You prepare for this trick by placing the four kings together, along with two jacks, which are set between the first and second kings. In performing the trick, the presence of the two jacks must not be revealed. The four kings, however, are shown to the spectators. In order to hide the jacks while this is done, the four kings should be held fanwise in the hand, care being taken that the jacks behind the second king are exactly even with it so that they cannot be perceived.
After the kings have been thus exhibited, they are folded together, along with the jacks, and all six are laid face downward on the top of the pack. The cards are then in this order: king, two jacks, three kings.
You now announce that you are about to distribute the kings as widely as possible throughout the deck.
Draw off the top card, and, in doing so, allow the spectators, as if by accident, to perceive that this is actually a king. Place it on the bottom of the pack.
Next, draw off the second card, but avoid giving the observers a sight of it, since this is one of the jacks, not a king. Place it about a third of the way down the deck.
Now, draw off the third card, which is also a jack, and, without permitting it to be seen, place it two-thirds of the way down the deck.
Again draw off the topmost card from the deck. This is the fourth card of those placed upon the deck at the outset, and it is therefore the first of the three kings that followed the two jacks in your original arrangement. You may carelessly display this king to the spectators. Then replace it on the top of the pack.
You now declare that you will bring the four kings together by simply cutting the cards. Since the first king has been placed on the bottom of the pack, and the two jacks that followed it have been removed and placed further down in the deck quite out of the way, the other kings, all three, are left together on top. Necessarily, when the cards are cut, the top and bottom cards are brought together.
So, you cut the cards, and then ask someone to look through them, whereupon the four kings are found assembled in the middle of the pack.
Any other two cards may, of course, be substituted for the jacks in this trick. They are suggested merely on account of their resemblance to kings, which might prevent detection of the deception if one of them chanced to be exposed during the performance of the trick so that spectators had a glimpse of it.