About 20 years ago, I was reading an article in which Roberto Giobbi mentioned that when Vernon was asked to name the best card trick, he answered, “Matching the Cards” (Genii, September 2005).
At the time, I didn’t have a version of Matching the Cards in my repertoire. I figured that if the Professor considered it “the best,” even if that was simply what he happened to be feeling on the day he was asked, that was more than enough reason to learn it.
So I studied Roberto’s version from the magazine and, naturally, tracked down the original in Inner Secrets of Card Magic (Lewis Ganson, 1959). Over the years, I’ve played with and created countless versions, experimenting with different structures, reveals, and presentations.
This month, I’m sharing the version I’ve been happiest with over the past few years and the one I perform regularly. Even if you already have a version you like, along the way I’ll also teach you a relatively easy but fancy-looking false cut, as well as an interesting application of the Tilt Move/Depth Illusion that I think serves the Matching the Cards plot beautifully and has many other potential uses.
Effect
In an effort to warm up, you offer to do a quick exercise: finding four of a kind from a shuffled deck without looking at the faces.
After turning over a random card to start the process—a ten—you remark, “A ten is perfect, because the higher the better.” You then cut to the next ten and table it face down beside the first. For the next one, you offer to use a fancier cut and table that card with the others as well.
The final card is found without even looking, but seemingly by accident, it turns out to be a king, much to your embarrassment. To rectify the situation in classic “magician in trouble” fashion, you pick up the three face-down tens that were tabled earlier and reveal that they are the other three kings.
Here’s a demonstration of the whole routine: