HOLISTIC HAMMAN

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 DEDICATION
To Brother John Hamman,
brother to cardmen everywhere

FIRST EDITION – 2000

SECOND EDITION
© 2013 by Jon Racherbaumer

This E-BOOK was written and laid out in the United States of America for a select cabal of
serious students and practitioners of magic. Once this content has selectively disseminated, its
knowledge and substance has been immediately democratized. This largesse, often called
“intellectual property,” is then share-ware—memes to be individually protected and prudently
passed onto those who should treat it with the same trust and regard motivating its publisher.

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Brother John Hamman’s effects are conducive to creating strong, synergistic
routines. That is, many of his individual effects, including its discrete parts,
can be combined to form powerful presentations. The following nine-phase
is a good example.

“Holistic Hamman” was originally part of an unpublished book titled Real-

World Cardstuff: Synergistic Schemes. 1

Requisites: A regular deck of cards. Remove the four Aces, four Queens,
and the Eight of Clubs. Place the Aces at the face of the deck in the R-R-
B-B order. Place the Queen of Hearts face up in the center of the deck,
then arrange the others in this order from the face: Queen of Diamonds –
Queen of Spades - Eight of Clubs - Queen of Clubs. Place this four-card
packet face down on the table. Place the deck face down to your right.

FIRST PHASE
This is “Four Queen Monte,” a modification of the version in The Secrets Of
Brother John Hamman (1989) “Eight-Ball Queens,” pp. 114-116.

Spread the four-card packet on the table and leave it in spread condition.
The cards should slightly overlap and the audience will see four cards.
Scoop them up and place them face up in your left hand. Show them as four
Queens by performing an Elmsley Count and outjogging the Queen of
Clubs in the process.

Turn the entire packet end-over-end with your right hand. Firmly grasp the
front end between your thumb (on top) and fingers (underneath), then
rotate the packet towards your body and replace it face down in your left
hand.

Square the cards from above and by the ends with your right hand, getting a
left pinky break below the top two cards. Simply push down on the injogged
1
“Synergism” means “the joint action of agents that when taken together increase each
other's effectiveness.” These connections, if intelligently and craftily made, increase the
potency of each individual effect and sub-effect. Hamman was adept at this alchemical
process.

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card with your right thumb as you push it flush, then move your left pinky
inward to maintain a separation.

Perform a two-card push off and flip the card(s) face up to show the Queen
of Spades. Let the card(s) fall slightly injogged. Point to the Queen of
Spades with your right forefinger and push it forward until it is aligned with
the left-hand cards. The card(s) are actually pushed with your right thumb
at the back end, using Cliff Green's technique. 2

As you push the card(s) forward, regain a left pinky break below them.
Perform another Double Turnover and deal the top card (Eight of Clubs)
face down in front of you and slightly right of center.

Perform another Double Turnover to show the Queen of Clubs, and then
repeat the Double Turnover and deal top card (Queen of Spades) face down
and slightly left of center. The audience assumes you have dealt the Black
Queens onto the table.

Take the top card (Queen of Clubs) face down into your right hand and turn
your left hand palm down to reveal the Queen of Diamonds. Place it face up
on the table to your left. Then place the right-hand card face down between
the other two face-down cards.

Rest your right first and second fingertips on the back of card B in the
layout, the supposed Queen of Hearts. Alternately tap your two fingers
against the back of center face-down card, as though obviously giving a hint.
Do not look at the card, but stare at the spectator and ask, “Which card do you
think is the Queen of Hearts?”

The spectator will likely accept your “hint” and choose the center face-down
card. Turn it face up to show the Queen of Clubs and say, “Sometimes the
pressure of having to make a decision creates anxiety and causes one to make a
mistake. Try again.”

Look at the spectator and repeat the “tapping-finger hint” on the face-down
card to the right (Eight of Clubs). Most spectators will choose the other
2
Professional Card Magic (1961) - "An Imperceptible Get-Ready". p. 17.

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face-down card. If not, say, “In your heart-of-hearts, you really want this one!”
Regardless, turn the Queen of Spades face up.

Tap the remaining face down card (Eight of Clubs) and add, “At this point,
it’s no contest. If you chose this, you’d end up…” Turn the Eight of Clubs face
up and add, “…behind the eight ball!”

Continue: “I take no chances...” Ribbon spread the deck from right to left,
spreading from upper right to lower left and add, “…therefore, I left the Queen
of Hearts in the deck!”

As this surprise registers, gather and turn the Queens face down, making
sure their order from the top is: Queen of Clubs - Queen of Spades - Queen
of Diamonds. Slide the Queen of Hearts out and drop it face down onto the
other Queens.

Scoop up the deck, then drop it face down onto the tabled Queens. Pick up
the Eight of Clubs and place it face down on top of the deck.

PHASE TWO
Pick up the deck and hold it face up in your left hand. As discreetly as
possible, spread the cards with the faces towards yourself and get a left pinky
break under the eighth card from the face. Square up and lower the deck so
the spectator can see the face.

Lift all the cards (8) from t he face with your right hand, holding them from
above and by the ends. Hold them about an inch above the deck and ask,
“Can you keep track of colors?”

Peel off the first Black Queen from the face of the packet, sliding it onto the
face of the deck. Peel the next Black Queen with your left thumb, sliding it
to a side-jogged position alongside the other Black Queen.

Add, “These are the black Queens.”

Place the right-hand cards onto the deck so that your left thumb contacts
the Queen of Diamonds. Next move the right-hand card(s) further to the

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right as your left thumb keeps the Queen of Diamonds stationary. This
shows the Red Queens without exposing the block of Aces.

Say, “These are the red Queens.”

Next Marlo's “Buffalo'd Swindle” is used to mislead the spectator. The

color at the face is red, the last color mentioned. Slide all the cards to the left
with your right hand. The Black Queens go flush with the deck as your
right hand lifts slightly to maintain a separation between its six cards and the
deck.

Execute a Wrist Turn with your left hand as your right hand moves away
with the supposed Queens. Place the deck face down on the table with your
palm-down left hand. The Wrist Turn “kills” the unloaded Black Queens.
Gesture with your right hand.

Say, “Remember red Queens, black Queens.”

Flip the right-hand cards face down into your left hand and immediately
deal the top two cards face down to the table.

Say, “Red Queens and black Queens…”

Because you say “red” when you deal the top cards, the spectator thinks you
have dealt the Red Queens. (This is Marlo's "Buffalo's Swindle.)

Push over the top card of the left-hand cards with your left thumb, saying:
“Watch the black Queens!” Square the cards and immediately turn them face
up, performing a D'Amico Spread to show Red Queens.

Move your left forefinger to the upper left corner of the lowermost card(s) to
conceal its thickness. This is excused as an indicatory gesture as you say,
“The red Queens are now here!” If you prefer, use Marlo's Pivot Spread.

Drop the left-hand cards face down onto the tabled pair. Pick up all the
cards as a squared unit and replace them face down in your left hand. Deal
the top two cards (red Aces) face down onto the table.

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Say, “The red Queens go here!” Then ask, “Which ones are in my hand?”

When the spectator replies, perform the D’Amico Spread to show the black
Aces. Turn the supposed black Aces face down and pick up the tabled pair
with your right hand.

Spread them face up to show the red Aces. Pick them up at the front end
and turn your right hand palm down and spread them. Place them face
down under the left-hand cards.

Place the cards face down onto the deck.

Situation Check: The order of the cards from the top should be: RQ – RQ -
BA - BA - RA - RA - talon - BQ - BQ.) Pick up the deck and hold it face
down in your left hand. You're set to perform Hofzinser's Criss-Cross Toss
(Card Fixes - 1989).

PHASE THREE
Perform Hofzinser's Criss-Cross Toss by holding the deck in your left hand.
Sharply toss the deck into your right hand, applying pressure with your
thumb (on top) and fingertips (underneath) to hold back the top and bottom
Queens.

As soon as you catch the deck in your right hand, repeat the Toss to your left
and onto the table, retaining the top and bottom Queens. Simultaneously
spread the pairs and vigorously brush them against each other a few times.

Next raise their faces toward the audience to show four Queens. If you
prefer a flamboyant disclosure, perform John Cornelius's “Fancy
Revealment.”

PHASE FOUR
Drop the Queens face up on the table and pick up the deck. Hold it face
down in your left hand and get a left pinky break under the top three Aces.
Pick up the Queens and place them face down on top.

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Grip the deck from above and by the ends with your right hand. Casually
lift all the cards above the break about a half-inch and slide the top card of
the packet onto the deck with your left thumb. Retain a left pinky break
under it and immediately drop the right-hand packet on top.

Square up and maintain the break. Stud Deal the top Queen face up to the
table, slightly left of center. Deal the next Queen in the same fashion, but
slide it under the right side of the tabled Queen. As you slip it underneath
give it a slight concave bridge.

That is, when a third of its width is under the tabled Queen, press down
with your thumb and up with your fingers. This facilitates the eventual
Scoop Addition.

Stud Deal the next Queen, sliding it under the others to form a neat three-
card spread.

Ostensibly Stud Deal the last Queen under the others. In reality, push over
all of the cards (4) above the break with your left thumb. Take them as one
with your right hand and quickly scoop up the tabled Queens. As your right
hand moves away, push over the top card of the deck (very slightly) with
your left thumb and then pull it back and retain a left pinky break beneath it.

Anchor the first tabled Queen with your left forefinger as the right-hand
card(s) are slid under the Queens in a moving scoop-action. The cards will
coalesce into a packet.

When the Queens are scooped, turn your left hand palm up and drop the
right-hand cards face down on top and say, “The Queens are here, but if a
magic pass is made...”

Wave your right hand over the deck, then quickly Stud Deal the Aces onto
the table, repeating Marlo's Scoop Addition. This time the block will
consist of 5 cards, not 4. The appearance of the Aces will be startling.

Slow down on the third Ace and take your time dealing the last Ace (block).
After the final scoop-up, hold the un-squared packet at your right fingertips.

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Show it to the left and right and keep the cards moving while expressing an
insouciant attitude.

Say, “Now you don't have to worry about the Queens. We have Aces to watch!”

FIFTH PHASE

The supposed Aces in your right hand are placed facedown on the deck.
Deal the top four cards (Queens) face down on the table in a horizontal row
and say, “Watch the Aces closely.”

Drop the deck face down onto the first card in the row (at the left end).
Place your right hand over the deck and riffle (upwards) the back end with
your thumb.

Say, “When the deck is riffled, an Ace comes to the top!” Lift the top Ace at the
back end with your thumb, snap it face up, and drop it in front of its packet.

Cut off three-fourths of the deck with your right hand and drop it face down
onto the next Ace (?) in the row. Repeat the preceding actions to reveal
another Ace on top. Cut off about twenty-six cards (half-deck) and drop it
onto the next card in the row.

Repeat to disclose another Ace. Cut off about a dozen cards and drop them
face down onto the last Ace in the row. Repeat the “penetration-rise” and
disclosure. All four Aces have risen to the top of their respective packets and
the deck has been cut into fourths.

SIXTH PHASE
After the Elevator sequence, the Queens are at the bottom (face) of each
packet.

Turn each face-down packet face up and reveal the Queens. These are
simultaneous turnovers, your right and left hands working in unison. Turn
the end packets first, then turnover the center packets. Assemble the deck
and place it aside.

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Arrange the Aces and Queens in the following order from the face: Ace of
Spades - Ace of Hearts Ace of Clubs - Ace of Diamonds - Queen of Spades
- Queen of Hearts - Queen of Clubs - Queen of Diamonds.

Hold the squared packet face up in a right-hand Biddle Grip. The ends are
completely covered and your first finger is curled to expose the topside of the
packet. Reverse-count the cards. Each card is peeled with your left thumb
into your left hand. This shows the principal cards and establishes the
handling procedure.

SEVENTH PHASE
Hold the packet face up in a right-hand Biddle Grip).

Say, "For the moment, the Queens go on the table.”

Peel the Queen of Diamonds, Queen of Clubs, and Queen of Hearts into
your left hand. Retain a left pinky break under the Queen of Hearts. When
you peel the Queen of Spades, secretly steal the Queen of Hearts under the
right-hand cards.

Turn your left hand palm down and table the supposed four Queens face
down to your left. Casually spread the four Aces face up, holding the last
two as one. Take the top three into your right hand and insert the left-hand
card(s) between the Ace of Diamonds and Ace of Clubs. Close the spread
and take the Ace of Diamonds face up into your right hand.

Say, “Pay close attention to the Ace of Diamonds.”

Place the Ace of Diamonds face down on top of the face down Queens,
saying: "It goes amongst the ladies.”

Flip the Ace-packet face down and table it to your right.

Situation Check: The order of the Ace-packet from the face should be: Ace
of Spades - Queen of Hearts – Ace of Clubs - Ace of Hearts. The order of

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the Queen-packet from the face should be: Queen of Spades - Queen of
Clubs - Queen of Diamonds - Ace of Diamonds.

Say, "Let’s cut the Ace of Diamonds into the Queen packet.”

Pick up the Queen-packet and hold it face down in your left hand. Buckle
the bottom card and perform a Slip Cut, taking the top and bottom cards
into your left hand as your right hand pulls out the center pair. Drop the
right-hand pair onto the left-hand pair.

Say, “Watch these five cards carefully.”

False count them as five by performing Stanyon’s Flexible Count. Peel off
the initial three cards one at a time into your left hand. Place the last one on
top, peel off a three-card block, retain the last card in your right hand, and
place it on the bottom. This is a continuous, rhythmic count. The order of
the cards from the face should be: Queen of Diamonds - Queen of Clubs -
Ace of Diamonds - Queen of Spades.

Place the Queen-packet face down to your left. Pick up the Ace-packet and
hold it face down in your left hand. Flip the top card (Ace of Hearts) face
up and take it into your right hand. Push over the next card with your left
thumb and use the face-up Ace of Hearts to flip it face up. The audience
sees the Ace of Clubs.

Buckle the bottom card and take the Ace of Clubs and face-down Queen of
Hearts as a single card under the right-hand Ace of Hearts. Turn the bottom
Ace of Spades face up and place it underneath and alongside the Ace of
Hearts and Ace of Clubs. The audience sees a three-card fan. Close the fan
and table the Ace-packet face up to the right.

Pick up the Queen-packet. Turn it face up and perform an Elmsley Count

to show four Queens. The Ace of Diamonds has apparently disappeared.
Turn the cards face down, take a pair in each hand, and wiggle them to
show single cards (Ascanio) The face-up Elmsley Count shows the faces of
Queens, and the face-down display shows only four cards.

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Square them together with the Ace of Diamonds on top and drop them face
down to your left. Immediately spread the Ace-packet on the table to show
a face down-card between the Ace of Hearts-Ace of Clubs-Ace of Spades.
The audience assumes the face down card is the Ace of Diamonds, making
its magical reappearance.

Pick up the Queen-packet and place it facedown in your left hand. Lift off
the top card and look at its face (without showing the audience). Miscall it
as the Queen of Hearts, and then hold it face down in your right hand.

Move your left thumb under the Queens, flip them face up, and insert the
Ace of Diamonds face down between the Black Queens (third from the face)
and table the spread to your left.

Make a magical pass.

Say, “Watch the Queen of Hearts!”

Cleanly slide the face-down card from between the face-up Aces and reveal
the Queen of Hearts. Next reveal the face-down Ace of Diamonds between
the face-up Queens.

EIGHTH PHASE
The last phase is Hamman’s “Underground Transposition” from Kabbala -
Volume 1, Number 7 (March-1972) and The Secrets Of Brother John
Hamman (1989), pp. 200-202.

Gather the cards and arrange them so the Aces are face down in your left
hand (in any order) with the Queens face up on top in this order: RQ - RQ
- BQ - BQ.

Spread them between your hands.

Say, “The Aces are face down and the Queens are face up.”

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Close the spread and square up. Secretly side-jog the bottom Ace to the
right about a quarter-inch. Hold the packet in a right-hand Biddle Grip) as
your left fingers slide the bottom card into position for the Veeeser Concept.

Peel off the top three Queens into your left hand, using your left thumb in
Biddle-fashion. Both hands move together and apart during each peel.
When they come together for the fourth peel, move the left-hand Queens
further underneath the right-hand cards, aligning them with the side-jogged
bottom card.

Once aligned, clip the outer left corner of the fourth Ace and the three face-
down Aces under it. Simply lower your left thumb and move those cards
away and to your left. Your right hand retains its four cards— a face-down
Ace and three face-up Queens. Table the supposed Queens face up to your
left.

Say, "The face-up Queens go here and the face down-Aces remain in my hand.”

Perform a Through-the-Fist Flourish to turn over the supposed Ace-packet.

Spread the top two cards to display three backs, then close the spread, and
perform another Through-the-Fist Flourish. This “rights” the packet.

Hold the packet in your left hand and remove the top face-down card with
your right hand to expose a face-up Queen on top of the left-hand cards.

Say, "That's one!”

Turn the right-hand card face up to reveal an Ace, use it to tap the face of
the exposed Queen, and replace the right-hand card face down on top.

Say, “Another Queen has changed places with an Ace!”

Perform an Elmsley Count to show two face-down cards and two face-up
Queens. Slowly reverse-count the cards one at a time, placing the last card
on the bottom. The audience sees three face-up Queens and one face-down
card.

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Fan them to clearly show the Queen of Spades - Queen of Diamonds – face-
down Ace - Queen of Hearts. Turn over the fan to reveal the single Ace,
then square and table them to your right.

Pick up the packet on your left and slowly reverse-count the cards one at a
time to show the Queen of Clubs and three face-down Aces. Place the last
card of the count on the bottom.

Say, “There are now three Aces over here. Watch closely as the last Queen
transposes!”

Perform an Elmsley Count to show four face-down cards. Hold the packet
in your left hand and buckle the reversed Queen of Clubs on the bottom.
Grasp the top three cards with your right hand, turn your right hand palm
up, and spread its three cards. The audience sees four backs.

Place the Queen of Clubs on top and square the cards. Place them face up to
your left. The Queen of Clubs is on the bottom of this face-up packet.

Pick up the Queen-packet and quickly perform an Elmsley Count to show

four (?) Queens. (This is the only discrepancy.)

Say, "The Queens are now over here!”

At this point the trick is over. Buckle the bottom card and peel off the top
and bottom cards together in a casual cutting action. Your right hand,
holding the center pair in Biddle position, turns palm up and places its cards
under the left-hand cards.

Thumb over the face-up Queen on top, take it with your right hand, turn it
face down, and place it under the others. All the cards are now face down in
this order from the top: Ace - Queen - Queen - Queen. Place this Queen
packet face up to your right.

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 NINTH PHASE
This is the anti-climactic Follow-the-Leader Phase and is identical to
Hamman's original ending except that the last two cards are handled
differently. Marlo's Two-card Monte Swindle is substituted for Hamman's
ambiguous wrap up.

Place the face (top) cards of each packet above its respective cards and say,
“These are leader cards mark each group.”

Turn the packets face down under their respective “leaders.” Transpose the
“leaders,” placing the Queen to your left and the Ace to your right, saying:
“If the leaders change places, the other cards follow.”

Simultaneously deal the top cards of each packet face up onto their
respective “leaders.” This time, exchange the face-down packets, saying: “If
we exchange the others, they still follow their leaders.”

Simultaneously deal the top cards of each-two-card packet onto their

respective “leaders.” You are left with two face-down cards, a Queen on your
left and an Ace on your right.

Hold the Queen face down in your left hand and the Ace face down in your
right hand. Place the left-hand card onto the right-hand card so that its
outer end is angled to the left in preparation for Marlo's Swindle Monte
move.

Turn the pair face up as in and flick the jutting corner of the Queen of Clubs
with your right forefinger. Turn your left hand palm up and flick the jutting
corner of the bottom card (Ace). The audience supposes that this jutting
corner is the same Queen.

Take the lower card with your right hand and drop it face down onto the
face-up Aces. Say, “If the Queen is placed on top of the Aces...”

Place the remaining left-hand card face down onto the face up Queens,
adding, “…They change places!”

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Simultaneously turn the face-down cards onto their respective packets to cap
the routine.

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