ambitious finale

Discuss your favorite close-up tricks and methods.
Countelmsley
Posts: 56
Joined: March 11th, 2008, 7:14 pm
Location: NY

ambitious finale

Postby Countelmsley » December 8th, 2001, 5:58 pm

ok guys now you may think " who is this guy who cant do a decent Ambitious routine?" but here it is; I usually do a four or five phase ambitious card right after "twisting the aces". I keep twisting the deck ( as in twisting) before the card rises up, saying the principle is the same and blah blah. I put the emphasis on the twisting of the deck, keeping their attention away from the doublelift and indifferent card (like everybody else, when I think about it!) Now when I'm done with the ambitious routine, I go into a card to wallet asking someone else to pick a card and sign it, and taking out the pen, I load the "ambitous card". I end up with one card in wallet and one one pocket. Now... I keep changing my mind about the last ambitious phase. I never found a satisfactory ending for it... It seems every week, I change it. It's never strong enough, in my mind. In the spectator's mind as well, I suspect... Anyway...Any tips? Thanx...
http://www.geocities.com/larrybarnowsky/kotr1.htm
www.geocities.com/larrybarnowsky

Guest

Re: ambitious finale

Postby Guest » December 8th, 2001, 10:52 pm

Ahh, the stalwart "It's Back!" routine.

The success if this "trick" completely relies on the routining. For example: I start off immediately with the card being signed (this eliminates any thoughts of using duplicates.) As each revealation, i.e. card is back on top, becomes more impossible I do a couple of top changes. It is really fun when you cleanly put "thier" card in the center of the deck and "Whammo" It's Back! (on top).

As for the ending load your wallet and have your viewer look through the deck for their card and THEN bring out your wallet and do the impossible. I always like my viewers to touch the cards as much as possilble.

Hope this helps- Have Fun!

David Acer
Posts: 733
Joined: February 9th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Montreal, Canada
Contact:

Re: ambitious finale

Postby David Acer » December 15th, 2001, 11:57 am

Hi Sebastian,

Marc DeSouza handles the Card to Wallet as a climax to Ambitious Card better than anyone else Ive ever seen. His complete routine is detailed in a forthcoming book I wrote called DeSouzas DeCeptions, which is now finished, layed out, and scheduled for publication by The Camirand Academy in February of the new year.

As far as alternate, no-gimmick climaxes that dont diverge from the original plot, youd be hard pressed to find better than Fred Braues "The Pop-Up Card" (see Expert Card Technique), or Sankey and Sanders "Top Card," (see When Creators Collide). End transmission.
Now tweeting daily from @David_Acer

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

Re: ambitious finale

Postby Pete McCabe » December 15th, 2001, 1:19 pm

I think I've mentioned this before here in the Genii Forum, but Jay Sankey's Rubber Rise is a great Ambitious card climax that requires no gimmicks (although you do need a rubber band).

Here's the effect. The card is lost in the deck. The deck is encircled with a rubber band. The spectator checks the top card -- it's not the ambitious card. After a magic pass, the spectator pulls the top card out from under the rubber band, and it's now the ambitious card.

It's on one of the Sankey-tized videos.

Bill Duncan
Posts: 1639
Joined: March 13th, 2008, 11:33 pm

Re: ambitious finale

Postby Bill Duncan » December 15th, 2001, 1:25 pm

Originally posted by Pete McCabe:
I think I've mentioned this before here in the Genii Forum, but Jay Sankey's Rubber Rise...
...It's on one of the Sankey-tized videos.

It's also in "When Creator's Collide" although it's easy to miss if you haven't seen how deceptive it is...


:eek:

User avatar
Pete Biro
Posts: 7124
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Hollyweird
Contact:

Re: ambitious finale

Postby Pete Biro » December 15th, 2001, 1:41 pm

Having finished an ambitious card routine for several world class racing drivers... who's main atribute is INCREDIBLE EYESIGHT... Dan Gurney (later) asked me "I noticed the card changing thickness from time to time, what was that all about?"

From that day on... I watched the angle of view to the viewers.

Just a tip.

BTW... some years back I was a judge at the FISM for card magic, sitting alongside another judge, Ascanio, and we were both NAILED by Daryl's "Ultimate Ambitious" (the rope tied around the deck finish.)

I don't see how you can beat that with anything.

stay tooned...
Stay tooned.

Sean Piper
Posts: 215
Joined: January 26th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Brisbane, Australia

Re: ambitious finale

Postby Sean Piper » December 15th, 2001, 6:14 pm

The Ambitious finale I favour at the moment (it seems to change every couple of months) is one I picked up from a Paul Harris video. I believe it was Stars of Magic Vol. 5, and if memory serves me, the routine was called 'Rubberband Scam'. Don't quote me on that though, as I don't have the video with me so I could be WAY off!

The way I do it is to have the card pushed into the centre by the spectator, and then encircle the deck with a rubberband to 'sleight-of-hand proof the deck' (ala Daryl). Give the cards a riffle and bend up the front end of the top card to show the selection back on top. But then.... pulling straight up on the top card it visually pops right through the rubberband, and everything is immediately examinable.

In my opinion, it doesn't get anymore visual than this, plus you're sticking to the original storyline (rising up).

Countelmsley
Posts: 56
Joined: March 11th, 2008, 7:14 pm
Location: NY

Re: ambitious finale

Postby Countelmsley » December 16th, 2001, 1:26 pm

I' ll check out the rubber bands possibilities; I remember reading a Paul Harris thing in one of the art of astonisment books... And David, I will check out the De souza book when it comes out. I dont know the guy at all except for his eternal chain thing. What kind of book is it going to be? As for the sankey thing, I played with it a little but never was too comfortable with the half pass required... But what's a little extra practice time, right?
http://www.geocities.com/larrybarnowsky/kotr1.htm

www.geocities.com/larrybarnowsky

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

Re: ambitious finale

Postby Pete McCabe » December 17th, 2001, 12:08 am

Sebastian Talbot:

Half-pass-free Rubber Rise setup:

Insert the ambitious card into the center of the deck, fairly. Spread the deck face up, proving that it's definitely in the center. Spread cull ambitious card to the bottom of the face up deck.

In a squaring motion, take a break anywhere above the bottom few cards and slide the bulk of the deck, keeping the bottom few in gambler's cop position.

Grasp the far end of the deck and turn it face down towards you. The bottom few cards stay in a well covered gambler's cap position and end up face up on the bottom of the face down deck.

Put the band on the deck and go.


This reverse has better angles than the half pass and will require much less extra practice time. Also the face up spread adds a strong convincer that the card is in the middle (which after all, it is).

Hope this helps.

Countelmsley
Posts: 56
Joined: March 11th, 2008, 7:14 pm
Location: NY

Re: ambitious finale

Postby Countelmsley » December 17th, 2001, 12:21 pm

Thank you Pete, seems like a good idea; I' ll play with it a little bit. I'm working on a Lee asher ambitious move these days. I think it's called Silver Surfer and you can find it on...Five card stud. It could look pretty good after a couple hours of practice. Anyone knows what I' m talking about? Keep on riffling...
http://www.geocities.com/larrybarnowsky/kotr1.htm

www.geocities.com/larrybarnowsky

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

Re: ambitious finale

Postby Gerald Deutsch » December 17th, 2001, 8:26 pm

I have several "Ambitious Card Routines" with different finales for each.

One of the best finales is the one In Stars of Magic where Dai Vernon suggests having the spectator bury the card only to have it return to the top.

Another finale I use is one suggested by Dick Zimmerman. I palm off the card and have the spectator shuffle the deck and while he does I toss the palmed card (scale the card A La Ricky Jay) to the other side of the room (you can't look - so you have to listen to where the card falls).

I have the spectator deal the cards and then I have him stop and I turn over the card - and then the next until I see a seven or eight.

The spectator expects to see the Ambitous Card and thinks I made a mistake. I say the card show how many paces to take and I have the spectator walk that many steps until he sees the card.

It's very effective - spectators don't know cards can be thrown. I've had a card go (i) in another room, and (ii) under the rubber of an elevator.


Return to “Close-Up Magic”