Alfredo Marchese, who performs as Alan, may not be the most recognized name in the world of magic, but we were tipped off with some inside information. So, when Penguin Live happened to catch up with him, we took the opportunity to find out what the buzz was all about. And you'll be glad we did.

Alan is originally from Argentina, now living in Madrid, Spain. Drawn there by the tradition of Spanish card magic... he has a very different take on it. He performs his card magic in a stand-up situation, and in this Penguin Live lecture, he shares a selection of unusual card tricks with fascinating methods.

He begins with a bet and a prediction, and involves the whole audience helping to narrow down an imaginary deck of cards to only one. Although his prediction card in the envelope is off by one, Alan is right on the money as he proves he knew that would be the case.

Then a real deck is cut into four piles, and shuffled by four people, yet each pile is found to have one of the aces on its bottom. It's a clever method.

Next, Alan uses his pocket calendar which has a different card listed for each day. After someone chooses a date and notes the card there... he shows that it is the one card missing from the deck... and, just for good measure, he also has exactly that card in a prediction envelope.

Then, he teaches his way of handling a seldom-seen effect. In his version, any card at all is named, and that card is discovered inside an egg.

Finally, he makes selected cards rise from the deck in increasingly impossible ways, until at last, the entire deck explodes in a fountain. Alan's ingenious set-up for this is portable, allowing you to perform a spectacular card fountain without any assistants or visible mechanisms.

So, if you're looking for some clever ways to make your card magic play for a bigger audience, you'll enjoy the routines you'll find right here.