In a standard card cut, the deck is held face down in one hand, and the other hand takes a portion of cards from the top and places it at the bottom, effectively “cutting” the deck. This simple trick (as explained in Resonance – Journal of Science Education) involves cutting a sorted portion of a deck of cards multiple times, yet leaving the cards neatly sorted in their original order.
Performing the trick
- Preparing the Deck: Begin by arranging the face cards in a specific order: Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks of one suit, followed by the same cards, in the same order, of another suit, and so on. Once arranged, hold the deck face down, ensuring the top card is an Ace, and the bottom card is a Jack.
- Involve a spectator: Now, hand over the deck to a spectator and ask them to cut the cards as many times as they desire. This step adds an element of randomness to the trick, making it even more fascinating.
- Sleight of Hand: Take the deck back from the spectator and perform a few overhand shuffles. During this process, try to maintain the bottom card as a Jack, if possible. You may take a quick peek to ensure the order of the cards is preserved.
- The Deal: With the deck now in your hands, deal the cards face up onto the table into four separate piles, just as you would in a typical card game like bridge. The outcome will astound your audience, as the cards will miraculously appear neatly sorted, with each pile containing Aces, Kings, Queens, and Jacks of different suits.
The beauty of this trick lies in its simplicity and elegance. The way the face cards rearrange themselves during the shuffling and dealing is sure to captivate your audience.
How the trick works
A standard card cut leaves the order of the cards unchanged. If you can ensure that the bottom card is the same rank as it was at the start of the trick, the cards will be dealt out in the same order at the end of the trick.