Alternative Presentation Ideas For Biddle Trick?

[JustinT]

The Biddle Trick is a routine in which a selected card is vanished from a packet of cards and reappears inverted in the deck.

I personally enjoy this effect because it has a concise plot, with the exception of one part - I dont like the way the 5 card packet is introduced. In the version I know, the performer pretends to "try" to look for the card by pulling out 5 cards. I dislike this because it seems so coincidental (and therefore "staged") that one of the 5 cards happens to be the chosen card. And also because I could have just "found" their single chosen card in some other manner.

Without going into method, what would be a way to have the card in position in the packet without having to "fake" finding their card? One idea I had was to have them memorize a card in a packet of 5 to begin with and somehow "read their mind" but I would like to hear some other suggestions.

PS. Sorry if this is a 'amateur' question. I havent been working in the professional magic scene yet and have only been in magic for about four years and have sometimes been bashed by those with more experience than me.

 

[RealityOne]

John Gustaferro has an interesting presentation in his book One Degree called "Name that Tune." You also could use the method in Gustaferro's "Either Or" (also in One Degree) to select the five cards.

You could have card selected and have five spectators then pick a card -- one of which is the selected card (a one in 10 chance of the card being in the group of 5). The magician then tries to figure out which card it is.

You also could simply have another spectator who's seen the selection pick out five cards having one of them be the selected card. Then show the cards to the person to verify that it is in the packet. This would require an initial force or glimpse of the card. I would force the card and have it marked with a scratch (PM me for details). That way, I can position the card as I take them back from the spectator.

 

[Gabriel Z.]

On The Pass by Richard Kaufman has a wonderful version of this effect too.

 

[Martin Eret]

What I usually do is control the card anywhere, do some false shuffles, and then go into a mind reading/detecting facial expressions plot. I'll take the top 5, turn them over and say that their card isn't in the pack, return them to the deck, and repeat one or two more times - then I'll bring out the packet with their card in the deck and continue with the rest of the trick like normal.