Club Sandwich Varietals
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Here’s an email I received recently…
I am a big fan of Club Sandwich by Andrew Normansell. Mark Mason markets the trick so it is often thought of as a Mark Mason trick.
[If you’re unfamiliar with the trick, it’s a repeat sandwich effect. The jokers find one selection, that selection is lost in the deck. You claim you’re going to find the second selection, but the first selection reappears. Then when you go to look for the second selection in the deck, it’s now switched with the first selection between the jokers.]
I wanted to share [the presentation I came up with] with you since the presentation can be used as a Universal Presentation (that has a Jerx style theme) for other tricks as well. So, you may find it useful as well.
Below is a "cut and paste" from my notes (my notes are often in block capitals since they are just rough drafts):
DO YOU THINK WE ARE LIVING IN A SIMULATION? I THINK WE MIGHT BE AND I THINK THE COMPUTER GENIUS WHO IS RUNNING IT IS ALSO A MAGICIAN.
LET ME EXPLAIN.
ONE OF THE OLDEST RULES IN MAGIC IS THAT YOU NEVER PERFORM THE SAME TRICK TWICE.
I NEVER UNDERSTOOD WHY THIS WAS A RULE OF MAGIC. BUT I THINK I DO NOW. THE GUY WHO IS RUNNING THE COMPUTER SIMULATION THAT WE CALL REALITY IS ALSO A MAGICIAN. AND HE HATES TO SEE THE SAME TRICK TWICE.
LET ME SHOW YOU WHAT HAPPENS WHEN I TRY AND DO THE SAME TRICK TWICE.
[PERFORM CLUB SANDWICH]
YOU FIND THE FIRST CARD.
AND WHEN YOU TRY AND FIND THE SECOND CARD - YOU FAIL.
YOU SAY THAT THIS IS THE PART I NEVER UNDERSTAND. WHENEVER I TRY AND PERFORM THIS TRICK AGAIN - THE FIRST SELECTION CHANGES TO THE SECOND CARD.
[POINT TO THE SKY]
SOME GUY UP THERE KEEPS SCREWING WITH ME.
—JM
I see where you’re going. But I think the “magician running the simulation” thing might be a bit too cute for me (and I like cute). It sort of violates my “is this a thing” rule. Is the idea of the simulation a thing? Yes. But the idea of a magician running it sort of pulls it back into the “patter” dimension.
It’s a fine line. And I’m not sure I can completely justify my reasoning here. But, “I’m going to show you we’re in the simulation,” is a good premise in my opinion. “I’m going to show we’re in a simulation and a magician runs it,” feels more like a jokey type of presentation/patter.
Here is how I would present Club Sandwich. I haven’t done this yet (I will), but I think it’s a pretty decent premise that people can relate to. And it accounts for one of the weird things in the handling—the fact that one card is signed and the other is not.
I’d perform it for a single individual.
“Can I get your help with something? I have a trick I’m practicing but there’s some sort of… problem with the method. There’s a glitch of some sort and I’m trying to figure it out.”
I’d have the person select a card (the force card).
“It tends to get glitchy when I repeat it, so I’m going to have you play the part of two spectators. This card will be yours. Pick out another… Okay, that one will be the other person’s. To keep them separate, write down the name of someone else on that card.”
They’re high as fuck, so they write down Dooble Gibbs.
“Perfect. So the 7 is your card and the 4 is Dooble Gibbs’ card.”
The cards are lost in the deck. I’d take the jokers from my pocket, drop them face up on the deck and the first card, the 7, would appear between them.
“Okay, perfect, that’s how it’s supposed to happen. Now, put the 7 back in the middle of the deck. Now we’ll go for Dooble’s card.”
The jokers would be placed on top again and again a card would be found between them. I’d set the deck down before revealing the card.
“Okay, let’s see. Damn… it’s the 7 again. See? This is what keeps on happening. It’s some weird glitch.”
Then I’d reorient the cards (as necessitated by the method) and toss the sandwich down away from me, and towards the spectator (if I know they’re not the grabby type).
I’d pick up the deck, spread it with the faces towards me. “Yeah, Dooble’s card is still stuck here. What is going on here?” I’d ask myself.
I’d close up the deck and pound the edge of the deck against the wall or the side of the table, as if I’m trying to jostle something loose to make it work. I’d spread the cards again and look through them. “Nope. What the hell…,” I’d close the deck and hit it harder this time. Spread through a final time. “Ah, okay. Now it’s worked. The 7 is back here which means now Dooble’s card should be….” I’d have them slide out the card between the jokers to now find the second selection.
I just like the idea of a trick being “glitchy” (which I’m sure has been used before) and that the only way you know to fix it is to rap the deck hard against something and just hope that knocks it into working order. I think that’s something people can relate to. So it’s an action that will feel very “human“ but the result of it should feel pretty magical. Which is a nice juxtaposition.