Oil and Water Card Trick

by Andy Field

Effect

The magician mixes four red cards and four black cards. The cards then separate into their respective colors magically. This happens a second time. On the third time, the magicians mixes the colors face up. Finally, the magician causes the cards to stay mixed.

Method

Start by removing five black spot cards and four red spot cards. Remove the cards so the audience cannot see what you are doing or exactly how many cards you have removed.
When you take the cards out, arrange them so that when they are face up, four of the black cards are on top, followed by the four red cards, followed by the last black card, which is on the bottom.
Now, spread the cards between your two hands, one card at a time. As you spread the cards, hold the last two cards together as one card. This action should make it appear as if you showed four black cards and four red cards.
Announce that you have four black cards and four red cards.
Square the cards back together into a face up pile.
Turn the pile face down.
Deal four cards face down onto the table, announcing that the red cards go onto the table.
Turn the remaining packet cards face up in your hand.
Hold the packet in Biddle grip, and deal the top card into your other hand, turning it face down as you do so.
Deal the next card face down on top of the previous.
Again, deal the next card face down on top of the previous.
Turn the last two cards over as one card, placing them on top of the other three cards in your hand.
With your empty hand, pick up the "red" pile of cards on the table.
Deal a card from the "red" pile onto the table face down, calling out "Red."
Deal a card from the "black" pile onto the table face down, calling out "Black."
Alternate dealing until you run out of cards in the "red" pile. You should be left with two cards in the "black" pile.
Place the two cards in the "black" pile together as one card on top of the dealt cards, announcing "Black."
Pick up the cards on the table, and square them up.
Hold the packet for a second, announcing, "If you wait a little bit, the red and black cards separate, like oil and water."
Now deal the top four cards face down onto the table.
Set the remaining cards aside.
Turn over the cards you just dealt as one packet.
Perform an Elmsley count to show four black cards.
Now spread the four cards face up and set them on the table.
Pick up the face down "red" pile.
Now perform a modified Elmsley count, pushing off three cards instead of two after you deal the first card. After the Elmsley count, you should be holding a face up pile of cards, with four red cards on top, followed by a single black card.
Hold the five cards in Biddle grip.
Deal them one at a time face up into your other hand, placing each one about an inch apart from the previous to make a spread. When you are about to deal the last red card, bring the black card that is hidden beneath it along with it, dealing two cards as one.
With your free hand, turn the black cards face down into a pile.
Now deal the spread of red cards into a single face up pile in your other hand. The first "card" you deal should be the double. What you should be left with is a pile of four face up red cards with a face up black card at the very bottom.
Place the pile of "red" cards in your hand face down on top of the black pile.
Deal the top four cards face down, announcing that the red cards go on the table.
Turn the remaining packet of cards face up.
Deal the face up black cards face down into your other hand as before, making sure to turn the last two over as one.
Pick up the "red" pile in your free hand.
Deal a card from the "red" pile onto the table face down, calling out "Red."
Deal a card from the "black" pile onto the table face down, calling out "Black."
Alternate dealing until you run out of cards in the "red" pile. You should be left with two cards in the "black" pile.
Place the two cards in the "black" pile together as one card on top of the dealt cards, announcing "Black."
Pick up the cards on the table, and square them up.
Wait for a second, announcing that the reds and blacks separate if you give them time.
Deal the top four cards into a face down pile, and set aside the remaining cards.
Pick up the four cards you just dealt, and turn them over as one packet.
Perform an Elmsley count to show four black cards.
Now spread the four cards face up and set them on the table.
Pick up the face down "red" pile.
Now perform a modified Elmsley count, pushing off three cards instead of two after you deal the first card. After the Elmsley count, you should be holding a face up pile of cards, with four red cards on top, followed by a single black card.
Deal the five cards into a spread of red cards, as before. Remember to keep the last two cards together as one.
Pick up the black cards in your free hand, holding them in a face up spread.
Now deal a black card face up onto the table.
Next, deal the red card, along with the black card it is hiding, together as one card on top of the black card on the table.
Next, deal a black card face up, followed by a red card face up.
Alternate dealing until you are left with no cards. The last card dealt should be a red card.
Now pick up the pile of cards, square it, and turn it face down.
Announce that if you wait a second, the black cards rise to the top.
Deal the top four cards face down onto the table.
Set aside the remaining cards.
Pick up the packet of four cards that you just dealt, and turn it over. You should have two face up black cards, followed by a face up red card, followed by a face up black card.
Perform an Elmsley count to show four black cards.
After the Elmsley count, lift the cards so that only you can see their faces.
Cut two cards from the top of the packet to the bottom of the packet.
Square the packet of cards, and place it face up on the table.
Now pick up the remaining "red" cards, keeping the packet face down in your hand.
Deal a card from the top into your other hand, face down.
Now turn both of your hands so that your wrists are facing downwards and your thumbs are near each other. You should now be flashing two red cards to the audience.
Turn both hands back to normal so that the packet of cards in one hand and the single card in the other hand are both face down.
Deal the single card in your hand face down onto the table.
Deal the top card in your other hand face down on top of it. The effect is that the audience saw two red cards, and then saw you deal two cards. The audience members surprisingly won't notice that you showed the bottom card and dealt the top card.
Now, deal the next top card over into your free hand. Treat the remaining two cards in your other hand as a single card from here on out.
Turn both hands over as before, flashing two red cards.
Turn both hands again so that they are face down.
Now, place the two cards that you are holding as one onto the two cards on the table.
Place the last card you are holding face down on top of the pile on the table.
Now pick up the "red" pile of face down cards on the table, square it, and turn it face up.
Set the "red" pile of cards face up on top of the "black" pile of cards.
Pick up the entire pile, and square it.
Now shake the cards in your hand, announcing that if you shake the cards, they get all mixed up.
Deal the cards, one at a time, face up onto the table. Deal the last two cards as a single card. The audience should see you deal a red card, a black card, a red card, a black card, a red card, a black card, a red card, and a black card.
Square up the cards, and put them back in the deck before the audience figures out that you have nine cards instead of eight.

Oil and Water Card Trick

Effect

Method

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