BAND-IT
Sometimes
I fall in love with routines that are apparently
not that strong but I do them regularly anyway
as if they were miracles. I believe in them.
This is one of those effects that gives me pleasure
when I perform it. A similar effect is published
in my book THE CLOSEUP MAGIC OF ALDO COLOMBINI
but this is another variation based on a J.K.
Hartman trick Crossing Cards (APOCALYPSE, January
1995) used here with his permission.
EFFECT
The magician
shows ten red and ten black cards to the audience,
having one of each color selected. The two ten
card packets are wrapped with rubber bands and
tossed into the air. When they land something
special has happened... the two selected cards
have transposed!
REQUIREMENTS
A deck
and two rubber bands that will each wrap securely
one of the two ten card packets.
PERFORMANCE
Openly
remove ten red and ten black cards from the
deck. Place the black cards face up on top of
the face up red cards. Square up, turn the cards
face down and hold the packet in the left hand
dealing position.
The right
hand shows the top ten cards to the audience
by taking them one under the other from the
left hand without inverting their order. While
the right hand is showing the ten red cards,
the left little finger obtains a break under
the top black card of the packet in the left
hand.
The right hand places the red cards on top of
the left hand cards just for a moment as if
to square them in a Biddle Grip position. From
there, the right hand takes all the cards above
the break to the right as the left thumb quickly
slides the top card of the right hand packet
onto the top of the lower (left hand) packet
as in figure 1. This is similar to Marlo's Slip
Switch. Table the two packets, remembering that
the packet on the left has one red card on top
of nine black cards and the packet on the right
has nine red cards on top of a black one. Pick
up the packet with the red card on top of the
black ones and casually shuffle the packet so
that the red card is on the bottom Now, in both
packets the two cards of the opposite color
are on the bottom.
Pick up one of the packets and grip it face down from above in the
right hand. The left thumb peels off the top
card into the left hand, followed by the next
one. Ask for a 'stop' while you continue to
peel off cards into the left hand one on top
of the other. At the 'stop', place the right
hand packet on the left hand cards, but side-jogged
to the right (figure 2).
Keep
this position for a moment as you say, "This
is where you stopped me." The right hand takes
the upper packet and tilts it to show the face
card to one spectator. You have forced the red
card in the black (or black card in the red)
packet. Drop the right hand cards onto the left
hand cards to re-assemble the packet. Take out
one of the rubber bands and wrap it securely
around the packet and, taking care not to expose
the face card, table it face down to the right.
Pick
up the other packet and repeat the force to
another spectator (peel cards into the left
hand asking for a 'stop'; at the 'stop' the
right hand cards are placed onto the left hand
group as in figure 2 again; pause for a moment
and then show the second card, the one on the
bottom of the upper packet.) Re-assemble the
cards and wrap the second rubber band securely
around this packet. Leave the packet face down
on the table to your left without exposing the
face card.
Pick
up the two packets one on top of the other and
toss them into the air. When they land on the
table they more than likely will not land on
top of one another but anyway, if they do, separate
them and table them This move obscures the original
color position. Say that one card has flown
out of each packet and landed in the other one.
Have the spectators name their cards. Pick up
either packet, remove the rubber band and place
the packet face up on the table. Do the same
with the other packet, removing the second rubber
band and setting the packet face up on the table.
Ribbon spread each packet showing that the red
card has traveled into the black packet and
the black card has traveled into the red packet.
NOTES
Another
easy method you can use to force the card is
our old friend the Criss-Cross explained on
page 56 in Pirouette.
I use
this trick as my follow-up routine to my Never
Ending Story trick published in my book IWACT
and in my booklet MAMMA MIA CARD ACT.
