Lazy Man

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Jack Shalom
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Lazy Man

Postby Jack Shalom » June 20th, 2021, 11:51 am

I know there must be a thread that talks about the history and crediting of "Lazy Man's Card Trick," but I can't seem to find it today.

Today I ran across a reference to a card trick and I wondered if the following trick has ever been mentioned as a precursor to Lazy Man.

On page 8 of Martin Gardner's Over The Coffee Cups (1954) is a trick called "Rotating Knife." The A-K of Spades are set on top, card chosen from the middle, set on top and then cut into the deck. The cards are spread face down in a circle, with a knife as a spinner in the center. Whatever card the knife points to is turned over, and whatever the value of the card, that number of cards are counted to a new card in the spread. Then that card is turned over. This is repeated until the card turned over is a spade. It is announced at this point that the next card counted to will be the chosen one.

Clearly the method and mechanics are the same as Lazy Man. But what was even more interesting is that Gardner introduced it as an impromptu method of "the trick where the mechanical bird finds the selected card in a circle of cards surrounding him." So that seems to imply that the idea of using a run of suits as key cards pre-dates 1954 as well.

Well probably nothing new here, but just wondering if this effect gets mentioned in the trick's histories.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Lazy Man

Postby Richard Kaufman » June 20th, 2021, 12:22 pm

It's Jack Miller's trick. I think Harry miscredited it to Al Koran in Close-Up Card Magic.
I'm not familar with the Gardner trick you cite, but it sounds like a laborious way to reach the selected card.
The trick with the bird which Martin is referring to is Don Alan's Pecking Bird.
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Philippe Billot
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Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
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Re: Lazy Man

Postby Philippe Billot » June 20th, 2021, 5:33 pm



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