#4: Two Card Transpo

EFFECT:

Two cards are freely selected from any deck of cards. Let us say the cards selected are the Ace and King. The Ace is returned to the deck, and the King is openly placed inside the coat pocket. Hands are empty. The performer commands the cards to change places. Someone is invited to look through the deck. They find the King... they reach into the performer's pocket and find the Ace. Very little skill... no duplicates.

SECRET and HOW TO PERFORM:

A pencil should be placed in the upper left vest pocket. Have cards freely selected from a shuffled deck (cards may be used face up). One of the cards is chosen. The performer picks up the deck, cutting it in half. The right hand holds the upper position with fingers in front and thumb at back. He requests the cards be placed on the lower portion. As the halves are brought together, the tip of the left thumb presses slightly on top of the lower portion with a little movement toward the body, thus pushing the top card off the deck about half an inch toward the rear.

The right hand closes around the lower portion of the deck, thus concealing the protruding card. Hold the deck right against the opening of the coat with the protruding card coming just inside of the edge. You do this as you state that you need a pencil while the right hand is holding cards near the opening of the coat. The left hand, supposedly looking for the pencil, is placed inside of the coat, and just as soon as it is screened from view on the right side, it grasps the protruding part of the card, pulling it free of the deck and pushing it into the opening of the inside coat pocket, this takes but a moment. Not finding a pencil on the right side, he looks in the left pocket and brings out the pencil.

The performer hands the pencil with the request that the second card be marked for identification. The performer takes this second card and tells the audience he is going to place it in the inside coat pocket. Unknown to the audience, he really places it in the upper vest pocket right side and allows the card to stick out partway from the pocket. His hands are shown empty, and he picks up the deck with his left hand.

He reminds the audience of what has taken place. The Ace was placed in the deck, and the king was placed in his inside coat pocket. While the performer is thus pattering when he comes to the King being placed in the inside pocket, the right hand grasps the edge of the coat, and the left hand holding the deck goes inside of the coat, directly in front of the card, sticking out of the vest pocket. The lefthand precedes the opening of the coat by a fraction of a second so that the card can be felt by the thumb and fingers of the left hand, which proceeds to annex the card to the top of the deck, pulling it free of the pocket. The left hand pointing to the pocket of the coat, just as soon as you have done this. 

If you know how to do a pass secretly, alright. Otherwise, place the deck on the table and give it a cut. This brings the card to the center of the deck. Request them to look through the deck... find the card... and look in your coat pocket and remove the transposed card.