This time we’ll look at how utilizing the Aronson Stack in conjunction with a great Harry Lorayne effect can strengthen it. And, it gives us one more effect we can do with the Aronson Stack while keeping the stack in order.

                In Harry’s 2001 book, Personal Collection, on page 9 is a wonderful trick called “It’s Not Easy To Lie.”  In our version, one spectator will choose a card, apparently at random, which will ultimately predict the location of a card picked by another spectator. Along the way some fun will be had with the premise of getting a spectator to lie. And, in this version, the magician is able to name the chosen card just before it’s revealed.

                In Lorayne’s trick you start out by secretly getting a six spot into seventh position. While this is not difficult, our version eliminates having to look through the cards at all. Begin by simply double undercutting the top card (Jack of Spades) to the bottom. This places the six of clubs in the seventh position ready to go. You start out by explaining that you need just a few cards for this trick. As you do so, you spread over five cards and drop them as a group onto the table. You then say that a few more would be better. This time you spread over four cards and drop them as a group onto the packet of cards already on the table. At this time, the six of clubs will be the second card from the top. The remainder of the deck is placed aside and won’t be used in the effect.

                Spectator A will now choose a card in an apparently random manner. But, he will end up with the six of clubs. To do this, you hand the packet to the spectator, and tell him that you’re going to teach him the Australian Shuffle or “Deal and Duck.” Ask him to deal one card from the top of the deck onto the table. Then he is to take the new top card and place it on the bottom Again a card is dealt onto the table. This is kept up until the spectator has only one card. Ask them to either put it in their pocket, or cover it with their hand. It will come into play later.

                Now the packet of cards on the table is handed to Spectator B. They are asked to shuffle the cards as much as they want and then to fan the cards like a poker hand. They are to look over the cards and just mentally choose one of them. Get them to really burn it into their memory. Then they shuffle the cards again and finally hand the packet of eight cards to you.

                You now explain that you will ask the spectator three questions that can be answered by “Yes” or “No.” Each time they are to LIE. You point out that it’s hard to lie, but you really want them to do it. You will now do an in-hand reverse faro. Relax, it’s a piece of cake. With the cards in your left one you spread them to the right one at a time, keeping the order intact, but out jogging the second, fourth, sixth, and eighth cards. Fan out the cards and tip the fan up so that the spectator can see the four outjogged cards only. Remind them that they are to lie and ask them if their card is one of that group. If they say yes, you strip out the four outjogged cards, maintaining their order, and place them on top. If they say no, you strip out the four outjogged cards and place them on the bottom. You will repeat this process three times, and the first and third time you will it exactly as described. However, the second time you do the in-hand reverse faro, you do it backwards. That is, if they say yes, you strip out the four outjogged cards and place them on the bottom. But if they say no, you strip out the four outjogged cards and place them on the top. This is a little confusing at first, but try it with the cards in hand and it will become clear. This automatically places the chosen card at the sixth position! You can end right here, by having spectator A reveal their card. It’s a six, of course, and so you count down to the sixth card and it is the one selected.

                However, we can strengthen the effect a bit, and reset our Aronson stack by doing it a bit differently. First, have Spectator A reveal their card. Since it’s a six, count down in the packet to the sixth card and place it on the table in front of spectator B. Now, you hold the cards in your hand and turn up the top card. You study it and say to Spectator B: "No I don’t think that’s your card is it?" Tell them they can return to normal and resume telling the truth. They will agree that it is not their card. You now table the card, but you start the simple process of restoring your Aronson stack. The cards in your hand are cards 2 to 10 except for the chosen card and the six of clubs. You will place the seven cards in your hand onto the table one at a time in an overlapping row. Each time, you state that the card is not the chosen card. Get Spectator B to confirm this. As you build this row, you are putting them back in stack order, but it appears completely haphazard to the audience. You will end up with a row of seven cards, in order except for the missing six of clubs and the selected card. You now state that clearly the six of clubs is not the card that B selected and pick it up and put it where it goes. At this point you can easily determine the selected card because it’s the one that missing from the run of 2 to 10 in stack order. To end the routine, you point out that Spectator A must have been right, since the remaining card has to be the one that B selected. But then, you ask: “Would I be right to say that the card you just thought of was the Ace of Spades? (Or whatever it is.) Of course you are right and they will confirm it. For ultimate confirmation, you take the face down card and show it to your audience. All that remains is to replace that card back in order and pick up the row of cards from the table and put them on top of the deck. A double undercut can be used to bring the bottom card to the top of the deck and your stack is now right back in position.

                It’s a wonderful throw off, in memorized deck work, to do an effect like this that starts and ends with your stack in order. Remember that a spectator did some shuffling during the routine. While it wasn’t a full deck shuffle, it leaves the impression that the cards are really mixed up. You can now continue with any other Memorized deck effect and a false shuffle is hardly necessary. It seems unlikely to your audience that a stack could have been maintained. If you then go into something like the Aronson three-phase poker deal, it will be very effective.

                After you’ve done the phase of show the spectator four cards three times, and the chosen card is in the sixth position, you can further “shuffle” the cards. Just do the in-hand out faro action twice more, each time placing the outjogged cards on top. The chosen card will be right back in sixth position again, ready to conclude the effect.

                As always, feel free to visit my web site to see those commercial items that Loomis Magic has available.  Loomis Magic has some of the lowest prices on magic DVD’s on the Web. If you’re in the market for DVD’s I invite you to visit the site and see our great prices and selection. We promise to take very good care of our customers... you are the lifeblood of our business.

            I would love to hear from other memorized deck workers. If you have any routines, ideas, or handlings on memorized deck work, I’d be happy to publish them here.