Bob Hummer – Fantastric

From the title, you’d guess that this is a fantastic trick. It’s not. It’s a true miracle of psychic entertainment! Here is an incredible mental miracle involving a deck of playing cards, which may be borrowed.

A spectator shuffles the cards as much or as little as she desires. She deals a number of cards onto the table (a free choice). The performer does not need to touch the deck while they are in the spectator’s hands. The performer now turns his back, or leaves the room entirely. The spectator removes any number of cards from the pile on the table and places them in the card box, out of sight. The remaining cards on the table are shuffled and placed in two piles (they do not have to come out even). The balance of the deck is shuffled and held in spectator’s left hand. With her right hand, the spectator looks at the bottom card of either pile and remembers it. This pile is placed atop the remainder of the deck in her left hand. The spectator now deals any number of cards from the deck in her hand onto the remaining pile on the table. This is a free choice. She now shuffles the remaining cards in her hand and places them atop the pile on the table. The deck is squared up and the psychic called into the room.

Even though the cards have been shuffled multiple times throughout, the psychic deals the cards from the top of the deck and … while communing with the mind of the spectator … stops at a particular card … for example, a ten. He tells the spectator that he feels that her selected card is ten cards further down in the deck … and indeed it is!

Now get this! There are no setups, stacks or cyclical rotations. The cards may be borrowed. The cards are not marked. There are no assistants or shills. There are no glances or peeks before the spectator handles the cards. There are no mirrors, gaffs or electronics used. The instructions may be recorded or provided to the spectator by phone. No palming. In fact, no sleight of hand whatsoever is used. The deck may be examined before and after.

All you need to perform this miracle is a deck of cards (which may be borrowed), a spectator, and Bob Hummer’s clever routine.

But wait. It gets better. Included in this revised version is a bonus chapter of performance ideas by B.W. McCarron, author of Kara’s Crystal Visions and Clearly Mental, which provide additional inspiration to get even more entertainment value from Hummer’s routine.

“Watch LePaul … Paul Rosini … Tommy Martin … yes, watch them do this trick and see the magicians goggle-eyed after they see it.” - Samuel Berland ad in the Sphinx magazine