8 Effects and a Sleight by Michael Kociolek

All routines in this book are card effects and can be performed with a regular deck of cards. Only for one effect will you need an additional regular card. Five effects are totally impromptu and can be performed with a borrowed pack of cards.

“The name Michal Kociolek may be an unfamiliar one to you but I have been aware of Michal’s work for some time now and have been impressed with the clever and direct approach that he applies to his card magic. This book contains eight fully developed routines in which Michal takes some classic plots and principles and expands the possibilities. There is also a neat handling for the Multiple Shift. And the text is enhanced by the inclusion of some twenty excellent line drawings which make this book a most enjoyable reading and learning experience.” – Peter Duffie “A promising collection of thinking card work from a fellow cardshark. His shift center deal demo and Si Stebbins routine are particular standouts.” – Tony Cabral

“Well written and full of solid creative material. I found Michal Kociolek’s illustrative style to be clean contemporary and elegant.” – Tom Gagnon

“This is an outstanding book. I read the proof on a plane ride recently and couldn’t keep my eyes off until the last page. Great plots and twists well written and a cool design vibe. Loved it!” – John Guastaferro

The book covers the following routines and one sleight:

1. You Know Better – From a shuffled deck each of three spectators is given a card. Using their intuition they place their cards randomly into different parts of the deck. In a remarkable way all of them manage to find the mates to their cards and they get all the credit for achieving the “impossible”.

2. Off-Centers – A slightly advanced but incredibly deceptive center dealing demonstration. This one will take you some practice but you can be sure that it will be worth it.

3. Du-et – Another example of an effect where not you but the two spectators do the remarkable locating their lost selections in a pleasingly improbable way without you even touching the deck.

4. Bold Collection – An unusual take on Roy Walton’s classic “The Collectors” effect. The four kings are displayed very openly both front and back then magically three chosen cards appear one at a time face down between the four face-up kings which never came near the deck.

5. Plan B – Using your “reading” people skills you will apparently locate three spectators’ selections based on their “tells”. When you’ll realize that you somehow failed to do that in an impossible way you will use your magic skills to get out of trouble.

6. In Between – A slightly revamped version of Michal’s first ever marketed effect where a card that’s only in the spectator’s mind appears sandwiched between two lost selections that were used to create that thought of card.

7. In Oil Under Water – A two-phase oil & water routine using only 8 cards where the mixing and separation of the red and black cards happens in and under the spectator’s hands.

8. Colors – A great hands-off prediction where you know the exact outcome of a truly random game as well as the card that the spectator chose in an incredibly fair way.

9. MK Simple Shift Variation – A technical variation of Edward Marlo’s classic “Simple Shift”. It’s quite easy but very deceptive and fun to do.