Out of Sight, Out of Mind Control

[Bob Farmer]

Here is a control that places four possible thought-of cards on top of the deck and four on the bottom. I do not know who invented this and I am looking for a reference and a credit. Here is what happens:

1. The deck is divided into two more or less equal parts.

2. The spectator picks a part and shuffles it then tables it.

3. The magician explains to the spectator that he is to cut half his cards off and glimpse the card he cuts to, then replace the packet. To illustrate, the magician cuts off half his cards and looks at and remembers the card he cut to as his key card.

4. The spectator follows the procedure.

5. The magician then riffle shuffles the two halves together.

6. The magician scans the cards and cuts his key card to the top of the deck. This places the spectator's card either among the top four or the bottom four cards of the deck.

In The Bammo Flim-Flam CONglomeration I have another method for doing this: see "Skull Scavenger," pp.328-330. My method is superior since the spectator does all the shuffling and cutting and the magician never touches the deck until after the card has been thought of (and he never looks at the cards).

[Brad Henderson]

Super idea, Bob

Does anyone know Roger Crothswaite work on this? He and I worked the castle together many years back. I saw him do his handling several times and it went by me every time.

Gary Plants also has a super smart handling as well

[Philippe Billot]

[quote="Brad Henderson"]Super idea, Bob

Does anyone know Roger Crothswaite work on this? He and I worked the castle together many years back. I saw him do his handling several times and it went by me every time.

You can find it page 49 under the title Mindshaker One in Arcadia published in 1999

[Brad Henderson]

Thanks Philippe

[Bob Farmer]

Philippe and Bill Mullins can find anything anywhere.

[Philippe Billot]

Except money!

[Philippe Billot]

To be honest, I found the reference in Conjuring Archives (as I haven't this book).

Thank you, Mr. Denis Behr.

[Joe Mckay]

Great thinking Bob!

Also - I think you will enjoy My Best Card Trick (page 99) by George McAthy. It is in the wonderful book My Best (by James G. Thompson) that came out in 1945. I remember Martin Lewis saying it was his favourite magic book.

RIP.

[Jack Shalom]

What kind of leeway is there with the cuts and the riffle shuffle?

[Bob Farmer]

I did not invent this, I came across it on Youtube. I sent the Youtuber an inquiry as to its origins but no reply yet.

Jack, there is plenty of leeway since you are essentially working with an 8-card bank.

Joe: My Best is a wonderful book. I checked the reference and it is a similar principle. Using my ideas from "Skull Scavenger" for the fishing makes it better.

Also, one of the best tricks in that book is Eddie Clever's "Hallucination." Three people look at the same card but when asked they name three different cards and the card they looked at turns out to be blank. Send an email to bammomagic@cogeco.ca for my free improved version and a source for the special gaffs.

[Ian Kendall]

The best work on this plot I've seen is Paul Wilson's. It's in a MAGIC or Genii from the 2010s somewhere, and also in a lecture booklet from about five years ago.

[Bob Farmer]

Ian, do you mean the "Hallucination" plot?

[Joe Lyons]

The best work on this plot I've seen is Paul Wilson's. It's in a MAGIC or Genii from the 2010s somewhere, and also in a lecture booklet from about five years ago.

Genii 2001 December issue, page 59.

[mbreggar]

Bob, don’t know what I’m doing wrong. I can’t get this to work at all.

[Bob Farmer]

Mike, it worked well for me. Think about this for a second: if your key card is in about the middle of your half and the spectator's card is about in the middle of his half, then if you riffle shuffle them together your key card should be close to the spectator's card.

Alternately, try my "Skull Scavenger" from the Bammo Flim-Flam CONglomeration--it works every time and I've fooled magicians with it for untold centuries.

[Brad Henderson]

You’re probably cutting for your key at a different location in your half than the spectator does in their half . I would suggest telling them to lift off a group of cards, and after they have done so, you lift up a group of about the same number for yours. . Tell them to look at their card as you glimpse the key ostensibly showing them what to do. That way when you riffle shuffle, your key will be placed very near their card, depending on your skills at estimation of the original cut.

[Jack Shalom]

Yes, that was the thing that puzzled me--in the description the spec cuts *after* the performer. Seems pretty risky that way. And maybe to be more sure, replace that riffle with a faro?

[mbreggar]

Bob, I’ll need to look at “Flim Flam” as I am finding just way too much inconsistency. Four cards, five… ten! Too many to fish around

[Bob Farmer]

Mike: the Flim-Flam procedure never fails. Also, I use on-the-fly fishing with four cards to make it even more amazing or alternately, my Card That Lies, Deck That Tells the Truth presentation.

The reason my version is such a fooler is that the spectator shuffles the deck, cuts the deck, picks off a bunch of cards, thinks of one, shuffles those and then reassembles the deck. Magicians could not fathom how there could be any clue or control with that procedure, yet I can nail the card they are thinking of.

[Tarotist]

Great thinking Bob!

Also - I think you will enjoy My Best Card Trick (page 99) by George McAthy. It is in the wonderful book My Best (by James G. Thompson) that came out in 1945. I remember Martin Lewis saying it was his favourite magic book.

RIP.

I once asked Jon Tremaine what his favourite magic book was. He also said "MY BEST". I do own it and it is indeed full of useful material. I rather like the everywhere and nowhere routine in it by Bob Weil. No duplicate cards needed.