December 27 - To Justify a Packet
“Packet tricks” have a tradition in the world of magic. When I was a teenager, in the 1970s,
grown-up men went to magic club meetings carrying a purse with a wallet that had many
compartments, each fitted with a “packet trick” of some sort. They would then perform one
trick after the other, each with a different packet. Many of these tricks were terrible, some
good and very few outstanding. The subject warrants a book, so I will limit this entry to
answering the question of how to use a limited number of cards in a logical way.
Thinnest Deck in the World
This is an idea by Jim Steinmeyer (see his “Thinnest Deck in the World”). The packet needed
(“thinnest deck”) is carried in an equally thin card case. With a little bricolage you can
transform any ordinary card case into a “thin” card case.
Waste Card Collection
Explain that you used to throw away the Jokers, but have now found an interesting use for
them. Can also be applied to publicity cards, guarantee cards, rank-of-hands cards, etc.
Magic Club Credential Trick
Have a simple wallet that when opened shows some kind of badge à la police-FBI badge
(Casino, Magic Club, etc.). In the compartment next to it is the card packet. Explain that in
order to verify one’s identity, every magician needs to perform a trick. Now do the trick with
the packet as your “credential.”
Convention Badge
Here is an idea by craftsman extraordinaire Joan Font from Barcelona. The packet is in a
transparent bag, or in a plastic folder, which hangs by a cord around your neck. It can be
carried as an “amulet,” or as a “convention badge,” etc.
The Letter
The packet is in an envelope, maybe together with a letter, which might play a role in the
respective trick. Or maybe the “letter” is an instruction sheet from an old catalogue?
Come up with ten original ideas of how to carry a packet trick and thus justify its use.
December 27
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