The Four-Ace Trick
The four-ace trick is a classic in magic. The four aces,
placed in four different locations in the deck, magically
come together. The following method of doing the trick is
easy.
To get this trick ready to show a friend, find a time when he or she is out of the room. While your friend is gone, do these four steps.
1.
Take the four aces out of the deck and fan them out facing
you.
2.
Place one other card (any card) behind the ace on the left
and two other cards (any cards) behind the ace second from
the left. (We will call the cards that are not aces “extra
cards.”)
3. Square up the extra cards behind the aces so the fan again looks like Illustration 1. If you hold this fan firmly, you can show it from the front and the back, and it will look as if you are holding just the four aces.
4. Place the rest of the deck facedown on the table.
When your friend returns, offer to show a magic trick. Casually show “the four aces” in your hand. Then square up the cards while they are still in your hand, and drop them facedown on the deck. Your friend will think the four aces are on top, but really an extra card is on top, then an ace, then two extra cards, and finally the other three aces.
Pick
up the deck and deal the top four cards facedown on the
table from left to right. Your friend will think you have
placed the four aces on the table, but really you will have
put down an ace and three other cards. The ace is second
from the left.
Pull the next three cards (which are really the other three aces) from the top of the deck. Drop them facedown on top of the second card from the left (the fourth ace). Then drop three more facedown cards on another card on the table. Repeat this with the other two cards on the table. Do this casually, as though it makes no difference where you drop the cards. When you finish, your friend should think each stack has one ace and three extra cards.
Ask your friend to give you a number between one and four. If your friend says “two,” count from the left and push the second pile from the left (the four aces) toward him or her. If your friend says “three,” count from the right and push the third pile from the right (the four aces).
If your friend says “one” or “four,” count from either end and push over that selected pile. “That’s your pile,” you say. “Now I’ll choose a pile.” Take the pile with the aces in it.
Say some “magic words,” turn over the three piles without aces, and spread out each pile. No aces! Have your friend turn over the last pile. There are all the aces!
