Oops control

Oops control is an informal name for a card control, in which, after having a card selected and returned to the middle of the deck, the performer spreads the cards face-down between his hands, and sees one card accidentally turned face-up. "Oops," he says, and flips the card face-down. In this action, the selected card has been brought to the top of the deck.

The idea belongs to U. F. Grant, and was first described as a covert procedure to control a card in Hilliard's Greater Magic in 1938.

History

U. F. Grant described a similar procedure in "Reverse Card Location," in his Tricks With a Short Card (1932). But there, he used it as a trick, in which the reversed card was anything but accidental. In fact, the reversed card was the trick&emdash;it was found to be directly next to the selected card! The trick was reprinted in Hugard's Encyclopedia of Card Tricks (1937, p. 314).

Frank Garcia published the idea in 1973, apparently not aware of the short description in Greater Magic. Roberto Giobbi also published it in 1995; he credited Garcia, but again, there was no mention of Grant or Greater Magic.

Publications

• U. F. Grant's Reversed key card, Greater Magic by John Northern Hilliard (1938, p. 81)
  • Three Methods of Eliminating the Pass, Third Method, The Eliminators: Three Non-Sleight Methods of Working the Pass, Force, Palm, and Switch by U. F. Grant (circa 1943, p. 20)
  • Three Methods of Eliminating the Pass, Third Method, The Eliminators: Three Non-Sleight Methods of Working the Pass, Force, Palm, and Switch revised by Don O'Neal (circa 1975)
• Frank Garcia's Reversed Card Idea, Super Subtle Card Miracles by Frank Garcia (1973, p. 108)
• The "Whoops" Control, Card College, Vol. 1 by Roberto Giobbi (1995, pp. 68-69)