"Outs" Precautions And Challenges by Charles H. Hopkins

This is truly a hidden gem - a lost treasure. Very few know of its existence and you will encounter almost no references to it. When you read this you will ask yourself: "Why isn't this work known by every cardician?" Some of those who have read it value it as much as they value Erdnase. Others would not trade all card books published in the last 10 years for it.

It is an immensely practical work dealing with situations when something goes wrong, or you face difficult spectators. You'll never again be afraid to try out a new trick, even if they literally see what you do, even if they really catch you, you can finish successfully, entertainingly, and leave them baffled.

It is divided into three parts

• Outs - what to do when things go wrong
• Precautions - avoiding disasters by forethought
• Challenges - dealing with spectators that challenge you

If you study this ebook you will never need to be worried that one of your card tricks fails, or a spectator messes it up. You will be prepared for any situation. No problems anymore...ever!

This is a resource every magician, beginner or advanced, pro or amateur, skilled or unskilled, can use to his advantage. On the surface it deals with card magic, but many of the ideas and a lot of the information contained does apply across the spectrum of magic from close-up to stage.

1st edition 1940; original 80 pages; PDF 57 pages.

1. PREFACE...
2. Contents
3. Introduction
4. - When Asked To Do The Impossible
5. - School Yourself For All Emergencies
6. - Experience Still the Best Teacher

   PART I: "OUTS"

7. Chapter 1 - Facing The Music
8. Whose Fault When Things Go Wrong?
9. The Psychology of Failure
10. Use of "Sucker Gag" Technique

11. Chapter 2 - Organizing For Victory
12. Secret And Open Outs
13. When Error Is Still Under Cover
14. 1 - Card correctly identified, but slips out of control.
15. 2 - Identification correct, but placement for climax is wrong.
16. When Error May Be Visible
17. 3 - Incorrect identification of selected card.
18. 4 - Card lost before identification.
19. 5 - The selector forgets what his card was.
20. Either You Know You Are Wrong - Or Else . . .

21. Chapter 3 - Information-Getting Subtleties
22. This Time You MUST Be Right
23. Attitudes That Get Co-operation
24. 6 - When they refuse to tell.
25. 7 - For the extreme "hold out."
26. 8 - Use a thumb writer.
27. 9 - Impression methods.
28. 10 - Pencil reading.
29. 11 - Friendly mirrors.
30. 12 - To meet an absolute refusal to tell.

31. Chapter 4 - Some Handy Sleights
32. Old Ideas Brought Up To Date; Also, A Few New Ones
33. 13 - The "Top Peek."
34. 14 - Fan Crimp.
35. 15 - The "Deck Crimp."
36. 16 - The "Crimp" as a Locator.
37. 17 - Fan jog.
38. 18 - The quarter-bridge.
39. 19 - Gambler's Bridge.
40. 20 - The "Change" Throw.
41. Other Useful Standard Sleights.

42. Chapter 5 - "Outs" To The Rescue
43. Fit The Weapon To The Needs
44. Getting Down To Brass Tacks ... And The Selected Card
45. Quick Switches And Other Fast Closers
46. 21 - Just a gag.
47. 22 - Out-in-the-open changes.
48. 23 - Forced replacement of wrong card.
49. 24 - Using "locators" for "outs."
50. Methods For Counting And Spelling Effects
51. 25 - The "Pilot Card."
52. 26 - New start from wrong turn-up.
53. 27 - The "220 Count" as an "out."
54. "Outs" Productions From Pockets And Other Places
55. 28 - In performer's pocket.
56. 29 - Pocket index.
57. 30 - Card in wallet.
58. 31 - Use of spectators for "outs."
59. 32 - The "Eveready Life Saver."
60. Apparatus Alibis
61. 33 - When force is missed.
62. First Aid For Feeble Memories
63. 34 - Confusion as to suits and values.
64. 35 - Spectator's mind a complete blank.

    PART II: CHALLENGES

65. Chapter 6 - Taking On All Comers
66. "Outs" Compared With Challenges
67. A Word of Caution

68. Chapter 7 - Before Card Gets Lost In Shuffle
69. Try To Keep As Much Control As Possible
70. 36 - Controlled returns.
71. 37 - Use of "Locators."
72. 38 - The "Gimmicked Cut."
73. 39 - The "Cut Break."
74. 40 - Estimating the cut.
75. 41 - The "Cut Force."
76. Astonishing Simplicity
77. 42 - "Blindman's 'Bluff'."
78. 43 - The "220 Count."
79. 44 - Pre-Arrangements.

80. Chapter 8 - When They "Give You The Works"
81. How "Plenty of Rein" Trips Them
82. 45 - Look for informal "readers."
83. 46 - Scrapes and nicks.
84. 47 - Daubs.
85. The Magician's Little Helpers
86. 48 - Secret reflectors.
87. 49 - Wide and narrow decks.
88. 50 - The indexed pocket deck again.

89. Chapter 9 - Bordering On The Mental
90. When Information-Getting Becomes Ticklish
91. They Commit Themselves In Writing
92. 51 - Pencil reading.
93. 52 - Billet switching.
94. 53 - Billet index.
95. 54 - Pad impressions.
96. 55 - Trick notebooks.
97. 56 - A "Case of Hambuggery."
98. A Prophet In His Own Land
99. 57 - Thumb writers.
100. Special Decks On Taps
101. 58 - "Brain Wave Deck."
102. 59 - "New Era Instanto Deck."

103. Chapter 10 - Trickery Conquers All
104. What Makes Audiences Get That Way
105. Circumstances That Lead Up To Challenges
106. Specific Handling of Various Situations
107. The Heckler ... Ding Bust His Buttons!
108. For The Intelligent Analyst Type
109. Troubles Arising Out Of Pure Friendship
110. More To Come? ... Well, Maybe!

word count: 23501 which is equivalent to 94 standard pages of text