Oil and water

For this trick, you simply need 3 red cards and 3 black cards.

Show the black cards in your right hand, and the red cards in your left hand. Explain that oil and water never mix.

Put the red cards on top, and count them by sliding these into your other hands. While you're doing that, you should place these cards in that order : RED-RED-BLACK-RED-BLACK-BLACK. To do that, put the 2nd and 3rd red cards on top of the 1st red card. Slide the 1st black card between the 1st and 3rd red cards, and place finally the 2 last black cards behind.

Slide 3 cards in your other hand (without dealing them). Place these on the table, and show the first card of that pile (black) and the last card in your hands (red).

Now interleave the cards by placing first a card from the table and a card from your hands. Take back the deck, wave it and show the red and black cards separated.

For the second time, place the cards in that order RED-RED-BLACK-BLACK-BLACK-RED. To do that, you can slide the 1st red card in your second hand, slide the 2 other red cards above it, and put the black cards between the 1st and 3rd red cards.

Now, with the deck face-down, take the 3 first cards and spread them on the table (the "black" cards). While you're spreading, buckle the cards in your hands, and then do a double lift to show a red card. Put both cards back in your hands, take the top one (which is black), and interleave it between the 1st and 2nd card on the table. Show the 2 other cards (which are red), and put them on the table too.

You can square everything up (or the spectator could do it), and show the seperated cards.

For the third phase, deal one black card on the table, one red, one black... Take back the deck and show the cards. While doing that, follow these instructions to seperate them :

• Take one black card in your other hand.
• Take one red card in your other hand, and place it behind the black card, a little more to the side and out-jogging it too.
• When you take the next black card, place it between the black and red card.
• Make sure that you go down a little bit for each card and that red cards are offset to the side.

Now square everything up, wave it and spread the cards : black and red cards are seperated a final time.