Sneak by Raphaël Czaja

12 card tricks based on the same principle.

Sneak is a collection of tricks based on an overlooked principle that allows you to find a selected card under impossible conditions. Thanks to the use of one readily available fake card, every trick in the book is technically effortless. This means most of them are self-working while a couple of them require the ability to hold a break or execute a double undercut. Also included for the sake of completeness are impromptu versions (except for New Deck Joker), based on a variation of a well-known card force.

1) GOOD LUCK: A spectator cuts the deck to a card, remembers it and replaces it exactly where it was, without disturbing the order of the deck. Then, the magician removes three cards from the deck and tables them face down in a row. He puts one card aside with the help of the spectator. After two cards have been discarded, the magician is left with the spectator's selection!

2) HUNCH: After a spectator has examined and shuffled the deck, the magician demonstrates how he wants him to choose a card. With their hands under the table, the magician gives the deck to the spectator who proceeds to select a random card. The magician takes the deck back from under the table, and yet, immediately finds the spectator's card.

3) CUT AS I DO: Two decks are introduced. The spectator picks one for the magician and one for himself. The magician and the spectator cut their own deck and remember a card. Then, they exchange the decks and remove their thought-of card from it. The cards are turned face up: They match!

4) NEW DECK JOKER: A deck is displayed in new deck order. A spectator cuts to a card that he hides in his pocket. Then, the magician puts the deck behind his back and inserts a Joker into it. When the deck is spread face up, the Joker appears between two cards, The 4♣ and the 2♣. The spectator takes out the card from his pocket: It is the 3♣! (A version with an actual sealed deck at the start is also explained.)

5) CUTTING TIES: A spectator cuts the deck to a card, remembers its value and replaces it exactly where it was. Then, he uses the value to count to another card, remembers its suit and replaces it exactly where it was. He adds up the value and the suit to create a random card. Yet, the magician goes through the deck and finds the thought-of card. (A non-gimmicked version using a set-up is also explained.)

6) NUMBER CARD: A spectator separates the deck in two equal piles and keeps one in his hand. He lifts up some cards and flips them over the pile. He secretly counts the number of face-up cards and flips them over again. Then, he grabs the other half and counts to his number from the top without reversing the order of the cards. He remembers the card at his number and reassembles the deck as it was. Yet, the magician finds the spectator's card.

7) THE VOICE: A spectator cuts the deck, remembers his card and replaces it exactly where it was. From the top of the deck, one by one, he turns the cards face up and deals them on the table, naming each of them out loud. At one point, the magician (whose back is turned from the start) stops him and explains that by focusing on the sound of his voice, he is able to guess which card he selected. And the magician is always 100% right!

8) STRONGER: A spectator picks a card in a spread deck, remembers it and puts it back into it. A second spectator cuts the deck, remembers his card and replaces it exactly where it was. Surprisingly, the magician announces that one selection is among the top half at an even number and the other selection is among the bottom half at an odd number. So, he deals the deck in two equal piles to have one selection in each pile. After looking into each pile, the magician successfully reveals the chosen cards!

9) PANIC ACAAN: A spectator cuts the deck, remembers his card and replaces it where it was. As the magician is shuffling the deck, he asks a second spectator to replace him and to find the selection. But the spectator fails at it, so the magician performs another trick instead. The second spectator cuts the deck, secretly counts the number of face-up cards and flips them over. Then, the magician asks the spectators to think of their card and their number. He concentrates and cuts the deck. At the end, he reveals the spectator's card and proves it was accurately moved at the spectator's number!

10) TOP PREDICTION: A spectator cuts the deck, remembers his card (let's say the 8♣) and replaces it exactly where it was. He writes the name of the card on a business card and tables it face down. The magician places another business card face down on top of it. Then, the spectator deals the deck in three equal piles and reassembles the deck. Starting from the top, he turns the cards face up one by one and deals them on the table. The magician stops him at the A♦ and turns his business card over to reveal an A♦ written on it, his lucky card. The business card below it and the playing card below the A♦ are turned over: They are both the 8♣! (Another trick based on the same procedure, without any prediction involved, is also explained.)

11) ESPECTATIONS: A spectator cuts a ESP deck (5 sets of 5 symbols of different colors), remembers his card and replaces it exactly where it was. As the spectator concentrates on the color of his card, the magician strips out 5 cards from the deck. Then, the spectator concentrates on the symbol of his card and the magician eliminates 4 cards from his packet. They are revealed to be the blue Circle, Cross, Square and Star. But the spectator thought of a red Circle... The magician turns the remaining card face up: It is the red Circle! (Requires an ESP deck. A normal deck version is also explained.)

12) FLUORESCENT: A spectator cuts the deck, remembers his card and blows on it before replacing it exactly where it was. Then, the magician spreads the deck face down and explains he can find the spectator's card with his sense of smell. As he is sniffing the ribbon, he eliminates all but one card that he is able to name before turning it over: It is the spectator's card! (Requires a marked deck.)

1st edition 2022, PDF 39 pages.
word count: 9759 which is equivalent to 39 standard pages of text