A TRIUMPHANT COLOR STUNNER

The following finesse is my way of cleaning up Derek Dingles Color Triumphant. The
first person to attempt this was Paul Harris with his brilliant Color Stunner. I performed
both of these versions way back in the mid 1980s. As is often the case, you tend to forget
routines that you started with.
Last year, I purchased Enchantments by Wesley James. In this book Wesley James explains his personalised approach to the original routine by Derek Dingle. In reading this
approach, it inspired me to re-visit this wonderful effect. I decided to add this effect once
again to my professional repertoire. However, I felt the routine needed to end clean because at the climax, nothing must interfere with the spectators attempts to pick up the
deck, because trust me, they will. In the original routine, there where two extra cards in
the deck and you had to palm them out before continuing with the rest of your act.
From the title, you can tell that I have combined elements from Paul Harriss routine to the
Derek Dingle routine and changed the moment of a few things and at the same time
amplified the levels of assumptions to such a pitch that the climax will be a knockout.
Here is the set up for the Triumphant Color Stunner
You will need three cards from a blue backed deck: The two Jokers plus any high valued
picture card. Lets assume the picture card is the King of Spades. Take one of the Jokers
and with the Joker face up, make a corner short of the upper left and lower right corners.
(Photo 1)

Take a red back deck and permanently remove King of Spades and the two Jokers that
come with the deck. Place on top of this deck the three blue back cards in this order: The
Corner Short Joker, the King of Spades and finally the remaining Joker. The selection is in
between the two jokers and the top card of the deck will be the Corner Short. (Photo 2)

Place this combined deck into a blue card case with the
blue backs uppermost. (Photo 3)
This deck is reserved only for this effect: This brings me
to an important point; in the past, the recommendation
was made that the Color Changing Deck should be used
to open your act, I disagree. This effect is so shocking
and astonishing, nothing should follow it. Obviously
you can follow it with other effects but you would be diluting the impact.
So for what it is worth, I feel this routine should be the
last thing your audience should "experience". This
means that a deck switch is required at some point in the
process. Now, switching decks is not a big deal. All that is required is management and
timing and the excellent Pocket Switch by Francis Carlyle is all you need.
So, with this thought in mind, place this deck into your outside left Jacket pocket. With a
regular blue back deck, you can now present some of your favorite effects and at a given
point in time, put the deck into the box and go to place it into your left side jacket pocket.
Execute the Francis Carlyle Pocket Switch as you come out with apparently the same
deck. (?)
May I advise you not to go straight into this effect after the deck switch, do a coin effect or
some other effect to allow some time-misdirection to kick-in. What I sometimes do is execute the Pocket Switch as my right hand removes from my trouser pocket some coins. All
the emphasis will be on the coins so it will appear that the deck was never out of sight.
After the coin effect, put the coins away and offer to do one last effect. Now you are ready
to present the finale.
The Handling
Pick up the card box with your right hand and flip the
flap of the box open with your left thumb. (Photo 4) The
left fingers can grip the encased deck and withdraw it
from the box. As this is done, the audience will see a
blue back (?). As the deck is removed from the box it is
a simple matter to maneuver the deck into a face down
dealing position in the left hand. The right hand can now
place the card box off to one side.

As you patter, casually spread off the top two cards. You must be careful here not to expose any of the red-backed cards lying beneath the top card. To ensure this doesnt happen, I take a precaution by securing a break beneath the top two cards prior to spreading
them into my right hand. (Photo 5 and 6)

Square up the deck and raise up both hands so that the back of the deck is towards you.
The right thumb now breaks the deck at about a quarter of the way down. The left thumb is
lying across the top of the deck. The right hand now moves the top fifteen cards away to
the right as the left thumb applies downward pressure on the top card. This card will remain in place as the right hand carries away the block of cards. This action is the standard
Slip Cut. The top card will now land on the remaining cards in the left hand covering the
red backs. The timing of this action should happen as the both hands move upwards to
prevent accidental exposure of any red-backed cards. (Photo 7) While the deck is in this
neck-tied position, the left thumbs peels off one more card from the right hand section.
This card will land directly onto the cards into the left hand (Photo 8)

As this card is being removed both hands can now lower so that the right hand is now
back upwards. The audience will see the backs of three cards. (Photo 8) From this position, square up the entire deck with the right hand section going on top of the cards in the
left hand.

Position Check: From the top down: Blue-Backed Joker-About 15 Red-Backed

cards-Blue Backed King of Spades -Blue-Backed Joker (Corner Short)-Rest of the
Red-Backed Deck.
What happens next is a simple force of the Blue-Backed King of Spades; this is easily
done by raising the deck up for the standard Spectator Peek Force. The King of Spades
is lying directly above the Corner Crimped Joker, about sixteen cards from the top. Execute the standard riffling procedure for a Spectator Peek using your right first or second
finger. (Photo 9) Ask the spectator to call out stop. Try and time the riffle so that the
spectator will say Stop as near to the Corner Short Joker. Due to the Corner Short, there
will be an automatic Stop and break in the deck. With practice, this will appear to be a
very fair procedure to the spectator. As soon as the says Stop, just accelerate the riffling
of the deck to the corner short. The spectator is asked to remember the card at that
stopped point. (Photo 10) which will be the King of Spades.

NOTE:
If you want, you can allow other spectators to remember the selection just by moving your hands around so that everyone can see the card. Once you have done this,
allow the deck to close and square up into the dealing position.
The right hand now comes over the deck and the right thumb riffles up on the inner left
corner of the deck. The deck will stop and break at the Corner Short Joker. (Photo 11). As
you do this say, I will attempt to find your card by the process of elimination. Once the
deck has stopped at the Corner Short, the left little finger enters the break just enough for
the tip of little finger to provide extra support. This will allow the right thumb to release one
more card which will rest right on the tip of the left little finger.(Photo 12)

The right hand now out-jogs the upper packet for half its length. The left little finger is still
maintaining its break. (Photo 13)

The out-jogged packet is now turned end for end face up onto the cards in the left hand.
As this packet lands face up, the card above the left little finger is stolen behind this now
face-up packet. The right thumb actually takes hold of this card and maintains the break
between the card and the rest of the packet. (Photo 14) During this action say to the
spectator, is this your card?
Continue your patter with, How about this one? As you deliver this line of patter, your left
thumb dips beneath the outer left corner of its packet and flips the packet over. The left
fingers extend to the right to assist this action. (Photo 15) The left hand packet is now face
on the left fingertips. From this position, re-position the packet into dealing grip (Photo 16)

The right hand packet is now placed flush onto the left hand cards. The right thumb has
been holding a break above the bottom card of its packet through out the above sequence.
Once the right hand packet is placed onto the cards in the left hand, the left little finger will
take over the break previously held by the right thumb. (Photo 17)

If you take a look at photograph 17, you will see that the break is identical to the famous
Tilt position. This upper packet must be in this position because the left fingers now press
down on this packet as the left thumbs dips beneath the outer left corner of the entire deck
and flips the entire deck over onto the left finger tips. This will result in the whole deck
resting on the left fingertips with the lower section of cards stepped to the right. This will
expose the back of two blue backed cards. (Photo 18)
The right hand now takes the whole deck from above as the left fingers pull down on the
lower stepped packet securing a break at that point. (Photo 19) This lower packet is now
cut to the top and a break is held between the two packets once again. (Photo 20)

Position check: From the top down: Blue Backed Joker-about 15 Red backed cards
face down-Blue Backed Joker-Remainder of the Red-Backed Deck face down-faceup King of Spades on the bottom.

You will now cut the deck into three packets as follows:
The right hand cuts off all the cards up to the break and places this packet down to your
right, the audience will see two blue backs. (Photo 21)

The right hand will cut the remaining cards in half, but you will execute what amounts to a
Half-Pass to prevent any red-backed card from flashing. The right hand approaches the
cards in the left hand from above. The right thumb breaks this packet in half at the rear
end. (Photo 22)
The right hand will now remove this upper packet above the break and place it onto the
table to your extreme left, but before the right hand begins moving, the left fingers swings
the lower packet downwards, this is the standard action for the Half-Pass. (Photo 23)

Once this happens, the right hand begins moving this upper packet to the left. The right
hand moves directly in front of the left hand. The right forearm will provide good cover as
the left thumb moves onto the face of its packet and flips the packet over onto the left finger tips. (Photo 24)

From the audiences point of view, all they will see is another packet in the left hand with a
blue back card on top. The remaining packet is placed onto the table between the first two
packets. (Photo 25)
Position check: Packet on the far left is face down
with a blue backed card on top The centre packet
will have all its cards face-up with one blue backed
card face down on top The right hand packet will
be face down with one blue backed card face down
on top.
This sequence looks very convincing, practice it so that
you can do it smoothly without fumbling. You will now
shuffle the packets together in a face up-face down
manner.

The left hand packet is turned face up and shuffle into the apparent face down centre
packet, When executing this shuffle make sure you start the shuffle with the face up
packet first and end the shuffle with the right section falling last with the blue backed card
falling last. This will ensure that one of the blue-backed Jokers remains on the bottom of
the packet. I would also suggest using a closed style of Riffle Shuffle to prevent any of
the red backed cards from flashing. (Photo 26)

Once you have shuffled the packets together, push them together and then allow the audience to see the face-up, face-down condition of the cards. (Photo 27)

This combined packet is now squared up using the standard Erdnase Square-up, using
the second fingers of both hands to push the two packets together. (Photo 28)
To continue the shuffle, the right hand turns over the
packet on the far right and proceeds to shuffle this
packet into the remainder of the deck. With this shuffle,
begin the shuffle with the right hand section first, releasing one card. This will be the remaining blue-back
joker. The left hand follows through by releasing a few
cards from its section and then both hands shuffle normally. The right hand must allow one card to fall on top
last. After this shuffle, square up the deck and hold it in
dealing grip in the left hand.

Position check: The entire deck will be face-up. The selection will be face down under the top face up card. The blue-back Jokers will on the bottom of the deck. The
audience will be convinced that the deck is mixed face-up and face down. You will
now consolidate the condition of the deck with a wonderful application of the Tilt
principle. This idea was Paul Harriss from his original version Colour Stunner
Secure a break under the top three cards and position these three cards into Tilt position.
(Photo 29) If you use The Pinky Count to secure your break, you will find it an easy matter to maneuver the three cards in the required Tilt Position.

The right thumb slides off the top face up card, as this card is being withdrawn, the audience will see a face down blue backed card. (Photo 30)

This card is inserted into the body of the deck. (Photo 31) The face down card now on top
of the deck is removed by the right fingers and inserted beneath the now face up card on
top of the deck. Throughout this procedure, you should have been maintaining your Tilt
break. The face down card is inserted into the Tilt break creating the Illusion of depth
principle. (Photo 32-front view) This illusion is perfect, it will appear that the face down
card is actually be inserted into the body of the deck.

Continue this procedure by removing the face-up card now on top of the deck and inserting into the body of the deck. The face-down blue backed card (which is the actual selection) is now removed and inserted into the middle of the deck.
The audience will have seen a complete mixture of face-up and face-down cards. You
now put the deck onto the table and perform a magical incantation, snap your fingers or
whatever. The right hand now executes a Ribbon Spread to show all of the cards face
down except for one card face down in the middle. (Photo 33) In the next photograph
(Photo 34), notice that the two Jokers are conveniently together at the rear end of the deck
on the left.

At this point, say to the spectator, You could have chosen any card in the deck, by any
chance, did you choose one of the Jokers? As you say this line of patter, remove the two
Jokers from the left end of the spread and hold them up. (Photo 35)

The spectator will say No At this point you say, Well, I hope it is this one. As you say
this line of patter take both Jokers into your right hand and use both Jokers to gesture towards the face down card in the middle of the deck. When making this gesture make sure
you flash the backs of both Jokers, (Photo 36) This will consolidate the blue backed condition of the deck right up to the last moment.
Ask the spectator to name his card, as you place both
Jokers into your outer breast pocket of your jacket. This
action will clean up the effect with both Jokers now out of
the way and there is nothing to dilute the final colour
change. When the spectator names his card, remove it
from the spread and reveal it in the customary manner.
(Photo 37)

This will get a very strong response from the audience. Now for the kicker: Here is my
patter to sell the climax.
Can you keep a secret? Well, Ive been using marked cards. Are you familiar with mark
cards? This card has minute imperfections in the printing, which makes it stand out from
all the others. You can stare at this card all day and not see the difference; you have to
compare it with the rest of the pack. You see, these cards are marked also but they are
marked differently.
As you deliver the above lines of patter, pick up the selection and hold it with its back towards the audience pointing to various points on the back of the card. (Photo 38)

Place the selection back down onto the table and pick
up the card box. I pick up the card box as I say the
line of patter; you have to compare it with the rest of
the pack. As I say this, I tap the box with my forefinger. (Photo 39) The card box is now placed in front of
the ribbon spread. Notice in the next photograph
(Photo 40) that the ribbon spread is in-between the
face down selection and the card box. This visual picture adds further consolidation of a blue back deck

For the finale, say to the audience, You see, these cards are marked also, but these
cards are marked differently. As you say this line of patter, the left hand scoops up the
deck into the waiting right hand. (Photo 41)

The right hand grasps the inner end of the deck to turn it over into the left hand. (Photo 42)
The deck is turned face down, end for end, away from the body into the left hand. As the
deck is being turned over, keep both hands raised up so that the back of the left hand is
towards the audience. This will conceal the true condition of the deck right up to the very
last second. From this position, the right hand can re-grip the deck from above and immediately ribbon spread the deck in a wide arch so every single card is exposed to reveal the
miraculous change of the deck from blue to red. (Photo 43)

The Final Layout

That completes the effect.

Final Thoughts:

The Color Changing deck is simply an outstanding effect in all of card magic. What makes
this effect so profound is the sheer scope and magnitude of the event. There are many
effects in magic where the back of a single card changes color but to have the whole deck
change is simply staggering to the consciousness of any audience. What makes this effect so powerful, is the levels of assumptions at work. If you use this effect as I suggest as
a closer, the audience will have no reason to believe you are not using a blue deck. The
handling has been designed to strengthen the notion of a blue deck. You could use this
effect as an opener but anything following it will lose its impact, plus you will dilute the impact of the initial effect.
The Tilt sequence comes from Color Stunner, Paul Harris s version of the effect. I
have always loved Derek Dingles handling but the deck was dirty at the end with three
extra blue cards still in the deck. I feel the deck should free of any extra cards. Paul Harris made a very successful attempt to clean up the Dingle routine and in so doing he created what is an outstanding version for this effect.
In returning to this effect, I began to see the full structure of the Dingle routine and started
to re-work it using some of the finesses from the Paul Harris routine. The use of two Jokers plus the Tilt sequence really made the Dingle routine perfect for me. In the original
routine of Paul Harris, he removed the Jokers right at the beginning of the effect. In my
version, I have saved the removal right to the end of the effect. This accomplishes several
things. It cleans up the Dingle routine and at the same time, it allows me one more consolidation of the deck seconds before it changes color. In the mind of the spectator, they
will think they see the deck visibly change color right before their eyes. This is an awesome moment. I have presented this effect hundreds of times and I can say with 100%
certainty, If you give it the practice it deserves, it will give you a lot of pleasure to see the
look of total astonishment on the faces of your audience, thats what its all about.

ENJOY

Credits

Charles T. Jordan 1916

Paul Curry and Oscar Weigle first released The Color Changing Deck in 1944.

Color Triumphant first appeared in Dingles Deceptions: written by Harry Lorayne.

Color Stunner by Paul Harris first appeared in The Magic of Paul Harris.

For further study you might want to check out:

Dai Vernons Color Changing Deck in Inner Secrets of Card Magic volume one page 25

Greek Poker by Darwin Ortiz: Darwin Ortiz at The Card table page: 66

Transmutation by Larry Jennings: Larry Jennings on Card and Coin Handling