Crazy Man's Marked Deck
by Sean Taylor

Effect

The magician relates a story about how his Grandfather, a retired riverboat gambler, would always beat him at cards. He goes on to explain that he finally found out the old man was able to win by using a unique marking system for the cards. Removing a red deck, the magician shows that his Grandfather actually marked the cards on the front instead of the back. Peering down at the face card of the deck the magician pretends to be looking at the mark and then confidently announces the card. Shuffling the deck and looking at another face, he announces another card. Naturally, the spectators are unimpressed. They too can easily see which card is which. The magician suggests that one of them try to name a card and is amazed to find the spectator is right on her first try.

At this point, sensing the spectators are unimpressed, the magician explains that he has made what he considers to be an improvement to the system by adding a few extra marks to certain cards, and that these marks can only be sensed by certain "gifted" people. Believing the spectator who correctly named the card to have this instinct, he hands them the deck with the request that they look through the deck and just remember any card they see. Taking back the deck, the spectator names their thought-of card and the magician retrieves it from the deck. Turning the card over it is seen to have a bold black mark depicting the number and suit of the card!

Explaining that since some people have trouble seeing the mark he has taken this one card from another deck and the rest of the cards are turned over, revealing all blue backs!

Includes special, hand-made deck and fully illustrated instruction booklet by Tony Dunn.

"Highest recommendation."
- Mike Gorman, Linking Ring Magazine