I ■•• • • ••••••••
c)
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his is another piece of magic straight from my close-up
show. In fact, it's specifically designed for a formal close-
up show, the kind of show I do most often. It takes
advantage of the very particular scenario you've got with
a table, audience, and spectators sitting at the table to create a
devastating piece of magic with almost no moves, and lots of
audience participation. When magicians get the opportunity
to do formal close-up, many of them do the same material
they'd do in any other situation. "Fan Mail" is so strong because
it takes advantage of its environment in a way your audience
won't suspect.
"Fan Mail" was inspired by David Regal's "The Very Last
Card".3 The method to narrow down the selection is similar,
3. Constant Fooling 2 (2002), p.124. - - -- - - - - 21
but this routine adds an organic way to add the gimmicked
cards to the deck.
I perform the beginning of this effect following ''.Any Cards At
Our Numbers," and have described it that way, though it can
certainly be performed independently.
Effect
A blue deck of cards is openly shuffied and spread face down
across the table. A card is randomly pulled out of the spread,
isolated in a small envelope just big enough for a single playing
card, and handed to someone in the audience for safekeeping.
Later in the show, a red deck of cards is washed face down
on the table by two volunteers. The cards are squared and
five random cards are removed. The cards are shown to be all
different and are mixed face down. One at a time the cards are
eliminated quite fairly until only one card remains.
This final card matches the card isolated in the envelope.
Method Overview
The "randomly" chosen card from the blue deck is marked, and
this is the card that goes into the envelope.
The red deck is genuinely shuffied, but as everything is squared
up, a group of five cards is added to the bottom of the deck
from a holdout underneath the table. This packet consists of
one short card and four misindexed cards, each of which has
one end which matches the short card. The deck is shuffied to
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centralize the packet, and then the short card is cut at to force
the five-card packet.
No matter which of the five cards the spectator chooses, you
can display it in such a way that it matches the card in the
envelope.
Moves
There aren't really any moves in this routine. The sneakiest
1noment is stealing five cards out of the holdout and getting
them centered in the deck. This happens under the cover of
washing the cards on the table by the spectators, which dispels
any suspicion of foul play. Be slow and deliberate with this
routine and it will fool even the most knowledgeable in the
room.
Props Needed
• A red-backed deck
• A blue-backed deck - You will
need to edge mark the card
that matches the force card
from the five-card packet.
Using a pencil, shade in a
small portion of the edge of
the card on both sides. Figure
1. We'll assume the force card
is the Two of Diamonds for
this explanation.
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• An extra, red-backed, Two of Diamonds - Shorten this card
by trimming a millimeter off one end.
• Four misindexed, red-backed cards - The majority of the
cards' faces match the force card, the Two of Diamonds, but
one corner index of each is that of another random card.4
Figure 2
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
♦ ♦ ♦ ♦
• An envelope just big enough to hold a single playing card.
The size I use is 69mm x 94mm and is made of kraft paper.
These are easily found on Amazon. The flap should open
along the long side rather than the short side. On the
outside of the envelope write the words "Fan Mail" and
place a stamp in the upper right-hand corner. Figure 3.
4. These gimmicks are also referred to as a Monte Cristo Deck.
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• A table holdout -This is often referred to as a "bug." More
on this in a moment.
• A strip of gaff tape.
The Bug
This is a very old gadget used to hold a card (or cards) secretly
clipped under a table. Originally a card cheater's tool, it consists
of a straight piece of spring steel inserted into the handle of
a shoemaker's awl, or a similar button shape, with a sharp
needle at one end. The one I use is a little sturdier and easier to
build. It's made out of the same type of envelope you place the
prediction in at the outset of the routine.
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Begin by cutting off the flap
of the envelope. Cut a slit in
the front layer of the envelope
about two inches wide. Then,
apply a thin piece of gaffers
tape in this slit, allowing extra
to hang off of each side. Also
apply a piece on each side
of the envelope. Figure 4. I
attach it underneath the table,
a little left of the center of my
performing surface. Figure 5.
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Set Up
Place the short Two of Diamonds on top of the face-down
pile of misindexed Twos of Diamonds. Place this stack in the
bug face down with the misindexed corners closest to you. This
positioning will become important later on.
Place the envelope in a location where it will be easy to retrieve.
I tend to place it on a side table or in the left side pocket of my
jacket.
The red deck of cards is face down in a pile on the table.
The blue deck of cards is face down on the table. Somewhere
in the middle of this deck is a Two of Diamonds with its edges
marked. This marking is the same as the one on the Jack of
Spades in the red deck.
The Exposition
If you're following the previous routine, ''Any Cards at Our
Numbers", there will be two face-up Jacks of Spades in front of
the face-down decks.
Place the red-backed Jack of Spades on top of the red deck.
Pick up the blue-backed Jack of Spades and place it into the
blue deck, and then give it a couple of simple overhand shuffles.
"Some people like to call that chance, or luck. Do you know what I
like to call it?"
This question serves two purposes: it sets up the context for the
trick that is about to happen, as well as providing an offbeat
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during which you get a rough idea of the location of the
marked Two of Diamonds in the blue deck. By beveling the
cards slightly, you can estimate where the Two is in the deck.
This will speed up your upcoming search.
Spread the blue deck face down on the table.
': .. A freaking miracle. "
"But for those of you who think that maybe chance or luck had
something to do with it, I'm going to testfate again, but this time I
want to do it under more stringent circumstances."
Pick up the Fan Mail envelope, being careful not the flash the
writing on the front of the envelope. I treat this as a punch line
in a moment, but it will lose all impact if the audience is already
aware of what it says.
Run your fingers over the spread as if you are trying to make
your selection a random one. This is where having a rough idea
of the location of the Two pays off. Scan the cards casually
while you locate the marked Two of Diamonds. The wider the
cards are spread on the table, the harder it will be to track down
the marking. Make certain you don't look like you are looking
for something in particular. Once you have seemingly made
up your mind, pull the Two of Diamonds out of the spread
without showing it, and slide it into the envelope. Figure 6.
"We'll take a card out of the deck at random and isolate it in this
envelope. Sir, I'm going to have you hold on to it and make sure that
nobody messes with it. "
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Hand the envelope to someone in the front row, wait until he
reaches out for it, and then flip the envelope around so that the
writing can be seen.
'T've gone ahead and taken the liberty offilling it out to you!"
Pick up the blue deck, place it in the box and put it away. Pick
up the red cards and continue on with the show.
When you're ready to wrap up this routine, continue on.
A Random Sampling
'T want everyone in the audience to be absolutely certain that these
cards are being mixed Take the cards and mix them around so
everybody can see. "
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The two spectators sitting with you are invited to wash the
deck of cards face down on the surface of the table. I prefer
this approach to shuffiing because the stage picture it creates
is a striking one. Also, the spectators are doing all the mixing,
making it crystal clear the performer has zero control over the
location of any card in the pack.
Once they feel comfortable with the state of the pack, ask them
to push the cards into the center of the table, forming a rough
pile. Once the cards are pushed together, slide the pile toward the
near edge of the table, beginning the process of squaring them
into a smaller packet. Figure 7. The pile shouldn't be squared
but simply compressed. The cards should now sit directly above
the bug hidden underneath the table. In a moment you are
going to add the cards in the bug to the bottom of the deck.
There will be nothing to see when you do this, but I still like to
add a touch of misdirection.
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'Turn to the spectator sitting on your left and say:
"For this, I would like you to choose someone completely at random.
Point to anybody in the audience whor.n you don't know."
By asking your spectator to select someone, the audience's
attention shifts away from the cards on the table and toward
whomever the spectator will choose. While their attention is
diverted, move your left hand under the table. Using the second
finger of your palm-up left hand, make contact with the cards
held out in the bug. As your right hand slides the pile of cards
into your left hand, pull the cards out of the holdout and add
them onto the bottom ofthe deck. Figure 8 is exposed for clarity.
Don't rush this move, as nobody is aware of what you're doing.
As long as you aren't looking at your hands, no one else will
either.
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Once all the cards are in your left hand, turn them on their
edges so the faces are toward you and the backs are toward
the audience. Begin squaring up the cards in the traditional
way, sliding them to the left with your right hand as your left
thumb rolls the top of the cards to the left. Use this moment
to confirm you have the gimmicked cards on the bottom of
the deck. Figure 9. Once the deck is squared up, pick up the
deck and overhand shuffle the top half into the left hand. Once
half of the deck has been run, toss the remainder on top. This
centralizes the five force cards near the center of the deck, with
the uppermost force card being the short card.
'Tn a second, I'm going to ask you to make a few choices. It's very
important that you go with your gut and try not to overthink it.
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My two spectators did an excellentjob ofmaking sure the cards were
thoroughly mixed, but we're going to narrow it down to just afew. "
Riffie up the back of the pack with your right thumb until you
hit the short card. Figure 10. Lift the top half with your right
hand and with your left hand, thumb off the top five cards one
at a time into a pile, which reverses their order. Figure 11, next
page. Place the top half back on the bottom and put the deck
out of sight. I use the inner left breast pocket of my jacket.
The Elimination Process
If everything has gone according to plan, the misindexed ends
of the cards should be closest to you, with the shortened Two
of D iamonds on the face of the packet. I mark the backs of the
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cards to give me a visual check before I turn over the cards, but
glancing at them as you spread works as a failsafe as well.
Spread the packet, displaying the misindexed corners. The
audience will see five different cards. Figure 12. Mix the cards,
then re-spread them, facing yourself, as you say the following:
''I'm going to mix the cards up, and then I'll have you start
eliminating cards until we're down to just one. I don't want to try
any sneaky double talk, so this card will always be number one, this
one number two, and so on. "
Have an audience member eliminate four out of the five cards
in your hand, one at a time. These eliminated cards join the
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deck in the pocket. It doesn't matter which card you are left
with, but ideally you will end with the regularly pipped card.
The Reveal
':A.flow me to recap for a minute. U'e mixed the cards around on the
table and pulled five cards out at random. U'e then narrowed it
down until there was just one left. Nobody in this room could have
imagined what card we might end up with. Unless ... earlier on I
said I wanted to try something. And I handedyou an envelope. Will
you pull the card out of the envelope so that you are looking at the
face and the people around you can see the face too, but the back is
facing toward me? On the count ofthree, I'll show you mine ifyou
show me yours. "
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Use this moment to build up the tension and the impossibility
of what has happened. The audience is looking at the card that
has been in the envelope, but is also looking at the back of the
one you are holding. Figure 13. If the card that you are holding
is the short card with a normal face, then there is nothing to
hide. You have a real miracle on your hands. If you know how
to navigate human nature, you can get this to happen around
20% of the time. The other 80% of the time, you are left with
a misindexed card. When you turn it over, cover up the wrong
index with your fingers. When both cards are turned around, the
eyes of the spectators will jump from the card in the audience,
to the card in your hand. Figure 14. A perfect match.
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The Bigger Picture
"Fan Mail" is designed to be part of a show, not just an isolated
routine. When I perform it in a formal show, after placing the
card in the "Fan Mail" envelope, I continue on with several
effects using the red deck of cards, before coming back and
completing the routine as written. This reinforces that the cards
are normal, a~d adds time misdirection between when you set
up the trick and the payoff, as well as providing structure to the
performance.
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