Tricks with a One-Way Deck

Originally published in 1935, this rare booklet from legendary magic inventor and innovator U.F. Grant explores the untapped potential of a common magician's tool — the one-way back design. In just 13 pages, Grant delivers 21 practical and highly adaptable card effects that range from location tricks to mentalism plots — all made possible through subtle handling and clever card orientation.

Effects include: A Simple Triple Location, No Dice, The Vanishing Mirror, The Marked Deck, The Fingerprint Discovery, Living and Dead Test, Odd or Even, Color Monte, A Sure Location, A Count-Down Discovery, Siamese Twins, Detective Jack, Find the Lady, Call Me Up Sometime, A Miracle, Thought Transference, Say When, Nif-Trix, Excuse My Back?, Any Card Thought Of, and The Drunk Plays Bridge.

While the methods are simple, the ideas presented are fertile ground for creative thinking — especially for performers looking to build layered presentations, or experiment with new premises or effects. This newly re-typeset edition preserves Grant’s original genius in a clean, easy-to-read format. 13 pages with cover.

For more advanced material, see Annemann’s Master Subtleties with Cards on the same topic. For more Grant material, see our big compilation, The UF Grant File (24+ books and manuscripts).

TIP: New one-way Bicycle League back decks are now available from some magic shops, and older vintage decks are available from sources, like eBay. In addition, playing cards with cool fantasy artwork backs (and faces in some instances) offer another great one-way back option. Check out Green Dragon Premium Playing Cards from Noble Art Designs!