GENERAL PRINCIPLES OF SLEIGHT-OF-HAND APPLICABLE TO CARD TRICKS.
Among the various branches of the conjuror’s art, none will better
repay the labour of the student, whether artist or amateur, than the
magic of cards. It has the especial advantage of being, in a great
measure, independent of time and place. The materials for half its
mysteries are procurable at five minutes’ notice in every home circle;
and, even in the case of those tricks for which specially prepared
cards, etc., are requisite, the necessary appliances cost little, and
are easily portable--two virtues not too common in magical apparatus.
Further, the majority of card tricks are dependent mainly on personal
address and dexterity, and, as such, will always be highly esteemed
by connoisseurs in the art. Before very large audiences, indeed, the
spectators being at a distance from the performer, much of the effect
of a card trick is lost; which is probably the reason that, of late
years, tricks of this class (with a few exceptions) have been rather
neglected by professors; and that many feats which in the times of
Conus and Comte were numbered among the sensations of the day, are now
almost entirely forgotten. We shall endeavour in the following pages,
after explaining the principles of sleight-of-hand applicable to cards,
and giving instructions for some of the best of the more commonplace
feats, to revive the recollection--and, we hope, the practice--of some
of these brilliant performances.
_The Cards._--The adept in sleight-of-hand should accustom himself
to the use of every description of cards, as frequently none but the
ordinary full-sized playing cards may be available. Where, however,
the choice is open to him, he should use in the actual performance of
tricks, cards of a smaller and thinner make. The common French cards
answer the purpose very well. Among cards of English make, some of
the best for the purpose are the small cards of the French pattern
made by De La Rue & Co. for use in France, and those known as the
“Tankerville” cards, both imported by Peck & Snyder, 124 Nassau Street,
New York City, which are thin, well made, and of small size, but of
the English pattern. In any case, it is well to use only the piquet
pack of thirty-two cards (the twos, threes, fours, fives, and sixes
being removed), the complete whist pack being inconveniently bulky for
sleight-of-hand purposes.
[Illustration: FIG. 1.]
TO MAKE THE PASS. (_Sauter la coupe_).--The effect of this sleight,
which is the very backbone of card-conjuring, is to reverse the
respective positions of the top and bottom halves of the pack, _i.e._,
to make those cards which at first formed the lower half of the pack,
come uppermost, when those cards which at first formed the upper half
will of course be undermost. It is used by card-sharpers, immediately
after the cards have been cut, to replace them in the position which
they occupied before the cut, and from this circumstance derives its
French name. There are various methods of producing this effect, some
requiring the use of both hands, some of one hand only. These we shall
describe in due order.
[Illustration: FIG. 2.]
[Illustration: FIG. 3.]
_First Method._ (With both hands).--Hold the pack in the left hand,
lengthways, with the face downwards, as if about to deal at any game.
In this position the thumb will naturally be on the left side of the
pack, and the four fingers on the other. Insert the top joint of the
little finger immediately above those cards which are to be brought
to the top of the pack (and which are now undermost), and let the
remaining three fingers close naturally on the remaining cards, which
are now uppermost. (_See_ Fig. 1.) In this position you will find that
the uppermost part of the pack is held between the little finger,
which is underneath, and the remaining fingers, which are upon it. Now
advance the right hand, and cover the pack with it. Grasp the lower
portion of the pack lengthways between the second finger at the upper
and the thumb at the lower end, the left thumb lying, slightly bent,
across the pack. Press the inner edge of the lower packet into the
fork of the left thumb, so that the two packets will be as shown in
Fig. 2. Next draw away the upper packet, by slightly extending the
fingers of the left hand, at the same time lifting up the _outer_ edge
of the lower packet, till the edges of the two packets just clear each
other (_see_ Fig. 3), when by the mere act of closing the left hand
they will be brought together as at first, save that they will have
changed places. Do this at first very slowly, aiming only at neatness
and noiselessness of execution. At the outset the task will be found
somewhat difficult, but gradually the hands will be found to acquire
a sort of sympathetic action; the different movements which we have
above described will melt, as it were, into one, and the two packets
will change places with such lightness and rapidity that they will seem
to actually pass through each other. A slight momentary depression and
elevation of the hands (apparently a mere careless gesture) in the
act of making the pass will completely cover the transposition of the
cards, which in the hands of an adept is invisible, even to the most
watchful spectator.
The above is the most orthodox and the most perfect method of making
the pass, and if the student be proficient in this, he need trouble
himself very little about the remaining methods, which are inserted
chiefly for the sake of completeness, being very inferior in all
respects. Wherever in the course of this book the student is directed
to make the pass, this first method will be considered to be referred
to, unless otherwise specially expressed.
Before quitting the subject of this method, we should mention that it
is sometimes necessary to cause the two halves of the pack to ‘kiss,’
_i.e._, to bring them face to face. This is effected by turning
the original upper packet face upwards in the act of bringing the
transposed packets together. When the pass in the ordinary form is
fairly mastered, this slight variation will occasion no additional
difficulty.
In this, as in all other branches of prestidigitation, the student
will find it of the greatest possible advantage to practise before a
looking-glass. By this means, better than any other, he will be enabled
to judge how far his movements succeed in deceiving the eyes of a
spectator. One caution may here be given with advantage: the student
of legerdemain must learn to perform all necessary movements _without
looking at his hands_, unless for some special reason he desires the
spectators to look at them also. In every case, wherever the performer
desires his audience to look, his own eyes must take that particular
direction; and wherever he desires his audience not to look, he himself
must carefully abstain from looking. Let us suppose, for instance,
that a person has drawn a card, and has replaced it in the middle of
the pack. The performer desires to bring it to the top, for which
purpose it is necessary to introduce the little finger above the card
in question, and to make the pass, as above described. When the card
is replaced in the pack, the eyes of the drawer are naturally directed
towards it; and if the performer were himself to look downward at the
cards, it would multiply tenfold the chances of detection. He should
pause for a moment, and, looking full at the person who drew the card,
ask, “You are certain that you will know that card again?” or make any
similar observation. As he speaks, a natural impulse will draw the eyes
of the audience to his own face, and he may then make the pass without
the slight necessary movement attracting the least attention. It is
hard to believe, until tested by actual experience, what apparently
obvious movements may be executed under the very noses of an audience,
if only their attention is diverted at the right moment by a dexterous
use of the eye and voice of the operator.
[Illustration: FIG. 4.]
_Second Method._--(With both hands).--Holding the pack in the left
hand, as directed for the first method, grasp as before the lower
portion of the pack lengthways between the second finger at the upper
end and the thumb at the lower end; move the left thumb, which now
takes no part in the operation, a little below the pack to be out
of the way. Then slide the lower half of the pack a little to the
left, and the upper half to the right till they just clear each other
(_see_ Fig. 4), when you will be enabled to place what was originally
the upper half undermost, and _vice versâ_. This is the theory of
the process, but in practice the necessary motions are not nearly so
distinct. As you grow more and more expert, the necessary movement from
right to left should become gradually smaller and smaller, until at
last it is almost imperceptible. You must study to reduce this movement
to the very minimum; and in order to do this, endeavour, after you
have once seen clearly what it is you have to do, to keep the hands
_together_ as much as possible. Let the edge of the palm of the right
hand rest gently, but firmly, on the first three fingers of the left
hand, and let the contact thus made form a kind of hinge or fulcrum for
the movement of the hands. When you become expert, you will find that
the mere outward movement of the two hands upon this imaginary hinge
(the cards being held lightly, and allowed to accommodate themselves to
the movement) is sufficient to produce the effect.
[Illustration: FIG. 5.]
We have above recommended you to keep the hands _together_ as much
as possible; but there are circumstances under which an ostentatious
_separation_ of the hands is equally effective. Thus, holding the
cards as above directed, you may make the pass by (apparently) merely
cutting the cards, lifting, in truth, the under instead of the upper
half, the latter making way (by a slight and momentary extension of the
left hand) to allow it to pass. You may also, when holding the cards
as just cut (_i.e._, half the pack in each hand), make the pass in the
act of bringing them together. To do this you should hold the right
hand packet in such manner that the thumb and second finger may project
a full inch beyond the face of the cards. At the moment of bringing
the two packets together (which should be done with a sidelong motion
of the right hand from right to left) this thumb and finger grip the
other packet, and slide it out towards the left shoulder, leaving what
was originally the right hand packet in the left hand. If this is done
neatly, the movement is so subtle that the keenest eye cannot detect
that the two packets have changed hands. Having effected the change,
you may take your own time as to placing the now uppermost packet on
the other. The circumstances of each trick will indicate the cases in
which it may be desirable to adopt either of these variations.
[Illustration: FIG. 6.]
_Third Method._ (With both hands.)--This is very similar to the first
method, but much less neat. Take the cards, as in the former case, face
downwards in the left hand, but instead of the little finger, insert
the second and third fingers immediately above those cards which are
to be brought to the top of the pack, and draw the first and fourth
fingers below the pack. (_See_ Fig. 5.) In this position, the lower
half of the pack is held as in a forceps between the second and third
and the first and fourth fingers. Now cover the pack with the right
hand as directed for making the pass by the first method, but in this
instance grasp therewith (between the first and second fingers at top
and the thumb at bottom) the _upper_ half of the pack. Raise this
upper half slightly, to allow room for the movement of the lower half,
and at the same moment slightly extend the fingers of the left hand.
(_See_ Fig. 6.) This will make the lower packet describe a quarter of
a circle. As soon as it is clear of the upper packet, by reversing the
motion (_i.e._, closing the fingers of the left hand, and at the same
time lowering the right hand), the two halves of the pack will be again
brought together, but that half which was originally undermost will
now be uppermost. The movement will be understood more clearly on an
inspection of the diagrams _a_ and _b_ (Fig. 6), _a_ representing an
end view of the two portions of the pack in their original position,
and _b_ of the same in their transposed position, the original lower
portion being in each case indicated by the darker shade.
_Fourth Method._ (With the left hand.)--This is almost the same as
the method last described, save that the left hand only is used. The
upper packet, instead of being held in the right hand, is in this case
clipped between the ball of the left thumb and the point where the
thumb joins the hand. In other respects the movement is the same.
[Illustration: FIG. 7.]
_Fifth Method._ (With the left hand.)--Take the cards in the left hand
as before. Insert the _third_ finger above the cards which are to be
brought to the top (and which now form the lower half of the pack), and
close the remaining three fingers on the top of the pack. (_See_ Fig.
1, but suppose the third finger inserted in place of the fourth.) Now
extend the fingers, which will make the upper part of the pack describe
a semicircle (_see_ Fig. 7), and at the same moment press downward with
the thumb the left top corner of the lower packet. This will tilt up
the opposite end of the lower packet, and give room, as you again close
the fingers, for the upper packet to pass into the lower place. (_See_
Fig. 8.) To bring the original upper packet (_i.e._, the one with the
six of hearts at the bottom) from the position indicated in Fig. 7 to
that which it occupies in Fig. 8, it is pressed slightly forward with
the middle finger, and is thereby made to perform a semi-revolution,
the third finger acting as pivot. The packet is by this means turned
over endways, _i.e._, that end of the packet which was originally
nearest to the performer is now farthest from him, and _vice versâ_.
The movement is by no means easy to describe, but if followed step by
step _with the cards_, will be readily understood.
[Illustration: FIG. 8.]
This method of making the pass has a peculiarity which renders it
specially useful in certain cases. When the upper half of the pack
describes a semicircle, as above mentioned, the bottom card of such
half is in full view of the performer, though the spectators see only
the backs of the cards. The performer thus becomes acquainted, unknown
to his audience, with that card which, after the pass, becomes the
bottom card of the pack; which knowledge may occasionally be very
useful. The movement of the cards in this mode of making the pass is
very noticeable; but the circular sweep taken by the upper packet so
confuses the eye, that the audience must be extremely keen-sighted
to detect the _effect_ of the movement, which, if neatly executed,
has the appearance of a mere flourish. A quick sweep of the arm from
left to right as the pass is made will greatly assist in covering the
transposition of the cards.
Some perform the pass last described without causing the upper packet
to make the semi-revolution above mentioned. The first finger in this
case does not participate in the operation, but is left extended beyond
the upper end of the pack.
[Illustration: FIG. 9.]
[Illustration: FIG. 10.]
_Sixth Method._ (With either hand.)--Take the pack in either hand, as
if you were about to stand it on end on the table, the backs of the
cards being next to the palm. Insert the third finger between the two
halves of the pack, and draw the second and fourth fingers behind the
pack. In this position, the uppermost half of the pack is held between
the third finger and the second and fourth fingers. Clip the lower or
front half of the pack at its two top corners between the thumb and the
first finger. (_See_ Fig. 9.) Now extend the second, third, and fourth
fingers, which will carry with them the upper half of the pack. As soon
as it is clear of the lower half, again close the fingers, thereby
bringing the upper packet to the bottom. (_See_ Fig. 10.) This mode of
making the pass may be employed as you place the pack on the table, the
movement for that purpose serving to cover that by which the cards are
transposed. If no table is at hand a quick movement of the hand and arm
from right to left, at the moment when the pass is made, will be found
to answer equally well.
[Illustration: FIG. 11.]
_Seventh Method._ (With the right hand.)--This is a mere makeshift for
the pass proper, though its effect is the same. It is performed in
picking up the cards from the table after they have been cut, and left,
as is usual, in two heaps. The performer picks up, as in the ordinary
course, the bottom half of the pack (which should properly be placed
uppermost after the cut); but, instead of picking them up in the usual
way, he picks them up with the second, third, and fourth fingers under,
and the first finger above the cards. In placing them apparently upon
the upper heap, he tilts up the right hand edge of that heap with the
tip of the first finger, and with the remaining fingers slides the heap
he already holds underneath it (_see_ Fig. 11), so that the cards are
again precisely as they were before the cut. This sham mode of making
the pass is rarely used by conjurors, but is said to be frequently
employed by card-sharpers.
TO “FORCE” A CARD.--By this phrase is signified the compelling a person
to draw such card as you desire, though he is apparently allowed
absolute freedom of choice. Your first step is to get sight of the
bottom card, or, if you want to force a predetermined card, to get that
card to the bottom. Having done this, take the pack in the left hand,
and insert the little finger half-way down, in readiness to make the
pass. Make the pass by the first method, but, before uniting the two
halves of the pack in their new position, again slip the little finger
of the left hand between them. (The two halves will now be united at
the end which is towards the spectators, but divided by the little
finger at the end nearest to yourself; and the original bottom card,
which is the one you desire to force, is now the bottom of the top
heap, resting on the little finger.) Using both hands, with the thumbs
above and the fingers below the pack, spread out the cards fanwise from
left to right, at the same time offering them to the person who is to
draw, and requesting him to select a card. Keep the little finger of
the left hand still on the face of the card to be chosen, or you may
now use, if more convenient, the same finger of the right hand, both
being underneath the cards. As the person advances his hand to draw,
move the cards onward with the thumb, so that the particular card shall
reach his fingers just at the moment when he closes them in order to
draw; and, if you have followed these directions properly, it is ten to
one that he will draw the card you wish. It may possibly be imagined
that forcing is a very difficult matter, and requires an extraordinary
degree of dexterity; but this is by no means the case. The principal
thing against which a beginner must guard, is a tendency to offer
the particular card a little _too soon_. When the cards are first
presented to the drawer, the pack should be barely spread at all, and
the card in question should be ten or fifteen cards off. The momentary
hesitation of the drawer in making his choice will give time, by
moving the cards quicker or slower, as may be necessary, to bring that
card opposite his fingers at the right moment. Should the performer,
however, miscalculate his time, and the card pass the drawer’s fingers
before the choice is made, he need not be embarrassed. Still keeping
the little finger on the card, he should sharply close the cards, and
making some remark as to the drawer being “difficult to please,” or the
like, again spread them as before, and offer them for the choice.
A moderate degree of practice will make the student so proficient
that even a person acquainted with the secret of forcing will have to
be very wide-awake in order not to take the desired card. You will,
however, sometimes find a person, suspecting your design and wishing to
embarrass you, suddenly jerk his hand away from the card which he was
apparently about to take, and draw another from a different part of the
pack. In the great majority of tricks this is of little consequence,
inasmuch as there are numerous ways (which will be hereafter explained)
of ascertaining what the drawn card was; but there are some illusions
which depend upon the drawer taking a card similar in suit and number
to one already prepared elsewhere for the purpose of the trick. In this
case it is, of course, absolutely necessary that the card drawn should
be the right one; and as even the most accomplished performer cannot
always be certain of forcing a single card, another expedient must be
used in order to ensure success. This is made absolutely certain by
the use of what is called a “forcing pack”--_i.e._, a pack in which all
the cards are alike. Thus, if the knave of hearts is the card to be
drawn, the whole pack will consist of knaves of hearts, and the drawer
may therefore do his utmost to exercise a free choice, but the card
which he draws will certainly be the knave of hearts, and no other.
Where more than one card is to be drawn, as, for instance, in the
well-known trick of the “rising cards,” the pack may consist, instead
of similar cards throughout, of groups of two or more particular cards.
Thus, one third may be knaves of hearts, one third aces of diamonds,
and the remaining third sevens of clubs--the cards of each kind being
together. With the aid of such a pack, it will require very little
skill to ensure one of each sort being drawn.
TO MAKE A “FALSE SHUFFLE.”--False shuffles are of two kinds, according
to the object with which they are made. Those of the first kind are
designed simply to keep in view a particular card or cards, the
remainder of the pack being really shuffled. The second kind are
designed to keep the pack in a pre-arranged order, and are shuffles in
appearance only, all the cards being brought back to the same relative
positions which they occupied before the shuffle.
_First Method._ (To keep a particular card or cards in view.)--Take the
pack in the left hand. If the card to be kept in view is not already
on the top of the pack, insert the little finger of the left hand
immediately above that card, and make the pass in order to bring it to
the top. Transfer this card to the right hand, and slide the remaining
cards upon it, by little successive parcels of six or eight cards,
one above the other. The known card will now be at the bottom. Return
the pack to the left hand. Slide off three or four of the top cards
into the right hand, and place the remaining cards, by parcels of six
or eight as before, alternately above and below these top cards, till
you come to the last card, which is the special one, and which you
will place above or below as occasion may require. If there are three
or four cards to be kept in view, it makes no difference in the mode
of operation, save that you must treat those cards throughout as the
single card, and keep them together accordingly.
[Illustration: FIG. 12.]
_Second Method._ (To keep a particular card in view.)--Bring the card
in question, as before directed, to the top of the pack. Take the pack
in the left hand, holding it upright on its side, the edges of the
cards resting on the palm, the four fingers (which should be slightly
moistened) being at the back or top, and the thumb on the face of the
pack. Now, with the thumb and middle finger of the right hand (_see_
Fig. 12) lift out edgeways that portion of the cards which now forms
the middle of the pack, and drop them by packets of five or six at a
time upon _the face_ of the cards remaining in the left hand, moving
aside the left thumb to allow of their passage. The pressure of the
fingers will always keep the top card in its place, however many of
the remaining cards you lift out with the right hand; and as you only
shuffle on to the face of the pack, however often you repeat the
process, this card will still remain at the top.
_Third Method._--(To retain the whole pack in a pre-arranged
order.)--Take the pack in the left hand, slide off with the left
thumb five or six of the top cards into the right hand, and place
the remaining cards by parcels of five or six at a time (apparently)
alternately above and below these first cards, as in the ordinary mode
of shuffling. We say _apparently_, for in reality, although you go
through the motion of placing every alternate packet _above_ the cards
in the right hand, you do not leave it there, but draw it back again
with the thumb on to the top of the cards in the left hand, and then
place it, by your next movement, _under_ the cards in the right hand.
The result is, that the cards in the left hand, instead of being placed
alternately above and below the cards in the right hand, are really all
placed below, and in precisely the same order which they occupied at
first.
Some persons are in the habit of making the genuine shuffle, of which
the above is an imitation, from the right hand to the left instead of
from the left hand to the right, as above described. It may be stated,
once for all, that wherever it is found more easy by the student to do
with the right hand that which he is here instructed to do with the
left, and _vice versâ_, there is not the least objection to his doing
so, though the mode here indicated is that which, it is believed, will
be found most convenient by the generality of persons.
[Illustration: FIG. 13.]
_Fourth Method._ (To retain the whole pack in a pre-arranged
order.)--Take the upper half of the pack in the right hand and the
lower half in the left, the thumb in each case being above and the
fingers below the cards. Place the two portions edge to edge, and work
in the edges of the cards in the right hand half an inch or so between
the edges of those in the left, spreading the cards in the meanwhile to
facilitate the introduction; but let the right hand cards project about
an inch above the top edges of those in the left hand. (_See_ Fig.
13.[A]) If you were to close up the cards in the relative positions
they now occupy, they would be really shuffled. To prevent their being
so in fact, as well as in appearance, you clip lengthways between the
thumb and second finger of the right hand the cards of the packet on
that side, and bend them sharply downwards and outwards. This again
disengages them from the other packet, on the top of which you quickly
slide them, and press the whole square.
[A] The cards of the right-hand packet are darkened in the
figure for the better distinguishing of the two packets,
though there would, of course, be no such difference of
shade in the original.
[Illustration: FIG. 14.]
_Fifth Method._ (To retain the whole pack in a pre-arranged
order.)--Make the pass so as to bring the lower half of the pack
uppermost. Take the pack in the right hand, keeping the two portions of
the pack separated by the little finger of that hand. Hold the cards
face downwards a few inches from the table, and let fall, by five or
six at a time, those cards which now form the lower half of the pack.
You should so arrange that these cards form four little heaps, falling
in the order indicated by the accompanying figure (Fig. 14). Thus the
bottom cards must fall at 1, the next lowest at 2, the next (comprising
all that remain of the lower packet) at 3, and the remaining cards
(being the whole of the upper part) at 4. Now (with the left hand)
quickly place packet 1 on packet 4, and (with the right hand) packet 2
on packet 1, and finally (with the left hand) packet 3 on the top of
all, when the cards will occupy precisely the same relative positions
as at first. The use of the two hands alternately, coupled with the
rapidity of the performer, gives to his motions an appearance of
carelessness which effectually baffles the spectators, and prevents
their suspecting that the heaps are re-arranged in any determinate
order.
_Sixth Method._--This also retains the cards in their pre-arranged
order, with this qualification, that an indefinite number are
transferred from the top to the bottom of the pack, the effect being
as if the cards had been cut without being shuffled. Holding the
cards as directed for the last method, you drop them in four heaps as
before, but beginning from the left, and proceeding straight onwards
in regular succession. Now place the first heap on the fourth or right
hand heap, and the second heap on the first heap, finally placing
the third heap either above or below the pile thus made. Where it is
necessary, after using this shuffle, to bring back the cards to the
precise condition in which they were at first, this object may be
effected by the use of the “bridge,” hereafter described.
[Illustration: FIG. 15.]
TO “PALM” A CARD.--Bring the card which you desire to palm (by the pass
or otherwise) to the top of the pack. Hold the pack face downwards in
the left hand, covering it lengthways with the right. With the left
thumb push the top card till it projects about an inch beyond the edge
of the pack. With the third finger of the left hand, which is now
immediately below the card, press it upwards into the right hand, which
should half close over it. You must not mind about bending the card,
which will lie curled up against the inside of the hand. You may either
let the hand drop negligently to your side, or, still better, take the
pack between the fingers and thumb of the same hand (_see_ Fig. 15)
and offer it to be shuffled. This will give you the opportunity, often
very valuable, of seeing what the card in question is. When it becomes
necessary to return the card to the pack, the mere motion of taking the
pack in the right hand, whether from the left hand or from the table,
will effect that object in the most natural manner. If the card retains
a curve from its bent position in the hand, you may readily straighten
it by ruffling the cards, as described in the next paragraph. If the
performer is fortunate enough to have a large hand, a complete pack of
cards may be palmed in this manner without difficulty.
TO “RUFFLE” THE CARDS.--Hold the pack tightly by its lower end between
the fingers and thumb of the left hand, the thumb being above and the
fingers below the cards. Cover the pack lengthways with the right hand,
and clip the cards between the fingers and thumb as if you were about
to make the pass by the first method. Keep the thumb unmoved, but draw
the fingers smartly upwards, so as to bend the cards slightly. The
springing of the cards as they escape one by one from the pressure of
the fingers, and again straighten themselves, causes a peculiar sharp
sound.
The ruffle may also be executed with one hand only. Take the pack
between the middle finger at top and the thumb at bottom, the first
finger resting in a bent position on the back of the cards. Press
strongly with the thumb, so as to bend the two ends of the cards
smartly outwards, allowing them one by one to escape from the middle
finger, and simultaneously straighten the first finger, so as to clip
the lower end of the cards between that finger and the thumb.
The ruffle is a mere flourish, but it is by no means without its
value. We have indicated in the last paragraph one of its uses, viz.,
to straighten a card which has been palmed. Apart from this, there
are many tricks in which it is desirable to mislead the spectator as
to the particular movement by which, or the point of time at which, a
particular effect was produced. This may be effected by a judicious
use of the ruffle. Suppose, for instance, that the trick consists in
magically bringing a given card to a particular position in the pack,
and that the performer has already, without the knowledge of his
audience, placed the card in the required position. If, before showing
that it is so placed, he ostentatiously ruffles the cards, nine out of
ten of the audience will be persuaded that this noisy movement is in
some way the cause of the transposition, and will be proportionately
the less likely to discover the true explanation of the feat.
TO “CHANGE” A CARD. (_Filer la Carte._)--Some of the most brilliant
effects in card-conjuring are produced by the aid of this sleight,
by means of which a card, fairly exhibited, is forthwith apparently
transformed to a different one. There are several modes of producing
this effect.
[Illustration: FIG. 16.]
_First Method._--Hold the pack in the left hand, as though about to
deal the cards. Hold the card to be changed in the right hand, between
the first and second fingers. (_See_ Fig. 16.) The card into which
it is to be changed should have been previously placed (secretly, of
course) on the top of the pack. Push this card a little forward with
the left thumb, so as to make it project about three-quarters of an
inch beyond the remaining cards. Bring the hands close together for
an instant, and in that instant place the card held in the right hand
_under_ the pack, (the second, third, and fourth fingers of the left
hand opening to receive it, and the remaining finger making way for it
as soon as it reaches the pack). Simultaneously with this movement,
the thumb and first finger of the right hand must close upon the card
projecting from the top of the pack, and, as the hands separate, carry
with them that card in place of the one which the right hand originally
held. A half turn of the body to the left or right, a quick downward
sweep of the right hand, or any other rapid gesture, will assist in
covering the momentary bringing together of the hands. In some cases it
is better that the right hand alone should move, the left hand being
held stationary; in other cases the left hand (the one holding the
pack) should make the movement, the hand holding the single card being
motionless. It will be well to practise both these modes of making the
change. The direction in which the performer turns, in order to place
the card on his table, or the like, will indicate which is the best
mode to use in any given case.
[Illustration: FIG. 17.]
_Second Method._--This is a very inferior mode of performing the
change, but may be useful as a makeshift while the student is acquiring
the greater dexterity required for the former method. Hold the pack
upright towards the audience, with the card to be changed at the bottom
(and therefore in full view), and the card for which it is to be
changed at the top. The pack should be supported by both hands, and the
two cards named should project about half an inch to the right beyond
the remainder of the pack, the front or bottom card being between the
first and second fingers, and the back or top card between the thumb
and first finger of the right hand. (_See_ Fig. 17.) Call attention to
the bottom card; make a downward sweep with the pack so as to turn the
faces of the cards towards the ground, and at the same moment draw off
with the right hand the top card, which the audience will imagine to be
the one they have just seen at the bottom.
[Illustration: FIG. 18.]
_Third Method._--Hold the card to be changed face downwards between
the thumb and first and second fingers of the right hand, the thumb
being above and the two fingers below the card. Hold the pack in the
left hand, as if about to deal the cards, the card for which that first
mentioned is to be changed being on the top. Bring the hands rapidly
together, pushing the top card with the left thumb about an inch beyond
the rest of the pack, and at the same moment place the card held in the
right hand with a sliding motion upon the top of the pack. (_See_ Fig.
18.) Both this card and the original top card (which is now second)
will now be between the two fingers and thumb of the right hand. Press
lightly on the top card with the left thumb to keep it back, and
quickly draw away the right hand, pressing gently upwards with the two
fingers on the face of the second card, which you will thereby draw
away in place of the top card. If neatly done, the keenest eyesight
cannot detect the substitution of the second card. Your only difficulty
will be to find a colourable pretext for placing the card you hold on
the top of the pack. This achieved, the rest is easy. The nature of the
trick you are performing will frequently suggest a plausible excuse. A
very successful plan is to boldly request the company to observe that
you do _not_ do that which you at the same moment actually do. “You
will observe, ladies and gentlemen,” you remark, “that I do not, even
for one moment, replace the card in the pack, but simply,” etc., etc.
At the words “replace the card in the pack,” the hands are brought
together, and make the change. The action, suiting the words, is taken
by the audience as an indicative gesture only, and thus the change is
effected under their very eyes without exciting the least suspicion.
In this mode of making the change, you should aim at being easy and
natural, rather than very rapid. The main movement (that which brings
the hands together) is undisguised, but attributed to a fictitious
motive; and the subsidiary movement of the fingers, which actually
effects the change, is so slight as to be practically imperceptible.
_Fourth Method._ (With one hand only.)--Take the pack, face downwards,
in the left hand, as if about to deal. Place the card to be changed
on the top, and the card for which it is to be changed next below it.
With the left thumb push forward the top card to the extent of half
its width, letting it rest on the tips of the fingers. This will leave
one-half of the second card exposed. By a reverse movement of the
thumb, draw back this second card till its outer edge is just clear of
the inner edge of the top card. Now press the second card downwards
with the thumb so as to bring its opposite edge just above the level
of the top card; then push it back into its place, but this time above
instead of below the top card.
[Illustration: FIG. 19.]
[Illustration: FIG. 20.]
_Fifth Method._ (To change a given card without the aid of the
pack.)--A card having been chosen and returned to the pack, make the
pass to bring it to the top, and palm it. Give the pack to be shuffled,
and when it is returned pick out hap-hazard any card you please, and
holding it up between the first finger and thumb of the right hand
(in which is the palmed card), announce boldly that that was the card
chosen. You will, of course, be contradicted, whereupon you pretend to
be disconcerted, and ask if the person is quite certain that that is
not the card he drew, and so on. Meanwhile, you take the card, face
downwards, between the first finger and thumb of the left hand, whence
you immediately take it again in the right hand (_see_ Fig. 19), taking
it so as to bring the palmed card immediately over it, when the two
will at a little distance appear to be only one card. You then say,
“Well, if you seriously assure me that it is not the right card, I
must endeavour to change it to the right one. May I ask what your card
was?” When you are told, you continue, “It is a very simple process. I
have merely to lay the card upon my hand, _so_, or if you prefer it, I
will change it in your own hands. Oblige me by holding the card face
downwards. I think you said your card was”--(say) “the ace of spades?
Change!” As you say the words, “lay the card upon my hand,” you place
the two cards for an instant on the palm of the left hand (_see_ Fig.
20), and draw off rapidly the top card, which is the right one, leaving
the other palmed in the left hand, which then drops to your side. The
audience do not suspect that the change is already effected, or that
you have had more than one card in your hand throughout, and if you
have performed the trick neatly, will be utterly nonplussed when the
transformation is revealed. You may, if you please, conclude by asking
what card the audience imagine that they first saw, and, when told,
remarking that they must have been mistaken in their impression, as
that card has been in Mr. So-and-so’s tail-pocket all the evening, as
you prove by plunging your left hand (in which the card remains palmed)
into the pocket, and producing it accordingly.
[Illustration: FIG. 21.]
_Sixth Method._ (To change several cards at once.)--This sleight is
extremely useful in cases where you desire, without the knowledge of
the audience, to gain possession of a given number of selected cards.
Palm in the left hand, face downwards, a number of cards equal to that
which you desire to abstract. Take the cards which you desire to gain
possession of between the second finger and thumb of the left hand
(after the manner of the single card in Fig. 19). Cover these cards
lengthways with the right hand, and palm them in that hand (_see_ Fig.
21), at the same moment seizing crossways, with the fingers and thumb
of the same hand, the cards already palmed in the left hand (which to
the eyes of the spectators will be the same they have just seen), and
throw them face downwards on the table.[B]
[B] The last two very useful and effective sleights are
inserted by special permission of the inventor, Professor
Hellis, of No. 13, Silver Street, Kensington, one of the
cleverest and most genial drawing-room performers of the
day.
TO GET SIGHT OF A DRAWN CARD.--The power of doing this is a _sine quâ
non_ for the conjuror. As already mentioned, even the most expert
operator cannot be absolutely _certain_ of “forcing” the card which
he desires, and a novice is very likely indeed to find a wrong card
occasionally drawn. It is therefore necessary to be provided with a
remedy for such a _contretemps_. One mode of meeting the difficulty is
to allow the card to be returned to the pack, make the pass to bring it
to the top, and palm it, immediately giving the pack to be shuffled,
and in so doing to get sight of the card, which remains in your own
hand, and can in due time be reproduced in any way you please. (_See_
Fig. 15.) For the present purpose, we assume that you do not desire to
retain possession of the card, but merely wish to know its suit and
value. These may be ascertained as follows:--
[Illustration: FIG. 22.]
_First Method._--Ask the drawer to return his card to the pack, which
you offer for that purpose in the left hand, spreading the pack
fanwise, in order that he may insert the card where he pleases. As he
replaces the card, slip the little finger of the left hand _below_ it,
and close the fan. You now have the pack held in the palm of the left
hand, but divided just below the chosen card by the little finger,
the three remaining fingers being on the top. Offer the cards to be
shuffled, or make any gesture you like with the pack, at the same
moment slightly straightening the fingers. The effect of this movement
will be to lift the upper packet, and thus open the pack bookwise, the
opening being towards yourself, and the lowest card of the top heap,
which is the card you desire to ascertain, being for the moment in full
view. (_See_ Fig. 22.)
_Second Method._--Proceed as above, but instead of opening the pack to
get sight of the card, bring it secretly to the bottom by the pass, and
offer the cards to be shuffled, holding them at the upper end between
the thumb and first and second finger of the right hand, and slanting
from you at an angle of 45°, as in Fig. 15. As the faces are towards
you, you have a full view of the card. Even if it should suggest itself
to the audience that you are able to see the bottom card, as they
are not aware that the chosen card is now in that position, there is
nothing to excite their suspicion.
You may, by way of variety, instead of offering the cards to be
shuffled, hold them in the right hand, and make the single-handed
“ruffle” above described, at the same time turning their faces slightly
towards yourself. You may effect the same object, even more simply,
by the mere act of passing the pack from the one hand to the other,
keeping the bottom card turned inwards as above.
[Illustration: FIG. 23.]
TO “SLIP” A CARD.--Hold the pack in the left hand having first slightly
moistened the fingers, which should rest upon the back of the cards.
Open the pack bookwise, at an angle of about 45°, holding the upper
packet lengthways between the thumb and second finger of the right
hand. Draw this upper packet smartly upwards to a distance of two or
three inches from the lower packet. (_See_ Fig. 23.) The top card of
the upper packet, being held back by the pressure of the fingers upon
it, will not move upwards with the rest of the packet; but immediately
the remaining cards are clear, will fold itself down on the top of the
lower packet. If the top card of the lower packet be examined before
and after the slip, the card will appear to have changed, the fact
being that the original top card becomes the second after the slip, the
slipped card covering it.
[Illustration: FIG. 24. FIG. 25.]
TO DRAW BACK A CARD. (_Glisser la carte._)--The performer shows the
bottom card, then dropping the pack into a horizontal position, face
downwards, he draws out, with the thumb and second finger of the other
hand, apparently that card, but really the next above it. This is
effected as follows:--Hold the pack upright in the left hand between
the first finger and thumb, the back of the cards towards the palm,
and the thumb and finger about the middle of each side of the pack.
Let the third finger, which should be previously moistened, rest on
the face of the cards. (_See_ Fig. 24.) You will find that in this
position, by moving the third finger, you can draw back the bottom card
about an inch below the remaining cards, and thereby leave exposed a
corresponding portion of the next card. (_See_ Fig. 25.) This is the
whole mechanism of the operation. You must, of course, take care, after
showing the bottom card, to turn the pack downward before you slide
back that card in order to draw the next card in its place.
[Illustration: FIG. 26.]
TO “TURN OVER” THE PACK.--There are certain tricks (as, for instance,
where you have undertaken to produce a given card at a particular
number in the pack) for which it is necessary to deal a certain number
of cards from the top, and then (without the spectator’s knowledge) to
continue the deal from the opposite end of the pack. As a necessary
preliminary, you must “face” the cards--_i.e._, bring the upper and
lower portions face to face. This you have already been taught to
do by means of the pass. Whichever way the pack is turned, it will
now, of course, show backs only. Take the pack flat in the left hand,
the fingers clipping it rather tightly, but without the aid of the
thumb. Pass the thumb underneath, and with the ball of the thumb press
the pack smartly upwards (_see_ Fig. 26), when it will describe a
semi-revolution on its longer axis, the lower face of the pack being
thereby brought uppermost. If performed with the hand at rest, the
movement is very perceptible; but if you at the same time make a
semi-circular sweep of the hand and arm from left to right, the smaller
movement of the pack in the hand is much less likely to attract notice.
TO SPRING THE CARDS FROM ONE HAND TO THE OTHER.--This is a mere
flourish, and belongs rather to the art of the juggler than to that
of the magician; but it is so frequently exhibited by conjurors that
a work on magic would hardly be complete without some notice of it.
The cards are held in the right hand, between the tips of the second
and third finger at the top, and the thumb at the bottom. If the thumb
and fingers are now brought slowly nearer together, so as to bend the
cards slightly, they will one by one, in quick succession (beginning
with the bottom card) spring away from the pack; and if the pressure
be continued, the whole of the cards will spring away one after the
other in this manner. If the left hand be held at ten or twelve inches
distance from the right, with the fingers slightly bent, the released
cards will be shot into the left hand, which, as the last cards reach
it, should be rapidly brought palm to palm with the right, and square
up the pack to repeat the process. By giving the body a quick half turn
to the right as the cards are sprung from one hand to the other, you
may make the hands (and with them the moving cards) describe an arc of
about two feet, and so deceive the eye of the spectator into the belief
that the hands are that distance apart, though in reality, as they
both move together in the same direction, they retain throughout their
original relative distance of ten or twelve inches.
TO THROW A CARD.--This sleight also belongs rather to the ornamental
than to the practical part of conjuring, but it is by no means to be
despised. It is a decided addition to a card trick for the performer to
be able to say, “You observe, ladies and gentlemen, that the cards I
use are all of a perfectly ordinary character,” and by way of offering
them for examination, to send half-a-dozen in succession flying into
the remotest corners of the hall or theatre.
[Illustration: FIG. 27.]
The card should be held lightly between the first and second fingers,
in the position shown in Fig. 27. The hand should be curved inward
toward the wrist, and then straightened with a sudden jerk, the arm
being at the same time shot sharply forward. The effect of this
movement is that the card, as it leaves the hand, revolves in the plane
of its surface in the direction indicated by the dotted line, and
during the rest of its course maintains such revolution. This spinning
motion gives the flight of the card a strength and directness which it
would seem impossible to impart to so small and light an object.
A skilled performer will propel cards in this way to a distance of
sixty or eighty feet, each card travelling with the precision, and
well-nigh the speed, of an arrow shot from a bow. The movement, though
perfectly simple in theory, is by no means easy to acquire in practice.
Indeed, we know no sleight which, as a rule, gives more trouble at the
outset; but, after a certain amount of labour with little or no result,
the student suddenly acquires the desired knack, and thenceforward
finds no difficulty in the matter.
THE BRIDGE.--The object of the bridge is to enable the performer, with
ease and certainty, to cut or otherwise divide the pack at a given
card. It is made as follows: Holding the cards in the left hand, with
the thumb across the pack, the performer covers them for an instant
with his right hand, as if about to make the pass. Grasping the pack
between the thumb and second finger of this hand, he bends the whole
of the cards slightly inwards over the first finger of the left hand,
immediately afterwards bending the upper or outward portion of the pack
backwards in the opposite direction. The effect of the double movement
is that the two halves of the pack are bent in a double concave form,
_thus_ )(, though in a much less degree. If the cards be now cut,
the concave portions, instead of being, as at first, back to back,
will be face to face, _thus_ (), leaving in the centre of the pack an
elliptical opening, of a maximum width of about an eighth of an inch.
This slight hiatus in the middle will generally cause a person who is
invited to cut to do so at that particular point, and will in any case
enable the performer either to cut or to make the pass at that point
with the greatest ease. The cases in which the bridge may be employed
with advantage will be more particularly indicated when we come to
practically apply the processes already described, but it has a special
use which may be at once mentioned. It will be remembered that some
of the false shuffles already described leave the cards as if cut,
though they in other respects retain their pre-arranged order; and it
therefore becomes necessary to again cut them at a particular point,
in order to bring them back to their original condition. This point is
ascertained by the use of the bridge. The cards are first bent in the
manner above described; the false shuffle is then made, leaving the
cards in effect cut; but by again cutting or making the pass at the
bridge, they are once more precisely as at first.
We have endeavoured to be as explicit as possible in the foregoing
description of the different sleight-of-hand processes, so that the
reader may, by following our instructions closely, be able to teach
himself, unassisted, to perform the various movements described. We
have done our best to make our descriptions intelligible, and trust
that we have fairly succeeded. We should, however, strongly advise
any student who desires to make rapid progress to take, if possible,
a few preliminary lessons under the personal guidance of a competent
performer, professional or amateur. It is an old saying that an ounce
of example is worth a pound of precept, and a reader who has once or
twice seen the processes we have described practically illustrated by
skilful hands, will not only avoid the difficulties which are sure
to be at first found in even the clearest written instructions, but
will escape the formation of bad habits, which it may take much time
and trouble to eradicate. Should the novice seek such assistance, he
must not expect to find that any one performer uses indifferently
all the processes we have described. Every Professor has his own
favourite methods of procedure, and, generally speaking, pours scorn
and contumely upon all others; or, in the words of Byron (a little
altered)--
“Compounds for _sleights_ he has a mind to,
By damning those he’s not inclined to.”
The student who commences his labours without such assistance must
make his own selection. In the “pass” we should recommend him to stick
to the first method, the remaining passes being rather curious than
useful. Among the false shuffles, the first, third, fifth, and sixth
will be found the most effective. For the remaining processes he may be
guided by his own taste, and the greater or less facility with which
his fingers adapt themselves to one or the other of them.
The various sleights above described will cost the student some time
and perseverance before they are fairly mastered, and until they are
so it is hopeless to attempt any of the more brilliant feats. For
his amusement in the meantime, we subjoin a few tricks for which
sleight-of-hand is not necessary, but which, if performed with neatness
and tact, will cause considerable astonishment to the uninitiated.
[Illustration]