Spectator Cuts to the Aces

Spectator Cuts to the Aces is a classic card routine where the spectator cuts the deck to locate the four aces. T.A. Waters claims that the basic effect was devised by Bob Veeser (around 1956).

There have been many many variations developed. Some are self-working. Some require a gaffed deck or setup. Some allow the spectator to do all the cutting and turning the cards over. Some have kicker endings where not only the aces are on top of each pile after the spectator cuts the deck into four piles, but the kings are on the bottom.

Lots of magicians like to open with this effect before going into a four ace routine.

History

Self-working version

It's not exactly the plot because, after cutting the deck in four packets, the spectator have to move some cards from packet to packet but it's the premiss.

A Four Aces Set Up (Belchou's Ace) - was invented by Steve Belchou, written up by Oscar Weigle and first published in The Dragon Magazine, Vol. 8, No. 6, june 1939.

Variations

• A Poker Players Picnic in Royal Road to Card Magic by Jean Hugard & Fred Braue (1948) (Belchou's trick)
• The Weigle Aces from John Scarne on Card Tricks by John Scarne (1950) (Belchou's trick)
• A Spectator Finds the Aces By Harvey Rosenthal in Genii 1963 October.
• A Problem Posed by Ed Marlo in The New Tops, (March 1965). (Reprint in M.I.N.T., Vol. I, 1988). Extensive work on this plot.
• Spectator Cuts to the Aces by Allan Ackerman in Magic Mafia Effects (1968).
• Another Spectator Cuts The Aces by Edward Marlo in The Unexpected Card Book (1974)
• Frank Garcia & George Schindler's Women's Lib from Magic With Cards (1975)
• Harry Lorayne's Double Take in Quantum Leaps (1979).
• Swindle Cut Aces from The Elegant Card Magic of Father Cyprian by Frank Garcia (1980).
• David Williamson Spectator Cuts To The Kings in Williamson's Wonders by Richard Kaufman (1989)
• Gary Ouellet's Three-Second Wonder from Close-Up Illusions (1990)
• Shigeo Takagi's version in The Amazing Miracles of Shigeo Takagi by Richard Kaufman (1990)
• Directed Verdict by John Bannon in Smoke and Mirrors (1991)
• Roberto Giobbi's The Spectator Cuts the Aces from Card College, Vol. 1 (1995)
• Cutting to the Aces from Tom Ogden's Complete Idiot's Guide to Magic (1998)
• David Regal's Deep Guilt Aces in Constant Fooling 2 (2002)
• John Bannon's Final Verdict from Dear Mr. Fantasy (2004)
• Kipp Sherry's Riverboat Shuffle from Kipp Sherry Magic (2006)