Mark of the Beast
Did you enjoy my lengthy article on “Antigonish”? If so, you’ll love a recent trick I’ve been working on that combines poetry, horror, and classic card magic.
🃏 What if the Devil challenged you to a game of three-card monte? That’s the premise behind “Mark of the Beast”—a unique version of “Color Monte” by Jim Temple set to rhyming prose, perfect for your next Halloween show or spooky performance.
Readers of my regular Ruseletter column, Packet Trick Paradise, may have already read the write-up for this routine. However, I’ve also decided to share it here for people who aren’t currently subscribers to Marty’s Magic Ruseletter.
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| Image Credit: Marty’s Bag of Tricks via Canva. |
In this diabolical twist on a classic plot, you share a haunting tale of a late-night encounter with a mysterious stranger. As darkness falls, you begin your tale...
At night, upon a darkened street,
A well-dressed stranger I did meet.
Three cards he drew out from his pack,
Two Jokers and a single Jack.
“Care to win some precious gold?
A game,” he said, “from times of old.”
Greed betrayed my common sense;
My fateful game would now commence.
The stranger, with his ghoulish grin,
Laid bare the rules for me to win:
“Locate the Jack to beat the game,
But find a Fool, a coin I’ll claim.”
“Where’s the Jack?” he said to me.
“On the bottom, plain to see!”
Then, a Fool’s face met my gaze,
And left me standing in a daze.
One gold coin I had to pay.
“Win it back,” I heard him say.
“Another chance to change your fate.”
Foolishly, I took the bait.
“If not below,” I reasoned well,
“Above the Jack must surely dwell.”
“Top or middle?” came his voice.
“The top,” I said and made my choice.
The stranger cackled with delight,
His laughter echoed through the night.
Another Joker! There it lay—
A second coin I had to pay.
I cried, “It must be in between!”
That Jack was nowhere to be seen.
“Oh dear!” the stranger said with glee.
Three golden coins you now owe me.
Three Jokers, well, imagine that!
I shouted, “You don’t have a Jack.”
“Yes, I do,” the stranger sighed.
“There’s one on bottom,” he replied.
“Let’s make it easier,” he said.
“Why don’t you find a Fool instead?
Top or middle? Time to choose.”
No Joker found—another ruse.
“The centre holds the Fool, I swear!”
“Your judgment’s failed you, I declare!
That Jack you’ve found with such sweet pride
Will cost you dearly,” he replied.
Instead of three cards, I saw more.
Instead of three, I counted four!
“Four playing cards my eyes can see!”
“No,” he hissed, “I’ve one, two, three.”
At this point, I began to fret.
Five coins I’d lost, one more to bet.
On the table the Jack was dealt.
I couldn’t lose, or so I felt.
“Where’s the Jack?” the stranger said,
“On the table,” I replied with dread.
“Alas, the Jack remains with me.
Six golden coins is now my fee!”
“Your spirit or nothing,” came his call,
“Avoid the Six, or lose it all.”
The Jack or Joker was my goal,
If not, the forfeit was my soul!
I lost the bet—the cards transformed,
The stranger changed, his face deformed.
The mark was made, my fate was sealed,
No mercy shown, no grace revealed.
The stranger shed his mortal guise,
Hellfire dancing in his eyes.
The fool I sought was truly me—
damned for all eternity.
And now I roam where shadows creep,
A phantom lurking in the deep.
Beware the game, the cards, the call—
Lest greed and pride destroy us all.
As the story unfolds, three ordinary cards undergo a sinister transformation: the two Jokers and the Jack transform into three Sixes—the Mark of the Beast!
In this instructional guide, you will learn an intermediate-level card trick that is within the reach of most magicians with basic card-handling skills. The trick uses a few false counts, the double lift and Ed Marlo’s Quick 3-Way display. A Braue Addition facilitates a seamless exchange of the Jokers and Jack for two additional Sixes, culminating in the “666” finale. The entire performance is designed so that each magical moment aligns with particular phrases of the poem, which helps to obscure the relatively straightforward sleight-of-hand techniques used.
You can learn this trick now for FREE! Remember, once you know the secret of a magic trick, you cannot unlearn it.
Learn Mark of the Beast 👈
I hope you enjoy performing this as much as I enjoyed creating it. You can learn more novel card magic inspired by folklore and poetry by becoming a paid subscriber to Marty’s Magic Ruseletter (see the article “Tricks, Tricks & More Tricks #3: Satanic Sorcery” to learn a total of seven devilishly delightful card tricks).
If you learn, practice, and perform “Mark of the Beast,” I’d love to hear about it. Please leave me a message in the comments below.
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