The Daley Reverse

Many methods have been devised for secretly reversing a card in the deck. Some are good, others very bad. The limit amongst the latter class was reached in a contribution to a recent magical journal. To reverse a single card the inventor used two double back cards, one short and almost a full page describing the necessary manipulations. Some people seem to delight in making their maneuvers as complicated as possible whereas the essence of good conjuring is simplicity. The following method, devised by Dr. Joseph Daley, of New York City, is the very best reversal of a single card that I have met with.

All that is necessary is to get the card to be reversed second from the top. Turn the top card over on the pack to show that the chosen card is not there. Take it and the next card, the selected one, by the lower index corner between the right thumb and forefinger, holding them as one card. Keeping the right hand stationary, with the left hand turn the deck over on the two cards to show the bottom card also. The chosen card now lies reversed and the pack being held rather low down, this reversal is completely concealed and unsuspected. In other words you reverse the pack instead of the card. Fig. 20.

If the two cards are taken cleanly, without hesitation, the operation will deceive the most observant onlooker. It is a good plan, in turning the top card, to push the next card a little off the pack and insert the little finger tip under it. In squaring the cards the grip at the lower corner can be taken without fumbling