(Editor’s Note: Hardly self-working, but very clever.)
Borrow a shuffled deck of cards. If you can do a faro check to make sure the total number of cards is even, do so. Otherwise you’ll have to have the cards counted. You don’t have to have all 52 cards, so long as there is an even number. If the deck has an odd number, palm off one of the cards and secretly discard it. Have the cards shuffled again by the participant.
Spread the deck face up in your hands and search for any mate cards (two cards of equal value and color) that lay adjacent to each other. For the sake of the description, we'll assume two red 8s stand together in middle of the pack. If you cannot find two mates together, shuffle again.
Remember the card to the RIGHT of the mates as the Key card.
Secure a break below the random card to the LEFT of the two mates, and perform a Turn-Over Pass, bringing the lower portion of the pack to the top as you set the pack face down onto the table.
You will now have an indifferent card on top of the pack, followed by the two mates (red 8’s in our example), followed immediately by the Key Card, and then the remainder of the pack.
Take out red and black marker pens. (You have one of each color, as if you don’t know if the card will be a black card or a red one. Look deeply into the
spectator’s eyes, and then write, with the red marker: “Synchronicity will occur at the two red Eights.”
Now you must perform what I call the "Even Control". This will set the deck up for the actions to follow, which are then self-working.
Announce: "Ok, one more shuffle".
This is psychologically important because a moment ago you saw the faces of the cards. You now do the Faro Sluff-Off as described in CARD COLLEGE, volume 3, chapter 34: FARO.
It goes like this: Take the deck in left hand dealing position. With the fingers of the right hand, strip off the bottom third of the pack. Push right hand packet into the left one, performing a faro shuffle, perfectly interweaving one by one. The right hand block of cards can be Faro’d in at any point in the middle of the left hand packet, so long as you don't involve the top four cards of the left hand packet.
Push the right hand block into the left hand cards for about two inches. Then the right forefinger presses down the right hand packet and pulls it back and out again, but this time it carries with it all of the cards involved in the shuffle that lay between the top and bottom cards of the right hand packet. This strip-out of the partially inter-woven block of cards is facilitated by the slight relaxing of the left hand as the block is pulled out of the left hand’s cards.
(If you analyze this move, you will discover that because this new block of partially inter-woven cards is contained by a top and bottom card of the original right hand’s packet, the entire new block of partially inter-woven cards must contain an odd number of cards.)
Place the partially inter-woven cards you have stripped out onto the top of the pack, and square the cards.
Before the strip out, you were in a position with one indifferent card on top of the two red Eights. Now, because of the mathematical properties of the Faro Sluff- Off that you’ve just performed, the odd cards you’ve placed on top of the pack, added to the single indifferent card, means that you will now have an even- numbered block of cards above the red Eights. What’s more, because you began the effect with an even number of cards in the deck, this means that you will also have an even number of cards below the red Eights. This is very important, as it makes the following actions automatically work.
Direct the participant to deal the cards into two equal piles. This will reverse the cards’ order, and, unknown to the audience, it will place the two red Eights at identical positions in each pile, and place the Key Card in a position one above the red Eight in one of the dealt piles.
Direct the participant to choose one of the piles for themselves, and to give you the other one. You each hold your packet of cards face down in dealing position. Tell the participant to follow your actions exactly, performing them simultaneously with you.
You begin to deal the cards from your packet, very slowly and deliberately, one at a time, face up into a pile on the table. Mirroring your actions, the participant deals his cards face up one at a time into a pile of his own on the table. It is VERY important that you control the pace in the deal of the cards. If the participant tries to deal at a different pace than you do, admonish them to deal as you deal.
At some point you will see the Key Card appear face up, either in your pile or in the participant’s pile of face-up cards on the table. When the Key Card appears, begin to reach for your next face down card on your packet, but pause dramatically for a moment, and then look at the participant, who should also have paused, matching your actions. Look at each other (the participant will always return your stare), a very deep, meaningful look, with silence. Then say: “Did you feel it too? Okay… Deal this cards face down."
Creating this illusion of both of you having this “intuitive moment” at the same time is difficult to describe, and I’ll leave it up to your own theatrical skills. However, here are a few thoughts that might help:
1. Never say, "Please stop anywhere, when you feel something". The effect you are creating is not a challenge, but a moment of synchronicity.
2. Vary the pace of the deal. Slow, fast, it's not so obvious, but very important. This underground flow is the essence. The Participant cannot help but to focus and to mimic your moves.
After you and the participant deal the two face down cards to the side, continue to deal rest of the pack face up onto your face up piles of cards already dealt. You will come to the end of the deal without the two red Eights having made an appearance. Recap what’s happened, remind the audience of your Open Prediction of the red Eights, and have the participant turn the two face down cards face up, showing that your prediction was correct.
Yes, it's just matching effect, and it really isn’t necessary to use a prediction, but the right patter and presentation can make this a perfect "OP illusion" to the audience.