“Gambler’s Kings To Magician’s Pockets” tells the tale of a gambler who shows off his prowess by secretly stealing the four kings from the deck. Not to be outdone, the magician causes the kings to change into the four aces. And when the gambler challenges the magician to find the kings again, the magi produces them from four different pockets.
In “Flawed Transposition,” the magician demonstrates a new trick with a “flaw.” The four kings are placed on the table while the magician holds the four aces. One at a time, the kings change places with the aces until the magician is holding the four kings. Reminding the audience about the trick’s flaw, the tabled packet is shown to also consist of four kings as the magician announces the trick’s weakness—“It takes eight kings to do the trick.”
The book offers two versions of “Oil And Water”-the classic effect where the magician separates black and red cards that have been mixed together, one where all the cards turn into black cards at the end.
“The Hip Pocket Prediction” has a spectator select a card to act as a prediction. Another card is selected, noted and replaced into the deck. The prediction card is then revealed and shown to accurately locate the selected card. There are two good Triumph effects, one is fairly conventional while the other one, “New Outstanding Triumph,” can be performed standing up and without a table.
In the namesake “Up In Smoke,” four cards of-a kind are removed from the deck and after the magician blows a puff of smoke, the cards vanish and are produced from four different pockets. This effect is a virtual lesson in misdirection, but on the downside, involves smoking.
The two previously unpublished Jennings effects include “Slow Motion Card To Number” and “Three On A Match.” Goodwin selected the two routines from Jennings’ notes. In “Slow Motion Card To Number,” the magician causes a spectator’s selection to appear at a chosen number in slow motion, making it vanish from the deck and then causing it to reappear at the proper location.
In “Three On a Match,” a spectator mixes the deck and somehow locates a pair of red sevens and all four kings. This effect offers an excellent segueway to any four kings trick and may be adapted to other cards for the same purpose.
-Wayne N. Kawamoto
For more information about "Up in Smoke," please click here .
