LOSING CONTROL

© Copyright, Lee Asher, 2010

All rights reserved. With the exception of short quotations for the purpose of review, no part of this manuscript, text or
photo, may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic, stored in a retrieval system, photocopying, or otherwise,
without the prior written permission of the publisher.

No part of this manuscript may be transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, photocopying, or otherwise, without
prior permission of the publisher.

This manuscript is designed to provide authoritative information with regard to the reversed spread and Losing Control
technique. It is sold with the understanding that neither the author, the publisher, nor anyone involved with this manuscript
is responsible for anyone engaging in dangerous acts with the reversed spread and Losing Control. The author, publisher, or
anyone involved with this manuscript shall not be liable or held accountable for any such consequences.

The Losing Control broadcast rights (includes: internet, television, video, or any other medium known or to be invented) shall
be reserved by Lee Asher. Only written consent from Lee Asher authorizes permission for broadcast.

Asher, Lee. Losing Control

Sleight of hand

Made in the United States of America

Dedication
This is dedicated to everyone who spent years trying to master the beast of beasts - the classic pass.

Lee Asher
(2010)
Table of contents
Dedication

Table Of Contents

Introduction .................................................................................................1

What’s A Reversed Spread?..........................................................................2

History...........................................................................................................3

Losing Control: The Basic Handling.............................................................4

Al Ackerman Addition..................................................................................6

Tabled Version . ............................................................................................7

Vertical Handling..........................................................................................8

Final Notes On The Losing Control..............................................................9

Video Section..............................................................................................11

Credits And Other Interesting Breadcrumbs.............................................12

Thank Yous .................................................................................................13

What To Do Now?.......................................................................................14

About The Author......................................................................................15

Cards Pictured In This Manuscript..............................................................16

Other Asher Pdfs.........................................................................................17

Introduction
The world of card magic has been dominated by right-handed magicians for generations. Why?
It’s simple. 90% of the world has a dominant right hand. Nineteenth-century American playing card
manufacturers took this into account when they positioned the indices on their mass-produced decks.
To this day, the right-handed policy is still in effect. While that’s fine for most people, the 10% of
us left over (no pun intended) are forced to perform with a deck of cards built specifically for right
handers. Whether you are right-handed or not, you use a right handed deck of cards.
Indices are crucial to the way gamblers play cards
and the way magicians invent and perform card
magic. Indice placement dictates how cards are
peeked, fanned, and spread. This has had a direct
impact on the preponderance of right-handed,
sleight-of-hand technique and literature for over
the past 145 years. You might think such an obstacle
would seriously limit the kind of magic a left-handed
magician could perform. Or does it?
Photo 1 Enter the Losing Control: It takes advantage of the
indice placement, and works no matter which hand
you favor. Many experts, both right handed and left,
consider this simple manipulation to be one of the
shrewdest card controls yet discovered.
The Losing Control technique does not rely on packets
transposing under the cover of heavy misdirection or
sweeping hand gestures. The method is also effective,
bold and economical. Therefore, this move will find
favor with card enthusiasts who want to master a slick
and efficient card control, without spending a lifetime
Photo 2 pursuing it.

RESOURCE BOX:
In 1875, the New York Consolidated Card Company
patented Squeezers, a deck that was still being
manufactured until 2009. This deck was aptly
named because a card player could easily tell the
rank and suit in a hand, simply by ‘squeezing’
these cards open slightly so only the indices were
visible (like the playing cards of today). Squeezers
were thought to be the original cards with this
Photo 3 innovation, however, the Saladee’s Patent (a deck
printed by Samuel Hart in 1864) came first.
Photos 1-3 illustrate the performance of
the Losing Control. In the end, the three
of diamonds is on top of the deck.

Losing Control 1
What’s a Reversed Spread?
It’s important to understand the difference between a regular spread, where the cards are fanned
from the left hand to right hand, and a reversed spread, where the cards are fanned from right to
left. If you spread the cards face up on the table in a regular fashion, the indices will be visible from
the outer left corner (photo 4). However, if you spread them in the opposite direction, the indices are
only visible from the inner right corner (photo 5). Hence, the term ‘reversed spread’.

Photo 4 In the Losing Control you will use the normal spread
to display the card, while you use a reversed spread
to control the card. By combining the two spreads in
a highly specific way, you create the optical illusion
that a selection remains in the center of the deck. All
the while, you will have the card precisely under your
control to do with as you please.

RESOURCE BOX:
The reversed spread principle has yet to be fully
explored. Only a handful of card pioneers have
played with its possibilities. Please visit the credit
section on pg 9 for more interesting breadcrumbs
Photo 5
about the reversed spread.

Losing Control 2
History
The basic handling of the Losing Control was conceived in Las Vegas, Nevada during the summer of
1996. One afternoon, my good friend Bill Goodwin came over to talk about magic and share some
sleight of hand. Among the fine items he performed that day, the reversed spread (in a handling
of Dr. Jacob Daley’s “Cavorting Aces”) stood out the most. It astonished me and at the same time,
sparked my creative process. The result was the Losing Control.
Later, after researching the idea further, I discovered that the concept of using a reversed spread to
control a card had already been thought of. It dates back to Piet Forton and Wolff Von Keyserlingk’s
“The Light-reft Spread Pass” in the German book Concertos For Pasteboards, which was published
in 2000. The material in the 2000 English edition originally came from the German texts, Inside
CardMagic (1995) and Inside CardMagic, Volume II (1996). Further research has revealed that Mr.
Forton conceived the idea of using the reversed spread as a control back in the 1960s. He even fooled
Fred Kaps with the idea.
What Mr. Forton and Mr. Keyserlingk published substantially differs from what you will learn in this
manuscript, though without a doubt, the “Light-reft Spread Pass” is the father of the Losing Control.

Losing Control 3
The Losing Control
The Basic Handling
Let’s start. Hold the deck in your left hand in front of
Photo 6
you, and begin to spread the cards from left to right
for a selection. During the execution of this move you
will be raising your hands up to chest level and down
by your side, so for reference purposes, this beginning
point will be known as Starting Position.
Ask the spectator to touch the back of any card. We
will assume they touch a card near the center of the
pack. Separate the spread directly above the selection
so that it is now the top card of the left-hand packet.
Use your left thumb to push the selection over to
the right for about half its width and maintain slight
Photo 7 pressure to keep it in position. Display the face of the
selection at chest level by raising the left-hand cards
as you rotate your wrist toward the audience (photo
6).
While you show the card in your left hand, drop your
right hand down to your side (photo 7) and square
its slightly-spread packet. This squaring action should
be completed by the time the audience registers the
Photo 8 identity of the selection.
In the next sequence, several movements are going to
happen at once. They will be described individually,
but when performed, they must happen in unison.
Once the card is seen, start moving your left hand
down to Starting Position as you rotate the left-hand
cards back toward the floor.
Here’s the tricky part. As you move your left hand
Photo 9 back to the Starting Position, use your left thumb to
drag the selection back square with the deck (photo
8).
As the face of the deck goes parallel to the floor,
bend your first, second, third and fourth fingers
underneath the deck so their first knuckles rest on the
bottom card (photo 9).

Losing Control 4
 By extending your fingers, spread the left-hand
Photo 10 packet rightwards from the bottom. Maintain
downward pressure with your left thumb to hold
the top cards steady. You will also need to maintain
upward pressure with the fingers against the bottom
card of the packet. The cards slide thanks to the
friction created by your knuckles contacting the
bottom card of the packet (photo 10 and 11).
You’re now going to complete the control under the
cover of bringing both of your hands together.
Photo 11
As you reverse-spread the cards in the left hand, bring
the right-hand packet back up to Starting Position.
During this action, use your right thumb to spread the
uppermost group of cards to the left (photo 12). Bring
your hands together to make one big spread (photo
13).
This will feel really strange! Most people have never
spread a deck backwards before. It’s like writing with
the wrong hand, but easier. It will take some getting
used to and with time and a small amount of practice,
this move will become second nature.
Photo 12
The ‘retention of vision’ created by showing the
selection in a vertical fashion, then reverse-spreading
the pack in a horizontal fashion, tricks the eyes and
brain. By slowly bringing the spreads together to
make everything look copacetic you further ensure
the strength of this optical illusion.
The audience believes the card is on the bottom of
the spread in the left hand (which is in the center of
the deck), but in reality, it’s on top.
To finish, square the deck into your dealing hand. You
now have the selection under complete control.

RESOURCE BOX
Your success in executing the Losing Control
depends on the quality of your reversed spread.
The more they look exactly alike, the more
Photo 13
effective your Losing Control is.

Download Video

Losing Control 5
Al Ackerman Addition
Las Vegas card expert Allan Ackerman offers an idea
that further convinces everyone the selection is in the
center of the deck. While you won’t use this in every
situation, you will appreciate its ingenuity.
Perform the Losing Control as already described, up
to the point where you’ve reversed spread your left-
hand packet and are bringing the right-hand packet
back up to the Starting Position.
Photo 14 With your right second, third and fourth fingers,
firmly hold the right-hand packet in against the
base of the thumb as you use your first finger and
thumb to outjog the bottom card of the left-hand
packet (photo 14). Pinch the right side of the bottom
card and pull it forward. The spectator believes this
outjogged card is their selection. In reality, their card
rests on top of the left-hand half.
Now use your right thumb to push the cards to the
left. Continue by bringing the halves together to
make one uniform spread with a single card sticking
Photo 15
out of the middle (photo 15). Finish by squaring the
pack into your dealing hand, then push the outjogged
card flush with the deck. The selected card rests on
top of the deck.
Download Video

Losing Control 6
Tabled Version
Photo 16
To add another dimension to the Losing Control,
perform it as you spread the deck on the table. It
looks so fair, it will convince even the most skeptical
audience member.
Perform the classic Losing Control move as already
described, but with one exception. Execute the
control on the way down to the surface of the table
(photo 16). Meet the halves on the table and continue
spreading. Once the deck is out of your hands, there
should be a casual spread on the table (photo 17).
Finish by letting the spectator close the spread, square
the deck, and hand everything to you. There will be
no doubt the selection is completely lost. But as you
know, it’s sitting on top of the deck.
Photo 17 Of course, you can also combine the tabled Losing
Control with the Ackerman addition. Outjog the
supposed selection as the two spreads come together
Photo 18
- by then, you will be almost to table level. Allow the
spread to rest on the table (photo 18). As before, the
spectator pushes in his card, squares the spread and
gives you the deck.

Download Video

Losing Control 7
Vertical Handling
Photo 19 The Losing Control leaves a powerful picture in the
mind of your audience. However, you can make it even
stronger. Instead of spreading the deck parallel to the
floor, hold the deck upright (vertically) at chest level
so the faces point toward the audience (photo 19).
Start spreading the deck from left to right making sure
everyone sees the faces of the cards via their indices.
Your audience will watch card after card whiz by and
this is the mental picture they will remember.
After you’ve displayed roughly a third of the pack,
ask someone to call stop. The moment they do, quit
Photo 20 spreading and separate the cards directly above the
selection so that it is now the top card of the left-
hand half. Use your left thumb to push the selection
to the right for about half its width and maintain light
pressure to keep the card in position.
While you show the selection in your left hand, drop
your right hand down to your side and square its
packet. (photo 20) This squaring action should be
completed by the time the audience registers the
identity of the selection.
From this moment forward, everything is the same as in
the classic move described earlier.
Download Video Your audience will be convinced the card is buried in
the deck, lost and impossible to find. This is reinforced
by the mental picture you planted by showing the
selection in the middle of the moving spread. Educated
people would bet good money that the selection is in
the center of the deck, but as you’ve always known, it
rests on top.

Losing Control 8
Final notes on the Losing Control
Let’s bridge the gap from reading this manuscript to adopting the Losing Control into your routines.
Below are several thoughts that will help you become proficient with this powerful sleight. If you
aspire to use the Losing Control as one of your main controls, understanding these fine points will
guarantee your success.

No guts, no glory
Now that you understand the mechanics of this technique, don’t forgot how fooled you were the
first time you saw it (or read it). Getting ‘cold feet’ or second guessing the sleight will hamper your
progress. The Losing Control works well in just about any situation you encounter. Have comfort in
knowing thousands of people have been fooled by it.
Your attitude is a key factor in successfully executing the Losing Control. If you’re not 100%
committed when you perform this move, your body language will show it. Keen audience members
will sense something amiss, and that’s bad. In order for that not to happen, you will need absolute
conviction. Keep this in mind when you practice and your hard work will pay off.

Visualize and scrutinize

From athletes to astronauts, successful people use the technique of visualization to expect ideal
outcomes. In short, if you reinforce in your mind that something is going to work, it will. Couple
that powerful concept with a healthy amount of practice, and you will master this move. If you can
foresee executing the Losing Control properly in your mind, then you can get there with your hands.
In your mind’s eye, see yourself reversed spreading the packets with ease and fooling everyone
watching.
Practice with purpose.

Control with your eyes

Knowing how to direct an audience’s attention is crucial to your success as a magician. With most
secret techniques, it’s good practice not to look at your hands at the exact moment the dirty work
happens. The Losing Control is no exception.
The Losing Control is designed to withstand ogling, but for best results, make sure everyone is
engaged with you and not your modus operandi. You want attention on your hands the moment
before the reversed spread happens, i.e. as you display the selection. Then, direct attention away for
a brief moment as you execute the control. The instant you’ve finished, bring the focus back to your
hands. You want the audience to miss the move, yet never feel they were misdirected or deceived in
any way.

Losing Control 9
Ixnay on the Ambitious!
If you’re considering including the Losing Control in an Ambitious Card sequence, please resist the
temptation. While it works and is efficient, you’d only be squandering a beautiful move. Don’t waste
it.
Why, you ask? Subtle uses of the Losing Control are simply more effective. If you camouflage this
control properly, even other magicians will have no idea how you accomplished your effect.
If you insist on applying the Losing Control to an Ambitious Card routine, please make sure to delay
the moments between the execution of the sleight and the revelation of the effect. The more time
that elapses between these two events, the more deceptive the entire ruse.

Losing Control 10
Video section
Here’s a list of links to all the videos found within the Losing Control manuscript. Please click on the
links below to be taken to an area where you can download these accompanying videos.

Video 1 - Performance video

Video 2 - Basic handling

Video 3 - Ackerman handling

Video 4 - Table handling

Video 5 - Vertical handling

Losing Control 11
Credits
and other interesting breadcrumbs about the reversed spread
The use of the reversed spread is quite old. My research shows that the earliest indication it was
used for sleight of hand is the “Charlier Shuffle”, by Charlier. The “Charlier Shuffle” may be found
in New Era Card Tricks (August Roterberg, 1897, p. 46), Expert At The Card Table (S.W. Erdnase, 1902,
p. 165), Magic Without Apparatus (Camille Gaultier, 1914, p. 64), Greater Magic (Hilliard, 1938, p.
171), Expert Card Technique (Jean Hugard and Frederick Braue, 1940, pp. 412-413), and as recent
as Card College Vol. Five (Roberto Giobbi, 1996, p. 1110).

Two-time FISM award-winning Spanish magician Juan B. Bernat, devised a reversed spread idea
used in the context of a key card placement (circa 1940s). He called the principle an “Engano
Optico” (“Optical Deception”). It first was published in 30 Anos Despues (1981, p. 69), then
republished in Juan Tamariz’s book Mnemonica, (Tamariz, 2004, p. 338).
Piet Forton and Wolff Von Keyserlingk published “The Light-reft Spread Pass” in Concertos for
Pasteboards (Oliver Ehrens, 2000, pp. 43-48).
Allan Ackerman published the “Ultimate Gesture Cut” in The Linking Ring (Vol. 82, Number 9,
September 2002, p. 88). In Allan’s ‘One Man Parade’, he explains a way to cut the cards secretly using
the reversed spread. While this move was first published in 2002, Allan worked out this cut in 1976.
The “Losing Control” was first published in the Hand Jobs lecture notes (Lee Asher, 2001), then again
on Losing Control Cd-Rom (Lee Asher, 2004). The reversed spread has become an unintentional,
naturally recurring theme in my work (it can be found in the Asher Twist, Trey Sheik, Pulp Friction,
etc).
David Williamson, Michael Weber and William Goodwin are known to use the reversed spread in
some of their more esoteric card work. Their ideas have yet to be released and published for the
world to enjoy.
Other cardmen like J.K. Hartman, Dr. Sawa, Simon Aronson, Jim Patton, Bruce Cervon, Al Schneider,
Ken Krenzel, and Harry Lorayne have published ideas with the reversed spread. You're urged to seek
out their work.

Losing Control 12
Thank Yous
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who helped make this project come to
fruition.
In no particular order:
Aaron Fisher
William Goodwin
Greg Frewin
Tram
Piet Forton
Allan Ackerman
Jeff Hinchliffe
Kip and Kate Pascal
Steve Johnson
Todd Karr
Stephen Minch
Rafael Benatar
Tom and Judy Dawson
Paul W. Cummings
Christina Galonska
Rose Rings
The Folks
And to all the esteemed members of the LV Magic Mafia.

Losing Control 13
What to do now?
Now that you understand the basic concept of the Losing Control, I urge you to go and practice. The
more you start working on this technique, the sooner you will master it. If you have any questions
about the Losing Control, please email them to me: Lee@LeeAsher.com. Drop me a note any time. I
would also love to hear about your experiences with it.

Losing Control 14
About the author
Lee Asher was born into the art of magic. Lee did not
choose magic; magic chose him.
His father, Mark, encouraged Lee to embrace magic at
the age of seven. This is what helped to shape Lee into
the magician he is today.
In 1991 and 1992, Lee won the International
Brotherhood of Magicians Junior Close-up
Championship, making him the youngest competitor
ever to win two years in a row.
After graduating high school, Lee moved to Las Vegas,
Nevada to study Casino Management at UNLV. There,
Lee spent time with some of the greatest magicians in the United States of America. While earning
a degree, Lee found time to perform and keep his skills sharp. He was also one of the original house
close-up magicians at Caesar's Magical Empire at Caesar's Palace, Las Vegas.
Once Lee finished his degree, he followed his heart to Paris, France. While there, he studied and
shared his magic with some of Europe's finest magical minds. Now back in America, Lee Asher resides
in Eugene, Oregon, where he continues to practice the art of magic.
If you want more information about anything Lee Asher is doing, please visit his official website
http://www.leeasher.com.

Losing Control 15
Cards pictured in this manuscript
The cards pictured on the cover and within the Losing Control manuscript are the Lee Asher 605 signature
series from premier Spanish card manufacturer - Fournier.
Founded by Heraclio Fournier in 1868, the Fournier card company is located in Vitoria, Spain. In 1986, they were
purchased by the US Playing Card company. However, they continue to keep their old-world style of printing
which differentiates them from everyone else in the world.
The main reason why Fournier was chosen to print the 605 series is because of the high standards and rigorous
quality control they bring to the playing card manufacturing process.
Constant innovation, the desire to improve the quality of their playing cards, and the exquisite attention to
detail have made Fournier one of the world's leading card manufacturers.

Superb Quality
Printed on Fournier's best card stock, the 605s are heavier and thicker than USPC's Casino grade cards. Each
deck of the 605 series is free of defects, and is guaranteed to have a precise slide due to the special varnish
formula used.
This varnish is exclusive of Fournier and follows a secret formula only known by two persons at the plant. It is
this varnish which gives Fournier cards their unique feeling and sliding, plus the longer durability that makes
them higher in quality than other cards on the market.

Attention to Detail Like No Other

The attention to detail when printing is so exquisite that Fournier was granted an ISO 9001: 2000 certification
(Lloyd's of London Register Quality Assurance). If the most acclaimed insurance company in the world assures
the quality process - then it must be the king of all decks.
Each deck of cards go through twelve (12) different quality controls along the manufacturing process, including
a final Intelligent Eye printing check and an optical infrared light test to make sure that each deck contains 55
cards. Unlike other manufacturers, all Fournier decks are cut one-by-one in order to guarantee that all cards
(including the edges) have exactly the same size.

Noble Design
Design of the 605 series deck is simply elegant. While the original Fournier 505 back design is beautiful and
classical, it's been modified and put to new use. Once out of pre-production, Fournier's art team dubbed them
the 'Lee Asher 605 series'.

Rich Colors
As for color, they are not black, white, red, or blue. Rather, the
first edition of these luxurious decks come in either a rich vintage
green, or a regal vintage brown. (only a limited quantity available)

Simple Pleasures
Every little nuance has been thought of, making these
cards perfect for those who appreciate the finer things in
life. Without a doubt, you will certainly feel the difference
between the Lee Asher high-end 605 series decks and the ones
mass produced in the United States. Green Brown
Fusing performance with style, these decks are essential tools for
all cardmen.

Losing Control 16
Other downloadable Asher goodies
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Losing Control 17
THUNDERBIRD: the modern ace production
Imagine if you had real magical powers. How would you make four aces
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Picture bringing your hands together, in front of you, and an ace magically
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Losing Control 18