To start the four of aces trick, a spectator deals himself a number of cards as directed by the audience and gets the four aces.

The advance secret preparation consists in placing the four aces on top of the deck and then putting eight other cards above them, so that the aces are the ninth, 10th, 11th, and 12th cards down from the top of the facedown deck.

Begin by giving the deck a false riffle shuffle as follows. Cut off somewhat more than half the cards with your right hand, and riffle shuffle these into the remaining cards held in your left hand. Let the cards fall from the left hand faster than from the right, so that the left-hand packet is exhausted before the top thirteen cards in the right-hand group are reached. Square the deck and repeat the shuffle. If you do this casually and without comment, no one will suspect that the shuffle is not as thorough as it might be.

Ask a spectator to assist you, and tell him that you are going to teach him a new game. "Most people, for some reason, never trust a magician in a card game so I'll let you do the dealing."

Give him the deck. The dealing rules are unusual. You always let the other players tell you how many cards to deal. Will someone please call a number between 10 and 20?

Suppose 16 is called. Instruct the dealer to deal 16 cards one at a time, face down, into your hand.

Another dealing rule states that the digits of the called number must be added together, and that many cards dealt back onto the deck. This makes it impossible for the dealer to cheat. Six and one are seven so I'll deal seven cards back on to the deck. You also deal the cards one at a time.

Take the top card from those in your left hand and lay it out face down. Finally, place the dealt-off pile of cards back on the deck.

Ask someone else to call another number between 10 and 20, and go through the same procedure. Do this four times in all, so that you end with four cards laid out face down.

"Each player" you explain, "deals four cards in this way and the one who gets the most high cards wins. If we were playing for money you would win ten dollars for each king, queen, or jack, and $25 for each ace. Let's see if you were lucky enough to win anything."

Turn the four face-down cards up slowly, one at a time, disclosing a hundred dollars worth of aces!

Look at the dealer suspiciously. "I wonder where a boy (or girl) of your age learned to do that? You go right back and sit down. I am not going to play cards with you. I'd lose my shirt."