Faro trick suggestions?

Discuss your favorite close-up tricks and methods.
iainduncan
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Faro trick suggestions?

Postby iainduncan » January 2nd, 2021, 11:47 pm

Hi folks, just wondering if anyone would be up for sharing their favourite faro-based tricks, and sources for them is so? I finally have it clicking and want to start looking for rep this opens up.

thanks!

Yehuda
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Yehuda » January 2nd, 2021, 11:56 pm


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erdnasephile
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby erdnasephile » January 3rd, 2021, 2:05 am

iainduncan wrote:Hi folks, just wondering if anyone would be up for sharing their favourite faro-based tricks, and sources for them is so? I finally have it clicking and want to start looking for rep this opens up.

thanks!


The most entertaining routine I've seen that depends on perfect Faros is Paul Gertner's "Unshuffled".

magicfish
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby magicfish » January 3rd, 2021, 7:33 am

I like a simple quickie called (Four)titude by Harry Lorayne.
And of course, Vernon's Aces from the same book.

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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby magicfish » January 3rd, 2021, 7:50 am

For a slough-off Faro, I like an effect called Easy Prediction also by Lorayne from his excellent JawDroppers Two.

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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby magicfish » January 3rd, 2021, 8:00 am

For an incredible, impossible seeming effect, see Lorayne"s Faro Blockbuster from Deck-Sterity. It is mind-blowing in my opinion. If you know the method, you'll see why not many people do it I think. But it is very strong.

Bob Farmer
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Bob Farmer » January 3rd, 2021, 8:56 am

Unshuffled. I did this trick decades ago for a lady and she still mentions it to this day.

Kent Gunn
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Kent Gunn » January 3rd, 2021, 4:38 pm

Added some Faro action to Ackerman's great trick.

https://youtu.be/QBfjUBlL3OQ

Philippe Billot
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Philippe Billot » January 3rd, 2021, 5:39 pm

I suggest you study Thought Determinator by Ed Marlo. It's page 117 in Faro Controlled Miracles (EBO published in 2008)

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 3rd, 2021, 6:31 pm

Best tricks requiring a Faro Shuffle:
1. The Gun Trick by Ken Krenzel
2. Paul LePaul's Gymnastic Aces
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rpmagicshop
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby rpmagicshop » January 3rd, 2021, 7:37 pm

There are some great faro tricks in Harry Risers book Secret of an Escamoteur.

Edward Pungot
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Edward Pungot » January 3rd, 2021, 7:41 pm


Larry Horowitz
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Larry Horowitz » January 3rd, 2021, 9:11 pm

Without any question the finest Faro based routine anywhere is Prime Coincidence. You will find it in Genii, July 2017, page 67. The authors are Steve Friedberg and me.

magicfish
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby magicfish » January 3rd, 2021, 9:11 pm

Richard Kaufman wrote:Best tricks requiring a Faro Shuffle:
1. The Gun Trick by Ken Krenzel
2. Paul LePaul's Gymnastic Aces

Those are beauties!

Jack Shalom
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Jack Shalom » January 4th, 2021, 12:24 pm

Greg Chapman has some beauts in both of his books, The Devil's Staircase and Details of Deception.

And here's some very good news: he just released a monograph on the faro shuffle, highly recommended, called Faro Fundamentals, which as a bonus includes one faro routine from each of those two books.

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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby iainduncan » January 4th, 2021, 12:51 pm

Thanks everyone! This should keep me going for a while. I really appreciate the suggestions. :-)

iainduncan
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby iainduncan » January 14th, 2021, 2:17 pm

Reviving the thread, I just got the wonderful (at least to giant nerds like me..) book by Brent Morris, "Magic Tricks, Card Shuffling, and Dynamic Computer Memories". I'm curious if anyone on the thread performs the Paul Swinford trick "Seekers", and if so, how it plays?

thanks!

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 14th, 2021, 8:55 pm

I never do tricks using the Faro Shuffle that require perfect shuffles. And so many guys who try to do them miss a shuffle or two and have to pull the halves apart and try again. And again. Bad show.
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Dave Le Fevre » January 15th, 2021, 7:25 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:I never do tricks using the Faro Shuffle that require perfect shuffles. And so many guys who try to do them miss a shuffle or two and have to pull the halves apart and try again. And again. Bad show.
I'm reassured to learn that it's not just me that thinks that way.

There's an effect that I perform that would more elegant with a Faro Shuffle, but it has to be perfect. I can often do it, but not always. So I don't.

As you observe, taking it apart and doing it again just looks wrong.

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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby iainduncan » January 26th, 2021, 10:48 pm

I hear you on that. I have a script of the "hiding it in plain view" variety, where I make a big deal about how the faro might not work the first time, and it works for Seekers. But I will find out soon if the script works or is just lame... :-)

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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 27th, 2021, 10:04 am

If you cannot hit your Faro Shuffle on the first try every time it looks like failure to the spectators. No good. As they say at the Walt Disney Company, it's "bad show."
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erdnasephile
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby erdnasephile » January 28th, 2021, 8:15 am

Coincidentally, there is a relevant quote from the excellent David Kovac article in the latest Genii (Feb 2021, pg 29):

"How many times have we seen magicians keep trying something over and over---like a Faro Shuffle. It's torturous for an audience."


(PS: FWIW, there is a ton of really great practical advice for magicians in that article. Mr. Kovac has certainly learned a lot through hard knocks, and he talks about a lot of things one can only learn by being in the trenches.)

Denis Behr
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Denis Behr » January 28th, 2021, 1:17 pm

erdnasephile wrote:"How many times have we seen magicians keep trying something over and over---like a Faro Shuffle."

I am collecting video footage of failed faro shuffles, so if anyone has something fun to offer, please send it my way.

Jack Shalom
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Jack Shalom » January 28th, 2021, 2:04 pm

Well, yes. You could collect footage of failed Double Lifts or Classic Passes as well. Doesn't mean that they should never be attempted. It means practice until you don't fail.

iainduncan
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby iainduncan » January 28th, 2021, 8:48 pm

Sure, and I agree that if you are presenting the faro as "a way people shuffle", then you have to hit it 100%, and look casual doing it. And honestly, I'd say even then it still looks weird if you're not nailing tabled faros (hi Denis! I like the book! haha). In my case the script I'm referring to is deliberately presenting the faro as something that is not likely to work first try - it's a humorous and unlikely attempt at "cardistry". Whether this dynamic will justify the rest of the trick remains to be seen, but I think it will work for The Seekers, because I'm presenting the whole trick as an oddball stunt. I've used this same dynamic successfully with other tricks as a juggler. Done well, it can be made part of the plot, and become a way to get the audience on your side, saying "well let's try this silly thing together to see if we can get it or die trying". The devil is in the rapport and relationship with the audience, if you don't get that right, it's awful. I will be the first to admit it might not work though... :-)

iainduncan
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby iainduncan » January 28th, 2021, 8:50 pm

And speaking as a juggler, believe me, I won't be presenting a faro any other way until I can nail 100 in a row on a normal day!

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 29th, 2021, 10:57 am

Jack Shalom wrote:Well, yes. You could collect footage of failed Double Lifts or Classic Passes as well. Doesn't mean that they should never be attempted. It means practice until you don't fail.


If you can't do your sleights without failure in front of people, then you should not be using them for anything other than practice.
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » January 29th, 2021, 6:22 pm

The only trick I've ever seen using a Faro Shuffle that's truly commercial (and thus appealing to laymen) is Gertner's Unshuffled. But the Faro is a very cool flourish and impressive to laymen, whether perfect or not (that is, if it's not overdone, which it all too often is). Of course, if your thing is to try to impress magicians, then, by all means, spend the hours, days, weeks, months -- and more likely years -- it takes to get it perfect every time.

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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 29th, 2021, 9:53 pm

Alfred, do you know Krenzel's Gun Trick or LePaul's Gymnastic Aces? Both very commercial effects. I used them for people for years.
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Jackpot » January 29th, 2021, 11:58 pm

Richard,
Is Krenzel's Gun Trick the same as The Magic Bullet in The Card Classics of Ken Krenzel?
Not the one who created the Potter Index.

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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby iainduncan » January 30th, 2021, 1:43 am

And does anyone know if there is a legal in-print source for it, whether paper, e-book, or video?

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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » January 30th, 2021, 4:47 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:Alfred, do you know Krenzel's Gun Trick or LePaul's Gymnastic Aces? Both very commercial effects. I used them for people for years.


Ah yes, Richard, I overlooked these in my comment. Ironically, I used to perform both effects years ago. They certainly are commercial, and I should start doing them again. If I'm not mistaken, there's no need for a perfect Faro with the gun trick, and for the LePaul (it it's the one I'm thinking of) is where the deck is partially Faro'd, with aces on top, the deck is shaken and the aces jump out one at a time, which would require a perfect faro of only the top 8 cards.

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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » January 30th, 2021, 5:31 am

PS In regard to the Gymnastic Aces (again, if it's the effect I'm thinking of), I misspoke; there needn't necessarily be a perfect Faro of the top 8 cards, but only of the 8 cards at the point in the deck where cards are interlaced with the aces.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 30th, 2021, 10:44 am

iainduncan wrote:And does anyone know if there is a legal in-print source for it, whether paper, e-book, or video?


I'm pretty sure that the Conjuring Arts Research Center sells a pdf (legal) of the book Card Classics of Ken Krenzel.

I don't do exactly what's in there, but would be happy to explain what I do (which is Dingle's variation) once you've bought the book and read the trick.

Yes, what I referred to as the Gun Trick is the same as the Magic Bullet.
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iainduncan
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby iainduncan » January 30th, 2021, 11:33 am

Ah fantastic, I keep forgetting about Conjuring Arts for pdfs. Thanks Richard.

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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » January 30th, 2021, 12:21 pm

This discussion has jogged my memory (not sure whether an in-jog or out-jog, though). I learned the Gun Trick from a Frank Garcia video (probably VHS format) I had purchased in the early 90's. Of course, he did not credit Krenzel. He had the spectator cut to the 4 aces and then went into the trick, pattering that in Vegas, the Ace of Spades was known in gambling circles as the "bullet," because it's the most powerful card. And so he loaded the ace of spades part way into the "gun" fashioned out of the faro'd deck, "fired" a "shot" and out came the selection. The card came out rather weakly, however, because the portion of the deck containing the selection was too far away from the bottom the ace (which is loaded into the other right-angled portion), so there was not enough leverage or compression, so to speak. Still, the trick made quite an impression on me and I started doing it a lot. I practiced to make sure the card ejected with plenty of force. In fact, I seem to remember placing the card box about 8-12 inches away, as a "backstop," so the selection would not fly off the table. I've even done it where, by pointing the deck upward, the card comes out spinning into the air and is then niftily caught. But I wasn't able to pull that off consistently, so I reverted to the easier way.

Unfortunately, the trick kind of went by the wayside when I started doing a lot of restaurant/bar work. With "regulars coming in several times a week, literally for years, hungry for magic, I was constantly learning new card tricks. That's one of the possible downsides of learning many new tricks - you can actually forget a lot of good stuff you'd done in the past. The trick is a winner and I'm happy Richard cited it here! Well, gotta go practice at the range now...
Last edited by MagicbyAlfred on January 30th, 2021, 12:34 pm, edited 5 times in total.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 30th, 2021, 12:24 pm

When I explain how Dingle did it, you will find it even more worthwhile to perform.
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iainduncan
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby iainduncan » January 30th, 2021, 7:08 pm

Purchased, read, and eager to hear the variation. Thanks for the tip Richard, the book likes very good, aside from 90% of it being past my ability right now. But I think the Gun trick and the Mechanical Reverse chapter will make it worthwhile even now. :-)

I agree, the gun trick is very nice. I'm wondering if it could even be used as an out for The Seekers (though maybe this is blasphemy?). I did figure out an alternate handling for Seekers than the Morris book that simplifies it a bit. If you start with the trapping cards in view (like a detective plot) one can set up with a perfect straddle instead of the funky async setup. And then if you do the final cut instead of the spectator, you can also make it so the final faro doesn't need to be perfect, though it does need to be perfect to the point of the trapped card.

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Richard Kaufman
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby Richard Kaufman » January 30th, 2021, 8:15 pm

So, to perform the Gun Trick, you tilt the outjogged part of the telescoped deck to the RIGHT (not the left, as Krenzel states in the book). This gives it the proper gun shape when held in the left hand.

The outer telescoped half should not be interlaced too much with the deck. Only a quarter inch.

Hold the deck loosely when you insert the "bullet" card. Push it in until you feel its outer end hit the inner end of the selection. They MUST be touching. The bullet card will only be injogged about a quarter inch.

When you get ready to shoot, tilt the outer end of the deck upward to a 45 degree angle. Hold it LOOSELY to avoid binding.

When you flick the inner end of the bullet card, it should fly out, spinning, and boomerang back to you. Catch it with your right hand, face toward the spectator.

Jaws will drop.

Dingle did the trick a lot, and felt it was worthless if you did not catch the selected card.
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Re: Faro trick suggestions?

Postby MagicbyAlfred » January 30th, 2021, 8:46 pm

Wow, that's far beyond the comparatively simplistic way I've done the trick. I'm going to give it a try and see if I can pull it off using Richard's very clear description...


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