Principle · Novice
The Svengali Principle
Every other card the same, secretly short — instant forces.
Definition
A Svengali pack alternates short force cards with ordinary cards. Riffled one way the pack looks all different; riffled the other it appears to be all the same force card, and any 'free' selection is forced.
Why it fools people
The short force cards control where the pack breaks. A spectator who stops you at any point lands on a force card, yet a casual fan shows a normal, varied pack.
What it lets you do
- Effortless forces
- 'All-alike' revelations
- Rising-card and find-the-card effects
Beginner drills
Two riffles
Learn the slow riffle (shows all different) and the fast riffle (shows all the force card). Switch between them smoothly.
Success: You can show the pack as ordinary, then as all-alike, on demand.
Common mistakes
- Riffling too fast when you mean to show variety.
- Letting a spectator handle and discover the pack.
Tricks that use The Svengali Principle
The Wrapped Pack
Audiences see what looks like an ordinary, thoroughly mixed deck, every card clearly different as it riffles past.
Various Methods Of Handling
Audiences watch you shuffle and riffle a deck that plainly shows every card different, then freely choose a card by stopping you or inserting a knife.
Simple Effects
A set of beginner-friendly routines for the special deck, from mind-reading a chosen card to a free 'Stop' location.
Switching Packs
After a string of impossible-looking effects, the deck is handed out for free examination and found to be perfectly ordinary, leaving no trace of how anything was done.
The Three Heaps
A chosen card vanishes from one pile and chases across three heaps before finally turning up on top of the deck.
Cutting The Pack With A Knife
A knife is pushed blindly into a riffled deck, and the card it stops at proves to be the very one chosen.
The Wrapped Pack
A chosen card is sealed inside a paper-wrapped deck, yet a knife stabbed through the wrapper finds it instantly.
Any Heap
A spectator freely picks one of several heaps, and their chosen card is found sitting beneath a coin on top of it.
Reversed Card
A chosen card vanishes from the deck, then suddenly reappears turned face-up among all the face-down cards.