A couple of years ago, at the Genii and 31 Faces North conventions, I was showing some in-the-hands packet effects that used a new technique and getting amazed reactions quite out of proportion with what I expected. Though I reckoned I had little chance of fooling the cognoscenti with what I was doing (because the new technique was so simple), I noticed a lot of jaws dropping and exclamations of "Whoa!" as I demoed the effects, so I knew I'd hit on something really deceptive.

In one effect, the Ace, 2, 3 and 4 first turn face up, then, one by one, they all turn face down. Counted again, each one appears face-up in turn, while the others remain face-down. Then they all turn face up instantly. The backs turn from blue to white to green to red then back to blue, their original color (and yes, the spectator can examine the packet).

In another effect, the four Kings and four Aces are shown. The Aces are placed face down on the table, the face-up Kings remain in the hands. The Kings turn face down one by one, then turn into the four Aces. The cards on the table are revealed as the Kings.

In a variation, four double-blank cards are shown. Red backs appear one by one, then the faces are shown to be the four Jacks. The faces and backs disappear leaving just four double-blank cards.

In manuscript's final effect, the four Queens are shown. A Queen is continually discarded but magically returns to the packet. Finally, a Queen vanishes while the spectator is holding it and the magician ends up with four of a kind again.

None of these effects use specially-printed cards. The moves are simple and easy. The ideas can be used in a variety of other effects. Most of the material is perfect for in-the-hands walkaround.