Nash Reloaded– a Tribute –

by Michael J. H. Sorensen

Copy edit by Jason England & othersCover by Amanda Sorensen

Hand Photos by Davied Sorensen

Chaucer’s Dog Press©2005

Other Martin A. Nash products are available atwww.thecharmingcheat.com

including:

Nash Reloaded DVD set – Vol. 1-4Martin A. Nash Live 2004, Lecture DVD

Four Class Acts, Lecture Notes...and much more!

Coming soon from Chaucer’s Dog Press:More Than Sleeving – The Magic of Rocco

Rocco Live 2006, Lecture DVDwww.chaucersdogpress.com

To contact Amanda Sorensen for illustration/design projects email her at illustrator_one@yahoo.com

E-Book First Edition 2005

© 2005 Chaucer’s Dog Press. All rights reserved.Reproduction is strictly prohibited. No part of this publication may be reproduced for storage in a retrieval

system or trasmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording, or otherwise, without theprior written permission of the publisher.

For information, email mike@chaucersdogpress.com.

All material is copyrighted by their respective owners.

"This book is dedicated to Harry Lorayne and Johnny and Pam Thompson, for if itwere not for people like you, people like me could never exist."

Martin A. Nash

"For my beautiful wife, who always gave love and support, even through endless card tricks.For my adorable children, who show me that there is still magic in the world.For my family, who taught me who I am and who I can be.For my wife's family and their constant support.For my friends Michael and Bob and my brother Davied who never let me give up.For Dee… I'm sorry"

Michael J. H. Sorensen

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Message From Martin A. Nash . . . . . . . .iv

Foreward by The Great Tomsoni . . . . . . .v

Introduction by Harry Lorayne . . . . . . .viii

Author’s Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .x

From Dai Vernon . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .xiv

The Effects

The Universal Deal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

The One-Handed Ace Cut . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Pinochle Pinnacle II . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7

Omni-Twist – Revisited . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Fake Centers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19

Caught? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

Super Ace Speller . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .24

C.O.T.M. – Revisited . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .30

The Switch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31

Trapped . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

The Invisible Palm – Revisited . . . . . . .35

Blindfolded Ace Cut . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40

Title Bout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

Any Ace Called For – Revisited . . . . . . 45

The New Mental Topper . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Ambitious Omni . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49

One Step Ahead . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51

The Fan Change . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Out of this … Oh, Who Cares! . . . . . . .55

The Mechanic . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .58

Four and a Little More . . . . . . . . . . . . . .60

Deck Grips . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .72

Essays

How to Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .75

Building Your Character . . . . . . . . . . . . .77

Managing Your Audience . . . . . . . . . . . .80

Putting Together Your Act . . . . . . . . . . . 84

Gambling Demonstrations vs. Card Tricks . .87

Stories From Friends

Bodine Balasco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .90

Paul Harris . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .93

Stephen Minch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .94

Bill Malone . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .97

Jeff Hobson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .98

Mark Wilson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .100

Rocco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103

Jon Racherbaumer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Christina LaVaughn . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108

Jamy Ian Swiss . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .111

Table Of Contents

Robert Lamoreaux . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114

Davied Sorensen . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .116

Danny Archer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .118

Daryl . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119

Mark Haslam . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .120

E. J. Thacker . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122

Carol Marie . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123

Lee Freed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .124

Jason England . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .125

Monte Smith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .127

Paul Green . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128

Jeff McBride and Gaeton Bloom . . . . .129

Tony Clark . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .130

Rick Anderson . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .132

Dustin Stinnett . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135

Tom Mullica . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137

Simon Lovell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .138

Stories

The Book Title . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .141

From LVMI – 2003 to The Magic Castle . .142

M.A.N. and The Charming Cheat . . . .148

The Murray-Hyde Case . . . . . . . . . . . .151

The Ed Balducci Years . . . . . . . . . . . . .153

Memories of The Professor . . . . . . . . .155

The Plastic Eye Fraud . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157

The Planes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159

Nash Poetry

An Ode To A Lady . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .161

Driving School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .162

Life's Four Seasons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .163

Secrets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165

The Magician . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .166

Sleights

The Second Deal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .168

The Center Deal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172

The Bottom Deal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .174

The Nash Multiple Shift . . . . . . . . . . . .176

The Faro Shuffle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .179

Infinity and Reverse Infinity . . . . . . . .180

The Side Steal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .185

Gambler’s Cop with a Fan Cover . . . . .186

The Second Deal Force . . . . . . . . . . . .188

The Tabled Faro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .189

The Zero Zarrow . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190

In Closing . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .191

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iv

This book is made up of variations of my material that I havepublished over the years.

Card magic can only advance when others put their ideas and"twists" on older material. Mike has compiled many of his ownvariations as well as others to create new methods as well as ideas tomy material.

The ideas on presentation etc. are of course mime, but the "cardchanges" per se are done with my approval.

Sincerely,Martin A. Nash

From the M.A.N.

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FOREWARD

I first met Martin Nash in Chicago at Magic Inc. in 1969 in the company of Jay Marshall and

Jon Racherbaumer. Martin looked every bit the part of a professional card cheat, complete with sallow

complexion, slicked-backed hair, pencil-thin mustache and the prerequisite diamond pinky ring. I had

seen his gambling lecture the night before and was particularly interested in his uncanny ability to

read "juice," a rather sophisticated card marking technique that is, under optimum conditions, most

difficult to see. I asked Martin about this and he graciously gave us an incredible demonstration of his

ability that ended up with Jon and I standing outside Jay's shop while Martin remained inside, some

twenty feet away, reading the juiced cards we held up through the store's front window. Needless to

say we were extremely impressed!

My next encounter with Martin occurred in Las Vegas, some six years later. Martin had

changed. His complexion was vibrant and his slicked-back hair replaced by a more contemporary

hairstyle. His nails were expertly manicured and his dress and demeanor quite theatrical. He had, over

the years, transformed himself from his earlier grifter's image into that of the suave gambling demon-

strating entertainer we now know as, Martin Nash, "The Charming Cheat."

Martin's ability to amaze and entertain audiences with a gambling-themed act is truly remark-

able. Both John Scarne and Frank Garcia made their reputations as gambling experts, but Martin, in

my opinion, was the first to actually develop a highly commercial close-up act based entirely on gam-

bling related material. He has a natural talent for taking magic effects and turning them into interest-

ing gambling-themed routines. A perfect example is his dice stacking routine, a magic effect that I

couldn't possibly imagine being altered in any way to fit a gambling-theme.

Marty's routine begins with a short discussion concerning various dice games and their rules,

eventually leading into a discussion concerning a rather unusual game played in bars in and around

British Columbia, Canada. He explains that the game is played with four dice and a dice cup. The

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object of the game being to roll the dice, tally up the numbers contained on each die’s upper surface,

and the player with the lowest total wins. Martin demonstrates by tossing the dice into the cup, shak-

ing it, and rolling the dice to show a random total. After a few throws he relates a tale of his playing

this game, head to head, with a high stakes player. In the tale the player rolls the dice for a combined

total of seven. Martin sets the scene by lining up the four dice in a row, turning and adjusting the dice

until their combined top surfaces total seven. Martin relates how he, acting somewhat naive and unfa-

miliar with the rules, quizzed the player, saying, "Let me see if I understand this correctly. In order for

me to win I have to roll a number lower than seven and that number's determined by what's on top of

my dice. Is that correct?" The player nods in agreement and Martin, using the inverted dice cup, starts

into the routine by picking off the individual cubes in the prescribed manner for stacking. He shakes

the cup, slides it across his working surface and raising it, reveals the dice, stacked one on top of the

other with a six showing on top of the uppermost die. Martin, pointing to the six, says, "Six! I believe

I win." This surprise scam-like payoff always creates a sure-fire audience reaction. Marty follows with

some dice stacking demonstrations that lead into his predicting what number will appear on the upper-

most die and concludes with the production of an oversized die from beneath the inverted cup a la Dai

Vernon.

Martin developed his Infinity Principle during a stay at my home in Southern California.

Marty's work on this crimping technique is excellent. The crimp cannot be seen from any angle, it can

be put in instantly under close scrutiny and it will hold for about ten to fifteen minutes. Of course you

can always extend that time frame by reapplying the work at any time. It's the perfect crimp for table

work and I can vouch for it cause it's the one that I use.

Marty has developed some interesting moves for table work. Outstanding is his tabled multiple

shift which is capable of bringing the shifted cards to either the top or the bottom of the deck. He's

also one of the few magicians that I have known who is capable of executing a perfect Tabled Faro

Shuffle. I've seen several magicians butt shuffle the cards on a table, but in Martin's hands his faro has

the look of a Tabled Riffle-Shuffle.

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Martin's greatest asset is, without a doubt, his ability to routine material. Ovation is a prime

example; a gambling-themed routine that is act-like in structure and builds to a very powerful finish.

A finish, I might add, that always afforded Martin a standing ovation whenever he performed it at The

Magic Castle. There is much to be learned from his routines, especially with an eye towards structure.

I've known Martin for over thirty-five years and have had the pleasure of witnessing a great

many of his performances first hand and I can personally attest to the impact and commercial value of

the material contained in this book. You, the reader, are in for a treat as you peruse a lifetime of per-

formance material, gambling moves, magical anecdotes and musings that are, part and parcel, The

M. A. N., Martin A. Nash. And the tricks aren't bad either!

Johnny Thompson

p.k.a. The Great Tomsoni

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INTRODUCTION

The very first issue of Apocalypse saw the light of day over a quarter of a century ago, inJanuary of 1978. On page 12 of that first issue is a box at the upper right in which I wrote the follow-ing:

"Martin Nash did some card stuff for me when we had a 'to 4 a.m.' session in Vancouver,Canada. I knew Martin many years ago. As a matter of fact, he told me that it was because of me thathe made cards his career. (I think he was thanking me! I'm kidding – he was.) Well, I gotta' tell youthat he fooled me with his seconds, middles, fifths, riffle shuffles, etc. That's right, I said FIFTHS. Heplaces the four aces on top, then asks how many cards he should deal. I said 'four.' He dealt four cardsfrom the top. The aces were still on top! I don't remember seeing a better Second Deal. He had to doit face up to make me (really) believe that he was doing seconds. He told me (that) he'd put threethousand hours into learning (perfecting) it."

That's what I wrote back in 1978. I have to go back even another decade and a half in order toexplain what and how I had anything to do with Martin making card magic his career. It was 1963.My first book on card magic had appeared on the scene in October of 1962. Because of that book(Close-Up Card Magic) I started to do quite a few lectures for magicians. I couldn't accept all theoffers because I was very busy doing appearances for the "public" with my memory work. Anyway,here's the story Martin told me, and has been telling others all through the years. It seems that he andhis wife were at a magic convention, a friend said to Martin:

"Have you seen this guy, Harry Lorayne, lecture on cards?"Martin: “No; all these card lectures are a bore.”Friend: “Listen, take my word for it – go in and watch this guy.”Martin: “Oh, okay.”

***Now, as Martin tells it: "I watched the lecture. Then, ran to my wife, and said, 'I just saw that it

is possible – you can ENTERTAIN with a deck of cards!!'" And a career began. Skip a few years.Now, I'm at a magic convention and Martin is lecturing. He and I are having a drink at the bar. Hesays, "You're not going to attend my lecture are you, Harry?" "Well, of course I am. Why?" "Oh, thiswill be very embarrassing." He says. “You're going to see your tricks, and you're going to hear yourpatter – word for word." "That's okay, Martin, as long as you do it all right, I don't mind; I'll bepleased." He certainly did it all right. He blew me away doing my own stuff and speaking my ownwords.

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But, fast forward back to 1978 – the sleepless night in Vancouver. (I was on a book promotiontour and had an appearance on a drive-time radio show at 8 a.m. that morning.) I kicked Martin out ofmy hotel room at 4 a.m.! He was simply intriguing and fascinating and fooling me with his card work– which was no longer my stuff. Sure, Martin does some of my things to this day, and that's fine withme. But his stuff – Wow! Listen, it's gratifying that through the years, since 1962, I've heard, beentold, that

a) I've started certain concepts in card magic;b) that I've started so many people in magic, andc) that I've changed lives.

Well, sure, it is gratifying. But I have to tell you that my usual reply to either a, b or c is, "Ireally don't know whether I want to take the credit or the blame!" Well, in this case, when it comes toMartin Nash, I'll more than gladly accept the credit. Talk about "gratifying.” How gratifying it is forme to have had anything at all to do with pushing Martin Nash into a card-work career, in beinginstrumental in having the magic world see and read him, and learn from him. I'm so proud of Martinand of his work. Read on – you will be, too.

HARRY LORAYNE

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From The Author…Just Imagine…

Friday Night. You're driving down the road with a smile on your face. You've just collectedyour paycheck from work, and you’re feeling lucky. Charlie, from the office, dropped word to youthat every Friday night, some of the guys from around town get together for a game of poker. As youpull up to the club, the sense of excitement mounts as you think, "This is going to be the night I takethem for everything they've got.” You know cards well, and are no slouch when it comes to handling atable of suckers.

As you walk into the back room, the thick fog of smoke filling the air overwhelms you. Youlook around, and notice Charlie. Sitting next to him is Frank, an old acquaintance of his. There are acouple of guys that you used to see down at the pool hall, and a beautiful blonde in a sleek blackdress. You sit down next to Charlie when the door opens again. A stranger with dark glasses and amoustache walks in, sits down at the table, lays down some scratch and asks for a stack. You notice arather impressive three-dollar coin in a ring on his right ring finger and a 2½ carat diamond ring onhis left! On his wrist sits a handsome bracelet displaying the four suits, Spades, Hearts, Diamonds,and Clubs. This guy means business. You begin to get a knot in the pit of your stomach, yet you smileto yourself with a pleasant satisfaction that your stack of chips is larger than his. Polite nods areexchanged around the table and the game begins.

After several hands of five card draw, you realize that the leader of the pack so far has been thestranger. Over the next couple of hours, the game switches to Stud, seven card, and even a couple ofrounds of Texas Hold'em. You look down at your dwindling stack and wonder to yourself where ladyluck is. You look across the table and see her sitting on top of the stranger's now impressive pile ofchips. You wish he'd take off those dark glasses so you could get a better look at him.

The evening comes to a close, and you are in financial agony. You have a whole two bucks left,barely enough to buy a cup of coffee. You look down at the two whites in front of you and wonderhow you got to this point. The stranger stands as he nods to the PB for some help with his chips, andwith a smile reminiscent of the cheshier cat's grin, he says "Thank you" and begins to walk out. Youstand with all of the dignity you can muster and look at him, "What's your name?" He finally looksover the edge of his glasses at you, and after a pause says, "Martin.” The evening feels almost anti-cli-mactic. You sit down and wonder how your going to tell this to your loved one, and you wonderwhether or not you'll even have a couch to sleep on for the next month.

Congratulations, you've just been taken by Martin A. Nash, The Charming Cheat!

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The preceding is a fiction; Martin cheats honestly, whatever that means.

"Welcome to the show ladies and gentlemen…."

Martin A. Nash is said to be one of the best. It is said that his mastery of cards that has spannedover half a century is unparalleled by any in the profession. These statements are not brags or exag-gerations. They happen to be absolutely true. He has won a plethora of awards including The MagicCastle's close-up magician of the year twice, the Performing Fellowship Award, and the LVMILifetime Achievement Award. Those of you familiar with his work know that he has an uncanny rap-port with a deck of cards. He has developed the ability to manipulate the cards purely by feel. Even ifyou are not familiar with the man, I promise you that if you are at least a moderate card worker, youhave come in contact with his technique. Items such at the Nash Multiple Shift and The Tabled Faroare some of the gems that he helped pioneer. He and his magic are truly one of a kind.

I began my study of Martin's work over ten years ago. I was privileged enough to work for atime at the local magic shop, where the old boss let me watch a tape of "The Charming Cheat.”Immediately, I became hooked. His methods of routining and presentation were unlike anything I hadseen before. At the time, I had become a victim of the classic "Video Magician" syndrome. I waswatching tapes and then going out and performing the same stuff verbatim without ever really learn-ing a lot of the more important aspects of card work like how to routine, how to invent, how to buildyour own work. Now, here was a guy who not only did great effects, but he taught technique. Hetaught audience interaction. He taught the things that a studying magician really needs. My magicimmediately began to change. Over the next few years, I began to study Martin's work. His gamblingtechnique immediately began to get results for me. I would use his techniques and ideas to fashionsets that had a unique impact. Audiences began to very much enjoy the routines. I found that peopleseemed to react well to gambling work.

A few years ago, I had decided to do a show that heavily involved Martin and his work, so Ibegan a long and winding road of trying to contact him. I tried several different magic organizations.No luck. I tried to find him on the Internet, but I found little to nothing that talked about him except tosell his products. This did me no good as I already had everything that they were peddling. My frus-tration began to mount. I posted messages on every Internet message board that I could find, andchecked them daily. Nothing. I began to feel that I was fighting a losing battle. Then, one day, I waschecking on all of the message posts that I had sent out, and my heart began to race. There it was, areply. Not just any reply though, it was from Martin, and he had given me his email address! I was, atthis point, still skeptical. After all, this could be a hoax. It had happened to me once before. So, Iemailed him. Within about six minutes, I heard the familiar chime on my computer that tells me I

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have mail. For a brief moment, I felt like I was going to be sick! I opened the email and to my heartsdelight, it was from him. "Mike, this is Martin. I'd be happy to help in any way I can. Email me.Friend, Martin" I didn't sleep at all that night.

Over the next few weeks, Martin and I struck up a friendship. He gave me the opportunity tointerview him over the phone. I was initially expecting a quick fifteen minute interview, but he gener-ously gave me over two hours. He shared stories and memories with me that I was greatly honored tohear. It is my honor to present to you some of those stories along with many others. After this bookproject began, Martin suggested that I contact a few of his friends. I was open to that, and I asked himwho he had in mind. "Do you have a pen and paper ready?" He then began to rattle off the names andcontact information of people whom I had admired since I was a wee rabbit puller. Just imagine for amoment that you're a painter, and you get a call from Leonardo Da Vinci. He then proceeds to tell youto call Michelangelo, Monet, Picasso, and others. Now you have a brief inkling of how I felt duringthis conversation. The one whom I was the most nervous to just call right out of the blue was HarryLorayne. Not only is he one of the greatest entertainers/teachers/writers in the business, but every sin-gle person in card magic knows his name and speaks it with a kind of reverence. As I dialed his num-ber, my hands were shaking. Then I hear, "This is Harry Lorayne…" and I'm expecting some sillymessage about the beep. I mean, famous people don't actually answer the phone, do they? Then therewas a pause. I was wondering if his machine had suddenly broken. Then it hit me, it wasn't hismachine. So there I sit like an idiot and finally my slush brain told me that I was able to speak. "HiMister Lorayne. This is Mike Sorensen from Salt Lake. I'm a friend of Martin Nash…" and it went onfrom there. It was a similar sensation when I spoke to Johnny Thompson, and some of the othernames that grace these pages.

I hope that you get as much from these pages as I am in writing them. Many of the effects aremy own creations based on Martin's work. Others are the product of some of the best new minds inthe business. Some are unfinished Nash symphonies that have now been concluded, while others areNash originals that have been all but lost for decades. I have included a section on sleights that I feelare necessary for not only Martin's work, but for anyone studying crooked gambling in general. I havetried to be as precise as possible with their workings. If you have versions of these sleights that youare more comfortable with or that fit your style and ability better, by all means, feel free to use them. Ijust wanted this book to be as complete as possible. Have you ever been working on something out ofa book or tape and the infuriating words came up, "There is a lot of material out there about this soI'm not going to cover it here…" It drives me mad when I run into that. What if you don't know thesleight, or you don't have even a sliver of the "volumes" in existence? What then? I don't want you tohave to go through that, so I've tried to make it as complete as possible. There are a few things thati’m going to assume that you know, but I’ve tried to include all of the tough stuff.

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Martin's techniques are some of the finest ever in the field of gambling and card work. Histapes and books take a place of honor in my own library next to Erdnase, Buckley and Vernon. Someof these effects are simple, and some of them are very challenging. I personally feel that an effect thatis challenging is an effect that is worth it. Dai Vernon used to say that if he saw a trick that said itcould be done in two minutes by anyone with no sleight of hand, he wouldn't even bother with it. Iwill tell you now, if you don't like to practice, put this book away and get some flashy video with bigmetallic letters and lots of stars on it. For that matter, if you don't like to practice, get out of this busi-ness. Go skateboard, or sit in front of a video game for hours on end. Go collect stamps. This worktakes work. If you think it's too hard, then welcome to the real world of card magic. The hard is whatmakes it worth it. If it were easy, everyone would do it.

Nash's work is above all, satisfying. Sitting down and doing some of these routines in front ofan audience, and doing them well will convince you that it was worth it. I hope also that you will takeaway from this book, not only effects, but some of the underlying principles in card and gamblingmagic that Martin is so well known for, but above all, I hope you have fun. I sure have.

So, what are you waiting for? Go get a deck of blue-backed Bicycles, a big close-up mat, somemunchies, a seriously big beverage, and let's get to work.

xiv

.

TheEffects

They call 'em fingers, but I've never seen 'em fing!"~Otto, The Simpsons~

The Universal Deal

This effect has an interesting story behind it. I have always loved Martin's effect entitled “AsYou Like It” which is a center dealing routine where you do in fact deal right out of the center. As youwill notice, there is a revisited version of that effect later in the book. After playing with it for sometime now, I have come up with a radical new turn in the mechanics.

I have two fairly weak points in card work, my bottoms, and my centers. They would flystraight past the uninitiated layman, but to the trained eye, the tells are painfully obvious. When I exe-cute a center or a bottom, I will, at times, flash by dropping my middle finger just a bit. This is knownas a “flash,” or a "float," I decided that this tell was detrimental to the center dealing effect. Now, Ihave never given up practicing the sleight to smooth it out, but I did find a way to accomplish thesame effect without the use of a center. I employ what I feel to be one of my stronger bullets in thecard sharp gun, The Second Deal.

EFFECT: The performer loses the aces into the deck and hands it out for shuffling. After it istaken back, he immediately asks any spectator to name any ace. He then asks for a number of handsto be called out. After this is done, without the aid of kicks or breaks, the performer cleanly and open-ly deals that number of cards to the table, and turns the next card over to show the requested ace. Thepack is picked up, shuffled, and the same thing is repeated until all four aces have been fairly andopenly found.

SLEIGHTS: The Second Deal, The Nash Multiple Shift, The Top Palm, The Overhand Shuffle,The Riffle-Shuffle Packet Transfer.

METHOD: The explanation for this one isn't going to be overly long. Once the sleights areunderstood, the effect is fairly straightforward. The aces are taken out and placed in any memorableorder. I often use the ever-popular CHSD order. These cards are placed face down into different partsof the deck in preparation for the Nash multiple shift. Once the shift is completed, the aces will be on

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top in CHSD from the top down (fig.1). After a quickUp-The-Ladder Cut, you palm off the top four cardsand hand the deck out for a shuffle. Take the deck back,adding the aces on top, and set the deck in front of you.

It will be clearly visible to the spectators at thispoint that there are no breaks, kicks, or crimps. Ask aspectator to name any of the four aces. For example,let's say they choose spades. If you remember, thespade is the third from the top. Now you ask them to name a number ofhands. You need them to say a number greater than three. You'll see why in a minute. The best way todo this is through simple psychological subterfuge. You can say something like, "What number doyou want to see it at? Four, five, six, you name it." They will almost always say somewhere betweenfive and ten. If they say less than three, just say, "Give me a more challenging number, something alittle higher." Once they give you a number, you're set, but you have a little thinking to do. Let's saythey said seven. You know that the spade is in the third position. You now must do a combination ofTop Deals and Second Deals to get to it. In the example, you would deal a top, top, second, second,second, second, and on seven, take the top and turn it over to show the spade. Set it off to the side andplace the remainder of the pack onto the dealt cards.

You now have an interesting position that you need to deal with. Because of the dealing, yourremaining aces are now reversed on the bottom of the deck. You have a couple of ways out of this.METHOD 1: you can simply do an overhand shuffle, which will bring the cards back to the top andput them back in order. METHOD 2: You can do a Packet Transfer Riffle-Shuffle which is explainedelsewhere in the book. This will also bring the cards back to the top, but you'll have to remember thatthe cards will now be in reversed order from what they were.

After either of the above shuffles, you'll now be backin position to do the same thing over again. The process issimply repeated for the remaining three aces. (fig.2)

NOTES: This effect has some pros and cons com-pared to the original. A major con is that you can't do theeffect face up. That would expose the method. A doublemajor pro is that it doesn't use the same kick out as the otherwhich is good for those of us with "floating fingers.”

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fig. 1

fig. 2

I'm a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work the more I have of it.~Thomas Jefferson~

The One-Handed Ace Cut

This is one of my favorite quickie routines. It's not hard, yet it delivers great impact. The effectis based on Dai Vernon's old one-handed ace cut routine, but this one has been rearranged. The acesare all lost in the deck at the start rather than one at a time.

EFFECT: The performer loses the aces into the deck and then proceeds to cut to them with onehand both face up and face down.

SLEIGHTS: Pull-Through False Shuffle, Up-The-Ladder Cut, Faro Shuffle, One-Handed SlipCut (explained in the effect)

METHOD: This effect requires a setup, but it's simple and you do it in front of your audienceas you perform the effect. Start by pulling out the four aces from the deck. Place them in "Bridge" oralphabetical order. Meaning, from the face, spades, hearts, diamonds and clubs. Place them on thetable. You now use any method you so wish to bring any high even numbered spot card to the top ofthe deck, either a six, an eight, or a ten. The method isn't important, just do it. I simply run throughthe deck and cut one to the top. If you do it in the sense of "fiddling" with the deck, the audiencedoesn't care. Now you need to thumb count and get a pinky break below a number of cards equal tohalf the value of the even card you have on top. So if it's aten, you get a break below five. If it's a six, you get a breakbelow three, and so on. Let's say, for example, that it's aneight on top. You get a pinky break below four. You nowpick up the aces and place them face up on top of the deck,but use your thumb to hold a break between them and thecards you are holding a break below. Pick up at the lowerbreak. Use your left thumb to slide off the ace of spades anduse the packet to lever it face down onto the deck.(fig.1) Asyou do this, drop the cards below the thumb break onto the

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fig. 1

ace. You now lever the other three aces one at a time face down onto the deck. Give the deck a Pull-Through False Shuffle, and an Up-The-Ladder Cut. You must now give the deck one perfect In-Faro.Ask a spectator to look carefully at it to make sure that it is indeed a fair and honest shuffle. Once thatis done, simply run two cards from the top to the bottom of the deck reversing their order in theprocess.

Your set-up should now be this. On the face, there should be an indifferent card followed bythe ace of clubs. From the top it should be; an indifferent card, the ace of diamonds, an indifferentcard, the ace of hearts, an indifferent card, the even numbered spot card you put on the top in thebeginning, and that number down should be the ace of spades.(fig.2) Now comes the fun part. Tell the

audience that you are going to cut to the aces, but you haveto do it one-handed. Show the top card of the deck so theysee it's not an ace. Flash the bottom card, no ace. Hold thedeck in a right-handed Biddle Grip. With your right indexfinger, kick cut the top half of the pack to the left about aninch. Now place your index finger onto the top card andgive the deck a tossing motion to the left. The entire tophalf of the pack will fly into your left hand except for thetop card, which was held in place by your finger. (fig.3)

Your right hand places its packet off to the right, squaring it as you set it down. The left hand squaresthe packet it's holding. Take off the top card of this packetand show the ace of diamonds. Toss it forward and put thepacket you're holding on top of the packet to the right.You now repeat the process to show the ace of hearts.

Now turn the deck face up. State that people some-times make you cut to the card face up. Get a break belowthe top two cards. Now use your right fingers to holdthem as one as you fan over several cards to show no aceon the bottom. The ace of clubs is the second card down. Square the packetand use the left fingers to fan over a few cards from the bottom to show no ace there. You now do thecut from the face and the ace of clubs will immediately come into view. (fig.4) Toss it off and placethe left packet back onto the right.

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fig. 2

fig. 3

You now turn the deck back over and state that you'llnot cut to the last ace, but instead, you'll cut to the onlycard in the deck that will indicate the location of the lastace. Do a quick Up-The-Ladder Cut to confuse and solidi-fy the issue. Now, do the cut maneuver and place the righthand packet away. Turn over the top card in the left handto show your even numbered card. (fig.5) Thumb toss itdown onto thetable, and begin

to toss off that number of cards. On the last card, toss it ontoyour right hand face down and say, "Would you care to makea small wager?" Pause for a moment and snap over the cardto show the ace of spades. (fig.6)

NOTES: This one is fast and furious. I tend to use it as anopener. It's a good show of skill that will keep the audience onits toes. Have fun with it, but let it maintain the feeling of whois boss. Often, I'll open by losing the aces into the deck, multi-ple shifting them to the top, palming them off, letting the audi-ence shuffle, and then adding them back as I do the final setup.It blows their minds!

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fig. 4

fig. 5

fig. 6

Gambling: The sure way of getting nothing from something.~Wilson Mizner~

Pinochle Pinnacle II

This is a great accomplishment by my brother Davied. I must state here how proud I am of himfor not only his great work in the field of cards, but also for his persistence and ability to pull this oneout of his …. astounding mind. Several years ago, I introduced him to the parent of this effect calledPinochle Pinnacle. He was instantly addicted. Now my brother is one of those people who is not con-tent with just doing an effect "as-is.” Like many of us, he must change and improve. The originaleffect called for an in-the-hands Mexican Turnover. Dave found the move to be not to his liking, andthus changed it to a bottom deal from a Biddle Grip. Interesting, but still a difficult move to executesmoothly. I'll never forget the night that the both of us were on a conference call to Martin from ahotel room in downtown Salt Lake. Dave explained the whole thing to Martin along with the newmove. I watched as Dave got a look on his face as if they had just canceled Fat Tuesday. It turns outthat Martin used to use that same move several decades ago, but abandoned it in favor of the MexicanTurnover due to the sleight’s relative choppiness. Dave was pissed.

Fast forward to now. Several weeks ago, I was discussing with Dave the possibility of revisit-ing the effect for the purposes of this book. Of course, the old one that he did wasn't going to work, soI put forward a challenge to him. "I want you to redesign the effect from the ground up so that it isrelatively the same, but I want the effect to end clean. I want the cards to be examinable at the end."Dave threatened me with severe bodily harm if I gave him a hint as to how to do it.

In the original effect, four cards were shown as the concept of a Pinochle deck was explained.The cards were then shown to be two Jack of Spades, and two Queen of hearts. They were thenshown to infact be four jacks! They were then shown to instead be four queens! Now after showingtwo jacks, two queens, four jacks and four queens, they transformed into four aces!

The effect was wonderful in that only four cards were used. This created the con of the cardsnot being clean at the end. You in fact had one queen, one jack, and two different aces. The other

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problem was that at the end of the effect, the two aces were shown twice and passed off as four differ-ent aces. Martin, along with many other card men, was able to do the effect flawlessly and verydeceptively, yet Dave and I still felt there was something lacking.

Two weeks after I presented the "end clean" challenge to Dave, I got a frantic phone call. "I didit!" I rushed over to his apartment and found that he had indeed managed to revamp the effect to meetthe challenge. The con is that it uses two extra cards, but the pros are that it eliminates all the consfrom the original effect. I hope that you enjoy performing it, or if you feel that it doesn't meet yourneeds, that it may at least spark an inventive streak so that you can fashion it to be your own.

EFFECT: The performer takes out a packet of four cards and explains the strange properties ofa Pinochle deck, and how it has the nine through ace of each suit repeated twice. He explains thatbecause of this oddity that it would not be unusual to find two Jack of Clubs, or two Queen of Heartsin a deck. He then shows two of the cards to be Jacks and the other two to be queens. He thenexplains that where the weirdness starts is when you find four Jack of clubs. He then shows the fourcards have all become the Jack of Clubs. He then shows a further strangeness in that the four cardshave all become the Queen of Hearts. "Now, I've shown you two jacks, two queens, four jacks andfour queens. So, explain this!" he then shows that the four cards have become the four aces!

SLEIGHTS: You will need to master double, triple, quadruple, and quintuple lifts from boththe top and bottom of the pack. You will also need to do a move that we will call the "BiddleBottom.”

Let's go over the Biddle Bottom in order to make the methods explanation easier. I will covertwo variations that I have found suitable. Choose whichever is more comfortable for you. For practicesake, use two cards that are held in left-hand dealing position. METHOD 1: Your starting positionshould be thus, the cards are in left hand dealing position.(fig.1) The right middle finger is on the upper right corner ofthe cards while the right thumb is on the lower right corner.You get hold of the top card and turn it over by sliding it tothe right and levering it over. (fig.2) You now repeat themove to turn it back over, but as your right fingers cometoward the left to drop the card, the right thumb and pinkycontact the lower left and upper right corners of the lowercard respectively. (fig.3) The left thumb rests across the back

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fig. 1

of the upper card as the right hand strips away the lower card.This action must be done smoothly for it to be deceptive. Themisdirection of patter will also help to cover it. METHOD 2:This method is almost identical except for the end. When youturn the card (or cards) back over, let it drop and release theright hand’s grip fora split second. Theleft pinky then kicksout the bottom cardas in a bottom deal.

The right hand immediately reinstates its grip on the bottomcard and strips it out.

Both of these methods should be made to look as ifyou're simply sliding off the top card.

METHOD: The packet is six cards thick so use proper misdirection in performance and watchyour angles. The packet should be set up thus, from top to face, QH, JC, and the four aces in anyorder. Show four cards by holding the packet in the right hand. The middle finger is on the top rightand the thumb at the bottom right (Biddle Grip).Use the left thumb to strip off the top card into theleft hand. Then the next one slightly jogged to the right. The next one the same, and then rest the finalthree cards as one on top of the fan. (fig.4) Close it up and take it into left hand dealing position.Using the turnover method described above, turn over thetop five cards as one showing a jack. Turn the five backover and deal off the top card. You now do a four card turnover from the bottom by transferring the packet back toright hand Biddle Grip, use the left thumb to strip off thetop card, and now the bottom four can be levered face upto the top with the right hand. This will now show a queen.As you turn the packet of four back over, you now do theBiddle Bottom as described above. That card is placed ontop of the other tabled card but jogged slightly to the left.You now do a triple lift to show a jack. Turn it back over and deal off the top card onto the others inthe same jogged fashion. You now grasp the remaining packet in the right hands with the thumb at thelower left corner and the ring finger at the upper right. Rotate the packet in your fingers as if they

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fig. 2

fig. 3

fig. 4

were one. The audience will believe that this is a second queen. Use this packet to scoop up the tabledcards. You have supposedly just shown the audience a Jack of Clubs, followed by a Queen of Hearts,then another Jack of clubs, and another Queen of Hearts.

Position Check: from the face, you should have QH,JC, and the four aces. (fig.5)

You are now going to show four JC's. Holding thepacket face down in dealing position, turn over five cards asone to show a jack. Turn the quintuple back over and deal thetop card down to the table. Do a four-card turnover to showthe jack. Turn the quadruple back over and deal the top cardonto the other. Do a triple to show a third jack. Turn it backover and Biddle Bottom the bottom card on to the others. Younow rotate the remaining packet to show a forth jack. Place the packet face down onto the other cards.

Position Check: from the face, you should have ace, ace, QH, JC, ace and ace. (fig.6)

You will now show the cards to be four queens. Hold thepacket face down in left hand dealing position and get abreak below the bottom two cards. You now do a quadruplelift to show a queen. Turn it back over and do a BiddleBottom of the bottom two cards that you have a break above.These are taken as one and set on the table. Hold them cornerto corner and bow them slightly. Use the nail of your indexfinger to push the double against the table as you let go of thecorners. If you lift the nail straight off the double, they won't

split. You now do a triple from the bottom to show another queen. Turn it back over and deal the topcard onto the tabled double. Do a Double Lift to show another queen. Turn it back over and BiddleBottom the bottom card onto the table with the others. You now rotate the remaining double to show aqueen. Use it to scoop up the tabled cards.

Position Check: from the face, you should have QH, JC, and the four aces.(fig.7)

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fig. 5

fig. 6

Now, for the finale. Hold the packet face down in theleft hand. "I've shown you two jacks, two queens, four jacks,and four queens all with just these four cards." As you're say-ing this, get a break below the bottom two cards andGambler’s Cop them out. Fan the remaining four cards withthe faces towards yourself. (fig.8) If, at this point, you see aface card staring at you, you might want to excuse yourselffor a bathroom break and fix the situation before proceeding.You now proudly state, "Explain this!" Now toss the four

aces out onto thetable for everyone to examine.

NOTES: Neither Dave nor I claim this to be a superior ver-sion to the original. It's just a new way of doing it. I include ithere with all due respect to Martin and any other people thathave been involved with the history of the effect.

Quick note on this one, the addition of two extra cards makes some of the multiple turnoversseem daunting, but just keep the packet tilted towards the audience. Keep things smooth, and all ofthe work will come together nicely.

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fig. 7

fig. 8

In a bet there is a fool and a thief.~Proverb~

Omni-Twist RevisitedIncluding the Davied Enhancement Principle

This is a great effect! If emotion could be seen in regular text form, you'd know of the excite-ment and volume I attach to that phrase. The first time I actually saw Martin perform live was at the2003 LVMI in Las Vegas. Omni-Twist was the effect that I witnessed. I hadn't seen it before, but Iwas immediately intrigued. It’s based on “Twisting the Aces” by Dai Vernon. I had been performingthat effect for several years, but when I saw Omni-Twist, I had to have it. I spoke to Martin about itseveral times, but the instructions were too complex to convey over the phone. After a long hardsearch, I was finally able to track it down.

It started out back in one of Martin's old sets of lecture notes. Jon Racherbaumer then got ahold of it and modernized it. It appeared in his book Pet Secrets. It is that version which Martin nowperforms. It is also on his video The Charming Cheat Vol.5 from A-1 Multimedia. If you can track itdown, get it. It's a real pleasure to watch Martin perform it. This is a prime example of his signature"Charm" that has made him a legend.

The version you read here is my new handling. I have streamlined the basics while removingsome moves that were superfluous. I don't claim to have improved it, just streamlined it a bit. At theend of this explanation, I have added an idea of my brother, Daived's that takes this effect into sheerimpossibility. Some of you may do it, or you may just stick with this version. The method is by nomeans easy, but I will make the instructions as concise as possible so that you may get a firm grasp ofthe handling. I will confirm card position as often as necessary so you can check yourself. With somework, I'm convinced that this will become a permanent part of your set. The sleights aren't difficult,it's just the order that can be tough to remember. Stick with me on this one. It will be worth your time.

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EFFECT: The performer takes out the ace, two, three and four of any suit the spectator wishes.A spectator now peeks a card from anywhere in the deck. Now, in classic "twisting the aces" style, theace through four magically turn face up one at a time. They then begin to go face up and down veryvisually. As a finale, the spectator chooses which of the four they want to see flip which it does sever-al times, only to change into the spectators original selection!"

SLEIGHTS: The Riffle Peek, The Side Steal, The Elmsley Count

METHOD: This effect is best done with Bicycles due to the story around it. It does not, how-ever, work with a casino deck. You need a deck that has white borders and isn't chopped at the cor-ners. As I always say, go for Bikes.

Begin by having a spectator select any of the four suits. Go through and openly take out theace, two, three and four of that suit. Put them in the order of four, three, ace and two from the face.Now place them face up on the bottom of the face down deck. You don't need to be secretive aboutthis, you can even spread and show them on the bottom. Now do a Riffle Peek selection with a spec-tator. This is great place to use the "say stop" gag. Hold a break where they say stop. You are nowgoing to kill two birds with one stone. As the effect progresses, you want to draw the spectator's mindaway from that selection. You don't want to have them forget it, but you don't want them to dwell onit. A good way to do this is with this line; "That has absolutely nothing to do with the effect. I just liketo have people feel like they're involved." This also gives youample opportunity to side steal their card to the bottom without them noticing.You now drop at the natural break abovethe face-down four and put the rest of the pack away.

You now have five cards in your hands. The four,three, ace, and two face up, and the selection face down. Theaudience believes that there are only four cards. Hold thecards in the Biddle Style Grip. This is the type of Biddle Gripyou will use from here on out: use the left thumb to strip off the cards, one on top of another, so you'llnow be showing from the face, the two, ace, three and four. The two is a double. Close the packet up,turn it face down, and do an Elmsley Count to show the cards face down. You'll now have the four,the two, the three, and the ace face down, followed by the face up selection. Take the four off the topand show it to the audience. Explain that in order for this effect to work, the four needs to be on thebottom. As you say this, simply turn your left hand face down. Because of the reversed card on the

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fig. 1

bottom, this will go unnoticed. Slowly and openly put the four face down on the bottom of the packet,and then adjust your grip on the packet so it's now in dealer's grip.

Point out the circles on the back of the cards to your audience and give them the following pat-ter. "Have you ever sat up late at night, lights down low, and stared at a pack of playing cards, won-dering why they put those circles on the back? I have, and I know why. Do you believe in reincarna-tion?" This is one of my favorite gag lines. If they say no, answer "That's what you said last time." Ifthey say yes, answer "Welcome back." Then explain, "In my previous life, I wrote to the U.S. PlayingCard Company and asked them to place those circles there so that in my next life, I'd know where toplace my fingers so that I can twist the cards." Place yourthumbs on the circles (fig.2) and "twist" the cards. "Then thiscan happen…" Do an Elmsley Count to show the ace hasturned face up. This is a good time to stare at your spectatorfor a moment and let the moment sink in. You'll occasionallyget a little chuckle, and a little banter may happen. You now"twist" the cards again and do another Elmsley Count, placingthe last card to the bottom, to show the ace has turned downand the two has turned up. Take the two off the top and snapit to show it's normal. "People often ask me what happened to the ace. I say 'Who cares? It turned facedown.'" Place the two face down on the top. "Next is the three." Don't "twist,” just do an ElmsleyCount. The cards will all appear face down. Look at your cards in frustration and then suddenly say,"Oh, I forgot." Now do the "twist" followed by an Elmsley to show the face-up three. Again, the lastcard goes on the bottom.

Get a break above the bottom card and turn all of the cards above it over as one (fig.3) as yousay, "You'll notice that the cards are turning over one at atime. You'll also notice that the two is on the bottom." Turnthe whole packet over and then down again. "I told you thatthe four needed to be on the bottom? Two is half of four, sowe're halfway there. Your packet should now be in the fol-lowing order from the top down; face-down ace, face-up four,face-up selection, face-down three, and face-down two. Nowexplain, "The four is a little different. You don't twist it, youhave to rock it." You now "twist" the packet back and forthfour times as you count to four. You then do an Elmsley to

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fig. 2

fig. 3

show the four has turned face up.

You order should now be: face down ace, face down two, face up four, face up selection, facedown three. "Let's try something different." Hold the packetin dealer's grip. With your right index finger, slide the topcard towards yourself about an inch. With your middle fin-ger, slide the next card towards yourself exposing the four.Now use your middle finger to slide the four forward aboutan inch, and then square up the rest of the cards. (fig.4) Takeout the four and hold it in your right hand in a Biddle Grip.Thumb off the next card and place it underneath the fourjogged to the left a bit so that you now have a two-card fan.Add the three cards as one to the left of the fan and then use

your left fingers to strip out the bottom card (the three), turn itface up and place it back on the bottom of the fan. You shouldnow be showing four cards. (fig.5) The second face down cardshould be a double. Ask the spectator which way the ace andtwo are facing. They will say face down. Now square thepacket and very cleanly turn it over. Ask them which way theace and two are facing now. They will say face up. "Nope!"Do an Elmsley Count to show four face down cards. "We'll doit again." Take the top card (the three) and place it face up onthe bottom. Take the next card (the four) and place it face up

on the top downjogged by an inch. They will see a face down card below the four. Ask, "Which wayare the ace and the two facing?" They will say down. Immediately transfer the cards to a right handBiddle Grip and use the left fingers to fan out the three bottom cards. They will now see the three,ace, two and four face up. Place the four (double) on the bottom of the packet.

Now you say "I'm going to do something special for you. Which card would you like to seeturn over next? The ace, the two, the three, or the four?" If they say ace, two, or three, simply runthrough the packet, take the card out, and place it on the table. If they say four, hold the packet in theright hand Biddle Grip, and use the left fingers to slide the bottom card (their selection) to the rightjust a hair. (fig.6) It will be covered by the right fingers, then you can slide out the four and put it ontothe table. You then place the remainder of the packet onto the tabled card. Let's assume for this expla-nation that they say four. Take it out as described, place it on the table, and put the packet onto it. Pick

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fig. 4

fig. 5

up the packet, make a magical gesture, (I just snap) and thumboff the top three cards into the right hand. You now have adouble in your left hand that they believe is their face downcard. "Let's put it into the middle and do it again." Turn thecards in your right hand face down. Place the double as onebetween the top and second card. (fig.7) Snap and thumb offthe top three cards into the right hand reversing their order.They will now see the four (or whatever card they chose) faceup. Place the double onto the top and square the pack.

There is a discrepancy there in that you supposedly placedtheir card in the second position and now it's in the third.Don't worry, they'll never catch you. You're about to makeanother discrepancy anyway so just go for it.

You now thumb over the top two cards and show them.Place them face up onto the packet. You now transfer to theright hand Biddle Grip and use your left fingers to strip offthe bottom card. Show it and place it face up back on the bot-

tom. Snap one more time. You'll now do the same strip move you used a moment ago. Use the leftfingers to slide the bottom card to the left. Now slide the second to bottom card to the left. It shouldbe the face down selection, but they will think it's the number card they chose, now face down. Placeyour thumb on the top card, strip out the middle two cards as one place them on the top of the fan.Transfer the second card to the right hand under the double so you now are showing two face up cardsin the right hand, and a face up and face down card in the left. (fig.8) Now look at the spectator andsay, "At the beginning of the effect, I had you select a card.Do you remember what it was?" They will name their card."Hmm, That's unfortunate. Sometimes I like to do a readingfor people on the cards they select. That's the only one I can'tdo because it's been here all along." You now use the righthand cards to lever over the face-down card in the left handand show their selected card. (fig.9) You can now put themall together in a fan in the left hand and show the front andback.

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fig. 6

fig. 7

fig. 8

THE DAVIED ENHANCEMENT PRINIPLE: Else-where in this book, I've talked about my brother, Davied. Hehas, what I like to call, a high moisture content. He hasn'tbeen doing cards that long relatively. I've probably got twentyyears up on him. Yet, he seems to have an intuitive flow witha deck that isn't matched in many magical minds. He seems tobe able to look at an effect with a simple creativity that tendsto carry it to the next level. He's constantly full of ideas thatare bursting with potential. While writing this effect, he pre-sented me with an addition that, at first, I was ready to dismiss out of hand. It was too simple. Aftersome thought though, I decided to try the addition with an audience. The added response was wellworth any reservations I may have had. That's what Dave has taught me more than anything else, andthat's the basis of what I'm calling his principle. If you can add something to an effect that will aug-ment it, yet add little or no extra work, why not? Some magicians may feel it's not worth it, but we'renot performing for magicians, we're by and large performing for laymen. That's what matters.Thanks D.

Here is the application of the principle that Davied gave to me for this particular effect. It usesa duplicate card that you will force on the spectator. When the effect begins, have the two duplicatecards on the top. Ask the spectator to choose his suit, just as in the normal effect. Now, as yoursearching through the pack, take the cards out one by one in two, ace, three, four order, and placethem face down underneath the deck. Now, turn the deck face down again. You should have the fourstaring straight at you. Fan the four top cards to show them. Now get a break under the first facedown card as you close the fan. You can now lift off the five-card packet and place it aside. The orderof the cards should be, four, three, ace, two and a face down card. (the duplicate to the one now ontop of the deck) You now need to force the top card in whatever fashion you wish. Just make sure it'sa good one. If the audience suspects a force at all, the effect is bust. You now have the card returned,shuffle the deck, put it aside, pick up the five card packet, and proceed as normal.

This addition may not be right for everyone. Martin Nash would never use a duplicate card.Not if his life depended on it. But, it works for many others. Give it a shot. You may like it too.

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fig. 9

NOTES: Practice this one a lot before you show it to anyone. After you have practiced for awhile, the order of things will stick in your mind. Don't get frustrated if you don't get it right away. Ittook me several months before I remembered the whole thing. This one is well worth your time. It'sstrong, and can be done at a moments notice with no setup. Again, try to use Bicycles because of thestory. In a pinch though, any white-bordered cards will do.

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“Martin Nash is one of the best acts we have here at the Castle...He’s become like family.”

~Milt Larsen~co-founder of The Magic Castle in Hollywood CA.

“If you ain't just a little scared when you enter a casino, you are either very rich or you haven't studied thegames enough.”

~VP Pappy~

Fake Center Deals

This is an effect given to me by Chris Stolz. Chris is proving to be a bright young mind in thefield of card magic. The basis of the effect has been around for decades, but Chris has added flair to itthat I think makes it worthy of being included with Martin Nash's work.

EFFECT: The face-up aces are lost into the deck. The performer then cleanly deals out fourhands of poker with the face-up aces visually being dealt out of the center to complete his hand.

SLEIGHTS: The Nash Multiple Shift, The Faro Shuffle, The Second Deal

METHOD: This one is easier than it sounds. You aregoing to make it appear as if you can deal out of the centerfrom a dead square deck. This is, of course, not the case,but it looks good. Start by talking about marked decks, andhow you will show the audience how it looks to a cheaterwhen he's using one. Lose the face-up aces into the deck.(fig.1) You now control them to the top with a NashMultiple Shift, but you add a face down indifferent card on

top of the aces sothat they can't beseen. After the control, you shouldhave an indifferent card on top with the four aces face-upunderneath it.(fig.2)

You now give the deck two Out Faros. There should now befour indifferent cards on top followed by the aces with threeindifferent cards between each of them. Now comes the fun

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fig. 1

fig. 2

part. Show that the deck is perfectly square with no breaks or bends. You now proceed to deal outfour hands. On the first three, just deal straight from the top, but on yours, do a Second Deal. It willlook as if you've dealt from the center of the deck. (fig.3)

NOTES: Chris had a beautiful idea that I've tried infront of several audiences. Do the effect with the wholedeck face up. It's more visual, and for some reason, it givesyou more credibility when you deal your cards because ofthe top card not changing. Work on a good second for thisone. It's incredibly strong and will make a reputation if it'sdone right.

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fig. 3

Martin & Teller

No wife can endure a gambling husband, unless he is a steady winner.~Thomas Robert Dewar~

"Caught?"

I've been doing this in my professional set for about ten years. It's my version of an old gamblingeffect, but the only problem is that I can't for the life of me remember where I first saw it or what the effecteven was. If anyone recognizes it, please let me know. I'd love to give credit to whom it is due. I acquired thecurrent storyline after a trip with Martin to The Magic Castle in May of 2004. I was watching his set, and forthe first time, I saw him face off with a knock-down, fall-over drunk of a heckler. This guy was bound anddetermined to make Martin's life dificult. Martin slaughtered the guy, but without making an idiot of him. Theguy was doing that just fine on his own. That evening was the basis for the story of the following effect. It'snot the one that Martin actually did that night, but the story fits well.

The best thing about this effect is if you remove the couple of cakewalk sleights, this effect is com-pletely and totally self-working. I am a big fan of the self-working effect. I feel that when most magicians getin front of an audience, they get nervous for one reason, they're afraid they're going to screw up. Dan Harlanonce told me that if you can eliminate that possibility, your performance would be a million times betterbecause you can focus purely on your presentation and on your audience.

With the sleights taken out, the effect is by no means a magician fooler, but that's not our job. We workfor laymen. However, if you add just a couple of little things like the Nash Multiple Shift, this one can goclean past the most seasoned of card workers.

I am going to do the effect and presentation togetherbecause some things are just simple enough as it is.

METHOD AND PRESENTATION: The deck requires aquick setup that can be done beforehand, or you can do it during aLorayne-esque "fiddling with the deck" phase. You need to get anythree of a kind (I use sevens) on top of the deck and then get fiveindifferent cards on top of that. (fig.1) That's it. The rest of the

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fig. 1

effect is a breeze. The story and method follows.

"Last year, I had the honor and privilege of being the guest of Mr. Martin A. Nash at The Magic Castlein Hollywood. As many of you know, when Mr. Nash takes the chair, it's a memorable event. I remember oneevening when I got a little worried that something was going to go wrong. A man had been seated at the close-up table that was obviously going to be trouble. He wasn't just drunk, he was throttled. I guess the host for theevening hadn't noticed. Martin came out and began his performance. After a few minutes, it became apparentthat this guy wanted to catch Martin red-handed, but Martin didn't want to be caught. So, he devised a schemefor putting this guy in his place.

Martin asked the guy if he had ever heard of three-card poker. 'No.' the guy said. 'Well,' Martin contin-ued, 'It's quite simple, but in order to demonstrate, I'm going to need the aces.'" Now, at this point, you caneither run through the deck and remove the aces, or you can simply produce them from any place you maycleverly have them stored. Now, the story continues. "Martinlooked at the guy and said, 'I'm going to place them here on topfor whenever I need them.'" Place the aces face down on top.Now give the deck a false shuffle or cut, maintaining the order,but make it look as if you're doing something shady. "After aquick mix, Martin began to deal the cards. He said to the guy,'Three card poker is just like regular poker but with just threecards.'" As you say this, deal out four hands of three cards. Dealleft to right with you being the fourth player. (fig.2) ”As Martinfinished dealing, the guy blurted out, 'Hey! I saw that, you just stacked the aces to fall into your hand!' 'No myfriend. If you look, you'll see that each of the hands received an ace.'" At this point, show each of the handsone at a time in the reverse order that you dealt them. Put each one back on top of the deck after you've shownit.

You now give the deck a quick false shuffle, and deal them out again in the same fashion as before."As Martin dealt the cards again, the guy stopped him again. 'I caught you this time. You just stacked thoseaces!' Martin smiled at the man. 'Pay attention sir, I'm trying to teach you something.'" Now, show the fourhands again just as before, showing an ace in each hand and then placing it back on top of the deck. “‘Am Igoing too fast for you sir?' Martin asked, 'No it's just that you're watching too slow. We're going to play aquick hand now so that I can see if you've learned anything.'" Give the deck a quick false shuffle and cut. Dealthem out again in exactly the same fashion as before, four hands of three. "The man sat bolt upright in hischair. 'That's it! I definitely saw it this time. Twenty bucks says you stacked those aces into your hand!' By this

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fig. 2

time, Martin was becoming more than a little annoyed with this idiot, so he put his finger down on the table ina gesture showing that he wanted the money on the table now! After the man had laid down the green, Martinput all of the cards off to the side except for his hand." At this point, take the third hand and without showingit, place it face down on top of the deck. Followed by the second hand, and the first one.

"Martin smiled at the man as he thought of how good thisburn was going to feel. 'My friend, I think you'd best stay awayfrom the pasteboards for a spell.' With that, he turned his handup to show the three sevens!" Turn the remaining three cards onthe table face up to show sevens. (fig.3) "The man swore underhis breath as Martin reached for the twenty. He asked, 'Whathappened to the aces?'" At this point, openly take the top fourcards of the deck one at a time and turn them face up to showthe aces. "'I told you my friend, I keep them here on top forwhen I need them later.' The man stormed out of the room towards the bar. A refilling was needed.”

NOTES: Please have fun with this one. I have had audiences screaming at the climax of this effect. Asstated, the effect is basically self-working. Change the patter around to suit your needs. This one may not winyou an IBM award, but your audiences will remember it.

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fig. 3

“The subject of gambling is all encompassing. It combines man's natural play instinct with his desire to knowabout his fate and his future.”

~Franz Rosenthal~Gambling in Islam, 1975

Super Ace Speller

This effect is my handling of an effect by Peter Duffie. Peter is one of the best card minds I have runinto in many years. I highly recommend that you look up his work on the internet, and see what you think.

EFFECT: The aces, from a previous effect or from recent removal, are on the table. They are lost intothe deck as it is handed out for a good solid audience shuffle. The deck is taken back and immediately, withoutany fishy sleight of hand, the aces are found, one by one, by spelling to them.

SLEIGHTS: The Second Deal, The Top Palm, The Nash Multiple Shift, Culling (optional)

METHOD: You need to have a passable Second Deal thatlooks just like your top deal. If it's sub-par, pass this one up fornow and work on your second. If the deals are too different fromeach other, it will arouse suspicion as you start the second ace.

Here's the beef. Either remove the aces, or have them outfrom a previous effect. From top to face, arrange them in SHCD

order. (fig.1) You nowlose the aces into thedeck and by way of the Nash Multiple Shift, or whichever methodyou most prefer, control them back to the top maintaining theirorder. You now talk about making the effect as fair as possible. Asyou do so, top palm off the aces from the top as you're handing thedeck out for a shuffle. (fig.2) After the audience member does this,take the deck back, adding the aces back to the top. You're now setto go.

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fig. 1

fig. 2

You will reveal the aces in the opposite order of the setup,or in DCHS order. On the first ace, diamonds, you begin by deal-ing of the first three cards straight from the top as you spell a-c-e.You now do Second Deals for the rest, o-f-d-i-a-m-o-n-d-s. Younow turn over the next card to, of course, show the ace of dia-monds, (fig.3) and put it off to the side face up. You now take thedealt packet and place it back on top. The sleights are done. Therest of the aces will spell themselves.

The next ace will be the clubs. Just start dealing the cards downone at a time, a-c-e-o-f-c-l-u-b-s. The ace will be the next card afterthe “s.” Place it face-up next to the diamond. Hearts is next. Followthe same pattern. Put the dealt cards onto the top and start spellinga-c-e o-f h-e-a-r-t-s. This time, the ace will be the “s” card. For thespade, same deal. Place the dealt cards on top and spell out, a-c-e-o-f-s-p-a-d-e-s. Again, the ace will be the “s” card. (fig.4) Take abow, you've just gotten a great reaction for doing very little.

NOTES: Again, I implore you to work on your seconds before doing this effect for people. If you havea bad second, you'll get caught, and as we all know in this business, that's just about the worst feeling in theworld. If you're proficient with false dealing, why not throw a bottom deal into the “hearts” deal so that thecard comes out after the final “s” instead of on the “s”? It will also change the “spade” in the same way. Thatway, the actions will be consistent throughout the effect. The bottom could go anywhere in the deal. There isanother way of starting this effect that I use often that requires a somewhat more difficult sleight. It's a greatway to do this effect at a party or anywhere you're standing and don't have a great surface. Take the deck out,or the borrowed deck if that be the case, and state that you're checking to make sure the deck is full."Nothing’s worse than working without a full deck." As you go through the deck face up, cull the aces one at atime to the top. If you're lucky two or more of the aces will be in the proper order. The whole process shouldtake less that a handful of seconds. Palm the aces and hand the deck to them for shuffling. Take it back, addingthe aces back to the top. As you do this, ask a spectator to hold his hands out palm and you can now proceedthe same way, using one hand to deal onto, and the other to rest the aces. I've done this effect for many yearsand have gotten a lot of luck from it. It reminds me of Nash so much because of his insane love of palmingmultiple cards in front of people for extended periods. It's scary but exciting. Have fun with this one.

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fig. 3

fig. 4

“Your best chance to get a Royal Flush in a casino is in the bathroom..”~VP Pappy~

Colors On The March – Revisited

The following is an abbreviated version of Colors on the March. It doesn't, by any stretch ofthe imagination, take the place of the original; I just use it as a quick effect when I'm doing a demon-stration of crooked gambling skills. I recommend study of the original effect so that you can see thestrength of the principle.

EFFECT:After the audience has shuffled the deck, the performer shuffles it and shows it to begenuinely random. He then talks about how a deck can take on a life of its own in the hands of acheat. He demonstrates this by dealing a handful of cards that alternate red and black while talkingabout the mathematical improbability of what they are seeing. He then begins to deal them down inpairs: red, red, black, black, red, red, black, black. He then switches to triples: red, red, red, black,black, black.

After this demonstration of impossibility, he then asks several members of the audience to callout single, double, or triple. The performer matches by dealing the called set throughout the remainderof the deck!

SLEIGHTS: The Faro Shuffle, The Second Deal

PRE-TIPS: It is good to perform this effect with a fresh deck as it does require a perfect FaroShuffle and a good number of Second Deals. It is good to practice this effect with a fresh deck aswell. As discussed elsewhere in this book, it will help a lot with some of the frustration that one canfeel while learning a new effect.

It is an unfortunate human frailty that it is impossible to concentrate on more than any onething at a time. This particular effect requires you to do so anyway. You will have to concentrate onthree different things simultaneously, your patter, your dealing pattern, and your next step. This effectis not to be taken lightly. Do not go into performing it after a couple of run-throughs. You must get tothe point where you can do this without thinking. Once you have mastered the dealing patterns, and

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can do the different steps in your sleep then you'll be able to handle this effect with confidence, andthat's what really makes this effect work.

METHOD: The first thing that needs to be done is the stacking of the deck. You'll need to sep-arate the deck into reds and blacks. (fig.1) This can be accomplished by way of the segregation shuf-fle. If you are unfamiliar with it, then just use any separation method you feel comfortable with. Agreat psychological point is introduced here. Separate the deck in half and have an audience membershuffle each half. This gives the distinct impression in the spectator's minds of true randomness. Younow gather the halves and give the deck a Faro Shuffle, but you need to do it just off flush by onecard so that the top and bottom of the deck have two cardstogether. Square the deck and you're set up. The deck shouldhave two cards on the top of the same color, then alternatingcolors and then two matching colors on the bottom. (fig.2)

Talk about how fair everything has been so far. Turnthe deck face up and ask an audience member to look at thedeck and make sure that it is indeed shuffled, but to pay par-

ticular attention to thefact that there are nolarge groups of cards together as far as color is concerned. Asyou spread through the deck, move your hands together andapart in a quick smooth motion. Push off the cards in groupsand jumbled chunks. In this manner, no one will be able to tellthat the cards are in perfectly alternating order; they will justbelieve that they've seen a randomly mixed deck. The othergreat convincer here is that they will immediately see two cards

together on the face. Combine that with the two together on top and the constantly moving jumble inthe middle, there won't be an audience member in the world who will notice the stack.

Now begins the fun. I like to patter about how a card man who has been working long enoughcan train himself to be able to manipulate a deck simply by the sense of touch. "Out of a deck thatyou shuffled and you examined, this should be impossible." As you are saying this you're going todeal alternating colors face-up. To do this, deal a top, a second, a top, a second and so on. Deal outabout ten cards face-up. Now you pause for a moment and let this sink in. (fig.3)

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fig. 1

fig. 2

Now say, "Let's say I wanted to deal pairs." On the nextrow, you deal out pairs of colors by dealing top, top, top, sec-ond, top, top, top, second. Deal out eight cards on this one.(fig.4)

Pause for a moment. Look at the audience. After amoment say, "Singles, Doubles, …. TRIPLES!" Deal out triples

by dealing top, top,second, top, top, sec-ond. Only do six cards here. You needto save enough for the finale. (fig.5)

"As you see, I can do singles, doubles, triples. Which do youwant?" motion towards the audience in general to let themknow to start calling out what they want. As they do, startdealing out what they

wish using the same dealing pattern as above. When they askfor singles, just deal four cards. Do the same with doubles. Fortriples, deal six. You will soon reach the end of the deck. If youhave an unusable card or two at the end, just nonchalantly tossthem face up onto the pile as you give the final line. (fig.6)"So, as you can see ladies and gentlemen, a deck of cards canbecome a living, breathing thing in the hands of a cheat. Thankyou."

NOTES: As with the original effect, there is one point thatcan and will creep up that you should never fear. Someone, atsome point, will call out "Fours!" In the words of the immortalDouglas Adams, "Don't Panic!" Depending on your intestinalfortitude, you will grow to love this moment. Here is what youdo. Look at the person who called out this challenge that wasobviously designed to screw you up, and deal top, top, second,third, top, top, top second. You then watch the audience's faces.

This is that most coveted moment in any magic show where the audience is con-vinced that you've just plunged head long into a pile of crap, yet you come out smelling like roses.

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fig. 3

fig. 4

fig. 5

fig.6

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Martin Nash performing atthe Renault convention.

“A gambler is nothing but a man who makes his living out of hope.”~William Bolitho~

Control

This is probably one of the quickest and simplest effects in this book. It may seem unworthy ofsome of you, but I've done this in front of some great audiences, and they ate it up. I got the opportu-nity to perform this for Ron McBride, the former coach of the University of Utah football team. Healmost fell off his chair!

EFFECT: Simple enough. The audience member only thinks of a card. They then think of anumber between one and fifty-two. You shuffle while looking straight into their eyes, as if to gleanboth the identity of the card and the selected number. You then ask for their number. You deal down tothat number in the deck to find their thought of card!

SLEIGHTS: The Peek Force, The Side Steal, The Second Deal

METHOD: The method for this one is simple. It's a full application of the DaviedEnhancement Principle I discussed elsewhere. This is an effect that is simple in basis to the point ofperfection. The sleights may not be a cakewalk, but the payoff is worth the practice. Those of youwith card sense have probably already thought it out and done it. That's cool, but I'm going to write itout anyway because the more pages I have in this book, the more I can sell it for.

Start by using the peek force to have a spectator "think" of a card. Side steal it to the top. Youhave them think of a number between one and fifty-two. Shuffle the deck, controlling the top card asyou go. Stare right at them as you do this. Don't waver in the slightest. This will give the audience thesense that something is going on. They're not sure what, but it's always good to get credit for doingsomething other than the painfully obvious.You now have them name their number. Second Deal tothat number and then reveal their card. Simple, I know, but it'll blow them off their barstools if youcan pull it off well enough.

NOTES: Again, this becomes an important issue. You are using three sleights that are very dif-ficult to perform smoothly. If the audience suspects you on anything with this one, you'll blow it.Please get your seconds down, and work on your peek force It makes this one a real miracle.

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“I met with an accident on the way to the track; I arrived safely.”~Joe E. Lewis~

The Switch

This is another great effect by Chris Stolz. Both he and I have used this in front of audiencesseveral times now. If the timing can be made totally smooth, then this is an absolute mind blower.

EFFECT: The four kings are clearly shown and handed to the spectator with the instructions toplace them in any order she wishes. The performer asks the spectator if she would still remember theirorder if they were reversed. This is done and the four cards are placed face down on the table in plainview. The magician states that he will attempt to put the cards back into their original order withouteven touching them. The spectator is asked to cover the cards with both hands and the magicianmakes a magical gesture over the spectator’s hand. He then removes the four cards, in their originalorder, from his pocket! When the spectator turns over the cards they hold, they have changed into thefour aces!

METHOD: Begin with the four kings face-up on the table and the aces face-down on top of thepack. (fig.1) Ask the spectator to place the fours kings into any order she can remember. While she isdoing this, obtain a forth finger break beneath the four aces. Have the kings squared and placed face-down on the table in front of you. Pick off the kings by their short ends with the right hand thumb andindex finger in the middle of the short ends. The middle fin-ger rests gently beside the index finger but does not take partin holding the cards. (fig.2) You only need to maintain a verylight touch with the middle finger as it must be able to let gowithout dropping the cards in a moment. Look directly intothe eyes of your spectator as you ask, "Would you be able toremember these if they were in reversed order?" As thisquestion is asked the right hand approaches the deck. Theleft thumb lifts just enough to allow the cards to be broughtsquare on top of the pack beneath it. The right thumb shouldbe in contact with both the cards it is holding and the cards above the break. The thumb will act as

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fig.1

your pivot point. As soon as the cards come square on top ofthe pack, the right middle finger reaches down and pressesthe four aces against the thumb and pivots them to the right.As soon as the middle finger moves to the right, the rightindex finger releases its hold on the four kings and the leftthumb holds them square on top of the pack by the outer leftcorner. The right hand now sweeps the aces out to the rightjust enough for the cards to clear. As soon as the cards areclear, the right hand moves forward and to the left allowing

the thumb to draw the first card onto the pack. This card should be held by the left thumb jogged for-ward about half its length. The other three cards pulled onto the pack in exactly the same manner,each being jogged forward half its length and separate from the next. The result is a nice fanned lookwith the four jogged cards. Rhythm is very important for if you pause during the switch, everyonewill know that something just happened. Timing is your best friend here. The switch is extremelydeceptive due to the sound made by the cards being counted onto the pack. The other nice bonus isthat the four cards being switched are constantly square. They also do not change their order. They areexactly as the spectator left them!

Reach across to the spectator with the left hand and release the grip on the four cards allowingthem to drop onto the table. Ask her to place her hand on top of the four cards as you explain that youare going to return her cards to their original order without even touching them. While she is payingattention to this, palm the top four cards off of the pack in the right hand and with this hand table thedeck. Snap the left fingers and state that you've done it, the four cards have now returned to their orig-inal order. The snap of the left fingers above their hand should help keep attention off of the right.Stand up, reach into the right pants pocket and remove the four cards in order one at a time namingthem as you do so. When the spectator lifts her hand they of course find the four aces! Be sure tofocus all attention on the spectator's cards. This will take the heat off the right hand which is palmingthe four kings.

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fig.2

“In the case of an earthquake hitting Las Vegas, be sure to go straight to the Keno Lounge. Nothing ever getshit there.”

~Author Unknown~

Trapped

Many years ago, Daryl wrote a book called Secrets of a Puerto Rican Gambler. In this bookwas an effect known as Trapped. Martin was intrigued by this effect, but felt that it had some areasthat could be improved. Martin considers himself more of an innovator than an inventor. Now, there isa fine line between improving an effect and flat out ripping it off, and he has never crossed that line.How many times have we all seen Triumph, or Oil and Water. I have seen more Ambitious Card rou-tines than I care to think about. Occasionally though, an effect can be taken to a new level. I like tothink of it as the evolution of an effect. Some of Martin's better effects are evolved versions of othereffects. Harry Lorayne's One-Eyed Jack Sandwich became Jacks or Better. So, as you can see, aneffect can sometimes be made better, not redundant. Trapped is an effect that can be performed any-time, anywhere, with a borrowed deck if you like. It's a quickie that requires no set-up.

THE EFFECT: The spectator selects a card from the deck and then replaces it. He is asked toturn half the deck face up onto the other half. Upon verifying that their card is not in the face-up half,they are asked to "dribble" the face-down half onto the table. The performer uses the face-up portionto "trap" one of the cards from the stream. It is shown to be the spectator's card.

SLEIGHTS: Infinity, The Piet-Fortun Pop-Out Move

THE METHOD: This effect requires a quick get ready. Infinity the bottom card. Infinity iscovered elsewhere in this book, so familiarize yourself with it before proceeding. You will also beusing the Piet-Fortun Pop-out move, but we'll go over that in a minute. Have a card selected, replaced,and then, using Infinity, control it to the top. Ask the spectator to cut about half the deck over to theside, and then take the remaining cards and place them face up on top. You will now be in the positionof having half the deck face up, the selection face down, and the rest of the pack face down.

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Tell the spectator to look through the cards as you fan them, but don't say anything. Just look tosee if their card is there. Fan the face-up cards slowly so that they can see every card. As you come tothe last of the face-up cards, get a break below the first face-down card. (the selection) gather theface-up cards and add on the face-down selection below them. Place the pile haphazardly off to theside. Now take the remaining face-down cards and show the spectator how to dribble. Grab the cardscorner to corner from above. Push your index finger down slightly, and evenly release the cards intoyour other hand. Now have the spectator take a couple of prac-tice runs at it. As they do this, grab the face-up packet. Squarethem and hold them from the top by the long edges. Get athumb break below the bottom face-down card. With the otherhand, cut off about half of the cards from the top and hold thepacket in front of the other one. Now have the spectator dribblethe cards down onto the table from about a foot or so. As theydo this, execute the Piet-Fortun Pop-out move. (fig.1) Do thisby swinging the back packet forward and on to the front pack-et. The card under the break will twist out and be trappedbetween the packets. Do this right into the stream of cards the spectator is making. After they stopdribbling, wait for a moment. Slowly bring out the two packets with the card trapped between them.Ask the spectator to name their card. Proudly hold up the selection. They'll remember this one for awhile.

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fig.1

“Depend on the rabbit's foot if you will, but remember it didn't work for the rabbit.”~R.E. Shay~

The Invisible Palm – Revisited

There comes a time in the life of every magician when he is at the end of the "novice" stage,and something comes along that makes him realize that the next stage is waiting for him. My time hadcome. I was watching Martin Nash's Invisible Palm, and for the first time in many years, I felt thatsense of awe and wonder that we as magicians forfeit when we enter the business. I learned the effectinside and out. After a while, I felt that I should develop a method that was suited more to my ownstyle. I wanted to do a version in which the aces that had traveled and those that had not, never cameclose to touching each other throughout the entire routine. My version is a bit closer to the originalLarry Jennings version, but I think that some of the handling changes and new timing subtleties haveadded a lot to the workings. I have been doing this version of the effect for several years now, and theaudience reaction is off the scale. I hope you enjoy it.

EFFECT: The performer shows four aces. The aces then magically travel from his hands to thetable via the "Invisible Palm,” the last one appearing quite startlingly.

SLEIGHTS: Multiple Card Table Placement, Bottom Palming, The Escanio Spread (optional),Side Steal

METHOD: Patter is going to have a great deal to do with this particular effect, as well as tim-ing. There are a couple of points where the timing provides foolproof misdirection for things thatwould otherwise kill the effect. I will cover all of the aspects of my presentation so that you can seethe importance of flow. You may then change it to suit your own needs. I have, as with so many of myeffects, engraved this one with the essence of the card cheat and his methods.

Start by taking out the four aces, or have them out from a previous effect. Put them in the fol-lowing order from the face: spade, heart, diamond and club. You will need to get an indifferent card inbetween the two middle aces. I use the following method. Display the four aces in the right hand as

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you hold the deck in the left. With the left hand, get a break below the top card. Talk about crookedgamblers and their relationship with a deck. Bring the aces over the top of the deck and drop them,face up, square on top. Tell your audience that you've put the aces in bridge order. "The spades andhearts are considered to be the two major suits…" as you say this, pick up all of the cards above thebreak in a right hand grip with the middle finger at the upper right corner, and the thumb at the lowerright. Using the left thumb, strip off the ace and use the packet to lever it face down onto the deck. Asyou do this, let the ace come to rest down-jogged on the deck by about the length of the white border.Don't try too hard, if it's a little more, that's all right. This is supposed to just look like a casual show-ing. Now do the same turnover with the ace of hearts. After you've done that, put the rest of the cardson top as a block. This should be the point where you've stated that the spade and heart are the majorsuits. Now push over the top two cards (the aces), and turn them over as you state that they are theminor suits. Now, if you bring your right thumb to the back and square the deck, you can take a breakbelow the out jogged card. Pick up at the break and table the rest of the deck. Turn the packet over.

Position Check: from the face, AS, AH, indifferent card, AD, and AC.(fig.1)

Hold the face up packet in your hand and show the four aces by way of an Escanio spread. Theindifferent card should be below the AH in your right fingers. Take out the double in your right fin-gers and place it underneath the other aces. Now turn the packet over and do another Escanio spread.Take out the double in your right hand and show it as one to be the AC. (fig.2) Now place it facedown as one onto the table using the Multiple card table placement. It should appear at this point as ifyou've just shown the fronts and backs of all the aces and putthe AC on the table.

Now square the cards in your left hand. Talk about thetechnique of palming and how most people know of it but don'tactually know it. You then talk about how you've been workingon a new method of palming, combining it with just a hint ofmagic. You call it the Invisible Palm. You now demonstrate itthusly.

Upjog the top card by about half of its length, and then use the right hand to cover it. You pre-tend as if you're palming it when in fact you're just squaring it with the other cards and coming awaywith nothing. You now hold your hand out in the "natural position" of palming, but exaggerate it sothat it doesn't look quite normal. You now lift your hand towards the audience and show that the card

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fig.1

has become "invisible.” Snap your fingers, make a gesture, andplace your hand down on top of the tabled ace. Move yourhand just slightly to the right and the cards will separate. Liftyour hand to show that the invisibly palmed card has reap-peared.(fig.3)

The next sequence should be done very smoothly and rhyth-mically so that it doesn't draw any attention. Your right handcomes over and takes the left hand cards from above. As the

right hand is turning face up, the ring finger curls underneath the cards andglides the bottom card to the right. When your hand is all the way face up, the cards will now looklike just the AS and the AD. The indifferent card is hiddenbehind the AD. The AD (double) will be resting held betweenthe first and second fingers and the thumb. The AS will be inthe highly convenient position of being corner to cornerbetween the thumb and pinky. Say, "Here we have the ace ofspades and the ace of diamonds." As you turn your hand palmdown, the left hand comes over as if to take the cards. The leftmiddle finger contacts the face of the AS and pushes every-thing up into the palm. At the same time, the left thumb andfirst finger are on the double and pull them out to the left while separating them.It will appear is if you've simply pulled out the two cards, when in fact you've pulled out the doubleand palmed the AS. Table the two cards. (fig.4)

Now, with the AS palmed in your right hand, reach over with it and grab up the other twotabled cards, adding the AS to the top. Square the three andthen use the left fingers to strip out the bottom card to the leftby about half its length. Turn your hand palm up to show theAC and the AH (double). Say, " And here, we have the ace ofclubs and the ace of hearts" (fig.5). Set them face down as twocards on the table.

Pick up the two cards on the left. Repeat the same "palming"move, squaring up the two cards to make them appear as one.Again, two things will happen at once here, so practice timing

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fig.2

fig.3

fig.4

them together. At this point, you'll be holding a double in your left hand as one, and the right handwill be in the "natural" palming position. Snap the fingers of your right hand and face the palmtowards the audience so that they see there's an "invisible" card in it. At the same time, snap the dou-ble in your left hand between your fingers so that the face willbe towards the audience. This will take some practice to get thecards to stay together, but you'll get it. You now bring the righthand down on top of the other tabled cards and slide it to theright. This will separate the double and make it appear as if thethird ace has made the trip. Use the right hand to turn over thecards and show them to indeed be the aces.

Now, for the last ace. Take the double card from yourleft hand to your right. Pick up the deck with the left hand. Flash the face of thedouble one more time and then toss it face down onto the deck. The tossing will give the extra con-

vincer that it was just a single card. Repeat the same palmingmotion from before with the top card. You now show the righthand to be empty and then push it down onto one spot on thetable as if to place the invisible card there. Point to the emptyspot you just pushed on and say something to the effect of"Watch that ace." Now you come back to the deck. Turn overthe top card to show it's not an ace. As you do this, get a breakbelow the next card. Place the top card back down onto thedeck face up. You now pick up both cards above the break as

one and lift them as you flip the deck face up. Tap the card atthe face with the double to show no ace on the bottom. (fig.6)Drop the double face up onto the face up deck, but keep abreak below it. You now bring both hands together in the actionof switching the deck from hand to hand. At this point, you'llhave about one un-awkward second to do a side steal of thesecond card. You then take the deck and place it off to the side.You may substitute this move with a second card stealth palmoff. Use whichever method suits your fancy.

You now point again to the spot where you set the last "invisible" ace. Hold the hand with thepalmed card about a sixteenth of an inch over the spot.(fig.7) Drop the palmed card. Pause for a

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fig.5

fig.6

fig.7

moment and then slowly spread your fingers to show that thelast ace has appeared from the ether. Pick it up, snap it, andshow the audience that the last ace has made the magical jour-ney.(fig.8)

NOTES: Timing is very important on this one. Make theroutine fluid. If it's choppy, the audience won't get much out ofit. Treat it as a piece of art as much as a cool card effect.

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fig.8

“Man is a gaming animal. He must always be trying to get the better in something or other.”~Charles Lamb~

Essays of Elia, 1823

Blindfolded Ace Cut

This one is my pet effect. The workings are fairly simple and straightforward, but, if doneproperly, this can be one of the most powerful effects your audience will have ever seen. The basis forthis effect was the many stories of John Scarne. He had the talent of being able to take someone else'sshuffled deck and cut to the four aces. The effect had a purity that could not be duplicated. Many mentried. Gamblers, mobsters and hit men all tried desperately to gain Scarne's secret. Unfortunately, hetook his secret to the grave. This effect will mimic the classic Scarne effect with one major difference,it's done totally blindfolded. I have reicentlt been informed that Darwin Ortiz has a very similar effectto this, but uses a “human blindfold.” Cool effect Mr. Ortiz

EFFECT: You openly lose the four aces into the deck and hand it out for a shuffle. You thenhave an audience member blindfold you in whichever fashion the audience feels will most preventyou from seeing the cards. You are handed the deck and very cleanly cut one at a time to the fouraces.

SLEIGHTS: The Nash Multiple Shift, The Top Palm, Infinity, Up-The-Ladder Cut, True False Cut

METHOD: As you begin the effect, either have the acesout, or run through and remove them. As you begin to speakabout Scarne, or whatever your patter is, loose the aces in thepack and control them to the top by way of the Nash MultipleShift. Palm off the top four cards and hand the deck out forshuffling. As you take them back and add the aces to the top,and Infinity the bottom card. Set the deck in front of you, andyou're set.

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fig.1

Have an audience member blindfold you in whichever fashion looks best (fig.1) You can use asemi-transparent blindfold, or a nose peek, but it isn't necessary. I use a full blindfold, mainly becauseit gives me a bigger rush when I get it right. You are now ready to "skillfully" reveal the aces.

There is something I must mention here. If you are going to do this under full blindfold, it isimperative that you have an affinity for the cards. You must be able to handle them smoothly withoutlooking. You should also have a fair amount of practice with the Infinity principle. If you miss, theeffect is bust, so don't miss! You are now blind as a bat, and you have a deck in front of you that hasthe aces on the top, and the Infinity on the bottom. The rest of the effect must go by feel. Give thedeck a True False cut. Pick up the deck, and show the top few and bottom few cards. State that theremay or may not be any aces at the top or bottom. You're not sure. This will re-emphasize the illusionthat the aces are indeed lost in the deck. Put the deck down, and give it an Up-The-Ladder Cut. Nowgive it one last complete cut at the Infinity card, take the top card, snap it, and turn it over to show thefirst ace. About fifty percent of the time, you'll get ooh's and ahh's. The other fifty percent, you won'thear anything at all. Ask them if you got it. If not, you may want to go home and pracice. If you doget it, they'll tell you so with thunderous applause. This isthe perfect time to make the comment of, "You have to tellme these things. I can't see it!" You may now, if you wish,give the deck a top and bottom stock riffle shuffle, keepingthe three remaining aces on top and the Infinity on the bot-tom. The rest goes about the same. Give the deck an Up-The-Ladder Cut, a True False Cut, cut to Infinity, and showthe next card. Repeat the process two more times and you'redone. Remove the blindfold and accept your applause.(fig.2) They'll have a lot of it for you after this one.

NOTES: It is best to use a fresh deck at all times when performing, but especially now. Thiseffect requires that you know the condition and placement of the cards at all times. As before stated,you should get a tremendous feel for the cards. This is not a hobby, or some kind of thing that youruncle does at a party with a lampshade on his head. This is your art. The audience should be aware ofyour control over and of your respect for a deck.

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fig.2

“Skill allows for human error, miracles demand perfection”~Dai Vernon~

Title Bout

The effect is my version of Martin's handling of an old classic of Harry Lorayne's calledGambler vs. Magician from Personal secrets. Martin includes it in his Colors on the March show asthe opening piece. I've done a little more streamlining for this book to make it a stand-alone piece.The initial set-up was a bit different, because it was the opener for a set. So, what you see here is achopped down and refined version of exactly the same effect. I love this as an opener because it's fun,yet it introduces a high level of skill right up front.

THE STORY: Through the years, there has been a constant conflict between two groups ofpeople about who was the best at cheating with cards, gamblers, and magicians. At last, one darkevening, in a smoky back room of a poker hall, the world’s greatest gambler sat down across the tablefrom the world’s greatest magician to decide the matter once an for all. The rules of the contest werethat a card would be drawn from the deck and placed down unseen. One participant would then behanded the thoroughly shuffled deck and would be required to cut the deck to the three cards thatmatched the unseen cards value! A coin was tossed to see who would go first. The magician won.

THE EFFECT: The story continues as you have a card selected from the deck and, withoutbeieng seen, placed on the table. You then give the deck a shuffle, and after a cut, you turn over thetop card, turn it back down, and place it on the table. (Let's say it's a seven.) You then do another cutand turn over another seven. This is done one more time to produce the third seven. "The magicianstated that he had won. The Gambler emphasized that they really didn't know." You have a spectatorturn over the unseen card, and it's a jack! "The gambler said the magician had lost. The magician said'Wait, you did not say that I had to cut to the sevens, you only said that I had to cut to the mates ofthat card.' The gambler turned over the other three cards." Have a spectator turn over the three facedown cards, and they are seen to be the other jacks. You the spread the deck and show the four sevensface up in the middle of the deck.

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THE SET-UP: The set-up is easy. From the top of the deck down: jack of diamonds, seven ofdiamonds, jack of clubs, seven of clubs, jack of heats, seven of hearts, and from the face, jack ofspades, seven of spades.

THE METHOD: This method is so simple, you'll laugh, but I really like effects where you geta lot of credit for so little work. Start by giving the deck a shuffle, but maintaining your top and bot-tom stocks. You'll the force the bottom card, (JS) by using Harry Lorayne's fan prediction numberthree, which can be found in the Infinity section of this book. You'll then have the jack of spades facedown on the table. Do a false triple undercut so that the order doesn't change. Now do a Double Liftto show the seven of diamonds. Turn it back down and place a single card on the table. (JD) Get abreak under the top card and do another triple undercut, this time doing the third cut at the break. Thiswill effectively take the top card to the bottom. Do another double to show the seven of clubs. Turn itdown and put a single card on the table. (JC) get a break under the top card and do the triple undercutagain. Do a third and final double to show the seven of hearts. Turn it back down, place the singlecard (JH) onto the table.

As the audience sits in amazement, you can now simply slip the top card to the bottom. Thiswill now put you in the position of having the four sevens on the bottom. Continue the story asdescribed above and have the spectator turn over the first card to show a supposed loss on the part ofthe magician. Re-explain the challenge and have them turn over the other cards. As they are doingthis, get a break below the bottom four cards. (the sevens) As the spectators get to the second card,swing cut the upper half of the deck into the other hand and turn it over to the bottom of the deck.Add the sevens, and immediately bring the packet face down back to the top. This has put the foursevens face up in the middle of the deck, and the misdirection is so perfect because everyone will bewatching the spectator turn over the cards. After the audiencehas had a moment to let the success sink in, spread the deckto show the now face-up sevens, and conclude theeffect.(fig.1)

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fig.1

NOTES: As stated, this is a strong opener. Emphasize the story. Get the audience involved.They'll see that you have a high level of both technical and people skills. It is also good to open withsomething like this because it is not a difficult routine by any stretch of the imagination. Dan Harlanonce said to me that it's good to open with a really easy effect because it helps to alleviate some of thenervousness that we all feel on stage. If it's almost impossible to screw up an effect then you can turnyour focus towards presentation rather than technique.

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The Magic CastleHollywood CA.

“The only thing that overcomes hard luck is hard work.”~Harry Golden~

Any Ace Called For – Revisited

This effect is a take off of the Martin Nash center deal routine. By the use of a simple extrasleight, the effect is taken beyond the next step. This has the benefit over most center deal routines inthat it seems so completely impossible to even the most knowledgeable card men. There is no visiblecontrol, and the audience is allowed to shuffle and cut at any point. It's a strong effect, and worth yourtime.

EFFECT: The performer inserts the four aces into a shuffled pack, and continues to shuffle it.He then asks the spectator to give the deck a shuffle and a complete cut. The deck is ribbon spreadand shown to be normal. The performer then asks any audience member which of the four aces theywould like to see dealt, how many players should be dealt to, and if the cards should be dealt face upor face down. He then proceeds to deal the spectator’s exact wishes. He shuffles again. The audiencecuts again, and the same is repeated three more times. Each time, matching the parameters stated bythe audience. They may shuffle or cut at any phase of the routine if they wish.

SLEIGHTS: The Nash Multiple Shift, Infinity, The Center Deal, The Gambler’s Cop

METHOD: As I said, this effect is strong. The fact that the audience does the shuffling and cut-ting, and the deck is ribbon spread, makes the possibility of acontrol impossible. Magicians go nuts when they see this. I'veflown it clean past some of the best card workers in my area.This one could make a reputation.

Remove the aces from the deck. As you begin yourpatter about the legendary center deals, prep your Infinitycard. (fig.1) Insert the aces into the deck in an order that youcan easily memorize. Execute the multiple shift, but take the

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fig.1

top packet to the left. When you strip out, you'll be in the posi-tion where your four aces are on the bottom of the left packet,and your Infinity will be on the bottom of the right packet.When you shuffle, drop one card from the right, four from theleft, and then normally. You will now have the Infinity on thebottom, and the four aces above it. (fig.2)

Here's where it gets fun. Pick up the deck, and as youget ready to hand it to a spectator, thumb count past five, andGambler’s Cop out the bottom stock. It won't matter if you accidentally get six, seven, or even more.The average layman doesn't know the thickness of a deck by feel. The shortness will go un-noticed.You now hand the deck out for a shuffle. Let the audience cut the deck and complete it. You then takeback the deck, adding the cards to the bottom. You may now give it one more cut. You then ribbon

spread the deck. That series of events is what gets other magi-cians. The is no apparent way that you have any control.Gather the deck, and grab your break at Infinity. Pull is downso that your break is now above it. You then ask the spectatorwhich ace they would like. You then ask how many playersthey would like to see in the game. As you ask this, pull downzero, one, two, or three cards until you've reached the desiredace. Kick it out and bevel the deck as with the center deals.(fig.3) It's good to do this as you ask them how many players

there are so that you have plenty of misdirection. You may then ask if they would prefer the cards faceup or face down. You are then ready to execute a regular center deal. You then cut at Infinity andshuffle the deck, bring it with the remaining aces to the bottom of the deck. You may at this point askif the spectator wishes to shuffle again. If they do, just do as before, Gambler’s Copping out the bot-tom stock before they shuffle. After you take the deck back, always make someone else give the decka complete cut. You then ribbon spread. This whole rigmarole is repeated three more times for theremaining three aces.

NOTES: This effect is a gem. It fools both magicians and laymen alike. You have removed anypossibility of a way that they can reconstruct it in their minds. The audience will feel that you have acontrol over the cards that borders on frightening. This is another of the effects that deserves a lot oftime. Don't go out and do it tomorrow. Practice it so that you can make all of your movements lookfluid and consistent. Don't expose this one. Treat it well.

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fig.2

fig.3

“A pound of pluck is worth a ton of luck.”~James A. Garfield~

The New Mental Topper

This is a quick effect to show skill. It's done quick and easy, but if done properly, your audi-ence will be wary of ever playing cards with you. It's my handling of one of Martin's effects, whichhe got from Ed Marlo.

EFFECT: After several shuffles, the performer cuts to any four of a kind the audience wishes.

SLEIGHTS: The Faro Shuffle, The Nash Multiple Shift, The Gamblers’s Cop

SETUP: This one requires a full deck setup, but it's not hard to do. Lay the cards out in theirrespective four of a kinds. Now, begin to pick the cards up one at a time in order starting with an ace,followed by the two, three, and so on. Try to not get more than three of the same color together. Onceyou've done this, you'll have a deck that's in order by num-ber, but not by suit. Transfer the top three cards to the bot-tom, maintaining their order, and you're set. (fig.1)You canbriefly ribbon spread the deck, and unless the audienceknows what to look for, they won't find it.

THE METHOD: Ask the audience to name any card.Let's say, for explanation purposes, they say the eight ofspades. Begin to talk about the different kinds of shuffles.Since there is a four on the top, you'll need to run four cards to the bottomso that you have an eight on the top. If they had said ace, two, or three, you would simply run themfrom the bottom to the top. Explain that what you're doing is the overhand shuffle, but you don't carefor it. You now talk about how bridge players shuffle. You cut the deck right in the middle. It's nothard, because a value match to the top card will be dead in the middle. Give the two packets a perfect

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fig.1

Faro Shuffle. You now have two of the cards you need on the top and two right in the middle. Cut thedeck in half again. Again, your other two mates will be in the middle. Give the packets either anotherin the hands faro or, I like to instead give them a Tabled Faro. (fig.2) You now have all four neededcards at the top of the deck. You can now give them any othershuffles you wish so long as you maintain the top four cards.Now say, "But, the most popular is still the overhand." Givethe deck an overhand and simply run the four top cards to thebottom. Next, get a break below the bottom four cards and asyou ask them which shuffle they use the most, Gambler’s Copthe four cards off the bottom. Hand them the deck and askthem to show you how they shuffle. (fig.3) This helps todestroy the order of the deck at this point. Take the deck back

and add the four of akind back to the bottom. You now explain that all gamblers arerequired to do a tabled Riffle Shuffle. Cut the top half of thedeck to the left. You now run some cards off the left, one offthe right, some from the left, one from the right, some from theleft, one from the right, some from the left, one from the right,the rest of the left and the rest of the right. Now, as you squarethe deck, begin to do a Nash Multiple Shift. But, as the packetscome together, justsquare with your fingers

on the right. You'll now have your four of a kind jogged outnear the bottom of the deck. Ask again which card they select-ed. Now press down on the deck and lift up at the first outjogged card, turn the packet over and place it down to show thefirst eight. Lift at the next jog for the next one, the next one,and the last one. (fig.4) Then simply fan the remaining cards.

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fig.2

fig.3

fig.4

“The best way to understand something is to try and explain it to someone else.”~Douglas Adams~

Ambitious Omni

You'll notice that elsewhere is this book is an effect called Omni-Twist. This is a combinationof the basics of that effect, except rather than using the twisting the aces principle, this follows alongthe lines of an ambitious card effect. The workings of this effect are based on another ambitious effectthat I learned many years ago, and can't remember from where anymore. I would like to credit theoriginator, so if any of you recognize any of this effect, please let me know.

EFFECT: After a card is selected and returned, the performer pulls out the four aces. He usesthe aces to not only discover the suit of the selection, but the selection itself!

SLEIGHTS: The Double Lift

METHOD: First things first, have a card selected, remembered, returned and controlled to thetop using whichever method makes you smile. You're going to need to learn the suit of that card. Usewhatever method works best for you. I peek at it during the next step. Bold, but it works.

Now, go through the deck and remove the four aces. Once they are removed, place them faceup onto the deck. Make sure that the ace that is of the same suit as the selection is the second carddown. So let's say that the deck is in the following order. Face up – AD, AC, AS, AH, face down – 9C(let’s say that’s what the selection was), followed by the rest of the deck. Pinky count five cards andremove them. Place the rest of the deck aside. You'll now have the four face-up aces followed by theface-down selection.

You now state that you're going to use the four aces to divine the suit of the card to start. "Itmight have been a diamond." As you say these words, thumb off the top face up card (AD) turn it facedown, and place it underneath the other cards. Do the same with the other three aces as well.

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In your hand, you'll now have (face down from top) 9C, AD, AC, AS, AH. The hard part isover. You now talk about how the aces will help you divine the suit of the selected card. "I do this bytaking an ace, let's say the diamond, and placing it onto the bottom. If it comes back to the top, Iknow it's the wrong suit." Match actions to words by doing a Double Lift to show the AD. Turn itback down, thumb off the top card and place it on the bottom, and then turn the top card back over toshow the AD again. Take it off the deck and place it aside. "We'll get rid it.” You now do the exactsame thing again, except now it will be with the spades. Discard it. "We know it's not the spades."

For the next one, the motions will look exactly the same, but they'll be slightly different. Turnover the top card to show the AH. Turn it back down. You now buckle the bottom card. Take the toptwo as one (fig.1) and place them underneath the bottom card as you say "We'll move it to the bot-tom." Now do a Double Lift to show it again. Take the two face-up cards as one and discard them."We know it's not the hearts."

You now have one card left face down in your hand.State that it must have been a club. As you watch their reac-tion, ask them which one it was. As they reply, flip the card inyour hand over to show that it's not only the right suit, but ithas changed into their selection! (fig.2)

NOTES: This is a greatquickie effect. I love todo this when I'm out at a function andsomeone asks to see an effect, or if I'm at a pub and the crowdbegins to gather. Don't make a huge deal out of this one. It's afast frolic that will leave a great impression in their minds.

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fig.1

fig.2

“True luck consists not in holding the best of the cards at the table; luckiest is he who knows just when to rise and go home.”

~John Hay~

One Step Ahead

by Chris Stolz

EFFECT: The two red aces are shown and placed together face up on the table. A spectator onyour right is asked to place their hand on top of the aces for safe keeping. A spectator on your left isnow asked to select any card they wish, and sign it across the face. The card is returned to the packand the deck is shuffled. The magician states that instead of attempting to find the chosen card amongall the others, that he will cause the card to leave the deck and join the red aces. When the spectatorlifts their hand they find that one face-down card rests between the aces. This card is shown and it isfound to be the previously signed card!

METHOD:This effect uses a one-ahead principle to convince spectators that the card hasalready made its journey, taking the heat off the moment that the switch is made. Good timing and asmooth top change are absolutely crucial.

The left pinky has a break above the top card and the red aces are in the right hand. Drop theaces on top of the pack and ask for a spectator on your right to hold their hand a few inches above thetable. When they have done so, pick up the aces from above with your right hand taking the extra cardbeneath them. The left hand tables the deck and then approaches the right hand from below. With theleft thumb, drag the top ace off leaving a double in the right hand. This ace is placed below the doubleand the aces appear to be two cards with nothing in between (You really have one face down card hid-den below the top ace). Square the cards and place them on the table beneath the spectator's handinstructing them to cover the cards until instructed to do otherwise.

Have a spectator on your left select a card and return it to the pack. Shuffle the pack control-ling the card to the top and perform a Knock-Out Double Lift showing that their card is not on top of

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the pack. Turn the double back face down on top of the deck before showing that the card is also noton the bottom.

Describe how tedious it would be to search for the card the normal way and announce that youwill cause the card to leave the deck and join the aces under the spectator's hand. With the deck inhand riffle loudly up the front edge of the deck and follow the card's invisible flight to the spectator'shand. Ask them to lift their hand and immediately show the right hand empty and pick up the threecards.

Turn to the spectator on your left and say, "That one's for you." Reach across with your righthand and drop the bottom ace onto the table. When you do so, your right forearm will naturally touchthe front edge of the deck. This puts the deck directly between the right hand and the spectator onyour right and in perfect line for a top change. Turn your head and body towards the right as you say,"And one for you." to the spectator on your right. As your right hand moves across your body towardsthe spectator it will naturally pass by the left hand allowing you to execute the top change. Because ofthe direct line of motion the change is very fast and very natural. The hands naturally come togetheras you turn eliminating that contrived look commonly seen with a top change. The change is the sameas any other top change with the exception of the extra card. The ace adds an extra deceptive elementto the change. Both before and after the change you are seen holding a face up ace with a face downcard beneath it thus convincing the spectators that nothing has changed.

Continue turning to the right and let the top ace slide off and onto the table. Lift the last cardup to face level as you look at it and say, "And I'll keep this one, for myself." Smile and dramaticallytoss the card down onto the table.

The reason why this effect is so deceptive is because of the extra card used between the aces.When the spectators see the card between the aces for the first time, they assume that it is the selec-tion. The action of handing each spectator a card is so honest and natural that a switch is the last thingthey will expect. In the minds of the spectators the effect is already done and the rest is merely the-atrical by-play. If I can stress anything it would be do not rush the top change. Just let the naturalmovement do all the work for you and you'll have a terrific climax.

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“The safest way to double your money is to fold it over once and put it in your pocket.”~Kin Hubbard~

The Fan Change

by Chris Stolz and Mike Sorensen

This effect is the result of an effect that Chris gave to me and I added a little punch to. Chris isa brilliant card worker and I think that his name will soon be etched in the minds of card workerseverywhere.

EFFECT: A spectator selects a card, memorizes it, and returns it to the deck. The performergives the deck a flourish fan with the top part of it and turns one of the remaining cards face up. Afterit's discovered that that's not the card, it's flipped onto the table where it magically changes to theproper selection.

SLEIGHTS: One-Handed Fan, Reverse Infinity

METHOD: Using whichever method you like best, get a Reverse Infinity card to the bottom ofthe deck. Now use the selection and return process described in the Infinity chapter. You will nowhave the Reverse Infinity card just above the selection in the middle of the deck.

Give the deck whichever good looking in-the-handsfalse cut you prefer. You then cut the deck above the Infinitycard and fan the upper part of the deck in your right hand. Usethe fan to turn over the top card on the left hand portion of thedeck. Thumb it off face up onto the fan. (fig.1) Look at thespectator proudly as if you've gotten the right card. They willinform you that you've screwed up.

At this point, a few things are going to happen in quick

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fig.1

succession. Get a break under the top card in the left hand. The thumb of the right hand should nowput a little pressure onto the face-up card lying on top of the fan. You then flip the fan towards thetable as if you're dumping the card down. As you do this, hold onto the one card and thumb off thetop card in the left hand. (fig.2) You now drop the fan on top of the deck and square everything up.Flip the top packet face down. You should now be in the position of having a face-down deck in yourleft hand and a face-down card that the audience thinks is the wrong one on the table. Ask the specta-tor what the name of their card was. Snap your fingers over the face-down card, and turn it up to

show that it's changed into the correct card.

NOTES: This one isn't meant to be the crowning moment of ashow. It meant to be a quick fun piece that you can do on thefly. Try to make everything smooth. I've often done this one atgatherings where people were in a rather inebriated state. Thatmakes this effect a bit like sandblasting a soup cracker, but Ithink it would work really well in any show.

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fig.2

“A race track is a place where windows clean people.”~Danny Thomas~

Out of this … Oh Who Cares!

This effect is based on an old classic. Everybody who's ever picked up a deck has probablylearned one version or another of this effect. My only problem with it was that it required you to setup the entire deck in some fashion or another. This version is impromptu and requires no advancesetup. The first impromptu version of this effect I ever ran across was in Harry Lorayne's My FavoriteCard Tricks. It knocked me through the wall, and after a couple of years of performing it, became thejumping board for this version, which has a nice twist.

EFFECT: A spectator freely selects any card, which is then lost back into the deck. The deck isthen handed out for a shuffle. After the deck is taken back. The performer fans it with the facestowards him and begins to take out cards at random. He asks the spectator to call out what color hefeels the card is. Red or black. The performer sets the card down into two different piles. One for redand one for black. After several cards are laid out, the performer lets the spectator takes over. Whenthe deck is nearing its end, the spectator shows the remainder to indeed be a genuinely shuffled deck.The packets are then turned over to show that the spectator's intuition was perfect, and they have man-aged to separate all of the reds and blacks except for one card, the selection!

SLEIGHTS: Infinity, False Shuffle, Top Palm

METHOD: The first thing you need to do in this effect is to get an Infinity card to the bottomas described in the Infinity chapter. Note what it is, it will be important later. You now have a cardselected and returned to the pack just below Infinity, again, as described in the Infinity chapter. Younow must bring Infinity and the selection to somewhere between half and two thirds down into thedeck. Simply do a small cut or something of that nature. I prefer to bring it to just below half so thatthe effect isn't drawn out too much.

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The next section of this effect, if done properly, is verydeceptive. Give the deck a quick false shuffle. You now statethat you're going to start taking cards out at random, and youwant the audience member to look at the back and tell youwhether it is red or black. You now fan the cards towardsyourself and, from the top, start taking out cards that are theopposite color of your Infinity card (fig.1). This is also a greattime to look at what the selection is. Your audience will sim-ply believe that you're taking cards out at random. They won'tsuspect that you're removing cards of just one color! You runthrough the pack taking out just the one color and placing them in two different piles depending onwhether the audience member says red or black. Do this until you come to the Infinity card. You willnow have two piles on the table. They will both be of the same color, but the spectator will believethey are two different color piles.

You now state that you're going to change piles. Start newpiles below the first two by taking out a red and black card, andplacing them below the opposite color of the first pile, (redbelow black and black below red) (fig.2). You now set the packdown, cut at Infinity, and hand the packet to the spectator. Theywill now have cards of just one color in their hand, but theydon't know that. Havethem deal face downonto the piles they now

believe the cards should go on. As they are doing this, palmoff the top card of the remaining packet. This should be theselection. (fig.3) After they have completed the dealingprocess, hand them the remainder of the packet and tell themto examine it and make sure that it was indeed a shuffledpacket. You now switch the card to a clipped palm. Moveyour hand to pick up one of the packets that are of the oppo-site color of the selection. You allow the selection to scoop under the packet as you pick it up. Younow place the packet on top of the packet to its side. They are picked up and place on top of the thirdand then the fourth packet. The pattern should be a square. The fact that you've picked up the packetsin the wrong order will go completely unnoticed every time.

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fig.1

fig.2

fig.3

Now you end the effect on a bang. You recap at this point and explain the fairness of the wholesituation. You look at the spectator and ask how they think they did. They'll usually give you ananswer that lends itself to good byplay. Spread the packetface up and show that the colors have been completely segre-gated except for one card, their selection.(fig.4)

NOTES: There have been more variations on thiseffect than most magicians would ever care to think about.This one is quick and fun. Don't be too serious with it. I'vegotten a lot of laughs and fun from this one. I hope it worksout well for you.

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fig.4

Martin with Goldfinger & Dove

"I've met a lot of card mechanics in my time, I have yet to meet a retired one."- The Professor, Shade-

The Mechanic

The life of a card cheat is a strange, mysterious, lonely, and at times, deadly one. The cardmechanic is probably one of the hardest working of the clandestine professionals. Not many otherjobs force you to work on a single move for half of your life just so that no one will ever see it. I per-sonally have spent close to 500 hours just Second Dealing. Imagine if you had to go to your job, andfor three and a half months, you were forced to do nothing but Second Deals non-stop all day long.That's a lot of pasteboard. This effect gives the audience a small taste of the arsenal of a true cardmechanic, and hopefully, gives them a small dose of respect for them.

EFFECT: The performer shows the audience some of the arsenal of the cheat in the context ofa game of stud poker. He shows false shuffling, stacking, bum dealing, and a host of powerful cheat-ing sleights without actually exposing them.

SLEIGHTS: The Nash Multiple Shift, Packet Transfer Riffle Shuffle, Third Dealing, SecondDealing, Bottom Dealing, Center Dealing

METHOD: This is an interesting effect in that you'll seem to be tipping the work to the mark,but you really don’t. I have more fun with this one than almost any other effect I perform. Start withthe aces out. Patter about the woes and trials of the cardmechanic, and how you are about to show them exactly howone would cheat in a high stakes game of stud poker. Lose theaces into the deck and control them back to the top by way ofthe Nash Multiple Shift. You now need to transfer two of themto the bottom by way of the Packet Transfer Riffle Shuffle.You can now show the audience that you have just taken thefirst step towards cheating. Show that the top and bottomcards of the deck are the aces. (fig.1) The first time I tried thisversion of the effect, I was flabbergasted when the audience

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fig.1

actually burst into applause upon showing the aces on top and bottom. It's happened every time sincethen, so I know it wasn't a fluke. It's great to get applause for doing almost nothing.

You now ask any spectator how many people they'd like to see in this game. You now dealthirds into the appropriate number of hands. For your hand, deal yourself the top ace. "Now as youcan see, I got the ace because I NEEDED IT!" Reiterate to the audience that just a moment ago, twoof the aces were on the top. Show the top card of the deck to be the other top ace, stating that you'vekept it for yourself for later. Martin has a great line at thispoint in his version that I love to sometimes use. "So asyou can see, I couldn't have been dealing the top card." Heshows the first person’s card. "I couldn't have been dealingthe second card." He shows the card in the second position."It would've been pointless to deal the bottom card." Hethen flashed the ace on the bottom of the deck. "So, whatcard was I dealing? …. Any card I want!" You now dealseconds for the same number of hands. Again, giving your-self the top ace. (fig.2)

You now state that in this particular game, you are playing seven-card stud, which is two down,four up, and one down. Quickly flash the ace on the bottom. You now deal stud tops to all the hands.

When you reach yourself, deal a stud bottom. The audience'seyes at this point are worth the practice. You now talk abouthow in some games, any player can at any time call for a cut.You show the last ace on the bottom. Cut the cards and usingthe Kelly-Ovette Actions with the right hand, side-jog the lastace as you complete the cut. Just as in a standard center deal.You now ask the audience how they would like to see the lastace, face-down as in draw or face-up as in stud. You now doas they wish, dealing tops for the hands and center dealing thefinal ace for yourself. (fig.3)

NOTES: I'm not going to sugar coat this for you. This effect is not easy. It's taken several yearsof practice for me to get it smooth enough for any audience. The end pay-off however, far outweighsthe amount of work needed to solidify it. Good luck.

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fig.2

fig.3

“The gambling known as business looks with austere disfavor upon the business known as gambling.”~Ambrose Bierce~

Four and a Little Moreaka "Four four aces – plus a little more"

Includes two lead in effects

THE HISTORY: Alright, this is the big one. This effect is destined to become a classic. Thatmay seem strange seeing as it's over four decades old, but read through it and you'll see why I saythis. The story of how I came by this one is kind of amusing. Back in September of '03, Martin and Iwere visiting The Magic Castle in Hollywood CA. We were in the library downstairs having a greattime searching through some of the wonderful old tomes of magic stored there. I was looking throughthe book that contained the complete magical knowledge of Milt Larsen, the co-founder of The MagicCastle, and finding it a rather easy read (inside joke). Suddenly, I hear Martin call me from over nearthe magazine area. I closed Milt's book, realizing that a bookmark would probably be unnecessary(inside joke). I walked over to where Martin was reading through the old archives of The LinkingRing magazine. He pointed out a picture of a young man that had the most deviously perfect card manlook I'd ever seen. He had the perfect white and black tux with white gloves, neatly trimmed mous-tache and goatee, Jet-black greased back hair. The look was not unlike how the devil might appear ifhe came to earth and got an undercover job as a concierge.

I was about to ask who it was until I looked at the name underneath and found that it wasMartin! The picture was from the June 1964 issue that had been dedicated to the top Canadian magi-cians. I wanted to get a copy of the picture, so Gordon Bean was kind enough to make a photocopy ofit for me. I went back and opened up Milt's book again and funny enough, I opened right to the samepage I was on. (inside joke)

Several months later, I was going through a stack of papers on my office desk at home. I cameupon that copy of Martin's picture, and for the first time I noticed that an effect was listed underneathit. I considered myself a fairly knowledgeable person when it came to his work, but I had never even

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heard of this effect before. It was called "Four Four Aces – Plus A Little More.” I looked at the stackthat the effect required and was immediately impressed. I set up and began going through the effect. Igot about a quarter of the way through when my heart sunk through the floor. The rest of the effectwas on other pages! I ran outside and screamed at a rather conveniently available cat that was sittingon my fence asking him how he could be so stupid as to not copy the rest of the pages. The neighborschose that time to go back inside. I abandoned the effect with the feeling of an archeologist who hadjust found an empty Egyptian tomb.

Last May, I visited the Castle again. I was visiting with Rocco when the memory of the effectcame back to my mind like lightning hitting a small bunny rabbit in an open field. (please pause hereso that you can enjoy that wonderful visual image.) I didn't even say anything. I just turned and randownstairs. Rocco must have thought I'd gone mad, or maybe I'd been to Tommie's earlier that day(inside joke). I went down and asked Gordon if I could look through the magazines again. I searchedfor over two hours, but I couldn't remember where the dang thing was. The archeologist had failedagain. I wandered back upstairs to have a talk with Rocco and tried to explain to him that I hadn'tgone completely insane. It was difficult.

Fast-forward to later that month. I had flown back to L.A. to film some material with Martin.We were at the Castle, and the same epiphany struck my brain. I walked over to Martin with the lookof a man who was about to read the last page of a murder mystery. "Martin? Where's that trick?" Noexplanation, no nothing. He just looked at me and said, "June '64. Page 70." My jaw hit the floor."How'd you remember that?" I asked. "I don't get written up very often. It's a memorable event when Ido." Those of you who know Martin know that he has a mind like a steel trap. (How often he catchessomething is another matter.) We went down to the library and finally found the whole effect. Thequest was complete. Birds began to sing. It turned out to be a prop that went off accidentally. Almosta year of pure aggravation was over. I had the effect in my hands, and now I can pass it to you.

THE ROUTINE: The routine is a six-part effect that grows progressively more amazing. Hereare the cons. The stack is difficult, the method requires a lot of pure memorization, the learningprocess could take months, you must be a master of perfect Faro Shuffles both in and out, and theeffect runs about fifteen minutes, so you can't just pull it out at a bar or your cousin's bachelor partyor something like that. So why would you find it of interest? Because, quite simply, it's one of thestrongest effects that Martin A. Nash has ever done. I would personally take it toe-to-toe with Jacks orBetter, or even Ovation. After its publishing in 1964, it has only been done by Martin a couple oftimes. I would bet that almost no one has ever seen it. After Ovation was invented, this effect was set

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aside and forgotten. That's why I'm so glad to be able to bring it to you again. If done properly andwith the right attitude and flair, this one could very well make you a star.

Since the effect requires a full deck stack, you will probably need to do a deck switch. We willcover Martin's favorite that he often uses in the Ovation routine. It's imbedded in an effect and has asupplementary effect in between it and the finale so that the audience completely forgets the deckswitch. I call those types of effects cleansers because they clean the audience's brain of any suspicion.I'll cover the switch effect and the cleanser, and then I'll go into the full Four and a Little More rou-tine.

Let me first explain the most difficult bit of preparation needed for the deck switch. The jacketthat Martin wears has a specially modified pocket. It has two chambers that are separated by a simplepiece of cloth. The stack deck goes into the chamber closest to your body with the faces towards you.If you look at the stack below, you'll see that the card on the face of the deck will be the six of dia-monds (6D). You will need to find that card in the deck you're using for the rest of your show at somepoint before this next effect and get it into proper forcing position.

THE STACKFrom top to face

AH, 6H, 3H, 3C, 2C, 10H, 6C, QS,10D, QH, 9S, JC, 9C, AD, JD, KH,

7S, KC, 2H, 8H, 3D, 5C, 4H, QC, JH,8D, AC, 7C, 7H, 10C, KD, KS, 9H,

8C, 2S, 4D, 7D, 5H, 4S, AS, 5D, QD,9D, 5S, 4C, 2D, 8S, 6S, 3S, 10S, JS, 6D.

This deck goes into your secret pocket. You will switch it in after the cleanser effect.

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The Side-Pocket Swindle

EFFECT: The spectator locates a selected card that has been lost in the deck by using his senseof touch and sight control.

SLEIGHTS: Forcing a card

METHOD: A good story to go with this and the next effect is telling your audience how peopleused to ask you what's the easiest way to find a card lost in the deck, and what's the hardest way tofind a card. Contrive to have your force card, (6D) in a forcible position, usually on the bottom of thedeck. Explain to the audience that what they are about so see is so difficult that your success rate isonly about 80%. Not perfect, but good enough to attempt it. You are going to force their card, butthere are two important things to take into account. One, the force must not look like a force. It mustappear as if though they have a totally random choice. This is important because if they suspect aforce, the whole effect is dead. Two, the force must be sure-fire. If you miss, you're screwed. Theforce that Martin uses is Harry Lorayne's Fan Prediction #3 from Close-Up Card Magic. Briefly, holdthe deck in dealing position and use the right fingers to jog the bottom card about an inch towardsyourself. As you spread the deck to have a card selected, let the bottom card ride under the pack.Have the spectator touch any card. Break the pack under that point, drop the left-hand packet, andsquare up the pack in the right hand. Strip off the bottom card, (the force card) and place it facedownon the table. Have them look at the card and show it around. Ribbon spread the entire deck, and havethem insert it back into the deck.

At this point you should try and guesstimate the number position which they have placed theircard. Tell the audience that their card is now at about such and such down in the deck. It's importantthat you try and get it close. Your statement won't be challenged, but the closer you are, the morecredible your effect will seem. Tell the audience member to now give the deck any two fair shufflesthey wish. Also explain that you won't be talking during the shuffles because you are going to attemptto follow the card by sight alone simply by watching the deck.

As the spectator shuffles, focus like a laser beam on the deck. Make this moment intense. Afterthey've finished the first shuffle, under your breath, say a random number. Please, for the love of allthat is good on this earth, make it a number between one and 52. I've seen magicians screw this up,and it sounds funny, but I swear to you, it's not. After they've finished the second shuffle, utter anothernumber. It now appears that you've been able to keep track of the location of the card. This is totally

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false, but considering the things that they've seen and are about to see, the audience will eat this up.You are now in a beautiful position. The deck is shuffled, you know what the selected card is. Theaudience thinks that you know where it is, and the duplicate is on the face of the deck in your pocket.Some magicians dream about these kinds of things in their warm beds at night.

Explain to the audience that you're now going to count to the selection. You used to do it blind-folded, but people would be suspicious and think that you could see. You've now found a better wayin which it would be impossible to cheat in such a fashion. You now stand up and open your jacketpocket so that the empty compartment is easily accessible. Have the spectator stand and place thedeck into the pocket with the faces towards you. If needs be, say that you have them that way so thatyou know which way you're counting. Do not tell the spectators to look in your pocket and make surethere's nothing there. If you say this, the spectator will assume that you've made sure that something isin there can't be seen, and you're showing that fact off. They could see that it was empty when theydropped the deck in. You don't need to drill it into them. Remember what Al Baker said. "Don't run ifyou're not being chased." Don't arouse unnecessary suspicion in your audience.

Now that the deck is in your pocket, have them look and make sure they can see the cards. Sitback down, place your hand in the pocket chamber that has the stacked deck, and begin to rummagearound. Don't screw up the order. As you do this, begin talking to your audience. Just random, fun,gambling related talk. You'll find some good lines and comments peppered throughout this book. Asyou are doing all of this, count the number that you said their card was at by slowly taping your fin-gers on the table, or touching your fingers to your thumb. Don't make a big deal of it, but some peoplewill notice that you are trying to count to where you think their cards is. When you've reached thenumber, pause for a moment, and pull out the card at the face of the deck (6D). Place it face down onthe table, and take a quick peek at it. Ask the spectator to name their card. Once they do, get a kind ofshocked / worried look on your face. Give your audience light apology. Tell them "I'm sorry. As Isaid, I don't get this every time. This is one of the times…" Reach down and turn the card over. "…Igot it." Wait for a moment and then put their card back on the bottom of the deck. "Now, that's thehard way of finding a card. Now, I'll show you the easy way."

At this point, you could go right into Four and a Little More, but doing an effect like that rightafter the deck has been out of sight is suspicious. So, we are going to do the cleanser effect before thefinale. This will make the audience totally forget that the deck went into your pocket.

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One-Shuffle Triumph

EFFECT: After the spectator has chosen a card, the deck is shuffled face up into face down.Then, with no messing about whatsoever, the entire deck rights itself except for the spectators nowface up card.

SLEIGHTS: The Riffle Peek, The Zarrow Shuffle, Daryl's Triumph Display

METHOD: This one is simple, but it really blows the audience away. Riffle through the deckand have a spectator peek a card. Maintain the break where they stay stop. Try to control the peek sothat it lands somewhere near the middle. After doing it, you'll have a break under their selection. Dropone card so that your break is now above the selection. Separate the deck at this point and turn the toppacket face up. Ribbon spread the packets so that they can see the condition of them. Gather the pack-ets up. The selection should be on the top of the face down packet. Explain that if you shuffle thecards face up into face down, that it would make it considerably more difficult to find the card. Youare now going to execute a Zarrow Shuffle. It will appear as though you are shuffling the cards faceup into face down. Here is the method. Do a soft riffle shuffle, but have the corners just barely toucheach other. Hold the top card on the right until last. When you drop it, jog it over to the left. Tilt thedeck towards your audience just a little so that they think you're checking the quality of your shuffle.In doing this, the packets will pull apart. Push the left packet into the space between the top card andthe rest of the pack. It will appear as if you're simply pushing the packets together. Square the packand set it down. You should now be in the position of having the face down selection on top, followedby half the pack face up, and the other half the pack face down.

You will now do Daryl's Triumph Display. Have the deck sitting horizontally in front of you.Riffle your thumb up the back until you get into the first few face up cards. Break the top portion offwith your right hand and put it to the right. Now run off the bottom third of each packet and breakthem off. Put them about three times their length forward. Now run off half of what's left, break thepackets off, and put them in between the others. You'll now have a very pretty display of six packetsalternating face up and face down. This display should be done in staggering beats. Do each cut on abeat. Overall there should be five beats. Then gather up the packets in the reverse order so that thedeck is back in the same order. Again, do this in five beats. As you're doing this display explain thatthe shuffle has indeed mixed them up pretty well. Now tell them that as they can see, there are somecards face up, some face down, and even some that are back to back. Mimic these comments by cut-ting high in the deck and showing, cutting low in the deck and showing, and then cutting at the natu-

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ral break for the face to face cards. Rotate the top packet over, show it, and put it back so that the topcard now goes into the middle. Now, say to the spectator, "By the way, what was the name of yourcard?" As they tell you, ask them, "Was it really the ___ of ___? That's interesting because that's theonly card in the deck that wouldn't turn back over." Ribbon spread the deck to show the selection faceup in the face down deck. Take out the card, and put it back in the same spot face down. Gather upthe deck, and get ready for the finale.

Four and a Little More

EFFECT: Part 1: The deck is shuffled several times, and two red aces are shown to have cometo the top of the deck. They are set aside. The deck is then shuffled some more as the performerattempts to find the black aces. He continually misses, setting the incorrect cards aside. He then dis-covers that the reason he couldn't find the black aces is due to the fact that they've switched with thered aces and are now on the table. The red aces are show to have taken the place of the discardedincorrect cards.

Part 2: The aces are then lost into four different parts of the deck in the fairest manner possible.The deck is again shuffled. The performer shows that the aces have once again come to the top.

Part 3: The aces are openly placed in a row on the table. The deck is slapped down onto eachace one at a time. Each time, the ace immediately jumps to the top of the deck.

Part 4: The aces are once again lost into the deck. It is shuffled repeatedly. The performer thenspells out the ace of clubs dealing out one card for each letter, and ends right at the ace of clubs. It isthen put back into the deck face up and after a shuffle, it is shown to have found the next ace. Theprocess is then repeated and the other aces are found.

Part 5: After the aces are set aside, the performer spells out each king dealing one card for eachletter. Each king is spelled to perfectly.

Part 6: The face-down packets by each ace and king are turned up to show the two throughqueen of the corresponding suit now in order.

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SLEIGHTS: False Shuffle, False Cut, Double Lift, Triple Lift, Side Steal, Double Cut, TheFaro Shuffle (both in and out), Duck Dealing, Ribbon Spread, Ribbon Spread Turn Over Move

METHOD: The deck should be in the stack that is shown above. I won't go too much into pat-ter. I'll let you develop that for yourself. I'll cover some aspects, but you should try to make the effectfit your personality. As you practice this effect, have patience. I had to reset my stack and start over atleast a dozen times before I fought all the way through it. The payoff will be well worth it, so justexercise constraint towards throwing your stacked deck at the wall. Also, one very important thing,please quickly check the sleights section of this book and make sure you know the difference betweenan in and an Out-Faro before you start, or you'll be contemplating hara-kiri before long. All Farosthroughout the effect must be perfect.

NOTE: Whenever it says to cut to a specific card, the card listed will be the one at the face ofthe upper packet.

Phase 1. Finding the aces.

Give the deck a quick false shuffle. Ribbon spread it face up across the table, and do the turn-over move. Gather the deck and cut at the 8D. Do one In-Faro. Cut the deck at the 9C and do anotherIn-Faro. The four aces are now on top of the deck. Do a triple lift to show the AD. Turn it back overand thumb off the top card (AS) face down onto the right side of the table as you say "Ace ofDiamonds." Do a false cut. Triple lift to show AH. Turn the triple back over and thumb off the topcard (AC) face down onto the table next to the other card. Call it, "Ace of Hearts.”

Cut at the 8H and do an Out-Faro. Double Lift to show the 6C. Claim that you missed. Turn itback over and thumb off the top card (AD) onto the left side of the table. Cut at the QH and do anOut-Faro. Do a Double Lift to show the 3C. Claim to have missed it again. Turn the double back overbut hold a break underneath it. Double cut the double to the bottom of the deck. Do another double toshow the 10S. Turn it back over and thumb off the top card (AH) onto the table on top of the othercard on the left (AD). Ribbon spread the deck face up and pretend to look for the black aces. Gatherthe deck and say that you've realized what happened. "They've gone over here." Turn over the righttwo tabled cards that the audience believes to be the red aces and show them to be the black ones."Oh Yeah, the reds ended up over here." Turn over the two tabled cards on the left that the audiencebelieves to be two indifferent cards and show that they've changed into the red aces.(fig.1)

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Phase 2. Losing the Aces.

Place the aces onto the table face up in SHCD orderfrom left to right. Hold the deck face up and cut off about aquarter of it. Place it face up below the AD. Cut off anotherquarter and place face up it below the AC. Cut the remainingcards in half, placing the first half face up below the AH, andthe last of the cards face up below the AS. Pick up the left handpacket under the AS. Fan it face up. Place the AS between the8C and KD. Close the fan leaving the ace up jogged about halfits length and place it face up back on the table. Do the samenow with the AH packet, placing the AH between the 6S and 4C. Do the samewith the AC packet, placing the AC between the 10H and 10D. Lastly, do the same with the AD pack-et, placing the AD between the 4H and 8H. Now, gather the packets placing the AD packet onto theAC packet. Then both onto the AH packet and then lastly onto the AS packet. Square the protrudingaces into the deck.

Hold the deck in overhand shuffling position. Run six cards as singles and throw the rest of thedeck on top. This brings six cards from top to bottom reversing their order. Cut the deck at the 10Dand In-Faro. Cut at the 6S and In-Faro again. Show that the four aces have now come back to the top.

Phase 3. Through the Deck.

Pick up the four aces and place them face up on the face-down deck in SHCD order. (The ASbeing next to the face down pack, the AD being at the face.) Fan the aces over to show them. As youclose the fan, get a break below the third face down card. (There should be seven cards above thebreak.) Pick up at the break and use the left thumb to draw off the top card (AD). Lift the packet halfway through the draw causing the AD to drop face down onto the deck. Repeat this move for the ACand AH. Drop the remainder of the right hand packet (three face-down cards and the face-up AS) ontothe deck. Now turn the AS face down proper. The situation from the top of the deck should be this,AS, 8H, 10H, 4C, AH, AC, AD.

Pick up the AS and flash it, calling it "Ace of Spades," and deal it face down to the left. Dealoff the next card (8H) without flashing it. Place it to the right of AS calling it "Ace of Diamonds."Now place the 10H to the right of the 8H without flashing it, calling it "Ace of Clubs." Do a Double

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fig.1

Lift to show AH. Turn it back over and thumb off the top card (4C) to the right calling it "Ace ofHearts."

Slap the deck down onto the far right card that the audience thinks is the AH. (actually the 4C)Say "Ace of Hearts." Pick the whole thing up and snap your fingers. Turn over the top card to showthe AH has penetrated through the deck. Place it back on the table face up. Now, slap the deck ontothe next card saying "Ace of Clubs." Pick the whole thing up, snap, and show the AC has penetrated.Place it back face up on the table. Slap the deck onto the next card saying "Ace of Diamonds." Pickup the whole thing, snap, and turn over the top card to show AD has penetrated. Place it back face uponto the table. Now, the AS is a little different. Slap the deck down onto the last card which is infactthe AS. Lift the deck with your right hand in a Biddle Grip and show the AS is indeed on the bottom.As you turn your hand back down, use your left hand to side steal the AS from the bottom and place itback on top. Give the deck a riffle to cover the action. Snap, and show the AS has made the journey.Place it back on the table.(fig.2)

Phase 4. Spelling the Searcher Ace.

Ribbon spread the deck face up on the table. Insert theAC to the right of the 7C, the AD to the right of the 4S, theAS to the right of the QS and the AH to the right of the 8S.(fig.3) Square the deck. Cut at the JH and do one In-Faro.Hold the deck in dealing position and spell 'Ace of Clubs,"turning one card face up onto the table for each letter. Do aDouble Lift and show the AC. (fig.4) Leave the double faceup and turn the deck over. Strip out the AC from the bottom

being careful not to expose the otherreversed card (AS). Place the AC face up on the table. Drop thedeck face up on the tabled face-up cards. Pick up the deck andturn it face down. Cut the deck at the 6H and do an Out-Faro.Ribbon spread the deck to show the reversed AS. Leave it inposition and do a turn-over move to show the position of thecards. Close the deck and hold it face down. Cut the deck at the9D and do an Out-Faro. Ribbon spread the cards face down anddo the turn-over move to show the AS has found the first redace. Take the red ace from the spread, but leave everything else

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fig. 2

fig.3

as-is. Gather the deck face down, cut at the 5C and do an In-Faro. Again, ribbon spread the pack and do the turnover moveto show the AS has found the other red ace. Remove both acesfrom the spread and gather the pack, being careful to not dis-turb their order.

Phase 5. Spelling Kings and Things

Place the aces face up on the table in SHDC order fromleft to right. Cut the deck at the 10D and do an In-Faro. Cut thedeck at the 6D and do an In-Faro. Spell "King of Spades" by dealing cards one at a time into a packetbelow the AS. The king will appear on the final "s.” Turn it face up and place it halfway underneaththe AS in Blackjack style. Cut the deck at 4D. Spell "King of Hearts" as before dealing one card at atime below the AH. The king appears on the final "s.” Place the king with its ace. Cut at 3D and doone more In-Faro. Cut the pack at the QC and drop the upper portion below the AC. With the remain-der of the cards in your hand, spell "King of Diamonds" by putting one card from the top of the pack-et to the bottom for each letter. This is known as "Duck Dealing." The king will appear on the "s.”Place the king with the ace and the remainder of the cards below them. Pick up the packet below theAC. Hold them in overhand shuffling position and run five cards placing the rest on top. Run fivemore placing the rest on top. The KC will now be the top card. Show it and place it with its ace. Placethe remainder of the cards below them.

Phase 6. A Little More.

At this point, your audience will practically be on thefloor with amazement. Pick up the face-down packet in thespades column. Explain, "What would make this effect perfectwould be if all the cards from the shuffled, cut, mixed, andshuffled pack were...." trail off and start turning the cards in thepacket face up one at a time. The audience will explode. Afteryou've dealt the spades, pick up the other packets one at a timeand spread them showing the entire deck has righted itself.

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fig.4

fig.5

NOTES: As you can see, this one is a masterpiece. I have had enormous success with it. Thelearning process is difficult. Don't get frustrated with it and give up. I still use a hidden cheat sheetwhen I do it, but if you give it time and do what is needed, this one will make a reputation for you

P.S. If you are a master of the Tabled Faro and can pull it off that way, you'll make magic his-tory with this one.

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Deck GripsThe following are demonstrations of different types of deck grips and advanced palms.

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Dealer’s Grip Mechanic’s Grip Modified Mechanic’s Grip

Bottom Deal Grip Biddle Grip Gambler’s Cop

Lateral Palm Tenkai Palm

TheEssays

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In 1971, Martin Nash appeared onthe “World Surprise Show” inJapan. Fuji Television was thrilledwith the performance and sent himthe letter you see here.

A photo shot at the filming of the“World Surprise Show.”

“Money won is twice as sweet as money earned.”

~The Color of Money~

How to Practice

Practicing is a very personal subject. People’s practicing style has a lot to do with their person-al desires, commitment, attitude, and self discipline. I'd like to give you a run down of my practicingstyle. It was developed for me by Martin when he found that I couldn't get my pull-through shuffles tolook right. He helped me develop many of these techniques for how to work on sleights and material.These may not work for you, because as I said, everyone practices differently. But, maybe you'll get alittle bit of a boost in the right direction as I have.

Step 1: Plan.This may sound barking mad, but it's necessary. I practice several hours each day by myself,

but many times I'll go to my brother's house and have a magical jam session with him. If we don'thave a plan laid out for what we are going to work on, we will usually just screw around and end upplaying poker or golf or something. When I'm working by myself, the first thing I do is sit down andmake a list of what I want to accomplish, and the things I feel need the most work. I will then set atime limit on how long I'm going to work, and what time will be spent working on which item. Thismay all sound tedious, but it works. It helps to keep the mind focused on the task at hand, and helpsto bring you back from a mental wandering.

Step 2: Hunt and Gather.Again, this is important. I like to be prepared for when the session begins. I hate having to get

up for something I need or forgot. I'll gather up about five or six different types of decks, (I like tokeep well rounded) my mat, my SortKwik, a big drink, something to munch on, dig out some tunes towork to, and go to work. Just use your plan to make a list of everything you'll need for the session.

Step 3: Quiet!Turn off the phone and tell your loved ones to leave you alone under penalty of death. (Give

them the same respect when they have something they need to work on.)

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Step 4: Force yourself to do it.Crazy as this sounds, I've actually met people that hate to practice. They'll mess around for a

bit and then go do something else. A structured plan is like a torture to them. I personally love to prac-tice, but sometimes, you may need to push yourself a bit to actually do it.

Step 5: Take a break.This is, strangely enough, the most important thing on the list. It is highly recommended that

you get a timer and set it to go off in fifteen minutes. The brain has a hard time pushing itself formuch longer than that. It's the same reason that weight lifters try to avoid too many reps. At a point,it's just not doing the body any good anymore. When I attended LVMI in '03, Martin gave the advicethat one should take a break every fifteen minutes and let the mind do something else so that youdon't burn out, and Jamy Ian Swiss emphatically stated, "That right there is worth the entire price ofthe convention by itself."

Step 6: Analyze.This is also a very important step. After you've completed a practice session, good or bad, ana-

lyze it. Look at what you've accomplished. Look at what you may still be lacking in. This will go along way towards helping you plan your next session. You'll be able to keep track of how you are pro-gressing. Otherwise, you're kinda flying blind.

I know that these steps may seem like a lot of work, but I make you a promise, from one magi-cian to another. If you use any of these steps, you WILL see a dramatic improvement in your skilllevel. Structure can take you a lot further than simply mucking about.

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“What’s a Harry Lorayne?”~Martin A. Nash, 1962~

Building Your Character

Have you ever heard a "what if?" story before? They are the kind of stories that explore howhistory would change or life would be different if a small moment were changed or missing. Think inyour mind for a moment if, on that fateful day back in the sixties, Sid Lorraine had never givenMartin Nash the tag line that has served him so well. We would never have had the pleasure of enjoy-ing the work of "The Charming Cheat.”

Many magicians spend a lot of their time focusing on the effects of their show. They take thetime to select music and write a script, but precious little time is spent on themselves and their charac-ter. This, in my opinion, is just as important. I would like to discuss what I feel are the two types ofmagicians as far as character goes. I know I'm going to get angry email about this, but bear with me.

First, is what I call the magic-store-cookie-cutter magician. I am not referring to the men andwomen who sit behind the counter and help you expand your repertoire, but those to whom they sell.The magician behind the counter has a very specific style. They have just a couple of minutes todemonstrate the product for you in hopes of convincing you to buy it. I know this because I spend mytime behind the counter as well. Their technique is sometimes sterile, but it is near flawless. In a suc-cessful store, the magician has probably done this effect more times before lunch than you will inyour lifetime. You would be hard pressed to find a better resource for technical education. The prob-lem is that they demo just that effect, not a lengthy half-hour show. You don't get to see a lot of theflair of who they are. Now, many of these guys have great magic careers outside of the shop whereinthey are able to demonstrate the full range of their performance skills, but in the shop, it's show, go,and move on to the next mall rat. This demonstration is what sticks in the buyer’s mind. They justsaw the effect performed perfectly and they were amazed. They now go home and practice this effectfor days and days using the exact same presentation they saw. They now put together a show that con-tains several effects that are a cookie-cutter image of what they've seen in the shop. It lacks flow andfeel. They don't inject themselves and their character into the show.

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Then, there is the other type of magician, the seasoned professional who has fallen into thegroove. Take a look at people like David Williamson, Rocco, and Jeff McBride, just to name a few.When you sit down to watch Williamson, plan on holding your sides, because you are definitely goingto laugh. He is probably one of the funniest men in the business today. He is funny, exocentric, andvery in your face. He also has the added bonus of being a complete magical genius in both techniqueand script. Next, look at Rocco. He is the perfect cross between James Bond, and a Jersey thug. He issuave, debonair, and just a bit intimidating. You love to watch the perfect technique, but you probablydon't want to meet him down a dark alley on a bad day. He is a man who is in control of everymoment of the show, and he knows it. Jeff takes it in another direction. When you sit down at aMcBride performance you are taken through a whirlwind of magical moments. He can span a wholearray of magic and emotion in a single show. You go from ancient amazement to high-tech fear in avery short space of time. Men like these have developed a character and style that fits who they are.

Then there is Martin A. Nash, The Charming Cheat. He gives the presence of a professionalsharp that knows he is in control and can therefore relax and share with you his craft. He is a gambler,and a good one. If you have never seen Martin perform, read my introduction to the book and imaginehim in the story that I tell. That is who The Charming Cheat is.

Developing a character can be a simple thing, but it is crucial. Let who you are dictate whoyour character is. It is difficult to be something or someone that you're not. When Martin was firstgiven his title, he was worried about it, but it soon began to stick. It helped him in the development ofhis shows. It helps to ask yourself how you want your character to react to what you are doing. Is hehaving fun, messing around or is he serious as if this is his business and belief? Is your character gruffand pedantic, or bane and glib? Jeff Hobson loves to have a party on stage, whereas Tony Andruzzitook the slow ride to hell and loved to drag you along screaming.

All of these people had an angle or a tag that helped them stick in the minds of their audience.A tag line will do just that. A great example of this is Bodine Balasco. He is a west coast based magi-cian turned motivational speaker, and boy can he motivate. When he was still performing magic, hehad a tag line he used during the show that helped. "You know, every where I go, and I've been every-where I ever have been, people say to me, 'Bodine, How did you do that?" By the second time he saysit, it's stuck in the audience's heads. By the third time, people are saying it with him, and consequent-ly, people never forget his name.

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A good name or tag line will stay with you. When Martin was early in his career, he had aninteresting event happen that demonstrated this fact. He was in London with his wife and daughtertaking a walk in the park, when a gentleman walked over to him from across the park and asked himif he was The Charming Cheat. Now, Martin had never even been to England before, but here was aman who recognized him and immediately associated him with his title. These days, a stage name isnot necessary. Back in the old days, it used to be, but not anymore. Martin A. Nash is his real name.Some people think it's a stage name, but it isn't. When I'm performing, I'm known as Michael J. H.Sorensen, card mechanic. It's my real name and what I do.

Trying to use the -idini or -azmo endings have become passe. It's copying someone else anddoesn't carry any weight any more. All due respect to those who use it successfully, I just feel that it'sa little cheesy now. Your own name should be good enough, and a tag line doesn't hurt.

Your demeanor both physically and verbally is very important. Don't look scruffy. If you lookscruffy, your audience will see your magic as scruffy. Jeff McBride made a great comment on that."You should always dress like you're going somewhere better later.” Martin keep himself elegant to afault. Every time I've been around him, he always looks immaculate. He's well groomed. His hair isnice, his fingernails are clean, and he always dresses nice. I honestly don't believe that he owns a pairof jeans and a t-shirt. He talks about how one should look nice no matter what. Even if you're justgoing to the corner store to get a quart of milk, you should look good. You never know who you aregoing to meet. You never know who the next potential client is.

You should let your character shine through when you are on stage. Be gracious but interesting.When I'm performing, I wear a very specific outfit. I wear a black suit with a grey turtleneck. I alwayshave on my lucky bracelet and thumb ring. It's a trademark, and it's memorable. Martin always wearsa very elegant tuxedo while performing. He looks the part that he is playing, and that's who he is. TheCharming Cheat became Martin.

The general point is that who you are is just as important as what you're doing. Be mindful ofwho you are and how you're perceived. It will help you to grow.

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"An ad-lib is only good after you've used it a thousand times."~Bob Hope~

Managing Your Audience

"Managing your audience is perhaps one of the hardest, yet one of the easiest things to do."Martin has been generous enough to share with me his thoughts and feelings on this very importantsubject, and I would like to now share those thoughts with you.

Since Martin was a very young performer, he has never had a heckler. That may sound strange,but it's true. There are very specific reasons for this and the first and foremost is who he is. If youever see him perform, you'll see what I'm talking about. From the moment he walks through the cur-tain, he commands respect from the audience. Everything from his appearance to his smile will catchyou. He portrays the aura of a man who is there to have fun, but to do a job as well. When you showto your audience that you are serious about what you do, they'll pay attention. It's good to have youraudience with you mentally. If you go too fast for your audience, you'll lose them. Then, they are stilltrying to figure out what you just did, while you’re already halfway through the next effect. Then theystop paying attention. They start talking and others start talking, and your show unravels. On the otherhand, if you go too slowly for your audience, they'll get bored and start talking, and your show unrav-els. Keep your audience in the show. Make them feel that they are a part of it, because in fact theyare. If it weren't for them, you'd be out of a job.

Martin will not tolerate talking in his show. It's like a cancer in your audience. It will slowlystart eating away at them, and soon, it's out of control. If Martin is performing and two people starttalking to each other, he has a simple method of dealing with it. He just looks at them, and he contin-ues to look at them. Soon, everyone else is looking at them, and they'll stop. At that point, he contin-ues on exactly where he left off. He doesn't flat out embarrass them, but he makes it known that hewon't tolerate talking. This leads into another important key. Don't embarrass your audience. If youobserve an audience, you'll notice something strange. Nobody wants to sit in the front row, and theysure don't want to volunteer. This is because they have been to, or seen magic shows before, and theperformer has no reservations about embarrassing the spectators for the simple and pathetic sake of

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getting a laugh. How many times have we all seen the bra trick done? This is perhaps the worst pieceof magic that can be done. Think about how the lady must feel, and how her husband must feel, orwhen you throw in an embarrassing joke or vulgar line. These people are here to help make you asuperstar. Why go and screw it all up for one stupid joke? You should make your show the type wherewhen they come to see you again, they want to sit in the front. They want to volunteer. They want totell their friends about how amazing and entertaining you were. And most of all, they want to giveyou their time and money.

This is something that Martin talked to me about at great length. It's a simple yet powerful con-cept to live and work by. Think about this, how much money do you think a man like HowardHughes, JFK, Al Capone, or even some poor nobody would pay you for one more half-hour of life?That's a real sniff of Java. You need to think about the fact that not only has this room full of peoplegiven you a half-hour, or an hour of their lives, but they are also paying you their hard earned moneythat they sweated and toiled for. Let's say that you have 30 people at your show, and you don't give ityour all. You have now wasted 15 to 30 hours, and these people can never have it back. As a magi-cian, and as a fellow man, you need to make sure that they feel it's worth it. Most people don't realizehow serious it is when they say a simple thing like "Boy, that was a half-hour wasted." That's a half-hour that they'll never have back. You need to do your part and make sure that you deserve the timethey've given you.

Another point we need to discuss is profanity. Martin is of the strong opinion that it hasabsolutely no place in magic. Decades ago, comedians used to use profanity for its shock value. It nolonger has that. Everybody's heard these words. They're no big surprise. If you sat in a room with aperson you've paid good money to and they started to swear at you, you'd get up and leave. Whatmakes you think that your audience won't do the same? There is no need for swearing. It adds nothingto the show, and the only thing that it'll do is build up contempt and even disgust for the performer.I've been a performing magician for a couple of decades now, and I speak from experience when Isay, there are two specific words that you will never ever get away with, taking the Lord's name invain, and the F-bomb. These are the biggest mistakes you can pull in your show. You'd be better off ifyou dropped your stacked deck without an out. I made the mistake several years ago of dropping anF-bomb in a card show that I was performing. It was for a group that I had performed for before sev-eral times. It was a young lawyer's association party at a local bar. I felt that the situation was fun, Iwas having a good time, and in the middle of watching a spectator shuffle, I let it fly. The situationdidn't turn bad, but I could tell that the feeling had changed. I have never been invited back. Don't lettemptation, or even habit get in the way of giving your audience what they deserve, respect.

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It is crucial that you give your audience your all, but it is just as crucial that you maintain con-trol of them. One of my favorite old gag lines was "Hi, my name is Mike. I have a gun in my jacketand I know how to use it. Now, who wants to see some card tricks." Effective, yes, but it doesn'tendear you to your audience very well. After years of performances both good and bad, I have learnedone important rule. If you have confidence in yourself and your show, and you project this well, youraudience will naturally respond better. You must always maintain control of your situation. A wonder-ful piece of advice given by Eugene Burger is to write down a word for word, move for move script.That way, if you or your audience stray, you know exactly how to get back on track. Ad-libs can thenbe peppered into your show and you can take those little side roads when they come up, yet you stillhave a way to maintain flow. In my shows, I have something that I have never seen in another per-former's show. I let the audience ask questions throughout the set, though I only acknowledge andanswer these questions between effects and only when it doesn't interrupt the flow. This gives theaudience the chance to feel more in tune with what's going on, but I am always truthful. You shouldnever deceive on something you don't have to. I have my little answers for those classic questions like"How did you do that?" or "Do you make good money doing this?" I always love the answers like"Very well thank you!" or "Do you have my check?"

As stated before though, you must always be as honest as possible with your audience. Mywife has made the comment to me many times, "Yeah, but you're a professional liar!" That's true.Deception is my business, but there is a difference in our business between entertaining your audienceand insulting their intelligence. Let's say for instance that you have a lovely little prop you bought lastweek at the local magic shop. It strangely enough, like so many other props built these days, hasbeautiful Chinese characters and artwork all over it. You may be tempted to include such lines in yourpatter as "I picked this up last time I was in China." Chances are that some or all of the people in youraudience know you, and they know very well that you've never been to China. It just makes you looksilly. Make your patter truthful. Make it a part of your life. People can easily pick up on the fact thatyou’re being honest with them, and they will respect you for it.

There are times when this can be circumvented. I once saw a performance of Rocco’s at TheMagic Castle. He was in his 30's at the time. He told the audience that he was going to show them aneffect he had been doing for about 45 years. This was obviously ludicrous, and that's what made itsuch a funny line. He then went on to say, "It's a trick I learned from the Queen of England… well, …that's who he told me he was. I believed him." It was a fun set to watch, and it didn't cross the line ofinsulting the audience's intelligence. There are times when an exaggeration can get you in trouble. I'veseen card workers that ran through the deck and commented that they were memorizing the order of

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the deck. They, of course, were not. It was just a line, but if someone challenges them on it, they arein trouble. Don't claim to have a power over the deck you don't have. Unless of course you canfake it!

Applause is a crucial part of the show and of audience interaction. One of the biggest situationsfacing magicians now days is that there are times to applaud and then there's not. How do you let youraudience know which is which? That all comes down to scripting your act which we will talk aboutlater, but make sure your audience is with you and that you don't force them into awkward pauses.You also must learn to accept the applause as it comes. Don't expect it to come all the time, but under-stand that this is the way in which your audience is showing their appreciation for what you are doing.Martin talks about how it leaves a bad taste in his mouth when he sees a performer that finishes hisset and bolts from the stage just as the applause is getting started, or when a performer cuts off around of applause in order to continue on. Accept your applause and accept it graciously. Chances arethat the audience enjoyed your show immensely, and they want to let you know that you've done well.You deserve it.

Occasionally, a situation will come up where you'll get an audience member who will come upto you after the show and utter those six little words of doom, "I saw how you did that." Those wordsare enough to make some magicians homicidal. So, the question arises of how do you deal with it?This may seem strange but trust me. It works. Thank them. You then ask them what they saw. Ninetimes out of ten, they'll be right. Don't argue with them and say "No you didn't." They know very wellwhat they saw. If you argue the point, you'll only put them on the defensive and they'll start to telleveryone what they saw. However, if you politely ask them what they saw, where they were sitting,and then thank them, they will invariably say, "I won't tell anybody." And they won't. It becomes aconfidence. So now, rather than create an uncomfortable and potentially sticky situation, you've nowmade a new friend and taken another step towards a perfect show. You'll be amazed how far thiswill go.

The bottom line is, be good to your audience. Make sure they feel their time is worth it. Nevergive less than your best in both skill and character, and they'll make sure you keep food on the table.

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"Don't run if you're not being chased."~Al Baker~

Putting Together Your Act

As many of you know, Martin Nash lives on Vancouver Island up in Canada fairly close to theborder. Many years ago, there was a gentleman who came through the border checkpoint in a bigtruck. Of course, the officers checked the truck, only to find it full of sawdust. This same thing hap-pened again the next week, the week after that and the week after that. The officers obviously thoughtto themselves, "This guy's smuggling something." So, they began to check the sawdust, but to noavail. They kept checking through it again, and again. They started to check the cab, the guy, every-thing they could. This goes on for about fifteen years. Eventually, the guy retires. Some months laterhe goes on a trip to Canada, and of course they stop him at the border. They talk to the guy and say"Hey look, there's nothing we can do now, but we know you were smuggling something. We checkedthe sawdust. We checked everything. Please, we've got to know. What were you smuggling?" The guyjust looked at them and said, "Trucks."

The reason I tell this story is to demonstrate one simple point. If your audience doesn't knowwhat to look for, they're never going to find it. There are more schools of thought on misdirectionthan can be counted. It can be at the heart of one's act. It plays a big part in your effects, but I believethat one of the biggest forms of it is simply to get your audience to be comfortable with you. MartinA. Nash is a master of exactly that.

I have been at The Magic Castle in Hollywood on nights when Martin is on the bill. I've satwith him behind the curtain as he prepares to go out and perform, and believe it or not, he is shakinglike a leaf. He gets very nervous before a show, and that's why he has the introduction that he does. Ifhe came out and went right into the show, he'd drop the cards all over the floor. So, instead, he comesout and talks to the audience. "Is everybody ready to have a good time? I'll put an end to that." Hethen takes out his glasses and puts them on. "Oh there you are! I got these about six months agobecause I realized I hadn't seen my show in seven years." At this point, people are laughing as Martinsits down. "As my ex-wife used to say, I do nothing but I do it rather well." He then takes out thedeck and begins to shuffle. "You know, the nice thing about doing nothing is that nobody ever knows

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when I start. Nobody ever knows when I'm finished so people think I'm busy all day and I don't getbothered. Then I get a check at the end of the week and I don't know what the heck they paid me for."At this point, Martin has had a chance to relax; the audience is comfortable and has had a laugh. Theyhave settled down and are paying attention. Everything is ready.

The building of your act can take a considerable amount of time. Martin has spent many yearscompiling and perfecting the 10 close-up acts that he has in his repertoire. Martin and I have a similarapproach to incorporating a new effect. Martin will take an effect and worry it to death. In otherwords, he'll tear it apart. He sees how it would be possible to work his own character into the effect,how to Nashify it so to speak. He likes to see if there is any way that the same results can be achievedwith less work. He's fond of telling people how much he detests work. This is a good point. If you canachieve the same results with fewer or simpler sleights, then why not do it?

Some time ago, I had the pleasure of attending a lecture by Dan Harlan. There were two pointshe made that struck me deeply. One of those had to do with the simplification of your show. If youcan get your show to the point that you would be hard pressed to screw it up technically, then you willeliminate a lot of fear and nervousness. Magicians, as well as other performance artists, tend to getnervous because of the fear of making mistakes. If you know that you're not going to, then you'll befar less nervous. You can focus more on the presentation, and your audience will pick up on the factthat you are more comfortable on stage.

Your patter can have a lot to do with the way that your show goes over. First and foremost,your patter should involve you with your audience. A lot of people will get an effect and use the"canned patter" that comes with it. This presentation may have worked fine for the magician whoinvented it, but it may not be for everyone. You need to put yourself into it. Make your own personali-ty or that of your character’s come out in what you say.

Another thing is to make your set and your patter seem logical. The set pieces should flow intoone another. It would be difficult for an audience to follow an act that featured a dark voodoo effectright after a rousing rendition of the hippity-hop rabbits. Your patter should also work with the effects.They should help to enhance the effects. This point is illustrated in the story of Martin Nash perform-ing as a kid up in Parksville. He would use the props that tended to have the Chinese characters allover them. He would use lines like "…the last time I was in China." However, he was a fourteen-year-old magician in a town of four hundred people. Everybody knew very well he had never evenbeen outside the city, let alone the country. If people know that your patter is desperately faked, their

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level of respect for your show goes down, but if your patter sounds logical, then your show becomeslogical. Don't expect the development of your patter to always be easy. There was one time thatMartin was working on the patter for a set, and he spent several days trying to come up with a singleword for one of his gambling effects. The word was "legendary.” It may seem like a simple thing now,but at the time it was something he just couldn't come up with.

Practicing your patter can be just as important as practicing your effects. Martin will alwayspractice them together. He told me once about a set that he hadn't done in some time, but he had tohave ready for an upcoming performance. There was one spot where he wasn't sure about a particularsleight, but he forged ahead anyway, patter and all. As soon as the trouble spot came up, he spoke hispatter and bang, the sleight came automatically. Because his set is so perfectly choreographed, and healways practiced his patter with his tech work, it became automatic.

Your patter is the biggest part of misdirection. If it is engaging, the people will get into thestory and pay more attention to the person giving it. Please try to keep your patter fluid through partswhen you are executing a sleight. Too many times, I see magicians who pause and look at the cardswhen they do a sleight. They have spent so much time working the sleight to perfection that they feelthey can get away with it. Maybe they can, but I can guarantee you that it is much easier to execute amultiple shift when people aren't looking at your hands. You should do the sleight while looking atyour audience. That way, they are looking at you. If you have to stop and thing about a sleight, it's toolate. It should be automatic.

When you are practicing your set, you should have someone there who you can trust. I willalways practice my set in front of my brother Davied. He will give me honest criticism without givingme crap. It's good to be able to let your guard down and experiment. Your friend will tell you if hesaw something or if this should be changed or that needs to be reworked. You then have a living testerthat can help you grow. When you do get criticism, listen to it. People know what they want, andbelieve it or not, they will help you give it to them.

Practice relentlessly. The more you practice, the better you'll be. That may be a no-brainier, butit's important. Honing your set will take time, but it's worth the work. Martin gave me some wisewords. "If you can do one trick better than anybody else in the world, then you're the best in the worldat what you do. If you can do two tricks better than anyone, then you are moving up the ladder. If youcan do three tricks better than anyone else, than you can make a living at it.” Work your set to thepoint of perfection. Always remember, people never get tired of perfection.

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“The guy who invented poker was bright, but the guy who invented the chip was a genius.”~Author Unknown~

Gambling Demonstrations vs. Card Tricks

I'm going to take a chance here and make an assumption. I'm going to assume that if you arereading this book, or if you are a fan of Martin Nash's work, that you have an interest in gamblingroutines. You are in good company. It also, though, brings up an interesting conundrum. Not manyaudiences want to sit through just straight gambling routines. Unless of course you're a psycho likeme in which case, more power to you. Gambling demonstrations are very cerebral. They are extreme-ly exciting to watch, but they can wear down an audience rather quickly. If you do just gambling inyour show, I don't recommend making it over twenty or thirty minutes tops. If you combine it withsome card effects afterwards, you can double the time of your performance. Card work is sometimesconsidered to be passe, and most audiences feel this. I always like to start my show with some reallygood gambling work and then move on to some top-notch card effects. I don't recommend that youintermix them because if you do a great gambling effect and then do a card effect right after, youraudience will simply think of the gambling work as just another card effect as well. If you're like me,you want to avoid this. There is however a way around this. Martin uses a technique that both bridgesthe gap and yet still keeps the two well separated. I've adopted this into my shows as well, and itworks. What he will do is, when he has finished his gambling work, he'll say, "As you can see, gam-bling is my business… but card tricks are my hobby. Would you like to see a couple of my favoritecard tricks?" and of course the audience will be very excited about a mental relax. What this methoddoes is two fold. It will allow you to separate your gambling and your card effect in the minds of theaudience. They won't associate the gambling with simple tricks. It also gives you an extra level ofcredibility by separating trick from skill. Try to experiment with some different techniques such asthis. It may sound strange, but this has really helped me from going to amateur to pro by adding somesubtle credibility to my performances. Maybe it can help you as well.

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Friends

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A thank you letter given to Martin from the RCMP afterhaving given lectures on crooked gambling and card work.

Bodine Balasco

My Encounter With The M.A.N.

It's hard to believe there was a time when you had to learn sleight-of-hand technique fromreading books. Written descriptions of hand positions, with associated line drawings and photographs.Don't be tryin' to learn sleight-of-hand from a book if you're not in a mood to really focus.

I loved it. When I had those books propped open with a paper weight, and I had a deck ofcards on a small close-up pad, and I was passionately trying to learn card magic techniques on myown, I had the feeling I was learning something secret and special. I would read some of those here's-how-you-position-your-fingers-on-the-deck paragraphs several times, and try over and over again to"get the move right."

Back then, before video tape, getting someone who was a true expert to personally show yousubtleties of sleight-of-hand, well, that was really valuable. Of course, those "in the know" havealways been reluctant to share "the real work" with anyone who is a beginner.

In any case, there I was, studying my copy of Expert Card Technique, trying to learn theStrip Out False Shuffle. The drawings in that book are great, and the descriptions are excellent, won-derfully outlined. I got the basics from that book, but I couldn't really "get it right." Practice as I did,my false shuffle was awkward, not smooth, not totally deceptive. I kept at it of course. But I neverreally got it working good enough to go into my performances. I kept relying on false cuts and falserunning cuts. The Strip-Out False Shuffle eluded me.

And then I had a chance to visit personally with Martin Nash, in the small backstage area ofthe Close-Up Room at The Magic Castle. Those were amazing days at The Magic Castle, during themiddle to late '70's. Sleight-of-hand was all the rage back then. And the focus on learning "the realwork" was the passion of many a great card performer.

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I had scored a wonderful full-time gig, performing card table magic on board the Delta QueenSteamboats on the Mississippi River, but when it came to really sophisticated sleight-of-hand tech-nique, I was still a beginner. I wasn't part of the "inner circle" at The Magic Castle, but I loved beingup there very much, drinking in the excitement and the atmosphere, trying to glean what "insideknowledge" I could.

At that time, Martin Nash was in his heyday. He was working steady at trade show hospitalitysuites, and shopping malls, and also making appearances internationally. Once, when he agreed to lec-ture at The Magic Castle, so many magicians showed up, his lecture had to be moved to a nearbychurch auditorium to accommodate everyone. He was awesome that day, and he "killed" in the Close-Up Room that week.

I was so delighted and impressed with his performance in the Close-Up Room the night I wentto see him, that I decided to go backstage after his show to congratulate him and communicate mypraise. I didn't even think he knew who I was. And, truth be told, some of my previous efforts to makefriendly contact with other magicians of his caliber did not meet with much success. But, the Creatordid bless me with a bold nature, and so there I went, into that really small, dimly lit, paint-peeling-off-the-walls dressing room to congratulate Martin Nash on his amazing skill and the incredible entertain-ment value of his show. I was prepared to be politely "brushed off." Instead I found a warm, sincerewelcome, and an invitation to sit down and visit. How wonderful that was for me.

I was a guy doing a "gambling expose act" as best I could, with very simple routines and alarge dose of showmanship, and I was getting really good results. But now, here I was, backstage withthe guy who was the king of the "gambling expose act" at the time. I was faking a Second Deal, quitedeceptively, in my act. Martin was actually doing a Second Deal, totally deceptively, in his act.

And back there in that room with him, he was not only willing to talk to me. He was in a talk-ing mood. (I have subsequently learned that one thing Martin certainly loves to do, is talk.) What asurprising visit that was. What warmth I felt from him. I remember it like it was yesterday. It was anencounter of friendship and encouragement, at a time when friendship and encouragement from a per-former like him meant so much to me.

And yes, in the middle of that conversation, in that tiny little room, just the two of us, betweenshows, I added into our discussion that fact that I was having trouble perfecting the Strip-Out FalseShuffle. "Let me see you do it," Martin said very directly. "Show me what you are doing." Oh Lord, I

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thought to myself. Now I've gone and done it. Now I have to show THE Martin Nash, how really badI am at the False Riffle Shuffle! Why couldn't I just keep my mouth shut?!

My concerns were not necessary. He spent several minutes with me, politely and sincerely andplayfully helping me learn how to perform a really good, really deceptive strip-thru shuffle. In thoseminutes I experienced that truly wonderful feeling that all sleight-of-hand magicians live for… thefeeling of "getting it." A combination of intellectual awareness and physical coordination that just"clicks." You go from not having it, to totally having it. How exciting that is. That's what Martin gaveme in that little room that night. He gave me the Strip-Thru Shuffle. And he gave me friendship. Thatwas so incredible. A life is made rich by moments like that.

I have been Martin's friend ever since that first meeting. And his friendship has been a wonder-ful experience. And brother, can he talk when he gets going. He certainly has the storyteller's impulse.Sometimes he'll call me on the phone just to communicate some little bit of news, and I have justlearned to put my work down, and settle in for a long talk.

All these years later, I am still that newly-minted performer, sitting in that little room, back-stage at The Magic Castle, delighted to have a chance to visit with Martin Nash.

Bodine Balasco

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Paul Harris

I was in my early twenties the first time I witnessed Martin Nash's flawlessly orchestrated concert per-formance. Martin's transcendent artistry deeply etched itself into my close-up genetics and gave me the firstreal hope that the inner beauty of card magic could be appreciated by the outside world. Martin's visioninspired us all to kick it up a notch, and for a brief fleeting moment, caused me to ponder the possibility ofactually buying a suit.

Paul Harris

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Stephen Minch

The Forging of a Trilogy and the Nash ReputationThis story, like its subject, has three parts. The smallest of them concerns me, so let's dispose

of that first. I was not long graduated from university when in 1971 my lack of a life-plan washed meonto the non-existent shores of Calgary, Alberta, in the middle of Canada. That summer, following acommencement ceremony I did not attend, I hitched a ride with another young magician to the PCAMconvention in Vancouver, British Columbia. It was there I met Micky Hades and slept on the floor ofDoug Henning's room while he was in the hospital. But that's not the story I'm here to tell. It was,though, that brief chance meeting with Micky that led, not long after, to my cramming together cloth-ing, a few pots and as many books as my Volkswagen bug would hold (a sort of clown-car routine),and driving from Tacoma, Washington, to Calgary, where Micky ran his basement magic shop andpublishing company. There I worked and learned for roughly twenty months, surrounded by effects,props, illusions and the most complete stock of magic literature in the world, while a clankingGestetner press slammed out magic books from wax stencils in a nearby room. Micky had been build-ing his magic business for some years, and had reached a point where he felt he had to move frombeing a part-time magic dealer with a secure real-world job to becoming a full-time dealer with a full-time employee. Why, given his scanty knowledge of me, he chose me to gamble on, I'll never quiteknow, but I'm grateful, as it set my career in magic into motion.

It was while working for Micky in Calgary that I first met Martin Nash, "The CharmingCheat.” (It was Sid Lorraine, by the way, who coined that engaging description, in a review writtenearly in Martin's career.) Martin came through Calgary regularly, on a circuit of shopping malls inwhich he performed for years. He inevitably stopped by Micky's shop when he was in town, and weoften went to watch him work. I'd had a serious interest in card effects for years, and was heavilyinfluenced by Harry Lorayne's Close-Up Card Magic, Ganson's various books and the Steranko issueof Genii. (Coincidentally, Martin was also influenced by Harry Lorayne, but in a more direct way,having moved for a while to New York, where he spent time with Harry and the other movers andshakers of the Manhattan card-scene.) At that time I'd seen very little performance of top-notch

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sleight-of-hand with cards. Martin provided my first opportunity to get really close to such work, andit was one of the best educations one could have; for Martin was not only doing advanced manipula-tion beautifully, he was doing it entertainingly. In fact, he was making a good living from it at a timewhen the common wisdom was that such card work was for head-in-the-clouds amateurs and that onecouldn't survive doing just card tricks for the public. Yet there was Martin doing it; and, of all places,in the middle of shopping malls-sitting down while he worked!

The education I received from Martin was more than one in advanced sleight-of-hand; itincluded using character to entertain. He had boiled down the Hollywood image of a card cheat to itsessence, then fitted it to his personality and made himself intriguing to people. Try holding a hundredor more busy shoppers for fifteen to twenty minutes in the middle of a noisy mall doing card effectswhile sitting at a table. You'll quickly come to appreciate the strength of Martin's performances. Andthis was before the time of big television monitors. All Martin had to make his work visible to mallaudiences was a large mirror angled over the table to reflect the cards and his hands on a giant, velvetclose-up pad. It was a low-tech arrangement, but Martin certainly made the most of it, in a market forcard magic that hadn't existed before he created it.

Like most creative magicians, there was a part of Martin that wanted to share his work with hispeers, and of course to receive their recognition of its skill and cleverness. In those days the mostaccessible route to that end was a book. He approached Micky Hades about publishing a collection ofhis card effects. But Micky surprised him by advising that he should wait five years, while heamassed a larger and more mature body of work. Martin was understandably disappointed and decid-ed to forge ahead on his own. In 1968 he self-published a sixteen-page, five-effect monograph titledTake It from Me. Over time, not many more than a hundred copies were sold and it did not, frankly,register so much as a tick on magic's Geiger counter.

Several years passed, during which Martin continued to work professionally, developing moreoriginal and better-constructed material along the way, which he then honed in performance. On oneof his visits to Micky's shop he eventually reopened the subject of doing a book. Micky had watchedMartin's sure and rapid growth and was now more open to the idea. But he surprised Martin again."Have you got enough material for three books?""Three books! Why?""Because I think you're interested in building a reputation among magicians. One book isn't enough. Ifyou do only one book, the best you can hope for is to be a one-day wonder, a prodigy quickly dis-missed to the shadows, another Steranko. If you put out two books, you show you are serious and

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have staying power. But three books will put your name seriously on the map with magicians. Withthree books they become truly interested in what you've done and what you're doing. We can put outone book and let it go at that, or we can do three and make a solid reputation for you."

It was a shrewd and clear-eyed plan, and Martin sensed it. He needed more time to developenough quality material to fill those three volumes. But because he was ambitious and determined, hemanaged the task by the time I arrived in Calgary. Or at least he had enough to convince Micky thatthere was a trilogy's worth. I suspect Martin was probably a little short, but knew he'd come up withthe balance needed before we reached Volume Three.

Third time's the charm, they say, and it was this time with Micky. He liked the material andsaw that Martin had met all his challenges. A Nash Trilogy would be done. There was, however, onelast roadblock. Although the writing in Take It from Me was perfectly serviceable, Martin didn't feelconfident enough to tackle the authoring of a trilogy. And thus, serendipity guided my life again. AtMicky's suggestion I had written a slim collection of original tricks with Tarot cards, which he pub-lished in 1974. I was also doing some writing and editing for various manuscripts being curried forThe Hades Gestetner. Both Martin and Micky decided to take a chance on me. Martin sat patientlywith me for hours, going over his material as I made audio tapes and ponderous notes in longhand.When we had a finished typescript of the first volume, Micky met us, bringing along a new Polaroidcamera with close-up lens, which he had bought specifically to shoot photos for Martin's books. Andin this way Ever So Sleightly was hammered into being. (Martin came up with that title, and the othertwo, at the very beginning of the project, and over the next four years selected the material for eachvolume of his trilogy.)

Micky's plan worked – backed up by Martin's superb routining and finely groomed perform-ances. Within the few years necessary for the publication of the Nash Trilogy, Martin went from beinga gifted and talented performer hidden in the shopping malls of Canada to a personality known inter-nationally among magicians; and from that sprang performance work for the public and in televisionaround the world. Martin Nash, after years of hard work, had arrived, and he's been an inspiration tous ever since.

Stephen MinchSeattle, 2004

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Bill Malone

I hold my dear friend Martin Nash with my highest respect both as an entertainer and a person.The first time I had the privilege of watching Martin in front of a live audience was at a FFFF con-vention in the early 1980's. I was in awe at his ability to entertain an audience with just a pack ofcards. The longer I watched I realized there was a lot more here that Martin was selling. It wasn't justcard tricks, it was his character, the audience bought into this fabulous high classed, well-educatedfast talker that could, if he chose to do so, cheat you out of every last dime. Everybody watchingMartin was absolutely entertained that evening. What was it exactly? Was it his uncanny skill with apack of cards? Was it that each act was perfectly thought out from beginning to end? Was it hisappearances of being a very successful card cheat? Was it his patter that keeps you interested in everyword? Yes I think it was all of these plus one ingredient thatcan only be defined by one word – CHARM. Oh how I wasimpressed that day watching a professional entertainer donot just tricks but an act.

The next day at FFFF convention it was my turn toperform. I was always very nervous working in front ofmagicians (I still am). I hurried through my three or fourroutines and was down at the bar in record time to cool mynerves. Everybody was still upstairs and I was the only one,along with a couple of laymen at the bar. I was ready tohead back upstairs and as I glanced upwards and saw Martin coming down the stairs towards me. Hewalked up and said, "Young man I am Martin Nash and I just wanted to come down and say I reallyenjoyed your act up there today." I was speechless. I could not believe that one of my all-time heroeswas telling me that. I was just a young kid with a deck of cards just entering the real world of per-forming. Since then Martin and I have spent many times (but not near enough) together talking andperforming magic for each other. We have had great times together and I sincerely look forward tomany more. The charm he cast on me that day will never be forgotten.

Bill Malone

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Jeff Hobson

By the Author

I had the pleasure of meeting Jeff in Las Vegas this last September. I have been a big fan of hiswork for many years. I first saw him on the International Magic Awards back in the early nineties.The signed card from the mouth for which he is famous has long been one of my all time favoriteeffects in magic. At the time of this writing, Hobson is performing at the Excalibur Hotel in LasVegas. If you are down that way, do yourself a favor and stop in to see his show. Jeff and Martin havebeen friends for many years, and when Jeff agreed to do an interview, it was an exciting thing for me.I hope you will enjoy our conversation as much as I did.

Mike: What was your first experience of Martin Nash, and how did you two meet?Hobson: My first introduction to Martin was seeing him on network television in the 1970's with hisroutine of center-dealing the four aces. I never thought I'd actually meet him until I performed at TheMagic Castle. I sat next to him at the bar, introduced myself, and the next thing I knew he was givingme a personal exhibition of Second Dealing. INCREDIBLE! After seeing his ultra-classy appearanceon the tube and then witnessing his wonderful generosity of time and unbelievable skill, I can nowsay that he's a perfect mix of James Bond, Mister Rogers and Fagin (from Oliver twist). Don't worryMartin, that's a compliment!

Mike: What was it like to work with Martin?Hobson: Pure class. The man emits an aire of sophistication that is missing from our current time inwhich we live. He demands respect while respecting others. Who doesn't like Martin after meetinghim?

Mike: What is your impression of his cardwork?Hobson: Most card workers today can't match the combination skill, finesse and personality thatMartin has. His cardwork should be studied well. You won't find many magicians that have had asmany performances in the real world as Martin has.

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Mike: Is there any piece of his that you would consider your favorite?Hobson: No, there are too many but his Ovation routine is an obvious default if I had to choose.

Mike: Any closing thoughts?Hobson: I am very proud to be a friend of Martin's.

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Mark Wilson

I have been carrying a terrible burden of guilt for over half a century, which I have told to onlya few of my closest magical friends. My grievous mistake was unconsciously directed at Martin Nash.Frankly, I could have been responsible for Martin's outstanding talents being aimed, not toward the artof magic, but in some other direction. Our world of wonder would not have benefited from Martin'sunique sleight-of-hand creations and powerful playing card presentations. My transgression occurredseveral decades ago, before Martin and I ever met face to face. Let me explain.

Martin Nash was an 11 year old boy living in Canada when he discovered his insatiable lovefor the art of magic, particularly playing cards. The initial evidence of this was the mail-order he sentto Douglas Magicland in Dallas, Texas for his first "trick" deck of cards, The Svengali Deck. Theeffect was beautifully described in Magicland's 1001 Mysteries catalog, which Martin had ordered forten cents, (postage included), from Magicland's classified ad he came across in Popular Science magazine.

At the age of 13 I had been hired by Magicland's owner, Mr. Delbert Douglas, not only as themagic demonstrator, but also as the clean-up person, trash-putter-outer, awning-lowerer-and-putter-upper and overall general doer of what-ever-needs-to-be-done-now kid. Also, I helped Mr. Douglas ashe fulfilled the mail orders by getting from stock the items to be shipped with each order. Now herecomes that disaster, which could have altered the course of magic for decades to come.

I had been working at Magicland for about two years when Martin's order was received andfilled. He was sent the detailed instructions for the Svengali Deck, but the deck of cards, which wasincluded was the MeneTekel Deck!

Now you can see what consternation was caused when that exuberant Canadian boy eagerlyopened that anxiously awaited package sent to him all the way from Texas, removed the MeneTekeldeck from its case and attempted to learn the miracles described in the catalog from the instructionsfor the Svengali Deck! You can imagine Martin's reactions as he read those directions for his firsttrick deck.

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DO NOT SHUFFLE THIS DECK!DO NOT TAMPER WITH THE DECKUNTIL READING THE INSTRUCTIONS.

In the Svengali Deck, the same value cards are cut slightly shorter than the different cards (seefig. 1). The deck is arranged with every other card being the same value card. This is the principal thatgives the Svengali Deck its magical abilities.

I can see Martin saying to himself, "Ok, I see that every other card is short and is identical withthe card next to it."

When riffling the deck front towards back (see Fig2.), the deck appears to be all-different.When riffling the deck from back to front (see Fig 3.) the deck appears to be made up of all the samevalue cards.

"I must not be holding this right. When I riffle it one way it does look like an ordinary deck.But when I riffle it the other way, it still looks like an ordinary deck. What am I doing wrong? Andwhat do they mean, "riffle" the cards? I'm way up here in Canada and there are no magicians that Ican ask within a hundred miles. I'll keep reading the instructions until I figure this all out."

Martin's predicament may have been the ultimate example of frustration. Untying the legendaryGordian Knot, or withdrawing the glistening Excalibur Sword embedded in that magical stone, wouldhave been child's play compared to attempting to understand the operation of the MeneTekel Deckfrom the Svengali Deck instructions!

Now you can understand why I have had this life-long burden. Suppose Martin Nash had beenso frustrated by my error, he had turned his talents to stamp collecting or building model airplanes.The many presentations of powerful magic with playing cards devised by Martin Nash would havenever occurred. And then I began to wonder, were there other victims of my Magicland mail ordermistakes? How many other orders were misfilled? What other great magical minds were lured frommagic to corn collecting or cancer research? What if I had not continued to be employed (for $2.50 aday) at Magicland? Or if Martin Nash had informed Mr. Douglas of my grievous error!? Mr. Douglasmight have fired me. I could have been looking for other employment. Suppose I would have gone towork for some scientific supply company. Misfilling one of their orders could have created similarfrustrations for a teenager who grew up to become the discoverer of nuclear fusion or the inventor ofthat electron accelerator used to create that first atomic bomb.

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So Martin Nash's ability to overcome the Svengali Deck/MeneTekel Deck fiasco I created andto continue his interest in magic, let me remain employed at Magicland. As you can see, this not onlyresulted in the creation by Martin of some excellent card tricks, it also speeded victory for the Allies.My burden is now finally lifted and I say "thank you" Martin Nash, not only for your outstandingmagic, but also for helping us win World War 2.

Happy Magic!

Mark Wilson

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Rocco

By the Author

I recently was working on the section of this book about building your character and it struckme that Rocco would be a perfect addition to the chapter. The hard part was how to get a hold of him.I contacted Jamy Ian Swiss, because I knew that they worked together on Monday Night Magic inNew York. He wrote me back with a simple email that just had Rocco's name and phone number. Iwas about to cold call him and ask for a favor. I psyched myself up and made the call. Of all things, Igot his answering machine.

The next day, I'm driving down I-215 and the phone rings. I didn't recognize the number, but Ipicked up anyway, "Hello?" On the other end of the line, I hear, "Hey Mike, this is Rocco." I nearlycrashed into a bridge abutment. After speaking with him, I found him to be one of the nicest Jerseyfolk I've ever met. He agreed to speak with me about Martin and about creating character. He gave mehis office number and told me to give him a call.

"You need to be who you're comfortable being. Martin is a master of charm both on stage andoff. When you speak to him you find that the name 'charming' is well earned. I've watched his showsat the Castle many times, and he's the ultimate smooth."

While speaking with Rocco, I also got the honor and privilege of speaking to his good friendRoger Mayfarth, The genius mind behind the creation of D'Lite. He also spoke fondly of a privatecard session he one had with Martin at the Castle. "He was incredibly generous. I sat and had a pri-vate lecture with the Charming Cheat himself." I found out that Roger was infact one of the first peo-ple to receive the Infinity card control from Martin. "It had a major impact in my card magic, and stilldoes."

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In the closing of our conversation, Rocco recited to me an old Zen saying that has had a majorinfluence on his work, and has already influenced mine, “Remember Mike, it's the spaces between thenotes that make the music." Thanks Rocco, I owe you one.

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Jon Racherbaumer

The Charms of the Faux Cheat

I first met Martin Nash at Clarke "Senator" Crandall's shadowy bar in Chicago. Those alsopresent at this session were two diametrically different Eddies-Fields and Marlo. Nash back thenlooked like a slick card mechanic; however, he seemed more passive than aggressive. As I wrote inThe Looking Glass, "Nash seemed right out of central casting: slicked-back, neatly combed, hair-oily,but not too oily. There were other signs: well-manicured hands, a satiny shirt, a thin mustache, astereotypical pinky ring, and an ever-ready, slightly sly smile. In the smoky netherworld of pool halls,poker parlors, race tracks, and betting rooms (the kind celebrated by Damon Runyan), you couldalways find a motley of interesting characters – the 'usual suspects' rounded up when shady dealswent down. Nash fit the profile to a tee, yet one aspect of his pleasing persona was incongruous: hisvoice. It had a gentle lilt with a hint of sweet reticence, almost unctuous, ready-for-prime-time suavi-ty. It was the voice of a care-giver or an edgy lover, not a slicker hungry for marks. He smiled like aman whose soul had been saved in the nick of time. He might cheat you in principle, but never inreality. He could induce you to buy a used car, sight unseen. You might even trust him with your wifeand a bottle of Scotch when you were out of town. He was that kind of guy – a harmless con or, as hehas been saying for what now seems like a century, 'a charming cheat.'" This is why I call him a fauxcheat. He means no harm. He only wants to entertain you with the romance that mixes cunning, cards,and chance; that suggests with a wink that anything is possible with the pasteboards when they are inthe right hands.

In 1969, now forty-three years ago, Martin was thinner, more intense, and eager to prove him-self. He was in town to lecture at the Lawson YMCA. Lots of heavy-weight magicians were in theroom and Nash was not well-known at the time. He was a little nervous at first. Nevertheless, he per-formed daring, difficult, knuckle-busting tricks-riffle shuffle work, Faro stuff, false deals, and palmingthat would have made Erdnase take notice. Marlo was impressed with his false deals and said so.When Marlo, Fields, and I met with him the next day at his hotel room, Martin demonstrated a “bean-shooter" (hold-out) and the fabled "Juice Deck." During the session, nobody could read the "juice" onMartin's deck, yet he called out the cards from twenty feet in a dimly lit room. Everyone was amazed.

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Not long thereafter, Martin (through the pen of Stephen Minch) published his trilogy. I didn'trun into Martin for several years, although we occasionally corresponded. When I ran into him at TheMagic Castle a few years ago, he was heavier, grayer, but his ingratiating grin was the same. He worethe ring and bracelet and chain smoked cigarettes. His touch with the pasteboards was still soft anddelicate – perhaps even more so. He also looked dapper and relaxed, a seasoned survivor – a deck inone hand, a cigarette in the other. We shook hands and he said (as though no time had passed), "Youtipped the codes for the juice deck, which I gave to you in strictest confidence. You promised never totip!"

Because I usually remember and honor confidences, his offhand remark threw me for a loop. Itwas true that I had published the marking system in Cardfixes (1990) under "Juice-Work," p. 159,which was twenty-two years after the fact. Looking for a silver lining, I mumbled, "At least you wereproperly credited!" Changing the subject, I added, "I heard that your new video reveals the Real Workon the Tabled Faro Riffle Shuffle? Would you show me?"

Martin quickly complied and performed several perfect Tabled Faro Riffle Shuffles under less-than-favorable conditions. The shuffles were done on the top of a barstool that was low and had ahard surface. Nevertheless, each riffle-weave was perfect. He then performed several effects using theInfinity Principle. As this book, his early video, and another shorter booklet have shown, the InfinityPrinciple is a very useful artifice. Although the artifice is a finessed and perfected variation of an oldprinciple, namely bas-relief work, Martin's approach and applications takes it to new heights.

Bas-relief is not the usual term used to describe this kind of work, but it accurately describeswhat the "work" is like. In relief sculpture, anything that slightly projects from the background iscalled bas-relief. Normally a playing card is flat and smooth. If you press on its surface, make anindentation, and turn the card over, the pressed part (concave on one side) is now slightly convex onthe other side. This side has a very slight bas-relief on it. This principle was exploited by Will DeSieve years ago. By pressing a coin (such as an American quarter) against the center of a court card, itforms a round, ridged indentation (see Greater Magic). Another kind of bas-relief is made by using astylus to outline the inside, printed frame of a court card's face. Card hustlers frequently used a tooth-pick (placed under the tablecloth of the gaming table). A card lying on top of the hidden tooth-pick,when firmly pressed upon, would be indented. This marking could be felt, making such a card a sub-tle locator. The current darling of nouveau-crimpers, thanks to Dai Vernon and Bob King, is the"breather crimp." This may be the mother of all bas-relief key-cards.

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The drawback of bas-relief key-cards is that the "work" can be seen by keen-eyed experts andobservant lay people. It is also easily detected if the card or the deck in which it resides are examined.In my opinion, Nash's contribution to this ancient artifice is two-fold: (1) The "work" can be quicklyand effortlessly put into a card in most impromptu situations; (2) It is practically invisible and will notbe detected under most conditions. For entry-level aspirants, the Infinity Principle is miraculous andrevolutionary.

I'm not a big fan of the "breather crimp." The lowly corner crimp suits me fine. In special cir-cumstances, especially for fast company, the "work" Nash uses is equal to the little used "snap crimp'favored by the late John Scarne. Also check out the gambler's crimp explained in Expert CardConjuring, p.91.

Martin's also an exemplar of the elusive Tabled Faro Riffle Shuffle. I've seen four people per-form a Tabled Faro Riffle-Shuffle in person: Edward Marlo, David Ben, and Martin Nash. Martinrepeatedly does them with ease.

It's always been a problem to explain the precise, coordinated pressure required at every step ofthis shuffle. Martin divulges an important tip: Both thumbs should lift and riffle-release a hair-breadthahead of the weaving cards. You can see it happen, but this knack is difficult to put into words. Whenyou are convinced that it can be done and can see it being effortlessly executed, your faith will berenewed.

The last time I spent with Martin in New Orleans, I said: "You must finally put out a hard-cover book that will safeguard your legacy. I'm delighted that such a book has been written and isnow in your hands. Treat it with the care it deserves. If you study it diligently and put one-tenth thededication that Martin put in during his love affair with the pasteboards, you will be richly rewarded.Long, long ago, Martin dreamed that certain things could be done if one loved hard enough, practicedlong enough, and then desired to share the "charms" of what Hofzinser called the "poetry of magic."Martin made his presentations "charming" and he never "cheated" the audience. Instead he shared the"charms" of his trade and he proved that dreams can be realized. This is why, in part, he gets so manystanding ovations.

Jon Racherbaumer

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Christina LaVaughn

As I close my eyes and think back to the many nights I pulled my car up to the World'sFamous Hollywood Magic Castle, I can see the valet with a nice smile reaching for my car door andsaying "Ms. Christina, it's good to see you tonight." But, this greeting was just the beginning of whatwas every Wednesday night for me, a night full of magic, friendship, and mystery.

After checking in with the lovely ladies in the reception room, and saying the charming pass-words, "Open sesame" to the owl for entrance, the door would part, and I'd walk through a very smallhall, and that's where the camaraderie would start to unfold. The first thing you'd notice as you exitthe hall is that you have stepped back in time. As you entered this "Victorian Lady" you'd be in aweby the beautiful wooden bar that stretched wall-to-wall, complete with charming bartenders so good,you'd think they were your own personal mixologyists. As I glance down the bar, my eyes becomefixed on one of my best friends, a very handsome dashing man, with a smile that could cheat acheater; obviously it was that smile and his classic card work that gave him the handle of the"Charming Cheat."

As I moved through the bar and made my way down to "Martin's bar stool" (where he alwayssat) his eyes were always a fixed on me. It was Wednesday night and we both knew the "Wednesdaynight group of regulars" were arriving. I worked my way down to Martin to get my weekly hug full ofstrength and friendship. He always made his women friends feel like true ladies.

Martin is not only my friend; he was also one of my favorite mentors. He helped me to developa knock out rope routine, make a flask of whiskey appear out of nowhere, and pull coins out of thinair. With him helping me with the mechanics, and our good friend Carol Marie (from the hot televi-sion show, 7th Heaven) cleaning up my script, we developed one of my most cherished magic shows,"The Wild, Wild West!"

I've been to Las Vegas many times, but to my regret only twice with Martin, but they were bothmy favorite times in the big city. Our first trip to Las Vegas was fantastic; Martin introduced me to

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Allan Ackerman and all the magicians on the Las Vegas strip. Then he took me to watch LanceBurton perform at the Monte Carlo. During Lance's performance, Lance stopped the show to intro-duce Martin to the audience; after a huge round of applause from the audience and a smile fromLance, Lance continued the show. Afterwards Lance invited us back to his dressing room to catch upwith Martin. It was wonderful. Lance is a very gracious host, and I think we finally left his dressingroom around 2 a.m.

The next day, Martin took me to the home of Johnny and Pam Thompson. I have to tell youJohnny and his wife Pam have the funniest magic show I've ever seen, they are known as the "GreatTomsoni and Co." But just as wonderful as they are on stage, they are in their own home. Very downto earth people, with a warm friendship for Martin and puppy-sized dogs all around. I was in my ele-ment. I just adored their fur-children and the shoptalk about magic, and where their next tour was tak-ing them. I could tell that Martin and the Thompson's go way back, Martin holds onto good friendsand they hold onto him.

It seemed like that visit to Las Vegas was too short. But, when I left I knew because of Martin,I had been somewhere. I had just met some of the worlds best entertainers, and my love of the art waseven enhanced.

The second time I went to Las Vegas to see Martin was a little different. By then Martin and Ihad both relocated. Martin moved to Canada, and I moved with my husband and son to Connecticut.Carol Marie emailed me that Martin was going to be given the "Lifetime Achievement Award" at theLas Vegas Magic Invitational Convention. As soon as I found out the great news, I sent an email tothe LVMI and asked what day they would be honoring my good friend. As soon as they told me, Ibooked a flight (3,000) miles and a hotel. I wanted to be right there front row center cheering him onas he was receiving his praise and award from his peers in the magic community. Martin reallydeserves his awards; he has been a mentor to many and an inspiration to even more. I just wanted tothank him by being there.

You know what though, it wasn't the fact that Martin is an icon at the Hollywood Magic Castlethat made us friends, and it wasn't that he mentored me in one of my best stage shows, it was hishumor and loving nature that made us friends, just like family. I told Martin before, I love him like abrother.

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My only two regrets I have about our relationship is one, we never worked together as a teamin magic. And two, he lives in Canada and I live in Connecticut, to far away from each other to invitehim over for family brunch, to play cards, and to watch football games.

Postscript: Martin, I hope you remember this. One of my favorite memories was when we werein Las Vegas at the convention, and the director of the convention had to come out and tell all themagicians it was time to go back in. You see Martin, you had us all memorized, once the "CharmingCheat," Martin Nash took out his deck of cards and broke into his routines all of the magicians gath-ered around to watch you perform and we all lost track of time.

Thanks for the memories …

Sincerely, respectfully, and magically yours,Christina LaVaughn

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Jamy Ian Swiss

I first became acquainted with Martin Nash through his trilogy of books written by StephenMinch. I pored over its pages, extracting techniques, ideas, routines – it was a feast for a mind hungryfor magical nourishment. When I think back to the impact those books had on me, I realize now that itwas nothing less than profound. Is there a move I use more frequently than the double-lift? I doubt it– and the one I use I learned from the first book of the trilogy, Ever So Sleightly.

Eventually, I had the chance to see Martin Nash perform. I can't quite recall which conventionit was at the first time – probably a New York Magic Symposium – but I still have the imageembossed in my memory of him standing alongside a long bare table and shooting perfect doublesacross its length. It was awe-inspiring. It was frightening.

Later, I had the chance to see him perform at The Magic Castle. He fooled me time and, literal-ly, time again – fooled me when I should have known better, when in fact I did already know better.But his seamless management and silky performance seduced me into his deceptive spell, and I wasas amazed as the laymen around me. Amazed that not only had I been fooled with fresh ideas, but alsothat I had been fooled sometimes with things I already knew. That's a great feeling – it feels likemagic!

Later still, I got the chance to finally get to know him. Martin and I have spent much timetogether over the years, talking magic, trading moves, doing tricks, watching one another do magicfor others. It's always been a pleasure and, in truth, a privilege. I think Martin Nash is one of the verybest at what he does – and I don't just mean magic, or card magic. There has always been a place forgambling routines and themes in the performance of close-up card magic. But Martin has gone farbeyond exploiting that natural connection. He has raised it to the highest realm of professional per-formance; he has mastered the character as well as the moves. Let it be said plainly: Martin Nash doesnot just do tricks. He does an act. He does a show. And of the tiny handful of magicians who havebecome known for the specialty of performing gambling-related material professionally, and of por-traying themselves in the role of the gambler or gambling expert, I truly believe that – without excep-tion – none have done it better, more convincingly or compellingly, than Martin Nash.

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Of course, Martin is also clever enough to avoid limiting himself to the standard gamblingplots. One is reminded of Daryl's legendary joke: "Hey, Daryl, I've got a new gambling routine toshow you." "Really? Let me guess: Starts with four aces, ends with a Royal Flush?" But Martin'smaterial goes far beyond that. I recall watching him perform his act, built around the sandwich effectplot, which he calls "Jacks or Better." What was that I just said? And entire act based on sandwichtricks? Is he out of his mind?

No, he's just a great magical thinker and performer. And yes, an act built on sandwich tricks,yet tied theatrically to gambling themes. Carefully constructed to dramatically build, both magicallyand theatrically, as he carefully adds to the conditions, selling the impossibility, canceling methods,and building to a sensational, impossible climax. I remember watching Martin perform the act onenight in the downstairs performance area at the Castle, the "museum," that is often used as an over-flow space, where I have often performed myself. I will never forget the moment in which he set apair of Jacks on the table and asked the spectator to take them and place them onto another tabledpacket of cards. In fact, an extra card had already been secretly loaded between them. But in Martin'sworld of accelerating tension and exhilarating purity, this stunning risk was his choice in order toachieve a breathtaking result. I remember him putting those cards out there, in play, at risk, and Iturned to my friend Gordon Bean, standing across the aisle from me, and quietly mouthed the words:"Did he just do what I think he did?" Gordon gleefully nodded back to me, with a knowing smile andan appreciative gleam in his eyes.

As if that weren't enough, that card that was secretly resting between the Jacks and now beinghandled by the spectator was a card that had been thought of via the classical riffle-think-of-a-cardmethod. In other words, there was no way for Martin to know for certain that he had the correct cardin place. And, oh, yes, as if that weren't enough – this was to be the closer of the entire act!

The routine in question is entitled "The Earl's Dilemma" and can be found on page 380 ofSlight Unseen, Volume Three of the Martin Nash Trilogy. In discussing this ending with Martin, herecently wrote to me that, "I have always thought, if you don't take chances, you can't get miracles. Ilike the 'rush' when I do something like this."

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He's not the only one who gets a rush from the experience. So far I have been talking about themethod. But then, down in the Castle basement, came the actual effect. And then the lay spectatoryelped. And even from our slightly different perspectives, both of us went away thoroughly amazed.

Small wonder then that in the famed Nash trilogy, author Stephen Minch repeatedly refers toMartin Nash simply as: "The Man." He was, he is, and – every time I think of him letting that specta-tor handle a sandwich loaded with a thought-of card – for me he will always remain so.

Jamy Ian Swiss

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Robert Lamoureux

The first time I had ever met Martin Nash, I had been a member of The Magic Castle for aboutthree years. Martin was well-known for his Nash Strike Second Deal. At the time, I had never metMartin and wanted to see his show where he performed his Strike Second Deal. So after the show Iwent up to him and explained how I really enjoyed the strike and wanted to know if he would be will-ing to show it to me. Martin basically responded by saying “don’t waste my time.” As I walked away,I was shocked by his rude remarks and went away cussing under my breath. One day not too longafter the exchange with Martin, E.J. Thacker came up to me at The Magic Castle and asked if I want-ed to meet Martin Nash who was sitting at the main bar as I was sitting on the Vernon Corner. I toldE.J. that I did not want to meet that “rude old man” and informed E.J. that if Martin wanted to meetme he could get off his own ass. At this point, E.J. laughed and exclaimed, “Martin Nash rude, no!”Hence, E.J. goes over to Martin and brings him to me. Martin walks over and I ask him if he remem-bers me. He exclaims that he does not remember me and I bring him up to speed on the conversationwe had about him not wanting to teach me the strike second. He then started to say how he felt bad,but that you have to understand where he is coming from. Apparently, not one person has ever mas-tered the strike and most of the time people do not really even care to practice it. I tell him that if hespends five minutes with me to show the basics of the strike I know that I can master it. Martinshowed it to me, but I decided to wait until I mastered the strike and it was perfect. Two years wentby and then I asked Martin if he would critique me on a trick and I decided to perform the strike sec-ond. When I completed the strike I could tell Martin was impressed and he said, “If I do the strike aswell as you just did it, then I must be great!”

At this time, I had known Martin Nash for about fifteen years. Martin was known for not play-ing gaff with cards. Both of us were in the Blackstone Room and we both had blue decks. I hadstepped out to go to the restroom and when I returned Martin asked me if I had ever seen a Texan doa Strike Second Deal. He had me pick a card and I chose the ace of spades, and then he turned thecard face down on top of a pile of seven cards. I put the ace of spades card face down and then Martincounted the cards from one to seven and when the eighth card was flipped over it was the ace ofspades again. I couldn’t believe my eyes I told Martin, “that deal is impossible.” So Martin performed

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the deal again and again, slower each time so I could try and figure out how he was doing it. I toldMartin that this deal was even better than his Nash Strike Second Deal. Martin and everyone in theroom who was in on the joke started laughing. They could not believe I could not see that there weretwo aces of spades and that he had gaffed his deck.

Robert Lamoureux

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Robert, Martin and Jim Davies

Davied H. Sorensen

All right, I admit it. I'm a videotape magician. It was a lot easier to watch the videos than toread the books for me, at least earlier on. (I've got better since then) The first couple of tapes I startedlearning from were Martin Nash's L&L #1 & 2 The Fun Routine/Magicians Magic and KingsIncognito. Before I go any further, let me go back in time a little bit.

Some years ago, my brother (the author of this book) needed a place to stay for a while. I invit-ed him to come and stay with me and my fiancée. A couple of days after he moved in, we were sittingand watching TV when Mike pulled out a coin and made it disappear. "Whoa!!" I said. "How did youdo that?" He showed me how, and then he showed me a few other tricks. I was hooked! On that day,Mike took me under his wing and made me the performer I am today.

Later, Mike introduced me to more of Martin Nash's work. Again, I was totally blown away.Here's this guy who could make 52 pieces of cardboard literally sing to his own tune with his hands. Iresolved to learn more. After a while, there were a couple of routines that became my absolutefavorites: Kings Incognito, Invisible Palm, and Pinochle Pinnacle. Thanks to him, I have also gottenpretty good on my center deal. It is because of Nash that I have become a better card man, and I thankhim for it.

Flash forward a few years. My brother started working on an idea to have a show of an ulti-mate card game with the characters being the best cheaters in the world. Mike decided to take on therole of Martin Nash. While we were in preparation, Mike came to me one day and said, "Martin hasagreed to do a phone interview with me. You want in on this?" How could I say no!

So, we sat down to have the interview, full of anticipation, and honestly, we were a little nerv-ous. We were only expecting maybe a 20 minute conversation. I found out two things that night:1. Martin is one of the nicest guys I have ever had the pleasure to talk with. 2. He is full of great sto-ries. For almost two hours, he told us tales of his past, and how he got started in the business. It was awonderful experience.

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I've talked with Martin a few times since then. He has been very helpful to me in my perform-ances. For instance, I was working on his Pinochle Pinnacle routine when I invented a move that Ithought looked better. I called Martin and asked his permission to do his routine with the new move.It turned out that he had already used exactly the same move years before and had changed it to thecurrent one because it looked better. I'm glad that he was straight up and told me, or I could havemade an ass of myself.

My opinion of Martin A. Nash is simply this: not only is he a genius with cards, but he is oneof the nicest individuals that I have had the pleasure of chatting with. Thanks to him, my performancesare better, and my confidence in my abilities has grown stronger. My hats off to him.

Thank You Friend,

Davied H. Sorensen

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Danny Archer

I first met Martin at a magic convention in Philadelphia in the late 80's. I was blown away notonly by his magic, but also by how nice a person he was to talk to about magic or any other subject.Years later, when I had the chance to make Martin the Guest of Honor at the 2003 Las Vegas MagicInvitational, I was so glad he accepted. It was thrilling to watch this master of magic interact withmany of his old fans and to watch the faces of the younger magicians who knew the name but neversaw him work in person. He made many new fans and friends that weekend. Martin Nash is a classact and his new book will hopefully bring his work to many more people around the world.

Danny Archer

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Daryl

"I have always enjoyed watching Martin Nash perform. In addition to being slick and smooth,he's a real one of a kind character. I appreciate his sharing his decades of hard work to create strongperforming material so that the rest of us can benefit from his experience."

Daryl

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Mark Haslam

The Charming Secret

There is a peephole in the exit door of the Close-up Gallery at the celebrated Magic Castle.Looking through this lens gives a wonderful fisheye view of the performance in progress. WhenMartin Nash is the performer, the room is always full and always illuminated.

Martin will tell you that because he gets very nervous prior to a performance, he counteractsthis by engaging the audience with polite chat; only when he feels comfortable, does he sit at thetable. He removes the cards from their case. He table spreads the cards and then turns them over,dividing the deck in the middle and opening each half outwards – a symbolic action that, like curtainsopening, lets the audience know they are about to witness a command performance.

Let us step away from the door and analyze the performer himself. Surely, if you were a filmdirector and wanted to cast the part of The Charming Cheat, you would look to Martin Nash or, atleast, tell your actor to "think Nash." This is a character that is portrayed so well it is difficult tobelieve it may be a creative invention. If Martin did indeed craft the character, though, it is impossibleto see where the two meet – a perfect human Double Lift. He represents the personification of whatpeople (not to mention magicians) expect of a card expert. Of all the people you "don't want to playcards with,” Martin is your man and yet audiences would never dream of muttering that overworkedline because they realize, in this case, it must be for real.

As magicians, we tend to extract the magic from the performance, focusing on moves andmechanics. But, for the moment, let's dig a little deeper into the real secret behind Martin's effect onan audience. Is it the engaging smile? The way he handles the deck? The rings and large gold braceletevoking the image of a high-end Las Vegas player? Perhaps it's the esoteric gambling terms he occa-sionally drops into his speech, or even the very sound and patterns of his voice. Certainly there's nounderestimating the calm and gentlemanly manner in which he handles his assistants, making them apart of the experience and giving them a moment to treasure. Ultimately, though, there's the generalshape of the act: a formal, structured close-up performance – not a fast talking pitch of visual magictricks, and certainly not strolling magic transplanted behind a table.

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In The Magic Castle Library, among the personal collection Martin quietly and generouslydonated some years ago, there's a small volume that fits in your hand like a deck of cards and standsout due to its size and seemingly non-magical content: Hamlet. Why would an expert card manipula-tor read Shakespeare? Could the rhythms, drama, and structure of a classic stage play be adapted tothe performance of card magic?

Buzz sentences are always a part of conversation around The Magic Castle. One of the mostrecurrent is: "Martin Nash is coming out of retirement – again!" On the eve of one of these notablecomebacks, I sat with Martin in the library and watched him perform flawless sleight of hand having"not picked up a deck of cards in a year," evidence that a true talent refuses to go away.

We are truly fortunate to be able to watch Martin Nash. So, too, is the audience back in theClose-up Gallery – who are now approaching the exit door, having watched a performance that willstay with them for a very long time.

Mark Haslam

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E. J. Thacker

Even amongst the top professionals in the world – the best of the best, Martin Nash is in a veryrare class all to himself. Having had the pleasure to work with him for years at The Magic Castle inHollywood, I've seen thousands of spectators that were absolutely awestruck by his performances.Martin Nash is a technician, artist, performer, and entertainer of the highest caliber. I remember oncewe had a visiting card expert in the Castle from Holland. I was showing him around the club whensuddenly his eyes widened and speaking in a whisper he said, "That's Martin Nash!" As I introducedthem, the man started to stutter and I actually thought he was going to faint while they were shakinghands. Fortunately, I know Martin well enough to walk up and give him a big hug, which I hope willbe soon.

Martin, you are the King.

Your Friend,E. J. Thacker

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Carol Marie

Martin's Cookie

The Charming Cheat: a distinguished and magical gentlemen; the envy of card mechanics andmanipulators worldwide. And little did I know, a former dove man and stage illusionist. When I firstmet Martin at The Magic Castle, after watching one of his many standing ovation performances in theClose-up Gallery, Martin offered to show me more magic, at the cost of one kiss per trick. All I cansay is, Wow! What an extensive repertoire!

I have had the pleasure of spending many a wonderful hour listening to, and watching, one ofthe world's greatest magicians, who I am proud and honored to call my good friend. Martin alwaysshared his talents with my guests at The Magic Castle, delighting in their amazement (I think it wasmore like shock). He has shared his magic, poetry, politics, and love of travel freely. He is a cherishedfriend.

I remember celebrating Martin's birthday one night at The Magic Castle, and after dinner,Martin was presented with a huge cookie I brought for the celebration. I watched as he politely triedto make the hard-as-a-rock cookie disappear without letting me know how terrible it was! He wouldnever hurt my feelings. I thank you Martin, for your generosity, your love of life, your strength, andyour consummate artistry.

Carol Marie

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Lee Freed

When The M. A. N. Was The Man

I first discovered the card magic and unique thinking behind the work of Martin A. Nash whenI read the wonderful trilogy by Stephen Minch. Thumbing through the first volume was like entering asophisticated, private club where members could only pass the test for membership by being able todiligently study the material and could never present anything until you had mastered it. I also felt asthough I was reading material that had been tested, re-tested, and perfected by someone who under-stood the demands of sophistication and perfection. To me, it was if James Bond had decided to tipthe best, vintage stuff and I was privileged to have a copy. (I was a huge fan of James Bond.) I notonly found terrific card magic with a style all it's own, with techniques developed by Martin, I discov-ered brilliantly thought out presentations that could be performed in the same rarefied places JamesBond visited. The magic was slick, powerful, and very cool. I thought at the time: this Nash fellow isthe man.

There are a lot of tales I could tell about Martin A. Nash: having dinner in fine restaurants inthe French Quarter, Martin looking like a dapper Yancy Derringer trying to stay awake during allnight magic sessions, when Nash continually hammered my brain into pulp; of riding around in hisLincoln after midnight, hearing tales of real work in the real world.

Not long ago I flew to Los Angeles to see his opening night at The Magic Castle for a tri-umphant return. His infectious style and masterful technique lit up the room! By his second perform-ance that night, he took charge of his enduring persona. He was confident and carefree, joking withthe enthralled audience while simultaneously amazing them with his technique. The M. A. N. wasback, brighter and better than ever.

Lee Freed

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Jason England

In the spring of 1999, I was living about two hours north of Hollywood, California and decidedit was time to join The Magic Castle. I managed to contact one of my long-time heroes in magic,Martin Nash through the Second Deal website. Martin agreed to meet me at the Castle and allow meto come in as his guest for the evening.

When I arrived at the Castle, Martin met me at the door, and we began a whirlwind tour of theentire place from top to bottom. I visited the Library, Invisible Erma's room, where Martin wentthrough a 10 minute routine with Erma that is to this day the best I've seen, the Close-Up Gallery, theParlor, and everywhere in-between.

At some point we made it downstairs for a bowl of the Castle's famous chili. At a nearby table,I asked Martin about his Tabled Faro Shuffle, and produced a deck of cards that I was convincedcouldn't be reliably faroed even in the hands. I handed it to him fully expecting him to not be able toget it to faro. Mind you, although this may read like a setup, I assure you I had no intention of settingMartin up to fail. It's just that the deck I had brought with me turned out to be poorly cut and I hadbeen having trouble with it all evening. To make a long story short, Martin gave it about ten TabledFaro with no problems whatsoever. To this day, he's one of the best I've seen with the move.

An hour or so later, Martin and I began to discuss false deals. I have long been fascinated withall forms of false dealing and had been using Martin's method for Center and Greek Dealing for someyears. After a few minutes of complaining that he hadn't practiced in a while (I believe his words werethat he "hadn't touched a deck of cards in two years"), Martin proceeded to do some of the nicest sec-onds, bottoms, and centers I've ever had the privilege of watching. His Second Deal is especially nice,and he uses a microscopic brief that has to be seen to be believed. I'm speaking of course of whenMartin shows you the work; when he wants it to be invisible, you have no chance of seeing a thing.

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We ended our evening by showing each other double-lifts on one of the main bar's barstools.Martin blew me away with a spinning double that he drops off the deck and onto the performing sur-face. He must've done it a dozen times and never missed it. Not bad for a guy who hadn't picked up adeck in years!

The following week Martin paid me one of the highest compliments I've ever received fromanyone, ever. I had returned to the Castle on Tuesday evening to audition for membership. I wasextremely nervous as I hadn't prepared much of a set (I'm not a performer by nature). Martin led medownstairs to the museum performing area and laid down the ground rules for me: No one on theadmissions board will smile, speak (unless spoken to) or applaud. They will choose cards if your actrequires it or otherwise help out your routine, but that's it. Don't expect much else from them. They'reprimarily there to critically analyze your performance, and nothing more.

I sat down at the table and began to do my thing. I hoped they couldn't tell I was making it upon the spot. After the first effect, a routine of Steve Mayhew's that Allan Ackerman had added somenice touches to, I heard Martin's voice from the back of the room. He said, "Well, I think we've seenenough gentlemen." I was in. A bit later on in the evening I found out that I was one of only two per-formers from that evening that made it in. About five were turned away. This realization that it wasn'tjust a "gimme" made Martin's comment all the more meaningful. I consider that night one of myfavorite magical moments in my 13 plus years of playing with a deck of cards. None of it would havebeen possible without my good friend Martin A. Nash.

Jason England

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Monte Smith

I have known my Dear Friend Martin A. Nash, who I call Marty, for around 30 years. In myopinion when you say Gentleman I think of Marty. He is not only a gentleman but a gentle man andvery giving. If you ever needed help with a card slight he was always there to help and give assis-tance. In the past, Marty and I use to always work back to back in the Close-up Gallery of The MagicCastle. Marty was a night person back then and would always take the late shift and I always wantedthe early shift, so it worked great for the two of us. I'll never forget one day Marty admired my twoand a half dollar gold coin ring that I had had made for me and asked permission if I would mind if hecopied mine except use a three dollar gold piece he said he had had for years. See, there he is a per-fect gentleman. Would not have done it without asking my permission first. I of course said I wouldnot mind at all, but was sure he was mistaken about the value of his coin and that the U.S. Mint hadonly made gold coins of one dollar, two and one half dollar, five dollar, ten dollar, and twenty dollarand that they hadn't made a three dollar gold piece. Boy was I wrong! About ninety days later in cameMarty to The Magic Castle and couldn't wait to show me his THREE dollar gold coin ring. He reallyloved ribbing me about it. Anytime I ever had guests at The Magic Castle, and Marty was performing,I always told them to be sure not to miss seeing his show. He never disappointed an audience. A truemaster at his craft. Always a crowd pleaser and they would always leave knowing they had just seenthe finest demonstration on cheating by the finest. The Charming Cheat, Martin A. Nash.

Monte Smith

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Paul Green

My favorite remembrance is when you had just introduced your "Infinity Crimp" work to thecommunity. You had shown it to lots of people around the Castle. You were charging $50.00 andasked the student to bring a new deck of cards.

I asked you to show me something I could do with the concept. Using your own cards, youmissed the first time. You asked for another chance, which I willingly gave to you. You missed again.You "begged" for a third chance – and failed again! I remember walking away from the experiencewith some comment similar to. "Why pay $50.00, just to miss?"

This kind of experience just sort of made me like you even more!

Kindest regards,

Paul Green

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Jeff McBride and Gaeton Bloom

By the Author

In 1999, Martin Nash received the Performing Fellowship award from the Academy of MagicalArts at The Magic Castle. At the ceremony, the presenter was to be Kirsty Aley. Martin found this tobe quite ridiculous. All she would care about was to lookgood, get her check, and get out of there. Martin wantedsomeone to whom magic meant something. He asked theacademy for either Johnny Thompson or Jeff McBride.Luckily, McBride was available, and was able to give Martinhis award.

In speaking with Jeff, I was touched by his warmfeelings of friendship for Martin, “I love Martin. We all do.It was an honor to be able to give the award to him.”

Meeting both Jeff & Gaeton Bloom in Vegas was a treat. Gaeton told me of the times that heand Martin shared in Europe, and of their first meeting, “You are Martin Nash?”“Yes.”“ I am Gaeton Bloom!” he said with an enormous smile.

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Tony Clark

The Classy Magician

It was the fall of 1979 and I was just about to witness my first magic lecture. I really didn'tknow what to expect. I really didn't know what a "magic lecture" was. All I know was that everyonefrom Assembly 33 in Stanford, said I shouldn't miss it because The Charming Cheat, Martin Nash wasthe man of the hour. I was embarrassed to say I didn't know him at the time. Where was I hiding forthe first 13 years of my life? I walked in and took my seat. I kept looking for this Martin Nash guy. Ididn't see anyone dressed like a magician per say. Then he was introduced, I'll never forget my firstimpression of him, wow I said to myself, this guy looks to good to be lecturing for our local group.Martin was dressed to the nine's. He had a very calm demeanor that reminded me of Clint Eastwoodfor some reason. He was just in control of himself and us, the audience.

For the next two hours, I was blown away by his card work. I never thought card magic couldbe so strong. As a young magician it really opened my eyes to presentation, patter and character. Imust say after all these years I can still remember so vividly the reaction when I saw Martin performOvation. It stunned me to the point of speechlessness. To see all those cards match was truly a mira-cle. Little did I know Martin's true charm was yet to come.

The moment his lecture was over, everyone rushed his table to buy his lecture notes. KnowingI didn't have the money to buy anything, I tried thumbing through to see if I could grasp something. Ikept walking up and down the front of his table. I kept looking through his lecture notes while every-one was buying his merchandise. Then all of a sudden Martin said to me, "Did you enjoy the lecture?""Yes," I said, "very amazing." "What's your name?" he asked. "Tony," I said. All I could think of wasthat he was trying to talk to me so I would eventually leave his table. As I was thinking this, he reach-es over and picks up his lecture notes and his Ovation manuscript and signs them to Tony and handsthem to me. Some how, some way he knew I could not afford to buy them, so he just gave them tome! Again I was stunned and speechless. This random act of kindness was his greatest thing I learnedfrom him.

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Ten years later I ran into Martin at The Magic Castle in Hollywood, after one of my perform-ances. There he was again looking dauber as usual. He was very kind, giving me a nice complimentabout my dove act. I couldn't resist, I pulled him aside and just had to relate this story to him. Again Iwas amazed. He actually remembered exactly where it was, Old Greenwich, Connecticut in the base-ment of the old church! All I can say is that Martin is a class act and is in a class by himself. I feelfortunate to have met him and become his friend.

By the way, thanks for the notes,

Tony Clark

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Rick Anderson

My lifelong love affair with magic started in 1960 when I saw a magician at a school assemblywhile I was in kindergarten. Almost a decade later I had a "magical experience" that truly changed mylife. That experience was my first magic convention. That's where I first met Martin Nash, TheCharming Cheat.

There I was, at the ripe old age of 15, headed to the big city of Tumwater, Washington (justoutside Olympia, the state capitol.) Not only was this my first convention up until a few weeks beforeI didn't even know there was such a thing as a magicians' convention. I had grown up in Richland,Washington, where my only contact with things magical was one friend with a serious interest, televi-sion, books and the tricks I sent for by mail. Fortunately I had parents who supported my interest andwere quite generous at Christmas and birthdays in ordering the magic I most wanted. Oh yes, the oneother major contact was Syd Brockman. Syd had a magic shop in Seattle. The classic old, hole-in-the-wall magic shop that was piled (literally piled) with the most wonderful of magical paraphernalia.About once a year my family would drive the four hours to Seattle for a small vacation and the rulewas they had to drop me off at the magic shop as they went into town, before they even went to checkinto a hotel. I can still remember with breathless clarity the unbound excitement I had anticipating thistrip to Syd's shop.

Well,on the particular year we are referring to, Syd had sent a note to my mother telling herabout this convention of magicians. She made all the arrangements for her and I to attend. It was justa train ride to Seattle and a bus ride to Olympia, then a taxi to Tumwater and we were there. I remem-ber it being pretty warm but nothing like the 113 degrees of desert heat we'd left behind in Richland.

It was at the Tyee Motor Inn in Tumwater where the convention was held. For me this washeaven and Disneyland all rolled into one. I mentioned how excited I was to go to a magic shop.Imagine my near religious experience of walking into a dealers room filled with over a dozen dealers.

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Without recounting my entire convention experience suffice it to say that I saw more wondersthere than I knew existed. Like any convention certain acts, performers and moments remain etched inmy memory while others fade. One of the most memorable times was the formal close-up session.PCAM was a reasonably small convention and so even at the close-up shows you got a good seat. Theclose up show consisted of Jerry Andrus, Alfred Hayes, and Martin Nash. I have had the very realpleasure of getting to know and spend some time with all of these gentlemen later in my magical life.But of all of these three, Martin's magic really got to me.

Of the three, Martin was obviously the most polished "performer." He had a style and gracethat lived up to his moniker of "Charming.” I had always had a fascination with not only card magicbut with gambling and especially crooked gambling. Mr. Nash was a natural to become a person Igreatly admired and wanted to emulate. Thirty five years later he still fools me so I was, of course,totally blown away by his magic back then. The cards seemed to be a natural extension of Martin'shands. He literally caressed a deck of cards. I think it is his influence that has always led me to strivefor a light touch with cards. His demeanor was soft spoken and well…"charming." To be honest Ican't remember a single effect he performed. But I did vividly remember Martin Nash – TheCharming Cheat.

If that were the end of the story I suppose it would parallel many others who will extol themagical virtuosity of Martin Nash. For me there is a bit more to my memories of Martin and that firstconvention. I was hanging out in one of the hotel hallways chatting with a newfound couple of bud-dies. I suppose we were swapping a card trick or two when we were approached by none other thanMartin Nash. Here was one of the star performers stopping to acknowledge a few absolutely nobodyteenagers. He greeted us with his almost trademark smile and, "Hello gentlemen." What happenednext surprised and delighted all of us snot-nosed, teeny-boppers. Martin sat down on the floor, tookout some cards, opened up his close-up mat and asked if we'd like to see something. How do youanswer that without gushing.

It's now almost 35 years later and I can't tell you how long Martin spent with us. I do remem-ber he taught us several tricks and moves with cards. He took the time to help us actually workthrough the routines he taught us. He showed a simple four ace routine I've never seen since. The besttrick he taught was what I now know is generally called the "Slop Shuffle." He demonstrated how itcould be done with not just a chosen card but with several, such as the four aces. That trick is still amajor part of my working repertoire today.

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I crossed paths with Martin Nash at a few later PCAM conventions but as I was still young andhe was still a star I never really had the guts to approach him. But I was still in awe.

Several years later, Stephen Minch ran the Seattle store for Mickey Hades. For a special eventhe was having at the store Steve had invited Martin to be a guest performer for the magicians onlycrowd. I was very flattered when Steve also invited me to perform. Martin performed at one end ofthe room and I was at the other. When Martin was finished with his set he wandered over andwatched me. Imagine glancing up to see one of your absolute magical idols watching you. His smilefrom the back of the crowd helped me relax. When it was all over he approached me and asked to seeone of my coin routines up close. When I finished, he asked me to, "Stay there for a moment please."He darted across the room and brought back his wife. Martin pointed to me and said, "You've got tosee this kid's coin work. You've never seen anything like it!" That was one of the stellar moments inmy magical career. There aren't all that many magical stars whose ego will allow them to give such agenuine compliment to another performer, let alone a complete unknown. Although he didn't know it,Martin's words of encouragement did wonders for me when it comes to being at ease performing forother magicians.

Although our paths didn't cross again for many years and I was just one of the many fans of hiswork, the fact that he shared his time and knowledge with some unknown kids at that little conventionin Tumwater, Washington has encouraged me to give back and help younger performers when possi-ble. It's a part of Martin Nash's legacy of which I suspect even he was unaware.

Rick Anderson

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Dustin Stinett

As a teenager I was, magically speaking, deeply entrenched in fickleness. I was a card-guy; Iwas a coin-guy, then a card-guy again. For a few weeks in there I even wanted to be an illusionist. Inthe summer of 1979 I was in another of my coin phases. I was in San Francisco attending yet anothernon-descript magic convention (I think that they were interchangeable in those days) and riding theelevator from my hotel room to the convention facilities; I had to get to work at the dealer's boothwhere I was temporarily employed. My best friend and roommate, Gary, was with me and yammeringon about a "card cheat" he had seen perform earlier who would be lecturing soon. Right, sure, uh-huh;just what I need, card tricks. Didn't he know I was a coin-guy? "This guy doesn't just do card tricks –come and see him!" It took more convincing from my friend as well as from my employer, but Ireluctantly went to see Martin A. Nash, "The Charming Cheat," lecture me, a coin-guy, on card tricks.

Fortunately for me a lecture by Martin A. Nash always includes a full performance. Fortunatelyfor me when Martin A. Nash performs, even at a lecture for magicians, he gives it everything he's got– there is no "cruise control" in Martin A. Nash. What I experienced that afternoon was the first time Iever saw theater – something I was, at the time, studying in school – applied to a bunch of card tricks.The thought that such a thing was even possible had never occurred to me. It is when a moment likethis leaves such an indelible mark upon one's life that one can recognize that particular moment as"life defining." Call me fickle if you may, but I became a card-guy again that afternoon and I haven'tlooked back since.

A few years later I interviewed Martin for a proposed cover article for the now defunct MagicManuscript. It would mark the first time I would spend any appreciable time with Martin and that,too, left upon me an indelible mark. It was here that I would gain a full appreciation for Martin'saccomplishments. Besides being a consummate entertainer who happens to do superb sleight of handwith cards, he is also knowledgeable in virtually every facet of magic. He has performed dove magic(he's the inventor of the invisible harness), card and billiard ball manipulations and grand illusion. Inaddition, of course, he performed all over the world as "The Charming Cheat," making his livingentertaining "real" people. Unfortunately the article didn't make the magazine and only a few notes, a

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rough draft and an original sidebar piece written by Harry Lorayne (it was while watching Lorayneperform that Martin experienced a similar epiphany as I did when watching Martin) has survived thatnon-digital period. One of magic's biggest mysteries is why, at the time of this writing, a cover storyon Martin has yet to appear in any major magic magazine.

Over the ensuing years I would see Martin at The Magic Castle from time to time, but it wasthe advent of the Internet that would rekindle our acquaintanceship and lead to the friendship thatexists today. Though not always through his own choice, for as long as I have known Martin he haslurked in the shadows. It is good to see him emerging back into the light of recognition in which he sorichly deserves to bask. In early 2001, Martin sat down with me and seven other serious devotees ofmagic for a private lesson. Studying with Martin goes beyond the nuts and bolts of sleight of hand-though there is plenty of that to go around. It is also a lesson in theatrical magic, character develop-ment and the construction of an act in the form of a play – for that is what Martin performs: a playwith the performer as the central character, audience members in a supporting role, and the cards,well, the cards provide the context and subtext. The effects are used to weave together the plot; fromthe first act, where the audience first learns of the journey upon which they are to embark, through themultiple surprises found during the journey and finally to the dazzling denouement. Not bad for abunch of card tricks.

A day with Martin the performer is also a day with Martin the raconteur; from his tough timesin Canadian lumber camps through his salad days in search of his character, to the really good timesafter his discovery of his character, "The Charming Cheat," the stories are plentiful. Sometimes scary,sometimes exhilarating and sometimes heartbreaking; they are always entertaining. And while Martininsists that "The Cheat" is just a character, he's also the first to tell you that Martin the man haslearned a lot about character from his character. Occasionally, when I see him performing "Ovation,""Kings Incognito," "Colors on the March" or, my personal favorite, "Jacks or Better," I try to picturethe rough and tumble foulmouthed person who worked with lumberjacks in his youth. I can't see him,I can't even imagine him. "The Charming Cheat" is Martin A. Nash and Martin A. Nash is "TheCharming Cheat" – a card expert, a magician, an entertainer, a gentleman and above all, a friend.

Dustin Stinett

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Tom Mullica

I got to know Martin Nash while living with John & Pam Thompson in Burbank, Californiamany years ago. Martin and Johnny's love for magic is obvious. I've never seen two people more ded-icated to the art. It wasn't uncommon at all for Martin to call on Johnny before breakfast time. Hewould walk in the front door while everyone slept and go directly to John and Pam's bedroom wherehe would sit on Johnny's side of the bed. The session began.

Martin Nash is a dedicated man, an expert in his field and oh so charming!

Tom Mullica

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Simon Lovell

The Great Tabled Faro Moment

A number of years ago Jamy Ian Swiss and myself were both appearing at The Magic Castle inHollywood. He was doing late close-up whilst I was doing the late parlor shows. Needless to say wealso spent a great deal of time hanging out with our mutual pal, Martin Nash.

One night we were all upstairs in the bar chatting away and, for once, the conversation driftedaway from fake deals and entered the rather esoteric world of Tabled Faro Shuffles. To do a TabledFaro is tough enough in and of itself but to make it look natural requires an almost superhuman abili-ty. Both Jamy and I had heard of Martin's skill with this move and asked him if he could demonstrateit. For once we had the great one stumped – oh, he was happy to do the move but, for the first timesince I'd known him, he didn't have a deck of cards on him! On a billion to one shot neither did Jamyand nobody else was about. Two sets of eyes turned towards me. "I've got a deck but I don't think itwill be much use to you," I said somewhat sheepishly, "It's the one I used in the show!"

You see I can decimate a new deck very swiftly under any conditions but when I do my ver-sion of card to mouth I practically eat the deck mangling the cards in the process. What remains afterthe effect bears only a marginal similarity to a deck of playing cards.

"Let me take a look," said Martin and I handed them over. He eyed them critically for a secondthen, with the famous Nash twinkle in his eye, said, "You sure don't have the softest touch in theworld but I'll give it a shot." Martin cut the deck and did a perfectly natural riffle shuffle leaving thecards half in and half out of each other. He spread the cards.

It was a perfect Tabled Faro as sweet as I've ever seen.

Jamy and I picked our jaws up from the floor.

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Oh did I mention he did it on top of a handy bar stool and not a table?

By the way, it was no fluke as he repeated it several times. It was a beautiful example of theskill of a true master in action.

I'm very proud to call Martin Nash my friend; he is really one of the nicest and most givingindividuals that I've ever met. As a bonus he's also no slouch with a deck of cards! If by studying tehtechniques in this book you get only one tenth as good as Martin you'll still be way ahead of most!

Simon Lovell

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Stories

The Book Title

The name of this book has been questioned quite a few times by my friends online. They feltthat if I were to use this title, it might offend the makers of a recent popular movie. To be honest, thatnever even entered my mind when naming the book. I simply felt that this was a book of new andreworked Nash effects, and like a weapon that had new ammunition loaded into it, the name “NashReloaded” seemed appropriate. However, the online community tried to pull a funny and succeededbeautifully with a list of titles that obviously have no movie connections whatsoever.

Nash RevolutionsThe Phantom Nash

Card Wars II: Attack of the NashNashville

Crouching Tiger Hidden NashFinding Nash

Beverly Hills NashThe Empire Strikes Nash

Return of the NashThe Bridge Shuffles of Nash CountyCrimp Trek II: The Wrath Of Nash

Crimp Trek III: The Search For NashCrimp Trek VI: The Undiscovered Nash

Nash & NasherNash-HurNashtanic

Citizen NashShuffling in the Rain

and my favorite....The Color of Nash (staring Paul Newman as Martin A. Nash)

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From LVMI – 2003 to The Magic Castle

by Mike Sorensen

In September of 2003, I had the honor of attending the Las Vegas Magic Invitational. It was athree day and night convention at the San Remo hotel that has become the talk of the town. The peo-ple who were in attendance made up the most incredible who's who that I had ever experienced, butI'll get into that later. This was to be a special trip for me because it was the first time I would get tomeet Martin A. Nash, The Charming Cheat, face to face. We had spoken on the phone and made plansto meet there and go over several items for this book. He was the guest of honor at the function, andhe did not yet know what award he was to receive. All plans were set and made, I was ready to go.Needless to say, I was excited.

The event began for me on the 13th. I live in Salt Lake City, so it was not a major trek to getdown there. I was going to fly down, but I had less than $400 to make this trip work. So, it was thebus for me. I left at 9:00 in the morning. The trip was not what you could call pleasant. The A/C wasbroken, the driver seemed to need to stop for a smoke break in every other town. The bathroom on thebus was straight out of a Clive Barker novel, and the guy sitting next to me looked and smelled likehe was dead. Finally after about eight hours of this mind-numbingly long journey, the bus pulled intothe terminal in downtown Las Vegas, I was staying at the Golden Palms hotel just a couple of blocksfrom the strip. I don't think I've ever had a cab ride that expensive, and I'm not quite sure that thedriver knew completely where he was going. After I finally got to my hotel, I showered and took anap. When I got up, I remembered that I didn't even know where the San Remo hotel was. I didn't feellike taking a cab again, and I didn't know the bus routes in Vegas yet. After finding the address, andbeing relieved to discover the hotel was only a couple of blocks away, I headed over. What a group.There were more magicians there than I had seen in any one place. People were gathered aroundtables in the lounge talking about sleights, showing off new moves, sharing effects. I was in heaven.

After some searching, I found the dealers’ room. I wandered around looking at the new itemsthat had come out, checking out new videos and new books. As I looked over to a table on the far sideof the room, I noticed a tall, dapper gentleman in a suit that I recognized. It was Martin. I went over

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and introduced myself. Martin immediately began taking me around the convention and introducingme to his friends. Every direction I faced, there was another magician whom I had revered for themajority of my life. It was a little overwhelming. I got to speak with a plethora of magic gods. TonyClark, Paul Harris, Gary Darwin, Jamy Ian Swiss, Shoot Ogawa, Jeff McBride, Daryl, the list contin-ued to get larger. We'd be walking from one table to another and we'd hear, "Martin!" We turnedaround and there was Gaeton Bloom and Daniel Cross. I turned around again and there was LooySimonof. As Martin introduced me to people, we began to get a bigger and better list of people to helpwith the book you are reading now. My excitement about the book grew steadily. That evening, weattended a cocktail party, and things got even better. I met Michael Close, David Roth, Lee Asher andothers. You can see how a little nobody magician such as myself would be just a little intimidated. Itwas also at this party that I got to meet the masterminds of this convention, Robert Allan and DannyArcher, both of whom were very kind and gracious to me. Later that evening, as I was speaking tosome people from Colorado, Martin called me over and introduced me to one of his closest friends.The terrifyingly funny and incredibly sweet, Simon Lovell. Simon looked at me and by the way ofgreeting said, "If Martin here were a woman, I'd be having sex with him right now."

At the conclusion of the day, there was a jam session that was to take place in the main room.Martin would be performing first. Now, to understand the significance of this, you must realize thatMartin was retired, and had hardly picked up a deck of cards in years. Nevertheless, he got in front ofthe audience. I had never seen Martin perform live, and now I was going to see him perform one ofmy favorite of his effects. The Omni Twist. It was beautiful. After his performance, several othermagicians got up and performed pieces that were of stunning quality, and after all was said and done,Martin and I went to relax and enjoy a cup of coffee and a hot chocolate. It was a good day.

The next day turned out to be even better than the first. I enjoyed some great lectures and I gotthe chance to share some of my own work with other card workers that were in attendance. There wasa question and answer session that turned out to be, in my opinion, one of the most valuable events ofthe convention. All of the lecturers were answering questions fielded by the audience. I feel that manyof us in attendance learned more in that hour than in most of our lives. It started out serious enoughuntil Jamy Ian Swiss and Simon Lovell, two people whom you probably shouldn't have in a roomtogether if you want to get anything done, began to talk about how difficult it can sometimes be tomake yourself practice. All of a sudden, the one panel member who had stayed fairly quiet, ShootOgawa, grabbed the mic and in broken English fought out one simple word, "Bullshit!" The flood-gates opened, and the room took on a new level of fun as we all realized that we were adults andcould let our hair down a little. The problem that we all faced now is that you don't want to get Simon

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Lovell into a silly mood. I will leave the chronicles of his and Swiss's antics to the LVMI staff fortheir video that they will soon be producing about the lecture.

Back to the lounge. As the day progressed, several other names in the business began to showup, including Crystal and other members of David Copperfield's staff, and the man who wouldbecome the AMA's 2003 Magician of the Year, Mac King. As I was speaking with him, I noticed atall, long-haired gentleman wandering around whom I immediately recognized, it was Penn Jellet. Iwas wondering if Teller might be around, and sure enough he came walking up from behind me. Whatan incredibly nice pair of guys!

Later that day, I was sitting at a lounge table with Martin, Armando Lucero, and a couple ofother friends, when the ultimate question came. "Martin, will you show us a trick?" Now this was anhistoric occasion because as I mentioned, Martin does not perform much at all these days, but sureenough, he grabbed a deck of cards and a mat. The few of us sat and enjoyed a private performancefrom The Charming Cheat himself. After a dozen or so minutes, we looked up and to our surprise, theENTIRE lounge was filled to capacity with people who were all whispering things like "Oh my gosh,Martin is performing!" and, "I wonder if we'll get to see him do Jacks or Better. I can't believe I'mseeing him perform!" Everyone there realized that what they were seeing was truly a part of magichistory. It was like being in the room with Dai Vernon, or Slydini. After several more jaw-droppingeffects, we all saw Robert Allan walk up behind Martin and tap him on the shoulder. "Martin, I hate topull you away from this, but there is a lecture going on in the other room, and the performer is pissedoff because there's no one in there. Everyone's out here watching you!" The entire room immediatelyburst into laughter and applause. In the words of Mark Twain, "It was a heartwarming spectacle." Weall broke away to go see the lecture and we all came away from that one very content. Again, Martinand I ended the day with a cup of coffee and a hot chocolate.

The final day of the convention turned out to be as entertaining as the other two. There wereseveral more brilliant lectures. The dealers’ room was packed as usual, new ideas were flying aroundlike candy wrappers in an updraft, and everyone was having a good time. It was at that point thatMartin's good friend Christina LaVaughn showed up. There are some people in this world who areplacid and even unpleasant, then there are those who are wonderfully fun people whom you can getalong famously with and have a good time. Christina fit the bill perfectly. In the late afternoon, Martinand I were discussing some of the finer points of Ovation, and the fact that it has a similar effect onthe mind to running it through a vice grip and having it come out better than when it went in, whenSimon Lovell approached us. "Martin, I sincerely hope you are going to actually get in there and

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attend my lecture. I promise you, you'll laugh for about fifty minutes and cry for the last ten." Wewent in, and Simon was as good as his word and better. I have attended a lot of lectures in my life,and nothing has even come close to that one. It was one of the most valuable hours of my time I haveever invested. I implore you that if you ever have the opportunity to attend a Simon Lovell lecture,that you sell the farm to get there. You'll be better off for it. After the lecture, I went out into the hall,and met one of the other people whom I had gone to Vegas to talk to, Jeff Hobson. We hit it off well,and Jeff is now very high on my list of favorite people overall. We all knew something exciting wouldhave to come from him later.

That evening, there was a final show that would consist of all of the lecturers performing someof their best work. At the beginning of the ceremony, Martin was finally invited up. Robert and Dannypresented him with the Lifetime Achievement Award. It was a moment to be remembered. The entireroom was on their feet with thunderous applause. All of the performers that evening were fantastic.Armando Lucero was on fire. He has some of the most beautiful card manipulations that I had everseen. Everyone got a good kick out of The Amazing Juggling Elvis. Curtis Kam, Shoot Ogawa, JamySwiss, and others all performed. Then it was Simon Lovell's turn. Heaven help us. Only one wordthough can describe what followed. History. Simon explained that he had acquired a trick severalyears previously that had helped to make him famous, The signed card from the mouth. He alsoexplained that the man who had invented the trick was in the audience, Mr. Jeff Hobson. He wasinvited up to overwhelming applause, and they then proceeded to do the first and last ever synchro-nized signed card from the mouth. Simon took the left half of the room, and Jeff took the right. Now,for those of you who have not seen this effect, let me explain. The performer has an audience membertake a card from the deck, sign it along the face, and the replace it back in the deck. After a throughmixing, the performer then shoves the entire deck into his mouth and proceeds to explain in the mostcoherent speech possible that they are going to find the card with their tongue and fold it three times.After showing that the card is not on the top or bottom of the deck, he then rips the entire deck out ofhis mouth and stands for a moment making spitting and gagging noises. Suddenly, voila, a folded cardpops out of his mouth, slime, spit, and all. After unfolding, the card is shown to indeed be the signedcard. This in my opinion, is one of the best effects in all of magic. I stole the trick back in '95 andhave performed it myself ever since. Hobson, upon hearing this news promised that the damage to myperson would be only slight. Needless to say, the trick is downright amazing, and, to see it performedsimultaneously by the two true masters of it was something special. As they performed the trick, theroom was in an uncontrollable state of laughter. Upon the simultaneous revelations of the cards, theroom was in shock to discover that both of them had gotten it wrong! They looked at the cards andcouldn't figure out how they had missed it. The cards had signatures on them. Then they realized what

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the error was. Simon crossed to the right side of the room, and Jeff to the left. The cards had switchedsides! The right side’s card had ended up on the left, and the left side’s card had ended up on the right.I have been performing magic for over twenty years, and have given up much of that sense of wonderwhen I watch magic. At the moment when the room realized what had happened, that childlike feelingof total wonder and amazement hit me for the first time in years. As I said, it was historic.

That evening did not end in coffee and hot chocolate. Instead, due to the end of the convention,it was scotch and cigars. I had quit drinking and smoking, but the company was great. I sat with JamyIan Swiss, Simon Lovell, Dimarre, Hobson, and Martin. We talked into the wee hours of the morning.At that point, I felt that my magic life had reached a high point. The next day would prove me wrong.I awoke the next morning, got my bags packed and waited for Martin to arrive. He had decided that asa magician, there was an experience missing in my life. We drove out of Vegas just before noon,headed for Hollywood, and The Magic Castle.

We drove to California in Martin's car, and I tell you, when The Charming Cheat decides totravel, he's going to do it comfortably. Traveling across death valley in a Lincoln listening to Elvis isan experience. We made a quick stop in Barstow at Denny's for some chow. I think it was at that pointthat it really hit me. In my head, I suddenly thought, "Holy cow. I'm sitting in a Denny's in California,having a Grand Slam Breakfast with a man whom I have idolized since I was a child." It was one ofthose things that hits you like a freight train. I looked across at Martin and said, "It just really hit mewhat a once in a lifetime experience all of this is." He looked at me and answered back, "So are thesepancakes. Eat." As we drove into Los Angeles, I became a little panicked. I realized that I had no ideawhere my hotel was. I had the address, but Hollywood can be a little tough to navigate. "Not toworry," said Martin, "I know who we can ask." As we began to travel down Hollywood Blvd, I beganto see all of the famous places I had seen in the movies. It was a great experience. We pulled into aparking lot and walked down the block to the famous Hollywood Magic. Due to a power outage, theplace was actually closed! We stood there and wondered what to do next, when from inside, we heard:"Holy Crap! Martin's at the door." They opened up and let us come in. Now, I've been to severalmagic shops before, but nothing ever like this. We sat for awhile and talked about the good 'ol dayswhen Martin used to frequent the place often because it was so close to the Castle. After some time, Iasked one of the gentlemen if they knew where my particular hotel was. He pointed up the street, andthere is was, right next to where we had parked. Oh well. Live and learn. We said goodbye and head-ed to the hotel. Martin decided to crash there that night as well.

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That afternoon as I prepared to attend an evening at The Magic Castle, I realized that the con-vention was good, but what I was about to enter was Mecca. We left the hotel and drove down thestreet. As we rounded the corner, the Castle came into view. It was a sight that I had drilled into myhead since I was five. I had promised myself my whole life that I would one day be in the exact spotthat I was now. It was tear-jerking. We pulled up to the valet parking and went inside. I turned toMartin and saw a look come over his face that was akin to, "I'm Home." I remembered that this wasMartin's territory. This was his world., and I was being invited to experience it.

I won't go into a lot of detail about what happened at the Castle. I want it to be a surprise to allof you when you get the opportunity to attend, but here are a few inside jokes I'll set upon you thatyou can figure out for yourself. Erma, upon hearing that I was from Salt Lake, greeted me with arousing hymn. The Houdini room was a “spiritually uplifting” experience. I tried to make a phone callwith some “bone chilling results.” My time at the Castle is time that I will remember until my dyingday. I got the chance to meet Ice MacDonald. I was honored to be in attendance at a close up perform-ance of Bruce Cervon. I had a nice chat with Gordon Bean as Martin took me on a tour of the CastleLibrary. We had a chat with Robert Lamoreaux, and I got the rare privilege to speak to Milt Larsen,the creator of The Magic Castle. The Castle is one of the most amazing places I have ever been. It ismy goal to return as often as possible. If you ever get the chance to go, do it. You won't regret it.

After our evening of magic and fun, we were ready to eat. Again, this is an experience to belived, not told about. There is a little burger shop in Hollywood called Tommy’s. It's located just a fewblocks down from the Castle. We arrived there just before 11:00 pm. Martin began to tell me that hehad spent many an evening there after a show. This place didn't look much different than any otherside of the road burger joint, but as with all things related to magic, looks can be deceiving. Martinhad been going to Tommy’s for decades. The burgers started out at around four bits each back then.Let me explain these burgers. It starts with a big toasted bun. Then comes a fat, fresh beef patty, aslice of tomato as thick as a vault door, heart-attack-inducing amounts of cheese, and as if that wasn'tenough, a huge sloppy scoop of the best dang chili this side of death. We sat, we ate, we talked, wegot heartburn. That evening, we sat in the hotel and talked about magic, music, life, and chili until thesun was ready to come up. Now, this was a good vacation. The next day, as Martin dropped me off atthe terminal at LAX, I knew that I was not only saying goodbye to a great magician, I was sayinggoodbye to a good friend. Martin, I thank you for a good time. You opened my eyes to a new world ofmagic, and they will never be dimmed.

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M.A.N. and The Charming Cheat

Martin A. Nash (M.A.N.) was born on March 18th in British Columbia back in the 30's.Parksville, where Martin grew up, was as small a town as it gets. The sign leading into town said,"Welcome to Parksville." The other side said, "Welcome to Parksville.” The population sign actuallyhad a negative sign available on the front of the number.

As I have been in the field for some time, I have known a good number of card men andwomen. As I would say the name Martin Nash, some people might know whom I spoke of, and othersmight not, but, when I say "The Charming Cheat,” or "The Dealer of Deception" people would imme-diately get the image in their heads of the smiling man in the dark glasses. The title has carried a lotof weight for Martin for several decades. When I had the fortunate opportunity of interviewing Martinfor the first time, I asked him if there was a story behind this rather fitting title. "OHHHHHYESSSSS!" he exclaimed with an air of amusement. We sat and discussed it for quite some time. Thestory that he told was so good that I'm not going to try and paraphrase, I'm just going to give it to youstraight from him as he told it to me that evening.

*****************

Several years ago, I had done a radio show on the west coast. It was the number one talk showwith Jack Webster, and you know he used to be a crime reporter. He did trials and all that. Then hewas a writer for the newspaper. Then he went onto radio, and then onto television. But when he wason radio, I did everything I could to get on the radio with him. I couldn't do it. Then there was a courtcase where three fellows were convicted of cheating at cards, and I was the expert witness in the case.The Judge, Murray Hyde, credited me solely with the conviction. So this hits the front page of theVancouver Sun, and that night I get a call. Jack Webster was of course very Scottish, and he said"Martin, I wancha on me show first thing, but if anybody phones I wancha ta tell 'em yer on Websterfirst." So I said OK.

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On the way, as I was driving down to the show, I heard him on the radio, and he said, "Tonight,I've got professor Howell on the show, and some guy who does cards." And I thought, "Some guywho does cards?!" and I just about turned around and went home. Anyway, I went to the show, and Iwent up to the secretary and said, "I want to speak to Jack Webster. I'm on the show." She said "Well,you're not on for another forty minutes, Jack's really busy right now." So I said, "I want to see JackWebster now, or I don't go on the show.” So, Jack comes out, and you could just see the steam comingout of his ears. Well, we had known each other for a long time. I said "Jack, I'm just going to take acouple of moments of your time." I threw down two decks of cards and I said "Jack, one of the decksis marked. I want you to really examine them. Look at the cellophane, look at the backs, check bothdecks, and then tell me which one is marked." So, he picked up the one, opened it up, and examinedit. He opened the second one, and really examined them and checked them out. He looked at me andsaid "I dunno." So, I looked at him and I said "Jack, I lied to you. I told you one of the decks wasmarked." And he just blew his top. I said "Jack, they're both marked, but they're marked differently."So he shuffled the cards, and I had to call out their names as he was dealing them. He goes to theother deck and we did the same thing. So, I pulled out another deck, and I said, "Jack, this deck is notmarked. Go ahead, open it up, and shuffle it like this." I showed him how to do the shuffle whichgave me the opportunity to stack the royal flush and palm it out. He took the cards, shuffled them, andgave them back to me. I said "Jack, if you were in a really high stakes game, what hand would youlike?" "Royal Flush." he said. So I said "How many people in the game?" "Six." He said. "What posi-tion are you sitting at?" I asked. He said "Four." So, just by doing bottom dealings, I gave him theroyal flush. Well, we hit the air, and it was nothing but an hour and a half of a commercial for me.

A month later, I get a phone call from Toronto to do the Pierre Burden show, which was a halfhour television interview show, on which he only had one guest. And to give you an idea, after me, hehad Bill Cosby. It wasn't a small thing. He only had top personalities on. Jack Webster had told himabout me. So, I did the show, and a magician in Toronto by the name of Norm Houghton had pickedme up at the airport, and he said, Sid Lorraine wants to meet you. So, I guess I was there for aboutfour hours, and we left. The next day I did the show, and Norm picked me up. He said, "Sid wantsyou back at his house. This never happens." So, we went back, and my God, card men had come fromall over the place. I mean, they'd come from Windsor, they'd come from here, they'd come from there,and everywhere else, and Howard Lyons was there, and so I had a real session going. Then I had togo to Chicago and a half a dozen other places. I get back home, and there's a letter from Sid Lorraine.In the letter, God, his handwriting was beautiful. He said what a pleasure it was to meet me and blahblah blah blah, and now how the guys were still talking about Canada's Charming Cheat. Well, he hadasked me if he could write an article about me, and I wrote back and said, "Of course providing youlet me use the title ‘The Charming Cheat’." So that's how that came about.

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As Barnaby used to say, "And now, for the rest of the story."

I got called to do a two day chiropractor's convention. This was shortly after the letter from SidLorraine. So I went to the meeting, and they hired me to do this two day convention. As I'm walkingout, one of the ladies asks me "Oh, by the way, do you have a title?" and without even thinking, Iturned to her and said "The Charming Cheat." They started to laugh, and I went "Oh my God." Butyou know, there's nothing I can do about it now. Then, the next week, I'm doing the show, and there isthis big banner sitting up there that says, "See Martin A. Nash, The Charming Cheat." And there'sabout five or six different acts going on all at the same time. So, I'm performing, and I've got thesehuge crowds, and I worked for over four straight hours and didn't repeat a single trick. So anyway, aweek, two weeks go by, and my wife and daughter, who at the time was about five years old, we'reout walking and we hear these people running down Gravel Street which was a main street inVancouver, and they stop, turn around, and look at me. And this woman said to me, "We saw you atthe convention. We were there because my husband is a chiropractor. We never even watched any-thing else. As a matter of fact, we even missed the free drinks! I'm sorry, but I can't remember yourname, but you're The Charming Cheat, right?" Business cards, letter heads, you name it. The namewent on everything, and that's what I've been know as ever since.

So then, a couple years go by, and I'm doing a show in Toronto, and it was a private industrialshow. Somehow or other, Sid Lorraine got in. I mean he could get into any place he wanted, and I'dbeen up to his house again, and my business card used to read, "Martin A. Nash, The Charming Cheatand Intimate Entertainer.” Well, now I had the mirror system, and I was working for three or four hun-dred people at a time. I had talked to Sid and told him that I needed something else to put down there.Well, the next day, at this convention, I see him standing in the back, and he's got the grin on his faceas he always had. You see, we were very dear friends, Sid and I, we were very dear friends right upuntil he died. So, after I had finished the show, he came up to me and handed me an envelope. Iopened it up, and here were some things he had printed out, and they said Martin A. Nash, TheCharming Cheat, and then the phone number where I had had Intimate Entertainer. And, one of thethings he had there was, Martin A. Nash, The Charming Cheat, Dealer of Deception"

And the rest, as they stay, is history.

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The Murray-Hyde Case

Vancouver, 1967

The setting was that of a dinner party at a local hotel. Furniture store owner Colin Ryan haddecided to try his luck that evening and sit in at a private game of cards going on upstairs. Stoop is agame that is quite similar to Blackjack, but with a little Baccarat thrown into the mix. Each playerbuys a portion of the bank and plays against the dealer separately. Instead of 21 being the goldenhand, you cross your fingers for a pair of aces. Pocket rockets meant an automatic win and the shift ofthe deal is to you. The game has no lack of high excitement.

In this particular game, three men of an unknown clandestine nature sat at the table along withColin. After a period of time and an unwelcome shift of the chip stacks, questions arose in some peo-ple's minds as to the validity of the game. Finally, someone said it, "I think this deck is marked!" Thedeck was checked and nothing wrong was found. The RCMP was called in to investigate, and stillnothing was found. However, one of the detectives knew that if there was anything to find, there wasone man that would have no trouble finding it. Martin A. Nash was called in.

After a quick check, it was found that the deck was in fact marked. It was found to be a "Juice"deck. Juice is an underground form of deck marking that until recently, many thought to be a myth. Iwon't go into it here, it's not my place to divulge it. Needles to say, it's a thing of clandestine beauty. Itwas found that it was the three men who were responsible for the cheating, and the next step was tobuild a case against them.

The three men had names that sounded like they were straight out of a Damon Runyon book.They were, Shoulders Levi, Norm Kouhout, and Ox Anderson. Ox got his name simply because of hissize. He was sitting in on a game once when a man accused him of Second Dealing. Ox leaned overthe table and knocked the guy out cold with one punch. He sat down, asked "Does anyone else have aproblem?" and everyone kept playing.

The time for the trial came. Ox Anderson skipped bail and wasn't present. Martin was called upas an expert witness. When the time came for the defense to cross-examine Martin’s credentials, the

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assistant lawyer stood to ask the questions. He got about as far as, "I have a ques…" when the headattorney grabbed him by the back of the jacket and said, "Sit down idiot." His name was TomBradewood. He had gone to university with Martin and knew him very well. So, consequently, heknew that if they tried to punch holes in Martin's credibility, they'd only make fools of themselves.

After all was said and done, they got the conviction. The three men were fined $3,500 dollarsapiece and banned from gambling. The next day, in the Vancouver Sun, there was an entire front pagestory about the case in which judge Murray-Hyde credited Martin with getting the conviction.

Over the next while, it was pieced together what happened to these men. Shoulders Levi,whom Martin knew and had one Christmas received a beautiful set of gold cufflinks from, was not thesmartest of the bunch. His IQ might have been room temperature. All he had done was throw the deckinto the game. However, no one knows what happened to him. He simply up and disappeared. No onehas heard a single word from him ever since. Norm Kouhout walked into a bar a few years later, wentinto the men's room, and came out a moment later with and eight inch blade in his gut. He droppeddead on the bar floor. Ox Anderson is now spending two life sentences in a federal penitentiary formurder. These were not the kind of men you'd want your daughter dating. Martin has been involved indozens of cases throughout his life for both the defense and prosecution, and has the distinction ofhaving never been on the losing side of a case.

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The Ed Balducci Years

Over the last while, I've had the honor of getting to know Martin and one of the things I'veenjoyed is that he has a wealth of captivating stories about his life in magic. Some of the times hespeaks most fondly of are his times with Ed Balducci.

Back in the early 60's Ed used to have get togethers with some of his friends, and Martin andhis wife of the time used to attend. One of the first evenings he attended, he sat at the table with Ed,Dai Vernon, and another gentleman whom they said was The Great Cardini. Now, Martin had wantedto meet Cardini for some time, and anyone who knew Ed, and Vernon, knew that they had no reserva-tions about pulling a good joke on you. They introduced Martin to this gentleman and he knew thatthey were putting him on. This guy was hunched over the table, he was old, staunch, triple chinned,balding, and in no way the man who was Cardini. Martin knew full well that they were putting himon. Well, the evening progressed and everyone had a good time showing magic to each other. At onepoint, the guy turned to Martin and said, "Why are you doing all of this knuckle busting work?"Martin replied, "Who are you to talk about it, you're supposed to be one of the greatest sleight of handmen of all time!" He looked at him and said, "I'm not a sleight of hand man, I'm an arteest!" As thenight went on, they all had a "one better" session. Vernon and Ed did something, Martin did somecoin work, and then it came time for this fake to do an effect. He stood up from his chair, and now hewas straight as a rod. He reached into his pocket, pulled out the monocle, put it at his eye, and nowthe transformation was complete. There was no longer any doubt in Martin's mind – this was unques-tionably The Great Cardini.

Cardini pulled out a deck of cards and had each of the men select one. After they were lost inthe deck. Cardini held it out and one at a time, they began to rise quite beautifully out of the deck. Onthe last one, it rose up about six or seven inches into his hand. As he sat down, he looked at Martinand asked, "Do you know how I did that?" Now here was an interesting situation. What do you say toa man like Cardini? If you say yes, you're a smart-ass. If you say no, you're a dumb-ass. So Martingave the most diplomatic answer he could, "I think so.""What did I do?""I think you’re using an IT reel."

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"Where is it?""……..I have no idea."

The set-up that Cardini had used was beyond brilliant. As many people know, Cardini was alsoa watchmaker. He had hidden a micro reel in his watch! The thread came out of the stem and ended ina tiny ball of wax. What he would do, would be to look at his watch and as he was saying somethinglike, "This will take about sixty seconds…" he would get the thread. He could then place it as hewished. Thus was the genius of Cardini.

It was round about that time when they heard a scream from the other room. Someone hadburnt a cigarette hole into Ed's new Chesterfield. Martin was praying that it wasn't his ex, which itfortunately wasn't.

As mentioned, Dai Vernon was also at these meetings. The story of his effect that night stillwarms the hearts of many magicians. He had decided to do the classic quarters through the hand rou-tine. Well, he went over to the shelf near by, and picked up a crystal wineglass. At that point youcould see Ed's face begin to go pale. Vernon began the trick and as with all things in life, Murphy'slaw kicked in like a clap of thunder. The first coin caught on the edge of the glass. The tinkle of shat-tering must have given Ed a dozen strokes right then and there. He hit the roof, because unbeknownstto Vernon, these were a set of four wineglasses from the mid 19th century, and they were absolutelypriceless. This of course did not phase Vernon in the least. He went over, grabbed another one, andfinished the trick!

Those meetings were priceless to Martin, but at the time, he didn't know it. They would sitaround and talk of everything but tricks. They would teach him things like speech, patter, deportment,audience management, but no tricks. He began to get a bit frustrated. What he came to realize thoughwas that they were in fact teaching him the most important stuff, and it was that which made Martininto what he is today. They molded and shaped him into a great performer. A trick will only go so far,but it’s the important things like misdirection and presentation that make you a star.

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Memories Of The Professor

Dai Vernon was and forever shall be considered one of the great classics. Hetaught, mentored, influenced and molded more people that any other magician inthe history of the art. He was a veritable encyclopedia of magical knowledge, andhe was the inventor of most of the common things in magic today. Where wouldany of us be without one of The Professor's most widely used innovations, TheDouble Lift? Martin and Vernon were good friends for many years, and he has con-sequently gathered some of the funniest stories I've heard.

One of my favorites had to do with The Magic Castle in Hollywood. Both Vernon and Martinpractically lived there. Over the years, Martin did many lectures there. Once, in the close up room,Martin was doing a lecture, and as he came out, Vernon immediately piped up. "What the hell is this!Martin Nash? I though we were gonna see Martin Gardner. We've all seen Nash, let's get MartinGardner out here. I thought we were gonna have something good!" Martin had never heard Vernon gooff like this. Vernon then began to laugh, as did everyone else. Well, of course, Nash continued andgave a great lecture. Afterwards, some of the other Castle folk came up to him and told him that theonly reason Vernon did that is because he loved him and knew that he of all people could take it.

Vernon used to attend a lot of Martin's shows. He had his own seat up front. The problem wasthat Vernon had a nasty habit of falling asleep all the time, so he would doze off in the middle ofMartin's set. Near the end, Vernon would start to stir, and Martin would look over at him and say,"No Dai, you go back to sleep and I'll wake you up during the next show where you fell asleep.” Thisbecame a running gag throughout the Castle.

Another great story that Bruce Cervon tells is about how Vernon used to love to play hearts.Vernon, Bruce, Kuda Bux, and Billy McComb would often sit at a private table and play hearts. Onenight, Vernon and Kuda Bux were sitting across from one another and they kept losing horribly.Finally, Vernon got so pissed off that he looked across the table at Bux and shouted, "For God sakes,put your blindfold back on so you can see what the hell you're looking at!"

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There was one evening that a young man had come to the Castle who wanted very much tomeet the great Dai Vernon. So, they sat down together, and the kid insisted on showing him a trick.He began, and immediately, Vernon broke in, "No no. You're doing it all wrong. You've got to do itthis way.” Well, after about five minutes of these rebuttals, the kid got up and stormed away. Vernonsat there, took his cigar out of his mouth and said, "Ya know what his problem is, he can't take criti-cism!" These kinds of things were frequent with him, but he always meant well and had the rightintentions at heart.

Another of my favorite stories is when Martin taught Vernon to dead cut four aces from thedeck. It was a simple addition to an old principle. You just use the Stevens control and cut to thechops. Martin taught this to Vernon and he immediately began to freak out. "I didn't even think aboutthat! I've always used one card. That's beautiful!" A little later that evening, Vernon was sitting withsome friends, and he called Martin over. "Martin come here. I want you to show these guys some-thing. Here, cut to the aces." So Martin asks, "Can I give the deck a shuffle?" and he noticed thatVernon had put the four aces on the bottom of the deck, so he shuffled and cut to them. The samething happened latter, and then the next night, and the next. On about the fifth night, Vernon calledhim over. "Here Martin. Cut to the four aces." Well, at this point, Martin wasn't even looking any-more. So he shuffles, cuts, and he got the four of hearts, the six of clubs the queen of hearts, and theeight of spades, or something like that. Vernon took the cigar from his mouth, looked around and said,"I knew he couldn't do it." And began to laugh. The son of a gun had palmed out the aces! He thensaid that they should give Martin another chance. So he gave him the deck again, putting the acesback on the bottom. Of course, Martin got it that time. That was Vernon's way. He could have a jokewith you, but he would never leave any egg on your face. He'd always make sure you could handlethe situation.

I very much enjoyed learning about Dai Vernon. My regret is that I never got a chance to meethim. The most important thing I learned about him though, was that it was a bad idea to get in the carwith him because he never really learned to turn where the road turns. That was Vernon.

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The Plastic Eye Fraud

Canada, 1960's

In Tops Magic Magazine, Nelson wrote an article about an evangelist by the name of RonaldCoin. He stated that the man was a fraud and that if anyone could take him down, then do it. MartinNash had heard about him and was interested to know more. He phoned a friend of his at theVancouver Crime Lab, detective inspector Percy Easler, who was also an accomplished magician. Hesaid, "Martin, I'd love to talk to you about him but I'm on my way out to go to a case. Can we talklater?" That was fine. About ten minutes later, Martin got a call back from Percy. "Martin, you're notgoing to believe this but we're going out on the Plastic-Eye Fraud, and it is Ronald Coin. Would youlike to come along?"

The crew that went to Ronald's show consisted of Percy, Martin, RCMP Staff Sergeant JackWhite, and a couple of uniformed RCMP guards that parked some distance away so as not to benoticed. They sat as Ronald came out. He was a mid-sized, heavy-set somewhat balding man. Not abad looking guy, but he wouldn't make the cover of GQ. He told the story of when he was a younglad. He was playing with a piece of bailing wire. As he was twirling it around on his finger, it gotcaught on his eye. He was taken to the doctor, but they couldn't save it and it had to be replaced witha plastic eye. Some years later, he fell ill. His mother, who was a firm believer in the laying on ofhands, took him to a priestess. She laid her hands on his head and pronounced him well. As he and hismother were preparing to leave, the lady called to him. "There's something wrong with your eye!" Heexplained about what had happened. The priestess laid her hands on his head once more, and low andbehold, Ronald could see out of this plastic eye. A true miracle, so to speak.

Ronald’s demonstrations went thusly; he would have his good eye taped shut. Audience mem-bers would then hand him their driver's licenses, passports, and even credit cards and he would readthem through the plastic eye. People would fall in amazement and pay him upwards of $5000 dollarsin an attempt to buy their way into heaven.

As Martin and the crew watched the demonstration, they saw what the method employed was.Ronald was using something called a nose peek. After the handkerchief was taped over his good eye,

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he would puff out his cheeks. This would facilitate a small hole down the side of his nose down whichhe could see something that was held underneath it. The other tactic, which he employed, was anuncanny photographic memory. He would take an item; pass it from one hand to the other passing itunderneath his nose. In that one moment, he could memorize the entire contents of the card. It wasuncanny. Martin, Percy and Jack signaled each other that they knew what was going on. Martin wasbrought up on stage. He looked at the "blind" Ronald and noticed that the tape wasn't totally secure.He took out some of the 1" tape that he brought and secured the handkerchief tighter on Ronald'sface. Ronald puffed out his cheeks again and Martin wasted no time in pinching the tape back down.At that point, Ronald ripped off the tape and cried out that they had a non-believer in their midst. Theothers approached Ronald and told him that they needed to speak to him privately.

In preparing to get a conviction on Ronald, the crew realized that they were facing a problemwith the trial. They could bring in Martin as an expert witness, but Ronald would bring in a hundredpeople that had sworn they'd seen a miracle. This is the problem that they had faced before, but theyhad a gamble of a solution that they hoped would pay off. They told Ronald to show up in court inthree days time. Within two hours, as hoped, he skipped the country into the U.S., and hasn't beenheard from since.

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The Planes

When I got to know Martin, I found that we have several interests in common; card magic,gambling sleights, travel, chili burgers, beautiful women and, strangely enough, model planes. Martinhas spent a good number of hours with his planes. He sent me pictures of some of them that I thoughtyou might like to see.

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The Strawberry Bitch

This is an enormous plane. Thedetails are astounding, right downto the dials and the pedals. This isprobably the only thing in theworld on which Martin has spentanywhere near as much time on ashis Second Deal.

ZZYZX

King Cobra

NashPoetry

An Ode to a Lady

It will be long before I hold you,

I know we're far apart,

But one thing that I'm sure of,

Is you’re always in my heart.

Mistakes I've made are many,

Regrets they are the same.

My heart is very heavy

And my soul is filled with shame.

Many the words I'd like to say,

While wishes they abound

But the greatest wish I ever had,

Is that you were still around.

Love is such a fragile thing,

And fools like me are blind,

But just know that I miss you

And you are always on my mind.

Martin A . Nash, August 7, 2001

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Driving School

Oh, how I love the Japanese,

They bow and say, “You first please.”

Then they get into their car

They travel fast,

They travel far.

They never stop, they only shout,

You wish to hell you could get out!

Then they have head-on collision,

They bow and say, "Made wrong decision."

So if you’re driving in Japan

It only proves you are a man,

And when your destination you arrive,

Thank your lucky stars……..

Martin A . Nash, September ‘95

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Life’s Four Seasons

When I was young I used to play,

In a field not far away.

And in one corner hung a rusty old bell,

Above a long forgotten wishing well.

Ding-dong, ding-dong,

You can start to hear the robin's song,

Hear the budding of the soft green leaves,

As spring wind whispers through the trees.

Toss in a nickel, toss in a dime,

Wish for a better place and time,

Wish for fortune, or you can wish for fame,

You wish for gold, it's all the same.

Ding-dong, ding-dong,

Can you hear the robins sing their song?

Hear the gentle swaying of the leaves,

As they twist and turn in the summer breeze.

As for me, I wished to travel far,

So I set my sights on a wandering star.

To see the world and all its sights,

Under blazing suns, and star-filled nights.

Ding-dong, ding-dong,

I can barely hear the robin's song.

As I quietly listen for rustling leaves

As they fall to the ground in the autumn breeze.

I'm home now, and going to rest a spell,

And lean my back on that old well.

Close my eyes, and ask the Lord above,

Why couldn't I just have wished for love?

Ding-dong, ding-dong,

I no longer hear the robin's song.

No more to hear the sound of leaves,

As the cold winter wind blows through the trees.

Martin A . Nash, September ‘99

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Secrets

If I were to tell you a secret,

And you knew it was yours alone.

Would you promise to be gentle,

And safely take it home?

It is all that I can give you,

There is nothing more to give,

I want just you alone to own it

As long as I should live.

It has no monetary value

So many would never understand,

It is my heart I freely give you,

To hold gently in your hand.

Love is such a fragile thought

And the future can become the past,

Just know the heart I give you,

Is mine to give…… at last!

Martin A . Nash, October 5, 2001

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The Magician

The Magician struts upon the stage,

He has become the Castle’s latest rage.

Coins appear at finger-tips,

Silks pop through his puckered lips.

His assistant's here, and now she's there,

And now you see her everywhere.

He takes his applause with shouts and cheers

And then he slowly disappears.

Martin A . Nash, September ‘97

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TheSleightsLibrary

For most men (till by losing rendered sager) will back their own opinions by a wager.~George Gordon~

The Second Deal

If you have ever seen a Second Deal, then that is the person that you don't want to learn itfrom. The whole point of a Second Deal, is that you'll never actually see it. The Second Deal is per-haps most likely to be considered the Holy Grail of sleights. It can, if done right, be one of the mostuseful and deceptive tools in all of card work. The sleight is exactly as it says. You appear to deal thetop card when you infact deal the card second from the top. Martin's work is replete with seconds,thirds, and even fourths. Many of his effects depend highly on this move. As Martin says, "It is one ofthe toughest sleights in magic. It's extremely easy to do poorly, yet it's extremely difficult to do well."We will go over the move it self, and then we will cover some techniques on practicing.

On of the things that I feel should be covered is the problem of dry fingers. I suffer from thisghastly infirmity. I don't sweat much in my hands, and the tips of my fingers are always bone-dry.This can be a problem on a Second Deal, and I had been searching for some time for a solution. Ilearned a good technique from Lee Asher, who learned it from the works of Dai Vernon. Simply runyour thumb over your teeth, and rub it in. Gross, but effective. After some study, I learned of Martin'smethod. I had always noticed what seemed to be a nervous twitch when he performed. He wouldreach up behind his ear and scratch an itch. What I didn't know, is that before he sat down, he wouldput a generous amount of SortKwik behind his ear. That's the round pink goop that you get at officesupply stores for sorting papers. This leaves no grease on the cards, it eliminates plaque on the thumb,and it's totally deceptive. If you have some handy, grab it, put it on your thumb, and let's get to work.

THE MOVE: As discussed in other parts of this book, it is best to do this with a fresh deck.There are several methods for accomplishing this, you may refer to S. W. Erdnase's book, or any of anumber of other rescources. We are going to cover the "Strike" second.

Hold the deck in dealing position. Bring your hands together as if you are going to deal the topcard. As your hands come together, the thumb of your left hand pushes the top card towards your

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body at an angle just a bit so that at the top of the deck, there isa "brief" (fig.1). Your right thumb makes contact with (strikes)the now exposed second card and slides it out from under thefirst. It may then be dealt to the table. As the hands come apart,the thumb of the left hand pushes the top card back into place,squaring it up. (fig.2) There should be no movement of the lefthand. As you practice, the brief should get smaller, and smaller.To start, it should be about a quarter of an inch. After practice

it will get to be betweena sixteenth and a thirty-second of an inch. Martin has his downto a sixty-fourth of an inch. That is the basic sleight. A goodway of practicing is to turn the deck face up, and put the Ace ofspades on top. (fig.3) As you practice, try to make your briefsmaller and smaller. You should get to the point where there isno color visible in the upper left corner of the deck when youdeal. This is a goodpracticing technique, and

it has helped me hone my second to a fairly deceptive point. Acouple of things to remember is to not "necktie" the deck bytipping it up so far that it looks silly. A small amount of tippingwill help hide the move, but don't overdo it. You'll get to thepoint where you don't need to tip the deck at all. It is also com-mon when a person deals, to toss the cards to the player.Practice doing this, and it will add a nice bit of misdirection tothe move. Practice this move with diligence. Martin has put in over 3000 hours on this move alone.I'm only up to about 500, but I'm getting there. Give it the time it deserves. It's worth it.

There are many other versions of this move that are quite deceptive as well. In Martin's straightgambling routine, he demonstrates several. If you demonstrate these for your audience, have the aceof spades on top of the deck and after each demo, turn the top card face up to show the ace is stillthere. Your audience will be speechless. We'll go through these one by one. have a deck in hand andready to go.

First is the Push-Off Second. Take the deck in your left hand. When you normally start to deala card, the thumb pushes off a card. In this case, you'll do the same, but push off two cards. (fig.4) As

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fig.1

fig.2

fig.3

the right hand grabs the card, use your left fingers from under-neath to push out the card, and use the left thumb to pull thetop card back. This is perhaps the second most widely usedversion of this move. Try to make the move consistent andsmooth.

Next is the One-Handed, Face-Up Second. This moveis similar to the push off in that you push over two cards. Letthe left ring finger touch the bottom of this second card. Turnyour hand palm down sharply, and as your doing this, let the thumb pull the top card square with thedeck. Use the ring finger to give the card a little kick. This, combined with the sharp turning of thehand will cause the second card to come flying out face up onto the table. The same move done with-out turning the hand palm down, and using a kind of frisbee throwing motion will toss the card outface down. This can be done to either the player or to yourself.

The Blackjack Second is very flashy looking and goes far towards impressing an audience.Again, push off two cards from the deck. Grab the two cards from the top in a Biddle Grip position.Strip the second card out while the thumb pulls the top card back and squares it with the deck. Then,snap the second card face up.

The Stud Second is one of the more difficult versions, but it can be every deceptive. It’s thesame except for the finger usage. Let the pad of your middle finger contact the brief and slide the cardforward. You then flip the card up and frisbee it out. (fig.5)

If you have demonstrated these moves for your audi-ence, then you should have about half of the deck left at thispoint. Place the remaining half deck in your hand horizontal-ly. Tell your audience that the best way to keep a cheater fromdoing a second is to make them hold the deck horizontally intheir hand. The reason is that it forces the dealer to extend hisfingers their full length. It tightens up the muscles, and it liter-ally cramps the hand. Now, what the audience doesn't know is that this position, infact, makes a StrikeSecond easier. Simply use the thumb to push the top card down just a hair, and you'll have more strik-ing area than you'll know what to do with. Try it, you'll pick it up quickly.

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fig.4

fig.5

This demonstration will leave a lasting impression on your audience. It's a strong show of yourabilities, but please make sure that you can do these moves deceptively before you go showing off.Learn to walk before you run.

A final word. This is one of the strongest moves in magic. You can always tell a die hard cardworker on the internet when he says that one of his top three sleights is The Second Deal. I myselfuse it more than the Double Lift. If you ever get the chance to see Martin perform a Face-Up SecondDeal, consider yourself blessed. It's the closest thing to a religious experience in card working there is.It may seem strange to spend a lot of time perfecting something that no one will ever see, but that'smagic. Use this move well. Learn it, love it, you won't regret it.

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Nash & Penn

“Horse sense is a good judgment which keeps horses from betting on people.”~W.C. Fields~

The Center Deal

Many years ago, I used to work at the local magic shop here in Salt Lake. Showplace Magic &Novelty. For those of you who have ever worked in a magic shop in a mall, you know how bad mallrats can be. Every single day, I'd have these snot-nosed, punk little kids who thought they were thenext David Copperfield come on in and want to show me a trick. Now, there will be some of you outthere, who might think, "I'll bet that every once in a while, he saw a really good trick. Didn't he?" Theanswer is no. It would invariably, with out fail, be one of two tricks. The 21 Card Trick, or The Glide.How many of us have seen that stinking glide trick? A show of hands would be pointless, but I knowthat we've all grown quite sick of it. After my time at Showplace ended, I swore to myself that TheGlide would never be a part of my life again. Some years later, I witnessed the Nash Center Deals.My convictions needed a Band-Aid. I didn't think it was possible, but The Glide has found a newplace in my heart because of this technique and because of Jacks or Better which is elsewhere in thisbook. The Glide lives again!

This section will be about the Center Deal move itself. Several effects throughout this bookrequire a firm grasp of this move, so it would be well worth your effort to give this one sometime.

This move is designed to allow you to deal a card from the center of the deck while making itlook as if it's coming off the top. The most common use of thisis to deal the aces one at a time out of the center. If you look up"Any Ace Called For" in this book, you'll see a very strong rou-tine that uses this technique. Also, "The Mechanic" which isone of my favorites, uses it as well.

Take the deck in hand. You should position yourself sothat the card you wish to deal is on the bottom. Let's say, theace of spades. (fig.1) Have the spectator cut off half of the

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fig.1

deck. As you pick up the other half, do it from the top. Let themiddle and ring fingers come underneath the deck and "glide"the bottom card over to the right. Then, you literally slap thedeck together, (fig.2) and pick it up with your right hand. Thedeck is now square withthe card to be dealtjogged to the right. Grabthe deck in dealing posi-tion and bevel over thetop cards to the right.

Place your left index finger along the front of the deck. (fig.3)You're now set to go. The right hand provides cover from thetop and side, and the left index finger provides cover from thefront.

Begin to deal off cards one at a time to players, and when it comes time to deal to yourself,simply use the left middle finger to kick out the card from the middle. Use the ring and pinky tomaintain the break from where you dealt out the card. It is also possible to use an Infinity card asyou'll see in a moment. You may now give the deck a cut at the break and a shuffle, and you'll beready to center deal the next bottom card. Center dealing the cards face up is exactly the same exceptyou grab the cards to the right hand palm down, and then turn the card up to place it on the table.

It is common to want to have a cover card on the bottom of the deck so that you won't flash thecard your going to deal every time you cut. Placing an Infinity card on the bottom works wonders.The procedure for center dealing the card changes a little. Let's say your in the position of having anace second from the bottom with your cover card on the bottom. Cut the deck, and glide the covercard as you complete the cut. Now you'll have your cover card out jogged from the middle of thedeck. Bring the left fingers to the edge of the card and pull it down as you square it. You can theninsert those fingers into the deck and kick out the ace. You the bevel the deck and proceed as normal.

Having a good Center Deal is, in my opinion, as important as having a good Second or a goodBottom. There are a number of possibilities for this move. Check out "Any Ace Called For" and you'llsee what I mean.

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fig.2

fig.3

“There is but one good throw upon the dice, which is, to throw them away.”~Author Unknown~

The Bottom Deal

This is a move that many magicians tend to back away from, but I do feel it should be exam-ined for the sake of the serious card worker. The Bottom Deal is difficult. It is the act of dealing thebottom card from the deck while making it look as thought you're dealing the top card. We will covera few of the most common methods.

THE GRIP: The two grips for this are shown elsewhere in the book. You should use either aMechanic’s Grip, or the Bottom Deal Grip. Either of these works beautifully.

THE MOVE: Hold the deck in your left hand, and square it. As your right hand grabs it fromthe top, let the fingers of your left hand jog the bottom card to the right by a half an inch. Then bevelthe rest of the deck. (fig.1) As you deal, keep your dealing motion fluid. When you are ready, bringthe right hand over to grab the next card, and let your middle finger come under the deck. (fig.2)You'll be able to pull the bottom card out in the same fluidmotion as the other cards. This method is good if you’re deal-ing your hands one round at a time.

The more complex,but more commonmethod is to keep thedeck square as yourdealing. When you wantto get a bottom card let the hands cometogether, and use the ring finger of your left hand to kick outthe bottom card just slightly. It will almost spring into the righthand as they come together. You can then deal the card as nor-

mal. This method is good for when you are dealing several hands in quick suc-cession. Turning the cards face up as you're dealing will also provide some visual subterfuge as well.

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fig.1

fig.2

A good way to practice this method is to start with just half of the deck. Try to make yourmoves consistent and fluid. If you have either a mirror or a video camera, they can be valuableguides. Let yourself become comfortable with the move and you can slowly work your way up to afull deck. This is another move than can be extremely valuable to your arsenal of sleights. Good luckwith it.

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Martin and I at The Magic Castle.

“Games of chance are traps to catch school boy novies and gaping country squires, who begin with a guineaand end with a mortgage.”

~Author Unknown~

The Nash Multiple Shift

The Nash Multiple Shift is one of the few utilities that I honestly feel I couldn't do without.This is a multi-purpose move in that it can control any number of cards to either the top or the bottomof the deck. It may also be used for a very convincing false shuffle. The move itself is simple enoughto do, but it takes a lot of practice to get it clean and clear.

For this practice session, we'll use the aces, so removethem from the deck. I’ve used cards from another deck for pur-poses of clarification in the photos.(fig.1) Set the remainder of

the deck horizontally infront of you. Insert theaces into different placesin the deck so that theyare protruding from theside by about a quarterto half of their length. (fig.2) You will now appear to square thecards into the deck, when you'll infact push them through to theother side. The positioning of the hands for this is very impor-

tant. Thumbs should be at the back, and your index and middle fingers should be at the front. The ringfinger of your right hand should be at the upper right corner of the aces on the short end of the deck.The ring finger of your left hand should be at the same position on the other side. Your pinkys shouldbe free and away. If you rotate your hands together just a bit and push in with your ring fingers, they'llbegin to slide through and out the back of the deck on the other side. If you then square up with yourindex and middle fingers and the thumbs, the aces will now be protruding slightly from the other sideof the deck. (fig.3, 4, 5) This entire motion should be quick. Almost like a pop. In performance, the

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fig.1

fig.2

aces should sick out no more than a sixteenth of an inch. Youcan gesture with your right hand at that point because the lefthand will cover the protruding aces. To practice continually,just pick up the deck and turn it around. You're now set topractice the move again.

Once you are in the position of having the aces pro-truding on the other side, you may now go one of two ways.To bring them to the top of the deck, lift up on the bottom acewith the left thumb. You can then shift everything to the rightso that the aces are now squared with the bottom of the deck.Place your thumbs and ring fingers at the corners of the deckon the long sides. Rotate outward slightly and the pull thepackets apart. You now have the aces on the top of the leftpack. Shuffle the two packets together, holding back the acesfor the top. This should be a brief sequence, and shouldappear as if you've simply shuffled the deck after losing theaces. Now you are set to go into any number of miracles thatneed the aces on top. (fig.6)

The move is very similar for when you wish to bringthe aces to the bottom of the deck. Proceed as usual until youget to the point where the aces are protruding out of the other

side of the deck. Placeyou fingers in theirproper positions, andrather than lifting theaces with your leftthumb, push down on them. Then lift upwith your right fingers and slide the top cards over to the left.Now, when you strip out, the aces will be on the bottom of theleft packet. Simply drop them first. You now have the aces onthe bottom of the deck.

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fig.3

fig.4

fig.5

fig.6

Here is one of my favorite demonstrations using this move. Pull out the four aces. Explain thefollowing to your audience. "If you ever, in a game, get a four of a kind, flush, straight, or anythingelse, never put them back into the deck together as a packet. The reason of course for this is that mostpeople shuffle a deck in blocks of four to seven cards. Every gambler in the world knows this, andhe'll use it to his advantage. It is suggested that you place the cards in the deck at random places. Thatway, nobody knows the order, the position, and if one ace follows the other, no one will know it any-way." At this point, tell them that you square the deck and shuffle it. As you say this, execute theMultiple Shift. Then ask them what their favorite version of poker is. Tell them yours is draw, becausethat way no one can see what's in your hand. Then deal off the aces from the top of the deck.

As the audience chatters in amazement, put the aces on the top of the deck, but hold a breakunder them. Cut the bottom half to the top, grab the aces to the bottom of the upper pack, and pullthem apart in preparation for a shuffle. Shuffle the two packets together, dropping the four aces fromthe right first. Make sure that two or three cards fall on top of the supposed aces. As you shuffle them,tell the audience to watch the four aces on the top. Count them off as you drop the four supposedaces. Take one of the left-hand cards off and point to them. Now state that you're going to give thedeck four shuffles, and if they watch, they might see the aces go down like an elevator. As you givethis patter, square the deck and give it three more shuffles while maintaining the bottom stock. Pickup the deck, and state: "Now, what I have attempted to do is to shuffle the aces not to the top, but oneat a time to the bottom." Turn the deck over and deal the four aces from the face of the deck. Thatsequence may seem bold, and may seem like it might not work, but trust me, it works. It all goes backto the audience will usually believe what you tell them, and their mind will construct a reality thatmatches what has been laid out for them. Try it, it works.

The Nash Multiple Shift may also be used as a beautiful false shuffle. Simply shuffle the decktogether, and when squaring, execute the multiple shift with half the deck. Then, simply strip the deckand slap the parts together on the table. It will appear as if you've shuffled and cut. This can be one ofthe most deceptive shuffles around when done properly, because the audience actually sees the cardsgo together. Work with it, and you'll make it work for you.

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“I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier.I know that the clubs are weapons of war

I know that diamonds are money for this artbut that’s not the shape of my heart.”

~Sting -Shape of my heart~

The Faro Shuffle

If you are reading this book and you are familiar with Martin's work, chances are that youalready know what a Faro Shuffle is. I would like to just cover a few tips about The Faro that I havefound helpful.

- Faros are easier with a fresh deck. Bicycles, Bees, and Aarcos are some of the best to use.- There is a difference between an In-Faro and an Out-Faro. An In-Faro is where the top half

goes into the bottom half. An Out-Faro is where the bottom goes into the top.- Make your faros consistent. Changing your grips constantly can arouse suspicion.- Using your index finger can help square the blocks properly.

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“The better the gambler, the worse the man.”~Publius Syrus~

Infinity and Reverse Infinity

Back in 1991, Martin Nash invented a new card control. Now, this statement may seem super-fluous, even blahze. After all, I myself, in that same year, invented a new form of the pass, a newfalse cut, and at least a half a dozen effects. If you multiply that same amount by all of the card work-ers in the world, you may feel that a new control is just a mere drop in the bucket, and wonder whythis particular item was so special that it deserves its own chapter. Well, to be honest, this controldeserves its own five-volume set of books and videos, but I've got a lot of other items to cover aswell. Martin's new control, Infinity, is perhaps one of the most ingenious and intuitive inventions tocome along in card magic since the Double Lift. I mean that in all honesty. When Martin first invent-ed it, he sold it to fifty card men for fifty dollars each. However, there were conditions for acquiringthis masterpiece. The first was that if they didn't like it, they didn't have to pay for it, but they werenot allowed to use it. The second condition was that they were not to teach it to anyone. The third wasthat they were not to publish it or put it on tape. Martin's part of the deal was that he would not put itout for one year. It would stay an exclusive. No one broke their word to him, and two years later hepublished it on tape for the first time in Infinity & Beyond.

After Martin had perfected Infinity, one of the first people he showed it to was The GreatTomsoni, Johnny Thompson. He had this to say about it, "I find Martin's Infinity Principle to be oneof the cleverest and most useful card controls in my repertoire." That was over a decade ago, andInfinity is now one of the main controls that Thompson uses. It was in fact Thompson that named thecontrol. After Martin showed it to him, he began to play with it, and every night, he would call Martinfrom his cruise in Hawaii saying, "Hey! Did you know that you could do this with this control? Didyou know that you could do this with it? And this? and this?" After a while he began to speak of howinfinite the possibilities were. Thus was born the name Infinity.

When I first saw the Infinity principle, I had no idea what I was looking at. I just thought thatMartin had developed an uncanny feel for the cards. After I learned that it was a control, I was almosta little disappointed that he had cheated in such a fashion. Although, after some extensive study, I wasin awe at the practicality, versatility, and shear ease of the control. As he has told me on many

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occasions, "Why work when you don't have to. I hate work!" Martin is proud of this secret. He hasevery right in the world to be. Infinity is, without a doubt, one of the strongest utilities in existencewith a deck of cards. I was so very pleased when he allowed me to include Infinity in this book. Ibelieve that I am one of the first, other than Martin himself, to be allowed to publish it. It is an incred-ible honor for me to be able to do this. But, I do ask the same thing of you, the card scholar, thatMartin asked of the people to whom he taught it. Don't expose it. Don't teach it. Don't publish it.Martin deserves a level of respect for this innovation, and we owe him a debt of thanks. So, let's geton with it.

We are going to do this in two parts. First, I'm going to teach you Infinity. We are going tocover as many of the details as my poor fingers can type. I want you to have a firm grasp on the con-cept. Then, I'll cover the new Reverse Infinity. It has the same basic principle, yet it lends itself toeffects that Infinity does not.

If you are reading this work, I am going to assume that you have at least a modicum of experi-ence with cards, and that you have heard of the Key Card Principle. The Key Card Principle is amethod in which you use a card of which you know its value and suit to help find a card next to it.There are several different methods by which this is done. Some people simply memorize a card andplace it next to selections during cuts. Others use methods such as a short card, a breather card, or, myold favorite, a crimp card. That way, when they handle the deck, they can either feel or see the crimpand simply cut to it. Now, imagine a crimp card that can't be seen from any angle of the deck! Alsoimagine that, unlike a breather or a short card, you can prep this control card right in front of youraudience and they will never know! It can even be done with a borrowed deck, and can be taken outas easily as it is put in! I love things where the method is right in front of the lay person's eyes, andthey never, ever see it. It gives me kind of a nasty evil little pleasure. Does all this sound too good tobe true? Wait, there's more. The card can be in the deck throughout the performance of several differ-ent effects, and is easily accessible. Then, when you are done, the preparation can be removed instant-ly, and you can give the spectator's deck back to them. They'll never know anything!

Infinity takes into it, three different principles, none of which are actually used. The first is theold coin crimp technique where you'd push a coin into the middle of a card. That would generate acenter crimp, which was easy to cut to. The problems were that it took some good setup time prior tothe show. You also ruined the card. The second principle was the Vernon Breather Crimp. That wasthe technique of dragging your thumbnail diagonally along the card to make a "breather" pocketunderneath the card. This was good in that it was invisible, but again, the setup was a limiting factor.

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The third principle was Harry Lorraine’s “Fan Prediction Number Three” from Close-Up CardMagic. We'll go into this later, but again, there are three principles that come into play, none of whichare actually used.

Infinity is a type of crimp that is put into the middle of the card. The method by which this isaccomplished is simple. Grab a deck and try it as you go through this text. For the duration of thisportion, I will have to make the assumption that you are right-handed. If I had to write the entire bookfor both, it would be twice as long, and sell for twice as much, but I'm kind of lazy in that sense. Ifyou are left-handed, either hold the book up to a mirror and do it that way or just switch hands foreverything here.

It is best to make the Infinity card from a low black card. My personal choice is the four ofclubs. The reason for doing this is that at times, the Infinity card might flash. If the spectator were tosee it once, they would just ignore it. If they see it a few times, it is good to have the card be one thatwill not grab attention, like a four or five of clubs. Trust me on this one, it will save a lot of heartachein the long run.

Take the deck into dealing position. You will need to get a break under one card, because youare going to do a semi Gambler’s Cop. Slide the deck for-ward while retaining the bottom card in your left hand. Onceyour right thumb reaches the middle of the card, flatten outyour left hand and push down with the side pad of your rightthumb. (fig.1) You don't need to use much pressure, justenough to get a slight bend in the card. Square up the deckand you now have your Infinity card on the bottom. If youcut the deck, you'll notice that there are no visible crimps

from any angle, yetwhen you simply do acut from the long sides of the deck, you'll cut straight toInfinity. After one or two tries, you'll have it down.

The basic control is simple, and it is where the third unusedprinciple comes in. We are going to use Harry Lorayne's “FanPrediction Number Three.” Put yourself in a position whereyou have Infinity on the bottom. When you get ready to fan adeck for a selection to be taken, your right hand naturally

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fig.1

fig.2

comes underneath the deck. Pull the Infinity back towards youabout an inch. (fig.2) Now, when you do a regular fan, letInfinity ride under the right side of the deck. (fig.3, 4) Thisserves two purposes. It makes it so that people won't select thatcard, and the other, you'll see in a moment. Have a card select-ed, and break the pack at that point. Have the selection memo-rized and returned to the middle of the pack. Now, when you

close the upper fanonto the selection onthe lower fan, Infinity will now be ontop of the card. You may then dribble the deck, ribbon spreadit, whatever. Cut the deck at Infinity, and shuffle it to the bot-tom while bringing the selection to the top. When you cut toInfinity, you'll be able to see it on the bottom of the pack youcut off. If you miss, simply slap it back down and cut again.Where you go from there is up to you.

One of the other nice things I like to do with this control is to have the spectator cut to theirown card. This makes good practice for managing whom you will have involved with the effects.Always watch where and how people cut the deck. If you get someone who riffles up the side andthen cuts, they'll never hit it. Look for people who give it a quick casual cut near the middle. I like toset the deck in front of people after I've lost their card, have them cut the deck, and hand the cut offpack to me. It should be fairly obvious if they hit it or not. If they did, have them turn over the cardthey cut to. If they didn't hit it, complete the cut, and tell them that you'll give it a cut as well. Get toInfinity, and have them turn the card over. This is just one of many possibilities. The control is limit-less. I have been amazed by the number of wild things that I myself have been able to come up withfrom such a simple concept.

Now, for the Reverse Infinity. I had been using Infinity for some time, when I discovered thatit simply wouldn't work for an effect that I was trying to revamp. I needed to cut to below the selectedcard rather than above it. I was frustrated that this fantastic control wouldn't help me. Suddenly oneafternoon session, over a glass of warm, flat Coke, it hit me. Just do it in reverse, but how? It took mealmost thirty seconds of grueling thought to come up with it, but now after all that time, I can give itto you.

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fig.3

fig.4

Reverse Infinity is almost identical in concept. It's sim-ply the preparation of the gimmick that is different. The card isexactly as it sounds – Infinity, just reversed. The crimp goes theother way. This can be handy for when you want to quickly cuta selected card to the bottom, or other such uses that you willsee throughout the book. To prepare a Reverse Infinity (RI) youcan take two routes. The first is the simplest. Turn the deck

face up and execute thesame move to put in thework, and then turn the deck back down.I personally don't choose this method due to the fact that I can'tstand moves that apparently serve no purpose. The best way,and my favorite, is this. Side steal out a card from either thebottom or from somewhere in the middle. (fig.5) Get it intoclassic palm position, and use the third finger of your left handto push up into the card and put in the work as you drop it onto

the deck. (fig.6) The card can be shifted from top to bottom easily enough by useof an overhand shuffle. This facilitates changing the card from a regular Infinity to an RI or visaversa. Experimentation will yield further ideas.

This control is a deadly weapon in any magician’s arsenal. It's worth the effort to get it right.Play with it and I think you'll see that there are limitless possibilities for where to take it. Good luck,and happy hunting.

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fig.5

fig.6

“I bet on a horse at ten-to-one. It didn't come in until half-past five.”~Henny Youngman~

The Side Steal

This move is one of the most difficult to master in my opinion. A good side steal can be morevaluable than a pass, because it takes care of the pass and the palming in one shot. We'll go throughthis move in great detail, because it's important that you understand the subtleties of it.

The move is designed to take a card from the middle of the deck and put it into classic palmposition while making it look as though you are simply squaring the deck. Let's say that you are doinga peek force. Now you have a break below the selected card.Hold the deck in dealing position with the left pinky holdingthe break. The other hand comes over the deck in a BiddleGrip. You, at this point, have the cover to insert your left ringfinger into the deck and kick out the selected card. Let theupper right corner of the card push into the pad of your rightpinky. The card will now kick out at an angle. Let the back leftcorner of the card connect with the base of the thumb. (fig.1)You can now support the card in your right hand. Use the lefthand to pull the deck out to the left. You should not hear the card come away from the deck. If youdo, keep practicing. As the deck comes away, use the left ring finger to push the card up into the rightpalm. You now have it in classic palm position. Bring the deck back and use the right hand to squareit up.

This entire process should only take a second or two. Make it smooth. The audience shouldnever suspect that anything is going on. It's good to do this move while speaking and looking at otherpeople. If you look at them, they'll look at you. When you do this move, make sure that the deckcomes away, not the right hand. This looks awkward and you'll get caught. I've seen even some topmagicians make this mistake. Practice this one in the mirror. Give it time. Once you've mastered it,you'll find it more valuable than most other sleights.

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fig.1

“Horse racing is animated roulette.”~Roger Kahn~

Gambler’s Cop with a Fan Cover

Every once in a while, a new sleight comes along that makes a big ripple as it drops into themagic bucket. This sleight is one of them. Martin taught this to me very recently, yet it has alreadymade a huge impact on my work. The individual moves are nothing new, but their combinationtogether is nothing short of brilliant. Martin has blown the socks off some very knowledgeable magi-cians with this one. I'll explain the idea, followed by the actual method, and then some of the thoughtsabout what makes this so cool.

THE OBJECT: This sleight is designed to allow you to take some cards into a Gambler’s Copyet still make everything seem very clean by using a fan for cover.

THE METHOD: Let's say you’re in a position where you've controlled one or more cards tothe bottom and you now wish to let the spectators shuffle the deck. Do your Gambler’s Cop as younormally would. When you bring the deck forward at the point where you want to set it on the table,immediately tilt it to the left slightly and then do a fan. The cards in cop are now well hidden under-neath the fan.

Now there will be a slight break between the top card of the fan and the cards you are copping.With you index finger, you now begin to close up the fan retaining the cards in cop. This is done asthe hands lower further to the table. You can now take the cards in the right hand and set them in frontof the spectator as the cards in the left hand go to the edge of the table in Gambler’s Cop style. (fig.1,2, 3, 4)

You may now at this point switch your left-hand grip to a tenkai palm, which will allow you torest all four fingers openly on the table as the thumb holds the cards below the edge.

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Once the deck is handed back, pick it up from the top as you reposition the cards in your lefthand back to a cop. You can now bring the deck back onto your packet, but do like before. Place themjogged forward of the others and immediately fan again. You may now show the fan and then close itup. You’re now set to go into any type of effect that your bottom stock calls for.

THE SUBTLETIES: There are several small things that make this move a deadly weapon inyour arsenal. First, any situation wherein you let the audience shuffle the deck is immensely powerful.It conveys the fact that there is no possible way you could have control over any single card in thedeck, let alone a block. This is also powerful because the audience sees what they believe to be boththe top and bottom cards of the deck both before and after they shuffle. The cards never go out ofsight, and there is no point in which they are covered or in anyway hidden from complete and openview. I have used this sleight now for several months and it has literally put a new nail in the coffinof spectator disbelief. Work hard with this one, it's worth it.

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fig.1

fig.3 fig.4

fig.2

“No dog can go as fast as the money you bet on him.”~Bud Flanagan~

The Second Deal Force

This is just a quick force that I use in the event that I need it to be really clean. There are prob-ably a hundred magicians using a hundred versions of this out there, but I thought I'd share minewith you.

Have a forced card on top of the deck. Inform your spectator that you are going to deal downuntil they say stop, which they may do at any time. You now just start Second Dealing down onto thetable. When they say stop, ask them if they would like to go further or go back. If they say go further,simply just keep Second Dealing until they make up their little minds. If they say stop, just give themthe top card. If they say go back, quickly get a little finger break beneath the top card as your righthand starts putting cards back on top one at a time. When they've decided, just use the break to kickout for a fast Center Deal.

I know this may seem like a cake walk of a force, but after several hundred uses, I can safelysay that it's done well for me.

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"A move is only difficult until you've mastered it."~Martin A. Nash~

The Tabled Faro

This one is considered by many card men to be themost unachievable sleight in card magic. Few men have mas-tered it. Martin Nash has made it child's play – or so he says.Just Kidding. I am by no means an expert on this sleight. I cando it, but if you held a gun to my head and demanded a per-fect Tabled Faro in one shot, my odds would not be good.Martin always says that he can teach anyone the Tabled Faroin a half hour. There have been two exceptions to the rule.Johnny Thompson, and me. I'm going to cover the basics here,but if you want a through lesson, I recommend Infinity &

Beyond by Martin A. Nash and available through A-1Multimedia.

Square your deck as you place it on the table. It should besolid as a brick. Hold the deck horizontally with your thumbsat the back, index fingers on top, and middle and ring fingerson the front. (fig.1)

Cut off half the deck and bring it to the left. Keep itabsolutely square. Use your index fingers on the top to level and square the packets together. You nowturn your right hand clockwise and the left counterclockwise. The inside corners will bend up andbegin to faro into each other. You now run the thumbs up the back to help facilitate the rest of theshuffle. (fig.2) The hole move shouldn't take more that a couple of seconds and should be a closeapproximation of a normal shuffle. This is by no means easy until you've gotten it down. Study thepictures and practice. I've learned that different things work for different people and they will usuallycome across it by accident. If you find a way that works better for you, then so much the better.Good Luck!

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fig.1

fig.2

"Lottery: A tax on people who are bad at math."~Author Unknown~

The Zero Zarrow

The following is a version of the Zarrow Shuffle that was shown to me by Martin. It has theadvantage of not requiring a slip cut to keep perfect order. We were sitting in the living room of ourfriend Bodine Balasco in Burbank, California. We were going over some different moves and ideas,and just having a great time. At one point, Martin looked at me after a couple of simple shuffles andasked, "How was that Mike?" "What?" I asked. He explained that he had just done two ZarrowShuffles. I was unconvinced. He did them again and I still felt he wasn't being honest about doingsomething fishy. "Where is the slip cut?" I asked. He looked at me and smiled, "Watch, I'll showyou.” The following is the miracle that I saw.

For demonstration sake, let's use a deck that is in the following order from the top down; twoblack aces, two red aces, the black portion of the deck, the red portion of the deck, and your Infinitycard.

The assumption will be made here that you are familiar with a standard Zarrow Shuffle. I madethe promise that I wouldn't divulge it here, so if you don't know it, that's your own look out.

You cut the top half of the deck to the left. Riffle Shuffle and do the Zarrow move underneaththe top two cards on the left. You now cut at the Infinity card and do exactly the same thing. That's it.If you look, the deck is now back in order.

After that day in sunny California, I always use the Zero Zarrow. Bodine went crazy over itand could talk of little else for some time. Man, what a great day.

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In Closing.....

This has been a project that has taken three years of my life. As I sit here at Bob’s work desk,looking at my spaghetti sliding down the side, (I just dropped it) I ask my self this question.“If I knew then what I know now, if I knew of the troubles and sleepless nights that awaited

me, would I do it again?” I don’t hesitate to answer that I would. This has been one of the best experiences of my life.

Let me just say thank you to Amanda, Bob, Dave, Chris, Peter, Michael, Simon, Jason, Rocco,

and all of the others that have been so crucial to the effort of this book.

Martin, most of all, thank you my friend. Let’s do it again soon.

Coming Soon...Look for the Nash Reloaded DVD’s coming soon to

www.TheCharmingCheat.com

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