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NOTE CLOSELY is the title of lecture notes by an English magician, David Jones. David is very clever and in his notes you’ll find a bunch of good routines, mainly with cards. As I was reading it, the first routine in the booklet interested me very much. It is a Triumph type effect and very strong. I used it and varied it, adding some more handling that really sells the idea of the topsy-turvy condition. In fact, I was in doubt as to which chapter to put this trick in (it is a Triumph but also involves the colors of the cards), finally deciding on the Red & Black chapter.
EFFECT
Two cards are selected and replaced. The magician cuts the deck into eight packets. Four of the packets are turned face up and shuffled into the remaining four packets which are face down. When the deck is spread, the face up cards are seen to be all red with the exception of one black card, the selection. The deck is squared, turned over and re-spread. This time, all the face up cards are black with the exception of the red selected card!
SET – UP
Arrange the deck with all the red cards on top, followed by the black.
PERFORMANCE
Shuffle the deck, retaining the color separation. (Overhand Shuffle in small packets as normal, until you are near to the center. At this point the left thumb takes single cards until you are past the center, then continue to shuffle off in small packets. This is the Ireland Shuffle. Now the black cards are on top of the red cards.)
Spread the deck in a ribbon spread on the table (as usual from left to right) and invite two spectators to take a card each, one from the left hand side of the spread, the other from the right hand side of the spread.
Have these two cards looked at. Meanwhile, square the deck, pick it up and re-spread it on the table but from RIGHT TO LEFT. Invite the two spectators to replace their cards more or less in the same position, pushing them into the spread. By spreading the deck the second time from right to left, the two cards will be replaced into the opposite sections (the red among the black cards and the black among the red. If I am not wrong this is an Edward Marlo procedure.)
Spread the cards with the faces toward yourself and split the deck at the point where the colors meet in the middle (a Faro Check would do). Place both halves face down on the table and cut with both hands simultaneously, leaving the bottom quarter of each portion on the table. Move both hands forward and leave another bottom quarter of each portion in front of the two tabled packets. Repeat twice moving forward so that you have eight face down packets as in figure 1.
Turn the packets 1, 4, 5 and 8 face up as in figure 2. Riffle Shuffle 1 and 2 together and leave them aside. Shuffle packets 3 and 4 together, turn them over and shuffle this combined portion with the combined portion I and 2. Leave this half of the deck aside.
Shuffle together packets 5 and 6 and leave them aside. Shuffle packets 7 and 8, turn them over and shuffle them into the combined portion 5 and 6. Finally, shuffle the two halves together (without turning either of the portions over.) This is a very convincing sequence and the upcoming climax is very effective.
Spread the deck on the table revealing that the face up cards are all red (or black) with one exception, the black (or red) selection. Turn over the spread to reveal all the black (or red) cards face up, containing the second red (or black) selection.
NOTES
Instead of the Marlo procedure, simply fan or riffle the cards between the hands and have the selected cards replaced in the opposite color section.
The trick is a strong one. The final effect has a huge impact on the audience. Don’t pass it by! At least give it a try! (Gee, I said that in rhyme!!!)
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