Royal Road to Card Magic The

blazed by the first.' Again ruffle the packet. Move the right hand to the pocket, but before thrusting it into the pocket turn it naturally so that its palm may be seen to be empty. You must not give any sign that you know that some of the spectators are surprised to see that it does not contain a card. Your purpose in misleading your audience into thinking that you might have palmed a card is this. Many people have heard of palming cards and in this particular trick their first reaction is, 'Ah, he palmed it into his pocket.' You first convince these people that they have hit on the correct solution and then you demonstrate, by showing the hand empty, that they are mistaken.
    You have thus gained an important psychological advantage, for now they will not jump to conclusions without positive proof. (It is a curious fact that, although audiences are willing to believe that a performer may palm one card, they are blind to the fact that it is just as easy to palm five.)
    Thrust your hand into your pocket, remove the uppermost card between the right index and middle fingers as before, and show it in the same manner as before. 'The second card!' Display it and drop it to one side.
    10. Move the right hand directly back to the left sleeve. 'The third card!' you explain. 'Before you can wink an eye, it moves like lightning, up, across, and down into my pocket.' Ruffle the packet as you say this, then remove a card from your pocket as before, display it, and discard it.
    11. 'Three cards have passed from my left hand into my pocket,' you recapitulate. 'Three from ten - seven. I have seven cards remaining in my left hand.'
    Count the five cards you hold in such a manner as to convince everyone that they are actually seven, by using the following false count.
    (a) Hold the packet of five in the left hand, as for dealing, but in a vertical position and with the little finger resting against the inner end.
    (b) Push off the top card and take it, face outwards, in the right hand between the fingers at its face and the thumb at its back, at about the middle of the right side. Count 'One.'
    (c) Push off the next card and take it in front of the one held in the right hand, counting 'Two.'
    (d) Push off and take the next card in front of those held in the right hand, counting 'Three.' At the same instant drop the left thumb upon the rearmost card of those in the right hand, and secretly draw it back on top of the two remaining in the left hand. The left little finger, at the end, keeps this card in alignment with the others. The movement of the rearmost card of those in the right hand back onto the left-hand packet is completely concealed by the cards in front.
    (e) Take another card in front of those in the right hand, counting 'Four.'
    (f) Push off still another card, counting 'Five,' and as you take in the right hand, draw back the rearmost card with the left thumb as you did before, adding it to the card in the left hand.
    (g) Place the two remaining cards in the right hand, counting 'Six, Seven!'
    This false count is extremely deceptive, but you should guard against the unlikely possibility that someone may notice that two cards are shown twice. Face a little to your left as you count the first two cards. Face directly ahead when you count the next three. Face to the right as you count the last two.
    12. Place the five cards, which the audience think are seven, in your left hand and prepare to pass another card. 'The fourth card!' you say. 'Watch it go!' Ruffle the packet and thrust your right hand into your pocket. Palm one of the cards already there, and remove the right hand. 'I often have trouble with the fourth card,' you explain. 'For some reason it has ideas of its own. It isn't in my pocket. I should say that right now it is digging into my elbow.' Bring your right hand behind your left elbow and press the palmed card against it with the fingers. Move the hand down, retaining the card pressed firmly against the elbow, then grasp it between the right index and middle fingers at its lower end, and with a little tug bring it into view. 'Couldn't negotiate the curve,' you explain unhappily.
    13. 'Six cards remain.' False count the five cards as six, drawing back the rearmost of those in the right hand in making the count of three. If you are performing under circumstances in which you can move to a spectator without loss of time, hand him the packet of cards. 'One, two, three, four, five, six cards,' you say as you hand him