Unpicked

Effect:

After working a walk around gig for a spell, you walk up to someone while holding a pack of cards (out of the card case).

“Hello sir, how are you doing today? Can I show you something amazing?”

He delightfully agrees.

“All we need to do is spread through this pack” (spread it face down) “and a card turns over”, (ace of diamonds).

The ace is seen to be placed back in the pack face down.

“If I place that card back into the pack, all it takes is a moment and the Ace of Diamonds turns face up once again.”

The pack is spread again to show the ace has turned over once again.

“I know this is blowing your mind isn’t it? So let’s try it one more time.”

The card is clearly placed back into the pack face down, the pack is even spread face down to show NO card is face up yet.

“Once again all we need to do is give your card a moment and it will turn around.”

Pause for a moment.

“And there it is your card has instantly turned over right before your very eyes.”

At this moment the ace visually seems to pop right out of the pack (face up). The card is removed from the pack face up.

“Isn’t that amazing, your card has turned over 3 times?”

The spectator states that he didn’t even pick a card, so how is that his card.

“What? This isn’t your card?”

“No” says the spectator.

“This isn’t your card? Hmmmm, very strange, but this has to be your card, because . . . “

As this is said, the ace is now turned over to reveal the spectators actual name written across its back.

“Your name has been written on the back. Please keep this card as a souvenir. Thank you for helping me with this magical moment.”

The Workings:

Obviously, before hand you must learn the name of your spectator and in my opinion only the first name needs to be written.

• There are many ways of learning a spectators name through casual conversation.
• If you are doing a very important gig for a special client, it may be in your best interest to simply ask the individual who has hired you for some details about the particular event. Ask for a few of the names of the individuals who are in charge for your own professional reference.
• In this modern age, you can “Google” the target individuals name to find out some additional information which may or may not assist you. Chances are you will be able to come up with either their name, a nickname, or the name of someone who is close to them. Use your common sense and respect when choosing and including the name you finally decide on.

Write the name across the back of a preferably red card (writing shows up better on red backed cards). Write the name down the center; if it is a bicycle pack keep the name inside of the rectangle found on the back of bicycle cards (where the angels are sitting upon their bicycles).

• This reason for this is to keep the name hidden from view, while spreading the pack. Ideally you could perform a regular card effect before moving into “Unpicked” being careful NOT to reveal the name card.

Once you are ready to perform this effect, secretly turn the “named card” face up in the middle of the deck. A Braue Reversal will do the trick.

Step One:

Be sure that you have written the correct name of the spectator in question.

The best way to do this would be to ask them their name after your approach. I would recommend that you ask the names of everyone else who might be amongst the group, and do try to remember the names.

• This may be common sense but then again it could also be seen as sage advice.

Proceed with the patter, as stated in the effect section. Be sure to state after the first spread, “Watch as A card turns face up” “A card”. Stating this will distance the first phase from the last.

After you remove the card (face up), simply turn the rest of the pack (face up). Place the “named card” on top of the pack (face up).

Check point:

• You are now holding the pack in left hand dealers grip, face up with the “named card” face up on the face of the pack (figure 1).

Execute a “Braue Reversal” of the top “named card” and either cut the pack so the “named card” will be in the middle face up, OR while doing the “Braue Reverse”- on the second cut, simply reverse the second half underneath the pack.

• Explaining the Braue Reversal is beyond the scope of this book. For details on the move, check out “Counts Cuts Moves and Subtlety” by Jerry Mentzer. Or please find this move amongst Daryl’s “Encyclopedia of Card Sleights” videos/DVDs, or even “Card College” by Roberto Giobbi.

Step Two:

Spread the pack face down again after pausing for a moment.

• I prefer to use a pause instead of a snap or a blow. If you design some script to create a laugh, this would work even better as to create build up and drama inside of this effect. At this point, instead of using the “A card” script, I suggest using “The Ace of Diamonds has turned face up.”
• By stating “A card” in the first phase followed by “The Ace of Diamonds” in this second phase will in my opinion, create steps leading from total disconnection/mediocre trick leading into a little miracle.

Recap:

• The pack was spread and “A card” turned face up (wow big deal) is what you expect your spectator to think.
• The card is lost back in the pack, and then spread face up again, and “The Ace of Diamonds” turns face up. (Ok that was a little bit better because I just watched you put that card back in the pack) is what you expect the spectator to be thinking this time.
• The goal now is to have the “Ace of Diamonds” embedded in your spectator’s minds, and also to build up the expectation of the card turning over once again.

Step Three (final step):

Now this will be the most difficult step to execute.

As in the second step, remove the “name card” and turn the rest of the pack (face up) in your left hand.

“The ace of diamonds has turned face up again”

Place the “name card” on top of the pack again (face up) and perform Dai Vernon’s Depth Illusion (also mistakenly known as Marlo’s Tilt Move)

Without going into great detail for the Depth Illusion it is simply pulling up the top two face up cards and holding a fairly large break below. Take the “name card” or “Ace of Diamonds” from the top of the pack and place it underneath the tilted card.

The illusion is that you are placing the card into the middle of the pack, but in actuality “it” is going right underneath the top card.

Allow the pack to square up, and turn it face down.

• Obviously you don’t really need to do the “Tilt Move” because you can use your favorite method for controlling the “named card” to the (face down) bottom.
• From the (face up) start point, you may actually use a “Hindu Shuffle Control” or an “Over hand shuffle control” to get the “named card to the face.

Here is the moment which the pause is very important, because after a short pause you will go ahead and spread the pack face down, but this time there will NOT be a face up card revealed.

Assuming the “Depth Illusion Move” has been used. It is very important that you remember the bottom card is an indifferent card and the card right above is the “name card”.

You must now position the “name card” to be directly on bottom. This is a very easy thing to do; in fact the best way to do it is while you spread the deck (face down) showing no face up card.

As the cards are spread, thumb all the cards over until you get to the very last card, this card is simply moved to the top of the pack as you square it back up.

• The position now is that you are holding the pack in face down position (dealers grip). The “name card” is on the bottom, and you are preparing yourself to do the “Pop Out Move”.
• You can either use the Piet Forton “Pop Out Move” or Harry Lorayne’s “Pop Out Move” from “Quantum Leaps”, which requires a swing cut.

Again, at this point I am not going to explain the pop out move, I would rather that you hunt down the material of these fine artists to learn a “Pop Out Move”.

• Briefly- the “Pop Out Move” is causing the bottom (face down) card to visually turn over seemingly from the center of the pack.

Instead of explaining the “Pop Out Move” I shall describe something that I created on my own some fifteen years ago. It is a very simple way of causing a card to turn over, while hiding its back.

• I do realize that this little move was likely developed independently by many magicians around the world; however I am currently unaware of anyone else using this.

Simple Move:

All you need to do is grasp the deck in right hand “Overhand” grip (Often mistakenly referred to as “biddle” grip) and then swing cut the top half into the left hand. (Figure 2)

The left hand takes its pack and moves away from the right hand pack a few inches and then rebounds back as if to complete a cut.

Instead of completing a cut, your left fingers move below the right hand pack until they reach the center of the bottom card. (Figure 3)

Pause for a split second and press upward with your left fingers. At the very same time begin to slide the bottom card to the left- moving your right hand a bit to the right and the left fingers pulling to the left. (Figure 4)

Then the right hand moves downward causing the bottom card to instantly turn over. This is a fluid motion which will create the illusion of the card jumping out of the middle, (face up).

• If you don’t have a table available, it is a simple and ideal matter to use the spectators hand as the landing platform for the card.

Conclusion:

The “name card” has appeared and this time you shall state “Now your card has instantly turned over in the pack.”

Pick up the card and pause a moment (the idea is for them to have heard you say “your card”) wait for them to make a statement in regards to the “your card” patter. If they don’t right away, slowly/clearly express it again in this manner.

“Wasn’t that amazing that your card magically turned over in the pack three times.”

Your spectator will surely get the clue at this point, but if “he/she” does not THEN another spectator will surely speak out.

If not still then take this route:

“You don’t seem too impressed. This was your card wasn’t it?”

Of course they will answer “NO”.

Assuming your spectator has responded as desired, by saying “I didn’t even choose a card, how could that be my card?”

“What, this isn’t your card?” “NO” “Are you sure, I was sure this was your card.” “Nope”.

“This has to be your card.”

While stating this, the card is turned face down to reveal their name written across its back.

“It has your name written across its back, please take this card and keep it as a souvenir.”

Final Thoughts:

At first glance you may be tempted to use the old “Your Name” gag, PLEASE don’t. In my humble opinion and as discussed with Jeff Stone, this effect is NOT even a magic trick until their “actual name” is revealed.

The turning of the cards is a visual bit of fun, and there is clearly magical build up; however NO card was chosen so it will not be that impressive until the end when the card visually flips over after showing the conditions.

• Revealing that you knew their name before hand is where the true magic will be established.

There was a wonderful trick that I still perform from time to time called “Cardian Angel” by Paul Harris. If you are not familiar with this effect, please look it up and check it out.

• Simply- “Cardian Angel” was an effect where the angel found on the back of a bicycle card is seen to become animated, by riffling the pack the angel reaches inward and pulls out a tiny card, this card is seen to have the spectators name printed across its back.
• There was an idea included in the instructions which due to certain restrictions of the effect stated that you could learn the name of someone who is close to the spectator instead of using their actual name.
• This idea might even be a bit more powerful, because after meeting and learning your spectators actual name, the name of the person who is close to them has not even been spoken and this will (in my opinion) add a very powerful, spooky moment to “Unpicked”.

Another Little Tip:

• At the end of the effect create as much time distortion as possible after revealing the card with a pop-out move. Place the card in their hand face up before revealing their name, thus adding the element of magic happening within their grasp.

The appropriate patter would be:

• “Will you please hold out your hand sir” “Thank you”
• Place the card in his/her hand. “Now it is your card”

Quite possibly causing a few laughs, “It really is your card, please turn it over.”

Credits and Resources:

I would like to state and give thanks to Al Schneider. This effect was initially designed to fall under the guidelines of “The Schnieder Technique”

• Predictability
• Doing a single effect
• Showing previous conditions
• Pausing before an effect
• Pausing after an effect occurs
• Repetition (three phases)

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