You really should buy Sal's DVDs. They are awesome. I read one time that Sal once won a game of Connect Four in only 3 moves !!!

The 4-5-6 Trick is The Three Piles which can be found in, among other places, Royal Road to Card Magic. I can't remember the inventor's name right now. Anyone that has it handy that can look it up?

/Tomas

Wow! I wish that I had the privlage to watch over the shoulder of a living legend like yourself Harry.

Sal's DVD's are great and he does credit Steve Forte during a lot of the effects.

Is this the one where you put three piles down, make sure each pile "goes to 10" by placing face down cards on each pile ... etc. etc. ... to reveal a prediction that you've previously written and placed face down on the table?

No that is not the effect if inidyls, can not get a great reaction with the 4,5,6 effect then I am sorry but it must be the delivery. Anytime someone asks me to do something for them and a deck is available that is the effect I perform & it always knocks them out, especially the ones who have seen me perform the effect before. The set is great I would recommend it to anyone.

Ian Richards gave me the correct credit for this. Carl W. Jones is the inventor of the trick.

/Tomas

In the interests of full disclosure, here is the information that I sent to Tomas:

It is my understanding that "The Three Pile Trick" originally appeared in "Greater Magic" by John Northern Hilliard. It is credited to the publisher of the book, Carl W. Jones.

"The Three Pile Trick" also appears in Royal Road To Card Magic by Huggard and Braue.

While there are slight differences in the details between all of these "Pile or Packet" tricks, they all use a glimpsed k** card as the method. As such, I do not believe that having 4, 5 or 6 packets is any different than having 3 piles with regard to what the audience perceives.

Ian Richards

I havent seen these dvd's. I have seen a few others of sal's

Just let me say. I saw him at an ohio convention not to long ago and he was killing everyone with effect after effect. I watched him do stuff for at least a good hour to a crowd of people in the lobby of the hotel and not one time did I see anyone not amazed. He also is a great guy. He comes off as this big tough mob type guy, but he hung out all night and didn't care about showing you his stuff. I asked about a few effects and he was more then happy to show me. Great guy, if his dvd's are anything like the material he was busting out then they will be a great buy.

I think it is true to say that the principle behind the 4,5,6 packet trick is well known and old. However, Sals presentation and patter around the effect are the things that make it unique and utterly mystifying for layman. The three packet trick from RRTCM has nothing like the impact of the 4,5,6 packet trick in my opinion even though the principle being used is the similar. The real secret of this effect is Sals unique presentation that leaves the specatator with the strong impresssion that you have found a 'thought of' selected card without ever so much as having looked at or touched the cards. It is currently one of my favorite card effects and I use it as a closer for that killer ending.

Regards,

Paul H

All routines are from Lorrayne, Marlo (Pit Hartling!), Steve Forte...

In spite of this the DVD contains awesome material