Bob King has graciously allowed me to "borrow" effects from his website. Many thanks to Bob for his generosity.
PREPARATION: In your right side coat pocket, is a Chinatown gimmicked coin. This coin must have flesh colored paper in the recess. Your left hand contains the two coins corresponding to those on each side of the gimmick.
PERFORMANCE: Show the two coins to be a regular silver coin and a Chinese coin. Propose an eye test. Close the left hand around the coins and pull out the silver coin with the right hand. Place the hand in the side pocket and exchange the coin for the gimmick. Ask what coin is in the left hand and when told the Chinese, open the hand to show this to be the case. The right hand brings out the gimmick and lays it in the left hand showing as silver.
Close the left hand and turn it knuckles down. The right fingers reach in the thumbhole and remove the gimmick showing as Chinese. Balance it on the right first finger and it will look as though the fingertip is showing through the hole. Close the hand around the coin. Do your magic gesture and open the left hand to show the Chinese coin. Let the gimmick lay flat, silver side up, as you open the right hand.
Toss the gimmick into the left hand and repeat the whole sequence. This time, you confide that the coins are actually flying up the sleeves and changing places. Obviously, this is said tongue-in-cheek. Do your gesture and show the exchange.
Now, explain that you will isolate the Chinese coin in the side pocket. Remove the gimmick as before, showing as Chinese. Place the hand in your side pocket and immediately, flat thumb-palm the gimmick.
Shrug your right shoulder as though the coin were going up your sleeve. Bring the hand out (apparently empty) and trace the supposed path of the coin, up the arm, across the chest and down the left arm. It is while your hand is crossing your chest that the coin is allowed to drop into the upper breast pocket as the hand passes over it.
Once again, open the left hand to show the Chinese coin. Show the right hand empty and start toward the side pocket. Stop short of entering the pocket. Invite a member of your audience to reach into the pocket and bring out the silver coin. You are clean and everything may be examined.
Copyright ã 2000 by Bob King Magic—All Rights Reserved
It would be not only presumptuous, but also quite impossible to make any real improvements to Larry Jennings version of this classic; others have tried and failed. What I offer is simply a series of proving moves in the beginning and an ending, which is in keeping with my presentation.
EFFECT: The four aces are very cleanly removed from the deck and placed onto the table. One of the aces is placed aside. Using what you claim to be an invisible palm, two of the aces travel invisibly to join the first ace. The last ace is placed invisibly to the center of the table, where it becomes visible in a startling manner and is placed with the others.
METHOD: Arrange the aces in the deck as follows: About 10 cards from the face you place a red ace; 10 cards further toward the back of the deck, is a black ace; the other red ace is about 10 cards farther and finally, the ace of spades is 10 farther on.
With the face of the deck parallel to the floor, run through the deck, out-jogging the aces. As the second ace is jogged, you perform Marlo's Unit-Upjog to add a card behind this ace. Continue upjogging the other two. The open left hand strips out the jogged cards and the right hand tables the deck, face up to the upper left.
With the aces face up, perform an Ascanio Spread, place the stripped-out double to the back. Turn the aces face down and perform another Ascanio Spread showing the stripped-out double to be the ace of spades and tabling it in front of you, face down.
All of the preceding should convince your audience that you have nothing more than four aces, one of which is on the table. If you can convincingly establish this fact, the rest of the routine is astounding.
The right hand does the tent-vanish of the top card of its three. Show the right palm empty and place the hand over the spade, spreading the two cards as the hand is lifted.
The right hand takes the cards from the left, into Biddle-Grip and the left fingers drag the bottom card half way out to the left. Turn the right hand over, showing two red aces. As the hand is turned palm down and the cards taken by the left hand, the left fingers push the ace of hearts to the right and into classic palm in the right hand. The left hand tables its cards.
The right hand drops down onto the spade pile and scoops the cards off the table and into the left hand, adding the club. Square the cards and take them into right hand Biddle-Grip. The left hand drags the bottom card half out to the left. Turn the right hand palm up to show two black aces. Square these cards and replace them to the table.
Pick up the other two cards and do the tent-vanish of the top card. As the left hand keeps its two cards absolutely squared, the right places its invisible card onto the spade packet, spreading to show three cards.
The right hand now takes the left hand card(s) into Biddle-Grip. Slide the first finger back toward the thumb and let the card(s) snap off the other fingers as the inner end is pinched between the thumb and first finger. The card(s) will snap face up and is taken into left hand dealing grip. The right hand now takes the card(s) from above by the long sides, thumb on the left. Snap the card off the fingers to between the thumb and first finger as before. This time, lift the card(s) so they are face on to your audience. At the same time, the left hand picks up the deck and holds it face down. The right hand card(s) are placed face up onto the deck and a break held beneath them.
The right hand shows the other three aces and replaces them to the table. You are explaining that you will show how the invisible palm is used in a real game.
Tip the two cards face down onto the deck and immediately go into the tent vanish/pseudo-palm. Place the invisible card onto the table left of the other three aces.
You will now show that the ace is not on the top or bottom of the deck. Flip the top card face up onto the deck, getting a two-card break at the same time. The right hand takes these two as one in Biddle-Grip as the left hand flips the deck face up. You use the right hand card to tap the face card, showing no ace there. As the right hand card(s) are placed onto the face of the deck, the left fingers push the ace to the right and into right hand palm.
The right hand goes to the table and picks up the invisible ace, exposing the palmed ace at the same time. The card seems to come from nowhere. Drop this ace onto the other three and turn all four face up to end.
Copyright © 2000 by Bob King Magic, All Rights Reserved