Tearable trick by Phil Goldstein

[Sebastian B]

Hope you are all doing fine on this Sunday,

I have been reading old pamphlets by Phil Goldstein and one of them, namely “Tearable” peeked my interest a bit. It’s a pamphlet that describes Goldstein's work on a double transposition of two torn cards. I liked the routine quite a bit, even though it takes a simple setup.

The problem I am thinking about is how to ring in the setup, as a non professional magician when I am performing I perform in a nonprofessional capacity. That means that when I perform I typically do a set of three tricks and that’s it, Tearable is in my opinion a closer in a set of three. The obvious solution to my problem is a deck switch. But that doesn’t apply to me because I never have more than a deck of cards on me. The next possible solution is to “ring in” the setup cards, a third solution is to construct the set of three so that the setup isn’t disturbed.

It would bee interesting to start a discussion of other possible solutions to the problem of how to manage a small setup in a deck of cards.

[Philippe Billot]

For those who don't know this trick, you can find it page 112 of Focus written by Stephen Minch in 1990.

[Ian Kendall]

Doc Eason goes into his handling on one of his L&L videos (it's mislabeled on the boxes, so if it says it's on tape 2, it's on 3 and vice versa, as I recall).

However, if you are more concerned with a casual performance, have the two cards in an easily accessible pocket. During the relaxation after your second effect, put your hand into your pocket and palm the extra cards. It's then easy to add them to the deck, and finish on that routine.

[Sebastian B]

Thanks for the input Ian. Yes I was thinking about that as well for not only a possible solution but a practical one as well. I was thinking just as an exercise about other possible solutions: I do believe it would be possible and practical as well to leave the setup of cards in the case when you take out the deck and construct the set of three in such a way that the second trick involves you putting back the deck in the case, when you take out the deck again the setup cards comes out as well.