I got tons of great feedback from my blog post yesterday about self working card magic.

 Lots of people replied and mentioned some really great card tricks that you want to look up :-)

 Please go back and look at the original blog post to see all of the posts that people made. There is some great information there.

Michael M. Breggar  writes a column for the IBM Linking Ring magazine and was nice enough to contribute this great self working card trick that originally appeared in the Linking Ring. Enjoy!

Auto-Magic

By Michael M. Breggar
“Time flies like an arrow. Fruit flies like a banana,” Groucho Marx observed.
This column began one year ago… where did the time go? I’ve received so many nice emails from you, I am truly humbled. So, I am going to celebrate the One Year anniversary of Auto-Magic by giving away one of my favorite effects. I have used it as a closer for years. One normally associates a “closer” effect as one which is the topper of all the other effects. Ironically, Drawn Conclusion is not the ultimate brain-buster by any means. Most magicians will think they can perform the exact same effect a myriad of different ways … that is, until they start to think about what they had just seen. And how the cards are in the spectator’s control through almost the entire effect. And with no sleights yet!
I had been playing around with a few methods to achieve this effect. Most of them involved sleights, but I soon realized I could have the same impact using this non-sleight method (which germinated from card location ideas from Richard Osterlind to similar thinking in several older publications including Hugard’s Encyclopedia of Card Tricks and others). Drawn became the closer I would use after I did some pretty heavy-duty mentalism or card effects. I wanted to end on a humorous, upbeat note. I wasn’t after the ultimate puzzler. My “test” spectators were indeed puzzled, but they also laughed, as the outcome was totally unexpected and really very funny.
“Drawn Conclusion”
The celebrated magician, after performing a few effects, some with cards, picks up the deck once again and gives it a good riffle shuffle or two. “We are going to try something different here. See if you possess some extra-sensory abilities.”
You spread the cards casually face up, addressing your selected assistant. “You don’t see any pattern here, do you? They are pretty well mixed, right?” You now flip the deck face down and ribbon spread them. “Please place your finger on any one card and slide it out of the pack. Be very careful and do this slowly as I do not want you to see the card.”
Your assistant follows your instructions. After the card clears the spread, turn your palms upright as if to show them empty, and then down again as you square the deck. Carefully square the edges all even. Make a show about it as if you are obsessive about neatness! “Since I will not touch the deck again, I like to see that the cards neatly squared! Now, again being careful not to look at the card, place it neatly on top of the deck. And square everything up.”
The volunteer complies.
“Do you have any idea as to what card you selected? Think it was a red card? Black card? High or low card? Well, we are going to try to see if you can transmit the identity of the card you haven’t even seen to me. Place your fingertips on top of the card. Like you were using a Ouija Board.” Again, showing your hands completely empty you demonstrate placing the fingertips on top.

You grab a blank tablet and marking pen and boldly draw a rectangle: the start of a picture of a playing card. “I need you to concentrate hard on the selected card. Let the impulses flow from your fingers to your brain, then to me. And I will draw exactly what those impulses tell me.”
You draw a little, get impulses a little and draw some more. Finally, “Sorry my artwork is a bit crude, but this is what I received. Looks like the King of Clubs.” You show your audience your childish rendering.
“Take a look at the card you selected.” The spectator turns over the top card and sees it is a duplicate of your drawing! A sloppy rendering of the King of Clubs! And all the other cards are normal in every way!

Sticky.
Indeed, no palming, no sleights are needed. Just a little bit of repositional glue and the pacing as if you were really doing telepathy.
The glue is “repositional” glue. It is available in most office supply stores and is similar to the glue used in “Post-It” notes. You’ll also need a blank playing card that matches the backs of a standard deck. Take a marking pen and draw a King of Clubs. Be as crude and silly as you want to be! Let the ink dry, then give the back of the card a good smear with the glue stick along the four edges. Use the white borders as a guide and spread the glue about ¼-inch further. Because the edges are gimmicked, the spectator will be able to handle the card at the end without fear the edges will “curl” or otherwise expose the solution. Let that sit alone for an hour or so, place it on top of the deck and you are ready to go.

If you had previously performed a few card tricks, you’ll need to get the gimmick to the top. You could have the card in your jacket pocket and while finishing your previous effect, nonchalantly remove it and place it on top of the deck. Just remember the back of the card is very tacky. You may want to cover it with a Joker that you’d peel off quickly and leave behind (that is what I do. I have the deck in the card case with the Joker on top of my sticky King. As I remove the cards from the case, I pull the Joker off and toss it face up on the table. I say nothing about it…just begin the effect.)
With the sticky King on top, you could easily perform a few riffle or overhand shuffles while maintaining said King on top of the deck. And no one will notice or suspect the glue on top.
When you spread the cards to show how they are all different, you are also showing your audience that this is a “normal” deck and that the cards are not in any predetermined order. Just be careful not to flash Ol’ Sticky on top!
When the spectator places their card on top, it will adhere nicely to the sticky force card. Still, you take no chances and press the cards together a bit when you demonstrate how to place the fingertips on top of the deck.
Keep the deck nice and square when you square it up. The edges of the sticky card must align with the selected card. If you have any doubts that the cards are fully aligned, you may wish to turn over the top card yourself. I have performed this trick dozens upon dozens of times and never had a problem. And never once did the volunteer suspect they were turning over two cards!

Follow the presentation used above and really play up the mind transference bit. Your audience will have no idea where this ends up, because everyone will be expecting the card turned-over to be the “regular” KoC. Trust me, you’ll get lots of laughs with the applause. Drawn Conclusion is highly satisfying and a joy to perform.

Even after a year, Michael loves hearing from you! Send your thoughts and your Auto-Magic trick ideas to mbreggar@gmail.com