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LETTER PENFECT
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ErrEcr: A spectator mixes alphabet cards face up and face down. When he's done, the
face-down cards spell his name!
This trick utilizes a brilliant Bob Hummer principle, originally performed with playing
cards. I've contributed a practical way to get into and out of the effect.
NErpEp: An alphabet deck or alphabet flash cards.
TgE PnINcIpLE: Hummer's Face LIp Face Dorttn Mysteries, though undated, was likely
published in the 1940s. Since that time, many handlings of the principle have seen print.
None, to my knowledge, have endeavored to explain how and why it works. To under-
stand how to set up the following trick, however, you must first understand the principle:
Take any ten cards from a deck (any even number of cards works). Alternate the cards
face up and face down. Now push over a pair and deal it to the table. Push over another
pair, turn it over, and deal it onto the first. Push over the next pair. Turn it over or don't,
whatever you wish. Place it onto the tabled packet. Do you see how it really makes no
difference whether the pairs are turned over or not? The face up-face down condition of
the cards remains unchanged. Take the final four cards, turn them over or not, and place
them onto the packet (a11ten cards have now been dealt). Pick up the packet and deal it
into two piles. Turn either of the piles over and push the packets together. All the cards
now face one direction.
It seems very simple, doesn't it? Now take the logic one step further. If alternated cards
end up facing the same direction after performing the procedure described, it follows that
nny cards thnt break the face try-fnce dozon alternation ruill face in n different direction nt the
conclusion of the procedure.
Therefore, by pre-setting cards face up and face down, then intentionally breaking the
pattern with particular cards, you control which cards wiil face in an opposite direction at
the conclusion of the procedure.
The following routine is personalized to the spectator, and under the right circumstances,
it is tremendously strong.
Surup: You must know in advance the name you are forcing. Let's say the name is Tony.
Remove fourteen cards from the alphabet deck. Included in the letters must be T, O, N,
and Y. The other letters should be an assorted selection. Shuffie the packet and alternate
the cards so that from the top they run face down-face up (the top card being face down).
Make sure that none of the letters you wish to force is in the top pair. Now go through the
packet and change the up-down configuration of the four cards you are forcing, the I O,
N, and Y. In other words, if the T is currently face down,leave it where it is in the spread
but turn it face up. If the O is currently face up, leave it where it is but turn it face down.
Continue with the other force cards, then place the squared packet onto the deck.
 Case the deck or just place a rubber band around the cards.
To PERroRvr:
Step 1) Remove the alphabet cards face up (the stack now at the rear). I use
an alphabet
deck with Aviator backs, making the following patter apropos:
Do yotL knozu tuhot these-are? They't'e sTtecinl cnrcls nmde justfor kitls--so yot*tg
cltildren cnrt
leorn to gnntble. Take n feru of tlrcm. Lct's try sontething
firn nnd educatiortil. Tnke sortte trtore . I
unnt yott to hazte n rulde btLnch of letters. Do yotL haue enotLgh?
step 2) Hand the spectator several cards, then let him take more. you just can't dip into
your stack. Table the rest of the face-up deck nearby.
Okn11, shffie the letters. Noto cttt thent into truo piles. Trtrn one o.f the
piles fnce tLp nnLl shtfJle tlrc
cords into each other, so thnt sonrc cnrds arefnce tLp oud sorne nre'face dorun'.
Nice job.
You want to end up with a facc up-face down mass of letters. Spread the
cards to display
them and look the spread over. You must locate a specific g.orp of three in the
,p."uj, ,'
face-up card surrounded by two face-down ones. iut the
fucLlt, bringing the group of
three to the top.
The irrterestirtg thing nbotLt this
little experinrcnt is tlnt I tlo nothing-euerytling is ttp to t1ou.
Step 3) Square the-packet and drop it onto the tabled deck. Then pick up the
deck and
hold it in left-hand dealing position. Push off the top pair into your right hand and call
attention to the letters exposed on each side.
We haae o B here, and on tlrc other side we haue n W. ShotLld I plnce tltese otio the tnble like tlis,
ruitlt tlrc B sltoruing-or slntLltl I turn thetr ouer?

As the spectator considers this odd requcst and

the right hand shows both sides of the pair,
casually turn your left hand palm dowrr and
readjust its grip on the deck as in Fig. 1. you,ve
just revers"J tn" deck under cover o'f *irdi.".-
tion. Deal the pair as irrstructed by thc spectator.
Step 4) Hand the spectator the deck. Tell him to
do as you did: push off a pair, leave it as it is or
turn it over, then place it onto the first pair. you
mentally count tl-re pairs as they go down-l-re
must deal fourteen cards from the stacked side
of the deck (making a total of sixteen cards on the table, due to the first tabled
pair). As he
tleals, you can allow him to push or.er fonr cards instead of two. Of course,
any even
tlttmber of cards will work. I usually have him deal three sets of two, then two
sets of
tour, totaling fourteen. This way I don't have to count. It's imperative that you
point out
the various exposed letters as he performs these actions.
L]ttlc, n V...Olr, t1ott'ra tttrning it ooar, so rua hnrtc nn l. Gootl cnll. ['d
ltooa rlonc tlrc snnrc.
I ttet'er draw attention to the letters of his name, should they appear. When
the spectator
is done, take the de.ck from him and place it aside.

t8e
 Step 5) l'd^like yott to deal yottr csrcls ittto
plarlnmte' okat1, noru -trL,o
ltilcs,like you're plnying ctlrds zuitlt nn inrisible
select one of thoie nuo
Lrites. Got it? Tr,,i, ,ou ttte pile yoLt,re
tltinking of and sntush]nentilly
both piles together!
As the spectator performs these actions you willbe
able to see if the four force cards are
now face up in the pile or face down.
step 6) This step is the clean-up, ancl it,s performed
prior to the climax.
Do tlotL remember hortt ue stnrted this little project?
You shtffled sonrc
letters. face-tL1s letters irtto some
fnce-dorun
you are saying this, take all the remaining cards
fs
them to your right.
and, with your right hand, cut half of
Make sure the half you J.rt off hu, u face-dtwn
and the remaining left-hand half has a iace-down .r?d or-, the bottom,
card on-tog, Hif tr-,".ight-hand pile
over and riffle shuffle it into the left-hand
pile. Keep the shuifle tgni. x"* ribbon spread
the deck in front of you' There will be an assortm"it
of face-up and face-down cards.
step 7) L//Lt ruen.t on a
facetLp-foc.e-dorun rantpoge, ncting on l/otLr utiklest zuhi,ts! The
revilt of-Then
tlour seeningly irtsrtne act'iois is rtortt ort th'e
fab:le irtyront of yotL. Look,fotrr carcls
nre
facing in n differertt rliiection.
Spread the spectator,s cards, cleanly remove
the
four (in this case) reversed force caids, and hold
them fanned toward yourself. Thble the rest
of
the packet in a face-down spread.
All I c-an say is thnt ryotL nntst be n genirLs_becnuse
otrt of thnt chnos of lctters rlott
fotrri,l n fezu that are
,tary irtrportnttf!
Deal the cards from your hand onto the table
so
that they spell TONy from the spectator,s per_
spective (Fig.2).

+
Naturally' a company's name or brand can be forced-as
can any word at all, should you
want to add a mentar slant to the effect and predict
the outcome.

-r{|il$',

My Besr FnreND
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some excellent close-up workers have published

routines using the chop Cup. yet it
seems some still 100k down on this prqp,
even though, when p.op".ry ,ied, rt can
the sensation of magic in a Cups ur",i guitr add to
.""ri"". rity feeling is this: In a plot in which
balls are supposed. to ,ppeu. ur-ta airuppear
under ..rpr, the use of a prop that ailows
balls to appear and vaniih at will is, wiihout
doubt, # asset.

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