MARLO S ROUGHED STRIPPER DECK
Marlo began experimenting with gaffed decks in the Forties. He sought to combine old ideas and
principles to create trick decks that supplied more power to increase the number of applications to
expert cardwork.
Requirements: A stripper deck and roughing fluid.
Preparation: Apply roughing fluid to the faces of a Stripper deck.
ROUGH-AND-READY TRIUMPH
As you introduce and handle the cards, rotate the top half (on a horizontal axis) to put the narrow
ends to the front. The lower half has its wide ends to the back. This is a Strip-Out Condition.
Ribbon-spread the deck face down, then scoop up the cards. Hold the deck in position for an in-the-
hands Faro Shuffle. Separate the halves, using your right thumb near the wider, lower end to easily
lift the section. Release one card, then turn and replace the top section or simply flip the top half
sideways and face-up.
Spread or fan the cards to show the face-up/face-down condition. Square up and weave the face-up
portion into the face-down portion via a Faro Shuffle. This is a Straddle Faro into the larger, face-
down section. Therefore, after the shuffle the top and bottom cards are face down.
Make a magical gesture and fairly spread the cards to apparently show them face down. The faced
pairs will cling together as doubles; hence the twenty-five face-up cards don't show. Perform as casual
spread between your hands or execute a quick fan, fingertip or one-hand type. Don't ribbon-spread
them on the table. The spread will look "short."
Table and position the deck for a Riffle Shuffle. Say, "I'll do that again!" Perform an easy Strip-Out of
the face-up cards; however, simultaneously Slip Cut the top face-down card. Therefore, the stripped
section to the right consists of face-up cards covered by a face-down card.
Turn and spread the remaining section with your left hand. Say, "As before, these face-up cards are
shuffled into these face-down cards. This time, I'll shuffle on the table." Square the left section and
perform a Closed Riffle Shuffle, retaining the face-down card on top.
Leave the deck tabled and cleanly take and turn the top, face-down card as you say, "By turning this
card face-up, all the rest turn in sympathy!" Replace the top card and immediately ribbon-spread the
deck. All the cards are face-up.
R. S. PEEK DECK
Preparation: Arrange a shuffled Roughed Stripper by pairing pseudo-mates in the following manner.
Hold the deck face-up and deal the first card to the table. Suppose it's the QS. Locate the QC and deal
it face down and injogged onto the face-up QS. Deal the next card face-up and aligned with the face-
up QS. Suppose it's the 5H. Locate the 5D and deal it face down and aligned with the QC. Continue in
this manner until you have twenty-six jogged pairs. Strip out the twenty-six face-up, injogged cards,
turn them face down, and place them underneath the other twenty-six cards. The deck is now set in
Stay-Stack. Place it into its case.
Before the gaffed version is explained, here is an impromptu Peek Deck.
IMPROMPTU MIRROR-PEEK DECK
The cards are preset in the same way.
Remove the deck and perform a number of Faro Shuffles to apparently mix the cards. The Stay-Stack
remains. Position the deck for an in-the-hands Faro Shuffle.
Split at 26-26 and obtain a break between the sections. Pick up an extra card at the back end with
your right thumb, and then perform a Half Pass to reverse the lower section. Retain a left pinky break
between the sections.
This time release a card from the top section and retain a break. Undercut the lower half with your
right hand and perform an OUT Faro Shuffle. This leaves a face-down card at the bottom of the deck.
Slowly push the interwoven sections together until they're almost flush. Leave a minute jogged
condition about the width of a card's white border. Maneuver the jogged cards to a diagonal jog (to
the right). Squeeze the upper and lower left corners between your right thumb and forefinger.
While holding the deck in a right-hand Biddle Grip, squeeze the upper sides of the deck between your
left thumb and second finger. Perform an All-Around Square and gently position the deck into your left
hand.
Slightly bevel the deck to hide the angle-jogged condition. You have made an impromptu Svengali
Deck of short cards. Slide the deck to a Fingertip Peek position and riffle the upper right corner with
your right forefinger. Ask the spectator to say "stop."
As you gently riffle and release cards, they fall off your forefinger in pairs. You will see the face-up
cards of the back-to-back pairs. When you're stopped and maintain a separation, the spectator will
look at the face of the top section. You will see the pseudo-mate of his selection since it's the top
face-up card of the lower section. In other words, you have a mirror-peek deck. Suppose you're
stopped at the 7S. You will see the 7C. Now you instantly know the name of the peeked selection.
Armed with this knowledge, you may proceed with your favorite psychic feat.
GAFFED MIRROR-PEEK DECK
The drawback to the impromptu version is that you are left with face-up cards in the deck. The
Roughed Stripper deck easily remedies the problem.
Preset the deck as already explained and make certain the Stripper cards are uniformly set. Case the
deck.
Method: Introduce the cards and perform several Faro Shuffles. The Stay-Stay is retained. Cut at 26
and perform a Riffle Shuffle. In the process, turn the top section end-for-end. This puts the cards into
Strip-Out Condition.
Square up and perform a straight cut, stripping out the section just shuffled into the left-hand section.
Place the stripped-out section on top. Pick up the deck and do some All Around Squares, stopping
when the wide end of the top section is at the front.
With the halves thus set, obtain a break under the top twenty-seven cards. Perform a Half Pass or
secret reversal of the lower portion. Undercut the bottom twenty-six cards with your right hand.
Perform an in-the-hands OUT Faro Shuffle and square up. The construction of the Stripper Deck
automatically puts the cards into a secret-jogged condition. You are set to follow the procedure just
explained for a regular deck. Have a card peeked, then square up. Casually spread the cards face-
down between your hands as you say, "You could have stopped me on any of these cards..."
When you want to right the face-up cards, simply reverse the action procedure. Square the deck and
perform an end-for-end square up. Strip out the cards in a simulated cut and retain a break between
the sections. Lift a card with your right thumb, and then perform a Half Pass on the lower twenty-five
cards.
R.S. MENTAL REVERSE
This wonderful use of the Roughed Stripper permits an effect like Ultra Mental or Brain-Wave and
leaves no clues.
Set-Up: On top of your Roughed Stripper arrange ten cards in a memorized order such as Eight-King;
however, place it in reverse order. If you use the Eight-King system, the tenth card is the Eight. Turn
these ten cards end-for-end so they're ready to be stripped. The wide ends are at the front end. Turn
the bottom card of the deck so that its wide end is at the outer end.
Method: Remove the set deck from its case and perform a couple of Off Center Faro Shuffles,
retaining the top and bottom sections.
Push over the top ten cards with the faces toward the spectator (as in Streamlined Discernment) and
ask the spectator to think of one. Replace these ten cards and retain a left pinky break below them.
Double Cut the top ten cards to the bottom of the deck, but retain a momentary break above them.
Secretly reverse these ten cards in situ, turning them face-up.
Cut a dozen cards from top to bottom, then split the deck for an in-the-hands Faro Shuffle. Only the
ten reversed cards need to be perfectly interwoven.
Spread the cards face down between your hands until you feel the first roughed pair. Look at the
spectator and ask, "Which card did you think of?" Once he names it, you know which roughed pair to
split. For example, if he thought of the Three (the third card in the set-up), gently split the third
roughed pair when you come to it.
Upjog the face-up selection and show that the rest of the deck consists of face-down cards. Remove
the selection and place it face down on top of the deck. Turn it endwise and square up.
Strip out the "strip" cards. This eleven-card packet will consist of nine face-up cards covered by a
face-down card. Let this packet drop into your left hand as your right hand puts the remainder of the
deck on top.
Retain a break above these cards and secretly lift the face-down card so that it joins the deck. Half-
Pass or reverse the face-up cards and you're clean.
ROUGHER VERSION
This simulates the same effect with regular cards.
Set-Up: Set ten memorized cards on top of the deck in reverse order. Crimp the eleventh card or
mark it in some identifiable way.
Method: Introduce the deck and shuffle the cards, but retain the top stock. Show the top ten cards
one at a time and ask the spectator to think of one.
Replace these ten cards on top, then in an Overhand Shuffle run eleven cards one at a time and
shuffle off. Perform another Overhand Shuffle, shuffling haphazardly about half the deck, then throw
the rest on top.
These shuffles maneuver the ten known cards below the crimped or marked card. The Reverse Run
put the set-up in its correct order and it's near the center of the deck.
Spread the cards face down between your hands until you reach the marked card. Stop and ask,
"Which card did you think of?" Without seeming to pay much attention, quickly thumb over to the
named selection. Close the spread at that point, getting a left pinky break under the selection.
Look at the spectator and in a surprised voice, ask: "What's the name of your card again?" Repeat the
name of the card and ask, "You didn't change your mind at the last minute, did you?"
As you utter these patter lines, perform Marlo's Center Reverse. Now the mental selection is face-up
in the center of the deck. Ribbon-spread the deck if a table is present. Otherwise spread the cards
face down between your hands. When the face-up selection appears, add: "I'm glad you didn't
change your mind!"
If you use a complete memorized deck you can have the spectator think of any card. Once the named
card is quickly located and centralized, perform the Center Reverse and you're finished.
NOTE ON GRANT'S CHEEK TO CHEEK
This is a terrific effect with only one drawback: it cannot be repeated without leaving the room. By
applying the Stripper Deck idea, the effect can be immediately repeated. This is a good example of a
delayed Strip Out action. The effect is over and the audience relaxes. The clumsiest card handler can
easily strip out the required stock at this time.