Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Discuss your favorite close-up tricks and methods.
Doc Dixon
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Joined: April 16th, 2008, 1:45 pm

Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Doc Dixon » January 2nd, 2012, 11:40 am

There's a gag/trick where someone makes it seem an unmarked deck is marked by doing a bubble peek of the top card while holding up another card and knowing the cards via a one ahead.

Anyone know where this is in print? I thought it was in Expert Card Technique, but I haven't been able to locate it there.

Thanks in advance.

Doc

Denis Behr
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Re: Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Denis Behr » January 2nd, 2012, 11:42 am

Hm, I cannot look it up right now, but in this list there's something in ECT that seems to fit: http://archive.denisbehr.de/show.php?cat=778

Brad Henderson
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Re: Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Brad Henderson » January 2nd, 2012, 12:35 pm

I Learned it in hope's holistic approach to magic.

Pete McCabe
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Re: Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Pete McCabe » January 2nd, 2012, 6:24 pm

It started as a Brad Henderson post but then it ended up Jonathan Townsend.

Brad Henderson
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Re: Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Brad Henderson » January 2nd, 2012, 6:33 pm

:)

Any one else ever read the hope book? I got it when a kid. It was the first book i encountered that really went into a lot of the psychology behind the tricks. After reading that book, I stopped getting caught on the salt shaker through table trick. I've never heard anyone else mention the book. It was nicely produced. Though I can't say I have any recollection of it's intended audience (if stated). It taught salt shaker through table, the false marked cards routine, a "vanishing cracker" routine/gag, and karate card. I think there may have been one other trick but it escapes me.

But funny observation, Pete.

Pete McCabe
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Re: Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Pete McCabe » January 2nd, 2012, 10:42 pm

I never heard of the hope book. It sounds interestinga Google search indicates that if you still have yours, it's worth some money. I'll see if they have it at the Castle library.

Doc Dixon
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Re: Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Doc Dixon » January 3rd, 2012, 4:46 pm

Well, I didn't expect that. Thanks, Brad. I've known of the bit for at least 20 years, but your mention was the first I've heard of that book. Does the book's author claim originality?

@Pete -- that was very funny.

Doc

Richard Hatch
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Re: Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Richard Hatch » January 4th, 2012, 2:35 pm

Stumbled across my copy of the Hope book and decided to check the reference. The book contains seven routines plus a bonus effect. The bubble peek routine is "Lesson Seven: Keep 'em Guessing". The author claims originality for the presentation, but that presentation is not quite as described in Doc's original query. Hope's presentational hook is the claim that despite shuffling the deck always arranges itself so the top and bottom cards are mathematically linked. He "proves" this by showing the bottom card (while bubble peeking the top card) and then "calculating" either the value or suit of the top card. He recommends doing this rapidly with as many as fifteen cards (having the deck shuffled between each). For a climax, he uses a different peek and a one ahead to "predict" the top two cards. So Hope is using a display of the face up bottom card to cover the peek of the top card, rather than the "marked card" premise. An online search shows that Tim Felix at Midwest Magic has a copy of this book (limited to 500 numbered copies) in stock for just $17.50:
https://midwestmagic.net/shop/item.asp?itemid=1554

Doc Dixon
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Re: Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Doc Dixon » January 4th, 2012, 5:43 pm

Richard,

Thanks! Ordered it today.

Doc

Doc Dixon
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Re: Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Doc Dixon » January 6th, 2012, 6:01 pm

Doc Dixon wrote:Richard,

Thanks! Ordered it today.

Doc


And received it today. Kudos to Midwest Magic.

Doc

Jim Maloney
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Re: Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Jim Maloney » January 7th, 2012, 1:34 pm

Doc Dixon wrote:There's a gag/trick where someone makes it seem an unmarked deck is marked by doing a bubble peek of the top card while holding up another card and knowing the cards via a one ahead.

Anyone know where this is in print? I thought it was in Expert Card Technique, but I haven't been able to locate it there.

Thanks in advance.

Doc


The bubble peek is taught on page 101 of Expert Card Technique, and is used in part of the routine Denis referenced, "Reading the Cards of Any Deck" (step 9). Here, it's used to peek at a card not on top, but several cards down (at a number named by the spectator).

The idea is also used in a similar routine in Card College 4, on page 993.

I can recall baffling my sister many years ago with a repeated bubble peek. I'm almost certain I got the idea from ECT.

-Jim
Books and Magazines for sale -- more than 200 items (Last updated January 10th, 2014. Link goes to public Google Doc.)

Tom Dobrowolski
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Re: Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Tom Dobrowolski » January 7th, 2012, 7:05 pm

Doc Dixon wrote:
Doc Dixon wrote:Richard,

Thanks! Ordered it today.

Doc


And received it today. Kudos to Midwest Magic.

Doc


It is a GREAT brick and mortar magic shop :D

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Q. Kumber
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Re: Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Q. Kumber » January 8th, 2012, 6:48 pm

It's also described in Routined Manipulation Part One by Lewis Ganson under the heading Readapack. Ganson says he was shown it prior to WW2 by an Australian magican named James.

No indication as to whether James is his first or last name.

Pete McCabe
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Location: Simi Valley, CA

Re: Bubble peek and pseudo marked cards

Postby Pete McCabe » July 24th, 2012, 10:58 pm

When this thread started I looked for a copy of Hope's The Holistic Approach to Magic. Not in the Castle library and the only copies for sale, after Doc Dixon snatched up the one from Midwest Magic, were in the $80-90 range. I put a note to myself and every month or so I've redone the search.

A week ago my patience was rewarded when I discovered that Micky Hades has a couple of copies for $12.50 plus shipping. Got mine today and I am looking forward to reading it.

I believe Micky may still have a couple of copies.


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