Solo Aces

by Robin Robertson

Starting with Dai Vernon's Slow Motion Aces, aces began to not only leave
their packets to join the leader ace, but to do so one-at-a-time. As with the
original ace assembly, countless versions have appeared over the years. I
published my first version over 30 years ago in Micky Hades now long
defunct Hadegram Magizette. I once had a thrill when I walked into
Tannen's for the first time and someone did my own version for me. I kept
fiddling with it over the years and published a tighter version in my book
Card Modes in 1983. But the thing has kept evolving, with tiny little
changes that are hardly noticeable but make it ever cleaner. Here's the
version I do today. Though it may seem to have a lot of sleights, they are
all relatively easy ones. I'm going to go through it in some detail. Feel free
to move on to other effects if you find this level of detail boring.

Working:

Fan the deck face-up and openly remove the 4 aces and toss face-up on
the table.

The False Count

Turn the deck face-down and seemingly count off 12 other cards, but
actually take 14. Just count the cards into your right hand one on top of
the other, taking two as one twice during the count. I always do this on the
2nd and 7th cards, so I don't have to think about it. The important thing is
sto keep a rhythm in the count, which makes it impossible for the
spectator to see that you're taking more than one card. Count in 3's: 1, 2, 3,
slight pause, 4, 5, 6, slight pause, 7, 8, 9, slight pause, 10, 11, 12. On "one",
count the first card normally into the right hand. As you're doing so, push
off two cards with the left thumb. They don't have to be lined-up. Take the
two cards on top of the first on the count of "two". But continue counting,
taking a single card on "three." Continue the count, picking up another pair
of cards on "seven". If you've never used this false count, you'll be
surprised how both how easy and deceptive it is.

The Braue Addition

Lay the remainder of the deck in the middle of the table. Transfer the 12
(?) face-down cards to your left hand, then pick up the aces and fan face-
up on top. Openly arrange them in order AD, AC, AH, AS, from face to back.
As you're doing this, let the top few cards of the deck spread a bit, so that
you can pick up a break under the 2nd face-down card. Add the two cards
under the aces as you square them with the right hand from above,
preparatory to using a slightly modified Braue Addition.

As normal with the Braue addition, the left thumb pulls off the top ace
(AD), then the right pack flips it face-down on top of the deck. Continue
with the AC, but as it turns face-down let the remainder of the right hand's
cards drop on top. In the same motion, the left thumb fans off the AH and
AS. The right hand uses the AS to flip the AH face-down, then it in turn is
turned face-down on top

Laying Out the Aces

You're going to deal the four aces (?) in a diamond formation around the
deck, beginning in the south and moving clock-wise. Turn the AS face-up
again and deal it in the south, nearest to you, naming it as you do so. Deal
the next ace (AH), face-down in the west, saying "Ace of Hearts." The next
card (an x card) goes in the north as you say "Ace of Clubs", then the final
card (another x card) in the east: "Ace of Diamonds." As you deal off this
last ace, let the top cards spread a little so that you can pick up a left little-
finger break under the second card from the top.

The Rest of the Lay-Out

With the right fingers on the left side of the packet, flip it over sideways, as
if opening a book. You'll find that the two cards at the rear (AC, AD) are
slightly right-jogged so that you can easily pick up a break above them in
the now face-up packet. (I believe that this is a Marlo subtlety.)

Pick up the packet from above with the right hand in Biddle position. The
left thumb counts off the face card. As you count the second card into the
left hand, add the two aces below it. Keep a break under the card you
counted on top of the aces, then pick it back up under the right packet as
you count off the third card. You have apparently counted off three cards
face-up, but actually have four cards, with two aces in the middle. Square
the three (?) cards with the left hand alone, then lay them on top of the
face-up AS at right angles to the ace. "Three on the Ace of Spades."

Count off three more, fairly them time, and place the on the east card,
again at right angles.. "Three on the Ace of Diamonds."

Again count three fairly, and put them on the north card. "Three on the Ace
of Clubs."

Finally count the four remaining cards as three, simply holding the last two
cards as one during the count. These go on the west card. "Three on the
Ace of Hearts." The audience has seemingly seen the faces of all 12 cards
that you've dealt onto the aces.

"Three cards on each ace. Now we're going to make the Ace of Diamonds,
the Ace of Clubs, and the Ace of Hearts vanish, and join the Ace of Spades
here. [Pause.] One at a time. That's the hard part."

As you mention each of the first three aces, use both hands to rotate the
three (?) cards on top until they square with the aces. For the AS, pick up
the three and lay in your left hand, then pick up the face-up AS and lay on
top right-jogged. Flick it with your right forefinger, then turn it face-down
on top, and lay the packet back in place in the south.

The Ace of Diamonds Goes

Now you're already set to vanish the first two aces, but you milk it. Pick up
the packet in the east. "We'll start with the Ace of Diamonds." Overhand
shuffle it, reversing the order of the packet (not that it matters). Then hold
in glide position in the left hand and remove the bottom card, turning it
face-up and laying it back down in the east position. Then the next card
from the bottom. On the third card, glide and take the top card, turn it face-
up and deal on the table. Then finally turn-over the last card and lay on top
of the others. These actions simply mimic those you would do if you were
doing the original Stanley Collins ace vanish, or any of the numerous
variations.

To make the Ace of Diamonds appear in the leader pile, pick up the pile,
turn face-up and do an Ascanio, pulling off the bottom card (AS) with the
left fingers, then the second from the bottom, then the left thumb pulling
off the face card, while the right hand drags out the AD (with the AC
hidden behind) and adds to the face of the fan. Square up and lay the
packet back face-down in the south.

The Ace of Clubs Goes

"The Ace of Clubs goes next." Here we use a piece of flummery from Paul
Harris to supposefly vanish the ace of clubs. Fan the four card face-down
and take the top two with the right hand. Brush the edges of the right and
left hand packets against each other several times, then replace the right
hand cards under the left hand cards.
Use a very old, fancy deal (which I don't know who to credit) to turn the
cards face-up one at a time. Simply push off the top card with the left
thumb, catch it with the right thumb, and let both thumbs flip it face-up.
Then deal it on top of the other face-up cards in the east. Continue with
the remaining three cards.

Pick up the leader pile and turn face-up. This time you're going to use a
variation of the Ascanio which keeps the ace in the middle of the packet.
The Ascanio proceeds as usual until you're ready to pull out the AC (with
an x card hidden behind). But slightly rotate the left hand clockwise and
the right hand counter-clockwise, then shove the AC back into the fan
second from the face. When you're done the left hand alone grips the fan
showing the four cards. "Here's the Ace of Clubs."

Square and turn the packet face-down. Again do an Ascanio, fully pulling
out the two cards as one, but instead of putting on top, slide them on the
bottom of the other three. Drop the packet on top of the deck in the middle
of the table. You've just disposed of the extra two cards. "Three down, one
to go."

The Ace of Hearts Goes

Pick up the final packet from above with the right hand. Turn the hand
palm-up to display "The Ace of Hearts." Turn palm-down again and place in
the left hand. Fan off the top three cards into the right hand, holding the
last two as one in the left. Turn the three cards face-up and replace on top,
fanned. "And his three friends."

Square with the right hand from above, then again turn palm-up to display
the AH. Turn palm-down again and use the Side-Glide as the left hand
appears to take the face-down AH (actually an x card).

"We'll isolate it." The left hand crosses over the right arm and place the AH
(?) face-down on top of the face-up cards in the east. The right hand
transfers its cards to the left. "So it has to go through all these cards." The
right hand picks up the packet on the table and drops it on the left hand's
cards. Pause, then drop them all on top of the deck. "In order to join the
other aces."

Snap your fingers, then turn the face-down card over to show the ace has
vanished. Lay it in the east. Quickly count off two more face-up cards on
top of it, then three more and lay in the north, three in the west, and three
in the south.

Pause, then turn over the AH and lay it on top of the cards in the west,
where it came from, then the AS goes to the south, the AC to the north,
and the AD to the east. A very pretty display to end.