WHEN a trick depends on a pre-arranged pack it is not enough to merely show the pack and proceed at once with the effect. Either a convincing false shuffle and series of false cuts must be made, or the pack, which has already been used for several tricks and has been handled freely and shuffled by the spectators themselves, must be exchanged, ,switched' to use the accepted term, for the arranged pack.
False shuffling, like all sleights, requires practice but a very easy and convincing method is given in the last section but one of this book which treats of the indispensable sleights for the proper presentation of tricks with cards. A method of false cutting is also included. Once these are mastered, a matter of very slight application, it is hoped that the reader will be sufficiently interested to go more deeply into the subject by studying Erdnase's Expert at the Card Table, the Card Manipulations series by Jean Hugard and other textbooks.
Several easy methods for switching the pack follow.'
Switching The Pack1. Place the set-up pack in your inside coat pocket on its side; take any three cards, memorizing them, from the pack to be used for the preliminary tricks (the back must be the same, of course) and put them in the same pocket but on their ends. When you are ready to introduce the arranged pack, have the pack in use thoroughly shuffled by a spectator, take it back and, standing with your right side to the front, pretend to put it in your inside coat pocket. Really put it in your lower right waistcoat pocket and as you do this with the thumb and first finger, insert the other fingers in the pocket so that the spectators see the pocket bulge out as the pack apparently goes into it. Now give an example of the sensitive nature of your finger-tips by bringing out the three memorized cards from behind the arranged pack, naming each one first. Pretend to replace them in the pocket, really sliding them into the waistcoat pocket with the same finger subtlety as when the pack was put there. Let a spectator remove the pack from the pocket and you are then ready to begin your pre-arranged tricks.
2. In this case the set-up pack is placed beforehand in the upper left waistcoat pocket and its three top cards are memorized. The same three cards are forced from the pack, replaced, and the pack shuffled by a spectator. The pack is really placed in the inside coat pocket, but the duplicates of the three forced cards are taken from the pack in the waistcoat pocket and this pack is finally removed as if it came from the coat pocket. Three cards are put on top in their proper order and you are ready for the set-up trick.
3. Al Baker's Method, No. 1. The duplicate pack is carried in the lower waistcoat pocket. With the pack to be exchanged in the left hand turn towards the table, drop the pack into the outside left coat pocket, at the same time take the pack from the waistcoat pocket with the right hand and put it in the left.
4. Al Baker's Method, No. 2. Place the pre-arranged pack in the right-hand outside coat pocket, lying on its side. Sight the two bottom cards of the pack beforehand. Force the duplicates of these two cards from the pack in use and have the pack shuffled by a spectator after the two cards have been replaced in it. Take the pack and put it in the pocket with the pre-arranged pack, but on end. Have the selected cards named and bring out the corresponding cards from the bottom of the set-up pack. Then bring out the rest of that pack and the exchange is made.
A Moving RevelationTHIS is one of the best non-sleight-of-hand tricks extant. The effect is that the performer appears to be able to divine the exact number of cards secretly moved from one end of a row to the other, and is able to continue doing the trick ad lib. without rearranging the cards.
To prepare you place eleven cards in sequence from 10 to A with a J following the A, regardless of suits, on top of the pack. The J is to represent 0. Deal these cards face down on the table from left to right thus:
10. 9. 8. 7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. A. J.
Explain that you will turn your back and any spectator may move as many cards as he pleases, one by one, from the right end of the row to the left b but not more than ten. To illustrate this you move six cards from right o left. The cards will then lies thus:
5. 4. 3. 2. A. J. 10. 9. 8. 7. 6.
The J has been brought to the sixth position from the right so that 6 will be your key number for the next move. Turn away and the spectator moves, say two cards from right to left making the lay-out:
7. 6. 5. 4. 3. 2. A. J. 10. 9. 8.
Turning around you gaze intently at the spectator, announce that you have read his mind and to prove it you will turn up a card with the same number c f spots on it as the number of cards he moved. Turn the sixth card, the two spot. For the next key card simply add two to six which gives eight, the present position of the J, therefore no matter what the number of cards moved, the eighth card will give it by its number of spots. This may be continued indefinitely, whenever the number amounts to more than eleven, subtract eleven and continue with the remainder as the key number. If the J turns up then no cards have been moved.
After divining the number two or three times announce that you will give an illustration of the dominant power of your thought. Pick another spectator and tell him to think of any number between one and ten. Tell him that you have selected a number mentally and that you will force him to choose the same one. To prove your assertion you take a slip of paper and write, 'Turn over the card,' filling the blank space with the key card calculated for the next move. Put the paper down folded and lay the pencil on it. 'There is my number,' you say, 'Now please move the cards to the number you thought of'. He does so, reads the slip and turns the card showing that number of spots. Gather up the cards, mixing them up, replace them on the pack and shuffle.
The trick is very effective as it is but with the ability to make a false shuffle and false cuts it may be made into a little miracle. With the pack set-up execute several false shuffles and cuts, then deal out five or six of the set cards. Make another false shuffle and several cuts, then deal the rest to complete the row. Any suspicion that you may know the faces of the cards cannot then enter into the minds of your audience and the feat is thereby made very much more effective.
Divining PackPREARRANGE the top ten cards of a pack so that they run from the 10 down to the A. These cards may be of any suits. In offering the cards to a spectator for him to pick one, count the first ten and hold an imperceptible break at that point, making sure that he takes a card from those farther on. Close up the pack and when the spectator has noted his card, cut the cards at the break, lifting the ten cards, and have his card replaced there. Drop the ten cards on top of it and square the pack very openly.
Spread the top ten cards and have the spectator touch any one of them; turn the card face up where it lies, the spots on it will denote how many cards farther on the chosen card lies.
The Transposed Cards
ZiskaBEFOREHAND place thirteen cards of mixed suits running from the K in order of decreasing value down to the A. Begin the trick by false shuffling the pack, leaving these cards on the top. Put the pack down and have a spectator cut it into two parts. Force the selection of the lower heap by the 'your right or my left' equivoque and have him count off any small number of cards, less than ten, while your back is turned, and put them on the other heap. This part is then put on top of the cards remaining in his hands. The fourteenth card from the top will now denote the number of cards counted.
Take the pack, false shuffle if you can, then deal about twenty cards face down, throwing them carelessly but allowing the fourteenth card to he a trifle more exposed than the others. Have a second person choose one of these: if he takes the fourteenth, simply ask how many cards were counted off and have the card turned up. If not have two more cards taken, if these do not include the fourteenth draw it out yourself, put these four in a row and force the right one by having first two cards then one touched by a third spectator, making the eliminations to suit your purpose.
The Circle Of Cards
JudahBEFOREHAND arrange ten cards on the top of the pack, of any suits, but with the values running from 10 down to the A. False shuffle and cut as freely as you can and finally have a spectator cut about the middle. Let him choose a heap: if he selects the top half say that you will have him deal some cards on that heap from the other one: if he chooses the lower one let him take it: in either case he gets the lower heap. Turn your back and instruct him to count off any small number of cards, less than ten, look at the bottom card of the packet, remember it and place the packet on top of the other pile. This done, you turn around, take the remaining cards from him and put them under the other packet.
To discover the noted card and the number the spectator counted off, deal ten cards in a circle, and then four cards in the center, all face down. After much mental exertion and much uncertain hovering over the cards turn up the lowest card of the packet of four, the eleventh card dealt, the spots on it will denoted the number of cards counted by the spectator and also the position in the circle of the card he noted. You secretly take note of its location, mix the cards up, apparently in a haphazard way, but keeping track of it. Finally draw it aside, have the card named and turn it over.
A Trick Without A Clue
HamblenWITH any pack secretly arrange ten cards of mixed suits, running from 10 to A, the 10 being the top card; false shuffle leaving these ten cards in position. Bend up a corner of the bottom card. Place pack down and have a spectator cut it about the middle; from the lower part instruct him to cut off a few cards after you have turned your back, count them, shuffle them, then note and remember the bottom card of this packet, place it on top of the other part of the pack and finally put the lower half of the pack on the top of both. lie is then to cut the pack several times with complete cuts. Turn and take the pack, cut several times, finally cutting to send the bent corner card to the bottom. You now have the pack in the same order as it was before the spectator cut. Deal ten cards rapidly on the table, lift the next one, sight it, then as if you had suddenly changed your mind, drop the card back on the pack, pick up the cards dealt and replace them on the pack. The number of spots on the eleventh card that you secretly looked at, denotes the number of cards taken by the spectator, and the same number subtracted from eleven will give you the position from the top of the pack, for instance if the eleventh card is a 4, then four cards were cut and the card noted will be seven from the top.
To reveal this knowledge in a striking way, have the spectator cut the pack in half, and each half again, making four packets; keep track of the original top portion. Call the piles A, B, C, D, and suppose D to be the original top portion, to get the seventh and eleventh cards on top of two packets simply have spectator move six cards from D to A, then one card from D to B; next three cards from D to C. This will leave the required cards on B and D. Place one of these on top of each of the other two. Let the spectator take the two top cards and put them face down on the table. He names the number of cards he took and the card he noted. Turn the two cards for the climax.
Eyes All RoundEFFECT. A spectator thinks of a number between one and ten, counts that number of cards from a pack handed to him, shuffles the packet and puts it in his pocket while the performer's back is turned. Without turning around performer has him remove cards from the top of the pack until he calls 'Stop'. Taking the card stopped at, performer touches the spectator's pocket with it and has the number of cards put there called, suppose it is eight. He turns the card in his hand, it is an 8 spot. The trick is repeated several times with the same result.
METHOD. To arrange the pack put four sequences of cards regardless of suits, running from A up to 10 on the top, the court cards in any order going below them. When the first person thinks of a number show him what to do. Suppose the number is three, count off three cards, one by one, mix them and put them in your pocket. Take them out, put them on the bottom of the pack which you hand to the spectator. Turn your back. Since the trick works in tens, deduct three from ten and remember 7 as your key card. Turn away.
The spectator counts off the cards to the number thought of, shuffles them and puts them in his pocket. Keeping your back turned tell him to take the packet again and remove a card, then another and another and so on until six cards have been removed. Tell him to place the rest of the pack on top of those counted off. Turn around and have him hand you the next card from the top. Touch the card to the pocket and ask how many cards he has there. He replies 'Eight'. Turn the card, it is an 8 spot.
Put the cards from the spectator's pocket, also the 8 spot on the bottom of the pack. Mentally deduct eight from ten and remember 2 as your next key card. Repeat the experiment only once since after that you might get into the court cards. The spectator's shuffling is merely to destroy the arrangement which might be noticed otherwise.
Count Your CardsA CARD is taken, noted, replaced and the pack shuffled and cut. The pack is handed to the spectator with the request that he find his own card and save the performer worry and trouble.
Ask him to start dealing the cards face down, to stop at any number he may think of between one and ten so that the trick may not become boresome. He deals and turns up a card. You ask if that is his card and the answer is a negative one. Suppose this card happens to be a six. Tell him to deal another pile and turn up the sixth card. 'Is that your card?' you ask and the answer is 'No'. Suppose this time the card turned up is a 10. Continue, 'Three times and out. You may have one more chance and if you fail this time I'll have to find the card myself. Count one more pile and turn over the tenth card.'
He deals nine cards and you stop him. Ask him to name his card. He does so, turns the next card and it is his.
METHOD. Beforehand you arranged the first eleven cards, regardless of suits, to run in sequence from 10 to A, followed by another 10. After a false shuffle you have a card selected from below these eleven cards and in so doing secretly count fifteen cards and hold a break at that point. While the spectator is noting his card count another five cards beyond the fifteen and slip the tip of your little finger under the twenty cards. For the return of the chosen card cut off these twenty cards and drop them on top, making the selected card twenty-first from the top. False shuffle and false cut, if you can.
Hand the pack to the spectator and the effect works itself as described above. Regardless of what the first number is the second card must always be a 10 and the chosen card is tenth beyond that.
PythagorasTAKE eleven cards of the following values but any suits and arrange them in this order: A, J, Q, K, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, Joker, the A being the top card of the packet and the Joker the bottom card. Place the packet face down on the table and invite a spectator to take off any number of cards from the top, not altering their order (not dealing them) and place them on the bottom while your back is turned. Illustrate by taking off three cards and putting them to the bottom. Mentally you subtract three from eleven and remember eight which becomes your key number. Turn away and the spectator does as directed. Turn back and put your left hand on the pack saying that the cards affect your heart beats so that you can tell the number transferred; also o that you will not only discover the number but that you will turn up a card denoting the number by its value. Explain that a J counts 2, Q counts 3, K counts 4 and the Joker--0, the other cards according to their spots.
You have merely to turn up the eighth card which will give you the number of cards transferred. To repeat, glimpse the bottom card of the packet and subtract from eleven, this will give you the key card for the next transfer. If no cards are moved you turn up the Joker, value 0. The trick can be repeated indefinitely.
Knock 'Em Dead
Buckley
TAKE out the H's from A to 10, place an indifferent card between each and an indifferent card on the top. Prepare a small wooden plug with ten holes bored in it, in each of these holes place a slip of paper rolled into a pellet, each slip bearing the name of one of the ten H cards. Put this plug in your right-hand outside coat pocket, the slips arranged in order so that you can instantly find any one required.
Provided with the prepared pack, the plug with the pellets, a slip of paper and pencil and having a hat on the table, begin by writing something on a slip of paper, pretending to drop it into the hat and have a spectator call any number between one and twenty. If the number called is even, hand him the pack and tell him to count down to that number and note the card, if the number called is odd he is to count down to that number and look at the next card. In the meantime you have simply to halve the number to obtain the value of the card, remove the corresponding pellet from the plug and drop it into the hat secretly as you bring it forward to have your prophecy verified.
Self-Working Mystery
LarsenWITH a pack of strippers arrange the first ten cards to run from a 10 down to an A using mixed suits, and reverse them. Begin by shuffling the cards thus-strip off the top ten cards and make a riffle shuffle. Apparently cut the pack, really strip the ten cards out and drop them on top. Invite a spectator to freely choose a card from anywhere but the ten top cards. For its replacement cut off the ten cards, their reversal making this easy, have the card put back, drop the ten cards on it and square the pack. The chosen card is now the eleventh card and you false shuffle, keeping it in that position.
Again cut the top ten cards and put the remainder of the pack on the table. Fan the ten with both hands and let spectator remove one card. Separate the cards at the point from which this card is taken, with the left hand drop all the cards that were below it on top of the pack, then pick up the pack and put it on top of the cards remaining in the right hand. The spots on the card taken from the ten will indicate the position of the chosen card from the top of the pack. The counting must, of course, be done faces down.
Stop And Think
JordanSEPARATE the cards of any full pack into their suits, then separate each suit into odd and even cards, J and K being odd and Q even. You thus have eight packets. Put the two red odd with the two black even cards and shuffle them thoroughly; do the same with the two red even and the two black odd cards. From these two packets take one card alternately in one pile until the cards have all been taken. The cards will appear to be well mixed.
With the pack so arranged begin by having it cut several times with complete cuts. Deal the cards into four heaps, one card at a time. Suppose the letters A, B, C, D, represent the heaps it will be seen that if A and C are put together and also B and D we have the two original packets, red odd and black even, and red even and black odd. Ask the spectator which he will have, the odd packets or the even. Whichever he takes let him put them together and shuffle the cards. You do the same with the remaining packets.
The spectator takes any card from his and pushes it into yours which you give to him to shuffle. Taking it back you have only to find the one card that does not match up with the odd and even cards that you hold. It may be an odd black, all the rest of the blacks being even and so on.
Novel Card Discovery
JordanTO SET up the pack first separate the odd cards from the even, the J and K being taken as odd cards and the Q as even. Put thirteen odd cards face up on the table, on them put thirteen even cards, then the rest of the odd cards and finally the remainder of the even cards. Turn the pack face down. Now if it is cut at the middle the odd cards will be on the top of each portion and the even cards at the bottom, therefore if the two packets are riffled together the top part will consist of odd cards and the bottom of the pack will have the even cards when the riffle shuffle is completed. There will be a few mixed cards in the center but that will not interfere with the effect.
After the arranged pack has been riffle shuffled, have it cut into two packets as near equal as possible. Invite a spectator to take a card from the middle of either heap and push it into the middle of the other packet. The cards being dealt, the one even card amongst the odd cards or vice versa, must be the chosen card.
Improved Marvellous Prediction
JordanIN THIS trick you actually set up a borrowed pack into the odd-even arrangement. Deal the cards into four heaps by putting in the first two only odd S's, and H's, and even C's and D's. Into the second two heaps deal only even S's and H's and odd C's and D's. Put first two heaps together and have a spectator shuffle them while you shuffle the other two. Cut the spectator's packet into two portions putting them side by side. Cut your packet placing the halves on top of the other two packets. Top of each now contains even S's, H's; odd C's, D's, bottom portions of each are S's, H's; even C's, D's.
Have a spectator riffle these two packets together. There will he only a few cards of both kinds mixed in the center, the cards at the top and bottom of the pack remain as set up. Have the pack cut into three nearly even piles, discard the center one and have two spectators each take one of the others. Each selects a card from the other's packet and shuffles it into his own. Have the packets put together, the original top heap going on top.
The cards are now called one by one from the top of the pack. The first odd S or H, even C or D is one of the chosen cards. After a card or two more has been called, have the packet turned over and have the cards called from the face of the pack. This time listen for an even S or H, odd C or D. This will be the other card. Reveal the cards as you please.
Ready Reckoner
JordanTO PREPARE for this trick sort out the odd and even cards of each suit and reassemble the pack by putting the odd S's and H's with the even C's and D's in one packet, and the even S's and H's with the odd C's and D's in another. Put the packets together making a bridge between.
Thus prepared, take the pack and hold a break at the bridge with the pack face down in the left hand. Let half the cards below the break drop on the table, then drop the rest of the cards below the break besides the first lot. On each packet drop half the remaining, now dovetail the two packets together and as the lower half of each packet consists of one kind of cards and the upper half of another when the shuffle is completed the pack will be in two kinds of cards, with a few mixed in the middle.
Instruct a spectator to cut the pack into three heaps, pocketing the top packet and handing you the middle one. By merely glancing at the cards you tell him how many cards he cut. The only kind of cards he can have in his pocket are odd S's and H's and even C's and D's. A glance at the cards handed you will show how many of such cards are in it, subtract the number from twenty-eight and you get the number of cards cut.
Follow this with 'The Pair Detection'.
The Pair Detection
JordanTHIS trick is designed to follow the 'Ready Reckoner'.
While the spectator verifies your total, secretly add the spots of the only odd S's and even C's in the packet which you still hold, subtracting thirteen each time your number exceeds that, and you know the number of points in his packet when all the thirteens in it have been canceled. Tell him to shuffle his packet and to remove any pair from it, pocketing it.
The only pairs in his packet must consist of a card of each color, either a S and a H, or a C and a D. Place the packet you hold face down on the table and put the other packet, which has not been touched, on top of it. Taking his packet, you merely add the spots of the black cards in it, subtracting thirteens. Subtract this total from what the total should be and you have the denomination of the pair. If it is odd they are S and H, if even, C and D.
Follow with 'Dead Easy Location'.
Dead Easy Location
JordanCONTINUING after 'The Pair Detection', have the spectator replace the pair and put his packet on top of the pack after he has thoroughly shuffled it. Tell him to cut the pack at about the middle, note the card on top of the lower portion, put it on top, reassembling the pack and make several complete cuts.
Then tell him to deal the pack into several rows, turning the cards face up. You can now locate the card. Owing to the way in which the two lower portions were placed, cutting the pack at the middle forced the spectator to choose a card from among the even S's and H's, odd C's and D's, and this is placed on the original top of the pack, his whole packet of cards being of the other variety. In glancing over the cards dealt, locate the long string that must have been his packet and the card dealt next before the first of this string must be the selected one.
Odd Or Even
JordanTHE trick requires a special arrangement. First sort out the suits and arrange each to read from back to face,
6, 4, 10, A, Q, 2, J, 7, 8, 5, 3, K, 9cut each of these packets so that a card of different value is at the bottom of each. Riffle shuffle the S's and H's together once only and do the same with the C's and D's. Put the two packets together with a, bridge at the division.
To present, cut at the bridge and riffle shuffle once only, then cut the pack. Fan the pack from left to right, the faces outwards and have a spectator choose a heap. Pass the cards from left hand to right and as spectator tells you that a card is of a suit chosen, place it face down on the table. When complete the cards are in the set-up order except for being cut. On a small card, which you can palm on to the back of the rest of the pack, you have the following table.
OOOO-8 EOEE-6 OEOO-2 EEOO-3 OEEO-10 EEOE-4 OOEO-J EEEO-K OOEE-A OOOE-7 OEEE-9 EOOE-Q EOOO-5 A spectator cuts the packet with complete cuts and you turn your back. He puts the top card in his pocket without looking at it or letting anyone else see it. He deals the twelve remaining cards into four face-down heaps, a card to a heap in rotation. He then turns the top card of each heap face up and calls Odd or Even for each, J is odd, K Q even. Consulting your table you at once name the card in the spectator's pocket the face of which no one else has seen.
If desired you can repeat with any one of the other suits.
The Wonder Force
JordanA. First Method. This can be used as a prediction trick or as a method of forcing a card for any other trick.
Suppose you wish to force the QH. Firs t divide the pack into its red and black cards. Place six red cards face down, on them twelve black cards, then six more reds and on them the QH, and on it any black card. Arrange the rest of the pack in another pile, first a black card, on it seven reds, then twelve blacks, and lastly the rest of the reds. Put the second packet on top of the first making a bridge between them.
If you are simply making a prediction write 'Queen of Hearts' on a slip of paper, fold it and give it to a spectator to hold. Cut the pack at the bridge and riffle shuffle them together. The center portion of the pack will consist of black cards. Ask a spectator to give the pack another riffle shuffle and as he must cut amongst the black cards no red card can fall above the force card, the QH. Tell him to take out the first red card he comes to. Your prediction is read and the card shown.
Two or more cards of the same color can be forced in the same way.
B. Second Method. Place a duplicate of the force card next above the bottom card of the original upper half of the pack. When shuffling let these two cards fall first. This time there is a force card the first red card from either end. Spectator riffle shuffles and then cuts the pack into two portions. He chooses one, if the top half, he takes the first red card from the top, if the lower heap, the first red card from the face. Again you may use two different red cards and have from twenty to thirty cards dealt into a heap, reversing their order so that the first red cards taken from each heap will be the force cards.
Psychic Prediction
JordanHERE is an arrangement which will force the number twenty-seven. It may be used simply as a prediction effect, the number being written beforehand on a slip which is placed in an envelope, scaled and held by a spectator, or in any effect requiring the forcing of a number. Other numbers can be arranged for on the same lines. For twenty-seven arrange cards as follows:
2S, 3H, AS, KH, 9S, 10H, 5S, JH, QS, 4H, 8S, 6H, KS, 3H, AS, 2H, 9S, 10H, 5S, QH, JS, 4H, 8S, 6H, 7C, KD, 2C, 10D, 4C, AD, 3C, 8D, 9C, QD, QC, 4D, 7C, 2D, JC, 10D, 4C, AD, 3C, 8D, 9C, JD, KC, 4D.
Bridge the cards so that you can cut at the 6H.
With cards thus arranged, first write the prediction, then cut at the bridge, riffle shuffle once only and call attention to the genuineness of the shuffle. Show the faces of the cards rapidly, the duplicates will not be noticed and the cards appear to be perfectly ordinary. Hand the cards to a spectator telling him to think of a suit. Cutting the pack wherever he pleases he picks off a card at a time from the top, noting each. Those not of his suit he places face up. No matter where the pack is cut or what suit he selects the total for six cards thus taken will be twenty-seven.
Prophesied Spot Total
JordanREMOVE the 3's, 9's, K's, 6's, A's, 4's, 7's, 10's, J's, and 5's, and paying no attention to suits, arrange them in four sequences, so that all four sets of ten are in the same order. Place these sets together and on top of them put the remaining twelve cards of the pack.
With the pack thus prepared, begin by writing a prediction, sixty-nine, on a slip of paper, fold it and give it to someone to hold.
Take the pack, deal off ten cards and openly add their spots, spectator checking. Replace them on top, then put half a dozen to the bottom and again deal off ten cards, the values of these are added and checked, giving a different total. Invite a spectator to cut the pack, deal off ten cards and add up their values. He does so and gets a total of sixty-nine. Your prediction is opened and read aloud. It is the same.
The arrangement does it all, any ten cards of the forty taken in sequence add up to sixty-nine. It is advisable to have the spectator cut about the middle.
Cagliostro's Vision
JordanTHE pack used for this trick must be a complete one of fifty-two cards. Arrange the following cards in this order at the bottom of the pack: 2H, AC, 2C, 3C, 4C, 5C, 6C, 7C, the 2H being the bottom card.
To begin, make a riffle shuffle, leaving these cards in position at the bottom. Put the pack on the table and turn away. Instruct the spectator to remove two cards from the middle of the pack, putting one at the top and one at the bottom so that you cannot possibly know the cards occupying these positions. Tell him to fix on any number between one and ten, deal a face-down row of cards from left to right to that number, look at and remember the last card of the row. Next he is to go back to the first card of the row and deal one card on each one in the row, continuing as long as there are enough cards to complete a deal on the whole row. When there are not enough to do that he is to lay them aside. Tell him to assemble the heaps by placing the last heap on top of the next one to the left, these two on the next and so on, finally cutting the complete pile several times completing the cut each time.
Turn around, note the number of cards left over; if there are none his card will be the next behind the 2H, the pack being face up. If there are two cards left over, his card will be next behind the 2C, if three over, next behind 3C and so on.
Quadruple Pack Mystery
JordanTAKE the AC from each of three red-backed packs and discard one of them entirely. Place two of the A's at the rear edge of your table, the ends projecting over it slightly and conceal them by laying a blue pack in its case over them. Have the three red packs thoroughly shuffled, placing them together as one huge pack. Pick up the blue pack with the two hidden A's below it and taking back the triple stack rest the blue case on it for a moment leaving the A's on top. Lay the triple pack down and hand the blue pack, taking it out of its case, to a spectator. Turn your back or leave the room.
Instruct the spectator to take any card from the blue pack and put the rest of the pack in his pocket. Ask a second person to deal a row of cards face down from the triple pack on the table, the second person to stop him at any time and put his blue-backed card face down at the right-hand end of the row as the last card. A small identical number of cards is then dealt in turn on the back of each card in the row and the heaps are to be assembled by picking up the one first dealt at the left end, putting it on top of the second, these two on the third and so on. A third person now takes the pack so assembled, cuts some and, holding it face up, deals the cards one by one, calling their names as he does so. When he calls the first AC you start counting the cards to and including the next AC, the number will be the number originally in each heap and the chosen blue-backed card will lie exactly that number of cards from the second AC.
You call 'Stop' and turn around. The second spectator names his card, it is the one the third spectator has in his hand. He turns it over, it has a blue back.
Mephistopheles' Touch
JordanTAKE out all the 2's, 3's, 4's, 5's and 6's from a complete pack and arrange the remaining cards in four sequences of 8 cards, thus:
- 9S, 7H, KC, 8D, QS, JH, AC, l0D.
- 9H, 7C, KD, 8S, QH, JC, AD, 10S.
- 9C, 7D, KS, 8H, QC, JD, AS, 10H.
- 9D, 7S, KH, 8C, QD, JS, AH, 10C.
It follows from this arrangement that no matter what card is taken the eighth card down from it will be of the same value and the next suit in the order of S, H, C, D. Place the twenty low cards on the top of the arranged packet bridging them.
Begin by showing the pack, cut at the bridge and riffle shuffle the low cards into the others. Have a spectator cut. Take the pack face up and throw out all the low cards as you come to them. The arrangement of the remainder is unaltered though no spectator would believe this even if you told him.
Turn away, ask a spectator to make a complete cut and note the top card, putting it face down on the table. Tell him to deal eight cards on top of it, lay the pack aside and shuffle the nine cards. Turn and spread the packet face up. There will be one pair of cards amongst them and his card is the one that comes first in the suit order. For instance KH-KC being the pair, the spectator's card will be the KH.
Fair And Square
AnnemannWITH any pack arrange the cards according to suits only. Rotate the suits throughout the pack, paying no attention to the values. For instance, you may have the suits, C, H, S, D, C, H, S, D, and so on all through the pack.
Cut the pack several times with complete cuts. Fan the pack for the free selection of any card. While the spectator is looking at his card run off four cards from the point at which he removed his card and have it returned there. Square up the cards and have the spectator make several complete cuts.
To find the chosen card you have simply to run through the faces of the cards and note when you come to the two cards of the same suit together. The selected card will always be the one of these two which is nearest the face of the pack.
Your Card
Orville W. MeyerIN DOING this feat lay great stress on the fact that you never see the face of any card. You hold the pack behind your back and allow a spectator to freely remove one card. Still holding the pack behind your back, bring forward two cards and lay them face down on the table. State that these two will reveal the chosen card, one telling the suit, the other the value. And they do.
You have the pack stacked by the Si Stebbins system in which the suits and values rotate regularly. When the spectator cuts the pack behind your back for the selection of a card, have him take the top card of the lower portion, take the cut from him and place it below the lower packet. In short the pack is cut at the point from which the card was taken.
Now because of the system the fourth card from the top of the pack will be of the same suit as the selected card and the thirteenth card down will be of the same value. So that all you have to do is to bring out these two cards to reveal the suit and value of the chosen card.
NOTE.- When removing the thirteenth card behind your back slip the tip of your left little finger in marking the spot. You can later on easily put it back in its proper place. The card taken from the fourth place can be replaced in position and you have your set-up ready again.
One In Fourteen
AnnemannTHE pack is arranged in the 'Eight Kings', the Si Stebbins, or any other system in which the sequence runs in four cycles of thirteen values; such system as Nikola's is not suitable for this feat.
False shuffle the pack and allow a spectator to make several complete cuts. When he is satisfied that the cards are well mixed invite him to take the top card, look at it; put it face down on the table and deal thirteen cards on top of it. The remainder of the pack is put aside. Tell him to pick up the fourteen cards, shuffle them thoroughly and then hand the packet to you.
To find his card you have simply to look over the faces and find a pair of cards of the same value. There will be one pair only in the fourteen cards and one of the pair will be his card. Suppose the pair to be the KC and KH, and the arrangement of the suits in the stacked pack to be C, H, S, D-the spectator's card will be the one that occurs first in the suit order, thus in this case it will be the KC.
Having found the card so simply, reveal it in as magical a manner as you can devise.
NOTE.- In running through the packet to find the selected card rearrange the cards in the same order. Take out the selected card and drop the cards on top of the pack. Replace the chosen card on top and you have the pack in order for any other trick depending on the arrangement.
The Fifteenth Card
(After Jordan)FROM any pack take out all the black cards and arrange them in the order following:
A, K, 2, Q, 3, J, 4, 10, 5, 9, 6, 8, 7, 7, 8, 6, 9, 5, 10, 4, J, 3, Q, 2, K.There will be one A left over, place it on the top of the pack. It will be noted that the arranged cards make two sequences, one ascending value, the other descending, and that any two adjacent cards will total fourteen or fifteen in value, the J, Q, K, being reckoned as eleven, twelve, thirteen. Put the black cards, thus arranged, on top of the red, note the red card that is fifteenth from the bottom and put the pack in its case.
To show the feat, begin by writing the name of the fifteenth card on a slip of paper, fold it and give it to a spectator to put in his pocket. Take the pack from its case, split it at the lowest black card and mix the cards, calling attention to the genuineness of the procedure. Hand the pack to the spectator and have him deal the cards one by one into two piles, the red cards in one heap, the black in the other. The cards will be in the same order but reversed, the noted card being now fifteenth from the top of its packet.
Ask the spectator to choose one of the packets. If he takes the blacks go right ahead with the effect. If he chooses the reds tell him to put those cards in his pocket and to remember he chose the packet freely. Have him thrust the blade of a knife into the black cards and let him take the two cards below, the two cards above, or the single card above and the single card below the blade. Any of these pairs will total fourteen or fifteen. If fourteen tell him to deal fourteen cards and lay the next face down on the table, if fifteen, to put out the fifteenth card, then to take the slip from his pocket, read your prediction and turn the card he arrived at.
The procedure is so apparently genuine that it will puzzle anyone not acquainted with the secret.
Sensational Card MysteryTHE secret is that cards are generally arranged in a certain order when they come from the makers, usually H, C, D, S with values from the A to the K.
Introduce a new pack and hand it to a spectator to open. He takes the pack out of its case and puts the cards face down on your left hand. Invite five or six spectators each to cut a small packet of cards from the top, look at the face card of the cut and then hold the packets against their chests so that neither you nor anybody else can get a glimpse of the face cards. Retain a few cards on your left hand and in returning to your table sight the top card of this packet. This will indicate the face card of the last spectator's cut. Suppose your sighted card is a 9S, you know the spectator cut an 8S. Take his packet, drop it on top of the cards in your left hand, sight its top card and so get knowledge of the next cut card.
Proceed in exactly the same way for the rest of the spectator's cards.
NOTE.- The reader is advised to test the various makes and brands of cards before relying on this 'secret'.
New X-Ray TrickUSE the 'Eight Kings, etc.' arrangement and introduce the trick after switching the arranged pack for one that has been freely handled and shuffled by the audience.
Have a spectator freely select a card and pass all the cards below it to the top. Sight the bottom card and so memorize the chosen card. Go to a second spectator, have him cut off a packet, shuffle it, retaining one card and passing the rest to a third person to do the same. This person hands the cards to a fourth who also picks out a card. Have these cards replaced in different places in the arranged pack retained by you.
Drop the cards into a goblet and throw a handkerchief over them. Talk about the progress being made in telepathy, now a proven scientific fact and so on. Ask each person to concentrate on his card and after much stress name the first card. Take the cards out of the goblet, run through them to remove the card just named and note another card out of the regular order. Put the cards back in the goblet, cover them and proceed to get the name of the card you just noted. Continue with the rest in the same way. Shuffle the cards after you note the last card and you can let anyone remove the cards from the goblet after you name it. There will be nothing for anyone to find as a clue to the trick.
Shark FoodPACK is in any arrangement you prefer to use. If you cannot make a satisfactory false shuffle, the pack in use which has been freely handled and shuffled by the spectators should be secretly exchanged for the arranged pack. Hand this to a spectator and have him make several complete cuts. Turn your back and tell him to deal cards face down on the table, stopping whenever he pleases, then he is to take the next card, look at it, insert it in the cards he holds and shuffle them. This done, turn around, take the cards from him, open the packet for the return of the cards dealt on the table. Slip the tip of your left little finger under the top card of this packet, lift off all the cards below it and shuffle them on the top. This leaves the last card dealt by the spectator at the bottom of the pack. Sight it and you know by the set-up what his card is and you can reveal it as you wish.
Thought Foretold
JordanEFFECT. Performer writes a prediction, seals it in an envelope and hands it to a spectator. This person chooses a color, red or black, and from a shuffled pack draws one card. This he puts in an envelope and burns it. He segregates the cards of the color he chose. One card is missing and its name is found to have been predicted by the performer as proved by the slip in the sealed envelope.
METHOD. Separate the red and black cards of any pack and take out one red and one black card, remembering their names. Cut the two piles in half and put the black halves on the red halves. Bridge the two packets and put them together.
Thus prepared ask a spectator to choose between red and black. Whichever he names, write the name of the card of that color on a slip of paper, seal it in an envelope and give it out to be held. Divide the pack at the bridge and give it a careful riffle shuffle, calling attention to its genuineness. The shuffle will put all the black cards together at the top and all the reds at the bottom of the pack, with perhaps a few mixed in the middle. Whichever color was named, fan the half of the pack of the opposite color for the selection of a card. This card is not looked at but placed in an envelope and burned. This ensures that when the spectator picks out the cards of the color he chose there will be one card only missing. Naturally this is taken to be the one burned since the card named in your prediction is missing.
Mysterious Detective
JordanEFFECT. Spectator cuts a pack and takes the top card of the lower heap, and two other people do the same. The performer takes a card from the pack, touches each man's pocketed card and names them correctly.
METHOD. Arrange the red cards from face to back--AH, 2D, 3H, 4D, etc., to QD, KH, AD, 2H, etc., the suits alternating and the values in sequence. Do the same with the two black suits. Cut the reds bringing 8H to the face, and the blacks with the 2C in same position. Put the two packets together, bridging them.
To present, cut at the bridge and riffle shuffle. Show the faces rather rapidly, pack looks well mixed. Allow first spectator to lift off a packet, laying it aside, then take the top card and pocket it. A second spectator lifts off another packet in the same way and pockets card, third spectator follows suit. Assemble the pack by replacing the packets to bring pack to its original order except for the three cards removed. Note the bottom card and name a card a few points lower in value which will be near the top of the pack, saying that card is your detective card. Run through the pack face up and note first two cards of the same suit near together without a card of the same color but different suit between them.
Suppose you see the 8C and 10C and no S between them, you know that a 9S has been removed. There will be two other similar combinations giving you the names of the other two cards. Memorize the cards and after taking out the so-called detective card, touch each man's pocket, put the card to you ear, and name the card.
Super Count Down
VernonARRANGE the pack red, black, red, black, etc., the colors alternating throughout the pack.
After a false shuffle hand the pack to a spectator, asking which he prefers odd or even. If he says odd ask him to think of any odd number from one to fifty. Turn your back instructing the spectator to first cut the pack several times, then count off on the table singly cards to the number thought of and to note the next card. Put this card on those dealt and drop the pack on top of all. Finally he is to cut again.
Take the pack and fan the faces towards yourself, note where two cards of the same color come together. Openly cut at this point so that one goes to the top, the other to the bottom. Run through the cards again and count as you do so until you reach two of the same color together. The first of these will be the noted card and the number that this card is from the bottom indicates the number thought of.
If the spectator has thought of an even number he is to note the top card of the heap on the table instead of the top card of the pack. In this case when you receive the cards instead of cutting when you reach the two cards of the same color, simply jog the second card slightly inwards with the left thumb and continue running over the faces until the second two of the same color is reached, cut at this point, between the two cards, turn the pack face downwards and make a break below the jogged card. Lift the cards above the break, they correspond to the number mentally selected.
Fate And The Joker
JordanEFFECT. A spectator selects a card by thrusting the Joker into a shuffled pack. Performer names the card by merely looking at the Joker.
METHOD. Separate the red cards from the black. Put all the H's and D's together in pairs whose value is fourteen, thus 7D, 7H, KH, AD and so on; J, Q, K, values being eleven, twelve, thirteen. In the same way arrange the S's and C's in pairs of value fourteen. Put the two packets together making a bridge.
To begin, show the pack, cut at the bridge and riffle shuffle the halves slowly and openly calling attention to the genuineness of the shuffle. Remove the Joker, hand it to a spectator and invite him to thrust it into the pack wherever he pleases. This done let him take the card above or the card below the Joker.
Take the pack, turn it face up to remove the Joker and note the card near it which hasn't a mate near it of the same color but opposite suit to make up a total value of fourteen, then subtract its value from fourteen and name the other suit of the same color. For instance you find a 2H alone, the card drawn was the QD.
Psycholia
JordanFROM two packs of cards take out all the low cards from 6 to 2 and discard one set of these entirely. Shuffle one of the thirty-two-card packs thoroughly and then arrange the cards of the second pack in exactly the same order. Place this pack in your pocket. Put the low cards of the other pack on top, bridging the packets.
To begin, show the pack, cut at the bridge and riffle the two packets together slowly, calling attention to the thoroughness of the shuffle. Turn the pack face up and discard the low cards from 6 to 2 so that the cards will be in the same order as those of the pack in your pocket. Let a spectator cut the pack in about two equal piles and you hand the heaps to two persons, noting the bottom card of each as you do so. Now leave the room.
Take out the duplicate pack, cut it to make the face cards the same as those you noted in the spectator's packets. Spread the two packets face up some distance apart. Note which packet contains the AS. Now call to the spectators: 'Have five cards chosen from whichever packet contains the AS and one card from the other packet, note the selected cards and shuffle them into the opposite heaps from which they were drawn. Now put the two heaps together with the AS heap on top. Kindly read aloud the names of the cards as they lie from the top.' As each card is read discard its duplicate from your AS heap. One card will be read which is not in your AS heap. This is the one the spectator removed from his AS heap. Pick it out of your as yet unused heap and keep it separate. Let the reading continue until your AS is reduced to but five cards-these, and the one you have laid aside, are the selected cards.
Announce their names with dramatic effect.
The Wizard's Dream
JordanARRANGE the cards of each suit from A to K in sequence of value, A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, etc. The order of the suits being S, H, C, D. Cut a small card to the face.
Show the pack and put it on the table. Turn away and have a person cut the pack as often as he likes with complete cuts then give it a riffle shuffle and finally tell him to cut the pack about the middle. Invite him to take any card from one heap and put it in the other.
You turn around, take whichever packet he wishes and find the card. The principle is simple, a single dovetail shuffle does not destroy the arrangement, it merely divides the sequence into two strings and by following each of them without regard to the interlying cards any strange card or any missing card can be detected at once.
Diabolical Transposition
JordanEFFECT. Two packs of cards are used and four spectators join in the trick. The first two spectators are each given a pack of cards which they cut several times and then each deals off a packet of twenty-six cards. The first man pockets the lower half of the pack and hands the counted off twenty-six-card packet to one of his neighbors; and the second man does the same. The two assisting neighbors both stand and each fans his packet of twenty-six cards, and proceeds to mentally select any one card. The magician causes these two mentally selected cards to leave the assistants' packets and fly back to the original halves of the packs still in the first two spectators' packets. Upon examination this amazing transposition is found to have taken place, and the packs may be examined without discovering the secret.
METHOD. Using two complete packs of the same back patterns, you thoroughly shuffle one pack and remove twenty-six cards just as they come from the top. Take the duplicate twenty-six cards from the other pack, arrange them in the same order, and place these two duplicate half packs together. Do the same with the other two half packs. Each pack is therefore the complement of the other, i.e.; the twenty-six cards missing from the first arranged pack are in the second arranged pack, and vice versa, and the dealing of twenty-six cards will always leave their duplicates in the hands of the party originally holding them. It is now obvious that, when the procedure described in the first paragraph is followed, no matter what cards the assistants note their duplicates are already in the half packs held by the first two spectators. Before the audience realizes what is about to happen, however, the magician takes back the two (counted off) twenty-six-card packets and boldly switches them, either by the pass or in laying them on the table and the trick is done. Due to this little swindle the selected cards appear to vanish-on command of the magician from their respective packets and are found to have returned to the original halves of the pack still pocketed by the first two spectators. Further examination of both complete packs will give no clue to the mystery.
Card Memory
AnnemannEFFECT. Pack is shuffled, divided in half, one half is chosen by a spectator and read through once to the performer, who then leaves the room but remains within hearing distance. Spectator spreads the cards in a row face up and the performer names the cards in order both ways and names the cards at any numbers or the number of any card.
METHOD. The cards are arranged but the arrangement can vary every time. Separate the black cards from the red, shuffle the reds and spread them face up from left to right. Take the black cards and arrange the values in the same order exactly, but where you have a H in the reds use a C in the blacks and for D's use S's. Therefore supposing the sixth card in the red packet is the JH, you know that the sixth card in the black packet will be the JC and so on. Put the two packets together making a bridge between them.
To begin, show the pack, cut at the bridge and riffle the two packets together, calling attention to the fairness of the shuffle. Say that a full packet makes the effect too lengthy and that you will use half the cards only. Turn pack face up and deal one by one, the reds in one pile, the blacks in the other Turn them face down and have a spectator choose one packet. Carelessly drop the other into your pocket. Have him cut the chosen pile several times and then call the names of the cards to you just once. Listen, pretending intense concentration, but remember the last card only. Leave the room, take the packet from your pocket, cut so that the card corresponding with the last card called by the spectator is at the face thus putting it in exactly the same order as the other packet.
Hold the packet face down and deal them face up and overlapping in a row from left to right, naming each card aloud as you turn it. After every fifth card jog the next five up and down alternately about an inch. After you have called all the cards you can locate any number instantly and call the card at any number named and vice versa.
Sensitive Thoughts
AnnemannTHIS is worked on the same principle as 'Card Memory'.
Arrange a pack exactly in the same way with a bridge between the two sets of reds and blacks.
Show the pack, divide it at the bridge, execute a riffle shuffle and then deal the packets, reds and blacks, just as in the preceding trick. Both packets are in the same order as set up.
Ask a spectator to choose a packet, to think of any number from one to twenty-six and name it. Address a second spectator and tell him he is to take the other packet, run over the faces of the cards and think of any card he may see. As you say this you have picked up the packet and run over the faces as if showing the second man what he is to do, really you locate the card at the number called by the first person. To do this quickly, subtract the number from twenty-six, count as you fan from the face card, and when you reach the number note the next card, which tells you the card in the first packet at the number called. If it is the 7S for instance, you remember the 7D.
The second spectator names his card. Have the first person hold his packet to your forehead as he repeats his number. You name the card, and as he deals face up counting to that card note where the second person's card lies and remember the number. He, in his turn puts the pack to your forehead and you call the number at which his card lies in his packet. If the mate of the card does not appear you must pick up the first packet and quickly continue the count as you show that all the cards are different.
Red And Blue Back Mix-UpAnnemann
EFFECT. The performer announces that a very peculiar affinity exists between cards of the same suit and value. To illustrate this he brings out two packs, one with a blue back, the other a red.
Each pack is snuffled by a member of the audience, then the performer puts the packs together and shuffles the double pack. He drops the cards into a borrowed hat and, holding it above his head, he has each of three people call any number up to ten. He brings out cards one by one, dropping them aside until he comes to the number given by the first person, this card is seen to have a red back and he stands it back outwards against a glass or displays it on an easel. He repeats the process with the second number called, that card proves to have a blue back, and lastly at the third number the card is a blue-backed one.
The three persons are asked to call numbers again and bringing out cards accordingly the first card arrived at is blue. Continuing with the next two numbers the cards come out red and blue. Finally the six cards are turned faces outwards and they are seen to consist of three matched pairs.
METHOD. The whole thing depends upon a mere arrangement of six cards, three taken from each pack. They are arranged 1, 2, 3; 1, 2, 3; red, blue, red, blue, red, blue. This packet is loaded into the hat secretly, ample opportunity for this is afforded while the two packs are being examined and shuffled by the audience.
Two Person Location
AnnemannTHE pack used for this effect of pretended telepathy must be pre-arranged according to any system with which you and your assistant are familiar. Send your assistant out of the room. Give the pack a false shuffle and series of cuts and allow a spectator to make a free selection of the card. Casually cut the pack at the point from which the card was taken. Instructing him to concentrate his thoughts on his card, go to a second person and have him select any card. As you turn back to the first person secretly slip the card that was above the second chosen card to the bottom.
Have the first card pushed back into the pack at any point by the first spectator and square the pack perfectly. Do the same with the second person's card. The pack is taken to the assistant. All he has to do is to note the two bottom cards and take from the pack the two cards that follow these in the system and bring them into the room one in each hand.
NOTE.- You can put the pack in an envelope and fasten the flap before sending the pack to your assistant. He has a duplicate envelope in his pocket. He simply tears the envelope open, takes out the pack, notes the names of the two cards, writes them on the face of his duplicate envelope and puts the pack into it. He fastens the flap and returns to the room. The denouement follows.
Dual Sympathy
AnnemannTWO packs are required, one of which is set up according to any system for the whole pack that you may be familiar with.
By means of the usual equivoque force the unprepared pack on the spectator to shuffle while you false shuffle the set-up pack. Change packs and instruct the spectator to do exactly as you do. Cut your pack several times. He does the same. Take off the top card, look at it, push it into the middle and square the pack. The spectator follows suit. Lift your pack and place it against his forehead, he puts his pack against your 'aching brow' and in doing so gives you a flash of the bottom card. From this you know the card he looked at.
The packs are replaced on the table, cut, and the packs exchanged. The spectator takes his card out and puts it face down. You pretend to take out the card you looked at but really find the card that follows the one you sighted, according to the system. The cards are alike.
See also the chapter 'You'll Do As I Do' Card Mysteries.
Another Sympathetic Mystery
AnnemannTHE effect is that the performer never approaches the spectator, yet he is able to pick out from his pack the duplicate of the card picked by the party himself.
You ask a spectator to hold a pack face down, cut it at any spot and note the card, then to replace the cut and square the pack. While he concentrates on his card, you run over the faces of your pack and finally take out one card. Spectator removes his card. The two cards are the same.
Two stacked packs, same system, are required. When the spectator cuts his pack, note the approximate position at which it is made. When the spectator replaces his cut, start running through your pack at a point as near as you can estimate that his cut was made, so you must come fairly close to the card selected. Because of the system of arrangement the suits rotate and the colors alternate, making the next part easier. You will have to ask a few leading questions as the person thinks of his card. You may say, for instance, 'It's a red card, isn't it ?' or, 'You are thinking of a Heart, aren't you?' If the answer is 'Yes,' take the H nearest on either side, which includes a range of nine cards, and it is next to impossible that you would be that far wrong in making the location. With one query such as 'High or low?' 'Odd or even', 'Spot or picture card?' you have the identity of the card fixed and take it out. Only one or two leads are necessary.
A Quaint Happening
AnnemannTWO packs of cards are provided. A spectator takes one and you take the other. Spectator shuffles his pack, cuts and notes the card cut at. You simply ask the value of the noted card and count off that many cards. The card at that number in your pack proves to be a duplicate of the one noted by the spectator in his pack which you have not even touched.
Both packs have to be arranged. In pack No. 1 take out all the C's and H's and assemble the pack thus: six indifferent cards, thirteen H's and C's, in any order, thirteen indifferent cards, thirteen H's and C's, seven indifferent cards. Put the pack back in its case.
Pack No. 2: Take the H's and the C's and arrange them from the A to the K in sequence. Face the remainder of the cards and put the H's on one side, the C's on the other, replace this pack in its case also and remember on which side the suits are.
Show the two packs and have the spectator hand you one. If he gives you No. 2, let him take No. 1. If he selects No. 1, remove it from its case and give it to him. Tell him to cut the pack and riffle the halves together which will bring all the H's and C's to the middle of the pack. When he cuts about the middle he must get a H or a C. One question, 'You are thinking of a red card,' and the answer gives you all the information you need. You know how to remove your pack from its case so that the proper side is uppermost. Ask the spectator to tell you the value of his card. Suppose he says 'Five'. Count off the cards from the top of your pack and hold the fifth card face down. He names the card he looked at in his pack and you turn over the card you hold.
£1,000 Test Card LocationYOU hand a pack of cards to a spectator and ask him to mix them well. He is then to square them up, make one complete cut, look at the top card of the pack and push this card into the pack so that it is lost. The pack is put on your outstretched hand and you name the selected card.
The method is not absolutely sure-fire but if it fails you repeat and it has never failed on the second trial so far. The pack is pre-arranged in the system you prefer. When you hand it to be shuffled and as soon as the spectator begins to shuffle say, 'When you have them mixed, square the cards up on your left hand. Ready?' This is an innocent way of hurrying him and cutting the shuffle short. He cuts, completes the cut, looks at the top card and thrusts it into the pack.
What has happened is this, the complete chain of the stacked sequence has been broken but there are now a number of packets of cards that are still stacked and the shorter the shuffle the more cards there will be in each bunch. After the cut, which the chances are will be made in one of these bunches, you have simply to sight the bottom card and name the card that follows it in the sequence of the system.
You will be correct at least 80 per cent of the time but if it fails hand the pack back and try again. The odds are very big against a second failure.
Seeing With The Fingertips
AlbrightNo. 1. Lip-Reading Test
The pack in use must be a pre-arranged one, a switch being made with the ordinary pack of similar backs.Allow a spectator to make a free selection of one card from the set-cup pack. Cut the pack and sight the bottom card. Proceed to name the chosen card from it by pretended lip-reading with the tips of the fingers. Patter about the facility with which deaf people, by simply placing their fingertips to a person's lips, can understand what is being said and continue with: 'Please whisper softly under your breath the name of your card and 1 will attempt to tell what you are saying by feeling your lips.' Place your fingertips to his lips and name the card.
No. 2. Here's Your Card
Continue with the same pack after making a false shuffle or at least several cuts. Invite someone to call the name of any card. Point out that no one can possibly know just where it lies in the pack. Glimpse the top and bottom cards and calculate its exact position by the system. Have someone blindfold you. Take the cards off the pack one by one pretending to read the index of each with your fingertips. When you reach the card announce it dramatically.No. 3. The Master's Touch
In gathering up the cards after the last trick, reset the pack and continue as follows:After false shuffling the pack and having it cut several times with complete cuts, borrow an envelope and hand it with a pencil and a pad to a spectator. Approach another person, fan the pack behind your back and ask him to take out a group of cards, half a dozen or so in a bunch. Say, 'Don't look at them yet, just have them put in the envelope without even counting them and seal the envelope.' While this is being done, cut the cards so that the card just above the packet removed becomes the bottom card of the pack. This bottom card indicates where you are to start when naming the cards in the envelope, while the top card gives the clue for the card to stop it.
Have someone genuinely blindfold you this time since all the information necessary has already been acquired. Touch the envelope with your fingertips and ask the spectator holding the pad and pencil to be ready to jot down the names of the cards as you call them. When you call the last card ask how many you have named, say it is six. Pretend to weigh the envelope carefully and then declare the number is right.
Have the cards taken out, their names called and verified.
Perfect Card Divination
AlbrightTHE effect is that a spectator simply thinks of a card. He does not touch a card or write anything. The performer gets the very card thought of.
The pack is pre-arranged thus in groups of six and seven cards:
1. AH 7C SS JD 9D 3D 2. JH 10C 2S 6S 7D 3C 3. 6C 4C 7H 5D 6D QD 4. 9H 8S 10S JC 10D QS 5. 6H 2H 8D 5C 5H AD KD 6. 9C 2D 8C JS KS AC 4S 7. QC 9S QH KC 2C 3H 3S 8. 8H KH 4H 7S 4D AS 10H In order to assist the spectator in making a mental picture of his card, take off the first group of six, show them and ask spectator to say 'Yes' or 'No', if he sees a card of the same value as his card. Do the same with the following three sets of six cards. Each of these groups has a value, 1, 2, 4 and 8. Add the value every time he says 'Yes'. J is eleven, Q twelve and if he says 'No' four times his card must be a K.
The next four groups of seven cards are to determine the suit. They represent S's, H's, D's and C's. When he says 'No' to a group then the suit that group represents is the suit of his card.
You don't look at the faces of any cards, just drop them aside after being looked at by the spectator. By switching the pack you can introduce the feat at any time.
Unique Telephone Test
AlbrightA SPECTATOR just thinks of a friend and mentally recalls his telephone number and name. In order to have several persons concentrate have him write it down and show it to them. From a shuffled pack placed in his pocket, the performer removes cards one at a time, placing certain cards aside face down. Spectator calls the phone number and the cards are turned one by one revealing it. Performer then announces the name.
The shuffled pack is switched for a pre-arranged pack by means of the pocket switch or by any other method you prefer while the phone number and name are obtained by using Baker's notebook, or Armenian's Mental Masterpiece, or any other means at your disposal.
Knowing the number, you have simply to take the cards off the set-up pack in your pocket and each time a card of the required number is reached lay it aside face down. By starting a new heap each time a card is reached the pack can be kept in order for other tricks with the arranged pack.
The name you simply pretend to get by telepathy.
Psychological Discernment
AlbrightEFFECT. Any card thought of revealed. A shuffled pack placed in performer's pocket, the cards brought out one by one, stopping on the card thought of.
METHOD. Having divined the name of a thought of card by the method explained in 'Perfect Card Divination', or in any other way at your disposal, switch the pack for a pre-arranged pack in putting it in your coat pocket. Then bring the cards out one by one and stop dramatically when you have the right card in your hand.
Another ImpossibilityTWO packs are required. In one, which we will call A, the top ten cards are arranged in the Si Stebbins order as follows:
AD, 4C, 7H, 10S, KD, 3C, 6H, 9S, QD, 2C.From pack B remove the corresponding ten cards and place them at intervals of five cards throughout the pack. Thus the AD' s will be the fifth card, 4C's the tenth card and so on. Put this pack on your table, hidden by a handkerchief.
Thus prepared, show pack A and spread the faces showing them all different, then execute the overhand jog shuffle, followed by a riffle shuffle and several false cuts, keeping the top ten cards intact. Fan out the top ten cards widely and ask a spectator to mentally select a card. This done hand him the pack and let him shuffle it thoroughly. Take pack and apparently put it on table as you pick up the handkerchief, really dropping it into a well and bringing the prepared pack to light, or use any other switch you may prefer.
Have the handkerchief folded and tied over your eyes. Take the cards off the pack in batches of five and show the faces to the spectator, repeating to yourself the name of the special card in each set of five. When finally the spectator sees his card and removes it you know its name and you can name it in the usual hesitating way, as if the mental impressions were coming through by degrees.
Count The Cut
JordanTHE pack is arranged in the Si Stebbins order. In the right-hand upper waistcoat pocket place eight cards of any suits from a pack with backs of the same pattern as the stacked pack, as follows: A, 2, 4, 8, K, 3, 10, K.
To begin, execute a false shuffle and have the pack cut several times with complete cuts. Finally ask a spectator to cut off a packet and put the cards in his pocket, doing it in such a way that no one can even make a rough estimate of the number of cards taken. Pick up the lower part of the cut and, in putting it in your inside coat pocket you easily sight the bottom and top cards from which you calculate just how many cards were cut.
Announce that you will draw out cards haphazardly whose total spot values will indicate the number of cards cut. The cards you produce come from your waistcoat pocket and with these you can make any total that is necessary. It is only necessary to remember the order in which they stand in your pocket.
A Discard Trick
JordanTHIS trick is designed to follow the 'Count the Cut' trick just explained.
Have the extra cards used for showing the total, in your left hand and with that hand remove the cards from your breast pocket leaving the extra ones behind. Put the pack together in its arranged order. Cut the pack, then have a spectator cut about one-third of the pack, note the next card, place it on the cut-off portion and bury there by placing on it about half the remainder of the pack. He notes the next card also, putting it on top and the rest of pack on top of all.
Instruct him to deal seven heaps, face down, a card at a time. Next to reassemble the pack but putting the last heap on the next to the left, these two on the next and so on. There will be three cards left over, glimpse the bottom one, it is the card that originally lay over the first card the spectator noted. That gives you the first card. To find the second card have him deal the pack into six heaps in the same way as before. There will be one card left over, sight it and since it is the card that originally lay below the second selected card, you are now able to reveal the cards as you please.
Cremo Card Restoration
JordanTHE trick depends on a subtle method of forcing a card. A duplicate card is required, suppose it is a 9D. Arrange the bottom eighteen cards in the manner following, X representing an indifferent card, and D any indifferent D.
D, X, X, X, D, X, X, X, D, X, X, 9D, X, 9C, X, 9H, X, X.Place the duplicate 9D near the top of the pack.
Begin by making a false shuffle, not disturbing the stacked cards. Hand the pack to a spectator, telling him to think of a number from ten to fifty-two and then cut the pack into two piles. Force the selection of the packet that formed the bottom of the pack and have him count it, thereby reversing the order of the cards. On the pretense that his packet may not have a sufficient number of cards have him transfer four cards at random from the other packet to the top of the packet he has chosen. The choice of the packet, the counting and this transfer of cards makes it seem impossible there could be any pre-arrangement. Ask him now to name the number he has mentally selected. When he names it calculate the number of letters in its spelling.
If it is an odd number instruct him to deal a card for each letter, look at the card at the last letter and remember its value, then repeat the spelling and note the last letter card as the suit. If it spells with an even number of letters tell him to turn the next card. This process it will be seen, from the formula above, infallibly forces the 9D. Instruct him then to shuffle the whole pack and deal face up until he comes to the card, the 9D, then to put the pack in his pocket, tear the card into small pieces and hand them to you. Wrap them in a piece of tissue paper, vanish them by palming or switching for a packet of flash paper which you touch off with a lighted cigarette. He takes the pack from his pocket and in it he finds the 9D restored.
Strange Coincidence
JordanARRANGE an ordinary pack thus: any four court cards, four 5's, four 9's, four 8's, four 7's, four 6's, four A's, four 2's, four 3's, four 4's, 4 court cards, four 10's, four court cards.
Ask two spectators to call two numbers, the first to name a number between ten and twenty-five. If it is divisible by four tell the second person to name a number between twelve and seventeen; if, however, there is a remainder of one after such division give him thirteen and eighteen; if a remainder of 2, give him fourteen and nineteen; if oh- of three give him fifteen and twenty. By this ruse no matter what number the first party chooses, the spots on the card there plus those on the card at the second person's number invariably total ten. Deal down to the numbers called and put the cards aside face down. Replace the dealt cards on the top and ask a third person to call any number over four. If his number is five, six, seven or eight you have ten at each of them by dealing from the bottom. If he gives a larger number than eight, simply draw back one of the tens until the number is reached. Place the ten face up alongside the other two cards. Turn them over and show that the combined spots also total ten.
When drawing the cards from the bottom, deal them face down if you have to go beyond the first ten.
Premier Book Test
AnnemannSOME preparation is necessary. First remove two A's, then set up all the other cards, regardless of suits, so that any two cards taken together from anywhere in the pack will have values totaling fourteen or fifteen. For example--7, 8, 6, 9, 5, 10, 4, J, 3, Q, 2, K, A, K, and so on. The pack us course, can be cut indefinitely without upsetting the arrangement. Put the pack in its case with the two A's on the top. Open the book to be used in the experiment at pages fourteen-fifteen. On the inside front cover of a small, end-opening notebook write in two columns the first thirteen words from pages fourteen and fifteen, and put the book in your pocket.
To present the feat, remove the cards from the case and leave the two A's inside. Place the pack down beside the book and ask a spectator to step up. Ask him to cut the pack several times, then cut again, take the two cards cut at, and take them and the book to a far corner. Tell him to add the values of the two cards and open the book at the corresponding page.
Invite a second person to take the pack, thoroughly shuffle it, spread the cards face down on the table and turn up any one he wishes. He calls out the value of the card to the man with the book who is told to count to the word at that number on the selected page and memorize the word. You know the page as soon as he begins counting, the even numbered page being always on the left, odd on the right. Take out your notebook and a glance at the inside cover as you open it gives you the word. Write it on the first page, tear this out, fold it and give it to the second spectator to hold. The first man calls the word and the second man reads your writing.
Between The Lines
AnnemannTHIS is considered to be one of the cleverest book tests with a pack of cards ever devised. It is simple yet effective.
An ordinary book novel is used, plus a pack of cards stacked in the Si Stebbins order of A, 4, 7, 10, K, 3, 6, 9, Q, 2, 5, 8, J, A, 4, 7, etc.; with suits rotating.
Start by giving the pack a false shuffle or several straight cuts. Put the pack on the table with the book and walk away. While your back is turned you direct a spectator. Tell him to give the pack a complete cut. Then say, 'Better give it another.' Continue, 'Now hold the pack in your hand and deal three cards in a face-up row from left to right from the top of the pack. These cards are going to indicate a page and word in the book. By the way, are there any picture cards among the three?'
If the spectator says 'YES,' you say, 'They're too confusing. Push those three cards away and deal three more the same way. Are there any picture cards there now?' Suppose he says 'No'.
You go on, 'Look at the first two cards. If they are a six and a seven, open the book to page 67. If they are a five and a two, open the book to page 52.'
'You have it? Now look at that last or third card. I want you to start at the top of the page you have and count across on the top line to the word at that number. If it is a three, count to the third word. If an eight, count to the eighth word.
'Now turn the cards on the table face down so I can't see them, and keep your finger on the word you have located.' At this point you turn around, and proceed to reveal the word.
This effect can be got only through the use of a Si Stebbins' stack and no other. There are only four possible combinations of three cards without pictures, A-4-7, 4-7-10, 2-5-8, 3-6-9.
Therefore you previously have looked up and memorized four words, the seventh word on page 14, the eighth word on page 25, the ninth word on page 36, the tenth word on page 47. A good method is to write the words on the left thumbnail. Two of these page numbers are even and two are odd. When you turn around and note spectator holding book with his finger on a word, you know it is an odd or even page because all even numbered pages of all books are on the left and all odd numbered pages of all books are on the right when book is opened before you. Therefore you are immediately down to two words. Start by giving the first letter of one of the two words. If right, continue. If wrong, say, 'Well, the last letter is And you name the last letter of the OTHER word, and spell out the word backwards. Whenever a spectator deals three times on table and has a picture card each time, the fourth or next deal of three will always be A-4-7. In such a case you don't even have to turn around, but can name the word immediately. If you get used to a book you can also judge which of the two words it is as the odd numbers are twenty-two pages apart and the evens twenty-two pages apart too. A book of sixty to eighty pages will be found perfect for this effect.
Fathomed Thought
AnnemannEFFECT. A spectator cuts off a portion of the pack and takes the next three cards for himself. He adds the values of these cards and opens a book at the page of the same number as the total arrived at. He notes the value of the highest card of the three and counts to the word at that number from the top of the page. The performer announces that very word.
METHOD. Stack the pack in the Si Stebbins order. There are only thirteen possible combinations of the values of three consecutive cards as shown by the following table. The card represents the card above the three removed by the spectator after he cuts, and you sight this as you assemble the pack following the cut.
Card Page Word Card Page Word Ace 21 10 Eight 16 11 Two 24 11 Nine 18 12 Three 27 12 Ten 22 13 Four 30 13 Jack 12 7 Five 20 11 Queen 15 8 Six 23 12 King 18 9 Seven 26 13 Use a small pad about three inches by five. Along the top edge write as small as possible the thirteen values and the words which you have taken from the book to be used. When the spectator cuts the pack and removes three cards, reassemble the pack and sight the bottom card. Take out the pad and pencil and note the word in the list. As soon as the page and the word have been found, write it on the lower half of the top sheet of pad, tear off the half-sheet, fold it and give it to be held by a second spectator. Have the word read aloud by the first spectator, then the second man opens your slip and reads the same word.
Winning The CutARRANGE a pack in two packets each containing two A's, two 2's, two 3's, two 4's, and so on, up to two K's.
To begin, false shuffle and false cut, then cut the pack at the two K's which you can easily spot since you pretend to be anxious to cut the pack as near as possible into two equal portions. Have a spectator choose one heap, you take the other. Tell him to shuffle his packet while you shuffle yours, falsely of course.
The packets are placed on the table and you invite the spectator to cut and show the card cut at. Seeing this card, and knowing the arrangement of your cards, you can with a little judgment always cut a higher card than his. Contrive if you can to beat him by one spot, or if he cuts an A, you also cut an A.
Finish by exchanging packs, each shuffling again. In shuffling locate an A and hold a break, or jog a card. You both cut once more and again you win. Cards can now be examined and nothing suspicious can be found.
Wizard's Will
JordanPREARRANGE a pack of cards in any order that you are thoroughly familiar with. False shuffle if you can, if not have a spectator cut as often as he pleases, each time completing the cut. In taking the pack sight the bottom card, from which you know the top card. Deal the cards face down in rows of irregular length, remembering the first card and, by going through the formula as you deal, memorize also the first card of each row.
Now name any card you please and tell the spectator that you will make him select that very card. Invite him to touch a card. Whatever card he touches you know what it is by its position in the arrangement. Pick up the card and lay it aside, not looking at it nor letting anyone else see what it is. Have him touch another card as you name the one just put aside. Continue for three or four cards in just the same way, but if by chance the spectator happens to touch the card you called first, stop right there, turn the cards over and show that he has picked out the very cards you called for.
If, however, he does not touch that card, you do so yourself, calling it whatever the last card may have been. With this card scoop up the packet of cards laid aside, turn the cards face up and they will be in the exact order called.
Card Divination
VernonARRANGE the top twenty-six cards of any pack thus: KC, 9C, 5H, 4D, 3S, 2C, 6C, 2S, 4H, JS, AS, 9H, QH. 6S, 7C, 10C, AH, AC, 10H, 4S, 7S, JD, QD, 8S, 5D, 8D.
False shuffle keeping top stack intact. Hand pack to spectator and instruct him to lift off about half the cards and return whichever portion he wishes. If top half is returned, fan the cards for him to make a mental choice of one card. If the lower half is returned use it to show spectator how he must fan his packet in order to mentally choose a card. Selection is always from top packet.
Replace arranged packet on top and shuffle thus; undercut about one-third of cards, injog first card and shuffle on top. Under cut to injog, run seven cards, injog eighth and throw balance on top. Square up making break below jogged card. Cut the pack at break and put the packets on the palms of spectator's outstretched hands. For description of injog see chapter on 'Indispensable Sleights'.
Ask spectator to name his card. The instant the card is named you are able to give instructions for him to find it in the most convincing way. There are twenty-six possible selections and each one is located in a different manner. A careful study of the table below and a few trials will show the simplicity of the proceedings.
Always place the top half on the spectator's left hand. The bottom card of this packet is 2S, top card 4H. Top card of the other heap 6C, and bottom card an indifferent one not used. These three cards are indicators to locate card spectator selects, except in case of a few which are spelt out. If either of these happens to be taken you force the heap and reveal it. For the twenty-three other cards proceed thus:
Seventeen cards are on spectator's left hand, they will be referred to as the right-hand heap since they are on your right hand, the other six are on top of the other cards, call it the left-hand pile.
Right-hand heap. To locate card.
The remaining cards of this heap spell out either on the final 'S', or by turning the next card. For the last three spell THE.
- JS. Show the 2 spot on bottom of R. heap, count down two.
- KS. Do as above, but turn the next card.
- 9H. Show 4 spot on R. heap, count down four.
- QH. same, but show the next card.
- 6S. Show 6 spot on top L. heap, count down six.
- 7C. do the same, but show next card.
- 10C. Spell out TEN CLUBS.
- AH. Spell out ACE HEARTS.
Left-hand heap. To locate card:
- 2C. Show 2 spot at bottom of R. heap, count down two.
- 3C. Do the same, but show next card.
- 4D. Show 4 spot of R. heap, count down four.
- 5H. Do the same, but show the next card.
- 9C. Show 6 spot top of L. heap, count down six.
- KC. Do the same, but turn next card.
The list is simple in practice. Do not attempt to memorize it, simply use it as a guide until various combinations have become familiar. It is very effective to have two cards thought of by different persons and locate both at the same time, very often the spots on one card will locate the other.
Double Divino
JordanUSE two packs which have similar back patterns. From each you discard the same two cards of the same value, suit and color, as for instance, the 2S and the 2C. Shuffle one pack and then place the cards of the second pack in exactly the same order. Put the two together making one large pack of 100 cards. If you can false shuffle and false cut this enlarged pack it will strengthen the effect, but in any case a series of straight cuts should be made. Next deal the cards into four face-down piles, one card at a time with the fifth card falling on No. 1; the sixth on No. 2; and so on until there are four piles of twenty-five cards each. Let the spectator choose a heap; if he takes No. 1, you pick up No. 3 and vice versa.
The same rules will then apply as in the preceding version but in this case you can actually produce the same card. After working one of the effects with two packets, put them aside and let the spectator take one of the remaining two, while you take the other. Place your packet behind your back and cut it to bring the cards in the exact order of the spectator's packet. Instruct him to lay his cards out in a face-down row and then to push forward any two or three cards he pleases. From your packet, behind your back, you bring forward the same two cards placing them opposite the spectator's cards. Each pair is then turned up and prove to be the same cards.
The Missing Pair
JordanFOR this a new unopened pack of Bicycle cards must be used. These come packed with the Joker at the face, followed by the court cards, then C's, H's, D's and S's. Open the case, take out the cards, discard the Joker and false shuffle. If you cannot do that, then make a series of quick cuts. Hand the pack to spectator who also cuts (complete cuts) as often as he pleases. Instruct him then to deal the cards into four face down piles, to choose one and shuffle it. Tell him to examine it and if it happens to contain any 2-spot cards of the same value, to pocket them, if not to take any one of the other packets until he finds a pair. This last is a bit of misdirection, there are pairs in every pile.
Pick up the pile from which he has removed a pair and note the C's left, from these you at once know the value of the C taken and therefore the card taken with it. After the cards are dealt into piles, the A, 5, and 9 of C and D, will always be in one heap, the 2, 6, 10, in another, the 3, 7, in a third and the 4, 8, in the fourth. The C and D are the only spot cards that can be paired by the deal.
NOTE.- Better run through the cards and see that the cards are stacked in the order given.
Premier Card Discovery
JordanARRANGE the pack beforehand thus, counting from the top: fourteen odd cards, twelve even, fourteen odd and the last twelve even cards. Count the Q's as even cards and the J's and K's odd, discard the Joker, and mix the suits in any order. Spread the cards and no set order will be noticeable. Invite a spectator to cut about the middle and riffle shuffle. Tell him to shuffle so that everyone can see it is thorough (the more evenly the cards fall the better). The central part of the upper half of the pack will consist of odd cards only and the central portion of the lower half will be made up of even cards.
Invite the spectator to divide the pack into two heaps about even. take one card from the center of either heap, note what it is and place it in the middle of the other heap. The cards are dealt face up and you simply have to watch for an odd card in a series of even cards, or an even card in a run of odd ones. Having spotted the card you can reveal it as you please.
Location
LaneDURING the course of other tricks an opportunity can easily be found to get four cards of the same value to the top. Say, for instance, you have got the four J's to that position. Riffle shuffle, leaving them there and have the pack cut. Complete the cut but keep the tip of your little finger between the two portions. Spread the pack, keeping the four J's in the most prominent position, and force one of them. Let it be replaced in another part of the pack, square it up and have the spectator shuffle. On running through the pack you find the J that is by itself and reveal the card in any way you please.
With the same set-up you can allow any card to be drawn, then dividing the pack between the four J's have the card replaced at that point. Shuffle the cards yourself so that you do not disturb the middle cards and let the spectator cut as often as he wishes. You can locate the card at will.
A Simple LocationTHE necessary pre-arrangement in this case is very simple. Have all thirteen cards of one suit together in the middle. Have a card selected from either the upper or the lower portion of the pack, and see that it is replaced amongst the center thirteen cards of the one suit. The pack may be cut with complete cuts as often as desired, and you have only to run through the pack to find the odd card amongst the thirteen.
This can just as easily be worked by having a card drawn from amongst the arranged thirteen, and replaced amongst the other cards either above or below. After the cutting you have only to look for the single card of the set suit, or run through the remaining twelve to see which is missing.
Out Of Sight
LarsenTHE pack used must be pre-arranged according to a system with which you are familiar. False shuffle and false cut, or if unable to do that, simply have the pack cut as often as desired, completing the cut each time. Turn your back and, holding the cards behind you, allow a spectator to remove one as you push the cards from the left hand to the right. Split the pack at the point at which the card is taken and, turning slightly towards the spectator say, 'Please look at the card but give me no chance of seeing it.' This action will take the cards behind your back momentarily out of range of the spectator's vision and you push off into the right hand the card that was above the chosen card, that is, the lowest of the cards now in your right hand.
As you again turn your back squarely to the spectator, bring your right hand in front of your body. A glance at the palmed card will tell you the name of the selected card, it being the next in the order. You may drop the palmed card into a waistcoat pocket or add it to the top of the pack in taking the cards from your left hand. Take back the chosen card and slip it under the top card, the pack will again be in the set order ready for further tricks depending upon it.
Prophesied Discovery
LarsenBEFOREHAND separate the red and black suits of a pack. Sort fifteen red cards in the following groups from the face towards the back:
10; 9, A; 3, A, 6; 4, K, 2, 4; J, 2, 5, Q, 3.Ignoring the court cards, the spot cards in each group add to ten. Note the tenth card from the face of the packet of black cards, say it is the AC, and write that on a slip of paper. Place the two packets together and you are ready.
Show the slip with the prediction and put it face down on the table. Cut the pack at the color division and riffle shuffle very openly. Hand the pack to a spectator asking him to sort out the black cards from the red. He will naturally do this holding the pack face up and dealing the cards also face up, thus when the sorting is completed and the packets are turned face down, the AC will be the tenth card of the black pile; and the first fifteen cards of the red pile will consist of the arranged cards. Let the spectator choose either heap. If he chooses the black, hand it to him to hold; if he takes the red, pick it up and deal one card by itself, then separate piles of two, three, four and five cards. Now have him choose any heap and add the values of the spot cards. Due to the pre-arrangement, he must arrive at ten. On dealing to that number from the top of the black pile he turns up the AC, which conforms with the prediction previously written on the slip you put on the table.
From Another Pack
LarsenTWO packs are necessary. Prearrange one pack in four series of thirteen cards running from the A to the K from the bottom upwards, without regard to suits. From the second pack take the four K's, arrange them in order C, H, S, D, and put them in your right-hand outside pocket. Thus prepared hand the ordinary pack to a spectator to shuffle while you false shuffle the arranged pack. Both packs are then placed on the table side by side and the spectator selects one. Interpret his choice so that he gets the arranged pack. The other is laid aside. Instruct the spectator that while your back is turned he is to cut the pack and complete the cut; then cut off a packet and turn it face up on the table, note the card on its face, take the remainder of the pack and deal cards face down on the table to the number denoted by its value and note that card. He is to count a J as eleven, a Q as twelve and a K as thirteen. Thus if he cuts a 3, he must deal three cards, if a Q, twelve cards and so on. This done his count will always end on a K. You will have to get the color and suit by leading questions, having these, you name the card in full.
Have the other pack shuffled and then drop it into your pocket joining the four K's. Knowing the order in which these are you can produce the right one instantly.
Divino
JordanFROM any full pack of cards throw out two of the same color and value but of differing suits, say for instance the 6D and 6H. Put these aside, fifty cards only being used in the trick. Sort these into their suits in any order, and then place the C's and the H's together in one packet and shuffle them thoroughly. Spread the cards face up on the table and sort the S's and the D's into exactly the same order as the C-H packet and put the packets together.
To present the trick, let the spectators cut the pack as often as they please but see that each cut is completed. Then have a spectator deal the cards into two face-down piles, a card at a time in each packet, and select either heap. If he takes the heap on the first card dealt, cut the other heap which you pick up at the thirteenth card and place these at the bottom. The cards of the same value and the same color will now lie in exactly the same order in each packet, that is, if the 6D is the top card of your packet, then the 6H is the top card of the spectator's pile. If, however, he takes the No. 2 packet you must cut off twelve cards and put them at the bottom of your pile to attain the same result. When the spectator names any number between one and twenty-five and looks at that card in his packet you have merely to look at the card occupying the same number in your packet and you instantly know the card he's looking at. (His card will be the same value and color but the other suit.) You can now reveal it in various ways, such as:
If the spectator keeps his cards in the same order when counting to the number he chooses the trick can be repeated.
- The spectator having called a number and noted his card, find the matching card and note it secretly. Have both packets shuffled, put together and the pack placed in your pocket. Draw the cards out one at a time until you reach the selected card, throw it face down on the table, have card named and turn it over.
- After the number is called turn away and find the card in your packet. You may then reveal it simply as a mental feat.
- A number having been called by the spectator and your packet cut to bring both in sequence, both deal cards face down in unison and stop at the chosen number ... the cards are the same value and color.
- The packet may also be left in the same order as dealt. In that case a very simple calculation will determine at what number the card he calls will lie in your packet, since you know that the fourteenth card of your packet will be of the same color and suit; if he chose the other packet your thirteenth card will match the top card of his packet. When he has found the card at the number he called, deal cards face up from your packet to show they are well mixed, until you have passed several cards beyond the matching card. Gather them up and name his card in any dramatic way you please.
- Having sighted the matching card, have the two packets put together and the whole pack shuffled by the spectator. Afterwards run over the faces towards him to prove that the card is still in the pack, and so regain control of it, producing it as you desire.
The value of this trick and all others depending on a set-up is greatly enhanced if the pack which has been in use for several tricks, and which has been freely handled and shuffled by the spectators, is switched for the arranged pack.
Williams' Card TrickBEFOREHAND arrange a pack of cards so that every second card from the top is a H, thus; the second card, the fourth card, the sixth card and so on are all H's, running from the A up to the 10. In your right-hand coat pocket have a set of duplicate H cards in the same order. Ask a spectator to call a number between one and twenty-one. If it is an even number ask him to count down and look at the card at that number, but if an odd number is called, tell him to deal to that number and look at the next card, and then shuffle the pack. In the meantime, standing at case with both hands in your trousers pockets, you have ample time to count to the duplicate of the chosen card and palm it in your right hand.
Throw your handkerchief over your right hand, take the pack back in your left hand and lay it on the handkerchief just over the palmed card. Turn your hand so that the pack is upright and facing the front. Fold the back of the handkerchief over to the front, then fold it back on both sides of the pack so that the card at the back is securely held. Grasp the fabric by the four corners and the folds, letting the pack hang down in the improvised bag. With a little shaking the card will be freed from the folds and gradually appear, seeming to come through the fabric.
Red Or BlackFOR this trick it is best to use a new pack of Bicycle cards, preferably of the air-cushion finish, with white border. Sort out the black and the red cards. Place a red card and a black card back to back and continue this arrangement with all of the cards, so that all the black cards are face upwards and the red cards face downwards. Show the pack fanned, it will appear to consist of all black cards, the backs of the red cards will not show, partly owing to the white borders and partly because the backs tend to stick together and do not slip as perfectly as the face surfaces.
Square the pack, covering the cards with the right hand and holding the face card only with it. Now drop the left hand about an inch carrying with it the rest of the cards, and. slip the tip of the left thumb under the outer side of the pack and rapidly turn it over sideways. Take off the face card with the right hand, blow on it and put it on the bottom. Again spread the pack, this time the red cards only will show.
Excello Card DiscoverySORT out the pack into its four suits, the cards in haphazard order, making one pile for each suit. Assemble the pack by picking one card from each packet in rotation. When you present the trick make a false shuffle and cuts if possible, if not, make a series of straight cuts. Have a card freely selected but keep the two parts of the pack separated at that point. Push four cards from the top of the bottom portion over to the right and hold the division at that point. Divide the pack here for the return of the chosen card. It will be, therefore, four cards lower in the pack than it was originally.
Let the spectator make as many complete cuts as he likes. To find the card, run over the faces and when you come to two cards of the same suit together, the one nearest the face of the pack will be the card. You can bring it to the top or bottom by cutting and then deal with it as you please.
Naming Chosen CardBEFOREHAND place all the even cards at the bottom of the pack, counting the Q's as even cards, J's and K's as odd. Memorize the bottom card. You give a spectator the following instructions-he is to cut about one-third of the pack, note the card at the bottom of the cards so cut, riffle shuffle the cut cards into the remainder of the pack and then cut the pack with complete cuts several times.
When you return you have merely to run through the pack face up and find the card which is the first odd card above you key card, that is the original bottom card of the pack.
Psychic Card Test
AnnemannTWO slates, two pieces of chalk and a stacked pack is required for this trick.
False shuffle and cut the pack if you can, if not simply make a series of quick cuts with the pack in your hands in position for shuffling. Spread the pack on the table in as long a row as you can manage. Have a spectator draw a card from the line and note the spot it is taken from. Tell him to take one of the slates and piece of chalk, go to a distant part* of the room and draw a rough picture of his card. In the meantime you have casually picked up the cards, first the part of the row above the spot from which he took a card and then gathered up the rest, using these as a scoop. A glimpse of the bottom card allows you to calculate what card the spectator took. Place the pack aside, pick up the other slate and also draw a rough picture of that card. The whole effect depends upon the presentation.
A Card And A Number
BakerTWO packs are required and both must be arranged in the same order such as the Si Stebbins or the 'Eight Kings, etc.'. Have both packs in their cases and allow a free choice of either. Hand the chosen pack to a spectator to place in his pocket. Ask another person to call any number from one to fifty-two. Suppose twenty-three is called. Break the pack as near to that number as you can estimate, a glance at the bottom card at the break will at once give you the position of the twenty-third card. You will rarely be more than two or three cards away from it. Proceed to force this twenty-third card on a second spectator.
You announce that you will show a strange effect of sympathy between the two packs, by making the same card as that chosen to locate itself at the very number called in the pack which was placed in a spectator's pocket before the number was called. The spectator takes the pack from his pocket, counts down to the number called and finds there the duplicate of the chosen card.
The trick is very effective and the ideal system to use for it is Nikola's for two reasons: the cards are known by their numbers in the pack and the pack can be shown and handled freely since the cards are not in any recognizable order, that is to the layman.
Mediumistic Stunt No. 1
Si StebbinsPACK is handed to a spectator with a request to turn his back and cut wherever he pleases. He is then to deal as many cards as he pleases, stopping at any card whatsoever; he is to look at this card and note what it is, then put it face down on the table and deal four cards on it. These five cards he mixes together and then hands them to you.
To find the card you look for two cards of the same suit amongst the five and name the higher one. The pack has been set up in the Si Stebbins order, each card being three points higher than the preceding one and the suits being in
Mediumistic Stunt. No. 2
Si StebbinsTHE pack is set up in the Si Stebbins order. Make a false shuffle and execute several false cuts. Invite a spectator to take out a bunch of cards, all at once, from any part of the pack. He is now to take one and lay the rest aside. This card is sealed in the innermost of a nest of three envelopes which you hand to him. While this is being done you reassemble the pack by placing the remainder of the spectator's bunch of cards on the pack, which you had cut at the point at which he removed them. A glance at these will tell you which card is missing from the sequence.
Go to a second spectator and have him draw a card. By cutting at the point from which it was drawn and sighting the bottom card of the upper packet you know the card he holds and so proceed to read his mind. Replace his card on the top of the bottom packet and return to the first person. Let him place the nest of envelopes on your left hand and with the usual hesitation get the color, suit and value of his card.
Open the envelope, show the card and replace this card in its proper position-the pack will again be in order.
SystemBEFOREHAND the pack is arranged in the 'Eight Kings, etc.' order, but each of the four suits is arranged separately. Put the pack in its case and hand it thus to a spectator when you are about to present the trick. Instruct him that he is to remove the pack from the case, cut it into two portions and riffle shuffle them carefully, once only, select one card from each heap and have their names noted. He is then to riffle shuffle the two packets together. square the pack and replace the two cards in it anywhere he pleases, either together or separately, and place the pack on the table. While this is being done you turn your back or leave the room. Be sure that the spectator thoroughly understands what he is to do.
When you turn around or re-enter the room, you take the pack, run over the faces of the cards and pick out the two chosen ones. You are enabled to do this infallibly because when the four suits are segregated the first riffle shuffle distributes the cards of each suit throughout half the pack in the same order and the second shuffle sends them throughout the pack still in the same order. Therefore if the intervening cards are removed each suit will be found in the original 'Eight Kings, etc.' order. To find the selected cards follow each suit through the pack; the two cards out of place will be the selected cards.
The Knockout
Clayton BrownEFFECT. Two ordinary packs of cards are introduced and shuffled. One is temporarily placed upon the table, while the performer takes the other and has three cards freely selected by as many spectators, who immediately place the cards in their pockets without even looking at them. The performer's assistant is then introduced as the medium and is handed the other pack from the table. Without a word from anybody, she immediately locates the selected cards. The first pack is left in the hands of some disinterested party after the cards have been selected.
SECRET. Two packs of cards with backs alike are essential. One pack is arranged in the well-known Si Stebbins style, or 8, K, 3, 10, 2, etc., whichever is preferred. Come forward with the two packs and offer one to a spectator to shuffle, while you false shuffle the other (the prepared one) Place the pack that the spectator has shuffled on the table, in plain sight of all. Now for the under-handed business: Offer a card to be selected from your pack (the prepared one) in the same manner that you would in any other trick, but in closing the fan, slip out the card that was over the selected one, into the palm of the right hand. Then calmly place it on the top of the pack. This is the tell-tale card that furnishes the clue as to what the selected card is. The spectator places his card in his pocket without even looking at it, and particularly without letting those around him see it. Repeat these operations until you have three cards selected. Then you will have key cards on the pack. Step over to your table and pick up the other pack, placing the three key cards on it. You have previously palmed these off and given the pack to someone to hold. Hand the other pack to the medium and step into the audience without a word. The medium looks at the three top cards in running through the pack and figures back three cards according to the system, picking out the duplicates of those originally selected.
This effect should be played up strong, and the cards drawn out one by one with great 'concentration'. The wise ones will be fooled the most, for they are all looking for codes.
A Pre-Arranged Pack Of Cards That Can Be ShuffledARRANGE your pack in the Si Stebbins order, then with the pack face up deal the first card face down and on top of this card place the next card and continue until you lay out twenty-six pairs. Now take each top card and trim it short and narrow. You now have the cards in pairs, assemble and you can now riffle shuffle pack with freedom. Each pair will fall separate. A card is removed while performer riffles the pack by looking at the card below (long card); performer knows the value of the selected card, by adding three points and suit. Should the card be the I 0C, the selected card must be the KH.
Amazing Memory
AnnemannTO ARRANGE a pack for this feat first sort out the cards of each suit, then take the C's and the H's and shuffle them thoroughly. Spread the cards and then sort the S's and the D's in exactly the same order with the S's corresponding with C's set-up and D's with the H set up. Deal the S's-and D's face down on the table, thus reversing their order, and then put the C-H packet on top. Thus the top and bottom cards will be of the same color and value and, knowing one, you can at once name the other.
With a pack so arranged, execute a false shuffle and cut, and show the faces to prove the cards are well mixed. Next turn the faces towards you and run over the cards rather slowly pretending to memorize them. Offer the pack to a spectator asking him to make a free choice. Run the cards one by one counting them and note the number of the card chosen. Turn the pack and run over the cards from the bottom. To find the key to the card selected. For example: suppose the card drawn was the sixteenth from the top. You have merely to note the sixteenth card from the bottom to find the card of the same value as the other suit of the same color. Note the next card and continue running the cards until you reach the corresponding card of the same color, stop, call the name of the chosen card and have it returned at this location. The pack will then be in order for a repetition of the trick.
Six PilesFOR this trick you must make an impromptu set-up with twelve cards of any one suit, six at the top and six at the bottom. To do this run through the pack to take out the Joker and seize this opportunity to get several cards of one suit, say H's to the top and bottom of the pack. Remarking that you have also to eliminate four other cards, take out one card of the suit decided on, H, and any three cards of other suits. The pretense of searching for special cards covers the placing of the remainder of the H's in the required positions. Lay the four discards and the Joker aside. Riffle shuffle without disturbing the six top and the six bottom cards. Hand the pack to a spectator telling him to deal six cards in a row and continue dealing one card at a time on these in rotation. The result is that each pile has a H at top and bottom.
Instruct the spectator that, while your back is turned he is to take a card from the middle of any heap, note it, place it on top of any other heap and assemble the piles in any order he pleases. Finally he is to write the name of the card on a slip, fold it and put it on the table. Turn around and spread the pack face up on the table, run your hand over the line telling him to think 'Stop' when you reach his card. Take a mental note of the card between two H's but do not stop. Gather the pack and lay it aside, then pretend to get the name of the card by putting your hand to his forehead. Name it in the usual piecemeal manner. The slip is opened and your mind-reading is verified.
Mephisto's MessageBEFOREHAND arrange sixteen cards of mixed suits on the top of the pack as follows: 3, 2, court card, 5; 2, court card, 5, 3; court card, 5, 3, 2; 5, 3, 2, court card. Note that these cards make up four groups of four cards, the spots on which, counting court cards as two, amount to twelve. Count to the twelfth card from the bottom and write its name on a slip of paper and seal it in an envelope.
Thus prepared, have a spectator cut the pack in half. Tell him to deal the cards in the lower packet face down and count them, and then snap a rubber band around them and put the packet in his pocket. Next instruct him to deal from the upper packet four hands of four cards each. It makes no difference whether he deals four cards at a time or, separately, but whichever method he adopts, remark that you meant him to deal the other way but let it go. Let him select any pile, and place his hand on it, while you pick up the other three and shuffle them back into the pack. The spectator counts the spots on the four chosen cards and gets the total twelve. He then takes the packet from his pocket and counts down to the twelfth card and finds we will suppose, the AC. On opening the envelope he finds this card named in your prediction.
Name O' Card
R. W. HullPREARRANGE the cards of a full pack with the Joker as follows--JC, 4S, AH, 4H, 3C, 8H, 10C. 5C, 9C, 9S, 9H, QC, QS, 6H, 5S, 5H, 7H, 6S, 3D, 6D 5D, 9D, 8D, 3H, Joker, 2D, AS, 2S reversed, AD, 2H with an X on its face, 7D, 4D, 10D, 3S, QD, KD, JD, QH, KS, 10H, 7S, 7C, KC, JH, 10S, 2C, 6C, 8S, 8C, 4C, AC, JS with an X on its back, KH.
With a pack in this order in hand, false shuffle and false cut, then ask someone to think of a card and then name it. Proceed to discover it either by spelling its name, and this applies to forty-two cards, or in different ways applied to ten special cards, these are:
JC, KH, 2S, AS, 2H, JS, JS, 2D, 2D, 3H and the Joker.If one of them is called proceed as under:
- JACK OF CLUBS. Snap the back of the pack ordering it to rise to the top. Show it.
- KING OF HEARTS. Same procedure sending card to bottom.
- TWO OF SPADES. Reversed in the pack. Simply order it to do so.
- ACE OF SPADES. This is the card above the reversed 2S. Order the card below it to reverse itself.
- ACE OF DIAMONDS. Order card above it to reverse itself.
- TWO OF HEARTS. Show that you have foretold the choice of this card by marking an X on it.
- JACK OF SPADES. Same as for 2H but mark is on the back.
- TWO OF DIAMONDS. Order the Joker to locate the card.
- THREE OF HEARTS. Same as for 2D.
- THE JOKER. Take a card for each letter of the sentence, 'You have called for the Joker' and turn next card.
Detailed spelling table for the other cards. Where an X appears turn the card after the last letter.
HEARTS
- ACE. Spell 'HEART' and hold the five cards face down and ask if 'ACE' shall be spelt from top or bottom. Either fits.
- TWO. THREE. See above.
- FOUR. Spell 'FOUR' remove the cards, snap on the back saying, 'You want a Heart?' Show the 4H.
- FIVE. Spell 'THE FIVE OF HEARTS.' X.
- SIX. Spell 'THE SIX OF HEARTS.'
- SEVEN. Spell 'THE SEVEN OF HEARTS.'
- EIGHT. Spell 'EIGHT' take next card and say 'HEART'. Show it.
- NINE. Spell 'NINE HEARTS.' X.
- TEN. Spell 'THE TEN OF HEARTS' from the bottom of pack.
- JACK. Spell 'JACK HEARTS' from the bottom.
- QUEEN. Spell 'THE QUEEN OF HEARTS' from the bottom.
- KING. See above.
DIAMONDS
- ACE. See above.
- TWO.See above.
- THREE. Spell 'THE THREE OF DIAMONDS.' X.
- FOUR. Spell 'THE FOUR SPOT OF DIAMONDS' from bottom.
- FIVE. Spell 'THE FIVE SPOT OF DIAMONDS.'
- SIX. Spell 'THE SIX SPOT OF DIAMONDS.'
- SEVEN. Spell 'THE SEVEN SPOT OF DIAMONDS' from bottom.
- EIGHT. Spell 'THE EIGHT SPOT OF DIAMONDS.' X.
- NINE. Spell 'THE NINE SPOT OF DIAMONDS.' X.
- TEN. Spell 'THE TEN SPOT OF DIAMONDS' from bottom.
- JACK. Spell 'THE JACK OF DIAMONDS.'
- QUEEN. Spell 'THE QUEEN OF DIAMONDS' from bottom.
- KING. Spell 'THE KING OF DIAMONDS' from bottom.
CLUBS
- ACE. Spell 'CLUBS' from bottom, then 'ACE' from top or bottom of these five cards.
- TWO. Spell 'TWO CLUBS.'
- THREE. Spell 'THREE' then 'CLUBS' with the same cards and show.
- FOUR. Spell 'FOUR' from bottom, then 'CLUB' with same cards and show.
- FIVE. Spell 'FIVE CLUB.'
- SIX. Spell 'SIX CLUB' from bottom.
- SEVEN. Spell 'SEVEN OF CLUBS' from bottom.
- EIGHT. Spell 'EIGHT' from bottom, then 'CLUBS' with same cards.
- NINE. Spell 'NINE CLUBS.'
- TEN.Spell 'TEN CLUB.'
- JACK. See above.
- QUEEN. Spell 'QUEEN OF CLUBS.'
- KING. Spell 'KING OF CLUBS.'
SPADES
- ACE. See above.
- TWO. See above.
- THREE. Spell 'THE THREE SPOT OF SPADES.'
- FOUR. Order to top. Turn top card to show it is not there first then make a double lift.
- FIVE. Spell 'THE FIVE OF SPADES.'
- SIX. Spell 'THE SIX SPOT OF SPADES.'
- SEVEN. Spell 'SEVEN OF SPADES.'
- EIGHT. Spell 'EIGHT' from bottom take off two cards on last letter and spell 'SPADES' show card.
- NINE. Spell 'NINE SPADES.'
- TEN. Spell 'TEN SPADES' from bottom.
- JACK. See above.
- QUEEN. Spell 'QUEEN OF SPADES.'
- KING. Spell 'THE KING OF SPADES' from bottom.
New Pack Detection
JordanFOR this trick arrange to have a new unopened pack of Bicycle cards. Hand this to a spectator and ask him to break the seal, take out the cards, cut them several times and then deal two face-down heaps, a card to each. Two persons each take one heap and each shuffles thoroughly. Then each draws a card from the other's packet and shuffles it into his own. You find both cards at will.
The trick depends on the fact that Bicycle cards are packed in one of two ways:
- A to 10, S: 10 to A, D: 10 to A, H: 10 to A, C: J to K, C: J to K, S: J to K, D: J to K, H: Joker.
- A to 10, C: A to 10, H: A to 10, D: 10 to A, S: K to J, S: K to J, C: K to J, H: K to J, D: Joker.
Fan the pack and discard Joker. When the spectator cuts and deals into two packets each will consist of a certain easily learned set of twenty-six cards, so that when a strange card is introduced into either set it is readily recognizable.
Four-Fold SympathyTWO packs are used, one with blue backs, the other with red backs, and both having white borders around the back patterns. Remove from the blue pack the KS, AH, 10D, 3S, and put them on the top in that order followed by an indifferent card as the top card. Also take out the 7C, and put it on the bottom. From the red pack take out the same cards making a packet of them in the same order, with an indifferent card on the top and the 7C as the bottom card, and place this packet of red cards at the bottom of the blue pack.
To perform the trick, place the two packs on the table and force the red pack on a spectator using the usual equivoque. Ask him to shuffle his pack while you shuffle the blue pack. You can do this by a riffle shuffle without disturbing the top and bottom cards, but the cards must be well covered by the hands to avoid exposing the red-backed cards on the bottom. Secretly make a break with your right thumb at the inner end of your pack separating the six red cards from the blue cards. Take the red pack from the spectator with your left hand and put the two packs together for a moment pretending to judge the thickness of the pile to decide how many packets you should make. Really you let the six red cards join the red pack at the top. Separate the two packs again and place them on the table. Cut the blue pack into two packets and invite the spectator to do the same with the red pack. Again cut each of your piles in half, the spectator follows suit. We will call the piles A, B, C, D. in making the cuts see that the spectator does exactly the same as you do so that the resulting packets are opposite one another. In each case the arranged cards are on top of pile D. Turn the top cards of your four piles face up, spectator does the same. Call attention to the fact that they are just any cards at all and have them all turned down again. Now move the top cards of your four piles from one heap to another apparently in a haphazard fashion, but in such a way that ultimately you have one of the four cards, KS, AH, 10D, 3S, on top of each heap. The spectator makes each move as you do, so that the four duplicates in his pack are brought to the same locations. The top cards are turned and shown to match, and are put aside.
The 7C, will be the bottom card of your packet A, while the red 7C is on the top of the spectator's heap D. Assemble the pack by placing D on C, DC on Band DCBon A, the spectator doing the same. Turn your pack face up showing the 7C, and tell the spectator to turn over the top card of his pack, and it also proves to be the 7C.
Telepathic ControlUNDER the pretense of taking the Joker out of a well-shuffled pack, rapidly memorize the five bottom cards. The quickest and easiest way is to first take the values only, as for instance 7, 5, Q, 9, 4, then memorize the suits in the same fashion. Riffle shuffle several times, but do not disturb these five bottom cards.
Hand the pack to a spectator and have him make several complete cuts. He then fans the pack and hands you four cards as you call for them. The first three cards called are just indifferent ones, but are not among the four cards, name the bottom card of the five memorized and have the pack cut at this point, thus bringing the other four cards to the bottom of the pack. Tell the spectator to deal the cards into four face-down heaps with the result that you have the four memorized cards one at the top of each heap. Spectator chooses a heap and looks at the top card. You tell him to cut the packet, look at the card, cut and tell you if it is odd or even, then you name the top card. This odd or even business is for misdirection only.
The other three cards can be read in the same way. Note.-It is easier to have five cards set up in a formula you know by heart and add them to the bottom of the pack just before you do the trick.
Cards And Pockets
BuckleyEFFECT. After shuffling and cutting the cards the performer instantly calls the number of cards in a packet cut off. After repeating this effect several times he divides the packet into four portions and puts each packet in a different pocket. Any card called for is then instantly produced.
METHOD. The cards are arranged in four sections thus:
- AH, 2H. 3S, 4S, SS, 6D, 7D, 8D, 9C, 10C, JC, QH. KH.
- AC, 2C, 3H, 4H, 5H, 6S, 7S, 8S, 9D, 10D, JD, QC, KC.
- AD, 2D, 3C, 4C, 5C, 6H, 7H, 5H. 9S, 10S, JS, QD, KD,
- AS, 2S, 3D, 4D, 5D, 6C, 7C, 8C9 9H, 10H, JH, QS, KS.
Refer always to the first packet as the H packet; the second as the C packet; the third the D packet and the fourth the Spacket. Having the packets so arranged face down, put No. 1 on No. 2, these two on No. 3, and these on No. 4. Thus assembled the top card will be the AH and the bottom card the KS. The packets being in numerical order Q counting eleven, Q, twelve and K, thirteen), the value of the face card of the packet cut off will denote the number of cards in the packet, for instance, if the face card is a 7 and the packet contains a few cards only their number is seven; if, however, there are obviously more than seven cards, simply add thirteen and call twenty as the number of cards. Finally, if you cut more than half the pack you must add twenty-six to the value of the face card of the cut.
For the second effect riffle the ends of the cards, locate the KH (thirteenth card), lift off packet No. 1 and put it in your left side coat pocket; riffle next to the KC and put packet No. 2 in your right side coat pocket; divide the remainder at the KD and put No. 3 in right trousers pocket and No. 4 in left trousers pocket. A very simple formula will enable you to find any card called for. Divide the numerical value of the card by three and the answer, ignoring the remainder if any, will designate the pocket containing the card. For example the 7H, is called for. Three goes into seven twice, so two therefore is the key number. The suit being H refer to the H pocket (left side coat pocket) and count two, counting the right coat pocket one and the right trousers pocket 2; the required card must therefore be in the right trousers pocket and as the packet is in numerical order it must be the seventh card.
Again, suppose the JC is called for; three into eleven gives three for the answer. The suit being C, refer to the C packet in the right coat pocket and count three from it in the same direction as given in the first example, bringing you to the left coat pocket in which the card lies. Since the A and the 2 cannot be divided by three, they will be found in the pocket of the suit called for.
Place the packets in the pockets with the faces outwards. When a card is brought out do not remove it singly, count to the card, square the others behind it and bring them all out as one card, then replace them in the pocket so that the order of each packet is not disturbed.
Count Down Detection
LarsenARRANGE thirteen cards (seven red and six black) in some well-known order such as the 'Eight Kings, etc.'. In presenting the trick make a false riffle leaving the packet on the top undisturbed. Hand the pack to a spectator telling him that, when you turn your back, he is to count off any small number of cards, look at the card counted to, remember it, replace it anywhere in the pack and shuffle the cards thoroughly. This done you turn around and take the pack. Ignore the first two cards of the arrangement, the count will always be more than two. Of the eleven cards remaining there are six black and five red. Ask whether the card was red or black as you run over the faces of the cards. If the answer is red, bring the five red to the top in their arranged order. Boldly announce that you have put the card on the top of the pack. The card is named and you show it as being the top one by turning two or more as one card. If the card is a black one do the same thing with the six black cards.
It has been suggested that after the color of the chosen card has been ascertained, one of the five or six cards he reversed in the middle, one Or two brought to the bottom, one or two to the top and one palmed off and put in a pocket. When the card is named it can at once be shown in one of these positions and the necessity for the lifting of perhaps five or six cards is eliminated.
The Adventures Of Diamond Jack
NamrehA LITTLE story based on the pack of cards. First, let me introduce our hero, Diamond Jack QD). No relation to Diamond Joe. Jack was just twenty-six (2S, 6S), handsome, a regular King of Hearts (KH). He had been an Ace (AD) in the war, but now he was poor. In fact, he had not been flush (flush in S's, K-Q-J-10-9) for a long time. He often felt blue (show blue back of card) because he belonged to only one club (AC) while his friends belonged to two or three (2C and 3C). But Jack was proud; his hands (two fans of cards) had never turned a spade (AS).
One day at seven (7S) he had a date with a swell queen (QD). She was a 'pip' (snap spot of Q), but when he arrived she was not on deck (look for Q on top of pack). 'That is a nasty cut' (cut the cards, said Jack. So he picked up another blonde queen (pick up QH from table) and ate (SS) with her. The head-waiter said he had a full-house (8H, 8D, 8C, 3H and 3D), but he seated them anyway, as head-waiters will. And say, she ate (8H) and ate (8D) and ate (8C). She ordered several club steaks (throw down 8C) and everything on the card (hold up 3H, back to them). The waiter brought tray 3H, after tray (3D) of food.
But finally, as she was finishing off with a fancy, cherry-colored pear (7H and 7D), Jack realized he had only a ten and a five 10D, and 5D), Luckily the bill was only thirteen spots (10C and 3S), but when the waiter added two more (deal last two cards on table), Jack asked, 'What for?' (4S).
'My tip,' said the dirty knave QC).
'The deuce (2D) you say,' said Jack. 'I don't mind forking (4C, KC) over 10 per cent (10H), but this is outrageous.'
Here is where the queen dropped out of sight (drop QH on floor).
Then the waiter spotted the diamonds (6D) on Jack's cravat and snatched for them. Jack pasted a grand slam in his fifth rib near the heart (5H). 'Nein, Nein, Nein,' (9D, 9C, 9H) cry the German waiters excitedly. But the manager sicks (6H) the police on them. In fact, he called out half of the force (4H, 4D). In the shuffle (shuffle cards on table) that followed, Jack fanned a few (fan), but he had the whole pack after him, and finally six or seven clubs (6C, 7C) descended at once. His mind went blank (blank card).
When he awoke he was facing Judge King (KD). A lawyer was appointed to handle the case (pick up card case from table). 'Your name,' said the Judge.
'Diamond Jack,' QD) shouted our hero.
'Not so much snap,' (snap the cards) said the Judge.
Just then Jack saw his old sweetheart, Mary McClub (QC) from Oireland, who was acting as court stenographer.
'Your Honor, I was almost robbed by a knave (JH), a highjacker (hold JH above your head), but this little girl will testify to my character.'
'Let me get this straight' (K-Q-J- 10-9 of S, same as used before), said Judge King.
'I love her with an aching heart,' (AD, KD, AH) said Jack.
'So hearts (AH) are trumps?' asked the Judge.
'I'm no joker,' (Joker) said Jack.
'So you want to marry her?'
'I do,' said Jack, handing over a solitaire (AD).
'Accept my stamp of approval,' (snap revenue stamp on card-case) finished the Judge.
And so they became two of a kind (5S and 5C), two minds with but a single thought, two hearts (2H) that beat as one (AH). Finis.
SEQUENCE
In the following pre-arrangement please note that the italic cards (QH, JD, AD, KD, QC, AH and the straight flush in S's) are used two and three times. These are to be laid aside, so that they may be obtained later without hesitation:QH on table, JD, 6S-2S, KH, AD, K-Q-J-10-9 of S, blue, AC, 2C, 3C, 2 fans, AS, 7S, QD, pip, pack, cut, pick up QH, 8S, full-house (three 8's, two 3's), 8H-8D-8C, 8C, card, 3H-3D, 7H-7D, 10D-5D, 10C-3S, deal 2, 4S, JC, 2D, 4C, KC, 10H, QH, 6D, 5H, 9D-9C-9H, 6H, 4H-4D, shuffle, fan three, 6C, 7C, blank, KD, case, JD, snap, QC, JH high, QC, K-Q-J-10-9 of Sas used above, AD-KD-AH, AH, Joker, AD, stamp, 5S-5C. 2H, AH.