Sherlockian Sarnie

Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson (the two black Jacks) collect "clue cards" to deduce the secret identity of the criminal mastermind known as Professor Moriarty (a selected playing card). In the process, they also manage to recover a stash of stolen diamonds.

I first learnt "Sherlock Vs Moriarty" years ago from MagicDan’s Homepage, a wonderful website that’s sadly no longer available (but can still be found on the Internet Archive via the Wayback Machine). There were several tricks by Aldo on the site, published with his permission. The trick can also be found on the Lasting Impressions (Vol. 3) DVD published by L&L Publishing. You can also learn Aldo’s original trick here (republished with permission).

The force used in this trick is a no-gaff handling of the Christ Force, which was invented by Henry Christ and first published as “The 203rd Force” in Sh-h-h-h---! It's a Secret, written and published by Ted Annemann in 1934 (Annemann, 1934, p.41). This clever concept uses a doubled-backed playing card to force one or multiple cards onto a spectator in a very fair manner.

I’ve always liked this force, but I rarely carry the required gaff on my person. So a few years ago, I started experimenting with handlings that utilise the same mechanics but only use regular playing cards. The main problem with this approach is that a single card is left reversed in the centre of the pack after the forcing procedure is completed.

There are two ways to deal with this problem: 1) secretly right the reversed card using sleight of hand, or 2) incorporate the reversed card into the magical effect that follows the force. This second solution is my favoured approach, as the clean-up happens in front of your audience without the need for additional manipulation. In "Sherlockian Sarnie", the presentation completely disguises the use of the Christ Force.

All you need is a standard pack of playing cards. Remove the Ace, Two, Three and Four of Diamonds, the two black Jacks, and the Two, Three, Five and Ten of Clubs from the pack. Put the Ten of Clubs face up on top of the pack. On top of this card, place any face-up indifferent card. Put the Jack of Spades, face down, on top of all.

Place the Jack of Clubs face up on the bottom of the face-down pack. Interlace the remaining cards between the Ace, Two, Three and Four of Diamonds, e.g. A-D, 5-C, 2-D, 2-C, 3-D, 3-C, 4-D. The specific order of the club cards doesn't matter so long as they reside in the second, fourth and sixth positions from the face of the packet. 

Next, place this seven-card packet face down on the bottom of the pack, below the face-up Jack of Clubs. If you've arranged the cards correctly, they should be in the following order, from the top of the pack down:

• Jack of Spades;

• Indifferent Card (Face Up);

• Ten of Clubs (Face Up);

• Balance of Pack;

• Jack of Clubs (Face Up);

• Ace of Diamonds;

• Club Spot Card;

• Two of Diamonds;

• Club Spot Card;

• Three of Diamonds;

• Club Spot Card;

• Four of Diamonds.

In summary, there is a three-card setup on top of the pack and an eight-card pre-arrangement on the bottom. I did warn you that the setup was rather extensive! Anyway, you’re now ready to perform the trick.

Start by false shuffling the pack. First, cut half of the cards from the top of the pack and place them to the right of the bottom half in preparation for a Table Riffle Shuffle. Next, begin the shuffle by releasing cards from your left thumb until you see the face-up Jack of Clubs flash by. Once this happens, start releasing cards from the right-hand packet, letting them interweave with the cards from the left-hand stock.

When you get to the end of the shuffle, make sure that the final three cards fall from the right-hand packet. Then, push the packets together, being careful not to expose the two face-up cards, second and third from the top of the pack. The safest way to do this is to tip the pack so that its long edge rests on the tabletop before you push the packets flush. It should be noted that this is considered bad practice at the card table because the shuffler can see the faces of the cards as the two halves are pushed together. But, of course, this kind of thing doesn't matter when performing magic unless you’re doing a gambling demonstration!

When performing the Table Riffle Shuffle, you need to cover the inner corners of the packets with your extended fingers (this technique is known as a closed riffle shuffle). If you don't do this, your audience might catch a glimpse of the face-up cards in the pack.

Repeat the false shuffle and follow it with a convincing full-pack false cut, such as the Scrape Cut. (For more help with false cuts or blind cuts as they're also known, read the Blind Cuts section of The Expert at the Card Table.)

If you cannot perform a false shuffle or cut, you can still perform the trick. However, the effect is greatly enhanced if your audience believes that the pack you're using has been genuinely shuffled and cut, as this reduces the likelihood that people will suspect a pre-arrangement is being used.

Instruct a member of your audience to cut the pack "somewhere in the centre" and hand the cards to you. When you receive the packet, turn it face up, holding it in left-hand Dealer's Grip. Call attention to the face card and point out that the spectator nearly cut to this particular card.

Transfer the face-up packet into right-hand End Grip and drop it on top of the pile of cards on the table. Next, pick up the pack and start to spread through the face-up cards carefully. Keep doing this until you reach the first face-down card (this is the force card, the Ten of Clubs). Then, push the force card under the face-up spread held in your right hand.

Raise your hand so that the spread is perpendicular to the table top. This will allow your spectator a clear view of the entire face of her "freely selected card" (?). Next, lower the spread back to a horizontal position and deposit the force card face down on the table in front of the spectator. Explain that the selected card represents the secret identity of "the criminal mastermind Moriarty, who has been on a global crime spree, stealing the ten most expensive diamonds in the world."

The great thing about this trick is that you finish completely clean. There is no dirty work to hide. However, there is no easy way to reset the trick before your audience, so I wouldn't recommend you perform "Sherlockian Sarnie" in a strolling environment where a quick reset is essential.

You must be incredibly careful not to expose secretly reversed playing cards during the routine. Doing so is especially important during the forcing procedure, which only leaves you with a single cover card above the face-up Jack of Spades—spread through the cards slowly to avoid flashing the face of the Jack.

You can allow a spectator to perform the Down-Under Deal, but I've found, from experience, that people often struggle to follow the simple instructions for this procedure. Therefore, I prefer to do this part of the trick myself, but your mileage may vary.

If you prefer, you may also decide to produce the four Aces at the end of the trick instead of the “stolen diamonds”. However, these are the most appropriate kicker cards because they strengthen the trick’s narrative. Additionally, talk of diamonds always seems to increase interest in the trick, especially from the female portion of an audience!

In “Sherlock Holmes Vs Moriarty”, the black Kings are used to represent Holmes and Watson. I prefer to use the black Jacks because the Jack of Spades appears to be holding a magnifying glass. Also, the Jack of Clubs, which I use to represent Dr. Watson, is brandishing a pike, which you could refer to as a walking cane. In many TV and film adaptations, Dr. Watson uses a Victorian sword cane (a walking stick that conceals a blade). However, I don’t think he ever uses one in the books.

Using a force and not having the selected card returned to the pack in the usual fashion makes this routine more interesting than your standard “pick-a-card” trick.

Also, there is nothing for the spectator to remember because his selection stays face down in front of him the whole time. This approach removes the mental pressure often put on a spectator when asked to recall a playing card. As magicians, we’re used to remembering playing cards, but laypeople rarely need to do this. They can find it difficult because the identity of a playing card is a relatively abstract piece of information to commit to memory.

I very much like the idea of finding “clue cards” that either point to the location of a selection, as in "Sherlock Holmes Vs Moriarty", or combine to reveal the identity of the selected card in some way, as is the case with “Sherlockian Sarnie”. As well as being used in sandwich tricks, this device can be exploited in other plots, such as Roy Walton's The Collectors and routines involving card reversals.

Sherlock Holmes book cover. Photo Credit: tookapic via Pixabay.