103 entries in Cards / Effect Themes / Red Black / Separation / by Magician / Sense of Touch (or other)
Creators Title Comments & References Year Source Page AA Categories
To Distinguish the Court Cards by Touch preparing by "bending" edges slightly upwards with knife
1876 69
Rouge et noir No. 19, bridge crimp to tell whether a card is red or black
1895 24
Die geheimnisvollen Würfel
  • two dice thrown and sum counted to repeatedly until deck is divided in two halves, they're separated in red and black
  • red and black separation by performer without dice but crimp or punch instead
1896 110
Das Kartensortieren performer sorts the shuffled into number and court cards without looking at the faces, using the principle that picture cards have more ink on them that (in those days) clings to the card underneath, impromptu rough-smooth
Nov. 1897
Der Zauberspiegel (Vol. 3 No. 5)
65
Jack Merlin A Routine of Sleights at the Card Table
  • cards in spectator's pocket, card fished out very fast
  • second and bottom dealing expose
Related toVariations 1927/28 2
Theodore Annemann Red or Black?
Related to 1934 14
Theodore Annemann Red or Black one-way backs
Related to 1937 161
Nate Leipzig From the Pen of Leipzig two shuffled decks are covered with handkerchiefs, performer removes a card with each hand, they match
Jan. 1940
Chap's Scrapbook (Vol. 2 No. 7)
1
Bob Hummer The Magic Separation face-up and face-down cards are shuffled, performer separates cards behind back so one pile consists of same amount of face up cards as the other, see Collected Secrets for variations
Related toVariationsAlso published here 1940 3
Edward Marlo Sense of Touch crimp
Feb. 1945
The Phoenix (Issue 78)
317
Bob Hummer Hummer's 18 Card Mystery spectator takes eighteen cards and turns over the top two cards and cuts the pile, that step is repeated as often as he likes, then the performer takes the cards behind his back and divines the amount of reversed cards, see Collected Secrets for links to variations
VariationsAlso published here 1946 1
Bob Hummer Hummer's Swindle spectator takes sixteen cards and turns over the top two cards and cuts the pile behind his back, that step is repeated as often as he likes, then the performer takes the cards behind his back and without looking reverses all cards back in order
Also published here 1946 2
Bob Hummer The Lonely Card CATO routine, cards turned face up, performer takes packet behind back and reverses all cards except selection
VariationsAlso published here 1946 2
Johnny Jones The Great Meld Mystery of Pinochle Kings and Queens separated behind back
1946 30
Martin Gardner, Bob Hummer Under the Table spectator takes eighteen cards and turns over the top two cards and cuts the pile, that step is repeated as often as he likes, then the performer takes the cards behind his back and divines the amount of reversed cards, cards are separated into red and blacks as climax
  • Turn Every Other Card
Inspired by Nov. 1948 484
Ein neuer absonderlicher Kartentrick face-up and face-down cards are shuffled, performer separates cards behind back so one pile consists of same amount of face up cards as the other, same as Hummer's Magic separation
Related to 1949
Hokus Pokus (Vol. 10 No. 1)
5
Bob Hummer The Magic Separation face-up and face-down cards are shuffled, performer separates cards behind back so one pile consists of same amount of face up cards as the other
Also published here 1949 47
John Scarne Separating Red and Black Cards No. 18, Performer separates face up/down packet into reds and blacks
1950 38
Otis Manning, Phil Sevush, Charles Nyquist, Jack McMillen The Eight Ace Routine No. 95, multi-phase routine using 2 duplicate sets of aces
1950 179
George Schindler Sealed Penetration deck is sealed and put in spectator's pocket, performer fishes card out very fast
Related to Sep. 1951
The Phoenix (Issue 237)
949
Toni Koynini Can't See! "A Complete Act"
performer genuinely blindfolded, performer feels various qualities of cards
  • Picture Sense (all court cards sorted out during deal-through)
  • Now the Suits
  • Aces High
  • Reds and Blacks
  • Any Card! (any number card named, performer locates it while dealing through packet)
  • Out of this World (no longer blindfolded)
1951 12
Edward Marlo Sense of Touch crimp
1953 4
Dai Vernon Colour Separation four red and black cards are separated behind the back, crimp
Related to 1959 14
Bob Hummer Bild und Rücken face-up and face-down cards are shuffled, performer separates cards behind back so one pile consists of same amount of face up cards as the other, see Collected Secrets for variations
Also published here 1959
Hokus Pokus (Vol. 20 No. 2)
811
P. Howard Lyons They're Really Marked performer sorts deck into reds and blacks from the back, procedure to get a mixed-up one-way deck into the right configuration by dealing once from the back and once from the face, borrowed deck is apparently marked
Oct. 1959
Ibidem (Issue 18)
30
Dai Vernon Red-Black Separation with Snap Crimp performer brings cards of wanted colors from behind back
Related to 1960 61
Edward Marlo Color Eliminator color reflects on back of other card or nail polish on fingertip, (back-)dated "over a dozen years ago", quoted from a 1958 letter
Related to 1962 35
James Steranko Ocellus color reflects on back of other card, color separation, also in peek position to see full index reflection
Related to 1962 105
Victor "Astor" Jamnitzky Die Roten und die Schwarzen red and black separation by touch, whole deck corner-shorted
1967 (ca.) 5
Paul Swinford Opus Thirteen Gilbreath Principle & Faro Shuffle, new deck order
1968 37
Robert Page All But One CATO red black separation routine, p. 241 for further reference
Related to Aug. 1968 197
Don Nielsen, Karl Fulves Nor Eyes To See With
  • performer finds red card in black packet behind back
  • circled number on paper is divined behind back
  • set time on watch revealed behind back
fiber optic tube, see also p. 320 for idea by Harold Bester, p. 644 & p. 728 for comments by Syd Bergson & Karl Fulves
Related toVariations Nov. 1969 291
Jack Posetary No Mirror reading colors of cards, whet thumbnail as shiner, see also p. 411
Related to Dec. 1970 389
Karl Fulves Technicolor Thought
Related to 1971 12
Karl Fulves Technicolor Thought divided deck location, then set-up for "No Mirror"
Related to 1971 16
Karl Fulves Technicolor Shuffle cutting to red cards, secret strip out condition
1971 19
Fred G. Taylor Sleeper spectator notes bottom card and pockets it along with next nine cards of same color, then performer finds cards of opposite color
May 1971 419
Dai Vernon Vernon's Snap Crimp Ideas No. 65
  • 1) red-black
  • 2) all of one suit or one four-of-a-kind
  • 3) spread location
Related to 1972 20
1) Snap Crimp No. 427-1, snap crimp to find Aces or red-black separation
1972 118
Dr. Jacob Daley Snap Crimp No. 549, "as key or locator", all Aces or red cards also
1972 154
Edward Marlo Color Sense seeing with fingertips, red / black, shuffled deck in case, reflection on card case
Related to 1975
Magick (Issue 121)
602
Nick Trost Weighing the Colors Tell how many red/black cards there are in each pile
Also published here 1976 20
Ted Karmilovich Red & Black performer separates red and black cards
Variations 1978
Magick (Issue 221)
1102
Karl Fulves 5-4 spectator turns cards over from a packet of 18 cards, behind back performer splits packet and knows relation of face-down and face-up cards in each half
Related toAlso published here Sep. 1979
The Talon (Issue 5)
61
Bob Hummer 3. Kein Zufall face-up and face-down cards are shuffled, performer separates cards behind back so one pile consists of same amount of face up cards as the other, see Collected Secrets for variations
Also published here 1979
Hokus Pokus (Vol. 40 No. 4)
122
Bob Hummer Hummer's 18 Card Mystery spectator takes eighteen cards and turns over the top two cards and cuts the pile, that step is repeated as often as he likes, then the performer takes the cards behind his back and divines the amount of reversed cards
Related toVariationsAlso published here 1980 7
Bob Hummer Hummer's Swindle spectator takes sixteen cards and turns over the top two cards and cuts the pile behind his back, that step is repeated as often as he likes, then the performer takes the cards behind his back and without looking reverses all cards back in order
Also published here 1980 7
Bob Hummer The Lonely Card CATO routine, cards turned face up, performer takes packet behind back and reverses all cards except selection
Related toVariationsAlso published here 1980 7
Bob Hummer The Little Moonies CATO routine, cards with moon faces printed on them, one way they are smiling held the other way the are sad, spectator marks two cards on the pack and cuts them in the deck, performer takes cards behind back, all moons are in smiling orientation except marked two
Also published here 1980 8
Bob Hummer The Magic Separation face-up and face-down cards are shuffled, performer separates cards behind back so one pile consists of same amount of face up cards as the other (1940)
Related toVariationsAlso published here 1980 9
Edward Marlo (A) Red Black Sensing mexican joe crimp
1984 215
Stephen Minch Color Separation No. 8, performer separates colors by touch, punch, performer genuinely blindfolded
1984 21
Dai Vernon Commanding the Colors shuffled deck is cut into piles, named color on top of each, snap crimp
Related to 1988 192
Dai Vernon A Sticky Solution sticky edges
1988 207
Dai Vernon It's a Snap snap crimp
Related to 1988 210
Dai Vernon Vernon On Gilbreath
Also published here 1988 212
Ray Grismer Separation by Weight separating high and low, or red and black cards, apparently by weight
1988 15
Bob Hummer Infallible
Also published here 1989 12
Simon Aronson Color Feeling behind back, deck switch
1990 91
Ken Simmons Bluff Presentation for The Magic Separation face-up and face-down cards are shuffled, performer separates cards behind back so one pile consists of same amount of face up cards as the other, three phases
Inspired by 1992 12
Vicente Canuto, Bob Hummer Vuelvo Dos y Corto spectator takes cards and turns over the top two cards and cuts the pile, that step is repeated as often as he likes, then the performer takes the cards behind his back and divines the amount of reversed cards, red/black separation as climax, with two predictions
Inspired by 1993 46
Reinhard Müller Pre-World discussing precursors of OOTW and color guessing, credit information
Related to 1995
Underworld (Issue 1)
4
Steve Beam Color Blind performer separates cards into reds and black, then blindfolded and with cards face up performer seems to miss, but separated cards of different back colors
1995 53
Claude Rix Les rouges et les noires - 1ère version - 1ère méthode performer is blindfolded, separates red and black cards
1995 106
Claude Rix, Maurice Gauthron Les rouges et les noires - 2ème version card to pocket with shuffled deck, then performer separates red and black cards
1995 107
Harry Riser Dealer's School
  • Phase One (red black separation by feel)
  • Phase Two (shuffle control demo)
  • Phase Three (dealing some hands, performer ends up with Aces)
1996 144
Ellis Stanyon To Distinguish the Colour of the Cards Under a Handkerchief No. 18, bridge
1999 43
Ellis Stanyon To Distinguish Court Cards by Touch No. 35, blurred edges with knife
1999 50
Ellis Stanyon To Distinguish Red from Black Cards by Their Backs No. 36, bridge
1999 50
Bob Taylor The "S" Shuffle setting bridge during riffle shuffle with one half bridged opposite to other half, red-black divination application
2000 18
Lewis Jones Red Alert One deck is dealt in four hands, colors of one hand can be divined
2000 160
Roy Walton Roy Walton Presentation after two cards are selected from a packet, performer separates the colors and gets two wrong - the selections
Inspired by 2000 9
Color by Touch No. 66, small packet shuffled face-up/face-down, performer names number of reds and blacks and sorts them
2001 100
Karl Fulves, Bob Hummer Psychic Map No. 69, fifteen cards in matrix layout on table, some are turned over, covered with newspaper, performer reaches underneath and adjusts, when newspaper is removed all face-up cards are red and vice versa
2001 104
Karl Fulves Red Control an Ace and a Two on the table, single cards dealt on Ace, pairs on Two, performer and spectator take one of the dealt piles each under the table, performer is able to match spectator's colors
Inspired by 2001 160
Karl Fulves The Rule For Red different handling than CATO, switching two cards
Inspired by 2002 262
Pit Hartling Colour Sense feeling colors through table, packet of thirteen cards
Related toVariations 2003 36
Karl Fulves Seeing Color performer deals through shuffled deck, spectator stops, selection cut into deck, performer deals some cards on the table and one to the bottom of the deck, tabled pile consists of selection and only odd-colored cards otherwise
  • No Memory
2003
Off The Books (Issue 6)
99
Chris Wardle Two at Once two spectators each choose a card from half the deck, the halves are tied with a ribbon and put in two pockets, performer finds both quickly
2003 8
Steve Beam GPS Stack mathematical stack, knowing amount of cut cards
  • Weighing the Cards
2004 229
Barrie Richardson Synergistic Memory Demonstration first phase is "HIP ESP" (color sequence called off), then a number is named and performer names card at that position (faced deck)
Inspired by 2005 308
Reinhard Müller Mixed Cards and Feelings sixteen cards are cut into two piles and spectator turns the same amount of cards over in each pile, performer takes cards behind back, turns some cards over and tells how many cards are reversed
Related toVariations 2006 58
Herb Zarrow Insight a trick Zarrow invented for a blind magician, magician matches shuffled red / black order of a pile
2006 177
Roberto Giobbi, Bob Hummer Fingertip Sensitivity twelve cards are mixed face up and face down, performer holds packet under table and knows how many cards are reversed and they turn out to be from same color, repeated with selection, all cards end up reversed but selection
Inspired by 2006 43
Asi Wind Red & Black after one riffle shuffle, some cards are dealt and the colors divined by performer
Also published here 2007 9
Nick Trost Weighing the Colors reds and blacks separated, spectator takes seven from top of both piles in any combination, then from face of both piles again, performer weighs correctly number of reds and blacks in each
Also published here 2009 338
Nick Trost Red and Black Routine routine with ten red and black cards
  • CATO type routine
  • "Double Separation" (Wiersbe)
  • "Unmatch" (Fulves)
  • "Color Scheme" (Oscar Weigle)
Inspired by 2009 347
Nick Trost A Coincidence and Divination Routine two halves, spectator turn over a card in one half, when both are dealt in unison the reversed card finds its match, cards riffled together, performer can separate colors and suit under table
Inspired by 2009 354
Karl Fulves Know-It-All spectator riffle shuffles deck, pair shown and spectator only tells if the colors match or not, performer knows color if they match
2010
Prolix (Issue 8)
501
Karl Fulves Stripper Notes
  • using stripper deck as one-way deck in tabled row
  • separation by touch (face-up/face-down)
2010
Prolix (Issue 8)
502
Michael Alec Sparkle performer deals borrowed deck into two piles, colors (almost) separated, nail polish shiner at innser surface of fingernail
2010
Prolix (Issue 8)
523
Ted Karmilovich My Red / Black Test performer separates red from black cards
2011 3
Dai Vernon Vernon on Gilbreath
Also published here Oct. 2013
Genii (Vol. 76 No. 10)
45
Michael Weber Power to the Performer performer separates colors
2015 15
Alexander de Cova Die Augenbindenroutine example for blindfold card act, not many details
  • Eröffnung - Das Verbinden der Augen
  • Phase I - Sense of Touch
  • Phase II - Gedachtes Stopp
  • Phase III - Sans Staccus
  • Phase IV - Separating the Colors
  • Phase V - Sensitive Fingertips
  • Phase VI - A Stab in the Dark
  • Phase VII - Reading the Cards
2015 195
John Wilson Outer This World performer divines color of top thirteen cards of shuffled deck
Inspired by 2016 19
Chris Rawlins Pseudo three phase memory demonstration, first red black, then suits, then naming missing card
Also published here 2016 (ca.) 1
Ryan Schlutz Strange Gift spectator gives twelve cards to performer, he knows number of red cards and sorts them under table
Inspired byAlso published here 2017 14
Ondřej Pšenička Motion Memory Magician able to deal and separate red and black cards with face down cards
2017 74
Chris Rawlins A Bonus (Pseudo Memory) three phase memory demonstration, first red black, then suits, then naming missing card
Also published here 2017 63
Asi Wind True Colors after one riffle shuffle, some cards are dealt and the colors divined by performer
Related toAlso published here 2018 37
Ryan Schlutz Strange Gift spectator gives twelve cards to performer, he knows number of red cards and sorts them under table
Also published here 2020 14
Eugene Burger A Top-Secret Device handling of a palmed shiner, applications (spectator stops at any card, then mate is found, red/black separation)
2021 129