ORIGINAL ARONSON STACK IMPOSSIBILITIES & STORIES

ERIC RICHARDSON
 FOR:

KRISTANNA

Written, Designed &

Photographed
by

Eric Richardson

SPECIAL THANKS
SIMON ARONSON
PAUL THOMEY
TYLER WILSON
STEVE BEAM
JOSHUA JAY

Copyright 2011. All rights reserved. With the exception of a printed copy made for the purchaser, no part of this booklet may
be reproduced (nor transmitted) in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior
written permission of the author.
 CONTENTS
Preface [page 6]

Tools

That Was Easy……………………………………………………………………………………………9

A Moving Experience……………………………………………………………………………….12

Prime Mover…………………………………………………………………………………………….14

Impossibilities

[1] CON-T.R.A.S.T.

Intro………………………………………………………………………………………………………..19

CON-T.R.A.S.T. ……………………………………………………………………………………….20

Complete CON-T.R.A.S.T. ………………………………………………………………………28

[2] Playing Favorites

Intro………………………………………………………………………………………………………..30

The New Double Mind Reading Deck………………………………………………………31

The New Poker Tell Pack………………………………………………………………………….38

DMRD (Kings)………………………………………………………………………………………….44

[3] Combo Pack

Intro…………………………………………………………………………………………………………49

Your Way-Birthday………………………………………………………………………………….50
 Your Way-Giveaway………………………..……………………………………………………55

Un-Birthday……………..……………………………………………………………………………58

Mysterious Speller………………………………………………………………………………..61

El Tornado & El Tornado Loco (Tyler Wilson)……………………………………….65

[4] Unleashing a Dragon

Common Ground……………………………………………………………………….74

Switch Trick 1………..………………………………………………………………………………76

Switch Trick 2…………………………………………………………………………………………81

Tsunami Sevens..…………………………………………………………………………………..85

Part Two (Joshua Jay’s Trumped Triumph finale)………………………………….95

Dr. Agon’s Deal……………………………………………………………………………………..99

Dr. Agon’s Deal 2.0……………………………………………………………………………...105

Faro Options……………………………………………………………………………………….108

What’s Next?..................……………………………………………………………………109

Notes………………………………………………………………………………………………….110
!

Stories

[5] Full Deck Stories

Intro…………………………………………………………………………………………………..113

Lunch at Louie’s…………………………………………………………………………………116

Hero’s Tale………………………………………………………………………………………..126

The Legend of Southside Johnny (Paul Thomey)……………………………….137

[6] Mini-Stories

Intro…………………………………………………………………………………………………..145

Perfect 10………………………………………………………………………………………….146

Royally Flushed………………………………………………………………………………….149

Blind Date/Soul Mate………………………………………………………………………..153

Thoughts on Story Routines……………………………………………………156

Conclusion [page 177]

Appendices

A: Larreverse & Card Spread Switch………………………………………179

B: Cut to Order 7’s…………………………………………………………………181

C: Card Printing Templates…………………………………………………….187

 PREFACE

“…what amazes me most is the sheer quantity of effects that are imbedded within the Aronson stack.”
--Simon Aronson

I couldn’t agree more! I am continually amazed with the beauty hidden within the Aronson stack. I
hope this book of new and original magic will please the aficionado, provide solid material for the
professional, and inspire further exploration of the Aronson stack.

The routines in this book, as in my first book It All Depends, are all stack dependent. In other words,
they can only be performed with the Aronson stack. None of the routines relies on the performer
having memorized the order of the cards. If you have not memorized the stack you will still be able to
perform all of the routines in this book.

There is a lot packed into this book, so allow me to give you a brief overview:

The book begins with a chapter entitled Tools. It gives details about how to prepare your deck in a way
that will allow you to easily follow the routines in the book. I also attempt to answers some common
questions about stack dependent routines from my own personal experiences with stack work.

The rest of the book has been divided into two sections: Impossibilities and Stories. The Impossibilities
section of the book contains a wide range of routines. There are four-of-a-kind productions, a birthday
card routine (with a giveaway gift for the spectator), new versions of my Double Mind Reading deck and
Poker Tell Pack, and much more. Section One culminates with a very practical way to produce the heart
suit in order as a finale to your work with the stack! I use it all the time to close a set with the stack by
performing Joshua Jay’s “Trumped Triumph.”

In the Stories section you will find three full deck story routines that are performed in a similar fashion
to “Sam the Bellhop.” You will also find several mini-stories that only use small portions of the stack. As
you will see, this provides some nice alternatives to the full length story genre.

Thank you for joining me on another exploration of the fabulous Aronson stack. Welcome to my OASIS!

Sincerely,
Eric Richardson
2011
TOOLS
 TOOLS

Since the publication of It All Depends, many people have asked me about various aspects of working
with a stack. I have included this section with helpful tips and techniques that cover several important
aspects of stack work. Even if you are experienced with stack work, I highly recommend that you still
read “THAT WAS EASY” which covers how I prepare the deck.

Here is a brief overview of the topics covered:

1) THAT WAS EASY: Discusses ways to prepare the deck of cards to efficiently find your way around the
stack. I would highly recommend making up a deck in the way I describe it and use it as you work
through the routines in the book.

2) A MOVING EXPERIENCE: Covers the basic concerns surrounding moving cards around within the
stack. Many of the routines in the book involve moving one card to a new position. Practical advice to
help you get comfortable with this reality can be found here.

3) PRIME MOVER: Picks up where “A MOVING EXPERIENCE” ends. Here you will find some methods
for covering the secret repositioning of cards in front of an audience.

8
 “THAT WAS EASY”

When working with a stacked deck, it is important to be able to find your way around it easily. This is
especially true when using a memorized deck or a stack that allows you to perform multiple stack
dependent effects.

The effects in this book are stack dependent. Some require that a card is moved and, as you will
discover in chapter 4, things can get even more involved. While all of the routines in this book can be
performed in the real world without any preparation of the deck, it makes sense to keep things as
simple as possible. The simpler the set up is for a trick, the more likely you are to use it in your
performances.

I take advantage of several strategies that allow me to find my way around the Aronson stack. These are
not new ideas and every performer will have their own preferences. It will ultimately be up to you to
decide what techniques you will employ to help you.

I would like to share mine with you for two reasons. First, it’s possible you have not considered using
some of the ideas that will be presented here and you might find an idea or two you can use. Second,
and more importantly, in the routines that follow I will refer to my methods for getting around in the
Aronson stack. If you create a deck like the one I am about to describe, it will help you get a feel for just
how easy it is to do these routines in the real world.

SCALLOP SHORTS

The short card is an invaluable tool for many reasons. The main benefit for stack work is that it allows
you to get to specific places in the deck with certainty and without glimpses or openly looking at the
faces of the cards. By obtaining a break at a short card, you can then count or spread up or down in the
deck from that point to locate desired cards for culling, cutting, etc.

I prefer to scallop short my cards because a scallop short won’t interfere with faro shuffles. The scallop
short simply shortens the center area of the playing card’s narrow ends.

I scallop short two cards in the deck. I find it very useful to have the JS (1) and the 5D (27) cut short. I
used to have both cut short in exactly the same way. I didn’t find this to be a problem because it is very
easy to know which one you are going for since they are twenty-six cards apart.

Recently I discovered a way to scallop short the two cards so that they can be distinguished from each
other. There are several benefits to this. First, this provides absolute certainty of which card my thumb
has just located without the need to glimpse the bottom card of the deck to get my bearings. With this
technique I can immediately locate either card after the spectator’s cuts without looking at the deck.

9
Secondly, if I destroy the stack and continue with the shuffled deck, I can use the two cards as distinct
key cards without any confusion.

The basic idea is to short less than half of the narrow ends of the cards. Each card is scallop shorted on
the opposite side to that of the other card. As you can see, in the picture below, the two cards are
scallop shorted on opposing sides. The cuts have been exaggerated for clarity. The actual work I put
into the cards is minimal. You don’t need to remove much of the card to get the desired effect.

It is important that when you are cutting the cards, you stop the scallop cut before you get to the center
of the card. If you don’t, the cards will not work properly and you will get false information.

You will find that the use of these cards is fairly simple. If you want to find card #1 then run your right
thumb up the left side of the back narrow end of the deck. To find #27 run your thumb up the right side
of the end of the deck. If you have cut your cards well, you should not be getting accidental breaks at
the opposite card’s position.

When I hit upon this idea I felt sure that someone must have already thought of it. I owe a big thank
you to Bryan So for helping track down the proper source. You can find more information on this short
card technique and many other ideas in Gordan Miller’s Anthology of Card Magic (1968) pg. 56.

SECRET MARKS

A shrewd use of very simple marks on a few cards comes in very handy as well.

I mark the outer left and inner right corners of the AC (10), 5S (20) and 3C (40) in this way:

AC 5S 3C
I mark these cards by scratching off some of the ink with a sharp knife. I also mark them so that they
can be distinguished from each other. This marking system makes locating cards for the following
routines very easy as you will see.

10
 CONCLUSION

Once again, all the routines in this book can be performed without the aids described above. I don’t
always use them, especially if I intend to give away the deck at the end of a performance. For most of
my work, the spectators have only a few moments to actually handle the cards. Even if they were to
casually examine them, they wouldn’t discover the secret preparation anyway. It hardly takes any time
to prepare a deck in this way and it provides you with a lot of extra help. To me it is very worth it.

One last thing: I use a temporary crimp as an aid in several effects in this book. I will assume you are
familiar with different ways to crimp a card and take out the crimp when your need for it has ended. I
tend to get rid of the crimp either during the routine or after the effect has ended. This allows me to
continue with a fresh deck and the ability to use a crimp in another card without confusion. (See
Roberto Giobbi, Card College Vol. 2, pgs. 347-349, for several great crimping techniques.)

11
PLAYING FAVS
CHAPTER TWO
 PLAYING FAVORITES

It is fun to see how routines can change as you continue to perform and refine them. The effects in this
chapter are some old favorites that over time, further experimentation and input from other magicians
have improved since first being published.

The new thinking on the “family” of effects in this chapter started when I performed “The Double Mind
Reading Deck (Aces)” at the Carolina Close-Up Convention in 2009. Tyler Wilson, while complimentary
of the trick, wondered if there were ways to improve the rationale for the spelling procedure. Our
discussion spurred me on to look at the effect again and I discovered a way to improve the actual
spelling sequences as well as using Tyler’s insights. If you enjoyed the original routines from It All
Depends, then I think you will really enjoy the refinements given here.

Let me give you an overview of the changes so you can be aware of the differences before we get into
the routines.

A NEW SPELLING PROCESS

In the original versions you would spell the card just revealed to get to the next card. For example, the
card would be turned face up to reveal the 3H which would indicate, based on the question asked, a
spot card. You would then spell “spot” to arrive at the next card that would answer the next question.
While this worked and had its own kind of logic I have reworked the spelling process. Now the question
is spelled and at the end of the spell the deck reveals the answer. This is a big difference and is much
easier to justify in the routine.

TWO COOL IDEAS

Tyler Wilson suggested two ideas that I have incorporated into the routines as well. Tyler suggested
giving more of a justification for why the spelling is taking place. I think he’s right and I have added more
of an explanation in the presentation for why we are spelling the questions. This provides a better
continuity between the premise and the procedure.

He also suggested changing the moment of when the Larreverse sleight is used in the routine. The idea
is to use the Larreverse as the spelling of each card is completed instead of waiting until the end of the
first phase to do the reversals. You might prefer this idea as it speeds up the final revelation procedure.

So here are the “New Double Mind Reading Deck” and “New Poker Tell Pack” routines! I hope you enjoy
them.

30
 THE NEW DOUBLE MIND READING DECK (ACES)
EFFECT

Two spectators pick cards, which are lost in the deck. The deck reads both spectators’ minds and
reveals their cards in amazing ways climaxing with a magical production of the four aces.

SET UP

Here is an efficient and easy way to set up for this effect with the deck face-up.

1) With the deck face-down, cut the QC to the bottom of the deck. Since it is the third card from the
bottom of the deck this is easy to do.

2) Turn the deck face-up do an estimated push off of about half the deck to the right. You will quickly
see the AH. In-jog the AH as you spread past it.

3) Continue spreading the cards between your hands until you get to the AD. Cull the AD under the
spread and insert it between the 7D and 8C as you continue spreading the cards.

4) Close the spread and turn the deck face down. Obtain a break below the AH by pulling up on the in-
jogged AH with the right thumb. Transfer the break to the left little finger.

If you practice this sequence several times, you will see how quick and direct it is. You can also do the
preparation for this routine with the deck face-down (see COMMENT 3 for details).

31
 ROUTINE

FORCING THE CARDS

Riffle-force the AH on spectator 1 (Anne). As you are showing her the bottom card of the right hand
packet (the AH), get a left little finger break under the top card of the left hand packet (the 8S). You can
use either a pinky count or use your left thumb to push the top card to the right and then draw it back
while using your left little finger to catch a break beneath the 8S. Put the right hand packet back onto
the left hand packet retaining the new break under the 8S.

Riffle-force the 8S on spectator 2 (Bob). After this card is shown, replace the right hand packet onto the
left hand packet (no break is held). False shuffle the deck and give the deck a straight cut maintaining a
left little finger break between the two halves.

“You are probably expecting me to find your cards in some amazing way, right? I’m not going to! This
is actually the world’s only Mindreading Deck and it will discover the secret identities of both of your
cards. But first, say stop one more time Bob.”

Riffle-force to the break and cut the deck at that location and complete the cut. Place the deck on the
table as you introduce the premise of the mind reading deck.

THE QUESTIONS

“I’m going to ask you several questions about your card and I want you to just think your answer.
Don’t say your answers out loud. Send the thought through your arm, into your hand, down your
finger and into the deck.”

Have Bob place his first finger of either hand on top of the deck. Really make sure that Bob understands
that he is to say nothing during the question phase.

“Was your card red or black? What kind of card was it? Is it a picture card, like a king, or a number
card? Now let’s get more specific. What was the suit of your card? Was it a Heart, Club, Diamond or
Spade? Here is the last question. What was the exact value of your card? If it was a two, for
example, think two.”

Have Bob take his hand off the deck. Take the deck in your left hand in preparation for the first spelling
sequence.

32
 THE DECK READS A MIND

“Let’s see what the deck has to say starting from where you stopped me in the deck. The first question
was about the color of your card. Now the deck can’t talk and it can’t hear so to communicate with
the deck I’ll need to spell the question I want the deck to answer. So I’ll spell C-O-L-O-R.”

Spell “color,” taking each card under the previous card to maintain stack order. Turn over the last card
of the spell to reveal the 5C [Photo 1].

“The deck is telling me your card was black! Well, that could have been luck. It’s a 50/50 chance.”

With the exception of the 5C, you will perform the Larreverse to apparently turn the face-up card back
face-down and take it under the packet of cards in the right hand. (See Appendix A if you are unfamiliar
with the Larreverse). Of course, thanks to the Larreverse, you will also be secretly reversing cards as
well (the aces)! For the 5C simply mimic the movements of the Larreverse as you turn over the 5C
[Photo 2] and take it under the right hand packet of cards. Keep the spelled cards in your right hand.

1 2

“I asked you to think about the kind of card you chose. Let’s spell K-I-N-D to find out. The deck says
your card was a number card!”

Spell “kind” taking each card under the previous card with the right hand. Turn over the last card of the
spell to reveal the 3H [Photo3]. Now perform the Larreverse to secretly reverse the AS as you
apparently turn the 3H face-down [Photo 4]. Take the double card under the right hand spread of cards.

3 4

“I also asked you to think of the suit of your card. So I’ll spell S-U-I-T. Wow, the deck is telling me your
cards is a spade!”

33
 Spell “suit” and turn over the last card of the spell to reveal the 10S [Photo 5]. Perform the Larreverse to
secretly reverse the AC [Photo 6]. Take the double under the right hand packet. TIP: When performing
the Larreverses in this routine you don’t want to expose the previously reversed card in the right-hand
packet as it could be seen during the sleight. To make sure this doesn’t happen, align the first card you
spell with the bottom card of the right hand packet. This effectively hides the reversed card before you
perform the Larreverse.

5 6

“And this brings us to our final question. What was the number on your card? So, N-U-M-B-E-R.”

Spell “number” and turn over the last card of the spell to reveal the 8C [Photo 7]. (Remember to align
the first card of the spell with the reversed bottom card of the right hand packet in preparation for the
Larreverse.)

“The deck says it was an eight! So your card must be the Eight of Spades!” 7
Perform the Larreverse to secretly reverse the AD [Photo 8]. Take the double under the right hand
packet.

7 8

“Amazing. Well, let’s confirm the answer. A-N-S-W-E-R!”

Turn over the last card of the spell to reveal the 8S [Photo 9]. Pause; let the audience react. In a
10 moment you will perform the Card-Spread Switch (see Appendix A for a description of this sleight), but
you don’t want to do it too early. The audience needs to refocus on you and register what you do to
appreciate the finale. When they begin to refocus on you, casually perform the Card-Spread Switch.
The AH will now be face- down on the table but the audience will believe it is the discarded 8S [Photo
10].

34
 9 10 11

9 10
“It’s amazing that the deck knew your card was the Eight of Spades.”

1 The aces are secretly face-up in the upper portion of the deck [Photo 11]. Here, throw in one more
display to show the deck before placing the cards in front of Anne. Perform a thumb fan. Just make
sure the upper portion is tightly fanned so you don’t expose any of the aces. Casually show the front
and back of the fan.

Next, with the cards still fanned, take the lower fourth of the fanned cards into the right hand and show
both faces and backs of both fans. Then place the right hand fan on top of the left hand fan and partially
square them as you put them in front of Anne. Thus the face-up aces are now more centralized within
the deck. Now carefully and slowly square the deck completely.

THE ACES FINALE

“It’s amazing that the deck read Bob’s mind; but for you (turning to Anne) let’s try something else.
Let’s cut to the chase for you. Put your hand on the cards and I’ll only ask you one question. Are you
ready? Good, what was your card? Think of its value and suit and just send the information to the
deck.”

Don’t forget to remind Anne that she is not to say anything out loud.

“I had you just think of the value and suit of your card. Let’s see if the deck can give us an answer. I’ve
also trained the deck to respond to a snap and automatically give me all the information I need!”

Snap your fingers over the deck and spread it slowly. If you have the table space then ribbon spread the
deck, if not, fan the cards between your hands. Either way, do so in a slowly and deliberately as you
reveal the aces [Photo 11].

“Oh yes. It seems that the deck is telling us your card was an ace. Yes definitely an ace but not the
spades, clubs or diamonds. Your card must be the Ace of Hearts.”

The spectators will be reacting to the unexpected revelations. Wait until you can regain their attention
before moving to the final revelation.
13
“But what about the Ace of Hearts? Well the deck always lets me finish the show. So I’ll turn Bob’s
Eight of Spades into Anne’s Ace of Hearts!”

35
Snap your fingers over the tabled card and reveal it is now the AH! Place the face-up AH in its proper
place in the stack [Photo 13]. (You can do this easily be either counting down four cards from the AD or
using the mark on the 5S.) Take your applause!

12 13

RESET

The reset is easy. Starting with the AS, turn over the AS and AC face-down, making sure they go above
the card that is on top of them in the fan. The AD is the exact opposite. You turn it face-down and make
sure it goes below the card beneath it in the fan. The AH is simply turned face-down right where it is in
the stack. You are reset.

COMMENTS

1) This routine only uses the top half of the Aronson stack, so the other half can be freely
mixed or reserved for some other effect like Dean Dill’s and Michael Weber’s “A New World,”
etc. See It All Depends for some other routines that can be done from the top 26 cards of the
Aronson stack.

2) You don’t have to perform this as a double mind reading effect. Instead you can force the 8S
and perform the first phase to reveal the 8S. Instead of doing the Card-Spread Switch, perform
an extra Larreverse. You now have the four aces secretly reversed in the deck and ready to be
used in another routine!

36
3) You can achieve the set up for this trick with the deck face-down as follows:

1) Cut the 7D to the bottom of the deck. (You can use the marks on the AC or 5S cards to help
do this with the deck face-down.)

2) Spread over the top three cards of the deck and cull the third card from the top (the AD) to
the bottom of the deck.

3) Spread over the top six cards and get a break below the sixth card (the AH). You can use the
mark on the 5S to quickly obtain the break.

4) Transfer the deck into the right hand end grip, maintaining the break with your right thumb.
Undercut about half the deck to the top. Transfer the deck back into left hand mechanics grip
and maintain the break with your left little finger. You are now ready to riffle-force the AH.

CREDITS

The origin of the effect in this chapter came from a group of “Mind Reading Deck” routines by
Simon Aronson in his book, Try the Impossible (2001). His routines also used the Aronson stack
but the deck only read one mind and they needed a table to be performed. For more
information on the "Double Mind Reading Deck” and other variations see my book, It All
Depends.

37
STORIES
SECTION TWO
 STORIES TO TELL

Everyone loves a good story and people find it fascinating that a deck of cards can be used to tell a tale.
One only needs to watch Bill Malone performing his version of “Sam the Bellhop” to see how
entertaining and commercial this kind of routine can be.

In the next two chapters I will teach several of my own story routines for the Aronson stack. Some use
the entire deck while others only use a small portion of the stack to create what I call “mini-stories”. As
far as I know, Paul Thomey was the first to create a story routine using the Aronson stack. His wonderful
routine, “The Legend of Southside Johnny,” is here for you to enjoy as well!

I began my search to find a story routine that I would enjoy performing many years ago. After a detailed
study of every story routine I could find, I realized that I wanted something different than what the
majority of story routines out there had to offer. I made a list of what I wanted in a story routine and
set out to create my own. The four basic criteria were:

1) Appropriate for basically any audience.

Almost all of the stories I found share similar elements: Bars, Bimbos, Blue humor, and revolved
around gambling themes. Now before you judge me a prude, hear me out. I enjoy watching the
performance of many of these routines. I just wanted to tell other kinds of stories and I wanted
a story I could perform for any audience. Don’t worry; if you just have to have Bars, Bimbos,
Booze and a royal flush finale, then Paul’s routine will not disappoint!

2) Clever and entertaining.

Part of the charm of a story deck routine is found in how well the story fits with the cards as
they are revealed. I especially liked the word play elements of some of the best story routines
and sought to incorporate that idea into my stories.

3) Magic during the story

One thing I wanted was actual magical effects as part of the story. Most story routines are
either performed by just dealing the cards off the top or, as in Bill Malone’s performance of
“Sam the Bellhop,” the cards are produced in various ways that are more demonstrations of skill
than magic. I wanted to add strong magic to the story but without slowing down the pace of the
tory. I think there are a lot of benefits to incorporating magic into the story (more on this later).

113
 4) A strong magical climax (something other than a poker deal).

I don’t have any problem, in general, with poker deals and performing effects that utilize
gambling themes (see CON-T.R.A.S.T. and the Poker-Tell Pack in this volume). Paul’s “The
Legend of Southside Johnny” is absolutely brilliant and uses a poker deal climax to great effect. I
just wanted a very magical ending that would surprise and amaze an audience.

After deciding on the criteria, I set out to create a story. The fact that I ended up creating more than one
story and that they use the Aronson stack still amazes me. I didn’t set out to create a story routine
specifically with the Aronson stack. I just began to see the stories in the stack over time. One even
came to me in a dream!

It is a great benefit that the stories are done with the stack you already are using for so many other
things. At the end of this section I will share some thoughts on how to use a story routine in the context
of other routines without betraying your use of a stack. I think that this is an extremely important topic
to consider carefully.

In the stories that follow, I believe I have met the criteria I set for myself. I am happy to put these
routines on the table for your consideration. I am also honored that Paul has graciously allowed me to
share his story routine with you as well. Honestly, I can’t believe that the Aronson stack can be used to
produce three completely different full deck story routines! I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. It’s
time for the Aronson stack to tell us some stories…

114
FULL DECK STORIES
CHAPTER FIVE
 LUNCH
AT
LOUIE’S

I have been using this routine for a long time and it never fails to get a great reaction from the audience.
The finale is quite magical and always takes the audience by complete surprise.

EFFECT

Three guys walk into Crazy Louie’s Pizza Shack…

SET UP

Move (or cull) the 8H between the QD and AH. Cut the 3C to the top of the deck (if you have marked
the 3C then you will be able to cut to the 3C easily) and put a crimp in the bottom card of the deck (the
6H). Finally, cut the JS to the top of the deck (easy with the scallop short).

[See COMMENT 1 for achieving the entire set up quickly and with the deck face-down!]

ROUTINE

Before you begin the routine, you must force the AS on a spectator. I use the Under-Spread Cull force
(see Card College, Vol. 1, pgs. 189-190), but any force will do. The AS is sixth from the top and in perfect
position for the cull force. Make sure to instruct your helper that he is to take the card and keep it
without looking at its face. Its identity is to remain a secret for now. Once the card is forced, you are
ready to begin the story.

“Have you heard the one about the three guys who walk into Louie’s Pizza Shack? No?”

The audience will just think you are setting up a joke.

“Well it’s not a joke! The three guys walk into Louie’s Pizza Shack…”

116
Perform a Charlier Cut (see Card College, Vol. 1 pgs. 172-173) at the crimp and turn over the top card to
reveal the 3C. Table the 3C face-up in front of you.

“…every Saturday to hang out and enjoy Louie’s world famous pizza. They always order the lunch
special. That’s two pizzas for nine bucks. Drinks not included. Crazy Louie isn’t that crazy!”

Double undercut the top card to the bottom. Perform the Two Card
Catch flourish: Hold the deck in the left fingertips. The thumb is on top
and the fingers are underneath the deck. Toss the deck into the right
hand. By using light pressure you will hold back the top and bottom
cards of the deck in your left hand [Photo 1]. Turn the two cards face-
1
up in the left hand. As you deliver the lines, thumb off the cards one at
a time onto the 3C creating a nice pile.

“Since they have come in every Saturday for years, they are treated like kings...”

Perform the classic Drop Flourish: with the deck in the left hand, push
the top card over to the right for about half an inch as you take the
deck in the end grip with your right hand. The side jogged condition of
the card is hidden by the right hand. Hold the deck about twelve
inches above the left hand. Drop the deck into the open left hand. As
2
you do, the air pressure will cause the top card to flip over and land on
top of the deck as the deck is caught in the left hand [Photo 2]. Place the king onto the tabled pile.

“…and they always leave their favorite waitress a six dollar tip. I would treat them like kings too!”

Perform John Cornelius’ Spring Set flourish (see The Award Winning Magic of John Cornelius by Lance
Pierce): push the top card over to the right for about one fourth of an inch. Use your left thumb to
contact the exposed portion of the second card from the top of the deck. Press down and to the left
with your left thumb. This will cause the top card to flip over and land back on the deck. Table the 6S.

“Their favorite waitress was named Hilda and she was from Germany.”

Double undercut the top card (the 4C) to the bottom of the deck. Perform a double lift of the top two
cards to show the QS. Leave the double face-up on the deck and take the deck in end grip with the right
hand.

“She had lived in the States for four years.”

Perform J.K.Hartman’s Popover Move (see Card Craft Pgs. 140-142) to

reveal the 4C: Hold the deck from above in end grip. The right fingers
curl around the front of the deck and contact the 4C. Move the right
fingers to the right, dragging the bottom card to the right with them.
Your palm up left hand is now slipped into the gap between the 4C and
the bottom of the rest of the deck. The left hand fingers grip the 3

117
bottom half of the deck while the right hand fingers pull the 4C up the front end of the deck (making the
4C pop out face-up) [Photo 3]. In a continuing action, the left hand pulls down on the lower half of the
deck. The 4C is now guided into the break by the right fingers and the break is allowed to close
(trapping the 4C). Strip out the 4C and table it on the pile.

“They asked her if she would ever move back. She said ‘Nein.’”

Turn the double face-down. Take the top card off the deck and perform the Pirouette Flourish and then
reveal the change into the 9C. Drop the 9C onto the pile. As you table the 9C, and receive the groans 4
you rightly deserve, get a break under the top two cards of the deck.

“…but she said, ‘I do get homesick.’”

Immediately perform a double-turnover to reveal the 6D. Table the 4

double face-up onto the pile [Photo 4]. Keep the two cards aligned to
hide the QS. There is plenty of misdirection here as the audience reacts
to the ridiculous word play.

“One Saturday she walked up to their table.”

Now double undercut the top card (the QC) to the bottom of the deck.
Hold the deck in your left hand in dealing position but held more at the 5
tips of the fingers. Turn slightly to your left and position the deck so its
back is facing the audience. The left fingertip contacts the outer short
edge of the deck and pulls this bottom card away from the deck slightly.
Slowly push the card towards you [Photo 5]. This will cause the card to
swing out and up. (See Royal Road to Card Magic-the move was created
by Dr. Jules Dhotel).

“She said, ‘Hey, I bet you guys want your usual “Two for Nine” deal.’ They said, ‘Yes,’ of course!”

Double undercut the 2C to the bottom. Perform the Two Card Catch flourish. Turn the two cards face
up in the left hand. As you deliver the lines, thumb off the cards (the 2C and 9D) one at a time onto the
tabled pile.

“She said, ‘Have you heard that Louie is jacking up the prices?’”

Double undercut the top card (the JS) to the bottom. The next series of revelations happen very quickly.
As you say “jacking,” quickly perform the Popover Move described above (revealing the JS).
Immediately flip the top card (the KC) face-up and onto the deck. Obviously your revelation of the cards
coincides with “jack” and “king.”

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As the audience reacts, (They will, trust me!) get a pinky break under the top two cards of the deck.
Strip out the JS and take the double card under the jack in end grip [Photo 6]. Move the jack so it is side
jogged to the left under the double [Photo 7].

6 7
“Louie is raising the price by five bucks!”

Drop the double onto the deck and snap. Spread the top three cards to reveal the face down card
sandwiched between the jack and king. Table the jack and king and then show the five and put it on the
pile.

NOTE: I personally use Eric Jones’ “Ishkabibble sandwich” procedure for the routine, (see his DVD set
Extension of Me for the details), but any sandwich effect process will work.

“The three guys thought that their ‘Two for Nine’ deal had just flown off into the sunset!”

Double undercut the top card to the bottom. Perform the Two Card Catch flourish again. Turn the two
cards (the 2H and 9S)face-up in the left hand. As you deliver the lines, thumb off the cards one at a time
onto the tabled pile.

“Hilda gave them a wink and said she’d give them the special anyway! The three guys loved that!”

Cut the deck to place the 3H below the crimped 6H. Perform a Charlier Cut at the crimp and turn over
the top card to reveal the 3H. Table the 3H face up on the pile.

“You know she was going to get that six dollar tip!”

Perform “Spring Set” again to reveal the 6C.

“Before Hilda left the table she said she needed two more things. She said, ‘I want to see my Saturday
afternoon magic trick.’ (Turning to one of the spectators say, “Did I forget to mention that all three of
them were magicians?”) Continue, ‘And I also need your drink orders.’ They had her pick a card and
hide it without looking at it. You have already done that.” (If the helper is a man I add: “You don’t look
anything like Hilda, by the way.”)

Turn over the tabled pile and put the left hand pile on top. Give the deck a good series of false shuffles
and cuts.

“The first magician took the deck, cut to an ace as he declared that Hilda was ‘number one.’ She was
flattered and impressed. He said he’d take a root beer.”

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Give the deck a false cut. Double lift to show the AC. Turn the double over onto the deck. Place the top
card (the 8D) onto the table face down.

“The second magician took the deck and gave it a fancy cut.”

Double undercut the top card (the AC) to the bottom of the deck. Give the deck any fancy false cut.

“He declared that out of all the pizza shacks in the world…”

Spread over around ten cards as a gesture to emphasize your words. You will see the mark on the 5S.
Get a pinky break one card above the marked 5S (above the 7S) and close the spread. This will allow for
a very easy triple turnover in a moment and without any awkward pause in the rhythm of the story.

“Louie’s, L-O-U-I-E-S was ‘Number one!’ And, yep, he found the second ace!”

Spell L-O-U-I-E-S taking each card under the last to retain stack order. Perform a triple turnover on the
“s” using your right fingertips to reveal the AD [Photos 8, 9 & 10]. Hold a break below the triple as you
turn it over to make the next turnover easier.

8 9 10
“He said he’d take a root beer too.”

Turn the triple over onto the deck and table the top card (the 8C) on top of the face-down 8D. As you
place the spread right hand packet back on top of the deck, get a break above the bottom card (the 7D)
of the spread packet. Retain the break and double undercut all the cards above the break to the bottom
of the deck. The 7D is now the top card of the deck. Give the deck a brief false cut or shuffle.

“Magician number three was known as the ‘King of Cards.’”

Perform a double turnover onto the deck to reveal the 3S. Take hold the face-up 3S with the right hand
in end grip. Turn the left hand palm down [Photo 11]. This reveals the king and hides the face-up seven
on top of the deck. Place the face-up 3S out-jogged on the bottom of the face-up deck to hide the
reversed 7D [Photo 12]. Square the deck. Turn the deck face-down and give the deck a cut. This will
centralize the hidden face-up 7D.

11 12

120
“He announced that not only would he find the third ace, but he would place his drink order at the
same time, without saying a word! Hilda said, ‘I’ve got to see this!’ He snapped his fingers over the
deck and spread it. And there in the middle of the deck was the seven…up…! After placing his drink
order… he counted down seven cards and found another ace!”

Snap your fingers and spread the deck to reveal the 7D [Photo 13]. Count down seven starting with the
7D. Use the right hand fan of cards to turn over the seventh card face up onto the left hand packet to
reveal the AH [Photo 14].

13 14
“Hilda said, ‘Wow, that’s amazing, but I’m confused. What about my card’”

You will now use the Card-Spread Switch (see Appendix A for a detailed description) for the next eight:
As you continue the story, use the right hand fan above the reversed AH to flip the AH face-down [Photo
15]. The right hand cards keep in contact with the reversed card as it is flipped face down. The bottom
card of the right hand fan ends up right above and virtually aligned with the card just flipped over [Photo
16]. The left thumb contacts the bottom card of the right hand spread and takes it onto the left hand
pack. At the same time, the left hand moves forward and deposits the top card (the 8H) onto the table
face down [Photo 17]. Slide the 8H under the other eights. 6

15 16 17

TIP: The move is very smooth and light. Do not pay attention to your hands while you do the switch.
This is one of my favorite switches and it is incredibly deceptive. (For more information on the Card-
Spread Switch see Card College, Vol. 4, pg. 814-15. Roberto Giobbi credits the move to Tony Kardyro.
Also see Paul Cummins’ description in Fusillade, pg. 39).

121
Continue by spreading over the top card of the left hand packet (the AH) and get a pinky break under it
[Photo 18]. Place the right hand packet on top of the deck. Spread up to the face-up 7D and then one
card above it. Turn the 7D face-down [Photos 19 & 20]. Make sure it goes above the card that was just
above it in the spread. This places the 7D back in its stack position. Replace the right hand cards back
on top to assemble the deck.

18 19 20
Cut to the break. Now the AH is the bottom card of the deck. Be careful not to accidently flash it!

“The magicians replied, ‘This whole thing has been about your card. Turn it over!’ She turned over her
selection. It was the final ace!”

The spectator turns over his card to reveal the final ace. Take it from him and perform a top change to
switch it for the 8S. Place it on the pile of eights on the table.

“By then the pizzas had arrived and they were so hungry they just ate and ate and ate and ate!”

Perform a thumb fan with the faces of the deck toward you. Take the eights in the right hand and fan
them face-down. Wave them in a magical gesture and turn the fan out so the audience will see the
faces of the fanned eights. Immediately stick each eight face-up into the fan each time you say, “Ate.”
You will do this in a very specific way to facilitate the reset of the order [Photo 21 has the cards reversed
for clarity]. The 8H is inserted about twenty cards from the top of the fan. The 8D is inserted about ten
cards back from the 8H. The 8C is inserted about ten cards back from the 8D. The 8S is inserted about
three cards from the bottom of the fan. This creates a nice final display and applause cue as you hold
the fan in front of you [Photo 22]. Your audience will be completely amazed at the transformation of
the aces into eights and laughing at the word play.

21 22

122
“So, have you heard the one about the three Nuns who walk into Carl’s Taco Emporium? Me neither!”

Now it is an easy matter to reset the deck.

Begin by closing the fan with the faces of the cards towards you 23
[Photo 23]. You are going to simply spread the cards from left to right
and as you do you will replace the eights in their proper stack positions.
The eights should be pretty close to where they belong.

Begin by turning the 8S face up on top of the AH [Photo 24]. Continue to spread the cards until you get
to the 7D [Photo25]. Insert the 8C above it [Photo 26].

24 25 26

Continue to spread until you get to the 6C [Photo 27]. Insert the 8D above it. As you continue to spread
the cards, down jog the 9S when you come to it, then continue spreading. Finally insert the 8H above
the 4C [Photo 28].

27 28

29 30

Get a break above the 9S with your right thumb as you square up the deck [Photo 29]. Swing cut the
half above the break to the left. As you take the top half of the face-up deck into your left hand, let the
bottom card (the AS) get dragged along to the left. Your right fingers pull the lower portion of the deck
to the right [Photo 30] and place it on the half of the deck now in the left hand to complete the cut. You
are back in Aronson stack order.

123
 COMMENTS

1) Here is the way I set up for the routine with the deck face-down: begin by cutting the 3C to the top.
Crimp the bottom card (the 6H). Now spread over the top seven cards and cull the seventh card (the
8H) under the spread. Continue spreading the deck from left to right until you get close to the bottom
third of the deck. Here you look for your secret mark on the 5S. When you see it, spread over one more
card (the QD) and insert the culled card below it. The 8H is now between the QD and AH. Because the
JS is a short card, it is easy to cut it to the top.

2) The story can be changed to suit your own style and personality. The sleights used to produce the
cards can be changed to suit your skill level and personal preferences. Be creative and really make the
routine your own.

3) In an effort to keep the story realistic in this constantly changing economy, here is a way to change
the script if someday the two pizzas for nine dollars seems too crazy (even for Crazy Louie): say, “They
always ordered two pizzas for nine bucks each. What a deal.” Another option is to change the story to
something that happened in the past instead of the present.

SCRIPT (UNINTERUPTED)

Have you heard the one about the three guys who walk into Louie’s Pizza Shack? No? Well it’s not a
joke! The three guys walk into Louie’s Pizza Shack every Saturday to hang out and enjoy Louie’s world
famous pizza. They always order the lunch special. That’s two pizzas for nine bucks. Drinks not
included. Crazy Louie isn’t that crazy!

Since they have come in every Saturday for years, they are treated like kings and they always leave
their favorite waitress a six dollar tip. I would treat them like kings too!”

Their favorite waitress was named Hilda and she was from Germany. She had lived in the States for
four years. They asked her if she would ever move back. She said “Nein” but, “I do get homesick.”

One Saturday she walked up to their table. She said, “Hey, I bet you guys want your usual ‘Two for
Nine’ deal.” They said, “Yes, of course!”

She said, “Have you heard that Louie is jacking up the prices? Louie is raising the price by five bucks!”
The three guys thought that their “Two for Nine” deal had just flown off into the sunset. Hilda gave
them a wink and said she’d give them the special anyway! The three guys loved that! You know she
was going to get that six dollar tip!

Before Hilda left the table she said she needed two more things. She said, “I want to see my Saturday
afternoon magic trick.” (Turning to one of the spectators say, ‘Did I forget to mention that all three of
them were magicians?’) Continue, “And I also need your drink orders.” They had her pick a card and

124
 hide it without looking at it. You have already done that. (If the helper is a man I add: You don’t look
anything like Hilda, by the way.)

The first magician took the deck, cut to an ace as he declared that Hilda was “number one.” She was
flattered and impressed. He said he’d take a root beer.

The second magician took the deck and gave it a fancy cut. He declared that out of all the pizza
shacks in the world, “Louie’s, L-O-U-I-E-S was Number one!” And, yep, he found the second ace! He
8 said he’d take a root beer too.

Magician number three was known as the “King of Cards.” He announced that not only would he find
the third ace, but he would place his drink order at the same time, without saying a word! Hilda said,
“I’ve got to see this!” He snapped his fingers over the deck and spread it. And there in the middle of
the deck was the seven…up! After placing his drink order he counted down seven cards and found
another ace!”

Hilda said, “Wow, that’s amazing, but I’m confused. What about my card?” The magicians replied,
“This whole thing has been about your card. Turn it over!” She turned over her selection. It was the
final ace! 16
By then the pizzas had arrived and they were so hungry they just ate and ate and ate and ate!

So, have you heard the one about the three Nuns who walk into Carl’s Taco Emporium? Me neither!

23

125
APPENDICES
 APPENDIX: A

THE LARREVERSE

The Larreverse, invented by Larry Jennings, is a very deceptive and versatile sleight that secretly
reverses a card in the deck. For several routines in this book, the Larreverse will be used to secretly
reverse a card while turning an already face-up card face-down.

Let’s say you have a card face-up in the center of the deck.
1
Above it is the face down card you want to secretly reverse.
1
Spread through the deck until you see the face-up card. Break
the spread with the face-up card on top of the left half. The
right hand holds the upper half still in its spread condition. The
bottom card of the right half is the card you wish to secretly
reverse [Photo 1].

2 2
To reverse the card, bring your hands together and push the
face-up card to the right with the left thumb. Take the face-up
card under the right hand spread aligned with the bottom card
of the right hand fan [Photo 2]. Rotate your right hand palm
down.

The spectators will see a face-down card at the face of the 3

spread [Photo 3]. Use your left thumb to drag the double card
onto the left hand pack. It appears that you simply righted a
reversed card. And you did! What they do not know is that
you now have a new card reversed in the deck [Photo 4-with
reversed card exposed]!

4
For a more detailed description of the Larreverse see Card
College, Vol. 4, pg. 1033-36 or Dai Vernon’s Ultimate Secrets of
Card Magic, pg. 47.

179
 THE CARD SPREAD SWITCH

This technique allows you to switch one card for another in the act of merely turning over a face-up card
in a spread of cards. As with the Larreverse taught above, there is a face-up card in the deck with a
specific card face-down above it in the spread. This time you will switch the two cards instead of
performing a secret reverse.

Begin by spreading the cards to show the face-up card [Photo 1]. 1

Use the right hand fan above the reversed card to flip the 2
reversed card face-down. The right hand cards keep in contact
with the reversed card as it is flipped face-down. The bottom
card of the right hand fan ends up right above and virtually
aligned with the card just flipped over [Photo 2].

The left thumb contacts the bottom card of the right hand spread
and takes it onto the left hand pack. At the same time the left 3
hand moves forward and deposits the top card onto the table
face-down [Photo 3]. The previously face-up card has now been
switched for the card that had been above it. The move is very
smooth and light. Do not pay attention to your hands while you
do the switch. This is one of my favorite switches and it is
incredibly deceptive.

For more information on the Card Spread Switch see Card College, Vol. 4, pg. 814-15. Roberto Giobbi
credits the move to Tony Kardyro. Also see Paul Cummins’ description in Fusillade, pg. 39.

180
 MORE MAGIC FROM ERIC RICHARDSON

MOMENTUM

Eric’s version of the haunted pack. Impromptu & ungimmicked!

Spread the cards across your palm and the selection
mysteriously moves out of the center of the spread. Your hands
remain completely still. Three routines are taught in this 55
minute download available at vanishingincmagic.com

IT ALL DEPENDS
IT ALL DEPENDS
This was Eric’s first book of creations for the fabulous Aronson
EXPLORING THE ARONSON STACK
stack. Each effect begins and ends in stack order and the stack
does not have to be memorized to use these routines! You will
find the amazing four-of- a-kind productions, ideas for multiple
selection routines and more. There are over 20 routines and
practical advice for using the stack in the real world. E-book
ERIC RICHARDSON
available at vanishingincmagic.com

THE VAMPIRE CARD

THE A vampire appears. It sneaks into the deck and sucks the ink
right out of a spectator’s thought of card, before they even say

VAMPIRE what it is! Finally, the vampire vanishes, the spectator’s card is
found to be unharmed and the audience can once again live
without fear of the undead. Includes shuffled deck and
CARD memorized deck version. E-book available at
elmwoodmagic.com