#2442 “nowhere-rain” As Unlocked by Jim Turnpaugh with scripting and touches by Patrick G. Redford Basic Effect: While the performer’s back is turned, two audience members each cut to and look at a card before reassembling the pack. The cards are then given a quick mix and the performer claims that he’ll find both cards in the most indirect way possible. He spreads through the cards and removes two cards. These prove not to be the chosen cards! Verity: What follows are three variations of Simon Aronson’s “Prior Commitment” effect that can be done with the Redford stack while maintaining its full stack order. With each version there is either a complete cut or a displacement of a single card to set the trick up. This in no way hinders the ability to easily and fully recover the stack. I will describe the first variation in full detail. Since the only difference between it and the other two are the cards used and the displacements I will only describe the setup needed to accomplish them. Setup: Begin with the deck in The Redford Stack order. Swap the positions of the 5H and the 2C and you’re ready to rock!
Invite two people to participate. It’s best if the two participants are sat to your left and right with you in the center. Ask participant one to cut off about half of the deck and remember the card at the face of the cut off portion. The first participant must cut somewhere between the ninth and thirty-fourth card. While the first participant notes their card, have the second participant cut half of what is left of the deck. All the second participant must do is cut below the original thirty-fourth card of the deck. While this person notes their card, have the first participant replace their half of the deck onto the remaining cards. When the second participant is done looking at their card, have them replace their half on top of the other two completing the deck. The two cut off halves have been transposed. “I will now attempt to find your cards in the most non-direct way possible.” Spread through the cards face up until you come to the four of diamonds. Split the deck leaving it on the face of the left hand portion. Place the four of diamonds on the table. Continue spreading through the deck but now spread the left hand cards onto the face of the right hands cards. Continue doing this until you come to the two of clubs. Split the deck so that it is on the face of the left hands cards. Place the two on the table as you did with the four. Now place the left hands cards underneath the right hands. Turn the deck face down and place it onto the table. Display the two of clubs and four of diamonds. They are obviously the wrong cards. “I’ll be honest, those two cards are not your cards. If they were that would direct. This is instead about perspective. Everyone perceives the world a little differently depending where they’re viewing from. For example you don’t perceive these two cards as your cards but you might perceive them to be the same suits as your cards?” The participants might confirm that this is true, but I prefer not to even give them a chance moving on to say, “or maybe the same color as both of your cards? ...or maybe you perceive these as not cards at all! Maybe you see them not as cards at all but as the number twenty-four!” As you explain, orientate the two cards so that they read as the number twenty-four to the first participant from their point of view. Deal twenty-three cards in a face up pile dealing the twenty-fourth card face down. At this point, if you have particularly outspoken participants, one of them might comment that they see the two cards as the number forty-two! Perfect. They’ve walked into the trap and you’re ready for them. If not, address the second participant saying “of course that’s not the number twenty-four to you at all. From your perspective it’s an entirely different number! That’s why this card isn’t yours, it’s theirs. From your perspective that looks more like the number forty-two! You take the deck and continue the deal!”
Hand the deck to the participant and have them continue the deal, dealing the next card face up as the twenty-fifth card and so on, until reaching the forty-second card. Stop the participant right before the last card is dealt and ask both participants to announce their cards and have a peek at their respective face down cards. They’ll react. Finish by having both display their cards to the rest of the viewing audience. Reassembling the Redford Stack To reassemble the cards in full Redford stack you must cut the two face up piles before combining them with the cards left in you hand. Pick up the remainder of the deck and hold if face down in your left hand. Pick up the second face up pile that was dealt and spread it face up between your hands. Cut the spread so the nine of clubs (the bottom most card of the stack) is at the face and turn these cards face down on top of the left hand’s cards . Pick up the remaining face up pile and spread them as before. Cut this pile so that the ace of spades is now on top of this packet turn the pile face down and place them on the cards in your left hand. Place the four of diamonds on top of the deck. All that’s left is to insert the two of clubs back into its normal stack position (thirty-fifth from the top).
Thoughts & Variations: It’s possible to perform this effect without pre-adjusting any card of the cards. When doing the spread control (PM Principle/UnDo Influence Control), everything will continue as written above up until it’s time to remove the two of clubs from the spread. Spread through when you reach the two of clubs break the spread at the five of hearts. Your left thumb will slide the two of clubs from its position and place it down with the four of diamonds. This is almost like doing a second deal from a spread. Don’t make a move out of this, just do it. Otherwise proceed as before placing the right hand’s cards back on top of the eight of spades on the packet in the left hand. Alternate Two Some might prefer the aesthetics of having both removed cards be the same color. This is possible by presetting the stack so that the two of hearts is displaced with a spread cull and reinsert it between the 8S and 5H. You’re now ready to perform the trick as written above. Variation 1331 This variation uses the ace of clubs and three of diamonds. You must first cut the ten of clubs to the bottom of the deck. This places the ace and three in the correct positions to complete the trick. Finish the trick as described above. The only difference is that you will be taking out the ace of clubs and the three of diamonds as you come to them. You will also need to cut the face up piles at different positions when resetting the stack. These cards will be the same every time
you do the trick. For this variation the right hand face up packet will be cut at the ten of clubs (the original bottom card of the deck) and the left hand packet will be cut at the four of hearts. Variation 1331 with Matching Suits If you prefer to have the suits of the two cards you take out match (I don't think it's necessary) you can use the ace of spades and the three of spades. This will require slightly more of a set up than the previous variations. You will need to move the ace of spades up one position to between the seven of clubs and the four of diamonds. You will also have to cut the deck so that the queen of diamonds is the bottom card. When cutting the two face up piles during the clean up the right hand pile will be cut at the queen of diamonds and the left hand pile will be cut at the seven of clubs. With both of the 1331 versions of this trick the first spectator must cut between twentieth card and thirty fourth card. The second spectator must cut below the original thirty fourth card.
Final Thoughts Simon Aronson found several variations within the Aronson Stack accomplish this effect organically. It has always been one of my favorite uses of the PM principle (Mike Powers)/UnDo Influence Control (Simon Aronson). I hadn’t yet mined The Redford Stack for ways to perform this wonderful card classic. I’m very thankful that Jim Turnpaugh took the initiative to find these several combinations points that make it all possible. Thanks Jim! Credits and Inspiration In Simon Aronson’s seminal work, Try The Impossible, there is a wonderful effect titled “Prior Commitment” (Simon Aronson: 2001. pg. 4). In it he introduces his work that he refers to as the UnDo Influence. In the endnotes of this effect he offers up two variations: “Variation 1441” and “Variation 1839.” Jim Turnpaugh found three possible variations that emulate these wonderful effects that Simon Aronson first presented. I prefer these to the main effect “Prior Commitment” as no special cards need be introduced to the deck. If you’re interested in memorized deck magic I encourage you to consume all that you can that’s been written on the subject no matter what stack you’ve chosen to use. Simon Aronson’s books on the subject are vast and offer many stack independent effects that are worth your attention and study. Don’t overlook them!
Juan Tamariz has also written the seminal work on stack work that includes some stack specific handlings specific to his Mnemonica stack but the majority of techniques may be ported to ANY stack. What’s also great is there is a section on stay stack routines and the Redford stack lends itself well to this transformation quickly and easily. Don’t pass up this work.
