There are several methods I use for “losing” the aces into a deck of cards and controlling them to the top. Several involve cutting the deck into four piles and losing the aces, one in each pile. One day I was looking at some magic sites preview videos and saw a different method that I thought looked good. So I deconstructed the performance, figuring out what the magician had done. While I can’t be certain that this is the same method, I think it is close. <\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
What I like about this method is that you can finish it up with either a riffle shuffle, and overhand shuffle, or a series of cuts; and still end up with the four aces back on top of the deck. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Start with the four aces face up on the table. Have a spectator cut the deck into four, somewhat equal piles, in a row left to right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Have the spectator drop an ace face down on each pile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now tell the spectator that you will lose the aces by cutting some cards on top of each one. What you do instead is the following.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Start with the pile second from the left, and pretend to cut some cards off the top of that pile. Instead, simply cut one card, the ace, and drop it onto the left most pile. Note that the back of your right hand provides cover, hiding how many cards you are cutting off the pile. Then cut some cards from the third from the left pile and drop them on top of the second from the left pile. Continue and cut some cards from the right-most pile and drop them on top of the third from the left pile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This cutting action is done quickly and causally. Now, unbeknownst to the spectator, the situation is that the left most pile has two aces on top. The next two piles each have one ace on top, and the right-most pile has no aces.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Now you are going to pick up the piles from right to left with your right hand, dropping each pile into your left hand. Here you have a choice of two different actions, depending on what you want to do. The difference is one of timing. Here is one option. As you pick up and drop the second pile into the left hand, your right hand does a one-handed top palm of the top card, an ace. Then it immediately drops down on the next pile to pick up, adding that ace to the pile. Pick up that pile, the third, and drop it onto the left hand cards. Now as you pick up and drop the last pile onto the cards in the left hand, keep a left little finger break between the portions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The situation is that you have two aces below the left little finger, and two aces on top of the deck. To get all the aces back on top using a overhand shuffle, reach over with your right hand, fingers at the front and thumb at the rear, taking over the break with the right thumb. The right hand rotates palm up, keeping the break, into the starting position for an overhand shuffle.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Undercut at the break, run the two aces on top of the other two aces, then run six more cards, injog the next and shuffle off. Then undercut at the injogged card, run six cards and throw the remainder on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The aces are now on top.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want to do cuts instead of an overhand shuffle, then what I do is the following. I delay the one handed palm until the third packet, while keeping the break between the second and third packets. When all four packets are in my left hand, I take the deck into my right hand, taking over the break with my right thumb. The situation is that I have one ace below the break, and three aces on top of the deck. I swing cut the cards above the break into my left hand, mime another swing cut, but instead use my left thumb to drag the single ace on top the the left hand cards. I then drop the remaining cards in the right hand onto the left hand cards, keeping a left little finger break. I then perform one half of my step-ladder cut<\/a> to bring all the aces back on top. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Don’t be afraid of the one-handed top palm. The card is barely palmed and is immediately added to the next pile. It helps if you hold the left hand cards above the next pile on the table, so that when you do the palm, the left hand can move out of the way as the right hand drops straight down to add the palmed cards.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There are several methods I use for “losing” the aces into a deck of cards and controlling them to the top. Several involve cutting the deck into four piles and losing the aces, one in each pile. One day I was looking at some magic sites preview videos and saw a different method that I … <\/p>\n