going to prepare for your upcoming
ENTOURAGE
EFFECT
After naming any one of the queens,
a spectator mysteriously divines its
position among four face-down cards.
As an additional clmax, all the other
cards are shown to be jokers.
PROPERTIES: You are supplied with
doubled-faced QH-QD/Joker and QS
QC/Joker cards, as well as with four
regular jokers. On the double-facers,
note that the upper ends of the jokers
are oriented with the heart and spade
ends of the queens on the other side,
helping you keep track of which suits
are where. You will also notice that
as an additional visual check, both the
wheels of the bicycle on the QS
QC/Joker are missing a spoke. If you
end up revealing the wrong suit,
there's really no out, so these checks
will help you be certain you're ready
with the right card in the right position.
SET-UP: The four jokers are face
clown between the two double-faced
cards, which are joker-side up (Fig. 1).
FIGURE 1
The heads of all the jokers, both the
face-up ones and the face-down ones,
should be oriented in the same direc
tion. It makes no difference which
double-faced card starts at the top and
which starts on the bottom, as long as
the presence or absence of spokes on
1 2
revelation of the named queen. First,
th upper on rnakcs that situation
known to y u. Ji r t h e sake of this
explana ti n, th /QC double-facer
starts on t p, a nd th QH/QD double
facer starts on th b tt m.
PERFORMANCE
Spread the packet (Fig. 1).
This is called Entourage...
Close the packet and hold it with one
of its long sides facing out (Fig. 2).
FIGURE 2
In a moment this will allow your other
hand to take it with either of its short
ends facing out. Make sure you know
which joker is on top.
... and the most important part of it
happens right now. [Look at a spectator.]
Would you mind helping out?
[The spectator replies.] Thanlcs.
You 're going to name any one of the
queens-hearts, spades, diamonds, or
clubs-and to rnake sure it 's real/y your
own choice, you should /:ake your time,
and even cha.nge you r mind if you want.
So, go ahead... na.m.e any one of the queens.
[For thi explanati n, w '11 assume that
the qu n f spad s is named.]
Is l:ha.t your final d cision? All right, by
choosing he1 yo u 'v now made the queen
of spa.des the mosl: irnportant one of all.
As you say th line to follow, you're
transfer the packet from hand to hand
so that the suit chosen by the spectator
is at the outer end of the packet
though obviously still hidden (Fig. 3).
(Notice that in the case of our QS
example the packet will end up with
the jokers oriented so they're upside
clown for the spectators.)
Now that you've adjusted the orienta
tion of the packet, you're going to
make sure that the double-faced card
showing the selection is on the bottom.
If it's there already simply spread the
packet from left to right and pull out
the middle face-down cards about
three inches (Fig. 4).
FIGURE 4
But if-as in our example-it's on top,
count each card in the packet from
right to left, reversing their order while
positioning the face-down cards about
three inches out from the others (Figs.
5-6).
FIGURE 6
Under the guise of fairly showing each
card, this will bring the top joker to the
bottom.
Once rehearsed, both sequences are
actually rather simple, and the appro
priate one should be over as soon as
you finish saying:
Right now, she could be anywhere between
these two royal guards...
Once you've extended the four face
down cards, continue:
... but-without looking-we're going to
remove three of the Jace-down cards so
that she 's the only one left.
Look at the spectator.
So, if you would, put one out hand lilce
a table. Thanks. [To facilitate the
upcoming sequence, gently move the
spectator's hand clown as low as seems
comfortable. If it's already reasonably
low, do nothing.]
With your other hand, touch the first one
we 're going to remove.
Withdraw the first choice onto the
spectator's hand (Fig. 7).
FIGURE 7
Now touch the second one we're going to
remove.
Withdraw the second choice onto the
first one.
All right, we 're down to the final two
always a tense mament. Touch the last one
we're going to remove. [The spectator
makes the final choice.] Is that your
final decision?
Withdraw the third choice onto the
first two (Fig. 8).
FIGURE 8
As you do, block out all other thoughts
and double-check that the uppermost
joker isn't the one with the chosen
queen on the other side. (If it is, you
need to reverse the order of the three
cards.) Then, maintaining absolute
focus, make sure the lowermost joker
is pointing in the appropriate direction
to reveal the chosen queen. (If it's
not, you need to square the packet,
casually rotate it 180, and then
re-extend the remaining face-down
3 4
card.) From my own experience, I can
promise that if you perform these
checks too quickly-or not at all-you
will end up making mistakes.
So now we 're down to only one card
which, as promised, ...
While apparen tly flipping the remain
ing face-down card face up, you will
actually turn over the apparent joker
b neatb i.t at the same time, bringing
the chosen gueen into view. Though
deceptive, this move works best with
as much misdirection as possible.
To start with, pin tbe face-down card in
place with your left thumb and move
your right hand-holding the upper
most joker-up to grip the face-down
card (Fig. 9).
Move the face-down card diagonally
down to come into alignment with the
lowermost joker (Fig. 10).
FIGURE 1 0
It's best if the cards are perfectly
squared, but the most important con-
sideration is to not exhibit tension or
fussiness; Fig. 10 gives an example of
an acceptable misalignment.
...is the most important one of all, the.
Look up expectantly. As the spectator
completes the card's name, flip the
two cards over as one as naturally as
possible (Figs. 11-12).
FIGURE 12
You can experiment to see how quickly
you should move through this
sequence to best maintain the illusion
that only the top, face-down card is
being turned over. Sorne may prefer
the alignment and turnover to blend
together fluidly; others may want to
separate them with a distinct pause.
The spectator says: queen of spades.
. . .
As the queen side of the double-facer
comes into view, use your left thumb to
immediately push it off to the right
(Fig. 13),
. .
FIGURE 13
moving it with your right hand-which
still holds the uppermost joker-up to
wbere the face-down card had been
(Fig. 14).
(Alternatively, use your left thumb
alone, pushing the double-facer diago
nally up to the right.) During the
turnover portian of this sequence, keep
the joker in your right hand close
enough to obscure any front or side
view of the queen's other index, but
once again avoid any overly tense or
tight handling. Even if there's a flash of
the other index, it's highly unlikely to
be noticed by even the sharpest eye,
especially with all focus being on the
spectator's naming the queen. Indeed,
your own eyes should stay on the
spectator's face until the queen has
reached its extended position.
W hile allowing a few seconds for your
audience to react, momentarily move Grasp the packet with your palm-up
the remaining cards over the ones on right hand, pull the top card of the
the spectator's palm to head off any packet slightly to your right, and
premature curiosity. (This is why you then-in an action similar to the two
had lowered the spectator's hand at the card turnover used before-turn over
beginning.) all the cards beneath it (Figs. 20-21).
And since she's the most important one of
all, it makes sense that she 's the only one
with her own...entourage.
Reach over to pick up the top joker
from those on the spectator's palm
(Fig. 15). FIGURE 1 7 FIGURE 2 1

(Turning the jokers side to side-as
opposed to end over end-keeps their
heads all oriented in the same
direction, easing the reset.)
RESET
Transfer the upper three cards under
the others (Fig. 18).
FIGURE 15
Turn the joker over side to side, placing
it onto the cards in your left hand
(Fig. 16).
FIGURE 1 8
After squaring the packet, use your left
index finger to push flush the extended
queen (Fig. 19).
FIGURE 16
Continue with the remaining two
jokers (Fig. 17).
FIGURE 19
FIGURE 20
The switch used to reveal the chosen queen
works best with the cards well below the
eye level of the spectators. In other circum
stances, the following may be preferable:
(1) Start with the heads of the four face
down jokers oriented in a different direc
tion than the two face-up ones, (2) Make
sure the appropriate double-faced joker is
on top of the packet, instead of on the bot
tom, (3) Don't extend the face-down cards
for the elimination procedure, (4) When
you're down to one face-down card and are
ready for the switch, spread the three cards
to your left, instead of to your right, (5) With
your palm-down left hand, grasp the upper
joker and the middle face-down card, (6)
Turn your left hand palm up, simultaneous
ly pushing with your fingers and pulling
back with your thumb to bring the chosen
queen into view, (7) Place the two cards in
your left hand back onto the one in your
right, centering the chosen card. Though
direct, this method is discrepant, and has
the added disadvantage of making a reset
much more cumbersome.
If working for seated spectators, tip the
packet to avoid exposing the undersides of
the cards; if a table is available, use it in
place of the spectator's hand.
Drop the right-hand card on top of all,
and then square the packet. You are
now reset.
First released at the 9/24/05 Magic Castle
Swap Meet, Entourage has roots in three
unreleased effects of mine that all use a
turnover-based binary out: The Striker, The
Sure Thing, and Tattoo. For the last two of
these, I went so far as to have the necessary
cards printed before deciding to go a little
further down the road (with one of the
cards from Tattoo ending up in Entourage).
Later, my friend and very clever creator
Fenik sent me an unpublished effect that
combined the turnover out with the verbal
methodology from Phi! Goldstein's classic
B 'wave to create an effect in which a face
down card among three jokers turned out
to be a chosen queen. At sorne point in the
future, I'll describe all these precedents
more completely, perhaps including some
of the previously printed cards.
Thanks to Bruce Cervon for pointing out
that the switch used here is much more
deceptive with the central card beginning
and ending in an extended position.
Thanks to Norman Gilbreath and James
Lewis for their help in refining the patter.
This effect was originally called Posse.
Thanks to Max Maven for coming up with
a more elegant alternative.

5 6
 WHO'S THE FAIREST
OFTHEMALL?

A CLEAN, CLEAR EFFECT

With a Legitimately Free Choice,
Any One of the Queens is Named

With a Legitimately Free Choice,

Any One of Four Face-Down Cards is Selected

First Clmax:The Selected Card is the Named Queen!

Second Clmax:The Other Face-Down Cards Are All Jokers!

REAL-WORLD CONDITIONS
Immediate, Open Reset

Repeatable to the. Same Audience

with Any Named Queen

No Difficult Sleight-of-Hand

NoTable Needed; Perfect for Walk-Around

"This is one of the great packet tricks.

Bravo!"
-David Regal-

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Copyright 2006 Gordon Bean