10 JOKER QUADRILLE

JOKER QUADRILLE

by Carlos Genoveses and Jean Devriès

A trick for performer who likes the Elmsley counts and their subtle applications in Card Magic.

Effect. The performer shows two piles of 4 Jokers each, one with blue backs, the other with red backs. The interchange of Joker(s) between the two piles does not modify the back colour of each pile. The operation is executed several times complicating more and more the conditions of the permutation (1 or 2 Jokers exchanged, onto or into the opposite pile). If the Jokers are mixed, as in an “Oil and water” trick, the blue and red remain separated.(See Video).

Set-up. A packet of 8 face-down Jokers: 4 with blue back placed on 4 with red back.

Performance.

1°/ Spreading and closing the face-down packet rapidly between the hands, say: “A trick with a few blue and red cards...” Hold the packet from above with the right hand. Show the cards counting them aloud:“One, two, three,...and four blue cards” then “One, two, three,...and four red cards” Proceed as follows. Peel 3 blue cards, one by one, into the left hand. Peeling the 4th get a little finger break under it (Photo 1a). Now, peel a red card and in the same action add the “broken” card below the cards in right hand (Photos 1b, c), then continue to peel the following red cards (the 4th is double). At this point the order of the cards is: red, blue, red, red, red, blue, blue, blue.

2°/ A present turn up the packet to show the cards are Jokers. Holding the packet in left hand, deal 4 Jokers, one by one, onto the table (Photo 2a). The right hand gathers up the pile and brings it at the left finger tips for squaring (Photo 2b) . In this position the left fingers displace one or two inferior cards slightly to the left (or right) side. Then the right hand which holds the packet from above turns palm-up to show blue backs (Photo 2c). Lower the hand and drop the packet (face-up) on right onto the table.

Immediately the right hand grasps up the left hand packet and in the same time the left thumb displaces one or two upper Jokers slightly to the left (or right) side (Photo 3a). Turn the right hand to show red backs (Photo 3b) and replace the packet, face-up, into the left hand. Deal two Jokers on left onto the table and drop both remaining Jokers together (in same order) directly onto the tabled ones (Photos 3c, d).

Square both piles. The spectator does not know that the piles consist of mixed Jokers: 1 red and 3 blue backed Jokers in the right pile, 1 blue and 3 red in left pile.

3°/ A present the left hand takes up the left pile upper Joker, the right hand that of the right pile (Photo 4a). Say to the spectator you are going to permute the Jokers: put the right hand Joker onto the left pile and vice versa (Photos 4b, c, d).

Execute your magical gesture (e.g. finger snap above each pile). Take up the right pile and, after flipping it, face-down (Photo 5a), Elmsley count* the cards to display 4 blue backs!...(Photo 5b) (Note: the Elmsley count would seem useless since, in reality, all the Jokers have the same back (blue); but here it is executed to remain in accordance with the ulterior counts). Replace the packet, face-up, to its position on the table.

Repeat the same operation with the left pile to show 4 red backed cards...

4°/ Propose “to do again the effect” Interchange the upper Jokers, but this time each Joker is inserted in 2nd position into the opposite pile (Photos 6a, b). After executing the magical gesture Elmsley count each pile (face-down) to show that the situation remains always the same: the right pile Jokers are still blue backed, those of the left pile red backed!...Put back the packets, face up, onto the table.

5°/ Now propose "to do again , but complicating things a little more.." Take up 2 upper Jokers together (in same order) of each face-up pile and permute them: the right Jokers onto the left pile and vice versa (Photos 7a, b, c). The Elmsley counts reveal no modification in the card back colour of each pile!... Here, the Elmsley counts in question must be of the "under" type, that is, as you count the last card, casually bring it under the packet. Just before this action you can turn the hand to flash the face of the card (Photos 8a, b, c).

6°/ Again propose to do the effect "increasing the difficulty still more!" As previously (§5°) do the interchange of 2 Jokers but inserting them (together) between the 2 remaining Jokers of the opposite face-up pile (Photos 9a, b). After the magical gesture execute an "under" Elmsley count for the right pile (face-down). Concerning the left pile, it must be of a "under two" type. In other words, as you count the 3rd card, maintain it in right side-jogged position on those in left hand (Photo 10a), then count the 4th onto the jogged card and, casually, take away both cards in question to bring them beneath the others already counted. You can also use these cards to flip all the packet, face up, in the palm of the left hand (Photos 10b, c, d).

Thanks to the Elmsley count! This ultimate permutation still "appears" not to have any consequences on the back colour repartition of the cards: respectively the right and left piles "stay" blue and red backed!...In reality, after the piles have been turned again face-up, the card order of that on right is: blue, red, blue and blue; that on left: red, red, blue and red.

7°/ Without leaving the spectator time to react, "solemnly" announce:"I'm going to complicate things..., mixing the cards!..."As in an "Oil and Water" trick, here beginning with the left pile, take up (with left hand) the upper Joker and place it between the two piles. Onto it deposit (with right hand) the upper Joker of the opposite pile (Photos 11a, b). And so on, alternately, so as to constitute a single packet. As you put a Joker, name the "supposed" colour of its back. Casually or intentionally you can let see the back of the card except the 4th named (2nd of the "blue" right pile) and the 5th (3rd of the "red" left pile. At this point the Jokers are, from the face of the packet, in the following order: blue, red, blue, blue, red, red, blue and red.

Pick up the packet. Do the magical gesture you use, then transfer the 4 upper Jokers together (without inverting their order) into the right hand (Photo 12a). Spread the other Jokers more or less, right side-jogging the upper one (Photo 12b), and drop them, just as they are, onto the table. Square the right hand packet and turn it down. Elmsley count the cards, according to the normal way, to show 4 blue backs!... Set the packet directly (face-down) onto the table.

Say to the spectator: "Of course the other packet consists of red backed Jokers!..." Speaking, casually take the upper Joker of the tabled spread (Photo 13a). Use it (face down) to "tap" and scoop up the three others, keeping it below them (Photos 13b, c). Turn down the packet, book fashion, and immediately execute a normal Elmsley count showing 4 red backs!...(Photo 13d). Keep the packet in the left hand.

8°/ To terminate "clean" proceed as follows. Buckle the inferior (blue) card slightly (Photo 14a) and, as the right hand (Biddle fashion) grasps the packet, take a thumb break above the card in question (Photo 14b). The right hand brings the packet towards the tabled cards with the intention of collecting them (Photo 14c). Use the right finger tips to slide the cards backwards and in the same action release the “broken” card onto them. The tabled packet with the added card is placed into the left hand (Photo 14d) and, in continuation of the move, casually bring the right hand cards beneath them (Photo 14e).

Now spread the whole packet, face-up, from right to left, across the table. Isolate the 4 right Jokers from the ribbon, gather up and spread them apart, face-down (exposing their blue backs). Do the same thing with the 4 other (red backed) Jokers (Photos 15a, b, c).

*The principle of the Elmsley count (here 4 cards counted as 4) is illustrated in Photos A, B,.....E of the trick entitled "No comentar" (number 8).