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Hofzinser Ace Problem

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Hofzinser Ace Problem, which appears to be mistakenly credited to Hofzinser by Dai Vernon, is the Card Problem which poses the following effect:

Four aces are on the table. You ask a spectator to pick a card from the deck and remember it. You take back his card and loose it in the deck. You say that the four aces will help you find his card. You show the aces one by one and after snapping your fingers show that one of the ace has turned face down. Say that as it is for example the ace of hearts that turned face down, his card must be a heart. You once again snap your fingers over the deck and show that one card has also turned face down in the deck. You ask for the identity of the chosen card. When the spectator has answered, you show him that the face down card in the deck is in fact the ace of heart and his chosen card is the face down card between the aces.

Apparently the trick was put together by Jack Avis in 1958, and when Vernon saw it he said it was Hofzinser's lost ace routine, which he'd "read about in a letter". According to Vis a Vis: A Jack Avis Book, Avis was inspired by Edward Victor's The Deo-Ace Trick (in Magic of the Hands - 1937), and "there seems to be little evidence to back up Vernon's claim that he ostensibly read this plot of Hofzinser's in a letter. No one else has been located who claims to have seen such a letter."

A perfect example of urban legend.

Proposed Solutions

Date Creator Routine
1965 Marlo Edward Choice Transposition
1967 Jennings Larry Tell-Tale Aces
1969 Fulves Karl Two Unsolved Problems
1970 Chesbro Verne & West Larry Larry Flipper
1970 Swinford Paul Three Different Ways
1970 Warlock/Haxton/Ryland/Kort Platform Hofzinser
1971 Avis Jack The "Lost Ace" Trick
1971 Fulves Karl The Red Backed Hofzinser
1971 Warlock/Haxton/Ryland/Kort Platform Hofzinser
1972 Hartman J.K. Hof Zingers
1972 Warlock/Haxton/Ryland/Kort Platform Hofzinser
1973 Cyprian Fr Hofzinser-70
1976 Britland David Tell Tale Aces
1977 Christensen JL Pyramide Aces
1977 Fare Jean Criss Cross Triumph
1977 Fulves Karl In Re Hofzinser
1977 Racherbaumer Jon Decking Hofzinser
1978 Busby Jeff Cased Prediction
1978 Cyprian Fr Fr Cyprian on the Hofzinser Card Problem
1978 Nelson Barry Jennings Improved
1978 Racherbaumer Jon About the so-called Hofzinser Problem
1978 Racherbaumer Jon Decking Hofzinser Delux
1978 Racherbaumer Jon Hofzinser Triumphs
1978 Solomon David Triumphant Aces
1979 Walton Roy Grown Up Hofzinser
1980 Cyprian Fr Hofzinser's Departure
1981 Lees Walt Hofzinser/Jennings
1982 Duffie Peter Hofzinser In My Pocket
1982 Jennings Larry Hofzinser Ace Problem
1982 Kaufman Richard The Hofzinser Ace Tunnel
1982 Sanvert Jean-Jacques Another Hofzinser Twist
1983 Simon Frank Hot Zinger
1984 McCarthy Daniel No Shuffle Hofzinser Aces
1984 McCarthy Daniel One Shuffle Hofzinser Aces
1984 Tropeano David Hofzinser Triumphs !
1986 Jennings Larry A Problem with Hofzinser
1987 Duffie Peter Hofzinser's Alternative
1987 Giobbi Roberto Hofzinser's Aces
1988 Goldstein Phil Twisted Hofzinser
1989 Bengel Robert One-Shot Hofzinser
1989 Cyprian Fr New Hofzinser Four Aces
1989 Cyprian Fr Hats Off To Hofzinser
1989 Edwards Doug Half-Shot Hofzinser
1989 Fulves Karl Dollar Hofzinser
1990 Higham Justin Hofzinser Triumphs In One Shuffle
1990 Marlo Edward Marlo's 3rd Solution to Hofzinser's Card Problem
1990 Racherbaumer Jon A Case For Hofzinser
1991 Aldrich St Aldrich Hofzinser Ace Trick
1991 Elmsley Alex Bare-Aced Hofzinser
1991 Elmsley Alex Hoftwister in Minch
1991 Hartman J.K. Hof Zingers
1991 McCarthy Daniel Another Hofzinser Aces
1992 Yedid Medid Sandwichange For Hofzinser

References