The New "Holy Grail"

[Guest]

Ron,
That's Docc Hilford's method, only he does the force pre-show so that when it's magic time, he just asks for the card the person was thinking of, and any number from somebody else. It looks very clean.

Ted Lesley suggested (at The Magic Cafe) using a stack and a stooge. The stooge knows your stack, so that when the first audience member freely names a card, the stooge names the correct number of the card in the stack. Hand out the deck, let anybody deal, and collect the applause. It just doesn't get much cleaner than that. I generally hate using a stooge, but this one just might make me reconsider.

[Pete Biro]

Gamble. Have a dozen decks of all alike... ask someone to name a card. If you miss (I guess you could have 52 decks)...

Bring out the correct deck and the rest is history.

[Jon Allen]

Okay, so I have been working on a Card at Any Number. Here's the description:

# A prediction is placed face down on the table.
# The deck is unboxed on the table.
# State that in a moment you will deal the cards face up so all the cards can be seen.
# Have someone name a number between 1 - 52.
# Pick up the cards and cleanly deal down to the number, showing the faces of the cards.
# The card at the number matches the prediction.

I know it sounds like some other versions but there is no stack or shifting of cards and all the cards cleanly come off the top of the deck.

That's my attempt at resolving this "Holy Grail" and I like it! Hopefully I'll get to show it to some of you guys in the near future.

[Brad Henderson]

I designed this routine for use with the Computer Card, a device I submitted to be built by Mike Collins and then marketed through Hocus Pocus. If anyone saw me perform at the Castle, I did one of the routines possible with this prop. This is another but is not included in the instructions. I understand Mike has another batch of 12 he will be releasing soon. If anyone is interested, email me and I'll make the connection for you.

Two decks of cards. Each are shuffled and cut by both the magician and the audience member.

The audience member selects one of the packs. The other is replaced into its case and is NEVER touched by the magician again.

The audience member mixes the remaining cards face down on the table and selects one. NO FORCE! It is left face down.

The computer (a real computer embedded in a card case) is placed onto the selected card. It is then placed onto the cased deck. (Note the card never leaves the audiences sight and could be signed to allay suspicions of a possible switch.)

After a moment the computer displays a number on its screen.

The SPECTATOR removes the cards from the box. The SPECTATOR deals down to the displayed number.

The spectator shows that the card at the tallied number is a perfect match for the card He or She selected from a truly shuffled and uncontrolled pack.

NO MEMORY WORK REQUIRED!

For those interested in the history of the computer card:

The prop was inspired by Del Rey. Mike discovered some interesting technology and asked what could be done with it. I remembered Del's effect and started working on some more elaborate versions. It was VERY IMPORTANT to me that Del was ok with this, and he was contacted and gave permission after we discussed the similarities and differences between the items. In creating the one device for me, Mike had to purchase a number of parts and it was decided that we would release them to the magic community. 10 were made available. (Again, with Del's knowledge and 'ok.') Mike is putting together another set and I just wanted to let the members of the forum know how the device could be used in questing for this particular grail.

[Brian Marks]

David Oliver showed me an out he sometimes uses. I have been obsessed with think of a card tricks.

Tell person to think of a card.

You place a card on the table.

They name the card.

You casualy scan through deck for the named card while speaking. You cut the card to the top.

Top change the card on the table for the named card on top of the deck.

[Pete Biro]

That's too hard, scanning the deck. Pat Page does it with Si Stebbins and has a very strong, and FUNNY routine with it.

[Brian Marks]

I do it with a joyal stack whe I have tme to prepare

[Ian Kendall]

Gazzo used to do that in his street show (around 92 when I saw him)

Take care, Ian

[Guest]

He still does. My favorite Gazzo moment last year was when another magician and I were in the audience for one of his shows at Faneuil Hall and, as he did it, he turned to us and said, "Now that's how you cover, boys, a good top change!" The rest of the audience gave him a rather puzzled look, and the two of us had to fight to hold in the laughter. :)

--A

[Ian Kendall]

Slightly off topic, but Gazzo was the person who inspired me to start working on the street. He was in Edinburgh in 92 and I watched/pestered him for the best part of two weeks. Although I was the annoying new kid, he was gracious in his advice (even giving me the same advice David Groves quotes in his book; your magic is no good for the street) and I'll never forget not seeing his false deals in the Three Tuns pub one lunchtime.


Take care, Ian