Central Reservation by Luke Jermay
Introduction
Ok& I crumbled under the pressure! I said that I would never explain this effect. Central
Reservation has been a feature of my close up performances for both laymen and Magicians
alike, as well as being used to close a stand up routine, which has played to as many as 200
people at a time. No matter how large the room was, this effect always filled it.
After many requests I am giving you all the information that you will need in order to learn what
I consider to be the strongest, most direct and cleanest effect of its kind. Put in the time needed
to learn this routine and if it serves you half as well as it has me, you will be well rewarded.
Luke Jermay
Effect
The Magician hands a small packet of cards to three separate members of his audience. Each
spectator spreads their cards and merely thinks of one. They then each shuffle their respective
packets, shuffle the packets into one another and replace the cards into the centre of the deck.
The first spectator is asked to name their card. The Magician spells the name of the selection out
loud, dealing one card for each letter. Despite the impossible circumstances, the card on the final
letter is their selection.
To avoid any accusation of tricky dealing, the Magician hands the deck to the second spectator,
who names their selection and spells the name, again, dealing one card for each letter. Once
again the final card of the deal is their mental selection.
To finish, the final spectator is handed the pack and asked to deal, but to spell the name of his
card in his head rather than out loud. Despite the unnamed card being freely mentally selected,
the Magician reveals the name of the thought of card with 100% accuracy and no fishing.
For good measure, the final card also rests in the correct spelling position.
Method
You will need two lots of the following stack and also a few extra cards, so essentially, you can
make up this effect from two regular decks of cards. Both sets of cards are arranged in the
following age-old stack before performing:
10C  AS  9H  QS  4D  QD  2C  10H  5S  3H  KD  7D  6C  2S  KH  8S  JD
 3D
You also require a short card and a crib card, which has the required stack written on it. Both
stacks are arranged in the above order before the performance.
Copyright © 2006 by Alakazam Magic. All Rights reserved.
 The deck is now stacked as follows from the top of the face down deck:
" First set of duplicate cards  arranged as above.
" Indifferent card.
" Short card.
" Eight indifferent cards.
" Second set of duplicates  also arranged as above.
" Six indifferent cards.
" Crib card (Joker).
" Joker.
The crib card also acts a handy reminder of the needed stack, numbers are written beside each of
the final six cards of the stack. These numbers correspond to the number of cards which will be
dealt when the final spectator secretly spells to his or her card, allowing you to successfully
divine the selection with no fishing. For an actual sized crib card, simply print out the one on the
final page of this manuscript, cut it out and stick it to the face of a Joker.
Performance
1. Remove the deck from the case, thumb off the two face cards, being careful not to
expose your crib card and place them face up on the table, square.
Making some remark about not needing the Jokers and take out the pack and false
shuffle without disturbing the entire stack as given above. I also use the ribbon spread
false cut included in this manuscript.
2. Spread the top six cards and hand them to a spectator to shuffle, ask them to take a look
at their cards and think of one. Then to shuffle the cards once again, until they are totally
happy with the shuffle.
3. Repeat step 2 with two more spectators handing six cards from the top of the deck to
each.
4. Have the three separate packets put together to form a small packet of cards and ask a
spectator to shuffle all the cards together until they are totally happy that no control
exists over their mental selections. Really play this up; after all this is a very fair action.
5. Have the spectators place the combined packet of cards on top of the remaining cards,
which are now held in a dealing grip. Cut to the short card; this is done by simply riffling
up the inner end of the deck, until a slight click is felt, this will be the point where the
short card meets the normal card above, and is the correct place to cut the deck.
Complete the cut burying the shuffled cards within the deck.
6. Have the first spectator name their selection and spell, including the word  OF placing
one card for each letter face down onto the table top. On the final  S of spades, clubs,
Copyright © 2006 by Alakazam Magic. All Rights reserved.
hearts or diamonds will rest their selection.
7. Leave the selected card on the tabletop. Pick up the tabled cards and square them with
the deck. Under cover of the surprise obtain a flesh break below the top five cards of the
deck, I simply do this by pinky counting, but simply spreading and counting would be
fine.
8. Double undercut the five cards from the top to the bottom of the deck. Hand the deck to
the second spectator and ask them to spell to their selection taking one card for each
letter of their card again including the word  OF. Ask the spectator to keep the final
card of their deal and turn it over and it will be their selection. This should and will get a
very strong reaction  replace the dealt cards in your hands to the deck. You now instruct
the third spectator in what he must do. Ask him to spell  in his head the name of his
selection, placing one card for each letter. Instruct him to include the word  OF.
9. Under the pretext of illustrating your instructions, deal five cards to the table, ask if he
understands, then simply drop the deck onto the five tabled cards. Hand the deck to the
spectator and ask them to spell to their card as instructed before, only this time not to
name the selection, to deal the cards, spelling in their head and to concentrate on their
selected card. Count the number cards as they are dealt to the table.
10. Pick up the Jokers (actually a Joker and a crib card) apparently just moving them. Take a
quick glance at your crib and see which of the final cards has the number you counted
written beside it. This card will be the selection.
11. For example, if the number of cards were 12, the selection will be the King of Hearts,
similarly if the number dealt were 11 the selection would be the Two of Spades.
12. Reveal their selection and ask them to turn over the final card they dealt to and display
their mentally selected card to finish.
Additional Finale
I have upon occasion, at the outset of the routine, handed out another deck of cards, while going
through my introductory patter of forcing coincidences to happen. I would then present the
effect as normal and to finish, remove the second contrasting deck, spread the cards and reveal
three face-up cards in a face down deck, the perfect matches to the mentally selected cards. I
would simply set up a Brainwave style deck, but only with the required eighteen cards, which
were placed in the centre of the rest of the deck. This allows for a very free handling of the deck.
It would be handled exactly the same as a standard Brainwave deck.
Comments
I feel that the success of this routine lies in the building of the conditions during the initial
procedures, as with for example any  card at any number, which if you think about it, this
basically is. Really play up the fact that the cards are being dealt fairly and constantly try to
mention the fact that they shuffled the cards. In step 10 it should appear as if you have moved
Copyright © 2006 by Alakazam Magic. All Rights reserved.
the Jokers in order to make room on the table for the spectator to deal the cards. Another point is
that in my presentation (during the last dealing phase) is very minimal on patter. I try to build
the attention on the dealing of the cards.
Credits
The actual stack itself was the age old invention of Commander Charles C. Slayton, thanks have
been paid to Peter Duffie, who added some nice handling to the original stack  which inspired
me to take the effect further. Thanks also have to go to my friend Kevin Baker  who helped
during the development of the effect.
The Ribbon Spread False Cut
Ribbon spread the deck on the table  face-up. Square up roughly half of the deck and turn your
hand palm down, this will reverse the squared cards  they will now be on the table in a face
down pile.
Square the remaining card on the table, turn your hand palm down reversing the cards, slap them
on top of the tabled packet  it appears as if you cut the deck, when in fact none of the cards
changed position at all.
The Crib
10C 2C 6C - 10
AS 10H 2S - 11
9H 5S KH - 12
QS 3H 8S - 13
4D KD JD - 14
QD 7D 3D - 15
© Copyright Alakazam Magic UK 2006
All rights reserved
Copyright © 2006 by Alakazam Magic. All Rights reserved.