Swindle Cut Aces

[Philippe Billot]

Do you know when your book will be published?

[Bob Farmer]

Philippe: email me at trickmail@cogeco.ca for information.

[Philippe Billot]

Done.

[Philippe Noël]

I would love to meet Mr Diaconis.

[Richard Kaufman]

I think you have a better chance of meeting Father Christmas.

[Brad Henderson]

With his new book coming out, your chances may improve substantially.

[Philippe Noël]

Hi Brad,
Do you know what this book is talking about?
Magic???

[Richard Kaufman]

If it's the book I've been hearing about, he's been working on it for years. It's a book of mathematical card tricks.

[Denis Behr]

It's on pre-order for some time now: http://www.amazon.com/Magical-Mathemati ... 561&sr=8-1

[Richard Kaufman]

The publication date for the hardcover book, over 300 pages, is officially November 2011.

[erdnasephile]

I shall look forward to the book.

No doubt Dr. Diaconis is a genius, but has anyone ever witnessed him perform in person?

Is he a good performer?

[Richard Kaufman]

He was supposed to have been an excellent technician 30 years ago. From what I understand through second-hand sources, it's not something he has kept up.

[Kent Gunn]

There are unconfirmed rumors he was sighted at a magic convention in California, ca. 2007.

[Bob Farmer]

I've met Persi once and talked to him on the phone a couple of times when he was at Cornell. Seemed like a very nice guy. The first time I met him he asked me if I was a mathematician (maybe he was familiar with "Tsunami"). I'm sure all those poor, battered souls who tried unsuccessfully to teach me math in high school (I flunked consistently) laughed uncontrollably without knowing why as this question was transmitted into the telepathic ether.

[Jeff Haas]

I met him briefly at a convention in Northern California several years ago. Scott Kim was with him.

[Bob Farmer]

In 1980, in his book, The Elegant Card Magic Of Father Cyprian (published by Frank Garcia, 1980, pp. 10-18), Father Cyprian describes, “Swindle Cut Aces.” This became a bit of a sensation at the time and there were many versions and variations published. I have compiled a reference list starting in 1952 and ending in 2011. I'm looking for any references to the trick after 2011. Any assistance would be most appreciated.

[Philippe Billot]

https://www.conjuringcredits.com/doku.p ... ces_ruse&s[]=faro&s[]=controlled&s[]=miracles

Conjuring Credits, as usual, makes a good job, except Neal Elias who was not mentionned

[Philippe Billot]

Bob,

Please, what is your reference for 1952?

[Russ]

I have Neil Elias' personal notes given to me by his Late friend , and mine, Bill Miesel. I posted this before. After a quick look, there are a lot of ace cutting routines. He mentions his solutions / plots for these as posed by Marlo and Bert Fenn. It's a lot to go through, sorry. Will do so when I have some time, really. I am in this business as an acute care therapist seeing people during this pandemic . It's crazy and changed my whole department . Treated a covid patient today. So wish magic was real to get rid of it. But I will try to find this reference. I know it's there. Just a quick look today displays Neil's notes regarding ace cutting this, ace cutting that.. Marlo, etc , etc. this guy had detail . I met him with Bill years ago in Ohio.

Russ

[Stephen Burton]

My favorite version of this routine is Breakless Aces by Patrick Stenberg which is in the December 2005 issue of Magic Magazine, page 96.
As indicated in the title you don't need to hold a break in the initial cutting sequence and it's quite fair in that regard. The turnover of the four Aces never fails to get a strong reaction.

[Philippe Billot]

Bob,

Please, what is your reference for 1952?

I find it. You send it to me in 2011. Thanks again.

[Bob Farmer]

Joe DeStefano and Neil Elias had a lot to do with this effect. Joe worked a version out in 1952 inspired by Vernon's "Cutting the Aces."

[Joe Mckay]

Pinkerton's Surprise from the Issue 4 (NOV/DEC 2002) of Penumbra magazine is a great trick that makes use of this sneaky move.

It is by Bill Goodwin, Shannon Clark & Roy Walton.

Not sure if this is one of your references? I just wanted to mention it since it is not a traditional Cutting The Aces effect. As such it is one of the more off-beat uses of this move.

[Bob Farmer]

Thank you, Joe, I'll look it up.

[Philippe Billot]

In his book Unexpected Card Book published in 1974, Marlo described a version named Another Spectator Cuts the Aces in which the spectator used the Cut Deeper Force (without his knowledge, obviously!)

[Bob Farmer]

Russ: I would be most interested in what those notes say.

[Russ]

Bob,

Did you know Bill or Nick Trost personally? I just want to know.

Best,
Russ

[Bob Farmer]

When they were alive, I did know them and considered them, if not friends, then certainly convivial correspondents. Bill I used to see at 4F every year and paid him for a Precursor subscription each time.

[Bob Farmer]

Genii, Vol. 62, #8 for August, 1999, at page 43, credits Frank Thompson for the idea of turning up two Aces on two separate piles and then dealing them face up on two other piles. Then two Aces are turned face up on the original piles.

There is an earlier credit to Thompson in Cy Keller's Lecture 1.1, in 1979 for the trick, "Spectator Cuts The Aces." I don't have a copy of these notes and would love to hear from anyone who does so I can get the credit details correct.

I have not been able to find any earlier references to Frank Thompson and this method. Any assistance would be most appreciated.

[Russ]

Bob,
I found an effect in Neil's notebook titled ' swindle aces' . It does not mention spectators cutting. In a separate index of his notes, he lists ' spectator cuts to aces' .. 15 methods. But, there are pages of stuff I still have to go through when I have some time. Okay?

Russ

[Bob Farmer]

Sounds good. Thank you.

[David Penn]

Bob:
I have a copy of those Cy Keller notes and no credit is given other than Frank Thompson.

[Bob Farmer]

Hi David: How does Keller use the move?