Cameron Francis - Notice 6

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CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

p. 3

DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN

p. 4

OVERCOUNT

p. 8

FACES IN THE CROWD

p. 11

HALF-VERSION

p. 15

NOT SO FAST

p. 18

RESWINDLED AGAIN

p. 21

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INTRODUCTION I cannot believe it's been a year since the release of “Moment's Notice 5”. Not so much because time flies but because I can't believe it's taken me a whole year to write number 6! To be fair, it's been a busy year. Plus, I wanted to make sure that number 6 would top 5. I strive to ensure each Moment's Notice installment is better than the last, but this is no mean feat. It's taken me a while to compile material which I believe builds upon the work of the past 5 books and, in the end, I believe I've done it. Of course, I'll let you be the judge of that. Between these pages I think you'll find some novel plots and interesting moves. I've done my best to give credit where it's due but if I've left something out, I do apologize. As always, the material is completely impromptu with no advance set ups necessary. Assuming that most readers of this book will have a fundamental knowledge of most basic sleights and moves, I have not bothered to explain common sleights such as Elmsley Counts and double lifts. However, less common or original sleights are all explained in detail. I hope you enjoy this latest collection and have fun with it. Cameron Francis November, 2011

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DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN Inspired by Dan and Dave Buck's “Deja Vu” from their Trilogy DVD set and Larry Jennings' “The Visitor” from the book “The Classic Magic of Larry Jennings” by Mike Maxwell. Special thanks to Liam Montier for coming up with a simple and elegant solution for the initial set up of the selections. Effect: The magician removes the four Aces from the deck. He places the black Aces to his right and the red Aces to his left. He then asks one spectator to select a black card and the other spectator to select a red card. The cards are then lost in the deck. The black Aces are placed on top of the deck whereupon they immediately capture one card; the black selection. The magician draws attention to the red Aces. One card appears between them... the black card! The card between the black Aces is now the red selection. Performance: Run through the deck and remove the four Aces. Arrange them so that the red Aces should be on top of the black Aces and then place them face up on top of the face down deck. Spread over the top six cards (four face up Aces and the two face down cards under them) displaying the Aces. Square up the cards, catching a break under all six. Lift all the cards above the break in right Overhand Grip (aka Biddle Grip). With your left thumb, peel the first red Ace onto the deck and then use the left long edge of the packet in your right hand to lever it face down. Peel the next red Ace on top of the deck and lever it over as well. Drop the remaining four cards on top of the deck. Spread the black Aces to

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display them and then flip them face down. Immediately deal the top two cards in a pile to your right. Deal the next two cards to your left (these are indifferent cards but the spectators should believe they are the red Aces). Turn the deck face up and spread the cards, being careful not to expose the red Aces at the back of the deck. Ask the spectator on your right to touch any black card. When he does, out-jog the selection. Turn to a spectator on your left and ask him to touch any red card. Out-jog his selection. Strip the selections out of the deck being sure to keep the face up black card on top of the face up red card. Flip the two cards face down and slip them under the deck. Turn the deck face down so the selections are face up. Lift up the top three cards (black selection, red selection and the face down Ace under them) in right Overhand Grip. With your left thumb, peel the black selection onto the top of the deck, keeping a pinky break below it. Place the other two cards as one on top (This is a standard sandwich load). Reach into the break and flip all three cards face down. Give the deck a false cut. Position Check: From the top of the deck down, face down black card, face up red Ace, face down red card, face down red Ace, rest of the deck. (I had come up with a much more complicated procedure to set the cards up in this order. Thankfully, Liam Montier came along and offered this much better solution!) Secure a break under the top two cards (easy due to the natural break). Pick up the two black Aces on your right and place them face up on top of the deck. Dig into the break with your right fingers and flip all four cards face down. Click your fingers over the deck and immediately spread to show the black face up selection between the top two face down cards. Spread a few more cards past the selection. As you go to square up, catch a left pinky break under the sixth card from the top (Four cards down from the face up selection). Lift up all six cards above the break in right Overhand Grip. With your left thumb peel the top card flush onto the the deck and catch a pinky break under it. Peel

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the face up selection on top of it, out jogged for half its length. Place the remaining four cards as one flush with the deck but keep ahold of them with your right hand (Fig. 1). With your right thumb, riffle off the bottom card of four card the packet. With your left index finger, push the out jogged selection flush with the deck as your right hand moves the three card packet forward and off the deck. Place the packet on the table to your right. You now hold a pinky break under three cards, the two face down red Aces with a face up selection between them.

Fig. 1

Draw attention to the two face down cards to your left, which the spectators believe to be the two red Aces (they are actually two indifferent cards). Gripping the deck from above in right Overhand Grip, transfer the pinky break to a thumb break. With your right second finger on the outer short end, your right thumb on the inner short end and your right index finger curled over the deck, start to dribble the deck on top of the two tabled cards to your left. Once all of the cards below the break have been released, you will snap the three card packet over. Here's how: Push down in the middle of the three card packet with your right index finger and release your second finger from the front of the packet. Slide your index finger toward your thumb and pinch the cards at the inner short end. The packet will snap over so you are holding it with your curled in, palm up right hand. Immediately spread the cards showing two red Aces with one face down card between them (Fig. 2). Readjust the packet so you are holding it in your left hand. Remove the face down card and snap it over revealing the black selection. Slip the card between the Aces and lay the cards in a spread on the table.

Fig. 2

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Draw attention back to the face down packet on your right. Pick up the cards. The reality of the situation is that the two black Aces are on top of the red card. But you will show that the selection is sandwiched between the black Aces using the following discrepant but very deceptive ruse. Block push off the two cards above the bottom card and turn them face up. A black Ace shows. Grip the packet along the right long side in pinch grip, thumb on top, fingers below. Take the top Ace into your left hand. As the Ace is being taken, immediately push the lower face down card to the left with your right fingers. Place the Ace in your left hand under the face down selection in spread condition so that you are displaying two face up black Aces with one face down card between them. Have the spectator remove the face down card from between the two face up black Aces and turn it over reveal the red selection.

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OVERCOUNT This effect was inspired by Paul Harris's "Overkill" and Paul Cummins's excellent trick "Counting On It from his “FASIDU” lecture notes. Effect: The magician runs through the deck and removes a prediction card which he places face down under the card case. He then asks the spectator to think of a number between 1 and 10 and to count that many cards off the top of the deck while the magician's back is turned. Lets say the number is eight. This done, the spectator covers the packet with his hand so the magician cannot see how many cards he holds. The magician turns back around and deals ten cards face up onto the table. He asks the spectator to remember the card that falls on his secret number. Let's say it's the Jack of Diamonds. The magician reassembles the deck and asks the spectator to concentrate on his secret number. The magician then gives the deck a few cuts. He is left holding a small number of cards. The spectator and magician each count their respective packets. They both contain eight cards! The spectator then reveals that his card is the Jack of Diamonds. The magician turns over the top card of his packet and reveals the Jack of Diamonds. The prediction card is turned over. It is the Jack of Hearts! The magician turns over the top card of the spectator's packet revealing the Jack of Clubs. He flips the deck face up showing the Jack of Spades at the face! Performance: Have the deck shuffled. Take it back and claim you will make a prediction. With the faces of the cards toward you, note the card at the face, say the Jack of Diamonds, and count nine cards past it (easiest way to do this is to count the cards in groups of three). Cut these ten cards to the back of the deck so that the Jack of Diamond is the tenth card from the top.

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Keep running through the deck, acting as if you re struggling to find just the right card. Take out a black Jack and place it at the back of the deck. Remove the other black Jack and place it at the face of the deck. Finally, remove the Jack of Hearts and place it under the card case. Position Check: From the top of the deck down: black Jack, nine indifferent cards, Jack of Diamonds, rest of the deck, black Jack at the face. Tell the spectator to think of any number between one and ten. Hand him the deck and while your back is turned, tell him to quietly deal that many cards into a pile on the table. Let's say the secret number is eight, although you wouldn't know this in performance. Have him cover the packet of cards with his hand so you don't have any idea what his number might be. Turn back around and pick up the deck. Deal ten cards into a face down pile on the table. Pick up the packet and tell the spectator that you will deal the cards face up and that he is to remember the card which falls at his secret number. Deal the cards into a face up pile, counting aloud as you do. The Jack of Diamonds will automatically be the eighth card counted (This is the classic Clock Force). Once you have dealt all ten cards onto the table, pick up the packet and spread it between your hands saying that he could have noted any card. Tilt the cards so the faces are toward you. Split the spread so that the selection and all the cards below it are in your left hand. Now immediately square up the packet, keeping the cards in your left hand up jogged a bit (Fig. 1). Grip the packet by the top short end, with your

Fig. 1

Fig. 2

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right finger on the back and your right thumb at the face and lower the packet the cards onto your left hand. Bring your right hand over the packet and lift up at the in-jog with your thumb. Square the packet, holding a right thumb break between the upper and lower packets (Fig. 2). Holding the packet in right Overhand Grip, place the cards on top of the deck and lift up half the pack, maintaining the break under the top eight cards. Place the cards in your left hand, transferring the break to your left pinky. Pick up the rest of the deck with your right hand and place it on top of the cards in your left hand, keeping a beak below the top talon with your left third finger. So between your left third finger and pinky is a packet of eight cards. Your right hand should arched over the deck, gripping it in right Overhand Grip, to hide the breaks from the spectators. Look at the spectator and tell him to concentrate on his secret number. Pause for a moment and then, with your right hand, cut all of the cards above the third finger break to the table, directly in front of you. Cut the eight card packet to your right. Drop the rest of the cards on top of the other half of the deck. Pick up the eight card packet. Ask the spectator to pick up his packet as well. Simultaneously deal your cards to the table, counting aloud a you do. You will both have eight cards. Ask the spectator what his card was. Turn over the top card of your packet to reveal the Jack of Diamonds. Turn over your prediction card revealing the Jack of Hearts. Now turn over the top card of his packet revealing a black Jack. Flip the deck face up to reveal the second black Jack.

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FACES IN THE CROWD There is nothing really novel here in terms of methodology however the presentation is pretty interesting. Dai Vernon's Twisting the Aces is one of the major influences here. Effect: The magician displays a packet of eight medium valued red spot cards and splits them into two packets of four as he says, "Each one of these cards is different. But they all kinda look the same. And when they're all grouped together like this, it's tough to tell them apart." A card is selected from each pile and remembered, say the Eight of Diamonds and the Five of Hearts. Each cards is shuffled back into it's respective packet. "Now if we want to make each card stand out from the others, we're going to have to work a little magic..." The magician gives one of the face down packets a spin. When he runs through the cards, one is reversed, the selection! "In this case, the card stood out because it did something completely different from the otters. But sometimes what make you stand out is the fact that you don't change when everyone else around you does." The magician clicks over the second packet, turns it face up and spreads the cards. The selection is the only red card among three black spot cards! Performance: With the faces toward you, run through the deck and remove five red spot cards of medium values: Fives, Sixes, Eights, etc. Remove three medium valued black spot cards as well. Arrange them so that the red cards are at the face of the packet and the black cards are at the back.

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As you do this, say, "Do you ever feel like just another face in the crowd? I know I do. Its tough to stand out sometimes. But I'll tell you one thing, we don't have it nearly as bad as playing cards. You will now apparently show eight red spot cards, saying, "Each one of these cards is different. But they all kinda look the same. And when they're all grouped together like this, it's tough to tell them apart." To show all eight cards as red spot cards, you will use Aldo Colombini's Laughing Fig. 1 Count. Turn the packet face up and hold it in right Overhand Grip. Peel the top four cards singly into your left hand. Place the rest of the cards in your right hand on top of the cards in your left hand, but side jogged to the right . Clamp down on the right hand packet with your left thumb (Fig. 1). Now rotate your left hand palm down and deposit the side jogged packet onto the table (Fig. 2). Rotate your left hand palm up again. Take the face up packet in right Overhand Grip and peel the four cards singly into your left hand. You have just shown the same packet twice, but thanks to Aldo's wonderfully deceptive (and easy to do!) count, no one is the wiser.

Fig. 2

Turn the packet in your hand palm down and place it to the right of the packet already on the table. You will now have the spectator name a number between 1 and 4 to select a card from the packet. The forcing procedure used was inspired by a Tony Chris force from his packet effect “Foretell”.

Fig. 3

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Pick up the packet on your left (This contains the three black spot cards with a red spot card at the face) with your left hand and spread the cards in a fan to the left (Fig. 3). This will feel weird as you would normally spread them to the right. Say, “Name any number between 1 and 4.” As you say 1 and 4, gesture with your right hand to the right and then move it to the left. This subtly implies that if they pick the number 1, the bottom card of the packet, the one furthest to your right, will be the first card. If the spectator says 1, point to the bottom card of the spread, the one to the right and snap it over revealing a red card, we'll say it's the Eight of Diamonds. Ask the spectator to remember the card. Slip the Eight to the bottom of the packet. Cut one card from the top of the packet to the bottom and place the cards on the table. If the spectator says 2, square up the cards. Transfer the top card to the bottom on the count of one. Point to the new top card of the packet and call it two. Block push off all three cards above the bottom card and flip them over as one to reveal the Eight of Diamonds. Ask the spectator to remember the card. Perform another block push off and flip the triple face down. Cut the top card to the bottom of the packet and place the cards on the table. If the spectator says 3, you have two options. Square up the cards. Perform an Elmsley Count, out-jogging the third card counted. Remove the card from the packet and snap it over revealing the Eight of Diamonds. Ask the spectator to remember the card. Or square up the packet and transfer the top three cards to the bottom of the packet one at a time. Then turn over the fourth card. Either way, slip the Eight to the bottom of the packet. Cut one card from the top of the packet to the bottom and place the cards on the table. If the spectator says 4, square up the cards. Count the top three cards to the bottom of the packet. Turn over the fourth card revealing the Eight of Diamonds. Ask the spectator to remember the card. Slip the Eight to the bottom of the packet. Cut one card from the top of the packet to the bottom and place the cards on the table.

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Pick up the packet on the right. Whatever procedure you used to count down the first packet, do the same thing with this packet. Let's say in this case the selected card is the Five of Hearts. Flip the Five face down and slip it under the packet. Cut it back to the top. Catch a break under the top two cards of the packet and then turn them over as one, saying, "This isn't your card, but it kind of looks like it." Flip the packet face up. Slide out the bottom face down card and snap it face up, gesturing to the card on the face of the packet. "Of course, this isn't your card either. But it kind of looks like it." Slip the face up indifferent card you are holding under the packet and then turn the packet face down. The Five of Hearts is now reversed, second from the top of the packet. Say, “And of course, if you look at them from the back, well, they all look exactly the same.” Perform an Ed Marlo OPEC Count to show four backs. An OPEC count is the same thing as an Elmsley Count, the only difference being that you start by taking the bottom card of the packet on the count of one. Continue the Elmsley in the tradition al manner. As you do this say, "And, of course, from the back, the cards are completely indistinguishable. So if we went your card to stand out, we need to work a little magic." Give the packet a spin. Elmsley Count showing the face up selection among the face down cards. Place the packet on the table in a spread. Say, "In this case, the card stood out because it did something completely different from the otters. But sometimes what make you stand out is the fact that you don't change when everyone else around you does." Turn the other packet face up and spread, showing that the other cards are now black, the Eight being the only red card.

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HALF-VERSION The inspiration for this trick came from David Acer's modern classic "Overtime", James Lewis' “Inversion” plot and Dai Vernon's classic "Triumph". Effect: Two cards are selected, noted and returned to the deck. The magician waves his hand over the face down deck which causes it to turn face up. Well, not completely face up. Only about half the deck. He explains that the deck stopped turning face up at a very specific point. Removing all the face up cards, the spectator turns over the top card of the face down portion. It is the first selection. The magician now shuffles the face up portion into the face down portion, creating a huge mess. He snaps his fingers and spreads the deck. The cards are all face up save one: the second selection. Performance: Spread the face down cards and have two spectators remove two cards. Turn your back as they note them and show them around. While your back is turned, kick cut the top half of the deck into your left hand. Use the left long edge of the talon in your right hand to lever the left hand talon face up. Place the face down right hand talon on top of the face up left hand talon, keeping a left pinky break between the halves. Turn back around and take the first selection from the spectator. Slip it into the break. With your right hand arched over the deck, use your right thumb to push the card all the way in, catching a right thumb break above it. Hold the deck from above with your right hand, maintaining the break with your thumb.

Fig. 1

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Contacting the tip of your left thumb to the middle of the back short end of the talon above the break, swivel the top portion of the deck in a clock wise motion so that it lands in your left hand. Fig. 1 shows this move in mid-motion. Have the second spectator place his card on top of this half. Drop the right hand portion on top of the left hand portion. Position Check: On top of the deck is the face down first selection, followed by half a face up deck, followed by the face down second section, followed by the rest of the face down deck. Perform an Erdnase Color change to magically turn the deck face up. Say, "But the whole deck didn't turn face up. Only about half." Spread the cards, being careful not to expose the face down card second from the face, to show that only half the cards are face up. "There's a reason why the cards stopped turning face up at this exact point." Take the face up cards in your right hand and table the face down portion. Transfer the face up packet to your left hand. With your right hand, very slowly remove the top face down card of the tabled portion and place it on the table. While this s happening, secure a pinky break under the top card of the portion in your left hand. Tell the spectator to turn over the face down card. As he is turning it over, turn your left hand palm down and pick up the tabled talon, adding the card below the break to the top. Maintaining the break, revolve your left hand palm up and take all of the cards above the break into your right hand. These cards are face up. You are holding a packet in your left hand which looks face down but is actually face up with one face down card on top. Say that you will find the second card in a different way by shuffling the face up cards into the face down cards. Faro the cards together (no need for a perfect faro, here), making sure that the face down card stays on top. Undercut a third of the deck into your left hand showing some cards are face up. Kick cut the top third of the cards in your right hand on top of the packet in your

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left saying that some are face down. Drop the rest of the cards in your right hand on top of those in your left saying that some are face up. Click your fingers over the deck and spread revealing that all of the cards are face up except one. Turn it over to reveal the selection.

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NOT SO FAST Although inspired by Roy Walton's “Collectors” plot, this is actually a transposition rather than a traditional “Collectors” effect. Effect: The magician removes three "Collector Cards" (Jacks) from the deck and places them aside. Two cards are selected and lost in the pack. The magician pushes the Jacks through his fist and reveals there are now two cards between them... But they are not the selections. The magician places the Jacks aside, apologizing for their lousy performance. He then clicks his fingers over the deck and spreads it face up across the table where three cards are seen reversed in the middle: the three Jacks! The cards which were the Jacks are now the two selections! Performance: Holding the deck face down, secure a break under the top two cards and maintain it with your right thumb as you hold the deck in right Overhand Grip. Undercut half the deck, turn it face up and place it on top of the deck, maintaining the break. Undercut the rest of the cards under the break, flip them face up and place them on top of all (this is the Braue Reversal). The deck is now face up with two indifferent cards reversed underneath. Spread through the face up cards and out-jog three Jacks. Strip them out of the deck and place them face down in a pile on the table. Riffle your left thumb down the side of the deck until the spectator says stop. Lift off all the cards above the break and place them on the table. Get a break above the bottom card of the face up talon and hold it with your right thumb. Peel the top card of the packet into your left hand asking a spectator to remember the card.

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Hook your left pinky around the card below the break. As you pull the next card on top of the first, take the bottom card along for the ride. Ask another spectator to remember this card. Drop the rest of the cards in your right hand on top of the three cards in your left hand. Place the face up packet in your hand on top of the talon on the table but side jogged to the right. Pick up the combined deck. Square it up, getting a pinky break between the halves. Perform a Turnover Pass. Or, if you don't feel comfortable doing that, double undercut the bottom portion to the top and then turn the deck face down. Position Check: From the top of the deck, face down selection, face up indifferent card, face down selection, face up indifferent card, rest of the face down deck. Holding the face down deck in your left hand, secure a pinky break under the fourth card from the top, easy due to the natural break. Pick up the Jacks with your right hand and flip them face up on top of the deck. Spread them to the right to display all three. in-jog the Jack at the back of the packet just slightly. Turn over all seven cards above the break. Push down on the in-jog with your right thumb and lift up the top four cards. Place the deck face down on the table. Place the packet on your left palm and then perform a Vernon Through The Fist Flourish to reverse the packet. Gripping the packet along the right long side in pinch grip, thumb on top, first and second finger below, use your left thumb to slip the top face down card into your left hand. Slip the next face up indifferent card on top of the first card, but out-jog it for about half it's length (Fig. 1). With your right thumb, push the face down card to the left and take it into your left hand, flush with the other face down card. As the card is being taken into the left hand, steal back

Fig. 1

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the first face down card from the back of the packet (this is similar to the stealback in an Elmsley Count). Peel the next face up card flush with the first face up card. Take the last face down card flush with the other face down card. You have apparently shown two face up cards interlaced between three face down cards. Look puzzled. Remove the two out jogged face up cards and place them on top of the face down deck. Place the two face down cards, which the spectator believes to be the three Jacks, off to your right. Pick up the deck as you say, “Wow. I guess the Jacks didn't do such a good job. Neither of these are your cards.” As you say this, spread over the top five cards, two face up selections and three face down Jacks. Square them up, securing a break under the five cards. Lift the five card packet from above in right Overhand Grip. With your left thumb, peel the top face up card onto the deck, keeping a pinky break under it. Place the remaining four cards on top of it. Flip all five cards face down and give the deck a cut. Say, “Well, it looks like we'll have to find your cards using different means...” Snap your fingers over the deck. Turn your left hand palm down and spread the face up cards across the table. Three reversed cards are seen in the middle. Remove them and turn them over revealing the three Jacks. Draw attention back to the face down cards to your right. Turn them over one at a time to reveal the two selections.

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RESWINDLED AGAIN While it didn't start off that way, this trick wound up becoming a variation of Caleb Wiles' excellent effect “Reswindled” which itself is a variation of Paul Harris' classic effect “Reset”. The basic effect is very close to Caleb's, but the handling is quite different. This leads to a few trade offs. This first one is that you openly switch the first two cards (this is totally justified in the presentation). The second is that once the Kings backfire into their original packet, you cannot show them; the transpo is implicit. At the same time, unlike “Reswindled”, there is no need to clean up the Aces at the end of the trick, they are immediately examinable. Effect: The magician offers to demonstrate a little cheating exposition using a bad hand of poker, four black spot cards, and a good hand of poker, four Kings. One by one, the Kings switch places with the “bad” cards. Then the Kings immediately turn back into the bad hand. But when the King packet is turned face up, they are seen to have transformed into the four Aces. Performance: With the faces toward you, run through the deck and remove three medium valued black spot cards and one Ace. Arrange the cards in the following order from the face: black card, black card, Ace, black card. Place this packet face down on the table. Now run through and remove three Aces and three Kings. Place them on the face of the deck. It doesn't matter which Kings or Aces you remove, but let's say you are using one black King and two red Kings. Arrange the Kings in the following order from the face of the packet: black King, red King, Ace, Ace, Ace, red King. Place this packet face down on the table and then place the deck aside. As you are doing the above, say, “Two questions I get asked a lot are, do you

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play poker and do you cheat? Well, the answers are no and no. I don't play poker and I don't cheat. I can't play poker, actually, because no one will play with me. But I do know a few cheating techniques which I can share with you right now.” Hold the black spot card packet face up in your left hand. Give the packet an Elmsley Count as you say, “These cards will represent a bad poker hand. Nothing special at all. These will be my cards.” Flip the packet face down and place it on the table to your right. Pick up the face down King packet and turn it face up. Give it an Elmlsey Count to apparently show four Kings. Say, “These cards will represent your hand. As you can see, it's a really good hand, the four Kings. Not too shabby.” Flip the packet face down and hold it in your left hand. Say, “Now let's say I sneaked a peek at your hand and that I wanted your four Kings. How could I get them? Well, the obvious way would be for me to openly switch the cards.” With your right hand, reach over to the face down packet on your right and pick up the top card. Place it in front of you. Deal the top three cards in your left hand on top of the card in front of you (all four Aces are now in a pile on the table). Then lift up the three cards in your left hand, which the spectators should think is one card so make sure you cover your edges, and place them on top of the packet to your right. Pick up the combined packet. Turn it face up and Elmsley Count the cards showing one King among the three black cards. Place the last card counted to the bottom (Underground Elmsley) so that the King is at the face. “Now that's one way of switching them but it's kind of obvious. You could get shot for doing that. A better way to do it is the invisible way. Now I'm going to do the same thing again, switch out one King for a black card, but I'm going to do it in a completely invisible manner.” Turn your left hand palm down and wave it over the tabled packet. Turn your hand palm up. Hold the cards from above in right Overhand Grip. Peel the top

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three cards singly into your left hand, keeping them in a spread, and holding the last three as one to show two Kings and two black cards (Fig. 1). Square up the cards. Say, “Did you see that? It was a little more subtle that time but I switched out the cards so that now I have two Kings and two black cards. Watch, I'll do it again but this time I'll switch two cards at once.” Turn your left hand palm down and wave it over the packet twice. Turn your left hand palm up. Say, “Now I have all the Kings!” Elmsley Count the packet showing four Kings and no black cards. Flip the packet face down and hold it in your left hand.

Fig. 1

Spread the top two cards and take them into your right hand. Hold them in a spread. With your left thumb, push the top card of the left hand packet forward, holding the last three cards as one (Fig 2). The out jogged to card hides the front edge of the packet under it so that no one can see that you are holding more than one card. Give the cards a “squiggle” (Stencil Squiggle Flourish). After this brief display of four cards, place the two cards in your right hand under the four cards in your left hand and square up the packet.

Fig. 2

Say, “Of course, you can get in trouble for doing this. I mean, if you were to notice that you were missing the Kings, I'd have to very quickly switch them back.” Perform a Vernon Through The Fist Flourish to turn the packet over revealing a black spot card at the face. Elmsley Count the packet to show all the cards are now black spot cards. Flip the packet face down and drop it on top of the deck. Say, “Now, you have to be careful who you're playing with. Because while I'm

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switching out all of my cards for the Kings and then switching them back, for all I know, you could be switching out your cards for... The Aces.” Pick up the packet on the table. Deal the cards face up one at a time to reveal the four Aces. Say, “If I ever do play poker again, remind me not to play with you.”

To see demos of all six effects in this ebook, please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1SlSImTAIVM

Cover art by James Howells: www.magicpackagingdesign.co.uk

[email protected] www.cameronfrancismagic.com

© Cameron Francis 2011