How to Do the Cops and Robbers Card Trick

The gimmick of this trick is the telling of the story. The cards are set up ahead of time. While adding the "cops" and "robbers" to the deck, the performer must be able to tell the story in a fluid, engaging way that leaves no time for the audience to think the trick through. Practice this one to coordinate the movements with the appropriate lines of the story.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Set Up the Deck

1. Start with a regular deck of 52 cards from which the two jokers have been removed. Remove the four Jacks and the four Kings.
2. Place one of the Kings face down on the table. Put one of the Jacks face down on top of it. Add another King to the pile, also face down to create a King-Jack-King order.
3. Take this pile of three cards (K-J-K) and add it to the bottom of the remaining cards. Take a third King and place it face down on top of the deck to complete the deck setup. Set aside the three remaining Jacks and the one remaining King.
4. Set the deck on the table in full view of the spectators. Display the three Jacks next to the deck so the spectators can see them.

Perform the Trick

5. Tell the spectators the story of the Cops and Robbers. Explain that there are three bank robbers. Hold up the three Jacks. Tell how one of the bank robbers goes in the "front door" of the bank and place the Jack on top of the deck.
6. Continue the story of how a second robber goes in a "side door" and place a Jack anywhere in the middle of the deck.
7. Conclude the tale with the third robber going in the "back door" and place the final Jack on the bottom of the deck.
8. Hold up the remaining King before the audience. Explain that he is the Cop who saw the robbers enter the bank and who radioed for help before following the robber through the front door. Put the King face down on top of the deck.
9. Tell of the confusion in the bank during the robbery and cut the cards. Place the top half of the deck under the bottom half.
10. Remember the cards added to the top are next to the cards previously placed at the bottom of the deck, including the first Jack that was placed there without the audience's knowledge.

Tips & Warnings

• The Jack that is placed into the middle of the deck in front of spectators is for the purposes of throwing off the audience. At the conclusion of the trick it isn't among the three Jacks that have been "apprehended" by the four Kings.