Gary
Ouellet put out a fantastic trick, "Finger on
the Card" through the Camirand Academy sometime
in the early 1980s. I'm unsure of the exact
year because my copy carries no copyright (which
is strange because of Mr. Ouellet's lawyerly
profession at the time).
Finger
on the Card has been one of my favorite routines
since 1984 when I first learned it. It is so
powerful, that I now reserve it for special
circumstances.
My approach
to close-up is about entertainment and not power.
With my clients, I first assume that they don't
really like magic and therefore my tactic is
to win them over, gently. However, after I've
done my regular close-up set for a group, they
often ask for "just one more." At this point,
they are ready to fry. Indeed they have volunteered
for me to "hurt them." This is the time I launch
into my version of "Finger on the Card" and
I don't dare try to follow this trick.
Some
changes: I fully recommend that you buy and
study The Camirand Academy publication. It is
inexpensive and of high value. Gary Ouellet's
thinking on the handling is marvelous and full
of subtleties that I won't even mention here.
Indeed, through the years I've have lost much
of the brilliant technique that Gary taught
in the instructions. Ouellet would likely laugh
at my technique. Yet the intensity of the trick
still works for me despite my simplifications.
What
makes The Finger on Card better in my opinion
than other routine with the same plot, (that
is switching in the spectator's hand) is the
apparent openness of handling. Furthermore,
the procedure allowed me to seize onto an interesting
script idea.
The only
thing missing in the Camirand booklet is a script
(there is a simple narration of the movements,
e.g., "Here is a deck of cards.") All the action
is painstakingly made clear, but to me, that
is only the skeleton on which to hang the meat
of entertainment. Nevertheless, what a great
skeleton!
Context:
So here is the scene. We've done a series of
close-up magic and had some chance to converse
with the spectators. They've asked for one more
trick. You hand out the cards that have been
in use and ask for them to be shuffled.
The Script
"Let me ask a personal question; have any of
you ever been to a fortuneteller?" Wait for
a reply. At least one person in a group of ten
adults will have had some encounter with fortune
telling. "You have. Was it a man or a woman?"
Most say "woman." If so, "It always is, I don't
know what is wrong with us men" (Adjust this
as appropriate to you.) "But women tend to have
more intuition."
The card
shuffler should be finished now. Take the cards
back.
Turn
to the person that said they had been to a fortuneteller
and ask, "Did she use cards?" Reply. "I've made
a study as to how fortunetellers claim to use
cards. You shuffled the cards, as a fortuneteller
would have had you do." (Ribbon spread cards
face down.) Now as you look at the backs of
the cards, they all look the same, but does
one catch your eye more than the rest?" (If
they say no, comically add, "LET one catch your
eye.")
 "Go ahead and point to that card." Slide the card
out of the pack. Scoop up the deck and hold
it aloft, but always in view. Turn your back
to the group. (See illustration.) "Show the
card to everyone here, but don't say it out
loud. I'll turn away so that I can't peek."
Pause. "Let me know when its covered back up."
Turn back to group. Let's say they chose the
jack of hearts.
Note:
It is important to get the entire group in on
this. Also it will make sure that the name of
card is remembered at the critical ending.
Break
the pack near the center. "Place the card back
into the pack." Cover the card and retain a
break over the card.
NOTE:
Gary Ouellet has some great work here and you
owe it to yourself and the trick to research
this handling. It is essentially the "Drop Jog"
plus an ingenious way to table the deck and
still be able to recover the break.
Control
the selection to the top and shuffle the deck
keeping the selection on top. "We all know that
shuffling the cards is a randomizing process.
There is no order to cards at all. Yet fortunetellers
believe that fate or some unseen force, decides
how the cards will fall, thus telling us SOMEthing
about the future." Stop shuffling.
"Now
I don't know if I believe all that, but I think
it's a fun idea to play around with!" Ribbon
spread face down. Addressing the selector of
the card, "I won't try to read your future but
I will try to use the fortunetellers techniques
to find the card your thinking of.
"As you
look at the cards again, can you tell which
one is yours?" Don't miss this; it makes everyone
understand the impossibility of finding the
one in fifty-two. Most often they will say no.
"No, of course not, otherwise you'd have my
job! Instead, think about your card and then
let your finger lay on the back of one card."
They do this. "Okay, slide that card forward
but don't turn it over. And do the same with
one more card." They do.
"Two
cards, because I need to know two things about
the card in your mind. I'm going to try to read
these two cards the way a fortuneteller might."
With the two random cards still on the table
scoop up the deck (with the selection still
on top) and hold in left dealer position. Add
the two tabled cards to the top of the deck,
making an issue of which was the first and second
one pulled out. This makes no real difference,
but I find that it piques spectators' interest
that I seem so concerned about it. I place the
first card uppermost, followed by the second;
they sit on top of the selection and the balance
of the pack.
"I'm
going to ask you some questions about your card,
I want you to answer only yes or no. Don't tell
me anymore information, particularly don't tell
me the name of your card." This wording is very
important. The only thing that can go wrong
in this trick is that someone shouts out the
name of the card or say, "that's my card there!"
at the wrong time. So stress the above.
"The
first card will tell me about the color of your
card. Turn the first card over face up on the
deck. (Seven of diamonds) "This is a red card,
was your card a red card?" In this case the
selected jack of hearts is indeed a red card,
so she would say yes. If it is incorrect I say
slyly, "So the seven tells me your card was.
BLACK!" People laugh, and it starts to show
the real truth of fortune telling; that they
fish for the correct information! I also add,
"Now remember, she picked out the cards so its
her fault not mine!" said very tongue-in-cheek,
this can be a very genuine and even vulnerable
moment for the performer that people will laugh
at.
Turn
this card face down and push into the deck.
"Let's look at the second card." Double lift
get ready. "Again just tell me yes or no, don't
tell me anymore information. This card should
tell me about the suit. It hopefully is also
red card" I openly make a face implying, "Hey,
I better check!" Pull back the edge of the double
and peek. Say, "It is" with a smile. People
will laugh again. "This one will tell me if
it is a diamond or a heart" Turn the double
face up. "This is a heart, was your card a heart?"
She'll say, "Yes."
 Here, people start to look at each other confused.
This is the selection, but you apparently are
the only one that doesn't know that. This is
strange for the crowd. You must move fluidly
to prevent this moment from getting out of hand.
Say, "Good! We're doing very well." (Or "doing
much better" if the first card missed the color.)
Quickly, turn the double face down and keep
your right index finger on the center of the
card. Move your hands to the tabletop in front
of the spectator. Ask them to, "Put your finger
on the Jack." At the same time slide the top
card off the deck with right finger, in one
smooth movement. (Illustration.)
 "With your other hand, stick your finger in the pack
as I riffle by." Demonstrate the riffle once.
Then riffle and allow the spectator to insert
her index finger in-between cards. You execute
a slip force. As I slip force I rotate my hands
so the right hand is palm up and the left palm
down (Selection on left packet). Again, see
the original instructions for technique. "You
stopped the deck, completely at random. Stopping
at the (Name the card showing in right hand),
but there is another card you stopped at. An
unknown card"
Table
the right-hand half. Take the new top card into
your right-hand and add the rest to the packet
on the table. Position Check: You should be
holding the selection (jack of hearts) and they
have their finger on the indifferent card thinking
it is the selection. All other cards are on
the table.
"Fortunetellers
believe that the cards will arrange themselves
at the right place at the right time. This should
be your card. (Refer to the one you hold.) For
the first time say the name of the card you
picked."
You will
notice smug glances around the table. People
are thinking, "HA! We finally got him!" The
spectator will reply, "I picked the Jack of
Hearts."
In recent
years I have paused, looked at their finger
on the card. I then affect an expression of
relief as I act as if I realized they misunderstood
me. I add, "No, I mean the first card you picked."
Stare them right in the eye.
I'm sinking
the hook in a little deeper. I really want them
to have the conviction that I have the wrong
card. This heightens the impact substantially.
They
will confidently reaffirm the card (jack in
this case). Let your gaze trickle back to the
card in your right hand. Now affect a determined
face.
Take
the card into the left hand, and flick its edge
with the right. Use both hands to turn it face
up. There will be gasps.
This
situation sinks in. People act different ways
next. But usually there is a scramble for the
card under the finger. Often you'll hear, "But,
I have it right he!!!"
Say,
"Fortunetellers really do believe the cards
move around by themselves."
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