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Hi everyone. I've been trying to figure out what this particular trick is called for a few years now. All I can do is describe as well as I remember it. I saw it performed at a Toys'R'Us as a demonstration of a box magic set.

The details are somewhat vague at this point, but basically what happened was that after a bit of build-up, the magician spread out a deck of cards face up and they were all the same card. Then he began touching all the cards and they seemingly all changed into different cards right in front of us.

After some initial research, the Svengali Deck seems to be the closest match, but I have yet to see a trick done with the Svengali Deck that actually looked like the above trick. Everything I've seen with Svengali always seemed to involve spreading out the cards, then picking them all back up first, then re-spreading them...or some other variation thereof.

The trick I saw, no matter what else I've forgotten, definitely was all done when the cards were spread out and face up. I suppose it could have been nothing more than the magician separating the same cards from the different cards with his fingers, but I've retained a doubt in my mind mainly because I have never seen the trick duplicated with any of the decks I know of, such as Svengali, Mirage, etc.

Thanks for any advice you can offer!

mate, you dont spread svengali deck face up.

I have to say that 99% of the post screams out reconstructive errors.

However, if you answer one question the way i suspect you will, i will know how it was done.

did the cards change, one by one, as he took them out of the spread deck?

The context screams Svengali deck. Somehow I don't think ToysRUs would be selling anything more sophisticated...

Bertoneski wrote:The context screams Svengali deck. Somehow I don't think ToysRUs would be selling anything more sophisticated...

true, but if it was a marvins demonstrator, it could of been anything.

janitso wrote:mate, you dont spread svengali deck face up.

You can, but it's not the normal way to use it. I hereby invoke Mark Lewis...

daleshrimpton wrote:I have to say that 99% of the post screams out reconstructive errors.

However, if you answer one question the way i suspect you will, i will know how it was done.

did the cards change, one by one, as he took them out of the spread deck?

No, they all changed simultaneously. And he didn't "take them out," they were fanned across the table (face up) and they were all the same card, then he just started tapping them and moving them very slightly and they all changed to different cards at the same time. He did not pick them up in order to do this.

If by "reconstructive errors" you mean my memory is wrong, you could easily be right about the parts before this particular part. In fact, I don't really even remember the build-up to this part, but I know for sure that this is what happened at the end, because it was what was so impressive. They were fanned out and all the same, then he touched them (moving each one just barely, like a matter of millimeters it seemed) and they changed to different cards.

It wasn't Lennart was it?

There was an effect on the market where four or five cards were fanned in the hand, and as they were touched they visibly changed, but I am thinking this may be one of those where it is just not rememberd correctly.

bmat wrote:There was an effect on the market where four or five cards were fanned in the hand, and as they were touched they visibly changed, but I am thinking this may be one of those where it is just not rememberd correctly.

I don't blame you for doubting...I'd probably be the same way. But I know for sure the entire deck was fanned out on the table. I'll probably never get an answer because no one will think I'm remembering it correctly.

Oh I am positive that the entire deck was fanned out on the table. What may be in question is what happened after the deck was fanned and once the cards changed. I understand your frustration. So many people have insisted that when I do card on ceiling they themselves shuffled, banded, and thrown the cards. They had done neither of the three. Likewise I've had people absolutly swear that I revealed the selected card before they told me what it was on the odd time I've performed the ID. (I use it as an out). And believe me, I let them believe what they want. But they but I absolutly do not reveal the card before they yell out loud what card they had. In fact I insist that they tell me the card in advance that way I nor they can change their minds. I stress the point...yet still.

And card under glass? Very interesting lapses in memory when I hear somebody describing what I've done. "He never touched the cards" 'The glass was not there a minute ago" "The deck was in the box and I was holding the box" (okay that last one really does happen) but you get the idea.

bmat wrote:Oh I am positive that the entire deck was fanned out on the table. What may be in question is what happened after the deck was fanned and once the cards changed.

I was just hoping that with the little description I could definitely give, someone might go "Oh yeah, that trick is called ____" but it seems like it isn't certain. Maybe I'm not telling enough, but all I remember for sure is that the cards were all the same, then they weren't after he touched them with his fingertips.

bmat wrote:There was an effect on the market where four or five cards were fanned in the hand, and as they were touched they visibly changed, but I am thinking this may be one of those where it is just not rememberd correctly.

I guess you're thinking of Zapped? of Shade fame?
Funnily I'm pretty sure only 3 of the 5 cards actually change in that.

I guess you're thinking of Zapped? of Shade fame?
Funnily I'm pretty sure only 3 of the 5 cards actually change in that.

I think he might have been thinking of Fan2c by R. Paul Wilson

Yeah I thought of Zapped but then that's only a five card change but it is face up & you only tap the cards.