Outdone

Effect:
Three cards are selected and lost in the pack. The four kings are introduced. “The kings will attempt to find your cards,” he explains. “However the red kings and black kings are very competitive and are constantly trying to outdo each other. So this should be interesting!” The spectator is asked to name either the red or black kings. Let’s say the black kings are named.

The red kings are placed aside and the black kings are cut face down into the face up deck. When the deck is spread, one card is seen trapped between them, the first selection. The black kings did well. But not to be outdone, the red kings are waved over the deck. Nothing appears to have happened. Until hey are flipped over and seen to have transformed into the other two selections! This effect is completely impromptu.

Explanation:
Start by shuffling the deck. Have three spectators each select a card. Control the three selections to the top of the pack.

Turn the deck face up and spread through as you mention that all three cards are lost somewhere in the deck. As you do this, spread to the top of the deck and glimpse the three selections. If they are all spot cards, you will use the kings. If one or more is a king, use either the queens, jacks or aces.

In this example, let’s say they are all spot cards (we’ll us the Ace, Two and Three of Hearts for explanation purposes). Close the face up spread, catching a pinky break above the bottom two cards as you do (fig. 1).

These cards are two of the selections. Half pass the bottom two cards (this turns them face down) as you talk about the competitive kings. Figure 2 shows the half-pass half way complete.

Figure 3 shows an exposed view of the position of the cards… two face down selections (Ace of Hearts, Two of Hearts) and face up selection (Three of hearts). Followed by the rest of the deck. The deck should be squared and held face up in the left hand’s dealer grip. Figure 3 is exposed just for explanation purposes.

Start to spread through the pack and up jog the kings as you come to them. Strip them out and arrange them so that the packet reads from the face down: black king, black king, red king, red king (fig 4). Flip the packet face down and place it under the deck. Turn the deck face down.

Position Check (fig 5):

• Deck in your left hand dealer’s grip
• Face up black king
• Below that another face up black king
• Below that face up red king
• Below that another face up red king
• Below that, face up selection
• Below that, another face up selection
• Below that, face down selection
• Below that, face down deck.

Lift up the top seven (6 face up and 1 face down) cards from above in right hand overhand grip (often incorrectly referred to as “biddle grip”). Obtain a right thumb break above the bottom (the only face down card in the packet) card in the packet (fig. 6).

You will now perform a variation of Ed Marlo’s ATFUS:
With your left thumb, peel the top face up black king onto the face down deck. Release the face down card from beneath the packet as you peel the next black king on top of the deck, thus sandwiching the first selection between the black kings. Peel the third king onto the deck, keeping a break under it with your left pinky. Drop the final king and the two selections (as if they were only one card) on top of all.

Turn your left hand palm down and deposit the four cards (two selections between two red kings, apparently all four kings) above the break face down on the table.Give the face up deck a cut.

The sandwiched selection is now in the center of the pack. You’ll find that because you just dropped off the four cards on the table, are holding the deck in your left hand palm down. It becomes very natural to cut the deck as shown in figure 7 and 8.

Pick up the top face down card of the packet and use it to scoop up the other three cards. This places both kings on the bottom of the packet.

Take the top two cards in your right hand (selections, but apparently the black kings) and the bottom two in your left hand. Ask the spectator, “Which do you prefer, the black kings or the red kings?”

If he says black, say, “Okay, then we’ll set the red kings aside for now and use your black kings…”

If he says red, say, “Okay, then we’ll set your red kings right here on the table…”

Reassemble the packet with the left hand cards going under the right hand cards. Perform the first half of Bro. John Hamman’s Gemini Count, revealing two red kings which are apparently placed off to the side.

The count will be as follows:

1. Buckle the bottom card with the left index finger (fig. 9 shows and upside down exposed view)
2. Slide the top card to the left with the left thumb (fig. 10)
3. Grab a double from the middle with the right hand (fig. 10)
4. Flip the double over on top of the packet showing a red king
5. Turn the double face down and place the selection (apparently a king) face down on the table
6. Next, repeat steps 2-5 (grabbing a double from the bottom rather than the middle) (fig. 11)

In reality, the situation is that there are now two face down cards on the table which the spectators believe to be the red kings but are actually two of the selections, and two face down cards in your hand which they believe to be the black kings but are actually the red kings.

Place the two face down cards in your hand (red kings) on top of the face up deck and double under cut them to the bottom, being careful not to cut into the packet of black kings already in the deck, as you say, “So we’ll send the black kings down into the deck to find the first card…:”

Give the deck a riffle and spread it showing that one of the selections is now trapped between two face down cards. Be careful not to spread too far so as not to reveal the two reversed cards at the bottom of the deck. Remove this sandwich and turn the two black kings face up, keeping the selection sandwiched between them. Place the face up sandwich on the table. All seems fair.

Pick up the two face down cards on the table and say, “Now the black kings did pretty well. But the red kings refuse to be shown up.. All I have to do is gently rub them against the deck… And they actually turn into the two other selections!”

Match your actions to words as you say the above, snapping the cards over to reveal the other two selections at the end.

To clean up, spread through the face up deck, turn half of it face down and place it under the other half. Spread through the rest of the face up cards and flip them face down on top of the face down cards.

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