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Sometimes I fall in love with routines that are apparently not that strong but I do them regularly anyway as if they were miracles. I believe in them. This is one of those effects that gives me pleasure when I perform it. A similar effect is published in my book THE CLOSEUP MAGIC OF ALDO COLOMBINI but this is another variation based on a J.K. Hartman trick Crossing Cards (APOCALYPSE, January 1995) used here with his permission.
EFFECT
The magician shows ten red and ten black cards to the audience, having one of each color selected. The two ten card packets are wrapped with rubber bands and tossed into the air. When they land something special has happened… the two selected cards have transposed!
REQUIREMENTS
A deck and two rubber bands that will each wrap securely one of the two ten card packets.
PERFORMANCE
Openly remove ten red and ten black cards from the deck. Place the black cards face up on top of the face up red cards. Square up, turn the cards face down and hold the packet in the left hand dealing position.
The right hand shows the top ten cards to the audience by taking them one under the other from the left hand without inverting their order. While the right hand is showing the ten red cards, the left little finger obtains a break under the top black card of the packet in the left hand.
 The right hand places the red cards on top of the left hand cards just for a moment as if to square them in a Biddle Grip position. From there, the right hand takes all the cards above the break to the right as the left thumb quickly slides the top card of the right hand packet onto the top of the lower (left hand) packet as in figure 1. This is similar to Marlo’s Slip Switch. Table the two packets, remembering that the packet on the left has one red card on top of nine black cards and the packet on the right has nine red cards on top of a black one. Pick up the packet with the red card on top of the black ones and casually shuffle the packet so that the red card is on the bottom Now, in both packets the two cards of the opposite color are on the bottom.
 Pick up one of the packets and grip it face down from above in the right hand. The left thumb peels off the top card into the left hand, followed by the next one. Ask for a ‘stop’ while you continue to peel off cards into the left hand one on top of the other. At the ‘stop’, place the right hand packet on the left hand cards, but side-jogged to the right (figure 2).
Keep this position for a moment as you say, “This is where you stopped me.” The right hand takes the upper packet and tilts it to show the face card to one spectator. You have forced the red card in the black (or black card in the red) packet. Drop the right hand cards onto the left hand cards to re-assemble the packet. Take out one of the rubber bands and wrap it securely around the packet and, taking care not to expose the face card, table it face down to the right.
Pick up the other packet and repeat the force to another spectator (peel cards into the left hand asking for a ‘stop’; at the ‘stop’ the right hand cards are placed onto the left hand group as in figure 2 again; pause for a moment and then show the second card, the one on the bottom of the upper packet.) Re-assemble the cards and wrap the second rubber band securely around this packet. Leave the packet face down on the table to your left without exposing the face card.
Pick up the two packets one on top of the other and toss them into the air. When they land on the table they more than likely will not land on top of one another but anyway, if they do, separate them and table them This move obscures the original color position. Say that one card has flown out of each packet and landed in the other one. Have the spectators name their cards. Pick up either packet, remove the rubber band and place the packet face up on the table. Do the same with the other packet, removing the second rubber band and setting the packet face up on the table. Ribbon spread each packet showing that the red card has traveled into the black packet and the black card has traveled into the red packet.
NOTES
Another easy method you can use to force the card is our old friend the Criss-Cross explained on page 56 in Pirouette.
I use this trick as my follow-up routine to my Never Ending Story trick published in my book IWACT and in my booklet MAMMA MIA CARD ACT.
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