I Know the Secret of the Berglas Effect!

[performer]

I just watched that video. Oddly enough if Patrick had just gone ahead and make the five of clubs ( or whatever the card was) appear seventh one down in the deck he originally had in his hand it would have been far more effective and over in half the time. Of course that was contrary to his statement that it would be more effective to use another deck. Still, I suppose he had to do it that way .

I think there is so much effort expended in trying to keep to the conditions laid down for this trick that it dilutes the overall effect and drags the bloody thing out. Just use a svengali deck and be done with it. Or even an all allike deck although the svengali deck is better since you can casually show them to be all different. So how do you make them name the key card? Simple. There is a method unknown to magicians where you make a fan showing the deck to be all the same. This is explained in my most worthy manuscript "The Long and the Short of It". You show the fan to one punter and ask him to think of any card he sees making him into an instant stooge. There. You can work out the rest. You can even get someone to deal the cards although I wouldn't recommend it as if you do you are in danger of making it as boring as all the other versions.

I have another method with a regular deck. It won't satisfy the standard conditions but who gives a stuff except for other magicians? What it lacks in perfection is made up for in speed of pacing and keeping people awake. It is similar to the svengali method in that you make an instant stooge of someone but this time using the well known dodge of showing them a blank fan so they can only see the bottom card. You can now shuffle the cards retaining the bottom one in place. Now just deal and when you come to the correct number do a bottom deal. Problem solved and over in half the time of the other convoluted versions which even if they are better, are liable to put the audience to sleep before they realise how allegedly good it is.

I invented the above two versions in the space of 15 minutes when I got bored. I forget why I was bored. Probably from watching some worthy or other doing the card at any number trick with or without an Italian accent.

[Richard Kaufman]

Nobody does this trick like David Berglas.

[performer]

Nobody does this trick like David Berglas.

Agreed. That is why they shouldn't bother with it. The trick is a function of David's personality so it can't be done his way. You can adapt it to your own personality I suppose but that means altering the mechanics a trifle.