Magic Tricks

This trick is based on a mathematical principle in Paul Curry’s “World Beyond,” from which Paul Curry inspired his trick from Martin Gardner’s “Mathematics, Magic and Mystery” (1995). 

Effect: The magician invites a couple (a man and a woman) to assist with a card trick. The magician goes on to tells them he can use a deck of playing cards to test how well they are connected. The magician gives each of them a blank face cards with a red heart drawn on them. The couple is given a marking pen to write their name on their heart card. The following steps are both effect and directions to perform the trick.

The Jellybean trick comes from an issue of the MUM. In the original routine, the audience is asked to select Jellybeans from a paper bag. Instead of a paper bag, I found that the use of a clear plastic (zip lock) bag makes for a stronger effect because the audience gets to see the Jellybeans being selected.

For the second time I am presenting my award winning “Holava’s Cups and Cubes” routine re-visited (Redux). The original routine was first published in the September 1957 issue of the Linking Ring with an introduction by my friend the late Harris Solomon, Past National President of the I.B.M.  The original version of the trick required the use of three 5-½-inch tall, different colored aluminum cups with curved edges and three sets of two 1-½ inch colored sponge cubes.

EFFECT: The magician introduces 4 different colored paper bags and 4 corresponding colored silks. A spectator arranges the bags in any order, and the bags are numbered. The spectator then randomly places the 4 colored hankies, one in each colored bag. The magician places a prediction envelope on the table and has a spectator shuffle a deck of cards. The cards are dealt face up until a card comes up that corresponds to a number on one of the bags. The hanky is removed from that bag, and the bag is folded flat. This is repeated until one bag is left standing. The spectator opens the prediction envelope, which gives the color of the last bag standing and the color of the silk in the bag.

EFFECT: The magician introduces 4 different colored treasure chests and 4 different colored paper bags. The magician explains that in each chest is a treasure. A spectator is asked to arrange the bags in any order. The magician then places Post-it notes numbered from 1 to 4 on each bag in the order the spectator arranged them. The magician then asks another spectator to determine which colored chest to place in each colored bag.  

The cut and restored string is one of the oldest tricks in magic, going back to when magic books were sold for 25 cents at the circus side show. With a little rubber cement, you can make this old trick into a new, dramatic cut and restored effect.

Effect: A spectator is asked to deal 6 cards onto the magician’s hand. A second spectator is asked to select one of the 6 cards, sign the face of the card and mix the cards. The spectator counts the 6 cards onto the magician’s hand to prove there are 6 cards. The magician places the 6 cards in an envelope, labeled “A.” The spectator (or a different spectator) is given the deck of cards and asked to deal 6 additional cards onto the magician’s hand. These 6 cards are placed in an envelope, labeled B.

Required: a deck of 52 cards (no missing cards) 

Effect: A spectator freely selects a card and is asked to sign it. The magician places the signed card in an envelope and hands it to the spectator to seal. The deck is put back in the card box and placed on the table. The magician states that the signed card has vanished from the envelope. The spectator opens the envelope and removes a blank card. Written on the cards is “look in the card box”. The cards are removed from the card box and spread to reveal the signed card.