Perverse Magic

All beginners in magic should address their questions here.
Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » August 1st, 2012, 6:53 am

Sharp Nail

My nails are so sharp, says the magician showing the nails of both hands, both hands clearly empty. Look, he says showing his left hand. And look how sharp, now showing his right hand which is holding a 3 iron nail which he throws to the floor, annoyed.

The nail (and I find a 3 inch nail the best to use for this) is in the right sleeve, point closer to the wrist.

(Its best to just put the nail in the sleeve from the wrist at an opportune time rather than dropping it in the sleeve from inside the jacket pocket to insure that the nail is there when needed.)

Show both hands and then, as the left hand is shown, the right hand drops to the side and the nail falls into the cupped right hand.

Another example of the sixth category of Perverse Magic (see this thread above November 1 2011).

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » August 1st, 2012, 6:53 am

IF YOU JUST BLOW ON THE DECK----

Effect

1 I just learned something new that I dont understand. Can I try it with you? The magician asks one of the few women at the party. She smiles and agrees.

Just take a card. Good. Here, you take one too, he says to the other woman watching.

2 He has them both replace the cards and shuffles them into the deck.

3 Is this either of your cards? he asks as he turns over the top card. When both women say no he shows the bottom card. How about this? Again no so he cuts the deck.

4 Now just blow on the deck. Very softly. Good. Now I dont understand how this works but look what was your card? The 5C? Look the 5C turns face up.

5 He puts the face up 5C on the face of the deck and cuts the deck.

6 You try, he says to the second spectator. What was your card? The AD? Okay, blow softly. She does and the magician again spreads the face down deck to show her card the AD, face up.

7 I really dont understand this. Its confusing. Whats even more confusing is------- The magician reaches into his pocket and brings our another deck but with a different back color ---if you blow on this deck--- she does and the magician spreads the cards to show that the AD is face up in that deck too.

Comments

This came from two effects The Whistle in Annemanns Miracles of Card Magic and Harry Loraynes Sympathetic Decks in Close Up Card Magic. Also see Gardner Perverse Power on this thread September 1, 2010 above.

Preparation

A card is turned face up in a deck which is kept in your pocket. That same card from the deck you are working with is on top. Also see this thread above September 1, 2010 Garners Perverse Power.

Routine

The numbers below correspond to the numbers under Effect above.

1 The top card is forced of course and I like the Classic Force best here. You really have two chances to succeed as two cards are selected.

By the way, when using the Classic Force, someone once told me not to say Pick a card but instead, Take a card good psychology.

2 Both cards are controlled to the top of the deck and a riffle shuffle has an indifferent card placed between them so that the two cards are 1st and 3rd from the top.

3 A double lift shows the second card, an indifferent card. Leaving the card(s) face up on top, the deck is turned face up to show the bottom card.

The top face up card is taken off the top in a Glide type move (without doing The Glide) while the deck is face up. That card is turned face up and put back on top (the bottom card with the deck face up) covering the face up selected card. The deck, face up is cut.

4 No comment.

5 The face up 5C and the facedown card below it the AD is picked up as one card with the right thumb at the real and the fingers at the front. The left thumb goes under the deck and turns it face up and the card(s) in your right hand is put on the face and the deck is cut.

6,7 No comments needed except to say the obvious the woman that took the force card is the one to blow on the second deck.

Good Perverse Magic the blowing has something to do with all this which you
dont understand

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » September 1st, 2012, 6:27 am

Oh Forget It The Heck With It!


Effect

Watch! The performer shows a quarter on his left fingertips and another quarter on his right fingertips and closes both hands. He looks at the spectators and then says, Oh forget it. The heck with it! as he shows both hands empty and goes on to something else.

Comments

This fits into the 5th classification of Perverse Magic the performer and the audience are on different planes. Its also Whimsical Magic.

I use this as a prelude to the Watch Steal (see this thread above December 2007).

I think it was David Roth who suggested this to me as a follow up to the Tenkai Quarters.

The Tenkai Quarters a beautiful effect published in the November 1950 issue of Hugards Magic Monthly (page 721) as The Tenkai Pennies by Martin Gardner. (Mr. Gardner said that Sol Stone brought it to him and Sol learned it from Ed Balducci.).

The Tenkai Quarters also appears on page 175 of the wonderful new Sol Stone book called The Essential Sol Stone.

Method

After doing a trick with two quarters, (such as the Tenkai Pennies) the performer pretends to put the coins that are in his right hand into his right pocket but changes his mind. Actually, he just secretly drops one quarter in his pocket.

He puts the other quarter on his left fingers and with his right forefinger he pushes the quarter to the tips of his index and second finger

He then shows this quarter on his right fingertips as if it was a different quarter as follows:

1 The left thumb comes to rest on the inner edge of the quarter.

2 The left hand turns palm down and places the quarter on the right fingertips.

3 The left fingertips pushes the quarter to the tips of his right index and second fingers.

Both hands are now closed and help palms down. The quarter in the right hand is
classic palmed. (Sol prefers the finger palm or thumb palm. He and I have had
many discussions about this.)

The hands are then opened (but kept palms down) and waved as the performer
Says, Oh forget it. The heck with it!

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » October 1st, 2012, 6:36 am

OHenry Ace Assembly

OHenry (William Sidney Porter) is noted for his short stories which has surprise endings.

The classic Ace Assembly is an effect that has the aces placed face down on the table with three indifferent cards placed face down on each ace and then, one at a time, each of three aces from the bottom of three piles joins one ace replacing an indifferent card that was with it.

In the OHenry Ace Assembly, the plot is as described above EXCEPT that when the last ace is expected to join its companions, to the surprise of all, there are NO aces in the pile that previously had three aces and one indifferent cards and that pile now has four indifferent cards. All the of aces are now found to the surprise of the spectators in the pile that had the last ace and three different cards.

If the magician, like the spectators, is also surprised we have a very good example of Perverse Magic. And when the magician unexpectedly finds all aces in that pile over on the side he says something like, I hate when that happens.

OHenry (Slow Motion) Four Aces is described in Super Subtle Card Miracles written by Frank Garcia on page 199.

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » October 1st, 2012, 6:38 am

Perverse Roll

The description of Zombie in the 1960 Louis Tannen catalog reads in part:

A foulard is shown on both sides. A brilliantly polished 4 metal ball rests on a stand. Holding the foulard outstretched between both hands the performer covers the ball for a second- and the ball rises through the air, peeks over the top of the foulard, hides behind the performers shoulder, disappears entirely, only to pop into view in a place you knew it could not be, etc

The idea of doing a similar effect impromptu at the dinner table using a roll and a napkin instead of a ball and a foulard is not new and I first saw it in a 1954 issue of The New Phoenix by Karrell Fox called Impromptu Zombie and I believe that Ken Krenzel had his version of Dinner Roll Fantasy in the September-October 1963 issue of Genii. Since then Ive seen it in the Martin Gardner Encyclopedia of Impromptu Magic and George Schindlers Magic With Everyday Objects and more recently in Magic For Dummies and The Complete Idiots Guide to Magic Tricks.

With all these sources I dont think I have to explain the workings here except to show how I would use it for Perverse Magic.

Routine

1 During the beginning of a dinner I take a roll from the roll basket and put in under my napkin and say I will make it disappear.

I shake the napkin and then, to my surprise, the roll under the napkin starts to rise under the napkin. I hold on to the napkin and try to hold back the roll.

Finally the roll calms down and I remove the napkin.

2 I pick up the roll and it starts to get away again but I hold on to it.

3 I put both hands on the roll, again trying to get it to calm down but when I again lift my hands, to my surprise the roll has vanished.

4 I start to look for the roll and, to my confusion, I find it on my back trouser pocket.

5 I break open the roll and Im amazed whenI find a quarter inside. I shake my head as I put the quarter in my pocket and butter the roll.

Discussion
(The numbers below correspond to the numbers above.)

1 As I said, because this is written in so many books as noted above, I dont think I need mention it here but I direct readers to the write-up in Magic For Dummies on page 158.

At the end, the napkin and the fork are on your lap.

2 I pick up the napkin and the fork and put them on the table and quietly move the napkin off the fork.

I push my left hand into the roll and facing left I put my right hand in front of my left hand and move both hands as if going after the roll that seems to be floating away. I grab the roll with both hands and put it back on the table.

3 I use something like the kick technique as described by Rick Johnsson in his book Practical Impossibilities which is something like this:

* The roll is near the edge of the table.

* Both hands cover the roll with my right hand under my left.

* My right third finger (ring finger) kicks the roll into my lap as both hands move forward.

* The hands are lifted and, to my surprise, the roll is gone.

4 My right hand drops to my lap and onto the roll and I lean to my right as my left hand looks for the roll in my left hand pocket. Not finding it I start to get up, My right hand, with the roll moves along my body to my back pocket and then, as if it had gone into that pocket, comes out with the roll.

5 When I sit down and before anyone knows Im going to do any magic I pick up a roll and push a quarter into it from the bottom and put it back in the roll basket, making sure no one sees what I did.

When I break the roll at the end I destroy not only the hole made from pushing the quarter in but the hole made with my left thumb in step 2.

(See above on this thread June 2006 and December 2008.)

As I butter the roll and eat it I am confused as to what happened.

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » November 6th, 2012, 4:32 pm

Paul Harris Solid Deception

Background

Paul Harris has come up with extremely entertaining effects and this is one of them

It appears in his book Paul Harris Reveals Some of His Most Intimate Secrets and in Book 1 of The Art of Astonishment

The Effect

An Ambitious Card Routine where a signed card always comes to the top of the deck and then the magician says he will let the spectator bury the card in the center herself and he asks her to lift up half the deck and to her amazement and the magicians Im suggesting presenting this as Perverse Magic the deck that was used before is not a deck but a single solid block!!

Thoughts

1 I wont describe the method as it is well described in the two books noted above but I do want to point out this is is a wonderful effect for Perverse Magic.

2 I do think that this effect should be the climax of a card routine and my thoughts about this are:

a I strongly believe in routining whether it be for a stage show or close up card
magic. Thought should be given to what effect should follow another.

As was said in The Royal Road To Card Magic routining for card effects
is important so that the fullest effect can be drawn from each feat and so
that they will follow one another smoothly without any hesitation or delay.

b One of the major problems with card tricks is that the performer often
doesnt know when to stop and continues until the audience is bored. (See
this thread above May 1, 2009 Single Tricks.) This wont happen with a
properly planned routine.

c The effects in a routine should fit together. It may not make sense to have
one pick a card effect follow another and then again it may.

(When I perform a routine to have an effect with a selected card follow
another effect with a selected card, I use the same card in both effects rather
than having another card selected. Many magicians dont realize or
appreciate that its really a chore for a spectator to have to remember a
selected card.)

d I am suggesting that another Perverse Magic effect be done before Solid
Deception and I would think an effect like the perverse Cutting The Aces
(see above this thread May 1, 2004) where the magician tries to cut the four
aces and, instead gets the 4 fives would be appropriate.

The magician is frustrated and tries this Ambitious Card routine and gives
up in more frustration when the deck which the spectators saw could be
cut as the 4 fives were found in now a solid block.

3 Of course what is required is (i) a force and (ii) a deck switch.

a For the force it is of 2 cards and you cant afford to miss so this is not the
place for a Classic Force no matter how well you do it.

(There is always a wise guy that will take the bottom card and in this
routine you dont want to waste time with an out.)

I would suggest that The Crisscross Force might be perfect here. (See
Card College Volume 1 page 85)

b For the deck switch I suggest having the solid block in your right rear
trouser pocket with the duplicates of the 2 force cards on top.

After the 2 cards are forced with the regular deck, have them shuffled back
into the deck by a spectator and put the deck behind your back. It goes into
the left rear trouser pocket while you remove the solid deck from the right
rear pocket.

Come out with the solid deck in your left hand and the 2 cards in your right
hand.

You have found the selected cards.

4 Now you do Solid Deception and at the end you quit in frustration, not understanding what happened to the deck.

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » December 1st, 2012, 6:31 am

Where Did They Come From?

Effect

At a dinner table the magician asks his companion if he has a quarter. The woman gives the magician a quarter and smiles waiting to see what he will do.

Now watch, should I get heads or tails?

Get heads, she says.

He spins the quarter on the table and as the coin is spinning he smashes he right hand on the coin and when he lifts it, to the surprise of his companion and the magician there are now 4 quarters.

Where did they come from? asks, the magician

Method

Simple.

Three quarters are Classic Palmed in the right hand.

Its easy to spin a coin with the quarters palmed and doing so creates the illusion of both hands being empty.

When you reveal the coins, I find it is better to have each of the coins on the table rather than stacked and so, when I smash my hand on the spinning coin I dont let that hand go flat on the table but sort of curved over the coins.

And, of course, being confused at the outcome makes this fall into the 2nd category of Perverse Magic.

Note I usually spin the coin twice and the first time I smash it with my left hand. If the coin shows what the spectator said I smile. If not I just smile and say Nope. Then, either way I say, Lets do it again, and this time I smash the coin with my right hand producing the other three.

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » December 1st, 2012, 6:32 am

Sankeys Salt

I dont know the name of this but I saw Jay Sankey do this somewhere and it is a wonderful piece of Perverse magic that I do often when Im having a casual dinner with friends or business associates.

I ask to borrow a quarter and when I get it I tell the group that I just learned a new trick how to make a quarter disappear.

I toss the quarter from my right hand to my left and snap my right fingers over my left fist and when I open my left hand ---- instead of the quarter is ---- the top of the salt shaker.

I look at the saltshaker and now, on top of the saltshaker is the quarter.

I shake my head in confusion.

-------------------------------------
Like all impromptu magic it must be performed at an appropriate time.

If you see such an appropriate time at a particular dinner, then while no one has any idea you will be doing magic, (i) put a quarter from our pocket on your leg (ii) take the saltshaker from the table to your lap and remove the top, (iii) put the shaker back on the table with the quarter on it and (iv) leave the top of the salk shaker on your lap.

If later you decide to perform this, take the top of the shaker in right finger palm position, borrow a quarter and say you learned a new trick and that youre going to make the quarter vanish.

Perform the Bobo switch, lap the quarter, snap your finger and open your left hand.

Youre surprised when you see the top of the shaker and even more surprised when you see the quarter resting on the salt shaker.

Give back the quarter, reattach the top of the salt shaker and shake your head in confusion.

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » January 1st, 2013, 7:06 am

To The Card Case

This is another presentation of Snapped Away see this thread above June 1, 2009

Effect

The magician has the spectator select a card.

Put it back here and dont let me see what it is. But with a flourish the magician sees the card. He smiles at the spectators and they think this is a gag.

He puts the card face down on the spectators palm and tells the spectator to cover his had with his other hand. The magician puts the card case under the spectators hand and says that the card will pass into the card case. He gestures.

But the card is still there.

The magician turns over the card and and it is blank! The magician looks confused.

The magician opens the card case and there, to his surprise and the spectators - inside are the missing spots which are dumped onto the spectators hand.

Preparation

1 Cut out the 10 diamond pips from a 10D and put them in the card case

2 Have a blank card on bottom of deck.

3 Have a duplicate10D on top

Routine

1 Force the 10D

2 Lift up half of deck and have card replaced on bottom half. Say, Dont let me see the card. And then push off the selected card with the left thumb and take it between the left first and second finger and extend those fingers. This is just a gag.

3 Turn the deck face up (without letting anyone see the blank card on the bottom) and get a break under (above?) that card.

4 Put the 10D face up on the blank card.

5 Pick up both cards as one in the right hand with the thumb on the inner short edge and the second finger on the outer short edge.

6 With the left thumb under the face up deck turn it face down.

7 Put the face up 10D (and the blank card behind it) face up on the face down deck but hold a break.

8 Turn the card(s) face down.

9 Take off the top card (the blank which they think is the 10D) and put it face down on spectators hand.

The rest should be clear

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » February 1st, 2013, 6:45 am

Perverse Sugar 3

Background

I posted two other Perverse Sugar effects on this thread. See October 2011 and June 2012.

I contributed this to Harry Loraynes Apocalypse and it appears in the May 1990 issue page 1783.

Slydini and I were friends and I visited him usually once a week at his apartment. I had been his student for a number of years and came to the conclusion that he and I had completely different personalities and there were very few of his effects that I could do that would fit me.

But I treasured what Slydini taught me about misdirection and timing and lapping as I do much of my magic at a business or social dinner. And as Ive previously noted on this thread, I am fond of Rick Johnssons Kick Technique from his booklet Practical Impossibilities.

What I would like to do when I visited Slydini would be to show him something and treasure his comments or suggestions. When I did this effect for Slydini, presented as Perverse magic, he laughed. I knew I had fooled him and more important entertained him (which we should all remember is the purpose of magic.)

Effect

The magician drops a sugar packet into an ashtray and announces the hes going to make the sugar vanish.

He covers the ashtray and the sugar packet with both hands and says, Watch!

When he removes his hands the sugar packet is still there but the ashtray had vanished. Damn! I did something wrong!

Explanation

An extra sugar packet is on my right thigh at the beginning.

When I perform I get this extra sugar packet in my right thumb palm.

When I cover the ashtray with the sugar packet in it, my left hand is over my right hand (which has the duplicate packet thumb palmed) .

I perform the Kick Technique, using my right third finger to kick the ashtray (with the sugar packet) into my lap and I drop the thumb palmed sugar packet on the table.

Oddly Bent
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Oddly Bent » February 14th, 2013, 1:39 pm

Mr. Deutsch, tried to send this as a PM but it did not work.

I am thoroughly enjoying this thread and I am always looking for resources for 'something going wrong' magic. I ordered George Blake's book today and am wondering if you knew of any other books in a similar vein? I have the Clutterhouse book, Tom Palmer's and Toppers. What else am I missing in the way of authors? (I met Crandall and Marshall in a combined SAM-IBM convention in New Orleans in the 60s).
Hope this PM system works....
Thank you.

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » February 14th, 2013, 10:36 pm

Perverse Magic - as I am describing it here is not really magic that goes wrong but magic that happens by itself against what the magician wants or expects to happen.

Some examples that I have given are (1) something happens without the performers knowledge, (2) the performer says one thing will happen but something else does, (3) the performer says hes going to do something but it happens by itself, (4) the performer is caught, he admits it but then he and the audience are surprised, (5) the performer and the audience are on different planes and (6) the performer explains something that will happen but he doesnt understand why it happens.

I do mention the case where something does go wrong and the performer is confused and looks in a book and does something meaningless and then what was to happen does happen.

The main point in all this is that the magic happens not because the performer says how great he is.

As Ive tried to show, this presentation can be used in many standard effects.

The style doesnt fit all but it does fit my personality.

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » March 1st, 2013, 6:46 am

Instant Introduction - The Fifth Category Of Perverse Magic

Background

Back on this thread I gave six categories of Perverse Magic with the fifth being The magician and the audience are on different planes as to what each sees and I gave as examples the Invisible Deck and David Roths Legendary Four Coin Trick (described here on December 1, 2005)

This category would also include a rule or a statement that the magician must follow though it seems ridiculous.

For example that he took magic lessons and the teacher taught him how to control certain cards but only low value cards.

Im not a professional magician and do magic when I want (and as much as I want except if I am doing a charity show and then I follow a routine) and when a person out of the blue hands me a deck of cards to do something I like to do only one effect and stop. What follows below is one such effect that I would do in that situation.

Effect

I was having a business conference with accountants and attorneys as I was explaining a course of action to take in connection with an acquisition with complex tax ramifications when my client broke in and handed me a deck of cards, telling everyone that I was a magician.

I did not think this was the time or the place but I didnt want to upset my client and I felt it would be appropriate to do one quick effect. I did this.

Taking the cards I began to shuffle and cut and as I did I said:

I take lessons in sleight of hand and I was taught how to control cards but these guys are real sticklers and they only teach you how to control low value cards so you cant cheat. Thats a real pain. Look Ill show you. I can always get the 4C. Look, I shuffle and cut and heres the 4C.

Ive been asking them to teach me how to do this with an ace or even a picture card but they refuse. Oh well.

Discussion

The method, of course is simple. When given the deck I just find a low value card and cut it to the top and then give the deck some jog shuffles and some running cuts and then turn over the top card to show it is the card I am controlling.

The group is impressed but more important, entertained which I believe is the purpose of doing magic and which I believe Perverse Magic does so well.

And Im not saying look how good I am but instead Im upset that they wont teach me how to control a high value card.

And I can stop here. Ive satisfied my client in showing my skill and now I can get back to business.

Good Perverse Magic!!

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » March 1st, 2013, 6:47 am

The Grippo Transpo

Effect

After performing the Perverse Ambitious Card Routine with the 4C (Ive noted a number of Perverse Ambitious Card routines on this thread see March 1, 2007 above) and then doing a coin effect, the magician decides to again try a card effect.

1 The top card is turned face up and then turned face down and given to the spectator to hold.

2 The bottom card is taken and the magician says watch as that card visibly changes to the card the spectator was holding.

3 And you are holding the All expect to see what was the bottom card but when the spectator turns over the card he is holding she finds she his holding the 4C. Oh not again! exclaims the magician.

Discussion

This effect appears in a booklet called Labyrinth Number one by Stephen Hobbs
(the author of The Essential Sol Stone) which Stephen gave me back in 1994.

As written the effect uses a double face card and with correspondence between us I
suggested to Stephen that it could be done with a regular deck.

The only negative is that it might have been stronger for the spectator to be
holding the card she just a moment ago saw rather than the 4C but I think the
Perverse Magic comedy may somewhat mitigate that.

Method

(The numbers below correspond to the numbers under Effect.)

1 The 4C is on top and a double lift is performed so that the spectator gets the 4C.

2 The bottom card is taken and placed face up on top of the deck. That card and the face down top card is taken in the right hand with the thumb on the left side and the fingers on the right and the index finger pressing on the face (so that the card bends a bit.) The hand moves from right to left and the fingers on the right edge let go and the card flips over showing the card the spectator thinks she is holding now held on the right side by the thumb on top and the index finger below and put on the top of the deck.

3 No comment required only good acting here.

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » April 1st, 2013, 6:38 am

Perverse Too Many Cards

In Richard Kaufman’s “Derek Dingle’s Complete Works”, there is an effect called “Too Many Cards” (page 106).

The plot of the effect is that the performer tries to make it easier for the spectator to follow the effects so he does this one with only five cards, the Ace, 2,3,4,and 5 of a suit, say clubs. The performer then does an ambitious card effect with the ace bringing it to the top of the packet and then says that the reason the spectator can’t follow it is that there are “too many cards” so he discards the ace and continues like that, discarding in turn the 2, the 3, and the 4. Finally he says “Now what on earth can I do with just the five?” and he turns what is expected to be the 5C to the 5H.

I had two problems with this effect for my style:

1 I felt it was sort of “talking down” to the spectator.

2 Changing what is expected to be the five of clubs to the five of hearts is not, to me, such a great feat.

So if I performed:

1 My attitude would be that it’s hard for ME to understand some of these tricks and I try to simplify things. That’s why when I’m learning something new I use only a few cards.

2 There are two endings I would consider for this:

a If I do this following my “Perverse Card Routine” (see above November 2006) I would use the Perverse Card and say “Oh no! Not again!”

or


b I would say I was going to make the five turn face up in my palm. Nothing happens and I turn the five over and find it’s a double back card. I’m very confused.

Just showing how I would make a standard effect fit my style.

Gerald Deutsch
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Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » April 1st, 2013, 6:39 am

Perverse Sugar 4

Effect

“I forgot my vitamins.”

That’s what I say as we’re finishing dinner in a restaurant and having coffee.

“Wait a second. I can use this stuff.”

Saying that, I open a sugar packet and pour the contents in my left hand. I then pour some salt in my left hand. Finally, I ask a spectator to pour some pepper in.

I close my left hand into a fist and rub the back with the fingers of my right hand and when I open my left hand – there’s my purple and white vitamin.



Method

This is very similar to Perverse Sugar 1 posted above (October 2011).

The basic idea – though not the method – came to me from Walter Essman’s effect “Migraine” in Phoenix # 286 page 1142.

A vitamin capsule is on the napkin in my lap to start.

After I pour the sugar and salt into my left hand, I extend it and ask a spectator
to pour in some pepper. While she is doing that I get the vitamin from the napkin in
my lap into my right thumb palm.

As I turn my left hand over and close it I perform Slydini’s Revolve Vanish.

As I rub the back of my left fist with my right fingers and as the left hand turns
counter clockwise the vitamin is let to drop into the left fist. (L’Homme Masque’s
Load).

A quick interlude.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » May 1st, 2013, 6:50 am

Emotional Attachment

Effect

1 The performer looks at a woman spectator and says, “You know, I’d like to try something. I don’t know if it will work but it might with you. Okay?” The woman agrees.

2 He has the woman select a card and asks her to kiss it. Then he asks her to take four more cards at random and mix her selected cards with the four random cards.

3 The performer then takes back the five cards and lays them face down on the table.

4 He then removes a small necklace which he asks the woman to hold in her hand and the performer holds her hand and brings the necklace over each card and nothing happens until finally one card sticks to the bottom of the necklace. The performer asks the name of the card and – sure enough - it’s the selected card.

5 “Wow!.” Says the performer – “It works. I don’t’ think it will work again though.” And it doesn’t.

Comment

This is presented as the sixth classification of Perverse Magic – The performer explains something will happen but he doesn’t understand why.

This is an effect called Dippy Magnet which used to be sold by Tannen’s for $1.

Of course it’s a magnet that is attached to the bottom of the necklace. The “secret” is that iron filings are secretly placed on the table and the selected card goes on the filings so that when the magnet goes on the card the filings under the card cause the magnet to attach and when the card is pulled free the filings drop unnoticed to the floor, getting rid of the evidence.

While it isn’t necessary to hide the fact that a magnet is used, the magnet that I use is a “button” magnet that a bought in Michaels, an arts and crafts store (rather than a toy store).

Performance

The numbers below correspond to the numbers under Effect.

1 The attitude is that you’re going to try something but you don’t know if it will work or if it does, why.

2 The card is, of course, forced using the Classic Force.

3 Of course because the card is forced you know which one it is and you casually bring it second from the bottom. Then, as you lay out the cards, you make sure the selected card goes on the small pile of iron filings on the table with three cards to its right and one to its left.

4 You let her hold the necklace (with the magnet on the bottom) and you hold her hand and guide it to the cards to the cards to the right of the selected card. Nothing of course happens on the first three cards but the iron filings insure that the magnet will have the selected card adhere to the magnet,

And when the card is pulled off the magnet the filings fall to the floor the magnet will not longer hold the card – or any card.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » June 1st, 2013, 5:57 am

Perverse Two Bill Trick

Effect

1 “Thanks for dinner fellows. I hope I gave you good advice tonight.”

“Thank you. You did give us good advice. You always do. How about a trick? You didn’t do one trick at dinner.”

“Okay. I learned a new trick this weekend but I think I should have practiced it more. Well, I’ll try it. Each of you guys take out a dollar bill and crumple it up into a little ball and put them on the table.”

2 “Okay now watch. I put one bill in my left hand and the other in my pocket and if I snap my fingers---both bills are in my left hand. I’ll do it again.”

3 The magician repeats what he did and again both bills are in his left hand.

4 The magician repeats what he did a third time but this time only one bill is in his left hand. The magician is confused and he scratches his head. “Wait a minute – this is weird – look at this—”

The magician opens the single bill and instead of it being a dollar it’s a two dollar bill.

5 The magician is confused. He takes out his wallet and removes two dollar bills that had obviously been crumpled and straightened and returns them to the lenders.

Discussion

I had contributed this (without the Perverse Magic slant) to Apocalypse and appears
there in the July 1996 issue on page 2671.

As noted there, this is basically the Two Bill Trick published in the May 1949 issue
of Hugards Magic Monthly. But it has a simplified handling.

I would like to point out that there is an effect by Lu Brent in the November 1948
issue of that magazine called “Two Into Ones” the effect of which is that a two
dollar bill is “torn” in half and each hand holds a one dollar bill. As I said in the
Apocalypse contribution, I feel that a two dollar bill, being unusual should best be
used as a climax to a routine because if introduced at the beginning attention will
be directed to it rather than to the effect.

The plot “one in the hand- one in the pocket” is often done with sponge balls but it
can be just as effective with crumbled dollar bills.

One more point. At the end I remove the two dollar bills that had been crumpled
and straightened and many will think that these are the bills that were used before
(though I don’t claim at any time they are those bills. I mentioned this on this
thread above October 1, 2008 under “20 to one”.).

Method

(The numbers below correspond to the numbers under Effect.)

The only preparation is (i) to have a crumpled two dollar bill on your lap –
assuming you’re doing this seated. If you’re doing this standing the crumpled bill is
palmed in your right hand and (ii) crumple two single dollar bills and then open
them and put them in your wallet.

1 If seated the two dollar bill on your lap is palmed in your right hand; if doing this standing you start with the two dollar bill palmed.

2 One bill from the table PLUS the palmed two dollar bill is placed in your left hand. The other bill is put in your right pocket BUT KEPT in your right palm.

You snap your right fingers with the bill remaining in your palm.

You repeat the effect by putting the palmed bill and the two dollar bill in your left hand and the other crumpled dollar bill that’s on the table in your right hand pocket BUT THIS TIME IT STAYS THERE.

3,4 No comment required – only good acting here.

5 See comment under Discussion

Note: For walk around magic it’s easy to repeat this for a new group. Just (i) open
the crumpled bills and put them in your wallet and (ii) recrumple the two dollar
bill.

Good Perverse Magic.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » July 1st, 2013, 6:26 am

When Pressed

Background

My friend Steve Rodman performed a version of this for me and other magician friends and told us that he’d been doing this for years and doesn’t remember where he learned it.

I thought it had great potential as Perverse Magic and I made some changes primarily in the presentation.

Effect

At a dinner table the magician takes out a deck of cards (after being begged to show a trick. He never would have done this without being asked.) and approaches a woman sitting to his right and hands her a butter knife.

He tells the woman to put the knife into the deck as he riffles. She does. He breaks at that point and has the woman (and only that woman) look at and remember the card above the knife and then he asks her to get up as he puts the card face down on her chair and has her sit on the card.

This is repeated with two other women seated at the table.

He then asks if there is anyone at the table that will be able to remember all three cards when the women say them as they will in a few minutes. One very intelligent man says he could.

The magician asks the first woman her card and she says the AC. He nods and asks the second woman and she says the AC. The magician is confused. So is everyone. He asks the third woman and she too says the AC. Now the magician is bewildered and he asks the three women to check the cards they are sitting on and the magician and everyone else is even more bewildered when the three sat on cards are three Kings.

“What happened to the darned AC?” asks the magician as he (i) looks through the deck, (ii) puts the deck down, (iii) looks through all his pockets and (iv) finally finds the AC in his pocket much to his confusion – and the smiles of everyone at the table, happy they asked him to do a trick.

Method

1 I like the contrast between the AC and three Kings and so I have the deck set to begin with the AC on the bottom and three Kings above it.

I use the AC because it can’t be confused with the AS – as all other cards may be with their mates of the same color yet opposite suit.

The set up is the AC on the bottom with the three Kings above it.

2 The force that Steve used was with a pen though a butter knife would probably be more appropriate at dinner.

The deck is cut with a break held between the two halves.

Steve tries to have the knife (he uses a pen) inserted below the break and then his right hand comes over t he deck with the thumb at the inner short side and the fingers at the outer side and the knife (pen) going between the right 2nd and 3rd fingers.

The thumb pushes the packet above the break forward which takes the knife with it and out of the deck where it was inserted. The face card of that packet is shown to the spectator.

(If the knife goes ABOVE the break a different technique is used. Here the right hand comes over the deck in “Hindu Shuffle” position and takes the deck over the break and pulls back. Again the face card of that packet is shown to the spectator.)

Actually, it’s probably simpler to just use the Hindu Shuffle Force. That way there’s no reason to cut the deck. Just leave the setup on the bottom, do the Hindu Shuffle and have the woman say “stop” and when she does, show her the card on the bottom of the packet in your right hand.

3 The Glide is used to put a King instead of the AC face down on each of the women’s chair.

4 While the cards on the chairs are being looked at (i) the AC is cut to the top and palmed, (ii) the deck is put on the table and (iii) BOTH hands are put in the trouser pockets, the AC is left and BOTH hands removed from the pockets.

(Instead of cutting the AC to the top the deck can be turned face up and the AC on the bottom can be palmed but care must be taken that the AC is not seen.)

Good Perverse Magic!!

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » August 1st, 2013, 5:47 am

Kisses

Effect

1 The magician puts away his cards as the group around him is smiling. Then, he notices “something” on a woman’s sleeve. He reaches out and to everyone’s – including his surprise, he plucks a candy kiss.

2 He puts he kiss in his left hand and smashes his left hand against his right thigh and the kiss vanishes. He reaches into his right trouser pocket and pulls out the kiss.

3 “Hold out your hand,” he says and he drops the kiss into it. He then picks up the kiss and “splits” into two kisses. The magician looks confused and he drops them into her hand.

4 He picks up one of the two kisses, looks at it puzzled and then, again splits it into two and drops them back on the woman’s hand and shrugs.

5 “I liked the one of passing it through my leg. Watch.” The magician picks one of the three kisses and smashes it against his left leg and again it vanishes and he pulls it out of his left trouser pocket. He puts it back on the spectator’s hand with the other two.

6 “Here’s a good trick. Watch.” He puts two kisses in his left hand and the third into his right trouser pocket and waves his right hand over his left hand and all three are in his left hand. He puts all three back on her hand.

7 This is repeated.

8 “I’ll do it a little differently. Watch.” He puts one in his pocket, the second in his left hand and the third in his pocket. Again he waves his right hand over his left but when he opens his left hand there is -- a cookie. He looks very confused. He takes the cookie in his right hand, looks at it, shrugs and eats it.

9 “Let me try another card trick.”

Comments

A Back in 1987, Bob Hyans showed me his ball routine which he told me originated with the John Scarne routine in “Stars of Magic”and was modified by Sol Stone in his routine “The Chaperone” which appears on page 1249 of “Apocalypse” and on page 235 of Sol’s new book, “The Essential Sol Stone”. There is also a routine in “The Best of Close Up Magic” by Walter Lees where he explains the Andrew Galloway trick “The Chinese Berry trick” on page 66 and Lewis Ganson has written “Marvelous Marbles” in “A Magician Explains”. There is a dice routine in “Routine Manipulation finale” and in “The Dai Vernon Book of Magic”. There is a trick by Pladek known as “Modern Chinese Marvel” on page 611 of “The Pallbearers Review”.

B Here I’m using candy kisses, ending with a cookie which I eat. I believe that if I’m going to do magic with food – here, candy, it should be wrapped as kisses are. The produced cookie at the end is eaten by me and quickly.

C Using the woman’s hand as a table brings her into the performance but it shouldn’t be the first effect. That’s why here, it’s done after I’ve “made friends” with an entertaining card effect. (So too does finding – to my surprise – the first kiss on her sleeve.)

D The Perverse Magic comes in (i) finding the kiss on her sleeve and then (ii) splitting the kiss twice and finally (iii) being confused when what should have been three kisses is, instead, a cookie.

Preparation

A One kiss finger palmed in right hand.

B Two kisses in right trouser pocket

C One kiss in left trouser pocket

D Cookie in the right trouser pocket

Routine

The numbers below correspond with the numbers under Effect.

1 Produce finger palmed kiss from woman’s sleeve.

2 The kiss rests on your right hand in finger palm position and as your right hand turns to let the kiss fall into your left hand the right thumb falls on the kiss holds it in place.

The right hand drops casually to your side as your raise your left hand (which directs their attention to the left hand) and the left hand then slaps your right thigh.

Reach into your right pocket and (i) add another kiss to the one finger palmed and (ii) bring out the other kiss at your finger tips.

3,4 Explanation not required.

5 See 2 above

6 You have one kiss finger palmed in your right hand. You pick up one from her left hand with your right hand and toss it into your left hand. Pick up another and toss that with the finger palmed kiss to the left hand. The third kiss goes into your right trouser pocket but his kept thumbed in the right hand.

Wave the right hand over the left fist and open the left fist to show three kisses.

Drop them on her hand.

7 Repeat 6 but leave the kiss in the right trouser pocket.

8 One in the pocket. The second is taken between the right thumb and first finger and the French Drop is performed. The third and the one in the right hand goes into the right pocket and the cookie is thumb palmed.

As the right hand gestures over the left hand the left fingers open and the cookie is dropped inside.

9 As this is sort of an interlude it should be presented between other effects.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » September 1st, 2013, 6:18 am

Perverse Triumph

Effect

1 The “walk around” magician has a card selected and returned to the deck and he tells the people around him that he’s going to find the card in a really mixed up deck – “and I mean really mixed up”. As he says this he shuffles half the cards face up into the other half face down.

“Okay now the cards are really mixed and I’m going to go through them and find your card. It should be one of the face up cards. It’s not this face up card is it? No – I didn’t thinks so.”

2 The magician spreads the cards and he is confused to see that they are all face down!

3 “I don’t understand – they were mixed face up-face down . It’s not this face down card. Right?” He turns the top face down card face up and spreads the deck –and the cards are now all face up. He is confused.

4 “Let’s start again. Let’s find your card. What was it?” The spectator tells him and he starts to look for it in the face up spread and finds – one face down card in the center. He pulls it out and turns it over and sure enough it is the selected card?

“I just don’t understand this – let’s try something else.”

Background

Of course “Triumph” was published years ago in the “Stars of Magic” by Dai
Vernon and over the years the Zarro shuffle was substituted for the shuffle that
Vernon used. A friend showed me a version which uses a non table shuffle but this
friend did not remember who showed this to him. In checking, I note that many
magicians have come up with their own versions of Vernon’s classic effect
including John Bannon, Daryl, Dennis Marks, William Goodwin, I believe I
simplified some of the handling here.

I have previously posted a Perverse Magic routine using a “slop shuffle” (see this thread above November 1, 2006) in which an unwanted card keeps reappearing but here the magician is merely trying to determine which is the selected card in a deck that has been shuffled face up /face down but (i) first the shuffled deck all turns face down, then (ii) face up and then (iii) the selected card is found face down in that face up deck to the total confusion of the magician.

Method

The numbers below correspond to the numbers in “Effect” above

1 Have a spectator select a card and remember it.

As he is showing his card to the other spectators, square the deck and do a half pass, turning the bottom half of the deck face up. Actually, just get a break about half way down, curl the first finger of your LH under the deck and the other fingers of the LH on the top card of the lower portion and if your straighten your fingers the bottom portion will turn face up under the top half of the deck. Keep a break and hold it with the right thumb at the inner end. Then with your left thumb on the top card move the deck to the right. The top card will stay in the left hand and you put the deck on it so that the top card goes to the bottom. Get a pinky break in the middle, between the face down (FD) and face up (FU) halves of the deck.

Ask the spectator to return the card to you FD, which you take and insert it into the pinky break, between the face to face halves. As you square the deck, retain a pinky break above the FD selection.

Spread the top half of the deck and get a break above the card over the selected card. Be careful not to expose the face up cards below.

Insert the fingers of your palm up right hand (RH) into the pinky break and take the top half of the deck (above the pinky break) into the RH, retaining the bottom half in your left hand (LH). Spread the RH cards and lift your RH to show the faces of these cards. As you do this, spread only the top card of the (LH) half and raise the LH to show the faces of the cards in the LH.

(You actually only show the faces of the top and bottom cards of the LH half)

Turn the LH packet face up – that is the bottom card is face up and the 2 top cards – the 2nd being the selected is face up and the rest face down. Do a Faro or Butt Shuffle so it looks like you are shuffling face up into face down. You can, if you prefer, instead of doing a Faro, just do a riffle shuffle on your leg but don’t let the cards show as you riffle. . Make sure that the top 2 cards and the bottom card of the LH packet retain their positions after the Faro shuffle – on top and bottom of the shuffled deck.

However, before the cards are fully squared, turn the entire elongated packet over as you would turn the page of a book. The Spectator sees that the top card of the outjogged packet is FU and the top card of the injogged packet is FD. Complete the squaring up of the cards. When the packet is squared up, turn the top FU card FD.

2 Spread the cards and show all FD. Be sure not to expose the two bottom cards which are face up.

3 Look at the spectator with a confused expression and at the same you’re your RH covers your LH and your left thumb goes under the deck and pushes up causing the deck to turn over under cover of your RH.. The deck is now face up with the top 2 cards face down, the second card being the selected card. The spectator sees a FD card on top and it looks like the deck is still FD. Turn the top card FU and spread the cards to show that the entire deck is now FU. Be careful not to expose the FD card that is 2nd from the top (this is the selected card).

4 As you square up the deck, cut the bottom half to the top, which places the selected card in the middle Spread the deck to show that all the cards are FU, except for one FD card in the middle. Turn it over and you are surprised when it is the selected card.

One final note – a similar routine can be done without sleight of hand using the dealer item card effect known as “Cheek to Cheek”

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » October 1st, 2013, 6:46 am

Perverse Linking Finger Rings

Effect

1 “What is that – a dollar bill ring on your right hand?” asks his lunch partner.

“Yes”, says the magician. It’s a new trick I just got.”

“Show me,” says the spectator.

“Okay,” says the magician. “It’s done with the dollar bill ring and my wedding ring. I make them change places.”

2 The magician removes his wedding ring from his left hand and places it under a coffee cup.

3 He takes the dollar bill off his right finger and keeps it in his closed left hand.

4 “Now watch – In my hand is now my wedding---What the—???” To the magician’s surprise, his left hand is empty.

The magician lifts up the coffee cup and there are both rings linked together.

“I just don’t understand this—” says the magician.

Background

This is somewhat similar to the “Linking Key Rings” (this thread above August
2007) and “Bill Flight” (this thread above October 2009).

The idea came to me from Roland Hurley’s “Ring Opening” in the December 1979
issue (page 283) of Harry Lorayne’s Apocalypse. Instead of having to have a
jeweler link rings, I thought it would be simpler to fold two dollar bills into rings
with one of them linked into a duplicate of my wedding ring.

The linked rings are on my lap. My wedding ring is on my left ring finger and dollar
bill ring on my right ring finger.

Method

The numbers below correspond to the numbers under Effect

1 “I make them change places.” As I’ve said before, with Perverse Magic, I believe that what happens must be stronger than what you say will happen. Of course this is in what I call the second category of Perverse Magic – the performer says he’s going to do a trick but something else happens.

2 The linked rings are secretly palmed in the classic palm of my left hand.

My friend Sol Stone taught me this great change. The wedding ring is removed from my left ring finger and taken in my right hand between my thumb and first finger. The left hand now “takes” the ring but the French Drop” is performed so the ring falls into the right palm.

As the right hand reaches for the coffee cup – which should be a coffee cup to the right – the hand swings in an arc and as it comes over the lap the ring is dropped.

The coffee cup is put mouth down over the ring(s) in the left hand and slid onto the table.

3 When the dollar bill is taken in the left hand, that hand performs Slydini’s Revolve vanish.

Of course you have to get a duplicate wedding ring. And I guess most of you know
how to fold a dollar bill into a ring.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » November 1st, 2013, 6:48 am

Aces Through the Table - As A Climax To A Routine

Effects

1 The magician shows how he can cut to the four aces but alas, he cuts instead to the four fives.

2 He puts the fives back into the pack and removes the four aces and proceeds to do a very nice “Ace Assembly” having all the aces assemble from four piles into one.

3 “I just learned a new trick but it’s not perfected yet,” says the magician as he lays a piece of paper – the instructions - on the table and picks up the four aces.

He looks at the paper and says that the idea is to have the aces go through ` the table one at a time.

He takes the packet of four aces and looks at the paper and snaps the packet and, sure enough, one of the aces penetrate.

The magician gets his confidence as he repeats this with the second and third ace.

With the fourth ace, however, it’s not the ace of hearts that he brings forth from under the table but a five – the five of clubs. He looks at the paper, scratches his head, and says, “Wait a minute,” and then, as if following directions he touches the five of clubs to the face down three kings that have gone thru the table and when he turns them face up they are now the other three fives.” He scratches his head and shrugs and puts the paper away.

He then looks through the deck for the aces but can’t find them and then he reaches into his pockets and, to his utter confusion, pulls put the four aces.

Comments

A I published an Aces Through The Table effect in Harry Lorayne’s “Best of Friends II” (page 553 - Four Through) but this is, of course, Brother John Hamman’s “Kings Through The Table” page 54 of Richard Kaufman’s “The Secrets of Brother John” and page 18 of LePaul’s “The Card Magic of Bro. John Hamman S.M. with some handling changes in the lapping method that I’ve made to accommodate this effect as noted below.

B By having the effect follow the effect where the four fives are produced (and this is explained on this thread above – May 1, 2004) instead of the desired aces, you don’t have to look for the fives when performing the Hamman effect later.

The four fives are kept on the bottom of the deck and not used for the second effect- the Ace Assembly.

C The Ace Assembly, the second effect, is any Ace Assembly routine where the aces are put into four separate piles and assemble into one.

I’ve noted before that when doing a series of effects they all need not be Perverse Magic. Here, of the three effects the first and last are Perverse.

D “I just learned a new trick but it's not perfected but I'll try it anyway.” I use
this a lot in doing Perverse Magic (See above - “For a Change” April 16, 2003)

The presentation here is similar to what I’ve suggested for “Perverse
Magician vs Gambler” (see this thread above January 2009) except that I
use the “instructions” all through the routine not just at the end.

Handling Of Aces Through The Table

(This differs somewhat from the Hamman handling.)
A The deck is held face up in the left hand faces towards you and a break is held with the left little finger under the four fives.
The four aces are put on the bottom of the face up deck, on the four fives.
B The eight cards are lifted off (spectators think only the four aces) and the deck is discarded.
C The packet is turned face down and the top card of the 8 card packet is lapped (a 5).
I use a “Slydini technique” for this – his “shoot” principle as follows:
I have a break under that top card and with the packet in my left hand, both hands come up as I say: “Watch!” (“The Shoot”) and then both hands relax and fall to the table and the top card is let to fall in my lap.
D The packet is turned face up and the cards are fanned (taking care not to spread more than the first 3 aces) and the 2 top face up aces are placed to the bottom of the face up packet (the top if the packet was face down).
E A “Buckle Count” (similar to the one explained by Dai Vernon in his Stars of Magic effect “Slow Motion 4 Aces” is done as follows:
The packet is held face down and the top 2 aces are lifted singly. Then a “buckle “ made and the third ace (with the 3 fives hidden behind) is shown and taken with the first 2 aces in the right hand. Finally the last ace is shown in the left hand and put on top.
The packet is squared but a break is maintained under the top 3 aces.
F The three aces are lapped as was the 5 at the beginning. You now have a 5 and three aces on your lap but the aces will be together so you will know which is which.
G The packet of 3 fives and the one ace at the bottom (which the spectators believe to be the 4 aces) are held face down between the right thumb and fingers on the long sides and the fingers come together slightly causing the cards to buckle while the left hand goes under the table.
The right thumb is released causing the packet to ‘snap” against the table and the left hand emerges with one of the aces that was lapped.
That ace is put face up on the top of the packet.
This is repeated twice.
The packet now has 3 aces face up (those that “went”), 3 5s face down and one ace (that didn’t go) face down on the bottom.
H “That leaves this last ace,” you say as that ace on the bottom is placed face up on the top with the other aces.
Take each ace one at a time and turn each face down and put it to the bottom with the first one injogged.
Square the packet getting a thumb break over the aces.
I Gesture with the packet, go under the table with the left hand for the previously lapped 5.
As the left hand comes forward, the right hand comes back and as the 5 is shown in the left hand, the cards under the break in the right hand are released and lapped.
J The magician is confused when the 5 is shown in his left hand and even more confused when all the cards in his right hand are 5s
K To end I get the 4 aces palmed in my right hand and then stand and put BOTH hands in my trouser pockets.
I remove SOMETHING (not one of the aces) from my right pocket and then something from my left pocket. I put my empty hands into my back pockets finding nothing and then, finally, I again put BOTH hands in my trouser pockets and come out of my right pocket with the aces which are dropped on the table as I scratch my head in confusion.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » December 1st, 2013, 6:38 am

Perverse Sugar 5

Background

I posted four other Perverse Sugar effects on this thread. See October 2011, June 2012, February 2013, and April 2013.

I contributed this to Harry Lorayne’s “Apocalypse” and it appears in the June 1992 issue page 2082 and is mentioned again on page 2158. I also refer to this on this thread back on April 2006.

Effect

1 “This is a nice restaurant,” says his wife. “Yes says the female half of the other couple, “They serve sugar in cubes not in packets. Hey, Jerry, here we are having coffee and you haven’t done a single trick. Do something before we leave.”

“Well, okay. Here’s an old trick that I haven’t done for a while. And the last time I tried it something went wrong. Here, let me have one of those sugar cubes. Now watch.”

I put the cube in my left hand and bring my right hand under the table and bang my left hand on top of the table and when I lift it the cube is gone.

I bring my right hand out from under the table and the cube is in it. The cube has gone through the table.

2 “The last time I had a problem doing this. Let me try it again.”

He does but this time when he lifts his left hand the wrapper is seen and when he brings his right hand out from under the table the cube without the wrapper is in his palm.

“That’s what happened last time – I don’t understand!”


Preparation

1 During dinner secretly take a sugar cube. Sometimes they don’t bring out the sugar until the end of the meal and what I do if there’s a chance that I will want to perform this effect (and I never know – while you must always use good judgment as to when to perform magic in a social - or business – setting it’s always good to be prepared) I will go to the bathroom and get a cube from a waiter or another table.

2 Secretly remove the wrapper and try (though it’s not that important) to keep the wrapper as intact as possible.

3 The cube and the wrapper are secretly placed on your lap.

Performance

The numbers below correspond to the numbers under “Effect”

1 For the first “actual” penetration I take a cube from the bowl and place it in my left hand and as my right hand goes under the table I perform Slydini’s Revolve Vanish which brings the cube to my lap and that is picked up by my right hand as it goes under the table.

2 For the second penetration, I have my left hand secretly get the wrapper from my lap. There’s no “heat” – the trick is over.

Then, when I try it again, I take the cube that had previously penetrated the table in my right hand and I do what I call the “Reverse Revolve” – that is, I do the Revolve Vanish” but with my right hand instead of my left and then my right hand pretends to place the cube in my left hand – which has the wrapper.

The empty right hand goes under the table and picks up the wrapperless cube. The left hand smashes the table and you’re surprised to see the wrapper when the left hand is lifted and more surprised when the right hand comes out from under the table with the wrapperless cube.

Note – The Revolve Vanish – for those that don’t know it can be found in “The Best
Of Slydini And More” on page 41 and in “Slydini Encores” on page 41

Good Perverse magic is entertaining magic.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » January 1st, 2014, 6:15 am

Instantaneous Reverse

Background

The title comes from the effect that appears in Bill Simon’s “Effective Card Magic” although the method and presentation are different.

As presented, this falls into the sixth category of Perverse Magic (see this thread above – November 2011) – the performer explains something that will happen but he doesn’t understand why it happens. As I’ve explained, this fits my personality and it takes away the ‘look how great I am” presentation that so many magicians use.

I am an attorney and a CPA and I use magic in my relationship with clients but only at what I feel is an appropriate time – which, if it occurs would usually be at a lunch or dinner. But whether I perform or not, I am almost always ready to – if I feel it is an appropriate time. This is one such effect I might do.

Effect

1 I was having a business lunch with an existing client and his friend to whom he was introducing to me when he told his friend I did magic and asked me to do “something”.

I smiled, nodded and took a deck of cards from my pocket and spreading the deck I asked my client’s friend to take a card and show it to all. Say it’s the 4H.

2 I look confused and say, “I hope it works with this table,” as I knock once on the table.

3 I take back the card and openly push it face down into the middle of the face down deck. “Remember your card,” I tell the spectator.

4 With the deck in my left hand, I bring that hand and the deck under the table and with my right hand I knock once on the table.

I immediately bring my left hand back from under the table and ask the spectator for the name of his card and when he tells me I spread the deck and his card, the 4H is reversed in the center of the deck. I turn the 4H face down and again insert it in the deck.

5 I square up the deck and again take it in my left hand and again bring my left hand under the table and with my right hand I again knock on the table but four knocks this time.

6 I bring the deck out from under the table and spread it and now all the 4s are face up in different parts of the deck.

“I really don’t understand how this happens but I think it has to do with the type of table.”

Explanation

Two identical decks are used. One is on your lap with all the 4s (or whatever) face up in the face down deck and the other is in your pocket with one of the 4s on top and the bottom card – a mate of the card to be forced * face up.

The numbers below correspond with the numbers under “Effect”.

1 When you take the deck from your pocket you make sure that the reverse bottom card isn’t shown.

With your left thumb on top of the deck slide the top half of the deck to the right causing the top card – here the 4H to the center. Hold a break over the 4H.

Classic Force the 4H. See below if the force is missed.* (Some will think it’s better if the force is missed.)

2 The knocking on the table does this - you don’t understand how – the sixth category of Perverse Magic.

3 It goes face down in the face up deck – except for the face down top card.

When I tell the spectator to remember his card (i) the deck is in my left hand, (ii) I turn my hand palm down and point my left index finger at him and (iii) take the now turned deck from my left with my right hand and put it back in my left hand. This turns the deck over without it being obvious.

4 Just be careful not to expose the face up bottom card.

5 Of course the decks are switched here.

6 Don’t forget to secretly pocket the deck on your lap before you stand.

* If the force is missed then:

A Do the effect with the really selected card to show that card turned face up.

B Cut the deck bringing the mate of the card you wanted to force – which is face up on the bottom to the center of the face down deck.

C Bring the deck under the table and again knock on the table saying again that you don’t know how this works and show the mate of the card you intended to force face up.

D Do 5 and 6 above.

And, of course, you are as confused as they – good Perverse Magic.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » February 1st, 2014, 6:06 am

Glenn Gravatt’s Three Coins

Background

This effect by Glenn Gravatt was published in the November 1974 issue of Genii and can very easily be presented as an example of Perverse Magic as shown below. I did make a few minor changes to Mr. Gravatt’s routine.

Effect

1 The magician reaches into his right trouser pocket and removes three quarters. He tosses them into his left hand and then back to the right hand and then he puts two quarters, one at a time into his left fist and one into his right jacket pocket.

He shakes his left hand and when he opens it there are three coins.

2 “Okay, I’ll do it again.” Again he tosses the three quarters into his right hand and again he puts two quarters into his left fist and one in his right jacket pocket.

Again he shakes his left hand and when he opens it there are three coins.

3 “Okay, now one more time.” This time he puts two quarters one at a time into his right fist and one in his left jacket pocket but this time when he shakes his right hand and opens it, instead of three coins there is a handful of quarters.

“Where the heck did these come from?” the magician asks, confused.

Method

The numbers below correspond to the numbers under Effect

1 The magician has a pocketful of quarters in his right jacket pocket and four quarters in his right trouser pocket.

(Mr. Gravatt uses whatever is in his pocket but I think it’s better to end with all quarters.)

He “Classic Palms” one quarter and brings out the other three.

(Here too I differ a bit from Mr. Gravatt as I prefer the Classic Palm.)

He tosses those three to the left hand and gets one of the quarters into Classic Palm position in that hand.

He tosses the three “unpalmed” quarters from the left to the right where they join the one Classic Palmed.

So, as Glenn Gravatt points out the magician has shown both hands and three coins.

Two coins go into the left fist (joining the palmed coin) and one apparently goes into the right jacket pocket but in effect it is Classic Palmed in the right hand.

2 Repeat 1 but when the right hand goes into the right jacket pocket it grabs a handful of loose quarters.

3 This time the left hand puts two coins into the magician’s right fist and one in his left pocket and when he opens his right hand, instead of the expected three quarters, to the magician’s surprise, there is a handful of quarters.

Good Perverse Magic.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » March 14th, 2014, 6:22 pm

Aldo Columbini – Harry Lorayne – Perverse Magic

As we know, Aldo Columbini passed away last month. Some of my magician friends and I took it upon ourselves to review some of the published Columbini effects and I found many published by Harry Lorayne in Apocalypse and Best of Friends III.

Among those published in Apocalypse is “Heat” which appears on page 2840 of the September 1997 issue and I see that a Perverse Magic presentation is appropriate for this effect.

The effect is that two spectators each select a card and sign the front and back of their cards. One card is reversed in the center of the deck and the other is dealt face down to the table. The magician says he will make the cards change places.

When he now spreads the deck the other card is now face up which is removed from the deck but when the magician turns over the card face down on the table it is – a double back card! Confused, the magician turns over the face up card and it is a double faced card. The signatures of both spectators are on both cards.

The magician is confused – good Perverse Magic – and Harry Lorayne suggests saying , “Oh, oh – I need some more practice.”

(Incidentally, I posted an effect called “Merger” back on this thread in November 2010 where 2 cards are placed back to back and pressed together and they become one double faced card.)

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » March 14th, 2014, 6:24 pm

Unexpected Surprise

Effect

1 A card is selected and shuffled back into the deck.

2 “Okay, now I’m going to show you groups of five cards and you tell me which pile has your card.”

He holds the deck face up in his right hand at the outer edges and thumbs five cards from the face to his left hand. The spectator does not see his card in the first group and that group is dropped face down on the table.

The selected card appears as the last card in the second group and the spectator says so. That card is at the face of the “packet” held by the magician.

3 “Okay, now I’m going to make your card vanish from this packet right before your eyes.” The magician holds the “packet” in his left hand and snaps his right hand over it and says, “Okay what was the name of your card?”

The spectator names the card staring everyone in the face.

4 The magician is confused. “I did something wrong – Oh man! I made all the other cards vanish. I have to practice this.”

Background

This was published in Jerry Mentzer’s “Card Cavalcade” and credited by him to
Walt Rollins. Also there is a version by Eddie Fechter in Card Cavalcade Finale. In
both versions the magician is triumphant at the end as he “snaps the card” and
shows that only one card remains. In this Perverse Magic presentation “something
happens without the performer’s knowledge” (the first form of Perverse Magic –
see all forms listed on this thread above.) and like so much Perverse Magic the
magician does not claim credit but creates entertainment and gets credit for that
AND for the magic.

Method

The numbers below correspond to the numbers under Effect above.

1 The selected card is controlled to the position of 10th from the bottom. The best way would seem to be to bring the card to the bottom and then run three cards from the top to the bottom three times.
2 When the second packet is shown the four cards before the selected card (the 5th in that packet) go beneath the deck and are kept there as you perform the Biddle Steal (or Biddle Count) leaving you with only one card – the selected card.

3 No comment needed.

4 See above Background.

Good Perverse Magic.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » April 1st, 2014, 6:52 am

Perverse Ring On Pen

Background

A true story that took place on Saturday February 1, 2014 at Rustico II in Manhattan New York.

As we do every Saturday, some magicians were having lunch at this pizza restaurant when a young magician came up to Sol Stone saying he was trying to buy his book, “The Essential Sol Stone” but the place he went to said it was sold out. He then asked Sol if he would perform his famous ring on pen routine “On Again, Off Again” (which appears on page 205 of that book. Sol said he would be happy to and to teach it to the young man.

(Sol Stone will be honored as “The Magician of the Year” at the 105thAnnual Salute to Magic on May 17th of this year at the Queens Theatre in the Park in New York.)

The young man had a ring but no pen. Neither did Sol so he asked me if I had one and I did and loaned it to Sol. He taught his routine to the young man and then gave me back my pen.

Then:

Effect

1 I asked the young man if I could borrow his ring and he gave it to me. I placed it on my left palm and had the pen in my right hand.

I closed my left hand and pushed the pen inside my left fist so the end of the pen came out the other side of my left fist and I told the young man to hold both ends of the pen. Then I looked confused (acting is an important part of Perverse Magic.) I opened my left hand and, as expected, the ring was on the pen.

I removed the ring, still looking confused and said I would start again as I may have forgotten how to do this.

2 I repeated what’s above but this time when I opened my left fist there was no ring. I was more confused.

3 I stood up; put my left hand in my left pocket looking for the ring – no luck. I put my right hand in my right pocket, took out my keys and then, bingo! His ring!
I gave it back shaking my head in confusion as the young man was clearly fooled.

Method

The numbers below correspond with the numbers under Effect.

1 No comment needed. This is just to establish (i) my confusion about all this and (ii) what happens in 2.

2 As I close my left fist around the ring I (i) perform Slydini’s Revolve vanish and (ii) move my hand towards the center of the table. The ring falls to my lap.

3 Several actions at once: (i) my right hand drops to my lap over the ring and takes it, (ii) I start to rise and (iii) my left hand goes into my pocket looking for the ring.
As I can’t find the ring in my left pocket, my right hand looks in my right pocket, dropping the ring into that pocket as it brings out my keys and then goes back in and gets the ring which is returned.

I had to leave the group and it was good timing to do so.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » May 1st, 2014, 7:32 am

Linking Safety Pins

Background

Back on August 1, 2007, I posted “Linking Key Rings” on this thread (explaining that my inspiration for that effect was Sol Stone’s Linking Links published in Harry Lorayne’s Best Of Friends II – and now also in Sol’s book “The Essential Sol Stone” on page 199). Also see “Linking Finger Rings” on this thread above October 1, 2013.

Recently I was in a “Dollar Store” and I bought a package of safety pins and came up with this effect which falls into the sixth category of Perverse Magic – the performer explains something that will happen but doesn’t understand why it happens.

Effect

“I just bought a new magic trick,” says the magician during dinner, “but I don’t understand it. Look it comes with these four safety pins and the instructions.”

He dumps the four safety pins on the table and takes out a page of instructions which he hands to a spectator and tells her to read it out loud and to do what it says. She reads and does as follows:

LINKING SAFEY PINS
INSTRUCTIONS

1 Have a spectator place the four safety pins on your left palm.

2 Have the spectator pour some salt on the pins.

3 Close your left hand and rub the back with your right middle finger.

4 Turn your left fist over and now rub the fingers with your right middle finger.

5 Open your left hand – the pins should be linked.

They are – you are puzzled

Method

I use small safety pins – 7/8 of an inch.

Beforehand you have four LINKED safety pins on your right thigh. You secretly get
them into right thumb palm position.

You give the spectator the four unlinked safety pins and the instructions and tell her
to read them out loud and do what it says. She does.

After the salt is poured on the pins you close your left hand and perform Slydini’s
Revolve Vanish.

After you rub the back of your left fist, you turn your left fist over and drop the
linked pins into your left fist in the space between your left thumb and closed first
finger, performing the L’Homme Masque Load.

Your puzzlement makes this Perverse Magic.

Notes

1 These are very small pins and are very light so that it may very well be possible to just get up after dinner and the pins will drop from your lap silently to the floor.

2 It would appear that small paper clips would work as well as safety pins but safety pins could be linked by opening them while paper clips could not and using paper clips might force spectators to conclude that a switch was made. See the “Too-Perfect Theory” published in Genii in August 2001..

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » June 1st, 2014, 6:49 am

Perverse 21 Card Trick

Background

The 21 Card Trick is one of the first most of us learned.

21 cards are dealt in three rows of 7 cards (3 cards are dealt and then 3 under those and so forth etc) and a spectator is asked to think of one card and tell the magician in which pile the thought of card is in. The magician gathers the cards by pile and puts the pile with the thought of card between the other 2 piles. This is repeated twice and then the thought of card will be the 11th card.

My friend Bob Elliot had shown me some variations and I recently saw Mike Ammar perform a version that was more suited to a performer of his class.

This is my version presented as Perverse Magic.

Effect

1 The performer has a spectator select a card and hold it face down.

2 The performer asks another spectator the deal out any 20 cards.

3 The performer has the first spectator place his selected card in the 20 card packet that the second spectator dealt. He then asks the second spectator to shuffle the packet.

4 The performer takes back the packet and deals them into three rows of 7 cards each.

5 “The card you’re thinking of is one of these, right?” he asks and is told that it is.

6 The performer gathers the cards and gives the packet to a spectator and says, “Your card is 11 cards down.”

7 The spectator deals 11 cards but – it is not the selected card. The performer is confused. He stands and says, “I hate when that happens,” as he points to the selected card face up on his chair.

Method

The numbers below correspond with the numbers under Effect above:

1 A card is forced using the Classic Force.

2,3
4,5 No comment needed.

6 You, of course know the card and you pick up a pile that does not contain that card and (i) spread the cards to show them, (ii) cut the packet, (iii) turn it face down and (iv) drop the packet on the table.

Repeat this with the pile that contains the selected pile but get a break above ( as the packet is face up – technically I mean “below”) the selected card so that when the packet is cut the selected card is on top. (That is, the bottom card of the face up packet In card magic definitions this is called “the top card”.)

When the packet is turned face down it is dropped on the first packet.

The same is done with the third packet but it is dropped on the table next to the other packet (which is the combined first and second) and then the other packet is dropped on the third packet so that the selected card is on top.

The packet is picked up and the top (selected) card is pushed slightly to the right and a break is taken under it. That card is lapped (See above – this thread December 1, 2011 “Sit Down Eleven Card Trick” discussing Slydini’s Timing Principle and his “shoot”.)

Immediately the packet is turned face up and given to a spectator.

7 While the spectator is dealing you, (i) let your right hand drop to your lap and onto the lapped card, (ii) raise up slightly, (iii) have your left hand pull your chair a bit forward, (iv) drop the card on the seat and (v) sit.

Further Notes

The spectators that know the 21 Card Trick are led to believe that this is that effect
because (i) the cards are dealt in the three piles and (ii) the card is expected to be
11 cards down. For those that know the 21 Card Trick it is a nice surprise; for
those that don’t it is a nice effect.

In the 21 Card Trick the card is thought of – here it is forced. In step 5 I say “the
card you’re THINKING OF”. The audience will forget the difference.

Though there is the dealing of the three piles it’s done only once.

And this can be done standing – not by finding the card on your seat but, instead,
producing it from your pocket. If this is to be done then in step 6, instead of lapping
the card it is palmed. Then, when you hand the packet to a spectator you put both
hands in your pockets for a short while and then both hands come out with the
right hand leaving the palmed card.

And finally this is done as Perverse Magic. It’s something you have happening that
you really don’t want. (“I hate when that happens” – see this thread above –
Perverse Patter December 1, 2006.)

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » July 1st, 2014, 6:54 am

Bounce – No Bounce Balls

This is the effect sold by dealers with two black rubber balls, one that bounces and the other, when dropped, just says flat on the table or floor.

I use this effect as good Perverse Magic at a dinner table (where I do a lot of my magic – but usually, rather than many effects as a working magician, I do only one effect for friends.)

I also like to use salt as a good prop, like a magician would use a magic wand (see my Dice Routine April 2005 above).

To perform this I would have the salt shaker to my right, the “dead” ball finger palmed in my right hand and the “live” ball between my thumb and index finger of that hand.

And then:

1 I would bounce the ball and catch it in my left hand and then take it from my left hand with my right thumb and first finger and do it again.

2 Then I would perform the “Bobo Switch”, tossing the “dead” ball to the left hand.

3 At this point the right hand is left of the body and I then move my right hand in an arc (or a U) and as my hand approaches the bottom of the U it is over my lap and the ‘live” ball is lapped. The right hand continues and picks up the salt shaker to my right.

4 I sprinkle salt on the “dead” ball and explain that salt help improve the ability of a ball to bounce.

5 I then try to bounce the “dead” ball and it just lays there on the table.

6 Damn!!!

It’s an amusing interlude at a dinner meeting or a social dinner.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » August 1st, 2014, 6:42 am

That’s My Phone Number!

Effect

The magician asks a young lady if she knows whether there’s a deck of cards in the
company lunchroom. She smiles and gets one and when she hands it to him he
says, “I just read if you put your hand on my hand as I cut the cards I may cut
cards that mean something to you. Should we try?” She smiles and nods.

He gives the deck a shuffle

“Okay, now put your fingers on the back of my hand as I cut. Good.”

He cuts and turns over a 3.

“I think that means I deal out 3 cards.”

He does. He deals 3 cards face up onto the table.

“Let’s do it again.”

He again cuts the cards with her fingers on his hand and he cuts to a 4.

“So I guess we deal out 4 cards.”

He does.

He then calls out the seven cards and looks at the woman and asks, “Does that mean
anything to you?”

She smiles at him. “That’s my phone number.”

He looks confused. “You’re kidding!” he says and stare’s at the deck. “I really don’t
understand how this works but – but – I mean - may I call you?”

Once again, she smiles and nods.

Background

Nick Trost published “The Telephone Number Trick” in his book “Subtle Card
Creations Vol 1.”. This is a simplified version.

Method

Of course the cards are set up. And the magician has to know the girl’s telephone
number without her knowing he does.

From the top of the deck, a 3, the first 3 digits in the phone number, a 4 and then
the final 4 digits of the phone number.

A false shuffle and then running cuts (with the spectator’s fingers on the back of
The performer’s hand) to produce the 3, then dealing the next 3 face up and then
another set of running cuts (again with her fingers on the back of the magician’s
hand) to then producing the 4 and then dealing the last part of the phone
number.

As presented above, this was an ideal situation that magicians should always be
alerted to. The magician knew there was a deck of cards in the company lunchroom
and he set up the cards but left them where they were.

On their first date the girl kept asking him how that happened with the cards and
he, with a smile, pretended to be as mystified as she.

Good Perverse Magic.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » September 1st, 2014, 6:59 am

SEX TEST

Effect

The magician and his date are sitting at the table in the restaurant across from his date’s friend and her boyfriend. It was a wonderful dinner which began with wine and all have finished their coffee and are about to ask for the check.

“Can I try a little sex test?” asks the magician. His friend smiles and the women look confused.

The magician takes his coffee cup and the wine cork. He puts the cork, which is laying sown, in front of his friend and covers it with the coffee cup and asks his friend to put his hand on the bottom (that’s the top as the cup is upside down) of the coffee cup for a few seconds.

“Okay,” says the magician and the friend takes his hand away. The magician lifts the cup and shakes his head as he picks up the cork.

He repeats this with his date but this time, when he lifts the cup, the cork is standing!

“Wow! You are sexy!” he says and everyone laughs.

Background

My friend Sol Stone had this published by Harry Lorayne in “Best Of Friends Volume III” (page 43) under the title “Abracadaver”.

Method

The cork should lay on the table with the narrow side facing you. When the cork is to stand, the inner rim of the cup rests on the corks end and as you press down to cover the cork the pressure from the cup will cause it to stand erect.

Some Notes

This is the sixth category of Perverse Magic – the performer doesn’t understand why what happens does happen (see above this thread November 1, 2011)

It is important to be careful for whom you perform this. An older woman is perfect as the subject. Once at a party I came across a young couple that I didn’t know and I had the cork stand for the fellow NOT the girl.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » September 1st, 2014, 7:01 am

FOUR CARD MONTE

Background

1 This came from Richard Vollmer’s Poor Man Monte (Apocalypse April 1980 page 472) with modifications suggested by my friend Peter Marshall (Apocalypse September 1982 page 678).

2 It’s a “packet trick” and I believe packet tricks should end “clean” – that is-the cards should be able to be examined at the end.

3 It’s presented here as Perverse Magic – the sixth category – the magician just doesn’t understand why something happens.

4 I posted a Perverse Three Card Monte on this thread above on July 1, 2004.

Effect

1 “I met with this great card magician last week and I asked him to teach me the “Three Card Monte”. He said I would have to first learn the “Four card Monte”. I didn’t understand but he taught it to me. But to tell the truth I still don’t understand how it works.

“Look, we use four cards, three Five of Diamonds (5D) and one King of Clubs (KC).

2 “Okay, you’re supposed to put one 5D here on the table face down and that leaves these three cards, two 5D and one KC.” He shows the three cards with the KC in the center.

He turns them face down and the right thumb on top, he pulls the top card onto his right. That’s repeated with the next 2 cards.

“Now what’s confusing is that if you had to pick the KC you’d find that these are all 5D and the KC is here on the table.”

3 This entire sequence is repeated – a 5D is put on the table – two 5Ds are shown with a KC between them and all the cards in the magician’s hand turn out to be 5D and the KC is on the table.

4 “This is so confusing. Let me get rid of one of these cards.” He puts one of the 5D in his hand into his pocket. “Good – now we have a simpler 3 card monte.” He puts the KC between the 2 cards in his hand. And again he pulls the top card onto his right. That’s repeated with the next 2 cards.

“Now this is what confuses me. If you wanted to find the KC – well, these are all 5D and the KC is here in my pocket.

5 “Just one more time. Look, I’ll put a 5D face down on the table and of these three in my hand which is the KC?

“This is really weird. Look – the 5D is on the table but these in my hand are all KC.”

“This is just too complicated for me!”

Explanation

The numbers below correspond with the numbers above.

1 Five cards are used. Here, three KC and two 5D. A KC is secretly in the jacket breast pocket. With the packet face up, the 2 5Ds are on the face with the 2 KC behind.

An Elmsley Count is done to show 3 5D and I KC.

2 The top card is dealt face down onto the table. It’s a KC but they think it’s a 5D. You can then show the 3 cards in your hand – 2 5D with the KC between them.

The left hand turns palm down and grips the 2 cards on the left – a 5D and the KC and the right hand palm up grabs the 5D on the right. The hands turn – the left palm up and the right palm down, turning the cards with them. The result is that the KC is now on the bottom of the face down packet. This is a standard “Monte move”.

Pulling each face down card to the right hand changes the order of the cards.

Double left – (just buckle the bottom card and turn over the other 2) and show a 5D. Turn the 2 cards face down as one and deal the top card (KC) face down on the table. Deal the next 2 face up one at a time and turn them face down and drop each on top of the one on the table showing all 5D.

Show the KC on the table.

3 Again with the 3 cards face down reverse their order (so the KC is on top), double lift to show a 5D and put it face down (really the KC) on the table next to the face up KC. Take the face up KC and put it between the 2 5D and repeat step 2

4 Pick up the packet on the table (KC on bottom and 2 5D on top and take the top 5D and put it in your breast pocket behind the KC there and then pull the KC up slightly so it shows.

Put the face up KC that’s on the table face down between the 2 face down cards in your hand ( 5D on top over the KC) so that you now have a 5D over 2 KC.

Again reverse the cards and using the Flustration Count (see Card College 3 pages 609-610) show 3 5D.

Pull the KC from your pocket.

5 You now have a 5D in your hand over 2 KC.

Deal the top card (5D) face down on the table and put the KC from your pocket between the 2 face down cards. Mix them.

The audience will believe that the tabled card is the KC and will be surprised to see that for the first time it is the 5D. They will be even more surprised to see that the 3 cards in your hand are all KC.

But by showing you’re confused you’re not acting superior and you’re performing
Perverse Magic.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » October 1st, 2014, 6:58 am

Teaching Perverse Magic To Middle School Children

I have been teaching magic to middle school children that express a desire to learn magic.

(My goal is to get these children interested on something other than Facebook which can be so harmful to children that are bullied.)

I start the first session by emphasizing the importance of Entertainment and Presentation as I point out that it is very easy to bore your audience, that a routine should be planned, that it should fit your personality –

I then do the following:

Effect

1 “So for example, if you need a coin – you can make it appear”

My hands are apparently empty and I grab an invisible coin from the air
with my right hand and toss it into my left hand, snap the fingers of my right hand over my left, open my left hand and show a half dollar and toss it to my right hand.

2 “And you can make it vanish and wind up in your pocket. Watch.”

The right hand puts the half dollar in the left hand and the left hand slaps the right leg and the coin is gone.

3 “Actually, the coin goes through my leg into my pocket.”

The magician reaches into his right trouser pocket and pulls out the half dollar and tosses it to his left hand.

4 “ I’ll vanish it again – ”

The magician takes the coin in his right hand and tosses it to his left and – and instead of the coin, the left hand now holds a - a ball!

“What the--? Where did this ball come from???” asks the magician, confused as he bounces the ball.

Needed

A ball that (i) can bounce and (ii) can be concealed in the right palm in the right trouser pocket.

A half dollar in the right Classic Palm position.

(Note: This can be done totally impromptu, even outdoors, by using a quarter (half dollars are becoming rare) and a rock. I’ve noted effects with rocks before on this thread (see above February 2004, February 2006, December 2009.)

Method

The numbers below correspond to the numbers above:

1 The palmed coin is thrown from the right hand to the left which closes. The right hand snaps its fingers and the left hand opens to show the coin.

It is tossed back to the right hand.

2 The right hand pretends to put the coin into the left hand but it stays in the right hand in Classic Palm position.

The left hand slaps the right leg and shows the coin gone.

3 The right hand goes into the right trouser pocket, lets the coin fall and Classic Palms the ball and takes the coin at the fingertips and tosses the coin into the left hand.

4 The coin is taken in the right hand and using the Bobo Switch, the ball, not the coin I tossed into the left hand.

As the ball is shown, the right hand swings behind your back and Classic Palms the coin.

The purpose of bringing this up in the course is to show the children that Perverse
Magic – magic that happens in spite of what the magician wants or expects – is very
entertaining and entertainment is the main reason for doing magic.

The routine caused amazement but when I showed confusion at the change of the
coin to the ball that caused laughter as well.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » October 1st, 2014, 6:59 am

More On Mismade Bill

I mentioned this on this thread on May 1, 2012 but lately I’ve been doing this as a Perverse Magic effect.

Effect

1 My wife and I were having dinner with another couple when the woman – my wife’s friend - asked me if I have any new tricks.

“Actually, I did learn how to change a dollar to a twenty.”

The woman smiled and poked her husband. “Give him a dollar.” He did.

2 I folded the dollar and then pressed it between my two hands. “Here, press the bill tightly,” I say as I put the bill in front of him. He does.

I take the bill back and again press it between my hands.

3 I look disappointed. “It’s not working.” I shake my head and open the bill and – and – it’s a “mismade bill”

“What the----” I look confused. I reach into my wallet and give our guest another bill and still confused I put the mismade bill away.

Preparation

The folded mismade bill is on your lap.

Method

The numbers below correspond with the numbers under effect.

2 I fold the dollar bill the way the mismade bill is folded. While he is pressing the bill I get the mismade bill from my left to my right thumb palm position.

When I again press the bill I perform that sleeving move but lapping the bill that is on my left palm and dropping the mismade bill that was thumb palmed in my right hand onto my left palm.

3 My left hand drops to my lap and onto the lapped bill as my right goes to my pocket for my wallet. Not finding the wallet, I go to my left pocket with my left hand (and the bill) get the wallet and leave the bill.

Good Perverse Magic. It’s the second category – the performer says one thing will
happen – something else does.

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » November 1st, 2014, 7:19 am

Oh You Have One Of These Pens!

Background

The sixth category of Perverse Magic – Performer explains something that will happen but he doesn’t understand why it happens – can present a quick and very entertaining bit of magic. Like this for example—

Effect

1 “Oh you have one of these pens,” you say as you pick up the spectator’s pen from her desk.

2 You pretend to examine it and pull off the cap, look at the cap and then shake it. A quarter drops out from the cap though the diameter is much smaller than the diameter of the quarter. You give the quarter to the spectator, put the cap back on the pen and place it back on her desk.

Discussion

Simple.

The quarter is Classic Palmed in the right hand. The pen cap is taken off the pen
with the right hand and with the Classic Palm the right hand appears empty.

You shake the cap as if you want to get something out of it and let the quarter fall to
the table.

A quick effect that stands on its own, good entertainment and good Perverse Magic.

(And you let her keep the quarter.)

Gerald Deutsch
Posts: 442
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Glen Head New York

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Gerald Deutsch » November 1st, 2014, 7:20 am

Sit Down Invisible card – Card Through Table

Effect

1 “So did you learn any new tricks today,” she asked her husband sitting to the left of her as they were having dinner with another couple.

“Well, I did learn something but I really should practice more,” said the magician.

“Oh come on, show us,” said the wife’s friend – sitting opposite the magician.

“Yeah,” said her husband, sitting to her left.

2 “Well – okay,” says the magician as he takes out a deck of cards.

3 “Well, I learned how to make a card invisible. Name a card,” he says to the
man. Let’s suppose he names the 4H.

“Okay, good, the 4H. Watch. I’ll make the 4H invisible.” The magician slaps the deck. “Done. The 4H is invisible. Look, I’ll show you.”

The magician spreads the deck face up and stops when he comes to a card NOT the 4H but he says, “There. See? The 4H is invisible. Here, let’s deal it onto the table.

4 The magician picks up the “invisible 4H” and gives it to the woman opposite and tells her to put it into the deck face down. She humors him and does. The magician slaps the deck and says he just made it turn face up. He spreads the deck and pulls out the “face up” invisible 4H.

5 “Watch – I’ll make it go through the table.” The magician puts his left hand under the table and smacks the invisible 4H with his right hand and lifts his right hand to show it’s “gone” and then brings out his left hand holding the invisible 4H. “The problem is that the card may unexpectedly become visible again and then you can’t again make it invisible.”

6 “Here, let’s try again,” he says to the woman opposite. Put your hand under the table.” He repeats the action from 5 and sees a strange look on the woman’s face.; “What? Don’t tell me! It became visible? Darn!”

The woman brings her hand out and on it is the now visible 4H. The magician shakes his head, a bit upset.



Background

Back on this thread – see May 1, 2009 – I described my Invisible Card and said it was one of my favorite tricks with a borrowed deck. It still is.

But that is a “stand up” effect. This is an effect done at the table – perhaps during dinner – with a group of people or with a date – assuming it’s appropriate to take out a deck of cards in a restaurant.

Johnny Benzais’ (who was a good friend of mine and who died much too young) Through The Table was published by Harry Lorayne in his wonderful book “Close Up Card Magic” (The Classic Collection Volume 1).

Method

The numbers below correspond to the numbers above in Effect.

1 It’s best to have the card fall into a woman’s hand and here, if you expect to do the effect, it’s best to have the woman (not your wife of course) sit opposite you.

I find that the worst angle for me when I’m lapping is to my right – as my left arm can somewhat shelter my lap and so I like to have my wife in that seat – to my right. (When we were first married and I did lapping my wife would follow the object and look down into my lap. I had to teach her misdirection 101.)

Of course you can’t always have the seating arrangement you want but I’m assuming the best here.

2 Again, it may not be appropriate in that restaurant or at the time to take out a deck of cards. Good judgment should always be used.

3 This is the only “move” in the routine.

You hold the deck close to the table edge and spread the deck face up with the faces towards you until you come to the named card, here the 4H.

You break the deck at this point with the 4H being the last card of the upper packet held in your right hand.

You pretend that the ‘invisible” 4H is the face card of the lower packet and you move your left hand with that packet forward and to the right (in front of the right hand) and pretend to “deal” the invisible card to the table.

Your right hand with the upper packet spread, meanwhile moves slightly back to the table edge (a larger movement of the left hand masks the right hand’s movement) and lets the last card, the 4H drop into your lap.

Then assemble the deck by bringing the hands and the packets together.

4,5 You have to move fast here or they’ll think it’s all a big joke and lose interest.

6 As explained in Close Up Card Magic, the card on your lap is taken in your right hand to a spot under the table and is held against the table by your right thumb pressing it against the table.

You use your left hand to place the woman’s hand on your right palm so that, when you bend your right thumb the card will fall into her hand.

This is another example of the sixth category of Perverse Magic – the performer
explains that something will happen but he doesn’t understand why it happens. See
this thread above – December 1, 2005.

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

Re: Perverse Magic

Postby Q. Kumber » November 1st, 2014, 8:39 am

Mr Deutsch,

Thank you for your monthly contributions.

There is a rich vein of good magic and theory in this thread.

Long may they continue.

Quentin


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