THE

MANUSCRIPT SERIES
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THE WORKING PROFESSIONAL’S’S

AMBITIOUS CARD

Jim Sisti
 THE WORKING PROFESSIONAL’S AMBITIOUS CARD
Written by Jim Sisti
Digital Photography by Richard Robinson

INTRODUCTION
Though there is little that is “new” in the way of sleights here, this routine came from years of careful trial
and error. The five phases represented here are the final result. I’ve found, after thousands of performances, that
for the walk-around performer, this routine is just the right length to maintain spectator interest. Also, like any
magic routine where the same effect is apparently repeated a number of times, each phase offers an apparently
more impossible set of circumstances. It also ends with a natural applause cue.

PHASE ONE

Fan the cards toward the spectator and ask that a spot card
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be selected (Photo 1). Explain that you’re going to have him sign
the card and that a signature will not show up as readily on a court
card. Once a selection has been made, give the spectator a felt-tip
marker and have them sign their name boldly on the card’s face
(Photo 2).
Hold the deck in standard Mechanic’s Grip in the left hand,
using your thumb to riffle down the outer corner. Invite the specta-
tor to stop you in the middle. When they’ve stopped you, the right
hand lifts the cards above the stop point and the lower packet is
extended for the selection to be replaced (Photo 3). When the
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card has been returned, the top half of the deck is replaced and the
right little finger holds a minute break. This break is only held
momentarily. Tip the deck forward so that its top is angled toward
the spectator and perform the Classic Pass (Photo 4). This is
done while you are apparently tabling the deck. To the spectator, it
should appear as if the card was replaced in the center of the deck
and you merely put the deck onto the table (Photo 5).
While it’s true that another control could be used here other
than the Pass, you should keep in mind that the effectiveness of the
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first appearance of the selection on top of the deck will be in direct
proportion to the amount of handling to the deck that occurs after
the selected card’s replacement. For example, a Side Steal, when
done well, would be a worthy replacement for the Pass but the
standard Double Undercut would strip the first phase of almost
any magical value. In performance, if you feel that your control
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technique (be it the Pass or Side Steal) was a bit off, you may
Double Lift to show an indifferent top card before tabling the deck.
This should only be done, however, when you’ve inadvertently given
the spectator a reason to believe that something has happened.
Explain to the spectator that, because the card has been signed,
his selection now feels that it’s better than all of the other cards in
the deck. (As a joke, I always add, “…which is no reflection on you
as a person.”) You now stress that there has been no apparent
funny business by saying, “You see, though there’s been no cuts,
shuffles or magician’s sneaky stuff, if I just merely snap my fingers,

5 your card sifts its way through all of the other cards and rises to the
top.”
I conclude this first phase by turning over the selection and
leaving it face up on the tabled deck (Photo 6).

PHASE TWO
Pick up the deck with your right hand and place it into the left

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hand back into Mechanic’s Grip. Pluck the face-up selection off
the top of the deck with the right hand by the edges with the thumb
at the near edge and the other fingers at the far edge. As you lift
the card, engage the card directly under the selection and lift it up
at the rear for about a quarter-inch to prepare for the Tilt maneu-
ver (Photo 7). Snap the selection off of the fingertips so that you
now hold it with the thumb in back and fingers on its face. Turn it
face down and apparently insert the card into the rear of the deck.
To enhance the Tilt illusion, first angle the selected card mi-

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nutely and use it to push some cards out of the center (Photo 8).
Then, move the card up into your Tilt break (Photo 9). From the
front, it will appear to the spectators that you have genuinely re-
placed the card into the center (Photo 10). Square everything up.
Now, snap your fingers and do a Hit Double Lift (Photo 11), show-
ing the selected card’s second return to the top of the deck (Photo
12).

PHASE THREE

8 Do a double turnover to apparently turn the selection face

down on top of the deck (Photo 13) and thumb off the top card
into the right hand (Photo 14). Insert it into the near end of the
deck face down in its center. Keep it outjogged for half of its length
(Photo 15). The spectators should believe at this point that this
card is the selection. Now, do another Hit Double Lift (Photo 16),
apparently showing that the top card of the deck is an indifferent
one. I usually say something like, “Now, we know that your card
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can’t be here (indicating the indifferent card showing on top due to
the Double Lift as in Photo 17) because your card is here (indicat-
ing the outjogged card as in Photo 18).” Turn down the double,
wait a beat and then push the outjogged card flush (Photo 19).
Turn over the top card to show that the selection has once again
traveled to the top and leave it face up on the deck (Photo 20). My
accompanying patter, after turning the double face down, “How-
ever, if I push your card in here…then it comes here. Simple, yes?”

PHASE FOUR
The signed selection is on top of the deck face up. Pick up the
deck with the right hand and put it into left-hand Mechanic’s Grip.
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Leave the selection face up and slip cut it into the middle of the
deck (Photo 21). Replace the upper portion but backjog it by about
an inch (Photo 22). This is apparently for the spectator to get one
last glimpse of the card and its position. However, this really pro-
vides you with a way to easily obtain a break one card above the
face-up selection.
Place your index finger on the outer edge of the pack and tilt
your hand forward. The backjogged packet will slide forward, flush-
ing in the front. In the back, however, you will find one card injogged
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(Photo 23). With the right thumb, push down on the injogged
card and obtain a break above it with the left little finger. Square up
the deck while maintaining this break. Perform the Classic Pass
yet again (Photo 24). When this has been accomplished, the se-
lection will be face up directly below the top card.
With the right thumb, lift up the top two cards in the back
and get a momentary little finger break. This will aid you in being
able to lift the top two cards off as one, which you now do with
your thumb on the near edge and your fingers on the far edge
(Photo 25). With the left thumb, push the new top card off the
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side of the deck halfway (Photo 26) and lever it face up on top of
the deck with the double card in the right hand (Photo 27). Re-
place the double card on top of the deck but injogged so as to
expose about half of the face-up card on top (Photo 28). You will
now perform the Paintbrush Change to apparently turn this indif-
ferent card into the selection.
With your thumb in the rear of the pack and your fingers
lightly on the back of the top card, push the double forward until it
is flush with the deck (Photo 29). Use your left index finger as a
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stop to ensure that everything aligns properly on the far (spectator’s)
side. Now, with your right fingers, pull just the top, face-down,
card back half way to show the change (Photo 30). For maximum
impact, the change should be done smoothly but quickly. One mo-
ment, the spectators see an indifferent card, it’s covered for an
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instant and then, it has apparently changed into the signed card.

PHASE FIVE
To end the routine, turn the double face down and cleanly
thumb the top card off the deck onto the table (Photo 31). The
spectators should believe that this is the selection. Cut half of the
cards in your left hand off with your right, holding them with the
thumb in the near left-hand corner and the middle finger on the

15 outer right-hand corner. The index finger rests on the middle of the
deck (Photo 32). By flexing the thumb and middle finger and ex-
erting pressure with the index, you’ll find that you can spring the
cards with a great deal of control into a neat pile. What’s more,
with practice, you’ll be able to cascade the cards but retain the top
one in your right hand. This will be the finale for the routine.
Once again, the spectators believe that the signed card is
on the table. Spring the cards in your right hand onto the apparent
selection in the manner just described (Photo 33) but retain the

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top one. If done properly, the flourish should provide its own mis-
direction and the fact that you have one card left in your hand will,
most times, go unnoticed. Ask the spectator, “Did you see that?”
The spectator will jump to the conclusion that the card is now on
top again. Though that would certainly be magical enough, snap
the card that remains in your hand over to show that the selection
has made a very impressive appearance (Photo 34). The disbe-
lieving spectator diving for the tabled cards will be ample reward
for your efforts.

17 CREDITS
Tilt (or Depth Illusion)—Dai Vernon or Edward Marlo, depend-
ing on who you talk to.

Paintbrush Color Change—Dai Vernon and Stanley Collins

18 19
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21 26

22 27

23 28

24 29

EXPOSED VIEW
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