Two Eds are Better Than One: Volume Four

New Ground Rules

I started writing this with the idea of reading eight pages every weekday and writing about what I read every month. I was able to keep up with the pace, but in the first month, I wrote the longest blog post I had ever written—it was unsuitable for a blog. I picked a single trick that interested me the most, and wrote it up as a separate file, and added a link to it in a general blog I wrote about my January reading. Because of conversations I had to have with my VI liaison, and the time it took to re-write, this wasn't published until March. I used the same technique for my February reading.

In March, there was a significant increase in the material I wanted to blog about. I just couldn't ignore the stuff that interested me. Another conversation with VI has led me to read Marlo's Magazine and blog about what I think is interesting as I come across it. Vanishing Inc. will publish it and wait until I have written the next blog. Neither of us has any idea how long this will take. I'm guessing I'll get through all 2000+ pages within a year and a half to two years. I know I'll enjoy the ride; I hope you stick with me.

As March began, I found myself in the middle of the first trick of a section called "Popular Effects with Marlo's Golden Touch." Its name is "Marlo's Impact," the trick I'm going to discuss today.

Effect

Four Aces are given to a spectator (Joan), who chooses one to be hers. The Aces are placed into four envelopes with 1½" square windows cut into them, so you can see an Ace's center pip showing through the window. Joan's Ace turns over three times. Then the Aces turn to Kings. Then the Aces are produced from the performer's pockets. The spectator's Ace is placed into the deck, face down. The deck is spread—the spectator's Ace is face up.

This effect is the fourth phase of both methods that Marlo gives for the trick. The first method involves gaffed 4x3 envelopes that Marlo teaches you how to make. The second involves ungaffed envelopes you can make, or you can buy regular 4x3 envelopes and cut windows in them. If you don't have any envelopes, you can buy them on Amazon pretty easily.

Method

Note: This description assumes you are right-handed and do your Elmsley Count in the same direction as you deal. If either of these assumptions is untrue, please make the adjustments.

As I can see no value added by using the gaffed envelopes, I'll be discussing the second method. Once again, Marlo suggests using borrowed cards, as he believes it makes the trick stronger. As we use only four regular Aces, I can't understand his thinking. All this said, here's how I would do the trick.

Prior to performance, load three Kings (two red, one black) into three envelopes, so that you can see the face of the card through the hole in the envelope. These are tabled hole-side down. Place the remaining (empty) envelope on top of these also hole-side down. If you want to produce the spectator's Ace from your pocket, put four Aces from a deck with the same back in that pocket, in a known order. Place the remaining King on top of the deck.

At the start of the performance, remove the Aces from the deck and ask Joan to choose one. When she does so, give her the top (empty) envelope and ask her to put her Ace in the envelope, with the back facing the cut-out hole.

As she's doing this, place the remaining Aces in the other envelopes so that they go face-to-face with the hidden King; the back of the Ace will be facing the hole.

When you have done this for all your Aces, turn the envelopes hole-side up and put them into your left hand dealing grip, with the open ends of the envelope facing front, and the left hand tilting downward, so that she can't see into the envelopes. Ask Joan for her envelope and put it on top of the other three, oriented similarly. Tell the spectator that with a snap of your fingers, you'll make her card turn over. Snap your fingers, and do a double turnover of the envelopes. This is much easier than with cards. You can do a hit double lift, or easily secure a break prior to the move.

If they don't get the joke, you might say, "I hope my magic is better than my comedy." Raise your left hand so the back of the hand is to the audience and thumb the top envelope into your right hand. Use your left index finger to point to the back of the card showing through the hole. Say, "Watch the card." Flip the envelope over so it's hole side up and place on top of the stack as you lower your left hand. Take the bottom envelope as you gesture and put it on top of the packet. Now, saying all the cards have their backs showing through the hole, do an Elmsley Count to prove it. Snap your fingers over the envelopes, and then push off the top two cards, making a fan that exposes the backs through the holes in the envelopes. Pull the last envelope forward, but not far enough to expose a hole, if there was one. Reach into the envelope and pull out the face-up Ace half-way, so everyone can see the Ace has "obviously" turned face up. Say, "That's the first turnover."

Take the Ace out of the envelope, turn it face down, and put it back in the envelope. Take the top envelope and put it on the bottom. Elmsley Count to display all the backs are showing through the holes. Snap your fingers and deal the envelopes to the table in a row; the last envelope will have turned over. Say, "That's twice."

Take the hole-down envelope into your left hand. Pick up one of the tabled envelopes, turn it hole-down and put it on top of the envelope in your hand. Turn over the next two envelopes and put them under the other envelopes. Turn the entire packet over and Elmsley Count to show all the envelopes with backs showing. Snap your fingers again. Show the top envelope has a back visible through the hole. Flip the envelope hole-down on the table. Do the same for the next two envelopes. The last envelope will show an Ace face up. Toss the envelope to her.

At the conclusion of this step, you have a choice: you can end the trick right now (in which case you wouldn't have bothered to load the envelopes with the Kings) and, perhaps, go into another four-Ace trick you think might afford a stronger ending.

Or…you might want to continue to the next phase, turning the Aces into Kings. To do this, pick up one of the hole-down envelopes in your left hand, holding it at opposite sides, with the open end to the right. Remove the King and drop it face down on the table. Take the envelope by the right end and, guarding the hole from the audience's view, place it in your right side pocket, open end up. Do the same for the next envelope, but put the envelope into the left side pocket. Finally, take the last envelope with your right hand, and remove the card with your left, then pocketing the envelope in your left side pocket.

Pick up the three face-down Kings, arrange them so the black King is in the middle. Hold them in your right hand. Be careful not to flash any of the Kings. Ask Joan for her Ace, take it in dealing position in your left hand, put the three Kings on top of it and cut the two top cards to the bottom as you talk. Finish with, "The real weird thing is…when did the Aces turn to Kings?" Turn the cards face up and Elmsley Count to show four Kings. Turn the packet face down and drop them on top of the deck, which will add the fourth King.

You could stop now. Or…you could produce your three Aces and find Joan's Ace face-up in the deck. (I'm not fond of this. Getting the Aces from the pockets where I put the envelopes sounds like a bad idea.)

Pick up the deck and spread off the top four cards, in the process, get a break below the fifth card. Square the cards and steal the fifth card under the packet. Turn the packet face up on top of the deck and deal the four Kings from left to right to the table, turning your left hand inward as you deal, so by the time you deal the fourth King, you'll be able to wrist kill the deck to hide the face-up Ace on top. Adjust your grip so the deck is face up in either hand. You could now use a pass or any subterfuge to get the Ace to about center and the deck face down. You can now produce your Aces by going to the pockets where you put the envelopes and producing those three Aces. You can then produce the fourth Ace by spreading the deck and showing that Joan's Ace has turned face up a fourth time.

Or…you could finish the trick, almost as written. You could produce the spectator's Ace by retrieving the proper Ace from the pocket where you placed four extra Aces, and place that Ace face down into the deck. Your finale would be to snap your fingers, spread the deck, and show the Ace has turned face-up again. (As there is a duplicate of this Ace face down in the deck, it should be easy to get the extra Ace to the top or bottom and palm it off.)

As you can see, this is a rather complicated trick that Marlo complicates even further by adding the "borrowed deck" requirement. Nonetheless, I believe that this could be a useful part of a longer routine.