Another trick that is simple to do, the Upside Down £5 Note Trick reminds the audience once more that the magician is the keeper of secret and special knowledge.
The Effect
Perhaps in reference to a wager or just for fun, the magician borrows a note from a mate and announces that he is going to demonstrate his mastery over illusion with it. Holding the note out for inspection, the audience confirms it is a normal note and then the magician folds it in half. Again and again the magician folds the note until it is a neat
little package. As he begins to unfold the note the magician explains that the magic was done already, when they first inspected the note they thought it was right side up, but - as the last fold is undone - the note is clearly upside down.
The Secret
Knowing the right folds and how to hold the note allow the magician to perform the Upside Down £5 Note Trick.
Materials
Any normal folding money will work.
Preparation
No advance preparation is required.
Performance
The Upside Down £5 Note Trick is a perfect trick to perform at a moment’s notice and can be done anywhere and in front of any audience. It is a “light” trick, more fun than mysterious.
1. Holding the note out with both
hands, the magician allows it to be inspected and proven to be a normal note.
Folding the note in half lengthways, the magician makes the first fold towards himself.
2. The magician can make this as simple or dramatic as he wishes, but should use some patter; “Top over bottom” he could say.
3. The second fold bisects the note as the right edge is folded over - again towards the magician - to cover the left. “Right over left.”
4. The third fold is a repeat of the second, taking the right edge and folding it over the left. “And right over left again.”
5. The first “unfold” is a reverse of the third fold - the magician takes the top fold and opens it from left to right - again towards his own body. “We unfold it as we folded it - left to right”
6. The second unfold is the key to turning the note upside down. Like the first, the motion is from left to right, but the bottom fold is opened, away from the body. “Left to right”
7. The final motion is to unfold the note from bottom to top and it will be upside down. “And bottom to top - and as you can see, the note was upside down the entire time - you only thought it was right side up.”
Magical Tip
If the magician wishes to perform this trick with the face of the note towards the
audience, he would perform the moves in reverse. The first move would have the top of the note folded down away from the body, etc. The magician should perform this version of the trick in front of a mirror to make sure of what the audience will see. This trick is a great way to offer a light hearted, even silly introduction into an entire money magic routine.
The Upside Down Card Trick
Requiring two sleight of hand moves and a bit of polish, this is a very simple, very stunning card trick.
The Effect
The magician fans a deck of cards and allows the spectator to choose one at random.
After memorising the card, the spectator returns it to the deck and the magician shuffles the cards. Turning over the top card, the magician explains that the spectator’s card is not there, nor - as he turns over the deck - on the bottom, but lost within. Cutting the deck only once, the magician then spreads the cards to show that one card has been reversed in the deck- the spectator’s card, upside down.
The Secret
Keeping track of and then manipulating the card allows the magician to reverse it right under the nose of the spectator.
Materials
A regular deck of playing cards.
Preparation
No advance preparation is required.
Performing the Trick
The Upside Down Card Trick is one of the more simple effects that have the spectator’s card reversed in the deck, but because the sleights required are minor and can be done simply and quickly, the effect is much greater in the end.
1. The magician fans or spreads the deck of cards and allows the spectator to make a free choice.
2. After the card is chosen and memorised, the magician allows it to be put back into the deck and then brings it to the top using a preferred method; here is one way to do it:
3. Cut the deck and ask the spectator to place the chosen card on top of the bottom half of the deck. As the top of the deck is replaced, catch a break between the halves with the meat of the palm or the tip of the little finger.
4. Then cut the cards, bringing the chosen card to the top.
5. The magician then explains that
the magic is going to happen very quickly, so it is important that the spectator pays close attention - while he is saying this, the magician should perform the double lift sleight, picking up the top two cards as one. Turning this packet over, the magician says “your card is not on the top of the deck…”
6. The packet is placed on top of the deck - still face up - and the deck is turned over. The magician continues, “and it is not on the
bottom…” as he says this, the magician takes the card now closest to the ground - the indifferent card that was part of the packet - and pulls it out, pointing to the bottom of the deck with it. As he replaces the card from where he got it, the
magician turns it over, so it will be face down and covering the chosen card, now the only card face up in the deck.
7. Turning the deck back right side up, the magician says,
“watch now…all I need to do is cut the cards and the magic is done…” the
magician cuts the cards and then spreads or fans them, showing one card face up - the chosen card.
Magical Tip
Before turning the deck right side up, the magician could fan the cards face up - meaning the chosen card is the only one face down. Then he would turn the fan over, revealing the card more dramatically.
Torn and Restored Card Trick
Get ready to really make your audience think, as they try to figure out how you do this classic card trick.
The Effect
A card, freely chosen by a spectator, is signed and then torn into four quarters. The torn bits of card are wrapped in a handkerchief and then secured with a rubber band. At the command of the magician, the handkerchief is opened to reveal that the card has vanished, except for one corner. The other pieces of the card are discovered back in the deck, completely restored except for the missing corner, which is shown to match the resorted card perfectly.
The Secret
The marked spectator card is only partially torn, with the remaining tears made upon a dummy card. Controlling the bits of cards-as well as the spectator's perception-is the key to making the Torn and Restored Card Trick a success.
Materials
A handkerchief, a rubber band, a marker pen and a normal deck of cards are all you will need to pull off one of the classic mind blowing card tricks.
Preparation
The key to this trick is the dummy card, which is as easy to make as tearing a playing card. Take an indifferent card and rip one corner off, which you may discard; you now have your dummy card ready to go.
Place this card on top of the deck, face down, with the missing corner to the bottom left (for a left-handed grip.) Place an indifferent card on top of the dummy card and put the cards in their box. Have the handkerchief and pen handy, place the rubber band in your right coat or trouser pocket, and you are ready to begin.
How to Perform this Trick
1. Pull the cards from the box, making sure to keep the missing corner of the dummy card to the bottom left as you take the deck in your left hand. Riffle the front half of the deck with your right to allow the spectator to choose a card. Once the card is chosen, place the deck face up on the table, taking the bottom card (the one that covered the dummy card) off the deck.
2. The deck is now face-up on the table, with the dummy card on the bottom. Gesture with the indifferent card in your hand ("you could have chosen any card") and then place it face up on the deck.
3. Take the chosen card from the spectator and tear off one corner (make sure it is the same size tear as from the dummy card).
4. Hand the card to the spectator (leave the torn bit on the table) and ask him to sign the card. As he signs, pick up the deck of cards and turn it over, keeping the face of the cards towards the audience, as the dummy card is now exposed on the top.
5. Take the chosen card and place it on top of the dummy card. It is important that the missing portion is opposite that of the dummy card;
top right as opposed to bottom left. Don't let the audience see this.
6. Have the spectator sign the torn bit of the chosen card. While he is doing this, you will deal the dummy card (second from the top) face down on the table- this will
be easy to accomplish using your right thumb on the top right corner of the deck, where the missing corner of the chosen card gives you access to the dummy card.
7. Cut the deck and place it face down on the table. Pick up the dummy card (face towards you) and rip it in three quarters. Pick up the signed corner of the chosen card from the table and place it on top of the packet. You can now show the front and back of the packet, which the audience assumes is all part of the same card.
8. Cover the packet with the handkerchief while pushing up on the face of the packet with your right thumb- this will make the signed corner stand up. Grasp the corner through the top of the handkerchief with your left hand- it will look as if you took the entire packet.
9. Palm the torn bits of the dummy card and place them in your right pocket as you take out the rubber band. Wrap the bottom of the
"packet" in the handkerchief with the rubber band and hand to the spectator.
10. Say the magic words and have the spectator unwrap the package - the card has vanished, except for the signed corner. You may now fan or spread the deck of cards to reveal a card with a missing corner - the signed chosen card, which you then show matches the torn corner perfectly.
Magical Tip
Have the spectator take and match the card for you, or even hand the deck to him to find the restored, signed card first. Putting the magic in a spectator's hands as much as possible is a great way to immerse them in the magic.
The Two Detectives Trick
A fantastic card trick that involves a bit of audience participation and a bit of sleight of hand for a mind blowing reveal at the end.
The Effect
The magician has a spectator pick a card and then pulls out two cards himself of the same value. He explains that these two cards will do the actual magic and has the spectator put the chosen card in the deck. After cutting the two detective cards into the deck the magician fans the cards to show that the two cards have trapped the chosen card between them.
The Secret
A special way of counting three cards as two sets up the reveal right under the eyes of the spectator.
Materials
A normal deck of cards is all that is required.
Preparation
Outside of practice there is no special preparation needed.
Performing the Trick
Any two cards of the same value can be used as the “detectives” in the story, but face cards or aces have most visual effect. Part of this trick takes place in the hands of the spectator and the magician should use this time to do the one of the sleights required.
1. Magician shuffles cards as he talks about his special helpers, two cards in the deck that help him perform his magic tricks. They are not magicians but rather detectives, doing all the work needed to find any card chosen by the spectator.
2. After fanning the cards the magician invites a spectator to choose a card and remove it from the deck.
3. At this point the magician looks through the deck for his two helper cards, say the two red jacks.
4. Pulling the cards out, he sets them face down on a table. If doing close up and no surface is available, he can have another spectator hold them for a moment.
5. The magician cuts the deck and has the spectator place the chosen card on top of the bottom half. Holding a break when replacing the top half, the magician can then cut the cards. This will bring the chosen card to the top of the deck.
6. The magician will then hand out the two cards for inspection. At this moment he should slide the top (chosen) card slightly forward using his thumb, just enough to get tip of the little finger under the card.
7. When the magician takes back the two detectives he places them both face UP on top of the chosen card. He can then slightly pick up the packet of three in his right hand. The left thumb can then grip the top jack as the right hand pulls away both of the bottom cards as one. The magician names the top card, “Here we have the Jack of Hearts,” as he pulls the packet away.
8. He then places the packet on top of the first jack as he names the second card; “and the Jack of Diamonds.” The chosen card is now between the two face-up jacks. At this point the sleight of hand is done.
9. The magician then puts the packet of three cards back on top and simply cuts the deck. After an appropriate amount of story telling, he spreads the cards to show that the jacks have surrounded the chosen card.
Magical Tip
Practice the false count, when you trap the chosen card, until it is flawlessly smooth.