Chop Shop by John Bannon turns a playful “find the lady” challenge into a jaw‑dropping, full‑packet transformation where every Joker impossibly becomes an Ace. It’s ultra‑fair, easy to do, and ends completely clean—with examinable cards and a kicker nobody sees coming.

What your audience sees

You introduce four cards:

• Three blue‑backed Jokers
• One red‑backed Queen of Spades

You show the faces and backs cleanly, then openly place the Queen into your pocket. You challenge your audience to catch you as you “sneak” the Queen back into the packet—not once, but twice.

Without any visible moves, the red‑backed Queen of Spades magically appears back among the three Jokers.

You remove the Queen again, return it to your pocket, and raise the stakes: this time, you’ll need misdirection to pull it off.

You count through the four cards once more… and now a bright yellow “LOOK” card has appeared among the blue‑backed Jokers—right where nobody was expecting it.

That odd card is also set aside.

You fairly count the packet again and, with no suspicious handling, a red‑backed card has once more appeared among the Jokers. You admit you’ve been cheating—but not just once.

You’ve cheated twice.

• The red‑backed card is turned over—it’s now the Ace of Spades.
• The remaining blue‑backed cards are flipped face up—the Jokers have impossibly transformed into the other three Aces.

From a simple “find the lady” game to a table‑full of Aces in the blink of an eye.

Why Chop Shop hits so hard

• Classic “monte” / “find the lady” framing your spectators understand instantly.
• Multiple moments where they’re sure they’ll catch you—yet they never do.
• A total packet transformation as the final kicker: Jokers become Aces, Queen becomes Ace of Spades.
• Clean displays and fair counts that look like real magic, not a puzzle.

John Bannon is known for creating bulletproof packet tricks that fool magicians and laypeople alike; Chop Shop sits firmly in that tradition.

Practical, worker‑friendly design

Chop Shop is built to live in your pocket and survive real‑world use:

• Comes ready to perform with all the special cards included.
• No fragile gimmicks to break or hide.
• No palming or knuckle‑busting sleights required—well within reach of confident beginners.
• At the end, all the cards on the table are examinable, making this a perfect closer for a set of small‑packet miracles.

You get detailed teaching from John Bannon and Erik Tait, walking you step‑by‑step through the handling, timing, and subtleties that make the routine play huge.

Inspired by Cameron Francis’s “Chop The Monte,” later presented as “Imagine” by Paul Richards, Chop Shop refines the core idea into a tight, commercial routine with a devastating finish.

If you love packet tricks that start as a game and end as a miracle, Chop Shop deserves a permanent space in your wallet.