Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Discuss your favorite close-up tricks and methods.
Bob Farmer
Posts: 3308
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Bob Farmer » November 17th, 2022, 2:24 pm

I am looking for recommendations for a Glimpse.

The spectator hands you a single face-down card. Keeping it facedown, you Glimpse it.

Tarotist
Posts: 1365
Joined: July 29th, 2021, 7:16 am
Favorite Magician: David Nixon

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Tarotist » November 17th, 2022, 2:38 pm

I suppose it depends on the context of what you need the glimpse for. I use the one in the Royal Road to Card Magic. My main use for it is when I read Tarot. The client hands me ten cards face down one at a time. I like to glance at them to see what they are before I lay them out on the table face upwards in a spread. Of course I get to see them anyway when I do this but the advance notice helps me considerably.

Bob Farmer
Posts: 3308
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Bob Farmer » November 17th, 2022, 2:57 pm

I've been using the Larry Jennings Carlyle Turnover Glimpse, from Jennings '67, pp.93-94.

I hold out my palm-up right hand and have the spectator place the card face down on it. As the card is transferred to my left hand, face down, I get the Glimpse.

User avatar
Richard Kaufman
Posts: 27056
Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
Location: Washington DC
Contact:

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Richard Kaufman » November 17th, 2022, 4:09 pm

Tony Mule in Rim Shots or Afterthoughts. You snap the card with your finger.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

Tarotist
Posts: 1365
Joined: July 29th, 2021, 7:16 am
Favorite Magician: David Nixon

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Tarotist » November 17th, 2022, 5:33 pm

You don't have to do any of that difficult nonsense. Page 72 of the Royal Road to Card Magic is all you need. You can do it with one card just as easily as the entire deck. I do it all the time.

Bob Farmer
Posts: 3308
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Bob Farmer » November 17th, 2022, 7:00 pm

Mark, yes that is a very nice move, especially the tio about holding your hand higher.

User avatar
Richard Kaufman
Posts: 27056
Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
Location: Washington DC
Contact:

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Richard Kaufman » November 17th, 2022, 7:03 pm

It's not difficult nonsense.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

Tarotist
Posts: 1365
Joined: July 29th, 2021, 7:16 am
Favorite Magician: David Nixon

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Tarotist » November 17th, 2022, 11:09 pm

OK. Then it's easy nonsense which just sounds difficult.

Tarotist
Posts: 1365
Joined: July 29th, 2021, 7:16 am
Favorite Magician: David Nixon

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Tarotist » November 17th, 2022, 11:11 pm

Bob Farmer wrote:Mark, yes that is a very nice move, especially the tio about holding your hand higher.


You don't have to hold it very high. Just a little higher than usual. You could probably glimpse it when handing it over to the other hand.

Ted M
Posts: 1187
Joined: January 24th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Dani DaOrtiz
Location: Madison, WI

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Ted M » November 18th, 2022, 12:55 am

Mental note: Mark and Dani DaOrtiz prefer the same method.

Also, the farther you have to reach to retrieve the card/deck, the easier it is to glimpse the underside. When far, it can be quite low.

See Dani's EMC 2010 appearance where he "reads the marks" on the back of a deck borrowed from a clearly perplexed Helder Guimaraes.

Ian Kendall
Posts: 2631
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Ian Kendall » November 18th, 2022, 7:33 am

Grace (formerly Steven Youell) has something called 'the flicker glimpse' which involves holding a card face out, and snapping it with your finder and glimpsing the index. Not easy, but not impossible either (unless you don't like practice).

BarryAllen
Posts: 185
Joined: November 15th, 2009, 6:33 am
Favorite Magician: Joe Riding & Chan Cansta.
Location: Nuneaton England

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby BarryAllen » November 18th, 2022, 9:10 am

If you've controlled the chosen card within the pack, then there are of course a number of glimpsing techniques.

However, you cannot convincingly glimpse a single chosen card without averting your gaze - no matter how briefly, which can (will?) be noticeable.

To this end, what I don't think has ever been covered in enough depth in relation to ANY aspect glimpsing, is one VERY important point.

You need to bring the card into your natural line of sight - where possible, with additional misdirection. For example, you ask the spectator to hold out their hand flat. As your eyes are gazing at their hand you bring the card into your line of sight, as you place it upon their palm.

In my honest opinion, averting your gaze, or even slightly moving your head to the side, is going to give the game away as to what you are doing.

I dont ever remember reading this salient point within any magic book. However, Corinda mentions it within the 13 Steps, in relation to glimpsing a particular Centre Tear; and to the best of my ageing memory, I'm pretty certain that the brilliant Richard Osterlind also covers this point within his 13 Steps DVD series.

BarryAllen
Posts: 185
Joined: November 15th, 2009, 6:33 am
Favorite Magician: Joe Riding & Chan Cansta.
Location: Nuneaton England

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby BarryAllen » November 18th, 2022, 9:19 am

Richard Kaufman wrote:Tony Mule in Rim Shots or Afterthoughts. You snap the card with your finger.

Rim Shots (1973).

'The Retention of Vision Cut' - credited to Tony Mulle.

It's pages 48-49 in my (somewhat now battered-looking) softcover edition.

Just as an aside, some of you blokes don't realise how lucky you are learning from magic books.

Being a 'Leftie' many of us have had to spend our lifetimes reversing Left and Right whilst learning from the written word. It may sound simple right - try it! What is simple is losing track halfway through.

Now, add into the mix the following. In respect of glimpsing techniques that require an index to be glimpsed, its more often than not on the wrong bloody side of the card for us!

BarryAllen
Posts: 185
Joined: November 15th, 2009, 6:33 am
Favorite Magician: Joe Riding & Chan Cansta.
Location: Nuneaton England

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby BarryAllen » November 18th, 2022, 9:48 am

Apologies - too late to edit the above post.

The finger flick glimpse Richard refers to, is titled 'The Rockin Chair' by Tony Mulle - pages 73-75 from Rim Shots.

My only defence is that my book is so knackered; the spine long since given up the will to live; that the pages are now held together with a bulldog clip.

User avatar
Richard Kaufman
Posts: 27056
Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
Location: Washington DC
Contact:

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Richard Kaufman » November 18th, 2022, 2:10 pm

Ian Kendall wrote:Grace (formerly Steven Youell) has something called 'the flicker glimpse' which involves holding a card face out, and snapping it with your finder and glimpsing the index. Not easy, but not impossible either (unless you don't like practice).


This is the Tony Mule item I was referring to. Nothing to do with Youell.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

Tarotist
Posts: 1365
Joined: July 29th, 2021, 7:16 am
Favorite Magician: David Nixon

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Tarotist » November 18th, 2022, 2:46 pm

Ted M wrote:Mental note: Mark and Dani DaOrtiz prefer the same method.

Also, the farther you have to reach to retrieve the card/deck, the easier it is to glimpse the underside. When far, it can be quite low.


This is true. I read ten cards at a time by this method. It is actually the easiest method of all.

Ian Kendall
Posts: 2631
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Ian Kendall » November 18th, 2022, 4:30 pm

This is the Tony Mule item I was referring to. Nothing to do with Youell.


Fairy nuff. I don't have Rim Shots and I've only seen it in the context of Youell's thing.

kkelly
Posts: 83
Joined: March 9th, 2015, 11:05 am

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby kkelly » November 18th, 2022, 4:48 pm

forgive me for possibly stating the obvious...use marked cards? i hear there is a bammo book that might help. :D

Bob Farmer
Posts: 3308
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Bob Farmer » November 18th, 2022, 7:31 pm

You mean there are decks of cards with marks that tell you the card!!!??

I'll have to get me one of those fellers.

Man, stuff happens so fast today in the magic world, I can't keep up.

Tarotist
Posts: 1365
Joined: July 29th, 2021, 7:16 am
Favorite Magician: David Nixon

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Tarotist » November 18th, 2022, 7:44 pm

I used to pitch marked cards. They are a nightmare to read as you have to look so close to them. And of course when you do magic marked cards are the first thing laymen think of. When I pitched marked cards I had a great routine for them but of course I didn't read the marks. I used a stacked deck instead and pretended I was reading the markings. That shows how useful marked cards are in the real world.

MagicbyAlfred
Posts: 2388
Joined: June 7th, 2015, 12:48 pm
Favorite Magician: Bill Malone
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby MagicbyAlfred » November 18th, 2022, 8:10 pm

There are some great glimpses without a card ever needing to be taken out of the deck, let alone handled by the magician. For example, after a spectator peek, or after a spectator just touches a card in a spread. There is no pick a card at all, much less a spectator handing it right into the sneaky hands of the magician, both of which procedures are inherently suspicious to laymen (as well they should be).

Philippe Billot
Posts: 1820
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: PARIS - FRANCE

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Philippe Billot » November 19th, 2022, 6:39 am

Bob Farmer wrote:You mean there are decks of cards with marks that tell you the card!!!??

I'll have to get me one of those fellers.

Man, stuff happens so fast today in the magic world, I can't keep up.


Let's be modern.

Let's take a drone cleverly hidden behind a spectator and when he takes a card, photograph it using the drone which, thanks to its programming, then calls you on the phone and sends you the photo of the card.

You will tell me: what do you do with the noise caused by the drone?

I thought about it: you just need to hire the services of the municipal brass band whose music will opportunely (and at the right time) cover the noise of the drone.

I hope this help...

Philippe Billot
Posts: 1820
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: PARIS - FRANCE

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Philippe Billot » November 19th, 2022, 6:46 am

I must admit that the idea is not mine. I was inspired by "Mission: Impossible"

Ian Kendall
Posts: 2631
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Ian Kendall » November 19th, 2022, 8:51 am

I used to pitch marked cards. They are a nightmare to read as you have to look so close to them.


Time to look into Bob Farmer's Blob-o-vision (or whatever it's called). A marking system for Bikes that can be seen at a distance, even with relatively poor eyesight.

User avatar
katterfelt0
Posts: 274
Joined: February 2nd, 2021, 2:11 pm
Favorite Magician: Depends on the day. Today, Rick Maue.

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby katterfelt0 » November 19th, 2022, 9:48 am

Ian Kendall wrote:Time to look into Bob Farmer's Blob-o-vision (or whatever it's called). A marking system for Bikes that can be seen at a distance, even with relatively poor eyesight.

I think you're referring to the Farmarx marking system detailed in the Kirk Charles book Hidden in Plain Sight. You can find a review of it here.
Effect and method are inextricably linked.

User avatar
Richard Kaufman
Posts: 27056
Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
Location: Washington DC
Contact:

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Richard Kaufman » November 19th, 2022, 10:36 am

Theodore DeLand created decks to be read at a distance in 1918: the Daisy and Nifty decks.
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

Philippe Billot
Posts: 1820
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: PARIS - FRANCE

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Philippe Billot » November 19th, 2022, 10:53 am

Isn't it the Juice Deck the best to read at distance?

Tarotist
Posts: 1365
Joined: July 29th, 2021, 7:16 am
Favorite Magician: David Nixon

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Tarotist » November 19th, 2022, 11:06 am

Ian Kendall wrote:
I used to pitch marked cards. They are a nightmare to read as you have to look so close to them.


Time to look into Bob Farmer's Blob-o-vision (or whatever it's called). A marking system for Bikes that can be seen at a distance, even with relatively poor eyesight.


The cards I pitched were the cheap Chinese version. You would need a microscope to see the markings. Of course the advantage of the Chinese cards was the profit margin. You can't do that with bicycle cards unfortunately. Of course value for money is not a priority with pitchmen. Using a stacked deck instead of reading the backs was an idea from Joe Stuthard.

Ian Kendall
Posts: 2631
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Ian Kendall » November 19th, 2022, 5:49 pm

I was on the Tube one day in 1990, on a visit back from the US. I was standing with my rucksack by the doors, and next to me was a bank of four seats, occupied by four school kids, about 12 years old, on the way home. One of the kids brought out a box of Waddington's No 1 cards, but the deck he removed was a Chinese marked deck.

I smiled.

Bob Farmer
Posts: 3308
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Short card above selection.

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Bob Farmer » November 19th, 2022, 6:50 pm

Another Tube story: back in the mists of time, when I was living in Toronto, I was on the subway and as I sat there I heard a sound familiar to all coin magicians, the sound of a U.S. fifty-cent piece hitting the floor. I looked down the car and there was Gary Kurtz at the other end practicing.

MagicbyAlfred
Posts: 2388
Joined: June 7th, 2015, 12:48 pm
Favorite Magician: Bill Malone
Location: Myrtle Beach, SC

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby MagicbyAlfred » November 19th, 2022, 8:02 pm

Good stories. Bob's story about Gary reminded me. I frequently walk around the house or stand in front of the bathroom mirror practicing coin rolls and various moves with a Morgan Silver Dollar (just a way to pass the time while I'm waiting to get an actual life). When the coin hits the floor, as it eventually inevitably does, and makes the tell-tale sound that only a silver dollar can make after succumbing to gravity, I will just as inevitably hear the hearty knowing laughter of my girl friend.

Tarotist
Posts: 1365
Joined: July 29th, 2021, 7:16 am
Favorite Magician: David Nixon

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Tarotist » November 19th, 2022, 10:49 pm

I also remember practicing a coin roll on the London Tube when I was about 15 years old. Naturally I dropped the bloody thing and a passenger picked it up for me. She looked pitifully at me saying, "Are you learning to be in the Magic Circle?". It may surprise Americans that EVERYONE in the UK has heard of the Magic Circle!

This reminds me of the time that I was showing someone a card trick on the top floor of a London double decker bus. Before I knew it the entire top floor of the bus was watching me performing including the bus conductor who was no longer interested in collecting the fares! It went on for about 15 minutes or so!

I forgot all about the incident until a few years later I met a magician at the Magic Circle. All I remember is that his name was Barry. I don't remember his last name. I asked him what made him take up magic. He astonished me by saying "You! I saw you do magic on the top floor of a bus a few years ago and became so fascinated by what you did that i decided to take up magic myself!"

BarryAllen
Posts: 185
Joined: November 15th, 2009, 6:33 am
Favorite Magician: Joe Riding & Chan Cansta.
Location: Nuneaton England

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby BarryAllen » November 20th, 2022, 2:20 am

MagicbyAlfred wrote:When the coin hits the floor, as it eventually inevitably does, and makes the tell-tale sound that only a silver dollar can make after succumbing to gravity, I will just as inevitably hear the hearty knowing laughter of my girl friend.

When you've been married for 30+ years, that laughter will turn into a 'tut' and a dirty look - particularly if they're watching tele or on the phone - trust me! Added to which English Half Crowns are about twice the weight of a Dollar - causing a nice thump and a loud roll across wooden floors.

The best put-down that 'she who must be obeyed' has ever thrown my way though, goes back many years to a time when we were driving past a big field on a Sunday, where a lot of people (I assume a club) flew remote-control model aircraft. I said to her "how sad is that.....grown men playing with toy planes". She replied "says someone who'll be sitting there playing with sponge balls when we get home". There was no answer to that.

Loving these stories above.

Dave Le Fevre
Posts: 365
Joined: December 24th, 2015, 10:29 am
Favorite Magician: Paul Megram

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Dave Le Fevre » November 20th, 2022, 3:46 am

BarryAllen wrote:The best put-down that 'she who must be obeyed' has ever thrown my way though, goes back many years to a time when we were driving past a big field on a Sunday, where a lot of people (I assume a club) flew remote-control model aircraft. I said to her "how sad is that.....grown men playing with toy planes". She replied "says someone who'll be sitting there playing with sponge balls when we get home". There was no answer to that.
I read that to wife. As I expected, she laughed loudly.

Ian Kendall
Posts: 2631
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Ian Kendall » November 20th, 2022, 4:06 am

When I had a long tube trip home in 1986, I was sitting rolling an old 10p piece over my fingers while staring into space. I noticed a small boy, maybe eight or nine, ask his father for a 10p and started trying to roll it; in his hands it was as if I were rolling a small plate.

I called him over, and in that obnoxious phase of the early magician, started doing tricks for him. I just finished one of many when the train pulled into my station, and I got up and walked away without looking back. Which was another dick move...

Tarotist
Posts: 1365
Joined: July 29th, 2021, 7:16 am
Favorite Magician: David Nixon

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Tarotist » November 20th, 2022, 9:02 am

I have another story about the coin roll. Here is an excerpt from my book "The Lives of a Showman". I recently wrote about my friend Ann Fuller passing away. I wrote a chapter about her in the book. Here is an excerpt. (Terry is another ex-employee)
..........................................................................................................................................................................................................

I had taught her a magician’s maneuver known as the “coin roll” This wasn’t really a trick but more of a flourishy showing-off type of thing that sometimes you see actors do in movies. The magician takes a large coin and rolls it back and forth across the fingers of his hand. It looks terribly skillful and indeed it takes an awful lot of practice to master it properly. After my tuition Ann could do it very well.
One day we were at an exhibition selling Svengali decks. Terry by now had gone out on his own and was selling merchandise such as kitchen gadgets, rolling rulers, glass cutters and other demonstration products. At this particular show he also had a stand of his own. I don’t remember exactly what he was selling since he tried different items at different times over the years. A real professional grafter in fact.

Terry could also do the coin roll and during a quiet period when there was little foot traffic about he idly started to play with a coin and before long was merrily rolling it back and forth across his fingers. A customer noticed him and was duly impressed. He asked if Terry could teach him it. Just as Terry was doing so Ann happened to walk by and said “That looks amazing. Can I try it? How do you do it?” She pretended that she did not know Terry and he went along with it and pretended to teach her. She intentionally fumbled at first and then started to do it properly. Gradually she picked up speed as the coin went merrily across her fingers. The punter was utterly amazed and said to Ann, “I can’t believe how quickly you learned that. Why can’t I do it as well as you?”

I then happened along and saw what was going on and I decided to join in the fun. I pretended that I did not know Ann or Terry and asked, “That looks amazing. Can I try it?” Again Terry went through the motions of pretending to teach me and just like Ann did a moment before, pretended to fumble. Suddenly I mastered it and ran the coin across my fingers with great skill. I even added to it by turning my hand palm up and continuing the maneuver. This made it seem more difficult and spectacular.I am afraid that we gave the poor man a great inferiority complex over it. He just couldn’t figure out why he couldn’t master this stunt while two casual passers by like me and Ann could do it without any trouble. I think we probably traumatised the poor fellow for life.

User avatar
Richard Kaufman
Posts: 27056
Joined: July 18th, 2001, 12:00 pm
Favorite Magician: Theodore DeLand
Location: Washington DC
Contact:

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Richard Kaufman » November 20th, 2022, 12:19 pm

Can someone tell me what all of this has to do with glimpsing a card?
Subscribe today to Genii Magazine

Ian Kendall
Posts: 2631
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Edinburgh
Contact:

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Ian Kendall » November 20th, 2022, 4:51 pm

Meandering conversations. The best kind :)

BarryAllen
Posts: 185
Joined: November 15th, 2009, 6:33 am
Favorite Magician: Joe Riding & Chan Cansta.
Location: Nuneaton England

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby BarryAllen » November 21st, 2022, 6:29 am

Ian Kendall wrote:Meandering conversations. The best kind :)

Exactly.

Input now appears to have come to a grinding halt.

Oh well. :|

Bill Mullins
Posts: 5913
Joined: January 17th, 2008, 12:00 pm
Location: Huntsville, AL
Contact:

Re: Glimpsing A Card The Spectator Hands You

Postby Bill Mullins » November 21st, 2022, 1:04 pm

Philippe Billot wrote:I must admit that the idea is not mine. I was inspired by "Mission: Impossible"


I think this was part of Bill Woodfield's Castle Act, which is why it made it into Mission Impossible.


Return to “Close-Up Magic”