Marucci's Bizarre Bazaar

A Good Thing
by Peter Marucci

The handling of the cards in this routine is thanks to fellow bizarrist Odes Odner, who published it in one of the magic digests. Finally a reasoned handling for the cut-deeper force! But use it sparingly; it’s that good.

"A Good Thing"

Effect: The mage has the spectator cut the cards, from the major arcana, several times to find what the future holds. When she finally takes a card involving the future, it is – naturally – good news.

Working and Presentation: You’ll need the cards from the major arcana (21 cards, rather than all 78, for ease of handling and ease of interpretation); and one blank card on top, with a picture of Martha Stewart, saying “It’s a Good Thing!”

Tell the spectator that she is to cut about a quarter of the cards off the pack in your hand and turn them face up. This will give her the card, and your reading of it, for her past.

When that is done, have her cut at about the halfway point, again turning all the cards face up (and the previous face up ones, face down, of course); you read that card (that is showing when half the deck is turned up) as the present.

Leaving the card untouched again, you ask her to cut them a third time and turn them face up for a reading on the near future.

When that is done, point out that there are too few cards left face down to cut for the final, and distant future, cut.

This is Odes’ brilliant move: the entire pack is turned over, and you thumb through the face up cards to get to the first face down card (which is the force card!).

With all that cutting and turning, the spectators have no idea that the first face down card is really the top card on the deck.

It is, of course, the Martha Stewart card, proclaiming the querent’s future as a “Good Thing.”

Second thoughts: The force here is one which I have long awaited (assuming there was one); now I await a good method and reason for the cross-cut force.

My Martha card is a blank, matching back card with a picture of her on it and a call out from my computer saying: “Your future is a Good Thing” or words to that effect.

You can do that or simply letter on the card whatever message you want.

Enjoy!

Peter Marucci