Sidewalk Shuffle

Sidewalk Shuffle is a Three Card Monte type routine using four jumbo cards.

Effect: Three Blank cards and an Ace are shown. One Blank goes on the table. The spectator tries to keep track of the Ace as the magician mixes them up, but he fails as the Ace is now on the table. All of the cards in your hand are shown to now be blank. It is done a second time with the same results. The third time however, the card on the table stays blank, but all three of the cards in your hands are now Aces.

History

Sidewalk Shuffle was devised by Martin Lewis in 1973 and was based on moves from Fred Kaps routine of Joe Riding's "The Three Card Trick With Four Cards".

Before releasing the trick, Lewis wrote to Ken Brooke, who marketed "The Three Card Trick With Four Cards", asking if he had any objection to using some of the moves from the "The Three Card Trick With Four Cards". Brooke didn't but also didn't think the routine would sell commercially to professional performers as there was too much putting down and picking up of the cards.

Fred Kaps would later create his own routine for Sidewalk Shuffle and, along with others, put it on the market in 1974.

Variations

• Sidewalk Shuffle Redone
• Virginia City Shuffle by Louis Falanga
• Four Card Monte by Bob King
• Super Sidewalk by Dave Neighbors
• Surreal Monte by Jon Racherbaumer

Books

• Sidewalk Shuffle: Ken Brooke Series Number 4 (1981)
• Martin's Miracles by Eric Lewis (1985)