The Magic Cafe Forums - Abbott's Ten

Hello Mats,

I first saw this in Gordon Miller (editor), The Anthology of Card Magic, (no place: The Abbott Magic Company, 1989), pp. 244, 245. This is a large, comb-bound book which I purchased from Abbotts some twenty years ago. It contains many items from many well-known performers and inventors. As routines go, most everything in this book is weak, but as methods go, there's a wealth of good ideas. And so the book really is a great addition to the library of anyone keen on inventing new and more modern effects.

One trouble with this specific effect, "Abbott's Ten," is the lack of motivation or rationale. The method is decent enough I suppose and fairly well disguised, but it's not clear to me why any participant would care about what the performer is doing. So, were I going to perform this, the first thing I'd do is figure out how to make the power to be demonstrated clear and interesting to the audience. Presumably the power is either clairvoyance or telepathy. I have to be honest, though. I think there are more riveting ways to demonstrate those powers. So, to me, this is more of something an uncle would show a favorite nephew or niece.

Having said that, be sure to see Karl Fulves' "Digit Discovery," Self-Working Mental Magic, (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1979), pp. 18, 19. This employs much the same method, and has essentially the same effect on the audience as far as the power demonstrated. However, what makes it noticeably better is that the participant's card movements are more natural in that she moves cards from the top to the bottom (easier for clumsy participants to handle), and that the final phase is completely different in appearance and hence more surprising. So Fulves seems to have improved upon Abbott's methodology as best he could in a beginner's book.

But as you were asking for opinions, here's mine. Neither the original nor the improved version will find their way into what I perform. There are just too many other more startling, yet easy-to-do, ways of demonstrating psychic powers with cards. I do recommend the Anthology however as a valuable addition to one's library.

Hope that helps a little,

Thomas Henry

Kjellstrom Inner circle Sweden, Scandinavia, Europe 5203 Posts	Posted: May 12, 2014 07:16 am 0 Any opinions about this effect? http://www.abbottmagic.com/Abbotts-Ten-ABBten.htm
RobFromNZ New user New Zealand 99 Posts	Posted: May 12, 2014 11:39 am 1 Buy it in the Anthology (better value). Worth giving it a go, especially in impromptu situations, but I would add a charlier shuffle.
djjkarate New user Always Sunny in Seattle 56 Posts	Posted: May 13, 2014 02:20 am 0 WOW...Abbott's wants 2 dollars for the trick and 6 dollars to ship it !!!! aaaahhh !!!!! Where is "Anthology" ????
Claudio Inner circle Europe 1946 Posts	Posted: May 13, 2014 05:15 pm 1 It's an old classic and has been described in many books.
RobFromNZ New user New Zealand 99 Posts	Posted: May 15, 2014 02:42 am 0 Take a look at Card Anthology - it costs $4 and is downloadable.
GALIER New user Spain 37 Posts	Posted: Oct 2, 2020 10:16 am 0 About this effect, you can watch the episode 207 of Mesmer in pillole here: http://www.mesmer.it/index.php?id=pillole&n=207
Thomas Henry Inner circle Minnesota 1410 Posts	Posted: Oct 3, 2020 05:54 am 1 Hello Mats, I first saw this in Gordon Miller (editor), The Anthology of Card Magic, (no place: The Abbott Magic Company, 1989), pp. 244, 245. This is a large, comb-bound book which I purchased from Abbotts some twenty years ago. It contains many items from many well-known performers and inventors. As routines go, most everything in this book is weak, but as methods go, there's a wealth of good ideas. And so the book really is a great addition to the library of anyone keen on inventing new and more modern effects. One trouble with this specific effect, "Abbott's Ten," is the lack of motivation or rationale. The method is decent enough I suppose and fairly well disguised, but it's not clear to me why any participant would care about what the performer is doing. So, were I going to perform this, the first thing I'd do is figure out how to make the power to be demonstrated clear and interesting to the audience. Presumably the power is either clairvoyance or telepathy. I have to be honest, though. I think there are more riveting ways to demonstrate those powers. So, to me, this is more of something an uncle would show a favorite nephew or niece. Having said that, be sure to see Karl Fulves' "Digit Discovery," Self-Working Mental Magic, (New York: Dover Publications, Inc., 1979), pp. 18, 19. This employs much the same method, and has essentially the same effect on the audience as far as the power demonstrated. However, what makes it noticeably better is that the participant's card movements are more natural in that she moves cards from the top to the bottom (easier for clumsy participants to handle), and that the final phase is completely different in appearance and hence more surprising. So Fulves seems to have improved upon Abbott's methodology as best he could in a beginner's book. But as you were asking for opinions, here's mine. Neither the original nor the improved version will find their way into what I perform. There are just too many other more startling, yet easy-to-do, ways of demonstrating psychic powers with cards. I do recommend the Anthology however as a valuable addition to one's library. Hope that helps a little, Thomas Henry Omne ignotum pro magnifico. Curious who I am? See my quick video bio.
pulpscrypt Special user Within the shadows 582 Posts	Posted: Oct 6, 2020 12:23 pm 0 Thank you for that info Thomas. Above and beyond! Great to know.
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