Hotel Trick

Hotel Trick (or Hotel Mystery) is a classic plot in card magic in which four sets of four-of-a-kind (usually the court cards and Aces) are separated and then assemble.

The name comes from the story usually told about a hotel keeper who only had four rooms vacant, when along came four kings, who each occupied one room. A little later, four jacks come along, and each one was put in a room with the kings. Four aces were next put in, and finally four queens were also put in the same rooms. The hotel keeper, not liking the situation, magically transports the Four Kings to one room; the Four Queens to one room; the Four Jacks to one room and Four Aces to one room.

Publications

• THE HOTEL TRICK, EFFECT No. 16, in "50 New Card Secrets" By Frank La Fontaine (1933)
• The King Can Do No Wrong by Gerald Kaufman marketed in 1935 and published in Genii 1941 September.
• "Aces and Kings" by Henry Christ in Jinx issue No.74 (January, 1940).
• "Hotel Mystey" by Ed Marlo in Let's See The Deck (1942)
• "The Diamond Robbery" by Peter Kane in A Further Card Session with Peter Kane (1974)
• THE HOTEL MYSTERY-UPDATED by Nick Trost in New Tops (June, 1974)
• "Hotel, Motel, Holiday Inn" by David Solomon in MAGIC December, 1991).
• The Looking Glass No.l (February, 1996):
  • "Let Om" by Jon Racherbaumer
  • "Double Backing To Motel Six" by Jon Racherbaumer
  • "Stealing The Hotel Tao" by Bob Farmer
  • "Hookers and Cowhands" by Larry Jennings