Card Counting

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Jon Racherbaumer
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Card Counting

Postby Jon Racherbaumer » July 18th, 2001, 3:08 pm

Ever since Harry Lorayne published "The Epitome Location" and Karl Fulves published CARD COUNTING, the subject of "clocking a deck" to determine the identity of cards added or removed from a "clocked" deck or packet has interested inner-circle devotees. Pit Hartling recently used the principle in one of his tricks.

What do you think of the principle?

[ July 18, 2001: Message edited by: Richard Kaufman ]

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Card Counting

Postby Richard Kaufman » July 18th, 2001, 10:46 pm

The Epitome Location used to look good when Lorayne did it at full speed, but of course his gimmick was to eliminate large sections of the deck from the counting, which meant cutting the counting by as much as half. He was also able to talk nonstop while simultaneously dealing and counting--a feat not many people could replicate.
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Re: Card Counting

Postby Charlie Chang » July 19th, 2001, 3:39 am

Having a great deal of experience with card counting, I believe it really isn't the best principle to apply to card magic. I have tried to use it in several effects and only once have I developed a practical use for it.

In my opinion, counting is better used in the effect rather than the method. Proposing a display of card counting and using another more subtle method is far more effective (and entertaining) than actually counting the cards.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Matthew Field » July 19th, 2001, 9:13 am

But remember that Jon referenced a damn good trick by Pit Hartling (from his Little Green Lecture video and notes) which use the Epitome Location -- and that effect is very strong.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby shrink » July 19th, 2001, 7:52 pm

Card Counting will always have its inherent weaknesses. A rarely cited source which offers innovative tips and techniques to speed the count along is in Lewis Jones'1996 book, Counter Feats, under the trick, appropriately titled, "Speedcount."

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Gerald Deutsch » July 19th, 2001, 10:18 pm

RP Wilson suggests using card counting as an effect and not a method. Years ago I did use it as an effect. I would ask a spectator for a packet and then immediately tell him how many cards were in that packet.

It takes a little getting used to but it's not hard. When you get the packet compare it to the rest of the deck. If it's about half that's 26 - a quarter 13 etc.

At the beginning you can do the check counting and use a buckle count if you have too many. If you're short it won't be by more than 1 or 2 and that doesn't ruin the effect (but it's not as good as perfect).

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Richard Kaufman » July 19th, 2001, 11:01 pm

Hi Jerry,
That's an excellent idea. Welcome aboard!
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Re: Card Counting

Postby Tomas Blomberg » July 22nd, 2001, 6:46 am

From more than one place I've heard people give the reaction "you saw which card was missing". While this is true, spectators do not realize how difficult this is. In my opinion, looking through all the faces of the cards after a card is removed, is therefore not a good thing.

Charles Jordan had several good ideas on how to overcome that problem which can be found in the Gambling Secrets section of Fulve's "Charles Jordan's Best Card Tricks".

Thanks for putting this new discussion board up.

/Tomas

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Guest » March 5th, 2003, 3:24 pm

I think that's the beauty of Pit Hartling's effect - i.e. the one ahead principle means that when you do 'the work' it's not perceived as such.

I've done that effect for people and no-one has said 'You just looked through the cards to see which one was missing'. They have, however, said the same thing - when the method was nothing to do with card counting.

I'd like to post a slightly related topic - and not sure whether it should be done here - but I wondered what the opinion was on those "Miracles of Moe's" - which involved a card count.

These effects didn't do it for me - despite the expertly written 'hype' from the publishers. Come to think of it - this was one of those effects that had that 'you just saw which one wasn't there' reaction.

I'd be interested in any other opinions on this?

Derek

p.s. (Wasn't the Moe book, in fact, a J*ff B*sb* publication?)

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Re: Card Counting

Postby ADG » March 6th, 2003, 11:30 pm

Greetings Derek.....I read the manuscript about Moe when it first came out by Jeff Busby. It was very interesting. I presently perform some of Moe's stuff; however, at no time is the selected card missing from the pack. It is always replaced at a different location in the pack while my back is turned and the pack then cut several times. It's a killer that I only perform for other magician friends. It does not play well for lay people. I also perform a variation whereby any card in the deck from 1--52 is looked at and replaced and the deck cut several times while my back is turned. Selected card is then found. By the way, the deck can be borrowed & shuffled beforehand. I have corresponded with Moe the past few years; however, he doesn't seem to remember any of his methods. He must have been a mental genius in his younger days.
Alex

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Guest » March 7th, 2003, 3:33 am

Moe is still alive (although he is in his 90's) and apparently has a website.

http://www.moesmagic.com/intro.html

I played around with the move a card routine and did it a few times.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby NCMarsh » March 7th, 2003, 9:27 am

If folks are interested in a very clean version of Moe's Move A Card that doesn't involve memorization, check out Dave's Move a Card on one of the Regal DVD's (it's probably also in Star Quality as I have David's other books and can't recall seeing it in those)

best,
nate.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Paul Cummins » March 7th, 2003, 1:23 pm

Originally posted by Jon Racherbaumer:
Ever since Harry Lorayne published "The Epitome Location" and Karl Fulves published CARD COUNTING, the subject of "clocking a deck" to determine the identity of cards added or removed from a "clocked" deck or packet has interested inner-circle devotees. Pit Hartling recently used the principle in one of his tricks.

What do you think of the principle?
Hey Jon,

I've gotten to where I can clock a half-deck (reds or blacks) in 12 or 13 seconds, just about as long as it takes me to spread through the deck. With that amount of speed, and within the context of a routine, clocking the deck has been extemely effective for me because magicians don't even suspect that I might be doing so. I'll show you the routine in question at TSD IV if you'll be there.

Best,

Paul

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Re: Card Counting

Postby jimmycards » March 7th, 2003, 2:22 pm

Jon,

Do you remember where this originally came from. I remember doing this type of effect long before Lorayne published his material. The canceling out of 10 or 13 goes back a ways. I can't remember if it had its roots in Hugard & Braue, or Charles Jordan. I know Scarne had something in his 'card tricks' book which he credited to Jordan but it used the canceling out of 10 instead of 13.

I used to present this as a gambling trick. Like blackjack. have the spectator remove a card, then tell them what the last card left to be played is. Gives a good reason to go thru the deck because like a blackjack game, you would be seeing all the cards. At least in the OLD days when you played with one deck.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Max Maven » March 11th, 2003, 6:10 am

Originally posted by Paul Cummins:
I've gotten to where I can clock a half-deck (reds or blacks) in 12 or 13 seconds, just about as long as it takes me to spread through the deck. With that amount of speed, and within the context of a routine, clocking the deck has been extemely effective for me because magicians don't even suspect that I might be doing so.[/QB]
Exactly. Back in the mid-1970s I could clock a full deck at a consistent sixteen seconds (personal best: fourteen). Hitting that stride meant, among other things, that I could let a spectator do the dealing, making the circumstance seem less "conducted" by the performer.

Most of the related work I developed in the late 1970s remains unpublished, although it was established by demonstrations for various people. (You can find kind comments by Harry Lorayne in some issues of Apocalypse of that time.)

The point is, applied straightforwardly it's a somewhat impressive skill demonstration. Using a clocking technique in conjunction with other elements. however, can make for some very strong stuff. The combinatory work that has been published, notably the recent Pit Hartling routine, gives ample proof of that.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Jon Racherbaumer » March 11th, 2003, 11:39 am

I can attest to Max's prowess in the 70s when "card counting" was getting lots of fresh attention. Ken Beale (in IBIDEM) sped up the deal by separating the reds and blacks (calling it something like "...By Half"). Harry Lorayne reinvented the same idea and published it in THE EPITOME LOCATION.

Max had many effects; however, the structures of these effects cleverly and logically masked the drawback of having the deal through the entire deck.

Onward...

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Pete McCabe » March 11th, 2003, 6:19 pm

Does the presence of this thread in the Feature Articles section indicate an article on this subject in the upcoming April Genii?

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Card Counting

Postby Richard Kaufman » March 11th, 2003, 9:18 pm

I wouldn't count on it!
hahahahahahahahahahah
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Re: Card Counting

Postby Jon Racherbaumer » March 11th, 2003, 10:34 pm

Max could entertainingly dispath the three-part effect in about 90 seconds. It would take 12 pages of text to limn the method and if read aloud, would take 6 times longer (or more) than it did when Max performed it.

Then, unfortunately, it would have to be reread a couple more times unless you are a Mensa graduate.

In Genii?
I doubt it.

In any magazine?
Naw.

In a Goldstein book?
Maybe.

Onward...

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Ian Kendall » March 12th, 2003, 2:29 am

Hello,

Has anyone else tried the Kato count from Magic a couple of months ago?

Take care, Ian

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Reinhard Mueller » March 12th, 2003, 1:53 pm

Jim Molinari asked where Card Counting originally came from.
Here I give you an interim report of my findings:
Stephen Minch talked in his “From Witchcraft To Card Tricks” (1991), page 9, about Jacques Ozanam's book “Rcrations Mathmatiques et Physiques” of 1693, and he mentioned an early system for adding the cards of a deck to discover the value of a missing card. I found that system in “Natuerliches Zauberbuch” of 1745, p.230.
In Friedrich Wilhelm Conradi's “Der moderne Kartenkuenstler” (1896) I found on p. 100 “Der Gedaechtniskuenstler” (=The Memory Man) with the following effect: a spectator takes one card out of the deck, shuffles the remaining cards, and calls out the names of the cards, card by card. The performer names at once the missing card! Method: Card Counting with casting out ten. In 1903 Conradi gives in his book “Magisches Allerlei”, p.102 an improvement. He adds up the value and the suit at the same time in two columns of numbers. Then Conradi expands the effect in letting a spectator call out any number and the performers names the card at that number.

Reinhard

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Brad Henderson » March 12th, 2003, 3:09 pm

Mr. Mueller,

I would love to complete my set of your wonderful Escorial resource booklets. Please contact me at mrbradman1@aol.com, if you wouldn't mind.

Brad

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Steve V » March 14th, 2003, 7:37 am

I'm not familiar with the term 'card clocking'. What is it?
Steve V
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Re: Card Counting

Postby John Bodine » March 15th, 2003, 2:09 pm

Steve,

I believe it is the counting of value and suit to determine a card missing from the deck. For example, if you summed the value of every card in the deck (omitting any value for suit) you would arrive at a constant value. If you removed an Ace, the counted number would be 1 less than the constant. Add in a variable for each suit and you can then identify the value and suit of a missing card.

I could be wrong, but that's what I recall.

john bodine

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Dustin Stinett » March 18th, 2003, 12:20 am

John,

You must be right since no one has corrected you by now (and I hope that they would). I'm glad I didn't post what I thought it was. I had my cards, got a stopwatch, and the deck just sat there: the turtle was much faster.

Dustin

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Guest » July 24th, 2003, 10:11 pm

There's some work on card clocking in Outs, Precautions, and Challenges by Charles Hopkins.

It gives you something to fall back on if the spectator says "What if I don't replace the card in the deck for you to shuffle, et cetera?"

Hopkins suggests the 220 count, which eliminates the court cards(by having the spectator pick a number from 1 to 10, and a suit, and remove that card) and allows you to add up to 10, rather than 13, which is easier on the Mental Arithmetic muscles.

I've tried this, but I find it much harder to do while people are watching.

One suggestion, which I believe goes back to Ellis Stanyon, is to arrange the deck in pairs adding up to 13, and then allowing the spectator to overhand shuffle before removing a card.

You just breeze by the intact 8,5 and Q,A pairs, without thinking at all, and you're usually left with one card. which you subtract from 13, and look back through the deck for the 3 mates, which tells you the suit.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Guest » July 25th, 2003, 7:18 am

Your posts got me thinking, maybe someone that knows lots of published methods of clocking card can tell me if this has been done before, because I can't believe it hasn't. But as I am siting here I came up with this elimination method.
Card is removed.
Count red cards (or black), if you get 26 you know chosen one is black.
Count spades (or clubs) and if the spade count is 13 your card is a club.
Count clubs. If your total is say 80 your card is a Jack of clubs, because total number for a suit is 91 so you substract your total from 91 and you get a value of your chosen card.
Is this an old trick? If it is than I am sorry to bring this up I just didn't see it in the posts. :confused:

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Dr. Magic » July 30th, 2022, 12:57 pm

I have just purchased Max Maven's KAYFABE 4 DVD set (2017). Card clocking is described and explained very well in his RoundAbout effect.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby BarryAllen » March 17th, 2023, 5:23 pm

I first encountered Card Counting in 1982; from Joe Riding's manuscript - 'My routine with a borrowed pack'.

The initial three phases (which could be used independently) used a similar system as outlined within Harry's Epitome Location booklet - albeit Joe (whilst acknowledging Harry) outlined two additional ways of reducing the counting involved. The complete count (for the full pack) at the outset was nicely covered by the fact that as you were using a borrowed pack, you were making sure that all the cards (which could be worn-out, or not conducive to sleights etc.) were present.

I remember as a teenager, when my brain was just a tad sharper, getting the full count down pretty quickly. However, I don't remember performing this phase of Joe's full routine too often - it just needed considerable showmanship to keep it interesting.

Fast forward around 15 years (now Mid-90's) and I noticed that there were guys at shows, asking me about card counting. Now this could have coincided with Poker and Blackjack Tournaments first being screened on UK television. Maybe there were also accompanying programmes referring to card counting, that had peaked some interest in the skill? I really don't remember - even back then I spent more time reading books and listening to the radio; rather than watch the utter dross being shown on the UK TV screen. Something had clearly peaked their interest - laymen have even referred to it as 'card counting'.

Now obviously, if people have an interest in something, then it's preferable to engage with them. I have always stated (even quite recently I did this) "oh yes I can card count - it takes quite a few years of continuous practice but if you take a couple of cards from this pack, I can usually get them both within 27 seconds. Incidentally, that's why I'm banned from casino's within 30 minutes of play".

I then get someone to time me - whilst the only thing in my head is to shout 'Stop' around 22 seconds (quite easy if your watch is turned to face your line of sight) - before declaring both cards and telling them......"well gentlemen that's the fastest I've ever managed to do it".

With the right build up and considerable convincing BS, this always goes over unbelievably well.

Method? I force the bloody cards!

Taking a shuffled pack, you just glimpse the top two cards, injog shuffle and riffle force them. Because you are doing a supposed memory demonstration, you could probably get away with any force.

It's a darn sight easier than counting - you just fly through the deck muttering out loud random numbers and cards! Result? Your brain doesn't ache.....and they think you're a mathematical/card-cheating genius.

As an aside, I must reread 'Beat the Dealer' by Edward Thorp. It's a second hand paperback that you can pick up cheap as chips that, as well as being an interesting read, provides some ideas that you could incorporate into your patter and presentation.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Brad Jeffers » March 17th, 2023, 7:36 pm

Paul Cummins wrote:I've gotten to where I can clock a half-deck (reds or blacks) in 12 or 13 seconds, just about as long as it takes me to spread through the deck. With that amount of speed, and within the context of a routine, clocking the deck has been extemely effective for me because magicians don't even suspect that I might be doing so. I'll show you the routine in question at TSD IV if you'll be there.

Of course the routine Paul was referring to was Tap A Lack which you can see performed HERE.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby David Ben » March 18th, 2023, 6:23 am

Barry Allen’s post reminded me of another faux-counting sequence I used to do some 35 or 40 years ago. It was by Ed Marlo (and I can’t recall from which publication or source.) It was a way of performing without performing. You are handed a deck, start to shuffle it, and exclaim that something doesn’t feel right. You pause and say that the deck feels “light”, that it is missing a card. Hand the pack back saying, it feels as though the deck only has 51 cards. Someone counts the cards - there are only 51. Excusing yourself from performing with less than a full deck, you take the pack back, spread them face up on the table and glance through the pack and casually say, “yes, you’re missing the four of diamonds.” The group confirms this is the missing card. The Marlo method: secretly glimpse a card and palm it from the pack! The rest, as they say, is pure presentation.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Philippe Billot » March 18th, 2023, 6:38 am

See it's A Dilly, page 75 from The Cardician - 1953

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Re: Card Counting

Postby David Ben » March 18th, 2023, 6:17 pm

A great book.

Like the break-through album of a new band.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Brad Henderson » March 18th, 2023, 9:59 pm

From Magick magazine. Nathan Stark

A strong layman fooler

Force any one of three known cards. Have them place it into a pocket, sight unseen. Control two unselected cards to bottom

Run through the deck ostensibly memorizing them. Stop at before viewing the last two. Announce “there are three cards I haven’t seen - the x, y, and z. Here are the (show two remaining cards and call them) which means you have the (name remaining card)

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Philippe Billot » March 19th, 2023, 3:53 am

See Mem-o-Rex!, Vol. 11, no. 267, september 26 1980, page 1331.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Dr. Solka » March 20th, 2023, 6:18 am

The most comprehensive work about card counting is my book "Gaukelwerk With Playing Cards – Clocking the Deck and Other Gems."
https://www.lybrary.com/gaukelwerk-with ... tml#review

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Philippe Billot » March 20th, 2023, 8:20 am

There is a little mistake in the presentation of your book (which does not devalue your treatise).

Onazam's book was first edited in 1694.

Card counting are the XXXII, XXXIII & XXXIV problem, page 132-135

And there are three examples:

Count for one card

Count for two cards

Count for three cards

I will buy your book...

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Dr. Solka » March 21st, 2023, 2:38 pm

Dear Phillippe, I’m glad that you love my book. Thank you very much for the advice that I will prove in detail.
I could read the English version only, not the French. So I relate my writings to the English version.

I wrote, “The principle of card counting dates back more than 300 years; maybe it is even older. The anonymous manuscript Asti MSS. III, 18 was handwritten in Italy in about 1700. One of its card tricks describes, “To recognize what card is missing in the deck by going through them only two times. [1]“ Jaques Ozanam’s “Recreations Mathematical and Physical: Problem XXXII To guess the Number of a Card drawn out of a compleat Stock,” pp. 77-78, London, dating from 1708 [2], was first published in France in 1694 and deals with card clocking as well.

You wrote:
"Card counting are the XXXII, XXXIII & XXXIV problem, page 132-135."
Did you cite the 1694 book?

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Re: Card Counting

Postby Philippe Billot » March 21st, 2023, 4:21 pm

Yes, I have the first edition and these problems are at page 132-135.

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Re: Card Counting

Postby MaxwellPritchard » March 21st, 2023, 5:03 pm

In case it's of interest to people, Bachet offered an explanation of the clocking strategy in the 1624 edition of his Problèmes plaisans et délectables, p. 134. That may be among the earliest examples of the technique in print in French, although the relevant Conjuring Credits entry includes further (and earlier) references.


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