Out of This World is an extraordinary effect—it’s no surprise that some of the biggest names in magic use it regularly, both in live performances and on television.
OOTW is also one of the most exposed effects of all time, with its original method even described on the Wikipedia page dedicated to the plot (yes, there really is a Wikipedia page!).
For this reason, finding new methods for the routine has become an obsession for many magicians—myself included. After fifteen years of wrestling with this plot, this is the best method I’ve been able to come up with.
Its strength lies in its linearity, and in the fact that it stands on the shoulders of giants—namely, the two best methods ever devised for this routine. After all, is anything ever truly original in magic?
Performance
Two participants divide a shuffled deck into two piles of matching colours—without ever looking at the faces of the cards.
Set Up
You can perform the routine with any deck; it does not need to be complete.
Before you begin, a small set-up is required.
Spread the cards face up. Starting from the face of the deck, up-jog ten pairs of contrasting colours. Important: the pairs must always follow the same colour order.
For example, always red–black, red–black, and so on—never black–red. Continue up-jogging pairs in this manner until you reach ten pairs.
Remove these up-jogged cards and place them on the face of the deck.
Put a slight crimp in the corner of the card now on the face of the deck. Use your thumb to bend one corner gently. The bend must be visible to you when you encounter the card face down. Do a few tests to find the right amount of bend—enough to recognize the card, but not so much that it appears obviously damaged.
Alternatively, you may discreetly mark one corner of the back of this card.
Once this is done, keeping the cards face up, spread through the deck again and pass over the alternating-colour section you have just prepared. Beyond it, you will find roughly half a deck that is genuinely mixed.
From this portion, up-jog all the cards of the colour opposite to that of the card on the face of the deck (the one you have crimped or marked). Remove them and place them on the face of the deck.
The set-up is complete.
For the sake of explanation, let us establish that from the top of the deck, you now have:
A block of red cards.
Twenty alternating black/red cards.
A block of black cards.
This setup is extremely simple and can be completed in under one minute.
You can begin.
Setting the Stage
You will need two participants for this effect. Position them at your sides, if possible.
Casually spread the cards, showing the faces, making sure to clearly display the central portion of the deck—the section in which the colours alternate. To the spectators, the deck will appear thoroughly shuffled.
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