Royal Road to Card Magic The

many years,' will arouse interest, because most people have heard of him and their reaction is, 'If this trick was so good that Paul Daniels used it, it must be worth watching.' Your patter thereafter will follow the plot line that you have suggested in your opening statement.
    It may be wise to tell you at this time that you cannot gauge the effect of a trick accurately when you perform for your family or intimate friends. They know you too well. They will either tell you that you are wonderful or that you are not very good, and neither may be the exact truth. To determine the value of a trick and its presentation, perform it for strangers.
    Construct your routines so that they can be performed in from ten to fifteen minutes. You will build a number of them, using different types of tricks - those performed at the table, those for use when standing and surrounded by people, and so on - and by limiting them to fifteen minutes at the most you will be sure that you do not monopolise a gathering. If, when you have finished a routine, your audience clamours for more, you have only to perform one of the other routines.
    A Table Routine
    This routine is designed for use on occasions when an intimate group is being entertained at the table.
    Beforehand, have the four aces on the top of the pack, the pack in its case and the case in your pocket. For your first trick perform:
    A Poker Player's Picnic
Take out the pack and shuffle it thoroughly by the overhand method, retaining the aces on the top, and finally cut the cards by means of the palm cut. Place the pack before a spectator and proceed with the trick.
    At the end of this feat you have four piles of cards with an ace face upwards on top of each. Turn the aces face downwards. For the next trick you require the aces to be on the top of the pack. Place them there secretly as follows.
    1. Pick up packet A and place it in your left hand in the position for an overhand shuffle. Pick up packet B and with it begin an overhand shuffle by running one card (the ace) on to packet A. Jog the next card and shuffle off freely. Undercut to the jogged card and throw on top. You have two aces together on top of the cards you hold.
    2. Pick up packet C. Repeat the same shuffle to bring the three aces together, but this time finish the shuffle by using the break, shuffle off and throw, bringing the three aces to the top of the cards you hold.
    3. Take the last packet, D, and control its ace in the same way. Finally execute the lift shuffle with the whole deck, then cut the pack, using the palm cut.
    Having thus assembled the four aces secretly at the top of the deck, proceed to the next trick:
    A Poker Puzzle At its finish, gather up the cards of the hand just exposed and also the fifth hand which was dealt to yourself. Three poker hands of five cards each remain on the table. Use these to introduce the following trick:
    Good Luck Card The student should have no difficulty in presenting these three tricks effectively. The collection of the four aces from the top of the four packets should be done in a casual manner, without looking at the cards while shuffling them and telling the audience about the trick you are about to do.
    A Rollicking Routine
    This is a fast-moving routine in which the cards jump about, change and generally perform in a rollicking manner.
    Hand the pack to someone and have them shuffle it.
    Rapid Transit 'Let's see how the cards are behaving tonight,' you say as you take the pack. 'I'll place the top card, the ace of hearts, on the table. The next card is - let's see, it's the ten of clubs. I'll place the ten of clubs over here. Watch it closely. I'll replace the ace of hearts on the pack while you watch that ten of clubs. Now we'll see if the pack is in a good mood tonight, for if it is I shall have the ten of clubs at the top of the pack and you will have the ace of hearts on the table. Yes, the pack is full of tricks tonight. I feel emboldened to try a most difficult feat ...'
    The Piano Trick
At the conclusion of this trick, continue with:
    Leapfrog
'The cards are certainly in high spirits tonight. Let's see what else they have to offer. Here, will you take a card, and you, too?' Have two spectators each remove a card and, when they have been replaced, control them to the top by means of the overhand lift shuffle. Casually run the top card to the bottom as if about to shuffle again overhand, change your mind and make a riffle shuffle, retaining the bottom card