STICKS & STONES NUMBER 2 

A leaflet for the left hand

 

This is an undated, previously unpublished effect by Ed Marlo. I 
found it amongst my scribbled notes. When reading it something in 
the plot seemed fuzzily familiar. Finally it dawned on me: it's a 
variation of the Vincent Dalban problem/plot from the Jinx. If you 
have a copy of Hierophant #2, refer to "Notes On The Lie Speller". 
Also see Marlo's three methods in Hex! (1969) under the title, 
"Mental Lie". 

The standard presentation for the Dalban plot is as follows: The 
spectator selects a card and returns it to the deck. He runs through 
the cards and names each one as he comes to it. When he comes to 
his selection he miscalls it. The performer immediately stops him, 
catching him in a lie. 

Marlo added a new slant by having the spectator think of a card. 
The cards are called out as in the Dalban approach; however, this 
time all the cards are named and the selection is miscalled. 
Afterwards the performer names the mental selection. 

The following presentation is offbeat and difficult to reconstruct, yet 
its procedure is clean and direct. Call it... 

Mindreading Joker 

EFFECT - A Joker is removed from the deck. A spectator freely 
shuffles the cards and selects one. The selection is placed in his 
pocket without being noted. The performer fans the pack face-down 
and the Joker is inserted. The cards are cut a few times and the 
pack is handed to the spectator. The performer turns his back. 

Now the spectator is told to look at the card in his pocket and 
replace it. Next he's told to call off the cards in the pack; however, 
when he comes to the Joker he's to miscall it and name the card he 
has in his pocket. For example, when he comes to the Joker, 
assuming that the Three of Hearts is in his pocket, instead of saying 
"Joker" he says "Three of Hearts". The whole pack is dealt and each 
card if named. While his back is still turned, the performer asks for 
the Joker. Holding the Joker to his ear, he explains: "The Joker will 
whisper the name of the card in your pocket." The performer 
concludes the effect by naming the selection. 

WORKING 

1) Find a card with an imperfection on it--some mark or speck that 
will identify it. If you want to be sure, prior to the effect pencil-dot a 

known card on its upper left and lower right corners. This marked 
card is your key card. Assume this marked card is the 9D. 

2) Your deck, of course, contains a Joker. Hand the cards to the 
spectator and ask him to remove the Joker. Have the cards 
thoroughly shuffled and have an unknown card removed and placed 
in the spectator's pocket. 

3) Next the Joker must be placed face-down on top of the marked 
card. You can do this yourself. Simply insert it above the key card 
and have the deck cut several times. A superior approach--one used 
by Marlo on other occasions—is to have the spectator replace the 
Joker into the spread. How? Simple. Just use the Classic Force 
technique and force the Joker's "return" to the deck, which is 
working backwards and will prove to be easier. 

4) Turn your back and ask the spectator to look at the card in his 
pocket and replace it. Now have him turn the deck face-up and 
name each card as it comes to it, miscalling the Joker and naming 
the pocketed card. 

5) Listen for the 9D to be called. The next card he names will be the 
selection. The rest is build-up and showmanship. Emphasize the 
impossibility of knowing anything. 
- Edward Marlo, with details supplied by Jon Racherbaumer 

 

 

HEUREKA 

When he isn't resurrecting the ghost of Hofzinser and putting pins 
into Marlo dolls, another publisher is fond of scanning the Published 
Record for reinventions and rediscoveries--effects and techniques 
that were published years ago and prior to present claims. He's 
choosey when it comes time to cast aspersions and through 
hindsight and second-sight, imply that someone has lifted another's 
trick. This column is dedicated to the proposition that reinvention 
does happen; that curious coincidences do occur. Yet we shouldn't 

leap to wrong conclusions, distort facts, and read between literal 
lines. Let's be content with possibilities and remain fascinated with 
verisimilitude. Here's an example: 

The "McDonald Aces" is familiar to most cardmen. The routine 
appeared in Chapter Four of Dai Vernon's More Inner Secrets of 
Card Magic. Later, Tannen's published Garcia's version in New Stars 
of Magic (Volume 1 - Number 2). 

I thought the McDonald Aces were interesting and would have been 
impressed to see "Mac" McDonald, with his one arm, perform it. I 
agree, however, with S. Leo Horowitz when he wrote: (Speaking 
about four Ace effects...) "In methods where double face cards are 
used, you are told to lay the cards out in a crazy order of pattern, 
some face up and some cards face down. They are gathered up, laid 
out in rows, the process being repeated several times until the 
double face cards are in the right position to proceed." This excerpt 
is found in Aces High, a manuscript published in 1947. The 
McDonald Ace routine isn't wholly confusing, but the cuts, initial Ace 
switch, and other bits aren't my idea of immediate clarity. Garcia's 
embellishments embody some subtleties and each Ace vanishes in a 
different manner, but the overall effect isn't as straight-forward as 
my standards demand. 

Here's the point to ponder: In Page Wright's Notebook (1933) you'll 
find a routine on p. 53 called "One Armed Poker". Ta-da! In its own 
words: "This is offered as a tale with a moral, but a sad tale. For it 
concerns a magician who once, in a tragic accident, lost one arm--
lost it entirely. To make it worse, it was the right arm, and he was 
right handed and could do practically nothing, so he spent all his 
time playing poker." The writer later admits the effect "is nothing 
but the usual four Ace effect... but the patter provides a little 
different plot and the execution with one hand makes the effect 
appear more remarkable—a startling piece of sleight-of-hand." 

Believe it or not, this routine uses three double-faced Aces as in the 
McDonald routine and the general effect is Transposition-ala-Ace-
Assembly, only four X cards are dealt onto each Ace rather than the 
standard three. (Poker hands contain five cards.) The Wright 
handling is NOT the same as the McDonald Aces, although the 
"vanish" is basically the same and Wright further credits the move 
to an effect called "Whirlwind of Wizardry" or a book by that name. 
Was there a relationship between "One Armed Poker" and 
McDonald's Ace routine? 

Karl Fulves's new book is on the stands. Dover publications of New 
York published the 113-page book and it's beautifully produced. It's 
simply called Self-Working Card Tricks: 72 Foolproof Card Miracles 
for the Amateur Magician. It contains 42 illustrations by Joseph K. 

Schmidt and, for the lowly price of $1. 50, features the biggest 
bargain available to watchful cardworkers. 

The book is truly a nice product. Fulves credits a few others here 
and there; the rest are ignored. I'll comment on specific items in 
subsequent issues; however, I was struck by an obvious 
contradiction. Fulves sends a free leaflet to subscribers from time to 
time, depending on the winds of controversy. He calls these freebies 
Interlocutor, a role he apparently relishes. I'm curious as to what 
things or which persons he's acting as a self-appointed go-between? 
No matter. In Interlocutor-6, dated January 5, 1976, he explains: 
"Magic is a hobby. I earn no money from it." Perhaps he means that 
he makes no "profit" from magic? He obviously earns money. After 
all, he sells his books and magazines. The Dover book is probably a 
contract deal and Fulves writes that he's working on "a large book 
of general magic contracted for by a major publisher. This is an odd 
approach for a hobbyist, especially one claiming to earn no money 
from his hobby. The credibility gap widens. His Walter Gibson 
impersonations will have to improve! 

Getting back to the Dover book, readers will find many queer items. 
For example, my eyes quickly caught "Double Prophet" on page 63. 
This version has elements found in "Another Problem Posed" from 
The Artful Dodges of Eddie Fields. The effects are similiar in that 
two selections are predicted, the selection procedure uses random 
cuts, ends with a group of face-up cards, and the face-down cards 
at each end of the face-up group become the random (?) selections. 
The methods are different. The Marlo methods in the Fields book 
work. The method in Fulves's book will not work. If you follow the 
directions on pp. 63-65 you'll note that after the Cut-Deeper Force 
actions there are two face-up portions. This is not indicated in 
Figure 22 or mentioned in the text. This kind of prediction effect 
demands preliminary shuffles. After reading "Double Prophet", if 
you're still interested in performing such an effect, try the following 
method: 

1) Preset the red Jacks on top and bottom of the deck, or use 
Marlo's impromptu get-ready from the Fields book, Steps 1 through 
4. For purposes of this description assume you've set the Jacks. 
Table the deck and execute a few Riffle Shuffles. Retain the Jacks 
on top and bottom. 

2) Hand the deck to the spectator to place under the table, out of 
sight. Make your written predictions. Then ask the spectator to lift 
off about a quarter of the deck and turn it face-up on top of the 
deck. Further explain that he's to "cut deeper" and turn 
approximately two-thirds of the uppermost cards over, replacing 
them on top of the deck. 

3) To complete the random cutting actions, ask the spectator to 
give the pack a straight cut. Take back the deck and ribbon spread 
them face-down onto the table. A group of face-up cards will be in 
the middle of the spread. Point out that this topsy-turvy condition 
was arrived at by chance cutting. 

4) Remove the face-down cards on either side of the face-up 
portion as per "Another Problem Posed". Show the red Jacks and 
your matching prediction. 

- Edward Marlo, "Method Four to Another Problem Posed" 

In fairness to Fulves, "Double Prophet" will work if you spread the 
cards between your hands, keeping the face-up section on the 
bottom hidden beneath the face-down portion above it. He does 
not, however, mention the existence of this other face-up section; 
hence, many readers may be momentarily or lastingly perplexed. 

AENOS 

The spectator looked astonished and said, "That's fantastic! I don't 
believe it!" He continued in this fashion until I calmly shrugged and 
said: 

"I know... it's a marvelous effect..." The spectator let me finish, but 
he looked mildly puzzled. Finally he asked, "What do you mean--
'effect'?" Good question. What do we mean when we use the word 
"effect"? 

Terminology in magic has never been a scientific affair. No precise, 
universal lexicon exists wherein we find agreement and 
understanding. Writers of magic literature habitually use the word 
"effect" and we use it as part of our banter, everyone assuming its 
meaning is self-evident. Yet if we're asked for a succinct, complete, 
and detailed definition, we're hard-pressed. A casual explanation 
might go like this: "The word 'effect' means a brief description of 
what happens during a trick. It entails everything that apparently 
happens in the eyes of the audience." Unfortunately the subject is 
more complicated than this. 

The Random House dictionary gives thirteen definitions for the word 
EFFECT. Three seem applicable to magic: (1) Something that is 
produced by an agency or cause; result; consequence; (2) A mental 
impression produced, as by a painting or speech; (3) An illusory 
phenomenon. 

All three definitions apply to magic. The performer is a primary 
cause of what happens. He produces the effect; he causes the 
result. The audience receives a mental impression of what's going 

on, each creating their own "seeming" of what's happening. The 
effect, regardless of its causes, is undeniably illusory. 

Those sensitive to words will quickly recognize the almost look-
alike, sounds-alike word, AFFECT. Word specialist, Theodore M. 
Bernstein, has pointed out that AFFECT means to influence whereas 
EFFECT means to bring about or accomplish. He also suggests a 
Loraynean method for making a distinction between the two. He 
writes: "Think of the first letter of each word--the 'a' in 'affect' and 
the 'e' in 'effect'. Then think of the 'a' as standing for 'alter' (which 
is not a synonym for 'affect' but is close to the meaning) and the 'e' 
as standing for 'execute' (which ditto)." This helps, but prose in 
magic books should be more exacting, more specialized. I propose 
the following definitions: 

EFFECT - An action procedure or sequence of events that produce 
an illogical, impossible, and unexpected result. This procedure is 
subjectively perceived in an impressionistic way, is subject to laws 
of human psychology, and uses techniques from dramatic arts. 

AFFECT - When used as a VERB it refers to any techniques used by 
a performer that specifically influences the audience's emotional 
responses. When used as a NOUN it refers to the audience's 
response itself and to the performer's emotional response to his 
audience and own performance. 

EFFECT is basically OBJECTIVE. 

AFFECT is basically SUBJECTIVE. 

EFFECT concerns what happens. 

AFFECT concerns what happens to the audience. 

EFFECT concerns what a performer does. 

AFFECT concerns what an audience does. 

EFFECT & AFFECT mutually work together. 

The subject is complicated, isn't it? Perhaps the foregoing recital 
brings you closer to a meaningful understanding of two words we 
take for granted and are vain enough to assume comprehension. 

- Jon Racherbaumer June - 1976 

 

 

Bob Walker has become a full-fledged cardiac (a neologism coined 
by Frank Furkey several years ago) and has taken notes on 
everything dealing with cards. His Crux manuscript dealing with 
"Touch Turn - Twisting The Aces" is now over 300 pages with no 
end in sight. He wrote another book on the Lin Searles Ace plot 
involving red-backed Aces & blue-backed X cards, and has devised 
a Cannibal Card routine wherein a card is apparently "eaten" and 
actually found inside a King! 

The following routine comes from his bulging notebook: 

TOUCH TURN ALA CASCADE 

This routine offers a striking double climax. We simply applied a Roy 
Walton idea to the Crux Phase. Its Cascade ending makes the 
routine strong because all four principal cards change and you're 
clean at the end. Students will see similiarities to "Pineapple 
Preserve" from Kabbala - Vol. 2 - No. 7. 

EFFECT - The four Aces are removed from a red deck and shown 
one at a time. Each one magically turns face-up. After the Crux 
sequence, the two red Aces are placed face-down on top of a tabled 
deck. The black Aces remain in your hands. Now the black Aces 
become blank cards and the face-up red Aces are shown to have 
blue backs! 

REQUISITES 

(1) A red-backed deck; (2) Two red-backed blank cards; (3) Two 
blue-backed Aces (AH - AD) 

SET-UP 

Remove the AS and AC from the red deck and position the AD and 
AH 3rd and 4th from the bottom (face). Place the two blank cards 
face-down on the table. Place the red deck face-up on top of these 
blank cards. Pick up the tabled Aces (two red-backers - two blue-
backers) and arrange them in the CHDS order from the face; 
however, distribute them in different parts of the deck. 

WORKING 

1) It's easier to perform this routine standing. Therefore stand up 
and spread the red deck face-up between your hands. Begin by 
pushing over a large block of cards, then spread normally and upjog 
each Ace as you come to it. 

2) Strip out the Aces and add the two face-down cards (blanks) 
from underneath the pack via the Vernon Strip-Out Addition. Your 
left hand consequently is left holding onto six cards. These are more 
or less squared as a packet. Your right hand tables the rest of the 
deck and ribbon spreads them face-up. Make sure to allow a small 
block of cards at the right end of the spread to hide the two red 
Aces. 

3) Your right hand grips the 6-card packet from above and by the 
ends. Make sure your fingers cover the front end of the packet. 
Your left hand, using the thumb, peels off the first three Aces. Your 
right hand deposits its 3-as-1 on top. 

4) Flip the packet over into a deep Mechanic's Grip, then slide the 
lowermost card with your right fingers to expose the AS. Turn it 
face-up and place it on top of the packet as you say, "The Ace of 
Spades is the leader Ace. I call it that because the other Aces follow 
it and duplicate its actions. Watch..." Flip the AS face-down on top 
of the packet. 

5) Here you must secretly turnover the entire 6-card packet as you 
scoop up the tabled deck. This provides necessary misdirection. 
Once the deck has been picked up, replace it face-down in the 
center of your close-up pad. 

6) Flex the packet in a magical gesture, then Elmsley Count to show 
that the AS is face-up. Instead of placing the last card of the count 
on top, use it to flip the face-up AS face-down, then place it face-
down on top of all. 

7) Flex the packet and Elmsley Count again. This time the AC will 
appear face-up. Repeat the actions of Step 6 with the last card of 
the count. Say, "That takes care of the black Aces. Now all the 
cards are face-down again..." Spread the cards and hold the last 
three as one. Square up. 

8) Flex the packet; however, this time do a regular Elmsley Count 
without flipping the Ace face-down. Spread the packet as four 
cards, holding the last 3 cards as 1 and disclosing the face-up AH. 
Say, "Even if we leave the Ace of Hearts face-up, it doesn't prevent 
the next Ace from flipping over..." 

9) Close the spread, flex the cards, and Elmsley Count. Both red 
Aces will appear face-up. Spread the cards as four, holding the last 
3-as-1. As you close the spread, transfer the top card to the bottom 

of the packet, then get a break above the two lowermost cards with 
your left 4th fingertip. Patter: "All this is peculiar, but something 
more incredible happens when I separate the red and black Aces..." 

10) Remove the four cards above your break, holding them from 
above and by the ends with your right hand. Place them on top of 
the tabled deck. It should appear as though you've merely placed 
the red Aces face-up onto the deck; however, you've secretly 
unloaded the two black Aces. 

Patter: "If I place the red Aces on the deck for a moment, this 
would leave us with the blank ones... Wait a minute. Did I say 
'blank'?" 

11) Execute the Through-the-Fist flourish with the two cards in your 
left hand. They will emerge face-up and everyone will see that 
they're blank! 

12) Drop the pair of blanks face-up on the table as you add, "I 
guess I was right...they are blank, not black!" Pick up the face-up 
Aces on the deck and say, "For a moment I thought I blew (blue) 
the trick..." With this hackneyed line, disclose the backs of the red 
Aces to show that they're BLUE! 
- Robert Walker, July 22, 1975 

 

 

This leaflet is designed, created, and dashed-off by 
JON RACHERBAUMER, 
who accepts full responsibility for its contents, attitudes, and purely 
personal prejudices. No one should take credit for whatever truth 
survives or succeeds in these pages. And each reader will have the 
last word. 

If anyone wishes to share thoughts, afterthoughts (Loraynean), 
reactions, and counter-blasts... send them to me: 

P.O. Box 1142 - Metairie, Louisiana 70004 or drop Jonesy a line.