The Great Mysto Presents
THE SECRETS OF MAGIC
Miracle Disc Escape
The magician threads a loop of cord through the hole in a billiard ball, then slides four discs onto the cord. Under cover of a handkerchief, all escape from the cord.
The Secret:
Note how the cord is threaded. Push the loop through the billiard ball, and pull the two free ends of the cord through the loop. As the figure shows, this apparently secure method of fastening the cord around the billard ball is actually not secure at all.
Pull the two sides of the loop in opposite directions, and it slips off the billiard ball. The billiard ball can then be pulled off the cord along with the four discs. All this is, of course, done under cover of the handkerchief.
It can strengthen the effect if a spectator holds the two top loose ends of the cord while the magician removes the billard ball and discs from under the handkerchief.
Try this trick on your friends, courtesy of the Great Mysto!