Backlash Butty

Displace the Nine to the bottom of the packet, rotating it face down in the process; do this by grasping the packet from above in right-hand End Grip, then use your left thumb to drag the Nine to the left. Use the cards remaining in your right hand to flip the Nine face down. Allow the card to fall into your left palm, at which point you should drop the right-hand cards on top of it. All of the cards should end up in left-hand Dealer’s Grip.

Move the face-up Queen, now on top, to the bottom of the packet, keeping it face up.

Perform a Mini Ascanio Spread with the packet to display a single face-down card between the two face-up Queens (this step is optional).

You're now going to set the packet for a Colour Change that I call the "Packet Plunger Push Change". Transfer the packet to left-hand Dealer's Grip and turn it face down. Use your right fingertips to in-jog the top card of the packet by approximately an inch, exposing the face of the Nine. Contact the face of the Nine with the tips of your second and third fingers. Position the pad of your right thumb on the short edge of the in-jogged card. Move your hand forward, maintaining a slight downward pressure as you do so. Stop pushing when your right thumb hits the two cards below the out-jogged Nine. You've just performed the Alignment Move on the packet.

Grasp the near end of the packet with your right hand, fingers on top and thumb below. Release the packet from left-hand Dealer's Grip and, at the same time, rotate your right hand palm up. Re-grip the packet in left-hand Dealer's Grip. Make sure to position the packet so that the top left-hand corner of the out-jogged Nine contacts the pad of your left thumb. Use your right fingertips to push the face-up Queen on top of the packet flush with the out-jogged Nine. The left thumb should act as a stopper to ensure that the two cards are perfectly aligned.

Still holding the packet in Dealer's Grip, turn your left hand palm down. Temporarily grip the packet by its centre with your right hand, thumb on top and fingers below. Let go of the packet with your left hand, and move it under the cards, so that you can re-grip the packet in left-hand Dealer's Grip. Note: During this readjustment, the packet stays in the same relative position in space as your left hand moves around it.

Apply pressure to the packet by squeezing it between your left fingers and thumb. This should cause the cards to bend widthwise. Contact the top card of the packet with your second and third fingertips, applying a gentle downward pressure. Rest the pad of your right thumb on the short edge of the two in-jogged cards.

To activate the change, push the in-jogged cards flush with the packet (you must do this quickly and with a reasonable amount of force). Due to the Plunger Principle, this will cause the face-up selected card to shoot out of the front of the packet, leaving it out-jogged by about an inch. This creates the illusion of the Nine of Diamonds transforming into the selected card as it is pushed it through the packet.

Strip the out-jogged selection from the packet and hold it in your right hand, thumb on top and fingers below. Flip the packet of cards in your left hand face up with the aid of your right fingertips (the card being held in your right hand shouldn’t stop you doing this). Drop the selected card on top of the packet and immediately perform a Mini Ascanio Spread to display three cards: the two black Queens and the selection. Strip out the double held in right-hand End Grip and replace it on the bottom of the packet.

Square up the cards and establish a little finger break above the bottom card of the packet (the Nine of Diamonds); I use a Pinky Pull Down to achieve this. Re-grip the packet from above in right-hand End Grip, transferring the break to your right thumb.

Slide the top card (the selection) into left-hand Dealer's Grip, flipping the card face-down as you do so. Immediately align the Nine with the bottom card of the packet, then release the break, so that the Nine forms a double with the selected card. Turn your left hand palm down to flash the face of the selection one last time.

Deposit the two face-up Queens on top of the double card in your left hand, in-jogged by about an inch. Perform the Alignment Move on the double card being held in left-hand Dealer's Grip. Your audience should believe that the out-jogged card is the selection when, in reality, you've just switched it for the Nine. Using your right thumb and fingers, grip the packet by its inner right-hand corner, thumb on top and fingers below. Release the packet from left-hand Dealer's Grip; this will allow you to retrieve the pack from your left-hand jacket pocket.

Pull the out-jogged card onto the pack using your left thumb. Immediately perform a Charlier Cut (one-handed cut) to bury the apparent selection in the middle of the pack.

Transfer the packet in you right hand into left hand Cradle Grip; the packet is held above the pack at an angle by your left thumb, which rests on the packet's left long edge, your index finger, which curls up over the short front edge of the packet, and your middle finger, which contacts the right long edge of the packet. 

Video Tutorial: You'll need to perform a Charlier Cut twice during this trick. A one-handed cut is a fundamental flourish that all aspiring magicians should master, so this is a skill well worth acquiring if you cannot perform a Charlier Cut already. Luckily, this video from Dan and Dave Industries should help you learn this impressive move in no time at all.

Transferring the cards into Cradle Grip in this way allows you to re-grip the packet from above in right-hand End Grip. Using your left thumb, pull the top face-up Queen onto the pack. Drop the two cards remaining in your right, as one, on top of all.

Make a magical gesture, then spread over the top three cards of the pack to reveal a single face-down card between the two face-up Queens. Out-jog this card and offer it to your spectator. As he turns the card face up, and everyone begins to react, you're going to prepare the cards for the second phase of the trick.

Pinch the two Queens between the fingers and thumb of your right hand. Your thumb should contact the face of the uppermost Queen and your fingers should touch the back of the lowermost one. Move this “mini fan” to your right. Thumb the angle-jogged card onto the top of the pack and, without hesitation, perform another Charlier Cut.

While everyone  is looking at your left hand cutting the pack, move your right thumb to the right by about half and inch. This will expose the face-down card between the two face-up Queens. However, no one will notice this small motion as everyone will be looking at the larger action of the one-handed cut. 

“Your card is going to disappear from the pack and reappear between the two Queens. Look, it's already happened!”

Tilt the three-card fan held in your right hand towards your body to display the face of the selected card to your audience. Bring the fan to the top of the pack and clamp your thumb on top of the face of the selection. Move your right hand back to its original position, leaving the face-up selection behind on top of the pack. 

As your right hand moves back, turn it palm up and extend your arm towards your spectator, so that he can take the two face-up Queens from you. This marks the end of the second phase of the trick.

To finish, make a final magical gesture and spread through the cards to reveal a single face-down card between the two face-up Queens. Cut the three-card sandwich to the top of the pack and transfer it into your right hand. Instruct your spectator to take the face-down card and turn it face up to reveal that it is the selected card once again.

When I’m in this situation, I modify the handling to use Dai Vernon’s Key Card Placement (Ganson, 1967, page 159) as follows: with the three-card set-up on the bottom of the pack, cut approximately twelve cards to the bottom, and hold a little finger break between these cards and the set-up.

Cut small packets of cards from the top of the pack until your spectator says, “stop”. Instruct him to, “take a peek at the top card of the pile”. Once he’s done this, lift all the cards above the break and drop them on top of the selected card, which positions the set-up directly above the selection. Drop the final packet on top. 

This clever placement technique hides the fact that the bottom of the pack is placed on top of the selection.

Hold your palm-down flat hand over the tabled pack and slowly turn it palm up. Reveal the first face-up Queen, then return the pack to the table. Repeat the dramatic gesture as before, then spread through the cards to reveal the second face-up Queen. Continue as described in the instructions above.

For the final phase I also change things to take full advantage of the table. When I apparently lose the selection in the pack, I control it to fourth from the top (run three cards, in-jogging the next and shuffle off. Form a break at the in-jog and shuffle to the break).

Holding the pack face up, start dealing cards to the table until your spectator says, “stop”. Have him place one of the Queens face down on top of the face-up pile. Drop all of the cards in your hand on top and pick up the pack.

Turn the pack face down and spread through the cards until you spot the face-up Queen. Spread seven cards past the Queen and catch a little finger break below them as you square up. Cut, or Double Cut, all the cards above the break to the bottom of the pack.

Deal cards into a pile as before until instructed to stop by your spectator. Have him place the second Queen face-up on top of the pile. Drop the cards remaining in your hand on top.

Spread through the cards as you say: “Wouldn’t it be amazing if there was one card between the Queens? Oh, there’s one-two-three-four-five-six-seven, we’ll have to get rid of a few.”

Perform two Down Under Deals, or get you spectator to do this, to leave a single card between the Queens; this card will be the selection. (This idea is taken from the finale of "Sherlock Holmes Vs. Moriarty" by Aldo Colombini.) Although this additional dealing procedure lengthens the trick, it seems to strengthen the impact of the final reveal.