I came across this “YOU ARE OUT OF CARDS” card in a routine by Tom Craven called “A Card Experiment”, and it reminded me of a trick put out by the late, great Jon Racherbaumer back in the mid-1970’s, which was called "S-timation".   Racherbaumer's routine was one of my favorite tricks back then, but somewhere over the decades, I lost the instructions and forgot how to do the trick!     Well, with the YAOOC card staring me in the face, I had to work out a way to do the Racherbaumer routine.  

While I successfully re-created the effect, I do not think I re-created Racherbaumer's method, but instead created five different handlings, which all offer good options for the performer who wants to seriously puzzle an audience.   A few of them are “easy" and a couple of them require a bit more practice.     Some of the handlings include a revelation of a selected card (as Racherbaumer's original did), and a couple leave out the card selection and just demonstrate an amazing card coincidence.

Here's the effect:   

The spectator freely selects a card and signs it.  The card is replaced in the deck and the deck is tabled.   The spectator cuts about a packet of cards -- say, about a quarter of the deck -- and places the cards in her pocket (or behind her back).   The magician explains how there is a way to ascertain how many cards she cut, but he would have to count the remaining cards.  Instead, the magician cuts a packet of cards for himself, and places them in his pocket.   The spectator and magician take cards one-at-a-time from their pockets and deal them face-up onto the table.  "If either of us deal your signed card, that is how we win the game," the magi explains.   But as the spectator deals her last card, the magician deals a card that says "YOU ARE OUT OF CARDS".   (This is true, and the first magical moment of amazement.)   Since neither person dealt the signed selection, it must be in the remainder of the deck.  Or is it.  Because when the spectator looks at the magician again, the signed card is stuck to his forehead.  (Or the signed card can be found in your favorite card-to-wallet, or other impossible location)

And both effects can happen with no sleight of hand  :-)

The late Tom Craven put these card sets together, and had his own routine using them (which is included, of course).  But I wanted a more meaningful and logical procedure for the effect, and so I made up my own routine and handling.  You will get complete instructions for my handling, which turns Craven's good trick into a great trick (in my humble opinion!)

Oh yeah, there are NO SLEIGHTS in this routine, so it is super-easy to do.   

As mentioned, some of the handlings use some sleight of hand, but nothing difficult if you want to put in a bit of practice.  But as described above, you can get both magical moments, including a signed card in your pocket, without any sleights.

NOTE:  you get the red-backed "YOU ARE OUT OF CARDS" card, to use with your own Bicycle Rider deck.  No deck of cards is included.    

Brand new and unused, from new-old dealer inventory, and my exclusive TMGS instruction sheet.