More Card Manipulations - Series No. 3

By Jean Hugard

Card manipulation is an element of magical illusion concerning the creation of effects through sleight of hand techniques that involve playing cards. It is commonly employed in magical performances, particularly in street magic. This book contains the third in the series of handbooks on card manipulation by master magician Jean Hugard. Jean Hugard's fantastic series “More Card Manipulations” includes simple instructions for a variety of fantastic card tricks, making it ideal for novice illusionists or related collections of literature. Contents include: The Faced Deck”, “The Gambler's Table Change”, “The Spread Pass”, “The Thumb Side”, “New Method of Picking up an Arranged Pack”, “An Easy Force”, “Reversing the Bottom Card”, etc. Jean Hugard was an Australian professional magician. By the end of his life he had gone blind, having lost sight in both eyes as a result of cataract-removal operations. Despite his handicap he continued his work with work at his home in Brooklyn, New York. Contents include: “The Faced Deck”, “The Gambler's Table Change”, “The Spread Pass”, “The Thumb Side”, “New Method of Picking up an Arranged Pack”, “An Easy Force”, “Reversing the Bottom Card”, etc. Other notable works by this author include: “Show Stoppers with Cards” (1948), “Royal Road to Card Magic” (1948), and “Houdini's 'Unmasking': Fact Vs. Fiction” (1957). Many vintage books such as this are increasingly scarce and expensive. It is with this in mind that we are republishing this classic volume now in an affordable, modern, high-quality edition complete with a specially-commissioned new introduction on card manipulation.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Obscure Press
• Release date: Mar 22, 2021
• ISBN: 9781528768184

Book preview

More Card Manipulations No. 3

THE FACED DECK—THE SECRET TURN OVER

The principle of the faced deck and the secret turn over is one of the oldest in card conjuring. The first mention of it that I have found is in Decremps, Testament de Jerome Sharpe (1793), and his explanation reads as follows:—"Hold the cards at the end of the left hand, Fig. 1, so that by closing the hand, they can be turned over, top to bottom, and they will be found, after the hand is opened, anew, as in Fig. 2. (They will not appear to have been turned over, because they show a white side above and below.)" French playing cards of the period had plain white backs, the patterned backs being a later development.

THE ORIGINAL ILLUSTRATIONS

FIG. 1

FIG. 2

In Modern Magic (1876) Professor Hoffman described a later method. He says: "Take the pack flat in the left hand, the fingers clipping it rather tightly, but without the aid of the thumb. Press the thumb underneath, and with the ball of the thumb press the pack smartly upwards (see Fig. 3), when it will describe a semi-revolution on its longer axis, the lower face of the pack being thereby brought uppermost."

FIG. 3

A still later method, and the one in popular use at the present time is to hold the pack in the left hand as for dealing, drop the hand to the side and, at the same time, turn it over bringing its back uppermost. When the hand is then raised, the pack has been turned over, the original lower half being uppermost. Figs. 4 and 5.

The drawback to all three methods is that the necessary movement of the pack has to be covered by a quick and unnatural movement of the hand and arm, or by very strong misdirection, such as the accidental dropping of a card to the floor, the sleight being executed under cover of the action of picking up the card. In the following method these drawbacks are eliminated and the sleight becomes a simple and natural move.

The halves of the deck having been brought face, to face secretly, when it becomes necessary to turn the deck over to bring the cards of the lower portion uppermost, proceed as follows:—Hold the deck in the right hand between the thumb, at the lower left corner, and the top joint of the third finger, at the upper right corner. Fig. 6. Press all four fingers close together, so that the pack is practically hidden by the back of the hand.

FIG. 4

FIG. 5

FIG. 6

Bring the hands together in the act of placing the pack in the left hand and, in doing so, press the tip of the right first finger on the upper left corner. This downward pressure will cause the pack to pivot on the two diagonally opposite corners which are held by the thumb and forefinger and the required half turn is made imperceptibly as the pack is placed quite naturally in the left hand. The right hand then moves away, or continues the deal, according to the requirements of the trick in hand.

The principle of the faced deck has been neglected by modern magicians. One of the few tricks in which it is used is the Four Ace Trick. Every now and then someone bobs up in print with this new method of working the trick by means of the faced deck, unconscious of the fact that this was the original method which is fully explained in Neuvelle Magic Blanche Devoilee, published in Paris in 1853. (See page 172, Encyclopedia of Card Tricks). It may well be noted here that the trick of the red and black aces changing places from the top and bottom of the pack to the middle and vice versa, is claimed by the author of this book, J. N. Ponsin, as his original invention.

THE GAMBLER’S TABLE CHANGE

By means of this ingenious sleight a card, which has been shown and openly dropped face down on the table, is imperceptibly changed to another card. At first sight the sleight may appear to be difficult one, but a little practice will show it to be comparatively easy. That is it practicable is proved by the fact that gamblers use it to change their hole card in stud poker under the eyes of their opponents.

To execute the sleight proceed as follows:

1.Show a card, face outwards, holding it by the sides between the right thumb and middle finger, the forefinger resting on the middle of the back. By pulling upwards with the thumb and finger and pressing downwards with the forefinger, crimp the card slightly lengthwise in laying it on the table, face down, to your right. Fig. 1.

2.Pick up the pack with your right hand and put it in your left hand, at the same time palming the top card in the right hand by the one hand top palm—(Card Manipulations No. 1, page 2).

3.Remark casually: By the way, what was the card I showed you? Move the right hand to the left side of the table card, slide the outer side of the palmed card under it,—the crimp making this insertion easy,—keep the hand flat and push the palmed card under the table card, at the same time resting the little finger side of the hand on the table. Turn the thumb side of the hand upwards, pivoting on the little finger