An Impromptu Mental Card Routine by Nick Conticello

From the esteemed Tarbell Course, contributor Nick Conticello presents his latest work following The Shadow Placement. This collection features three remarkable effects that require only a standard deck of 52 cards and a focused mind. One essential sleight is included: The Widdershins Cut, a straightforward yet effective false cut.

Contents include:

1. THOUGHT CAUGHT: The performer shuffles an unprepared deck and allows the spectator to cut it. Two piles are dealt, and the spectator thinks of a card from one pile, burying it back into the deck. The performer quickly scans the cards and retrieves one that turns out to be the spectator’s selection. No sleights, outs, or guesswork are involved, and the spectator cuts the deck before and after the selection! This effect introduces the innovative Radar Principle and the Littlecount.

2. AP DIVINATION: The spectator shuffles the deck and randomly selects several cards, counting to a mental choice. The performer identifies the card without viewing any faces, featuring a fresh twist on a classic concept.

3. THE POWER OF FAITH: This finale showcases one of the most powerful effects inspired by the Smith Myth. The spectator freely thinks of two related cards while holding the deck. They shuffle the selected packets, and without any counting, the deck is split in half, revealing that the chosen cards occupy the same position from the top of their respective piles. This can be achieved with just a false cut, though a method involving a false riffle shuffle will also be shared.

4. THE WIDDERSHINS CUT: A straightforward and effective four-way cut, reprinted from The Shadow Placement.

Regardless of your stance on “self-working” card tricks, this book is a must-have for anyone interested in the evolution of mathematical magic techniques.

1st edition 2014, 19 pages.Word count: 6262, equivalent to 25 standard pages of text.