Green Gambling by Dani DaOrtiz (Force Project Chapter 10) (English and Spanish)

The Force Project is a year-long course and a deep study of the way we have spectators select cards. Taught by Dani DaOrtiz, you’ll learn a new selection procedure each month and a baffling trick to practice it with. Chapter 10 features an impossible bet with a borrowed and shuffled deck.

The What
The magician takes out their wallet and introduces a stack of bills for a bet, and then borrows a deck that is handed out to the audience to be shuffled. One spectator thinks of any number they want. They take a small stack of cards under the table and remember the card in that position. The deck is collected and handed to the person thinking of a card. They move the number of cards they are thinking of from the top to the bottom of the deck, then put the deck back on the table. The magician takes the deck back and explains that they will divide the deck into two different piles. But they will divide by having different spectators name small numbers of cards and then dividing that number of cards into two packets. The division process is very chaotic. Now, the money comes into play. A couple of bucks are bet that if the thought of card is in the magician’s pile, the magician gets to keep the money, but if the card is in the spectator’s pile, they win the cash. In a moment of hubris, the magician offers to raise the bet if they are willing to divide the deck again. The magician’s pile is divided between the magician and the spectator in the same chaotic fashion, giving the spectator three-quarters of the deck. The bet is raised again, and the packets are divided, so now the spectator has ninety percent of the cards and a chance to win most of the money. The bet is raised one more time, giving the audience member a chance to win all the money but leaving the magician with only one card. The thought of card is named, and impossibly, the named card is the only card in front of the magician. The magician has won the bet against all odds.

The How
As soon as you have seen the trick performed, Dani shares with you the bare bones explanation so you can start practicing right away. The beauty of this trick is that you can perform it one on one or with a large group of spectators. All you need for this is a complete deck of fifty-two cards and Dani’s secret to putting a card into a known position. Then you learn a beautifully chaotic version of The Tantalizer with influences from Dani’s dear friend Lennart Green.

The Why
This is where you learn the true secrets behind the chaos of Dani DaOrtiz. Dani shares his real thinking about how to take this classic effect and make it a real miracle. The effect itself is completely self-working. But the addition of the chaos makes it unrecognizable to even seasoned magicians. In addition to adding the chaos, Dani will give you key tips on how to secretly place cards into known positions and control the action of your spectators while giving them a true sense of freedom.

Chapter 10 of The Force Project shows you the true measure of this master of card magic. Dani takes a trick that is over a hundred years old and breathes new life into it while also giving it meaning and a strong dramatic hook. Then, he shares that careful thinking with you in an easy-to-understand lesson. You’re going to love performing Green Gambling. School is in, and your instructor is one of the finest card magicians the world has ever known.