My Version of NFW

NFW - My Version

Effect

Five face up Jokers are shown, one by one.

One of the Jokers is discarded, and the spectator is asked what is left. The spectator answers "Four face up Jokers", but is proven wrong because there are now three face up Jokers and one face down Joker.

The question is repeated, and the spectator answers "Three face up Jokers and one face down Joker". However, the spectator is proven wrong a second time, as there are now two face up Jokers and two face down ones.

A third Joker is visibly turned over, and the question is repeated. The spectator answers "One face up Joker and three face down Jokers". However, all four Jokers are now seen to be face down.

The final "kicker" is when the four cards are turned face up and are seen to be the four Aces.

Set-Up

A normal Joker that matches the colour of the cards supplied in the marketed NFW effect is placed face up on top of the set-up specified in the standard instructions.

Routine

Patter	Action
You will have heard the expression "the hand is quicker than the eye". But you may not know that an American magician saved many servicemen a fortune during the Second World War by teaching them how to spot people cheating at cards.	Remove the packet of five cards from the wallet and ensure that the top card moves freely and that the Jokers face the spectator.
In fact, he devised a simple observation test …
… using these five face up Jokers.	Hamman count the cards to show five face up Jokers.
He asked three simple questions, and if you failed them, you were deemed unsuitable to play cards as you would be cheated too easily.
So, here is the first question.
If I take one of the face up Jokers away, …	Remove the top face up Joker and place it, face down by turning it side for side (i.e as opposed to end for end), to one side on the table.
…what do I have left in my hand?	Wait for a response.
No. If you can’t see me turn one of the Jokers face down, you are going to lose at cards!	Show three face up Jokers and one face down Joker, as per the standard instructions.
So, the second question is, what do I have in my hand?	Wait for a response.
No. If you can’t see me turn one of the Jokers face down, you are going to lose at cards!	Show two face up Jokers and two face down Jokers, as per the standard instructions.
Remember, I have two face up Jokers and two face down ones.	Repeat the display of the four cards, as per the standard instructions.
Finally, if I turn a third Joker face down, …	Turn the uppermost face up Joker face down, as per the standard instructions.
… what do I have in my hand?	Wait for a response.
No. If you can’t see me turn one of the Jokers face down, you are going to lose at cards!	Show four face down Jokers, as per the standard instructions.
But, worse than that, if you can’t tell Jokers from Aces, …	Turn the four cards face up, one by one, to show four Aces.
… then you are really* going to get taken for a ride!*
	To reset: take the face down Joker that was placed to one side earlier on and slide it between the top two cards turn the top two cards face up, side for side, and put the cards away in the wallet.

Acknowledgements

This effect is essentially my presentation for Gary Freed’s "NFW".

My alterations are twofold:

I have added the fifth Joker as I did not like having to show one of the Jokers face down from the start, and I did not find the suggested method of showing four face down Jokers credible.
The presentation about a gambling observation test adds a little "flesh to the bone", and allows you to talk as much about magicians and gambling (e.g. John Scarne and his role doubling for Paul Newman in "The Sting", magicians who act as consultants for Las Vegas casinos) as is appropriate for the audience at the time. The running gag about "not seeing me turn over a card" also provides a little humour.

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