Someone shuffles an examined blue backed deck (which they are shown also contains four red backers). You take it back and, in seconds, produce the four aces! However, this production results in laughter from your audience, not stunned amazement.
As stated above, HASH-TOWN-DING is my take on the Paul Harris routine Deep Astonishment, which was a marketed version of his Anything Deck.
Although I thought that the finale of Deep Astonishment was truly astounding, I couldn't see myself performing the original routine in the real world. It just wasn't feasible to carry a special deck of cards and a special wallet, that could only be used for the one trick.
After my very first performance, of Deep Astonishment, someone asked to take a look at the deck. So, I decided to work out my own method, which would retain the truly astounding finale, negate the need for a wallet or for a card to be selected, and allow me to start (and end) with a regular blue backed deck that could obviously be examined!
I hope that those who currently use Deep Astonishment will appreciate that HASH-TOWN-DING, whilst similar in effect, uses vastly different methods. As Michael Close is fond of saying... it's a real WORKER!
Having said all that, HASH-TOWN-DING would never have seen the light of day without the genius that is Paul Harris!
You next explain that you are thinking of a word, and ask them to try and read your mind. They say that they think your word is... SOAP. You act astonished and say that it was! You then remove the four red backed cards, seen earlier, and a letter has appeared on the back of each of them. The four letters are... S, O, A and P!
THE DECK CAN NOW BE EXAMINED!
HASH-TOWN-DING is my version of the Paul Harris routine "Deep Astonishment". (£20.00)
Apologies for the title! However, my second choice was KNOW-WHEY-HOSE, which I'm sure you'll agree... would have been even worse!