Acidus Directus: An Acidus Novus Handling Tweak

By Jay Jennings
(In the description below, when I say the front or back of the card, I mean in relation to the
performer. The front of the card is the part that’s facing you while you do the effect, the back is
the part that’s facing the spectator.)

While practicing Acidus Novus (AN) by Millard Longman, I stumbled across something that
makes the handling more natural for me. Instead of prefolding the card into fourths, I prefold the
card just one time, vertically (so it folds like a book). I fold it slightly off-center so at the bottom
the front overlaps the back slightly (at the top, you’ll be able to see the back up above the front).

When the spectator hands it to me I decide to fold it one more time. I’m holding it at the tips of
right and left fingers and thumbs and give it a slight horizontal fold in the center to get it going,
then move my thumbs to the bottom corners to push up and finish the fold.

Copyright 2017 by Three Ring Ranch www.ThreeRingRanch.com/Mentalism

My left thumb is at the folded corner, but my right thumb snags just the front of the card that’s
hanging down below the back of the card (remember the off-center fold). When I push my
thumbs toward my index fingers to complete the fold, the right thumb naturally goes in between
the front and back of the card.

When the fold is complete, my thumb is already in position so I can do the AN peek. I don’t have
to worry about getting it in position at an off-moment, because it gets in position while I’m just
folding the card again.

This is a tiny tweak to a really cool peek, and it may not be “necessary” for most people, but it
gives me one less thing to think about while performing.

Copyright 2017 by Three Ring Ranch www.ThreeRingRanch.com/Mentalism