The Devil is Dyslexic
Here’s another way to perform the classic “Color Monte” packet trick. This time, the routine is based on “Mo’ Monte” by master mentalist Max Maven (1950-2022). As well as being one of the most influential mentalists of all time, Max Maven was also one of the most prolific packet trick creators of the modern era. He has over a thousand published effects that use just a handful of cards—“Mo’ Monte” was one of his favourites. “The Devil is Dyslexic” takes Max’s routine and adds a large dollop of dark humour along with an alternative handling that enables you to use regular playing cards rather than blank-faced ones.
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| Image Credit: Marty’s Bag of Tricks via Canva. |
Although the trick has a bizarre magick theme of “gambling with the Devil,” its comedy ending prevents the routine from becoming too disturbing (especially for people who might be religious). I like to think Max would have appreciated the tongue-in-cheek humour and Faustian feel of the piece.
On This Page
Effect
Background & Credits
Requirements & Preparation
Method & Presentation
Cleanup & Reset
Performance Tips & Additional Ideas
Final Thoughts
Effect
You begin by offering to demonstrate the notorious con game known as three-card monte. However, this version of the classic street scam has a twist: instead of using a red Queen, you’re using the Four of Clubs or the “Devil’s Bedposts” as some people call it. This card serves as the “money card” alongside two identical Jokers. All three cards are shown to have red backs.
To prevent the use of duplicates, you ask a spectator to sign the face of the four with a permanent marker pen. You then announce that you’ll make things “even easier” by swapping the two losing cards (the red-backed Jokers) with blue-backed cards. But as the signed Four is turned face down, gasps ripple through the audience—it, too, has turned blue-backed! “You see,” you remark, “the Devil always cheats!”
After demonstrating the futility of trying to beat the game, you perform a stunning transformation. The signed card, once blue, now changes back to vibrant red. You shake the card, and seemingly out of nowhere, the words “SANTA IS MY MASTER!” appear in big, bold letters on its back!
With a mischievous grin, you dramatically declare, “You signed the Devil’s Bedposts, so your soul now belongs to the Dark Lord!” You pause ominously until an observant audience member inevitably points out that the card reads SANTA, not SATAN. You make a witty remark about the Devil being dyslexic before announcing, “The good news is that you haven’t lost your immortal soul to the Devil. The bad news is that you now have a winter job at the North Pole!”
Laughter erupts from your audience as you shake the signed card, causing the misspelt message to disappear, releasing your participant from their obligation to work as an unpaid intern in Santa’s Workshop! Finally, you present the red-backed Four of Clubs to the spectator as a keepsake. As the card is being held by the participant, the back of the card changes colour one last time, from red to blue!
Background & Credits
My routine is based on Max Maven’s “Mo’ Monte”, which, in turn, is Max’s personal take on “Color Monte” (created by Jim Temple and brought to market by Emmerson & West in 1974). Maven’s version uses three blank-faced cards (?), with a small sticker designating the “money card”. While his method is undeniably ingenious, I found the sticker problematic since spectators might assume you’re simply transferring it between cards. My initial solution was to ask my spectator to sign the card with a permanent marker. This led to the idea of the spectator making an unwitting pact with the Devil, an idea from another classic Max Maven routine called “Wagers of Sin” (The New Invocation, issue 35, October 1986, pages 416-419).
| “Mo’ Monte” by Max Maven and Penguin Magic. Video Credit: Penguin Magic. |
In developing my own interpretation, I made two key changes to better suit my performance style. First, I replaced the blank cards with standard ones. Second, I chose the Four of Clubs—traditionally known as the “Devil’s Bedposts”—as the money card, adding a sinister touch that ties into the routine’s delightfully devilish theme.
While researching the credits for this trick, I came across a more complex (but equally excellent) card trick called “Satan Monte” by Kostya Kimlat (Card Work, Card Play, page 53). This trick features a similar kicker ending, where a satanic message appears on a chosen card. Like “The Devil is Dyslexic”, Kostya’s routine is a storytelling trick that involves a Faustian game of three-card monte. In the trick, three blue-backed cards transform into the chosen card and then change into three Sixes. Ultimately, the selected card is revealed in the card case, displaying a red back with the phrase “I Give My Soul to Satan” written on it. Although the method and effect of my trick are very different, it shares thematic similarities with “Satan Monte”, which is why I felt Kostya’s trick deserved a mention here. Additionally, I have used elements of Kostya’s trick to enhance the script for “The Devil is Dyslexic”. Card Work, Card Play also includes some excellent variations of Marlo’s Quick 3-Way, worthy of deep study (see pages 9-12).
The SANTA/SATAN joke was inspired by my favorite band, Ben Folds Five, who released a song called “Satan is My Master” in the 1990s (Naked Baby Photos, 1997). You can listen to it below.
| “Satan is My Master” by Ben Folds Five. Video Credit: benfoldsTV via YouTube. |
Requirements & Preparation
The trick requires five cards: two red/blue double-backers, two red-backed Jokers, and a single blue-backed Four of Clubs. You also need a black permanent marker pen, e.g., a Sharpie.
If you have the money card signed, you must replace the Four of Clubs each time you perform the routine. An economical way to obtain duplicate cards is to purchase a one-way forcing deck that contains fifty-two Four of Clubs.
On the red side of one of the double backers, write “SANTA IS MY MASTER!” or “MY SOUL BELONGS TO SANTA”. Place this card, blue side up, on top of the other red/blue double backer, which should also be blue side up. Then, deal the face-up Four of Clubs to the table. Drop the two red-backed Jokers face up on top of the Four. Finally, put the two double backers on top, keeping them blue side up; the order of these two cards does not matter.
From the top of the stack, the order of the cards should be: DB-DB-J-J-4C. The bottom three cards are all face up, and both red/blue doubled backers are blue side up. Place these cards in an envelope or a packet trick wallet.
Method & Presentation
Remove the five-card packet from the envelope or wallet and immediately deal the top two cards to the table, as you say, “We’ll get back to these cards in a moment.” Spread the remaining three cards to display the two Jokers and the Four of Clubs. Deal the three cards to the table, reversing their order.
Introduce the game to your audience by saying, “You’ve heard of three-card monte, right? But have you ever heard of the Satanic Sidewalk Shuffle, Mephisto Monte, or Find the Four?” They’ll likely respond with “no” because all this stuff is made up. If they say “yes”, put the cards away and reach for the silver crucifix in your pocket!
Continue your presentation by saying, “As the name suggests, the aim of the game is to find the Four of Clubs or, as the sailors used to call it, the Devil’s Bedposts. Some people cheat by using more than one Four. To keep me honest, please sign your name on the card...” Pick up the packet, square up the cards, and then perform a double turnover (easy because of the three-card packet) to apparently show that the Four of Clubs has a red back. As you do this, say, “...not on the back, but on the face. Sign the card just like you would a legal contract, such as a last will and testament.” This line should get a giggle or two from your audience. Repeat the turnover and deal the Four, face up to the table. Hand the marker pen to a spectator and help them sign their name on the face of the card by holding it steady with the fingertips of your right hand (this also prevents them from turning the card over prematurely). As the spectator signs the card, make a quiet, sinister laugh just loud enough that people start to suspect something is afoot. If you want to elicit a bigger laugh, turn to the person next to you, shake your head and say, “I can’t believe they’re doing this!” (The sinister laugh is a wonderful touch from “Satan Monte” by Kostya Kimlat.)
Look at your spectator and say, “Find the Four is a fun game you and I will play. In fact, since you’ve never played it before, we won’t play for money—unless you want to. I’ll also make it even easier for you to win.” Turn the two Jokers face down, displaying their red backs and say, “Rather than using these two red-backed Jokers...” Pick up one of the double backers, drop it on top of the two Jokers and perform a double turnover to display the face of a Joker and say, “...we’ll use these blue-backed ones instead.” Repeat the turnover, then deal the blue-backed Joker (?) to the right of the face-up Four.
Pick up the other double backer (this should be the one without any writing on it) and drop it on top of the two red-backed Jokers. Perform another double turnover to display a second blue-backed Joker (?). This time, you can spread the two cards in your left hand to cleanly display two red-backed cards. Square up and repeat the turnover, then deal the top card to the left of the face-up Four of Clubs.
Turn the two red-backed Jokers face up and slide them back into the envelope or wallet. Then, put the envelope or wallet away to reduce visual clutter.
Situation Check: From left to right, you have a face-down blue-backed card; this is one of the red/blue double backers (the one without writing on it). The signed, face-up Four of Clubs is next to it (in the middle). Your audience believes that it has a red back, but it is, in fact, blue-backed. On your right is another face-down, blue-backed card; this is the other red/blue double backer with the message written on it.
With a wry smile, turn the Four of Clubs face down to reveal its blue back, much to the surprise of your audience. This strong moment of magic provides a playful way to begin the routine and foreshadows the transformations at the end of the trick, thereby building suspense, anticipation, and curiosity.
Pick up the middle card (the Four of Clubs), keeping it face down and place it in left-hand dealer’s grip. Next, pick up the card to your left (the red/blue double backer without writing on it) and drop it on top of the Four. Finally, pick up the last card (the red/blue double backer with the message written on it) and drop it on top of all.
Situation Check: From the top of the packet down, the three cards are in the following order: DB-DB-4C. The card with the hidden message is on top, the regular double backer is in the middle of the packet, and the signed Four of Clubs is on the bottom.
Turn to your spectator and say, “Ready to play? Keep your eye on that Four!” Flip the packet face up, bookwise, then turn your left hand palm down in preparation for the Glide. Secretly draw back the bottom card slightly with the fingers of your left hand, just a fraction of an inch. Then, make contact with the middle card and draw it out of the packet with the fingers of your right hand, ensuring that it remains face down (with the blue side facing up).
As you extract the card, adjust the position of the two cards in your left hand so that you can spread them apart. This will allow you to insert the card in your right hand between the two held in your left. From the audience’s perspective, it looks like you have placed the bottom card in the middle of the packet. In reality, you have removed the middle card and replaced it where it originally came from!
Look at your spectator and ask, “Where is your card? Top, middle, or bottom?” Since the spectator will still trust you at this stage, they’ll probably say middle. When they do, regrip the packet from above in a right-hand end grip and turn your hand palm up to display the Four of Clubs on the bottom. Pause for a moment to let the impossibility of the situation sink in, then say, “So sorry. You see, the Devil cheats. It’s actually still on the bottom.”
The spectator will be surprised and realise they must watch you more closely.
You will now demonstrate the futility of playing three-card monte by performing a sleight-of-hand sequence that will show the money card simultaneously in three positions: on the bottom, top, and middle. I will describe Ed Marlo’s original Quick 3-Way display, which was first published in Ibidem (Issue 15, page 2). However, you might prefer the more natural Slide 3-Way used by Max Maven in his “Mo’ Monte” trick. If you purchase this trick from Penguin Magic, you will receive three special cards needed to perform it, along with video instructions from Eric Tate. These instructions include an explanation of Maven’s Slide 3-Way and an additional variant handling by Eric.
In truth, many of the handlings of the Marlo move may appear somewhat suspicious, but this isn’t a problem when demonstrating a scam like three-card monte. After all, you’re supposed to be cheating! The specific handling you choose to use depends on your personal preference; any of them will work as long as you can perform the sequence smoothly and confidently.
Highlight the game’s difficulty by saying, “The problem with this game is that the Four is never where it should be. If it is on the bottom...” Keeping your right-hand palm up, retake the packet in left-hand dealer’s grip. Perform the Christ/Annemann Alignment Move (the first step in Marlo’s Quick 3-Way). Grip the two injogged cards with the fingers and thumb of your right hand (fingers on top, thumb below) and turn the two cards as one, end-for-end, leaving them outjogged a little. Use your left index finger to push the double card flush with the card below it.
Take a moment to display the Four of Clubs on top of the packet. Continue your patter by saying, “...it cannot be on top, correct? That would be impossible!”
Next, flip the double face down, bookwise. Take the top card in your right hand. Then, tap the middle card with it as you say, “If the Four is on top, it cannot be in the middle.” Next, use the top card to flip the middle card over to reveal the face of the Four of Clubs for a third time. Slide the top card underneath the packet, displacing it to the bottom.
Turn to your spectator and say, “Where’s the blue-backed Four of Clubs?” They will tell you that it is on top. Look puzzled, then say, “No. Don’t you remember? This card is red-backed! Find the Four is Satan’s game, and the Devil always cheats.” Perform another double turnover to switch the Four of Clubs with the red/blue double backer below it, apparently showing that the Four is red-backed once again.
Warn your audience about the heavy price of playing Find the Four by saying, “You should never play Find the Four with Old Scratch. You’ll lose more than your money. You’ll owe the Dark Lord your very soul.” To complete the transformation of the money card, perform a Through-the-Fist Change to make the secret message appear on the red-backed card. To perform this colour change, regrip the packet by its short end (the one furthest away from you), enabling you to form your left hand into a loose fist. Replace the packet onto the curled tips of your left fingers. Use your left thumb to push the packet through your fist, rotating your left hand face down in the process. Again, grip the packet as it emerges from your left fist with your right hand and immediately perform the same through-the-fist action.
To activate the change and reveal the writing, perform another through-the-fist flourish. This time, place the packet in the palm of your left hand. By positioning the cards this way, you will subtly turn the packet over as you rotate your left hand palm down and push it through your fist. If you execute these three flourishes in one smooth, continuous motion, the appearance of the text will be quite startling.
As your audience reads the message, say, “You signed the Devil’s Bedposts, so your soul now belongs to the Dark Lord!” Wait for someone to mention that SATAN is misspelt as SANTA, then say, “Oh dear, it appears that the Devil is dyslexic! The good news is that your immortal soul does not belong to Satan. However, you now have a winter job at the North Pole!”
Say, “Let’s get rid of this misspelt message.” Perform a Twirl Change on the entire three-card packet to make the secret message disappear. Then, execute another double turnover and hand the top card, the signed Four of Clubs, to the spectator. As you do this, say, “Keep this card as a gift and a warning never to play Find the Four again...” Slowly turn the card face down and place it back in the spectator’s hand, as you say, “...especially if the money card keeps changing colour!”
Cleanup & Reset
Obviously, you cannot have the two red/blue double-backed cards examined at the end of the routine. However, all the focus will be on the signed card, giving you ample opportunity to discreetly dispose of the gaffed cards. Slip them into the envelope or wallet above the two Jokers already in there. Take another Four of Clubs and slide it underneath all four cards. The trick is now reset.
Performance Tips & Additional Ideas
If you’re performing this as a one off piece of magic in a more formal setting, I’d start by removing the blue-backed Four of Clubs and two red-backed Jokers from a red-backed deck. Then, remove the two double-backed playing cards from an envelope or wallet. You could even store them in a Himber wallet, with two regular blue-backed Jokers in the other side of the switching wallet.
If you plan to perform “The Devil is Dyslexic” as a piece of strolling magic, I recommend storing the cards in the breast pocket of your shirt or jacket. Place the two red/blue double backers in first, with the red sides facing your body. Next, add a stack of duplicate money cards equal to how many times you want to perform the trick. Finally, include the two red-backed Jokers at the front of the stack. Ensure that all the regular cards have their backs facing toward your body.
When you’re ready to perform, take the first three cards from the stack furthest from your body, one at a time (the two Jokers and one of the duplicate Fours). Perform a double turnover to reveal that the Four of Clubs has a red back, and then continue with the routine as previously described.
When you need the two double-backers, retrieve the two cards closest to your body, one at a time. (One advantage of taking the cards from this pocket is that it’s easy to identify which of the two cards has the writing on it.)
After you’ve finished with the two red-backed Jokers, place them back into your pocket in front of the cards already there. Similarly, once you complete the routine, return the two double backers behind the stack in your pocket.
Continue performing the routine until you run out of duplicate Fours. You will need to replenish the stock in your pocket at that point if you wish to continue performing the trick.
From a pocket management perspective, it makes sense to store a Sharpie marker in the breast pocket of your jacket. This way, all the props for “The Devil is Dyslexic” are kept in the same location.
To repeat the same effect without needing a new Four of Clubs each time, consider having each spectator initial the card rather than signing it. This way, you can reuse the card multiple times before handing it to the last person you perform for, ideally someone significant in the room, such as the person who hired you.
One of the great strengths of “Mo’ Monte” is that Max has designed a routine using three playing cards with a magical effect that makes it feel like the performer must be using extra cards. Some may argue that adding two cards is unnecessary. If you hold this opinion, I encourage you to perform the trick using Max’s original handling. However, instead of placing a sticker on the money card, I recommend having it signed, as this makes the Quick 3-Way display much more baffling for laypeople.
Another approach I’ve experimented with is using the same presentation and the SANTA/SATAN joke with a completely different trick. Alex Elmsley’s “The Four Card Trick”, first marketed in 1959, harmonises beautifully with this theme (see The Collected Works of Alex Elmsley: Volume 1, page 23-29). In this version, the signature repeatedly vanishes and reappears on the money card, making it impossible to win the game. This method uses four regular blank facers, allowing all four cards to be examined at the end of the routine. The trade off? You cannot make the message disappear.
Finally, you could also use the SANTA/SATAN joke with Kostya Kimlat’s trick “Satan Monte” to provide a more humourous and less confrontational climax to the routine.
Faustian Final Thoughts
Much in the same way that Die Hard is a Christmas film, “The Devil is Dyslexic” is a Christmas card trick. For obvious reasons, it works particularly well in the run-up to the festive holidays. I developed the SANTA/SATAN thing because some people get a little freaked out by the whole idea of making a pact with the Devil. This way, they never sign a card with the word “Satan” on it. However, if you’re comfortable doing this, you might want to explore using this theme and presentation with a different card trick and a variety of different messages. For example, you could adapt a trick like Chicago Opener to use a signed selection and a red-backed card with “YOUR SOUL BELONGS TO SANTA” written on it.
And, if you don’t like the full-on Faustian theme of the trick, feel free to use the handling with a different presentation. Here are some alternative messages you could use:
- NEVER GAMBLE WITH THE DEVIL (Avoids mentioning the loss of the participant’s soul)
- NEVER GAMBLE WITH A STRANGER
- NEVER GAMBLE WITH A MAGICIAN
- NEVER GAMBLE WITH MARTY (Of course, you should replace Marty with your own name, unless you’re also called Marty!)
- NEVER GAMBLE ON A LADY (Use a red Queen as the money card)
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