Acrobatic Aces

The Charlier cut is put to good use in this surprising feat with cards.

1. Place the ace of hearts at the bottom and the ace of diamonds at the top of the pack, then spread the pack face upwards, showing that there are only the two red aces in the pack.

2. Gather the cards, turn them face downwards, and in squaring them bend them rather sharply downwards; or you can spring them into your left hand if you prefer. Seize the pack between the right fingers and thumb at the ends and riffle the upper half upwards, at the outer end, commenting that the cards are well mixed and showing them. What you have done is bend the lower portion downwards, the upper portion upwards, for a reason which will be apparent in a moment.

3. Hold the pack in position for the Charlier cut and with the right fingers draw away the bottom ace and hold it up for all to see, but as you do this make the Charlier cut without completing it, holding the original bottom packet up a little with the left thumb. You will do this unnoted, because you have misdirected the attention of everyone to the ace which you show. Drop this ace face downwards on top of the original upper portion, and allow the original lower portion to fall on it, squaring the cards.

If you will glance at the pack at this point (as you practise) you will see that there is a crosswise bridge in the deck, which you placed there when you bent and riffled the cards at the start.

If you now make a second Charlier cut , the pack will split at this bridge.

4. Now take whatever card is at the top of the pack and hold it up with its back to the audience, miscalling it the ace of diamonds. As you do this make another Charlier cut , splitting the pack at the bridge. Prevent the lower packet from dropping on the upper packet as you did before. Saying, "The ace of diamonds also goes somewhere in the middle," drop the indifferent card on the lower packet, and allow the other packet to drop off your thumb and on to it, squaring the pack.

"Now my trick is this," you continue. "The aces have been placed somewhere in the middle of the pack, but they are acrobatic aces and if you give the pack a little shake like this–" (Here you take the cards by a corner and give them a shake) "–they somersault back to their original positions."

5. Lift the top card and show that it is the ace of diamonds, then turn the pack and show the ace of hearts back at the bottom.

Once the Charlier cut has been mastered, the trick itself is practically self-working.