Counts Cuts Moves and Subtlety a Book of Basic

COUNTS

CUTS

MOVES

A

Book

of

BASIC

CARD

TECHNIQUES

COUNTS

CUTS

MOVES

and

Subtlety

A

Book

of

BASIC

CARD

TECHNIQUES

by

JERRY

MENTZER

COUNTS,

CUTS,

MOVES AND

SUBTLETY

Published by Jerry Mentzer Copyright

©

1977 by Jerry Mentzer

No

part of this book, text, or illustrations

may

be reproduced

in any form without permission of the publisher.

Graphics by

CreaH-Graphics

FOREWORD

Counts, spreads, secret moves, etc.

abound

in card magic.

Quite a

number

of these secret

maneuvers

are

most

applicable to

the realm of "packet tricks." In this sort of trick with only a

few

cards in use instead of a full deck, the secret stuff

comes

into its

own.

In this

book

is an accumulation of

many

of the basic ''moves"

used in "packet tricks."

The

book

is intended to serve as a

refer-ence

work

for the beginner in the field of "packet tricks" as well as for the magician

who

has

some

experience, but is not familiar

with all the secret

maneuvers

packet tricks

may

require.

Each

item is described in detail

and

the text is

accompanied

with

numerous

illustrations to

show

just

how

the

maneuvers

are accomplished.

Through

careful reading

and

study of the

illustra-tions, the reader should, with practice, be able to accomplish

them

all.

TABLE OF

CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

1

UNDERCUTS

AND

REVERSALS

Double Undercut

3 Brave Reversal 5

Concealed

Reversal 9

COUNTS,

MOVES

AND

SUBTLETY

TheBiddle

Move

13

Hamman

Count

18 Veeser

Count

23

Another

Count

25

Flushtration

Move

26

Haback Count

29

Olram

Subtlety 31

Downs

Change

35

True

or False

38

ELMSLEY, JORDAN,

ETC.

The

Elmsley

Count

41

The

Elmsley

Count

—

Added

Comnnent

45

The

Jordan

Count

45

The

Siva

Count

48

Open Count

51

Snnile

Count

54

Pairs

Count

55

The

Spirit

Count

56

SPREADS

The

Simple Spread 61

The

Back

Spread

63

Buckle

Count

65

Digitized

by

the

Internet

Archive

in

2010

INTRODUCTION

Itgives

me

great pleasure to say that

what

you

are

about

to read

in the following pages are items that

you

can really

count

on. This

is a

magic

book

that is long overdue.

There

isn't

one

trick

between

these covers, but with the information herein

you

will be able to

perform

some

of the greatest effects that have

come

along. Here

you

will find all the counts that are used in today's card miracles.

As

an inventor of

many

packet tricks that require various counts,

I find that this

textbook

by

Jerry to be an invaluable aid. After

finishing this book,

no

longer will

you

have to say, "E.G. for you,

deefeecult for me!!! "

Cardagically yours,

DOUBLE

UNDERCUT

The "Double

Undercut"

is a useful

method

of either controlling a specific card to the top of the pack, or for cutting a small packet

of cards

from

the top of the

deck

to the bottom. While a single cut

would, in

most

cases, accomplish the

same

thing, the

"Double

Undercut"

has the advantage of being

more

deceptive

due

to the

fact the

deck

is quickly cut twice

and

it is harder for viewers to

mentally

comprehend

how

two

cuts could accomplish anything

specific.

Thus

the actions pass as a flourish.

First, a procedure for controlling a chosen card to the top of the

pack will be described.

Then

the application of the

"Double

Undercut"

in shifting cards

from

the top to the

bottom

of the

deck will be covered.

For purposes of the first explanation,

assume

that a spectator has chosen a card

and

that the card has been replaced near the

center of the

deck

with a left fourth finger break held

above

the

chosen card.

To

Perform:

1.

With

the right

hand

arched

above

the deck, grip the pack with

the right

thumbat

the inner

narrow end

of the deck

and

the fingers

at the outer end.

The

right first finger can be either at the outer

end

of the pack or curled atop the pack.

As

the right

hand

takes

the pack

from

the left hand, the right

thumb

picks

up

the break

previously held by the fourth finger of the left hand.

From

the

performer's viewpoint, the pack appears as in Figure 1

.

2.

Now

with the left hand, cut off half of the cards that are

below

the break as

shown

in Figure 2. Transfer the small packet of

cards to the top of the deck.

3. Then, in a similar menner, the left

hand

cuts off all the cards

that remain

below

the break

and

transfers

them

to the top of the

deck.

The

top card of the pack following this second cut will be

the spectator's selected card.

Note

that, if instead of holding a break

above

the selected card

at the beginning, the break

were

held

below

the selected card, the

selected card

would

end

up on

the

bottom

of the deck.

Should

the performer wish to transfer a small quantity of cards

from

the top of the pack to the bottom, the procedure is similar,

but at first does not

seem

the same. For explanation purposes

assume

that the intent of the action will be to transfer four cards

from

the top of the deck to the bottom.

To

begin, obtain a break

under

the top four cards of the deck

and

assume

this break with the right

thumb

as in Figure 3.

Should

the performer wish to

transfer only

one

card fronn top to

bottom,

he

would

hold a

To

Perform:

1.

With

the left hand, cut off half of the cards that are

below

the break

and

transfer thenn to the top of the pack.

2.

Then

cut off the remainder of the cards

below

the break with the left

hand and

transfer these to the top of the pack.

The

four

cards that

were

at the top of the

deck

are

now

at the face of the

deck.

BRAUE REVERSAL

The

"Braue

Reversal" is a very easy

and

effective

method

of reversing

one

or

more

cards in the deck.

The

reversal of the card

or cards is accomplished

under

cover of a showy-looking cut.

The

cut, while

showy,

does not look suspicious

and

it will be

accepted as a flourish.

Assume,

for explanation purposes, that the card or cards

which

To

Perform:

1.

Hold

the

deck

in the left

hand

in

normal

dealing position

and

obtain a left fourth finger break beneath the cards

which

are to

be reversed.

The

break is

exposed

in Figure 1.

2.

Then,

with the right

hand

arched

above

the deck, grip the

deck

with the right

thumb

at the inner,

narrow end

of the

deck

and

the right fingers at the outer end.

As

the right

hand

grips the

deck, the right

thumb

picks

up

the break that

was

previously held

by

the left fourth finger.

At

this point the cards are held In the

right

hand

as in Figure 2. Figure 2

shows

an

exposed view

of the

manner

in

which

the

thumb

holds the break.

3.

Now

with the left hand, cut off the lower half of the

pack

and

revolve it face

up

onto

the portion of the

pack

still held in

the right

hand

as

shown

in Figure 3.

Square

the half packs with

one

another, but maintain the right

thumb

break at the inner

end

of the pack.

4.

Next

the left

hand

again cuts off the lower portion of the

deck

and

revolves it face

up

onto

the portion held in the right

hand

as

shown

in Figure 4. This time, however, the left

hand

cuts

off all the cards beneath the right

thumb

break

and

it is these

cards that are turned face up.

The

two

packets are then squared.

At

this point, if the procedure has been

done

properly, the

cards that

were

originally

above

the left fourth finger break will

still be face

down

beneath the face

up

deck. If the

pack were

though

there

might

be a greater or fewer

amount

of reversed cards

depending

upon

the

number

originally held

above

the break. Notes:

Since

most

tricks with reversed cards require

them

to

appear

somewhere

near the middle of the pack, the face

up

deck

can be given an additional cut to get the reversed cards near the

pack's center.

As

an alternative to an

added

cut, the reversed cards can be

centralized in the pack

by

simply placing the second half of the

deck

face

up

beneath the right

hand

packet in Step 4 rather than face

up above

it as

shown

in Figure 4.

CONCEALED REVERSAL

One

objection to the standard

"Braue

Reversal" is that,

follow-ing the reversal, the pack

cannot

be turned face

down

without exposing the reversed cards

on

the top of the deck.

The

normal procedure for concealing these reversed cards has been to double

cut

one

or

more

cards

from

the face of the deck to the top before

turning the

deck

face

down.

The

double cut following

upon

the

heels of the actual reversal results in too

much

cutting to pass

as a casual gesture.

The

following procedure by the author allows the

deck

to be

turned face

down

immediately following the reversal

move,

yet

the reversed cards are concealed. Essentially the reversal is the

"Braue

Reversal"with an addition.

To

Perform:

For explanation purposes

assume

that atop the pack are three

selected cards that are to be reversed.

1.

Hold

the deck face

down

in the left

hand

dealing position

and

obtain a break

under

the top three cards.

Take

the deck into

the right

hand

gripping it

from

above with _{the fingers at the}

outer

narrow end and

the right

thumb

at the inner end.

The

right

thumb

retains the break

below

the three top cards as

shown

in

Figure 1

.

2. With the left

hand

cut off the lower half of the pack

and

revolve it face

up

onto the packet held

by

_{the right}

hand

_{as in the}

"Braue

Reversal."

However,

as the packet is revolved face up, slide

the

bottom

card of the face

up

packet about

one

half inch to

3.

As

the face

up

packet is

pushed

into line with the face

down

half, _{allow the protruding card to slide into the break being held}

by

the right

thumb.

Figure 3 illustrates

how

the protruding card

enters the break. This illustration

shows

a

somewhat

exaggerated

protrusion of the

one

card but adequately

conveys

the idea.

As

the face

up

packet is squared

up

vyith the face

down

packet, the right

thumb

maintains a break

below

the projecting card

and

continues to hold the break as the

pack

is squared.

4.

Without

hesitation the left

hand

takes all cards

below

the

break

and

revolves

them

face

up onto

the other cards. This time,

however, no secret

moves

are

made

and

the packet is simply

turned face up.

THE

BIDDLE

MOVE

Elmer

Biddle

"The

Biddle

Move"

is a very useful sleight that

was

published

a

number

of years ago,

and

like

many

new

moves,

was

a "fad"

for a while

and

then faded

from

the spotlight.

The move

is

one

of

the best

methods

for secretly

removing

one

or

more

cards

from

a

group

as they are counted. It serves well in effects

where

a

chosen

card vanishes

from

a packet of cards only to later be revealed

else-where.

"The

Biddle

Move"

is also perhaps

one

of the easiest of

the

"count type"

secret

moves

to master.

For

explanation purposes,

assume

that the

move

is to be used

to cause a selected card to vanish

from

a packet of five cards that

will be

counted from

the face of the deck.

The

chosen

card should

be positioned

second from

the face of the deck.

There

are

many

ways

to position the selected card in the required position.

One

of the easiest Is to first bring the

chosen

card to the top of the

deck by

means

of an

overhand

shuffle

and

then to

"Double

Under-cut"

two

cards

from

the top of the

deck

to the bottom.

The

"Double

Undercut"

is described elsewhere in this book.

To

Perform:

1.

Turn

the

pack

face

up and

grip it in the right

hand

with the

thumb

at the inner

narrow end and

the right second, third

and

fourth fingers at the outer

end

of the pack.

The

right first finger is

curled

on

top of the deck. Figure 1

shows

the correct

hand

posi-tion.

The

position is actually a very natural

way

in

which

to grip

a

pack

of cards.

With

the

pack

held in this

manner

in the right hand, the left

hand

will next

count

off five cards

from

the face of the deck.

During the

count

the spectator's selected card will be secretly

removed

from

the

group

of cards so that only four cards actually

remain.

2.

With

the left

hand approach

the

deck

as

shown

in Figure 2

and

with the left

thumb

pull the face card of the pack off

onto

the left fingers as

shown

in Figure 3.

As

this card is pulled

onto

the left fingers the spectator's selected card

becomes

visible at

the face of the deck. In this case the

chosen

card

would

be the

King of Hearts.

3.

Next

the left

hand

moves

back to the pack to pull the King

of Hearts off the face of the pack

onto

the first card that

was

pulled off the deck. Figure 4

shows

the left

thumb

beginning to

pull the King

from

the face of the deck.

Note

that the first card is

below

the pack at this point. 13

As

the King is pulled free of the

deck

onto

the card held in the left hand, the left fourth finger holds a break

between

the King

and

the first card. Figure 5

shows

an

exposed view

of the left

fourth finger break.

4.

The

left

hand

then

moves

back to the

deck once

again to pull

the third card

from

the face of the deck.

As

the left

thumb

pre-pares to pull the next card

from

the deck, the King of Hearts

and

the other card go beneath the

deck

in the

same manner

as

shown

in Figure 4.

While the left fingers

and

the

two

cards are beneath the deck, the right

thumb

and

fingertips grip the King of Hearts

by

its

narrow

ends squarely beneath the

pack

and

retain it

below

the

pack as the left

hand

pulls the face card of the

pack and

the other

single card

from

below

the

pack

to the left.

Due

to the fact that the left

hand was

holding a fourth finger

break, it is a simple matter for the right

hand

to grip the King of

Hearts quickly

and

surely

between

the tips of the right fingers

and

thumb.

There

will be a small break

between

the King of Hearts

and

the remainder of the

pack

after the King is secretly stolen

beneath the deck. This break held

by

the right

thumb,

is

shown

in

Figure 6.

5. Following the steal of the King beneath the pack,

count

two

more

cards fronn the face of the

deck

into the left hand.

Each

card should be pulled

from

the face of the

deck

as

were

the first

three cards.

At

this point the spectators should believe that there are five

cards in the left hand,

one

of

which

is the

chosen

card. Actually

only four cards are in the left hand.

The

chosen

card is face

up

beneath the pack. Notes:

a) For

"The

Biddle

Move"

to be

most

deceptive, it is

essential that the counting action that

accompanies

the secret

move

be

done

at an even pace.

There

should be

no change

of the

counting

rhythm

as the secret

move

is

made.

It is also a

good

idea for the performer to

count

aloud as each card is pulled into the

left hand.

b)

"The

Biddle

Move"

has applications

beyond

the vanish of a

single card

from

a packet as described above.

1.

By

actions very similar to those described above,

"The

Biddle

Move"

can be used to vanish

two

or

more

known

cards

from

a packet of cards.

2.

By

using the

count

with the cards face

down,

unknown

cards can be

removed

from

a packet of cards. Again the

move

can be used for

one

or

more

cards.

3.

"The

Biddle

Move"

can be used as a false

count and

is

particularly

good

for counting a quantity of cards as

more

cards than are actually present in a small packet of cards.

For example, a packet of five face

down

cards can be

counted

as seven cards by using the

move

to steal

away

two

cards.

The two

cards are then re-counted as the sixth

and

seventh card. This application is best used with face

down

cards or cards with identical faces.

4.

The

move

is also useful in altering the position of cards

within a small

group

of cards by stealing

one

or

more

cards

from

the left

hand

as the cards are being counted.

These

cards are then re-deposited as a single card with the last

card of the

group

as it is placed at the face of the packet.

HAMMAN

COUNT

Brother

John

Hamman

Brother

Hamman

has developed

many

unusual card ideas

among

which

are

some "moves"

which

have been widely applied to card

tricks.

The

"Hamman

Count"

is

one

of these,

and

while similar

in

many

respects to

"The

Biddle

Move"

the purpose is different

and

there are differences in handling.

The

basic use to

which

the

"Hamman

Count"

is

most

frequent-'\ plijd, is to switch

one

packet of cards for another during the

action of counting them. Perhaps the

most

common

application of

the

"Hamman

Count"

is in the

well-known

effect, "Wild Card." For explanation purposes,

assume

that the

count

will be used for

the "Wild

Card"

effect with the intention of

showing

eight Fives

of Hearts

and

one

Joker prior to changing all the cards to Jokers.

To

accomplish this, the cards

must

be arranged as

shown

in

Figure 1. In the "Wild

Card"

effect, the four Fives of Hearts

at the face of the spread

would

be double faced cards

backed

up

with Jokers.

To

Perform:

1.

Hold

the packet of nine cards, squared in the right

hand

as

in Figure 2. This position is the

same

as for

"The

Biddle

Move."

2. With the left

thumb,

pull the Five

from

the face of the

packet off onto the left fingers to the position

shown

in Figure 3.

The

outer left corner of the card should rest

on

the inner joint of

the left first finger.

The

left

thumb

holds the card in position by

the outer left corner. This position is very important in an action

that recurs later in the count.

3. Using identical

hand

actions pull three

more

cards

one

at a

time onto the first card so that each lines

up

with the first card.

At

this point the left

hand

will be holding four cards

which

the

spectators have seen are Fives of Hearts.

The

right

hand

contains

five Jokers.

From

this point

onward

in the count, the objective is to

count

only

one

Joker and to then

count

four

more

Fives of Hearts.

This is

done

by switching packets

from

hand

to

hand

as the

count

continues.

4.

Again

the left

hand

approaches the right

hand

so the left

thumb

can apparently

count

off another card.

As

it does, however,

the left

hand

moves

a bit further than it did previously, but only a

quarter inch or so further.

At

this point, the

two

packets of cards are as

shown

in Figure 4 with the

upper

Joker packet slightly overlapping the lower packet

toward

the left. In Figure 4, the left

thumb

has been

moved

out

of position to

show

the packet position. In actual

performance

the

hands

would

appear as in Figure 5.

5.

Now

by

a slight shift of the left

thumb,

the

extreme

outer left corner of the

upper

packet of cards, the Jokers, is gripped

between

the ball of the left

thumb

and

the fleshy

pad

at the base

of the left first finger.

Simultaneously the right third finger shifts its grip to the

outer right corner of the lower packet.

The

hands

then seperate in

a

normal

counting motion.

The

positions of the packets is

shown

in "stop

motion"

in Figure 6.

Due

to the switch of packets, the

right

hand

will

now

contain the four Fives of Hearts

and

the five

Jokers will be in the left hand.

6.

With

a similar counting

motion

count

the remaining four

cards

one

at a time

from

the right

hand

into the left hand. If

properly done, the spectators will have seen eight Fives of Hearts

and

only

one

Joker.

Note:

As

with

most

counts

that involve secret moves, the

"Hamman

Count"

is

most

deceptive if the

count

proceeds without

any

changes in

tempo.

The

switch of the packets described in

Steps 4

and

5 should be

done

at the

same

tempo

as single cards

are

counted

into the left hand.

Some

practice is required to

accomplish the required

smoothness

of action, but unless the

action is

smooth,

the

count

is not deceptive.

VEESER

COUNT

_Bob

_Veeser

This versatile

count

has appeared in print in a

number

of publi

cations, instruction sheets, etc. It is very useful in tricks with small packets of cards since it can be used to accomplish _the

_same

_sort

of objective as the

"Elmsley Count."

The

hand

positions during

the "Veeser

Count"

are perhaps

more

natural for

most

performers

than those required for the

"Elmsley

Count"

and

the "Veeser

Count"

is easier to learn.

Both

counts have their strengths

and

applications.

To

begin the "Veeser

Count"

have four cards in a small packet

with three cards face

down

and

the third card

from

the top of

the packet face up.

The

arrangement

of the cards is the

same

as at the start of the "Elmsley

Count."

To

Perform:

1.

With

the right

hand

arched

above

the apparently face

down

packet, hold the packet as for the "Biddle

Move"

with the right

thumb

at the inner

narrow end

of the packet

and

the fingers at

the outer end.

2.

With

the left

hand approach

the packet to pull the top card of the packet off into the left

hand

with the left

thumb.

This

action is the

same

as the "Biddle

Move"

to this point.

3.

As

the left fingers pass beneath the packet the fingertips press against the bottonn card of the packet

and

slide it

about one

quarter inch to the right. Figure 1

shows

an

exposed view

of the

way

the card is

pushed

to the right. Note, however, that in the

illustration the

amount

the card is

pushed

to the right is greatly

exaggerated for ease in illustration.

The

right

hand

arched

above

the packet screens the side jogged card

from

the spectators' view.

4.

With

the left

thumb

pull the top card of the packet off

onto

the left fingers as for the "Biddle

Move."

5.

Then

move

the left

hand

and

the single card

back

to the

packet in preparation for pulling off a

second

card

onto

the

one

in the left hand.

As

the left fingers

and

the card go beneath the pack-et, however, the left

hand

carries Its card beneath the packet so the card lines

up

with the

bottom

card of the right

hand

packet

which

is the card that

was

previously

pushed

to the right.

As

the left

hand

card lines

up

with the lower card of the right

hand

packet, the right fingers

and

thumb

grip the card

by

its

narrow

ends so it is retained squarely beneath the side jogged card.

At

the

same

time, the

two

cards that

now

protrude to the left are

pinched

between

the base of the left first finger

and

the left

thumb.

This action is

shown

in Figure 2.

The

hand

position

and

positions of the cards is

somewhat

exaggerated for clarity.

6.

The

left

hand

then carries the

two

cards to the left in a

con-tinuation of the counting motion.

Then

using the left

thumb,

the

remaining

two

cards are

counted

singly

from

the right

_{hand onto}

those in the left hand.

At

the conclusion of the count, the face-up card will be at the

bottom

of the four card packet.

ANOTHER COUNT

This

count

utilizes the

"Hamman

Count"

idea with a packet of four cards.

The

counting action conceals the

bottom

card of the

packet of four cards as the cards are

counted

from hand

to hand.

In as

much

as it conceals the

bottom

card of four, the

count

is

similar to the ''Jordan

Count."

However,

this

count

and

the

"Jordan

Count"

differ in the final

arrangement

of the cards in the

packet at the conclusion of the count.

For

explanation purposes,

assume

that the packet consists of

three face

down

cards

and

a single face

up

card at the

bottom

of

the packet.

To

Perform

:

1. Grip the packet of cards with the right

hand

arched

above

the

packet

and

the right

thumb

at the inner

narrow end

of the packet

and

the right fingers at the outer end. This grip is the

same

as for

the "Biddle

Move."

2.

With

the left

thumb

pull the top card of the packet off

onto

the left fingers as in the counting action described with the

"Bid-die

Move."

Then

count

the second card off atop the first one. 3.

Move

the left

hand

back to the right

hand

packet of cards

as if to take the next card into the left hand.

As

the

hands

come

together the switch action of the

"Hamman

Count"

occurs

and

the left

hand

takes the

two

cards that remain in the right hand.

Simultaneously with the right fingers

and

thumb,

a la the "Biddle

Move,"

re-grip the

two

cards that are held in the left hand. All

these actions occur as the third card is apparently taken into the

left

hand

in a counting action.

At

this point the left

hand

holds

two

cards, the lower of

which

is face up.

The

right

hand

holds

two

face

down

cards that are squared with

one

another.

4.

As

the final action of the count, the left

hand

moves

back to the right

and

takes both of the remaining cards

on

top of the

Cards in the left

hand

as if they

were

a single card.

At

the conclusion of the count, the cards are arranged with

three face

down

cards at the top of the packet

and

one

face

up

card at the

bottom.

If need be, the

count

can be immediately

repeated

and

if the

count

is repeated, the cards will be back In

their original order.

FLUSHTRATION

MOVE

Brother

John

Hamman

The

title of this

move

results

from

the use of the

move

by

Brother

Hamman

in a

marketed

trick called "Flushtration."

The

move

is used to apparently

show

the backs

and

faces of

several cards while in fact the backs of all but

one

card remains

hidden.

For

example,

assume

that a four card packet is to be

shown

to have Aviator backs while in fact three of the cards have a

differ-ent back pattern.

The

cards should be arranged as in Figure 1.

To

Perform:

1

.

Hold

the packet face

up

in the right

hand

as

shown

in Figure 2 with the right fingers at the outer

narrow

end

of the cards

and

the

thumb

at the inner end.

2.

To

show

the

back

of the first card, rotate the right wrist so

the back of the packet is revealed to the spectators as in Figure 3.

After

momentarily

displaying the back, rotate the right wrist

back to the position

shown

in Figure 2.

3.

With

the left

thumb,

pull the face card of the packet off into the left

palm

as

shown

in Figure 4. If the reader will carefully

consider the actions that have just been described, a discrepancy

will be evident.

The

performer has

shown

the

back

of the

bottom

card of the packet, yet has pulled the face card off into the left

hand. While this

might seem

very obvious, the discrepancy is not

something

that spectators will notice. This is particularly true if,

as the backs are being

shown,

the performer

names

the face value

of each card as it is

drawn

into the left hand.

4.

To

complete

the actions with the four card packet, simply

repeat Steps 2

and

3 three

more

times.

Each

time the card that

is pulled

from

the face of the right

hand

packet goes

on

top of

those that are already in the left hand.

When

the actions are

done

with confidence and at a reasonable pace, the spectators will

believe they

saw

four cards all with the Aviatof back pattern.

Note:

a)

Should

the performer be performing a trick in

which

he desires to

show

the faces of the cards all the

same

when

they

are in fact different, the

same

move

can be

done

with the cards

held face

down

in the right hand.

b) In the description the packet is

assumed

to have three similar

back patterns

and one

that differs

from

the other three.

The

back

patterns could be all different

from

one

another if the trick

necessitated.

HABACK COUNT

Phil Goldstein

This

count by

Phil Goldstein

combines

two

counts of Brother

John

Hamman:

"The

Hamman

Count"

and

the "Flushtration

Move,"

also

known

as the

"Back

Count."

The

purpose of the

count

is to

show

five cards on both front

and

back as five cards.

In the process,

some

surfaces are concealed.

Assume,

for explanation, that the stack of five cards

from

the face of the packet is: red-backed King of Hearts, blue-backed

King of Clubs, blue-backed

Ace

of Spades, blue-backed indifferent

card,

and

red-backed indifferent card.

What

the

count

will

accom-plish is to

show

these cards as four Kings with an

Ace

in the

center, all with red backs.

To

Perform:

1.

Hold

the packet of cards face

up

in the right

hand

in "Biddle

Move"

position with the right fingers at the outer

narrow end

of

the packet

and

the

thumb

at the inner end. Rotate the right

wrist to reveal the back of the packet as

shown

in Figure 1, then

return the

hand

to its original

palm-down

position.

2.

Next

use the left

thumb

to pull the face card of the packet,

the King of Hearts, into the left

palm

as

shown

in Figure 2.

3.

Now

rotate the right wrist

once

again to

show

a red back,

and

after

showing

the back, return the

hand

to a

palm

down

position. With the left

thumb

draw

the second card, the King of Clubs, into

the left

hand onto

the card that is already there.

4. Rotate the right wrist to

show

a red back

once

again

and

return the

hand

to its

palm-down

position.

Then

seemingly

draw

the face card of the packet, the Ace, off onto the cards already

in the left hand. Actually execute the switch action of the

"Ham-man

Count"

described elsewhere in this book.

The

switch results

in the three cards that

were

being held in the right

hand

being

taken into the left

hand

and

the

two

cards that

were

held in the

left

hand

being re-gripped in the right hand.

At

this point the left

hand

should contain

from

the face of the

packet:

Ace

of Spades, blue-backed indifferent card, red-backed

indifferent card.

The

right

hand

contains the

two

Kings with the

King of Clubs visible at the face of the pair.

5. Rotate the right wrist to yet again display a red back, then

re-turn the

hand

to a

palm-down

position

and

with the left

thumb

pull the King of Clubs off

onto

the cards in the left hand.

6. Finally rotate the right wrist

once

more

to

show

the red back

of the King of Hearts

and

place this card at the face of the left

hand

packet.

While apparently five cards have been

shown,

front

and

back,

two

faces

and

three backs have been concealed.

Worth

noting is

that the cards

end

up

in the

same

order in

which

they started.

Note:

The

count

can be modified to

show

six cards as five

and

thus conceal seven surfaces. Six cards can also be used to display

seven

—

thus concealing

two

faces

and

four backs. If used to

show

seven cards as seven, three faces

and

five backs will be concealed.

Eight cards

shown

as seven will conceal ten surfaces

and

so forth.

OLRAM

SUBTLETY

Ed

Mario

By

use of this

method

of displaying, several c jrds can be

shown

while

one

or

more

of

them

is concealed.

Assume

that a packet of five cards is to be

shown

as five

blank-faced cards while in fact

two

of the cards have

normal

printed

faces.

To

prepare for the necessary actions arrange the cards so the

faces alternate as

shown

in Figure 1 .

The

backs of the cards should

all

match one

another.

To

Perform:

1

.

Hold

the packet of cards face

down

in the left

hand

as

shown

in Figure 2.

Note

that

about

half the length of the cards project

beyond

the left first finger.

2.

With

the left

thumb

push the top card of the packet to the

right

and

take the card into the right hand-in a

manner

similar to

the

way

the left

hand

holds its cards. Figure 3

shows

the

way

the

hands

and

cards should appear at this point.

3.

Then

rotate both

hands

to the position

shown

in Figure 4 so

the face of the card in the right

hand

and the face card of the left

hand

packet are

toward

the spectator.

4. After

showing

the cards briefly, rotate the

hands back

to the

position

shown

in Figure 3.

Then

with the left

thumb

deal the top

card of the packet to the table to the left.

At

the sanne tinne the

right

hand

drops its card to the table at the performer's right.

The

discrepancy of

showing

the face card of the left

hand

pack-et, then dealing the top card to the table, is well obscured

by

the

combined

action of the hands.

5.

Repeat

Steps 2, 3

and

4

and

after

showing

the cards, drop

one

card

on

top of each of the cards that lie

on

the table.

6. Finally

show

the fifth card in the

same manner

that the

pre-vious cards

were

shown

and

drop it

on

top of the right

hand

stack

of cards.

At

this point, if the cards

were

turned face up, they

would

appear to the

performer

as in Figure 5 with three blank

faced cards in the right

hand group and

two

cards with faces

on

the left side.

Note:

Application of the

"Olram

Subtlety" to packet tricks

will

depend

to a great extent

on

the specific effect that is to be

accomplished.

There

is, however,

one

specific application that is of

use in

many

tricks

and

that involves using the

"Olram

Subtlety" in conjunction with an

"Elmsley

Count"

or other count.

At

the

completion

of the "Elmsley

Count"

the last card should

be placed beneath the packet rather than

on

top of it.

With

the

packet face

up

this results in the card that

was

hidden being the

third card

from

the face of the packet.

If the packet is then turned face

down

in the left

hand and

the

actions of Steps 2, 3

and

4 described

above

are repeated twice,

the card that

was

hidden during the "Elmsley

Count"

will remain

hidden.

DOWNS CHANGE

T. Nelson

Downs

This

change

of

one

card for another is a useful sleight

and

one

that has been applied to tricks with small packets of cards.

For

explanation purposes it will be

assumed

that

one

card is to

be switched for another in the act of placing the card face

down

on

the table.

To

Perform:

1.

With

the right fingers

and

thumb,

lift

two

cards as

one

from

the

deck

or packet

and

place the cards so they overlap the packet

toward

the performer's right as

shown

in Figure 1. In the

illustra-tion the packet itself is face

down,

but

depending

upon

the trick

with

which

the

"Down's Change"

is used, the packet could be face

up.

2. In a continuing

motion

the left

hand

moves

forward

and

at

the

same

time rotates at the wrist in a clockwise rotation to bring the

hand and

cards to the position

shown

in Figure 2 as the card

is being placed

on

the table.

Actually, during the rotation of the left wrist, the left

thumb

pulls the face card of the

two

projecting cards so that the card is

square with the other cards of the packet. Figure 3

shows

an

exposed view

of the lower card at the point

where

it is almost

square with the bulk of the packet.

The

left fingers extend slightly during the wrist rotation to

push

the projecting card free of the packet

and

lying

on

the table.

Figure 4

shows

the left

hand

position immediately after the card

has been deposited

on

the table. It is essential to keep the face of the packet

toward

the spectators at this point, otherwise they will

see the reversed card at the back of the packet in the left hand.

This

completes

the actions of the

change

and

all that remains is

to reveal that the card

on

the table has

changed

as the routine

dictates.

TRUE OR

FALSE

Jack

Chanin

This false

count

method

first

was

published in the author's

book.

Card

Cavalcade II.

The

title refers to a

method

of false counting cards

which

looks

and

sounds

the

same

as a fair count. It's quite easy to learn

and

amazingly deceptive despite the simple

method.

The

count

is a

favorite

method

of Chanin's for false counting cards.

To

Perform:

Imagine a trick

were

to be

done

in

which

seven cards

were

supposedly used, but in actual fact ten cards

were

in use. Here is

how

the ten cards can be

counted

as seven.

1.

Hold

the packet of ten cards face

down

in the left

hand

deal-ing position.

The

left

thumb

should be near the outer left corner

of the cards as in Figure 1.

With

the left

thumb

push off the top

card of the packet so that it projects over the right side of the

packet exactly as if cards

were

being dealt.

Take

the projecting

card into the right

hand between

the right

thumb

on

top of the card

and

the right first

and

second fingers beneath.

Then

place the card

on

the table face

down.

Continue

dealing cards

one

at a time

in this

manner

until five cards have been dealt

onto

the table with

a

uniform rhythm.

^^S^trflYi^iSe^

2. In preparation for dealing the sixth card to the table, the left

thumb

moves

to the

extreme

outer left corner of the remaining cards.

The

tip of the

thumb

should actually be lying against the

edge of the remaining cards as in Figure 2.

With

the left

thumb

push all the cards except the

bottom

card to the right. This block

of four cards will appear

more

or less as a single card as

was

pre-viously

shown

in Figure 1. This pushoff of several cards is not

difficult

and

the performer

who

is not already familiar with

multiple push offs will need only a

few

tries to master it.

Note

that the alignment of the cards during the pushoff need

not be perfect.

The

normal

dealing

motions

will cover

any

slight

misalignment. Also the

rhythm

of the deal aids in concealing the

multiple push off.

Once

the block of cards has been

pushed

off

by

the left

thumb,

the right

hand

grips the block of cards as if it

were

a single card

and

deals it atop the others

on

the table.

No

change

in dealing

rhythm

should occur as the block of cards is dealt.

3. Finally

count

the single remaining card

onto

the table.

Ten

cards have been convincingly

counted

as seven.

The

move

works

well if

no

more

than three or four extra cards

are in the packet to be false counted. With the proper

rhythm

which

is not too fast and not too slow the

count

is deceptive

under extreme

close

up

conditions. Properly

done

no one

will

sus-pect the extra cards. For

what

it's

worth

the false

count works

equally well with the cards face up.

Potential uses are

many.

The

count

could be used in effects

where one

or

more

chosen

cards travel

from one

packet of cards to

another. It could be used in a three cards across effect. Jack

Chanin

suggests that the performer

might palm

the extra cards

onto

a packet of cards

which

the spectator has just counted.

Then

using the false

count

the performer counts the

same number

as the spectator did. This

would

be all

done

as if

double

checking

the count.

THE ELMSLEY

COUNT

Alex

Elmsley

Of

all the secret counts, this is the

one

that is nnost widely used

in present

day

card magic.

Known

variously as

"Counting Four

as

Four,"

"The

Ghost Count," and

as

"The

Elmsley

Count,"

this

special

count

has gained

wide

acceptance by card

men

over the last

ten or fifteen years.

Myriad

tricks have been devised that use this

count, son^'^

rood

son e bad. Despite its misuse in

some

effects,

the secret

count

itself,

when

properly

done

is excellent.

"The

Elmsley

Count"

is useful in

any

trick

where

four cards are

to be openly

counted from

hand

to

hand and

shown

while

secret-ly concealing

something

unusual

about

the cards.

The

"something

unusual"

might

be that

one

of the four cards is face up, or it

might

have an odd-colored back.

The

objective of

"The

Elmsley

Count"

is to

count

the cards

showing

four cards

and

at the

same

time

conceal the presence of a reversed card or an odd-colored card.

The

"Elmsley

Count"

was

first described in print

by

Alex Elmsley in his

Four Card

Trick published years ago.

He

referred to it as the

"Ghost Count."

Later Lewis

Ganson

described the

move

in Dai Vernon's

More

Inner Secrets of

Card Magic

in

con-junction with the effect "Twisting the Aces." Since that time

many

printed descriptions of the

count

have been published.

To

explain,

assume

that the performer holds a packet of four

cards

and

that three of

them

are face

down

while

one

of

them

is

face up.

The

description

which

follows permits four backs to be

counted

without revealing the face

up

card.

To

Perform:

1.

To

execute

"The

Elmsley

Count"

the face

up

card

must

be

in the position third

from

the top of the packet.

Two

face

down

cards will thus be

above

the face

up

card

and

one

face

down

card

below

it.

2.

Hold

the face

down

packet of cards at the left fingertips with the left

thumb

on

the back of the cards at the center of the left long edge. Figure 1

shows

the

manner

in

which

the cards

should be gripped.

3. With the right

thumb

and

fingertips grip the center of the

right long edge of the cards as

shown

in Figure 2

and

slide off

the top card of the packet by

means

of a pinching action of the

right fingers

and

thumb.

Figure 2

shows

how

the card is pinched

by the right fingertips

and

thumb.

4. With the right

hand

carry the single top card of the packet to the right until the card is clear of the cards still held

by

the left

hand,

move

the right

hand

back

toward

the left so that the right

hand

card goes beneath the cards held in the left hand.

If the right

hand

card

were pushed

completely square with the

other cards, the single card

would

strike the fingertips of the left

hand.

Continue

to slide the right

hand

card beneath those in the

left

hand

until just before the single card touches the left

finger-tips. Just before the card touches the left fingertips, however, the

left

thumb

which

is at the

extreme

left edge of the cards, pushes

the top

two

cards of the left

hand

packet slightly to the right, a

distance of not

more

than one-quarter inch.

The two

cards are

pushed

to the right by a pinching action of the left

thumb

and

fingertips.

With

practice the

two

cards will stay in perfect

align-ment.

5.

As

the single card held

by

the right

hand

strikes the left

fingers, the card held by the right

hand

is gripped against the

face of the packet with the left fingers.

Simultaneous

with the left fingers gripping the single card, the right

thumb

and

fingers

grip the

two

cards

which

were

pushed

off by the left

thumb.

6.

The

right

hand

then carries the

two

cards to the right

and

clear of the packet.

The

left

thumb

then pushes to the right the

top card of the pair that remains in the left hand.

7.

The

right

hand

moves

back to the left

and

allows both the

cards it holds to go beneath the

two

held in the left hand.

The

right

thumb

and

fingertips then take

away

the top card of the pair

held in the left

hand by

sliding the center of its right long edge

under

the right thunnb.

The

right

hand

moves

to the right as

shown

in Figure 3 carrying the three cards it holds clear of the left

hand

card.

8.

The

right

hand

then

moves

back to the left with the right

hand

cards going

under

the single card that remains in the left

hand and

this last card is taken atop the right

hand

cards.

At

the conclusion of the

count

the cards will all be in the right

hand

with the top three cards being face

down

and

the

bottom

card face up. This position of the cards is that necessary to

do

a

"Jordan

Count"

and by

following

"The

Elmsley

Count"

with the

"Jordan

Count"

the cards can be

shown

immediately

once

more

as four face

down

cards. Note:

a)

When

counting the cards

from

the left

hand

into the

right, there is a

tendency

for the performer's

hands

to respectively

move

to the left

and

right

away

from

the center of the performer's body.

The

motion

of both

hands

away

from

the center should be

avoided.

The

left

hand

should remain stationary during the

count

and

the right

hand

should

remove

each card with a definite

count-ing

motion

from

the left

hand

toward

the right. Properly per-formed, the

count

should appear as if four cards

were counted one

at a time at an even speed

from

the left

hand

to the right.

b)

Some

performers will prefer to grip the packet deeper in the left

hand

as

shown

in Figure 4 as the

count

is begun. This position

is actually

more

like the natural position

someone would

use in

counting cards

and

seems

more

casual in use.

THE ELMSLEY

COUNT

-

ADDED COMMENT

While the basic

"Elmsley

Count"

is usually

employed

to hide

one

card of four that are

shown,

it can be used as a small packet

false

count

to

count

three cards as four, or to

count

five or six

cards as four.

In the first case of counting three cards as four, the

count

could be applied to a packet of cards

from which

a card has been secretly removed, but

which

fact the performer does not yet wish to disclose. In this case the performer simply grips the three cards

as described

under

the description of

'The

Elmsley

Count"

and

counts

them

in exactly the

same manner

as described with

one

exception. In Step 4 of the description for the basic

"Elmsley

Count"

the left

thumb

is to

push

off

two

cards.

When

counting

three cards as four, the left

thumb

pushes off only

one

card.

Other

than that the actions of the

count

are identical.

Should

the performer wish to

count

five or six cards as four,

the procedure is again the

same

as for the basic

"Elmsley

Count"

except for Step 4.

When

counting

more

than four cards as four,

the left

thumb

instead of pushing over

two

cards, pushes over ail

but

one

card of those that remain in the left hand. With that

exception the

count

proceeds as described in the basic description.

THE

JORDAN

COUNT

Charles T. Jordan This

count

was

first published

by

Charles T.

Jordan

in

1919

in his fine book. Thirty

Card

Mysteries.

The

count

attracted little

attention until recent years

when

the popularity of the "Elmsley

Count"

directed

new

attention to the "Jordan

Count."

In motive

the /'Jordan

Count"

is similar to the

"Elmsley

Count"

in that

one

card of four is concealed as the four cards are

counted

from hand

to hand.

The two

counts neatly

supplement one

another in that at the

conclusion of the "Elmsley

Count"

the cards are in position to

immediately begin a

"Jordan

Count"

and

vice versa. This fact

plays a considerable part in

some

of the

more

complicated packet

tricks of the present day.

Assume,

that as with the

"Elmsley

Count,"

the objective is to

count

four cards

from

hand

to

hand showing

four backs while

concealing the fact that

one

of the cards is actually face up.

To

Perform:

1.

At

the beginning of the

"Jordan

Count"

the face

up

card

should be at the

bottom

of the four card packet with three face

down

cards

above

it.

2.

Hold

the packet of cards at the center of its left long side.

The

left

thumb

is against the back of the top card

and

the left

fingertips are beneath the packet of cards.

The

proper

hand

posi-tion is

shown

in Figure 1.

3.

With

the right

thumb

and

fingertips, grip the right long edge

of the packet,

and

by

means

of a pinching action of the right

thumb

and

fingers, cause the top card of the packet to slide sligh-ly to the right as in Figure 2

where

the right

thumb

and

fingers can grip it.

4.

With

the right hand, carry the single card to the right until

its left edge clears the packet that is still held at the left

finger-tips.

5.

As

soon

as the card clears the packet,

move

the riqht

hand

back to the left so that the single card held in the right

hand

goes

beneath the packet

and

also beneath the tips of the left fingers

as

shown

in Figure 3.

6.

The

right

thumb

then pinches off the top card of those that remain in the left

hand and

carries this top card as well as the

one

that is

below

the left fingertips to the right until the cards are clear of the packet.

7.

The

right

hand

then

moves

back to the left so both right

hand

cards go beneath the left

hand

cards,

and

so that both

cards slip inbetween the face card of the left

hand

pair

and

the left

fingertips.

Momentarily

the packet has been re-squared.

8.

As

soon as the right

hand

cards are square with the left

hand

cards, the left

thumb

pushes off the top three cards of the

resultant packet,

and

these three cards are taken by the right

thumb

and

fingers

and

are carried to the right.

One

card remains

in the left hand. This last card is

counted onto

the three cards held

by the right hand.

As

with the

"Elmsley

Count," smoothness

of action coupled with a definite counting action

makes

the "Jordan

Count"

as

deceptive as possible.

THE

SIVA

COUNT

Jack Avis

Here is another utility

count which

has not yet attracted

wide-spread interest.

The

count

was

first described in Epilogue

number

eleven published by Karl Fulves.

This

count

is designed to conceal the center card of a five card

packet. During the

count

only four cards are seen, but the

spec-tators see the faces of four different cards.

One

obvious applica-tion of the

count

would

be to

show

four cards such as the four

Aces

after already having

added

a previously selected card to the

packet.

Then

after

showing

the selected card

gone from

the deck,

the chosen card

would

be revealed

among

the Aces.

To

Perform:

1 .

Hold

the four

Aces

face

up

in a fan

and

place

any

other card

face

down

into the center of the fan as in Figure 1. Close

up

the

fan

and

hold the packet with the

Aces

still face

up

by its left long edge at the tips of the left

thumb

and

fingers as

shown

in

Figure 2.

The

packet is

now

set to

count

four

Aces one

at a time into the

right

hand showing

each

and

every one, but concealing the

revers-ed card.

2.

With

the right

thumb

and

fingertips

approach

the right long

edge of the packet

and

with a pinching action of the right thunnb

and

fingers pull the face card of the packet to the right as in

Figure 3.

The

card is gripped

between

the right thunnb

and

finger-tips

and

it is then

moved

to the right until the card in the right

hand

is clear of the packet that remains in the left hand.

As

the card is

counted

into the right hand, the

name

of the

Ace

should

be

spoken

aloud.

3.

The

right

hand

then

moves

back

to the left

hand

packet to

remove

the next Ace. During this action the first

Ace

taken passes

below

the left

hand

packet

and

the first

Ace

is gripped

and

held

against the

bottom

of the left

hand

packet

by

the left fingertips.

Just before the right

hand

card is fully beneath the left

hand

cards,

the left

thumb

pushes the top three cards of the four cards it

holds approximately

one

quarter inch to the right.

As

the single

right

hand

cards is retained beneath the packet

by

the left

finger-tips, the right fingers

and

thumb

grip the three card block that

was

just

pushed

off

and

these cards are carried to the right as the

Ace

at the face of the

group

is

named.

4.

When

the right

hand

cards clear the left

hand

packet, the

right

hand

moves

back

to the left

and

slides its cards beneath those