Migratory
by Werner Miller

Werner Miller is a retired teacher of mathematics, whose hobbies are recreational mathematics and magic. A magical inventor and writer, Werner has produced a prolific volume of work, mostly semi-automatic card tricks and other self-working miracles. He is the author of "E-Z Square 1 & 2", the "Enigmaths" series and several other books and ebooks on mathematical magic, besides more than 300 contributions to various magazines and web sites. You can find his tricks regulary in, e.g., the German magazine "Magische Welt" and the British "Mystery Magazine", as well as here at Visions.

Effect: A red and a black Six are shown and placed face to face, then a double-blank card is inserted between them. A moment later the cards are separeted and shown again: two red spots and two black spots have moved and are now on the former blank card.

Preparation: You need a red 6-spot card (e.g. 6D) and a black 6-spot card (e.g. 6S), each with only 5 spots as illustrated (no left red center spot, no right black center spot); both cards with regular backs. Also required: another special card with 2 red spots and 2 black spots on its face and a blank back. (Fig. 1)

Place the face-up 6S (missing spot on the right) on top of the face-up 6D (missing spot on the left), then drop the blank card on top of both (blank side up).

Handling: Place the 3-card sandwich on your left palm. With your right hand slide off the top card, at the same time the remaining two cards are turned over. Show both sides of the single card to be blank via the Paddle Move (see e.g. Bruce Elliott, "Classis Secrets of Magic", London 1953, p. 50, or Karl Fulves, "Self-Working Paper Magic", Mineola 1985, p. 130), and place the seemingly double-blank card on the table.

Slide the two spot cards apart and show them taking care that your thumbs are covering the missing spots. (Fig. 2)

Give the right card a half turn as indicated by the blue arrow, and slide it face-down under your left thumb, overlapping the red spot card so that the missing red spot is hidden, but the upper left index of the red card is still in view. Turn your hand inward and outward to show front and back of this pair.

Hold the cards horizontally again and slide the blank card between them. Pause for a moment, then square the cards.

Give them three half turns showing all backs. (This subtle way to turn the sandwich secretly over is used e.g. in some Wild Card routines.)

You end up holding the cards still horizontally. Grasp the cards with your left hand in the middle of the left side (palm up, left thumb on top) and with your right hand in the middle of the right side (palm down, right thumb below), and slide the cards apart: The left hand holding the bottom card moves to the left (the thumb covers the single center spot giving the illusion of the 4S), the right hand holding the top card moves to the right turning the card face up (the thumb covers the single center spot giving the illusion of the 4D), and the center card with the missing spots drops down.

Werner Miller