theory11 — Magic Tricks & the World's Finest Playing Cards

Favorite Self-Working tricks and their source?

Antonio Diavolo

Antonio Diavolo

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Jan 2, 2016
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So my thing right now is learning self working tricks because I really like that the spectator can do almost all the work and they seem super fair and clean. My personal favorites right now are:

-Woody Aragon's 18 card poker
-Shuffle Lesson
-Shuffle Bored

Anyway, what are your favorites?
 
Anything that's self-working by John Bannon. Move Zero is the best collection of self-working card magic, in my opinion.

Notable favorites are: Collusion, The Bannon Triumph, View to a Skill, Power of Poker, Tiny Contrary Killer.
 
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If you can find it, Neither Blind Nor Silly by Juan Tamariz in Sonata is a total gem. If you really want to make sure people don't sleep at night, do Paul Curry's Out Of This World right after this.

Sort of Psychic and Bannon Triumph (Move Zero Volume 1 & 2, respectively) are solid picks.

PSI Con Carte by Roberto Giobbi from Card College Lighter can be really strong if you play up the presentation. Really easy but plays strong.

If you want to get slightly more complex, Max Maven's The Mockingbird from his VideoMind Volume 1 DVD can play very well in a close-up/parlor setting.

Another fun piece is the $26,000 Bet by Lennart Green from his Green Lite DVD. It's like an Anti Out Of This World, if I can give it a brief description. You'd have to watch a video of it to understand what that means.

Hope a few of these recommendations help!
 
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My absolute favorite trick to perform is Further Than That, which is funny because I dont like doing multiple climax tricks that much anymore. But, because I have done it so often, and I'm so comfortable with it, I can really get into a set and be confident the whole night performing. It's good enough to be a closer.

I almost always perform it with my girlfriend alongside me because she's very enthusiastic about the punchlines.
 
I personally like Up and Down the effect found in Scarne on Card Tricks by John Scarne.. He says of the trick that when Dai Vernon is called upon to teach a self-working card trick this is it.
 
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I never knew the source until now (Thanks Casey!) but I have used a version of "Neither Blind Nor Silly" by Juan Tamariz. The state of the deck after the trick would lead me into another self working trick I got out of a Karl Fulves book but I no longer have the book (lent it out) so I don't know the name.

Anyways the trick involves dealing facedown 3 rows of 5 cards alternating from the top and bottom of the deck with each card dealt (there is an easier way to set this up but this is already convoluted enough as it is). Then while I am not looking the participant can switch a card with its horizontal neighbor ending the move by flipping both moved cards over. They are to repeat this action several times making sure to include each row of 5 at least once then cover the cards with a newspaper. We are left with some face up black and red cards and some face down unknown cards. While not being able to see, hands under the newspaper, I can arrange to have all cards of one color be face up and the other face down.

If someone knows the name that would be great..I googled it but can't seem to find it and would rather not buy another Karl Fulves book just for the name of this trick.

I used to say you can feel the difference in the cards for the first trick as a pseudo explanation and then use the second trick as a demonstration of the "skill". I don't do this anymore because it doesn't really fit my style having some supposed amazing skill etc.
 
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