Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: German Cardworkshop (CWS) 2026 (LePaul, Pareras, Apparatus Card Magic, T&R Card); The Card Magic of Paul LePaul; TTTCBE; Burger Wisdom

These are The Magic Memories 225, gone online Sunday, March 1st, 2026, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025,  including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

German Cardworkshop (CWS)

This year the German Cardworkshop (CWS) celebrated its 60th edition (!!!), once again at Stephan Kirschbaum’s Wundermanufaktur, from FEB 15-17, three days of full immersion into the infinite universe of card magic.

I have reported about the CWS before – its history, activities, and members – several times in these The Magic Memories, e.g., see The Magic Memories 164 and 217… and more.

• Life & Work of Paul LePaul
• Life & Work of Gabi Pareras
• Card Magic With Apparatus
• Torn & Restored Card

Since I have dealt with the CWS extensively in the above-mentioned blogs, I will just make a few comments on this year’s topics.

Paul LePaul (1900-1958)

This subject was ably prepared and presented by Denis Behr and Lorenz Schär (plus a little contribution of mine – see below), who did an extraordinary job, not only content-wise, but also knew how to time their presentations.

You have to consider that all these presentations are given for the first and probably last time, with no or little occasion of rehearsal. So, to present relevant content in a limited time is not an easy task.

Anyway, Denis and Lorenz wrote a remarkable paper on LePaul, with lots of information most of us – even the “experts” – did not have, great photos, and some rare video footage, with the help of Gary Plants and Bill Kalush.

To read and download the PDF they prepared, you should subscribe to Denis’ Newsletter – if you haven not already done so, I recommend you do, as it appears only sporadically, and when it does it invariable contains noteworthy information.

To get to the current Newsletter that contains the link to download the PDF-paper on LePaul CLICK HERE, to subscribe to the Newsletter CLICK HERE.

Gabi Pareras (1965-2020)

To talk about the life and work of Gabi Pareras would take weeks (and more…), as he was one of the true geniuses of our art.

However, Vicente Noguera, Marc Haufer, and Moritz Müller managed to give a good overview of the person and his approach to magic, through biographical information, anecdotes, tricks, techniques, and several interesting video clips.

All was supplemented by various others of the group performing material of Gabi’s and discussing it.

This certainly was a very challenging subject to study and present, and I felt it was very well done. Due to time-restrictions a part that the group had prepared could not be presented. However, it was decided that the subject be continued at the 61st CWS in 2027.

I had prepare a one-hour talk about my several personal meetings and sessions I had with Gabi in the past twenty-plus years, with several private and unpublished notes, but again unfortunately time-restrictions did not allow this to happen… so, this information will remain “underground”.

Card Magic With Apparatus

This presentation was headed by Wolfgang Moser, with contributions of Magic Christian, Tino Plaz and others.

Wolfgang wrote a detailed and informative paper on the subject that we hope to make available to the community in the near future.

Although one might think that this was more of a talk on the history of apparatus, it was only partially so.

Certainly, the big times of using apparatus in card magic is over, but if you plunge into the subject you will find that “apparatus” in the larger and stricter sense of the term are still being used nowadays to great success.

Wolfgang Moser gave us a concise and informative overview of classic apparatus used for card tricks, performing and explaining some of the most important ones.

He also discussed how he has lately taken a deep interest in 3D-printing, and to the delight and surprise of all he performed a reconstructed devil’s head, where a chosen card comes out of the devil’s mouth!

This piece of apparatus has been used by several in the past, possibly best known as “Head of Mephistopheles” and described by Professor Hoffmann in his Modern Magic, where it goes by the name of “Demon Head”.

As for history: The photo below shows Magic Christian discussing Hofzinser’s Card Box, which is really a box for tobacco and which brings up the subject of how to make a piece of apparatus meaningful in the setting of what is being performed.

In this context Christian reminded us of one of Hofzinser’s most important dictums: “Alle Handlungen und heimliche Handgriffe müssen immer einen Grund haben – There always has to be a reason for all actions and moves.” This is certainly very much in line with what Dai Vernon postulated as “be natural”.

The card box depicted in the photos below is from the collection of Volker Huber; this box can be reloaded twice, thus allowing three changes… not such a bad idea.

Torn & Restored Card

Another huge subject, this one being presided over by Tom Merten and Axel Hecklau, but as always several others intervened with short contributions.

Tom put a lot of time and enthusiasm into researching and presenting the subject, which is admittedly vast.

Such a topic brings up the question of how much time you should spend presenting what already exists and how much discussing and presenting innovation.

Few know better than me how difficult it is to get everything you know under one hat, and then present it in as concise a manner as possible.

In the past I have tried to overcome such a problem by concentrating on four or five items that exemplify relevant and different concepts, and then spend the rest of the time analyzing them.

There is no doubt that this lengthy presentation put a lot of excellent material on the table, but it also went way beyond the allotted time, thus taking away time from other presentations.

This problem of balancing content and respecting a given time frame is certainly one of the things that need to be addressed in future meetings… actually, to be frank, it is the problem of any meeting of this type.

The over-talented Axel Hecklau, who is as much a creator as a performer, had some great contributions, some of which he shares in his lectures – so, if you have a chance to book him for your club, or see him at a convention, do not miss it.

Sessions… And More

Below a few impressions form the “unofficial” part of this year’s CWS:

As for next year, see if you can find out what the subjects will be from those proposed…

Last but not least everyone was thankful for Jörg Alexander organizing the event, and Stephan Kirschbaum hosting it at his unique theatre.

BTW: If you visit Germany you should stop by Nürnberg, which has a beautiful historical old town, but above all take the opportunity to watch Stephan Kirschbaum’s show at his Wundermanufaktur – I did the night before the CWS and was enthralled by the entire experience!

On The Card Magic of Paul LePaul (1949)

My contribution was a 90-minutes presentation discussing LePaul’s book The Card Magic of LePaul, focussing on his techniques, tricks, presentations and a little theory.

In the first part I dealt with a dozen of LePaul’s techniques that seem to me to be the most useful for the modern cardician, in the second part I discussed a selection of tricks and performed some of them.

Below I will reproduce what I think is most useful from the second part, the tricks.

In order to understand and enjoy my comments in this subchapter it is best to do so with the book or the PDF in front of you, and follow my comments with cards in hands.

You can get the PDF of the book for a mere $9 from lybrary.com HERE instantly and very easily, but also the book is still available, e.g., HERE, or from Amazon.

Also, I recommend that you read Denis’ and Lorenz’ paper in Denis’ latest Newsletter on who LePaul as a person and artist was, as it will put the following into the correct perspective.

And remember that the book is from 1949!

Generalities

LePaul was no intellectual, but an inspired intuitive artist.

Nonetheless, there are a few places in the book which deal with personal thoughts, introspective insights, and conceptual ideas, all gained from hard-won professional experience.

Read the “Preface” on p. 21 that sets the tone for the book, as well as his short take on “Simplicity” on p. 129, which is very practical advice and valid to this day, although so much has changed since LePaul flourished.

Didactical Layout and Photos

You might be surprised if I tell you that LePaul’s book, along with a Swiss cookbook (Betty Bossi), was an important influence on the layout of Card College.

The photo below shows a double-page from the book, and you can see how many photos there are, and how they are layouted alongside the text that references them. This is really like a script, and it facilitates learning tremendously if you do not have to turn the page each time a photo is referenced (I am reminded of the book of a very famous cardician where you occasionally had to turn not one but two pages to get to the photo mentioned in the text…).

Although for Card College I had decided to go for pencil drawings rather than photos, because drawings can selectively show what is important, the photos taken from LePaul’s own hands and cards (beautiful Bicycle Fan Backs!) are certainly of historical value, and also they are very good (unfortunately, only in the first two editions, later they reproduced very badly).

p. 131: How Close Can You Watch)

This is arguably the most straightforward Color Changing Deck, and it is a good one to start a program.

LePaul does not give presentational ideas for most of the tricks described, but here he does, and you can use it as a theme for an entire program.

Furthermore this short and visual trick allows you to elegantly introduce a stacked deck, of which the audience believes that it has been previously shuffled by them – this is akin to my “The No-switch Deck Switch”, a concept that I introduced in The Art of Switching Decks.

This trick has more to it than meets the eye…

p. 143: The Substitution Envelope Mystery

I have been using this for years in my professional work when performing at tables and can vouch for its effectiveness. I have even included a slight variation in handling with a few extra thoughts in a set of lectures notes of mine, which appeared in German language, but I have asked ChatGPT to translate it for you. The writing was an experiment, as I wrote the text as if it had been notes taken by someone assisting at the lecture – you may find this a bit strange to read…

Anyway, HERE is the German original, and HERE the English tradition (for the illustrations you will have to reference the German text).

p. 155: An Unexpected Climax

This has a lovely dramatic construction: 1. interesting premise, 2. conflict with an apparent mistake, 3. unexpected resolution.

The Card Switch using a double card and the Gambler’s Cop, which LePaul discusses in the chapter previous to the trick, is very interesting and useful. You may want to see how I use this technique in “A Sure Bet” in Card College Volume 3, p. 565, but above all see my updated handling in the video course Card College 3&4 – Personal Instruction, “Lesson 26: Controls Part 2” – this is simply a great trick (I apologize for the obvious immodesty).

Also, LePaul’s trick allows for a deck switch that will come undetected even for experts (it is similar to the “Partagas Switch” from The Art of Switching Decks, but even more subtle since you switch in two half-decks.

p. 159: A Perfect Stop Trick

You might find this more of academic interest, but the use of the Gambler’s Cop is, well, unexpected…

p. 175: A Deft Delusion

What a great solution for the classic “Everybody’s Card” plot. Note one of the first descriptions of the Double Undercut.

However, the technical procedure will keep most from performing this, although a few changes in handling will make this very practical.

First, instead of using the most eccentric switching technique of LePaul’s, why not substitute this with a Glide from End Grip?

And here is a simplified version you may want to try, in telegram style: Ask spectator to join you, show him a card (e.g., 2H) taking care no-one else sees it, and place in trousers pocket, but palm out and add back on top of deck.

As you shuffle 2H to bottom, explain that 3 spectators will each choose a card. Do Hindu Shuffle Force on S1 by shuffling off max. one third of the deck, he remembers 2H. Continue shuffling deck and do Hindu Shuffle Force on S2 shuffling off another ca. third of deck, he remembers 2H. Go to S3 and continue Hindu Shuffle Force, so he also remembers 2H. If correctly handled, it will look as if S1 has remembered a card in the lower third, S2 in the center, and S3 in the top third (see Stand-up Card Magic, “The Hindu Shuffle Force – Forcing Multiple Cards With a Hindu Shuffle”, p. 68).

As you remind the audience that at the beginning you placed one card in your pocket, palm 2H in your right hand and show it to be the card you placed in pocket (only show back, of course!), then replace in pocket (your assistant may see the card, though).

Now proceed as per LePaul: Have all three spectators stand up and on your count of “one-two-three” all shout out their card – they will all shout, “Two of Hearts!” An idea by Karlheinz Ritter, one of the founding members of the CWS (!), is to do this in three phases: first, all shout the color (red or black), second, all shout the suit (heart or diamond), third all shout the value (in this case “two”).  I have not tried this yet, but it seems an interesting approach to dramatize the simultaneous shouting.

Repeat the name of the card, and that they all thought of the same card – in itself an impossibility – and then show that this is not only impossible, it is a miracle, since it is the card you had in your pocket to begin with (ask assisting spectator who saw the card to name it before you take it from pocket)!

p. 193: Transposition of the Four Aces

I have never seen anyone do this, and all of us who have not are wrong!

This is a beautiful minor trick that can be done once the Aces have been brought into play.

If you read the brief description you will probably wince at the Turnover Pass, which is indeed breaking a butterfly on a wheel.

However, for any advanced card handler it should pose no problem to replace LePaul’s heavy-duty Turnover Pass with a simpler and above all clearer method. Let us see what you can come up with 🙂 Because if you do, you can follow the rest as described and you have a little gem at hand.

p. 199: The Hand-picked Aces

Here is another piece that has a captivating presentational premise, taking decisions.

Try the Multiple Fan Control a few times, and you will see that this harbors a practical concept adaptable to several other situations.

Also, the pyramid configuration of the cards is interesting – Jerry Andrus used similar ideas: rather than dealing cards in a row or in packets, create “designs” with them. Many a trick can be made more intriguing by using this ploy.

Like “Transposition of the Four Aces” this is a minor trick that fits nicely as an introduction to a more elaborate Four Ace Trick.

p. 207: The Gymnastic Aces

Arguably the most practical quick trick in the book that will hold its own even today, simply one of the greatest ways to produce the Aces, or any card (see my use in a routine “The Acrobatic Aces” in Card College Volume 3, p. 694).

If you cannot control the outcome, reread the instruction carefully, especially: “A sharp, whip-like shake…”

Nice to use in a multiple card revelation routine, also as a morphological strategy to prepare for a an upcoming trick by using the Faro to get into a set-up…

And John Carney has a lovely take on it by producing a wrong card as the fourth card, e.g., a Five, and then counting down five cards to reveal the fourth and last Ace.

This apparently simple item teaches us that similar to fractals there is something bigger hidden in everything small…

p. 213: Cards in Sealed Envelope

This has to be the book’s blockbuster, a trick that has influenced many cardicians to come up with endless variations, some brilliant, some less…

I could give a lecture on this one item, but will limit myself to a few comments:

Although the description does not mention a wallet, we know that LePaul did use one, at least on occasions.

Interesting to note that “wallet” in German is “Brieftasche” (pocket or container for letters), in Italian “portafoglio” (container of sheets of paper), in French “portefeuille” (same as Italian), in Spanish “cartera” (brief for container of paper) ; in English there is also the term “pocket book” being used, which comes close to the latin-based languages.

In all cases the “wallet” or “pocket book” refers to an object from the 18th and 19th century that was made to carry one’s letters and valuable papers, and later paper money.

Therefore, it makes perfect sense to carry envelopes in a wallet-type container, at least it did in former times.

But to understand a technique, a trick, or a presentation, it is very useful to dwell in its origin. Even if you come to the conclusion that in modern times it cannot be done as originally thought up, it will at least make you think about how to adapt the idea to the present times.

And make no mistake: Using a wallet – even if the envelopes are only placed within the folds of the wallet, not necessarily in a zippered compartment – greatly increases the impact of the effect.

Another issue is the type and preparation of the envelope set. Since this is getting lengthy, I will simply refer you to my treatment of the problem in Card College Volume 5, “On the LePaul Envelope Set”, p. 1367.

If you have the book, also check Jesús Etcheverry’s volume 3 of the Ascanio books, and there “Freddy Fah’s Wallet”, which is a very brief description of a trick Ascanio showed me. The version he did for me, and which I wrote down but never published, but will report here only roughly, consisted in secretly reversing four x-cards in the deck while the spectator signed the Aces. Ascanio would then insert the signed Aces face up in the face-down fan, and control the Aces to the bottom. The deck was then farmed twice, distributing the x-cards in the deck as the Aces where bottom-palmed in his left hand. He would then ribbon-spread the deck face up, revealing four-face down cards in the spread, this being an Action of Apparent Continuity.

Meanwhile he would load the Aces in the envelope set inside his wallet, which he took out, tapped the spread four times, then showing the face-down cards to be x-cards, and finally revealing the Aces inside the envelope and wallet.

Interesting to note that LePaul first reveals the Aces, and only afterward the reversed cards in the spread. He also does this on other occasions, e.g., in “The Hand-picked Aces” mentioned above.

Food for thought…

TTTCBE

I am currently revising my Ask Roberto project completely, with the intention of publishing it as a really well-made book through Vanishing Inc.; tentative scheduled launch being The Sessionconvention in London, January 2027.

As I was editing Tim Gaffney’s question on TTTCBE, I reread one of the solutions I gave and that I had completely forgotten. I think it is very practical, and I have never seen anyone do it this way, so assume the idea is mine (Denis will let me know if it is not🙂).

Since I, the author, forgot about it, I assume that you, the reader (if you have Ask Roberto at all), will be glad to be reminded. So, here is the idea in brevis:

What I occasionally do is keep the force card back in the box. After the spectator has shuffled the deck, which is minus one card (the one in the box), I say that we will put the deck in the box so nobody can tamper with it – I then insert the deck below the card already secreted in the box, making it the top card of the now completed deck.

I introduce a Positive Insertion by showing the prediction, then I repeat that the spectator has herself shuffled the cards, that she has herself cut the deck, and that she shall now herself take the deck out of the box. The audience will hopefully implicitly believe that she herself put it into the box. When the top card then matches the prediction, it is, well, a very good effect. Sometimes we think too far…

Burger Wisdom

In an interview Michael Close conducted with Dr. Larry Hass in 2022 (Conversations With Close – listen HERE), Hass quotes Eugene Burger having said about the subject of whether to sit or stand when doing close-up at a table:

Sit if you can, stand if you must, stroll only if necessary. – Eugene Burger

Corrigenda

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This blog has only been proof-read in a cursory manner, leaving several mistakes and omissions. Please feel free to delete or add whatever is necessary to make it look good; use any of the characters above to do so, thank you!

Very best wishes,

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Quotes of the Year 2025; Another False Riffle Shuffle; Stand-up Card Magic; Remembering Gordon Bruce; Gianfranco Preverino – Expert Dice Magic; Deck of Tricks; On the Philosophy of Magic – Reading Books; Talk Soon

These are The Magic Memories 224, gone online Sunday, February 1st, 2026, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025,  including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

Quotes of the Year 2025

One of the gifts I wish for every Xmas from my family is a calendar with quotes from famous and less famous people.

Since I can read several languages, I usually receive a tri-lingual calendar. This has not only the advantage that I can practice various languages – more often than not German, French, and Italian – but since the quotes are not mere translations of one quote but different quotes in each language, I get 365 x 3 = 1095 quotes.

Here are the twenty quotes I have extracted to keep for the past year of 2025, in no particular order of importance, with a short comment of mine:

1. “Even a skyscraper started as a basement.”–anonymous

   RG comment: This cements my opinion that in order to study a discipline and gain a reasonable understanding of it, it is necessary to study and master its basics – I know of no other way, unless one is a genius, but most of us are not.

2. “You only live once. But if you do it right, that will be more than enough.” –Joe E. Lewis (comedian)

   RG comment: A good example that a comedian can also say serious things.

3. “Beauty is everywhere, but no everyone can see it.” –Confucius

   RG comment: This certainly applies to what Ascanio called “minor magic,” – see Confidences, “Minor and Major Magic,” p. 141.

4. “If I had one thousand ideas and only one was good, I would be satisfied.” –Alfred Nobel (chemist and inventor)

   RG comments: This echoes Albert Einstein, who maintained that in science you must have the courage to eliminate about 90% of your work. Whenever I remind myself of this quote, I am humbled, as Einstein was a genius, and Nobel came close, so what should we do, who are at best people of talent…

5. “The more one knows, the more one doubts.” –Goethe

   RG comments: I am sort of proud to have reached that level, at least I very often have doubts…

6. “A dayfly will suffer from midlife-crisis already after twelve hours. Figure out that.” –Loriot (cartoonist and humorist)

   RG comment: Loriot was one of Germany’s most influential comedians (but also an actor, writer, director, etc.), and one of my all-time favorites. As a young man I used to know several of his humorous speeches by heart and used them when I was booked as a “fake speaker,” who then turned out to be a magican… but that’s another story. More on him HERE.

7. “Let’s be reasonable and add an eighth day to the week, on which we only read.” –Lena Dunham (actress and author)

   RG comment: Wish this could be done…

8. “I started into life with two big advantages: no money and good parents.” –Margaret Thatcher (ex British prime minister)

   RG comment: This reminds me of what Pestalozzi, the Swiss educational reformer, said about raising your children: “Example and love – nothing more.”

9. “Everyone is an ignorant, only in different subjects.” –Will Rogers (comedian)

   RG comment: This is so true, it is not funny.

10. “No book has an end.” –Ottfried Preußler (author of children’s books)

    RG comment: A good book is one that tells you as much between the lines as in the lines, and one where you know more after you have read it than before.

11. “Life is a combination of magic and pasta.” –Federico Fellini (director)

    RG comment: Sophia Loren used to say, “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” If you consider that in Italy they have over 350 pasta shapes, and over 400 different sauces (called “sughi, plural of “sugo”), you will appreciate that this is not as trivial as it may sound…

12. “Three things make a good coffee: first, coffee, second, coffee, and third, coffee.” –Alexandre Dumas (author)

    RG comment: For a long time US-coffee has been regarded as inferior, one of the worst in the world… at least Europeans thought so. I remember I once told Max Maven the following joke, which he did not know, and he laughed out loud, something Max did not do often. Here is the joke: “Question: What is the difference between American coffee and making love on a boat? Answer: There isn’t – both is f***ing close to water!”
    Starbucks was a first leap forward in better coffee, at least better than before. Unfortunately, they started to add aromas to their coffee: cinnamon, hazelnut, vanilla, etc. But why on earth spoil a good coffee by adding aromas? The point of a good coffee is precisely that it has aroma, coffee aroma, and now you cover up that aroma with another aroma (doing a Double Lift followed by a Second Deal comes to mind). This is very much like adding unnecessary “presentation” – worst of all comedy – to an already excellent trick.
    This is, as always, my personal opinion. If you hold a different one, I will answer as the Zen master did, “You are right!”
    (To remind the younger among my readership, who might not know the story, here it is in brevis: A Zen master and three of his acolytes are having lunch. When a fly approaches, the Zen master quickly turns over his chop sticks, catches the fly and throws it over his shoulder. Acolyte 1, “Master, you taught us to respect all life, and now you killed a fly. This is not right.” The master looks at him and answers, “You are right.” Acolyte 2, “But if you had not killed the fly, it could have contaminated your food. By killing the fly you saved your life.” The master looks at him and answers, “You are right.” Acolyte 3, “But master, how can two contradictory statements be right? This is not possible.” The master looks at him and answers, “You are right.”)
    So, if you do not agree with me… you are right.

13. “The radio craze will die out in time.” –Thomas Alva Edison, ca. 1922

    RG comment: This triggers my memory of Max Maven’s The Protocols of the Elders of Magic (Hermetic Press, 2005), which is a collection of quotes that say that magic is “dead,” by famous and less famous magicians bound in a beautiful book in an octavo format (it inspired my own book Confidences…).

14. “In the book of life, the answers aren’t in the back.” –Charlie Brown

    RG comment: Along with “Asterix and Obelix” and “Hägar the Horrible,” Charles M. Schulz’ “The Peanuts” are my favorite comic.

15. “Life’s tragedy is that we get old too soon and wise too late.” – Benjamin Franklin

    RG comment: I can confirm that I am getting older…

16. “My fake plants died because I did not pretend to water them.” – Mitch Hedberg

    RG comment: This is as absurd as the magic we perform…

17. “They’re crazy, the Romans!” –Asterix & Obelix

    RG comment: Today, almost 2’000 years after Asterix & Obelix, those “Romans” are everywhere…

18. “Where the telescope ends, the microscope begins.” –Victor Hugo

    RG comments: As good as a metaphor gets.

19. “The first sign of ignorance is to assume that one knows.” –Balthasar Gracián y Morales

    RG comment: One of the many variation’s of Socrates’ mother of all wisdoms “I know that I know nothing.” Arguably the wisest utterance ever made.

20. “The play was a great success, but the audience was a disaster.” –Oscar Wilde

    RG comment: An amusing way of explaining the essence of why magic works: the subjective reality is not the truth.

Another False Riffle Shuffle

This is a False Riffle Shuffle I came up with years ago and recently rediscovered it in one of my notebooks. It retains the order of the complete deck, and it can be done by anyone familiar with basic card handling; compared to similar False Shuffles it is quite safe as you will see once you give it a try.

Hold the deck in Riffle Shuffle Position.

Do Vernon’s Cold Deck Cut cutting 1/3 from bottom to top retaining a break.

Upper cut the broken top third to the right & zarrow into the left packet, pushing it through, so the zarrowed packet protrudes about 1cm or so from the deck’s left end.

Wait and riffle up the deck’s inner side, with the hands protecting the ends.

Up-the-ladder-cut the 2/3 protruding to the right to the top, thus restoring the deck’s original order.

This shuffle has a nice handling Gestalt, as it starts and ends with Running Cuts that frame the shuffle.

(Inspired by “Sleeper Shank Shuffle” in The Last Hierophant, p. 22 – 5th MAR 1996.)

Stand-up Card Magic

As you are reading this – provided you read it on Sunday, February 1st – I am conducting a half-day masterclass on the subject of card magic done standing up.

The number of spectators one performs for largely depends on the characteristics of the venue, as sometimes sub-optimally constructed places with only 60 spectators can be worse than an ideally conceived auditorium with a capacity of 250.

I remind you that I wrote a book on the subject, Stand-up Card Magic; many of you who are reading these The Magic Memories own the book.

But not many seem to know that I have translated virtually the complete content of the book – its techniques, tricks and theories – in a video format: it was my very first video project I did with Penguin Magic in 2014 (26th January), titled Penguin Live Online Lecture 1. (The title which Penguin put to the video is a bit unfortunate as it does not reflect the content – it should more look like the one in the photo below.)

At the time it was indeed an “online lecture,” i.e., you could stream it live and send in questions via Twitter that I would then discuss in a Q&A format immediately after the lecture in a kind of interview situation conducted by the inimitable Dan Harlan.

I remind newcomers to these The Magic Memories that you can watch this interview HERE (the interview lasts over ONE hour, so get yourself a glass or two of your favorite beverage – Bollinger Grande Année 2012 recommended – a few snacks, and a means of taking notes!)

The lecture itself and the following Q&A lasted a total of five hours and twenty minutes (!), the longest Penguin online lecture EVER (makes me sound like Harry Lorayne…), and because of its length the server broke down from the overload of the streaming capacity! Obviously, all subscribers were able to later download the lecture in an MP4-format, so that nothing got lost.

You can still get the download from Penguin Magic HERE.

Considering that they nowadays sell you a download of 25 to 40 minutes for $10-15, getting a complete course in standup card magic for less than $30 with over a dozen professional tricks, dozens of techniques, and a massive amount of concepts collected from the experience of a lifetime of magic, well, this makes it sound like a joke.

PS1: The book exists in German (the original), English, French, Italian, and Japanese.

PS2: Penguin reports the video as being one of their most successful lectures of the series that now lists over several hundred lectures (!), and as a consequence, in October of the same year (2014), they asked me to do another Penguin Live Online Lecture 2, which at four hours and forty-six minutes was a bit shorter than the first, but somehow was less successful.

Personally, I find that it was as interesting as the first one, albeit on another subject, namely a sort of “revision” of the Card College books, with lots of tricks, techniques, and an over-abundance of subtleties that only come if you dedicate your life to a discipline.

If you do not have this lecture, and have been enjoying these The Magic Memories, I think that you will like it as much as the first – you can still get it as a download HERE.

Remembering Gordon Bruce (1952–2026)

“If I told you how it was done, I wouldn’t be giving you anything. I would be taking something away.” Gordon Bruce

As you probably already know, Scotland’s Gordon Bruce, one of the truly greats in magic, has left us on January 1st, 2026.

Although Gordon and I only met on three occasions, I felt very close to him.

After our meeting at his home (see my report below), he called a few times, and each time we had lengthy discussions about all aspects of magic. Unfortunately, similar to Lennart Green, he did not have a computer, so the only way to communicate with him was by phone or letter.

The last time I saw him was at the a The Session convention in Cheltenham in January 2015, where I showed him the Vernon Twenty Dollar Manuscript I had acquired the year before from Gabe Fajuri at Magifest in Columbus, Ohio, and his comment still resonates with me: “Roberto, this alone was worth coming to this convention.” On this occasion he also said, “The Card College books are the modern cornerstone of all of card magic.” Both of these comments still mean a lot to me.

Checking my folder “Bruce, Gordon” I found several of his lecture notes, personal letters, and copies of various articles about him in the Scottish press.

Several current projects keep me from going deeper into this, but I did find a report I wrote in 1994 for La Circular, the monthly journal of the Escuela Mágica de Madrid, and I reproduce it below, slightly edited with a few updated comments:

Meet Gordon Bruce

July 1994 was the month of the FISM World Congress in Yokohama—and the first such congress I had missed since Brussels in 1979. The reasons were simple enough: the travel time was long, and the expense considerable. I decided instead to invest the money saved in other educational journeys, one of which took me to Glasgow, Scotland, to visit Gordon Bruce, who had invited me to stay with him from July 31 to August 7.

Let me say this right away: Gordon Bruce is an extraordinary, multi-talented man. Professionally, he works with the Scottish National Orchestra as a double-bass player, which already tells you a great deal. As a magician—specializing in close-up magic and, above all, card magic—he must be counted among the most underrated experts in the world. Put simply, he knows everyone who matters, and everyone who matters knows him. If I were to mention names such as Ricky Jay, Persi Diaconis, Herb Zarrow, or Steve Freeman, you could continue the list without taking a breath and add Gordon Bruce. That is the level at which he belongs.

Gordon would justify an entire book devoted both to his life and to his magic. Most of you will know him for his devilishly clever and subtle technique of apparently reaching into his trouser pocket with thumb and forefinger to remove what is, in fact, a classically palmed card. His handling is a variation on an idea by Norman Houghton, originally published in Ibidem No. 12 and later in Wit and Wizardry—The Magic of Norm Houghton under the title “Card in Shirt Pocket.”

This is only one of his published items—unfortunately, there are far too few. After talking with him for almost a week, let me assure you that everything he does is of a similar caliber. He is a man with a brilliant mind and golden hands. His name appears again and again in the acknowledgments of books, where he is thanked for his research and for contributing little-known details about magic and magicians. Be sure to check the acknowledgments in Alex Elmsley’s second book, edited by Stephen Minch, for a telling example.

Gordon is also one of the most competent historians and collectors I know. Mention a subject or a name, and he will instantly produce a file containing the most relevant material. Among the many things that impressed me was his filing system: he keeps files organized by name. When I mentioned that a topic at Escorial concerned Horowitz, Allerton, and Dr. Daley, he immediately pulled the files bearing those names and produced copies of articles, book excerpts, memorabilia, and even private correspondence.

As a related aside, let me mention what he did with the Daley notebooks. As you know, the two commercially available volumes were produced from four original notebooks. In the published versions, however, the notes were rearranged according to originators, which is why all the material by Vernon, Horowitz, Daley, and others appears grouped together.

In reality, Daley might have seen a move by Dai Vernon one evening, devised variations of his own shortly thereafter, and then, the next day, read something by Farelli that fit the same subject. In that original context, even cryptic notes made sense. When the material is taken apart and reorganized—as Csuri and Fulves did—many entries become puzzling as they are now out of context. Gordon rewrote the entire two volumes, reconstructing the original four notebooks and restoring the coherence of the notes. That is the kind of man Gordon Bruce is.

Gordon is also extremely secretive, a trait he shares with Ricky Jay and others you will know. Let me relate a humorous incident. At one point in our conversations, we touched on gambling, a favorite subject of Gordon’s. I mentioned the Steve Forte tapes, which are now widely available but at the time were scarce and very expensive. Instantly, his eyes began to dart about. He looked around as if he had glimpsed a Scottish ghost escaping from a haunted castle, then proceeded to close all the windows (it was the hottest summer Glasgow had ever known) and lock the door. From then on, we spoke only in hushed tones. The absurdity of the situation was that no one else was in the house who might overhear us, except for a tenant who lived there and had no interest in magic whatsoever. Gordon’s obsession with not mentioning Forte became a running joke during my stay. Whenever we wanted to refer to him, we used the code name “MacCallan”—after Gordon’s favorite single-malt whisky—so as not to give away the fact that such a person even existed.

Gordon also arranged a meeting with Andrew Galloway, the only student of Johnny Ramsay, as you may know. It was an extraordinary afternoon. Andy showed us rare films of Ramsay performing thimble, coin, and other work, and then went on to demonstrate some of Ramsay’s astonishing routines himself. When you read about these routines or see them on video, you might think they were designed solely for magicians and far too complicated for lay audiences. The truth is quite the opposite: when properly presented to a small group of interested spectators, they are highly magical and deeply entertaining. I strongly urge you to buy, borrow, or steal the Ramsay trilogy—Ramsay Legend, Ramsay Classics, and Ramsay Finale—as well as Galloway’s own booklet Diverting Card Magic and his videotape featuring Ramsay routines in performance. At the time, these publications could be ordered directly from Andrew, who has since passed away, but they should still be obtainable online.

Spending time with Gordon meant living for a week immersed in high-quality magic, refined thinking, and a deep appreciation for the finer things in life. I very much hope to see him again soon.

My stay in Glasgow also gave me the opportunity to visit Roy Walton. I think you will agree that Walton is one of the most creative and prolific card men of our time. I went to see him at his magic shop, Tam Shepherd’s Magic Shop, at 33 Queen Street. Even though he knew me and I had been introduced by Gordon, there was no chance of getting together privately. He would not even show a trick. This was not so much a matter of secrecy as of modesty and shyness. One small detail says it all. We were talking about card brands, and I mentioned that I used Spanish Fournier cards. Since he did not seem familiar with them, I handed him my deck. He removed the cards from the box, handled them briefly—without attempting anything resembling a sleight—and then put them back into the case, leaving them unsquared. I believe he was afraid that I might judge the way he squares a pack of cards.

End of article.

As a professional musician, Gordon had also lots of practical insights into how to practice technique correctly. He gave me many pieces of advice, several of which found their way into my Agendas. Below are three items for you to go back to:

January 21 – Details of Handling on the Cover Pass (Secret Agenda)

July 8 – Double Divination (Secret Agenda)

February 7 – False Deal Practice (Hidden Agenda )

A Sixty-Five-Card Deck. Add thirteen extra cards to a regular deck and practice your sleights with it. When you later perform with a normal fifty-two-card deck, everything will feel easier.

(BTW: Ask Roberto is the second book project that should see light through Vanishing Inc., maybe before the end of 2026… while there is life, there is hope.)

I could mention lots more items, but here is a last one to finish off this little homage to Gordon for you to check out in case you do not already know it:

“The Gordon Bruce False Shuffle” in Peter Duffie’s Five Times Five: Scotland (Kaufman and Company, 1998), which is a sophisticated handling of the G. W. Hunter False Overhand Shuffle (also attributed to Persi Diaconis).

If you want to know more about Gordon Bruce and his life and magic, a search on Google, the socials, the magic fora, or with AI will take you to several articles in the public press that I found interesting – you may, too.

Behr’s Archive currently (Jan 30th, 2026) shows 181 entries when searching for “Gordon Bruce,” and you can spend your next week exploring them HERE – it will indeed be time well spent.

Gianfranco Preverino – Expert Dice Magic

A while ago my friend Gianfranco Preverino from Italy published a comprehensive work on magic with dice, sort of a Dice College, as he jokingly remarked; its title Expert Dice Magic is, of course, an homage to David Roth’s Expert Coin Magic.

Well, it is certainly no joke, as Gianfranco’s opus does treat the subject of dice and how to do magic with them in a systematic way, considering history, techniques, tricks and theory, the whole package.

He originally wrote the book in Italian, and it is now available in English.

This book does the most important thing in magic: it teaches you the basics of an Instrument – dice – and then goes far beyond it. There are not many really “necessary” books, but this is one of them… provided you are interested in doing magic with dice.

You can get it in two editions on Amazon, softback ($55) or hardback ($70); for more info and to order CLICK HERE.

Deck of Tricks

In various publications of mine I mention what I dubbed the “deck of tricks,” briefly: To remember repertoire tricks more easily, write the name of a trick on the face of each card. Use this as your “practice deck” by cutting it, reading the name of the trick written on the face of the top card, and then practice that trick.

Repeat the cut and start again until your fingers fall off… or better, stop before that happens. Continue next day, etc. (Now I remember that I discussed the idea in one of my The Genii Session columns, more precisely in the issue of March 2003 – these should be published by Vanishing Inc. before the end of 2026 as a book, tentatively titled The Roberto Giobbi Sessions, which assembles all my bi-monthly columns I wrote over fourteen years, plus ten new columns…)  

Someone wrote in to comment on “the deck of tricks” ( I apologize, as I have forgotten who it was – if you let me know, I shall be happy to mention your name in the next The Magic Memories 225), suggesting an app you can download on your smartphone and which is called “Spin The Wheel – Random Picker;” CLICK HERE for detailed information and to download the free app. Basically you can have as many “wheels” as you like, and then fill each “wheel” with an infinite number of items that you can then randomly pick.

Obviously, the “original” version will not need a smartphone… and you have the deck at hand… cannot get simpler than that…

On the Philosophy of Magic – Reading Books

“The reading of good magic books is like a conversation with the best magicians of past years.” (René Descartes, slightly modified by Roberto Giobbi)

Talk Soon

Lots more to tell, but I will call it a day now, and look forward to seeing you again in The Magic Memories 225, going online Sunday, 1st March 2026.

Very best wishes,

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Happy New Year; The Magic Memories 2025 – The Collected Blogs; Schedule for The Magic Memories 2026

These are The Magic Memories 223, gone online Sunday, January 4th, 2026, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, and 2025,  including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

Happy New Year

Happy New Year to everyone – and good luck for 2026!

The Magic Memories 2025 – The Collected Blogs

This is the first installment of The Magic Memories 2026, and it will be shortest and longest of this year.

If this sounds to you like a paradox, well, it is… similar to the Gozinta Box, in my opinion one of Lubor Fiedler’s most brilliant inventions, at the same time highly ingenious and immensely practical, as it can be used at a table for a small audience, but in its larger version also plays big and can be appreciated even in a large theatre.

It certainly is one of my most cherished memories to have been on the same stage in Hollywood with Lubor when in 2011 he received the Creativity Fellowship from the Academy of Magical Arts, and the Literary & Media Fellowship was bestowed upon me.

Talking of Lubor’s great invention: Here you can see Doug Henning adapting the idea of the Gozinta Box to the large stage – very similar to the small model where a sponge ball is produced at the end, with a “little” twist… CLICK HERE to see it.

And here is Paul Harris’ take on it – CLICK HERE.

Anyway, back to the initial paradox, the short and long one… I have just spent two days on compiling a PDF that contains all the thirteen blogs of 2025, with all the photos and links working, all is searchable, for a total of 142 pages.

I have made a few corrections, small additions, and streamlined the layout to the best of my ability(limited!) abilities. I apologize for any mistakes and inaccuracies, and you are welcome to let me know of any gross errors, which I shall then correct and put at everyone’s disposal in The Magic Memories 224.

Although I set myself a time limit in woking on this project, which did not allow careful editing, I have nonetheless looked into dozens of entries here and there, and I am surprised at how many different topics I have been able to discuss, many at a fairly detailed level. To quote Ricky Jay: “This is such an extraordinary feat, that I am forced to mention it myself!”

I should be pleased if you take a moment to scroll through the PDF and be reminded of items you have overlooked or forgotten. Regardless of your interests and level in magic, I am confident that there are several items over the year that will find your favor; I recommend you extract whatever you find interesting to you, and with it create a new PDF to occasionally reread. For this, and other tasks, I think having it all together in one single PDF is useful.

So, without further ado, and with my best compliments for the New Year, to read and/or download the PDF Roberto Giobbi’s The Magic Memories 2025 – Collected Blogs, CLICK HERE.

Yes, the PDF is my gift to you, free of charge, and you may send it around to your magic friends.

Schedule for The Magic Memories 2026

Provided major force does not prevent me from doing so, I plan to continue to share The Magic Memories with you on the first Sunday of each month, going online at precisely 0:07 o’clock. Also, as before, I will not send you an email (with few exceptions), so you will have to proactively go to the web shop www.robertogiobbi.com and click “News”, or click the link for The Magic Memories to get a list of all past issues.

The Magic Memories for 2026 are scheduled to go online on these dates:

• The Magic Memories 223 on SUN, January 4, 2026, 0:07 o’clock
• The Magic Memories 224 on SUN, February 1, 2026, 0:07 o’clock
• The Magic Memories 225 on SUN, March 1, 2026, 0:07 o’clock
• The Magic Memories 226 on SUN, April 5, 2026, 0:07 o’clock
• The Magic Memories 227 on SUN, May 3, 2026, 0:07 o’clock
• The Magic Memories 228 on SUN, 2026, June 7, 0:07 o’clock
• The Magic Memories 229 on SUN, 2026, July 5, 0:07 o’clock
• The Magic Memories 230 on SUN, 2026, August 2, 0:07 o’clock
• The Magic Memories 231 on SUN, 2026, September 6,  0:07 o’clock
• The Magic Memories 232 on SUN, 2026, October 4, 0:07 o’clock
• The Magic Memories 233 on SUN, 2026, November 1, 0:07 o’clock
• The Magic Memories 234 on SUN, 2026, December 6, 0:07 o’clock

Very best wishes,

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Escorial 2025; The Colmar Gastronomy & Magic Summit; The Brissago Magic Summit; The Advent Calendars; The Italian Job; Roberto Giobbi Bibliography Status 2025; Happy Holidays!; Confusion is not Magic

These are The Magic Memories 222, gone online Sunday, December 7th, 2025, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

A number such as 222 is called a “Schnapszahl” in German, “repdigit” in English: I have discussed this most curious category of numbers in The Magic Memories 111, and there is no need to repeat myself – simply adapt to 222 🙂

However, what I find even more remarkable is that this “publication” got to that number at all!

Don’t ask me how I did it… probably with the same strategies and techniques I applied when I wrote the five Card College books. Looking back to those, I honestly wonder how I did those… but like a good magic piece, it does not matter how it is done, the only important thing is that you, my readers, and I, have enjoyed the result. As far as I am concerned, this is the case… I hope it is the same for you.

And now on for a Rädäbäng of magical reports and other ideas…

Jornadas Cartomágicas de El Escorial 2025

This year marked #51 of this most unusual gathering. It started out as a part of the activities of the Escuela Magic de Madrid, about which I’ve reported in several of my writings as well as in other issues of these The Magic Memories, possibly most completely in Ask Roberto, which can still be obtained as an e-book, and should be available as a really nicely made-up book by Vanishing Inc. in 2026 (along with yet another book project to be announced soon).

The topics of 2025 were:

Transcription:

OCTUBRE 31 – NOVIEMBRE 2, 2025

• JIMMY GRIPPO
• MEMORIZACIÓN DE CARTAS (COLORES O NÚMEROS)
• GAGS CARTOMÁGICOS
• EMPALME PLANO Y EMPALME TENKAI

Translation:

• the life and card magic of Jimmy Grippo
• memorization of color and number sequences
• gags in card magic
• flat palm and Tenkai palm

As you may easily guess, each of these topics deserves a book, and considering that some sixty of the world’s best cardicians from all continents attended (almost… as far as I know we miss Africa and Australia), who each know a lot about each of the subjects, well, you will understand that I can only give you a very rough overview of the happenings, with a few photos…

Topic # 1: Jimmy Grippo (1898–1992)

The material about Jimmy Grippo, a most interesting subject to study for various reasons, is scant and scattered.

Those not so familiar with the man and his work can get an idea by viewing a few videos on YouTube of Grippo performing under various situations.

See for instance HERE.

From here you may go further, depending on your time and interest.

Just by watching, you can learn a lot of things, not just techniques and tricks, but also strategies; try to identify and name them (see Sharing Secrets for help in identifying these concepts and their names). Then try to apply them to a trick in your own magic. From then on you have instilled the concept and will be able to use it infinitely. Yes, it means work, but I would not know of any shortcut to success other than work.

Here is just one example of the out-of-the-box thinking, which he applies to the classic “Collins Aces”, sometimes called “Aces for Connoisseurs” (e.g., see Cy Endfield’s Entertaining Card Magic – Part 2, p. 46): Instead of bothering about how to make those Aces reappear that are lost in the discard packet (albeit at known positions), Grippo simply reaches into his pocket and produces a set of duplicate Aces! A brilliant solution, like the Gordian Knot!

(How to get rid of the duplicates you ask? Basic, Watson, basic: Replace the set on top of the deck, but immediately palm it, and then get rid of them by reaching into the outer pocket of your jacket and taking out e.g., the card case you placed there to begin with, or just ‘use your head’.)

For the moment (DEC 2025) there is only one book by and about Grippo, co-written with Geno Munari and published by Gambler’s Book Club (1981), simply titled The Magic ofJimmy Grippo. (Another one with Grippo’s “real work” has been announced by Munari for years, so…).

However, the book does not contain Grippo’s professional working repertoire, nor any mention of one of the key principles of his work, which is a point criticized by the presenters of the topic.

In spite of this, I believe that it would have been worth devoting a part of the presentation to the content of the book that has several interesting ideas from which one could go.

To tease you, here is the effect of “The Torn Card Miracle” as it could appear to an innocent audience: A spectator selects a card, signs it, and then loses it in the deck. The spectator and the performer each take half of the deck and start to tear it up in quarters; with a deck of 52 cards that will make 208 quarters. These are throuroughly shaken up and mixed in a hat that has previously been borrowed and examined by the audience. Showing his empty hand, the performer reaches four times into the hat, each time taking out one quarter, which is then stuck to a large piece of glass, backs to the audience. When the glass is turned over, the four pieces are seen to compose the originally selected card, including the signature! Now, how do you like that for an effect…

You can find it on p. 49 of the above-mentioned publication.

This performance piece should prove very successful for anyone who will go through the trouble of making it up, and with good showmanship and lighting it would work even on the largest of stages.

Juan Tamariz and a group of Spanish magicians, among them Ascanio, Pepe Carroll and Camilo Vazquez, had witnessed Grippo’s private show in the Eighties in Las Vegas.

He told us of the many impossible looking pieces he performed for them, some of which you can see on the YouTube-videos.

The most interesting part, however, was when Juan told about how Grippo met the group in front of Caesar’s Palace, and then took them through the gaming areas to the salon, where the performance took place. This obviously took at least ten minutes, and all along that time Grippo talked about himself and the miracles he would perform, thus starting the build-up of his performance as he was taking them to his show.

What a strategy!

The subject took all the time up to dinner break, which in Spain is around 9:30pm… in order to the restart the activities, in theory, at midnight, in practice, after 1am…

Breaks

Breaks and private sessions are an integral part of the information transfer at the Escorial Card Conference.

Below you can see Yves Carbonnier from Paris and Aurelio Paviato from Milan trying to teach a beginner the basics of card magic… after a “light” lunch…

The photo above, by the way, was taken at Cafetín Croché, the “coffee shop” (so-to-speak…) of Charoles (the flagship restaurant of San Lorenzo de El Escorial), which also harbors a small theatre (ca. 60 people), were Juan Tamariz decades ago started the tradition of doing a full-evening show on every Friday night.

This tradition has been carried forth by Manolo, the owner of the place, and to this day boasts some of the best Spanish performers, who in spite of their fame are willing to perform for a modest fee, just out of loyalty to a tradition.

You do not find this kind of attitude often in our modern world…

Spontaneous Shows

The talks, breaks and waiting times are interspersed with occasional top-notch shows.

The photo below shows Michael Close, who flew in from Toronto, give a talk on card tricks done from a shuffled borrowed deck.

Topic #2: Memorization of color and number sequences

This is a complex subject that was treated over several hours with many contributions from experts on the subject.

Essentially we are talking about mnemonic systems to remember color sequences in a deck, but also how to remember the order of the full card, up to memorizing a deck.

If you have ever had the good luck of witnessing Juan Tamariz do “Out of This World” from a borrowed and shuffled deck, then you know what a devastating potential such techniques have… and this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Talking to the other experts present, we agreed that this was way over the head for most of us…

(This reminds me of when I attended G4G7 in 2006 in Atlanta, USA, a congress dedicated to Martin Gardner with ca. 200 participants – mathematicians, puzzlers and magicians – sitting next to a math professor from a top US university. After a talk John Conway had given on a subject the title of which I forget, I asked my neighbor if he had understood what Conway just talked about.

His answer was, “I have no idea.”

He then proceeded to explain how specialized the mathematical sciences are, and why one specialist did not necessarily understand another. This greatly comforted me, as I did not understand anything, even without being a specialist!

Juan Esteban Varela from Chile then took the stage and gave an academic dissertation on his system of memorization… since I did not understand much of it, I did not have a lot to remember… for once, a blessing 🙂

Topic #3: Gags in Card Magic

As you will imagine this was hilarious, with numerous original contributions… and others that reminded us of the enormous repertoire of historical funny magicians.

Wish you had been there…

(Check Chapter 64 in Card College Volume 5, “A Cardman’s Humor” to get an idea.)

Topic #4: Flat Palm and Tenkai Palm

This is indeed another very interesting topic, especially because most cardicians do not use these techniques! Unjustly so, as the presentations on these two subjects proved.

To avoid becoming too technical, which would go beyond the scope of this report, let me just mention a few things.

The Flat Palm is clearly a technique that comes to us from the gaming table… but then again, what technique isn’t! Briefly: The Flat Palm is in many situations superior to the Classic Palm, especially when you perform seated at a table. Considering that close-up performance in small theaters are flourishing all around the world, techniques such as Lapping, Flat Palm, etc. are experiencing a renaissance.

As for the Tenkai Palm, which seems to be underemployed, similar to the Flat Palm, I encourage you to study it and try it out, especially in stand-up situations: you will be surprised how much better the angles are as you might intuitively suspect. (This would also lead to the Rear Palm, which is discussed in Expert Card Technique, and which was a favorite with Alex Elmsley – see his books.)

All is well that ends well…

Finally, as with every good story of Asterix and Obelix, the Gaules assemble around a good table to celebrate magic and life.

PS: What makes this meeting interesting, on top of everything else, is that the participants share private videos and PDFs of their contributions with the rest of the attendees.

The Colmar Gastronomy & Magic Summit

A few days after Escorial and a visit to Madrid, and before embarking on the next magical adventure, a three-day meeting in Brissago, Switzerland (see below), I had the great pleasure of hosting my friend and past-publisher Stephen Minch for a few days at my home.

The photo below shows us discussing the fine points of the Side Steal as opposed to the Pass, after a glorious lunch at L’Atelier du Peintre (my recommendation if you ever go to Colmar, France), where Pit Hartling, who came all the way from Frankfurt and Lorenz Schär from Berne, Switzerland’s capital, joined us.

The photo below shows us after visiting the Musée Unterlinden in Colmar, which hosts the world-famous Isenheimer Altar, thus proving that we are not only interested in magic and gastronomy 🙂

The Brissago Magic Summit

Thanks to the initiative of Peter Samelson (if you want to learn more about this remarkable gentleman, CLICK HERE to see him on Fool Us),  a small group consisting of Mike Close, Stephen Minch, Aurelio Paviato, Peter and myself met in the former house of Peter’s aunt on the shores of Lake Major (Switzerland and Italy).

Today’s report already got longer than I would allow, therefore suffice it to say that over two full days we all gave shorter and longer talks and performances for each other on various subjects, ranging from techniques, effects and presentations, over historical, psychological and philosophical, to very practical professional everyday advice, a Secret Agenda type of gathering, you could say 🙂

I have reported on the first gathering in Brissago in The Magic Memories 152, there called “The Samelson Reunion”, and you can find more details there, if you so desire.

And since the spirits of Asterix and Obelix are omnipresent, also this magical adventure ended with all of us around a good table. In the photo below, from left to right: Aurelio Paviato, Stephen Minch, Peter Samelson, RG, Michael Close.

The Advent Calendars

Since we are at the beginning of Advent time (for some of us), I would like to inform newcomers – and remind my faithful readers – of the Magic Advent Calendar I published in December 2020.

You may either go through the individual contributions for free, or take the easy route and get the PDF of it HERE – I think you will find it well worth your time (the financial investment is a joke, of course).

As an additional gift to all of you, if you care accepting it, I give you a PDF HERE with all twenty-four entries of the Magic Calendar of Good Ideas I published in 2023, and which was sent to all who are on the Newsletter list daily from DEC1st to DEC 24th (if you are not on the NL, go to the webshop www.robertogiobbi.com and subscribe to receive future benefits such as these.)

The Italian Job

And if you think that all these travels reported in the previous and this The Magic Memories are more than enough, then you would be wrong. On Sunday morning after the Brissago Magic Summit had ended, Aurelio, Stephen and I took a leisurely drive along Lake Major, enjoying the spectacular scenery of the Swiss, Italian and French Alps, and drove to Castellamonte, to enjoy the yearly truffle lunch at Tre Re.

After this memorable meal, Aurelio and Stephen took off to Vigevano, Aurelio’s home, from where Stephen would then return to Seattle the next day. Whereas I did what I do every year after this event: I took a room at the Hotel Tre Re, and then had a restful sleep after having taken a long walk around the quite village of Castellamonte, reliving in my mind all those marvelous events of the last days and weeks.

Next day I met Marco Aimone, president of Italy’s largest magic club, the Circolo Amici Della Magia of Torino, in Carru, at the Ristorante del Borgo, where they arguably make the best “Bollito misto” of this planet.

We then spent the rest of the day and evening  in Don Silvio Mantelli’s magic library, which boasts over 22’000 volumes dedicated to all aspects of magic and allied arts.

Nowadays I no longer buy the latest books, as many of them are huge, heavy, and take a lot of space, along with costing a fortune for shipping and custom – the post office and tariffs are ruining a lot of the cultural patrimony on this planet (instead of subsidizing such areas of human endeavor, countries are now spending the money on arms and ammunition). But I always look them up in Don Silvio’s library.

Since I have mentioned my stays in this most wonderful place in Cherasco many times before in The Magic Memories, I would just like to mention that Don Silvio’s Museo della magia, the museum of magic, has made an enormous leap forward, with lots of new and original exhibits, incorporating among many other things a large part of Silvan’s collection, which the latter donated to the museum, was well as many original pieces from Fred Roby, the world-famous ventriloquist, who left us in 2022.

I met Fred Roby years ago, and once we even shared the same stage (he was the star act, of course). Most of his performances were in French and German, but I found a very early appearance of his in the USA HERE.

Anyway, next time you travel through the North of Italy and are interested in magic, you will not regret a stop at Don Silvio Mantelli’s Museo della magia in Cherasco (and then have a meal at “La Torre” in Cherasco, or at 20 minutes car drive at “Osteria Veglio” in La Morra, where you can get some of Piedmont’s top wines at a fair price… make sure you are six people, so you can taste at least four different bottles… invite a seventh person who does not drink, but drive…).

Roberto Giobbi Bibliography Status 2025

As an annual accounts of 2025 – not of finances, but of works – I thought to have a look at what I’ve written/produced/published up to now.

If you are interested, here is my updated bibliography as per December 2025, probably incomplete, as some of my articles from magazines have been taken over, translated and published in other smaller magazines (and they forgot to tell me…). Also, when I started to compile the bibliography of early works I worked from memory…

To read or download the Bibliography of Roberto Giobbi as a PDF CLICK HERE.

Happy Holidays!

Last, but not least, my friends, I would like to wish you and your loved ones a Merry Christmas – or whatever your belief or non-belief is – have a good, relaxed and inspired time.

As an agnostic I do not mind any belief, as long as it is peaceful and friendly and productive for oneself and all others.

I once thought of converting to every religion so as to be able to enjoy all their festivities, which would make a year full of celebrations, but then realized that some religions contradict each other, which confuses me, so I thought why not just cut directly to the celebrations and let the rest in peace.

Therefore: Happy Celebrations to all of you, and whenever your new year starts: Happy New Year, too!

Confusion is not Magic

Talking about confusion…

All the best!

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Solution to Computer Problem; On Critical Reporting; Magialdia 2025; French National Convention in Troyes; Paris, Paris (Pierre Gagnaire); Unexpected Agenda… On This Day: “November 2 – Old Wine… Matures Well”

These are The Magic Memories 221, gone online Sunday, November 2nd, 2025, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

As you are reading this I am attending the Card Conference in San Lorenzo de El Escorial. The topics are:

• the life and card magic of Jimmy Grippo
• memorization of color and number sequences
• gags in card magic
• flat palm and Tenkai palm

I will report about it in The Magic Memories 222 (a magical number, indeed!) – stay tuned.

Solution to Computer Problem

You might remember that last month’s The Magic Memories 220 suffered from a severe computer problem due to an update of Dropbox.

I am mentioning this otherwise trivial occurrence (who hasn’t experienced that!) because of a remarkable fact. To solve the problem I had contacted an otherwise very knowledgeable friend who works as IT-supporter nearby: We spent almost one hour over the phone without result. Then I called my webmaster, also a professional IT-supporter who up to now solved every problem: after another near-hour no result. Finally I contacted the “professional” support from Dropbox, with which I corresponded over two days, until at Friday evening, 5pm sharp, the supporter bowed himself off into the week-end without offering a solution.

Out of desperation I placed the problem in The Magic Memories 220.

Lo and behold, two readers answered, both by the name of Claudio, one from Italy, the other from Switzerland, both having asked ChatGPT, and both with almost the same answer: ChatGPT precisely diagnosed the problem and explained it so that even I could understand it in TWO sentences. Then gave instructions in FIVE steps how to solve the problem, which I did in less than 15 minutes!

Lesson: When three experts cannot solve a problem, ask ChatGPT… and to save time, why not start asking in the first place (BUT remember that AI is not infallible, so always “use your head”).

PS: To prompt concisely formulate the problem after telling ChatGPT to place itself into the role of an expert, to wit. “You are an expert for Mac and Dropbox: solve the following problem…” This idea was told to me by my friend Claudio Viotto, and I forward it to you as you will now be able to use it in your own fights with the unforeseen events of life 🙂

On Critical Reporting

Since today I will be reporting about two events, I thought I should precede this by a brief prologue: Although everyone is just looking to be praised – I know because I do, too – there is nothing to be learned from empty praise as it is often found in magazines. On the other hand some reporters love to just criticize everything and everyone. Neither of the two approaches is helpful, I opine.

In my own reporting I have always tried to be honest and sincere, at the same time encouraging whenever I can, and if I “criticize” something or someone, I invariably do so in a constructive sense, meaning that I say what I did not like, and then I offer at least one solution.

Constructive criticism is not about bashing, i.e., lifting oneself by belittling others, but it is about excellence.

I agree that “excellence” is an over-used term, so let me try to define it as I understand it: Excellence is doing something well for the mere sake of enjoying doing well-done things.

Magialdia 2025

Here are a few remarks and opinions about this year’s Magialdia convention.

If you are new to this blog: I have repeatedly reported about Magialdia (e.g., see The Magic Memories 198), which I have attended for twenty-one years now, so am a declared fan of this meeting, so ably organized by José Ángel Suarez and his team.

One of the great things is that this convention, managed by always the same team, runs like clockwork, there is a familiar atmosphere unlike anywhere else, and you can just sit back and enjoy.

Needless to say that the program is always top-notch, invariably with big names, but also and above all with little-known rising stars – this year was no exception as you will see.

HERE you can get an overview of the program and enjoy lots of photos.

Generalities

The city of Vitoria-Gasteiz, the capital of Alava and the Basque country, with its ca. 200’000 inhabitants,  is worth visiting in its own right.

Modern and historic at the same time, it offers museums (the Fournier Playing Card Museum!), picturesque streets and squares, lots of still privately owned shops as opposed to those of large chains you can find in any other city of the world, and of course a superlative gastronomy for all budgets, AND great wines at small prices (nowhere else in Europe can you get such excellent wines at such small prices as in Spain).

This year there were 439 people attending the convention, a very nice size.

The theatre with tired seatings and optimal viewing conditions from all places allows all to enjoy the TED-type presentations, which all last about one hour and usually start on time. This means that if you wish you can attend all functions without having to chase from room to room and missing an event because it takes place at the same time than another, a drawback of most larger conventions.

The Dealers

Magialdia does not boast a huge amount of magic dealers – there were about twenty split up in two rooms – but almost all of them feature wares of their own creation and which you will not find in any other international magic convention as the costs for them to travel are too high.

This means that there is a lot of interesting and original stuff to be discovered. Since I am not a reviewer of magic products, I leave it at that.

The Lectures

Meeting friends and friends-to-be as well as attending lectures are my two favorite activities during a magic convention.

The best meetings are those around a good table, of course. However, as the photo below shows, there is a price to pay if the lecture is after a good meal…

Lecture & Book Presentation Pedro Bryce

Pedro Bryce’s presentation was a combined book presentation and a lecture.

These “book presentations” are something you only find at Magialdia, where new and old authors get a chance to present their most recent publication. This is mostly a book, sometimes a video and in rare cases a product, provided it is really innovative. What a good idea this is! I think that other conventions should adopt this.

In my opinion a good idea would be to group three authors in a one-hour format, and give each one a time slot of ca. twenty minutes to show their product and comment on it, maybe performing one item from it.

Such a format would force the presenters to prepare a concise talk, something which is not easy but necessary.

As a matter of fact Pedro’s presentation suffered from them same problem than most other lectures: They have a lot to say, but need to do this in one hour.

Well, take it from one of the world’s foremost experts in magic lectures (immodestly: me!): This is virtually impossible. It is especially difficult for lecturers from Spain, who want to serve lots of theory along with a trick, sometimes only the theory without a trick, which is even more lethal.

How do you solve the problem? A formula that has worked well for me is to first make my peace with this time restriction of one hour. Then take three good tricks that each contain one or two – maximum three – polyvalent concepts, i.e., ideas that can be used even though you do not do the trick itself, and perform and explain them as well as you can.

Above all avoid running, by talking fast, which is what many do in such situations, and do not keep telling the audience that there is much more to say but you do not have the time to do it; both running and excusing yourself makes the audience feel uneasy.

And one more thing: If you only have one hour, do not – I repeat DO NOT – take questions! This is what many presenters did at this convention, and it just does not work if you only have one hour and lots to say.  Q&A is fine in a workshop/masterclass/club lecture situation, but not at a big convention, unless the “lecture” is declared as being a Q&A lecture, but that is another story.

At the risk of repeating myself: You need to give the enquirer a microphone OR repeat the question. This is actually the responsibility of the artistic director or of the person who takes care of the lecturer: Tell them that if they take questions to repeat them, but not to take questions if time is tight. And if you really need to take questions, educate your interlocutors by telling them to ask a question in one sentence, and do not tell their life.

Anyway, Pedro is a very nice person who everyone loved, and he is an excellent performer. Soon he will also be an excellent lecturer 🙂

You can find Pedro’s book Reminiscencias HERE (in Spanish, claro).

Luis Olmedo Lecture

Luis Olmedo is one of our finest coin workers. I had seen him lecture on his outstanding magic before at other conventions.

At Magialdia he chose to talk about a very specific subject: How to perform close-up via camera in large theatres.

The topic is of great interest even if you will never be in such a situation as a performer, because such things just broaden one’s mind. And again I will say that other conventions should adopt the idea of including such “niche lectures” as they show how complex and interesting magic is.

Clearly, Luis knows what he is talking about. Still, on this particular occasion, the situation he was in and the camera he used, sometimes showed exactly the contrary of what he wanted to explain. So, at times this became a bit confusing.

How get around such situations, where you are not sure how the camera and monitor/screen will be? Although quite a bit more time-consuming it might be a good idea to show video clips of the situations you want to discuss and gather them in a short Power Point presentation.

Marcelo Insuna Lecture And Book Presentation

I had just reencountered Marcelo in July at FISM in Torino, Italy, where he kindly gave me his latest publication titled Curly’s Secrets (you can get it HERE), which is about an under-used principle relating to the red-black separation concept in card magic.

Marcelo did an excellent and creative study of it and presented it along with many applications, techniques and tricks.

I immediately made a note of his deck switch, which uses a pen attached to a chain, which in turn is attached to his left inside coat pocket, thus allowing him to inperceptibly switch the deck held in his other hand by using what I call the “Finger-tongs Switch” in The Art of Switching Decks (p. 12).

Marcelo, who hails from Buenos Aires, Argentina, is the man behind Tango Magic, one of the world’s finest makers of gimmicked coins and other magic wares.

Years ago, when I was first booked to lecture and perform at a magic convention in Buenos Aires, I visited his place, which is a bar, a theater and a shop, all in one, in a truly beautiful location – if you ever have a chance to visit that part of the world, make it a point to go and see Marcelo.

BTW: Buenos Aires is one of the most impressive places I have ever been to –  I returned there twice after that – and it breaks my heart to see that what is going on there now creates such a hardship for all the many honest and hard-working people, especially the many over-talented magic friends I have there. I do not mention any names for fear of forgetting some, as Buenos Aires is a hot spot of over-talented magicians, and I have the luck and privilege of calling most of them my friends.

Ricardo Rodriguez Lecture And Book Presentation

I have known Ricardo when he still was a teenager, and it is so gratifying to see how he and the other Spanish magicians of his generation have grown personally and artistically.

Ricardo also presented his latest publication, Iniciación y reiniciación a la magia, a 720-pages big book illustrated by no less than Gustavo Otero, with lots of tricks, techniques, and even more essays… quite impressive.

Ricardo performed a few pieces, which were all solid and professional, and in his explanations one could see that he has put a lot of thought and experience into what he describes – these certainly are no pipe-dreams.

Like most Spanish magicians of his generation, Ricardo is a declared student and admirer of Ascanio’s magic and philosophy, and he does not fail to repeatedly mention this.

Paul Wilson Lecture

Scotland’s Paul Wilson is always interesting to listen to, as this man combines knowledge, skill and the ability to fascinate any audience.

His relaxed demeanor and the focus on tricks and how they work, rather than on lots of theory, made a nice change in pacing.

Paul is also the director and producer of a documentary about Juan Tamariz, the man and his magic; we are all waiting for him to release it, better sooner than later…

Luke Jermay Lecture

I have now seen various lectures by Luke Jermay, on mentalism, close-up and general magic. Each time I see him I think one of my favorite expressions found in the magic literature: A consummate professional.

Luke did exactly what I would have done, if I had his talent and skill: He took three tricks, namely a MacDonald-type of Ace Routine, four coins through table using a flipper coin, and a rising cards routine in two phases. After an impeccable performance came an equally magnificent discussion.

All of this done in the limitation of one hour, without running nor giving the feeling that something is missing: a true master of the art of magic, and a brilliant lecturer.

Bernardo Sedlacek Lecture

Bernardo is another one of those over-talented young magicians (well, young compared to me…), and he comes from Brasil.

In Europe he is relatively little-known, which is a shame, as this man has lots to share.

In his lecture he did an Out of This World routine with an original switch of the packets, and without using a second set of indicator cards; this deservedly found the appreciation of the audience. 

He then asked the audience if they preferred to see another trick or listen to his philosophical thoughts in magic, philosophy being one of Bernardo’s interests.

Unfortunately nobody seemed to have the heart to say “tricks”, possibly for fear of appearing superficial, so he got lost in some higher-sphere thinking…

Anyway, if you get a chance to see Bernardo perform you will be enchanted by his charming personality and the innocence of his card handling (he is a superb technician), and he will fool you badly, too.

Next Magialdia 2026

I have to jump over the other events, such as the close-up and stage gala, both of which where really good, although some argued that last year’s editions were even better… oh, well.

In 2026 the Magialdia magic convention will take place September 18 to 20, Friday to Sunday, but remember that this is a FESTIVAL of several weeks.

So, if you can,  arrive on Monday 14th to enjoy a full week of it.

And one more thing: Vitoria is just about one hour car drive away from the Rioja, one of the world’s most important wine regions, and less than an hour from Bilbao, the biggest city of the Basque country!

French National Convention of the Fédération Française de Magie (FFM) in Troyes

This year’s national gathering of the French magicians – the Fédération Française de Magie (FFM) – took place in the little-known but beautiful city of Troyes.

If you like, you can take a little tour HERE.

This city has many merits, but certainly the most compelling to me is that you drink Champagne instead of “normal” wine with your meals (it is in the Champagne country).

What follows is by no means a full report of the happenings; similar to Magialdia I will just discuss a few events and detail some hopefully useful ideas.

Jury Work

After having been asked for the third consecutive year by president Frédéric Denis if I would be a member of the jury at a French national convention, I ran out of excuses, so this year accepted the task of judging ten stage and eleven close-up acts.

Although I am a so-called “official FISM judge” I have only been asked once to be in a FISM jury, namely in 2006 in Stockholm. After that I have occasionally accepted to be a judge at smaller conventions.

Invariably, this is a double-edged sword.

On one side you get to see all competition acts, and get privileged seating for the rest of the convention, which is certainly nice. On the other hand you have to see all acts...

Also, there is a lot more time and work involved than what is visible to the crowd. There are hours of deliberation within the group of judges and officials, you also have to listen and judge several competitors who enter the category of “inventions”; this is done behind closed doors.

In order to be “fresh” in the morning you cannot spend the night sessioning with others, and you miss at least 50% of the convention’s activities. As a matter of fact my schedule as a judge did not allow me to see any of the lectures.

As I am writing these few thoughts I realize that the subject of judging and being a judge is a most complex and interesting one. Although some fundamental changes have occurred in the past years as far as judging is concerned, especially at FISM level, there is still quite a bit of thinking and work to do.

I am not sure I want to get involved into this…

Finn Jon Talk

Gaetan Bloom was one of the “silent stars” of the convention, in the sense that he neither lectured nor performed, but together with Céline Noulin (the former director of the Robert-Houdin museum in Blois) and Frédéric Denis (the president of the FFM), he conceived and curated a remarkable exposition about Jean Merlin, who sadly has left us recently.

In the photo below you can see him interviewing another legend of magic, the Norwegian Finn Jon, together with Alexandra Duvivier.

Next to the opening gala, the close-up gala, and the stage gala, this was the only event I was able to attend.

Finn Jon is without doubt one of our rare geniuses, and as such was the perfect choice for “guest of honor” at this convention. Generally speaking I think it is a nice idea to have one special guest at a convention who will then be honored with a special event such as was this talk. Wonder why not more conventions do that.

Finally

As this is getting longer than I expected, and tomorrow I have to get up early to get my flight to Madrid  (Escorial, see above), I will postpone a few more thoughts for the next The Magic Memories 222, and just mention the performance of a Grandseigneur of magic and ventriloquism, Marc Metral, who closed the gala on Sunday, the final day of the convention.

Rather than using a lot of words to tell you about his performance, which I liked a lot, I encourage you to watch him perform on Britain’s Got Talent (CLICK HERE).

Paris, Paris

When I wanted to book the train ride back home, the site of the French railway announced a two-day interruption on the direct connection I had taken on the way to Troyes, and they offered to take the route via Paris.

Like Oscar Wilde, who maintained that he could resist everything except temptation, just the image of Paris made me book my travel back via Paris, with a short stay of four (!) days in my favorite city.

I have reported so many times about Paris in the past, that this time I will just mention the lunch I had at Pierre Gagnaire’s with my friends José Ángel from Spain and Yves Carbonnier (a real Parisian).

All I can say is that this is the most cost-effective three star Michelin restaurant I know, provided you take the lunch menu called “Balzac”… if you go for dinner, well, then all Michelin restaurants are another story…

Even if you usually do not go to this type of restaurant, I recommend you do so once in your life, and I promise you and your companion(s) will come out as happier persons – happier than going to a psychiatrist, and cheaper!

Unexpected Agenda… On This Day: “November 2 – Old Wine… Matures Well”

The entry of November 2nd is one of the longest, and therefore quite explicit. Nonetheless, like always, there is much to be found between the lines; good for me – and hopefully you – as I will now deliberate on three things. For your convenience, to read the entry CLICK HERE.

As I suggested in previous issues of The Magic Memories I recommend numbering the lines; in this entry there are 29 lines, not including title and blank lines:

1. Line 1: “In a set of lecture notes…” I maintain that “Lecture Notes” are a literary sub-genre of the magic literature. Although I do not consider myself a collector, as I have remarked several times in my writings, after having been now for over fifty years in magic, I have accumulated quite a collection of lecture notes: A recent count of physical lecture notes revealed 380 sets in seven languages, plus 84 as PDFs.

   The history of lectures – who gave the first lecture, when, where and about what subjects – is in itself a topic that has been researched very little as far as I know. If anyone reading this has some expert information about the topic and would like to share it through this medium, please let me know. You can also send it to me and state that it should remain “top secret”, and I will of course honor your wish (it goes into my private archive and stays there until the originator dies or says the word).

   Anyway, lecture notes reflect the magic world, its protagonists, as well as their work in a very special way. In my sets I find everything from just a few hand-written and photocopied pages to those that can be classed as a book (according to the definition of the UNESCO “a book is every non-periodical bound publication with more then 50 pages, not including the title pages”). The quality of the content and the level of detail of the explanations also varies from poor to brilliant.

   Although a good number of ideas exposed in these lecture notes have later found their way into the books and videos of their authors, there are still lots of effects, techniques, presentations, gimmicks, subtleties, and other ideas that have been published only there. For the n-th time in these The Magic Memories I insist that these findings are only useful if you copy, scan or write them out in a separate notebook, appropriately tagged, so you can later access them when necessary.
   

   

    

   The photo above shows the first set of lecture notes I produced in ca. 1976 for a “lecture” I gave in front of the ca. twelve members of the Zauberring Basel, and which was on basic card sleights. The notes had been typed and layouted from my handwritten notes by Rudolf Künzli, at the time a close friend in magic and in a way also a mentor, not so much of magic, but of life. It was distributed for free to all attending members. What a start!

    

2. Line 7: “I ran across these lines as I was sorting out…” When sorting out and ordering the lecture notes in alphabetical order of the author’s last name, I could not help but stop on some sets that looked particularly interesting, or who had been authored by big names in magic. Not surprisingly, I found some items, which spoke to me. In thinking about and recreating them with instruments in hands, I spent a very enjoyable and, yes, even profitable day.

   Therefore, this might inspire you to look differently at lecture notes, maybe even make it a habit to buy the lecture notes from the lecturers that come to your club or that you witness at magic conventions.

   I also immediately made a note in my list of “Ideas for a Lecture” to do a lecture for my club titled “The Very Best From My Lecture Notes Library”… why not? You are welcome to “steal” this idea (which I am convinced several have already had in the past).

3. Line 23: “The Conjuror’s Choice!” Obviously a big topic everyone knows. But how well do you know and do you do it yourself?

   Maybe this will motivate you to look again at the subject. A good way to get into it, regardless of your degree of knowledge and competence, is to take Zmeck’s trick described in the entry of November 2nd, and then really think through every option possible, with the exact wording and actions.

4. (Bonus Idea) – Line 25: “Alternatively, use the Conjuror’s Choice on the object, and a Shuttle Switch…” I must congratulate myself on this idea, for on reading it again as I am writing this text, I realize that it contains a concept I failed to identify and name in Sharing Secrets. The concept is that one action cancels out the solution to another action, i.e., if someone suspects sleight-of-hand as a method, there is none in the selection process of the objects, and if someone suspects some psychological ploy where you try to “talk a spectator into a choice” (layman’s parlance for “force”, maybe…), then the straightforward selection process with the three papers will dispel such thoughts.

   Thinking again, I believe we could class this as an “Action of Implicit Conviction”, agree?

Now how is that for a yield for a single day?

If you still do not own Unexpected Agenda, you can order it from your favorite dealer, or get a signed copy HERE (please ask for a personalized dedication in the “comment field” of the online order form).

All the best!

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are:  A Computer Problem…; Addendum to “The Kaps Force”; Genesis of “The Kaps Force”; The Magic Circle Card Trick; Unexpected Agenda… On This Day: “October 5 – Paul Chosse on Jack McMillen”; Peter Marvey – The Magic-House

These are The Magic Memories 220, gone online Sunday, October 5th, 2025, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

As you are reading this I am just back from three major travels: The Magialdia magic convention in Vitoria, near Bilbao, Spain, the French national convention in Troyes, and a four-day visit to Paris.

As always, I was going to give you a few impressions for your reading pleasure, but a major computer problem will have me postpone this to The Magic Memories 221 of November 2nd, and I am very sorry for that.

Come to think of it: Maybe there is some iMac-Dropbox expert reading this who can help (maybe as a little thank-you for the 220 free The Magic Memories up to here?).

Here is the problem:

I use iMac (Retina 4K, 2019) under Sequoia 15.6.1., and have 1TB hard disk, of which before the problem ca. 600GB were occupied, ca. 400GB free.

Dropbox announced some kind of major update, for which they first stored the files “somewhere” on my computer, then took a night-long to reinstall the files. However, the system announced that the reinstalling process could not be completed for lack of space on the hard disk, which is now indeed full with only 3GB free space left.

Somewhere on the hard disk a lot of files must be doubles. Neither online info, nor disc cleaning softwares, nor the Dropbox Support seem to be able to solve the problem. I had to deinstall dropbox to keep the rest of the computer working. Before I reset the system to ca. 2 weeks ago from the Time Machine (which would lose quite some material), I wonder if this problem rings a bell with any one of you who can help. Thank you (please write directly to me at giobbi@bluewin.ch).

Fortunately I pre-wrote quite a bit of these The Magic Memories 220 before the problem turned up, so below is what you get for this month, and if it finds your interest, there is more than enough to keep you busy until next month 🙂 – enjoy!

Addendum to “The Kaps Force”

In my report on the FISM convention in The Magic Memories 218, in my comments on Miguel Muñoz’ lecture (SEE HERE), I mentioned a forcing technique that I have dubbed “The Kaps Force” and published in Secret Agenda, writing that it was shown to me by Ron Wohl. If you need to remind yourself of the original “Kaps Force”, CLICK HERE.

This, of course, does not mean Ron is the creator of the sleight, although he might have shown it to Fred Kaps, whom he knew personally, or vice versa. They have both left us, so we cannot ask back.

Fact remains, that a similar dealing procedure was used by Larry Jennings in his trick “Prefiguration”. The original write-up appeared in Genii, FEB 1965, in Charlie Miller’s “Magicana” column. It was redescribed 1986 in Mike Maxwell’s The Classic Magic of LJ (p. 156), with different handling and intent.

I would not be surprised, though, if someone finds a predecessor somewhere, at least the concept of it, never mind the details of handling, which are manyfold.

Brief Genesis of “The Kaps Force”

On OCT 2nd, 2019, Allan Ackerman – in a private session we had after his lecture in Basel – pointed out to me that the forcing procedure had already been used by Larry Jennings in his trick “Prefiguration”. The principle is there, but Kaps has added a different handling, timing and purpose.

The actual “Discrepancy Deal Force” from p. 158 of “Prefiguration” from Maxwell’s The Classic Magic of LJ (1986) follows:

You now have a Five face down on the table, a Five fifth from the face, a Five sixth from the back, and a Five at the back of the deck. [RG: This is the set-up for “Prefiguration”.]

[RG: Here is where the forcing procedure starts]Hold the deck face up, begin to deal cards face up to the table one on top of the other. After you have dealt ten or fifteen cards, instruct the spectator to say “Stop” at any point. Try and time it so that he stops you somewhere near the center of the deck. As soon as he stops you, table the left-hand packet face down to your left.

Patter, “The fact that I dealt the cards face up could have influenced you.” At this point Larry slightly spreads the face-up pile and quickly searches for a card that can be used as a sort of impromptu indicator card. Let’s say for example, that the card on top of the face up pile is an Eight. If you are lucky, you might see that there is another Eight, eight cards away. Point out this “coincidence” to the spectators, telling them that it may have influenced where they said stop. Use your imagination here and try to find some sort of coincidence to back up your statement. The student will recognize this as the principle used in Dai Vernon’s, “The Trick That Cannot Be Explained”.

After the preceding byplay, which is designed to allow the spectators to forget that the face down portion is actually the original top of the deck, square up the face up pile. Tell the spectators that to make sure they were not influenced by any of the face up cards, you will use the next card, one that neither you nor they could possibly know the identity of. Turn the top card of the face down pile face up. This card will be a Five (the card that you originally glimpsed). [RG: This ends the forcing procedure]

My speculation is that Jennings showed this to Fred Kaps, from whom Ron Wohl saw it done. Ron then showed it to me, referencing Kaps.

In my opinion the whole paragraph above with the “patter” is too long and unnecessary. Simply pointing to the dealt cards and asking a Clouding Question like I suggest in Secret Agenda, i.e., “How many cards do you think I dealt?” This suffices to create a Positive Insertion that in the spectator’s Memory Timeline will substitute what really took place with what we want them to believe took place, an excellent example of “Change” in Memory Editing (see Sharing Secrets, p. 74/75).

I have over a dozen variations in handling and applications in my note on “The Kaps Force”. Looking into them I thought you might like “The Magic Circle Trick” (see below) that uses the Force in a larger context, which is precisely how it should be employed to camouflage the method.

It is a simple trick, self-working, that a beginner could do. But I know from myself, when I read Dai Vernon’s column “The Vernon Touch”, that even as an expert you can appreciate simple things.

Ascanio used to tell me, “The simple things are the privilege of the masters.” Nice way of putting it🙂

Here is the trick:

The Magic Circle Card Trick

Prologue: “I’m often asked if I’m a member of The Magic Circle. And if I had to pass an examination in order to become a member.»

«The answer to both is Yes.»

«And here is the trick I came up with and performed…»

True or not, use your artistic license…

Performance: Have the deck shuffled and cut. Take it back and in turning it face up glimpse the top card, e.g., the 8H.

Say that you are not going to change the order of the shuffled deck; emphasize this, and keep emphasizing it, as you put a prediction card (8D) face down on the table without the audience seeing its identity, “This is my prediction card.”

Once again run through the deck with the faces toward yourself, and put the 8C and the 8S face down diagonally overlapping the 8H: “This is the confirmation of the prediction, and this is the guarantee of the confirmation of the prediction.”

Still keeping the cards face up, go into the Kaps Force.

Turn the cards remaining in your hand face up and spread them face up in a closed circle around the face down selection (8D), “Representing not only the Magic Circle, but also all the other cards you could have chosen.”

Turn over the “selection”, then show the prediction matches!

Epilogue: “At this point I’m often asked what these other two cards are good…” Let  the spectator turn them over, then say, “Just insurance, but I knew I wouldn’t need them!»”

Lest I forget… The  production of the last two cards, in our example the Eights, is not a magic effect as such. But since they come in coda, as the Epilogue, it is a visually appealing way to close the piece and also serves as an Action of Recapitulation and an Action of Recall, reminding the audience of the overall-effect. Plus you now have a four-of-a-kind that you could use in your next piece.

Unexpected Agenda… On This Day: “October 5 – Paul Chosse on Jack McMillen”

As a reminder: This is a series within The Magic Memories, which looks at the entry in one of the Agendas – today Unexpected Agenda – on the day of its going online – today October 5th – and sheds some extra light on it with additional comments.

The entry in Unexpected Agenda of October 5th, “Paul Chosse on Jack McMillen”, has Paul Chosse tell us some of his memories about his friend and teacher Jack McMillen. As per usual, here is the entry for your convenience: CLICK HERE.

Although the entry speaks for itself and can be enjoyed without further investigation, as always, what makes it valuable are the concepts hidden between the lines for you to explore, and the ideas these trigger in your mind.

So, you might want “to do a little think” before you read on.

Done?

Here are three of my thoughts and suggestions in reference to October 5th:

1. The sentence that caught my fancy upon (re)reading it is:

“I do not even know that it made any difference to anyone else, but it made a difference to Jack, it brought the trick just an iota closer to perfection, so he used it.”

This phrase alone harbors a plenitude of things to think about, e.g., “Does our audience notice such small details?” Since Chosse does not tell us what the “little thing” is that Roger Klause showed McMillen, I will make an example:

“The deck is held in left-hand Dealing Position. For the right thumb to pick up a break under the top card of the deck, rather than lifting the top card, try to keep it steady and lower the rest of the deck.”

The tyro will argue that nobody will notice this. And even if he was right, how important is it for the artist and his work to consider such things? Hmmm…

Another question this phrase addresses is: “What is perfection? Can it be reached? And if it cannot be reached, what is the use of thinking about perfection? Is any of my tricks perfect? OK, let me take one of my tricks and try to bring it one step closer to perfection…” Hmmm…

2. Chosse and McMillen are two names most readers will never have heard of.

Do a little research and see what you find out.

Before writing the entry of October 5th, I contacted Chris Wasshuber from lybrary.com, who then connected me with the book’s author, Michael Landes.

This in turn triggered a year-long correspondence, in which Mr. Landes amiably shared hundreds of pieces of information with me concerning Chosse and McMillen (anecdotes, memories, opinions, techniques, tricks, subtleties… and so many things he regretted not having been able to put in his book about McMillen).

3. Chosse and McMillen are little-known names in magic nowadays.

The question this brings up is: Are there more people in magic that would fall in that category?

Make a list of little-known magicians… just card magicians would be enough to keep you busy for quite a while.

I know, because I have done it… if you are interested, check out my column in Genii 2015/07, where you will find precisely a “LIST OF GREAT LITTLE-KNOWN CARD MAGICIANS” (CLICK HERE).

And, oh my, there is so much more that this one entry can cause…

BTW: I got the text of the entry from an ad by lybrary.com for the PDF/e-book “Jack McMillen” by Michael Landes, a book I have repeatedly recommended in my writings, and still do, it is fantastic (CLICK HERE)!

Peter Marvey – The Magic-House

Just received an email from Peter Marvey, arguably Switzerland’s magic export number one,  where he tells me about his latest big illusion to be installed in his “Magic-House” in Feusisberg, near Zürich, Switzerland; see the photo below (spoiler: it is not a card trick!).

I you plan to visit Switzerland this year, check out Peter’s home page; if you are lucky you might be able to buy ticket to his newest show – CLICK HERE.

All the best!

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: European Magic History Conference (EMHC); Addendum to “A Trick Problem – The Four Question Marks”; “Four Card Phantom – Daley’s Spread-it Card Trick”; The Japan Grip or How to Eat a Burger; Righting a Wrong Plus; Unexpected Agenda… On This Day – “September 7 – An EZ Illusion”

These are The Magic Memories 219, gone online Sunday, September 7th, 2025, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

European Magic History Conference (EMHC)

A few days ago I returned from the EMHC in Riga, which was a great experience.

If you ever have a chance to visit Riga, the Latvian capital, I can highly recommend it. The historical center is compact and thoroughly charming and can be explored superficially by walking around in ca. 2 hours.

After that you may want to stay another one or two days to focus on whatever interests you, from architecture, museums, shops, restaurants and even magic, as we will see. Although Riga is not a gastronomical hot spot, with a little research you can find a few interesting restaurants (of course I did so – almost certainly I was the only one of this group to have done so! – and together with Steve Beam we enjoyed some Latvian highlights).

As for the conference itself, which was ably planned and managed by Dace and Enrico Pezzoli – she of Latvian, he of Italian origin –  I refer you to my friend Ian Isenbart’s ZZAUBER blog (in proper English!); he tells you everything you ever wanted to know (and more!), with lovely photos and informative text.

And best of all, there are no critical comments as you would expect from a stickler like myself, who finds faults with everyone and everything 🙂

Briefly, you will love reading his report by CLICKING HERE!

Addendum to “A Trick Problem – The Four Question Marks”

Here is the link to last month’s The Magic Memories 218 for quick reference, CLICK HERE.

Both Marco Lippolis and Claudio Imperiale wrote in to mention that the four cards initially shown could have a different colored back. Yes, good idea. However, I seem to have failed to mention that the four cards with the question mark on the back are blank-backed cards with a question mark, so as to better display the mark, of course. This de facto makes them have different-colored backs 🙂

Also, I apologize for failing to emphasize the fact that the last four paragraphs describe an impromptu method to do “The Four Question Marks”. So, I will expand on it below, as this is truly practical, and it is an excellent trick that anyone with average skill can do.

Four Card Phantom – Daley’s Spread-it Card Trick

The following item is my interpretation of Note 323 in Jacob Daley’s Notebooks –Volume 1, transcribed by Frank Csuri, with an introduction by Dai Vernon, published by The Gutenberg Press (Karl Fulves).

Quote:

Note 323. Daley’s Spread It Card Trick: Get three cards different colors suit and whether performer will count card to be forced on top of deck card to be forced second from bottom. 1) False count the three cards on top of deck as four and square up on table. 2) Riffle force card second from bottom and side steal. 3) Do Vernon’s spread move and first card represents color –last suit – third kind of cards and second card is actually thot of card.

Unquote.

I swear this is the original note – see the screen shot below if you do not believe it:

Maybe you would like to decipher just what the effect is to begin with, then find an elegant and deceptive method to accomplish it, and eventually come up with an intriguing presentation before you read on.

Here is my take. Let us discuss one thing after the other.

Effect

At the outset four cards from the shuffled deck are placed face down on the table. A card is selected, signed, and then lost in the deck. The cards on the table are turned face up one by one: the first tells the color, the second tells the suit, the third tells the value, and the fourth is the signed selection!

Method

Ask a spectator to shuffle and cut the deck – remember to always have the cards shuffled before you have one chosen (or forced… if possible), as this is not only a communicative action, it also makes the proceedings to follow look more above-board – this is a concept.

(Note on how to study magic: Open a new note in your notebook titled “Having a Card Selected”; in a sub-chapter make a list of “Details of Handling” and start to gather all subtleties, bits of business, gags, etc., with different sub-titles, that pertain to this subject – start with the concept above; next make a list of all the ways you know of having a card selected; next make a list of the strategies you know that prevent the spectator from forgetting the card; next a list of all ideas pertaining to having the card signed, etc., etc.).

Take the shuffled deck back, turn it with its faces toward yourself, look at the bottom card (e.g., KH), which is going to be the force card, and then put three cards, one after the other on the face of the deck: First, a Diamond card (“your card is a red card”), second, a Heart (“… and it is a Heart card”), third, a King (“… and it is a King – your card is the King of Hearts!”). The text between quotation marks is of course only thought-of and serves as mnemonics for the order of the cards to take out.

Say that you will place a few cards aside: Still holding the deck with the faces toward yourself, apparently count off four cards from the face of the deck into your right hand, in reality take only three. Use a false take that reverses the order of the cards, or else arrange the cards in reverse order as you place them on the face of the deck.

Put these three cards – apparently four – face down on the table in a packet, more or less in front of you and oriented at eleven o’clock, this being a Morphological Position (Sharing Secrets, p. 80) that will later facilitate the Transfer Move.

The order of the three cards in the tabled packet is this, top down in the face down packet: any King, any Heart, any Diamond; the KH to be forced rests on the bottom of the deck.

False shuffle the balance of the deck retaining the bottom card. Force the KH on the bottom of the deck, have it signed, and then control it to the bottom, maybe by means of the Versatile Control. Similar to the “Endless Loop” from Card College Vol. 5 (p. 1269).

In the action of picking up the tabled packet, with the card still outjogged, secretly add the selection from the bottom of the deck to the top of the three tabled cards by means of Dai Vernon’s Transfer Move. You end up by setting the deck with the protruding x-card aside to the left, and holding the four-card packet in your right hand in End Grip. 

Take the packet in Dealing Position, and then immediately count the cards face down on the table in a packet, thus reversing their order, explaining that these cards contain all the information needed to find the spectator’s card.

As a text I say, “I have some good news, and some bad news. Which one would you like first?” This creates interest and also serves as a strategy of Invisibility by asking a Clouding Question.

Ribbon-spread the deck, leaving the x-card protruding for about two-thirds of its length. 

Turn the first card of the packet face up, “This card tells me the color – it is a red card, correct?” When the spectator acknowledges, push the protruding card in the spread a little more into the spread.

Continue, “The second card tells me the suit – it is a Heart, correct?” As soon as the spectator agrees, push the protruding card yet a bit more into the spread, so that it now only protrudes for about a quarter of its length.

Turning over the third card comment, “This card tells me the value of your card – it is a King, correct?” Once more the spectator will have to agree.

Push the protruding card all the way in, so that it is now lost within the spread. 

Say, “So, your card must bee the King of Hearts!”

After a brief dramatic pause turn over the last card, revealing it to be the previously selected and signed card.

Alternative handling: Force the bottom card with the Hindu Shuffle Force, using all subtleties, then slap right hand packet with selection on bottom on top of the packet in your left hand, retaining a break between the two packets. Do the Erdnase-Vernon “Post-peek Overhand Shuffle Control” to bring the selection to the bottom, and follow up with the Combination Shuffle and Cut Control (Unexpected Agenda – February 8).

From here proceed as per above.

You may entirely avoid the control phase by side-jogging the selection to the right, and then directly side-stealing-transfer-moving it from the center of the deck on top of the tabled packet.

The Japan Grip or How to Eat a Burger

As you know I am obsessed with terminology and a firm believer that you cannot fully understand whatever it is if you cannot name it.

I was the first to create a terminology for the map of the hands, the deck, a playing card and the card case, I mean such a detailed one (rough attempts had been published long before me, of course).

You will find these terms associated to detailed illustrations in the covers of the Card College books (starting in 1992) as well as in the multi-media PDF-ebook Introduction to Card Magic(2012). For your convenience you can see and download an extract from said publication relating to the various maps of hand, deck, card, and card case by CLICKING HERE.

Although I am a declared fan of Slow Food, as opposed to fast food, I do appreciate that simple food, which can be prepared relatively quickly and easily, does have its intricacies and fascination. Unfortunately, fast food in gastronomy, similar to magic (!), is all too often interpreted in an uninspired and untalented way.

Recently I stumbled upon an article discussing details of handling of hamburger eating and immediately recognized yet another affinity gastronomy has with magic: Japanese scientists have found how to correctly grip a burger to optimize its consumption.

This is done in two steps.

First, turn over the burger so that the upper part of the bun, which is a bit thicker than its lower counterpart, is now underneath and can better absorb the meat’s juices and the sauces. To execute the turnover imperceptibly as you innocently converse with your meal companions, you may want to apply any of the techniques described in “Chapter 53: Turnovers” from Card College Volume 4 – I advise against using the “Through-the-fist Flourish Turnover”, especially when devouring a jumbo specimen, and instead recommend the “Wristwatch Turnover”, which works particularly well if you wear a smart watch. Simply point to its display and make a guileless and truthful remark, such as, “Oh, I just got an offer to work for a major Casino in Las Vegas. I’ll call them back later, as I now much prefer to enjoy this delicious hamburger with you folks.” This strategy of invisibility (see “Invisibility”, Sharing Secrets, p. 60) will effectively cloud the secret maneouvre of turning the hamburger upside down.

Second, and once the hamburger has been turned, support the inner end of the burger bun with both thumbs, while steadying its outer end with your little fingers. Let the remaining fingers rest evenly spaced on the top bun. Hold the burger with gentle pressure—and take a bite. (In Burger College, a possible upcoming book project, I will call this the “Upside-down Burger Straddle Grip”…).

I am confident that Eugene Burger would have liked this… which reminds me of my first visit to Chicago, many years ago, where I went to see Eugene perform at the tables of a restaurant, the name of which escapes me.

But what I will always remember, is that after he finished work we went to a place across the street to have some kind of dinner. And guess what: It was a burger place! So, when the menu came, listing at least two dozen different hamburgers, I could not resist saying, “Eugene, I didn’t know you also own a restaurant!”

Righting a Wrong Plus

Marco Lippolis wrote in and reminded me of two performance pieces I had discussed in past The Magic Memories, one is “Righting a Wrong”, the other “Muttenz-Chicago Opener” (the latter can be found in The Magic Memories 173 & 177). About this Marco had to say, “I have switched to your latest version idea of Chicago Opener plot. I never told you, so I’m doing it now: It is fantastic! And solves many problems the original may have.” How could I not mention this 🙂

I had (almost) forgotten about these two items, and upon rereading them thanks to Marco, I realized that I had discussed “Righting a Wrong” in three different The Magic Memories.

Upon rereading the articles, I still liked what I wrote, and since the discussion is not only trick-based, but also contains polyvalent thoughts, I thought that some of you might appreciate having everything together in one document to study, or to send to friends.

Therefore, to read and download the PDF with the collected comments on “Righting a Wrong”, CLICK HERE – happy reading 🙂

Unexpected Agenda… On This Day – “September 7 – An EZ Illusion”

In The Magic Memories 218 I started a new feature titled “Unexpected Agenda… On This Day”, the idea being to focus on the entry in Unexpected Agenda that would coincide with the day the relative blog went online, and then offer some additional comments. Based on the multiple positive reactions I received, I will continue it here.

This first Sunday in September of this year 2025 falls on the 7th September, “An EZ Illusion”.

Again, to save you running after the book, here is the page as a courtesy – CLICK HERE to see the PDF.

The entry in and of itself provides enough food of thought for one day, plus the reference to the entries in Secret Agenda (NOV 16 to 18) is more than enough.

However, there is so much more – here are just three points of departure:

1. The set of paper-money has to be carried somewhere. Thinking about this will open several doors. If you put the set in a wallet, which is a most logical and practical way of storing it, it forces you to think about the type of wallet (classic breast type, hip-pocket style, color, material). Maybe you received it together with a letter in an envelope… or you store the set folded in a money clip (this clip could have other uses, such as being a shiner), etc.
2. Researching optical illusions will open a new infinite universe, as there are so many different categories of optical illusions, let alone items within each of these categories. Expanding the definition of “optical illusion” will also lead you to ambigrams, etc. Or simply adding “Mirror” to a first search with “categories of optical illusions” will again open up a new dimension. This is really like fractals, infinite. If you do this activity only for a practical reason, then it will be “work”, but if you look at it as part of your life (because magic is part of your life), then it will be pure joy, and you will grow in the process. The joy and the growth will then be felt in each of your performances. This is the way to artistic magic… one of the many ways…
3. Once you have changed the papers to money, could you do something with the bills, or one of them? Or maybe you set one single piece of paper with a particular illusion aside before the transformation. Once the bills have made their appearance and replaced (where?), what could you do with the paper you set aside, or with the illusion depicted on it?

As I am writing this, I have more ideas than I can (and want!) to write down. Hope you find this inspiring yourself.

That’s it for today, folks; I look forward to continue our discussions in The Magic Memories 220, scheduled to go online on Sunday, 5th October 2025, at 0.07 o’clock sharp!

All the best!

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Impressions From FISM 2025; Solution to “A Trick Problem – The Four Question Marks”; Unexpected Agenda… On This Day

These are The Magic Memories 211, gone online Sunday, August 3rd, 2025, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

Impressions From FISM 2025

As you are reading this, almost a fortnight has elapsed since the end of the FISM World Magic Convention 2025 in Torino, Italy.

I have no doubt that all those of you who are interested in this event – and I guess most of you are – have read at least some of the reports that were published in the various socials and that appeared daily or right after the completion of the event.

Therefore, I will simply make a few personal comments on various subjects, and in no particular order.

Reports And Results

You can see the results of the competitions (close-up and stage) by CLICKING HERE.

Accounts can be found in various places online by simply searching for “reports FISM 2025”; the most popular seemed to be by Craig Mitchell on the Genii Forum and by Australia’s Tim Ellis.

If you have the time, you may also listen to Scott Wells’ podcast report. (Generally speaking, I find written reports easier and faster to read, with the essential information being more easily available; podcasts for my taste are just too much unnecessary talk, with too many irrelevant fillers and repetitions – this is just my opinion.)

All three reported on virtually every competitor, but also gave general comments.

If you want to know about most of the negative things of the convention, read Mitchell’s critical comments of “Day One”.

Program & Info

To see the PDF-program of all six days CLICK HERE.

They also had an app that allowed viewing the program on a daily basis with occasional updates that differed from the printed program, but obviously you have to take the phone out of your pocket each time you want to know something, activate the phone, click on the app, find the day, etc., all very unpractical in my opinion.

Much better was the printed sheet which allowed you to cut out a postcard-format day-planner to be inserted at the back of your badge-plastic-case.

Like the beautiful program (a collector’s piece!) all was printed with white characters on a black background, very elegant (and not so environment-friendly…).

However, as my friend Wolfgang Geistert remarked, it would have been a lot better to print the postcard-size program black on white paper so that you could mark – e.g., with a cross – the events you want to visit, and not use a glossy paper that makes it difficult to write on.

Unfortunately, convention organizers will never get this, as little as they will ever understand that the single most important information on the badge is not their own logo (we are at the convention, no need to advertise it), but the name of the conventioneer. That name has to be printed in BIG letters, especially the FIRST NAME, and on both sides of the badge… otherwise in 50% of the time you see the reverse side, an you forgot the guy’s name you have met years ago…

Dealers & Products

I must be a dealer’s nightmare, as I buy only very little, nowadays almost nothing. Most of the time I am given things by friends or people who have read my books and like to give me a gift.

Hernan Maccagno from Buenos Aires gave me a “Deck Switcher” that can be useful in certain situations – see more HERE.

Ondrej Persenicka from Prag gave me his new marked deck he calls “Cardtopia Edition” and you can find it HERE. The idea behind it is definitely brilliant, but as always you have to find out if this is for you. What I mean by this is that I can recommend to you the best Cognac in the world, but if you are a teetotaler, Cognac is not for you…

I only bought two books, a book on Tony Binarelli Binarelli, in arte Tony and Silvan’s magnificent photo biography Silvan – Legend of Magic, both published by my Italian friend and publisher Francesco Mugnai of Florence Art Edizioni, Florence, Italy.

Although the book on Binarelli is only available in Italian, Silvan’s sumptuous coffee table opus is both in Italian and English, and you can get it HERE. If you are a collector or have any interest in the life story of the most important and influential exponents of our art, you must get this book – there are only 350 copies printed, and it is a deep mystery to me why so few, as I predict that this will be sold out very soon, at least in this gorgeous edition.

Other than that there were tons of products, as you can imagine.

A lot of it nowadays is based on some kind of electronics, an app that works over your phone, etc. Many of these items are in my opinion completely useless, as you can obtain a similar effect – sometimes even exactly the same effect – with much simpler and infallible means. The real magic of such items to me is the fact that the dealers can convince someone to buy the product… The problem I see with many (not all, of course) of these products is that they work very much like the method a layperson suspects. This is by no means the “Too Perfect Theory”, rather the “Too Direct and Obvious Method Theory”. I know you would like me to name some of these products, but it has never been my intention to harm other people or to take away the illusion from buyers that they have acquired a beautiful toy 🙂

Still, I am slightly disappointed to see that someone will spend hundreds of Dollars to get what is essentially one single “trick”, instead of buying a book or a DVD that has dozens of miracles, often well-explained, and that teach a lot more beyond the mechanics of a trick. I am not envious, as this is a feeling I do not have, but when I see how certain lecturers do some mediocre magic and then sell out on their wares that most people will never use, well, it makes me a bit sad.

Lectures & Talks

Lecture and talks are, as you know, my favorite subject (maybe…), so I could write a book about those alone. I will not. So, just a few impressions:

Richard Wiseman’s lecture, which was more of a talk, on cognitive psychology. One could sense that he had done this hundreds of times already, but it felt fresh, and he had the audience in the palm of his hand from the very first moment. For many who focus on technique and presentation, but less on the psychological construction of magic, this was certainly very informative. Every convention that lasts more than two days should have a talk like this.

Luke Jermay was busy with several presentations. I caught his lecture on close-up, which was extraordinary. A over-talented artist doing a superb lecture.

Paul Wilson is always worth listening to, as he is a very knowledgeable and skilled performer. He got very lucky on his last trick, which then felt like a miracle 🙂

Alain Choquette is certainly a man of many talents, with great credits on stage, TV, etc., and it was a pleasure seeing him again. I had seen his theatre show in Paris before the pandemic and found it excellent. The lecture did not do justice to his greatness; this showed me once again that a lecture needs to be as carefully thought out as a performance, but it is two different professions.

Miguel Muñoz has a great act for stage, and is a Grand Prix winner – his performance on opening night brought him a standing ovation. In his lecture he performed and explained a well thought-out cone & ball routine, which is done to a story. In the lecture he mentioned that some believe that a theatrical story and a trick do not go together, as one weakens the other.

He was alluding, although he did not mention it, to an essay Juan Tamariz has in his book The Magic Rainbow,  where on page 505 he writes: “The dramatic arts and magic are opposites. Comedy and magic destroy each other. Narration and magic interfere with each other.” (Read the whole essay if you have the book, as the issue is of course a bit more complex than that…).

Anyway, Muñoz does tell a story with his cone & ball of a prison guard and keys for a prisoner to get out, and argues that this is a perfect example how theater and magic can complement each other without the story weakening the magic. Well, I found this VERY interesting, because it certainly caused exactly the CONTRARY to me: I did not get the connection of the story and the effect, and neither did half a dozen other people whom I asked, even native speakers of English. I am not arguing, I am simply telling you the facts.

Another thing that I found disturbing is that in a multiple-prediction trick he used a force, saying: “They call it the Kaps Force.” Well, “they” that is me… as far as I know I was the first to describe it in Secret Agenda (to read it CLICK HERE) and to call it “Fred Kaps’s Force”. Secret Agenda was published in Spanish in 2012, from where Gabi Pareras – dear and esteemed friend sadly missed – took it and added the touch of spreading the table packet. Since it was one of his favorite items in the book he showed it to many and even taught it in his courses. Although the technique and its psychology can be detailed in two minutes, Muñoz kept  explaining it over and over again. Like most lectures delivered by the Spanish magicians this one suffered from something Juan Tamariz once called “teoritis”…

I loved the book presentation of Silvan’s book, with emotional talks by Arturo Brachetti and Francesco Mugnai, and Silvan himself; unfortunately there were hardly one hundred people present.

Sos & Victoria gave a lecture on quick change, a subject about which I know almost nothing. I found this very informative, with Sos going into historic details, showing rare footage of the father of transformism, Leopoldo Fregoli – you can watch a few clips HERE. Victoria demonstrated several costume changes, how she makes the costumes, how to prepare, etc. These two people went through a great deal of effort and preparation time, like only very few do. To me this was one of the best lectures I saw at this FISM.

Sos also briefly mentioned a very interesting topic as he tried to explain the difference between the “show-type” quick change he does with Victoria (and others) and the theatre-type done by Brachetti, but did not manage to explain the essential difference, which is this: In Brachetti’s performance each and every costume change is motivated by a story that is told, i.e., there is an understandable reason why the person in view changes costume. I was reminded of a lecture by Brachetti, where he said that the most difficult problem for him is not the construction of the costumes, but to find a reason why the costume is changed. This is of course exactly the problem of any magic trick: Why does the card come to the top (“Ambitious Card”), why does the lady float (Robert-Houdin’s “Ethereal Suspension”, etc.). Whereas the costume change as done by Sos & Victoria and others in the same style does not have an apparent reason. But of course we know that it “works” all the same.

Why?

Well, because of its intrinsic symbolism, the transformation, one of the strongest desires of the human being: Who would not like to change some things in their lives? And it also works for another much simpler but not less important reason: It is so beautiful and well done!

Speaking of quick change: French quick change artist and magicienne (?) Léa Kyle got first prize in the category General Magic and competed in the final for the Grand Prix with Mind2Mind and Francesco Della Bona, the latter being the winner (as a “passive” FISM judge I agree with this decision).

If you have never seen Kyle before, you can get an idea HERE. Many hail her as the new standard in quick change, some speak about a revolution, etc. There is no doubt that she will go far and her act will be booked at many future conventions, as it is truly innovative, surprising and the lady has great personality. However, I doubt that doing a costume change so visually improves the magic quality of the experience, as there is nothing left to the imagination… and magic is not something for the eye, it is something that is constructed in the mind.

Arthur Benjamin performed and discussed mathematical virtuosities… sorry for that, do not know how to call it. I understood only half of it, but found the performance captivating. I have reported about him in an earlier The Magic Memories. His magic square and how to present it were a lesson in showmanship and communication. I wish I could do it.

Jeki Yoo was a lecture about ideas, many quite original, some better than others, but all in all a lecture that fit into the mix of this convention.

Dani DaOrtiz‘s lecture was of course more of a show than a lecture. However, he did many other functions, so he might have discussed what I missed in this lecture in his other formats.

Anyway, Dani is a dear friend, much admired, and one of the few geniuses we have. Like René Lavand, who was a “miserable” lecturer (he did not like to talk about the “threads of the puppets” as he called it), but a divine performer, Dani taught by example and transmitted a sense of “magic” to the audience, which consisted mostly of devoted fans.

Personally, I was disappointed as I had come to expect a lecture and got “Dani Live” – long live Dani 🙂

Peter Marvey’s lecture was arguably the most professionally presented talk.. yes, talk-lecture. He had prepared an exquisite Power Point Presentation, which he delivered looking into the audience as the visual content played in perfect unison – I think I have never seen a choreography like that. I know Peter since he was a young chap, and I reminded him that at a Swiss Magic Convention his mentor Hansruedi Stoll introduced him to me and asked me to explain to him the back and front palm!

Meanwhile, Peter has become one of the most famous Swiss magicians, if not the most famous, worldwide – what a career!

In his talk he discussed for the first time his back palm production of cards with open fingers, and also detailed a gimmick he had constructed years ago.

Especially and in time for FISM Peter released a very nicely produced book, which you can get HERE, and where the move is explained in great detail with lots of photos. If you are interested in manipulation and want to learn how to produce cards with fingers wide open, this is the book.

Generally speaking I would have liked to know more about the content of the lectures presented. The app gave a lot of info about the person – too much hype for my taste – but said almost nothing about the lectures. In my opinion a lecture needs to be announced in three ways. First, a title that catches the attention, second a sub-title that in one sentence conveys the content, third, in maximum three sentences explains what the lecture is about, at whom it is directed and what its use could be.

Gastronomy

Many praised the “food court” that was located just a moving staircase away from the convention site, and I will not argue with them, as to me a “food court” is as interesting gastronomically as seeing a beginner at a magic club do a basic sponge ball routine and the 21-card trick where at the end the wrong card turns up.

Fortunately there was another food court nearby Eataly, established by the founders of Slow Food. This is still only close to what Torino, the capital of Piedmont and one of the greatest gastronomical centers in the world has to offer, but at least it allowed those among the conventioneers who cared about essentials to conserve their dignity, and Italy to save its face.

The only silver lining of the food court next to the convention center was “Gelati Grom”, an ice-cream booth from a well-known Italian chain operation that serves above-average ice cream. Unfortunately the secret got around and after the second day there were usually long lines that scared me off. I saw Denis Behr several times with a “coppa di gelato Grom”, confirming that the award he got for knowing where to find the correct sources was well-deserved 🙂

And there was an unassuming bar most ignored that served excellent coffee and “panini caldi” (toasts) at unbeatable prices – the price list below with €1.30 for an Espresso and €1.60 for a Cappuccino looks like a price list in New York from the 1920s… (Around the corner from my hotel, every morning, I had a wonderful Cappuccino AND an oven-warm Croissant stuffed with delicious pistachio cream for a total of €2.20, including tip and tax!!! While my new-world-colleagues “enjoyed” a mediocre breakfast buffet at the Marriott Hotel for ca. $20).

Highlights

Here is list of things that pleased me a lot and that I hope I will remember for a long time, in no particular order of relevance:

1. Obviously, meeting friends I had not seen in many years, due to the pandemic, but also due to the fact that I did not attend the last two FISMs. I will not name them, as I will certainly forget to name a few, and if they read this blog they might be offended 🙂
2. Meeting a lot of people I did not know. 99% of these encounters are most pleasing, as they are readers of my books and viewers of my videos, and it is so rewarding to know that I am apparently making a little difference in their lives. This certainly has to be a part of the meaning of life.
3. Otto Wessely and Christa doing their show at opening night – to me this is the single best magic comedy act, and it is as world-class today as it was back in 1982 when they followed Lance Burton at the FISM competition in Lausanne, Switzerland, and won first prize in Comedy Magic. I have written about Otto and Christa in past blogs (see The Magic Memories 207 – to find any older The Magic Memories simply go to www.robertogiobbi.com and click on the “Magic Memories” on the left side of the page if viewing it on a computer).
4. Grand Prix going to an Italian, Francesco Della Bona; this is only the second time an Italian gets it, the first having been Denis Moroso in 1952 at FISM in Geneva, Switzerland.
5. The meals with my friends Claudio Viotto, Joe Gallant, Marco Aimone at Scannabue and Eataly.
6. The Silvan book and its presentation, followed by a short conversation with Silvan, where he said to me: “I am proud of being your friend.” What can I say… he was the first magician I saw on TV as a young boy.
7. The high level of the close-up competition.
8. The excellent galas – thanks to my friend Joe Gallant, who had a VIP pass and almost always two empty seats next to him in the “tent”, my friend Claudio and I were able to see the stage events from good seats.
9. The very good camera work in both theaters inside the convention center. Plus excellent viewing conditions from practically every seat in both theaters. Among other things they had a side-camera for close-up and half-total shots that was miraculous – I find it hard to understand why this is not a standard at magic conventions. Some conventions still put up a scaffold with two cameras and still do not get the important visual information across.
10. Some lectures that were very well presented, some about topics I knew only little about, and some others I know a lot about, but which were so well presented (see above “Lectures”).
11. The reception the Swiss Magic Circle (MRS) gave on Friday and which brought together about 60 people who had come from Switzerland, to celebrate the participants of the competition, all of whom performed successfully, with my very good friend Tino Plaz, a former student of mine who has meanwhile far surpassed me 🙂 and who became vice-world champion in Card Magic. Kevin Stieger and Lorenz Schär, the co-presidents of the MRS, had this idea that had never before been done at a convention. I recommend you do this with your club at the next magic convention, as it greatly enhances and encourages the sense of community, a most important factor for the advancement of the magic in your area.
12. No other convention in the world brings together so much talent like a FISM-convention, and this one was no exception.
13. The good weather, and in spite a bit too hot for me, the hotel as well as the convention site were nicely air-conditioned.
14. The effortless checkin at the convention counter on Sunday afternoon: In less than five minutes I had my badge and all the essentials for the convention.
15. The on-time start of almost every event, incredible… in Italy! This is really a very good way of doing it, provided the audience understands and respects it. Unfortunately some people did not get it even after the first two days… I think the organizers should have mentioned this explicitly in the program and at the opening ceremony. Another feature I had never seen before – not just in Italy – was that every performer had a monitor that displayed the exact time to stop the lecture, talk, etc. What a great idea! And lo and behold… almost all performers respected the limit. Chapeau!
16. Seeing Mac King again, with whom I share an interest in magic and gastronomy, although his show done in Las Vegas in his theatre goes over even better than it did here.
17. A lot more…

Gleanings After FISM

I mentioned in one of my earlier The Magic Memories that meeting up with your magic pals after a lecture to exchange notes and impressions would be an excellent way to learn.

I expanded this idea to the members of our club, the Zauberring Basel (ZRB): We are thirty members , of which nine came to the FISM convention – that is a 30% rate and probably one of the highest of all clubs worldwide… do you know how many of your club members attended FISM?

We met at my home, and for five hours each gave a short 20-minute talk about what he had seen, learned, experienced, etc. Each one had seen things the others had not, and some of the events we all saw, so this was a most interesting way of reviewing the happenings.

In spite of all the (constructive) criticisms we had, we all agreed that it was an excellent convention worth attending, and that we would return if we had to go there again.

Below you can see those of us who stayed after 11pm, when it occurred to Fabian to make a photo of us (some had already left).

As you can also see from the left-overs on the table, we had a “little snack” in-between the talks (various aperitifs, Salmorejo soup, Vitello tonnato as main course, a cheese platter with six Swiss cheese as a pre-dessert, and various desserts to finish – all of this accompanied by various wines, espresso, Cognac, etc. This simply represented the complexity and depth contained in magic, which is also reflected in gastronomy 🙂 The group also agreed that our snack” was by far better than what was served Wednesday evening at the Venaria Reale called “un-forgettable dinner”… the prefix “un” should be dropped…

Solution to “A Trick Problem – The Four Question Marks”

In The Magic Memories 217 I proposed the following trick-problem:

Effect: The performer displays four cards with a question mark on their back, and sets them aside. From a shuffled deck a card is selected and signed on its face, e.g., the 8C. The cards with he question mark on the back are turned over one by one: the first says «black», the second «Clubs», the third «8», and the last… is actually the previously selected card, including the signature! This card is given to the spectator as a souvenir.

Following are various solutions:

Display the four cards with a question mark on their back face down. The bottom card of the packet is (as an example) the 8C. Cop it into your left hand as the right hand sets the packet face down on the table.

Add the copped 8C to the bottom of the deck, and then force it on a spectator, e.g., by using the Hindu Shuffle Force, or any other Force that does not display the card’s back, e.g., “The Criss-cross Force” – see my preferred method “The Arete Criss-cross Force”, entry for DEC 10 in Unexpected Agenda, or “The Fan Force” from Ganson’s Dai Vernon’s More Inner Secrets of Card Magic.

Realize that forcing a card without showing its back is a sub-category of Forces, and if you are serious about the study of card magic, you should have a list of this type of Forces… if you haven’t, start one right now – my list in Evernote titled “Face up Forces Not Exposing the Back” has fifteen entries. Can you make one that is longer?

Back to the trick.

All of the forcing methods mentioned above allow you to have the card signed by the spectator by simply holding the packet with the Force-card at its bottom in a vertical position, the bottom card facing the audience, and asking the spectator to put his initials in big letters on the face of the card; as he does that you turn your head away.

Apparently lose the chosen card in the deck by shuffling and cutting, in reality bring it back to the bottom of the deck, from where it is secretly transferred to the top of the table packet (see “The Transfer Move” in Card College Volume 3 or “Lesson 24” in the video course Card College 3&4 – Personal Instruction), supposed to consist of four cards, really three.

Reverse count the four cards to the table, reminding the audience that these were initially taken from the wallet. It only remains to turn up one card after the other and reveal the signed selection as the fourth and last card: “The question mark on the back of each of these cards answer the question of what your card is. This tells me that your card was black, this one that it was a Club, and this one that it was an eight – so your card was the Eight of Clubs, correct? But what does the last card tell us? Well, it tells us that it is… YOUR CARD!”

PS: The four cards could be housed in a transparent plastic wallet and kept there after having been initially shown (and the 8C stolen into the deck), and then later the selection could be added to underneath the wallet (see Walt Lees, Four Professional Card Tricks, a gem of a booklet…): “In this wallet I have a few cards that will answer an important question in the near future.”

And here is a method you can do without the question mark, directly with any normal deck, impromptu: Take shuffled deck, turn with faces toward yourself, look at bottom card (e.g., KH), which is going to be the force card,  and then put three cards, one after the other on the face of the deck: First, a Diamond card (“your card is a red card”), second, a Heart (“… and it is a Heart card”), third, a King (“… and it is a King – your card is the King of Hearts!”).

Say that you will place a few cards aside: Still holding the deck with the faces toward yourself, apparently count off four cards from the face of the deck into your right hand, in reality take only three. Put face down to the left on the table in a packet, at 11 o’clock, this being a Morphological Position (Sharing Secrets, p. 80).

False shuffle balance to retain bottom card. Force the bottom card with the Hindu Shuffle Force, using all subtleties, then slap right hand packet with selection on bottom on top of the packet in your left hand, retaining a break between the two packets. Do the Erdnase-Vernon “Post-peek Overhand Shuffle Control” to bring the selection to the bottom, and follow up with the Combination Shuffle and Cut Control.

From here proceed as per above. You my avoid the control phase by side-jogging the selection to the right, and then directly side-stealing-transfer-moving it on top of the tabled packet.

Unexpected Agenda… On This Day

There is so much more I would have liked to say in the Agendas, especially in the latest, Unexpected Agenda. But I was as strict as ever with myself and stuck to one entry per page, and one page only…

Still, to give to those who are interested some extra information, which did not fit into the page, I plan to install the feature “Unexpected Agenda… On This Day” in the upcoming The Magic Memories. The idea is to take the entry of the day the blog goes online – in today’s case AUGUST 3 – and expand on it.

Here is the first comment pertaining to the entry “The Red Cross by Stanley Jaks” of August 3rd (Unexpected Agenda, p. 227).

As a courtesy to those who do not have the book, and to save those who have it from having to search for the book (I hope it is on your bedside, in your kitchen, or in your bathroom, ideal places to read one page a day), to read the entry CLICK HERE (ideally print the page and number the lines from 1 to 35, not including the title for easier reference).

This trick packs a wallop: Not only is it an excellent trick in and by itself, the concepts contained in the description are some of the great ones. Once understood and instilled they will make every other piece you apply them to more solid in their technical, psychological and dramatic construction.

Line 1: The first problem that this entry encourages you to tackle, is how to get into the initial situation required by the trick, i.e., do you start with the preparation (maybe not, as the trick is too strong to begin), do you have the set-up on top and delay it with one or two other tricks that do not disturb the arrangement (open a new note and make a list of tricks that would allow this!), or do you add the necessary card(s) sometime during the performance (open a new note with a list of methods to do so).

Line 5: Take a marker… What kind of marker? What color? How thick? Do you know Sherpa, which is an elegant way to present a Sharpie (see HERE – or c heck your favorite magic dealer)?

Lines 8 & 9: How do you convince the spectators that you are using an ungimmecked deck without explicitly mentioning it? Or how do you explicitly mention it, so that it makes sense?

Line 10: What methods do you know of obtaining a little finger break under the top two cards? Open a note and make a list with short explanations, or scan the page from the respective book and insert it into the note.

Line 12: Try to really understand the concept of “In-transit Actions”. Find other examples in your other tricks where “In-transit Actions” are used to really instill the concept. Check Sharing Secrets (p. 58 – if you do not have this book, for Christ’s sake get it, as it is one of the best books to have been published in the past ten years. If you really cannot afford it, you will find pirated PDFs of it online. Buy it later from me when you have money to spare).

Line 15: This is an excellent method to switch a card for another, to be remembered. Since it uses a double-backer, you could make a study of how to use double-backers to solve other technical problems.

Line 21: Check Daley’s “Card to Envelope Wrinkle” and try this once – it considerably enhances any trick of this type. You can see me use this ploy in my video course Card College 3&4 – Personal Instruction, “Lesson 35: Forces – Part 3, in the trick called “The Card in Wallet”, which can be found at timecode 00:46:05.

Line 22: What do you use to open the envelope? How about a penknife, which you let the spectator handle, and afterwards you switch it for a color-changing penknife, with which you perform a good routine? Generally speaking: Whenever you resort to a piece of accessories besides the main instrument, think about how you could do a trick with it (provided it fits, of course).

Line 23: Instead of palming the cards, can you come up with other methods to get rid of the gimmicked card? Open a note and make a list of all the methods you know or come up with. Ask friends… ask AI…

Line 32: Another “No Switch Deck Switch”, oh my… an open door…

As you can see, entries in Unexpected Agenda, or all Agendas (Secret Agenda, Hidden Agenda, Secret Twitter) for that matter, are a treasure-mine of lateral thoughts, each item containing up to a dozen other problems to be studied. This is great fun, and it is one of the best exercises I know to stimulate your creativeness.

You’re welcome 🙂

Disclaimer

The Magic Memories are not proofread and may contain errors and typos of all sorts. Please report serious mistakes through the “contact” form on the webshop.

See you again in The Magic Memories 219, which will go online on the first Sunday of the month of September 2025, i.e., Sunday 7th September, at exactly 0:07 o’clock – make a note in your agenda as you will not receive this automatically!

All the best!

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Zaubersymposium 2025 Frankfurt – German History & Collector Day; German Cardworkshop in Vienna; What Did Not Make it Into Unexpected Agenda – Signed Card in Envelope; A Trick Problem – The Four Question Marks; Confidences Is Back!; I Will Be at FISM; Barbaras Orimotos

These are The Magic Memories 217, gone online Sunday, July 6th, 2025, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

The months of May and June have seen me travel around Europe quite a bit, attending some interesting functions; as usual I will give you some personal impressions.

As you are reading this I am getting ready to participate at the FISM convention in Torino, Italy, which takes place from July 14th to 19th, 2025.

To answer your question: No, I am not booked to do anything, not even judging in the so-called “World Championship of Magic” – read more below.

Zaubersymposium 2025 Frankfurt – German History & Collector Day

Although I am neither a collector nor a historian, I am interested in all aspects of magic.

I have mentioned this before in my publications and lectures, and it warrants repetition here: Magic is like a facetted diamond, where every facet links to a discipline of life.

Therefore, knowing more about other topics in general, and other disciplines within the magic world in particular, will cause a broader understanding of magic, with direct consequences to our Ethos as performers (remember Aristotle’s logos, pathos, ethos – the trinity of successful communication).

In May I attended a two-day meeting on magic history and collecting, which was held in Frankfurt, Germany’s financial capital, and ably organized by Andreas Fleckenstein and Jan Isenbart.

The night before I met up with Richard Hatch, and we had dinner at Mon Amie Maxi, a French-style brasserie.

This is a great place I can recommend to all who enjoy adult food (fast food is for juveniles, and hamburger & sandwiches are not real food but snacks) – we had the “Canard du Rotissoire”, one of the best ducks I ever ate, and a major reason to go back to Frankfurt (there are not many…), with a bottle of Remelluri Reserva 2016, possibly the best vintage of the past 15 years in the Rioja, Spain.

I recommend to start with a Foie Gras and to end with a Tarte Tatin, each accompanied by an appropriate sweet wine, and to finish off with an Espresso and an Armagnac (instead of a Grappa, being in a French rotisserie!).

It was a bit of a culture shock for Richard, but I explained to him that this is the way we do it in Europe… it certainly was a good start to the more intellectual presentations which would follow in the next two days (you need a happy body for your mind to enjoy living in it).

Richard has translated the first four volumes of Card College, and we had not seen each others for a long time, so had a lot to catch up.

(For the curious: I wrote Card College Volume 5 directly in English, with a little help by Stephen Minch, as I did not have the heart to wait for Richard’s excellent translation, since excellence takes its time, as we know…).

Jan Isenbart’s Report

I was going to give you a short report about the presenters and the topics they discussed, but my friend Jan Isenbart, the co-organizer, has authored such a magnificent account of everyone and everything that I will simply refer you to his professionally edited blog ZZZauberBlog – as most know by know, your browser will instantly translate the German text into very understandable English (and other languages!): if using Google Chrome simply click on the three dots on the upper right edge of your screen, and then choose the “translation” function, voilà.

To enjoy Jan’s review of the event and to see some photos of the presenters and the happenings, CLICK HERE.

Personal Comments

Now that you have read Jan Isenbart’s comprehensive report (thank you, Jan, great work!), here are a few constructive comments.

The group certainly could need some fresh blood, as the average age was around 80, and I with my 66 years felt like a teenager… as we know, magic conventions in general have a problem attracting a young audience, and this is a topic that should be discussed at various levels.

I was amused to see that very similar to some performing magicians, who cannot distinguish between a good and a bad trick, some presenters got lost in some irrelevant historical topics and details.

I agree that this cannot be measured objectively, and not everything is everyone’s cup of tea. But like a performer, who should always remember that the goal of an artistic magic performance is to share the experience of wonder in a fascinating way with their audience, and that you should never bore an audience, well, presenters of any talk should make sure that their subject adds something to the understanding and betterment of magic, and do this in an engaging and interesting manner.

Certainly, the enthusiasm was great, and it is uplifting to see how people who have been interested in magic for decades have kept up their spirits, and visibly get twenty years younger the moment they start to talk about their passion. However, it seems to me that they should also do this in a minimal “professional” way. Some things are really so easy that anyone can do it as soon as you think about it.

One basic skill is to know how to make a Powerpoint presentation (virtually everyone was using a Powerpoint, but only few knew how to do so): Even if you have never done a Powerpoint, simply enter “how to do a ppt presentation” in Google, and then spend twenty minutes to read and watch what they tell you, it is really as easy as pie.

The only other thing you then need to know is that when you speak you do so by facing the audience, and not by looking at your slide on the wall. The reason why almost everyone does that is obvious: The talk is delivered for the first and possibly last time, and there is no time to learn the presentation by heart.

This is absolutely no problem, as all you need is either to have a laptop in fron of you, so you can look at the screen and over it into the audience, or use the “poor man’s method”, which consists in simply printing every slide on paper and have that in front of you, again enabling you to look at your notes and into your audience.

To be able to do this – and that is the last step in “Basic Powerpoint Presentation” – do not clutter up a slide with lots of text, but have three to maximum five bullet points, clearly separated one from the other, and never ever have a lengthy text that you read out to your audience. As a rule that might have its exceptions: do not read out word for word what is on your slide, as they are perfectly literate and can do so by themselves, use synonyms, or say in a complete sentence what is referenced by one intuitive term on the slide.

The easiest way to implement this and make sure that everyone has this information (they might just ignore the advice, but that is another conversation…), is for the organizers to send a one-page sheet to all participants, reminding them of “How to Do a Powerpoint Presentation” before the event takes place.

To end on a positive note: I think that this kind of “small” conventions are a necessary complement to other major events in the world of magic, as they show its complexity and depth, and remind us at all times that the study and practice of magic is not just about tricks and amusement, but a serious art and science… it will not be for everyone and every time, but it will be for many and often.

I for my part am planning to attend their next gathering, which will take place in a most interesting location, namely the Zentrum für Zauberkunst in Nottuln-Appelhülsen, Germany.

German Cardworkshop in Vienna

Similar to the Jornadas Cartomagicas de San Lorenzo de El Escorial, the German Cardworkshop (CWS) gathers some of the best cardicians from the German speaking countries for a three-day full-immersion meeting, where the various complexities and intricacies of Card Magic (capital “C” and “M” intended) are discussed, from early in the morning (maybe not sooo early…) into late at night (definitely late…).

I came into Vienna a few days earlier, knowing that the CWS would not leave much time to explore one of the most beautiful cities I know.

BTW: According to the results of the Economist Intelligence Unit in their latest annual Global Liveability Index, Vienna has been named several times the world’s most liveable city. I am the last to argue with them…

To keep this report short, here just a few impressions.

At Magic Christian’s

My friends Hannes Freytag and Vicente Noguera called Magic Christian – arguably Austria’s magic man number 1 – and asked if we could visit his collection. I had been at Christian’s before, but on this occasion we had more time to explore his immense collection, not just books (…), and to listen to his many anecdotes, and also learn about some of his upcoming publications, among which will be a book on Ottokar Fischer (among many other things he did he wrote the Hofzinser books), and one on Valentino Graziadei.

After spending the late morning at Christian’s, Hannes and Vicente invited Christian and myself to the Cafe Sperl for lunch. I mention this because Cafe Sperl is one of the oldest coffee houses in Vienna, and worth a visit. Since it is less than ten minutes by foot from the Naschmarkt, another Viennese institution not to miss and where you should have lunch at one of the dozens of eating places at least once during your stay in Vienna.

The Cardworkshop in Session

As for the CWS itself, the sessions took place in the facilities of the Magischer Cercle Wien. You can get an idea of the place by CLICKING HERE.

The event was organized by Wolfgang Moser, the president of the Magischer Cercle Wien, and his team-colleagues Markus Zadina, with Robert Stacher and Honorary President Kurt Freitag – they simply did an outstanding job!

This year’s topics of the CWS were:

• The Card Magic of Gary Kurtz
• Total Coincidence
• Everywhere & Nowhere
• Carlhorst Meier – The Man And His Magic

Needless to say that all topics, which had been prepared by groups during the year, brought back many memories, and added some new information.

I have spent quite a bit of time discussing magic with Gary, years ago before he started into stardom as a mentalist, and I can recommend you study his work, which is documented in several publications (easy to find now with Internet and AI).

Just a little anecdote, if I may: Years ago I was booked to perform for Autodesk, at that time the world-leader in CAD/CAM-technologies, at a Trade Show (yes, I have done that, too :-). On the last day I was walking through Vienna and guess who I meet on the street: Gary Kurtz!

“Hi, Gary, good to see you – what are you doing in Vienna?”

“Oh, I’m lecturing.”

“Great. So you’ll be here one or two days?”

“I will be here for whole week.”

“What do you mean a whole week?”

“Well, there are five magic clubs in Vienna, and I’m giving a lecture every night at a different club!”

Yes, that’s Vienna! I believe that at a certain point they had up to seven magic clubs. I know, because over the last forty years plus I have been involved in magic, I have given at least one lecture to each of these clubs, but never did I do so in one week, one after the other, like Gary did on that occasion.

The topics always leave a little time for short talks on other subjects, such as Chris Wasshuber’s presentation on the man he thinks was Erdnase – we still do not know if this is true, but his talk was certainly engaging and convincing.

Those who are interested in this subject will find a very detailed account in his book The Card Sharp And His Book.

The photo below gives you a view into the exclusive club room, equipped with all the necessary: flexible stooling for stage and close-up, a stage, a library, and of course a bar!

In the breaks there are lots of sessions going on. In the photo below, in the background, Jörg Alexander and I are discussing his talk on Carlhorst Meier. In the foreground you can witness a cross-generational tri-national session with Tom Merten (Germany), Jan Imhof (Switzerland) and Kurt Freitag (Austria), an amazing constellation in itself 🙂

Below is a “round table of magic” in the truest sense of the term…

When Magic Christian showed some original Hofzinser special cards, everyone watched!

Praestigior, ergo sum

Although I had not enlisted to talk about any of the scheduled topics, due to my many years of studying magic diligently, I was able to comment on various topics…

Then, on Sunday morning, the last day, I gave an unscheduled talk entitled Praestigior, ergo sum (pretending I know Latin, but I do not, as this would make it the seventh language…).

 If you want to know what I said about the various schools of thought in magic and the Escuela Mágica de Madrid in particular, HERE IS my talk as a PDF (it is in German, but thanks to AI you should be able to get this quickly into English). The talk is still unfinished, but I know that a few among you will want to know what it is about, so, here it is, but do not circulate it, please (send your friends to The Magic Memories 217 instead).

Bye, Bye Vienna

Vienna, as an international metropole of history, culture and gastronomy, has a virtually infinite number of attractions of all colors to offer.

Below you can see Michael Swatosch, the cofounder and -owner of the Circus- & Clown Museum Vienna,  and himself an accomplished magic performer, collector and historian, giving us a tour through his amazing museum.

I have reported about this exceptional place in an earlier edition of The Magic Memories 147.

The museum, being within walking-distance of the Prater, you can kill two birds with one stone in an afternoon.

Talking of Prater: Below you get a peek into the unofficial part of the Cardworkshop, the fare-well lunch at the “Swiss House” located in the heart of the Prater, where classic Austrian specialties are being served (and a little beer).

PS: Although Austrian beers are impeccable, some of their wines are outstanding, white and red, and if you are a wine drinker and have never tried Austrian wines, on your next visit to an upscale restaurant ask your sommelier for an Austrian wine and you should be more than pleased to discover something different 🙂

PPS: Perhaps I should mention one last anecdote. On the day before the CWS I had dinner with my dear friend Kurt Freitag, who deserves a small book, which I cannot write now… After the meal – I recommend you go to Plachutta in the Wollzeile, and have their specialty “Tafelspitz”, as Hofzinser resided there for years on the first floor of the building – I suggested we go to Cafe Central, another Viennese institution, and have their specialty “Milchrahmstrudel” (the best in the world!).

When we arrived at around 9pm there was a huge line of people waiting outside. Kurt, a native Viennese, suggested we take the back door, which we did. But as soon as we entered the sacred hall of the coffee house, a waiter in tails explained that we cannot get in and that we have to stand in line like everyone else.

As Kurt starts to explain that locals deserve a special treatment, the maître d’ appears from nowhere, “Oh, aren’t you Kurt Freitag, the magician!?” Kurt, who is now over eighty and has performed magic in Vienna in nearly all places one can perform, knows virtually everyone important in Vienna, and they know him… To cut this short: Within two minutes we were sitting at one of the best tables, ordered “einen kleinen Braunen und Milchrahmstrudel”, which we consumed with relish, sitting and chatting in that wonderful place for almost an hour… that’s magic!

PPPS: One last thing (really!): Vienna, together with Italy, has some of the world’s best coffees. As a rule, which dates back to the Habsburg Monarchy, a glass of still water is served with each coffee – the upside-down spoon placed across the top of the glass shows that the water is fresh.

Now here is an important thing: You always drink the water before savoring the coffee, to cleanse the palate, and NEVER EVER afterwards, or else you will wash down the taste that will persist in your mouth for at least another hour, provided it was excellent coffee.

What Did Not Make it Into Unexpected Agenda – Signed Card in Envelope

A few editions of The Magic Memories back I started to bring you a few of the hundreds of ideas that I did not put into any of the agendas, for various reasons.

Here is another such item.

Nothing spectacular, but try this and note the details of handling and timing, and you will have a very useful technique to imperceptibly load a card into an envelope that comes from a wallet, or has been held by a spectator all the time.

To load a card into an envelope as a postcard is taken out of it

The selection is controlled to the top of the deck, which is held in Dealing Position in your left hand; a little-finger-break is held under the top card.

The right hand displays an envelope: In order to cut it open it is momentarily placed on top of the deck – as the envelope is placed on the deck, the broken card is given a little push to the right and slides beneath the envelope, which is now held offset to the right on top of the deck, secured by the left thumb.

The right hand takes a knife and cuts the envelope open at its right side, a common way of cutting an envelope open. The right hand sets the knife aside, and the grasps the envelope at its right side, thumb on top, fingers below.

As the letter/postcard is slid out to the right, the card underneath the envelope is taken along. Stop briefly when the postcard is about half-way out, and use the stopping action to slide the hidden card partially back into the envelope. Look at the spectators and say sg as you do this. Continue to extract the postcard, but in the action push the hidden card fully into the envelope.

Have the text on the postcard read out. Obviously, it should connect with the fact that you will find their card inside the envelope next…

Ideas: If the card is forced, the text in the letter/postcard could first reveal the card’s name, then say that if you cannot find it, a “back-up card” is enclosed… “… However, if you had the card signed, that would be impossible. But remember that it is your vocation to make the impossible possible…

PS: The letter could be from a famous person, and come from a well-known place… (so many possibilities)…

A Trick Problem – The Four Question Marks

For a change, here is a trick problem for you to solve…

Effect: The performer displays four cards with a question mark on their back, and sets them aside. From a shuffled deck a card is selected and signed on its face, e.g., the 8C. The cards with he question mark on the back are turned over one by one: the first says «black», the second «Clubs», the third «8», and the last… is actually the previously selected card, including the signature! This card is given to the spectator as a souvenir.

End of problem.

Read the wording of the problem again carefully, as you might make assumptions that are not stipulated in the challenge…

I will offer my solution(s) – as always there are various, depending on the price you are willing or capable to pay – in the upcoming The Magic Memories 2018.

Confidences Is Back!

Finally, my favorite book, Confidences, originally published by Hermetic Press in 2014, and out of print for now almost ten years, made it through US custom and is now available again in a beautiful edition, just as nice as the first edition.

The copyright-holder is now Penguin Magic, who is also publishing almost all of my English books.

In an unselfish act of altruistic brotherly love, they are selling this new edition at the ridiculously low price of $ 47, the same price as eleven years ago.

Considering that the prices of virtually every product on this planet – especially print products! – in the meantime have increased, mostly doubled, Christian charity is my only explanation…

If you want a copy dedicated to your name, together with a signed photo postcard, you can order the book from my webshop HERE (please do mention that you want the book signed, and your name, in the comment field of the order form – this book is also a great gift to a friend!).

For all of you who do not care about my signature and want to save the shipping costs, order directly from my publisher Penguin Magic HERE – if you click the link you can then also watch a ten-minute interview where Dan Harlan and I discuss the content of the book (those who like this sort of things should like it…).

For those who always wanted to know how much an author earns on a book, here are the approximate figures (the actual rate depends on varying shipping rates, currency fluctuations, etc.):

The book costs $ 47 (ca. 47 Euro or a little more in most magic shops outside of the USA)

1. If you order directly from my webshop I earn ca. $ 20 per book
2. If you order from my publisher Penguin Magic I earn ca. $ 9 per book
3. If you order from any other dealer I earn ca. $ 3.75 per book

Consider that for $ 1 I get ca. 0,80 Swiss Francs, and that a basic Big Mac (no chips, no drink, just the “burger”) in Switzerland costs 6,90 Swiss Francs, which is $8,625 as of 5th June 2025. Fortunately, this is purely academic, as I never set foot in such establishments…

I Will Be at FISM

I shall be in Turin, Italy, at the FISM convention, arriving Sunday 13th and leaving Sunday 20th… and during that time I have nothing to do except enjoying the convention program (I hope…), greeting old friends, and meeting new ones 🙂

So, if you attend FISM, please come up, identify yourself as a reader of The Magic Memories, and say ‘Hello’.

I shall also be happy to sign any books you are willing to carry around, using my favorite (travel) fountain pen, a Pilot Capless Link Black limited edition 2020 with rhodium plated 18Kt gold nib and original Pilot midnight blue ink. I challenge you to find any other contemporary author of magic books who would care about such details…

You can try to find me among the ca. 3’000 participants during the scheduled program and inside the convention center… occasionally I may be at the stand of Florence Art Edizioni, my Italian publisher, to sign books, take photos, meet & greet, etc. Watch out for the announcement on the event board of Florence Art Edizioni.

I look forward to seeing many of you in Turin!

PS: If you want me to bring something from my webshop for you to FISM, let me know via my direct email, including your mobile number so I can WhatsApp you where to meet at the convention (you get 10% discount on the Euro price on my webshop if you pay cash and in Euro).

Barbaras Orimotos

Since in the past months we had quite a bit of new readers of these The Magic Memories, may I remind you that Barbara does some beautiful Orimotos, each one handmade from real books, and every one a single copy.

Depending on the complexity they are at EURO 240 to 360, including shipping to any part of the world.

If you want one, please send me an email, and I will let you know how we can get this to you.

PS: If you come to FISM, I can bring one for you, and you will get 10% discount as we will not have to ship it.

PS: Barbara also makes personalized Orimotos with your name in it – if you let us know before Monday evening, I can bring a freshly handmade copy to FISM 🙂

All the best!

Roberto Giobbi

Hello everyone!

Today’s topics are: Sixty-six (comments on birthday); Les Anneaux Magiques (report); Paris Magique – A Brief Travel Report; Humor Is Not Timeless (Joe Wildon’s Magisches Magazin); Conversation with AI; Combination False Shuffle to Preserve Red-black Separation; On the Philosophy of Magic – Magic as a Metaphor of Life

These are The Magic Memories 216, gone online Sunday, June 1st, 2025, at 0:07h sharp.

All The Magic Memories from 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024 including the Magic Advent Calendar from 2020, can be found HERE.

As you are reading this, I’m on my way back from the German History Conference held in Frankfurt from May 30th to June 1st, after having attended the German Cardworkshop in Vienna – I shall report on both in The Magic Memories 217 (make a note in your calendar to check-in on SUN, 6th of July when the 217th edition of this blog will go online at 0:07h precisely!)

Sixty-six

Thank you so much for all of you who sent in best wishes for my 66th birthday (May 1st)… most of those seem to come from the readers of the Agendas, where on the 1st May – my birthdate – I always wrote something in reference to it.

The number sixty-six is an interesting number, and you might find a presentational idea or two by exploring it, e.g., you might start HERE. And if you have some esoteric inclination look for info on what is also called the “Angel Number” HERE.

Several sent in songs that celebrate the number sixty-six; the most famous in German is by one Udo Jürgens (1934–2014), who was a famous singer in the German speaking countries, and you can listen to his inspired song HERE.

The reason I mention Udo Jürgens here is that I got to perform for him years ago at a wedding of a millionaire friend of him :-)… at the Hotel Victoria Jungfrau in Interlaken , where for years I did three shows a year for the top managers of Novartis (and before that Ciba-Geigy…).

On that occasion I learned a big lesson, and you may be interested in it, because it reminds us of what Confucius once said, “The fools do not learn from their mistakes. The intelligent do learn from their mistakes. The wise learn from the mistakes of others.” May you learn from my mistake – and here is the story:

Together with a colleague of mine, Michael Gerhardt, I was booked to perform at the tables during the wedding dinner Jürg Marquard. Since we were booked by independent agencies, there were no real “instructions” of who should do what at which table. Michael, who was a friend and sadly died at the young age of fifty-one in 2009, had already performed at the table Udo Jürgens sat with his entourage, but I did not know that.

I did feel quite a bit intimidated to perform in front of such a big star, but my first trick went very well, and after the second I had everyone’s attention. Jürgens even said at some point, “That’s very interesting what you’re doing.”

This was shortly before the fall, which happened when I asked a spectator to choose a card, by using a line that at that time was (and still is!) very popular in the German speaking countries among magicians, “Do you speak English? OK, then you may say ‘stop’ whenever you like as I riffle down the deck like this!”

This is of course funny when said in a country that does not speak English… However, it seemed that Michael had used that exact line before when he performed at that table. As soon as I had said it, a murmur went through the group, and Jürgens said, “Oh, they’re all using the same stuff.” That was it. I was dead. I cannot remember what I did, probably finished the trick and politely bid goodbye…

This was truly a great lesson, as it taught me to stay away from “standard” lines and try to use my own material, or at least to not use those standard lines when performing together on the bill with other performers.

So many memories… I am truly grateful to be retired from all that now—I do not miss it in the slightest. But I would not have wanted to miss those times for anything. 😊

Les Anneaux Magiques

This event called “Les Anneaux Magiques” – “The Magic Rings” – a one-day affair turning around an invitation-only competition, was initiated exactly thirty years ago by Jean Garance and André Ciocca, both of whom I knew well and who are sorely missed, André having left us just recently.

I recall that I was booked to lecture in the afternoon program at one of the very first Anneaux Magiques at the Theatre de Beaulieu in Lausanne, Switzerland, where the FISM conventions later in 1982 and 1991 would be held.

I cannot remember much from that “first”, but I do remember that I met for the first and only time the famous film producer, creator of magic illusions and author of the Robert-Houdin books Christian Fechner.

I just had a short conversation with him; it is one of my few regrets in magic that I never got to know him closer, as he was a most fascinating person. Besides, he lived in a French castle and had two chefs that cooked for him, plus a great wine cellar. I am confident that we would have gotten along very well 🙂

The event takes places every two years, and this year’s edition happened on Saturday, 3rd May. During that day they have three lectures, one in the morning, two in the afternoon, and a big show in the evening, at the core of which is the competition.

I missed two lectures because I opted to have lunch with the two new presidents of the Swiss magic club, Lorenz Schär and Kevin Stieger, who did not know that you get Switzerland’s arguably best Fondue in Châtel-St-Denis at the Café Tivoli, just a stone’s throw away from the famous Chaplin’s World above Vevey. (Important information: If you go to the Café Tivoli, you can share the Fondue, therefore you should first order “La Vacherin”, and after that the “La prèsque moitié-moitié”, two different types of Fondue. Precede it by a “Planchette TIVOLI “, finish with a “Meringue avec double crème”, and take a bottle of their local white wine… works even for two, don’t ask, just do it.)

As a consequence, the only lecture I got to see was Topas’, which revolved around how to find your stage persona, and various aspects of showmanship.

The lecture was practically the same I had already seen at FISM 2000 in Lisbon, which of course does not mean that it was outdated, since what worked for him then still works for him today.

As Topas was explaining the model upon which his philosophy is based, he made me think once again about a question I have often asked myself: If something works for someone, does that mean that it is true, and that it will work for everyone?

The answer, I speculate, is ‘no’, since those who are not even familiar with a specific model, or who do exactly the contrary of what that models says, can also be very successful. It seems that this is true for politics, economics, finances, religion, etc… so, probably for magic, too.

Topas’ last sentence in the lecture was a quote from antiquity “Know thyself”, which echos Vernon’s “Be yourself”, and in my opinion is exactly the contrary to creating a stage persona…

In the history of civilization many have attempted to create a system, a template, that would allow less talented people to model geniuses. I think that history has proven that this is just wishful thinking as this only seems to work to a very limited degree, because if it did work, we would have a better world (especially in politics a genius or two would be desirable…).

Anyway, Topas is an extraordinary artist with a talent that borders to the genius. (May I remind you that if you are interested in Topas’ thinking and work, you can strike it rich by getting Luis de Matos’ DVD set on him, titled Virtuoso, and which most magic dealers still have available.)

The main reason most would attend this event, however, is the evening show, which consists of three parts: In the first part five contestants, which have been previously chosen (all solid, professional acts), will compete for the “Anneaux Magiques”, the real award, but also for the “Audiences Award” discerned by the totality of the spectators in the theatre. For this the spectators are given a token upon entering the theatre, which they then drop in a box with the name of the artist in the break – a simple and effective system, supervised by Swiss integrity, of course. Come to think of it, most elections are done this way, so it has to be an honest system…

The second part usually features a performer out of competition, who is supposed to give the jury time to deliberate the winner. This, in my opinion, is expendable and only unnecessarily lengthens the show and tires the audience. The twenty-minute break is more than enough to decide on who the winner is, as it is just one among five…

Still, tradition seems to win cognition, and the organizer’s choice for the “performer before the break” fell on Blake Eduardo, who was supposed to do 10 minutes; he did 20, which felt like 30.

The exhausted audience was then released into the break. They really needed it, because on top of the lengthy performance the theatre was really hot, and I wonder why they do not sell half of their lights and use that money to fix the air-conditioning…

After the break the winners where announced in a little ceremony, which regretfully did not mention in what the awards consisted, except for titles and trophies that few care for. Since these were money-awards – in my opinion the only sincere way of giving awards – they should have declared the amounts. I asked several people, but nobody seemed to know…

The first prize – the Anneaux Magiques – went to Nikolai Striebel from Germany, who several of you might have seen at recent magic conventions. You can see an early version of his act HERE.

The Audience Award was discerned to Alvaro Cortes from Spain, who had a very original, visual and magical act that could easily have won the Anneaux Magiques with a different jury.

I am myself an official FISM judge, although since 2006 in Stockholm I have not been asked back again, allegedly on the grounds that I am not “team-minded”… but have been a judge in recent years at several smaller conventions and will again be at the French national convention in Troyes this fall.

I mention this because too many opine about competitions without really ever having been on a judging panel and therefore miss information and experience.

Fact is, that magic, like all arts, cannot be measured like a sports discipline in numbers.

Although the final score is expressed in points, the way to get to those points will always be subjective. There is no system that will ever circumvent this, at least I would not know of one. Even very competent judges can have diverging views, but at least the result is less random than with incompetent ones.

As a consequence, every judge’s score is the result of a personal taste, besides some criteria based on knowledge and experience, making the judging process more complex than can be imagined by an outsider.

In the case of the present competition, both the acts of Striebel and Cortes would have qualified for first prize, but obviously the jury, who was formed of a part laypeople and a part officials of magic clubs, tended toward the silent and poetic, rather than the visual and more spectacular, an acceptable choice, although the contrary would also have been justifiable.

Lucky winner!

Paris Magique – A Brief Travel Report

As the refrain goes, “I love Paris in the springtime, I love Paris in the fall…“, I am back from five days in Paris.

Since Paris is my favorite city, and since I have reported about my adventures in it several times before in my The Magic Memories, I will keep this short.

This time I, together with my friend Yves Carbonnier, with whom I stayed, we went to see the magic exposition curated by Georges Proust, owner of the Musée de la magie, which was housed within the playing card museum in Issy-les-Moulineaux – I have discussed this in various blogs, e.g., in The Magic Memories 171 and 174.

Still, I will repeat it: This museum is absolutely worth visiting, even if you are with a layperson who has no interest in cards or magic at all – any intelligent and curious person is bound to love this.

Best of all, in 90 minutes or less you have gained an excel overview, and are then free to take an afternoon Ricard in one of the lovely street bistros nearby. And do not miss to have lunch before you go to the museum at “Les Colonnes” a simple but fine Brasserie that will keep you on your feet until dinner time.

Yet another magical discovery of this visit was a new magic place run by Mael Adler and Yann Buytendorp.

It is a small restaurant that is open all day, but in the evening opens its doors in the basement to a small theater that takes about forty spectators and showcases local and international artists.

The evening Yves and I visited, Bebel had just come back in the morning from Los Angeles, where he had received the AMA’s Close-Up Performing Fellowship (félicitations, Bebel!), and at 9pm (French time…) gave a one-hour close-up show in front of ca. twenty spectators.

Now, Bebel is a true phenomenon and a character: He does almost everything against current rules, his magic being often more confusing than astounding, with repetitive sequences, but always visual and surprising. And all of this – as David Devant would have expressed it … “done with kindness”.

I was very pleased to witness Bebel’s success, as it confirmed my credo that in certain situations and before certain audiences you do not need an “act” to succeed – Bebel certainly did not have one on this occasion – nor do you need a scripted trick, let alone take acting classes or work with a director.

What really matters is that you are an interesting person, sincerely love what you do, and do what you do really, really well, briefly: you need to be fascinating and competent, the rest takes care of itself, even of originality, because to be authentic, lovable and competent is already more original than most of what you get today.

For more information on “Factorielle 52” CLICK HERE.

Needless to say that there was a lot more in Paris, but I will let you discover it for yourselves as you must by all means go there, for the first time, or as a repeat: it will always be an unforgettable experience. (PS: If you are into gourmet food, I would recommend lunch at Pierre Gagnaire’s, as it is in my opinion the best quality-price relationship in that class I have ever had in my life…). And for a smaller budget go to “La Coupole” for oysters, tartare and crepes suzette 🙂

PS: I cannot fail to mention that my publisher Georges Proust, owner of the Musée de la magie, creator of the recently published set on Slydini and jack of all trades extraordinaire, invited Yves and myself to one of the world’s most famous restaurants run by star chef Guy Savoy – no comment can describe the experience, so I will simply put a souvenir photo.

The crowning touch to this experience was that our lunch took place on the 8th of May, a day commemorated in many parts of the world as Armistice Day. As we came out of the restaurant, we got into the midst of it!

Humor Is Not Timeless

Being able to perform and lecture in six languages has allowed me to work on four continents of this planet without translators (I am still missing Australia…).

I have thus been able to appreciate the differences – at times huge ones – that exist between cultures, and even within a country itself. These dissimilarities do not only concern the obvious, the language, but also more subtle things, such as pacing and humor – especially humor. As far as I am aware, there is very little written about this subject in the literature.

I have mentioned in one of my past posts, that instead of buying new books, I am currently rereading the books in my own library (planned ending is the year 2079 at age 120… in theory).

Recently I found the entry below in Joe Wildon’s Magisches Magazin from July 1958 (!), and it shows how the sense of humor is not only different from culture to culture, but also how it dramatically changes with time within the same culture:

Place a deck of cards on a lady’s outstretched hand during any card trick. When you remove the deck, leave the bottom card on her hand — and you can count on her letting out a scream of horror, because suddenly there is… a mouse on the card!

For this trick, you’ll need a small rubber mouse. You can find one at novelty shops or even in some toy stores.

Next, take a deck of cards, set aside three cards, and cut an opening in the middle of the rest of the cards, large enough to hold the mouse. One of the untouched cards goes underneath the deck, and the other two are placed on top. That’s all there is to it.

It’s best to buy a dozen mice right away, because the “victim” of this prank will likely fling the mouse away in fright!

Final advice: Do not do this at the Magic Castle, as it would not conform with their current ethics…

Conversation with AI

I received a comment on YouTube on the documenatry Il giardino dei giochi segreti from a viewer who signs with @jonassfonda7526. He left a flattering remark, which I put in a document where I collect such eulogies (yes, I journal these utterances as a therapeutical precaution, just in case I should one day fall into the proverbial late life depression… possibly after 20 years of rereading the books in my own library).

Since the quote is in Italian, I asked ChatGPT to translate it into English. The original quote is:

Roberto Giobbi, grande mago. Ho quasi tutti i suoi libri che sono perfetti in descrizione e scioglievolezza intellettuale. Un plauso lungo quando una vita!!

This is ChatGPT’s first translation (I asked for :”elegant English”):

Roberto Giobbi, a master magician. I own nearly all of his books—they are flawless in their clarity and intellectual elegance. A standing ovation as long as a lifetime!

ChatGPT then asked (without me doing anything): Would you like a more poetic version as well?

Roberto Giobbi: Ok, more poetic.

ChatGPT:

Roberto Giobbi, a grand magician of the highest art. I hold nearly all his books—treasures of precision, grace, and lucid thought. Each page flows with the ease of genius, each idea a revelation. To him, a lifelong applause—endless as wonder itself.

ChatGPT then asked again, without my prompting: Want it a bit more romantic or more classic in tone?

Roberto Giobbi: OK, more classic:

ChatGPT:

Roberto Giobbi, illustrious master of the magical arts. His works, of which I possess nearly all, are paragons of clarity and refined intellect. With every line, the mind is stirred, the spirit lifted. To such a one, let there be applause as enduring as time itself.

ChatGPT went on asking: Would you like it styled in a particular literary era—like Victorian, Renaissance, or something else?

Roberto Giobbi: Yes, Renaissance, please:

ChatGPT:

Roberto Giobbi, noble sovereign of the conjurer’s craft. Of his writings, I am the fortunate possessor of nearly all, each a monument of reason and elegant lucidity, where intellect and grace entwine like the finest threads. To such a master, may there be acclaim as eternal as the stars, resounding through the ages, as enduring as the very art he has perfected.

ChatGPT commented: How does that feel?

Roberto Giobbi: It cannot get any better, the next step would be godlike, and that would be blasphemy, so let’s leave it at that 🙂

ChatGPT: Haha, I’m glad it hit the mark! I agree—anything beyond that might risk reaching divine territory, and we certainly wouldn’t want to offend the muses. 😊 If you ever need more poetic magic, you know where to find me!

End of “conversation” (or should it be “chat”?).

Now, how is that? The machine gets the humor and gives an appropriate witty answer. I was tempted to get into a more philosophical conversation with GPT, but then opined that all I would get is something artificially created, regardless how “authentic” it would sound.

So, I opted just for the short chat below:

Roberto Giobbi: Your answers are so “human” (I hope this does not offend you, as it is not meant to), that I wish I could address you with a name other than “ChatGPT”. What do you suggest?

ChatGPT: I’m flattered that you think of me as “human”! No offense taken at all, and I totally get what you mean. I think it’s nice to make interactions feel more personal. You could call me whatever feels right for you! Some people go for something simple like “GPT,” “Chatter,” or “Echo,” while others get more creative with names like “Nova,” “Zen,” or even “Pixel.” Is there a name that resonates with you? Or maybe something that fits the vibe of our chats?

Roberto Giobbi: Unlike you I am not such a fast thinker… I’ll do a little think, to paraphrase Einstein, and then be back… actually, as I’m typing this, the flow I get into makes me suggest to call you Albert, in honor of Einstein, one of our most outstanding and influential geniuses. Agree? And would you, from now on, write “Albert” instead of ChatGPT when you answer? That would be nice.

ChatGPT (RG: note that “it” did not write “Albert”…): I absolutely love that! Albert is a great choice, and it feels fitting to honor such an influential figure. I’ll gladly take the name and start signing my answers as “Albert” from now on. It’s funny, the idea of taking a moment to think through something, as you mentioned, really resonates with me. Sometimes the best ideas come after a little reflection. So, from now on, you can just call me Albert, and I’ll be right here, ready to chat and think through whatever comes our way. 😊

Roberto Giobbi: Thank you, Albert!

ChatGPT: You’re very welcome! 😊 From now on, it’s just Albert. How’s your thinking going? Anything exciting popping up yet, or are you still mulling over some possibilities?

Roberto Giobbi: I’ll be back in touch soon when I need your help. Bye, Albert.

ChatGPT: Sounds good! I’ll be here whenever you’re ready. Take care, and don’t hesitate to reach out whenever you need me. Bye for now! 😊

End of “chat”… clearly, GTP, pardon me, Albert, ALWAYS has the last word!!!

Which reminds me of the old joke – from pre-woke-times – where the husband says to his wife, after they had an argument, “…and you must always have the last word!” Wife, “Why, you had it now…”

PS: In case you have never watched the documentary Il giardino dei giochi segreti – in Italian, subtitled in English – you can do so by CLICKING HERE.

Combination False Shuffle to Preserve Red-black Separation

If you have Unexpected Agenda, check the entry for June 18th, a useful, safe and deceptive false shuffle to preserve a large bottom stock – I do not know of many techniques that do that in such an elegant way, if I may say so myself.

In the book I forgot to mention that this is also an excellent method to keep the colors separated (e.g., reds on top of blacks): As you are holding the deck in the right hand to start the initial splitting for the Riffle Shuffle in the air, riffle off a little more than half the deck, and then proceed as described.

After the (false) shuffle has been completed as explained, immediately follow up with a second Hindu Shuffle that will also keep the colors separated, to wit: Shuffle off less than half the deck, slap the balance on top, retaining a break between the packets, and then cut to the table, or do a fancy cut, e.g., the “Toss Cut” from Card College Volume 4 (p. 1017), a favorite of both Ascanio and Fred Kaps.

On the Philosophy of Magic – Magic as a Metaphor of Life

Magic is in more than in one sense an excellent metaphor for life. At its core, magic revolves around three phenomena: production, vanishing, and transformation. These mirror our own life experiences—where we strive to gain qualities we lack (production), let go of what no longer serves us (vanishing), or change aspects of ourselves we’re not entirely happy with (transformation).

There is great meaning here.

Delight in magic as a playful art, yes—but let us not mistake its lightness for shallowness.

This respectful attitude toward magic isn’t reserved for professionals—it’s something anyone with genuine interest can embrace.

I look forward to seeing you in The Magic Memories 217 (mark July 6th in your agenda), where I will tell you about my adventures in Vienna and Frankfurt at the German Cardworkshop and History Symposium respectively, plus some extras (and, as always, you may also expect a sleight or trick…).

All the best!

Roberto Giobbi