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I have the greatest respect for anyone pulling off a top change in plain site. No matter how hard I consider misdirection and timing, I just can't seem to be able to get both hands in the right place at the right time and nobody notice.

Maybe it's just the trick I'm doing.

You are thinking waaay too much about it. Verbial misdirection I find is the strongest. So ask a question before doing the move. Dont move your hands too far apart to begin with either. Move them far enough to do the move. Dont open your arms out like you are showing the fish you nearly caught. Rember the larger action covers the smaller action too.

The critical thing to a good top change that most people forget is to drop or move away the hand holding the whole deck (minus 1 card) after the change has been made. Read the section on the top change in Expert Card Technique for a more detailed description. As for the switching of the cards, that is just practice.

Marvell wrote:Maybe it's just the trick I'm doing.

What is the trick you're doing?

Thanks for the tip and reference McCabe.

I'm trying to do this, trick, which I assume he either does with a TL and a TC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCmhQ7ZgwWs

I can see him gesturing with the pack and I've noted he asked a question at the time.

If he's not using the method I describe, please let me know

The trick is Eddie Fechter's 'Be Honest What Is It?' although I don't think it's the exact original handling.

Marvell wrote:Thanks for the tip and reference McCabe.

I'm trying to do this, trick, which I assume he either does with a TL and a TC.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCmhQ7ZgwWs

I can see him gesturing with the pack and I've noted he asked a question at the time.

If he's not using the method I describe, please let me know

Yes it's a top change.
His hands are moving forward and back as he does it, making it difficult for the spec to see the TC.
And he asks a question, engaging the spec's brain.

It's all a question of timing and being relaxed.

I'm finding the top change hard to practice, since it's a misdirection covered move. Maybe more work on misdirection is required before I attempt this one.

I tried it on my partner, but she just turned the card over after the first change, even though I said "without looking", so it was sort of all over then

If i remember rightly this trick is by roy walton called transmutation. really good trick very effective

I do this trick all the time and have played with a few different handlings on it...

after doing it for about a year i have discovered that the best way to get away with everything (the TL, TC and have them NOT turn it over too early) is to go slow at first so they see the 2 first cards...then go as fast as you can through the 'stealing' phase, so they are confused and trying to catch up with you...then after they have caught up....blow them out the water with the ending and smother your body in goosefat, bung yourself in the oven then present yourself as the best roast potato in the world!....

probably my favourite trick....

I thought it was called 2 card monte?? (and in the method i use for that, it is not a Top Change)

Anyway........When i do a TC, i look the spec in the face, ask them a question or make some sort of gag or comment that would warrant a response from them. As they glance up to my eyes i relax my posture and do the move, on the offbeat.

Create an offbeat

Plus, if the trick you're performing involves the spectator holding a card (as this one does), you can draw attention toward their hand for a second as you make the move.

The first time i saw this trick was by David Blaine. I use the same line as he did in the video when going for the TC.
He said: 'whitout looking at your card, what card do you think you have now?'. By which he means don't turn over the card and look at the face of the card.

I found out that if you tell people not to look at the card, 90% of them will look down at the back of the card they are holding, expecting something to happen with it or so. Now is the time to go for the TC, and nobody will notice because they are all looking down at the card.

My TC is not so great, but i've never been caught doing it during this trick.

Marvell wrote:I have the greatest respect for anyone pulling off a top change in plain site. No matter how hard I consider misdirection and timing, I just can't seem to be able to get both hands in the right place at the right time and nobody notice.

Maybe it's just the trick I'm doing.

To practice new slights it is often good to select an effect where even a quite bad excecution of the slight will go unnoticed. Eddie Fechter's "Be honest, What is it?" (discussed on "Professional Card Magic" VOL 3, by Michael Vincent) is an excellent effect to practice Top Change as well as its cousin the Top Palm. I think one has to be pretty hopeless to be caught doing these slight in this effect. Another possiblity to practice TC on the off beat in your favorite ambigious card routine.

One thing I do to try to hid the TC

with the card in right hand, as I execute the TC I turn my left hand down and point to the spec's card as my right hand moves to the right. This does two things, The left hand is a bigger move, which covers the smaller move. and second, it separates the hands futher apart, plus gives a time separation between the switch and what you do with the new card. So now you have a few seconds, and their "card" is far away from the deck, so they usually won't think you did any switching.

Daryl talks about this in one of the "Encyclopedia of Card Sleights" videos, on how there really is no cover for doing the TC.

There are some good resources for learning the Top Change (and a video from me...). If you can get hold of Eddie Tullock's Trade Show book he discusses it on there, and I think he talks about it on his DVD/Tape set as well (it's been a while since I watched them).

There's a slightly different handling in Diverting Card Magic by Andrew Galloway, based on the Ramsey method. David Williamson has some work on what I believe is the Hofzinser method.

If you want to see the master in action, get hold of anything by Chris Power. He is the best I've ever seen, and is inspirational to watch. If you can find Laid Back the Video there's some stuff on there.

A Chris Power moment; once Chris was working at a table. He had a card selected and changed it in preparation for something, but the table were talking. After a while he changed it back, showed it to the table again, and then changed it a third time. I only wish I had been there

Most of the pertinent advice has been given; it's a 'just do it' move, and you will get nailed a couple of times in the early days. Remember that the deck always moves away from the card and you'll be fine

Take care, Ian