EFFECT: Ace through Four of Spades repeatedly rise to the top after being placed elsewhere. Climax: Four of Spades changes to red Four.
One of the early routines I learned was an Ambitious card routine using the Ace, Two, Three, Four, and Five of Spades, by Derek Dingle. I have it in “The Complete Works of Derek Dingle” by Richard Kaufman, titled “Too Many Cards”. The patter for that version is on the theme of suggesting that the reason the spectator can’t follow is that the magician is using too many cards.
Larry Jennings has his four card version described in “The Classic Magic of Larry Jennings” titled “Ambitious Classic Variation”. This version does not list any patter in the book, but you can watch Jennings perform his five card version at https://youtu.be/zIOWUdw-B9E?si=a9CC9xXiGyqsPZN9
Here is Jennings four card version with some patter added.
SETUP: From face-up deck, cut Four of Hearts to back. Upjog and strip out A-2-3-4 of Spades. Flip them face down onto the deck back. Turn deck face down (Spades now face up on top). Spread the face-up Spades, get left pinky break below top face-down card (4H). Arrange Spades Ace-Four from face, square packet, and add card above break. Lift five-card packet in Biddle Position, table the deck.
PACKET ORDER (face to back): AS, 2S, 3S, 4S, face-down 4H
OPENING PATTER: “In ancient Japan, there were four master ninjas—the Ace through Four of the Shadow Clan. Each possessed the ability to teleport through solid objects and move unseen through the darkness.”
DISPLAY: Peel Ace, Two, Three into left hand. Set double card (4S/4H) on Three. Flip packet face down.
“Let me introduce you to our four shadow warriors…”
ACE PENETRATIONS (×2):
- Turn top card (Ace) face up
- Place Ace second from bottom using Larry’s pull-down: Hold dealing position, forefinger curled at outer end, packet along thumb base, downward pressure pulls bottom card down—insert Ace into break
“The Ace is the youngest apprentice. Watch as I seal him deep within the group…”
- Show Ace not on bottom (palm-up display shows 4S—important for later)
“He’s trapped between his brothers…”
- Show Ace not on top (same technique as double turnover)
“Completely buried in the middle…”
- Snap fingers, Quadruple Turnover (all cards above bottom)—Ace on top
“But with his shadow step technique—he vanishes and reappears at the top!”
- Push off Ace as single (double-backer allows this)
- Repeat once
“Let’s make this harder. I’ll seal him even deeper… No bottom [show], no top [show]… Yet the Ace ninja cannot be contained!” [Snap] “Shadow step!”
Then table Ace face up.
“The Ace has proven his skill. He rests.”
TWO OF SPADES:
- Turn top card (Two), take in right hand
“Now the Two—master of infiltration…”
- Flip packet face up with right fingers
- Place Two on Four, fanned right
- Single Buckle bottom card, spread double—fan shows 2-4-3 (Four is double)
“I’ll place him between the Three and Four ninjas—surrounded by his allies…”
- Insert Two between Three and Four, square
- Snap, spread Four right, Single Buckle bottom, spread double—Two now face down
“But watch—he activates his camouflage jutsu and turns invisible!” [Snap]
- Outjog face-down double, take into left hand dealing position
- Turn 3S and 4S face down, insert double between them
“Even when sealed face-down between his brothers…”
- Square, snap, Biddle Position
- Drag bottom card left, then next card—Two appears face up
[Snap] “His stealth training allows him to reveal himself at will!”
- Lift top double and sidejogged Two as unit, table Two on Ace
- Place double on single
“The Two ninja has also proven worthy. Two down, two to go.”
PACKET NOW: 3S, red 4H, 4S (top down)
THREE OF SPADES:
- Flash top card (Three), place to bottom
“The Three is the clan’s master of substitution techniques. Watch closely…”
- Double Turnover—shows 4S
“Here’s the Four on top…”
- Flip double down, deal top to bottom
“I’ll send him to the bottom of the deck…”
- Double Turnover—shows 3S (“Watch the Three”)
“And the Three to the top. Now watch the Three ninja carefully…”
- Flip double down, deal top to table, place double on it
“I place the Three on the bottom of just two cards…”
- Snap, flip top—Three on top
[Snap] “Substitution jutsu! He’s switched positions with the Four!”
- Flip down, push double, take in right hand (“Back of Three…”)
“This is the back of the Three…”
- Turn left hand palm down showing 4S (“…back of Four”)
“…and this is the back of the Four. Two ninjas, face down…”
- Turn palm up, place single Four on double
- Snap, Double Turnover—Three penetrated
[Snap] “But the Three ninja passes through solid matter like a shadow through paper!”
- Take double (3S/4S) as one, table onto Ace “as the Two”
“Three masters have demonstrated their skills.”
CLIMAX: Turn over red Four for color change
“But the Fourth ninja—the grandmaster—possesses the ultimate technique. He doesn’t just move through shadows… he can transform his very essence. Behold—the Four of Spades has become…” [Turn over] “…the Four of Hearts! The master of disguise has revealed his true identity—he was never one of the Shadow Clan at all. He was a spy from the Crimson Clan, hiding in plain sight the entire time!”
Note: The repeated views of the 4S throughout the routine subliminally reinforce it as a Spade, making the final transformation to Hearts more impactful.
Afterthoughts
In this four card version you are left with four face up cards on the table, when the spectator thinks there are only three. There isn’t a clean up. In Dingle’s routine there are four cards on the table, with the five being face down and hidden. Thus if you pick up those cards one at a time you can unload the face down five onto the face down deck as you recap that the “four”, “three”, “two” and “ace” have done their magic, which leaves you with the “five”, which you then turn over to show it has changed color.
Here is a YouTube tutorial on the Jennings five card version: https://youtu.be/R6zcNCK8ABc?si=PBPmYOU0JO7hrSkv