How to Perform the Cutting the Aces Card Trick

One of the simplest card tricks, the Cutting the Aces card trick is mostly an illusion. In this trick, it appears as if the magician is cutting the deck to reveal four aces blindly. While this trick is not hard to perform, it takes practice to perform it well enough to get a strong response.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Deck of playing cards

1. Prepare for the trick by pulling out the four aces and putting them on top of the deck.

2. Keep a "thumb break" between the top two aces and the bottom two aces. This "thumb break" is accomplished by holding the two cards ever so slightly separated from the rest by pressing the thumb against the edges of the cards.

3. Begin the trick by cutting the deck in half and putting the top half about 1 inch in front of the bottom half.

4. Carry the top two aces back with your hand when you return it to the cut pile. This leaves two aces on top of each pile. This step must be done quickly and can be covered by straightening the cards in the piles.

5. Cut the remaining two decks again and place the cut piles on either side of the other piles. This should be done at the same time, using both hands. The result should be a diamond shape of four card piles.

6. Perform the reveal by flipping the top two cards from the side decks over and putting them on the top of the first two piles. These will both be aces.

7. Flip over the next top cards from the side piles, and put them on their own piles. These will also be aces. Four aces should be showing, one on each pile.

Tips & Warnings

• The faster you can train yourself to do this trick, the more the illusion will look real. If you are too slow, it will be too easy for the spectator to see how it's done.
• Keep your index finger against the top side of the deck when maintaining the "thumb break" so that the cards do not curl.
• There are many variations on the Cutting the Aces card trick. Some variations have the spectators cutting the cards rather than the magician, for example.
• One way to add additional interest to this trick is to memorize the position of the aces when you stack the deck and then predict which aces you will turn up when.
• Don't be surprised if someone is unimpressed by this particular card trick. It's an old one, and many people already know the mechanics of it.