The Svengali Deck Routine #1

The Svengali deck of cards is a specially constructed deck that can be used by magicians to perform various card tricks. The deck and the tricks performed with it are self-working and require almost no skill. Burling Hull claimed to have invented the deck in 1909. The deck can be dribbled or riffled to create the illusion that the deck is completely ordinary. It can even be shuffled. One basic trick involves a spectator choosing a card from the deck and returning it; the card can appear practically anywhere in the deck, making tricks like the Ambitious card incredibly simple. The final and most stunning trick is when all the cards are suddenly presented as being all the same card as chosen. Joe Stuthard’s Trilby and Bi-Co Trilby Decks are variations on this deck. In the 1960s and 1970s, Marshall Brodien sold 17 million Svengali decks under the name TV Magic Cards. The deck works on simple slight of hand. However, the conjurer cannot allow an audience member to examine the deck. The use of a Svengali deck can also be detected by its characteristic metalic sound. Finally, because the deck is so venerable and is widely sold in joke and novelty shops, many laymen are familiar with it.
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