Idiosyncratic legerdemain blog.

nonfluff

  • The Transport Peek

    Drew
    Category:

    This is a way to ascertain the identity of a freely chosen playing card. What separates the Transport Peek from other methods is that the selection procedure is done entirely in the participant’s hands, and you do not need to look at the deck before, during, or after the procedure. That’s right. You never look at the deck.

    What’s more is that they pocket their selection. They give you the deck, and you put it away while looking away the whole time.

    I want to talk about the two events that led to the creation of this idea and, ultimately, this post. A couple of years ago, I was performing for my mentor; who was mentioned in the post Rubiked Mentor. 

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  • New Year’s Comments and 2026 Plans

    Editor
    Category:

    Wow, a second post from the Editor in a row, and on a Wednesday! This is just like the first month of the site’s existence!

    Don’t worry, we’ll get back to the magic soon. But I wanted to give you a little extra reassurance first that I really am back in action.

    First off, comments have been turned on globally, under every post. The only reason we had them off was by preference of the old webmaster Smith, and that is of course no longer a relevant preference. So enjoy!

    Some basic ground rules for making comments on the Magic Oval:

    1. Your comment should be relevant to the post, the site, or something else regarding us. That, or a meaningful personal anecdote. Not just some random comment that would “fit” under any post.
    2. Your comment should not self-censor for fear of offense, unless you’re using racial slurs or something. Then maybe censor them. Otherwise, we of course are not of the opinion that anyone should dampen their beliefs in our comment section.
    3. Feel free to use a stage name or your real name or a random one-time name. We don’t care, obviously. We’re all pseudonymous.
    4. An email is required to help avoid spam. It can be any email, and the only downside of putting an email you don’t actually use will be that you’ll miss any possible prizes we send you for an especially good comment. We will never add the email to our subscription list because of a comment. So go ahead, use a throwaway email to write that piece dissecting our greatest post and pointing out the fatal flaw in it. It’ll just save us money on gift cards.
    5. Despite rule 2, we may refrain from publishing any comments that might cause pointless or overwrought debate or arguments with the writers. If so, we will send a cordial email explaining this to the provided address. Other than for this, and for distributing prizes, we will never use the comment form email address.

    Alright, now go wild!

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  • Let’s Move False Shuffles Out of the Grey

    Drew
    Category: ,

    Let’s be real for a second here. False shuffles don’t really work. I’ve always loved false shuffles ever since my first foray into the magical arts. There are two specific shuffles I’ve always loved, the Truffle shuffle & and the Zarrow shuffle. I’ve practiced both continuously for over a decade. Over time though, I realized something that all card magicians realize at one point or another. It’s always better to let the participant shuffle the deck, if you truly want to convince them that it’s in a randomized state. Consequently, false shuffles become this weird moment where you’re halfway committed to convincing them you’re mixing the deck, but you can’t truly go all the way and give them the deck. I usually throw some in before I do my ACAAN (the effect I do the most that requires a stack) because I feel like it can’t hurt. However, I want to move the shuffles from the “it can’t hurt to do” category and move them into a “this is a highly deceptive aspect of the effect” category.

    I feel a little silly putting all that practice into the shuffles, when I arguably should have been practicing/studying deck switching techniques (if convincing the participant of the deck being shuffled was my goal). Yes, it’s less convenient to carry around another deck and choreograph a deck switch than it is to do a false shuffle on the spot. However, I’d rather sacrifice convenience for strength of effect.

    What follows is my attempt to get the most out of our treasured, well practiced, and beloved false shuffle techniques. The idea is essentially asking the participant if they want to shuffle the cards and through some sneaky strategy, increase their chances of replying with a no. What follows are two gambits that accomplish this with significant accuracy.

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  • The Berglas Effect That Got Away

    Drew
    Category: ,

    This is a story of a performance that I will never forget.

    I was nineteen years old, and on a road trip with my at-the-time girlfriend and her family. We were heading to a family reunion of theirs that they hold every 5 years. It was sort of a big deal that she brought me along, it would mean I could meet every single family member. At that point in our relationship, we had been dating for a few years already, so they figured I was serious enough of a boyfriend to come along. In the middle of our 7 hour road trip, we stopped at her cousin’s house to spend the night. When we eventually pulled up, we were greeted warmly by the 5 member family. A husband and wife, with 3 children of all different ages. Despite being a stranger to them, they welcomed me into their home without any hesitation.

    When I got into the house, I could see into the kitchen and the back garden. I was told we were going to have a barbeque outside for dinner. As we were walking through the kitchen talking, I noticed a deck of cards on the windowsill in front of the sink. I tried not to overtly look at it or pay any attention to it. Though I was aware people in her family were told in advance that I did magic, and I knew there was a big expectation for me to perform. As people went outside and started mingling, I snatched the cased deck and pocketed it. I made sure no one saw, and was confident that no one would notice that it was gone.

    Some minutes went by, and I excused myself to the bathroom. I sat on the porcelain throne and began to stack the deck. I knew exactly what I wanted to do with it. I started placing it in my memorized stack. No, I wasn’t actually shitting while doing this. Once I was finished, I left the washroom and planted the stacked deck back atop the windowsill when no one was looking.

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  • Let’s Talk to Invisible People

    Drew
    Category:

    I’ve been practicing Asi Wind’s ACAAN lately. If you’re not aware, you have to do some calculation and then execute a secret shift of the deck. As you can imagine, it can be a tricky thing to do in performance.

    I’ve developed a way (I’m sure I’m not the first, or the only person to do this) to practice this type of routine effectively. The benefit of this type of practice extends well beyond an ACAAN, and is applicable to nailwriting, clocking a deck, and plenty of other things. I think it’ll be of use to you.

    When I first practiced the ACAAN, I would go on Random.org and get a random card & number, then do my thing. I’d just repeat that over and over until I was done after an arbitrary amount of time or repetitions that I’d set for myself (this isn’t the special practice method, keep reading).

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  • In Defense of Lecture Patter

    Franklin
    Category: ,

    Hello from the land of surf and Spam musubi, where you tip the beach boys by day and Shoot Ogawa by night. That’s right, as I write this I’m absorbing the mana of Hawai’i. I’m not sipping a Mai Tai on the beach, unfortunately. I’m in an airport lounge punching keys on my laptop and thinking about magic.

    I came here for an 8-day cruise around the islands, and now that has come to an end. And as much as I would love to chat about the boat’s resident magician, that’s not the experience that stuck with me. Instead, I’m going to talk about trivia. What do you mean going to? Everything you’ve said so far is entirely trivial. Fine! I’ll get to the point. Soon.

    One morning, while docked on Kauai, most of the cruisers got off the boat to go on excursions to places I’ve already been, so I went to the morning trivia game alone. And I mean alone. I was the only one who showed up to play. It was just me and the host from the entertainment staff. We chatted about the life of working on a cruise ship for a while, and when the start time came and no one else walked in, he sat down at the table and said “I guess it can be an out-loud trivia then.” And then he did something strange.

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  • My Cheap Uncle: A Bank Night Presentation

    Drew
    Category:

    Here is my personal presentation for a close-up Bank Night effect, and some thoughts on a more widely applicable version. While my version is specific to a particular occasion, it will be made clear how something very similar can be done at any time of year.

    I’m hanging out with a friend at my place and they notice a bunch of Chinese red envelopes on the table.

    “Oh those? Yeah, it’s something I’m practicing actually. Growing up in Asia, my family took part in giving and receiving red envelopes filled with cash. Being the main youngster at most family gatherings, I was the one doing most of the receiving. The cash flow didn’t stop even after my move to America, as there were some family friends near where we moved that participated in such traditions.

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  • Further Notes on Halal Magic

    Jerry
    Category: ,

    The other day, I received a lovely and insightful email regarding the Halal Magic post from someone who shall be known as T. I wanted to share it, along with some thoughts on truthful patter for ACAANs, sponge balls, and one of the first tricks ever referenced on this blog.

    Great essay. Just wanted to note that Garrett Thomas, Ben Earl, and Derek Delgaudio all also frame their magic similarly.

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    Read more: Further Notes on Halal Magic

  • Phantom at the Magic Festival

    Anne
    Category: ,

    The blog was in full force at Mystify Magic Festival. If we did our job right, nobody realized we were super cool magic bloggers, but we were taking notes. We are immensely thankful to all involved for putting on the event. There were a lot of really important discussions going on, and seeing the turnout made me so incredibly proud of the magic community. There really is a first time for everything!

    Day one launched with a lot of enthusiasm in the air. There were crowds of people meeting up with friends from previous conventions, and once the event was underway we were free to look around the dealer’s hall. Frankly at this point I was most interested in purchasing water. I was certainly reminded we were in the desert and I would have traded my kingdom for a Lota Bowl.

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  • Halal Magic

    Jerry
    Category:

    Tell all the truth but tell it slant —
    Success in Circuit lies

    Emily Dickinson

    This post is inspired by a Muslim magician I once met, who taught me a valuable lesson about halal magic. If you’re not familiar with Islam, just pretend I met George Washington instead. The point is what kind of magic someone like that would perform.

    Shit, now I have to explain that to the worldwide audience. George Washington famously, supposedly, could not tell a lie.

    Shit, now I’ve spoiled the main conceit of this post.

    No half-truths. What I’m here to talk about today is performing magic without lying at all. Halal magic. Not just doing it as a rule, but also the benefits it has as an exercise.

    There are several benefits, of which there may be none immediately apparent.

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    Read more: Halal Magic

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