Ted’s Wizard Stripper Deck Learning Page

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Probably there are extremely few people who handle cards in any way, either as card players or magicians, who do not know what a stripper deck is, and probably every magician living has at some time or other made use of the stripper principle.  The principle is simple in the extreme, the cards taper at the ends, that is one end of each card is slightly narrower than the other.  It follows that if a card is turned end for end it can be instantly found because of the projection of its broad end amongst the narrow ends of the other cards.

The first thing to be mastered is to be able to turn the pack imperceptibly for the return of the chosen card.  To begin with, have the narrow ends nearest your body so that when the chosen card is returned to the reversed pack the projecting slides will be at the inner end.  To affect this reverse, spread the pack in a wide fan in the left hand from left to right.  As soon as the card is withdrawn close the fan by placing your right hand on the left side of the fan and closing the pack towards the right, thus bringing the narrow end pointing to the left and the wide end to the right.  Retain hold of the cards with the thumb and fingers of each hand at the ends. If the spectator has taken a card by its wide end and has not changed his hold, you offer the pack to him in your right hand, slightly spreading it with the thumb and fingers.  Square the pack and the wide end of the chosen card is at the inner end.  It may happen that the spectator will turn the card round himself in showing it to another spectator, in that case you offer the pack for its return with your left thumb and fingers.  By holding the pack in the position named, the necessary turn is half made and can be imperceptibly completed by taking the cards in the right hand for the return of the card, or nullified by taking them with the left hand. 

Another very good method is to square the pack and hold it by the ends in the right hand, fingers on the out wide end, thumb on the inner narrow end, square the side of the pack and with the left thumb and fingers, the left forefinger curled up under the pack, and the right forefinger curled in on the top.  Now it is an easy matter to riffle either end of the pack for the return of the card.  If the spectator has not turned his card, remove your left hand from the pack and with it pull the right sleeve a little, at the same time turning the right palm upwards bringing the pack upright, right thumb on the narrow ends.  Bring the left hand against the face of the pack and riffle with the thumb for the return of the selected card.  If, however, the spectator has turned his card, simply riffle the wide ends with the tip of the right second finger.  These two methods obviate the necessity for any palpably awkward reversing of the pack and will pass without notice even by those who know something about the stripper principle.

The latest and best method for the return of a card to a stripper pack is of comparatively recent introduction and is calculated to deceive even an expert if he is unacquainted with the procedure.  Before offering the pack for the choice of a card, secretly turn half the pack so that the upper half of the cards have their narrow ends pointing outwards, the lower half has its wide ends pointing inwards.  Allow a card to be selected freely from either half of the pack, but have it returned to the other half.  Ore if the card itself is turned by accident of design see that it is pushed back amongst the cards it was taken from.  Square up the cards, cut at the projecting end of the lower portion in the same way, thumb on the inner end, fingers on the outer end, turn the hands in the opposite directions bringing the thumbs together and riffle shuffle the cards by the ends.  The result is that all the narrow ends and all the wide ends are brought together, leaving the chosen card the only one reversed.

Some practice should be given to stripping the cards apart after some have been reversed.  This should be done so neatly that the move should pass for the ordinary cut.  It is only necessary to hold the pack rather loosely and quite flat when it will be found comparatively easy to separate them with one quick movement.  An illustration of the subtle use of a stripper pack in presenting a series of tricks depending on prearranged cards follows.  The main thing in such effects is to convince your audience that the cards are honestly shuffled and therefore thoroughly well mixed:  This can be done by using strippers.  Simply cut the arranged pack for a riffle shuffle, turning one packed endwise.  The result will be a thorough mixing of the cards and this will be recognized the onlookers; but by simply stripping the two sections apart under cover of a pretended cut, as explained and dropping on portion on the other, you have the cards in the same order as before.  This subtle process is calculated to allay all suspicion as to the pack being arranged in any way and is therefore, invaluable in all such tricks. 

1. To Separate the Red Cards from the Black Beforehand, separate the red suits and the black into two packets. Reverse one packet, put the two together and shuffle the pack thoroughly.  Show the faces of the cards proving they are well mixed, and then separate the reverse the packets with an apparent cut as already explained.  Until you can do this deftly the separation had better be done behind your back.  Show all the reds in one hand and the blacks in the other.  Turn the outer end of the left-hand packet towards the right and put the right-hand packet on the top, thus brining all the narrow ends together, and the pack is ready for further feats.
2. The Four Ace Trick Pick out the four A’s and put them on the table face down. To show them, take them by their outer ends and turn them over lengthwise.  Them must be in a pack one on top of the other.  Now turn them face down sideways and they will have been reversed.  Replace them thus in different parts of the pack which you hand out to be shuffled by the overhand method.  Take the pack back, put it behind your back, strip out the A’s and put them in your hip pocket.  Hand the pack to a spectator asking him to take out the A’s.  He cannot find them and you take them from your pocket.
3. Finding a Card In Any Position A card having been freely chosen, returned to the reversed pack and the card well shuffled, take the pack and put it behind your back. Ask what number the spectator would like it to appear at.  Strip the card out and put is second from the bottom.  Bring the pack forward, show the bottom card, turn the pack face downwards, draw out the bottom card and deal it face up, pull back the next card about half an inch and deal the next card face up, keeping the chosen card at the bottom.  Proceed in the same way until the chosen number is reached, draw out the bottom card and put it on the table face down.  Have the card named and turn it over. 
4. Selected Cards Pass Through a Handkerchief With the selected card reversed in the pack as usual, hold the pack by the two ends between your hands, face downwards. Ask the spectator to throw a handkerchief over the pack.  Then saying, ‘Perhaps it will be better to have the pack in sight all the time,’ draw the pack away with one hand, the other hand retaining the reversed card and letting it drip on the table under the handkerchief.  Immediately drop the pack on the handkerchief just above the card under it.  Give the pack a sharp blow, ordering the chosen card to pass through it on o the table.  Life the pack and handkerchief and show the card face down.  Have it named and turn it over.
5. The Turned Card A chosen card being in the reversed pack as usual, make an overhand shuffle holding the pack on end with the narrow end upwards. The protruding sides of the reversed card will be detected easily by the sense of tough alone and it becomes a simple matter to finish the shuffle by leaving it on the top.  There is no need to look at the cards.  Place the pack on the left hand, face down and cover it with the right hand, fingers at the out end, and thumb at the inner.  Secretly push the top card a little way over the side of the pack with the left thumb, the right hand hiding the action.  Have the card named.  Now drop the pack from a little height on to the table and owing to the resistance of the air the top card will be turned face up on the top of the pack.
6. Finding Any Number of Selected Cards at Once or Separately It is just as easy to deal with a number of cards as with one only, but each card should be returned to the reversed pack before the next is chosen. Suppose four or five have been drawn and returned, you can then put the pack behind your back and produce them all at once or singly, giving the spectators the choice.  Or you mad you the same thing with the back covered by a handkerchief, or a hat, or by holding the cards under the table.
7. Finding All But the Chosen Card Holding the pack upright with its back towards the audience, narrow ends upwards, it is very easy to retain the selected card between the thumb on one side and the fingers on the other, as the rest of the cards fall.  This done, have the card named and turn it around.
8. Companionable Kings Remove the four K’s from the pack and throw them face up on the table, turning them lengthwise as you do so. Show the faces of all the cards to prove the pack has no duplicates.  Pick up the K’s one by one, turning them sideways so that they go into the pack reverse in different places.  Hand the pack out for an overhand shuffle.  Strip the K’s out in apparently making a strip cut, or put them pack behind your back, pull the K’s out and put them on top.  Place the pack on the table.  Let someone make one complete cut and take the pack.  Order the K’s to get together in the middle.  The pack is spread face up on the table.  The four K’s are together. 
9. Passing a Card Through A Table This trick is only suitable for performance when seated at a table. With a selected card being reversed in the pack as usual, say that you will try to make it pass through the table and, with an indicatory gesture, put the pack under the table holding it with both hands.  Strip the card out and let if fall in your lap.  Put the pack on the table and strike it sharply.  Then bring the card out, it having apparently passed through the table into your left hand.  Have it named and turn it up.
10. Cutting at a Chosen Card This item is self explanatory.  It is only a matter of having the pack with the chosen card reversed in it, shuffled and put face down on the table. Make a quick and apparently casual cut, really cutting at the projecting edges of the chosen card.  Hold the cut face down, have the card named and turn the packet face up showing the card.  In spite of its simplicity, or perhaps because if it, the little feat has a fine effect.

And now, 10 tricks with a regular deck of cards, just in case you get caught with a spectator who knows the secret of the stripper deck.

1. The Mind Reading Trick This trick uses the “Key Card” method of locating the selected card. Tell the spectator that you have ‘just started to learn mind reading and you wonder if you can practice on them.’  (I love this opener, because it works on everyone.  You aren’t showing them a magic trick, they are helping you practice, and who wouldn’t want to help you practice mind reading, right?)  Take a regular deck of cards.  Fan them with the faces showing.  Announce that this is ‘just a regular deck of cards’ (which, it is.)  While you are fanning the cards, note the last card on the deck.  Remember this one.  It is the Key Card.  Flip the deck over and ask the spectator to ‘pick any card.’  Once the spectator picks a card, ask him to memorize it.  Cut the deck and hold out the top section.  Have the spectator place the card on top of the deck.  Then place the bottom section over the top of the chosen card.  Now, you can find the selected card easy – it is the one right after the last card!  Now, start flipping the cards face up one at a time.  I stop every few cards and act like I’m working on mind reading.  I squint at the spectator.  I hold my hand to my head.  (You know the drill.  Ham it up.) when you see the Key Card, the next card you turn over will be theirs.  KEEP FLIPPING!  I normally do three more cards.  Obviously, the spectator thinks you missed their card.  After I’ve flipped the next three cards, I stop.  I smile big and announce, I’ve got it!  The next card I flip over will be yours!  I even tap on the deck so that they think I’m going to turn the next card on the deck.  (BUT NO.)  I ask, ‘are you ready?’  They smile a nod.  Then, I reach into the dealt cards and remove their card and flip it over!  It blows them away every time!  This trick is so easy.  It resets immediately.  And you can hand out the deck for inspection.  If too many people ask you to repeat the trick, just tell them, ‘mind reading is really hard.  I can’t do it again right now.’ 
2. 5 Heaps with a Key Have a spectator shuffle the deck and when returned, secretly note the bottom card.  Remember this card, say is is the Five of Hearts, as it will be used as the Key Card.  Now drop the cards into four or five heaps (face down) and request anyone to look at any top card on any heap and replace it.  You take up the heap containing the Key Card (Five of Hearts) and place it on top of the heap containing the selected card.  Then the other heaps in order on top of this.  You now know that the selected card comes next to your Key Card (Five of Hearts) and the deck may be cut several times without fear of separating these two cards.  Now run through the deck until you come to the Key Card (Five of Hearts) – the selected card will be next to it in front.
3. Personal Magnetism A card is selected, replaced and cut into the deck.  The cards are then spread face up.  A pencil is handed to the spectator.  Tell him his personality has magnetized both the selected card and the pencil, so they will attract one another.  Take the pencil back and pretend that an invisible force draws it to touch the selected card.  Naturally, you know the selected card since it is next to the key.

The following tricks use the Double Lift.  he double lift is the most overused and misused sleight in card magic.  Practice it carefully before using.  The sleight is done by lifting two cards and showing them as one.  First, it is necessary to cleanly be able to pick off only two cards merely by using thumb pressure against the edge of the deck.  After the two cards are separated, hold them between the thumb and first two fingers to turn over and show as one card.  There are many ways of performing the double lift, this being a basic version.

4. Is This The Card? Perform a double lift, showing the apparent top card. Replace this double card on the deck.  Remove the real top card of the deck and place it in your pocket.  Have the spectator turn over the top card.  The card you displayed at the beginning is back on top of the deck.
5. Is This The Card? #2 Whenever you have the selected card on top, you can double lift and say this is your chosen card as you show the second card. The spectator will, of course, say you are incorrect.  Slide off the top card and say “I’m sure this is it”.  The magician has the last laugh.

The following tricks use the Hindu Shuffle. This Shuffle is not only an effective way to mix cards, but also a good flourish and an excellent card control.  Hold the pack in the right hand, thumb on one side, forefinger on top and remaining fingers on other side. The left hand draws off small packets of cards (4-8) by grasping the free end of the pack with the thumb on one side, forefinger and the center and remaining fingers on other side and moving the hands apart.  Repeat this movement until all the cards are transferred to the left hand.  (See illustration).

6. Hindu Key The bottom card is not disturbed until the very end of the Hindu Shuffle. Spectators never realize this fact, but it is very useful to the card magician. With the key card on the bottom, have someone select any card and begin the Hindu Shuffle as described.  After drawing off about half the cards, extend the left hand and have the spectator place the card on top.  Drop the remaining packet from the right hand on top of spectator’s card.  Appearances are that the selected card was shuffled into the deck.  In reality, the key card is right on top of the selected card, making it easy to find.
7. Hindu Lookout It is possible to spot a key card while performing the Hindu Shuffle without needing to begin with a known locator on the bottom. While performing the Hindu Shuffle, simply tilt the right hand packet outward away from your body so you can secretly and quickly catch a glimpse of the bottom card.  The card seen becomes the Hindu Key.
8. Hindu Force While executing the Hindu Shuffle, ask the spectator to say “stop” at any point. At his command, lift the right hand packet so the spectator can see the bottom card, and ask him to remember it.  Since this is the original bottom card, you always know the card that was selected.
9. Improved 25 Card Trick Lay out upon the table 25 cards, 5 heaps of 5 cards each. Have a person think of a card and ask which heap it is in.  Gather up the cards, being sure that the heap containing the selected card is in the middle.  Then lay the cards out again and ask which heap contains the selected card, and gather up the cards again with the heap containing the selected card in the middle.  The selected card will always be the 13^th.
10. Outside, Looking In If going to someone’s home and you intend to work a few card tricks, stick a card on the outside of one of the windows. Then later when you are inside and working tricks, force a duplicate of this card and vanish it.  Then tell folks to go over to the window and staring at them through the window is the selected card.