One of my currently favorite pets for a “quick turnover” which doesn’t stall enough to bore the onlookers, is a tricky (to figure out) transposition of two cards.

With your ordinary deck, and a strong point here is that it may be borrowed, you need but one double faced card. Let us assume it to be the Ace of Clubs on one side and the Two of Diamonds on the other. From the deck take the ordinary Ace of Clubs and put it in your right trouser pocket. On the face of the deck have your double card with the Ace of Clubs facing outwards. Under this, the next card, have the ordinary Two of Diamonds from the deck. You are ready.

After a riffle shuffle or so which leaves the two bottom cards in place, turn the deck face up and say that you’ll need a couple of cards for the next effect. Throw the Ace of Clubs (double) face up on the table. Then take off the Two of Diamonds and lay the deck aside. Explain that they must watch closely so as to know just what happens.

You put the Ace on the table and you are holding the Two in your right hand face up. Apparently you now turn the Ace face down on the table using the Two to flip it over. You give them prescience by saying that you will leave the Ace on the table, but face down, following through with a Mexican Turnover of the two cards. However, in this case, the well known sleight is carried one step further. The ordinary Two is pushed under the right side of the Ace, the card is flipped over, the exchange being made as usual, but the right hand keeps its newly secured card (double) turned over with the Two side showing. In short, both cards are turned completely over during the exchange. The one on the table (apparently the Ace) is now face down with its back showing, while in your hand you are holding the face up Two. The illusion is perfect, even with a not so good Mexican Turnover. The onlookers have seen a face up Two in your hand before and now see it after. The card on the table, a face up Ace, has been turned face down.

At this point you merely say “Watch everything closely”. Into your pocket you put the Two spot, pushing it high into the upper corner with your thumb while your fingers bulge the pocket at the bottom, where the ordinary Ace rest face out. Hand comes from pocket and you ask “Now, which card is which ? Do you remember ?”

The answer being that the Ace is on the table and the Two is in pocket electrifies you. The customer is wrong ! You reach into pocket and pull out the face outward Ace, at the same time dragging pocket inside out. The upper cornered card stays hidden. It must have been a magically minded person who first designed them. You drop the card face up on the table and ask the spectator to turn over the other. It’s the Two spot ! And, all can be checked, even with the deck, because everything is complete and your double faced card is out of the way for good.

This trick is far from difficult. The Mexican Turnover is a standard sleight and this effect makes good use of it in a trick, rather than just the usual three card monte. It’s a quick and very thought provoking stunt.