Joking All Around

I was intrigued by the Joking Around effect taught by Lee Asher in his 1999 Five Card Stud DVD. Before you start learning this effect, I would encourage you to purchase the DVD and learn the original effect first. In this explanation, I will provide a very brief description about the methods employed throughout the trick without attempting to plagiarize the original explanation. However, this is my take on Mr. Asher’s effect using multiple selections. I use a pair of scissors to cut the folded Joker to divine the King of Diamond forced onto the spectator. 

Secret

Force the King of Diamond (first selection) and 7 of Diamond (second selection) to two different spectators using your favourite means. For smooth handling of the force, I use what I called The Hindu Displacement force which I’ll explain below. The selections are then returned to the deck and the deck can be shuffled by the spectators to their content. Spread the deck after it is shuffled and returned to you by the spectators. Pretend that you are having difficulty in searching for the selection. After several pretentious attempts, you resort to the Joker as your last attempt to save your magician’s pride.

You tell the spectators that the Joker is a wild card as all the cards are wild. The spectators will be amused by the patter. Proceed by folding the piece of Joker into quarters. It is important to keep track of the actual centre of the card in folded position. At the corner where the centre is located, use your scissors and cut off the corner diagonally (you should get a triangular piece of that corner). Set the triangular piece on the table. You should be able to notice that when you opened up the triangular piece which has been cut, it will form the shape of a diamond which reveals the suit of their selections. However, since it is important to keep the spectators in suspense, it is advised that you do not open up the piece yet.

With the remaining folded piece in your left hand, rotate it around so that the open long edge is at the top and the open short edge is to your left. If it is already in that prescribed position, good! At your upper right corner, cut another triangular piece off the folded card. Ditch these triangular pieces away as they do not take part in the revelation. Unfold the folded card and you will realize that it forms two conjugate K-shaped pieces. Simply tear the Joker into half and set it on the table in positions shown in the figure. Without delay, unfold the first triangular piece that you cut to form a diamond, thus, completing the revelation of the first selection, the King of Diamond.

The revelation of the 7 of Diamond is straightforward. Notice that if you actually tear one of the K-shaped pieces into half at its symmetrical line, it will form two 7s. However, I find it logical to tear both Ks half. All you have to do is take both K pieces from the table after you have revealed the King of Diamond and assemble them together. Tear both Ks at their symmetrical line, retaining the remaining pieces held in your left hand. Set them on the table as shown in the figure. Ditch the right hand pieces and you have completed the revelation of the second selection, the 7 of Diamond.

The Hindu Displacement force

This is a variation of the overused Hindu shuffle force. I will explain this method to you with the assumption that you have mastered the Hindu Shuffle. For this effect, cull the King of Diamond and the 7 of Diamond to the top and to the bottom of the deck respectively. Before you start, ask the first spectator to stop you anytime he or she likes as you start to shuffle the deck. After you have drawn the top portion of the deck into your left hand the first time you shuffle (top card is the King of Diamond), secretly steal about half of the left portion (the smaller the better) using your right thumb and middle finger as you continue to draw another portion of the packet from your right hand to your left.

It is important that you only steal the portion when the deck held in your right hand is completely above it and as you draw another portion off the deck in your right. A break is held between the 7 of Diamond and King of Diamond by right thumb and middle finger as you continue to shuffle off slowly. Estimate the moment the first spectator is going to call stop and when he does, ditch the portion below the break onto the shuffled-off pile of cards held in your left hand by releasing slight amount pressure of your right thumb and middle finger. It is very important at this point that you stop shuffling off the cards of the top packet held in your right hand to ensure that the King of Diamond is the top card in the left packet.

After ditching the portion below the break, notice that the 7 of Diamond is the bottom card of the packet held in your right. Remain in that position and proceed by extending your left hand so that the first spectator picks the card he or she stops you at. The King of Diamond is forced. The King of Diamond is now held by the first spectator as you start to Hindu shuffle the cards again for the second selection to another spectator.

At this moment, there are two options in which you can control the 7 of Diamond to the bottom of the deck again for the second Hindu shuffle. You can set the remaining portion held in your right on the one in your left, hold a break and execute a pass or you can simply set the left packet onto the right packet. Since the uniformity of action is of utmost importance to the magician, obtain a break above the bottom card (7 of Diamond) with the deck held in dealing grip using a simple pinky pull-down and transfer the break into the Hindu shuffle position. Repeat the procedure above with the exception that you do not have to steal cards at the very first of the shuffle and when the second spectator stops you, simply ditch the 7 of Diamond onto the shuffled-off cards in your left hand. Extend your left hand for the pick-up and the 7 of Diamond is forced.

Joking All Around Further Ideas

Force the King of Diamond using your favourite means. The selection is returned and is lost in the deck. Search and cull the Joker and the selection to the top and second from the top respectively. Turn over the top card to reveal the Joker and ask the spectator whether it is the selected card. As you ask and wait for the reply (you should know the answer would be a no), execute a top change to surreptitiously change the Joker into the selection and proceed with the method explained in the original effect, but it is important that you have to make sure that the back of the King of Diamond is seen by the spectator all the time.

After the two K-shaped pieces are formed to reveal the spectator’s selection with their backs facing up, simply turn them over to show that the face of the Joker has transformed into the King of Diamond as well. This surprising revelation would be an extra effect.

Original description by Huei Xiang (2010).