Dai Vernon Lecture at the Magic Castle, April 1st, 1977

(DVD from L&L Publishing as part of the 2012 commemorative set)

Transcription and Notes by Roberto Giobbi, June 2011/February 2012

G = general remarks
TH = theory
T = technique
S = subtlety
E = effect
A = anecdote
P = presentation

Category Content Comment

G Tape starts without introduction. DV sits at the table in the “Parlour of Prestidigitation”
“Be natural” is one of Dai Vernon’s most
of the Magic Castle. misunderstood credos. By watching this and
He says that in order to fool people you have to be natural and not use fancy moves, other lectures carefully it is easier to understand
which are just exhibition of dexterity, not magic. than if reading the books, one of the few
advantages of video.
E/T Does vanish of a large ball (used as loads) by apparently transferring it from the right This double vanish is wonderful. I’ve never seen
hand to his left hand and using the wand as protection. Repeats, but really places ball anybody except DV do this. The timing on the
in left hand, then uses Silent Mora wand spin to vanish. This looks impossible, wand spin is incredible – it looks like real magic.
absolutely beautiful. This is explained only briefly.
E/T Shows a ball vanish used by Nate Leipzig, were a ball is pushed down into the left
fist using the right thumb, and when the right hand moves away, it surreptitiously
catches the ball falling from the hand – similar dynamics to the wand spin vanish just
shown.
Gives more details of handling of the ball vanish, quoting Slydini, “You must believe
you’re holding the ball in your hand. When you then open the hand, you’ve got an
effect. If you don’t believe it yourself, you can’t expect the audience to believe it.”
E/T Does a retention of vision vanish, were the coin is held clipped between forefinger Very clear details of handling.
and middle finger of the right hand and apparently placed into the left hand. Gives
details of handling.
Goes on to explain that you apply the same principle to the “standard” retention of
vision vanish.
G/A Asks for questions, but doesn’t even wait for them, saying, “OK, no questions, then we Very unfortunately the Professor doesn’t explain

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 pass to the poetry of magic. You know a very strange thing. A couple of days ago I was what he means by this, or what he thinks
sitting upstairs in the lobby seat there, and a young fellow came up to me, and he said Hofzinser means by it. DV was an intuitive and
you wrote an article about the poetry of magic, cards being the poetry of magic. So he very keen genius, but wasn’t an “intellectual”. I
said what do you mean by that? And I said, well, those are not my words, those are the never heard him talk about such questions in
words of the famous Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser. This young boy said to me, ‘What is depth.
poetry about cards? I don’t see any poetry there.’ Poor boy, he was about 24 years old, In Genii for July 2011 I wrote an essay on the
I said cards are the poetry of magic, don’t you know what poetry means? Poetry (and subject and have tried to answer the question
I/unclear) can be poetic, there is a difference between prose and poetry. But he didn’t why card magic should be the poetry of magic.
get the idea at all, he didn’t understand what I meant about cards being the poetry of
magic. But anyway, I don’t want to discourse on this, I’ll take the two Jokers out of the
deck…”
T/S Says that he has no notes for the lecture, but that a little later he wants to answer That was the way he did most lectures, although
questions to the best of his knowledge. he always had his great classics prepared.
To watch him handle a double lift is a lesson in
“I want to say something about one of the most terrible sins in our card magic.” Shows itself, but unfortunately he doesn’t comment on
clumsy double lift, saying that if you turn over a card you don’t do it as if you were it.
turning over a plank of wood. A card is a flimsy, light thing, you turn it over with a light Watch this several times…
flip. Most are afraid of letting go of the double card and accompany the turnover with
the hand – that looks terrible. “It gives me goose-pimples when I watch a person do
that.” I wish I could have seen Daley!
Dr. Daley said that you have to treat a card like a delicate flower. As far as I know, DV took piano lessons from
Mentions Ray Grismer doing the double lift badly and saying to him, “Ray, do me a Grismer and in return taught him magic.
favor, don’t tell anybody that I taught you how to do a double lift!” On the video this certainly looks very good, but if
you hold a double just at its corner between
Shows that a double card should be held with three fingers, but like a light, flimsy thing forefinger and thumb, the card has a tendency to
at its inner right corner. split. So this handling is OK for parlor and stage,
but not for close-up.
Doesn’t do his DL from Stars of Magic. Check
that out, it is very good. I didn’t understand how
good that was until recently, shame on me…
watch Jay Ose do it here (at 1:50 on timeline):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7KQiuvX1xKI
T Pull through shuffle. DV says he knows about 7 or 8 ways of doing the pull through He means “push through shuffle”, as opposed to
shuffle. Mentions that in Stars of Magic he gave a simple push through shuffle (calls it “pull-out shuffle”, not a very good terminology
“pull through”), but says he wants to mention a few important point on the regular push anyway…
through:

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 • The visible “twisting” of the packets being pushes through each other has to be This is very well explained and filmed.
avoided. In order to do this, the left packet is kept still, i.e. it doesn’t angle, it is
the right packet that goes through the other. If you watch the top card of the
pack, it never moves, and that’s what makes the illusion good.
• Another point is to slightly lift the pushed through packet with the right hand and
lightly slap it on the table, forward of the other packet, as if this packet came
from the top, not from the center of the deck, you don’t just slide them out.
Now demonstrates and explains his push through shuffle published in Ganson’s
More Inner Secrets of Card Magic, p. 47, first paragraph.
G When people applaud, he says, “No, this is very embarrassing, I don’t want to be He is referring to the fact that in the audience
embarrassed.” there are some of the best in the business.
Occasionally, when getting applause, he uses another favorite line of his: “Don’t Anyhow, you always learn from listening to a
applaud. If you just nod your head that’s OK.” genius…
T The best palm ever devised is the Erdnase top palm, because you can palm any
number of cards as you put the pack down. The same action allows you to palm one
card or several, even half the pack.
Details the original version were the cards are picked up by the two little fingers, the
right little finger leading.
T Discusses the Erdnase bottom palm, 1st method, in great detail, admonishing that
the left fingers must not be moved.
T Shows how to transfer cards palmed in the left hand and holding the deck, to the Will have to find the original description…
right hand – attributes the technique to Hofzinser. The palmed cards are clipped by This looks amazing!
bending the left middle finger and then straightening the fingers. You could do the same thing with the transfer
Demonstrates a fantastic application, were you add the transferred cards to a table move, but doing it with the Hofzinser transfer will
packet which is picked up. fool any expert.
T Starts to talk about changes and mentions several variations from top and bottom. The A possible reason for going for the glass could
Elliott top change is done by holding the card in end grip. be to remove something inside the glass in order
Shows very convincingly how to manage the change, by first putting the card face to be able to put the card in the glass, back
down on a glass, picking it up again in end grip, showing its face, doing the change, as towards the audience.
the left hand moves forward to adjust the glass and the right hand freezes. The right
hand then places its card back on the glass. This is shown in great detail.
Emphasizes that the hands cross (actually they don’t cross, they meet) and that the
card on top of the deck has to be pushed well off, so that it is ready for the change and
the distance between the cards is minimized.
TH “These are principles. I’m not trying to teach you tricks, I’m trying to teach you to apply That’s the way of the teacher, don’t give them
these principles.” just a fish, teach them how to fish.

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T/S Sais that when you do a top palm it is very important how the palming hand withdraws
(in this case the right hand). The palming hand must drop in the right way – that’s more
important than the palming technique itself.
T/S Talks about how a gambler’s palm allows the palming hand to do many more things He means the gambler’s flat palm, not the
than if the hand had the card classic palmed. Shows several actions the hand can do gambler’s cop.
to protect the card in gambler’s palm.
He says that this was a disappointment in Erdnase, who teaches how to get the cards Very interesting comments and techniques.
in classic palm. He had to teach himself how to apply all the moves to the gambler’s
flat palm, which he says is so much superior to the classic palm.
T/S Reverts to the top change. Suddenly starts talking about the top change and shows Why did they use a top change in carnivals?
how they would do it in the carnivals e.g. Coney Island. The card is held in the right Although the timing and technique are beautiful,
hand. They would turn to the left holding the card towards the wall behind them (“to I can’t see how to apply this to modern magic.
hand the card on the wall”), and on turning back the card would be top changed, as it is
dropped on the table, or hung on the wall by turning again against the wall.
G/A Elmsley count. Tells about how Elmsley first sent him the “counting four as four” false
count technique and how DV came up with “Twisting the Aces”. Tells how he did this
trick at a party in England, given to his honor as he did his first lecture tour, as a tribute
to Elmsley, who was also at the party (each magician present did a trick).
T/S Mentions “Twisting the Aces” and shows how to handle the preliminary phase, were This is very important and well demonstrated.
the top three cards are turned face up, showing the AS, and how the AS is then turned
naturally face down again.
Then explains how he came up with the twisting move that gave the trick the title. The
whole object of twisting the cards is to naturally transfer the packet from dealing
position to the fingertip position from which the Elmsley count is performed.
G/A DV: “Walter Scott was lecturing in New Haven, Connecticut, I was very friendly with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749-1832): “In
Scott at the time, and he asked me, Vernon, what the hell can I lecture on, I only do a der Beschränkung zeigt sich erst der Meister,,
second deal, I don’t do anything else. I said, do a few poker deals and talk about it. “It’s in the constraints that the Master proclaims
And he said, ‘I can talk a whole week about the second deal alone.’ And I said, well, himself…”
why don’t you just talk for an hour about it, don’t talk for a week, talk for an hour.”
TH Quotes da Vinci, “Details make for perfection, but perfection is no detail.” The quote is by Michelangelo, not da Vinci, and
“Now, this is so true. After working perhaps a year or two on a trick, eliminating things, in the Italian original is, “La perfezzione é fatta di
you got it in a beautiful, simplified form. But all those details were in there to begin with, dettagli” (“Perfection is made up of details”).
and they were sorted out in some way, and that’s what Leonardo meant. The details
make for perfection, but perfection you don’t see any detail at all, you just see the trick.
And that’s how a good trick should be. You don’t see all these little things that are in
there, but they’ve been there, and have been discarded and so on.”

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TH Sais he will show a trick that Larry Jennings used to do. “I put little touches to it – it’s See Maxwell, The Classic Magic of LJ, p. 95,
called the Vernon touch. Larry and I are great friends. Larry is a great technician.” “Ambitious Classic”. The Vernon method is
elegant, to say the least, and reminds me of the
Russian painter Bryullow, who corrected a
pupil’s painting. “How is it possible? You only
changed a detail, yet it is completely different.”
“Art starts where this detail begins.”
DV says, “This is a very effective card trick, because every effective card trick has to
have a beginning, a middle and a climax. That’s like a good play that has a beginning, This would need a more detailed discussion. I do
a middle, but the climax is the most important thing. That’s why the C&B is a great that in my Vernon lecture when discussing
trick, it has a beginning, a middle and a terrific climax in form of the loads, a lemon, an Ammar performing Triumph on the Revelations
onion…” tapes.
E Performs the A, 2, 3, 4, 5 of Spades trick were the last 5S changes into the 5H. Very That’s an excellent example how to use a story
nice and clean handling. It is based entirely on the buckle count (and a back spread at as a presentation, but only as a prologue, so it
the end). Thought to be Larry Jennings’s “Ambitious Classic”, but Vernon’s method is doesn’t overshadow and destroy the
superior and more elegant. performance of the trick. Tamariz has a whole
Presentation: “Houdini claimed that nobody could fool him three times in a row with the theory on this concept and I hope he tells it one
same card trick. Now I claim that I can fool the smartest guy living twice with the same day as it will considerably change the perception
trick. I can’t fool him three times, but I can fool him twice. I show you what I mean.” of presentation in magic.
Rafael Benatar once mentioned to me that if you
performed for a birthday person, the last 5H can
have “Happy Birthday!” written in thick letters on
its face.
Thinking along these lines, you can of course
have a company logo on the face of the last card
– simply print a blank card – but honestly I think
this ruins a good trick, although I’m sure many
would like the idea…
The last card could also be a previously chosen
card – I have no doubt that somebody has
thought of that, too.
T Explains the mechanics of the trick rapidly, but understandably. “I don’t know of a purer This is indeed a very elegant method that results
trick, all is based on the buckle of the bottom card.” in a nice minor miracle. Expertly handled it will
fool people. I think that besides clean handling
the rhythm is the secret to the trick.
E Performs the Pinochle Trick. Says that in the USA everybody knows Pinnacle, but not True, in Europe this trick doesn’t make sense,

5
 in Europe. although it is still very surprising because of the
DV credits Bro. Hamman with the trick to which he has added a few variations. many changes.
T Explains the working and some handling.
G Asks for questions. “I may be able to answer them, who knows, ask me some
questions.”
E/T Shuffles the AS into the deck and says he will show three ways of having the
spectator stop you at the AS.

1. Shuffles the AS to the bottom of the deck (explains and performs at the same This is as clean as a whistle. It might be a good
time), and then starts dealing cards face down in a packet on the table until a S idea to briefly lift the card at its inner end with the
calls ‘stop’. Using his transfer move he puts the balance aside, picks up the dealt left fingers and miscall the card as the AS, then
packet and shows the packet’s top card to be the AS. do the transfer move and deal the card face up
on the table to confirm.

2. If the S says he wants the top card of the balance, rather than the top card of the Excellent move I had forgotten. The right hand
dealt packet, the AS is side slipped into the right hand, and then added to the top, actually comes over the deck, replaces the
as the right hand gestures towards the top of the deck and slightly taps it with the palmed card, but immediately is brought up
back of the right fingers. DV says this is Charlie Miller’s move. again and taps with the back of the fingers the
top of the deck.

3. In this method the card is in gambler’s flat palm to begin with and the cards are This looks good on the video. It’s a challenge to
dealt with the card in the palm. When the S stops, the palmed card is dealt face up do this imperceptibly!
on the table, apparently just taking the card stopped at.
T Does and explains a reverse done from glide position and explains how the left
hand must move to the right, not to the left .
T Demonstrates how to reverse a bunch of cards from the center or on the bottom of the This is not very well explained, but looks
deck, by doing a half pass, but by moving the left fingers to the right, not to the left. impeccable.
T Somebody ask for color changes. First demonstrates how this was done in the old That’s interesting. Tamariz has the “Silhouette
days, on the side thus obscuring the view for spectators on the performer’s right. “All Technique”, as he calls it, were he says it is a
tricks should be done facing the audience, because if you do it like this (turns profile), good thing to turn profile, such as in the Invisible
you’re shutting off people on the side.” Deck. This can be done if the display is well
managed.
Shows how Leipzig did his slap change in front of the body. Then does Malini’s
change, also full front, were the right hand is slowly lifted straight up and the fingers
spread wide open.
“The main thing in a color change is that the card deposited on the face of the deck is

6
 perfectly squared. “If it is the least off, you don’t get the effect.”
T Does his Tenkai color change, standing up. The card is stolen from the bottom of the This is very magical – excellent.
deck held in dealing position with three fingers of the right hnd as you say, “must
magicians would make some funny movements like this, I don’t do that.”
Gives details of handling for the Tenkai palm..
“When you do the color change one of the most important things is this. When I was a
young boy of 7 or 8 years of age, I met Leipzig and said, Mr. Leipzig, I can do
everything in your act…” Proceeds to relate the story were Leipzig teaches him a
lesson.
In the process does Leipzig’s 3-phase color change, 1st moving the right hand slowly This, of course, is one of the great lessons in
to the right, 2nd doing it “with the fingers spread wide open”, withdrawing the hand psychology, communication and audience
backwards as the fingers are spread (unlike Malini, who lifted the hand straight up) andmanagement.
Besides, this way of teaching, by telling a story
then moving the right hand again to the right, but this time holding it still next to the
deck with the thumb sticking out, suggesting that he could have a card hidden in his about oneself and how you came to an insight, is
hand. He would then say, “No, it’s not here!” The lesson he taught to DV was that at an excellent didactical strategy any lecturer
that moment you don’t look into the audience, but only at one spectator. “You don’t could use to his advantage, rather than saying,
want to sell your audience.” “Most magicians do it like that.” Those listening
are “most magicians” and by saying this, you
only make them feel bad.
To prevent even one S to feel bad, you could
look at an imaginary S – as long as the audience
believes you are talking to one S the thing will
DV mentions that this strategy can be applied to many other tricks and mentions the work.
Die Box done for children, “What’s that sonny? No, it’s not here!” Open the 4 doors and
look at one boy. Now all will laugh at that sucker.
P/S Mentions how Leipzig would occasionally cue a spectator right after the effect has Cueing is sg the old-timers used much more
taken place to scratch his head – this would invariably produce a huge laugh. frequently than we do nowadays – we should put
Mentions the hypnotist Calvert and how he would cue a S who would fall over, “You that back as it is very effective, because it is
son of a beer [bitch] fall on your back or I’ll break it….[unclear]” DV comments, situation comedy, much better (in my opinion)
“…that’s what you call management.” Gets big laugh. than the modern verbal comedy.
“Houdini used to do this kind of stuff when people would challenge him with rusty
cuffs.” Says he can’t tell them, as there are ladies present, “but you can use your
imagination”…
T Someone asks DV to show the push through again with the previous cut, which he Wonder how that method was…
attributes to Dad Stevens, *the best I’ve ever seen in my life.” Mentions that he has
adapted it to magic, as Stevens used it only to control a partial deck.

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 Demonstrates and explains his push through shuffle published in Ganson’s More Great sense of humor that shows he doesn’t
Inner Secrets of Card Magic, p. 47, first paragraph, but invariably fails, saying “…and take himself too seriously – hallmark of the Great
this is the selected card. I do it on purpose, but you don’t have to do it like this.” Master.
T Someone asks about a false riffle shuffle in the air. DV says the best is Henry Christ’s This is in Minch’s Chronicles.
“Off the Table Shuffle” and proceeds to demonstrate it: the packets are shuffled into
each other, but the right packet is set-off towards the rear as the packets are pushed
together. This is well covered from the front. Deck is then transfered to dealing
position, with the right hand covering the side-jogged packet in end grip. Disengage
with a spin cut.
T Someone asks for the hand to hand transfer. Does a sequence I’ve seen him do This looks very good and will fool anybody who
several times: places a card face up in the deck and brings it to the top with a riffle doesn’t know it. It’s described in Hugard’s &
pass. The pass is good but you can see that sg is going on. He then inserts the card Braue’s ECT, 3rd edition.
again face up in the center and steals it out in his left hand with the Erdnase diagonal
palm shift, does the hand to hand transfer and taps the top of the deck, depositing
the fu card on top – the card magically appears face-up.
This story can be found in almost all of his
Also relates the story how he had come up with the technique on the occasion of a biographies (Burns & Cervon, Ben, Johnson).
reception in Madison Hotel were he had to shake hands with Judge Liebowitz. A good explanation of this is in Revelation (2008
edition recommended), or in Card College, also
In between makes comments on diagonal palm shift and how the movement of left in Revelations video tapes by Hans Zahnd.
fingers must be avoided. This is done by doing the shift in two movements as These tapes are a gold mine…
explained in Revelation(s). He does this extremely well!
T Does his “Just in Time” transfer, were the card is transferred from left hand flat palm
to right hand flat palm as you are looking at your watch.
T Does a side steal as an action palm were he inserts a card diagonally and DV says that this can be done on the table under
immediately palms it out in his right hand, getting it in a sort of Tenkai palm, “Just palm the closest scrutiny. This looks very good.
the card like you would palm a coin”. See Minch’s Chronicles 1, p. 76 for a very good
description of this side steal. Not exactly the
same, but points in common.
T Somebody asks a question about shifts, and DV briefly demonstrates the S.W.E. Shift, See Erdnase p. 99 plus DV’s comments in
the Longitudinal Shift and the Charlier Shift. Then goes on to discuss the “Erdnase Revelations (book) and DVDs, where it is very
Shift – One Hand”. Especially how to cover shift, by completing the cut and thereby nicely demonstrated.
beveling the original bottom portion that goes on top. This allows the left thumb to This is very good and a great lesson in how to
engage in the outjogged cards and do the shift as right hand, which put the chips in or “use your head”, as DV always admonishes: you
made another gesture, comes back and taps deck on end on table. have to interpret.

8
T Someone asks about “Get-readies for the double lift”. As always. DV answers that
“there are so many ways…”.
TH Before explaining a few methods, he severely criticizes the Hit Double Lift, saying that I’ve never liked the hit double lift myself and am
this is terrible, ridiculous and that nobody would ever handle cards like that, if the glad DV, the Professor, supports this opinion
thumb can push over the top card. He blames his friend Edward Marlo for having vehemently.
started this…
He further says that if the deck was held “at the fingertips” (elevated dealing position”
then it would make sense, as the thumb can’t push the top card over. He then hints at
Nate Leipzig’s double lift, but then interrupts and goes back to the question. Ways to
T do the get-ready:
• Take top card with right hand and in the process left thumb pushes off and pulls • Fails to mention the reason for putting the
back second card, getting a break underneath it. card back on the deck, an important point, of
• DV says the “expert way to do it” is to count the two cards with your left little course.
finger – little finger count.
• Admonishes not to lift up on the two top cards on their inner ends, as this is
visible, however, doesn’t say how to do it correctly, which is to lower the deck
instead of lifting up on the cards.
E Goes into what he calls “The Trick That Fooled Marlo”, really it is the same as his You can see Vernon and Cervon commenting on
famous “Trick That Fooled Houdini”. this and doing it on YouTube, see this clip:
DV has somebody call out a card, the Six of Clubs, which he openly takes out of deck http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jsJYEdAmG34
and drops on table. It is then inserted several times second from the top of the deck,
but always comes to the top.
T Uses an improvised double-backer – the original method that “fooled Houdini” used a DV does the “secret preparation” under the
double-backer trick card, which of course makes handling even easier. table! That’s a good idea when performing
Goes on to explain the two ways of doing it, i.e. triple lifting face up card face down and before experts, as I’m sure nobody caught it!
then inserting double-backer under top card, or insert card under double-backer and
then triple turnover. Both handlings are combined. Watch the management and handling. Very
Triple card is often turned end for end, from front to back, after it has been pushed over
interesting to note how he prepares fro the first
slightly, like in the original Stars of Magic handling. double lift – by lifting inner end of top two cards,
when he just said not to do it this way. However,
he does it well (lowering deck)…
T Someone asks about the “Replacement of the Double Card” in the context of a This is also well explained and discussed in the
double lift. Revelations DVD series and by Ganson. Also
Starts out by demonstrating his famous double lift replacement by apparently putting see Card College Volume 3, p. 582.
six (!) Aces of Spades on the table. This looks very good.
Before explaining, tells how he got the idea in the first place, asking himself, “Why

9
 should a card be replaced on the deck and then dealt, rather than being shown and
then dropped directly to the table?”, and then finding this technique as the answer.
Explains the detailed mechanics of the move, but forgets to mention why the card is This is one of the many cases where theory
put back (because you move the card case, lift a glass etc.). would be as important as practical technique.
Ascanio’s theory of in-transit actions is a perfect
way to explain this situation.
E Someone asks about psychological forces, whereupon DV goes into a demonstration This is of course the “flagship” of one of
of his famous “The Trick That Cannot Be Explained” (TTTCBE). Vernon’s most important contributions to magic:
effects, techniques and principles of multiple
solutions.
A spectator is asked to shuffle the deck, turn it face up and cut. Two cards are seen (2 It seems that DV has not been performing this
options). Cut is completed, deck turned face down, cut again and then turned once trick a lot, as the action is rather slow and the
more face up (3rd option). Deck is ribbon spread face up on table and all cards “thinking” is palpable.
exposed by tapping spread.

The spectator divides the spread in half where he likes and two portions are made. The outcome is a good one, albeit not as striking
Spectator chooses a pile and its face card is pointed out, a Two. The pile is turned over as in the story told when he did it in England for
and the card second from the top displayed: the 4S. DV takes a second deck and Al Koran (this wonderful story is told on the
shows that its top card is also a 4S! But it doesn’t stop here: he spreads the deck and Revelations DVDs Volume 7).
the 9D is seen face up. The card under the 4S in the first deck turns out to be also the
9D! DV smiles – he got lucky, one more time…

DV calls this here “The Trick Without a Name”. Says he’s going to explain the trick, but This is too slow and it can clearly be seen that
in reality just performs another way of doing it, without explanation, using the same this is a trick which needs to be performed very
initial procedure as before. After relatively long hesitations, staring at the cards often in order to obtain the fluency it requires.
(repeatedly saying “Wait – let me get this right…”) and counting procedures that look But of course the Professor is forgiven, as he’s
obviously concocted, three cards are located, which are seen to match three cards the father of this trick, and he’s so likeable and
predicted in the other deck! so obviously knowledgeable and skilled, a
legend, and we are so fortunate to at least have
this recording of him doing this trick. There is a
big lesson in this, too!
The idea of revealing several matches is
mentioned nowhere to my knowledge and
comes as a great surprise.
For a good and quite exhaustive explanation of
this beautiful trick see Ganson, More Inner

10
 Secrets of Card Magic, p. 76
T DV continues: “Now let me show you how simple this trick is. It is a beautiful trick. Yes, you definitely have to use your head! (And
Everybody should be doing this trick. Anybody can do this trick – if you use your head.” having chops helps…)
DV starts by explaining that you use three prediction cards, one on top (2S), one on This is one of the very best solutions, and this
bottom (3S) and one reversed (AS) in the deck, which is placed aside. He follows example shows, that it can and will happen!
procedure as outlined above, and deck is turned face up after second cut, it is the AS,
which matches the face up AS in the “prediction deck”.
Does the trick once again with different prediction cards. Procedure as before, and
when spectator divides face up spread, he divides it exactly at one of the prediction
cards, another very nice ending!
Does it yet again.
E/T DV does Coin Under Glass: a coin vanishes and reappears underneath an upright Reminiscent of “Unlimited Coinage of Silver”
whiskey tumbler. Shows how coin can be loaded under glass, and due to its recess, from Ganson’s DV Book of Magic, which inspired
the glass can be pushed around on table and the coin follows it. Goshman to create his act.
To my knowledge this is nowhere on the Vernon
DVDs or books, and makes a nice little
impromptu trick, or phase of Unlimited Coinage.
E Three Card Monte. Starts by doing real throws, explaining that red card can go at any This is one of DV’s favorite tricks and he does it
place (important set-up phase). beautifully. A detailed description is in Ganson’s
Does the first phase of his published routine, using “convincing throw” of second Further Inner Secrets of Card Magic, p. 15.
phase, but then instead of asking were card goes, asks, “You saw the card go here, This is very good psychology. This is published
didn’t you?” The spectator will deny and point to the left card. DV, turning over center nowhere in DV’s works (maybe in a Darwin Ortiz
card showing red card, “No, I want to explain this to you!” book…), but is on the Revelations DVDs.
Does second phase as in the book.
Does bent corner finale, which is a fooler.
There is no explanation, but it is lesson enough to just see him do it. Doesn’t explain how in real games the bent
corner is set-up, which is important to make the
bent corner phase credible.
E Cards up the Sleeve/Cards to Pocket. Performs the routine with 10 cards. No DV does this impeccably, absolutely great! The
explanation. palms of three cards from the packet are
something to behold – totally deceptive and no
extra movement can be discerned. However, he
forgot some of the subtle moments which are
explained in Ganson’s More Inner Secrets of
Card Magic, p. 63, were the routine is explained
in detail.

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 TH Someone asks if DV could talk about psychology and misdirection. This is the very first conceptual question!
DV says that the most important thing in magic is that you have got to have a Amazing.
reason for doing things. He demonstrates with a false transfer, were the right hand This is very nicely explained with Ascanio’s
takes the coin from the left hand, because the left hand needs to be freed in order to theory of in-transit actions.
pick up the wand. Don’t do a move without a reason. Although this is a very general question, it would
Explains with the Elliott top change by moving an ashtray, affording a reason for allow for a lot of talk and demonstrations. Why
crossing the hands (when change occurs). does DV not go more into it? Maybe he assumed
that most people are not interested in these
aspects of magic and only want to see moves
and tricks?
T Demonstrates and explains a very good hole card switch. Says that it is good for poker Excellent move that is well covered.
but also for magic to switch a card. The move is briefly explained. DV explicitly Very good advice, of course, but he doesn’t
mentions that this move is psychologically good, and that there are many things like explicitly say what is “psychological” about the
this, which are not difficult to do, but you must understand the psychology of it. move. Well, as always with Vernon and few
other great old Masters, you’ve got to “use your
head”!
E Five Card Mental Card Trick. Attempts to perform the trick, but fails, as he has The explanation to this wonderful trick, of which
obviously not done it in a long time. The trick seems simple, but has its complexity. Juan Tamariz is very fond, is in Stars of Magic
Interesting to note that DV doesn’t go behind his back with the cards, as in Stars of (p. 80). Also see my analysis in DV – Life &
Magic, but mixes the cards and then takes one out in full view. Work.
If well done, this is a Masterpiece.
Finally says that he doesn’t do the trick anymore: “I’ve quit doing magic, I’ve retired.” Far from it, Maestro, this lecture was stupendous
and I’ve learned more than in 95% of the
lectures I’ve seen in my life. If you think that this
was held in 1977 – whow!
DV was at all times far ahead of his time and his
colleagues, as he truly understood magic.

Additional Notes:
• The Dai Vernon Revelations DVDs (L&L Publishing) have on their back a good index that matches the chapter titles on the DVD itself. By
perusing these indexes on the back of each DVD case it is relatively easy to find things.

Finished 30th June 2011. 00:15am, additions made to suit L&L edition February 2012

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