THE CARD OR THE CASH VISUAL MATCHUP Comments: My friends told me not to do it. "It's too good!" they said. "And it doesn't read well. It sounds complicated, and no one will finish reading it, much less actually learn and perform it." I had to agree. I'm aware that to most, this routine will simply not seem worth the effort. I mean, you've got to go on a near "Close-ian" scavenger hunt. Parts of the routine seem as if they couldn't possibly fool anyone. There's quite a bit of set up involved. I am also aware that this is probably the single strongest effect I've ever performed, in any venue. And I hate to give it away. So, remembering the old adage that the surest way to keep a routine from being performed is to put it in print, I'm including it here. Feel free to stop reading now. The routine is a combination of three outstanding effects, woven together with some of my touches and handling. It incorporates Ken Brooke's "The Card or the Cash," Larry Becker's "Visual Aid" and a very sneaky variation of Meir Yedid's "Mental Matchup." My friend Paul Green (a wonderful trade show and strolling performer whose videotape The Classic Force should be in every magician's library) called this routine "an absolute gem of a trick-even better than your previous version, which is a great trick!" The result of combining the above effects into this routine has created a gestalt, culminating in powerful magic involving sleight of hand, mentalism, comedy and audience participation. It has never failed to garner a strong reaction. Many times, the performance of this routine has been rewarded with a standing ovation. But, you're probably not interested... Requirements: As I stated above, you'll have to gather quite a few things to perform this routine. Here's the list, in no particular order:

A new, standard book of matches (20 matches) About 20 opaque manila coin envelopes, large enough to hold a playing card Two wide rubber bands A pair of scissors A new $20 bill A jumbo (foot-long or more) reproduction of a new $20 bill (your local printer can help you with this) A dry erase white board A dry erase marker Two small clothes pins Cellophane tape A ballpoint pen A deck of cards Five duplicates of the force card (in our example, the 3S)

I'll go watch Schindler's List, Saving Private Ryan and The Green Mile while you gather the above accoutrements.

Preparation and set up: Separate the envelopes into two stacks of 10. Make sure that all the flaps extend straight out. Take the top envelope of each stack, and with the scissors cut the flap off of them. Replace the flapless envelopes atop their respective stacks and wrap each stack with a rubber band. The envelopes should be perfectly aligned such that the flap from the second envelope appears to be attached to the top one, and the rubber bands should be around the center of the stacks in identical positions. Place one of the duplicate 3 S in the second envelope (the first one with a flap) of one of the stacks. Pencil dot the upper left corner of the top envelope of this stack. Place this stack into your left inner breast coat pocket. Tear off an inch or so of the scotch tape and stick it on the top center of the frame of the dry erase board. Using the ballpoint pen, copy the serial number of the $20 bill onto the tape. Fold the bill in half widthwise, so the fold goes down President Jackson's face, and his portrait is inside the folded bill. Fold it in half again (meaning the bill is now in quarters) in the same way. Insert the folded bill into the second envelope of the second stack. Place this stack behind the first stack in your pocket. Fold the jumbo bill in the same manner as the real one and put it in your outer coat breast pocket.

Next, set up the deck. Remove the 3S, placing it with the remaining four duplicates. Place the five duplicates into the deck in the 2nd 4th 6th 8th and 10th positions from the top of the face down deck. Case the deck and put it in your left side coat pocket. Finally, put the dry erase marker in your shirt pocket, the matches and clothespins in your right side coat pocket, and the dry erase board in your case. You're ready to perform the routine. If you're still with me, you're probably beginning to think that, like Dickens, I get paid by the word! Method and performance: ` I need to borrow a twenty dollar bill, one of those new ones with the huge portrait of Jackson 's noggin! " Have the gentleman who offers his stand where he is. Unfold the jumbo bill and hold it with the portrait facing you. Explain that this is a visual aid, and you'd like the gentleman to hold his bill up in the same position as yours. Fold the jumbo bill as described in the preparation section above. Do one fold at a time so that the man can follow along with his bill. Invite him to join you as the audience gives him a round of applause. As he approaches, put away the large bill. When he arrives up front, ask the man his name. It's Walt! What a coeenkeedink! "I also need a lady who would like an opportunity to win Walt's $20 bill!" You'll get plenty of volunteers for this. Pick one. (No way! It's Vandella! What are the odds?) Have Walt stand to your right, Vandella to your left. Remove the first stack of envelopes and insert the folded bill into the first, flapless envelope. Grip the first flap (the 2nd envelope) and pull the envelope free from the stack as your hand turns toward you (hiding the fact that the 2" d envelope is being removed). Return the stack to your pocket, placing it behind the 2nd stack. Seal the envelope and then write the word "prize" on it with the marker. "It's time to play `The Card or the Cash, 'the exciting new quiz game! Now, here's your host, me! Thanks, myself for that wonderful introduction. Today's contestant, Vandella, will be attempting to win our prize of $20, so graciously donated by Walt! Let's give them both a big hand. " Remove a clothespin and attach the prize envelope to Vandella's collar or lapel.

"Before we go on, we need to have a playing card selected. " Bring out the deck and fan it face up without exposing the top ten cards. Show it to Vandella and Walt, "proving" it's a regulation deck. "If I have one of you select the card, the other might suspect me of having set something up ahead of time. " Square the deck, replace it in the case and ask Walt to hold it. Remove the matchbook and toss it over your shoulder into the audience. Instruct the person who caught it (or the closest one to where it landed) to think of a number between 1-10. "Now open the book and remove that many matches. But don't do it one at a time, because I don't want to know how many you're removing. Count the matches while they're still attached and tear them out in a bunch. Great! But I don't want anyone to think that you and I are in cahoots, so toss the matchbook over your shoulder. " We'll assume a lady caught it this time. "Ma'am, I'd like you to silently count how many matches are left in the matchbook. We need a number between one and ten. Don't tell me how many are left, just tell me if there are more or less than ten. " She'll respond that there are more. "OK, please add the digits in the number together. For example, if there were 23 matches left, you would add 2+3=5. Understand? Now, whatever total you came up with, tear out that many matches. Close the matchbook and put it in your pocket or purse. Now bring up the matches you tore out and give them to Vandella. "Vandella, how many matches are you holding? " Assume there are six. Take the deck from Walt

and deal six cards into a pile on your table. Show the 6th card (3S), and then show the 5th and 7th cards to be indifferent. Note: If the number of matches is even, always show the top card of the dealt pile. If odd, show the top card of the deck. Leave the 3 S in Walt's hand and put the deck away. Remove the second stack of envelopes (the front stack in your pocket). Insert the card into the flapless envelope and pull out the first flapped envelope (which has your $20 bill in it). Replace the stack in your pocket. Seal the envelope and write the word "answer" on it. As you attach it to Walt's collar or lapel with the remaining clothespin, explain the rules of the game to Vandella. "This card, the three of spades, was chosen at random by two audience members. This card represents the answer to any question I ask you. If I ask you to name the capitol of New Hampshire, or the number of Indians required to make a Rain Dance, or the name of Sir Isaac Newton's dog no matter what the question is, the only acceptable answer is, `The three of spades!' If you answer all of the questions correctly, you win the 20 bucks. Do you understand? " She will most likely say yes. If so, respond, "Obviously not, or you would have said the three of spades! Well, we'll give you another chance. Walt doesn't mind. " (If she answers correctly, just move on.) "Are you ready? " She'll likely say yes again. Raise an eyebrow and she'll quickly correct herself, getting a big laugh from the audience. "I almost got you, didn't I? " Again she'll likely say yes and then quickly correct herself. "Here's the money question. Answer correctly and you win the prize. Which would you rather have, the twenty dollars or the three of spades? " The audience will laugh as they realize the predicament in which Vandella now finds herself. Eventually, she'll say the three of spades. Tell her she's won, and to open the prize. She does to find the three of spades, exactly what she asked for! (If she insists on saying the twenty dollars, apologize and say she has lost, but you have a lovely consolation prize. Have her open the envelope.) Now ask Walt to open his envelope. He finds his (apparently) $20.

This is the first climax, and you'll get a nice round of applause. Send Vandella back to her seat, but keep Walt up front. Pick up the dry erase board and marker. Remind everyone that you had Walt fold the bill, with the serial number inside, before he came up front, so you have never seen the number. State that you are going to attempt to read Walt's mind. Ask him to unfold his bill and to read the serial number over and over to himself. "No, that's too fast! Slow down! " Slowly begin to write the serial number on the board (it's on the tape on the frame, remember?). Stop somewhere in the middle at any number that is NOT a nine. "I'm getting a nine, yet I feel it's not a nine. In fact, part of me is certain it's not a nine, but then I get the strongest impression that nine matches... wait! Nine matches! Where's the lady with the matchbook? Open it and count how many matches are inside! " Due to the procedure used earlier, there will always be nine matches left. Second Climax! The audience will gasp and applaud. There seems to be no way you could have known this. Turn back to Walt. Finish writing the serial number, but intentionally write an incorrect number on one digit. When you're done, act uncertain. Look at Walt and ask, "I'm not quite right, am I? Look at your bill and concentrate on the position where I've made my mistake. " Move the pen back and forth across the board, as if trying to sense which number is wrong. Finally, cross out the wrong number. "Was that the incorrect number? Good, now concentrate on the correct number. " Wait a moment before writing the right number above the crossed out one. "Walt, please read the serial number slowly and clearly directly off your bill. " As he reads each digit, tap it with the marker. Walt will be completely stunned, as will the audience. Final Climax! Everyone will go crazy! Of course, you'll never know that, because you stopped reading a long time ago...