Devil's Elevator

Discuss your favorite close-up tricks and methods.
Guest

Devil's Elevator

Postby Guest » April 9th, 2003, 11:22 am

I used to do a trick called, I believe, the "Devil's Elevator" -- a (pseudo) display of card gambling skill in which the magician appears to deal himself seconds, thirds, Greek bottom, bottom, etc.

I've forgotten the handling and can't remember where or how I first learned it. I want to say I read it in a book by Bruce Cervon, but I just can't remember anymore.

Any someone steer me back to the source?

Jonathan Townsend
Posts: 8704
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Westchester, NY
Contact:

Re: Devil's Elevator

Postby Jonathan Townsend » April 9th, 2003, 11:39 am

Originally posted by Muscarella:
I used to do a trick called, I believe, the "Devil's Elevator" ...Any someone steer me back to the source?
I recall it from an issue of Pallbearers review. And have been using it since. Great little routine.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

User avatar
Richard Kaufman
Posts: 27056
Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
Location: Washington DC
Contact:

Re: Devil's Elevator

Postby Richard Kaufman » April 9th, 2003, 11:41 am

Yes, it's in The Pallbearers Review, and it's by either Cervon or Mike Skinner.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

User avatar
Lance Pierce
Posts: 397
Joined: February 19th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Oklahoma City
Contact:

Re: Devil's Elevator

Postby Lance Pierce » April 9th, 2003, 11:46 am

Richard,

Wasn't Michael's handling of this also in the Almanac?

Lance

Ed Oschmann
Posts: 76
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Lake Worth Florida

Re: Devil's Elevator

Postby Ed Oschmann » April 9th, 2003, 11:53 am

What do you think is the most effective way to present this trick? In the past I've always used it as a mini-ambitious card routine.
I suppose it depends on the crowd your working for.

Jonathan Townsend
Posts: 8704
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Westchester, NY
Contact:

Re: Devil's Elevator

Postby Jonathan Townsend » April 9th, 2003, 12:41 pm

Originally posted by Ed Oschmann:
What do you think is the most effective way to present this trick? In the past I've always used it as a mini-ambitious card routine.
I suppose it depends on the crowd your working for.
That's both an answer and question. Not my answer though. I used to do the thing as tongue in cheek sleight of hand demonstration. Ended with 'tabled bottom'. Idea was if they could not spot moves when announced, they would stop looking for them in later routines.
Mundus vult decipi -per Caleb Carr's story Killing Time

Ian Kendall
Posts: 2631
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: Devil's Elevator

Postby Ian Kendall » April 9th, 2003, 2:46 pm

RK - Do you know the actual name of the routine? Devil's Elevator is not listed in the contents that I can see...

It is quite late, though, and I've not had much sleep...

Take care, Ian

User avatar
Lance Pierce
Posts: 397
Joined: February 19th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Oklahoma City
Contact:

Re: Devil's Elevator

Postby Lance Pierce » April 9th, 2003, 3:00 pm

Originally posted by Ian Kendall:
RK - Do you know the actual name of the routine? Devil's Elevator is not listed in the contents that I can see...

It is quite late, though, and I've not had much sleep...

Take care, Ian
Got it: "Satan Deals Again" Richard's Almanac Quarterly Volume 3 Autumn '85. In the collection, it's on page 311.

Cheers,

Lance

Guest

Re: Devil's Elevator

Postby Guest » April 9th, 2003, 5:29 pm

Thanks for the leads, re: "Devil's Elevator".

It appears that we might be talking about two different routines, as the title "Satan Deals Again" sounds like a "sequel" to something previous -- possibly the original "Devil's Elevator"?

Re: HOW to present this trick. I used to save it for those times when I'd encounter the inevitable question about card cheating from someone AFTER I'd done some straight magic. I'd offer to take the spectator into my confidence and show them a little "inside" card mechanic stuff. The great thing is, with this "behind the scenes" presentation (done, by the way, for just one person, ideally) they completely accept that I'm actually doing seconds and Greek bottoms, etc.. (The psychology being; why else would I be so "secretive" about it, if it wasn't the real deal.) Lots of fun!

Guest

Re: Devil's Elevator

Postby Guest » April 11th, 2003, 7:32 pm

After a trip to the Magic Castle Library this afternoon I have some more information on the history of "Devil's Elevator".

According to Karl Fulves, "Devil's Elevator" was first published in "Necromancer #9". The handling in Fulves' "Epilogue" is credited to Vernon and Cervon and is also called "Devil's Elevator". (I did not have access to Necromancer to compare the handling further.)

"Satan Deals Again", published in "Richard's Almanac", is Mike Skinner's handling of "Devil's Elevator". Skinner accentuated the conditions and played up the apparent difficulty of the deals.

Having said all that, it would appear that the handling I used to perform has a few embellishments that are not in either of the previous versions.

For instance, Skinner ends his routine with an ACTUAL stud bottom deal (not hard to do considering you're using a packet of cards, not the whole deck). I decided to end with the (false)Greek Bottom because even a layperson would surmise that dealing a card SECOND from the bottom is harder than a "straight" bottom. This presentational change required making a few adjustments in the handling that I'm pretty sure I can reconstruct.

Anyway, thanks again to all who helped me track this trick down.

Guest

Re: Devil's Elevator

Postby Guest » April 11th, 2003, 11:27 pm

Upon further study it is apparent that the "Devil's Elevator" routine I learned way back is quite different from the two I found.

I'm beginning to think that it must be someone else's handling. Anybody else have any more leads re: "Devil's Elevator?"

Jonathan Townsend mentioned a "tabled bottom" climax. This sounds familiar and is not part of the Vernon/Cervon or Skinner versions.


Return to “Close-Up Magic”