A very long article about Ricky Jay

Deborah Baron, a screenwriter in Los Angeles, where Jay lives, once invited him to a New Year’s Eve dinner party at her home. About a dozen other people attended. Well past midnight, everyone gathered around a coffee table as Jay, at Baron’s request, did closeup card magic. When he had performed several dazzling illusions and seemed ready to retire, a guest named Mort said, “Come on, Ricky. Why don’t you do something truly amazing?”> > > > > Baron recalls that at that moment “the look in Ricky’s eyes was, like, ‘Mort—you have just fucked with the wrong person.’ ”> > > > > Jay told Mort to name a card, any card. Mort said, “The three of hearts.” After shuffling, Jay gripped the deck in the palm of his right hand and sprung it, cascading all fifty-two cards so that they travelled the length of the table and pelted an open wine bottle.> > > > > “O.K., Mort, what was your card again?”> > > > > “The three of hearts.”> > > > > “Look inside the bottle.”> > > > > Mort discovered, curled inside the neck, the three of hearts. The party broke up immediately.

via newyorker.com

Ricky Jay, if you haven’t heard of him, is probably the most truthful master of deception alive today. Truthful, in that he’s true to his craft in every possible way. Take a chunk of time and read the article, then do some YouTube searches for him. I was lucky enough to find a copy of “Ricky Jay and his 52 Assistants”, an old TV special where he performs his magic in front of a very small audience.

(thanks to @gruber for the link to the article).