When Lewis Ganson asked Dai Vernon what he considered to be the best card effect, he replied that in his opinion "Matching The Cards" would be difficult to beat, particularly when performed for lay audiences. His opinion is shared by many of the world's leading card experts, who have often featured one version or another in their acts.

The granddaddy of this effect can be found in Magician's Tricks by Hatton and Plate. The effect of Vernon's version is as follows:

A card is selected by a spectator and placed face down on the table without the face being shown, then the performer endeavors to cut to the three other cards which match to make 'four of a kind'. He shows each card as it is found - three Eights and places them face down on the table. When the spectator's card is turned, it is found to be a King, so seemingly a mistake has been made. However, when the other three cards are turned face up once more, they prove to be all Kings!