Adapted from a classic routine by Johann Nepomuk Hofzinser. The spectator deals the cards into three piles on the table. In the end, the magician is left holding ten cards, while the tabled piles reveal four Tens. Finally, the bottom card is turned over to reveal four Kings.
Performance transcript:
- First, shuffle the deck.
- Next, as you riffle through the cards, have the spectator call stop anywhere.
- These are the cards where the spectator stopped. These are the cards they didn't stop at.
- First, look at the cards the spectator didn't stop at.
- The spectator can stop anywhere, and they just happened to stop here.
- Then continue riffing the cards and have the spectator call stop again.
- Suppose the spectator calls stop here the second time.
- For the third time, riffle through the cards again and have the spectator call stop.
- Let's count how many cards remain.
- There are 10 cards left.
- The spectator happened to cut to three Tens.
- And the packet in my hand is the fourth Ten.
- The key point is that the spectator didn't just cut to the cards on top.
- If we turn all the cards over, you'll find the spectator also cut to the other four Kings.
1st edition 2026, video
