talkmagic.co.uk

ok, so I appreciate there must 1001 ways of forcing a card (albeit as a beginner 'novician' the svengali/mirage is still my personal favourite guaranteed way) - but I have been reading through some old threads here and have become fascinated with some of the ingenious ways there are of revealing the forced card.

I have the 101 ways booklet for the svengali, but I believe that the people here are more inventivie than that.

It seems it is most common to guess a few times and get it wrong - and then just when joe public think you have messed up - the card is revealed in some amazing way. And its 'the amazing way' that fascinates me most.

I thought it would be interesting if we all posted some of our favourite methods here. (assuming this isn't breaking any secrecy rules)

My personal favourite was posted by Seige - (full details can be found in this thread - http://www.talkmagic.co.uk/viewtopic.ph ... t=svengali) which basically involved the trick going wrong and the punter buying a bottle of beer only to find that the card they had selected was actually inside the sealed bottle... Now that's clever. I only wish I had been there to see the expression on his face when he opened the bottle.

I thought of one - (although quite possible I have seen it somewhere else and subconsciously adopted it as my own idea - in which case I apologise) - anyway I recently bought an imitation leather change wallet (quality poor but still quite effective for switches/vanishes)

I start off by saying I am going to do some magic with a photograph and I show a picture of myself with a bicycle card sticking out of my top pocket (face to my chest). I ask the spectator to have a good look at the photograph then I place it in the wallet and place the wallet on the table.

I then get the spectator to pick a card - and promptly tell them that they selected the same card from the photograph - pointing to the back and saying that the back is the same as the one in the photo.

ok - so they aren't very impressed so far, so I assure them that it is the same card - and open up the wallet and ask them to take the photograph out and check it. Of course they still expect to see the photograph that has me with the card back showing - but in fact now the card is facing the camera - which is of course their selected card.

So far this has gone down pretty well.

I am still plucking up confidence though to attempt putting the card in a bottle of beer. knowing my luck and the barmaids round my way it would be sold to the wrong person...

Glad you liked the card to bottle get-out.

I don't know if you're familiar with Sankey's 'Classified' trick, but I believe it's the best revelation ever...

I'm yet to try this one, but here's the gen...

Jay's take is that he's going for that all-important big-money magic gig, and at the interview, he rolls up with a few tricks and a briefcase.

He does a few killer tricks, and finishes up by taking a large envelope from his briefcase. It is placed in full view.

The spectator (in Jay's case, a guy called Blake) selects a card from the deck - FREELY, no obvious forces.

He keeps a hold of the card tightly, and doesn't show Jay the card. It can even be done behind Jay's back.

Then, the revelation: the envelope is opened, and inside is just a single page from that day's local newspaper. Circled on the page is a classified advert, which reads:
"Dear Mr Blake. Thanks for your time in interviewing me today, and I hope we can be do business in the future. By the way - the card you selected is the six of clubs"

Blake turns over his card: it's the six of clubs.

Awesome. Jay reckons it works every time. I'll let you know!

I've thought about doing a similar trick at a birthday party... you know, those dodgy 'Happy Birthday' adverts???

Imagine: land a gig at a party for a friend. Have an ad put in the paper for that evening, do you set and finish with the 'Classified' trick.

Plus, they get a very memorable momento of the occasion.

I've got loads of my own routines involving forces and revelations.
If enough people ask, I'll put some more online.

banana, your idea (sorry to have to do this) is like the "marvins magic svengali" joker card ,who is shown with a card in his hand (face towards himself), when the card is turned to show the back, on the back is the face of the jokers card (3 of clubs whatever)

Mog , thanks for the info on the Marvins Magic Joker card, I feel honoured to know that Mr. Marvin is now copying me

Anyway although I am happy to believe that I must have got the idea from somewhere else - but I am pretty sure it wasn't marvins magic. I don't own any Marvins Magic (it looks very cheap). I got the idea mainly as I was looking for novel uses for the change wallet, and that was the best I could come up with. The leaflet that came with it did discuss transforming a photo from black and white to colour but I thought it would be novel way to reveal a forced card. I probably saw it on a David Nixon show when I was growing up (I bet most of you don't even remember him!)

I guess there is very little with magic that hasn't been done before in some variation or other, which makes it so much more impressive when some of the modern masters come up with something new and original (and invariably funny).

Seige - I for one would love to hear more of your routines involving forces and revelations, and if anyone else would like to share some of their own then this is the thread...

my favorate

when i entertain at parties i have some micro cards frozen in ice cubs.
i have a stooge place one of thease in the drink of my intended victim.

then for the reveal i just fake the trick then ask them is thier a fly in there ice cube .

my other favourate is to bring with me a food flask with a card frozen in a block beforehand, and say if i loose you can have whats in this flask.

card silks are good.

i used to have a video tape of a news reader revealing my card taped from some show.

marvines magic executive set was my first ever magic set it was cheep looking but still very imformative for a beginer i still use a version of the wizard/ stripper deck today in my shows.

My own personal toolkit:
1: One way forcing deck
2: John Kennedy's Mindpower deck
3: A Tapered End Cut deck - like a stripper/wizard
4: A set of Bike backed ESP cards

Using these, some of the most amazing routines are possible.

I highly recommend the ESP cards - one of my best tricks involve the spectator picking four cards from a seemingly normal deck, and not looking at the cards.

I then pick four cards - and one by one, in order, it shows that we both picked the same symbols - and every other card in the deck is a normal poker card. Awesome.

It's a routine devised from different techniques, but it's the ability to be able to force four cards in a desired order that makes this trick work.

I'll write the technique and post it in the restricted area.

I've not got a name for it, though... suggestions???

I'm still working on the manuscript for possibly my most odd revelation - where a selected signed card appears stapled to your boxer shorts... need a title for that too.

Here's a few of my own creations: if you ask for them, I'll write them out and publish them on this forum...

Card Sandwich
We've all heard of card sandwich routines... this is my own version - and I've taken the concept quite literally!
Perfect impromptu for a lunch or buffet - a spectator freely selects a card, which is lost in the deck. The card is revealed - in their sandwich!

Danger - High Voltage!
Perfect for house parties! Some preparation required... A spectator selects a card - returns it to the deck. During a card trick, the lamp on the table suddenly goes out - the bulb has blown! But inside the bulb... the spectators card! Not an easy trick, and it's only because I'm psychotic and like messing with electronics that this works! There's an initial outlay of about £20, and then costs about £2 every performance - but worth it. You'll need to be pretty dedicated and skilled with some tools, too!

Digital Voodoo Disc (DVD)
One of my favourites. At a houseparty, or dinner, or any social gathering where you'll be near a TV and DVD player.
Four spectators select cards from a shuffled deck. The remainder of the deck is spread out face-down in front of the TV. You insert the DVD and play it.
Each spectator sits in front of the TV, places their hand on the screen and chants their card in their head... when they remove their hand, their card is clearly seen in the fading 'handprint' left.
Spookily, every other card in the deck is shown to have the bizarre 'mystical handprint' now on the face of each card!
This is a great trick, and I've produced a proper DVD for it. I've only used it for my own personal performances, but I'm sure I can let you have a clone for a few quid.

Ashes to Ashes
A pretty impressive trick for strolling... only requirement is a full ashtray!
You take out two decks of cards - one red, one blue.
The specator selects a card from the red deck, you take a card from the blue deck. The remainder of the decks are put back in their packs and moved away.
The spectator reveals their card for the first time... it's the three of heards (for example)
You turn over your card, which has been in full view all the time. It's got a blank face! They all look at you strangely... until you use their card to scrape up some cigarette ash onto the blank - which forms a very clear '3' and a heart symbol!

That's all for now, folks...

ALL HAIL THE MIGHTY SEIGE!!!!



okok melodramatic i know but i for one would love to see the routines seige but you probably already guessed i would

OK...

I'll get typing. Off to the restricted area we go, then!

PS... Mog, thanks for the gratuitious use of praise, but I still want that pint or two!!!

Magicdiscoman, I like the ice cube/mini cards idea. Any ideas where I can get a deck of mini cards from?

Seige, I like the shorts revelation, I can think of a few dinner parties where that might go down well . I do hope you are careful when stappling the revealed card to your boxer shorts. Here's a handy hint. Take em off before you do the stappling! You know it makes sense.

Actually that reminds me of a trick I heard about - whereby the magician offers a hat full of coloured silks to a member of the audience, and when they select one he pulls down his trousers and and shows his boxers are the same colour as the silk chosen...

Bananafish... mini Bikes available from cards4magic.co.uk.

Cost more than a regular deck, but magicdiscomans' tried and tested ice cards are a killer - especially when found floating in the spectators drink.

As for the stapling routine... It's quite safe!!! Don't worry. I've only ever had one accident, but that's when I used to do it with a hot-melt glue gun instead.

as i said seige i have no problem with that at all, i know a fair bit about the theories of tricks and illusions... i even dabble at making and creating items/gaffs but i always like to find out how others work, i only use this for family and friends and im guessing that quite a lot of people on these forums do shows/resteraunt work etc. so its good to know ho9w they do stuff... not so i can jump out yelling "FRAUD!!!! he had the 3 of clubs already in the chickens bu*censored for good taste*" but so i can admire the skill in performing, i mean i know how to do a pass but when i see a pass performed extremely well(or dont see it, whatever) then im impressed. Ok im rambling... just finished a 12 hour nightshift.... need sleep....must sleep...*exits in a homer voice*...must sleeeeeee......p

Are these mini cards plastic coated? I mean if they are ending up as ice cubes - it would be nice to re-use them...(is it legal to torture cards in this way? - I mean don't want the NSPCmc* after me)

You have me thinking now of all sorts of other things I could do with mini cards (now now - no suggestions), next week as part of my trip to the USA - I will be visiting my 8 year old niece who is into dolls in a big way, I think I will show her a 'force' card trick and tell her that even though I can't guess her card - her favourite doll probably can - and of course when she fetches it it will be holding the mini card...

* National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Mini Cards.

They ARE plastic coated, but...

Best to buy a couple of decks - one to perform with, and one to waste (I call it a 'donor' deck!!!). The only two times I've done the Ice Cube trick, I've given the cube as a souvenir!!! So I wouldn't know whether it survived or not.

The coating is not the same high quality coating on regular poker sized bikes - it's a smooth coating. But that said, I've used mini-bikes with slush poweder and snow powder effects before, and they've stood up quite well.

Mini Bikes are excellent for many routines... one of my own is a 'torn and restored' that kind of goes wrong, and a mini-bike is roughly a half of a regular bike, so this works as a 'get out' plan. Quite visual.

i printed my own

i scaned my force card printed and laminated several so that i can change the back design to match the force set i have at the time.

same with the card in ice block.

i also print and laminate a4 cards for big revalations.

its the way i always done things, i have a version of the kings to aces in a4 lam format for kids shows to prove how good i am at card palming

Nice one Magicdiscoman

It didn't occur to me to make my own - and its so easy to do nowadays too. I even have the a guillotine somewhere, and as you said it also means I can get loads and loads of the same card...