Lie Detector

Lie Detector is a classic plot in card magic in which a magician can detect the selected card by having the spectator's purposely miscall it.

First suggested by Vincent Dalban in a letter sent to Theodore Annemann on December 5, 1934. Annemann published in Jinx January 1935 (No. 4) as a posed problem. The original plot as proposed by Dalban:

"The member of the audience shuffles the pack of cards and then, while the performer’s back is turned he deals the cards slowly face up onto the table, each time calling aloud the name of each card as dealt. Occasionally, he deals one card and calls the name of another but whenever he does this the performer pulls him up at once. The performer seems to know when the man is telling a lie."

Publications

• Lie Detector in Card College Light by Roberto Giobbi (2006)

Lie Speller

Lie Speller is a variation developed by Martin Gardner in the 1930s in which the spectator answers questions and is allowed to lie or tell the truth as the magician spells out the answer using the cards, the selected card ends up being the last card dealt.

Publications

• Gardner's Card Speller (Martin Gardner): Joe Berg, Here's New Magic (1937, pp. 3-4).
  • Improved Lie Speller (Martin Gardner): Martin Gardner, 12 Tricks With a Borrowed Deck (1940, pp. 22-23).
  • Martin Gardner, Martin Gardner's Table Magic (1998, pp. 26-27).
  • That's The Way They're Done (Jerry Sorensen): J. G. Thompson, My Best (1945, pp. 33-34).

• Spell Me (Henry Christ): The Jinx, No. 30 (March 1937, p. 195).
  • The New Spell Me (Henry Christ): The Jinx, No. 37 (October 1937, pp. 249-250).

• Newspell (Martin Gardner): The Jinx, Winter Extra (1937-1938, p. 272).
  • Max Holden, ed., Annemann's Full Deck of Impromptu Card Tricks (1943, p. 65).

• A Novelty Spelling Mystery (Larsen and Wright): Genii, Bonus Number One (1940).
  • Genii, Vol. 26 No. 9 (May 1962, p. 353).
  • T. Page Wright, Page Wright's Manuscript (1991, pp. 223-224).

• Scarne's Lie Speller (John Scarne and Martin Gardner): John Scarne, Scarne on Card Tricks (1950, pp. 182-184).

• The Lie Detector (Bob Ostin): Bob Ostin, Fingertip Fantasies (1968).

• To Lie or Tell the Truth (Jack Avis): Pallbearers Review, Vol. 3 No. 7 (May 1968, pp. 175, 180).
  • Karl Fulves, More Self-Working Card Tricks (1984, pp. 16-18).
  • The Lie Detector (Nick Trost): The New Tops, Vol. 9 No. 4 (April 1969, pp. 35-36).

• Perfect Speller (Bruce Cervon): Pallbearers Review, Vol. 4 No. 2 (December 1968, pp. 227-229).
  • Bruce Cervon, The Cervon File (1988, pp. 29-34)
  • Tele-Spell (Ken Krenzel): Pallbearers Review, Vol. 4 No. 5 (March 1969, p. 247).
  • The Card Trick That Has No Explanation (Steven Youell): Steven Youell, Weapons of Mass Destruction (2004, pp. 5-9).

• The Inconsistent Liar (Roy Walton): Roy Walton, The Devil's Playthings (1969, pp. 53-55).
  • Roy Walton, The Complete Walton, Vol. 1 (1981, pp. 45-47).

• "Unknown" Speller (Ed Marlo): The Hierophant, No. 2 (Winter 1969, pp. 58-61).
  • Jon Racherbaumer, The Legendary Hierophant (1998, pp. 353-357).

• "Lie Detector" Speller (Simon Aronson): The Hierophant, No. 4 (Summer 1970, pp. 173-175).
  • Jon Racherbaumer, The Legendary Hierophant (1998, pp. 357-360).

• Lie Detector (Larry Jennings): Genii, Vol. 34 No. 9 (May 1970, p. 402).
  • Larry Jennings, Fechter’s Finger Flicking Frolics Lecture Notes (1979, pp. 20-21).
  • Mike Maxwell, The Classic Magic of Larry Jennings (1986, pp. 115-117).

• Automatic Lie Speller (Nick Trost): The New Tops, Vol. 10 Nos. 8-9 (August-September 1970, pp. 52-54).
  • Nick Trost, Subtle Card Magic, Part Two (1976, p. 12).
  • Nick Trost, The Card Magic of Nick Trost (1997, pp. 155-158).
  • M-U-M, Vol. 90 No. 8 (January 2001, pp. 38-39).
  • Jon Racherbaumer, Cardfixes (1990, pp. 169-172).
  • Tony Griffith, Ultimate Reflections (2010).

• Liar's Fortune (Jon Racherbaumer): The Hierophant, Nos. 5-6 (Fall-Spring 1970-71)
  • Jon Racherbaumer, The Legendary Hierophant (1998, pp. 360-361).

• Random Speller (Jack Avis): Epilogue, No. 24 (July 1975, p. 3).

• Would I Lie To You? (J. C. Wagner): J. C. Wagner, A Few More Secrets (1981).
  • Mike Maxwell, The Commercial Magic of J.C. Wagner (1987, pp. 141-142).
  • Revised Lie Detector (Ed Marlo): The Olram File, No. 14 (1993 pp. 5-7).

• The Illogical Lie Detector (Ed Marlo): The New Tops, Vol. 21 No. 5 (May 1981, p. 23).

• Voice Print (Harry Lorayne): Harry Lorayne, Best of Friends (1982, pp. 256-261).

• Programmed Lie Detector (Bob King): Harry Lorayne, Best of Friends (1982, pp. 263-266).

• Tarradiddle (Peter Duffie): Peter Duffie, Quartet (1986).
  • Peter Duffie, Subtle Miracles (2004, pp. 68-74).

• Simplex Lie Speller (J. C. Wagner): Mike Maxwell, The Commercial Magic of J.C. Wagner (1987, pp. 138-140).

• Self Control (Simon Aronson): Simon Aronson, The Aronson Approach (1990, pp. 24-28).

• Simple Lie Detector (Harry Lorayne): Harry Lorayne, Trend Setters (1990, pp. 140-144).

• The Lie Detector (Mike Close): Mike Close, The Workers, Vol. 5 (1991, pp. 7-15).

• Liar's Club (Alex Elmsley): Stephen Minch, The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley, Vol. 1 (1991, pp. 284-287)

• Fault Finding (Peter Duffie): Peter Duffie, Card Selection (1993, p. 28).

• The Best Lie Detector (Marty Kane): Apocalypse, Vol. 16 No. 2 (February 1993, pp. 2173-2174).
  • Quick and Direct (Harry Lorayne): Apocalypse, Vol. 16 No. 3 (March 1993, p. 2187).
  • Untitled variation (Harry Lorayne): Apocalypse, Vol. 18 No. 11 (November 1995, p. 2579).

• The Lie Detector (Ron Bauer): The New Tops, Vol. 33 No. 10 (October 1993, pp. 6-10).
  • John Luka, L. I. N. T. (1997, pp. 1-8).

• Divided We Lie (Peter Duffie): Peter Duffie, Effortless Card Magic (1997, pp. 48-49).
• The Lie Detective (Peter Duffie): Peter Duffie, Effortless Card Magic (1997, pp. 50-51).
• Lie Stebbins (Peter Duffie): Peter Duffie, Effortless Card Magic (1997, pp. 51-53).
• Lie Stebbins Plus! (Peter Duffie): Peter Duffie, Effortless Card Magic (1997, pp. 54-55).

• Spel(l)egant (Harry Lorayne): Apocalypse, Vol. 20 No. 4 (April 1997, pp. 2773-2774).

• Truth-Sayer (Simon Aronson): Simon Aronson, Try the Impossible (2001, pp. 244-251).