Chapter Four: Reframing a Masterpiece

Chase the Ace

The original presentation for "The Last Trick of Dr. Jacob Daley" published in The Dai Vernon Book of Magic reads like it was meant to be presented as a game of "Chase the Ace", although it doesn't implicitly state that is should be presented that way. If we fully embrace this idea, then we can eliminate all four weaknesses of the plot, adding clarity and additional entertainment value to the trick in the process. Here's how I perform the trick as a demonstration of a short con similar to Three-Card Monte:

Start by explaining the rules of Chase the Ace to your audience and find someone who is willing to play. Tell him that the Ace of Spades is the money card and, as this is the first time he's played the game, you'll only use two of the four Aces, “to make the game easier to win.” (This approach neatly justifies why you're only using two Aces.)

Perform any handling of Dr Daley's Last Trick that you like. Once you've dealt the two supposed black Aces to the table, turn your left hand palm down and deposit the "red" Aces—in reality, the black ones—face up to one side of your main performance area. (If you're performing on a close-up mat, drop the cards on the tabletop to the left of your mat.) This allows you to mix the two "black" Aces with both hands. Switch the cards a few times, crossing your hands in an attempt to make the mixing procedure more confusing.

Ask your spectator to indicate which of the two cards he believes to be the Ace of Spades. Once he has done this, ask him if he's sure. Keep asking him this question until he gets a little frustrated, then draw his attention to the face-up Ace of Spades to your left. Spread the face-up pair to reveal the Ace of clubs below the Ace of Spades, then wait for someone to turn the two face-down cards over (if nobody does this, slowly turn them face up yourself).

I'm not the first magician to have this idea, the legendary underground magician Mr Kiyoshi Satoh of Japan also presents the trick in this way; he uses the same face-up situation that I exploit.

The fact that your participant doesn't notice the face-up Ace of Spades until it is too late provides a lot of amusement. Note: My extended "Chase the Ace" handling and presentation can be found in Chapter 7 and is called "Big Bullet Monte".