Royal Road to Card Magic The

and gentlemen, I should like to show you one of the great card tricks.' As you say this, fan the cards and hold them with their faces towards the audience. Square the pack smartly in the left hand, with the card faces towards the audience, and say, 'A pack of playing cards.'
    Glance at the face card, appear to notice something unusual and brush the card with the right fingertips. 'The four of spades.' Cover the pack for a moment with the right hand, make the colour change and show that the face card has changed to another card. Gesture with the right hand towards the pack, but do not say anything and, during the laughter which the colour change provokes, do not move. Shrug a little, helplessly. 'An unusual pack of cards!'
    2. Approach someone well on your right, holding the pack as for the Charlier cut, and ask the spectator to cut the cards. At the moment his hand is about to close on the pack, make the Charlier cut, saying, 'Thank you.' This will usually amuse an audience if you are careful not to give the impression that you are a wiseacre.
    3. Spread the cards widely between your hands, and invite the spectator, whom we shall call A, to take a card. Let it be amply clear that he has a free choice, but do not mention this fact, because you should never lead an audience to believe that there is such a thing as a forced choice. 'Remember your card, please.' Extend your right hand for the card, saying, 'I will place your card on the table for a few moments.' Turn to your left, making the top change and drop an indifferent card on the table.
    4. Approach a second spectator, B, who is seated somewhat to the right of the centre of the audience. Shuffle A's card to the middle of the pack in preparation for a force as you do this. Square the cards, holding a break over A's card, and say to B, 'You, too. Will you take a card?' Break off, glance back at A, saying, 'No, no! Stay for a while and enjoy the show!' Revert to B and force A's card on him. Take it from him, and in turning to your table again make the top change, placing an indifferent card on the first card.
    5. Prepare in the same manner to force A's card on a third person, C, who is seated to the left of centre. A moment before you make the force, glance back towards spectator A worriedly, apparently note that he is still in his seat, smile broadly at him as if you have a little joke between you, and invite C to take a card. This incidental 'business' helps to make the spectator's choice of a card seem unimportant, since you are more interested in spectator A than in what you are doing. It also helps to enliven the slow part of the trick, which is the time spent in having cards selected.
    6. Take C's card, turn back to your table, and actually drop this card on the other two. Care must be taken that only those close to A, B and C see the cards they take. It is for this reason that you choose spectators in widely separated parts of the audience. You must also handle the card so that its face is not seen after the top change.
    7. Now move on to spectator D, who is at the extreme left. Extend your left hand with the cards in position for the Charlier cut, saying, 'Will you cut the cards?' Glance back at spectator A, laughing, and say, 'Remember?' Before D can move to cut the cards (it is unlikely that he will fall into the trap you set for A), you say, 'I'll shuffle them myself.' Spring the cards from the right into the left hand, saying, 'A Chinese shuffle I learned in Canton - Ohio.'
    8. Place the pack face downwards on the extreme fingertips of the left hand. Hold the hand well away from the body. 'And a cut!' Remove the upper half with the right hand and place it beside the lower portion. Pick up the lower portion, leapfrog it over the upper half and place it to the left of the latter portion. Finally pick up the upper half and place it on top of the other. Clearly the pack has not been cut at all and your swindle will cause some amusement. You must make this cut neatly in about three seconds, so that it will not slow your presentation.
    9. 'The cards have been shuffled and cut,' you say blandly to spectator D. 'Kindly take one of the fifty-two cards.' Riffle the pack close to your ear, as though counting the cards, and say in a surprised tone. 'Hmm. Only forty-nine!' Then note the three on the table. 'Oh yes, three on the table, forty-nine here.'
    Spread the cards before D. Abruptly glance at him in mild indignation. 'Do you think I'm cheating?' Pause and say,