Sleight of Hand, or Hands?

Reuben The Great · Sleight of Hand, or Hands?

Hey everybody, new creation, I think it's my best yet. Tell me what you think, I took into account everything we talk about, spectators having to care, being interested, good premise, minimal sleights, and here it is.

"What I'm about to show you isn't like every other card trick, since i'm not like every other magician. First, we'll get a card selected, and returned to the deck (this happens)."

"Now, has anybody heard of sleight of hand? Great, it makes my job a heck of a lot easier! But if you think about it, isn't sleight of hand a bit misleading? I mean, it's called sleight of HAND, not HANDS, yet magi's use two hands to amaze you. You guys look like you want the real deal. So here it is, with only ONE hand, in true sleight of HAND fashion, I'll attempt to locate your card"

Putting one hand behind his back, he continues with one handed shuffles and cuts, and finally arrives at one card, which he flips over with his one hand. It isn't theirs.

"There's one thing I forgot to mention, in sleight of HAND, only one of the hands does the magic" He points to his other hand, now casually resting on the tabletop, as it lifts. One face down card underneath, its theirs.

Hope its original, it's easy and minimal sleights. Tell me what you think!

BrianMillerMagic

I love the presentation actually Reuben - very intriguing.

Michael Kras

While the One-Handed Card Trick premise has been done to death, your presentation is very good and I love the simplicity of the method and effect itself.

Reuben The Great

Great, and great!

I may have a winner. Eager to hear some other responses, I swear to god, every time I pick up a brand new deck of guardians, i create something. I found guardians and tragics a a local wal mart, how weird is that! i bought like all of them:P

Liam

i like it!
i would make sure i was doing the shuffles and cuts pourly... anything fancy that uses only one hand will proove beyond a doubt you are a master with cards

Reuben The Great

Yes, but why is that a bad thing? For me it's not anyway, my persona isn't full retard with Bicycles.

Liam

is your persona a sleight of hand artist or a magician?
personally i wouldnt do much mor then charliers...

i think maybe you could work it into the plot... how you are really good at sleight of hands, but you are rusty at sleights of hand wich explains the messiness.
But hey, its your routine.

Reuben The Great

I'm not sure if you mean I SHOUKLD be rusty at sleight of handS, or not, but by cuts I mean charliers and maybe another kicker thrown in there, nothing completely fancy. My persona, is a difficult one, because I'm not really sure If i'm telling my audience its magic or sleight of hand, good question.

But I mean, I think you could work in you perfecting your sleight of HAND, which is why it may be as good as with two hands. I dont think it really makes that much of a difference to be honest, you're right though, some charliers would be enough.

Thanks for the advice! Smile

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LIVR

There is already this exact trick out there with a better method (the creator escapes me at the moment, but maybe I'll remember).

The advantage of the old method is that you put one hand *in your pocket*, then have a card selected, and after you fail to find it, you explain, it's a one-handed card trick; you just forgot to say WHICH hand. You then pull the chosen card out of your pocket.

Your handling with the hand on the table reminds me of a similar bit used by Eugene Burger. You have a card returned and blatantly give the deck a cut and do an awful top palm and put your hand on the table. You ask "Do you believe your card is still in the deck?" and push the card out from under your hand and turn it over "I know, it's not your card. I just wanted to show you I can do that."

Reuben The Great

Well LIVR, it's obviously not the same then. I was just talking to the owner of the magic shop near me and another guy (Jeff Hinchcliffe for Ben's reference) and he said so far it's original in his eyes, and he showed me the effect you've described, which, by yout statement being "exactly the same", is extremely not. In The one you describe, he even did the same patter, the other hand, blah blah.

And haha, I seriously cannot see how you can make a better method out of a control and a palm, that's just completely over-analyzing it, and splitting hairs. Thanks for the response though, that's what I was looking for!

Anyway, Jeff told me I should keep the hand behind my back and reveal it, like other effects, I think it would be stronger.

Michael Kras

Actually, it is the same... it makes no difference where the hand goes, the method is identical, the basic effect is identical, so technically speaking it has been done. Your effect seems like a mixture of Whack Your Pack and the one handed card effect Livr described. So unfortunately, it has been done. It's like doing a blue deck Chicago Opener and using a green card instead of a red one.

However, as Lee Asher once told me, if you independently recreate something originated by a magic legend, you know you're on the right track.

Reuben The Great

And Jeff told me the same thing.

And Mike, I got LOTS OF STUFF AT BROWSERS!

And the time when the sleights occur are totally different, I mean, Jeff shows me the one handed card trick or whatever and he said the effect used a duplicate or something, I can't remember what he said, He explained the EXACT effect, so no, it hasn't been done.

Ben Train

I agree with LIVR- it's basically the same trick.

The creator Jeff SHOULD have mentioned (JEFF!) is Jason Dean. I'm not sure if the effect predates him.

Ben

Reuben The Great

Yeah, Ben did say it was Jason Dean, but he said mine was original :S

He also showed me an ace assembly he created with your help apparently, awesome!

Ben Train

I won't lie- anytime someone uses something of mine, either as an influence or to perform, it makes me blush. Especially when it's someone who's work I respect, like Jeff's.

On that note-

Jeff's latest book contains some GREAT material, including: a great Triumph, a killer multi-phase card routine, and the best handling of oil and water I've ever seen.

Do yourself a favor and pick it up. You won't be disappointed.

Ben

Reuben The Great

Would this be the lecture notes from his lecture that we attendedin the summer? If so, that was AMAZING.

Ben Train

from those notes, yes.

A great set of work.

Ben