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A
card trick is considered the embryonic first step in the world of
legerdemain. Although sawing
a person in half or defying the laws of gravity will get you the opening
spot at Bally’s, card tricks are the canvas clutch or blue blazer of
the magic world: you can take them anywhere. Whether you decide to dress
it up or dress it down, a card trick is effective to show people
something that they don’t know and that is that is how everything
begins. As
any good Buddhist will tell you, the destination is not important,
it’s the journey. This works as well within the elegant act of an
effective card trick because how you get to the big finish is critical
to your ultimate success. If you didn’t care, just wave a deck of
cards in front of someone and tell them to think of a card but not to
tell you. So, as the mark finally settles on a card, you tell them the
correct card and walk away. Although
it is impressive to run counter to all things logical, the trick
basically fails because it is not dramatic enough because no one gets to
play their assigned roles. The conversation would be roughly like this: The
magician says, “Think of a card but don’t tell me.” A deck of
cards are waved passively in front of their non-gaping yaws. The
mark thinks of a card and lets the magician know with some sign that
they have made their mental selection. The
magician says with minimal emotion, “Is the card the ten of
diamonds?” The
mark wakes up and says, “Why, yes it is! How did you do that?” “It’s
magic,” says the magician while walking away. The
trick does all the heavy lifting but the magician fails to involve the
audience with the concept of magic. The end game is to impress the mark
but there is so much more to do between the declaration and the money
shot. The tension has to build and the mark needs to fully appreciate
the task of seeing things unseen. If the mark is only bemused at the
crescendo, it is the sole fault of the magician. The trick needs romance
and mystery; not just some pedestrian ”pick a card” patter. The
first part of any great card trick starts with always keeping the deck
moving from one spot to another during the setup. This accomplishes a
key ingredient to successfully card tricks; establishing and maintaining
a nice momentum at all times during the act. However, the desire to move
for movement’s sake is not the same thing. Although people do not want
things to sit there like lumps; they want to see things flying without
detection and create new ideas out of old, ashy thoughts but with
aplomb, not frenetic, amateurish mannerisms. Secondly,
when declaring knowledge of something that is technically magic, one
cannot impart this knowledge half-heartedly. The magician has to
confidentially proclaim this talent without qualification and with an
unabashed excitement that something new and wondrous is going to be
offered. The trick is the destination but the presentation and the
set-up is the more worthwhile achievement. People want tension created
but only then they can enjoy the resolution of tension at the apex of
your self-made crescendo when your trick finally completes. A
true magician friend once said to me in a Mahanoro bar that people hated
lying but loved trickery. “People
know the card didn’t disappear,”
said my friend. “Even fools know things don’t disappear, they are
hidden for a period of time.” “So,
why do you use the term ‘disappear’ to explain something that it
doesn’t do?” “Because,
my friend, anyone can hide something, if given enough time and
opportunity. Magicians are held to a higher standard of the definition.
Or, at least they are supposed to be held to that standard.” “So,”
I asked seeking simple enlightenment, “don’t be afraid to accentuate
the positive?” "That
is pretty close, but I would say that it is easier to get people to pay
attention when you make it sound interesting.” He
showed me a few simple tricks that at first impression were very
effective. Knives appeared out of loafs of bread; a cut napkin was
pristinely uninjured and other types of table magic that left me
intrigued and ashamed because I thought I knew my way around a dinner
table. I
asked to see them again. “No,
you have already seen them,” said my friend. “To see them again is
to diminish them. These are elementary child’s tricks and do not hold
up well to adult scrutiny. Just dig the table magic and move on.” I
protested but he waved his hand at me. “These
are stupid, childlike tricks and if I show you how they work, you will
be very disappointed.” “How
do you know?” “Because,
when I was a little boy, I was disappointed when I finally saw them
repeated over and over again. My brother showed me the tricks at the
kitchen table and I kept asking him to repeat them until I figured out
how they worked.” “I
felt great for about one minute; then I was disappointed that the tricks
were just clumsy sleight of hand and misdirection. When he showed me how
pushed his knife through the bread, I was embarrassed because it was so
simple and I was so stupid. The angle made it look like the blade was
emerging from the bread but in actuality, he had just slid the knife up
his sleeve and pushed it through.” “And
what happened next? Did he show you more solutions to the magic?” “I
told him that I was sorry and stopped asking how things worked. I knew
that all I would feel is either sad or stupid. But I really wanted it to
be magical; not a trick relying on my stupidity, lack of concentration
or a lame combination of both.” I
decided to order another round and change the subject. Card
tricks have been around roughly ten minutes after the invention of the
deck of playing cards and once the nomenclature and color palettes were
determined, the first slight of hand was generated on the same
afternoon. The first deck of cards was created and one person is the
room said to the other person is the room “I bet I can guess what card
you have in your hand” and a new world opened up. As
a result, one of the first tools for the beginning magician is a deck of
cards. To make magic happen, you need to use common household items and
allow, through your skills, the item to transcend time. The orderly
squads of four suits combined with their easily-understood ranks makes
all card tricks more exciting but the beauty is not coming from the
epiphany of recognition but from the adrenaline caused by circumventing
both the general laws of physics as well as the space-time continuum. Being
the magician, even for this one trick, brings along with it a
responsibility to guide the viewer through a series of simplifying
assumptions. The viewer must agree that the general premise is a
challenge: to pick a card out of a shuffled unseen deck is statistically
tricky and the magician technically has a one in fifty-two chance of
getting it right. However, if you proclaim that you can pick three cards
out a deck, the odds move quickly up to one hundred and thirty-two
thousand to one and that is not bad for a parlor trick. Of course, one
could actually beat those odds but to knowingly taunt statistics is like
putting for par: you can do it every once in awhile but it isn’t
healthy to do it too many times without running risks up the
metaphysical wazoo. This
card trick allows you (the magician) to pick three cards from a full
deck (or as many decks as you wish) by calling out each card prior to
the individual harvest. You state with a confident air that you, and
only you, can see into the future and through walls and calmly pick the
three cards without regard to common sense or logical thought. The
first step is to procure a deck of cards that is the mark’s property
as using your own deck will immediately raise suspicion. Luckily most
people do not have a deck of cards at the ready so encourage your
audience to provide them at their convenience. In the interim while the
mark roots through several kitchen junk drawers, continue to make broad
and bravado-filled proclamations that you will eventually amaze and
astound them once they come around with the cards. However, always
beware anyone who pulls a deck out of their pocket but even in front of
degenerative gamblers, it is a good bet that the trick works. Allow
the mark or marks to shuffle the deck to their collective heart’s
content. You have to remain engaged enough to notice the shuffling but
your attention to the act isn’t essential. As we all know, people are
segmented into two categories: good shufflers and brutal, simpish
shufflers. As the distribution continues, encourage any other audience
members to get into the game by shuffling a few times themselves. In
fact, as the magician, the more shuffling acts the better. This
provides the genesis of the trick’s success: if you know the bottom
card, you will be able to accomplish the trick. If you were unsuccessful
in learning the bottom card, you may hope for a reflection from the
surface below or hand the deck to any audience member and ask them if
they are satisfied with the state of the deck. This allows you another
chance to ascertain the bottom card’s identity. If you have failed to
get the card’s identity, you can still salvage a majority of the cards
but it is moderately apparent to this writer that you are likely an
idiot. Let's assume for the sake of not beating a dead magical horse and
armed with the
assumption that somehow you will eventually know the specific bottom
card, the trick can continue. The
next phase needs the mastery of a critical skill: the ability to fan out
a deck. Luckily, this is a skill that anyone with a horizontal surface
can eventually master given enough time and patience. An elegant wave of
your hand must present a balanced and concentric semi-circle with no
card jutting out or appearing out of place: these fifty-two cards must
be faced down, orderly and all organized with an easy elegance. Finally
mastering the fan, you have to remember to repeat your declaration that
you are on the verge of initiating the “world’s greatest card
trick” while the marks gather around to experience your definition of
wonderment. After
waiting for the crowd to re-focus on you, begin with describing the
trick with a quiet confident. At this moment, the crowd does not know
what the “world’s greatest trick” involves so you need to educate
them. You
allow the sound to mute and then look in the eyes of each person and
declare, “I will be selecting three cards out of the deck without ever
seeing them.” In
and of itself, a declaration of that magnitude should get everyone’s
attention. The pause before moving into the trick allows the audience
time to try to decipher or determine how you are going to do it. By this
time, you can remind them that the deck was likely shuffled within an
inch of its inert life and momentarily pausing to seek any questions
(none should be forthcoming); it is time for the show. Feel free to
repeat the mantra of “I will be selecting three cards out of the deck
without ever seeing them” at anytime during the trick because it is
effective in keeping folks engaged. In fact, ask someone to write down
the three cards so they have now an accountable record of accuracy that
will scrutinize your actions. However, fear not, because your trick
transcends mere mortal scribblings. The
cards are now fanned and if there is a God, you had the time to identify
the bottom card and we have agreed to use the eight of hearts as our
generic identifier for instructional purposes. It is time to take an
inventory of what you know and the inventory is minimal: the bottom card
is the eight of hearts and you have no idea the identity of the other
fifty-one cards. However, since most magicians are trick glass-half full
sorts, the one card will be plenty. When
you have completed the fan, review the deck to make sure that any card
you wish to pick up during the selection phase is easily grabbed and the
bottom card (eight of hearts) must be also ready to go. You cannot delay
or fumble the card pick-ups because that will cause the audience to
start thinking; that isn’t good. Review the card fan and if you wish,
pass your index finger over the semi-circle to double check that any
card you decide to grab will come to you with no incident. The
next step is finally simple: declare the first card you will pick is the
“eight of hearts” and grab a card in the middle or first half of the
fan. It doesn’t matter what the card is at this time but just grab it,
look at it, subtly nod and place the card off to the side but ideally,
in your shirt pocket or a hat. Do not let anyone see it because it is
magic time. For our narrative, let’s say the card is the ten of spades
even though the audience is assuming it is the eight of hearts. At this
time, it doesn’t matter because you said three cards and if asked or
challenged, smile and say “the more cards, the more magic.” Now,
step three is to point at another card, located somewhere different that
your first selection and not too close to the bottom (or end) card (the
real eight of hearts). You
now point at the second card and say, “The ten of spades.” Take the
next card, subtlety nod and place the second card in the pocket or pile
and resume your search. For this example, let’s assume the third card
is the ace of diamonds and we are finally coming to the end of the
trick. You
move down to the last card and let your finger meander around for
awhile; allow it to circumnavigate the fan and once an appropriate
amount of time has passed, state that your next card is the ace of
diamonds and quickly scoop up the original eight of hearts. In
layman’s terms, you were piggybacking one card ahead but finishing
with the only known card in the deck. Since all three cards are in your
pocket, you eliminate the curious individual who sees their selected
order. Keep the cards close and move them around a bit in your hand with
homage to Judy Holliday. Once satisfied, request the group to parrot
back the three cards and each time they name the playing card: drop it
on the surface and watch the mouths drop. You will feel a rush of
adrenaline and enjoy the warm feeling of success; it doesn’t last
long. Now,
while you are flush with the confidence that only comes with a
successful trick, there are several dogmatic standards of the post-trick
world that need compliance. The first is not to show the trick more than
one more time: if you continually repeat the trick, the pattern of
grabbing the bottom card as your last card will become obvious.
When asked to repeat the trick, allow some time to pass to allow
your new street cred to gain some momentum. Shooting your magical wad
too early leaves you with nothing when they demand more. The
second rule was stated early on in this primer; don’t tell them how it
works. If someone insists, make every attempt to mitigate the curiosity
because if you decide to tell one person, remember they are not bound by
any magician code and will likely begin to blather the secrets of the
trick to an audience that may be quite content in allowing things to
remain magical. One person will tell another person and it will all
unravel before your eyes: your audience immediately evolved from happy
person with some wonderment to a group of people that feel either stupid
or momentarily superior. The
third rule is the toughest because rarely can we be superior to others
and when you know something they don’t know; it is easy to drive a
schism between the haves and have nots (or in this case, the knows and
the knows not). The urge to let the audience know they are stupid but
you have to preserve their dignity. You have worked very hard to get
them to trust you and you can throw it all away by turning on them when
they are their most vulnerable. |
