Any Card at Any Number

Discuss your favorite close-up tricks and methods.
performer
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Any Card at Any Number

Postby performer » September 16th, 2016, 10:28 am

For some odd reason which has always been beyond my understanding I have noticed that this forum is especially interested in Any Card at Any Number which I have always found to be a highly over rated trick. However, I did come across this version on You Tube by some foreign chap who is obviously not a citizen of the British Empire. In the past I vaguely seem to remember that you are all terribly rude to Italian magicians who do
this trick for some odd reason. Anyway I wonder what you all think about this version. There are English sub titles underneath although I have always been unsure that Americans speak English properly anyway. Anyway here it is:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RYJlS9ogYDE

Tom Gilbert
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Re: Any Card at Any Number

Postby Tom Gilbert » September 16th, 2016, 1:04 pm

This guy goes by many names and usually shows up do defend himself under some different name. He was trying to sell his ACAAN for $1000.
I believe he's been banned on all boards.

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Re: Any Card at Any Number

Postby performer » September 16th, 2016, 1:20 pm

Really? I didn't know that! I must say that it is quite disgraceful to be posting on forums under assumed names. I certainly wouldn't pay him $1000 but I thought it looked pretty good providing his helper wasn't a stooge.

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Re: Any Card at Any Number

Postby MagicbyAlfred » September 16th, 2016, 4:37 pm

I have personally never tried ACAAN. Maybe I'm missing out. If it gets a super reaction, then it is worth trying; of course, who is presenting it and the patter and showmanship are huge factors in how any trick is going to go over. I wonder if it is the kind of routine where a fair portion of spectators are going to believe you are using a stooge even if you give the standard disclaimer ("We've never met before, right? And we didn't set up anything ahead of time, did we?") I was never a fan of such disclaimers, as I believe that if anything, they are likely to create, not dispel, suspicion.

I wouldn't be surprised, however, if those who do an ACAAN routine have never (or only rarely) encountered stoogepicion (a well known, ancient and time-honored term that I just made up). After all, I have been doing the ID for decades, and I have never encountered any such suspicion (at least that I know of, anyway). Anyway, I am curious as to whether it is truly a real layman pleaser, or just a trick with which many magicians appear to be particularly enamored...

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Re: Any Card at Any Number

Postby performer » September 16th, 2016, 6:48 pm

Oh, it's just conjuring for conjurers. However, if you want to entertain laymen then naturally my version is the best as befits my great magnificence. I have two versions actually both of which I came up within ten seconds. They don't quite fulfill the criteria that everybody yaps about but then neither does the David Berglas version. The idea is to make people THINK the criteria is filled but that is a very easy thing to do.

Version Two. There is a way of fanning a svengali deck so that only the key card shows. Naturally, most dunderheads in magic know nothing about this move and will have to purchase my most wondrous book to find out how to do it thus supplementing my income in my dotage. You find some cheerful type (avoid magicians-they tend to be a bunch of miseries) fan the said deck in front of them and simply say "Just think of any card you see. Don't move a muscle, don't say anything-just think of one card that you see" If you want you can do a Kreskin and squeeze the volunteer's arm so he gets the hint. He will then think of the card you want. You then shuffle the svengali deck by any of the myriad methods in my most wondrous book and ask someone else to name any number between one and 52 and the job is done. I am sure that I don't have to explain why.

Version Two. This is almost the same but you use a regular deck and have to know how to do a bottom deal. You do a blank pressure fan with only the face card showing. You show this fan to only one person. You use the same patter as described in the first method (and the word is PATTER not that bloody awful pretentious word "script") and of course you will achieve the same result. An instant stooge. You shuffle the deck keeping the important card on the bottom. Now deal whatever number someone else names and when you get to the selected number bottom deal the correct card.

Sure, in the second method (not the first) the spectator cannot deal the cards himself but that is actually a blessing. The trouble is that when the spectator deals the cards as they do in other versions the audience is in great danger of falling asleep while all this is going on.

There. I can assure you all that the above methods are as good as any and better than most. I do not want $1000 like Stefano. Just buy my bloody svengali book which will teach you how to fan a svengali deck so that only the key cards show.

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Matthew Field
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Re: Any Card at Any Number

Postby Matthew Field » September 17th, 2016, 3:26 am

The ignorance on display here is mind boggling.

David Berglas performed this effect for me and blew me away. Much of what is described in the above posts is not the effect as performed by him (and described in Richard Kaufman's "The Berglas Effects."

All I can say is that Mr. Berglas's performances, for both magicians and lay audiences helped establish his nonpareil reputation.

Mark -- it does not use a Svengali deck, so I understand your disdain.

Matt Field

P.S. -- Mark, I admire what you can do with a Svengali deck. MF

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Re: Any Card at Any Number

Postby performer » September 17th, 2016, 7:45 am

Oh, I know all about David. He spent time coaching me when I was a kid to his eternal shame. I have admired him since I was 16 years old.

However, the trick is just an ordinary trick and not worth all the fuss that magicians are making about it. And both of my versions are just as good as David's when performing to LAYMEN not silly people from the Magic Circle who as magicians couldn't make the contents of an empty box disappear. Besides one of my versions does NOT use a svengali deck. You do have to do a bottom deal though so possibly this may be too much for you. It does take practice I suppose.

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Tom Frame
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Re: Any Card at Any Number

Postby Tom Frame » September 17th, 2016, 10:06 am

Brent Braun performed a strong, fun, foot-loose version of ACAAN on the recent episode of "Fool Us."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7eOFGYZmqY

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Q. Kumber
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Re: Any Card at Any Number

Postby Q. Kumber » September 17th, 2016, 11:01 am

I believe it was the Brighton IBM convention in 1976. Headquarters Hotel about 3 in the morning.

David Berglas is at a billiards table, using it as a close-up mat as he borrows various decks of cards from the watching magicians. He is performing some amazing card magic including his Think Of A Card.

At one point he asks someone to name a card and someone else to name a number. 'Three of Clubs' and 'Thirty-nine'.

David asks the magicians to pick up their decks and count down out loud, one by one. He commands them to stop at 38, and then all together turn over the 39th card. They are all the Three of Clubs.

Try and follow that!

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Re: Any Card at Any Number

Postby MagicbyAlfred » September 17th, 2016, 5:19 pm

Q. Kumber wrote:I believe it was the Brighton IBM convention in 1976. Headquarters Hotel about 3 in the morning.

David Berglas is at a billiards table, using it as a close-up mat as he borrows various decks of cards from the watching magicians. He is performing some amazing card magic including his Think Of A Card.

At one point he asks someone to name a card and someone else to name a number. 'Three of Clubs' and 'Thirty-nine'.

David asks the magicians to pick up their decks and count down out loud, one by one. He commands them to stop at 38, and then all together turn over the 39th card. They are all the Three of Clubs.

Try and follow that!


No, I don't think I would try to follow that, unless I knew I could change all the cards in all the magicians' decks into the 3 of Clubs. It does sound truly impossible, as described. Since he had possession of each magician's deck at one point or another, I wonder if he got the 3 of Clubs to the 39th position in each deck and had two magician-stooges there with whom he previously conspired in order to blow away the others (one stooge to name the card; the other the number).

If David did not return each magician's deck after using it, but rather, kept temporary possession, then it would seem more plausible that he could accomplish the denouement Q. Kumber has related. I have seen very few magicians, particularly in a session situation (or for that matter, in almost any situation short of a funeral) who do not fiddle with their decks when they are holding them (e.g. doing faro shuffles, other shuffles and/or cuts, etc.), which would obviously destroy the set-up David managed to perpetrate.

Perhaps I'm overlooking other possible methods through which this seeming miracle could have been created, and that no stooges and/or setting up of the magicians' decks was necessary. But I must admit if that is the case, then WOW, I am truly puzzled as to what the method could have been.

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Q. Kumber
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Re: Any Card at Any Number

Postby Q. Kumber » September 17th, 2016, 6:21 pm

We are going back forty years, admittedly from a time when I hadn't read the Berglas Effect and knew very little about advanced card magic.

First, I don't recall the name of the card nor the number called. Second, I do believe he had returned the cards because in my memory I see the magicians picking up their decks from the billiard table and the decks were beside them.

Thirdly David Berglas is the devil incarnate when it comes to the most devious methods for creating miracles. The only other person I have personally encountered being as devious is Juan Tamariz presenting his Card in Hat.

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Re: Any Card at Any Number

Postby performer » September 17th, 2016, 10:24 pm

I was there that night. I was wondering when the trick was going to finish. But then I am the worst person imaginable to have as an audience. And if you are showing me a card trick of all things may God have mercy on your soul. As for David using stooges I have no idea whether he did on that occasion but I know that he has a reputation of a track record doing this. Of course he used to do an excellent pickpocket routine and virtually every pickpocket uses stooges.

I once had dinner with Al Koran and his chief topic of conversation apart from himself was what a dreadful man David Berglas was. Koran was complaining bitterly about Berglas stealing his radio series and kindred wickedness. His chief complaint was David's alleged use of stooges. Koran detested the use of stooges by anyone let alone his arch rival David Berglas. He complained about it for ages and ages. Finally I tried to change the subject by asking him what he thought of Chan Canasta who was all the rage at the time. He snorted, "Well at least he doesn't use stooges"

The best part of the evening was when someone at another table came over and asked for his autograph. He beamed in great delight but alas the beam vanished rapidly when his "fan" said, "I have always wanted to meet you, Mr Berglas!" When Al recovered from the shock he signed it "David Berglas" with a great smirk. I have always remembered that.


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