Levitate, I played with the side-steal within the Ambitious Card Routine, and it didn't work. HOWEVER, if you modify the sleight a bit, you can replace the card to the top without the need to cover the entire deck, you just take the deck in biddle grip and that's it. People who know about the Side-steal had no idea when could I possibly replace the card to the top, when I used my modified method. I'm not that eager to share the handling, yet. I will tell you, though, that the solution is right under your nose. You'll find it if you play with it long enough.

Yup! You are absolutely correct, Paul.

Hirase

I was thinking about the side steal in an ambitious card routine and found this old thread. Maybe have the spectator shuffle it before replacing palm, but then again that may be too suspicious.

Anyone try using a side steal after pushing the card in? Or is misdirection very difficult here?

Nice job on the upgrade by the way!

The Javelin card my latest control, a card is placed into the center of the pack face up or face down .the the ambitious card instantly appears on top of the pack.
it is a flash production I use my squeeze palm technique, if any one is interested, pm me with your e mail addresds and I will send a demo.
vinny

I guess I have more of the jazz approach to mixing up the phases of my ambitious card routines.

Using a pass initially in the routine is not so bad. It is kind of fun when the spectator thinks something sneaky or quick may have happened toward the beginning of the routine. It pulls them in, and they start burning my hands--
that's where I want them as I move into more and more subtle methods of getting it to move invisibly to the top.

By the way I like both the pop up card and card to mouth (simon lovell) climaxes. I usually do them both at the end in the same routine. The card is already bent in the middle from the pop up, you let it sink in, nice long off beat, and I usually set up for the card to mouth while everyone is looking in my mouth to make sure its empty. People never see it coming. I figure I'm getting that much more out of an already trashed card.

Dan

I use only useful sleights that are needed at the spur of the moment. When I don't need to pass, I don't use it. When I don't need a DL or DT, I don't do it.

I also created an ACR of my own that doesn't require DL's, DT's or passes and I call it Ditchin' Doubles. I've been using it for quite a while and laymen have a good response to it.

I use the pass. I basically use it to prove to them that the card is in the middle of the deck. IE - place it face up in the middle of the pack, spread to that card, turn it back face down, "square up the cards", and carry on with my (developing) routine. =)

I never pass in my ambitious routine, I do use the t.o. pass but that oyher applications. The dl is my staple slight of my routine and a couple of vision controls. I try to keep it simple, I can do a ok pass, but I wouldnt trust it under fire in a routine, I'm just not good enough at it yet

I do both the double lift and the pass. But it all depends on the spectator and how I plan to end the routine.

I use two different steals, Vinny's Top Gun, and one DL. No passes and only one DL.

I've never understood this hammer/fly analogy. I mean, I understand what it's getting at but I don't think it makes that much sense. First of all, if you could kill a fly with one blow of a hammer...that would be a good trick in itself, wouldn't it? But leaving that aside...to me using a pass to move one card, moving the whole deck in other words, that's more like using a flyswatter, which has more surface area than is strictly necessary since only a small part of the flyswatter actually kills the fly and the rest of it just goes along for the ride. Whereas only moving the one card you want to move, with a side steal for example, isn't that more like one swift accurate blow with a hammer, only covering the small part of the table that's right under the fly? Call me crazy.

Be that as it may, I think the pass is great for getting the card up to the top the first time. As others have said.

Hmm, hey guys I think I'm drunk, I better hang up.

I use both DL and the pass. When done correctly the pass is invisible so there is no need to avoid it because the spectator won't be in the least bit suspicious. Also if you use a pass you can clearly show the card in the middle of the deck, you can even have them touch the card before you push it in. I think that this adds a certain level of participation that the spectator would not of had the chance of expiriancing using only DL's. As an excuse for bringing my hands together...I am pushing their card into the deck, therefore your hands will already be together! I am not discounting the use of the DL at all, that is definitly a great technique used, and I would doubt any magician that claims they don't use that in their ACR, but I hope I am justifying the use of the pass in the routine.
SanCho

I use DL and the pass.i also use a move I worked out by playing with the workings of a colour change move.

I use, in this order: card thrown away/appear (manipulation style), Riffle pass, turnover pass, turnover/drop, slide/drop, double lift, rubadub change, rubadub vanish, card from pocket that doesn't exist, pack to pocket, pack vanish and finally tenko change.

This achieves the following:

Card is selected. Card thrown away but appears at tips of fingers. Card put in fan and pack squared. Pack riffled and card is on top. Card put in face up in middle. Pack riffled but doesn't appear on top. Pack turned over to see if on bottom but it isn’t. Pack turned back over and card is found face up on top. Pack split. Card turned over and put in half of pack, travels down arm and appears on top of other half in other hand. Card turned over, shown to still be there, put in middle of pack. Card does not appear on top. Wrong card is rubbed on thigh/table and turns into chosen card. Chosen card is rubbed to turn back into other card but vanishes and is pulled from breast pocket. But no breast pocket exists. Card then pulled from trouser pocket and put into pack. Pack disappears leaving only chosen card. Card placed onto specs hand and is found to be the joker.

If there are any more needlessly complicated and smartalec sleights I could put in please tell me!

Not to resurrect an ancient thread but I would like to mention that I didn't learn my AC routine from anywhere. I heard about this trick where the card keeps coming to the top, at the time I was a "Magician" at Magic Masters. I spent a large amount of time practicing various slights. Passes in many mutations, muscle passes with coins, back palms, etc... I basically just looked at the slights that I knew and started using the ones that could make a card appear at the top. I usually do it on the fly, I have a basic patter, and if the trick is working I keep it going until I vibe that it's time to end. I usually end with something visual, either a visual change of some kind or the pop up card. I always start with a pass as the first control and rarely use it again. If I am using a borrowed deck, I often use a turnover pass because I feel there is less chance for error. If your misdirection is good, you can let the audience member put the card into the deck themselves, pause with the two packets still separated, start into your patter, then casually place the packets together and perform the pass. If you do the turnover, I always say something like the card isn't on the bottom, because that is against it's nature, then do a DL to show it's not on the top either. Then ask the spectator to concentrate or some such and finally produce it at the top for the first time. If you do a "beginner's" DL where you must get a break first, this isn't too good. If you do a sort of push off, that looks natural this sequence makes it seem as if you have done nothing up to this point, and the magic is yet to happen. I think it makes the spectators feel that everything is "fair" so far...Just my $.02, I am sure there are debates on this that never end. I agree that if your pass isn't great it should certainly not be used. If your pass is good, it is a different method of achieving the effect and helps to diversify the methods...