MARKSMAN DECK Performance Documentary Technical Notes

BY LUKE JERMAY

MARKSMAN DECK Performance Documentary Technical Notes

CREATED & WRITTEN BY

Luke Jermay

EDITED BY

Tara Whittaker Andi Gladwin

PHOTOGRAPHY

George Luck

WWW.VANISHINGINCMAGIC.COM

If you have not already watched the Marksman Deck

Performance Documentary, do so now! These technical notes

have been prepared as an exclusive companion to the

Performance Documentary available for free at

www.VanishingIncMagic.com

MARKSMAN DECK PERFORMANCE DOCUMENTARY TECHNICAL NOTES BY LUKE JERMAY Copyright 2017 (C) Luke Jermay & Vanishing Inc Magic All Rights Reserved.

All legal owners in possession of an original copy of this manuscript have the right to perform these effects in all performance settings. Conflicting first person

performance rights are withheld. They are not permitted to teach, sell, resell, lecture, manufacture, translate or otherwise use, demonstrate, display or perform

the contents.

INTRODUCTION A warm welcome from Jermay.

INTRODUCTION One of the best things about the Marksman Deck is the fact that, as with any genuine utility tool, it can be scaled with the intention, desires and abilities of the user. As you grow as a magician this tool will continue to grow with you, allowing you to apply new knowledge, technique and understanding to it to produce your own unique miracles.

In the Marksman Deck ‘Performance Documentary’ I chose to use some advanced approaches with the deck to maximise the impact the performance would create for the audience I was working for. I performed a full show, without breaking to reset or openly exchange decks, for the audience. While this was not strictly needed for the filming itself, I felt this was the best way to approach the performances for the audience to give them the best experience of mystery in the moment. I treated the filming exactly as if I were performing with no camera in front of me; for real people at an intimate gathering.

My focus and intention was to fool those watching, both live and later on video, as powerfully as possible with a full performance of material with the Marksman Deck. The approaches and techniques I used in this long form performance are not specific or exclusive to the sequence of routines shown in the ‘Performance Documentary’ but rather can be applied to many other routines in isolation.

When performing with the deck for shorter periods of time, you simply will not need to go to these lengths or use each of these advanced principles. However, with a long set I like to

maximise the impact of each routine by structuring a solid series of deceptions that all work together to produce an eventual abandonment of solution searching in my audiences’ minds. With proper structure and design, eventually the audience have each and every possible solution removed from them, leaving them nowhere to go but a place of deep mystery.

While this theoretical approach could be discussed at length, my intention here in these technical notes is simply to offer an overview of the approaches as I used them. My goal here is for you to have all the information about my performance as shown in the documentary and not to examine deep questions of magic theory and show structure. That is for another time.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed the Marksman Deck ‘Performance Documentary’ and I hope you will use the Marksman Deck in your own performances to produce your own unique vision of mystery for those your magic allows you to connect with.

Your friend,

Luke Jermay

AT A GLANCE Techniques, approaches and subtleties.

ADVANCED APPROACHES AT A GLANCE Many of the approaches I used can be distilled to simple principles that can be applied to many routines with the deck. These principles are easier to conceptualise without the specific requirements and contexts of the exact sequence I selected to perform in the documentary. First we will look at these principles in general terms allowing them to be easily understood and applied to your own specific needs and uses. I hope these wide reaching advanced applications will be useful for you in the future when it comes time for you to begin designing your own routines and effects with the deck.

HALF STACK WORK

Very often you will not need the entire deck in stack to successfully perform an isolated routine. Many routines can be executed with as little as 13 cards in stack. I tend to favour using the deck in ‘half stack’ with the top 26 cards in stack order and the bottom 26 cards mixed. This allows me to give the deck an overhand shuffle; fairly mixing the lower 26 cards without changing the order of the upper stacked 26 cards. This produces a very strong illusion of a fairly mixed deck and is, in my opinion, preferable to any false shuffles. A deck in half stack is a really powerful weapon and the fairness it allows during casual overhand shuffles will fool even well educated magicians.

DECK SWITCHES

As with any series of routines, that call upon the use of a stacked deck, having a few efficient and easy to execute deck switches in your arsenal will reward you heartily. Magic literature is resplendent with resources on switching decks of cards. The specific switches I used in the performance documentary will be discussed in the detailed information to follow. Owning more than one Marksman Deck will also allow you to combine material with ease, when switching decks.

NON STACK DEPENDANT EFFECTS

When performing a long series of routines with the Marksman Deck I always elect to include one effect which is not stack dependant. This allows me to have an audience member shuffle the deck which further eliminates any suspicion of a stacked deck. Many routines are possible with the features of the Marksman Deck which, when shuffled, becomes a traditional marked deck. Once the audience have seen the deck shuffled by a spectator they will further accept the shuffled nature of the deck for the duration of the performance, even if all shuffles that follow are in my own hands and are, assuming they are executed deceptively, false. With a single deck switch I have eliminated the notion of a stacked deck.

ONE FARO SHUFFLE AWAY

When beginning a routine with the deck coming from the box, or after a switch, I often begin with the deck one perfect faro shuffle away from my desired stack. This allows me to perform a perfect faro shuffle, spread the interwoven deck on the table and instruct the spectators to push the cards together to complete the shuffle. This is a powerful mental and physical anchor, in the memory of the audience, of the deck being mixed. In many cases I later refer back to this process as “when you shuffled the deck” to the spectator, as the action of squaring the deck is misremembered in the minds of the audience and is often understood on an intuitive level as them shuffling the cards themselves.

STARTING FROM A SEALED DECK

In formal settings I like to begin from a seemingly ‘factory sealed’ deck. In truth, prior to the performance, I have opened the deck from the bottom leaving the seal stamp and cellophane intact, replaced the deck arranged in my desired stack and then glued the bottom edges back as they were. Opening a seemingly new deck expresses a powerful implication to the audience of the deck being normal and as if it were directly from the factory.

IN PERFORMANCE Performance Documentary Technical Details

SPECIFIC USES IN THE PERFORMANCE DOCUMENTARY

The short overview of the principles I used in performance should be more than enough information for those who are casually reading in search of inspiration for their own work. In no way is the preceding list exhaustive but rather a complete list of additional advanced approaches I used in the ‘Performance Documentary’. For those who wish to understand the exact choices I made in performance the following detailed information will offer enough information to wish you had not started reading it! In this short series of technical notes, I will explain the advanced approaches and in very brief terms my thinking behind them and why I chose to structure this long form performance in this way. I am certain no one on earth will want to perform the routines exactly as I do, however, these additional advanced additions might find favour and use in some of your own creations with the deck.

STARTING FROM A SEALED DECK

I began the performance by seemingly opening a brand new deck of cards. In truth, the deck had been stacked before the show began and replaced in the box with the seal intact. I believe opening a factory sealed deck, without calling attention to it, creates a powerful suggestion in the minds of the audience. They accept the deck as being exactly as it came from the factory.

Do not make a big deal of this; simply do it. This shouldn't be treated with any more importance than it seemingly is; you are opening the deck to start the show. Nothing need be said about it; show do not tell. They will accept this is a new deck if you truly act as if it is one.

IMPLYING NEW DECK ORDER

To subtly convince the audience of the ‘straight from the factory’ status of the deck I also applied one further, devious deception. On the face of the deck I placed a duplicate Ace of Spades, followed by a card which has a split face showing the Two of Spades and the Three of Spades overlapping one another, mimicking the appearance of the cards when spread in the hands. I made this card simply by cutting and sticking the two cards together with a glue stick. I did not even split the cards when making this gimmick, since I am the only one who will ever handle it. I place these cards on the face of the deck. On top of this I placed the two Jokers and finally on the top of the face down deck I placed two advertising cards. In performance I open the box and remove the deck, I then casually spread the cards face up in my hands as I am removing the Jokers from the deck. This spread casually exposes to the audience the Jokers and then a run of Ace, Two and Three of Spades as shown above.

This a very subtle thing and one that only card players and magicians will notice on any conscious level. However, I believe in taking every possible opportunity to create the most powerful deception, so this addition only furthers the power of the ‘direct from the factory’ implication.

During the process of spreading and removing the Jokers, I secure a little finger break below the duplicate Ace of Spades and the Split Face card. I remove the two Jokers and turn them face down onto the face of the deck, I square them and then remove everything above the break as I necktie the deck and place it to the table. I then remove the advertising cards, adding them beneath the Jokers and appear to throw these cards onto the floor between my legs. I choose to throw these cards to communicate subtly to the audience that they are of no importance. I actually throw these cards into a briefcase that is resting under the table, which contains props for the performance. Prior to the performance I had already placed two ordinary Jokers and two matching advertising cards on the floor under the table. I can not imagine anyone ever checks these but why not aim for perfection. I now have a deck of cards they believe has been opened from a sealed deck; seemingly in new deck order. I then appear to shuffle the deck as I deliver some scripting before beginning the first formal demonstration.

SHUFFLING THE DECK

In the ‘Performance Documentary’ I took an extra precaution with the initial shuffles to further the illusion of mixing the cards; instead of just false shuffling the deck, I had previously stacked it to be one perfect faro shuffle away from the required stack. This meant that I was able to give the deck a single perfect faro shuffle, spread the interwoven deck on the table and square the deck by pushing the cards together on the table. This approach creates a very fair looking shuffle process which is retained in the minds of the audience. With the deck now seemingly shuffled I continued with the first formal demonstration.

MIND READING REVELATIONS

The first formal effect in the performance is the telepathic revelation of two chosen cards.You will notice that at the outset the deck was seemingly shuffled, very casually in an overhand style. This is a wonderful way to convince the audience that the deck is well mixed. This is possible since I can exploit an advanced use of the deck; the half stack. I simply shuffle the lower portion of the deck in an overhand style to the top of the deck. This leaves the original upper portion in stack as the bottom half of the complete deck. I then shuffle again in overhand style roughly half of the mixed portion from the top of the deck to the bottom. This has placed the stacked half of the deck central. I now have the spectators call stop during a dribble in order to select their cards. They are, of course, stopping inside the centre block of 26 cards in the deck, which allows me to use the Marksman Deck selection processes to reveal the chosen cards.

THE BLINDFOLD DEAL

I believe, in a long form performance with the deck, it is vital that the audience truly feel the deck is well mixed. In shorter performances well executed false shuffles will suffice but when performing for longer periods with the deck, I always include a routine that allows me to have the spectator shuffle the deck. Once this has happened the audience totally forget any notions of the deck being stacked in all future demonstrations.

In the performance I had a spectator cut and complete and remove the top card of the deck and then hand me the remainder of the deck. I casually observe the spectator’s cut to be sure they have cut the deck within the centralised stacked portion of the deck, previously used for the telepathy routine. When they hand me the deck, I easily learn which card has been removed thanks to the secret mark in the upper left corner. I read this mark as I hand the deck to the spectator on my right

who I then instruct to shuffle the deck. As the spectator shuffles I blindfold myself with a bandage.

The blindfold is applied to allow me a straight down the nose peek. I then have the deck returned to my hand and deal through the deck. As I deal I am peeking at the mark in the lower left hand corner of the deck and sailing out the three mates to the selected card as I see them. I now remove the blindfold and arrange the four of a kind in a face down row on the table.

I place the deck onto the matchbox from which I previously removed a match to light a candle and throw the bandage over the deck and the matchbox. I then reveal the face down four of a kind by turning each card over one a time.

THE DECK SWITCH

At this point the stack has been destroyed. However, it has served me well in two powerful establishing demonstrations and I have now burned into the minds of the audience that the deck is well shuffled. Now comes time for a deck switch. To execute a switch I have made a special matchbox. It has been hollowed out to allow a deck, which will be switched in, to rest hidden beneath it. This is essentially a ‘deck shell’ made from a large matchbox.

I use these matches earlier in the performance to establish their presence within a natural action. At the conclusion of the blindfold deal I leave the four of a kind on the table and before revealing them, place the deck in use squarely on top of the matchbox shell. I then throw the blindfold over the deck, resting on the matchbox shell. I now reveal the four of a kind and relax. By relaxing at this moment it communicates to the audience that the routine has finished. This creates an ‘off beat’

and it is in this moment of mutual relaxation that I reach over, grip the deck, the matchbox shell and the bandage resting on top. I now lift straight up revealing the deck previously hidden beneath the matchbox resting on the table as the deck being switched out remains out of sight, beneath the bandage.

In a flowing action I place the bandage, which conceals the deck and matchbox shell from view, in my briefcase beneath the table. I have successfully switched the deck. I now scoop up the tabled four of a kind and add those cards to the deck resting on the table. This is a powerful subtlety that further enforces the idea of the deck being the same. In truth, the deck which I switched in had four cards from the lower 26 cards removed before the show. The lower 26 cards are mixed and the upper 26 cards are in stack. This allows me to repeat the half stack shuffle process I explained earlier. I then cut the 4 of Clubs to the top, thanks to a crimp I placed in it, and am ready to perform the next formal routine.

REMOTE VIEWING

I place this routine immediately after the audience has seen the spectator shuffle to maximise its impact. Of all of the demonstrations I present, this is the one I feel is best performed immediately after the switch since it seems utterly impossible for the performer to know anything about the order of the cards at this moment and this effect only becomes stronger in such an atmosphere. I simply instruct the spectator to cut a “some cards; less than half” from the top of the deck. This direct instruction means they will only cut inside of the upper stacked portion allowing me to complete the routine exactly as detailed on the accompanying DVD.

SUGGESTIBILITY TEST DECK SWITCH

Now I have generated the maximum impact from the series of shuffles convincing the audience the deck is mixed, I place the deck into my right jacket pocket and then begin a series of suggestibility tests to seemingly decide which spectator will be best suited to the next demonstration. During this process I switch the deck for a deck that is in full stack for the routines that will follow. This is a very simple switch which relies more on control of attention and attitude than any clever gimmick or technique.

I simply reach into my left jacket pocket and remove a deck in full stack, placed there before the performance began, at a moment I notice the entire group is focused on something other than me. I do this switch at different times in different performances during these interactive suggestibility tests, I play this switch according to the moment that feels right to me.

The suggestibility tests are so engaging that no one will notice the deck either going or coming as they are so fixated with their involvement and responses to the tests. I now have a full stacked deck at my disposal on the table, ready and waiting as I conclude the suggestibility tests with the group and finally nominate one of them as the “most responsive and best suited” for the demonstration that will follow.

ONE FARO AWAY SPECTATOR SHUFFLE

In my performance on the documentary I switched in a deck that was stacked to be one perfect faro shuffle away from full stack. This allows me once again to give the deck a single perfect faro shuffle and enlist the help of an audience member in squaring the deck to complete the shuffle, producing a very strong image of shuffling in the minds of the audience before beginning the next demonstration.

SPECTATOR AS MIND READER

Now the deck is in full stack I simply have the spectator cut the deck wherever they wish and I read the mark in the upper left hand corner, claiming this is the card I was thinking about. A full examination of the finer points of this routine as well as a full script will appear in my upcoming book on additional professional performance pieces with the Marksman Deck entitled ‘Voyages.’

From here on in, I perform false shuffles which retain the full order of the stacked deck allowing me to perform the remaining demonstrations in the performance as instructed on the accompanying DVD supplied with the Marksman Deck.

PENDULUM LOCATION

With the deck still in full stack, I remind the spectator who previously assisted me in pushing the interwoven packets of the spread deck together, after a perfect faro shuffle that “they shuffled the deck” to further strengthen the illusion of a mixed deck in play. I now have the spectator cut and complete to select a card, I read the mark which tells me the position of its mate inside the deck, as I initially hover the pendulum over the face down selected card. All that remains is for me to successfully reveal its position using a pendulum inside of a wine glass. The pendulum movement inside the glass, is genuine, thanks to the old favourite of mentalists worldwide; ideomotor response. This is a very simple but also powerful routine. During filming I had to remain at the table, however, in casual performance I will often direct the spectator to cut and complete and remove a card from across the room, only returning when they have put the deck into the box.

CARD CALLING

With the deck in full stack I have two blocks of cards removed from the deck spread between my hands. I control the cards immediately beneath the selected groups to the bottom of the deck using an under the spread cull. I now apply a blindfold and read the marks in the upper left corner of the bottom two cards of the spread deck informing me of the first card in each spectators’ hand. I continue to learn what cards are where as with each card given to me the mark in the upper left corner tells me the next card that person holds. This can be expanded to include many more spectators. I have performed it with as many as five people, each holding small groups of cards. However, ordinarily I perform this with two spectators for the sake of speed and clarity. A full examination of the finer points of this routine as well as a full script will appear in my upcoming book on additional professional performance pieces with the Marksman Deck entitled ‘Voyages.’

CLOSING THE SHOW

At the conclusion of the performance, while not shown in the footage, I replaced the deck into the card case and then placed it into my left inside jacket pocket. I had some parting dialogue with the spectators thanking them for being a part of the filming. I then stood from the table and at the same time reached into my right inside jacket pocket and removed a matching boxed normal deck. I handed this to one of the spectators as a gift and exited the room in the most mysterious manner I could, while trying desperately not to trip over cables or knock over cameras and lights. This mysterious exit was actually the most challenging aspect of the entire performance.

THE STORY …begins with Theodore DeLand’s

genius.

THE STORY OF THE MARKSMAN DECK

The story begins in 1913 when Theodore DeLand gifted the magic community his ‘Automatic Deck’ a bold and innovative concept that sadly soon became forgotten and, along with the gimmicked deck, resigned to history. The story continues in 1999 when, as a teenager, I discovered the ingenious work of DeLand in a London magic shop. The ‘Automatic Deck’ caught my attention and remained in my mind forever more. Over the course of the 15 years to come I developed my own unique concept of what an ‘Automatic Deck’ could be and imagined exciting new routines, premises and demonstrations it would allow me to present to my audiences. With each new idea, a new secret feature was added to my handmade deck. Soon the deck had developed into a devastating weapon that allowed me to present block-buster psychic miracles with playing cards effortlessly, with no difficult sleight of hand or complex memory work.

In 2015 I shared the inner details of my deck of cards with Vanishing Inc founders Andi Gladwin and Joshua Jay. They instantly saw the immense value of such a gimmicked deck and knew that it had to be released on a wider scale. I knew that there was no one better than Vanishing Inc to bring my personal secret weapon to the magic community and at this moment my handmade, feature filled marked deck transformed from a guarded secret weapon to the “Marksman Deck.”

For the 2 years that followed, Vanishing Inc worked directly with the United States Playing Card Company to produce a deck of cards that was of the very highest quality. No compromises were considered; only the very best would be good enough. Now a story that began 105 years ago with DeLand that I reimagined 85 years later, is yours to add your unique chapter to.

The “Marksman Deck” is a powerful utility item that will unlock phenomenal demonstrations of telepathy, prediction, influence, rapid calculation, super human memory and much more with no difficult sleight of hand or memory work. It offers you effortless, staggering and impossible demonstrations that are fun and easy to perform allowing you to focus your attention purely on connecting with the people you perform for.

Whether you find yourself performing for friends and family in casual environments or in more theatrical settings, the secret features of the deck allow you a never ending flow of powerful magic and mentalism, with no fear of failure and no technical concerns to worry about. I genuinely believe if you can tie your shoelaces, there is nothing on earth than can prevent you from performing powerfully with the “Marksman Deck.”

A story that began in 1913 is now yours to add to. It is my sincere hope that you use the tool as a true utility item to allow you to achieve your own unique demonstrations that will keep DeLand’s legacy growing as the story continues for years to come.

Get Your Marksman Deck At WWW.VANISHINGINCMAGIC.COM

PRAISE FOR LUKE JERMAY’S MARKSMAN DECK

"Theodore DeLand's Automatic Deck premiered in 1913 and has been a personal favourite for four decades. Leave it to Luke Jermay to modernise the best parts and then add actual improvements. The

Marksman is an absolute bullseye."

MICHAEL WEBER

"The kind of effects one dreams of are now possible thanks to this utility prop. More proof that Luke is an exceedingly clever thinker and

performer.”

PAUL WILSON

“I’ve seen a lot of marked decks, but I think this must be one of the best ever designed. Jermay has not only done yeoman work in the design

and placement of the various marks (which are pleasantly easy for the trained eye to read), but has added a number of unique marks designed especially for particular routines that otherwise would require a lot of difficult sleight of hand…I think the “Marksman Deck” is something

you will actually use.”

RICHARD KAUFMAN

"Luke took a classic idea and turned it into something that has so much more potential than anything similar yet available. More than a utility device, this is a fully engineered system waiting to be exploited by the

savvy performer. The Marksman Deck is an amazing advance in the art of demonstrating psychic miracles with a deck of cards."

MARCO FIDA