101 Deck

Instead of mentally projecting your mentalism thoughts, type them here.
Bob Farmer
Posts: 3302
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

101 Deck

Postby Bob Farmer » April 4th, 2017, 8:59 am

For a new trick I'm working on, I am researching the origins of the "101 Deck," most famously used by Al Koran. This is a deck of four force cards running in sequence (10C JH 4S 6D 10C JH 4S 6D, etc.) but interleaved between each force card is a no-force random card (e.g. n—10C—n—JH—n—4S—n—6D, where n is a no-force random card). The 8 card sequence is repeated 6 times to make a 48-card deck.

Cards are dealt off into a face-up pile and the spectator calls, "Stop," at any time. If he stops on a face-up force card, that card is interpreted as the choice; if the stop is on a face-up n card, the next face-down card is interpreted as the selection.

There is plenty of history on regular banked decks where a sequence is simply repeated with no interleaved non-force cards (e.g., Audley Walsh's “Magician's Dream” deck in The Jinx, No. 43, Apr. 1938, p. 298).

However, the 101 Deck is more than just a banked deck: the real difference is the insertion of random cards between each card of the bank so that the cards can be dealt. None of the banked deck references I can find (other than the 101 Deck) use this structure—they all consist of a bank of cards repeated.

So, given Koran’s clever history, maybe he was the one who came up with this idea.

And why is it called "101"?

Comments please.

User avatar
Joe Pecore
Posts: 1914
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Paul Harris
Location: Northern Virginia

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Joe Pecore » April 4th, 2017, 9:04 am

The "1-0-1" name comes from a simple description of the deck: One force card, one null, one force card..."

More history at: http://geniimagazine.com/wiki/index.php ... 1-0-1_Deck
Share your knowledge on the MagicPedia wiki.

Bob Farmer
Posts: 3302
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Bob Farmer » April 4th, 2017, 4:47 pm

It looks like Harry Lorayne should get the credit for the "101 Deck." I will post the results of my research shortly. Stephen Minch has been a big help in sorting this out. Clearly, Al Koran had nothing to do with the invention of the deck. More later.

Curtis Kam
Posts: 582
Joined: January 18th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Waikiki
Contact:

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Curtis Kam » April 4th, 2017, 11:03 pm

Bob, doesn't Continental Divide in Greater Magic feature that alternating force procedure?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bob Farmer
Posts: 3302
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Bob Farmer » April 5th, 2017, 7:36 am

Curtis:

Do you have a reference page? On a quick look, I couldn't find it.

User avatar
Richard Kaufman
Posts: 27047
Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
Location: Washington DC
Contact:

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Richard Kaufman » April 5th, 2017, 1:27 pm

From MagicPedia: The Koran Deck is a Forcing Deck that was marketed in the 1950s which was a direct copy of Audley Walsh's Magician's Dream which appeared in The Jinx (No. 43, dated April 1938 on page 298).
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

User avatar
Q. Kumber
Posts: 1851
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Tom Whitestone

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Q. Kumber » April 5th, 2017, 2:31 pm

The Dream Deck and the 101 deck are two different methods and effects. Withe the Dream Deck, audience members simply think of cards.

User avatar
Matthew Field
Posts: 2846
Joined: January 18th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Slydini
Location: Hastings, England, UK

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Matthew Field » April 5th, 2017, 2:51 pm

The Koran Deck is a Bank Deck, described by Audley Walsh in the Jinx. Not the same as the 1-0-1 Deck, but similar.

Matt Field

Bob Farmer
Posts: 3302
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Bob Farmer » April 5th, 2017, 3:48 pm

Denis Behr offers the earliest reference: p. 32 of Frederick Montague's WESTMINSTER WIZARDRY (1928). Force cards with a value of 10 are alternated with random cards to force the number 10. Cards are taken off the deck face down, one by one and dropped on the floor until "Stop" is called. If the card in the hand is a 10, that is interpreted as the selection; if not, it's the card on top of the deck.

Denis also cites: Edward Bagshawe's, "Sealed Mystery," in TWENTY MAGICAL NOVELTIES (1930, p. 26); "Curious Coincidence" in Jean Hugard's CARD MANIPULATIONS NO. 5 (1936, P.149); and, S. Leo Horowitz's "Psychological Discovery," in GREATER MAGIC (1938, p.549).

All of these use a regular deck and a small number of force cards. No duplicate cards are used.

Harry Lorayne starts with a similar idea, a regular deck and a small number of force cards as described in his 1958 booklet, BEST OF BILL-FOOLED, but then he goes on to suggest a full deck stack with four force cards repeated.

In 1998, Harry published THE HIMBER WALLET BOOK, which is an update of all of his Himber Wallet material. Harry says this at page 30:

"In BEST OF BILL-FOOLED, I devoted quite a few pages to methods for doing the same thing with a completely set-up or gaffed deck. Simple really. The deck consisted of the eight cards repeated throughout."

I think that nails it: Harry Lorayne invented the "1-0-1 Deck."

Matt Notes the correct title for the deck is "1-0-1 Deck" (with hyphens).

At page 65, Harry writes:

"I knew Al Koran (was introduced to him by Richard Himber, as a matter of fact) ...."

Koran knew a good idea when he saw it. The trick he is most associated with using the "1-0-1 Deck," was also invented by Harry. See, "Five Star Miracle" in THE HUNDRED DOLLAR BOOK, reprinted in the Himber book at pp.27-31.

This is a great book, incidentally. See:

http://www.martinsmagic.com/allmagic/bo ... y-lorayne/

Bill Mullins
Posts: 5911
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Huntsville, AL
Contact:

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Bill Mullins » April 5th, 2017, 4:09 pm


User avatar
Richard Kaufman
Posts: 27047
Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
Location: Washington DC
Contact:

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Richard Kaufman » April 5th, 2017, 6:29 pm

Amazing! That has to be the greatest single thing Harry has invented.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

Brian Hebert
Posts: 48
Joined: August 3rd, 2008, 7:18 pm
Location: nova scotia

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Brian Hebert » April 5th, 2017, 6:38 pm

I'm not sure if this helps or not but on page 2 and 3 of Korans 50 miracles with a 5 Star Miracle Deck (1985) he talks about "Audley Walsh and Al Baker as well as Richard Himber and himself. No mention of Lorayne. Perhaps that was an over site.

User avatar
Matthew Field
Posts: 2846
Joined: January 18th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Slydini
Location: Hastings, England, UK

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Matthew Field » April 6th, 2017, 3:28 am

on page 2 and 3 of Korans 50 miracles with a 5 Star Miracle Deck (1985) he talks about "Audley Walsh and Al Baker as well as Richard Himber and himself. No mention of Lorayne. Perhaps that was an over site.


The Walsh and Baker citations refer only to a Bank Deck, not the 1-0-1 principle.

Harry Lorayne gets the credit!

Matt Field

User avatar
Q. Kumber
Posts: 1851
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Tom Whitestone

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Q. Kumber » April 6th, 2017, 7:29 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:Amazing! That has to be the greatest single thing Harry has invented.


Of all the contributions he has made to card magic, 99.999% of it with a regular, borrowed pack, the best idea being a gimmicked deck. How wonderfully ironic.

Bob Farmer
Posts: 3302
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Bob Farmer » April 6th, 2017, 5:56 pm

Harry sent me note:

Thanks for "them nice words," Bob. As mentioned, I hardly remember it all - too long ago. Best - Harry. (PS: Incidentally, The Himber Wallet Book is re-written, updated, etc., along with Mathematical Wizardry, Doug Edwards Packs A Wallop, in LORAYNE: THE CLASSIC COLLECTION, Vol. 5. You might want to mention that if anyone should ask.)

See:

http://www.harryloraynemagic.com/store/ ... me_5_.html

Bob Farmer
Posts: 3302
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Bob Farmer » April 6th, 2017, 8:12 pm

I've been rereading Harry's book and it has some wonderful ideas, so if you have a Himber Wallet, or any kind of two-way wallet, it is an invaluable resource.

One of the most interesting Himber Wallet routines is Jean Merlin's, "The Little Traveler," pp. 179-181, Genii, April, 1975.

Bob Farmer
Posts: 3302
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Bob Farmer » April 6th, 2017, 8:24 pm

If anyone has a copy of Edward Bagshawe's, "Sealed Mystery," in TWENTY MAGICAL NOVELTIES (1930, p. 26), I'd love to see a scan of that trick.

Also, Harry says he wrote extensively about the "1-0-1 Deck" in BEST of BILL-FOOLED, but he doesn't include that discussion in his Himber book. If anyone has access to a copy, as far as I know, Harry doesn't have a copy, and it would be interesting to see his ideas.

Curtis Kam
Posts: 582
Joined: January 18th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Waikiki
Contact:

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Curtis Kam » April 10th, 2017, 12:37 pm

Sorry all, my reference to "Continental divide", supposedly in Greater Magic was misplaced, possibly mythical. And "The Prize Winner" isn't quite it. I was put onto all this by Christian Chelman who uses this 101 principle in a wonderful routine from Capricornian Tales. And I have to guess that he references the source.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Bob Farmer
Posts: 3302
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

Re: 101 Deck

Postby Bob Farmer » April 10th, 2017, 7:03 pm

Curtis, I'll check the Chelman reference out.

marselmarsel
Posts: 103
Joined: May 7th, 2015, 12:20 am
Favorite Magician: hofzinser

Re: 101 Deck

Postby marselmarsel » April 17th, 2017, 4:21 pm

Hi in the book " engaños a ojos vistas" from 1733 in Spanish, by Pablo Minguet, is a trick used a bank deck, with a dice adivination, Select card find in a packet of 6 has ben deal in table, with decision of a normal dice. In the deck there are 6 banks of same card. So when you deal 6 packs in each are the similar card and latter by a random choice of a dice the selected card is find in that packet.


Return to “Mentalism & Mental Magic”