T

his project has been a long time in the making. The

original concept for this project was created when I
was 16 years old. I had been introduced to a video put
out by Lee Asher called The Five-Card Stud. This project
opened my eyes to the fact that it was possible to add a story
element into a standard magic instructional video. I have had
a fascination with both magic and filmmaking since a very
young age, and that interest has not dissipated through the
years— if anything, it has grown stronger. This project for
me is purely from passion; it is my first attempt at making
a movie. What I have learned from this experience will stay
with me and make the next project that much better. My hope
is that this project will inspire those who want to create, feed
the knowledge of those who want to learn, and entertain those
who just want to watch. This movie is not just mine; this is
a collaborative experiment between me and all of my friends.
Working with those close to you is a privilege very few have,
and for that, I am truly grateful. Within the pages of this
booklet you will find bios of everyone involved in this project.
You will also find the credits for each magician’s tricks, as well
as the explanation for two tricks from the movie that were not
explained. I hope you at least glance at the booklet rather than
tossing it aside, and I hope you read this introduction as well.
For those who have, I thank you.

March 20, 2013

Chris Mayhew
Director of Photography: Art Director:
Misha is a filmmaker friend I met in Toronto. He makes a living by day Johann is a Toronto-based artist and also currently a roommate of mine.
grinding out slates and tape marks as an I.A.T.S.E. 667 camera trainee, He was born in the Philippines, but was raised in Abu Dhabi and parts of
and when he’s not doing that, he’s busy shooting and editing independent Germany. This makes him more Filipino than me. This angers me. Johann
documentaries. He is also a former graduate of the Ontario College of Arts has been all over the world honing his artistic skills since he could first
and Design. hold a paintbrush. He is also a graduate of OCAD, and his art has been
featured in several online magazines and various movies, including, The F
When I found out Misha had an interest in cinematography, I knew word, starring Daniel Radcliffe.
instantly I had to work with him on this project. We had our first discus-
sion of the matter on the set of my first film gig for the CFC short Rishi’s Johann is like a magician with his hands, in the sense that he can build and
World. I had no idea Misha was going to be working on the same movie, create anything. I knew the movie was going to be in good hands with Jo-
but when I saw him, we had our first real conversation about movies, and hann on board. He was able to take Alex’s blueprints and make them a real-
we talked about our goals and aspirations. It was a great moment I will ity. Johann also played a key role in figuring out little tricks and techniques
remember forever. for making a shot work, and also juggled multiple roles as art director, set
dresser, carpenter, and on occasion, assistant director and sound operator.
You will notice in the end credits that both Alex and Johann’s names appear
multiple times. In fact, I think at one point their names fill the screen.
Production Designer/1st AD:
Alex Clark is, at present time, a roommate of mine. He is a graduate of the
Ontario College of Art & Design and has been working in television and Designer:
film in Toronto as an art director and set decorator. He has worked on a
variety of music videos, television series, and feature films, including the Scott is a freelance graphic designer working out of Toronto. He is also a
Toronto International Film Festival Official 2012 Selection Picture Day, I roommate at this current time. Notice a pattern? Currently Scott spends his
Declare War, and the critically acclaimed short film, Frost. time at a local music recording studio practicing his craft, designing graph-
ics for a variety of clients around the city. He is also a former graduate of
When I first developed the script, I had written it with economy of budget OCAD. Apparently everyone I know in Toronto has attended OCAD?
in mind. However, the opening and closing scenes still needed a poker
room with a bar. At first Ben and I scouted out locations to see if we could Scott has played a huge role in the post-production of this project. He has
find a spot that fit the aesthetics and would allow us to film. We eventually laid out and designed everything that you are looking at now, including all
realized it would be easier to just build the damn thing in our basement. I of the packaging for the DVD. He is also responsible for the movie poster,
painted the picture in Alex’s head, and the next day he had a blueprint of and created it purely from scratch. During production Scott was the on-set
the entire structure of the bar. Alex played a huge role during production, photographer. However, I was unaware of his designing abilities. It was
juggling multiple jobs as production designer, set dresser, assistant director, not until after principal photography was wrapped when I became aware
and even sound operator on occasion. of Scott ’s many talents. He was originally set to score the movie, but soon
switched instruments to a computer. He has brought an aesthetic to the
project I could have never even dreamed of.
Audio Mixer/ Composer: Audio Engineer:
Tony Smith is a composer/producer, arranger, songwriter, and multi-instru- Fast forward a few months, and we are introduced to Michael P. Stavrou.
mentalist working out of Toronto, Canada. He is also another roommate Stav is a different kind of beast. At age 23 he was working at George Mar-
of mine and is a graduate of OCAD. Okay, that one was a joke (although tin’s AIR Studios in London recording and mixing music for England’s top
he still might be a graduate of OCAD, I have not asked him. Damn!). hit-record makers, including Chris Thomas, Paul Buckmaster, Mark Bolan,
Currently Tony writes music for film/television. He produces albums Cat Stevens, John Williams, and was even involved with The Spy Who
for various artists and has also written music for musicals and live stage Loved Me James Bond score. Michael also invented advanced ergonomics
performances. for The Smart Console, transforming sound engineers into magicians.

Tony was a fluke who ended up saving the shoot. Ben and I were days away I know what you’re thinking: “How the hell could you possibly get someone
from production and still had not found someone who knew how to record with a resume like that to help you edit your little project?” To tell that
sound. As a last-ditch effort Ben sent out a message to all the magicians in story, we have to rewind several years back. Lee Asher is on a tour lectur-
Toronto asking for help, and Tony responded. I had never met Tony prior ing in Australia. Looking around at what appears to be an Aussie-filled
to filming and was unsure if he was reliable or not. That quickly changed convention, Lee filters the noise and pinpoints someone with an American
when he became one of the first guys to show up on set every day ready to accent. That man was Michael. They become friends, and Lee goes back to
go. After production Tony was originally slated to edit the sound, while America. Fast-forward several years later, Lee now lives in Toronto and we
Scott scored the movie. However, that quickly changed when I became have no sound editor. Lee sends out an article he wrote to a select group of
aware of Tony ’s musical talent. He was well versed with many instruments, friends. In that group was Stav. The next day Lee gets an email from Stav
and after the first sample he sent me, I knew he was right for the job. in response to the article. At the end of his response Stav writes, “P.S. If
However, this posed an interesting problem. With Scott taking over the you have any projects you are working on or involved in and need any sound
design and Tony taking over the musical composition, there was no one left edited, I would be glad to help out.” Are you shitting me! It was perfect and
to edit the sound. almost as if it was meant to be. Stav saved the movie; he opened my ears
to an entirely new awareness of sound and aesthetics. I knew I was in for a
professional learning experience when I talked with Stav on Skype and he
asked me if I wanted the poker scene to sound “smoky ”.
The man needs no introduction; he is recognized worldwide for his cutting-edge When writing the script, I had imagined Bill as the villain and wrote the role
card work and creations such as the Losing Control, and the Asher Twist. Cur- with him in mind, even before asking him if he wanted to be involved in the
rently Lee resides in Toronto, Canada, and regularly participates with the local movie. Bill has been performing since the age of five. He has made numerous
Toronto magic community. television and film appearances and shares his magic with billionaires, A-listers,
sports superstars, and everyday people across North America, Europe, and the
Lee was the man who started it all, Five-Card Stud was a project that inspired Middle East. Basically, he performs for everyone I wish I performed for.
a whole new generation of magicians, including myself. It was the first magic
project I watched that really opened my eyes to the fact that someone could mix Bill really made the role his own. On set, Bill played the role for his character
a storyline with magic instructions. Getting Lee to be part of this project was completely differently than what I had envisioned, but he made it work. So I
such a crucial moment for me. To be able to work with someone you look up to is shut up and let him play the part. It was a great experience and a valuable lesson
a gift not to be taken for granted. Lee is the man. in character creation.
 Wide-Open Travelers
Glenn’s Routine is inspired by The Open Travelers by Ed Marlo from The New Phoenix No.
375, page 329 (December, 1962). This type of effect was popularized by Paul Harris, who
created P.H. Invisible Palm in Las Vegas Close- up (1978) and was later revised in Art of
Astonishment Vol. 3 (1996).

The idea of using no extra cards for the open travelers has been explored by many magicians,
including Larry Jennings in his routine Lonesome Travelers from his Japan Lecture Notes
(1979). Also, Jon Racherbaumer explored the routine with his effect Open-Air Assembly
from Card Finesse (1982). Ed Marlo also explored the use of no extra cards with his routine
Surrounded Open Traveler, 3rd Method in New Tops Vol. 24, No. 4 (April 1984).

Pugh’s Pass can be found in Greater Magic (1938). This is the proper credit for the Venus
Flytrap-type move Glenn refers to in the movie, which in turn, is credited to Chris Brown.

Glenn is a magician from Kitchener. Yeah, there’s an extra “n,” in his name, but don’t worry,
Colour-Changing Deck
it ’s silent, like the “n” in “Damn!” Coincidentally, that ’s exactly what audiences scream when
This routine is a series of moves strung together into one visually eye-popping routine. The
experiencing Glenn’s expert sleight-of-hand. Glenn has spent years crafting a polished touch
buckle used in the effect can be found in Farelli’s Card Magic-Part 2 (1933). The first colour
that makes even the most hard-core sleights defy detection. Glenn’s magic leaves behind a
change Glenn uses in the routine is based off Ed Marlo’s Snap Change. The second card
pure, unfiltered moment of clear astonishment, but only if you view it from one angle.
change is Jack Carpenter’s Impulse Change, Glenn uses Pugh’s Pass for the third change,
and a variation on Ed Marlo’s Convincing Control for the last and final change.
Glenn is not only an awesome magician; he is also a fantastic video editor. When I had first
written the script for this project, I had planned on editing the movie myself. However, that
all changed when I saw Glenn’s work. The guy was a pro, and I knew anything I cut together,
he probably could have done 10 times as well. I knew this was going to be a real challenge
and true test for Glenn. Glenn juggled his attention between a full-time job, his lovely wife
Theresa, his wonderful baby Evelyn, another magic project, and this one. I was worried he
was going to just keel over and die, but the man knows how to multitask, and multitask he
did, for a year.
 Oil and Water
Jeff ’s routine is based on David Ben’s version from his book Tricks, which in turn, is based
on Danny Dew’s version from Magic and Methods of Ross Bertram. However, the first phase
of Danny’s routine is actually P. Howard Lyon’s Wildroot first published in Ibidem. This
routine essentially took the first phase, re-tweaked it for the second phase with some Tama-
rizesque inspiration. The ending was developed independently, though others, such as David
Acer (from his lecture in Toronto ca. 2009-2010), John Carney (Carneycopia), and Dani
DaOrtiz (Utopia DVD) have also come up with the same or similar concepts.

Harmony
The methodology for this effect was developed after a conversation Jeff had with Jason
England on The Second Deal forum in 1998. The full routine was inspired by a number
of things, including Paul Gertner’s Unshuffled, Tyler Wilson’s Happy Ending, Francis
Menotti’s Exdyscically shunfuffled (spelling?), and the sensory notion came straight from
Juan Tamariz’s wonderful Mnemonica.

Jeff is Toronto’s best-kept secret and one of my favourite magicians to hang out with. Jeff
didn’t ascend into magic insanity until the age of 12. After witnessing miracles performed
with a Svengali deck, he decided that owning such a pack of cards was more important than
buying lunch. For the next 16 years he arduously studied and practiced his craft (and also
continued to go hungry). His primary passion is sleight of hand with cards. However, his
interests range from self-working miracles, to coin magic, to mentalism. He also has a badass
sponge ball routine, which is virtually unheard of. Jeff has lectured and performed across
Canada and the U.S., with material published in MAGIC magazine and various notes and
booklets.

Jeff was the one magician who impressed me the most on set. He had the unfortunate task
of being in the first scenes we shot, which meant we were all just getting into the groove and
we were all still getting comfortable with each other on camera and off. However, Jeff made
it easy. He was on time, and he knew all his lines front and back. Not only that, he never
messed up once. Look at the blooper reel; you will notice he is not on there.
 Hold’em Seductively
The visual change in this routine is based off Paul Harris’ “Seductive Switch” from his book
Close-up Seductions in 1984 (pg.10)
Westfall’s trick was first published in Tom Frame’s book Hold ‘em Magic in 2011 (pg. 20).

Chris Westfall is a friend of mine that who has one of the most interesting backstories I
have heard in magic. We originally had it in here, but it was about 25 pages, so I will sum-
marize it for you in a few sentences. Chris got into a bunch of trouble as a kid,. hHe found
an interest in magic, and now makes a living as one of the top performers in Toronto. He has
material published in Magic Mmagazine as well as a book by Tom Frame mentioned in the
credits below. If you see Chris in person (also don’t call him Chris, call him Westfall), ask
him about his story, I’m sure he would love to tell it.

A fond memory I have of working on set with Westfall was during his scene when we
meet him in his apartment. We shot his scene in his real apartment. However, his place
just looked very bland on camera. So I decided to embrace the blandness and get rid of
everything in the apartment. It added a shadiness to his character, but the main reason was
it just cracked me up to see Westfall’s face when we told him we were cramming all of his
stuff into his bedroom. So if anyone is wondering why Westfall has no furniture in his scene
besides a stool, now you know.
 Lu Lu Lemon
This trick is based off of Paul Harris’ “La La’s Lu Lu” which can be found in his book Art of
Astonishment Vol. 1. In turn, Paul’s effect was inspired by Larry Jennings’ classic “ Visitor”
effect. Ryan Pilling has also been a great help in developing this trick. Ryan is a great creative
thinker in magic, and I urge you to seek him out if you are ever in Calgary. You can find a
more traditional write-up of this effect in the September, 2011 issue of Genii magazine in
David Acer’s Magicana.

Well, look at this. We arrive at me, so now I get to tell you all about myself like a narcissistic
asshole. I’m even going to say it all in third person, so that we can pretend I’m not talking
about myself.

Chris Mayhew was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. His interest in magic as a
kid grew strong at the age of 13 after The Vanishing Rabbit Magic Shop opened near his
house. Eventually the owner, Brent Smith, hired him to help out at the shop, and this is
where Chris met Tyler Wilson. Tyler inspired Chris to start creating his own magic. Chris’
first contribution to the magic community was his Booklet called A Clockwork Apple. It
was well received within the community and pushed Chris to keep creating. He eventually
moved to Toronto to pursue his interest in filmmaking. As an alternative to film school,
Chris decided to learn the field by volunteering on set as a production assistant. Chris cur-
rently resides in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, working as a professional magician as he plans
for his next project.

What project, you might ask? Perhaps it ’s a sequel? Or maybe it ’s something else? I’m not
sure, but here are some credits.
 Training Wheels
The premise for cutting to the aces as a magical routine is credited to Dai Vernon. Bart
Whaley suggests Vernon invented the plot in 1941, and it was later published in the Stars of
Magic series (Series 2, 1946) as “Cutting
the Aces”. The Double Undercut has also been attributed to Dai Vernon with a more
detailed description of the move in Jerry Mentzer’s Counts, Cuts, Moves, and Subtlety,
published in 1977.

Finally, the clean-up used to hide the double, by pushing it flush into the deck as the aces
are removed, is reminiscent of August Roterberg’s “Push In Change”, from New Era Card
Tricks (1897). If you haven’t read it yet, stop what you’re doing, put on pants, and run out
and buy a copy. It ’s fantastic.

Detour on 51st Street

What can I say about Ben? He is one of the smartest people I know, and one of the stupidest
people I know at the same time. Like Westfall, Ben also gave me a 25-page manuscript for
his bio. Interestingly enough, Ben didn’t write his bio until after reading Westfall’s. Stupid. Many have explored the consequences of faro shuffles with cards at the 26th position,
However, Ben approached me with the idea for making this project with him and some of including Karl Fulves, Alex Elmsley, and Ed Marlo. This particular application with 51 cards
the Toronto magicians. Smart. I will now summarize Ben’s manuscript for everyone in a evolved from a trick shown to Ben by Howard Hamburg.
few sentences. Ben always wanted to be a magician. He just never realized it until he got
kicked out of the house and was introduced to real life. He is now a professional magician in Several people were involved with the construction of Ben’s routine. James Alan suggested
Toronto and has a numerous amount of publications all around the interwebs and magazines, the idea to have poker hands dealt out, which would automatically place the selection at the
I would name them all, but frankly I grow tired of talking about Ben and choose to stop. 26th position. He’s a clever cookie, I like cookies.

To elaborate on how this project was created we need to go back to the year 2003. A young Additional credit goes to Joshua Jay, who originally pointed out that it was possible to locate
Chris Mayhew comes up with the idea for a story. Around that same time an old Ben (he the extra cards after the shuffle, and Asi Wind, who suggested the ploy of having the specta-
had hair then) had come up with the idea to collaborate with all his Toronto peers to make a tors decide on whether the jokers go on top, bottom, or even separated in the pack. This
collective of all their material. Fast forward eight years later. I move to Toronto. I move into trick was originally printed in Josh Jay ’s one-man column in the September 2011 issue of
a random place on Craigslist and meet all of my amazing roommates. Ben and I have lunch Magic magazine. If you want to see pictures of what his manly hands look like doing it, you
one day, and he brings up the idea of making a project filled with magic from a bunch of the can find them there.
Toronto magicians. The story I had lingering in the back of my head from all those years
ago suddenly awakened, and the pieces all fell together. Without Ben this project would not
be what it is. I love him like a brother, but I secretly plan to kill him because I secretly hate
him because I lied about loving him. Luckily he is illiterate and can’t read this.
 “How did you do that? I need to learn it. Please teach me...
I will do anything!”

Steve got all giddy. Not wasting any time, he began to teach Chris the entire
trick.

“It ’s super easy. All you need is a regular deck of cards. First
thing you do is give the deck a good riffle shuffle. You want to
Chris sat down on a quiet Sunday evening to eat his dinner as he enjoyed the have a slight bow in the deck so that you can obtain a natural
ambient sound of a distant radio. Chris cut the first piece of chicken and stabbed break much easier at the end of the trick.”
it with his fork. He brought the piece up to his face, but before he had a chance
to open his mouth, his dad Steve walked in and asked him a question.
Chris looked around for a deck of cards; he managed to find one hiding in the
crevices of the couch. He pulled out the cards and stared at them for a second,
then asked,
“ Want to see a magic trick?”

Chris sat in silence, startled for a brief moment, but snapped out of it quickly. “What if I don’t know how to do a riffle shuffle?”
He responded with an uncertainty in his voice.

Steve grimaced at him for a brief moment.

“Uh, I was just about to eat,
but when I ’m done eating maybe I...” “Then just bend the deck, I don’t care. Shut the fuck up.”

Steve interrupted him, disregarding everything Chris said.

Chris froze in shock, suddenly remembering the reason he never took any lessons
from his dad since bike riding. Steve was a decent, normal, contributing member
of society, but had one terrible flaw. He was a very impatient teacher, and his
“As I riffle down the side of the deck just say stop.” temper was short and hot. Chris bent his deck and started to follow along. His
dad continued to talk.

Chris sat on the couch, confused as to what just happened. He calmly looked
around thinking of a way he could possibly get out of seeing the trick, then came
to the realization that he had no choice but to watch his dad muddle his way
through an attempt to be a card conjurer. To Chris’ surprise, the trick fooled him.
In fact, so much that Chris burst with excitement.
“Hold the deck in left-hand dealer’s grip and use the thumb “How do I fan?”
to riffle down the side of the deck. Time the riffle so that the
spectator says stop when you have riffled about one-quarter of Steve looked at him stern in the eyes.
the deck. F lip the top quarter of the deck face-up, out-jogged
for half its length. Pin the packet to the face-down deck with
your left thumb. Fan the deck with your right hand.” (Fig. 1) “Did I not just tell you to shut your mouth?”

Steve used his right hand to remove the top card from the lower face-down
packet. He inserted the card into the middle of the fan for half its length (Fig. 2)
and continued to teach Chris, regardless of his shitty fan.

Steve fanned the deck perfectly with elegance and grace. He looked over at Chris
who was holding a monstrosity undeserving of the word “fan.” Chris looked
down at the mess of cards in his hands.
“Once the card is in the fan, you can push it flush and close “Check out this interesting position I’m in. The spectator
the fan. This will look like you are just inserting a card face thinks I simply placed a face-down card in the fan and put it
down into the packet and closing it, but what you are actually on the table. But I really only placed half of the face-up packet
doing is setting the trick up for a switch. When you close the on the table, the other half is hiding under the face-down card
fan, close it by rotating the cards clockwise. This will cause the on the top of the deck. All I have to do now is switch the face-
face-down card to jut out the back.” (Fig. 3) down card with the spectator’s selection and you are set. Isn’t
that awesome?”

Chris gestured to say something, but was cut off by his dad’s hand creeping up to
his face and covering his mouth.

“Don’t speak; it was rhetorical.”

Steve turned the deck face-up.

“The way we are going to switch the card, which is at the bot-
tom of the face-up deck now, is ver y simple. We will switch it
by a series of Biddle switches and steals. The first thing you
need to do is get a pinky break above the bottom card. Transfer
this break to a thumb break as your right hand grasps the deck
from above in Biddle grip.”

Chris began to mumble to himself.

Steve grasped the face-up packet with his right hand from over top. He pushed
down on the in-jogged card with his right thumb, and pushed it flush with the
bottom packet as he grasped the upper face-up packet in end grip. Steve placed “I prefer the term end grip.”
this packet on the table. He made sure the tabled packet was situated so it was
off to the right and behind the cards held in his left hand. Steve continued to
talk. Suddenly a bare foot kicked Chris in the face, sending cards flying everywhere
as he fell to the floor grabbing his face in pain. His dad stood over top of him
yelling obscenities.
 “I warned you, boy, the only person who’s allowed to say that “So you have just replaced the random face-down card for the
is Stephen Minch, and maybe John Armstrong. Regardless, I’m spectator’s selection. You now have the selection face-down on
pretty sure you’re neither of them.” top, followed by half the face-up cards from the tabled packet,
followed by the rest of the deck face down. This is where that
Without skipping a beat, Steve got right back into teaching the trick.
natural break comes in handy.”

Chris looked down at his deck only to discover there was no natural break of any
“Using your left thumb, peel the top card of the deck into kind. He hesitated briefly and then spit out another question.
left-hand dealer’s grip. When you peel off two or three cards,
secretly unload the bottom card of the right-hand packet
onto the left hand. This is done under the cover of peeling “What if I have trouble getting the natural break?”
off another card. This should all be one fluid motion. Ask the
spectator to call out stop any time she would like.” Steve froze. He slowly looked up at Chris, anger smeared all over his face. He
raised his finger and took a deep breath as if to yell obscenities at the top of his
lungs.
Chris eventually made his way up from the ground, rubbing his eyes as if he had
just finished crying. He cleaned the cards off the floor and continued to follow
along with his dad’s instructions.

“ When the spectator stops you, peel the card she stopped you
at onto your left hand, but this time maintain a pinky break
below the card. Tell the spectator she could have stopped you
anywhere. As you do this, give an example by peeling off a few
more cards. However, as you peel off the next card, secretly
add the selection to the bottom of the right-hand packet. This
is done as the left thumb peels another face-up card onto the
left-hand packet. Continue peeling a few more cards as you
reiterate the fairness.”

Chris’ dad dumped the remaining cards in his left hand on top of the right-hand
packet, and turned all the cards over so they were face down in left-hand dealer’s
grip. He continued to blurt out more instruction, ignoring his son as if the
teaching was purely for his own benefit.
“That ’s a good question. If you can’t find the natural break, just aim lower
than the face-up cards and get a pinky break there. It won’t matter in a second.
Using your right hand, grab the packet sitting on the table and bring it up to-
wards the deck. This is why the placement at the beginning was important: You
want the natural path of the tabled packet to coalesce with the deck in your
left hand. Once the right-hand packet reaches the deck add all the cards above
the pinky break to the right hand’s packet (Fig. 4). This happens as the right-
hand packet continues for ward until it is out-jogged in the same position as it
was at the beginning of the effect.” (Fig. 5)

Chris realized he didn’t even need to be following along. He sat back down on
the couch and started to eat his cold dinner. The sound of his dad’s voice could
be heard in the background.

“Fan the face-up packet using your right hand. If you couldn’t
get the natural break, just don’t fan the bottom few cards. You
can now cleanly pull out the myster y card and show it to be the
selection. Close the fan back up, and spread through the deck
turning all the face-up cards face down. Now you are clean and
reset. Pretty cool, right?”

Chris swallowed the piece of chicken in his mouth. He scurried to get a drink of
water so he could clear his throat and respond to his dad’s question. Chris gulped
down the last of the water, then placed it off to the side.

“ Yeah, def initely. Let me f inish my dinner, I ’ve got to go pick up Ben for the Poker
game.”

Coming up next...
 feat that failed on every level. The cards slid down the hood due to the curvature
on the first attempt. On the second attempt the hood suddenly just popped open
and flung the cards everywhere, forcing Ben into a deep state of self-loathing
and defeat. But Ben powered through from sheer will alone. After 20 minutes
of collecting every card, Ben attempted the trick for the third time. The effect
would have worked if not for Ben fucking up the faro. By the fifth attempt,
After Chris and Ben finished at the restaurant, they needed to figure out where
Chris was doing the trick for Ben. Chris decided to re-teach the trick to Ben
Hinchliffe lived. Chris noticed the subtle scent of Ocean Flurry aromatizing
who had given up on all hope for accomplishing the trick one last time.
near Hinchliffe at the Poker game the night before last. Ocean Flurry is an
exclusive scent sold only at Gunther’s Sweatshop BBQ Equipment and Scented
Candle Emporium, the only store of its kind to sell both barbeques and scented
candles, for the times when you want to eat meat and relax while doing it. This “Chris, what do you need for this trick to work?”
store was located near Yonge and Eglinton, a good lead in finding the ever-elu-
sive Hinchliffe. As Chris looked for his keys to unlock the van, Ben casually and
discreetly probed Chris’ reaction to his card trick. “Good question, Ben.
You need exactly 51 cards, plus two jokers.”
“Did it fool you?”
Chris pulled out his deck and continued to explain the rest of the routine.

Chris stood there for a moment pondering what Ben had just asked.
“To begin the trick, remove the two jokers and place them off
to the side. Hand the deck to the spectator to shuffle, and ask
“ What?”
him to deal down five hands of Poker (Fig. 1). Each pile should
have five cards, making a total of 25 cards dealt. Pick up the
Ben was stymied. rightmost packet and turn it face-up, drawing attention to the
card fourth from the face (Fig. 2). Put this pile back down and
pick up the pile at the opposite end, drawing attention this
“ You serious? The trick I just showed you in the restaurant!”
time to the card second from the face (Fig. 3). Place this back
in its place and ask the spectator to look at the card on top of
Chris stood there for a moment pondering what Ben had just said. the deck in his hands and remember it. Collect all the cards
together, making sure you start with the rightmost pile and end
with the leftmost pile. Drop all the cards on top of the deck,
“ What happened in the trick?”
losing the spectator’s card in the middle. Introduce the Jokers
and place them face up on top of the deck. Have the spectator
Ben realized the conversation would go nowhere and decided to just show Chris cut the deck as much as he wants. When he is content, take the
the trick again. Ben repeated the routine word for word, and move for move, only deck back and give it one straddle faro (Fig. 4).
this time he used the hood of the van as his table, which proved to be a difficult
Spread the deck on the table; you’re now set up for three
powerful reveals. The first two are treated almost like a throw
away. The first card you pointed out will lay three cards to
the right of the Jokers (Fig. 5), and the second card will lay
four cards to the left (Fig. 6). Due to the nature of the cards
when doing a straddle faro, the jokers are 26 cards away from
the selection when starting, so they will sandwich the card
during the weave. The selection will be between the jokers for
the third and final reveal. If it ’s not, then you fucked it up, but
you will know this well in advance when the first two reveals
are wrong and you look like a fool.”

As Chris finished explaining the trick, he realized Ben had fallen asleep in the
van with his headphones on and an eye mask wrapped around his face. Upon
waking up, Ben squinted drearily at Chris.

“BEN! You didn’t hear anything I said? You just slept through
it?!”

Ben yawned.

“ Yeah, when I eat meat, I like to relax while doing it.”

Chris jolted up, “Oh yeah, Gunther’s Sweatshop BBQ Equipment

and Scented Candle Emporium! Let ’s go find Jeff !”

Flooring the pedal, Chris sped off down the freeway.

“ Meat? But... you had a salad?!”

Huge thanks to the entire cast and crew for helping make a unique project see
the light of day.

Melanie Mayhew, Brent Mayhew, Carl Tate, Kevin, Theresa Recchia-West,

Evelyn West, Shayne Train, Leslie Train, Ahron Train, Golda Train, and Faygle
Train for the support and patience.

Dr. Leslie Train for funding the catering.

Tyler Wilson, Tony Chang, Bobby Motta, James Harrison and Peter Mckinnon
for being the first group of people to watch and give feedback about the movie.

The entire Toronto Magic Community for their support, including everyone at
the Browser’s Den, Morrisey ’s Magic, and The Sorcerers Safari Magic Camp.

Also a special thanks to the entire Calgary magic community, including The
Vanishing Rabbit Magic Shop.

The Dadushes, Benjamin Israel, Tom and Judy Dawson, and Jon Sandler for
allowing us to film on their property.

Joshua Jay and Andi Gladwin for allowing us to hold the first screening in front
of 500 people at MagiFest in Ohio.

Alex Pandrea for showing interest in the project from the beginning.

Special Thanks to Glenn West, Scott Pearson, Tony Smith, Tyler Wilson, and
Michael Stavrou for their dedicated efforts in the post-production process. It is
greatly appreciated.

Thank YOU for supporting magic and moving this art form
for ward for a new generation to come. May our community
grow and prosper in ways we couldn’t imagine.