MARRAID

( From With Cards )

You cut the deck four times - each time a face up King appears. You now find a random card for each King by using their suits. When these cards are turned over they prove to be the four Queens - each paired perfectly with the correct King.

The plot is the classic ‘Royal Marriages’ and belongs to J. N. Hofzinser.

To begin, remove the Kings and Queens and set them on top of the deck as follows - the the Kings are face up and the Queens face down - the Queen of Clubs is the top face down card of the deck:

QC  -  KC  -  QH  -  KH  -  QS  -  KS  -  QD  -  KD

WORKING

1. Begin by giving the deck a Jog Shuffle retaining the top stock, then hold it face down in dealing position. Say, “There are four Kings, or Monarch’s in the deck. Each has to marry according to their race - so, for example, the King of Hearts is forbidden to marry a Queen of any other suit. He can only marry the Heart. I’d like to show you how they accomplished this.”

2. You now cut the top half of the deck onto the table, but you hold back the top card, in other words you execute a Slip-Cut. The King of Clubs sits (FU) on top of the tabled half. Draw attention to the suit then spell C-L-U-B-S, dealing one card for each letter into a face down pile on the table. Pick up the King and drop it below this pile, then pick up the tabled half and drop it on top of the deck..

3. Repeat the above procedure three more times, dealing a new pile of cards for each suit. In the end there are four piles of cards on the table, each accompanied by a face up King.

Finally turn each pile face up revealing the four matching Queens, saying, “There you are - four harmonious couples.”