Fingertips Pt. Fingertips Pt. 1

Fingertips Pt. 1
A Lecture by Eric Jones
Table of Contents
Introduction…………………………………………………………….2
Eye Candy……………………………………………………………….5
Switchless………………………………………………………………14
Oxy-Clean Coin Routine…………………………………………..23
Flash Coins Re-Lit…………………………………………………..27
Impossible Coins Across………………………………………….32
Elevator Cut…………………………………………………………..44
Swirl Production……………………………………………………..50
Standing Room Only Collectors………………………………..55
Written by Eric Jones
Photographed by Shining Page-Crawford
Assisted by Acacia Schepps
Cover artwork conceived and designed by Eric Jones and Bill Citino
Edited by Eric Jones, Bill Citino and Curtis Kam
Layout and Design by Eric Jones and Robert Crawford
All rights reserved. Copyright 2007 Fingertips Pt. 1. NO part of this book may be
reproduced in any way shape or form without the written permission of Eric Jones
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Introduction
At the age of 13, Little Stevie Wonder had his first major hit, "Fingertips
Pt. 1", a 1963 single taken from a live recording of a Motown Revue
performance. The song, featuring Wonder on vocals, congas, and
harmonica, and a young Marvin Gaye on drums, was a #1 hit on the US
pop charts and launched him into the public consciousness. Despite
physical adversity, Wonder produced musical hit after hit, pouring his
blood, sweat and tears into every note. The music of Stevie Wonder
transcends time and will be enjoyed throughout the next millennia. The
manuscript you now hold in your hands, I’m referring to as MY first
major hit, my first major accomplishment in the world of magic. The
title of these notes pays homage to a constant inspiration in art and in
life, my hero, Stevie Wonder.
The title serves a dual role. It also describes the type of magic that I
perform. I believe in performing magic that seems very fair and open. I
also believe in performing magic at chest level to showcase the
performer’s face rather than at the crotch, as is the case when magic
done at waist level. I accomplish this by handling objects delicately and
displaying objects at the fingertips, and perform the majority of my
conjuring at chest height.
The magic you’re about to read are routines that work in the real world,
for real people. Every item is practical, effective, visual and most of all is
magical. There are no “pipe dreams” here. Every item has been
performed numerous times for REAL audiences, with positive affect.
These effects WILL produce results.
I have included three effects that vary in difficulty for all the coin
workers out there, utilizing two gaffs that should already be in your
magic drawer. These three routines all use an Expanded Shell and a
Gravity Flipper Coin. Oxy-Clean Coin Routine is a solid three coin
production and vanish sequence that will leave your spectators
scratching their heads and wanting to check your hands for secret
pockets. It is relatively easy to perform and resets quickly for walk
around. Flash Coins Re-Lit utilizes the exact same mechanics as the Oxy
Clean Coin Routine, but is framed with a stronger presentation and with
the utilization of flash paper, adds an increasing visual element. Lastly,
Impossible Coins Across is probably the strongest item in these notes. It
will elicit great responses from your audiences. The routine is the
epitome of strong, visual coin magic. Every sequence builds upon the
last towards the climax, every move is fair, every sequence is magical,
AND the magic happens almost entirely in the spectator’s hands. I like
to think of it as David Roth’s Shelled Coins Across on acid.
I would be remiss if I did not inform you a unique feature of these notes.
I happen to be one of the lucky few prestidigitators on the planet who
were born left handed. For years I had to split my attention between
concentrating on what I was learning WHILE I had to remember to
reverse all actions as I read books on magic. So these notes, in all their
glory, are written from the vantage point of a southpaw. Sorry guys, but
fair is fair.
In my time being a sleight of hand practitioner, I have met some of my
favorite technicians and performers. The magical giants who inspired my
hands to “finger fling”, I now look to as associates, confidants and
friends. As I stand on the shoulders of these giants, it’s comforting to
know that I can look to their wisdom for confidence, encouragement,
and friendship; one such conjuror is Curtis Kam. When I began
composing these notes, I asked him to give his opinion of my style of
magic. He was kind enough to oblige:
There is something for everyone here. I’ve included my sponge ball
routine that frames the basic routine with additional magic, and a few
subtle nuances that increase the visual nature of the routine and allow
you to perform the entire routine without the use of a table, ending with
the classic one in the hand, two in the pocket sequence. Switchless is a
very disarming $100 dollar bill switch that takes place at the fingertips.
A lot of switches claim this, but in my version, the bill NEVER leaves the
audience’s sight. Flourishers will enjoy the Elevator Cut and the Swirl
Production. Each can immediately be used in routines you’re already
performing. Or, you can incorporate them in Standing Room Collectors.
This effect is designed with one specific consideration in mind. It allows
the entertainer to perform a collector’s effect without the use of a table,
in a walk around, or stand up setting.
“Eric Jones is a shockingly clever and talented young man with a welldeveloped sense of what looks good, plays well, and hurts people in the
real world. Despite his otherwise good taste, he seems to like my stuff,
and has asked me to say something nice about him. This I refuse to do,
except to mention that he’s got great hands, a keen sense of timing, and
he’s one of the few guys in the world who thinks its fun to take my coin
routines and actually make them harder to do. Watch him. Closely.”
Curtis Kam/ Palms of Steel series
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Before I let you go, I want to take this opportunity to thank the four
people who started my magical journey, one Saturday afternoon at a
time:
Eye Candy
Woody Landers – You’re a constant inspiration, and the best technician
I’ve ever met. Thank you for your time and friendship.
Effect: A straight forward sponge ball routine with a few interesting
twists….
Hun Woo – Thank you for teaching me to connect with the people,
instead of concentrating on the tricks.
Set Up: 4 sponges, all the same size and color, in the front left pants
pocket.
John Hedgecoff- Thank you for making me understand the importance of
“why” magic works, not just how.
Begin the routine with the left hand in the pocket as you focus on
spectator’s shoulder. With the right hand, mime the actions of removing
a piece of lint from the spectators shoulder. Display it at the fingertips
as you ask if he/she knows what it is you are holding. While this is
happening, your left hand will grab one ball in the pocket, compressing it
between the left index and middle fingers and the thumb Fig. 1.
Bud Smith- The lessons in misdirection and timing you gave, I will carry
for the rest of my life. Thank you.
So with that, I’ll leave you to it. Thank you again for purchasing these
notes, and I sincerely hope you enjoy Fingertips Pt. 1.
Eric Jones
Prestidigitator
February 2007
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around the ball, shielding it from view, AS the left index and middle
fingers curl in placing the ball into thumb palm. The fingers then extend,
as the right hand closes around the fingers as if taking the ball. Squeeze
the “ball” down in the right hand, miming the actions of compressing the
ball. Slowly open the hand until only the right index finger and thumb
knead the “ball”. Mime dropping the invisible nothing onto the palm up
right hand. It should appear as if you put the ball in the right hand,
squeezed it until it got so small that you can’t see it lying openly on the
palm of the hand.
As the spectator answers, pull the left hand out of the pocket and allow
it to fall naturally by its side. Pretend to transfer the invisible lint from
the right hand to the left Fig. 2. Touch the fingertips of the hands
together at about chest level in front of the body. Then the left hand
will move forward and to the left to produce the ball. To produce, snap
the right fingers and slowly release the tension on the ball at the left
fingertips allowing it to expand. The pressure released from the left
fingers and thumb should be enough to allow the sponge to expand, but
maintain the enough pressure to keep the ball from falling from the
fingertips. While I conceived this production independently, John Carney
first published this idea in his book Carneycopia. Allow the spectator to
examine the sponge, as you casually show the hands free.
“The way this works is you take the little ball and give it a squeeze.
Sometimes you’re able to compress it small enough to make it appear as
if the ball is able to vanish. But you and I know better. But if we could,
we should be able to get that little ball to penetrate the fabric of my
pocket and go straight through.” That patter line describes what will be
taking place as you apparently make the ball invisible and push it though
your pocket and show your hands otherwise empty. Perform your
favorite false transfer retaining the ball in the left hand thumb palm. To
briefly describe, hold the ball between the left index and middle fingers.
Show the right hand palm up. Place the ball directly on the palm of the
right hand while maintaining contact by the left fingers. Two actions will
now happen in quick succession. The right hand will pivot palm down
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The next sequence gives the appearance of taking the now invisible ball
from the right hand and shown at the left, with the hands otherwise
empty. In reality, a changeover palm of sorts will be executed. The
hands come together, right hand palm up, left hand palm down at waist
level. The ball is secretly transferred from left hand thumb palm into
right hand finger palm as the hands touch under the guise of fairly
taking the ball into the left hand Fig. 3. The right hand drops to the
side as the left hand rises to chest level with the index finger and thumb
touching as if they still held the ball.
The misdirection of showing the “ball” with the left hand will give you
just enough time to drop the ball the right hand conceals in the back
right pants pocket. Don’t make a move of it as showing the ball in the
left hand is more than enough cover for the move, and only takes a
second or two to execute. The INSTANT the ball is ditched, bring the
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right hand back into view AS the left hand drops to the material of the
front left pants pocket and pretends to push the invisible ball through
the pocket. Show the hands empty before dropping the left hand openly
into the pocket and removing a ball, leaving two balls behind. Allow the
effect to register and accept your applause. Your first miracle is
complete.
Offer to perform the same effect again, executing another false transfer
into the right hand, again retaining in the left. Knead the ball into
nothingness, holding it by the right index finger and thumb. Turn the
body to the right a bit, as you raise the right leg and mime the action of
dropping the ball down to the right knee. Say, “It’s a trick knee…get it??
Trick knee???” Reproduce the ball from the knee with the left hand as
the right hand uses that misdirection and blocking to retrieve the ball
from the back pocket Fig. 4 and 5. Drop the knee and face the
audience. The right hand falls by its side, concealing the ball. Draw
attention away from that hand by inviting a spectator to help you for
your next part of the trick.
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a table. Ask the spectator to point to either ball. Pick up the ball that
she chooses with the left index finger and thumb, taking care to not
flash the ball already palmed. Quickly squeeze the left hand’s two balls
together and place them into the spectator’s hand and have the
spectator close the hand as you bring attention to the ball at the right.
Adjust your spectator’s fist so that the thumbhole side of the fist faces
the ceiling. This will create a pedestal for which to place the ball on the
right hand Fig. 6. Instruct her to squeeze tightly as you intend to get
the ball into their hand without them feeling it and without anyone
seeing it.
Place the ball at the tips of the left hand fingers directly onto the ball in
the right hand, being careful not to flash the ball already there. Extend
your left hand palm up as you ask the spectator to follow suit and open
her hand. Place both balls together as one into the spectator’s hand,
and close her hand for her, being careful to remove your fingers as you
do. Reach over to another spectator’s shoulder and pretend to grab
another bit of lint and toss it toward the spectator’s hand. Slowly have
her open her hand, to reveal she now holds two balls. Hilarity ensues.
Take this opportunity to reach into the left pocket and finger palm out a
sponge leaving one in the pocket. Take both balls back from the
spectator and display them on the palm up right hand, using the hand as
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Show your hands empty and fairly remove the ball from the top of the
spectator’s fist with the left hand and openly place it into your right
hand. Close the right hand into a fist. Use the left hand to gently hold
the spectator’s fist, to prevent her from opening the hand prematurely.
Tap your fist against hers a couple of times and ask the spectator if she
felt the ball go in. She will reply that she did not. Open your hand and
say that you haven’t done it yet. Laymen invariably laugh at this. Use
this release of tension to quickly grab the ball with the left hand and
perform a false transfer back into the right hand. I personally use a
thumb palm false transfer described earlier. The left hand grabs her
wrist, using it to give the hand holding out something to do. Open the
hand to reveal the ball has vanished from your hand and allow the
spectator to open her hand to reveal two balls. “WTF!!!” is the most
common reaction at this point.
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Take the two balls from the spectator and place the two balls and the
ball you have concealed in the left thumb palm into the spectator’s hand.
Once again, pretend to grab another piece of lint from a spectator and
toss it toward the spectator’s fist. She opens, to reveal that she now has
three little balls in her hand.
The last sequence is my take on the standard two in the hand one in the
pocket routine. “Now I’m going to fool you…if I haven’t done so already.
We have an oath in magic that states that we can’t do the same trick for
the same audience twice. I’m going to break that rule for you all. If I
fool you with it the first time, I’m going to do the same trick again to
give you an opportunity to catch me out. I’ll be using three balls, two
hands and this pocket. Now it can be hard to follow, so I’ll split you into
groups. You all watch the pocket. It’s an inanimate object, not going
anywhere. You all are responsible for watching my right hand. And
lastly, you all watch the balls. Here we go...” That introductory patter
sets you up for the two in the hand, one in the pocket sequence that
concludes this routine. Give the three balls to a spectator to hold,
temporarily acting as your table. Take one ball from the spectator with
the left hand and pretend to place it in your pocket. Actually, you grab
the ball already in the pocket and place both balls into thumb palm
before removing the hand from the pocket. As the hand exits the pocket
the right hand points toward the second ball, to draw attention away
from the left hand. Grab the second ball from the spectator while being
careful to not expose the thumb palmed balls. Place all three balls as one
into the right hand and quickly close the hand into a fist. Don’t make a
move of it to draw attention to it. Show the left hand empty as you grab
the last ball; place it openly into the pocket. Ask the spectators you
assigned to the pocket how many balls should be there, they will say,
“two”. Ask the spectators you told to watch your right hand how many
balls should be in the fist, they will reply, “one”. Open your hand to
reveal three balls.
“By show of hands, how many people were fooled just now? Good. I’m
glad to see all this hard work is paying off...” Offer to then repeat the
sequence as promised. Place all three balls back onto the spectator’s
hand. Take the first one and openly place it into the left pocket. When
you remove the hand from the pocket, have the hand closed into a tight
fist as you reach for the second ball. Grab the second ball with the index
finger and thumb, keeping the rest of the left fist clenched. Pause for a
beat before opening the middle, ring and pinkie fingers wide to show
only one ball in the left hand. Perform your favorite vanish into the right
hand retaining the ball in finger palm. Close the right hand and grab the
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last ball from the spectators hand, again taking care to not expose the
ball concealed there. Place both balls into the pocket. Repeat the
procedure of asking the spectators what balls are where.
You can get a variety of responses for this as spectators will either
anticipate that the same outcome has been brought about OR that you
have really put the balls where you said you did. In either event play
the moment up by making sure they are sure what balls are where.
Regardless, open the hand to reveal that the hand is empty, leaving you
in applause cue position. As an after thought, you can later reveal that
the balls jumped back into the pocket, but that ending is optional. If the
routine gets great applause, I tend to reveal the balls, and give them to
the spectator I used as a table for her hard work. In all honesty, it takes
more work to hold your hands out as a table for 2 minutes than it does
to perform this routine. If you choose to allow your spectator to run
away with the balls as a souvenir, here’s a line that was told to me by
Randy Shine, which was originated by Earl “Presto” Johnson. “There you
go, take them home and try it yourself. It won’t work for you, but you’ll
have a great time trying…”
Warning: If you decide to give the balls out, take care to not give them
to young children. The last thing you want is a suit filed against you
when the youngster tries to ingest them.
Things to make you go HMM…
And there you have it. The routine can take anywhere between 5-6 solid
minutes with audience reactions. There are several pros to this routine
that make this routine especially delightful. The routine takes place
without the use of a table in the traditional sense. The fact that this
routine takes place “in the hands” allows you to literally perform this
routine any time, any place for any as many as 40 people. It has
elements of both a close up and a stand up routine and is perfectly
suited for both.
Recapping on some of the individual moments that make this routine
unique includes the production of the first ball and the complete vanish
of the first ball. The use of the spectator’s fist as a pedestal serves a
dual role in audience management. It keeps the spectator from opening
their hand prematurely, and acts as a functional temporary table so that
you can show the hands empty if you choose to do so.
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Switchless
Effect: A Unique Bill Switch in which the bill NEVER leaves sight.
Set Up: All that is required for this effect are a thumb tip and a bill,
whether it is a mismade bill or a 100 dollar bill Fig. 1. Depending on
what effect you’re trying to accomplish, a different fold will be required
for each.
Hundred Dollar Bill Switch
There is nothing overtly unique about the folding of the bill. Basically
what you want to accomplish is folding the bill into eighths so that a
portion of the words “United States” are on one side of the folded bill.
The easiest way to accomplish this would be to fold the bill length wise,
then fold it over again into fourths. Then, fold the bill top to bottom so
part of the words “United States” show on one side.
Mismade Bill Switch
Hold the mismade bill right side up with the backside of the bill facing
you, even in its misshaped form. Fold the bill in eighths, so that one
index shows. For the purposes of this explanation we’ll assume you
have what would be the lower right corner of the back of the bill facing
yourself when the bill is folded. Place the mismade bill in the tip as
shown in Fig. 2.
Begin with the bill in the thumb tip and offer to show your spectators a
trick. Ask for the loan of a one dollar bill. Upon receiving the bill, hold it
unfolded with the face of the bill toward your spectators, the bill face up.
You will now perform the old gag where you show a face up bill, fold it
and when unfolded, it ends face down. The patter I use for this effect is
as follows, “First I’ll show you something you can do, and then I’ll show
you something impossible. The first is how to make George Washington
drunk. Here’s a trick you can show your friends after they’ve had a
couple of drinks. The idea is that you give the bill a spin to get good ol’
George dizzy. Then you fold his head in half to give him a splitting
headache. Get him disoriented by folding him into the darkness and
wait a moment or two. When you open the bill to check on him, he’s on
his ass drunk!!!!”
To perform the simple sequence, all you have to remember is
hotdog/hamburger. It may sound weird, but remember the way a
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hotdog and hamburger buns fold. Fold the bill from bottom to top (like a
hot dog bun) then left to right (like a hamburger bun), then again, left to
right. Wait a moment for effect, and then begin to unfold the bill. Unfold
right to left twice then top to bottom. When reversing the actions, the
bill should end upside down, face of the bill toward the spectators.
AT BEST, this will get a groan from observant spectators, as you say,
“Well if that fooled you, my job is going to be easy for the remainder of
the show. For the rest of you, I did promise something impossible. I
once thought about how many ways there were to change a dollar bill
into four quarters, because…….. I have no life. Sad I know, but I
contemplated this as if it was one of the great mysteries of the world.
You have cash registers, change machines, pocket change transactions
and automated vendors. But how would one change a dollar into four
quarters by magic??” During that long bit of patter, you have all the
time in the world to reach your free hand into your pocket and retrieve
the thumbtip, placing it on your left thumb with the bill to be switched
touching the pad of the thumb. (If I really have to tell you how to put a
thumbtip on, you’re going to struggle through the rest of these notes).
“To do something as impossible as this, requires what we in the business
call ‘shade’. Shade is an open action that allows a secret action to occur,
much the way the federal government works. To accomplish this I’d
have to fold the bill until it was small enough to conceal, without it
actually ever leaving your sight. Then and only then can the magic take
place.” During this patter, you will ultimately accomplish a bill switch.
Where this switch differs from most in print is that the times moves are
executed are different in that the moves happen on the offbeat. People
who suspect a thumbtip are surprised as the no “tell-tale” signs that a
switch ever occurred.
With the tip on the left thumb, conceal it from view by holding the bill in
that hand as you patter. Fold the bill as taught before in the throwaway
effect, bottom to top, left to right, left to right. This leaves the bill in
eighths with an index showing on one side. Hold the bill at the fingertips
of the left hand, concealing the tip. The hands come together to hold
the bill with both hands to iron out the extra creases. As the right hand
touches the bill, slide the left thumb along the back of the bill toward the
right hand. The right hand thumb contacts the thumbtip AS the left
edges of the bill at the fingertips lines up with the mouth of the thumbtip
Fig. 3.
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The left thumb presses on the bill in the thumbtip toward the outer bill,
as the right thumb pulls the thumbtip to the right, removing the bill from
it. The moment the tip clears both bills, curl the fingers in to place it
into a finger palm style grip as the right thumb pad contact mismade bill.
The fingers continue to line the two bills up under the cover of making
sure all the folds are flattened out. Release the grip on the bills with the
left hand and show the hand empty before turning palm toward the
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audience, grabbing both bills as one, turning them over by the left
edges.
The left hand fingers curl both bills inward around the left thumb,
creating a concave bend in the bills. Immediately afterward, bring the
hands back together. The right fingers straighten out, and the thumb
holds the thumbtip in place, concealed by the fingers. The right fingers
guide the right side of both bills into the tip as the hands come together,
continuing their flattening actions Fig. 4. To complete the switch, the
left thumb pushes the bill closest to the body into the tip and pulls the
outer bill out. You’ve essentially created a chute with the bill visible to
the audience to accomplish these two secret actions. The thumb tip
goes back into the finger palm (or “thumb” palm as the case may be),
and the visible bill is held at the extreme fingertips, with thumbs in full
view Fig. 5. This added subtlety will throw off most people who suspect
a bill switch.
Separate the hands, dropping the right hand naturally to waist level as
you display the bill in the left with the index finger and thumb. You will
openly place the bill on the palm of the right hand, as you secretly steal
the tip into the left hand. Again bring the hands together. Time the
convergence so the right hand turns palm up at the same times the left
hand middle finger is able to enter the mouth of the thumbtip Fig. 6.
The left middle finger will continue curling under the hand, out of view,
as the right hand opens. The bill is openly placed on the palm. Slowly
close the fingers around the bill Fig. 7. The left hand will turn palm up
to rub the back of the palm up right fist, concealing the thumbtip on the
middle finger Fig. 8.
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Immediately open the right hand again saying, “Better than that, this
trick would work better in your hands!!!! Take the bill into your own fist
and squeeze the bill. In a moment you will feel the bill slowly morphing,
shifting, melting, and changing, into four solid genuine quarters. Oops,
forgot the most important part, the pixie dust!!!” Ask the spectator to
open his hand and use the palm down left hand to pick up the bill from
your palm up right hand and place it into his hand, being careful not to
flash the thumbtip. Instruct him to close his hand over the bill. Reach
into you pocket for magic Pixie Dust to make the magic happen, ditching
the tip as you do. Pretend to sprinkle the pixie dust on the hand. Play
this moment up. Technically, the trick is done at this point. You’re
completely clean, but in the mind of your spectator, the effect hasn’t
even begun yet.
What I like to do here is go though a few magical gestures and get the
spectator to open his hand, to his amazement, nothing has happened.
He is genuinely expecting to open the hand to find four coins. Which
puts you in an even better position because you can have them handle
the gimmick, further solidifying that the bill being held IS in fact the bill
borrowed. After some byplay, have him close the hand again, create the
magic moment, and have him open again. When he opens again, he will
still see the bill.
Look confused as you say, “I don’t know what the problem could be.
It’s not your fault this didn’t work, it’s mine. Yeah it’s my fault for
picking you. No, No, maybe it’s not our fault. Maybe it’s the bill’s fault.”
As you deliver the line, “No, No, maybe it’s not our fault. Maybe it’s the
bill’s fault.” Pick up the bill from the spectator’s hand; unfold it revealing
the mismade bill as you look directly into your spectator’s eyes. Your
audience will react to seeing the bill, and then your helper will react.
Only then do you look down at your hands to react with amazement Fig.
9. Make a comment about the bill being unusable and pocket it and
reach in your own wallet and hand the spectator a dollar bill, making him
whole, and completing the routine.
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Perform the bill switch. Place the $100 dollar bill in the spectator’s hand.
Use the pen as a magic wand, causing the magic to happen. Place the
pen into the pocket leaving the thumbtip behind. When the $100 bill is
revealed not only has magic happened, but it now has the same mark on
it, driving home that the same bill changed. Instead of a line about the
bill being unusable, remark about how lucrative it is to borrow money
from a spectator as you pocket the bill, reach into your wallet and return
the denomination back to the original owner. Lastly, I’d like to suggest
two other strong switches that may interest you. Barrie Richardson’s
switch from Theater of the Mind, and the Al Baker billet switch using
bills.
Oxy-Clean Coin Routine
Effect: Three Coins are produced and vanished in an astonishingly clean
manner.
Things to make you go HMM…
There you have the basic routine. I’ve concentrated on the mismade bill
presentation because this switch will withstand much more scrutiny than
if you changed a $5 into $100 in the spectator’s hands. The handling for
the $100 bill switch would be a much more straightforward presentation,
concentrating on actually changing the bill in the spectator’s hand rather
than into four quarters as in the mismade bill routine. Also, with the
more serious presentation on the $100 dollar bill switch, you won’t want
to use the Pixie Dust Ditch (as it is affectionately known) either.
Set Up: A Gravity flipper coin and a shell. The flipper coin is nested in
the shell so the insert side of the flipper shows.
Distribution: The nested unit is held in right finger palm, with the
mouth of the expanded shell facing away from the fingers.
Instead, procure one of the pens that are used to spot forgeries and
mark a big “X” in your handwriting along the face of the $100 bill. Fold
the bill, and place it in the tip. Place the thumbtip and the marking pen
in the same pocket. When you get to the point of the routine where
you’re ready to steal the bill, place the tip on the thumb and take the
pen out of the pocket. Borrow a $5. Mark the face of the spectator’s $5
bill with a similar “X”, place the cap on and hand the pen to a spectator.
At an opportune moment, reach up into the air and grab a coin from the
air with the right hand, as your right thumb pushes its coin from finger
palm into view. Place the coin on the palm of the hand with the mouth
of the shell face up. Openly pick up the nested set with the palm down
left hand, with your left index finger and thumb. The portion of the gaff
they grab is the insert portion of the flipper coin that doesn’t move when
the gaff is in the open position. The left hand turns palm up to display
the coin, before approaching the right hand again to place the coin back
on the right fingers. With a quick, downward flick of the wrist, the
folding portion of the flipper will pop open and will be clipped between
the right middle and ring fingers of the palm up right hand at the
junction of the second phalanges Fig. 1.
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finger and thumb. The coin will be tossed toward the palm up right
hand, as the right hand drops two or three inches. Gravity will allow the
expanded shell to separate from the flipper coin, with an audible click
Fig. 2. You have now visually produced two coins from nothing.
The two coins will be displayed at the fingertips at about chest height.
Pick the two “coins” up from the right hand with the palm down left
hand. The left fingertips will contact both the expanded shell and the
flipper. The shell is placed into a high finger palm position as the right
ring and pinky fingers curl in and retrieve the insert of the flipper. This
is done under the cover provided by the back of the left hand. The left
thumb goes underneath the flipper coin and the fingers curl around the
expanded shell as the left hand lifts away from the right hand Fig. 3.
Immediately show the right hand empty, and transfer the open flipper
coin, as a two-coin fan to the fingertips of the right hand. Produce the
expanded shell in the left hand by pushing the coin to the tips of the
fingers with the thumb. Place the shell on top of the open flipper coin,
showing a three-coin fan.
Show the hands to be otherwise empty. The left hand then reaches into
the air and pretends to find a coin, holding it between the left index
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retaining the coin palmed in the left. Close the right hand into a fist and
mime the actions of pushing the coin through the outside of the right
knee. Produce the coin out of the left knee and display the coin at the
fingertips. Openly place the coin into the right hand, and close it into a
fist. Slap the fist against the side of the right knee, and pretend to
produce the coin at the left knee. The moment you turn your body to
produce the coin with the left hand, the right hand rises up the body and
ditches the coin in the pocket. Pretend to toss the perceived coin into
the now empty right hand, before opening both hands to reveal the coin
gone.
Things to make you go HMM…
This is a quick visual routine that only takes about a minute to perform
but contains a ton of excellent magic. Something is happening at every
point of the routine. Learning this routine is the prerequisite for the two
coin items to follow.
To vanish the first coin, pretend to take the top coin of the fan with the
left hand. As soon as the left fingers cover the expanded shell, the right
thumb will pull it out of sight, down and behind the fan Fig. 4. Create a
moment of magic, before opening the left hand to show it empty. The
next sequence gives the impression of showing a two- coin fan, then
splitting the coins, to show one coin in each hand. In reality, the left
hand reaches to the right to grab the flipper coin at the left fingertips.
This happens as the right thumb drags the expanded shell from behind
the fan and into a high finger palm in the right hand. The open flipper
coin is held at the left fingertips and is allowed to close as the grip
between the fingers and thumb loosens. This happens as the hands
come together and the right thumb pushes the expanded shell to the
fingertips. Separate the hands showing one coin in each hand.
Place the flipper coin on top of and behind the expanded shell, again
creating a two-coin fan at the right fingertips. The flipper nests into the
shell, as the left hand comes to take it away. Squeeze the coin into
nothingness, before opening the hands to show the coin gone. To
cleanly vanish the last “coin” Any complete vanish of a coin will do. I
personally opt to use Bobo’s Complete Pocket Vanish taught on Steven’s
Magic Emporium Coin Classics Vol. 1 Video. To briefly describe it,
perform any false transfer of a coin from the left hand to the right hand,
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Flash Coin Re-Lit
Effect: A purse and a lighter are introduced. The lighter is handed to
the spectator, and the conjuror extracts four small ball of paper from the
purse and the purse is set aside. The spectator is instructed to light the
lighter several times, and each time magic will happen. Visibly three
pieces of paper are turned into coins and then the performer proceeds to
vanish the coins using the heat from the lighter, each with an increasing
visual element. It is then revealed that the missing money has returned
to its original location, inside the purse.
This routine is my Oxy-Clean Coin routine on steroids. It has almost the
exact same mechanics, with the added feature that you get to be a parttime pyro in the process.
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expanded shell with the folding part of the flipper exposed. This is in
your pocket with the mouth of the flipper set away from the body.
Set Up Fig. 1:
A Goshman Style Coin Purse
Three Matching Coins (Walking Liberty Half Dollars are used here)
2 sheets of flash paper (from the 2”x 3” booklets of flash paper)
A lighter
A Gravity Flipper Coin (to match the coins in use)
An Expanded shell (matching all other coins)
Reach into your pockets and pull out both the coin purse and the lighter.
You secretly finger palm the nested flipper coin and shell with the mouth
side of the set against the fingers. You hand the lighter to the spectator
with the right hand while concealing the gimmick in finger palm. You
then open the purse, pinching the three coins at the bottom. Turn the
purse mouth downward, allowing the 4 flash paper balls to fall out onto
your table. Close the purse and place it down off to the side on the
table without allowing coins to “talk” while inside.
You instruct the spectator to light the lighter. As this happens, you pick
up the first piece of flash paper with the left hand. The right hand is
held at waist level, palm down, with the nested gimmick set ready to be
produced as a single coin in finger palm. It will appear as if the flash
paper visibly changes into a coin on the right palm as it burns. This will
be done as follows: The left hand will ignite the flash paper. As the
paper burns, it will be tossed over to the right hand. Under this cover,
the right hand simply turns palm up and the coin will be displayed in an
open finger palm position. The illusion is created that the coin
materialized from fire. It is important to hold this position for a few
beats to allow the effect to register in the spectator’s mind and to allow
their eyes to re-focus on the coin in the hand, as a blur of vision is
possible if they followed the flame too closely.
Purse SET UP: Place the three half dollar in the bottom of the coin
purse in a fan after ripping the two sheets of flash paper in half, and
crushing the 4 pieces into pea sized balls. The balls are then placed in
the purse on top of the coins.
You will next perform a new move that will allow you to produce the
second coin very visually. You openly pick up the “coin” in the left hand
showing the hands otherwise empty. You need to hold the gimmick in
the following manner. Your left index finger and thumb will be the only
fingers to contact the coin. The mouth of the gimmick will be facing the
floor and with the index finger underneath. You hold the coin above the
crease at the lip of the flipper to allow the folding section of the coin free
to open. With a quick downward action, by flicking the wrist, the folding
portion will pop free and will be clipped between the right middle and
ring fingers of the palm up right hand at the junction of the second
phalanges. When executed properly, it will appear as if you hands were
just shown empty as you placed the coin onto the palm up right hand.
Distribution: You have your purse set up in your left pants pocket. In
your right pants pocket you place not only the lighter, but also the
flipper coin and matching shell. You want to place the flipper in the
With the left hand, grab the second ball of flash paper. Perform the
same action as before, igniting the paper and tossing the burning ball
toward the palm of the right hand. To produce the coin, you simply allow
the right hand to drop sharply about 2 inches. Gravity will allow the
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shell to fall slower than the hand and the shell will clink against the shell
portion of the flipper. Not only is this a visual illusion, but an auditory
one as well. Unlike with most effects the audible clink isn’t tinny at all.
Allow the expanded shell to slide slightly forward toward the fingertips to
cover any portion of the flipper insert that may be visible between the
fingers.
The coins will be displayed at the tips of the fingers at chest level in the
following manner. Your palm down left hand will move toward the palm
up right hand. The left hand will contact both coins, but the expanded
shell will be placed into a high finger palm position. Under the cover of
the left hand fingers, the right ring and pinky fingers curl in and under,
forcing the folding portion of the flipper to fold outward as the expanded
shell is placed into a high finger palm in the left hand. The flipper coin
that now is in an open position to show two coins is picked up by the left
fingers and immediately transferred to the right fingertips at about chest
level.
Your current position should be that you have an expanded shell with
the mouth facing away from your fingers in high finger palm of the left
hand. You are holding a flipper coin unfolded as two coins at the right
fingertips at chest level. The shell portion of the flipper is lowermost and
the insert portion is above and behind the shell. You have two balls of
flash paper on the table alongside the closed purse containing three
coins.
To produce the third coin, pick up the third ball of paper and touch it
against the open flame of the lighter. Quickly swing the left hand palm
up, and curl the fingers inward as the last of the paper burns out. Allow
the shell to fall from finger palm, mouth downward as the fingers
extend, producing the coin. Pause a couple of beats before placing the
expanded shell on top of the flipper, behind the folding part of the
flipper, in preparation for the vanish sequence of the coins.
The empty left hand moves toward the right hand with the back of the
hand facing the audience. The left hand mimes the action of taking the
top coin of the fan. Once the top coin is covered from view, the right
thumb contacts the expanded shell and pulls it behind the fan. Ask the
spectator to light the lighter once again, as you move the left hand
toward the flame. Slowly open the fingers revealing the coin to have
vanished.
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Ostensibly show one coin in each hand to proceed with the effect and to
provide conviction that the coin did in fact vanish using the following
sequence. The left hand reaches to the right to grab the flipper coin at
the left fingertips, as the right thumb drags the expanded shell from
behind the flipper and into a high finger palm in the right hand. Close
the flipper in the left hand, by loosening the grip between the left index,
middle and thumb, allowing the shell of the flipper to be levered into a
horizontal position behind the cover of the right hand. The shell is
clipped between the left index finger and middle finger so that the
thumb can be released and the folding portion can nest into the shell
side of the flipper. The right hand pretends to take the top coin of the
flipper, and pushes the expanded shell to the fingers, displaying a coin at
the fingertips of each hand.
Place the flipper coin and expanded shell together in the right hand
creating a two-coin fan. You will now cause the second coin to vanish.
Thanks to Nate Kranzo for the following vanish. Ask your helper to light
the lighter as you draw the two coins to the flame. Gently wave the fan
over the open flame as you slowly nest the flipper coin into the shell,
being careful to not allow it to click as it goes into the shell. Turn the
unit over a couple times to drive home its singularity.
The following move is the only move utilized in the original Chad Long
version of the routine. Chad uses Jay Sankeys’ Two Way Toss with fire.
The only difference is that you will be tossing a flipper coin and shell
instead of a regular coin. Place the nested flipper coin and shell mouth
up on the fingers. The left hand grabs the final piece of paper, ignites it,
and tosses it toward the right hand. Under the cover of fire, immediately
toss the unit toward the left hand, keeping it parallel to the floor and
ceiling. This keeps the flipper and shell from unnesting in transit.
They move together into “about” the left hand fingertip rest position. It
will take a bit of practice to get them to fall directly into the fingertips
silently. Until this move has been mastered, it would be best to cover
the moment with a line of patter to help reduce any noise that may
occur as the coin lands into the other hand. The left hand drops by its
side to prepare to classic palm. As the right hand is shown empty, the
left classic palms the unit. Because the shell is mouth toward the palm,
the flipper is locked into place in the palm.
Any hand washing sequence that ends with the unit in right hand finger
palm will suffice here. Gary Kurtz’ Controlled Transfer is an excellent
method. Briefly described, as the hands come together, the right fingers
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press against the palm down left hand, as the coin is released into right
finger palm. The left hand immediately rotates up, concealing the coin
from view in the right fingers, before the hands ultimately separate.
Once the coin is in right hand finger palm, you ask for the lighter back
from the spectator. You take the lighter with the right hand and place it
and the flipper coin and shell back into the right pocket. Reveal the
coins in the purse.
This is an extremely visual routine that has almost the same exact look
as Chad Long’s original Flash Coins routine, with the added bonus of
beginning AND ending clean. It resets almost instantly, is an extremely
good opening routine and is one of the least technically demanding
routines in my repertoire. You only really have to concentrate on the
presentation, as the gaffs do the majority of the work.
Things to make you go HMM…
I would like to credit Chad Long for creating the original concept behind
this wonderful routine. You can purchase a video of his performance on
his Homemade Magic Video, available through him. I also credit Bob
Swadling for the creation of the flipper coin, in his effect Double
Deception. I also thank Garrett Thomas and Troy Hooser for the work
that they have put into the flipper coin. Special thanks to Jay Sankeys
Creative mind for the Two Way Toss. Lastly to Nate Kranzo for the
unique move that accomplishes the second coin vanish in this routine.
Kudos to Gene Taylor at Antinomy Magazine for believing enough in this
routine to risk his neck and new business publish it. Antinomy Rules!!!!!
I’m a technician. I admit it. I seek out new, cleaner methods to existing
plots and try to solve problems to effects to make the magic I perform
seem more impossible. While the process often involves taking several
steps backward to make a single step of progress, I can say with
confidence that the construction in this Impossible Coins Across is far
ahead of most “standard”, linear coins across effects. This routine
personifies the word “fairness” and gives even the most observant
spectator what they want as you are able to prove that you are doing
what you say you’re accomplishing at every junction in the routine.
The problem with most coins across routines is that there is entirely too
much repetition and the structures of effects are mostly the same. The
effect you’re currently reading breaks the mold in that the magic gets
progressively more impressive as the routine continues and there is no
set rhythm to the magic. The latter statement meaning that you can
take your time with this routine so that your audience can really
appreciate each and every peregrination. You can utilize several
spectators during the course of the routine, which gets everyone
involved when performing in an intimate setting.
Impossible Coins Across
Effect: A conjurer produces 4 coins, one at a time, showing the hands
empty during each production with the sleeves rolled back. He then
causes the coins to travel from place to place under “test conditions”.
The coins in and out of the spectator’s hands visibly, giving the
impression that REAL MAGIC is taking place.
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Set Up Fig. 1:
Three regular coins (in my case I use walking liberty halves)
A Gravity Flipper Coin (that matches the regular coins)
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An Expanded Shell (that matches the coins and flipper coin)
A coin clip (optional)
Distribution: Begin with the 3 regular coins and the flipper classic
palmed in the left hand. The flipper coin is closest to the palm. It
doesn’t matter which side of the flipper coin is closest to the palm. The
expanded shell is in your left front pants pocket or on a clip on your
jacket on the left side.
Impossible Production
The routine begins with a production of 4 coins into a spectator’s hand
or onto a table. As you patter, bring the hands together and allow one
of the coins to fall from classic palm in the left hand into finger palm of
the right. The hands separate and your attention will focus on your left
sleeve. Your right hand approaches the left sleeve with coin finger
palmed and produces the coin from the sleeve. This move was originally
published by David Williamson in his Money Talks routine. Move the
right hand back to the right to display the coin AS you drop one coin to
finger tip rest with the left hand. This happens as your left hand rests
naturally by its side.
Show the right hand empty holding nothing more than a single coin as
you place its coin on the other two. As your left hand drops the flipper
coin to finger tip rest, the left hand reaches up to the right sleeve to
produce its coin, showing the hand empty otherwise. Place all four coins
down and show the hands empty.
Impossible Coins Across
Pick up all 4 coins into a stack, being mindful to keep the flipper coin on
top of the stack, so the seam from the insert is face up. Spread the
coins a bit so that they are all in spellbound position and all four coins
can be seen in your right hand Fig. 2. You will then adjust the flipper
coin so that the lip of the flipper (the part of the insert that doesn’t
move) can be contacted by the left index finger as all four coins are
gripped.
Reach forward a bit to place the 1st coin on the table or in your
spectators’ hand, as your left hand reaches to the right sleeve to
produce its coin from the cloth of the right sleeve. As you produce the
coin use Malini/Kaps Subtlety to imply the left hand is empty, other than
the newly produced coin, while in reality concealing two others.
The next action will seem simply as if you’re placing the left hand’s coin
down on the spectator’s hand/table as the right reaches up to the left
sleeve to produce another coin. In this larger action, a coin will be
loaded from left classic, through the right hand thumbhole, and into the
right hand finger palm. To accomplish this, you will lean forward to
place the left hand coin onto the hand/table as the right hand comes
back toward the sleeve. The hands approach each other, the left hand
above the right. As they approach, the left hand releases one of its
palmed coins and it lands through the curled right hand and into right
finger palm. The hands NEVER stop their individual movements for even
a beat. The right hand continues up toward the left sleeve and produces
the coin palmed as the left hand drops its coin on top of the coin already
down on the table.
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advantage of your spectator examining the first coin to travel to perform
the following sequence to prepare for the next coin’s transit. Show the
three coins in a vertical fan at the tips of the left hand fingers. The top
coin should be the flipper coin and the insert side of the coin should be
facing you, with the lip of the flipper ready to be gripped by the index to
go into Clip Placement. Turn the right hand palm up and show three
coins ostensibly on the hand.
At this point you will need to shuttle a coin from the right hand secretly
into the left for the next phase. You do this under the act of showing
one of the three coins in the left and pretending to place it back on the
right hand to join the other two coins. In actuality, you will pick up one
of the regular coins and give it a flip in the left hand, as you retrieve the
insert of the flipper. The right hand should curl in so that spectators
can’t see how many coins are in the hand. Perform any false transfer
from left to right, and open the right hand again to show three coins.
Classic palm the half dollar in the left hand as you take the first coin that
traveled back from the spectator or from the table.
In my routine Flash Coins Re-Lit which appeared in Antinomy Magazine
#4, I published a move I called the Clip Placement which is a
concealment/half-move for the flipper coin. With all four coins held by
the index finger and thumb of the left hand, the left hand turns palm
down to place the coins on the palm up right hand. As it does, the left
hand flicks at the wrist, opening the flipper coin Fig. 3. The insert slides
in-between the middle and ring fingers and the other three coins fall on
top of the flipper as the left hand releases the other coins.
You will patter about the premise of the trick and will take one of the
real coins openly from the right hand and display it in the left. Flip the
coin in the air a couple times. Use the left hand’s action as misdirection
to retrieve the insert so that it looks as if you have four coins back on
the hand. Pretend to toss the left hand coin back into the right retaining
it in classic palm in the left. Make sure that you actually tap the left
hand coin against the coins in the right so the illusion is created that the
coin actually arrived in the other hand. Show four coins in the right
hand.
Next comes the peregrination of the second coin. You will place three
coins into the spectator’s hand apparently, in fact it’s only the flipper
coin and a single coin as three, and you will show a single coin on your
hand. Be sure to place the open flipper coin BELOW the regular coin.
Instruct the spectator to use her other hand to cover the coins, kind of
like cupping the hands together. You lead by example, as you will use
your hands to do the same, in a quick sequence that helps drive home
what you’re asking your spectator to do, while concealing the second
coin all the while.
As you initially cup your hands together, drop the coin palmed in the left
hand into finger palm of the palm up right hand. Turn the body toward
the left allowing the spectator to see the coin inside your cupped hands.
As you turn, the right fingertips wiggle the coin to the back of the left
hand so the hands can separate, and the concealed coin held by the
right ring finger Fig. 4. As you cup your hands together again, allow the
coin to fall back into the right finger palm.
To create the illusion that the first coin travels, toss the “four” coins on
the right palm upward a couple of inches and close the hand over them
immediately. At about the same time, close the left hand. Open the left
hand FIRST to show a coin has appeared hand it out for examination,
AND THEN open the right hand to reveal only three coins. Take
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you both shake your hands, you will release the finger palmed coin onto
the coin in the palm up right hand. After your spectator reacts to hearing
the coin arrive, open your hand FIRST to show a second coin to have
gone across, and then instruct her to open her hands Fig. 5. She will
freak to find one coin has vanished. This point is where the heat is on
the gimmick the most, but a well-constructed gimmick will be able to
withstand the momentary scrutiny of the most skeptical spectator. I
know this may seem unnerving but allowing the spectator to briefly look
the coin over is a nice bit of reverse psychology that will convince the
spectator into thinking, “The coins must be legit. Why else would he let
me see them?”
Take the two coins from your spectator and hand her your two coins to
examine while you set up the two coins into clip placement, for a third
time, to show two coins on the palm up right hand. Once the spectator
has examined the other two coins, take them back, and drop them onto
the two coins already on the right hand. Ask your spectator to extend
BOTH hands in prep for the third transit.
Your current situation should be this. You should have what appear to
be four coins on the palm up right hand and nothing else, when you
really have a flipper coin bottom most (insert clipped between middle
and ring fingers) and three regular coins stepped toward the fingertips.
Allow your right thumb to contact the top most coin and slide it toward
the palm until it completely covers the third coin (coin second from the
bottom). Once in this position, the left hand middle finger and thumb
will grasp all THREE coins (as two) by their edges and show them to the
spectator Fig. 6. The right hand will curl in and retrieve the insert during
this misdirection. Explain to the spectator to hold the two coins you hold
in your right hand in this position and allow her to grasp the open flipper
coin as two coins held by her middle finger and thumb. Place YOUR
right hand beneath her left, your left above her right. She holds two
coins above your hand; you hold two above hers Fig. 7.
Instruct the spectator to give the hands a few gentle shakes to mix the
coins around in the hand, but not to pay attention to the sounds she
hears in her hands. Tell her to focus her attention on your hands. As
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three, the spectator’s flipper will nest, vanishing one as it hits your hand.
Place the flipper coin immediately back into the spectator’s left hand and
allow her to examine everything again. As she does, steal your
expanded shell from the clip or from your pocket and into left hand
finger palm, mouth away from the fingers.
Take the flipper coin back first with the left hand. Nest the flipper coin
into the shell as you take the other three coins back with the right hand.
Place the three regular coins on the left hand’s coin as you turn the left
hand palm up and spread to show all four coins, nothing else. Ask the
spectator to open her right hand as you count the coins openly into the
hand, shelled flipper will go on top of the stack, mouth down. Show the
hands empty and ask the spectator to reach over and hand you one of
the coins. She will hand you the shell as you instruct her to close the
hand over the other three coins Fig. 8. This is a move credited to
Robert Bengal and can be found in his notes. You are now holding the
shell; she holds four coins, while she believes she only has three.
You are in a really interesting situation. She has had all the convincing
in the world to know there are only 4 coins in play here. Your spectator
has conviction that she holds two coins, and that you hold two. You
next instruct her that on the count of three, you will both allow your
coins to fall into the others awaiting hands and still one coin will travel.
When you let go, your coins will spread as they hit the hand revealing
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Now comes the time to perform any complete vanish you can think of.
Depending on my situation I will perform either a top pocket vanish, a
pocket vanish from Bobo’s or my Imagination Production/Vanish. While
those are worth your research if you’ve never used them, I’ll describe a
slightly more novel approach. Place the shell on the palm of the left
hand, in open classic palm position, as you show both hands otherwise
empty. Perform a classic palm false transfer, retaining the coin in the
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left hand. Allow the left hand to drop by its side as you bring attention to
the closed right fist. Quickly drop the shell into fingertip rest position,
and use the thumb to flip the shell over, mouth down. Re-classic palm
the shell as you reach up to the spectator’s right shoulder. Make eye
contact with her as you ask her to watch very closely.
Things to make you go HMM…
You won’t have to worry about the spectators wanting to examine the
props as they have been looking closely at them in your hands and in
their own throughout the routine. You can place everything in your left
pants pocket, and you’re reset, should you choose to perform the routine
at another table.
Here you get two routines for the price of one. The first is a slick
production sequence that gives the audience the impression that your
hands were free before and after every production of a coin. The coins
across, while not particularly difficult to perform, will require a bit of
timing to effectively transition between phases.
The last coin vanish I’ve dubbed the GODHAND move. It stands for
Grand Open Deception and Handling of Apollo’s Nefarious Ditch. The
basic concept (as the name would imply) came from the Apollo Robbins
technique of producing a coin on the shoulder. I thought, if you can
leave it there to produce, surely you can retrieve it to show the hands
empty. I use it to switch coins in and out of play, for color change
sequences, body load sequences, and for complete vanishes. Later I
noticed that a very similar technique was employed by the late great
Max Malini as described in Malini and His Magic by Dai Vernon.
The moment you make eye contact, deposit the expanded shell on the
widest portion of her shoulder and then bring the left hand into her line
of vision as you snap the now free hand over the clenched right hand fist
Fig. 9. Slowly open your hand to reveal the coin to be completely gone,
and allow her to predict where the coin could have gone. Point to her fist
as you place the palm of your left hand directly over the shell. Prepare to
re-classic palm it. Leave the hand on their shoulder until she begins
opening her hand. This gives you plenty of physical misdirection to palm
the coin off and either ditch the shell, or finger palm it and add it to the
spectator’s coins when she hands them back to you.
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Lastly, I’d like to thank Dan Watkins, Ron Jaxon, and Mike Powers.
While this routine was independently conceived while experimenting with
the props in hand, Ron Jaxon, (an excellent conjuror in Michigan)
published an E-Book called Flip-M-Out. In the trick four coins are placed
into a spectators hands, covered, and one coin flies out to end up
produced by the performer. Mike Powers published 2 phases of Ron’s
routine in his book Power Plays in a routine called Flipped Out. While
the same premise, Flip-M-Out, and Flipped Out and Impossible Coins
Across are completely different. I felt this phase to be entirely too
powerful to be the opening phase, and structured it later in the routine,
so there was a build in the visual nature and the impossibility of what
was taking place. I do, however, recognize that the concept is not
original with me, though the routine is. Dan Watkins has an excellent
routine called Four Coins, Your Hands in which four coins travel between
the spectator’s hands that also utilizes a Gravity Flipper Coin. All three
effects are worth your consideration.
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Elevator Cut
Effect: A flourish Context Cut that maintains a top and bottom stock of
cards.
Warning: In order to perform this flourish cut, you will have to be able
to execute a thumb cut with a Poker sized deck of cards. If you cannot
because your hands are too small, consider using bridge sized cards to
learn.
Begin with the deck face down in straddle grip in the right hand.
Perform the first half of a thumb cut, extending the right thumb over the
opposite long side of the deck, pulling the top half of the deck backward.
This kind of creates a “greater than/less than” sign Fig. 1. With the
middle and ring fingers on top of the bottom half, and the index and
pinky fingers below, extend all four fingers, flipping the bottom half of
the deck over and face up. Grab the bottom half with the palm down
left hand, and turn the hand palm upward as the cards go into left hand
straddle grip Fig. 2.
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Execute a thumb cut in both hands and again grab the bottom portions
of each packet with the fingers as before Fig. 3. Extend the fingers and
slide the right hands’ packet BELOW the left hands packet Fig. 4. Allow
the two packets to converge into one, and maintain pressure from both
hands middle and index fingers and thumbs Fig. 5 and 6. Push the
cards upward towards the ceiling until the packet is controlled solely by
pressure exerted from the thumbs. The middle and ring fingers of both
hands can release their grip, as the thumbs extend fully, creating a nice
display Fig. 7.
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deck face down, as the right hand takes the cards back into straddle
grip.
The fingers re-grip their respective packets, with the index finger and
pinky under, ring and middle fingers above. The fingers of both hands
extend to turn the packets face up. This should create a “Z” formation
with the left hand packet in the middle Fig. 8. The hands squeeze the
three packets together as they coalesce Fig. 9. The left hand flips the
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Things to make you go HMM…
Display Cuts vs. Context Cuts
As far as flourish cuts go, there are basically two types, “Display Cuts”
and “Context Cuts”, as I’ve dubbed them. Display cuts are elaborate,
multi-packet cuts that, while pretty, very rarely look magical. Their main
purpose is to leave the viewer in awe at the digital dexterity of the
performer. Capaso Casino, The Buck Twins, and De’Vo are prime
examples of this art form.
Context Cuts on the other hand are cuts that are designed to add a
desired bit of flair to an already existing effect. They may be just as
elaborate and pretty to watch as a Display Cut, but accomplish
something relevant to the magical effect. A context, if you will. A few of
the tasks that Context Cuts accomplish include controlling cards,
retaining cards in a specific order, or add a bit of flair to what may be a
fairly standard routine without detracting from the overall aesthetic of
the effect.
I consider this to be a pimped-out version of the Karrell Fox Butterfly
Cut. It accomplishes the same function as a Context Cut (the top and
bottom stocks are retained), but allows the performer to close the cut
cleanly, and able to square the deck. I’ve never seen anyone, including
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Jeff McBride; close the Butterfly cut without some extraneous finger
movement. I hope it is useful to you.
Swirl Production
(Two Methods)
Effect: A quick, flourish production of any 4 of a kind needed for an
effect.
Set Up: Begin with the four kings (for purpose of explanation) on the
top of the face down deck, in the following order Fig. 1:
Face Down King of Spades
Face Down Red King
Face Up King of Clubs
Face Down Red King
Rest of the deck
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Begin with the deck held in mechanics grip in the right hand. At an
opportune moment, perform Lennart Green’s Top Shot. Briefly
described, pressure from the index finger and thumb create tension
along the top of the pack, as the pinky pulls the lower outer corner of
the top card of the deck. This pressure forces the card to pop off the
flesh of the thumb and spin face up away from the deck. In this
instance, the face up card should be the King of Spades.
The King of Spades is caught by the left hand, and is displayed, face
toward the audience, at the fingertips. Show the card to your spectators
moving from the left side of the group to the right. All the while the
right hand, holding the deck in mechanic’s grip, remains stationary in
front of the body, a little above waist level. The left hand crosses in
front of the right hand as it displays the king. The back of the left hand
and the left forearm shield the deck from view as the right thumb
pushes the top card ( a red king) forward and is stolen into Lateral Palm
in the left hand Fig. 2. Cant/tilt the deck back toward yourself as not to
flash the face up King of Clubs on top of the pack. As you tilt the deck,
the thumb slightly out jogs the top card, preparing it for the following
maneuver. Bring the hands together and allow the right index finger to
pull the King of Clubs up into a vertical position, directly behind the King
of Spades Fig. 3. Quickly separate the hands, making appear as if the
second king is produced from the first.
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The third and fourth kings will be produced in on of two methods. They
will be produced either as a vertical or a cross armed production.
Crossed Arm Method
Place the right hand over the left so that the wrists touch one another.
As they begin to touch, the right thumb pivots the top card of the deck
outward as the right hand turns palm downward. To accomplish this,
the thumb touches the middle of the bottom half of the card along the
middle (the lower angel design on a pack of Bicycle Cards) and
straightens out as if the thumb was returning to its normal positioning
mechanics grip. This causes the card to pivot outward becoming
perpendicular with the remainder of the pack. This card is exposed to
the audience AS the left hand turns outward at the wrist exposing its
lateral palmed card. The four of a kind are shown with the arms crossed
at the wrist for a couple of beats, before the cards are re assembled and
you continue with your next effect Fig. 4.
Vertical/ Linear Method
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The exact mechanics are employed as in the cross armed version with
only one subtle difference, that essentially changes the aesthetic of the
entire production. At the junction where the second king is produced in
the cross arm version, you should have The King of Spades at the
fingertips of the left hand, a red king concealed face down in lateral
palm. The King of Clubs is displayed at the front of the deck in a vertical
position and one king is face down on top of the deck in the right hand.
Instead of crossing the arms, the right hand merely hovers above the
left hand and the right hand turns palm down. The right hand thumb
pushes the top card from the deck in the method previously described.
The left hand then follows suit (no pun intended) and turns the hand
palm outward, displaying its card. The four cards create a vertical line
that your audience is bound to appreciate Fig. 5.
Produce a card (via the Top Shot). Pause a couple of beats to let the
effect register.
Split the second card from the first. Pause another beat.
End by producing the other two at the same time, leaving your ready to
accept your applause.
Things to make you go HMMM…
Like many four of-a-kind productions, this is a very startling, eye –
opening effect that is sure to put a smile on your spectators face. It is
one of the very few, with the exception of productions like Lee Asher’s
The Ripper, where the magic happens at chest level, rather than waist
level. I would be remiss not to say that my initial inspiration is from Rick
Castro’s production from his The Card Father notes.
Standing Room Only Collectors
Effect: Four Kings are removed and handed to a spectator as three
others freely select cards. The cards are lost in the deck and the deck
shuffled by a spectator. The four Kings are waved over the deck and the
selections are produced from between the kings instantly.
Set Up: None. This routine is FASDIU (From a Shuffled Deck in Use)
however, for the explanation here, have the four Kings set up on top of
the face down pack in preparation to perform The Swirl Production, and
then case the deck.
Success in properly executing this sequence hinges heavily on an
understanding of what the audience is seeing, and them timing it to get
one surprise after another, until you reach a natural applause cue stance
caused by the display. Here is the basic timing:
“Cards…No one ever wants to play cards with me.” Execute that line of
patter as you remove the cards from the box, fanning them out. You will
perform three specific cuts, one after another while maintaining the top
stock at the top of the deck as you patter. You first execute an
Overhand Shuffle, followed by the Hindu Shuffle, ending in the Elevator
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Cut. “As a Public Service Announcement, I have to warn you about card
players. IF you see someone who shuffles cards this way (overhand
shuffle), he’s most likely a weekend player and it’s safe to put your
money down. If they shuffle this way (Hindu), then they probably have
a bit less experience than the weekend player, bet a bit more. If you
see a guy shuffle cards like this (Elevator Cut), then you know he has no
social life…” The last line should get a nice laugh.
“However, if a guy sits in front of you with a shuffled deck, snaps his
fingers and the gets the King of Spades, get the hell up from the table. I
beg you!!!.......Anyone wanna play cards?” Use this patter to perform
The Swirl Production. Begin the production on, “and gets a King…” and
you should end by the time you say, “wanna play cards?”
“Magicians are always being accused of having secret assistants, to help
them accomplish impossible feats. Some deny this. I, for one, have
four. They are the four Kings. They are my ‘Konfederates’, my ‘Kohorts’, my ‘Komrades’, my ‘Kollectors’”. After delivering this patter, hand
the Kings out to a spectator to examine. Request the assistance of three
other people. Give each 1/3 of the deck. Instruct them to each shuffle
their packets and remove one card, commit the card to memory, and
hold it against their chests. Ask them to then hand you the remainder of
their packet. At this point you can have the spectators sign the face of
the card, should you choose to.
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Assemble the pack and take the three selections back. Insert them into
the front of the pack that’s held in right hand mechanics grip for about a
third of their width. Place them into different portions of the deck. Fan
the selections out so the indices are showing as you hold the deck in an
upright position in the left hand displaying the selections and the deck
Fig. 1. Straighten the selections and perform Jerry Andrus’ Diagonal Jog
found on Vol. 3 of his A Lifetime of Magic Video. The left hand fingers
pretend to square the cards flush into the deck, actually pushing them in
at angle, toward the right fingers. The right fingers rotate the
selections, using the left thumb as a pivot, bringing them to the position
in Fig. 2 & 3. At this point, the selections are concealed from view by
the palm down left hand from all angles except from the back. The right
hand can release its hold on the deck as the left hand takes control in
End Grip. Pause a few beats to create time misdirection. You want to
convince the spectators that the cards have in fact been lost in the deck.
The right hand approaches the deck palm up in an effort to grab the
deck. As it does, the right fingers squeeze the selections into the deck
along the sides, so the selections are in jogged. The left hand releases
its grip as this happens, and the deck is tilted back to conceal the in
jogged cards Fig. 4.
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your arm out to the spectator, with your own hand palm out. This
motivates temporarily leaving the kings on the deck. You will now
perform an interesting strip out move that will allow you to openly
separate the Kings from the deck, but allow the selections to ride along
with the Kings secretly. Pinch the lower left corners of the seven cards
and pull them free of the deck with the palm up left index finger and
thumb Fig. 5. The Kings on top of the selections mask how many cards
are actually in play as you immediately hand the deck to the spectator,
and ask him to shuffle the selections into the pack.
Take the Kings back from your spectator face down. Spread them out a
bit as you toss the cards face down onto the deck, down jogged a bit.
Leave the cards there for a minute while you draw you attention to a
spectator by asking him to hold his hand palm out. Do this by extending
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While your helper shuffles, the right hand takes the seven card packet
into right hand mechanics grip, squaring the cards as it does. Reverse
count the first three cards (the three of the Kings) into a fan held by the
palm up left fingertips Fig. 6. The remaining four cards are held as a
single card and placed onto the three card fan in the left hand. Close
the fan with both hands, taking the cards back into right hand
mechanic’s grip. Show the seven cards to be the Kings by allowing the
right hand thumb to push off the first card into the left hand and turning
it over, revealing the face. Use the face up King to turn the block of
cards over revealing another king. Thumb over two cards showing all
four Kings. This process should only take a few seconds. It appears as if
you were casually showing the cards as you were waiting for the
spectator to finish shuffling the cards. What you have actually
accomplished is set the cards up ready to have the selections produced.
Once your spectator is done shuffling, have them hold the cards in the
palm of their hand, face down. Take the face up packet of cards into left
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Biddle grip as you wave the packet over the deck. The hands come
together a moment later and the selections are revealed, chest level as
follows: the hands come together and the packet is turned face down in
left hand Biddle grip. The hands rise to chest level and the hands are
held so the faces of the cards are shown to the audience. The right
fingers peel the King at the face of the packet off deep into the thumb
crotch of the right hand, while the majority of the card is still visible.
The left hand turns its palm away from the audience, so the back of the
packet is facing the audience. The right fingers peel off the new top
card (the face down selection), as the hands separate. The left hand
rotates palm toward the audience again as the right fingers peel of the
second King. This process repeats until there are four face-up Kings and
three face down selections between them. The cards are all held in the
right hand in a fan Fig. 7. Ask the spectators one at a time what their
cards where and strip them one at a time from the fan to reveal them.
Things to make you go HMM…
This routine was developed after performing Paul Cummins’ Another
Sequestered Collectors effect for a number of years as taught on his Up
In Smoke video. I loved the control and the flourish revelation of the
selections employed in the Cummins routine, but had a difficult time
performing it “as is” in the venues I work in. I perform shows where a
table isn’t always present and in stand up situations where the revelation
would be difficult for some to see if performed at waist level. This
routine is the end result in altering the routine to suit my requirements.
The strip out, to the best of my knowledge, is original with me. The
chest height revelation is essentially the same as taught in the Cummins
routine, but given a slightly different look. Now, spectators can view you
and your magic equally, rather than feeling awkward about sneaking
peeks at your bald spot as you look down at your hands.
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