To this I say ... How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Do you recall this old joke? The way I did what I did was the same way one gets to Carnegie Hall .... practice, practice, practice. I probably shouldn't tip my hand to this ... but you didn't really think I had magical powers ... did you?

If I had to summarize magic into a single word ... I'd use the word 'subtlety'. The creation of an illusion is rooted in the presentation of a series of actions ... ideally generic in their form ... that ultimately re-inforce your belief that all that I've done is totally normal. Of course ... I did this with a combination of normal moves, modified moves, and some strategic application of linguistics that I weaved into the whole thing to create the desired perception. If all went according to plan ... you saw nothing out of the ordinary ... and you already have worked out what the only possible next steps could be. If this is where I've got you ... then my plan has been successfully implemented... and from this point forward it's all just a bit of fun to lead you along appropriately to maximize the impact.

So I did it utilizing many subtle elements ... a whole bunch of regular and uneventful actions that are really nothing to write about (turn over a card, shuffle the deck, cut it to the table) ... one or more modified action that looks like something normal but isn't (a sleight) ... some elements of misdirection to subtlely direct your focus to the things I'd prefer you to be focused on, and away from the things that might let on to how/what I'm doing ... and finally I wrapped the whole set of actions within a bit of a narrative to both distract, entertain, and likely influence.

This is how I did it!