Card College Volume 1

1996·75.66 MB·english

by  Roberto Giobbi

G(RTO GOG'S
\JOLUM( I
A COMPLEJ( COURSE: IN SL(IGHT- CARt MAGIC
0~-HAND
Roberto Giobbis
CARD COLLEGE
Volume 1

Roberto
GWbbi~
CARD COLLEGE
Volume 1
illustrated by
BARBARA GIOBBI -EBNOTHER
Translated from the German by
RICHARD HATCH
-~-
HERlVIETIC PRESS, INC.
Seattle, Washington
THANKS!
This course is my most ambitious work to date. It would not have been possible in its
current, professional form without the help of the following people.
First I would like to thank my wife and friend, Barbara, for the roughly fifteen hundred
illustrations she painstakingly drew for this five-volume course; and for her constructive
criticism, her concrete suggestions on the form and content of the course, and for her
understanding. Without her help this work would never have been written.
I would also like to thank Richard Hatch, who undertook the enormous ta..c;;k of
translating my German text with elegance and painstaking precision. Having been a
professional translator myself, before adopting my vocation of professional magician,
I can vouch for the high quality of his translation. Collaborating with a man who has
translated the works of the Viennese genius Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser gave this task
an almost mythical flavor for me.
Great thanks go to Stephen Minch, who unites all the qualities it takes to produce a work
that yearns to be the best of its kind. His knowledge of the history of magic and of the
requisites of performance are only equaled by his skill as a publisher. His suggestions on
credits, historical annotations, technical details and matters of instruction have added
considerably to make this book easy and pleasurable to read. It is an honor for me to
publish my book with Hermetic Press.
Finally, I would like to thank my magical friends, the genial Juan Tamariz, the brilliant
Bernard Bills, the well-read Richard Vollmer and the circumspect Aurelio Paviato,
for their direct and indirect suggestions, which have influenced the contents of
these volumes.
A version of this book was published in German as Grosse Kartenschule, Band 1
by Magic Communication Roberto Giobbi. Copyright © 1992 by Roberto Giobbi.
English language edition copyright © 1996 by Roberto Giobbi and Stephen Minch.
Chapter photos by Debbie Murray.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions.
Published in the United States by Hermetic Press, Inc., Seattle.
Printed in the United States of America
ISBN 978-0-945296-18-8
Revised Second Edition
20 19 18 17 16 15 14 13
contents
Foreword xi
Introduction to Volume 1 xiii
The Art of Performing Magic with Cards 1
A Personal Note 1
How to Get the Most from this Book 1
The Best Way to Learn from this Book 2
A Comment on the Illustrations 2
On the Terminology 3
Thinking Beyond What is Immediately Required 3
Art and Expression in the Handling of Cards 3
How Much Theory is Necessary? 4
The Path of the Master 4
A Brief History of Playing Cards 5
Instruments and Tools 8
The Hands 8
The Playing Cards 9
The Close-up Pad 12
Chapter 1: Fundamental Techniques 13
Dealing Position 15
The End Grip 17
Elevated Dealing Position 18
Squaring the Deck 19
The All-around Square-up 20
Giving the Deck a Complete Cut 21
Spreading the Cards in the Hands 21
Outjogging Cards as They are Spread Between the Hands 23
Dribbling Cards 24
Dealing Cards 24
Dealing Cards Face Down-The Draw Method 25
Dealing Cards Face Up-The Stud Method 26
The Swing Cut 27
The Break 28
The Little-fmger Break 28
Forming a Little-finger Break Under the Top Card-Two-handed Method 29
Forming a Little-fmger Break Under the Top Card-One-handed Method 30
Forming a Little-fmger Break Under Multiple Cards 31
The Thumb Break 32
The Step 33
The Riffle 34
The Ribbon Spread 35
Chapter 2: Overhand Shuftle Techniques, Part 1 37
The Overhand Shuffle 39
Running Single Cards 42
Control of the Top and Bottom Cards 43
Control of the Top Card 43
Control of the Bottom Card 43
Controlling the Top Stock of the Deck-The Injog Shuffle 44
Controlling the Bottom Stock 47
Tricks with the Overhand Shuffle 49
Thought Stealer 49
The Spectator Cuts the Aces 51
Chapter 3: False Cut Techniques, Part 1 55
An Optical False Cut from the Hand 57
The False Swing Cut 58
A Simple False Cut 59
A Triple False Cut 60
The Slip Cut from Dealing Position 61
Tricks with False Cuts 62
Hat Trick 62
Court Card Conclave 63
Chapter 4: Card Controls 65
The Overhand Shuffle Control 67
The "Whoops!" Control 68
The Diagonal Insertion 69
The Peek Control 72
The Post-peek Overhand Shuffle Control 74
A Peek Control for Two Cards 75
The Multiple Peek Control 76
The One-card Middle Pass 77
Other Controls 79
Tricks with Card Controls 80
The Shamus Card 80
The Question Is ... 81
Chapter 5: Force Techniques, Part 1 83
The Crisscross Force 85
The Balducci Force 86
The Goldin Force 88
The Ten-to-twenty Force 90
A Trick with the Force 91
The Lie Detector 91
Chapter 6: Transfer Cuts 93
The Double Cut 95
The Triple Cut from Top to Bottom 97
The Triple Cut from Bottom to Top 98
Tricks with Transfer Cuts 99
Triple Coincidence 99
Seventh Son of a Seventh Son 101
Chapter 7: Ri:ffie Shufile Techniques 103
The Closed Riffle Shuffle 105
Squaring After the Shuffle 107
The Open Riffle Shuffle 108
Riffle Shuffle Stock Controls 109
Control of the Top Stock 109
Control of the Bottom Stock 109
The Waterfall Riffle Shuffle 110
Tricks with Riffle ShujJle Techniques 113
The Red-black Location 113
Royal Flush Finale 114
Chapter 8: The Glide 119
The Glide 121
Tricks with the Glide 123
The Acrobat Family 123
The Coue Test 125
Chapter 9: The Double Lift, Part 1 127
A Double Lift 129
A Double Turnover 130
Tricks with a Double Lift 132
Rise and Swap 132
A Card in Hand 133
Chapter 10: The Key Card 135
Key-card Placement 137
The Key Card in a Hand-to-hand Spread 137
Key Card in a Ribbon Spread 138
Glimpse and Placement 140
Location, Identification and Control with a Key Card 142
Control in a Hand-to-hand Spread 142
Tabled Ribbon Spread Control 143
Further Thoughts on the Key Card 144
Shuffling with a Key Card 144
Letting the Spectator Shuffle with a Key Card 144
Tricks with a Key Card 145
A Phenomenal Memory 145
Your Number-Your Card 147
Thot Echo 149
Chapter 11: Hindu Shuffle Technique 153
The Hindu Shuffle 155
Placing a Key Card with a Hindu Shuffle 157
Glimpsing the Bottom Card with a Hindu Shuffle 157
The Hindu Shuffle Force 158
Hindu Shuffle Card Controls 160
Controlling a Single Card 160
Controlling Multiple Cards 161
Tricks with the Hindu Shuffle Technique 162
The Magus Card 162
The Lucky Card 164
Chapter 12: Flourishes, Part 1 167
Turning Over the Top Card I 169
Turning Over the Top Card II 170
Turning Over the Top Card III 171
The Charlier Cut 172
The Swivel Cut 173
The Boomerang Card 175
The Spring Riffle Shuffle 176
Jack Merlin's Riffle Shuffle 177
The Pop-up Card 178
The Wind-up Gag 179
The Two-handed Fan 179
The Broad One-handed Fan 181
The Reverse One-handed Fan 182
The Ribbon Spread Turnover 183
Chapter 13: Spread Cull Techniques 185
The Spread Cull 187
The Under-the-spread Force 189
Tricks with the Spread Cull 191
The Magic Phone Number 191
As You Like It 192
Chapter 14: Useful Auxiliary Sleights 195
Thumb Counting 197
The Little-finger Count 201
The Secret Addition of Cards 203
The Braue Addition 204
The Tip-over Addition 206
ATFUS 208
The Single, Double and Multiple Push-over 211
Buckling One or More Cards 212
Chapter 15: Force Techniques, Part 2 215
The Classic Force 217
Technique, Handling and Structure 217
The Psychological Management of the Spectators 220
The Inner Game of the Performer 221
How to Practice the Classic Force 222
Outs 222
Direct Methods 223
Indirect Methods 223
Final Observations 224
The Riffle Force 224
More Tricks with the Force 227
The Jumping Pulse 227
Headliner! 228
Chapter 16: The Top Change 231
The Top Change 233
Top Change Covers 236
The Top Change as an Out for the Classic Force 238
Tricks with the Top Change 239
Metamorphosis 239
The Lucky Coin 241
Bibliographic Notes 245
Index 248