Jordan Count

A false card display showing four cards as four, hiding the fourth card.

After the count, it leaves the cards in perfect order to do an Elmsley Count.

Variations

Modified Jordan Count by Larry Jennings, for five cards, Larry Jennings on Card and Coin Handling (1977).
Jorback Count by Phil Goldstein, mates the Back Count (aka Flustration Count) with the Jordan Count using the Biddle Grip, The Linking Ring, Vol. 62, no. 10, October 1982, page 75.
Double Jordan by David Evans, X cards as five count, only 3 faces seen, Apocalypse Vol. 7, no. 3, march 1984, page 895.
McCount by John McClure, accomplishing the same as Jordan Count, Apocalypse Vol. 20, no. 9, september 1997, page 2835.

First published by Charles Jordan in Thirty Card Mysteries (1919) under his Phantom Aces trick. Also described in Charles Jordan's Best Card Tricks (1992), compiled by Karl Fulves.

It was brought back to light again in 1963 by the British magician Francis Haxton.¹

Many have also recreated this sleight over the years:

Ed Marlo created it as the Flexible Count and published variations in The New Tops. ²

Modified Elmsley Count by Norman Houghton in Hugard's Magic Monthly, Vol. 21, no. 3, november 1963, page 18, was the same as the Jordan Count.

¹Charles Jordan's Best Card Tricks by Karl Fulves, page 247. But in Epilogue no. 9, july 1970, page 72, Karl Fulves writes : " Fred Lowe pointed out that the Phantom Aces in Jordan Thirty Card Mysteries anticipated by nearly a half century the Four-As-Four or Ghost Count." It's only in Epilogue no. 10, November 70, page 75 that Jordan's 4-as-4 Count by Francis Haxton was described.

² Excerpt from The New Tops, December 1963 : "(This count) embodies the elements of the Elmsley Ghost Count, increases the application of the Ellis Stanyon Count, as well as the Elmsley, in that it can be done with a greater number of cards because of a controlled dealing action."

You Can't Count On Jordan by Jon Racherbaumer page 3 in Sticks & Stones no. 1, January 1976.