Effect:
With the spectator's help, you make four piles of cards. When this is done you flip over all the piles and all four Aces are there.
Preperation:
Arrange the deck like so: three Aces on the bottom and one on the top.
Presentation:
Ask the spectator to tell you when to stop putting down cards. Begin dealing cards face down on the table. Continue until they have you stop. After the first pile is down, stick the card deck, still in your hand, under the table and put the bottom card on top. This gives you an Ace on the top. Repeat the above steps until you have four piles. Then flip over all the piles to show an Ace on the bottom of each!
Cut to it
Effect:
The spectator picks a card, puts it on the top of the deck, cuts the deck, and the magician finds the card.
How it's done:
All you have to do is have a glimpse at the bottom card of the deck. Ask the spectator to take any card. After he does, ask him to put it on top of the deck, and to do a complete cut of the deck, putting the bottom part of the deck onto the top. You count off the cards from the top, flipping them face up until you reach what used to be the bottom card. The next one is the chosen card.
Four kingdoms
To perform this trick, separate all of the Aces, Kings, Queens and Jacks from a deck of cards. The rest of the cards will not be used. Begin the trick by telling this story of the greatest and most powerful wizard.
Once upon a time there were four kingdoms. In each kingdom there was a beautiful castle. (Put down the four Aces, face-up, in a row, next to each other.)
In each castle lived a wise and just King. (Put down the four Kings: the King of spades on the Ace of spades, each of the other Kings on the Ace of the same suit.)
Each King was married to an equally wise and just Queen. (Put down the four Queens, the Queen of spades on the King of spades, etc.)
One year to each family was born a healthy, happy child, and all seemed right with the world. (Put down the four Jacks, the Jack of spades on the Queen of spades, etc.)
And the greatest and most powerful wizard saw just how good things were and said, "Great! Now I can take that vacation to Disney World and visit the Florida Keys to soak up some sun." And so he began to pack. (While you are saying this, pick up the four piles and place them one on top of the other.)
In the mean time the evil wizard, Morganus, was conjuring up an evil spell to be cast on the four kingdoms. Once the good wizard left, Morganus didn't waste any time. He chanted, "Mouse tails, bat's eyes, blood from a rat. Mix it together in a great big vat." (While saying this, deal the cards into four face-down piles, one card for each word.)
His spell took hold of the four kingdoms and, leaving no stone unturned, he cast them to the four winds. (While saying this arrange the four piles in a diamond shape.)
The results were devastating. The children became lost in the forests, the Kings and Queens wandered aimlessly in the desert, and the castles were empty. (While saying this turn over the four piles to show the piles of all Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks.)
But soon the greatest, most powerful and most rested wizard returned, and he saw what Morganus had done. "This just cannot go on!" he said. And he cast his spell. It worked a magic much more powerful - it gathered in the Kings and Queens, children, and castles from the four corners of the earth. (While saying this, pick up the four piles and lay them on top of each other.) And he said, "Morganus is in trouble if ever he's sighted. But these families four will soon be united." (While saying this, deal the cards into four face-down piles, placing one card for each word.)
And the wizard proclaimed that all was right in the kingdoms. (While saying, turn over the four piles to reveal the four united families.)
Note: with some practice you can cut the cards during the trick, but you have to make sure that you only cut the deck after card #4 or 8.
Four Thieves
Start out by telling a story of four king thieves (have the Kings separated from the rest of the deck). One day the kings decide to rob their local Famous Store. The four kings fly their helicopter to the roof and begin to devise their plans. (As you say this, place the four Kings on the top of the deck.)
The first king says, "I'll take the clothes from the first floor" (Place the King on the bottom of the deck). The next king says, "Okay, I'll rob the second floor (Place the King somewhere in the middle, but near the bottom." The third king says, "Then I'll rob the third floor (Place the King somewhere above the second, but not on top.) The fourth king says, "I'll be the lookout. If I see some police coming, I'll whistle and you should all come up to the roof."
The kings begin to rob the store. However, the king on the roof sees the cops are starting to surround the store. So he gives the whistle (whistle - or scream or something, if you can't whistle) and the four kings all run up to the roof and fly away in their helicopter to safety (take the four cards off the top, one by one, revealing the four Kings!)
How it's done:
The whole trick is done right at the very beginning. Along with the four Kings you place on the top of the deck, you also place three other cards on top of those. When you show the Kings, keep the others hidden behind them, so it looks like there's only four Kings. When you put these together and put them on the "roof," and then move the three Kings to the various parts of the building, you're actually moving those three cards.
