Aces And Kings

By Doug Edwards I've developed this utilitarian sleight to be used under challenge conditions. It's an easy way to switch out (or in!) the four Aces in one smooth sequence of actions. The Aces are actually placed/slid into 'switch' position. The no get ready aspect of it is what makes it so good. Setup The four Kings are on top of the deck in any order. Handling And Performance

Remove the four Aces from the deck, square them, then spread them forward so that each Ace overlaps the next with their indexes visible. While you're displaying the four Aces in the left hand, the right thumb riffles off four (or more) cards and holds down the remainder of the cards to create a gap at that point. The right hand turns palm down, the left hand moves the Aces back toward the right hand hand, going under the right thumb and into the opening between the riffled stock and the remainder of the deck. The top right corner of the top Ace moves into the gap, the left hand continues to move Aces back so that the Aces travel over the four cards below them. Above is a side view of this action. When the Aces extend beyond the back of the deck, as well as beyond the front of the deck, thus hiding the stock under them, the right hand rotates to the right to pull the deck up so the spectators see the deck and apparently only the four Aces next to it, the right edges of the Aces touching the side edge of the deck. The left hand closes up, as if closing a book, turning them over so they are face down on top of the deck. The right first finger and the left thumb contact the far front and back edges of the Aces and push them together until the deck is squared. Thumb off the top four cards. They are now Kings instead of Aces.

Performance Notes With practice, and attention to angles, the opening can be minimized. As stated above, it's easy to do and great to know.