Sherlock Vs Moriarty

Effect

Sherlock Holmes and his pal Doctor Watson (really two Kings), with the help of a spectator, finally capture the evil Professor Moriarty!

Requirements

All you need is a standard deck of playing cards.

Method & Performance

Remove the two black Kings saying that one is Sherlock Holmes and the other is Doctor Watson. Say the deck represents London and have a spectator select a card that will be Professor Moriarty, Holmes’ mortal enemy. While removing the Kings, cut any Six third from the top (when the deck is face down, the Six is third from the top).

Have a card selected and replaced. Control it to the top of the deck. Casually and openly Overhand Shuffle the top seven cards of the deck (reversing their order into the left hand) and place them back on the deck. Now the Six is fourth from the top, and the selected card is seventh from the top.

Take the deck face up in the left hand and start to cut small packets of cards onto the table while asking for a ‘stop’. At the ‘stop’ of the spectator, place a black King face down onto the dealt cards. Next, place the cards in the left hand onto the tabled ones and pick up the deck.

Turn the deck face down in the left hand, spread the cards between the hands and locate the face-up King. Eye count seven cards past the King and square, obtaining a break below the seventh card after the face-up King. Cut or Double Undercut at the break bringing the seven cards and the King to the bottom of the deck.

Hold the face-down deck in the left hand and, as before, start to cut small packets onto the table (this time, the cards are face down). Again, ask for another ‘stop’.

Place the other King face up on the tabled cards at the’ stop’ and drop the left-hand cards on top. In the middle of the deck, you now have the two face-up Kings with seven cards in between them. You may tell the spectator that he has helped Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. Perhaps now they will finally capture the devious Professor!

Spread the deck face down and remove the two face-up Kings and the seven cards between them, carefully paying attention not to alter the order of these cards. Leave the squared deck face down in front of you.

Give the nine-card packet to the spectator and ask him to deal the top card (face-up King) onto the table. Next, have him place the second card on the bottom of the packet, the third card onto the face-up King, the fourth card to the bottom and so on until he deals the second face-up King onto the table.

At this point, you have four cards between the Kings on the table and three cards left in the spectator's hands (the bottom card of this packet is the selected one). Have the spectator place the three cards he is holding onto the deck. Next, ask the spectator to pick up the tabled packet and invite him to repeat the procedure (placing the face-up King onto the table, the next card below the packet and so on). This time, one card will end up between the face-up Kings, and he will be left with two cards. Have these two cards replaced on the deck.

Turn over the card between the Kings (the Six), and the spectator will tell you that it is not the selected card. You may say that Sherlock Holmes always likes a theatrical ending to his investigations.

Have the spectator count down to the sixth card from the top of the deck, and he will find the selection!