166 entries in Cup / Cups & Balls / Two & Three Cups Routines / Routines
Creators Title Comments & References Year Source Page AA Categories
Of the Play of the Balls
1634 7
Cups and Balls Routine Pass I. Having Placed a Ball under each Cup, to draw it out again without Lifting the Cup
Pass II. To make a Ball Travel invisibly from Cup to Cup
Pass III. Having placed a Ball under each of the end Cups, to make them pass successively under the Middle Cup
Pass IV. Having placed two Balls under the Middle Cup, to make them pass under the two Outer Ones
Pass V. To pass three Balls in succession under One Cup
Pass VI. To place three Balls one after the other upon the top of one of the Cups, and to make them fall through the Cup on to the Table
Pass VII. To pass three Balls in succession upwards through the Table into one of the Cups
Pass VIII. To pass two Balls in succession from one Cup to another without touching them
Pass IX. To make three Balls in succession pass under the Middle Cup
Pass X. The "Multiplication" Pass
Pass XI. To Transform the Small Balls to Larger Ones
Pass XII. To again Transform the Balls to still Larger Ones
1876 279
Charles Bertram The Cups and Balls
1902 183
Laurie Ireland The Cup and Balls including moves
  • Pass
  • To load the ball under the cup from the finger palm
  • To pass the ball into the left hand
  • The Palm
Related toAlso published here 1931 33
Laurie Ireland Cups and Balls Moves and Ideas including moves
  • Finger Palm
  • Finger Palm curled in
  • To pass a ball
  • To pass a ball to left hand
  • To pass a ball under cup
  • The Crotch Palm
  • To raise a cup that is really empty and show a ball under it
  • To raise a cup with a ball under it without exposing the ball
  • To change a small ball to a large one
  • New surprises with loads
  • Servante for Cups and Balls
Related to 1934
Ireland's Yearbooks (Issue Yearbook 1934)
4
Laurie Ireland Cups and Dollar Bills with rolled up bills
1936
Ireland's Yearbooks (Issue Yearbook 1936)
6
Egg Cups and Pellets alternative props for cups & balls
1937 94
Joe Berg Berg's Cups and Balls Routine three cups and sponge balls
1937 17
Routine
1938 661
Dr. Jacob Daley Dr. Jacob Daley's Cup and Ball Routine
Related to Aug. 1938
The Jinx (Issue 47)
332
Charlie Miller My Cups and Bills three coffee cups and rolled up bills
Also published here June 1940
Chap's Scrapbook (Vol. 2 No. 12)
2
Nil' Ebu Mon Jeu de Boulettes aux Chapeaux cups and balls type, using hats and balls rolled from bread
Mar. 1941 3
Harlan Tarbell The Cups and Balls three cups, with several sleights
1941/27 157
Eddie Joseph The "Ink-o" Routine two glasses with water and one with ink, covered by cups, monte type game
1942 52
Eddie Joseph The Red Herring monte type routine with cups and balls of two colors
1942 54
Eddie Joseph The Jumping Frog one ball and three cups
1942 57
Eddie Joseph The Wandering Ball one ball and three cups
1942 57
Eddie Joseph Crystal-i-zation three tumblers and three lumps of sugar
1942 58
Eddie Joseph Mechanical Routine gaffed cups
1942 61
Eddie Joseph The Nudist Routine no steals from body
1942 62
Eddie Joseph The Hindu Routine
1942 63
Eddie Joseph The Multipalm Routine fourteen phases
1942 64
Jean Hugard Cups and Bills with rolled up bills and cups, three final loads
Related to Oct. 1943 17
Franklin V. Taylor Taylor's Cups and Balls three cups, gaffed, thread and sponge, gimmicked possibility to make a ball appear under a cup
VariationsAlso published here Jan. 1945
The Phoenix (Issue 75)
304
Senor Charles Mardo Mardo’s Cups and Balls Routine
1945 13
John Ramsay John Ramsay's Cups and Balls with two cups, large balls and paper streamer as climax
1948 37
Dai Vernon Impromptu Cups and Balls
Related to 1949
Stars of Magic (Vol. 5 No. 1)
69
Ken Brooke Ken Brooke's Cups and Balls
Also published here 1950 74
Bruce Elliott The Eternal Cups and Balls three cups, with two in the hand one in the pocket sequence
1953 176
Franklin V. Taylor Taylor's Cups and Balls three cups, gaffed, thread and sponge, gimmicked possibility to make a ball appear under a cup
Also published here 1953 187
Charlie Miller Cups and Balls three coffee cups and rolled up bills
Related toAlso published here 1953 192
Ande Furlong, Joe Berg Cups and Balls
1953 199
Harlan Tarbell Flower Pots and Oranges cups and balls with flower pots and small oranges, inflatable melon final load
1954/27 48
James G. Thompson Jr., Franklin V. Taylor Cups and Balls ball on a string inside cup
  • Taylor's Cups and Balls Variation
  • Cups and Balls, classic routine with three cups
  • Benson Bowl Routine Variation
Inspired byAlso published here 1956 93
Lewis Ganson Bags of Everything cups and balls with felt bags
1956 15
Eddie Joseph "The Short Routine" using three Hindu Cups and feeding bottle valves as balls, five phases
1956 18
Eddie Joseph Genuine Hindu Routine three cups
1956 44
Dai Vernon The Cups and Balls
Related toVariations 1957 125
Jerry Andrus Twin Pipes routine with two brass tubes and three balls
  • Tube Steal
  • Tube Load
  • False Load
  • Extra Ball Move
  • Lap Vanish
  • Fist Vanish
  • Slow Motion Vanish
  • Ball Vanish
  • Variation of Ball Vanish
  • A Utility Move
  • A Routine for Twin Pipes
Also published here 1957 1
Alex Elmsley Cups and Balls salt as final load
Also published here 1959 3
Jochen Zmeck Masse und Energie "Ein neues Becherspiel"
cups and balls routine with hidden magnet between fingers
1960 8
Eugene Gloye Further Routines with Fan-Ta-Cups
  • A Novel Routine with Fan-Ta-Cups
Related to Mar. 1962
The New Phoenix (Issue 367)
296
Milton Kort Cups and Balls in Miniature Cups and Balls routine done with plastic cups and balls
1962 41
Milton Kort Chromo Cups and Balls with three different colored cups and balls
1962 53
Edward Marlo Cups and Balls three cup routines, no extra ball
1965 18
Tony Cole A Three Cup Routine with sponge balls, billiard ball loads
Winter 1967
The Pallbearers Review Vol. 1-4 (Vol. 3 No. 1st Folio)
138
Alex Elmsley Cups & Balls salt production as finale, see also p. 206
Related to
  • suggestion by Jules Conway on p. 216
Also published here
Sep. 1968 203
Paul Maurer Eine kleine 3-Becher Routine three magnetic cups, using heads of plastic baby dolls
1968
Hokus Pokus (Vol. 29 No. 3)
49
Edward G. Brown A Routine for the Cups & Balls
Related to Apr. 1969 251
Edward G. Brown Cups & Balls part 2, see p. 265 for further references
Related to May 1969 259
Kirk Stiles Cop Out one-cup routine performed on left hand, using silk and second cup
Sep. 1969 279
Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser Cups And Balls using servante, actually page 298A
Winter 1969
The Pallbearers Review Vol. 5-8 (Vol. 5 No. 3rd Folio)
298
Dai Vernon Cups and Balls Routine
1970 3
Peter Alexis Canterbury Cups with various sleights and loads
Inspired byRelated to Sep. 1970 359
Peter Alexis Routine very short two-cup routine with final load
Oct. 1970 368
Al Baker Cups & Balls routine via John Braun, H. Adrian Smith, Lou Tannen
eight phases
Winter 1970
The Pallbearers Review Vol. 5-8 (Vol. 6 No. 4th Folio)
381
Stewart Judah, John Braun Stewart Judah's Cups & Balls "An Article by John Braun"
Mar. 1971 408
Sam Leo Horowitz Cups and Balls six phases, see also p. 476
Also published here
  • The Sphinx, September 1938
Autumn 1971
The Pallbearers Review Vol. 5-8 (Vol. 6 No. 5th Folio)
454
David Lederman Thimbles & Pea cups and balls routine with thimbles and pea, sponge ball final loads
1972 187
Dr. Jacob Daley Daley's Cups And Balls No. 210, "Small cloth ball routine"
Related to 1972 51
Dr. Jacob Daley Daley's Cups And Balls No. 211, "Large paper ball routine"
1972 51
Cup And Ball Variation No. 484, routine of using egg cups, egg as final load
1972 135
Dr. Jacob Daley Cups And Balls Glass Routine No. 563, routine with paper-covered glasses, a ball changes color and final loads, glass through table
1972 157
Frank Garcia The "Garcia" Cups and Balls Routine short outline
1973 28
Sam Aaronson Cups and Balls see also p. 780 for note by Mike Rogers, p. 863 for Al Cohn credit by Richard Stride, p. 1053 for comment by Milton Tropp
Related to Aug. 1974 778
Bob Read The Penultimate Cups and Balls humorous routine, three different cups, with smashed watch and wandering tip wand
1974 2
Jerry Andrus Twin Pipes Routine routine with two brass tubes and three balls
  • Tip Over Move
  • False Load
  • Slow Motion Vanish
  • Twin Pipes Routine
Also published here 1974 8
Scotty York The "X-Rated" Cups and Balls Routine three cups, no loads from pockets, seated
1975 1
Scotty York The "Technicolor X-Rated" Cups and Balls with different colored balls
1975 13
Faucett Ross, Dai Vernon Cups and Balls Based on Vernon's routine with different endings
1975 135
Max Malini A Malini Note on his cups and ball routine, glasses wrapped in newspaper
June 1975 974
J. "Rink" van Rinkhuyzen Becher, Münzen und Bälle cups and balls with small cups and coins
Also published here
  • Magigram
June 1975
Intermagic (Vol. 2 No. 4)
80
Frank Garcia A Lesson on the "Cups and Balls" outline of routine, very brief
Also published here 1975 ca. 8
Dai Vernon Cups and Balls "short, very direct Cups and Balls routine"
1976 8
Albert Cohn Cups & Balls five phases, see p. 1053 for comment by Milton Tropp
Related to 1976
The Pallbearers Review Vol. 9-10 (Vol. 10 No. Close-Up Folio #6)
940
Patrick Page The Cups and Balls three cups
1976 124
Bill Tarr A Cups and Balls Routine
1976 154
Aldo Colombini The Cups and Balls
  • The Colombini Presentation
  • Requirements
  • Set-Up
  • Getting Ready
  • Performance
1977 7
Dai Vernon Cups and Balls without wand, five phases
Related to 1977
The Pallbearers Review Vol. 9-10 (Vol. 10 No. Close-Up Folio #7)
997
Stephen Minch Cups and Flies balls change into plastic flies one by one, plastic spider final load and bug aerosol can
1977 53
Tommy Wonder Cups and Balls two cup routine
Related to 1977 12
Francis Carlyle The Cups and Balls baby chicks as final loads
1978 132
Barry Nelson The Flash Cups very short routine (one minute) that ends with final loads
1978 116
Horace E. Bennett With a Grain of Salt salt finale
Inspired by 1978 71
Frank Garcia A Lesson on the "Cups and Balls" outline of routine, very brief
Also published here 1978 11
Frank Garcia The Frank Garcia Million Dollar Cups and Balls Routine
  • First Phase of Frank Garcia's Routine
  • Variation on the "Oldest Deception"
  • Phase #2
  • Phase #3
  • Phase #4
  • Phase #5
  • Phase #6
  • Phase #7
Variations 1979 17
Paul Gertner The Cups and Balls with Steel Ball Bearings
1979 81
Sam Leo Horowitz S. Leo Horowitz's Cup & Ball Routine
1979 91
Robert Parrish On Rosini's Cups & Balls Routine
1979
Interlocutor (Issue 32)
124
David Garrard Shell-Shocked! cups and balls routine with plastic egg shells and coins
Feb. 1980
Apocalypse (Vol. 3 No. 2)
305
Al Schneider Quickcups with magic kit cups and balls
1980 137
Danny Korem The Routine three cups and balls routine using pendulum holdout
1980 16
Gary Ouellet The Two Goblets with two cups, one chop cup, three large balls as climax
1980 4
Ken Brooke Cups and Balls three cups
1980 211
Johnny Cooper Cups and Balls - the way I do it with sponge balls
1980 31
Roger Smith The Cups and Balls Ala Smith "The speed at which the routine is done is incredible.", large loads shown at beginning
1980 5
Ray Mertz, Dai Vernon Cards & Coins Ala Cups & Balls Vernon's routine with jumbo cards and coins
Oct. 1981
Apocalypse (Vol. 4 No. 10)
546
Jim Ryan Bare Bones of the entire routine
1981 16
Carl Brema The Cups and Balls No. 31, simple routine
1981 38
"Joro" Bruno Hennig Klassische Routine using three cups
Also published here 1981 11
"Joro" Bruno Hennig Routine für die Strasse mit 2 Bechern und grossen Schwammbällen three cups routine, using sponge balls
Also published here 1981 22
Stephen Tucker Tickup two cups, hole in bottom of one cup
1982
Spell-Binder (Vol. 2 No. Special #1 (Summer))
5
James G. Thompson Jr., Franklin V. Taylor Automatisches Becherspiel ball on a string inside cup
Also published here Aug. 1983
Intermagic (Vol. 10 No. 2)
52
Milton Cups and Balls Minus One routine with no extra ball
Dec. 1984
Apocalypse (Vol. 7 No. 12)
1004
Frederick Braue Braue Cups and Balls Routine
  • First Phase
  • Second Phase
  • Third Phase
  • Fourth Phase
  • Extra Phase: Single Ball Movements
1985 4
Jay Sankey The Cups Runneth Over monster routine
Inspired by 1986 110
Randy Wakeman Randy's Cups & Balls Routine based on Vernon's routine, no wand, no fake explanation phase
1987 46
Steve Draun Cups and Balls routine with no extra ball
Also published here 1987 39
Ken Brooke Ken Brooke's Becherspiel
Also published here Oct. 1987
Intermagic (Vol. 13 No. 1)
24
Michael Ammar Stand-up Cups & Balls
1988
Magical Arts Journal (Vol. 2 No. 4, 5 & 6)
1
David Williamson The Gold Cups two cups
Variations 1989 86
Rafael Benatar Routine three cups, four final loads
1989 3
John Bannon Of Cups and Fuzzballs
1990 82
Michael Powers My Cup Runneth Over with two mini cups, empty cream containers, they are filled again as climax
1990 155
Shigeo Takagi Owan to Tama "Japanese Cups and Balls"
with three bowls, fan as wand
1990 94
Michael Ammar Stand-Up Cups & Balls detailled explanation
1991 1
Alex Elmsley The Elmsley Cups and Balls Routine salt as final load
VariationsAlso published here 1991 205
Gary Kurtz The G.K. Cups and Balls balls change color, seven final loads
  • Phase One - Introducing the Props
  • Phase Two - Countering Expectations
  • Phase Three - Variation on Vernon's Travelling Sequences
  • Phase Four (All Three Balls Appear under the Centre Cup)
  • Part Five: The Final Loading Sequences (Part One)
  • Phase Six: Producing Three Oranges (and Reloading)
  • Phase Seven: The Final Stretch
1991 1
Laurie Ireland Rutina "Ireland" de Cubiletes translation by Ascanio
including moves
  • Pass
  • To load the ball under the cup from the finger palm
  • To pass the ball into the left hand
  • The Palm
Also published here 1992 69
Steve Draun Three Cups and Three Balls Routine with no extra ball
Also published here 1993 145
Harlan Tarbell Tarbell's Oranges cups and balls routine with flower pots
1993 76
Someeran Non-Sleight Routine three cups
1993 1
Someeran An Advanced Routine three cups
  • Phase I - From hand to cups
  • Phase II - From cup to cup
  • Phase III - Three balls assembly
  • Phase IV - From pocket to cups
  • Phase V - Lemon! Lemon! Lemon!!!
  • Phase VI - The Climax
  • Notes
1993 3
Paul Gertner The Steel Balls and Cups using steel balls for routine and final loads
Related to 1994 195
Jerry Mentzer Cups and Balls with Baby Chicks
1994 113
Jerry Mentzer Ultimate Cup Routine two cups, with magnet gimmick in hand
1994 131
Aldo Colombini Hopping Cups & Balls short routine with two cups, sponge balls, purse frame
1994 121
Fred Kaps Cups and Balls three cups with sponge balls
  • Sequence One: Three balls appear under three cups
  • Sequence Two: Three balls gather under the center cup
  • Sequence Three: Three balls go beneath the right side cup
  • Sequence Four: Three balls vanish and reappear under the cups
  • Sequence Five: The balls vanish from the left hand and appear under the center cup
  • Sequence Six: A ball appears to travel from under the middle cup to either end cup
  • Sequence Seven: The fake explanation leading to the loading of the four final loads
Related to 1995 5
Tommy Wonder The Two-Cup Routine
  • Phase One: The Opening
  • Phase Two: The Permeable Cups
  • Phase Three: Twin Ascension
  • Phase Four: Air Transport
  • Phase Five: Sshuwit! Sshuwit!
  • Phase Six: Two in the Hand, One in the Bush
  • Phase Seven: No Room at the Inn
Related to 1996 105
Dominique Duvivier Cups, Balls, and a Cup Cups and Balls routine which produces a fourth cup
1996 138
Harry Riser Harry's Cups and Balls three cups
1996 95
Curtis Kam Coffee and Dough bill torn and both halves crumbled up for short cups and balls routine, restoration and load of coins
1996 107
Rainer Pfeiffer, Helge Thun, Manuel Muerte The Fruit Cups two-cup routine with two different colored balls
1998 35
Steve Beam Nectar of the Cups humorous bar bet routine, with cups and balls
1998 1478
Bob Farmer Cyclops routine with three cups and one ball, three balls as climax
1998 1
Bob Farmer The Egg Bag Addition incorporating an egg-bag in the routine
1998 6
"Joro" Bruno Hennig Eine "klassische" Routine mit Muskaten und drei Bechern using three cups
Also published here 1999 38
"Joro" Bruno Hennig Eine Routine für die Strasse mit zwei Bechern und grossen Schwammbällen three cups routine, using sponge balls
Also published here 1999 45
Helge Thun Easy Chop Cups and Balls one of the three cups is a chop cup
2000 25
Michael Skinner Rub-A-Dub-Dub rhyming patter Cups and Balls
Inspired by
  • "Rub-A-Dub-Dub" (Gene Gordon, marketed)
Nov. 2000
Genii (Vol. 63 No. 11)
52
David Regal Cups & Balls & Cups & Balls
2002 160
John Carney Muscade Magic streamlined Vernon routine
Inspired by 2002 120
Ron Bauer Dixie cups & balls routine with torn pieces of fake bill as balls and cotton balls as final loads
2002 2
Gregg Webb Webb's Cups and Balls (with Many New Dodges)
  • The WebbMaster
only three balls
Apr. 2002
Genii (Vol. 65 No. 4)
60
Al Baker Cups and Balls
2003 701
Luis H. Trueba El Moro Los Cubiletes del Moro, cups and balls routine, with three cups
2003 175
Ron Bauer Effect easy routine, three small cups, one sponge ball as final load
2004 2
Gazzo Macee The Routine Gazzo's Cups and Balls routine with patter description
2004 53
Karl Fulves Abridged Version cups and balls routine outline for standup, using first three then two then one cups
2008
Prolix (Issue 4)
219
Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser, Dani DaOrtiz, Richard Hatch Los Cubiletes de J. Nepomuk Hofzinser on Hofzinser's Cups an Balls routine
2009
El Manuscrito (Vol. 2 No. 7)
160
Román García Los Cubiletes de Wittgenstein routine with two cups, one chop cup
2010 61
Al Schneider LA Street Cups balls travel from cup to cup one by one, vanish and reappear under the cups, one final load
2011 688
Christian Scherer Angewandte Physik two cups routine, balls first appear from purse frame
Inspired by 2014 190
Christian Scherer Cagliostro der Alchimist cups and balls routine with two steel mortars and steal balls
2014 210
Joaquín Matas Los Cubiletes de Vernon "Tuneados" with three cups, one chop cup
Inspired by 2014 253
Kurti Freitag Die Routine full cups and balls routine
  • Vorbereitung
  • Phase I
    • Becher durch Becher
    • Bälle durch Becher
    • Anmerkung
  • Phase II
    • Die erste Wanderung
    • Die zweite Wanderung
    • Die plötzliche Wanderung
  • Phase III
    • Vorbereitung zum Charlie Miller Move
    • Die erste Durchdringung
    • Die zweite Durchdringung
    • Das Beseitigen des fünften Balles
  • Phase IV
    • Das Vorzeigen des Bechers
    • Der Horace Goldin Move
    • Das Laden des ersten Schaumgummiballes
  • Phase V
    • Ein Wechsel
    • Noch zwei Schaumgummibälle
    • Das erste Spiel
    • Die erste Abschlussladung
    • Der Ball in der Hand
    • Two in the hands
    • Die zweite Abschlussladung
May 2014 591
The Cups and Balls multi-phase routine with compressible balls à la production balls
  • Dan Sherer (additional comments)
  • Max Maven (additional comments and credit information)
Also published here
  • Hōkasen, 1764
May 2016
Genii (Vol. 79 No. 5)
70
Charlie Miller Miller Cups and Balls with black balls
  • Opening Sequence
  • Phase 1
  • Phase 2: The Miller Penetration
  • Phase 3: The Multiplication of Balls
2018 293
Johnny Thompson The Cups and Balls routine presented in the style of three magicians
  • Max Malini
  • Pop Krieger
  • Dai Vernon
2018 15
Alexander de Cova Transparentes Becherspiel cups and balls sequence with clear glass cups
2018 73
Alexander de Cova Die Becher des Kolumbus on Christopher Columbus themed cups and balls
Inspired by
  • Punx Cups & Balls presentation (early Genii, Magische Welt)
2018 212
John Carney Caffeinated Cups and Balls with coffee cups and (plastic) grapes
  • Originality, and Creating Your Routine
  • Practice + Quality Thought + Courage
  • Exploring the Possibilities
  • The Props
  • The Final Loads
2020 254
David Regal Coffee Shop Cups and Balls
  • Material Concessions
three paper cups
May 2021
Genii (Vol. 84 No. 5)
44
Dai Vernon Cups & Balls routine, from private lecture notes by Gene Matsuura
  • Cups Deeper on the Inside Than the Outside
  • Cup Through Cup
  • Spectator's Choice
  • All Balls Under Center Cup
  • Climax Ball Loading
  • General Comments
2022 93
Guy Hollingworth The Plot effect description of Slow Motion Cups & Balls, two cups
2022 11
Guy Hollingworth Slow Motion Cups & Balls two cups
  • The Set Up
  • The Routine
    • Introducing the props
    • Phase 1: the balls vanish and reappear
    • Phase 2: the effect is repeated but the balls are muddled up
    • Phase 3: the single cup
    • Phase 4: the final loads
2022 39