Lately I have been experimenting with the any card at any number effect. I think Barrie Richardson's method from Theater of the mind is great. Another effect I want to learn is the selected card at any number that Tom Mullica does on expert cigarette magic. In that trick the selected card ends face up on the position a spectator names. The spectator does the counting. Mullica doesn't explain the effect. Anybody who knows how it's called and where I can find this effect? To me it looks very clean.

Well, if you don't think doing the counting yourself is suspicious, you can always achieve the card at number selected effect via second or bottom dealing. That way, the card can just sit on top or bottom of the deck the whole time you're dealing, until you're ready to reveal it to the spectator.

Don't forget Elmsley's "Diamond Cut Diamond". You openly extract from the deck ten diamond cards from A to 10 and put them aside (in sequence), spectator chooses a card and a number from 1 to 10, the diamonds are now dealt face up except for the choosen number, which is left face down. Spec turns that card over: it's the selection. This is very visual and "logical", and you never have to deal three quarters of the deck before getting to the selection.

ANY CARD at any number? Not sure what you mean - can they just name a card and number and there it is? There is lots of work on the "card at any number" AFTER a selection. Here's a couple of ideas:

1) Use a memorized deck...

2) a bottom deal...

3) Known number replacement and adjustment in the count...

4) Charlie Miller has a version in the very first Magicana that is beautiful and direct, and Bill Woodfield has his version of Millers' trick, sans sleight of hand, in the next Magicana (circa 1965)...

5) Jack McMillen has the grandaddy of all in ECT - it is improperly credited and described, though - no number is named, the spectator just deals 'til he feels like stopping and the card he stops on is his... If you're interested I'll post the work on this...

6) Larry Jennings has a version that Persi Diaconis describes (it is in the introduction to Revelations, Vernons' commentary on Erdnase...) where the spec deals into the performers hand 'til he feels like stopping...

The Miller, McMillen and Jennings versions are direct, elegant solutions. Vernon has work on this in his Magic Inc. Lecture notes. Many other solutions exist. The ones I've listed above are ones that I use all the time and have had success with for the last thirty years. Hope this helps...

Best, PSC

Hello Chrisis, The effect I'm thinking of is in Encyclopedia of card tricks by Jean Hugard
called the "52 card trick"
effect: A spectator thinks of a card and number from 1 to 52, the magician counts the cards face up, and the chosen card lands on the selected number. There is no set up and this effrect is inpromptu.

pm me for more info
vinny

Have a card selected and control to 4th or 5th from the top, but in a way that precludes any shuffling. You want the spectator to have no doubt that their card is lost in the center of the pack. A bluff replacement or well executed pass would work well. Then spread the cards and cull out the selected card and tell your spectator to touch any card in the pack. Comment on how great it would be if that was their card, turn it over, it's not, but WAIT, let's say the card they selected was a 5, hand them the deck and have them count five down from their five and there's the card. After flipping the card, mentally count down 4 cards and load the selection in while closing the spread and handing it to them, leaving the 5 face up.

Also "Numero Uno" by Harry Lorayne will be one of your interested effect.

I enjoy performing it!

Koji

Daryl also has a version in his "Revelations" videos. Same effect. Spect selects a card and picks a number. The card ends up on that #.

Definitely interested...!

A Card and a Number from Al Baker's first book is a practical way to achieve a strong effect of this kind.

Paul Cummings "Count on it" is a very nice effect in that manner of 'card arrives at the number the spectator chooses'. Plus it kind of gives you a double effect of being able to cut out any number of cards from the deck that the spectator names.

Thank you for all the reactions. I will certainly read more about all the tips. Some of them I know, like 'Count on it', indeed a very nice effect. I'm still looking for the exact name of the Mullica trick.

Hi Chrisis,

You mean T.Mullica does this trick on his Expert Cigarette Magic Made Easy Videos(three-volume set)?

I suppose no card tricks in these videos, but I will check it again.

Koji

David Regal has two variations of this in his book Star Quality

The effect is best presented "hands off." Unfortunately, it is much more difficult to do it that way! Close-up, you CAN get away with doing the dealing yourself, but it must be very fair and open dealing--not like a card sharp!

It is actually very closely related to Paul Curry's "Open Prediction" plot, and you should search for the 247 methods (almost half by S. James) for that trick if you have an interest in ACAAN.

My favorite version is the one I do in my car: the spectator just names any card and any number. She opens the glove compartment and finds a single deck of cards. She counts down to her number and finds her card. All the while I'm just driving along, implicitly, but strongly, negating any sleight of hand!

chrismatt,

wow! that's an unbelievable trick! can i find the method to your glove compartment effect in "ACAAN"?

(Incidently, what's ACAAN?)

Flip, ihave Star Quality. But ive never had the chance to read through it properly, could you tell me the names of these two variants please?

Thanks.

An easy but not quite so beautiful way would to just control selection to top and then backslip wherever the spectator wants the card.

Sure. Check page 37 for "Any Card-Any Number" or Page 41 for "Up for the Count".

You really need to read this whole book. If you don't, you're really missing out.

Ken Krezel has a nearly "sleightless" version in his book "Igenuities" also. It's called "Simulcrum Mirablis (sp)". It's quite good also.

ACAAN simply stands for "Any Card at Any Number." It is not a book or ms. My version of the effect is not published, nor is it likely to be. It was developed after hearing about a similar presentation by David Berglas, who is renowned for his version of the trick.