theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards
Card swap help.
- Thread starter mclintock
- Start date
I'd have to look into it further, but 'Side Steal' was the first thing that I thought of after reading your post
Rather the Top Change. Card College 1, "The Lucky Coin". Not only is this a great trick, it also offers a 'perfect' moment for the TC and is very easy to do. Don't miss the Card College chapter on the TC. It's fantastic IMO.
Another excellent trick to practice your TC is David Williamson's variation of Eddie Fechter's "Be honest, what is it?", "Memory Test". David also offers good advice on the TC, and he has, hands down, the best TC I've (n)ever seen.
Another excellent trick to practice your TC is David Williamson's variation of Eddie Fechter's "Be honest, what is it?", "Memory Test". David also offers good advice on the TC, and he has, hands down, the best TC I've (n)ever seen.
Thank you for the reply, but I was looking for something less flashy. The move I am trying to do is David Blaine's Two Card Monty, it looked like a cool trick so I took some time to figure it out, but I am looking for something I can do without anyone noticing I am doing anything. I have noticed in Blaine's performance he just switches the cards and it looks incredibly sloppy if you look at his hands. (If I am revealing too much about the trick please tell me and I will altar to post accordingly.)
You need to do a top change, which should not be flashy at all. It shouldn't be seen, though if you are watching something over and over on video and it was shot from an angle that lets you see it of course it is going to look sloppy because all you are doing is switching the place of two card.
Also if you are trying to use it is a specific routine and find you are having trouble then you should simply invest in some proper instructions. There are a number of sources available to learn how to properly perform a two card monte if that is your goal
You know that the "Two Card Monte" also is a variation of Eddie Fechter's "Be honest, what is it?" ?
David Williamson's "Memory Test" comes full circle and is, IMO, 'better' than most other version's I've seen so far.
And btw, David Blaine also does the TC in the 'Two Card Monte'.
The TC is not a move you should do in the open. Make sure to do it in the moment of relaxation (Relax, drop your shoulders, lean back etc.) when the attention drops. As I said, Giobbi and Williamson have tons of good advises in their books and DVD's regarding the TC.
Just because it is such an open move doesn't mean it can't be deceptive. I think we all had the fear that this can't work as we started, but believe me, it's a classic move for a reason, and a fantastic one.
Remember, there is no magic without (mis)direction.
It doesn't have to look sloppy, and to be honest, David Blaine hasn't the best TC around. IMO he shows (at least in the video I have watched) way too much tension and does it too fast. It can be very, very soft and unnoticable. Watch David Williamson, he's so smooth with it and believe me, you will miss his TC when he performs for you.
Just want to make a point here on the difference between an 'off beat' and misdirection. I would say definitely do the TC in the moment of relaxation, ie. tension just released, something just happened, relax your shoulders, lean back and do it smooth as butter. Misdirection often (not always though!) happens during a moment of tension, I just personally find that when you are directing the spectators focus, even away from the TC its not quite as effective as when their guard is down, during the relaxed moment.
With that being said I do my TC 'Blaine style' as discussed above, not hard to see, but hard to catch, I've seen the TC done on webcam so well that I did not notice it, while burning the hands, which is on the other end of the spectrum, hard to see, even while looking, its all down to your personal preference. An extra little note, using the off beat often will give you much more time than you need, I often perform it by instead of just exchanging the held card with the top card, I put the held card into my pocket and just grab the next card off the deck, no misdirection, just relaxation, you can even get away with it twice in a row.
Best resource for learning it. Make sure it is done as what is called an "in-transit" motion. Your hands, arms and body are all in motion (the bigger motion covers the smaller motion), there is a justification for your hands coming together and it is done smoothly and relaxed.
Merely watching videos and trying to imitate what you see is not going to teach you the move. Get a resource that breaks down the steps and walks you through the psychology.
I agree that the principles of the top change are best learned in print BUT when you've got the fundamentals down, then you can't do better than get hold of Gary Kurtz's International Magic lecture DVDs. In terms of getting a real sense of how to approach the timing and dynamics of the move, I don't think there's a better resource.