CARDOPOLIS 49
ASTROLOGY, COINCIDENCE, AND LUCK
Welcome to the February issue of Cardopolis. Cardopolis is devoted to the craft and history of card magic and if you haven’t already subscribed, you can do so below. It’s $5 a month or just $35 a year for 12 issues. All premium subscribers get access to the entire archive comprising a couple of hundred videos, can take part in the Comments section where you’ll often find further information on the various tricks, sleights, and routines, and will be enjoying some downloadable pdf bonuses.
In this issue we continue our exploration of the Codex diary effect described in issue 48. Your Lucky Card is a routine using the diary that can be performed with any shuffled deck.
Al Leech is one of my favourite card authors. I found his books quite early on in my exploration of magic. They were filled with practical items well within a beginner’s skillset. In Cardopolis 45 I mentioned his trick Right, Wrong, Right and you’ll find my handling in this issue.
Terri Rogers was a professional ventriloquist but also had the most ingenious mind for magic. This issue includes a rare item which wasn’t included in the three books she wrote (Secrets, More Secrets, and Top Secrets). It’s called Hummerisk and is a version of Bob Hummer’s Mathematical 3-Card Monte (1951).
Follow Me, a related routine, appeared in Cardopolis 45. And if you enjoy this Bob Hummer inspired material, you might want to check out Pick & Mix in Cardopolis 47.
We’ll look at President Ronald Reagan. Reagan was born this month, February 6th. Which makes him the Five of Hearts in your Codex diary. An Aquarius for the purposes of Your Lucky Card. His wife Nancy Reagan was famed for her belief in astrology, but we seemed to have forgotten that Ronald Reagan enjoyed more conventional conjuring. Prepare yourself for President Reagan and his Vanishing Deck.
Let’s begin with Bernard Weller’s WOK. Bernard Weller was a name I knew mainly from his contributions to the New Pentagram. He always had some interesting twist on a card or mentalism trick. I discovered recently that he was very keen on miniature railways and was a noted member of the Scalefour Society which is devoted to finescale railway modelling.
WOK - BERNARD WELLER
WOK is Bernard Weller’s handling for the Frank Kelly/Joseph Ovette card control usually referred to as the Kelly Bottom Placement. You’ll find it in Tarbell volume 3. I always liked this move because it was so direct. Weller adds a touch that is very satisfying and allows you to loosen up a bit when you control the card.
YOUR LUCKY CARD
This is the second of three items using the diary described in Codex (Cardopolis 48). The third will be in the next issue. The handling here enables you to use any borrowed and shuffled deck. At the core of it is a suggestion for incorporating zodiac signs that you might find worth considering.