Murphy's Magic Supplies, Inc.
Back in my formative years, my uncle Peter pulled off a classic X-Ray Vision stunt that completely scrambled my brain. The guy had me convinced he could see through the tabletop to figure out how many fingers I was holding up. He nailed it every single time, leaving me in awe until my dad broke the news: it was all a simple code of foot taps between them. Fast forward a bit, and I was the one performing this miracle, and let me tell you, I've been hooked on the X-Ray Vision concept ever since.
My one-man show, HELLucinations, is my bread and butter act—the one I rely on for all my high-paying gigs. It’s designed to mimic the legendary Dr. Elmer William Bishop's mind-bending demonstrations. The show kicks off with some perplexing "card reading" and then dives into a series of jaw-dropping X-Ray Vision feats. You know, like revealing which card a spectator has reversed in a sealed deck inside a heavy iron box—and doing this under increasingly impossible conditions.
Presented with all seriousness, the show can run anywhere from thirty minutes to an hour and a half, leaving audiences utterly convinced of my supernatural X-Ray powers, even with a full disclaimer. This is the kind of stuff that pays the bills!
Secretly, I've always wanted a casual version of these powers—something that can be performed with any deck of cards, at any moment!
And that’s exactly what you get with THE XRAY DECK. Steve has brilliantly tackled the challenge, creating a practical, perform-anywhere solution for this effect, and he lays out every nuance of his clever and direct method in a way that's easy to digest.
The XRay effect
The performer shuffles a deck of cards, showing that they’re all different. The deck is placed on the table, and the spectator is instructed to cut the deck anywhere, turn the card face up, memorize it, and then put the cut portion back on top. The spectator seals the deck in its case and signals for the magician to return. The performer returns and claims to have developed an uncanny ability to see the hidden—almost like X-Ray vision. Without ever touching the case, he focuses intently on it and reveals the name of the spectator's chosen card!
But wait, it gets even crazier. He locks his gaze on the box again and calls out a number. Still no touching! The spectator then takes the cards out and deals them face up, counting each one. Tension mounts as they approach the called number, and lo and behold, there sits the spectator's face-up card! Not only has the performer named the chosen card from a sealed box, he also pinpointed its exact position!
Features
- All cards can be examined—the deck is completely normal.
- Once the deck is in the spectator's hands, the performer never touches it again.
- The deck consists of 52 unique cards—no duplicates.
- Any deck can be used, and the effect can even be performed impromptu with a borrowed deck.
- No stooges, confederates, peeks, electronics, or mirrors.
- No gaffs or gimmicks involved.
- No prepared box; the deck and box are the real deal.
- Works one-on-one or for audiences of any size.
- Astonishing, impactful mentalism at its finest!
Once you fully grasp Steve's approach, you’ll be able to perform The X-Ray Deck anywhere.
Pages: 34 - 8 1/2" x 11" - Photo-illustrated - PDF Format
Here's what some professional mentalists and scholars have said about THE XRAY DECK:"X-RAY is one of the most fantastic effects I have come across. I like simple, easy-to-perform effects that require subtlety and sleight of mind rather than sleight of hand. This is an effect that Al Koran would have been proud to have invented. I can not wait to perform it and I know it is going to become a magical classic."
- Martin Breese"Not only did I immediately absorb every last detail and nuance employed in the development of the X-RAY routine, I was blown away by the number of well-known and respected names I encountered that had a collaborative role in its construction. X-RAY is an extremely powerful and entertaining effect. Watching Steve Shufton and Ben Harris concoct a recipe for a satisfying and delicious mental effect is as sweet as the frosting on my cake. Do I like it? You bet I do. Highly recommended."
- Larry Becker"A wonderfully clear cut plot. This is very powerful and appears utterly impossible."
- Marc Paul"Great idea, great routine and great thinking! Another winner!"
- Greg Arce"Waaa?!?! That is f[----]ing AWESOME!"
- Jeremy Weiss"X-RAY is an amazing effect that also ENTERTAINS the audience. I know the professional performers, with dynamic personalities, will love X-RAY. However, I know X-ray will be a miracle, even when performed by average magicians, just for their friends."
- Steve Dusheck
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