Aces for Cardmen Only

Effect: Magician cuts the 4 aces from a thoroughly shuffled deck. No crimps, no key cards, no rough/slick…use a borrowed deck!

1. Start with the 4 aces on top of the pack. Using an Overhand Shuffle , run 8 cards to the top of the deck, don’t do any jogs or hold breaks…just run 8 cards to the top..

2. Now, give the pack one perfect Faro Shuffle …it has to be perfect!

3. Square the deck neatly on the table. You will now cut the aces! This is really easier than it sounds…after the faro you know the aces are in the following position: 17, 19, 21, and 23. All you do is estimate your cut to try to get an ace. Since you are doing the faro, 26 is an easy cut for you, so you just cut off a few cards less than 26. Try it right now and see.

4. Ok, after the cut there will be an ace on the face of the cut off portion, or the top card of the portion on the table. Remove the ace and place it on the table.

5. Show the card above the ace (this will always be the faced card of the portion in your hand) then show the top card of the packet on the table. Place the portion in your hand on top of the tabled portion and the card just shown to be under the ace on top of all. Your patter here is: “Had I cut one card less or one card more I would have missed the ace.”

6. Ok, repeat you estimation cut to produce the second ace and reset the pack as described.

7. Again, repeat for the third ace and reset the deck. This ace might give you trouble since you have only 4 locations you can cut to and still get an ace, but a bit of practise and you will never miss this one. Actually, you will find yourself cutting the last ace, which is really an incredible thing!

8. Now, if you have been resetting the deck properly you will find that the last ace is 20th from the top of the deck. I finish by running 19 cards from the top to the bottom and naming the last ace.

9. Do a double lift, leaving the card(s) face up and show the bottom card is not an ace either.

10. With the pack still face up I turn the TOP card back face down and give the deck one straight cut. This, of course, reverses and centers the last ace in the middle of the deck.

11. Now, simply cut the last ace with the deck tabled and there she is, face up!

A few notes on handling and patter…

You can start with the aces out of the deck, just use you favorite multiple shift to bring them to the top. Also, I use riffle shuffles to get the needed 8 cards on top of the aces. I use tabled Faro shuffles when perfoming for other magicians…a bit tougher but how satisfying whatching the boys pick up their eyeballs after cutting those aces! right under the spectators nose. This also covers the possibility of the ace not showing on the face of the cut off portion, or not being the top card of the tabled talon.

When I cut the third ace, I ask the crowd” How would you like it this time…the easy way or the hard way?. Whatever they say just do your cut and reset as usual.

If you don’t do the Faro shuffle this trick is a good reason to learn it. This and Martin Nash’s “Ovation” finale are the best Faro routines for laymen that I have ever seen and prove that advanced card work CAN be entertaining to laymen.

Now, get to work!