Packet tricks

Packet tricks are card tricks done with a small group of cards either removed from the deck in performance or introduced independently. Many packet tricks require specially printed or prepared cards sold by Magic Dealers.

The rise of the modern packet trick may coincide with the spread of the Buckle Count, and really took off after Dai Vernon popularized the Elmsley Count with his Twisting the Aces routine.

Some of the earliest packet tricks were George Sands' "Super Optical Illusion" (published in Hugard's Magic Monthly December, 1946) and the marketed trick based on it called "Gamble Amble." Another early example was Max Katz's "The M. K. Turning Aces," published in Hugard's Magic Monthly (September, 1957).

Magicians, though, have been performing small packet card magic since Hofzinser's day with such tricks as Six-Card Repeat, Cards to Pocket, and Cards Across. These effects all used some kind of false count or display.

Packet tricks rose to their height of popularity, achieving a kind of "golden age," from the mid 1970s to mid 1980s, with the innovative work of Larry West Phil Goldstein, Nick Trost, and Magic Ronnay, among others. Emerson & West, a company formed by Arthur Emerson and Larry West, spearheaded the movement by specializing in producing packet tricks almost exclusively.

Notable Packet-Trick Plots

• Twisting The Aces, created by Dai Vernon. First introduced in Dai Vernon's Inner Secrets of Card Magic, by Lewis Ganson. The magician shows four face-down Aces. With a simple twist of the cards, one Ace is found to have turned over. When the magician twists the cards again, the face-up Ace turns face down, and another Ace is now face up. This is repeated two more times so in the end, all four Aces have turned face up. Has likely prompted more variations than any other packet trick.

A

• ACER, David Pickpocket (Camirand Academy of Magic)
• ASHER, Lee The Asher Twist (DVD - 2005)

B

• BANNON, John Call of the Wild (Meir Yedid Magic)
• BANNON, John Spin Doctor
• BANNON, John Twisted Sisters (Murphy's Magic Supplies)
• BEAN, Gordon Bikers
• BEAN, Gordon Entourage
• BEAN, Gordon and JENNINGS, Larry The Limited Edition
• BOGUNIA, Sean A Sorted Affair (Elmwood Magic)
• BREWSTER, Kirk Trapped (Mickey Hades Intl)

C

• CALLAN, Jim Soup To Nuts (Emerson & West)
• CHAUDHURI, Tony The Sting
• COLOMBINI, Aldo 4'Wave (Colombini Magic)
• COLOMBINI, Aldo Ace-Embly (Colombini Magic)
• COLOMBINI, Aldo Back Off (Colombini Magic)
• COLOMBINI, Aldo Close Quarters (Colombini Magic)
• COLOMBINI, Aldo Come Together (The Magic Apple)
• COLOMBINI, Aldo Fly Cards
• COLOMBINI, Aldo Mat-rick (Colombini Magic)
• COLOMBINI, Aldo The Jesters (Colombini Magic)
• CORNELIUS, John Marked For Life

D

• Daryl Cardboard Chameleons
• Daryl Presto Printo (Fooler Doolers)
• DINGLE, Derek Wild Fire (New Stars of Magic Vol. 1 #1) (Tannen's Magic)
• DOBSON, Wayne Match (Magic Cavern)
• DUFFIE, Peter A Free Choice (Colombini Magic)
• DUFFIE, Peter Bleached (Colombini Magic)

E

• ELMSLEY, Alex The Four Card Trick (1959)

F

• FRANCIS, Cameron Twists and Turns (Colombini Magic)
• FREED, Gary NFW (Elmwood Magic)
• FROST, Ron Carderfeiter (Meir Yedid Magic)
• FROST, Ron Face the Facts (Meir Yedid Magic)
• FROST, Ron Jack Be Jumbled
• FROST, Ron Seeing Stars (Meir Yedid Magic)

G

• GOLDSTEIN, Phil B'Wave
• GOLDSTEIN, Phil Circus (Hank Lee's Magic Factory)
• GOLDSTEIN, Phil Numero Uno (with Jim Vetter) (Hank Lee's Magic Factory)
• GOLDSTEIN, Phil Pointer (Hank Lee's Magic Factory)
• GOLDSTEIN, Phil Time Out (Hank Lee's Magic Factory)

H

• HALLAS, Paul and Peter Duffie Cloned (Magic Makers Inc.)
• HALLAS, Paul ESPecially Wild (Meir Yedid Magic)
• HALLAS, Paul Hare Raising Hats (Meir Yedid Magic)
• HALLAS, Paul Fortune (Magic Makers Inc.)
• HALLAS, Paul Monster Mash (PH Marketing)
• HALLAS, Paul Not Another Three Card Trick (Magic Makers Inc.)
• HALLAS, Paul Something From Nothing (Magic Makers Inc.)
• HALLAS, Paul The Handy Trick Collection (PH Marketing/ Magic Makers Inc.)
• HALLAS, Paul Vampire Dawn (PH Marketing/Magic Makers Inc.)
• HALLAS, Paul Water To Wine (Magic Makers Inc.)
• HALLAS, Paul Wolf at The Door (Paul Hallas)
• HAMMAN, Bro. John Hamman Eggs (Emerson & West)
• HOLLINS, Ed Flipped Out (Emerson & West)

K

• KANE, Peter Gypsy Curse (Emerson & West)
• KANE, Peter Reflections (Emerson & West)
• KANE, Peter Round Trip (Emerson & West)
• KONDO, Hiroshi Shot in the Dark (Camirand Academy of Magic)

L

• LEWIS, Martin Rabbit Test
• LORRAINE, Sid Blank Surprise

M

• MADDISON, Walt Gems (Emerson & West)
• Magic Ronnay Clone (Mickey Hades Intl)
• Magic Ronnay False Alarm (Mickey Hades Intl)
• Magic Ronnay Lop-Sided Leader (Mickey Hades Intl)
• Magic Ronnay Sympathetic Cards (Emerson & West)
• Magic Ronnay Twisting The Jokers (Mickey Hades Intl)
• MASON, Mark 2wenty1 (JB Magic)
• MUNTON, James Three Card Bunny

O

• ONOSAKA, Ton A Bicycle Built for Five

P

• Pavel Circlation

R

• REYMOND, Patrick Hot Dog: A Diggity Trick (with Nick Trost) (Camirand Academy of Magic)
• RICHARDS, Paul What's Mine is Mine (Elmwood Magic)

S

• SANDERS, Richard 10 (Sanders FX)
• SANKEY, Jay Hijacked (Sankey Magic)
• SANKEY, Jay About Face (Sankey Magic)
• SANKEY, Jay Target Practice (Elmwood Magic)
• SAVIL Three's Company (Simplex)
• SISTI, Jim Jazzy Transposition
• SOLOMON, David Four Flusher (Meir Yedid Magic)

T

• TEMPLE, Jim Color Monte (Emerson & West - 1968)
• TROST, Nick Ace in the Hole
• TROST, Nick Australian Aces
• TROST, Nick Hot Dog
• TROST, Nick Just Horsin' Around
• TROST, Nick Maxi Twisto
• TROST, Nick The Unknown Card

W

• WEST, Larry ADD+IX (Emerson & West)
• WEST, Larry Eight Ball (Emerson & West)
• WEST, Larry Gourmet Mouse (Emerson & West)
• WEST, Larry Sequence (Emerson & West)
• WEST, Larry The (W)hole Thing (Emerson & West)
• WEST, Larry Tra-Fix (Emerson & West)
• WEST, Larry Wild Wild West (Emerson & West)
• WHITE, Bob Rat Traps (Emerson & West)
• WILSON, R. Paul Fan2C
• WOO, George Snake in the Grass (Barry’s Magic Shop)

Y

• YEDID, Meir Mirror Miracle (Meir Yedid Magic) (1981)
• YEDID, Meir Card Marx (with Steven Schneiderman) (Meir Yedid Magic)(1983)
• YEDID, Meir Cardinal Cards (Meir Yedid Magic) (1984)
• YEDID, Meir Twist and Shout (Meir Yedid Magic) (1986)

References and Further reading

• Good Turns - INTRODUCTION by Jon Racherbaumer June 1977
• Packet Tricks (Book) by Jerry Mentzer (1982)
• "A Journey Back in Time" in Small But Deadly (The Packet Trickster's Handbook) by Paul Hallas (2002)
• Counthesaurus by Jon Racherbaumer (2004) (Max Maven information on false counts)
• Still Small Still Deadly by Paul Hallas (2010). Follow up to packet trick book Small But Deadly.