When Lennart Green put out his commercial routine called ‘Stolen Cards’, it proved to be an immediate hit in the card magic world. Like many, I immediately bought a set. Without his invention and routine, this humble offering wouldn’t exist.
The trick is a very strong one and fairly easy to perform. With this presentation, I changed a couple of things, which make the whole routine more logical (at least in my mind). It is based on a gambling theme, lucky cards and money: all things that belong together. Now we have a completely self-working card trick, which registers very well with laymen.
I introduced three bills with predictions written on the backs. The attention which is on the bills helps to camouflage the actual workings of the trick.
I also changed the deck to a PRISM-Deck, which is available through Card Shark. In my version the final effect is the color change of the backs of all cards, which is a strong effect indeed.
First, you have to decide on two force cards. I always use the 9 of Clubs and the Jack of Diamonds. Remove these cards from the PRISM-Deck and replace them with two cards from a gaming themed deck, such as a ‘Golden Nugget’ deck or something similar.
The Jack of Diamonds is on the second position from the face, the 9 of Clubs is on the back of the deck. That way you can put the deck into its appropriate card case and it will appear as if all the cards have the same back design when you take the cards out of the case.
For the predictions, take three dollar bills and write the predictions on the back of each of them: 9 of Clubs, Jack of Diamonds and on the third one you’re write ‘The two cards match.’
Presentation is very simple. Put one off the bills in front of spectator. We will call them spectators A, B and C. Spectator A gets the 9 of Clubs prediction, B gets the Jack of Diamonds and C gets the ‘match’ predictions. Of course, the predictions are put face-down in front of the spectators.
Take out the deck from the case, so the spectators get a flash of the back card. They will assume it is a normal deck with the gambling-themed back design.
Turn the deck face up and spread it on the table. Everybody can see it is just a normal deck of cards. Gather up the spread and hold the deck in a phase of dealing position.
Approach spectator A and start dealing the cards singly into a pile onto the table. But here you do you the first two cards from the face of the deck as a double (like a double deal). This prevents the spectators to see the face of the Jack of Diamonds tour early. The Jack of Diamonds thus becomes the lowermost card of the face up packet on the table.
When spectator A stops you, you take his bill and put it right onto the face up pile on the table. The bill will protrude over the cards, which is exactly what we want.
Immediately put the rest of the deck right on top of the bill on the tabled packet. This will put the 9 of Clubs directly over the bill with the ‘9 of Clubs’ prediction.
At this moment you will ring in some misdirection and ask spectator C to take up his bill (but do not show the prediction to the other spectators) and read the prediction on his bill for himself. This will put the attention on the spectator and divert the attention away from the actual condition of the cards.
Now pick up the whole deck from the table and turn your attention towards spectator B. As before, start dealing cards singly face up from the face of the deck onto the table, until the spectator stops you. At this point put spectator B’s bill on the the face-up pile on the table and put the cards in your hands right on top of it. This will bring the Jack of Diamonds right above the second bill.
Again you are using some misdirection to cover the actual position of the bills and the cards. For this you will use once again the help of spectator C.
Have him read aloud and show the prediction on his bill. After he has done this, spread the deck on the table in a wide ribbon spread. Remove the bills and the cards directly above them out of the spread and push them forward on the table. The prediction reads ‘The cards will match’ and you show that they indeed match with the predictions written on the underside of the bills!
Then you say that the cards also match in another way: Turn over the two cards on the table and show the matching backs. This will get a moan reaction, but this is exactly what you want.
Turn over the PRISM-Deck on the table and show all the different colored backs: the two selected cards are indeed the only two cards with matching backs in the whole deck!
That is the trick and everything can now be examined.
I enclose a clip of a (very special) performance of this trick, which I gave as a present to the magicians attending the recent magic convention in Germany. The performance is in German language, but it shows the handling quite clearly.