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The Gift
by Steve Beam
Published by Trapdoor Productions
Copyright 2009 by Steven L. Beam

Cover design by Doug Canning

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www.stevebeam.com

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 This is my expansion of my variation of Stewart James' The magician reassembles the pack and tums it face down,
"Remember I told you the good news wes my daughter used a red-
Fourth Incantation (You may have correctly surmised the latter
backed deck, and the bad news was she used a blue mqrker and
is Stewart's fourth version of his own effect called Incantation.)
wrote really, really largeT " Cutting the pack and showing backs and
This is the latest and perhaps final stop for me in a journey that has
faces, "The worse news was the marks on the back didn't match the
worried and delighted me over a period several years and several
"finished" versions. The most recent was published Volume VII of faces on thefront. " The magician holds the pack face down so the
markings show
Semi-Automatic Card Tricks. The version you are now holding
"But there was some better news. The better news is she
has several important differences including the setup and the now
didn t use a peftnanent maker... " The magician passes his hand over
instant reset.
the pack and the markings disappear. ".,. and the markings simply
Overview. In its simplest form, the magician introduces a
disappear " The magician spreads the cards face down between his
pack of cards his daughter (niece, nephew, wife, etc.) has converted
hands and the markings have disappeared. "Now that's a gift I can
to a marked deck of cards. "The good news was she used a blue
use. " This is the third and final applause cue.
marker. The bad news was she used a red-backed deck of cards...
Detailed Routine. The magician addresses the audience, "A
and she wrote really, really large. " The magician turns the pack
couple of weel<s ago, my 7-year old daughter asked me, 'Dad, what
face down showing large, blue one-inch letters and symbols on the
are marked cards?' I explained that they are little marks on the
red-backed cards. "That was the bad news... the worse news was
backs of playing cards that tell you what thefaces are. She asked me
the marlts on the back... didn't match the cards on thefront." They
if I used them. I told her no, at my age, the marlrs are too small for
simply don't match. He goes on to explain he will attempt an effect
me to read. That seemed to satisfy her "
with the deck only since it was a gift, but for obvious reasons he will
The magician continues. "My birthday was afew weel<s
keep the deck face up.
He asks for a volunteer to name any card - an obviously
later She wanted to give me something that would make my act look
better, Since she couldn't afford hair plugs... she decided to mark a
free choice. This card serves as the prediction card and it is located,
deck of cards for ne. " The magician removes a deck of cards from
removed, and tabled face up. He then requests another volunteer to
a card case, 'oThe good news was she used a blue marker The bad
cut a small number of cards and to count them to arrive at a random
news was she used a red-bqcked deck of cards.,.and she wrote really
number. Ribbon-spreading about half the pack face up on the table,
the magician counts over to the random number, obviously expecting
big." The magician turns the pack face down showing large, blue
one-inch letters and symbols on the red-backed cards. "That was
to arrive at a card that matches the prediction. He removes the card
the bad news... tlte worse news was the marl$ on the back.., didnl
and holds it along with the prediction. He is obviously in trouble.
He reminds the audience there is writing on the back of the
"
match the cards on the front. The magician tums over the top card.
The card doesn't match the card that was indicated on its back. He
cards. He turns the prediction over to show the card written on the
cuts the pack, completes the cut, and tums over the new top card
back of the freely-chosen prediction matches the face of the card
showing once again the marks on the back aren't the same as the card
arrived at using the random number. This is the first applause cue.
on the face,
The magician explains that he understands how the
"So, I was wondering, what can I do with theseT I can't
prediction card predicted the card that would later be randomly
throw the cards away - they were a giftfrom my daughter. So, I
chosen, but he doesn't understand how the randomly chosen card
thought I would attempt to do some magic with them. For obvious
could predict the prediction card. He turns over the randomly chosen
reasons, I'll have to keep themface up." He flips the pack face up
card to show the name of the prediction card is written on its back.
and spreads them between his hands.
This is the second applause cue.
 is no way Ann could hqve lmown which card Betty would choose,
Turning to Ann, "I would like you to choose a back-up
there is even less of a chance Betty could have known what card Ann
prediction for us. You can call out your favorite card or you can
would choose at the beginning... which makes this ... impossible."
pick one of these cards to use as the prediction." Anne calls out
The magician turns over both cards, showing the back of the 9+
the 4?. The magician tables the prediction card face up in front of
and the face of the 4V, On the back of the 9*, the audience reads
Ann. Turning to Betty, "I want you to have a secret numbex Wy
the marks, the 4?. A second round of applause, "Letb hear itfor
donl you cut off a small number of cards and count them silently to
Betty."
yourself. "
The magician reassembles the pack and turns it face down,
As Betty counts her cards, the magician tums back to Ann.
"Remember I told you the good news was my daughter used a red-
"You could have picked one ofthese cards but you chose tojust
backed deck, and the bad news was she used a blue marker and
name one. " The magician ribbon spreads the pack face up on the
wrote really, really big? " Cutting the pack and showing backs and
table. Tuming to Betty, "What is your secret number? " She says
faces, "The worse news was the marks on the back didn't match the
it's 13. The magician responds, "Just whisper it... so nobody else
.faces on thefront. " The magician holds the pack face down so the
will lcnow il. " This is a funny predicament. Obviously there was a
markings show,
misunderstanding and Betty responded before the magician could
"But there was some better news. The better news was she
ask her to whisper her number.
didnl use a permanent maker when she marked the cards... " The
"Okay, I am going to count over to your 'secret'number in
magician passes his hand over the pack and the markings disappear.
the spread and we will all be infor a big surprise." The magician
"... and the markings disappeared... " The magician spreads
counts over to the thirteenth card in the face up spread and opens
the cards face down between his hands and the markings have
the spread at that point so the thirteenth card is visible. It's the 9iD.
disappeared. "... and that's a gift I can use." The magician is left
The magician rummages through the rest of the spread, apparently
with a completely reset, full deck of fifty-two cards, ordinary except
looking for something. Obviously, something is wrong. "Well, I'm
for the markings on the backs.
certainly surprised - arenl you? "
Preparation. Start with a blue permanent marker and a red-
Realizing something is definitely wrong, "Now might be
backed pack. A red-backed Bee deck is perfect for this as the small
a good time to remind everyone that Ann chose the prediction. "
design doesnlt interfere with the writing. Bicycles have the circles,
Turning to Ann and gaining some confidence, "And Ann, I think I cherubs, and spokes present which provide a busy background which
speakfor everyone in the room when I ask, just what the heck were
detracts from the writing.
you thinking? " The audience laughs at the predicament both Ann
Remove the kings and jokers and place them aside for now.
and the magician find themselves in. The magician removes the
(You can discard the jokers as they won't be used.) For the rest of
counted-to card from the spread and holds it in his left hand.
the cards, you will create a reciprocal pair for each card. The clubs
The magician has an idea. "I think I lrnow what you
will be paired with the hearts and the diamonds will be paired with
were thinking. You were thinking you were choosing the back-up
the spades. Just visualize the mnemonic "CHaSeD" split in two
prediction. And what do you do with a backup prediction? You turn
(CH/SD). The values when added together will total thirteen - just
it back-up. " The magician reaches for Ann's prediction card and
as in the invisible deck or the brainwave deck.
turns it face down ("back up"). On the back of the 4? the audiences
When you write on the backs, you want to be sure to
sees the markings for the 9i, the card you counted to in the spread.
concentrate the writing on the center of the backs. This is important
The magician takes his'applause. "Letb hear itfor Ann."
for the climax. I write the value and the symbol, such as A*, 4l , 7 Q,
After pausing for a moment, "Of course whenever there is a
101, sideways or with the card in landscape position. Together,
backup prediction, there must be a primary prediction. Wile there
the writing is about one inch high and no wider than one and a half
inches. This leaves a pristine border of almost 3l4ths of an inch on The last bit of preparation is to mark the long edges of the
the long edge and almost an inch on the short edge. Kt so you can spot it when the pack is square. Don't overdo this,
To match the writing on the back of each card with the but make sure you will be able to locate that king whether the cards
identity of the card on the face, you will pair the suits by matching are face up or face down.
clubs with hearts and spades with diamonds. The values of the actual ) Setup. Once you have marked all the cards except the Kl,
card and the one you write on its back will total thirteen as described. you are ready to place the deck in order. The order should appear
Thus, to determine the card to write on the back of the 4?
) random so you will want to mix the cards within the framework set
(for example), you will subtract four from thirteen yielding nine. by the following rule. The reciprocal cards must be placed 26 cards
And since hearts are paired with clubs, you will write 9* on the apart. Thus, if you choose to place the 8i on top of the deck, the 5?
back. By the same token, you will write 4v on the back of the real would be the 27'h card. If you choose to place the 3i second from
9i. the top, you would place the 10f at the 28'h position. You should
All of the cards in the pack share this simple relationship altemate to the extent possible the values and the suits as you choose
except for the kings. Obviously, since their values total thirteen there each successive card. By mixing the suits and values in the top 26
has to be an adjustment to the system. On the back of the K? and cards, you will automatically achieve a random appearance in the
Kri you will write the other matching king using the fact that hearts lower half as well. Thus, you might have cards at the following
pair with clubs as explained above. On the back of the Kt you will positions:
write the Kl. However, on the back of the Ki, you will not write
anything * leaving it blank. 1-8Q 27-5|
The list below summarizes the relationships between the 2-3^ 28 - 10r
actual cards and the ones you will write on their backs. Remember 3-Q? 29-A&
the relationships work both ways. Thus, the "Aii/Q?" that starts the 4 -2r 30-Ji
chart means you will write A* on the back of the Q? and Q? on the 5 -7s 3l - 6i
back of the A*. 6-Kt 32 -Kt
7 -91 33-4*
A*/Q? Ai/Qr etc. etc.
2*lIf 2^lJ)
3rl10? 3il10i Finish by cutting the pack so the Kl is just a few cards from the face
4el9t 4^19) of the deck.
5*/8? 5^/8i Performance. Assume in your audience, Betty is on your lefl
6*17t 6st7t ) and Ann is on your right. Remove the deck of cards from the case
7&l6r 7sl6t \\ holding it face up. As you discuss the markings, turn the pack face
8i/5v 8i/5r J down. Suiting actions to words, show the marks on the back aren't
9a141 9sl4t the same as the cards on the front. It helps to have a rough idea of
10a/3? 10i/3i where the Ki is so you don't inadvertently flash its unmarked back
J*l2a J^12) while tuming the card immediately above it over.
Qi/A? Qr/Ar Turn the pack face up and ask Ann to name a card to be used
KlD /I(? Ki/Blank Back, and Kl/I(i as a prediction. Assume she names the 4?. Spread through the
cards and split the pack above the named card and table the 4" in
Place the cards that remain in the left hand face down on the
front of her to your right. Place the upper half under the lower half,
table to the left of the spread. Ask for the number as you take the
effectively cutting the pack as you reassemble the halves,
cards back from the second spectator. You can confirm the count if
Turn to Betty and invite her to cut off a small packet so as
you wish. Otherwise, simply turn the packet face up, reverse spread
not to take too long, When she cuts off her packet, note the top card
them with your left fingers and drop them on the left side (face)
of the packet remaining in your hands. Do the math to arrive at the
of the tabled spread where they basically continue the spread by
matching card to this card using the invisible pack relationships as
forming the left end.
discussed above. Assume the Ja is now on the face of the packet
Count over to the random number from the right side of the
you hold. Your key card will be the 2l (13-lI=2, clubs are paired
spread. Slide that card out of the spread, opening the spread further
with hearts),
at that point, and take it in your left hand. Pick up the "back-up"
As she counts her packet, furn back to Betty and spread the
prediction with your right hand. Reveal the fact that the backs of
remaining cards between your hands. You are going to spread back
both cards cross-match the face of the corresponding cards.
to the 2V. You know approximately where it is. It is 26 cards behind
When finished with that part of the effect and you are ready
the Jt. When you locate the 21, cut the packet one card above the
to reset, insert either of the two primary cards face up into the
mate so the 2l is the second card from the face of the left hand's
opening in the spread from whence the counted-to was removed.
packet. This assures you will have 25 cards in the cut off packet.
Place the other card on the face ofthe spread.
With your right hand, reverse spread this packet of 25 cards on the
Finish by "rolling" the face down packet on your left over
table from your right to your left.
to the right onto the face of the spread and scoop up everything.
Return to Betty for her number. Assume she has 13 cards.
The packet is now ready for the climax - and it is reset for the next
Starting from the right (back) to the left (face) ofthe spread, count
performance.
to the 13th card, Since you are facing your audience, this will look to
Optional Climax - The Vanish. This relies on a color change.
them as a leftto-right count. You will arrive at the mate to the 4V,
the 9ri.
Any change you are comfortable with should work here. The
change you use will dictate where you cut the blank-backed Kr to.
Feign difficulty as you lift the 9ii from the spread and hold
The change will occur with the audiences looking at the backs of
it in your left hand facing out. Pick up the prediction card, the 4Y,
the cards so they will see a marked back change into a plain back.
and hold it facing the audience, To reveal your first prediction, tum
Thus, if you prefer to palm a card off the bottom of the pack when
the four so the markings can be read by the audience. To reveal your
you execute a change, you would openly cut the Kr to the bottom
second prediction, turn the 9t so its markings can be read while you
of the face-down deck, Remember the edge marking will make the
tum the face of the four back to the audience.
Re-Sgtting Before the Vanish. First, let's recap the process
king easy to locate even when the deck is squared. However, if you
prefer, you can simply spread through the pack and cut it to the face.
from the beginning adding in the apparently unimportant handling
(If, on the other hand, you prefer the Erdnase Change, you would cut
along the way that allows you to reset the entire trick. Once the
the Kr to a position second from the top.)
spectator cuts off a small packet to arrive at a random number, locate
As soon as you execute the change and show the unmarked
the mate to the key on the face of the talon. It should be 26 cards
card on top, execute a two handed fan. The fact that the markings
from the face of the packet. Cut the pack 1 card above the mate,
are centered on the backs will keep them from showing during
so that the mate is the second card from the face of the left hand's
packet. Spread the right hand's 25 cut-off cards face up on the table the fan so it appears the markings have vanished. This is the third
applause cue.
in a long reverse ribbon spread (from right to left).
If you simply transferred a card from the bottom of the
pack to the top to execute your change, the pack is already reset,
identities of the cards very small. And, since you are doing
However, If you used a change such as the Erdnase Change which
it that way on the court cards, to be consistent you should do
transposes two cards, you have only to change the order of the Ki
it that way on the faces of the other cards - even when you
with the card now second from the top before replacing it in the case.
have plenty of blank space on the card. The current method
(Again, this reset displacement would not be necessary if you use a
of marking on the backs gives you plenty of room, and is
color change that simply cuts the pack rather than changing the order
more aesthetically pleasing.
of the cards or simply transfers the bottom card - Ki - to the top.
(2) There is no justification for writing the names of cards on
After all, transfering I card from the bottom to the top is the same as
the faces of other cards in the original. Having moved
cutting the pack,)
the markings to the back, there is a perfectly logical and
Leftovers, If Betty reverses the cards as she counts them,
mildly entertaining explanation to justiff the presence of
you can't reset the effect because her cards are now in reverse order.
the markings - a gift from my daughter. It also adds an
Regardless of whether she reverses them, Doug Canning suggested
additional bit of novelty when you explain you are going to
taking the cards back from her immediately after you use her secret
try to perform a card trick with the cards face up. You have
number to count to the card at her number in the ribbon spread.
provided a logical and entertaining back story for the deck.
"Are you sure you counted 13? I think you missed a card. May I
(3) Having moved the markings to the backs allows you to use
count the cards? Some people arenl overlyfond of math and have
keys to identify where to cut the cards to make your tabled
trouble when you get up to ... double digits like 13. Count along
ribbon-spread. In the original, you were required to deal 25
with me. " If the cards have been reversed by her, reverse count them
cards to the table. The slowness of the deal highlighted that
onto the left end of the spread as you count to 13, If the cards were
it was unrelated to the effect and there was no justification
not reversed, simply spread count them in your hands and then drop
for dealing precisely 25 cards.
them onto the face of the spread. This shows she counted correctly,
(4) Moving the markings to the backs permits you to allow the
but the magician now tries to 'oshare the blame" for his thinking she
first spectator ("Ann") to name any card she would like used
had miscounted. "Please... just because we were mistaken,.. there's
as a prediction rather than having her select the prediction
no need for ypu. to feel embarrassed. " This cements the "magician o'any-card-called-for"
card from a face down pack. This
in trouble" plot and shortens the time between the second and third
adds a bit of the "Brainwave" flavor to the effect.
climax.
(5) Moving the markings to the backs also permits a very clean
Background. I hope you will consult my inspiration for
double climax since the unsuspected second climax is
this routine. The primary inspiration is from Stewart's Fourth
stronger than the first climax - and both feed and strengthen
Incantation in Allan Slaight's incredible tome, The James File
the third and final climax.
(2000). Allan also gave me permission to reprint it in Volume IV of
Semi-Automatic Card Tricks in2002. There were a few changes
My first reworking of Stewart's original was published in
I wanted to make to Fourth Incantation, and then a few benefits
Volume 5 of Semi-Automatic Card Tricks as Fifth Incantation.
happened to accrue as a result,
There, I alluded to the fact you could eliminate the 25-card deal
through in both the original and in my version by using a relational
(1) In Fourth Incantation,the markings were on the faces of the
stack or a memorized deck. My next attack on this was in Volume
cards. This created a problem in that it is difficult to write
7 of Semi-Automatic Card Tricks where I implemented a stack to
on the faces ofthe court cards. Ifyou solve that problem by
eliminate the deal-through, and permitted any card called for as a
writing in the margins on the faces, you must write the
prediction card. I also added the vanishing writing, apparently
10
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converting the deck to a normal deck. In the version published here
for the first time, I incorporated all previous changes, simplified the
set-up, removed an odd joker, and improved the reset,
Finally, my first performance of this effect with third climax
was at the August 2004 gathering of 31 Faces North. This event,
hosted by Allan Slaight and David Ben, is held annually in Toronto
to honor Stewart James. This was the feature of my lecture there.
What better group could there have been to dust with this effect than
a group gathered to honor the inspirational source?

Also by Steve Beam:

Semi-Automatic Card Tricks (Volumes 1-8)

The Trapdoor (1993-1 998)
Digital Effects - The Magic of Joe Moger
Counter Attack
Noteworthy
Hand-Picked Card Tricks
The Underhand Shuffle
Multiple Impact
Teaching an Old Deck New Tricks
Magic for the British Aisles
Magic with No Entertainment Value
Sound Effects
Vienna Notes

www.stevebeam.com