Credit question—cards

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Pete McCabe
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Location: Simi Valley, CA

Credit question—cards

Postby Pete McCabe » March 2nd, 2011, 11:24 am

I recently came up with a trick that uses what I thought was an old idea but I can't seem to track it down. The basic idea is that the deck is handed out for shuffling, but a card (or cards) are held beneath the cardcase by a rubber band. The deck is returned to the performer, who then takes the rubber band off the case, which very sneakily adds the held-out cards on top of the deck.

I know Pit Hartling uses this idea in a trick in the Little Green Lecture; he also thought this was an old idea but can't remember a prior credit.

Any help will be appreciated.

BTW I posted the trick that uses this idea as a free download:
saythemagicwords.com/about.html

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Credit question—cards

Postby Jonathan Townsend » March 2nd, 2011, 12:16 pm

Pete, the folded back flap of the case rings as the more familiar ruse here. Perhaps that might be the link for older sources.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

Philippe Billot
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Re: Credit question—cards

Postby Philippe Billot » March 2nd, 2011, 12:44 pm

Pete, it's not exactly what you are looking for but see Genii, Vol. 1, no. 9, 1937, page 10, The Card Case Force By William Larsen.

Pete McCabe
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Joined: January 18th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Credit question—cards

Postby Pete McCabe » March 3rd, 2011, 3:44 pm

Thanks for the help.

Certainly the idea of hiding cards under the cardcase is not new. It seems to me that the idea of using a rubber band to hold the cards is an (incremental) improvement, in that it gives freedom of movement, etc. So I am still trying to track down any tricks that use this basic principle with a rubber band.

The Card Case Force that Philippe mentions has a great idea that anyone doing McDonald's Aces will definitely want to check out on iGenii.

Jonathan Townsend
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Re: Credit question—cards

Postby Jonathan Townsend » March 3rd, 2011, 3:49 pm

Still trying to recall a trick or routine which justifies the rubberband in place to keep something with the pack. Not that rubber bands are so classy - like doing the cups and balls trick with dixie cups - they have their place.

The other side is the gaff which has the cardcase on one side and the back of a card on the other (or face) to camouflage the load/unload. That might have a link to suitable credits.

For some reason I'm flashing back to an item which amounts to doing the hop using the card case where you have an extra flap on the back of the case to serve as scoop. Will post a link if I recall the source.

Pete McCabe
Posts: 2332
Joined: January 18th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Credit question—cards

Postby Pete McCabe » March 3rd, 2011, 10:49 pm

Pit Hartling's trick justifies the rubberband. There's an unpublished Paul Harris routine that uses it in an even more integral way. My free-download replaces the rubber band with a paper band which encircles the deck and has a prediction written on it, which justifies the band and its removal (the prediction is written on the back side).

Indeed rubber bands are not classy, but even the classiest home has a few rubber bands. But justifying their use is important.


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