FalseShuffle

The Gambler's Invisible Palm Card Trick

by John Kurlak; extended and improved by Joe Janeda

Effect

The performer begins by giving an overview of the history of crooked gambling. Once finished, he states that he will demonstrate the hardest method of palming a card in existence today. The magician starts by turning the top card of the deck over. He then palms the face up card off of the top of the deck. Next, he shows that the hand he just palmed the card with is empty, explaining that the card is invisibly palmed. He then cuts the deck. Next, the magician places his palm on top of the deck and puts the invisibly palmed face up card back on top of the deck. As soon as this card is seen again, the magician explains that he already obtained two aces in an invisible palm. At this point, the magician gets rid of the face up card on top of the deck. Then, the magician cuts the deck and shows the audience the top two cards. Next, the magician brings the two invisibly palmed aces into view by placing them face down on top of the deck. Once the aces have been shown, the magician turns them back over on top of the deck and thoroughly shuffles the cards. After that, the magician deals a hand of Texas Hold'em to the spectator and himself. The magician then turns over his cards to show that he is holding the two aces from before.

Method

  1. Setup ahead of time by placing the Ace of Spades on top of the deck and the Ace of Clubs on the bottom of the deck.
  2. Palm the Ace of Spades of off the top of the deck of cards.
  3. As you are palming the ace, explain that the best card handlers are able to invisibly palm cards off of the top of deck.
  4. Turn over the top card and place it face up on the deck (be careful not to reveal the palmed card in your hand as you do this).
  5. Demonstrate the "invisible palm" by pretending to palm off the face up card on top of the deck. In reality, drop the card you have palmed in your hand on top of the face up card on top of the deck.
  6. Move the hand with the "palmed card" (the hand is really empty) away from the deck as if it were palming a card.
  7. Now, quickly spread your fingers and turn over you hand, revealing that it is empty. Explain that the card is invisibly palmed.
  8. Cut the deck of cards, and as you place the bottom packet on top of the top packet, injog the Ace of Spades.
  9. Immediately lift up on the ace, catching a pinky break above the face up card.
  10. Next, perform a Herrmann pass to bring the face up card to the top of the deck. As you perform the Herrmann pass, pretend you are releasing a card onto the top of the deck from your palm. As you perform the move, explain that you can release a card from an invisible palm at any time.
  11. Throw the face up card on the table, and perform a pinky pulldown to get a break above the bottom two cards of the deck (the two black aces).
  12. Explain that you have two aces invisibly palmed.
  13. Show that the top two cards of the deck are not the aces. Then, perform another Herrmann pass to bring the two aces to the top of the deck as you pretend to release two cards from your "invisible palm" onto the top of the deck.
  14. Turn the two top cards over to reveal the aces.
  15. Next, explain that the best card handlers can use the invisible palm technique in a Texas Hold'em game.
  16. Control the two aces to the bottom of the deck during an overhand shuffle. To do this, begin your overhand shuffle by counting off each ace one at a time and then continuing with a regular overhand shuffle.
  17. Perform another modified overhand shuffle, in which you pull one card from the top of the deck with the thumb and one card from the bottom of the deck with the fingers, again one card from the top and bottom, then a card off the top of the deck, which you injog above the four previous cards, and then finally finish up with a regular overhand shuffle. The bottom four cards, starting at the bottom, should be: Ace of Clubs, indifferent card, Ace of Spades, indifferent card.
  18. Push up on the injogged card to get a thumb break above the four bottom cards.
  19. Perform one last overhand shuffle, making sure that you drop the packet of four cards on top of the deck to finish the shuffle.
  20. Deal face down a card to the spectator, a card to yourself, a card to the spectator, and finally a card to yourself.
  21. Turn over your cards to reveal the two aces.

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