Maybe I should give away more of my booklets because I’ve just had a quick flick through “Cards at Bay” – the booklet which is being given to the winner of the Double Deal Competition and there’s some real gems inside. The first trick in the booklet – “PERDUP” is a great little trick – pack is cut, spectator shuffles their cut off portion and removes any card they like face down. The rest of their cut off section is placed in the card box and the spectator freely inserts their selection somewhere in the other half. When the other half is spread the cards either side of the selection are totaled – say 18. The rest of the pack is removed from the box, counted and found to total 18 cards! Brilliant.
PERDUP
The Double Deal - Card Magic Blog 
Startdate March 2011
Blimey. “Cards At Bay”. Where did you dig up that relic? A real blast from the dastardly past, as the old timers say. I haven’t seen a copy for nearly 30 years. That and its stable mate, “Cards For Sure,” published about the same time.
If I can figure out the answer, I’ll send in my competition entry. It would be nice, sort of, to see it again. Or not.
My own favourite was always “Kings And Witch”. Paul Hallas likes it, too, and has published a couple or three interesting routines using the basics. “Jacks And Witch,” he tends to call them. Same trick, jacks not kings. Interested parties among the non-winners might like to to check out Paul’s books, “Magic From The Overground” and/or “The Table-Hopper’s Source Book,” if you can find it. TTHSB is not as old as “Cards At Bay,” but is probably just as difficult to locate.
Is the “CAB” booklet one of the originals or one of John Blackwood’s reprints? If it’s the original it must be faded and falling to bits. I know the feeling.
Incidentally, I notice you didn’t mention the “minor” set-up that makes “Perdup” slightly less than impromptu.
Spokeshave
Hi Mr Smith,
I must admit your comment took me by surprise. I can’t remember exactly where I got the booklet – think it was from the Magick Lounge in Sheffield. I used to go there every weekend for the day and so amassed quite a collection of little booklets. Russell has an amazing second hand selection with some real gems hidden on those shelves. The copy I have is on green card and dated 1981 – sorry I’m not sure if this is a reprint. I love “Kings and Witch” it’s brilliant- incredibly simple and makes use of a great underused move. My favorite use of this move is in Roy Walton’s “A Straight Shuffle”.
I did leave out the setup – I was going for a more of a dealer description! The setup is surprisingly quick to do and not as much work as you assume when reading it.
Anyway, thanks for the comment.
P.S. Just picked up “Cards on Demand” and am working through it at the moment.
I own Cards at Bay & Cards For Sure….2 great booklets,had them for donkeys.Got them like you Kev from Russells musty old archives.Theres gold in them thar hills!
While were throwing bouqets at Al,”Kace” from Cards on demand,is a great trick I use a lot,check it out.
Hey Adam, I checked out Kace – it’s great. Just the sort of trick I can see you bringing to the shop and fooling me with- I always get stung with gaffed cards, especially when you sneak them in.
Good to hear someone recognising the value of my musty archives. DVDs are great, but there’s nothing like the thrill of discovering some overlooked masterpiece in the pages of a proper book, hardback, softback, comb-bound or stapled!
Come to think of it, that’s where a lot of the material on those shiny disks comes from in the first place!