Particle System

2024
Written by Joshua Jay
Work of Joshua Jay
276 pages (Hardcover), published by Vanishing Inc.
Illustrated with photographs
Language: English
117 entries
Cover photograph
Creators Title Comments & References Page Categories
Joshua Jay Acknowledgments
vi
Joshua Jay Before We Begin…
  • Video
 		xiii
Darwin Ortiz Foreword only half a sentence
 		xv
Joshua Jay Explanation of the Foreword
xvi
Andi Gladwin Another Foreword
xix
Joshua Jay Introduction
xxi
Joshua Jay Part I: The Particle System Explained
1
Joshua Jay A Stack that Suits which stack to memorize
  • Switching Stacks without Looking Back
 		3
Joshua Jay The Particle System at a Glance list of features of the stack
Also published here 6
Joshua Jay A Closer Look on the Particle System
  • A Problem, a Solution, and a Realization
  • Seamlessness
  • No Risk
  • Stack to System
  • Ready for the Fight
Also published here 8
Joshua Jay The Particle Stack at a Glance the stack itself
  • Elements of the Particle Stack
  • Memorizing Particle Stack
  • Memory Aids
  • Getting into Particle Stack (two faros)
  • Particle Stack Subtleties (how to hide its structure by irregular spreading)
 		13
Joshua Jay Putting in "The Work" additional preparation of the stacked deck
 		22
Joshua Jay Marked Cards in combination with a memorized deck
 		22
Joshua Jay One Short Card shorting the bottom card of a memorized deck
 		22
Joshua Jay Breather Cards at intervals in a memorized deck, how to make the breather crimp
 		24
Joshua Jay Super Breather different type of bend
 		25
Joshua Jay Memorized Deck Maintenance taking care of the preparation of a particle stack
 		27
Joshua Jay The Particle Pack "special edition of the Mandolin Deck optimized for the Particle System"
  • Getting into Particle Stack from the Particle Pack
  • Reading the Marks
  • The Revelations Built into the Particle Pack
 		27
Joshua Jay How to Reseal the Particle Pack slipping cellophane over cased deck upside down with guide cards
 		29
Joshua Jay False Shuffles and Cuts
31
Joshua Jay The Chili Shuffle continuous lift shuffle without separate lift position, breakless
 		31
Joshua Jay The Group Shuffle handling for riffle shuffle with two persons who riffle their sections together in-the-hands, with strip-out option to make it false
Related toVariations 34
Joshua Jay Zero Gravity Shuffle
Inspired by
  • "The Gravity Shuffle" (Boris Wild, Transparency, 2012)
 36
Max Lukian True False Cut running cut on the table at several (breather) crimps that are distributed throughout the deck, repeat makes it false
 		39
Lew R. Brooks False False Shuffle short planned single-card runs that are prepared before the performance and shuffled off during performance, top stock or full deck or for small packet
Also published here 39
Andi Gladwin, Luke Jermay The Undo Cut
Inspired byAlso published here 40
Joshua Jay Ose Trilogy less linear and visually more chaotic
  • The Laydown
  • Basic Pickup
  • Double Pickup
  • The Toss (Andi Gladwin suggestion)
Inspired byAlso published here
  • The Linking Ring, May 2010, p. 97
 43
Jay Ose Ose's Cut triple cut to table
Also published here 43
Joshua Jay The Messy Utility intro, see following items
 		47
Harry Lorayne Utility Mixer Charlier Shuffle type action
Also published here 47
Joshua Jay Face-Up Mixer Charlier Shuffle type action
Inspired by 49
Joshua Jay Face-Down Mixer Charlier Shuffle type action
Inspired by 49
Joshua Jay Face-Down Hybrid Mixer Charlier Shuffle type action
Inspired by 50
Joshua Jay The Fractal False Cut messy cut on table with many packets
  • The Repeat (even more packets)
  • The Fractal False Cut Production (producing two cards along the way)
Inspired by
  • cut in Benjamin Earl's video Past Midnight, 2007, in turn inspired by Dan & Dave Buck, "4D Discovery"
 51
Joshua Jay Half Stack False Shuffle motivated choreography in which the spectator shuffles one half, then apparently the other but really the same again
 		56
Joshua Jay Rotation Pseudo Switch with half the deck against the other half back-to-back
 		57
Joshua Jay Disorderly Thoughts on giving the impression that the deck is shuffled
  • Use Better Techniques
  • Present Your False Shuffles
 		59
Joshua Jay Super-Ultimate-Best-Ever-Deluxe-False-Shuffle 2.0 presentation for having the deck shuffled before the show, then switching it at the start of the performance
 		61
Joshua Jay Part II: Close-up Magic
63
Joshua Jay, Eddie Fechter Remember to Be Honest two black Kings change to red Aces in spectator's hand, handling from the top of the Particle Stack
Inspired by 65
Joshua Jay, Ben Harris, Steve Shufton Memorized X-Ray spectator cuts anywhere, turns card over, replaces top half and cases deck, performer divines card and names its position, four crimps
Inspired by 68
Joshua Jay Breather Cutter spectator cuts deck in the hands and remembers bottom card of top half that he cut to, performer divines it, four crimps
Inspired by 72
Joshua Jay Invisible Touch
  • spectator cuts packet and performer names the number of cards
  • spectator names number and performer cuts off that many
  • three cards travel from deck to spectator's packet
 		74
Buckle-less Buckle Count push-off undercount with break
 		75
Mechanical Reverse
77
Paul Harris Las Vegas Leaper Count spectator counts himself
Also published here 78
Multiple Tent Vanish with three cards at once
 		78
Joshua Jay Back In Time Hollingworth's in-the-hands Triumph with Sankey's time travelling presentation
Inspired byVariations 80
Guy Hollingworth In-the-hands Triumph Shuffle
Also published here 81
Joshua Jay Bigger Back in Time version with three selections that spell out the current time
Inspired by 86
Joshua Jay Thoughts on Thought-of Cards comments on improvising, naming, thought-of cards in a memorized deck
  • Riffing in the Particle System
  • One and Done (finding only one card that way)
  • Technique vs. Premise
  • Let’s Riff
    • Marked Riffing
    • Breather Riffing
    • Maximum Contrast
    • Putting It All Together
Related to 90
Joshua Jay Pick. See. Say. Think. thoughts on different selection methods and when to have a card thought-of/named
 		98
Joshua Jay Presentation for Thought-of Card "my script for riffing with the Particle System"
  • The Sevens
  • Flutter
  • Royal Riffing
  • Particle Pack Riffing
    • Queen of Hearts
    • Five of Hearts
    • Eight of Clubs and Nine of Hearts
Related to 99
Joshua Jay The Imaginary Card Trick spectator takes invisible card from spread and names any card that it should be, it becomes visible between the performer's hands
Inspired by 105
Joshua Jay Light-Reft Spread Pass Handling as an (invisible) card is taken back into the spread
 		106
Joshua Jay, Oz Pearlman Sequenced spectator shuffles a packet and performer as well, they match
Inspired by
  • "Perfection" (Oz Pearlman, DVD, ca. 2008)
 109
Packet-for-Packet Switch
111
Joshua Jay The Curious Incident card removed from the deck, rest the deck apparently memorized and all values recited, the removed card is named
  • The Curious Incident with the Particle System
 		114
Joshua Jay Group Shuffle Sequence half the deck kept in order, with in-the-hands strip-out
Inspired by 115
Steven Hamilton Dupli-Temps Switch two packets are apparently exchanged, in spectator-shuffle choreography
Also published here 117
Joshua Jay Spread Scoop-Up Packet Switch half the deck is spread on table, it is scooped up an set aside, but switched for the other half in that process
 		118
Joshua Jay A Surprise... effects in chapter "Part II: Close-up Magic" can be used as a setlist for a program
 		123
Joshua Jay Three Fallacies general comments on (memorized deck) magic
  • Fallacy #1: Named-card effects are always better than chosen-card effects
  • Fallacy #2: The more interesting the method, the better the trick
  • Fallacy #3: Stack-independent tricks are better than stack-dependent tricks
 		125
Joshua Jay Part III: The Parlor Show tricks in that chapter can also be used as a setlist for a program
 		129
Joshua Jay Fooling About performer locates card in his pocket in cased deck, with deck switch after spectator shuffles, torn case subtlety
 		131
Joshua Jay Matching the Cards set-up is available in Particle Stack
 		135
Charlie Miller Table Spread Force card thumbed onto table in spread layout with left hand until spectator says stop
 		135
Allan Ackerman Simulated Double Undercut one or multiple cards from top to bottom in a swing cut action, bold/bluff type
Also published here 137
Joshua Jay Reverse Simulated Double Undercut from bottom to top, in a swing cut action, see footnote
Inspired by 137
Joshua Jay Memorized Multiple Selection five cards, see following entries for revelations, retains stack but does not use it
 		140
Multiple Dribble Control dribble forcing consecutive cards
Related to 141
Joshua Jay Dribblocation selection pulled out from a dribble
Also published here 142
Joshua Jay Two for One one card put behind back, one-handed cut, one card produced, a second selection is produced with the other hand from the air
 		143
Joshua Jay Card to Box Sequence multiple card-under-box phases, ends with all five selections under the case and then the whole deck under the case
Inspired by 146
Joshua Jay Weighing Across combination of Weighing the Cards and Cards Across
Also published here 148
One-Handed Slip to Bottom top card dragged to bottom with thumb behind back
Also published here 148
Joshua Jay Weighing Across Light combination of Weighing the Cards and Cards Across, stand-up handling
Also published here 151
Joshua Jay Multiple Tent Vanish Handling
Also published here 152
Joshua Jay Comments on Effect Layering
 		153
Joshua Jay One Card Poker sped-up dealing pattern, sucker element as performer's pile is shown not to contain selection near the end, used as an anti-faro to transition from Particle Stack to New Deck Order
Related to 154
Joshua Jay Fireworks Finale suit appearance, then whole deck in order, done blindfolded
 		161
Joshua Jay Part IV: Miscellaneous Effects
165
Joshua Jay Think as I Think performer and spectator each name a card, they locate each other's cards
Related toAlso published here 167
Joshua Jay Particle Pair any pair of mates named, then a card is chosen, it is found between the named mates
Also published here 170
Gary Ouellet The Touch Force
171
Joshua Jay The No-Card Index spectator and performer each remove a card from a deck each, some calculations are drawn on a sheet of paper, when drawing is turned upside down it is seen to reveal the name of a card which matches both selections
 		173
Joshua Jay The Same, But Different three cards touched by spectator during in-the-hands spread, all predicted immediately before they are touched
Inspired byAlso published here 183
Joshua Jay Push-Up Display deck with out-jogged cards, hand moves up to show faces, one of the cards is switched
Also published here 184
Joshua Jay Catch This named sandwich cards find a peeked-at selection in one deck, then also in a second deck that hasn't been touched, handling with the Particle Stack
Inspired by 187
Joshua Jay Riffle Peek Force top card
 		188
Joshua Jay Distilled elimination procedure in which deck is consecutively halved until one card remains with either-or-questions, remaining card is selection or named card (with memorized deck)
Related to
  • "Smart-Ass" (Bill Abbott, marketed item)
 193
Joshua Jay, Matt Baker The Magic Square 4x4 magic square with cards that matches the size of a cut-off packet
 		199
Joshua Jay Triple Pocket three spectators cut off a packet to the table and pocket the next card, all three are divined
Inspired by 205
Joshua Jay Two-Card Glimpse as deck is cased
 		206
Joshua Jay Part V: The Memorized Filter tricks that make use of the order but not the memorized feature
 		209
Joshua Jay, Doug Conn Flush Brush triumph with four Royal Flush climax, which are "painted" on rubber back of close up pad, from Particle Stack
Inspired by 211
Joshua Jay, Pit Hartling Chaos two exchanged cards are found after haphazard dealing, red-black anti-faro method, from Particle Stack
Inspired by 215
Joshua Jay, Joel Givens Rubbed Away rub-a-dub variation on face-up deck, card reappears reversed in deck, from Particle Stack
Inspired by 220
Joshua Jay Another Bottom Feeder cased sandwich cards, card named and inivisibly thrown into case, it is found sandwiched in case
Inspired by 223
David Harkey, Eric Anderson Bottom Feeder Move strip-out addition type handling to add cards from deck to cards that are taken out of case
Also published here 226
Joshua Jay Matching Hand poker hand chosen, performer produces the mates one by one of that poker hand
Inspired by
  • "Shortcut to Winning Go Fish" (Jimmy Ichihana, A Gallon of Wonder, 2022)
 229
Joshua Jay, Darwin Ortiz Quicker Dead performer produces mate of selection from pocketed deck, from Particle Stack
Inspired by 232
Joshua Jay Moe’s Memorized Move-a-Card a removed card is named by looking a rest (no card is moved)
 		234
Joshua Jay Part VI: The Gambling Show tricks in that chapter can also be used as a setlist for a program
 		237
Joshua Jay Aces and Kings Production Aces produced, then Kings as well to from four blackjacks
 		239
Joshua Jay The Face Change deck held vertically
 		240
Joshua Jay Dribblocation with Cover Card selection pulled out from a dribble
Inspired by 241
Joshua Jay Riffing short comment
Related to 244
Joshua Jay Ten Card Poker Deal from Particle Stack
  • Phase One
  • Phase Two
  • Phase Three
  • Phase Four (with phone picture prediction and swindle switch)
 		245
Paul Curry Swindle Switch
249
Joshua Jay The Particle Gambling Demo royal flush deal, then bridge hand, then new deck order
  • Phase Two
  • Final Phase
Related to 253
Joshua Jay Epilogue
257
Joshua Jay Three Act Structure performer directly cuts to named card, four breathers distributed through deck
  • Second Phase (spectator cuts deck and the named card appears at spectator's birthday)
 		259
Joshua Jay Your Turn spectator cuts to named card, breather
Related to 265
Joshua Jay Restraint
270
Joshua Jay Forgetting the Point on mis-using a memorized deck
 		273
Michał Kociołek, Joshua Jay The Particle Stack Logo
276
Data entered by Denis Behr, December 2024.