any equally simple fully hands-off techniques?


Thanks,
G

I believe Karl Fulves may be able to help...

http://www.amazon.com/Self-Working-Tricks-Cards-Coins-Other/dp/0486233340

Are you looking for forces specifically, or anything that could be hands off ?

Sorry, I should have explained a little better. Looking to add options to the cross cut - so interested in hands off forces

Thanks

if you are looking for a force that involves the spectator handling the deck, as sugested above, it will be worth looking at Fulves self working, because many of the card effects use mathmatical forces in subtle ways.

the forces may not be explained in the books, but rest assured you can work some of them out.

another hands off miracle, would be stewart James masterpiece Miraskill. Thats in several books, including Hugards encyclopedia of card tricks.

'Sow by the lug - Benjamin Earl' or 'Shuffling Lesson - Chad Long' would be worth looking into.

fulves all the way - you'll have to wade through some sh*te though...

cut-deeper force is nice, and repeatable...

IAIN beat me to it, but I'll back him up on the suggestion of the `deeper cut` force.

It's nice and simple.

HOWEVER - I personally would stick to the cross cut - why?

Because for me, when I've watched magicians and they ask me to pick a card in a un-natural manner involving strict instructions, it takes away the effectiveness from the trick, because you instantly know its something self-working, it's common knowledge. (this goes back to before I was a magician)

You want a force, that stays as close to a -real random card pick- and by asking a person to cut the deck, for me comes across as the most natural hands-off card force I have seen.

However I have not researched much into the amount of hands off forces out there, but I hope my advice helps you anyway

Thank you everybody for your suggestions - I'll try and check 'em all out. I had completely forgotten about Cut Deeper! For me the key to my effect (at least I think it's mine - I've not read it anywhere, but chances are it's been around a while!) is that that it is done with a borrowed deck, which is removed from the box and shuffled by the spectator. I never touch the cards at all, and am actually looking away for 90% of the routine.

For anybody who's interested in discussing this and maybe helping me develop it with a few subtleties, please do get in touch... I'm quite pleased with the premise. It's a demonstration of chance v choice.

Thanks,
G

The Piano Trick can be performed 100% hands off with a borrowed deck. You don't even need to ever touch the deck. You will find it in many books and I know for fact that it's in a Fulves book. Speaking of which, Fulves has a handful of Self-Working Card books- all of which are worth owning. Scarne on card Tricks is another book packed full of self workers.

Using your own deck, you can have a Si Stebbins or other stack prepared. You will need audience management for a 100% hands-free presentation. If not comfortable with that, you can handle the deck initially for the shuffling and then hand the deck to the spec and go from there. If at any time the spec does something to mess up the order then you can go straight into The Piano Trick as an out.

There are a number of effects that seem to the spectator to have been hands off by the magician but are far from it. These tricks usually involve dirty work right at the beginning and then you are in the clear to focus solely on presentation. I'm not aware of any one resource that has nothing but these kinds of tricks in them. One just kinda comes across them.

If you are willing to go beyond cards, there are a handful of nice mentalism effects that can be done completely or damn near hands off. You'd never guess who put out a book about Self Working Mentalism...

First, I probably should have used the term "mental magic" rather than "mentalism" in my post above.

Second, I may be reading too much into what you are trying to routine together but generally speaking, it's not wise to do nothing but card trick after card trick for a performance.

With that in mind, as some here have noted, many of the Self Workers are based on math. Many view that as a negative because you have to hide this underlying fact your presentation. To hell with that way of thinking. Tricks based on math can work hugely in your favor because the method can usually be applied to a vast array of objects. Keep this in mind when going through the books. Substituting objects for cards also has the benefit of making deck switches a whole lot easier.

Card Manipulations No. 4 by Jean Hugard:

How to Make a Spectator Become a Magician-

"This is a trick in which the magician does not touch the cards from first to last, yet a spectator produces a really magical effect without having the least idea of how he did it."

Do you want to force a card, or just be one step ahead and know the card they picked ??? Let them cut a stacked deck, take the top card, and do your peek.

A svengali deck will also help.

The piano trick really is a wonderful hands-off trick. When I first got started about a year and a bit ago my sister showed me this trick, and I was wondering how it was done for about a week haha. Really effective yet simple.

I think there are some spectator-performed tricks in Expert Card Technique.

I like the psychological force. Just start dealing the cards one at a time face down on the table they say stop. That is it you have forced the card.

It is especially fun when it doesn't work. Thankfully it usually does.