John Scarne: Scarne on Card Tricks

Scarne, John: Scarne on Card Tricks
©1950 John Scarne, Crown Publishers, NY.
Hardcover, w/dj

©1974 Signet Edition
Softcover, perfect-bound, 306 pages

©2003 Dover Publications
Softcover, perfect-bound, 5.5x8.5", 336 pages
ISBN: 0486427358 (Dover Edition)

1956 edition
Image courtesy e-Bay seller 70Magik

Signet Edition
Image from Magicref

Dover Edition

Comments: There have been many editions of this book. It has also been combined with Scarne's Magic Tricks into a single volume, Scarne's Tricks.
Over 150 Card Tricks that do not require sleight of hand. While many are throw-aways, there are some good and classic effects in here. A great book for the beginner, with some material suitable for all levels. As with most beginner books (sadly), most of the effort is in describing the trick, with less time spent in developing quality presentation and misdirection. An (*) after the title means I found the effect especially interesting.

Dover Edition is an unabridged republication of the Signet edition published by Crown Publishers, Inc., NY, 1950.

Contents: Each trick is numbered. The first number below is the page number, the 2nd is the trick number.

1 Publisher's Introduction
3 A New Era In Card Tricks, John Scarne, 1950
7 1) Calling the Cards: Spectator points to face down cards spread on the table while magician calls out their names. At the end, the list is compared to the pointed cards, and they are all correct.
9 2) Aces From the Pocket: Magician removes 4 Aces from a shuffled deck placed in the pocket
9 3) The Upside Down Deck (Francis Carlyle)*: Performer and Magician each select cards from their halves, exchange them and insert them into the deck. Some cards are reversed. Deck rights itself except for the two selections.
11 4) Traveling Aces (Charlie Nagle): 4 Ace Assembly
13 5) Dunninger's Mental Card Trick (Joseph Dunninger): a card is divined in a small crystal ball
15 6) Behind the Back Card Trick (Carmine Laino)*: A card is selected and returned to the deck behind the performer's back. He is able to look through the deck and find the selected card
16 7) Scarne's Predicto*: Magician predicts which two cards a business card was placed between
18 8) The Four Royal Flushes: a simple poker deal
19 9) Egg A La Card (Paul Clive): A hard boiled egg is peeled and reveals the name of a selected card
20 10) The Turn Around Cards: Magician can tell which card of 8 has been turned end-for-end
21 11) It's A Natural (Martin Gardner/Bill Simon): The number of matches removed by a spectator indicates one of 7 cards, which matches a prediction by the magician
23 12) The Talking Card (Al Altman): Spectator shifts a row of 10 face down cards by moving a number of cards from the right end to the left end. Magician will turn over one card, which indicates the number of cards moved. This can be repeated.
25 13) You Do As I Do: 2 Deck version. Magician and spectator each shuffle deck, select card, place it back in deck, and exchange decks. Each looks through deck and removes selected card, and they match.
27 14) You Do As I Do*: 1 Deck version (Al Baker/Dr. Ben Braude). As above, but each using 1/2 the deck. May not work quite as nicely if a "matching card", say the 2 of Spades to match 2 of Clubs, is not in the right half of the deck.
29 15) Heath's Master Speller (Royal Heath): Spelling the selected card repeatedly results in sequence (stack)
31 16) Cardini's Mind Reading Card Trick (Cardini): Spectator spells to the selected card (dup)
34 17) Sensitive Fingertips (Bob Hummer): A stack of face up and face down cards are righted behind the back
36 18) Separating Red and Black Cards: As above, but red and blacks separated
37 19) Sympathetic Aces: Four spectators pic a number between 10-20 and counted cards are all Aces
39 20) The Four Aces*: A simple 4 card location
40 21) The Wizard (Steffi Storm): The wizard on the phone declares a selected card
41 22) Reverso*: Two selections appear face up in the deck
43 23) The Dean's Poker Deal: A simple poker hand using only 10 cards; performer always has winning hand
44 24) The Memory Test (Charles Jordon): 1 card removed from 1/2 deck; performer looks through and names the card
45 25) Spectators' Magic Count*: Spectator counts to magician's selected card after 1 failure
47 26) Topsy-Turvy Deck (Bob Hummer): 2 halves of deck get equal face up/face down cards
48 27) Finding A Selected Card: 2 spectators choose cards, swap into 1/2 deck; magician finds both cards
49 28) Thought Control (Howard Wurst): Performer predicts which paper of 10 spectator is holding. He counts down the number to the selection
51 29) Magic In Your Own Hands (Cliff Green): Spectator finds his own card
53 30) Mathematical Finder: Another counting to selection
54 31) Swimmers: Spectator cuts to the Aces, then the Kings
56 32) The Weigle Aces (Oscar Weigle): Another version of the Spectator finds the Aces
57 33) The Mathematical Card Trick (Dr. Jacob Daly)*: Two selections are found simultaneously (no prep needed)
60 34) Nomenclature (Joseph Dunninger)*: Three names spelled revealed the selected card (no prep needed)
61 35) Hands-Off Miracle (Joseph Barnett): Performer cuts instantly to spectator's selection (salt)
63 36) The Photographic Match (Russell Swan): The name of a selected card appears on the head of a burnt match (stack)
65 37) Perplexity (George Delaney)*: Selection placed face up in deck appears face down between 2 face up Aces
66 38) The Initials Will Tell (multiple): Initials of selection appear on spectator's hand
69 39) Double Duty: Magician selects a card equal in value to the number of cards the spectator places on the deck
70 40) The Love Birds*: Magician & Spectator each select card from 1/2 deck and return to top. Cards are cut and the selections appear together! (simple)
71 41) Hit The Deck: Spectator slaps deck and all cards fall except for the selection
73 42) The Betting Card Trick*: Magician bets next card turned over is selection; since the card was passed, the spectator takes the bet but loses!
74 43) The Card That Tells (Jack Spalding): Using cards, performer correctly predicts the number of cards the spectator has in his pocket (stack)
75 44) Mind Control (Max Holden): Spectator counts the cards to get his selection, the magician finds it in the deck
77 45) The Whispering Card (Ladson Butler): Magician finds 3 cards with the help of a "whispering" card
79 46) The Stubborn Card (Bob Hummer): A selection is made from a face up/down deck and ends up the only face up card
81 47) Color Scheme (Oscar Weigle): Spectator repeatedly cuts a deck under the table and ends up with reds face up, blacks face down
83 48) Magic Numbers (Clayton Rawson): Cards are dealt in 2 rows and added, magician can determine the total
85 49) The Acrobatic Card (Larry Klunck)*: The deck is dropped and the selection turns itself over
87 50) Flighty Aces (Lu-Brent): Four Aces are dealt face up with 3 cards face down on top of each. Spectator takes one Ace packet, the magician the rest. Spec ends up with all 4 Aces (uses extras plus switch)
89 51) Braude's Mental Card Trick (Dr. Ben Braude)*: An interesting key card selection
91 52) The Magic Number Trick (Jack Miller): Spectator does some math, picks 4 cards based on results. She keeps 1 of the 4, and the magician knows which of the 4 she chose
92 53) Instanto (Cliff Green): Self-working revelation: pulls selection from spectator's pocket
94 54) Switcheroo (Walter Gibson): Magician counts to two selections
95 55) Quadruple Coincidence (George Starke)*: A "you do as I do" with four coincidences
98 56) The New Deal Poker Hand (Dr. Al Berndt/Peter Musto): A poker hand trick using a brand new deck (stacked)
99 57) Houdini's Double-Talk Card Trick: Selections from multiple spectators are placed in a grid. Spectators name rows, magicians points to selected cards
102 58) Locatrix (Ted Anneman): A quick card revelation: either top cards or face up in deck
103 59) Double Prediction (Bill Simon)*: A business card has a prediction written on it and is found between the two cards predicted
105 60) Card Counting Extraordinary (Bob Dunn): Spectator cuts the deck, magician 'weighs' it and tells how many cards in the packet (stacked)
107 61) Double Surprise (Bill Simon)*: Magician finds selection face up in deck after one failed attempt
108 62) The Stapled Card (Joseph Prieto)*: Magician finds selection with the help of a stapled locator card, and the selection ends up being one of the stapled cards!
112 63) Allerchrist Card Trick (Bert Allerton/Henry Christ): Self-working; can be performed over the phone
114 64) The Triple Deal Card Trick (H.C. Cleaveland): After spectator identifies which packet contains his card (3 times), magician removes the cards from his pocket, counts the total, and finds the selection
117 65) The Spelling Bee*: Thirteen spades are removed. Each card is spelled (A-C-E) and reveals that card; Even when one is spelled wrong
119 66) Double Revelation: Magician finds the selection and predicts the number of cards in the spectator's pocket
121 67) Walsh's Long Distance Card Trick (Audley Walsh): A mathematical card trick that can be done over the phone
122 68) Scarne's Drunken Poker Deal*: A cleverly stacked poker hand
126 69) Perfect Prediction (Chester Morris): Magician predicts which card will be dealt (self-working)
127 70) The Puzzler (Bob Short): Packs totaling "12" are dealt and magician predicts the number of pips
129 71) Selected Card Vanishes Into Pocket (Johnny Albenice): Card to pocket with a slightly risky move
130 72) James's Miracle (Stewart James)*: Sympathetic cards ending with a kicker!
132 73) The Obedient Cards (Nat Bernstein/Morty Zuckert): 2nd spectator locates 1st spectator's card (simple, impromptu)
133 74) The Traveling Card (Jack Miller)*: A selected card "rises" through the pack and magician states how far down it can be found
135 75) Personification (Oscar Weigle)*: Spectator spells his or her name to the selected card
136 76) My Lucky Card (Bill Simon)*: A 'lucky card' is found between 2 others that define its value and suit
138 77) The Poker-Face Card Trick: As cards are dealt 1 by 1, spectator lies about which one is his, but magician detects it (uses a simple peek)
140 78) Winning Poker (Louis Zingone): Magician's hand wins twice after a portion of the deck is thoroughly shuffled
141 79) Scarne's Follow the Leader (with Dr. Alan Barnett)*: Two packets of six cards shown as red and black. Red and Black are switched, and the packets change colors, too
143 80) The Great Poker Demonstration*: Sensational but somewhat lengthy poker demo
146 81) Up and Down (Dai Vernon)*: 2 indicator cards predict the position of selections lost in the deck
148 82) The Magic Four-Spot (Paul Morris/P.C. Sorcar): Mathematical trick; the result equals the value of the card
150 83) Garcia's Card Location (Frank Garcia): How to create a clever 1-way deck
151 84) Breath Control (multiple): Selected cards are located apparently by the spectator's "breath marks"
153 85) Vernon's Three Card Assembly (Dai Vernon): A packet of three same value cards are mixed with others yet mysteriously re-assemble together
155 86) Scarne's Twenty-Two Stop Trick: Magician takes cards 1 by 1 from pocket until 22 is reached, and reveals the selection
157 87) Jack Goes to Town*: Cute story using the whole deck. Needs to be modified to change "48 States" to the current 50!
161 88) Lyle's Four Of A Kind (Art Lyle)*: Magician ends up dealing 3 matching cards to the selected card
163 89) Cardini's Color Discernment (Cardini): Magician correctly determines how many red he has and how many blacks the spectator has, three times (mathematical)
166 90) Miraskill (Stewart James): Magician predicts differences in the number of cards in 2 piles (3 times)
168 91) Lorayne's Mind Reading Card Trick (Harry Lorayne)*: Simple but effective location
170 92) The Quickie Card Trick (Milton Berle): Magician correctly determines the number of cards in a deck
172 93) Scarne's Birds of a Feather: You Do As I Do, both pick same card
174 94) Five Nine King (Martin Gardner): Spectator finds same card on 3 packets all match a previously selected card
177 95) The Eight Ace Routine (multiple): Five effects with a packet of Aces
180 96) Scarne's Lie Speller: Clever spelling location - spectator can either lie or tell the truth!
182 97) Scarne's Tappit: Selection is found by the tapping of a pencil
185 98) The Piano Card Trick*: An even pile becomes odd (self-working)
187 99) Cross Suits*: Two red cards move from top to face up in the middle and back to the top
189 100) The Card On The Wall: Using a partial stack
191 101) Variation on Card On The Wall (Melbourne Christopher): No tack needed in this version
192 102) Scarne's Red and Black Speller (Dell O'Dell): Red and Black spelling, self-working
193 103) Scarne, Please Help Me (Joseph Linman): Clever speller fails once, then succeeds
195 104) Carlyle's Migrating Decks (Francis Carlyle)*: Red and Blue decks change places except for the four spectator's cards
198 105) Buckle Up: Performer finds the only face up card, by feel alone (really!)
200 106) Double Empathy: Spectator and performer find each others cards
203 107) Scarne's Six-Way Baffler: Magician correctly determines the number of cards held by 2 spectators and how many red and blacks
207 108) Variation on Six-Way Baffler (George Kaplan): simpler variation of the above
208 109) Dice Will Tell (Howard Thurstan/Oscar Weigle): The roll of 2 die determines the location of spectator's card (self-working)
209 110) Affinity In Numbers: Mathematical trick arrives at two selected cards
211 111) Gardner's Sympathetic Cards (Martin Gardner)*: Magician's and Spectator's cards are matched by the top cards in packets
213 112) The Last Two Cards*: Cards are eliminated until only 2 remain - the selections
215 113) Three-In-One Card Trick (Warren Wiersbe): Magician selects same 2 cards as two spectators, then spectator and magician select same 2 random cards (all revealed at the end)
218 114) The Drunk Plays Bridge (Howard P. Albright/U.F. Grant): How to conclude a night of Bridge! (uses 1-way deck)
220 115) Scarne's Phone Miracle*: Another telephone card trick (good! Performer must be alone)
222 116) Scarne's Knockout Card Trick*: Spectator turns cards face up and down, burying the selection. At the end, the only face up card is the selection
225 117) The Stopper Mind Reading Trick (Charles W. Nyquist/Edward Dart): As spectator deals cards to the table, magician yells STOP at the selected card
227 118) Cardology - Or, A Card Trick Without Cards (Blackstone): No cards needed -a thought of card found through mathematics
228 119) Card on the Ceiling: A no sleight method requiring a hidden duplicate deck
231 120) Variation on Card on the Ceiling: A bold variation where the card is guaranteed to stick!
232 121) Leipzig's Pocket Card Trick (Nate Leipzig): Performer finds spectator's selection and states how many cards are left in spectator's pocket (salt)
234 122) Thurston's Card Mystery (Howard Thurston): Magician determines how many cards are left in a row (quick, self-working)
235 123) Scarne's Miracle Card-Finder Trick: Last card dealt by the spectator is the magician's selection
237 124) The Spirit Card Trick*: Version of Trick #35 but with "Spirit World" patter
239 125) Double Location (John J. Crimmins, Jr.)*: Magician accidentally drops all but two cards - the selections
241 126) Ribbon Spread (Chet Miller): Spectator and Magician randomly remove cards one at a time, magician states what card is missing from the deck
242 127) The Odd Will (Bruce Elliot)*: Story trick about cows (self-working with small stack)
244 128) The Uninvited Joker (George Karger)*: Cute speller - whenever a card is spelled wrong, a joker appears
247 129) The Impossible Location (Martin Gardner): Deck cut into thirds, each packet shuffled and reassembled, magician finds selection
248 130) The Complementary Cards (Nate Leipzig): Spectator names a card and magician pull from his pocket one or more cards that represent the value of the named card
249 131) Behind My Back (Bert Feinson): Magician finds selected card behind his back (somewhat mathematical)
251 132) Si Stebbins' Master Memory Test (Si Stebbins/Scarne): Magician names every card in the deck plus its positions (a Si Stebbins Stack)
255 133) Si Stebbins' Master Tricks: Another effect using the above
257 134) The Mishap Poker Deal*: Bottom deal gives 4 Aces, but a top deal gives a Royal Flush!
258 135) The Twenty-One Card Spelling Trick (Martin Sunshine): An almost self-working speller
260 136) The Future Deck (Jack Vosburgh)*: A gimmick deck you can make allows magician's written prediction on a card to match a spectator's selection (can't be examined, though)
262 137) Leipzig's Sympathetic Cards (Nate Leipzig): Magician selects identical cards from two decks under a handkerchief
263 138) Thought Ablaze (Charles Roe): Ashes on the arm reveal the selected card (ashes)
265 139) Add Lib (Oscar Weigle)*: A simple mathematical location
266 140) Seeing Through the Deck (multiple)*: Magician names two cards and their position in the deck (twice)
268 141) General Arnold's Master Speller: Every card in the deck is spelled (stack)
270 142) The Psychic Number Seven: An over the phone mystery (accomplice)
272 143) On the Square (Eddie Joseph): Magician determines the number of cards held by a spectator (mathematical)
275 144) Scarne's Sympathetic Card Trick: Magician and spectator both arrive at the same card in two decks (semi-stack and memory)
278 145) The Second-Guess Card Trick (Paul Rosini/W.F. Steele): Magician finds the spectator's card after a failure
280 146) The Atomic Location (Audley Walsh/Al Baker)*: Clever method to find a selection apparently lost in the deck
281 147) Scarne's Power of Thought: Magician predicts which card the "captain" of a team of 5 spectators will choose
284 148) The Card Through A Handkerchief: Selected card through handkerchief
287 149) The Card In the Wallet: Using a extra, hidden deck
289 150) The Card Clock: Spectator removes cards from a "card clock", the last one is the selection
291 151) Automatic Pencil Writing: Crumpled paper with a pencil point in it "writes" the selection
293 152) The Four Deuces: Spectator and Magician both get face up deuces in their decks
295 153) Wild Bill Hickock's Hand (Henry Christ): A poker deal/spelling card trick
298 154) Einstein And the Magician (Warner Perry): Einstein suggest a mathematical formula to arrive at a selected card
301 155) Scarne's Color Control: Spectator correctly separates the reds and blacks in this Oil and Water variation