The
Gaff
by lee asher
Here’s something amazing and profound you can perform
with your pack of Origins playing cards. Imagine taking the
King of Spades and making it vanish from the deck, only to
have it magically travel across the room, through a stack of
cards and into the Origins tuckbox.
THE ROUTINE
You tell your spectators “Friends, I’m going to show you something with a deck of
cards that you may never get a chance to see again... so please watch closely.
First, I need to separate the deck into reds and blacks, except for one single card.”
You remove the cards from the box, close it and put it on the table.
You begin separating the pack into two colors by removing all the black cards from
the red, and placing the blacks face-down on top of the tuckbox. You explain,
“...usually this sort of thing happens at light speed, and I can’t slow it down. Don’t
blink because you don’t want to miss it.” You make one “exception” - leave the King
of Spades with the red cards.
When you’re done sorting, say “Pick up that packet, make sure they are the same color, then set them back down where you
found them. If you see any red cards, please give them to me.” When satisfied, have the spectator place the pile back on top of
the Origins tuckbox.
Spread the face up cards in your hand from left to right to show the King of Spades in the middle of a bunch of red cards. “If I
perform this properly, the King of Spades should vanish from my hands, and migrate back into that pile of cards sitting over
there,” (point to the black packet on top of the Origins tuckbox). “However, there’s a small chance this might not work. It’s very
delicate process, and I could mess things up. I hope I don’t over do it!’”
You close the fan into your left hand, turning it face-down with your right hand. Use your right-hand fingers/thumb to riffle the
outer right corner of the deck, causing the cards to make noise. Even snap your fingers to accentuate this magical moment.
Say “I hope I didn’t do it too hard,” as you turn the cards face-up again. “If this worked, the King of Spades should be gone from
here.” Slowly spread the cards from left to right to reveal that the King of Spades has vanished. You take your time sifting
through the cards in order to build suspense and allow everyone enough time to comprehend what has taken place.
“The King has vanished! See it go? Did you blink? I told you it would be fast.”
Satisfied the King vanished, your audience claps and applauds but wonders where he went. Ask the spectator to pick up the
packet resting on the back of the Origins tuckbox, and find the King of Spades. “Did it travel to those cards there?” Obviously, it
won’t be there but still act surprised when they tell you. “No, it’s not there?”
Retrieve the packet from the spectator, and combine both halves so you have the entire deck in your possession. Emphasize
that your hands never went near the box as you say, “Sometimes, I send the card with such force that it penetrates the other
cards... and then some.”
Point to the Origins tuckbox sitting on the table. “Can you check that box for me? I have a hunch…” Ask the spectator to pick up
the tuckbox and open it. Watch as their eyes grow wide from surprise - the King of Spades is resting inside! The audience goes
wild and you take your bow!
1
The Gaff - by lee asher
THE METHOD
The key to the trick is the gaff card - divided diagonally, one half is a
Queen of Hearts, the other half is a King of Spades.
Before you start, remove the real Queen of Hearts from the pack and
place her out of sight - you won’t use that card in the trick. Find the
King of Spades, and place him on top of the pack. Finally, locate the
gaff and put it in the middle of the deck. Put the cards back in the
Origins tuckbox, and you’re ready to start.
At the start of your performance, when you remove the pack of cards
from the tuckbox, make certain that you leave the top card, the King
of Spades, inside the box and close it - avoid making card-rattling
noises when you put the box down so you don’t draw attention to it.
When you sort out the cards by suit color, use the gaff card as your King of Spades, exposing only that corner when spreading the
cards to show your spectator. Don’t worry if it wasn’t turned correctly and you see the Queen of Hearts half instead - you only need
to rotate the entire packet of red cards, calmly and naturally, before showing the spectator, and you’ll be showing the King of Spades
half instead when the packet is spread.
As you’re doing the “hocus pocus” part of the trick, riffling the deck on one corner, make certain that the packet of red cards
eventually gets turned so that the King of Spades half of the gaff card is now the “hidden” half, exposing only the Queen of Hearts
half when you spread that packet one last time. The spectator believes now that the King of Spades has disappeared.
At that point, the only thing remaining is to “find” where the King of Spades traveled off to. Of course, it’s not in the black packet of
cards. You already left the proper King of Spades in the tuck box, so it’s only a matter of letting your spectator open the box and
discover the card. The trick becomes very powerful by letting the spectator discover the King on their own - it’s something tangible
that they can hold, yet it “flew” across the table and through a stack of cards, right? It’s a great and simple way to fool your audience.
They think you’re going to transfer the only black card in a red packet, back to the blacks. However, you take it one step further and
make it travel inside the tuckbox, resting underneath the black packet. Quick, smooth, and astonishing.
With a little creative thinking, you should be able to discover on your own some very interesting and intriguing ways to use the gaff
card in other tricks of your own devising!
CREDITS & FINAL WORDS
The use of the diagonally-divided gaff card is quite old. While there’s rumor of it possibly being published as early as 1580, my
research shows that the earliest indication it was used for sleight of hand purposes was around 1612. It’s found buried in Sa Rid’s
The Art of Juggling [or Legerdemaine] (Sa Rid, 1612, p. 26). Rid uses this gaff to cleverly transform Kings into Aces. You also find
this type of gaff described in the popular book Les Secrets de la Prestidigitation by Robert Houdin (1868) in his famous routine
“Protean Pack of Cards.”
Brilliant Magicians like Professor Hoffmann, Ed Marlo, Jon, Racherbaumer, Allan Ackerman, Bruce Cervon, John Thompson, Karl
Fulves, and Roy Walton have also played with this type of card gaff. You’re urged to seek out their work, and be inspired by their
smart thinking and approach. Maybe one day you’ll create something worthy of being printed alongside these men in the pages of
magic’s history? Good luck on your journey.
THANKS
Rick Davidson
Don Boyer
Keith Pascal
Tom & Judy Dawson
Todd Karr
Bill Kalush
AskAlexander.org
Steve Fearson
Aaron Fisher
William Goodwin
Christina Galonska
The Folks
And to all the esteemed members of
the LV Magic Mafia
2
The Origins decks design returns to card patterns of the 16th
century for inspiration. Not historic reproductions, but a
modern homage to the original art that inspired today’s
standard cards. The Origins are premium quality decks,
merging today’s standards with yesterdays elegance.
LeeAsher.com
Lee Asher develops original sleight of hand magic based on his
lifetime experience as a magician. He looks at the art of magic
from a real-world perspective and approaches it with skills very
few possess. His site provides free tips, quality information about
card magic, plus paid tutorials on his authentic material designed
for rising magicians and hobbyists alike.
During the past decade, Lee has taught his style of magic to other
magicians worldwide. Lee Asher's raw visual style of magic is
easily recognized and universally acknowledged as among the
best.
52 PLUS JOKER
ORGANIZATION
THE DISCOURSE
Presented by 52 Plus Joker
Whether you're an experienced collector
or a newcomer to the world of playing
card collecting, you're encouraged to join the 52 plus Joker
American Playing Card Collectors Organization.
Membership benefits include:
- receive quarterly newsletters about collecting playing cards
- meet other playing card collectors who share similar passions
- attend national conventions
- participate in the two main auctions
- gain access to historical research
- receive advice & direction from the other members
- spend time on the world's largest playing card forum
These alone, are worth joining for.
To find out about becoming part of 52 Plus Joker's organization,
are seeking additional information about the Hochman
Encyclopedia, or just want to know more about playing card
experts Tom and Judy Dawson - visit the official website at
www.52PlusJoker.org
World's Largest Playing Card Forum
presented by the 52 Plus Joker American
Playing Card Collector's Club
Are you interested in modern playing cards?
Do you want to know more about vintage decks?
What about antique cards?
If your answer is yes, then take a moment to head over to
the Discourse where you'll find a friendly community
waiting to answer all your questions and share their
knowledge with you.
Membership in the Discourse is free of charge to the
public. Visit now, and get started today.
playingcardforum.com
3