I Need All The Help I Can Get

[TylerScottIllusionist]

The magic club at the University of Michigan and I were hanging out at one of our meetings and we were trying to come up with solutions to a complex plot. The plot basically is someone names any card freely, and that card is the only card that is in your pocket or sealed envelope.

Legend has it that when Dai Vernon was only thirteen years old, Cliff Green came up to him and asked "What kind of magic do you do?" Dai Vernon asked Cliff to name any card and pulled out a pack of cards from his pocket and the card that Cliff Green named was the top card on the deck.

I think David Blaine used this same principle in the video here. I don't think any pre-show was involved here either with Steven Hawking because his reaction seems so warm and natural.

Any help with suggestions as to where I can find this effect or suggestions on where to start building this effect would be greatly appreciated. I think a clue may be in The Expert At The Card Table but I'm not sure which one it is. I have the Invisible Card by Blake Vogt, know of Inferno by Joshua Jay, and am familiar with how to do equivoque with a memorized deck but I'm looking for something that is just as simple as someone freely naming any card and that card appearing on top of the deck or being the only card in already announced location. Thanks!

 

[RealityOne]

The general principle would be in These Books.

A simple way to do it would be to have cards in multiple pockets. When performing, I have two front pants pockets, two back pants pockets, one shirt pocket, two inside jacket pockets, one outside breast pockets and two side pockets. That is 10 cards. There are multiple sources on what are the 10 most popular cards named (I think they are summarized in one of Banachek's books). If you start by saying, "I've placed a card face up in my pocket", you can then use an invisisble deck as an out if they don't name one of the 10 cards.

Easiest and foolproof method is to use on of THESE.

 

[Mr.Book]

Along with your pockets you have the options of top, bottom, second, and center dealing, to increase the amount of known card positions. I wear a vest as well when I work, adding 4 pockets, as well as a hat I have.....adapted.

 

[AmberGraci]

This effect could be achieved through hypnosis or straight mentalism, but of course there are ways to achieve it without that.

If you're looking for something similar in principle, a simple Invisible Deck does pretty well. You could also just have the deck in a memorized stack and secretly pass the named card to the top.

I'd also look into Advocate and The Tyrant by Daniel Madison, they essentially let you get in control of any named card at a moment's notice, and you can reveal it wherever you'd like.

 

[DominusDolorum]

Easiest and foolproof method is to use on of THESE.

Nice one, sir. That gave me a good laugh!

Tyler, the trick that I use that I think comes closest to this is "Kollosal Killer" by Kenton Knepper. The card is named, and you remove it from your wallet. It is just that simple.

http://www.penguinmagic.com/p/S16464

I was also watching a Eugene Burger clip on YouTube and he did a trick called Thought Sender. I believed he used equivoque, but its done in such a great way that it doesn't seem like it at all.

 

[DominusDolorum]

Legend has it that when Dai Vernon was only thirteen years old, Cliff Green came up to him and asked "What kind of magic do you do?" Dai Vernon asked Cliff to name any card and pulled out a pack of cards from his pocket and the card that Cliff Green named was the top card on the deck.

I was out at dinner one night with my girlfriend and I pulled out a deck of cards and left it on the table. I just asked her to name a card, any card at all. She named the King of Spades. So I took out the deck from its case, and on top of the deck was the King of Spades. No one was more surprised than I was xD I often wonder if this was the case with the Professor.

 

[TylerScottIllusionist]

I was out at dinner one night with my girlfriend and I pulled out a deck of cards and left it on the table. I just asked her to name a card, any card at all. She named the King of Spades. So I took out the deck from its case, and on top of the deck was the King of Spades. No one was more surprised than I was xD I often wonder if this was the case with the Professor.

That's so cool! The thing with this is I want the exact effect to be like what David Blaine did here. I don't even want to touch the deck. I just want it to be as simple as someone names a card, the deck has been in view the entire time, and a spectator pulls off the top card and it is the named card.

I have an idea on how I can do this but it will take years of development. Unless Hugo Shelley beats me to it, then it will be out in no time.

 

[TylerScottIllusionist]

This effect could be achieved through hypnosis or straight mentalism, but of course there are ways to achieve it without that.

If you're looking for something similar in principle, a simple Invisible Deck does pretty well. You could also just have the deck in a memorized stack and secretly pass the named card to the top.

I'd also look into Advocate and The Tyrant by Daniel Madison, they essentially let you get in control of any named card at a moment's notice, and you can reveal it wherever you'd like.

You may be on to something with hypnosis. I think that may be the only way to do it without using any gimmicks. I don't think it's a sure-fire method though. I'm thinking about building a gimmick that will have a sure-fire effect to it but I never touch the deck that's been in sight the whole time.

 

[mclintock]

You may be on to something with hypnosis. I think that may be the only way to do it without using any gimmicks. I don't think it's a sure-fire method though. I'm thinking about building a gimmick that will have a sure-fire effect to it but I never touch the deck that's been in sight the whole time.

Derren Brown could pull it off

 

[TylerScottIllusionist]

Derren Brown could pull it off

Derren Brown is definitely skilled at all forms of mentalism and hypnosis. Well magic in general for that matter. At the magic club at my university we are always discussing his performances and trying to analyze how he did it.

In the video I shared, I really don't think Stephen Hawking was under any sort of hypnosis or hypnotic suggestion. That's sort of what I'm going for with this plot/problem. I've been kicking around this idea that Hugo Shelley inspired but it will be expensive to make and I'm going to have to be more educated in order to make it. I'll get back to you all in a few years when I perfect it. Haha

 

[MarcoLostSomething]

Many other effects of this kind involves stuffing your city or yourself with playing cards, so you can have most of the time a way out.
I've accomplished this effect just once, i had one card folded and asked to name any card, and i guessed correctly.
I say "guessed" cause my method (which is unpractical most of the cases) is to know what card is going to get chosen.
You get this information by doing other tricks, trying to figure out if there is one particular favourite card (or just something we get around often), and you give it a shot.
A hint: that was one of the ways to setup an ACAAN routine.
The actual way i do this (which is still great) is to drive to the selection, so get the suit, ballpark the position, ask to name the card (hand gestures can help to get it right).
2 exits are enough, if you set the top and bottom card being the 2 possible named card you're done.

in conclusion: don't seek for the "miracle", cause most of the time nobody would even notice the difference.
So you can do magic the cleanest way by luck, or with very unnatural palming action from somewhere.
For a person who doesn't know the force, any card is a good card!

Hope my boring post helped in some way... it's good to keep the mind working on new stuff!

 

[TylerScottIllusionist]

Many other effects of this kind involves stuffing your city or yourself with playing cards, so you can have most of the time a way out.
I've accomplished this effect just once, i had one card folded and asked to name any card, and i guessed correctly.
I say "guessed" cause my method (which is unpractical most of the cases) is to know what card is going to get chosen.
You get this information by doing other tricks, trying to figure out if there is one particular favourite card (or just something we get around often), and you give it a shot.
A hint: that was one of the ways to setup an ACAAN routine.
The actual way i do this (which is still great) is to drive to the selection, so get the suit, ballpark the position, ask to name the card (hand gestures can help to get it right).
2 exits are enough, if you set the top and bottom card being the 2 possible named card you're done.

in conclusion: don't seek for the "miracle", cause most of the time nobody would even notice the difference.
So you can do magic the cleanest way by luck, or with very unnatural palming action from somewhere.
For a person who doesn't know the force, any card is a good card!

Hope my boring post helped in some way... it's good to keep the mind working on new stuff!

Hey thanks for the advice. Your method is actually quite clever of guessing what card they are going to choose.

I think what I'm going to do is put all my electrical engineering knowledge to the test and create a gimmick to accomplish this. This is way off into the future if I end up doing this but if I do, I think I will have an easy alternative to the legend of Dai Vernon and Cliff Green.

What I often like to think of is when Ben Seidman held one card in his hand and said "Penn, pick a card." Penn Jillette went on to pick a random card and Ben Seidman jokingly puts the card away and says "That would have fooled you if it was your card." So what I'm imagining is what if that could work every time. You have one card, or deck, that's been in view the entire time and have a spectator name any card. They then flip over the card and see that it is their named card. I really think this can be done as I described with the help of some 21st century engineering.

What I'm trying to do is see if this effect already exists in the plot that I described. So far hypnosis and your suggestion of using educated guesses seem to be the closest to what I'm going for. It still baffles me how Blaine did this though. I don't want to create something that has already been created and waste my time. So if anyone knows of Blaine's exact method in the video here that would be greatly appreciated if you could give the name of it.

 

[RealityOne]

It still baffles me how Blaine did this though. I don't want to create something that has already been created and waste my time. So if anyone knows of Blaine's exact method in the video here that would be greatly appreciated if you could give the name of it.

Acting and editing. This can be replicated in a live show. Just go up to a spectator before the show and ask them if they will help you with an effect. Tell them you are going to ask them to name a card. Explain that most people name the Ace of Spades or Queen of Diamonds so you want them to name a card a random card. Have them select a care from a deck to make sure it is random. Ask if it is the Ace of Spades or the Queen of Diamonds. If it is, have them pick another card. Tell them to remember that card and when you ask them to think of a card to think of the card they picked. Hand the deck back to them and have them shuffle the deck so there is no way you can know their card.

The script is, "I want you to think of a card, not the Ace of Spades or the Queen of Diamonds. Are you thinking of that card? Now, there is no way I can know what card you are thinking of? There is a deck that has been sitting there all night..."

 

[Rev]

Re the Blaine clip...

Two words: Juan Tamariz.

A bunch more words. Find a clip of him performing for Katy Perry. He does the same trick, but isn't quite as lucky, though you'd never know. The card is always a free choice but Blaine has 'control' of another variable meaning he is able to finish the routine in the most direct way possible, every time.

Rev

 

[Rev]

Addendum: also, note the bottom card when Katy is checking the deck...

Rev

 

[TylerScottIllusionist]

Thanks everyone!

I watched the Blaine clip a few times last night and have concluded that it was the fairest conditions possible but luck was in Blaine's favor when Hawking said Nine of Diamonds. I think Blaine had the deck in a memorized order and was very fortunate that the nine of diamonds was on the bottom so that way he could play it off as if he intended it to be that way the entire time. If he used another method without luck or pre-show, then he has one of the best effects that I could think of.

I think I may work on this as a project in the future as a tribute to the legend of Dai Vernon which has always fascinated me. It will be fun to tinker around with this idea in a workshop and see what becomes of it. Maybe my Signals and Systems class might actually come in use after all.

 

[Rev]

I think Blaine had the deck in a memorized order

You think?! I basically told you....

Again, same two words: Juan Tamariz. He's pretty well known for his memorised deck work.

I know you're relatively new to magic so look him up. You'll be glad you did!

Rev

 

[MarcoLostSomething]

You think?! I basically told you....

lol!

I never learned the mnemonica, didn't notice the stack as well

Anyway, a little observation of mine: note how an effect performed in such impossible conditions, created little reaction.
Katy Perry was like: "Ha. I just only cut to one freely thought card from a deck in my own hands. Cute."
I always reconsider the strenght of magic in the eyes of a layman.

 

[Rev]

lol!

I never learned the mnemonica, didn't notice the stack as well

Anyway, a little observation of mine: note how an effect performed in such impossible conditions, created little reaction.
Katy Perry was like: "Ha. I just only cut to one freely thought card from a deck in my own hands. Cute."
I always reconsider the strenght of magic in the eyes of a layman.

I don't know the stack either, but for some reason I know the last card is the 9D....not sure where I picked up that pointless piece of info.

Also, your observation re the reaction is spot on. Perhaps the problem with this kind of magic is that you never know when you might have to improvise or indeed when the finale will 'happen' so it could potentially be difficult to build it up properly.

Rev

 

[MarcoLostSomething]

Well, all i'm saying is that most magician here are working on the "impossible impromptu miracle" (like a new ACAAN or any thought card in weird locations), and although it's fun and creative process, i strongly believe that the same or even better reactions are achieved by performing a simple biddle trick.
Just my two cents: those are tricks made for magicians