Jon Racherbaumer – Marlo Low Down and Cozy

This ebook presents six unique performances by Edward Marlo, a legendary figure in card magic. The selected effects emphasize subtlety and psychological finesse, requiring minimal sleight-of-hand. Interestingly, these types of tricks are rarely associated with Marlo, despite his extensive repertoire of easy, semi-automatic methods. The tricks included offer a diverse range of experiences.

Cozy Card to Case is a refined take on a classic trick from Walter Gibson’s Popular Card Tricks. Unlike typical versions that rely on miscalling a card, Marlo’s approach avoids writing down card names, making it straightforward and mystifying for those familiar with traditional techniques.

Marlo’s Low-Down Aces serves as a refreshing alternative to “McDonald’s Aces” and inspired Bob Kohler’s “Aces in Their Faces.” If you possess Kohler’s gimmicked cards, you can seamlessly integrate them; otherwise, this innovative version allows you to display both sides of each card, creating a stunning and deceptive experience as the Aces vanish from their packets.

Spots before Your Eyes draws inspiration from an overlooked effect by Brother John Hamman. The Pip-Covering Moves employed may alter your perspective on this technique, much like it did for Derek Dingle, Larry Jennings, and Bruce Cervon.

Smyth Bliss exemplifies how Marlo extracted more depth from established principles. Utilizing the Rashomon Principle, as introduced by Professor Sydney Lawrence in Ten Self-Working Master Effects, two spectators are led to select the same card through clever placement. This semi-automatic trick embodies Al Baker’s wisdom that “magicians stop thinking too soon.”

The Twisting trend may have faded, but Vernon’s “Twisting the Aces” remains popular. Marlo’s Upside-Down Syndrome, inspired by a lesser-known Larry West trick, showcases how to achieve maximum impact with just a few cards.

Leipzig Would Have Loved This! pays homage to Nate Leipzig’s classic rendition, based on a Herbert Milton trick from the early 1920s. The original versions utilized double-faced cards, with variations developed by magicians like Charlie Miller, Orville Meyer, and Derek Dingle. Marlo’s initial ungimmicked version, published in The Cardician (1953), proved too difficult for many students. This adaptation simplifies the sleights while incorporating clever subtleties.

1st edition 2015, 47 pages.Word count: 9982, equivalent to 39 standard pages of text.